The Buzzer: John Gibson headlines some strong goalie performances

By Jan 19, 2021, 1:50 AM EST

Three Stars

1. John Gibson

Despite leaky systems behind Randy Carlyle, John Gibson was building a strong case as best goalie in the world. Say what you will about Frederik Andersen‘s ups and downs in Toronto, but it says a lot about a netminder that he can prove so resolutely that he was the top guy. Gibson did that, with gusto.

And then last season happened. The 2019-20 campaign was rough for the Anaheim Ducks, and John Gibson was not immune to those struggles. There was at least some concern if Gibson could be all-world again. Could it be that Dallas Eakins’ defense didn’t mesh well with Gibson’s style? Was Gibson somehow not putting in the work? Maybe the Ducks ran Gibson into the ground by relying on him so much, so often?

Well, it’s early, but the 2021 edition of John Gibson looks a lot more like the Gibson who wow’d us before.

Gibson made 31 saves against the Golden Knights, but Vegas snatched victory from him. This time, Gibson shut out the Wild after stopping all 34 saves. Could he be “back?”

2. Semyon Varlamov

Sure, Barry Trotz’s system insulates Islanders goalies. Those netminders still need to make key stops, though, and Semyon Varlamov’s begun the season red-hot.

After an injury scare suffered during warm-ups before the Islanders’ lone loss of this young season, it looks like Varlamov is A-OK.

There were other strong goalie performances on Monday, including Carey Price once again outdueling the Oilers. But John Gibson and Semyon Varlamov stood out the most.

3. Logan Couture

Hey, if you might not be a particularly good team, you might as well be fun, right? OK, considering the money the Sharks are spending on this squad, they’re probably not that excited about going through a series of explicit coin-tosses. But, if this is the alternative to … whatever happened last season, it could be fun. At least for their forwards, and maybe Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.

So, the Sharks didn’t win, but Logan Couture helped San Jose stay in the game. Couture scored two goals and one assist as San Jose tried to run-and-gun against the Blues.

With six points in three games, Tomas Hertl is the hottest-starting Shark, under the radar or not. Couture was the most explosive of the Sharks on Monday, though.

NHL highlights from Monday

Shea Weber scored one funky goal that thrived through the review process:

Still gushing over this William Karlsson pass:

The best NHL highlights from Monday revolved around Hockey Culture, though. NBC and the NHL celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the anniversary of Willie O’Ree breaking the color barrier. You can see a great video regarding Dampy Brar being named the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in the clip above this post’s headline.

COVID-related absences

The NHL announced the following COVID-related absences for Monday. Note that the Anaheim Ducks are listed as “TBA.” (Teams without absences are not listed.)

Anaheim – TBA

Carolina – Jordan Staal

Columbus – Mikko Koivu

Dallas – will be released prior to its first game

Detroit – Adam Erne; Robby Fabbri

Florida – Juho Lammikko; Markus Nutivaara

Minnesota – Alex Stalock

Nashville – Mikael Granlund

New Jersey – Eric Comrie

Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere

Tampa Bay – Blake Coleman; Curtis McElhinney

Vancouver – Jordie Benn

Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman

NHL scores from Monday

Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 2
Islanders 1, Bruins 0
Maple Leafs 3, Jets 1
Sabres 6, Flyers 1
Hurricanes 4, Predators 2
Blues 5, Sharks 4
Flames 5, Canucks 2
Ducks 1, Wild 0
Canadiens 3, Oilers 1
Golden Knights 4, Coyotes 2

More NHL News

Sharks goalie James Reimer declines to wear Pride jersey
Panarin, Shesterkin lead Rangers to 6-0 rout of Penguins
Blues’ Jordan Binnington suspended 2 games for throwing punch

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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.

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    Sharks goalie James Reimer declines to wear Pride jersey

    Associated PressMar 19, 2023, 3:44 PM EDT
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    San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer didn’t take part in pregame warmups, saying the team’s decision to wear Pride-themed jerseys in support of the LGBTQ community runs counter to his religious beliefs.

    Reimer said in a statement Saturday that he made the decision based on his Christian beliefs, adding that he “always strived to treat everyone with respect” and that members of the LGBTQ community should be welcome in hockey.

    “In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions, which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in life,” Reimer said.

    Reimer is the second NHL player this season to refuse to take part in warmups with Pride-themed jerseys, with Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov declining to in January. Reimer was not slated to start in Saturday night’s home game against the New York Islanders, which is Pride night.

    Additionally, the New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan.

    The Sharks said in a statement that they are proud to host Pride Night, saying the event reinforces the team’s commitment to inclusiveness.

    “As we promote these standards, we also acknowledge and accept the rights of individuals to express themselves, including how or whether they choose to express their beliefs, regardless of the cause or topic,” the team said in a statement. “As an organization, we will not waver in our support of the LGBTQIA+ community and continue to encourage others to engage in active allyship.”

    The You Can Play Project, which works to promote inclusiveness in sports, said the organization was disappointed in Reimer’s actions.

    “Religion and respect are not in conflict with each other, and we are certainly disappointed when religion is used as a reason to not support our community,” the organization said. “Wearing pride jerseys, like any celebration jersey worn, is not about the personal feelings of an athlete; rather the communication from the team that a community is welcome in the arena and the sport.”

    Panarin, Shesterkin lead Rangers to 6-0 rout of Penguins

    Associated PressMar 19, 2023, 1:18 AM EDT
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    NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Artemi Panarin scored twice and Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves as the New York Rangers routed Pittsburgh 6-0 on Saturday night for their second win over the Penguins in three days.

    Vladimir Tarasenko, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba also scored for the surging Rangers, who have won nine of their last 11 home games and are 12-4-0 in their past 16 at Madison Square Garden.

    Shesterkin won his fifth straight and posted his second shutout this season. He nimbly denied Pittsburgh forward Mikael Granland with a sprawling save five minutes into the third period to preserve the shutout, the 10th of his career. His other one this season was a 1-0 home win over Philadelphia on Nov. 1.

    “When you put in hard and honest work, miracles happen,” Shesterkin said through a translator. ”We played wonderfully today – scored many, many goals. Honestly, I hope the fans loved it. We’re playing for them.”

    The Penguins lost their third straight and trail the Rangers by 12 points for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh, still in wild-card position, is trying to reach the playoffs for the 17th straight time.

    “Tonight was a humbling experience for all of us,” coach Mike Sullivan said. ”At this time of year, you have to have a short memory. We still have control of our destiny.”

    Patrick Kane and defenseman K’Andre Miller also had two assists apiece as New York improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine home games against Pittsburgh. The Rangers are five points behind the second-place New Jersey Devils, who lost at Florida on Saturday.

    “This was a big game for our goalie and our team,” Panarin said. “If you work at playing the right way, you have opportunities for goals.”

    Since Dec. 5, when they turned around their season with a 6-4 comeback win at home over St. Louis, the Rangers are 29-9-5.

    As he did on Thursday when the Rangers beat the Penguins 4-2, Zibanejad opened the scoring. He got his team-leading 36th goal at 5:10 of the first, beating Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. Trouba and Miller assisted.

    Panarin made it 2-0 at 19:49 on the power play, whipping the puck past Jarry from the left circle off a pass from Adam Fox.

    Tarasenko increased the lead at 3:54 of the second with his fifth goal since joining the Rangers in a trade with St. Louis on Feb. 9. Tarasenko has points in 10 of his first 18 games with the Rangers.

    Kreider made it 4-0 at 6:43 with his 31st goal and third in two games against the Penguins. Kane and Vincent Trocheck assisted on Kreider’s 260th career goal, which moved the Rangers forward within two of Vic Hadfield for fifth place on the franchise list.

    New York won Thursday when Kreider scored the go-ahead goal in the third and added an empty-netter.

    After Casey DeSmith replaced Jarry in net following Kreider’s goal, Trouba beat the replacement with a sharp-angle shot at 8:39 for his eighth to increase the margin to 5-0. Trouba has points in six of his last eight games.

    Panarin scored again at 16:38 of the second – his 22nd goal of the season – to make it 6-0, with assists to Kane and Filip Chytil.

    “We’re building chemistry, building every day and every game,” Kane said.

    Panarin has points in eight of his last 10 games and leads the Rangers with 77 points overall, while Kane has seven points in his last six games.

    “It’s nice to see that many great players on your team,” added Panarin, whose first two NHL seasons were played alongside Kane with the Chicago Blackhawks. “We’re happy tonight.”

    Zibanejad assisted on goals by Tarasenko and Trouba and has 25 points – including 14 goals – over his last 20 games.

    “It was just one of those nights when the puck goes in for us,” Zibanejad said. “And obviously Igor gives us a boost making all those saves.”

    NOTES: The Penguins were missing defenseman Jeff Petry after he was hit with an unpenalized elbow from Rangers forward Tyler Motte on Thursday. … Pittsburgh also scratched defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Dalton Heinen and played defenseman Mark Friedman for the first time since Feb. 11. … The Rangers were without injured defenseman Ryan Lindgren for the 10th straight game.

    UP NEXT

    Penguins: Host the Ottawa Senators on Monday.

    Rangers: Host the Nashville Predators on Sunday night.

    Coyotes sign Shane Doan’s son to entry-level contract

    Associated PressMar 17, 2023, 12:35 PM EDT
    Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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    TEMPE, Ariz. — Josh Doan is following his father’s footsteps into professional hockey.

    The Arizona Coyotes signed the 21-year-old forward to a three-year entry-level contract, beginning with the 2023-24 NHL season. He will report to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and play his first game against the Calgary Wranglers.

    Doan’s father, Shane, played 21 seasons with the franchise, many of those as captain, and followed it from Winnipeg to the desert in 1996. Shane Doan now serves as Arizona’s chief hockey development officer.

    The Coyotes drafted Josh Doan in the second round of the 2021, but he opted to play for the hometown Arizona State Sun Devils.

    Josh Doan set school records for goals (12) and assists (25) as a freshman last season. He had 16 goals and 22 assists in 39 games with Arizona State this season.

    The 6-foot-1, 183-pounder also played two seasons for the Chicago Steel of the USHL.

    Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman has shoulder surgery

    Associated PressMar 17, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT
    Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
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    CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman had surgery on his right shoulder.

    The team said the operation was performed in Los Angeles. Team physician Michael Terry said the 23-year-old Guttman is expected “to be out of hockey activities for approximately four months.”

    Guttman had been a pleasant surprise for rebuilding Chicago. He made his NHL debut last month and finished the season with four goals and two assists in 14 games.

    Guttman was selected by Tampa Bay in the 2017 draft. He agreed to a two-year contract with Chicago in August 2022 that had a $950,000 salary cap hit.