Marchand, McDavid and Gretzky all become viral for different reasons
The official second half of the NHL season has begun. As teams begin to seal their fate in the weeks to come, we’ve got everything you need to see from last week after another stellar slate of NHL action.
The week’s goal
After the Colorado Avalanche’s 2-0 loss and looking down on a sixth straight loss of their season, Nathan MacKinnon decided to give the Stanley Cup champions a chance to restart their season. The Cole Harbour, N.S. star turns Darnell Nursing inside out and humiliates the Edmonton Oilers with this stunning piece of art. This goal was exactly what Colorado needed. It would return to force overtime just before Cale Makar. scored his own beauty To secure the win
The week in savings
Folks, the Buffalo Sabres may not be in a playoff spot right now, but it’s about time we all admit they are #ActuallyGood. As the league’s most lethal offence, the only thing that’s held them back this year has been some goaltending and a few untimely bounces. If young netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen can string together a few more dazzling stops like this one on Connor Sheary, there’s no telling what kind of damage Buffalo could do come April.
Jusse Sargent is this week’s Player of the Week
Don’t let Saros’s 3.00 GAA this week fool you, the Finnish netminder looks like he’s locked in. The Predators’ small netminder put on a performance against the best. Carolina Hurricanes on ThursdayMaking an a franchise record 64 stops To give the surging Predators an enormous win one of the NHL’s best teams. Don’t look now, but Saros might just drag the Predators to a playoff spot on his own merit. The Preds, who have scored points in eight of their ten games so far, are three points behind the Western Conference’s last wild-card spot and three games ahead of the Oilers.
Hands of Week
It has been a season to forget for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who look like a certified juggernaut in the NHL’s race to the bottom for Connor Bedard. On the bright side, however, there have been some bright spots in Ohio, including Johnny Gaudreau’s continued excellence, as well as the growth of youngster duo Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. Johnson, in particular, has been outstanding during his rookie campaign. He was made the 2021 fifth-overall selection thanks to a clever set of mitts. He showed those hands off in dazzling fashion on Saturday in the shootout, when he sent Antii Raanta’s jockstrap to the rafters with a stellar winner.
Dish of Week
Since being dealt by the New York Rangers to the St. Louis Blues for scraps back in 2021, Pavel Buchnevich has put the league on notice as one of the game’s most underrated players. Buchnevich was again in the spotlight this week when he played against the New Jersey Devils.
Quote of the Week
The Vancouver Canucks have been voted the NHL’s most fun team this year. Canucks fans are now looking for J.T. Miller. Fresh off a significant contract extension this summer, Miller’s start to the year has been anything but ideal, as the soon-to-be highest-paid Canuck has just 32 points in 38 games after finishing with 99 points last year. Miller decided to take responsibility for his play and double down on the pressure, as fans called for a trade.
Worst week
These two dudes showed real cajones and earned the Worst of the Week nominations. First, there’s Blake Wheeler, who upon his return from injury this week revealed he had been dealing with a gruesome lower-body injury that we’ll let you read about at your own discretion. If you’re wondering exactly went wrong for Wheeler last month against the Predators, here’s a hint courtesy of NHL linesman Kilian McNamara. This one is my favorite. “man getting hit by football hockey puck”.
Every moment of the week is a wonderful one
Alex Ovechkin seems to be able to make time for his family, despite being obsessed with NHL history. This moment was courtesy Of The Great Eight was truly magical. Ovi cashed his 808th alltime marker and then made it over to Sergei to celebrate an additional goal in his quest for Wayne Gretzky.
The most funny moment of the week
Known as one of the league’s most creative players, Trevor Zegras certainly made good on that moniker against the Dallas Stars during a hilarious sequence. After the Ducks star has his stick explode on him, Zegras decides the next best option is to simply take Joel Kiviranta’s twig and try to get involved. Unfortunately for Zegras, that move is decidedly against the rules, leading to one of the easiest penalty calls we’re sure any ref has ever had to make.
D’oh Canada!
The North American hockey dominacy was at stake, so Kraken forwards Matty Benier and Jordan Eberle put their heads on the line last week when Canada and the USA met in the semis for the World Juniors. What was the punishment? Loser decks out in opposing garb for the team’s practice the next day.
Golden Crew
In the World Juniors, Connor Bedard was the star, but Dylan Guenther, a Coyotes forward, was the hero for Canada. Guenther scored the overtime winner to win back-toback Canadian golds. Guenther, along with the Coyotes, welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins into Mullett Arena. There, Penguins team photographers snapped this incredible picture that featured a pair of gold-goal scorers.
Scrap of Week
This tilt between Trent Frederic & Brendan Lemieux was quite a spectacle, with both of them landing some heavy blows. After the game, Frederic, who’s gone against Lemieux more than any other opponent with three fights, let it be known loud and clear that he is no fan of Brendan’s, and there’s little doubt the feelings are mutual.
Dahlin and Ballin’
Rasmus Dahlin’s ascent into stardom has been a joy to watch this season, as the former first-overall selection has put himself squarely into Norris Trophy contention heading into the new year. If he wasn’t the frontrunner before Saturday night, his five-point explosion should certainly help the cause, as he was an absolute menace against the Minnesota Wild en route to a 6-5 OT win. Dahlin had two goals and three assists. He was also dancing the whole night, even with this stunning toe drag that left Jacob Middleton on his stomach searching for answers.
These are the best!?
Connor McDavid, a truly great player, is Connor McDavid. He is the NHL’s most impressive player, and he seems ready to dance his way to the Hart Trophy. Because of that success, McDavid is the league’s highest-paid player by a wide margin, earning an average of $12 million per year, plus many millions more in endorsement deals. All this begs the question: Connor? What the hell are these socks?
The Great One’s Touch
This viral video from the Winter Classic last Monday is hilarious. Unnamed Bruins fan gets a high-five from Wayne Gretzky. His proclamation that his life will only get better is quickly answered.
Please, No Flash Photography
After being sent to the penalty boxes for unsportsmanlike behavior following a miss call against the Los Angeles Kings, Brad Marchand wasn’t having it. Rather than letting his rage get the best of him upon taking a seat in the sin bin, Marchand came to a much calmer — and much funnier — conclusion. As the red light turned on for the penalty box camera, the NHL’s top pest decided there would be no close-ups tonight, as he seemingly reaches for the off switch in a hilarious clip.
Making Big Bro Proud
Kevin Hayes, who lost his brother in August 2021, has maintained a high level of play that would fill big brother Jimmy’s heart with great pride. That exceptional play, which includes sitting second on the Flyers in scoring this season, earned Hayes his first career trip to the All-Star game, something he’d had high on his priority list following his brother’s passing.
Play Ball!
You knew that teams would have to pay respect to the respective city’s ball clubs by attending the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Some thought a token might be appropriate, but the Penguins and Bruins went all out and wore amazing throwback Pirates and Red Sox attire. We’ve seen some goofy looks For outdoor games In years past, this is a great example of how to dress up for the occasion.
Trending up: Boston Bruins
Can you really be trending up when you’re the best team in the NHL by a mile and a half? With an 8-0-2 record in 10 of their last games, the Bruins have yet to lose a regulation game at TD Garden. It’s all pretty mind-boggling how good the Bruins have been, playing at a 138-point pace that would shatter the 1976-77 Canadiens for the best season of all time.
Trending down: Pittsburgh Penguins
The same cannot be said for the team that lined up on the other side of the dots for the NHL’s Winter Classic. That loss to the Bruins was the fifth of what has stretched into a six-game losing streak that has seen Crosby and the Penguins tumble down to the Metro Division’s sixth seed. Since their first loss, the Penguins have been brutal. They are currently in the bottom five in the NHL for goals for and allowed. However, they are being outplayed like mad with a lowest-10 expected goals-for%. Things are going off the rails right now in Steeltown, and they’ll need to figure things out quickly while playing in the NHL’s toughest division.
More on Sports