NHL scores 2017: Eddie Lack made some ****** saves

Few NHL players in recent memory have received a public tongue-lashing like the one Eddie Lack suffered last Friday.

The Hurricanes goalie hit national headlines for the comments coach Bill Peters made about him after a terrible loss in Tampa Bay: ” ... make a [expletive] save.“

So it was admirable for Peters to give Lack a start in Arizona on Sunday. Lack got the chance to make said save or two.

He made 24 of them, keeping the Coyotes to one goal and guiding the Hurricanes to a much-needed road win. A road win he had every right to be exhausted for, mind you. After playing each other on Friday, the Coyotes and Hurricanes traveled from Raleigh to Glendale on Saturday.

That’s a 2,215 mile trip, the longest home-and-home series in the NHL this season.

But Peters didn’t want excuses anymore. And Lack didn’t give him any. He just gave him the timely saves he asked for late in the game to preserve a win. As good a mini-comeback story you’ll see in the league this year.

Hurricanes 2, Coyotes 1

Flames 5, Islanders 2

Penguins 4, Sabres 3

Blue Jackets 3, Devils 0

Wild 3, Sharks 1

Canucks 2, Ducks 1

Blues 3, Avalanche 0

1. Marc-Andre Fleury can still play hero for the Penguins

After Matt Murray got ran out of his own net by the Sabres in the first period, Fleury took over in the Pittsburgh net to stop the leaking with the Penguins down 3-0.

This wasn’t your regular clean-up duty. Fleury got two periods of work in, stopping all 28 shots the Sabres dropped on him. Pittsburgh needed every one of those saves: its four-goal comeback win wouldn’t have happened without them. This is the exact reason the Penguins held onto Fleury at the trade deadline.

2. Bruce Boudreau’s odd hunches are actually genius

The Wild coach put Zach Parise on Eric Staal’s right wing on Sunday, and it resulted in the two accounting for all three Minnesota goals in a big win over the Sharks.

So what was that hunch?

3. The Calgary Flames are ... on fire

Calgary won its seventh straight on Sunday, and it really wasn’t close. As you’ll find out in a second, the Flames came out of the gates living up to their fiery moniker, dropping four goals on the unsuspecting Islanders and absolutely hounding them all over the ice.

Eight points clear of the Kings, the Flames are starting to make L.A.’s deadline deals look pointless already. Still early, though.

Speaking of early, take a look at the barrage poor Thomas Greiss had to withstand in the Islanders’ net yesterday. New York gave up 21 shots in the first period alone, making Greiss look like a dang hero for about 15 minutes.

The first three minutes of this game recap are Greiss inventing new ways to hold on for dear life.