It was somewhat fitting that the man who’s entertained the hockey world for decades made NHL history on the same night the most entertaining kid in the NHL extended his own historic streak.
NHL scores 2016: Jaromir Jagr and Shayne Gostisbehere bring out the best in this NHL season
A fantastic night for the NHL’s oldest and newest stars.
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Only the young Flyers rookie known as "Ghost" could nearly upstage Jaromir Jagr on one of the biggest nights of his career. But we'll get to him in a minute.
Jagr was truly at his 44-year-old best on Saturday against the Jets. He entered the night one goal behind St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars legend Brett Hull for third-most goals in NHL history. His goal to tie Hull probably would've been enough. We all could've gone to bed quite content and happy with what we witnessed.
But that’s not Jagr. Like a perfect microcosm of his career, Jagr kept coming back for more.
There. There’s your highlight for the night, right? Only Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky are left to chase after.
But Shayne Gostisbehere has a pursuit of his own. He'll end up playing 20 less games than fellow rookie sensations Dylan Larkin, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin, which should put him significantly behind in the Calder Trophy race for best rookie.
But the 22-year-old with the overlong last name extended his historic rookie points streak to 15 games on the last possible shot of the night.
What a night. And what a way to encapsulate what’s been so wonderful about this NHL season. Rarely do we get a full year to bask in the continued success of a once-in-a-lifetime player in his mid-40s. Even rarer is the opportunity to do so while enjoying the finest, most exciting wave of young talent in decades.
Scores
Flyers 5, Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
Panthers 3, Jets 1
Bruins 7, Stars 3
Blues 6, Coyotes 4
3 things we learned
1. The Stars are regressing and it seems familiar
Last season, the Dallas Stars missed the playoffs because their defensive performance slipped in every zone and their goaltending couldn't do anything to make up for it. That's starting to creep back into their game again at the worst possible time. The Stars have averaged 5.5 goals against in February.
But Pat, they've only lost four times all month.
Okay, sure. Cling to that fact all you want. But you'd be ignoring the fact that they were outscored 20-6 in those four games. Or that they've still averaged almost three goals against in each of their six wins. That's not great. They've not been great, from Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi to Jamie Benn to everyone on their blueline. And if they're not careful, they'll lose their grip on the Western Conference playoff race.
2. Even Erik Karlsson makes mistakes
The Senators almost lost on Saturday mainly because of two plays by one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
Athansiou goal pic.twitter.com/tAuzDlLry1
— Stephanie (@myregularface) February 21, 2016
Richards goal pic.twitter.com/fs8FLSuIf6
— Stephanie (@myregularface) February 21, 2016
And you know what? That’s OK. His coach handled it far better than the Canadiens’ coach did when P.K. Subban made mistakes earlier this week.
Compare and contrast https://t.co/UKqTKfFzOp
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 21, 2016
3. Ryan Johansen is not a fighter
He’s a human punching bag.
Impact Moment
For my money, this is the best play I’ve seen all season long.
Feel free to send me “the best play of the year” from your favorite team in the comments, though. I am wrong and you should be mad online.
15-game point streak.
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2016
Longest by any defenseman in 20 years.
First rookie to score 4 OT winners in a season.
Ghost.https://t.co/PoRuZcDiPd
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