Check out the recaps of Saturday’s action and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves for his league-leading fourth shutout of the season to blank the Minnesota Wild 5-0. Cole Perfetti had a goal and two assists as the Jets sat atop the overall standings with 49 points. It’s the fourth straight loss for the Wild.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck tied Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas for the most shutouts in one calendar year by an American NHL goaltender.
Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand scored to extend his points streak to nine games in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 38 points. JJ Peterka replied for the Sabres, who are winless in 13 straight games (0-10-3).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: So much for the Sabres’ hopes of reaching the playoffs. Stick a fork in ’em, they’re done. What a waste.
The New York Islanders upset the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. Bo Horvat led the way with a goal and two assists and Anthony Duclair had an assist in his return to action after missing 28 games with a leg injury. William Nylander scored twice for the Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs captain Auston Matthews missed this game as his status remains uncertain after re-aggravating the upper-body injury that sidelined him for nine games in November. Meanwhile, the Leafs sent goaltender Matt Murray back to their AHL affiliate and recalled Dennis Hildeby to back up Joseph Woll.
An overtime goal by Leon Draisaitl lifted the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Connor McDavid collected two assists as the Oilers have won seven of their last eight games. Rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov kicked out 38 shots for the Sharks as they’ve dropped seven of their last eight (1-6-1).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl moved into second place in the NHL scoring race with 51 points, four behind Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson scored 15 seconds into overtime to beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in an entertaining back-and-forth contest. Shane Pinto scored twice and collected an assist for the Senators as they picked up their sixth straight victory, winning eight of their last nine games. Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists and Brock Boeser tallied two goals for the Canucks, who’ve dropped three straight (0-1-2).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators (38 points) hold a three-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Canucks (39 points) hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Speaking of the Penguins, they were blanked 3-0 by the New Jersey Devils. Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists while Jacob Markstrom only had to make 12 saves for the shutout. Tristan Jarry stopped 25 shots for the Penguins. The Devils sit first in the Eastern Conference with 47 points, two back of the league-leading Jets.
The Vegas Golden Knights picked up their seventh win in their last eight games with a 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Golden Knights captain Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as his club sits in first place in the Pacific Division with 47 points, two behind the league-leading Jets.
Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg scored in overtime to nip the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Predators winger Filip Forsberg had two assists while captain Roman Josi collected an assist in his return to a lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury. Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere scored as the Kings overcame a 2-0 deficit to force OT.
Calgary Flames forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato and Connor Zary each had a goal and an assist to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4. The win pushed the Flames (39 points) into the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Blackhawks forwards Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi finished the night with three points each.
The Montreal Canadiens picked up their third straight win by downing the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 to sweep their home-and-home series. Patrik Laine scored his eighth straight power-play goal while Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson each collected two assists. Joe Veleno tallied the Wings’ only goal as they dropped their third straight game.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett scored in overtime and collected three assists in regulation in a 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Travis Konecny had three assists and Morgan Frost tallied two goals for the Flyers to snap their three-game losing skid. Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov collected two assists.
IN OTHER NEWS…
TSN: New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was offered an in-person hearing by the league’s department of player safety for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during Friday’s game between the two clubs.
The hearing will take place over Zoom on Sunday. Rempe could face a suspension of six games or more.
DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL players Sam Gagner, Josh Jooris and Matt Irwin will be part of Canada’s roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland. Canada has won the tournament a record 16 times but hasn’t taken home the title since 2019.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Christmas holidays are the most wonderful time of the year for international tournaments with the Spengler Cup and the World Junior Championships.
MLIVE.COM: Long-time Detroit sports broadcaster John Keating announced his intention to retire at the end of the Red Wings season. He’s covered the Red Wings and MLB’s Detroit Tigers since 1997.