NHL Review March 8, 2021

OVECHKIN SURPASSES YZERMAN ON NHL’S ALL-TIME ROAD GOALS LIST

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored the 363rd regular-season road goal of his NHL career to surpass Steve Yzerman (362) for sole possession of second place on the League’s all-time list. He now sits 40 road goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history.

Ovechkin, who has 714 career regular-season goals overall and moved within four of passing Phil Esposito (717) for sole possession of the sixth most in League history, scored the first of his team’s three unanswered markers as Washington (14-6-4, 32 points) kept pace with the NY Islanders in the MassMutual East Division standings.

YANDLE REACHES 1,000-GAME MILESTONE

Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (Boston, Mass.) skated in the 1,000th regular-season game of his NHL career. Yandle owns the League’s longest active “Ironman” streak and has appeared in 890 consecutive contests dating to March 26, 2009.

Vincent Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa.) opened the scoring against his former club to help Carolina (17-6-1, 35 points) extend its winning streak to five games and keep pace with Tampa Bay in the Discover Central Division standings. Trocheck, who was traded by the Panthers to the Hurricanes on Feb. 24, 2020, has scored a goal in all four games versus Florida since the transaction (4-0—4).

DIVISION LEADERS EXTEND STREAKS IN HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA GAMES

The Discover Central Division-leading Lightning (17-4-2, 36 points) and MassMutual East Division-leading Islanders (15-6-4, 34 points) both improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight games via wins on Hockey Day in America:

Yanni Gourde (2-2—4) established a single-game career high with four points – which included assisting on a marker by Pat Maroon (St. Louis, Mo.) – as Tampa Bay scored six unanswered goals to erase a 3-0 deficit and defeat Chicago.

The Lightning overcame a three-goal deficit to win a game in regulation for the ninth time in franchise history (regular season & playoffs). It also marked the second instance in which Tampa Bay overcame a three-goal deficit and won by a three-goal margin (also Nov. 6, 1999).

Minnesotans Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) and Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) accounted for three of the Islanders’ five goals as New York opened Hockey Day in America with a 5-2 win over Buffalo. The Islanders improved to 9-0-0 in their last nine games against the Sabres dating to March 30, 2019 (BUF: 0-8-1), which is tied for the franchise’s third-longest regular-season win streak versus one opponent.

New York improved to 10-0-2 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season and remain the only team without a regulation loss on home ice. The Islanders recorded a home point streak of 12 or more games at any point in a season for the second time over the last 38 years and eighth time in franchise history.

PENGUINS SCORE THREE GOALS IN 61 SECONDS; DEVILS BLANK BRUINS

Pittsburgh and New Jersey also earned wins in Hockey Day in America games on Sunday:

John Marino (North Easton, Mass.) scored the first of his team’s three consecutive goals over a 61-second span – and the first of five unanswered goals overall – as the Penguins erased a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Rangers. Pittsburgh’s trio of tallies in 61 seconds marked the fastest three goals scored by one team in 2020-21.

Kyle Palmieri (Smithtown, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal and Scott Wedgewood turned aside all 40 shots he faced as the Devils blanked the Bruins at TD Garden. Palmieri was one of 15 U.S.-born players with at least one goal on Sunday – Drake Batherson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) also had a shootout-deciding goal for the Senators.

NHL TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Later today, the NHL will announce its plans to celebrate hundreds of women for International Women’s Day. A new TV spot was released on March 1 to honor women who make an impact on and off the ice. The celebration is part of Gender Equality Month, a Hockey Is For Everyone initiative.

MONDAY’S SIX-GAME SLATE INCLUDES VEGAS PUTTING WIN STREAK ON THE LINE

The Honda West Division-leading Golden Knights (16-4-1, 33 points) own a six-game win streak, the longest active run in the NHL, and look to extend it to seven when they visit the Wild (13-8-1, 27 points) at Xcel Energy Center.

Vegas can become the first team to record victories in seven consecutive games this season – three other clubs have had at least one six-game win streak, including Minnesota from Feb. 18-27. The Wild’s run was snapped by the Golden Knights on March 1, when Mark Stone had five primary assists in a come-from-behind overtime victory.

CANUCKS, CANADIENS SET TO CLASH AT ROGERS ARENA

Vancouver (11-15-2, 24 points) and Montreal (11-6-6, 28 points), which have combined for 44 goals through five meetings in 2020-21 (including one shootout-deciding goal on Jan. 20), are set to go head-to-head again at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are coming off back-to-back home wins over the League-leading Maple Leafs, while the Montreal Canadiens scored seven goals in their last outing to defeat the Jets.

Montreal is 12-0-2 in its last 14 games versus Vancouver dating to Nov. 16, 2015 (VAN: 2-10-2), including a 4-0-1 mark in 2020-21 (VAN: 1-4-0). Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli has accounted for eight of his team’s 28 goals against his former club this season (8-3—11 in 5 GP), which includes scoring a hat trick at Rogers Arena on Jan. 20.

Golden Knights’ Mark Stone, Canucks’ Demko, Hurricanes’ Necas, Named NHL ‘First Stars’ of the Week

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone and Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada Dr. Claudia Mejia have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending March 7.

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.”

Dr. Mejia specializes in health intervention services with the mission of providing quality healthcare and support to Southern Nevadans in low-income communities. Just days after the state’s COVID-19 restrictions commenced, Dr. Mejia was on the phone connecting with the community’s most vulnerable patients.

As Dr. Mejia understood the importance of each patient’s health and well-being, she and her team worked around the clock to create resource guides, coordinate rideshares to appointments, work with the volunteer and pharmacy departments for prescription deliveries, and collaborate with the medical and operations teams to get a telemedicine program off the ground. Since providing telemedicine services, Dr. Mejia has been able to reach even more people in the community who are considered high-risk individuals.

Dr. Mejia also showed an extra level of compassion over the holiday season by providing essential items to more than 200 patients and their family members – and is continuing to distribute these items to assist even more of those in-need.

Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko and Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:

FIRST STAR – MARK STONE, RW, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Stone led the NHL with eight assists and 10 points in four contests (2-8—10) to power the Golden Knights (16-4-1, 33 points) to a perfect week, extending their winning streak to six games dating to Feb. 22. He set a career high as well as a franchise record with five assists, capped by the lone helper on Max Pacioretty’s overtime winner, in a 5-4 victory against the Minnesota Wild March 1. Stone then registered a pair of two-point performances, posting 1-1—2 in a 5-1 triumph over the Wild March 3 and two assists – including another overtime helper – in a 5-4 win against the San Jose Sharks March 5. He concluded the week with the game-winning goal, his fourth such tally of 2020-21, in a 4-0 victory over the Sharks March 6. The 28-year-old Winnipeg native, who tops Vegas and sits 15th in the entire League with 6-21—27, ranks among the top 10 in the NHL in game-winning goals (t-2nd; 4), plus/minus (t-4th; +14) and assists (7th; 21) through 21 outings this season.

SECOND STAR – THATCHER DEMKO, G, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Demko went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .969 save percentage and one shutout to guide the Canucks (11-15-2, 24 points) to wins in three of their four games. He earned his first career regular-season shutout with 27 saves, including 15 in the third period, in a 4-0 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets March 1. Demko then backstopped Vancouver to a pair of wins over the League-leading Toronto Maple Leafs, turning aside 31 shots in a 3-1 victory March 4 and making 37 saves in a 4-2 triumph March 6. The 25-year-old San Diego, Calif., native has appeared in 17 total contests this season, compiling a 7-9-1 record, 2.87 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

THIRD STAR – MARTIN NECAS, C, CAROLINA HURRICANES

Necas collected 2-5—7 in four outings as the Hurricanes (17-6-1, 35 points) extended their winning streak to five games to move within one point of first place in the Discover NHL Central Division. He notched 1-2—3, including his second overtime goal of the season, in a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers March 1. Necas then recorded one assist in a 4-2 win against the Nashville Predators March 2, 1-1—2 in a 5-2 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings March 4 and one helper in a 4-2 victory against the Panthers March 7. The 22-year-old Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, native has posted 4-14—18 in 21 contests this season, already half of his point total from 2019-20 (16-20—36 in 64 GP).