Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Charlotte Observer*     Well, if you're going into Ball Arena to face the Colorado Avalanche, you're most likely heading for a loss. Mikko Rantanen scored, Gabe Landeskog scored, and the Avalanche defeated the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-1 win at home on Sunday night.    The Avalanche continue their reign of dominance at home with this win. It's their 18th straight win at home, which is the 5th longest home winning streak in NHL history. They also haven't lost in regulation at home lately either, having a 19-0-1 record in their last 20 home games, with their record now sitting at 32-8-3, first place in the Central Division.    Their success doesn't stop at home, however. Overall, they have now won 10 straight games, and are an impressive 15-0-1 in their last 16 games, having zero losses in regulation since the calendar turned to 2022. Colorado's 15 wins in January set an NHL record for wins in January, and also tied the Boston Bruins and Pittsbu...

*Photo from Sportsnaut*     Turns out, all the Winnipeg Jets needed was a little change to push them over the top. Paul Stastny scored two goals against his old team, Kyle Connor scored, and the Jets defeated the St.Louis Blues by a 4-1 score in St.Louis on Saturday afternoon.    The win against the Blues snaps a 6 game losing streak for the Jets, who were 0-4-2 in their last 6 games. Stastny led the way with two goals, and Connor contributed a goal and an assist for the Jets. In their last 9 games, the Jets had scored 3 or fewer goals in all 9, so this was a welcome change to put up 4 in a game.    Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois said of the win that "We knew we had a couple games before the break, we have a lot of games after. The season goes by fast. You can't be losing too many. To come here tonight against a really good team at home, it felt really good to get a win, to play well, and it was also good to see 'Coms' play well back there. When we made mis...

*Photo from the Star Tribune*     Everything was shaping up to have a good conclusion to a special night. Until Hockey happened. Mats Zuccarello scored, Kevin Fiala scored, and the Minnesota Wild rallied to defeat the New York Rangers with a 3-2 win on Friday night in New York City.    It's another win for the Wild, who have a 7-0-1 record in their last 8 games, good for an 8 game point streak. They were led by Fiala and Zuccarello, who each recorded a goal and an assist, extending their own point streaks to 10 games. The Wild were trailing 2-0 in the first period, only to roar back and score 3 unanswered goals to win the game.    Starting in goal for the Wild was Cam Talbot, a former teammate of Henrik Lundqvist, who made sure to spoil the party at Madison Square Garden. Talbot turned aside 25 of the 27 shots he faced from the Rangers, posting a .926 save percentage to win in his old home, with his record improving to a 17-8-1 mark on the season.   ...

*Photo from ABC News*     What a time for your first overtime win am I right? Jared McCann scored to tie the game, Adam Larsson potted the winning goal, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 2-1 overtime win on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.    The win marks just the 14th of the season for the Kraken, but it's their 4th win in 6 games, and their first overtime win in team history. It was also the first time that Larsson scored in consecutive games in his career, and McCann tied it for the Kraken against his old team.    Leading the charge in net for the Kraken was Philipp Grubauer, who put in one of his best performances of the season. Grubauer turned aside 23 of the 24 shots on goal he faced from the Penguins, posting a .958 save percentage to get the win. Grubauer's record improved to a 11-16-4 mark on the season, totaling 31 starts.    Grubauer said of the game that "We had so many shot opportunities and they blocked a c...

*Photo from The Athletic*     The core 4 of the Maple Leafs has often been the target of scorn in Toronto, especially come playoff time. But they are the reason the Maple Leafs are this good to begin with. William Nylander scored, Auston Matthews added the winner, and the Maple Leafs defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shootout on Wednesday night.    Toronto was playing their first home game since January 5, and made the most of it, despite the empty stadium. Mitch Marner scored in his 4th straight game, and the core 4 of Marner, Nylander, Matthews, and John Tavares each had goals as the Leafs won at home following a 3-2-1 road trip.    Backing up the big guns on offense was Jack Campbell in net, who had himself a game. Campbell turned aside 17 of the 20 shots on goal he saw from the Ducks, posting a .850 save percentage, which was enough to get the Maple Leafs the win. Campbell's record improved to 20-6-3 in 29 starts this season for the Maple Leafs. ...

*Photo from The Hockey Writers*     There's a bit of a situation happening in the NHL this season. There has been a ton of goalies that have been used this season. Like a ton, there shouldn't be this much. For example, the Buffalo Sabres will have to sign a 7th goalie for this season, because the top 5 are currently out of commission. Let's take a look at this high amount of goalie usage in the NHL this season.    We'll start with the Sabres, because they're the poster child of this. Their top two goalies this season were Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, with Aaron Dell the 3rd stringer in the AHL. Anderson went down at the start of the season, he's been on IR and hasn't come back. Tokarski has missed 20 games due to a bout with Covid-19. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban are week to week and month to month respectively with injuries. Dell also just got suspended 3 games. That leaves Michael Houser as the only goalie on the roster, who, by the way, ...

*Photo from Canes Country*     Oh man, this game was one to watch, especially when two of the top teams in the league live up to their billing. Vincent Trocheck scored, Sebastian Aho scored two goals, including the game winner, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights with a 4-3 overtime win on Tuesday night.    This game lived up to the billing and then some. Vegas entered with two straight wins, and a 7 game winning streak on the road. Carolina was 8-2-1 in their last 11 games and riding high. In the end, it was a two goal night from Aho that was the difference maker, with the Hurricanes now 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.    Asked about his overtime winner, Aho said it was a "great read by Svechnikov. Not just reading the play, he won his battle there. He wanted that puck, which is the thing he does really well. He's strong and fast and made a nice play. Great pass. I had to bury that one."    After a scoreless first per...

*Photo from the Dallas Morning News*     This win for the Dallas Stars might seem like an insignificant one to the naked eye, but they gained some ground. Roope Hintz scored, Jacob Peterson scored, and the Stars defeated the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-1 win on Monday night in Philadelphia.    Drawing the start in net for the Stars was Jake Oettinger, who had been pulled from his last two starts, and allowed 9 goals on his last 36 shots. Oettinger had a good rebound start in net, saving 27 of the 28 shots on goal that the Flyers sent his way, posting a .964 save percentage, with his record improving to 10-4-0 in 14 starts.    Oettinger said of his start that "Everyone has a conscious and they get those bad thoughts that sneak into your head. I had those today. Just tried to block those out. End of the day, I'm playing in the NHL, it's a dream come true. Just want to have fun and go out there and lay it all out there and see what happens. They scored a...

*Photo from Sportsnaut*     The Vancouver Canucks had their Covid-19 issues flare up again, so the St.Louis Blues were able to execute. Justin Faulk scored, Brayden Schenn scored, and the Blues defeated the Canucks with a 3-1 win on the road on Sunday night.    Vancouver entered the game on Sunday without their top 3 goalies. Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak had already been placed in the NHL's Covid-19 protocols, and 3rd stringer Spencer Martin was placed in the protocols Sunday morning. Michael DiPetro was the starting goalie, and made 14 saves on 17 shots. University of British Columbia goalie Rylan Toth signed an ATO contract to serve as the backup.    Asked about being thrust into a starting role for the first time in nearly 3 years, DiPetro said that "These last couple days obviously have been a whirlwind. I'm just trying to stay in the moment as much as I can. It's been a while between starts, but obviously I was a lot more comfortable this tim...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     If you're the Edmonton Oilers and need some momentum in the game, you can always count on Leon Draisaitl to get it done. Draisaitl scored two goals, Evan Bouchard scored two goals, and the Oilers rallied to defeat the Calgay Flames 5-3 on Saturday night at home.    The season's second battle of Alberta did not disappoint, as the Oilers overcame a two goal deficit to win. Draisaitl scored two goals and also had two assists, while Bouchard scored both of his goals on the power play. This was also a key win for the Oilers as they look to break out of an extended funk, with this win snapping an 0-5-2 skid.    Draisaitl said of snapping the skid that "Obviously it feels great; losing is awful, it stinks, it's not fun and it feels like there is always a cloud around you when you are losing. And obviously, we're not where we want to be yet, but this is the first step and we have to start it at some point, Koskinen ...

*Photo from the New York Post*     Don't look now, but the New York Islanders might be starting to turn a corner. Brock Nelson scored two goals, Scott Mayfield had a goal and an assist, and the Islanders shut out the Arizona Coyotes with a 4-0 win on Friday night on Long Island.    The Islanders were able to get the shutout win thanks to 4 total two point nights. Nelson had two goals, Mayfield had a goal and assist, with Adam Pelech and Josh Bailey having two assist nights. The Islanders have now won 3 straight games, and are 7-1-1 in their last 9 games overall, moving into 6th place in the Metropolitan Division.    Starting in goal for the Islanders was Ilya Sorokin, who got the shutout thanks in part to not having to face many shots. Sorokin saved all 17 Coyotes shots that came his way, with the perfect 1.000 save percentage to increase his record to 11-7-5 in 23 starts so far this season, with wins in his last 4 starts.    Mayfield said of the ...

*Photo from the Morganton News Herald*     January 20, 2022 was a long time coming for Kiefer Sherwood, and he finally found the back of the net again. Sherwood scored, Mikko Rantanen scored, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-1 win on Friday night in Los Angeles.    Sherwood's goal to make it 2-0 in the second period marked a milestone for Sherwood, as it was the first goal he scored in NHL action since March 6, 2019, back when he was a rookie with the Anaheim Ducks. The Avalanche as a whole have also been rolling, in the midst of a 5 game win streak, 11 game point streak, and a 16-1-2 record since December 2.    It was Rantanen who kicked off the scoring, with a power play goal 9:43 into the game to put the Avalanche ahead 1-0. In the second period, Sherwood made it 2-0 when he scored unassisted 3:06 into the period. Anze Kopitar got the Kings on the board with a power play goal 8:58 into the second period, making it a 2-1 ...

*Photo from Yahoo! Sports*     If you're trying to break a 3 month goal drought, a good time to do it is when your team is trying to take over first place in their division. Ryan Reaves scored two goals, Adam Fox scored two goals, and the New York Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Wednesday night in New York City.    The two goals for Reaves were the first two of the season for the physical winger, a big reason why the Rangers were able to retake first place in the Metropolitan Division with their 3rd straight win. Fox also had two goals and one assist, and Ryan Strome picked up a goal and an assist.    Reaves said of his first two goals of the season that "You never want to go three months without scoring. I tend to do that a lot in my career. Feels good to get them out of the way, especially in this barn. Hopefully they keep coming now. I think we're proving to the league, we're proving to ourselves, that we're a contender. The sta...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     On Tuesday night in Calgary, it was a battle of some of the best teams in the NHL, but it didn't end up being much of a contest. Sean Monahan scored two goals, Blake Coleman scored, and the Calgary Flames defeated the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Tuesday night.    The win was necessary for the Flames, as they entered this home contest having lost 4 straight games. They were able to break out of the funk thanks to a two goal game from Monahan, plus a whopping 4 assists from Johnny Gaudreau. Matthew Tkachuk also added a goal and two assists as the Flames improved to 18-11-6 this season, 5th place in the Pacific Division.    Gaudreau said of ending the skid that "It's difficult sometimes when you're going through skids like that to wake up and come practice, but after a big win like that, the guys are excited, we're always excited to come to the rink, but there's kind of a different attitude when you're winning games....

*Photo from the Chico Enterprise-Record*     Recently selected to the 2022 NHL All Star Game in Las Vegas, San Jose Sharks RW Timo Meier is sure proving he was worth the selection. Meier had a 5 goal game, Tomas Hertl dished out 4 assists, and the Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-2 at home on Monday afternoon.    The 5 goal game by Meier was the first 5 goal game from a player in Sharks history, with Hertl assisting on 3 of his 5 goals. He's the 5th player in the NHL to score 5 goals in a game since the turn of the century, and the first since Mika Zibanejad tallied 5 goals in an overtime win for the New York Rangers on March 5, 2020. It also helped the Sharks snap a two game losing streak.    Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson said of Meier's game that "It's always nice when you see guys have accomplishments like that. It raises the spirits for the whole team. He finds open areas out there and he has been doing that on a consistent level this year...

*Photo from the Ottumwa Courier*     This may have been the only game on the ledger for Sunday, but it was still a good one to watch, for fans of the Vancouver Canucks at least. Elias Pettersson scored two goals, Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist, and the Canucks defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.    After winning their first 7 games under Bruce Boudreau, the Canucks had lost 4 out of their last 5 games, so to get the win here was an important one for Vancouver. Pettersson's two goals and the two point night from Horvat led the way in the statsheet for the Canucks, with JT Miller also having a goal and an assist.    Boudreau said of the overall game that "I thought we played a 60-minute game. We backed up a little bit a little bit in the third period, but we did one of those bend and not break type situations. But everybody did their job, and when they did their job and the power play is working, you're going to have some succes...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     Needing a way to break the skid, the Detroit Red Wings got a gift in the form of a matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Tyler Bertuzzi scored, Lucas Raymond scored, and the Red Wings shut out the Sabres with a 4-0 win on home ice Saturday night.    It was Bertuzzi leading the way for Detroit, scoring a goal and adding two assists. Dylan Larkin had a two assist night as well, and Raymond added a goal and an assist, snapping a 14 game goal drought. The Red Wings also snapped a 4 game losing streak, having gone 0-2-2 in their last 4 games.     Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said of Raymond breaking his goal drought that "I think the biggest thing is that he won't have to answer any more questions about it. We weren't worried about it, because he was still creating chances and still helping us win hockey games, but you certainly feel better when you get one to go in."    Kicking off the scoring in...

*Photo from the Beloit Daily News*     Turns out the return of the man known as Kirill the thrill can rejuvenate a hockey team. Mats Zuccarello scored twice and had an assist, Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist, and the Minnesota Wild trounced the Anaheim Ducks with a 7-3 win on Friday night at home.    Leading the way with a 3 point night was Zuccarello, finishing with two goals and an assist. In his return to the lineup, Kaprizov had a two assist night, and Ryan Hartman, along with Boldy, each had a goal and an assist. The Wild have also won 3 games in a row, improving to 22-10-2, 4th place in the Central Division.    Wild head coach Dean Evason said of Zuccarello that "It's so nice to see 'Zuccy' shoot, right? Because he doesn't. He's got such a quick release. He's such a pass-first guy. Obviously, he sees the ice really well, but when he does that it'll open things up for not only him but for Kirill and 'Hartzy' too. Real nice goal."  ...