Another weekend of entertaining NHL action is behind us, and it brought some tremendous moments. We finally saw the Boston Bruins look somewhat human, while Brady Tkachuk channeled his inner Gordie Howe against the New York Rangers. In addition, Patrick Kane hit a major milestone in his prolific career.
Let’s take a look at the best highlights and stories from this past weekend in the NHL.
Goal of the weekend: Andrew Copp defies physics
When I watched this goal live for the first time, it nearly broke my brain. One second, the puck is to the left of the net. The next it’s rattling around in the back of the net. There was only a small sliver of daylight between Joonas Korpisalo’s shoulder and the post, but Copp managed to hit him and bank his shot in for a goal.
Copp was one of the Detroit Red Wings’ big offseason additions, but he has had a rough season so far. That was just his third goal of the year, but maybe that snipe can give him the confidence he needs to find his groove moving forward.
Robbery of the weekend: Connor Hellebuyck lays out (again)
This is starting to become a weekly Connor Hellebuyck update. He has to be leader in the clubhouse for the 2023 Vezina Trophy.
As with most of Hellebuyck’s big saves, it started with the Winnipeg Jets losing an opposing player right in the slot. Hellebuyck made the initial stop, and Nathan Beaulieu thought he had his first goal of the season. As Beaulieu went to flip the puck into the net, Hellebuyck sprawled out and denied the Ducks defenseman with his right pad.
Through 18 starts, Hellebuyck is on pace to post the best numbers of his career, which is saying something because he’s already one of the best goalies of his generation. Hellebuyck’s 2.27 GAA and .931 save percentage are the best marks of his career, and he leads the NHL with 15.43 goals saved above average, per Natural Stat Trick.
Golden Knights hand Bruins first home loss
Maybe the Boston Bruins are human after all. On Tuesday, the Vegas Golden Knights handed the Bruins their first home loss of the 2022-23 season as they earned a 4-3 shootout victory.
In doing so, the Golden Knights became the first team to win a regular season or playoff game at TD Garden since April 16 and snapped Boston’s NHL-record 14-game season-opening home winning streak. It also marked the first game in Boston for former Bruins and current Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, who posted a 149-59-23 record during his time with the Bruins.
After the two teams were knotted 3-3 in regulation and after the overtime session, the action headed to a shootout. Vegas winger Reilly Smith scored the lone shootout goal to clinch the game as he snuck one past Jeremy Swayman in the fifth round.
Brady Tkachuk’s Gordie Howe hat trick
When the Ottawa Senators signed Tkachuk to a seven-year extension and named him captain last year, they were counting on his combination of size, skill and toughness to lead the franchise to new heights. He put all of that on display in the Senators’ 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers on Friday.
After assisting on Tim Stützle’s goal in the second period, Tkachuk dropped the mitts in a fight with Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in a heavyweight bout. The two captains threw some haymakers before they went down to the ice together.
Then, with under a minute left in regulation and the Senators down 2-1, Tkachuk completed the Gordie Howe Hat Trick by tipping in a point shot past Igor Shesterkin to tie the game.
Tkachuk decided to cap off his already memorable performance by winning the game for Ottawa in overtime. Following a Rangers scoring chance, Thomas Chabot sprung Tkachuk on a breakaway, and he beat Shesterkin again to send the Senators home with two points.
Stars’ epic comeback come up just short
Two- and three-goal comebacks have become too mainstream, so the Dallas Stars decided they would attempt a four-goal comeback in under fifteen minutes. They nearly pulled it off, too.
Joel Eriksson Ek gave the Minnesota Wild a 5-1 lead early in the third period, but the action was only getting started. With less than 13 minutes left in regulation, Roope Hintz netted his second goal of the game to give the Stars a little bit of life.
Under a minute later, Jason Robertson scored his 23rd (not a misprint) goal of the season to bring Dallas within two.
A few ticks over two minutes after Robertson’s goal, Mason Marchment found the back of the net to make it a one-goal game and send American Airlines Center into a frenzy.
The Wild managed to stop the bleeding for a while, but they couldn’t stem the tide long enough for a regulation win. With 2:11 left in the third period, Hintz found himself all alone in the slot, and he buried a rocket of a shot to complete the hat trick and tie the game at 5-5.
Unfortunately for the Stars, that is where the comeback bid ended. Neither team scored in overtime, and the Wild won in a shootout in which five of the six shooters scored. Minnesota’s Freddie Gaudreau prevented what would have been a disastrous loss with this filthy move.
Patrick Kane notches 1,200th career point
Now 34, Patrick Kane is working his way up the NHL record books. On Saturday, Kane became just the 50th player in league history to record 1,200 points. In the Chicago Blackhawks’ 5-2 win over the New York Rangers, Kane tallied his 1,998th point with a power play goal to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
Point no. 1,999 came on an assist of a power play goal by Max Domi, and Kane managed to hit his 1,200th point on yet another power play assist.
As the 2022-23 progresses, it gets harder and harder to see Kane playing his entire career in a Blackhawks jersey. The team is, by design, one of the worst in the NHL. As Chicago continues its rebuild, Kane may not want to stick around, and the team could get a haul for him in a trade. However, until that day comes, Kane will keep adding to his legacy with the Hawks.
Dahlin leads Sabres past Karlsson, Sharks
Make no mistake about it, Erik Karlsson and Rasmus Dahlin are two of the frontrunners in the James Norris Memorial Trophy conversation for the league’s best defensemen during the first half of the 2022-23 season. On Sunday, the two marquee blue-liners did battle in Buffalo and it was Dahlin that led his side to a 6-3 victory.
Dahlin recorded two assists and it marked the eighth time this season in which the star defense registered multiple points in a game. Entering Sunday, Karlsson was the only NHL defenseman with more multi-point games than Dahlin with 10 to his credit. Karlsson added an assist of his own in a losing effort.
Dahlin also etched his name in the Sabres’ history books when he tallied his 20th assist of the season. He reached the 20-assist mark in just 24 games and it marked the second-quickest time frame to 20 assists behind only John Van Boxmeer, who accomplished the feat in only 21 games during the 1981-82 campaign.
The Sabres defenseman currently has 29 points (eight goals & 21 assists), which is the second-most points among NHL defensemen behind only Karlsson (34).
Appointment viewing for this week
Maple Leafs at Stars | Tuesday, Dec. 6: The ice crew in Dallas will have to work overtime to keep the ice frozen with two of the NHL’s hottest players, Mitch Marner and Jason Robertson, going head-to-head in the same rink.
Wild at Flames | Wednesday, Dec. 7: It’s only December, but this game is huge for both teams. The battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference will be heated from here on out, and both of these teams are squarely in a logjam that’s comprised of about six teams.
Bruins at Avalanche | Wednesday, Dec. 7: The Bruins recently suffered their first loss at home, but have looked a tiny bit of a mortal franchise at times when they’ve hit the road. The Avalanche will have revenge on their mind after being dominated in a 5-1 loss to the Bruins last weekend.
Sharks at Ducks | Friday, Dec. 9: This is a sicko pick, but there is a very good possibility that this game is so bad it’s good. The Sharks and Ducks are the two worst teams in the NHL, and it’s not all that close. Get your favorite holiday beverage, fire up the streaming service, and watch these two teams battle for draft lottery positioning.
Kraken at Panthers | Sunday, Dec. 11: It’s not like the Panthers have been all that impressive early on this season, but they did come away with a convincing 5-1 win over the Kraken last weekend. In the process, they snapped the Kraken’s scalding seven-game winning streak, so Seattle will likely be extremely motivated to steal a win on the road. There could easily be some fireworks.
