Three teams improved their playoff positioning in the NHL on Tuesday night, including the Boston Bruins, who have streaked their way in to the second place spot in the Atlantic Division. They extended their point streak to 14 consecutive games on their home ice with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who are 10-0-4 over their past four games. They have also won eight of their past nine games overall, and now lead the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points for that second place slot.
They also took advantage of the Sharks playing without defenseman Erik Karlsson, who missed the entire third period due to an injury. The loss for the Sharks gives them a 2-2 mark on their current road trip, as they trail the Calgary Flames by five points for first place in the Pacific Division. There was no injury update after the game on Karlsson, who also missed the Sharks' 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night. He also missed nine games earlier in the season before returning on February 16th.
The Bruins did the Flames a bit of a favor with that win, but Calgary also helped themselves on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over the first-place New York Islanders. Mikael Backlund broke a tie just 3:15 in to the third period, giving the Flames their season-best sixth consecutive victory. Backlund's game-winning goal extended his point streak to six in a row, getting a pass from Elias Lindholm to slam it home. He now has 17 goals on the season.
Matthew Tkachuk and Rasmus Andersson both scored for the Flames as well, as they earned their 40th win of the season. Lindholm finished with two assists, while Mike Smith stepped up between the pipes with 26 saves. The Islanders' lone tally came from Josh Bailey, as they dropped to just 1-2-1 over their past four games. They are now tied with the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues may not have a long winning streak going anymore, but their overall comeback run is amazing in itself. They kept that alive on the road Tuesday night with a 2-0 shutout of the first-place Nashville Predators. Jordan Binnington made 19 saves for St. Louis, as he now has five shutouts and a record of 15-2-1 over 18 starts this season. Binnington is just the fourth goalie in NHL history to win each of his first eight regular season home starts. That list includes the likes of Frank McCool, Ken Dryden, and Wayne Thomas.
Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist for the Blues, while Tyler Bozak also scored in their 34th win of the season. They are now 13-1-1 over their past 15 games, and now sit six points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for the third place spot in the Central Division. The Wild earned a win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday to keep pace with St. Louis. The Blues end the month of February with a record of 12-1-1, which is tied for the most victories in a calendar month in franchise history, as they had the same amount of wins in April of 2013.
They also took advantage of the Sharks playing without defenseman Erik Karlsson, who missed the entire third period due to an injury. The loss for the Sharks gives them a 2-2 mark on their current road trip, as they trail the Calgary Flames by five points for first place in the Pacific Division. There was no injury update after the game on Karlsson, who also missed the Sharks' 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night. He also missed nine games earlier in the season before returning on February 16th.
The Bruins did the Flames a bit of a favor with that win, but Calgary also helped themselves on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over the first-place New York Islanders. Mikael Backlund broke a tie just 3:15 in to the third period, giving the Flames their season-best sixth consecutive victory. Backlund's game-winning goal extended his point streak to six in a row, getting a pass from Elias Lindholm to slam it home. He now has 17 goals on the season.
Matthew Tkachuk and Rasmus Andersson both scored for the Flames as well, as they earned their 40th win of the season. Lindholm finished with two assists, while Mike Smith stepped up between the pipes with 26 saves. The Islanders' lone tally came from Josh Bailey, as they dropped to just 1-2-1 over their past four games. They are now tied with the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues may not have a long winning streak going anymore, but their overall comeback run is amazing in itself. They kept that alive on the road Tuesday night with a 2-0 shutout of the first-place Nashville Predators. Jordan Binnington made 19 saves for St. Louis, as he now has five shutouts and a record of 15-2-1 over 18 starts this season. Binnington is just the fourth goalie in NHL history to win each of his first eight regular season home starts. That list includes the likes of Frank McCool, Ken Dryden, and Wayne Thomas.
Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist for the Blues, while Tyler Bozak also scored in their 34th win of the season. They are now 13-1-1 over their past 15 games, and now sit six points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for the third place spot in the Central Division. The Wild earned a win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday to keep pace with St. Louis. The Blues end the month of February with a record of 12-1-1, which is tied for the most victories in a calendar month in franchise history, as they had the same amount of wins in April of 2013.
