Daniel Sedin took another step towards history, Sidney Crosby continues to excel against the Florida Panthers and Joe Thornton climbed up the record books.
Here are five things we learned in the NHL on Friday night.
Sedin moving closer to 1,000
When Henrik Sedin recorded his 1,000th NHL point, the focus immediately shifted to Daniel and his pursuit of the milestone.
He is now 11 points away from reaching the 1,000-point club after scoring in the Vancouver Canucks‘ 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The goal was contentious as there was a challenge made for a potential offside, but the goal stood and Daniel moved closer to the historic feat.
If (when?) the day comes, the Sedins will become the first brothers to reach 1,000 points in the NHL. That’s quite a unique milestone.
Laine scores, the Jets win
The Winnipeg Jets experience a very common trend in their games these days.
Whenever Patrik Laine scores, the Jets usually win. It’s simple, yet crucial.
Laine scored a pair of goals as the Jets edged the Minnesota Wild 4-3 at home, which is the 20th time Winnipeg has won when the Finnish sniper is on the scoresheet.
While the 19-year-old will dominate the headlines, it was Blake Wheeler who hit a significant milestone. He scored his 200th career goal, becoming the fourth player from the 2004 NHL draft to reach the feat.
Crosby loves the Panthers
Certain players and teams match up well with each other, or poorly, depending on your outlook on the situation.
In Crosby’s case, he clearly enjoys facing the Panthers. He netted his fifth goal of the season in a 3-2 win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the fifth consecutive game in which the Penguins superstar has scored against Florida.
That goal also moved Crosby into sole possession of 71st on the NHL’s all-time points list. The next man to surpass? None other than Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin: the Overtime King
Speaking of Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals star buried the overtime winner in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
It was Ovechkin’s 20th overtime goal, which took him past Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history.
So if you’re in overtime against the Capitals, it might be smart to watch Ovechkin as he skates through the neutral zone. Otherwise, the game could be over at a moment’s notice.
Thornton climbs the charts
As for the all-time points leaders, Joe Thornton is now all alone in 21st on that list after recording (surprise!) an assist in the San Jose Sharks‘ 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Thornton is only three points behind Jari Kurri for 20th.
Additionally, Thornton is 13th on the all-time assists list, six behind Joe Sakic and 30 away from reaching the top 10.
Surely it’s only a matter of time until the Sharks centreman claims both of those positions.
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