TORONTO – SPORTS – Jason Spezza scored a first hat trick his first three goal game in almost five years to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 7-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
“No hats tonight, but I got a water shower walking into the room, the guys got me good,” Spezza said after the gam. “It was a nice night, the puck was following me, and I haven’t had too many of those nights the past couple of years. Even more than getting the hat trick, it makes me proud to see how happy the guys were for me. Those are moments you never forget.”
Spezza scored his third goal to put Toronto ahead 6-2 at 4:34 of the third period when he cut around Alexander Edler in the left circle and tucked in a shot past Thatcher Demko’s outstretched left pad. It was his eighth NHL hat trick, and first since April 9, 2016, when he played for the Dallas Stars.
MONTREAL – SPORTS – Tim Stutzle scored making it a goal in each of the past three games. Stutzle also assisted on two goals, his first two NHL assists, to lead the Ottawa Senators to their first win in 10 games for a 3-2 victory against the powerful Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist.
Thunder Bay’s Matt Murray made 36 saves backstopping the Senators (2-8-1),
“I think everybody worked so hard for that today,” Stutzle commented after the game. “And everybody really wanted to win tonight against a very, very good team and first in our division. So it was a very important game today, and everybody played a great game.”
“I came into this game wanting to get a win and get off this skid we were on,” said Matt Murray. “I just felt like as a team, the way these games have been going for us, it’s really frustrating and it’s not a lack of effort. We’re trying our best every night. It just seemed like we were fighting against everything. It felt good to get off that streak, and this will propel us in the right direction.”
WINNIPEG – SPORTS – Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Winnipeg Jets to lead the team to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames Thursday.
This was was Hellebuyck’s 153rd win. It means he passing Ondrej Pavelec for most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history.
“[The record] means a lot,” says Hellebuyck. “I care a lot about this organization, they’ve given me my shot, and I care about the guys in front of me. It’s a testament to all the guys that I’ve played with. We just keep racking up wins, and it’s really exciting and I’m really glad I get to share it with these guys. A lot of guys have been with me from the beginning, and I’m looking forward to the future now.”
