NHL NEWS JANAURY 16, 2023 – JETS FLY INTO TOP SPOT IN WESTERN CONFERENCE AS MORRISSEY HITS 40 ASSISTS

Josh Morrissey (0-1—1) joined Erik Karlsson (13-43—56 in 44 GP) as the second defenseman to hit the 40-assist mark in 2022-23 as the Jets (29-14-1, 59 points) overtook the idle Golden Knights (28-14-2, 58 points) for first place in the Western Conference. Morrissey (8-40—48 in 44 GP) is tied with Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin (13-35—48 in 40 GP) for second in scoring among defensemen this season behind Karlsson.

• This marks the second time in Jets/Thrashers history that the club has occupied first place in the conference standings this late in the season (min. 40 GP). The other instance came in 2018-19 when the Jets took over the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by improving to 36-18-3 (57 GP) on Feb. 12, 2019 – a stay that lasted only two days.
• The Western Conference has now seen three teams take hold of the top spot since Jan. 10: Dallas held first place for two days and Vegas held it for four over that span before Winnipeg’s win Sunday.
• Morrissey (44 GP) became the fourth different Jets/Thrashers defenseman to record 40 assists in a season and the fastest to do so. He now sits just five assists back of setting a new single-season club record for a blueliner.
• Morrissey is one of three players in Jets/Thrashers history to hit the 40-assist mark in fewer than 45 contests, following forwards Blake Wheeler (35 GP in 2018-19) and Marc Savard (43 GP in 2005-06 w/ ATL).

BOESER SCORES LATE GAME-TYING GOAL

After Carolina’s Sebastian Aho scored a go-ahead goal with less than three minutes to play, Brock Boeser tied the game with 17 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Canucks secure their fifth multi-goal comeback win of the season, tied with the Devils for the most among all teams. Vancouver has recorded more multi-goal comeback wins in a campaign six times in franchise history.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: PHILLIPS SCORES FIRST NHL GOAL

Blackhawks defenseman Isaak Phillips scored his first NHL goal Saturday while skating in his 13th game and ninth this season (1-2—3 in 9 GP). Phillips, whose dad is from St. Vincent, Caribbean, helped Team Jamaica go 8-0-0 to win the 2018 U-20 Team Elite Prospect Hockey Showcase tournament championship in Toronto. Jamaica joined the IIHF as an associate member on May 18, 2012 and at that time became the first Caribbean nation to do so.

START YOUR WEEK WITH A DAY FULL OF HOCKEY

The busiest Monday of the 2022-23 schedule will commence at 1 p.m. ET with puck drop between four American teams – the Panthers (20-20-4, 44 points), Sabres (21-18-2, 44 points), Flyers (18-18-7, 43 points) and Bruins (33-5-4, 70 points) – as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed across the United States.

Here are storylines to look out for on Monday’s 11-game slate:

• The Kraken return home to put their franchise-record eight-game winning streak on the line – the NHL’s longest active run. Seattle has scored eight-plus goals twice during their current run, including last game (also 8 on Jan. 7), and a total of four times this season (also 9 on Nov. 29 & 8 on Nov. 23). They became the first team since the Penguins in 2011-12 (4 GP) with as many eight-plus goal outings in a campaign – the last team with more was Pittsburgh in 1995-96 (10 GP).
• Jason Robertson (29-31—60 in 44 GP) and Mikko Rantanen (29-24—53 in 41 GP) each enter Monday with the opportunity to join the 30-goal club this season, which currently features five players: Connor McDavid (37), David Pastrnak (33), Tage Thompson (31), Bo Horvat (30) and Alex Ovechkin (30). Both Robertson and Rantanen could become the fastest player to reach the 30-goal mark with their team since each club relocated to Dallas and Colorado, respectively.
• Jack Hughes (28-26—54 in 43 GP) will look to help the Devils (28-12-3, 59 points), who sit second in the Metropolitan Division, extend their road winning streak to seven games – something they have done only five times in franchise history and already once this season (11 GP in 2022-23). Hughes has multiple points in each of his past two outings and multiple goals in three of his past five – he leads all players this month with 8-5—13 (7 GP), two more points than NHL-leading scorer Connor McDavid who shares third with 5-6—11 in (7 GP).
• Juuso Parssinen will aim to extend his point streak to seven games (1-7—8 in 6 GP) and match Filip Forsberg (7 GP in 2014-15) for the longest run by a rookie in franchise history when Nashville takes to the ice Monday. He has already established a Predators record for longest assist streak by a rookie with his current run (6 GP). Parssinen, Nashville’s seventh-round pick in 2019, has 4-13—17 (28 GP) in his first year with the club after skating with TPS in Finland’s top professional league last season.
• Tage Thompson (31-27—58 in 41 GP) and Rasmus Dahlin (13-35—48 in 40 GP) both sit two points shy of season milestones – the 60- and 50-point mark – with Thompson sitting third in the NHL in goals and Dahlin tied for second among defensemen in points.

Jones, Raymond and Kucherov Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

Seattle Kraken goaltender Martin Jones, Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending January 15, 2023.

FIRST STAR – MARTIN JONES, G, SEATTLE KRAKEN

Jones went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and two shutouts to help the Kraken (26-12-4, 56 points) earn four wins en route to becoming the first team in NHL history to sweep a road trip of seven or more games. He opened the week with consecutive shutouts, making 21 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens Jan. 9 and 27 stops in a 3-0 win against the Boston Bruins Jan. 12 – the latter performance snapping the Bruins’ season-opening home point streak at 22 contests (19-0-3). It marked the second time in Jones’ NHL career that he has posted back-to-back shutouts, following Oct. 10-13, 2015 (w/ SJS), and the first clean sheet by a visiting goaltender in Boston since Feb. 10, 2022 (Frederik Andersen w/ CAR). Jones then turned aside 22 shots in an 8-5 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks Jan. 14 as Seattle finished its road trip with a 7-0-0 record and extended its overall winning streak to eight games dating to Jan. 1. The 33-year-old Jones has made 28 starts and 31 total appearances in 2022-23, ranking third in the NHL with 21 wins (21-5-3) and sharing second place with three shutouts to go along with a 2.76 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.

SECOND STAR – LUCAS RAYMOND, LW, DETROIT RED WINGS

Raymond registered 3-4—7 in three contests to guide the Red Wings (18-16-7, 43 points) to a pair of victories. He began the week with consecutive three-point performances (a first in his NHL career), collecting 1-2—3 in both a 7-5 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets Jan. 10 and a 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Jan. 12. The 20-year-old Raymond then scored once in a 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Jan. 14; it marked his 36th career goal, the third-most by a Detroit skater before age 21 behind only Steve Yzerman (83) and Dylan Larkin (40). Raymond, who compiled 23-34—57 in 2021-22 (82 GP) en route to being selected to the All-Rookie Team and finishing fourth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting, sits third on the Detroit Red Wings with 13-17—30 through 41 total games this season.

THIRD STAR – NIKITA KUCHEROV, RW, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Kucherov collected 3-4—7 (including 1-4—5 on the power play) in three outings to propel the Lightning (27-13-1, 55 points) to a perfect week. He notched 2-2—4, highlighted by the game-winning goal, in a 6-3 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets Jan. 10. It marked Kucherov’s 21st career four-point performance, which ranks second in the NHL since he entered the League in 2013-14 (behind only Connor McDavid: 30). Kucherov then posted 1-1—2 in a 5-4 victory against the Vancouver Canucks Jan. 12 before closing the week with an assist in a 4-2 win versus the St. Louis Blues Jan. 14. The 29-year-old Kucherov has skated in 41 total contests this season, placing among the League leaders in assists (2nd; 45), power-play assists (2nd; 22), points (3rd; 62) and power-play points (3rd; 28).

RED WINGS ASSIGN ALEX NEDELJKOVIC TO GRAND RAPIDS

The Detroit Red Wings today assigned goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and activated defenseman Robert Hagg from injured reserve.

Nedeljkovic, 27, made six starts during his conditioning stint with the Griffins, posting a 3-2-1 record with a 2.30 goals-against average, a 0.920 save percentage and one shutout. The 6-foot, 208-pound goaltender has also appeared in nine games with the Red Wings this season, holding a 2-4-2 record with a 4.09 goals-against average and a 0.880 save percentage. Nedeljkovic was acquired by the Red Wings in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 22, 2021 and led all NHL rookie netminders in games played (59), shots against (1,796), saves (1,618), time on ice (3,230:48), shutouts (4) and assists (2) during the 2021-22 campaign. He finished third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy and made the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2020-21 after showing a 15-5-3 record with a 1.90 goals-against average, a 0.932 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 appearances with the Hurricanes, in addition to logging a 4-5 record with a 2.17 goals-against average, a 0.930 save percentage and one shutout in nine postseason contests. Originally selected by Carolina in the second round (37th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Nedeljkovic has compiled a 39-35-15 record with a 2.98 goals-against average, a 0.906 save percentage and seven shutouts in 97 appearances over parts of six NHL seasons with the Red Wings and Hurricanes since 2016-17. Nedeljkovic also earned a Calder Cup championship with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in 2019 after leading the AHL in wins (34) for the second-consecutive year and goals-against average (2.26) en route to claiming the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s top goaltender and a spot on the AHL First All-Star Team. Additionally, Nedeljkovic became the 13th goaltender in AHL history to score a goal when he accomplished the feat with the Checkers on March 10, 2018, and the 12th netminder in ECHL history to score a goal when he did so with the Florida Everblades on Dec. 30, 2016.