NHL Recap: Feb 19, 2013 – Kings Crown Oilers, Hawks Set Records, Leafs Lose, Habs Win
With 7 games on the schedule besides Ottawa’s win over the Islanders, it was a busy Tuesday night. While some Canadian teams celebrated wins, others heartbreaking losses. Here is a quick tour around the league.
Feb 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw (65) reacts to scoring the game winning goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the shootout at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the shootout. The Blackhawks tied an NHL record for scoring at least one point in 16 consecutive games to open a season. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
- Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd gave the Jets a 2-1 win over the Sabres. Jason Pominville replied for Buffalo, but Ondrej Pavelec was too good in the Jets’ net, making 29 saves. Buffalo held NHL leading scorer Thomas Vanek off the score sheet. Buffalo was unceremoniously booed off thier home ice after the game.
- The Canadiens beat the Rangers 3-1, after falling behind 1-0 on a goal by Anton Stralman. Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Raphael Diaz scored for Montreal, beating Henrik Lundqvist three times on just 18 shots. New York played without Rick Nash, who was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury. Carey Price returned after missing 2 games with the flu, and made 24 saves as Montreal won its 5th straight game and moved into first place in the Eastern Conference.
- Vincent Lecavalier ended Ben Scrivens‘ shutout streak before the 10 minute mark, and Tampa put three more past him en route to a 4-2 win over the Leafs. Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn and Matt Carle also beat Scrivens, who was then removed from the Toronto net. Mikhail Grabovski scored earlier on for Toronto, and James van Riemsdyk made it interesting with just under 4 minutes left, but could get no closer.
- San Jose snapped a 7 game winless skid with a come from behind 2-1 win over St. Louis. After Patrik Berglund had given the Blues a 1-0 lead in the first period, Joe Thornton tied it in the second and Tommy Wingels had the winner in the third to get a big monkey off the back of the Sharks. Jake Allen suffered his first loss in the Blues’ net.
- Shea Weber‘s goal 44 seconds into overtime was the difference in Nashville’s 4-3 win over Detroit. Craig Smith, Gabriel Bourque and Roman Josi (his first NHL goal) also scored for Nashville, while Dan Cleary, Jordin Tootoo (in his return to Nashville) and Pavel Datsyuk earned the Wings a point. Jimmy Howard was pulled 11 minutes into the game after allowing two goals on 8 shots, but apparently was suffering from blurred vision after being hit in the head with a shot in practice earlier. Jonas Gustavsson came in to relieve Howard and took the loss.
- The Blackhawks tied an NHL record for earning points in 16 consecutive games from the start of the season, with a 4-3 shootout win over the Canucks. Chicago did it the had way, blowing a 3-1 lead in the last three minutes to allow the game to go to extra time. Ray Emery stayed perfect on the season, while Cory Schneider lost his 4th game in 8 starts in the Vancouver net. Marian Hossa scored twice in the second period, but left the game early in the third after Jannik Hansen gave him a forearm to the back of the head. Patrick Sharp had the other Chicago goal, while Vancouver got goals from Daniel Sedin, Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa. Andrew Shaw had the shootout winner.
- The Kings beat the Oilers 3-1 in the first visit to Edmonton since the infamous Nail Yakupov last second tying goal and subsequent slide down the ice. Los Angeles scored twice in the final minute, from Jeff Carter and Jarret Stoll (into the empty net) to break a 1-1 tie. Sam Gagner had the Edmonton goal, after Colin Fraser had put the Kings up 1-0. Despite the loss, Nikolai Khabibulin made 35 saves, while Jonathan Quick got a much needed win for the struggling Kings.
That concludes our tour around the league. There are only 3 games on Wednesday night, but check back here for a recap of all the action.