NHL Saturday: Huberdeau carries Panthers past Islanders

It was a tale of two returns on Saturday, as two of the NHL’s biggest stars came back from injuries on the same night. The outcomes were both similar and drastically different.

Much like Ovechkin, Seguin didn’t miss a beat before scoring two goals for the Stars. But while he may have finally made a mark on the scoreboard, he couldn’t help the Stars from collapsing in on themselves in Tampa Bay. The playoffs fade further out of reach.

Yeesh. Michal Neuvirth didn’t even have time to react in net before he figured out which way Huberdeau was going to shoot from. And really, can you blame him? He turned on a DIME.

No matter! Chimera landed a couple of hard right punches of his own. He just had no idea where he was swinging.

This could be a milestone: the first NHL fight won by a guy who couldn’t see a damn thing. We applaud you, Chimera.

Midway through the second period in Toronto, Oshie had circled back up ice and was advancing into the Leafs’ zone. Then Phaneuf stepped up and laid a jarring hit on him that looked painful.

(H/T @sm_1165)

There’s a reason why the drop pass is a huge pet peeve for some hockey fans. When it works, it can change offensive zone entries in the slightest way.

Whoops. I’ve never seen such a hard-stop at the edge of the offensive zone like that. It’s like his brain just yelled “NOPE, FULL RETREAT!”

It didn’t go into the stands, and the goalie didn’t have it. As it turns out, it disappeared into Adam Pardy’s pants! And he couldn’t find it.

Actually, he never found it.

The Pens were able to easily walk in and out of Anaheim with a win, which is understandable. Both teams have their playoff spots essentially locked up and aren’t playing for much more than positioning at this point. But the Penguins will continue their California road trip in Los Angeles on Saturday against a team still fighting for its playoff life.

Here is a complete look at the schedule. All times are ET.