Morning_Skate_11-13-2024

* Connor McDavid had a hand in all four Oilers goals including an assist on the overtime winner by Leon Draisaitl and became the 99th player in League history with 999 career points. McDavid can hit 1,000 when Edmonton hosts Nashville tomorrow during NHL Coast to Coast on Prime Video Canada.

* Kyle Connor, Neal Pionk and the high-flying Jets continued to soar by extending their lengthy road winning streak and achieving another League first by improving to 15-1-0 on the season.

* Wednesday’s five-game slate is highlighted by NHL on TNT’s Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Veterans Appreciation Night doubleheader as well as Alex Ovechkin continuing his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

McDavid amasses 1-3—4 on Tuesday, MOVES TO brink of 1,000-point milestone

Connor McDavid (340-659—999 in 658 GP) assisted on the overtime winner by longtime teammate Leon Draisaitl to move within one point of 1,000 in his career. McDavid has seven points over his last two contests and can become the fourth-fastest and fourth-youngest player in NHL history to reach the milestone tomorrow when the Oilers host the Predators (9 p.m. ET on SNW, FDSNSO), who McDavid has an active 14-game point streak against dating to Oct. 27, 2018.

* McDavid also assisted on the 1-0 goal scored by Draisaitl, who moved into a tie for the League lead with 12 tallies this season. They have both factored on the same goal 444 times in their career including 28 instances in overtime, with the latter number being the highest by a pair of teammates in NHL history (ahead of 25x by Daniel & Henrik Sedin).

Connor, Pionk power Jets to another victory as visitors, 15th win overall

Kyle Connor (2-1—3) and Neal Pionk (0-3—3) pocketed three points apiece as League-leading Winnipeg (15-1-0, 30 points) kept up its high-flying start by defeating the reigning Presidents’ Trophy recipients and extending its season-opening road winning streak to seven games.

* Connor (6-7—13 in 7 GP) and Pionk (2-9—11 in 7 GP) have found the score sheet in each road contest played by the Jets, who became the ninth team in NHL history with a 7-0-0 start as visitors. Connor Hellebuyck (33 saves) improved to 5-0-0 in five road appearances this season with a 2.00 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and one shutout.

300 GAMES FOR STÜTZLE, 300 POINTS FOR HUGHES

A pair of milestones involving the number 300 were reached Tuesday – Tim Stützle skated in his 300th game and Jack Hughes recorded his 300th point.

* Stützle scored one of Ottawa’s three goals and Linus Ullmark made 27 saves to record his first shutout with the franchise as the Senators earned their third straight win in the ‘Battle of Ontario’ dating back to last season. Stützle improved his career totals to 98-169—267, which is the third-highest point total in franchise history by a player through their 300th NHL game behind Jason Spezza (326) and Alexei Yashin (273).

* Hughes (122-178—300 in 325 GP) opened the scoring in his home state to help the Devils snap the Panthers’ seven-game winning streak and become the second member of his family to reach the 300-point milestone, joining older brother Quinn (331 GP). They became the sixth set of siblings in NHL history to reach the 300-point milestone in 350 games or fewer following Doug (299 GP) and Max Bentley (282 GP), Charlie (294 GP) and Roy Conacher (323 GP), Henri (328 GP) and Maurice Richard (270 GP), Anton (287 GP) and Peter Stastny (186 GP) as well as Pierre (303 GP) and Sylvain Turgeon (331 GP).

PASTRNAK HELPS BRUINS COMPLETE COMEBACK IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES

All 14 teams in action Tuesday were featured in #NHLStats: Live Updates, including the Bruins who became the eighth club this season to record a multi-goal, third-period comeback win. David Pastrnak scored the club’s third straight goal of the final frame with 1:47 remaining to propel Boston to its first third-period, multi-goal comeback win in regulation since Feb. 1, 2021 (5-3 W at WSH).

QUICK CLICKS

* Ken Holland named NHL hockey operations consultant

* Jarome Iginla, Eddie Olczyk appointed to Hockey Hall of Fame committee

* Lars Eller traded to Capitals by Penguins for 2 draft picks

* Dylan Strome boosting Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record

* Oliver Ekman-Larsson still has ‘that drive’ entering 1,000th NHL game with Maple Leafs

ALL ABOUT OVI AS THE GR8 CHASE CONTINUES

Alex Ovechkin enters a national showdown at home against the Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and TVA Sports) now 32 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894, a benchmark “The Great One” has held for more than 30 years after besting Gordie Howe’s previous mark of 801 on March 23, 1994.

* Nine players have held the distinction as the League’s all-time goals leader since the League’s inaugural games on Dec. 19, 1917. Records.NHL.com details the progression of the all-time goals leader since Feb. 5, 1921, when Joe Malone became the first player in League history to accumulate 100 career goals.

* This month includes the anniversaries that both Howe (61 years ago) and Maurice Richard (72 years ago) claimed the outright advantage to begin their respective reigns as the League’s all-time leader. Howe notched his 545th NHL goal Nov. 10, 1963, at the Detroit Olympia to surpass Richard – nearly 11 years to the day after the “Rocket” had claimed that honor himself (he overtook Nels Stewart as the outright leader Nov. 8, 1952 at the Montreal Forum).

* Ovechkin, whose 44 goals against Toronto are the most among all active skaters, is tied for the third-most goals this season with 10 – a mark he reached in 14 games or fewer for the ninth time in his career. Eight of his 10 goals have come in his past seven contests, including six during a five-game goal streak from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6. Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to record 15 runs of at least that length in his career, joining Mario Lemieux (17) and Gretzky (16). He also became one of just three players in League history to score in five straight games at age 39 or older.

* For more on Ovechkin’s hot start to the season, click here to read #NHLStats: Live Updates.

DOUBLEHEADER ON TNT FOR VETERANS APPRECIATION NIGHT

A special Veterans Appreciation Night presented by Navy Federal Credit Union broadcast on NHL on TNT features the Red Wings visiting the Penguins as well as Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche facing off against the Kings.

* Wednesday marks the 20th all-time meeting between Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby. Kane holds the edge in their previous matchups with a 13-3-3 record and 6-17—23. Crosby, who enters play two goals back of becoming the second active player to 600, has 4-14—18 in 19 contests against the Red Wings forward and owns a 6-10-3 record.

* MacKinnon enters Wednesday’s contest against the Kings with a point in each of the Avalanche’s first 10 home games of the season (5-17—22). He can become the ninth player in NHL history to record multiple season-opening home point streaks of 11 or more games (also 35 GP in 2023-24), following Wayne Gretzky (4x, last: 40 GP in 1988-89), Gordie Howe (3x; last: 11 GP in 1968-69), Mats Sundin (16 GP in 2007-08 & 17 GP in 1992-93), Rod Brind’Amour (13 GP in 1998-99 & 1993-94), Bernie Federko (11 GP in 1984-85 & 20 GP in 1983-84), Bobby Orr (25 GP in 1974-75 & 15 GP in 1973-74), Babe Dye (14 GP in 1924-25 & 12 GP in 1921-22) and Bill Mosienko (11 GP in 1943-44 & 1945-46).