4 things we learned in the NHL: Young stars solidifying trophy chances

Tensions boil over between Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Sven Andrighetto and this leads to a line brawl between the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes.

It was a busy night on the NHL schedule, and it had a little bit of everything — line brawls, offensive outbursts, and young lions rising up to sit level with future Hall of Famers.

Following a Saturday night that saw 22 of the league’s 31 clubs hit the ice, here are a few things we learned in the NHL:

1. Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine ready to unseat the king

While last weekend brought praise aplenty for Alex Ovechkin, this season’s first 40-goal scorer, Saturday night saw the Washington Capitals captain’s grip on the 2018 Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy loosen just a little.

Patrik Laine joined the Great Eight atop the goal-scoring rankings during Winnipeg’s loss to the Flyers, potting his 40th goal of the season as comparisons between him and the similarly heavy-handed Ovechkin continue to circulate.

Already well past his rookie mark of 36 goals, Laine is emerging as arguably the best bet for the goal-scoring crown, carrying the most momentum into the season’s home stretch.

While he and Ovechkin sit level with 40, Laine has been the NHL’s leading goal-scorer over the past month, posting 15 goals in his past 13 games dating back to Feb. 10. Ovechkin, meanwhile, has eight tallies over his club’s 14 games in that span.

Fans won’t have to wait long to see how the two snipers stack up head-to-head. Ovechkin’s Capitals and Laine’s Jets meet Monday to see who’s first to goal No. 41.

2. Nathan MacKinnon using more than offensive skill to lead Avalanche

It’s been a lights-out campaign for Colorado Avalanche centreman Nathan MacKinnon, as the former No. 1 pick has emerged as an MVP candidate while posting a career-best 32 goals and 81 points through just 60 games.

With Colorado currently situated in a wild card spot as it tries to return to the playoff picture, MacKinnon proved Saturday night he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his club earn a ‘W.’ Though he got on the scoresheet as per usual during Saturday’s 5-2 shellacking of the Coyotes, the 22-year-old also stepped up in a less gentlemanly manner to lead his club through what turned out to be an exceptionally chippy affair.

The two teams combined for 56 total penalty minutes, and MacKinnon was right in the middle of it, dropping the gloves with Jordan Martinook after the latter forward levelled Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen with a heavy hit.

It was MacKinnon’s third tussle of the season — he’s never fought more than once in a season previously, and had only two fights to his name through four years in the big leagues coming into this season.

He also posted two assists during the tilt, taking his season total into rarified Colorado air.

3. Bruins and Blues can flex offensive depth with the best of them

Though they sit on opposite ends of the league’s scoring rankings, the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues both put their offensive depth on display Saturday night. Boston (third in goals per game) piled up seven goals on the Chicago Blackhawks, while St. Louis (23rd in goals per game) did the same to the Los Angeles Kings.

Both winning clubs spread their offensive wealth throughout their lineups, with each seeing 14 of 18 skaters register at least one point in the victories. Boston got seven goals from six scorers (veteran David Krejci was the lone multi-goal-scoring Bruin) while the Blues had seven different snipers register tallies.

Particularly noteworthy for the Bruins was veteran Brian Gionta, who scored for the second straight game and added an assist. The 39-year-old has six points in five games since returning to the NHL after his Olympic showing in Pyeongchang.

4. Los Angeles has a resurgent, ageless wonder of its own

While a number of young stars have risen up to join the league’s elite this season, one of the most intriguing storylines of 2017-18 has been Eric Staal and his 37 goals — the most he’s potted in nearly a decade.

The Kings have seen one of their own quietly post a resilient, ageless season, as former captain Dustin Brown is in the midst of his finest offensive effort since 2011-12.

Brown proved to be one of the lone bright spots in the Kings’ embarrassing 7-2 loss Saturday, lifting his season totals by netting his 20th goal of the season. Although he isn’t at Staal’s level, that’s Brown’s highest total since hitting 22 goals six years ago.

He had just 14 goals last season, and 11 in each of the two prior — all coming in campaigns in which he suited up for at least 80 games. The 33-year-old isn’t just benefitting from playing among a Lightning-esque group of talented scorers, either. He’s one of only three 20-goal scorers on the Kings roster and currently ranks second on the team in points.

Not a bad showing from the former champion. Though likely still not enough to justify the $5.875-million cap hit he’ll carry for the next four seasons.

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