Let’s consider this a “lightning round” for some of the milestones, records and bonuses different players hit on Saturday night. Feel free to add other examples in the comments.
Braden Holtby wins 48th: It took some time, but Braden Holtby hit the 48-win mark on Saturday, tying Martin Brodeur’s single-season record.
The burning question for Barry Trotz: do you give Holtby a chance to pass Brodeur or do you avoid playing Holtby in back-to-back games to end the season?
Some might argue that Holtby’s name should be mentioned first because of this little tidbit:
.@Holts170 (@washcaps) equaled the NHL single-season wins record in just his 66th game, 12 fewer than M. Brodeur (78 GP) totaled in 2006-07.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 10, 2016
Forty-Eight Win Club. #HoltBeast #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/OKRZARAD6g
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 10, 2016
Alex Ovechkin scores 50th goal: More on that here.
A bonus bit on the Capitals, for one:
Now officIal: #Caps are first team since the 1976-77 #Habs to go an entire regular season without suffering consecutive regulation losses
— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) April 10, 2016
Vlad ain’t bad: Vladimir Tarasenko ranks high on the list of “Guys who score a lot of goals unless you compare them to Ovechkin.” He hit the 40-goal mark himself tonight.
Plenty hit 30: Alex Galcehnyuk and Max Pacioretty helped each other hit the 30-goal plateau on Saturday. Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri both managed 30 goals for the Devils. (Some guys, including Jason Chimera, also hit 20 goals.)
Bonuses and trophies: Artemi Panarin is virtually assured of hitting some big bonuses by possibly winning the Calder Trophy and finishing in the top 10 in scoring after his three-point game gave him 77 points in 2015-16. Patrick Kane’s name is probably already being placed on the Art Ross Trophy after he collected three points of his own, giving him a whopping 106.
Artemi Panarin is the fourth rookie in @NHLBlackhawks history to score 30 or more goals in a season. #CHIvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/DK4nK6ARFF
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 10, 2016
300 goals: Scott Hartnell managed that achievement.
.@Hartsy43 (@BlueJacketsNHL) is 3rd from 2000 #NHLDraft class to score 300 career goals (Marian Gaborik: 386, Dany Heatley: 372). #CHIvsCBJ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 10, 2016
Passing the Golden Jet: With the 611th goal of his career, Jarome Iginla now stands at 16th all-time.
Jarome Iginla (@Avalanche) scored his 611th career goal and passed Bobby Hull (610) for 16th place in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/8Tlp8Yq3Yv
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 9, 2016