The Winnipeg Jets kept scoring timely goals, a pair of forwards played well against their former teams, Bryan Little joined an exclusive Jets franchise list and Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano kept on defying Father Time.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL on Friday.
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The Jets know how to score timely goals
It didn’t take long for the Jets to take a lead against the struggling Detroit Red Wings, with Brandon Tanev scoring just 13 seconds into the game.
Brandon Tanev has the @NHLJets on the board just seconds in! pic.twitter.com/0RHukhcDTv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 12, 2019
Tanev became the fifth Jets player to register at least 10 goals so far this season, joining teammates Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers.
The Jets have made scoring in the first and last minute of periods a regular occurrence, as Blake Wheeler added to the fun by scoring with 0.4 seconds left in the first period.
Winnipeg’s second goal was the team’s 21st scored in either the first or last minute of a period this season, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Talk about a team having a knack for timely scoring…
Skinner and Sprong shine against former teams
Jeff Skinner returned to Carolina as a visiting player for the first time when the Sabres went up against the Hurricanes on Friday night.
The forward spent the first eight years of his NHL career with Carolina, tallying 204 goals and 379 points in 579 games with the organization before being traded to Buffalo this past off-season.
Fans made sure to show Skinner his contributions haven’t been forgotten.
Shortly after receiving an ovation, the first-year Sabre silenced the crowd by batting in his 30th goal of the season out of mid-air.
With his first period marker, the 26-year-old tied Richard Martin as the sixth-fastest Sabre to reach the 30-goal mark.
Skinner’s night did end on a sour note though, with the Sabres failing to escape Carolina with a win.
Ducks forward Daniel Sprong also had a night to remember, scoring against his former Pittsburgh Penguins. The 21-year-old now has two points in two games versus Pittsburgh since being traded to Anaheim in December.
Little joins exclusive company with 500th point
Little became the third player in Thrashers/Jets franchise history to reach 500 career NHL points after scoring in the second period against the Red Wings. Ilya Kovalchuk (615 points) and Wheeler (550 points) are the others to accomplish the feat.
Little has spent the entirety of his 12-year career with the franchise since breaking into the league at 20 years old and owns the club record for most games played with 798.
The former 12th overall pick has been a consistent presence over the years, eclipsing 40 points on eight separate occasions. He’s surpassed the 50-point mark twice, and finished the 2013-14 season with a career-best 64 points.
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Giordano continues his terrific age-35 season
It seems Giordano can do no wrong for the Flames this season.
The defenceman netted his seventh goal Friday off a wicked wrist shot, giving him 44 points in as many games so far this season.
Giordano is putting up career numbers at 35 years old. In only 44 games, he has already tied his previous season-best mark of 37 assists set back in 2014-15.
To give you further context on how successful the seemingly ageless Giordano has been, consider that no other defenceman who’s at least 35 years old has more than 20 points this season.
As long as he stays healthy, Giordano should remain in the Norris Trophy conversation down the stretch.
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