Rantanen and other scoring leaders
Jason Gregor: Rantanen extends his point lead to five with a four points.
McDavid up to 4th with 43 points.
Ovechkin scores his 21st career hat trick now has 25 goals in 30 games.
Top-15 scorers from nine teams. Col (3), WPG, EDM, TB and WSH (2) and one from BOS, BUFF, CGY, TOR.
Tom Gulitti: “Mikko Rantanen has 50 points (13 goals, 37 assists) in 31 games.
Alex Ovechkin has 25 goals in 30 games.
Both players on 12-game point streaks.
Pretty, pretty good.”
Ovechkin’s goal-scoring pace
Adam Getz: “Alex Ovechkin has 24 goals in the Capitals’ 30th game. He has never had more goals 30 games into a season. He is 33 years old.
Only three players have scored 50+ goals in a season at age 33+. Ovechkin is halfway there 30 games into the season.”
Brian McNally: “Last year Alex Ovechkin hit the 24-goal, 38-point mark in the same game on Dec. 28, 2017 against the Bruins. That was Game No. 39. This year he gets to 24 goals, 38 points on Dec. 11, Game No. 30.”
John Buccigross: “Ovechkin: NHL-best 25 (best goal per game rate of career so far). 632 career goals. 263 more to break Gretzky’s record.
Assume 53 goals this year (On pace for 67). That’s 660 career. 235 to go.
Play through 40yr old season. Play 500 of possible 574 games. He should be at 910ish.”
Pettersson’s scoring pace
Sportsnet Stats: “Elias Pettersson is the first player with 32 points thru first 27 NHL games since Alexei Yashin in 1993-94”
Cam Robinson: “Some current NHL stars and their points totals after 26 career games: Elias Pettersson – 30 Evgeni Malkin – 30 Alex Ovechkin – 29 Sidney Crosby – 28 Connor McDavid – 28 Patrick Kane – 27 Patrik Laine – 21 Johnny Gaudreau – 20 Auston Matthews – 20”
Washington Capitals in Decembers
Capitals PR: “Over the last four seasons, the Capitals are 40-11-9 in the month of December. That’s the most wins and points (89) in the month of December by any team in the NHL during that span.”
Bruins winning streak
NHL Public Relations: “The @NHLBruins improved to 14-0-0 in their last 14 games against the Coyotes dating to Oct. 10, 2010 (ARI: 0-13-1), the longest active regular-season win streak by a team versus one opponent.”
Blackhawks losing streaks
Adam Gretz: The Chicago Blackhawks already have two eight-game losing streaks this season.
Rasmus Dahlin is a video game
(🎥 @NHLGIFs) pic.twitter.com/sFp4zLt8oq
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) December 12, 2018
