#NHLPeachy @NHL #GOAT #GORDIEHOWE NHL Morning Skate – March 16, 2022
* Alex Ovechkin scored the 767th regular-season goal of his career to surpass Jaromir Jagr (766) for sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time goals list and also became the all-time goals leader among players born outside North America.
* Connor McDavid recorded his 200th career multi-point game – the most among all players since his NHL debut in 2015-16 and 38 more than the next-closest player (Leon Draisaitl w/ 162).
* Chris Kreider became the sixth active skater to score at least 20 power-play goals in a season and first Rangers player to do so since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06.
OVECHKIN TRAILS ONLY GRETZKY, HOWE ON ALL-TIME GOALS LIST…
Alex Ovechkin (767) surpassed Jaromir Jagr (766) for third place on the all-time NHL goals list, marking the third of a legendary trio of skaters he has leapfrogged since the start of the 2021-22 season. Ovechkin had already passed Hall of Fame members Marcel Dionne (731) and Brett Hull (741) within his first 14 games of the campaign.
* To continue his climb of the all-time goals list, Ovechkin will first have to become a member of the NHL’s exclusive 800-goal club – which features only Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).
…BECOMES ALL-TIME GOALS LEADER AMONG EUROPEAN SKATERS
In passing Jaromir Jagr to move into third place on the NHL goals list, Alex Ovechkin also became the leader among European-born players – a mark Jagr had held for more than 15 years.
* Click here for an #NHLStats Pack with more information on Ovechkin‘s climb to sole possession of third on the NHL‘s all-time goals list, including scoring benchmarks, his most impactful teammates and a By The Numbers look at his path to surpassing Jagr.
* ICYMI: Jagr sent his congratulations to Ovechkin in a video and had a little fun by suggesting he may just come back to add to his totals.
MCDAVID, JOSI: TOP SCORERS ON DISPLAY
Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who leads the Art Ross Trophy race, and Predators captain Roman Josi, the highest scoring defenseman in 2021-22, each collected multi-point performances to guide their teams to victory:
* McDavid (1-1—2) recorded his 200th career multi-point game to help his Oilers (33-23-4, 70 points) stave off a three-goal comeback attempt from the Red Wings. Edmonton, which sits third in the Pacific Division, won its third straight game and extended its lead ahead of Vegas (32-26-4, 68 points).
* Josi (0-3—3) led the Predators (35-21-4, 74 points) past the idle Wild (34-20-4, 72 points) and into third place in the Central Division. The Predators captain, who tallied 2-2—4 in his last outing, tied Scott Walker (2-5—7 from Feb. 18-20, 2004) for the most points in a two-game span in franchise history.
RANGERS, MAPLE LEAFS SURPASS 80-POINT MARK
The Rangers (38-17-5, 81 points) and Maple Leafs (38-17-5, 81 points), who sit second and third in their respective divisions, each surpassed the 80-point mark with wins Tuesday:
* Chris Kreider scored his 39th goal of the season – and 400th career point – with just over six minutes to play in regulation to tie the game before Adam Fox (1-2—3) netted the overtime winner as the Rangers earned their NHL-leading 20th comeback win of 2021-22 (CBJ also w/ 20) on Women's Empowerment Night.
* New York recorded its 20th victory in its 28th contest at Madison Square Garden this season (20-5-3), equaling the third-fastest pace to 20 home wins in franchise history (26 GP in 1972-73 & 27 GP in 2015-16).
* Mitchell Marner (0-2—2) surpassed the 40-assist mark on the season for the sixth straight campaign to begin his career, Erik Kallgren made 35 saves for a perfect performance in his first NHL start and Sheldon Keefe became the fastest Maple Leafs head coach to record 100 wins as Toronto established a new franchise benchmark for the fewest contests to the 80-point mark (60 GP). The Maple Leafs’ previous best was 62 games (2018-19, 2003-04, 1977-78, 1960-61 & 1950-51).
* Keefe (100-46-17 in 163 GP) tied Dan Bylsma (163 GP w/ PIT) for the fifth-fewest games in NHL history to record 100 wins as a head coach, trailing Tom Johnson (138 GP w/ BOS), Mike Keenan (152 GP w/ PHI), Todd McLellan (158 GP w/ SJS) and Terry Crisp (158 GP w/ CGY).
MATCHUP BETWEEN COYOTES, CANADIENS FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Tuesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured notable performances from the Coyotes and Canadiens, with the former scoring six goals to earn a win at Bell Centre. Arizona leads all teams in goals since March 1 with 37 – 10 more than its total in the entire month of February (27).
* Attempting to rally a comeback, Cole Caufield scored twice in a span of eight seconds in the second period which tied Maurice Richard (Dec. 28, 1944) for the third-fastest two goals by one player at any time of a game in Canadiens history, behind Peter Mahovlich (0:05 on Feb. 20, 1971) and Stephane Richer (0:07 on Nov. 30, 1987).
QUICK CLICKS
* Tyson Jost traded to Wild by Avalanche for Nico Sturm
* J.T. Miller extends NHL’s longest active point streak to 13 games
* Darcy Kuemper scores second straight shutout in Avalanche win
* Florida earns overtime win
* Nick Foligno joined father Mike as second father-son combination to skate in 1,000 games
TNT DOUBLEHEADER INCLUDES WILD CARD TEAMS, DEFENDING CHAMPS
Wednesday’s four-game slate will include a doubleheader on TNT that opens with two teams in tight playoff races, when the Bruins (37-18-5, 79 points), who sit in the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference and just two points back of the Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division, visit the Wild (34-20-4, 72 points), who sit in the first Wild Card position in the Western Conference, trailing the Predators by two points for third in the Central Division.
* In the second game, the Kraken will host the Lightning at Climate Pledge Arena for the first time after a 3-0 loss at Tampa Bay on Nov. 26, 2021. Since 1967-68, expansion franchises have an all-time record of 16-27-8 when facing the defending champions on home ice in their inaugural season. Among franchises to debut in the 90s, Vegas (Dec. 14, 2017 vs. PIT), Nashville (Dec. 23, 1998 vs. DET), Florida (Jan. 24, 1994 vs. MTL) and Ottawa (Feb. 25, 1993 vs. PIT) have defeated the defending champs on home ice while skating in their inaugural NHL season.
