Key happenings from PHT
Roberto Luongo might have suffered a serious injury.
Joe Thornton delivers a debatable hit on T.J. Oshie, then Tom Wilson makes him pay.
A big step for Seattle in its drive to get an NHL team?
Win of the Night:
The Philadelphia Flyers finally did it.
After losing 10 straight games (see a deeper look on that skid here), the Flyers made sure that Monday would mark the end of their suffering by way of a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames.
In this case, it was a mixture of usual suspects (Jakub Voracek collected three assists) and less-than-expected names showing up (Scott Laughton generated a two-goal night). You can probably bet that Brian Elliott relished getting a win against a Flames team that passed on him after one up-and-down season. The veteran netminder stopped 43 shots for his first win since Nov. 9.
Michael Raffl won the Ric Flair robe. Hey, this team might not win much yet, but they’re stylin’ and profilin’ when they do.
Raffl gets the Ric Flair robe. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/RBieycDOMn
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) December 5, 2017
It’s worth noting that the Flames scored first, but the Flyers tied it up about a minute later, and never relinquished their lead once they went from being up 2-1 to 4-1.
Can you really blame this team for being excited/relieved?
Don’t care if you think this is extra we’re feeling PRETTY GOOD rn. pic.twitter.com/ncBRQWKi8b
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 5, 2017
Jake Voracek said the #Flyers' win tonight was as sweet to him as when the Czech Republic won the World Championships in 2010. That's how much weight was taken off our shoulders tonight, he said.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) December 5, 2017
Player of the Night: Craig Smith, Nashville Predators
Voracek, Keith Yandle, and Vincent Trocheck all managed three-assist nights on Monday, so there’s some solid competition for this spot. When in doubt, I usually give the tiebreaker to the guy scoring goals, and Smith did so for his three points with two goals and one helper.
Smith continues to be red-hot for Nashville lately alongside Kevin Fiala (1G, 1A), who seem to be thanking the Predators for the early holiday present of Kyle Turris (two assists).
Smith, 28, already has 11 goals on the season, putting him one goal behind his rough 2016-17 campaign’s 12. His career-high for goals in a single season is 24, while he’s crossed the 20-goal plateau three times overall. Even if things slow down (his shooting percentage is a bit high at 17.2 percent right now), it’s easy to imagine him putting up the best numbers of his underrated career.
It sure looks like Nashville now has two dynamic lines to go with two great defensive pairings (when Ryan Ellis is healthy) and a duo of goalies that ranges from competent to splendid. Be scared, rest of the NHL.
Factoids
Alex Ovechkin will probably be a healthy distance ahead of Dr. Recchi by the time his career ends:
With @ovi8's 20th of the season, he passes @Markrecchi8 for 20th all-time.
— NHL (@NHL) December 5, 2017
Could another 50-goal campaign be in the works? #NHLStats https://t.co/qtS463AGQH
And another milestone for Ovechkin:
Alex Ovechkin scored his 97th career game-winning goal to pass Mats Sundin (96) for sole possession of 11th on the NHL's all-time list. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/swwGXywnkT
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 5, 2017
SO NOT CLUTCH.
Highlight of the Night:
Sorry, tough night for Ovechkin haters, as he generated this great setup:
Snub of the Night:
You know how teams do ceremonial puck drops? I think Evgeny Kuznetsov is owed a ceremonial fist bump.
Pro tip to anyone that's ever been left hangin' pic.twitter.com/Lb8UhvwUj4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 5, 2017
Scores
Capitals 4, Sharks 1
Islanders 5, Panthers 4 (SO)
Predators 5, Bruins 3
Flyers 5, Flames 2
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.