* Auston Matthews netted his 30th goal of the season in dramatic fashion and became just the 10th player in NHL history to record at least eight straight 30-goal campaigns from the start of their career.
* Jack Hughes became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 30 assists in a season and helped New Jersey climb past Washington into a Wild Card position as the Devils gear up for the fast-approaching 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
* Thursday’s 13-game slate is highlighted by David Pastrnak and the Bruins battling Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on ESPN, with the network set to unveil the first 32 players to the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto during its broadcast.
MATTHEWS HITS 30-GOAL MARK WITH OVERTIME WINNER
It took until his 13th shot of the night – his second most in a single game (15 on March 25, 2023 at CAR) – to finally beat Lukas Dostal (55 saves), but Auston Matthews (1-0—1) made it count by reaching the 30-goal mark for the eighth straight season to start his career and helped the Maple Leafs (19-10-7, 45 points) edge the Ducks in overtime.
* Matthews, the second player in as many seasons and seventh different in the past 30 years to reach 30 goals in 35 games or fewer, required the fifth-fewest games in Maple Leafs history to reach the mark in a single season behind Babe Dye (19 GP in 1920-21, 23 GP in 1924-25 & 24 GP in 1921-22) and Frank Mahovlich (33 GP in 1960-61).
* The Scottsdale, Ariz. native, with nearly a quarter of the Maple Leafs’ goals in 2023-24 (30 of 125; 24%) required the third-fewest games by a U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach the 30-goal mark behind Kevin Stevens (30 GP in 1992-93 w/ PIT) and Pat LaFontaine (31 GP in 1991-92 w/ BUF).
* Matthews, who matched franchise icon Darryl Sittler (8 from 1973-74 – 1980-81) for the longest stretch of consecutive 30-goal campaigns, became the sixth U.S.-born player with at least eight such seasons during any point of their career alongside Joe Mullen (10), Keith Tkachuk (9), Mike Modano (9), Pat LaFontaine (9) and Tony Amonte (8).
HUGHES HITS 30 ASSISTS TO LIFT DEVILS INTO WILD CARD POSITION
Jack Hughes (0-1—1) collected his 30th assist of the season while Nico Hischier (2-1—3), Dawson Mercer (2-0—2) and Michael McLeod (2-0—2) each scored two goals to help the Devils (20-14-2, 42 points) overtake the Capitals for the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference thanks to a win at Capital One Arena.
* Hughes recorded his 30th assist in his 31st game of 2023-24 and became the fastest player in franchise history to reach the mark in a single campaign, besting Zach Parise’s pace in 2008-09 (33 GP). Aaron Broten (35 GP in 1987-88) is the only other player in franchise history to do so in 35 games or fewer.
* The Devils received multiple goals from at least three different players for the first time in nearly eight years and just the third time in the past 20 years. The other instances occurred on March 17, 2016 (3 vs. MIN) and Feb. 25, 2004 (3 vs. BUF).
* Erik Haula (0-2—2), who also potted a multi-point game, is one of six players on the Devils’ roster with previous experience in an outdoor game ( as the club continues to close in on the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 17 against the Flyers (8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+ & SN360). The others: Brendan Smith (3 GP), Tyler Toffoli (2 GP) Tomas Nosek (2023 WC), Cal Foote (2022 SS) and Ondrej Palat (2022 SS).
* Thanks to a Devils victory, all four teams competing in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series currently occupy a playoff position (NYR: M1, NYI: M3, PHI: WC1 & NJD: WC2).
QUICK CLICKS
* Connor McDavid gets 900th point in style, 'just another number' for Oilers captain
* Evgeni Malkin has let numbers do talking on road to 1,100 games for Penguins
* Andrew Ference, Kraken lead Winter Classic legacy initiative to grow hockey
* Muzz Patrick was boxing champ before winning Stanley Cup with Rangers
* Wednesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates
ESPN, SPORTSNET, TVA SPORTS TO UNVEIL ALL-STAR WEEKEND ROSTERS THURSDAY
ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports will unveil the first 32 players named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto during their broadcasts Thursday.
* Starting at 6:50 p.m. ET, the three networks will reveal the 16 Eastern Conference players. During the first intermission of the Penguins-Bruins game, the 16 Western Conference players will be named along with details for the Fan Vote to determine the remaining 12 All-Stars.
* The 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend was expanded to a three-day event:
Thursday, Feb. 1 – “NHL All-Star Thursday”
Friday, Feb. 2 – NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook
Saturday, Feb. 3 – Rogers NHL All-Star Game
* The NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook has a revamped format featuring 12 players competing for points in eight events, with the winner taking home a prize of $1 million.
