We had 12 games yesterday in the National Hockey League, with 24 teams playing on this Saturday, January 4.
During an evening where the Montreal Canadiens triumphed over the Colorado Avalanche, several other highlights caught attention.
Here is a summary.
1. A first career hat trick for Matthew Knies
We witnessed a classic matchup last night as two rival teams from the Atlantic Division faced off.
Indeed, the Boston Bruins visited the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big duel, which was ultimately won by the Maple Leafs with a score of 6 to 4.
It was an excellent hockey game, largely thanks to the Maple Leafs’ first line, which amassed a total of 13 points.
The star of the evening was Matthew Knies, who recorded his first career hat trick in addition to collecting two assists.
Matthew Knies finds the back of the net three times for the first hat trick of his career!
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/FugT3CXpD9
— NHL (@NHL) January 5, 2025
Knies is having a great breakout season, already tallying 14 goals and 24 points in 38 games.
2. Lights go out mid-game in Seattle
In general, hockey is played with the lights on, right?
Well, yesterday in Seattle, for a moment, all the lights in the arena, the Climate Pledge Arena, went out right during the game.
Only the advertisement lights on the boards, generated by television, remained on.
It made for a funny moment.
Who leaned on the switch
The lights went out in Seattle pic.twitter.com/EzTfIKNICh— Jo Madden (@JoMaddenSports) January 5, 2025
It seems that the presence of a legend like Marie-Philip Poulin had an effect on the entire arena.
She was in Seattle last night, and she was able to name the Kraken’s lines.
Des trios. Une légende : Marie-Philip Poulin (@pou29)
@seattlekraken pic.twitter.com/mQxk74NPMH
— LNH (@LNH_FR) January 5, 2025
As for the hockey game itself, the Kraken lost to the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 4 to 2.
3. Ovechkin scores his 872nd
Since returning to play, Alex Ovechkin has been unstoppable.
He came back as if he had never been away, and he is currently dominating, with four goals in five games since his return.
Last night, he also scored his 872nd career goal, netting the game-winner in a 7 to 4 victory for the Washington Capitals over the New York Rangers.
872 FOR OVECHKIN
23 to go…
(
: @espn) pic.twitter.com/f8xIHV7Snk
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 4, 2025
With this goal, Ovechkin is now just 23 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
23 goals in 43 games is more than achievable for the Caps’ number 8.
As for the Rangers, well, their downward spiral continues, as they are currently five points out of the playoffs with a record of 17-20-1.
4. Sean Monahan has 15 points in his last eight games
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on fire right now in the NHL, and it’s mainly the work of one line.
Indeed, Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko are simply dominant in every one of their appearances, which explains why they are accumulating points so easily in recent games.
If we take Monahan’s case alone, well, the former Canadiens player has 15 points in his last eight games,
and he recorded three assists last night in a 6 to 4 victory for the Blue Jackets over the St. Louis Blues.
Power play goal for Columbus!
Scored by Kirill Marchenko with 17:45 remaining in the 2nd period.
Assisted by Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson.
Columbus: 2
St. Louis: 0#STLvsCBJ #CBJ #stlblues pic.twitter.com/Iq6NstZa4b— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) January 5, 2025
This brings him to 40 points in 40 games, as Monahan could very well be heading towards the best season of his career.
5. Joel Edmundson leaves the game after a very bad fall on the ice
We’re moving on to another former Canadiens player, but this time, for less positive news, as Joel Edmundson was injured in a 2 to 1 victory for the Los Angeles Kings over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In fact, Edmundson had to leave the game temporarily after falling heavily and dangerously on his head and neck.
Scary scene in LA as Joel Edmundson collides with Zemgus Girgensons while jumping to catch a pass and lands awkwardly on his neck
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 5, 2025
It was a frightening scene that ended well, as Edmundson returned to the game like a warrior.
– Macklin Celebrini takes the lead in rookie scoring with his 13th.
Celebrini finds the five-hole on the rush!
pic.twitter.com/yV2oycES6N
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 4, 2025
– Hat trick for Ryan O’Reilly.
Ryan O’Reilly’s hat trick led the @PredsNHL to victory!
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/FLtqRurC02
— NHL (@NHL) January 5, 2025
– Here are all the results from yesterday.
Alex Ovechkin chipped away at the all-time goals record, while Matthew Knies and Ryan O’Reilly both scored hat tricks during an eventful 12-game Saturday.#NHLStats: https://t.co/anfSLmtG62 pic.twitter.com/U8DWLfAOHR
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 5, 2025
– Here are the top scorers from yesterday.
– On the schedule today in the NHL: five games.
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