NHL RECAP DECEMBER 31, 2025 – FOWLER AND BLUES RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH ANOTHER OUTDOOR WIN

In a showdown between two longstanding opponents in the NHL’s expansion era, it was one of the newest faces in the rivalry that made an instant impact as Cam Fowler (2-0—2) embraced the first-ever Winter Classic rematch with a pair of goals. Celebrating his 1,000th career game, the Blues defenseman helped his club become the third franchise to win each of their first three outdoor game appearances (also NYR: 5-0-0 & WSH: 3-0-0).

• Fowler spearheaded a Blues output that is no stranger to offensive success outdoors, scoring at least four goals in that scenario for the third time in as many contests (6 at 2022 WC & 4 at 2017 WC). St. Louis joined Detroit (6 at 2009 WC, 5 at 2016 SS & 4 at 2017 CC) as the second franchise in NHL history to reach the mark on three different occasions.
• Overall, the Blues became the fifth team to score at least 16 total goals outdoors and reached the mark in just three games – fewest among the other five teams, with three of those clubs appearing in at least five outdoor contests.
• The goal-scoring trend outdoors extends to the NHL’s most recent event – the 2024 Stadium Series – where the Rangers (6), Devils (6) and Islanders (5) also scored at least five goals. The League has featured three consecutive outdoor games with a team reaching the mark for the first time.

WINTER CLASSIC QUICK HITS

• Jordan Kyrou followed up a record setting four-point performance at the 2022 Winter Classic with the second of two first-period Blues goals. He became the second player to register five points in a span of two outdoor games, following David Pastrnak (4-1—5 at 2019 Winter Classic & 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe).
• Justin Faulk (1-2—3) matched the NHL record for points in an outdoor game by a defenseman. He now shares the distinction with Noah Dobson (0-3—3 at 2024 SS), John Carlson (1-2—3 at 2018 SS), Brian Rafalski (1-2—3 at 2009 WC) and Steve Staios (1-2—3 at 2003 HC).
• Connor Bedard (0-1—1) became the fourth teenager to register a point in an outdoor game, joining Auston Matthews (2-0—2 at 2017 CC), Mitch Marner (1-0—1 at 2017 CC) and Connor McDavid (0-1—1 at 2016 HC).
• Jim Montgomery became the seventh head coach in NHL history to win each of his first two or more outdoor appearances. He joined Alain Vigneault (3 GP), Bruce Cassidy (2 GP), Barry Trotz (2 GP), Michel Therrien (2 GP), Bruce Boudreau (2 GP) and Claude Julien (2 GP).
• A crowd of 40,933 experienced the Discover NHL Winter Classic, an event that included the unveiling of the Quarter-Century Teams for the Blackhawks and Blues, respectively.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM WRIGLEY FIELD

• The Blackhawks rode the iconic CTA train, a classic way for fans to arrive to the ballpark, in ‘Team Chicago’ gear that honored first responders with Chicago Fire, Police and Emergency Management and Communications patches down their sleeves and pants. The personalized outfits were capped with each player choosing a charitable or community-based organization to wear on their hat. The Blues made their entrance sporting gear from a former St. Louis player, Wayne Gretzky, from his ‘Basement’ collection.
• Two of Chicago’s own entertainment acts took to Wrigley Field, starting with The Smashing Pumpkins, who kickstarted the New Year’s Eve festivities with a pre-game show. During the first intermission, Chance The Rapper thrilled the crowd with a performance that included ‘Cocoa Butter Kisses’ and ‘I’m the One’.
• Other memorable moments included a puck drop with Blackhawks legends Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Denis Savard; Longtime Illinois congressman Mike Quigley skating with kids on Wrigley Field as he continues to find new ways to spread word of hockey; Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore attending the game decked out in his Blackhawks Winter Classic gear; Jon Hamm and Bill Murray joining NHL on TNT crew to talk about their hockey fandom; and Chance the Rapper accepting a $100,000 donation from the NHL, NHLPA and Blackhawks to the charity he founded, SocialWorks, which is dedicated to empowering the city’s youth.

MacKINNON, MAKAR HELP AVALANCHE EARN 50TH WIN OF 2024
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each picked up an assist to boost their 2024 totals and help Colorado (23-15-0, 46 points) skate to its fifth straight win as well as its 50th regular-season victory of the calendar year. The Avalanche, who have posted 50-plus victories in four straight years, are the only club with an active run of multiple 50-win years.

• MacKinnon closed out 2024 with 46-97—143 (83 GP) and became the fifth different player in the past 35 years to record as many regular-season points in a calendar year. He joined Connor McDavid (2022 & 2021), Jaromir Jagr (1999 & 1995), Mario Lemieux (1992 & 1989) and Wayne Gretzky (1991 & 1989).
• Makar boosted his 2024 totals to 24-71—95 (83 GP) and bested his own franchise mark for points in a calendar year by an Avalanche/Nordiques defenseman (24-70—94 in 2022). Makar also tied Roman Josi (21-74—95 in 2022) for the most points in a calendar year among active blueliners.

COUNTDOWN TO 2025
Another year has come to a close and it did so the same way it started – with a whole lot of excitement. Here are five storylines from across the busy New Year’s Eve slate.

5. Zach Werenski factored on the tying tally to extend his home point streak to 13 games as the Blue Jackets (16-16-6, 38 points) rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third period to win in the shootout and moved within two points of the idle Senators (19-15-2, 40 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Werenski (8-17—25) became the second defenseman in the past 30 years to record a home point streak of 13 or more contests, following Mike Green (14 GP in 2009-10).
6. After trailing 2-0, Cole Caufield scored the 100th goal of his career and Emil Heineman pulled Montreal even, setting the stage for Kirby Dach to find the back of the net and complete the comeback win. Caufield (100-83—183 in 242 GP) required the third-fewest games among Canadiens players in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to reach the 100-goal milestone behind Stephane Richer (226 GP) and Mats Naslund (233 GP).
7. Anaheim’s Ryan Strome became the ninth player in NHL history to score a go-ahead game winner in the final five minutes of regulation in consecutive games. The only other active player to achieve the feat is Nikita Kucherov (2 GP from Oct. 29-Nov.1, 2022).
8. After reaching the 1,300-point plateau in his last outing, Patrick Kane found the score sheet again with his 130th career power-play goal and tied Bill Guerin for the ninth most by an American player in NHL history.
9. Connor McDavid (0-2—2) concluded 2024 by adding to his NHL-leading assists (138) and points (180) total for the calendar year (regular season & playoffs) and will enter 2025 riding a 12-game point streak. With the two points, McDavid (1,036) surpassed Mark Messier (1,034) for the third most in franchise history, behind Wayne Gretzky (1,669) and Jari Kurri (1,043).

KINGS, DEVILS DUEL ON SPORTSNET, NHL NETWORK TO RING IN NEW YEAR

Jack Hughes and the Devils (24-13-3, 51 points) visit Anze Kopitar and the Kings (21-10-5, 47 points) on Sportsnet and NHL Network during the lone game New Year’s Day. Los Angeles can log an eighth consecutive victory at Crypto.com Arena dating to Nov. 23, 2024.

Canadiens’ Hutson Named NHL ‘Rookie of the Month’ for December

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, who shared the rookie lead with 13 points in 14 games (2-11—13), has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for December.

Hutson edged San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (4-9—13 in 13 GP), Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (3-7—10 in 13 GP), Canadiens teammate Emil Heineman (4-5—9 in 14 GP) and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (4-1-1, 2.64 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO) for the honor.

Hutson also paced December rookies in assists (11), power-play assists (7), power-play points (7), average time on ice (21:18) and total time on ice (298:07). Only one rookie defenseman has recorded more assists or points for Montreal in a single calendar month: Chris Chelios, in both February 1985 (1‑14—15 in 12 GP) and December 1984 (1-13—14 in 15 GP).

MacKinnon, Draisaitl and Markstrom Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for December

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of December.

FIRST STAR – NATHAN MacKINNON, C, COLORADO AVALANCHE

MacKinnon led the NHL with 7-18—25 in 13 games to lift the Avalanche (23-15-0, 46 points) into third place in the Central Division via a 10-3-0 month (20 points) – tied for the most wins and points in the League (w/ VGK: 10-2-0, 20 points). This marked the fifth time that MacKinnon has produced at least 25 points in a single calendar month, after December 2023 (11-18—29 in 15 GP), March 2024 (11-16—27 in 13 GP), January 2024 (12-14—26 in 12 GP) and November 2019 (10-15—25 in 14 GP). MacKinnon finished December 2024 among the League leaders in even-strength assists (1st; 13), even-strength points (1st; 20), assists (2nd; 18), shots on goal (t-6th; 52), even-strength goals (t-7th; 7) and plus/minus (t-7th; +11). He found the score sheet in 11 of his 13 appearances, ending the month on a five-game assist/point streak (Dec. 19-31: 1-10—11), and recorded seven multi-point performances – highlighted by his ninth career five-point outing, including his 600th NHL assist, Dec. 10 at PIT (1-4—5). The 29-year-old MacKinnon, the reigning Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner, tops the League with 47 assists and 61 points through 38 total contests this season (14-47—61).

SECOND STAR – LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS

Draisaitl shared the League lead with 10 goals and ranked second with 24 points in 13 games (10-14—24) to propel the Oilers (22-12-3, 47 points) to a 9-3-1 month. He also placed among the top December performers in game-winning goals (t-1st; 3), even-strength points (t-3rd; 15), power-play points (t-3rd; 9), assists (t-6th; 14) and power-play goals (t-6th; 4), collecting points in all but his first outing of the month. Draisaitl notched eight total multi-point performances, including seven straight from Dec. 5-19 (6‑12—18), and reached the 900-point milestone Dec. 19 vs. BOS. At 751 games, he became the fourth-fastest active player to accumulate 900 points, behind only Connor McDavid (602 GP), Sidney Crosby (677 GP) and Nikita Kucherov (743 GP). The 29-year-old Draisaitl, who won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20, paces the NHL with 27 goals (as well as 8 GWG) and sits second with 56 points through 37 total appearances this season (27-29—56).

THIRD STAR – JACOB MARKSTROM, G, NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Markstrom went 8-1-1 with a 1.30 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 games to help the Devils (24-13-3, 51 points) complete an 8-4-1 December. He yielded two or fewer goals in all but his final start of the month, highlighted by consecutive shutouts Dec. 21 vs. PIT (12 SV) and Dec. 23 vs. NYR (12 SV). Markstrom’s 139:35 shutout sequence from Dec. 17-27 was the second-longest of his NHL career, behind just a 144:46 run from Oct. 25 – Nov. 2, 2021 (w/ CGY). The 34-year-old Markstrom, who was acquired by New Jersey in June, owns a 19-7-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and three shutouts through 28 total appearances this season. He ranks second in the League in wins, second in goals-against average (minimum: 13 GP) and tied for second in shutouts.