Players of the Night
- As discussed here, Riley Nash ranked among the Bruins’ supporting cast members who were marquee stars during Wednesday’s win. He scored two goals and one assist to give Boston five straight wins.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to torment John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Artemi Panarin’s second goal of the game gave Columbus a 4-2 lead midway through the third period, but it wouldn’t hold for Columbus. Evgeni Malkin triggered the comeback, generating one goal and two assists in the third period. Malkin added a shootout goal, making him the biggest catalyst for Pittsburgh’s comeback win. More on that in a moment.
- There were some other notable performances, including a backup goalie duel featuring two shutouts between the Capitals and Rangers. Nico Hischier scored two goals to help the New Jersey Devils churn out their fifth consecutive win.
Highlights of the Night
Mathew Barzal continues to confound opponents, with this overtime-clincher being his latest stroke of genius:
There was also this nice save by Jake Allen, which wasn’t enough for the Blues against the Predators:
For even more highlight-reel fun, make sure to check out Connor McDavid’s sweet drop to Leon Draisaitl for a shorthanded goal.
Factoids
Beyond frustrating the Blue Jackets in the playoffs and generally making John Tortorella lose his mind, the Penguins have also befuddled Columbus during the regular season in recent times:
Fun fact: The #Pens have won five-straight regular season games against the Blue Jackets. pic.twitter.com/ssDCAgyodc
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 28, 2017
The Vegas Golden Knights set another record for an expansion team, and honestly, the old mark was pretty ugly (sorry, 1993-94 Panthers).
The Western Conference-leading @GoldenKnights extended their point streak to 10 games (9-0-1) and established an NHL record for longest such run by a team in its inaugural season, eclipsing the mark of nine contests set by the Panthers in 1993-94 (5-0-4). #NHLStats #VGKvsANA pic.twitter.com/wEyhAKL8zK
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 28, 2017
Scores
Bruins 5, Senators 1
Devils 3, Red Wings 1
Islanders 3, Sabres 2 (OT)
Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 4 (SO)
Hurricanes 3, Canadiens 1
Rangers 1, Capitals 0 (SO)
Predators 2, Blues 1
Wild 4, Stars 2
Jets 4, Oilers 3
Coyotes 3, Avalanche 1
Golden Knights 4, Ducks 1
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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.