San Jose Sharks 3-8 Washington Capitals
Last night, Washington defeated San Jose away and Alexander Ovechkin played the first violin in this match. The player, who had not made any effective moves in his previous match against Anaheim, this time fully met the demands of the demanding fans. Although the match started unsuccessfully for the capitals, they lost 0:2 after goals from Tomas Gertl and Alexander Barabanov in the 16th minute.
But then the game turned upside down. From the 29th to the 46th minute, five goals flew into the goal of Sharks goalkeeper Kaapo Kyahkenen, the last of which was scored by TJ Oshi from Ovechkin’s pass. The hosts countered with Niko Sturm’s goal, but just nine seconds later a red light came on behind Kahkenen – it was Ovi himself who sent the puck into the net. And seven minutes later, the Russian forward scored a double goal after the transfer of NHL debutant Vincent Iorio. Dylan Strome put the score in the match.
“One of the greatest hockey players in history. I am incredibly honored to have scored my first NHL score with him.
Like many players, I respect him, I’m happy, ”Iorio admitted after the match.
Ovechkin, as expected, was recognized as the first star of the match, bringing his season score to 60 (35 + 25). Two goals closer to Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals – the G8 currently have 815 goals.
Another Gretzky feat will likely remain out of reach for Alexander – the legendary Canadian tops the list of top scorers with three or more points. Gretzky had 459 such matches and for Ovechkin the match against San Jose was 130th with 3+. But by this indicator, he is catching up with Brett Hull and Adam Oates, sharing 20th place with them.
In the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that anyone will catch up with Gretzky in terms of total career points – the great hockey player scored 2857 (894 + 1963). Ovechkin took 16th place in this parameter, surpassing Stan Mikita with 1470 (815 + 655) points.
We also note that Kyahkenen is the 168th goalkeeper with whom Ovechkin scored in the overseas league.
Only Jaromir Jagr and Patrick Marlo have upset more goalkeepers in their NHL careers with 178 and 177 respectively.
Florida Panthers 4-1 Pittsburgh Penguins
The Florida trip was unfortunate for the Penguins, who ended their four-game winning streak. However, it is impossible not to mention the guests striker Evgeni Malkin, who co-authored the only goal of his team – he helped Chris Letang.
The main hero and first star of the meeting was the Russian goalkeeper of the “Panthers” Sergei Bobrovsky, who won his 100th victory for Florida. He fired 31 shots and gave Sidney Crosby an incredible save in one of the episodes.
The Pittsburgh captain and Rickard Rackel went two-to-one, Crosby blocked the pass on the far post, but Bobrovsky let go of his stick, went into the corner and deflected the puck with a pancake.
“Rakkel made a great pass, freezing everyone on ice. And I rolled as best I could, I was lucky to hit the pudding,” Bobrovsky humbly commented on his actions.
The Russian goalkeeper did not stop there. Sergey also gained attention by starting a fight with Pittsburgh forward Jason Zucker that knocked the goalie down at high speed. A collective fight ensued, which the referees stopped without difficulty.
“He took his elbow out on purpose, I didn’t like it. It played dirty and I wanted to protect myself.
But I feel good, I noticed that he was extending his elbow and I managed to group. The fight is just feelings, then you can concentrate and continue playing, ”Bobrovsky said.
Winnipeg Jets – Edmonton Oilers – 7:5
The most productive match of the day took place in Winnipeg, where the local Jets hosted and won the Oilers. Dylan Demelo scored the final goal in the last minute and Vladislav Namestnikov assisted him, making it his first home game.
“Vladi does a lot of work. He delivered the puck to someone else’s goal in the first period and nearly scored. In the third period, he stopped a tough puck next to the boards as we were able to organize a dangerous exit into other people’s nets. He has a great eye for the details of the game, he has a great talent, and he has a very good feel for the game.
You may not know it, but he’s a tough guy. I mean, he’s tough. I like how you try in the fight,”
– “Winnipeg” told Russian head coach Rick Bowness.
Boston Bruins 4-2 New York Rangers
Vladimir Tarasenko scored another point for Rangers, assisting Alexy Lafrenière. However, his team lost the second game in a row and Boston extended their winning streak to 10 games. And not the last role in this success was played by the Russian defender Dmitry Orlov.
It was his fifth game for the Bears and he is scoring in the fourth game in a row.
He assisted Patrice Bergeron in the match win against the Rangers and now has three goals and six assists for the Bruins.