Deen’s Daily: Kiviranta Rewarded; Kovalenko Talks Trade, Again; Celebrini’s Homecoming

Joel Kiviranta scored his first career hat trick… That didn’t happen during a postseason played in an empty arena in September hosted by a city that wasn’t even involved in the playoff series. Also, Macklin Celebrini prepares for his first game in Vancouver, the city where he grew up. Nikolai Kovalenko was interviewed by a Russian outlet and had some comments to share about the trade to San Jose. 

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — December 23.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche are riding a three-game winning streak into the holiday break after their latest victory on Saturday. Mackenzie Blackwood again only let in two goals.

The highlight of the night was Joel Kiviranta’s hat trick. Catch my 10 Observations from the 5-2 victory, which covers a lot of Kiviranta stuff.

Around the NHL

San Jose Hockey Now: Nikolai Kovalenko spoke to a Russian outlet and expressed how he felt about the sudden trade to San Jose two weeks ago. Kovalenko was shipped to the Sharks alongside Alexandar Georgiev and draft picks for Mackenzie Blackwood and Givani Smith.

Also, Macklin Celebrini is in his hometown Vancouver preparing for his first game against the team he grew up watching. He also answered questions about the Sidney Crosby comparison.

Montreal Hockey Now: Catch your latest Habs wrap here, complete with coverage on the unstoppable power-play machine Patrik Laine and the arrival of newly acquired defenseman Alexandre Carrier.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Can the Penguins, who have settled things down after a rough start to the season, do some damage and make a run for the playoffs?

Ottawa Hockey Now: The Senators’ six-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday. And in the process, they lost arguably the only player they couldn’t afford to lose to injury.