Three Stars
1. Blake Wheeler
The Blue Jackets put forth a nice effort on Sunday, but they couldn’t stop Blake Wheeler. He scored four goals (a hat trick plus an empty-netter), including the game-winner as Winnipeg greatly impeded Columbus’ push toward a playoff spot.
Wheeler extended his point streak to six games (five goals, seven assists for 12 points), and he’s been especially hot lately, as he combined Sunday’s four goals with three points (one goal, two assists) from Friday.
The 32-year-old now has 80 points in 65 games this season, the second-best total of his career. He has a strong chance of meeting or passing his career-high of 91 points in 81 games from 2017-18.
2. Mark Scheifele
Wheeler was the only player to manage four points on Sunday, while Scheifele stood ahead of everyone beyond his winger with three (everyone else scored two or fewer).
Scheifele generated his three points via assists, finishing that win against Columbus with a +4 rating. The 25-year-old center now has 75 points in 65 games during the 2018-19 campaign, seven behind his career-high of 82 back in 2016-17.
3. Claude Giroux
Among the many changes over the years in Philly, there seems to be one constant when things are going well: Claude Giroux turning it up a notch.
Sure, they’ve received great goaltending from Carter Hart, and are now getting sneaky-good work from Brian Elliott after the veteran healed up from injuries, but Giroux still drives the bus.
Giroux generated two assists as the Flyers beat the Islanders on Sunday, pushing his point streak to five consecutive games (two goals, seven assists). Remarkably, Giroux’s generated multiple points in four of those five games.
Overall, the 31-year-old forward has 70 points in 66 games.
Unlikely fight
You wouldn’t expect to see a fight between Jordan Eberle and Travis Konecny, but that’s what happened on Sunday, and it was a pretty spirited affair:
Suspension coming for Ian Cole?
The Colorado Avalanche defenseman was ejected for this ugly knee-to-knee on Devin Shore:
Highlights
Filip Chytil’s no-look assist is probably the best moment from these Caps-Rangers highlights, but you’d likely also be entertained by the way things finished (in Alex Ovechkin’s favor):
Jakob Silfverberg has an argument for Three Stars inclusion with a goal and an assist, especially if you factor in cool points. What a great way to score his 100th goal:
Factoids
- Joe Thornton appeared in his 1,550th career regular-season game, tying Alex Delvecchio for 14th in NHL history.
- Wheeler generated the seventh hat trick of the season for the Jets, the most of any team this season.
- Marc-Andre Fleury pitched back-to-back shutouts for the second time in 2018-19, and leads the league with eight overall.
Scores
WSH 3 - NYR 2 (SO)
PHI 4 - NYI 1
VGK 3 - VAN 0
ANA 2 - COL 1
OTT 3 - FLA 2
WPG 5 - CBJ 2
NSH 3 - MIN 2 (SO)
SJS 5 - CHI 2
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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.