• Islanders move into a wild-card spot
• Lightning move closer
• Ducks catch up to Sharks in Pacific
As he made his way around the ice at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night, Josh Ho-Sang was met with some boos from the home crowd.
The New York Islanders forward likely wasn’t too bothered, though. He’s made headlines recently for wearing Mario Lemieux’s No. 66 — a way of paying homage to his childhood hero — and while Lemieux himself told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he’s “fine” with the gesture, Ho-Sang said ahead of Friday’s clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins that he would understand if fans there had some animosity toward him.
Booing aside, Ho-Sang picked up an assist on Brock Nelson’s second-period goal, and the Islanders picked up a 4–3 shootout win with Jaroslav Halak minding the net for the first time since Dec. 29. Halak was recalled from the American Hockey League a day earlier and made 37 saves on Friday night. He gave up a goal in the shootout (to Sidney Crosby, who thankfully managed not to injure anyone on the night) but denied Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino to secure the win for his team.
With the win, the Islanders moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The surging team is currently tied with the Boston Bruins, although the Islanders have a game in hand. The two teams will face off on Saturday night in a game with big playoff implications.
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Lightning move closer
Speaking of the tight race in the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning, playing the second night of a back-to-back, earned a second consecutive win on Friday, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2–1 at the Joe. The Lightning now sit one point back of both the Islanders and Bruins for a wild-card spot.
Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winner 3:28 into overtime, which the Lightning had forced after winger Ondrej Palat tied the game in the third period.
While the Red Wings lost — and their dire season will see the team’s ridiculous playoff streak come to an end — the home team at least made things difficult for the Lightning, who will get the weekend off before hosting the Blackhawks on Monday. Detroit’s defence frustrated the Lightning for most of the night. Less good, though, was the Red Wings’ power play — the team was held scoreless all five times on the man advantage.
Ducks catch up to Sharks in Pacific
One of the more memorable aspects of the Dallas Stars‘ win over the San Jose Sharks was Adam Cracknell‘s banner night. The 31-year-old, who is in the midst of his best season, scored his first career hat trick.
Cracknell’s season has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season in Dallas. The hard-working native of Prince Albert, Sask., has a career-high 15 points, with 10 goals and five assists through 61 games. He signed a contract extension earlier this month that will keep him with the Stars through 2017–18.
But wait — we’ve buried the lede on this one, folks. The Stars vanquished the Sharks for a final score of 6–1. Yikes. San Jose has now lost five in a row, and with the Anaheim Ducks‘ 3–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, both teams are tied atop the Pacific Division, with 91 points through 74 games. This race, too, is only getting more interesting.
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