* Nathan MacKinnon extended his season-opening home point streak to 16 games and Jack Eichel became the first Golden Knights player to post a double-digit run as Colorado and Vegas both skated to victories Sunday.
* The Hockey Fights Cancer fund grew again as Adam Henrique netted the 39th hat trick of the seasonto help the Ducks defeat the Devils. AstraZeneca’s cumulative contribution so far in 2023-24 is now $195,000. Click here for more information.
* The Jets will look to reclaim first place in the Central Division standings when they face off against the Canadiens on Sportsnet during Monday’s five-game slate.
MACKINNON POSTS FOUR-POINT GAME, EXTENDS STREAKS IN AVALANCHE VICTORY
Nathan MacKinnon (2-2—4) recorded a four-point performance and extended his season-opening home point streak to 16 games and his overall point streak to 15 contests – matching his career high (also 15 GP in 2020-21) – as the Avalanche (19-10-2, 40 points) moved into first place in the Central Division standings.
* MacKinnon recorded his 17th career four-point game and surpassed Anton Stastny (16 GP) for the sixth most in Avalanche/Nordiques history, behind only Peter Stastny (52 GP), Joe Sakic (32 GP), Peter Forsberg (25 GP), Michel Goulet (25 GP) and Mikko Rantanen (19 GP). In the process, he also collected his 806th career point and surpassed Milan Hejduk (805) for sole possession of fourth place on the franchise’s all-time points list.
*MacKinnon boosted his 2023 totals to 48-76—124 (78 GP) and surpassed Connor McDavid (43-79—122 in 70 GP) for the most points among all players in 2023. Among active skaters, the only others to record as many points in a calendar year are McDavid (157 in 2021 & 143 in 2022), Leon Draisaitl (135 in 2021) and Sidney Crosby (126 in 2010). Find more notes about this past calendar year in the 2023 Year in Review #NHLStats Pack.
THREE OTHER WESTERN CONFERENCE CLUBS ALSO PICK UP WINS
The Avalanche weren’t the only Western Conference club to pick up a win Sunday – the Golden Knights (21-6-5, 47 points), Canucks (21-9-2, 44 points) and Ducks (11-19-0, 22 points) also secured victories:
* Jack Eichel (1-1—2) and Mark Stone (0-3—3) both found the score sheet multiple times as the Golden Knights netted six goals against the Senators to bolster their lead atop the NHL standings. Eichel extended his point streak to 10 games and established a franchise record.
* Brock Boeser scored one of four Canucks tallies to tie Auston Matthews (23) for the League lead in goals as Vancouver earned a win against Chicago. The Canucks extended their point streak to six games dating to Dec. 7 (5-0-1) – the second-longest active run in the League behind the Maple Leafs (6-0-3) and Flyers (6-0-2).
* Pavel Mintyukov (0-2—2) posted a multi-point performance and Adam Henrique scored his first career hat trick as the Ducks defeated the Devils at Prudential Center. Mintyukov boosted his 2023-24 totals to 1-15—16 and became the second Ducks defenseman to record at least that many points through their first 30 career games, joining Cam Fowler (3-14—17 in 2010-11). 
ROOKIES SPOTLIGHTED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured several rookies who had noteworthy performances Sunday, including Chicago’s Connor Bedard (0-2—2) who posted his fourth career multi-point outing.
* Bedard boosted his 2023-24 totals to 12-14—26 (30 GP) and tied Dick Irvin (14-12—26) for the fifth-most points by a Blackhawks rookie through 30 games, behind only Denis Savard (12-24—36), Patrick Kane (7-23—30), Artemi Panarin (9-19—28) and George Gee (13-14—27).
QUICK CLICKS
* Save of the Season? Petr Mrazek stretches for unbelievable paddle save
* Marc-Andre Fleury set for possible final visit to Pittsburgh with Wild
* Color of Hockey: NFL veteran Myles Jack, mom 1st Black ECHL team majority owners
* Rookie Watch: Top 5 selected in 3rd round or later
FIVE-GAME SLATE SET FOR MONDAY
Ten teams are in action Monday, including the Jets (18-9-2, 38 points) who will look to reclaim first in the Central Division standings when they face off against the Canadiens (13-13-4, 30 points) at Canada Life Centre on Sportsnet.
MCDAVID SET FOR TOUR OF NEW YORK AREA ON ESPN+, HULU
The final week of action before the League’s holiday break will see 21 national telecasts, including three ESPN+ and Hulu exclusives in the U.S. that feature Connor McDavid and the Oilers on a road swing in the Eastern time zone.
Tuesday, Dec. 19: Oilers at Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Hulu, SNW)
The Oilers will begin a six-game road trip with three contests in the New York area and continue the trek after the holiday break with a swing through California, with McDavid having a shot at matching a long-standing franchise record along the way. McDavid will put his active 11-game assist streak on the line Tuesday at UBS Arena, where he can join Wayne Gretzky (5x), Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri as the fourth Oilers player to notch an assist in at least a dozen consecutive contests. If McDavid has a helper in every outing during the trip, he will tie the franchise record of 17 games, set by Gretzky in 1983-84 and matched by Coffey in 1985-86.
Thursday, Dec. 21: Oilers at Devils (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Hulu, SNW)
Three of the top eight highest-scoring players since the start of last season are expected to share the ice Thursday in Newark when McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Jack Hughes face off. McDavid (6-7—13) and Draisaitl (5-3—8) have both outscored Hughes (2-3—5) in their seven meetings to date, earning a 4-2-1 advantage for the Oilers (NJD: 3-3-1). The Oilers and Devils (both w/ 8) are tied for the second-most wins since U.S. Thanksgiving as they seek to gain ground in the playoff race following appearances in the 2023 Second Round.
Friday, Dec. 22: Oilers at Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Hulu, SN)
While McDavid will have a chance to enter the contest with assist and point streaks of 13 and 14 games, respectively, one of his opponents will be guaranteed to start the contest on a lengthy run. New York forward Artemi Panarin owns an active 13-game home point streak, which is the longest by a Rangers player (at any point) since Mark Messier in 1996-97 (14 GP) and two shy of the franchise record for longest home point streak from the start of a season (Mike Rogers: 15 GP in 1983-84).
Saturday, Dec. 23: Hockey Night in Canada (Sportsnet)
The final day of play before the holiday break will include 14 games, including four as part of Hockey Night in Canada: Maple Leafs at Blue Jackets (after Toronto nearly staged a five-goal comeback victory in their last meeting); Penguins at Senators (Erik Karlsson’s first visit in a Penguins jersey); Sharks at Canucks (Brock Boeser will seek to continue an eight-game home point streak); and Flames at Kings (with Calgary owning an active five-game home point streak against Los Angeles; 3-0-2 since 2019-20).
