2022-2023 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #5

EASTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Chris Krieder BGR 3 5 2 7 8 -1 14 36%
                   
EASTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Marc-Andre Fleury FFB 2 2 1 64 .970
                   
WESTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Jason Richardson TOL 4 6 4 10 0 8 21 29%
                   
WESTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Anton Forsberg LGD 2 1 0.5 57 .983
                   

LA Great Danes
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Home games versus Charlotte and Flin Flon. Captain Aleksander Barkov gets the week off for LA.
GAME #1: CHARLOTTE BUZZARDS@ LA GREAT DANES The 2 top defensive teams in the league face each other.

LA jumps out to an early lead with goals by Scheifele and Kempe, followed by a PPG later in the period by Nikolaj Ehelers, and the Danes have a 3-0 lead after one.

No more scoring the rest of the way, and Anton Forsberg gets his first shutout of the season with 26 saves. He is now 6-1-0 and a 1.72 GAA to start the season.

GAME #2: FLIN FLON BOMBERS@ LA GREAT DANES It’s the first chance to see the high-scoring Bombers, although it’s a different lineup for them with Landeskog, Jack Hughes, and Ekblad out of the lineup. Barkov is also out for LA, but it’s still a matchup of 2 of the top teams in the league in the early part of the season.

The Danes start strong with an early 7-1 shot advantage, but they fail to convert on an early power play. Flin Flon does not convert on their first PP chance, but they are pressing as the penalty expires, which leads to a Tarasenko goal, and the Bombers lead 1-0 after one.

The Danes dominate period 2 in shots and chances, but Logan Thompson is unbeatable and Ryan O’Reilly extends the lead for the Bombers late in the period, and they take a 2-0 lead to the 3rd.

LA continues to press in the 3rd, and they appear to finally score on the power play, but Heiskanen’s apparent goal was disallowed and never crossed the goal line. The Bombers close things out with the 2-0 road win.

It was a frustrating loss for the home team, outshooting the Bombers 36-20 and outchancing them 27-8. But a very impressive road effort by Flin Flon with some key players out of the lineup. It was Logan Thompson’s first game of the season, and he pitches a 36-save shutout. The Bombers also outhit LA 26-11 and blocked 20 shots in the game. The Danes’ power play failed them as they go 0 for 6 on the PP.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: The backup goalies shined in LA this week, Forsberg with the shutout versus Sorokin, and Thompson the shutout versus Shesterkin.
Bathgate Rangers
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Rangers still trying to get a stable team – they’ve got more wins than losses, except they also have 4 OT losses. That needs to change, we need to finish games (and shore up the defense). This week we play Toledo. Solid and riding the top of the Central division which means they have the only winning record, but it’s a good one.
GAME #1: TOLEDO WALLEYE@ BATHGATE RANGERS 1st period looks ok for the home team as Miller gets his 1st goal of the season 5+ minutes in and the Rangers grab a 1-0 lead. Then with 5 1/2 to goal, Saad gets Toledo on the board. Then Trocheck goes off for cross checking with 3 to go and Kreider scores the PP goal to make it 2-1 Bathgate. But the Walleye tie it again when Robertson scores in the final minute of the 1st period.

Toledo worked up a frenzy in the visitor locker room and it works as Boeser, Saad and Robertson score in the 2nd for a 5-2 lead. Saad’s and Robertson’s goal were there 2nd goals of the game.

Down 5-2 Bathgate looks for a turnaround but Toledo keeps them off the board for the 1st half of the 3rd. And they do by killing off 2 penalties, but the 3rd PP of the period for the Rangers was the charm and Panarin puts one past the pipes and it’s 5-3 with 7 1/2 to go. But Toledo quits sinning and their defense tightens back up and the Rangers go scoreless the rest of the way. And on top of that Mangiapane scores one more for the Walleye and they end the big 6-3 winners!

Stars (all TOL)
1. Saad 2 goals
2. Robertson 2 goals
3. Mangiapane 1 goal

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Ugh – back to the drawing board to figure out how to stop others from scoring. 1 game, 1 loss to a big fish.
Chicago Cosa Nostra
WEEKLY PREVIEW: 3 Home Games at the Capone Center.
GAME #1: GROSSE POINTE GRIFFINS@ CHICAGO COSA NOSTRA Chicago gets 3 late 3rd period goals to break a 2-2 tie and cruise to a victory.

Final Score: Chicago 5 – Grosse Pointe 2

Labatts 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: CHI Hanifin 2 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: CHI Kyrou 1 G, 4 Pts
Star 3: CHI Parayko 1 G, 2 Pts

GWG: Noah Hanifin

Notables:
GPG – Skjei 5 blocks, Samsonov 32 saves
CHI – Larkin 15 faceoffs won, Kyrou 3 assists, Saros 32 saves

GAME #2: BRENTWOOD BANDITS@ CHICAGO COSA NOSTRA Brentwood proves worthy of a “W”.

Final Score: Brentwood 6 – Chicago 5

Labatts 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: BWB Terry 2 G
Star 2: BWB Moore 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 3: BWB Caufield 1 G

GWG: Trevor Moore

Notables:
BWB – Doughty 3 assists, Pavelski 16 faceoffs won
CHI – DeAngelo 3 assists, Larkin 15 faceoffs won, Dahlin 5 blocks

GAME #3: CINCINNATI INFERNO@ CHICAGO COSA NOSTRA Chicago on the wrong side once again of a 1-goal game.

Final Score: Cincinnati 4 – Chicago 3

Labatts 3-Star Selection:

Star 1: CIN Forsberg 2 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: CHI Larkin 2 G, 3 Pts
Star 3: CIN Teravainen 1 G, 3 Pts

GWG: Tyler Toffoli

Notables:
CIN – Horvat 20 faceoffs won, Talbot 31 saves
CHI – Saros 32 saves

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Only 2 points in a disappointing Home stand.
Jagr Mullets
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Three home games.
GAME #1: TOLEDO WALLEYE@ JAGR MULLETS Toledo 3, Jagr 2.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 8:16 EV TOL Robertson (10), assisted by Arvidsson (6) and Trocheck (5)
1 12:55 EV TOL Trocheck (4), assisted by Arvidsson (7) and Robertson (5)
2 19:38 PP JAG Kaprizov (11), assisted by Tkachuk (16)
3 10:20 EV TOL Robertson (11), assisted by Arvidsson (8) and Trocheck (6)
3 19:05 PP JAG Matthews (15), unassisted

Star 1: TOL Robertson 2 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: TOL Trocheck 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 3: TOL Demko 43 saves

GWG: Jason Robertson

Notables: TOL Arvidsson 3 assists, Demko 43

GAME #2: CINCINNATI INFERNO@ JAGR MULLETS Cincy 4, Jagr 3.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 12:59 EV JAG Carter (2), assisted by Sheary (2) and Miller (4)
2 9:19 EV JAG Svechnikov (5), assisted by Lindholm (6) and Bergeron (5)
2 14:16 EV JAG Lizotte (1), assisted by Marino (4)
2 19:48 EV CIN Copp (3), assisted by Weegar (9) and Brown (3)
3 8:29 PP CIN Horvat (6), assisted by Forsberg (10) and Erik Karlsson (4)
3 11:35 PP CIN Whitecloud (1), assisted by Horvat (3) and Forsberg (11)
4 3:57 EV CIN Forsberg (7), assisted by Pesce (4) and McCann (4)

Star 1: CIN Forsberg 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: CIN Horvat 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 3: CIN Whitecloud 1 G

GWG: Filip Forsberg

Notables: CIN None
JAG Bergeron 18 faceoffs won, Markstrom 34 saves

GAME #3: CHARLOTTE BUZZARDS@ JAGR MULLETS Jagr 3, Charlotte 1.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 15:02 EV JAG Matthews (16), assisted by Kuemper (1)
1 19:24 SH JAG Lazar (4), unassisted
2 18:33 SH JAG Cole (1), assisted by Letang (11) and Lindholm (7)
3 19:27 SH CHA Marner (6), assisted by Killorn (4) and Seider (8)

Star 1: JAG Kuemper 32 saves
Star 2: JAG Matthews 1 G
Star 3: JAG Cole 1 G

GWG: Curtis Lazar

Notables: CHA None
JAG Bergeron 15 faceoffs won, Hedman 6 blocks, Kuemper 32 saves

WEEKLY SUMMARY: This block had everything – a win, a loss, an OT loss, and multiple shorties.
Alamo Defenders
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Alamo has three games at home this week – Gilbert, Portland, and Bucks County
GAME #1: GILBERT SHARKS@ ALAMO DEFENDERS Gilbert takes a 3-1 lead after one period. No goals in the 2nd. In the 3rd, Anderson scores his first goal of the season. Bratt scores no. 9. We go to OT.

In OT, Draisaitl scores his 2nd goal of the game to win the game for Alamo.

Alamo 4 Gilbert 3 (OT)

1-Draisaitl
2-Bratt
3-McAvoy

GAME #2: PORTLAND STORM@ ALAMO DEFENDERS In the 1st, the Storm and Defenders exchange goals. In the 2nd, Portland scores 2 goals and Alamo scores one. In the 3rd, Bratt scores his 10th. The Storm break the tie at 15:22 with a Jarvis goal.

Portland 4 Alamo 3

1-Draisaitl
2-Rakell
3-Keller

GAME #3: BUCKS COUNTY BOBCATS@ ALAMO DEFENDERS Four goals are scored in the 1st period. Alamo scores 3 of the 4. Stastny scores his 2nd and 3rd goals. Then, in the 3rd, the Bobcats and Alamo exchange goals.

1-Stastny
2-Jarnkrok
3-Zegras

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Alamo takes four points with an OT win against Gilbert and a win against Bucks County. They drop their game to Portland. Draisaitl scores 4 goals and has 2 assists.
Gilbert Sharks
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Gilbert with 2 home games against Brentwood and Portland
GAME #1: BRENTWOOD BANDITS@ GILBERT SHARKS Nino Neiderreiter has a goal and 3 assists to lead Gilbert. Matt Duchene adds a goal and 2 assists as the Sharks score 4 goals in a dominant 3rd period for a 6-3 win.
GAME #2: PORTLAND STORM@ GILBERT SHARKS Brad Marchand has 2 goals and an assist to lead another strong Gilbert offensive effort. Stamkos and Makar with 2 point each as well and Gilbert wins 5-3
WEEKLY SUMMARY: 4 points in 2 games at home for Gilbert with the offense looking very good
Toledo Walleye
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Just one home game this holiday week as the Miners come to town. A little inter-state rivalry with the team from east of here.
GAME #1: PITTSBURGH MINERS@ TOLEDO WALLEYE A quick start to this game as the Walleye score on their very first shot of the game. Robertson with goal #10 of the season only 104 seconds into the game. A Miner minor 🙂 just a minute later gives the Walleye a chance to double down, but the Pittsburgh PK stops the bleeding, and we continue on 1-0. The Miners even it up 10 minutes later when Laine scores, tying it at 1. Kaliyev with a roughing minor just seconds later opens the door for Toledo. And it takes only 30 seconds for the Walleye to cash in when Arvidsson scores, now 2-1. Toledo shows it means business when Trocheck scores a couple minutes later, and we are at 3-1. The fans hardly get back in their seats when Hartman silences the arena with a blast, and now we are 3-2 Toledo. A little worn out, the rest of the period is scoreless. 3-2 after 1.

Pittsburgh controls the 2nd period with a 16-8 SOG advantage, and the only goal, from Kotkaniemi. A listless crowd heads to intermission hoping the 1st period Walleye show up soon.

Three minutes into the 3rd, Kaliyev fires the puck into the crowd, prompting a PP for Toledo. In just 27 seconds, Arvidsson with his 2nd PP of the game, and the crowd is happy, seeing the home team up by 1. Very even play at the period moves on, teams matching shot for shot. Just after the period head into the final 10 minutes, Zub with a rare goal on a blast from the blue line, and Walleye are now up 5-3. Miners get shots off, but few of any good quality. A pulled goalie and 6 on 5 generates 8 shots in 40 seconds, about half make it to the goalie, but all are stopped, and the Walleye finally clear it, much to the crowds satisfaction. Final Horn. Final score – 5-3 Toledo.

1st star- Arvidsson 2G 3pts
2nd – Trocheck 1G 3pts
3rd – Robertson 1G 3pts

WEEKLY SUMMARY: One game, 2 pts, 2 good periods of play. Gotta work on eliminating that one ugly period.
Flin Flon Bombers
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Pittsburgh and California come to town
GAME #1: PITTSBURGH MINERS@ FLIN FLON BOMBERS The defenses came to play tonight and with chances low, the game was played mostly in the neutral zone and until Seth Jones took a hooking penalty it didn’t look like the miners could muster anything but on the Power Play at 16:01 Patrick Laine out in a great feed from Naz Kadri and Robert Thomas. The period ended at 1-0 with the Miners ahead. The second period continued much like the first with Flin Flon dominating play but unable to solve Sergei Bobrovsky and nobody turned on the red light in the second period. The Miners on a great deflection from Ryan Hartman from Sergei Surgachev took a 2-0 lead. The Bombers started getting chances on Bobrovsky but couldn’t solve him and Naz Kadri scores on an empty netter, his 3rd point of the game and the Miners shutout the Bombers, 3-0.
GAME #2: CALIFORNIA REGULATORS@ FLIN FLON BOMBERS Vladimir Tarasenko puts the Bombers on the board early as a wrists a shot past Linus Ullmark on the power play. The Score stayed at 1-0 for the rest of the first period. Ullmark and Fleury keep the score at 1-0 with Ullmark making some huge quality saves and at 15:43 Jarrod Spuregeon ties the game up on wrister through a screen to beat Fleury. The Regulators got a bounce from the goal but Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Bertuzzi score 14 seconds apart and the Bombers never looked back. The Bombers dominated the rest of the way and added 2 more power play goals in the third period to roll to a 5-1 win.
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Splitsville
Grosse Pointe Griffins
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Chicago and Bathgate provide the opposition for the struggling Griffins
GAME #1: CHICAGO COSA NOSTRA@ GROSSE POINTE GRIFFINS After 2 periods, the Griffins [Morrisey, Crouse] had a 2-1 lead over the visitors [Dubois]. Chicago then tied and went ahead on early third period goals [Dubois, Larkin}. Michael Bunting cemented the 4-2 win with an empty-netter as time ran down.
GAME #2: BATHGATE RANGERS@ GROSSE POINTE GRIFFINS After a scoreless 1st period, Grosse Pointe got the only scores of period 2 [Crouse, Sharangovich]. The Rangers’ offense came to life against Spencer Knight and the Griffins in period 3, outshooting them 23-2. Chris Kreider brought the visitors within 1 with a PPG at 9:42, and then with the net empty for the extra skater, Kreider sent the contest into overtime with just 20 seconds showing on the scoreboard. After no goals in OT, Chris Kreider led off the shootout with another goal, but it was countered by Griffin strikes against Georgiev from Aho and Rantanen, and the home squad earned the 2 points with a 3-2 victory. Spencer Knight was the hero for the Griffins, stopping 43 SOG!
WEEKLY SUMMARY: A win and a loss. Grosse Pointe is simply not getting the offensive production from their big guns, while goaltending from Samsonov has been subpar.
Pittsburgh Miners
WEEKLY PREVIEW: With Kadri back on the block and in last place in the league can the Miners start to turn it around.
GAME #1: CALIFORNIA REGULATORS@ PITTSBURGH MINERS What a finish. Down 4-2 with under 2 minutes to play the Miners get two empty net goals to send it to overtime and in Overtime it was Patrik Laine scoring the OT winner as the Miners win in Overtime. 5-4.
GAME #2: GROSSE POINTE GRIFFINS@ PITTSBURGH MINERS 1-0 Lead early for the Griffins but a shorthanded 3on 5 goal by Kotkanieni evens it but GPG add two in the third to make it 3-1. Samsonov wins it as the Miners outshot the Griffins.
WEEKLY SUMMARY: The miners go 1-1 at home this week its a start.
Charlotte Buzzards
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Buzzards entered the week with a record of 8-7-1 competing in the tightly packed Atlantic Division but dropped two away games per reports this week. To maintain even a .500 mark for the week, Charlotte would need two strong showings against Western powers Alamo and Gilbert in its Bojangles Arena (trust me when I say the old Bojangles barn could be straight out of the movie Slapshot; the Charlestown Chiefs would easily feel at home).

In the meantime, Charlotte management contemplates lottery ticket purchases to offset its luck given the confounding against-all-odds early season letdown from Alexander Ovechkin: we were 20 percent through the season entering the week and he had yet to score a goal after 50 real goals in 2021-2022 – and this with all-world playmaker Mitch Marner on his line.

GAME #1: ALAMO DEFENDERS@ CHARLOTTE BUZZARDS Could we have an Ovechkin sighting? Miracle of Miracles! We not only get one goal from him (FINALLY!), but two. With Charlotte ahead 1-0, Ovechkin scored his first goal of the season with 1:01 left to play in the second on the power play in this defensive standoff, then added an even strength goal on an assist from Marner and center Ryan Johansen 7:03 into the third as the Buzzards ultimately prevailed over the Defenders, 3-1.

For Alamo, Leon Draisaitl scored his 15th of the season with 3:20 left in regulation to spoil a shutout bid by winning goalie Anti Raanta (24 saves) and close the scoring. Where this game taketh away (Ovechkin all season), this game also givith: Raanta, sparingly used during the real campaign and hardly a superstar goalie, improved to 3-1 with the victory for the Buzzards.

Defenders goalie Mike Smith afforded himself well in this contest and likely deserved a win as well: he saved 32 and two of the three goals he let in were on the power play: an opening goal from Buzzards winger Jonathan Marchessault 5:47 into the game, and Ovechkin’s first goal.

Three stars (all Charlotte):
1. Ovechkin 2 G the first two of the season which fittingly (and thankfully) arrived by Thanksgiving
2. Johansen 3 A and wins 20 faceoffs as the Buzzards win that battle 34-20
3. Marchessault 1 G

Notable: Charlotte defenseman Moritz Seider blocked 9 shots.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Behind Raanta Charlotte wins two contests at home in impressive fashion to stay a whisker over .500 and remain in the East playoff chase (though its work is cut out to overtake first-place Atlantic leader Flin Flon, a revelation this season at 11-2-2 as the week began).
California Regulators
GAME #1: BATHGATE RANGERS@ CALIFORNIA REGULATORS Bathgate beats California 4-3 in OT.
GAME #2: TOLEDO WALLEYE@ CALIFORNIA REGULATORS California 3, Toledo 2
WEEKLY SUMMARY: California gets 3 points in 2 games.
Bucks County Bobcats
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Home games against the top 3 teams in the league should give a good idea how the Bobcats measure up this year.
GAME #1: LA GREAT DANES@ BUCKS COUNTY BOBCATS Bucks County rallies from 2 goals down to tie the score midway through the 2nd period, but LA responds with 2 goals plus and empty netter and defeat the Bobcats 5-2. Hischier proves the be the main villain with 2 goals and an assist for the Great Danes.
GAME #2: FLIN FLON BOMBERS@ BUCKS COUNTY BOBCATS David Pasternak breaks a 1-1 tie on a goal with 3:11 left in regulation and then adds an empty net goal to lead Flin Flon to a 3-1 win.
GAME #3: JAGR MULLETS@ BUCKS COUNTY BOBCATS Bucks County jumps out to a 3 goal lead in the 1st period but the Mulletts score 4 unanswered goals in the 2nd to take the lead. BC rallies with 2 in the 3rd only to see Bergeron score on a breakaway with 5:56 left in regulation to tie it back up, then Jagr wins in the shootout for the 6-5 victory.
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Gulp!
Cincinnati Inferno
GAME #1: PORTLAND STORM@ CINCINNATI INFERNO Cincinnati 3, Portland 2
GAME #2: GILBERT SHARKS@ CINCINNATI INFERNO Cincinnati 5, Gilbert 2
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Rare two win home week for Cincinnati.
Portland Storm
WEEKLY PREVIEW: One game against LA
GAME #1: LA GREAT DANES@ PORTLAND STORM Nylander scores twice as the Great Danes win 2-1
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Portland loses a tough one in their lone game of week