The NHL had an abbreviated week of action due to the holiday break, but that doesn’t mean it was uneventful. The players managed to pack in some extra entertainment as a Christmas treat.
Alex Ovechkin’s scoring drought has been the topic of conversation for weeks, but that is no longer the case after Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ovi managed to get on the board, and he did so by scoring a very important goal for the Washington Capitals.
Speaking of big goals, Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras stole the show on Saturday night as they displayed their incredible skill. Both players managed to score lacrosse-style goals using elite puck handling and an impressive amount of poise.
Let’s take a look at the biggest stories and best highlights from the week that was in the NHL.
Goal(s) of the week: Connor Bedard, Trevor Zegras break out the lacrosse sticks
The NHL’s young talent was on full display in the last slate of games before the Christmas break. On Saturday night, we saw two lacrosse-style goals with Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras playing some sort of hockey version of H-O-R-S-E.
First up was Bedard against the St. Louis Blues. He got the puck behind Jordan Binnington and realized there was no one in the same county as him. That’s when he calmly flipped the puck up unto his blade and wrapped around the net to toss the puck in over Binnington’s shoulder.
The Chicago Blackhawks did go on to lose that game 7-5, but Bedard continues to show that he will be one of the best players in this league very shortly.
Apparently, Zegras heard about what Bedard did and didn’t want to be shown up. In his first game back from injury, Zegras decided to put on a show.
Zegras was circling around the Seattle Kraken in the offensive zone when he picked up speed while going around the net. As calmly as ever, Zegras scooped up the puck while moving at a good clip, and casually flipped it up and over the short-side shoulder of Seattle netminder Joey Daccord.
As was the case with Bedard’s goal, the Ducks did go on to lose the game, but it was good to see that Zegras was back to his normal healthy self. Also, scoring a goal like that in those gorgeous jerseys is almost enough to require a mature content warning for Ducks games.
Robbery of the week: Roman Josi bails out Juuse Saros with a glove save
We try to show the goaltenders some respect here, but they wear an awful lot of pads. When a defenseman steps up to help out his goalie, wearing a fraction of the protection, we have to recognize it.
That’s what Roman Josi did on Saturday afternoon against the Dallas Stars. During a scramble in front of the net, Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros was down and out. Stars forward Wyatt Johnston was staring at a wide open net when he turned and flung a shot on goal.
That’s when Josi did his best Saros impression, sliding to the near post to make a glove save and keep Dallas off the board for the time being.
Now, did Josi commit a penalty by closing his hand on the puck in the crease? No, because it didn’t get called. It was just as brave a play as you’ll see from a defenseman risking life and limb and face to get in front of a shot.
Alex Ovechkin ends 14-game drought in dramatic fashion
Alex Ovechkin is off to one of the slowest starts of his career, and it has hurt his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. On Saturday, Ovechkin finally saw the puck go in, and it was a big one of the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals went to overtime with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, and due to Elvis Merzlikins losing his mind on Tom Wilson, got a power play. Despite Ovechkin’s struggles, he is always a threat to do some damage on the man advantage.
With under a minute remaining in the extra frame, Ovechkin got the puck in the left circle, but he didn’t launch a one-timer. The pass handcuffed him a bit, and he had to regroup before wiring a wrist shot past Merzlikins for the game-winner.
The Capitals — and hockey fans everywhere — have to hope that the dam will finally start to break for Ovechkin. He’s currently on pace for around 16 goals, which would be a career low by a wide margin. Ovechkin needs 67 goals to pass Gretzky, which he can get by the end of next season, but he’s going to have to pick up his pace for the final 51 games of the 2023-24 season.
Stars pull off a Christmas miracle in Nashville
With about 15 seconds remaining in Nashville on Saturday, it looked like the Predators were going to get a big win over a division opponent. However, the Dallas Stars played the role of the Grinch and spoiled Christmas for the Predators.
The Predators carried a 2-0 lead into the third period, and spirits were high in Bridgestone Arena. The Stars managed to cut into Nashville’s lead with a goal from Evgenii Dadonov, but the Preds were still in control of their destiny as the clock ticked toward zero.
Suddenly, the game turned on a dime. With the Stars pushing to tie, a rebound popped out to former Predator Craig Smith in the slot. He managed to fire it through a few different bodies and beat Juuse Saros with just under 15 seconds left.
Dallas had essentially locked up at least one point there, but it wasn’t satisfied. The Stars kept pushing, and they had the Predators on their heels. Following the face-off at center ice, Dallas got the puck into the Nashville end and forechecked well.
The Predators failed to clear the puck out of the zone, and it slid right to an open Jani Hakanpaa at the point. He wound up and ripped a slap shot that muscled its way through Saros to win the game with two seconds left.
The Stars are one of the favorites to win the Western Conference, and they showed why on Saturday. Even without some of their biggest names getting on the scoresheet, they managed to rally for a thrilling comeback win. That type of depth makes them extremely dangerous.
Appointment viewing this week
Avalanche at Coyotes | Wednesday, Dec. 27: The Coyotes are one of the best stories of the season so far, and the Avalanche have hit some rough patches recently. This will be an excellent opportunity for Arizona to get another big win and remain in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Kings at Golden Knights | Thursday, Dec. 28: These two teams will be going head-to-head for the Pacific Division crown, and that makes Thursday’s tilt a big one. The Kings are five points behind Vegas in the standings, but they also have five games in hand. This will be a big opportunity to start closing that gap.
Oilers at Kings | Saturday, Dec. 30: The Kings are playing a couple of big games this week. After that clash with the Golden Knights, they will host the Oilers on Saturday. Edmonton has been rejuvenated under new head coach Kris Knoblauch, but this will be one of the tougher tests the team has faced since he took over.
Islanders at Penguins | Sunday, Dec. 31: The race for playoff spots in the East will be hotly contested, especially once the calendar flips to 2024. The Islanders are currently in the thick of that race, and the Penguins need to claw their way into it before its too late. Expect some desperate teams on the ice this New Year’s Eve.
Golden Knights at Kraken | Monday, Jan. 1: This year’s NHL Winter Classic will be a great one. The league’s two newest franchises will battle outdoors at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Both teams have crafted some “throwback” uniforms, and it will be fun to see two fledgling hockey markets enjoy this spectacle.
