Facts and figures: Kane knocks down milestones for Blackhawks
Forward becomes fifth in Chicago history, youngest U.S.-born player in NHL to reach 900 points
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
Patrick Kane is no stranger to dramatics on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks, and he did not disappoint in a return to his hometown of Buffalo on Friday when he became the fifth player in Chicago history to reach 900 points during a 7-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
The 30-year-old forward had four points (two goals, two assists) to give him 903 points (343 goals, 560 assists) in the NHL, joining Stan Mikita with 1,467 points (541 goals, 926 assists), Bobby Hull with 1,153 points (604 goals, 549 assists), Denis Savard with 1,096 points (377 goals, 719 assists) and Steve Larmer with 923 points (406 goals, 517 assists).
At 30 years, 74 days, Kane became the youngest U.S.-born player to reach 900 points in NHL history, besting Jeremy Roenick (30 years, 304 days).
Kane is the 12th United States born player to reach 900 points in the NHL and the fifth to do so in fewer than 900 games, needing 873 games to attain the milestone. He joins Pat LaFontaine (752 games) Joe Mullen (821), Roenick (860) and Mike Modano (868) in that group.
Kane has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in a 10-game point streak, the longest active streak in the NHL, and ranks second in the League with 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists), behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who has 79 points (22 goals, 57 assists).
Kane has the fifth point streak of at least 10 games in his NHL career, becoming the third player in Blackhawks history to achieve the feat; Savard did it 11 times and Hull five.
Niederreiter fitting in quickly with Hurricanes
Nino Niederreiter looks to be enjoying life with the Carolina Hurricanes, who acquired the 26-year-old forward in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 17. He became the third player in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history to score at least five goals in his first five games with the team with a goal in a 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at PNC Arena. The others were John Anderson, who had six goals in five games in 1985-86 and Radim Vrbata, who had five goals in five games in 2002-03.
Video: CAR@VAN: Niederreiter scores his second of the period
Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist against Vegas to boost his NHL totals to 242 points (78 goals, 164 assists) to pass Dave Babych (240 points; 44 goals, 196 points) for most points by a defenseman in Hurricanes/Whalers history.
Crosby reaches milestone for Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby had two assists in a 5-3 win against the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena to reach the 60-point mark in his 48th game of the season, the seventh time in his NHL career he's done that prior to playing 50 games. Only Mario Lemieux (12 times) and Jaromir Jagr (eight) have accomplished that feat more times in Penguins history.
Video: OTT@PIT: Guentzel whips home Crosby's nice feed
In other notable achievements Friday
Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin reached the 20-goal mark for the sixth straight time in a 3-1 win against the Wild at American Airlines Center. The only other players to do so more often in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history are Brian Bellows (10 times) and Steve Payne (seven).
With a 3-2 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland earned his 913th win as an NHL GM, all with the Red Wings, to tie Jack Adams for the most in Detroit history. Five GMs in NHL history have more regular-season wins than Holland and Adams: David Poile (1,364), Glen Sather (1,319), Lou Lamoriello (1,240), Harry Sinden (1,170) and Cliff Fletcher (953).
Tampa Bay Lighting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves in a 1-0 shootout win against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum to earn his 16th career regular-season shutout and move within one of tying Ben Bishop (17) for most in Lightning history.
Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm extended his point streak to nine games (11 points; two goals, nine assists) in a 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Two Flames players have had a longer point streak in their first season with the franchise: Doug Gilmour (11-game point streak in 1988-89) and Marc Savard (10-game streak in 1999-2000).
Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau (50 points; 13 goals, 37 assists in 49 games) became the fourth player in Panthers history to get 50 points prior to his 50th game, joining Pavel Bure (42 games in 1999-00), Scott Mellanby (47 games in 1995-96) and Olli Jokinen (48 games in 2006-07).