By Myrtle Davies

* NHL Coast to Coast, the live whip-around show available to viewers on Prime Video Canada starting at 7 p.m. ET, returns as 28 teams hit the ice during Thursday’s slate which includes several streaks, homecomings and Stanley Cup Final rematches. Only the Hurricanes, Rangers, Sabres and Senators are idle.
* Claude Giroux is set to join NHL Coast to Coast during his night off after helping the Senators defeat the Ducks, which was highlighted by teammate Drake Batherson notching a natural hat trick. Adam Fox also tallied three points as the Rangers clipped the Sabres on Wednesday.

* With every hat trick this season, AstraZeneca will donate $3,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation up to $300,000.

NHL COAST TO COAST RETURNS DURING 14-GAME SLATE STACKED WITh storylines
NHL Coast to Coast, the weekly studio show featuring live look-ins, highlights and expert analysis of every contest, returns during an action-packed 14-game night with no shortage of storylines. Fans can tune in on Prime Video Canada starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Fourteen notes for the 14 games can be found below:

1. Auston Matthews mustered a highlight-reel overtime goal Tuesday and returns to Scotiabank Arena when the Maple Leafs host Jacob Trouba and the Ducks. Matthews (4-4—8 in 6 GP) has four tallies in six games since returning to Toronto’s lineup and could pass Darryl Sittler (389) for second place on the franchise’s all-time goals list before heading to the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Maple Leafs’ final contest ahead of the tournament is on Feb. 8, 2025, one day after the 49-year anniversary of Sittler’s NHL-record 10-point game.

2. Sidney Crosby is set to visit Bell Centre for the last time before returning to the venue for the 4 Nations Face-Off, while tournament-bound Patrik Laine (3-1—4 in 4 GP) and the Canadiens conclude their season-high five-game homestand (which coincide with Laine’s first five contests for the franchise). Lane Hutson (0-8—8 in 7 GP) can become the fifth rookie defenseman in NHL history with an eight-game point streak, following Shayne Gostisbehere (15 GP from Jan. 19 to Feb. 20, 2016), Barry Beck (10 GP from Jan. 11-31, 1978 & Nov. 26 to Dec. 21, 1977), Kevin Shattenkirk (9 GP from Nov. 17 to Dec. 4, 2010) and Moritz Seider (8 GP from Feb. 9 to March 4, 2022).

3. Anze Kopitar closes in on the 1,500-game milestone (regular season & playoffs combined) when the streaking Kings joust Jack Hughes and the Devils at Prudential Center. Los Angeles has won each of its past six contests – the longest active winning streak in the NHL. Only three teams have posted longer runs this season: Winnipeg (8 GP from Oct. 9-26 & 7 GP from Oct. 30 to Nov. 12), Carolina (8 GP from Oct. 22 to Nov. 7) and Florida (7 GP from Oct. 24 to Nov. 9).

4. Matvei Michkov (3-7—10 in 5 GP) can extend his career-high point streak to six games as the Flyers face Patrick Kane and the Red Wings in another Stanley Cup Final rematch Thursday. Kane, who recently returned to the lineup and helped Detroit snap its five-game slide, scored the Cup-clinching overtime goal during a different championship series at Wachovia Center (now Wells Fargo Center) in Game 6 of the 2010 Final.

5. Dylan Strome can help the Capitals can extend their franchise-record road winning streak to 10 games when they visit Kent Johnson and the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Washington would be the 12th team in NHL history with a double-digit run and fifth over the last three seasons, following Florida (11 GP from Dec. 27, 2023 to Feb. 17, 2024), Los Angeles (11 GP from Oct. 17 to Dec. 7, 2023), Colorado (11 GP from March 13 to April 14, 2023) and New Jersey (11 GP from Oct. 20 to Dec. 3, 2022).
6. Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks can build on their first win under new head coach Anders Sorensen as they visit Brock Nelson and the Islanders at UBS Arena. Chicago contests nine more games (including another one versus New York on Dec. 15) before squaring off with St. Louis in the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve (5 p.m. ET on TNT, Max, truTV, SN, TVAS). Episode 2 of “Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic presented by Enterprise” premiered on TNT yesterday and fans in Canada will be able to watch it tonight on Sportsnet ONE at 8:30 p.m. ET.

7. Dylan Holloway (6-5—11 in 7 GP), who potted the overtime winner Tuesday and has found the score sheet in all seven games since St. Louis hired head coach Jim Montgomery, can extend his career-high point streak when the Blues host Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks at Enterprise Center. Celebrini (8-8—16 in 19 GP) has the second highest points-per-game rate among rookies this season (min. 5 GP) behind Michkov (1.00 P/GP).
8. Jake Oettinger can improve to 11-0-0 in 11 appearances at American Airlines Center this season as the Stars host Juuse Saros and the Predators. Oettinger, who suffered a loss in one of the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland contests where Dallas was the home team, is 3-3-0 in six games played this season against other goaltenders that were named to 4 Nations Face-Off rosters.

9. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele helped the Jets erupt for eight goals Tuesday and look to log their League-leading 22nd win of the season when they host Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights at Canada Life Centre. Connor, Eichel, Connor Hellebuyck and Noah Hanifin are set to play together at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The League’s Media site is home to a By the Numbers breakdown of the full tournament rosters as well as notes for all players set to represent Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

10. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the NHL’s leading goal scorer, go head-to-head with the one of the League’s leading point scorers, Kirill Kaprizov, when the Oilers visit the Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday. McDavid has factored on 199 of Draisaitl’s career goals – the seventh-most assists on one teammate’s tallies in NHL history – including 15 of his 20 this season.

11. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen follow up their five-point games from Tuesday when Colorado clashes with Clayton Keller and Utah Hockey Club at Ball Arena. MacKinnon (10-36—46 in 30 GP) can become the sixth player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to reach the 50-point mark in 31 games or fewer, joining Peter Stastny (4x; fastest: 27 GP in 1987-88), Marian Stastny (27 GP in 1982-83), Peter Forsberg (29 GP in 1995-96), Michel Goulet (30 GP in 1987-88) and Rantanen (31 GP in 2018-19).

12. Brayden Point (2-7—9 in 3 GP) returns to his hometown with nine points over his last three games as the Lightning face Jonathan Huberdeau and the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Point was born in Calgary and played minor hockey in the city as well as a handful of junior A games in nearby Canmore, site of the 25th annual Scotiabank Hockey Day In Canada on Jan. 18, 2025.

13. Aleksander Barkov, who pulled off his fake between-the-legs move (which received high praise from Wayne Gretzky in the 2023 playoffs) during the shootout Tuesday, can help Florida (6-0-1 dating to Nov. 27) extend its point streak to eight games when the Panthers play Quinn Hughes and the Canucks at Rogers Arena. Sam Reinhart (5-2—7 in 8 GP) was born in West Vancouver after his father, Paul, skated two seasons with the Canucks and has five goals in eight career road contests against his hometown team.

14. David Pastrnak (3-7—10 in 6 GP) has a point in each of his past six road games and will look to extend his run when the Bruins visit Shane Wright and the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday. Should he do so, it would mark the longest road point streak by a Bruins player since his own 10-game stretch from March 12 to April 13, 2023.
Batherson NETS NATURAL HAT TRICK, FOX HAS THREE POINTS IN WINS wednesday
Drake Batherson (3-1—4) buried three consecutive goals and Adam Fox (1-2—3) found the back of the net for the first time this season as the Senators and Rangers recorded victories.

* Fox (1-24—25 in 28 GP) registered his 23rd and 24th assists of the season to overtake Ott Heller in 1938-39 (0-23—23 in 48 GP) for the most by a Rangers player before scoring his first goal, which is exactly what Fox did next when he put New York up 3-1. Fox recorded his 18th career game-winning goal and tied Ron Greschner for the second most among defensemen in franchise history – of note, Greschner was sometimes deployed as a forward during his 16-season tenure with the Rangers.

* Batherson reached the 100-goal milestone with his first marker and tallied the game’s next two to record his first career natural hat trick (and second three-goal game following Oct. 25, 2021). Batherson became the first Senators player to notch a natural hat trick since team captain Brady Tkachuk did so exactly three years ago on Dec. 11, 2021.

* Batherson scored the seventh natural hat trick this season, which trail only 1991-92 (11), 1986-87 (10), 1985-86 (10) and 1971-72 (8) for the most at this stage in NHL history (through 457 GP). Click here to read Wednesday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates, which featured more notes from the two-game slate.

QUICK CLICKS

* Rasmus Dahlin Foundation helps children in need in Western New York
* NHL EDGE stats: Martin Necas in Art Ross Trophy race during fast start
* Kings proving they’re ‘one of those top teams too’ with 6-game winning streak

* Wild owner Craig Leipold talks Kirill Kaprizov contract, hot start in Q&A with NHL.com
* Statement from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the passing of David Bonderman

COURTESY NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS