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The Buzzer: Rantanen dominates in return; Driedger gets shutout in first start

Chicago Blackhawks v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 30: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche hugs teammate Mikko Rantanen #96 after a goal by Rantanen against the Chicago Blackhawks at Pepsi Center on November 30, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Three Stars

1. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche. After being sidelined for more than a month Rantanen returned to the Avalanche lineup on Saturday and picked right up where he left off, recording four points in a complete destruction of the Chicago Blackhawks. He is now up to 16 points in 10 games this season, and with him back in the lineup the Avalanche dominant duo of Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon is going to start taking over games again. They are still without Gabriel Landeskog but have managed to keep piling up points thanks to the brilliance of MacKinnon and the improved depth throughout the roster. Given all of the salary cap space they still have they are going to have a chance to add a major piece before the trade deadline and be a force in the Western Conference playoffs. Joonas Donskoi also had four points for the Avalanche on Saturday, while MacKinnon added three. This game also featured one of the most random and unexpected fights of the season when Chicago’s Alex DeBrincat squared off against Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard.

2. Chris Driedger, Florida Panthers. With big-money free agent Sergei Bobrovsky off to a terrible start this season, the Panthers turned to the 25-year-old Driedger for his first career start on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. He made quite an impact turning aside all 27 shots he faced as the Panthers began a nine-game homestand. Before Saturday Driedger had only made three relief appearances (all with the Ottawa Senators) in his very brief NHL career.

3. Tanner Pearson, Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been waiting for some of their depth players to make an impact offensively this season, and it has finally started to happen over the past couple of games. Pearson had a huge game in their 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Unlike Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh, they were able to hold on to this three-goal third period lead to snap what had been a brief two-game losing streak.

Other notable performances from Saturday


  • Alex Ovechkin became just the fifth player in NHL history to record 15 consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin a career. He also moved into 10th place all-time with his 24th career hat trick. Read all about it here.
  • Thomas Greiss and Semyon Varlamov teamed up for a shutout for the New York Islanders as they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets were one of four teams to lose a defenseman to injury on Saturday.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs won for the fourth time in five games under new coach Sheldon Keefe thanks to a John Tavares overtime winner against the Buffalo Sabres.
  • Alexandar Georgiev stopped all 33 shots he faced for the New York Rangers in a 4-0 win over their arch-rivals, the New Jersey Devils.
  • Big night for Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm as he scored two goals, giving him 14 on the season, in a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
  • Defenseman Justin Faulk scored his first goal as a member of the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  • Logan Couture scored two goals for the San Jose Sharks as they erased an early two-goal deficit to beat the Arizona Coyotes by a 4-2 margin.
  • Jack Campbell was outstanding for the Los Angeles Kings, stopping 32 out of 33 shots in a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Highlights of the Night

Ivan Provorov lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday with this incredible goal in the extra period.

Sam Lafferty’s second period goal was the lone highlight of the night for the Penguins, and it was an absolute beauty of a goal.

The Carolina Hurricanes held on for a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, and James Reimer’s scorpion save was a big reason why.

Blooper of the Night

Red Wings defenseman Mike Green got re-introduced to some of is former teammates on the Washington bench on Saturday night thanks to Garnet Hathaway.

Tweet of the Night

The Avalanche beat the Blackhawks on back-to-back nights, outscoring them by a 12-5 margin in the process. They want more. These two teams play again on December 18 in Chicago. Should be interesting.

Factoids


  • The San Jose Sharks won their 11th game in November, tied for their second-most wins in any month in franchise history. [NHL PR]
  • The Capitals are only the second time in the past 12 years to score at least 100 goals before December. [NHL PR]
  • The Islanders’ win on Saturday extended their current home points streak to 11 consecutive games. [NHL PR]

Scores

New York Rangers 4, New Jersey Devils 0
Philadelphia Flyers 4, Montreal Canadiens 3 (OT)
Calgary Flames 3, Ottawa Senators 1
Washington Capitals 5, Detroit Red Wings 2
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Florida Panthers 3, Nashville Predators 0
New York Islanders 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
San Jose Sharks 4, Arizona Coyotes 2
St. Louis Blues 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Colorado Avalanche 7, Chicago Blackhawks 3
Los Angeles Kings 2, Winnipeg Jets 1
Vancouver Canucks 5, Edmonton Oilers 2

Adam Gretz is a writer forPro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line atphtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.