Top-5: Connor McDavid is ejected from the game for a violent double-check to the face.

Only two teams in the entire National Hockey League had a break yesterday, as fans were treated to a huge Saturday of hockey.

Each of the games had its share of highlights and significant events, but some stood out more than others.

Here is the compilation.

1. Connor McDavid delivers a vicious hit to Connor Garland’s face

In a 3-2 loss for the Vancouver Canucks last night against the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid crossed the line.

Indeed, the Oilers captain delivered a violent cross-check to Connor Garland’s face in the final minute of play, resulting in a match penalty, and he was ejected from the game.

This is a very vicious act from McDavid, and seriously, he truly deserves to be suspended.

It will be closely monitored today.

It is also worth noting that in the victory, Quinn Hughes reached the 50-point plateau, making him the first defenseman since Paul Coffey to achieve this feat in back-to-back seasons in just 41 games.

It’s quite funny that he joins Paul Coffey in a statistic while facing the Oilers.

2. Former Habs propel the Avalanche to victory

The Colorado Avalanche can really say a huge thank you to the Montreal Canadiens last night for their 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Why?

Because it is credited to Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin, as both former Habs earned the game’s two stars.

Lehkonen scored four points, including two goals, while Drouin tallied three points, including one goal.

Drouin first assisted Lehkonen.

And a few minutes later, Lehkonen returned the favor to Drouin on his 100th career goal.

Despite the fact that both former Habs have missed many games due to injuries, they are two very important elements in the Avalanche’s success.

Lehkonen now has 26 points, including 17 goals in 35 games, while Drouin has 14 points, including four goals in 14 games.

3. First goal in 28 games for Andrei Kuzmenko

After scoring 39 goals and 74 points in his rookie season in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, Andrei Kuzmenko simply is not the same anymore.

He was unable to produce at that rate last season, which led to a trade to the Calgary Flames, and despite a good start with the Flames in 2023-2024, this season has been extremely difficult for the Russian winger.

The proof is that last night, in a solid 3-1 victory for the Flames over the Winnipeg Jets, Kuzmenko scored his first goal in 28 games this season.

He netted his second goal of the season, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Hopefully, this will restore Kuzmenko’s confidence, who has only 11 points in 33 games this season.

4. Nikita Kucherov scores a beautiful goal

In a 5-1 victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Detroit Red Wings, Nikita Kucherov obviously stood out with a three-point performance.

The Lightning star forward also scored a stunning goal in this game, as he weaved through Detroit’s defense as if it was nothing.

5. Three fights in the same match in Nashville

We witnessed quite an intense game last night between the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild.

In fact, there were three fights (yes, yes, three) in this completely wild game won by the Preds 6-2.

What’s even crazier is that all three fights occurred in the first period, specifically within the first seven minutes.

The third fight broke out right after David Jiricek scored his first goal with the Wild.

Here are the three fights in one video.

In Brief

– Three assists yesterday for Kaapo Kakko. He now has 13 points in 14 games since joining Seattle.

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the schedule today in the NHL: three games.

(Credit: Google/NHL)