Players of the Night:
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: MacKinnon’s MVP campaign got a serious boost on Sunday, as he picked up two goals and an assist in a win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Avs forward is now riding a 12-game point streak. He better start making room on a shelf for a Hart Trophy.
William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights: Karlsson continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the 2017-18 season. His natural hat trick against the Flames puts him at 39 goals on the season. Who would’ve thought that we’d be talking about him as a 40-goal scorer?
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning: Even though MacKinnon is rolling right now, Kucherov won’t go away quietly in the race for the MVP crown. The Lightning forward picked up two goals in Sunday’s win over the Oilers. Kucherov has 36 goals and 93 points in 70 games this season.
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks: DeBrincat scored his third hat trick of the season in a losing effort. The rookie has 25 goals and 45 points in 73 games this season. He has a chance to score 30 this year.
Alex Pietrangelo and Vincent Dunn, St. Louis Blues: The Blues came away with a huge comeback win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Patrik Berglund scored the game-winner in overtime, but Pietrangelo and Dunn each had four points in the victory.
Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets: Laine has been a scoring machine of late. He found the back of the net twice in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Stars. He’s now scored 43 goals in 72 games this season. Laine’s picked up at least one point in 15 consecutive games.
Highlights of the Night:
A wicked one-timer from Wild Bill:
That’s an incredible backhander from MacKinnon:
Here’s an unorthodox save from Fleury
Factoids of the Night:
Dunn Deal
Vince Dunn (1-3—4) is the fourth rookie defenseman in @StLouisBlues history to record four points in a game and first since Rik Wilson on Jan. 16, 1982 (0-4—4 vs. CHI). #NHLStats #STLvsCHI pic.twitter.com/RvCc3lIzaO
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 19, 2018
WINnipeg
The @NHLJets (43-19-10, 96 points) equaled their franchise record for most wins in a season, a mark set by the Thrashers in 2006-07 and matched by the Jets in 2014-15. #NHLStats #DALvsWPG pic.twitter.com/6NyIQnuJxr
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 19, 2018
Oh and Laine is a teen sensation
Patrik Laine of the @NHLJets scored his 42nd and 43rd goals of the season to extend his franchise-record point streak to 15 games (18-8—26), the longest by a teenager in NHL history. #NHLStats #DALvsWPG pic.twitter.com/OVmrnk15dR
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 19, 2018
DeBrincat’s having an impressive rookie season:
Alex DeBrincat (Farmington Hills, Mich.) of the @NHLBlackhawks is the second U.S.-born rookie in NHL history to score three hat tricks in a season. #NHLStats #STLvsCHI pic.twitter.com/9YZ0pwgtO7
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 19, 2018
Scores:
Avalanche 5, Red Wings 1
Golden Knights 4, Flames 0
Lightning 3, Oilers 1
Hurricanes 4, Islanders 3
Flyers 6, Capitals 3
Blues 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Jets 4, Stars 2
Ducks 4, Devils 2
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.