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NHL Rink Wrap: Rangers keep rolling; Islanders finally end losing streak

NHL Scores

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 07: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers hits the puck against Dylan Strome #17 of the Chicago Blackhawks in the first period at United Center on December 07, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Top player from Tuesday in the NHL

Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

The New York Rangers extended their current winning streak to seven games on Tuesday night with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was another big game for Panarin, the Rangers’ best player, as he scored two goals and recorded four points against his former team. That performance also put him over the 500-point mark for his career. Panarin is one of the best offensive players in the league and he has been especially dominant during the current winning streak, recording 14 points in the seven games. That includes five multi-point games.

Highlights from Tuesday in the NHL

The play of the night came the Anaheim Ducks in their 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres when Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano completed this incredible behind-the-net, alley-oop play to open the scoring. What a beautiful play.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were 5-4 winners in Columbus, and the big difference-maker in the game was this seven-second stretch where Auston Matthews and John Tavares scored goals. That is two goals in seven seconds.

The St. Louis Blues overcame an ugly start to get a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night thanks to this outstanding effort from Pavel Buchnevich.

Roman Josi helped the Nashville Predators snap the Detroit Red Wings’ winning streak with this great individual effort to skate through the defense.

Three Takeaways from Tuesday in the NHL

Islanders finally snap losing streak

The New York Islanders are finally back in the win column thanks to their 5-3 win in Ottawa, snapping what had been an 11-game losing streak (0-8-3). Anders Lee scored a pair of goals in the win to help the Islanders get a desperately needed win. If you want to be optimistic as an Islanders fan you can look at the fact they do have a four-game point streak now thanks to the last three losses over the streak all coming in overtime or a shootout. So maybe it is a step back in the right direction. But will it be too little, too late this season? Still a lot of hockey remaining. But they are facing quite the deficit in a tough division and Eastern Conference playoff race.

Could be another busy day for the Department Of Player Safety

After suspending Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza for six games on Tuesday for a kneeing incident, the Department Of Player Safety could have a couple of more players to look at on Wednesday. First, there is Jacob Trouba’s hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khalia. The slow motion replay sure makes it appear as if Trouba’s arm makes direct contact with Khalia’s head. He had to be removed from the game on a stretcher, but the early reports from the Blackhawks so far are positive. In Carolina, Hurricanes defenseman Ian Cole was ejected from their game against Winnipeg for kneeing Mark Scheifele.

Lightning stun Canadiens

For 57 minutes the Montreal Canadiens looked like they were on track to steal a stunning win against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Then they allowed two goals in three minutes, including the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds to play. That is pretty much the story of both team’s seasons at this point. The Lightning keep finding ways to win no matter who is in or out of their lineup, while the Canadiens keep finding ways to lose games no matter the situation.

Wednesday’s big story

The game of the night is in New York where the Colorado Avalanche visit the league’s hottest team, the Rangers. The Rangers will be looking to extend their current winning streak to eight games. It is also a matchup of two of the best defensemen in hockey with the Colorado’s Cale Makar going head-to-head against reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox.

Tuesday’s NHL Scores

Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Montreal Canadiens 2
New York Islanders 5, Ottawa Senators 3
Nashville Predators 5, Detroit Red Wings 2
Anaheim Ducks 2, Buffalo Sabres 0
St. Louis Blues 4, Florida Panthers 3 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Winnipeg Jets 2
New York Rangers 6, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Minnesota Wild 4, Edmonton Oilers 1
San Jose Sharks 5, Calgary Flames 3