Mathieu Perreault enjoys scoring in bunches, Josh Ho-Sang is too good for the American Hockey League, and no matter how big the storyline, Gritty will find a way.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL Tuesday night.
Mathieu Perreault’s got a knack for multi-goal stretches
When Perreault scores, he tends to in bunches. The five-foot-10 Winnipeg Jets winger picked up his eighth goal of the season Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, but perhaps more notably, scored for the fifth time in five games.
SQUARED UP!
: Mathieu Perreault
: Bryan Little
: Josh Morrissey1-1 | #GoJetsGo | #WPGvsLAK pic.twitter.com/ZWSAXLmCGh
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 19, 2018
“Right now, I’m just riding the wave,” Perreault said before the game. “It’s been that way for my entire career, really. I’ve been a streaky player, not that my game gets any different, but sometimes the bounces go your way and right now that’s what has happened. Obviously, it gives you more confidence when the pucks are going in … you feel like the net’s a little bigger.”
As Jets fans can remember, Perreault has been a streaky scorer pretty much his entire career. In his first 47 games for the Jets last season, Perreault had 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists), but then went cold. In his last 23 games, he had just one goal and one assist.
Ho-Sang making a case to remain with the New York Islanders
It’s fair to assume Joshua Ho-Sang does not want to be making the trip back to Bridgeport in the American Hockey League this season.
Although a very small sample size, the 22-year-old Ho-Sang’s underlying possession numbers have been ridiculous in his first NHL stint with the Islanders this year. In his first two games this season, the dynamic skater had a 63.4 Corsi-For percentage and a 66.7 Fenwick-For percentage — which would by far lead the Islanders in both categories.
And in his third game, Ho-Sang, who’s not necessarily known for his shot, did this.
.@66jhosang pickin' corners from the corner. #NYIvsARI pic.twitter.com/qudu5VKotU
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 19, 2018
Don’t expect the Toronto native to be taking any bus trips down to Bridgeport any time soon.
Carter Hart’s first NHL win still can’t outshine Gritty
Twenty-year-old Carter Hart kicked aside 20 saves in his debut to help the Philadelphia Flyers win their first game under interm head coach Scott Gordon.
The rookie became the fifth-youngest goaltender since 1996-97 to win his first NHL start, and became the youngest Flyers goalie to win in his NHL debut.
The only real blunder in Hart’s first career win was that his moment was slightly overshadowed by Flyers mascot Gritty, who undoubtedly stole the highlight of the night in this one — sorry, Claude Giroux.
Sam Reinhart is the real deal
With two assists in Buffalo’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, Sam Reinhart extended his point streak to 11 games, matching Jack Eichel for the longest as a Sabre since 2010-11.
With the spotlight off of the 2014 second-overall pick, Reinhart has been able to quietly flourish on the right wing alongside Eichel and Jeff Skinner, generating 34 points (eight goals, 26 assists) in 35 games this season.
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