Yesterday’s NHL Scores
Last Night’s News 📰
MAKE IT A DOZEN: The Florida Panthers continued their winning ways on Thursday night, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 for their 12th straight victory, matching a club record. Jonathan Huberdeau tallied two assists for the Panthers, tying Connor McDavid for the league lead in points with 113, as Florida clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
NO. 1 FOR (A FORMER) NO. 1: In the fifth game of his NHL career, 2021 No. 1 overall pick Owen Power found the back of the net for the first time. Power scored part-way through the third period in a 5-2 win for his Buffalo Sabres over the New Jersey Devils.
BREADMAN DELIVERS IN NEW YORK: Andrew Copp notched a natural hat trick in the first period of the New York Rangers’ 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders, but Artemi Panarin delivered the highlights. Panarin assisted on all three of Copp’s goals while adding a fourth later in the game to give him 74 helpers, passing the Rangers record for forwards of 72 set by Wayne Gretzky (1996-97) and Mark Messier (1991-92).
TAMPA THRASHES TORONTO: Thursday saw a preview of one of the two playoff matchups already decided (the other being Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues) as the Tampa Bay Lightning dismantled the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-1. Steven Stamkos followed up Tuesday’s three-assist game with another three-point night, notching a goal and two helpers to pass Martin St. Louis, becoming the Lightning’s all-time scoring leader.
Friday Favorites
Let’s look back at our favorite moments of the week.
Ovi Hits 50 (Again)
Alex Ovechkin reached 50 goals for a ninth season, tying him with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history. The Washington Capitals’ captain also became the oldest player at 36 years, 215 days to reach the milestone. It has been an impressive year for the 36-year-old Ovechkin, who is chasing Gretzky’s NHL goal-scoring record and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
The Night the World Became Devils Fans
For one night, Hockey Twitter collectively became fans of the New Jersey Devils. Monday night saw the Devils travel to Las Vegas to take on an extremely desperate Golden Knights team. A win was necessary for the home club to keep them in the playoff hunt, but Devils goaltender Andrew Hammond spoiled their chances by making 42 saves. The reaction to the Vegas loss further proves that the Knights went from the NHL’s Cinderella team to the NHL villain.
Rookie Pranks
Sometimes the best moments of the week happen off the ice. The Minnesota Wild decided to prank rookie Brandon Duhaime, and this one might take a while to recover. Allegedly, Matt Dumba and Jordan Greenway were behind the prank involving an unknown number of styrofoam packing peanuts in his SUV. While Duhaime did not exactly break out in laughter, the rest of the team did provide an enjoyable moment for fans.
Art Ross Homestretch
As the 2021-22 NHL season approaches its final week, the battle for the Art Ross Trophy as the top point scorer is neck-and-neck. Six players have eclipsed the 100-point mark, and five are within 11 points of each other with just a few games remaining. Here is a look at the fight for the Art Ross as we enter the homestretch.
Jonathan Huberdeau (113 Points)
After being overtaken for the league lead in points on Wednesday night, the 28-year-old Florida Panthers forward is now in a tie for first place thanks to two assists in Florida’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The victory was the Panthers’ 12th in a row, propelling them to the top of the NHL, two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. With five games remaining to add to his totals, Huberdeau already has 113 points and 81 assists, both Florida franchise records.
Connor McDavid (113)
Last season’s Art Ross winner with 105 points in 56 games, the 25-year-old Edmonton Oilers center momentarily passed Huberdeau for the lead with a goal and two assists in Edmonton’s 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars. McDavid is the only player who ranks top-10 in both goals (7th with 43) and assists (4th with 70). Currently in second place in the Pacific Division with five games left, the Oilers can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Avalanche tonight.
Johnny Gaudreau (109)
The 28-year-old Calgary Flames left winger is part of a dynamic duo (along with fellow winger Matthew Tkachuk, who got his 100th point last night) that has the Flames in the playoffs and leading the Pacific Division. He notched an assist on Tkachuk’s goal in last night’s 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars to pull within four points of the leaders. In 77 games, Gaudreau has 38 goals and 70 assists, leading the league with a plus-60.
Leon Draisaitl (106)
With 110 points, the 26-year-old Oilers center won the Art Ross in 2019-20 (the year before his teammate McDavid won it) and has a chance to surpass that career-high if he can total more than four points in his next five games. Draisaitl has set a career-high for goals in a season with 54, four less than Auston Matthews’ league-leading count.
Auston Matthews (102)
Speaking of Matthews, the 24-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs center sits 11 points behind the leaders despite missing seven games this season (none of the other players have missed more than one). The Leafs have clinched a playoff spot and will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. With 58 goals, Matthews leads the league in that category for the second straight season but his current injury could play a factor.
Men’s U18s Are Here!
The last time the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) men’s U18 World Championships took place in front of capacity crowds, Lucas Raymond clinched his hat trick with an overtime winner to secure Sweden’s first-ever gold medal at the event in 2019. American forwards Cole Caufield and Jack Hughes led the tournament in scoring. That all three men are no longer prospects and now NHL mainstays show just how long it’s been since that event three years ago.
Well, the men’s U18 Worlds are back! German towns of Landshut and Kaufbeuren will host the world’s best under-18 hockey talents, with Canada looking to defend their title from last year’s limited capacity event. Even with Russia and Belarus banned from participation, there stands to be plenty of competition and talent on display. Here’s what you should know:
The Next One
Two words: Connor. Bedard. The presence of the sensational 16-year-old in the Canadian lineup should be enough to get everyone tuning in. Given his four-goal effort during the COVID-scrapped World Junior Championships in December and 51 goals in the Western Hockey League this year, putting him up against under-18 talent is almost unfair.
More Star Power
The absence of Russia means no Matvei Michkov at the tournament, but no worries! USA standout Logan Cooley and Bedard’s Team Canada teammate and fellow 2023 top prospect Adam Fantilli ensure the U18s won’t simply be a one-man show. Those top prospects aside, the nine-day event could help boost the draft stock of several promising talents, including Sweden’s Leo Carlsson, USA’s Seamus Casey, and Finnish phenom Aron Kiviharju.
Jumping Right In
Kicking off Saturday, the tournament starts with a bang by delivering a Canada/USA showdown right out of the gate. Both sides of this long-standing rivalry will assuredly be watching, as will draft evaluators anxious to get a look at a marquee Bedard-Cooley matchup. Not a bad start!
Teams
| Group A: | Group B: |
|---|---|
| Canada | Switzerland |
| Germany | Finland |
| Czechia | Sweden |
| USA | Latvia |
Schedule
Listed times in Eastern Time Zone. All USA games will be televised on NHL Network, while all Canadian games will be on TSN. Both networks will broadcast two quarterfinal games, both semifinal matchups, and the gold medal contest.
Saturday, April 23: Finland vs. Switzerland (8:30 AM) | Czechia vs. Germany (9:30 AM) | Latvia vs. Sweden (12:30 PM) | Canada vs. USA (1:30 PM, NHL Network, TSN)
Sunday, April 24: Finland vs. Latvia (8:30 AM) | USA vs. Czechia (9:30 AM, NHL Network) | Sweden vs.Switzerland (12:30 PM) | Germany vs.Canada (1:30 PM, TSN)
Tuesday, April 26: Switzerland vs. Latvia (8:30 AM) | Canada vs. Czechia (9:30 AM, TSN) | Sweden vs. Finland (12:30 PM) | USA vs. Germany (1:30 PM, NHL Network)
Thursday, April 28: Quarterfinal 1 (8:30 AM) | Quarterfinal 2 (9:30 AM) | Quarterfinal 3 (12:30 PM) | Quarterfinal 4 (1:30 PM)
Saturday, April 30: Semifinal 1 (8:30 AM, NHL Network, TSN) | Semifinal 2 (12:30 PM, NHL Network, TSN)
Sunday, May 1: Bronze Medal Game (8:30 AM) | Gold Medal Game (12:30 PM, NHL Network, TSN)
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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