Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Edmonton Journal*     When the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators have played this season, Ottawa really hasn't gotten anything going, or won a game. That continued Thursday night. Devin Shore scored, Kailer Yamamoto added a goal, and the Oilers topped the Senators with a 3-1 win to sweep the season series against the Senators, going a perfect 9-0-0 this season against Ottawa.    Yamamoto started the scoring in the first period, with a power play goal to make it 1-0 Oilers. Ottawa then tied it with 1:55 remaining in the period on Connor Brown's 12th goal of the season. It remained 1-1 until 12:58 into the 3rd, when Shore scored his 4th goal of the season to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead. With 10 seconds left, Jesse Puljujarvi scored on an empty net to seal the win.    Oilers goalie Mike Smith said of the series sweep of the Senators that "It's pretty impressive when you think about it. You don't really get that opportunity too often, a...

*Photo from All about the Jersey*     Big dominoes on the trade market have fell, with the trade deadline coming up on Monday. The New York Islanders have acquired RW Kyle Palmieri and C Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Mason Jobst, AJ Greer, a first round pick, and a conditional 4th round pick, according to both teams. The Devils are retaining 50 percent of Palmieri's and Zajac's salaries.     Palmieri, who is a pending UFA, has scored 8 goals and 9 assists, with a -2 rating in 34 games for the Devils this season. In each of the last 5 seasons, Palmieri has been a gifted offensive talent, scoring at least 24 goals in the last 5 seasons. In his 11 seasons, split between the Devils and the Anaheim Ducks, Palmieri has 140 goals and 126 assists in 397 games played. He is in the final year of a 5 year deal signed with the Devils in the summer of 2016.     Palmieri was excited to join the Islanders, saying that "The oppo...

  *Photo from ESPN*     The Boston Bruins have some good goaltending depth. Even with their top two goalies, Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, out due to injury and a positive Covid-19 test, young goalie Dan Vladar has picked up the slack. Now, add one of their top prospects, Jeremy Swayman, to that list. Swayman saved 40 shots, Patrice Bergeron scored 3 goals, and the Bruins topped the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Tuesday night, winning Swayman's NHL debut.     Bergeron started the scoring 7:09 into the first, making it 1-0 Bruins on his 13th goal this season. At the 17:31 mark, Bergeron scored again to make it 2-0 after one period. In the second period, the Flyers struck back, with goals from Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere, making it 2-2 after two periods. In the 3rd, a shorthanded goal from Brad Marchand and an empty netter from Bergeron sealed the win.     Bergeron said of Swayman's NHL debut that "He was battling all night and gave us...

*Photo from the Las Vegas Review Journal*     In longtime St.Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo's return to St.Louis, he had himself a night to remember. The Blues did not. Alec Martinez scored twice, William Carrier had a goal and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights topped the Blues 6-1 Monday night. Jonathan Marchessault added a goal as well for the Golden Knights.     Tomas Nosek got the Knights on the board 6:25 into the first, making it 1-0 Vegas. Martinez then scored, as well as Tyler Bozak for the Blues, making it 2-1 Vegas after one. In the second period, Martinez scored his second goal, Carrier scored, Marchessault scored, and Nicolas Hague scored, making it 6-1, which remained for the rest of the game.    Pietrangelo said of his return to St.Louis that "I was just saying to Vladimir Tarasenko it was harder before the game because I think of the emotions. Once you get in the game, you push that all aside. Once the video pa...

*Photo from CTV News Calgary*     The Calgary Flames have not exactly been great since their switch from Geoff Ward to Darryl Sutter. John Tavares scored, Auston Matthews continued his lead in the Rocket Richard race, and the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the Flames with a 4-2 win Sunday night. Alex Galchenyuk also scored for Toronto.     Morgan Rielly scored for the Leafs just 58 seconds into the game, making it 1-0 early on. Joakim Nordstrom and Andrew Mangiapane then scored for Calgary, and it was 2-1 Flames after one period. In the second, Galchenyuk scored to tie the game at two. In the 3rd, goals by Tavares at 6:55 and Matthews at 9:16 sealed the Leafs win.    Tavares said of the team's performance after the game that "It definitely wasn't our best. I think we looked a little sluggish at times, but I really like the way we stuck with it and had to respond and find a way to play a harder type of game to really earn more pucks, win some more race...

*Photo from Yahoo! Sports*     When the Boston Bruins need a win, they can turn to their big guns on the top line. Brad Marchand scored a hat trick, David Pastrnak added two more, and the Bruins topped the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 7-5 win Saturday afternoon. David Krejci also added a goal and an assist for the Bruins.    Mark Jankowski scored for Pittsburgh 3:24 into the game, making it 1-0 Penguins early. Then came a wild second period. Two goals for Marchand, one for Pastrnak, one for Krejci, and one from Patrice Bergeron for Boston, and goals for Jake Guentzel and Jared McCann for Pittsburgh made it 5-3 Bruins after two. In the 3rd, Cody Ceci and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins, with Marchand and Pastrnak scoring for Boston, making it 7-5.    Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of the top line production that "It was all our top guys tonight. Obviously, you're going to have games like this throughout the course of the year. I think with the type...

*Photo from the Toronto Star*     San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones has played pretty well against his former team, the Los Angeles Kings, since joining the Sharks in 2015. That streak continued Friday night. Jones stopped 30 shots, Timo Meier scored, and the Sharks shut out the Kings with a 3-0 victory.    Tomas Hertl started the scoring for the Sharks 2:57 into the first period, making it 1-0 on his 11th goal of the season. In the second, Meier scored his 7th of the season to make it 2-0 Sharks. In the 3rd, with 27 seconds left in the game, Rudolfs Balcers scored his 5th goal of the season to make it 3-0 Sharks, securing the win.    Sharks coach Bob Boughner said of Meier's performance that "I know he's not had the best year statistically, but this is the most important time of the year right now and this is when you see your best players step up. You could tell the last couple of games he looks like he's more intent on the details of his game."   ...