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NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers (17-14-1) at Nashville Predators (12-13-4)

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NHL Preview: Edmonton Oilers (17-14-1) at Nashville Predators (12-13-4)

EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

17-14-1 – 35 PTS RECORD 12-13-4 – 28 PTS
Div. – 4th Conference – 7th RANK Div. – 6th Conference – 12th
1st –31.9% (38/119) POWER PLAY 31st – 14.4% (15/104)
25th – 73.0% (89/122) PENALTY KILL 19th – 77.2% (78/101)

ALL-TIME RECORDS vs. NASHVILLE GP RECORD HOME (41) AWAY (41) GF GA
OILERS ALL-TIME vs. NASHVILLE 82 35-37-3-7 19-18-0-4 16-19-3-3 235 230
OILERS vs. NASHVILLE – 2022-23 2 2-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 6 3

QUICK FACTS
• Monday’s game will mark Edmonton’s third and final game against the Predators this season and the second of two games in Nashville.

• The last time these teams met was on December 13th in Nashville where the Oilers won 6-3.

• Leon Draisaitl leads the team with 35 career points against Nashville and Tyson Barrie has appeared in a team leading 34 career games against the Predators.

POINT STREAKING
-Connor McDavid is currently on 12-game point streak posting 27 points (12G, 15A)

-Tyson Barrie is on a 6-game point streak, posting 10 assists

-Leon Draisaitl is on a three-game point streak, registering 8 points (2G, 6A)

-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on a three-game point streak, notching three points (1G, 2A)

HATS OFF
Zach Hyman scored his first career hat trick on Dec. 13 at NSH, while posting four points (3G, 1A) in the Oilers 6-3 win over the Predators.

MCDAVID AND DRAISAITL – 1, 2 PUNCH
Connor McDavid (12-15—27 in 12 GP) extended the League’s longest active point streak to a dozen contests on Dec. 17 vs. Anaheim. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid had five and four points, respectively on Dec. 13 against Nashville and became the fifth pair of teammates in NHL history each with at least 20 goals and 30 assists through 30 games in a season.

McDAVID GOES “ZERO TO SIXTY” IN 31 GAMES
Connor McDavid scored yet another highlight-reel goal to boost his season totals to 27-33—60 (31 GP) en route to becoming the first skater to reach the 60-point mark in 2022-23 – just four games after eclipsing the 50-point plateau on Dec. 7. McDavid reached the 60-point plateau in the fewest games (31) the NHL has witnessed in more than 25 years.

BOUCHARD’S LATE GOAL MAGIC
On Nov. 28 vs. Florida, Evan Bouchard scored the game-tying goal in the final five seconds of regulation before Connor McDavid (1G, 2A -3PTS) capped off his three-point performance with an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner.

OVERTIME WINNER
Connor McDavid scored the overtime winning goal on Nov.19 vs. Vegas. The goal marked his 14th career overtime goal and he ranks first in the NHL in overtime goals since 2015-16.

MOST OVERTIME GOALS SINCE 2015-16
Connor McDavid – 14
Jonathan Toews – 13
Brad Marchand – 13
Sidney Crosby – 12

POWER PLAY PUNCH
Leon Draisaitl scored his 100th career power play goal on Nov. 21 against New Jersey and recorded his 101st power play goal which also stood as the game winning goal on Nov. 26 against the New York Rangers. Draisaitl holds sole possession of 5th spot all-time in Oilers power play goals and is just 25 goals shy of the all-time lead held by Glenn Anderson and Ryan Smyth. Draisaitl is one power play goal from tying Jari Kurri (107) for 4th on the Oilers power play goals list.

200 CLUB
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 200th career goal with the Oilers on Oct. 26 at STL which stood as the game winning goal. Nugent Hopkins becomes ust the ninth player in Oilers history to record 200 goals with the Oilers and has achieved the mark in 726 games all with the Oilers.

OILERS LEADERS OF THE PACK
Points – McDavid (62) – 1st in NHL
Goals – McDavid (28) – 1st in NHL
Assists – McDavid (34) – 2nd in NHL
TOI/GP – Nurse (23:58) / (22:57 – McDavid) – Forwards – 1st in NHL
Shots – McDavid (131)
Blocks – Nurse (62)
Hits – Puljujarvi (69)
Takeaways – Draisaitl (29)
Power Play Goals – Draisaitl, McDavid (13) – T-1st in NHL
Power Play Points – McDavid (32) – 1st in NHL
Even Strength Points – McDavid (29) – 3rd in NHL

LAST 10 GAMES vs. NASHVILLE
Record: 9-0-1
GF: 47 GA: 24
2022-23 12/13/22 @ NSH 6-3 W
2022-23 11/1/22 @ EDM 7-4 W
2021-22 4/14/22 @ NSH 4-0 W
2021-22 1/27/22 @ EDM 3-2 W (SO)
2021-22 11/3/21 @ EDM 5-2 W
2019-20 3/2/20 @ NSH 8-3 W
2019-20 2/8/20 @ EDM 3-2 W
2019-20 1/14/20 @ EDM 4-2 W
2018-19 2/25/19 @ NSH 3-2 L (SO)
2018-19 10/27/18 @ NSH 5-3 W

OILERS vs. NASHVILLE PREDATORS – ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
2022-23 Regular Season Career
Player GP G A P PIM GP G A P PIM
Barrie, Tyson 2 0 3 3 2 34 3 14 17 14
Bouchard, Evan 2 0 2 2 0 6 1 3 4 2
Broberg, Philip 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ceci, Cody 2 0 1 1 0 18 0 6 6 0
Draisaitl, Leon 2 3 7 10 0 22 22 13 35 2
Foegele, Warren 1 0 0 0 0 16 1 3 4 14
Hamblin, James 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Holloway, Dylan 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 2
Hyman, Zach 2 3 2 5 0 11 4 6 10 2
Janmark, Mattias 1 0 0 0 0 24 7 5 12 19
Kane, Evander 1 3 0 3 0 23 7 11 18 37
Kostin, Klim 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0
Kulak, Brett 2 0 0 0 2 10 1 0 1 11
Malone, Brad 1 0 0 0 2 7 0 0 0 13
McDavid, Connor 2 3 5 8 0 18 9 22 31 10
McLeod, Ryan 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
Murray, Ryan 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 1 2 2
Niemelainen, Markus 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan 2 0 2 2 2 31 4 23 27 6
Nurse, Darnell 2 0 1 1 2 16 1 7 8 16
Puljujarvi, Jesse 2 0 0 0 5 8 1 0 1 9
Ryan, Derek 2 1 0 1 2 14 3 5 8 4
Shore, Devin 2 0 1 1 0 17 2 3 5 2
Yamamoto, Kailer 2 0 1 1 0 9 2 3 5 2

2022-23 Regular Season Career
Goalie GP W-L-OT SO GA GAA GP W-L-T-OT SO GA GAA
Skinner, Stuart 0 0-0-0 0 0 0.00 0 0-0-0-0 0 0 0.00
Campbell, Jack 2 2-0-0 0 7 3.50 5 4-1-0-0 1 15 3.00

OILERS LEADERS vs. PREDATORS
NHL CAREER
Games: Barrie (34)
Goals: Draisaitl (22)
Assists: Nugent-Hopkins (23)
Points: Draisaitl (35)
Penalty minutes: Kane (37)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 9 F Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin recalled from Bakersfield (AHL) F Evander Kane placed on LTIR
Nov. 17 F Tyler Benson loaned to Bakersfield on conditioning assignment (AHL)
Nov. 18 F Brad Malone recalled from Bakersfield (AHL)
Nov. 25 D Philip Broberg recalled from Bakersfield (AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen assigned to Bakersfield (AHL)
Nov. 27 F James Hamblin and F Tyler Benson recalled from Bakersfield (AHL)
F Kailer Yamamoto and F Ryan McLeod placed on IR
Dec. 15 F Brad Malone placed on waivers
Dec. 16 F Brad Malone cleared waivers and loaned to Bakersfield (AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen recalled from Bakersfield

OILERS IN DECEMBER
Overall – 537 GP, 235-224-42-35 – 0.510
2022-23 – 9 GP, 4-4-1 – 9 PTS
2021-22 –12 GP, 3-8-1 – 7 PTS

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. EDMONTON
OVERALL (82 GP) 44-31-(3)-4
HOME (41 GP) 22-16-(3)-0
ROAD (41 GP) 22-15-(0)-4
PLAYOFFS Never Met
− The Predators are 44-31-(3)-4 all-time against the Oilers, including a 22-16-(3)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.

− This is the third and final matchup between Nashville and Edmonton in 2022-23; it is the second and final at home.

− Nashville is 0-2-0 against Edmonton this season, dropping a 6-3 result on Dec. 13 on home ice and a 7-4 game on Nov. 1 at Edmonton.

− The Predators are 0-4-1 in their last five games against the Oilers; they are 1-8-1 in their last 10; and 1-4-0 in their last five on the road.

− Nashville is seeking its first win over Edmonton since Feb. 25, 2019, an eight-game drought (0-7-1).

− Nashville has won 14 of its last 23 games against Edmonton, with 13 of those wins coming consecutively from Oct. 29, 2014-Oct. 20, 2018. During the streak, the Preds outscored the Oilers 40-15 and limited them to two-or-fewer goals 12 times, including five shutouts.

− The Predators have won at least nine in a row over the Oilers two separate times, with the first streak coming from Nov. 1, 2006 to Oct. 30, 2008.

NOTABLES vs. EDMONTON
− Juuse Saros set the Preds franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he posted 46 vs. Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2017. In eight career games vs. the Oilers, Saros is 2-4-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

− Ryan Johansen has 13 points (4g-9a) in his last 18 games against the Oilers dating back to March 14, 2016.

− Filip Forsberg has averaged a point per game in his career vs. the Oilers, tallying 21 points (11g-10a) in 21 games, a mark bolstered by a three-point outing (1g-2a) on Nov. 1. He became the second player in NHL history to score a “lacrosse-style” goal in Nashville’s game against Edmonton on Jan. 14, 2020.

− Matt Duchene owns 37 points (10g-27a) in 41 career games against the Oilers. He led all Nashville skaters with three points (2g-1a) in three games vs. Edmonton last season.

− Predators prospect Luke Prokop is a native of Edmonton.

LAST TIME OUT
− Nashville Predators 1, Colorado Avalanche 3 – Dec. 17 (Ball Arena)

− NSH goals: Duchene (7)

− COL goals: Rantanen – PP (21), Newhook – GWG (7), Makar – ENG (7)

− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (L, 27/29); COL – Georgiev (W, 25/26)

− Power plays: NSH 0-2; COL 1-3

− Notes: Nashville moved to 5-8-2 on the road in 2022-23… The result gave Nashville a 0-4-2 record in its last six games… The Predators are now 0-2-0 against Colorado this season… Matt Duchene opened the scoring for Nashville with his seventh goal of the season and first since Dec. 2 at NY Islanders… Nino Niederreiter assisted on Duchene’s goal; he has three points (2g-1a) in his last six games… Jeremy Lauzon returned to the lineup after missing three games (Dec. 12-15) with an upper-body injury… Roman Josi led the Predators with five shots and nine shot attempts.

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Dec. 17 22
Ryan McDonagh Upper body – IR Dec. 8-17 6
Alexandre Carrier Upper body – week-to-week Dec. 12-17 4
Michael McCarron NHL/NHLPA PAP Dec. 12-17 4
Total man-games lost: 51
Borowiecki – 23; McDonagh – 6; McCarron – 5; Trenin – 5; Carrier – 4; Glass – 3; Lauzon – 3; Jankowski – 2

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 19, 2022 vs. Edmonton Oilers

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− 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.
− Nov. 12: Recalled forward Juuso Parssinen from Milwaukee (AHL). Reassigned defenseman Jordan Gross to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Nov. 8: Assigned defenseman Luke Prokop from Norfolk (ECHL) to Seattle (WHL).
− Nov. 3: Recalled forward Mark Jankowski from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned forward Kiefer Sherwood to Milwaukee (AHL).

ALL-TIME LEADERBOARDS
Games Played
Rk. Player GP
1 David Legwand 956
2 Roman Josi 789
3 Shea Weber 763
4 Martin Erat 723
5 Mattias Ekholm 691
6 Craig Smith 661
7 Dan Hamhuis 600
8 Filip Forsberg 595
9 Kimmo Timonen 573
10 Ryan Ellis 562

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 254 career NHL wins, placing him 64th on the NHL’s all-time list.

THE CAPTAIN
− Roman Josi has 22 points (6g-16a) in his last 21 games after recording two assists on Tuesday vs. Edmonton.

− Josi is inching closer to passing David Legwand for the most points in franchise history. Josi (565) needs one more point to tie Legwand (566) and two to pass him.

− Since Oct. 27, Josi is tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in goals (6) and points (22); and tied for eighth in assists (16).

− 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 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 146
7 Viktor Arvidsson 127
8 Mike Fisher 111
9 Jason Arnott 107
10 Three tied 106
Assists

Rk. Player A
1 Roman Josi 419
2 David Legwand 356
3 Martin Erat 318
4 Shea Weber 277
5 Filip Forsberg 265
6 Ryan Johansen 244
7 Kimmo Timonen 222
8 Mattias Ekholm 200
Ryan Suter 200
10 Ryan Ellis 195
Points

Rk. Player P
1 David Legwand 566
2 Roman Josi 565
3 Filip Forsberg 494
4 Martin Erat 481
5 Shea Weber 443
6 Ryan Johansen 350
7 Craig Smith 330
8 Kimmo Timonen 301
9 Ryan Ellis 270
10 J-P Dumont 267

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 19, 2022 vs. Edmonton Oilers
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’s tied for the fifth-longest such streak by an NHL defenseman since 2000-01.

− The 2020 Norris Trophy winner has scored 94 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 130 1st
Average TOI 25:37 5th
Goals 6 Tied for 11th
Points 23 Tied for 13th
Assists 17 Tied for 16th

JUICE IS LOOSE
− Goaltender Juuse Saros is 6-3-3 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in his last 11 games dating back to Nov. 12.

− He’s made at least 30 saves in six of his last 12 games; he’s faced at least 30 shots in eight of those outings.

− Additionally, Saros owns a 7.88 goals saved above average (GSAA) since Nov. 12, the fourth-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 164 high-danger saves this season, tied for the seventh-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.

− After scoring on Thursday at Winnipeg, he leads Nashville in points with 25 (9g-16a) and has five multi-point outings in his last 21 games.

− Forsberg has 22 points (7g-15a) in his last 22 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 2.67 goals-against per game since Nov. 12, the eighth-best mark in the League.

− The Predators are fifth in the NHL in face-off percentage (53 percent).

− Among NHL players who have taken at least 300 faceoffs, Ryan Johansen is fourth at 60.9 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 tied for second in the NHL in shorthanded faceoffs won (57).

− Forward Juuso Parssinen, 21, who made his NHL debut on Nov. 12 vs. the Rangers, has five points (3g-2a) in his first 15 career NHL games.

o He became the first Predators player to make his NHL debut this season.

o 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).

o 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).

NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Dec. 19, 2022 vs. Edmonton Oilers
o 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).

o 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.

o 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.

o 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).

NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (15-13-4) at Boston Bruins (24-4-2)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Florida Panthers (15-13-4) at Boston Bruins (24-4-2)

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 32
  • F Anton Lundell | Games Missed: 8
  • D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 7
  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 7
  • F Chris Tierney | Games Missed: 2
  • F Colin White | Games Missed: 2
    Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 91

LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Devils 2 – Dec. 17 – Prudential Center
FLA Goals: Reinhart (10-PPG), Forsling (5), Reinhart (11), Verhaeghe (16)
NJD Goals: Marino (3), Haula (2)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 30 Saves
NJD Goalie: Schmid (L) – 25 Saves
FLA Shots: 29
NJD Shots: 32
Notes: Sam Reinhart tallied two goals, extending his point streak to three games (4-2-6)…Aaron Ekblad notched two assists…Brandon Montour posted an assist, extending his point streak to three games (1-2-3)…Carter Verhaeghe scored a goal for his second point in as many games…Grigori Denisenko notched an assist for his first point of the season…Florida’s 20 blocked shots were their most in a game this season…Sergei Bobrovsky started his sixth consecutive game…FLA PP: 1-2, FLA PK: 3-3

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • Dec. 15: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • Dec. 14: G Alex Lyon loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
  • Dec. 13: F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
  • Dec. 8: G Alex Lyon recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)

PANTHERS vs. BRUINS
ALL-TIME vs. BOS: 43-49-6-10
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. BOS: 22-26-4-3
2022-23 vs. BOS: 1-1-0

CATS STATS

  • Aleksander Barkov has produced 20 points (8-12-20) over 26 career games vs. Boston.
  • Sam Reinhart has logged 22 points (9-13-22) over 33 career games against the Bruins.
  • Josh Mahura leads Florida with a +18 rating in 2022-23, tied for 3rd-best among NHL defensemen following games played Dec. 17
  • Three different Panthers skaters (Tkachuk 12, Barkov and Brandon Montour 10 each) have produced at least 10 power-play points this season

CATS AND BRUINS
The Panthers and Bruins will face off for the third time out of four total meetings in 2022-23, with each team having earned one win thus far. In their prior matchup Nov. 23 at FLA Live Arena, Spencer Knight stopped 37 of 39 Bruins shots on goal and Aleksander Barkov (1-2-3) and Aaron Ekblad (1-2-3) each produced three points en route to a 5-2 Panthers win. Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) also produced two points in the game. Three different players (Barkov, Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk [1-2-3]) have logged three total points against Boston in 2022-23.

THE TALE OF THE TAPE
Florida has produced the most shots on goal per game overall (37.1) and on the road (36.9) of any team this season, and Boston ranks second in total shots per game (35.1, tied with NJD). The Panthers also rank second among NHL teams in five-on-five goals for (75).

‘TIS THE SEASON
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 10 points (4-6-10) over eight games in December, and since the start of the calendar year the Scottsdale, Ariz., native has produced 117 points (43-74-117) over 82 total regular season games, the second-most of any NHL skater behind Connor McDavid (53-80-133, 81 GP).

BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
21 of Florida’s goals this season have come from defensemen, the second-most goals by d-men among NHL teams this season behind NYI (23). Florida’ 80 points by blueliners also ranks second through games played Dec. 17, behind SJS (83).

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 (45), points per game (1.34), even-strength goals (12-tied), even-strength points (27), power-play points (12) and shots on goal (107). He also leads Florida in assists (12) and points (19) on the road this season and ranks second in road goals (7) behind Carter Verhaeghe (8).

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

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

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

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

BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov notched an assist Dec. 17 at NJD for his third point of his past three games (1-2-3). He posted two points (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ for his sixth multi-point game this season and 150th multi-point game of his career, and logged a plus-three rating. He has registered 22 points (5-17-22) over 25 games in 2022-23, leading Florida with a 56.5 faceoff win percentage. His five multi-assist games are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the most on Florida this season. Barkov sits at 66 career power-play goals, tied with Scott Mellanby for the most in Panthers history. Over his past 10 games played, Barkov has produced 11 points (3-8- 11). Barkov is also two even-strength goals away from surpassing Jonathan Huberdeau (150) for the franchise record.

EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad 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).

All-Time Games Played, Panthers History

  1. Jonathan Huberdeau (F) 671 GP
  2. Stephen Weiss (F) 654 GP
  3. Aleksander Barkov (F) 621 GP
  4. Radek Dvorak 613 GP
  5. Aaron Ekblad (D) 575 GP

‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart logged his second multi-goal outing (2-0-2) Dec. 17 at NJD, including his team-leading sixth power-play goal. He scored his ninth goal of the campaign Dec. 15 vs. PIT and has produced six points (4-2-6) over his past three games, tallying at least once in all three games for his second three-game goal streak of the season. 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.

MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour 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. He has registered a point in each of his past three games (1-2-3) and skated in his 400th NHL game Dec. 10 at TBL. He has produced 25 points (6-19-25) through his first 30 games of 2022-23. His 25 points this season are 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 leads Florida blueliners in assists and points. Montour’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.

MR. CARTER
Forward Carter Verhaeghe scored his 12th even-strength goal of the season Dec. 17 at NJD, and he has produced a point in each of his past two games (1-1-2). His 12 even-strength goals are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead. He has posted at least one point (4-3-7) in six of his past eight 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. Verhaeghe produced his team-leading fifth multigoal 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 paces Florida in goals (16) and he has produced 26 points (16-10-26) over 31 games in 2022-23, which ranks second on the team. He posted a point in four straight games from Nov. 3-9 (4-3-7). The Toronto, Ontario native’s eight total multi-point games (tied with Sam Bennett) and 20 even-strength points each second on Florida.

BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett has logged 17 points (6-11-17) over his past 20 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, tied with Verhaeghe for second-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 99 shots on goal are tied for second-most on Florida and his 81 hits lead Florida forwards.

JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling 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 21 points (5-16-21) in 2022-23, including 17 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 99 total shots this season are tied for second-most on the Panthers.

WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has started each of Florida’s past six games, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average over that span (since Dec. 8). 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 has surrendered five goals over his past three starts since Dec. 1 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among goaltenders over that span (Dec. 1-Dec. 6). 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., owns a 31-13-6 record over his first 50 NHL games.

SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for eight assists and nine points (1-8-9) over Florida’s past 10 games. Eric scored his first goal of the season Dec. 11 vs. SEA, marking his 442nd NHL goal, surpassing Steve Larmer and Rick Vaive for 67th on the all-time NHL goals list. His 442 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 2,369 total NHL games and 1,258 points.

BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • The Bruins host the Panthers tonight in the 2nd of 3 games between these teams this season and the 2nd of 2 games at TD Garden.
  • They are 24-4-2 overall this season and are 16-0-2 on home ice … They are 13-3-0 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
  • The Bruins play game 4 of a 5-game home stand tonight hosting the Panthers (2-0-1) … They will conclude vs. Winnipeg on 12/22 and will finish the holiday break in New Jersey on 12/23.

RECENT GAMES:

  • The Bruins are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games with their 5-game point streak stopped at 4-0-1 with a 4-3 loss at Arizona on 12/11 and rebounding with a 3-0-1 stretch with wins vs Vegas, NY Islanders and Columbus and a shootout setback to Los Angeles … They are 14-2-2 in their last 18 games.
  • They are 16-0-2 in their 18 home games, including a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history … That is the 12th such streak in NHL history and is the 2nd in Boston annals to 1973-74’s 21-game stretch at 19-0-1.
  • The Bruins became the 1st team to 50 points this season (24-4-2) and are the 4th team in NHL history to hit that mark through the 1st 30 games of a season, including the 1929-30 Bruins who had a 25-4-1 mark.
  • Boston 4 vs NY Islanders 3/SO … Jake DeBrusk scored twice in a 19-second span and Derek Forbort scored shorthanded en route to a shootout win (goals by DeBrusk and David Pastrnak) … Linus Ullmark extended his career-best win streak to 9 games … SOG: Bos 33, NYI 26 … PP: 1/2 … PK: 0/3
  • Boston 2 vs Los Angeles 3/SO … Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand (PP) opened a 2-goal lead before the Kings evened the score and Boston took the shootout loss (goals by Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk) … Linus Ullmark stopped his career-best 9-gm win streak with the extra point … SOG: Bos 35, LA 30 … PP: 1/6 … PK: 1/6
  • 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

INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 35)

  • None

BOSTON vs FLORIDA, LIFETIME SERIES

  • The Bruins and Panthers are meeting for the 108th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 59-36-6-6 record and 311-270 scoring advantage in those games.
  • The Bruins are 29-18-4-4 lifetime vs. Florida at home with a 162-128 scoring edge in those 55 contests.
  • The Bruins won the 1st game of this season’s series with a 5-3 win in Boston on 10/17 … They are 7-3-1 in their last 11 games vs. the Panthers and are 15-7-1 in their last 23 games of the lifetime series

NUMBERS
1 / 2: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.833) and fewest goals against per game (2.13) while 2nd in goals for per game (3.80).

1 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 84.6% (18/117) and power play at 29.0% (33/114). Boston Bruins: Media Notes

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 2nd 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: Game point streak by David Pastrnak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span … That was his longest such stretch since a career-best 13-game stretch in 2019-20.

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: 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.

18: Current home point streak at 16-0-2.

50: Points by the Bruins after 30 games this season at 24-4-2 … That is the 2nd-best mark after 30 games in team history (25-4-1) and they are the 4th team in NHL history to hit that mark through the 1st 30 games of a season.

+50: Boston’s league-leading goal differential (NJ is 2nd at +30), including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 44-19 and +25.

394-25-21: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 257-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals

555: 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 3-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
  • The Bruins are playing game 9 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 5-1-2) … 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. 2: Keith Kinkaid recalled from Providence/AHL.
Nov. 7: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 9: Mike Reilly placed on waivers for assignment to Providence/AHL (assigned Nov. 10).
Nov. 16: Keith Kinkaid returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 28: Anton Stralman placed on waivers (cleared 11/29).

NHL Preview: Detroit Red Wings (13-11-6) at Washington Capitals (16-13-4)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Detroit Red Wings (13-11-6) at Washington Capitals (16-13-4)

DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:

LAST GAME
RED WINGS 3 vs. OTTAWA 6 (12/17/22)
1ST PERIOD: DET Veleno (Kubalík, Söderblom) 2:32-EV; OTT Batherson (DeBrincat, Pinto) 12:47-EV; DET Erne (Walman, Suter)
14:56-EV; OTT Chabot (DeBrincat, Tkachuk) 18:42-PP
2ND PERIOD: OTT Batherson (Tkachuk, DeBrincat) 1:40-PP; DET Hronek (Perron, Raymond) 12:14-PP
3RD PERIOD: OTT Giroux (unassisted) 8:14-PP; OTT Motte (Kelly) 12:48-SH; OTT Watson (Giroux) 16:49-EN
SHOTS: DET 32 (12-6-14) / OTT 28 (9-11-8)
GOALIES: DET Husso (L, 22-27) / OTT Talbot (W, 29-32)
PP: DET 1-7 / OTT 3-5

MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Robby Fabbri – lower body (30 / Oct. 10)
Jakub Vrána – personal (28 / Oct. 17)
Tyler Bertuzzi – upper body (21 / Nov. 30)
Filip Zadina – lower body (19 / Nov. 5)
Matt Luff – upper body (17 / Nov. 8)
Robert Hägg – undisclosed (4 / Dec. 8)
Total Man Games Lost: 157
Individual Man Games Lost: Elmer Söderblom (13), Gustav Lindström (11), Oskar Sundqvist (7), Olli Määttä (4), Michael Rasmussen
(2), Dylan Larkin (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/18 – Reassigned defenseman Donovan Sebrango to Grand Rapids from Toledo (ECHL)
12/17 – Activated defenseman Olli Määttä from injured reserve
12/16 – Assigned defenseman Steven Kampfer to Grand Rapids
12/15 – Reassigned defenseman Eemil Viro to Grand Rapids from Toledo (ECHL)
12/14 – Recalled forward Elmer Söderblom from Grand Rapids … Placed defenseman Olli Määttä on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 6
12/13 – Recalled defenseman Steven Kampfer from Grand Rapids … Placed defenseman Robert Hägg on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 8

TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS at CAPITALS / 7:00 P.M. EST / Capital One Arena / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: 125th all-time meeting, 61st at Washington … Second of three games this season, first of two at Washington ALL-TIME vs. WSH: 52-51-16-5 / AWAY: 24-29-5-2 / LAST 10: 3-7-0 / IN 2021-22: 1-2-0 / THIS SEASON: 1-0-0
DET top scorers vs. WSH: David Perron (2-12-14 in 22 GP), Dylan Larkin (4-7-11 in 17 GP), Dominik Kubalík (2-2-4 in 4 GP), Lucas Raymond (1-1-2 in 4 GP), Pius Suter (1-1-2 in 4 GP)

WSH top scorers vs. DET: Alex Ovechkin (23-13-36 in 31 GP), T.J. Oshie (10-11-21 in 39 GP), Evgeny Kuznetsov (5-14-19 in 18 GP), John Carlson (4-14-18 in 25 GP), Dylan Strome (5-9-14 in 14 GP), Marcus Johansson (4-10-14 in 27 GP), Sonny Milano (1-2-3 in 6 GP), Lucas Johansen (0-1-1 in 1 GP), Anthony Mantha (0-1-1 in 2 GP)

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES EST)
Wed., Dec. 21: RED WINGS vs. LIGHTNING / 7:00 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Fri., Dec. 23: RED WINGS at SENATORS / 7:00 p.m. / Canadian Tire Centre / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Wed., Dec. 28: RED WINGS at PENGUINS / 7:30 p.m. / PPG Paints Arena / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT
Dec. 17 vs. Ottawa – 6-3 L
Detroit fell against Ottawa to move to 13-11-6 overall and 7-6-3 inside Little Caesars Arena … Joe Veleno opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season … Veleno skated in his 100th career NHL game … Adam Erne gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with his fifth goal of the campaign … Filip Hronek scored on the power play for his seventh goal of the season … It marked Hronek’s third power play goal of the season, trailing only Dominik Kubalík (5), Lucas Raymond (4) and Dylan Larkin (4) … Hronek continues to lead all Detroit blueliners in goals (7), assists (18), points (25), plus/minus (+12), power play goals (3) power play points (11) and shots (69) through 30 games … Hronek became the first Red Wings defenseman to reach the 25-point mark (7-18-25) within a season in 30 games or fewer since both Brian Rafalski (27 GP) and Nicklas Lidström (30 GP) did so in 2010-11 … Hronek has 17 points (7-10-17) and a plus-eight rating in 16 games dating back to Nov. 12 at Los Angeles … Kubalík tallied the primary assist on Veleno’s goal … Kubalík continues to rank second among Detroit skaters with 26 points (10-16-26) through 30 games … Elmer Söderblom recorded his first career NHL assist with a helper on Veleno’s goal … Erne and Söderblom both have points in back-to-back games (1-1-2 in 2 GP) … David Perron logged the primary assist on Hronek’s power play goal, giving him 14 points (4-10-14) in 16 games since Nov. 12 at Los Angeles … Raymond also had an assist on Hronek’s power play goal … Raymond has four points (2-2-4) in four career head-to-head meetings against Ottawa … Perron and Raymond tied Larkin for third place among Detroit skaters with nine power play points … The Red Wings are 8-3-5 this season when scoring the game’s first goal, and 5-3-2 when doing so on home ice … Detroit is 12-3-3 this season when netting three-or-more goals … Detroit is 9-4-3 this season when scoring a power play goal … The Red Wings are 6-2-4 this season when racking up 30-or-more shots … Detroit is also 8-2-3 when outshooting its opponent, and 5-2-2 when doing so on home ice … Detroit is 13-2-3 when leading or tied after two periods, and 7-2-0 when doing so on home ice.

ZETTERBERG SELECTED TO IIHF HALL OF FAME

  • Henrik Zetterberg has been selected to the IIHF Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The IIHF Hall of Fame’s 2023 Induction Ceremonies will take place prior to the medal games of the 2023 IIHF World Championship on May 28 in Tampere, Finland.
  • Ranks among Detroit’s all-time leaders with 1,082 games played (6th), 337 goals (5th), 623 assists (5th), 960 points (5th), 100 power play goals (8th) and 64 game-winning goals (5th).
  • Also places among the franchise’s postseason leaders with 137 games played (10th), 57 goals (3rd), 63 assists (7th), 120 points (5th), 21 power play goals (3rd) and eight game-winning goals (T8th).
  • On the international stage, he represented Sweden at four Winter Olympics, six IIHF World Championships, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and the 2000 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Won a gold medal at both the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
  • Became the 21st member of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club when he helped Detroit win a Stanley Cup championship in 2008.
  • Also became the second European-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy when he earned the honor in 2008.

PERRON REACHES 1,000-GAME MILESTONE

  • David Perron ranks among the team leaders with nine goals (3rd), 13 assists (5th), 22 points (4th), two power play goals (T5th), nine power play points (T3rd), two game-winning goals (2nd) and 82 shots (2nd) through 30 games.
  • Scored a goal in his 1,000th career NHL game on Dec. 10 at Dallas.
  • Became the 374th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game milestone.
  • Also the fourth player to hit the 1,000-game mark this season, joining Minnesota defenseman Alex Goligoski (Oct. 20 vs. Vancouver), New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey (Oct. 28 at Carolina) and Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin (Nov. 20 at Chicago).
  • Became the sixth active player to score a goal in his 1,000th career NHL game, joining Malkin, Bailey, Jeff Carter, Patrice Bergeron and Brent Burns.
  • He is the fourth member of the 2007 NHL Draft class to reach the 1,000-game milestone, joining Patrick Kane, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds.

FIL THE THRILL

  • Filip Hronek ranks among the team leaders with seven goals (T4th), 18 assists (1st), 25 points (3rd), a plus-12 rating (1st), three power play goals (4th), 11 power play points (2nd), 69 shots (4th) and 21:54 average time on ice (2nd) through 30 games.
  • Became the first Red Wings defenseman to reach the 25-point mark (7-18-25) within a season in 30 games or fewer since both Brian Rafalski (27 GP) and Nicklas Lidström (30 GP) did so in 2010-11.
  • Tied for the team lead with seven multi-point games. He recorded 16 points (6-10-16) and a plus-nine rating during an 11-game stretch from Nov. 12-Dec. 6.
  • Set a franchise record for the longest season-opening road point streak (4-11-15 in 11 GP), eclipsing Sergei Fedorov who set the mark in 1993-94 (9-10-19 in 10 GP).
  • Became the second defenseman in NHL history to post a road point streak of 11-or-more games from the start of a season, joining Paul Coffey who notched a point in each of Edmonton’s first 12 road games in 1986-87 (4-16-20 in 12 GP).
  • Also became the third Red Wings defenseman to post a road point streak of 11-or-more games, following Brian Rafalski (12 GP in 2007-08) and Paul Coffey (15 GP in 1994-95).

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

  • Filip Hronek totaled 14 points from Nov. 3-30 (6-8-14 in 13 GP), which were the most by a Red Wings defenseman in a calendar month since Nicklas Lidström in December 2010 (8-8-16 in 16 GP).
  • Had a career-high four-game goal streak from Nov. 17-25 (5-2-7 in 4 GP) and six-game point streak from Nov. 12-25 (6-4-10 in 6 GP).
  • His four-game goal streak matched the longest goal streak by a defenseman in franchise history, joining Mathieu Schneider (4 GP in 2005-06), Nicklas Lidström (4 GP in 2000-01) and Reed Larson (4 GP in 1980-81).
  • Became the first Red Wings defenseman to record six goals in a six-game span since Reed Larson did so from Jan. 29-Feb. 8, 1981 (6-3-9 in 6 GP).
  • Scored a pair of goals – including his first career GWG – on Nov. 19 at Columbus for his first career multi-goal game.

BIG VILLE STYLE
Detroit acquired goaltender Ville Husso from St. Louis in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Aleksanteri Kaskimäki) on July 8 and subsequently signed him to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.75 million.

  • Ville Husso has posted three shutouts in 21 games with the Red Wings, tying Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov for the league lead. Husso had three shutouts in 57 appearances with the Blues from 2020-22.
  • Became the third Red Wings/Falcons/Cougars goaltender with three shutouts prior to his 15th appearance with the franchise, joining Hap Holmes (4 in 1926-27) and Dolly Dolson (3 in 1928-29).
  • Has allowed one goal or fewer in eight starts this season.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Detroit forwards Andrew Copp, Austin Czarnik, Dominik Kubalík, Matt Luff and David Perron, and defensemen Ben Chiarot, Robert Hägg and Olli Määttä have made an immediate impact to begin the 2022-23 season. The eight players, all signed as free agents by the Red Wings in July, have combined for 88 points (29-59-88) through the first 30 games of the campaign.

  • Ben Chiarot netted his second goal of the season on Nov. 19 at Columbus. He recorded a goal and an assist on Oct. 15 at New Jersey for his first multi-point game in a Detroit uniform.
  • Andrew Copp tallied six points (1-5-6) in a five-game span from Nov. 30-Dec. 8. He ranks second among Detroit skaters with 15 even-strength points (2-13-15), trailing only Dylan Larkin (5-12-17).
  • Austin Czarnik tallied a goal on Nov. 8 vs. Montreal and Dec. 4 at Columbus. The Metro Detroit native has also racked up 14 points (6-8-14) in 12 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • Robert Hägg (IR) ranks among the team leaders with 36 hits (8th) and 17 blocks (10th). He registered an assist on Oct. 21 at Chicago and Oct. 25 vs. New Jersey.
  • Dominik Kubalík places among the team leaders with 10 goals (T1st), 16 assists (3rd), 26 points (2nd), five power play goals (1st), 12 power play points (1st), one overtime goal (1st) and 80 shots (3rd) through 30 games. He became the first Detroit skater to average a point-per-game through their first 25 career contests with the franchise since Marián Hossa in 2008-09 (14-14-28 in 25 GP).
  • Matt Luff (IR) earned his first goal/point with Detroit on Nov. 6 against the New York Rangers. He picked up seven points (3-4-7) in five appearances with Grand Rapids to begin the 2022-23 season.
  • Olli Määttä (IR) has registered 10 points (2-8-10) and a plus-10 rating through 26 games. With a pair of assists on Dec. 4 at Columbus, he surpassed his scoring total from the 2021-22 campaign in 42 fewer games (1-7-8 in 66 GP with Los Angeles).
  • David Perron has totaled 22 points (9-13-22) in 30 games, including a pair of game-winning goals. Perron, who scored a goal in his 1,000th career NHL game on Dec. 10 at Dallas, has notched 14 points (4-10-14) in 16 games dating back to Nov. 12 at Los Angeles.

SWEDISH MAFIA KEEPS GROWING

  • Jonatan Berggren has recorded nine points (4-5-9) in 17 games to begin his NHL career.
  • Became the eighth Red Wings rookie in the past 30 years to record six-or-more points through their first nine contests, joining Lucas Raymond (4-5-9 in 2021-22), Moritz Seider (0-8-8 in 2021-22), Filip Zadina (1-5-6 in 2019-20), Taro Hirose (1-6-7 in 2018-19), Dennis Cholowski (2-4-6 in 2018-19), Dylan Larkin (2-5-7 in 2015-16) and Henrik Zetterberg (3-3-6 in 2002-03).
  • Registered seven points (4-3-7) in seven games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
  • Made his North American professional debut with the Griffins in 2021-22 and set franchise records for a rookie in assists (43), points (64), game-winning goals (7) and overtime goals (3) in 70 games.
  • Named AHL Rookie of the Month for April after totaling 20 points (6-14-20) in 14 contests. He finished the season with 26 points (7- 19-26) in his last 18 games, including a season-high 11-game point streak (6-13-19) to close out the year.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

  • Lucas Raymond ranks among the team leaders with seven goals (T4th), 10 assists (T6th), 17 points (T5th), four power play goals (T2nd), nine power play points (T3rd), three game-winning goals (1st) and 56 shots (5th) through 30 games.
  • Became the third member of the 2020 NHL Draft class to reach the 30-goal mark, joining Tim Stützle (44) and Alexis Lafrenière (36).
  • Has five career game-winning goals, trailing only Steve Yzerman (8), Dylan Larkin (6) and Alex Delvecchio (6) for the most GWGs in franchise history at age 20 or younger.

GERMAN ENGINEERING

  • Moritz Seider set career highs in assists (3) and points (3) in his 100th NHL game on Nov. 19 at Columbus.
  • Recorded six points (2-4-6) in a five-game stretch from Nov. 17-28.
  • Became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to register 60-or-more points (9-53-62 in 112 GP) at age 21 or younger, joining Steve Chiasson (15-48-63 in 139 GP), Reed Larson (19-42-61 in 89 GP) and Nicklas Lidström (11-49-60 in 80 GP).
  • Also moved past Nicklas Lidström (11-49-60 in 80 GP) for the most assists by a Detroit defenseman before age 22.

LOVE TO ‘C’ IT

  • Dylan Larkin is in his third season as Detroit’s captain and eighth NHL campaign. He was named the 37th captain in franchise history on Jan. 13, 2021, becoming the first Michigander and native metro Detroiter to wear the ‘C’ for the Red Wings, assuming a captaincy that had been vacant for two seasons following the end of Henrik Zetterberg’s career in 2017-18 due to injury.
  • Ranks among the team leaders with 10 goals (T1st), 17 assists (2nd), 27 points (1st), a plus-five rating (T4th), four power play goals (T2nd), nine power play points (T3rd), one shorthanded goal (T1st) and 96 shots (1st) through 29 games.
  • Scored the overtime winner in Detroit’s last visit to Washington on Oct. 27, 2021.
  • Currently places 22nd on the franchise’s all-time points list (see list below):
  1. Vyacheslav Kozlov – 415 career points with Detroit
  2. Igor Larionov – 392
  3. Dylan Larkin – 385
  4. Johan Franzén – 370
  5. Marcel Dionne – 366
  6. Shawn Burr – 362

CAPTAIN CLUTCH

  • Dylan Larkin tallied his 157th career NHL goal on Dec. 10 at Dallas. He is currently one goal away from tying Kris Draper for 22nd place on the franchise’s all-time list (see list below):
  1. Mickey Redmond – 177 career goals with Detroit
  2. Red Kelly – 162
  3. Kris Draper – 158
  4. Dylan Larkin – 157
  5. Ray Sheppard – 152
  6. Bruce MacGregor – 151
  • Larkin recorded his 228th career NHL assist on Dec. 3 vs. Vegas, passing Marcel Dionne for sole possession of 22nd place on the franchise’s all-time list (see list below):
  1. Syd Howe – 248 career assists with Detroit
  2. Gary Bergman – 243
  3. Dylan Larkin – 228
  4. Marcel Dionne – 227
  5. Marcel Pronovost – 217
  6. Shawn Burr – 214
  • Larkin scored his fourth career shootout-deciding goal on Nov. 25 vs. Arizona, passing Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar for the sixth-most in franchise history. He trails only Pavel Datsyuk (11), Todd Bertuzzi (7), Henrik Zetterberg (7), Frans Nielsen (6) and Jiri Hudler (5).
  • Also has seven career overtime goals, which is tied with Herbie Lewis and Henrik Zetterberg for the fifth-most in franchise history. He trails only Sergei Fedorov (12), Brendan Shanahan (9), Steve Yzerman (9) and Pavel Datsyuk (8).

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
December 17, 2022 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 28; TOR: 36
Power Plays: WSH: 0/2; TOR: 0/2
Three Stars: 1. Gustafsson (WSH), 2. Milano (WSH), 3. Lindgren (WSH)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from AHL Hershey, 12/17
Loaned defenseman Dylan McIlrath to AHL Hershey, 12/11
Recalled defensemen Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath from AHL Hershey, 12/11

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12-12/17 (33 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12-12/17 (33 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12-12/17 (33 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-12/17/22 (29 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/17/22 (22 games)
Martin Fehervary: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Darcy Kuemper: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Alex Alexeyev: 12/11/22-12/17/22 (4 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)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22 (11 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: 206

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 22, 7 p.m. ET at Ottawa (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 23, 7 p.m. ET vs. Winnipeg (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
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)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday at Capital One Arena for the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The Capitals have earned points in fifteen of their last 16 games versus Detroit (12-1-3), dating back to Nov. 18, 2015. Alex Ovechkin (3g, 1a) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (2g, 2a) led the Capitals with four points each against Detroit last season. Ovechkin’s 23 goals in 31 career games versus the Red Wings rank first among active players.

HOME vs. DETROIT RED WINGS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
31-22-5-2 220 182 1 DET win (10/27/21)

CAPITALS vs. RED WINGS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
Games Goals Assists Points
Oshie (39) Ovechkin (23) Backstrom (20) Ovechkin (36)
Ovechkin (31) Oshie (10) Carlson/Kuznetsov (14) Backstrom (24)
Johansson/Eller (27) Strome/Kuznetsov (5) Ovechkin (13) Oshie (21)

The Great 800

  • Alex Ovechkin scored his 18th, 19th and 20th goals of the season on Dec. 13 at Chicago to become the third player in NHL history to reach the 800-goal mark, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).
  • Ovechkin, 37, reached the 800-goal mark in his 1,305th career game, the second-fewest games required to reach the milestone in NHL history (Gretzky: 1,116 GP). Howe scored his 800th career goal in his 1,748th career game at the age of 51.
  • Ovechkin went from 700 to 800 goals in 162 games, the fewest games required to make that leap for any member of the 800-goal club (Gretzky: 231 GP; Howe: 256 GP). It is tied for the third-fewest games Ovechkin has required to go from one 100-goal milestone to another in his career (100 to 200 goals: 130 GP; 600 to 700 goals: 155 GP; 300 to 400 goals: 162 GP).
  • Ovechkin’s 100 goals in 162 games since scoring his 700th career goal on Feb. 22, 2020, equates to a 0.62 goals-per-game average, slightly higher than his overall career average (0.61 G/GP). Gretzky’s goals-per-game rate from goal 700 to 800 was 0.44, while Howe’s was 0.39.
  • Ovechkin is now two goals shy of passing Howe (801) for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
  • Ovechkin has averaged 0.61 goals-per-game during his 18-year career, the seventh-highest rate in NHL history among players with at least 200 goals. Howe averaged 0.45 goals-per-game during his career, while Gretzky averaged 0.60.
  • Since turning 35-years-old on Sept. 17, 2020, Ovechkin has maintained his career goals per game average, scoring 94 goals in 155 games played (0.61 G/GP). That marks the highest rate among players following their 35th birthday in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin scored his 787th career goal on Nov. 5 versus Arizona, passing Howe (786) for the most goals with one franchise in NHL history and scored his 122nd career game-winning goal on Oct. 24 at New Jersey to pass Howe for the second-most game-winning goals.
  • Ovechkin, who has scored 20 goals in 33 games this season, recorded his 29th career hat trick against Chicago to reach the 800-goal mark, passing Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull (28) for the sixth most hat tricks in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin has reached the 20-goal mark in each of his 18 NHL seasons and his 18 20-goal seasons are the sixth-most in NHL history. Ovechkin is on pace to score 49 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 50-goal mark, it would mark his 10th career 50-goal season, passing Gretzky and Mike Bossy (9) for the most in NHL history. In addition, Ovechkin would pass Gretzky (12) for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history and tie Mike Gartner (17) for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.
    Additional information from NHL Stats: “The Road to 800” / #NHLStats Pack

Hats Off To Gus

  • Erik Gustafsson recorded his first career hat trick on Saturday vs. Toronto. Gustafsson entered the game goalless this season.
  • 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).
  • It marked the 147th regular season hat trick in franchise history and the second hat trick by a Capitals player this week, following Alex Ovechkin’s three-goal performance on Tuesday 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).

O From D

  • Trevor van Riemsdyk also scored for Washington on Saturday, his third goal in his last four games. In total the Capitals received four goals from defensemen against Toronto, marking the first time the Capitals had four or more goals scored by defensemen in a game since Jan. 20, 2019 at Chicago (John Carlson: 2g, Dmitry Orlov: 1g, Matt Niskanen: 1g, Brooks Orpik: 1g) (per NHL Stats).
  • Capitals defensemen have combined for 19 goals this season, which is the third-highest total in the NHL (New York Islanders: 23, Florida Panthers: 21).
  • Washington defensemen have also combined for 68 (19g, 49a) of the team’s 270 points (25.2%), which is the ninth-highest percentage in the NHL.

Turning a Corner

  • The Capitals have won six of their last seven games and have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 13 games (9-3-1), dating back to Nov. 23.
  • The Capitals have earned 19 points (.731 point percentage) since Nov. 23, tied for the second-most in the NHL during that stretch, through games played Dec. 17.
  • Since Nov. 23, the Capitals rank tied for second in the NHL in wins (9), fourth in goals against per game (2.23) and penalty kill percentage (84.9%), eighth in goals for per game (3.46) and 10th in power play percentage (27.8%).
  • The Capitals have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, dating back to Dec. 5. The Capitals have allowed 1.86 goals against per game in that span.
  • The Capitals have outscored opponents 18-9 since Dec. 5.
  • With their win Saturday over Toronto, Washington improved to 9-5-1 at home.

Power Up

  • The Capitals have scored a power play goal in 10 of their last 13 games (10 goals on 36 opportunities = 27.8 percent). During that span, Washington’s 27.8 power play percentage ranks 10th 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).
  • Six different skaters have scored a power play goal since Nov. 23 (Alex Ovechkin: 2; Conor Sheary: 2; Marcus Johansson: 2; T.J. Oshie: 2; Evgeny Kuznetsov: 1; John Carlson: 1).
  • The Capitals have had 110 power play opportunities this season, which are the ninth most in the NHL.
  • Washington has drawn 137 penalties this season – the sixth most in the NHL – and their +22 net penalty differential ranks tied for first in the NHL.

Chuck Stops Here

  • Over his last seven starts, Charlie Lindgren is 6-1-0 with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
  • Lindgren has started the Capitals’ last seven games. It marks the second-most games Lindgren has started consecutively in his career (eight-straight starts from Nov. 5 – Nov. 21, 2017, with Montreal).
  • Lindgren won five-straight games from Dec. 5 – Dec. 13, which tied for the longest win streak of his NHL career. Last season with the St. Louis Blues, Lindgren won five-straight games from Dec. 5 – Dec. 17, 2021, going 5-0-0 with a 1.22 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage.
  • Lindgren was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 11. Lindgren posted a record of 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage in four starts that week. In addition, Lindgren recorded a 1.26 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage at five-on-five (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • During the four-game stretch, which began on Dec. 5 at Edmonton, Lindgren stopped a combined 50 of 52 shots (.962 save percentage) faced in the third period and 49 of 51 shots (.961 save percentage) faced when the Capitals led (per Natural Stat Trick). Lindgren allowed two or fewer goals in each of his four starts, including consecutive starts where he allowed just one goal (Dec. 7 at Philadelphia and Dec. 9 vs. Seattle).
  • Lindgren is the 10th different Capitals goaltender to earn First Star/Player of the Week honors and the first since Braden Holtby in 2011 (for the week ending March 14).
  • This season, Lindgren has a record of 8-4-2 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. The Capitals have earned at least one point in 10 of the 13 games Lindgren has started (8-3-2). Among goaltenders with 12 or fewer starts this season, Lindgren ranks tied for third in the NHL in wins.

Bright and Sonny

  • Sonny Milano recorded three assists on Saturday vs. Toronto, marking his second career three-assist game (also Dec. 1, 2021 vs. Vegas as a member of the Anaheim Ducks).
  • Since making his Capitals debut on Nov. 5 vs. Arizona, Milano has recorded 14 points (3g, 11a) in 20 games played.
  • Milano’s 11 assists rank tied for second on the Capitals during that span (Evgeny Kuznetsov: 14; Dylan Strome: 11; Alex Ovechkin: 11), while his 14 points rank tied for fifth.
  • Milano has recorded 2.52 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season, which leads the Capitals.
  • Milano is five points shy of 100 career points (39g, 56a).

Penalty Skill

  • The Capitals have killed off 66 of 79 power plays (83.5 percent) over their last 28 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 83.5 penalty kill percentage ranks second in the NHL.
  • Through games played Dec. 17, the Capitals’ 80.7 penalty kill percentage ranks ninth in the NHL.
  • Washington is averaging 4:49 of shorthanded time on ice per game, which is the sixth-lowest rate in the NHL.

Oh Yeah, Orly

  • Dmitry Orlov has recorded three points (1g, 2a) since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Dec. 11 at Winnipeg.
  • Orlov, who missed 16 consecutive games due to injury prior to his return, has averaged 22:17 of ice time in Washington’s last four games, the second-highest average on the team (John Carlson: 22:57). In addition, Orlov leads the Capitals in ice time at five-on-five (79:31) since his return.
  • During that same span, Orlov has posted a +3 plus/minus rating and a 62.5 goals for percentage at five-on-five (five goals for, three against) (per Natural Stat Trick).
  • With his goal Dec. 13 at Chicago, Orlov tied Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.

Kuz Control

  • Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded two assists on Saturday vs. Toronto, marking his fourth multi-assist game of the season.
  • Kuznetsov has recorded nine points (1g, 8a) in his last eight 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 21 assists in 32 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 1.53 assists per 60 minutes at five-on-five. That’s tied for the fourth-highest rate in the NHL among players with at least 200 five-on-five assists during that span (Connor McDavid: 1.78; Artemi Panarin: 1.68; Ryan Getzlaf: 1.54; Nikita Kucherov: 1.53).

Clutch Carly

  • John Carlson recorded an assist on Saturday vs. Toronto, marking his sixth assist in his last six games.
  • Carlson’s 20 points (8g, 12a) in 27 games this season lead Capitals defensemen.
  • Carlson has recorded 11 (6g, 5a) of his 20 points in the third period of games.
  • Seven of Carlson’s eight goals have come when the Capitals have trailed, with two being game-tying goals in games the Capitals won (Oct. 17 vs. VAN; Oct. 22 vs. LAK).
  • Carlson’s eight goals this season rank tied for fourth among NHL defensemen.
  • Carlson has recorded 13 points (6g, 7a) in his last 16 games.

Give Me Mo

  • Anthony Mantha recorded an assist on Saturday vs. Toronto.
  • Mantha has recorded seven points in his last six games (2g, 5a).
  • Mantha, who recorded the primary assist on Alex Ovechkin’s 800th career goal, has assisted on six of Ovechkin’s goals since joining the Capitals during the 2020-21 season.
  • Mantha has recorded 19 points (8g, 11a) in 33 games this season. His eight goals rank tied for third on Washington while his 18 points rank tied for fifth.

Did You Know?

  • The Capitals are 16-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
  • Washington’s 844 hits this season are the seventh most in the NHL, through games played Dec. 17.
  • The Capitals rank seventh in the NHL in blocked shots (506), through games played Dec. 17.
  • Since Nov. 1, the Capitals have won 51.7 percent of their faceoffs, which is the 10th-highest win percentage in the NHL during that span.

Pirates acquire first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe from Colorado

MLB Editor
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Pirates acquire first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe from Colorado

The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league pitcher Nick Garcia.

Joe spent the entire 2022 season with Colorado, where he hit .238 (96-for-404) with 20 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 55 walks and 56 runs scored in 111 games. Joe reached base safely in 90 of his 110 games with a plate appearance during the 2022 campaign.

The 30-year-old also reached base safely in 35 straight games from April 29 to June 9, which was the second-longest on-base streak by any Major Leaguer this past season and tied for the seventh-longest in Colorado Rockies history. Joe also finished 2022 ranked 10th among all National League players with an 11.8 walk percentage (minimum 450 plate appearances) while his .374 on-base percentage at the end of June was the 11th-highest in the National League in that span.

The right-handed hitting Joe started 43 games in left field, 25 at designated hitter, 17 games at first base and 16 in right field. His seven outfield assists were tied with Charlie Blackmon for the most among Rockies outfielders last season. During the 2021 season, Joe hit .285 (51-for-179) with nine doubles, eight home runs, 35 RBI, 26 walks and a .379 OBP in 63 games with Colorado. He hit at a .400 clip with runners in scoring position (16-for-40) and .455 (10-for-22) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

He also hit .274 (23-for84) with five home runs, 16 RBI, 15 walks, a .394 OBP and .500 slugging percentage out of the leadoff spot (his 6.93 BB/PA from the leadoff spot was the second-best rate in the Majors with a minimum of 24 games).

This is Joe’s second stint with the Pirates organization after being the 39th overall selection in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft (the Pirates received the pick in Competitive Balance Round A as a result of trading RHP Bryan Morris to the Miami Marlins). To make room for Joe on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Nick Mears has been designated for assignment.

Cubs agree to terms with RHP Jameson Taillon on a four-year Major League contract

MLB Editor
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Cubs agree to terms with RHP Jameson Taillon on a four-year Major League contract

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon on a four-year major league contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Taillon, 31, recorded a team-high 14 wins, going 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA (77 ER/177.1 IP) in 32 starts for the New York Yankees in 2022. The righthander tied his career high in wins and starts and recorded his most innings and lowest ERA since 2018. Taillon allowed three or fewer earned runs in 25 of his 32 starts, two or fewer earned runs in 18 and one or fewer earned runs in 10 of those starts. He walked 32 batters, the fifth-fewest in the majors among pitchers with at least 150.0 innings pitched.

Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (second overall) of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Taillon owns a 51-35 record with a 3.84 ERA (336 ER/787.2 IP), 710 strikeouts, compared to 193 walks, and a 1.21 WHIP in 143 career major league starts with Pittsburgh (2016-19) and the Yankees (2021-22). Among all National League pitchers with at least 450.0 innings pitched from 2016-20, Taillon ranked ninth with a 1.66 ground ball to fly ball ratio, 11th with a 48.2-percent ground ball rate and 14th with a 19.5-percent soft contact rate.

Taillon made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 2016, going 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA (39 ER/104.0 IP) in 18 starts. The right-handed pitcher was diagnosed with testicular cancer on May 8, 2017, and missed five weeks of game action after undergoing surgery.

The six-foot five-inch Taillon enjoyed a breakout 2018 season, setting career bests in wins (14), ERA (3.20), innings pitched (191.0) and strikeouts (179), and was one of only four National League pitchers to throw multiple complete games. He finished among the N.L. leaders in ERA (9th), wins (T-9th) and innings pitched (11th). Taillon concluded the season by holding opponents to three or fewer earned runs in each of his final 22 starts.

Taillon missed the majority of the 2019 and 2020 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then was acquired by the Yankees in a five-player deal in January 2021. In his first season with the Yankees in 2021, he went 8-6 with a 4.30 ERA (69 ER/144.1 IP) in 29 starts. Taillon went undefeated in 15-straight starts from June 5-August 26, going 7-0 with a 3.63 ERA (32 ER/79.1 IP), including a career-long seven-game winning streak from June 24-August 19.

Taillon, a Lakeland, Fla., native, graduated from The Woodlands (Tex.) High School in 2010. He played for USA Baseball’s 18U National Team as an amateur in 2009 and participated in the 2013 World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, as his parents were both born in Canada.

Colorado Rockies transaction

MLB Editor
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Colorado Rockies transaction

The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Nick Garcia from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infielder/outfielder Connor Joe.

Garcia, 23, went 4-4 with a 3.66 ERA (113.0 IP, 46 ER) in 25 games (23 starts) with 109 strikeouts and 46 walks with High-A Greensboro in 2022 … in two Minor League seasons in the Pirates organization, the Redwood City, Calif. native has gone 9-8 with a 3.88 ERA (187.2 IP, 81 ER) in 46 games (36 starts) with 192 strikeouts and 81 walks … has averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings over his two professional seasons … originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Chapman University (Orange, Calif.).

Colorado currently has 38 players on the 40-man roster.

NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 19, 2022

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 19, 2022

* The Rangers posted their third seven-goal game of the season to earn their seventh consecutive win as Igor Shesterkin improved to 9-0-1 on the road in 2022-23.

* Kirill Kaprizov eclipsed the 200-point mark with a three-point performance and became the fourth-fastest active player to reach the milestone.

* Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list continues Monday as the Capitals host the Red Wings during a busy eight-game slate.

RANGERS, HURRICANES EXTEND STREAKS WITH VICTORIES
A number of streaks were extended Sunday as the Rangers (18-10-5, 41 points) moved past the Penguins (18-9-4, 40 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division and the Hurricanes (19-6-6, 44 points) maintained their position.

* The Rangers scored seven goals for the third time this season – tied with the Sabres for the most among all teams – and earned their seventh straight win with the help of three-point performances by Adam Fox (0-3—3) and Artemi Panarin (1-2—3). Fox’s three-assist outing marked his third of the season – the most among all blueliners – as well as the ninth of his career. Only four defensemen in Rangers history have more: Brian Leetch (37), Brad Park (12), Bill Gadsby (12) and James Patrick (10).

* Igor Shesterkin stopped 29 of 30 shots to extend his season-opening road point streak to 10 games (9-0-1) and matched John Ross Roach (10 GP in 1931-32) for the second longest such run by a Rangers goaltender, behind only Dave Kerr (11 GP in 1939-40).



* Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal while Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves to help the Hurricanes extend their point streak to 11 games (9-0-2) – two shy of matching the longest in franchise history – and maintain second place in the Metropolitan Division standings.

* Kochetkov, who has been in net for nine of Carolina’s 11 games during its run, established a franchise record for longest point streak by a rookie goaltender (7-0-2 dating to Nov. 25), surpassing Alex Nedeljkovic (7-0-1 from April 8 – May 3, 2021).



KAPRIZOV’S 200TH POINT PROPELS WILD TO FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN
Kirill Kaprizov (1-2—3) factored on three of Minnesota’s goals to boost his career totals to 93-108—201 (167 GP) and guide the Wild (18-11-2, 38 points) to their fifth straight win as well as their seventh straight home victory. Kaprizov became the first player in Wild history to record his first 200 career points with the franchise in fewer than 200 games, besting the previous mark held by Brian Rolston (239 GP). 


* Sunday marked Kaprizov‘s fifth three-point game of the season, all of which have come at Xcel Energy Center. Only three other players have had as many home games with three-plus points in 2022-23: Connor McDavid (6 GP), Mikko Rantanen (5 GP) and Nikita Kucherov (5 GP). 

* Mats Zuccarello (1-1—2) combined with Kaprizov on two Wild tallies to register his second double-digit point streak with the franchise (also 10 GP in 2021-22). He became just the third player in Wild history with multiple 10-game point streaks, joining Kevin Fiala (12 GP & 10 GP in 2021-22) and Mikael Granlund (12 GP in 2016-17 & 10 GP in 2018-19).

KARLSSON, MORRISSEY EACH JOIN ELITE LISTS SUNDAY
Erik Karlsson and Josh Morrissey each posted multi-point performances, joining elite lists in the process.

* Karlsson(0-2—2) accomplished a pair of feats Sunday, becoming the first defenseman to reach the 40-point mark in 2022-23 while also surpassing the 700-point milestone in his career. Karlsson, who has 12-29—41 (33 GP), required the third-fewest games to reach 40 points among defensemen over the past 20 years, trailing only John Carlson (29 GP in 2019-20) and Bryan McCabe (32 GP in 2005-06). 



* Morrissey (0-2—2) extended his point streak to nine games, establishing a Jets/Thrashers record for longest by a defenseman, while also reaching and eclipsing the 30-assist mark in 2022-23 (5-31—36 in 31 GP). Morrissey, who matched Blake Wheeler (9 GP in 2018-19 & 2017-18) for the longest assist streak in franchise history, required the third-fewest games to reach 30 assists in a season with the Jets/Thrashers behind only Wheeler (26 GP in 2018-19 & 30 GP in 2017-18).

MORE WESTERN CONFERENCE CLUBS SPOTLIGHTED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Sunday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a number of notes from across a five-game slate, including noteworthy performances from Western Conference clubs. Here are some highlights:

* Elias Lindholm (2-1—3) scored twice in the first 35 seconds of the third period to propel the Flames to victory. Lindholm tied Bob Murray (0:35 of P2 on March 27, 1977 w/ CHI) for the eighth-fastest two goals by one player to start a period in NHL history – the last skater to score two faster period-opening tallies was Mike Knuble (0:27 of P1 on Feb. 14, 2003 w/ BOS), who also holds the NHL benchmark.



* Matty Beniers (0-1—1) factored on one of his team’s three goals as the Kraken rallied from two one-goal deficits to earn a win and improve to 17-10-3 (37 points) through 30 games in 2022-23, maintaining third place in the Pacific Division and 13th in the overall NHL standings – a 15-position improvement over last season which saw Seattle post a 10-17-3 (23 points) record through as many contests.

* Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews skated in their 1,000th career game together and became just the third active pair of teammates to reach the milestone, joining Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar (1,028 GP) as well as Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin (1,020 GP).


QUICK CLICKS

* Austin Watson fined maximum for actions in Senators game

*Shane Wright, Kraken forward, named Canada captain for 2023 World Juniors
* Rookie Watch: Pyotr Kochetkov, Logan Thompson among top 1st-year goalies
* Goaltender Francois Brassard scores in ECHL game

OVECHKIN EYES GOAL NO. 801 IN MATCHUP WITH RED WINGS
Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list continues Monday when the Capitals (16-13-4, 36 points) host the Red Wings (13-11-6, 32 points) – a franchise Howe scored 786 of his 801 NHL tallies with.



* After surpassing Howe (786 w/ DET) for the most goals with one franchise on Nov. 5, Ovechkin enters his tilt Monday with 23 tallies in 31 career games against the Red Wings (0.74 G/GP). It marks his fourth-highest goals-per-game percentage against a single franchise (min. 15 GP), trailing only the Wild (17 in 19 GP; 0.90 G/GP), Blues (19 in 23 GP; 0.83 G/GP) and Maple Leafs (41 in 55 GP; 0.75 G/GP).

* Ovechkin and the Capitals have six games remaining in 2022, with The Great Eight having collected 46-29—75 in 77 regular-season games this calendar year. With four more goals through that span, Ovechkin will record his eighth calendar year with 50-plus regular-season goals – a feat only Mike Bossy (8x) has accomplished in NHL history.

* NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti previewed tonight’s game against the Red Wings with comments from Marty and Mark Howe as Ovechkin continues his pursuit of their father for second place on the NHL’s all-time goals list.

Senators’ Watson Fined for Interference

NHL Editor
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Senators’ Watson Fined for Interference

NEW YORK – Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson has been fined $4,054.05, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for interference against Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin during NHL Game No. 485 in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 17, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 12:55 of the first period. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (7-23) at Sacramento Kings (16-12)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (7-23) at Sacramento Kings (16-12)

The Charlotte Hornets hope to follow a recent script authored by the Sacramento Kings and exact some revenge at the same time when the clubs meet in California’s capital city on Monday night.

The Kings will open a six-game homestand in the wake of a 3-3 road trip, one in which they lost at Milwaukee before rebounding to win three of the remaining five games.

The Hornets began a six-game trip Sunday at Denver, where a late rally came up short in a 119-115 loss to the Nuggets.

The Hornets flew west with an optimistic outlook, with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward scheduled to play together for the first time this season in Denver.

They experienced a spectrum of results in the loss, with Ball going for 31 points and Hayward contributing a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Rozier, however, struggled big-time with two points on 1-for-5 shooting before sustaining a game-ending bruised right hip late in the second quarter.

In losing an eighth straight game, Charlotte watched the Nuggets become the seventh consecutive opponent to score 119 points or more.

After Monday’s game, the road map will take Charlotte to Los Angeles, where the Hornets will play both the Clippers and Lakers. Charlotte then will play at Portland and Golden State.

Winners of their first two road games of the season, the Hornets have since dropped 11 of 12 away from home.

Charlotte has been only marginally better at home, where its 4-11 record includes a 115-108 loss to the Kings on Halloween. Kevin Huerter hurt the Hornets that night with five 3-pointers en route to 26 points, while Domantas Sabonis recorded 16 rebounds and nine points.

The Kings won two in a row to end their trip, the second of which came Friday in a 122-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Sabonis did his board-sweeping act again with 13 rebounds, this time complementing 23 points. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and Keegan Murray 20.

The Kings, who have won 16 of 24 after an 0-4 start, are finding different ways of winning this season. Malik Monk said the club had an unusual incentive in Wednesday’s 124-123 triumph at Toronto.

No such tactics were necessary in the earlier win at Charlotte, where the Kings outgunned the hosts 51-42 from beyond the arc in the seven-point win.

While the Hornets were still waiting for Ball to return from a sprained ankle, P.J. Washington paced the competitive effort with 28 points.

Charlotte lost despite outshooting the visitors 51.2 percent to 43.5 percent.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (13-16) at Phoenix Suns (18-12)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (13-16) at Phoenix Suns (18-12)

The Los Angeles Lakers are bracing for potential difficult news as they get set to face the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Lakers leading scorer and MVP candidate Anthony Davis was out Sunday with a right foot injury, and further tests could end up confirming a reported absence of several weeks. With Davis seeing a specialist Sunday night, that news could come as early as Monday afternoon.

Davis was injured in Friday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets, and without him on Sunday, the Lakers hung on to defeat the Washington Wizards 119-117.

On the plus side, Los Angeles overcame the loss of a star player to earn a victory, but the Wizards haven’t been a difficult opponent, with 10 consecutive losses.

Getting past the Suns on the road might bring the Lakers a little more comfort in Davis’ absence.

It will be just as tough on the Lakers, who will be without Davis’ team-leading averages of 27.4 points and 12.1 rebounds for an undetermined amount of time.

James did his part with 33 points Sunday in his fourth consecutive game of at least 30. He nearly lost the ball but regained possession and found Thomas Bryant underneath for a go-ahead dunk with 7.1 seconds remaining to provide the game-winning points.

Bryant, who received a rare start with Davis out, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lakers will hit the road after a 2-1 homestand while winning three of their past four games.

The Suns have won consecutive games after a five-game losing streak. The victories have coincided with the return of All-Star guard Devin Booker, who missed the last two defeats of the losing streak with a hamstring injury.

Booker showed some rust by missing 10 consecutive shots from the field at one point of Thursday’s 111-95 road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. But he put it all together with 58 points in Saturday’s 118-114 home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

It was Booker’s second game of at least 50 points this season. He scored a career-best 70 in 2017 against the Boston Celtics.

But Booker is questionable for Monday’s game with groin soreness.

The Suns already are expecting to be without Cameron Payne on Monday because of a right-foot sprain. Deandre Ayton is questionable with a left-ankle sprain. Payne and Ayton each have missed the past two games.

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