All seven of the NHL's Canadian teams will be in action Saturday on Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada. Some things to watch.
Forward Joe Thornton (London, Ontario) is Canada's highest-scoring active player (1,454 points) entering the San Jose Sharks' game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place (7 p.m. ET; SN, SN360, NBCSCA, NHL.TV). Thornton has 1,047 assists, two shy of tying Gordie Howe (1,049) for ninth place on the NHL's all-time list. He is three points from tying Teemu Selanne (1,457) for 15th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
Sharks forward Evander Kane is second in the NHL in goals since Jan. 1 with 12 (in 14 games), trailing Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson (13 in 16 games). Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who has scored five times in a three-game goal-scoring streak, is tied for third in goals with 11 (in 15 games); Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin (14 games) and New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad (16 games) also have 11 goals since Jan. 1.
Forward Blake Wheeler enters the Winnipeg Jets' game against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre (2 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, SN1, TVAS, NHL.TV) ranked second in the NHL with 54 assists, trailing only Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (59). Through 54 games, Wheeler already has the fourth-highest single-season assists total in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history. Winnipeg's captain had 68 assists last season, one shy of the franchise record set by Marc Savard with the Thrashers in 2005-06. Marian Hossa (57 assists with the Thrashers in 2006-07) is the only other player with at least 54 in a season for Winnipeg/Atlanta.
Goalie Carey Price is likely to play in his 600th NHL game when the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, CITY, TVAS, NHL.TV). Price (Anahim Lake, British Columbia) has 309 wins and is second in wins among British Columbia-born goaltenders, trailing only Andy Moog (372).
Price could be the second goalie to reach the 600-game mark on Saturday. Ottawa's Craig Anderson, whose game starts about five hours before Price's, also has played in 599 NHL games. If both play, they would be the 49th and 50th goalies to reach 600 games.
Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi (18 years, 218 days) can become the seventh different 18-year-old in NHL history to score a goal in at least five consecutive games. The only players to do so: Jordan Staal (five games in 2006-07), Sidney Crosby (five games in 2005-06), Jeff Friesen (five games in 1994-95), Jimmy Carson (seven games in 1986-87), Steve Yzerman (six games and five games in 1983-84) and Dale Hawerchuk (six games and five games in 1981-82).
Montreal is 4-1-1 entering the finale of a team record-tying seven-game homestand. The only other time the Canadiens played seven consecutive games at home in the same season was Nov. 29-Dec. 13, 2008, when they finished 4-2-1.
The Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames visit Rogers Arena for the first time since their season-opener on Oct. 3 when they play the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN. SN1, SN360, CITY, NHL.TV). Calgary captain Mark Giordano has 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 52 games and is three points shy of establishing a single-season NHL career high. Also, the 35-year-old needs one point to become the 11th different defenseman in NHL history to have at least 55 points in a season at age 35 or older.
