The prodigious Connor McDavid joined a select club on Wednesday in Edmonton, scoring twice in a duel against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Hit twice in the first period, No. 97 tied Alexander Mogilny and Mario Lemieux for second in the longest two-and-over scoring streaks, with five.
Only Joe Malone and Punch Broadbent, in the early 1920s, did better in the history of the National Hockey League by getting at least a double six games in a row.
Before the conclusion of the first engagement, McDavid also prepared Zach Hyman’s 29th success of the season, bringing his total to 118 points in 62 games in 2022-2023.
Jay Woodcroft’s troop thus reserved a hostile reception for the Leafs, who were looking for a fourth consecutive victory. Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin pierced Ilya Samsonov’s armor in the middle period, while Stuart Skinner protected his cage with panache.
The success of Mitch Marner, his 21st of the campaign, did not lead to a comeback for the Leafs in the third period. The Ontario winger had also made himself an accomplice of David Kampf in the first twenty.
In his first game with the Oilers, defenseman Mattias Ekholm made an excellent first impression. He was the second most employed guard by the Alberta team, passing 20 min 50 s. on the ice, and collected his 14th assist of the season.
In addition, in the third period, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins demonstrated his unsuspected talents as a pugilist in a fight against Justin Holl. Coming to the defense of Yamamoto, victim of a solid check, “RNH” sent Holl to the mat with several violent rights.
Tarasenko leads Rangers home
At Wells Fargo Arena, Vladimir Tarasenko played his best game for the New York Rangers in a 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The dynamic Russian winger not only set up the first two goals for the Blueshirts, but he also played heroes in overtime. He covered half the ice before surprising Carter Hart with a quick wrist throw.
Since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9, Tarasenko has three goals and seven points in 10 games.
He started his working evening by participating in a tic-tac-toe to which Mika Zibanejad put the final touch. The Swedish center thus collected his 100th net in massive attack since the beginning of his career.
Thanks to plays from Owen Tippett and Scott Laughton, John Tortorella’s troops led by a net midway through the third period. Tarasenko therefore made sure to help his people force an extension. His sudden slap shot from the blue line was deflected by captain Chris Kreider, allowing the captain to tie the game.
Also, star player Patrick Kane was not in uniform for the Rangers. He could make his Big Apple debut at Madison Square Garden on Thursday when the Ottawa Senators visit.