NHL Three Stars from Monday
1. Brock McGinn/Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes
So, uh, is the door open for more Blue Jackets drama? Or maybe the Hurricanes are just that dangerous?
Either way, McGinn, Teravainen, and others made it a long night for Columbus, as Carolina won 7-3. It was 3-2 after the first period, than the Hurricanes piled two more goals on in each of the next two periods to make this one a blowout. (To extract a few extra expletives from John Tortorella, the Blue Jackets even had a 3-1 lead in this game.)
McGinn ended the night with two goals and two assists, while Teravainen reached four points as well (1G, 3A). The Hurricanes also received multiple-point performances from Jordan Staal (two goals) and Jake Bean (two assists).
Actually, that bit about drama? Maybe the Blue Jackets skew closer to a dark comedy.
Check out the highlights for those performances, but also a great move by Jack Roslovic (doing well lately!) and a great baseball-style goal by Kevin Stenlund.
2. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
For just about everyone but the coaches, the ideal Jets - Oilers game is a high-scoring affair. Also ideally: Connor McDavid would end up doing some cool things.
That’s pretty much what happened here, although it would have been nice to see Leon Draisaitl get on the board. McDavid did, collecting two assists, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals (including one on an absolutely brilliant pass by Jesse Puljujarvi).
As explosive as the Oilers were, the Jets came out on top in part because of strong work by the likes of Mark Scheifele. Scheifele scored a goal and two assists, including providing the setup on the game-winner.
3. Evgenii Dadonov, Ottawa Senators
OK, you can probably hand this one to Auston Matthews, too. The red-hot American sniper collected two goals and one assist in helping the Maple Leafs build a 5-1 lead against the Senators.
Of course, that night doesn’t feel as great when you realize that the Senators ended up coming back against the Maple Leafs. Dadonov was a key part of that comeback, scoring two goals, including a thrilling game-winner. Scroll down for more on that game, and that moment.
Highlights of Monday Night in NHL: Tkachuk vs. Muzzin, Senators stun Maple Leafs
Monday was a busy night in the NHL, and there was plenty of nastiness. Jake Muzzin and Brady Tkachuk maybe had some built-in nastiness after Muzzin angered Matthew Tkachuk. Or, you know, maybe they got feisty because Brady Tkachuk is Brady Tkachuk. Either way, things erupted in Maple Leafs - Senators, including Brady Tkachuk fighting Jake Muzzin:
Everything happened in that game. You might as well watch the highlights, but if you need one to key on, the overtime game-winner should cover your bases. Dadonov blocked a shot, then scored a thrilling game-winner.
Schmidt with an own-goal on Canucks
Nate Schmidt setting up an own-goal is a pretty extreme example of the bounces not going the Canucks’ way. (Maybe Thatcher Demko technically owned-goal the Canucks, but you catch the drift.)
Stats of the night on the Senators rallying to beat the Maple Leafs
For the first time in Ottawa Senators history, they came back from a 4+ goal deficit to win a game. The league notes that their record in those situations is now 1-237-3. Via the NHL, the Senators have come back from down 4+ to at least tie the score on five occasions, but again, they either lost or settled for a tie.
Here’s one more stat that hammers home how rare the Senators’ comeback was against the Maple Leafs:
Tonight marks the first time in NHL history that the team with the fewest points in the NHL (@Senators) came back from a 4+ goal deficit to beat the team with the most points in the NHL (Maple Leafs).
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 16, 2021
Monday’s NHL scores
Coyotes 1, Blues 0
Islanders 3, Sabres 1
Hurricanes 7, Blue Jackets 3
Panthers 6, Lightning 4
Senators 6, Maple Leafs 5 (OT)
Blackhawks 3, Red Wings 2 (OT)
Jets 6, Oilers 5
Flames 4, Canucks 3 (OT)
Sharks 3, Ducks 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.