With just three games on the schedule this Friday it was a light evening for National Hockey League action. Let’s get to it.
Steven Stamkos stands alongside Alexander Ovechkin, the Sabres have a shot at history, and a Devils pugilist showed his hands are for more than just punching.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL Friday.
A healthy Stamkos is a lock for 40 goals
Steven Stamkos used an empty net goal to hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in his career.
Stamkos entered the league in 2008-09. The only other player to break the 40-goal barrier four times since then is Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin.
Had it not been for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and a broken leg in the 2013-14 campaign then it’s highly likely Stamkos would stand alone with six 40-goal seasons since his debut.
The Sabres stand a chance at setting a record this season
The Buffalo Sabres fell to the New Jersey Devils 3-1 Friday, which marked the 34th time this season the Sabres have scored one or fewer goals.
The record for most games in a season with one goal or less is 36, which is shared by the 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning and the 1928-29 Chicago Black Hawks.
The 2013-14 Sabres, 1972-73 New York Islanders, and 2002-03 Carolina Hurricanes have all gone 35 games with one or fewer goals.
Your 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres. Historically bad.
Tootoo flipped the skill switch
New Jersey Devils forward Jordin Tootoo scored his ninth goal of the season Friday night and it was a beauty.
Tootoo blocked a shot and took the puck all the way home, undressing Sabres defenceman Mike Weber in the process before slipping it by Anders Lindback. Tootoo can hit double digits in goals for the first time since he potted 11 with the Nashville Predators in 2007-08.
There’s hope for the desert
It’s been awful season for the Arizona Coyotes, albeit one that may land them Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
Let’s not forget about the prospects the Coyotes already have coming down the pipe, though.
2013 first-round (12th overall) Max Domi scored his 32nd goal of the OHL season Friday night in the London Knights’ win over the Saginaw Spirit, which also elevated him to the century mark for the first time in his junior career.