NHL Three Stars: Pavelec shines vs. Stars; Palat powers Lightning
Take it away, George Richards:
Mike Piazza just dropped first puck in a #FlaPanthers jersey -- meaning he spent more time w/ the Cats than the Florida Marlins.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) January 16, 2015
No. 1 Star: Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
His shutout was ruined with 1:16 left in the third period, but Pavelec was fantastic in a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars. In making 46 saves, he won for the first time since Dec. 16. Evander Kane’s shorthanded tally 7:34 into the final period stood as the game-winning goal.
No. 2 Star: Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning
Down 2-1 in the third period, Palat rose to the occasion for the Lightning scoring two goals 10 minutes apart to help Tampa edge the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. Tyler Johnson, who missed the last two games, assisted on both of Palat’s goals.
No. 3 Star: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
Rask made 30 stops for his second straight shutout as the Bruins blanked the New York Rangers 3-0. Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson provided the goals to help Boston to their fifth win in a row. The shutout was Rask’s 25th of his career.
Honorable Mention: Craig Anderson made 25 saves and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Milan Michalek each recorded two points as the Ottawa Senators upended the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 … Here's Bobby Ryan introducing himself to Alex Galchenyuk:
David Desharnais played in his 300th NHL game, while Boyd Gordon suited up for his 600th … In his debut with the Minnesota Wild, Devan Dubnyk had a relatively easy night needing only 18 saves in a 7-0 rout of the Buffalo Sabres. The shutout was Minnesota’s first since Oct. 23 and snapped a six-game losing streak. Jason Pominville recorded a trio of helpers, while Kyle Brodziak, Erik Haula, Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise each chipped in two points … Nick Holden’s go-ahead goal midway through the third period helped the Colorado Avalanche double up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves, while Tyson Barrie had a goal and an assist … Behind three third period goals and 27 stops by Joni Ortio, the Calgary Flames beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-1. David Jones, Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma each recorded two points. Ortio kept the game tied in the second period after denying Joe Vitale:
A pair of goals in each of the first and second periods helped power the Canucks to a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Ryan Miller made 30 saves for his 33rd career shutout. Nick Bonino kickstarted the offense with a pretty first period goal. The Sedins combined for four points and Vancouver’s power play cashed in on two of their three opportunities ... Tyler Kennedy and Patrick Marleau scored 11 seconds apart in the opening period to help pace the San Jose Sharks to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer made 39 saves in the loss ... Pavel Datsyuk beat Brian Elliott with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to help give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues:
Did You Know? Max Pacioretty is the first Hab to score in six straight games since Denis Savard in 1991. (Habs PR)
Dishonorable Mention: Jhonas Enroth, once a part of trade rumors involving the Wild, surrendered all seven goals … Buffalo has lost nine in a row … The Oilers have lost 14 straight games on the road … Toronto has dropped 11 of their last 14 ... Will the NHL discipline Brad Marchand for this slew-foot on Derick Brassard?
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