Yesterday’s NHL Score
Last Night’s News 📰
FOUR FOR GENO: The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Evgeni Malkin for the next four games after the 35-year-old was suspended for his cross-check to the face of Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki. It is Malkin’s second suspension after earning time in the press box for a game in 2019 because of a high stick.
WITHOUT A DOUGHTY: On Monday, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty underwent surgery to repair a wrist injury sustained on March 7 against the Boston Bruins. Doughty leads all Kings defensemen with 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) despite appearing in only 39 games this season.
JET FUEL: In the only game in the NHL on Monday, the Winnipeg Jets gained in the Wild Card race with a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Morgan Barron had a goal and an assist in the win, while Josh Anderson scored his 100th career goal for the Canadiens, who are 2-5-1 in their last eight games.
Trivia Tuesday
How Well Do You Know Owen Power?
- Owen Power became the first defenseman in Hockey Canada history to do what at the World Juniors?
- Score in the first minute of the game
- Play almost 28 minutes of ice time
- Record a Gordie Howe hat trick
- Score a hat trick
- Power previously explained in interviews that his time playing which sport helped hone his skills?
- Box Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- After which current NHL defenseman does Power pattern his game?
- Roman Josi
- Victor Hedman
- Brent Burns
- Kris Letang
Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.
Commencing After College
With the NCAA hockey season officially ending last Saturday, three top picks from last year’s NHL Draft have finally joined their NHL teams. The three, who all played college hockey at Michigan, are expected to make their NHL debuts in the next couple of days. Here is a look at these highly touted new NHLers.
Kent Johnson (Columbus Blue Jackets)
After finishing up his sophomore season at Michigan, Johnson, the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, signed a contract with the Blue Jackets on Friday and skated with the team for the first time on Monday. He will likely make his debut on Wednesday when Columbus hosts the Montreal Canadiens.
After tallying 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 26 games as a freshman, the 19-year-old center scored 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 32 games for Michigan this past season. He had two assists in the Wolverines’ first-round NCAA tournament win over American International before being held scoreless in their second-round win over Quinnipiac and their Frozen Four loss to Denver. He also played for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics earlier this year.
Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken)
Beniers, the second-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, signed with the Kraken on Sunday. There is currently no word on when the 19-year-old center will make his debut, although he practiced for the first time on Monday and will travel with the team for their road trip to Calgary and Winnipeg, which starts Wednesday.
Beniers, who finished with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) as a freshman, had a team-leading 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 37 games this past season. Like Johnson, he tallied two points (a goal and an assist) in Michigan’s first-round win but went scoreless in the Wolverines’ final two games. Also, like Johnson, he played in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, representing the United States.
Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres)
The first-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft signed with the Sabres on Friday and will make his debut when they play the Maple Leafs in Toronto tonight. Power, a 19-year-old defenseman, was among the best all-around players at his position during his two years at Michigan and was the consensus top prospect in the 2021 draft class.
Following a freshman season in which he had 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 26 games, Power scored three goals and added 29 assists (tied for the team lead with Johnson) in 33 games in addition to his defensive responsibilities. He recorded an assist in Michigan’s win over American International and four assists in the Wolverines’ win over Quinnipiac before going quiet in their loss to Denver. He also played alongside Johnson for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Have a Good Summer!
During last year’s postseason, Morning Skate had some fun pouring one out for each fallen Stanley Cup hopeful that fell by the wayside along the path toward the Tampa Bay Lightning being crowned Cup champions for the second straight year. This time around, we’re extending the courtesy to those mathematically eliminated from taking part in the NHL’s second season.
Here’s the first batch of tributes (to those teams whose moment of glory will have to wait for another year):
Arizona Coyotes
On the bright side, the Arizona Coyotes have already doubled up the win total of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, much to the chagrin of my segment way back in November. Furthermore, they can anticipate playing to sold-out home crowds next year at Arizona State’s 5,000-seat arena. All kidding aside, owning a whopping eight picks in the first two rounds of July’s NHL Entry Draft offers a substantial opportunity to turn things around.
Montreal Canadiens
From the Stanley Cup Final to one of the league’s worst records? Yikes. On the plus side, Carey Price is here, ladies and gentlemen! Whether that means any game action over the remainder of an already-lost season will be the question. For next season, however, a game-ready Price backstopping a Canadiens team that features Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and maybe a top 2022 rookie draftee could be the recipe for a quick turn-around.
Seattle Kraken
Vegas, part two? Not even close for the Seattle Kraken, whose expansion campaign has lined up far more closely with the inaugural efforts of most first-year franchises than the fairytale Golden Knights of 2017-18. But hey, there’s a foundation here! Last year’s No. 2 pick Matty Beniers just signed his entry-level contract, as Philipp Grubauer, Jamie Oleksiak, Jordan Eberle, and newly extended leading scorer Jared McCann are locked in long-term.
Trivia Answers
NHL Standings
NHL’s Leading Scorers
Today’s NHL Schedule
- Today’s newsletter was edited by Kyle Knopp, with contributions by Ben Fisher, Kristy Flannery, and Brooke LoFurno.
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