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Pittsburgh Penguins move to 2nd in Metropolitan after win of New York Rangers

Written by SFDI on February 27, 2022. Posted in Blog. Leave a Comment

By Jordan Laroche

The last year has been a wild ride for Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry. After last season’s first round exit to the New York Islanders, Jarry faced blame from everyone after a lackluster performance. But since returning this year, he has quickly become one of the top goalies in the NHL this season and was named an All-Star.

The Penguins as a group have managed to leapfrog the New York Rangers and now hold the second spot in the Metropolitan Division. They’ve spent most of the year with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup, whilst others have stepped up. Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust have become two key players for this team, and both were instrumental in Saturday’s win.

During Saturday’s game the New York Rangers came out strong in the first period, outshooting the Penguins 12-6 and it was made clear that this was going to be a defensive battle. Both Jarry and Igor Shesterkin were on top of their games as the two dueled it out through the first two periods.

The second period continued the offensive struggles for both sides as neither team registered more than ten shots in the period. The physical play started to ramp up during the second as well, the Rangers and Penguins have formed a pretty fierce rivalry over the 2010’s, and it showed in a lot of post-whistle scrums and the hit count.

The third was more of the same, until Malkin scored his 8^th goal in 17 games which was eventually the game-winner. But the third saw even more physical play with the Rangers outhitting the Penguins 43-39 for 82 total hits in the game. Grit and toughness was something the Rangers wanted to address heading into the last off-season by bringing in Ryan Reaves, Barclay Goodrow, Greg McKegg and Sammy Blais (out for season) and it seems to have paid off.

The Rangers are back at it again Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks at home.

Box Score:

1^st Period

No Goals

2^nd Period

No Goals

3^rd Period

G: Evgeni Malkin (8) A: Bryan Rust (22) Sidney Crosby (34)

The Leafs will next play on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against the Red Wings.

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Auston Matthews scores twice as Toronto Maple Leafs snap three game skid

Written by SFDI on February 26, 2022. Posted in Blog. Leave a Comment

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By Neil Becker

With all due respect to Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl and New York Rangers Chris Kreider, it seemed only a matter of time before the defending Rocket Richard trophy winner Auston Matthews moved into the NHL lead.

Matthews, who has scored 29 goals in his past 31 games, has been the absolute model of goal-scoring consistency this year. His latest accomplishment came on Thursday night when at Scotiabank Arena he had a two-goal performance, including his now league-leading 36th goal which came in a 3-1 win against the Minnesota Wild.

Another key ingredient was the bounce-back performance from Leafs back-up goalie Petr Mrazek who stopped 29 shots, including 13 in the third, where he made numerous highlight-reel stops.

As all Leafs fans know it was a bad week for the blue and white not only on the ice but off where first they put veteran rugged defenceman Jake Muzzin on long term Injured Reserve before a few days later hearing the devastating news about their 2020 first-round prospect Rodion Amirov having a brain tumor.

Minnesota who came into action having won one of their past four, grabbed early momentum when at 8:37 of the second, Matt Boldy delivered a tape-to-tape pass to Frederick Gaudreau who scored his sixth of the season to make it a 1-0 game. From that point, it was Matthews who took center stage starting when he rushed up ice

and eventually scored on his signature snapshot which came at the 9:04 mark and it a brand new game heading to the third.

Halfway through the third with overtime looking like a possibility, Matthews once again came through as he converted at 10:22 on a nice 2 on 1 break with good friend Mitch Marner. This was the goal which not only put the Leafs ahead to stay but also gave Matthews the league lead with 36.

Late in regulation Minnesota was pressing as they pulled goalie Kaapo Kahkonen but ti no avail as Leafs forward Alex Kerfoot scored his eighth into an open net with only

42 seconds remaining to seal a much-needed Toronto win.

The Leafs will next play on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop against the Red Wings.

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Patrik Laine scores two including overtime decider against the Toronto Maple Leafs

Written by SFDI on February 24, 2022. Posted in Blog. Leave a Comment

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By Neil Becker

The Toronto Maple Leafs got an up-close look at re-dedicated Columbus Blue Jackets star forward Patrik Laine.

Unlike last season when Laine struggled and seemed discouraged, this former 2016 Winnipeg Jets second overall pick has been scoring this year at a more consistent pace and seems to once more be having fun.

Playing at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night, Laine was all smiles following a dominant two-goal performance with his second coming twenty seconds into overtime to clinch a 4-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs, who less than 24 hours earlier had suffered a 5-2 loss at the Molson Centre against the Montreal Canadiens, found themselves looking to snap a two- games losing streak.

Looking to avoid losing three -straight for the first time since October, the Leafs got off to that essential fast start when forward and Calder Trophy contender Michael Bunting scored his 17^th at the 12:50 mark to give Toronto a 1-0 first period lead.

Columbus, who came into action having won two straight and four of five were badly outshot 17-5 in the second period but managed to pull even on the scoreboard when at the 6:13 mark, Laine showcased his skills by skating down on an odd-man rush before receiving a pass and successfully picking the corner on a hard snapshot to make it a brand- new game at 1-1.

Ironically enough, forward Auston Matthews scored his 34^th of the year, which came with under five minutes left in the second and gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead. What makes it ironic about Matthews scoring right after Laine is the fact that they were both drafted first and second overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Matthews went first to the Leafs while as already mentioned, Laine went to the Jets. This second-period goal also puts Matthews one behind the current league leader in Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

The Leafs lead didn’t hold up in the third as Columbus responded with two early goals from Adam Boqvist with his 10^th on a power-play followed by Brendan Gounce who just past the seven-minute mark scored his third to give the Jackets their first lead at 3-2.

Toronto had over 40 shots in this game, including 15 in the third but came up empty until the goalie pulled Leafs forward Jason Spezza continued his pursuit to 1,000 points by scoring his tenth which came with under three minutes remaining and eventually forced overtime.

That overtime session was looking for a hero and it happened to be Laine who continued his comeback season by scoring the Blue Jackets game-winner to send the Leafs to their third straight loss.

The Leafs next see action on Thursday, February 24^th when back at Scotiabank Arena, they host the Minnesota Wild with opening

face-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

SCORING SUMMARY

1^ST.Period TOR-CBJ

12:50 Michael Bunting (17) 1 – 0

Mitchell Marner (29), Auston Matthews (27)

2^ND Period TOR- CBJ

6:13 Patrik Laine (17) 1 – 1

Boone Jenner (18), Zach Werenski (24)

15:23 Auston Matthews (34) 2 – 1

David Kampf (11), Michael Bunting (18)

3^RDPeriod TOR – CBJ

1:05 PPG-Adam Boqvist (10) 2 – 2

J.F. Berube (1)

7:13 Brendan Gaunce (3) 2 – 3

17:54 Jason Spezza (10) 3 – 3

Auston Matthews (28), John Tavares (30)

OT Period TOR – CBJ

0:20 Patrik Laine (18) 3 – 4

Jakub Voracek (32), Zach Werenski (25)

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Goalie Andrew Hammond earns first win in nearly four years

Written by SFDI on February 22, 2022. Posted in Blog. Leave a Comment

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By Neil Becker

You can bet this wasn’t just some ordinary run-of-the-mill mid-season win for Montreal Canadiens goalie Andrew Hammond.

Seven years earlier, Hammond as a member of the Ottawa Senators broke into the NHL with flair as he gained immense popularity in the nation’s capital.

This popularity came during the 2014/15 season when this unknown rookie netminder posted a storybook 20-1-2 record and a microscopic 1.79 GA.A.

Hammond, who back then was affectionately nicknamed ‘The Hamburglar,’ played a major role as a rookie in helping Ottawa make a successful playoff run.

Facing long odds in being an undrafted player, Hammond got his opportunity when on March 20, 2013, he agreed to a two-year entry-level contract.

After fine-tuning his overall game with the Sens AHL squad, Binghampton Senators, Hammond got his big break when on February 18, 2015 he earned his first

start at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Hammond stopped 42 shots in a 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens. Riding the momentum of that debut

win the Hamburglar’s solid play continued as he made the hockey world take notice by recording back-to-back shutouts against the Anaheim Ducks by a 3-0 score followed

by a 1-0 shutout win against the Los Angeles Kings.

During that magical rookie season, Hammond looked like the real deal as he made hockey history by equaling a record set way back in 1938/39 by Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Brimsek.

Both goalies are on a shortlist of two as the only netminders to allow two or fewer goals in their first 12 starts. Hammond’s future seemed completely secure as he signed on May 20,

2015, a lucrative three-year 4.5 million-dollar extension with the Sens.

Following that outstanding season, Hammond’s stock, unfortunately, began to quickly sink. Looking to build on his rookie success Hammond struggled badly in his sophomore season. In his

second season, Hammond played 24 games in Ottawa where he posted an unflattering 7-11-4 record.

In the years to follow, Hammond spent the bulk of his time playing in the AHL. On November 5, 2017, he was part of a multi-player deal that sent him to the Colorado Avalanche organization.

At this time, the Avalanche were set in net and looked at Hammond as insurance. His bulk of playing time was with the Avs AHL team the San Antonio Rampage. Still, he occasionally was called up to Colorado where he served as the team’s back up goalie. He did start a game with Colorado during that 2018 season and saw action that spring in three play-off games

After his stint with Colorado, Hammond signed on July 1, 2018, a one-year two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild.

A year later, he signed a one year-two- way contract with the Buffalo Sabres. In both those seasons with the Wild and Sabres organization, Hammond didn’t start or relieve in an NHL game.

That long-anticipated wait for another NHL start happened eight days after being traded from the Minnesota Wild organization to the Montreal Canadiens. Starting on Sunday, February 20^th at UBS Arena in New York, Hammond got his first NHL start since 2018 and didn’t seem nervous as he made 30 saves in a 3-2 shootout win against the New York Islanders.

As noted earlier, Hammond last start came as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. You can bet this particular win was a little emotional for Hammond. Here is hoping that with the Canadiens not being in a playoff hunt, that down the road, they give Hammond some more starts before the season ends.

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Toronto Maple Leafs surrender three third period goals in loss against the St Louis Blues

Written by SFDI on February 21, 2022. Posted in Blog. Leave a Comment

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By Neil Becker

For some unknown reason, the St. Louis Blues seem to dominate whenever they come to Toronto.

The Leafs, who two nights earlier were coming off a 4-1 win at Scotiabank Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins, couldn’t build off that momentum.

Hosting the Blues for a Saturday night showdown, Toronto surrendered three third period goals which was the eventual turning point in what was a 6-3 loss. The Leafs, who have now lost three of their past five games have since April 1, 1998, dropped to 1-14-2 in their last 17 games at home against the Blues.

The last time these two teams met was at the Enterprise Center in mid-January when the Leafs emerged with a momentum-swinging 6-5 win.

This time around the Leafs managed to outshoot St. Louis by a 37-34 count, and were able to overcome an early 2-0 deficit but couldn’t get the two- points.

On a night where Leafs forward Auston Matthew’s nine-game point streak was snapped, St. Louis got consecutive first period goals from Pavel Buchnevich with his 17^th and first of two at the 2:58 mark followed by Klim Kostin who with a little over eight minutes left in the first doubled the lead with his fourth of the year.

A great sign for Leafs management and fans alike was the emergence of William Nylander. This skilled forward, who had scored only twice since New Years Day, had a two-goal performance against the Blues with his first coming at the 15:33 mark of the first followed by his 18^th goal, which came just over five minutes into the second.

Showing strong resiliency, St. Louis regained the lead 29 seconds later when veteran forward Brayden Schenn celebrated his 14^th goal which once again had the Blues leading only this time by a slim 3-2 lead. That lead disappeared when with less than three minutes remaining in the second, Leafs defenceman T.J. Brodie scored his fourth on a slap-shot from the point.

Both teams were tied 3-3 in the third when just about five minutes into the third, Blues veteran forward Brandon Saad scored his 200^th career goal and the eventual game-winner. St. Louis made a statement against the Leafs by finishing strong with two more goals from Ryan O’Reilly and Buchnevich with his second and 18^th of the season into an open net.

Toronto will try to find that winning mojo on Monday night when they face-off at 7 p.m. at the Bell Centre against their Original Six rival the Montreal Canadiens.

SCORING SUMMARY

1^st Period STL. – TOR

2:58 Pavel Buchnevich (17) 1 – 0

Jordan Kyrou (26), Robert Thomas (31)

11:40 Klim Kostin (4) 2 – 0

Tyler Bozak (7), Jake Walman (3)

15:33 William Nyalnder (18) 2 – 1

Alex Kerfoot (26), John Tavares (29)

2^nd. Period STL – TOR

5:30 William Nylander (19) 2 – 2

Alex Kerfoot (27) Justin Holl)

5:59 Brayden Schenn (14) 3 – 2

Justin Faulk (17), Oscar Sundqvist (10)

17:44 T.J. Brodie (4), 3 – 3

David Kampf (10), Ondrej Kase (10)

3^rd Period STL- TOR

4:38 Brandon Saad (16) 4 – 3

David Perron (14), Colton Parayko (15)

10:50 Ryan O’Reilly (11) 5 – 3

Niko Mikkola (6), David Perron (15)

16:43 EN Pavel Buchnevich (18) 6 – 3

Robert Thomas (32)

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