On the ice, it was the Winnipeg Jets earning a hard-fought victory over the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens surrendering a late goal to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a three-game schedule.
However, it was outside of the rink where most of the intrigue was generated. As if things aren't bad enough for the Edmonton Oilers in the department of winning, they are now feeling the watchful and critical eyes of fans and media around the league.
Here are three stories from Friday night.
Frustrations boiling over in Edmonton
So what's worse for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans: the current 11-game losing streak or the team's general manager holding a press conference to announce that he isn't going to do anything tangible about it?
In retrospect, maybe Craig MacTavish would like to have the moment back from Friday morning when he stepped in front of the microphone and cameras to basically point a finger at his players, provide a vote of confidence to his coach, while also attempting to absolve himself of any blame for a debacle that has the attention of every NHL observer.
You don't have to dig very deep or look very far to get a sense of how fans of the Oilers are feeling.
Those are sentiments that seem to capture the angst of many Oilers fans these days. And if you haven't heard enough from the organization, here is what Dallas Eakins has expressed.
To the credit of the players, they are accepting the challenge and the notion that it is their responsibility to turn things around.
The Oilers will have a bit of time to regroup before they step back into the spotlight to host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
Jets stand tall against Avalanche
Jet's forward Chris Thorburn opened the scoring with his first goal of the season and just his 37th marker in 549 NHL games.
Jarome Iginla then responded five minutes later to pull things even at one apiece.
Winnipeg was back in charge by the 12:29 mark of the first period, but not before a review was needed to determine whether Bryan Little's wrist shot crossed the goal line.
Replays determined that Semyon Varlamov's glove had crossed the goal line on what initially appeared to be a save, giving the Jets a 2-1 lead.
Andrew Ladd tallied his 9th goal of the season late in the middle frame and Little added two more in the third period, to complete his hat trick, chase Varlamov from the game, and essentially put things out of reach for Colorado.
The atmosphere became a little tense in the final 20 minutes, with the Jets and Avalanche racking up a combined total of 62 minutes in penalties, including 10-minute misconducts to Cody McLeod and Michael Sgarbossa of Colorado and to Anthony Peluso and Adam Pardy of Winnipeg.
However, one play that didn't draw the attention of the referees, but may warrant a look by the league, was a late hit to the head by Nathan MacKinnon on Mathieu Perreault.
The Jets made the biggest statement of all, handing the Avalanche a 6-2 loss and putting some more distance between them and a division rival. Winnipeg entered Friday's action holding the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, with Colorado now trailing them by eight points in the standings.
Minny slump for Canadiens
The Canadiens fell 4-3 to the Blackhawks, racking up their second loss in a row in the process. Montreal isn't all to blame though. They were up against a sizzling hot Chicago team that has now won 10 of their last 12 games, including five-straight victories.
Michal Rozsival and Ben Smith helped the Blackhawks build up an early 2-0 lead, which was cut in half by Brendan Gallagher late in the first period.
A bright spot on the night for the Canadiens was getting goals in the middle frame by a pair of defencemen. P.K. Subban recorded his seventh and was preceeded by Sergei Gonchar who potted his first goal since being acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Nov. 11.
Jonathan Toews knotted the score at 3-3 early in the third period and Brandon Saad provided the dagger with just 27 seconds remaining to seal the win for Chicago.
The Canadiens keep their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference for now and will have a chance to get back on track on Saturday night in Dallas.
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