2022-2023 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #3

So we move the 3rd period and LA is not going away or giving up, firing 17 shots in the period and 2 minutes in Hintz scores making it 4-2 Bathgate. But Reimer was holding firm as the shots were pummeling him and when Nylander goes off for hooking near the midpoint of the period, Bathgate and Zibanejad make them pay as he scores sending the final tally to 5-2 Rangers! Maybe those line adjustments were what was needed?

STARS – (All BGR)
1. Strome 3 goals
2. Zibanejad 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Reimer 36 saves
A lot of sore Rangers as they blocked 22 of the 73 shot attempts made by LA.

Opening period sees Bucks County’s Muzzin and Nosek each taking 4 minute minors – Muzzin 4 minutes in and Nosek with 2 1/2 to go. During Muzzin’s penalties the combo of Kreider, Panarin and Zibanejad combine twice – Kreider getting both of them to make it 2-0 Rangers 7 minutes into the game. Then Buchnevich scored an unassisted, even strength goal) midway through the period and it wasn’t looking god for the visitors. But Hyman gets the Bobcats on the board scoring with 3 to go and cutting the lead to 3-1 Rangers. But then during 2nd half of Nosek’s penalty, the Rangers #2 PP line scores as Hertl puts it past Campbell.

We move to the 2nd period and Bucks County works to control the game and Bathgate works to keep them in check. Bobcats get a lot of shots off and 8 minutes in Suzuki grabs a loose puck gets into the Rangers end, shoots and scores making it 4-2 Rangers, the comeback happening? Well if so, it’s going to be harder as Tavares gets the goal back, scoring for the Rangers 5 minutes later and the 2nd period ends with the Rangers in control, 5-2.

Then a minute and a half into the 3rd Panarin scores making it 6-2. That did light a fire on the Bucks County bench and they throw everything they can at Bathgate – 21 shots ping off Reimer – well 20, one of the SOGs goes in when Hyman scores his 2nd of the game on a PP and that make it 6-3 Rangers and that’s the final! Bucks County had the SOG lead 37-20, but not the scoring chances, that was almost dead even with the Rangers managing 16 to 15.

STARS
1. BGR – Panarin 1 goal 3 assists
2. BGR – Kreider 2 goals
3. BCB – Hyman 2 goals

And then in the 1st they are golden, nothing wrong on offense or defense and they outshoot the Rangers 15-9 and more importantly they outscore them! Larkin scores just as the midpoint approaches and then Sundqvist gets the goals you really hate (as the defender) when he makes it 2-0 with 6 seconds left in the period beating Francouz top shelf! UGH. Both goals were set up by former Ranger Tony DeAngelo!

Off to the locker room for adjustments – 1 team made them well and it was the home team. First Lee scores to cut the Chicago lead to 2-1 6 minutes in. The Zibanejad deflects a Kreider shot to to tie it up with 8 to go and the Ryan Strome and his 4th line score a minute and a half later to put Bathgate in the lead, 3-2. That was the score as they go to the locker rooms for the 2nd intermission.

Again it’s the Rangers who come out with the edge in the 3rd aided by a Larkin* cross checking penalty and Kreider scores on a nifty wraparound 40 seconds into the period for a PP goal. 4-2 Rangers. Then with 7 1/2 to go Zibanejad feeds Kreider with a slick pass – shoots – scores and it’s 5-2 Bathgate and that was it, Rangers hang on to win it big, 5-2.
Rangers won or shared pretty much all the statistical categories for this one and stopped both PP opportunities by the Cosa Nostra.
* Larkin was guilty on 3 penalties – Charging, Cross checking and slashing!!

STARS (all BGR)
1. Kreider 2 goals 1 assist
2. Zibanejad 1 goal 1 assist
3. Lee 1 goal

It’s been the Aleksander Barkov and Igor Shesterkin show. Without much help, Barkov’s 9 points account for 50% of the team’s goals and 3 of his 6 goals have been game winners. As far as Shesterkin, his week 2 stat line says it all – 0.33 GAA, 100 saves, 1 GA, 2 shutouts. Talk about dominating!!

Beyond this, a team faceoff win % of 62% and a 100% PK rate point to a team built to defend. But can the level of defense and goaltending be sustained and can this team score enough?

Over the final 2 periods, LA gets back to its defensive identity and limits Pittsburgh to 6 shots per period. Roope Hintz scores his 2nd of the game in the 2nd period, and Jesper Fast scores a garbage goal at the end of the game to finish off a 6-1 win.

Anton Forsberg is solid in net for LA with 19 saves on 20 shots, and the Danes get some needed depth scoring with 3 goals from the 4th liners, with Jamie Benn taking advantage of his spot in the lineup with Mark Scheifele sitting out week 3.

Toledo puts the pressure on LA in the 3rd with another 17 shots, but LA’s defense limits the scoring chances and Shesterkin continues to be there when needed. With 5 1/2 minutes to go, Barkov scores on an LA power play to extend the lead to 2-0, and end of story – another shutout for Igor (38 saves) in a 2-0 win.

Final Score: Team # – Chicago #

Labatts 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: GIL – Matt Duchene 1G, 2Pts
Star 2: GIL – Brady Tkachuck 1G
Star 3: GIL – Nino Niederreiter 1G

Game Winner: –

Notables:
GIL – None
CHI – Dylan Larkin 15 Faceoff Wins, Juuse Saros 34 Saves.

In a defensive struggle, Toledo emerges with a 2-1 in. Jason Roberston and Viktor Arvidsson collected the goals for the Walleye, while Jared McCann had the lone lamplighter for the Inferno.

Thatcher Demko stopped 35 shots in the win. Connor Hellebuyck turned away 29 shots.

Jake DeBrusk netted a pair of goals, the last paired with Brayden Point, 55 second apart late in the third to break the 3-3 tie. The Inferno capitalized on four power play chances (in five tries), while the Bandits were one-for-six with the man-advantage.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 shots, while Andrei Vasilevskiy re-directed 26 shots.

Cincinnati tried to turn on the offense, outshooting LA, 44-26. The Great Danes responded by blocking 27 efforts.

Anton Forberg stopped 42 shots ijn the win. Connor Hellebuyck turned away 23 in the defeat.

2nd period sees both teams pick up the pace with more shots. Robertson finds a few openings in the defense, and his mates find him, twice, and at halftime, the Walleye have flipped the lead over to their side 3-2. five minutes later, Alamo ties it up with a goal by Zegras. And at the end of the period, one last push by the Walleye sees a last second blast by Henrique light the lamp to make it 4-3 Toledo going to the last stanza.

Alamo cranks up the pressure in the last period, Toledo struggles to get the puck across the red line, and Alamo registers a 15-6 SOG advantage. The Walleye defense keeps most the shots easy saves , but when the goalie is pulled late, its Demko going all over the place, save after save in one of the typical last minute barrage of pucks, and he saves the game, keeping the last period scoreless, and the Fish escape with the 1 goal win.

4-3 Walleye.

1st star – Robertson 2G 3pts
2nd – Henrique 1G 2pts
3rd – Kucherov 3A

Alamo 6 Grosse Pointe 2

1-Draisaitl
2-McAvoy
3-Wheeler

Alamo 2 Jagr 1

1-Draisaitl
2-Smith
3-Matthews (Jagr)

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 8:04 PP CHI Dubois (1), assisted by DeAngelo (2) and Burakovsky (2)
1 8:34 EV JAG Matthews (10), assisted by Cole (2) and Toews (4)
1 11:26 EV CHI Foligno (2), assisted by Sundqvist (1) and Theodore (4)
1 18:47 PP JAG Matthews (11), assisted by Tkachuk (7)
2 18:10 EV JAG Lindholm (3), assisted by Toews (5)
3 19:26 EN JAG Bergeron (2), assisted by Hedman (10) and Tkachuk (8)
3 19:30 EN JAG Matthews (12), assisted by Letang (8) and Kaprizov (8)

Star 1: JAG Matthews 3 G
Star 2: JAG Lindholm 1 G
Star 3: JAG Bergeron 1 G

GWG: Elias Lindholm

Notables: CHI None
JAG Matthews hat trick, Matthews 15 faceoffs won, Letang 5 blocks, Bergeron 18 faceoffs won

The Walleye fired 10 shots against Ilya Sorkin but could not find the back of the net in that opening period. By contrast, the Buzzard followed up with two even strength goals later in that first, one from Alex Killorn and another from fourth-liner Blake Coleman to put Charlotte ahead 3-0 entering the first intermission.

With Toledo’s offense getting its share of shot opportunities, a comeback hardly seemed out of the realm of possibility and in the second, the Walleye fired 13 more shots on Sorokin who stonewalled them as he started to piece together his best outing of the season. And about nine minutes into the second, Charlotte, whose confidence has been shaky after early season action, got a much needed second-goal from Johansen for insurance, this one even strength, on assists from Tyler Myers and Mitch Marner. Toledo continued firing away throughout the game and had 13 more shots in the third, but Sorokin was in a zone this particular evening, and collected his first shutout of the season for a 4-0 Buzzards win.

The Walleye had better offensive numbers in numerous categories except where it counts (goals scored). It dominated the time of attack statistics (4:51 to just 1:52 by Charlotte), and outshot the Buzzards 36-22, but Sorokin shined and earned his first-star honors.

Three stars: (all Charlotte)
1. Sorokin 36 saves and the shutout
2. Johansen (two goals)
3. Killorn (one goal)

Notable: Brandon Saad leads the way for Toledo accounting for six of the Walleye 36 shots on goal. Toldeo backup netminder Anthony Stolarz yields four goals while saving 18 for the loss. The Buzzards play penalty free hockey; the Walleye only commit three penalties but Charlotte converts on the first power play on Johansen’s first goal, which proves to be the game winner.

But it was not to be. First, Pittsburgh forward Ryan Hartman, notched an even strength goal exactly five minutes into the second period to reduce the deficit to 3-1. Then 2:54 into the third, Miners left winger Connor Garland was the beneficiary of assists from center linemate Nazem Kadri and defenseman Shayne Gosthisbehere and suddenly the Buzzards lead was reduced to one. The Miners, with 17 shots in the third period, kept working hard and found the tying goal with just 5:40 in regulation, capitalizing on a Ryan Suter tripping penalty: Brayden Schenn shifted from right wing to center on the power play and beat Sorokin off passes from Garland and defenseman Mikael Sergachev.

Both teams seemed destined for the one point heading into overtime as both teams changed lines with 20 seconds left to play in regulation. But one last rush changed that outcome: Marchessault skated in the attacking zone and passed off to Bryan Rust who found Danault who in turn, with just six seconds left in the third, beat Sergei Bobrovsky for the game-winning goal. Pittsburgh won the ensuing faceoff with an empty net and Kazri as an extra attacker but was unable to get a shot off in the last few ticks.
The Miners which looked like a Metropolitan division contender, outshot Charlotte 36-23 as their rally effort fell just short and had two stars in the losing effort.

Three stars:
1. CHA Philip Danault 2 Goals
2. PIT Schenn 1 G, 2 Pts
3. PIT Garland 1 G 2 Pts

Notable: Sorokin recorded 33 saves for the win, his second straight at home, while Pietrangelo blocked five shots to help the Charlotte cause. The Miners got stronger with eight, 11 and 17 shots on goal respectively in the three periods and won the time of attack battle 5:47 to just 2:35 by Charlotte.

Overtime solved nothing. But shootout goals by Connor and Aho sent the Griffins to a satisfying victory.

Brodie (2) gets one back before the end of the 1st. 2-1 Griffins lead.

2nd period sees Josi (2) and Pavelski (2) take the 3-2 lead.

3rd period, Pavelski (3) and Guentzel (3) make it 5-2 and that’s where it would end.

2nd period – JVR (3) ties it 3-3, but Meier (2) gets the lead back for Bucks County on the PP… 4-3!

Lehkonen (2) ties it in the 3rd… 4-4!

Head to OT… this time, the good guys prevail as Pavelski (5) sends the crowd home happy with a 5-4 OT Win!