Kessel set to tie ironman record vs. Leafs on TSN4

Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel is set to play in his 989th consecutive game Monday, a streak that will tie Keith Yandle for the NHL's all-time ironman mark.

The accomplishment will come for Kessel against one of his former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who he spent six seasons with from 2009-2015. Kessel's current ironman streak began with Toronto against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 3, 2009.

Viewers in the Maple Leafs region can watch tonight's game LIVE on TSN4 with coverage starting at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT.

Doug Jarvis' ironman record of 964 games held from 1987 until in January, when Yandle broke the record. Yandle, who retired earlier this month, saw his streak end later last season at 989 total games.

Jarvis never played a game outside of his streak, unlike Yandle - who played in a total of 1,109 games - and Kessel, who will appear in his 1,211th career contest on Monday night.

Kessel admitted to NHL.com that he's played through several ailments during the streak, which has also seen him win two Stanley Cups while with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

"There were plenty of them," Kessel said of minor injuries. "But I always just said, 'Screw it. I'll go out there and play because I like to play.' I'd rather be playing than sitting in the stands."

"Yeah, there's some luck involved," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy added. "And sometimes you're fortunate with how you don't put yourself in harm's way when you know some guys get hurt being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They turn and bump into somebody. Phil's been pretty good at avoiding those.

"At the same time, what he's on the cusp of doing, full credit to him."

Should Kessel capture the record outright on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, he will be set to hold it for at least several years. 

Among active players, Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Brent Burns has the second-longest active games played streak at 684. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau is next on the list with a streak of 301 games, almost five full seasons behind Kessel.
 

Kessel Closes on American History

The 35-year-old Kessel could join another elite group on Monday as he sits one goal away from becoming the 12th U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach 400 career goals.

The Madison, WI. native has 399 goals and 957 points through his 1,210 games played to date.

Only three active players are currently in the group - Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski and New York Islanders veteran Zach Parise.

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews (260 career goals) is hopeful to also join that group one day and spoke Sunday on his appreciation for Kessel's ironman run.

"It's pretty impressive," Matthews said. ".... I spent some time with him in Arizona the last couple summers. He's a great guy, he's obviously a really popular guy in the room. 

"When you're looking at him, you wouldn't think he'd be that guy - the ironman streak - but obviously he's had incredible career. He's a lot of fun to watch, a lot of fun to be around too."

Kessel, who began his career with the Boston Bruins before being traded to Toronto, has nine goals and 15 points in 34 career games against the Maple Leafs.