* Ilya Sorokin made 41 saves, recorded his 11th career shutout and joined rare company in the process as the Islanders stifled the Rangers in this season’s first “Battle of New York.”
* Jason Payne and Joel Martin manned the benches for the Cincinnati Cyclones and Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL on Wednesday, likely marking the first time that two Black head coaches have gone head-to-head in a North American men’s pro hockey game.
* Shane Pinto can become the NHL’s first rookie to post a six-game goal streak since 2014-15 as his Senators look to win their fifth straight contest, all of which have come at Canadian Tire Centre.
OROKIN LEADS ISLANDERS TO VICTORY IN “BATTLE OF NEW YORK” Ilya Sorokin stopped all 41 shots he faced, including 17 during a first-period barrage, to record his 11th career shutout and help his Islanders (3-4-0, 6 points) take this season’s first edition of the “Battle of New York.” Wednesday also marked the team’s their first win against their intracity rivals at UBS Arena since the club’s inaugural home game on Nov. 20, 2021.
* Sorokin’s 41 saves marked the second-highest total in a shutout performance by any goaltender in a “Battle of New York” contest, trailing only Jaroslav Halak (50 saves on Feb. 15, 2018 w/ NYI) – who coincidentally was in between the pipes for the Rangers on Wednesday. The most saves in a regular-season shutout by a Rangers goaltender against the Islanders is 36 (Doug Soetaert: Feb. 6, 1977).
* After killing off three penalties Wednesday, the Islanders have now started the season without allowing a power-play goal in seven straight games, tied for the longest such run by any team since 1977-78 (when special teams began being tracked). The mark was previously established by the Wild in 2008-09 and later matched by the Red Wings in 2014-15.
NUGENT-HOPKINS' MILESTONE GOAL LIFTS OILERS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Oilers and Blues traded goals through the first 40 minutes, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 200th career goal to put Edmonton ahead with 6:16 remaining in regulation and became the ninth player to reach the milestone with the franchise. More notes and storylines like these can be found in the Wednesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
COACHES PAYNE, MARTIN MAKE HISTORY IN ECHL Hockey history was made in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday when coaches Jason Payne (Cincinnati Cyclones) and Joel Martin (Kalamazoo Wings) faced off against each other. It marked the first time in ECHL history and is believed to be the first time in North American men’s pro hockey that two Black coaches opposed each other. Click here for the full story.
STREAKING SENATORS EYE FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN ON HOME ICE
The Senators (4-2-0, 8 points) have won four straight games following a pair of losses to start 2022-23 and have done so on the back of Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto and the rest of their youth. Ottawa, which leads all teams in points by players 23 or younger (14-17—31 in 6 GP), can win each of its first five home games of a season for the first time in franchise history.
* Tkachuk has collected multiple points in each of his past four games en route to eclipsing the 200-point mark in his career (95-107—202 in 283 GP). With another two or more points, the Senators’ captain can match the longest stretch of multi-point games in franchise history – a feat only Jason Spezza (3x; last: 2011-12) and Daniel Alfredsson (2x; last: 2006-07) have achieved.
* Pinto, who appeared in 17 career NHL games prior to 2022-23 (1-7—8) and now owns an active five-game goal streak, was a Senators second-round pick in 2019 (No. 32) after being named the NCAA (NCHC) Rookie of the Year with the University of North Dakota in 2019-20 (16-12—28 in 33 GP).
NHL CLOSING IN ON 50 TOTAL COMEBACK WINS IN 2022-23 The NHL has witnessed 49 comeback wins through the first 110 games of the 2022-23 season after the Lightning rallied to defeat the Ducks on Wednesday. Four of the League’s top six teams in come-from-behind victories are set to take to the ice on a 10-game slate (TOR: 4, WSH: 4, CHI: 3 & PHI: 3).
* Toronto (4-3-0, 8 points) and Washington (4-3-0, 8 points) have rallied from a deficit in each of their first four victories of the season. Only five teams in the past 10 years have recorded a comeback in each of their first five or more wins of a campaign: Buffalo (10 in 2013-14), Pittsburgh (7 in 2020-21), Ottawa (6 in 2020-21), Montreal (6 in 2014-15) and Edmonton (5 in 2019-20). The Sabres’ streak in 2013-14 also marks the longest such run in NHL history.
Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.
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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