Three Stars
1. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Columbus Blue Jackets. Their incredible season continued on Sunday with a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, and it was a huge performance from Dubois that was the difference. In 17 minutes of ice-time he scored two goals, recorded an assist, won six out of eight faceoffs, and was a plus-two in the win. His 17 goals and 42 total points for the season lead the team while he continues to be their best two-way forward. The Blue Jackets are now 17-2-5 in their past 24 games (the only two losses in regulation were against the San Jose Sharks) and are in third playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, moving ahead of the New York Islanders. The Islanders do, however, still have three games in hand.
2. Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins. Do not let the three goals against on the stat sheet fool you. Murray was the difference for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday in their 4-3 win against the Washington Capitals thanks to his incredible third period performance. He has now won six starts in a row and seven of his past eight games. Read more about his recent play and the Penguins’ win on Sunday right here.
3. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes. He is quickly turning into a superstar for the Hurricanes, and he scored an absolute beauty of a goal on Sunday to give them a third period lead.
Andrei Svechnikov (@ASvechnikov_37), what a player. pic.twitter.com/jQEc83k9ws
— NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2020
His line was dominant for the Hurricanes in a 4-3 shootout win on Sunday and his goal gives him his second straight 20-goal season to start his career. Keep in mind he is still only 19 years old. He is just the 16th player in NHL history to have two 20-goal seasons before their age 20 season. Read more about the Hurricanes’ win and their Super Bowl Sunday football-themed Storm Surge right here.
Highlights of the Day
It did not result in two points in the standings, but Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson scored two great goals on Sunday to continue his magnificent sophomore season. He scored his second goal from an absolutely ridiculous angle to tie the game in the third period to help get it to overtime and give them at least one point in the standings.
From an impossible angle. You've got to see this @_EPettersson goal to believe it. pic.twitter.com/EGL6UVoAGr
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 2, 2020
This shot by Penguins forward Sam Lafferty was a thing of beauty to tie the game in the first period not long after Lars Eller scored the first goal of the game.
Dubois earned his second goal of the game with his effort on this shift.
Factoids
- Elvis Merzlikins won his sixth game in a row for the Blue Jackets, extending the franchise record for longest winning streak by a rookie goalie. [NHL PR]
- Elias Pettersson’s two goals on Sunday give him 50 for his career, making him one of the fastest players in franchise history to reach that mark. [NHL PR]
- The Carolina Hurricanes won their 30th game of the season and are back in a playoff spot. [NHL PR]
Scores
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Washington Capitals 3
Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Montreal Canadiens 3
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Vancouver Canucks 3 (SO)
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.