Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby recorded his 1,300th-career point Thursday after registering three assists against the Buffalo Sabres.
Crosby is the eighth-fastest player to reach the milestone, putting him in elite company.
1,300 career points for Sidney Crosby!
With his assist on Jake Guentzel's goal, Crosby becomes the eighth-fastest player in NHL history to record 1,300 points (1,017 GP). pic.twitter.com/0BuGhwQxwY
Everyone in the list's top 10 except Crosby and Jaromir Jagr - who's not yet eligible - is a Hall of Famer.
"It's a nice number," Crosby said postgame. "I wasn't thinking about it at the time. Tonight was a big game and we were just focused on getting a win. ... I guess it's a sign I've been playing for a pretty long time, too. It's always nice to get those milestones."
Crosby's longtime rival, Alex Ovechkin, reached the 1,300-point mark March 16 in his 1,177th career game.
Mika Zibanejad may as well run for mayor of Philadelphia because he owns that city.
The New York Rangers pivot scored a hat trick and added three assists Thursday against the Flyers. He also recorded three goals and three assists in the second period of New York's 9-0 win over Philly on March 17.
In a span of five straight periods against the Flyers, Zibanejad has amassed 12 points. Both of his three-goal outings were natural hat tricks, too.
Here's a look at his first five points from Thursday:
Here's @MikaZibanejad's five points from tonight... SO FAR.
Buffalo Sabres interim head coach Don Granato and interim assistant coach Matt Ellis will miss Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after being placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, the team announced.
General manager Kevyn Adams will serve as Buffalo's head coach.
This marks the second time a Sabres coach has been affected by the league's protocol. Earlier in the year, ex-bench boss Ralph Krueger revealed he contracted COVID-19.
Adams, a former NHL player, was an assistant coach with the Sabres from 2011-2013.
The Canadian government is poised to approve a seven-day quarantine period with extra testing for NHL players who are traded from American to Canadian clubs prior to the April 12 deadline, a source told CBC News.
All provinces with NHL teams have approved the measures, according to CBC.
Those crossing the U.S.-Canada border are required to quarantine for 14 days once they enter Canada.
The current two-week quarantine requirement makes it difficult for the seven Canadian teams to trade for players on U.S. clubs.
The Winnipeg Jets acquired forward Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 23, but the 22-year-old wasn't able to play his first game for the club until Feb. 9.
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin doesn't anticipate his team will be very active on the trade market ahead of the April 12 deadline.
Bergevin said it's difficult to make a trade due to the team's tight salary-cap situation, and any possible move has to be a pure hockey deal.
"We have no cap space, so I mean it's money in, money out," Bergevin told reporters Thursday. "Expectation to do something at the deadline is probably very unlikely."
Montreal has just over $1 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.
The Habs, along with the six other Canadian teams, face another significant hurdle when it comes to making a trade. Players must complete the mandated 14-day quarantine period upon crossing the U.S.-Canada border.
Bergevin said the quarantine rule won't impact the timing of a potential deal and circled back to the club's cap crunch being the main issue.
"We do have conversations daily, but at the end of the day you go back to always the cap," he said. "Once you become a team against the cap, it's money in money out unless you start giving up assets."
He added: "Honestly, I'm not worried about it. I like our team, we'll make the best of the situation of the condensed schedule for the rest of the year, but I still like our team a lot."
The Canadiens won't play until at least March 30 after having four games postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. Montreal sits fourth in the North Division entering Thursday's action.
Brian Burke is approaching his first trade deadline as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins' front office, and he's ready to make some moves.
"We have an agreement with ownership," Burke told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "And part of that agreement is to see how much we can help this group win right now."
Burke was hired as Pittsburgh's president of hockey operations in February. He was brought in with general manager Ron Hextall - who was appointed in the aftermath of Jim Rutherford's surprise resignation - and many wondered what approach the duo would take for an aging Penguins core struggling to string together wins in 2021.
"We are looking to do something, very much. Hexy is working the phones hard right now," Burke said.
He continued, "We like our group. We'd like to make it better. Here's the thing: We don't have any picks left. We aren't putting our top kids in play. So, we don't necessarily have certain things to offer that other teams do. The things we can offer are a little different than other teams, maybe. But if we can add, we're going to add."
Pittsburgh has one of the league's emptiest prospect pipelines and only owns one pick in the first four rounds of the 2021 draft. The club is also right against the $81.5-million salary cap, making a move of significance before the April 12 deadline difficult.
The Penguins boast the league's third-best record since their front-office shakeup at 15-6-1. They currently sit third in the East Division with 42 points but have played five more games than the fourth-place Bruins.
Welcome to the third edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings, where we have five brand-new entrants.
These rankings focus on analytics and all-around ability at the position rather than just points.
xGF% = the share of expected goals a team produces while a player is on the ice at five-on-five
GAR = goals above replacement-level player
5. Chris Tanev, Flames
Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
GAR
34
2
3
21:49
59.82
6.1
Tanev cracking this list will surely raise some eyebrows, but if there was an award for the league's best defensive defenseman, he'd be the runaway favorite.
At five-on-five, the 31-year-old ranks first among qualified blue-liners in expected goals against per hour, second in goals against per hour, and fourth in high-danger chances against per hour.
His shut-down ability is enough to warrant a spot on this list, though No. 5 is probably as high he'll get given his offensive limitations.
4. Jeff Petry, Canadiens
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
GAR
31
11
16
22:36
57.9
8
A case could be made that Petry's numbers should place him higher, but there are a few important factors to consider.
Much of his value is tied to goal-scoring, which is bound to dry up at some point. (His shooting percentage is more than double his career average.) His possession numbers are excellent, but Montreal is still a 54 xGF% team with him on the bench. He also doesn't draw the toughest assignments, as Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot generally handle those.
Nonetheless, Petry's stellar underlying defensive metrics - despite the softer matchups - combined with his offensive production make him well worthy of an appearance here.
3. Adam Fox, Rangers
Rob Carr / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
GAR
30
3
18
24:30
58.0
4.1
After destroying bottom-pairing matchups as a rookie in 2019-20, Fox has made a seamless transition against tougher competition.
The value that Fox provides to the Rangers is unparalleled. He only ranks ninth among qualified defenseman in xGF%, but New York's xGF% drops over 10 points when Fox isn't on the ice at five-on-five. True No. 1 defensemen elevate everyone around them, and the 23-year-old is doing exactly that.
2. Victor Hedman, Lightning
Scott Audette / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
GAR
32
6
27
25:32
52.9
6
Hedman was omitted from the past two editions of this list due to some mediocre underlying defensive numbers, but as expected, he's rounding into his Norris Trophy form at both ends of the ice. Since our last rankings, Hedman ranks 13th in xGA/60 and 13th in xGF%.
The 2018 Norris winner leads all NHL blue-liners in points (33) and power-play points (19). That's not the be-all and end-all of the award, but when his improved defensive play is factored in, he's more than worthy of being in serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
1. Samuel Girard, Avalanche
Norm Hall / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
GAR
29
5
19
23:21
60.7
13
The 5-foot-10 Girard placing ahead of the 6-foot-6 Hedman is proof that elite defensemen come in all shapes and sizes.
Girard has been nothing short of spectacular all season. He ranks second among qualified D-men in xGF%, sixth in xGF/60, and seventh in xGA/60. He's elevated his game even further as of late.
The Avalanche have dealt with numerous injuries this season but perhaps none bigger than Cale Makar's 10-game absence over the last month. Girard amassed 10 points and posted a 67.4 xGF% - second-best among blue-liners - during that span.
Makar would likely still be leading this list if he didn't get hurt. He's back now, but missing nearly a third of his team's games eliminates him from consideration for the time being. It won't matter to the Avs, who now have the luxury of counting on two elite rearguards.
