St. Louis Blues forward Dalibor Dvorský scored a crucial goal in his team’s 2-1 overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks on Friday night. The win was part of a strong night for Slovak players in the NHL, with Martin Fehérváry and Šimon Nemec also contributing to their teams’ successes.
Dvorský Breaks the Deadlock
Dvorský found the back of the net at the 38-minute mark, opening the scoring for the Blues. According to NHL.com, the play developed after Dylan Holloway attempted a backhand shot that deflected off his stick directly to the waiting Dvorský, who fired a wrist shot past Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic for his 11th goal of the season.
The 20-year-old center was playing in a new role, centering the first line alongside Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud, filling in for the injured Robert Thomas. “I’m glad I got the trust from the coaches,” Dvorský told the Blues’ official website. “I tried to play my best and I’m glad we won.”
He added, “Holly and Snuggy are great players and it was really good playing with them. I like playing with everyone on our team, but today I had a role on the first line and it’s simple to play with them.” Dvorský was also matched up against the Sharks’ top line, featuring Macklin Celebrini, who leads San Jose in scoring with 96 points.
Dvorský described the goal itself, saying, “I was in the right place at the right time. Snuggy won the puck battle really well, I don’t know if it then bounced off Holly’s stick, but the puck came to me and I shot quickly. I’m glad it went in, it was good function from the whole line.”
The Sharks tied the game in the third period with a goal from Alexander Wennberg, but the Blues secured the win when Holloway scored three seconds into overtime. The Blues have now won three consecutive games and sit six points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Dvorský played over 18 minutes, registered a plus-one rating and recorded three shots on goal. Pavol Regenda was a healthy scratch for the Sharks.
Fehérváry Sets Up Ovechkin’s Record-Breaking Night
In Washington, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry recorded an assist on Alexander Ovechkin’s 26th-minute goal, which brought the score to 2-3. This assist proved pivotal as it sparked a comeback for the Capitals. Ovechkin went on to complete a hat trick, scoring three goals in the game and setting a new NHL record for most hat tricks against different teams with 34. He previously shared the record with Brett Hull, who had 20.
Ovechkin now has 926 career goals, continuing his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. The Capitals currently hold the 12th position in the Eastern Conference, six points behind a playoff berth.
Nemec Contributes to Devils’ Victory
Šimon Nemec also made his mark, earning an assist on Nico Hischier’s second goal for the New Jersey Devils in their 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Hischier scored twice in the game, with Nemec’s assist coming at the 30-minute mark.
Other Notable Results
Juraj Slafkovský also contributed to a win, as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1. Martin Pospíšil played for the Calgary Flames, but they fell to the Anaheim Ducks 2-3 in overtime. The Tampa Bay Lightning, featuring Erik Černák, lost to the Seattle Kraken 3-4 in overtime.
NHL Results – March 27
Montreal Canadiens – Columbus Blue Jackets 2:1 (1:1, 0:0, 1:0)
Goals: 10. Struble (Bolduc, Hutson), 45. Bolduc (Evans, Matheson) – 13. Severson (Jenner, Lundeström).
Goaltenders: Dobeš – Greaves, shots on goal: 20:26
St. Louis Blues – San Jose Sharks 2:1 OT (0:0, 1:0, 0:1 – 1:0)
Goals: 38. DVORSKÝ (Holloway, Snuggerud), 65. Holloway (Broberg) – 46. Wennberg (Eklund, Sherwood).
Goaltenders: Hofer – Askarov (30. Nedeljkovic), shots on goal: 23:25
Utah Mammoth – Washington Capitals 4:7 (3:1, 0:2, 1:4)
Goals: 14. Guenther (Keller, Sergačov), 17. Guenther (Keller, Sergačov), 20. Cooley (Schmaltz, Sergačov), 49. Weegar (Keller, Kerfoot) – 3. Mirošničenko (Lapierre, Chychrun), 26. Ovečkin (Sandin, FEHÉRVÁRY), 32. Ovečkin (Strome, van Riemsdyk), 43. Beauvillier (Hutson, McMichael), 47. Sandin (Beauvillier), 50. Mirošničenko (Chychrun), 60. Ovečkin (Strome)
Goaltenders: Vaněček (50. Vejmelka) – Thompson, shots on goal: 40:25
Nashville Predators – New Jersey Devils 2:4 (0:1, 2:1, 0:2)
Goals: 32. Schaefer (Svečkov, Hague), 33. Stamkos (Evangelista) – 19. Bratt (J. Hughes, Siegenthaler), 30. Hischier (Bratt, NEMEC), 55. Hischier (J. Hughes, Bratt), 60. Meier (Brown, Siegenthaler)
Goaltenders: Annunen – Markström, shots on goal: 18:30
Tampa Bay Lightning – Seattle Kraken 3:4 OT (1:2, 2:1, 0:0 – 0:1)
Goals: 18. Cirelli (Hagel, D’Astous), 26. Guentzel (Raddysh, D’Astous), 31. Perry (Guentzel, Kučerov) – 16. Montour (Gaudreau, Mølgaard), 19. Kakko (Stephenson, McMann), 24. McMann (Kakko, Larsson), 63. Montour (Wright, Catton)
Goaltenders: Vasilevskij – Grubauer, shots on goal: 33:19
Florida Panthers – Minnesota Wild 2:3 (0:0, 0:2, 2:1)
Goals: 41. Tkachuk (Forsling, Bennett), 59. Ekblad (Jones, Tkachuk) – 23. Foligno (Trenin, Petry), 39. Hartman, 60. Eriksson Ek (Faber)
Goaltenders: Tarasov – Wallstedt, shots on goal: 20:50.
New York Islanders – Dallas Stars 2:1 (1:0, 0:0, 1:1)
Goals: 5. Horvat (Heineman, Schaefer), 43. Ritchie (Schaefer, Pulock) – 58. Duchene (Benn, Harley)
Goaltenders: Sorokin – Oettinger, shots on goal: 25:27.
Philadelphia Flyers – Chicago Blackhawks 5:1 (2:0, 3:1, 0:0)
Goals: 1. Bump (Dvorak), 3. Couturier (Glendening), 26. Barkey (Zegras, Tippett), 33. Cates (Mičkov, Bump), 40. Dvorak (Tippett, Cates) – 32. Bedard (Frondell, Crevier)
Goaltenders: Ersson – Knight, shots on goal: 42:26.
Ottawa Senators – Pittsburgh Penguins 3:4 OT (1:1, 1:1, 1:1 – 0:0, 0:1)
Goals: 5. Batherson (Tkachuk, Stützle), 22. Cousins (Kleven, Ullmark), 44. Batherson (Stützle, Spence) – 14. Rakell (Karlsson), 24. Karlsson (Rakell, Kindel), 42. Rakell (Karlsson, Rust), OT Kindel
Goaltenders: Ullmark – Skinner, shots on goal: 29:38
Winnipeg Jets – Colorado Avalanche 2:3 (1:1, 0:0, 1:2)
Goals: 10. Scheifele (Connor, Morrissey), 50. Scheifele (Perfetti, Vilardi) – 18. Drury (Malinski, Kelly), 41. MacKinnon (Kadri, Nečas), 44. MacKinnon (Lehkonen, Landeskog).
Goaltenders: Hellebuyck – Blackwood, shots on goal: 24:35
Calgary Flames – Anaheim Ducks 2:3 OT (0:0, 1:1, 1:1 – 0:1)
Goals: 22. Coleman (Farabee, Määttä), 48. Gridin (Määttä, Coronato) – 24. Granlund, 57. Granlund (Carlsson, Carlson), 65. Granlund (Carlson, Gauthier)
Goaltenders: Cooley – Husso, shots on goal: 25:33
Vegas Golden Knights – Edmonton Oilers 3:4 OT (0:1, 2:2, 1:0 – 0:1)
Goals: 25. Stone (Eichel, Barbašov), 35. Stone, 47. Barbašov (Dorofejev, Theodore) – 12. Savoie (McDavid, Bouchard), 28. McDavid (Podkolzin, Ekholm), 37. Hyman, 64. Bouchard (McDavid)
Goaltenders: Hill – Ingram, shots on goal: 29:29
Vancouver Canucks – Los Angeles Kings 0:4 (0:1, 0:2, 0:1)
Goals: 18. Laughton (Byfield, Moore), 22. Moore (Anderson, Laferriere), 40. Panarin (Kempe), 58. Byfield (Anderson, Doughty)
Goaltenders: Lankinen – Kuemper, shots on goal: 19:38
The NHL season continues on Saturday with a full slate of games. Stay tuned to Archysport for continued coverage and analysis.
