Evan’s NHL Daily: Gulyayev Rocket, Goal Of The Year?

Every few weeks you see a goal in the NHL and just wonder, “Was that the goal of the year?” On Friday night, Sonny Milano scored a goal that may have entered the competition. The Capitals really needed it, especially after Tom Wilson was suspended…again.

Over in the KHL, Mikhail Gulyayev’s team is on the brink of elimination in the playoffs, but the Avalanche prospect scored a pretty nice goal in game four.

And on the ice in Denver, the Avalanche took care of business against a pretty bad Columbus team, even if took a second for them to get going.

All that and more in this Saturday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

Once the Avalanche found their legs on Friday night, the Blue Jackets never stood a chance.

He’s red hot with eight goals in his last five games, but Mikko Rantanen believes everyone on the team is feeling confident right now, not just him.

Gulyayev Rocket

These are the kinds of goals I wish I could have covered more from Mikhail Gulyayev this year, but the offense hasn’t quite been there for the 18 year old in the KHL. That team wants him to sit back and play it safe, while the team that owns his NHL rights probably would love to see his offense develop a bit more.

Either way, it’s been a pretty solid year for him over in the KHL, and on Friday, he was the lone goal scorer for his Avangard squad.

Mikhail Gulyayev scored Avangard’s only goal today, but his team is now on the brink of elimination. pic.twitter.com/db9tMBUmkc

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) March 22, 2024

That was a bomb. It’ll be a few years before we see Gulyayev in the NHL, but he looks to be on a solid path at the moment.

Podcast Appearances

I’ve had a busy week, mostly due to the arrival of Nikolai Kovalenko to North America. Since I’ve been following him closely, people have been wanting to know more about him, so I’ve been on not one, not two, but three podcasts.

First, I joined Corey at the Denver Post to chat briefly about Kovalenko.

Then I was on the DNVR podcast for an extended chat on the prospect.

Finally, I joined the Guerrilla Sports crew for to chat about him, as well as how the Avalanche have looked since the trade deadline.

Goal Of The Year?

If you’re like me, you have terrible memory and can’t think of all the best goals you’ve seen in the NHL this season. That’s why my first thought when Sonny Milano scored this creative goal on Friday was…is that the goal of the year?

SONNY MILANO ARE YOU JOKING?? 😳 pic.twitter.com/xmI9Ih00M4

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 23, 2024

Pretty sweet. I’m sure it’s not the goal of the year, but I love the creativity. Milano actually had a hat trick in this game, and the Capitals are the only team that can really steal a playoff spot out East from Detroit.

Of course, they’ll have to make that run without Tom Wilson, who was suspended six games on Friday for this egregious high stick.

Tom Wilson is assessed a double-minor after this high-stick on Noah Gregor. pic.twitter.com/s16wPLfhEq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2024

Wilson sure did appear to wind up that high stick, so it may have had some intention behind it. Of course, he seemed to feel bad afterwards, but that might be because he knew he was going to be in real trouble with the NHL. Not a smart move.

National Hockey Now

The reality has set in for Colorado’s next opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It was a quiet deadline for the Bruins, but did that set them up for a big summer?

The Predators are rolling, and even got a shutout from their backup goalie this week.