NHL scores: Injury night in the NHL

Three major injuries occurred Thursday night in the NHL, with incidents including a Vezina contender spraining his ankle and a young star facing a possible suspension.

By Nicholas Scibetta Feb 22, 2013, 8:00am EST

Some nights, reporting on the action in the NHL can feel like you're running the front desk in an ER. Thursday night was one of those nights.

Players were down on the ice left and right, and one guy suffered a scary head injury on a routine icing play. There were some exciting goals too, but overall injuries and questionable hits were a disappointingly big factor in Thursday night's games.

All The NHL Scores

Get caught up on last night's NHL scores with recaps from our network of SB Nation team blogs. Here's a quick glance at the full night of action:

Devils 3, Capitals 2

Sabres 1, Maple Leafs 3

Panthers 5, Flyers 2

Jets 4, Hurricanes 3

Islanders 4, Canadiens 3 (OT)

Rangers 2, Senators 3 (SO)

Bruins 4, Lightning 2

Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 2

Canucks 4, Stars 3

Wild 3, Oilers 1

Five Answers

Prior to last night's games, we presented five burning questions regarding the night's action. Here are your cool, soothing answers.

1. Will Vincent Lecavalier extend his five-game point streak?

No. Vinny was held scoreless in the Lightning's 4-2 loss to the Bruins.

2. Will Matt Read continue his domination of the Florida Panthers?

No, but he didn't have a chance. Prior to the game it was announced that Read will miss six weeks with muscle tears. Without him, the Flyers couldn't handle the Panthers at all, and lost, 5-2.

3. Will there be any carryover from the New York Rangers playoff series with the Ottawa Senators?

Not really. Chris Neil had a 2-minute board penalty, but overall the game was a tame affair.

4. Is Jimmy Howard's eye sight truly improved?

Maybe. Howard gave up three goals on twenty-four shots to the Columbus Blue Jackets. None of the Red Wings played very well though, so it's hard to blame Howard's vision for the loss.

5. How will the first game in the post-Lindy Ruff era go in Buffalo?

Nothing looked all that different for the Sabres, who lost, 3-1, to the Maple Leafs. It may take more than a coaching change to fix this team.

Impact Moment

What moment from last night's games will be making headlines in the coming days?

It's impossible to pick just one from Thursday night's action.

First, the injury to Vezina frontrunner Craig Anderson was just the latest blow to the Ottawa Senators, and inspired this depressing image from Silver Seven:

Second, the Taylor Hall knee-on-knee hit on Cal Clutterbuck might earn the high-scoring young forward a suspension, which would spell trouble for the Oilers.

Stat of the Night

From ‏ @SkyKerstein :

#Caps out hit the #Devils 30-9....Erskine, Ovi, Fehr, Brouwer & Carlson each had 4 hits

Post to Post

"A string of bad penalties costs the Caps the lead, the tie and eventually the game as they fall to the Devils, 3-2."
"Take These Broken Wings. Please." The Red Wings lost to the Blue Jackets.
Raphael Diaz led the Montreal Canadiens in ice time in their loss to the Islanders. In other news, the Canadiens apparently have a player named "Raphael Diaz."
Finally, this Alexander Semin assist is more beautiful than a sunrise: