Raanta notches his first shutout for the Coyotes
Antti Raanta recorded his first shutout for the Arizona Coyotes with a 1–0 win against the Oilers on Saturday in which he faced 40 shots on goal. Raanta’s 40 saves tie the record by a Jets or Coyotes goaltender in a 1–0 shutout victory, a mark set by Bob Essensa in a win for the original Winnipeg Jets against the Devils in New Jersey on Nov. 16, 1991. Raanta has posted nine shutouts in his five-season NHL career and four of them have been 1–0 victories. He had one for the Blackhawks and two with the Rangers.
Malkin reaches the 900-point plateau
Evgeni Malkin scored one goal and assisted on two for the Penguins in their 5–3 win over the Maple Leafs. It was his ninth game with at least three points this season, tying Alex Ovechkin for the league high in that category. Malkin’s three points give him a career total of 901 points for his 12 seasons with the Penguins. Only six other active players have recorded 900 or more points for their current club: Alex Ovechkin (Capitals), Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Henrik Sedin (Canucks), Daniel Sedin (Canucks) Joe Thornton (Sharks) and Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings).
Marleau’s 15th season with 20 goals
Patrick Marleau reached the 20-goal mark for the 15th time in his NHL career and first time for a team other than San Jose when he scored for the Maple Leafs in their loss at Pittsburgh. Marleau’s 15 seasons with 20 or more goals tie him with Marian Hossa for the high among current NHL players. (Hossa has spent the entire season on the injured reserve list due to a skin condition.) At age 38 years, 155 days, Marleau is the oldest player ever to score 20 goals in a season for Toronto. He’s roughly three months older than Norm Ullman was when he scored his 20th goal for the Maple Leafs in 1973–74 (age 38 years, 66 days).
Patrick Kane’s 500th career assist
Patrick Kane ended a five-game point drought (his longest dry spell since March 2009) by recording a goal and an assist as the Blackhawks ended their eight-game winless streak with a 7–1 victory against the Capitals. Kane’s assist was the 500th of his NHL career. The Buffalo native is the active leader in assists among U.S.-born players, and he’s the 16th American-born player in NHL history to reach the 500-assist mark.
Lack has the knack in his first win for New Jersey
Eddie Lack set a single-game career high with 48 saves as he recorded his first win for the Devils, a 4–3 victory against the Lightning in Tampa. That’s the highest save total ever by a New Jersey goaltender in a non-overtime game, breaking the old mark of 47 saves set by Cory Schneider in his 6–3 win at Toronto earlier this season (October 11). The only other Devils goaltenders to make at least 48 saves in a game are Chico Resch, who stopped 51 shots in a 6–5 overtime loss at St. Louis on March 10, 1984, and Martin Brodeur, who made 51 saves in a 1–0 shootout victory against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 12, 2010.
Reilly Smith’s scoring surge since the All-Star Game
Reilly Smith tallied two goals and one assist for the Golden Knights in their 6–3 win against the Canadiens. Smith was mired in a season-high six-game point drought at the All-Star break last month, but he’s racked up 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 10 games since then, which ranks him second in the NHL in scoring over that span (Jan. 30 to date), behind Evgeni Malkin with 17 points (10 goals, seven assists in nine games).
Mrazek remains perfect against the Predators
Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek, who allowed seven goals in his last appearance (Feb. 9 against the Islanders), bounced back from that bad game with a 3–1 win at Nashville on Saturday. Mrazek has won all six games he’s played against the Predators in his NHL career, limiting Nashville to a total of 12 goals. Mrazek’s win total versus the Predators matches his career high against any NHL team. He’s also recorded six wins against the Hurricanes and the Islanders.
Brassard sets a career high
Former Ranger Derick Brassard tallied one goal and two assists for the Senators in their 6–3 win against the Rangers in Ottawa. Brassard’s goal, which was the game-winner for the Senators, extended his goal streak to a career-high four games. He has tied the longest previous goal-scoring streak for Ottawa this season, a four-game skein by Mark Stone from November 2–11.