Matthew Knies scores his first career hat trick

We were treated to 12 games yesterday in the National Hockey League, while 24 teams were in action on Saturday, January 4.

In an evening where the Montreal Canadiens won against the Colorado Avalanche, several other highlights caught the attention.

Here is a summary.

1. A first career hat trick for Matthew Knies

We were treated to a classic clash last night, as two rival teams from the Atlantic Division faced off.

Indeed, the Boston Bruins visited the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big duel, which was ultimately won by the Maple Leafs by a score of 6 to 4.

It was an excellent hockey game, which was largely the work of the Maple Leafs’ top line, who scored 13 points in total.

The star of the evening was Matthew Knies, who scored his first career hat trick in addition to collecting two assists.

Knies is thriving this season, having already scored 14 goals and 24 points in 38 games.

2. The lights go out in the middle of a game in Seattle

In general, hockey is played with the lights on, right?

Well, yesterday, on the Seattle side, for a moment, all the lights in the amphitheater, the Climate Pledge Arena, went out right during the game.

All that was left was the light from the advertisements on the tapes, which is generated by television.

It made for a funny moment.

You have to believe that the presence of a legend like Marie-Philip Poulin had an effect on the entire arena.

She was in Seattle last night, and she was able to name the Kraken lines.

She therefore clearly no longer works for the CH.

As for the hockey match itself, the Kraken lost by a score of 4 to 2 against the Edmonton Oilers.

3. An 872ᵉ for Ovechkin

Since returning to the game, Alex Ovechkin has been unstoppable.

He came back as if he had never been away, and he is currently dominating, with four goals in five games since he returned.

He also scored his 872nd career goal last night, when he scored the winning goal in a 7-4 victory for the Washington Capitals against the New York Rangers.

With this goal, Ovechkin is only 23 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.

23 goals in 43 games is more than doable for number 8 of the Caps.

As for the Rangers, well, the slide continues, as they are currently five points out of the playoffs with a record of 17-20-1.

4. Sean Monahan has 15 points in his last eight games

The Columbus Blue Jackets are currently on fire in the NHL, and it’s mainly a matter of one line.

Indeed, Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko are simply dominant in each of their appearances, and this explains why they accumulate points so easily in the last matches.

If we take the case of Monahan only, well, the former Canadian has 15 points in his last eight games,

He also obtained three assists last night in a 6-4 victory for the Blue Jackets against the Saint-Louis Blues.

That now gives him 40 points in 40 games, while Monahan could safely be heading towards the best season of his career.

5. Joel Edmundson leaves the game after a very bad fall on the ice

We now head to another former CH, but this time, for less positive news, as Joel Edmundson was injured in a 2 to 1 victory for the Los Angeles Kings against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Indeed, Edmundson had to temporarily leave the match after falling heavily and dangerously on his head and neck.

It was a scary scene that ultimately ended well, as Edmundson came back into the match like a warrior.