NHL Tuesday: Blackhawks win again, as expected

“I’m really happy,” the defenseman said. “It was kind of an ugly one, but it counts, so I’m really happy for it. ... I definitely celebrated like winning goal in the playoffs. It’s the first one, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

• ESPN has a “SportsCenter” problem, not a hockey problem

Tuesday night was a busy one in the National Hockey League. On the positive side, the evening’s action featured plentiful goal scoring, thrilling comebacks, huge clean hits and some quality fights.

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:

On paper this should have been an even match, as both players are around the same size and have experience fighting. As it played out, Clifford landed several blows around Polak’s head before finally catching him with an uppercut that sent him down to the ice.

• ESPN has a “SportsCenter” problem, not a hockey problem

A highlight involving a huge hit that is completely uncontroversial, won’t get anyone suspended, and that didn’t result in a head injury? Boy, it seems like it’s been a while since we had one of these.

Cizikas entered Tuesday night fourth on the Islanders in hits with twenty-seven through nineteen games. He certainly made this one count.

There are 11 games scheduled in the NHL on Tuesday night, including an Atlantic Division showdown between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers.

The only other division matchup will feature the Winnipeg Jets at the Florida Panthers. The most notable game of the night will feature the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Minnesota Wild. Chicago has yet to lose in regulation this season and will look to extend the streak to 23 games on Tuesday.

However, he stated that he was still feeling sore from the play and was unable to practice on Monday.

Richards came onto the ice for a short period of time on Tuesday morning but returned to the dressing room and did not address the media after practice. The Rangers later announced that they had recalled forward Michael Haley from the American Hockey League, which increased speculation that Richards will be unavailable.

Vanek had missed the team’s previous two games due to an undisclosed upper-body injury. Head coach Ron Rolston described the ailment as a short-term issue and hoped Vanek would return to the lineup in the near future. As of Tuesday morning, Vanek leads the Sabres in all three primary offensive categories (12 goals, 15 assists and 27 points).

Vanek ranks fifth in the league in total points, but has not scored a goal in his last five games and only has two points over that span.

Weiss has collected one goal and three assists for four points in 17 games played this season. Playing in the final year of a six-year, $18.6 million contract, Weiss was believed to be a valuable trade asset for the Panthers. With Florida currently sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference, the club was expected to be a seller at the trade deadline.

Now with Weiss out for the remainder of the year, the option of dangling the 29-year-old pending unrestricted free agent as a rental to playoff contenders is no longer a possibility.