Tuesday night was a busy one in the NHL.
Sidney Crosby ended his scoreless skid and Alex Ovechkin reached a milestone; the Montreal Canadiens soared higher as the Columbus Blue Jackets sunk lower; the Calgary Flames‘ issues in net continued and Braden Holtby … well, he just really needs a new helmet.
Here are six things we learned in the NHL:
Sidney Crosby‘s on the board…
The NHL’s best player has officially broken his pointless streak. And on the power play, no less.
Crosby’s first-period goal started the scoring in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ sixth game of the season and ended the team’s power play woes.
His five-game drought to start the season matched the longest of his career (the last time was Oct. 31-Nov. 10, 2009.)
By the end of the game, Crosby had nine shots and added two assists as the Penguins topped Roberto Luongo and the Florida Panthers in overtime.
The Columbus Blue Jackets‘ woes continue…
Another game, another loss for the 0-7 Blue Jackets — this time a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders.
The Islanders ran away with the game in the third period with two quick goals — an all-too-common occurrence for the Blue Jackets this season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added some context to the team’s troubles in Tuesday’s edition of 30 Thoughts, highlighting the team’s inability to hang on to a lead or close the floodgates once their opponent has started scoring.
“In their opener against New York, the Blue Jackets gave up three goals in 1:17,” wrote Friedman. “In the rematch, they gave up three more in 5:48. Tied 0-0 in Chicago, the Blackhawks scored twice in 1:55 to take control. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, they closed to within 2-1, only to give up a third goal 111 seconds later. Columbus pulled back to 3-2, but the Sabres took 2:34 to clinch it. Against Ottawa, the Blue Jackets led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. None of those advantages lasted longer than 4:58.”
The Domi-Duclair hot streak continues…
Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan played his 1400th game with the team Tuesday night (a 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils), but it was once again the team’s young guns that made the highlight reel.
Max Domi, an early Calder Trophy contender according to just about everyone, dished up a perfect pass to Anthony Duclair, who tucked the puck behind Cory Schneider to ruin the goaltender’s chance at a shutout.
Duclair is currently leading all rookies in goals (5) and points (7). Domi ranks third in goals (3) and second in points (7).
The Montreal Canadiens keep on rolling…
Seven games in, and they still haven’t lost. The Canadiens became the 13th team in league history to start a season with a 7-0-0 record when they shut out the St. Louis Blues at home 3-0 Tuesday night.
https://twitter.com/DamoSpin/status/656632104151859200
The last team to record such a start was the San Jose Sharks in 2012-13.
Alex Semin scored his first goal with the team in the second period.
Price’s 38-save shutout (his second of the season) almost didn’t happen. A fluke play saw the puck go straight into the net after it was banked off the glass near the bench. The play was deemed dead, and a review upheld the no-goal call.
Alex Ovechkin reaches 900…
Ovechkin went into Tuesday’s game versus the Calgary Flames just one point shy of 900 on his career.
The Washington Capitals captain reached the milestone less than a minute into the second period when he tucked in his own rebound.
The goal was the 479th of his career.
Ovechkin came close to scoring in the first period, but was denied by Karri Ramo with this nifty little poke-checking effort:
By game’s end, Ovechkin also added an assist in the Capitals’ dominant 6-2 victory, chasing Ramo out of the net and perpetuating the struggling Flames’ issues in the crease.
Braden Holtby really needs a new helmet…
The Capitals goaltender lost his lid during the game against the Flames and proceeded to make a sliding save without it.
This is the second time in as many games that Holtby’s helmet has come off mid-play.
Holtby’s helmet flew off his head Saturday night in a scary incident that saw the goaltender almost get a puck to the face.
Once is scary enough… right? Time for a new helmet, Holtby.
