Facts and Figures: Kucherov, Lightning keep striking

Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning show no signs of slowing down; rather, they are picking up speed at the halfway point of the NHL season.

The forward had a goal and three assists to help power the Lightning to their seventh straight win, a 6-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Thursday. The win extended Tampa Bay's point streak to 16 games (15-0-1), the longest in the NHL this season. The longest point streak in Lightning history is 18 games (14-0-4) in 2003-04.
Tampa Bay, which has not lost in regulation since a 3-2 defeat to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 27, is one of four different teams since 2008-09 to have a point streak of at least 16 games, joining the Boston Bruins (18 in 2017-18, 16 in 2013-14), Columbus Blue Jackets (18 in 2016-17), Chicago Blackhawks (24 in 2012-13) and Vancouver Canucks (17 in 2010-11).
The Lightning (32-7-2, 66 points) opened a 12-point lead for first place in the NHL standings against the Toronto Maple Leafs (26-12-2) and Calgary Flames (25-13-4). This marks the first time in the expansion era and the eighth time in NHL history a team has led by at least 12 points in the NHL standings at the midway point of its season.
This also marks the second instance of a team holding a lead of at least 10 points at the midway point of a schedule consisting of at least 80 games; the Montreal Canadiens held a 10-point lead against the Philadelphia Flyers through their 40th game in 1976-77.
Kucherov is a huge reason for Tampa Bay's prolific run; he has 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in a 12-game point streak, including multiple points in seven straight games (21 points; six goals, 15 assists) and a goal in five consecutive games.
He is the second player this season with multiple points in seven games in a row; Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews did it from Oct. 3-15 (16 points; 10 goals, six assists). The only other player in Lightning history to do so was Vincent Lecavalier, who had multiple points in eight straight contests from Nov. 3-19, 2007 (21 points; seven goals, 14 assists). Lecavalier is the last player to score multiple points in more than seven games.
Kucherov, who leads the NHL in scoring with 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists), is the eighth player since 1993-94 to have at least 69 points through 41 games of a season and first since Jaromir Jagr had 72 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999-2000.
Kucherov became the first member of the 2011 NHL Draft class with more than 400 points in the League. He has 403 points (167 goals, 236 assists) in 406 games.

Big three-oh for Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 30th goal in the Washington Capitals' 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center to join Capitals forward Mike Gartner as the only players in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in each of his first 14 seasons.

Gartner did it in 15 consecutive seasons from the start of his NHL career, from 1979-80 to 1993-94. One other player has reached the 30-goal mark in 14 or more consecutive seasons at any point in his career: Jagr, who accomplished it in 15 straight seasons from 1991-92 (his second season in the League) to 2006-07.
Ovechkin, a forward, became the sixth player in NHL history to reach the 30-goal mark in at least 14 total seasons (consecutive or otherwise), joining Gartner (17), Jagr (15), Gordie Howe (14), Wayne Gretzky (14) and Marcel Dionne (14).
Ovechkin (33 years, 108 days) became the third player in NHL history to be the first to 30 goals in a season at age 33 or older, joining 34-year-old Bill Cook in 1930-31 and 36-year-old Teemu Selanne in 2006-07. Ovechkin also became the second player in League history to be the first to 30 goals in consecutive seasons after celebrating his 30th birthday, joining Phil Esposito in 1973-74 (age 31) and 1974-75 (age 32).

Sky-high Skinner

Jeff Skinner scored his seventh game-winning goal this season to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center, and tied Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog for the most such goals this season.

Skinner is the first Sabres player with at least seven game-winning goals in one season since Derek Roy in 2008-09 (82 games) and is four shy of matching the single-season Buffalo record shared by Danny Gare (11 in 1979-80, 76 games) and Alexander Mogilny (11 in 1992-93, 77 games).

Marner quick off the draw

Mitchell Marner scored seven seconds into the game during the Maple Leafs' 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Arena and tied a Toronto record that has stood for 87 years.
The 21-year-old forward matched the Maple Leafs record for fastest goal from the start of a game, set by Charlie Conacher against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 6, 1932.