* Connor McDavid is now more than a quarter of the way to his 10th career 100-point season… through just nine games! He also became the fastest player in NHL history to reach the 20-assist mark.
* Auston Matthews had the winner to tie Pavel Bure for the sixth-most goals through 700 career games in NHL history.
* Brady Tkachuk, who accounts for two of Florida’s four hat tricks over its last three games, is set to face his former team for the first time when the Panthers visit the Senators during NHL on Prime’s Wednesday Night Hockey.
McDAVID MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THE WAY TO 10TH CAREER 100-POINT SEASON
Connor McDavid had three assists including a helper on the overtime winner by birthday boy Evan Bouchard (1-1—2) to boost his League-leading totals to 6-20—26 through nine games this season and help the Oilers improve to 7-1-1 (15 points). McDavid became the fastest player in NHL history to reach the 20-assist mark, besting Pat LaFontaine (10 GP in 1992-93), Mario Lemieux (10 GP in 1988-89) and Wayne Gretzky (10 GP in 1986-87).
* McDavid is already more than a quarter of the way to his 10th career 100-point season, which would tie Lemieux (10) for the second most in NHL history behind Gretzky (15). McDavid’s 2.89 points-per-game rate has him on pace to reach a triple-digit total before Christmas and in his 35th contest – Gretzky (34 GP in 1983-84 & 35 GP in 1984-85) is the League’s only player to hit 100 in 35 games or fewer.-21044639.png)
Matthews ties BURE FOR NHL’S SIXTH-MOST GOALS THROUGH 700 CAREER GAMES
Auston Matthews (1-1—2) scored his 436th goal in his 700th game, Easton Cowan (1-2—3) collected a career-high three points and Marshall Rifai recorded his first NHL tally as the Maple Leafs logged their second win in as many nights.
* Matthews needs two points for 800 in his career and can become the fastest player in franchise history to reach the milestone, besting Darryl Sittler (742 GP on Nov. 15, 1980). Matthews can also become the NHL’s third-quickest American to hit 800 career points behind Brett Hull (624 GP on Jan. 14, 1996) and Pat LaFontaine (664 GP on March 31, 1993) – of note, Hull was born in Belleville, Ont.
* Cowan captured the 2025 Memorial Cup with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights before winning the 2026 Calder Cup alongside Rifai with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. Other notable players in NHL history with a Calder Cup and Memorial Cup in consecutive seasons include Paul Brydges (1986 – 1987), Louis Crawford (1982 – 1983) and Greg Theberge (1979 – 1980).
CELEBRINI CAPS SHARKS RALLY WITH THREE POINTS AND OVERTIME WINNER
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský each potted 1-1—2 to help the Canadiens build a lead through 40 minutes but Macklin Celebrini (2-1—3) capped three straight Sharks goals with the overtime winner as San Jose became the fourth team in NHL history to earn each of its first five wins of a season in overtime or shootout.
* Celebrini, with three or more points in three consecutive games against the Canadiens, notched his 24th career three-point game and tied Pierre Larouche for the sixth most by a player age 20 or younger in NHL history. He trails Wayne Gretzky (73), Mario Lemieux (31), Sidney Crosby (30), Jimmy Carson (29) and Dale Hawerchuk (26).
* Ivar Stenberg (2-5—7 in 10 GP), the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, collected a primary assist on the game-winning goal and tied Anton Frondell (1-5—6) for the most helpers among rookies in 2026-27. Stenberg became the first teenager in Sharks history with five assists through his first 10 career games with the franchise.
RANTANEN POTS HAT TRICK AS STARS SNAP BRUINS’ STREAK
Mikko Rantanen (3-0—3) scored all three Dallas goals, including both the tying tally with 6:22 remaining in regulation as well as the overtime winner, to help the Stars snap the Bruins’ winning streak at five. Rantanen became the 15th player in NHL history to complete a hat trick in overtime multiple times in their career (also Dec. 11, 2022) – only Alex Ovechkin and Brendan Shanahan have done so three times.
* Rantanen completed his hat trick with his 321st career goal and tied Olli Jokinen for the third most by a Finnish player in NHL history behind Teemu Selanne (684) and Jari Kurri (601). Rantanen’s 11th career hat trick also tied Patrik Laine for the third most by a Finnish player, once again trailing only Kurri (23) and Selanne (22).
KUCHEROV TIES LIGHTNING RECORD IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates had notes on the rest of Tuesday’s slate, including Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (1-2—3) continuing his success against Vegas. He upped his career totals against the team to 10-19—29 and has found the score sheet in all 15 career games against them. Kucherov’s third point of the night was also the 1,137th of his career, which tied him with Steven Stamkos atop the Lightning’s all-time points list.
QUICK CLICKS
* Kings hope to ‘get rolling’ after earning first win of season
* Jake Allen receives silver stick for 500 career games
* Goal of the Season? Juraj Slafkovsky pulls slick move around Sharks defense for score
* Panthers GM Bill Zito eager to attend hometown Brewers’ World Series games
* NHL Tonight Episode 5,000 – By the Numbers
TKACHUK RETURNS TO OTTAWA ON PRIME WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
Brady Tkachuk went from captain to division rival when he was traded from the Senators to the Panthers on June 21 in a move that would allow him to play alongside his brother and gold medal-winning Olympic teammate, Matthew Tkachuk. For the first time since that trade, B. Tkachuk will be back in Ottawa as a visitor to face the team he captained for five seasons from 2021-22 to 2025-26, and for whom he sits among the top five on many of the franchise’s all-time lists. The Senators (6-3-0, 12 points) and Panthers (5-2-2, 12 points) enter the contest, broadcast nationally in Canada on Prime Wednesday Night Hockey, with the same number of standings points through nine games.
* After a slow start with the Panthers that saw B. Tkachuk held without a point for his first five contests, he has racked up 6-4—10 across his last four games including back-to-back natural hat tricks Oct. 13 & 15 to help him earn First Star of the Week honors. B. Tkachuk is set to appear in his 10th game with the Panthers – only Pavel Bure (10), Ray Whitney (7) and Ray Sheppard (7) have more goals him through their first 10 games with the franchise.
* Tim Stützle (5-7—12 in 9 GP) leads the Senators in points, something he has done at season’s end three times prior (B. Tkachuk led Ottawa in points four times). No Senators player has recorded more points than Stützle (154-267—421 in 456 GP) since he entered the League in 2020-21 and he enters tonight’s contest 43 points shy of surpassing B. Tkachuk for fifth on the franchise’s all-tie points list.
* Stützle assisted on 67 of B. Tkachuk’s 213 regular-season goals with the Senators, more than any other player.
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