Monday’s top NHL players
Lawson Crouse, Coyotes
Crouse recorded a unique first career hat trick during Monday’s 5-3 win over the Senators. He scored at even strength, on the power play, and shorthanded. Not quite Mario Lemieux’s five goals in five ways, but still impressive. In fact, he’s the seventh player to score three goals that way in franchise history with the last coming off the stick of Antoine Vermette in Jan. 2014.
Josh Norris, Senators
Norris continued his breakout season with two goals in the loss. He now has 24 on the season, a career high, and 34 points in 43 games. He’s one point away from tying a personal best in that stat category.
According to the NHL, only Alexei Yashin hit the career 40-goal mark in fewer games (101) than Norris (102) among players who started their careers with the Senators.
Monday NHL highlights
• Here are each of Crouse’s three goals:
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that a kid in a hot dog costume just won ‘Fan of the game’ on a night when Phil Kessel is in the building. pic.twitter.com/uYLxloPaeg
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) March 15, 2022
• Nick Schmaltz brought his hot stick to Ottawa and netted goal No. 17 on the season. That gives him 21 points in his last 10 games. He now has 40 on the season and has points in six straight games, tying a career high.
May the Schmaltz be with you. 😌 pic.twitter.com/j6n77Ga95K
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 15, 2022
• The final shot count? Ottawa 43, Arizona 15. Ouch. At one point the Coyotes went without a shot for nearly 24 minutes.
Monday NHL Takeaways
Chychrun’s status
A name who could be on the move before the trade deadline is Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. But the 23-year-old’s future could be put in a holding pattern after the news that he’ll miss the next 2-4 weeks with a lower-body injury suffered Saturday in Boston.
Chychrun’s name has been in the rumor mill all season with plenty of teams interested. The blue liner is signed through the 2024-25 NHL season and carries a $4.6 million salary cap hit. Not being a rental helps the case for a trade, but in the end it will really come down to if a team meets GM Bill Armstrong’s asking price.
Tuesday’s big story
Trade dominos beginning to fall?
A week out from the 2022 NHL trade deadline, the Avalanche acquired Josh Manson from the Ducks for prospect Drew Helleson and a 2023 second-round pick. This move is in response to the hit the Colorado blue line took with the news Samuel Girard will be out a month with a back injury. With Girard out and Bowen Byram slowly working his way back from a concussion, GM Joe Sakic needed to strike.
The injuries the Avs are dealing with are fine as they’re sitting comfortably in a playoff spot atop the Central Division and in contention for the Presidents’ Trophy and overall No. 1 seed. That position also explains why Gabriel Landeskog decided to have knee surgery now. The captain will be out indefinitely but is expected to be healthy for the playoffs, when it’s Stanley Cup or bust time.
It’s reportedly been quiet on the trade front but will this move fire things up? If you’re a contender, why wait until next Monday to improve your team? Sellers have all the reason to wait as they seek the best price for whatever assets they’re willing to part with.
Monday NHL scores
Coyotes 5, Senators 3
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.