* A trio of Hurricanes players led the club to a come-from-behind victory with three-point outings, including Andrei Svechnikov who extended his multi-point streak to six games and tied the franchise mark for the longest such run in the process.
* Winnipeg improved to 25-9-4 (54 points) and claimed first in the NHL standings, marking the first time in franchise history they have held the top spot this late into a season.
* A four-game Hockey Night in Canada broadcast will see several 2024 All-Stars in action, including Auston Matthews, Nick Suzuki, Quinn Hughes, Brady Tkachuk and Connor McDavid. Check out the #NHLStats Pack: 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend for more on the players named to the event.
TRIO OF PLAYERS WITH THREE-POINT GAMES POWER HURRICANES TO VICTORY
Despite the Capitals jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, Andrei Svechnikov (1-2—3), Sebastian Aho (0-3—3) and Brent Burns (2-1—3) each factored on three of their team’s six unanswered goals to help the Hurricanes (22-13-4, 48 points) gain ground on the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (26-10-1, 53 points).
* With the winning goal, Svechnikov extended his multi-point streak to six games – the longest by any player this season. In the process, he also surpassed Jeff Skinner (22) for the second-most game-winning goals by a Hurricanes/Whalers player before age 24, behind only Aho (27).
* Aho, who is set to join Eric Staal (4x), Ron Francis (3x) and Justin Faulk (3x) as the fourth three-time All-Star in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history, collected his 51st career multi-assist game – he surpassed Ray Whitney (50) and Andrew Cassels (50) for the fourth most in franchise history.
* Burns became the third Hurricanes/Whalers player to record multiple three-point outings at the age of 38 or older, joining Francis (8x; last April 2, 2002) and Dave Keon (4x; last Dec. 10, 1980).
WINNIPEG WINS AND CLAIMS FIRST IN LEAGUE STANDINGS
After conceding the first goal of the game, the Jets (25-9-4, 54 points) went on to score the next three and finished with a 3-1 win to overtake the idle Rangers (26-10-1, 53 points) for top spot in the NHL standings. It marked the first time in franchise history they were ranked first in the standings this late into a season.
NEMEC SPOTLIGHTED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updatesfeatured a number of noteworthy performances, including Simon Nemec (1-1—2) posting a multi-point outing to help New Jersey seal its League-leading 14th comeback win of the season.
NHL PODCAST WEEKLY ROUNDUP
*NHL Fantasy on Ice (1/2): Fantasy waiver wire pickups: Week 13
* NHL @TheRink (1/3): John Hynes joins; Seattle surging, McDavid’s pace, Fleury’s legacy
* The Chirp (1/4): John Shannon joins; Stamkos & Nylander, Revamped All-Star skills
QUICK CLICKS
* Connor Bedard leaves Blackhawks game with injury
* Fantasy Spin: NHL EDGE stats this week
* Vasily Ponomarev makes most of late call-up, scores for Hurricanes in NHL debut
* All-Star Game Fan Vote selections by NHL.com writers
* 2024 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by MassMutual – Vote through Jan. 11
HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA HIGHLIGHTS 12-GAME SATURDAY
It will be a full day of NHL action on Saturday with a dozen contests, including a four-game slate on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast that will feature recently named All-Stars Auston Matthews, Nick Suzuki, Quinn Hughes, Brady Tkachuk and Connor McDavid.
* The Maple Leafs complete a three-game California road trip in San Jose after a 3-0 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday and a 2-1 overtime victory over Anaheim on Wednesday. Toronto can win three consecutive games in California for the fourth time in franchise history, with the most recent occurrence Nov. 24-28, 2021. Auston Matthews scored the overtime winner against Anaheim to become the first player to reach 30 goals this season. Matthews, who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., was born in San Ramon, Calif., approximately 40 miles from San Jose.
* Nick Suzuki (12-22—34 in 38 GP) currently leads the Canadiens in points after also doing so in each of the previous two seasons. Should he do so again in 2023-24, he would be the first player to lead Montreal in points for three or more consecutive seasons since Max Pacioretty did so for six straight campaigns from 2011-12 to 2016-17.
* All three Hughes brothers could appear in the same NHL game for the second time when Quinn Hughes and the Canucks travel to New Jersey to face a Devils team that includes his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes. All three siblings found the score sheet in the previous matchup on Dec. 5 (NJD: 6-5 W).
* Connor McDavid and the Oilers will look to extend their win streak to seven games when they host Brady Tkachuk and the Senators. McDavid (11-28—39 in 22 GP) has recorded more points against the Senators than he has versus any current Eastern Conference club – with 21 of those points coming in the 2020-21 regular season when both teams were part of the all-Canadian North Division.
