Sharks Beat Blue Jackets 3-2, Chernyshov Scores Twice, 6 game skid comes to an end with victory

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) saved 24 shots and allowed two Columbus Blue Jacket goals. Macklin Celebrini (71) in the foreground approves at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Sat Mar 28, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 Saturday. The win ended a six game losing streak for the Sharks. Igor Chernyshov and Macklin Celebrini scored the Sharks’ goals. Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves for the win. Denton Mateychuck and Cole Sillinger scored for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves in the loss.

Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic talked about the win after the game:

“Tonight, minus thirty seconds there at the start, the rest of the game I thought we were all over them, we took it to ‘em, played hard and I think wore ‘em down. It’s what opened up that lane for Smitty there to make that pass and Cherny’s got an unbelievable release, an unbelievable shot so it’s good to see it go in for him today.”

Macklin Celebrini crossed the 100 assists mark on Saturday, reaching that goal faster than any other Sharks draft pick who started his career with San Jose.

The Blue Jackets scored first with a goal from Denton Mateychuck just 31 seconds in. Mateychuk scored with a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle. An assist went to Adam Fantilli.

Igor Chernyshov tied the game late in the period. He scored with a snap sot at 17:17 from inside the faceoff circle. Will Smith got an assist.

The first period shots were very close, 9-8 Blue Jackets with no penalties called.

Cole Sillinger gave the Blue Jackets another lead at 12:09 of the second period. Ivan Provorov got an assist. That was the only goal of the middle frame. San Jose outshot Columbus 18-8 and there were just two penalties called, one per team.

Macklin Celebrini tied the game again 51 seconds into the third period. His power play goal came from a shot high in the zone. The puck came to him on a quick play after the Sharks won the faceoff. Assists went to Dmitry Orlov and Alexander Wennberg, the winner of said faceoff.

Chernyshov scored his second of the night, the game-winner, at 18:35 of the period. The puck found him at the end of a quick play off the rush. Assists went to Celebrini and Will Smith.

The Sharks next play on Monday at 7:00 PM PT at home against the St. Louis Blues, kicking off a six-game homestand.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks hope to snap skid in Columbus Saturday

San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) will be leaned on to help lead the Sharks out of their current six game losing streak. The Sharks take on the Columbus Blue Jackets Sat Mar 28, 2026 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. (AP file photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Mary Lisa would you agree that part of the reason for the Sharks struggles is that there is a lot of pressure on the up and coming younger players or are teams just getting a good study on film of these Sharks future stars?

#2 Can Columbus take advantage of San Jose’s losing streak? The Sharks enter on a six-game skid and have been heavily outscored recently, while Columbus is strong at home and favored to win.

#3 Will the Blue Jackets’ offense bounce back after recent struggles? Columbus has cooled off offensively on its road trip, scoring just four goals in three games, despite earlier high-scoring performances.

#4 How urgent is this game for each team’s playoff hopes? The Blue Jackets are firmly in the playoff race and control their destiny, while the Sharks are running out of time, sitting multiple points back of a wild-card spot.

#5 Which young stars or top-line players will step up? San Jose’s projected top line (including Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith) will be key against a Columbus team that generates strong shot volume and pressure.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap:Keller Has McBain’s Back, But Mammoth Fall To Blue Jackets 3-2 In Overtime

Klayton Keller (9) of the Utah Mammoth had two assists against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Delta Center on Sun Jan 11, 2026 (Fox 2 News Salt Lake City file photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Clayton Keller’s first period shot went wide of the net, but bounced off McBain’s back and into the goal in first period of the Utah Mammoth’s first home ice loss of 2026 to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime.

The Mammoth (22-20-3) welcomed the Blue Jackets (19-18-7) to Delta Center on Sunday afternoon for the third of seven games on the current homestand. Struggling backup goaltender Vítek Vaněček, entering the game at 2-9-1 on the season, got the start in place of Czechia Olympian Karel Vejmelka.

Not quite three minutes into the game, Columbus hit the scoreboard first on Mikael Pyythia’s first goal of the season, a wicked shot that was in and out of the net so fast that one could barely tell it was a goal at all, assisted by Danton Heinen and Ivan Provorov.

With just a few minutes remaining in the first period, Utah tied things up on a fluke goal when Clayton Keller sent the puck wide of the net and off the back of linemate Jack McBain into the Blue Jackets net. Keller has now registered assists in five consecutive home games which ties his own franchise record.

Whether it was an errant shot attempt or a mysterious pass, it resulted in McBain’s 5th goal of the season with the additional assist going to Nick DeSimone. This one is worth finding a replay on the internet to watch. Columbus netminder Jet Greaves finished the period stopping six of seven shots, while Vaněček turned away eleven of twelve for the Mammoth.

Utah started off the second period quickly at 1:02 when defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fired a bullet from the center of the blue line past everyone between him and the net for his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Keller and Nick Schmaltz, to give the Mammoth its first lead of the game.

With two and a half minutes left in the frame, McBain went to the sin bin for holding against Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, and Columbus made Utah pay for it a minute later when Charlie Coyle shot the puck off the near goalpost and then passed the rebound to Adam Fantilli in front of the net.

Vaněček stopped Fantilli, but Coyle finished the job for his seventh of the season, with the additional assist credited to Kirill Marchenko. The two squads completed the period knotted up at two apiece, with Greaves stopping seven of eight and Vaněček turning away twelve of thirteen.

The Mammoth and Blue Jackets were scoreless in the third period, but Daniil But put Utah at a disadvantage in overtime when he tripped Fantilli with 24 seconds left in regulation. Benefitting from the 4-on-3 overtime power play, Columbus dominated the 61 seconds necessary for Dmitri Voronkov to record his 16th goal of the season to put Utah away, assisted by Zach Werenski and Marchenko.

Despite saving 33 of 36 shots in the game, Vaněček’s losing streak increased to ten games, his last victory coming against the Winnipeg Jets on October 26. In the locker room after the game, Mikhail Sergachev expressed support for Vaněček “He was amazing. He held the ground for us. We gave up a little too much. He was big for us tonight. We just couldn’t get it done for him.” When asked about defending defending 4-on-3 in overtime, Sergachev said, “It is hard, but it’s easier than 5-on-3. … Pucks were flying around; high sticks everywhere; we just didn’t get to set up in our formation and didn’t get to defend that well. (Columbus) attacked right away–good on them.”

Jack McBain, who initiated the scoring with perhaps the most unusual goal of his career, said, “It wasn’t our best game, for sure. Everybody knows that. We gave up too many chances. I think we tried to overcomplicate the game. We got a little away from our identity there.” Asked about staying strong late in the third period, McBain added, “Every point matters. The kill did a good job to get it into overtime. It was unfortunate that (Columbus) was on the 4-on-3, that’s tough. But every point matters all the way through the rest of the season. … We got a point out of (tonight). It wasn’t our best game, but we’ll learn from it and move on. We have to learn…to win, how to close out games. Not our best, but we’re on to the next one.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny began his postgame remarks by saying, “I think I’m disappointed about the way we process that game, the way our thought process, mindset, our play with the puck, our play without the puck. I think V gave us an opportunity to get a point, which is a big point, which is important. I thought against St Louis, Vej bailed us out. So I was expecting definitely better from today.” When asked how the team can improve, Bear responded, “First of all, you need to sting a little bit. It’s not just about moving on. It’s about learning from it. I think there’s a lesson to learn from that game. Like I said, it’s not a matter of execution or effort. It was a matter of mindset, be ready to play the game the way it should have been played, and our decision with the puck. There’s many things that were not on par.” Tourigny was visually disappointed for Vaněček, and said of his performance, “Really good, I think. Tough situation, he didn’t play for a little bit, and came in and the guys did not play their A game in front of him, and he kept us there. I think he did a great job.”

Utah (22-20-4) returns to the ice on Tuesday for their fourth game of the homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs (22-15-7).

NHL Note: Ten years ago today (January 11, 2016), Washington Capitals forward and future unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin passed the 500 career goals mark. Now at the age of 40, Ovi has 19 goals in the current season, and 916 for his record breaking career, 24 more than the previous record holder, Wayne Gretzky, who retired with 894 career goals.

Ovechkin also has 77 career playoff goals for good measure, which means he is 7 away from 1000 combined career regular season and playoff goals, still behind Gretzky whose combined regular season and playoff goal mark is 1016, still very much in reach for Ovechkin who continues to be productive while most of his contemporaries have been long retired.

Wennberg’s three point night lifts Sharks into last wild card spot in the West with 5-2 win over Columbus

Pavol Regenda forward (84) for the San Jose Sharks is thrilled with the Sharks taking the lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Jan 6, 2026 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Alex Wennberg notched three points including a goal in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension. Zach Ostapchuk was rewarded with the game-winning goal in a vibrant 5–2Tuesday night victory at the Shark Tank.  

Tuesday night hockey at SAP Center brought the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-16-7) to town holding the worst record in the Eastern conference while tallying as many points as the Sharks(43), who entered the game just two points out of the final Western conference wild card spot.

The Sharks were coming off a bitter loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday afternoon where Pavol Regenda scored his first career hat trick in the 7-3 loss. With the Ducks loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia, that second wild card spot was up for grabs with a Sharks win. 

Regenda kept his torch of a stick on fire, making the difference in the first period of Tuesday’s game with the lone goal between the two teams. Displaying his sweet set of mitts, he roofed one above the glove of Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves. It was Regenda’s sixth goal in just his fifth game with the Sharks this season with Alex Wennberg picking up the primary assist in his first game since signing a three-year contract extension with San Jose. 

In the Sharks crease, Alex Nedeljkovic stood strong turning away all 12 shots he faced including some point-blank scoring chances. Nedeljkovic has made some big saves to keep the Sharks in games as of late with the recent inconsistent play of Yaroslav Askarov. 

The pace the Sharks lacked on Saturday was in full force in the second period Tuesday night. Outshooting the Blue Jackets 17-5 in the middle period, San Jose dominated time on attack and offensive pressure. The Sharks drew four penalties, one of which came on a trip to forward Ty Dellandrea, sending him legs-first into the goal post and to the locker room for the rest of the game.

 The Sharks were only able to capitalize on one power play. Alex Wennberg backhanded one into the net to put the Sharks ahead by two goals with his eighth of the season, getting in on both of the Sharks goals through the first two periods.

Columbus finally had an answer with Zach Werenski’s 16th goal of the season to get back within a goal. 

The second period had a little bit of everything, including a heavy-weight tilt between Mathieu Olivier and Ryan Reaves at center ice, keeping the energy high in the Shark Tank as the second period came to an end with San Jose in front 2-1. 

An energetic third period saw both teams attacking with the Blue Jackets throwing 18 shots at Alex Nedeljkovic while the Sharks had nine shots on goal. Neither side prevailed until Zach Ostapchuk, “the fastest man in the world” according to Ryan Reaves, broke free from everybody and scored a sweet goal to extend the Sharks lead back to two with 4:44 left in regulation. “He’s been playing some good hockey, happy for him to get rewarded with a goal tonight” said head coach Ryan Warsofsky on Zach Ostapchuk’s play of late. 

Luckily the Sharks got some insurance because Sean Monohan brought the Blue Jackets back within one less than a minute later with his sixth goal of the campaign. 

San Jose went on to score two empty-net goals from Mario Ferraro and Macklin Celebrini to secure a 5-2 win and swap places with the Anaheim Ducks for the second wild card spot in the West following their loss in Philadelphia earlier in the night. 

Team teal will be right back in action Wednesday night in downtown LA when the puck drops at 7:30pm in the second game of back-to-backs against the Los Angeles Kings.

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 11, 2025: Blackhawks score 3 third period goals in 1:33; Panthers closing in on Lightning; plus more news

Apr 10, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno (17) shoots and scores a goal while Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (52) defends during the second period at TD Garden. Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 11, 2025:

#1 The Chicago Blackhawks shot a barrage of four goals in the third period and scored three of those goals in a span of 1:33 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday for a 5-2 win. The Hawks Nick Foligno scored twice and Ryan Donato picked up his 30th goal for the first time in his NHL career. It was a sweet win for the struggling Blackhawks who had lost six of their last seven games.

#2 Brad Marchand scored his first goal as a Florida Panthers as the Panthers upended the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise Florida. The Panthers Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, and Alexsander Barkov all scored. The Panthers are now just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.

#3 Columbus Blue Jackets Jet Greaves saved 39 shots and the Jackets came back from behind to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday night. Greaves got called up from AHL Cleveland after Elvis Merzlikins had to leave morning skate due to a undisclosed injury.

#4  The Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin was honored before the Capitals game Thursday night for setting an NHL record for most goals with his 895th career goal against the New York Islanders on Sunday. Ovechkin picked up an assist to extend his six game point streak in Thursday’s game as well.

#5 The Capitals in the game defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 at the Capital Center in DC. The Caps win clinched the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tom Wilson also picked up his 33rd goal of the year and the Caps are now 8-1-0 in their last nine games.

#6 The Winnipeg Jets one of the hottest teams in the NHL and the number one seed for the Presidents Cup. The Jets 54-21-4 and they pass the audition.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025: Caps Ovechkin 3 goals away to catch the Great One: Canadiens push to make post season since 2021 win 3rd straight game; Senators Ullmark saves 31 shots in 3-1 win over Lightning; plus more news

Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (20) and the Boston Bruins defenceman Ian Mitchell (14) push each other as linesman Jonathan Deschamps (80) intervenes in the first period at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025

#1 It’s been a long time coming for the Montreal Canadiens as their push for a Stanley Cup Playoff birth continues. The last time the Habs were in the post season was in 2021. The Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 for their third straight win at the Belle Centre on Thursday night. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored a goal a piece and an assist. Sam Montembeault had 18 saves. The win gives Montreal a two point lead over the New York Rangers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

#2  Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for the Ottawa Senators and put an end to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s four game win streak. The Senators came up with a 3-1 win on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Lightning’s Brandon Hagel tried to score on a short handed break away but Ullmark stopped the shot at 5:58 in the third period to keep the score at the time to 2-1.

#3  Cale Makar had himself an evening for the Colorado Avalanche scoring his 30th goal and picking up two assists in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Thursday. Makar became the ninth defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since the Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green had 31 in 2008-09.

#4  The red hot St Louis Blues tied a franchise record with their 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Enterprise Center on Thursday night. Robert Thomas scored at 2:12 in the overtime stanza for the winning goal. The win ties the Blues with the Stanley Cup Champions Blues who won 11 in a row between Jan 23-Feb 19 2019.

#5 The Dallas Stars Wyatt Johnson got a goal in his sixth game in a row and the Stars won their seventh game in a row with a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday. In the NHL Johnson’s streak is the longest active run. The Stars Jake Oettinger saved 28 shots in the win.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Mar 14, 2025: Panthers get the edge on Leafs 3-2; Senators rolling with fifth straight win 5-3 over Bruins; plus more NHL news

Florida Panthers Sam Bennett second from left scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) as the Maple Leafs Jake McCabe (22) defends in the first period at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Fri Mar 14, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Mar 14, 2025:

#1 The Florida Panthers edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thursday night. The Panthers Sam Bennett helped out with two goals in the winning cause.

#2 The Ottawa Senators are becoming to be known as Hottawa. They have now won five straight games. In the latest win on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre the Senators scored four goals against the Boston Bruins in the first period. The Sens Drake Batherson scored two goals with an assist, Brady Tkachuk has now scored a point in eight straight games with seven goals and two assists. There was nothing the Bruins could do as they ran into a hot Ottawa team losing 6-3.

#3 The Philadelphia Flyers Bobby Brink scored two goals as they edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night. The win ended the Flyers five game losing streak and the Lightning lost their third game in a row.

#4 The Pittsburgh Penguins Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust scored a goal each and had an assist in the Pens win over the St Louis Blues 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night. The Penguins Sidney Crosby and Blake Lizotte had two assists to help the Pens pick up their third straight win. The last time the Penguins won three in a row was when the won four in a row back on Nov 27-Dec 3.

#5  The Vegas Golden Knights chalked up their fourth straight win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 4-0 shutout. Knight’s goaltender Adin Hill stopped all 27 Jackets shot on goals. Hill stopped 14 shots in the first period and gave the Knights an opportunity to score to goals to take the lead in the first period.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025: Utah’s Veimelka 31 saves shutout Red Wings 3-0; Bjorkstrand scores game winner for Bolts 6-5 win over Sabres; plus more news

Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Veimelka saved 31 shots for a 3-0 shutout against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thu May 6, 2025 (AP file photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025

Len before we start just a quick run down about the NHL trade deadline and the Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin’s run at the all time goal scoring record.

#1  Karel Veimelka stopped 31 shots for the Utah Hockey Club and Utah scored three unanswered goals against the Detroit Red Wings for a 4-2 win at Little Caesars Arena Thursday night in Detroit. Vejmelka just signed a five year extension before the game for Utah.

#2 Jake Guentzel had a big night for the Tampa Bay Lightning picking up a hat trick that helped the Bolts edge the visiting Buffalo Sabres at Amailie Arena on Thursday night 6-5. Oliver Bjorkstrand ended a 5-5 tie in the third period in his Tampa Bay debut with a goal. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.

#3 Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots as the Florida Panthers picked up their fifth straight game in a shutout over the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at Amerant Bank Arena Thursday night. Bobrovsky picked up his 433rd career win which tied goaltender great Tony Esposito for the tenth spot on the NHL all time list.

#4 Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele scored a goal and had two assists as the Jets got a convincing 4-1 win over Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Gabriel Vilardi picked up three assists teammate Kyle Connor scored a goal and got an assist. The Jets snapped a three game losing streak with the win.

#5  Carolina Hurricanes Seth Jarvis scored a key goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to get the Canes a 3-2 win against the visiting Boston Bruins at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Thursday night. Jarvis scored his goal from the short side at the left hash marks after defenseman Nikita Zadrorov broke his stick in an attempt to clear the puck in the right circle.

Join Len Shaprio for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Lightning get shutout help from Vasilevskiy; Isles edge Bruins 2-1 at the Garden; plus more NHL news

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) put the stop on the Calgary Flames right wing Matt Coranato (27) at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thu Feb 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 27 Calgary Flames shots on goal for a 3-0 shutout at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thursday. The Lightning got goal scoring from Brandon Hagel, Erik Cemak, and Nikita Kucherov.

#2 The New York Islanders just got by the Boston Bruins 2-1 at the Garden in Boston. The Islanders Alexander Romanov scored his fourth goal of the season at 16:11 in the first period and teammate Kyle Palmieri scored his 18th goal of the season at 4:21 in the second period. The Bruins got their only goal of the game at 10:04 when David Pastrnak scored in the third period.

#3 The Columbus Blue Jackets won a three goal contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Most of the game’s scoring came in the second period when the Red Wings Alex DeBrincat scored his 27th goal at 27 seconds making it 1-0, the Blue Jackets would follow up with four unanswered goals from James Van Riemsdyk, Sean Kuraly, Kent Johnson, and Riemsdyk scored his second goal of the period making it 4-1 CBJs. The Red Wings JD Compher scored at 16:30 for the final goal of the period making it 4-2. The Jackets Kirill Marchenko scored at 19:03 in the third period to round out all the goals in a 5-2 win for Columbus.

#4 The San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens skated to a 2-2 after the first period. The Sharks getting first period goals from Fabian Zetterlund and Nico Sturm. The Habs got first period goals from Nick Suzuki scoring twice in the period. In the second period the Sharks Will Smith scored at 17:21 making 3-2 Sharks. The Canadiens added two more in the third period Alex Newhook and in overtime Cole Caulfield scored the game winner for the 4-3 win.

#5 The Carolina Hurricanes came away with a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Wearing their Hartford Whalers uniforms the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in the first period taking a 3-1 lead after the first period. Carolina would score a goal in each of the second and third periods for the 5-2 win.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Knights stay perfect in New Jersey with 3-1 win; Lightning open up some offense on Ottawa in 5-1 win; plus more NHL news

Vegas Golden Knights Tomas Hertl (right) brings the puck up ice against the New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes (left) in the first period at the Prudential Center in Newark on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Vegas Golden Knights had goals scored from three different players in their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Thursday night. Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy, and Shea Theordore scored a goal each. Adin Hill will be representing Canada in goal during the 4 Nations Face off on Feb 12-20. Hill stopped 14 shots for the Knights. The Knights have not lost a game in New Jersey in their seven games there since coming into the NHL.

#2 Brayden Point scored a goal and had two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1 at Amalie Arena on Thursday night. The Bolts Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel scored a goal apiece. Nikita Kucherov had two assists and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots. It was Tampa Bay’s second win over three days against Ottawa.

#3 Alexander Ovechkin scored his 879th goal on a on timer just inside of the right face off circle at 19:07 in the first period and is now 16 goals shy of passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL record of 894 goals. Ovechkin has a hot hand right now he has scored in four straight games with 26 goals on the season. The Washington Capitals get a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

#4 Dylan Guenther scored an overtime goal for the second straight game and the Utah Hockey Club edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Guenther scored at 4:27 getting a pass from goaltender Connor Ingram and got a breakaway scoring on his own rebound for the win.

#5 Filip Gustavsson saved 38 shots for the Minnesota Wild as they win in a one goal difference over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Xcel Energy Center in St.Paul on Thursday night 2-1. Gustavsson made quite a recovery in net after allowing six Ottawa Senators goals in his last start.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com