BLUES SCORE NINE GOALS IN A GAME FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2011Ryan O'Reilly (3-1—4) scored the second hat trick of his NHL career (also
Nov. 6, 2018) as the Blues erupted for nine goals, including seven by the halfway mark of the second period, en route to their second straight win on the heels of a seven-game slide (0-6-1). St. Louis, which moved within a point of Arizona (19-17-5, 43 points) for fourth place in the Honda West Division, scored nine or more goals in a game for the first time since
March 30, 2011.
COLORADO CLAIMS FIRST IN NHL STANDINGS; VEGAS, SAN JOSE ALSO EARN WINS
The Avalanche (27-9-4, 58 points) blanked the Ducks to leapfrog the idle Hurricanes (27-9-3, 57 points) for first place in the NHL standings, while fellow Honda West Division teams Vegas (26-11-2, 54 points) and San Jose (18-17-4, 40 points) also grabbed wins:
*
Jonas Johansson made 28 saves to record the first shutout of his NHL career and
Nathan MacKinnon (0-1—1) extended his point streak to eight games (5-8—13), the longest active run in the League. Colorado matched its best 40-game starts in franchise history, a mark set by the Quebec Nordiques in 1994-95 (27-9-4, 58 points) and equaled by the Avalanche in 2000-01 (26-8-6, 58 points) en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
* The Golden Knights raced to a 5-0 lead and quelled the Coyotes’ comeback attempt via third-period goals by
Reilly Smith (2-0—2) and
Max Pacioretty (1-1—2) en route to a 7-4 win. Vegas, which scored a season-high seven goals, opened a two-point lead over Minnesota (24-13-2, 50 points) for second place in the Honda West Division and remained four points back of Colorado.
*
Patrick Marleau scored for a second straight game as the Sharks (18-17-4, 40 points) defeated the Kings and moved within three points of the Coyotes (19-17-5, 43 points), who occupy the final playoff spot in the Honda West Division. San Jose improved to
6-1-0 against Los Angeles this season (LAK: 1-5-1).
OVECHKIN HELPS CAPITALS MOVE ATOP MASSMUTUAL EAST DIVISION . . .Alex Ovechkin tallied for the third time in four games (3-2—5) as the Capitals (26-11-4, 56 points) surged past the Islanders (26-11-4, 56 points) to move into first place in the MassMutual East Division. Washington improved to 6-0-1 against Buffalo this season (BUF: 1-5-1).
* The Capitals captain scored his 457th career even-strength goal and surpassed
Brett Hull (456) for sole possession of the
sixth most in NHL history. Ovechkin now has 727 career goals overall, four shy of tying
Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth place on the
League’s all-time list.
. . . OTHER No. 1 PICKS HELP PENGUINS, RANGERS KEEP PACESidney Crosby (1-2—3) and
Alexis Lafrenière (1-0—1) helped the Penguins (26-13-2, 54 points) and Rangers (19-16-5, 43 points), respectively, earn wins on Friday to keep pace with the Capitals:
* Crosby and
Bryan Rust (2-1—3) accounted for three of Pittsburgh’s six goals as the Penguins, who occupy third place in the MassMutual East Division, remained two points back of the Capitals. Crosby recorded the 150th game of his NHL career with three or more points.
* Lafrenière,
Filip Chytil (0-1—1) and
Kaapo Kakko (0-1—1), who are all age 21 or younger, factored on the game-opening goal to help Rangers snap the Islanders’ home winning streak at five games. It marked the second time this season in which the trio of Lafrenière, Kakko and Chytil factored on a goal (also
April 6).
QUICK CLICKS
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Canucks expect to play full 56-game schedule despite COVID-19 outbreak
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Riley Nash traded to Maple Leafs,
Patrik Nemeth traded to Avalanche
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Alex Ovechkin already best power-play goal-scorer, NHL greats say
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Cole Caufield wins Hobey Baker Award, Canadiens forward prospect
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Colby Cave Celebration of Life to be live streamed todaySATURDAY’S 10-GAME SLATE OPENS WITH PAIR OF MATINEES
Saturday’s 10-game slate opens with a pair of contests dropping the puck at 2 p.m. ET as the Panthers visit the Stars at American Airlines Center and the Flyers welcome the Bruins to Wells Fargo Center.
* Florida (26-11-4, 56 points) is one of the seven teams at the top of the NHL standings which are separated by no more than two points, with all four divisions represented among that cohort. The Panthers are one point back of the Hurricanes (27-9-3, 57 points), who host the Red Wings tonight, for first place in the Discover Central Division.
* Boston (21-10-6, 48 points) occupies fourth in the MassMutual East Division and will look to inch closer to third-place Pittsburgh (26-13-2, 54 points).
Brad Marchand has scored a shorthanded goal in each of his last two games.
PAIR OF INTRAPROVINCE RIVALRIES FEATURED ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
Hockey Night in Canada features the Scotia North Division-leading Maple Leafs (27-10-3, 57 points) hosting the Senators in the penultimate “Battle of Ontario” game this season, while the second-place Oilers (25-14-2, 52 points) visit the Flames for the eighth “Battle of Alberta” instalment in 2020-21:
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Connor McDavid leads the NHL in scoring this season (23-46—69 in 41 GP), including
15 points in games against Calgary (7-8—15 in 7 GP). He can become the first player to reach the 70-point mark in 42 games played or fewer since
Mario Lemieux in 2000-01 (34-37—71 in 41 GP).
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Jack Campbell is 10-0-0 in 10 appearances this season (1.57 GAA, .944 SV%, 2 SO), which marks the
longest winning streak by a Toronto goaltender at any point in a campaign. Campbell can become the first netminder in NHL history
with a victory in each of his first 11 appearances in a season.
* Former Maple Leafs forward
Connor Brown enters Saturday with a career-high six-game goal streak (6-1—7), the longest active run in the NHL. The lengthiest by any player this season was seven games, set by League goals leader
Auston Matthews from Jan. 24 to Feb. 8 (9-2—11).
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