Five Minute Major

*Photo from TSN*     It might look different from the outside, but this was important for both teams. Claude Giroux had a goal and 3 assists, Thomas Chabot had a goal and two assists, and the Ottawa Senators defeated the Detroit Red Wings with a 6-2 victory on Monday night in Ottawa.    With the win, the Senators have now won two games in a row and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. Although they have to leapfrog 5 teams, including the Red Wings, to reach a wild card spot, the Senators are only 5 points behind that final wild card spot in a crowded Eastern Conference.    Senators head coach DJ Smith said that "It was one of our better performances, physically, in a while. We played a playoff-style game. Early on they had a good push. They started with the lead, but we stayed with it and put pucks in and used everyone, really. But ultimately, I've said it plenty, when your best players are your best players, you usually win."    Tyler Bertuzzi ...

*Photo from Sports Illustrated*     Hello blockbuster trade. The New Jersey Devils have acquired RW Timo Meier, LW Timur Ibragimov, G Zachary Emond, D Scott Harrington, D Santeri Hatakka, and a 2024 5th round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for RW Fabian Zetterlund, LW Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotiuk, conditional first round picks in 2023 and 2024 and a 2024 7th round pick, according to both teams.    Widely seen as the best trade option, Meier is off to New Jersey. He is a pending RFA that is making $6 million this season, with the Sharks retaining half of his remaining salary. Meier is due a $10 million qualifying offer in the offseason from the Devils to keep exclusive negotiating rights.    Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said of Meier that "It's the skill set, the ability to score goals, and the body size. Size helps. It was something I think we all believed we could add. We're not overly big at the fo...

*Photo from Predlines*     This move came with little fanfare beforehand. The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired LW/RW Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators in exchange for D Cal Foote, a conditional 2025 first round pick, a 2024 second round pick, and 2023 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks, according to both teams.    Jeannot was originally signed by Nashville as an undrafted free agent in April of 2018 and made his debut in the shortened 2021 season. He signed a two year, $1.6 million contract prior to the 2021-2022 season, making him an RFA at the end of the season. Jeannot will have arbitration rights this time around.    So far this season, Jeannot has cooled off from a torrid rookie season. He has just 5 goals and 9 assists on the year, recording a -1 plus/minus rating while averaging 15:05 of ice time per game in 56 games for the Predators this season. His shooting percentage has dropped from 19.4 percent to just 5.7 percent.    In two ful...

*Photo from the Herald Journal*     If this game was any indication, this is one dangerous team. Jonas Siegenthaler had a goal and two assists, Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils rolled past the Philadelphia Flyers with a 7-0 shutout victory on Saturday night in Newark.    Starting in goal for the Devils was Akira Schmid, recalled from the AHL before the game. Schmid turned aside all 23 shots on goal the Flyers had, recording his first career NHL shutout. With the win, Schmid's record improved to 6-4-0 in 10 games this season.    Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said that "I thought, as a whole, it was one of our better defensive games. We didn't give up a lot and Akira made the saves he needed to make. I thought his puck play was real good for us and he helped us on a bunch of breakouts. He's been a big part of where we're at with the injury to Mackenzie Blackwood. We needed him to step in and play well."   ...

*Photo from Mile High Hockey*     That early season slump is pretty far gone now. Bowen Byram scored, Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Winnipeg Jets with a 5-1 victory on Friday night in Winnipeg.    MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and JT Compher all had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who won their 4th straight game. They are also 5-0-1 in their last 6 games, 6-2-2 in their last 10, and 12-2-2 in their last 16 games, running their record to 32-19-5 on the season.    Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that "Some of our top finishers in MacKinnon and Rantanen, they kind of lead the way out of the gate and it carried over for the rest of our hockey game. I think we had a good start, no question. We were skating, we were winning some puck touches in the zone that got us off to the races and odd-man rushes. I just thought we had some good jump."    MacKinnon got the Avalanche star...

*Photo from Observer Today*     This game was a seesaw, back and forth, up and down. Tage Thompson had a hat trick, Ilya Lyubushkin scored the winning goal, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 6-5 overtime victory on Thursday night in Tampa Bay.    Thompson's hat trick marked his league leading 4th of the season to help the Sabres win their 3rd game in their last 4 and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. That's moved them to two points back of a wild card spot in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff field.    Buffalo head coach Don Granato said of the road win that "We had to work for it. We had to stay very dialed in and focused, and it was good to rise above that challenge. Comrie was really good. He didn't feel the pressure and stayed with it."    Tampa Bay struck first in this one with an early goal. Steven Stamkos lit the lamp for the Lightning 2:19 into the game, making it 1-0 with assists from Nikita Kuche...

*Photo from Sportsnaut*     The Flames got back to stoking in short order. Elias Lindholm had a goal and an assist, Jakob Pelletier scored the game winner, and the Calgary Flames defeated the Arizona Coyotes with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday night in Tempe.    Finding themselves down 3-1 in the second period, the Flames rattled off 5 unanswered goals to win by 3 on the road, snapping the Coyotes 9 game point streak. Pelletier, Lindholm, Walker Duehr, and Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist, while Dillon Dube had a two assist game.    Calgary defenseman Chris Tanev said after the game that "Every game now is extremely important. Starting today against a team that is red hot. I think they have points in nine games in a row. They are a fast team, a skilled team and obviously they are playing extremely well here. We just worry about tonight and then move forward."    Milan Lucic had the only goal of the first period to make it 1-0 Flames. Nick Schmal...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     They certainly lived up to their team name in this game. Philip Tomasino scored, Matt Duchene scored the game winner, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Vancouver Canucks with a 5-4 shootout victory on Tuesday night in Nashville.    Entering the game having lost 3 of their last 4, the Predators picked up a gutsy win at home, surviving a late push from the Canucks to get the win. Juuso Parssinen was the only multi point scorer with a two assist game. 9 other Nashville skaters registered a point.    Predators head coach John Hynes said after the game that "When you get to four, you’ve got to be able to close out the game. They had some breaks. They did a good job, too. I think on the six-on-five, we had multiple shot blocks, couldn’t get the clear on it. Guys were exhausted. They wound up making a good play."    Cole Smith scored the only goal of the first period, giving the Predators a 1-0 lea...

*Photo from Yahoo! Sports*     This was no ordinary game, it was something to watch. Marc Staal scored, Carter Verhaeghe scored the winning goal, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Anaheim Ducks with a 4-3 overtime victory on Monday afternoon in Sunrise.    With the win, the Panthers extended the Ducks losing streak to 5 games, while the Panthers have won 6 of their last 10 games. Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen each had two assists, with 7 other Panthers skaters registering a point.    Florida head coach Paul Maurice said of the win that "We were down one, but with seven minutes left figured we would have gotten at least four more chances to score. If there is any hockey karma going, we were going to get one of them to go. It was a pretty one-sided game, we just couldn't put it past their goalie."    Starting the scoring for the Ducks was Mason McTavish, who gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with his 13th goal of the season, coming 11:46 int...

*Photo from the Chicago Sun Times*     Through all the rumors, we saw the return of vintage Patrick Kane. Max Domi had a goal and 3 assists, Kane recorded a hat trick, and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 5-3 victory on Sunday night in Chicago.    After a 3 game losing streak, the Blackhawks have now won two games in a row and are now 18-32-5 on the season. Kane and Domi each had 4 point games, with Kane also adding an assist in addition to his hat trick. Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Cole Guttman were the other point scorers.    Kane said of his hat trick that he "Just got some chances tonight, obviously. Going back to the last couple games, playing with Max Domi and Philipp Kurashev, been getting some looks, and nice to capitalize on them. Always nice to have a game like that at home."    It was Kane who got the scoring started, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead 10:44 into the game on his 12th go...

*Photo from the News and Observer*     The atmosphere was unmatched, and they put on a show. Martin Necas had a goal and two assists, Teuvo Teravainen had a two point game, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals with a 4-1 victory on Saturday night in Raleigh.    The NHL's Stadium Series hit North Carolina for the first time, playing at the home of NC State Football, right across from where the Hurricanes normally play. The Hurricanes took full advantage of their first outdoor game, winning their 3rd straight game to improve to 9-1-0 in their last 10.    NC State's marching band was in attendance, playing for the Hurricanes. NC State's mascots were in the building as well, and NC State Basketball legends David Thompson and Dereck Whittenburg introduced the Hurricanes as they started out of the tunnel towards the ice.    Asked about the experience of playing outdoors, Necas said after the game that "It was something that ...

*Photo from ABC News*     They needed a comeback, and they got one. Brock Nelson scored twice, Anders Lee had a two goal game, and the New York Islanders rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-4 victory on Friday night on Long Island.    With the win, the Islanders snapped a 3 game losing streak, becoming tied with the Penguins for the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Lee and Nelson each had two goals and an assist, while Mathew Barzal had two assists to round out the multi point scorers.    After the game, Nelson said of the win that "It's been a while since we had a couple-goal deficits where we came back and won. Taking advantage of key moments, power play being one of them. That was huge."    It was Sidney Crosby who kicked off the scoring, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead on his 25th goal of the season, with assists coming from Chad Ruhwedel and PO Joseph. At the 13:36 mark of the first, Lee s...

*Photo from 97.3 ESPN*     We're still seeing a rise of the Kraken in the Northwest. Matty Beniers had a goal and an assist, Yanni Gourde had a 3 point game, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-2 victory on Thursday night in Seattle.    It was Gourde who shined the brightest for the Kraken, contributing two goals and an assist. Beniers and Justin Schultz each had a goal and an assist, while Jordan Eberle had two assists on the night. The Kraken improved to 31-18-6 and second in the Pacific Division with their latest win.    Gourde said after the game that "I thought we played faster than the last few games on the road. I thought we were checking a little bit better, even in the neutral zone. They weren't coming through the middle of the ice and in the neutral zone. I think that's the big key."    Starting the scoring for the Kraken was Jared McCann, who scored his 26th goal of the season 3:01 into the game to give...

*Photo from the Norman Transcript*     We're still getting reminded that guy is pretty good at hockey. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Denis Malgin scored, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated Minnesota Wild with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night in Saint Paul.    In 5 games since the All Star Break, MacKinnon has found the back of the net in all 5 games, running his goal tally for the season to 18. Malgin also scored in his second straight night, while Devon Toews was the only other multi point player thanks to a two assist game.    Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said of MacKinnon that "The bigger the moment, the better he plays. Last night, the night before, I thought he was great. And then tonight, he kind of led the charge for us, especially on the offensive side of it. Looked like he had good legs. He's making plays and getting dangerous on a bunch of occasions."    Colorado took a 1-0 lead after the first period, with Andrew Cogl...

*Photo from All About the Jersey*     Sometimes you just need a miracle to get things done. Yegor Sharangovich scored, Ryan Graves scored the winning goal, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night in Columbus.    Graves was the only multi point player for the Devils, recording a goal and an assist in the win. The Devils stayed hot with the win, improving to 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, trailing the Carolina Hurricanes by 3 points for first place in the Metropolitan Division as they now have a 35-13-5 record.    New Jersey head coach Lindy Ruff said of the win that "I think the one thing we’ve done well is we’ve stayed in games when games have been tight. To win the game where Mike McLeod comes off the bench, makes a great play, and Graves joins the play, just the awareness to know the clock is ticking down. Heck of a play by Michael."    It was Sharangovich who started the scoring, givi...

*Photo from TheScore*     One recurring theme in the NHL has been comebacks. Alex DeBrincat tied the game, Tim Stutzle won it, and the Ottawa Senators rallied to defeat the Calgary Flames with a 4-3 overtime victory on Monday night in Ottawa.    Stutzle's goal and 3 assists paced the Senators on the scoresheet, who improved to 6-4-0 in their last 10 games with a late game comeback, forcing OT with two goals in the last 2:14 of play. DeBrincat was the other multipoint player, recording a goal and an assist.    Ottawa forward Drake Batherson said of the comeback that "There's four, five minutes left and you see a few people leaving, and before you know it, it's tied up. It's awesome. We haven't scored many 6-on-5 goals since I've been here, and the place went nuts, so it was great to get the win."    Brady Tkachuk got the Senators started, with the captain scoring his 21st goal of the season with assists from Stutzle and Travis Hamonic. With th...

*Photo from the New Haven Register*     Needing to break through, they tore the whole door down. Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist, Reilly Smith had two assists, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks with a 7-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Vegas.    Vegas burst out for a 5 goal 3rd period to put the Ducks away, winning their 3rd straight game to improve to 32-18-4. In addition to Eichel, Vegas saw Shea Theodore, William Carrier, Phil Kessel, and Michael Amadio each had a goal and two assists, while Smith and William Karlsson had two assists.    Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said of the winning streak that "You come out of the break, you're refreshed and that mental weight is gone. It's kind of like you're starting over. The guys are feeling it right now."    Paul Cotter provided the only goal of the first period for Vegas, making it 1-0 on his 10th goal of the season. Brett Howden doubled the Vegas lead to 2-0...

*Photo from the Norman Transcript*     Something's brewing in Detroit. Dylan Larkin scored two goals, Jonatan Berggren had a two goal game of his own, and the Detroit Red Wings rolled past the Vancouver Canucks with a 5-2 victory on Saturday afternoon in Detroit.    In their 3rd game out of the break, the Red Wings picked up their second straight win, improving to 23-20-8 as the trade deadline draws closer. Larkin led the way with two goals and an assist for a 3 point game, while the rookie Berggren had his first multi goal game in the NHL.    Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said of the win that "Some of the top teams in our league can have an off-night and win. That's not us. This just gives us an opportunity to build off something because this will be a really tough road trip against four good teams, including against two we just beat."    The Red Wings got some quick offense to open the game. Just 1:08 into the contest, Larkin made it 1...