Three Stars
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy
On paper, Thursday seemed like a rough draw for Vasilevskiy.
A foot injury sidelined him since Nov. 10, so you’d expect some rust. This was also a much-hyped game against a high-powered opponent in the Maple Leafs, and Toronto didn’t ease Vasi in, firing 49 shots on goal.
Only one of those attempts beat Vasilevskiy, however, as he returned to action to make 48 saves, a new career-high. The Lightning have now won eight in a row, and while seven came without Vasilevskiy, he absolutely earned this one.
Click here for more on that game, and Vasi’s big night.
2. Nino Niederreiter
Niederreiter ranked among three players who scored three points on Thursday, with Wild teammate Ryan Suter (three assists) also included.
The winger enjoyed the best all-around statistical night of the three, scoring two goals and one assist, generating a +4 rating, getting the game-winner, and firing four SOG.
Minnesota just seems to find ways to win under Bruce Boudreau, and maybe a hot streak from Niederreiter will power the latest surge. This strong night extended his goal streak to three games (four goals), giving him five points during that span. As is often the case with the underrated forward, Niederreiter stood out from a possession standpoint, too.
3. Mark Scheifele
Rounding out that trio of three-point nights, Scheifele scored one goal and two assists as the Jets narrowly edged the Oilers in overtime.
Scheifele logged quite a bit of ice time (23:55), enjoying a +2 rating and generating two SOG. He’s even hotter than Niederreiter lately, as Scheifele is now on a three-game multi-point streak, giving him two goals and six assists for a batty eight points in the past three contests.
While Niederreiter’s been up-and-down this season, Scheifele remains an elite point producer. He now has 40 points in just 31 games. tying Scheifele with his wingman Blake Wheeler for eighth in NHL scoring.
Highlights of the Night
This Vasilevskiy save is great enough to be worth another look (it originally appeared in this post):
This face is highlight-reel-material.
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) December 14, 2018
Speaking of other posts, Andrei Svechnikov’s nice goal is probably worth your time. He might not have the best power-move-type goal in that game, judging by this Artturi Lehkonen tally:
.@arsilehkonen drives to the net for a 4-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/WJeXpix1Bz
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) December 14, 2018
Put your paws together for Barclay:
Ruff practice 🏒 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/5czhpopgrc
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 13, 2018
Ouch
Basically, James Reimer suffered through the opposite of that amazing Vasilevskiy stop.
Factoids
Connor McDavid hit 300+ career points before reaching age 22. Click here for a lot more perspective on his first 240 regular-season games.
Connor McDavid of the @EdmontonOilers is the ninth player in NHL history to reach the 300-point milestone before celebrating his 22nd birthday. #NHLStats #EDMvsWPG pic.twitter.com/ftnuwlkjRV
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 14, 2018
Speaking of history, more astounding Patrik Laine fun:
#NHLJets Patrik Laine's 102 goals are the 2nd-most through a player’s first 186 career games since the start of 2005-06
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 14, 2018
Patrick Marleau’s a machine.
Patrick Marleau of the @MapleLeafs is skating in his 738th consecutive regular-season game and passed Jay Bouwmeester for the seventh-longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history.#NHLStats: https://t.co/A4IGNAX27j #TORvsTBL pic.twitter.com/65clNKWG8y
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 14, 2018
Scores
BUF 3 - ARI 1
CBJ 4 - LAK 1
MTL 6 - CAR 4
TBL 4 - TOR 1
NSH 4 - VAN 3 (OT)
MIN 5 - FLA 1
WIN 5 - EDM 4 (OT)
SJS 3 - DAL 2
MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
