2020-2021 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #10

Final Score: Bucks County 3 – Chicago 1

Labatt’s 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: BCR – Anton Khubodin 34 Saves
Star 2: BCR – Evander Kane 1G, 2Pts
Star 3: BCR – Nick Leddy 1G

GWG: Drew Doughty

Notables:
BCR – Anton Khubodin 34 Saves
CHI – None

Final Score: Yellowknife 2 – Chicago 1

Labatt’s 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: YEL – Corey Crawford 16 Saves
Star 2: YEL – Oliver Bjorkstrand 1G
Star 3: YEL – Anthony Duclair 1G

GWG: Anthony Duclair

Notables:
YEL – Nones
CHI – None

2nd period is a close checking affair and Vrana’s goal for Bathgate with 4 1/2 to go was the only score and the game is knotted at 2-2 after 2.

3rd period is a bit strange – Rangers were held to 7 shots, New Jersey goes wild with 17 – but it’s the Rangers who find the most success with 4 of the 7 shots going into the Black Aces net. ZBad gets one 7 1/2 minutes in and then scores again 37 seconds later for a 4-2 lead. Beauvillier then gets his 2nd goal and the game tightens up, 4-3 with 6 minutes to go. Stays that way until the final minute when NJ pulls Bobrovsky and Hertl and Tatar find the empty net to make the final 6-3 Rangers!
OUT OF WHACK STAT: Rangers take 61.4 % of the faceoffs!
STARS:
1. BGR Zibanejad 2 goals, 1 assist
2. NJB Beauvillier 2 goals, 1 assst
3. BGR Tatar 1 goal, 2 assists

Well, apparently it shook up the Mullets for the 1st 40 minutes. Dylan Strome scores the only 1st period goal and the Rangers skate off with the 1-0 lead.

Then in the 2nd, ZBad skates circles around the Mullets and scores twice making it 3-0 after 2.

Then the haircut shock wore off and Lindholm figure out Reimer and scores for Jagr a minute and a half into the 3rd and it’s 3-1 Bathgate. Then it’s defense – the Mullets tried and tried – firing shot after shot (13 on goal), but the Rangers blocked shot after shot and kept the Mullets off balance – they almost had as many shots missing the net as got on goal. But Optimus Reim was standing tall. Just over a minute and a half left, Kuemper heads to the bench. Bergeron steps on the ice. Ovechkin takes itacross the blue line. To Giordano to Weber passes back to Ovechkin – shots – SCORES! And it’s 3-2 Rangers and the Mullets take the time out. 1:35 to go, Jagr’s goal is wide open, Rangers win the faceoff and Dylan Strome fires at the open net, Weber gets in the way of the puck. Jagr then control the puck most of the rest of the game, but the Rangers are fighting them hard giving them little opportunity for scoring chances – until the final 30 seconds when Lindholm takes a pass from Duchene – shots quickly, but Dylan Strome blocks it and that turns out to be their last chance and the Rangers hold on to win 3-2!
STARS (all CAP)
1. Zibanejad 2 goals
2. Dylan Strome 1 goal
3. Optimus Reim 30 saves

The Bandits jump out early with Horvat scoring his 5th of the season. **Horvat is one of those who was done dirty in the ratings for the past two seasons, while ALL Boston players are over-rated. But I digress… Bandits up 1-0.

Less than a minute later Jarnkrok (4) ties it 1-1.

Pearson (1) gets on the board as he is trying to play his way into the lineup, replacing a disappointing Nino Niederreiter. 2-1 Bandits

Debrusk (15) scores on the PP to make it 3-1 Bandits.

We go to the 2nd…

Draisaitl (24) brings the Defenders within one, 3-2.

Go the the 3rd…

Debrusk (16) won’t be upstaged, Bandits up 4-2.

Draisaitl (25) says he can go all day… 4-3 Bandits lead.

Konecny (8) hopefully finding his groove, makes it 5-3.

Alamo pulls Lehner and with 21 seconds left, Draisaitl completes his hat trick to pull Alamo within one, but that’s where it would end…

Brentwood 5, Alamo 4.

Is this a sign of things to come? Probably not as we gave up 43 SOG and only managed 25. Although the PK was good stopping all 4 Alamo chances, and the PP went 2-4. Also bested Alamo in Hits and Blocks.

DeAngelo (6) and McCann (5) make it 2-0 in the 1st.

Late in the period, Debrusk (17) cuts the lead in half, 2-1 Bathgate.

2nd period…

Debrusk (18) gets the only goal to tie it up 2-2.

3rd period…

Giroux (8) gets the Rangers back the lead 3-2.

A minute later, Vatrano (5) ties it back up 3-3.

That’s how the 3rd would end… and OT would end the same.

We go to the shootout…

Tatar scores on Nilsson
Tavares is stopped by Georgiev
Vrana scores on Nilsson
Konecny is stoned by Georgiev

Bathgate wins in the SO 4-3

Neither team broke 20 shots on goal in the entire game, including OT. A strange game to say the least.

The Bandits only manage 12 shots the ENTIRE GAME!! But one of those 12 gets past Bobrovsky as Vasilevskiy stops all 20 shots he faces to win the battle of the Russian netminders, 1-0.

Lars Eller (7) gets the only goal of the game.

Not happy to only get 12 SOG against the last place Black Aces, but a win is a win?

This team is an mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and covered in secret sauce.

2nd Period see the Great Danes score on a goal by Hintz (10) and The Nor’Westers counter with three goals – Couturier (11) & O’Reilly (6 & 7) to take a 2 goal lead 4-2.

The 3rd period ended with each team scoring 3 goals and a win for Thunder Bay 7-5.
LA goals by Barkov(12), Heiskanen(4) and Bremerstrom(1). Thunder Bay got goals by Athanasiou (1), Smith (15) and Bertuzzi (6).

The 2nd period each team scores twice so after 40 minutes we are still tied 3-3. Portland goals by Granlund(5) and Backlund(10). Thunder goals by Eichel (28) and Quinn Hughes (4).

The third period continues the pyramid growth with each team scoring 3 goals – at the end of regulation the score is tied 6-6. Storm goals by Dvorak(5), Olofsson(19) and Zuccarello(5). Thunder Bay goals by Connor (19), Parayko (3), and Athanasiou (2).

Overtime ended with a richocet off Todd Bertuzzi’s elbow and into the Storm net. Bertuzzi’s 6th of the season. Final score Thunder Bay 7 Portland 6

Period 3 sees Toledo cut down on infractions, and that leads to more consistant pressure on the offensive end. Bailey, and new addition to the PP unit, van Riemsdyk get goals and make it interesting heading into the final 3 minutes. Toledo pulls the goalie and gets a bunch of shots on Chicago, but in the end some serious body on body action by the Cosa Nostra cut down on the shots and keep the W on their side.

1st star – Debrincat 1G 2pts
2nd – Pastrnak 1G
3rd – Kopitar 1G

Blackwood 35 saves

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAVE A GOOD 2 WEEKS OFF.

Gilbert 4 Alamo 2

1-Panarin
2-MacKinnon
3-Kubalik

Star #1 – Khudobin 36 saves
Star #2 – Oshie goal
Star #3 – Hayes 1 goal

Merzlikin records 43 saves in win

Tyler Toffoli netted a pair of second period goals to lead Cincinnati to the 5-4 win. Alex Goligoski and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist each for the Braves. The shots favored the Inferno, 44-34, in a more up-tempo contest. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 30 shots and Corey Crawford turned away 28 in the defeat.

In the showdown for second place in the Atlantic Division, Cincinnati prevailed, 2-0. Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point each notched first period goals and then the defenses locked down and there was no more scoring in the contest. Connor Hellebuyck steered away all 18 Buzzards’ shots and Carey Price got an undeserved ‘L’, re-routing 21 shots. The shots battle went to Cincinnati, 23-18. The power plays went the Inferno’s way also, as they cashed in on one of five tires, while Charlotte was shutout in its only try.

In the showdown for the Atlantic Division lead, Cincinnati claimed the 5-1 win. Tyler Toffoli and David Perron each had a pair of goals for the Inferno, while Brayden Point had an assist on all five Cincinnati goals.

In another tight-checking game, Cincinnati won the shots battle, 22-20. The Inferno also had the only man-advantage goal, going one-for-three, while the Nor’Easters went zero-for-five. Connor Hellebuyck won his 18th game of the year, stopping 19 shots, while Mikko Koskinen had 17 saves.

Connor Hellebuyck could be a Goaltender of the Week consideration. A 3-0 record with a 1.67 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and a shutout will help the cause.