Kings Set Franchise Record With 12-game Point Streak

Good morning and happy Monday, March 27th.

Thanks to our readers who participated in Friday's poll, 70% of which predict the Winnipeg Jets will earn a playoff berth this season. As of this morning, the Jets sit four points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild card spot, so that prediction is looking pretty promising... for now! 🛩️

The Los Angeles Kings have saved their best hockey for the last part of the regular season.

The Kings survived a strong St. Louis Blues comeback effort to win 7-6 Sunday, extending their points streak to a team-record 12 games (10-0-2). The win pulled the Kings (43-20-10, 96 points) within two points of the Pacific-Division leading Vegas Golden Knights (46-21-6).

Viktor Arvidsson and Adrian Kempe scored twice, plus Phillip Danault posted three assists, for the Kings.

Defenseman Drew Doughty notched his 30th career game-winning goal, allowing him to pass Rob Blake for the most GWG by a defenseman in Kings’ history. He ranks seventh among all Kings players.

Doughty, 33, has scored in three consecutive contests, making him the oldest Kings defenseman to achieve that distinction. Jaroslav Modry was previously the oldest defenseman in Kings history to accomplish that. Modry was 31 when he scored in four consecutive games in 2002-03.

Only four defensemen aged 33 and older have had a longer streak than Doughty’s. All of them scored in four consecutive games: Mathieu Schneider (2005-06), Ray Bourque (1996-97), Pierre Pilote (1964-65) and Joe Hall (1918-19).

Doughty is among the Kings’ hottest players. He has five goals in his past six games for a Kings team that appears to be in playoff mode.

The Kings have aspirations for advancing beyond the first round for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.

If the Kings want to achieve that goal, they know they can’t play as sloppily defensively as they did against the Blues.

Kings forward Kevin Fiala returned from a lower body injury in this game and produced two assists. He missed six games.

Who holds the NHL's all-time record for most game-winning goals by a defenseman?

🍁 John Tavares scores twice and adds helper as Leafs beat the Predators 3-2. The 32-year-old Mississauga-native scored his 31st of the year with under two minutes to play in the 1st thanks to some swift power play puck movement before banging home a rebound for his 2nd power play goal of the night with under 5 minutes to play in regulation for the game-winner. Alexander Kerfoot scored, Auston Matthews collected two assists to extend his point streak to five games, and Mitch Marner, playing in his 500th career game, registered an assist to extend his point streak to ten games. With the win, the Maple Leafs sit comfortably in 2nd place in the Atlantic division, 7 points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning with one game in hand.

🏔️ Valeri Nichushkin scores in regulation and shootout, Avs bury Coyotes 4-3. The 6'4" power forward extended his point streak to six games, redirecting a deft Mikko Rantanen pass for his 15th of the season just past the midway point of the third to give the Avalanche a brief 3-2 lead before the Coyote's Clayton Keller tied the game up less than two minutes later. But Nichushkin wasn't done yet, scoring a beautiful shootout winner as the 14th shooter in the seventh round. Mikko Rantanen scored his team-leading 48th of the season, Bowen Byram scored, and Alexandar Georgiev collected 27 saves as the Avs won their 5th straight road game. The win ties the Avs with the Dallas Stars for 2nd in the Central Division with 92 points, both sitting 1 point back from the Central-leading Minnesota Wild.

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Ray Bourque holds the NHL's all-time record for game-winning goals by a defenseman with 60.