Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

02/27/2015 at 10:54am EST

HAMMOND AGAIN UNBEATABLE AS SENATORS SNAP KINGS’ STREAK
Andrew Hammond denied all 35 shots he faced to record his second shutout in as many days, backstop the Senators to their fourth consecutive victory and halt the Kings’ winning streak at eight games.

* At 26-23-10 (62 points), the Senators moved within five points of the idle Bruins (29-22-9, 67 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference:


* Hammond also stopped all 25 shots he faced in a 3-0 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday. He is the first goaltender in Senators history to win each of first four NHL starts, compiling a 1.02 goals-against average and .965 save percentage through six career appearances.

* Via Elias, Hammond is only the second goaltender in NHL history to post consecutive road shutouts against the Ducks and Kings (in either order) – and the first to do so on back-to-back days. The only other goaltender to accomplish that feat was Steve Mason for the Blue Jackets on Dec. 29 (24 SV at LAK) and Dec. 31, 2008 (27 SV at ANA). Mason went on to win the Calder Trophy that season with a 33-20-7 record (2.29 GAA, .916 SV%, 10 SO).

* “It’s obviously pretty crazy what’s going on right now,” said Hammond, who is the first Senators goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts against any opponent since Brian Elliott on March 22-23, 2010. “I don’t think too many people expected a goalie battle between [Jonathan] Quick and the Hamburglar tonight. When you’re playing someone like that and someone that you kind of watch; obviously he’s close in age to me, but he’s someone you look up to as an NHL goalie. He’s won two Stanley Cups now. Whenever you can play a guy like that, it’s obviously a pretty cool feeling.”

* The 27-year-old Hammond, a native of White Rock, B.C., was signed by the Senators as an undrafted free agent on March 20, 2013. He posted a 7-13-2 record with Binghamton (AHL) this season prior to his recall by Ottawa on Jan. 29.

* Mike Hoffman scored the lone goal at 1:40 of the third period, his third career game-winning marker. He is tied for the lead among rookies with 21 overall goals this season.

* The Senators picked up their second victory in 15 all-time visits to Los Angeles and first since Jan. 11, 2000. They also earned their first all-time shutout against the Kings (29 GP).

RANGERS RALLY TO TAKE OVER TOP SPOT IN METROPOLITAN
Down 3-1 after the first period, the Rangers scored three unanswered goals – including the tiebreaking marker by Lee Stempniak with 2:14 remaining in regulation – to extend their point streak to 10 games (8-0-2).

* At 38-16-6 (82 points), the Rangers leapfrogged the idle Islanders (40-20-2, 82 points) for first place in the Metropolitan Division, where the top four clubs are separated by six points:


* The Rangers improved to 27-6-2 since Dec. 8, the best record in the NHL. They also improved to 10-1-2 in February, tying the franchise record for wins in the month (set in 1971-72: 10-2-2). They play one more game in February, a prime-time matchup with the Flyers on Saturday (NBC, CITY).

* Stempniak (2-0—2) recorded his 15th career multi-goal game and first since Jan. 21, 2012 at EDM (3-1—4 w/ CGY). He also notched his 17th career game-winning goal and first since March 30, 2014 vs. CHI (w/ PIT).

* Chris Kreider also found the back of the net twice for his third career multi-goal performance and first since March 9, 2014 vs. DET (2-0—2).

* Cam Talbot made 37 saves – one shy of his career high set Feb. 16 at NYI – to stretch his personal point streak to nine games (7-0-2). Elias says he is the first Rangers goaltender to post a point streak of at least nine games since 1996-97, when Mike Richter went 14-0-2 over a 16-game stretch.

* Kevin Hayes added two assists, giving him 5-6—11 in his last 11 outings. He ranks eighth among rookies with 12-17—29 overall this season.

* The Rangers improved to 6-1-0 in their last seven meetings with the Coyotes dating to Dec. 16, 2010. They also have won six straight matchups at Madison Square Garden dating to Nov. 24, 2008.

SUBBAN, CANADIENS MOVE UP NHL STANDINGS . . .
P.K. Subban posted 1-2—3 to lead the Canadiens to their third straight win overall and a sweep of their three-game season series with the Blue Jackets.

* At 40-16-5 (85 points), the Canadiens moved within four points of the Predators (41-14-7, 89 points) – who lost in regulation – for first place in the NHL standings, where the top 10 teams are separated by 10 points:


* Subban and defensive partner Andrei Markov (1-1—2) both established career highs with +5 ratings. Subban shares second among defensemen with 12-35—47 this season, while Markov is tied for 13th with 8-30—38.

* Max Pacioretty reached the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career and second straight season. Elias says he is the third Canadiens player to record consecutive 30-goal campaigns over the past 20 years, following Mark Recchi (1996-97 and 1997-98) and Michael Ryder (2005-06 and 2006-07).

* Jacob De La Rose scored his first two career goals (12 GP). Per Elias, he is the first Canadiens player to notch his first two career goals in the same game since Dec. 29, 1999 (Arron Asham).

* Carey Price made 25 saves to pick up his 35th victory, tied for the League lead with Pekka Rinne. Price also paces the NHL with a 1.92 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

* Price extended his personal point streak to nine games (8-0-1). He also stretched his franchise-record road winning streak to 10 games; Elias says the last goaltender to accomplish that feat for any team was Evgeni Nabokov, who won 11 straight road games for the Sharks from Nov. 21, 2009 – Feb. 11, 2010.

. . . RED WINGS STAGE COMEBACK TO ADVANCE IN ATLANTIC
Trailing 2-1 after two periods, the Red Wings scored twice in the final 6:28 of regulation – including the tiebreaking marker by Luke Glendening with 1:15 left on the clock – to snap a two-game skid (0-1-1) and four-game losing streak against the Sharks dating to March 28, 2013 (0-2-2).

* At 34-15-11 (79 points), the Red Wings moved within one point of the idle Lightning (37-19-6, 80 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division, where the top three teams are separated by six points:


* The Red Wings picked up their eighth win of the season when trailing after two periods (8-11-2); that ranks third in the NHL behind the Flames (10-16-2) and Ducks (9-17-0).

* Glendening snapped an eight-game drought with his second career game-winning goal (other Jan. 27 at FLA).

* Pavel Datsyuk scored the tying goal, his fifth marker in his past four outings (5-2—7). Datsyuk leads the club with 22-28—50 this season (49 GP); his 22 goals are his most since 2010-11 (23) and 10 shy of his career high established in 2008-09.

* Teemu Pulkkinen added his second career goal (14 GP). Danny DeKeyser collected a pair of assists for his third multi-point performance of the season.

NIEDERREITER LIFTS WILD BACK INTO PLAYOFF SPOT
Nino Niederreiter scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal midway through the second period, to lead the Wild to their fourth victory in their past five outings.

* At 32-22-7 (71 points), the Wild leapfrogged the idle Flames (33-24-4, 70 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, where four teams are separated by six points:


* Niederreiter registered his third career multi-goal game, all this season (also Nov. 13 vs. BUF: 3-0—3 and Feb. 16 at VAN: 2-0—2). Elias says he is the first Swiss-born player in NHL history to reach the 20-goal milestone (21-9—30 in 61 GP).

* Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves to improve to 14-3-1 with a 1.68 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and five shutouts in a Wild uniform.

* Overall, Dubnyk is 23-8-3 this season and ranks in the top 10 in the NHL in shutouts (t-2nd; 6), goals-against average (4th; 2.18) and save percentage (7th; .924).

* The Wild have allowed 31 total goals in the 19 games since Dubnyk’s team debut (1.63 per game), compared to 73 goals against in the 19 games prior to his arrival (3.84 per game).

* Playing in his 100th NHL game, Erik Haula collected 1-1—2 for his third career multi-point effort. Kyle Brodziak also notched 1-1—2, his sixth multi-point performance of the season.

* The Wild have earned points in five of their past six trips to Nashville dating to Dec. 28, 2011 (3-1-2).

BLUES, BLACKHAWKS INCH AHEAD IN CENTRAL
Both the Blues and Blackhawks won on Thursday to gain ground on the Predators – who lost in regulation – in the race for the Central Division crown:


* Winnipeg native Alexander Steen scored the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout to help the Blues snap a two-game skid and improve to 9-0-2 in their past 11 meetings with the Jets/Thrashers dating to Nov. 8, 2009.

* Brian Elliott made 30 saves – and denied an additional two attempts in the tiebreaker – to lead the Blues to their sixth consecutive shootout victory and eighth overall this season, tied for the League lead (w/ ANA and CHI).

* Ryan Reaves, another Winnipeg native, notched an assist on Patrik Berglund’s second-period goal. Reaves scored the game-winning goal in the Blues’ first trip to MTS Centre this season, a 4-2 triumph on Nov. 23.

* Corey Crawford stopped all 20 shots he faced to record his 12th career shutout (second this season) and help the Blackhawks sweep their home-and-home series with the Panthers, their seventh straight head-to-head win dating to March 23, 2011.

* Crawford improved to 4-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and two shutouts in six career appearances vs. FLA. Playing in his first game since Feb. 9, Teuvo Teravainen scored his first career game-winning goal.

* Brandon Saad (1-1—2) potted his 19th goal of the season, equaling a career high established in 2013-14. Jonathan Toews also recorded his 19th goal, finding the back of the net for the third straight game (3-0—3) – the first time he has achieved that feat since March 1-9, 2014 (6-1—7 in 4 GP).

MORE THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Notes from the rest of Thursday’s nine games:

* Jonathan Bernier made 47 saves – one shy of his career high set Dec. 5, 2013 vs. DAL – to backstop the Maple Leafs to their second consecutive win, the first time they have strung together victories since Dec. 6-16 (6-0-0). Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak both registered 1-1—2; Kessel leads the team with 23-27—50 overall, while Bozak ranks third with 17-22—39. Making his return to the lineup following a 12-game absence, Dion Phaneuf potted his first goal since Dec. 18 and logged a game-high 25:28 of ice-time.

* Knotted at 3-3 midway through the third period, the Sabres scored three times in the final 7:17 of regulation to improve to 3-1-2 in their past six outings. Torrey Mitchell (2-0—2) snapped a 28-game drought with his second career multi-goal game (other March 23, 2011 vs. CGY w/ SJS), including his fourth career game-winning marker. Brian Gionta (1-2—3), Chris Stewart (1-1—2) and Matt Moulson (0-2—2) added multi-point games for the Sabres, who picked up their first win over the Canucks since March 3, 2012 (0-3-0).

LOOSE PUCKS
The Predators suffered their first loss at Bridgestone Arena since Feb. 5, snapping a six-game home winning streak . . . Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 27-of-28 shots. He has a 1.56 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout in his past nine appearances (8-1-0) . . . Coyotes forward Sam Gagner scored a pair of power-play goals in a 1:26 span of the first period. Elias says they were the fastest two power-play goals by one Coyotes/Jets player since Dec. 5, 1993, when Keith Tkachuk notched two for the Jets in a 1:02 span vs. DET . . . Canucks teammates Henrik (3-7—10) and Daniel Sedin (1-7—8) both extended their point streaks to six games . . . Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky found the back of the net, giving him 5-3—8 in his past eight outings . . . Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson made 28 saves to extend his personal point streak to seven games (4-0-3) . . . Forward Mark Arcobello scored for the fifth time in seven games since joining the Coyotes . . . Predators forward Craig Smith reached the 20-goal mark for the second consecutive season . . . Flyers defenseman Mark Streit fired a career-high 10 shots on goal . . . Predators forward Matt Cullen (0-2—2) recorded his 400th NHL assist . . . Sharks forward Joe Thornton reached the 40-assist mark for the 12th time in his past 13 NHL seasons. His 892 career helpers rank 20th in NHL history, two behind Phil Housley . . . Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian (400) and Predators forward Gabriel Bourque (200) both played in milestone games . . . Coyotes forward Henrik Samuelsson made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden, where his father, Ulf, is an assistant coach for the Rangers.

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Boston @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m., NESN, MSG+
Calgary @ NY Islanders, 7:00 p.m., SNW, MSG+ 2
Washington @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., CSN-DC, FS-CR
Chicago @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., NHLN-US, CSN-CH, SUN
Colorado @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., ALT2, FS-SW
Los Angeles @ Anaheim, 10:00 p.m., KCOP-13, PRIME
NBCSN Channel Finder
Sportsnet Channel Finder

BUBBLE TEAMS BATTLE FOR PLAYOFF POSITIONING
Two Friday matchups feature a pair of teams fighting for Wild Card spots in their respective conferences:

* The Bruins (29-22-9, 67 points), who currently occupy the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, visit the Devils (25-27-9, 59 points), who sit eight points outside of the playoff picture. This marks the third and final meeting between these clubs in 2014-15; Boston has won the first two this season and 14 of the last 17 in the head-to-head series dating to March 30, 2010. Overall, the Bruins have lost seven of their last eight outings (1-5-2), while the Devils dropped their most recent contest on Wednesday following a four-game winning streak.

* Two Western Conference teams looking to gain ground for a Wild Card spot face off when the Stars (27-25-9, 63 points) play host to the Avalanche (26-24-11, 63 points). Both clubs sit eight points back of the Wild (32-22-7, 71 points) in the playoff chase. This marks the fifth and final meeting of the season between these Central Division rivals; Colorado has won the first four (DAL: 0-3-1), including a 4-1 victory on Feb. 14 in their most recent matchup. Overall, the Stars have lost four straight (0-3-1), while the Avalanche are 4-2-0 in their past six outings.

the information above was provided by the NHL PR department

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