Hockey Things: What Caught Our Eye (March 27)
Jack Hughes scores his 40th goal in style, the Ducks' social media shows how hard it is to stop shots from NHLers, and Ryan Fanti's eventful March continues.
Milestones were reached and goalies returned to the headlines again as we head toward the end of March. Here are three more eye-catching stories in hockey to start the week.
Jack Hughes Hits the 40-Goal Mark In Style
The New Jersey Devils becoming one of the NHL's most exciting teams to follow has been a great 2022-23 season storyline. A team that's exceeded expectations also boasts a 40-goal scorer, with Jack Hughes reaching the mark this past weekend against Ottawa. It's the first time since Zach Parise in 2008-09 that the Devils had a player light the lamp 40 times.
The 40th may have been one of the nicest goals of his young career as he went coast-to-coast to reach the mark.
It's a goal that you have to watch multiple times, and hopefully there will be more goals like that to come from No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL draft.
Social Media Admin Takes on the Ducks
Preventing goals as an NHL goalie is much easier said than done, but what about a beer league goalie taking on NHLers? We had the chance to find out when the Anaheim Ducks social media admin Tyler Pistoia put on the pads to face Ryan Strome, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish.
Full credit to anyone brave enough to step in between the pipes and take a few slapshots from point-blank range like Pistoia did, even though almost every single one ended up in the back of the net. The next challenge should be the players swapping places with Pistoia to see if they can match his skills when it comes to making TikToks and other social content.
March Has Been a Month to Remember for Ryan Fanti
To say Ryan Fanti has had an eventful March would be one heck of an understatement. The Fort Wayne Komets goalie fought Wheeling Nailers goaltender Brad Barone in a line brawl that created headlines earlier this month, and this past weekend, he made Komets history.
Fanti became the first goaltender in Komets history to score a goal and just the 15th in ECHL history to accomplish the feat in Fort Wayne's 6-3 victory over the Rapid City Rush.
So Fanti had the five-minute fighting major, then he got the goal. But between those games, Fanti recorded an assist on March 12 against the Indy Fuel, meaning he's earned the month-long Gordie Howe hat trick as a netminder. How many goalies in the hockey world can say that?