* A trio of clubs extended their winning streaks to five games, including the Maple Leafs who were led by Auston Matthews and his 200th career multi-point performance.
* Connor Hellebuyck was one of several goaltenders to put up impressive performances Tuesday as he became the third-fastest netminder in NHL history to reach the 300-win milestone.
* Wednesday features The Gr8 Chase resuming on Sportsnet when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals welcome the Canucks to town, while an NHL on TNT doubleheader will see Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche go against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks before the reigning Stanley Cup champions get their first glimpse of the League’s newest franchise.
MAPLE LEAFS, STARS, RED WINGS EXTEND WIN STREAKS TO FIVE GAMES
The Maple Leafs (27-13-2, 56 points), Stars (25-13-1, 51 points) and Red Wings (18-18-4, 40 points) each earned their fifth consecutive win Tuesday – tied for the longest active run in the League – with the help of U.S.-born stars:
* Auston Matthews (1-1—2) factored on two of three Maple Leafs goals to record his 200th career multi-point game as Toronto defeated Philadelphia to earn its fifth straight road win. The Maple Leafs captain became the fourth player in franchise history to reach the mark, joining Mats Sundin (274 GP), Darryl Sittler (244 GP) and Dave Keon (201 GP).
* Jake Oettinger (20-9-1 in 30 GP) recorded his 20th win of the season and did so in come-from-behind fashion as he backstopped Dallas to its first three-goal comeback win of the season and helped his club extend its point streak to seven contests (6-0-1 since Dec. 23). Oettinger became the fastest goaltender in franchise history to reach the 20-win mark in a season and required one fewer game than Ed Belfour (31 GP in 1997-98), who previously held the distinction.
* Alex DeBrincat (0-1—1) factored on the opening goal for his 100th point with the Red Wings before Ottawa responded with back-to-back goals of their own but Detroit tied the game to send it to extra time where Patrick Kane (1-0—1) played the overtime hero. It marked Kane’s 13th career overtime tally – tied with Matthews for the fourth most by a U.S-born skater in NHL history behind Max Pacioretty (16), Johnny Gaudreau (15) and J.T. Miller (14).
CANADIAN CLUBS CAPTURE ANOTHER VICTORY THANKS TO THEIR GOALTENDERS
Connor Hellebuyck (26 saves) and Stuart Skinner (26 saves) each played pivotal roles for the Jets (28-12-2, 58 points) and Oilers (25-12-3, 53 points), respectively, to build upon their 2024-25 totals. Winnipeg and Edmonton are two of three Canadian teams among the top 10 in the NHL’s overall standings (also TOR: 27-13-2, 56 points).
* Hellebuyck’s 17th career win against the Predators (17-9-2) also marked the 300th of his career (300-179-43 in 538 GP). The Commerce, Mich., native became the third-fastest goaltender in NHL history to register 300 career wins, trailing only Andrei Vasilevskiy (490 GP) and Jacques Plante (521 GP).
* The NHL’s leader in wins (25) and goals-against average (2.08) is set to represent the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and has collected a League-best 152 victories since the 2020-21 campaign. Overall, he became the seventh American goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 career wins and the second active (Jonathan Quick: 399).
* Connor McDavid scored one of his team’s goals and Skinner turned aside all 26 shots he faced as the Oilers extended their road win streak against the Bruins to five games (5-0-0 since Jan. 4, 2020) and posted a shutout victory in Boston for just the second time in franchise history (also Nov. 7, 1996).
* Despite sharing a team shutout with Calvin Pickard, Skinner earned a win in his 150th career game. His 88 wins through the milestone contest are the second most in Oilers history behind Andy Moog (92). Only one other netminder had at least 80 victories through 150 career contests with the franchise: Grant Fuhr (85).
ICYMI: The contest at TD Garden marked the 1,500th career game for Referee Chris Rooney (No. 5; middle). It is the second time in as many days a Referee celebrated his 1,500th career contest after Eric Furlatt accomplished the feat at Bell Centre in Montreal on Monday.
STONE HELPS GOLDEN KNIGHTS EXTEND ROAD POINT STREAK VERSUS SHARKS
Mark Stone (1-1—2) factored on two of his team’s four goals as the Golden Knights (28-9-3, 59 points) earned a win to leapfrog the Jets (28-12-2, 58 points) for first place in the League standings and became the second franchise in NHL history with points in each of its first 17 or more road games against an opponent, joining the Canadiens (21 GP vs. VAN & 17 GP vs. WSH).
* Stone became the fourth player to score 100 goals with Vegas, joining Jonathan Marchessault (192), William Karlsson (159) and Reilly Smith (124). The Golden Knights became the ninth franchise in NHL history to have four or more players record 100-plus goals through its first eight seasons, following the Islanders (8), Nordiques/Avalanche (7), original Jets/Coyotes (7), Sabres (7), Oilers (6), Capitals (4), Flames (4) and Kings (4). Of note: Jack Eichel has 83 goals with the franchise and could become the fifth Vegas player to reach the mark before this season’s end.
VORONKOV AIDS BLUE JACKETS TO COMEBACK WIN IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured the Blue Jackets (18-17-6, 42 points) staging a multi-goal, third-period comeback win to move into the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference – the fourth straight day the position has been held by a different team – with the help of a multi-goal performance by Dmitri Voronkov. It marked the first time Columbus has been in a playoff position at this stage of an 82-game season or later (649 GP) since April 6, 2019 – a campaign which featured the club become the first team to sweep the Presidents' Trophy winner in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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THREE NATIONAL BROADCASTS HIGHLIGHT WEDNESDAY’S SLATE
Three of Wednesday’s four games will be a national broadcast, including Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals welcoming the Canucks on Sportsnet, as well as a NHL on TNT doubleheader that will start with the Avalanche visiting the Blackhawks and end with the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and Utah Hockey Club.
* Alex Ovechkin (19-11—30 in 24 GP) will continue The Gr8 Chase when the Capitals and Canucks meet for the first time this season. Ovechkin will have another shot at reaching the 20-goal plateau, and can tie for his second-fewest games to reach that mark in a campaign in his career (also 25 GP in 2021-22). His fewest is 22 contests achieved twice (2013-14 & 2009-10). The Capitals captain has scored in each of his past four meetings against Vancouver dating to Oct. 17, 2022, which is his longest active run against an opponent – the last time he posted a longer goal streak against any club was versus the Flyers (6 GP in 2020-21).
* The opening game of the NHL on TNT doubleheader will be the sixth all-time meeting between two first-overall picks, Connor Bedard and Nathan MacKinnon, with both entering Wednesday on lengthy point streaks at seven and eight games, respectively. Bedard can tie for the third-longest run by a teenager in Blackhawks history (also 8 GP: Eddie Olczyk in 1985-86 & Bobby Hull in 1957-58). The list is topped by Jonathan Toews (10 GP in 2007-08) and Olczyk (9 GP in 1985-86).
* The first-ever meeting between Florida and Utah will give Matthew Tkachuk the opportunity to become the 16th player and first Panthers player to score against 33 teams. He’s currently the only member of their roster to score against 32. Meanwhile, Logan Cooley (10-24—34 in 39 GP) will aim to continue his strong start to 2024-25 as he skates in his 40th contest – three players age 20 or younger in the past five years have recorded more points than Cooley through that game count: Jack Hughes (46 in 2021-22), Tim Stützle (39 in 2022-23) and Connor Bedard (35 in 2024-25).
