January 28th NHL Recap

Boston Bruins 6, Florida Panthers 2 (from Boston) - The Bruins improved to 34-15-3 on the season thanks to a 6-2 rout of the Florida Panthers, dropping them to 21-25-7.

Goals:

BOS - Milan Lucic (14) - from Jarome Iginla and David Krejci (7:41 1ST)
BOS - Zdeno Chara (13) - from Torey Krug and David Krejci (15:26 1ST)
BOS - Milan Lucic (15) - from Matt Bartkowski and David Krejci (1:46 2ND)
BOS - Reilly Smith PPG (18) - from Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson (14:54 2ND)
FLA - Brad Boyes (14) - from Nick Bjugstad (19:27 2ND)
FLA - Dmitry Kulikov PPG (5) - from Sean Bergenheim and Scott Gomez (4:00 3RD)
BOS - Shawn Thornton (4) - from Gregory Campbell (8:14 3RD)
BOS - David Krejci (11) - unassisted (17:51 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Tuukka Rask (28 saves on 30 shots: 24-12-3) LG - Tim Thomas (35 saves on 41 shots: 14-15-3)

Three Stars:

3. Shawn Thornton (1 goal) - Boston

2. Milan Lucic (2 goals, GWG) - Boston

1. David Krejci (1 goal, 3 assists) - Boston

Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 (from Toronto) - The Leafs improved to 28-21-6 on the season thanks to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, dropping them to 31-17-5.

Goals:

TOR - Nazem Kadri (13) - unassisted (1:49 2ND)
TOR - Nazem Kadri (14) - from Joffrey Lupul and Carl Gunnarsson (9:47 2ND)
TBL - Matt Carle (2) - from Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov (13:13 2ND)
TBL - Mark Barberio (4) - from Ondrej Palat and B.J. Crombeen (17:12 2ND)
TOR - James van Riemsdyk (21) - from Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak (15:57 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Jonathan Bernier (40 saves on 42 shots: 18-15-5) LG - Ben Bishop (23 saves on 26 shots: 26-7-4)

Three Stars:

3. Ondrej Palat (2 assists) - Tampa Bay

2. Nazem Kadri (2 goals) - Toronto

1. Jonathan Bernier (40 saves on 42 shots for the win) - Toronto

Philadelphia Flyers 5, Detroit Red Wings 0 (from Philadelphia) - The Flyers improved to 26-22-6 on the season thanks to a 5-0 shutout of the Detroit Red Wings, dropping them to 23-19-11.

Goals:

PHI - Scott Hartnell PPG (13) - from Kimmo Timonen and Claude Giroux (13:42 1ST)
PHI - Scott Hartnell (14) - from Claude Giroux and Mark Streit (8:08 2ND)
PHI - Adam Hall (3) - from Michael Raffl and Erik Gustafsson (11:02 2ND)
PHI - Claude Giroux (16) - from Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek (10:22 3RD)
PHI - Sean Couturier (9) - from Mark Streit (16:09 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Steve Mason (33 saves on 33 shots: 20-13-5) LG - Jonas Gustavsson (23 saves on 28 shots: 13-4-3)

Three Stars:

3. Claude Giroux (1 goal, 2 assists) - Philadelphia

2. Steve Mason (33 saves on 33 shots for the shutout) - Philadelphia 

1. Scott Hartnell (2 goals, 1 assist, GWG) - Philadelphia

Ottawa Senators 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (from Columbus) - The Senators improved to 23-20-10 on the season thanks to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping them to 26-23-4.

Goals:

OTT - Stephane Da Costa PPG (1) - from Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson (8:06 1ST)
OTT - Stephane Da Costa (2) - from Jason Spezza and Cory Conacher (6:24 2ND)
CBJ - Cam Atkinson PPG (16) - from Matt Calvert and James Wisniewski (12:00 2ND)
CBJ - James Wisniewski PPG (5) - from Cam Atkinson and Jack Johnson (7:16 3RD)
OTT - Jason Spezza PPG (14) - from Colin Greening and Marc Methot (15:02 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Craig Anderson (34 saves on 36 shots: 17-10-7) LG - Curtis McElhinney (25 saves on 28 shots: 8-9-1)

Three Stars:

3. Cam Atkinson (1 goal, 1 assist) - Columbus

2. Stephane Da Costa (2 goals) - Ottawa

1. Jason Spezza (1 goal, 1 assist, GWG) - Ottawa

Washington Capitals 5, Buffalo Sabres 4 (OT) - (from Buffalo) - The Capitals improved to 24-21-8 on the season thanks to a 5-4 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres, dropping them to 14-30-8.

Goals:

WSH - Alexander Ovechkin PPG (37) - from Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brouwer (3:49 1ST)
WSH - Alexander Ovechkin (38) - from Mike Green and Marcus Johansson (4:42 1ST)
BUF - Christian Ehrhoff (4) - from Matt Moulson and Tyler Ennis (13:45 1ST)
BUF - Cody Hodgson PPG (13) - from Matt Moulson and Tyler Ennis (1:41 2ND)
WSH - Mike Green (6) - from Dmitry Orlov and Jay Beagle (10:09 2ND)
BUF - Phil Varone (1) - from Marcus Foligno and Brian Flynn (11:11 2ND)
WSH - Troy Brouwer PPG (10) - from Martin Erat and Alexander Ovechkin (16:57 2ND)
BUF - Cody Hodgson (14) - unassisted (6:48 3RD)
WSH - Mike Green (7) - from Alexander Ovechkin and Martin Erat (1:00 OT)

Goalies:

WG - Braden Holtby (23 saves on 27 shots: 15-12-2) LG - Jhonas Enroth (30 saves on 35 shots: 1-10-5)

Three Stars:

3. Cody Hodgson (2 goals) - Buffalo 

2. Mike Green (2 goals, 1 assist, OT winner) - Washington

1. Alexander Ovechkin (2 goals, 2 assists) - Washington

Montreal Canadiens 3, Carolina Hurricanes 0 (from Montreal) - The Canadiens improved to 28-20-5 on the season thanks to a 3-0 shutout of the Carolina Hurricanes, dropping them to 24-20-9.

Goals:

MTL - Brandon Prust (5) - from Josh Gorges and Rene Bourque (6:11 1ST)
MTL - Brendan Gallagher (14) - from David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty (18:44 1ST)
MTL - Max Pacioretty (22) - from Andrei Markov and Brendan Gallagher (1:41 2ND)

Goalies:

WG - Carey Price (36 saves on 36 shots: 23-16-4) LG - Anton Khudobin (27 saves on 30 shots: 11-4-0)

Three Stars:

3. Max Pacioretty (1 goal, 1 assist) - Montreal

2. Brendan Gallagher (1 goal, 1 assist) - Montreal

1. Carey Price (36 saves on 36 shots for the shutout) - Montreal

St. Louis Blues 3, New Jersey Devils 0 (from St. Louis) - The Blues improved to 36-11-5 on the season thanks to a 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils, dropping them to 22-21-11.

Goals:

STL - Alexander Steen (27) - from Jaden Schwartz and David Backes (3:25 1ST)
STL - Brenden Morrow PPG (8) - from Jay Bouwmeester and Patrik Berglund (9:42 3RD)
STL - Maxim Lapierre EN (7) - from Magnus Paajarvi and Patrik Berglund (17:52 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Jaroslav Halak (23 saves on 23 shots: 23-7-3) LG - Cory Schneider (22 saves on 24 shots: 9-10-7)

Three Stars:

3. Brenden Morrow (1 goal) - St. Louis

2. Alexander Steen (1 goal, GWG) - St. Louis

1. Jaroslav Halak (23 saves on 23 shots for the shutout) - St. Louis

Nashville Predators 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 (from Winnipeg) - The Predators improved to 24-23-8 on the season thanks to a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets, dropping them to 25-25-5 (.500)

Goals:

NSH - Seth Jones (5) - from Michael Del Zotto and Craig Smith (3:48 1ST)
WPG - Chris Thorburn (1) - from Mark Stuart and Jacob Trouba (4:10 1ST)
NSH - Roman Josi (7) - from Craig Smith and David Legwand (0:42 2ND)
NSH - Nick Spaling (10) - from Paul Gaustad and Colton Sissons (17:18 2ND)
WPG - Mark Scheifele (11) - unassisted (18:13 2ND)
WPG - Blake Wheeler (22) - from Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba (18:40 2ND)
NSH - Mike Fisher PPG (14) - from Patric Hornqvist and Shea Weber (0:42 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Carter Hutton (24 saves on 27 shots: 12-8-2) LG - Ondrej Pavelec (21 saves on 25 shots: 16-21-4)

Three Stars:

3. Seth Jones (1 goal) - Nashville

2. Mark Scheifele (1 goal, 1 assist) - Winnipeg

1. Mike Fisher (1 goal, GWG) - Nashville

Phoenix Coyotes 3, Los Angeles Kings 0 (from Phoenix) - the Coyotes improved to 25-18-10 on the season thanks to a 3-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Kings, dropping them to 30-19-6.

Goals:

PHX - Oliver Ekman-Larsson (7) - from Antoine Vermette (15:57 1ST)
PHX - Oliver Ekman-Larsson PPG (8) - from Shane Doan and Mikkel Boedker (3:16 2ND)
PHX - Antoine Vermette (19) - from Mikkel Boedker and Lauri Korpikoski (8:47 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Thomas Greiss (30 saves on 30 shots: 7-3-1) LG - Jonathan Quick (26 saves on 29 shots: 15-10-2)

Three Stars:

3. Antoine Vermette (1 goal, 1 assist) - Phoenix

2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2 goals, GWG) - Phoenix

1. Thomas Greiss (30 saves on 30 shots for the shutout) - Phoenix

Calgary Flames 5, Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT) - (from Calgary) - The Flames improved to 19-27-7 on the season thanks to a 5-4 OT win over the Chicago Blackhawks, dropping them to 32-10-13.

Goals:

CGY - Mikael Backlund (10) - from Lee Stempniak (1:13 1ST)
CHI - Patrick Kane (25) - from Kris Versteeg and Nick Leddy (5:43 1ST)
CGY - Lance Bouma (5) - from Matt Stajan (11:34 1ST)
CHI - Marian Hossa (22) - from Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith (16:35 1ST)
CGY - Matt Stajan (9) - from David Jones (3:21 2ND)
CGY - Mikael Backlund SHG (11) - from Lee Stempniak and Mark Giordano (10:25 2ND)
CHI - Ben Smith (7) - from Brandon Bollig and Johnny Oduya (13:12 2ND)
CHI - Marian Hossa SHG (23) - from Niklas Hjarlmasson and Brandon Saad (17:33 2ND)
CGY - T.J. Brodie (4) - from Sean Monahan and Lee Stempniak (2:26 OT)

Goalies:

WG - Karri Ramo (9 saves on 9 shots: 10-10-4) in relief of Reto Berra (20 saves on 24 shots) LG - Corey Crawford (13 saves on 14 shots: 19-8-9) in relief of Antti Raanta (11 saves on 15 shots)

Three Stars:

3. Matt Stajan (1 goal, 1 assist) - Calgary

2. Marian Hossa (2 goals) - Chicago

1. Mikael Backlund (2 goals) - Calgary

Minnesota Wild 4. Anaheim Ducks 2 (from Anaheim) - The Wild improved to 29-20-6 on the season thanks to 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, dropping them to 39-11-5.

Goals:

MIN - Jason Pominville (21) - from Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise (7:57 1ST)
ANA - Dustin Penner (13) - from Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (18:13 1ST)
MIN - Mikael Granlund PPG (4) - from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter (0:13 2ND)
MIN - Zach Parise (16) - from Marco Scandella and Nate Prosser (6:35 3RD)
MIN - Erik Haula (2) - from Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella (8:21 3RD)
ANA - Mathieu Perreault PPG (10) - from Teemu Selanne (10:53 3RD)

Goalies:

WG - Darcy Kuemper (31 saves on 33 shots: 6-3-1) LG - Jonas Hiller (29 saves on 33 shots: 24-7-4)

Three Stars:

3. Mikael Granlund (1 goal, 1 assist) - Minnesota

2. Jason Pominville (1 goal, 1 assist) - Minnesota

1. Zach Parise (1 goal, 2 assist) - Minnesota

Three Stars of the Night:

3. Scott Hartnell - Hartnell scored 2 goals (including the GWG) and added an assist in the Flyers 5-0 shutout of the Red Wings.

2. David Krejci - Krejci scored 1 goal and added 3 assists in the Bruins 6-2 rout of the Panthers.

1. Alexander Ovechkin - Ovechkin scored 2 goals and added 2 assists in the Capitals 5-4 OT win over the Sabres.
Honourable Mentions:
-Claude Giroux - Giroux scored 1 goal and added 2 assists.
-Steve Mason - Mason made 33 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season.
-Carey Price - Price made 36 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season.
-Jaroslav Halak - Halak made 23 saves for his 4th shutout of the season.
-Mike Green - Green scored 2 goals (including the OT winner) and added an assist.
-Thomas Greiss - Greiss made 30 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season

-Zach Parise - Parise scored 1 goal and added 2 assists.

Interesting Stats of the Night:

-Alexander Ovechkin scored 2 goals tonight to improve his NHL-lead to 38 goals (10 better than 2nd place).
-After winning a franchise-best 8 games in a row, the Blue Jackets have now dropped 3 straight games.
-Tim Thomas had a harsh homecoming in his first game in Boston as an opponent, letting in 6 goals on 41 shots in a 6-2 loss.

-Phil Varone scored his 1st NHL goal for the Sabres.
-Colton Sissons picked up 1 assist in his NHL debut for the Predators.
-It was a good night for the goalies in the NHL, as 4 goalies picked up shutouts (Steve Mason, Carey Price, Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss).
-All 4 goalies dressed in the Flames/Hawks game played in the game.

Current Winning/Losing Streaks (3 or more games):

Boston Bruins - 4 game winning streak

St. Louis Blues - 3 game winning streak
Calgary Flames - 3 game winning streak

Chicago Blackhawks - 4 game losing streak
Columbus Blue Jackets - 3 game losing streak

Forman Faceoff Highlight of the Night:

-Seth Jones gets it tonight for his great coast-to-coast goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH1Pn280aYw
Honourable Mentions:
-Shawn Thornton goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WvHlOI77vI
-Nazem Kadri goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzt5_krmdg
-Jonathan Bernier save on Martin St. Louis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0ZXts9KCw

What's up next (January 29th) - There are 3 NHL games on tap for Wednesday:
1. New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders @7:30 PM (from Yankee Stadium) {**Stadium Series**}
2. San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers @930PM ET (In Edmonton)
3. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks @1030PM ET (In Vancouver) {***Forman's Game of the Night***}

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff