Players of the Night:
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders: Barzal recorded his first career NHL hat trick against the Winnipeg Jets and took over the rookie scoring lead with 35 points. Not a bad day.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning, John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks, James Reimer, Florida Panthers, Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights, and Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks: Each of these goaltenders recorded shutouts on Saturday night. Vasilevskiy got his fourth of the season, stopping 22 shots to tie Sergei Bobrovsky for the NHL lead in shutouts; Gibson made 29 saves, including one you will see below on Sidney Crosby; Reimer stopped all 38 shots sent his way by the Ottawa Senators; Fleury kept the Capitals in check, stopping 26 shots for his first shutout of the season; and Jones dethroned the Kings, stopping all 28 shots he faced.
Dallas Stars penalty killers: The Stars appeared dead in the water after Jamie Benn and Dan Hamhuis took penalties in overtime against the Nashville Predators, but Ben Bishop and Co. weathered the storm, which included 31 seconds of 5-on-3 time, and ended up taking the game in a shootout on Tyler Seguin’s winner.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks: Kane became the fifth player in Blackhawks history to record his 300th NHL goal on Saturday.
Highlights of the Night:
John Gibson did this to Sidney Crosby tonight:
It's just becoming a regular thing for @JohnGibson35. https://t.co/4weoeOAxPs
— NHL (@NHL) December 24, 2017
Barzal’s hatty deserves its spot here:
Three goals and a ton of hats.
— NHL (@NHL) December 23, 2017
An early Christmas present that @Barzal_97 is more than okay with! 🎩🎩🎩 https://t.co/ADKCE0djky
Taylor Hall scored on this ridiculous deke. Poor Anton Forsberg:
Alexander Radulov’s shootout goal was pretty filthy:
RADULOV IN THE SHOOTOUT! FILTHY! pic.twitter.com/Ts4Pt5UUuf
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) December 24, 2017
Factoids of the Night:
More Barzal:
Mathew Barzal is the 11th rookie in @NYIslanders history to score a hat trick and first since Michael Grabner on Feb. 13, 2011 vs. BUF. #NHLStats #WPGvsNYI pic.twitter.com/CunljuIWRk
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 23, 2017
Vegas keeps, well, Vegasing.
The @GoldenKnights extended their point streak to nine games (8-0-1) to match the longest such run in NHL history by a team in its inaugural season. #NHLStats #WSHvsVGK pic.twitter.com/ZAyhQuBGEx
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 24, 2017
Brock Boeser smashes Pavel Bure’s record by 15 games:
It didn't take many games for Brock Boeser to become the fastest rookie in #Canucks history to score 20 goals in a single season pic.twitter.com/aWFqOfq5qJ
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 24, 2017
“Merry Christmas to me,” Brock Boeser said, probably.
That goal has added meaning for Brock Boeser: It earned him a $212,500 “Schedule A” bonus.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 24, 2017
MISC:
- Bloopers? Yeah, we’ve got bloopers. A lot of bloopers.
- Peter Laviolette lost a bet, which turned out to be a good thing for both him and everyone else.
- The Boston Bruins cannot be stopped at the moment.
- How about some more Mathew Barzal?
- Relive some of Patrick Kane’s 300 NHL goals
Scores:
Bruins 3, Red Wings 1
Islanders 5, Jets 2
Oilers 4, Canadiens 1
Lightning 3, Wild 0
Panthers 1, Senators 0
Devils 4, Blackhawks 1
Ducks 4, Penguins 0
Hurricanes 4, Sabres 2
Blue Jackets 2, Flyers 1 (SO)
Golden Knights 3, Capitals 0
Avalanche 6, Coyotes 2
Stars 4, Predators 3 (SO)
Sharks 2, Kings 0
Blues 3, Canucks 1
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck