* Nikita Kucherov eclipsed the 80-assist plateau for the third straight campaign and tied Nathan MacKinnon for first place in the Art Ross Trophy race with his League-leading 16th three-point outing of the season.
* Connor Hellebuyck held St. Louis to one goal to help the League-leading Jets snap the Blues’ 12-game winning streak and continue their push for the first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history.
* A 10-game Tuesday includes an ESPN doubleheader which opens with an Atlantic Division showdown that will pit the Maple Leafs (47-25-4, 98 points) against the Panthers (44-29-4, 92 points) for the second time in seven days.
KUCHEROV HITS 80 ASSISTS, MAKES MOVES IN ART ROSS TROPHY RACE
Nikita Kucherov (34-81—115) posted 1-2—3 to eclipse the 80-assist mark for the third straight campaign and move into a tie with Nathan MacKinnon (32-83—115) for first place in the Art Ross Trophy race. The Lightning (45-26-6, 96 points) moved within two points of the Atlantic Division-leading Maple Leafs (47-25-4, 98 points) – the clubs will clash at Amalie Arena on Wednesday.
* Kucherov recorded his League-leading 16th three-point performance and the 106th of his career to tie former teammate Steven Stamkos for sixth most among all active skaters. The list is topped by Sidney Crosby (186), Alex Ovechkin (140), Connor McDavid (134), Evgeni Malkin (117) and Patrick Kane (112).
* Brayden Point (2-1—3) hit the 40-goal mark for the third straight season and tied Stamkos (3 from 2009-10 – 2011-12) for the longest run in Lightning history. Only four active skaters have posted a longer streak: Auston Matthews (5 from 2019-20 – 2023-24), Ovechkin (5 from 2005-06 – 2009-10), Leon Draisaitl (4 from 2021-22 – 2024-25) and David Pastrnak (4 from 2021-22 – 2024-25).
HELLEBUYCK HELPS JETS SNAP BLUES’ WINNING STREAK
Connor Hellebuyck held the Blues to one goal as the Jets (53-21-4, 110 points) snapped a team’s double-digit win streak for the second time in franchise history (also BUF’s 10 GP run in 2006-07). Winnipeg currently owns a three-point edge over Washington (49-19-9, 107 points) in the Presidents’ Trophy race, with the Capitals holding a game in hand, as the club continues to chase its first finish atop the League standings in franchise history.
* Hellebuyck tied his Jets/Thrashers record for most wins in a season (also 44 in 2017-18) and is now one victory shy of tying the sixth most in a campaign in NHL history.
CELEBRINI SETS SHARKS MARK IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Macklin Celebrini (21-36—57 in 65 GP) notched a pair of assists and passed Logan Couture (32-24—56 in 2010-11) for the second-most points in a season by a Sharks rookie behind Pat Falloon (25-34—59 in 1991-92). Find more notes on Celebrini and the rest of Monday’s five-game slate in the latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
QUICK CLICKS
* CM Punk tries to eat cereal out of Stanley Cup before WWE ‘Monday Night Raw’
* Panthers focused on getting healthy for chance at Cup repeat, not standings
* Meredith Gaudreau announces birth of Johnny Gaudreau‘s child on social media
* Auston Matthews has ‘such a long way to go’ to break Alex Ovechkin’s record of 895 NHL goals
* The NHL mourns the loss of former NHL goaltender and broadcaster, Greg Millen
PLAYOFF-BOUND CLUBS HIGHLIGHT ESPN DOUBLEHEADER
The Maple Leafs (47-25-4, 98 points) and Panthers (44-29-4, 92 points) open an ESPN doubleheader when they meet for the second time in seven days for a critical Atlantic Division clash before the Golden Knights (47-22-8, 102 points) and Avalanche (47-27-4, 98 points) go head-to-head at Ball Arena. Toronto and Colorado can become the first teams with at least four consecutive 100-point seasons since Washington (5 from 2014-15 – 2018-19) and Pittsburgh (4 from 2015-16 – 2018-19).
* Auston Matthews (398-322—720 in 623 GP) and the Maple Leafs own a two-point cushion on the second-place Lightning and a six-point lead on the third-place Panthers in the Atlantic Division standings. The Toronto captain, fresh off becoming the first U.S.-born player in NHL history with nine consecutive 30-goal seasons, is within reach of becoming the fastest active skater to reach the 400-goal milestone; Alex Ovechkin (634 GP) currently holds that distinction.
* Nathan MacKinnon (32-83—115 in 78 GP) is tied with Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (34-81—115 in 73 GP) for first place in the 2024-25 Art Ross Trophy race and enters Tuesday with an active 25-game home point streak dating to Dec. 12, 2024 (16-26—42). He is one of four players in NHL history with multiple such streaks of 25 or more contests following Wayne Gretzky (4x; longest: 40 in 1988-89), Mario Lemieux (2x; longest: 31 GP in 1995-96) and Guy Lafleur (2x; longest: 32 GP in 1978-79).
STREAKING WILD CARD TEAMS IN EAST EYE MORE SUCCESS
The Senators (42-29-6, 90 points) and Canadiens (38-30-9, 85 points) occupy the first and second Wild Card positions in the Eastern Conference and take to the ice Tuesday with their sights set on improving their chances of participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a fourth and sixth straight win, respectively.
* Ottawa, within striking distance of clinching its first postseason berth since 2016-17, are two points back of Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division – however, the Senators would not overtake their division rivals with a win of any kind and a Panthers regulation loss because the latter owns the regulation wins tie-breaker (FLA: 35; OTT: 33). Ottawa can register three straight shutouts for the second time in franchise history, following Jan. 9-14, 2003.
* Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki (27-57—84 in 77 GP), fresh off ‘Second Star’ of the Week honors, has led Montreal’s playoff push since the NHL returned to action from the 4 Nations Face-Off (12-20—32 in 21 GP); his 32 points during that span are the third most among all players behind Robert Thomas (8-27—35 in 23 GP) and Nikita Kucherov (9-24—33 in 21 GP).
CROSBY CLOSING IN ON CLIMBING NHL’S ALL-TIME LIST
Two nights after longtime rival Alex Ovechkin became the NHL’s all-time goals leader, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby looks to climb an all-time list of his own when Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks visit PPG Paints Arena. Crosby (622-1,060—1,682) already has four three-assist games in 2024-25 and will require a fourth to tie Steve Yzerman (1,603 in 1,514 GP) for ninth place on the League’s all-time assists list.
