Nathan Horton out vs. Stars, will have goal in game he doesn't play
Nathan Horton won't play on Wednesday night in the resumed game against the Stars, meaning he'll be credited with a goal in 0:00 of ice time.
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On Wednesday night in Dallas, the Stars and Blue Jackets will restart their game against one another that was postponed by Rich Peverley's collapse on the Dallas bench. Nathan Horton won't be there to take part.
Horton played on Tuesday night but only for a short while, leaving the game against the Coyotes early after reagravating a lower-body injury. As a result he didn't travel with the team to Dallas, obviously meaning he won't be playing.
That itself is a bit of a blow to the Blue Jackets, who can clinch their playoff spot with two points, but that's not what makes it so intriguing.
When the game starts back up, they will play a full 60 minutes instead of resuming it mid-way through the first period, which was when the game was halted. However the Blue Jackets will get to keep the goal they scored so they'll begin the game with a 1-0 lead.
The man who scored that goal? None other than Horton. So no matter what happens in the 60 minutes on Wednesday night, Horton will be credited with a goal in a game that he didn't play in, or even attend. So that should be a first.
However it won't be the first time a player earned a point in a game he didn't play. A similar situation happened in 2006 when Jiri Fischer collapsed on the ice, as J.R. Lind notes. The game was restarted with a 1-0 score in favor of the Predators and on that goal Scottie Upshall was credited with an assist. He didn't play in the resumption either so Horton will join him in the Points Without Playing Club. It's rather exclusive and they only meet once every eight or so years.
No other stats will be carried over, though, meaning that Horton also scored without a shot. In theory the Blue Jackets could win 1-0 on Wednesday without ever taking a shot on net. That's good news for Tim Thomas who won't be on the opposite side of that Horton and Upshall club; the Gave Up A Goal Without Playing Club.
S/t SI
