NHL Review – January 24, 2022

BLUES MOUNT ANOTHER COMEBACK WITH WIN IN VANCOUVER
Vladimir Tarasenko (0-2—2) found the score sheet in his ninth straight appearance (6-9—15) and Ville Husso (38 saves) extended his win streak to five games (1.20 GAA, .963 SV%, 1 SO) as St. Louis (25-11-5, 55 points) earned its NHL-leading 15th comeback win of the season. The victory vaulted the Blues, who are 6-1-0 in their last seven games, past the idle Predators (26-14-3, 55 points) and into second place in the Central Division.

OVECHKIN, KREIDER CONTINUE RACE TO 30 GOALS

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (29-29—58) and Rangers forward Chris Kreider (29-13—42), who are tied for the NHL lead in goals, will continue their race to 30 tallies when they each make home appearances Monday. In just a couple of weeks, the two League leaders will get the chance to play alongside one another while representing their team on the Metropolitan Division roster for the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game.

• Ovechkin sits one marker shy of his 16th career 30-goal season – the only player with more is Hall of Fame forward Mike Gartner (17). Ovechkin has been the first player to 30 goals in a season five of the 15 times he has reached the benchmark.
• Kreider, meanwhile, is on the verge of the first 30-goal campaign of his 10-season career after surpassing his previous career high with a hat trick Saturday (28 in 2018-19 and 2016-17). No Rangers player in the modern era (since 1943-44) has led the League in goals at season’s end – the most recent player in franchise history to do so was Lynn Patrick in 1941-42.

SUNDAY’S RESULTS
The Kraken (13-24-4, 30 points) closed out the weekend with a win over the NHL-leading Panthers (28-9-5, 61 points) on a five-game Sunday.

FAST GOALS PROPEL PENGUINS, KRAKEN TO VICTORY
The Penguins and the Kraken both benefitted from quick goals Sunday as each club skated to their respective victories:

• After Saturday saw an NHL record-tying five teams post multi-goal comeback wins, the Penguins followed suit Sunday with a third-period multi-goal comeback victory of their own. Kasperi Kapanen and Jeff Carter scored nine seconds apart in the final frame to help Pittsburgh (26-10-5, 57 points) earn its seventh straight victory at home – their longest such run since 2017-18 (11 GP).
• Twelve different Kraken players found the score sheet Sunday, including Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell who scored 17 seconds apart, while Philipp Grubauer (28 saves) held the NHL’s highest-scoring team to three goals as the Kraken (13-24-4, 30 points) earned a win against the League-leading Panthers (28-9-5, 61 points). Seattle swept its two-game season series against Florida after halting the Panthers’ home win streak to start 2021-22 at an NHL-record 11 games (also 11 GP for CHI in 1963-64) in their first-ever match up.

COLOR OF HOCKEY: JAPANESE-BORN HIRANO SCORES FIRST AHL GOAL
Yushiroh Hirano made history this weekend as he became the first Japanese-born player to score a goal in the American Hockey League on Saturday, according to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Hirano hopes to build on the legacy of players of Japanese heritage that includes 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Paul Kariya, Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki and Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto.

RED WINGS SHUFFLE TAXI SQUAD
The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Calvin Pickard to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and reassigned center Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Luke Witkowski to the Griffins from the team’s taxi squad. Additionally, Detroit reassigned goaltender Kaden Fulcher to the team’s taxi squad from the Griffins.

 
YANDLE SET TO MATCH “IRONMAN” MARK MONDAY

Keith Yandle, who has not missed a game in over 12 years, is expected to skate in his 964th consecutive contest when Philadelphia hosts Dallas. In doing so, Yandle would tie Doug Jarvis (964 GP) for the longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history. Should he continue his run, Yandle will overtake Jarvis for sole possession of the League record one night later when the Flyers visit the Islanders Tuesday.

Kreider, Husso and Meier Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week
New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider, St. Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso and San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 23, 2022.

FIRST STAR – CHRIS KREIDER, LW, NEW YORK RANGERS

Kreider topped the NHL with 5-2—7 in three games to propel the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (27-11-4, 58 points) to a 2-1-0 week. He registered one of five unanswered goals as New York overcame a two-goal deficit for a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs Jan. 19. Kreider then potted 1-1—2, his 12th multi-point performance of the season, in a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Jan. 21. He capped the week by matching a career high with four points (3-1—4), scoring once while shorthanded, at even strength and on the power play to record his fifth career hat trick in a 7-3 triumph over the Arizona Coyotes Jan. 22. The 30-year-old Boxford, Mass., native has found the back of the net in five straight contests (dating to Jan. 13: 8-2—10) to move into a share of the League lead with a career-high 29 goals in 42 total outings this season (29-13—42). Kreider, who is set to participate in the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, also ranks among the top 2021-22 performers in power-play goals (1st; 14), power-play points (3rd; 20), shooting percentage (10th; 22.1%) and points (16th; 42).

SECOND STAR – VILLE HUSSO, G, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Husso stopped 97 of the 101 shots he faced to go 3-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average, .960 save percentage and one shutout as the Blues (25-11-5, 55 points) posted a perfect week to move into second place in the Central Division. He made 32 saves in a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators Jan. 17. Husso then earned his third career shutout (and second of the season) with 27 stops in a 5-0 triumph over the Seattle Kraken Jan. 21. He finished the week with 38 saves, including 20 in the first period, in a 3-1 victory against the Vancouver Canucks Jan. 23. The 26-year-old Helsinki, Finland, native – who has won five straight decisions dating to Jan. 7 – has appeared in 12 total games this season, ranking second in the NHL with both a 1.93 goals-against average and .941 save percentage while compiling an 8-2-1 record.

THIRD STAR – TIMO MEIER, RW, SAN JOSE SHARKS

Meier paced the NHL with six goals in three outings, highlighted by the League’s first five-goal performance since March 5, 2020, to help the Sharks (21-19-2) maintain the final Wild Card position in the Western Conference. He set a franchise record with five goals (including three in the opening 19:09 of the game) in a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings Jan. 17. Meier then scored once in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken Jan. 20 before being held without a point in a 7-1 defeat against the Tampa Bay Lightning Jan. 22. The 25-year-old Herisau, Switzerland, native – who also will be in Las Vegas for the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend – has skated in 37 total contests this season, placing among the League leaders in game-winning goals (2nd; 6), shots on goal (5th; 152), goals (t-8th; 21) and points (9th; 46).