Patrick Kane’s goal with 2:02 left in regulation tied the game and his shootout goal won it for Chicago as they downed Detroit 2-1 and move to an eye-popping 19-0-3 this season. Tomas Tatar had the lone goal for Detroit. Corey Crawford and Jimmy Howard played strong games in goal as each stopped 32 of 33 shots.
SPIN: This game was everything we thought it would be. Hard-fought, low-scoring and a tough matchup between bitter rivals. I wouldn’t think of this as any cause for concern for Detroit and Chicago just keep rolling. Use players on both teams as you usually do.
Minnesota doubled up Edmonton 4-2 as the Wild used a three-goal third period to seize the win. Mikko Koivu scored nine seconds into the third period to break a 1-1 tie and he had two assists in the win.
SPIN: The Wild is showing signs of life offensively with 10 goals in its last three games. That’s a pretty sizable accomplishment for a team that had 39 goals in the 18 games prior. It also helps that Minnesota fired 43 shots on goal in this game. Devan Dubnyk made 39 saves for Edmonton in the losing effort. The offense takes pressure off of goaltender Nicklas Backstrom for Minnesota. Edmonton failed to record a shot on goal in the second period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has gone ice cold, failing to register a point in seven straight games and has one goal this season.
The Islanders slipped past Ottawa 3-2 in a shootout to send the Sens to a third straight loss. Michael Grabner and Brad Boyes scored for New York while Mika Zibanejad and Patrick Wiercioch tallied for Ottawa.
SPIN: Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves to get the win but has slipped to more of a mediocre option in goal. The Islanders can’t win at home as they are just 3-8-1 there this season. Ottawa’s offense has become an even bigger concern as of late. In the nine games since losing Eric Karlsson to an Achilles’ injury, Ottawa has failed to break the three-goal barrier. Look for the Senators to have a bunch of 2-1 or 3-2 games for the rest of the season unless they can find ways to get the puck in the back of the net much more often. It also means their goaltenders are going to be seeing more rubber fired their way so keep that in mind if you own Craig Anderson or Ben Bishop.
Artem Anisimov’s overtime goal lifted Columbus to a 2-1 win over Colorado. Vinny Prospal had the other goal for Columbus while PA Parenteau had the lone Colorado goal. Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 of 34 shots in the loss.
SPIN: Varlamov continues to get pelted with pucks so he’s useful in leagues that have save percentage as a category. I’m also looking to bench my Avalanche for the next couple weeks with some difficult matchups ahead. They have Detroit, San Jose, Edmonton, a pair with Minnesota and three with Chicago in the next two weeks. Yeah. Hello pine, here come the Avs. Columbus has lost five one-goal games in a row and continues to disappoint.
Carolina knocked off Florida for the second day in a row with a 3-2 win. Johnathan Huberdeau had both Florida goals in the loss.
SPIN: Carolina got off to a 3-0 lead and never looked back in this one. The Hurricanes are now winning divisional games and if they can continue to do so could wind up taking a top-3 seed in the playoffs. Cam Ward left the game with a leg injury and his status is day to day. Dan Ellis came in and allowed both Florida goals before time ran out on the Panthers. Florida has lost 10 of 12 and is looking like another team to bench until they can get their head screwed on the right way.
The Rangers got two third-period goals to force overtime and won 3-2 in shootout over Buffalo. Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the win.
SPIN: Buffalo saw its three game win streak come to an end. They had a two-man advantage in overtime but failed to capitalize on it. Nathan Gerbe scored his third goal in the last three games and would be worth a pickup in larger or deeper leagues. Buffalo again played without Thomas Vanek who is suffering from an undisclosed injury. Both goaltenders, Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist, are performing solidly for their teams and should remain starters between your team’s pipes.
Montreal seized the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3 win over Boston. David Desharnais scored twice for Montreal and it helped offset Patrice Bergeron’s three-point game (1G, 2A) for Boston. The game-tying and winning goals came with Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara sitting in the penalty box.
SPIN: Montreal is 14-4-4 and Boston is 14-3-2. Roll with as many of the players as you can on these original six games.
The Flames got back to .500 with a 4-2 win over Vancouver. Mike Cammalieri scored twice for Calgary.
SPIN: Jarome Iginla scored again for Calgary, his sixth of the season, and might be back on track after a slow start. Jiri Hudler picked up a couple helpers and continues to have sleeper value. Danny Taylor got his first win of his NHL career in this one, nine years after he was drafted. Keep an eye on him since Calgary is known for riding goaltenders into the ground and it might be Taylor’s turn to get saddled up.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Huberdeau-FLA, Desharnais-MTL, Cammalieri-CGY
Stat of the Night
Minnesota has won 19 of its last 20 games at home against Edmonton.
Three Stars of the Night
1 Kane-CHI
2 Bergeron-BOS
3 Koivu-MIN
Monday’s Games (all times ET)
New Jersey at Toronto 7pm
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh 730pm
Anaheim at Phoenix 9pm
Nashville at Los Angeles 1030pm
