NHL Saturday: Fisticuffs in Vancouver

And it won’t make headlines anywhere on Sunday.

It’s a little bit odd that facepunching overshadows elite talent and skill, but that’s just the dual nature of hockey. Saturday exemplified that: just the right mix of skill, grit and ridiculousness made for one entertaining evening.

The Dallas Stars continued their miserable January with a 3-2 loss in Minnesota, but that’s the least of their worries if captain Jamie Benn is suspended for his actions during the game.

Just under a minute into overtime, Benn landed a pretty blatant check to the head of Wild winger Matt Cooke.

When Hartley put out his fourth liners and Tortorella matched with his own, a line brawl erupted and more than 170 penalty minutes were handed out in just the first period.

Tortorella’s simmering anger over the incident spilled over after the period ended when he decided to go after Flames coaches in the hallway.

We’ve seen goals scored off the glass before, but never before has a player scored a goal off the netting. That’s because once a puck hits the netting, the play is supposed to be ruled dead.

Here’s full video of the play:

Predictably, the Kings were not happy with this. But when they tried to get in Howard’s grill, he gave it right back.

We were that close to American-on-American goalie violence. Sorry, Canada.

A pair of hockey skates were reported missing in Toronto on Saturday.

This gif is the only video evidence of the crime.

The Hurricanes GM spoke with WTVD’s Mark Armstrong about his team on Friday, offering up pointed criticism of Semin’s lack of production this season.

A lack of focus and will, huh? Isn’t that the same criticism he faced in Washington?

The deal is a bridge deal for Mason, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013-14 season. The deal will make Mason a $4.1 million cap hit per year, a big upgrade from his $2.9 million cap hit on his previous contract. As ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports, Mason will likely receive more cash on his next deal.

Mason has revived his career in Philadelphia after a few tremendously subpar seasons in Columbus. He’s followed up a solid debut season with the Flyers with a 19-11-15 record and a 2.48 GAA this season.

Anaheim wants you to think of them as the league’s best team. Badly. They’ve certainly played like it over the last two months, taking the league by storm and cementing themselves at the top of a ridiculously competitive Western Conference.

Not so fast.

Columbus visits Buffalo on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing over Washington on Friday, their fifth consecutive win and sixth win in their last seven games. Nathan Horton’s return has certainly made a difference, but Ryan Johansen’s contributions in a breakout season have brought the Jackets to another level. Are they poised to make another late-season surge?

Subban caught a lot of flak for his rather tame celebration after scoring the game-winner in Ottawa. If P.K. really wants to make a show, he should pull a Yakupov after the first goal he scores on Saturday.