Three stars
1. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
It’s crazy to think a year ago, Barzal was posting five-point nights like they were going out of style.
He hasn’t had that same type of success this year. In fact, up until Friday night, Barzal hadn’t had a three-point game yet this season. By comparison, he had nine instances where he scored at least three points in his rookie season.
Barzal had two goals and an assist in a 6-3 win against the Ottawa Senators. He scored the game’s most crucial goal, to put the Islanders ahead 4-3 in the third. His second made it 5-3 for his first two-goal outing of the year.
2. Tomas Tatar, Montreal Canadiens
Tatar needed just 35 seconds to give the Habs a 1-0 advantage against the Florida Panthers on Friday.
And when they needed a goal the most, Tatar once again answered the bell, snipping a wrist shot on the power play in the third period to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead. They’d go on to win 5-3, with Tatar’s brace being a big difference maker.
Tatar, who was benched at times with the Vegas Golden Knights during last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, has 14 goals and 28 points in 38 games this season.
3. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs
Tavares is having a ridiculous year and he still might not make the NHL All-Star Game.
That speaks to how talented the Maple Leafs are, of course, and highlights the cruel reality that the current format brings with it.
Tavares notched two more goals to his 2018-19 belt on Friday in a 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s got 26 goals (three back of Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead) and 44 points on the season now.
Highlights of the night
Out for a rip, are ya bud?
Kid knows how to shoot and when to win the game. https://t.co/yqMStDVTdQ
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2018
You gotta hit him harder than that...
In full gear, @Matt9Duchene is something else. https://t.co/KcTL5NGRTV
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2018
Bob had no chance:
Yeah, @91Tavares did that. pic.twitter.com/oxky5riHPX
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2018
Factoids
You couldn’t have better active players on this list:
Mitchell Marner became the first @MapleLeafs player to begin his career with 40+ assists in three consecutive seasons. Only five other active NHL players have achieved the feat:
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 29, 2018
Nicklas Backstrom
Patrick Kane
Evgeni Malkin
Alex Ovechkin
Sidney Crosby#NHLStats #TORvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/rHW0rxr2hW
Patrick Marleau is skating in his 1,613th regular-season game of his NHL career, eclipsing Ray Bourque (1,612) for sole possession of 10th place on the League’s all-time list. #NHLStats: https://t.co/IXn35bZSHr pic.twitter.com/vhCB04RbGD
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 29, 2018
Tomas Tatar records his 3rd multi-goal game since being acquired by the #Habs
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 29, 2018
Scores
Canadiens 5, Panthers 3
Islanders 6, Senators 3
Maple Leafs 4, Blue Jackets 2
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