Player of the Night: Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets
PHT already gave Panarin (and his five primary assists) the spotlight in the form of a full post, so check that out here. His performance demands a repeat mention as the best of the night, nonetheless.
Runner-up: Gustav Forsling, Chicago Blackhawks
Forsling, 21, grabbed points in all three of Chicago’s goals as the Blackhawks imposed their will on the Sabres (51 shots on goal) in a 3-2 overtime win. Forsling scored the overtime game-clincher, with a simple-solid bit of good work:
Patience and poise and two points!
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 9, 2017
Forsling wins it in overtime for the home team, via @EASportsNHL https://t.co/Yk4o1W8Z3j
Subban vs. Subban, plus Neal’s return to Nashville
The Golden Knights’ eventual shootout win against the Predators was brimming with storylines, particularly for a fairly run-of-the-mill Friday in early December, when the “new car smell” is starting to wear off an NHL season.
(You know, when there isn’t a lockout.)
Anyway, you’d have to give Malcolm Subban the edge in this one, as he really had a strong game in helping his team beat P.K. Subban and the Predators. Malcolm even set a new career-high:
Malcolm Subban made a career-high 41 saves through 65 minutes and denied all six shootout attempts to backstop the @GoldenKnights to their third consecutive win. #VGKvsNSH pic.twitter.com/nFMorBQSkE
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 9, 2017
Curiously, Predators coach Peter Laviolette decided *not* to use P.K. against his brother, even though the shootout went six rounds and Malcolm was not beaten, something The Score noted tonight.
The other fun narrative was James Neal’s return to Nashville after being one of the most prominent expansion draft losses, as Golden Knights GM George McPhee was driving a hard bargain. To little surprise, what with the departure not being Neal’s fault, he was given a warm reception.
There's always going to be a little Smashville with @jneal_18. pic.twitter.com/FiNyEXdFD7
— NHL (@NHL) December 9, 2017
Neal then scored a very, well, James Neal goal:
Amusingly, Calle Jarnkrok answered with a goal of his own about a minute later. As you may remember, Jarnkrok was one of the key players Nashville protected instead of Neal. You have to love when sports stories come together like that, right?
(Lavi shakes his head no, makes it a point not to put P.K. against Malcolm Subban, ever.)
Highlight of the Night
Here’s your latest reminder that Jack Eichel is awesome and doesn’t deserve the bulk of the blame for Buffalo’s bumbling. Also, I’m a big sucker for a great moment where a player shows skill keep the puck in the zone, so this one puts many checkmarks in many boxes, personally:
More Factoids
More on Subban vs. Subban:
Did You Know? @PKSubban1 and @SubbZero30 are the 10th set of brothers to meet in an NHL game, with one as a skater and the other as a goalie. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/c6RAu2O1BO
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 9, 2017
And a bonus bit about Artemi Panarin, beyond the Blue Jackets-specific stuff:
Artemi Panarin's big night for the @BlueJacketsNHL also made him just the 4th Russian-born player ever to record 5 assists in a single game pic.twitter.com/WukQEDJlA6
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) December 9, 2017
Scores
Blue Jackets 5, Devils 3
Capitals 4, Rangers 2
Golden Knights 4, Predators 3 (SO)
Blackhawks 3, Sabres 2 (OT)
Wild 3, Ducks 2 (OT)
Bonus highlight
MATT DUMBA IN OVERTIME! WILD WIN! pic.twitter.com/KM0V5VIzP5
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) December 9, 2017
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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.