Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

03/03/2020 at 6:21am EST

THREE HARD LAPS

* What a night for Leon Draisaitl, who recorded his first-ever four-goal game and boosted his League-leading 2019-20 point total to a career-high 107.

* How could we forget about Connor McDavid? The Oilers captain also produced five points to eclipse 90 on the season and leapfrog a pair of players in the 2019-20 Art Ross Trophy race.

* While longtime teammates Draisaitl and McDavid powered the Oilers, it was trade deadline acquisitions Vladislav Namestnikov and Michael Hutchinson who helped the Avalanche secure a win.

DRAISAITL, McDAVID COMBINE FOR FIVE GOALS, 10 POINTS IN OILERS WIN
The high-scoring Oilers tandem of Leon Draisaitl (4-1—5) and Connor McDavid (1-4—5) combined for 5-5—10 as Edmonton erupted for eight goals, including five over a span of 5:13 during the third period.

* Draisaitl recorded his first four-goal game in the NHL and boosted his League-leading 2019-20 point total to a career-high 107 (43-64—107 in 66 GP). His previous benchmark for most points in a season was 105, a mark set in 2018-19 when he made history as the first NHL player of German nationality to reach triple digits in a campaign (50-55—105 in 82 GP).

* Draisaitl became the second Oilers player to score four goals in a game this season, joining James Neal on Oct. 8, 2019 (4-0—4 at NYI). The 2019-20 season marked the first to feature multiple instances of Edmonton players scoring four goals in a game since 1988-89, when Glenn Anderson and Mark Messier combined for the feat.

* Draisaitl has scored multiple goals in each of his last five games versus Nashville dating to Oct. 27, 2018 (12-2—14). He became the third player in League history to record two-plus goals in five consecutive regular-season games against one franchise, joining original Ottawa Senators forward Punch Broadbent versus the Canadiens from Jan. 7 – Feb. 22, 1922 (11-1—12) and Penguins icon Mario Lemieux against the Nordiques from March 3, 1987 – March 27, 1988 (11-9—20).

* McDavid, meanwhile, boosted his 2019-20 point total to 94 (32-62—94 in 60 GP) and leapfrogged Rangers forward Artemi Panarin (32-58—90 in 64 GP) and Bruins forward David Pastrnak (47-44—91 in 66 GP) for sole possession of second place in the 2019-20 Art Ross Trophy race.

* McDavid recorded his fifth career game with at least five points and third this season, following Oct. 16, 2019 (1-4—5 vs. PHI) and Nov. 14, 2019 (3-3—6 vs. COL). Draisaitl also produced five points on Nov. 14 (0-5—5).

DRAISAITL CATAPULTS HIMSELF INTO “ROCKET” CONVERSATION
Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who entered Monday with 39 goals, moved within two of matching Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (45-18—63 in 64 GP) and Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (45-32—77 in 66 GP) for second place in the 2019-20 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race. The top four goal scorers in the NHL this season are now separated by just four tallies, with Bruins forward David Pastrnak (47-44—91 in 66 GP) leading the way.


* Draisaitl, who is on pace to conclude the campaign with a career-high 53 markers, also joined a pretty elite list of players to record multiple 40-goal seasons with the Oilers.


TRADE DEADLINE ACQUISITIONS HELP AVALANCHE EXTEND ROAD WIN STREAK

Trade deadline acquisitions Vladislav Namestnikov (1-0—1) and Michael Hutchinson (17 saves) helped Colorado defeat Detroit at Little Caesars Arena to extend its franchise-record road win streak to nine games. The Avalanche matched the longest road win streak by any team this season, a mark set by the Rangers from Jan. 16 – Feb. 27.

* Colorado climbed within three games of equaling the longest road win streaks in NHL history – a feat first achieved by the Red Wings during the 2005-06 season. The Avalanche are set to face the Canucks (March 6), Sharks (March 8) and Kings (March 9) in their next three road games.


* Colorado also improved to 7-0-0 in its last seven games overall, including six consecutive wins all by a one-goal margin. The Avalanche’s run marks the fifth instance in NHL history of a team earning six straight wins within a regular season all by a one-goal margin, also achieved by the Canucks from Feb. 10-22, 2007 (6-0-0), Coyotes from Feb. 9-22, 2011 (6-0-0) and Sabres from Dec. 8-19, 2005 (6-0-0) as well as Nov. 8-19, 2018 (6-0-0).

* Nathan MacKinnon (0-1—1), who leads the team with 86 points in 2019-20 (33-53—86 in 65 GP), collected the 300th regular-season assist of his NHL career (188-300—488 in 521 GP) and became the ninth player to record as many with the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise. MacKinnon, the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, has the most helpers among any player from his draft class – owning 48 more than the next-closest skater (Aleksander Barkov: 155-252—407 in 476 GP).

Photo via @Avalanche

DID YOU KNOW?

Avalanche forward Vladislav Namestnikov was a first-round pick (27th overall) by the Lightning in the 2011 NHL Draft while Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was employed in the same capacity with Tampa Bay. His uncle, Vyacheslav Kozlov, skated 548 regular-season games and 100 playoff contests alongside Yzerman with Detroit from 1991-92 to 2000-01 – helping the Red Wings capture back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1997 and 1998.

QUICK CLICKS

* Emergency goalie procedure doesn't need change, GMs say

* Rule changes having positive effect, NHL executives show general managers

* Golden Knights host UMC pediatric patients at 'Player for a Day' event

* Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner break bread with Marleau Family on trip to Bay Area

* Dustin Brown accepts challenge of helping Kings through rebuild

PREVIEW OF TODAY’S ACTION

PIVOTAL INTRACONFERENCE SHOWDOWNS HIGHLIGHT TUESDAY’S 10-GAME SLATE
Several pivotal intraconference showdowns highlight Tuesday’s 10-game slate:


* The League-leading Bruins (41-13-12, 94 points) visit the Lightning (41-19-5, 87 points) at AMALIE Arena in a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. Tampa Bay is 2-0-0 through the first two contests of its four-game season series versus Boston (BOS: 0-1-1), with the final head-to-head meeting set to take place Saturday at TD Garden.

* The Wild (32-26-7, 71 points) welcome the Predators (32-25-8, 72 points) to Xcel Energy Center, with the hosts looking to leapfrog the visitors for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference standings. Nashville is 7-0-0 in its last seven games versus Minnesota dating to March 27, 2018 (MIN: 0-4-3), with the Wild’s last win against the Predators occurring on March 24, 2018 (4-1 W).

* The Stars (37-21-7, 81 points) host the Oilers (35-23-8, 78 points) at American Airlines Center as both clubs look to inch closer to first place in their respective division. Dallas occupies third place in the Central Division standings, six points back of second-place Colorado (40-18-7, 87 points); Edmonton, meanwhile, is second in the Pacific Division – two points back of first-place Vegas (36-23-8, 80 points), which is also in action tonight.

MULTIPLE STREAKS ON THE LINE AS BLUES VISIT RANGERS
Multiple streaks are on the line as the Western Conference-leading Blues (39-17-10, 88 points) visit the Rangers (35-26-4, 74 points) at Madison Square Garden, with the hosts looking to inch closer to the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

* St. Louis is 7-0-0 in its last seven games dating to Feb. 18, which is tied for the longest active win streak in the NHL (w/ COL). The Blues can match their lengthiest win streak of the season, a mark set from Dec. 12-29, 2019 (8-0-0).

* New York is paced in scoring by Artemi Panarin (32-58—90 in 64 GP), who has posted at least one point in a career-high 13 straight games dating to Feb. 7 (5-14—19) and ranks fourth in the 2019-20 Art Ross Trophy race. He can become the second undrafted player over the last 22 years (since 1997-98) to record a point streak of at least 14 contests, joining Pittsburgh’s Pascal Dupuis from March 7 – April 7, 2012 (10-12—22 in 17 GP).

* Overall, 18 different undrafted players to debut since 1963-64 after the first NHL Draft took place have collected at least one point in 14 or more consecutive team games within a regular season – with Wayne Gretzky achieving the feat 22 times, including once as a member of the Rangers from Oct. 6 – Nov. 4, 1996 (7-15—22 in 15 GP).

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 6 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 6 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 6 hours ago
Comment by calquake in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 7 hours ago
Comment by StargateSG1 in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 7 hours ago