Morning Skate for December 11

* Sidney Crosby climbed another all-time NHL list as his longtime teammate Kris Letang returned to the Penguins' lineup less than two weeks after suffering a stroke.
* Mitch Marner extended his franchise-record point streak and William Nylander notched a career-high five points as the Maple Leafs rallied from three separate deficits to win the first Hockey Night in Canada in Cree contest of the season.
* Sunday's six-game slate is highlighted by the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins visiting the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights, who are led by former Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy.

CROSBY COLLECTS THREE POINTS AS LETANG RETURNS TO PENGUINS' LINEUP
Sidney Crosby (2-1-3) contributed on all three Pittsburgh goals as the Penguins swept their back-to-back, home-and-home set with the Sabres in Kris Letang's return to the lineup. Letang received a

after missing just five games following a stroke on Nov. 28, with Pittsburgh going 4-0-1 in his absence.
* Crosby collected the 165th three-point game of his NHL career and surpassed Jari Kurri (164) for sole possession of the

. Crosby (290-512-802 in 565 GP) also became the
second player in franchise history
to record 800 home points with the Penguins, joining Mario Lemieux (375-564-939 in 472 GP).
\
Click here
to read more on the return of Letang, who led Pittsburgh skaters with 22:14 of ice time and was named the "Third Star" of the game Saturday.
HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA IN CREE HIGHLIGHTED BY MARNER EXTENDING STREAK
Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (11-19-30 in 22 GP) had a first-period assist and the overtime winner to extend his franchise-record point streak to 22 contests, doing so during the first Hockey Night in Canada in Cree game of the season. The
national broadcast series by APTN and Sportsnet
, which delivers exclusive Cree-language commentary and analysis to hockey fans across Canada, is set to return on Jan. 21 (EDM at VAN), Feb. 25 (OTT at MTL), March 4 (EDM at WPG) and April 1 (TOR at OTT).
\ Marner became the
14th different player in NHL history
to record a point streak of at least 22 contests, with the list also including Bryan Trottier whose father was of Cree Métis Chippewa descent. Trottier, a cornerstone of the early-1980s Islanders dynasty, tallied a 25-game point streak in 1981-82 en route to helping New York win its third of four straight Stanley Cups.
* William Nylander (2-3-5) assisted on the overtime winner to record the first five-point game of his NHL career. Toronto improved to 11-0-3 in its last 14 contests dating to Nov. 12 and moved within two games of matching the
franchise record for longest point streak
, a mark set from Nov. 22 to Dec. 26, 2003 (14-0-2 in 16 GP).
STAMKOS, KOCHETKOV ALSO STRETCH LENGTHY POINT STREAKS
Mitchell Marner wasn't the only player to extend a noteworthy point streak Saturday:
* Steven Stamkos (8-12-20 in 13 GP) scored to extend his point streak to 13 games - the second longest active run in the NHL behind Marner - and help the Lightning earn the 10th win in their past 14 contests. Stamkos (41-59-100 in 76 GP) became the
10th player to record 100 points in the 2022 calendar year
and tied the
second-longest point streaks in franchise history
- a list he already tops after finding the score sheet in 18 straight games nearly 13 years ago.
* Pyotr Kochetkov (16 saves) helped the Hurricanes blank the Islanders at UBS Arena and improved to 8-0-4 in 12 career road appearances, including a 5-0-4 record in nine this season. He became the fourth rookie goaltender in NHL history with a season-opening road point streak of nine or more games, joining Pete Peeters (9-0-2 in 11 GP in 1979-80), Patrick Lalime (8-0-1 in 9 GP in 1996-97) and Grant Fuhr (3-0-6 in 9 GP in 1981-82).
OVERTIME WINNER BY STARS ROOKIE LUNDKVIST FEATURED IN LIVE UPDATES
Nils Lundkvist thrilled Dallas fans with a matinee overtime winner to lift his club to victory and help the Stars (16-7-5, 37 points) move into a tie with the first-place Jets (18-7-1, 37 points) for the most points in the Central Division. In the process, Lundkvist became the third rookie to score an overtime goal this season (also Fabian Zetterlund & Matty Beniers). More #NHLStats on Lundkvist and others can be found in the
most-recent edition of Live Updates
.
QUICK CLICKS
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Red Wings celebrate David Perron's 1,000th game with video, custom T-shirts
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Jamie Oleksiak, Jeff Skinner each suspended for three games
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Zizing 'Em Up: Late Oilers scout Barry Fraser remembered as dynasty builder
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Ab McDonald Arena honors Winnipeg icon, four-time Stanley Cup champion
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Islanders bring back Fisherman logo for first time since 1997
TOP TEAMS IN EACH CONFERENCE SET TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD SUNDAY
A battle between the top teams in each conference will cap off a six-game Sunday when the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins (21-4-1, 43 points) visit the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights (20-8-1, 41 points). Alex Ovechkin (796-643-1,439 in 1,303 GP) will also be in action as he continues his
"Road to 800"
when the Capitals square off against the Jets - one of two franchises he has 50 career goals against (also 50 vs. TBL).
\ Ovechkin, who has scored 50 goals through 69 contests against the Jets/Thrashers, is averaging 0.72 goals per game versus the franchise in his NHL career. He has a higher average against just four clubs (min. 5 GP): Minnesota (17 G in 19 GP; 0.89 G/GP), St. Louis (19 G in 23 GP; 0.83 G/GP), Toronto (41 G in 54 GP; 0.76 G/GP) and Detroit (23 G in 31 GP; 0.74 G/GP).