NHL Recaps: Jets fly by Blues with late rally, and Matty Beniers replaced for All-Star Game

NHL Recaps:  January 30, 2023

There may have only been one game scheduled in the NHL for Monday night, but it was a busy day overall.

Hockey legend Bobby Hull passed away yesterday at the age of 84. The New York Islanders surprised the league by trading for Bo Horvat well ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline set for March 3.

The Daily Goal Horn also released its Top Ten Power Rankings here.

[sendtonews key=”IF7zHr7L” type=”player”]

NHL Recaps: Jets rally by Blues

Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele each scored twice as the Winnipeg Jets rallied for a 4-2 victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues on Monday.

Saku Maenalanen and Kyle Connor had two assists each for the Jets, who erased a 2-0 deficit in the third period to snap their three-game losing streak.

Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves to earn the victory.

Jake Neighbours scored a goal and added an assist for the Blues, who lost their fifth straight game. Nikita Alexandrov also scored and Jordan Binnington made 35 saves.

Binnington had to make two difficult stops to keep the first period scoreless. He stretched to his right to deny Pierre-Luc Dubois’ walk-in, and he slid to his left to stop Maenalanen off a 2-on-1 break.

Winnipeg outshot the Blues 19-7 in the second period, but St. Louis escaped with a 1-0 lead.

“I think we needed that,” Scheifele said. “Every guy was battling, every guy was doing the right thing, and even when we got the lead, we kept doing the same thing. We got it in deep, we got O-zone time, we made plays, we made passes, and that was huge.”

NHL Recaps: Matty Beniers replaced for All-Star Game

Matty Beniers
Jan 21, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) participates in pregame warmups against the Colorado Avalanche at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Kraken will not be represented at NHL All-Star Weekend this Saturday after star rookie Matty Beniers was ruled out with an upper-body injury.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson was named as Beniers’ replacement on the Pacific Division roster Monday.

Beniers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and the first draft selection in Kraken franchise history, had 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) through 47 games of his first full NHL season.

But Beniers was hurt last Wednesday when Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers leveled Beniers while both were away from the puck. Beniers has missed two games since.

“There were some additional steps that needed to be taken before he could be cleared to play in the game,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. “He’s in the process of going through those, but he wouldn’t have been cleared in the time that the league requires.”

Seattle Times

Seattle radio station KJR reported that, per Kraken general manager Ron Francis, another Kraken player was offered Beniers’ spot in the All-Star Game but turned it down. According to the Seattle Times, Francis explained the league asked about one player in particular but that player is also nursing injuries.

Stephenson will make his first career All-Star appearance. He leads the Golden Knights in assists (33) and points (44).

The All-Star Game will be played this Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.

–Field Level Media

–The Daily Goal Horn contributed to this article

Share: