* The Panthers extended the League’s longest active road win streak to nine games and moved within two points of the Bruins for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with the help of Matthew Tkachuk, who became the sixth player to record 20 career three-point outings with the franchise.
* Connor Hellebuyck hit the 25-win mark for the seventh time in his career with a shutout performance and joined a short all-time list by allowing three goals or fewer for his 30th straight appearance.
* Thursday marks the first day in NHL history to feature five Stanley Cup Final rematches, with one involving the two Art Ross Trophy race leaders going head-to-head at Amalie Arena. The 12-game slate also features the Predators hosting the Stars on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Kukla's Korner Hockey
NHL Short Notes
PANTHERS KEEP ROLLING WITH ANOTHER ROAD WIN
The Panthers (34-15-4, 72 points) stayed hot as visitors, extending their franchise-record road win streak to nine games, and moved within two points of the idle Bruins (32-11-10, 74 points) for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with the help of a three-point performance by Matthew Tkachuk (1-2—3).
* Tkachuk, who has the most points among all players since the calendar flipped to 2024, recorded his 20th three-point game since joining the Panthers in 2022-23. Only Connor McDavid (31), Nikita Kucherov (25), Nathan MacKinnon (24) and Leon Draisaitl (24) have more over that span.
* Florida’s nine-game road win streak is tied with Edmonton for the second longest this season (9-0-0 from Dec. 21 – Jan. 20) behind only Los Angeles’ 11-game stretch from Oct. 17 to Dec. 7. The Panthers’ success as visitors goes beyond their streak – they’re tied with the Canucks for the League lead in road wins in 2023-24 with 18 and are just one back of matching their total from last season.
HELLEBUYCK RECORDS 25TH WIN WITH SHUTOUT PERFORMANCE
Morgan Barron scored the lone goal of the game while Connor Hellebuyck (17 saves) blanked the Sharks and became the fourth goaltender to reach the 25-win mark this season. The Jets (32-14-5, 69 points) moved within one point of the idle Avalanche (33-17-4, 70 points) for second place in the Central Division while holding three games in hand.
* Hellebuyck hit the 25-win plateau for the seventh time in his career – the most among all goaltenders since he entered the League in 2015-16. He became the fifth U.S.-born netminder in NHL history to record at least that many 25-win seasons, joining Ryan Miller (9), Tom Barrasso (9), John Vanbiesbrouck (8) and Jonathan Quick (7).
* Hellebuyck, who has allowed three goals or fewer in 30 straight appearances dating to Nov. 4, boasts a 2.13 goals-against average along with a .926 save percentage. Should he keep it up, Hellebuyck could establish franchise records in both categories, besting his own mark for save percentage set during his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign (.924 SV% in 2017-18) as well as Ondrej Pavelec’s franchise-best 2.28 goals-against average in 2014-15.
KAPRIZOV HITS 50-POINT MARK IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Wednesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a number of notes from the three-game slate, including Kirill Kaprizov (0-1—1) boosting his 2023-24 totals to 20-30—50 (46 GP) and becoming the fourth player in Wild history with four 50-point seasons. The others: Mikko Koivu (7), Marian Gaborik (5) and Zach Parise (4).
BRODEUR VISITS METLIFE STADIUM AHEAD OF STADIUM SERIES
Devils executive vice president of hockey operations, franchise icon and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur joined NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly at MetLife Stadium to discuss the weekend hockey event taking place on back-to-back days at the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
* Brodeur says the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, featuring four Metropolitan Division rivals (Feb. 17: NJD vs. PHI at 8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS2 & Feb. 18: NYR vs. NYI at 3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), is the right time for the sports world to witness outdoor hockey at its finest in the state of New Jersey.
QUICK CLICKS
* Sean Couturier named 20th captain in Flyers history
* Linus Ullmark fined maximum for actions in Bruins game
* Capitals visit children with illnesses on Valentine’s Day
* Stadium Series at MetLife to have park theme this weekend
* Jonas Brothers talk Stadium Series performance, hockey fandom with NHL.com
THURSDAY FEATURES STARS-PREDATORS ON ESPN+, KUCHEROV-MacKINNON IN TAMPA
Thursday’s slate is highlighted by the Stars squaring off with the Predators on ESPN+ and Hulu, Art Ross Trophy race leaders Nikita Kucherov (34-56—90 in 53 GP) and Nathan MacKinnon (32-55—87 in 54 GP) going head-to-head at Amalie Arena as well as the Devils and Rangers contesting their final games before the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
* MacKinnon has 12-18—30 in 23 career NHL contests against Kucherov (6-10—16 in 23 GP), with the Avalanche holding a 10-9-4 record in those games (TBL: 13-10-0). MacKinnon’s totals include 2-4—6 in six contests during the 2022 Stanley Cup Final (Kucherov: 1-3—4 in 6 GP), highlighted by scoring the tying goal and assisting on the championship clincher at Amalie Arena in Game 6.
* Thursday marks the first day in League history to feature five Stanley Cup Final rematches. In addition to the Avalanche and Lightning, the Kings and Devils (2012 SCF), Ducks and Senators (2007 SCF), Penguins and Blackhawks (1992 SCF) as well as Canadiens and Rangers (1979 SCF) also met in the championship series.
Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.
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