Your yearly, early-season "How great are the Sharks?" article and more...
By Zak Griffin
So the weekend is almost over, which means Saturday had plenty of hockey action, and you know what that means… Cue the Hockey Night in Canada theme song!!!
No not the new one, the… the old… never mind.
With Saturday now just another night lost in the past, let us now take a look back at the night that was, and (appropriately) we start in the desert.
Phoenix Coyotes 5 vs. Edmonton Oilers 4
The first game of the day was an afternoon contest between the struggling Oilers and the Coyotes, and in case you need reminding, they are still playing hockey in Arizona. I know, crazy right? Even crazier has been the exciting play coming out of Phoenix (more on that in a minute). As far as the game itself, it was a back and forth affair, with the Oilers taking an early 1-0 lead. Three straight by the Coyotes provided a comfortable two-goal cushion… that they would quickly squander. Trailing 4-3 midway through the third, goals by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson would put the game on ice… See what I did there? Yandle and Ekman-Larsson combined for five points on the night and Mike Smith made 30 saves for the win. Phoenix has scored 40 goals so far this season and their 7-3-2 start is the best for the franchise in a decade.
New Jersey Devils 4 vs. Boston Bruins 3
The Devils power play was on fire last night, scoring all four of their goals with the man advantage (going 4 for 7 on the night). The Devils trailed 3-1 after one, but a late flurry that saw the Devils score twice in the span of 23 seconds, including Andy Greene’s winner with 45 seconds left, shocked the defending Eastern Conference Champions. Somewhere David Puddy is all like…
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins 1
I hate these teams. Okay, let’s get this over with. Hockey Night in Canada’s marquee match-up saw the Toronto Maple Leafs knock off Sid and co. in Toronto. The Leafs got 38 saves from James Reimer and two goals from Dave Bolland, who is quietly having an excellent start to the year, scoring 6 goals and 4 assists through the first 12 games. And he's scoring on breakaway slap-shots. Now excuse me, I’m going to go shower.
New York Rangers 3 vs. Detroit Red Wings 2 (OT)
Let’s be honest, hockey has not been kind to the Rangers so far this year. Like, really unkind. So when Derrick Brassard scored the winner with 13 seconds remaining in OT, a part of me cheered. It isn’t everyday that the little guy beats the Giants… because that only happens on Sundays! BAM!
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| Suck it, Eli! |
Tampa Bay Lightning 3 vs. Buffalo Sabres 2
Hockey Poem #1 By Zak Griffin
The Red Wings are red,
The Leafs are blue.
Glee sucks
And the Sabres do too…
Moving on.
San Jose Sharks 2 vs. Montreal Canadians 0
So let’s talk about the San Jose Sharks, a team after DJ Khaled’s heart because all they do is win, win, win. The Sharks are 9-1-1 on the year so far. That’s kind of a big deal. Logan Couture scored twice and Antti Niemi recorded his second shutout in three starts. But despite all of the solid play that happened during this game, the only thing that people will remember is the little girl sticking her tongue between the glass right behind Michel Therrien.
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| Look at it. LOOK AT IT! |
Philadelphia Flyers 5 vs. New York Islanders 2
Not a good day for hockey fans living in New York, but definitely a positive night if you are a Flyers fan. The Flyers had only scored 13 goals through their first nine games and had yet to score more than two goals in a game… Until Vincent Lecavalier! Lecavalier potted a hat trick, the fourth of his career, and the Flyers had a little something to cheer about for the first time all season.
Winnipeg Jets 2 vs. Dallas Stars 1 (SO)
Ondrej Pavelec and Kari Lehtonen combined to make 74 saves on the night in what turned out to be a real goaltenders battle that was eventually resolved in the shootout. Andrew Ladd’s marker, the only successful attempt of the shootout, gave the Jets the win to pull the team to .500 at 5-5-2.
Minnesota Wild 6 vs. Chicago Blackhawks 3
The Blackhawks lost but Patrick Kane buried his sixth of the year, which is all that matters right? Wrong! Because Jason Pominville scored twice and Nicklas "Not That One" Backstrom made 36 saves to give the Wild a hard earned victory. I don't have much to say about this game that you couldn't get from this video. Backstrom was incredible.
St. Louis Blues 6 vs. Nashville Predators 1
First name Alex, last name… Steen? That’s right! Alex Steen, remember him? The guy who used to play for the Leafs and had a grand total of eight goals last year? Well, he scored twice against the Preds which now gives him 10 through the first nine games of this year, I'm not a math guy, but I believe that's a one million per cent increase in points per game. Steen keeps pace with another Alex you may have heard of…
Calgary Flames 5 vs. Washington Capitals 2
The Flames did a solid job shutting down Alexander Ovechkin last night, only limiting him to five shots and no points and a -1 on the night. Mike Cammalleri had three points on the night and the surprising Flames move to 5-4-2 on the year.
Well that’s all for the weekend wrap-up. Follow me on twitter @zakgriffin13. Leave any comments, questions and suggestions for combatting childhood obesity in the comments section.
Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.
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Zak Griffin is a bad mutha- shut yo' mouth! But you know I'm talking about Zak. Follow him at @ZakGriffin13
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