EDMONTON, AB – Mike Smith continued his hot streak in historic fashion for the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
The 40-year-old made 39 saves in a 4-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place, his second consecutive shutout and his sixth straight win. Smith became the sixth goalie in NHL history with back-to-back shutouts at age 40 or older, joining Dominik Hasek (twice), Johnny Bower (twice), Martin Brodeur, Dwayne Roloson and George Hainsworth.
TAMPA BAY, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed goaltender Brian Elliott to a one-year contract through the 2022-23 season worth $900,000, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Elliott initially signed a one-year contract as a free agent prior to the 2021-22 season and in his first season with the Lightning has gone 9-3-3 with a 2.23 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 14 starts and 16 appearances. During his most recent start with the Lightning on April 10 versus Buffalo, Elliott stopped all 28 shots he faced to record his first shutout with Tampa Bay and the 43rd shutout of his career. The Newmarket, Ontario native made his Lightning debut October 25 at Buffalo and earned his first victory as a Bolt November 6 at Ottawa in a 24-of-27 save performance.
DETROIT, MI – The Detroit Red Wings today signed goaltender Magnus Hellberg to a one-year contact.
Hellberg, 31, spent the 2021-22 season with Sochi HC of the Kontinental Hockey League, posting a 2.42 goals-against average, 0.917 save percentage and five shutouts in 37 games. The 6-foot-6, 209-pound netminder has suited up the last five seasons in the KHL for Kunlun Red Star (2017-18), St. Petersburg SKA (2018-21) and Sochi, recording an 81-64-14 record in 169 appearances. A native of Uppsala, Sweden, Hellberg also represented his country at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, appearing in two games and posting a 1-0-1 record, along with a 2.46 goals-against average and a 0.933 save percentage. Additionally, Hellberg played for Team Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Championship and posted a 3-0-0 record in three starts en route to helping his country win the gold medal.
NASHVILLE, TN – Count Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes among the many who were surprised it took Ryan Johansen 774 games to record his first-ever hat trick.
But as Johansen found himself with the puck behind the Minnesota Wild defense with nothing but an empty net in front of him with less than 10 seconds left in the final period Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena, the wait was finally over.
“You can see it on the bench, [Johansen] is the best teammate, he’s the greatest guy, so the whole bench was so excited for him,” Predators captain Roman Josi said. “He’s such an amazing team player. He brings it every night for us. He cares about his teammates.”
Johansen’s career game got him to the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season. It’s the third time in his 11-year career that he has scored 20 or more goals in a single season, and his first as a member of the Predators.
Every team has a player or players that, despite having a strong season, do not get the recognition they deserve. These are the less talked about players whose play has helped their team have success this season. Here are the top-10 underrated players of the 2021-22 season.
Craig Smith has been a welcome addition to the Boston Bruins’ lineup the last two seasons as he has helped provide solid bottom-six scoring for the team. He has 29 even-strength points this season in 62 games and has helped them outscore the opposition 41-34 when he has been on the ice. Most importantly, he has shown he can play up and down the lineup having success in 178 minutes playing on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
As for Smith’s analytics, they are amongst the best on the Bruins. He has a 55.40% Corsi at even strength along with a 57.77% shots for percentage and a 55.20% high danger chances for percentage. Lastly, he isn’t afraid to play physically, as he has 80 hits this season. The 32-year-old has been a force in 2021-22 and the Bruins’ third line of Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle and himself should cause havoc for the opposition once the postseason begins.
Ian Cole is having one of the best seasons of his career for the Hurricanes this year. The 33-year-old defenceman has 18 points this season and is less than 30 minutes of even-strength time on ice from passing 1,000 minutes for the season. He is a versatile defenceman who has shown he can play not just with a rotating cast of partners, but also on both sides of the ice as the left-shot defenceman has played over 200 minutes on the right side.
This season, Cole has a 56.74% Corsi while the Hurricanes have outscored opponents 43 to 33 at even strength. Lastly, he has thrown 93 hits while blocking 86 shots. Carolina has a very deep team, and the two-time Stanley Cup winner is a big reason why their defensive group is one of the best in the entire NHL.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare centers one of, if not the best fourth line in the NHL, playing alongside Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon. His work shorthanded has Tampa as a top-10 penalty-killing team in the league, and at even strength, the Lightning have only allowed 17 total goals in the 770 minutes of ice time he has played this season. He has become a premier shut-down center in the league and is one of its best defensive forwards this season.
While Bellemare is known for his defensive play, the Lightning have done well in the offensive zone with him on the ice as well. Tampa has scored 35 goals at even strength, with him collecting 16 even strength points on the season. Lastly, he has been one of their best faceoff men all season, recording a 51.4% win percentage. If the Lightning have eyes on capturing a third straight Stanley Cup, he will play a key role in the process.
NASHVILLE, TN – Ryan Johansen scored his first NHL hat trick, Juuse Saros made 47 saves, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-2 at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.
Johansen gave Nashville a 2-1 lead at 13:52 of the first period, redirecting a pass from Filip Forsberg at the top of the crease on the power play. He extended the lead to 3-1 at 19:03, redirecting a slap pass from Roman Josi for another power-play goal, and added an empty-net goal at 19:53 of the third for the 6-2 final.
“Yeah, awesome to get it in a big game, and at home here, too,” said Johansen, who was playing in his 774th NHL game. “It was really cool. It’s been a long time, so it was nice to get it.”
RALEIGH, NC – When it comes to acts of kindness, Ian Cole always manages to go top shelf.
The 33-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion from Ann Arbor, Michigan, knows how to make a hockey fan’s day.
Whether it’s putting a smile on the face of a young girl who was sad about losing a tooth, to signing a jersey for one of his biggest fans, to offering a fist bump during warm-ups, the Carolina Hurricanes defenceman, now in his 12th NHL season, has a knack for leaving a lasting impression.
When five-year-old Lorelai Moose was crestfallen after losing her first tooth, Cole, who has lost a few teeth of his own over his NHL career, stepped up to offer his support for the young girl diagnosed with autism.
ANAHEIM, CA – Troy Terry joined some elite company with a second-period goal Monday, his 30th of the season. Only nine other players in Ducks history have scored 30 or more in a season, led by that Teemu Selanne fellow. Selanne’s team record of 52 might be out of reach this season for Terry.
After all, there are only 17 games remaining.
Comparisons to Selanne are unfair. He was, and ever shall be, the Finnish Flash.
Terry is still proving his worth to the Ducks and to the NHL.
NEWARK, NJ – Travis Zajac played his 1,000th game on February 21st, 2021 and finally got to celebrate in front of fans, family and teammates taking the ceremonial puck drop.
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