There were 8 other games aside from Ottawa’s 2-1 loss to the Flyers. Those missing the NHL All-Star game were hopefully tuned into the Pittsburgh-Montreal game as that was the type of defense that was played. Here is a quick tour around the league:
Mar 2, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Brandon Sutter (16) scores the winning goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) in overtime period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
- Tampa scored two power play goals in the first ten minuted of the first period by Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn and held that lead until the second period when the Boston comeback started. Tyler Seguin got the Bruins on the board 3:22 into the second on a power play and then 1:17 later Rich Peverley tied it up. With overtime looming, Boston got a late power play and Brad Marchand capitalized on it, scoring the winner with 2:16 left.
- The Sabres and Devils played a see-saw game that saw both teams respond quickly when the other would take the lead. Jason Pominville scored 7:17 into the second with a shortanded goal, but Steve Bernier tied it up just over two minutes later. Adam Henrique scored to give the Devils a 2-1 lead 1:17 into the third, but Pominville’s second of the game answered that just 1:41 later. Jochen Hecht gave Buffalo their second lead of the game just before the midway point of the third, but yet again Jersey answered less than two minutes later, courtesy Andrei Loktionov. A shootout was required and Tyler Ennis gave the Sabres the extra point after Ryan Miller stopped Henrique.
- Braden Holtby made 21 saves for his 3rd shutotut of the season as the Capitals silenced the Winnipeg crowd and the Jets by a score of 3-0. Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist for the Caps, while Matt Hendricks and Troy Brouwer had the other goals.
- The Penguins and Canadiens combined for 74 shots and 13 goals in 61 minutes as Pittsburgh beat the Habs 7-6 in overtime. Chris Kunitz, Matt Cooke and Brandon Sutter each had a pair for the Pens and Sidney Crosby added a goal and two assists for the winners. Brian Gionta led the Canadiens with two goals, while David Desharnais, Brandon Prust, P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty added singles. Sutter’s second of the game was the OT winner, as Carey Price and Tomas Vokoun must have felt like they were in an All-Star game with the level of defense that was played in front of them.
- Carolina put up a 6-spot of their own against the Panthers in their 6-2 win. The line of Eric Staal (2 goals), Alexander Semin (3 assists) and Jiri Tlusty (1 goal) continues to dominate, but they got support from the third line of Jussi Jokinen 2G, 1A), Riley Nash (1G 2A0) and Patrick Dwyer (1A), who combined for 7 points of their own. It was Nash’s first career NHL goal. Filip Kuba and Shawn Matthias replied for Florida, who lost starting goalie Jose Theodore just 2:22 into the game with a leg injury.
- Steve Sullivan had a goal and also the shootout winner in Phoenix’ 5-4 win over the Ducks. Lauri Korpikoski had a pair for the Coyotes, and Matthew Lombardi had the other. Andrew Cogliano had the Ducks’ first 3 goals for his second career hat trick, while Saku Koivu had the other. Viktor Fasth lost for just the second time this season in the Anaheim net, but still earned the team a point.
- The Canucks scored 3 unanswered after LA had tied the game at 2 to walk away with a 5-2 home ice victory over the Kings. Vancouver got goals from Dan Hamhuis, Daniel Sedin, Mason Raymond, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen in the win, while Alexandre Burrows and Henrik Sedin each had two assists. Jordan Nolan and Justin Williams scored for LA, who got only 19 saves on 23 shots from Jonathan Quick in the Kings net. Cory Schneider‘s miscue behind the net was the only real blemish on his game, making 28 saves.
- All three goals in the San Jose-Nashville game were scored with the Sharks on the power play. San Jose took a 2-0 lead on goals from Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle while on the man advantage in the first and second periods respectively. Joe Thornton and Logan Couture both assisted on each goal. In the third, Gabriel Bourque scored a shorthanded marker in the third to make it close, but it wasn’t enough as Antti Niemi was forced to make just 18 saves for the win. Pekka Rinne, after allowing 4 or more goals in 3 straight starts, allowed just the two power play goals on 39 shots to keep his team in the game.
That concludes our tour around the NHL for a Saturday afternoon/evening/night of hockey. An equally busy Sunday with 9 more games on the schedule, including Ottawa visiting the Islanders, Montreal travelling to Boston and Chicago going into Detroit trying to extend their points streak to 22 games. Check back tomorrow for a full recap.