* Childhood friends Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec met for the first time since their names were called 18 months ago in an historic NHL Draft, with both registering a point in the contest.

* The Eastern Conference playoff race is heating up – much like Panthers forward Sam Reinhart who set a franchise record for longest goal streak – as the Red Wings stayed red hot to climb into the top three in the Atlantic Division for the first time in more than a month.

* Nikita Kucherov will look to maintain his lead in the Art Ross Trophy race during the opener of an ESPN+/Hulu doubleheader, while half of the League’s top eight scorers will take the ice in games available nationally on Sportsnet (Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen and Connor McDavid).

SLAFKOVSKY OUTDUELS NEMEC IN FIRST MEETING BETWEEN CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

The two highest-drafted Slovakian players in League history – longtime friends and teammates Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec – met for the first time since their names were the first two called at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal. Both players registered a point in the contest, with Slafkovsky spotting the Canadiens to an early lead by beating Nemec to the puck in front of the net and Nemec later notching the primary assist on a tying goal. Montreal (19-18-7, 45 points) came away victorious to move within two points of New Jersey (22-17-3, 47 points) and within four points of a playoff spot.

* During an intermission interview with Sportsnet, Slafkovsky spoke about the meaning of sharing NHL ice with his childhood friend – and quipped about the joy he took in scoring against him.

* When Slafkovsky and Nemec were selected first and second overall in 2022, it marked the second time in NHL history that the top two picks were non-North Americans born in the same country. Months before that, they helped Slovakia claim the bronze medal at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing – the country’s first-ever Olympic medal for ice hockey.

* Cole Caufield (1-1—2) batted the puck out of the air for his assist on Slafkovsky’s goal and later tallied the go-ahead game-winning goal – perhaps fueled by a meal cooked by his longtime friend, Jack Hughes.

RED WINGS RISE IN STANDINGS, REINHART STAYS RED HOT ON SURPRISE TNT TELECAST

After the Blackhawks–Sabres game was postponed due to travel restrictions, the NHL on TNT crew picked up the Red Wings–Panthers game – and called the action from the studio.

* Sam Reinhart opened the scoring by setting a new Panthers record for longest goal streak, extending his to eight games, but the Red Wings tied the game twice before Dylan Larkin tallied in overtime to clinch the club’s third straight victory (scoring in each of those contests).

* Detroit pushed its point streak to seven games (6-0-1) – its longest since 2015-16 – to move into third place in the Atlantic Division standings. They are the first new entrant among the top three in the division since Toronto displaced them Dec. 9.

* Reinhart’s goal was the 500th point of his NHL career and his 33rd of the season (44 GP), equaling a career high set over the course of 78 games in 2021-22. He has scored in 12 of 14 games since Dec. 18 and is the first NHL player since Dawson Mercer (8 GP in 2022-23)to post a goal streak of eight or more contests.

* Reinhart’s goal came while shorthanded, marking his second such tally in as many games – the second player in Panthers history to achieve that feat – and his 20th special-teams goal of the campaign (16 PPG & 4 SHG). Reinhart, who extended his streak of games with a power-play or shorthanded goal to eight, needs four special-teams goals for the balance of the season to match the single-season franchise record held by Pavel Bure (24 in 2000-01).

* Reinhart’s career year has been accompanied by an uptick in how hard he is shooting the puck. NHL EDGE data has clocked Reinhart with 50 shot attempts at 70+ mph in 2023-24 (44 GP) – fast approaching his end-of-season totals from both 2021-22 (52 in 78 GP) and 2022-23 (67 in 82 GP).

QUICK CLICKS
* Joe Thornton to have No. 19 retired by Sharks next season

* 2024 Hyundai NHL Fan Fair attractions announced for All-Star Weekend
* Voting still open for 2024 All-Star Skills Fan Vote
* Phil Esposito talks Connor McDavid; 60th anniversary of his NHL debut

* AJR to perform at Stadium Series on Feb. 18

* Find tickets for 2024 NHL All-Star Thursday; 2024 NHL Stadium Series

KUCHEROV LOOKS TO MSCORING LEAD

Five of 11 games during Thursday’s slate will be broadcast nationally, with several 2024 NHL All-Stars looking to continue their noteworthy performances. In the U.S., Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning (22-17-5, 49 points) will go head-to-head with the Wild (18-20-5, 41 points) to open a doubleheader on ESPN+ and Hulu. In Canada, William Nylander and the Maple Leafs (21-13-8, 50 points) clash with the Flames (21-18-5, 47 points) on TVA Sports, while Sportsnet networks will carry games involving half of the top eight scorers in Nathan MacKinnon (2nd), David Pastrnak (3rd), Mikko Rantanen (6th) and Connor McDavid (8th).

* Kucherov, who has 28-44–72 to lead the Art Ross Trophy race thanks to a goal advantage over MacKinnon (23-49–72), enters Thursday’s contest against the Wild three assists shy of 500 in his career (304-497—801 in 687 GP). He can become the fourth player to reach the milestone with the Lightning and the fastest in franchise history to achieve the feat – Martin St. Louis currently holds that distinction, requiring 842 contests.

* Cale Makar (75-223—298 in 278 GP) needs two points to reach 300 in his career and one goal to set a new franchise record among defensemen. He can match Bruins legend Bobby Orr (279 GP) as the fastest defenseman in NHL history to record 300 career points.

* Nylander, who leads the Maple Leafs with 21-36—57 in 2023-24 (42 GP), can hit 60 points on the season when Toronto visits Calgary. Should he pick up three points, Nylander would become the fourth-fastest player in Maple Leafs history – and fastest in 30 years – to reach the 60-point mark in a season behind Lorne Carr (39 GP in 1943-44), Darryl Sittler (40 GP in 1977-78) and Doug Gilmour (41 GP in 1992-93).

* Filip Forsberg (298 in 660 GP) will look to hit the 300-assist mark when the Predators clash with the Kings in Los Angeles. He can become the fourth player in franchise history to reach the milestone, following his current teammate Roman Josi (472 in 871 GP), along with David Legwand (356 in 956 GP) and Martin Erat (318 in 723 GP).

* McDavid and the Oilers both enter Thursday looking to extend streaks, with the Edmonton captain aiming to add to his 14-game home point streak (8-23—31) while his club looks to build upon its franchise record 11-game winning streak. Should he extend, McDavid can become the third player in Oilers history to record multiple home point streaks of 15-plus games.

McDavid says All-Star Skills will have “12 of the best players”