Far from being spared from injuries over the last few years, Sean Monahan recovered during the 2023-2024 season, even playing one more game than all other players across the Bettman circuit.
The Winnipeg Jets shared early Thursday evening that by taking part in the game against the Vancouver Canucks, Monahan was the only player this season across the Bettman circuit to have taken part in 83 games.
The last one ended in a 4-2 victory for the Jets, an eighth in a row to conclude their regular schedule and give themselves good momentum towards the playoffs. They have conceded just 199 goals this season, the lowest total in the league.
Monahan played 49 games with the Montreal Canadiens before being traded to the Jets on February 2. The forward continued with 34 games to close the regular schedule with the Manitoba team, hence his total of 83.
You have to go back to the 2016-2017 season to see Monahan in uniform for his team’s 82 games in a season. Since the 2020-2021 campaign, he has taken part in 50, 65 and 25 games as he has often been hampered by injuries.
He has 59 points under his belt during the current campaign and he will want to continue to contribute to the success of the Jets in the playoffs, who will face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
The Jets rested a few regulars tonight, giving Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov the chance to make their NHL debuts. The latter made this day even more memorable by scoring his first career goal, which proved to be the winner.
Lambert also picked up a first point by contributing to Gabriel Vilardi’s net.
Cole Perfetti scored a double, first hitting the target during a surplus with a good wrist shot into the top corner, then he completed the score in a gaping cage. Monahan did not collect a point in this 83rd game.
Conor Garland and Elias Lindholm were the only ones to thwart Laurent Brossoit, who faced 20 shots.
The Kraken ends the season in style
Tye Kartye deflected an Oliver Bjorkstrand slap shot into the goal to break a tie with 2:40 left in regulation and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3.
Yanni Gourde scored into an empty net for the Kraken before seeing the Wild cut the deficit to one goal again. Ryan Hartman scored at six on four with 65 seconds left and with goaltender Marc-André Fleury on the bench. However, Kraken goalie Joey Daccord finally managed to close the door at the end of the game.
Brandon Tanev, who had assists on both Gourde goals in the third period, blocked a shot at the very end of the game and writhed in pain on the ice.
Kirill Kaprizov scored his 46th power play goal of the season in the first period and Mats Zuccarello tied the game 2-2 midway through the third period for the Wild.
Matty Beniers tied the game 1-1 for the Kraken in the second period on the power play.
Daccord stopped 21 shots in front of the Kraken net. For his part, Fleury made 23 saves.
