“Breaking the Ice” is a column by Kyle Frankel about the NHL.
I am the type of person who takes full responsibility for their decisions, meaning I gloat when I’m right and admit when I’m wrong. In the case of my prediction at the end of the last installment, I was absolutely wrong.
The Florida Panthers waltzed into Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 18 and captured a 6-2 statement victory over the Minnesota Wild. The Russian forward Kaprizov netted the first goal of the game to give the Wild an early lead, but after that it was all Florida.
Panthers forward Mason Marchmont answered with two goals of his own to give Florida the 2-1 lead heading into the first break. He scored his third of the game in the third period to secure his first career hat trick en route to a Panthers’ win.
Now enough of me owning up to my shortcomings. That contest was not the only hockey played over the last couple of weeks and it was certainly not the only storyline.
Ovechkin spoke out, but maybe not enough.
It is no secret that Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin is a fervent supporter of Vladimir Putin. It is clear simply from glancing at Ovechkin’s Instagram page, where his profile picture is a photo of him posing with Putin.
After the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, fans were curious to hear what the league’s Russian players, most notably Ovechkin, had to say about it.
“Please, no more war,” Ovechkin said. “It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries — I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world.”
He described the entire conflict as a “hard situation” and stated that these are “scary moments.”
While Ovechkin’s call for peace is certainly a popular opinion, some thought that, given his platform, he did not say enough. One of these critics was Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek who took to Twitter this weekend to not only blast Ovi but call out the NHL as well.
“What!? Not only an alibist, a chicken—t, but also a liar! Every adult in Europe knows well, that Putin is a mad killer and that Russia is waging an offensive war against the free country and its people,” tweeted Hasek. “The NHL must immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players! Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions. That is a fact. If the NHL does not do so, it has indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine.”
The league is in a unique predicament because, compared to other North American professional sports, there is a massive population of Russian and Eastern European athletes. Russians are the fifth-largest nationality in the NHL.
Ovechkin was surely being purposefully vague and basic in his comments so he could avoid upsetting either side. This strategy somewhat backfired, although it worked enough. I do not anticipate the NHL following Hasek’s directive and suspending the league’s Russian players, but it will be very interesting to follow this story as it unfolds over the next few weeks.
Keep your eyes on Igor
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is having a historic season between the pipes and hoping to cement himself in the NHL record books. He currently is posting a .941 save percentage, the best in the league, giving him a chance to surpass the record for highest save percentage in a single season. He is chasing Jacques Plante, who owns the record with a .944 save percentage in the 1970-71 season.
Shesterkin has been instrumental to the Rangers’ success this season, as the team currently has the third-lowest goals against per game in the league at 2.40. If the team’s impressive season is to continue through the last couple of months and extend into the playoffs, there is no doubt Shesterkin will have to continue to stand on his head in net. With just 29 games left in the regular season, New York’s netminder has a legitimate shot at snagging the top spot from Plante.
Toronto put on a show in Detroit
The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings on Saturday in a game unlike any other I have seen. The final score was 10-7 in favor of Toronto. That’s right. There were 17 goals scored in a single game.
It was the most goals scored in a single game since the Flyers and Jets combined to hit the same mark in 2011. It was also the most goals the Leafs have scored in a single game since they reeled off 10 goals against Boston in 2007.
The Leafs have scored 10 in a game 36 times throughout their storied history, however only three of those occurrences have come since 1989, so it will probably be a while before we see another performance like this from Toronto.
Looking at individual performances, it was the most points a Leaf has had in a single game in 16 years. Forward Mitch Marner got his first hat trick and then some, scoring four goals in the win and adding on two assists as well.
It was the first time a Toronto skater had tallied this many points in a game since forward Mats Sundin had an identical stat line in a 2006 win over the Florida Panthers.
Not only did Marner put on a show, he did it all in his least ice time since 2018, playing only 22 shifts for a total of 15:07 spent on the ice. And even more impressively, the Leafs scored all 10 goals at even strength, with none coming off of power-play opportunities.
Before I send you on your way, I’d free up your schedule for Thursday because it has two of my favorite matchups for the week. First, the Bruins will be in the midst of a long road trip all the way out west in Sin City to face the Golden Knights. These are two very good teams sitting toward the bottom half of the playoff picture right now.
With the season starting to come to a close, both teams need to cement their spot in the postseason. They are very evenly matched and I cannot wait for them to face off.
A little earlier in the slate is another game I will be paying close attention to: Carolina on the road in the Capital.
The Hurricanes sit atop the Eastern Conference and are firmly one of the league’s top teams. On the other side, Washington is right behind Boston and in a similar position, at the bottom of the playoff ladder and trying not to fall out.
While the Hurricanes are the better team, I think the Capitals will be able to hold down the fort at home and make it a very close game, maybe even winning outright. The Capitals have stellar star power and an offense that ranks 12th in the NHL in goals per game. They are going to bury some pucks and give Carolina a run for their money.
Hopefully this prediction ages better than my last. Either way, you know where to find me: right back here in a couple weeks. Playoff time is quickly approaching and things are only starting to heat up.
“Breaking the Ice” runs every other Tuesday.