* The Sharks scored six goals for the first time this season in their win against the Devils who had Simon Nemec, the No. 2 pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, record a two-point outing in his League debut.
* Rookies Dmitri Voronkov and Adam Fantilli accounted for two of the Blue Jackets’ four unanswered goals to help their club earn its first multi-goal comeback win of the season – the contest also featured Columbus boost its first-period goal total to 28, tied Tampa Bay for the second most among all teams behind Edmonton (32).
* Two Original Six showdowns will be featured on a four-game Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, which will also include Nikita Zadorov and his new club, the Canucks, visiting his former Flames.
BRUINS, MAPLE LEAFS SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHTS HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA SLATE
The Bruins will head to Toronto for their 769th all-time showdown against the Maple Leafs franchise as one of the League’s oldest rivalries highlights a four-game Hockey Night in Canada slate.
* Saturday’s contest between Boston and Toronto comes one day after the 99th anniversary of the Bruins’ first regular-season game and one day before the same milestone for the first-ever showdown between the two franchises. On Dec. 3, 1924, a hat trick by Jack Adams – the namesake of the NHL’s “Coach of the Year” award won most recently by Boston’s Jim Montgomery – powered the Toronto St. Patricks to a 5-3 victory against the Bruins at Mutual Street Arena (or as it was noted at the time on the official Report of Match: Arena Gardens).
* Toronto went 6-0-0 in the first six all-time games between the clubs, one of nine times in the 99-year-old rivalry that one team has claimed at least six straight regular-season decisions (5x by TOR, 4x by BOS). Boston, however, now holds the edge in head-to-head wins during regular-season play, with their 305 victories versus Toronto tied for their most against one franchise (w/ NYR).
* Elsewhere on HNIC, the Red Wings will face an Original Six opponent when they visit Montreal (where AlexDeBrincat will continue his pursuit of NHL goal No. 200); the Kraken will seek their first win of a four-game road trip (0-1-1) when they visit Ottawa (where they scored eight goals during their last visit); and NikitaZadorov won’t have to go far for his first game with the Canucks as his new club visits Calgary, from whom he was traded by Thursday.
* Since 2021-22, three players have made their team debut against the club they last played for earlier that season: Shayne Gostisbehere (March 3, 2023 w/ CAR vs. ARI), Ben Chiarot (March 24, 2022 w/ FLA vs. MTL) and Michael Amadio (Nov. 2, 2021 w/ VGK vs. TOR).
A total of 15 goals were scored over a two-game Friday for a 7.5 goals-per-game average.
FOUR #NHLSTATS FROM FOUR TEAMS IN ACTION FRIDAY
It was the Blue Jackets and Sharks who each found the win column Friday, but it didn’t stop #NHLStats: Live Updates from including notes from all four teams.
* Jacob MacDonald (2-0—2) and Anthony Duclair (2-0—2) became the first Sharks duo to each score multiple goals in the same game since Timo Meier (2-0—2) and Erik Karlsson (3-1—4) on Nov. 1, 2022, with Meier facing his former club for the first time since being traded to New Jersey on Feb. 26. The contest marked the first time this season the Sharks scored six in a game.
* Rookies Dmitri Voronkov (1-0—1) and Adam Fantilli (1-0—1) accounted for two of Columbus’ four unanswered goals to allow the Blue Jackets to kick off their dad’s weekend with their first multi-goal comeback win of the campaign and first in regulation since Feb. 11, 2023 (at TOR). Voronkov (5-7—12 in 19 GP) moved into a tie with Minnesota’s Marco Rossi (6-6—12 in 21 GP) and Anaheim’s Pavel Mintyukov (1-11—12 in 23 GP) for fifth place in scoring by rookies this season, while Fantilli (5-6—11 in 25 GP) sits just one point back of the trio.
* Claude Giroux scored while skating in his 100th game as a member of the Senators, improving his totals with the club to 41-55—96. He owns the second-most points by an Ottawa player through the milestone with the franchise, behind only Dany Heatley (60-64—124).
* Simon Nemec (0-2—2), the No. 2 pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, made his League debut Friday and became the second defenseman in franchise history with multiple points in their first NHL game (also Will Butcher: 0-3—3 on Oct. 7, 2017). Meanwhile, Jack Hughes (1-0—1) continued his scorching pace to the season as he became the fastest player in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history to reach 30 points in a campaign (17 GP), eclipsing the previous mark set by Paul Gardner (21 GP in 1977-78).
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.
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