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The Buzzer: Blackhawks stay hot; Long-lasting Luongo

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It may have seemed unlikely a few months ago, but the Chicago Blackhawks are suddenly streaking and find themselves inching toward a playoff spot.

Three Stars

1. Vladimir Tarasenko

Tarasenko generated a hat trick to help the Blues sweep their home-and-home set against the Predators, with his third goal being a sweet overtime-winner for St. Louis. Things were already looking great for the Blues coming into this weekend, and now they’re trending toward being the team top West contenders do not want to face in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“The Tank” extended his point streak to eight games. During that span, he’s generated seven goals and five assists for 12 points. Tarasenko’s at 22 goals in 2018-19, giving him six straight seasons with 20+ goals.

It’s a good sign that Tarasenko is firing the puck a lot, too. He generated eight shots on goal on Sunday, giving him 23 SOG over the last five games.

2. Alexandar Georgiev

What a performance by the rookie New York Rangers goalie.

Georgiev stopped 55 of 56 shots on goal by the Toronto Maple Leafs, including all 23 SOG he faced during Toronto’s four unsuccessful power-play opportunities. It was quite a way for Georgiev to celebrate his 23rd birthday.

He finished just four saves short of Mike Richter’s single-game Rangers record of 59.

3. Dominik Kahun

Six different players reached three points on Sunday. Tarasenko stands out from the pack being that he’s the only won whose three points comprised a hat trick.

Kahun joins Tarasenko as the only one of the six to score a GWG on Sunday. He generated two goals and one assist as the Blackhawks beat the Red Wings to win their seventh consecutive game.

The 23-year-old’s enjoyed a reasonably solid rookie season (27 points in 56 games), but he’s been really racking up points lately. Over the last four games, Kahun’s produced three goals and four assists for seven points. Kahun’s Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat also had a three-point game on Sunday, with his coming via three assists.

Sharp on CHI

Speaking of Chicago’s winning streak, here’s Patrick Sharp on his former team’s turnaround, and their chances of making the playoffs.

Highlights of the Night

As nice a goal as Ryan Callahan scored, the biggest highlight is his celebration.

The Avalanche have really been struggling, but Nathan MacKinnon is still spectacular. Video evidence:

Factoids


  • Roberto Luongo played in his 1,030th regular-season game, breaking a tie with Patrick Roy for second all-time in NHL history. As has been the case all too often on some weak Panthers teams, Luongo didn’t get the win. “Luongoat” might be pushing it ... how about “Hall-ongo?”
  • By winning his 10th game in a row, Louis Domingue set a new franchise record for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy hit nine last season.
  • Patrick Kane pushed his remarkable point streak to 14 games on Sunday.

Scores

STL 5 - NSH 4 (OT)
CHI 5 - DET 2
BOS 2 - COL 1 (OT)
WPG 3 - BUF 1
NJD 3 - CAR 2
NYI 2 - MIN 1
TBL 5 - FLA 2
NYR 4 - TOR 1

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.