The Daily: MacKinnon Playing “Out Of His Mind”; Crosby Surging

Nathan MacKinnon is on the kind of roll that Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux used to produce in the 1980s. MacKinnon put up four goals and five points in a 6-4 win against the Ottawa Senators.  It was the first four-goal game in Colorado history.

He boast a career-best 17 game points streak. During this offensive rampage, he has generated 33 points.  That includes 12 goals, 21 assists and 10 multiple point games.

“He’s playing out of his mind right now, ” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after the win against the Senators.

MacKinnon is four points behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov in the NHL points race. MacKinnon is leading the league with 33 even-strength points.

While all of this is going on,  Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby is on a pace to score 50+ goals in his 19th NHL season. Crosby and MacKinnon are both certainly in the way-too-early Hart Trophy talk. This is an entertaining time to be an NHL fan.

FOUR-GOAL NIGHT FOR NATHAN MACKINNON! 🥵 pic.twitter.com/fXMQIHHP87

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 22, 2023

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Red Wings prospect Noah Dower Nilsson (Drafted 73rd overall in 2023) is playing again after recovering from shoulder surgery.
• Captain Dylan Larkin said every Red Wings player has to perform better for the team to pull out of this 1-6-1 skid.
• Defenseman Ben Chiarot says the Red Wings growth as a team is still a work in progress.

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings are home to play the Philadelphia Flyers (18-11-3) tonight. The Flyers lost their to the Predators last night, but they are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. David Perron will be back in Detroit’s lineup after sitting out a six-game NHL suspension for his attempt-to-injure penalty against Ottawa’s Artem Zub. Detroit coach Derek Lalonde has not said who will be in the Red Wings’ net.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is questionable for the Boston Bruins‘ two-game road trip heading into the holiday break.

Chicago: Is it too early for the Chicago Blackhawks to be looking at Macklin Celebrini as their next first-round pick? CHN’s Nate Brown doesn’t think so.

Florida: The Panthers are struggling to find the net. They have scored seven goals in the past five games and five came in one game. Florida Panthers.

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby continues his impressive season with another clutch performance to help the Pittsburgh Penguins down the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout Crosby is playing impressively in his 19th NHL season.