Elias Petterson back on track
Merry Christmas, hockey fans!
The NHL may be on pause as the players head home for the holidays, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of action to keep tabs on over the last week. Here’s the very best, and worst, of everything in an (abbreviated) week of hockey action.
Goal of the week
In honour of the World Juniors coming right around the corner, Jordan Eberle turned back the clock with this beauty of a goal against the Winnipeg Jets. The oft under-utilized but always beautiful spin-o-rama backhand beats David Rittich over the shoulder on an absolute snipe.
Don’t look now, but Eberle has come on in a big way this year with the Kraken. After posting just 44 points in 79 contests last season, the Regina native has bounced back in a big way, with 25 points in 32 games this season.
Save of the week
Whoever in the Capitals front office insisted on picking up Charlie Lindgren in free agency this year deserves a hearty raise. In the wake of an upper-body injury to Darcy Kuemper, Lindgren has come on like a house on fire in December, posting a pristine 8-1 record in games started this month with a .927 save percentage. Lindgren put an exclamation mark on his stellar play in the Caps final game ahead of the break against the Winnipeg Jets, when he made this stellar shorthanded stop on Adam Lowry.
Player of the week
The bright spots have been few and far between during a forgettable start to the Vancouver Canucks’ season, however, the emergence of Elias Pettersson has certainly been a joy to watch. The 23-year-old put together a career night against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, scoring two goals and adding three assists. Then, after neither team had claimed victory following a fast-paced 3-on-3 OT, it was none other than Pettersson himself that notched the shootout winner. Canucks fans are surely thrilled to have another…
