A broken record, a goal-scoring slump snapped and two teams that can’t seem to figure out their opponents.
Here are the five things we learned Wednesday in the NHL:
Milestone for Karlsson
Senators captain Erik Karlsson became the franchise leader for points by an Ottawa defenceman in the first period of his team’s 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.
The 26-year-old assisted on Mark Stone’s power-play goal to open the scoring which tied him with Wade Redden for the points lead. The Swedish blueliner then vaulted past Redden with his seventh goal of the season at 7:19 of the first.
Karlsson entered the game with 24 points — two more than San Jose’s Brent Burns for the NHL lead among defenceman. For his part, Burns scored in a losing cause.
Could it be another Norris Trophy season for Karlsson? He’s already won the award for the NHL’s top defenceman twice and is making a strong case for a hat trick.
Something’s gotta give
The Toronto Maple Leafs just can’t catch a break against the Minnesota Wild.
Despite controlling play and outshooting the Wild 17-3 in the third period, Toronto still lost 3-2. It’s Minnesota’s seventh-straight win against the Maple Leafs.
If it makes Toronto fans feel any better, the Washington Capitals beat Boston 4-3 in overtime for their seventh-straight victory over the Bruins.
Devan Dubnyk turned aside 35 shots for the Wild in the victory, his 11th this season in his 300th career start.
Speaking of goalies…
Karri Ramo made his debut for the Maple Leafs organization, starting in net for the AHL Marlies in their matchup against the Utica Comets.
The 30-year-old stopped 33 shots in Toronto’s 3-2 loss to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate. Jordan Subban scored the winner.
Ramo signed a professional tryout with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday after Jhonas Enroth cleared waivers. Ramo had been practising with Toronto for over a month while recovering from a torn ACL.
The Finnish goaltender has already got himself some new swag, showcasing a new mask for his debut. We took a look at the new Edgar Allan Poe themed mask.
Garbage goal extraordinaire
It’s been an off-year for Justin Williams. The Capitals forward entered Wednesday night’s game against Boston with just two goals and three assists in 24 games.
That all changed, and quickly, against the Bruins with Williams finding the back of the net 23 seconds into the first period.
He wasn’t done there, adding another before the end of the first to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead.
We wrote Tuesday night about Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec ending his 13-game goal droubt. Williams’s was only eight games — last scoring on Nov. 16 — but regardless, it must be a nice confidence booster for the Cobourg, Ont., native.
The 35-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $6.5 million contract with Washington.
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Trotting along
Barry Trotz moved into eighth place on the all-time coaching wins list as his Capitals hung on to beat the Bruins 4-3 in overtime.
Trotz earned his 673rd career win, which passed Mike Keenan on the list. Next up at No. 7 is Pat Quinn, with 684 victories.
Trotz, 54, started his head coaching career in 1998-99 with the expansion Nashville Predators. He moved to Washington in 2014-15.