Player of the Night: Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
With 13 points in his first 22 NHL regular-season games, Alex DeBrincat has been just about as good as advertised, but perhaps some fans wanted a little more sizzle to go with the steak. Especially considering that other precocious prospects have been so productive. It’s easy to forget that the undersized scorer is merely 19.
DeBrincat’s age was relevant on Monday, as he became the second-youngest Blackhawks forward to record a hat trick. Apparently NBC’s own Jeremy Roenick did so when he was just a bit more fresh-faced:
Per @EliasSports, Alex DeBrincat is the second-youngest Blackhawk to net a hat trick. Jeremy Roenick beat DeBrincat by just 4 days with a hattie on Dec. 23, 1989. #Blackhawks
— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) November 28, 2017
DeBrincat also collected an assist, so this was a four-point night, bumping him up to 17 points in 23 games.
Blackhawks fans and management alike envisioned nights like these when he went in the second round (39th overall) back in 2016. Ducks followers, meanwhile, must worry that a collapse is approaching after the team’s shown so much heart in fighting off injury after injury.
Highlights of the Night
Yikes, these hits:
Sergei Bobrovsky fell to the Canadiens this time around, but he still managed to make a nice save or two.
ANOTHER Bell Centre blocker save from Bobrovsky: pic.twitter.com/pHbw2lLzxW
— The Cannon (now on 👻!) (@cbjcannon) November 28, 2017
Carey Price got the best of Bob in this one, making 37 saves to win his second straight game upon returning from injury. You might say that he’s fairly important to the Habs.
If you enjoy brawls (how bloodthirsty of you), check out this post for some nastiness between the Wild and Jets during Winnipeg’s drubbing of Minny.
Factoids of the Night
One perk of Roberto Luongo’s two tours with the mostly-struggling Panthers: the future Hall of Famer now has at least 200 wins with two different teams. BREAKING: this is a rare feat.
Roberto Luongo of the @FlaPanthers is the second goaltender in NHL history to earn 200+ wins with two different franchises, joining Patrick Roy. #NHLStats #FLAvsNJD pic.twitter.com/MiCoT0dxYZ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 28, 2017
Quite a CLUTCHNESS DUEL forming between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin:
Sidney Crosby now has 11 career OT goals, tying Mario Lemieux and current teammate Evgeni Malkin for most in @penguins history. pic.twitter.com/5zi7qm08cU
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 28, 2017
Scores
Panthers 3, Devils 2
Penguins 5, Flyers 4 (OT)
Canadiens 3, Blue Jackets 1
Jets 7, Wild 2
Blackhawks 7, Ducks 3
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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.