AVALANCHE CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE PLAY AHEAD OF OVI AND STADIUM SERIES

Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog each scored while Philipp Grubauer earned his 11th career shutout as the Avalanche (33-16-6, 72 points) improved to 8-1-1 in their past 10 games – including five straight wins – and moved within one point of first place in the Western Conference standings (STL: 32-15-9, 73 points).

* The Avalanche (5-0-0) will put their winning streak on the line when they welcome Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals to Pepsi Center on Thursday. It marks their final game before meeting the Kings outdoors in the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ovechkin (698) enters the contest two tallies shy of becoming the eighth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals.

DRAISAITL ADDS TO LEAGUE LEAD WITH FOURTH FOUR-POINT GAME
Without his captain in the lineup, Leon Draisaitl (32-57—89) collected 1-3—4 to lead an Oilers rally and open up an eight-point lead on Connor McDavid (30-51—81) in the Art Ross Trophy race. Edmonton (30-20-6, 66 points), meanwhile, moved within one point of Vancouver (31-21-5, 67 points) for the Pacific Division lead and holds one game in hand.

* Draisaitl, with multiple points in seven of his last nine contests, collected his fourth outing with four-plus points this season and moved into a tie with McDavid and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the most among all players in 2019-20. In 2018-19, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov registered a League-leading eight such outings.

* Additionally, the third-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft has notched multiple points in an NHL-best 27 contests this season – three more than the next closest skater (David Pastrnak: 24 w/ BOS). Meanwhile, Draisaitl has earned at least one point in 46 of 56 games in 2019-20.

LIGHTNING, KUCHEROV COLLECT ANOTHER WIN, ANOTHER POINT

Nikita Kucherov collected an assist and Yanni Gourde scored in overtime as the Lightning (37-15-5, 79 points) extended the NHL’s longest active win streak to eight games. They sit one point behind the Bruins (34-11-12, 80 points) for first place in the Atlantic Division and overall League standings.

* Kucherov extended the League’s longest active point streak to 12 games (10-11—21 in 12 GP) and matched the longest of his career (also 12 GP from Dec. 6, 2018 to Jan. 3, 2019). Only four players in Lightning history have posted longer runs.

* Tampa Bay, which posted its second win streak of eight-plus games in 2019-20 (also 10-0-0 from Dec. 23, 2019 – Jan. 11), has collected multiple such runs in a single season for the second time in as many campaigns (also 8-0-0 from Nov. 29 – Dec. 13, 2019 and 10-0-0 from Feb. 9-27, 2019). The Lightning became the third team in NHL history to post multiple win streaks of at least eight games in consecutive seasons, joining the Canadiens (1975-76, 1976-77 and 1977-78) and Oilers (1983-84 and 1984-85).

* Vasilevskiy extended his point streak to 19 games dating to Dec. 17, 2019 (17-0-2: 1.97 GAA, .933 SV%, 2 SO). Only five goaltenders in NHL history have posted longer such runs: Pete Peeters (27 GP in 1979-80, 21 GP in 1982-83), Glenn Resch (23 GP in 1978-79), Frank Brimsek (23 GP in 1940-41), Roberto Luongo (21 GP in 2010-11) and Chris Osgood (21 GP in 1995-96).

BARZAL LEADS ISLANDERS IN ANOTHER FIVE-GOAL PERFORMANCE
Mathew Barzal (0-3—3) factored on three of New York’s five goals, including the game winner, as the Islanders (33-16-6, 72 points) held off a three-goal rally from the Flyers (31-19-7, 69 points) in a crucial Metropolitan Division showdown.

* New York, which improved to 7-0-3 in its last 10 regular-season contests at Barclays Center dating to Nov. 5, 2019, is one of four teams in its division separated by five points. The others: Pittsburgh (34-15-6, 74), Columbus (30-17-10, 70 points) and aforementioned Philadelphia.

* Tuesday’s contest marked the second time in as many days that the Islanders posted a potent offensive outburst after also scoring five times against the Capitals Monday. It marked just the fourth time in the last 20 years New York has netted five-plus goals in consecutive days (excluding shootout-deciding goals): Jan. 6-7, 2014, Dec. 2-3, 2006 and Oct. 10-11, 2001.

* Barzal, with eight points in his last seven games (1-7—8), collected three helpers after Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey also did so Monday. The Islanders two-game stretch is just the eighth time in franchise history in which the team featured at least one player register three assists in consecutive days and first since Feb. 1, 1992 (Tom Kurvers: 0-3—3) and Feb. 2, 1992 (Benoit Hogue: 0-3—3).

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

* Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (42 saves) recorded his third 40-save win of the season, and second in as many games, to extend his win streak to four contests. Shesterkin, 6-1-0 since he debuted on Jan. 7, became the League’s fifth rookie netminder since 1955-56 to record consecutive wins with at least 40 saves. The others: Carter Hart (Feb. 2-4, 2019 w/ PHI), Juuse Saros (Dec. 5-14, 2017 w/ NSH), Frank Pietrangelo (Jan. 20-23, 1988 w/ PIT) and Joe Daley (Feb. 19-22, 1969 w/ PIT). No netminder extended their streak to three contests.

* Stars captain Jamie Benn scored his sixth career hat trick and helped Dallas (32-19-5, 69 points) strengthen its grip on the third seed in the Central Division. Benn, selected in the fifth round (129th overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft, moved into a tie with Max Pacioretty (all w/ MTL) and Patrick Kane (all w/ CHI) for the most among players from his draft class.

* Kasperi Kapanen scored in overtime, while the trio of Noel Acciari, Mike Matheson and Mark Pysyk each collected 1-2—3 to help the Maple Leafs (30-19-8, 68 points) and Panthers (30-20-6, 66 points) register comeback wins, respectively. The two clubs are separated by two points in the Atlantic Division standings and Florida holds one game in hand.

QUICK CLICKS

* Thomas Steen, Randy Carlyle inducted into Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame
* Anze Kopitar hoping for wintry feeling with Kings at NHL Stadium Series

* Stadium Series brings NHL referee home to hockey roots at Air Force

* Sabres captain Jack Eichel reached the 70-point mark
* Sedins happy to have numbers retired by Canucks in city they call home

PREVIEW OF TODAY’S ACTION

DANIEL AND HENRIK SEDIN’S NUMBERS TO BE RETIRED BY CANUCKS

The Canucks will retire the numbers of brothers Daniel Sedin (No. 22) and Henrik Sedin (No. 33) as part of a pre-game ceremony prior to their home game against the Blackhawks on Wednesday. The brothers are the only two players to record 1,000 points in a Canucks uniform and one or the other sit atop the franchise list in seven major categories.

* Teammates for all of their 17 NHL seasons, the Sedins are the only sibling duo in NHL history to each record 1,000 career points and the only brother combination to each skate in over 1,300 career NHL games.

* The Sedins have combined to win six major NHL awards, including back-to-back seasons in which they each won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top point-getter. They are the only pair of brothers in NHL history to lead the League in scoring in consecutive campaigns. In fact, only two other pairs of brothers achieved the feat at any point in their careers: Charlie and Roy Conacher (w/ TOR and CHI, respectively) and Doug and Max Bentley (both w/ CHI).

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.