“You don’t want to be or say that you were stressed, but we knew we had to win one game and we felt confident about that tonight,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson had four assists for the third time in his career and first time this season, reaching the 50-point mark for the third consecutive season.
Hertl’s goal was his first since being acquired from San Jose on March 8.
“It was just a great feeling,” Hertl said. “I’m more happy about being able to clinch the playoffs today, but I feel very good to score the first one in the building because it’s a lot of fun to play here.”
Marat Khusnutdinov and Ryan Hartman scored for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury had a rough night facing his former team, allowing all seven goals on 30 shots, the most he has given up since Dallas scored eight on him on Nov. 12. Still arguably the most popular player in the club’s short history, the crowd even chanted his name several times in the third period.
The Golden Knights scored three goals on special teams, including two on power plays for the third time in five games.
On his very first shift in the NHL, Matt Rempe dropped the gloves and fought veteran Matt Martin. Since then, he has taken photos with adoring fans at a Cheesecake Factory and has had his name printed on custom T-shirts and chanted at Madison Square Garden, whether he is in the game or not. Rempemania is in full bloom for the New York Rangers and their 6-foot-8, 241-pound rookie, who has become something of a hero. This is almost solely due to his five fights in his first two months on the job,
The Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Windsor Spitfires have selected Oakville, Ont.’s Ethan Belchetz first overall in the league’s 2024 draft.The pick was announced during a Thursday noon-hour news conference at the team’s arena, the WFCU Centre.Belchetz is a 6’5″, 230 pound forward who played this past season for the U16 Oakville Rangers. The 16-year-old finished with 84 points in 34 regular season games, and another 11 points in seven games during the recent OHL Cup, according to Elite Prospects.
