John Carlson
John Carlson was held off the scoresheet in Washington’s overtime defeat to Montreal and finished with a -1 with two shots, a hit, and blocked three shots in 25:36. His ice time was the most among skaters.
Carlson sits just two points shy of passing Callle Johansson for the most points in franchise history by a defensemen. Carlson has 55 assists which leads all defensemen and is second in the NHL and has 70 points. Carlson reached the 50-assist total in his 54th game. He became the NHL’s fifth different blueliner in the last 30 years to reach the 50-assist plateau in 54 games or fewer and the first since Sergei Zubov in 1993-94.
Carlson is on pace to finish with 95 points. Only five defensemen in NHL history have recorded 100 points in a season. He is also one point shy of surpassing his career high that was set last season (13 goals, 57 assists) and is 12 points shy of setting the franchise record for most points in a season by a defensemen (Larry Murphy: 81 points in 1986-87).
Carlson returns home to New Jersey where he grew up. Look for him to make an impact in this game on the top pair with Brenden Dillon. That is a shutdown duo.