Three Stars
1. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders. This has to be a welcome sight for Islanders fans. They have been waiting for Sorokin’s arrival for years, and on Tuesday night he found his taste of NHL success when he recorded his first win and shutout in a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau continued their hot streaks and contribute all of the offense (two goals for Lee; one for Pageau) as the Islanders won for the fifth time in six games. They are also on an eight-game point streak (5-0-3). The Islanders have high hopes for Sorokin, and while he has had some struggles in his very young career to this point his potential remains through the roof.
2. The Lars Eller line, Washington Capitals. It is impossible to pick just one of them because all three of Eller, Conor Sheary, and Richard Panik were sensational in helping the Capitals snap a four-game losing streak. When that trio was on the ice during 5-on-5 play (mostly against Sidney Crosby and his line) the Capitals had a 13-1 shot attempt advantage, a 10-0 shots on goal advantage, and outscored the Penguins 2-0. If you want to win a championship you need these types of games from your bottom six. It can not always be the superstars. Read more about that game here.
3. Jonathan Quick Los Angeles Kings. It has been a tough couple of year for Quick but on Tuesday he was able to find a time machine to bring back the prime version that helped the Kings win multiple Stanley Cups. He stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild for his first shutout of the season. He only had one shutout a year ago and just two the year before that. He was sensational on Tuesday in not only stopping every shot he faced, but also making several highlight reel saves.
Other Notable Performances From Tuesday
• MacKenzie Blackwood was great for the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday as he stopped 37 out of 39 shots in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers. This was the Devils’ first game in over two weeks, they were still shorthanded, and they put together a great all-around effort to get the win.
• Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist for the Colorado Avalanche and Nazem Kadri scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation to help them beat the Vegas Golden Knights.
Highlights Of The Night
All of the highlights from the Capitals 3-1 win over the Penguins.
Pageau has five goals in the Islanders’ past four games, and this one is a rocket of a shot.
Speaking of great shots, few players in the league have a release like Max Pacioretty.
Here is Kadri’s game winning goal for the Avalanche with less than 50 seconds to play in regulation.
Scores
New York Islanders 3, Buffalo Sabres 0
Washington Capitals 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
New Jersey Devils 5, New York Rangers 2
Colorado Avalanche 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2
Los Angeles Kings 4, Minnesota Wild 0
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (postponed)
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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.
