Connor Bedard became the first player to reach the 25-point mark this season and held the outright scoring lead for approximately seven hours before Nathan MacKinnon took top spot via a 2-3—5 night.
* Leo Carlsson extended his point streak to double digits and became just the second Swedish player in NHL history to do so at age 20 or younger as the Ducks defeated the reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets.
* Prime Monday Night Hockey heads to Edmonton tonight when Connor McDavid and the Oilers host Adam Fantilli and the Blue Jackets in one of several national telecasts slated for the week ahead.
MacKINNON TAKES OUTRIGHT POINTS LEAD; CARLSSON, BEDARD KEEP PACE
Nathan MacKinnon (2-3—5) recorded his 11th career five-point game to take the outright lead in this season’s scoring race, while 20-year-olds Leo Carlsson (2-0—2) and Connor Bedard (1-2—3) kept pace:
* MacKinnon passed Joe Sakic (10) for the second most five-point games in Avalanche/Nordiques history behind Peter Stastny (12) as Colorado (10-1-5, 25 points) opened a two-point lead atop the NHL standings. MacKinnon reached 381 career goals and passed Stastny (380) for third place on the franchise’s all-time list.
* Carlsson scored two of Anaheim’s four goals to help the Ducks extend their winning streak to seven games – their longest since 2021-22 (8 GP from Oct. 31 – Nov. 16, 2021). Carlsson, who became the second Swedish player in NHL history to record a 10-game point streak at age 20 or younger (also William Nylander: 12 GP in 2016-17), boosted his 2025-26 totals to 10-15—25 (15 GP) and became the fastest player in Ducks history to 25 points in a season – Teemu Selanne previously held the distinction (17 GP in 1995-96).
* Bedard extended his point streak to eight games via his second consecutive three-point outing to lift the Blackhawks to a third straight victory. Bedard (9-16—25 in 16 GP) tied Patrick Kane (16 GP in 2015-16) as the fastest Chicago skater to record 25 points in a season in the past 35 years.
HURRICANES CLAIM VICTORY IN ANNUAL ‘HOCKEY HALL OF FAME’ GAME IN TORONTO
After the Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead, the Maple Leafs battled back to go up 4-2 but Logan Stankoven (1-1—2) factored on the tying-goal and scored the winner to help Carolina claim victory in the annual ‘Hockey Hall of Fame’ game in Toronto. It marked the Hurricanes’ first multi-goal comeback win in regulation since Jan. 23 (7-4 W vs. CBJ).
* This year’s list of Honored Members includes Jennifer Botterill, Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Brianna Decker and Joe Thornton, who was honored by his former teammate Auston Matthews prior to the game. The official ceremony takes place tonight and more notes can be found in the #NHLStats Pack: Hockey Hall of Fame Player Inductees.
WINS BY KINGS, SENATORS, STARS AND WILD FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Sunday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the eight-game slate, including victories by Los Angeles, Ottawa, Dallas and Minnesota.
* Corey Perry (1-1—2) potted the Kings’ tying goal during the third period before Kevin Fiala (1-1—2) had the game winner and became the second Swiss player in NHL history to reach the 500-point milestone, following Roman Josi (729). Perry’s 11 points with Los Angeles are the second most by a player age 40 or older in franchise history behind Larry Robinson (13 in 1991-92).
QUICK CLICKS
* Statement from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the passing of Paul Tagliabue
* Macklin Celebrini jokes he sees dentist ‘a couple times’ on Warriors broadcast
* Erik Karlsson, Penguins excited to head to Stockholm for Global Series Sweden
* Zdeno Chara signing with Bruins among stories shared at Hockey Hall Fan Forum
* Jennifer Botterill‘s superstar skill, ‘kindhearted’ nature led her to Hall of Fame
OILERS, BLUE JACKETS SET TO CLASH ON PRIME MONDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
Prime Monday Night Hockey returns during tonight’s four-game slate when the Oilers host the Blue Jackets. Connor McDavid will look to continue to pile up points versus Columbus, while Adam Fantilli can reach the 90-point milestone in his NHL career.
* McDavid enters Monday with a career rate of 1.89 points per game against the Blue Jackets (9-25—34 in 18 GP) – the highest mark by any player versus the franchise in NHL history (min. 15 GP). The Oilers captain recorded 0-4—4 in his last meeting versus Columbus on Dec. 5, 2024 – one of 11 four-assist games in his career.
* Fantilli (45-44—89 in 145 GP) is one shy of reaching the 90-point mark in his NHL career and can become the fourth Blue Jackets player to reach the milestone in fewer than 150 games after debuting with the franchise. The list includes Pierre-Luc Dubois (128 GP), Nikolay Zherdev (131 GP) and Rick Nash (141 GP).
NATIONAL GAMES ON THE RADAR THIS WEEK
Five #NHLStats and storylines you need to know about other national broadcasts this week:
- Ducks at Avalanche on TNT, HBO Max and Sportsnet (Tuesday): Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche currently occupy first place in the NHL standings, while Leo Carlsson and the Ducks rank second. It could mark the first game between Colorado and Anaheim where either club occupies the top two spots in the League standings entering play.
- Rangers at Lightning on TNT, HBO Max and TVA Sports (Wednesday): Nikita Kucherov needs one goal to tie Martin St. Louis (365) for third place on the franchise’s all-time list. St. Louis skated parts of 13 seasons with Tampa Bay before helping New York reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, where the Rangers fell to their current goaltender Jonathan Quick and the Kings.
- Oilers at Blue Jackets on ESPN+, Hulu and Sportsnet (Thursday): Zach Werenski enters the week needing six points to reach 400 in his career. He can become the eighth fastest American defenseman in NHL history to reach the milestone behind Brian Leetch (380 GP), Quinn Hughes (421 GP), Gary Suter (421 GP), Phil Housley (444 GP), Mark Howe (456 GP), Reed Larson (497 GP) and Chris Chelios (515 GP).
- Bruins at Canadiens on Sportsnet and TVA Sports (Saturday): David Pastrnak, who has helped Boston record a six-game winning streak and climb within two points of Atlantic Division-leading Montreal, has found the score sheet in each of his last 10 contests against the Canadiens dating to Jan. 24, 2023. That’s tied for the third longest run by a Bruins player in the 100-year history of the rivalry.
- Maple Leafs at Blackhawks on Sportsnet (Saturday): Auston Matthews (1-1—2 in 4 GP; 2-1-1 record) is set to play his fifth career game against fellow No. 1 pick Connor Bedard (0-1—1 in 4 GP; 2-2-0 record) in another Original Six matchup. The five-game Hockey Night in Canada will also feature stops in Ottawa, Raleigh and Calgary in addition to Montreal and Chicago.
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