Pastrňák scored twice, Kaut made his debut in San Jose

NHL game Boston – Ottawa. Pictured from left are Czech striker David Pastrňák and Kevin Mandolese in Boston on February 20, 2023.

New York – Striker David Pastrňák scored two goals to give the Boston hockey players a 3:1 victory over Ottawa. In this NHL season, he has already scored 41 goals and is one shot behind the competition's top scorer, Connor McDavid from Edmonton. Defenseman Radko Gudas assisted on one of Florida's goals in a 4-3 overtime win over Anaheim and scored his 10th point of the season. Martin Kaut has a winning debut in the San Jose jersey, the Sharks beat Seattle 4:0.

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David Krejčí assisted on Pastrňák's first goal, whom Boston honored for 1,000 games in the NHL during a ceremony before Monday's game. The 36-year-old center reached that milestone a month ago. In addition to the many congratulations he received alongside his wife and children, he also received a silver hockey stick as a traditional trophy for the 1,000th game, which he accomplished as the thirteenth Czech hockey player in the history of the overseas competition.

“I had some expectations, but the ceremony surpassed them. I'm glad I could be on the ice with my family, it was a special moment for me. I'm extremely grateful to be part of such a great organization,” Krejčí said.< /p>

The Bruins transformed the celebratory mood into another great match and confirmed their position as the undisputed best team in the NHL with their fourth win in a row. The visitors responded to Jake DeBrusk's goal at the end of the first period, but the rest of the game belonged to Pastrňák. In the 38th minute, after assists from Krejčí and Charlie McAvoy, the Czech gunner equaled his goalscoring record from last year with his 40th goal of the season. He scored more goals only in the 2019/20 season, when he scored 48.

“It's clear that I want to keep improving. It would be nice if I crossed the fifty-goal mark. I haven't succeeded in my career yet,” said Pastrňák. “Scoring goals is my job, of course I'm happy that I'm doing well there so far. But it's not just about me. I have great teammates, thanks to whom I'm doing so well,” added the Czech gunner.

He became the fifth player in Boston history to score at least 40 goals in two consecutive seasons and the first since Cam Neely, who scored 55 and 51 goals in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

Pastrňák closed the score of the match in the 53rd minute, when McAvoy found him on the offensive blue line with a great pass while kneeling after falling. The native of Havířovsk, after a solo with a backhand bluff, sent the puck between the concretes of goalkeeper Kevin Mandolese, who was catching only his second game in the NHL.

< p>Gudas scored an assist in the 23rd minute after a shot from the bar, after which Eric Staal scored to reduce the score to 1:2. Carter Verhaeghe decided the match in 61:42. Florida won sixth of last nine games, Anaheim lost fifth straight.

Kaut played over 14 minutes in San Jose's second formation. Logan Couture and Yevgenij Svečnikov contributed to the unequivocal win with a goal and an assist, James Reimer kept a clean sheet thanks to 23 saves.

After being traded from Colorado, Kaut waited almost a month for his debut in the first team of San Jose, during which he played seven of the San Jose Barracuda farm games. He recorded a goal and five assists in the AHL during that time and was called up to the Sharks in the absence of Tomáš Hertl and Tim Meier.

“I found out that I was to join the team yesterday afternoon in Vancouver, where we had a pre-match training with the farm team. I got on a plane as quickly as possible and flew here. I was really looking forward to the premiere,” he said Kaut.

The 23-year-old striker played in the NHL for the first time in a jersey other than Colorado. He has worked in the Avalanche organization since 2018, when he was selected by Denver as the 16th player in the draft. However, he never made it into the lineup of the reigning Stanley Cup winners.

“When I was on the Avalanche's first team, I mostly started as a fourth-line center and played about five minutes per game. That's why I asked to be traded several times ,” explained Kaut. “I'm glad that I met Tomáš Hertl in the new team, whom I know well from summer training camps in Prague,” he added.

The home game against Winnipeg did not go well at all for Filip Chytil of the New York Rangers. The Czech forward scored three negative points in the plus-minus statistics in sixteen and a half minutes, and his team lost 1:4. Kyle Connor flashed with three points for a goal and two assists, Jets top scorer Mark Scheifele scored two goals.

Philadelphia hockey players broke a four-game losing streak on Calgary ice. The Flyers won 4:3 and made it difficult for the home Flames to fight for the playoffs. After the loss, the Canadian team remained ninth in the Western Conference standings with a two-point loss to eighth-ranked Minnesota.

The Islanders turned the game around in Pittsburgh and moved up to seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 win. Brock Nelson scored two goals for the victory of the New York team. Bo Horvat scored a goal and an assist.

NHL:

Boston – Ottawa 3:1 (1:1, 1:0, 1:0)< /p>

Goals: 38th and 53rd Pastrňák (on the first Krejčí), 16th DeBrusk – 20th Giroux. Shots on goal: 32:31. Spectators: 17,850. Stars of the match: 1. Pasternak, 2. McAvoy, 3. Ullmark (all Boston).

Florida – Anaheim 4:3 in overtime (0:2, 2:0, 1:1 – 1:0)

Goals: 23. E. Staal (Gudas), 38. M. Staal, 55. Lomberg, 62. Verhaeghe – 12. McTavish, 16. Vatrano, 53. Kulikov. Shots on goal: 54:23. Spectators: 16,525. Stars of the match: 1. Verhaeghe, 2. E. Staal (both Florida), 3. Kulikov (Anaheim.).

Pittsburgh – NY Islanders 2:4 ( 1:0, 1:1, 0:3)

Goals: 7. Guentzel, 33. Zucker – 26. and 60. Nelson, 49. Horvat, 51. Lee. Shots on goal: 46:32. Spectators: 18,094. Stars of the match: 1. Nelson, 2. Sorokin, 3. Lee (all NY Islanders).

San Jose – Seattle 4-0 (0-0, 3-0, 1:0)

Goals: 31. Couture, 37. J. Svečnikov, 40. Gregor, 57. Eyssimont. Shots on goal: 23:26. Spectators: 13,445. Stars of the match: 1. Reimer, 2. J. Svechnikov, 3. Gregor (all San Jose).

NY Rangers – Winnipeg 1:4 (0:2 , 1:1, 0:1)

Goals: 31. Trocheck – 17. and 56. Scheifele, 6. Dubois, 27. Connor. Shots on goal: 51:21. Spectators: 18,006. Stars of the match: 1. Hellebuyck, 2. Connor, 3. Scheifele (all Winnipeg)..

Calgary – Philadelphia 3:4 (0:1, 1: 2, 2:1)

Goals: 29. Backlund, 45. Toffoli, 49. Mangiapane – 17. Konecny, 28. Deslauriers, 32. DeAngelo, 52. Allison. Shots on goal: 36:22. Spectators: 19,036. Stars of the match: 1. Konecny ​​(Philadelphia), 2. Backlund (Calgary), 3. DeAngelo (Philadelphia).

Table:

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Metropolitan Division:

Western Conference:

Central Division:

Pacific Division:

Canadian NHL scoring:

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Sagittarius:

1. McDavid (Edmonton) 42 goals, 2. Pastrňák (Boston) 41, 3. T. Thompson (Buffalo), Rantanen (Colorado) both 36, 5. J. Hughes (New Jersey), Horvat (NY Islanders) both 35, 7. J. Robertson ( Dallas), Scheifele (Winnipeg) both 34, 9. Draisaitl (Edmonton), Kaprizov (Minnesota) both 33, …46. Nečas (Carolina) 22, 65. Caught (NY Rangers) 19, 92. D. Kubalík (Detroit) 16.