NHL Review – February 14, 2022

SKINNER SCORES FOUR GOALS FOR SABRES ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Jeff Skinner (4-1—5) factored on all five Buffalo markers to establish a single-game career high in goals and points and become the fifth player in NHL history with four tallies on Super Bowl Sunday.

• Skinner became the seventh different player in League history to record five points in a game on Super Bowl Sunday and first since Kings forward Marcel Dionne (2-3—5) against the Rangers on Jan. 9, 1977.
• Skinner became the second player in Sabres history to record a hat trick on Super Bowl Sunday, joining Andre Savard (3-0—3) versus the Cleveland Barons on Jan. 9, 1977.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
Highlights from the rest of Sunday’s NHL slate:

• Ottawa earned its first road win against Washington since Jan. 21, 2014, snapping a nine-game slide in the capital of the United States (0-8-1). Brady Tkachuk (75-84—159 in 240 GP) scored the 75th goal of his NHL career, moving him past Alexandre Daigle (74-98—172 in 301 GP) and into a tie with Alexei Yashin (75-103—178 in 188 GP) for the third-most in franchise history by players age 22 or younger – the only Senators skaters with more under those criteria are Martin Havlat (96-123—219 in 280 GP) and Marian Hossa (93-103—196 in 270 GP).
• Colorado (34-8-4, 72 points) shut out the Stars at American Airlines Center to extend its franchise-record point streak to 19 games (17-0-2) and bolster its position atop the League standings. Nazem Kadri (1-0—1) established a single-season career high for points with 62 (20-42—62 in 43 GP), eclipsing his previous mark set with the Maple Leafs in 2016-17 (32-29—61 in 82 GP).
• Pittsburgh (30-11-8, 68 points) edged New Jersey at Prudential Center to extend its road winning streak to six games and leapfrog idle Carolina (32-11-3, 67 points) for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby (0-2—2) collected the 409th multi-point game of his NHL career and moved past former Penguins defenseman Paul Coffey (408) for sole possession of 11th place on the League’s all-time list.

BLACK HOCKEY HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: NHLCA BIPOC COACHES PROGRAM
Now in its second season, the NHL Coaches Association BIPOC Coaches Program includes over 50 coaches from across North America, Europe and Australia with coaching experience ranging from three to 25 years.

• The program’s pillars are networking and relationship building, professional development, and visibility and exposure. As the program continues to expand, the pipeline of diverse talent in the coaching community continues to grow, creating a more diverse talent pool of NHL coaches.
• Click here to meet the coaches in the NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program, which includes three-time Stanley Cup champion Nigel Kirwan.
• ICYMI: The first episode of ‘NHL Bound’ premiered last week featuring Duante’ Abercrombie and Nathaniel Brooks, who are also part of the NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program. Episodes air Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET at YouTube.com/NHL.

SEATTLE, TORONTO SET FOR FIRST-EVER CLASH MONDAY
The Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs will play their first head-to-head contest Monday during a four-game NHL slate.
The genesis of Climate Pledge Arena dates to the Century 21 Exposition (also known as the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair), when the venue opened as the Washington State Pavilion. Following significant renovations to make the arena one of the centerpieces on the former Exposition grounds, the venue was renamed the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1964.

• The first-ever hockey game played at the Coliseum took place on Sept. 30, 1964 and was an exhibition contest between the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Totems and Maple Leafs, who had won the Stanley Cup in each of the past three seasons. Frank Mahovlich scored two goals while George Armstrong, Andy Bathgate, Ron Ellis, Billy Harris and Ron Stewart had one apiece as Toronto skated to a 7-1 win against the hosts, which received its lone marker from Gerry Leonard with Gerry Brisson and Bill Dineen drawing assists.

Markstrom, Laine and Hischier Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week
Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom, Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Patrik Laine and New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Feb. 13, 2022.

FIRST STAR – JACOB MARKSTROM, G, CALGARY FLAMES

Markstrom stopped 93 of the 97 shots he faced, compiling a 3-0-0 record, 1.33 goals-against average and one shutout to help the Flames (26-13-6, 58 points) move into second place in the Pacific Division via their sixth straight win dating to Jan. 29. Markstrom earned his League-leading eighth shutout of 2021-22 – four more than any other goaltender and two shy of the single-season franchise record established by Miikka Kiprusoff in 2005-06 (10) – with 28 saves in a 6-0 triumph over the Vegas Golden Knights Feb. 9. Markstrom then made a season-high 46 saves in a 5-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs Feb. 10, followed by 19 stops in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders Feb. 12. The 32-year-old Gävle, Sweden, native has appeared in 36 total contests this season, placing among the top netminders in shutouts (1st; 8), goals-against average (4th; 2.12), save percentage (5th; .926) and wins (9th; 20).

SECOND STAR – PATRIK LAINE, LW, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Laine collected 3-3—6 in three games to power the Blue Jackets (23-22-1, 47 points) to a perfect week and a 5-1-0 record in their past six outings dating to Jan. 27. He registered 2-1—3, including an assist on the tiebreaking goal with 44.4 seconds left in regulation, as Columbus overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits for a 5-4 win versus the Washington Capitals Feb. 8. Laine then assisted on the tying goal in the third period as the Blue Jackets again rallied from a multi-goal deficit, this time for a 4-3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres Feb. 10. He capped the week with 1-1—2, highlighted by the winning goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation (the latest go-ahead goal in franchise history), in a 2-1 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens Feb. 12. The 23-year-old Tampere, Finland, native ranks fourth on Columbus with 13-14—27 despite being limited to 27 total appearances this season.

THIRD STAR – NICO HISCHIER, C, NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Hischier scored in all four of his outings, leading the NHL with 5-1—6 overall to guide the Devils (17-27-5, 39 points) to a pair of wins. He accounted for New Jersey’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators Feb. 7 and again scored in a 7-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens Feb. 8. Hischier then notched 2-1—3, his seventh career multi-goal game and sixth career three-point performance, in a 7-4 triumph over the St. Louis Blues Feb. 10 before closing the week with another goal in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Feb. 13. The 23-year-old Brig, Switzerland, native and No. 1 overall pick from the 2017 NHL Draft has played in 43 total contests this season, ranking among the Devils’ top producers in points (2nd; 30), goals (t-2nd; 13) and assists (3rd; 17).