NHL Review February 1, 2021
DRAISAITL, McDAVID SHINE AS EDMONTON, OTTAWA COMBINE FOR 13 GOALS
Leon Draisaitl (0-6—6) and Connor McDavid (1-4—5) combined for 1-10—11 as the Oilers erupted for eight goals, including five in the first period sparked by Dominik Kahun opening the scoring eight seconds in for an 8-5 Edmonton win.
Draisaitl became the fourth different player in franchise history – and first in nearly 34 years – to record six assists in a game (regular season or playoffs); the last player on any team to do so was Philadelphia’s Eric Lindros on Feb. 26, 1997 (1-6—7), which was also against Ottawa. Draisaitl also became the first German-born player in NHL history to record six points in a game, doing so in a contest that featured fellow German nationals Kahun and Tim Stützle (1-0—1).
McDavid recorded five points in a game for the sixth time in his NHL career, which trails only Wayne Gretzky (79x), Jari Kurri (14x) and Paul Coffey (10x) for the most such outings during the regular season in franchise history. Only one active NHL player has more regular-season games with five or more points – Evgeni Malkin, with eight in 554 more career outings.
McDavid (8-14—22 in 11 GP) and Draisaitl (6-15—21 in 11 GP) became the first players to reach 20 points this season – Gretzky (6x) and Kurri (1x) are the only players in franchise history to hit the mark in fewer than 11 games. Sunday also marked the third game in which McDavid and Draisaitl each recorded five-plus points (also Nov. 14, 2019 & March 2, 2020).
PHILADELPHIA, CAROLINA EXTEND WIN STREAKS
The Flyers (7-2-1, 15 points) and Hurricanes (5-1-0, 10 points) extended win streaks to four games, tied for the longest active runs in the NHL (w/ VAN). Three of the four NHL divisions have a team with an active four-game win streak.
The Islanders notched two third-period goals to rally from a 3-1 deficit after Joel Farabee scored his first NHL hat trick, but Kevin Hayes tallied in the final minute of overtime to power Philadelphia to another win. Farabee (20 years, 341 days) became the fifth different Flyers player to score a hat trick before the age of 21 (regular-season and playoffs combined).
Nino Niederreiter tied the contest with 2:35 remaining in regulation and Vincent Trocheck scored the shootout winner as the Hurricanes swept their back-to-back set with the Stars and improved to 5-1-0 for the third time in franchise history (also 1996-97 & 2019-20). Carolina, which has reached the postseason in each of the past two campaigns, has had three longer winning streaks over the past two seasons, all of five games (2x in 2018-19, 1 in 2019-20).
LATE GOALS HELP DEVILS SPLIT BACK-TO-BACK SET WITH SABRES
Miles Wood (2-1—3) factored on three of five New Jersey goals, including one in the final 20 seconds of both the second (19:59) and third periods (19:52), as the Devils split their back-to-back set with the Sabres.
Andreas Johnsson also found the back of the net, doing so at 19:43 of the first period. New Jersey joined the 1978-79 Flyers as the second team in NHL history to score within the final 20 seconds of all three periods of game. Philadelphia first did so on Dec. 9, 1978 (1st: Bobby Clarke, 19:40; 2nd: Bill Barber, 19:43; 3rd: Blake Dunlop, 19:47).
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE INCLUDES PENGUINS-RANGERS CLASH ON NBCSN
Monday’s schedule includes a second straight head-to-head meeting between Pittsburgh and New York at Madison Square Garden, with this one set to air nationally in the U.S. on NBCSN (7 p.m. ET on ATTSN-PT, MSG+, NBCSN).
The Penguins and Rangers combined for four game-tying goals Saturday before Sidney Crosby gave the visitors a victory with his 18th career regular-season overtime goal. Just two days before Crosby’s winner, fellow No. 1 pick and Rimouski Océanic alumnus Alexis Lafrenière scored in overtime to record his first NHL goal in his seventh career game. Lafrenière became the first No. 1 pick to score his first career goal in overtime; Crosby’s first such tally was the ninth goal of his career, in his 20th game (Nov. 16, 2005 at PHI).
OVECHKIN EYES 709TH CAREER GOAL IN SHOWDOWN WITH PASTRNAK
The co-winners of the 2019-20 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy are set to square off for the second time in as many games when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals host David Pastrnak and the Bruins at Capital One Arena.
Ovechkin (708-577—1,285 in 1,157 GP) has at least one point in each of his last three appearances (2-3—5 in 3 GP), including the overtime winner in his return to the lineup Saturday. He needs one goal to surpass longtime Capitals forward Mike Gartner (708-627—1,335 in 1,432 GP) for sole possession of seventh on the NHL’s all-time list – with whom he shares the NHL record for consecutive 30-goal seasons.
Pastrnak (180-200—380 in 391 GP), who made his season debut Saturday, sits 20 goals shy of 200 in his NHL career. Among players to debut with the Bruins, no skater has reached the benchmark in fewer than 500 games.
Wild’s Bjugstad Fined for Cross-Checking
Minnesota Wild forward Nick Bjugstad has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Graves during NHL Game No. 142 in Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. The incident occurred at 5:50 of the second period. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Canucks’ Thatcher Demko, Frontline Healthcare Hero Alim Somani Named NHL ‘First Stars’ of the Week
Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”
Somani has been working tirelessly as a respiratory therapist in Richmond, B.C., since the beginning of the pandemic. He has witnessed numerous COVID-19 outbreaks over the past year, but continues to selflessly protect the community as a frontline worker. Day and night, Somani – who has an autoimmune disease – strives to provide the best care for all of his patients while risking his own health. When asked about the potentially life-threatening risks he faces, Somani says, “As long as I know that my friends, family and the people I care about are safe and healthy, I’ll keep fighting this as long as I can.” Somani cares deeply about everyone around him and continues to put the community first. Whether it’s working on the front lines, moving into a hotel alone to keep his family safe at home, or volunteering to help those who are older and immunocompromised with essential services in his community, Somani stops at nothing to help those who need it most.
Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are Edmonton Oilers teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:
FIRST STAR – THATCHER DEMKO, G, VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Demko stopped 100 of the 103 shots he faced, going 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .971 save percentage to guide the Canucks (6-5-0, 12 points) to a 4-0-0 week. He helped Vancouver sweep its three-game series against the Ottawa Senators, making 35 saves in a 7-1 win Jan. 25 and 42 stops in a 5-1 victory Jan. 27 – his fifth career 40-save performance during the regular season (and third-highest behind March 10, 2020 vs. NYI: 45 SV and Jan. 9, 2020 at FLA: 44 SV). Demko finished the week with 23 saves in a 4-1 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets Jan. 30. The 25-year-old San Diego, Calif., native has appeared in 43 career regular-season games, compiling a 21-16-3 record to go along with a 3.05 goals-against average and .907 save percentage (3-3-0, 3.21 GAA, .914 SV% in 2020-21).
SECOND STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS
McDavid led the NHL with 4-8—12 in four games to power the Oilers (5-6-0, 10 points) to a 2-2-0 week. He collected two points in both a 6-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Jan. 26 (1-1—2) and a 4-3 defeat against the Toronto Maple Leafs Jan. 28 (0-2—2). McDavid then scored the winning goal in each of his next two outings, registering 2-1—3 (including his eighth career overtime tally) in a 4-3 victory over the Maple Leafs Jan. 30 and 1-4—5 (his sixth career five-point effort) in an 8-5 triumph over the Ottawa Senators Jan. 31. The 24-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., native and two-time Art Ross Trophy winner (2016-17 and 2017-18) tops the NHL with 8-14—22 through 11 contests this season, including 5-12—17 during an active seven-game point streak.
THIRD STAR – LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS
Draisaitl collected 3-9—12 in four appearances to pace the League in assists and finish second only to McDavid in scoring. He recorded two points in each of his first three games, compiling 1-1—2 on Jan. 26 against the Jets (6-4 L), two goals on Jan. 28 versus the Maple Leafs (4‑3 L) and two helpers – including the primary assist on McDavid’s overtime winner – on Jan. 30 against Toronto (4-3 W). Draisaitl capped the week with a career-high six helpers on Jan. 31 versus the Senators (8-5 W), marking the first six-assist performance by any player since Feb. 26, 1997 (Eric Lindros). The 25-year-old Cologne, Germany, native and reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner ranks second in the NHL with 6-15—21 in 11 games this season.