Anaheim’s young stars Leo Carlsson (2-1—3) and Cutter Gauthier (1-0—1) found the score sheet to help the Ducks earn their League-leading (tied) 21st comeback win of the season and move into first place in the Pacific Division.
* Connor McDavid surpassed Bobby Orr and moved into a tie with Bryan Trottier for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time three-assist games list in a contest that saw him extend a lengthy streak against the Predators and close the gap on second place in the Pacific Division.
* Monday opens with a five-game slate that features a doubleheader on ESPN starting with the Devils welcoming the Bruins before the Penguins visit the Avalanche – a contest that will also be on Prime Monday Night Hockey.
CARLSSON, GAUTHIER POWER DUCKS TO ANOTHER COMEBACK WIN
After Leo Carlsson (2-1—3) scored twice to put his team up 2-0, the Canadiens battled back with three straight goals but Troy Terry (1-2—3) evened the score less than two minutes later and Cutter Gauthier (1-0—1) found the back of the net in the third period to lift the Ducks to their 21st comeback win of the season – tied with the Canadiens for the most among all clubs. In the process, Anaheim (37-27-3, 77 points) leapfrogged idle Vegas (31-22-14, 76 points) for first place in the Pacific Division.
* Carlsson recorded his eighth career three-point game and tied Filip Forsberg for the sixth most by a Swedish player at age 21 or younger behind only Nicklas Backstrom (17 GP), Mats Sundin (16 GP), Elias Pettersson (10 GP), Lucas Raymond (9 GP) and Erik Karlsson (9 GP).
* Gauthier scored the Ducks seventh go-ahead goal in the final five minutes this season, which is tied with the Islanders for the most among all teams. The goal stood as his seventh game winner of 2025-26 – the most by a Ducks player in a single season since Frank Vatrano (7) in 2023-24. The last player with more for the franchise was Adam Henrique (8) in 2017-18.
MCDAVID CLIMBS NHL ALL-TIME LIST, EXTENDS STREAK VERSUS PREDATORS
Connor McDavid factored on all three of his team’s goals to climb the NHL’s three-assist games list and help Edmonton (33-26-9, 75 points) move within one point of second place in the Pacific Division, a position currently held by Vegas (31-22-14, 76 points). The Oilers extended their point streak against the Predators to seven games – their longest active run against an opponent (6-0-1 dating to Jan. 27, 2024) – while McDavid stretched a lengthy run of his own versus Nashville.
* McDavid extended his point streak against the Predators to 18 games dating to Oct. 27, 2018 (13-31—44), marking the second-longest active run against a single franchise behind his teammate, Leon Draisaitl (20 GP vs. CHI). The Oilers captain also matched the longest point streak of his career versus an opponent, which came against the Sharks (18 GP from 2017-18 to 2022-23).
* McDavid recorded his 61st career three-assist game and moved within two of 800 helpers in his career. He is on pace to become the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach the 800-assist milestone (780 GP) – the only two players to have done so in fewer games are Wayne Gretzky (527 GP) and Mario Lemieux (661 GP).
THEY WANT IN: JETS, SENATORS EARN WINS SUNDAY
The Jets and Senators, two teams sitting outside of the playoff picture, inched towards Wild Card spots in their respective conferences.
* Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor both scored to help the Jets improve to 71-9-5 when each of them find the back of the net in the same game and helped Winnipeg (28-28-10, 66 points) improve to 6-2-2 since the Olympic break. The Jets now sit five points back of the Kraken (31-26-9, 71 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, after sitting 11 points back coming out of the Olympics. Winnipeg has never overcome that high of a points deficit to make the playoffs in franchise history.
* In a contest that started with four game-tying goals between Ottawa and San Jose, it was the Senators who prevailed with three tallies in the final 10 minutes. Ottawa (34-23-9, 77 points) moved within three points of Detroit (36-23-8, 80 points) for the second Wild Card seed in the East and continue to chase consecutive postseason berths for the first since a two-year run from 2011-12 to 2012-13. The Senators scored seven or more goals in a game for the sixth time this season, which is their second most in a single campaign behind 2005-06 (7x).
McMANN SCORES AGAIN IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Sunday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured the Kraken (31-26-9, 71 points) jump over the Sharks (32-27-6, 70 points) and into the final Wild Card seed in the Western Conference, marking the fifth straight day the West has seen new teams in one of those spots. The contest featured Bobby McMann (1-1—2) become the first Kraken player to record multiple points in each of their first two games.
QUICK CLICKS
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* Wild GM eyes Stanley Cup after winning Olympic gold medal with Team USA
* NHL EDGE stats behind Anze Kopitar’s Kings points record
* Cole Hutson signs 3-year, entry-level contract with Capitals
PAIR OF DOUBLEHEADERS HIGHLIGHT MONDAY’S FIVE-GAME SLATE
The week opens with a five-game slate that features ESPN and Prime Monday Night Hockey doubleheaders, both of which will close with a clash between the Metropolitan Division’s second-place Penguins (33-18-15, 81 points) and League-leading Avalanche (44-12-9, 97 points) at Ball Arena. Colorado has sat atop the NHL standings for more than 100 consecutive game days since Nov. 1 as it pursues a fourth Presidents’ Trophy and fifth consecutive 100-point season, while Pittsburgh looks to make its first postseason appearance since 2021-22.
* Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson has recorded two assists in three of his past four games. Should he do so against the Avalanche tonight, Karlsson (147 GP) would move into a tie with Brian Leetch (148 GP) for the ninth-most multi-assist games by a defenseman in NHL history, behind Paul Coffey (278 GP), Ray Bourque (255 GP), Al MacInnis (198 GP), Larry Murphy (195 GP), Phil Housley (179 GP), Denis Potvin (179 GP), Nicklas Lidstrom (176 GP) and Bobby Orr (166 GP).
* Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar enters Monday one goal shy of his fourth career 20-goal season – third consecutive – and can tie Steve Duchesne and Ron Greschner for the 10th-most by a defenseman in NHL history behind Bourque (9), Potvin (9), Coffey (8), MacInnis (7), Housley (7), Orr (7), Reed Larson (6), Leetch (5) and Murphy (5).
NATIONAL GAMES ON THE RADAR THIS WEEK
Get set for the week ahead with five #NHLStats and storylines you need to know about national broadcasts on tap:
- Kaprizov Eyes Another Franchise Mark on TNT (Tuesday): Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov (40 GP) enters the week one multi-goal game back from matching Marian Gaborik (41 GP) for the most in franchise history and will continue his pursuit when Minnesota duels Chicago in the first of a home-and-home. In the process, Kaprizov (38) can also become the second player this season to reach the 40-goal mark, following Nathan MacKinnon (44).
- Kucherov Keeps Up Chase for First in NHL’s Scoring Race (Tuesday): The second game of the TNT doubleheader sees Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov continue his pursuit for his third consecutive Art Ross Trophy (fourth overall), when Tampa Bay battles Seattle. Despite facing a deficit in the scoring race as high as 22 points (Dec. 23, 2025), Kucherov (34-72—106) enters the week three points back of Nathan MacKinnon (44-65—109) for second place in the League’s scoring race and eight points back of Connor McDavid (37-77—114 points) for first place.
- Western Conference’s Top Clubs Clash on TNT (Wednesday): The Avalanche (44-12-9, 97 points) and Stars (42-14-10, 94 points) meet for the third time this season (COL: 1-0-1 & DAL: 1-0-1) – either club has held first or second place in the Central Division all but one day in 2025-26 (Oct. 30). Colorado (65 GP) enters the week three points back from 100 and can match its fewest games in franchise history to reach the mark (67 GP in 2021-22), while Dallas (66 GP) enters six points back and can require its fewest contests ever to hit the benchmark (current best: 70 GP).
- Original Six Showdown Spotlighted on ABC (Saturday): The Bruins (37-23-6, 80 points) and Red Wings (36-23-8, 80 points) clash in a crucial Atlantic Division matchup, with both occupying Wild Card positions in the East entering the week and tied for points. The last time both of these teams made the playoffs in the same season was 2013-14, when Boston eliminated the Detroit in the First Round.
- Hockey Night in Canada (Saturday): A three-game Hockey Night in Canada features the Senators and Maple Leafs contesting their latest rendition of the “Battle of Ontario.” Senators forward Tim Stützle (145-251—396 in 432 GP) enters the week four points shy from 400 and will play two contests before facing off against Toronto on Saturday. Stützle has recorded 10-15—25 in 26 regular-season games versus Toronto throughout his career, which stands as his second-highest total against a franchise.
