Don’t call it a comeback. Nicklas Backstrom is rebounding quite well from his down year last season and continued his ascent of the scoring charts with a two-goal game on Tuesday. Even more important than the two goals? When they came.
1
Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals – Backstrom tallied two goals on Tuesday, one to tie the game with just over 42 seconds left in regulation, then the other to win the game in overtime. Also scoring for the Caps were Joel Ward, Dennis Wideman and Troy Brouwer, while Brooks Laich had three assists and Jason Chimera two.
2
Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes – For anyone who thought that Jeff Skinner would have a sophomore slump, better grab a fork to eat that crow. Skinner tallied his fifth and sixth goals of the season on Tuesday, giving him 12 points in 12 games for the ‘Canes. Chad LaRose also scored twice in Carolina’s 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Cam Ward made 28 saves for the win.
3
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks may have lost, but Selanne had another spectacular night, tallying two goals and two assists in defeat for Anaheim. The 41-year-old Finnish Flash has a team-leading 14 points in 12 games. Also scoring for the Ducks were Saku Koivu and Corey Perry; Jonas Hiller stopped 35 of 40 shots in defeat.
Play of the Night
Alex Burrows scores this beautiful goal while lying in the crease:
Save(s) of the Night
Josh Harding and Jimmy Howard each put on a show in Detroit, making terrific saves. Howard made this beautiful glove save, robbing Mikko Koivu on the doorstep:
And at the other end, Harding made this acrobatic save to keep the Wild in the game:
Fight of the Night
Two heavyweights went at it as Shawn Thornton and Zenon Konopka got together for this pretty decent tilt:
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