Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: third round, matchup 2

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL Season … So Far is down to 16 entries from the original bracket of 64 with the first two rounds now complete. Fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the fourth round.

In the matchup Monday, Pekka Rinne's goalie goal for the Nashville Predators defeated Connor McDavid's six-point game for the Edmonton Oilers.

The matchup Tuesday has Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson bringing a special friend on Hockey Fights Cancer night going up against the Vancouver Canucks' jersey retirement ceremony for Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin.

Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

The Coyotes honoring 8-year-old Leighton Accardo on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Gila River Arena on Nov. 17 is a moment that will resonate with NHL fans for a long time, and one certainly deserving of your vote and a spot in the next round. Leighton, diagnosed with Stage 4 malignant germ cell tumors in May 2019, not only signed a contract with the Coyotes but skated in warmups, an incredible feat because one of the tumors in her abdomen impacted her ability to lift her left foot or flex her toes. The Coyotes and Bauer got Leighton a pair of skates with alterations so she could join the teams on the ice. Ekman-Larsson, the Arizona captain, dropped the ceremonial face-off between Flames captain Mark Giordano and Leighton, who inspired the Coyotes during a pregame address, reminding them to "work hard and have fun."

William Douglas, staff writer

For me, the reason the retirement ceremony for the Sedins is the best moment of the season is the atmosphere. You could feel the appreciation and the love for the Sweden-born twin forwards emanate from the nearly 19,000 fans who packed Rogers Arena to witness Daniel's No. 22 and Henrik's No. 33 raised together to the rafters Feb. 12. There were no melancholy moments or speeches filled with what-ifs. Sure, there were some tears, but tears of joy from the crowd and from some of the former Canucks greats who gathered to pay homage to two players they watched grow from teenage boys to grown men in what seemed like an instant instead of 17 seasons. Surrounded by their families, the twins flashed smiles and soaked in the ceremony, which Vancouver play-by-play announcer John Shorthouse called a tribute to "the two greatest Canucks of all time." Henrik is the Canucks all-time leading scorer with 1,070 points (240 goals, 830 assists) in 1,330 games, and Daniel is second with 1,041 points (393 goals, 648 assists) in 1,306 games. The twins thanked the fans for making them feel at home in Vancouver since 1999. The crowd thanked them with a thundering ovation.