Oh, it’s tough to believe that the NHL has already steamrolled its way into February. Yeah, it’s still cold out if you live anywhere near the northern states or Canada, but the days are longer and there’s a sense of hope in the air.
Well, hope, I guess, if your favorite hockey team is looking like they’re in good shape for a playoff run. Anyway, with any new month comes a slew of burning questions, and I’m raring to ask three of them.
Okay, maybe three after I ask this one: Which teams will be grateful for the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and who’d rather keep playing and keep building momentum? Yeah, that’s one I’ll have to answer at some point. But first, let’s talk about the three that I asked myself mere seconds before penning this article.
How many more goals will Alex Ovechkin score as he chases Gretzky?
As of February 2nd, Alex Ovechkin has 877 career goals, and is just 17 away from tying the great Wayne Gretzky’s record and 18 from breaking it. Ovechkin has 24 goals in 36 contests, meaning he’s finding the net in two out of every three games.
Whether that pace continues remains a mystery, but if it does, he’ll score another four or five goals before the season is up. That will put Ovechkin between 28 and 29 goals on the year, putting him between 13 and 14 away from holding the record for himself.
It doesn’t matter if one is a Capitals fan or not. Watching Ovechkin chase greatness is a treat for any NHL fan. It’s not often you get to see something like this unfold, especially when it has to do with the greatest hockey player of all time’s record at stake.
Did the Avalanche finally land an efficient goaltender?
The Colorado Avalanche’s goaltenders were just awful earlier in the season, but since MacKenzie Blackwood made his way to Denver, the Avs have been relevant in the net again. He recently posted back-to-back shutouts, and for Avs fans, his presence has made a monstrous difference since the organization acquired him and moved Alexandar Georgiev.
Blackwood snagged his third shutout of the season and second with the Avalanche on Sunday. Before yesterday’s game, Blackwood already had a 0.921 save percentage, a 2.15 GAA, and a 0.706 quality starts percentage with Colorado, and he also didn’t look half-bad minding the net for a poor San Jose Sharks team before he arrived in Denver.
While we probably won’t know whether the Avs landed an efficient goaltender by the time February 28th arrives, chances are, we’ll be closer to that answer. Another burning question is whether he’ll stay consistent in the second month of the calendar year.
Will the Sabres finally win more than three straight games?
In case you missed it, the Sabres once again embarked on a three-game winning streak with a much-needed victory over the New Jersey Devils. This is the fifth time this season we’ve seen the Blue and Gold snag three in a row, but it’s been an eon since they’ve won four straight.
Their next game will come on February 4th at home vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that’s excelled this season considering the circumstances they found themselves under. But even if the Sabres don’t end up taking their fourth win in a row vs. Columbus, their upcoming schedule looks promising.
They’ll play one more game before the 4 Nations break against the Nashville Predators before returning home following the pause vs. the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, and Carolina Hurricanes. All they would need, in that situation, is to win the winnable games and come up with a little luck against Carolina. Can’t be that hard, right?