Five Minute Major

*Photo from TSN*     The playoff hopes of the Vancouver Canucks are ever so fading away. Ryan O'Reilly scored, Nathan Walker added the game winner, and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Canucks with a 4-3 win on Wednesday night in Vancouver.    The win marks the second time in all of March that the Blues have won consecutive games, as they jump back into 3rd place in the Central Division. It's a home and home sweep of the Canucks for the Blues, who also secured a season series sweep of the Canucks.    Blues forward David Perron said of O'Reilly scoring and the win that "It was all around good game for us and something to build on for sure. That's why we were all so excited. We were doing our pre-scout before the game and it came up at the bottom of the screen and he was like 'Is that for real? Did I not score against the Vancouver Canucks yet?' So, that was funny and he got his first one."    After a scoreless first period, Alex Chiasson score...

*Photo from Sportsnaut*     It was promoted as a clash of the titans in the western conference, and it lived up to that billing. Valeri Nichushkin scored two goals, Devon Toews added two assists, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Calgary Flames with a 2-1 win on Tuesday night in Calgary.    With the win, Colorado now has 6 wins in their last 8 games, and have opened up a 12 point lead on the Flames for the best mark in the western conference, while also in prime position to capture the presidents trophy. The Avalanche also reached the 100 point mark with the win, becoming the first team to reach that mark this season, and the 9th team in the last 45 years to do it in 67 games or less.    Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said after the game that it was a "Great win. Gutsy win by our group. I thought our team was highly committed on the defensive side of things. Power play steps up at the end gets us a big win. I'm proud of our group to this ...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     Sometimes we get glimpses of what the Seattle Kraken can truly be, and this game was one of them. Victor Rask scored, Daniel Sprong scored, and the Kraken routed the Los Angeles Kings with a 6-1 victory on Monday night in Los Angeles.    The game was the LA end of a home and home series between the two teams, with the Kings prevailing 4-2 over the Kraken on Saturday night. Seattle's Karson Kuhlman picked up his first point with the Kraken in 9 games since being claimed off waivers, and Vince Dunn had two assists to make it 8 assists in his last 7 games.    Kraken center Yanni Gourde said of the team win that "We didn't let them set up in their structure as much tonight. Last game, I felt like they were in their structure and where they wanted us. We went north, went up ice, and it kind of helped us. Everybody was on the same page and we looked much faster."    The first goal for the Kraken came fro...

*Photo from TSN*     It was a game of many milestones for the New York Rangers. Frank Vatrano scored twice, K'Andre Miller scored the winning goal, and the Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres with a 5-4 overtime win on Sunday night in New York.    The win for the Rangers completes a 3 game season sweep of the Sabres. Against Buffalo specifically, the Rangers have won 5 straight games, are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, and have a 16-3-1 record in their last 20 games. In total, the Rangers have also won 5 of their last 6 home games in the schedule overall, and they are 9-2-1 in their last 12 home games.    As for the Sabres, their chance at their first 3 game road winning streak since November of 2018 came to an end with the loss. The Sabres are 3-0-2 in their last 5 games, with all 5 of those games reaching overtime, the first time the Sabres have done that since November of 2010.    Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said that "We played a pretty s...

*Photo from Knights on Ice*     It might have been a good thing for the Vegas Golden Knights that their attempted trade of Evgenii Dadonov was invalidated. Chandler Stephenson scored, Dadonov added the winning goal, and the Golden Knights defeated the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-4 win in overtime on Saturday afternoon.    The trade that would have sent Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks for a package including John Moore and Ryan Kesler's contract was invalidated by the NHL after Dadonov had the Ducks on his no trade list, which the Golden Knights apparently did not know of.    The win for Vegas marks just their 4th in the last 11 games, as they try to get back to the playoffs. It was the first time in 58 games that Vegas has played, that they have won a game after trailing by 3 or more goals after two periods, with their record now at 1-57-0 in that category.    Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said of the comeback that "It's a good character...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     If someone who follows hockey tells me they don't know who Cale Makar is, they're lying about following hockey. Makar scored twice, Nazem Kadri scored, and the Colorado Avalanche rolled to a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night in Colorado.    The two goal game for Makar gave him goals 23 and 24 on the season, passing Sandis Ozolinsh for the Avalanche single season record for goals by a defenseman. The Avalanche also won their 5th game in their last 6, improving to 46-14-5 on the season as they battle the Florida Panthers for the presidents trophy this season.    Makar said of his record that "Mikko told me on the bench. It's pretty special. But those goals go back to the team. It's awesome to achieve something like that, but at the end of the day we're focused on this last run in the regular season."    Getting the start in net for the Avalanche was Pavel Francouz, giving...

*Photo from the Boston Globe*     All the Boston Bruins needed on Thursday night was 3 servings of Pasta. Erik Haula had 3 assists, David Pastrnak netted a hat trick, and the Bruins rallied to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 3-2 win on Thursday in Boston.    This was two wins in one game for the Bruins. Winning the game itself was win number one. Win number two came in the standings. With the regulation win, the Bruins jumped to 85 points, one ahead of the 84 point Lightning and into 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. Boston is also tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic.    Pastrnak said of the win that "Obviously it's a big win. Our main focus is to focus on our game and grow our game. We have tons of games left. Obviously, to beat a great team like Tampa is a confidence booster. I think at the same time, we deserved to win today. I think we were the better team."    The first goal of the game came from...

*Photo from TSN*     There's at least a portion of the Ryan O'Reilly trade that is paying dividends for the Buffalo Sabres, and his name is Tage Thompson, who is on another level. Thompson scored twice in regulation, added the winner in the shootout, and the Sabres defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-3 shootout win in Buffalo on Wednesday night.    With the win, the Sabres improve their record to 23-33-8 on the season, still remaining in 6th place in the Atlantic. They picked up their 3rd win in a row Wednesday night, marking the first time they've won 3 games in a row since they started the season 3-0-0.     Sabres head coach Don Granato said of the better play that "We're playing much better than we were earlier in the year. But absolutely, the psyche component didn't affect us like it would've a couple months ago, and we went right back to execution. Our execution's been really good. There was a little bit of a period, a sequence in the s...

*Photo from The Globe and Mail*     It was a game that the Winnipeg Jets absolutely needed to have, and they got it done. Mark Scheifele scored, Neal Pionk scored, and the Jets shut out the Vegas Golden Knights with a 4-0 win on Tuesday night in Winnipeg.    With the Jets playoff hopes in serious jeopardy last week, the Jets have woken up and have now rattled off 6 wins in their last 8 games. They are now 3 points back of the second wild card spot in the tightly contested western conference, which is held by the Dallas Stars. In between Dallas and Winnipeg? Oh yeah, it's Vegas.     Jets interim head coach Dave Lowry said that "We played a team that showed a lot of urgency to start and our goalie was our best player. I didn't like our first period, no. I liked our goalie's first period. He gave us an opportunity to settle in and get going."    After the first period went scoreless, Pierre-Luc Dubois got the Jets scoring going, tallying hi...

*Photo from On the Forecheck*     Turns out that holding onto Filip Forsberg at the trade deadline worked out well for the Nashville Predators. Forsberg scored twice, Matt Duchene scored twice, and the Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks with a 6-3 win on Monday night in Anaheim.    It was a two goal and 3 assist night for Forsberg that led the way for the Predators, with Forsberg contributing on 5 of the 6 Nashville goals. His two goals gave him 35 on the season, which sets the Predators team record for goals in a season, beating former teammate Viktor Arvidsson's 34 goal mark.    Forsberg said of the game as a whole that "I thought the first two periods we weren't really playing to our best, and I think Juice kept us in the game. They were taking it to us a little in the first two, and in the third we obviously came out hard. The power play was great all night, and we took it back in the third, finished the game the right way and got the win." ...

*Photo from Bleacher Report*     The first captain of the Seattle Kraken didn't even last a full season. The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired D Mark Giordano and C/RW Colin Blackwell from the Kraken in exchange for two second round picks and a 3rd round pick, according to Ryan Leslie of Sportsnet. Both teams have confirmed the trade.    Giordano said of being moved to Toronto that "I think just looking at it the past couple of weeks, I think the Leafs were on my radar as one of the teams I might get traded to and one of the better teams in the league. So to be able to be part of this going forward and, yes, it being my hometown team is obviously a huge bonus, but to be able to come to a team that has a really good shot at obviously making some damage or creating some damage in the playoffs is something I'm really excited about."    The Maple Leafs are getting Giordano, a leadership face in the locker room with solid defensive numbers on the ice, who i...

*Photo from CBS Sports*     Flower power is on his way to the state of hockey. The Minnesota Wild have acquired G Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional second round draft pick, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. Both teams have confirmed the trade.    Fleury was excited to join the Wild, saying that "I think just the chance to get in the playoffs, to battle to get there, to battle to go in. That's why we all play in the end. It's something also with Minny, there's also my family, which is going to stay in Chicago, Minny isn't too far away. Obviously they have a great team, they're very solid defensively, they have a lot of big guys and they play well. Good opportunity for me and hopefully things work out."    This season is the last of a 3 year, $21 million deal that Fleury signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, so he is a pending UFA. If the Wild reach the western conference finals in the playoffs, and Fleury accou...

*Photo from NBC Sports*     It's officially trade season, with the deadline on Monday afternoon. The Boston Bruins have acquired D Hampus Lindholm and D Kodie Curran from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for D Urho Vaakanainen, D John Moore, a first round pick, and two second round picks, according to NHL Network's Kevin Weekes. Both teams have confirmed the trade.    The Bruins are getting Lindholm, an elite, top 4 left shot defenseman, with 50 percent salary retention by the Ducks. The Bruins and Lindholm have agreed to an 8 year extension worth about $6.5 million AAV, keeping him around until age 36. Lindholm is also a player capable of eating minutes on the ice while still playing at a consistently high level.    So far this season, in 61 games with the Ducks, Lindholm has 5 goals and 17 assists, to go with a 0 plus/minus, while averaging 22:32 of ice time. A former first round pick in 2012, Lindholm has 57 goals and 164 assists, with a +74 plus/minus in a...

*Photo from The Athletic*     The day has finally come in Philadelphia. Claude Giroux is gone. The Florida Panthers have acquired Giroux, Connor Bunnaman, German Rubtsov, and a 2024 5th round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for RW Owen Tippett, a conditional 2024 first round pick, and a 2023 3rd round pick, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. Both teams have confirmed the trade.    Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said of the trade that "Any day that you trade your captain is a tough day, and with how much Claude has meant to this organization and how he has represented himself for 15 years, makes it all that more difficult to say goodbye. Claude is one of the best players to ever wear a Flyer uniform."    Giroux is in the final season of a 8 year extension he signed with the Flyers, and had a no trade clause in his contract. He was reportedly only willing to accept a trade to the Panthers, who lead the Eastern Conference in total points...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     Folks, the Edmonton Oilers are on one of those heaters. Evander Kane scored two goals, Tyson Barrie added a goal and an assist, and the Oilers defeated the New Jersey Devils with a 6-3 win on Saturday afternoon in Edmonton.    The Oilers improve to 35-23-4 with the win, and have won 5 straight games to go a perfect 5-0-0 on their 5 game homestand. They've taken over 3rd in the Pacific, and a big reason why has been the play of Kane, who has scored 4 goals in his last 3 games. They picked up this win thanks to 4 unanswered goals in the 3rd period.    Oilers alternate captain Leon Draisaitl said of the win streak that "It has been a big stretch for us, important games. We had some good teams in here. This was a really good stretch for us, but that being said we are focused on the next game. We have two hard opponents coming up here on a back-to-back, and we have to make sure we are ready for that."  ...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     In this game, the Colorado Avalanche channeled the spirit of Val. Valeri Nichushkin scored two goals, Cale Makar scored and had two assists, and the Avalanche defeated the San Jose Sharks with a 5-3 win on Friday night in San Jose.    The Avalanche have won 3 straight games, but they've been on a tear since the new year. They have 93 points on the season, in front in the Presidents trophy race. They have a 27-5-3 record since January 1, and have a 44-13-5 record on the season. Additionally, they have won 10 of their last 12 games against the Sharks.    Makar said of the game that "I think our tempo was high in the first two. I think it was still high in the third, we just had a few defensive breakdowns that obviously cost us. Overall, I think I liked the compete of our team."    On the power play 10:18 into the game, Nazem Kadri put the Avalanche ahead 1-0, scoring his 23rd goal of the year, a...

*Photo from the Taiwan News*     Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs just needed a spark from a fresh goaltender. Ilya Mikheyev scored, Ondrej Kase scored, and the Maple Leafs held off a late rally to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-2 win on Thursday night in Toronto.    The Maple Leafs, wearing their green Toronto St Pats jerseys on St Patricks Day, got a little luck of the Irish to hold off the Hurricanes. They have started to heat up a little bit, improving to a 4-1-1 record in their last 6 games. They improve to 39-17-5 this season, hanging on to 3rd place in the Atlantic Division.    Rookie Erik Kallgren made his second straight start for the Maple Leafs, after posting a shutout on Tuesday night. Kallgren had another strong game, saving 34 of the 36 shots on goal the Hurricanes had, posting a .944 save percentage. His record improves to 2-0-0 in two starts and one relief outing on the season.    Kase said of Kallgren's game that "I know las...

*Photo from the CT Insider*     The Calgary Flames are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. Dillon Dube scored, Andrew Mangiapane scored, and the Flames coasted to a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night in Calgary.    The win marks win number 17 in the last 21 games for the Flames, as well as 3 wins in 4 games more recently. They improve to 37-16-7 with the win, holding first place in the Pacific. Matthew Tkachuk, who had a goal and two assists, and Dube with a goal and an assist, were the leading scorers for the Flames, who had 6 different skaters find the back of the net.    Flames head coach Darryl Sutter wasn't as happy postgame, saying that he "Didn't like parts of our game. I didn't like the penalties, I didn't like the double minor, didn't like the too many men. Didn't like the second goal. Outscored our mistakes tonight."    Brett Ritchie scored his first goal of the season for the Flames, giving them a 1-0 ...

*Photo from AP News*     Don't look now, but the Washington Capitals are starting to heat up. Alex Ovechkin scored, Anthony Mantha scored the winning goal, and the Capitals defeated the New York Islanders with a 4-3 shootout win in Washington on Tuesday night.    The Capitals have opened up a 6 game point streak, with a 5-0-1 record in that time. With his 3rd period goal, Ovechkin continued his climb up the goal scoring ladder, with goal number 767 moving him past Jaromir Jagr, putting him in 3rd place in NHL history in goals, trailing only Gordie Howe with 801, and Wayne Gretzky with 894.    Ovechkin, asked about his record setting goal, said that "I just close my eyes and shoot. I had pretty good chances in the previous games, and finally Kuzy wins a good face-off and put it right on my stick. And I scored on my very good friend Varly, so that's nice, too."    Picking up the win between the pipes for the Capitals was Vitek Vanecek, who had ...