It was a very quiet night in the NHL, with only two games on the schedule.
Without further ado, here’s what caught the eye on the Bettman circuit:
1. Logan Thompson makes two spectacular saves
On Saturday night, the Golden Knights saw their goaltender Adin Hill leave the game due to injury. Not an ideal situation for a team fighting for a playoff spot, but the good news is that the team is also banking on Logan Thompson, who is a solid goaltender.
And last night, against the Blues, Thompson proved he’s the man for the job in his team-mate’s absence with no less than two spectacular saves.
Firstly, he stole a goal from Kevin Hayes, who made a Peter Forsberg-like feint.
Then, in overtime, the Blues were awarded a penalty shot, once again forcing Thompson to pull out all the stops.
The goalie may not have had the most orthodox technique, losing his balance, but he frustrated Pavel Buchnevich to force both teams to keep playing.
And 19 seconds later, Jonathan Marchessault rewarded his goalie with the winning goal in overtime.
The Quebecer’s 39th goal gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 victory.
2. Anze Kopitar denies Canucks playoff berth
Last night, the Canucks could have become the first team to officially qualify for the playoffs. With the Blues defeated, they only needed to win their game against the Kings to confirm their qualification.
The problem was that Anze Kopitar had other plans. The Slovenian, who had scored at least two points in each of his last three games, earned an assist on Blake Lizotte’s goal.
Then, Kopitar added a second point to his record, scoring his team’s third goal late in the second period.
He now has nine points in his last four games.
The Canucks tried to tie the game in the third, but couldn’t: the Kings won 3-2.
Kopitar’s goal, his 24th of the season, was the winner.
Overtime
– Brock Boeser gave the Canucks a chance late in the game.
– Here’s the goal that forced overtime between the Golden Knights and the Blues.
– A point for Anthony Mantha on the sequence.
– It’s been stirring on the sequence.
– The evening’s results.
– Top scorers of the night.
– 12 games on the bill tonight.
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