NHL Recap: Feb 12, 2013 – 3-0 Lead Is The Most Dangerous In Hockey
It was a very bus Tuesday night, with 9 games other than Ottawa’s 2-0 win over the Sabres. It was a night where no lead was safe, and unfortunately for the Sens, there were multiple 3 point games, especially in the East. Here is a quick tour around the league:
February 12, 2013; Boston, MA USA; New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) scores a goal during the shootout against Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
- Jiri Tlusty did it again for the Hurricanes, as his second straight strong third period lifted the Hurricanes to a 4-2 victory over the Devils. Tlusy scored twice in the third to break a 2-2 tie and keep the Canes in the top spot in the Southeast Division. Cam Ward made 26 stops for Carolina, and Eric Staal assisted on both of Tlusty’s markers. Pat Dwyer and Jussi Jokinen also scored for the Canes, while Ilya Kovalchuk and Ryan Carter replied for New Jersey, who had their 5 game winning streak snapped.
- The Boston Bruins scored three times in the last 11:15 to overcome a 3-0 deficit to earn a point but lost in the shootout to the Rangers 4-3. Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand each scored with Tuukka Rask on the bench for an extra attacker to earn the point after David Krejci had put them on the board. Carl Hagelin, Derek Stepan and Anton Stralman had staked New York to the 3-0 lead, only to let it slip away and give the Bruins a gift point, much to the chagrin of the Senators and the rest of the Northeast Division.
- Tampa Bay also worked some third period magic, eliminating a 3-0 Montreal lead in the final 6 minutes to earn a point, but much like the Bruins, eventually lost in the shootout. Victor Hedman scored twice and then Sami Salo on the power play with the goalie pulled evened it up and earned the Lightning a valuable point. The Habs got goals from Brian Gionta, P.K. Subban and Travis Moen, and the shootout winner off the stick of David Desharnais to ensure the two points.
- Alex Ovechkin scored the tying goal with 2:49 remaining to force overtime, and Troy Brouwer scored the winner to give the Capitals a 6-5 win over the Panthers. Mike Ribeiro had a goal and two assists for Washington, while rookie Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice for Florida.
- Andrew Ladd scored both Jets goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Flyers hung on for a 3-2 win. Ladd scored his second with 47 seconds remaining, but the Jets could not get the tying goal. Brayden Schenn, Kimmo Timonen and Tye McGinn supplied the offense for the Flyers, who got 24 saves from Ilya Bryzgalov. Al Montoya got the start after his shutout in Ottawa, but left the game after 40 minutes and tied 2-2 with a lower body injury. Ondrej Pavelec played the third despite still recovering from the flu that forced him to miss the Ottawa game.
- It took over 62 minutes for a goal to be scored in Nashville, as the Predators beat the Sharks 1-0 on Colin Wilson‘s OT tip-in. It was the second time in 4 days the suddenly snakebit Sharks played a scoreless 60 minutes. They lost to Phoenix 1-0 in a shootout on Saturday. San Jose has now lost 6 straight games, although they have earned a point in two of them. Antti Niemi made 25 saves, and Pekka Rinne was one save better, making 25 stops for the well earned shutout.
- Corey Perry had the shootout winner for the Ducks, but the Blackhawks remained undefeated in regulation in the 3-2 Anaheim win. Andrew Cogliano forced overtime with a goal only 2:40 before the final buzzer, allowing the Ducks to gain sole possession of first in the Pacific Division over the sinking Sharks. Ryan Getzlaf had opened the scoring, but Nick Leddy and Brandon Saad quickly gave the Hawks the lead heading into the third, but they couldn’t hold on for the win.
- Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves and the Stars scored 4 unanswered goals to beat the Oilers 4-1. Taylor Hall had given the Oilers a 1-0 lead through 1, but Brenden Dillon, Eric Nystrom, Jaromir Jagr and Ryan Garbutt all scored for the Stars. Sam Gagner was held pointless for only the second time this season.
- Darcy Kuemper allowed only 2 goals in his NHL debut for the Wild, but Roberto Luongo was one better in the Vancouver net, leading the Canucks to a 2-1 win. Kevin Bieksa and Jannik Hansen gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead, and Devin Setoguchi‘s power play goal in the second was the only blemish as Vancouver continues to roll, goalie controversy or no goalie controversy.
There are only 3 games on the schedule Wednesday, with the Senators and the Penguins being the highlight for Sens fans. Struggling St. Louis will visit Detroit as the Blues are reeling and Brian Elliott will likely be planted on the bench in favour of Jake Allen. Dallas moves a couple of hours south to face Calgary after their win in Edmonton in the other matchup