Top player in the NHL on Thursday
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
The Bruins rolled to an 8-1 win over the New Jersey Devils officially eliminating the Devils from Stanley Cup Playoff contention. Patrice Bergeron was one of the key player for the Bruins in the win, scoring two goals and recording an assist. He has been outstanding this season still playing elite shutdown center at center and being a top-line scorer in all situations.
Highlights from around the NHL on Thursday
The two Sebastian Ahos score goals just seconds apart from each other in different games. Read more about that sequence here.
Goal No. 50 for Auston Matthews this season. Read more about it here.
Marc Mclaughlin with his first career NHL goal for the Boston Bruins.
Three takeaways from the NHL on Thursday
Penguins beat Wild to snap winning streak
Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Pittsburgh Penguins to lead them to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild, snapping what had been a seven-game winning streak for Minnesota. Rickard Rakell also scored a pair of goals for the Penguins, while Jake Guentzel also scored a goal. Also a big story for the Penguins here is Jason Zucker returning to the lineup and then leaving the game with an ugly looking leg injury after he was cross-checked from behind into the boards.
Jonathan Toews plays in 1,000th game for Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews became the eighth different player too appear in 1,000 games for the franchise on Saturday night when he played in the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. He has been one of the best players in team history throughout his career, helping lead the team to three Stanley Cup championships. He is set to enter the final year of his contract for the rebuilding team, which means the question now becomes how many more games he will play for the team before he gets traded.
Western Conference playoff race update
The Dallas Stars continue their overtime success this season with a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks to move back into a Wild Card spot, while the Los Angeles Kings bounced back from a shootout loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday to beat the first place Calgary Flames on Thursday. All of those results were bad news for the Winnipeg Jets who were 7-3 losers to the Maple Leafs. That makes their push for a playoff spot even tougher the rest of the way.
Friday’s big story
The Vegas Golden Knights need wins, and they need to beat teams like the Seattle Kraken. They are still facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs and these are the types of games that they are going to have to collect points in. They beat Seattle, 3-0, on Wednesday night and can not let an opportunity for another two points against a bottom team to slip away. The Edmonton Oilers also look to keep their top-three spot in the Pacific Division secure when they play the St. Louis Blues.
Thursday’s NHL Scores
Boston Bruins 8, New Jersey Devils 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 7, Winnipeg Jets 3
Florida Panther 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0
New York Islanders 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Montreal Canadiens 0
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Minnesota Wild 3 (OT)
Colorado Avalanche 4, San Jose Sharks 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, Calgary Flames 2 (SO)
Dallas Stars 3, Anaheim Ducks 2 (OT)
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.
