Sometimes the end doesn’t resemble the beginning.
NHL scores 2015: Sharp snaps slump while Price continues stellar season
Two veterans enjoyed fantastic Saturdays.
Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
That incredibly vague and generic statement I just made applies to Saturday in the NHL. If you spent your early afternoon watching hockey and turned on the later games in the evening you experienced two totally different games.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks treated audiences to a pair of good, old-fashioned routs. Chicago's big guns came out to play, as Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa all contributed to a six-goal affair for the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, Brayden Schenn's two markers helped the Flyers score a touchdown on the Detroit Red Wings.
And then the NHL's mass scoring stopped. The rest of the box scores from Saturday read like something out of Gary Bettman's nightmare. The Rangers, Panthers and Bruins all earned tidy 2-0 wins. All but two games were decided by two goals or less, and the two outliers featured the hapless Leafs and Coyotes.
There’s only one possible explanation for this sudden shift from high-octane scoring to minimal-output offensive results. Aliens.
That’s right, folks. You heard it here first.
Scores
Boston Bruins 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 0
Philadelphia Flyers 7, Detroit Red Wings 2
Chicago Blackhawks 6, San Jose Sharks 2
Florida Panthers 2, Carolina Hurricanes 0
New York Rangers 2, Buffalo Sabres 0
New Jersey Devils 4, Arizona Coyotes 1
3 things we learned
1. Patrick Sharp's goal drought is over.
Coming into Chicago’s game on Saturday, the veteran Blackhawks winger hadn’t scored a goal since Jan. 28. That’s a mammoth 19-game goalless streak for one of the ‘Hawks most reliable scorers. His struggles had only become more pronounced since Patrick Kane’s injury. Fortunately for both Sharp and Chicago, he broke out in a big way against the San Jose Sharks with two tallies. If this is a return to form, the Blackhawks just regained one of their most important forwards.
2. Carey Price is a cool customer.
3. Pittsburgh struggles to score without Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby.
Okay, you probably could have guessed that. But actually seeing it in action was another matter entirely. Then again, it’s not like the Penguins were prepared for this. Crosby fell ill after warm-ups, and Malkin was injured on his very first shift. Pittsburgh actually played a lively first period, but found scoring chances hard to come by as the game wore on.
Impact Moment
Pushing, shoving and fighting are acceptable in hockey as long as it doesn't spill over onto the referees. That's a major rule that Zack Kassian violated on Saturday. While trying to get after Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, Kassian knocked down a referee and almost tore the jersey off another. He obviously earned the ejection he received, but will he face more discipline from the league?
Stat of the Night
Devan Dubnyk makes season-high 41 saves in 3-1 win. He is 20-5-1 with a 1.66 GAA, a .939 SV% and five shutouts in 27 starts with #mnwild.
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) March 15, 2015
Post to Post
- The Canucks mocked Dion Phaneuf for turtling.
- Before his infamous selfie, Price made yet another unbelievable save.
- Finally, this:
Beautiful collage of Kings players with their children pic.twitter.com/2tCoH5Q0My
— Jewels frm the Crown (@JFTC_Kings) March 15, 2015 See More:
