Saturday in the NHL featured a marathon shootout, endless fights and a team that looked like it would never stop scoring. It felt like a really long day of awesome hockey. If you missed out on any action, we’ve got you covered.
NHL Scores: Jonathan Toews helps Blackhawks dismantle Stars in rout
Chicago showed once again why it’s the class of the NHL with an 8-1 win in Dallas.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
All The NHL Scores
Get caught up on last night’s NHL scores with recaps from our network of SB Nation team blogs. Here’s a quick glance at the full night of action:
Wild 6, Avalanche 4
Jets 5, Maple Leafs 4 (SO)
Lightning 4, Hurricanes 1
Blue Jackets 1, Coyotes 0 (SO)
Blackhawks 8, Stars 1
Red Wings 5, Millionaires 2
Five Answers
Prior to last night’s games, we presented five burning questions regarding the night’s action. Here are your cool, soothing answers.
1. Can the Rangers finish off their road trip on a high note in Pittsburgh?
The Rangers have now lost three consecutive games and four of their last five after a 3-0 shutout against the Penguins. It was more of the same for New York, and Blueshirt Banter says that the problem is the Rangers have players that don’t match the system John Tortorella wants to run:
The type of system that Tortorella runs, has also been greatly exposed this season to the point where it’s costing the Rangers point in the standings. Sure, defense is a big key in winning hockey games, but when you’re down 2-0, and still waiting out the opposition, there is a clear cut problem. The Rangers had a lineup full of grinders last year, and this “grind it out” type of system worked well for them. Now? They have an offensively heavy top two lines, and they’re being restricted as to what they can and cannot do.
2. The Maple Leafs played really well in a Thursday night loss to the Penguins. Will that translate to a victory over Winnipeg tonight?
The Leafs trailed 4-1 after the worst second period of the season. And yet, they found a way to salvage a point out of the game. As bad as they looked for a stretch on Saturday, two factors have to make Leafs fans cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season. First of all, Joffrey Lupul was an absolute force all over the ice in his return from injury. Without him, I'm not sure Toronto had much of a chance. Secondly, the brand new defensive pairings ended the game on a better note than they started. A few games together should improve the communication on the blueline.
3. Are the Blues finally on the right track?
They got Vladimir Tarasenko back, Chris Stewart is still on fire and they just beat one of the league's top two teams. I'd say so. Stewart now has five goals in the past three games, 14 points in the past seven and 24 points in the past 18 games. It seems as he goes, so do the Blues.
4. Will the Canucks hang on to the Northwest Division lead?
Sort of. The Canucks still lead the Northwest but they share that lead with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild beat Colorado 6-4 on the road and Vancouver lost a 5-2 decision to the Red Wings on home ice on Saturday. Suddenly Monday night's showdown between the two teams is a winner-takes-the-division game.
5. Can Columbus keep their point streak alive?
Columbus won the rare 1-0 shootout game against the Coyotes, securing their point streak. They got another huge game from Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 39 shots. Bobrvosky has stopped 239 out of 245 shots (.976 save percentage) in his past eight games. Enjoy his insane ride while it lasts, Jackets fans.
Impact Moment
What moment from last night’s games will be making headlines in the coming days?
Dallas Stars center Jamie Benn called out his team after an embarrassing loss on Saturday.
Stat of the Night:
Roberto Luongo is the only goalie that Henrik Zetterberg has scored on in the past six weeks.
Post to Post
- Brandon Worley sums it up perfectly for Stars fans: Dallas has a lot of changes on the way and the rebuild is far from over.
- Japer's Rink liked the compete level from the Caps on Saturday.
- The Senators' win was full of weirdness.
- The Ducks forgot to stop Chris Stewart.
- Finally, happy St. Patrick's Day from Don Cherry:
Don Cherry in full St. Patrick's Day splendor tonight pic.twitter.com/q6QJNWivrh
— Eye on Hockey (@EyeOnHockey) March 16, 2013
More in the NHL:
See More:
