Much like a famous Jedi, you can strike Teemu Selanne's number into the rafters, but he'll still be as powerful as ever.
NHL scores 2015: Ducks rally late to beat Red Wings, Devils win 4th straight
#TeemuForever spurred Anaheim to victory.
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Case in point: the Anaheim Ducks' legend has retired for good and watched his number get retired, but just his mere presence at the Honda Center on Monday night seemed to be enough to push the Ducks and Red Wings towards a goal-scoring mess late.
The Ducks broadcast flirted with fate by starting the broadcast with highlights of Selanne’s goals against the Red Wings. Most of the game after that point was a slow affair, but everything changed in the third period.
Chaos broke out. Andrew Cogliano backhanded a shot past Jimmy Howard to cut the Wings' lead to 2-1. Then Emerson Etem picked up a rebound and tied the game. Moments after that, Francois Beauchemin took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and fired one home to take the lead.
So, they showed @TeemuSel8nne on the scoreboard at Honda Center and the #NHLDucks immediately scored three times in 2:40.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2015 That’s right. Even the mere sight of Teemu Selanne was enough to propel the game into mass goal-scoring insanity. He’s still got it.
Scores
Ducks 4, Red Wings 3 (SO)
Devils, 3, Coyotes 0
Three things we learned
1. The Devils are more alive in the East than you might think.
First off, the fact we're even talking about the Devils being in contention for the playoffs right now is surprising. They've spent more time in the NHL draft lottery group than outside it this season. But after a four-game win streak on their most important homestand of the season, New Jersey now sits eight points out of a playoff spot. That might seem like a mountain to Western Conference hockey fans, but considering how the Flyers have risen from the dead it's possible the Devils could slip into the playoffs too.
2. Detroit is looking extremely dangerous right now.
The Red Wings are playing so well it's easy to forget they're missing their captain. In Henrik Zetterberg's absence, his peers have picked up the pace tremendously. Just a few games after routing the Stars in Dallas, Pavel Datsyuk led the way again as Detroit took an early lead and then rallied late to secure an important point in Anaheim. The Red Wings have the look of a team ready to make a deep playoff run.
3. Arizona couldn’t look more lifeless at this point.
The Coyotes have essentially sleepwalked through the season, to the point that it's becoming harder to remember or care that they're not "Phoenix" anymore. When a team is as bad as this, you at least like to see some competitiveness night in and night out. Like the Sabres. But Arizona seems to have packed it in already, which makes the Coyotes depressing to watch.
Impact Moment
No one moment will impact this child’s life more than when his parents decided on a name for him.
Welcome to the world, Malkin Crosby Long. We LOVE the name. And Malkin’s future brother? He’ll be Beau Bennett Long. pic.twitter.com/S4mEusOyMF
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 24, 2015 Stat of the Night
Gomez now three pts behind Scott Niedermayer for fourth. Niedermayer w/ 476 pts.
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) February 24, 2015 That's fourth on the Devils' all-time scoring list, mind you. But we had no idea Scott Gomez was that high up on any scoring list.
See More:
