NHL Review March 3, 2022

SABRES BEST LEAFS IN HERITAGE CLASSIC PREVIEW

Five different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Sabres and Craig Anderson (298-259-69) made 29 saves to move within two of his 300th career win as Buffalo earned its first victory in Toronto since March 26, 2018 in their final meeting ahead of the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic set for March 13, 2022 (4:00 p.m. ET on TNT, SN, TVAS).

• Should Anderson get the nod at Tim Hortons Field, it would mark his third NHL outdoor game appearance. He won both the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place (29 saves w/ OTT) and NHL100 Classic at Lansdowne Park (28 saves w/ OTT), trailing only Henrik Lundqvist (4-0-0) for the most career outdoor wins.

KREIDER POWERS RANGERS TO COMEBACK WIN WITH 35TH GOAL OF 2021-22
Chris Kreider scored his 35th goal of the season as the Rangers answered the Blues’ three-goal flurry – which came in just over two minutes – with three tallies of their own in the final frame. The victory pulled New York (34-15-5, 73 points) within one point of idle Pittsburgh (33-14-8, 74 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division, while holding a game in hand.

• Kreider, who trails Auston Matthews (37) and Leon Draisaitl (37) in the Maurice “Rocket Richard” Trophy race, recorded his 18th power-play goal of the season – the most by a Rangers skater since Jaromir Jagr (24) in 2005-06.

STARS CLAIM WILD CARD SPOT ON NOCHE MEXICANA IN DALLAS

Alexander Radulov scored the game-winning goal while skating in his 500th career contest as Dallas (30-20-3, 63 points) leapfrogged idle Edmonton (30-21-3, 63 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

• The victory came on Noche Mexicana, or Mexican Night, a celebration that former NHL netminder and current director of community outreach for the Stars, Al Montoya, brought back to the organization. Montoya joined Dallas in September 2021 in a position that was created by club president and CEO Brad Alberts to help grow the game of hockey among underrepresented fans, including Spanish-speakers and Latino communities.

JOSI SCORES 500TH CAREER POINT
Predators captain Roman Josi boosted his career totals to 131-370—501 (732 GP) and became the second-fastest active defenseman to reach the 500-point milestone behind only Erik Karlsson (613 GP).

ESPN ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN BRUINS, GOLDEN KNIGHTS FEATURED THURSDAY

Thursday’s nine-game NHL slate is set to be highlighted by Boston visiting Vegas at T-Mobile Arena on ESPN.

• Bruins forward David Pastrnak (29-25—54 in 54 GP) is one goal shy of reaching 30 for the fifth time in his NHL career (also 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20). He can become the eighth player in franchise history to record five or more 30-goal seasons, joining Phil Esposito (8), Rick Middleton (8), Johnny Bucyk (7), Peter McNab (6), Cam Neely (6), Patrice Bergeron (6) and Bobby Orr (5).
• Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson (14-27—41 in 51 GP) leads the club in scoring this season with 41 points. Stephenson joined the team in 2019-20 after being selected by the Capitals in the 2012 NHL Draft – when Vegas executive George McPhee was Washington’s general manager – and helped them defeat the Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

SEVERAL SKATERS SET TO PUT SIGNIFICANT STREAKS ON THE LINE
Four of the top five teams in the NHL are in action Thursday with several players’ streaks on the line, including ones by Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

• Huberdeau will look to extend his 10-game point streak (2-15—17 in 10 GP) when Florida (35-13-5, 75 points) welcomes Ottawa to FLA Live Arena. Huberdeau can become the fourth different player in franchise history to record a point in 11 consecutive games, joining Mike Hoffman (17 GP in 2018-19), Pavel Bure (13 GP in 1999-00, 11 GP in 2000-01 & 1999-00) and Evgenii Dadonov (12 GP in 2018-19).
• Stamkos will aim to extend his goal streak to six games (6-2—8 in 5 GP) when the Lightning (35-11-6, 76 points) face off against the Penguins (33-14-8, 74 points). Should Stamkos score Thursday, he would move within one of the longest run in his career (7 GP in 2009-10) and within two of the franchise record set by Brian Bradley (8 GP) in 1992-93.
• Makar can extend his point streak to double digits (0-14—14 in 9 GP) when NHL-leading Colorado (40-10-4, 84 points) visits Arizona. Only two defensemen in Avalanche/Nordiques history have recorded a longer run: Steve Duchesne (15 GP) in 1992-93 and Tyson Barrie (11 GP) in 2017-18.

DETROIT ASSIGNS RILEY BARBER TO GRAND RAPIDS
The Detroit Red Wings today removed left wing Riley Barber from injured reserve and assigned him to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Proof of Vaccination Not Required for 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic
The National Hockey League today announced that in light of the most recent announcement by the Ontario government to ease certain Covid-19 related restrictions, fans will not be asked to provide proof of vaccination to attend the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. The use of face coverings is still required when in any indoor location of Tim Hortons Field and is also strongly recommended when fans are seated, except when actively eating or drinking.