Be sure to visit NBCOlympics.com and NBC Olympic Talk for full hockey coverage from PyeongChang.
Players of the Night:
Antti Raanta, Arizona Coyotes: Raanta shutout Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, stopping all 40 shots sent his way for his first goose egg as a member of the Coyotes.
Derick Brassard, Ottawa Senators: The Derick Brassard Showcase continued on Saturday night. The Senators forward, who has been the subject of trade speculation leading up to the trade deadline in two weeks, scored in his fourth straight game and added two helpers in a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers.
Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights: Smith extended his point streak to seven games, scoring twice and adding a helper in a 6-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens. Smith has five goals and seven assists during his streak and now has 51 points in 58 games this season.
Anders Nilsson, Vancouver Canucks: Nilsson turned aside 44 of the 45 shots he faced from one of the league’s hottest teams in the Boston Bruins. The Canucks obliged their goaltender, scoring six and chasing Tuukka Rask in a 6-1 win.
Jonathan Toews and the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks: Losers of eight straight coming into Saturday, the Blackhawks finally ended the streak, putting up seven goals against the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals. Toews had a goal and two assists in the game. It was Chicago’s first win of the month and their seven goals were half of the number they scored in their previous eight games.
Eddie Lack, New Jersey Devils: Lack wasn’t supposed to be playing against the league’s top team. But there he was on Saturday, stopping 48 of 51 shots against Stamkos, Kucherov and Co. He even out-dueled Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will likely win the Vezina in June. Impressive stuff.
Highlights of the Night:
Ryan Hartman, untouchable:
Just beautiful. https://t.co/UHD33ljn33
— NHL (@NHL) February 18, 2018
Nikita Scherbak’d:
JAW. DROPPED. 😨 https://t.co/LP1W7bLT4F
— NHL (@NHL) February 18, 2018
Matt Murray did this two nights ago. Deja vu:
Some doorstep robbery by @mattmurray_30. #TORvsPIT pic.twitter.com/UD1hTFDbcD
— NHL (@NHL) February 18, 2018
Two-pad stack alert:
Stacks on stacks. pic.twitter.com/iJ0OvO0VXv
— NHL (@NHL) February 17, 2018
Factoids of the Night:
The season can’t end fast enough for the Oilers:
With 1-0 loss vs ARZ today, the #Oilers have been shutout 7 times- passes PHI for sole possession of the 3rd most by a team this season (only MTL & OTT have more with 8)
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 18, 2018
The Golden Knights are creeping toward another record:
The @GoldenKnights improved to 22-4-2 at T-Mobile Arena and matched the 1979-80 Whalers (22-12-6) for the most home wins by a team in its inaugural season. #NHLStats #MTLvsVGK pic.twitter.com/pkOVbHG0RC
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 18, 2018
Evgeni Malkin hits 900:
Evgeni Malkin has tallied 1-1—2 to reach the 900-point mark (361-539—900 in 762 GP). Since entering the League in 2006-07, only Alex Ovechkin (994) and Sidney Crosby (991) have collected more points than Malkin. #NHLStats #TORvsPIT pic.twitter.com/7Sf40WFgnv
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 18, 2018
MISC:
- Blackhawks fans tossed after racist taunts toward Capitals’ Devante Smith-Pelly
- Cam Talbot, furious with overturned goal, launches expletive-laden tirade
- Should Miles Wood be suspended after boarding Vladislav Namestnikov?
- Nathan MacKinnon set for return after eight-game layoff
- No NHL players means more mistakes and goals at Olympics
- NHL Playoff Race: The teams still in it and the teams that are out of it
Scores:
Kings 4, Sabres 2
Ducks 3, Wild 2 (SO)
Senators 6, Rangers 3
Coyotes 1, Oilers 0
Golden Knights 3, Canadiens 3
Devils 4, Lightning 3
Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 3
Red Wings 3, Predators 1
Blackhawks 7, Capitals 1
Canucks 6, Bruins 1
Panthers 6, Flames 3
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck