Players of the Night:
Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles Kings:
Gaborik scored twice and helped propel a four-goal third period for the Kings, who came back from a 2-1 deficit after 40 minutes to win 5-2 against the visiting Minnesota Wild. Gaborik’s second goal of the night was his 400th of his NHL career. It came against the team he achieved his highest scoring prowess with.
Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings:
Nyquist scored twice and added a helper as the Red Wings toppled the Western Conference-best Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena. Nyquist’s first-period marker held up as the game-winner in a big game for the Red Wings, who responded after getting shellacked 10-1 by the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks:
Markstrom made 30 saves in a 3-0 win for the Canucks against the Carolina Hurricanes. His shutout was the first of his NHL career.
Highlights of the Night:
Boo Nieves, the owner of one of the coolest nicknames in the league, scored his first NHL goal on a slick wrist shot in the first period of a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
John Gibson committed this theft tonight. The victim failed to press charges:
John Gibson robs Alex Tuch. Holy smokes. pic.twitter.com/gIZgYhMEKv
— Ryan Quigley (@ryanquigz) December 6, 2017
Shea Weber did his best Clayton Kershaw impression to score against the St. Louis Blues:
Shea Weber’s 1st goal was a curve shot past Allen. #Habs pic.twitter.com/OaJnTtPOEA
— Peter Alper (@PeteAlper) December 6, 2017
Factoids of the Night:
Gaborik had a pretty good night:
Marian Gaborik of the @LAKings is the sixth active player to reach the 400-goal milestone (Jaromir Jagr, Alex Ovechkin, Marian Hossa, Patrick Marleau, Rick Nash). #NHLStats #MINvsLAK pic.twitter.com/iPDWkDliZ4
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 6, 2017
And Nikita Kucherov put himself in some pretty elite company, both in Tampa Bay Lightning history, as well as NHL history in general:
Nikita Kucherov is the third player in @TBLightning history to reach the 40-point mark through the first 27 team games of a season, joining Vincent Lecavalier in 2007-08 (26 GP) and Steven Stamkos in 2010-11 (25 GP). #NHLStats #NYIvsTBL pic.twitter.com/RqOmTbxOhg
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 6, 2017
MISC:
- Elliotte Friedman feels Seattle has a good shot of getting an NHL franchise, an opinion he voiced on NBCSN.
- Friedman touched on what the Penguins might be looking for as they go searching for a third straight Stanley Cup. Friedman mentioned the name of Mark Letestu, who has some familiarity with the Pens, having played parts of three seasons with the club in the past. He said a forward like Letestu is what the Pens are looking for.
- San Jose Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon was suspended one-game for this slash.
- Force out of the game due to complications stemming from spinal surgery, Derek Dorsett penned a heartfelt letter to Canucks fans.
- Anze Kopitar registered his 500th career NHL assist.
Scores:
Devils 4, Blue Jackets 1
Rangers 4, Penguins 3
Blues 4, Canadiens 3
Red Wings 5, Jets 1
Lightning 6, Islanders 2
Predators 5, Stars 2
Sabres 4, Avalanche 2
Canucks 3, Hurricanes 0
Golden Knights 4, Ducks 3 (SO)
Kings 5, Wild 2
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck