After a 54-point campaign a year ago, Ryan Callahan has struggled to produce at the same pace this season. But one thing hasn't changed - when the 30-year-old scores, the Tampa Bay Lightning win.
Callahan scored his seventh of the season with a rocket in the second period and added an empty-netter in the final minute as the Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Sunday. Since joining the team in 2013, the Rochester, N.Y., native has lifted Tampa Bay to a record of 27-5-2 in games in which he scores.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
"The confidence is definitely there again," said Callahan, who has three goals and five points in his last four games. He now has eight goals and 22 points in 58 games on the season.
J.T. Brown scored his eighth of the season, while captain Steven Stamkos' team-leading 25th would stand as the eventual game-winner. At the other end of the rink, Ben Bishop made 29 saves to backstop the Lightning's third consecutive win.
Now just five points behind the rival Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead, Tampa Bay will host the struggling Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday before heading out on a four-game road trip.
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Sports fans in North Carolina are cheering for Michael Jordan once again.
But this time, it's on the hockey rink.
Take away the "e" in his name and you get Czech-born defenseman Michal Jordan of the Carolina Hurricanes - who beat Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop with a beautiful wraparound to tie Sunday's game 2-2 in the second period.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
It was Jordan's first goal of the season, and the third of his career. He is currently in the lineup filling in for injured All-Star Justin Faulk.
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Facing the Calgary Flames on Sunday, Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano played in his 680th consecutive game, passing Henrik Sedin for the sixth-longest such streak in NHL history.
Ironman Andrew Cogliano hits a milestone tonight. Congrats! pic.twitter.com/FopZTyVlj8
— NHL (@NHL) February 22, 2016
Cogliano has not missed a game since breaking into the league with the Edmonton Oilers at the start of the 2007-08 season. After four seasons with the Oilers, the 28-year-old is now playing in his fifth season with the Ducks. He entered Sunday's game with seven goals and 12 assists in 57 games.
The Toronto native would need to remain in the lineup for almost another three-and-a-half seasons to match the all-time record of 964 straight games set by retired forward Doug Jarvis - who never missed a regular-season game in his 13-year career with the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, and Hartford Whalers.
Current St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester currently sits fifth all time with a 737-game streak that ended in November 2014.
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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov will miss Sunday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes due to a lower-body injury, the team announced.
It will be Kucherov's first missed game of the season and he is considered day to day.
The 22-year-old leads the Lightning with 49 points in 58 games this season, and is tied with captain Steven Stamkos with a team-leading 24 goals. It is not believed he was injured during Saturday's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, as he took his last shift during the game's final minute.
With Kucherov out, Jonathan Marchessault will slot into the team's top six forwards. The 25-year-old winger has seven goals and seven assists in 30 games this season.
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The Minnesota Wild played their first outdoor game in franchise history Sunday, and they certainly disappoint the 50,426 fans that packed TCF Bank Stadium, beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 6-1.
Here are some of the best photos from Sunday's action:
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