Best and Worst of the Week: Marchand claims more victims, Benn gets creative

In case you missed out on any of the action, here’s your weekly roundup of what’s hot and what’s not around the NHL.

Best Goal

Matthew Tkachuk tops the charts with a between-the-legs top cheese tally, like it’s nothing. The 22-year-old has 19 goals and 48 points on the season.

Tastiest Dish

It’s physically painful to heap praise on Brad Marchand, but there’s not much you can do when he does stuff like this — it’s simply a work of art. Jeff Petry can never show his face in Boston again after being turned inside out on this play.

He wasn’t done there. Marchand had another incredible set up to Pasta a few nights later, albeit against the Red Wings. After a five-apple week, Marchand is now up to 51 assists to go with 23 goals on the season.

Best Save

Craig Anderson brings back nostalgia for the good ol’ days with this gutsy poke-check, stacked-pad, glove save on a Zach Hyman breakaway. Anderson has a 3.19 GAA and .902 save percentage on a pretty rough Senators team this season.

Best Individual Performance

Elite goalscorer Zach Sanford had himself a nice little four-goal evening against the Golden Knights on Thursday. Sanford had nine goals on the year coming into the game, which was already a career high.

Zach’s father Michael passed away in 2018, and this game was played during the Blues’ annual Dad’s Trip. After the game Zach talked about the sentimental career moment. “I think my dad helped me out a little bit there."

Luckiest Fan

In one of the stranger moments this season, a scuffle between Antoine Roussel and Jarred Tinordi resulted in one lucky fan landing a free stick after it was launched into the crowd. He celebrated with a glorious beer chug, like one should.

Best Galaxy Brain Moment

Why forecheck around the net, when you can forecheck through the net? (*Jamie Benn, probably*)

No one is quite sure if this play is legal or not.

Benn’s reasoning? “Just out there having fun, playing a great game of hockey. I knew we needed to touch the puck so thought I’d try and get creative.”

Biggest Miss

The opening of an NHL net is 72 inches wide by 48 inches tall, and Johnson juuuuuust missed this one. It’s oh so tempting to rip one top cheese, but sometimes a nice little tap-in works just as well. They’re all just goals on the scoresheet in the end.

“You Can’t Do That” Moment

Seriously, what was Zack Kassian thinking? This dangerous play landed the Oilers winger a seven-game suspension, which could have been much more considering his track record. Kassian said the kick was “reactionary” and declined his an in-person meeting with NHL player safety.

Tough Guy Moment

Yikes. If you are easily squeamish, skip this section.

In an awkward tangle up, Brendan Perlini caught a skate to the face and literally almost lost his nose.

The resulting photo evidence puts a pit in your stomach. This was inches away from a potentially career ending disaster. Twenty three stitches later, Perlini was back in the lineup after missing only one game.

Perlini, confirmed hockey dude.

Best Feel Good Moment

Two icons were immortalized in Vancouver this week with the celebration of Daniel and Henrik Sedin’s careers. Their sweaters were retired to the rafters in a star-studded event, honouring their 17-season career with the club. The twins shaped the culture and legacy of the Canucks on and off the ice and were rightfully celebrated in a heartfelt week-long celebration.

Prayers Up Moment

The hockey community came together this week to send their thoughts to St. Louis Blues defenceman Jay Bouwmeester after he collapsed on the bench and required the use of a defibrillator due to a cardiac episode. It was later announced that Bouwmeester underwent a procedure for an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) and still remains in the care of doctors at Anaheim at UC Irvine Medical Center.

We’re all thinking about you, J-Bo.

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