After receiving a video tribute and saluting the MTS Centre in his first return to Manitoba since being dealt by the Winnipeg Jets, it was back to business for Andrew Ladd.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward found the back of the net in his first game against his former team, burying a feed from captain Jonathan Toews to give his team a 3-0 lead.
Ladd's goal was the second of the night from a newly-formed line with Toews and Patrick Kane. It also helped the former Jets captain reach the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
Kane's 39th goal of the season moved him to within three of Alex Ovechkin's league-leading total, and Kane's 91st point gave him an 11-point cushion on Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn for the NHL lead.
TORONTO - Colin Smith scored 2:32 into overtime as the Toronto Marlies came from behind to defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3-2 on Friday in American Hockey League action.
Sam Carrick put the Marlies (45-14-5) on the board at 14:31 of the th...
Alex Ovechkin's goal-scoring and Braden Holtby's goaltending are often seen as the major factors in the Washington Capitals' success, but it can't be ignored that the team also possesses two of the best playmakers in the NHL.
One is forward Nicklas Backstrom, who ranks fifth in the league with 45 assists, while the other moved into the top three in NHL scoring after an incredible performance Friday.
Evgeny Kuznetsov now leads the league with 41 primary assists after setting up three Capitals goals as his team downed the Nashville Predators 4-1.
Tonight marks #Caps Evgeny Kuznetsov's fourth three-assist game of the season and his eighth three-point game.
The 23-year-old has seven assists during his five-game point streak, and now has 53 total helpers on the season, trailing only Erik Karlsson.
"I knew he was a good center, but I didn’t know he was this good," said forward Daniel Winnik, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. The trade-deadline acquisition had his first of two goals Friday set up by Kuznetsov.
His second assist came on what has become a trademark play for the Russian - a behind-the-back pass from behind the net - to set up T.J. Oshie's eventual game-winner.
"That’s kind of the stuff you have to expect," Oshie said of the beautiful feed. "He sees things that maybe only a handful of players in the league can see."
The Capitals have been one of the most consistent teams this season, and it's hard to find a player who has embodied that consistency like Kuznetsov, who has produced at nearly a point-per-game pace before and after his first All-Star Game in January.
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Rookie Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Friday night.
Nick Deslauriers and Zach Bogosian also scored for Buffalo, and Chad Johnson made 32 saves
Alex Chiasson ...
UTICA, N.Y. - Max Friberg scored 1:19 into overtime as the St. John's IceCaps edged the Utica Comets 2-1 on Friday in American Hockey League action.
Jeremy Gregoire opened the scoring for the IceCaps (28-25-11), 2:25 into the first period.
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CLEVELAND - Connor Hellebuyck stopped 36 shots as the Manitoba Moose snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-0 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday in American Hockey League action.
Dan DeSalvo's goal 6:03 into the first period wa...
The Winnipeg Jets honored former captain Andrew Ladd with a video tribute during Friday's game, his first in Winnipeg since being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks before the deadline.
Ladd raised his stick and saluted the crowd at the MTS Centre after the video ran during a stoppage in the first period.
The 30-year-old spent parts of six seasons with the Jets franchise, joining the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010-11.
He ranks fourth in goals scored (139) and fifth in points (305) in franchise history.
Ladd is in his second stint with the Blackhawks after playing with Chicago from 2007 to 2010, a tenure that concluded with a Stanley Cup championship.
Daniel Winnik, the only forward acquired ahead of the trade deadline by the Washington Capitals, has struggled to contribute with the league's best team, being held pointless through his first seven games since being dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That all changed Friday against the Nashville Predators, as the 31-year-old scored his first two goals as a Capital to record his first multi-goal game in more than three seasons, with his last one coming as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.
Tonight marks #Caps Daniel Winnik's fourth career multi-goal game and his first since Jan. 21, 2013 at CGY (2g, 1a).
His first goal came after a pair of incredible passes. Goaltender Braden Holtby sent a beautiful pass down ice to a wide-open Evgeny Kuznetsov during a Predators line change. The Russian then fed Winnik, who wristed the puck into the open net.
The Sabres now have two rookies with 35 points in a season for the first time since 1987-88, when that feat was accomplished by three players - Pierre Turgeon, Ray Sheppard, and Calle Johansson.
Jack Eichel entered the game with a team-leading 22 goals, ranking second on the Sabres with 48 points and sixth on the club in average time-on-ice at 19:09.
Reinhart came into the contest tied with Evander Kane for second on the team in goals and ranking fourth in points.
Eichel was selected second overall in the 2015 draft, and Reinhart was chosen with the same pick in 2014.