NHL MORNING SKATE – FEB. 26, 2020 THREE HARD LAPS * Artemi Panarin secured his second double-digit point streak of the season as the Rangers set a club record with their eighth straight road win and moved within four points of a playoff spot. * The Predators jumped into the Western Conference’s final Wild Card spot, marking the first time they have held a playoff position since mid-November. * Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes notched his 50th point of the season to accomplish a feat achieved by only one other blueliner in League history – Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom. RANGERS ESTABLISH FRANCHISE RECORD WITH EIGHTH STRAIGHT ROAD WIN Artemi Panarin (1-1—2) opened the scoring and assisted on Mika Zibanejad’s overtime winner to help the Rangers set a franchise record with their eighth straight road win. New York (34-24-4, 72 points) leads the NHL with 10 wins in February, a run that has seen them move from nine points outside the playoff picture at the end of January to within four points of Columbus (31-20-14, 76 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. * Panarin, who is in his first season with the Rangers, extended his point streak to 10 games (5- 9—14), his second such run of the season (also 12 GP from Oct. 24 – Nov. 20, 2019). * Zibanejad extended his point and goal streaks to eight and five games, respectively (7-7—14 in 8 GP). Only three players have posted a longer goal streak this season: Patrick Kane (6 GP; Nov. 7-17), Sebastian Aho (6 GP; Jan. 31–Feb. 11) and Max Domi (6 GP; Dec. 19-31). * Now one goal shy of his second career 30-goal season, Zibanejad ranks second on the team with 29-32—61 in 2019-20. That includes 10-9—19 across 13 games in February, one back of Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (8-12—20 in 12 GP) for the most points this month. CAROLINA CELEBRATES ‘DAVID AYRES DAY’ After being called into the Hurricanes’ net Saturday – and thrust into the ensuing spotlight after an eight-save victory – emergency backup goaltender David Ayres concluded his whirlwind four-day experience by sounding the Hurricane Warning Siren ahead of Carolina’s game against Dallas. Named an “Honorary North Carolinian,” Ayres made his first appearance in Raleigh on what the city proclaimed to be “David Ayres Day.” * Affectionately called an “EBUG,” Ayres garnered international headlines – including chats with nearly 40 major media outlets – on the heels of his performance Saturday in Toronto, with notable appearances on The TODAY Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and CNN. HINTZ PROPELS STARS INTO SECOND PLACE IN CENTRAL DIVISION Roope Hintz (1-2—3) recorded his first career three-point game and Denis Gurianov (1-1—2) scored his 18th goal of the season as the Stars extended their road point streak to eight games (6-0-2) - tied for the longest active run in the NHL (NYR: 8-0-0). Dallas (37-20-6, 80 points) moved ahead of idle Colorado (36-18-7, 79 points) for second place in the Central Division. * Gurianov’s 18 goals are the third-most by a Stars rookie since the franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993-94, behind James Neal (24 in 2008-09) and Jamie Benn (22 in 2009-10). * Gurianov, 22, is tied with Benn and Hintz for the team lead in goals this season. A rookie has led the franchise in goals at the end of a season only once (tied or outright) – Bobby Smith did so in 1978-79 when he topped Minnesota with 30 goals (and also led them with 74 points). ROOKIE HUGHES HITS 50 POINTS AS CANUCKS RALLY PAST CANADIENS The Canucks overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 with the help of 20-year-old Quinn Hughes (0- 1—1), who became the 16th rookie defenseman in NHL history to record 50 points in a season (and third to do so with the Canucks). Vancouver (34-22-6, 74 points) moved into second place in the Pacific Division. * Hughes, who tops all rookies with 8-42—50 in 2019-20 (61 GP), joined Nicklas Lidstrom as the second defenseman in NHL history to be the first rookie to reach the 50-point mark in a season. In 1991-92, Lidstrom notched his 50th point Feb. 17, 1992 (9-41—50 in 59 GP), which was four more than the next-closest rookie at the time. * Hughes sits five points ahead of fellow blueliner Cale Makar (12-33—45 in 53 GP) in the rookie scoring race. Should Makar reach the 50-point mark, it would be the second time in NHL history that multiple rookie defensemen have hit the plateau in the same season. The only instance to date came in 1977-78 when Barry Beck, Reed Larson and Stefan Persson combined for the feat. * Hughes tied Dale Tallon (42 A in 78 GP) for the most assists in a single season by any Canucks rookie. BLUES EXTEND WIN STREAK TO FIVE GAMES IN BACK-AND-FORTH AFFAIR Zach Sanford (2-1—3) and Robert Thomas (1-2—3) each recorded three points to help the Blues extend their win streak to five games, claiming a back-and-forth affair that featured four tying goals, four lead changes and a six-goal third period. St. Louis (37-17-10, 84 points) sits four points ahead of Dallas (37-20-6, 80 points) for first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference. * Tuesday’s contest marked the first time since Nov. 30, 2010 (7-5 CHI) that the Blues and Blackhawks combined for at least 11 goals in regulation (46 regular-season and 13 playoff games since that date). THE PLAYOFF PUSH IS ON Notables from other winning teams in the thick of the playoff race: * Ryan Ellis (1-1—2) recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season to help the Predators (31-23-8, 70 points) rally for a comeback win and reclaim a playoff spot for the first time since mid-November. Nashville had a record of 9-6-3 (21 points) following games of Nov. 13 to sit third in the Central Division but slipped out of the playoff picture the next day. * Mikko Koivu scored twice for his 18th career multi-goal game to lift the Wild (30-25-7, 67 points) to victory and within three points of the final Wild Card spot in the West. Minnesota is among a group of five clubs separated by five points, with multiple games in hand on three of the other four (MIN: 62 GP, NSH: 62 GP, CGY: 64 GP, WPG: 65 GP & ARI: 66 GP). * Carter Hart (26 saves) guided the Flyers to their fourth straight win as Philadelphia (36-20-7, 79 points) moved within one point of idle Pittsburgh (37-18-6, 80 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Hart improved to 17-2-2 in 21 games at Wells Fargo Center this season (1.65 GAA; .941 SV%, 1 SO) and has the fewest goals against at home among goaltenders with at least 20 such appearances in 2019-20. * After being honored in a pre-game ceremony for joining the 700-goal club, Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring to begin his road to 800 career goals. The Capitals (39-18-6, 84 points) then staved off a multi-goal, third-period comeback attempt by the Jets to open a four-point lead atop the Metropolitan Division. * Mike Hoffman (1-1—2) moved into a share of the team lead with his 25th goal of the season as the Panthers (33-24-6, 72 points) continued their push for their first playoff berth since 2015- 16. Florida sits two points back of Toronto (33-23-8, 74 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division, with the teams set to square off Thursday at BB&T Center and March 23 at Scotiabank Arena. MAPLE LEAFS, FLAMES SPOIL HOME STREAKS The visiting Maple Leafs (33-23-8, 74 points) and Flames (33-25-6, 72 points) aided their playoff drives and halted their opponents’ home streaks: * Auston Matthews assisted on one of John Tavares’ two goals as Toronto halted Tampa Bay’s home win and home point streaks (also bringing to an end Andrei Vasilevskiy’s runs at AMALIE Arena). Matthews boosted his season totals to 43-31—74 (64 GP) to establish a career high for points, eclipsing the previous mark he set in 2018-19 (37-36—73 in 68 GP). * Sean Monahan scored twice, including the game-winning goal, as Calgary ended Boston's home win streak at seven games and handed Tuukka Rask his first regulation loss at home in 2019-20. Monahan became the first player in Flames history to post seven straight 20-goal seasons from the start of his NHL career. Only three others have had at least seven consecutive 20-goal campaigns at any point with the club: Jarome Iginla (13), Theo Fleury (10) and Joe Nieuwendyk (8). QUICK CLICKS * Leon Draisaitl scores League-leading 99th point of 2019-20 * Sonny Milano becomes seventh player in modern era to score OT goal in team debut * NHL emergency goalie rules could be discussed at general managers meeting * NHL Seattle expansion team to give fans free ride to games * Hurricanes emergency goalie David Ayres uses newfound fame for good cause PREVIEW OF TODAY’S ACTION WEST IS BEST FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY Western Conference clubs will host all three games Wednesday, including a doubleheader on NBCSN and a showdown in Vegas between Pacific Division rivals who bolstered their lineups ahead of Monday’s trade deadline: * The NBCSN doubleheader begins with the ninth head-to-head matchup between Nathan MacKinnon (33-51—84 in 61 GP) and Jack Eichel (35-42—77 in 61 GP), who each rank among the top 10 in scoring this season.