NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (18-11-2) at Nashville Predators (14-13-4)

Hockey
NHL

December 23, 2022

NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (18-11-2) at Nashville Predators (14-13-4)

COLORAOD AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Fri, Dec. 23 at Nashville 6 p.m. Altitude 92.5

NHL HOLIDAY BREAK, Dec. 24-26 –
Tue, Dec. 27 at Arizona 7 p.m. Altitude 2 92.5
Thu, Dec. 29 LOS ANGELES 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Sat, Dec. 31 TORONTO 5 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Mon, Jan. 2 LAS VEGAS 7 p.m. Altitude 2 950 AM
LAST GAME – Dec. 21 (Colorado 2, Montreal 1 in OT)
Mikko Rantanen scored 1:51 into overtime to give the Avalanche a 2-1 victory over the Canadiens at Ball Arena … Artturi Lehkonen notched the tying goal on the power play early in the third period and Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves to pick up his third straight win … The Avs finished 4-1-0 on their season-long, five-game homestand SF: 36 SA: 20 PP: 1-2 PK: 1-1

• Colorado finished 4-1-0 on its season-long, five-game homestand and is 5-1-0 in its last six contests

• The Avs improved to 6-2-0 in games decided beyond regulation, 3-1 in overtime and 3-1 shootouts

• Colorado is 14-2-1 at home against the Canadiens since moving to Denver, including six straight wins

• Rantanen’s OT winner was the fourth of his NHL career … It marked his 18th even-strength goal of the season, tying Jason Robertson for the league lead … Rantanen also had an assist for his 117th career multi-point game, passing Paul Stastny (116) and moving into a tie with Dale Hunter (117) for 10th place in franchise history

• With the assist on Lehkonen’s goal, Cale Makar passed Rob Blake (208) for sole possession of sixth place in career points by a Colorado/Quebec defenseman with 209

• Denis Malgin made his Avalanche debut, becoming the 36th different player to appear in a game for Colorado this season, the most of any team in the NHL

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO at NASHVILLE
6:08 p.m. MT / 7:08 p.m. CT
Altitude / 92.5
Altitude: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter)
Radio: Conor McGahey
The Avalanche heads to Nashville to take on the Predators in the final game before the NHL’s Holiday Break … The club will have the next three days off before flying to Arizona on Tuesday morning and meeting the Coyotes Tuesday night … There have been no games on Christmas Eve since 1972 (when three were played) and none on Christmas Day since 1971 (when six were played) … There have been none on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) since 2011-12 … Tonight concludes a stretch of 13 games in 25 days as the club has played every other day since Nov. 29 … The Avs just finished 4-1-0 on their season-long five-game homestand and are 5-1-0 in their last six contests.

AVALANCHE & PREDATORS
The Avalanche and Predators meet for the second time in less than a week as Colorado beat Nashville 3-1 last Saturday at Ball Arena … This is the third matchup of the season but first at Bridgestone Arena … This was supposed to be the fourth and final meeting of 2022-23 but the Nov. 25th contest here at Bridgestone Arena was postponed due to a water main break that significantly impacted the event level at the arena … Colorado is 2-0-0 against Nashville so far this year … The Avs were 1-1-2 against Nashville last season but swept the Predators in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

SCHEDULE vs. PREDATORS
Nov. 10 vs. NSH (W, 5-3)
Nov. 25 @ NSH *postponed rescheduled for April 14
Dec. 17 vs. NSH (W, 3-1)
Dec. 23 @ NSH
Apr. 14 @ NSH

RECORD VS. PREDATORS
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME PLAYOFFS
Overall: 2-0-0 Overall: 1-1-2 Overall: 38-38-14 Series: 2 (1-1)
Home: 2-0-0 Home: 1-0-1 Home: 22-19-6 W-L Record: 6-4
Road: 0-0-0 Road: 0-1-1 Road: 16-19-8

CROWDED DRESSING ROOM
The Avalanche have used 36 different players this season (34 skaters, two goalies), the most of any team in the NHL … The club used 39 players in each of the last two seasons, which tied the Avalanche record (since relocating) also set in 2010-11, 2003-04 and 1998-99 … Colorado’s injury list is now at 178 which puts them unofficially fourth in the league behind Washington (214 going into last night’s game), Columbus (196) and Philadelphia (190 going into last night’s game).

MOST PLAYERS USED, 2022-23
36 ….. Colorado
35 ……Columbus
33 ……Toronto
31 ……Vancouver

YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MISTER GRINCH
Colorado has out-shot the opposition 153-93 over the last four games (an average of 38-23) and out-attempted its opponents 253-155 (+98) at 5-on-5 during that span … The Avs have allowed two goals or less in six of their last seven games and have yielded only two goals TOTAL in the last three contests … The Avs are 5-1-0 in their last six games with four of the five wins coming by one goal

GRAND CENTRAL
Colorado is 7-2-1 against Central Division teams this season, 4-1-1 at home and 3-1-0 on the road

STAYING OUT OF THE BOX
The Avalanche have taken only one penalty in each of the last two games and have committed two penalties or less (all minors) in each of the last five contests, which is a franchise record … The Vegas Golden Knights have a current streak longer, as they’ve played seven straight games with four minutes in penalties or less … For the year, Colorado ranks eighth in the league in fewest penalties per game (8.2)

WORKING OVERTIME (AND SHOOTOUTS)
The Avalanche are 6-2 in games decided past regulation, 3-1 in overtime and 3-1 in shootouts … Colorado’s .750 winning percentage beyond regulation ranks fifth in the league, while its three shootout wins are tied for second behind only Montreal (4-0) … The Avalanche are 80-45 all-time in shootouts, the highest winning percentage (.640) of any team since the tiebreaker started in 2005-06 (not including Seattle) … The Avs have the best all-time shooting percentage at 38.3% (161/420) and the fifth-best save percentage at .717 (306/427) … Alexandar Georgiev has participated in all four shootouts this year, allowing just three goals on 13 shots (.769) … His three wins are tied with Jake Allen for the league lead while his .769 save percentage ranks second among all netminders who have faced 10+ shots behind Logan Thompson (.917) … Georgiev is 9-4 with a .688 Sv% in career shootouts (48/15) … Pavel Francouz is 3-0 in career shootouts stopping all nine shots he’s faced … Evan Rodrigues is 2-for-2 in shootouts this year, scoring the winning tally in both contests.

THE MOOSE IS LOOSE
As of Thursday, Mikko Rantanen was tied for fourth in the NHL in goals (22) and tied for first in even-strength tallies (18) … He scored his 20th goal of the season on Dec. 15 against the Sabres, reaching the 20-goal mark for the sixth time in his seven NHL seasons … Rantanen, who hit the milestone in Colorado’s 28th game of the season, became the first player in Avalanche history to reach the 20-goal mark in fewer than 30 contests … Joe Sakic (1995-96) and Nathan MacKinnon (2018- 19) both did it in the 30th game of those respective seasons … Rantanen has 27 points (15g/12a) in 16 home games.

NHL GOAL LEADERS NHL LEADERS, EVEN-STRENGTH GOALS GOALS IN DECEMBER
29 Connor McDavid EDM 18 Mikko Rantanen COL 12 Tage Thompson BUF
26 Tage Thompson BUF 18 Jason Robertson DAL 11 Connor McDavid EDM
24 Jason Robertson DAL 16 Sidney Crosby PIT 9 Mikko Rantanen COL
22 Mikko Rantanen COL 15 Cole Caufield MTL 8 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins EDM
22 Bo Horvat VAN 15 Connor McDavid EDM

MOST 20-GOAL SEASONS FEWEST TEAM GAMES TO REACH 30 GOALS
AVALANCHE HISTORY (since 1995-96) AVALANCHE HISTORY (since 1995-96)
11 Milan Hejduk 28 GP Mikko Rantanen 2022-23
11 Joe Sakic 30 GP Joe Sakic 1995-96
9 Gabriel Landeskog 30 GP Nathan MacKinnon 2018-19
7 Nathan MacKinnon
6 Mikko Rantanen
6 Paul Stastny
6 Peter Forsberg

SIMPLY GEORGIE(OUS)
Alexandar Georgiev has won his past three starts, allowing just two goals on 72 shots (0.65 GAA, .972 Sv%) … It’s his third different win streak of at least three games in 2022-23 … Alex recorded a shutout in a 1-0 shootout win over the Islanders on Monday, becoming just the second goalie in Avalanche history to post a 1-0 shootout win (Reto Berra, April 9, 2015 vs. Winnipeg) … Georgiev ranks among the NHL’s top-10 netminders in wins (14), save percentage (.924), goals-against average (2.39) and shutouts (2) …. Going back to last year, he is 22-7-2 in his last 32 regular-season games (31 starts).

ALL HAIL CALE
With an assist on Wednesday, Cale Makar passed Rob Blake (208) for sixth place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list among defensemen with 209 points … Makar (55 goals) is one behind Adam Foote (56) for sixth place in that category … Cale recorded his 200th career point on Nov. 21 in Dallas, reaching the milestone faster than any defenseman in NHL history (195th game) … He appeared in his 200th career NHL game on Dec. 3 at Boston, with his 203 career points at the time the most ever by a defender through 200 contests … Cale ranks fifth among NHL blueliners this season with 29 points (7g/22a) in 31 contests … He leads the entire NHL in ice time, averaging 27:06 minutes per game.

FASTEST DEFENSEMEN TO 200 POINTS NHL HISTORY
195 GP Cale Makar COL
207 GP Sergei Zubov NYR, PIT
211 GP Brian Leetch NYR
212 GP Phil Housley BUF
212 GP Denis Potvin NYI
216 GP Mark Howe HFD, PHI
216 GP Bobby Orr BOS

POINTS/GAME AVERAGE, DEFENSEMAN MINIMUM 200 GAMES PLAYED
PT/GP Player PTS GP
1.39 Bobby Orr 915 657
1.09 Paul Coffey 1531 1409
1.00 Cale Makar 209 209
0.99 Denis Potvin 1052 1060

QUICK ON THE DRAW
J.T. Compher leads the NHL with 166 faceoff wins this month (166-139, 54.4%) … Compher won a career-high 25 draws (25- 10, 71%) on Dec. 15 against Buffalo, tied for the third-most faceoff wins in Avalanche history … Colorado won a season-high 48 faceoffs against the Sabres, tied for the eighth most in club history and matching its highest total over the last 20 seasons.

FACEOFF WINS, AVALANCHE HISTORY TEAM FACEOFF WINS, AVALANCHE HISTORY
28 Joe Sakic Jan. 6, 1999 vs. Florida 54 Jan. 6, 1999 vs. Florida
27 Joe Sakic Nov. 3, 2000 vs. Carolina 52 Feb. 22, 2000 vs. Atlanta
25 J.T. Compher Dec. 15, 2022 vs. Buffalo 51 Nov. 1, 1997 vs. Calgary
25 Chris Drury Feb. 22, 2000 vs. Atlanta 51 Feb. 10, 2000 vs. Calgary
25 Peter Forsberg Dec. 19, 1998 at San Jose 50 Oct. 14, 2000 vs. Columbus
50 Oct. 28, 1999 at Philadelphia
50 Jan. 18, 2001 vs. Vancouver
48 Dec. 15, 2022 vs. Buffalo
48 Jan. 6, 2017 vs. NY Islanders

DAYDREAM BELIEVER
The Avalanche will play nine afternoon contests this season … The schedule originally called for 10 daytime contests but the Nov 25th game in Nashville was postponed due to a water main break at Bridgestone Arena … The Avs are 1-0-0 in day games this season and 14-3-1 (.806) in afternoon contests since 2019-20, the second highest points percentage in day contests during that span behind only Carolina (19-3-2, .833) … The Avs finished 5-1-0 in day games last year, 3-0-0 at home.

THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE
As of Thursday, Colorado ranked fifth in the NHL in power-play percentage at 27.6% (29-105) … The Avalanche had the NHL’s top-ranked power play for 55 consecutive days from Oct. 15–Dec. 9 … The Avs are 12-5-1 when scoring a PPG this year, 3-6-1 when failing to do so … Colorado tallied a power-play goal in a season-high eight consecutive games from Oct. 29–Nov. 26 … The Avalanche’s power play scored at a 32.8% clip during the 2022 playoffs, the highest rate on record (since 1977-78) by an NHL team that played at least 20 games … During the 2021-22 regular season, Colorado finished seventh in power-play percentage (24.0%) and led all teams in power-play goals (67).

FIN-ISH WHAT YOU STARTED
Mikko Rantanen tallied his fifth career hat trick, including the tying score with 8.1 seconds left in regulation and the game-winning goal in overtime to finish Colorado’s Dec. 11th victory in St. Louis … Rantanen became the second player in Avalanche history to complete a hat trick with an overtime goal, joining Valeri Kamensky on Jan 3, 1998 at Pittsburgh … Overall, he’s the fourth skater in franchise history to accomplish the feat, as two Quebec Nordiques did it during the 1992- 93 season: Owen Nolan on Nov. 26, 1992 at Toronto and Scott Young on Dec. 12, 1992 at San Jose … Rantanen’s five hat tricks are tied for the sixth most in franchise history and the third most since the team relocated behind Joe Sakic (10) and Peter Forsberg (7).

ONE MONTH AT A TIME
Colorado finished 8-3-0 in November, the 23rd consecutive month that the Avs have posted a .500 or better record in… And 21 of those 23 months featured a winning record.

EAST SIDE STORY
The Avalanche are 10-6-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season … Colorado finished 22-8-2 against the East last year, its most wins and tied for its most points (46) ever against the other conference … Since Jared Bednar was hired in 2016-17, the Avs are 100-60-16 against the Eastern Conference, which includes a league-best 53-20-7 (.706) mark since 2019-20.

REVERSE RETRO JERSEY
The Avalanche are 2-0-0 in their adidas Reverse Retro 2022 ADIZERO jerseys … Colorado will wear the RR jersey four times this season: Nov. 26 vs. Dallas (W, 4-1), Dec. 11 at St. Louis (W, 3-2 OT), Dec. 29 vs. Los Angeles and Jan. 2 vs. Vegas … The 2022 Colorado Avalanche Reverse Retro uniform pays tribute to its home state by incorporating colors of the Colorado flag while reintroducing the original jersey design donned in the 1995 inaugural season.

FINNISH FIREWORKS
Led by Nathan MacKinnon’s seven combined points (0g/7a) and Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick in the opener, the Avalanche swept the two-game NHL Global Series from the Blue Jackets in early November, out-scoring Columbus 11-4 … Colorado’s six goals in the 6-3 opening win set an NHL record for a single game outside of North America while the 11 combined goals were also the most over a two-game overseas series … Rantanen’s hat trick was just the third outside of North America in history, while MacKinnon’s four helpers that first night set a record for the most assists in a single game outside of North America … Alexandar Georgiev started and won both games, allowing four goals 71 shots (2.02 GAA, .944 Sv%) … His two victories already equal the record for career wins in games played overseas … MacKinnon’s seven assists and eight career points (he had one goal in the 2017 Global Series in Sweden) are both records for games played outside North America.

POSTPONEMENT
The Avalanche and Predators game at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 25 was postponed due to a water main break that significantly impacted the event level at the arena … The contest has been rescheduled for April 14 as Colorado’s final game of the regular season – it’s the second half of a back-to-back, the Avs play Winnipeg at home on April 13.

MILE HIGH MAINSTAY
Erik Johnson is in his 15th NHL season and 13th with the Avalanche … His 13 seasons rank fourth in franchise history behind only Joe Sakic (20), Adam Foote (17) and Milan Hejduk (14), with Foote the only other defenseman on that list … Johnson is the longest current tenured athlete of any of Denver’s four major sports teams, followed by Gabriel Landeskog and Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (both 12 seasons).

SHORT AND SWEET
As of Thursday, Colorado was tied for third in the NHL with four shorthanded goals

BACK-TO-BACK
The Avalanche will play 13 back-to-backs this season … They have competed in four back-to-backs so far, going 2-2-0 in the first game and 2-2-0 in the second … The Avalanche posted a 15-5-2 (.727) combined record in back-to-back games last season, the second-best mark behind Minnesota (.732, 19-6-3) … The Avs finished 7-3-1 in the first game and 8-2-1 in the second (.773), with only Tampa (10-0-2, .917) posting a better record in the second half of a back-to-back.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH; AVS WIN STANLEY CUP
The Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup championship in 2022 following 1996 and 2001 … Colorado claimed its title by going 16-4 in the postseason, which included a pair of sweeps and defeating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in six games during the Final … The Avs became the sixth team to win a Cup with four or fewer postseason losses since 1987 when the NHL went to four rounds of best-of-seven … And of those six only one team had fewer losses, the 1988 Oilers (two) … The Avalanche did not lose consecutive games all playoffs.

ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT
The 2021-22 Avalanche equaled the NHL record for the most combined regular season/playoff wins with 72 (56 regular season, 16 playoff), a feat only three teams in NHL history had achieved before … The 2021-22 Avalanche joined the 1995- 96 Red Wings, 1983-84 Oilers and 1976-77 Canadiens on that list.

RECORD REGULAR SEASON
The 2021-22 Avalanche set a franchise record with 56 wins and 119 points en route to winning their second straight division title and 11th since moving to Denver (13th in franchise history) … The Avs clinched the conference’s top spot despite facing a 10-point deficit behind the No. 1 seed on Dec. 3 … The last team to win their conference after overcoming a deficit of 10 or more points was the Rangers in 2014-15 (13) … The Avalanche sat in first place in the Western Conference over the final 106 days of the season and from Feb 10–April 19 were first in the entire NHL for all but one day (68 out of 69).

WINS, FRANCHISE HISTORY POINTS, FRANCHISE HISTORY
56 2021-22 119 2021-22
52 2000-01 118 2000-01
52 2013-14 112 2013-14

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
The 2021-22 Avalanche posted their best home season in franchise history with a 32-5-4 record (68 points) … Colorado tied Florida for the league lead in home points, ending with the most home points in the NHL for the second straight season after tying Pittsburgh with 46 in 2020-21 … The Avs posted an 18-game home winning streak from Nov. 11–Jan. 30, the fifth longest run in NHL history, and had a franchise record 22-game home point streak (20-0-2) from Oct. 30–Feb. 10.

AINT NO MOUNTAIN HIGH, AINT NO VALLEY LOW
Colorado’s Stanley Cup championship came five years after a last-place finish in 2016-17 …. The Avs became the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to win a title within five years of a last place finish and the first since the 2009 Penguins … Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy the previous year in 2020-21, becoming the first NHL team to go from worst to first overall in four seasons or less since the Bruins in 1970-71.

DOWN BUT NEVER OUT
Ten of the Avalanche’s wins during the 2022 postseason were earned in come-from-behind fashion, including four third-period comebacks … Colorado’s 10 comeback wins tied the 2009 Penguins for the most in NHL history … The Avs trailed in all four of their series-clinching victories, the first team in NHL history to do so.

ROAD, SWEET ROAD
The Avalanche finished a league-best 9-1 on the road during the 2022 postseason, tied for the fewest road losses by a Stanley Cup champion since 1987 (the 2012 Kings and 1995 Devils were both 10-1) … Colorado earned all four series-clinching wins on the road.

MAGIC YEAR FOR MAKAR
After becoming the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy in 2021-22, Makar followed that up by winning the 2022 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP … At 23 years, 239 days, he became the youngest defenseman in 52 years to win the Conn Smythe and just the third overall to do so at age 23 or younger, joining Bobby Orr with the 1970 Bruins (22 years, 51 days) and Serge Savard with the 1969 Canadiens (23 years, 102 days) … Makar won the Conn Smythe just five days after receiving his first Norris Trophy … He became the third player to win both awards in the same season, following Orr in 1970 and Nicklas Lidstrom in 2002 … Makar led the Avalanche and all NHL defensemen with 29 points (8g/21a) in 20 games, the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoff history behind Paul Coffey (37) with the 1985 Oilers, Brian Leetch (34) with the 1994 Rangers and Al MacInnis (31) with the 1989 Flames.

SONG SUNG BLUE(LINE)
Colorado’s defensemen produced 64 goals last season, a franchise record and the most by any team since the 1992-93 Capitals (94) … The Avalanche’s blueline also lead all teams in points with a franchise-record 238, the most since the 1995- 96 Red Wings had 240 … Colorado’s defensemen finished with 69 points (18g/51a) during the playoffs, the most by any blueline in a four-round postseason since the 1984-85 Oilers (77).

IN BEDNAR WE TRUST
Jared Bednar is in his seventh season as the Avalanche’s head coach … Hired on Aug. 25, 2016, he is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Jon Cooper (March 25, 2013) and Mike Sullivan (Dec. 12, 2015) … Jared led the 2021-22 Avalanche to their most successful regular season in franchise history (56-19-7, 119 points) and continued that into the postseason with a 16-4 playoff mark en route to capturing the 2022 Stanley Cup … Bednar, who won a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016 and a Kelly Cup with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2009, became the first individual to win a championship in the NHL, AHL and ECHL as a head coach … He is the winningest coach in Avalanche history with a 258-179-48 (.581) regular season record … Bednar owns a 40-22-1 (.635) record in 63 postseason games, the best playoff winning percentage among active coaches and the third highest all time (min 50 GP) behind Glen Sather (.706) and Toe Blake (.689).

SUPER JOE ACHIEVES RARE FIRST
General Manager (now President) Joe Sakic, who captained the Avalanche to a pair of titles in 1996 and 2001, became the first individual in league history to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and GM with the same organization … He was just the third to win a championship as a player and general manager with the same franchise, joining Serge Savard of the Canadiens and Milt Schmidt of the Bruins.

TIP OF CAP
Gabriel Landeskog is in his 12th NHL season and 11th as team captain … He was the youngest captain in NHL history when he assumed the role at 19 years, 286 days on Sept. 4, 2012, a title he held for four years before Connor McDavid was given the ‘C’ by Edmonton at 19 years, 266 days on Oct. 5, 2016 … Landeskog is the second-longest serving captain in franchise history behind Joe Sakic (17 seasons, 16 consecutive) … Only three players have been captain of their current teams longer:

Sidney Crosby (PIT) ………………… 16th season (since 2007-08)
Jonathan Toews (CHI) …………….. 15th season (since 2008-09)
Alex Ovechkin (WSH) ……………… 14th season (since 2009-10)
Gabriel Landeskog (COL) …………11th season (since 2012-13)

2022-23 AVALANCHE TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 17 – Brad Hunt recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) … Jean-Luc Foudy, Charles Hudon reassigned to Colorado (AHL)
Dec. 18 – Danila Zhuravlyov placed on unconditional waivers
Dec. 19 – Martin Kaut recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) … Denis Malgin acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Dryden Hunt … Kurtis MacDermid activated from Injured Reserve … Zhuravylov cleared waivers and contract terminated

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. COLORADO
OVERALL (90 GP) 47-35-(5)-3
HOME (43 GP) 24-15-(3)-1
ROAD (47 GP) 23-20-(2)-2
PLAYOFFS (1-1) Last: 2022 WCQ (L, 4-0)
− The Predators are 47-35-(5)-3 all-time against the Avalanche, including a 24-15-(3)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.

− This is the third of four matchups between Nashville and Colorado in 2022-23; it is the first of two at home. Nashville vs. Colorado, originally scheduled for Nov. 25, will now be played on April 14 at 7 p.m. CT.

− Nashville is 0-2-0 against Colorado this season, dropping both contests at Ball Arena.

− The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Avalanche; they are 4-6-0 in their last 10; and 2-3-0 in their last five at home.

− Nashville has won 15 of its last 22 regular-season games against Colorado, including an 11-game win streak from April 5, 2016-Nov. 7, 2018. During the win streak, Nashville posted 4.2 goals per game and held Colorado to two-or-fewer goals seven times.

− Nashville and Colorado have met twice in the postseason, with the Predators earning a 4-2 series victory in the 2018 first round; Nashville was swept for the first time in franchise history in the 2022 first round.

NOTABLES vs. COLORADO
− Matt Duchene was drafted third overall by the Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Draft. He recorded 428 points (178g-250a) in nine seasons with Colorado from 2009-17. Duchene has 10 goals and 11 points in 11 career games against his former team.

− Roman Josi recorded a 12-game point streak vs. Colorado (5g-11a) from March 28, 2016-Jan. 21, 2019. He’s recorded a point in 28 of his 40 career games against the Avalanche, tallying 14 goals and 38 points.

− Colton Sissons posted a career-high three assists on Dec. 16, 2021 vs. the Avs. He has 14 points (8g-6a) in 21 career regular-season games vs. Colorado.

− Filip Forsberg notched his fourth career hat trick on Feb. 23, 2017 vs. the Avalanche. He’s averaged more than a point per game in his career against Colorado, recording 33 points (16g-17a) in 31 games, including five game-winning goals.

− Mikael Granlund skated in his first career NHL game and scored his first career NHL goal on Jan. 19, 2013 vs. Colorado.

− Predators Assistant Coach Dan Hinote won the 2001 Stanley Cup as a player for the Avalanche.

− Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard was selected by the Predators in the second round (47th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. He skated in five games for Nashville in 2017-18, tallying three points (1g-2a).

LAST TIME OUT
− Nashville Predators 4, Chicago Blackhawks 2 – Dec. 21 (United Center)
− NSH goals: Niederreiter (11), Duchene (9), Josi – GWG (7), Novak – PP (1)
− CHI goals: Murphy (3), Entwistle (2)
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (W, 37/39); CHI – Mrazek (L, 33/37)
− Power plays: NSH 1-2; CHI 0-4
− Notes: Nashville improved to 6-8-2 on the road in 2022-23… The Predators extended their point streak against the Blackhawks to 15 games (12-0-3), the longest active point streak by any NHL team against a single opponent… It is one game behind Nashville’s longest against a single opponent in franchise history (16 – vs. Columbus from 2006-08)… Roman Josi tallied his 566th and 567th career points to pass David Legwand for the most in franchise history… Josi’s goal was the 27th game-winner of his career, passing Martin Erat for sole possession of third in Predators history… Tommy Novak scored his first goal of the season… Matt Duchene scored to give him goals in three straight games (3g)… Juuso Parssinen recorded two assists for his second multi-point game of the season… Cody Glass tallied an assist to give him three points (3a) in his last two games… Ryan McDonagh returned the lineup after missing seven games with an upper-body injury.

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Dec. 21 24
Michael McCarron NHL/NHLPA PAP Dec. 12-21 6

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 23, 2022 vs. Colorado Avalanche
Total man-games lost: 56
Borowiecki – 25; McCarron – 7; McDonagh – 7; Trenin – 5; Carrier – 4; Glass – 3; Lauzon – 3; Jankowski – 2

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− Dec. 21: Activated defenseman Ryan McDonagh from IR.
− Dec. 20: Reassigned defenseman Jordan Gross to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Dec. 19: Recalled forward Tommy Novak from Milwaukee (AHL).
− Dec. 18: Reassigned defensemen Kevin Gravel and Roland McKeown to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Dec. 12: Recalled defensemen Kevin Gravel and Roland McKeown from Milwaukee (AHL). Forward Eeli Tolvanen claimed
on waivers by Seattle.
− Dec. 5: Recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed defenseman Ryan McDonagh on IR (upper body).
− Nov. 23: Assigned forward Zach Sanford to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Nov. 14: Signed forward Nolan Burke to a three-year, entry-level contract.

RESCHEDULED GAMES
− The NHL announced new dates and start times for the two Predators home games that were postponed due to flooding at Bridgestone Arena.

− Nashville vs. Colorado, originally scheduled for Nov. 25, will now be played on April 14 at 7 p.m. CT.

− Nashville vs. Columbus, originally scheduled for Nov. 26, will now be played on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. CT.

HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES
− John Hynes won his 100th game as Predators head coach on Nov. 17 vs. the Islanders.

− Hynes won his 100th game in his 183rd contest in charge of the Predators. Peter Laviolette hit the 100-win mark as Nashville’s head coach in his 189th game (Dec. 6, 2016); Barry Trotz reached it in his 274th game (Dec. 6, 2001).

− He’s up to 256 career NHL wins, placing him tied for 63rd (Jim Schoenfeld) on the NHL’s all-time list.

RECORD-BREAKING JOSI
− Roman Josi recorded his 566th and 567th career points on Wednesday at Chicago to pass David Legwand (566) for the most in Predators history. Josi became the second defenseman to lead an active NHL franchise in points, joining Boston’s Ray Bourque. His 567 career points are the 27th-most by a defenseman through his first 791 career games in NHL history.

− He has 24 points (7g-17a) in his last 23 games after tallying a goal and an assist against the Blackhawks. His goal on Wednesday was the 27th game-winner of his career, moving him past Martin Erat for sole possession of third place on Nashville’s all-time list.

Goals
Rk. Player G
1 Filip Forsberg 229
2 David Legwand 210
3 Shea Weber 166
4 Martin Erat 163
5 Craig Smith 162
6 Roman Josi 147
7 Viktor Arvidsson 127
8 Mike Fisher 111
9 Jason Arnott 107
10 Three tied 106

Assists
Rk. Player A
1 Roman Josi 420
2 David Legwand 356
3 Martin Erat 318
4 Shea Weber 277
5 Filip Forsberg 265
6 Ryan Johansen 245
7 Kimmo Timonen 222
8 Mattias Ekholm 201
9 Ryan Suter 200
10 Ryan Ellis 195

Points
Rk. Player P
1 Roman Josi 567
2 David Legwand 566
3 Filip Forsberg 494
4 Martin Erat 481
5 Shea Weber 443
6 Ryan Johansen 351
7 Craig Smith 330
8 Kimmo Timonen 301
9 Ryan Ellis 270
10 J-P Dumont 267

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 23, 2022 vs. Colorado Avalanche
− Since Oct. 27, Josi is tied for third among NHL defensemen in goals (7); tied for fifth in points (24); and tied for eighth in assists (17).

− He scored his seventh career overtime goal on Nov. 29 vs. Anaheim, tying him with Shea Weber for the third-most in franchise history.

− Tallying four assists on Nov. 17 vs. the NY Islanders, Josi notched the seventh four-point game of his NHL career, the most among active NHL defensemen. He led all NHL blueliners with four four-point games in 2021-22. In that same game, he became the ninth different defenseman in NHL history to record three assists in the first 10 minutes of a contest; he also became the fourth active blueliner to record three points in the opening 10 minutes of a game.

− He recorded at least five shots on goal in five straight games from Nov. 17-29. It was tied for the fifth-longest such streak by an NHL defenseman since 2000-01.

− The 2020 Norris Trophy winner has scored 95 goals since the 2016-17 campaign, the most among NHL blueliners in that time span.

Where Josi ranks among NHL defensemen
Category Total Rank
Shots on Goal 139 1st
Average TOI 25:26 5th
Goals 7 Tied for 6th
Points 25 Tied for 11th
Assists 18 Tied for 14th

JUICE IS LOOSE
− Goaltender Juuse Saros is 8-3-3 with a 2.38 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in his last 13 games dating back to Nov. 12.

− He’s made at least 30 saves in eight of his last 14 games; he’s faced at least 30 shots in 10 of those outings.

− Additionally, Saros owns a 9.65 goals saved above average (GSAA) since Nov. 12, the third-best mark in the League (per Natural Stat Trick). GSAA measures the goals a goalie prevented given his save percentage and shots faced vs. the NHL average save percentage on the same number of shots.

− Per Natural Stat Trick, Saros has made 179 high-danger saves this season, tied for the fifth-most among League netminders.

NUMBER NINE
− Filip Forsberg (483) passed Martin Erat (481) and moved into sole possession of third place on the Predators’ all-time points list on Nov. 8 at Seattle. He is six points from becoming the third player in team history to reach the 500-point milestone.

− Forsberg is tied for the Nashville in points with 25 (9g-16a).

− Forsberg has 22 points (7g-15a) in his last 24 games dating back to Oct. 22 vs. Philadelphia. He’s recorded two three-point games in that time frame – Oct. 27 vs. St. Louis (3a) and Nov. 1 at Edmonton (1g-2a).

− Nov. 1 at Edmonton was Forsberg’s 32nd career three-point game, the most in Predators history.

QUICK HITS
− The Predators have allowed 2.65 goals-against per game since Nov. 12, the ninth-best mark in the League.

− The Predators are tied for seventh in the NHL in face-off percentage (52.9 percent).

− Among NHL players who have taken at least 300 faceoffs, Ryan Johansen is fourth at 61.2 percent.

− Johansen won at least 50 percent of his faceoffs in a franchise-record 23 consecutive games, a streak that came to an end on Nov. 23 at Detroit. The previous record was held by current Predators Assistant GM Scott Nichol, who did so in 17 straight games during the 2006-07 season.

− Colton Sissons is second in the NHL in shorthanded faceoffs won (62).

− Forward Juuso Parssinen, 21, who made his NHL debut on Nov. 12 vs. the Rangers, has seven points (3g-4a) in his first 17 career NHL games. He tallied two assists on Wednesday at Chicago. He became the first Predators player to make his NHL debut this season. He is the only rookie in Predators history to score three goals in his first four career NHL games. He is one of three rookies in team history to record five points in his first four career NHL games, joining Denis Arkhipov (2g3a in 2000-01) and Marek Zidlicky (2g-3a in 2003-04).

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 23, 2022 vs. Colorado Avalanche
On Nov. 17 vs. the NY Islanders (2g-1a), Parssinen also became the 15th rookie in franchise history to record a three-point game and is one of three to do so within his first three career NHL games, joining Smith, who did so in his second on Oct. 8, 2011 at St. Louis (1g-2a), and Tommy Novak, who did so in his third on Oct. 23, 2021 at Winnipeg (3a).

Scoring his first career NHL goal on his first shot, Parssinen joined an exclusive group of Predators players. He became the fifth Nashville skater to score in his NHL debut, joining Miikka Salomaki (2014-15), Kevin Henderson (2012-13), Smith (2011-12) and Mikko Lehtonen (2006-07).

The No. 210 overall pick (seventh round) in the 2019 NHL Draft became the sixth player in the last decade to score in his first career NHL game after being selected in the seventh round.

− Nashville’s 4-3 OT win on Dec. 1 at New Jersey came in dramatic fashion.

Mikael Granlund tied the game at 3-3 with 10 seconds remining in the third period, the third-latest game-tying goal in franchise history. It was also the third time in Predators history the team has tied a game with 10 seconds or less remaining in the third period and went on to win in overtime or a shootout; the last time was Feb. 27, 2020 vs. Calgary when Granlund tied the game with one second remaining and went on to score the OT winner.

Additionally, Ryan Johansen opened the game’s scoring just 11 seconds into the first period. It tied the Predators record for fastest goal to begin a game (David Legwand – April 5, 2007 vs. St. Louis) and was the fastest goal to begin a road game in franchise history. Nashville became the fifth team in the past 24 years to score goals in the first 15 seconds and final 15 seconds of the game and first since Boston on Feb. 3, 2021.

− Mark Jankowski was selected by Calgary in the first round (21st overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. That pick was initially held by Nashville but was traded to Buffalo on Feb. 27, 2012 for Paul Gaustad and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, with which the Predators used to select Juuse Saros. To close the pick history, Buffalo traded the 21st overall choice in the 2012 NHL Draft to Calgary with a second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (Patrick Sieloff) for the 14th overall pick (Zemgus Girgensons).

The Predators will have three prospects competing in the 2023 World Junior Championship, which runs from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick.

Ryan Ufko (fourth round, 115th overall in 2021) will skate for the United States (Smithtown, N.Y.).

Jack Matier (fourth round, 124th overall in 2021) will skate for Canada (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.).

Joakim Kemell (first round, 17th overall in 2022) will skate for Finland (Jyväskylä).

NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (15-15-4) at New York Islanders (18-14-2)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

December 23, 2022

NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (15-15-4) at New York Islanders (18-14-2)

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 34
D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 9
F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 9
F Chris Tierney | Games Missed: 4
F Aleksander Barkov | Games Missed: 2
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 102

LAST GAME
Panthers 2, Devils 4 – Dec. 21 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: E. Staal (3), Luostarinen (8-PPG)
NJD Goals: Bratt (11-PPG, 12), Sharangovich (9), Tatar (8)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (L) – 29 Saves
NJD Goalie: Blackwood (W) – 34 Saves
FLA Shots: 36
NJD Shots: 33
Notes: Eric Staal tallied a goal for the second consecutive game (2-0-2)…Eetu Luostarinen’s goal marked his first power-play goal of his career, and extended his point streak to three games (1-2-3) which matched his career long…Anton Lundell notched an assist in his first game back after missing Florida’s previous nine games with injury…FLA PP: 1-1, FLA PK: 2-3

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

Dec. 21: F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
Dec. 19: F Givani Smith acquired from DET in exchange for D Michael Del Zotto
Dec. 15: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. ISLANDERS
ALL-TIME vs. NYI: 56-32-8-11
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. NYI: 27-19-2-6
2022-23 vs. NYI: 2-0-0

CATS STATS

Florida’s 54.9 shot attempts percentage at five-on-five play ranked fourth among NHL teams following games played Dec. 21.

CATS AND ISLES
The Panthers and Islanders will face off for the third and final time this season, with Florida earning the victory in their previous two matchups this season by a combined score of 6-3. Eetu Luostarinen leads the Cats with three points (1-2-3) and a plus-four rating against the Isles this season, while seven different Panthers have registered at least one point in the season series. Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight each earned a win by stopping a combined 56 of 59 shots against over the two games. The Panthers have won each of their past five games against the Islanders since Oct. 16, 2021, and own a 9-2-2 total mark over 13 games since Jan. 30, 2018. Aleksander Barkov has amassed 20 points (10-10-20) over 22 career games against NYI, while Eric Staal has logged 50 points (24-26-50) over 59 total games against the Isles.

PUCKS ON NET
49 total NHL players had recorded at least 100 shots on goal this season following games played Dec. 21 – the Panthers are the only team with more than three such players (Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe). Florida has produced the most shots on goal per game overall (37.1) and on the road (37.0) of any team this season. Florida ranks second in the league in five-on-five goals (79) and third in even-strength goals (88).

BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
21 of Florida’s goals this season have come from defensemen, tied for the second-most goals by d-men among NHL teams this season behind NYI (23). Florida’ 83 points by blueliners also ranks tied for second through games played Dec. 21, behind SJS (87).

CHUCKIE’S CHEESE
Matthew Tkachuk posted his team-leading 14th multi-point game (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. He also posted his third plus-four rating in the game, the most of any NHL skater this season. Tkachuk posted at least a point in four straight games from Dec. 1-8 (2-5-8), his third point streak of at least four games in 2022-23. He leads Florida with 39 points (14-25-39) this season. His 37 points through his first 25 games in 2022-23 were both the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games with the franchise and the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games of a season in franchise history. The Scottsdale, Ariz. Native also paces the Cats in assists (25), PIMs (57), points per game (1.26), even-strength points (27), power-play points (12) and shots on goal (114).

Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through first 25 Games with the Franchise

Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
Pavel Bure 1998-99 to 1999-00 30 Points (21-9-30)
Kris Versteeg 2011-12 28 Points (12-16-18)

Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through First 25 Games of a Season

Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
Pavel Bure 1999-00 34 Points (21-13-34)
Jonathan Huberdeau 2019-20 31 Points (10-21-31)

MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour produced at least one point in four consecutive games (1-3-4) from Dec. 13-19, his longest point streak of the season. He leads Panthers blueliners in goals (6), assists (20) and points (26) this season, and his 26 points tied for the ninth-most among NHL defensemen following games played Dec. 21. He notched an assist Dec. 17 at NJD and led all skaters with five blocked shots, tied with Marc Staal for the most by a Panthers skater in a game this season. Montour skated in his 400th NHL game Dec. 10 at TBL. His 25 points through his first 30 games this season were the fourth-most points by a Panthers defenseman through 30 contests in a season. With his assist Nov. 28 at EDM, he surpassed Aaron Ekblad (22 GP, 2021-22) for the fewest games to reach the 20-point mark in a season among Panthers blueliners in club history. The Brantford, Ontario native’s seven points from Nov. 6-9 tied Bryan McCabe (1-6-7, March 3-6, 2010) for the most points in a two-game span by a Panthers defenseman in club history. He matched his career high with four points (1-3-4) Nov. 6 at ANA, also tying the franchise record for single-game points by a defenseman. His three game-winning goals are the most on the Panthers in 2022-23.

‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart posted two points (1-1-2) Dec. 19 at BOS for his second consecutive multi-point game and sixth of the campaign. He has also tallied a goal in four consecutive games (5-3-8) from Dec. 13-19, tied for the longest goal streak of his career and tied for the longest on Florida this season. Reinhart’s goal Dec. 19 at BOS marked his 400th NHL point. His 401 points are the third-most of any skater selected in the 2014 NHL Draft. He logged his second multi-goal outing (2-0-2) Dec. 17 at NJD, including his team-leading sixth power-play goal. Reinhart registered a season-high three points (1-2-3) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ and posted a plus-four rating, tied for the best by a Panthers skater this season. He notched an assist Dec. 8 vs. DET and posted a season-high seven shots on goal, and he logged at least one point in five consecutive games (2-5-7) from Nov. 23-Dec. 1, tied for the longest point streak on Florida this season. Reinhart scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games from Nov. 15-19, behind only Anthony Duclair and Evgenii Dadonov (4 games each) for the longest PPG streak in franchise history.

Most Career Points, Players Drafted in 2014

Leon Draisaitl 670 (275-396-671)
David Pastrnak 547 (261-286-547)
Sam Reinhart 401 (179-222-401)

MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe logged two points (1-1-2) Dec. 19 at BOS to extend his point streak to three games (2-2-4). He leads Florida with 17 goals and 13 even-strength goals (17-11-28 in 33GP). Verhaeghe’s 17.0% shooting percentage is the highest on Florida among skaters with at least 10 games played this season. He has posted at least one point (5-4-9) in seven of his past 10 games, and he skated in his 200th NHL game Dec. 8 vs. DET. He tallied his fourth power-play goal of the season and matched his career high with eight shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG, and he produced his team-leading fifth multi-goal game Dec. 3 at SEA. His goals came :26 seconds apart, tied for the third-fastest two goals scored by one player in franchise history. He posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3- 9 (4-3-7). The Toronto, Ontario native’s nine total multi-point games and 22 even-strength points each rank second on Florida. Just 33 games into the season, Verhaeghe is seven goals away from matching his career high in goals (24 in 78GP, 2021-22).

EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad led Florida with six shots on goal and 26:58 time on ice Dec. 19 at BOS. He notched two assists Dec. 17 at NJD, and he skated in his 574th NHL game Dec. 15 vs. PIT, surpassing Robert Svehla for most games played by a defenseman in franchise history and fifth-most overall. Ekblad also posted a plus-three rating against PIT. He notched his 202nd NHL assist to surpass Keith Yandle for second-most by a defenseman in franchise history and sixth-most by a Panthers skater Dec 8 vs. DET. He logged his 611th career blocked shot Dec. 6 at WPG, surpassing Dmitry Kulikov for the most blocked shots in franchise history (since the NHL began tracking in 2005-06). Ekblad logged his 200th NHL assist Nov. 29 at CGY to cap his point streak at five games (3-4-7 from Nov. 20-29), tied for the longest by a Panthers skater this season. He was the third blueliner to reach 200 assists with Florida. Ekblad notched his 199th career assist Nov. 28 at EDM for his 300th NHL point (101-198-299). He was the first Panthers defenseman to reach the mark with Florida and the first blueliner from the 2014 draft class to post 300 points. He scored his 100th career goal Nov. 23 vs. BOS and produced a season-high three points (1-2-3).

BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett notched an assist Dec. 21 vs. NJD and he has logged 18 points (6-12-18) over his past 22 contests. He matched his career high with three assists Dec. 3 at SEA, and he logged his second multi-goal game of the season (2-0-2) Dec. 1 at VAN. He also produced three assists while skating in his 500th NHL game Nov. 17 vs. DAL. Bennett’s five third-period tallies are tied for the team lead with Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. He has registered eight multi-point games this season, the third-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 105 shots on goal are second-most on Florida and his 87 hits lead Florida forwards.

JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling has posted a point in two of his past three games (1-1-2). He scored his fifth goal of the campaign Dec. 17 at NJD. All five of his goals this season have come on the road, the most road tallies among Panthers defensemen in 2022-23. He notched his third multi-assist performance of the season Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. His first helper in the game represented his 100th NHL point. He scored a goal in consecutive games from Dec. 1-3. He has amassed 22 points (5-17-22) in 2022-23, including 18 even-strength points which are the most among Panthers defensemen. Forsling notched an assist in five straight games (0-6-6) from Nov. 12-20, the longest assist/point streak of his career. He also posted a four-game assist/point streak earlier this season (1-4-5, 4GP Oct. 15-21). He logged a career-high seven shots on goal Nov. 1 at ARI. His 102 total shots this season lead all Cats blueliners.

WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky started six consecutive games from Dec 8-17, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average over that span. He earned his 38th NHL shutout Dec. 13 vs. CBJ, stopping all 22 shots he faced in the game. He stopped a season-high 41 shots for a .953 save percentage Nov. 15 vs. WSH. His 41 saves were his most since stopping 42 shots against Jan. 11 vs. VAN. Bobrovsky appeared in his 600th NHL game Nov. 5 at LAK, becoming the 53rd goaltender in league history to reach the mark. His 339 career wins were the most through a goaltender’s first 600 appearances in NHL history.

OH WHAT A KNIGHT
Goaltender Spencer Knight earned at least one point in six consecutive decisions (3-0-3) from Nov. 19-Dec. 1. He surrendered five goals over three starts from Dec. 1-6 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among goaltenders over that span. Knight appeared in his 50th NHL game Dec. 3 at SEA and earning his 30th NHL win Dec. 1 at VAN. His 49 games were the fewest games required to reach the 30-win mark with Florida in franchise history. Knight stopped all 40 Carolina shots he faced Nov. 9 vs. CAR to earn his third career shutout. The 21-year-old native of Darien, Conn., owned a 31-13-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.

SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for eight assists and 11 points (3-8-11) over Florida’s past 12 games. Eric has produced eight points (3-5-8) over that span. He has scored in each of his past two games to reach 444 tallies in his NHL career, moving into a tie with Hall of Famer Daniel Alfredsson for 65th on the League’s all-time goals list. Eric’s 444 tallies rank fifth among active skaters. Marc led Florida with a plus-three rating and four blocked shots Dec. 8 vs. DET, and Eric recorded a season-high six shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. The Thunder Bay, Ontario natives have combined for 2,373 total NHL games and 1,260 points.

GOTTA GO TO MO’
Nov. 15 vs. WSH marked Paul Maurice’s 1,700th game as an NHL head coach, becoming the fourth in League history to reach the mark. He earned his 783rd win as an NHL head coach Nov. 9 vs. CAR, surpassing legendary bench boss Al Arbour for sixth-most in League history. He is one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises. He is 10 wins away from achieving his 800th NHL win as a head coach.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Thurs., Dec. 22, 2022 Loss NYR 5 vs. NYI 3 Lee, Barzal, Romanov Sorokin (29/33)
Anders Lee opened the score in the first period, and Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov each found the back of the net, but the New York Islanders fell to the New York Rangers, 5-3, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Josh Bailey tallied his eighth assist of the season, and Ilya Sorokin turned away 29 of 33 shots faced in the Islanders’ final matchup against the Rangers this season.

RECENT TRANSCATIONS
Dec. 21 Cal Clutterbuck has been placed on IR (retroactive to Dec. 16).
Dec. 18 Cory Schneider has been emergency recalled from loan (Bridgeport).
Dec. 17 Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Palmieri are both day to day with upper body injuries.
Dec. 16 Kyle Palmieri has been activated off the team’s IR list.
Dec. 15 Adam Pelech has been placed on IR (retroactive Dec. 6).
Dec. 4 Robin Salo has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Florida Panthers in the third and final matchup between the two teams this season. These teams last met on October 23, in Sunrise, when Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal each recorded two points. The Islanders have collected points in each of their last three meetings against an Atlantic Division opponent. Tonight’s game is the Islanders’ first at UBS Arena in 13 days, and they will look to improve to 5-2-0 on the back-end of back-to-back series, after visiting the Rangers yesterday evening.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 –

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 –

18 Anthony Beauvillier Dec. 10 – Dec. 13

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 – Dec. 13, Dec. 17 –

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 –

Man Games Lost: 38

RECENT RESULTS
Thursday, Dec. 22 at NY Rangers L (5-3)
Monday. Dec. 19 at Colorado L/SO (1-0)
Saturday, Dec. 17 at Vegas W (5-2)
Friday, Dec. 16 at Arizona L (5-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Boston L/SO (4-3)

UPCOMING GAMES
Dec. 27 vs. Pittsburgh UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Dec. 29 vs. Columbus UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm
Jan. 1 at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA) 8:00pm
Jan. 3 at Vancouver Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC) 10:00pm
Jan. 5 at Edmonton Rogers Place (Edmonton, AB) 9:00pm

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION TIME RESULT
Oct. 13, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm L (3-1)
Oct. 23, 2022 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) 5:00pm L (3-2)
Dec. 23, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) 7:30pm

LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST FLORIDA:
Oct. 23, 2022 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (3-2)
Oct. 13, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) Loss (3-1)
Apr. 19, 2022 UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY) OT Loss (3-2)
Nov. 16, 2021 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (6-1)
Oct. 16, 2021 FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) Loss (5-1)

vs. THE PANTHERS:
2022-23 0-2-0
Last 5 meetings 0-4-1
Franchise History 43-49-8-7
NYI Home 25-24-2-3
NYI Away 18-25-6-4

TEAM NOTES
HOSTING THE PANTHERS
Tonight, the New York Islanders host the Florida Panthers in the third and final matchup between the two clubs this season. They will look to earn their first win against the Panthers since December 12, 2019. The last time these teams met was October 23 in Sunrise, a 3-2 decision in the Panthers’ favor. The Islanders also hosted the Panthers in their 2022 home opener on October 13, when Noah Dobson scored, but the Islanders fell 3-1. Dobson has found the scoresheet in each of his last four matchups against Florida, dating back to November 16 of last season. Dobson recorded his 12th assist of the season and fourth point in his last five games last night against the Rangers. The Islanders have faced an Atlantic Division opponent just twice in the last month. The last time was December 13 in Boston, when they collected a point in the shootout. The Islanders have collected points in each of their last three matchups against an Atlantic Division team.

BACK-TO-BACKS
The Islanders will look to earn their fifth win of the season on the back-end of a back-to-back series and enter tonight’s game with a 4-2-0 record in back-ends. Tonight caps off the Islanders’ third back-to-back series this month, the most they’ll play in a one month span all season.

ASSISTS LEADER
Mathew Barzal recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season last night against the Rangers, including his fifth goal of the season and 28th assist. Barzal leads the Islanders in assists and is tied with Brock Nelson for the team-lead in points (33). Barzal’s 28 assists are seventh-most in the league (tied with Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox).Amongst Metropolitan Division skaters, only Artemi Panarin (32) and Adam Fox have as many assists as Barzal so far this season.

OPENING THE SCORE
The Islanders have opened the score in seven of their last eight victories, dating back to November 14 in Ottawa. This season, they are 12-3-0 when scoring the first goal. Saturday night in Las Vegas, their last win, Islanders captain Anders Lee opened the score with 1:02 remaining in the first frame.

18

Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier is one goal shy of his career 100th, and he would become the 11th player from his 2015 NHL Draft class to reach the milestone. The Sorel-Tracy, QC native has six goals in 34 games so far this season, and scored his sixth of the year last week, when the Islanders visited the Arizona Coyotes.

RETURNING HOME
The Islanders return to UBS Arena tonight for a three-game home stand, following a season-long five-game road trip. The Islanders have a 9-6-0 record on home ice so far this season. The Islanders’ penalty kill has been particularly successful on UBS Arena ice so far this season. Entering tonight’s game, the Islanders have an 87.5% penalty kill on home ice. They have allowed just five power play goals in 40 times shorthanded on home ice so far this season.

DOBSON
Islanders defensemen have scored a league-high 23 goals so far this season. Noah Dobson, who leads Islanders defensemen in goals (10), assists (12) points (22) has recorded fourt points in his last five games. Monday night in Colorado, Dobson led the Islanders with five shots on goal and skated a career-high 26:35 TOI. It is the most an Islander has skated in single contest since Ryan Pulock (29:00) on November 25, 2018. Dobson scored his tenth goal of the season on December 16, tying Rasmus Dahlin for second-most amongst all NHL defensemen. Dobson enters tonight’s game six points shy of his career 100th. The Summerside, PEI native is tied with and Zach Parise for third-most goals on the Islanders, behind Brock Nelson’s 15 tallies and Anders Lee’s 11. Dobson is also one of just two Islander defensemen in franchise history to record 27 goals before their 23rd birthday (joining Denis Potvin). He enters tonight’s matchup three goals shy of his career-best, 13, set last season.

FIRSTS AND SECONDS
In the Islanders’ last win on Saturday night, Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom scored his first career NHL goal in his 11th career game. He became the first Islander since Cole Bardreau (Nov. 5, 2019) to tally the eventual game-winner with his first NHL goal. Holmstrom is is the Islanders’ lone NHL debutante so far this season. Hudson Fasching scored his second goal of the season in the Islanders’ last win, and the third of his NHL career. Fasching scored his first of the season on December 6 vs. St Louis, ending a 38-game drought. Fasching had not scored since his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, March 26, 2016 vs. the Winnipeg Jets.

SOROKIN
Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin earned his third shutout of the season and 13th of his career on Monday night, when the Islanders fell in a 1-0 shootout decision to the Colorado Avalanche. It was the Islanders’ fourth team shutout of the season, leading the NHL. Sorokin’s 46 saves were the second-most he has made in a single contest this season (49, November 23) and the fourth time this season he has made more than 40 saves. The Mezhdurechensk, RUS native’s 46 saves on Monday tie Steve Mason (Philadelphia, November 14, 2014) for the most saves by a goaltender in a 1-0 shootout loss in NHL history. Sorokin leads all NHL netminders in shutouts since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, with 10.

POINTS LEADER
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in goals (15) and points (33), and is second on the team in assists (18). Nelson also leads the Islanders in game-winners (5) and is one of just seven NHLers to tally five GWGs so far this season. Five GWGs also matched Nelson’s single-season career-high, which he first recorded during the 2019-20 season, and again in 2021-22. Nelson tallied an assist the last time these teams met on October 23. Nelson last tallied a point in December 17’s victory against the Golden Knights. December 19 and 22 are the first time that the Warroad, MN native has been held scoreless in consecutive games this season.

44

Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau skated in his 600th career NHL game last night against the New York Rangers. He is the ninth active Islander and 18th member of his 2011 NHL Draft class to reach the milestone.

NHL Preview: Winnipeg Jets (21-11-1) at Washington Capitals (18-13-4)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

December 23, 2022

NHL Preview: Winnipeg Jets (21-11-1) at Washington Capitals (18-13-4)

WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets play their second game in as many nights when they visit the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The Jets lost 3-2 to the Boston Bruins in the first game of the back-to-back on Thursday. After the three-day Christmas break, the Jets host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and Vancouver Canucks on Thursday next week.

Last Game
Boston Bruins 3
Winnipeg Jets 2
Jets Scorers: Scheifele (20), Harkins (3)
Bruins Scorers: Pastrnak (22), DeBrusk (12), Foligno (6)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (36 sv, 3 ga)
Bruins Goaltender: Jeremy Swayman (25 sv, 2 ga)
Jets PP: 0-for-2
Jets PK: 3-for-4
Recap: The Jets build a 2-0 lead in the first period, but lost 3-2 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Mark Scheifele scored his 20th goal of the season less than two minutes into the first period. Jansen Harkins also scored for the Jets. Pierre-Luc Dubois led the Jets with six shots, while Dylan Samberg had four takeaways. Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves in his first start in three games.

Among Best of the West
The Jets are tied for sixth in the NHL with a .652 points percentage, which also ranks first in the Central Division and second in the Western Conference… Winnipeg’s best points percentage in franchise history was in 2017-18 when the team finished at .695… The franchise has finished
a season with a points percentage better than .600 four times.

Goals, Goals, Goals
The Jets have scored five goals or more in nine of their past 15 games… Since Nov. 25, Winnipeg leads the NHL with 59 goals in 15 games…The Jets have tallied five goals or more in 11 games this season, which is tied for second in the NHL.

Busy Time of Year
Winnipeg plays 16 games in 30 days from Dec. 2-31… The stretch includes three back-to-backs… The Jets only consecutive days off in December are from Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas break… The Jets only played eight games in December last season due to COVID-related postponements, going 4-3-1.

Road Record
The Jets are 9-6-1 on the road this season. Winnipeg has lost consecutive road games for the first time this season and matching a franchise record five-game road winning streak… Defenceman Josh Morrissey (1G, 19A) leads the Jets in scoring on the road with 20 points and has a point in 10 consecutive road games, which ties the franchise record (Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk had 10-game road point streaks last season)… Pierre-Luc Dubois has a team leading eight goals… The Jets are in the midst of playing nine of 10 road games in Eastern Conference destinations… Six of the nine games are part of a back-to-back.

Home Comforts
The Jets are 12-5-0 at Canada Life Centre to start the season… Winnipeg has won 16 of their past 21 home games dating back to last season…Kyle Connor (10G, 14A) leads the team with 24 points in 17 home games… Mark Scheifele’s 12 goals at home is halfway to the career high 24 goals he had at home during the 2018-19 season… Connor Hellebuyck has been stellar on home ice this season, going 10-4-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and three shutouts… Winnipeg is 241-154-36 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons.

Facing Eastward
This is Winnipeg’s 11th game against an Eastern Conference opponent this season, having gone 5-5-0 so far… The Jets are playing the last of three consecutive games against an Eastern Conference team on Friday… Pierre-Luc Dubois has a team leading 14 points (5G, 9A) in 10 games against the Eastern Conference this season.

Back-2-Back
The Jets are playing their sixth of 13 back-to-back sets on their schedule this season, having gone 7-4-0 so far… The Jets were 6-4-2 in the first game of a back-to-back last season and 5-5-2 in the second game for an overall record of 11-9-4.

Top 5 PK
Winnipeg is tied for fifth in the NHL with a penalty kill successful 81.1% of the time… The Jets have played 141:24 on the penalty kill this season, which is fourth fewest in the NHL… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season.

Mr. Norrissey
Defenceman Josh Morrissey leads the Jets in scoring with 39 points (6G, 33A) in 33 games, which continues to be a new career high for points…
He has also established a new career high with 33 assists… He’s halfway to the career best 12 goals he had in 79 games last season… Morrissey has 13 assists during a current 11-game assist streak, which is a new franchise record… He has a point in 28 of his 33 games this season and hasn’t gone consecutive games without a point… Morrissey is second in the NHL among defencemen in scoring, while his 33 assists rank first among NHL defencemen and fourth overall… Morrissey is on pace for 82 assists and 97 points this season… Morrissey is on pace to become the first defenceman to lead the team in scoring in franchise history… The franchise record for points by a defenceman in a season is 56, which Dustin Byfuglien did in 2013-14… Byfuglien (4 times), Toby Enstrom (twice), and Jacob Trouba (once) are the only defencemen in franchise history to post 50 points or more in a season.

Festive KC
Despite having his 10-game point streak end on Thursday, Kyle Connor is fourth in NHL scoring since Nov. 23 with 23 points (10G, 13A) in 16 games… Connor averaged 1.42 points per game in November and has 1.42 points per game in December after tallying four points in nine games in October to start the season.

The Rookie
Cole Perfetti is third in NHL rookie scoring with 20 points (6G, 14A) in 33 games… Perfetti could become the fifth rookie in franchise history to post 50 points in a season, previously done by Dany Heatley (67 – 2001-02), Patrik Laine (64 – 2016-17), Kyle Connor (57 – 2017-18), and Ilya Kovalchuk (51 – 2001-02).

Helle
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is tied for second in the NHL with a .928 save percentage this season… His 17 wins are second among the league’s netminders and he joins Detroit’s Ville Husso and Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov as the only goalies with three shutouts this season… Hellebuyck owns a 2.36 goals-against average this season, fifth in the NHL, while the Jets are averaging 3.53 goals per game when he’s in net… He has stopped more than 90% of the shots he’s face in nine of his past 11 starts.

Shooting Streak s
Kyle Connor has a shot in all 33 games this season… It’s the 16th time in franchise history a player has had a shot in 33 games to start a season… He leads the Jets with 116 shots this season… Mark Scheifele has a shot in 14 consecutive games, while Dylan DeMelo has a shot in 12 consecutive games, while is one shy of the career high 12-game shot streak he had from Oct. 20-Mov. 25 this season.

20 X 8
Mark Scheifele is the 10th player to reach 20 goals this season… It’s the eighth consecutive season he’s reached 20 goals, which ties Ilya Kovalchuk for most 20 goals in franchise history with eight… Scheifele has a pair of 30-goal seasons, but has never hit the 40-goal mark… He’s on pace for a career best 49 goals this season.

Extra Time
The Jets are 7-1 in overtime this season… Winnipeg has won five consecutive OT games, which is one game shy of the franchise record in a season (Oct. 22/18-Jan. 13/19)… Winnipeg’s eight OT games are tied for the second most in the NHL this season and the Jets are the only team with seven wins in overtime… Winnipeg is one of five teams to not play in a shootout this season.. Five of Winnipeg’s seven OT winners have come in the first two minutes of the extra session… Mark Scheifele holds the franchise record with 12 OT winning goals… The seven wins is two better than the five overtime wins Winnipeg had last season in 12 games decided in OT… During the past three seasons, Winnipeg is 18-9 in games decided in overtime… The franchise record for OT wins is 10, set in 2010-11.

Zeros
The Jets have registered three shutouts this season, which is tied for second in the NHL… Winnipeg’s first two shutouts were by 4-0 scores (Oct. 24 vs. STL and Nov. 5 vs. CHI), while the Nov. 29 5- 0 shutout against Colorado gives the Jets all three shutout wins by at least four goals… The Jets had five shutouts last season, which is two shy of the franchise record.

Taking the Challenge
Head Coach Rick Bowness has made three challenges this season, resulting in two calls being overturned… Both challenges resulted in goals being overturned to no goals – one for offside and one for a stoppage… The Jets are 2-0-0 in games this season when they have made a successful coach’s challenge… Opposing coaches have made two challenges in games this season against the Jets, going 1-for-2.

Jets vs. WSH Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Capitals play twice this season, with both games happening in December… The Jets lost 5-2 to the Capitals on Dec. 11.

Recent History
The Jets are winless in their past three games against the Capitals and are 5-5-4 in the past 14 meetings… The home team has won nine of the past 10 games between the two squads… Winnipeg hasn’t won consecutive games against Washington since 2013.

In Washington
The Jets haven’t won in Washington since Jan. 22/13… Winnipeg is 0-5-4 since then… The Jets have lost four of their past five games in Washington in overtime or a shootout.

Player Notes
Blake Wheeler leads the Jets in career scoring against Washington with 19 points (5G, 14A) in 38 games.. Mark Scheifele has 14 points (8G, 6A) in 17 games against the Capitals, including nine points (5G, 4A) in his past eight

Jets vs. WSH Past 10 Games
Date Opp Res G GA S PPO PPG PIM SA PPOA PPGA PIMA
11/03/2016 @Was OTL 3 4 27 2 0 12 32 5 1 0
02/13/2018 Was W 4 3 44 3 0 4 27 2 0 0
03/12/2018 @Was OTL 2 3 28 3 0 8 43 4 1 0
11/14/2018 Was W 3 1 24 3 1 6 28 3 0 0
03/10/2019 @Was L 1 3 34 5 0 4 18 2 0 0
02/25/2020 @Was SOL 3 4 33 3 0 7 37 1 0 0
02/27/2020 Was W 3 0 32 3 0 6 34 3 0 0
12/17/2021 Was L 2 5 42 3 1 4 39 2 0 0
01/18/2022 @Was OTL 3 4 33 4 1 4 31 2 0 0
12/11/2022 Was L 2 5 31 3 0 14 36 2 1 1

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 3, Ottawa Senators 2 (OT)
December 22, 2022 * Canadian Tire Centre * Ottawa, ON
Shots: WSH: 40; OTT: 25
Power Plays: WSH: 1/3; OTT: 1/6
Three Stars: 1. Ovechkin (WSH), 2. Talbot (OTT), 3. Johansson (WSH)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned defenseman Lucas Johansen to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Loaned goaltenders Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from AHL Hershey, 12/17

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-12/22 (35 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-12/22 (35 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-12/22 (35 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-12/22/22 (31 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/22/22 (24 games)
Martin Fehervary: 12/5/22-12/22/22 (9 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22, 12/19/22-12/22/22 (13 games)
Alex Alexeyev: 12/11/22-12/19/22 (5 games)
Darcy Kuemper: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Nic Dowd: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Hunter Shepard: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Sonny Milano: 12/15/22 (1 game)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-12/9/22 (16 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Erik Gustafsson: 12/11/22 (1 game)
Lars Eller: 12/13/22 (1 game)
Man Games Lost: 221

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 27, 7 p.m. ET at New York Rangers (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 29, 7 p.m. ET vs. Ottawa (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET vs. Montreal (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 3, 7 p.m. ET vs. Buffalo (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 5, 7 p.m. ET at Columbus (ESPN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at Capital One Arena for the second of two meetings between the teams this season. Washington defeated the Jets 5-2 in Winnipeg on Dec. 11. Five different players scored for Capitals in the win, while goaltender Charlie Lindgren stopped 29 of 31 shots faced. Washington is 54-28-5-9 all-time versus the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise and have a record of 18-6-4 against the Jets since their relocation in 2011-12. In addition, the Capitals are 9-2-2 in their last 13 games against Winnipeg and have won nine-straight games against the Jets at home. Alex Ovechkin has recorded 95 points (51g, 44a) in 70 career games against Winnipeg/Atlanta, the most goals he has scored against a single franchise (Tampa Bay: 50) and tied for the second most points he has against a single opponent (Carolina: 99; Tampa Bay: 95).

HOME vs. WINNIPEG JETS (Since 2011-12)
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
10-1-2 47 34 9 WSH wins (4/23/13-1/18/22)

CAPITALS vs. JETS/THRASHERS ALL-TIME (Career Totals)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (70) Ovechkin (51) Ovechkin (44) Ovechkin (95)
Backstrom (49) Backstrom (18) Backstrom (30) Backstrom (48)
Carlson (34) Eller (8) Johansson (17) Johansson (22)

POINT STREAKS
Erik Gustafsson – 3 game point streak (4g, 2a)
Alex Ovechkin – 2 game point streak (0g, 3a), 2 game assist streak (3a)\
Dmitry Orlov – 2 game point streak (1g, 1a)
Marcus Johansson – 2 game point streak (1g, 1a)

TOP CAPS FACTS
Big Month

The Capitals will play their 36th game of the season on Dec. 23.
Washington enters Friday’s game with a record of 18-13-4 (40 points). The Capitals currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and in the East’s second wild card spot.
Entering their game on Nov. 23 against Philadelphia, the Capitals had a record of 7-10-3 and sat in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
Since then, the Capitals have gone 11-3-1 (.767 point percentage) and have improved their overall point percentage from .425 to .571.
The Capitals have earned 23 points over the last 31 days, tied for the second-most points in the NHL during that span.
Since Nov. 23, the Capitals rank tied for first in the NHL in wins (11) and rank in the top-11 of nearly every major statistical category.
Nine of the Capitals’ next 10 games following the NHL’s holiday break will come against Eastern Conference opponents, including six Metropolitan Division games.

OT Winners

Marcus Johansson scored in overtime to give the Capitals their third-straight win and their second-straight overtime win.
It marks the 13th time in franchise history that the Capitals have won consecutive games in overtime or the shootout. Washington most recently won consecutive overtime/shootout games on March 11 (4-3 OT vs. VAN) and March 15, 2022 (4-3 SO vs. NYI) (per NHL Stats).
Johansson scored his fifth career regular season overtime goal (he has one career playoff overtime goal) and it marked his first with Washington since Dec. 5, 2016 (3-2 win vs. Buffalo).

Shooters Shoot

Alex Ovechkin recorded six shots on Thursday at Ottawa, passing Ray Bourque (6,209) for the most shots in NHL history.
Ovechkin has led the League in shots in 11 of his 17 completed seasons and has ranked in the top-three in 16 of his 17 seasons.
Ovechkin has averaged 4.74 shots per game in his career, while Bourque averaged 3.85 (6,209 shots in 1,612 career games).
Since entering the NHL in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the League in shots, holding a 2,394-shot lead over the next-closest player (Eric Staal: 3,817 shots).
Ovechkin has a career shooting percentage of 12.9 percent, the fourth-highest percentage in the NHL since 2005-06 (min. 3,000 shots).

Star-Studded

Ovechkin was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 18. It marks the 20th time in Ovechkin’s career that he has earned First Star/Player of the Week honors (s/t Ben Sumner).
Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 11, becoming the 10th different Capitals goaltender to earn the honor and the first since Braden Holtby in 2011 (for the week ending March 14). It’s the first time in franchise history that the Capitals have had players named First Star/Player of the Week in consecutive weeks (s/t Mike Vogel)

Gus Bus

Erik Gustafsson recorded the primary assist on Marcus Johansson’s overtime goal, extending his point streak to three games (4g, 2a).
Gustafsson’s four game-winning assists this season rank tied for first on the team (Evgeny Kuznetsov: 4; Alex Ovechkin: 4).
Gustafsson has recorded 16 points (4g, 12a) in 34 games this season, which ranks second among Capitals defensemen (John Carlson: 8g-13a– 21p in 29 GP).
Gustafsson recorded his first career hat trick on Dec. 17 vs. Toronto. Gustafsson became the third defenseman in franchise history to score a hat trick, joining Kevin Hatcher (Jan. 13, 1993) and Sergei Gonchar (Jan. 4, 2000).
Gustafsson scored a goal in Washington’s following game on Dec. 19 vs. Detroit and became the fourth defenseman in franchise history with four goals over a two-game span during the regular season, joining Mike Green (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Feb. 7-11, 2009), Sergei Gonchar (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Jan. 4-6, 2000) and Kevin Hatcher (4-1—5 in 2 GP from Jan. 9-13, 1993) (courtesy of NHL Stats).
Gustafsson’s three-goal game was the 147th regular season hat trick in franchise history and the second hat trick by a Capitals player in a three-game span, following Alex Ovechkin’s 29th career hat trick on Dec. 13 at Chicago. It’s the 15th time in franchise history that the Capitals have recorded multiple hat tricks over a three-game span (per NHL Stats).
Gustafsson is one of two defensemen to record a hat trick this season (San Jose’s Erik Karlsson: Nov. 1 vs. Anaheim).

Like It Orlov It

Dmitry Orlov led the Capitals in ice time (26:13) and recorded an assist on Thursday at Ottawa. Since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Dec. 11 at Winnipeg, Orlov has recorded five points (2g, 3a) in six games.
Orlov scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Monday vs. Detroit, marking his fourth career overtime goal.
With the goal, Orlov passed Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
It also marked Orlov’s 15th career game-winning goal, passing Scott Stevens and Sylvain Cote for the sixth most in franchise history among defensemen.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Orlov leads the Capitals in overtime goals (4).
Orlov, who missed 16 consecutive games due to injury prior to his return, has averaged 23:33 of ice time in Washington’s last six games, the second-highest average on the team (John Carlson: 23:53). In addition, Orlov leads the Capitals in ice time at five-on-five (120:43) since his return.

O From D

Capitals defensemen have combined for 21 goals this season, which is tied for the second-highest total in the NHL (New York Islanders: 24, Florida Panthers: 21).
Washington defensemen have also combined for 75 (21g, 54a) of the team’s 291 points (25.8%), which is the ninth-highest percentage in the NHL.

Terrific Tandem

Over his last eight starts, Charlie Lindgren is 7-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
This season, Lindgren has a record of 9-4-2 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. The Capitals have earned at least one point in 11 of the 14 games Lindgren has started (9-3-2). Among goaltenders with 14 or fewer starts this season, Lindgren ranks third in the NHL in wins.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 of 25 shots faced Thursday at Ottawa, earning his ninth win of the season
Kuemper has posted a record of 4-0-1 with a 1.77 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and one shutout in his last six starts, dating back to Nov. 23.
The Capitals are one of four teams in the NHL to have two goaltenders with 12 or more games played and save percentages .910 or higher (also Dallas, New York Islanders and Toronto).

Special Teams

The Capitals have killed off 73 of 88 power plays (83.0 percent) over their last 30 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 83.0 penalty kill percentage ranks third in the NHL.
Through games played Dec. 20, the Capitals’ 80.4 penalty kill percentage ranks 11th in the NHL.
On average, the Washington is shorthanded 2.91 times per game, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the NHL.
Since Nov. 23, the Capitals have scored 11 power play goals on 42 opportunities (26.2 percent). During that span, Washington’s 26.2 power play percentage ranks 11th in the NHL.
The Capitals went seven-straight games with a power play goal from Dec. 1 – December 13, which marked Washington’s longest stretch of consecutive games with at least one power play goal since the 2009-10 season (seven-straight games: March 6 – March 18, 2010).
The Capitals have had 116 power play opportunities this season, which are tied for the eighth most in the NHL.
Washington has drawn 144 penalties this season – tied for the sixth most in the NHL – and their +20 net penalty differential ranks tied for first in the NHL.

Kuz Control

Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded two points (1g, 1a) on Thursday at Ottawa, including an assist on Marcus Johansson’s overtime goal. Kuznetsov’s four game-winning assists this season rank tied for first on the team (Erik Gustafsson: 4; Alex Ovechkin: 4).
Kuznetsov has recorded eleven points (2g, 9a) in his last ten games.
With an assist on Dec. 13 at Chicago, Kuznetsov passed Calle Johansson (361) for the seventh-most assists in franchise history. Kuznetsov passed Bengt Gustafsson (359) for the eighth-most assists in franchise history on Dec. 7 at Philadelphia.
Kuznetsov leads the Capitals with 22 assists in 34 games this season.
Kuznetsov is on pace for 53 assists this season. Should he maintain his scoring pace, it would mark Kuznetsov’s fifth career 50-assist season.
Among Washington’s top-10 assists leaders all-time, Kuznetsov’s 0.58 assists per game rate ranks second, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom (0.71 A/GP).
Since entering the NHL during the 2013-14 season, Kuznetsov has recorded 1.52 assists per 60 minutes at five-on-five. That’s tied for the fifth-highest rate in the NHL among players with at least 200 five-on-five assists during that span (Connor McDavid: 1.77; Artemi Panarin: 1.69; Ryan Getzlaf: 1.54; Nikita Kucherov: 1.53; Johnny Gaudreau: 1.52).

Shot Advantage

The Capitals recorded 40 shots on Thursday at Ottawa, marking their sixth game this season with 40 or more shots.
Washington allowed just 19 shots on Monday vs. Detroit, marking the lowest single-game shot total by a Capitals’ opponent this season. The Capitals’ +23 shot differential against the Red Wings also marked their highest shot differential in a single game this season.
Over their last nine games, the Capitals are averaging 37.4 shots for per game and allowing 28.0 shots against.
Since Dec. 5, Washington has recorded a 53.6 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (459 shot attempts for, 397 shot attempts against), the seventh-highest rate in the NHL during that span.

Did You Know?

The Capitals are 18-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
Washington’s 875 hits this season are the seventh most in the NHL, through games played Dec. 22.
The Capitals rank seventh in the NHL in blocked shots (548), through games played Dec. 22.
Since Nov. 1, the Capitals have won 51.5 percent of their faceoffs, which is the 11th-highest win percentage in the NHL during that span.

NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers (11-16-7) at Carolina Hurricanes (21-6-6)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

December 23, 2022

NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers (11-16-7) at Carolina Hurricanes (21-6-6)

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME BROADCAST INFO.
Thur., Dec. 29 San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose 10:30 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Sat., Dec. 31 Los Angeles Kings Crypto.com Arena 4 p.m. NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic
Mon., Jan. 2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 10 p.m. NBCSP+/93.3 WMMR

CURRENT INJURIES
PLAYER INJURY DATES GAMES MISSED
Cam Atkinson IR-upper body 9/25-present 34
Sean Couturier IR-back 9/19-present 34
Ryan Ellis LTIR-groin/hip/back 10/11-present 34
Tanner Laczynski IR-lower body 12/7-present 8
Felix Sandstrom illness 12/22-present 1
Max Willman upper body 12/15-present 4
2022-23 TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 196

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/21 – Recalled G Samuel Errson from Lehigh Valley (AHL)
12/17 – Re-assigned F Kieffer Bellows and F Olle Lycksell to Lehigh Valley (AHL)
12/17 – Placed F Lukas Sedlak on unconditional waivers; Recalled F Kieffer Bellows from Lehigh Valley (AHL); Placed
F Cam Atkinson on Injured Reserve; Activated D Tony DeAngelo from Non-Roster status’

FLYERS VS. HURRICANES: HEAD-TO-HEAD
FLYERS HURRICANES
88-40-25 ALL-TIME RECORD 51-73-29
48-17-12 HOME 27-34-15
40-23-13 ROAD 24-39-14
1-2-2 LAST 5 MEETINGS 4-1-0
4-3-3 LAST 10 MEETINGS 6-4-0
532 GOALS SCORED 429
19.0% POWER PLAY 16.8%
83.2% PENALTY KILL 81.0%
van Riemsdyk: 21 pts (6-15=21) in 37 GP
Konecny: 13 pts (6-7=13) in 22 GP
Provorov: 11 pts (5-6=11) in 22 GP
Hayes: 11 pts (3-8=11) in 27 GP
TEAM SCORING LEADERS Staal: 46 pts (22-24=46) in 71 GP
Stepan: 36 pts (11-25=36) in 43 GP
Aho: 23 pts (10-13=23) in 22 GP
Hart: 3-3-1, 3.12 GAA, .907 SV% in 7 GP
Ersson: Has not faced CAR
TEAM GOALTENDERS Raanta: 5-1-2, 2.04 GAA, .934 SV%, 1 SO in 8 GP
Kochetkov: Has not faced PHI

TEAM NOTES
QUICK HITS

Philadelphia has earned points in five of its last nine games (3-4-2).
The Flyers have scored three-plus goals in five of their last nine games, posting a 2-2-1 record when scoring three-plus goals.
Philadelphia has allowed the opposing team to score first in 23 of its 34 games this season. The Flyers rank T-1st in the NHL with eight wins when trailing first in a game. The Flyers are 3-6-2 when scoring first.
The Flyers set a season-high 41 shots Dec. 11 at ARI and have outshot their opponents in seven of the last 12 games, posting a 3-3-1 record in those seven contests.- Philadelphia recorded a franchise-best 59 hits Nov. 12 vs. OTT. The 59 hits are tied for the ninth-most in a regular season game in NHL history.
The Flyers lead the NHL with 1,025 hits and rank second with 612 blocked shots.
Philadelphia ranks T-3rd in the NHL in shorthanded goals (4) this season. The team netted six SHG during the 2021-22 season.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Philadelphia plays five games on the road, Dec. 22-Jan. 2.
Nine of the Flyers’ 11 games from Dec. 9-Jan. 2 are on the road.
Philadelphia is 4-7-6 on the road this season and have earned a point in seven of its last 12 road games (2-5-5).
The Flyers are 2-4-1 on the road against an Atlantic Division team this season.

BACK-TO-BACKS

Thursday’s and Friday’s games this week mark the Flyers’ sixth back-to-back set of 15 this season.
The set marks the third of four road back-to-backs this season:

Oct. 18 at TBL (3-2 W); Oct. 19 at FLA (4-3 L)
Nov. 1 at NYR (1-0 OTL); Nov. 2 at TOR (5-2 L)
Dec. 22 at TOR (4-3 L); Dec. 23 at CAR
Feb. 20 at CGY; Feb. 21 at EDM

The Flyers are 2-3-1 in the first game of a back-to-back this season and 0-5-0 in the second.

‘TIS THE SEASON

Philadelphia plays three games this week (12/20-12/23) heading into the NHL Holiday break. The Flyers are a combined 6-1-1 in the three games leading up to the NHL Holiday break since 2019-20, not including the 2020-21 season.
The Flyers play 14 contests during the month of December, tied for their second-most in a month this season.
Philadelphia plays six games at home and eight on the road, including the start to five road games in a row, Dec. 22- Jan. 2, that will be split up by the NHL Holiday Break, Dec. 24-26.
Philadelphia owns a 355-227-82-32 all-time record for games played in the month of December – its second-most wins in a single month.
The Flyers rank second in NHL history with a .592 winning percentage during the month of December (VGK – .716 in 67 all-time games) and rank seventh with 355 December wins.
The December schedule also features Philadelphia’s 21st all-time game held on New Year’s Eve, it’s 20th on the road, when the Flyers visit the Kings on Dec. 31. Philadelphia is 9-7-2-2 all-time in New Year’s Eve contests, 8-7-2-2 on the road.

KONNECT FOUR

Travis Konecny collected two assists Thursday at TOR for his second consecutive multi-point game (2-2=4).
He has 11 points (7-4=11) in the last 11 games, ranking T-5th in the NHL in goals since Dec. 1.
He owns 24 points (10-14=24) in his last 22 games, including six multi-point contests and a seven-game point streak (3-7=10), Nov. 2-15.
He leads the team and ranks T-8th in the NHL in GWG (4). He leads the Flyers in goals (14) and multi-point games (9), ranks T-1st in points (30) and second in assists (16) and shots (89) this season.
He netted his first career shorthanded goal, Dec. 20 vs. CBJ
He tallied three goals in a season-high three-game goal streak, Dec. 1-5.
The forward recorded his first career shorthanded assist/point vs. VAN (10/15).
The 25-year-old netted two goals Oct. 13 vs. NJ for his 11th career multi-goal game. Per NHL Stats, he became the second player in Flyers history to have two-or-more multi-goal games in a season opener (Bill Barber, 3x, 10/9/80, 10/9/81 & 10/7/82).
He ranks second in Flyers history in GWG (20), T-2nd in goals (124), fourth in scoring (301) and assists (177) and fifth in PPG (23) since entering the NHL in 2016-17.

JvR

James van Riemsdyk recorded his eighth assist of the season Thursday to stretch his point streak to three games (1-2=3).
He owns eight points (3-5=8) in the last six games.
The winger tied his career-high four points (1-3=4) for the third time on Dec. 11 at ARI.
He missed 20 games this season due to an upper-body injury, Oct. 27-Dec. 5.
The 33-year-old opened the season on a four-game point streak (2-3=5), Oct. 13-19.

EMERGING YOUNG GUNS

The Flyers have 12 of its 26 players on the current roster that are 25-and-younger.
Philadelphia ranks ninth in the NHL in team rookie scoring percentage (9.3) and 11th in team rookie points (21).
The rookies have netted a combined eight goals to rank eighth among NHL team rookie goal percentage (9.4) and T-9th in rookie goals.
Noah Cates owns career highs in games played (34), assists (8), points (11), PPA (3), PPP (3) and shots (38).
Morgan Frost is on a career-high three-game goal and point streak (3-0=3). He has seven points (4-3=7) in the last six games. He set a career-high four points (1-3=4) Dec. 11 at ARI and recorded his first career GWG Oct. 13 vs. NJD. He owns a career-high seven goals this season.
Owen Tippett collected two goals Dec. 20 vs. CBJ for his second career multi-goal game, both from this season. He has three points in the last three games and five points (3-2=5) in the last six games. He leads the Flyers with a career-high four PPG and ranks second with a career-high 10 goals.
Cam York tallied two assists Dec. 20 vs. CBJ for his second career multi-point game. He owns three helpers in the last three games and four points (1-3=4) since his recall on Dec. 8.

LUCKY NUMBER 13

Kevin Hayes recorded a power-play assist Thursday for his sixth point (1-5=6) in his last nine games, including four power-play points (1-3=4).
He owns 20 points (8-12=20) in his last 23 games, including a season-high six-game point streak (Nov. 12-21).
The 30-year-old leads the team in assists (21), PPA (9), PPP (11), ranks T-1st in points (30) and third in goals (9) this season.
The forward collected three PPP (1-2=3) in a three-game PPP streak, Dec. 3-7 – matching his career high PPP streak, set Oct. 13-18 (3a) this season.
He collected back-to-back multi-point games (2-2=4), Nov. 26-29, for the sixth time in his career and ranks T-1st on the team with eight multi-point games this season.
He collected eight points (1-7=8) in a career-high five-game season-opening point streak, Oct. 13-22.
He tallied his 200th career assist Oct. 19 at FLA.

WHOLE LOT OF HART

Carter Hart stopped 30-of-34 shots Thursday to move to a 10-10-6 record on the season and to a 3-3-2 record in his
last eight starts.
The backstop has seen 30-plus shots in 17 of his 26 games this season – he is 9-3-5 in those contests.
He leads NHL goaltenders in shots against (833) and saves (759) this season.
He tied his career-high 48 saves Thursday at NJD. He also stopped 48 shots and tied his career-high 51 shots faced vs. FLA on Oct. 27 to become the second goaltender in Flyers history to have two-or-more games with 48-plus saves (Bernie Parent, 1/22/70 at BOS, 51; 1/3/77 at MTL, 49).
Dec. 5th’s contest was Hart’s 70th career victory to become the 11th goaltender in Flyers history to reach 70-plus wins (NHL Stats).- He opened the season on an eight-game point streak (6-0-2) to become the fourth goaltender in team history to have started a season on an eight-game plus point streak: Pete Peeters (22-0-5 in 1979-80), Bob Froese (9-0-1 in 1982-83) and Dominic Roussel (8-0-0 in 1993-94). (NHL Stats)
The Canadian native recorded a career-high season-opening five-game win streak, Oct. 13-27.
Per NHL Stats, he became the seventh goaltender in Flyers history to win each of his first five games of a season and first since Ron Hextall (5-0-0 in 1995-96). The longest such stretch in franchise history is eight straight games, achieved by Dominic Roussel (1993-94) and Bob Froese (1982-83).
Outside of Philadelphia, he only has one NHL team he has not earned a win against: St. Louis.

LOCKED ON LAUGHTON

Scott Laughton saw his season-high three-game point streak (2-1=3) come to an end Thursday.
The 28-year-old owns six points (3-3=6) in the last nine games.
He ranks T-3rd in the NHL with two shorthanded goals. He ranks first in Flyers history in SHG since entering the League in 2012-13 with six, T-20th all-time.
He leads the team in faceoff wins (210), ranks third in hits (76), T-4th in PPG, T-5th in goals (6) and sixth in shots (67) this season.
He scored his second career power-play goal Dec. 15 in New Jersey. He netted his first career PPG this season on Oct. 27 vs. FLA.
He recorded a career-high 19 faceoff wins, Oct. 27 vs. FLA.
The forward registered his second career shorthanded goal, Oct. 15 vs. VAN.

SANNY ON A ROLL

Travis Sanheim owns seven points (2-5=7) in the last 12 games, including a season-high four-game point streak, Nov. 29-Dec. 5.
He netted his first career shorthanded goal Nov. 29 vs. NYI to become the 41st defenseman in Flyers history to record a SHG.
He registered a power-play assist Dec. 15 at NJD for his power-play point since March 1, 2020 at NYR.
The blueliner leads the team in assists (8), ranks T-2nd in scoring (11) and T-5th in goals (3) since Nov. 19 and ranks T-6th among NHL defensemen in even-strength points (9) and ranks T-12th in goals in that span.
The 26-year-old signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension ($6.25 AAV) on Oct. 13.

CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:

LAST GAME
The Hurricanes earned a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, extending their point streak to 13 games and their win streak to seven games. Dylan Coghlan posted his first Hurricanes points (2a) in his first career multi-assist game, Jalen Chatfield scored his first career NHL goal, Calvin de Haan recorded an assist in his 100th game with Carolina and Jesperi Kotkaniemi tallied an assist for his 100th career NHL point. Brent Burns registered an assist on Jaccob Slavin’s overtime winner for his 800th career NHL point, and Antti Raanta made 24 saves in net.

INJURY REPORT
Sebastian Aho, lower-body, missed seven games (12/10-12/22)
Frederik Andersen, lower-body, missed 21 games (11/9-12/22)
Jake Gardiner, upper-body, missed 33 games (10/12-12/22)
Ondrej Kase, concussion, missed 32 games (10/14-12/22)
Max Pacioretty, torn Achilles, missed 33 games (10/12-12/22)
2022-23 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 138

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 19 Recalled Dylan Coghlan from conditioning stint with Chicago (AHL)

STREAKS
Jesper Fast has tallied an assist in three straight games (12/18-12/22: 3a)
Jordan Staal has registered a goal/point in three consecutive games (12/18-12/22: 3g, 1a)
Calvin de Haan has recorded an assist in back-to-back games (12/20-12/22: 2a)
Seth Jarvis has earned an assist in back-to-back games (12/20-12/22: 2a)
Jesperi Kotkaniemi has posted a point in back-to-back games (12/20-12/22: 1g, 1a)
Jaccob Slavin has tallied a point in back-to-back games (12/20-12/22: 1g, 2a)

UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT TIME TV RADIO
Dec. 23 Philadelphia 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Dec. 27 Chicago 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Dec. 30 Florida 7:30 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu HRN
Jan. 1 at New Jersey 3 p.m. BSSO HRN
Jan. 3 at NY Rangers 7 p.m. BSSO HRN

All times are Eastern | BSSO = Bally Sports South | HRN = Hurricanes Radio Network

UPCOMING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
DATE DAY LOCATION TIME
Dec. 23 Friday No morning skate
Dec. 24-26 Sat.-Mon. No practice
Dec. 27 Tuesday PNC Arena 10:30 a.m.
Dec. 28 Wednesday PNC Arena 12 p.m.
Dec. 29 Thursday PNC Arena 11 a.m.

All times are local. Times and locations are subject to change.

Carolina Hurricanes: Media Notes
HURRICANES vs. FLYERS SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Philadelphia in the second of four meetings between the teams during the 2022-23 season. The Flyers return to PNC Arena on 3/9, and the Hurricanes travel to Wells Fargo Center on 3/18.

— The Hurricanes and Flyers are meeting for the 154th time in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 51-73-14-15 overall record, including a 27-34-9-6 home record.

— The Hurricanes are 9-4-0 in their last 13 games against the Flyers dating back to 12/31/18.

— Carolina leads the season series 1-0-0 in 2022-23 (Philadelphia: 0-0-1).

— The Hurricanes posted a 4-3 overtime win against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on 10/29. Martin Necas and Jordan Staal tallied two points (1g, 1a), and Brent Burns added the overtime winner as Antti Raanta made 26 saves in net.

— Sebastian Aho has recorded 23 points (10g, 13a) in 22 career regular-season games against the Flyers.

— Paul Stastny has tallied 17 points (5g, 12a) in 23 career regular-season games against Philadelphia.

— Derek Stepan has earned 36 points (11g, 25a) in 43 career regular-season games against the Flyers.

— Teuvo Teravainen has registered 20 points (7g, 13a) in 24 career regular-season games against Philadelphia.

— Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour recorded 601 points (235g, 366a) in 633 games with Philadelphia from 1991-00, and he was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2015. He was acquired by Carolina along with Jean-Marc Pelletier and a second-round pick in the 2000 NHL Draft (Argis Saviels) in exchange for Keith Primeau and a fifth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Draft (Kristofer Ottosson) on 1/23/00.

— Tony DeAngelo recorded 51 points (10g, 41a) in 64 NHL games with the Hurricanes in 2021-22, marking the most points by any defenseman in a single season in team history (since relocation). He added 10 points (1g, 9a) in 14 playoff games with Carolina and was traded to Philadelphia on 7/8/22 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Simon Forsmark), a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

— Flyers Associate Coach Brad Shaw played 212 NHL games as a defenseman for Hartford from 1986-92, recording 95 points (11g, 84a). He also appeared in 19 playoff games for the franchise, tallying 12 points (4g, 8a).

POINTING IT OUT
With a win at PIT (12/22), the Hurricanes have earned a point in 13 consecutive games (11/25-12/22: 11-0-2), tied for the longest point streak in franchise history and tied for the second-longest point streak by any team this season (TOR, 11/12-12/13: 12-0-3 in 15 GP; NJD, 10/25-11/21: 13-0-0 in 13 GP). Thursday’s win also marked Carolina’s 11th straight road contest with at least a point (11/14-12/22: 7-0-4), marking the second-longest road point streak in franchise history. In addition to those point streaks, the Hurricanes have won each of their last seven games (12/10-12/22), marking the NHL’s longest active win streak and tied for the sixth-longest win streak in franchise history. Carolina has improved to 21-6-6 (48 points) in 2022-23 and leads the Metropolitan Division in points.

Longest point streaks, franchise history:
11/25/22-12/22/22: 11-0-2 in 13 GP
4/15/21-5/6/21: 9-0-4 in 13 GP
3/9/17-3/30/17: 9-0-4 in 13 GP
10/12/05-11/11/05: 11-0-1 in 12 GP
10/26/02-11/19/02: 5-0-4-2 in 11 GP
Longest road point streaks, franchise history:
2/23/04-3/27/04: 8-0-1-3 in 12 GP
11/14/22-12/22/22: 7-0-4 in 11 GP
12/8/01-1/10/02: 6-0-1-2 in 9 GP
3/7/10-4/6/10: 5-0-3 in 8 GP
11/12/96-12/5/96: 4-0-4 in 8 GP

VITAMIN D
With Brady Skjei out of the lineup, Carolina’s defensemen combined to register six points (2g, 4a) against the Penguins on Thursday. Dylan Coghlan led the team in scoring (2a), posting his first Hurricanes points as part of his third career multi-point game and first career multi-assist game. Jalen Chatfield also scored his first career NHL goal, while Calvin de Haan tallied an assist in his 100th game with the Hurricanes, giving him an assist in four of his last five games (12/15-12/22: 4a). Carolina’s blue line has now combined for 35 points in the team’s last 13 games (11/25-12/22: 9g, 26a; 2.7 points/game) after posting 30 points in the Hurricanes’ opening 20 contests (10/12-11/23: 7g, 23a; 1.5 points/game).

SLAVIN AWAY
Jaccob Slavin scored his third career NHL/Hurricanes overtime goal at PIT (12/22), tying Anton Babchuk (2006-10) and Dougie Hamilton (2018-21) for the most by any defenseman in franchise history. He is the third different Hurricanes defenseman to score an overtime goal in 2022-23 (Brent Burns, 10/29 at PHI; Brett Pesce, 11/29 at PIT), and Carolina is one of two NHL teams with three overtime goals from the blue line this season (WPG) but the only team with overtime winners from three different defensemen. Slavin’s goal came at 0:23 of the extra frame, tied for the fourth-earliest overtime goal in franchise history and marking Hartford/Carolina’s earliest road overtime goal (previously 0:25, Jeff O’Neill at PHX on 2/7/01). He also became the 13th different Hurricanes skater to score a game-winning goal this season, tied with BOS for the second-most of any NHL team (TOR: 14). Carolina has improved to 6-6 in games going past regulation and 4-6 in games decided in overtime in 2022-23, and the team’s 10 overtime decisions lead the league.

Fastest overtime goals, franchise history:
Glen Wesley, 2/22/07 vs. PHI: 0:16
Jeff O’Neill, 1/28/00 vs. NJD: 0:16
Brian Propp, 11/10/93 vs. OTT: 0:20
Jaccob Slavin, 12/22/22 at PIT: 0:23
Brian Pothier, 3/11/10 vs. PIT: 0:23

8 HUNDRED
Brent Burns tallied an assist on Jaccob Slavin’s overtime winner at PIT (12/22), marking the 800th point of his NHL career (231g, 569a). He became the 17th defenseman in league history to reach the milestone, and he is the first blueliner to accomplish the feat since 2014-15, when Sergei Gonchar recorded his 800th point with MTL. Selected by MIN in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Burns also became the eighth player from his draft class to reach the milestone. He ranks fourth on the team with 23 points (4g, 19a) in 2022-23, and his 19 assists are a team high.

O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
After scoring back-to-back game-winning goals vs. PIT (12/18) and NJD (12/20), Jordan Staal scored the game-tying goal with 4:26 left in regulation against the Penguins on Thursday. He has now posted two three-game goal/point streaks this season (11/10-11/14: 3g, 1a; 12/18-12/22: 3g, 1a), the only three-game goal streaks by any Hurricanes skater in 2022-23. Staal has now scored a team-high six goals in 10 games in December after lighting the lamp four times in 23 games to open the season. Jesper Fast has earned an assist on three of those six goals, including his game-tying goal against the Penguins, and has now registered an assist in three consecutive games (12/18-12/22: 3a) and five of his last seven (12/3-12/22: 5a). Staal also skated in his 694th game with Carolina on Thursday, tying Rod Brind’Amour (2000-10) for the fifth-most games played in franchise history and the third-most since relocation, and he looks to pass him for sole possession of both against the Flyers on Friday.

NAUGHTY BY NECAS
Martin Necas scored the Hurricanes’ opening goal at PIT (12/22) and leads the team in scoring this season (14-17—31 in 33 GP). He has already matched his goal total from each of the previous two campaigns (14-27—41 in 53 GP in 2020-21, 14-26—40 in 78 GP in 2021-22) and needs just two more goals to tie his single-season high (16-20—36 in 64 GP in 2019-20). Necas tallied two points (1g, 1a) vs. DAL (12/17) and has posted a team-high 16 of his points (6g, 10a) at PNC Arena despite playing just 13 home games in 2022-23. His 10 assists on home ice are twice as many as any other Hurricanes skater (Brent Burns, Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen: 5).

JESPERI HOURS
After opening the scoring against the Devils on Tuesday, Jesperi Kotkaniemi tallied an assist at PIT (12/22) for his 100th career NHL point. Selected third overall by MTL in the 2018 NHL Draft, he became the sixth player from his draft class to register 100 career points. Acquired from the Canadiens via offer sheet during the 2021 offseason, Kotkaniemi is set to play his 100th game with the Hurricanes against PHI on Friday.

Most career points, 2018 NHL Draft class:
Andrei Svechnikov (Carolina): 106-132—238
Brady Tkachuk (OTT): 103-126—229
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF): 31-156—197
Quinn Hughes (VAN): 19-174—193
Joel Farabee (PHI): 51-59—110
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (MTL/Carolina): 38-62—100

CREASE IS THE WORD
Antti Raanta stopped 24 of 27 shots faced at PIT (12/22) to improve to 6-2-2 in 2022-23, with wins in each of his last three decisions (11/26-12/22). With Carolina closing this back-to-back against PHI on Friday, Pyotr Kochetkov will look to man the crease against the Flyers. He is 8-0-2 in his last 10 games (11/25-12/20), and among NHL goaltenders with at least five games played since 11/25, he ranks tied for first in wins (8) and shutouts (2) and fourth in goals-against average (1.80) and save percentage (.937). His 10-game point streak is tied for the longest by any netminder in franchise history, and he has joined Cam Ward (three times: 9-0-1 from 3/14/09-4/7/09, 6-0-4 from 1/4/16-2/19/16, 8-0-2 from 12/2/17-1/4/18) as the only two Whalers/Hurricanes goaltenders to earn a point in 10 straight games. According to NHL Stats, Kochetkov is just the sixth rookie goaltender in the last 20 years to record a point streak of double-digit games, joining Michael Garnett (ATL, 12/9/05-1/2/06: 7-0-3 in 10 GP), Antero Niittymaki (PHI, 12/17/05-1/6/06: 9-0-2 in 11 GP), Jimmy Howard (DET, 3/11/10-4/11/10: 13-0-2 in 15 GP), Sergei Bobrovsky (PHI, 10/26/10-11/15/10: 9-0-1 in 10 GP) and Jeremy Swayman (BOS, 2/12/22-3/12/22: 9-0-1 in 10 GP).

CARDIAC CANES
After PIT took an early 1-0 lead on Thursday, Martin Necas (17:43) and Jalen Chatfield (18:00) scored just 17 seconds apart to give Carolina the lead heading into the first intermission, marking the Hurricanes’ fastest two goals this season (previously 0:21 at STL on 12/1). Carolina then allowed two straight goals and ultimately fell behind 3-2 with 7:05 left in regulation before Jordan Staal scored the game-tying goal just 2:39 later, at 15:34 of the third period. With Jaccob Slavin’s overtime winner, the Hurricanes overcame a second one-goal deficit to record their 10th comeback win of the season, tied with TOR and WSH for the second-most of any NHL team in 2022-23 (EDM: 11).

GOING BACK-TO-BACK
The Hurricanes are closing their sixth of 14 sets of back-to-back games in 2022-23. Following an overtime win against the Penguins on Thursday, Carolina is currently 3-2-1 in the first game and 5-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.

Mets roster move

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

December 23, 2022

FLUSHING, N.Y., – The New York Mets today announced the club has signed infielder Danny Mendick to a one-year contract. In addition, the club agreed to terms on a one-year contract with LHP Joey Lucchesi, avoiding arbitration and released RHP Yoan López.

Mendick, 29, hit .289/.343/.443 with three homers and 15 RBI in 31 games for the Chicago White Sox last season. He was placed on the 10-day Injured List on June 23 with a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the 2022 campaign.

The Rochester, NY native has hit .251/.309/.366 with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 45 RBI in 151 career major league games (all with the White Sox).

Lucchesi, 29, missed most of the 2022 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He went 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA (three ER/12.2 IP) in eight games with St. Lucie (Low-A), Binghamton (AA) and Syracuse (AAA) last year.

Lucchesi is 19-24 with a 4.24 ERA (159 ER/337.2 IP) with 349 strikeouts over the parts of four years in the majors with the Padres and Mets.

Major League Baseball statement

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

December 23, 2022

Major League Baseball issued the following statement today regarding the decision rendered by Arbitrator Martin F. Scheinman in the matter pertaining to Trevor Bauer:

“Today, the neutral arbitrator selected by MLB and the MLBPA affirmed that Trevor Bauer violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

“After an exhaustive review of the available evidence the neutral arbitrator upheld an unpaid suspension of 194 games. As part of the decision, the arbitrator reinstated Mr. Bauer effectively immediately, with a loss of pay covering the 144 games he was suspended during the 2022 season. In addition, the arbitrator docked Bauer’s salary for the first 50 games of the 2023 season (i.e., the period covering March 30, 2023 to May 23, 2023). While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator’s decision, which upholds baseball’s longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence.

“We understand this process was difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation. Due to the collectively bargained confidentiality provisions of the joint program, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”

Angels sign INF Brandon Drury to two-year contract

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

December 23, 2022

Angels sign INF Brandon Drury to two-year contract

ANAHEIM – The Angels today agreed to a two-year, $17 million contract ($8.5 million annually) with INF Brandon Drury. In a corresponding 40-man roster move, RHP Oliver Ortega has been designated for assignment.

Drury, 30, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022 at the utility position after setting career highs in runs (87), hits (136), home runs (28), RBI (87) and OPS (.813) across 138 games with Cincinnati and San Diego. He appeared defensively at all four infield positions, as well as right field. He also played in eight postseason games with the Padres and drove in the winning runs in Game 2 of the NLCS vs. Philadelphia.

A native of Grants Pass, Ore., Drury was originally selected by Atlanta in the 13^th round of the 2010 Draft and made his Major League debut with Arizona in 2015. He has totaled 645 career games across parts of eight seasons with the Diamondbacks (2015-17), Yankees (2018), Blue Jays (2018-20), Mets (2021), Reds (2022) and Padres (2022).

NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (26-4-2) at New Jersey Devils (22-9-2)

Hockey

NHL Editor

December 23, 2022

NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (26-4-2) at New Jersey Devils (22-9-2)

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

The Bruins visit the Devils tonight in the 1st of 3 games between these teams this season and the first of two Boston visits to the Prudential Center.
They are 26-4-2 overall this season and are 8-4-0 on the road … They are 14-3-0 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
The Bruins are playing their 4th of 14 sets of back-to-back games last night vs Winnipeg (3-2 win) and tonight in New Jersey … They are currently 4-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
The Bruins finish the holiday break in New Jersey tonight and they will then play in Ottawa on 12/27 and in New Jersey on 12/28.

RECENT GAMES:

The Bruins are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games with a 3-1 win vs Vegas on 12/11, 4-3 shootout win vs NY Islanders on 12/13, 3-2 shootout setback to Los Angeles on 12/15, 4-2 win vs Columbus on 12/17, 7-3 victory vs Florida on 12/19 and 3-2 win vs Winnipeg last night … They are 9-1-2 in their last 12 games and are 16-2-2 in their last 20 games.
They are 18-0-2 in their 20 home games, including a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history … That is the 2nd longest point streak from a season’s start in Boston annals to 1973-74’s 21-game stretch at 19- 0-2 … This is their fifth longest home point streak overall in team history (4x) with their club mark a 26-0-1 stretch in 1970-71.
Boston 4 vs Columbus 2 … David Pastrnak scored his 20th of the season and David Krejci had a PPG+A each, and Taylor Hall (GA) and Tomas Nosek scored in a 19-second span in the 3rd period for the win … Jeremy Swayman earned the victory in goal while narrowly missing a score of his own … SOG: Bos 39, Cmb 33 … PP: 2/3 … PK: 2/5
Boston 7 vs Florida 3 … Patrice Bergeron had 2-2=4 totals, Brad Marchand added 3 assists, and Brandon Carlo, Connor Clifton (1-1=2 each), Hampus Lindholm and Taylor Hall (2A each) had 2-pt nights … Charlie Coyle, David Krejci and David Pastrnak had single goals … Linus Ullmark extended his point streak to 10-0-1 … SOG: Bos 26, Fla 39 … PP: 2/4 … PK: 0/3
Boston 3 vs Winnipeg 2 … The Bruins went down 0-2 after the 1st period before tying the score on goals by David Pastrnak (1- 1=2 totals) and Jake DeBrusk (his 200th NHL point) … Nick Foligno had 1-1=2 totals with the GWG in the 3rd period … Jeremy Swayman took his 2nd straight win in net … SOG: Bos 39, Wpg 27 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/2

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 36)

None

BOSTON vs NEW JERSEY, LIFETIME SERIES

The Bruins and Devils are meeting for the 173rd time in their histories with the Bruins having a 95-45-19-13 record and 569-444 scoring advantage in those games.
The Bruins are 44-22-11-7 lifetime in New Jersey with a 261-204 scoring edge in those 84 contests.

NUMBERS
1 / 2: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.844) and fewest goals against per game (2.16) while 2nd in goals for per game (3.88).

1 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 85.3% (19/124) and power play at 29.5% (36/122) … The Bruins are 36.8% on the power play over their last 5 games (7/19).

2: Player on the current roster new to the Bruins organization this season – A.J. Greer (free agent) and Pavel Zacha (trade).

3: Season series completed – ARI (1-1-0, snapping a 19-gm win streak which was the longest by an opponent in club history), COL (2-0-0), VGS (1-0-1).

4: Defenseman points in a game this season by Hampus Lindholm (1-3=4 vs PIT on 11/1) and Charlie McAvoy (4A vs CHI on 11/19).

4: Points by David Pastrnak (1-3=4 totals) on 10/12/2022 in Washington in the 2022-23 season opener … That is the most points in a Boston opener since Brad Marchand (2-3=5) and Pastrnak (2-2=4) in 10/13/2016.

5: Game-winning goals by Taylor Hall (tied for 3rd in the NHL), including three straight deciding goals from 10/20-25/2022 – deciding shootout goal vs. Anaheim on 10/20, OT goal vs. Minnesota on 10/22 and GWG vs. Dallas on 10/25.

7: Straight 20-goal seasons by David Pastrnak, including his 3rd-fastest 20 in his 30th game (22 gms in 2019-20 and 28 gms in
2018-19).

9: New career-best win streak by Linus Ullmark from 11/7-12/13/2022 … That bested his 8-game stretch from 10/12-11/3/2022 which was his previous mark and it also tied the longest win streak by a Boston goaltender from the start of a season (Tim Thomas, also 8-0-0 in 2010-11).

9: Players on the Bruins current roster who played college hockey – Connor Clifton, Charlie Coyle, Derek Forbort, Trent Frederic, AJ Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, Craig Smith and Jeremy Swayman.

10: Game point streak by David Pastrnak (8-5=13) from 12/3-21 (current), which is his 6th career stretch of at least 10 gms … Pastrnak had a 9-game streak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span earlier this season.

10: Former first round draft picks on the current roster – Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Derek Forbert, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril

14: Straight home wins to open this season, which is the longest such streak in NHL history … That also tied as Boston’s longest home win streak overall since a 14-game stretch in 2008-09.

20: Current home point streak at 18-0-2 … That is the 2nd-longest from the start of a season in club history and is tied for the 5th-longest home point streak overall in team history with their club mark a 26-0-1 stretch in 1970-71.

54: Points by the Bruins after 32 games this season at 26-4-2 … That is the 2nd-best mark after 32 games in team history (27-4-1) and they are the 3rd team in NHL history to hit that mark through the 1st 32 games of a season.

+55: Boston’s league-leading goal differential (Toronto is 2nd at +29), including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 47-19 and +28.

100: Points by David Pastrnak in this 2022 calendar year … That ranks tied for 7th in club history (Ray Bourque is next with 103 points).

395-25-21: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 258-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals

557: Consecutive Bruins games (regular season & playoffs) currently sold out at TD Garden … Their last non-sellout game was on 12/2/2009 when a Wednesday game vs. TB drew 16,553

FUN FACTS

The Bruins currently have 22 players on their roster … 10 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 8 were signed as free agents.
The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 3-0-0 record in afternoon games so far.
The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 4-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
The Bruins are playing game 12 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 8-1-2) … They will play 14 games in January (5 hm/9 rd), 10 in February (3 hm/7 rd), 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October and 11-2-0 in December.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Nov. 16: Keith Kinkaid returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 29: Anton Stralman assigned to Providence/AHL (cleared waivers 11/29).
Dec. 20: Craig Smith assigned to Providence/AHL (cleared waivers 12/19).
Dec. 21: Craig Smith recalled from Providence/AHL.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

LAST GAME
New Jersey Devils 4 Florida Panthers 2
(22-9-2—46 PTS) (15-15-4—34 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. J. Bratt 2 E. Luostarinen 3. Y. Sharangovich
SCORE 1
ST 2
ND 3
RD OT SO FINAL
Florida 1 1 0 – – 2
DEVILS 1 0 3 – – 4
New Jersey Devils: Media Notes

Goals:
FLA: E. Staal, E. Luostarinen (PPG)
NJD: J. Bratt (PPG), J. Bratt, Y. Sharangovich, T. Tatar (ENG)

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 33
Ondrej Palat I.R. Lower-body Retro-active to Oct. 24 27
Nate Bastian Upper-Body Nov. 27 11
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 93

TRANSACTIONS
DATE PLAYER ACTION
12/1 Nico Daws Reassigned to Utica
12/2 Andreas Johnsson Recalled from Utica
12/13 Mackenzie Blackwood Assigned to Utica (conditioning loan)
12/19 Akira Schmid Reassigned to Utica
Mackenzie Blackwood Recalled from conditioning loan, Utica
12/22 Nate Bastian Placed I.R. retro to Nov. 26
Nikita Okhotiuk Recalled from Utica

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils snapped a season-low six-game winless streak, after defeating the Florida Panthers on the road in a 4-2 win on Wednesday. After Wednesday’s win, Jersey’s team earned a power-play goal on the road for the first time in six road contests, last: Nov. 19, at Ottawa (E. Haula, 7:10 into 1st per., 5-1, W). Prior to the five-game stretch without a power-play goal on the road (Nov. 25-Dec. 20) the Devils never experienced consecutive road games without a power-play goal earned this season. After Wednesday’s win, the Devils improved to 2-8-0 when trailing after two periods of play this season. The Devils were 4-38-4 when trailing after two periods of play last season. Jersey’s team is now 6-1-0 when outshot by an opponent this season. Florida outshot the Devils 36-33. The Devils were 11-25-4 when outshot by an opponent last season. The Devils enter tonight’s contest with nine comeback wins this season, which is tied with Carolina for the second most in the NHL behind Edmonton (11), per Dec. 22. Jersey’s team improved to 20-2-2 when scoring three-or-more goals in a game this season. The team’s 12-2-1 record on the road ranks second in the NHL this season behind Sin City (VGK, 14 wins). Keep in mind that the Devils were 11-26-4 on the road last season, which ranked 31st in the NHL. As of Dec. 22, the Devils were seeded in 2 nd place for the Eastern Conference for 16 days in the month of December. The team fell to third place on Dec. 21. The team is fresh off logging 27 blocked shots on Wednesday, which marked a season-high (prior, 26 blocks on Nov. 26, 2022, vs WSH). The Devils are 12-8-1 vs the Eastern Conference and 7-3-0 vs the Atlantic Division for 2022-23. Side note…the Devils entered the month of December with a share of first place, or sole possession, atop the League standings for the first time in franchise history. Jersey’s team is 18-1-2 when Nico Hischier recorded a point in a game this season and 10-3-1 when Jack Hughes scored a goal in a game for 2022-23. Former Devil, Pavel Zacha, returns back to the Prudential Center for the first time since the Czech Republic native was traded to Boston in exchange for Erik Haula on July 13, 2022. Haula also face-off vs his former team (Boston) for the first time this season. Zacha is one of three former Devils who selected in the 1st round at the NHL Draft and are currently active in the league: Z. Parise, 2003, now NYI & A. Larsson, 2011, now SEA The Devils have allowed 1, or fewer, goals against nine times this season in a game. Jersey’s team allowed one, or fewer goals against, in a game just eight times all of last season.

THE RANKS
STAT NHL RANK
GA/GP, 2.52, 3rd GF/GP 3.39, 8 TH SA/GP 26.7, 2ND SF/GP 35.1, 2nd

Since 1994-95, the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship, the Devils have finished a season averaging under 25 shots against, per game seven times:

23.7 1997-98
24.7 1998-99
24.7 2000-01
23.2 2001-02
23.6 2002-03
24.4 2003-04
23.1 2012-13

The team clinched a playoff berth in six of those seasons, while winning a Stanley Cup championship in 2002-03, plus advancing to the Stanley Cup final in 2000-01. The team didn’t clinch a playoff berth in the shortened (lockout year) in 2012-13. Since 1994-95, the team’s highest shots per game total is 33.1, which was earned in 1999-00. The team then won its second Stanley Cup championship. The Devils are one of 11 teams this season that haven’t been shut out in a game, yet. Head coach Lindy Ruff became the fifth bench boss in NHL history who earned 800 wins. Only four other NHL coaches all-time are in the “800 club.”

S. Bowman: 1,244 wins
Joel Quenneville: 969 wins
Barry Trotz: 914 wins
Ken Hitchcock: 849 wins

The Devils officially announced and revealed their second-ever Adidas Reverse Retro sweater, which turns back the clock and nods to the franchise’s Colorado roots. The team is scheduled to wear the sweaters four times this season and twice on the road:

Dec. 3, at PHI, 7:00 P.M. 3-2, W
Dec. 9, vs NYI, 7:00 P.M. 6-4, L
Dec. 30, at PIT, 7:00 P.M.
Jan. 7, vs NYR, 1:00 P.M.

2022-23 TEAM STATS
RECORD ON DAYS OF THE WEEK
The Devils record on Friday in 2022-23…2-1-0…at home: 1-1-0…road: 1-0-0
Record in night games in 2022-23…19-9-2…home: 8-7-1…road: 11-2-1
Record in day games in 2022-23…3-0-0…home: 2-0-0…road: 1-0-0
2022-23 Alternate jersey record…3-1-0

RECORD WHEN SCORING FIRST
Scoring first…14-5-1…Trailing first…8-4-1
The 8 wins when trailing first in a game are tied with PHI, WSH, EDM and PIT for the most in the NHL. The longest duration of a game this season: 2 hours, 42 minutes, 11/23, vs TOR, 7:12 pm – 9:54 pm Team’s average: H: 6’1” | W: 197lbs | A: 27 years old

GOALS BY PERIOD
PERIOD GOALS FOR/AGAINST DIFFERENTIAL
1 29-25 +4
2 44-34 +10
3 36-22 +14
OT 3-2 +1
TOTAL 112-83 +29
The team’s +29 goal differential ranks 2nd in the NHL behind Boston (+54)

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
Overall: 4-3-1
First game: 1-2-1 | home: 0-1-0 | road: 1-1-1
Second game: 3-1-0 | home: 1-1-0 | road: 2-0-0

VS BEANTOWN
The Devils and Boston meet for the first of three matchups and also meet again on Dec. 28. The last time the Devis were scheduled in consecutive games vs Boston, and at home, was May 3, 2021 to May 4 (1-1-0). Third matchup: Apr. 8, at BOS, 7:00 P.M. The Devils were 0-3-0 vs Boston last season. The last time that the Devils won a season series vs Boston was 2020-21 (5-2-1).

ALL-TIME vs THE B’S
Record: 58-85-19-10
Home: 29-40-11-4
Road: 29-45-8-6

DID YOU KNOW…
The most goals in franchise history earned in a single game vs Boston is eight, twice, last earned on Mar. 19, 1994 at Boston. The most goals that the Devils allowed in a single game vs Boston is eight, three times, which last occurred on Mar. 31, 2022, at Boston. The most shots that Jersey earned in a single game vs Boston is 48, which occurred on Oct. 29, 19996 at Boston. The most shots that the Devils allowed in a single game vs Boston is 48, which occurred on Mar. 30, 2021, in a 5-4 shootout loss at Boston. The last time the Devils shut out the Bruins was on Mar. 28, 2021, in a 1-0 win at Boston (M. Blackwood, 40 saves). The last time that Boston shut out the Devils was on May 3, 2021, in a 3-0 loss.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE .
Wed., Dec. 28, vs BOS, 7:30 P.M.
Fri. Dec. 30, at PIT, 7:00 P.M.
Sun. Jan. 1, vs CAR, 3:00 P.M.
Wed., Jan. 4, at DET, 7:00 P.M.

DHN QUIZ QUESTION
Can you name the Devils player who earned the most points in a regular-season game vs Boston? It was 5 PTS (2g-3a)…

LAST TRADE
P. Zacha in exchange for E. Haula on July 13, 2022.

NBA Preview: Washington Wizards (12-21) at Sacramento Kings (17-13)

NBA Editor

December 23, 2022

NBA Preview: Washington Wizards (12-21) at Sacramento Kings (17-13)

The well-rested Sacramento Kings will attempt to take advantage of road-weary travelers when they host the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

While the Kings were home relaxing Thursday after a 134-120 win over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers the night before, the Wizards were playing for the fifth time in nine days on the road, and they fell 120-112 to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

The trip finale Friday will give Washington six games on a 10-day trip that so far has produced just one win, 113-110 on Tuesday in Phoenix.

Presuming the Wizards’ Bradley Beal suits up for a fourth game in six days after missing six games due to a strained hamstring, the game will provide a matchup of two of the NBA’s top-scoring guards: Beal and the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox.

Beal scored 30 points in 31 minutes at Utah, giving him 86 points in 98 minutes in his past three games.

Beal and Fox have scored at least 28 points apiece in each of their last four head-to-heads, with Beal winning three of the four duels 35-31, 29-28 and 30-28. The last one came in a Wizards loss at Sacramento in their most recent visit, in December 2021.

Fox won the other matchup 33-31, and his Kings have prevailed in three of the four contests.

Beal figures to be at a disadvantage in their ninth lifetime meeting, with teammate Kristaps Porzingis likely to miss a third straight game due to an illness.

On a positive note, Rui Hachimura returned from a bruised ankle to put in 24 minutes off the Washington bench in Utah. He contributed seven points and seven rebounds.

Hachimura had missed the previous 16 games. He said it’s not about starting, it’s about finishing.

Fox and Domantas Sabonis have been a two-man wrecking crew as the Kings have won three of their past four games.

Fox scored at least 22 points in all four games while also finding time to mix in averages of 6.8 assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Sabonis recorded double-doubles in each of the four contests while logging at least 20 points three times and at least 20 rebounds three times. He has averaged 21.3 points and 19.3 rebounds in the run while also chipping in 8.3 assists.

The Kings’ 3-1 surge comes on the heels of the team taking three losses in four games. Sacramento coach Mike Brown is impressed with how his guys responded.

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (19-12) at Oklahoma City Thunder (14-18)

NBA Editor

December 23, 2022

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (19-12) at Oklahoma City Thunder (14-18)

CJ McCollum didn’t play in the New Orleans Pelicans’ first matchup of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nearly a month later, McCollum enters the second game of the season between the teams, Friday in Oklahoma City, on a hot streak.

McCollum struggled in early December upon his return from missing four games due to COVID-19 protocol. He averaged 6.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 24.2 percent in his first three games back.

However, he has come on strong of late. In his past five games, McCollum is averaging 31.5 points, 7.5 assists and six rebounds while shooting 49.5 percent.

In the Pelicans’ 126-117 win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, McCollum scored a season-high 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting, contributing seven 3-pointers, nine assists and eight rebounds. McCollum scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pelicans snap a four-game losing streak.

New Orleans particularly needed McCollum against the Spurs — and likely will against the Thunder — as Zion Williamson missed the Thursday game after entering COVID protocol. He figures to be unavailable in Oklahoma City.

In the first meeting of the season between the teams, Williamson converted a three-point play in the final minute and finished with 23 points and eight assists to lift the Pelicans to a 105-101 victory without McCollum and Brandon Ingram.

Ingram remains out, having missed the past 12 games due to a toe injury.

Last season, New Orleans was 7-20 when neither Williamson nor Ingram played. So far this season, the Pelicans are 2-1 without the duo.

The Thunder come into Friday’s game on a three-game winning streak, having beaten Portland 101-98 with a late flurry on Wednesday to sweep back-to-back games against the Trail Blazers.

A big reason for Oklahoma City’s recent success has been the defensive performance of Luguentz Dort.

In the closing seconds Wednesday, Dort fought through a screen, then stayed stuck on Damian Lillard, who missed a potential go-ahead shot.

Dort developed a reputation as a strong defender quickly when he entered the league four seasons ago. This season, though, he has been much more consistent.

Though that consistency has yet to find its way to the offensive side, Dort is displaying a defensive tenacity that has made him a central piece in the Thunder’s rebuild.

Friday’s game is the sixth in a season-high, seven-game homestand for Oklahoma City, while it’s the lone road game in a six-game stretch for the Pelicans.

After missing three games due to non-COVID illness, Darius Bazley was available for the Thunder on Wednesday, though he didn’t play. He was not listed on the injury report for the Friday game.

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NHL Preview: Colorado Avalanche (18-11-2) at Nashville Predators (14-13-4)

NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (15-15-4) at New York Islanders (18-14-2)

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 –

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 –

18 Anthony Beauvillier Dec. 10 – Dec. 13

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 – Dec. 13, Dec. 17 –

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 –

18

44

NHL Preview: Winnipeg Jets (21-11-1) at Washington Capitals (18-13-4)

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Mets roster move

Major League Baseball statement

Angels sign INF Brandon Drury to two-year contract

NHL Preview: Boston Bruins (26-4-2) at New Jersey Devils (22-9-2)

NBA Preview: Washington Wizards (12-21) at Sacramento Kings (17-13)

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (19-12) at Oklahoma City Thunder (14-18)

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