Filip Forsberg’s amazing hat trick wraps up 2022
Hockey fans, Happy New Year!
2022 concluded with another week of NHL action as teams returned from Christmas break. We saw many great moments and some not-so-great moments this week. Players also spread holiday cheer on the ice. Here’s everything you’ve got to catch up on from this past week in NHL action.
The Week’s Goal
Quinn Hughes scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday night, although it took him several months. After a hard-working and outstanding shift, the Canucks’ franchise defenseman gave a demonstration in the offensive zone. The Canucks may be staring straight in the face of another lost season, but when you get to watch Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes go to work, surely it can’t all be that bad.
Enjoy a Week of Savings
This save was beautiful in every sense, as Igor Shesterkin makes an ominous stop on Marcus Johansson at the door. It’s been an up-and-down season at times for the reigning Vezina winner, however, he seems to have gotten his mojo back in recent weeks. His .927 save percentage last month was his best of the season to date, and while it wasn’t enough to beat the Capitals in this one, good fortune appears to be on the horizon for the Rangers if their netminder finds his groove again.
Player of the Week
Despite a short week, Filip Forsberg performed admirably in three Predators games last week. Nashville is looking to get back in the postseason race for 2023. If their star forward can do more of this, then perhaps postseason hockey isn’t out of the question in the Music City after all. He was a top NHL scorer with seven goals and five assists. His spectacular hat trick against Vegas Golden Knights on New Years Eve included the tie-breaking goal with just seconds remaining. The Preds’ top scorer, Matt Mustache, is as sharp as ever.
The Hands of the Week
Trevor Zegras’ insane hockey skills are a fact that you may have forgotten. When his Ducks beat the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night, the NHL 23 Cover athlete was there to remind everyone. The slow-down dipsy doodle is reminiscent of a young Patrick Kane, as Zegras goes backhand shelf while Logan Thompson’s jockstrap ends up in the rafters.
Griddy Up
If you can’t hit the Griddy after storming back from down 4-0, then when else can you? Jake Wallman saw an opportunity to take it against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Red Wings won it in overtime. This was undoubtedly the most memorable moment of the NHL season so far.
Worst goal of week
We’re calling this goal by Kirill Kaprizov the worst of the week, but you could probably make an equally compelling argument that it’s the best goal of the week and you might be right. The Wild’s superstar passes Jake Oettinger with this puck. Hinter the goal line In one of the most bizarre goals of the season. How Oettinger lets this one in is beyond comprehension, but I also want to know what could’ve possibly compelled Kaprizov to shoot from this angle and Actually, you score. There are so many questions and so few answers. It’s a strange goal.
Dodgeball!
With Vince Vaughn In the building, the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Maple Leafs again. This was the fourth consecutive win for the rebuilding club. Following the win, the Coyotes’ social media admins had some fun at the Maple Leafs’ expense, pulling from Vaughn’s catalogue for a gif that serves as a wonderful synopsis of how things went at Mullett Arena.
Manufactured lack of chemistry
Although teams tend to keep internal quarreling on the low side for obvious reasons, it is not uncommon for things to spill onto the ice, regardless of what management might hope. That’s exactly what happened when J.T. Late in the Canucks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets Miller did the same thing. Miller smashes his stick across the crossbar, wasting time and trying to get his netminder back to the bench. It’s not a great shot.
Stat of the Week
Connor McDavid’s 2022 was pretty darn good by all accounts. The NHL’s best player became the first player to cross the 140-point mark over back-to-back calendar years in nearly a generation and is currently pacing to put together his own historic season for the ages. This is truly one of the greatest seasons ever.
Giroux goes wild
The Ottawa Senators are miraculously in the hunt to earn a wild card spot, despite a slow start. Alex DeBrincat, their offseason trade acquisition, has been the most significant figure this year. However, Claude Giroux was every part of the impact acquisition he received this summer. His 32 points in 36 games are fourth on the Senators, and this beauty from Ottawa’s game against Detroit may be his best work.
Hat tip hat trick
In recent weeks Alex Ovechkin continued to chase history, with his prolific scoring seemingly never ending. Perhaps what’s most impressive, besides the impeccable longevity he’s shown in his chase, are the bunches that he seems to score in. The Great Eight punished the Montreal Canadiens netminder with three goals on Saturday. This impressive feat earned him an exclusive NHL tier.
It’s the most wonderful moment
It’s hard to resist some goalie Christmas cheer! A few netminders of the Battle of New York crossed into the trenches for dinner. Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin hosted Ilya Sorokin, Islanders goalie, and Alexander Romanov to a Christmas dinner during the holiday break. The best thing about the NHL is the goalie fraternity.
You better not shout…
This adorable Christmas content by the Boston Bruins is a great example of goalie fraternity. Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman visited his tandem-mate Linus Ullmark’s home dressed as Santa as a surprise for Ullmark’s kids. It looks like the children enjoyed the visit as much as we did.
Canes controlling the environment
The Carolina Hurricanes had a difficult start to the season. They were plagued by bad shooting luck, but their overall performance was still in the top-tier. The Canes set a new franchise record by winning ten straight games against the Florida Panthers. Also, they beat out the New Jersey Devils, who were trying to get first in the Metropolitan Division. With the league’s best expected goals for percentage to boot, it’s not hard to envision the Stanley Cup finals looking a rosy shade of red, and North Carolina partying like it’s 2006 at the end of it.
Worst week
Sometimes, you’ve just got to laugh at the NHL, which is It is claimed that It was a major-four North American team. The Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100,000 per the CBA (pocket change for MLSE if we’re being honest), for team activities during the Christmas break. The Maple Leafs flew to St. Louis to play their first game after the break. They arrived there an hour and a quarter before Dec. 27, which led to the CBA being applied. Sometimes all you can do it laugh.
Norris nod
One of the most exciting stories this season was Erik Karlsson’s return to star status as a defenseman. Karlsson was once the heartbeat of Ottawa Senators. But injuries caused his career to grind to a halt. He finally got his feet under him this year and returned to superstar status. The Norris Trophy hunt is legitimate, especially if Karlsson finds a new home with a contending team. This week’s excellent stat only adds to his Norris hopes. A defenseman can only be proud of this incredible stat.
Skilled-Up Skinner
People, you heard it first: the Buffalo Sabres #ActuallyGood. Led by Tage Thompson’s unbelievable breakout, the Sabres are in the hunt to return to the postseason for the first time since the days of Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller. It hasn’t only been the work of Thompson, however, that’s got the Sabres boasting a top-10 goal differential. Once forgotten and dismissed as a cap anchor by the Sabres, Jeff Skinner is now a legitimate right-hand player and is poised for his best season yet. It’s a great accomplishment for a guy who, according this incredible stat, looked absolutely washed under Ralph Krueger, former Buffalo head coach.
It’s all about walking it back
A funny video was posted last week. comment from Max Domi The tweets about his new home in Chicago and Columbus were shared on Twitter by fans who laughed at the shade the Blue Jackets received. Domi decided to walk the Jackets back before Saturday’s game between Chicago & Columbus. In our humble opinion, that’s the wrong move. It’s way more fun to lean into the heel. What you really should’ve told them is that you hope the Buckeyes lose by a million.
Singing the Bleus, or (Blanc et Rouge).
For a franchise as historic as the Montreal Canadiens, it’s pretty remarkable to see that this year’s iteration is one of, if not the absolute worst, of all time. In 2022, the Canadiens’ total and utter ineptitude in the defensive side of hockey helped them to make their mark in the Habs’ history. Their historically low goal differential is unmatched in any era Canadiens hockey. Are you a fan of Felicitations?
Trending up: Buffalo Sabres
It’s time to think about what playoff hockey might look like in Buffalo. They have won six straight games, including an incredible come-from behind win against the league-leading Boston Bruins. Sure, they’re still on the outside looking in, and they’re far from a perfect team in the toughest division in hockey, but it’s not hard to envision them making a push over the next few months and toying with a wild card spot.
Their exceptional goal scoring, which is tied for second in the entire league, is the biggest reason for their success, but don’t sleep on their defence and goaltending. Rasmus Dahlin has emerged as a legitimate superstar this year, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s play of late could make him the saviour between the pipes they’ve needed since Miller’s departure. You never know…
Trending down: Seattle Kraken
It was fun, but it wasn’t overly enjoyable. After an epic stretch earlier this season that had the Kraken chasing the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division’s top seed, Seattle has plummeted in recent weeks and is now on the outside looking in. Just as the case was last year, it’s been the goaltending, or lack thereof, that has sent these sea creatures to the bottom of the standings.
Phillip Grubauer, Martin Jones, and Phillip Grubauer are still incapable of stopping pucks. Their.886- and.881 save rates remain among the worst for goalies with at least 12 games. Chris Driedger could be the man who saves the day. His seven-to-nine month recovery from an ACL injury should see him back this month. Or perhaps this team is once again set to find itself sinking like an anchor, nestled amongst the dregs of the league in Davy Jones’s locker.
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