March madness may be around the corner in College Hoops, but as the finish line hit a crescendo, the NHL has its own pre-playoff excitement to keep an eye on this month.
This week we have a lot of nimble hands, impromptu saves, a reunion of old friends, a meal plan you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, and everything else worth catching up on for the last seven days of hockey.
Goal of the week
While it’s been a fairly quiet year for Trevor Zegras while he was toiling away at one of the league’s worst teams, the American phenom returned to his old tricks last week, scoring arguably the best goal of the season on Tuesday night against the Seattle Cracken. The count excited the entire hockey world and even reached the TNT film crew, which led to it’s a funny incident by Jen Botterill.
Salvation of the week
My God, Casey DeSmith. While the Philadelphia Flyers were itching for Saturday’s equalizer with the Pittsburgh Penguins, DeSmit pulled that bullshit out of his bag of tricks by robbing Owen Tippett blind. This save proved to be decisive for the Pans, as they followed just minutes later with an important insurance marker, eventually winning the game 5-1 and remaining in the thick of a tight Eastern Conference race.
Player of the Week: Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Kucherov is arguably having the quietest comeback season ever. The 29-year-old has struggled with injuries intermittently over the past few seasons – very publicly in some cases – but has remained healthy and dominated again for the first time since 2018/19. With 118 points, just short of his career high of 128, there is a non-McDavid parallel universe where Kucherov has a Hart Trophy award that once again serves as the engine of one of the best hockey teams – even if he weird hiccups this year. Want proof of how dominant Kucherov was? Look no further than last Thursday night when he made this great assist as part of his seven points last week.
hands of the week
Last Tuesday, the Maple Leafs had an impetuous 4-3 victory over the great New Jersey Devils, and Mitch Marner played a big role in that. While Toronto ended up losing the advantage this goal gave them, that shouldn’t be diminished by the sweet shorthanded moves made by the former London Knight on the helpless Vitek Vanechek. Eventually Marner also provided an assist to the winner of the game, ending the Maple Leafs’ long road trip in style.
Most useful moment of the week
When the Ottawa Senators took on the Blackhawks last Monday in the Windy City, the two bright young German stars met for the first time in Tim Stutzle and Lukas Reichel. Both entrants into the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the pair ended up on the ice during the post-whistle showdown, leading to this delightful moment between two players with a rich history dating back to their U16 days.
Worst of the week
Quote Lucille Bluth from Arrested DeveloperT: “I mean, it’s one package of spaghetti Michael, how much can it cost, ten dollars?” Needless to say, hopefully a fan playing the game has taken over.
dish of the week
With his newly signed $70 million contract, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin set his sights on the rest of the regular season. While Detroit’s faint playoff hopes have faded in recent weeks, that doesn’t mean Motown hasn’t had its fair share of highlights this season as they come out of their rebuild. On this, Larkin becomes a benefactor as Alex Chiasson makes a nimble move between his legs to feed the Wings star as they come together for a beautiful majority count.
Career Oriented
After the Buffalo Sabers sent defenseman Chase Priska to the Anaheim Ducks on trade deadline day, the 26-year-old did what any other young pro would do after a career change: updated his LinkedIn profile. Hey, you never know who might call when you stumble across your digital resume.
Bucket, drop it
After being hit in the face with a club, Erik Karlsson was furious on Tuesday night when the referees swallowed their whistles and were unable to make a decision. In response, the Swedish defender, better known for his level-headed temperament and deft footwork, showed his hand in protest against the officials by waving his helmet as he headed down the tunnel.
Hit below the belt
The fact that Tony DeAngelo is at the center of events is nothing new. The often controversial figure has made quite a few enemies both on and off the ice over the years, but this one could be a new low. While several Lightning players objected to DeAngeloIt was not initially clear what exactly happened. That was until another repeat angle showed the not-so-pretty flashpoint of this dog pile.
What’s on the menu?
Jacob Chichrun apparently has a prehistoric caveman diet. Whatever gets you results, I guess.
stinger save
After the Deal Deadline James Reimer expressed his thoughts after San Jose was unable to find him a new home to race for the Stanley Cup one last time. However, if the ever-optimistic Reimer finds the strength to make a couple more rescues like this Morgan Barron thief rescue, the 34-year-old may find himself another home this summer. We hope the most useful hockey goaltender gets at least one more shot.
Let the kids play
The Carolina Storm Surge celebration may not get the headlines it once did, but the tradition is still alive and well and as sweet as ever. After a dominant 6-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the Keynes celebrated family day at the rink in the most Hurricanes way possible: taking the kids to a game-winning Storm Surge.
Free Blade Looch
Ever since the phenomenon of removable skate blades has made its way into the NHL, it’s hard to imagine any player’s wrestling being as fun as the always imposing Milan Lucic. The clumsy grinder from the Flames was caught with his pants down, or better yet, with his skate blades down, leaving the veteran tough guy stumbling meekly on the Calgary bench, to the delight of every fan giggling along with him.
Tough journalism
The Tampa Bay Lightning are in trouble right now. Having won just three of their last ten games, the Bolts will easily let the frustration in the room spill over and create a negative atmosphere around the team. When you’ve won two of the last three Stanley Cups and made it to the Finals three years in a row, the cooler ones will probably be much easier to win.
That good vibe around the team also came from the ever-demanding John Cooper, who graciously waited for this youth reporter to ask his question before wrapping up Saturday’s press conference.
Week statistics
Have you heard that the Boston Bruins are good? Well, as it turns out, they actually historically good. No team has hit the 50-win plateau faster than Boston this season, as they picked up that tally on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. The Eastern Conference might be loaded, but it’s hard to imagine anyone beating the Bruins in a seven-game series.
Trending: Minnesota Wild
No team in the NHL is hotter than the Minnesota Wild right now, as the State of Hockey have scored at least one point in their last 12 games to lift them up in the center standings. They are just two points behind the Dallas Stars for division pole position and three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the West.
One would think the biggest culprit was the team of superstars Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello – and they were great – but it was actually defense and goaltending, highlighted by the team’s dazzling .970 shooting percentage since March 1, which leads the NHL. by a wide margin. Slowly but surely, it looks like Bill Guerin has created an opponent in Minnesota, and they could do some damage during the playoffs if things keep moving in that direction.
Downtrend: Montreal Canadiens
No team in the NHL like beaten and bruised as did the Montreal Canadiens, who amassed six straight losses and plummeted into the depths of Connor Bedard’s sweepstakes. There isn’t much to look forward to in the province of La Belle other than a spring draft lottery, given all the injuries, but there have been flashes of the foundation being built. A couple of great goals this week, in fact, from the team’s two building blocks Nick Suzuki And Kayden Gulecan help ease the pain of Habs fans and become an oasis in the desert of unwatched hockey games.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com
