Dose: Plunging Penguins
There were only two games in the NHL in the penultimate night of action. All 30 teams are in action on Saturday so Jimmy Hascup’s Dose on Sunday is a must read.
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COLUMBUS 4 BUFFALO 2
The Sabres clinch last place overall with this loss which means they will get either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, giving them a number one center for many years.
Cam Atkinson scored the winner in the third period as Nick Foligno, Matt Calvert and Boone Jenner also found the back of the net.
Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 23 shots to pick up his 30th win of the season. It is the second year in a row that Bobrovsky has managed to hit the 30 win mark and he now has 125 wins in 230 games during his NHL career.
Anders Lindback was stellar in the Sabres net, as he made 36 saves on 39 shots as Jenner’s goal was into the empty net.
Mikhail Grigorenko scored his third of the season while Brian Gionta scored on the power play.
Gionta has been outstanding on the power play in the last month. He started the season with only one assist in his first 66 games on the power play but has been on a tear ever since with three goals and eight points in his last 15 games. He is tied for the most power play points in the last month in the NHL with Jamie Benn and Erik Karlsson. That’s quite an accomplishment for a member of the lowly Sabres.
David Savard and Jack Johnson had big games for the Blue Jackets as each had two assists and were a plus-three.
Brandon Dubinsky had an assist to give him a seven game scoring streak. He has 10 points during the streak.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS 3 PITTSBURGH 1
The Penguins could be in trouble. They lost 3-1 to the Islanders and now need a win in Buffalo to assure themselves a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is currently in eighth place in the East, one ahead of the Bruins and one behind the Ottawa Senators.
Casey Cizikas scored his ninth of the season with a shorthanded effort in the first period to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
Rob Scuderi with his first of the season, tied things up with six seconds to go in the second stanza as Sidney Crosby set him up to take sole possession of first place in the Art Ross Trophy race with 84 points.
But John Tavares tied Crosby for the NHL lead in points as he potted the winner, 2:46 into the third with his 37th goal of the season. Michael Grabner sealed the win as he picked up his eighth of the campaign.
Jaroslav Halak stopped 37 of 38 shots for his 38th win of the season which is fifth best in the NHL.
Marc-Andre Fleury managed to make only 23 saves in taking the loss. He is now 33-20-9 this season.
Cal Clutterbuck had seven hits in the game, one more than Blake Comeau.
Travis Hamonic suffered an undisclosed injury late in the first period and did not return. He will be re-evaluated on Saturday.
