NHL Scores: Avalanche starting to roll, Flyers bounce back, Connor McDavid hits 20 goal to ground Jets, and more
Anthony Scultore
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What happens when you have some of the most talented offensive players in the game to date? You usually win and the Avalanche are doing just that. Thanks to Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado has won five straight. The trio have combined for 21 points (10G, 11A) over the winning streak.
NHL Scores: Rantanen racks up four points to keep Avs rolling
Last night, Rantanen scored twice and assisted on a pair himself to give the Avs a 5-1 win over the Wild. The victory put Colorado into sole possession of 2nd place in the division three points behind Vegas. Minnesota’s Cam Talbot was under fire all night as the Avs launched 55 shots in his direction. MacKinnon and Landeskog also scored goals to halt the Wild’s win streak at 5.
“Tonight was a pretty good night,” Rantanen said. “We were snapping the puck, and that’s what we have to do, move the puck a lot and get it to the net. My linemates (Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog) obviously help a lot. I’m playing with two great players, so that’s the first thing you need to remember.”
NHL.com
In other West division action, the Ducks topped the Coyotes by a 3-2 score. Adam Henrique notched the winner in OT on a night that saw 18 year-old Jamie Drysdale debut and pick up two points. He joined elite company by being the third defenseman (Ray Bourque, Petr Svoboda) to debut with a multipoint game before the age of 19 in NHL history. Trevor Zegras also scored his first career NHL goal and Ryan Getzlaf picked up career assist 700. A great night for the Ducks.
NHL Scores: McDavid scores twice to hit 20 goals and ground the Jets
Connor McDavid is having some COVID shortened season. Last night he singlehandedly defeated the Jets by scoring twice as the Oilers won by a 2-1 margin. He is flirting with a 100 point season as he has 58 points in 33 games. Currently he’s on pace for 98 points and is running away with both the Art Ross and Hart Trophy this season.
“I loved the way our team played. We were solid all over and I thought we really did a good job of clogging up the middle and our [defense] moved the pucks well, and Koskinen made the saves when he had to.”
Connor McDavid via NHL.com
NHL Scores: Lightning back on top alone the Central
All the top teams were in action last night in the Central division. Only the Lightning came out winners. Andrei Vasilevskiy won his 10th straight game as Tampa took down the Blackhawks by a 4-2 score. The Lightning continue to get balanced scoring each and every night with Alex Killorn scoring his 8th of the season to get the party started. They now hold sole possession of first with 44 points.
Meanwhile both the Panthers and Hurricanes ended the night licking some wounds. Florida was handed a 2-1 loss at the paws of the Predators who got a 40 save performance from Juuse Saros and two goals from Calle Jarnkrok. Then Carolina fell to the Columbus 3-2 in OT thanks to Seth Jones who scored twice to open and close the scoring. It was a big win for the Blue Jackets who narrow the gap with the 4th place Hawks by two points.
The Red Wings concluded the division action by beating the Stars 3-2. Robby Fabbri picked up a hat trick and now has 10 goals on the season. Unfortunately, Jonathan Bernier who is on the Trade Bait Tracker was injured in the game. He left late in the second period with a lower-body injury. No further update at this time.
NHL Scores: Flyers bounce back from beating to defeat the Islanders
The Flyers obviously burned the tape of their 9-0 drubbing by the Rangers on Wednesday night. Alain Vigneault said he was “embarrassed” and his team needed to have a “short memory.” They evidently did as they took down the Islanders who played their first home game with fans last night. Oskar Lindblom scored twice including the game winner with just over two minutes left in the third period.
“It’s just trying to try to feel fresh and feel good out there,” Lindblom said. “Today I felt good and I think our line (Lindblom, Konency, Claude Giroux) and our whole team played great. Good in two periods, the third one wasn’t our best but still we found a way to win a game and that’s the only thing that matters.”
NHL.com
Philadelphia and New York got some help in the standings from 7th place NJ as the Devils beat the Penguins last night 3-2. Pittsburgh played the game without Evgeni Malkin and was missed. He was hurt in the last game against Boston with a lower-body injury.
The Bruins took down the Sabres and with the win are just one point behind the Penguins for 3rd place in the division. The Capitals and the Rangers play tonight, and if Washington wins or loses in OT or shootout they take sole possession of first in the East.