Zucc goes bar down with his feet in the air.
— NHL (@NHL) March 22, 2016
That's impressive.#FLAvsNYRhttps://t.co/VOnEx4Y6Zl
Mats Zuccarello deserves an extra point for style on this one.
The New York Rangers center somehow managed to rip a perfect shot past Al Montoya of the Florida Panthers while falling to the ice.
The goal was Zuccarello's 23rd of the season.
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Time flies.
John Tavares, only 25 years old, suits up in his 500th NHL game on Monday night, all having come with the New York Islanders, the club that drafted him first overall in 2009.
With 457 points to his name, Tavares is most impressed that he's been able to reach the milestone so soon.
"I take a lot of pride in being able to be healthy," Tavares told NHL.com's Cory Wright. "It didn't take a lot of time to get to 500. One knee injury that kept me out a significant amount of time. Other than that, I've been able to take care of myself and be ready to play each and every night. That's something I've put a lot of work into."
Tavares' numbers are slightly down this season, after better than point-per-game campaigns in 2013-14 (when he missed 23 games) and 2014-15. But his effort hasn't wavered, and it's his drive that's always set him apart. Tavares isn't flash. He's a very skilled player, but he works harder than most with his talent.
"He's just more vocal," head coach Jack Capuano said about Tavares' growth as a player and a person. "He always leads by example on and off the ice with his work ethic. He's quiet that way, but people understand the way he works and how he carries himself. He's become more vocal and he's not afraid. That comes with maturity too. He's learned a lot. Doug (Weight) was only here for a year, but Mark Streit was a pretty good captain, so you learn from those guys."
Tavares came into the league as an 18-year-old, straight out of junior, scoring 24 goals in his rookie season. He was named the Islanders' 14th captain in franchise history in September 2013. He's only played in 13 playoff games, and has yet to win a round, and his goal over the next 500 games is to change that.
"It's something you're proud of," Tavares said of the milestone. "It means you're getting older, but still hopefully a long way to go and I want to build on the first 500."
He should get a chance this spring, as the Islanders, currently on a three-game losing streak, are in playoff position, holding down the first wild-card spot in the East heading into play Monday night.
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#NYR salute @68Jagr for his recent @NHL career milestone accomplishments pic.twitter.com/0N1JBMELB5
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 21, 2016
Of Jaromir Jagr's 1,857 career points heading into Monday's game in New York, 319 were recorded in 277 games with the Rangers from 2004-08.
Jagr recently passed Gordie Howe for third on the NHL's all-time points list, and he was properly saluted by the Blueshirts and their fans as his Florida Panthers visited Madison Square Garden.
The 44-year-old trails only Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in total points, both of whom also suited up for the Rangers.
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Good news for the Calgary Flames, who could use some.
Johnny Gaudreau, the club's best player and a restricted free agent this summer, can't receive an offer sheet from another club, TSN's Bob McKenzie revealed on "Insider Trading" on Monday.
According to article 10.2.C in the collective bargaining agreement, Gaudreau doesn't have enough experience - fewer than three years - to be offer sheeted.
Gaudreau's in his third season, but only played one game in 2013-14. He'll turn 23 in August and has 152 games to his name, and 136 points.
Sean Monahan, another restricted free agent of the Flames, who will turn 22 in October, is finishing his third full season in the NHL. He can be offer sheeted, but as McKenzie notes in "Insider Trading," if an offer sheet does come his way, the Flames will undoubtedly match.
Monahan has 55 points this season. He and Gaudreau are the club's foundation up front for years to come.
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St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock is giving the veteran a chance to pick up the ball and run with it.
Or, in hockey terms, Brian Elliott will start Tuesday's game in San Jose after posting a shutout in Vancouver in his return from an almost month-long absence due to injury.
If he's able to make good on that opportunity, he could very well assert himself as the Blues' starting goalie down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Elliott's return comes on the heels of two rough outings for Jake Allen, who allowed nine goals on 43 shots in starts against Edmonton and Calgary. And while the 25-year-old has shown flashes of dominance at time this season, the elder Elliott has posted the better numbers, albeit in fewer outings.
| Player | GP | Record | Sv% | GAA | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Allen | 44 | 24-14-3 | .917 | 2.42 | 5 |
| Brian Elliott | 31 | 18-7-6 | .931 | 2.07 | 2 |
Heading into the season, it was expected that Hitchcock would deploy Elliott and Allen in a 1A-1B starting situation, and both have been called upon to step up over long stretches while the other was injured.
With nine games remaining on the schedule, the Blues are sandwiched between Dallas and Chicago in the Central Division standings, with two points separating St. Louis from both each way. Finishing first would ensure an opening round series against a wild card opponent, giving the Blues the impetus to finish as strong as possible.
For the time being, it's Elliott's crease to lose, but don't write that in anything but pencil quite yet.
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The Vancouver Canucks' season isn't over just yet, but it is for an injured trio.
Brandon Sutter, Alex Edler, and Radim Vrbata have each been ruled out for the remainder of the season with their respective injuries, coach Willie Desjardins told reporters Monday.
Sutter suffered a broken jaw in February. He'll be limited to just 20 games in his debut season with the Canucks after being sidelined previously by a sports hernia.
Edler suffered a fibula fracture in the same game that felled Sutter. The top-pairing defenseman collected 20 points and led all Canucks skaters in average ice time, logging almost 24 1/2 minutes in his 52 games.
Lastly, Vrbata labored through a trying second season in Vancouver. He was limited to 27 points in 63 games after scoring 31 goals and 63 points the year prior.
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Petr Mrazek is on the mend from an illness that prevented him from dressing over the weekend, but Jimmy Howard will make his third straight start for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday regardless.
Howard wasn't brilliant Saturday in Florida, but followed that up with a strong effort in a mid-week win over Columbus to earn two important points, and will have an opportunity to anchor a third-straight victory when the Red Wings visit Tampa Bay.
Mrazek earned, and has since protected, his No. 1 role from the veteran netminder with significantly superior performances over the last 14 months. But he's wobbled at a most inopportune time, sporting a .901 save percentage through six March starts.
Detroit is three points up on the Philadelphia Flyers for the final wild card seed in the East.
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Patrick Wiercioch's season may be done.
The Ottawa Senators defenseman is dealing with an upper-body injury which could rule him out for the remainder of this season, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.
He's considered week to week.
Wiercioch has again been a source of frustration for Senators fans despite being only one of two defenseman with a plus on-ice goal differential at even strength.
He'll miss a full month with injury and be limited to 55 appearances if his issue does indeed cost him the rest of the year.
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