Nathan MacKinnon and Morgan Geekie are this season’s first 20-goal scorers, Macklin Celebrini reaches a scoring milestone, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

RECAPS OF SATURDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon scored his 20th goal of the season and collected two assists as the Colorado Avalanche thumped the Montreal Canadiens 7-2. Brock Nelson scored twice and had two assists, and Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and two assists for the Avalanche (18-1-6), who hold first place in the overall standings with 42 points. Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson replied for the 13-8-3 Canadiens, whose three-game win streak ended.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon becomes the first NHL player to score 20 goals this season, reaching that milestone for the 11th time in his career. He’s tied for the goal-scoring lead and sits atop the points race with 44.

Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble missed this game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, player agent Philippe Lecavalier said his client, Mike Matheson, wouldn’t have signed the contract he did on Friday with any other NHL club. The 32-year-old Canadiens defenseman inked a five-year extension with an average annual value of $6 million.

Boston Bruins winger Morgan Geekie tallied two goals, and Casey Mittelstadt scored the winner in a shootout for a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Elias Lindholm collected two assists for the 15-12-0 Bruins. Lucas Raymond and Michael Rasmussen scored for the Red Wings, who are winless in four games (0-3-1) and dropped to 13-11-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Geekie is tied with MacKinnon with 20 goals on the season. Bruins center Pavel Zacha returned to action after missing the Bruins’ previous game with an upper-body injury, while teammate Henri Jokiharju was placed on injured reserve. Meanwhile, Red Wings forward Patrick Kane is struggling to score. He had three goals and 14 points in 17 games, with the last goal being scored on Nov. 15.

The Vegas Golden Knights got two goals from Tomas Hertl to hold off the San Jose Sharks by a score of 4-3. Carl Lindbom turned aside 18 shots for his first NHL win as the Golden Knights (11-6-8) snapped a four-game winless skid (0-2-2). Will Smith tallied twice for the 12-11-3 Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks center Macklin Celebrini collected an assist for his 100th career NHL point, becoming the second-fastest player in Sharks history to reach that milestone and the eighth youngest player in league history (19 years, 169 days) to do so.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel scored two goals to extend his goal streak to five games in a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Nikita Kucherov picked up three assists for the Lightning (16-7-2), who won their seventh straight game and sit in first place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points. The Rangers (13-12-1) got a goal from J.T. Miller as their three-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers defenseman Adam Fox left this game with an injured left arm. Head coach Mike Sullivan said he was being evaluated. His status remains unclear.

The Edmonton Oilers got a 26-save shutout from Stuart Skinner to blank the Seattle Kraken 4-0. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist in his return to action after a nine-game absence with an undisclosed injury as the Oilers improved to 11-10-5. Joey Daccord allowed four goals on 25 shots for the Kraken, who are winless in three games (0-2-1) as they slipped to 11-7-6.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers played without forwards Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen, who are expected to miss at least two weeks with injuries. On Friday, the Kraken announced that winger Jaden Schwartz will be sidelined for six weeks with a lower-body injury.

St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer made 18 saves, and Dylan Holloway scored the only goal to shut out the Utah Mammoth 1-0. Mammoth netminder Karel Vejmelka stopped 18 shots as his club has lost three straight games and dropped to 12-11-3. The Blues improved to 9-10-7.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mammoth center Logan Cooley had to be helped off the ice in the third period after a knee-on-knee hit from Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko, who received a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct. There was no update on Cooley’s status.

The Philadelphia Flyers got two goals and an assist from Owen Tippett in a 5-3 upset of the New Jersey Devils. Matvei Michkov netted two goals, and Dan Vladar stopped 29 shots for the 14-7-3 Flyers, who picked up their third straight win. Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist for the Devils (16-8-1), whose three-game win streak was snapped, but they remain in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 33 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist in a 7-2 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Bobby McMann, and Nicolas Roy also each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who improved to 11-11-3. Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (12-7-5).

Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter tallied twice as his club defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2, snapping a four-game losing skid. Dylan Samberg had three assists as the Jets improved to 13-11-0. Luke Evangelista had a goal and an assist for the 8-13-4 Predators.

A shootout goal by Noah Ostlund lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 upset of the Minnesota Wild, ending the latter’s seven-game win streak. Beck Malenstyn and Josh Doan scored in regulation for the 10-11-4 Sabres. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy tallied for the 14-7-4 Wild.

An overtime goal by Adrian Kempe lifted the Los Angeles Kings over the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. Anze Kopitar also scored for the 12-6-7 Kings. Evander Kane replied for the Canucks, who dropped to 10-13-3.

IN OTHER NEWS…

NEW YORK POST: Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri’s season is over after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday. He will undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight months.

CBS SPORTS: Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (upper body) was placed on injured reserve.

TSN: There is no backup plan if the main ice hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is not ready on time. Construction is behind schedule, and its completion is going down to the wire.

The women’s tournament begins on Feb. 5, while the men’s tournament starts on Feb. 11. The latter will feature NHL players for the first time since the 2014 Games.