Three Stars
1. Tyler Bertuzzi
For the first time in his NHL career, Bertuzzi generated a hat trick, playing a role in a very frustrating night for Bruce Boudreau and the Wild.
Overall, Bertuzzi ended up with five shots on goal and a +3 rating in that win. Todd’s nephew now has 13 goals and 25 points in 45 games this season.
Consider this also an honorary spot for Dylan Larkin, who continued a quietly strong 2018-19 with three assists.
2. Nikita Kucherov
Things get funky after Bertuzzi, whose three points being three goals makes for an easy tiebreaker. The rest are judgment calls, really.
It doesn’t help that there’s a little club of one-goal, two-assists nights where both assists are primary helpers. That was the case with Kucherov, Sean Kuraly, and Jeff Carter.
Kucherov gets one of the nods because, honestly, we really need to step back and behold his amazing run whenever we can. And the same should be said for the absolutely ridiculous Lightning, who are now on an 18-1-1 run.
Kucherov’s now at 75 points in just 45 games. Goodness.
3. Sean Kuraly
From a guy on top of the hockey world to someone who might not make these lists very often, Kuraly also enjoyed an aforementioned one-goal, two-assist night.
Considering his recent efforts, it seems well-earned. Kuraly had been suffering through a four-game pointless streak, yet he fired a healthy 14 SOG during that drought. The Bruins would end up needing all three of his points, too, as they won 3-2 against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Again, there’s a strong case for Carter to be in the top three, too. Goalies also had some arguments, including Carey Price, who pitched a 28-save shutout against the Avalanche.
Highlights of the Night
Conor Garland has been quietly building up a nice season between the AHL and NHL, but Saturday might just boost him up to the level of semi-mainstream consciousness among hockey fans.
It’s not just that he scored two goals in Arizona’s win against Edmonton. It’s that the first one went off of his face, and then he came back and scored another one that had to be reviewed. Garland is now on a four-game goal streak (six goals).
This continues what’s been a tough couple of days for faces, even by the gritty standards of hockey players. Braden Holtby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIk1Rf6Utac” target="_blank” rel="noopener">took a stick to the eye. Johnny Boychuk blocked a shot with his face. At least Garland got a goal for his efforts, then, eh?
Watch Garland’s two goals, stitches and all, in the video above this post’s headline.
In that same game, Connor McDavid scored a very business-as-usual goal, which of course means it was really impressive:
The magical ride isn’t over yet for Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, as he helped St. Louis suppress Dallas. This was a great sequence. Also, great call on the nickname/Twitter handle “Binn Nasty.”
Oh what a save from @binnnasty. pic.twitter.com/YRCL9E6seZ
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) January 13, 2019
Trash talk moment of the night
In response to Evgeny Kuznetsov’s bird/eagle celebration, Artemi Panarin and the Blue Jackets laid it on pretty thick in mocking his cele after winning things 2-1 in OT.
That bread guy scores the game-winner. Blue Jackets win 2-1 in OT. #CapsJackets pic.twitter.com/t6lRXkAX4q
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 13, 2019
Maybe these teams will get to hash things out in a playoff series? Kuznetsov got a pretty nice burn in that regard, via Ian Oland of Russian Machine Never Breaks:
“That’s fine, you know. It’s nice to get some people to think about me,” Kuznetsov said. “Same as like in April last series.”
Ouch. Also: that Panarin shot was nasty, though.
More on a tough night for the Capitals here, which also includes a breakout pass that ranks as an honorable mention for highlights of the night.
Factoids
- Brent Burns played in his 1,000th game, collecting two points, and also being distinctly Brent Burns (read: weird).
“I’ve been in this business 40 years, I’ve never had to follow two antelopes.” 😂
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 13, 2019
Watch tonight’s pregame ceremony honoring @Burnzie88’s 1000th game. pic.twitter.com/3jGCxvqrg3
- For all the success the Golden Knights have had in their young history, Alex Tuch is the first player to generate a nine-game point streak.
- Rasmus Dahlin joins his coach Phil Housley and legends like Bobby Orr on an impressive list. He’s one of only seven defensemen who’ve generated at least 20 assists before reaching age 19.
Scores
NJD 3 - PHI 2
NYR 2 - NYI 1
TBL 5 - BUF 3
BOS 3 - TOR 2
MTL 3 - COL 0
CBJ 2 - WSH 1 (OT)
DET 5 - MIN 2
VGK 4 - CHI 3 (OT)
STL 3 - DAL 1
ARI 3 - EDM 2
SJS 4 - OTT 1
LAK 5 - PIT 2
—
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.