* The cross-border rival Sabres and Maple Leafs are set to compete in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic in front of a sold-out crowd outdoors at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday.
* Elias Lindholm scored his 30th goal of 2021-22, while Jacob Markstrom earned his NHL-leading ninth shutout of the season – the most in a single campaign since Sergei Bobrovsky (9) in 2018-19 with Columbus.
* A 10-game Saturday featured a number of milestones, including Marc Staal skating in his 1,000th career game, joining his brothers Eric and Jordan for an NHL-first.
SABRES, MAPLE LEAFS SET FOR 35TH OUTDOOR GAME IN NHL HISTORY
A cross-border showdown in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic will pit the host Sabres against the visiting Maple Leafs in front of a sold-out crowd in the open air at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
* Aside from the “bubble” games during the 2020 postseason, Sunday will mark the first time a U.S.-based club serves as the home team for an NHL game in Canada since March 23, 1994, when the Maple Leafs visited the Panthers – also in Hamilton, at Copps Coliseum.
* After skating with the Golden Knights at Lake Tahoe in 2021, Sabres forward Alex Tuch is set to become the first NHL player to appear in outdoor games with different teams in consecutive seasons. Tuch is the only Sabres player with an outdoor goal to his credit in the NHL.
* Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is set to play in his second career outdoor game (2-0—2 in 1 GP), this time as the League leader in goals (44). Five years ago, Matthews entered his first NHL outdoor game as the second-highest scoring rookie (18 G) and proceeded to overtake Patrik Laine (19 G) by reaching the 20-goal mark in the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic.
* Petr Mrazek (TOR) and Craig Anderson (BUF) were announced as the starting goaltenders for Sunday’s game. Mrazek, who dressed for Detroit against Toronto in two outdoor games and won his only outdoor appearance (2016 Stadium Series), will aim to join Anderson (2-0-0 in 2 GP) as one of three goaltenders to win each of his first two outdoor games. Anderson, meanwhile, can join Henrik Lundqvist (4-0-0) as the second goaltender to claim at least three career outdoor wins.
* Did You Know? Matthews, Tuch, Anders Bjork and Casey Fitzgerald were all part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in 2013-14 – as was Buffalo head coach Don Granato.
* The entertainment lineup for Sunday is set to feature GRAMMY and Juno Award-winning artist Alessia Cara, superstar pop-punk songstress and TikTok heavy-hitter Willow and members of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team. The opening ceremony will begin with a land welcome led by Giima/Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the Credit and Councillor Nathan Wright of Six Nations of the Grand River. Country music singer-songwriter Lindsay Ell will perform the national anthems, accompanied by Toronto Sign Language interpreters Azad Najfi and Matt Tell, with a flypast featuring two CT-155 Hawk Jets piloted by Maj. Julian Daintree and Capt. Daegan Banga.
* VIDEO: #NHLStats Heritage Classic preview
* Sabres forward Dylan Cozens recalls days on dad’s rink ahead of Heritage Classic
* NHL, partners look to engage fans at 2022 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic
* NHL, Sabres, Maple Leafs begin legacy project for teenagers in Hamilton
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Saturday’s 10-game slate saw three teams score six or more goals, a trio of skaters hit the 30-goal benchmark and two different sets of siblings producing notable stats.
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LINDHOLM NOTCHES 30 GOALS AS MARKSTROM BLANKS RED WINGS
Elias Lindholm scored his team-leading 30th goal of the season to extend his point streak to eight games (7-6—13), while Jacob Markstrom turned aside all 19 shots he faced to blank the Red Wings at Scotiabank Saddledome. Lindholm (30-32—62 in 58 GP) required the fewest games by a Flames player to reach the 30-goal mark since Jarome Iginla (42 GP) in 2007-08.
* Markstrom recorded his ninth shutout of the season – the only Flames goaltender to post more in a single campaign is Miikka Kiprusoff (10) in 2005-06.
DUCHENE, ROBERTSON ALSO HIT 30 GOALS
In addition to Elias Lindholm, Nashville forward Matt Duchene (31-26—57 in 54 GP) and Dallas forward Jason Robertson (30-25—55 in 49 GP) each hit the 30-goal mark Saturday, with the former recording the third such campaign of his career and the latter doing so for the first time. Robertson required the fewest games by a Stars skater to record 30 goals in a season since Mike Modano (48 GP) in 1994-94.
SWAYMAN, BRUINS EXTEND LENGTHY WIN STREAKS
Jeremy Swayman (27 saves) extended his win streak to eight games to help the Bruins earn their 18th consecutive victory over the Coyotes – a run spanning over a decade. Boston (36-18-5, 77 points), which occupies the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, pulled within two points of idle Toronto (37-16-5, 79 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division.
* With his eighth straight victory, Swayman matched Frederik Andersen (8 GP from Oct. 14 – Nov. 3) for the longest run by a goaltender this season. He trails only Ross Brooks (12 GP in 1973-74) for the lengthiest win streak by a Bruins rookie.
AROUND THE RINKS SATURDAY
* Connor McDavid (2-0—2) and Leon Draisaitl (1-1—2) both recorded multiple points to help the Oilers (32-23-4, 68 points) move into third place in the Pacific Division. McDavid (32-51—83) leapfrogged idle Jonathan Huberdeau (18-64—82) for first in the Art Ross Trophy race while Draisaitl (39-42—81) reached the 80-point mark for the fourth consecutive season.
* Artemi Panarin (1-4—5) factored on three of four goals during a first-period outburst by the Rangers, who erased a two-goal deficit to claim their 19th comeback win of the season, matching the Blue Jackets and Avalanche for the most among all teams in 2021-22. Panarin, who recorded his third career five-point outing and first in more than two years (2-3—5 on Jan. 13, 2020 vs. NYI), became the 17th player to tally at least five points in a game this season.
* Frederik Andersen made 28 saves to earn his 30th win of 2021-22 as the Hurricanes extended their home win and point streaks to seven and 13 contests (12-0-1), respectively. Andersen (30-8-2 in 40 GP) required the fewest games in franchise history to reach 30 wins in a season, besting the previous mark set by Martin Gerber (42 GP in 2005-06).
* Blackhawks defenseman Caleb Jones (2-0—2) recorded his first career multi-goal game, with brother Seth (0-2—2) earning the primary assist on his first tally, marking the first time the two siblings have combined to earn a point on the same goal.
STAAL SKATING IN MILESTONE GAME FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Saturday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured Detroit’s Marc Staal skating in his 1,000th career game, a milestone his brothers Eric and Jordan have each achieved. The Staals became the first trio of brothers in NHL history to have each skated in 1,000 career contests.
QUICK CLICKS
* Wild forward Marcus Foligno fined for kneeing
* Gabriel Landeskog out indefinitely for Avalanche with knee injury
* Red Wings celebrate Marc Staal‘s 1,000th NHL game with video, custom shirts
* Joe Pavelski signs one-year contract with Stars
* Pavel Francouz signs two-year contract with Avalanche
KOIVU JERSEY RETIREMENT ALSO ON TAP SUNDAY
In addition to the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, nine other games are on the schedule for Sunday including the Wild retiring longtime captain Mikko Koivu’s No. 9 and the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers looking to post their second win streak of at least six games this season.
* Koivu, who was named the first full-time captain in Wild history on Oct. 20, 2009, held that distinction for 10 seasons and will become the first player to have his number retired by the franchise. He stands as the all-time franchise leader in games played (1,028), assists (504) and points (709).
* After the ceremony for Koivu, a current Wild skater will be in the spotlight with Kirill Kaprizov looking to extend his point streak to a career-high nine games (7-4—11 in 8 GP) – his current eight-game run is Kaprizov’s second of that length this season and matches the longest point streak Koivu recorded in a Wild jersey (8 GP in 2015-16). Kaprizov is already the only player in franchise history with multiple point streaks of eight or more games within a single season.
* The Panthers will look to extend the NHL’s longest active win streak to six contests, following an eight-game run earlier this season (8-0-0 from Oct. 14-29, 2021). It would mark the second consecutive season Florida has had multiple win streaks of six or more games within a single campaign – the 2020-21 season is the only time they have done so in franchise history.
