Three Stars
1. Michael Houser, Buffalo Sabres. Before Monday almost all of Michael Houser’s professional hockey experience since 2015 had taken place in the ECHL. During that time he played just 29 minutes in the AHL, zero minutes in the NHL, and was not on anybody’s radar to be making an impact in the NHL this season. Now, just 24 hours later, he is 2-0 in the NHL and owns a .940 save percentage after back-to-back wins against the New York Islanders. Houser stopped 45 out of 48 shots on Tuesday, and then stopped all three shots in the shootout to pick up his second win in as many days. It is easy to say that he is the bright spot of the 2020-21 Buffalo Sabres season.
2. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes. The Carolina Hurricanes have never finished a regular season with the NHL’s best record. That could change this season. They overcame a two-goal first period deficit on Tuesday to get a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Svechnikov helped lead the way with two goals and an assist as he starts to heat up just in time for the playoffs. He is now on a five-game point streak that has seen him record nine total points (two goals, seven assists).
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers. Leon Draisaitl scored two goals in the Oilers’ 4-1 win (and his numbers for the season are also incredible) over the Vancouver Canucks, but McDavid gets the star billing as he continues his amazing push for 100 points. With his two points on Tuesday he is now at 93 for the season. He needs just seven points in five games to reach the 100-point mark in a 56-game season. It would already be the fourth 100-point season of his career, and keep in mind he had 97 points in 64 games a year ago.
Other Notable Performances From Tuesday
• Sidney Crosby scored two goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they were 7-3 winners over the Philadelphia Flyers to move back into first place in the East Division. You can read more about that game here.
• Pavel Zacha and Yegor Sharangovich helped the New Jersey Devils continue their recent strong play as they stunned the Boston Bruins in overtime.
Highlights Of The Day
• Zacha scored two goals for the Devils on Tuesday, and his second goal of the game is the overtime winner.
• Carolina’s Morgan Geekie tried for the lacrosse style goal, fumbled it, and then passed to Nino Niederreiter for the goal. Not the way he planned it to happen, but the result is the same.
• Sidney Crosby’s second goal of the game was this perfectly placed shot.
Scores
Buffalo Sabres 4, New York Islanders 3 (SO)
New Jersey Devils 4, Boston Bruins 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh Penguins 7, Philadelphia Flyers 3
Carolina Hurricanes 6, Chicago Blackhawks 3
Edmonton Oilers 4, Vancouver Canucks 1
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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.