As the old saying goes, Hall good things must come to an end.
(I’ll see myself out).
Taylor Hall’s very long point streak was stopped at 26 games in the New Jersey Devils 3-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
Hall had 18 goals and 38 points during the run, which began on Jan. 2. There wasn’t a game he played in so far in 2018 that he didn’t factor on the scoresheet.
Hall missed three games late in that month with a hand injury, but it despite the hiccup, the former Edmonton Oilers star never seemed to be deterred.
Hall recorded 11 multi-point games during the streak and put up some historic numbers along the way.
Taylor Hall of the @NJDevils is the eighth different player in NHL history to record at least one point in 26+ consecutive appearances. #NHLStats #MTLvsNJD pic.twitter.com/vEGuh8EMWA
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 7, 2018
According to NHL.com’s Rob Vollman, Hall’s streak was approaching the same stratosphere as Wayne Gretzky:
Gretzky had at least one point in the Edmonton Oilers’ first 51 games of the 1983-84 season. And though Hall’s personal streak is a little more than halfway to Gretzky’s streak, once scoring levels are factored in, it’s nearly as impressive.
Hall has been just as large a part of New Jersey’s offense during his streak as Gretzky was for Edmonton during his. Hall has either scored or assisted on 50.7 percent (38 of 75) of New Jersey’s goals during his streak, 0.5 percent less than Gretzky’s 51.2 percent (153 of 299).
Vollman gives a great historical look at Hall’s streak and is well worth the read.
Vollman also pointed out that Hall’s streak was the longest in the NHL since Patrick Kane achieved a streak spanning the same number of games during the 2015-16 season.
The carnage is over, for now. But the streak has put Hall’s name in the running for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, and deservedly so.
Taylor Hall's streak of consecutive games with a point ends at 26. He had a pretty good run. #njdevils https://t.co/9Ip96tagpa pic.twitter.com/FHApTDM65F
— The Sporting News Archives (@sportsphotos) March 9, 2018
Of course, we’d be remiss not to ponder what Peter Chiarelli is thinking right now.
There’s probably a feeling of relief. The constant reminder of Hall’s brilliance over the past two months must be excruciating.
And there’s probably still that excruciating pain given how dismal the Oilers have been this season.
Either way, Hall is well for Taylor Hall.
(OK, OK. I’m done.)
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck
