Valentine's Day was filled with a number of interesting matchups in the National Hockey League and even more thrilling results.
NY Islanders Defeat Rangers 4-3 SO, End Five-Game Losing Skid
At Madison Square Garden, the New York Islanders broke their five-game losing streak and defeated the Rangers in MSG for the first time in nine tries. The Islanders fell behind 2-0 after a poor first period in which they did not register a shot until 14 minutes had expired. In the second, the Islanders broke out for three goals from Colin McDonald, John Tavares, and Brad Boyes. The Rangers' Carl Hagelin tied the score on the powerplay and the teams remained tied at three through the third period and overtime. In the shootout, Frans Nielson and Tavares tallied for the Islanders while Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash were stopped by Evgeni Nabokov. The Islanders coaching staff apparently gave the team a verbal beating after the first 20 minutes.
"We gave it to them pretty good," Coach Jack Capuano said. "You can't execute if you're not giving the effort, right? It's a little bit of both. I thought we were just standing around watching and [the Rangers] were skating. They were chipping pucks to good areas to sustain their forecheck. They were playing physical. Give them credit. They made us look bad as well."
He added, "But we responded. We came out in the second and third and worked hard. You saw the sacrifice in some guys tonight. That's the way we have to play."
Carolina Hurricanes Top Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1
The Carolina Hurricanes extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-1 win over the red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs. Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen, and Jordan Staal were the scorers for Carolina. The loss snapped a four game winning streak for the Maple Leafs.
"It was probably one of the least inspiring games we've had in a while," Toronto Coach Randy Carlyle said. "We were a step and a half (behind) all night."
Washington Wins Third In a Row
The Washington Capitals won their third game of the year when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Eric Fehr scored twice in the victory. Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their losing streak to six games.
Carey Price Shuts Out Panthers
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price put up 26 saves in his first shutout of the season while Rene Bourque scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over the Florida Panthers.
"The guys played very well in front of me," Price said. "We limited their scoring chances all game. They only got a couple of really good quality chances all game. That speaks of the work ethic of the guys in front of me."
Florida's Jose Theodore made 32 saves and named first star of the game; the loss was the third straight for the Panthers.
Pekka Rinne Earns Second Straight Shutout In Win Over Phoenix
Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne made 19 saves in a 3-0 shutout win over the Phoenix Coyotes. The clean sheet was the second straight for the Nashville keeper and his third this season. "I don't know where we'd be without Pekka," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "He's the best goaltender in the world."
Colorado Snaps Three Game Losing Streak With Win Over Minnesota
The Colorado Avalanche pulled off a 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild despite trailing 3-2 in the third period. Matt Duchene scored the tying goal and added the game winning penalty shot to move the Avalanche out of the Western Conference cellar.
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