Hockey Hermit

A strange lack of outstanding performances given the number of games last night. There were a couple of surprising blowouts as Toronto humbled Pittsburgh, handing the Penguins a 7-3 defeat in their own barn, and Philadelphia thumped the previously red hot Washington Capitals 7-1 in a game where the Caps outshot the Flyers by close to a two to one margin. The Capitals goaltending woes continue, and if they can manage to land a solid tender they are going to be a handful in the East. In the highest profile game of the night the league leading San Jose Sharks took down the Rangers in a tight 3-2 game, bouncing back after their embarrassing 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, and in Vancouver the Canucks got to see the skill of Chicago's young stars first hand as they fell 3-1 on home ice. Whispers of the Blackhawks' potential as cup contenders are growing louder. They certainly have the talent, but come playoff time talent is only a small piece of the puzzle. Grit and experience are key components, and the Blackhawks have little of either. So who were the players making noise in last night's games? Read on to find out.

3rd Star - Jeff Carter - As good as Tomas Kaberle is I'm sure the Philadelphia Flyers are breathing a sigh of relief that the proposed deal last season that would have seen Jeff Carter depart to Toronto in a deal to bring Kaberle the other way never materialized. Carter has been an absolute beast in the offensive zone this season, and continued his hot play last night, scoring 2 more goals to tie Buffalo's Thomas Vanek for first in that category with 24, and adding 2 assists in Philly's lopsided win over the Caps.

2nd Star - Tomas Kaberle - Speaking of Kaberle, he was no slouch himself last night. After being called out by coach Ron Wilson following a -4 performance a few weeks ago Kaberle has really started to round into form. Kaberle had 3 assists last night and was a +3 going up against the top 2 points producers in the league in Malkin and Crosby. Though they might wish they had landed Carter the Leafs can't be too disappointed to still be enjoying the services of Kaberle for the time being.

1st Star - Scott Hartnell - I don't know what the NHL record is for the closest natural hat tricks by one player in a single season, but Scott Hartnell had his second in just over a week against the Capitals last night. He also added an assist for good measure, to give him a surprising 24 points so far this season. With Gagne, Richards, Carter and now Hartnell filling the net, the Flyers' offense is firing on all cylinders. Once they get Briere back, watch out.

written by admin \\ tags: Philadelphia Flyers, three-stars, Toronto Maples Leafs

While there were some spectacular performances by the goalies last night, the men behind the masks were completely overshadowed by the snipers. Goals were coming fast and furious in a bunch of NHL games last night, and when the dust settled four different players had put up 3 goal performances. Unfortunately, only three players can make our list, so one hat trick hero will have to be the odd man out. Read on to see which snipers made the cut:

3rd Star - Pascal Dupuis - The Pittsburgh Penguins really revved up the offensive engine last night, but surprisingly it wasn't Crosby or Malkin who did all the scoring. The Penguins pounded the hapless New York Islanders 9-2 last night, and a pair of Pens turned the trick last night. Petr Sykora scored 3 times and added an assist, so should arguably be in this spot. However, Sykora's talent should ensure him several appearances on our 3 star list, so I decided to give the nod to a guy who had a career game last night.

Pascal Dupuis has incredible speed and has shown flashes of offensive talent in the past, but he is just one of those guys who doesn't seem to have much puck luck. Well, last night luck was finally on his side as everything he touched turned to goals. He netted his first career hat trick to help his team crush the Isles.

2 - Dustin Brown - Now here is a player who has a ton of potential. Not only can he score goals, but pound for pound he lays some of the hardest hits in the league. Dustin Brown would be a star on any Canadian NHL team, but has labored in relative obscurity in Los Angeles, where hockey has been dying a slow death ever since the departure of Wayne Gretzky. Still, the Kings bear watching over the next few years with exciting young players like Brown, Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov. If they can manage to solve their goaltending issues look for Dustin Brown's Kings to look eerily similar to the Chicago Blackhawks.

1st Star - Scott Hartnell - The Philadelphia Flyers made an incredible comeback last night against the Carolina Hurricanes and Scott Hartnell was the catalyst in that comeback. Hartnell netted a natural hat trick to help his Flyers erase a 5-1 deficit and tie up the game. The Flyers would then go on to win the game in a shoot out. Surprisingly the game marked the first time in Flyers history that the team had come back from 4 goals down at home to win a game.

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written by admin \\ tags: Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, three-stars