In honor of Valentine’s Day, we figured we’d rattle off the things we loved about the NHL on Saturday.
NHL scores 2015: Flames win big showdown with Canucks, Stars begin to fade
There was plenty of hockey love to go around on Valentine’s Day.
Derek Leung/Getty Images
We loved watching the Jets and Red Wings go back and forth with goals, whether it was Pavel Datsyuk deflecting one in off his shoulder or Tyler Myers striding up ice to set up a Blake Wheeler goal.
We loved this pretty feed from Justin Fontaine to Thomas Vanek to set up a goal for the Minnesota Wild. We may or may not have watched that goal ten times.
We didn't love Jason Demers getting his lip split open by Cody McLeod, but we did love watching him skate right up and throw a haymaker at McCleod's face to get revenge.
We loved P.K. Subban’s comments on Phil Kessel’s personality, especially when he pointed out the obvious:
Subban: "If you put a microphone in (Kessel’s) face & ask him stupid questions, he’s not going to show that (personable) side of himself"
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) February 15, 2015 We love that the Calgary Flames are still alive and well in the Western Conference playoff race, months after many expected them to fade away.
And of course, we love the fact we’re in the stretch run of the season and things only seem to be getting more exciting.
Scores
Canadiens 2, Maple Leafs 1 (SO)
Jets 5, Red Wings 4 (SO)
Islanders 6, Blue Jackets 3
Wild 6, Hurricanes 3
Flames 3, Canucks 2
Three things we learned
1. Jimmy Howard’s return was rough.
The Red Wings got their starting netminder back after a month-long injury hiatus, and the results were not pretty. He yielded four goals on 38 shots in a shootout loss, and a couple of them were just baffling.
Petr Mrazek played wonderfully for Detroit in Howard's absence, so it's imperative that the veteran make a big statement about keeping his job now. His performance Saturday was anything but.
2. It might be time to write off the Stars as playoff contenders.
Tyler Seguin is out for the next 3-6 weeks, and if Saturday was any indication of what life will be like without him then the Stars can start planning their offseason vacations already. Dallas looked lifeless against Colorado, a team they're directly battling for a playoff berth. Granted, it's a team game, and Jason Spezza scored a goal in Seguin's usual spot on the top line. But the Stars were already inconsistent and playing catch-up before their rash of injuries. Now, the hill they had to climb to reach the playoffs looks more like a mountain.
3. Valentine’s Day love was in the air...and on bellies.
So that was cool.....glad she said yes or that would have been reallllly embarrassing pic.twitter.com/mJ12qEDYrl
— Big Ben (@BigBenPreds) February 15, 2015 Impact Moment
If there were any Maple Leafs fans who still thought David Clarkson was worth keeping around, they probably changed their minds after his first period on Saturday. The $5.25 million winger was ejected in the first twenty minutes for earning three major penalties, including this hit on Sergei Gonchar.
Gonchar didn’t return to the game.
Stat of the Night
Just to hammer home Clarkson’s impact on Saturday:
The final total for David Clarkson's night: 2:31 in ice time, two fights, 27 penalty minutes and a suspension-worthy hit.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 15, 2015 Post to Post
- Pekka Rinne did some more amazing things.
- The Jets won thanks to some major help from their new players.
- Alain Vigneault won his 500th game in the Rangers' rout in Arizona.
See More:
