If I told you the Wings would win, would you believe me? Or that the Rangers would outplay the Isles 5-0? Or the Habs would slap around the Oilers? Well, all three happened. Saturday’s games were a hockey fan’s dream and a sports bettor’s fever dream.
Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils
The Devils won 2-1 in OT, with Yegor Sharangovich tucking home his first goal to win in the waning seconds of OT. Mackenzie Blackwood was nuts, saving 27 of 28 shots. Jaroslav Halak was also an animal, saving 29 of 31 to get his team a point. Both games of this series took extra time.
San Jose Sharks at Arizona Coyotes
Yotes = Wagon. Or at least that’s what Paul Bissonette will echo for the next few days. Timo Meier put up three points for the Sharks but the Coyotes, led by two Phil Kessel goals and three assists by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, proved insurmountable. Antti Raanta posted a 0.912 save percentage in the game, while Devon Dubnyk saved both shots he faced for the Sharks. The game comes after the Coyotes lost a close shootout to the Sharks in their last game.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
The Leafs somehow pulled this one out, beating the Sens 3-2. Mitch Marner put up a goal and two assists while the Sens’ Connor Brown put up an assist against his hometown and former team. Matt Murray played a great game, posting a 0.925 save percentage with 37 saves. This will be one of the NHL’s finest rivalries of the season.
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings
Holy fuck. The Red Wings somehow won. Don’t panic. We’ll find a way to lose future games. Andrei Svechnikov put up a beautiful falling goal and assisted on another against his brother Evgeni’s oppressive team. Unfortunately for his brother (or fortunately, if he likes toiling in the AHL), Dylan Larkin put up two goals for the Wings team he captains, one of which was an empty-netter. True class was shown when he had the opportunity to score the hat trick but passed to Vladislav Namestnikov, who missed two breakaways. He also missed the empty net with his brick hands, but that doesn’t matter. Detroit won. For those playing, Jonathan Bernier saved 29 out of 31 shots.
Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton Oilers
The Habs chewed up the Oilers and waffle-stomped them down the drain. Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatarrrrrr scored two goals apiece. Carey Price chose to Carey Price (verb form) tonight with a 0.971 save percentage. He looked dominant, almost taunting the Oilers to shoot against him. Slater Koekkoek scored the Oilers’ only goal, his first in Edmonton. Mikko Koskinen looked a bit rough, letting in his five goals against on 36 shots.
New York Islanders at New York Rangers
Well, we’ve got ourselves a rivalry a-brewing. After a 4-0 beatdown at the hands of their local rival, the Rangers decided to fight back with a 5-0 victory of their own. Ilya Sorokin made his NHL debut, letting in all five goals and earning a 0.844 save percentage. Alexander Georgiev made a 23-save shutout. Pavel Buchnevich scored two goals and assisted on another, while Artemi Panarin scored two for himself. This game was almost as good as Michigan’s 5-0 win over The School That Shall Not Be Named (TSTSNBN for short), but I might be biased on that one.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Nashville Predators
Boy it must suck to live in Columbus. Not for the hockey, but just in general. All seriousness aside, the Preds made the Jackets look puzzled at times, splitting the D and playing good, consistent hockey to win 5-2. Columbus fell apart in the last half of the third period. Alexander Texier tried to lead his team into the game with a goal and an assist, but it was not enough when Juuse Saros turned on beast mode to save 42 out of 44. 11 Predators earned a point in the game, evenly lifting to earn victory. Elvis Merzlikins looked shoddy against the Preds, letting in all five goals on 33 shots.
Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings
The Wild tried their best to tie up the game late, succeeding with 0.3 seconds. This is the second time in two games that the Wild have overcome a deficit, although this time they severely outplayed the Kings and won 4-3 in extra time. Marcus Johansson scored the OT winner with 10.6 seconds remaining after the Kings’ ineptitude kept the puck in their zone. Take the L, Kings fans. God knows you deserve it. Cam Talbot did his part for his team although he could have been better. This early, it seems anything north of a 0.900 save percentage is elite. For the Kings, Andreas Athanasiou scored another goal, proving some worth to his $1.2 million prove-it deal. If he keeps scoring goals, he’ll earn a longer deal.
Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames
The Flames drubbled the Canucks in a rivalry that usually features close games. Braden Holtby did his part for the Canucks, saving 32 out of 35, Unfortunately, a stagnant offensive effort couldn’t bury the puck to compete in this game, raising questions as to how this team will play down the stretch. Jacob Markstrom shut down the Canucks with a 32-save shutout, a sort of payback against his former squad. Matthew Tkachuk scored a goal and earned a helper, leading the Flames in scoring. Tomorrow’s rematch will be an exciting game to watch as the Canucks look to regain their dignity.
Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights
Max Comtois scored another goal for the Ducks — their only score — as they came close to beating Vegas in regulation. The Golden Knights got away with a blatant trip late in the game. Max Pacioretty dove for the puck and hauled down Adam Henrique. A few minutes later, Mark Stone’s pass to Jonathan Marchessault was dished to William Karlsson for a net-front goal. Vegas then won with an almost immediate OT goal as Mark Stone fed Max Pacioretty on an instant 2-on-1. John Gibson posted a 0.939 save percentage for Anaheim, while Mark Stone was an X-factor for his team and led to each goal. Marc-Andre Fleury earned a 0.955 save percentage in the 2-1 victory.
Three Stars of the Night
First Star: Juuse Saros (42 saves on 44 shots for 5-2 win over Columbus)
Second Star: Jacob Markstrom (32-save shutout against his former team)
Third Star: Pavel Buchnevich (2 goals, 1 assist)
Honorable Mentions: Artemi Panarin (2 goals)
Mark Stone (2 assists, including 2-on-1 pass for OT winner)
Blame The Refs Award: Anaheim Ducks (lost in OT as Max Pacioretty, who tripped Adam
Henrique, scored the game-winner)
Big Tex Goes to College 