Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was on point in his 300th career game Friday in New York, scoring a Gordie Howe-style hat trick and more to help his team win Rangers 3-2 in overtime.
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The fourth overall pick of the 2018 auction started his night of work in the second period, setting up the net for Tim Stützle on the power play, before fighting, a few minutes later, against Jacob Trouba.
The “Sens” were about to lose when Thomas Chabot intercepted a Rangers clearance, when goalkeeper Cam Talbot had been taken out in favor of a sixth skater, before shooting towards the net of goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin. Positioned in the line of the shot, Tkachuk completed his unusual feat by redirecting the puck, scoring his 100th career goal.
The 23-year-old athlete still hadn’t finished his job. In overtime, he took advantage of a relay from Chabot to come alone in front of Shesterkin, slipping the puck between his pads to close the debate.
Shesterkin will also have little to blame himself for, he who blocked 34 of the 37 pucks directed at him. At the other end of the rink, Talbot signed the victory by virtue of a performance of 25 saves.
Lankinen muzzles the Islanders
At UBS Arena, Nashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen was intractable, blocking 48 of 49 pucks aimed at him to help his team win 4-1 against the New York Islanders.
After a quieter first period, during which he only had to block nine shots, the visitors’ masked man was much busier, facing 18 shots in the middle period, then 22 in the final period.
He also lost his shutout in the third period, yielding during a power play to the crowd favorites, in front of Mathew Barzal.
Offensively, the Predators were able to count on their numerical advantage, and above all, the connection between Matt Duchene, Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg. The first two have also prepared the table for the third, to score the first goal of the “Preds”.
Still with the advantage of a man, the two attackers set the table for the net of the Swiss defender, in the second period.
However, it was Duchene who had the most productive evening, he who also shook the ropes in the third period. Mikael Granlund obtained the other success of the winners.
Patrik Laine comes to haunt the Jets
In his first game since Nov. 12, Patrik Laine scored twice against his former team, the Winnipeg Jets, in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
The Finnish forward took just under seven minutes to remind Manitoba fans what he was capable of after missing nearly a month of action with an ankle injury. Laine inherited a precise pass from Johnny Gaudreau before shaking the strings to open the scoring.
He also took advantage of a game from Gaudreau and Boone Jenner at the entrance of the zone, in the second period, to make the red light sparkle a second time. He thus carried the mark to 3 to 0.
Erik Gudbranson and Gustav Nyquist also scored for the winners, who retired to the locker room after 40 minutes with a comfortable 4-0 lead.
Laine was finally able to celebrate at the end of the 60 minutes. The former second overall pick had shown great things in his early years in Winnipeg, but he was quick to voice his displeasure. He had finally been traded in a transaction involving Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Quebecer had been chosen by the Blue Jackets with the selection that immediately followed that of Laine.
Dubois also scored the only Jets goal of the game, on the power play in the final period. He thus deprived Joonas Korpisalo of a shutout. The latter still made 37 saves in the game.