Saturday’s Hockey

As the season comes barreling to a close, Saturday night was a busy night for hockey, with 12 games being played after a quiet Friday saw just four.

 

Buffalo Sabres v Colorado Avalanche

0-3

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists and Phillip Grubauer made 18 saves for the Colorado Avalanche in their 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. It was the second shutout of the season and eight in the NHL for the goaltender.

Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Bourque also scored for the Avs, who are two points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card from the Western Conference. 

The hosts, who were playing their first game without forward Gabriel Landeskog who is out for 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury, outshot the Sabres 43-18 and out-attempted them 76-38.

Carter Hutton made 40 saves for Buffalo, who have lost four in succession and are 2-8-2 in their last 12. They trail the Montreal Canadiens by 10 points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Buffalo’s Jack Eichel has been suspended for two games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Colorado’s Carl Soderberg.

Up Next:

Stars v Sabres – Tuesday, March 12th (7pm)

Canes v Avalanche – Monday, March 11th (9pm)

 

St Louis Blues v San Jose Sharks

2-3 (OT)

Kevin Labanc scored with 1:39 left in overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the St Louis Blues.

Timo Meier scored twice in regulation, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl recorded two assists each and Martin Jones made 17 saves for the Sharks, who move top of the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames, who host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

Pat Maroon and Brayden Schenn scored for the visitors, who went two for three on the power play. Jake Allen made 30 saves.

Despite the loss St. Louis remain third in the Central Division, four points behind the second-placed Nashville Predators.

Up Next:

Coyotes v Blues – Tuesday, March 12th (8pm)

Sharks v Wild – Monday, March 11th (8pm – NBCSN)

 

Toronto Maple Leafs v Edmonton Oilers

3-2

John Tavares had a goal and two assists for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin scored for Toronto, who are four points behind the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division. Frederik Andersen made 31 saves.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Oscar Klefbom netted late in the final period, and Anthony Stolarz made 37 saves in his first start for the Oilers since being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade for Cam Talbot on February 15.

Leon Draisaitl had two assists to extend his point streak to 13 games (9g, 11a), Connor McDavid also had two assists.

It was the first defeat in five games for the hosts, who are seven points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card from the West.

Up Next:

Lightning v Leafs – Monday, March 11th (7pm)

Rangers v Oilers – Monday, March 11th (9pm)

 

Ottawa Senators v Boston Bruins

2-3

The Boston Bruins extended their point streak to 19 games with a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The longest point streak in Bruins history is 23 games, from December 22, 1940 – February 23, 1941.

Brad Marchand opened the scoring on the power play mid-way through the second period, Chris Wagner scored their second, and David Krejci scored the game winner for Boston, who are 15-0-4 in their last 19 games and have won six in a row. They lead Toronto by four points for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Tuukka Rask made 17 saves and improved to 16-0-3 in his last 20 games. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brady Tkachuk scored, and Craig Anderson made 28 saves for Ottawa, who have lost three in a row and were eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Up Next:

Senators v Flyers – Monday, March 11th (9pm)

Bruins v Penguins – Sunday, March 10th (7:30pm – NBCSN)

 

Detroit Red Wings v Tampa Bay Lightning

2-3

Nikita Kucherov scored twice to set the franchise record for most points by a player in a season as Tampa Bay Lightning held on to defeat the Detroit Red Wings.

The Russian has 110pts (33g, 77a) in 69 games, passing the previous record of 108 set by Vincent Lecavalier in 2006/07. He told media after the game “It’s special for me and my family, definitely. I don’t think many people believed in me and I’m trying to keep proving them wrong.”

Ryan McDonagh netted the other goal for the Bolts, who have won 13 of their past 15 games and lead the Boston Bruins by 15pts for first place in the Eastern Conference. Louis Domingue made 22 saves.

Thomas Vanek and Anthony Mantha scored and Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves for Detroit, who have lost 14 consecutive regular-season games (0-12-2) to Tampa, with their last win coming at the beginning of November, 2015.

Up Next:

Red Wings v Panthers – Sunday, March 10th (5pm)

Lightning v Leafs – Monday, March 11th (7pm)

 

Philadelphia Flyers v New York Islanders

5-2

The Philadelphia Flyers moved to within five points of the second wild card place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.

James van Riemsdyk scored one and assisted another, Ryan Hartman, Sean Couturier, Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny also scored, and Brian Elliott made 25 saves for the Flyers, who trail the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card spot.

Scott Mayfield scored his first goal in 48 games for New York. Nick Leddy also netted and Thomas Greiss allowed five goals on 15 shots before being pulled after the second period, Christopher Gibson made 10 saves in relief. 

Mayfield‘s last goal came against the Dallas Stars on November 18.

Mathew Barzal had an assist on both of New York’s goals. The Isles are two points behind the Washington Capitals, who hold the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek has been suspended two games for interference on Islander’s Johnny Boychuk.

Up Next:

Senators v Flyers – Monday, March 11th (7pm)

Blue Jackets v Islanders – Monday, March 11th (7pm)

 

New Jersey Devils v New York Rangers

2-4

The New York Rangers ended their six-game losing streak with a 4-2 comeback victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Vladislav Namestnikov scored with 6:35 remaining in the third period to win the game for New York, who fell behind 2-0 in the first period. They were 0-2-4 in their streak. 

Ryan Strome scored twice and assisted another, Libor Hajek scored his first NHL goal before leaving with a separated shoulder with 8:25 left on the clock. Namestnikov and Mika Zibanejad each had two assists and Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the the hosts, who hadn’t won since defeating the Devils 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on February 23. 

The Rangers are 11pts behind the Blue Jackets for that second eastern wild card.

Up Next:

Devils v Flames – Tuesday, March 12th (9pm)

Rangers v Oilers – Monday, March 11th (9pm)

 

Pittsburgh Penguins v Columbus Blue Jackets

1-4

The Columbus Blue Jackets ended their eight-game losing streak to the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-1 win at Nationwide Arena. The hosts had not defeated the Pens since February 17th, 2017.

Cam Atkinson scored twice, Boone Jenner and Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves for Columbus, who are tied for the second wild card from the East. They and the Montreal Canadiens are 2pts behind the Penguins for the first wild card.

Zach Aston-Reece scored the lone goal for the visitors and Matt Murray made 29 saves.  Meanwhile Sidney Crosby saw his six-game goal streak come to an end and was -3 on the night. 

Phil Kessel played his 314th consecutive game, passing Ron Schock for second in Penguins history. Craig Adams played 319.

Up Next:

Bruins v Penguins – Sunday, March 10th (7:30pm – NBCSN)

Blue Jackets v Islanders – Monday, March 11th (7pm)

 

Carolina Hurricanes v Nashville Predators

5-3

Nino Niederreiter scored two goals for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Jordan Martinook, Justin Williams and Sebastian Aho also scored, and Petr Mrazek made 31 saves for the visitors, who have won nine of their last 12 games and moved back into third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Aho‘s 30th goal of the season was an empty-netter with 20 seconds remaining.

Mikael Granlund, Craig Smith and Brian Boyle scored, and Juuse Saros made 27 saves between the pipes for the Predators, who have won two in succession and remain a point behind the Winnipeg Jets for top spot in the Central Division.

Up Next:

Canes v Avalanche – Monday, March 11th (9pm)

Predators v Ducks – Tuesday, March 12th (10pm)

 

Los Angeles Kings v Arizona Coyotes

2-4

The Arizona Coyotes moved another step closer to securing the second western wild card with a 4-2 win over the L.A. Kings on Saturday.

Christian Dvorak scored his first two goals of the season, Michael Grabner also scored twice and Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves for the hosts, who moved within a point of the Minnesota Wild.

Arizona haven’t been this close to a playoff position at this late a stage in the season since 2013/14. They allowed two or fewer goals for the 10th time in 14 games

Carl Grundstrom scored on his NHL debut, Adrian Kempe also found the back of the net and Jack Campbell made 28 saves for the Kings, who have lost three in succession and 13 of 14 (1-9-4). 

Up Next:

Kings v Ducks – Sunday, March 10th (10pm – NBCSN)

Coyotes v Blackhawks – Monday, March 11th (8:30pm)

 

Chicago Blackhawks v Dallas Stars

2-1

Corey Crawford made 26 saves to help the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Dallas Stars 2-1.

David Kampf and Alex DeBrincat scored in the first period for the visitors, who have won two in a row for the first time since the middle of February. They are 7pts behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card from the Western Conference.

Alexander Radulov scored his fourth goal in four periods for the Stars, and Anton Khudobin made 37 saves for hosts, who lead Minnesota by one point for the first wild card.

 

Up Next:

Coyotes v Blackhawks – Monday, March 11th (8:30pm)

Stars v Sabres – Tuesday, March 12th (7pm)

 

Vegas Golden Knights v Vancouver Canucks

6-2

Mark Stone scored his first goal for the Vegas Golden Knights since being acquired in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on February 25 in their 6-2 thrashing of the Vancouver Canucks.

Stone, who has two assists in five games since the acquisition, scored his 29th goal of the season on a rebound inside the hash marks to make it 1-0 just 1:32 in to the game. 

Alex Tuch had a goal and two assists, Cody Eakin, Tomas Nosek, Paul Stastny and Nate Schmidt also scored for Vegas, who trail the Calgary Flames by eight points for second place in the Pacific Division.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for his fifth successive win and 438th in the NHL, leapfrogging Jaques Plante for sole possession of eighth place on the all-time list. The goalie, who was playing his 795th NHL game, tying Rogie Vachon for 17th on that all-time list, is 438-248-77.

Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat scored and Alex Biega had two assists for Vancouver, who are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and are nine points adrift of the second western wild card place.

Jacob Marsktrom conceded five goals on 16 shots before being pulled near the end of the first period. Thatcher Demko made 16 saves in relief.

Up Next:

Knights v Flames – Sunday, March 10th (9:30pm)

Rangers v Canucks – Wednesday, March 13th (10pm)

 

KEY

 

ALL TIMES U.S. EASTERN