NEWSLETTER
It was Alex DeBrincat vs Patrick Kane night in Ottawa. One of those guys scored a goal less than 60 seconds into the game; the other’s general manager said he isn’t available at the trade deadline. If you wanted each to get a point for old times’ sake, that was accomplished. So a win-win night?
Star 1: Patrick Kane
Kane has been fighting it lately. No points in four games, no goals in seven. So when he finally finds the back of the net, you could hear the exhale from Chicago. Not only that, but he did it just 44 seconds into the game — and tied Jeremy Roenick on the NHL’s all-time point list. Down one late in the third period, Kane dusted off a vintage wrister and passed Roenick to take over third place all-time among US-born skaters with 1,217 points all by himself. And he tied the game.
Star 2: Sam Lafferty
The guy whose name keeps popping up in trade rumors lately had a fun night. He really did a nice job of pissing the Senators off seemingly on every other shift. In the third period, a loose puck wandered into the neutral zone and Lafferty was shot out of a cannon (not the one in Columbus, thank God). He broke away and scored his league-leading fourth short-handed goal of the season (he’s tied for the league lead now). He had a really good night, presumably in front of a handful of scouts who might be watching him specifically.
Star 3: Kyle Davidson
It’s Trade Value Season, so every time the right guys have a good game and come out of it healthy, the GM gets to smile a little before answering his phone. Kane’s offense had been lacking lately, which had some folks wondering about his real trade value. Well, he scored — twice. And Max Domi picked up the assist (another point for him — good). Domi also had a good night at the dot. Lafferty was flying everywhere and drew a penalty. Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy had strong nights as well. And then Andreas Athanasiou scored the OT GWG.
