To win a game in overtime is one thing, but to win the game the way Ryan O’Reilly did is especially spectacular, from the defensive play that caused the turnover to the goal itself, it was one heck of a way to cap off the night. Throw in a few more good performances and we’ve got ourselves a Three Stars list.
1) Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche – With all of the ups and downs that the Avs have had this season, O’Reilly has been an absolute revelation for the Avs with his terrific two-way play and that strong play continued on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes with his game-winner with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to lead the Avs past the ‘Canes 4-3. Gabriel Landeskog, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny were the other goal scorers for the Avs and J.S. Giguere stopped 39 of 42 shots for the win.
2) Joey MacDonald, Detroit Red Wings – Jimmy Who? MacDonald was terrific for the fourth straight game in Detroit’s 2-1 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks, stopping 29 shots for his second win of the season. Justin Abdelkader scored in regulation and Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi in the shootout for the Wings.
3) Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks – Burns continued his torrid assist streak on Friday, tallying three assists in the Sharks 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Burns now has eight assists in his last four games. Justin Braun, Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton, Benn Ferriero and Jamie McGinn all scored for the Sharks and Antti Niemi got the win, stopping 30 shots.
Play of the Night
Scoring the game-winner with 1.2 seconds left is no small feat, but the way that Ryan O’Reilly went about it was particularly spectacular, or heart breaking, depending on your perspective.
Save of the Night
When Kari Lehtonen is on his game, he’s among the top goalies in the league and saves like this show why.
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