NHL Review March 15, 2021
ISLANDERS HOLD OFF DEVILS, WIN NINTH STRAIGHT CONTEST. . .
After the teams exchanged a pair of goals in regulation, Oliver Wahlstrom scored the 3-2 shootout-deciding goal as the MassMutual East Division-leading Islanders (19-6-4, 42 points) extended the League’s longest active win streak to nine games.
Ilya Sorokin, improved to 6-0-0 in his last six contests dating to Feb. 16 and trails only Minnesota’s Kaapo Kahkonen (8 GP) for the longest win streak by a rookie goaltender this season. Sorokin’s six-game run – which features only nine goals against – comes on the heels of a three-game losing streak to start 2020-21, which saw the Islanders netminder allow 11 goals through those contests.
Twenty-two-year-old Kieffer Bellows, who scored two goals on Saturday, opened the scoring on Sunday to extend his run of consecutive team goals to three. Only three players 22 or younger posted a longer such run for the Islanders: John Tavares (5 from Dec. 3-9, 2009), Patrick Flatley (4 on Nov. 6, 1985) and Clark Gillies (4 from Feb. 19-20, 1977).
. . . WHILE HAMILTON AND THE HURRICANES ALSO EXTEND STREAKS
Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring to extend the League’s longest active point streak to eight games (2-8—10) and led the Hurricanes to s 2-1 win over the Red Wings and their 20th win of the season. The 2020-21 campaign is the first in franchise history to feature the club as the NHL’s first team to reach the 20-win mark.
The Hurricanes, who own a 10-1-1 mark at PNC Arena, improved to 10-5-0 as the visitors in 2020-21. Carolina also became the NHL’s first team to collect 10 home wins and 10 road wins in a season for the first time in franchise history.
After spending a decade in a Hurricanes uniform and captaining the club to the Stanley Cup in 2005-06, Rod Brind’Amour also skated in all three of the franchise’s longest win streaks (9 GP from March 18 – April 7, 2009, Dec. 31, 2005 – Jan. 19, 2006 and Oct. 22 – Nov. 11, 2005). He became the seventh head coach in NHL history to record a win streak of eight or more games as both a player and coach with the same franchise.
Hamilton scored the first shorthanded goal of his career and has collected 35-65—100 in 156 games since joining Carolina in 2018-19. The only defenseman with more goals than Hamilton over that span is Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang (36-83—119).
WILD IMPROVE TO 7-0-0 IN LAST SEVEN HOME GAMES
Kevin Fiala (1-1—2) factored on two of four unanswered Wild goals as Minnesota (17-8-1, 35 points) beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-1 and improved to 9-3-0 at Xcel Energy Center in 2020-21 and became the first team to post a home win streak of seven games this season. The Wild posted a home win streak of at least that length for the fourth time in franchise history.
Did You Know: Since Dean Evason took over as head coach on Feb 15, 2020, the Wild have recorded 25 regular-season wins (25-12-1). Vegas (28) is the only team with more victories over that span.
SENATORS BENEFIT FROM QUICK GOALS TO TOP MAPLE LEAFS
Brady Tkachuk (1-1—2) and Ryan Dzingel (1-0—1) scored seven seconds apart in the first period, while Drake Batherson netted two goals in a span of 53 seconds in the second period as the Senators beat Toronto 4-3 and snapped a three-game slide. Their first-period tallies marked the second-fastest two goals in Senators history, three shy of the franchise mark set by Vladislav Namestnikov and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0:04) on Nov. 09, 2019 vs. Carolina.
Ottawa is the fourth team in 2020-21 to score a pair of goals in a span of 10 seconds or less, joining Carolina (0:08 on Feb. 4), Montreal (0:09 on Jan. 21) and Minnesota (0:10 on March 12).
MILESTONES APLENTY IN MONDAY’S ACTION
The trio of Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Canadiens goaltender Carey Price enter Monday’s action with the opportunity to celebrate milestone achievements, with Ovechkin getting another shot at tying Phil Esposito on the League’s all-time goals list.
Already the franchise leader in goals, assists and points by a defenseman, Hedman (110-389—499 in 788 GP) sits one point away from becoming the fifth player to collect 500 points with the Lightning. Should he find the score sheet, he would also require the fourth-fewest games among active blueliners to reach the mark behind Erik Karlsson (613 GP), Kris Letang (753 GP) and John Carlson (783 GP).
Should he play against the Jets, Monday would mark Price’s 700th career game. He would join the likes of Martin Brodeur (1,259 GP w/ NJD), Henrik Lundqvist (887 GP w/ NYR), Tony Esposito (873 GP w/ CHI), Terry Sawchuk (734 GP w/ DET) and Olie Kolzig (711 GP w/ WSH) as the sixth goaltender in NHL history to play at least 700 regular-season games with a single franchise.
NHL Three Stars of the Week
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) food service technician Maria Saavedra have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending March 14.
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.”
Saavedra works as a food service technician at UCH in Aurora, Colo., helping to prepare and deliver 1,500 food trays daily to patients ranging from COVID-19 units to the burn center, postpartum and more. Throughout the pandemic, visitor restrictions and other safety protocols have created extra challenges for patients, but Saavedra has continued to take pride in delivering meals that not only provide diet-specific nourishment, but also a sense of comfort. She loves to go the extra mile to connect with patients, offering them a source of joy and solace during an otherwise difficult time.
“I enjoy people in general. I like talking to people, I like getting to know people,” Saavedra recently told 9NEWS Denver. “I think toward the beginning some people were scared to come to work. I was here every day. I started asking if I could pick up extra shifts. Those days were long, but it was worth it.”
Saavedra, who started her job just before the pandemic began, even sent her son to live with his grandparents so she could work double-shifts during the height of COVID-19. “He went to stay with them just because we all knew that it was going to be tricky being in a hospital,” she explained. “We didn’t know if I was going to get sick and I didn’t want to get him sick.”
Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:
FIRST STAR – PHILIPP GRUBAUER, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE
Grubauer went 3-1-0 with a 1.24 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and one shutout to guide the Avalanche (16-8-2, 34 points) to six out of a possible eight standings points. He split a pair of games against the Arizona Coyotes, making 11 saves in a 3-2 loss March 8 followed by 13 stops in a 2-1 overtime win March 10. Grubauer then turned aside all 18 shots he faced for his 15th NHL shutout and career-high fourth of the season in a 2-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings March 12. He finished the week with 27 saves in a 4-1 victory against the Kings March 14. The 29-year-old Rosenheim, Germany, native has appeared in 22 total contests this season, ranking among the League leaders (minimum: 5 GP) in shutouts (t-1st; 4), wins (2nd; 15), goals-against average (3rd; 1.91) and save percentage (6th; .923).
SECOND STAR – LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS
Draisaitl led the NHL with 6-3—9 in four outings to power the Oilers (18-12-0, 36 points) to a 3-1-0 week. He scored the game-winning goal, his fifth of the season, in a 3-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators March 8. Draisaitl then recorded 3-2—5, including his third career hat trick and fourth career five-point performance, in a 7-1 triumph over the Senators March 10. He added 1-1—2 in a 6-2 win against Ottawa March 12 as well as Edmonton’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks March 13. The 25-year-old Cologne, Germany, native and reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner has skated in 30 total games this season, placing among the top three players in points (2nd; 45), plus/minus (2nd; +20), game-winning goals (t-2nd; 5), goals (3rd; 16) and assists (3rd; 29).
THIRD STAR – NIKOLAJ EHLERS, LW, WINNIPEG JETS
Ehlers collected 3-3—6 in three contests to propel the Jets (17-8-2, 36 points) to five out of a possible six standings points, all against the Scotia NHL North Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs. He registered two assists in a 4-3 victory March 9. Ehlers then factored on all three Winnipeg goals, posting 2-1—3 in a 4-3 overtime loss March 11. He picked up one more tally, his team-leading 14th of 2020-21, in a 5-2 win March 13. The 25-year-old Aalborg, Denmark, native – who shares sixth place in the entire NHL in goals – ranks second on the Jets with 14-15—29 in 27 total appearances this season, already half of his point production from 71 games in 2019-20 (25-33—58).