Top player from Sunday in the NHL
Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils look like a much improved team this season and the addition of Hamilton is one of the biggest reasons why.
He is one of the best all-around defensemen in the NHL and he is playing like it this season, and he put together a masterpiece on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
His stat line included a goal, an assist, 10 shots on goal, 15 total shot attempts, and when he was on the ice during 5-on-5 play the Devils outshot the Flyers 18-4, had a 29-13 total shot attempts advantage, outchanced them 19-8, and outscored them by a 3-1 margin. A truly dominant performance to help the Devils to a 5-2 win.
Highlights from Sunday in the NHL
Another day, another goal for Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin. Another goal closer to another milestone. This is his 19th goal of the season and the 749th goal of his career.
The Chicago Blackhawks could not generate any offense in a 2-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks, but Marc-Andre Fleury and his defenders did team up for this hectic series of saves.
The Bruins’ power play came through in the third period with a pair of goals to lift them to a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Brad Marchand scored the game-tying goal, further endearing himself to Vancouver Canucks fans, on this net-front scramble.
Three Takeaways from Sunday in the NHL
Brendan Lemieux offered in-person hearing
Los Angeles Kings forward Brendan Lemieux is going to be facing a potentially significant suspension for a biting incident on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators. Brady Tkachuk accused Lemieux of biting him during a fight, and it seems the NHL agrees. He has been offered an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, which opens the possibility for a suspension of more than five games. The league does not typically offer an in-person hearing if it does not intend to hand out a suspension of more than five games, so Lemieux and the Kings better be bracing themselves for that.
The Chicago Blackhawks can not find any offense
Chicago has been playing better since the coaching change, tightening things up defensively and winning a few games. They can not find any offense though, and were shutout by James Reimer and the San Jose Sharks, 2-0, on Sunday night. Go back over the past 10 games and Chicago has scored just 19 goals during that stretch. They are one of the worst offensive teams in the league for the season overall and are not getting any offense unless it comes from Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are on a roll
Everything is clicking for the Maple Leafs right now. With their 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, they have now won 14 out of their past 16 games and are now among the league’s best teams after a 2-4-1 start to the season. The best sign of all for the Maple Leafs? Not only is the offense there, but the defense and goaltending is there as well. Over the aforementioned 16 game stretch they have allowed just 26 total goals. They have allowed one goal or less in nine of those 16 games, including four shutouts.
Monday’s big story
Montreal and Vancouver is not a game between 2021-22 Stanley Cup contenders. In fact, both teams find themselves at the bottom of the NHL standings and are two of the biggest disappointments in the league this season. But it is a game of one team that has already started to make sweeping changes to its front office (Montreal) and another that is probably on the verge of needing to do the same (Vancouver).
Sunday’s NHL scores
Washington Capitals 4, Carolina Hurricanes 2
Minnesota Wild 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 2N
San Jose Sharks 2, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Boston Bruins 3, Vancouver Canucks 2
New Jersey Devils 5, Philadelphia Flyers 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Anaheim Ducks 1
New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers (Postponed)
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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.