NHL Rewind: Bruins make history by reaching 50 wins in just 64 games

Another weekend in the NHL is planned, and it was fun, especially for the Boston Bruins.

After beating the Red Wings, the Bruins became the fastest team to 50 wins in NHL history. It only took them 64 games to pull off the feat and they could make history before the regular season even ends.

Elsewhere in the league, the Winnipeg Jets picked up several big wins in the playoff race, and the Buffalo Sabers kept their playoff hopes alive with a comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here are the biggest headlines and highlights from this past weekend in the NHL.

Weekend goal: Mitch Marner stuns Toronto

Trailing the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in the second period, the Toronto Maple Leafs needed a spark. They got one from Mitch Marner.

Oilers forward Ryan McLeod made an ill-advised pass in front of his net, and Marner cleared him out of the air. Suddenly he was face to face with goalkeeper Stuart Skinner and Marner made the most of his opportunity. With so much time and space, Marner set up a caning clinic that left Skinner at his mercy.

Marner hit the puck into the net and sent a burst of energy into the Air Canada Center.

This Marner goal caused a resurgence for the Maple Leafs and they scored six of the next seven goals to win the game, 7-4.

Weekend Heist: Casey DeSmith Uses a Paddle

Casey DeSmit got the start in a very important game for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff hopes on Saturday, and he scored. Not only did DeSmit hold the Philadelphia Flyers by just one goal after 32 shots, he also made one of the year’s saves.

In the third period, the Penguins held a 2-1 lead when the Flyers were given a powerplay opportunity. Philadelphia were looking to tie the game, and it nearly succeeded, except for DeSmit’s superhuman stoppage to avoid scoring a goal. Flyers defenseman Cam Yorke hit from the spot, and DeSmit hit him with a pad. The rebound landed right on Owen Tippett in the corner and all he had to do was shoot into an open cage.

That’s when DeSmit reached back with his paddle and got enough puck to hit her up and out of the game.

Pittsburgh won the game 5-1, and the team earned a very important two points in the standings. If the Penguins continue to keep goaltending like this, their chances of making the playoffs will be much higher.

Boston Bruins continue to make NHL history

The Boston Bruins have had a lot of wins this season – a record number of wins, in fact. After beating the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday, the Bruins became the fastest team to 50 wins in NHL history.

After the first period, it looked like the Bruins would have to wait one more game to get 50 wins. Detroit led 2-0, but Boston came out with a goal in the second frame. The Bruins finally broke through when Hempus Lindholm landed a laser blast through traffic into the net.

Just moments later, Jake DeBrusque found Patrice Begeron in powerplay strike position. He passed between the legs of Magnus Hellberg into the net. Then, at the end of the third period, Garnet Hathaway chose the right time to score his first goal with the Bruin. Hathaway crashed next after a sprint and scored a bad rebound coughed by Hellberg.

It took the Bruins just 64 games to reach 50 wins, and with 105 points, they are on track for at least two more big records:

• The Montreal Canadiens of the 1976-77 season holds the record for most points in a single season with 132.
• The 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning won 62 games each.

Jets hold on for big win over Panthers

The Winnipeg Jets have been heading in the wrong direction lately, but on Saturday night they were able to pick up a massive road win over the Florida Panthers.

At first, it looked like the Jets would miss another opportunity. They entered the third period with a 4-2 lead and it didn’t take long. Mark Staal, with some help from his brother Eric, beat Connor Hellebike in an odd snatch and pulled off the Panthers in one go.

About five minutes later, the Panthers were on the powerplay and made the Jets pay. Matthew Tkachuk made his way to the net and rebounded to equalize 4-4.

With a few goals down, the Jets were able to regain their composure and managed to take the game into overtime. That’s when Kyle Connor found Mark Scheifel in front of the net for the winning goal.

It was a big win for the Jets, and on Sunday they pulled off another victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With those four points, Winnipeg was able to keep the Nashville Predators at arm’s length in the Western Conference playoff race.

Pavel Dorofeev scored noodles with the first goal in the NHL

Pavel Dorofeev, a 2019 third-round pick, scored his first NHL goal on Sunday. As great as it was for Dorofeev, it wouldn’t normally make headlines, but the way he scored was enough to get him featured in every Monday morning highlights episode.

In the third period, the Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues were tied 3–3 when a skirmish took place in front of the St. Louis goal. Vegas forward William Karlsson found the puck in the slot and shot on goal, but Jordan Binnington made a good save.

The problem for Binnington was that the ricochet bounced into the air, hitting Dorofeev in the head and hitting the net.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but few players can say they emulated Doug Glatt in their first NHL game, and Dorofeev has an incredible story to tell for the rest of his life.

Sabers score two goals to take first place in Maple Leafs

For a team that has lost six of its last seven games, the Buffalo Sabers were in dire need of a win on Monday. Despite an early loss, the Sabers rallied from a two-goal deficit and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3.

Winger Alex Touch, who was activated before the game from an injured reserve, scored a couple of goals and led the attack in the Sabres’ comeback.

Thach’s winning goal was also a milestone for the 26-year-old as he scored his 30th goal of the 2022-23 season. It was the first time in Tach’s career that he had reached such a plateau and he now has 64 points (30 goals and 34 assists) for the season.

With this victory, the Sabers are now 33-28-5 (71 points) and five points behind the New York Islanders for second place in the Wild Card in the Eastern Conference. The Sabers are also up against the Florida Panthers, who have 73 points with a game in hand against the Buffalo.

View this week’s meeting

Islanders to Kings | Tuesday, March 14: This should be a tight inter-conference game between two teams that have something to fight for in the playoff race. The Islanders are just trying to secure a place in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the Kings are still within arm’s reach of first place in the Pacific Division.

Avalanche in Maple Leafs | Wednesday, March 15: Both of these teams are on very strong footing in the NHL playoff race, but that will be a good yardstick for both sides. As the playoffs approach, the Avalanche are looking to gain momentum and the Leafs could pick up a big win against the defending champions.

Penguins in Rangers | Thursday, March 16: The Rangers have been a bit inconsistent lately, and that opened the door for the Penguins to climb to third in the Metro division. Playing for the Devils or the Hurricanes might not sound like much, but it’s better than hitting the wild card and potentially playing for the Bruins.

Hurricanes in the Maple Leafs | Friday, March 17: This is just an iconic Eastern Conference juggernaut showdown. The Hurricanes are still in contention for the top spot in the Metro division, and this will be another chance for Toronto to prove it can turn the tide and go deep in the playoffs this year.

Blackhawks on Coyotes | Saturday, March 18: You may have to look at the lineups of the two teams in this game, but that’s just as important as the matchup between the two teams in a playoff race. In fact, it may even be more important when the odds of winning the lottery are hanging in the balance.