Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman denied Cole Perfetti's claim that he admitted to intentionally high-sticking the Winnipeg Jets youngster in the face during a New Year's Eve clash between the Central Division rivals.

Perfetti said Hartman told him he high-sticked him in retaliation to Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon injuring Wild star Kirill Kaprizov with a series of cross-checks the night prior. Perfetti said the interaction with Hartman was caught on the mic Perfetti was wearing.

The Jets and Wild both had access to the audio from Perfetti's mic, but the NHLPA said it can't be released, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

Hartman shared his side of the story with Russo.

"It's written on the wall that he's wearing a mic," Hartman said. "I know he's wearing a mic all game. He comes up to me multiple times and asks me if I did it on purpose. And finally, all I told him was, 'I'm not gonna say it wasn't on purpose.' So I didn't tell him, 'Hey, I did that on purpose.' ... That was the extent of it."

Hartman added that he didn't appreciate Perfetti going public with his claim.

"If everything that was said on the ice was released to the media, there'd be a lot of people in this league in trouble," he said. "I don't know, I guess we're in a different day and age where kids talk to people about what's said on the ice. You'd think things would stay on the ice."

He added: "I talked to multiple Jets players during the third period, and he told everyone. He's acting like, 'I didn't say anything. They made me tell them.' He f-----g told everyone right away. And then to bring it up into the media, whatever. I'm not going to apologize for high-sticking him. I didn't see Dillon apologize for cross-checking Kirill."

Hartman was fined for the high stick, and Perfetti returned to the game after getting stitches. Hartman has been fined seven times and served three suspensions in his career, including a one-game ban for a hit that injured Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers last season.

The Wild and Jets renew hostilities on Feb. 20 in Winnipeg.

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The NHL's MVP race is starting to take shape now that the calendar has flipped to 2024.

A few of our previous contenders from earlier in the season are still in the hunt, but two perennial candidates who were on the outside looking in for much of the campaign's early stages are now leading the pack.

Conversely, Auston Matthews is pacing the league with 30 goals in 35 games, 11 more tallies than William Nylander's notched this season. But Nylander leads the Toronto Maple Leafs with six more points than his American teammate, so it's tough to give Matthews significant Hart consideration when he's not even leading his team in the points department.

Likewise, Sebastian Aho has been one of the NHL's most productive players since we last examined this award on Dec. 8. The Carolina Hurricanes star has 10 more assists and 16 more points than his closest teammates. However, Aho is still on the fringes of the league scoring race, and his underlying numbers aren't as strong as the others over the campaign.

Here are our top five MVP hopefuls at this juncture:

xGF% = Expected goals for percentage at five-on-five

5. David Pastrnak

Pastrnak's bid has taken a hit, as his underlying numbers have been subpar since our last edition. But the Boston Bruins' dynamo has built up huge disparities between his own production and that of his teammates, with eight more goals, eight more assists, and 18 more points than any of them.

Despite posting xGF and scoring chances for percentages below 50 over his past 12 games (47.04 and 49.67, respectively), those numbers remain above the threshold (including an SCF% of 53.44) over the balance of the season.

Pastrnak no longer has as ironclad of a case as the others listed here, but he'll be in the conversation as long as he keeps carrying a Bruins team that impressively remains near the top of the league standings.

4. Artemi Panarin

Panarin has cooled off a bit since he led this race a month ago, but the New York Rangers' catalyst is still providing plenty of value. He has four more goals, two more assists, and 15 more points than any other Blueshirts skater this season.

The 32-year-old has collected eight tallies and eight helpers in 13 games since our last edition, and his underlying numbers have been excellent, both in that span and for the season. Over Panarin's last 13 games, his five-on-five xGF and SCF percentages of 56.73 and 58.2, respectively, are essentially consistent with his rates in those categories over the balance of the campaign.

Panarin continues to sit among the NHL's top scorers and point producers while averaging what would be his most ice time since 2019-20.

3. Nikita Kucherov

Kucherov's candidacy should be no surprise, considering he leads the NHL in points while ranking among the league leaders in both goals and assists. The Tampa Bay Lightning winger could've been the front-runner if not for two superior candidates who've been more productive lately while authoring better underlying numbers than the Bolts veteran.

However, Kucherov has a strong case. The 30-year-old has 10 more goals, four more assists, and a whopping 24 more points than his closest Lightning teammates. His 34 even-strength points have been bested by a single NHLer (more on him later), and his average ice time is better than all but three other forwards in the league.

Kucherov's analytic figures aren't too shabby, either. Tampa Bay has controlled 54.94% of the scoring chances with the Russian playmaker on the ice at five-on-five in 2023-24. He also ranks tied for seventh among NHL skaters in goals above replacement.

2. Connor McDavid

Two things hindered McDavid's case earlier on: The Edmonton Oilers' woes and the fact that the superstar (perhaps understandably) wasn't meeting the sky-high standard he'd set in recent years. Well, order has been restored to the universe as the Oilers are back in the playoff picture, and McDavid is once again playing on an otherworldly level.

He's not scoring goals at his typical rate, but the reigning MVP and three-time winner is still making a major impact. McDavid now ranks fourth in the NHL in GAR. Leon Draisaitl and others have come close to matching McDavid's production in certain respects over the years, but the latter has 12 more assists and 11 more points than his closest teammates this season.

Only our new No. 1 candidate has more even-strength points than McDavid and Kucherov, who are among those tied for second in that category. That and the fact that McDavid has vaulted up to second in the league in both assists and points (tied in the latter) is especially commendable, considering he's played fewer games than his counterparts due to his late-October injury. Whether McDavid will be able to get back on the throne remains to be seen, but the Oilers captain's status as a legitimate Hart contender in 2023-24 is no longer in question.

1. Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon's performance this season had been overshadowed by that of Cale Makar, who until recently had earned some serious MVP consideration of his own. But it's the Colorado Avalanche center - not the defenseman - who's been in another stratosphere lately.

Over the last month, in particular, MacKinnon has been on an absolute tear. He leads all NHL skaters in points by far since our last edition, with 28 in 13 games. Only 13 of those came at even strength, but he leads the league with 38 even-strength points on the season. The 28-year-old has also averaged more ice time in all situations this season than any NHL forward aside from teammate Mikko Rantanen, who leads by five seconds.

MacKinnon has 16 more points than the closest Avalanche skater (Rantanen) and five more assists than the second-ranked Makar. The blue-liner missed five games due to injury, but those disparities are still impressive, considering how much firepower Colorado possesses. MacKinnon has dealt with injuries himself in the past, but he's played every game for the Avalanche this season, leading the NHL in assists and sitting in a tie with Kucherov for the most points.

What's even more impressive is how dominant MacKinnon has been in terms of the underlying numbers. In addition to his stellar xGF and SCF percentages (the latter being 59.48 at five-on-five), he leads all NHL skaters in GAR. Those factor into two-way play, effectively illustrating why MacKinnon is the new Hart front-runner.

(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)

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The Sharks dropped their 10th straight game after falling 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, marking San Jose's second double-digit losing streak this season.

This is the second time the Sharks have been the victim of two separate double-digit slumps in one campaign, according to San Jose Hockey Now Sheng Peng. The first time was in 1992-93 when San Jose went on three such runs.

Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi scored the eventual winner on the power play in the opening minutes of the third period, securing Winnipeg's fourth consecutive victory and 10th straight game with point.

Alexander Barabanov opened the scoring for the Sharks in the second frame, but Morgan Barron netted the equalizer just over one minute later.

Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves for the Jets, while Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 28 of 30 shots in a losing effort.

San Jose kicked off the 2023-24 season with an 11-game losing streak. The Sharks showed some promise after that dubious stretch, going a respectable 9-7-2 before beginning their current skid Dec. 15. Their last victory came Dec. 12 against the Jets.

As the losses begin to pile up again, Blackwood is trying to focus on positives.

"I mean, if you look at the last three games, it's one-goal games, right?" he said, per NBC Sports. "We're there, we're close, I guess. So, I guess it's just about finishing the job."

The league's last-place team will get a chance to re-enter the win column Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first half of a home-and-home.

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov won't return to Thursday's clash against the Vegas Golden Knights due to an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Barkov sustained the ailment after taking an elbow up high from Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez during the first period. The blue-liner went to sweep the puck around the boards behind Vegas' net and caught Barkov in the face as the center went to complete his check.

Barkov played just under five minutes before departing the contest.

The Panthers also announced forward Evan Rodrigues won't return to the game because of a lower-body injury.

Barkov ranked second on the Panthers with 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) in 34 outings heading into Thursday's Stanley Cup Final rematch.

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The NHL revealed the initial 16 players from the Eastern Conference named to the 2024 All-Star Game.

The representatives from each Western Conference team will be unveiled during the first intermission of Thursday's clash between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.

East

The remaining 12 players (eight skaters, four goalies) will be chosen by a fan vote ending on Jan. 11. The All-Star Weekend will run from Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.

Instead of a division-based setup, the player draft is returning for the first time since 2015. On Feb. 1, four All-Star captains (one from each division) will pair up with celebrities to pick four teams consisting of nine skaters and two goalies.

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The odyssey begins for the Canucks, as they head east for 7 games, so Blake and Jeff set the stage for you. The guys debate another possible healthy scratch for Kuzmenko or Höglander and what it might mean for their Canuck futures, and chat about the poll question on the number of Canucks expected to attend the 2024 All-Star game in Toronto. 

After a chat with the agent, Patrick Johnston of The Province weighs in on the negotiations between the Canucks and Pettersson, plus, is Jonathan Lekkerimäki a future Canuck star or the best way to add a big piece at the trade deadline? 

Then it’s Rob Williams from the Daily Hive with a look back to the Wayne Gretzky buzz at Rogers Arena on Tuesday, and the 99th win for Thatcher Demko and where that total might reach for the Canucks starting goalie. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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