NHL Recap January 25, 2024 – RED WINGS SHUT OUT Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers arrived at Little Caesars Arena, carrying hopes of a triumphant conclusion to the series. However, fortune favored the Detroit Red Wings, who sailed to a 3-0 victory. This victory marked the second instance of the Wings (25-18-5) bouncing back from a loss with a win, proving their resilience and determination.

Alex Lyon, the Wings’ guardian of the goal, made a commendable 29 saves, marking his second shutout of the season.

Dylan Larkin, a key player for the Wings, scored his 20th goal of the season, drawing the first blood in the match and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Moritz Seider and Andrew Copp followed suit in the second period, scoring off deflections into the Flyers’ net.

Credit must be given to Michael Rasmussen for shaking off two defenders behind Philadelphia’s net to win the puck battle and get the puck up front. Andrew Copp turned this pass into a shorthanded goal, marking his 100th career score. This goal extended the Wings’ lead to 3-0, sealing the victory.

In corresponding news, the Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

McDAVID, HYMAN POWER OILERS TO 15TH STRAIGHT WIN
Like they have in each of their previous 14 contests, the Oilers (28-15-1, 57 points) stayed hot and continued to climb the Western Conference standings with another victory after Connor McDavid (2-1—3) and Zach Hyman (1-0—1) found the score sheet once again, while Calvin Pickard turned aside all 27 shots he faced to help the club become the fifth team in NHL history to record a win streak of 15 or more games.

• McDavid extended his home point streak to 17 games (11-25—36) for the second time in his career (also 21 GP in 2022-23). In the process, he became the 12th player in NHL history to record multiple home runs of at least that length and just the third active following Nathan MacKinnon (active 24 GP in 2023-24 & 19 GP in 2022-23) and Sidney Crosby (19 GP in 2010-11 & 17 GP in 2013-14).
• McDavid and Hyman have played a big role in Edmonton’s success of late – McDavid’s 22 points are tied with Nicklas Backstrom (22 in 2009-10) for the ninth most by a player through a club’s double-digit point streak since 1993-94 while Hyman’s 11 goals are tied for the fourth most through that same span.

KUCHEROV, STAMKOS AND LIGHTNING STRIKE SIX TIMES IN CAPTAIN’S MILESTONE NIGHT
Nikita Kucherov (1-2—3) and Steven Stamkos (1-1—2) were two of four Lightning players with multiple points as Tampa Bay (26-18-5, 57 points) reclaimed third place in the Atlantic Division on the night Kucherov (32-51—83 in 48 GP) overtook Nathan MacKinnon in the NHL’s scoring race and the captain (535-566—1,101) reached the 1,100-point milestone.

• Stamkos, who became the fifth active player with at least 14 career 20-goal seasons with his effort, reached the mark thanks to his 206th career power-play goal. The eventual game-winning tally helped the Lightning captain move past Joe Sakic (205 w/ COL/QUE) for the fifth-most power-play goals with a single franchise in NHL history, trailing only Alex Ovechkin (302 w/ WSH), Mario Lemieux (236 w/ PIT), Luc Robitaille (210 w/ LAK) and Gordie Howe (209 w/ DET).
• Kucherov, with three points in each of his past three home games, reached the 50-assist mark prior to his 50th game of a season for the third time in his career (also 43 GP in 2018-19 & 47 in 2022-23). He is one of only nine players in NHL history to do so at least three times following Wayne Gretzky (15x), Mario Lemieux (9x), Bobby Orr (6x) Paul Coffey (4x), Denis Savard (4x), Bryan Trottier (4x), Adam Oates (4x) and Peter Stastny (3x).

BRUINS AND CANADIENS BEND, BUT DON’T BREAK
The Bruins (30-9-9, 69 points) and Canadiens (20-21-7, 47 points) held two- and three-goal leads respectively before the Senators and Islanders each scored late game-tying tallies in the third period, but Brad Marchand (1-0—1) and Cole Caufield (1-1—2) ensured their teams would leave Thursday night with two points.

• Marchand, who was already the franchise leader in overtime goals, added another under his belt to help Boston earn its 30th win of the season in their 48th game. The Bruins have reached the mark in 48 or fewer contests for the 17th time in franchise history – five more than the next-closest club (MTL: 12).
• Captain Nick Suzuki (1-1—2) produced his 60th career multi-point game to help the Canadiens build their first-period lead, but Caufield collected a secondary assist on Sean Monahan’s go-ahead goal with 2:12 remaining in regulation as Montreal kept pace with Detroit (25-18-5, 55 points) in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. Caufield is one of 10 Canadiens players, age 23 or younger, in the past 40 years with a point streak of at least eight games and first since Max Domi in 2018-19 (11 GP).

PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVOR ‘PARTNER’ LOVED BY PREDS, OPPONENTS
Roman Josi’s 10th goal of the season proved to be the game winner as he joined Brent Burns (12x) as the second active defenseman to produce at least 10 seasons with a double-digit goal total. Nashville (26-21-1, 53 points) moved into a tie, in terms of points, with idle Los Angeles (22-14-9, 53 points) for the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference but the Kings hold three games in hand.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer, the NHL is sharing stories of those in the hockey world impacted by the disease all season long. Click here for an NHL.com feature on the Predators’ beloved locker room attendant Craig “Partner” Baugh.

Coyotes’ Kesselring Fined for Cross-Checking

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Kesselring has been fined $2,408.85, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Maxwell Crozier during NHL Game No. 750 in Tampa on Thursday, Jan. 25. The incident occurred at 11:48 of the third period. Kesselring was assessed a pair of minor penalties for cross-checking as well as a 10-minute misconduct. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS VISIT RANGERS AT MSG ON ESPN
Two of the top 10 teams in the overall League standings, with only one point separating them, face off Friday on ESPN when the reigning Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights (28-14-6, 62 points), who sit seventh in the NHL, visit the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers (29-15-3, 61 points), who rank eighth.

• The Golden Knights are set to contest the 250th road contest in franchise history (134-88-27, 295 points). Vegas already owns the highest win and point totals as well as points percentage (.592%) of any franchise through 250 regular-season road games. The Golden Knights are 3-2-0 in five all-time visits to Madison Square Garden.
• Mika Zibanejad, who ranks third on the team in points this season, sits one shy of becoming the 13th player to record 500 points with the Rangers franchise (219-280—499 in 532 GP). Only three players in Rangers history have recorded 500 points with the franchise in 550 games or fewer: Mark Messier (406 GP), Brian Leetch (496 GP) and Andy Bathgate (518 GP).