Top player in the NHL on Sunday
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have been sliding a bit in recent weeks but they picked up a much-needed two points on Sunday in a 4-3 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings. The big star of the game was prized rookie Trevor Zegras as he scored a goal and an assist in the win, while also adding a shootout goal to help give the Ducks the extra point. Zegras is now up to 27 points in 32 games this season as he continues to establish himself as a core player for the Ducks and one of the NHL’s most exciting young players.
Highlights from around the NHL on Sunday
The St. Louis Blues stunned the Dallas Stars on Sunday with two goals in the final minute of regulation just 16 seconds apart. It was a wild, chaotic ending (and you can read all about it here).
Troy Terry continues to be a stunning surprise for the Anaheim Ducks this season, and he scored his 22nd goal of the season in Sunday’s win.
The Dallas Stars’ only goal on Sunday was a combination of slick passing and a little bit of luck.
Three takeaways from the NHL on Sunday
Hurricanes add goalie depth
Well here is an interesting one. The Carolina Hurricanes are currently facing some issues in goal throughout the organization with Antti Raanta injured at the NHL level and AHL goalies Eetu Makeniemi and Beck Warm both injured. In an effort to address that situation the Hurricanes signed goalie prospect Jack Lafontaine away from the University of Minnesota. Lafontaine’s deal will pay him $750,000 at the NHL level and $70,000 in the AHL, with an $88,500 signing bonus. He was a Hobey Baker Finalist a year ago and the winner of the Mike Richter award as the top goalie in the NCAA. What is so fascinating about this signing is Lafontaine was the starting goalie for a Minnesota team that is one of the best college hockey teams in the country. The Hurricanes signing him away in the middle of the season is a relatively rare and almost unheard of move. The Hurricanes drafted Lafontaine in the sixth-round of the 2016 NHL draft. They had previously attempted to sign him over the summer but were unable to come to terms at the time.
Marc Bergevin joins Los Angeles Kings front office
Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was not out of work for very long. After being dismissed by the Canadiens in November, Bergevin has found a new home with the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings announced on Sunday that Bergevin will join their front office as a senior adviser to general manager Rob Blake. The Canadiens made the change following a 6-15-1 start that came just months after they went on a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final. But an offseason that saw several key players leave the organization in free agency, as well as the injuries to Shea Weber and Carey Price, combined with a disappointing start for prized rookie Cole Caufield, have left the Canadiens with one of the worst records in the NHL.
Troy Terry continues his incredible season
Entering this season the Ducks forward had scored just 15 goals in more than 130 NHL games. He had decent underlying numbers and had shown flashes of being a strong player, but had never really put it all together. That has all changed this season. With his goal on Sunday night he is now up to 22 goals for the season (already seven more than his career total entering the season) in only 37 games. That is a 49-goal pace over 82 games. He is still scoring on more than 25 percent of his shots, which is probably an unsustainable mark for a full season, but even if he does regress in that area you can not take away the goals he has already scored and it is still a breakout season for the veteran forward.
Monday’s big story
The New York Rangers have won four out of their past five games and should be getting top player Artemi Panarin back when they visit the Los Angeles Kings. While they are getting Panarin back they will be without head coach Gerard Gallant after he was placed into the league’s COVID protocols on Sunday. They are facing a Kings team that has won three out of four games and is making a surprising push at a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Friday’s NHL Scores
St. Louis Blues 2, Dallas Stars 1
Anaheim Ducks 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (SO)
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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.