Protas finished the game with a career-high six points (1g, 5a), while Cristall notched his first professional hat trick with his own five-point performance (3g, 2a).
Last night's Blackhawks lineup included several first-round picks, showcasing a commitment to developing young talent. The average age of the roster is 24.05 years, with 11 players aged 23 or younger.
In Tuesday night's win against the Islanders, Lardis posted his first career multi-point game. He scored once and added two assists. Nazar scored and had an assist. Bertuzzi scored and had an assist. That line was easily the Blackhawks' best.
At least two of those giveaways led to goals in the other direction, such as the Red Wings' second goal. With a bit of pressure on him, John Klingberg tossed an errant pass off the boards, a soft pass that looked like he was trying to connect with Michael Misa in the neutral zone. A Red Wings' player gobbles up the puck instead. Klingberg tries to close along the wall to prevent the player from making a break the other way, but gets blown through. Meantime, Misa scrambles back and while it wasn't a strong back check I can't be super mad at a kid playing in game 10 of his NHL career. Dmitry Orlov is stuck back playing the 2-on-1 the other way and can't block the passing lane. The pass gets through and it's an easy tap in for Detroit.
In 37 games this season, Detroit and its opponent have combined for more than 5.5 goals. Calgary has combined with its opponent to score over 5.5 goals in 36 of 66 games this season. The two teams average 5.4 goals per game combined, 0.1 fewer than the over/under for this matchup.
Last week we discussed potentially trading Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schneider as part of the Rangers' ongoing retool. Much of the recent media focus has centered on who might be leaving New York, but far less attention has been paid to what could come back in return. Today begins a look at potential trade partners, starting with scouting the Detroit Red Wings. The fit in Detroit for Braden Schneider, Vincent Trocheck, and/or Alexis Lafreniere is an interesting one.
As the Olympic roster freeze nears, more and more players are rumored to be available. One that caught our attention was Shane Wright in Seatlle, who would be the perfect Rangers trade target. Seattle is rumored to be dangling Wright in exchange for a "legitimate top six threat," which the Rangers just so happen to have available right now. As Chris Drury wants the Rangers to become younger and faster, it's hard to find a more perfect Rangers trade target
The upstart Anaheim Ducks overachieved out of the gate this season in eye-popping fashion. Anaheim was 11-3-1 through its first 15 games, led the NHL in scoring (4.13 goals per game) at that mark and perhaps most shockingly, it was the Ducks' 21-year-old forward Leo Carlsson sitting second overall in league scoring with 10 goals and 25 points to start the season. It was a script particularly befitting the club's Disney roots. But the Ducks' Cinderella story has taken a Maleficent-like turn.
