Three Stars for Monday
1. Michael Houser, Buffalo Sabres
One of the coolest stories in the league this season comes on the team that probably wants to forget most of it.
Houser made his first career NHL start on Monday night after nearly a decade in the minors. Primarily making a career in the ECHL, Houser had started just two games in the AHL since 2016.
The 28-year-old earned the win for the Sabres, beating the Islanders with 31 saves. A solid late entry for story of the year in the NHL.
2. Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens
Call him COTle Caufield because all he does is score overtime game winners. The Canadiens rookie has two NHL goals in his young career and they’ve both come in the extra period.
Monday night’s was perhaps even more important, as it pulled the Habs into a tie with Winnipeg for third place in the North. Talk about a late season boost.
Pretty good year for the Hobey Baker winner. There’s no doubt he’s made the Canadiens better in a short period of time.
3. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are battling to keep that top seed in the Central and Aho is making it easier. The Hurricanes star scorer picked up a hat trick in Monday’s strong showing over Chicago.
Aho scored twice in the second frame and then the empty netter to boost his goals total up to 24 on the season.
Highlights Of The Day
* Tyler Seguin has missed the entire season with a hip injury, and his impact in Dallas was felt right away in his return.
Tyler Seguin has made his mark in return to the lineup, scoring the second of two @DallasStars goals in a span of 11 seconds.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 4, 2021
That's the team’s fastest two goals in a game this season. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/QOPd7DE6jk
* Predators defenseman Roman Josi helped their playoff chances with an overtime game winner over Columbus.
Roman Josi with the CLUTCH OT winner❕
— NHL (@NHL) May 4, 2021
NHL x @trulyseltzer pic.twitter.com/XC7duO8jxl
* Emil Bemström notched a natural hat trick in the third period for Columbus, which forced overtime.
3️⃣ GOALS ON THE SEASON
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 4, 2021
3️⃣ GOALS ON THE NIGHT
pic.twitter.com/VUPMzAMDkt
Stats of the Day
* Florida rookie goalie Spencer Knight has won all four games he’s played since making his NHL debut. This time, the former Boston College goaltender led the Panthers to an overtime win over Dallas.
* Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov saw his career-high 248:00 shutout streak come to an end in the loss to Buffalo.
* Kirill Kaprizov’s third-period game-tying goal on Monday caught the headlines, but he also notched his 21st assist. That tied him with Filip Kuba for the most ever among Wild rookies.
* Connor McDavid picked up four points in the Oilers win, sending him to 91 on the season. With six games left, he still has an outside shot of hitting 100.
Scores
Panthers 5, Stars 4 OT Sabres 4, Islanders 1 Bruins 3, Devils 0 Capitals 6, Rangers 3 Flyers 7, Penguins 2 Hurricanes 5, Blackhawks 2 Predators 4, Blue Jackets 3 OT Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 2 OT Senators 2, Jets 1 Blues 3, Ducks 1 Wild 6, Golden Knights 5 Kings 3, Coyotes 2 Oilers 5, Canucks 3 Avalanche 5, Sharks 4 OT
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Marisa Ingemi is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop her a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Ingemi.