No fewer than ten games were played across the league last night.
Unfortunately, the Habs lost in overtime to the Islanders in New York…
But there was no shortage of action elsewhere in the NHL:
Sidney Crosby moved into the NHL’s top 10 for points, hit 1,000 assists and helped boost the @penguins back into the second Eastern Conference Wild Card position, marking the fifth time in the past seven days that spot has changed hands.#NHLStats: https://t.co/BKMC6n8xtV pic.twitter.com/c1TIMYDVaZ
– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 12, 2024
1: 1,000 assists for Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is one of the best players in history, and nobody can argue with that.
At 36, the Penguins captain is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career… And if the Penguins are still in the playoff hunt right now, it’s because of him.
Crosby and the Penguins were playing perhaps the most important game of their season against the Red Wings, who are also in the hunt for a playoff spot.
But the Pens rose to the occasion: Crosby ended his night’s work with a goal and two assists, while Erik Karlsson nailed the winner in overtime:
WHAT A GOAL FOR THE PENGUINS ‼️
🐧 Sid’s 1000th Career Assist
🐧 Sid takes over NHL’s 10th all-time points scorer
🐧 Massive extra point in the East playoff race pic.twitter.com/SNrVEEc7Rk– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 12, 2024
At the same time, Crosby reached the plateau of 1,000 career assists… And moved into the top-10 in NHL scoring history.
It was a great night, especially since the Penguins’ 6-5 win puts them in last place for the playoffs in the East.
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
2: Hat trick for Lucas Raymond
Lucas Raymond is having a superb season.
For the past thirty games, he’s been leading the charge for the Red Wings… and we saw it again last night.
In a 6-5 loss to the Penguins, the Swede still had some fun, collecting three goals and an assist.
That gives him 29 goals (and 68 points) in 79 games this season:
A four-point night for Lucas Raymond! 🐙
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/aiBdFUiWYc
– NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2024
Raymond has never produced like this before in the NHL, which is encouraging for management in Detroit.
You can see why he was selected with the 4th overall pick in the 2020 auction.
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
3: Auston Matthews can’t stop scoring
Who can stop Auston Matthews?
The Leafs player is chasing the 70-goal plateau this season, and he’s getting dangerously close to his goal.
The Leafs lost 6-5 to the Devils, with Jesper Bratt giving his team the win with just over a minute left in the game…
But Matthews still scored his 67th and 68th goals of the campaign.
The Leafs have three games left this season :
67 FOR THE GLOAT pic.twitter.com/xOkeBbIBvI
– Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 11, 2024
Goal number 68 for Auston Matthews! #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/3bK4jSMbm3
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 12, 2024
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
4: Nikolaj Ehlers makes history
Nikolaj Ehlers is a player who flies under the radar, but we’re still talking about a very talented guy.
In fact, the 9th overall pick in the 2014 draft accomplished a feat last night that has never been done before in the National League.
Ehlers scored his 200th career goal, becoming the first Danish player to reach that plateau in league history.
In addition, the Jets won 3-0 against the Stars :
List of Danish @NHL players to score 200 goals in the league:
🇩🇰 Nikolaj Ehlers
– end of list – pic.twitter.com/8lJq0G9Eij
– Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 12, 2024
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
5: Scrum breaks out at end of Capitals-Sabres game
Things got pretty heated last night at the end of the Capitals-Sabres game.
The Caps were visibly frustrated with their disappointing performance, even though they’re in the thick of the playoff race…
And the players decided to take out their frustration at the siren.
The scrum erupted, and the boys were having a field day:
BUZZER BRAWL!!! 🤜💥 pic.twitter.com/vp8slOaeAZ
– Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 12, 2024
Note that the Capitals lost the game by a score of 4-2.
They are now just one point behind the Penguins (86 points) and the final playoff spot in the East.
The Capitals have 85 points, as do the Wings and Flyers.
Extension
– Exact.
Bruce Boudreau on similarities between Matthews and Ovi. pic.twitter.com/65g3g9fSxd
– JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) April 12, 2024
– Still!
Three goals in his first five NHL games for Akil Thomas 👌 pic.twitter.com/Nk1Prz9tyw
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 12, 2024
– He’s on fire.
2 assist game for William Eklund, he has 13 pts in his last 11. #SJSharks
– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) April 12, 2024
– Whew.
Brady too smooth in the shootout. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/NxnGWhAGoZ
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 12, 2024
– It moves!
Garnet Hathaway’s skate ended up catching Jonathan Quick up high after they were tangled 👀 pic.twitter.com/9myrNKnhyk
– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 12, 2024
– Max Domi came to Auston Matthews’ defense.
Alrighty now. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/pBIGTOyjch
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 12, 2024
– Top scorers of the night :
– Five games tonight in the NHL :