+4
Evgeni Malkin capped a late Penguins charge (again) as Pittsburgh continued their stretch of hot play. Meanwhile in Vancouver, the Canucks scored in overtime to beat Chicago, making the best of a huge night from Cory Schneider.
Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault has relied on Cory Schneider in big game situations this year, stemming last postseason until Game 7 of the first round after Schneider lost Game 6. In the Jan. 31 edition of Canucks and Blackhawks, Schneider had 37 saves -- many of them game-savers -- as the Canucks defeat their rivals, 3-2, in overtime.
The Canucks struck first as they appeared to be the offensively superior team, thanks to a solid cycle early on that Ryan Kesler took advantage of. Still the Blackhawks' Jamal Mayers answered in good timing, knotting the score at one.
The score remained 1-1 through two periods, even though Chicago was gaining the better opportunities of the two teams in the middle frame. However, Schneider kept the game tied, making some incredible stops along the way, including a circus save on Brendan Morrison.
Both teams remained tied until Jonathan Toews, who returned Tuesday from injury, and Patrick Kane connected with Viktor Stalberg for the go-ahead marker to give Chicago the lead early in the third. Much like the first score, though, Cody Hodgson replied with a goal of his own to put the game back in a tie.
In overtime, it looked like the Blackhawks would strike first, but once again Vancouver spent good time in Chicago's end toward the end of the extra period and Daniel Sedin got a good centering pass from brother Henrik for the game-winner.
Vigneault said Monday that the reason Schneider got the start right off of the break in an important game against a rival team was because Roberto Luongo went to Florida to spend time with his family. Schneider, who Vigneault pointed out does not have a family, would then get the nod (via TSN.ca).
If you're keeping count, Schneider started against Boston in their marquee January matchup. Still though, especially after the last month, it is Luongo's spot to lose.
Aside from another Schneider win over an elite team, more importantly, this game will set Vancouver (66 points) up nicely for their match against the Detroit Red Wings, to whom they are three points behind after Tuesday's action.
Meanwhile, Chicago is now fourth in the Central, tied with St. Louis with 65 points and behind Nashville and Detroit.
Ondrej Pavelec made 27 saves of 28 shots in regulation and overtime, then stopped all three Philadelphia Flyers skaters in the shootout to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 victory over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center Tuesday night. Pavelec snuffed out shots by Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, and Jaromir Jagr, while Bryan Little was the lone Jet to beat Ilya Bryzgalov in the game-deciding skills competition to give Winnipeg the extra point. The Philly goalie had stopped Kyle Wellwood and Blake Wheeler before Little ended it, beating Bryzgalov through the five-hole for the game-winner.
"Just a little bit late to close the five-hole," Bryzgalov said after the game. Little revealed how he went about planning his strategy when it came time for him to take his shot at the Flyers' net.
"I saw when (Kyle) Wellwood went down, (Bryzgalov) left his five hole open," he said. "I just decided to give him a fake and it might open up again." It did open up, and Little made no mistake in hitting his target.
Pavelec improved to a perfect 3-0-0 against the Flyers this year.
It was a very different beginning to the game than the ridiculous 9-8 shootout back in late-October, as neither team was even able to generate a single shot on goal through the contest's first 10 minutes. As a matter of fact, Winnipeg didn't generate their first shot on goal until the 10:36 mark, and Philadelphia didn't put their first offering on Pavelec until 13:35, just seconds after going on their only power play of the evening.
After Chris Thorburn took a retaliation penalty as Scott Hartnell got under his skin, Brayden Schenn would score the game's first goal. He jammed the rebound of a Matt Carle post shot past Ondrej Pavelec while on the man advantage for his fourth goal of the season -- his second consecutive game with a goal -- at 15:11 of the opening period.
Jagr, who hadn't played in the two games preceding the All-Star break, picked up a secondary assist on the goal for his first point since Jan. 17 against the Minnesota Wild.
Thorburn, who hadn't scored an NHL goal since March of 2011, looked like a sniper when his shot beat Bryzgalov over his glove hand and went top corner to tie the game just 2:06 into the second period. Head coach Claude Noel, who sat down and talked with Thorburn about his play and had made him a healthy scratch for a few games, said his player has worked hard. "In practice he has been working hard and putting in extra time and I think it has helped him," Noel said of Thorburn. It really paid off Tuesday night.
The Flyers again had an early-period lull as they recorded no shots in the first six minutes of the middle frame. Winnipeg outshot them by a 5-0 margin during that time.
Jagr skated with Matt Read and Schenn for most of the first two periods, and nearly scored midway through regulation time. He took a perfect pass from Read and sent a blistering one-timer that beat Pavelec to the glove side, but the puck rattled off the cross bar. The force of the shot was so great, replays show the cage actually rocking on its moorings.
Philadelphia got an excellent shift from the Hartnell - Giroux - Wayne Simmonds line, taking advantage of a Nikolai Antropov broken stick. The trio kept the Jets pinned in their own zone for a stretch of 1:30 late in the second stanza but could not penetrate Pavelec.
With Jagr moving back to the Giroux line in the third period, the Flyers offense generated as many shots in the first half of the third as they did in each of the entire first and second periods. The shots were 7-2 midway through the period, and Pavelec had to come up with some great stops. His best was on a point blank Hartnell redirection of a Giroux set up. The Winnipeg netminder was sensational in the third, holding his team in the game despite being outshot, 13-4.
The Jets were given a huge gift late in regulation, when Philadelphia was caught with too many men on the ice with just 4:!8 remaining in the third period. The Flyers were able to kill off the Winnipeg power play, but needed a bit of luck to get into the extra session.
Just as the 'Last minute of play in the third period' announcement was made by public address announcer, Lou Nolan, the Jets came close to taking a late lead. Captain Andrew Ladd nearly finished off a nice Winnipeg rush, but hit the side of the net with Bryzgalov down and out of the play.
Early in overtime, the Jets nearly won it again. Little took a cross-ice pass in the right faceoff circle and launched a shot from the hash marks that beat Bryzgalov to the short side, but rang solidly off the post and stayed out.
The win marks the sixth straight time that Winnipeg franchise has defeated the Flyers, with three coming in regulation, one in overtime, and two in the shootout. The former-Atlanta Thrashers won the last three meetings last season after dropping the first.
Although just 20 years of age, Schenn appeared to know exactly why his club was so ineffective in their attack in the first two periods. "I think for us we were way too cute the first two periods," he said of their attempts at the perfect pass for an open net shot instead of just getting pucks to the net. "We didn't have many shots or many chances and I feel like we didn't start playing until the third the way we can."
Flyers' head coach Peter Laviolette agreed. "We got going in the third period," he said in his post-game press conference. "Gave ourselves a chance to win the game, but we couldn't get it done."
For Philadelphia, the game marked the third consecutive that has gone to the shootout. They have won one and dropped two, and are now 1-4 when contests go beyond overtime this year.
As the NHL got back to business, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils had an opportunity to put another chapter into their long rivalry, and fans at the Prudential Center would not be disappointed by the result.
In an unusual twist, Rangers head coach John Tortorella decided to put Martin Biron in goal, allowing All-Star Henrik Lundqvist to enjoy a brief break after returning from Ottawa. It would mark the first time in 33 meetings of the two clubs that the Swedish star would not start against the division rival.
Both goaltenders put forth an impressive first-period effort, but an early push from the home team faded in the final minutes, allowing the Rangers to bring their speed into play. With an All-Star rush of Marian Gaborik and Carl Hagelin breaking through the neutral zone, Brodeur made the initial save against Gaborik's shot but kicked the rebound into open ice, where Anton Stralman capitalized, burying it into the open net.
Zach Parise tied the game on a perfect setup in the second period from Danius Zubrus, going in on Biron for one shot before catching his own rebound to finish his chance at the side of the net, setting up both teams for a big third period.
The Rangers took an early lead when Brian Boyle showed surprisingly soft hands to get the puck up and over a sprawling Brodeur, and they clung to their lead for much of the period before a holding call on Artem Anisimov put the Eastern Conference leaders on the PK with just over five minutes left in regulation.
New Jersey's power play has been one of the worst in the NHL on home ice this season, but Ilya Kovalchuk came up big, collecting a drop pass from Patrik Elias and bombing his shot past Biron to re-establish the tie.
Michael Del Zotto responded less than a minute later, collecting a cross ice pass from Marian Gaborik and unleashing the one-timer that turned heads during his rookie season, and the Rangers seemed prepared to continue business as usual, but the Devils had two more cards to play on the evening.
With Martin Brodeur on the bench for an extra attacker, David Clarkson tied the game with less than a minute left in regulation, collecting a feed from Andy Greene to send the game to overtime.
Despite a near-miss by Derek Stepan that slid along the goal line but would not go in, the Devils generally had the better time in the five minute OT, but neither goaltender allowed a goal, putting the teams into the shootout.
Despite a long break due to an issue with the goalpost pegs not coming off the ice properly for the Zamboni, Kovalchuk opened the shootout without hesitating, beating Biron through the legs when the goaltender anticipated a high glove shot, leaving his pads wide open.
Derek Stepan, Zach Parise, Brad Richards, and Patrik Elias all came up dry, giving Marian Gaborik a chance to keep New York alive. Going wide before moving in for his shot, the Slovakian tried for high glove, but Brodeur denied it with authority, giving his team their first win since Jan. 17.
Kevin van Steendelaar of Habs Eyes On The Prize gives credit where credit is due -- and calls out the home team for lack of effort:
It was easier for the Sabres that the Canadiens players, with the exception of a small group, seemed to be doing a lot of watching, and not as much skating as the game wore on.
The Sabres dominated the game for 60 minutes, with the Canadiens relying on Carey Price to keep it close. The Habs goaltender, back from the All-Star break, began a bit shaky but finished the night with 37 saves.
In a situation where the Canadiens need every point available to even consider a playoff spot, a win tonight against the Sabres was a must win. They didn't get it.
From Clark J Brooks at Lightning blog Raw Charge:
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Tuesday night.
As the Lightning return from the all-star break and resume the task of attempting to climb back into contention, their first task was to face off against the Southeast division-leading Washington Capitals. The game represented a key four point swing as the outcome would find the Lightning anywhere from seven to eleven points out of first place at the conclusion.
The Ottawa Senators may have lost 4-3 to the Boston Bruins, but by no means were they outplayed by the champions. Despite many things going against them, they were in the game right to the end. The play had been spotty on the west coast trip, but after a week off, the Senators came to play and dominated Boston for stretches.
With four points tonight (and 53 in 49 games), John Tavares keyed the game's two most important goals: a now-routine sweet assist to open scoring, and a timely finish on the game-winner. He then added two more points on empty net goals, getting the puck up to Kyle Okposo for the first, accepting it from Okposo on the second.
Islanders special teams work was again critical as it provided them with two powerplay goals and one nail-biter penalty kill as the Hurricanes tried to tie it 3-3 midway through the third. Truth be told, the two powerplay goals sandwiched some ugly powerplay work, and the successful PK followed one in which they ran around and conceded the goal that fully erased their 2-0 lead.
Kyle Brodziak's goal just 16 seconds into the third period gave the Wild a comfortable 4-1 lead. Game over, right? Not so fast. Somewhat incredibly, the Predators adjusted on the fly in the third period, scoring four times over the final 10 minutes for a come from behind victory. From Dirk Hoag of On The Forecheck:
• Kudos to Brandon Yip for his first goal as a Predator there in the 3rd period. That really seemed to ignite things, as...
• ...that three-minute segment towards the end was one of the silliest things I've ever seen. The Hornqvist goal was nice, then to see Fisher slam home the tying goal 21 seconds later was like found money. The winner, though, was like a winning lottery ticket. Fish had been knocked to the ice earlier, and was all the way up against the boards when he let loose that winning shot. It had no business going in, but it did.
From Amerinadian from Winging It In Motown:
The first game after the All-Star break is like rekindling an old romance; there's some awkwardness in the beginning as you become familiar with each other, and as time passes, you remember what it was that made your relationship great.
The Wings came on strong like a guy who just got out of prison, but after being told to cool it by the Flames, in the end Calgary gave it up and the Wings got what they wanted, which was 2 valuable road points. It wasn't the most stylish game, but sometimes you have to take what you can get.
From PhantomPretender of Anaheim Calling:
After an incredibly slow first period that harkened back to all of the miserable hockey the Ducks played in November and December, the Ducks finally found their footing in the second en route to an eventual 4-1 victory. The third line of Andrew Cogliano, Nick Bonino, and Matt Beleskey hustled their tails off and created the first Ducks goal of the game after Mike Smith forgot that he should defend the area in front of the net, rather than the area behind it. Cogs used his speed to create the second goal of the game (with a healthy assist from Smith yet again) and a great touch pass from Bonino just minutes later gave Cogliano his third goal of the period and the first hat trick of his career.
From Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation Denver:
The Edmonton Oilers went up 2-0 in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, and they never looked back. The Avs dropped their third straight game with a 3-2 loss to the Oilers at Rexall Place. The loss drops Colorado to 26-24-2, while Edmonton improves to 19-26-5.
Colorado out-shot the Oilers 33-23, but Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk was up for the task. Colorado also out-hit Edmonton 30-19, though the Oilers won the faceoff battle 29-21.
Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog scored his 11th goal of the season in the third period to cut the score to 2-3. That's as close as the Avalanche would get, as Dubnyk made several key saves late to secure the win.
From James Brady of SB Nation Bay Area:
The San Jose Sharks went into the All-Star break winners in just three of their previous 10, but two of those wins were in their last two outings. Now, as the team with the least amount of games played in the NHL, they've got to hustle during the second half of the season, with a lot of games to play in a short amount of time. They wrapped up January in a big way though, as they played host to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and dominated from start to finish to win 6-0.
Maple Leafs Vs. Penguins: Evgeni Malkin's Late-Game Heroics Continue In 5-4 Shootout WIn
Note to opposing teams: do not let Evgeni Malkin touch the puck in the third period.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward tied the game with seven seconds left and won it in a shootout in a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday.
Pittsburgh has won eight games in a row and Malkin has 10 goals during the win streak. Eight of those goals have come in the third period. Not only that, but Malkin has scored the shootout-clinching goal twice.
Tuesday was no different. Malkin's tip-in goal with 6.6 seconds remaining completed a three-goal comeback as the Penguins trailed the Leafs 4-1 with just under 14 minutes left. Steve Sullivan and Joe Vitale started the rally and Malkin finished it.
The Penguins are the NHL's hottest team and Malkin is the hottest player, leading the league with 59 points, 27 of which are goals. Move over, Jerry West. Malkin is the modern "Mr. Clutch."
Feb 01 8:09a by Adam Vingan - 0 comments