• Malkin the focal point in new Penguins-Jets rivalry
• Red Wings goalie carousel continues
• Fredrik Claesson finally gets first goal
Wow. Raise your hand if you thought the Penguins and Jets would form the leagues newest rivalry? If your hand is up you’re lying.
But after a heated affair earlier in the year, the hype for the rematch was high. And boy did this game live up to it.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL.
Malkin gets a Gordie
The focal point of the Penguins and Jets rivalry is Evgeni Malkin. In their first meeting on Feb. 16, his hit on Blake Wheeler was the spark to Wednesday’s explosion. So it was fairly obvious that the Jets were going to target him on Wednesday.
To his credit, when Wheeler challenged him, Malkin didn’t shy away, picking up his second career fighting major in the process.
Getting that fight out of the way earlier seemed to wake Malkin up. He finished the game with two goals and an assist for a Gordie Howe hat trick.
But Malkin wasn’t the only player making headlines in this busy game. His teammate, Nick Bonino, had three goals of his own. And Tom Sestito, an old-school goon called up from the AHL, will likely be hearing from the NHL after this ugly hit on Tobias Enstrom.
By the final buzzer, the teams combined for 73 penalty minutes. And the arguably more interesting story, about the NHL’s leading goal scorer Sidney Crosby facing off against the guy chasing him, Patrik Laine, was completely forgotten about. (For the record, Crosby had one assist while Laine didn’t have any points.)
For thoughts from both sides of this wild night in the ‘Peg, check Kristina Rutherford’s column here here.
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Craig Anderson ties a Senators record
Craig Anderson has had a roller coaster season but through it all, he has continued to pick up wins for the Ottawa Senators.
And after picking up his fifth straight victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, Anderson is now tied with Patrick Lalime for the most wins in team history.
Anderson joined the Senators after being traded from Colorado in February, 2011 and has been steady for them ever since. Even as younger goalies like Andrew Hammond and Robin Lehner challenged him for the starting job, Anderson has always emerged as the most reliable option in net for Ottawa. So it’s fitting that he will soon be making history with the team.
Ottawa’s next two games are Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes and then Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. There’s a good chance that in one of those two games, Anderson will break the record.
Fredrik Claesson scores first career goal
While 35-year-old Anderson is making history for the Senators, 24-year-old defenceman Fredrik Claesson made some personal history of his own against the Stars. Claesson’s point shot in the first period found its way past Kari Lehtonen for his first career NHL goal.
The goal came in Claesson’s 36th career game, split between this season and last. He has eight assists over that span, including one on Wednesday.
All in all, it was a great night for Claesson.
Goalie questions galore in Hockeytown
To say it’s been a tough season in the Motor City would be an understatement and one of the many problems for the Red Wings has been consistent goaltending. Jimmy Howard had a good start to the season, but hasn’t played since being injured in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 20.
The Red Wings called Howard up from a conditioning stint in the AHL on Wednesday, but it was Jared Coreau and Petr Mrazek who couldn’t hold the Boston Bruins back in a 6-1 loss on Wednesday.
The Red Wings are now 25-29-11 and their 61 points are the third lowest in the league. The game in Boston Wednesday was the last of a five-game road trip that saw them only get three of a possible 10 points.
It’s likely Howard will get a shot in the team’s next game Friday against Chicago. As the Red Wings begin a rebuild, coaches and management will be looking to see if any of their goalies can take the starters job and run with it.
Add the extra wrinkle of the expansion draft and the Red Wings have even more to worry about. With only one of the three allowed to be protected, these netminders are playing for more than just wins at this point of the season.
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