Top-5: Yaroslav Askarov gets his first NHL win

Yesterday was another nine-game weekend in the National Hockey League, with 18 teams in action.

Here’s what we’ve got to remember.

1. A first NHL victory for Yaroslav Askarov

Here’s a young goalie we’ve heard a lot about in recent years.

As soon as he was drafted in 2020, Askarov was seen as a very good future NHL goaltender.

Since then, the Russian goaltender has often been the subject of trade rumors, given the presence of an excellent goaltender in Nashville with the Predators, namely Juuse Saros.

Askarov was even talked about a lot in Montreal, as he was a goaltender of great interest to Marc Bergevin at the time.

What’s more, Askarov was offered to the Montreal Canadiens at the most recent draft in a trade that would have given the Predators the fifth overall pick.

All this to say that Askarov wasn’t always destined to stay with the Predators, but last night he got his first NHL win, and it was with the Preds.

First career win for Yaroslav Askarov.

Juuse Saros went and retrieved the puck for him pic.twitter.com/aLMcroFGXE

– Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) December 31, 2023

And for his first NHL win, the Russian goaltender didn’t just beat any team, he beat Alex Ovechkin’s team, the Washington Capitals.

He stopped both Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in shootouts.

Ovechkin got the better of Askarov earlier in the game with a classic goal.

2. Rangers reach 50-point plateau

The New York Rangers are one of the best teams in the NHL this season, if not the best.

They have a very balanced and powerful line-up, both offensively, defensively and in front of the net.

Yesterday, they reached the 50-point plateau this season with a fine 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

They are the first team to reach this plateau this season.

In this victory, the Rangers’ best player this season, Artemi Panarin, scored a hat trick.

Artemi Panarin got that bread three times tonight, earning his sixth career hat trick!

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/FfPOh9dwm8

– NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2023

That gives him 23 goals and 50 points, making him the third-highest scorer in the NHL, nine points behind fellow Russian Nikita Kucherov.

3. Michael Bunting scores on his return to Toronto

It’s always nice for a player to score a goal against his former team, especially when it happens on the first reunion with that team at their home ground.

Well, that’s exactly what Michael Bunting did last night, scoring on his return to Toronto.

Michael Bunting gets the first goal of the game in his return to Toronto pic.twitter.com/HgYkCAgyx7

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 31, 2023

Bunting wasn’t shy about celebrating, especially considering he’s from Toronto.

In short, the goal gave the Hurricanes the lead for good in a 3-2 victory.

4. Five unanswered goals for the Bruins against the Devils

Leading 2-0 in hockey is never a big lead, especially against one of the NHL’s top teams, the Boston Bruins.

After taking a 2-0 lead, the New Jersey Devils had to endure five unanswered Bruins goals, including two from David Pastrnak.

The Bruins won 5-2 and extended their record to 21-7-6.

5. Oilers win big game against Kings

After a horrendous start to the season, the Oilers are quietly making their way back up the standings, so every point is extremely important.

Last night, against one of the NHL’s top teams, the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers managed to secure both points with a 3-2 shootout victory.

The Oilers can thank the brilliance of Connor McDavid, who earned two points in his 600ᵉ career game.

Here are Connor McDavid’s incredible stats after 600 games.

Through 600 career games:

316 goals
581 assists
897 points

Connor McDavid(@cmcdavid97) is unreal. pic.twitter.com/hjsaiuRhe0

– NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2023

Getting back to the game, Leon Draisaitl was obviously the Oilers’ other scorer.

Overtime

– Here are all yesterday’s results.

– Here are yesterday’s top scorers.

– Today’s NHL schedule: nine games once again.