Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Feb 1st

Thursday 1st February 1968

February begins with twenty-one games in the first four days of action starting in Boston where three unanswered goals in the third period gave the Bruins a 6-5 victory over Chicago. The home side had already come back from a 0-2 deficit through Sanderson (11), Esposito (19) and Williams (17), the latter going on to score again in the final period, after Stapleton (8) and Mikita (27) on his way to a four point night put the Blackhawks in front. Another from Mikita joined goals from D Hull (7) and Wharram (16) to give Chicago a 5-3 lead heading into the third period where Williams' second of the night added to a shorthanded goal from Bucyk (27) before Shack (9) put home the game winner for an eighth Bruins victory in their last thirteen games, all of them coming in back-to-back pairs.

Los Angeles' first win in five came after they trailed the Red Wings 2-0 and 3-1. Both D Roberts (5) and Howe (27) put Detroit ahead on the powerplay and Unger (2) restored their two goal advantage after Joyal (17) scored shorthanded for the Kings. The visitors then went on to end Detroit's three game winning run with four unanswered goals from H Hughes (4), Amadio (4), Robinson (9) on the man advantage for the game winner, and B Smith's (13) empty netter.

The Rangers have gone winless in four with their second tie in that span, Fleming (10) and Ratelle (20) earning New York a point, and Montreal, with goals from H Richard (12) and Cournoyer (24) giving them two leads in the game, are unbeaten in four straight with a 12-3-2 recent record.

Another goalfest this time in Philadelphia as the Flyers take back-to-back wins for the first time since December to move them back into second in the West, four points behind St Louis. Two goals from Dornhoefer (15), a powerplay effort off the stick of Selby (14), and Hoekstra (12) put the hosts up 4-0 but Oakland roared back through Caron (6), K Douglas (7) and a pair from Brenneman (10) to tie the game in the third period. The Seals however go a sixth straight game without a win after Lacroix (4) and Angotti (9) scored to put the game away for good, the latter rounding up a three pointer.


It's a third loss in eight for the Blues, their second in four games, as Pittsburgh take their third win in five after only tasting victory five times in the previous twenty matches. Boivin (3) and Price (2) gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at the first intermission, and Speer (1) scored the only goal of the second period, the game winner, before McDonald (9) rounded it off on the powerplay; Bathgate passing forty points with three assists. For St Louis Sabourin (18) was set up on the powerplay in the opening frame before the provider turned goal scorer in the third period as McKenney (7) also got on the scoresheet.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
CHI	@	2	3	0	5
BOS		3	0	3	6

CHI D Dryden (3-13-1 .879) 32/38, Powerplay 2/4
BOS Cheevers (16-12-3 .891) 37/42, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
LAK	@	0	2	3	5
DET		2	1	0	3

LAK Sawchuk (4-10-4 .888) 34/37, Powerplay 1/8
DET Edwards (9-17-4 .891) 26/30, Powerplay 2/6

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	1	1	0	2
MON		1	1	0	2

NYR Giacomin (15-21-6 .889) 33/35, Powerplay 0/8
MON Worsley (13-9-5 .913) 24/26, Powerplay 0/8

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
OAK	@	0	1	3	4
PHI		3	1	2	6

OAK Hodge (11-21-6 .896) 35/40, Powerplay 1/5
PHI Parent (13-14-4 .892) 25/29, Powerplay 1/7

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
StL	@	1	0	1	2
PIT		2	1	1	4

StL Hall (15-11-6 .892) 45/49, Powerplay 1/4
PIT Bassen (6-9-4 .903) 22/24, Powerplay 1/8

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	48	26	16	6	58
Boston Bruins	49	26	17	6	58
Toronto Maple Leafs	48	26	17	5	57
Detroit Red Wings	49	23	21	5	51
Chicago Blackhawks	50	21	23	6	48
New York Rangers	48	18	21	9	45
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	48	22	17	9	53
Philadelphia Flyers	48	22	21	5	49
Minnesota North Stars	48	19	19	10	48
Pittsburgh Penguins	49	16	22	11	43
Los Angeles Kings	49	17	25	7	41
Oakland Seals	50	12	29	9	33