Feb 26, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Detroit Red Wings center Gustav Nyquist (14) scores a goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj (30) as defensemen Josh Gorges (26) and P.K. Subban (76) defend during an over-time period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Down the stretch, almost every game has playoff implications, so we are going to reinstate our daily NHL recap to outline the ups and downs of teams hunting for playoff spots.
Here is the NHL Recap of the 4 games played on Feb 26th:
- In the worst case scenario for the Ottawa Senators, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a 3 point game. Gustav Nyquist scored the overtime winner after Brian Gionta had tied the game at 1 with just 29 seconds left to break Jimmy Howard‘s shutout bid and get the Habs a valuable point. Todd Bertuzzi had scored a late first period power play goal that looked like it might stand up until Gionta. Carey Price missed the game after aggravating an injury in practice after returning from the Olympics. Detroit moved 3 points up on the Senators, Capitals and Blue Jackets for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With the point, Montreal moved a point up on Toronto for 3rd in the Atlantic Division.
- The Buffalo Sabres had leads of 1-0 and 3-1 but needed a late goal by Matt Moulson to force the Boston Bruins to overtime where it was Matt D’Agostini who provided the heroics in the 5-4 win. Brian Flynn and Zemgus Girgensons each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres while Tyler Myers had the other goal. Chris Kelly, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic scored for Boston, who increased their lead in the Atlantic Division to 8 points.
- Eddie Lack stopped 20 shots for the Vancouver Canucks in their narrow 1-0 win over the St. Louis Blues. Jannik Hansen had the lone goal of the game, coming midway through the third period as Jaroslav Halak also played well, making 34 saves. For the Canucks, it was a huge win as it vaulted them over a couple of teams into the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
- In a wild west shootout, Anze Kopitar had 2 goals and an assist to pace the Los Angeles Kings to a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Jeff Carter and Justin Williams each counted a goal and an assist for the Kings with singles coming from Jarret Stoll and Robyn Regehr. Tyler Toffoli had a pair of assists after being called up after the Olympic Break. Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn each had a goal and an assist while Matt Duchene had 2 helpers for the Avs. Andre Benoit and P.A. Parenteau also scored for Colorado.
There are a dozen games on the docket for tonight as the NHL gets back into full swing. The biggest game from an Ottawa perspective is obviously the Red Wings facing the Senators.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of all the action.