Patrik Laine has The Great One in his sights for 3rd-most goals scored as a teen

A couple years from now he'll be able tolegally buy booze in the U.S., but before then the WinnipegJets' Patrik Laine, 19, could break into NHLrecordbooks precisely because he's so young and already such a great scorer.

Laine's goal Thursday nightwas his 39th of the season andhelpedthe Jets beat the Devils 3-2 in New Jersey.

Taken together with a36-goal rookie season in 2016-17,Lainehas scored 75 in less than two years in the league andis now tiedwith Sidney Crosby for fifth-most goals scored as a teenager.

Theperformance against the Devils came on the heels of an even more stellar showingagainst New York on Tuesday, when theprecocious Finnish talent netted the Jets' only three goals of the night as they skunked the Rangers in a 3-0 win in Madison Square Garden.

The 19-year-old earned a nod from the league a day earlier when the NHL named him its second star of the week.

According to the NHL Laineneeds just two more goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky's teenage third-place record (76 goals). He'll turn 20 on April 19.

Laineis averaging more than a goal a game right now hescored14 goals in the past10 games. Keep up that paceoverthe final15regular seasongames and he could do more than just surpass The Great One.

Former Jet Dale Hawerchukscored 85 as a teen and holds second place to former L.A. Kings centreJimmy Carson's all-time high of 92 goals.