* Connor McDavid found the score sheet to extend his season-opening point streak to 16 games, doing so again in highlight-reel fashion.* Andrew Mangiapane is producing at a goal-per-game pace on the road for the Flames this season and helped propel Calgary to victory in a high-scoring affair Thursday.
* Florida secured another win at FLA Live Arena and now sits two games shy of the longest season-opening home win streak in NHL history.
McDAVID LIFTS OILERS TO VICTORY WITH ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT-REEL GOAL. . .
Thirteen days after he went 1-on-4 to beat Alexandar Georgiev and the Rangers, Connor McDavid took on three Jets defenders Thursday to once again thrill the fans at Rogers Place and extend his season-opening point streak to 16 games.
. . . WHILE TERRY ALSO EXTENDS STREAK ON HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT
Troy Terry scored to extend his point streak to 16 games (12-10—22) on Anaheim’s Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night, tied with Connor McDavid for the longest active run in the NHL. The 2021-22 campaign marks the third season in the last 13 years to feature multiple players with a point streak of at least 16 games. The others: 2018-19 (Patrick Kane: 20 GP & Mike Hoffman: 17 GP) and 2009-10 (Corey Perry: 19 GP, Steven Stamkos: 18 GP & Tim Connolly: 16 GP).
FLAMES, PENGUINS POST HIGH-SCORING OUTINGS IN SHUTOUT VICTORIES
The Flames (9-3-5, 23 points) and Penguins (6-6-4, 16 points) scored five and six goals, respectively, while also holding their opponents off the score sheet Thursday.
* Andrew Mangiapane scored two of Calgary’s five goals while Jacob Markstrom turned aside all 27 shots he faced to record his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season. Calgary has scored at least five goals in three of its 11 road games this season, which trails only Edmonton (4) for the most such outings in 2021-22.
* Mangiapane scored his 10th and 11th road goals of the season (11-0—11 in 11 GP) and overtook Leon Draisaitl for the most in the NHL. Only one player required fewer games to score 10 road goals in a season for the Flames franchise: Jarome Iginla (10 GP in 2009-10).
* Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal and Tristan Jarry made 24 saves as the Penguins blanked the Canadiens in their first head-to-head game since the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
* Crosby opened the scoring for the 95th time in his NHL career and tied Stan Mikita for 21st place on the League’s all-time game-opening goals list. Crosby (487-840—1,327 in 1,043 GP) also passed Gilbert Perreault (512-814—1,326 in 1,191 GP) and tied Pierre Turgeon (515-812—1,327 in 1,294 GP) for 33rd place on the NHL’s all-time points list.
PANTHERS CONTINUE EARLY-SEASON SUCCESS ON HOME ICE
Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair each posted 1-1—2, while Spencer Knight made a career-high 45 saves as the Panthers (12-2-3, 27 points) improved to 9-0-0 at FLA Live Arena this season and 13-0-0 on home ice dating to April 24.
* The Panthers, who lead the NHL with 66 goals for, became the fifth team in NHL history to score four-plus tallies (including shootout-deciding goals) in each of their first nine or more home games of a season. The others: Philadelphia (11 GP in 1992-93), Edmonton (10 GP in 1983-84), Chicago (9 GP in 1987-88) and Boston (9 GP in 1983-84).
* Knight, one of two rookie goaltenders with 45-plus saves Thursday (also: Stuart Skinner, 46 w/ EDM), established a Panthers franchise record for most in a single contest by a rookie netminder – besting the previous mark set by Jacob Markstrom on March 21, 2013 (44 at NYR).
LIGHTNING SURVIVE FRANTIC FINISH ON FLYERS’ HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT
Zach Steward was the Flyers’ honorary coach on Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night two years ago in the midst of treatment, but he started the celebration Thursday now cancer-free for the second time. After Steven Stamkos (1-1—2) gave the Lightning the lead with 1:56 remaining and Claude Giroux (2-0—2) tied the game with nine seconds left in regulation, Tampa Bay secured the victory in the shootout to extend its point streak to nine contests (7-0-2 since Oct. 26).
ICYMI: Nearly two years after diagnosis, Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom spoke to NHL.com ahead of Philadelphia’s Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness night Thursday to share his thoughts on aiding those going through their own battle.
WILD’S SEVEN-GOAL WIN FEATURED IN NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
In the Thursday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates, Kirill Kaprizov (1-3—4) posted a career-high four points as the Wild scored at least seven goals for the 17th time in franchise history and fell one shy of the most in a single game. Only one team has scored more goals in a game in 2021-22 (CBJ: 8 on Oct. 14 vs. ARI).
CANUCKS, KRAKEN PLAY HOSTS ON TWO-GAME FRIDAY
In Seattle, Jordan Eberle will aim to extend his point streak to seven games (6-3—9 in 6 GP), while Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer is set to face his former team for the first time. In Vancouver, Quinn Hughes (13-98—111 in 145 GP) will look to record his 100th career assist when the Jets visit the Canucks.
