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In this edition of NHL Recap, these are the top quotes from players and coaches following all games played on Feb. 23, 2022:
Winnipeg Jets @ Dallas Stars
Final Score (OT): Stars 3-2 Jets
The Dallas Stars fought back from a one-goal deficit twice to take down the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2 in overtime, on Wednesday. It took Stars forward Tyler Sequin just 54 seconds of extra time to fire home the game-winning goal for Dallas.
Stars forward Tyler Seguin: “I just thought that [Jets forward Blake Wheeler] was baiting me. Quick shot last second, and the puck was in the air, and I felt like I got another whack on it…. I thought it went in right away, and happy it did.”
The Jets’ winless streak extended to three games with their loss on Wednesday. Despite holding a one-goal lead in the first and majority of the second period, and then again in the third period, Winnipeg couldn’t secure two points in the standings.
Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey: “It’s a Central Division game against Dallas, we have a lot of these grinding type of games. Managed to push it to overtime. We score in OT, it’s a different story. There’s a lot of good things in that game. We gave up more shots (39) than we’d like to see. We’ll look at it and find ways to get better.”
Colorado Avalanche @ Detroit Red Wings
Final Score: Avalanche 5-2 Red Wings
The Colorado Avalanche avoided losing back-to-back games, defeating the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2, on Wednesday. The Avalanche finish their latest road trip with a 3-1-0 record, and now head home as the NHL’s No. 1 team with a 37-10-4 record to take on the Jets on Friday.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar: “This was about finishing off the road trip the right way, with a 3-1 record. We’ve had a lot of travel facing some really good teams, and we’re happy with that record, and now we get to go back home.”
The Red Wings found themselves down, 2-0, after the first period, and responded with a goal in the second period, but found itself down, 3-1, at the end of 40 minutes. The Avalanche opened the scoring in the third period to go up by three goals, which the Red Wings then cut down to a two-goal lead before Colorado sealed it with an empty-netter for its fifth and final goal of the night.
Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill: “I thought the third goal killed us, and so did the fourth one. We had it within 2-1, and I thought we were taking the play to them, but the third goal changes everything…. Then we take a penalty at the end of the period and give them more momentum.”
Edmonton Oilers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Final Score: Lightning 5-3 Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers dropped a second consecutive game, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, on Wednesday. It was a tightly-contested affair, but the Lightning ensured the Oilers never held a lead in the game, holding on for its third win in a row.
Lightning forward Pat Maroon: “We got the ‘W’, I think that’s the most important thing. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but we found a way to get the job done. They are a fast team and they have been playing a lot of hockey the past few weeks, so I thought we did well.”
The Oilers played a strong game, outshooting the Lightning, 30-23, but came up short in its attempts to overtake Tampa Bay on the scoreboard. Edmonton nearly tied the game in the final minutes of the third period, but hit the post, which ultimately resulted in the Lightning scoring an empty-netter.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft: “It was an excellent hockey game and there were chances both ways. We hit a post at the end of the game that could have tied it up. But the compete and effort on our team’s part was there. One bounce here or there. It didn’t go our way tonight.”
Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens
Final Score: Canadiens 4-0 Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens’ winning streak hit four games after shutting out the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Wednesday. Since new Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis took over behind the bench, Montreal is playing with much more confidence and holds a 4-3-0 record.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis: “There’s a lot of buy-in by the players. When you watch on TV, you don’t know their personalities, you’re not around them every day. There are a lot of winners on this team. Guys who take the team’s success to heart. You win a lot of games with guys like that. It’s 4-0 and we’re blocking shots with a minute to go. It’s fun to see how much the culture has progressed.”
The Sabres’ struggles continue as it lost a fourth consecutive game in regulation. Despite Buffalo outshooting the Canadiens, 32-29, the team made some sloppy plays that allowed Montreal to skate away with the game.
Sabres head coach Don Granato: “We helped [Montreal] tonight. We were sloppy early, our forwards did not support our [defensemen]. We gave them four chances early before we got our first chance and they had a goal. And it was all our forwards not supporting our [defensemen] quick enough or giving them outlet support, and it allowed them in the game. And we could not get a break to get a goal.”
Los Angeles Kings @ Arizona Coyotes
Final Score: Kings 3-2 Coyotes
The Los Angeles Kings extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Although the final score only had a difference of one goal, the Kings were the most dominant team in the game, outshooting the Coyotes, 35-19.
Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson: “I think we’re really hard to play against, we’re on the puck all time and that frustrates the other team. I think that’s our strength. We take pucks to the net and we create offensive chances and play really solid defensively.”
The Coyotes struggled to maintain possession of the puck to set up quality scoring opportunities against the Kings. Arizona also took 14 penalty minutes, compared to Los Angeles’ four penalty minutes, which made matters even worse.
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Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz: “They try to slow it down, it’s tough to gain possession to the neutral zone when they’re sitting back. It’s tough to come with speed because they just kind of stand there and clog the neutral zone. … It’s kind of frustrating.”