* Connor McDavid welcomed the second half of the 2022-23 season with another highlight-reel goal and maintained his pace to become the NHL’s highest-scoring player since Mario Lemieux finished with 161 points in 1995-96.
* For the second straight season, the NHL saw a jump in the goals-per-game rate from the quarter mark (6.3 G/GP) to the halfway mark (6.4 G/GP). That is just the third time that has occurred in consecutive seasons since the start of the 1980s.
* Streaking clubs will clash at TD Garden when the Kraken and their six-game win streak square off with a Bruins team that has collected at least point in all 22 of their home games this season.
MORE McDAVID MAGIC MAINTAINS HIS 151-POINT PACE IN 2022-23. . .
The NHL leader in goals and points in 2022-23 Connor McDavid (35-44—79 in 43 GP) collected 1-1—2 to maintain his 151-point pace, including another highlight-reel goal for his 35th of the season. The Oilers captain can become the sixth different player in NHL history to record 150-plus points in a season and first since Mario Lemieux finished with 161 points in 1995-96 – about nine months before McDavid was born.
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* McDavid leads a group of a dozen players on pace to score 100 or more points in 2022-23 – which would represent the highest NHL total in 27 years.
* McDavid (43 GP) required the fewest games among all active players to reach 35 goals in a season, besting Auston Matthews (45 GP in 2020-21) and David Pastrnak (45 GP in 2019-20) who both previously held the distinction. The last Oilers player to score his 35th goal in 43 or fewer games was Wayne Gretzky (35 GP in 1986-87).
. . . WHILE 20-GOAL SCORERS CONTINUE NHL’S FIRST-HALF TRENDS
Travis Konecny (24-22—46 in 36 GP) scored the 47th hat trick of the season, while John Tavares (20-22—42 in 42) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (20-30—50 in 43 GP) each netted their 20th goals of the season to become the NHL’s 24th and 25th players to reach the mark in 2022-23.
* The League’s 25 20-goal scorers at the halfway point of the campaign were the highest total through 653 games since 1995-96 (25).
* Philadelphia improved to 7-3-0 in its past 10 games and moved within seven points of Pittsburgh, which holds the second Wild Card spot. They are among a group of 13 clubs in the Eastern Conference that either occupy a postseason position or sit within seven points of one.
* Tavaresreached the 20-goal mark for the third time with the Maple Leafs and 13th time in his career overall. He became the sixth active player with as many 20-goal seasons joining Alex Ovechkin (18), Sidney Crosby (15), Patrick Kane (14), Patrice Bergeron (13) and Evgeni Malkin (13).
* Nugent-Hopkins joined Connor McDavid (35), Leon Draisaitl (23) and Zach Hyman (20) as Edmonton’s NHL-leading fourth 20-goal scorer in 2022-23 – the most by any club at that stage of a season (43 GP) since 1995-96 (PIT: Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Sandstrom, Ron Francis & Petr Nedved).
* Click here for everything you need to know about the first half of the 2022-23 campaign. All stats included are entering play on Wednesday (through 653 games played).
BYFIELD SCORES FIRST GOAL OF SEASON ON TNT NATIONAL BROADCAST
Quinton Byfield (1-1—2) netted his third career multi-point game and first tally of 2022-23 in a contest broadcast nationally in the United States. In 2020-21, Byfield skated for the Ontario Reign where he played alongside Akil Thomas and Devante Smith-Pelly in what is said to be the first all-Black line in professional hockey since Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre in the 1940s.
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates – Jan. 11, 2022
* Sabres-Blue Jackets game rescheduled for April 14
* Brind’Amour, Montgomery, DeBoer, Cassidy named NHL All-Star Game coaches
* Mitchell Marner collects point in 18th straight home game, matches Maple Leafs record
* Peter Cech, soccer legend, gets in net against Blackhawks
STREAKING CLUBS SET TO CLASH AT TD GARDEN
The Kraken (24-12-4, 52 points), with six straight wins overall, will contest the sixth game of their seven-game road trip with a stop at 100 Legends Way to clash with the NHL-leading Bruins (32-4-4, 68 points) at TD Garden. Meanwhile, Boston enters the showdown and the second half of the 2022-23 campaign still without a regulation loss at home (19-0-3).
* Seattle, which can record six straight road victories for the second time this season, can become the seventh team in NHL history to win each of its first six or more games of a road trip. The last NHL team to win each of the first six games of a road trip was San Jose in 2015-16 (6 GP from Nov. 13-22, 2015); Seattle’s opponent Thursday has achieved that feat twice in their 98-season history (6 GP from Feb. 17-26, 1972 & Feb. 17 – March 1, 2011).
* Matty Beniers (16-18—34 in 40 GP) has found the back of the net in each of Seattle’s five games to begin their road trip en route to establishing the longest goal streak by a Kraken skater. The rookie scoring leader, with five more goals than the next closest skater, would join rare company should he score again versus the Bruins.
* The Bruins enter the second half of the season on pace for 139 points, which would set an NHL single-season record. The 1976-77 Canadiens (60-8-12, 132 points) hold the current benchmark and are one of two teams in League history with 130+ points in a season. Montreal held a 29-5-6 record (64 points) entering the League’s halfway mark in 1976-77 and posted a 31-3-6 mark over the second half to set the current record.
* Boston, with four straight victories, is also on pace to register an NHL-record 65 wins in 2022-23. The current benchmark of 62 was set by the 1995-96 Red Wings (62-13-7, 131 points) and matched just four seasons ago by the 2018-19 Lightning (62-16-4, 128 points).
POINT EYES MORE SUCCESS AT AMALIE ARENA
Brayden Point (23-17—40 in 39 GP) and the Lightning (25-13-1, 51 points) eye their ninth consecutive win at AMALIE Arena when the Canucks (17-20-3, 37 points) come to town. Part of Tampa Bay’s success on home ice as of late has come on the shoulders of Point, who has found the back of the net in each of his past nine games there dating to Dec. 6 (11-2—13 in 9 GP) – already the longest home goal streak in Lightning history.
PAIR OF STARS EYE 30TH GOALS OF 2022-23
Bo Horvat (29-16—45 in 40 GP) and Jason Robertson (29-29—58 in 42 GP) each sit within striking distance of joining the NHL’s 30-goal club in 2022-23 when the Canucks (17-20-3, 37 points) and Central Division-leading Stars (25-11-6, 56 points) take to the ice.
* Horvat is within one tally of his second career 30-goal campaign in as many seasons following a 31-21—52 (70 GP) performance in 2021-22. The Canucks captain can be the first player with consecutive 30-goal seasons for the franchise since Daniel Sedin (2 from 2010-11 – 2011-12) and can require the fewest games to hit the mark in season with the club since Markus Naslund (41 GP in 2002-03).
* Robertson is coming off a 41-goal campaign in 2021-22 and scored his 30th goal in his 49th contest of the season (March 12, 2022). While two of his current teammates have notched consecutive 30-goal campaigns with the Stars, Robertson can become the sixth active U.S.-born player with multiple such seasons at age 23 or younger following Auston Matthews (5x), Phil Kessel (3x), Kyle Connor (3x), Zach Parise (2x) and Alex DeBrincat (2x).
