There was no shortage of action in the NHL Wednesday despite just four games on the schedule.
An unheralded rookie goaltender continued to make a name for himself, a deadline acquisition made his presence felt in overtime, and injuries continued to mount.
Here are three things we learned in the NHL Wednesday.
The Hamburglar gonna burgle
The Ottawa Senators picked up another win in front of Andrew Hammond’s goaltending versus the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday night. The Senators are 6-0-1 in their last seven games and suddenly staring down a shot at a playoff berth.
Hammond is also 6-0-1 since making his first start Feb. 18, filling in for an injured Craig Anderson. Hammond has been unreal through that stretch of games.
The rookies has stopped 159 of 164 shots on Ottawa’s five-game road trip, allowing just five goals against, and allowed just eight goals in seven starts since being recalled from AHL Binghamton.
Zidlicky makes an instant impact
The Detroit Red Wings acquired veteran defenceman Marek Zidlicky from the New Jersey Devils for a conditional draft pick at the trade deadline, and the 38-year-old wasted little time making an impact on his new team.
Zidlicky scored the overtime winner versus Rangers Wednesday night, lifting the Red Wings to a 2-1 win.
Injuries impede playoff pushes
It’s been a rough couple of days for teams currently battling for playoff spots.
The Florida Panthers dropped a gimme game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday after an injured Roberto Luongo gave way to Al Montoya, who then attempted to play after suffering his own injury, before the former shed his street clothes and returned to the net.
Those hoping to see if Brett Connolly could cash-in on a new opportunity with the Boston Bruins will have to wait. The former Tampa Bay Lightning forward fell to a displaced fracture in his right index finger during practice Wednesday.
The Bruins currently hold a two-point lead on the Panthers for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot.
The Winnipeg Jets, in possession of the Western Conference’s top wild card berth, are the latest team to a suffer a blow to their playoff hopes after having watched defenceman Dustin Byfuglien exit with an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators.
