Three Stars
1. Cam Talbot
After getting glowed up for a 4-0 loss on Saturday, the Oilers turned around and won 4-0 on Sunday.
Talbot enjoyed a similarly dramatic leap. He surrendered seven goals to San Jose on Dec. 29, but has started 2019 off right, giving up only one goal in relief on Saturday before pitching a 39-save shutout against the Ducks.
This marks just his first shutout of the season, and despite this sterling performance, Talbot’s save percentage remains just under .900 at .899 through 23 games. Talbot’s in a contract year, so as unlikely as a big run feels, there’s at least added motivation, as he’s just as desperate as the team he’s playing for (at least for now).
2. Alex Galchenyuk
Galchenyuk joins Patrick Kane as the only two players to hit three points on Sunday. Remarkably, Galchenyuk did so in six fewer minutes (14:42) than Kane (20:43) in their respective games.
The Coyotes forward got there with one goal and two assists, enjoying a +2 rating and firing three shots on goal. He’s heating up a bit lately, with six points in his last five games, and 11 points in 15 contests since December began.
3. Patrick Kane
Kane generated three assists as Chicago rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Penguins 5-3.
This gives Kane 54 points in 43 games so far this season, with 31 of those points being helpers. Kane finishes Sunday tied for seventh in NHL points scoring with Tampa Bay Lightning wunderkind Brayden Point, although Point’s do so in one fewer game played.
Kane’s pass on Alex DeBrincat’s goal was especially crisp and impressive:
Highlights
Fantastic work from Dylan Larkin, setting up this goal by Filip Hronek:
It's tough to get a more perfect one-touch pass than this... pic.twitter.com/rGRlh72VA3
— NHL (@NHL) January 6, 2019
Yet the pass of Sunday might go to Evgeny Kuznetsov feeding Tom Wilson. Alex Ovechkin had a nice apple of his own, by the way.
Kuznetsov crossed the 300-point barrier on Sunday.
Factoids
Yes, this was an unusual rebound for Edmonton. You could even call it unique, at least to the Oilers franchise:
This is the first time in #Oilers history where they win via shutout on the night after losing a game via shutout.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 7, 2019
Kane’s making some history as a prolific passer.
Courtesy of the 2nd of his 3 in a 5-3 #Blackhawks win tonight, Patrick Kane reached 30 assists in 2018-19. As this shows, he's now done what only 5 other wingers in NHL history have pic.twitter.com/rBCnYDyuJm
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) January 7, 2019
The Blackhawks have dominated the Penguins lately, while the Red Wings have had even more trouble beating the Capitals.
The @Capitals improved to 9-0-2 in their last 11 games vs. the Red Wings. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/kPz5QD9hpx
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 7, 2019
The wins stay in Vegas for the Golden Knights. (More on them here.)
The @GoldenKnights became the first team in NHL history to record a home point streak of at least 11 games in each of their first two NHL campaigns. #NHLStats #NJDvsVGK pic.twitter.com/05Aj1HQhuE
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 7, 2019
Scores
CAR 5 - OTT 4
ARI 5 - NYR 0
VGK 3 - NJD 2
WSH 3 - DET 2
WPG 5 - DAL 1
CHI 5 - PIT 3
EDM 4 - ANA 0
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.
