* Jack Hughes became the first Florida-born player in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season while skating opposite of fellow 2023 NHL All-Star Sidney Crosbywho also found the back of the net Sunday.
* Linus Ullmark earned his 25th win and joined a pair of fellow Bruins goaltenders atop an NHL list while teammate Charlie McAvoy netted a highlight-reel goal against the Sharks.
* Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau is set to make his return to Calgary in a contest that will air exclusively on ESPN+ and HULU in the US and finish a TVAS doubleheader in Canada. Sportsnet One will also carry the contest to close out a schedule that includes a national Sportsnet telecast from Toronto.
2023 NHL ALL-STARS HUGHES, CROSBY TRADE GOALS IN DEVILS WIN
With the NHL All-Star Game headed to Florida in less than two weeks, soon-to-be Metropolitan Division teammates Jack Hughes and Sidney Crosby each scored during their head-to-head matchup Sunday.
* Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) became the first Florida-born player in League history to score 30 goals in a season. He will soon become the first player born in the state to skate in more than one NHL All-Star Game (also 2022).
* Hughes (21 years, 253 days) followed Brendan Shanahan as the second player in Devils team history to reach the 30-goal mark in a season before his 22nd birthday. Shanahan netted his 30th goal of the 1989-90 campaign on March 29, 1990, at age 21 years, 65 days.
* Crosby, who was 18 when he hit the 30-goal mark for the first time during his rookie season (2005-06), netted his 539th career goal to overtake Keith Tkachuk (538) for sole possession of 33rd place in NHL history. Crosby – set to play in his fifth NHL All-Star Game – is one of two All-Star MVPs among the group headed to South Florida next month (also David Pastrnak).
ULLMARK EARNS 25TH WIN AS BRUINS BLANK SHARKS
Linus Ullmark stopped all 17 shots he faced while defensemen Charlie McAvoy (1-1-2) and Hampus Lindholm (1-1-2) chipped in offensively to help the Bruins (37-5-4, 78 points) earn their fifth straight win and bolster their lead atop the NHL standings.
* Ullmark improved to 25-2-1 and ranks as the NHL leader in wins, save percentage (.938) and goals against average (1.82) among all goaltenders (min. 5 GP). The Bruins netminder, who made his League debut with the Sabers in 2015-16, is set to appear in his first NHL All-Star Game.
* The Bruins have received goals from their blueline in five straight games dating to Jan. 14. The last time Boston had a streak of as many contests in the regular season was from March 8-15, 2014 (5 GP).
KELLER’S HAT TRICK AT MULLETT ARENA FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Sunday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a number of noteworthy performances from players on Western Conference clubs, including the Coyotes’ Clayton Keller who posted a hat trick in his team’s win against the Golden Knights at Mullett Arena.
* Keller, who became the first Coyotes player to record multiple hat tricks in a single season since Mikkel Boedker (2x) in 2015-16, reached the 40-point mark in a campaign for the fifth time in his career (18-23- 41 in 47 GP). Since the franchise relocated to Arizona, only Shane Doan (14x) and Radim Vrbata (6x) have posted more 40-point seasons with the club.
QUICK CLICKS
* Bruce Boudreau fired as Canucks coach, replaced by Rick Tocchet
* NHL Buzz: Alex Ovechkin Day to day with lower-body injury for Capitals
* With Johnny Gaudreau returning, the Blue Jackets have the Flames ready for an emotional night
* Zizing ‘Em Up: John Tavares closes in on 1,000 NHL games inspired by friends
* Ukrainian hockey team stages own miracle on ice in North America
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE, TOP GOAL SCORERS OPEN MONDAY’S SLATE…
Three of four clubs in action during the first half of Monday’s schedule are among a group of five teams that are separated by only six points in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings.
* The TVAS doubleheader begins at Madison Square Garden where the Rangers (25-14-7, 57 points) will look to pad their lead on the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division – a position they have held since Jan. 10. New York will be hosting the reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers (23-20-5, 51 points), who own an active five-game point streak (4-0-1) and have won seven of their past 10 games, including two straight. Florida’s stretch since Jan. 3 has helped them narrow the gap between them and a playoff spot from eight to three points as they aim to move into a Wild Card spot for the first time since Dec. 3.
* The Islanders share an identical record with the Panthers as they visit their former captain John Tavares and the Maple Leafs (28-11-8, 64 points), who have held the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division since Nov. 12. Toronto’s Mitchell Marner (8-21-29 in 20 home GP dating to Nov. 2) will look to continue his franchise-record home point streak, which includes nine multi-point showings and stands as the longest by any player since 2000-01 (Joe Sakic : 23 home GP w/ COL).
* The third game of the night is expected to include two of the top five goal scorers in the NHL in the Sabers forward. Tage Thompson (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Stars forward Jason Robertson (Arcadia, Calif.). Last season was the eighth campaign in League history to include multiple US-born players among the top five goal scorers in the NHL.
GAUDREAU PRIMED FOR RETURN TO CALGARY ON ESPN+
An ESPN+ and HULU exclusive in the US will see Johnny Gaudreau on the ice in Calgary as a visitor for the first time as he returns to the city where he collected 609 points with the Flames crest on his chest from 2013-14 to 2021-22. .
* Gaudreau’s final campaign in Calgary saw him post a career-high 115 points, the second-highest single-season total in franchise history, and lead the Flames to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time during his tenure. In addition to ranking among the top five on franchise lists for career regular-season assists (5th) and points (5th), Gaudreau collected 33 playoff points in a Flames sweater to top all Calgary skaters during his time with the club.
* While a lot has changed for Gaudreau in recent months – now a father, after he and wife Meredith welcomed daughter Noa in October – he continues to shine on the ice as he paces the Blue Jackets in goals (tied), assists and points. season (13-31-44 in 46 GP). The 29-year-old told NHL.com that he is expecting some jeers when he hits the ice Monday but overall is looking forward to the experience.
* The “Legend of Johnny Hockey” extends beyond his on-ice performance during nearly a decade in the Canadian Rockies. Gaudreau, who was on the ice for the first time when he was just a few days old, battled adversity throughout his hockey journey – often because of his size – to reach the NHL where he made a point to give back to the Calgary community by regularly hosting games at kids. An “NHL Skates Off” feature from October 2018 profiled “Johnny Hockey,” who learned to skate by chasing Skittles around the ice.
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