Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

03/08/2021 at 12:58am EST

THREE HARD LAPS

* The Lightning, Islanders, Penguins and Devils earned wins in Hockey Day in America games as the sport was celebrated throughout Sunday on NBC and NBCSN.

* Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin surpassed Steve Yzerman on another all-time goals list.

* Vegas vies for a seventh straight win tonight, while the Canucks and Canadiens are set to clash after averaging nearly nine goals per game through their first five meetings in 2020-21 (8.8 G/GP).



DIVISION LEADERS EXTEND STREAKS IN HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA GAMES

The Discover Central Division-leading Lightning (17-4-2, 36 points) and MassMutual East Division-leading Islanders (15-6-4, 34 points) both improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight games via wins on Hockey Day in America:

* Yanni Gourde (2-2—4) established a single-game career high with four points – which included assisting on a marker by Pat Maroon (St. Louis, Mo.) – as Tampa Bay scored six unanswered goals to erase a 3-0 deficit and defeat Chicago.

* The Lightning overcame a three-goal deficit to win a game in regulation for the ninth time in franchise history (regular season & playoffs). It also marked the second instance in which Tampa Bay overcame a three-goal deficit and won by a three-goal margin (also Nov. 6, 1999).



* Minnesotans Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) and Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) accounted for three of the Islanders’ five goals as New York opened Hockey Day in America with a 5-2 win over Buffalo. The Islanders improved to 9-0-0 in their last nine games against the Sabres dating to March 30, 2019 (BUF: 0-8-1), which is tied for the franchise’s third-longest regular-season win streak versus one opponent.

* New York improved to 10-0-2 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season and remain the only team without a regulation loss on home ice. The Islanders recorded a home point streak of 12 or more games at any point in a season for the second time over the last 38 years and eighth time in franchise history.



YANDLE REACHES 1,000-GAME MILESTONE
Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (Boston, Mass.) skated in the 1,000th regular-season game of his NHL career. Yandle owns the League’s longest active “Ironman” streak and has appeared in 890 consecutive contests dating to March 26, 2009.


* Vincent Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa.) opened the scoring against his former club to help Carolina (17-6-1, 35 points) extend its winning streak to five games and keep pace with Tampa Bay in the Discover Central Division standings. Trocheck, who was traded by the Panthers to the Hurricanes on Feb. 24, 2020, has scored a goal in all four games versus Florida since the transaction (4-0—4).

PENGUINS SCORE THREE GOALS IN 61 SECONDS; DEVILS BLANK BRUINS
Pittsburgh and New Jersey also earned wins in Hockey Day in America games on Sunday:

* John Marino (North Easton, Mass.) scored the first of his team’s three consecutive goals over a 61-second span – and the first of five unanswered goals overall – as the Penguins erased a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Rangers. Pittsburgh’s trio of tallies in 61 seconds marked the fastest three goals scored by one team in 2020-21.

* Kyle Palmieri (Smithtown, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal and Scott Wedgewoodturned aside all 40 shots he faced as the Devils blanked the Bruins at TD Garden. Palmieri was one of 15 U.S.-born players with at least one goal on Sunday – Drake Batherson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) also had a shootout-deciding goal for the Senators.


OVECHKIN SURPASSES YZERMAN ON NHL’S ALL-TIME ROAD GOALS LIST
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored the 363rd regular-season road goal of his NHL career to surpass Steve Yzerman (362) for sole possession of second place on the League’s all-time list. He now sits 40 road goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky (402) for the most in NHL history.

* Ovechkin, who has 714 career regular-season goals overall and moved within four of passing Phil Esposito (717) for sole possession of the sixth most in League history, scored the first of his team’s three unanswered markers as Washington (14-6-4, 32 points) kept pace with the NY Islanders in the MassMutual East Division standings.


NHL TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Later today, the NHL will announce its plans to celebrate hundreds of women for International Women’s Day. A new TV spot was released on March 1 to honor women who make an impact on and off the ice. The celebration is part of Gender Equality Month, a Hockey Is For Everyone initiative.



QUICK CLICKS


* Brent Seabrook thanks Blackhawks fans with ads in Chicago newspapers
* Kailer Yamamoto fined $3,854.17 for actions in Oilers game
* Maddie Rooney, Hilary Knight grateful for platform to grow women's game on PWHPA tour
* Sebastian Aho scores 10th career shorthanded goal

MONDAY’S SIX-GAME SLATE INCLUDES VEGAS PUTTING WIN STREAK ON THE LINE
The Honda West Division-leading Golden Knights (16-4-1, 33 points) own a six-game win streak, the longest active run in the NHL, and look to extend it to seven when they visit the Wild (13-8-1, 27 points) at Xcel Energy Center.



* Vegas can become the first team to record victories in seven consecutive games this season – three other clubs have had at least one six-game win streak, including Minnesota from Feb. 18-27. The Wild’s run was snapped by the Golden Knights on March 1, when Mark Stone had five primary assists in a come-from-behind overtime victory.

CANUCKS, CANADIENS SET TO CLASH AT ROGERS ARENA
Vancouver (11-15-2, 24 points) and Montreal (11-6-6, 28 points), which have combined for 44 goals through five meetings in 2020-21 (including one shootout-deciding goal on Jan. 20), are set to go head-to-head again at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are coming off back-to-back home wins over the League-leading Maple Leafs, while the Canadiens scored seven goals in their last outing to defeat the Jets.

* Montreal is 12-0-2 in its last 14 games versus Vancouver dating to Nov. 16, 2015 (VAN: 2-10-2), including a 4-0-1 mark in 2020-21 (VAN: 1-4-0). Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli has accounted for eight of his team’s 28 goals against his former club this season (8-3—11 in 5 GP), which includes scoring a hat trick at Rogers Arena on Jan. 20.

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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