Connor McDavid is making the rest of the NHL look slow, and the numbers are getting absurd fast.
Through 10 games, the Edmonton Oilers star has piled up 31 points, with Edmonton sitting at 8-1-1. He’s on pace for more than 250 points and, as wild as that sounds, there’s even a real chance he could become the second player in NHL history to reach 200 points in a season.
That kind of production came again in Edmonton’s 6-5 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, where McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each finished with five points. It was the second time the duo has done that in the same game. Draisaitl, meanwhile, is up to 21 points in 10 games, which leaves him second in the NHL and still 10 behind McDavid.
Elsewhere around the league, the Colorado Avalanche are trying to answer back after two ugly road losses. Their practice leading into tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning was one of the loudest and most animated the team has had in a long time. The Lightning are in town, and the Avalanche will be looking for a bounceback.
The Nashville Predators, meanwhile, keep slipping. Another rough outing dropped them to 3-3-3, and the question now is whether Chris MacFarland will start moving out some veterans.
Around the NHL, the Penguins had a strong showing to shake off their slump, while the Flyers have now won three straight after opening 0-6-3. In Philadelphia, the youth movement is starting to raise the question of whether some veterans have become expendable.
The Sharks got back in the win column by tripling up the Ottawa Senators, and both the Senators and Panthers followed up their emotional game on Wednesday with losses the next night.
In New Jersey, Arseny Gritsyuk kept rolling with another hot start against the Anaheim Ducks. And in Montreal, Nick Suzuki’s run as the second-longest active Ironman streak in the NHL behind Brent Burns is coming to an end.
In Other News...
Avalanche Just Got A Reminder Of What An Elite Goalie Costs
Connor Hellebuyck landing with the New Jersey Devils in a deal built around Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command, Nico Daws and two draft picks served as a sharp reminder of what it takes to pry an elite goalie loose. For the Avalanche, it also underscored why Colorado probably stayed in the background on this one. Even for a team that values stability in net, the price tag on a move like that goes well beyond money or cap space.
The bigger issue is that the Avalanche simply do not have the kind of comparable trade chips to make a deal of that size realistic, and they do not appear to be shopping for a goaltender of Hellebuycks caliber right now. Their focus is more likely to remain on other roster needs, which makes this one less about a missed opportunity and more about a league-wide lesson. Top-tier goaltending still commands a steep return, and Colorado was never in a position to pay it. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Slump Just Got More Concerning After Bednars Latest Admission
Jared Bednars latest comments did not exactly bring clarity to a Colorado Avalanche slide that has started to feel more troubling by the day. After a road trip that ended with two losses, the coach said he does not know why the team has looked so sluggish, and that uncertainty lands alongside the same issues that have been following the Avalanche around lately: turnovers, defensive lapses and scoring that comes and goes.
There have still been bright spots, with Artturi Lehkonen and Jaden Schwartz giving the lineup some needed energy, but the problem is bigger than a few strong individual efforts. Injuries and roster changes have only made the search for rhythm harder, and for a team with higher expectations, the lack of a clear fix is what makes this stretch feel so unsettling. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Finally Get Logan OConnor Back At The Right Time
Logan OConnor is set to return to the Avalanche lineup on Oct. 23 against Tampa Bay, giving Colorado a needed jolt after he missed time because of a preseason injury and the loss of his father. The timing matters, too, because the Avalanche have already had to make a corresponding roster move, sending Gavin Brindley down to the AHL and recalling Taylor Makar as they prepare for OConnors season debut.
Head coach Jared Bednar and teammate Parker Kelly both pointed to what OConnor brings beyond the box score, especially for a fourth line that thrives on pace, pressure and reliability. Colorado has spent the early part of the season piecing things together, and getting OConnor back gives the Avalanche a familiar piece in a role that tends to matter more and more when games tighten up. [Read more 🡒]