NHL Peachy: NHL Peachy: NHL Morning Skate — March 12, 2017
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
BOSTON 2, Philadelphia 1
Nashville 3, SAN JOSE 1
Ottawa 4, COLORADO 2
Calgary 3, WINNIPEG 0
BUFFALO 5, Columbus 3
TAMPA BAY 3, Florida 2
Toronto 3, CAROLINA 2 (OT)
ARIZONA 5, New Jersey 4
ST. LOUIS 4, NY Islanders 3
Pittsburgh 3, VANCOUVER 0
LOS ANGELES 4, Washington 2
FLAMES PUSH WIN STREAK TO NINE GAMES, ONE SHY OF FRANCHISE RECORD
Dougie Hamilton (0-3—3) assisted on all three goals and Brian Elliott (31 saves) registered his second straight shutout as the Flames pushed their win and point streaks to nine and 11 games (10-0-1), respectively.
* Elias notes that Calgary’s nine-game run is one shy of the longest single-season win streak in franchise history; the Atlanta Flames won 10 consecutive games from Oct. 14 – Nov. 3, 1978.
* At 38-26-4 (80 points), the Flames moved ahead of the idle Ducks (35-23-10, 80 points) for second place in the Pacific Division.
* Elliott earned his eighth consecutive win and improved to 12-1-1 in his last 14 decisions dating to Jan. 26 (1.86 GAA, .936 SV%, 2 SO).
SENATORS EARN SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY, CLIMB ATLANTIC DIVISION
Four different skaters scored to guide the Senators to their sixth straight victory, their longest win streak since a seven-game run from March 12-23, 2015.
* At 39-22-6 (84 points), the Senators moved ahead the idle Canadiens (38-22-8, 84 points) for first place in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa holds a game in hand and will face Montreal three more times this season (March 18, 19 and 25).
* Craig Anderson (14 saves) extended his personal win streak to six games and earned his 147th career victory with the Senators, passing Patrick Lalime (146) for the most by a goaltender in franchise history.
CLUBS MAINTAIN PLAYOFF POSITIONS
The Penguins (43-16-8, 94 points), Bruins (36-26-6, 78 points), Predators (33-24-11, 77 points) and Blues (35-27-5, 75 points) each secured wins to maintain their playoff positions:
* Matt Murray (27 saves) registered his fourth shutout of the season to backstop the Penguins to their fifth consecutive win. Elias notes that Murray climbed within two shutouts of the single-season franchise record for most by a rookie goaltender, set by Les Binkley (6 in 1967-68). The Penguins moved within a point of the League-leading Capitals (44-16-7, 95 points).
* Drew Stafford scored the go-ahead goal with 5.6 seconds remaining in regulation as the Bruins improved to 9-2-0 in their last 11 home games, reinforcing their hold on third place in the Atlantic Division. Stafford has collected 2-2—4 in four games since being acquired by the Bruins on March 1.
* Juuse Saros made 25 saves to help the Predators snap a four-game slide (0-2-2), maintaining their grip on third place in the Central Division. Viktor Arvidsson scored his fourth shorthanded goal of 2016-17 to match the franchise record for most in a season, set by Greg Johnson (2003-04, 2005-06) and Steve Sullivan (2005-06).
* Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice to help the Blues pick up their fourth consecutive win and remain in the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Tarasenko ranks tied for second among all skaters with 32 goals this season, trailing only Sidney Crosby (34).
RACE FOR WILD CARD POSITIONS CONTINUES IN EASTERN CONFERENCE
The Maple Leafs (31-22-14, 76 points) and Lightning (32-26-9, 73 points) each overcame deficits to earn wins and gain ground in the tight race for Wild Card positions in the Eastern Conference:
* Toronto scored a pair of game-tying markers before Morgan Reilly tallied the first overtime goal of his NHL career to guide the Maple Leafs to their third consecutive win. The Maple Leafs claimed sole possession of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
* Tampa Bay overcame a 2-0 deficit and Ondrej Palat scored the go-ahead goal at 17:37of the third period as the Lightning pushed their home point streak to five contests (4-0-1). Nikita Kucherov (1-0—1) has collected 10-8—18 in his last nine games and established single-season career highs for goals and points with 31-36—67 overall (60 GP).
LOOSE PUCKS
Adrian Kempe (GWG) scored the first goal of his NHL career (11 GP) to help the Kings (33-28-6, 72 points) remain three points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference . . . Lightning forward Yanni Gourde scored the first goal of his NHL career while shorthanded (7 GP) . . . The Sabres scored five unanswered goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit and Robin Lehner made a desperation save in the final minute of regulation to preserve the win . . . David Pastrnak (3-7—10 in 8 GP), Sam Gagner (3-4—7 in 5 GP), Mitchell Marner (2-5—7 in 5 GP), Tyler Bozak (2-5—7 in 5 GP) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3-3—6 in 5 GP) extended point streaks . . . The Bruins donned green St. Patrick’s Day jerseys in pre-game warmup at TD Garden . . . The NHL Centennial Fan Arena visited Denver, Colo.
SNEAK PEEK AT SUNDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Minnesota @ Chicago, 12:30 p.m., TVAS, NBC
Montreal @ Edmonton, 7 p.m., SN, RDS
NY Rangers @ Detroit, 7 p.m., NBCSN
Washington @ Anaheim, 9:30 p.m., NHLN-US, PRIME, CSN-DC
Dallas @ San Jose, 10 p.m., CSN-CA, FS-SW
DUCKS HONOR 2007 STANLEY CUP-WINNING TEAM
The Ducks will honor members of their 2007 Stanley Cup-winning team in a pre-game ceremony at Honda Center. Anaheim became the first California-based club to win the Stanley Cup and were led by Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne – who were recently named among the 100 Greatest NHL Players as part of the League’s year-long centennial festivities.
WILD-BLACKHAWKS, RANGERS-RED WINGS FEATURED ON NBC
Sunday’s five-game slate features a matinee on NBC and an evening contest on NBCSN. This afternoon, the top two teams in the Western Conference square off in a Central Division showdown when the Wild (43-17-6, 92 points) visit the Blackhawks (42-20-5, 89 points). In the evening, two Original Six clubs meet when the Rangers (43-23-2, 88 points) face the Red Wings (26-29-11, 63 points) in their final visit to Joe Louis Arena.
HOMETOWN HOCKEY TOUR STOPS IN LLOYDMINSTER, SASKATCHEWAN
The Canadiens (38-22-8, 84 points) visit the Oilers (35-23-9, 79 points) on Rogers Hometown Hockey, which will showcase the city of Lloydminster, Sask. Throughout the 2016-17 season, Sunday games will be broadcast from a different community rink in various towns across Canada. Included in each telecast will be local NHL player profiles, grassroots stories and local entertainment features.
* Click here for more details about the festivities in Lloydminster.
* Click here for the full schedule of stops for the 2016-17 season.
