2022-2023 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #18

Final Score: Chicago 1 – California 1

Labatts 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: CHI – Pierre-Luc Dubois 2G, 3Pts
Star 2: CHI – Jusse Saros 31 Saves
Star 3: CHI – Andrew Burakovsky 1G

Game Winner: – Andrew Burakovsky

Notables:
CAL – Linus Ullmark 34 Saves
CHI – Jusse Saros 31 Saves

Final Score: Chicago 5 – GIlbert 4

Labatts 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: CHI – Noah Hanifin 1G, 3Pts
Star 2: GIL – Cale Makar 1G, 3Pts
Star 3: CHI – Alex Debrincat 1G, 2Pts

Game Winner: – Noah Hanifin

Notables:
GIL – Matt Duchene 3 Assists
CHI –Anthony DeAngelo 6 Blocked Shots, Shea Theodore 5 Blocked Shots.

But on a positive note, The Great Danes reached the 100-point mark for the year and clinched a playoff birth last week.

In the second, Evander Kane takes a 4-minute high sticking penalty, but the best chance comes from the Bobcats’ Zach Hyman – pulled down on a breakaway, he is awarded a penalty shot, but Forsberg makes the save to keep it a 1-0 game after two periods.

In the 3rd, LA kills off one Bobcat power play, but LA takes another penalty and this time Timo Meier scores the PPG with 6 minutes to go to make it 2-0. Meier scores again with 3 1/2 minutes to go, and the Danes go quietly in this one, losing 3-0.

SOG were 25-21 LA for the game, Frederik Andersen with the shutout as LA’s power play cost them this game, giving up the early SHG and going 0-4 on the power play.

No SOG on Chicago’s 4-minute power play, and Barbashev and Kempe get goals late in the second to extend LA’s lead to 5-0 after two periods.

Andre Palat scores 2 minutes into the third, but Barbashev’s second goal of the game closes out a 6-1 win for LA. Only 12 saves in the game for Shesterkin, as LA outshoots Chicago 38-13 for the game.

Sure enough as the 2nd starts, Ovechkin takes advantage of the PP and he gets a rebound and buries it for the 1-0 Buzzards lead. And again Sorokin stands tall (and wide) stopping all 9 Rangers SOGs in the 2nd. Geogiev stops the other 11 shots on goal in the 2nd and it’s 1-0 Charlotte after 2!

On to the 3rd and it’s again a tight hard fought game controlled by the goalies. Stome was fuming over the mistake he made for the penalty that put the Rangers behind and he works some defensive magic 7 minutes into the 3rd when he steals the puck from Verhaeghe and brings it across the line and puts a move or two on Sorokin and shoots and scores! to tie it up. Great unassisted goal. Then the game gets back to the defensive struggle it had been most of the day – well except for the Buzzards. They are on the attack trying to regain that lead. In fact, they fire 16 shots on Georgiev in the 3rd – but Georgiev stops them all. As the clock slips inside 2 minutes, the Rangers pressure the Buzzards and Bennett misplays the puck and Bathgate takes the puck. Lee gets it, flips it into the corner and Colton gets it. Out to Trouba, to Tatar back to Trouba – oh, he slaps it, and Lee deflects it – GOAL! Rangers have the 2-1 lead. A minute and a half of intense Buzzards pressure, but Georgiev withstands the onslaught and the Rangers win it, 2-1!

STARS:
3. Strome 1 goal
2. Lee 1 goal
1. Georgiev 36 saves

2nd Period – Buchnevich is call for cross checking 7 minutes into the period – and they give him the 5 minute major. And boy of boy, Cincinnati takes advantage scoring 2 goals – Forsberg and …. Forsberg. An interesting natural hat trick – all three are PP goals. Down 4-1 but the Rangers don’t give up at least not yet. Goodrow scores with less than 2 minutes in the second and it’s 4-2 after 2 favor of those blast furnaces!

3rd period – Rangers control play but Talbot controls his goal and he stops all 13 shots that get through to him. And then with the Rangers goal empty – Point fires one inn for his 2nd goal of the game. And that made it a 5-2 final! Cincinnati

STARS
3. BGR – Goodrow 1 goal
2. CIN – Point 2 goals
3. CIN – Forsberg 3 goals – the Hattie!

In the 2nd, DeBrincat scores for Chicago. Later in the 2nd, Couture scores his 10th goal to tie the game.

Alamo gets hot in the 3rd and scores all three goals. Jenner, McAvoy, and Couture all score.

Alamo 4 Chicago 1

1-Couture
2-McAvoy
3-Jenner

No goals in the 2nd.

In the 3rd, Bratt scores on an empty netter. The Walleye make it close as Kadri scores his 20th with 49 seconds to go.

Alamo 2 Toledo 1

1-Bratt
2-Lehner
3-Draisaitl

Bucks County rallies from two goals down only to see Leon Draisaitl score with 2:37 left on the PP to propel Alamo to the win

Timo Meier of BCB scored with the goalie pulled at 19:46 of the third period to tie the score, only to see Johnny Guadreau score with 20 seconds left in OT to give CAL the 2 points.

Bathgate goal: Zibanejad (19) in 2nd period

Portland goal:Keller (30) 1st period and Keller (31) in 3rd period

Pittsburgh goals: Thomas (17) and Schenn (15) in 2nd period – Norris (42) OT winner

Portland goals: Rasmussen (7) first period, Keller (32) third period

Toledo comes out and dominates the 2nd, shutting down the Sharks while pumping in 4 goals. Robertson, Yamamoto and Mangiapane twice. A much happier crowd heads out for refills at intermission with the Walleye up 5-2.

Gilbert outshoots the Walleye 15-7 in teh 3rd, but no blood on either side, and the game ends 5-2 home team.

1st star – Mangiapane 2G
2nd – Robertson 1G 2pts
3rd – Marchand 1G 2pts

Kempe pushes the lead to 2 early in the 2nd. Walleye struggle to answer, but it takes a penalty late, and a PP goal by Trocheck, to cut the lead to 1 heading to the 3rd.

Toledo tries a few changes in the 3rd, but nothing comes of it. In final desperation, yes, a pulled goalie works …………… for LA ………….. and 2 empty netters later, LA skates away with a 5-2 win. Nylander and Nurse with the late goals.

1st star – Kempe 2G
2nd – Barkov 1G 3pts
3rd = Nylander 1G 2pts

Great comeback win by the Storm!

The Buzzards, which still need to finish strong to get in, was to host two games this week. Charlotte will take care of its final usage issues and strategically sit top playmakers Mitch Marner and Bryan Rust as it hosts the world-beating Jagr Mullets. From there, Charlotte plays one of its most important home games of the season, versus the Bandits squad seeking to pass it and qualify for the playoffs.

The lack of a full arsenal revealed itself in the first period as the Buzzards failed to score despite 10 shots against Jacob Markstrom. Meanwhile the Mullets’ cashed in on two of the nine shots they took, capitalizing on sloppy penalties by Buzzards’ forward Sam Bennett: the Mullets got the first goal 9:24 into the game on a power play goal from Patrice Bergeron then after yet another Bennett penalty for checking from behind, the Jagrs had a second power play goal five minutes later when Matthew Tkachuk scored on an assist from Austin Matthews.

The Buzzards, trailing 2-0, entering the second period found life 2:26 in when Carter Verhaeghe finally put Charlotte on the board off assists from Tyler Myers and Moritz Seider. Charlotte fired 13 shots in the period but failed to get the equalizer. In the third, the Buzzards turned up the heat greater and rifled 15 shots against Markstrom, none of them finding the net. With Raanta pulled Tkachuk collected his second goal on an empty netter with a scant 12 seconds remaining in regulation and the Mullets, more than 30 games above .500, had yet another win, this one by the score of 3-1.

The Buzzards doubled the Mullets shot output, 38-19, to no avail: Tkachuk and Markstrom (37 saves) were first and second stars respectively.

The score stayed there until a shocking turn of events enabled Brentwood to storm back late in the third. Bandits forward Danton Heinen was cited with a hooking penalty with 3:28 left in regulation and the game appeared seemingly under control for the home team. But Brentwood merely proceeded to respond with not one but TWO shorthanded goals, the first from Nic Dowd, just 30 seconds after the penalty and then with 2:08 left to play, Jake Guntzel pulled Brentwood within one, 4-3, on a shortie assisted by Terry. Brentwood goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was pulled with 1:11 left in the third, but the Bandits were stonewalled by Sorkin in the final moments (despite the shorthanded goals he otherwise stood on his head to the tune of 17 saves in the final period). Buzzards forward Alex Ovechkin chipped in an empty netter with 45 seconds remaining to seal a 5-3 Charlotte win and the hosts barely survived a rebuilding Brentwood squad that refused to go down easy this season.

Terry was actually first star with his goal and assist in the losing cause. Sorokin finished with 17 saves versus 24 for Vasilevskiy.