Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 31st

Sunday 31st March 1967
The battle for third in the East was decided by the two teams involved as Toronto traveled to Boston. Ellis (35) scored twice for the Leafs, including the first goal of the game, but Sanderson (19) matched him with a pair of his own, the first tying the game at 1-1. The Bruins then went 3-1 up through Hodge (29) and Bucyk (36); Ellis pulling one back to round out a five goal first period. After Orr (12), who already had two assists, and McKenzie (34) scored for the home side Pappin's (13) goal was only enough to get Toronto back within as Sanderson scored the third period's lone goal, giving the B's their first win in seven and leaving the Leafs heading into the postseason winless in three with three victories in their last seventeen.

Detroit had already wrapped up second in the East and ended the regular season on a high winning their fifth game in six with only two defeats in the past twenty-two outings. They started out hot in Chicago, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the first intermission on goals from Delvecchio (27) and G Jarrett (36). The Blackhawks pulled it back to 2-1 in the second frame on a D Hull (12) effort, but Unger's (4) game-winner was enough that when Martin (18) brought the Hawks back to within one that would be as close as they would come, ending their season with one win in four.

In one fell swoop St Louis finish their season above .500 and sink Minneosta in their quest for a playoff spot. With a disastrous five wins in twenty-six games to end the campaign the North Stars sunk themselves and lost again against the Western Division champions, opening the scoring through Cullen (34) set up by McMahon. The Blues had back-to-back goals from Keenan (18), the second his fourth game-winner of the year, and R Stewart (6) added an empty netter late on to keep the Blues in form heading into the playoffs with one loss in their final five.

Montreal complete one last quest before they enter the postseason as red hot favourites by reaching one-hundred points with victory over the New York Rangers who finish last in the East going winless in nine and only manufacturing twelve shots in their season finale. In Worsley's ninth shutout of the year G Tremblay's (32) unassisted goal at 3:56 of the first period was all that was required to win, taking the Canadiens' unbeaten run to seventeen straight with back-to-back wins at the close of the season.

The final jockeying for position came in the West as the final Battle of Pennsylvania of the regular season was played out in Pittsburgh. In the end though a Penguins win did not affect the Flyers claim of second place as Philadelphia won more games throughout the year, taking home ice advantage in the first round on that tiebreak. Schinkel (13), Konik (18), Bathgate (28), Dillabough (5) and Stratton (20) all made sure of the Pens' fifth win in eight games, while the Flyers had goals from Dornhoefer (18) shorthanded, he would then fight Boivin soon after, with JC Watson (9) nabbing two, and Miszuk taking two assists. Going into the playoffs Phhiladelphia have one win in their last five, five victories in seventeen.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
TOR	@	2	1	0	3
BOS		3	2	1	6

TOR Gamble (13-13-5 .909) 44/50, Powerplay 0/0
BOS Cheevers (23-18-6 .896) 27/30, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	2	0	1	3
CHI		0	1	1	2

DET Edwards (16-19-9 .894) 34/36, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (24-15-10 .898) 29/32, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
StL	@	1	1	1	3
MIN		1	0	0	1

StL Hall (22-20-7 .895) 27/28, Powerplay 0/0
MIN Maniago (18-22-11 .900) 32/34, Powerplay 0/0

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

MON Worsley (22-12-6 .913) 12/12, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Giacomin (21-33-10 .887) 16/17, Powerplay 0/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	2	0	1	3
PIT		2	2	1	5

PHI Parent (19-22-7 .897) 28/33, Powerplay 1/4
PIT Bassen (13-10-5 .907) 19/22, Powerplay 2/5

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	74	45	19	10	100
Detroit Red Wings	74	37	24	13	87
Boston Bruins	74	37	27	10	84
Toronto Maple Leafs	74	35	27	12	82
Chicago Blackhawks	74	31	32	11	73
New York Rangers	74	26	34	14	66
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	74	32	31	11	75
Philadelphia Flyers	74	30	34	10	70
Pittsburgh Penguins	74	28	32	14	70
Los Angeles Kings	74	29	35	10	68
Minnesota North Stars	74	24	32	18	66
Oakland Seals	74	16	43	15	47

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 30th

Saturday 30th March 1968
The final weekend of the regular season features all twelve teams in action including the Detroit Red Wings who seal their spot in second place in the East with a third win in a row, beating the Rangers in a ten goal match. K Douglas (10) scored the game's opening goal and would go on to nab the game-winner in period two, making the score 6-3 in the process. But the Wings would need Howe's (44) hat-trick to keep their advantage; Delvecchio (26) also scored in his three-point night. For New York they fell short with goals from Nevin (28) and Fleming (14), tying the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and a pair from Hadfield (22) kept the Rangers within two but remain winless in eight.

The Bruinsremain in fourth spot with a sixth straight game without a win and blowing a 4-3 second period lead after Esposito (31) and Westfall (12) gave them a 2-0 lead; Stanfield (22) and Shack (24) giving them leads again. A win tomorrow will see Montreal finish with one-hundred points as they continue to look invincible, extending their unbeaten run to sixteen games. Rousseau's (16) first of two goals and then Ferguson (16) combined to tie the game at 2-2, Lapierriere (10) made it 3-3 and then Cournoyer (36) nailed back-to-back chances, both set up by Duff, to turn the game on it's head.

The  Kings and Seals end their regular season in Oakland where a point for Los Angeles keeps things tight in the West as they sit two points above fifth place Minnesota. B Harris (13) and Cahan (10) put Oakland 2-0 to the good with goals either side of the first intermission, but they are winless in seventh, with two wins in their final twenty games, as Irvine (24) and Joyal (28) assisted on each others efforts to earn LA a point.

The penultimate Battle of Pennsylvania took place in Quebec City while the Flyers home continues to undergo repairs. A low-scoring encounter with no powerplays saw it's first goal thirty-one seconds into the second period when Pittsburgh's Bathgate (27) scored from MacNeil and Stratton. Philadelphia tied it up at 7:44 in the third through LaForge (7) unassisted. A fight between Bathgate and Miszuk sixteen seconds after the game-tying goal failed in inspire anymore goalscorers as each side takes away a point. Like Los Angeles the Penguins are two points ahead of the Stars but have just one loss in their last seven; the Flyers have a single defeat in six as they look to hang on to second place.

The reason Philadelphia are looking to settle for second place is because the St Louis Blues clinch the Western Division in a goalfest against a struggling Minnesota team who are 1-2-3 in their last six with just eight wins in the past thirty-three outings. The Blues' second win in seven comes on the back of fifty-two shots as Schock (10) and Sabourin (22) get them out to a 2-0 lead. Cullen (33) scored to make it 2-1 and, after Hucul (3) made it 3-1, pulled the North Stars within one again. But St Louis were taking their best chances through Crisp (15) and two from Keenan (16) before McKenney (11) saw the Blues 7-3 up. Minnesota came back with P MacDonald (22), Goegan (3) and Goldsworthy (17) but, even with Balon and Boudrias hitting fifty points on the season, would ultimately fall short and still have it all to do tomorrow.

The final game today is in Toronto where another Leaf loss, and a run of sixteen games with only three wins, keeps them away from the top two in the East. Chicago's first win in three was all thanks to Pilote who picked up three assists, helping Mikita (40), Wharram (25) and Martin (17) got on the board. Torontowere two goals down heading into the final frame, but F Mahovlich (30) and Ellis (33) brought them level.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	2	1	1	4
DET		2	4	0	6

NYR Giacomin (21-32-10 .886) 36/42, Powerplay 0/0
DET Crozier (15-4-4 .908) 19/23, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	2	2	0	4
MON		1	3	2	6

BOS Johnston (14-9-4 .891) 38/43, Powerplay 1/3
MON Vachon (23-7-4 .907) 30/34, Powerplay0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
LAK	@	0	1	1	2
OAK		1	1	0	2

LAK Sawchuk (7-15-5 .889) 25/27, Powerplay 0/0
OAK Hodge (13-33-12 .896) 18/20, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	0	1	0	1
PHI		0	0	1	1

PIT Binkley (15-21-9 .903) 28/29, Powerplay 0/0
PHI Favell (11-12-3 .900) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	2	1	2	5
StL		3	2	2	7

MIN Bauman (7-10-6 .887) 45/52, Powerplay 1/2
StL Martin (10-11-4 .900) 26/31, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
CHI	@	1	1	2	4
TOR		0	0	2	2

CHI D Dryden (7-16-1 .885) 26/28, Powerplay 2/10
TOR Bower (22-14-7 .916) 27/30, Powerplay 0/4

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	73	44	19	10	98
Detroit Red Wings	73	36	24	13	85
Toronto Maple Leafs	73	35	26	12	82
Boston Bruins	73	36	27	10	82
Chicago Blackhawks	73	31	31	11	73
New York Rangers	73	26	33	14	66
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	73	31	31	11	73
Philadelphia Flyers	73	30	33	10	70
Los Angeles Kings	74	29	35	10	68
Pittsburgh Penguins	73	27	32	14	68
Minnesota North Stars	73	24	31	18	66
Oakland Seals	74	16	43	15	47

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 27th

Wednesday 27th March 1968
Minnesota's first win in five games comes in a ten-goal contest in Los Angeles, handing the Kings their first defeat in five. LA were in the hunt throughout, goals from Menard (6), Flett (30), Joyal (27) and B Smith (21), but Connelly (43) ran wild with four goals, including the game winner and an empty netter, with Masterson (13) and P MacDonald (21) adding their tallies to the cause. Cullen, Vasko and Balon all came away with two assists as the North Stars have lost just once in their last seven yet they remain outside of the playoff spots...

...as the Penguins win in Oakland to stay in fourth position in the West. Despite injuries to Hicke and Cahan, the Seals played a strong game and took the lead in period one through Caron (10). Pittsburgh, who are 4-1-1 in their last six, answered in the second frame when K McCreary (16) tied it up, and the third period belonged to the Pens when Bathgate (26) scored unassisted on the powerplay with less than five minutes to go, and Dillabough (4) added one into the empty net late on.

Staying in the West it remains very tight and Philadelphia take their third win in four tries, re-taking second in the division. A penalty shot from Rochefort (22) was the only goal through two periods, but Sutherland (27) doubled the Flyers' lead in the final frame. Crisp (13) had a PP marker to make it 2-1 but St Louis, who lose for the fourth time in five games, cannot come all the way back; Kennedy (12) guaranteeing the win very late.

Laperriere (9) on the powerplay from Beliveau and JC Tremblay at 3:23, and Ellis (32) from Walton and F Mahovlich at 14:42, were the games' only goals in the all-Canadian battle; both coming in the middle period. Montreal continue on their streak and are now fifteen unbeaten, while Toronto are unbeaten in three thanks to the game-tying goal, and earn their fifth tie in eleven games to hold second spot in the East.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	2	1	3	6
LAK		2	1	1	4

MIN Maniago (18-21-11 .899) 27/31, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Sawchuk (7-15-4 .888) 32/37, Powerplay 2/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	0	1	2	3
OAK		1	0	0	1

PIT Bassen (12-10-5 .908) 22/23, Powerplay 1/2
OAK Hodge (13-33-11 .896) 23/25, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	1	0	2	3
StL		0	0	1	1

PHI Favell (11-12-2 .898) 22/23, Powerplay 1/3
StL Hall (21-20-7 .894) 20/22, Powerplay 1/3

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

MON Vachon (22-7-4 .908) 23/24, Powerplay 1/4
TOR Gamble (13-12-5 .911) 27/28, Powerplay 0/0

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	72	43	19	10	96
Toronto Maple Leafs	72	35	25	12	82
Boston Bruins	71	36	26	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	71	34	24	13	81
Chicago Blackhawks	71	30	30	11	71
New York Rangers	71	26	32	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	71	30	31	10	70
Philadelphia Flyers	71	30	33	8	68
Los Angeles Kings	73	29	35	9	67
Pittsburgh Penguins	72	27	32	13	67
Minnesota North Stars	72	24	30	18	66
Oakland Seals	73	16	43	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHl 1967/68, March 24th

Sunday 24th March 1968
The win streak finally ends at ten games but Montreal extend their unbeaten run to fourteen with a tie in Chicago who are undefeated in their last six. Martin (14) scored twice for the Blackhawks, tying the game at 1-1 at bringing them back to 3-2 down on the powerplay after H Richard (16), Savard (4) and Backstrom (21) manafactured a 3-1 lead for the Canadiens. Mohns (22) and Mikita (39) gave Chicago their first lead in the final period, but a last minute equaliser from Duff (27) with fifty-four seconds to play resulted in a share of the points.

Detroit continue their surge up the East Division standings by hammering Boston to take their fifth win in eight games, equaling the Bruins' points total in the process. A Delvecchio (24) hat-trick, a brace from Ullman (21) with an assist, and a goal and two helpers from Howe (41) sealed the big win for Detroit; F Smith (21) scored the game-winner while his team were shorthanded. McKenzie (33) and two from  Esposito (29) were all that Boston could muster, leaving them with a single win in six.

After twelve without a win the Maple Leafs make it back-to-back victories, creating a three-way tie for second place in the East after edging the Rangers. Two goals from Conacher (12), both set up by Pulford, were all that Toronto needed with Ratelle (31) scoring for New York with a goal to make it 1-1 in the first period. It's a sixth loss after nine without defeat for NYR, and the first loss of the season for netminder Simmons,

In the battle for playoff spots in the West Pittsburgh overtake the North Stars for fourth place as Minnesota have just four wins in their last twenty-three games. Price (3) and Dillabough (3) made it 2-0 for the Penguins, Boudrias (25) brought the visitors back into it. Bathgate (24) and Andrea (13) then scored unassisted to give Pittsburgh a third win in their current four game unbeaten streak.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	1	2	1	4
CHI		1	1	2	4

MON Vachon (22-7-3 .906) 24/28, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (24-13-10 .898) 28/32, Powerplay 1/2

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	1	0	2	3
DET		1	5	1	7

BOS Cheevers (22-18-6 .896) 38/45, Powerplay 1/8
DET Edwards (15-19-9 .892) 30/33, Powerplay 2/9

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

TOR Gamble (13-12-4 .909) 21/22, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Simmons (5-1-4 .910) 20/22, Powerplay 0/4

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

MIN Bauman (7-9-76 .889) 32/36, Powerplay 0/0
PIT Bassen (11-10-5 .907) 16/17, Powerplay 2/8

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	71	43	19	9	95
Boston Bruins	71	36	26	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	71	34	24	13	81
Toronto Maple Leafs	71	35	25	11	81
Chicago Blackhawks	71	30	30	11	71
New York Rangers	71	26	32	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	70	30	30	10	70
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66
Los Angeles Kings	71	28	34	9	65
Pittsburgh Penguins	70	26	31	13	65
Minnesota North Stars	71	23	30	18	64
Oakland Seals	72	16	42	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHl 1967/68, March 23rd

Saturday 23rd March 1968
AFter back-to-back wins it's a third straight defeat for the Flyers as Los Angeles takes the win and moves within a point of Philadelphia. Rochefort (21) scored first for the visitors at 3:10 in the opening period, but B Smith (20) had the Kings even 2:11 later. The second frame was scoreless but the third was all LA as R Lemieux (9) and Robinson (12) scored with the man advantage, with Irvine (22) grabbing his goal in between as the Kings have just one loss in five.

There was no separating the Penguins and the North Stars, leaving Minnesota in fourth spot in the West, a point ahead of Pittsburgh who remain on the outside. Despite ending up with their third tie in a row, taking their undefeated streak to five games, Minnesota led twice with M Hall (8) scoring twice, Balon (12) the other goal in Maniago's fiftieth game in goal for the Stars. For the Pens, who are unbeaten in three after going winless in five, go the game to 1-1 just fifteen seconds into the middle frame when McDonald (15) scored unassisted, and then Ubriaco (12) gave Pittsburgh the lead before the intermission; K McCreary (15) was then on hand on the powerplay to make it 3-3.


Another win for for Montreal gives them eleven straight as they sweep aside the Red Wings who suffer their first defeat in nine. G Jarrett (35) for Detroit scored first and then D Roberts (7) nailed his powerplay opportunity to make it 2-2 after the Habs took the lead through Lamaire (22) and Provost (14). After that it was all Montreal with Ferguson (15) scoring a pair with Duff (26) and Backstrom (20) also getting on the board.

With the Flyers defeat St Louis were able to re-stretch their lead in the West to four points, thanks to a four-point effort from J Roberts (19) who scored two on the powerplay with two assists. Berenson (16), B McCreary (24), Melnyk (20) with his game winning goal, and Sabourin (21) who conspire to end the Blues three game skid. For Oakland, who had goals from Ehman (20), Burns (15) and T Hampson (16) to make it a 4-3 game in the final period, have just two wins in eighteen attempts.

After struggling of late the Toronto Maple Leafs bounce back with a vengeance to claim their first win in nine games, taking it out on their opponents of the day from New York. It was only 2-0 after two periods, Walton (31) and F Mahovlich (27) scoring in each frame, but an offensive explosion in the third had the Leafs looking rampant. F Mahovlich (29) went on to complete his hat trick, and Ellis (31) added to his two helpers with a powerplay effort. Keon (14), Pappin (12), and Stanley (5) added to the goal fest. The Rangers suffered a heavy loss to make it five defeats in a row; only Hadfield (2) scored for them to make it 5-1 at the time.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	1	0	0	1
LAK		1	0	3	4

PHI Parent (19-21-6 .898) 23/27, Powerplay 1/4
LAK Sawchuk (7-14-4 .889) 22/23, Powerplay 2/7

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	0	2	1	3
MIN		1	1	1	3

PIT Binkley (15-20-8 .903) 24/27, Powerplay 1/8
MIN Maniago (17-21-11 .899) 21/24, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	1	1	0	2
MON		1	3	2	6

DET Crozier (14-4-4 .911) 42/48, Powerplay 1/3
MON Worsley (21-12-6 .912) 25/27, Powerplay 0/0

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

StL Hall (21-19-7 .893) 29/32m Powerplay 2/10
OAK Hodge (13-32-11 .896) 33/39, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
NYR	@	0	0	1	1
TOR		1	1	6	8

NYR Giacomin (21-31-9 .886) 32/40, Powerplay 0/5
TOR Bower (22-13-7 ..916) 24/25, Powerplay 1/2

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	70	43	19	8	94
Boston Bruins	70	36	25	9	81
Detroit Red Wings	70	33	24	13	79
Toronto Maple Leafs	70	34	25	11	79
Chicago Blackhawks	70	30	30	10	70
New York Rangers	70	26	31	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	70	30	30	10	70
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66
Los Angeles Kings	71	28	34	9	65
Minnesota North Stars	70	23	29	18	64
Pittsburgh Penguins	69	25	31	13	63
Oakland Seals	72	16	42	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 20th

Wednesday 20th March 1968
In a scoreless first period Chicago's Mohns answered the bell, fighting Neilson of the Rangers, despite a wide gap in penalty minutes and reputation. That was enough to spark the Hawks as R Hull (37) went on to register three points, two of them goals, with C Maki (6) also scoring and assisting. DeJordy picked up his third shutout of the season while Giacomin in the New York net lost his thirtieth game, eliminating them from the postseason. Chicago can mathematically qualify for the playoffs but need to win out their remaining schedule and hope Detroit lose their final six outings.

Irvine (21) shorthanded for the Kings and Cullen on the powerplay for the North Stars produced the only scoring of the game, 2:39 apart in the second period. Minnesota are unbeaten in four after back-to-back ties, and Los Angeles are on the outside looking in with just one win in five.

F Mahovlich (26) scored the first and last goals in the game at Montreal, but the Leafs continue their slide with just one win in eleven. G Tremblay (31), Duff and Rousseau (14) turned the game right around before the break and, after Ellis (30) brought Toronto back to within one, Ferguson (13) and two goals from Cournoyer (34) sealed the victory for the hosts. Walton and Stanley for the Leafs joined Montreal's Lamaire, T Harris, and Beliveau in picking up two assists. It's ten straight now for the Habs as they clinch the NHL League Champions banner as the top team in the league.

After two shutout periods the Flyers rounded on Oakland with four unanswered goals to give them back-to-back victories for the first time in eighteen games. Oakland, who have just twenty-three shots combined in their last two games, were undone thirty-three seconds into the final frame when Sutherland (26) scored on the powerplay. Angotti (15), Rochefort (20) unassisted, and Blackburn (8) shorthanded helped give Favell his third clean sheet this year as Philadelphia enjoy shutouts in two games running.

After five games without a win Pisstburgh get back-to-back efforts to move them back into a playoff spot. B McCreary (23) gave St Louis the lead as he scored on the powerplay, but the Blues' third loss in five games came courtesy of two goals from Bathgate (23) and the game-winner from Boivin (7) coming forty-seconds after the first intermission.

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

NYR Giacomin (21-30-9 .888) 21/24, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (24-13-9 .898) 27/27, Powerplay 1/9

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	0	1	0	1
LAK		0	1	0	1

MIN Maniago (17-21-10 .900) 30/31, Powerplay 1/4
LAK Rutledge 20-20-5 .894) 27/28, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
TOR	@	1	1	1	3
MON		3	2	1	6

TOR Gamble (12-12-4 .908) 28/34, Powerplay 0/0
MON Vachon (22-7-2 .908) 32/35, Powerplay 2/9

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

PHI Favell (10-12-2 .896) 12/12, Powerplay 1/5
OAK Hodge (13-31-11 .897) 27/31, Powerplay 0/4

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

StL Hall (20-19-7 .893) 26/29, Powerplay 1/3
PIT Bassen (10-10-5 .906) 23/24, Powerplay 1/6

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	69	42	19	8	92
Boston Bruins	69	36	24	9	81
Toronto Maple Leafs	68	33	24	11	77
Detroit Red Wings	68	32	23	13	77
Chicago Blackhawks	69	29	30	10	68
New York Rangers	69	26	30	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	68	29	29	10	68
Philadelphia Flyers	69	29	32	8	66
Minnesota North Stars	69	23	29	17	63
Pittsburgh Penguins	68	25	31	12	62
Los Angeles Kings	69	26	34	9	61
Oakland Seals	71	16	41	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, March 17th

Sunday 17th March 1968
Montreal and Boston had already booked their places in the playoffs before they faced-off today and through two periods it was an even game with the Canadiens taking a 2-1 lead into the final frame; Cournoyer (32), who also had two assists, and Backstrom (18) scoring either side of Orr's (11) effort. The third however started out all in favour of Montreal as G Tremblay (3) made it 5-1 after goals from Duff (24), who reached fifty points thanks to three assists, and Backstrom (19) again. Sather (10) and Hodge (28) brought the Bruins back within two but they have just one win in four as  Savard (3) and JC Tremblay (6) insured their team's ninth straight win.

Oakland were only able to fashion eleven shots on DeJordy in the Blackhawks goal, Hicke (27) getting his effort through to make it 1-1. Mohns (21) had scored on the powerplay to give Chicago a first period lead, and Nesterenko (10) made it 2-1 with a fine unassisted effort. Back-to-back wins were assured, handing Hodge his thirtieth defeat in the Seals net, when R Hull (35) scored in the third period.

A blown lead by Minnesota still leaves them unbeaten in three games, Cullen (30) and Boudrias (24) unassisted getting the Stars out 2-0 in the third frame. P Mahovlich (20) nailed his chance on the man advantage for Detroit, and Henderson (15) tied it up at 18:59 to give the Red Wings a seven game unbeaten run, tying the Maple Leafs in the East standings.

With a third straight defeat the New York Rangers sit bottom of the East, on the very edge of playoff elimination. They did not quit though after the Penguins took a 2-0 lead through Andrea (12), both assisted by Ubriaco, but Fonteyne's (10) shorthanded goal at 18:04 in the third put down the potential comeback started by Geoffrion (4) despite Hadfield (19) scoring on that same powerplay to once again make it close again. It is a first win in six for Pittsburgh to tie them in the West with Los Angeles.

The Maple Leafs continue their slide as they have only won one game out of their last ten after being blanked by Parent and the Philadelphia Flyers. Parent's fourth shutout of the season came thanks to goals from Blackburn (7), who scored unassisted four-on-four at 2:39 in the second period, Peters (5) on the powerplay, with Suthlerand (25) and Kennedy (11) adding their tallies. It's a third win in seven for the Flyers as they kept Toronto of the board despite the visitors having six powerplays, including a five minute major to Kennedy.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MON	@	1	2	4	7
BOS		0	1	2	3

MON Vachon (21-7-2 .908) 28/31, Powerplay 1/3
BOS Johnston (14-8-3 .890) 32/39, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
OAK	@	0	1	0	1
CHI		1	1	1	3

OAK Hodge (13-10-11 .898) 31/34, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (23-13-9 .896) 10/11, Powerplay 1/8

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	0	0	2	2
MIN		0	1	1	2

DET Crozier (14-3-4 .913) 25/27, Powerplay 1/5
MIN Maniago (17-21-9 .898) 24/26, Powerplay 0/0

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

PIT Bassen (9-10-5 .904) 27/29, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Giacomin (21-29-9 .888) 20/23, Powerplay 1/3

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
TOR	@	0	0	0	0
PHI		0	3	1	4

TOR Gamble (12-11-4 .911) 27/31, powerplay 0/6
PHI Parent (19-20-6 .899) 19/19, Powerplay 1/3

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	68	41	19	8	90
Boston Bruins	69	36	24	9	81
Toronto Maple Leafs	67	33	23	11	77
Detroit Red Wings	68	32	23	13	77
Chicago Blackhawks	68	28	30	10	66
New York Rangers	68	26	29	13	65
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	67	29	28	10	68
Philadelphia Flyers	68	28	32	8	64
Minnesota North Stars	68	23	29	16	62
Los Angeles Kings	68	26	34	8	60
Pittsburgh Penguins	67	24	31	12	60
Oakland Seals	70	16	40	14	46

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967:68, March 16th

Saturday 16th March 1968
After a scoreless first period where LA's Amadio fought the North Stars' Balon back-to-back goals from Masterons (12), one shorthanded and the other unassisted, started a run of four goals for Minnesota as Balon (11) and McCord (5) added the second period flurry. The Kings pulled a Pair back either side of the intermission, Flett (27) and Irivine (20) getting them on the board, but Boudrias (23) unassisted on the powerplay made it 5-2 to give his side two wins in a row after going ten winless, and B Smith (18) added a final goal for Los Angeles as they go on to lose a third game in four attempts.

The Kings hold on to fourth place in the West though as Pittsburgh remain two points back after a fifth winless outing, their longest bad run of the season. The Penguins took the lead through McDonald (14) shorthanded but back came Montreal with G Tremblay (29) scoring a penalty shot and T Harris (7) giving the Canadiens a 2-1 advantage. Schinkel (12) tied it up before the Habs stepped up to their higher gears, making it 6-2 thanks to two goals from Lamaire (21); Beliveau (20) and H Richard (15) also grabbing goals as the hosts take an eighth straight victory.


Detroit continue their impressive run of games by winning in St Louis for a third win in four games, suffering only three losses in their last twenty-three matches. After Delvecchio (21) put the Wings up on the powerplay, St Louis took a 3-1 lead thanks to Cameron (9) twice and then B McCreary (22). St Louis blow their advantage, taking a second win in six games, as Detroit roar back through G Jarrett (33) and Howe (40) on the powerplay, and P Mahovlich's (19) even strength game winning tally.



Toronto are just a point ahead of the Red Wings after tying their fourth game in the last five, fifth out of nine, enjoying just one victory in that same span, as they blow a 2-0 lead. Stemkowski (8) and F Mahovlich (24) doubled up on Boston in the second period, but the Bruins, who have one defeat in seven, responded in kind during the third frame when Shack (23) and McKenzie (32) scored 2:24 apart late in regulation.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
LAK	@	0	1	2	3
MIN		0	4	1	5

LAK Rutledge (20-20-4 .893) 35/40, Powerplay 0/1
MIN Bauman (7-8-6 .889) 29/32, Powerplay 1/7

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	2	0	1	3
MON		2	1	3	6

PIT Binkley (15-20-7 .903) 39/45, Powerplay 0/0
MON Worsley (20-12-6 .912) 21/24, Powerplay 0/3

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

DET Edwards (14-19-9 .892) 28/31, Powerplay 3/7
StL Hall (20-18-7 .893) 26/30, Powerplay 0/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	0	0	2	2
TOR		0	2	0	2

BOS Cheevers (22-16-6 .898) 31/33, Powerplay 0/0
TOR Bower (21-12-7 .915) 20/22, Powerplay 0/5

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	67	40	19	8	88
Boston Bruins	68	36	23	9	81
Toronto Maple Leafs	66	33	22	11	77
Detroit Red Wings	67	32	23	12	76
New York Rangers	67	26	28	13	65
Chicago Blackhawks	67	27	30	10	64
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
St Louis Blues	67	29	28	10	68
Philadelphia Flyers	67	27	32	8	62
Minnesota North Stars	67	23	29	15	61
Los Angeles Kings	68	26	34	8	60
Pittsburgh Penguins	66	23	31	12	58
Oakland Seals	69	16	39	14	46