Bruins go 0-0-2 in games against the Flyers and the Jets
In their first game back from the NHL All-Star weekend, the Bruins fell to a strong Winnipeg Jets team in a shootout. Left wing Kyle Connor scored back-to-back goals under a minute apart in the third period and delivered the only goal in a shootout as the Jets rallied behind goalie Connor Hellebuyck to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night. Center Patrice Bergeron picked up two goals in the game, while right wing David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists. Left wing Brad Marchand had an assist on all three of the Bruins goals.
On Thursday night, the Bruins lost in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2. David Pastrnak scored both goals for Boston, putting him at a current tally of 30 goals for the season. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, previously out with a concussion since Jan. 19, stopped 38 shots in his return. The Bruins lost their third straight, making costly mistakes at crucial times once again. Boston is now in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and third in the Atlantic Division.
Stars of the Month
The Calgary Flames forward, and Boston College alumnus Johnny Gaudreau took the cake for the first star of the month. In 11 games this month he scored eight goals and had 10 assist for 18 points. Gaudreau had five multiple point games and only one game with no points while helping the Flames defend first place.
The second star of the month is New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner. Lehner was 6-1-1 in eight games with one shutout, a save percentage of .935 percent and 1.73 percent goals against average. The Islanders goalkeeper leads the league in both categories. Lehner has helped the Islanders move up to first place in a tight Metropolitan Division and second place in the Eastern Conference.
The third star of the month is right wing Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. In 10 games the Blackhawks forward collected seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points. On Jan. 20 Kane picked up two goals and three assists for five points on the night against the Washington Capitals. Kane has been the bright spot for the Blackhawks as they are 19-24-9 and in 14th place in the Western Conference.
Hot Teams in the NHL
The Philadelphia Flyers have broken out of their slump, winning six games in a row and seven of their last 10 games. The Flyers are currently sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference (22-23-6) trailing a playoff spot by nine points with 31 games left in the season. The Flyers must continue at this pace to find themselves in the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Calgary Flames have continued to be hot going 8-1-1 in the last 10 games led by Gaudreau. The Flames have a six point lead over the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division and a three point lead over the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference standings, with a record of 33-14-5. With 30 games left, the Flames look like a sure lock for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Teams on the rise in the NHL
The Carolina Hurricanes have started to get hot over the past month going 6-3-1 in the last 10 games. The Hurricanes are currently 25-20-6 and in 9th place in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. They are three points behind the 8th place Columbus Blue Jackets and only eight points out of second place in the Eastern Conference.
The St. Louis Blues have started to spark in their last 10 games going 6-3-1 with a record of 22-22-5 on the season. They currently sit 12th in the Western Conference trailing the 8th place Colorado Avalanche by only three points. With a late season push the Blues could find themselves in the playoffs after missing them last year.
Cold Teams in the NHL
After starting off the season strong, the Buffalo Sabers have dropped to 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-20-6 and 3-7-0 in the last 10 games. The Sabers are only three points out of 8th place and eight points out of second place in the Eastern Conference.
Struggling all season, the Ottawa Senators continue to stay cold as they are 4-6-0 in the last 10 games and 19-27-5 on the season. The bright spot for the Senators is right wing Mark Stone. Stone leads the team in goals, assists, points and plus-minus. The Senators now must look for the positives as their season will most likely end after 82 games.
