NHL

NHL: Point scores 3 goals, adds 3 assists in Lightning's win

By Sports Desk March 14, 2024

Brayden Point had three goals and three assists to match a team record in points and the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up a key 6-3 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Point scored Tampa Bay’s first goal of the game with 7:19 left in the second period and forged a 3-3 tie at 3:41 of the third. He completed his fourth career hat trick 2:03 later before assisting on Nikita Kucherov’s empty-netter with 3:38 left for a personal-best six points.

Kucherov finished with a goal and four assists to give him 112 points, three behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead.

Steven Stamkos and Anthony Duclair also scored for the Lightning, who have won three of four to move four points ahead of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who fell to 14-3-1 in their last 18 games.

 

Andersen shuts out Panthers

Frederik Andersen stopped 21 shots for his first shutout in more than a year and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers, 4-0.

Andersen notched his third win in as many starts after missing over four months with a blood clotting issue. He has stopped 63 of 66 shots in those games and is 7-1-0 this season.

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his first goal as a member of the Hurricanes and Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov also scored as Carolina won its fourth in five games.

The loss was just the second in 10 games for league-leading Florida, which is one point ahead of Boston for the Atlantic Division lead.

 

Matthews scores 55th in Maple Leafs’ win

Auston Matthews extended his NHL lead with his 55th goal and the Toronto Maple Leafs scored three times in the first period in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Matthews became the first Toronto player to score 55 goals twice in his career and is within five of matching his career-high 60 goals set in 2021-22.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Pontus Holmberg, Timothy Liljegren and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist for the Leafs, who have won eight of 10 on the road to tighten their grip on third place in the Atlantic Division.

Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster had goals for the Flyers, who remained four points ahead of the Islanders in the race for third place in the Metropolitan Division.  

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    Seven-time NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau was killed Thursday night when struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding a bicycle, New Jersey State Police announced Friday. He was 31.

    Gaudreau's younger brother, Matthew, 29, also sufffered fatal injuries in the incident that occurred near their hometown of Carneys Point, New Jersey.

    Johnny Gaudreau, a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his brother were both in the area to attend their sister's wedding scheduled Friday in Philadelphia.

    According to the State Police, both Gaudreau brothers were struck from behind by a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was attempting to pass another vehicle on the right. Police responded at 8:19 p.m. Eastern Time and pronounced both men dead at the scene.

    The driver of the vehicle, Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto after being taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility.

    "The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy," the team said in a statement. "Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew."

    Johnny Gaudreau spent the last two seasons with the Blue Jackets following a stellar nine-year run with the Calgary Flames in which he made six All-Star teams and topped 30 goals in a season three times. He signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with Columbus as a free agent in July 2022.

    The former Boston College standout also received the Lady Byng Trophy, which honours the NHL player who best exhibits sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in addition to a high standard of playing ability, for the 2016-17 season.

    Johnny Gaudreau compiled 243 goals and 500 assists in 743 NHL regular-season games. His best season was his final one for the Flames in 2021-22, when he tied for second in the NHL with 115 points and finished third overall with 70 assists while helping Calgary win the Pacific Division.

    "Our hearts are broken by this devastating loss," the Flames said in a statement. "Johnny was and always will be a member of the Flames family and loved by all of Calgary. It was our privilege to call Johnny our teammate for nine amazing years in Calgary. He came to Calgary as a young man and grew up here, not only as a superstar on the ice, but also a beloved member of our community.

    The pain we feel for Johnny’s wife Meredith, children Noa and Johnny, parents Jane and Guy, sisters Kristen and Katie, and the entire Gaudreau family is immense."

    Johnny Gaudreau also represented the United States several times in the IIHF World Championships and holds the U.S. records for career assists (30) and points (43) in that event, moving past Patrick Kane in both categories at the 2024 edition back in May.

    The Flames selected Gaudreau in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, and he signed with the team three years later following a brilliant college career at Boston College. The 5-foot-9 forward helped the Eagles win the 2012 NCAA championship and later won the Hobey Baker Award honouring the nation's top collegiate player in 2014.

    “Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice," the Blue Jackets said. "He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could.

    "The impact he had on our organisation and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him. Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms. We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy."

    Matthew Gaudreau also played at Boston College before spending four seasons in the minor leagues from 2017-22. He and Johnny were teammates at Boston College in 2013-14.

     

     

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    In a pulsating match played before hundreds of cheering supporters, Jamaica took the early lead in the first period but fell behind after Lebanon scored three unanswered goals over the next 15 minutes of the first period. During the second of three 20-minute periods, Jamaica regrouped and fought back to take a 6-4 lead, before Lebanon pulled level at 6-6.

    Buoyed by the enthusiastic support from the massive crowd, Jamaica asserted their authority on the contest to end the period at 9–6. With victory in sight at the start of the third and final period, the Jamaicans applied pressure on their Lebanese counterparts and extended their lead to 11-7 with four minutes left in the game.

    Tight defensive work then ensured Jamaica added to their tally, though they also conceded another goal in the latter stages of the encounter. Reggie Millette and Givani Smith both scored a brace, while Maleek McGowan, Captain Taos Jordan, Amari Sellers, Tyler Drummond, Dante Sheriff, Avery Grant, Josh Mitton, and Marquis Grant-Mentis got the others.

    The Challenger Series is a new tournament involving Puerto Rico, Lebanon, and Jamaica, who are all associate members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

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    Skjei, 30, is also coming off a career season with a personal-best 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) with the Carolina Hurricanes.

    He began his career with the New York Rangers in 2015 and was traded to Carolina in February 2020.

    Nashville was eliminated in the first round of the post-season in 2023-24 and has not won a play-off series since advancing to the Western Conference semi-finals in 2018.

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