Top player in the NHL on Tuesday
Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are battling through some significant injuries right now but doing their best to keep fighting for a playoff spot. They got a huge 6-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night thanks in part to a breakout game for Quinton Byfield. Byfield had three points, including a pair of goals, to help lead the offense. Byfield, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, is one of the top prospects in the league and a major part of the Kings’ long-term future. The most encouraging part of the Kings’ season is the fact they are likely going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite not getting huge contributions from a lot of their top young players yet. If players like Byfield start to breakout and make a significant impact that is going to be quite a game changer for them in the short-term and the long-term. Adrian Kempe also had two goals for the Kings in this game.
Highlights from around the NHL on Tuesday
With five minutes to play the Dallas Stars trailed the Edmonton Oilers by a 3-2 margin. It only took them 24 seconds to take the lead thanks to Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov. The Stars went on to win 5-3 to officially move into a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Brandon Saad scores a beautiful goal for the St. Louis Blues in their 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
The New Jersey Devils score five goals in the second period of their 7-4 win against the New York Rangers.
Three takeaways from the NHL on Tuesday
Golden Knights lose again and playoff chances are slipping away
The Vegas Golden Knights have problems. They lost again on Tuesday night, 4-0 to the Winnipeg Jets, getting shut out for the second day in a row after losing 3-0 to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. They have now lost seven of their past nine games and have one of the league’s worst records since the start of the new calendar year. Yeah, they have had injuries this season. But so have a lot of other playoff teams. This season is quickly turning into a bitter disappointment and they now have the 10th best points percentage in the Western Conference. They are one point behind Dallas for the second Wild Card spot after Tuesday’s games, while Dallas still has four games in hand. Those two teams only play one head-to-head game the rest of the season.
Hurricanes snap losing streak with impressive win over Lightning
There was a significant game in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday because it is a potential Eastern Conference Final preview between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Hurricanes were 3-2 winners, outshooting Tampa Bay 41-29, to snap what had been a four-game losing streak. This was an intense game that ended with the two benches meeting on the ice because Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov was causing havoc all night.
Impressive win for Blues as David Perron keeps scoring goals
The St. Louis Blues have an awesome offense this season, and it was on display in a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. The Blues absolutely dominated this game, nearly doubling the Capitals on the shot chart and controlling every aspect of the game. David Perron scored another goal in the, extending his goal scoring streak to seven consecutive games. He has been outstanding for the Blues since rejoining the team prior to the 2018-19 season and has 22 goals, 20 assists, and 42 total points in 48 games this season.
Wednesday’s big story
The Colorado Avalanche look to run their current winning streak to five games when they host the Vancouver Canucks, while the Toronto Maple Leafs are home against the New Jersey Devils looking to bounce back from a 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. Auston Matthews looks to add to his league-leading goal total in that game while also adding to his current six-game goal scoring streak.
Tuesday’s NHL Scores
New Jersey Devils 7, New York Rangers 4
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
St. Louis Blues 5, Washington Capitals 2
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Detroit Red Wings 6, Washington Capitals 3
New York Islanders 3, Ottawa Senators 0
Winnipeg Jets 4, Vegas Golden Knights 0
Dallas Stars 5, Edmonton Oilers 3
San Jose Sharks 4, Calgary Flames 3
Seattle Kraken 4, Arizona Coyotes 2
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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.