There were 11 games on the program yesterday in the National Hockey League, and there were plenty of interesting highlights.
The 22 teams in action put on a great show.
Here are the highlights of yesterday’s games.
1. Brady Tkachuk lashes out at Nico Hischier
The Ottawa Senators are having another catastrophic season, and for the umpteenth time, we expected them to perform well and get closer to the playoffs.
Yet they’re still in the bottom half of the NHL.
Last night, they lost again, this time 4-3 to the New Jersey Devils.
What caught the eye, however, was what happened after the siren signaling the end of the game.
Devils captain Nico Hischier was seen calmly depositing the puck into the Senators’ empty net.
It seemed like an innocent gesture, but Brady Tkachuk was furious.
Nico Hischier puts the puck into the empty net after the final horn and Brady Tkachuk goes berserk ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/qYE7bZBMEl
– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 7, 2024
The Senators captain completely lost it and went after Hischier.
Well, well, a scrum in connection with a goal in an empty net involving the Ottawa Senators seems like something we’ve seen before.
It’s clearly reminiscent of the Ridly Greig situation, in which a slap shot was fired into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ empty net a few months ago.
Morgan Rielly retaliated with a dangerous blow to the head.
In short, it’s quite funny to see Tkachuk get so angry over a much less arrogant empty net, when he found Ridly Greig’s gesture so funny.
Tkachuk continues to stir up trouble (sometimes for nothing), which makes us wonder about his captaincy.
Brady Tkachuk is a very, very good hockey player. But one of the last guys I’d consider for captaincy.
Of course, I don’t see what goes on behind closed doors, so my opinion isn’t worth much, but it struck me as an odd choice when it happened.
– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 7, 2024
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2. Brady Tkachuk sets NHL record with 16 body checks in a single game
In the same game, Brady Tkachuk also drew attention for his physical play.
He served up 16 checks during the game, which is a new NHL record, surpassing Nikita Zadorov’s 15 on March 22, 2018.
Apparently Brady Tkachuk had 16 hits tonight against the Devils, which according to the NHL records page would be the most in a game since the league started tracking hits. pic.twitter.com/tIEncHeIDO
– Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) April 7, 2024
Here are Tkachuk’s 16 body checks.
16 hits for Brady Tkachuk tonight. Sixteen. pic.twitter.com/tVV1MyGaVF
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 7, 2024
In any case, you can’t blame the Senators captain for not being physically involved.
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3. Six goals by defensemen for the Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets tied an NHL record last night, as their defensemen scored six goals in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
All their goals were scored by defensemen in this game.
#CBJ set club records for defensemen in most goals (6) and most different blueliners (4) to record a goal in a single game tonight.
The Jackets also tied the #NHL record for most goals by team blueliners in a single game set by the Capitals on Dec. 4, 1992 vs. the NYR (4 diff….
– CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) April 7, 2024
Zach Werenski and Damon Severson both scored two goals, while Nick Blankenburg and Erik Gudbrandson each scored one.
Columbus goal!
Scored by Damon Severson with 11:37 remaining in the 2nd period.
Assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Alexander Nylander.
Columbus: 3
Philadelphia: 0#PHIvsCBJ #CBJ #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/MtoFXw7p59– NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 7, 2024
It’s a rare feat to see so many defensemen score in a game.
But it’s a feat that doesn’t please John Tortorella and Flyers fans, who lose another game and are officially out of the playoff picture right now.
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4. Crucial wins for Penguins and Islanders
The playoff race in the NHL conference is VERY tight, and every day things can change.
Yesterday, with the Flyers defeated, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders took advantage of the situation to both advance to the playoffs with a very important victory respectively.
The Penguins won 5-4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Islanders beat the Nashville Predators 2-0.
The Penguins can thank Sidney Crosby, who scored his 40แต goal of the season. It is the third time in his career he has reached this plateau.
Sidney Crosby has his 40th goal at 36 years old. Aging like fine wine ๐ท pic.twitter.com/795q2NcNBD
– Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 6, 2024
The Islanders, meanwhile, can say thank you to Semyon Varlamov.
Semyon Varlamov records a 41-save @pepsi shutout in a HUGE win for the @NYIslanders! ๐ต๐ pic.twitter.com/1aHJ3qNXei
– NHL (@NHL) April 7, 2024
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5. First career hat trick for William Eklund
The San Jose Sharks are having the worst season in the NHL.
The team’s fans don’t have much to cheer about, which makes it all the more difficult.
At least they can celebrate good performances from their young players, as was the case yesterday, when William Eklund scored his first career hat trick in a 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues.
William Eklund completes his first career hat trick with the overtime winner! ๐คฉ
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/S1dBp1GrRM
– NHL (@NHL) April 7, 2024
Eklund represents the future of the Sharks, so seeing him perform is encouraging. He has 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 74 games.
The 21-year-old Swede has helped the Sharks record only their second win in their last 13 games.
Extension
– Incredible.
This would’ve been FILTHY from Crosby ๐คฏ pic.twitter.com/hic9Ljfchd
– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 6, 2024
– Quite a shot from Connor Bedard.
CONNOR BEDARD ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON pic.twitter.com/UYLdS1aWDq
– Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 6, 2024
– Anton Lundell could be suspended for this gesture.
Anton Lundell you’re a dirty little bitch pic.twitter.com/b1AfsYJ9fL
– Lulu (@god_tier_enigma) April 6, 2024
– Charlie McAvoy made sure to avenge his teammate discreetly, as he took Lundell down while heading to the penalty box.
Charlie McAvoy with the troll job as he and Anton Lundell head to the box ๐ pic.twitter.com/6hVfsKdCxi
– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 6, 2024
– Here are the results from the previous day.
The second-last Saturday of the 2023-24 regular season has come to a close, a night that included the @penguins move into a playoff spot or the first time since Nov. 14 after sitting nine points out just last week.#NHLStats: https://t.co/zLkfOt3BOr pic.twitter.com/Wg4wS4LURg
– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 7, 2024
– When it comes to the previous day’s top scorers, the NHL Stats tab is in trouble right now.
– On today’s NHL schedule: nine games.