CANADIENS HEAD HOME WITH SIX-GAME POINT STREAK TO START SEASON
Nick Suzuki was one of five different Montreal players to find the back of the net as the club tallied five-plus goals for the third straight contest to improve to 4-0-2 in 2020-21. The Canadiens became the second team in NHL history to record a point in each of their first six games of a season with each outing taking place on the road (also MTL in 1968-69: 5-0-1).

* Suzuki became the second player in NHL history to register a season-opening point streak of six games with each of those contests taking place on the road. The only other player to do so was Victor Rask in 2016-17 (4-3—7 in 6 GP w/ CAR).

* Only six different Canadiens players in the last 45 years have posted a longer season-opening point streak than Suzuki.



* Saturday marks the fifth time in the last 20 years and the first since 2008-09 (4 GP in Jan. 4-10, 2009) in which the Canadiens scored five or more goals in at least three consecutive games.

BLUE JACKETS, JETS EARN WINS AFTER TRADING YOUNG STARS
Columbus and Winnipeg each earned wins after the Blue Jackets acquired Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic from the Jets for Pierre-Luc Duboisearlier in the day. All three players will debut with their new team at a later date.

* Laine and Dubois were selected with the second and third pick, respectively, in the 2016 NHL Draft. The trade also represents a homecoming for Roslovic, who was born in Columbus and played minor hockey with the Ohio Blue Jackets program.

* Saturday marked the first instance in which a pair of top-three picks from the same NHL Draft were traded for each other since Jan. 23, 1996, when the Senators sent Bryan Berard, Don Beaupre and Martin Straka to the Islanders for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes. Berard and Redden went first and second overall, respectively, in the 1995 NHL Draft.

* Five different Columbus skaters scored a goal and Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves as the Blue Jackets rebounded from a 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning on Thursday with a 5-2 win. Merzlikins improved to 14-6-5 in 26 regular-season appearances since earning the first win of his NHL career on Dec. 31, 2019 (2.13 GAA, .930 SV%, 5 SO) – his .930 save percentage ranks among the top five in the NHL over that span (min. 10 GP).

* Paul Stastny (1-2—3), Mark Scheifele (1-2—3) and Blake Wheeler (0-3—3) each had three points, while Kyle Connor (1-1—2) extended his season-opening point streak to five games, as the Jets swept their three-game set against the Senators. Wheeler boosted his career totals to 266-502—768 in 936 GP and became the third active U.S.-born player to collect 500 career assists, joining Patrick Kane (635) and Ryan Suter (501).

* Connor leads the Jets with 107 regular-season goals since his first full season in 2017-18, three more than Laine had with the club over that span.



BRUINS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS IN BOSTON OVER FLYERS
Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each collected 2-1—3 as the Bruins earned their second win in as many games over the Flyers. Boston, which scored four goals through its first three games of the season, has tallied 11 over its last two contests.

* The Bruins improved to 11-0-3 in their last 14 regular-season home games against the Flyers dating to March 17, 2012 – their longest active such streak against one opponent. Coincidently, the Flyers are the only team with longer active home point streaks against one opponent than the Bruins, spanning 17 games against the Red Wings (16-0-1) and 16 contests against Chicago (16-0-0).



PERRY, KRUG SCORE FIRST GOALS WITH NEW CLUBS
Corey Perry (2020 w/ DAL) and Torey Krug (2019 w/ STL), who have made appearances in the last two Stanley Cup Finals, each found the back of the net for the first time with their new club Saturday:

* Perry (35 years, 252 days) - who recorded his fifth career overtime goal in Game 5 of the 2020 Final - became the second-oldest player to score in his Canadiens debut, behind only Robert Lang (37 years, 296 days on Oct. 10, 2008).

* Krug was one of two defensemen to score for the Blues Saturday. St. Louis has had four goals tallied by defensemen this season, which trails only Montreal (6) for the most among all teams in 2020-21. In 2019-20, the Blues paced all teams with 45 goals by their blueliners.



QUICK CLICKS

* Sharks to play Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 home games in Arizona
* Carey Price gets 350th NHL win, Canadiens defeat Canucks to extend streak
* 2021 NHL Draft top 32 prospects include Owen Power, Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke
* Sharks fan recreates SAP Center feeling at home for quarantine date night

STARS SET TO FACE PREDATORS AGAIN AFTER 7-0 WIN IN SEASON OPENER
Dallas, which defeated Nashville in its season-opening game by a 7-0 margin, is set to go head-to-head with the Predators again at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET on NHLN, FS-SW, FS-TN).



* There have only been four instances in which an NHL team scored eight or more unanswered goals from the start of a season, a feat last achieved by a pair of clubs in 2014-15.



RED WINGS, BLACKHAWKS CONTINUE ORIGINAL SIX RIVALRY ON NBC
One of the League’s oldest rivalries will come together for a matinee on NBC when the Red Wings and Blackhawks meet for a second consecutive game after Chicago earned a 4-1 win over Detroit on Friday to pick up their first of the season.

* The two franchises are playing in the same division for the 47th time and first since ending a run of 31 consecutive seasons as division rivals in 2012-13. They both entered the NHL together in 1926-27 and share the new Discover Central Division with six teams that either joined the League or began play in their current city in the 1990s or later. Detroit has more regular-season wins against Chicago than they do against any other franchise (369) and Chicago has more regular-season wins against Detroit than they do any other franchise (287).

* American forwards lead both teams offensively in 2020-21. Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, who was named the 37th captain in franchise history prior to this season, has recorded 3-2—5 in five games while Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is tied for the team lead with 3-2—5 in 5 games, including 1-1—2 in Chicago’s win over Detroit on Friday.

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.