When the Boston Bruins set the NHL record for most points in a season with 135 in 2022-23, it was tough to believe any team could break it.

But lo and behold, three seasons later, the Colorado Avalanche are going to give the Bruins a run for their money.

While Boston’s 65–12-5 record in '22-23 was absolutely stunning, the Avalanche are off to an even more impressive start this season with their 17-1-6 record out of the gate.

After picking up a loser point in Friday's shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche are now on pace for 136 points – one more than the record.

While a lot of things have to line up perfectly for the Avs to tie the Bruins’ mark – or improve on it – you only have to look at how dominant Colorado has been thus far this year to believe the Avalanche can pull off an amazing feat and set a new standard for the rest of the NHL to try living up to.

For instance: the Avs’ 4.00 goals-for per game is nearly half a goal more than the next best team the Anaheim Ducks at 3.63. That same dominance is there on defense, as Colorado’s goals-against average of 2.08 leads the league. Those are simply astonishing numbers that illustrate how deep, talented and balanced the Avalanche are.

Another metric that shows you how dominant the Avs are at the moment is the fact that 11 of Colorado’s 17 wins have come by three goals or more. And if you include games where the Avalanche have won by two goals or more, that number rises to 13. Of course, the Avs can also beat opponents in nailbiter games this season, such as the Utah Mammoth, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks in games decided by a single goal. But when the grand majority of your victories come in games where you had a terrific goal cushion, that says everything about how strong you are as a group.

But the most impressive part of Colorado’s season could be their 10-game win streak that ended on Friday. The Avalanche have won 12 of their past 14 games, and they show no sign of slowing down. In fact, if you remove the Avs’ four-game losing skid from the third week of October, their record would be 17-0-3. This is just jaw-dropping efficiency.

In a nice nod to fate, the only team that’s beaten the Avalanche in regulation this season is…the Bruins, who beat Colorado 3-2 on Oct. 25. But even then, that was a one-goal win. And that tells you the Avs have yet to be blown out in even a single game this year. 

Colorado’s upcoming schedule is a chance to pad the record, facing the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Nashville Predators (twice). They will have tougher tests against the Montreal Canadiens and the upstart Philadelphia Flyers, but the Avs will still be favored to win every game they play until further notice.

Colorado is nearly one-third of the way through the regular season, and while injuries and/or slumps could ratchet up their number of regulation-time losses in a hurry, we don’t see that happening. The Avalanche have too many excellent competitors, two solid goaltenders and too much skill to envision a prolonged stretch of subpar hockey for them. 

If the hockey gods smile upon them in terms of their team health, there could be literally no stopping this Colorado team. They’ve got superstars in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. They’ve got great coaching. And they’ve generated a whole heap of confidence in this start to their year. 

So yes, this writer sees the Avalanche steaming straight toward the Bruins’ record season. Everything is going Colorado’s way – and with a little luck mixed in, the Avs could put up 135 points or more.

A lot of people return home for the Thanksgiving weekend. But for Corey Perry, Friday’s homecoming was more than a little bit awkward.

One of the most decorated players in Ducks’ history, Perry was greeted by a smattering of boos when he wore a Kings’ sweater into the Honda Center for the first time. Two hours later he left, carrying the sting of a Ducks’ victory that saw his old team rally from deficits three times before winning the first rivalry game of the season 5-4 in a shootout.

“Great comeback,” said winger Chris Kreider, whose second-period power-play goal got the Ducks started. “A good job of fighting back. It’s definitely a confident feeling.”

Leo Carlsson, who suffered through two dismal losing seasons during the long post-Perry rebuild in Anaheim, had two assists and the game-tying goal with 91 seconds left in regulation for the Ducks, who trailed 4-2 with less than 10 minutes to play.

“It’s a different team,” Carlsson said. “Hungry. Different mentality, too. So it's been great so far season.”

Only Ryan Getzlaf has played more games for the Ducks then Perry, who left Anaheim in 2019 after 14 seasons, beginning an aimless tour of the NHL that saw him play for five teams before signing a free-agent contract with the Kings last summer.

The Ducks haven’t posted a winning record since he departed.

But after Friday’s victory they lead the division and are off to their best start in more than a decade. The Ducks are second in the Western Conference in wins (15), second in the NHL in goals (89), fourth in the conference in points (31) and were tied for fourth in points (31). For Carlsson, meanwhile, his 13th goal and 19th and 20th assists of the season Friday left 20, is tied for fourth in the league with 33 points.

The Ducks’ other scores Friday came from Olen Zellweger in the second period and Pavel Mintyukov in the third.

The Kings’ scores came from Alex Laferriere, Kevin Fiala, Alex Turcotte and Joel Edmundson. With the point they earned by taking the game to overtime, the Kings headed back up the freeway Friday afternoon second in the Pacific Division, two points behind the Ducks.

And, surprisingly, they have Perry to thank for that.

“He’s a massive piece for us right now,” center Philip Danault said. “He’s not the fastest guy on the ice but he’s so smart. He goes into the crease, he gets goals. He gets in the opponent’s head.

“He’s probably one of the big reasons we’re winning.”

Since leaving Anaheim, Perry has come off the visitors’ bench at the Honda Center several times. So Friday’s game wasn’t necessarily one he had circled on his calendar.

“It was home,” he said before the game. “I have nothing but tremendous things to say.”

After missing the start of the season following knee surgery, Perry was activated last month on the same day captain Anze Kopitar was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. And he immediately took up the slack, scoring the first of his seven goals — good for second on the team — in his second game. He also has six assists, is fourth on the team with 13 points and is averaging more than 14 minutes of ice time just the second time since he left Anaheim.

“You know, it’s fun,” said Perry, who is nearly halfway to his point total of a season ago. “This is what we do for a living.”

Perry, 40, is the second-oldest player in the NHL. But with a Stanley Cup, an MVP award, a goal-scoring title and two Olympic gold medals in his trophy case, he has a resume few players can match. Yet the Ducks bought out the final two seasons and $8.625 million of his contract in 2019, part of a rebuild that has seen the franchise go through three coaches and three general managers without posting a winning record.

“Now it’s seven years later. I don’t know anybody on the team,” Perry said of the Ducks, who have the second-youngest roster in the Western Conference. “It’s turned over so much that it’s a new group.”

And new coach Joel Quenneville, who has a history of coaching success with young players, has that new group playing with confidence.

“We’re never going to give up,” said Carlsson, one of six Ducks younger than 23. “That’s the mentality.”

Laferriere got the scoring started late in the first period, parking himself in front of the goal and banging the puck past Ducks’ goalie Ville Husso, who made two big saves in the shootout on a day the Ducks announced that No. 1 goalie Lukas Dostal will miss two to three weeks with an upper-body injury.

Kreider tied it seconds into a power play midway through the second period, then Fiala and Zellweger exchanged goals just 59 seconds apart to send the teams into the second intermission tied 2-2.

Turcotte’s first goal of the season on a tip-in put the Kings back in front early in the third period before Edmundson doubled the lead on a slap shot from outside the right faceoff circle. He was helped by Perry’s presence in front of the goal, screening Husso on the shot.

The Kings wouldn’t score again though, allowing the Ducks to force overtime on goals from Mintyukov and Carlsson, who game-tying score came after his team pulled Husso to get an extra attacker.

“It was fun,” Mason McTavish said of his first rivalry matinee, which drew a sellout crowd of 17,174. “It was loud. There was a lot of energy in the building. So it was a ton of fun, and obviously more fun to come away with both points.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In what’s become a tradition, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Los Angeles Kings for a Black Friday matinee at Honda Center.

In what’s become an important date for NHL playoff odds, the Ducks sat in first place in the Pacific Division 23 games into the 2025-26 season. The Ducks were coming off a disappointing 5-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. They were looking to end their six-game homestand with another two points before heading out on a quick two-game road trip.

The Kings, on three days' rest, entered play in a three-way tie for second place in the Pacific and just a point behind the Ducks. They had earned points in seven of their last eight games before this one.

Game #24: Ducks vs. Kings Gameday Preview (11/28/25)

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Loss to the Canucks

Just before warmups, the Ducks announced starting netminder Lukas Dostal will miss the next 2-3 weeks with an upper-body injury. He had previously been given a “day-to-day” designation and missed the Ducks game against the Canucks on Wednesday.

Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville pulled out the blender, making significant changes to every line and two of his three D pairs. Ryan Poehling returned to the lineup for his 300th career NHL game after having missed seven games with an upper-body injury.

Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:

Cutter Gauthier-Leo Carlsson-Troy Terry

Chris Kreider-Mason McTavish-Beckett Sennecke

Nikita Nesterenko-Ryan Poehling-Alex Killorn

Ross Johnston-Ryan Strome-Frank Vatrano

Jackson LaCombe-Radko Gudas

Olen Zellweger-Jacob Trouba

Pavel Mintyukov-Drew Helleson

Ville Husso

Ville Husso was recalled from the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday and started this game for the Ducks. He saved 23 of the 27 shots he faced in this game.

In the opposite crease, the Kings turned to starting goaltender Darcey Kuemper, who stopped 27 of 31.

Game Notes

The Ducks were far more detail-oriented to start this game, but wound up playing too much how the Kings wanted to dictate play: low-event, conservative, trap, and chip. When the Ducks started to kill plays on the Kings’ entry, build rush chances, and generate offense on the ensuing cycles, the game turned into more of the track meet style they have thrived in this season.

As the game went on, Quenneville slowly reverted to more familiar line combinations. That is an aspect of the coaching staff’s style that will likely remain and will require getting used to. As good teams do, the Ducks found a way to take this game to overtime late and win it in a shootout.

“On the bench, we never feel like we’re out of the game,” Quenneville said after the game. “It’s almost like we get more angry when we get down by one or two. We did a lot of good things to sustain some pucks, (get some) kills, clears, and some timely goals around the net.”

Defensive Zone Coverage: With fear of sounding like a broken record, defending around the front of the net remains an area of concern for the Ducks this season. When pucks switch at the top of the zone, the Ducks' defenders struggle to identify when to challenge, try to block, or box out their assignment in front.

Mason McTavish: McTavish didn’t see a second of special teams play in this game, but was instrumental to the Ducks’ comeback. After a recent dip in form, he’s been doing all the little things right to get his play back on track. His defensive game is improving, especially in coverage, but where he’s at his best is battling on the halfwall and in small areas of the ice.

McTavish’s refusal to lose a late board battle to Anze Kopitar in the final minutes of the game, when the Ducks had their net pulled, led directly to Carlsson’s late-game-tying goal.

Ville Husso: Husso’s efforts in key moments kept this game from getting out of hand and within grasp for Anaheim. With mostly hits and only one miss (on LA’s fourth goal), Husso tracked pucks well from East to West and displayed some impressive athleticism. It’s unclear if he can win the Ducks games like Dostal can, but if these performances are the norm, he won’t lose them games.

Beckett Sennecke: Sennecke is becoming a more impactful offensive weapon with each passing game. His board play, once a negative, is now one of his best assets, as he’s far more calculated in his approach and has learned when and how opposing contact will come.

He’s at his best in open ice and has quickly learned how to break down opposing defenses, whether in transition or coming off the wall. He’s now riding a six-game point streak, scoring six points in the process (1-5=6), and has tallied 13 points (4-9=13) in his last 14 games.

The Ducks will head out for a brief back-to-back road trip to face the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on Sunday and Monday, respectively, starting with the Hawks on Sunday at 12:30 pm PST.

Beckett Sennecke Is More Than A Manchild

Pavel Mintyukov Returns to Ducks Lineup Impressing, Potentially Shifting Conversation

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 OT Win over the Golden Knights

The Los Angeles Kings  (11-6-7) watched a sure victory slip away from their fingertips yet again, surrendering a 4-2 third-period lead before falling 5-4 in a Shootout to the Anaheim Ducks (15-8-1) on Friday afternoon. 

Final from the shootout in Anaheim. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/phOf4hGlvP

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 28, 2025

This loss marks yet another collapse in extra time for L.A., a trend that continues to haunt them in their season. 

The Kings entered the third period tied 2-2. After Alex Laferriere opened the scoring late in the first, and a back-and-forth second period featuring goals from Kevin Fiala and Anaheim’s Olen Zellweger and Chris Kreider, Los Angeles surged ahead early in the third period. 

Goals from Alex Turcotte and Joel Edmondson in a span of 3 minutes in the final frame pushed the Kings to a commanding 4-2 lead with just over 12 minutes left. 

And then it unraveled just like how Kings fans are used to seeing all season. 

Kings Collapse

Don’t usually get worked up over shootout and overtime performances but man the Kings are absolutely brutal in that department.

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) November 28, 2025

Anaheim flipped the momentum in the third period. It all started when Pavel Mintyukov fired the puck through traffic to cut the deficit to one. The Ducks continued to put pressure on the Kings on defense, giving them no easy shots in their own net. 

Down one score with just under 1:30 left in the final regulation, with the Kings pinned in their zone, 20-year-old Leo Carlsson buried the goal, sending Honda Center to erupt while Los Angeles was just standing there, stunned that they let the game get away from them just like that. 

Despite surviving in overtime thanks to Darcy Kuemper coming up big with key saves, the Kings once again failed to end it in extra periods. In the shootout, Troy Terry and Carlsson both buried a goal for Anaheim, while the Kings came up empty on all shots, continuing a frustrating trend. 

L.A. has now dropped five of its last six overtime or shootout decisions, which has quickly become a flaw they can’t seem to solve. 

The numbers tell the story: the Kings, despite leading for most of the game, were outshot 31-26 overall, gave up two third-period goals, and managed just one shot on goal in the final five minutes of regulation. 

It was definitely a statement win for Anaheum, never giving up even when the odds are stacked against them. But, for the Kings, they let the game get away from their own hands, and it was another reminder of their season-long struggles to finish games. 

Their inability to protect leads and repeated failure in overtime doesn’t make them a playoff contender to fear in April. In a tough division race, they need answers quickly or else their season might end before the playoffs start. 

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After missing 20 games, that wasn't the result Brady Tkachuk was hoping for in his return. In the third period, the Senators lost focus, battles, and inevitably, the game, in a 4–3 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

The Sens took a 2–1 lead into the third period against a Blues team that was 0-8-1 when trailing after two periods. Shane Pinto, Fabian Zetterlund, and David Perron had the Ottawa goals, while Tkachuk had an assist in his return from a thumb injury. Leevi Meriläinen made 27 saves as the Sens were outshot 31–28.

There was no scoring for almost half the game, until the 8-minute mark of the second period. After former Senator Mathieu Joseph put one wide, Oskar Sundqvist grabbed the puck off the end boards and banked it in off Sens goalie Leevi Meriläinen to make it 1–0.

Just over two minutes later, Pinto evened the score with his 12th of the season. The puck bounced around in front, Nikolas Matinpalo swatted it toward the net, and Pinto corralled it, pushed it to open ice, and beat Jordan Binnington with a diving wrist shot along the ice.

Later in the period, Fabian Zetterlund added one for Ottawa. He got the puck behind the Blues’ net, stopped, and cut the other way. His wrap attempt didn’t make it around, but the puck deflected in off Binnington to give the Senators a 2–1 lead in the dying moments of the second.

In the third period, things got a little loose for the Sens, who looked like a group that had maybe a little too much Thanksgiving cheer.

Two minutes in, Jordan Kyrou tied the game at 2. On a Blues rush, the Senators had good numbers with four men back, but Tim Stützle and Artem Zub both veered toward the same man. So Jake Sanderson left his post to help, and Drake Batherson didn’t realize it. That left Kyrou wide open for an easy pass and path to the net, and he made no mistake.

Just over three minutes later, defenseman Jordan Spence jumped up in the Blues’ zone. Brady Tkachuk was in good position to cover for him, but when Spence turned it over, Tkachuk made the decision to attack instead of staying back, leaving Tyler Kleven alone. The Blues roared back on a 2-on-1, and Pavel Buchnevich made it 3–2 on a one-timer.

Two minutes after that, David Perron got a gift from Colton Parayko, who misplayed a puck in the corner and put it right onto Perron’s stick in front. His backhander beat Binnington to tie it at 3.

The Blues went in front to stay less than two minutes later on Matthew Kessel’s second of the season. Again, the Senators had good numbers defending a three-on-three, but after a shot near the blue line, everyone lost track of their man, leading to a goalmouth scramble and Kessel finishing it off for the eventual winner.

The regulation loss drops the Senators’ record to 3-2 on this road trip. They'll be back at it again on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in Dallas.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

The Calgary Flames redeemed themselves big time by besting the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers 5-3 on early Friday NHL action.

Here are the takeaways:

Kings of the Comeback

Almost everything went well for the Flames. 

Key word: "almost".

Before the first TV timeout at the 6:12 mark of the first period, Calgary found themselves in a familiar hole from two days ago. They were out-chanced 3-1 in high-danger scoring chances in even-strength situations, two of which led to goals for the home team even before the three-minute mark. A first career goal scored by Yan Kuznetsov 2:37 later was a low-danger goal, but badly needed.

The tide changed as by the 14:35 mark, it was the Flames that came back and were out-chancing the Panthers 5-4, including one that led to a game-tying goal by MacKenzie Weegar.

Florida eventually out-chanced Calgary 10-5 in the first period, but in the next two periods combined, the Flames would restrict Panthers to put up only seven high-danger scoring chances and would not have the same first period fire.

Special Teams

Yep, the power play worked its charm too.

The Morgan Frost PP goal was the game-winning goal and had Florida playing from behind and under pressure throughout the rest of the game.

The penalty-kill was VERY important: Out of their 26 games, this game ranks fourth in most total shots given up in the PK (12) without allowing a PP goal.

Devin Cooley

Just nine days ago, he was looking for his first win as a Flame and now after making 37 saves off 40 shots, he has three. Outstanding stuff.

Bottom Line

The Flames have continued their good offence

This is their fourth consecutive game where they have put up double-digit high-danger scoring chances (10) in even-strength hockey, something it hasn't done all season.

The defence and PK has already been great and seems like the offence is catching up now.

I really think this team can achieve something memorable this season.

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After losing five games in a row earlier this month, the Montreal Canadiens are now on a three-game winning streak after surprising the Vegas Golden Knights on the road. With Jakub Dobes having backstopped the Habs to their last two wins, all eyes were on Samuel Montembeault to see how he would respond.

Given the tall task awaiting the Tricolore in Colorado, winning this game was pivotal for Montreal, which was trying to get back into the playoff picture. When the final buzzer rang at the T-Mobile Arena, Canadiens fans could be heard singing the traditional “Ole, Ole, Ole”.

What Should The Canadiens Be Willing To Give For Ryan O’Reilly?
Canadiens Sign Mike Matheson To Long-Term Extension
Canadiens: Big Test For Montembeault

A Statement Game From Montembeault

While the Canadiens’ number one has struggled since the start of the season, his performance in this challenging test was impressive. He stopped all but one of the 31 shots he received, and the one goal he gave wasn’t a bad one. Mark Stone was left all alone in front of the net, a recipe for disaster.

Throughout the game, the masked man looked comfortable, and his positioning was sound. All too often lately, he was finding himself deported to one side and couldn’t do much when the shots were coming. On Friday afternoon, though, he looked in control and didn’t overplay any shot.

The one-on-one work done with the goalie coach of late finally paid off, and he ended the game with a .968 save percentage. One can almost wonder if perhaps the pressure of the possibility of making Team Canada for the Olympics might have been on his mind since the start of the season. At this stage, his chances to make it are slim to none, and he certainly looked more loose in the net. Of course, this is only one game, but if it’s a sign of things to come, it’s a good omen.

An Interesting Top Six

While some were quick to criticize the Canadiens’ newly formed top six, any line adjustment needs some time to take, so to speak. This game was the fifth in which Zachary Bolduc was skating alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. At the same time, Juraj Slafkovsky played with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and both lines created opportunities.

For a second game in a row, Bolduc had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist after putting up a goal and two assists against the Utah Mammoth. With an assist on Bolduc’s goal, Caufield extended his point streak to six games. Furthermore, he scored a goal from a very tight angle, near the goal line, a spot around which he has spent some time with Martin St-Louis lately; clearly, the private tutelage paid off.

As for Slafkovsky, he was directly responsible for Bolduc’s goal, which was scored on a deferred penalty call. With 11 skaters on the ice, the big Slovak still found a way to send a fantastic cross-zone pass to Bolduc, who didn’t need much effort to bury the goal. Oftentimes this season, the former first-overall pick at the 2022 draft has turned the puck over by attempting those kinds of passes; the difference is that on Friday, he took his time to do it, and he didn’t try a Hail Mary no-look pass. As St-Louis likes to say, he was more calculated. The empty net goal he scored was a much-deserved reward.

As for Demidov and Kapanen, they were kept off the scoresheet, but the Finn had quite a few choice opportunities; he couldn’t bury them. Akira Schmid just had his number tonight.

About The Newcomer

Recently signed free-agent Alexandre Texier played his first game with the Bleu, Blanc, Rouge and grabbed an assist for his trouble, sending Jake Evans off on a breakaway. Skating alongside Evans and Josh Anderson, he had a solid game.

He spent 13:41 on the ice, had one shot on goal and one hit. The coach was satisfied with his game, saying he had made good reads and good plays on the ice.

The Canadiens are now heading to Denver, where they’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday. Against all odds, Montreal will be attempting to grab six points out of a possible six on this western road trip.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Zegras scored in regulation and during the shootout, Travis Konecny also had a goal in the shootout, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 4–3 on Friday.

Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier also scored in regulation for Philadelphia, which took a 3-0 lead less than two minutes into the second period. Samuel Ersson finished with 28 saves as the Flyers won for the fourth time in their last five games.

Rookie Matthew Schaefer had a goal and an assist, and Emil Heineman and Anders Lee also scored for New York, which lost for the third time in its last four games. David Rittich made 18 saves.

Schaefer became the first teenage defenseman in NHL history to score eight goals through his first 25 career games, breaking a tie with Bobby Orr when he scored 8:11 into the second.

The Islanders erased the three-goal deficit with a second-period scoring burst. Lee capped the barrage, tying the game on a power play in the final minute of the period. It was New York’s first man-advantage goal in its last 30 opportunities.

Kyle Palmieri appeared to injure his left knee but stole the puck from Emil Andrae to set up the Islanders’ first goal. Heineman then buried a wrist shot at 5:42 of the second to cut the Flyers’ lead to 3–1. Palmieri did not return.

The 24-year-old Heineman set a career high with 10 goals.

Foerster and Couturier both scored off Islanders turnovers 22 seconds apart midway through the first period.

Zegras’ shot deflected off Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock on a power play 1:55 into the second to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 3-0.

Up Next

Flyers: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday to end a four-game road trip.

Islanders: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

The New York Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins by a 6-2 final score on Nov. 28. Former Chicago Blackhawks star Artemi Panarin was a significant reason for the Rangers' win, as he put together a big game for the Blueshirts.

Panarin impressed in a major way against the Bruins, as the former Blackhawks forward scored a goal and recorded three assists in New York's win. This included him scoring the Rangers' game-opening goal and recording the primary assist on Mika Zibanejad's eventual game-winning goal. 

This is just the latest strong game from Panarin, as he has been on fire as of late for the Rangers. Over his last 12 games with the Rangers, the former Blackhawks forward has recorded six goals and 19 points. This includes him recording six points over his last two games alone.

Due to his strong stretch of play, Panarin has now recorded eight goals, 18 assists, and 26 points in 26 games with the Rangers this season. With this, the veteran winger has certainly bounced back from his slow start to the year. 

Panarin kicked off his NHL career with the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 season. In 162 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks, he posted 61 goals, 90 assists, 151 points, and a plus-26 rating. 

For the ninth time this season, the Vancouver Canucks’ penalty kill surrendered two goals against in a single game in the team’s 3–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson were the two Canucks to find the scoresheet, while ex-Canuck Adam Gaudette netted a pivotal goal for the Sharks. Nikita Tolopilo started in his second-straight NHL game, playing in his fourth game at both the NHL and AHL level since last Friday. Today, he stopped 21 of 24 shots against. 

Boeser and Conor Garland found success in Vancouver’s last game by providing the team with a decent helping of offence as well as a little defence (though there wasn’t much of the latter in that game). Their offensive jump continued today, with Boeser firing the game’s opening goal past a sea of Sharks after some prolonged O-zone cycle time. 

Vancouver’s power play, which has done excellent work by scoring 10 times in the past eight games, received eight-ish opportunities today (a couple of penalties went past regulation) but did not end up scoring on any of them. Though some of their opportunities were rife with possession time and stable set-up, Vancouver did not generate many quality shots that would give Yaroslav Askarov much difficulty. By the end of the game, the Canucks managed eight shots on Askarov while on the man-advantage. 

One of the most impressive parts of the game for the Canucks was a stunning goal by Pettersson, who had put together a 10-point effort in the past seven games played prior to tonight. The forward’s hand-eye coordination was on full display as he batted himself an errant puck along the boards before turning around, waiting for Askarov to bite, and sliding the puck along the unprotected side of the Sharks’ net. This goal put him in sole possession of seventh in points scored as a Canuck (479) in franchise history. 

Penalties for both the Canucks and Sharks were a big part of today’s game, as both teams took 19 combined throughout the match. After a decent Wednesday game that saw them kill five of six penalties taken, the Canucks’ penalty kill allowed another two goals against, once again in part due to some disorganization in on-ice coverage. Surprisingly enough, Quinn Hughes took two of the Canucks’ eight total penalties taken today — one for interference and one for what’s been defined as unsportsmanlike conduct. 

This isn’t the end of the story for the penalty kill today, however. Initially, the Sharks looked like they very nearly scored on Vancouver’s third penalty, but no goal was called and Marcus Pettersson was called for tripping on the play, giving San Jose a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute. While on this penalty kill, center Pettersson managed to produce a fair scoring chance against Askarov and two Sharks, though the opportunity didn’t convert. From there, the Sharks scored twice, with the second goal coming after a review that deduced the puck had crossed the goal line despite it being in Tolopilo’s glove. 

Three more penalties were called with only a couple of seconds left in the third period after a scrum broke out along the boards in San Jose’s zone. After looking at the scrum, the referees ruled that the faceoff would take place in the Sharks’ zone as Hughes was the lone player to not involve himself in the tussle. Despite looking like they may try to pull off a final bid at a goal with a 6-on-3 advantage and 1.9 seconds remaining, Vancouver did not gain possession in time and ultimately dropped the game.  

Had the Canucks converted on at least one of their power plays, or killed another one of their penalties, the result would have been much different. Unfortunately, it was Vancouver’s special teams that made the difference today, ultimately handing them their first loss of the road trip. 

Stats and Facts: 

• Elias Pettersson passes Pavel Bure (478) for seventh in Canucks history in career points with 479
• Brock Boeser takes sole possession of 10th in franchise history in points (450) 
• Canucks surrender two power play goals against in a game for the ninth time this season 
• Evander Kane records his 300th career NHL assist

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

4:28 - VAN: Brock Boeser (9) from Conor Garland and Tom Willander 

9:25 - SJS: Will Smith (8) from Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini (PPG) 

2nd Period: 

3:04 - VAN: Elias Pettersson (8) from Evander Kane and Filip Hronek 

14:03 - SJS: William Eklund (6) from Macklin Celebrini and John Klingberg (PPG) 

15:17 - SJS: Adam Gaudette (6) from Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Toffoli 

3rd Period: 

No scoring. 

Up Next: 

The Canucks will complete the third part of this road trip’s California leg tomorrow, taking on the Los Angeles Kings for the first time this season. With Tolopilo getting the start for Vancouver tonight, it’s likely that Jiří Patera starts tomorrow. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jake Allen stopped 42 shots for his 29th career shutout and Arseny Gritsyuk scored twice in the New Jersey Devils’ 5-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

Nico Hischier, Brenden Dillon and Paul Cotter also scored, and the Metropolitan Division-leading Devils snapped a three-game road skid.

The shutout was Allen’s first since a 34-save outing in a 4-0 win at Montreal on Feb. 8. And the 35-year-old goalie improved to 8-4 this season while bouncing back from allowing six goals on 35 shots in a 6-3 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 22.

The Sabres were shut out for the third time this season. Alex Lyon stopped 18 shots in his first appearance since being yanked after allowing two goals on three shots in an eventual 6-3 loss at Colorado on Nov. 13.

Hischier opened the scoring 12:07 into the first period. Timo Meier’s pass from behind Buffalo’s net hit Sabres forward Alex Tuch, and the puck flipped into the air before landing in the crease, where Hischier tapped it in for his fifth goal and ninth point in four outings.

Gritsyuk scored 7:45 into the second period by converting Dawson Mercer’s pass from behind Buffalo’s net. Dillon and Cotter, with a breakaway goal, sealed the win by scoring less than four minutes apart in the third period.

The game opened with Buffalo forward Tage Thompson seeking to settle any lingering differences he had with Stefan Noesen by engaging the Devils forward in a 30-second fight. They squared off during a faceoff 2 1/2 minutes in their first meeting since Noesen leveled Thompson with an elbow to the head in February.

Both received five-minute fighting majors.

Up next

Devils: Return home, where they’re 9-0-1, to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Sabres: Travel to play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.