Written by Stuart Mason on 30 January 2016
PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS FOR SKILLS COMPETITION
REMINDER: The winning conference of the 2016 Honda All-Star Skills Competition will earn the right to select when its semifinal game will be played during Sunday’s 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game (first or second).
Click here for the format of each event.
Participants
Four skaters from each team
Eastern Conference
Dylan Larkin, DET
Brandon Saad, CBJ
Erik Karlsson, OTT
Kris Letang, PIT
Western Conference
Roman Josi, NSH
Matt Duchene, COL
Taylor Hall, EDM
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG
Participants
Three shooters and one goaltender from each team
Eastern Conference
Brandon Saad, CBJ*
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH
P.K. Subban, MTL
Cory Schneider, NJD (Goaltender)
* Won the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge Fan Vote
Western Conference
James Neal, NSH
Matt Duchene, COL
Brent Burns, SJS
Jonathan Quick, LAK (Goaltender)
Participants
Four shooters and two passers from each team
Eastern Conference
John Tavares, NYI
Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Claude Giroux, PHI
Evgeni Malkin, PIT
Nicklas Backstrom, WSH (Passer)
Jaromir Jagr, FLA (Passer)
Western Conference
Patrick Kane, CHI
Joe Pavelski, SJS
Corey Perry, ANA
Jamie Benn, DAL
Drew Doughty, LAK (Passer)
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (Passer)
Participants
14 skaters and two goaltenders from each team
Eastern Conference
Relay 1
Aaron Ekblad, FLA (One-Timer RH)
Erik Karlsson, OTT (One-Timer RH)
Steven Stamkos, TBL (One-Timer RH)
Patrice Bergeron, BOS (One-Timer Passer)
Nicklas Backstrom, WSH (Mini-Net Passer)
Justin Faulk, CAR (Puck Control)
Claude Giroux, PHI (Stick-Handling)
Braden Holtby, WSH (Goalie Goals)
Relay 2
Ryan McDonagh, NYR (One-Timer LH)
Leo Komarov, TOR (One-Timer LH)
Ryan O’Reilly, BUF (One-Timer LH)
Jaromir Jagr, FLA (One-Timer Passer)
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH (Mini-Net Passer)
Kris Letang, PIT (Puck Control)
Dylan Larkin, DET (Stick-Handling)
Ben Bishop, TBL (Goalie Goals)
Western Conference
Relay 1
Shea Weber, NSH (One-Timer RH)
Drew Doughty, LAK (One-Timer RH)
Corey Perry, ANA (One-Timer RH)
Taylor Hall, EDM (One-Timer Passer)
Daniel Sedin, VAN (Mini-Net Passer)
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (Puck Control)
Patrick Kane, CHI (Stick-Handling)
Pekka Rinne, NSH (Goalie Goals)
Relay 2
Mark Giordano, CGY (One-Timer LH)
James Neal, NSH (One-Timer LH)
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (One-Timer LH)
Matt Duchene, COL (One-Timer Passer)
Jamie Benn, DAL (Mini-Net Passer)
Roman Josi, NSH (Puck Control)
Tyler Seguin, DAL (Stick-Handling)
Devan Dubnyk, MIN (Goalie Goals)
Participants
Four players from each team
Eastern Conference
Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Evgeni Malkin, PIT
Steven Stamkos, TBL
P.K. Subban, MTL
Western Conference
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG
Tyler Seguin, DAL
John Scott, ARI*
Shea Weber, NSH
* Will captain Pacific Division despite trade to MTL
Participants
18 skaters and three goaltenders from each team
Eastern Conference
Round 1
Evgeni Malkin, PIT
Jaromir Jagr, FLA
P.K. Subban, MTL
Ryan O’Reilly, BUF
Leo Komarov, TOR
Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Roberto Luongo, FLA (Goaltender)
Round 2
Patrice Bergeron, BOS
Nicklas Backstrom, WSH
Steven Stamkos, TBL
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH
Ryan McDonagh, NYR
Justin Faulk, CAR
Braden Holtby, WSH (Goaltender)
Round 3
Claude Giroux, PHI
Dylan Larkin, DET
John Tavares, NYI
Kris Letang, PIT
Erik Karlsson, OTT
Brandon Saad, CBJ
Cory Schneider, NJD (Goaltender)
Western Conference
Round 1
Patrick Kane, CHI
Matt Duchene, COL
Brent Burns, SJS
Mark Giordano, CGY
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL
Daniel Sedin, VAN
Devan Dubnyk, MIN (Goaltender)
Round 2
Joe Pavelski, SJS
Taylor Hall, EDM
Jamie Benn, DAL
James Neal, NSH
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG
John Gibson, ANA (Goaltender)
Round 3
John Scott, ARI*
Shea Weber, NSH
Tyler Seguin, DAL
Corey Perry, ANA
Drew Doughty, LAK
Roman Josi, NSH
Pekka Rinne, NSH (Goaltender)
* Will captain Pacific Division despite trade to MTL
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Written by Serena Bradley on 24 January 2016
(by OCAL courtesy Clker.com)
MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg (305-513—818 in 883 GP) scored to pass Thomas Steen (264-553—817 in 950 GP) for sole possession of eighth on the NHL’s all-time points list among Swedish-born players. Markus Naslund (395-474—869 in 1,117 GP) ranks seventh.
* Forward Daniel Paille (15:17 TOI) made his debut with the Rangers, his first NHL game since March 22, 2015 vs. TBL (w/ BOS). Forward Jiri Sekac (11:19 TOI) made his debut with the Blackhawks.
LOOSE PUCKS
The Red Wings improved to 14-1-1 in their last 16 games vs. BUF dating to March 13, 2010 while the Rangers improved to 19-1-0 in their last 20 games vs. CAR dating to Feb. 22, 2011, including nine consecutive victories… The Islanders improved to 4-0-1 in their last five road games vs. OTT dating to Nov. 1, 2013… Senators captain Erik Karlsson (1-1—2) registered his 13th multi-point game of the season. Karlsson continues to pace all defensemen with 10-41—51 this season (48 GP) and reached the 50-point milestone for the fourth time in his seven NHL seasons… The Avalanche improved to 11-2-1 in their last 14 home games vs. STL dating to Feb. 8, 2010… Former defenseman Rik Wilson, a first-round selection in the 1980 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues, passed away at age 53.
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Written by Serena Bradley on 24 January 2016
(clipart by OCAL courtesy Clker.com)
EKBLAD RETURNS, LUONGO POSTS MILESTONE SHUTOUT IN PANTHERS VICTORY
Aaron Ekblad scored in his return to action after a four-game absence and Roberto Luongo stopped all 27 shots he faced, including 12 in the third period, as the Panthers blanked the Blackhawks.
* Luongo posted his 72nd career shutout, moving past Lorne Chabot and Harry Lumley and into sole possession of 11th place in NHL history. He recorded his 421st career victory, two shy of Tony Esposito (423) for seventh place all-time. The 36-year-old Montreal native is 6-0-0 in his last six appearances on home ice and improved to 20-13-4 overall (2.12 GAA, .929 SV%, 4 SO).
* The Panthers (27-15-5, 59 points) extended their Atlantic Division lead to three points, chased by the Red Wings (24-15-8, 56 points) and Lightning (26-17-4, 56 points).
AROUND THE RINKS
* Petr Mrazek turned aside all 19 shots he faced to backstop the Red Wings to a 6-2-1 record in their last nine outings. Mrazek picked up his third shutout of the season and the eighth of his career, improving to 6-1-1 in his last eight appearances and 17-9-4 overall (2.03 GAA, .932 SV%, 3 SO). Dylan Larkin (1-1—2) scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to record his fourth multi-point game of the season (46 GP). Larkin leads all rookies with five game-winning goals and ranks second with 15 goals overall, trailing only Artemi Panarin (16 w/ CHI).
* Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves and J.T. Miller scored twice to lift the Rangers to a 5-2-1 record in their last eight contests. Lundqvist picked up his third straight win and improved to 23-9-1 in 33 career appearances vs. CAR. Miller scored consecutive goals in a span of 2:10 to post the second multi-goal game of his NHL career (also Feb. 7, 2013 vs. NYI: 2-0—2). With 12 goals this season (47 GP), Miller eclipsed his single-season career high of 10 from 2014-15 (58 GP). At 26-16-5 (57 points) overall, the Rangers maintained a one-point lead over the Islanders (25-15-6, 56 points) – who defeated the Senators in regulation – for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
* Travis Hamonic (1-1—2), John Tavares (1-1—2) and Kyle Okposo (1-1—2) each scored in the third period as the Islanders pushed their point streak to four contests (3-0-1). Hamonic potted the game-winning goal at 2:58 of the frame – the second such marker of his career (also April 1, 2013 at NJD) – and added an assist to notch his first multi-point game of the season (42 GP). Okposo and Tavares rank first and second in team scoring with 12-23—35 (44 GP) and 16-17—33 (43 GP), respectively.
* Nathan MacKinnon scored the game-tying goal with 53.7 seconds remaining in regulation and Gabriel Landeskog netted the decisive marker in the shootout to help the Avalanche pick up their third straight win and improve to 11-3-1 against Central Division teams this season. Semyon Varlamov turned aside 33 of 34 shots through 65 minutes and stopped all three shooters in the shootout to improve to 6-2-0 in his last eight outings and 18-12-3 overall (2.64 GAA, .915 SV%, 1 SO). At 25-21-3 (53 points), the Avalanche climbed within a point of the idle Wild (23-16-8, 54 points) for the first Wild Card position in the Western Conference.
GAME RECAPS WRITTEN BY NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS; COURTESY NHL MORNING SKATE PUBLICATION
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Written by Stuart Mason on 24 January 2016
(by Chris courtesy Clker.com)
SNEAK PEEK AT SUNDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Pittsburgh @ Washington, postponed
NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 3:00 p.m., MSG, RDS2, TSN5
Calgary @ Carolina, 6:00 p.m., SN, FS-CR
St. Louis @ Chicago, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, TVAS, FS-MW, WGN
Los Angeles @ San Jose, 10:00 p.m., SN, FS-W, CSN-CA
NBCSN Channel Finder
Sportsnet Channel Finder
NHLN Channel Finder
ROGERS HOMETOWN HOCKEY HEADS TO YUKON
NHL alumni Geoff Sanderson and Darcy Tucker join host Ron MacLean as Rogers Hometown Hockey stops in Whitehorse, Yukon. Coverage on Sportsnet begins at 5:30 p.m., ET, in advance of the Calgary at Carolina broadcast. Throughout 2015-16, Sunday games will be broadcast from a different community rink in various towns across Canada. Included in each telecast will be local NHL player profiles, grassroots stories and local entertainment features.
* Click here for more details about the festivities in Whitehorse.
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Written by Stuart Mason on 24 January 2016
MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Sharks forward Joe Thornton (0-2—2) reached 930 career assists, passing Larry Murphy (929) into sole possession of 16th place on the NHL’s all-time list. He also moved within three points of becoming the 33rd player in NHL history to reach the 1,300-point milestone (367-930—1,297 in 1,331 GP). Thornton has posted at least one point in 16 of his past 17 outings (5-17—22), including 2-9—11 in an active eight-game point streak.
* Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr (0-1—1) is two helpers shy of becoming the sixth player in NHL history to reach the 1,100-assist milestone (737-1,098—1,835 in 1,595 GP).
* Coyotes captain Shane Doan skated in his 1,432nd career game, tying Mike Gartnerfor 25th place on the NHL’s all-time list.
* Penguins defenseman Derrick Pouliot (11:58 TOI) made his season debut, his first NHL game since April 7, 2015 at OTT. Forward Ryan Garbutt (8:10 TOI) made his debut with the Ducks.
* Wild forward Jason Pominville skated in the 800th game of his NHL career.
* Linesman Pierre Racicot was honored in a pre-game ceremony at BB&T Center ahead of his 1,500th career game.
CAPITALS DIG OUT FROM HISTORIC STORM
With the Washington, D.C. area blanketed by a historic snowfall, Capitals forwards Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich took to Instagram to show off their handiwork with their snowblowers.
LOOSE PUCKS
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (1-0—1) stretched his point streak to a season-high six games (4-5—9)… Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (0-2—2) leads the club with 26 assists this season (37 GP)… The Sharks improved to 15-2-1 in their last 18 home games vs. MIN dating to Nov. 7, 2006… Bruins forward Brad Marchand (1-0—1) stretched his point streak to five games (4-1—5), which includes goals in his last four. Marchand’s four-game goal streak is his second such run of the season (5-0—5 in 4 GP from Nov. 17-23)… The Bruins improved to 8-2-0 in their last 10 games vs. CBJ dating to March 15, 2011… The Canadiens have won nine straight games vs. TOR dating to March 1, 2014… The Ducks improved to 5-1-0 in their last six games vs. DET since the clubs met in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs… Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (0-1—1) pushed his point streak to eight games (6-5—11), his second such run of the season (3-9—12 in 8 GP from Dec. 15, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016). Kucherov leads the club with 20-21—41 (48 GP)… The Avalanche improved to 11-1-0 in their last 12 games vs. DAL dating to Oct. 15, 2013, including eight consecutive wins… Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (1-0—1) is tied for second among NHL blueliners with 14 goals this season (w/ Justin Faulk)… Oilers forward Taylor Hall (0-1—1) stretched his point streak to five games (2-5—7)… Kings forward Milan Lucic will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday for an incident with Coyotes defensemanKevin Connauton during their game Saturday. Lucic was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing and a game misconduct.
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