Fisticuffs, melees and brouhahas
By Zak Griffin... and so the French guy says, "Deodorant? What's that?"
And so if you like that joke then get ready sports fans to have your body in stitches as you prepare to read this week's edition of... THE SATURDAY NIGHT WRAP-UP!! Am I overhyping myself now? Yes I am. Am I perhaps maybe overhyping myself a bit too much? Well, I leave that for you to decide as we dive into this weekend's action-filled, adrenaline fuelled match-ups!
New York Rangers 4 vs. Ottawa Senators 1
I am proud to see the return of Mr. Saturday Night himself... Rangers goalie Cam Talbot!! And what does he do on his return to his old stomping grounds? He makes 29 saves for the win like it was no big deal. Controversial selection to the United States hockey team Derek Stepan, (and by controversial I mean that I did not agree with the decision), proved the haters - me - wrong by scoring a goal and adding two assists. Mats Zuccarello netted a goal of his own to move the Rangers to 10-3-1 in their last 14 games and end the Sens point streak at 8 games, as they went 6-0-2 over that time. Head coach Paul MacLean was asked about his team's performance, but nobody could hear as his answer was muffled by the racoon living under his nose.
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| Paul McLean during the post game press conference |
Winnipeg Jets 3 vs. Edmonton Oilers 2 (OT)
In case anyone was wondering... it was Hockey Day in Canada (TM) Saturday! The day that we have to put up with the ramblings of Ron MacLean in order to get watch an all-Canadian triple-header kicked off by the young Oilers heading to Winnipeg to face off against the renewed Jets. Under their new head coach, Paul Maurice, the Jets remain undefeated. Rookies Jacob Trouba and Mark Scheifele carried the offensive load, scoring all three goals, including Trouba's OT winner, and Pavelec made 20 saves for the win. Ilya Bryzgalov made 36 saves in the losing effort, but there is only so much that Mr. Universe can do for a team that is playing as poorly as the Oilers do every night...
Columbus Blue Jackets 4 vs. Buffalo Sabres 3 (SO)
You gotta love the Blue Jackets... Well at least I do. If the team is not being highlighted by the stellar play of one former Portland Winterhawk, than another simply comes in to take his place. While on this night, Ryan Johansen remained relatively quiet (he did score the winner in the shootout), it was another former Winterhawk, Brandon Dubinsky, who provided the scoring lift, getting a goal and an assist in the contest. Sgt. Bobrovsky was on the case tonight, making 26 saves, beating out Team USA stud Ryan Miller, who had 32 saves on the night.
Toronto Maple Leafs 5 vs. Montreal Canadiens 3
Toronto beat the Habs... Dr. Zoidberg?
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| And hooray for Hockey Day in Canada (TM) |
Detroit Red Wings 3 vs. Los Angeles Kings 2 (SO)
Jonathan Quick has no luck whatsoever. Remember this goal that happened at the start of the season?
Well, that goal got topped in terms of sheer unfortunativeness (Screw you, that's a word now!). Leading the Red Wings 2-1 in the final minute of play, a Nicklas Kronwall point shot was deflected high into the air off Jarrett Stoll's stick... and then ended up in the net! What happened in between those two things; was the puck going off the protective meshing above the ice, the puck falling back into play and bouncing off of Quick's back and into the net... a non-reviewable play. And then the game went into a shootout, where the Wings managed to pull off another miracle and win! A great goaltending contest was had nonetheless, as Quick made 33 saves and his U.S. national teammate Jimmy Howard made 30 saves in the win.
Philadelphia Flyers 6 vs. New York Islanders 4
Fresh off signing a 3-year, $12.3 million extension, Philly goaltender Steve Mason made the team look good... by getting pulled after allowing 4 goals on 24 shots. Trailing 4-3 going into the third period, backup Ray Emery came in and got the job done making a grand whopping total of 5 saves for the victory. Andrej Meszaros had two goals for the Flyers, and Jakub Voracek had a goal and an assist. Team Canada snub Claude Giroux had two assists, showing everybody why he does not deserve to even look at international ice, not to mention play on it.
San Jose Sharks 5 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 4
Speaking of guys not fit to play on international ice... Quick question, what did all four of Tampa Bay's goals during this contest have in common? A) They were all scored by Martin St. Louis? B) They all occurred in the fourth quarter? C) Old man fashioning a kayak out of a log? Or D) All of the above? The answer: A!! That's right, but it was not enough, as Joe Pavelski's hat trick was enough to lead his team over Mighty Mouse's heroic efforts. St. Louis's replacement, Patrick Marleau, had a goal and two assists, prompting this reaction from team Canada boss Steve Yzerman...
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| Would've been better if it said, "No Rugrats" |
Carolina Hurricanes 3 vs. Florida Panthers 2
In this week's sarcastic marquee match-up, (funny how they always incorporate Florida), the mighty Alexander Semin's two goals alongside the work of his trustee sidekick Anton Khudobin and his 37 saves were just the trick to push past the pesky Panthers. Semin's two goals came one day after Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford called out Semin for, presumably, not laughing at all of the jokes Rutherford was making about the forward's last name. Semin responded by scoring two goals in what can be the closest thing to a mic-drop that you can do in hockey.
Anaheim Ducks 3 vs. St. Louis Blues 2
24 hours after having their 8-game winning streak snapped by the Chicago Blackhawks, the Ducks managed to pick themselves up and dust the dirt off their shoulders. The Ducks led 3-0 after two and did not look back, thanks to a goal and an assist by Ryan Getzlaf and a goal by Cam Fowler. And despite St. Louis' valiant attempt at a comeback, the Ducks were able to hold off the Blues. Mr. (Frederik) Andersen stopped 34 saves, prompting this reaction...
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| Lord Elrond? |
Of all the young talent that these two teams possess, you would not expect a guy with only two goals in his career to take centre stage, but that is exactly what happened on this night. Defenseman Nick Holden, who had only found the back of the net twice in his 27 game NHL career, scored two goals and added an assist. Paul Statsny and Nathan MacKinnon each had a pair of assists and Semyon Varlamov had 27 saves for the win. The efforts of Holden and co. spoiled the the much anticipated debut of potential Vezina candidate (note the sarcasm) Devan Dubnyk, who allowed five goals on 29 shots in his debut in Music city.
Phoenix Coyotes 3 vs. New Jersey Devils 2
Hooray for Mike Smith, who made 33 saves in an attempt to prove he belongs on the ice when team Canada suits up to take on the world in Sochi. Hooray for Keith Yandle, who had two assists to join the "Snubs-who-showed-why-they-should-have-made-the-team" All-Star Team. Hooray for Martin Hanzal (he's so hot right now) for scoring a goal and an assist. Hooray for Jordan Szwarz for scoring a goal and having a crazy last name. And, as we celebrate the great game of hockey: Hooray for hockey in Phoenix!!
Minnesota Wild 3 vs. Dallas Stars 2 (OT)
It's like something out of a story, isn't it? On the day that Canada celebrates the game of hockey with Hockey Day in Canada, Minnesota decides to steal the idea and create Hockey Day Minnesota, a statewide celebration of the game. All of this came to a dramatic end when Minnesota's native son, Nate Prosser, scored the overtime winner to send the home team fans happy... which couldn't have happened without the assist from Portland Winterhawk and Team Switzerland to-be stud Nino Niederreiter. A great day for Switzerland indeed! Also, let us not forget that Minnesota is basically Canada.
Vancouver Canucks 3 vs. Calgary Flames 2 (SO)
This image sums up the game better than I ever could.
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| Hockey Day in Canada... what a fitting way to end! |
Well that about does it for me. If you're reading this, then I assume you have read the entire thing! Congratulations! Your prize... Dr. Zoidberg!?
Keep your stick on the ice friendos.
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Zak Griffin is possibly the only sports 'capper in the world, bringing TV reporting's staple to the sports world. Every. Damn. Week. Follow him on Twitter at @ZakGriffin13.
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