* The Oilers continued to roll Thursday, extending their win streak to 12 games and matching the longest run by a Canadian team in NHL history with the help of their star players, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
* David Pastrnak, Auston Matthews and T.J. Oshie each netted hat tricks in their respective team’s wins, bringing the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation up to $280,000.
* Nikita Kucherov was one of a number of 2024 NHL All-Stars that had notable performances Thursday, becoming the third-fastest active player to reach the 500-assist milestone.
* A four-game Friday will see multiple Eastern Conference teams battling for position in action, including the Red Wings who will look to overtake third in the Atlantic Division when they face off against the Hurricanes on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
OILERS MAKE IT 12-0-0
Leon Draisaitl (1-3—4) factored on all of Edmonton’s goals and Connor McDavid extended his home point streak to 15 games to help the Oilers overcome a 2-0 deficit and extend their winning streak to 12-0-0 dating to Dec. 21. Edmonton (25-15-1, 51 points) jumped over Los Angeles (21-13-8, 50 points) into third place in the Pacific Division – a position it holds after spending 85 percent of the season outside of a playoff spot.
* Three of the Oilers’ four multi-goal comeback victories so far this season have occurred during their winning streak, with two coming in as many games (also Jan. 16 vs. TOR & Dec. 30 at LAK). Edmonton secured consecutive multi-goal comeback wins for the third time in the past 20 years (also 3 GP in 2005-06 & 2 GP in 2021-22).
* Draisaitl secured his 25th four-point outing, tied with Glenn Anderson for the fifth most in franchise history behind Wayne Gretzky (158), Jari Kurri (45), McDavid (35) and Mark Messier (27). That total also sits fifth among active players behind Sidney Crosby (38), McDavid (35), Alex Ovechkin (32) and Evgeni Malkin (29).
* Meanwhile, Kris Knoblauch improved his record to begin his tenure with the Oilers to 22-6-0 dating to Nov. 13 – the only team with as many wins over that span is the Jets (22). He became the fifth coach in NHL history to record a win streak of 12-plus games in his first season with a franchise, joining Tom Johnson (13 GP in 1970-71 w/ BOS), Andrew Brunette (13 GP in 2021-22 w/ FLA), Bob Hartley (12 GP in 1998-99 w/ COL) and Bruce Boudreau (12 GP in 2016-17 w/ MIN). He also joined Johnson, Brunette and Hartley as the only head coaches in League history to have a streak of as many contests in their first NHL season as a bench boss.
HATS WERE FLYING ACROSS THE NHL ON THURSDAY
Three players, including two that will participate in 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, recorded a hat trick Thursday bringing the season total to 56. With every hat trick this season, AstraZeneca will donate $5,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation up to $500,000. Click here for more information.
* David Pastrnak opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the contest and added two more to help the Bruins (27-8-9, 63 points) secure a victory and leapfrog the Jets (29-10-4, 62 points) for second place in the overall NHL standings. It marked Pastrnak’s 16th career hat trick – only Phil Esposito (26) has more with the Bruins. Pastrnak will represent the Bruins at 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend and participate in 2024 NHL Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook.
* T.J. Oshie scored his sixth career regular-season hat trick, tied with Johnny Gaudreau and Joe Pavelski for the fifth most among active U.S.-born players (min. 1 GP in 2023-24) behind Matthews (11), Patrick Kane (9), Cam Atkinson (7) and Max Pacioretty (7). He also became the second player to record a hat trick against the Blues after being drafted by the franchise, joining Jocelyn Lemieux (3-0—3 on Feb. 20, 1990 w/ CHI).
* Auston Matthews (3-1—4), who like Pastrnak will participate in both events during 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto, netted his 11th career hat trick to help the Maple Leafs snap a four-game winless stretch. Matthews, who leads the League with 37 goals this season, matched Joe Mullen, John LeClair and Kevin Stevens for the second-most hat tricks by a U.S. born player in NHL history behind only Pat LaFontaine (13). Matthews also recorded his 71st career multi-goal game and tied Darryl Sittler for the most in Maple Leafs history.
MORE ALL-STARS CONTINUE TO SHINE
With two weeks remaining until 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, several of the stars from across the League expected to make an appearance put up notable performances:
* Nathan MacKinnon scored to extend his point streak to 10 contests (5-12—17 in 10 GP) after also posting a 19-game run earlier this season. He is the first Avalanche player to have multiple double-digit point streaks in the same season since Joe Sakic in 2005-06 (13 GP & 10 GP).
* Rasmus Dahlin scored one of three Sabres goals as the club earned a shutout victory against the Blackhawks. He boosted his career totals to 59-210—269 (399 GP) – the second-most goals and points by a Sabres defenseman prior to their 400th NHL game, behind only Phil Housley (113-246—359 in 399 GP).
* Brady Tkachuk (1-1—2) opened the scoring en route to recording his 80th career multi-point game, passing Radek Bonk for sole possession of seventh most in Senators history. Tkachuk (144-167—311 in 399 GP), who is expected to skate in his 400th career contest during Hockey Day in Canada on Saturday, is already tied with Mark Stone (123-188—311 in 366 GP) for the fifth-most points among players to debut with Ottawa through the 400-game milestone – a list topped by Jason Spezza (147-269—416 in 400 GP).
* Nikita Kucherov (0-3—3) factored on three of the Lightning’s seven goals – their third outing this season with at least that many tallies – to help Tampa Bay earn a win against Minnesota. Kucherov reached the 500-assist milestone and required the third-fewest games (688 GP) among active players to hit the mark, behind Connor McDavid (527 GP) and Sidney Crosby (554 GP).
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates for Jan. 18, 2023
* Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award nominations open
* NHL All-Star Skills entertainment: The Glorious Sons, Talk, Chxrry22, Dinah Jane
* Jamie Benn glad ‘Hockey Day in Canada’ to spotlight Victoria, British Columbia
* Wild captain Jared Spurgeon out for the season
EASTERN CONFERENCE RACE KEY TO FRIDAY’S MATCHUPS
A four-game Friday will see multiple Eastern Conference teams jockey for position as the Red Wings (23-16-5, 51 points) put their three-game win streak on the line in their bid to return to the postseason for the first time since 2015-16. Detroit will face Carolina (24-14-5, 53 points) in a game broadcast nationally in Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
* The Islanders (19-15-10, 48 points) and Devils (22-17-3, 47 points) will look to snap winless stretches when they face the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets, respectively. New York and New Jersey both are among a cluster of four teams that sit within four points of the Lightning (23-17-5, 51 points) for the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference.
* The Islanders and Devils will both be part of the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium which will feature back-to-back outdoor games with the Flyers facing the Devils on Saturday, Feb. 17 (8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, TVAS-D, SN1) including a pre-game concert and intermission performance by The Jonas Brothers followed by the Rangers facing the Islanders on Sunday, Feb. 18 (3 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), which will include an intermission performance from indie pop band AJR. More details and ticket information can be found at this link.
