. . . 30 X 3
Forward Jason Spezza scored to become the third member of the Stars to reach the 30-goal milestone this season, joining Jamie Benn (39) and Tyler Seguin (33).

* Via Elias, the Stars became the first team with three or more 30-goal scorers in one season since 2011-12, when the Devils (Ilya Kovalchuk: 37, Zach Parise: 31 and David Clarkson: 30) and Sharks (Logan Couture: 31, Joe Pavelski: 31 and Patrick Marleau: 30) each had three.

* Elias adds that the Stars/North Stars last had three or more 30-goal scorers in one season in 1992-93, when Russ Courtnall (36), Ulf Dahlen (35), Dave Gagner (33) andMike Modano (33) all reached the milestone.

WILD AID PLAYOFF QUEST WITH SWEEP OF BLACKHAWKS
Knotted at 1-1, the Wild scored three unanswered goals in the third period to pick up their sixth consecutive victory overall and sweep their five-game season series with the Blackhawks.

* At 38-28-11 (87 points), the Wild moved five points ahead of the Avalanche (39-34-4, 82 points) – who lost in regulation – for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

* Per Elias, the Wild became the first team to sweep a season series of at least five games against the Blackhawks since 1938-39, when the Bruins went 8-0-0 vs. CHI.

* Elias says that the Wild also became the third club in NHL history to sweep a season series of at least five games against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The others: the aforementioned Bruins in 1938-39 vs. CHI (8-0-0) and the Devils in 2009-10 vs. PIT (6-0-0).

PENGUINS, ISLANDERS KEEP PACE IN METROPOLITAN DIVISION . . .
The Penguins (43-25-8, 94 points) and Islanders (41-25-9, 91 points) both sealed comeback wins via the shootout to keep pace in the crowded Metropolitan Division, where teams Nos. 2-4 are separated by just four points:

* The Penguins scored four straight goals to overcome an early 3-0 deficit before Kris Letang (0-1—1) potted the decisive shootout tally to lift the team to its ninth victory in its past 10 games. Letang, who logged a career-high 35:14, collected his 44th assist of the season, giving him career bests in all three scoring categories (15-44—59). Elias notes that the Penguins overcame a three-goal deficit to win for the first time since Nov. 27, 2013 vs. TOR (6-5 SO W).

* Anders Lee tied the game with 7:52 remaining in regulation before Kyle Okposo scored the lone goal in the shootout to guide the Islanders to their third victory in their last four games overall as well as an 8-1-1 record in their past 10 outings at Barclays Center.Thomas Greiss made 26 saves and denied all three shootout attempts he faced to reach the 20-win milestone for the first time in his career (2.36 GAA, .925 SV%, 1 SO).

. . . DID YOU KNOW?
Penguins teammates Tom Kuhnhackl (1-1—2) and Nick Bonino combined for two shorthanded goals in a 24-second span of the second period.

* Via Elias, they were the fastest two shorthanded goals by any team since April 10, 2010, when Bruins teammates Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin scored 15 seconds apart vs. CAR.

* Elias adds that they were the quickest pair of shorthanded goals by the Penguins since Dec. 13, 1990, when Phil Bourque and Randy Gilhen scored 12 seconds apart vs. NJD.

HAT TRICKS LIFT SHARKS, MAPLE LEAFS TO ROAD WINS
Both the Sharks and Maple Leafs picked up road victories on the strength of hat tricks:

* Logan Couture recorded his first career hat trick (426 GP) to snap a 1-1 tie and lift the Sharks within two points of second place in the Pacific Division. Couture, who posted his third multi-goal performance of the season, also picked up his third game-winning goal (all in the same contest). At 26-10-3 (55 points), the Sharks lead the NHL in both road victories and road points.

* Nazem Kadri registered his third career hat trick (324 GP) – and first since 2012-13 (2x) – to power the Maple Leafs to their fourth victory in their past six games. Kadri notched his eighth career multi-goal performance and second in the past week (also Thursday vs. ANA: 2-2—4). Connor Brown (0-3—3) added career highs for assists and points in one game.

GOALTENDERS SPOIL PLAYOFF HOPES OF RED WINGS, BRUINS
The Canadiens and Devils posted wins to put a dent in the playoff hopes of the Red Wings and Bruins, respectively:

* Mike Condon made a career-high 39 saves, including 23 in the third period, to backstop the Canadiens past the Red Wings and to their second win in their past four outings.

* Keith Kinkaid made a career-high 39 saves, including 16 in the third period, to lead the Devils past the Bruins and to a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Sharks forward Joe Thornton registered his 957th career assist to move past Mark Recchi (956) and into sole possession of 14th place in NHL history.

* Panthers forward Teddy Purcell (0-1—1) collected his 200th NHL assist as well as his 300th NHL point. Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly (1-1—2) also recorded his 300th NHL point.

* Islanders forward Frans Nielsen played in his 600th NHL game.

LOOSE PUCKS
Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk (18 SV) improved to 7-0-1 in his last nine appearances (1.76 GAA, .938 SV%, 1 SO) . . . Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (0-1—1) picked up at least one point for the 15th time in his past 16 games (7-16—23) . . . Blackhawks forwardMarian Hossa notched his 499th career goal – and 33rd shorthanded, tops among active players . . . Wild forward Erik Haula (1-1—2) extended his point streak to a career-high nine games (4-6—10), while teammate Nino Niederreiter (1-1—2) reached the 20-goal milestone for the second straight season . . . Stars forward Ales Hemsky (0-1—1) extended his point streak to five games (2-3—5) . . . Blues captain David Backesreached the 20-goal milestone for the sixth time in his career and third consecutive season . . . Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty (2-0—2) recorded his fourth multi-goal game of the season . . . Bruins forward Brad Marchand (1-0—1) established a career high with his 56th point of the season (35-21—56) . . . Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha (Longueuil, Que.) scored in his first NHL visit to Bell Centre.

SNEAK PEEK AT WEDNESDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m., SN, TVAS
Washington @ Philadelphia, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN, SN360
Calgary @ Anaheim, 10:00 p.m., SN, FS-W
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FLYERS CONTINUE PLAYOFF PUSH ON RIVALRY NIGHT
The Flyers (37-25-13, 87 points), who currently occupy the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, continue their playoff push when the face the League-leading Capitals (54-16-5, 113 points) at Wells Fargo Center on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry. This marks the fourth and final meeting of the season between these Metropolitan Division foes; Washington is 2-0-1 thus far, while Philadelphia is 1-2-0. The Flyers enter the game with an 11-3-2 record in their past 16 contests, while the Capitals are 9-4-1 in their last 14.