The most productive player
It looked like Nathan MacKinnon would go for the Art Ross Trophy, but then Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay stepped in and tied his rival with 11 points (3+8) from three games. First, he registered one goal and two assists during a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh and then scored a goal and assisted three during an 8-0 demolition of Utah and a 5-3 win over the NY Islanders. The +9 balance was the best in the league.
However, it wasn't all fun and games for the Russian forward last week, as he lost a tooth against the Penguins after a collision with Alex Nedeljkovic's goalie mask. And he didn't find it, even when he went looking for it later.
Goaltender of the Week
Leading Vezina Trophy candidate and Winnipeg mainstay Connor Hellebuyck has only cashed in three times in three games, twice against Washington and once against Vancouver. He earned his seventh shutout of the season during a 4-0 win over New Jersey, setting a career high and a club record in the process. No one has ever had that many clean sheets in one season in Jets colours.
Highlight of the week
Due to injury, Brad Marchand had to wait three weeks to make his debut after his trade from Boston to Florida, but it was still widely watched. The Canadian forward was under the microscope throughout, even though he was traded to a place where the hockey market is not exactly booming.
Fans were intrigued, for example, when the veteran took a ride around the ice with current general manager's advisor and former top goaltender Robert Luongo. Why? The two fought a fierce battle in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, which Marchand decided it with two goals in game seven. Now they're in the same boat.
Marchand made his debut Friday against Utah and his Panthers won 2-1 in overtime, as the veteran passed to Sam Bennett for the winning goal. He became the first player in the league in nearly four years to record his first point in a new jersey in overtime after being traded earlier in the season.
"He hadn't played in almost a month and all of a sudden he jumped on the ice and dominated," Bennett said of the veteran, who played 22 shifts and fired a total of four shots on goal. "It's not easy, especially with a new club. I think he'll fit in well here," Bennett continued.
Stat of the Week
Sidney Crosby made NHL history once again, this time managing to take one of the records from Wayne Gretzky himself. The long-time Pittsburgh captain became the first player in history to average at least a point per game in 20 seasons.
From social media
American defender Jakob Chychrun signed a new contract with Washington and just a few hours later he went to practice with his teammates. And because it was a cool eight-year, $72 million deal, the former Arizona and Ottawa mainstay didn't get off easy. Chychrun was soon skating with a bill taped to his back...
Photo of the week
They've been meeting in the NHL for nearly 20 years, but this Minnesota-Washington game was most likely their last matchup with each other. While Alexander Ovechkin has one more year left on his contract, goaltender Marc-André Fleury will call it a career after the 2024/25 season.
Ladislav Smid's view
"It seemed like a certainty that Nathan MacKinnon would win the Canadian scoring title, but it's clear that you can never write off Nikita Kucherov. He's an incredibly intelligent player, he's been regularly at the top of the scoring charts for a few years now, and now he's picking up easily two three-pointers per game. He's not the fastest, he doesn't even have the hardest shot, but he does everything well.
"He can slow the game down and speed it up, and he has tremendous vision. I still believe MacKinnon will win, I like him a lot. He would put his head through a wall, he would never miss a change-up.
"I can't forget Leon Draisaitl either. Too bad he got hurt, but he came back and broke the 50-goal mark right away. You can see he's got confidence and a lot of attitude. He's pulling the whole Edmonton team, maybe even more than McDavid this year. He's really dominant in front of goal, I would love to see him win the scoring title."
