Quebecer Jonathan Huberdeau has raised the white flag in the race for the Art-Ross trophy, awarded annually to the top scorer in the National League, he who will not be playing the Florida Panthers Thursday in Ottawa against the Senators.
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Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette confirmed hours before the opening puck drop that his forward – second in league scoring Bettman with 115 points – will be out, along with several other team stars, including Aleksander Barkov and Claude Giroux.
This means that it is against the Montreal Canadiens, Friday at the Bell Center, that Huberdeau will have one last chance to lace up the skates before the playoffs. He trailed Connor McDavid by seven points heading into Thursday’s games and the Edmonton Oilers rep extended that lead by adding an assist in a 5-4 overtime win over the San Francisco Sharks. Joseph.
Moreover, Johnny Gaudreau took advantage of the Quebecer’s absence to catch up with him in second place in scoring. The Flames forward scored a goal, reaching all 40 goals this season, in addition to amassing an assist, in a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Leon Draisaitl is fourth with 110 points, adding one to the Oilers’ win.