NHL

Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Calgary Flames, Capitals defenseman John Carlson was already having himself one heck of a week, having been named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week and heading into the game against Calgary as the league’s leader in points, having recorded a point in seven games. Early in the second period against the Flames, the former first-round pick extended that streak to eight games with a goal.

Just 35 seconds into the middle frame, Carlson put the puck on net and a lapse in concentration by Flames’ netminder Cam Talbot allowed it to sneak past him to give the Caps a 1-0 lead at the time of the goal. The goal was Carlson’s fourth of the 2019-20 season.

Stay absolutely on FIRE @JohnCarlson74 #ALLCAPS #CapsFlames pic.twitter.com/xFNmfsvs57

— Washington 👻 Capitals (@Capitals) October 23, 2019

The eight-game points streak is the longest such streak of Carlson’s career and puts him one point shy of becoming the fourth different defenseman in NHL history to record 20 or more points in the month of October, joining Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, and Brian Leetch.

He would join Paul Coffey (1981: 7g, 13a, 20 points in 13 games; 1988: 3g, 18a, 21 points in 11 games), Al MacInnis (1988: 8g, 17a, 25 points in 13 games) and Brian Leetch (1990: 5g, 16a, 21 points in 14 games).

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) October 23, 2019

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin also extended his own points streak to eight games,  six games shy of breaking his personal best 23 games set last season from November 16 to December 15.

With an assist on Carlson’s goal, Ovechkin has recorded a point in eight straight games (5g, 5a). Ovechkin set his personal best point streak last season, with 23 points (17g, 6a) in 14 games from Nov. 16 through Dec. 15, 2018.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) October 23, 2019

By Michael Fleetwood