Monthly Archives: December 2016
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 18, 2016
McDavid scores in shootout to lift Oilers over Lightning
EDMONTON, Alberta - Connor McDavid scored the decisive goal in the shootout and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Saturday night.
Milan Lucic and Leon Draisaitl scored in regulation for the Oilers, and Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Johnson had goals for the Lightning. Tampa Bay has lost two in a row and five of six.
Cam Talbot made 31 saves for the Oilers and then turned away Brian Boyle in the third round of the shootout to end it.
Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop stopped 30 shots.
Edmonton outshot the Lightning 11-5 in the scoreless first period, but Tampa Bay had the best chance midway through the opening frame when Talbot stopped a short-handed breakaway by Alex Killorn.
The Oilers took a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second on the power play. Draisaitl made a long pass through to Lucic, who rifled his ninth of the season past Bishop.
The Lightning tied the game on a power play with 1:01 to play in the second when Drouin's shot through a ton of traffic hit Talbot and trickled into the Edmonton net.
Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead 2:35 into the third period as Cory Conacher threaded a pass through to Johnson on a 2-on-1, and he beat Talbot for his ninth of the season.
Edmonton tied it again with 13 minutes left on another power play when Draisaitl deflected a shot past Bishop for his 14th.
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Senators’ Borowiecki loses skate blade with hilarious results
We've seen this before, but rarely does it go on for this long.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki's skate blade broke loose while he was on the ice Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils, and he was forced to play without it for longer than he probably would have liked.
The officials couldn't stop play until the Senators touched the puck, meaning Borowiecki had to amble around helplessly until his teammates finally gained possession.
Borowiecki explained exactly what happened after the game, documenting an unfortunate series of events that had the Senators laughing to themselves on the bench.
"Nothing you can do but laugh about it now," he told reporters. "Just one of those fluky things that happens in sports ... I was so helpless, I just figured I'd scream until someone did something, so I guess it worked."
Thankfully, Borowiecki wasn't hurt as a result and we can all laugh about it.
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Price downplays Friday staredown: ‘I was just pissed’
Carey Price doesn't think his glare down the bench Friday night was much of a big deal.
"I was just pissed," the Montreal Canadiens goaltender told reporters Saturday following a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals when asked if he was trying to send a message with the stare after being pulled following four early goals by the San Jose Sharks the night prior.
Watch: Price stares down Habs' bench after short outing against Sharks
"I don't think anybody can blame me in that situation," he said.
But at whom exactly was he "pissed?"
"Myself, everybody," Price said.
The netminder said there's no lingering bitterness toward head coach Michel Therrien.
"We're all good. We're all professionals and are able to realize that hockey's emotional and sometimes you're not going to see eye-to-eye on things, but at the end of the day, you show up to work the next day and you get the job done."
Therrien echoed his goaltender's sentiments about bygones being bygones.
"No," the coach told reporters when asked if there was anything to smooth over from Friday's incident. "Absolutely not."
Price stopped 20-of-21 shots to earn his 250th career victory Saturday night, becoming the fourth goalie in Canadiens history to achieve the milestone.
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Hedman becomes Lightning’s all-time leader in points among defensemen
Victor Hedman is already the Tampa Bay Lightning's most productive defenseman ever.
The 26-year-old picked up an assist on Jonathan Drouin's second-period goal Saturday, and in doing so, he passed Dan Boyle to become the leading point producer among defensemen in franchise history.
Hedman also moved into sole possession of ninth on the team's points list among all skaters, inching to within five points of Chris Gratton for eighth.
It was his 254th career point in his 502nd game. Boyle recorded 253 points in 394 games with Tampa Bay from 2001-08.
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Watch: Kane buries breakaway goal to snap 9-game drought
Patrick Kane wasn't going to be held off the scoresheet forever.
The Chicago Blackhawks star broke out of a rare goal-scoring slump Saturday night, cruising in on a breakaway and beating St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen.
Kane went nine games without scoring until Saturday's marker - his ninth goal and 31st point in 33 contests.
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Watch: Blackhawks’ Hinostroza kicks puck to backhand for stunning winner
Vinnie Hinostroza hasn't produced at a high clip for the Chicago Blackhawks, but after pulling off a play like this, maybe he's ready.
The 22-year-old forward scored an impressive goal Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues that held up as the game-winner, kicking a rebound with his skate to his stick and burying a shot on the backhand to give Chicago a 5-4 lead in an eventual 6-4 victory.
Hinostroza's celebration was equally terrific.
Not sure @Hinostroza12's epic celly got enough love so HERE IT IS AGAIN pic.twitter.com/D0dD8gsujk
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 18, 2016
It was his second goal and fifth point of 2016-17.
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Gord Downie hangs out with Cherry, Orr at Leafs-Penguins game
A trio of notable Canadians came together in Toronto on Saturday night.
Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie took in the Maple Leafs' victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, chatting up Don Cherry and Bobby Orr.
Orr. Cherry. Downie.
— NHL (@NHL) December 18, 2016
A few legends are hanging out in Toronto tonight. pic.twitter.com/GonIn8IXap
Downie is a Boston Bruins fan, so it's no wonder he enjoys the company of one of the franchise's most well-known former head coaches and arguably the greatest player in club history.
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Price joins elite company with 250th career win
Carey Price is in rarefied air thanks to yet another victory.
The Montreal Canadiens goaltender stopped 20-of-21 shots in a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, becoming the fourth netminder in Canadiens history to collect 250 wins in his NHL career.
Goaltender | Win Total |
---|---|
Jacques Plante | 314 |
Patrick Roy | 289 |
Ken Dryden | 258 |
Carey Price | 250 |
Price also tied Johnny Bower and Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne for 50th on the all-time list.
He downplayed the accomplishment after the game, telling reporters it was "just another win for me," and adding that he doesn't "really care a whole bunch about milestones that much," according to NHL.com's Katie Brown.
Price improved to 17-4-2 with a 1.90 GAA and a .936 save percentage in 23 appearances, putting Friday's uncomfortable exit behind him, but not before being asked about the stare-down seen 'round the world.
Carey Price on last night: "I was just pissed."
— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) December 18, 2016
If he plays like this when he's angry, opponents might hope to face a more peaceful Price in the future.
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