Brewin Flames

Games played on 1/5/24 Hawks Alex Vlasic vs Devils Nathan Bastain Winner ? Hawks Nick Foligno vs Devils Brendan Smith Winner ?

World Junior Championship roundup: U.S. tops Sweden for gold Lightning prospect Howard scores twice in win; Czechia rallies in 3rd period against Finland for bronze © (Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/TT via AP)/TT News Agency via AP) ByNHL.com @NHLdotcom 4:27 PM Friday was the final day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. United States 6, Sweden 2 -- Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lighting) scored two goals in the second period to lead the United States to the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. to its first tournament championship since 2021. Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) had a goal and two assists, and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored. Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) had two assists, and Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) made 24 saves. It was the sixth championship in for the U.S. in the past 20 years (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). In the first 27 years of the WJC, dating to 1977, the U.S. had won three medals: silver in 1997 and bronze in 1986 and 1992. Howard also was one of 11 U.S. players that skated Friday that had lost to Sweden in the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship gold-medal game. Also playing in that game were forwards McGroarty, Leonard, Smith, Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks) and Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets), and defensemen Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens), Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) and Seamus Casey (New Jersey Devils). Otto Stenberg (St. Louis Blues) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) scored for Sweden, which was trying to win its first WJC gold since 2012. Hugo Havelid (2024 draft eligible) made 20 saves. Howard gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the second period when he raced past Sweden defenseman Tom Willander (Vancouver Canucks) to reach a long pass up the wall by Drew Fortescue (New York Rangers), cut to the net and beat Havelid with a backhander from the crease. Howard made it 3-1 at 14:19 when his sharp-angle shot went off Havelid's right skate and into the net. It was his seventh goal, tied with Lekkerimaki for the tournament lead. Czechia 8, Finland 5: Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) scored at 18:19 of the third period and Czechia rallied against Finland in the bronze-medal game at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden on Friday. Ondrej Becher (2024 draft eligible) had a hat trick and two assists for Czechia, which scored six straight goals after trailing 5-2 late in the second period. Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) had two goals and two assists for Czechia, which lost 5-2 to Sweden in the semifinals Thursday. Hamara also had two assists, Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) had a goal and an assist, and Matyas Melovsky (2024 draft eligible) had three assists. Jakub Vondras (Carolina Hurricanes) made 17 saves on 20 shots after replacing Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes), who allowed two goals on three shots and was replaced 7:43 into the first period. Becher started the turnaround when he scored a short-handed goal at 19:05 of the second period to make it 5-3. "It was really good for us that we scored that goal," Hamara said. "It's better to go to the third period just two goals [down] rather than three." Kulich's second power-play goal of the game made it 5-4 at 4:41 of the third, and Becher scored on the rebound of a Kulich shot to tie the game 5-5 at 18:04. Hamara scored the winner on a shot from the left point after a face-off win on the left side of the Finland zone. "We had a face-off play that didn't work out," Hamara said. "Jiri just passed it to me and the only thing I saw was net so I just tried to shoot it there and it went through." Dominik Rymon (18:52) and Becher (18:54) added empty-net goals two seconds apart for Czechia to set a tournament record for fastest two goals. Czechia, which won the silver medal at the 2023 WJC, has finished in the top three at the WJC in consecutive years for the first time since it won consecutive tournaments in 2000 and 2001. Lenni Hameenaho (New Jersey Devils) scored two goals for Finland, which lost 3-2 to the United States in the semifinals Thursday. Jani Nyman (Seattle Kraken) had a goal and an assist, and Konsta Helenius (2024 draft eligible) and Rasmus Kumpulainen (Minnesota Wild) also scored. Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 23 saves. Finland finished in fourth after a fifth-place finish at the 2023 WJC.

Games played on 1/4/24 NYR Blake Wheeler vs Hawks Jarred Tinordi Winner ? Wild Pat Maroon vs Bolts Austin Watson Winner ?

Game # 38 Flames 6 Preds 3 Flames score 4 goals in 1st, beat Predators 6-3 for 3rd straight win ByAP Updated: Jan 4, 2024, 11:23 pm NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Connor Zary, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson and Yegor Sharangovich each had a goal and an assist in the Calgary Flames’ 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Nazem Kadri and Noah Hanifin also scored and Dan Vladar made 30 saves in the Flames’ third straight victory. “We want to gain a little bit of traction with stringing points together,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “It becomes important. That next game now becomes the most important game of the year for us.” Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons and Michael McCarron scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for Nashville. The Predators had won two in a row. “A lot of sloppy hockey, a lot of slow-twitch thinking and playing, and not ready to start,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “I don’t think we did anything very well.” The teams combined for six goals in a wild opening period. Calgary struck first, with Zary and Coleman scoring 27 seconds apart at 4:45 and 5:12. “We came out pretty hard and we kind of took control of the game,” Zary said. “We got the lead and we were able to play with the lead. That’s something we want to do more of.” Zary’s goal came on the power play. Calgary entered Thursday with the NHL’s 30th-ranked power play, clicking at just 12%. Forsberg halved the Flames’ lead at 6:09 with his team-leading 19th goal. Just prior to the game, Forsberg was named an All Star for the second time in his career. “It was definitely not good enough and I think we got what we deserved,” Forsberg said. Sissons’ goal with 4:10 remaining in the first was his 12th of the season, equaling his total from last season. He scored a career-high 15 goals in 2018-19. Andersson scored with 1:16 remaining in the first with the teams skating 4-on-4 to send the Flames to the intermission up 4-2. Entering Thursday, Calgary’s opponents had outscored them 42-29 in the first period. “We knew it was a matter of time we’d start scoring first,” Coleman said. “It’s a lot easier to win on the road if you can get up early.” After posting a shutout Tuesday night against Chicago, Saros struggled early, allowing four goals on 11 shots against in the first period. Hanifin got the only goal of the middle frame on a tap in with 1.6 seconds remaining. Saros stopped 14 of 15 shots faced in the second. He was replaced by Kevin Lankinen to start the third. Lankinen made 13 saves in relief. McCarron scored a long-range goal at 2:15 of the third when his attempted dump-in went off Vladar’s blocker and into the net.

Game # 37 Bos 5 Pens 6 Crosby's power-play goal in 3rd period sends Penguins to 6-5 win over Bruins ByAP Updated: Jan 4, 2024, 11:09 pm BOSTON -- — Sidney Crosby scored on the power play to snap a third-period tie and added two assists, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Crosby’s goal at 11:19 broke a 5-all deadlock and halted a four-game winning streak for the first-place Bruins, who rallied from three down to tie it. The Penguins also got goals from Drew O’Connor, Ryan Graves, Jake Guentzel, Lars Eller and Jeff Carter. Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves. “We were probably a little hesitant and allowing them to come at us, but I thought we did a good job staying on our toes for the most part. That’s what got us the lead in the first place,” Crosby said after Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. Brad Marchand scored twice for the Bruins, and David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie both finished with a goal and two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 shots. “We were getting plenty of offense. We didn’t have to force it. Unfortunately, our game management cost us the game,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “We believed we would come back to win. You want to have that spirit, but we need more players to rise up to the occasion.” The game started with a back-and-forth flourish as the teams combined for five goals in the first eight minutes. Boston opened the scoring 41 seconds in as Marchand won a 1-on-1 battle in front of Nedeljkovic after Pastrnak fired a wrist shot. The Penguins got the next two goals from O’Connor and Graves before Pastrnak collected his second point of the period on his 23rd goal of the season. Guentzel capped the wild start by putting Pittsburgh back in front. The forward converted a long pass from Kris Letang, with Crosby credited for his second assist of the first period. “Weird start, but some games happen like that. You’ve got to be able to handle it,” Crosby said. “The momentum swung a couple of times. It was one of those games where the last goal is going to win and we got the last one.” After eight scoreless minutes, the Penguins grabbed a two-goal advantage at 15:58 when Eller sizzled one past Swayman from a tough angle. Despite allowing four goals on 16 shots in the first, Swayman was back in net at the onset of the second period. He allowed another point-blank rebound goal to Carter that increased Pittsburgh’s lead to three at 6:38. Boston got one back as Pastrnak’s 30th assist of the season saw him zip a pass to Geekie, who waited for the lane to open up before beating Nedeljkovic. “We definitely had our chances. Couple of bad bounces, but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Geekie said after Pittsburgh outshot Boston 35-29. From the high slot, Jake DeBrusk added to the scoring spree and trimmed Boston’s deficit to a single goal entering the final period. Marchand’s second goal was Boston’s first short-handed this season as he fired one past the blocker to tie the game at 5 early in the third. “There was some good and some bad. I liked our intensity and the way we battled back,” Marchand said. “Obviously, there are some plays we need to clean up and be better at.” Before the game, the NHL announced that Crosby and Pastrnak will represent their Eastern Conference teams at next month’s All-Star Game in Toronto. It’s the 10th career honor of Crosby’s brilliant career, while Pastrnak earned his fourth selection.

Othmann says NHL debut for Rangers ‘going to be fun’ No. 16 pick in 2021 NHL Draft to face Bedard, Blackhawks; injured Kakko skates for New York © Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images ByDan Rosen @drosennhl NHL.com Senior Writer 12:16 PM GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Brennan Othmann will make his NHL debut for the New York Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, MSG), skating opposite two-time World Junior Championship teammate Connor Bedard. Othmann, the No. 16 pick by the Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft, was recalled Wednesday from Hartford of the American Hockey League, where the 20-year-old had 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and a team-high 95 shots on goal in 28 games. He will skate on New York's third line with Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski, who was on Otthmann's line in Hartford before he was recalled to New York on Nov. 28. Othmann will replace Tyler Pitlick, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. "Just a lot of excitement," Othmann said after New York's morning skate. "Obviously, first NHL game and you want to do well but at the same time you're just happy that you're getting that shot to play. I'm just going to be excited to go out there and play and take the regular-season MSG crowd in. It's going to be fun." Othmann said he was told he was being recalled before Hartford's practice Wednesday. He participated in practice, joking that it was a power-play practice but that because he was leaving he had to be on the penalty kill and he was "a bit lost there." He called his parents, Gerry and Paige, after practice. They were scheduled to fly to New York from Toronto on Thursday morning. "I told my parents on the way home yesterday from the rink and they were pretty ecstatic and they're a bit emotional," Othmann said. Othmann scored Hartford's first two goals of the season in a 3-2 shootout win against Providence on Oct. 13. He said he feels his game has progressed since, particularly with the smaller details such as stick and body positioning in the defensive zone. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Othmann was recommended by Hartford's coaching staff. "From what I understood from management, talking to Hartford, his game, he was playing well," Laviolette said. "When I spoke with Brennan he made a point to say he is getting coached up every day with video and he was really learning. If you're willing to accept and learn from what you do out on the ice you can really become better. You can take that information and improve your game. That's the process that was happening. We're in need of a player. It seems like the right time, the right fit." In addition, forward Kaapo Kakko participated in the Rangers morning skate Thursday wearing a red no-contact jersey. It's the first time he has skated with the team since he sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 27. Laviolette said Kakko will travel with the Rangers for their game at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The No. 2 pick by the Rangers in 2019 NHL Draft, who has three points (two goals, one assist) in 20 games, is not ready to return. "I think the next step in the progression is to start skating with us, and he was at that point to join us so it's great to have him out there," Laviolette said. "He looks good. He's moving well. That's all positive stuff."

Flames are not exactly lighting up the scoreboard either...

Games played on 1/3/24 Leafs Bobby McMann vs Ducks Ilya Lyubushkin Winner ?

Games played on 1/2/24 Hawks Nick Folign vs Preds Jeremy Lauzon Winner ? Fla Gusyav Forsling vs Yotes Jason Zucker Winner ? LA Andreas Englund vs Leafs Simon Benoit Winner ?

Game # 37 Flames 3 Wild 1 Mangiapane, Huberdeau score as Flames beat Wild 3-1 ByAP Updated: Jan 2, 2024, 11:28 pm ST. PAUL, Minn. -- — Andrew Mangiapane and Jonathan Huberdeau scored first-period goals for Calgary, and Blake Coleman added an empty-netter as the Flames held on to beat the short-handed Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Tuesday night. Jacob Markstrom made 28 saves in net to earn the win. Mangiapane’s seventh goal of the season opened the scoring at 11:40 of the first period. The third-line winger redirected a shot from Rasmus Andersson and bounced the puck past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a 1-0 lead. Huberdeau made it 2-0 with 23.1 seconds remaining in the first period. He cut toward the net and fired a back-hand shot past Fleury for his fifth of the season. It was Huberdeau’s first goal since Nov. 20 and just his second point in the last 14 games. “That one obviously felt good, and especially to finish it off with a win,” Huberdeau said. “I think lately, we’ve been playing better, so I think it was good to get chemistry on our line too.” After the game, Huberdeau said assistant coach Marc Savard deserved some credit for taping Huberdeau's stick the past two games. Huberdeau had an assist on Sunday against Philadelphia before Tuesday's goal that ended an 18-game goal drought. Minnesota remains without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who was injured Saturday against Winnipeg. Goalie Filip Gustavsson and forward Vinni Lettieri were both placed on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, meaning they’ll each miss at least a week. Wild forward Marcus Foligno missed his first game of the season Tuesday with a lower-body injury and was replaced in the lineup by Sammy Walker. Markstrom wasn't tested much in the first two periods, facing a total of 12 shots through two. But the Flames goalie stopped all 17 Wild shots he faced in the third period to help Calgary hold on for a win. In six games since returning from an injury, Markstrom is 4-2-0 and has allowed 11 total goals in those six games. “He’s been excellent," said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. "He was our best player by far tonight. We’re going to need him to continue to be.” Pat Maroon put the Wild on the board with his first goal since Nov. 30 to make it 2-1. Maroon tapped in the rebound from a Nic Petan shot past Markstrom at the 9:28 mark of the second period. Fleury stopped 30 shots in the loss, two days after playing in his 1,000th career NHL game. Minnesota has lost three straight. The Wild were outshot 13-7 in the first period. “I thought the second and third period we dictated the game and gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” said Minnesota head coach John Hynes. “Tonight the puck didn’t go in for us. I thought their goaltender was excellent.” Coleman's empty-netter, his 14th goal of the season, came with 56.7 seconds remaining after the Wild pulled Fleury. Tuesday marked the first of a four-game road trip for Calgary. The Flames now have a stretch of three games in four days beginning Thursday.

Game # 36 Bos 4 CBJ 1 James van Riemsdyk has a goal, 2 assists to lead Bruins over Blue Jackets 4-1 ByAP Updated: Jan 2, 2024, 10:27 pm COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — James van Riemsdyk scored on a power play and added two assists, lifting the Boston Bruins over the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Tuesday night and extending their win streak to four games. Kevin Shattenkirk, Danton Heinen and Trent Frederic contributed goals, and Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots to win the rubber match in the team’s three-game season series. "Going into the break we were probably playing a little uneven," van Riemsdyk said. "Coming out of that we really took advantage of that, as far as hitting the reset and getting back to the things that made us successful. I think we’ve done a really good job of focusing on that.” Kent Johnson scored and Spencer Martin stopped 23 shots for Columbus, which has lost two in a row and five of its last six. The Blue Jackets sit last in the Metropolitan Division. The Bruins are atop the Atlantic Division. After a scoreless first period in which Boston was outshot 12-5, the Bruins took control of the game with a pair of goals in both the second and third periods. Shattenkirk gave the Bruins a lead at 2:12 of the second with his third goal in three games, an uncontested shot from the right circle. Columbus pulled even 1:52 later with Johnson’s laser from between the circles. Dmitri Voronkov’s assist was his 20th point on the season, fifth best among NHL rookies, and extended his point streak to three games. “In the first period (we had) good energy,” Blue Jackets coach Pascale Vincent said. “We had more scoring chances than they did. They just elevate their play.” Van Riemsdyk made it 2-1 at 13:07, with 5 seconds remaining in the Bruins’ third power-play of the night. “He’s contributing to our team game every night," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of Van Riemsdyk. "Somehow, he always ends up getting a play, because he’s smart. He gets to the right areas.” Heinen made it 3-1, burying a rebound at 7:29 of the third period. Frederic extended the Bruins lead at 15:53 of the third with his third goal in two games, off a give-and-go with van Riemsdyk.

Team USA still unbeaten at world junior hockey championship ESPN News Services Dec 31, 2023, 08:17 PM ET GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Michigan forward Rutger McGroarty had a hat trick, Michigan State's Trey Augustine made 38 saves and the United States defeated Slovakia 10-2 on Sunday in the world junior hockey championship to complete Group B play undefeated. Michigan's Gavin Brindley and Michigan State's Isaac Howard each scored twice and Denver's Zeev Buium and Boston College teammates Ryan Leonard and Cutter Gauthier added goals. "I thought we played extremely well overall," U.S. coach David Carle said. "We're continuing to build and now we're on to the next phase with the quarterfinals." McGroarty, who was selected 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft and has six goals and 18 points for the Wolverines this season, will lead the Americans into a matchup vs. Latvia on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Latvia was fourth in Group A. Marian Mosko and Filip Mesar scored for Slovakia. It will face Finland in the quarterfinals. In the other group B finale, the Czech Republic beat Switzerland 4-2. In Group A, Finland beat Sweden 5-4 in a shootout and Canada topped Germany 6-3. Sweden -- which shut out its first three group opponents -- was first in the group, followed by Canada and Finland. In the quarterfinals, Sweden will face Switzerland, and Canada will play the Czech Republic. Jani Nyman tied it for Finland late in regulation and scored the deciding goal in the shootout. "I don't know what happened, but we weren't ready at the start," Swedish forward Noah Ostlund said. "We don't make to make excuses. We have to be better next time." Boston University star Macklin Celebrini scored twice for Canada. "One of those games where you just got to keep going," said the 17-year-old Celebrini, expected to be the top pick in the NHL draft. "We just had to push through ... it's never going to be perfect." Jiri Kulich scored the deciding goals for the Czech Republic.

Games played on 12/31/23 Jets Adam Lowry vs Wild Pat Maroon Winner ? Pens John Ludvig vs NYI Matt Martin Winner ? Habs Josh Anderson vs Bolts Luke Glendening Winner ? Ducks Ryan Strome vs EDM Mattias Ekholm Winner ?

Game # 36 Flames 4 Flyers 3 Flames outlast Philadelphia 4-3 to end Flyers' 9-game road points streak ByAP Updated: Jan 1, 2024, 01:11 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Mikael Backlund, Dennis Gilbert, Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman scored and the Calgary Flames outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday night. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves to help the Flames improve to 15-16-5. Andrew Mangiapane had three assists and Jonathan Huberdeau added an assist to snap a 12-game points drought. “It’s confidence. Just making the plays when they’re there. I cannot complicate it on myself,” Huberdeau said. “That’s what I did tonight. I’ve just got to build on that and do the same thing over and over.” Mangiapane entered the night with a goal and two assists in his previous 12 games. “It’s good for, obviously, my confidence levels,” Mangiapane said. "Just have a good game and I think of late, I’ve been trending in the right direction.” Rasmus Ristolainen, with his first of the season, and Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula scored for Philadelphia and Sam Ersson made 28 saves. The Flyers dropped to 19-12-5, failing to earn points for the first time in their last 10 road games. “Every now and again we’re going to have games like this,” Ersson said. “It’s about finding ways to win games and today we came up short, but I think, as we showed at the end, that we push and we have that mentality that we don’t give in and we don’t give up. Obviously, a tough loss but some good things to take with us.” There were four goals in the last 5:31, with Kadri beginning the spree to give Calgary a 3-1 lead. With Ersson off for an extra attacker, Brink scored with 3:24 to go. Coleman scored into an empty net with 2:18 remaining. With Ersson off again, Zamula scored with 1:24 left. “No quitting at the end,” Flyers center Sean Couturier said. “Too bad we didn’t show up the first two periods.”

Game # 35 Bos 5 Wings 3 Frederic scores 2 goals as Bruins win 3rd straight by downing Red Wings, 5-3 Updated: Dec 31, 2023, 10:06 pm DETROIT -- — Trent Frederic scored twice, Charlie Coyle had the go-ahead goal and the Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Sunday. Boston forward Pavel Zacha scored an empty-net goal in his 500th regular-season game. Jake DeBrusk also added an empty-netter and Charlie McAvoy had three assists for the Bruins, who have won three straight. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. Boston beat New Jersey at home Saturday night. “We have a tough travel with a 5 o'clock game, but we had really good energy and it was nice to pull that one off,” Frederic said. “Call it a little bit of a gutsy win.” Jake Walman scored his third goal in two games for Detroit. Ben Chiarot and J.T. Compher had the Red Wings' other goals, and Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots. “We did some quality things tonight,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “You look back, we easily could have won that game. Probably our most complete 60 minutes from start to finish in a while. It just came against a team with a very slim margin of error to be successful.” The Atlantic Division opponents split their four-game season series. Frederic scored his first goal of the game with 51.8 seconds left in the first period. David Pastrnak flicked the puck out of his own zone as Frederic got behind Detroit's defenders. Frederic backhanded the puck over Lyon's left shoulder. “Pasta hit a nice little 60-degree wedge shot to me, and I was a little slow, so all I had was the backhand,” Frederic said. “I was lucky to get that over his shoulder.” Frederic crashed into Lyon, who was checked out by the team's trainer but remained in the game. Frederic's second goal and ninth of the season came at 4:25 of the second. He skated in along the right boards and wristed a shot that whistled through Lyon's pads. “I think he’s playing faster," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. ”He’s underrated as to how great a skater he is, and now he’s going north consistently instead of delaying, which he did a lot. He’s opening up space for himself and he’s got great hands." Walman notched his ninth goal this season at 13:01. He lifted a shot from the left circle over Swayman's shoulder. Chiarot scored his third goal later in the period from the slot to tie it at 2. Boston's challenge of goalie interference was denied. Boston regained the lead at 3:52 of the third. McAvoy passed the puck to Coyle, who scored his 13th goal from the slot. DeBrusk's empty-netter came with 2:01 remaining. Following a Boston penalty, Compher scored on a rebound with 1:22 left. Detroit had gone 0 for 5 on the power play before Compher's goal. “I thought we had chances,” Compher said. “It wasn’t perfect tonight. You’re judged on goals and we weren’t able to capitalize early in the game.” Zacha's empty-netter with 24 seconds to go clinched the Bruins' victory.

Games played on 12/30/23 Wild Jake Middleton vs Jets Brenden Dillon Winner ? Habs Michael Pezzetta vs Fla William Lockwood Winner ? Preds Michael McCarron vs Caps Tom Wilson Winner ?

Game # 34 Bos 5 Devils 2 David Pastrnak and Kevin Shattenkirk each score twice to lift Bruins over Devils 5-2 ByAP Updated: Dec 30, 2023, 10:39 pm BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak scored two of Boston’s four second-period goals, Kevin Shattenkirk recorded his 100th and 101st career goals and the Boston Bruins rallied for a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Jake DeBrusk also had a goal during the second-period scoring burst and Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for Boston, which posted its second straight win after a four-game losing streak. Charlie Coyle added a pair of assists. Luke Hughes and Nico Hischier scored for the Devils, who had their three-game winning streak stopped. Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves and Tyler Toffoli had two assists. Boston star defenseman Charlie McAvoy left the ice late in the game, favoring his left leg, after crashing into Ullmark hustling back on a Devils’ 2-on-1 break. “He's fine,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “I think he just had a little bit of a scare with a burner or a stinger of some sort. I don't know where it was but he's walking around. He's happy right now.” Trailing 2-0, the Bruins scored four goals in just under 12 minutes. “I just think it was nice, honestly, having a reset and just having some time away from the game,” DeBrusk said of the Christmas break before the consecutive wins. DeBrusk got it going when he took a pass in the slot from Brad Marchand, shifted around Vanecek and tucked a backhander in at 5:35. Pastrnak then went to work, scoring his team-leading 21st and 22nd in a 2:48 span. On the first, he was cutting to the net from the right wing when Brandon Carlo’s shot from the left point was tipped and sailed over near the winger. He redirected it at the back of Vanecek’s pads before tapping a backhander into the net when the goalie didn’t seem to know that puck was behind him. Pastrnak’s go-ahead goal came on the power play when he was skating in hard from the right wing, collected a pass from DeBrusk and shifted before putting a backhander into the net at 15:39. “You're on the bench and you're excited: 'What's he going to do next?'" Montgomery said. “He just went for a simple, traditional backhand goal around the far post, but he makes it look pretty nice.” Pastrnak saw the goalie make a move and changed his mind quickly. “I think he challenged me forward,” Pastrnak said. “I was thinking about shooting high glove, had a quick look, had a lot of speed. It's hard for the goaltender to follow me all the way to the far post.” After he scored, Pastrnak spread his arms wide before pumping his left fist as he skated to the bench. Shattenkirk’s 100th came on a wrister from the right circle at 17:14. He added a power-play score with less three minutes left after being set up by Pastrnak. Playing their second straight night, Hughes scored just 71 seconds into the middle period to give the Devils a 2-0 edge after Hischier’s power-play goal 6:03 into the game. “We let Pastrnak walk right in and he took advantage of a tough change,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of Boston's go-ahead score. Boston’s 23-year-old center Georgii Merkulov made his NHL debut, and Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk collected an assist in his return after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

Does seem silly...strange.

Games played on 12/29/23 Preds Roman Josi vs Wings Alex DeBrincat Winner ? CNJ Erik Gudbranson vs Leafs Simon Benoit Winner ?

That guy would be awesome in the NHL....

World Junior Championship roundup: Snuggerud hat trick leads United States Brindley adds 2 goals, Nazak 4 assists in victory against Switzerland @mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer 2:58 PM Thursday is the third day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. Day 3 games United States 11, Switzerland 3 -- Jimmy Snuggerud, selected No. 23 by the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 NHL Draft, had three goals and an assist for the United States in a Group B preliminary-round match at Frolundaborg. Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets) had two goals and an assist, Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning), Quinn Finley (New York Islanders) and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) each had a goal and an assist, and Frank Nazar III (Chicago Blackhawks) had four assists for the United States (2-0-0-0). "I think I was just kind of shooting anything that I could on [Switzerland goalie Lorin Gruter]," Snuggerud said. "He's obviously on his off-hand, too, so it's a little different from normal, but I think just getting pucks to the net. [linemates] Rutger McGroarty and Cutter Gauthier] were there for me." The United States has won 24 times and tied twice in 26 games against Switzerland at the World Junior Championship. Gregory Weber (2024 eligible) had a goal and an assist for Switzerland (0-0-0-2). The U.S. scored five goals on 14 shots in the first period. "I think we were just making plays early," Snuggerud said. "Obviously, we didn't have a great start [in a 4-1 win against Norway on Tuesday] and we talked as a line. We wanted to come on strong tonight so Cutter and Rutger were making strong plays, and luckily a few went in." Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) opened the scoring from the bottom of the left face-off circle at 1:20 of the first. Snuggerud then scored on a shot at the left post at 3:21, and then again from the slot at 8:11 for a 3-0 lead. Weber pulled Switzerland within 3-1 on a snap shot just inside the right post from the slot at 9:17 before Snuggerud responded with his third goal on a wrist shot from the high slot at 12:36 for a 4-1 advantage. Gruter (four goals allowed on 10 shots) was replaced by Ewan Huet (2024 NHL Draft eligible) after Snuggerud's third goal. Huet, the son of former NHL goalie Cristobal Huet, finished with 23 saves. Buium, an A rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, pushed it to 5-1 when his attempt to pass the puck from low in the right circle deflected off the skate of a Switzerland defenseman and into the net at 18:29. The United States extended the lead to 9-1 with four goals on 15 shots in the second period. Brindley made it 6-1 on a snap shot from the slot at 5:06. Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored a power-play goal at 9:33 to make it 7-1 and Brindley pushed it to 8-1 at 10:04 before Howard scored his second of the tournament at 14:55. Finley and Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks) each scored in the third period for the United States. Gael Christe and Thierry Schild each scored in the third for Switzerland. The McGroarty-Gauthier-Snuggerud line combined for eight points (three goals, five assists) in the victory. “I just thought they were on it," U.S. coach David Carle said of the trio. "They were moving their feet. I thought Rutger looked better, much more comfortable, had more timing than the first night and to me that was a big difference.” Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) made 21 saves for the U.S. in his WJC debut. “He made some big saves," Carle said. "I thought he was very good throughout the night; had to make some big ones in the second period. I thought he was good when he needed to be for us.” The United States next plays Czechia on Friday (11 a.m. ET). Switzerland will face Norway on Saturday (11 a.m. ET). On Tap All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN in Canada Germany vs. Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET) -- Germany (1-0-0-0) will look for its second straight victory at Scandinavium after earning the first major upset of the tournament with a 4-3 win against Finland on Wednesday. It marked the first World Juniors win by Germany against Finland in 26 games (1-0-0-25). Look for goalie Philipp Dietl to make his second straight start after making 40 saves against Finland, including 17 in the third period. Sweden (1-0-0-0) will be without Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg Jets) after the defenseman received a one-game suspension for boarding Latvia forward Emils Veckaktins 25 seconds into a 6-0 win against Latvia on Tuesday. Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) each have two goals in the tournament for Sweden.

Games played on 12/27/23 LA Alex Laferriere vs SJS Luke Kunin Winner ?

Game # 35 Flames 2 Seattle 2 Chris Driedger makes 37 saves in NHL return as Kraken hold off Flames 2-1 ByAP Updated: Dec 28, 2023, 02:01 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Making his first NHL start in nearly 20 months, Chris Driedger made 37 saves to backstop the Seattle Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. “He was outstanding for us tonight, right from the first period through,” said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “A couple saves on the PK were difference-makers and he had to make one more for us right before the buzzer. Really happy for him. He’s worked hard to have that opportunity. He was a difference-maker for us tonight.” Kailer Yamamoto and Alex Wennberg scored for Seattle (13-14-9). The Kraken extended their points streak to seven games (5-0-2) and moved ahead of Calgary in the Pacific Division standings. Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary (14-16-5). Making his fourth straight start for the Flames, Jacob Markstrom had 19 saves. After the conclusion of his first season with the Kraken, Driedger tore his ACL while playing for Canada in the gold medal game of the 2022 world championships. The resulting surgery sidelined him most of last season before he returned to action in late February with Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate in Coachella, where he played for the rest of the season. “The most adversity I’ve ever faced in my career,” said Driedger, whose last NHL start was May 1, 2022. “It’s been a long road, lot of hours spent with the medical staff putting in hours when the guys are skating and doing my own thing and watching from the stands. To come out and finally get back in, it was pretty emotional.” His biggest stop, keeping the game tied, came on a Flames two-man advantage in the second period when he went from post to post to rob Elias Lindholm at the side of the net after he had been set up for a one-timer by a cross-crease pass from Connor Zary. “He did amazing,” said Wennberg. “He played games down there but it’s a different game up here and just making those big saves. He’s winning the game for us.” Tied at 1, the game-winner came off the stick of Wennberg six minutes into the third when he took a pass from Jared McCann and zipped a quick shot that beat Markstrom inside the post on the short side. Seattle opened the scoring 2:24 into the game on its first shot when Vince Dunn’s pass sprang Yamamoto on a breakaway. Kadri scored on the power play six minutes later. “You try to bear down in those situations, of course, we want to score and we want to capitalize on those opportunities,” said Kadri. “But at the same time, he made some great saves, timely saves to keep his team in it on the road.” It was Seattle’s 200th regular season game in franchise history. Defenseman Adam Larsson is the only player to have played in every one. At 304 consecutive games, Larsson has the league’s fifth-longest active Iron Man streak.

Game # 33 Bos 4 Buff 1 Charlie Coyle scores twice as Bruins beat Sabres 4-1 to end 4-game skid ByAP Updated: Dec 27, 2023, 11:20 pm BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Charlie Coyle scored twice and Brad Marchand had two assists to lead the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. Mason Lohrei and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who ended a four-game losing streak. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. “As a group, obviously, we didn’t like how we ended the break,” forward Jake DeBrusk said. “Had a couple days to reset and came out with a good effort tonight, had some good goaltending and just rolled with it.” Erik Johnson scored for the Sabres. Devon Levi made 21 saves. Special teams played a big role in the outcome as the Bruins scored on their first three power-play chances. Meanwhile, the Sabres went 0 for 6 with the man advantage. “Bottom line is special teams, no doubt,” Johnson said. “They scored when they needed to and they capitalized on their chances, especially on the power play. That was the difference.” Lohrei opened the scoring 4:19 in, sending the rebound of a shot past Levi. Coyle stretched the lead to two goals, scoring on a power play with 6:18 left in the first period. Jake DeBrusk got the puck behind the Buffalo net and spotted a wide-open Coyle in front of the Buffalo crease. Coyle then buried a one-timer. Coyle scored his second power-play goal of the game 4:18 into the second, when his shot deflected off Johnson’s skate into the net. “We always want to get out to a lead if you can, and then it’s up to us to push that lead, build in our game, play the right way,” Coyle said. “We’ve just got to keep building on our game.” Geekie made it 4-0 with 6:16 left in the second on another power-play goal for the Bruins. After Charlie McAvoy’s shot bounced off the end boards, Geekie fired the puck toward the net and a sprawling Levi was unable to make the save. It was Geekie’s fourth goal in seven games. Johnson got the Sabres on the board 5:11 into the third, scoring on a slap shot from the right circle. Tage Thompson, Buffalo’s No. 1 center, missed the game due to personal reasons.

World Junior Championship roundup: Kechter, Germany upset Finland in opener Blackhawks goalie prospect Gajan makes 36 saves in win for Slovakia; Kulich, Sale hat tricks lift Czechia © Björn Larsson Rosvall /TT News Agency via AP ByMike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer 12:13 PM Wednesday is the second day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. Day 2 games Germany 4, Finland 3 -- Veit Oswald (2024 NHL Draft eligible) scored two goals for Germany in an upset victory during a Group A game at Scandinavium. The victory by Germany was its first against Finland at the World Junior Championship in 26 tries (1-0-0-25). Seven players on Germany returned from the 2023 team that finished eighth. Eric Hordler had two assists and Philipp Dietl made 40 saves for Germany (1-0-0-0). Samu Bau (Arizona Coyotes) had a goal and an assist and Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 24 saves for Finland (0-0-0-2). Germany scored three goals on 10 shots in the second period to take a 4-3 lead. Roman Kechter (2024 draft eligible) scored on a rebound at the right post to pull Germany into a 3-3 tie at 13:07 of the second. Oswald, a 19-year-old forward representing his country for a second straight year, made it 4-3 1:31 later on a snap shot from low in the left face-off circle at 14:38. Dietl (2024 draft eligible) made 33 consecutive saves after allowing a goal to Bau at 3:05 into the second that gave Finland a 3-2 lead. The 19-year-old made 17 saves in the third period. Germany will play Sweden on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET). Finland, which lost 5-2 to Canada on Tuesday, will next play Latvia on Friday (8:30 a.m. ET). Slovakia 3, Switzerland 0 -- Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) made 36 saves to earn his first shutout at World Juniors for Slovakia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg. Slovakia opened the World Juniors with two straight wins for the first time since 2002 when it finished eighth. Slovakia last won a medal at the tournament in 2015 (bronze). Peter Repcik (2024 NHL Draft eligible) had a goal and an assist for Slovakia (2-0-0-0). Alessio Beglieri (2024 draft eligible) made 17 saves for Switzerland (0-0-0-1). Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) scored from the slot on a backhand to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead at 8:33 into the first period. Repcik whiffed on an attempt at the right post but was able to back pass the puck to the front of the net from the end boards. "I thought we played a really good game and showed character," Honzek said. "We had a couple of little mistakes, but we had an amazing goalie and he had our backs." Honzek was denied on a penalty shot at 2:56 of the second period when Beglieri got his stick blade on a backhand attempt down the middle of the ice. Repcik scored an empty-net goal for a 2-0 lead at 18:19 of the third period. Servac Petrovsky (Minnesota Wild) pushed it to 3-0 on a short-handed, empty-net goal, at 19:12. Gajan, selected in the second round (No. 35) of the 2023 NHL Draft, was making his second straight start after making 27 saves in a 6-2 win against Czechia on Tuesday. He made 11 saves in the third period Wednesday, including a sprawling left-glove save against Gregory Weber (2024 draft eligible) at the right post. The 19-year-old goalie was named the best goalie of the 2023 WJC after winning four straight starts, finishing with a 2.40 GAA, .936 save percentage and one shutout in four games. He made 33 saves in a 6-3 victory against the United States in the preliminary round and 53 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to eventual champion Canada in the quarterfinals. Switzerland will next play the United States on Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Slovakia will face Norway on Friday (6 a.m. ET). Czechia 8, Norway 1 -- Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) and Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken) each had a hat trick for Czechia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg. Kulich had four points (one assist), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) had two assists and Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) made 20 saves for Czechia (1-0-0-1). Matyas Melovsky, a right-shot center who is a C rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a possible fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, had three assists. Markus Stensrud (2024 draft eligible) made 32 saves for Norway (0-0-0-2), which lost 4-1 to the United States on Tuesday. Kulich scored two goals in the first period for Czechia. His first came from the top of the left face-off circle for a 1-0 lead at 10:30. The 19-year-old forward scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle for a 2-0 lead at 17:46. Johannes Lokkeberg scored on a shot from the left point to pull Norway within 2-1 1:15 into the second period. Sale scored two goals in the second. His first gave Czechia a 4-1 lead at 12:52 off a turnover in front of Norway's net 37 seconds after teammate Ales Cech scored on a shot from the right point. Sale pushed the lead to 5-1 on a wrist shot from the right hashmark at 18:46. Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights) had a shot from the right point deflect off his leg into the net for a power-play goal at 8:49 of the third period for a 6-1 lead. Sale scored a power-play goal for a 7-1 lead at 13:16, and Kulich scored his third goal at 15:15 for the 8-1 final. Norway is playing in the top division at the World Juniors for the first time since 2014. Each country will next play on Friday with Norway facing Slovakia (6 a.m. ET) and Czechia playing the United States (11 a.m. ET).