The New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues earned some noteworthy wins on Thursday, especially relative to what previous Islanders and Blues teams have done.
The Blues set the best point streak of their long franchise history when they beat the Buffalo Sabres tonight, as they’re 12-0-1 in their last 13 games. They’ve also won seven straight.
That win prompted head coach Ken Hitchcock to set a fake record for taking the most circuitous route to describing a player as “clutch” when he praised Vladimir Tarasenko (via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford):
Hitch on Tarasenko: "His sense of timing is impeccable. He knows the score of the game and the closer the game ... (1/2)
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 6, 2015
Hitch cont'd: " ... he seems more interested in being a difference-maker, and he's made a big difference this year." (2/2) #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 6, 2015
So, basically he’s clutch.
Anyway, the Islanders broke a three-game losing streak and ended the Philadelphia Flyers’ four-game winning run via a shootout victory tonight. They also tied their best start in 51 games played as they’ve won 33 times, tying a mark they set during the beginning of their golden era in 1978-79.
.@NYIslanders (33-17-1, 67 PTS) leapfrogged PIT for 1st in Metropolitan Division. Their 33 wins in 51 GP equal a franchise record (1978-79).
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 6, 2015
It seems like both teams are the best their franchises have seen in quite some time.