After not getting on the score sheet in the past four games, New Jersey Devils winger Ilya Kovalchuk got back to his ways on Tuesday night scoring a goal and adding three assists. After being shut-out by the lowly St.Louis Blues on Saturday the Devils made sure there was no repeat against an even lowlier Columbus Blue Jackets scoring six goals for the third time this season.
Three of those six came on the power-play, something the Devils have struggled mightily with all season, the third came courtesy of Kovalchuk who beat Steve Mason glove side for this 17th goal of the year and sixth as a Devil 12:32 in the second period to give the team a 3-1 lead.
He would add assists on both of Travis Zajac’s goals which came quickly thereafter in the period. Kovalchuk’s most productive game as a Devil coincidentally came after the birth of his third child, Artem, who Kovy flew to be with in Florida on Sunday morning before returning at midnight.
Kovalchuk now has 37 goals and 37 assists on the season 6 and 10 respectively with the Devils. Below is Kovalchuk’s goal courtesy of the NHL and NHL.com
On Friday night Alexander Ovechkin recorded five points against the Toronto Maple Leafs to lead the Washington Capitals to a 6-1 victory. Captain Ovechkin would need just 49 seconds to get started beating Vesa Toskala glove side for his 29th goal of the season.
Ovechkin would add an assist on the next four goals for a career-high. All four would be primary assists as the Capitals most exciting player could not be stopped. Ovechkin now has a point in each of the Caps’ last five games and jumped into second place behind Henrik Sedin for tops in the NHL with 62.
Below is the goal couresty as always of the NHL and NHL.com
After failing to score in 16 games before recording a hat-trick against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 12th, Alexei Kovalev snapped his latest goal drought, this one for ten games, by netting four goals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night.
Kovalev, who also added an assist, got on the board twice in the first period and then again in the third. He would score on both Michael Leighton and then Brian Boucher who came in relief. Kovalev became just the fifth Senator in team history with a four-goal game. Kovalev now has 12 career hat-tricks. Below are all four goals courtesy of the NHL and NHL.com
On Wednesday night with Team Russia GM Vladislav Tretiak in attendance Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin recorded his fourth career hat-trick again the Ottawa Senators.
Malkin became the second Russian this season to record a hat-trick after Alexei Kovalev of the Senators recorded one two weeks ago.
Malkin had only two goals in his previous 10 games and was held off the score sheet in each of his past two but had his first multiple-goal regular-season game since March 17 against Atlanta.
His performance will most likely be noted by Tretiak who probably has Malkin on his roster already seeing how he is the leagues reigning Conn Smyth winner.
Each goal came per period two of which were assisted by Sidney Crosby. This is Malkin’s second COTN nod of the season. Below are all three of Geno’s goals courtesy of the NHL and NHL.com
On Saturday night, Andrei Markov returned to the Montreal Canadiens line-up after being out for two months against the New York Islanders beating a 3-4 month prognosis. Markov wasted no time showing his worth by netting two power-play goals en route to a 3-0 win.
Markov got on the board early in the first period for his first goal of the year and would later tally once again on the man advantage midway through the second. He finished with over 20 minutes of ice-time and his return will mean both Montreal’s and Team Russia’s blue-lines can now fire on all cylinders.
Congratulations to Andrei on his return and his first-time COTN nod.
Below are both of Markov’s goals courtesy as always of the NHL and NHL.com
On Saturday night in Ottawa Alexei Kovalev became just the 82nd player in NHL history to reach the 400 career goal plateau. Kovalev notched three goals on the night against the lowly Carolina Hurricanes halting a 16 game skid without finding the back of the net in the process.
Kovalev got the Sens on the board in the first period redirecting Nick Folignos pass behind Manny Legace. Career goal 400 came with the score tied 2-2 in the second period with Kovalev’s shot deflecting off Carolina defenseman Jay Harrison’s skate.
He would add an empty-net goal to cap off his hat-trick and sealing the victory for the senators. Kovalev became the first Russian to record a hat-trick this year, his last one came in 2003 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Congrats to Alexei on his achievement and as always his comrade of the night nod.
Below are all three of Kovalev’s goals all courtesy always of the NHL and NHL.com
On a night when Alexander Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals line-up following his first career suspension, keeper Semyon Varlamov posted his second shutout of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Varly stopped all 26 shots to improve his record to 12-1-2 as the 21-year-old Samara native propelled the Caps over their division rivals for the 12th consecutive time. If he hopes of cracking the Russian Olympic squad in February, Varlamov has some ground to make up to catch Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov who have 16 and 17 wins respectively.
Congrats to Varly for his first COTN nod this year. Here are his two best saves of the night courtesy as always of the NHL and NHL.com
Tuesday night marked the return of Alexander Ovechkin who spent the last two weeks nursing an upper body injury. His return came at the scene where the Washington Capitals had great success in last years playoffs against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. Ovechkin wasted no time familiarizing himself with the score sheet and tallied his 15th goal of the year.
His return gave the Caps an offensive boost which was used for the 4-2 win. He didn’t do too much but we sure are glad he’s back. Congratulations to Ovie for his COTN nomination. Below is his goal courtesy as always by the NHL and NHL.com
There aren’t too many good ways to slow down the NHL’s leading point man from a season ago. But already twice in the young 2009-10 season, Evgeni Malkin has been held off the scoresheet. However, there’s nothing like an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes to get him going again.
As we all remember, Malkin registered nine points in the first three games of a series to remember with the Canes, including an epic hat-trick in Game Two at the Mellon Arena.
Although Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice had all summer to figure out how to stop the Conn Smythe recipient, they apparently had very little success. No. 71 bamboozled the Carolina defense for most of the evening, leading the Penguins to their fifth straight road victory.
When it looked as if the Carolina was finally gathering some momentum, Malkin brought the puck up the ice and feathered a pass to fourth-line winger Mike Rupp. Rupp then broke in alone, scoring his first of the season and first in a Penguin uniform.
But he scored another signature goal in the second period. On a give-and-go with Pascal Dupuis, Malkin rifled a shot top-shelf on Cam Ward from an acute angle leaving Ward to wonder what he has to to stop the man from the Magnetic Mountain.
Congratulations, Evgeni! You are the Comrade of the Night!
A newcomer to the Comrade of the Night, Sergei Konkov makes his debut in style. Konkov, a winger that usually sees around 13-15 minutes of ice time per night, had only scored one goal in 13 games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
That changed rather quickly. Facing Vityaz Chekhov on the road, Yaroslavl scored three times in the opening 10 minutes. Former Florida Panthers center Josef Vasicek  had two of those, and the second one chased Chekhov netminder Sergei Khoroshun.
However, the 3rd period was where Konkov went to work.
He scored his first of the night eight minutes into the period, beating young replacement goalie Sergei Gavrilov. Four minutes later, he added another one. But he wasn’t done yet, and he completed the hat-trick at the horn. The scoring spree capped off an 8-1 victory for Lokomotiv, easily their most decisive win of the season.
Three shots, three goals for the 27-year-old from Moscow. All in a good night’s work. Congratulations to Comrade Konkov!
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
(Courtesy of Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
(Courtesy of The Hockey News)
(Courtesy of The Canadian Press/Pawel Dwulit) 
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(Courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) 
