Because the era of January continues, we’re holding an optic at the NHL standings; then all, following the All-Star Weekend, the March 8 industry time limit shall be right here earlier than you comprehend it, and next the playoff races will actually warmth up.
Thursday night time’s streaming doubleheader options 3 groups lately in playoff place, and person who has fared significantly better since a midseason training trade. To backup get you able for Minnesota Wild–Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu) and Nashville Predators–Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu), we’ve assembled this to hand fan’s information.
Listed here are the important thing gamers to look at in each and every matchup, together with alternative intel courtesy of ESPN Stats & Data:
Minnesota Wild vs.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Thursday, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+/Hulu
Amalie Enviornment (Tampa, FL)
Wild
Power Rankings position: 26
Important scorer: Kirill Kaprizov: 13 G | 22 A
Report: 18-20-5 (41 issues)
Minnesota is 13-10-1 beneath John Hynes since he took over for the fired Dean Evason on Nov. 28. Evason was once fired then the group began 5-10-4, their worst 19-game get started since their inaugural season in 2000-01 (4-11-3). Within the 24 video games Hynes has coached, Minnesota has led then the primary duration in 10 of the ones video games, fix for the second one maximum within the NHL over that span. Minnesota is 9-1-0 in the ones video games, fix for the second one maximum wins amongst all NHL groups.
The Wild are 7-2-1 of their utmost 10 video games towards the Lightning, regardless of shedding its utmost two video games through a couple of objectives. Minnesota’s seven wins are the fix for probably the most over a 10-game span towards Tampa Bay for the reason that 2016-17 season with 5 alternative groups (the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets), and came about all over a stretch the place the Lightning gained two Stanley Cup titles.
Kirill Kaprizov is taking part in in his 3rd tournament of the 2024 calendar while then being out from Dec. 30 to Jan. 13 with a lower-body shock. In spite of lacking seven of the group’s 43 video games, Kaprizov leads Minnesota in issues (35); if he finishes atop the checklist, it’ll be the fourth consecutive season he has completed so. Over his utmost 8 video games, Kaprizov has 11 issues (5 objectives, six assists), which is fix for probably the most issues over an eight-game span through any participant for the Wild this season.
Joel Eriksson Ek scored two objectives within the group’s 5-0 shutout over the New York Islanders on Monday. With 17 objectives thru 43 video games this season, Erikkson Ek is on while for a career-high 30 objectives this season. Eriksson Ek is taking maximum of his alternatives from the internal slot, with 99 shot makes an attempt from that section of the ice this season, just right for 3rd easiest within the NHL this season. Most effective John Tavares and Zach Hyman rank upper.
Marc Andre-Fleury handed Patrick Roy for sole ownership of 2d at the NHL’s all-time goalie wins checklist (at 552, in the back of Martin Brodeur at 691) in a 5-0 shutout of the Islanders on Monday. Fleury’s shutout was once his first this season, and his first since Feb. 23, 2023 towards the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In keeping with ESPN BET, Brock Faber has the 3rd shortest odds (+600) to with the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Past), in the back of Connor Bedard (-190) and Luke Hughes (+500). If Faber wins, he will be the first participant in Wild franchise historical past to win the award, and will be the 3rd defenseman within the utmost 5 years to win the trophy (Moritz Seider: 2021-22; Cale Makar; 2019-20).
Lightning
Power Rankings position: 22
Important scorer: Nikita Kucherov: 28 G | 44 A
Report: 22-17-5 (49 issues)
The Lightning are 22-17-5 this season, just right for a .557 issues proportion. That’s their lowest issues proportion on the 44-game mark for the reason that 2016-17 season after they have been 20-20-4 (.500), the one era wherein the Lightning overlooked the playoffs in a complete season beneath schoolteacher Jon Cooper. The Lightning’s six immediately playoff appearances are fix with the Colorado Avalanche for the 3rd longest lively streak, and trailing handiest the Bruins and Maple Leafs at seven immediately.
Head schoolteacher Jon Cooper has gained 588 video games together with playoffs in his profession — all with the Lightning — the 3rd maximum for a unmarried franchise in NHL historical past, trailing Al Arbour’s 859 with the Islanders and Lindy Ruff’s 628 with the Buffalo Sabres. Since Cooper took over as Lightning head schoolteacher on March 25, 2013, refuse group has extra wins together with playoffs than the Lightning’s 589 — 22 greater than any alternative group (Bruins, 567).
Nikita Kucherov’s 1.67 issues in step with tournament leads the NHL. Within the utmost 25 years, the one gamers with the next fee in a season with no less than 40 video games are Connor McDavid in 2020-21 (1.88), McDavid in 2022-23 (1.87) and Mario Lemieux in 2000-01 (1.77).
Steven Stamkos has scored 204 profession power-play objectives, which is 6th all-time for a unmarried franchise and one shy of tying Joe Sakic’s 205 for the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche for 5th. Stamkos is one shy of recording his 7th immediately season with no less than 10 power-play objective, and thirteenth general. There were 8 gamers in NHL historical past with 13 seasons of 10 power-play objectives all-time: Alex Ovechkin (16), Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille (14 each and every), Keith Tkachuk, Brendan Shanahan, Dave Andreychuk, Dino Ciccarelli and Marcel Dionne (13 each and every).
In keeping with NHL Edge, Brayden Point has 31 velocity bursts of twenty-two+ MPH, which is 3rd within the NHL in the back of Nathan MacKinnon (62) and McDavid (35). His 270 bursts of 20+ MPH trails handiest MacKinnon (410) for many within the NHL. Level crash a max velocity of 24.15 MPH on Dec. 27 vs the Panthers, within the 3rd duration with 17:11 extra.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is thirty ninth in save proportion this season, at .898. He has no longer completed a season with a save proportion under .910 and that hasn’t came about since 2015-16, which was once his 2d NHL season.
Nashville
Predators vs.
Los Angeles
Kings
Thursday, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN+/Hulu
crypto.com Enviornment (Los Angeles, CA)
Predators
Power Rankings position: 18
Important scorer: Filip Forsberg: 22 G | 26 A
Report: 24-19-1 (49 issues)
The Predators are 11-2-1 (.821) vs. the Kings since 2017-18, their 3rd best possible level proportion towards an opponent all over that span, in the back of the New Jersey Devils (9-0-1, .950) and Islanders (10-1-0, .909).
Nashville has performed bodily this season, main the NHL with 1,008 hits, 115 greater than any alternative group (Islanders, 893). In addition they have 19 primary consequences this season, fix with the Geese for 2d maximum within the NHL in the back of the Wild (23).
Filip Forsberg has 48 issues thru 44 group video games this season. With two extra issues within the then two video games, that would be the fewest group video games through any Predators participant to succeed in 50 issues in a season. The stream quickest while was once through Paul Kariya in 2006-07 (47 group video games).
Ryan O’Reilly has 10 power-play objectives this season, fix with Nikita Kucherov and Brock Boeser for the 3rd within the NHL in the back of Sam Reinhart (16) and Valeri Nichushkin (13). Deny alternative Predators skater has greater than 4 this season (Tommy Novak and Roman Josi).
Roman Josi enters with 166 profession objectives, all with the Predators, fix with Shea Weber for 3rd in franchise historical past, in the back of Forsberg (261) and David Legwand (210).
Luke Evangelista has a objective in back-to-back video games. With a objective towards L.A., he would be the 5th Predators skater while 21 or more youthful with a objective in 3 immediately video games: Forsberg (3 times), Alexander Radulov (3 times), Kevin Fiala (two instances), and Scott Hartnell (2003).
Kings
Power Rankings position: 11
Important scorer: Anze Kopitar: 14 G | 25 A
Report: 21-12-8 (50 issues)
The Kings input this tournament with the 3rd maximum issues within the Pacific Section, however just a one-point manage over the Oilers (24-15-1, 49 issues) and Predators (24-19-1, 49). Los Angeles rest forward of Nashville and Edmonton because of their scorching get started, successful 16 in their first 23 video games to start the season (16-4-3, .761), in comparison to 5-8-5 (.417) over their utmost 18 video games (since Dec. 9). That .417 mark is the 5th worst issues proportion within the NHL all over that span, forward of the Anaheim Ducks (.306), Chicago Blackhawks (.289), Ottawa Senators (.278) and San Jose Sharks (.167).
Los Angeles’ best possible duration has been the primary. The Kings’ +18 objective differential within the first duration is 2d best possible within the NHL this season, in the back of the Vancouver Canucks (+22), and their 24 objectives towards within the opening duration are fix with the Bruins for the fewest through any group. The Predators have a +2 objective differential within the first duration, their handiest duration with a good objective differential this season.
Anze Kopitar has performed in the second one maximum video games amongst lively NHL forwards (1,333) in the back of Alex Ovechkin (1,386). He’s the Kings franchise all-time chief in video games performed and assists (773) week his 1,180 profession issues are 2d in group historical past in the back of Marcel Dionne (1,307).
Drew Doughty and Kopitar have factored at the similar objective 296 instances of their profession. That’s the 3rd maximum circumstances through a forward-defenseman pair in NHL historical past, in the back of Wayne Gretzky-Paul Coffey (350) and Phil Esposito-Bobby Orr (306) They just lately handed Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang for 3rd (295).
Trevor Moore has a team-leading 20 objectives this season, making him the primary California-born participant in NHL historical past to attain 20 objectives in a season with a California-based group (he was once born in Thousand Oaks, CA). Moore has 4 video games with a couple of objectives this season, yet one more than all his alternative seasons mixed.
The order with Moore, Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala hasn’t been as fertile of overdue. Thru Dec. 9, they averaged 4.01 objectives in step with 60 mins at 5-on-5; since next, the velocity has dropped to two.88.
