NHL News, 2023 Winter Classic Overview, Ovechkin 800th Goal

The 2022-23 NHL season has been a rollercoaster of emotions, with several iconic moments seen throughout the season. We have listed our top five moments in the current NHL season. The ranking is from top to bottom, with the latest coming first. If you love the NHL, stay glued as we bring these interesting pieces. 

Alex Ovechkin Enters The 800 Club

Who else to make the headlines other than Alex Ovechkin? The Washington Capital veteran forward became the third player to hit the 800-goal mark in NHL history, and he did it in style. Superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals reached 800 goals after scoring the 29th hat trick of his career.

Ovechkin, 37, scored twice in the opening frame and his 800th goal in the third to help the Redskins defeat the Blackhawks 7-3. There was no better scenery than seeing the Russian-born athlete holding three pucks to show his remarkable entrance into the 800 club. 

  • Ovechkin jumped onto the ice one last time after it was over to thank the fans for their support. Above the tunnel to the opposing locker room, he offered his stick to a little fan wearing a Capitals jersey. It was indeed a beautiful moment.
  • He was promptly doused with beer by his cheering teammates after reaching the back. Ovechkin was prodded into giving a speech in which he mentioned how great it was to achieve the milestone as a team.
  • At the writing of this article, Ovechkin now has 806 career goals to his name, making him the second-highest NHL player in history. He is now on the path to overtaking the overall highest goal scorer in NHL history Wayne Gretzky with 894 goals. 

Jason Robertson Spectacular Sophomore Year

Robertson being only the second Filipino-American to ever play in the NHL or having a stellar rookie season is just the tip of the iceberg. The Dallas Stars forward developed into a genuine star, and for me, his hat trick in the Stars’ 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks cemented that status.

His first goal came at 4:13 of the first period; a bank shot from behind the net against Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, which put him the first player to reach 20 goals this season and extended his point streak to 17 games. In the second period, the second goal was scored during a power play.

After Robertson scored his third goal, on the power play, in a similar fashion to the second, at 1:23 of the third period, hats began to fall onto the American Airlines Center ice. It is evident that the forward was ready to embrace the superstar role.

Borje Salming Farewell 

On an emotional night, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed Borje Salming on the 11th of November, 2022. Borje Salming, the only Swedish Hall Of Famer in the history of the NHL, was present between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs at the Hall of Fame game.

We were informed that Borje Salming’s inability to express his emotions resulted from his courageous fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The 71-year-old was honored at the event. Salming raised his arm to gesture as the spectators stood, with assistance from legendary Maple Leaf Darryl Sittler.

Salming appeared to smile when Sittler and Mats Sundin, two more Toronto legends who also visibly moved, screeched their admiration for him. It served as both his and our method of saying goodbye to one another. After twelve days, Salming passed away.

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Mikko Rantanen Dropped A Masterclass In Home Country

Mikko Rantanen was thrilled to play in Finland when the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets played two games in Tampere for the 2022 Global Series. But his experience far surpassed his greatest expectations. In the opening match at Nokia Arena, he not only won with a score of 6-3 but also contributed three goals and an assist.

Rantanen fired into an empty net to complete his hat trick with 1:04 left. Rantanen, born and raised less than 100 miles away, was serenaded by the sold-out audience when the hats were removed from the ice with a sing-song shout of his name.

Mitchell Marner Enters History Books

This season, Mitchell Marner set a record for the Maple Leafs with a 23-game point run that ended on December 15 in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. The attacker played 23 games starting on October 27 and finished with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists). The previous Maple Leafs’ record of 18 games, set by Sittler in 1977–1978, was shattered by Marner’s streak.

The previous record for a player in the NHL was held by Patrick Kane, who scored in 26 consecutive games for the Blackhawks from October 17 to December 13, 2015. Marner joined Kane and Crosby as the third player currently playing with a point run of 23 or more games. 

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NHL Season 2022-23 Underdogs and Favourites, Latest Results: Everything You Need to Know

The National Hockey League (NHL) is the most competitive and entertaining. The league comprising 32 teams, 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada, is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, with 16 teams each.

In the Eastern Conference, there are the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, while in the Western Conference, there are the Central and Pacific divisions. The league playoff winner is given the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, at each season’s conclusion. 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season of the NHL has been full of surprises, with a couple of teams exceeding expectations as the season approaches halfway. Here we will look at the latest results in this current NHL season and preview favorites and underdogs for the Stanley Cup. 

Here are the results of the NHL games that took place at the time of writing this article, 23rd December 2022. Eleven games took place on this day, but we will highlight the key ones and recap how the game went. 

Boston Bruins Vs New Jersey Devils

Boston faced the challenging job of travelling to New Jersey to take on a fantastic Devils squad on the second night of a back-to-back. After defeating the Panthers on Wednesday

day night, the New Jersey Devils ended their six-game losing streak and returned to the win column. The Boston Bruins began the contest, still having a successful season. After falling behind 2-0 to the Jets the previous night, they had a fantastic comeback victory, winning 3-2. There was fear of fatigue for the Bruins, but they squeezed a 4-3 victory.

Boston Bruins

On Friday night, the Boston Bruins defeated the New Jersey Devils thanks to two goals from forward David Pastrnak and two assists from linemates David Krejci and Pavel Zacha. For the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk also scored, while Linus Ullmark recorded his NHL-best 19th victory while making 36 saves. With four straight wins and 56 points going into the Christmas break, Boston is in first place in the NHL.

New Jersey Devils

Jack Hughes gave the Devils the lead in the first period, giving them a 1-0 advantage. After falling three goals down by the end of the second period, Tomas Tatar and Yegor Sharangovich scored for New Jersey, but it was not enough to even rescue a point in this game. Before being replaced after two quarters, goalkeeper Mackenzie Blackwood recorded 14 saves. It’s now seven losses in eight games for the Devils.

Philadelphia Flyers Vs Carolina Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers were on the road as they travelled to the Carolina Hurricanes. In their last game, Philadelphia played the Toronto Maple Leafs. After playing Pittsburgh on Thursday, Carolina played its second game in two nights. Before its back-to-back games, Philadelphia defeated the Columbus Blue 5-3 and had won two of its last three games. Carolina has won six straight games and most recently defeated the New Jersey Devils.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers could have started the game better. They were already down by two goals at the end of the first period as the Hurricanes put three past them. Defender Travis Sanheim scored the only goal for the Flyers in the first period. In the second period, the Flyers made it a goal margin as Tony DeAngelo scored off a Joel Farabee assist.

The Flyers conceded three goals again in the second period and were trailing by four goals at the end of the period. The third period was all about the Flyers. They scored all three goals in the period via Nick Seeler, Scott Laughton, and Travis Konecny, but it was all in vain as the Flyers lost for the third time in four games. 

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes dominated the first two periods of this game and did enough in those two quarters to win despite a subpar performance in the third period. The Hurricanes won their eighth straight game with two goals from Jesper Fast in the first period, along with goals from Stefan Noesen, Andrei Svechnikov, Martinook, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Martinook, Martin Necas, and Brett Pesce all had two assists each, while Jordan Staal got three. Antti Raanta, the Hurricanes’ goalie, made 27 saves.

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St. Louis Blues Vs Vegas Golden Knights

In a Western Conference matchup, the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights squared off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. St. Louis Blues entered this game having lost 5-2 against the Seattle Kraken, snapping their four-game winning streak. The Vegas Golden Knights, meanwhile, ended a two-game losing streak this past Wednesday. They defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2. By narrowly defeating the Blues 5-4 in this contest, the Golden Knights made it two victories in a row.

St. Louis Blues

After going down by a goal in the first period, forward Pavel Buchnevich tied the game for the Blues at the start of the second period. Vladimir Tarasenko, Justin Faulk’s goal, and Noel Acciari scored as the game ended in a draw at the end of regular time. St. Louis Blues lost the shootout, which meant back-to-back losses for the team.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Knights have won back-to-back home games going into the holiday break after losing six of their previous seven at T-Mobile Arena. The Amadio, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone line excelled for the second straight game. The three players combined for three goals and six assists. Stephenson tied the shootout in overtime, and Stone sank the winning shot.

Worthy Mention

On the last game day before the Christmas break, the Washington Capitals played the Winnipeg Jets. History was made as Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second on the NHL all-time goal list by scoring two goals to reach the 802 goal mark. Ovechkin gave Washington the lead in the first period to bring his tally to 801 goals, consequently matching Gordie Howe’s goal record.

A minute left in the third period was when Ovechkin passed the legend as he scored an empty-net goal. This brings his overall tally for the season to 22 goals in 36 appearances. This was a worthy mention, as history was made right in this game. The Jets posed little or no threat to the Capitals as they won 4-1 in a game that was an obvious walk in the park for them. 

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NHL Season 2022-23 Underdogs and Favourites, Latest Results: Everything You Need to Know

The National Hockey League (NHL) is the most competitive and entertaining. The league comprising 32 teams, 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada, is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, with 16 teams each.

In the Eastern Conference, there are the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, while in the Western Conference, there are the Central and Pacific divisions. The league playoff winner is given the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, at each season’s conclusion. 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season of the NHL has been full of surprises, with a couple of teams exceeding expectations as the season approaches halfway. Here we will look at the latest results in this current NHL season and preview favorites and underdogs for the Stanley Cup. 

Here are the results of the NHL games that took place at the time of writing this article, 20th December 2022. Eight games took place on this day, but we will highlight the key ones and recap how the game went. 

Columbus Blue Jackets Vs Philadelphia Flyers

This game pits two league underdogs against one another. The Columbus Blue Jackets were seeking to end a four-game losing run while visiting the Philadelphia Flyers, who had won just three of their previous 20 games, in the second game of their current back-to-back set. Philadelphia Flyers emerged winners 5-3 in this game.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets, who had lost five straight games and eight of their previous ten, scored goals through Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, and Andrew Peeke. In Columbus’ sixth straight defeat, Daniil Tarasov made 34 saves, but the team is lacking players due to injuries.

Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia used its youthful core players Konecny, Tippett, and Morgan Frost to bear the scoring load in a game between the two clubs now at the bottom of the Eastern Conference rankings. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett scored twice in this game, while Morgan Frost added one to cruise past the Blue Jackets. 

Tampa Bay Lightning Vs Toronto Maple Leafs

At Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs squared in an Atlantic Division showdown. Their three-game regular-season series was continued. In their most recent matchup, the Lightning prevailed against the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. 

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay, whose five-game winning streak was snapped, scored through Vladislav Namestnikov. The Lightning, who have lost only four times in regulation in their last 17 games, had Andrei Vasilevskiy turn aside 36 shots.

Toronto Maple Leaf

The Maple Leafs were determined to get revenge on the Lightning and end a three-game losing streak against them that began in the 2022 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference First Round. They succeeded in doing so by hammering the Lightning 4-1. Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews, Pierre Engvall, and William Nylander got on the scoresheet. 

New York Rangers Vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Tuesday night’s divisional duel pits the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Rangers. On Sunday night, the Rangers defeated the Blackhawks on the road. In their previous game, the Hurricanes handed the Penguins a road loss. The Rangers defeated the Penguins in the opening round of the playoffs and had a 3-1 regular season record against them.

New York Rangers

For the soaring Penguins, who have won eight of nine games, Sidney Crosby scored his 18th goal and added an assist. Overall, Pittsburgh’s last 20 games have seen them go 15-3-2. Malkin equaled Sergei Fedorov for the second-most points among Russian-born players in NHL history and extended his scoring run to nine games.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Chris Kreider scored twice for the Rangers, who have now lost three straight games, but that was not enough to secure the win for the Penguins. Despite making 21 saves, goaltender Igor Shesterkin suffered his first season-long loss on the road in regulation.

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What are the NHL Season Predictions?

Here we predict the team tipped to win it all this 2022-23 season and an underdog silently en route to pulling an upset and winning it all. 

Favorites To Win The Stanley Cup: Colorado Avalanche

Colorado isn’t regressing from the previous year. Although Nazem Kadri, the star center for the Avalanche, signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames, the Avalanche kept several of their top players, making a second bid very likely. NHL teams successfully defending their championships aren’t all that unusual. 

Underdogs To Win The Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins

Through the first 11 games of the year, Boston’s season is off to its greatest start in Original Six history. The Bruins have a record of 25 wins, four losses, and two games that went into overtime, which shows how long they have been playing as a group. They currently have the best record in the NHL, and they only grow better. They will be in great shape to win it all if they continue on their current course.

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