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The Buzzer: Rangers can’t keep up with Bruins’ top line

Boston Bruins v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2019 in New York City. The Bruins defeated the Rangers 7-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Three Stars

1. Top line of the Boston Bruins

Let’s not kid ourselves; it would be pretty silly to try to split hairs regarding which of Brad Marchand (two goals, three assists), David Pastrnak (five assists), and Patrice Bergeron (hat trick) had the best night for arguably the best line in the NHL. We might as well give them the collective award, especially since other players deserve some limelight on a pretty busy Sunday night.

Marchand might have the sexiest night, as he scored five points, with two from goals and three from assists. All of Pastrnak’s five points were assists, and now that Pasta is at 23 points, Pastrnak leads the entire NHL (sorry, John Carlson). Bergeron combined his hat trick with his usual versatile work, including going 15-5 on faceoffs.

Zdeno Chara doesn’t belong in that top three conversation, but his night is worth noting: one goal, one assist, +6, six SOG, and two blocked shots.

2. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

You could say this is a duo award in a way that the Bruins top line is a three-way tie of sorts, as David Perron (game-winning goal, three assists) also had a four-point night along with ROR, who scored two goals and two assists. The Blues needed those points, too, as St. Louis was merely caught sleeping. The Blues carried a 3-1 lead into the third period against a struggling Red Wings team, but that Detroit squad has Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Anthony Mantha. That trio powered a surge where the Red Wings briefly took a 4-3 lead, only for ROR to tie things up on the power play (primary assist: Perron) and then for Perron to win in OT.

The defending champions had to wipe some sweat off their brow in Motown/Hockeytown/a place with a lot of nicknames.

3. Nick Paul, Ottawa Senators

For some scrolling Twitter or scoreboards, they might see Nick Paul and his two-goal, one-assist night, and ask “Who?” The Sharks might have been asking who is that, or what was that, on this goal:

(Erik Karlsson’s face says it all.)

Paul is 24, and was a fourth-round selection (101st overall in 2013) by the Dallas Stars. This three-point night gives Paul 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 62 NHL games, sprinkled over multiple seasons with the Senators since 2015-16.

As bumpy as this season is expected to be for Ottawa -- you can bet the Sharks are stunned losing on Sunday -- it might inspire the Sens to take longer looks at players like Paul. He’s shown some promise in the AHL lately, scoring four points in three games for the Belleville Senators this season, and 39 points in 43 games in 2018-19.

There were some other worthwhile performances on Sunday, including Dylan Strome (2G, 1A also), but Paul got the GWG, and also the novelty factor.

Highlights of the Night

Honestly, that Senators win over the Sharks had quite a few great goals. There was that booming shot by Paul, a great video game-like bit of speed and skill from Anthony Duclair, and an impressive breakout pass from Brent Burns leading to a nifty Kevin Labanc goal. So why not enjoy the highlights from that Ottawa upset, in general?

Factoids and tidbits


  • Uh oh: Rangers star Mika Zibanejad left Sunday’s game and didn’t return because of an upper-body injury.
  • Also Rangers-related: with two assists, Tony DeAngelo became the first Blueshirts blueliner to generate multiple points in three consecutive games since Brian Leetch did it in 1996-97, according to NHL PR.
  • The Islanders’ seven-game winning streak is their longest since 1989-90. Read more about that streak here.
  • Also via NHL PR: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (both tied with Carlson for second in the NHL with 21 points) are the third set of Oilers teammates to generate 20+ points through the first 12 games of a season; Wayne Gretzky did so twice with Mark Messier, and once with Jarri Kurri. Gretzky’s lowest total during that time was 28 points, while he hit 33 during the other two occasions. Alright player, that Gretzky.
  • Seven of James Neal’s 10 goals have come on the power play so far, tying him with Messier (1987-88) and Bill Guerin (1998-99) for the most PPG for Oilers players through the first 12 games of a season, according to Statscentre.

Scores

FLA 6 - EDM 2
STL 5 - DET 4 (OT)
OTT 5 - SJS 2
NYI 5 - PHI 3
BOS 7 -NYR 4
CHI 5 - LAK 1
VGK 5 - ANA 2

MORE:
Pro Hockey Talk’s Stanley Cup picks.
Your 2019-20 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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.