#nathan-mackinnon

#nathan-mackinnon

Theodore's shot through traffic beating Juuse Saros with 9:26 left in regulation brought the bench and a crowd full of red and white back to life after going quiet when Mikko Rantanen scored first for Finland, which then went up by two on Erik Haula's shorthanded goal. MacKinnon's power play goal set off a celebration as the team from the birthplace of the sport will look to win its third consecutive title at the Games when NHL players participate.

"Hockey is an emotional game," Wilson told the New York Post's Mollie Walker. "It's a competitive game. And when you come together with a big guy, you kind of have to make the decision quickly, and the gloves came off."

The Washington Capitals are free fallin' down the standings. Already three points out of the final wild-card spot in the East, our dear Caps are facing a difficult six-game road trip that takes them out west and into Canada. Their first test will come against the NHL's best team by a country mile the Colorado Avalanche, who had 10 more standings points than any other team coming in today.

At times during last night's matchup between the NY Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers, it looked as if the Isles were chasing the Oilers through extended shifts over and over. But despite the Oilers' superstars controlling the puck, the Isles stood tall defensively and had a brick wall in net. The Isles have fared well against opposing superstars this season, especially two who are widely considered the top two forwards in the league, in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' win against the Colorado Avalanche on January 12 was the game of the year until further notice. You had the Avalanche, a genuine juggernaut of a team that has only lost in regulation four times this season against a Leafs team that has underperformed to date but strung together some great hockey to the tune of a 7-0-2 record in their last nine games. The result was a back-and-forth affair with star power flourishing on both sides and the Leafs ultimately prevailing with a 4-3 overtime win.