Tuesday's hockey: MSU freshman earns Big Ten honors; Oilers win 11th straight
Michigan State freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov was named the Big Ten's Second Star of the Week.
Ranked No. 2 in Central Scouting's midterm rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, the 17-year-old native of Zhlobin, Belarus, helped the Spartans to a road sweep at Penn State last weekend. He posted five points, including a goal and three assists in the Saturday victory.
Michigan's Gavin Brindley was selected Big Ten's First Star of the Week. He scored five goals and added two assists for seven points as Michigan swept Stonehill.
Levshunov averages more than a point per game (6-18-24), is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in points and is one of just two players with a four-point game in Big Ten play this season.
He is second nationally in scoring among freshmen defenseman, behind only Zeev Buium from Denver (5-22-27) and has points in 16 of 22 Spartan games.
Levshunov has also posted six multiple-point efforts this year, which is tied for the third-highest total among Big Ten players. His team-best +22 is the best of any player in the country.
The youngest player in the Big Ten and the third-youngest player in college hockey this year, he's MSU's top-scoring freshman defenseman since current Red Wings blueliner Jeff Petry had a 3-21-24 scoring line in the 2009-10 season.
MSU's record for points by a freshman defenseman is 37, shared by Jason Wooley (1988-89) and Pat Betterly (1974-75).
The Spartans will face archrival Michigan in a home-and-home series this weekend. The teams will play Friday at Munn Ice Arena at 7 p.m., and then on Saturday in Ann Arbor at 7 p.m.
Tuesday's NHL games
(At) N.Y. Rangers 5, Seattle 2: Blake Wheeler had two goals and Kaapo Kakko scored in his second game back from a long injury absence for the Rangers.
Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves as the Rangers won their second straight after four consecutive losses. Vincent Trocheck and Erik Gustafsson scored in the first period for New York.
Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann had the goals for Seattle, which has dropped two in a row following a nine-game winning streak.
(At) Dallas 5, L.A. Kings 1: Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski each scored his 18th goal this season to share the team lead, and Jake Oettinger won a matchup of Western Conference All-Star goaltenders as Dallas pulled away from Los Angeles.
Dallas got three goals in the first 10 minutes of the third period to take complete control. Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov each had a goal and an assist, and Sam Steel scored short-handed for the Stars, who are 4-1-0 in their last five games. Jason Robertson added two assists.
Veteran defenseman Drew Doughty scored his 150th career goal for the Kings, who finished a six-game trip by splitting a back-to-back. They won at Carolina on Monday night to end an eight-game skid (0-4-4).
(At) Edmonton 4, Toronto 2: Ryan McLeod had a goal and an assist as Edmonton rallied past slumping Toronto for its franchise-record 11th consecutive victory.
Leon Draisaitl, Derek Ryan and Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers (24-15-1), who erased a 2-0 deficit to improve to 19-3-0 in their last 22 games. Stuart Skinner made 25 saves, and Connor McDavid picked up an assist to extend his point streak to 11 games.
Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly scored for the Maple Leafs (21-13-8), who have lost four straight. Matthews got his NHL-leading 34th goal just 27 seconds in.
(At) Chicago 2, San Jose 1 (SO): Boris Katchouk scored in the ninth round of a shootout and Petr Mrazek made the clinching save on Filip Zadina to lift Chicago over San Jose.
Chicago broke a three-game losing streak in the matchup between the NHL’s two worst teams, sending San Jose to its third straight defeat and 15th in 16 games.
Cole Guttman scored in regulation for the Blackhawks, and Mrazek stopped 37 shots. Ryan Carpenter scored for the Sharks, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves.
(At) Calgary 3, Arizona 2 (OT): Yegor Sharangovich scored a power-play goal late in overtime to complete Calgary's comeback against Arizona.
Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames, who won their fourth in a row. Dan Vladar made 25 saves.
Sean Durzi had a goal and assist and Logan Cooley also scored for the Coyotes. Connor Ingram stopped 27 shots.
(At) Winnipeg 4, N.Y. Islanders 2: Kyle Connor (Michigan) scored into an empty net after a 16-game absence and Mason Appleton snapped a 25-game goal drought to help Winnipeg get back to its winning ways with a victory over New York.
Gabriel Vilardi and Neal Pionk also scored for the Jets, who had an eight-game win streak and 14-game point run halted Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia. Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce Township) made 35 saves for Winnipeg.
Anders Lee scored twice and Ilya Sorokin stopped 40 shots for the Islanders, who are 1-5-0 in their last six games and 2-5-1 during January.
Winnipeg has allowed three or fewer goals in a franchise-record 33 consecutive games. The NHL mark in the modern era (since 1967) is 35 by the Minnesota Wild in 2014-15. The Jets have also given up two or fewer goals in a club-record 13 straight games.
(At) Washingon 2, Anaheim 0: Ethan Bear scored his first NHL goal in almost a year, Darcy Kuemper stopped all 24 shots he faced and Washington blanked Anaheim.
Tom Wilson, wearing a full face shield to protect his broken nose, sealed Washington’s third win in five games with an empty-net goal with 57.6 seconds remaining. The Capitals are staying afloat despite being without captain Alex Ovechkin, who has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury.
John Gibson made 26 saves for the rebuilding Ducks, who have lost eight of 10.
Colorado 7, (at) Ottawa 4: Mikko Rantanen scored twice and Colorado closed with four unanswered goals in the third period to beat Ottawa.
Trailing 4-3 to start the third, Colorado tied it on a goal by Miles Wood. Sam Malinski gave the Avalanche the lead with a power-play goal at the eight-minute mark. Logan O’Connor provided insurance with a late goal, and Devon Toews added an empty-netter.
Ridly Greig had two goals for the Senators, and Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson also scored. Mads Sogaard, also making his season debut in net, stopped 27 shots.
PWHL: Poulin scores winner for Montreal
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored the winning goal as Montreal edged New York 3-2 for its first win on home ice Tuesday night in Laval, Quebec.
Poulin received a pinpoint pass from Maureen Murphy on the backhand and tipped home her fourth of the season at 13:46 of the third period as the crowd erupted.
Michigan-area hockey this week
Wednesday
▶ Red Wings at Florida, 7 (BSD/97.1)
Friday
▶ Red Wings at Carolina, 7 (BSD/97.1)
▶ Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Michigan at Michigan State, 7 (Big Ten+/1240)
▶ University of Minnesota Duluth at Western Michigan, 7
▶ St. Thomas at Northern Michigan, 7
▶ Bermidji State at Michigan Tech, 7
▶ Lake Superior State at Ferris State, 7
Saturday
▶ Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 7 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Michigan State at Michigan, 7 (Big Ten+/1240)
▶ University of Minnesota Duluth at Western Michigan, 6
▶ St. Thomas at Northern Michigan, 6
▶ Bermidji State at Michigan Tech, 6
▶ Ferris State at Lake Superior State, 6
Sunday
▶ Tampa Bay at Red Wings, 5 (BSD/950)