Tuesday Night Hockey

Tuesday night gave us 10 NHL games, 52 goals – at least five goals were scored in seven of the 10 games.

We were also treated to a crazy night in Raleigh, North Carolina and saw the idle San Jose Sharks clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff spot.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins v Carolina Hurricanes

2-3 (SO)

The Carolina Hurricanes moved within two points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division, after rallying for a 3-2 comeback shootout victory at PNC Arena.

Dougie Hamilton scored the winner in the shootout after Justin Williams tied it 2-2 with 1:56 remaining in regulation. 

Brock McGinn scored, and Petr Mrazek made 36 saves for the hosts, who are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games and have two games in hand over the Penguins. 

Mrazek, who is 7-1-0 in his last eight starts, made numerous key saves throughout the affair, including on all three penalties faced in the shootout.

Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, Kris Letang scored in his return from injury, and Matt Murray made 37 saves for the visitors, who have lost three in a row and trail the New York Islanders by two points for second place.  

Pittsburgh killed two penalties in overtime, and Jack Johnson made a save with his skate on Sebastian Aho‘s shot at an open net with seconds remaining. 

Carolina have won 40 games for the first time since 2010/11. They haven’t won 20 at home and 20 on the road in the same season since their Stanley Cup winning 2005/06 season.

 

Up Next:

Penguins v Predators – Thursday, March 21 (8pm)

Lightning v Canes – Thursday, March 21 (7pm – ESPN+)

 

Boston Bruins v New York Islanders

5-0

The Boston Bruins handed the New York Islanders a 5-0 home defeat, sending them back down to second in the Metropolitan Division.

Sean Kuraly scored twice, Noel Acciari, Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk also scored, and Tuukka Rask got his fourth shutout for Boston, who outshot New York 39-13.

DeBrusk left the penalty box and scored on a breakaway to make it 5-0, after Bergeron had scored his third goal in four games for Boston. 

Robin Lehner made 34 saves for the Islanders, who are two points behind the Washington Capitals, who won 4-1 in New Jersey.

The Isles haven’t defeated Boston at home since November 2, 2013 (0-8-0) and have been outscored 35-13. Their last victory was in Boston on January 16, 2017 (4-0). 

Up Next:

Bruins v Devils – Thursday, March 21 (7pm)

Islanders v Canadiens – Thursday, March 21 (7:30pm)

 

Detroit Red Wings v New York Islanders

3-2

Andreas Athanasiou scored twice for the second straight game as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.

Athanasiou has five goals in his last four games, totaling 28 this season and Dylan Larkin has 27 goals. Detroit haven’t had a 30-goal scorer since 2008/09, when Marian Hossa (40), Johan Franzen (34), Pavel Datsyuk (32) and Henrik Zetterberg (31) all did it.

Frans Nielsen also scored and Jimmy Howard made 41 saves for the Red Wings, who were mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention last week, and have won back-to-back games for the first time since February 12-14. They defeated the Islanders 2-1 at the weekend. 

Forward Taro Hirose, playing in his first NHL game since signing as a free agent out of Michigan State University last week, had an assist on Nielsen‘s goal for his first NHL point. 

Red Wings’ Jacob de la Rose didn’t play in the third period after being diagnosed with an accelerated heartbeat. He was taken to the hospital, where he will spend the night, head coach Jeff Blashill said. 

De la Rose is expected to fly back to Detroit on Wednesday to see a specialist, whilst the rest of the team will travel to St Louis. Russ Baumann, the Red Wings assistant athletic trainer, who accompanied him to the hospital will also travel back to Detroit him.

Ryan Strome and Brendan Smith scored, and Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves for New York, who have lost five in a row, including their last four in regulation. They are 1-6-5- since February 24.

Lundqvist played his 50,000th career minute, becoming the 11th goalie in NHL history to play at least that and the third to do so with one team, joining Martin Brodeaur (New Jersey Devils) and Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks).

Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk had an assist in his 600th NHL game.

 

Up Next:

Red Wings v Blues – Thursday, March 21 (8pm)

Rangers v Leafs – Saturday, March 23 (7pm)

 

Montreal Canadiens v Philadelphia Flyers

3-1

The Montreal Canadiens made the Eastern Conference wild card race even tighter with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens are a point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second eastern wild card. 

Max Domi had a goal and an assist, Brendan Gallagher and Shea Weber also netted and Carey Price made 33 saves for the visitors, who lost their previous two and are 2-4-0 in their last six. 

Montreal limited the Flyers to eight shots on goal in the first period and rarely allowed them to get close to Price. They allowed nine shots in the third as Philly were pushing to get back in the game. 

Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry was playing his 600th NHL game, whilst Weber‘s goal was his 201st, two behind Gary Suter for 20th among defensemen in NHL history.

Sean Couturier scored for Philadelphia, who are six points behind Columbus, Carter Hart made 33 saves.

The goal was Couturier‘s 30th. It’s the second straight season in which he’s scored at least that many, he had 31 last season. 

Claude Giroux had an assist on the goal and has 17pts (3g, 14a) in his last 12 games.

 

Up Next:

Islanders v Canadiens – Thursday, March 21 (7:30pm)

Flyers v Blackhawks – Thursday, March 21 (8:30pm)

 

Washington Capitals v New Jersey Devils

4-1

The Washington Capitals regained top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Brett Connolly scored his 20th goal of the season, Andre Burakovsky, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson also scored, and Pheonix Copley made 20 saves for the reigning champions, who moved two points ahead of the New York Islanders with nine games remaining, the Isles lost 5-0 to the Bruins. 

Connolly has scored 15 goals in each of the last two seasons, whilst Nicklas Backstrom had an assist to give him his 12th point (5g, 7a) in his last 11 games. 

Alex Ovechkin, who had no shots on goal in 18:26 of ice time, needs just one more goal to tie Brendan Shanahan for 13th in NHL history (656) and two goals to reach 50 in a season for the eighth time. The Russian has five points (2g, 3a) in a four-game point streak. 

Kenny Agostino scored and Mackenzie Blackwood made 18 saves for the Devils, who are 2-8-1 in their last 11 games.

 

Up Next:

Lightning v Capitals – Wednesday, March 20 (7:30pm – NBCSN)

Bruins v Devils – Thursday, March 21 (7pm)

 

Edmonton Oilers v St Louis Blues

2-7

Jaden Schwartz scored his fourth NHL hat trick and recorded an assist to help catapult the St Louis Blues to a 7-2 thrashing of the Edmonton Oilers. It was his first hat trick since October 18, 2017.

David Perron had two goals and an assist, Tyler Bozak had three assists, and Jordan Binnington made 15 saves for the Blues, who remain third in the Central Division, five points behind the Nashville Predators, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0.

Perron extended his personal NHL-best point streak to 16 games (8g, 12a)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian scored for Edmonton, who are seven points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second western wild card. 

Mikko Koskinen allowed three goals on 20 shots before being pulled in the second period, Anthony Stolarz made 20 saves in relief. 

Connor McDavid was held without a point and saw his eight-game multipoint streak and personal 12-game point streak end. 

Up Next:

Blue Jackets v Oilers – Thursday, March 21 (9pm)

Red Wings v Blues – Thursday, March 21 (8pm)

 

Toronto Maple Leafs v Nashville Predators

0-3

The Nashville Predators moved within a point of first place in the Central Division with a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pekka Rinne made 22 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, and Brian Boyle, Wayne Simmonds and Filip Forsberg scored for the Preds, who trail the Winnipeg Jets.

Ryan Johansen had two assists for the hosts, who have shutout the Leafs in both meetings this season (4-0 in Toronto on January 7). 

Frederik Andersen made 17 saves on 19 shots for the Maple Leafs, who are 1-4-0 in their last five, and trail the Boston Bruins by six points for second place in the Atlantic Division. 

 

Up Next:

Leafs v Sabres – Wednesday, March 20 (7pm)

Penguins v Predators – Thursday, March 20 (8pm)

 

Colorado Avalanche v Minnesota Wild

3-1

Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves for the Colorado Avalanche as they gained in the Western Conference wild card race with a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Tyson Barrie, Tyson Jost and Ian Cole scored for the Avs, who have won two in a row and are two points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card. 

It was Jost‘s first goal since February 25 (10 games), whilst Cole‘s was his second of the season and first since November 2 (48 games). 

Colorado could have won the game 4-1, but, when Colin Wilson appeared to have given them a 2-1 lead, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau challenged for goaltender interference, and the call was reversed upon video review.

Zach Parise scored and Devan Dubnyk made 35 saves for Minnesota, who have lost five of their last six and remain a point behind the Coyotes. Their loss led to the San Jose Sharks clinching a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Parise has three points (2g, 1a) in his last three games and Minnesota finished their five-game homestand 1-3-1.

Up Next:

Avalanche v Stars – Thursday, March 21 (8:30pm)

Wild v Capitals – Friday, March 22 (7pm)

 

Florida Panthers v Dallas Stars

2-4

Tyler Seguin had an assist on all four of the Dallas Stars’ goals to help them keep pace in the Central Division with a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

Alexander Radulov scored twice, Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist and John Klingberg also scored for the Stars, who are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

Radulov made it 4-2 at 19:20 of the third when he was awarded a goal after Mike Hoffman threw his stick to prevent him from scoring into an empty net.

Ben Bishop, who missed their previous two games due to a lower-body injury, made 20 saves for Dallas, who lead the Arizona Coyotes by four points for the first western wild card, and trail the St Louis Blues by two points for third place in the Central. 

Aleksander Barkov scored both of Florida’s goals, and Sam Montembeault made 33 saves for the Panthers, who have lost two in a row and are eight points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. 

 

Up Next:

Coyotes v Panthers – Thursday, March 21 (7pm)

Avalanche v Stars – Thursday, March 21 (8:30pm)

 

Columbus Blue Jackets v Calgary Flames

2-4

The Calgary Flames tightened their grip on first place in the Pacific Division and Western Conference (they lead the Sharks by three points in each) with a 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Michael Frolik and Andrew Mangiapane scored for the Flames, who are 4-1-0 in their last five and 11-5-0 in their last 16. David Rittich made 31 saves. 

Zach Werenski and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for the visitors, who lead the Montreal Canadiens by a point for the second eastern wild card, trail the Carolina Hurricanes by three points for the first wild card and are five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

 

Up Next:

Blue Jackets v Oilers – Thursday, March 21 (9pm)

Senators v Flames – Thursday, March 21 (9pm)

 

KEY

 

ALL TIMES U.S. EASTERN