Daily Nuggets: Theodore, Pietrangelo Updates; Torts Strikes Again

Good morning everyone. And it is a good morning– your Vegas Golden Knights are on a four-game win streak. Over that stretch of games, the Golden Knights have recorded three hat tricks– three hat tricks in four games!– and outscored their opponents 20-7. Remember last month when they were struggling offensively? Ain’t it funny how the night moves.

Shea Theodore was activated off Injured Reserve before Tuesday’s game. He skated in his 500th game as a Golden Knight– his first NHL game since February 8th. On the other hand, Alex Pietrangelo was a late scratch; he’s on the injury report now.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, Alex Ovechkin continues his quest for greatness. He’s scoring at an unfathomable rate for his age— 36 goals in 55 games would have put him on pace for 53 had he been fully healthy this season. And he’s 39! Before this season, I said it would take Ovechkin two more years to break Gretzky’s goal record— consider this my formal apology.

Other things happened on Tuesday, of course. The Washington Capitals signed Jakob Chychrun to a hefty extension. They then lost to the Winnipeg Jets, and the Jets became the second team to clinch a playoff berth. In Philadelphia, Flyers coach John Tortorella struck again with an all-time quote.

Let’s get into it.

Golden Knights News

The Golden Knights dominated the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday for their 43rd win of the season. Jack Eichel recorded his fifth career hat trick, and Mark Stone hit a significant career milestone. The final score was 5-1, and the Golden Knights have won four in a row.

Before the game, the Golden Knights announced that they’d activated defenseman Shea Theodore from Injured Reserve. He became the fourth player to hit 500 games as a Golden Knight. Theodore recorded an assist and logged 20:08 of ice time.

Time for bad news, good news. Here’s the bad news– Alex Pietrangelo was a late scratch against the Wild and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Now for the good news– head coach Bruce Cassidy said he didn’t anticipate the injury to be a long-term issue after the game.

The Golden Knights secured two points in the standings on Tuesday. Unfortunately for them, so did the Los Angeles Kings, who defeated the New York Rangers. The Kings are now two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and five points behind the Golden Knights with a game in hand.

The Athletic ($): There’s less than a month remaining in the regular season, so it’s time to start thinking about the NHL Awards. Dom Luszczyszyn lists his top ten finalists for every major award– and yes, the Golden Knights have a few candidates.

Golden Knights History: On March 26th, 2018, the Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth in their first season.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Two teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and they could be joined by another as soon as Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets joined the Washington Capitals as the second team to clinch a playoff berth. They’re the first team in the Western Conference to do so.

Sportsnet: On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Washington Capitals, their rival for the President’s Trophy. Unfortunately for Connor Hellebuyck, they couldn’t slow Alex Ovechkin or his quest for greatness. Ovi scored his 889th career goal; he’s just six shy of claiming Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

PuckPedia: The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year, $72 million contract extension. I’ve been on a steady diet of humble pie recently, so I won’t give my opinion on this deal.

The Athletic ($): Are you, like me, still baffled at how the year went for the Nashville Predators? If so, you’ve gotta read this– Barry Trotz speaks on why he thinks the Predators were such a disappointment this season.

Philly Hockey Now: Another day, another memorable John Tortorella quote. After an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, instead of ripping into his team, Torts blamed himself… and potentially announced his retirement. 

Chicago Hockey Now: Adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly– Jason Dickinson won’t play again this season.

NHL History: On March 26th, 1986, Minnesota North Stars center Neal Broten became the first US-born player to reach 100 points in a single season.

NHL History: Alex Ovechkin has nearly completed his quest of surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s goal total. Let’s look back at his journey to get here. On March 26th, 2019, Ovi scored goal 656 of his career, tying Brendan Shanahan for 13th on the all-time goal list.