Friday Morning Three-Peat

Here are the top 3 stories from around the NHL last night

1.  Gagner Octet – Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner tied a club record with 8 points against the Chicago Blackhawks last night.  It is only the 11th time the feat has been accomplished and the first time since Mario Lemieux in 1988.  Gagner, a forgotten man in Edmonton, scored 4 times and added 4 helpers en route to the 8-4 win, tying Wayne Gretzky‘s club record.  He was named the 1st, 2nd and 3rd star in Edmonton. It is the third straight win for the Oil over the Hawks, who also got blown out 9-2 last time they visited Edmonton.

2.  Canes are Bruins’ Kryptonite – The Carolina Hurricanes and their fans probably wish they had the Boston Bruins on their schedule every night.  The Canes, who haven’t had much to cheer about this season, compeleted a four game sweep of the Bruins with a 3-0 shutout on Thursday night.  Cam Ward played all 4 games, posting a 4-0 record with a GAA of 1.25 against the defending Stanley Cup Champs and a favorite to repeat again this season.  The Bruins hope that the Canes don’t somehow slip into the playoffs and become a first round opponent.

3.  Devils Put Another Nail In Habs’ Playoff Coffin – The New Jersey Devils scored 4 unanswered goals en route to a 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, which keeps the Devils in the thick of the playoff race while crushing the Habs’ playoff chances.  A win would have kept the Canadiens within 8 points of the playoffs, but with the loss, they fall 11 points back of 8th place.