Three Stars
The Golden Knights have been pretty hot lately (now eight wins in their last 10 games), but Marchessault isn’t having the easiest time. Heading into Saturday, he only had a goal and an assist in his last 10 contests.
Marchessault broke out during Vegas’ lopsided win against the Penguins, generated his second career hat trick. He’s the second Golden Knights player to generate a hat trick, with William Karlsson providing the other two.
This gives Marchessault 17 goals and 34 points in 50 games this season.
Stamkos extended his point streak to six games with two goals and an assist, giving him three goals and seven assists for 10 points during that span.
This gives Stamkos 26 goals in 2018-19, one short of last season’s total.
3. Tyson Barrie
The Avalanche lit up the Kings on Saturday, and Barrie played into that, collecting three assists. Barrie now has five assists in his last three games.
It’s quite the season so far for the underrated offensive defenseman, as he has 37 points in 44 games. The Avs blueliner was quite impressive last season, too, as his 57 points came in just 68 contests last season.
Barrie’s 37 points ties him for eighth among defensemen with Keith Yandle, even though Barrie’s missed some time with injuries.
Rough, eventful night for the Oilers
Connor McDavid wasn’t just on the losing end of a game against the Flames, he was also left bloodied on Saturday.
Despite the loss, Mikko Koskinen made some impressive saves. This behind-the-back bit was the odder one, while this one was more … traditional?
Consider this a 3b (or maybe 2b?) for the three stars: Mark Giordano generated a goal and two assists for three points in this one. Giordano now has an outstanding 52 points in 48 games this season, leaving him just four points behind his career-high of 56 from 2015-16.
Hey, at least Milan Lucic is heating up for the Oilers, right bummed out fans?
Oh yeah, the Zamboni also broke down, playing into the night of comic relief.
Highlights of the Night
Here’s that behind-the-back Koskinen save, to spare you a click:
Nolan Patrick really did pull a move straight out of “NHL 19,” didn’t he?
This Stamkos to Yanni Gourde goal is a lot of fun to watch.
Factoids
- Henrik Lundqvist earned the 446th win of his illustrious career. That victory breaks Lundqvist’s tie with Terry Sawchuk, so now Lundqvist sits alone at sixth place all-time in goalie wins.
Up next at fifth place is Curtis “Cujo” Joseph, who’s at 454 wins. After that, it’s a steeper climb to fourth place (Roberto Luongo at 480 and counting).
- If you need another example of the Flames being better than they have in ages, consider that this is just the second team in franchise history with five players who’ve generated at least 50+ points.
- Phil Kessel became just the third U.S.-born player to generate 20+ goals for 11 consecutive seasons, joining Patrick Kane and Keith Tkachuk (who managed 12 in a row).
- Mika Zibanejad is just the second Rangers player to generate the game-winning goal in three consecutive games. Pretty cool, eh?
- Aaron Ekblad scored his 62nd goal, leaving him first all-time in Florida Panthers history for defensemen.
Scores
ANA 3 – NJD 2
COL 7 – LAK 1
STL 3 – OTT 2
DAL 4 – WPG 2
NYR 3 – BOS 2
PHI 5 – MTL 2
TBL 6 – SJS 3
FLA 4 – NSH 2
MIN 2 – CBJ 1
VGK 7 – PIT 3
CGY 5 – EDM 2
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
