NHL Week in Review: 3/11-3/17

Daily Headlines
Monday 3/11
  • Kasperi Kapanen's three-point night and Joel Hofer's 36 stops help the Blues dominate the Bruins in Boston in a 5-1 win. 
Tuesday 3/12
  • Rangers forward Matt Rempe is suspended for four games after being ejected on Monday night for elbowing Devils' defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.
  • Igor Shesterkin stops 28 shots to post his second straight shutout as the Rangers win a huge divisional matchup 1-0 over the Hurricanes.
  • Connor Bedard (1G, 4A), Nick Foligno (4A), and Philipp Kurashev (2G, 2A) control the game from the jump as the Blackhawks beat the Ducks 7-2 in a one-sided tilt.
  • Zach Benson's first career three-point game and Bowen Byram's two goals pace an offensive explosion as the Sabres win 7-3 to hand Detroit their sixth straight loss.
  • The Panthers overcome a 3-0 deficit, scoring four unanswered, including three on the power play, to stun the Stars in Dallas 4-3.
  • Colorado scores five goals in the third period, and Mikko Rantanen goes for four points in a big 6-2 win for the Avalanche over the Flames.
  • Jonathan Marchessault scores with 17 seconds left to force overtime, and Jack Eichel wins it in the extra frame to earn a valuable second point in a 5-4 win in Seattle.
Wednesday 3/13
  • Zach Hyman's fourth hat trick of the season and Connor Brown's first goal in 54 games lead a 7-2 win for the Oilers over the Washington Capitals.
  • After falling behind 3-0, Colorado scores back by scoring three in regulation and winning it in overtime 4-3, thanks to Valeri Nichushkin's visor.
Thursday 3/14
  • Brayden Point records a hat trick and three assists, and Nikita Kucherov adds five points as the Bolts dominate the Rangers 6-3.
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel record their first points as Hurricanes, helping Frederik Andersen earn his first shutout in over a year in a 4-0 win over the Panthers.
  • Jake Allen makes 35 stops in his Devils' debut, leading them to a 6-2 win over the Stars to keep their hopes alive for the playoffs.
Friday 3/15
  • Tyler Toffoli records his first two goals as a Jet as part of a four-goal third period in Winnipeg's 6-0 drumming of the Anaheim Ducks.
  • Anze Kopitar's two goals lead a sextet of multi-point nights for the Kings as they shut out the Blackhawks 5-0.
Saturday 3/16
  • Sebastian Aho scores twice in the final 1:32 of regulation to force overtime before Jake Guentzel wins it in the shootout, helping the Hurricanes earn two points in a 5-4 comeback win over Toronto.
  • Brady Tkahcuk's 30th goal of the season caps off his third-career hat trick and serves as the overtime winner in a 4-3 win for the Senators on Long Island.
Sunday 3/17
  • Dmitry Orlov scores two goals and adds two assists as the Hurricanes pull away with a four-goal third period in a 7-2 win in Ottawa.
  • Tyler Toffoli scores twice to reach 30 goals as the Jets finish the week with a lopsided 6-1 victory in Columbus.
Team of the Week- New York Rangers
Playing four games in one week is hard enough, but the Rangers have five games packed into seven days this week. To make it even better, they won four of them, earning eight points to tie them for the most in the league. All four wins came against division opponents, including a masterful 1-0 win over the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Tuesday night during the second half of a back-to-back. Their loss to Tampa Bay wasn't pretty, but it was followed by two blowout wins over the weekend over Pittsburgh and New York. Artemi Panarin tied for the league lead in points with seven, and Chris Kreider wasn't far behind with six. Each goalie won two starts, allowing 12 total goals. This coming week won't be any easier for the Rangers, with Carolina breathing down their necks for the top spot in the division.

Disappointing Team of the Week- New York Islanders
After a good week to begin March, it looked like the Islanders were in a good spot to challenge for a Wild Card spot and possibly jump the Flyers for the third in the Metropolitan Division. While those things could still happen, this week didn't help matters. New York was one of three teams to lose all four of its games this week, but they managed to salvage one in an overtime loss to the Senators on Saturday. They were shut out against Los Angeles and Buffalo, finishing with five goals for the week. There is still time for them to make it to the playoffs, though they have a daunting week ahead.

Surprising Team of the Week- St. Louis Blues
While the Western Conference picture looks pretty set right now, the Blues are making a serious push to steal a bid from either Nashville or whoever finishes fourth in the Pacific Division. The Blue won all four of their games this week, beginning with a dominant 5-1 victory in Boston on Monday night. Their goalie tandem of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer had a lot to do with it. Both goalies won two games, allowing three goals each of 65 shots. Their 1.50 goals allowed per game was tied for the third-fewest in the league. Their offense didn't need to be spectacular, though they got some solid efforts from their top-line guys. The Blues are just four points out of a playoff spot to start the week, looking to take advantage of some teams ahead of them slipping up.

Three Stars of the Week
3rd Star- Nikita Kucherov (TBL)- 2 goals, 5 assists in 2 games
Under normal circumstances, I'd put the player with the better points per game total higher, but we've come to expect this production from Nikita Kucherov. Plus, the Bolts only played two games. Had they played more, it would've likely ended with him in the top spot. His big effort of the week was on Thursday night when he posted five points against the Sabres. He followed it up with a goal and an assist on Saturday. Kucherov continues to be a likely finalist for the Hart this season while battling with Nathan MacKinnon for the Art Ross.

2nd Star- Marc-Andre Fleury (MIN)- 2-0-1, .961 SV%, 0.97 GAA in 3 games
It was a good week for Marc-Andre Fleury, so that made it a good week for the Minnesota Wild. Fleury allowed three goals in three games, picking up his 75th career shutout against the Ducks on Thursday. He added a 22-save performance and a shootout loss during the week, too. Minnesota is sticking around the Wild Card race, trailing Vegas by five points entering the week.

1st Star- Connor Bedard (CHI)- 2 goals, 5 assists in 3 games
What looked like a potentially tight Calder race after Connor Bedard's injury has turned into a runaway win for the #1 pick. Bedard is well ahead of his peers in goals and points, and he is tied with Brock Faber in assists. This week played a large role in getting him even with the Minnesota defender. Bedard posted his first five-point game against the Ducks on Tuesday, picking up four assists in the win. His seven points tied him with Kucherov and Artemi Panarin for the league lead.

My Top 16 (* denotes a new entry)
1. New York Rangers (+3)
2. Boston Bruins (+1)
3. Florida Panthers (-1)
4. Winnipeg Jets (+1)
5. Vancouver Canucks (-3)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)
7. Colorado Avalanche (+2)
8. Edmonton Oilers (-)
9. Dallas Stars (-3)
10. Nashville Predators (+1)
11. Toronto Maple Leafs (-1)
12. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)
13. Los Angeles Kings (-1)
14. Vegas Golden Knights (+3)*
15. Minnesota Wild (+1)
16. St. Louis Blues (+6)*

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023-24 Regular Season, Game 29: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

After picking up their first win on the road trip on Tuesday night in Ottawa, the Hurricanes looked to finish the road journey with a win in Detroit to build some momentum before heading home. With the Red Wings dealing with injuries and suspensions, the Canes tried to build on their excellent game against the Senators. Meanwhile, Detroit hoped to stay afloat with key contributors out of the lineup.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:48)- Jack Drury (4) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (9) & Martin Necas (14)) 2nd Period DET (5:20)- Michael Rasmussen (7) (assisted by Andrew Copp (9) & Jonathan Berggren (2)) CAR (11:49)- Jordan Staal (4) (assisted by Jesper Fast (5) & Brett Pesce (3)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts It's almost unfathomable to look at the Canes' 2-4-0 record on this trip and acknowledge that it's the same mark they had on their first long trip of the season after Opening Night. If you'd told me the Canes had identical records on those two trips without...
Read more

"Old Habits Die Hard:" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

For the final time in 2024, the Hurricanes hit the ice. For their New Year's Eve battle, they traveled to Columbus for their third meeting of the campaign against the Blue Jackets. With a split through two meetings, the goal was to keep Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in check to earn two big points before the end of the year. Using Saturday's win over the Devils as a launching point, Sebastian Aho and the top line might have something special in store to ring in the New Year. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (4:48)- Kirill Marchenko (15) (Sean Monahan (21) & Denton Mateychuk (1)) CAR (9:59)- Ty Smith (1) PP (Sebastian Aho (27) & Martin Necas (31)) CBJ (15:43)- Kirill Marchenko (16) (Dmitri Voronkov (11) & Sean Monahan (22)) 2nd Period CAR (5:47)- Jack Roslovic (17) (Seth Jarvis (16) & Sebastian Aho (28)) CAR (8:18)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) (Eric Robinson (11)) 3rd Period CBJ (4:58)- Dmitri Voronkov (13) PP (Sean Monahan (23) & Zach Werenski (29)) Overtime N...
Read more

2024-25 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Hurricanes found their way into the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Devils 4-2 for their first victory of the season. After allowing a goal to Jack Hughes early in the second period, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere put the Canes ahead through 40 minutes before Jackson Blake redirected a shot midway through the third period for his first NHL goal. Nico Hischier scored during a 5-on-3, but Sebastian Aho iced the game late into the empty net to secure the victory. Pyotr Kochetkov earned the win, outdueling Jacob Markstrom by making 24 stops. The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game journey as the State Fair rolls into town. The first stop on the trip will be their lone meeting with a conference opponent. The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-0, 6 Points This Season) Not much about the Pittsburgh Penguins changed during the offseason. Reilly Smith is the most notable addition to the team, but they are largely the same team they have ...
Read more