Another chaotic week in the NHL has come and gone. There were several key storylines that occurred over the course of the week, and we’ve got you covered with our weekly NHL Rewind.
Earlier this month, the NHL unveiled each of the four divisions’ rosters for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. Over the weekend, the league announced the finalized rosters following the Fan Vote that occurred over the last week.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings continued their ascent in the standings and earned a hard-fought comeback win against their Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
Let’s take a closer look at the top storylines and highlights from around the NHL over the past week.
Goal of the week: Clayton Keller dekes Marc-Andre Fleury on the breakaway
The Arizona Coyotes certainly piled on the goals in a 6-0 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, but star center Clayton Keller really put an exclamation point on the victory.
Early in the third period, the Coyotes were able to dig the puck out of their own zone. Arizona forward Jack McBain was able to toss the puck ahead to Keller and he did the rest. Keller got in all alone on the breakaway, and was able to deke his way around Marc-Andre Fleury to score an impressive goal.
Keller finished the game with a pair goals and an assist to pace the Coyotes’ offensive attack.
Robbery of the week: Charlie Lindgren makes ridiculous glove save
The Washington Capitals had quite a daunting weekend as they faced the New York Rangers in a pair of games. During Sunday’s contest, Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren produced arguably the most impressive save of the week.
Late in the second period, the Rangers were going to work in the offensive zone, and were looking to extend their 2-1 lead. Rangers star Chris Kreider had a chance in close to put the puck in the net, which is an area of the ice where he thrives.
However, Lindgren had other ideas. Rangers defenseman Adam Fox dished a great pass to Kreider in front, but Kreider’s initial shot was stopped by Lindgren. Kreider was able to quickly pounce on the rebound, and rip off a snap shot from point-blank range.
Even though he was trying to hold his ground in the crease, Lindgren still managed to record a terrific glove save to rob Kreider of a goal.
Lindgren ended up stopping 29 of the 31 shots that he faced in a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Rangers. However, Lindgren gave his team every chance to stay in the game with saves like this one.
NHL finalizes All-Star rosters, announces head coaches
The 2024 NHL All-Star Game rosters have been set in stone. On Saturday, the league announced the results of the Fan Vote that took place over the last week following the initial 32 players being announced.
The Fan Vote saw Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander as the top vote-getter among skaters with 1,393,578 votes. Meanwhile, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was right behind Nylander with 1,065,367.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko led all players with 1,398,699 votes in the Fan Vote.
The following players were added to the All-Star Game following the Fan Vote:
- William Nylander (F, Maple Leafs)
- Cale Makar (D, Avalanche)
- Elias Pettersson (F, Canucks)
- Leon Draisaitl (F, Oilers)
- Mitch Marner (F, Maple Leafs)
- J.T. Miller (F, Canucks)
- Morgan Rielly (D, Maple Leafs)
- Brock Boeser (F, Canucks)
- Thatcher Demko (G, Canucks)
- Sergei Bobrovsky (G, Panthers)
- Alexandar Georgiev (G, Avalanche)
- Jeremy Swayman (G, Bruins)
In addition to the final players being added, the NHL also announced the four head coaches that will be behind the bench for each of the four teams during next month’s All-Star Game, which takes place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins), Rick Bowness (Winnipeg Jets), Peter Laviolette (New York Rangers), and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks) will serve as the head coaches of the four teams during the NHL All-Star Game.
The four team rosters will be chosen on Thursday before the All-Star weekend, which takes place from Feb. 1-3.
Red Wings come back to top Maple Leafs
The Detroit Red Wings found themselves trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 entering the third period. However, the Red Wings ended up scoring three unanswered goals over the final 20 minutes to earn a 4-2 win against their Atlantic Division rivals on Sunday.
The two teams traded goals in the first 15:39 of the second period before Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner made history with a goal at the 18:18 mark of the frame. Marner passed the puck across to a cutting teammate Tyler Bertuzzi, and Bertuzzi passed it back to Marner, who tapped in an easy goal.
The Maple Leafs forward became the fastest player in franchise history to accomplish the feat as he did so in just 548 games. Marner topped Darryl Sittler’s previous record of 584 games.
Following Marner’s tally, the Red Wings’ offense woke up in a big way.
In the opening three minutes of the third period, Red Wings forward Daniel Sprong benefitted from a blocked shot. Sprong was able to race ahead of the pack, and slipped a goal past Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov when he got in all alone.
With less than two minutes to go in regulation, the Red Wings were able to claim their first lead of the contest. Detroit was able to dig the puck out from behind the net, and forward Andrew Copp was the beneficiary.
Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen tossed the puck in front, and Copp was able to corral it. Copp then flipped a snap shot past Samsonov to give the Red Wings a 3-2 advantage with just 1:40 to go.
Detroit added an empty-net goal courtesy of forward Lucas Raymond, which helped put the game out of reach.
The Red Wings have now won five of their last six games, earning at least one point in all six of those contests. Detroit currently owns the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference at the midway point of the 2023-24 season.
Marc-Andre Fleury passes Patrick Roy with 552nd career win
After tying fellow Quebec native Patrick Roy with win No. 551 last week, Fleury finally passed him with his 552nd win on Monday, and he did so in impressive fashion. Fleury was in net for the Minnesota Wild’s 5-0 win over the New York Islanders, and he pulled into sole possession for second on the all-time wins list.
Fleury got plenty of help from his teammates on Monday, facing just 21 shots for the entire game. Fleury did get some help from every goalie’s best friend, and he made sure to express his gratitude to the post for keeping the shutout intact.
When the clock ticked down to zero, the Wild mobbed Fleury in his crease as the crowd at Xcel Energy Center chanted his name. It was a special moment for Fleury, who has built an impressive resume throughout his 20-year career.
Even though he had already cemented himself as one of the best goalies in NHL history, passing Roy is just another feather in Fleury’s cap. It’s a clear testament to Fleury’s excellence and longevity. It’s not often that NHL goaltenders — or athletes of any kind — can keep playing at a high level when they turn 39, but that’s exactly what Fleury has done.
Fleury is now 139 wins behind the legendary Martin Brodeur for first place on the all-time wins list — which means he will probably finish in second place — but he has already put every other goalie in his rearview mirror. Roy, Ed Belfour, Grant Fuhr, Dominik Hasek, and other Hall of Fame goaltenders will be looking up at him forever.
Appointment viewing this week
Maple Leafs at Rangers | Tuesday, Jan. 16: The Rangers have been an absolute force through the first half of the season. This clash features a matchup of two elite playmakers in Auston Matthews and Artemi Panarin. It could also be a potential postseason preview.
Red Wings at Panthers | Wednesday, Jan. 17: As was mentioned above, the Red Wings have been playing some of their best hockey of the year over the past few weeks. They’re attempting to continue to climb in the standings, and the Panthers are also doing the same after a slow start.
Avalanche at Bruins | Thursday, Jan. 18: A pair of Stanley Cup contenders will face off when the Bruins host the Avalanche. There haven’t been many hotter teams than the Avalanche lately with seven wins over their last eight games. This is a solid test for both teams as the All-Star break approaches.
Maple Leafs at Canucks | Saturday, Jan. 20: Rick Tocchet has really turned things around in Vancouver. Quinn Hughes is having a Norris Trophy-caliber campaign, while this team continues to pile on the goals. Perhaps the top two Canadian teams thus far should equal an entertaining tilt.
Jets at Bruins | Monday, Jan. 22: The Jets have been on fire lately and had an eight-game winning streak recently snapped. Facing one of the top teams in the East in the Bruins provides a nice test for the Jets as they look to prove that they’re one of the league’s elite squads.
