Three stars
1. Ben Bishop (and Anton Khudobin), Dallas Stars
Bishop and his backup edge Hart here due to the fact that Bishop got run over by Calgary Flames forward Garnet Hathaway, forcing him to leave the game in the second period with the Stars up 1-0.
Khudobin held down the fort while Bishop was getting checked out to close out the second period.
Bishop would only miss about six-and-a-half minutes as he led Dallas back onto the ice in the third and resumed where he left off. The duo combined for 24 saves for the shutout as Dallas won 2-0, making some history in the process.
2. Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart made history as he stepped onto the ice in his NHL debut, becoming the Flyers’ sixth goalie to appear in their first 35 games. That’s not a great record to hold, but he’ll be in the annals of hockey history for a while, I’d imagine.
History or not, Hart was solid in his inauguration. He turned aside 20 shots as he and newly-minted head coach Scott Gordon picked up their first wins at their respective positions.
Hart is facing a lot of pressure here. He’s dubbed as the future in Philly and for good reason. Some call the City of Brotherly Love a graveyard for goaltenders. Perhaps Hart can buck the trend. Who knows.
For now, he’s certainly earned another start.
3. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks
An all-goalie lockout in the three stars tonight finishes with Jones.
The Sharks netminders earned his first shutout of the season, making 26 saves for career goose egg No. 20. Jones’ save percentage this season has left a bit more to be desired, so Tuesday’s effort was a good refresher for fans on what he’s capable of.
San Jose has now won five in a row as they continue their ascent to the top of the Pacific Division.
Other notable performances:
- Evgenii Dadonov had two goals and an assist in Florida’s 5-2 win over the Sabres.
- Nazem Kadri and Connor Brown each had three assists for the Maple Leafs, who trounced the Devils 7-2.
- Vladislav Namestnikov had a goal, two assists as the Rangers won 3-1 against the Ducks.
- Cam Ward made 30 saves as the Blackhawks down the Predators 2-1.
- Brayden Schenn had three assists for the Blues.
- Jonathan Quick made 30 saves to end the Jets’ five-game winning streak.
Highlights of the night
As advertised, this is a nice goal:
Luuuuu:
Given how the Flyers crease situation has played out this season, Gritty may want to keep these goalies healthy:
Factoid
Scores
Panthers 5, Sabres 2
Maple Leafs 7, Devils 2
Rangers 3, Ducks 1
Flyers 3, Red Wings 2
Sharks 4, Wild 0
Blackhawks 2, Predators 1
Stars 2, Flames 0
Blues 4, Oilers 1
Islanders 3, Coyotes 1
Lightning 5, Canucks 2
Kings 4, Jets 1
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