Three to see
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
When Washington Capitals’ forward Alex Ovechkin is at his best, he is scoring goals and having fun.
Ovechkin certainly looked like he was doing just that this past Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. The “Great 8” scored the 11th hat trick of his career and added an assist for four points en route to a 5-1 victory.
This week, Ovi and the Capitals will take on the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens continue to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and perhaps the main reason for that is the play of their starting netminder.
In three games this week, Carey Price went 2-0-1, allowed just five goals, picked up a shutout over the New York Rangers and stopped 62 of 67 shots. On the season, Price is 10-3-1 with a 1.97 GAA, a .923 save percentage and two shutouts.
This week, Price and his Canadiens will take on the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins.
Matt Moulson, New York Islanders
When you’re a team with New York Islanders’ offensive superstar John Tavares, it’s hard to get the attention you might deserve.
This is the case for Tavares’s teammate Matt Moulson. Moulson scored four points this week on two goals and two assists as he continues to be one of the Islanders’ best offensive players along with Tavares.
This week Moulson and the Islanders will take on the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.
Streak of the week
The Chicago Blackhawks continue to light up the NHL and prove that they are more than worthy of being a Cup contender this season.
On Friday night against the San Jose Sharks, the team came away with at least a point in their 17th straight game. That record was previously held by the Anaheim Ducks, a feat they accomplished during the 2006-07 season.
It will be interesting to see how far the team can take this point streak as starting out the season 14-0-3 seems almost unfathomable considering how competitive the league is now.
Biting sound
“We’re a team that has been around the block a few times. We know that if you take your foot off the gas at any point of the season, the league will catch up with you.”
— Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Patrick Sharp on his team’s then 16-game point streak.
Weekend rewind
On Friday night against the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin went hard into the boards and had his head snap back.
It was reported that Malkin is suffering from concussion-like symptoms and will be out until further notice. The team is obviously used to dealing with concussions given their other superstar’s, Sidney Crosby, history with them.
Hopefully, Malkin will not be out too long because while Crosby is the team’s best offensive player, Malkin is right there with him and brings a much different element to the game than Crosby does.
Save the date
Wednesday, February 27, 2013: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
It’s always a good thing when two Canadian teams are playing in a game that matters. This will be the case on Wednesday night when the Montreal Canadiens take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
The Canadiens are atop the Northeast Division while the Leafs currently find themselves in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens will also be looking to avenge their 6-0 shutout loss to the Leafs back on Feb. 9.
Wouldn’t it be great if at the end of the regular season, these two teams would play each other in the first round of the postseason?
Rink roundup
— What is going on with supposed Stanley Cup contenders New York Rangers? The team lost all three games this past week, scoring just four goals.
— San Jose Sharks’ forward Ryan Clowe has been suspended and faces an in-person hearing Monday after leaving his team’s bench to start an altercation with members of the Chicago Blackhawks in his team’s 2-1 loss. It’ll be interesting to see what direction the league goes in with this.
— It finally happened. New York Islanders’ goaltender Rick DiPietro was placed on waivers this week and will report to the team’s farm club, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Maybe the Islanders are finally seeing the error of their ways?
— Could you imagine getting rid of one of your most prized possessions? Well, 1980 Team USA Olympic hero Mike Eruzione did just that when his famous Team USA jersey from when the team beat the Soviet Union was auctioned off for $660K.