Top-4: Leon Draisaitl scores his 28th goal of the season already.

On a a night when the Montreal Canadiens lost 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks, there were four other games across the National Hockey League.

Indeed, eight other teams were in action.

Here’s what stood out in those four games.

1. A 28th goal already this season for Leon Draisaitl

The Edmonton Oilers are really lucky to have two franchise players in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

People often forget how equally strong both are, even though McDavid often overshadows Draisaitl.

This season, however, the German player is truly sensational.

He is scoring goals at a completely ridiculous pace, and he is ranked 2nd in the NHL in scoring.

Last night, he scored his 28th goal of the season, giving him a five-goal lead over the second top scorer in the NHL.

GWG tonight for Draisaitl gives him 28 — a five-goal lead on rest of the NHL https://t.co/8em5phsPCl

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 4, 2025

Draisaitl is currently on a 60-goal pace, having extended his point streak to 13 games with this goal.

He has 11 goals and 14 assists during this streak.

The craziest part is that Draisaitl is not just accumulating his points on the power play.

He is also dominant at five-on-five.

Leon Draisaitl 2024/25 so far

– Leads the league in goals
– 9 Game winning goals
– 21 even strength goals and 41 even strength points
– 5 goals ahead of 2nd place in the league
– Elite defensively this year
– 56% on the faceoff
– Been Edmonton best player by far pic.twitter.com/sVVU216KIv

— Dyl (@dhockey13) January 4, 2025

In short, Draisaitl is having quite a season.

2. The Preds shut out the Canucks

To everyone’s surprise, the Nashville Predators are having a disastrous season.

Everyone expected to see them dominate with their new acquisitions, but in the end, the cake never rose.

They are languishing at the bottom of the NHL, as nothing seems to go their way.

This, however, does not prevent them from being spoilers against teams fighting for playoff spots, like the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks are currently in the last playoff spot in the West, so every point is important.

Last night, however, they missed out, as they were shut out 3-0 by the Nashville Predators.

Juuse Saros recorded his 4th shutout of the season, placing him 2nd in the NHL.

JUICE

Juuse Saros collects his fourth @pepsi shutout of the season! pic.twitter.com/QqlOwbxZy6

— NHL (@NHL) January 4, 2025

3. Hat trick for Brandon Saad

The Ottawa Senators have been trying to hang on to a playoff spot for a few weeks now, and they are holding their ground given that there are many bad teams in the East.

Their record of 19-17-2 is sufficient for now, but they cannot afford too many slip-ups.

And last night, unfortunately, they made one, being shut out 4-0 by the St. Louis Blues.

Brandon Saad scored a hat trick in this game.

Brandon Saad has his first hatty with the @StLouisBlues!

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/CxfymYflXS

— NHL (@NHL) January 4, 2025

With this loss for the Senators, the Montreal Canadiens remain just three points out of the playoffs.

4. The Panthers win in a shootout thanks to Sam Reinhart

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to surpass the Ottawa Senators for the 8th and final playoff spot last night by winning against the Florida Panthers.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, they only managed to get one point, which leaves them currently tied with the Senators.

It was Sam Reinhart who brought the win 3-2 for the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers pull back the W as Spencer Knight denies Sidney Crosby and Reinhart/Lundell both pot it in the shootout pic.twitter.com/P9qI6J4SX5

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 4, 2025

In Brief

– Here are all the results from the previous day.

Friday night’s five-game slate concluded with Juuse Saros recording a shutout during the @PredsNHL’s win over Vancouver on the road.#NHLStats: https://t.co/abS4RzzbQN pic.twitter.com/qdDD2fxK5h

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 4, 2025

– Here are the top scorers from the previous day.

– On the agenda today in the NHL: 12 games.