MORE: POWER RANKINGS | OUR LINE STARTS PODCAST | NHL ON NBC SCHEDULE

Scott Charles

Anthony Cirelli #71 of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Getty Images

The Buzzer: Cirelli, Lightning cruise past Jets; Crosby tallies OT winner

By Scott CharlesJan 17, 2020, 11:12 PM EST
1 Comment

Three Stars

1) Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning

Cirelli recorded his first NHL hat trick as the Lightning steamrolled the Winnipeg Jets Friday evening. The 22-year-old scored twice in the opening period as the Bolts jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back. Cirelli hammered a feed from Ondrej Palat 9:27 into the game and then converted a nifty forehand-backhand maneuver to close out the first 20 minutes. Cirelli would complete the hat trick midway through the third period.

2) Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Malkin recorded two power-play assists to set up Pittsburgh’s two goals in its 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Sidney Crosby has received a lot of attention since returning from a 28-game absence earlier this week and added the game-winning goal Friday. However, it was Malkin who looked off the defender and delivered a perfect pass to set up the Penguins captain. Malkin has recorded 10 points in the previous six games.

3) Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The 26-year-old winger scored twice in Tampa Bay’s 7-1 win. Cirelli and Kucherov alternated goals as Tampa Bay jumped out to a 4-0 lead, including three in the opening period. Kucherov buried two tap-in opportunities to record goals 21 and 22 on the season. The Russian winger has five goals in his previous three games and the Lightning improved to 12-2-0 in the previous 14 games.

Highlights of the Night

Crosby extended his goal-scoring streak to three games when he buried a pretty feed from Malkin to propel the Penguins in overtime.

Sam Steel fired the OT winner after Andrei Svechnikov‘s costly turnover.

Stats of the Night

Scores

Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Detroit Red Wings 1 (OT)

Anaheim Ducks 2, Carolina Hurricanes 1 (OT)

Tampa Bay Lightning 7, Winnipeg Jets 1

NHL ALL-STAR GAME COVERAGE:
• All-Star Game rosters
• Rosters for Elite Women’s 3-on-3 Revealed
• Pass or Fail: 2020 All-Star Game jerseys
• Alex Ovechkin will not play in 2020 All-Star Game
• NHL Skills Competition to feature women’s 3-on-3, pucks shot from stands

—

Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.

The Buzzer: Voracek nets OT beauty; Blackhawks win in Montreal

Philadelphia Flyers' Jakub Voracek, left, gets the puck past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington
Getty Images
By Scott CharlesJan 16, 2020, 12:06 AM EST
1 Comment

Three Stars

1) Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers

It was almost a disastrous night for the Flyers when they allowed two goals in the third period to force overtime. But, 3:33 into the extra session, Voracek showed great patience when he completed a clever toe drag and waited for an opportunity to seal the victory for the Flyers. The Czech winger has 10 points in the previous nine games.

2) Zack Smith, Chicago Blackhawks

Smith has not had a profound impact on the Blackhawks since being acquired in July from the Ottawa Senators. But the gritty forward recorded two goals in the opening period of Chicago’s 4-1 win in Montreal. Drake Caggiula took a puck from behind the net and found Smith alone in the slot just over five minutes into the game. A few minutes later Smith redirected a puck to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 advantage. With another year remaining on his contract at $3.25 million, it will be tough for Chicago to find a suitor at the NHL trade deadline.

3) Drake Caggiula, Chicago Blackhawks

The 25-year-old forward tallied a goal and an assist in the Blackhawks’ third consecutive win. Caggiula created two separate turnovers that generated goals for Chicago. He helped set up Smith for the opening goal when he took the puck from Montreal’s goalie behind the cage. Then he helped seal the victory when he stole a puck from Jordan Weal and fired a wrist shot past Charlie Lindgren.

Highlights of the Night

Voracek dangled around Alex Pietrangelo before firing a wrist shot past Jordan Binnington to close out the game.

Justin Faulk received credit for the goal, but Alexander Steen showed great vision when he fired a cross-ice pass to set up the power-play tally.

Stat of the Night

Scores

Chicago Blackhawks 4, Montreal Canadiens 1

Philadelphia Flyers 4, St. Louis Blues 3 (OT)

MORE NHL ALL-STAR GAME COVERAGE:
• All-Star Game rosters
• Rosters for Elite Women’s 3-on-3 Revealed
• Pass or Fail: 2020 All-Star Game jerseys
• Alex Ovechkin will not play in 2020 All-Star Game
• NHL Skills Competition to feature women’s 3-on-3, pucks shot from stands

—

Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.

Flyers recover in OT after squandering third-period lead

Jakub Voracek #93 of the Philadelphia Flyers is congratulated by teammates
Getty images
By Scott CharlesJan 15, 2020, 11:25 PM EST
Leave a comment

Like many NHL teams at this juncture of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers are trying to determine if they are playoff contenders or pretenders.

After learning Carter Hart will be sidelined two to three weeks with an abdominal strain, the Flyers put together an impressive 4-3 win against the defending Stanley Cup Champions in St. Louis.

Jakub Voracek scored a crafty goal at 3:33 of overtime as the Flyers captured their third win in the past four games.

Tyler Pitlick, Michael Raffl and Travis Konecny also scored for Philadelphia while Brian Elliott added 30 saves.

Justin Faulk, Ryan O’Reilly and Alexander Steen scored as the Blues fell for the first time at home since December 7th.

Important Road Victory

The Flyers have struggled on the road this season and have only won 10 games in 25 opportunities and went 1-4-1 on their latest six-game road trip.

After surrendering the opening goal, Philadelphia scored three straight only to allow two in the final period to force the extra session. The Flyers proved to themselves that they can skate with the NHL’s best and can now remember this game when looking for confidence during the stretch run of the season.

With Hart sidelined and other obstacles in their path, the Flyers will need to battle adversity to remain in the Stanley Cup Playoff race.

Blues Home Winning Streak

The Blues have been stellar on home ice this season but failed to set a franchise record by extending their winning streak to 10 after falling in overtime against the Flyers. St. Louis showed its resiliency with a rally in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit but couldn’t finish the job.

During the nine-game home winning streak, the Blues won each game in regulation as they climbed to the top of the standings in the Central Division. For the Blues to be on top of the most competitive division in the League without Vladimir Tarasenko is extraordinary.

Note: Flyers coach Alain Vigneault passed Mike Keenan for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL all-time wins list for coaches with his 673rd victory.

—

Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.

The Buzzer: Devils end Lightning winning streak; Predators shut out Jets

Andy Greene #6 of the New Jersey Devils is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal
Getty Images
By Scott CharlesJan 12, 2020, 11:55 PM EST
Leave a comment

Three Stars

1) Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

The Atlantic Division playoff race will be fascinating down the stretch. The Panthers captain tallied a goal and two assists as Florida skated to an entertaining 8-4 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Barkov’s goal in the opening period was not anything spectacular, but his assist in the second period to set up Frank Vatrano was impressive. Barkov batted a puck out of mid-air as he intercepted a pass then raced up ice to set up Vatrano to extend the Panthers’ lead to 5-0 at the time.

2) Andy Greene, New Jersey Devils

Every individual has their own leadership style or opts to use different methods depending on the situation. Greene implemented a lead-by-example process when he clobbered a one-timer in the Devils’ 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Devils have been a huge disappointment this season and fired their general manager Ray Shero shortly before puck drop. Expect New Jersey to sell off several pieces as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches.

3) Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators

John Hynes collected his second victory behind the bench with the Predators when Saros made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season. Practice time is severely limited in this day and age, but Hynes is starting to implement his defensive philosophy. The Predators have not played up to expectations this season but are within striking distance if Hynes can get the most out of his players.

Highlights of the Night

Huberdeau ties Olli Jokinen for the most points in franchise history with a nifty deke. He would later add an assist to become the Panthers’ all-time points leader.

Barkov displayed his incredible hand-eye coordination on this interception at the blueline and then added an assist at the other end of the ice.

Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian shows off his ability to stickhandle

Stats of the Night

Scores

Nashville Predators 1, Winnipeg Jets 0

Vancouver Canucks 4, Minnesota Wild 1

Buffalos Sabres 5, Detroit Red Wings 1

Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Arizona Coyotes 3 (SO)

Florida Panthers 8, Toronto Maple Leafs 4

New Jersey Devils 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 1

Huberdeau sets Panthers record; Malkin ties Jagr for Penguins mark

Jonathan Huberdeau #11 of the Florida Panthers celebrates
Getty Images
By Scott CharlesJan 12, 2020, 11:08 PM EST
Leave a comment

Jonathan Huberdeau surpassed Olli Jokinen for the most points in Florida Panthers history Sunday with a goal and an assist in Florida’s 8-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 26-year-old from Saint-Jerome, Quebec has recorded 420 points (143 goals, 277 assists) in 512 games as a member of the Panthers.

Florida selected Huberdeau with the third-overall selection of the 2011 NHL draft after the forward played for the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Huberdeau set the record with an assist on Mike Hoffman’s power-play goal early in the third period. He also added a goal of his own midway through the second period when he made a nifty move to his backhand to beat Michael Hutchinson.

He currently leads the team with 61 points and is on pace to surpass his career high of 92 points set last season.

Malkin Passes Jagr

The Penguins alternate captain did not wait long to pass Jaromir Jagr’s 640 assists on the franchise’s all-time list. He tied the mark Friday against Colorado and hit 642 assists by recording two Sunday as the Penguins collected their third straight victory on the road in an eight-round shootout win against the Arizona Coyotes.

Malkin officially passed Jagr with the secondary assist on Jared McCann’s opening goal. He would later set up Patric Hornqvist early in the middle frame when the Penguins took a 2-1 lead.