There were 6 games on the NHL schedule last night. Here is a quick tour around the action
February 14, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Joe Corvo (77) is congratulated by teammate defensemen Bobby Sanguinetti (24) after his 2nd period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the PNC center. The Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
- The Islanders scored three times in the second to erase a 2-0 deficit, and went on to defeat the arch-rival Rangers 4-3 in a shootout. John Tavares scored once in regulation and had the shootout clincher. The Isles also got goals from Colin McDonald and Brad Boyes. Dan Girardi and Marian Gaborik had put the Rangers up a pair in the first, but it was Carl Hagelin‘s equalizer four minutes after the Islanders had taken the lead that forced the extra time.
- Joe Corvo had a goal and an assist in Carolina’s 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Jordan Staal and Jussi Jokinen also scored for the Hurricanes, while Nazem Kadri replied for Toronto, his first goal in 10 games. Ben Scrivens made 30 saves in the loss, while a much less busy Dan Ellis stopped 22 shots.
- Tampa Bay tried to eliminate another 3 goal, 3rd period deficit but fell short as the Capitals hung on to win in regulation, 4-3. Eric Fehr scored twice and Mathieu Perreault added three assists in the Capitals’ win, and also got goals from Troy Brouwer and the winner from Jay Beagle. Ted Purcell and Nate Thompson scored in the last 10 minutes to make things interesting, and Martin St. Louis had scored earlier on for the Lightning.
- Carey Price and Jose Theodore were both perfect through 62 minutes for Montreal and Florida respectively, and earned their team a point. Price got the win though, when Rene Bourque batted a loose puck over Theodore’s pad for the winner.
- Pekka Rinne continues to push for Vezina consderation with last night’s 3-0 win over the Coyotes. All the scoring came in the third period, when Rinne won the duel with Mike Smith, who allowed goals from Gabriel Bourque, Nick Spaling and Mike Fisher. Rinne has allowed more than 1 goal only once in the last 7 games, including 3 shutouts.
- The Avalanche got a goal from waiver pickup Aaron Palushaj, as well as Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene to take the game to extra time, where Hejduk and Duchene both scored to clinch a 4-3 shootout win over the Wild. Zach Parise, Mike Rupp and Mikko Koivu replied for the Wild.
There are 8 games on Friday night, with a battle of two Western Conference powerhouses meeting up when the Sharks visit the Blackhawks, along with a couple of important divisional matchups in the east. Boston visits Buffalo and Philadelphia makes the short trip to New Jersey. Check back tomorrow for a recap of all the action.