Jets win in Paul Stastny’s 1000th game, Leafs and Habs first playoff series since 1979, and more NHL action
Anthony Scultore
|
Paul Stastny played in his 1000th career game as the Winnipeg Jets downed the Canucks 5-0. The son of Peter and nephew of Anton is the first Stastny to hit that milestone.
Paul Stastny plays 1000th game
The Jets got 24 stops from Connor Hellebuyck and two goals from Blake Wheeler to secure not only the victory but third place in the North. Stastny who was given a silver stick to commemorate his accomplishment talked about the team afterwards.
“It’s nice knowing who we’re going to play,” Jets forward Paul Stastny said. “I think it’s finding ways to try to minimize [the Oilers’] chances off the rush. They’re going to make plays, they’re going to score goals, they’re going to score points, but for us it’s how do we adjust our game to make us successful.”
NHL.com
Paul’s family was in attendance to see him play his 1000th game, and he was met with video message from several former players. The most special video was that of his legendary father Peter along with his mother congratulating him from across the sea. His dad played in 977 games in the NHL, mostly for the Quebec Nordiques.
Maple Leafs versus Canadiens, first time since ’79
The Jets win sets up a matchup against the Oilers but it also guaranteed that fans in Toronto and Montreal would see something that hasn’t taken place in over 40 years. In 1979, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup and did so by going through the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Can the Leafs end their Stanley Cup drought by starting with some ice-cold revenge for their loss from four decades ago? This season the Leafs owned the Habs with a 7-2-1 record and outscoring them 34 to 25.
Ovechkin officially misses 30 goal mark
The Capitals downed the Bruins 2-1 with Alex Ovechkin returning to play in the season finale. For Ovi, he finishes the season with 24 goals in 45 games and one marker shy of tying Marcel Dionne for 5th all-time. This is the first time in his 16 year NHL career that he will not score at least 30 goals in a season.