Sidney Crosby reached a milestone to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoff hunt, Barry Trotz finally got the elusive 800th win of his coaching career, the Boston Bruins are heating up when it counts and Nikita Kucherov made history in Tampa.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL on Tuesday night.
Crosby is simply unstoppable
The captain might just carry the Penguins to the post-season by himself if he has to.
Crosby became the 48th player in NHL history to score 1,200 career points, netted his 30th goal of the season and added an overtime assist to help Pittsburgh beat the Florida Panthers and temporarily grab the top wild-card spot in the East.
Point number 1,200 was the Penguins’ star in a nutshell: Mike Matheson bobbled the puck in the Panthers’ zone, Crosby quickly created the turnover and sent it to Jared McCann, who couldn’t control it in transition. Jake Guentzel found the loose puck and beat Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo. Turnover, secondary assist, milestone.
Tuesday’s game was also Penguins centre Matt Cullen‘s 1,500th NHL outing — the second-highest mark for an American-born player. The overtime win was not a bad ending to the 42-year-old’s big night.
7,051 skaters, including Matt Cullen, have suited up for at least one game since the NHL formed in 1917.
Since Cullen's debut, 3,467 skaters have played at least one game, not including him.
Cullen's NHL career has overlapped 49.1% of all skaters to ever play a game.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 5, 2019
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Third time’s the charm for Trotz
It took him 20 seasons, 1,590 games and three tries, but Barry Trotz can finally call himself an 800-win coach.
Congrats coach!
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 6, 2019
The New York Islanders avoided a third-consecutive loss and finally helped their bench boss become the fourth coach in NHL history to achieve the feat. The elusive win almost got away once again, as New York led by two coming into the third period against the Senators before Ottawa stormed back and forced overtime.
Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal got shootout goals, Thomas Greiss added a save, and Trotz amassed another milestone in his coaching career, after winning his first Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals last year.
The Bruins are streaking when it matters
Toronto Maple Leafs fans should be scared of the ghost of playoffs past.
The Bruins beat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime to extend their point streak to 17 games for the seventh time in franchise history, and now hold a three-point advantage over Toronto for second place in the Atlantic Division.
If the playoffs started today, the Maple Leafs would face the Bruins in the first round, and Boston would have home-ice advantage. We all know how that ended last year (and in 2013).
Brad Marchand’s taunting tweets might be the least of Toronto’s concerns.
Hand Kucherov all the awards
There’s no race for the Hart this year.
Kucherov reached 108 points in the year with a pair of assists over the Winnipeg Jets, tying the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s single-season record and further cementing himself as this season’s MVP.
Nikita Kucherov has tied Vinny Lecavalier for the most points in a single season in #Bolts franchise history.
He now has 108 points in 67 games. #Klutcherov pic.twitter.com/b7KeOd2RKk
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 6, 2019
The Lightning forward holds a comfortable lead in the league’s points race, as Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane trails him by 14 for second place with 94. Kucherov’s team is also enjoying a considerable cushion, leading the league with a 51-12-4 record and 106 points, 17 points ahead of the Bruins and Calgary Flames.
