The Pacific division swept the All-Star game this weekend in Tampa, beating both the Central and Atlantic division’s 5-2. Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks took home MVP of the game. The rookie has been a breakout star for Vancouver. Due to the All-Star break, there wasn’t too much hockey, but I’m here to catch you up on what you might have missed over the last week.
Arizona Coyotes (12-29-9)
The Coyotes haven’t even played their first game since the All-Star break yet. Last Thursday they lost 2-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This regulation loss ended their six-game point streak. They managed to put 39 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky, with Brendan Perlini’s power play goal the only one finding the back of the net. With 3:03 on the clock, Cam Atkinson tapped one in. Overall, a good effort by Arizona, but not enough to keep their point streak alive.
The Coyotes play the Dallas Stars tonight at 6:00 PST.
Anaheim Ducks (25-17-9)
Prior to the All-Star break, the Anaheim Ducks won in a shootout over the Winnipeg Jets. John Gibson left the game after a collision with Blake Wheeler. Regardless, the Ducks were able to hold over the red-hot Winnipeg team, winning the game in OT.
Come Tuesday, the Ducks were in Boston to take on the Bruins. Holding the Bruins to just five shots in the first period plus goals scored by Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, the Ducks came out strong. John Gibson returned for Anaheim, making an impressive 25 blocked shots. He left the third period after taking a puck to the chest. Henrique also had an empty-netter, ending the game with a 3-1 win. The Ducks put an end to Boston’s 18-game point streak, the first team to beat the B’s in regulation since the Washington Capitals did on December 14th. Could this Ducks team be back in a playoff spot soon?
Anaheim will take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 4:00 PST.
Calgary Flames (25-17-8)
The Calgary Flames had two division matchups this week. On Thursday, they played the Edmonton Oilers and ended up losing 4-3 in a shootout. Matthew Tkachuk had two goals in regulation and scored the only Flames goal in the shootout. The Flames kept their point streak alive, but fell short yet again in the Battle of Alberta.
The Flames put up a hard fight against the Vegas Golden Knights. Things were moving smoothly for the team until an unfortunate mistake by Michael Frolik lead to the Golden Knights tying it up. Ten seconds later, Vegas put another puck into the net. The Flames lost 4-2.
It’s also an end of an era: Jaromir Jagr cleared his waiver with the Flames this week. The mullet legend will be returning to his home club in the Czech Republic. The Jagr signing was an interesting experiment for Calgary. Regardless, he will certainly be missed in the NHL.
The Flames take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at 6:00 PST.
Edmonton Oilers (22-24-3)
Edmonton also hasn’t made their All-Star break return yet. They won 4-3 in the Battle of Alberta last Thursday. Edmonton scored on their first shot of the game. Connor McDavid was called for goaltender interference on what would have been a game-winning goal in OT. He would go on to score the winning shootout goal for the Oilers.
They return tonight against the Colorado Avalanche at 6:00 PST.
Los Angeles Kings (27-18-5)
The Sharks have had a rough last few games, but one thing that helps me sleep at night is knowing they still sit above the Kings in the Pacific division. The bad news is that they came back swinging from the All-Star break. They beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 on Tuesday. Back up netminder Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves, landing his ninth career shutout. Kuemper made his second start in a row, sitting in for injured Jonathan Quick. Paul LaDue, Drew Doughty, and Alec Martinez all had goals. This was the Kings’ second straight win.
The Kings will play the Nashville Predators tonight at 5:30 PST.
Vancouver Canucks (20-24-6)
The Vancouver Canucks had a lot to celebrate this weekend thanks to Brock Boeser. Prior to the All-Star break though, they lost 4-0 to the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams have struggled quite a bit this season, and Buffalo really stuck it to the Canucks. On Wednesday they beat the Colorado Avalanche in overtime. Bo Horvat, Michael Del Zotto, and Daniel Sedin had the regulation goals that kept the Canucks alive against the surprisingly good Colorado team. Sven Baertschi scored in the first minute of overtime, leading to the Canucks win.
Brock Boeser has had an impressive season with the Canucks this year. He won the accuracy shooting challenge, scored multiple goals to bring home the win for the Pacific division, and walked away with MVP. Safe to say the kid is doing alright.
The Canucks hope to keep the momentum going tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:00 PST.
Vegas Golden Knights (33-12-4)
Before the All-Star break, the Vegas Golden Knights finally fell a bit. They lost 2-1 in regulation to the New York Islanders. They quickly got it back together, winning 4-2 against Calgary with three late goals. This win tied 1993-94 Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks for most wins by an expansion team during their first season. I can promise you, none of us saw this one coming. Also, they’re still trying to settle that whole logo dispute with the US Army. Another thing we never saw coming.
Vegas will face the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 5:00 PST.
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