On Tap For Today — Washington at Tampa Bay; 7:00 pm EDT; NHLN, TVAS, BSSUN, NBCSWA | Ottawa at Chicago; 7:00 pm CDT; SN, NBCSCH+, RDS | Seattle at Edmonton; 7:00 pm MDT; SN1, ROOT-NW
Last Night’s News 📰
RIEL’D UP: The Toronto Maple Leafs’ “core four” gained a new member, as foundational defenseman Morgan Rielly signed an eight-year extension to remain with the blue and white through the 2029-30 season. Already the longest-tenured member of the Leafs, Rielly, who will make $7.5 million per year starting next season, will remain under contract beyond his 36th birthday.
FLORIDA’S STREAK ENDS: We wish it was only a trick, but the Panthers’ impressive start came to an end on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. Boston scored late in the third period to force overtime and, eventually, Charlie Coyle broke Florida’s streak by burying the only goal of the shootout. While all good things must come to an end, it was an impressive start to the 2021-22 season for the Panthers.
DUCK HUNT: Ryan Getzlaf passed Teemu Selanne as the all-time points leader for the Anaheim Ducks with an assist on Troy Terry’s power-play goal on Sunday. Getzlaf registered his 989th point in his 1,111th game, all with the Ducks, in Anaheim’s 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
NCAA HERSTORY: Kelsey Koelzer, the first Black player ever selected No. 1 overall in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) draft, once again carved out history in the women’s hockey world. Koelzer became the first Black woman to lead an NCAA hockey team after coaching Arcadia University’s new NCAA Division III team in its season-opening games this weekend.
NEW DRESS CODE: Many players across the NHL enjoyed the Halloween weekend, dressing up as football players, pop stars, and their favorite television and movie characters. Including recreating Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs for the children’s hospital in Boston.
Top Duck & Other Active Franchise Leaders
If you think that being the franchise leading scorer of a relatively new-ish NHL club like the Anaheim Ducks isn’t that big of a deal, then clearly you didn’t see the Ducks’ reaction when Ryan Getzlaf toppled Teemu Selanne’s 988 points on Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Being the career offensive leader of any NHL franchise is a feat worth celebrating, and Getzlaf isn’t the only active player to enjoy this lofty status. While top stars like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon have a ways to go to reach the top of their own organizations’ all-time points list—Wayne Gretzky for Edmonton and Joe Sakic for Colorado, respectively—there are a few that hold the franchise record even as their careers continue to roll along.
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – 1,335 Points
It’s no surprise to see Ovie in the top spot for Washington, while his currently injured, long-time teammate Nicklas Bäckström is just 20 points away from joining the Russian sniper in the Caps’ 1,000-point club. When Bäckström does reach the 1K point mark, the friends and commercial co-stars will be the only two members of Washington’s exclusive club.
Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets – 698 Points
It’s probably for the best that Wheeler overtook Ilya Kovalchuk as Winnipeg’s franchise leading scorer back in 2019-20, given that Kovalchuk never actually donned a Jets jersey. All 594 of his games with the franchise came with the Atlanta Thrashers. Wheeler, meanwhile, has more than established his legitimacy in the ‘Peg.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers – 509 Points
When all is said and done, Jonathan Huberdeau (age 28) and Aleksander Barkov (26) could be light years ahead of the rest of the field on the Panthers’ career points list. Both are fairly young, and Huberdeau is signed through 2023, while Barkov was recently extended all the way through 2030. They already stand 1-2 and could be anchoring Florida’s offense for years to come.
Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights – 229 Points
We’re still very early on in Vegas, but Marchessault holds a seven-point lead on the franchise leaderboard ahead of linemate William Karlsson. While we’re on the topic of clubs with limited all-time history to fall back on, Jared McCann holds a narrow 7-6 lead in all-time points for the Seattle Kraken over Brandon Tanev.
Spotted 👀
Wow, the first month of hockey is already in the books. That flew by, didn’t it? As we welcome in November and all the wonderful things that accompany it, let’s check in with some of our favorite players.
That is so Fetch!
Do you want to see one last Halloween costume? Ask and you shall receive. Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie and his wife Lauren dressed up as Regina George and her iconic mother from Mean Girls. The only thing left is for T.J. to declare is “I’m not a regular mom. I’m a cool mom!”
Pay it Forward
As we begin a new month, we can’t help but think this is a good time to give back. Auston Matthews is looking for your help to raise $134,000 by the end of November as part of Movember, which is a charity focused on men’s health. If Matthews achieves his goal, he has declared that his mustache will go. Click the link in his bio to donate!
Return of the Captain
Sidney Crosby made his return to the ice on Saturday night as the Penguins battled the Devils at PPG Paint Arena. Coming off wrist surgery this offseason, Crosby’s debut was not exactly what Pittsburgh fans hoped for. Crosby may not have done anything memorable on the ice in the game, but fret not Penguins faithful—he will be back to peak performance soon.
October Is Over
There is no longer an excuse if your team has yet to register a win in the 2021-22 regular season, as October is officially over. A variety of teams have underperformed, whether it was projected division leaders tumbling or middling teams failing to take the next step forward. It is still early, but the next four weeks will tell how the playoff teams set the stage for the remainder of the season.
Blackhawks Struggling
After trading for Seth Jones and signing him to an eight-year contract extension that kicks in at the start of the 2022-23 season, it hasn’t gone well for the two sides so far. He leads the team with seven assists through nine games but is currently a minus-10 and has been a defensive liability. However, the onus doesn’t fall all on him, as Jonathan Toews has a measly three assists through nine games and Dylan Strome has been forced out of the lineup. With their 0-7-2 start, the Blackhawks are hoping for a victory before breaking into double-digit games played.
Golden Knights Falling Behind
Although Vegas has recovered from its early struggles, the 4-4-0 start leaves a lot to be desired from a supposed Stanley Cup contender. Alex Pietrangelo is having a disappointing start to his second season on the strip, producing just one assist through eight games. Willam Karlsson has yet to score a goal and injuries to Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez led to the team losing four of its first five games. If the Golden Knights plan on catching the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Divison, Vegas will need to have a strong November.
Stars Not Shining
After going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, time has been rough for the Dallas Stars organization. Jamie Benn looks like a shell of his former self, as he is scoreless through eight games and has been a non-factor in diving play offensively. Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski both have scored two goals and added an assist, which is far below expectations for the team’s top two centers. Unlike the 1999 Stanley Cup victory over the Buffalo Sabres, the Stars are not shining in the heart of Texas these days.
