Canucks Weekend: NHL OT Drama, Trophies, HQ Russian Issues

Soon we’ll be coming to you from Vancouver Canucks morning skate in preparation for their game Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but first, you need to ramble around the NHL …

Let’s Skate! …

OT Drama

First of all, some pretty nifty conclusions to games Friday night. Both Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars and Viktor Arvidsson of the LA Kings completed hat tricks while winning games in overtime.

Robertson, the 22-year-old forward for the Stars, completed his first career hat trick in his 100th NHL game as Dallas came from behind to win 4-3 on the road against the Winnipeg Jets. Arvidsson’s three-goal game also came on the road in Columbus where the Kings charged back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 on his 18th goal of the season.

Both results were bad news for Vancouver Canucks fans as the BC Boys are chasing the Kings and the Stars in the Western Conference standings. LA sits in second place in the Pacific Division with 67 points while the Stars presently hold the first Western Conference wild card spot with 65. The Canucks own 60 points coming off their 4-3 win against the New Jersey Devils.

Penguins Staaled

The Pittsburgh Penguins got burned by one of their former 2009 Stanley Cup winning cohorts. Centre Jordan Staal scored two of the Carolina Hurricanes three unanswered goals as they beat the Penguins 3-2 in Raleigh. Andrei Svechnikov tallied the game winner on the power play in overtime. This, after Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby lit the lamp to give Pittsburgh a two-nothing lead after one period.

Avalanche Season

Did you realize that last year’s 56-game-season Presidents Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche, are back in that position again? Colorado leads the NHL with 84 points atop the Central Division and with a record of 40-11-and-4 they have the league’s best winning percentage at .764%. The Metropolitan Division leading Carolina Hurricanes are next with 81 points.

VHN at HQ

Friday, Vancouver Hockey Now enjoyed a conversation with NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and had a deluxe tour of the new National Hockey League headquarters at 33rd Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan. One of the sticky topics for the league at the moment is the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the League’s Russian players and the international hockey scene. Stay tuned, more coming here shortly.

Enjoy the Hockey Action!!