NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 18, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

NHL, BRUINS UNVEIL WINTER CLASSIC LEGACY PROJECT

The NHL, Bruins and city of Boston – with assistance from League partners Constellation, Bridgestone, Ecore, Exelon, Franklin Sports and Musco – unveiled a renovated street hockey rink in Charlestown, Mass., as part of the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Legacy Initiative powered by Constellation, an ongoing philanthropic endeavor in which the NHL, the local club and League partners support community organizations in the host city of an NHL event.

The renovated Bryan McGonagle Street Hockey Rink – now ADA accessible – includes a new scoreboard, rink boards, team benches and spectator seating; new goaltender nets with 10 sets of new street hockey equipment; new rubber matting surrounding the rink made of recycled Bridgestone tires, removing approximately 120 spent tires from the waste stream and redirecting them into a sustainable, long-term use; and landscaping enhancements such as newly planted trees.

Constellation, the NHL’s official energy services provider, also facilitated the installation of new light poles and LED lighting fixtures that will allow the community to use the rink in the evenings.

Click here for complete details.
Click here to watch a video from the unveiling.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
BUFFALO 3, Anaheim 0
Florida 5, NEW JERSEY 1
PHILADELPHIA 2, Vancouver 0
San Jose 5, TORONTO 4 (OT)
Los Angeles 3, MONTREAL 0
ST. LOUIS 2, Nashville 1
MINNESOTA 5, NY Rangers 2
CHICAGO 4, Edmonton 0
Calgary 3, DALLAS 1
COLORADO 2, NY Islanders 1
Columbus 7, ARIZONA 5

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

Ten players, including three sets of teammates, registered three points on Thursday to power their clubs to victories:
Teuvo Teravainen (CHI): 2-1—3
Jonathan Toews (CHI): 1-2—3
Marian Hossa (CHI): 0-3—3
Cam Atkinson (CBJ): 1-2—3
Brandon Saad (CBJ): 1-2—3
Alexander Wennberg (CBJ): 1-2—3
Brent Burns (SJS): 1-2—3
Joe Pavelski (SJS): 1-2—3
Mikko Koivu (MIN): 2-1—3
Brandon Pirri (FLA): 1-2—3

SCORCHING FLAMES EXTEND WINNING STREAK TO SEVEN GAMES

The Flames scored three unanswered goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit, defeat the League-leading Stars and extend their winning streak to seven games, their longest such run since Nov. 1-16, 2005 (8-0-0).

* The Flames’ winning streak is three games shy of the franchise record, set Oct. 14 – Nov. 3, 1978, when the team was based in Atlanta (10-0-0).
* The Flames became the fourth team to post a winning streak of seven or more games this season. The others: the Canadiens (9-0-0: Oct. 7-24), Rangers (9-0-0: Oct. 25 – Nov. 15) and Kings (7-0-0: Oct. 16-31).
* Johnny Gaudreau, who collected the primary assist on the Flames’ first goal, has 7-5—12 and a +9 rating during the club’s winning streak. He paces the team and shares seventh in the NHL with 12-21—33 overall this season (31 GP).
* Karri Ramo made 35 saves, including 17 in the third period, to pick up his fifth straight victory. That is one shy of his career high established Nov. 15 – Dec. 4, 2014 (6-0-0).

CRAWFORD LEADS BLACKHAWKS TO ANOTHER SHUTOUT VICTORY . . .

Corey Crawford turned aside all 33 shots he faced, including 15 in the middle frame, to record his third shutout in his past four contests and lead the Blackhawks to a sweep of their three-game season series with the Oilers.

* Via Elias, Crawford became the first Blackhawks goaltender to pick up three or more shutouts in a span of four team games since 1973-74, when Tony Esposito achieved that feat from Feb. 13-20 (3 SO in 4 GP).
* Crawford, who totaled four shutouts over the past two seasons (116 GP), moved into sole possession of first place in the NHL with his fifth blank sheet of 2015-16 (26 GP). He boasts a 16-8-2 record overall (2.14 GAA, .928 SV%, 5 SO).
* Crawford also improved to 9-5-0 in 16 career appearances vs. EDM (2.39 GAA, .916 SV%, 1 SO), including seven consecutive head-to-head victories over the past three seasons (1.69 GAA, .947 SV%, 1 SO).
* The line of Teuvo Teravainen (2-1—3), Jonathan Toews (1-2—3) and Marian Hossa (0-3—3) combined for 3-6—9. Teravainen established career highs with his first career multi-goal and three-point performances.

. . . OTHERS ALSO STOP THEM ALL

Three other goaltenders also earned shutout wins on Thursday:

* Jonathan Quick denied all 45 shots he faced, including 18 in the first period, to pick up his 39th career shutout (second this season) and guide the Kings to an 8-1-2 record in their last 11 games. Quick (Milford, Conn.) moved into sole possession of third place in NHL history for shutouts by a U.S.-born goaltender, one behind John Vanbiesbrouck (Detroit, Mich.) and Frank Brimsek (Eveleth, Minn.).
* Chad Johnson made a career-high 44 saves, including 19 in the final frame, to earn his fourth career shutout (first this season) and lead the Sabres to their first clean sheet since Dec. 9, 2014 vs. LAK (Jhonas Enroth: 34 SV in 1-0 W). Johnson’s 44 saves were the most ever by a Sabres goaltender in a regular-season shutout; Ryan Miller previously held that record with 43 saves on Feb. 29, 2012 at ANA (2-0 W).
* Steve Mason stopped all 36 shots he faced, including 16 in the second period, to post his 28th career shutout (second this season) and lift the Flyers to their third victory in their past four contests. Philadelphia’s five team shutouts share second in the NHL this season (w/ CHI), one off the League lead held by Minnesota (6).

CENTRAL TEAMS CONTINUE TO ROLL

A trio of Central Division teams – the Wild, Avalanche and Blues – picked up wins on Thursday to continue their recent hot streaks:

* Mikko Koivu (2-1—3) posted his second consecutive three-point performance to lead the Wild to their third straight win and a 6-0-3 record in their past nine games, their longest point streak since Jan. 20 – Feb. 14 (8-0-2). Koivu, who registered 1-3—4 on Tuesday vs. VAN, has collected consecutive three-point games for the second time in his career, also Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2008 (3-3—6).
* Francois Beauchemin scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 3:48 remaining in regulation, to power the Avalanche to their fourth consecutive victory and seventh win in their last nine contests (7-2-0). Beauchemin notched his fifth career multi-goal performance and first since March 18, 2013 vs. SJS (2-0—2 w/ ANA).
* The Blues overcame a 1-0 deficit in the third period, including the tiebreaking goal by Vladimir Tarasenko with 5:20 left on the clock, to earn their fifth victory in their past seven outings. Tarasenko scored for the fourth straight game (4-2—6) to move into a share of first place in the NHL (w/ Jamie Benn) with 20 goals this season (32 GP).

AROUND THE RINKS

* Seven different players scored – led by 1-2—3 apiece from Cam Atkinson, Brandon Saad and Alexander Wennberg – to help the Blue Jackets snap a five-game skid (0-3-2). Via Elias, it marked the first time in franchise history that seven different players scored for the Blue Jackets in one game.
* The Maple Leafs recorded four consecutive goals to erase a 2-0 deficit, but the Sharks then scored three straight times – including the winner by Brent Burns (1-2—3) at 2:13 of overtime – to pick up their League-leading 12th road win of the season (12-5-1, 25 points).
* Brandon Pirri established a career high with 1-2—3 to power the Panthers to a 7-2-0 record in their past nine road games following a 2-4-2 start to the season as visitors. Pirri also extended his point streak to a career-high five games (2-5—7).

DID YOU KNOW?

With the Sharks’ victory, 78 of 114 games – including each of the past 10 such contests – have been decided in the 3-on-3 overtime period this season (68.4%).

Last season, under the 4-on-4 format, the percentage of overtime periods with goals was 44.4% (136 of 306).

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr (0-1—1) moved within seven assists of becoming the sixth player in NHL history to collect 1,100 in his career.
* Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla (1,425 GP) moved into sole possession of 27th place on the NHL’s all-time games played list, while Coyotes captain Shane Doan (1,416 GP) climbed into a tie for 30th place (w/ Al MacInnis).
* Stars forward Jason Spezza (800) and Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler (600) both played in milestone games.
* Forward David Clarkson scored his first goal with the Blue Jackets (16 GP).
* Darryl Sutter (LAK) coached his 1,152nd career game to move past Marc Crawford and into sole possession of 15th place on the NHL’s all-time list among head coaches.

LOOSE PUCKS

After seeing his record-setting point streak end at 26 games on Tuesday, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane collected one assist – the 30th time he has registered at least one point in 33 appearances this season (19-28—47) . . . Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves to extend his personal winning streak to five games (0.99 GAA, .969 SV%, 1 SO) . . . Wild teammates Zach Parise (3-6—9) and Jason Pominville (1-5—6) and Blues teammates Kevin Shattenkirk (1-7—8) and David Backes (4-3—7) all extended their point streaks to six games . . . Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier (vs. Chris Tierney) and Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk (vs. Keith Yandle) both stopped penalty shots. Goaltenders have denied 24 of 31 penalty shot attempts this season (77.4%) . . . Coyotes forward Viktor Tikhonov (1-0—1) scored his first NHL goal since March 21, 2009 vs. VAN . . . Sabres forward Cal O’Reilly (0-1—1) recorded his first NHL point since Feb. 5, 2012 at NJD (w/ PIT) . . . Wild forward Jarret Stoll, who was claimed off waivers from the Rangers on Tuesday, won 11 of 15 face-offs (73.3%) while making his team debut against his former club . . . ICYMI: The Blues honored Predators defenseman Barret Jackman with a tribute video in his return to St. Louis. Jackman, the 17th overall selection in the 1999 NHL Draft, played his first 13 NHL seasons with the Blues (28-153—181 in 803 GP) . . . The NHL fined Senators forward Zack Smith $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment).

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Boston @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., TVAS, NESN, ROOT
Tampa Bay @ Washington, 7:00 p.m., SUN, CSN-DC
Florida @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., FS-F, FS-CR
San Jose @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., CSN-CA, TSN5, RDS
Vancouver @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., SN, FS-D+
NY Rangers @ Winnipeg, 8:00 p.m., MSG+, TSN3
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NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 17, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

NHL, BRUINS UNVEIL WINTER CLASSIC LEGACY PROJECT

The NHL, Bruins, city of Boston and Constellation will unveil a renovated street hockey rink this afternoon in Charlestown, Mass., as a lasting legacy of the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.

Gary Bettman will join Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, Bruins president Cam Neely and Boston mayor Martin Walsh, among others, for the ceremony, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET at Ryan Playground (75 Alford St., Charlestown, MA 02129).

Media planning to attend the event should RSVP to Jasmine Ghafour at jghafour@nhl.com.

TRAINING CAMPS, PRE-TOURNAMENT GAMES FOR WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

The NHL and NHLPA announced training camp information and a slate of 12 pre-tournament games for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

Training camps and pre-tournament games will be held in locations across North America and Europe. Training camps for all eight teams are expected to begin Sept. 4-5, with specific details for each federation to be announced in the coming weeks. All eight clubs will play a total of three pre-tournament games.

Click here for complete details.

U.S. HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame will induct four new members – Ron DeGregorio, Chris Drury, Angela Ruggiero and Mathieu Schneider – tonight as part of its class of 2015.

The ceremony, which will be held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel (7:00 p.m. ET), also will honor Lester Patrick Trophy recipients Bob Crocker and Jeremy Jacobs. Additionally, Emile Francis will be presented the Wayne Gretzky International Award.

Click on the respective links for more information on each honoree.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
WASHINGTON 2, Ottawa 1
BOSTON 3, Pittsburgh 0

HOLTBY EXTENDS POINT STREAK AS CAPITALS OUTLAST SENATORS

Braden Holtby made 26 saves to backstop the Capitals to their third consecutive victory and a 10-1-1 record in their past 12 contests.

* At 22-6-2 (46 points), the Capitals continued their best start to a season – in terms of wins and points – in the franchise’s 41-year history. They also moved within two points of the idle Stars (23-6-2, 48 points) for first place in the NHL standings.
* The Capitals picked up their sixth consecutive win at home to improve to 12-3-1 (25 points) this season at Verizon Center. Their 12 home victories and 25 home points are tied for second in the NHL, behind only the Rangers (13-4-1, 27 points).
* Holtby, who leads all goaltenders with 20 wins and a 1.83 goals-against average this season (25 GP), extended his career-high point streak to 13 games (12-0-1, 1.67 GAA, .945 SV%, 1 SO), including four straight victories. He has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of those 13 contests.
* Holtby also extended his winning streak at Verizon Center to nine games, boosting his home record to 12-2-0 in 14 appearances this season (1.78 GAA, .934 SV%, 1 SO). Elias says that he became the third goaltender in Capitals history to win nine or more consecutive home decisions within one season. The others: Olie Kolzig (10 in 1999-00) and Jose Theodore (9 in 2009-10).

RASK, BRUINS STAY HOT WITH SHUTOUT OF PENGUINS

Tuukka Rask stopped all 34 shots he faced, including 18 in the second period, to earn his 30th career shutout (all w/ BOS) and help the Bruins pick up points for the 12th time in their last 13 outings (9-1-3).

* At 17-19-4 (38 points), the Bruins moved within five points of the idle Canadiens (20-9-3, 43 points) – their opponent in the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – for first place in the Atlantic Division. Boston holds two games in hand.
* Rask moved into a share of the League lead with his fourth shutout of the season (22 GP), joining Jake Allen (STL), Corey Crawford (CHI) and Devan Dubnyk (MIN).
* Rask also extended his point streak to nine games, compiling a 7-0-2 record with a 1.36 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and three shutouts in that span. That comes on the heels of a 5-7-1 start to the season (3.18 GAA, .890 SV%, 1 SO).
* Rask’s 30 shutouts rank fourth in Bruins history, one behind former teammate Tim Thomas:

Most Shutouts, Bruins History
1. Tiny Thompson: 74
2. Frank Brimsek: 35
3. Tim Thomas: 31
4. Tuukka Rask: 30
5. Eddie Johnston: 27

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Penguins forward Conor Sheary, a native of Winchester, Mass., made his NHL debut at TD Garden in Boston (16:41 TOI).
* Forward Max Talbot, who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal with the Penguins in 2008-09, registered his first goal with the Bruins (29 GP) while facing his former team.

LOOSE PUCKS

Senators captain Erik Karlsson collected his League-leading 28th assist of the season (32 GP). He paces defensemen and shares fourth among all skaters with 7-28—35 overall . . . Capitals forward Michael Latta (1-1—2) registered his second career multi-point performance (89 GP). The other: Dec. 18, 2014 at CBJ (0-2—2) . . . Bruins forward Jimmy Hayes (1-1—2) snapped a 15-game drought with his first goal since Nov. 5 at WSH . . . Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond (23 SV) made his first start since Nov. 12, but suffered his second career regulation loss in the regular season (22-2-4, 1.85 GAA, .939 SV%, 3 SO) . . . Capitals defenseman John Carlson scored the game-winning goal to extend his point streak to four contests (2-3—5). He has 2-9—11 in his past 10 outings . . . Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron (0-1—1) extended his point streak to six games (1-6—7) . . . ICYMI: Click here for a recap of the premiere of Road to the NHL Winter Classic, the four-part series chronicling the Bruins and Canadiens as they prepare for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day . . . The Capitals debuted their third jersey, which is modeled after the team’s original red jersey worn from 1974-75 through 1994-95.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 16: John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his second period goal against the Ottawa Senators at Verizon Center on December 16, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Anaheim @ Buffalo, 7:00 p.m., PRIME, FS-SD, MSG-B, BELL TV
Florida @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m., FS-F, MSG+
Vancouver @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., SN360, CSN-PH
San Jose @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m., CSN-CA, TSN4
Los Angeles @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m., FS-W, CITYM, RDS
Nashville @ St. Louis, 8:00 p.m., FS-TN, FS-MW
NY Rangers @ Minnesota, 8:00 p.m., MSG, FS-N, FS-WI
Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30 p.m., SNOL, CSN-CH
Calgary @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., SNF, FS-SW+
NY Islanders @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., MSG+ 2, ALT
Columbus @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., FS-O, FS-A

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