After beating Canada 3-1 during group play of the Four Nations Faceoff, you could make an argument for the United States to be considered the favourite to win gold in the final. But just five days later, in that same game, the United States could not get the job done, ultimately succumbing to Canada 3-2 in overtime. Almost a year later, that loss still stings. A lot.
The Sharks took a 3-1 lead at the 4:16 mark of the third period as Celebrini took a nifty pass from Igor Chernyshov and fired a shot past Jesper Wallstedt for his 22nd goal of the season. But after the Wild's Marcus Foligno cut the Sharks lead to one with his first goal of the season at the 6:40 mark, a giveaway by Celebrini led to the tying goal by Minnesota.
The B's are feeling good about themselves, and they have legitimate reasons for that. They managed to weather what some would have thought to be an apocalyptic combination of injuries to both Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak, keeping their heads just above the water line until their two stars returned last week. Now they're riding a four-game win streak that has put them firmly in the playoff hunt.
Depending on where Hughes lands, there could be serious implications for the Maple Leafs. If Hughes goes to the Detroit Red Wings, the Leafs could be seriously impacted. But beyond Hughes' potential landing spot, an interesting question comes to mind: Could the Toronto Maple Leafs use the Quinn Hughes trade as a template for a possible Auston Matthews deal? Questions regarding the Maple Leafs potentially trading Auston Matthews have not been foreign to the team.
