* Drew Doughty scored his first goal as Kings captain and was one of four Los Angeles defensemen to find the back of the net Monday.
* The Flames and Red Wings both benefitted from their youth achieving career firsts to help both clubs pick up a victory.
* Tuesday’s 11-game slate features an ESPN doubleheader that opens with a showdown between the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins and Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes and closes with a clash between the Sabres and Sharks.
DOUGHTY, FELLOW DEFENSEMEN DRIVE KINGS OFFENSE
The Kings wasted no time taking a 2-0 lead as they became the first team since Florida (March 31 vs. OTT) to convert on each of their first two shots of a game. Drew Doughty (1-2—3) factored on that first goal and later scored his first as Kings captain – one of his team’s four defensemen to find the back of the net Monday as Los Angeles tied Utah (6) for the most blueliners with a goal this season.
* Doughty recorded the 17th three-point game of his career and matched Rob Blake for the second most by a Kings defenseman behind Steve Duchesne (19 GP). His third point of the night also put him past former teammate Dustin Brown (712) for seventh on the franchise’s all-time points list.
* Los Angeles had four defensemen score a goal in the same game for the third time in franchise history, following March 17, 2007 (4) and Jan. 17, 1986 (4). No team in NHL history has had five blueliners tally in the same contest.
GRIDIN, POSTAVA SPOTLIGHTED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Several seasoned stars and newer faces found the score sheet in Alberta on Monday as the Flames defeated the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Saddledome and the Red Wings bested the Oilers at Rogers Place. For more #NHLStats from both contests, check out the latest edition of Live Updates.
* Matvei Gridin (2-1—3) factored on three of the Flames’ five goals as they earned their fourth consecutive win – three of which have come against teams that currently rank within the top three in their respective divisions. Gridin became the first Flames player to record a three-point game at age 20 or younger since Matthew Tkachuk did so against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 4, 2018 (1-2—3).
* Connor McDavid factored on the game’s opening goal and matched the longest season-opening assist streak in NHL history, but the Red Wings responded by tying the game three different times, including Dylan Larkin’s tally with 17 seconds remaining in regulation, before earning the shootout win in Michal Postava’s first NHL start. Postava made a highlight-reel save in the dying seconds of overtime and then stopped McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the shootout to become the third Detroit netminder in the past 25 years to win his first NHL start, joining Petr Mrazek (Feb. 7, 2013) and Jimmy Howard (Nov. 28, 2005).
QUICK CLICKS
* Rangers hold moment of silence for Ron Duguay
* Landon DuPont ‘on another level,’ tops NHL Central Scouting preliminary players to watch list
* Star Wears: Capitals award Alex Ovechkin helmet with visor to ‘Legend of the Game’
* Pyotr Kochetkov just thinking ‘about hockey’ during perfect start for Hurricanes
*Leon Draisaitl, Devin Cooley and Jacob Fowler Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week
EASTERN CONFERENCE LEADERS COLLIDE DURING ESPN DOUBLEHEADER
Tuesday’s action-packed slate features an ESPN doubleheader that opens with a showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, as the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins visit the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, and closes with a clash between the Sabres and Sharks. Elsewhere around the League, the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, looks to add to his totals when the Wild face off against the Mammoth.
* The Bruins (9-2-1, 19 points) own the NHL’s top points percentage (.792) and goal differential (+22) – their best mark in that category through a dozen games in more than 40 years. Boston, skating into Tuesday on a 7-0-1 run, can record its first nine-game point streak since 2023-24 (10 GP & 9 GP).
* Carolina (9-2-2, 20 points) is off to a strong start after hoisting the Stanley Cup in June and owns the best record through 13 games by a reigning champion since Vegas in 2023-24 (11-1-1, 23 points). The Hurricanes can reach the 10-win mark in fewer than 15 games for the sixth time in franchise history (fastest: 11 GP in 2021-22).
* Macklin Celebrini (75-118—193 in 162 GP; 20 years, 136 days) has his sights set on becoming the fifth-youngest player in NHL history to reach 200 career points behind Sidney Crosby (19 years, 207 days), Wayne Gretzky (19 years, 347 days), Jimmy Carson (20 years, 107 days) and Mario Lemieux (20 years, 133 days). The Sharks captain can also become the first San Jose skater to post a five-game season-opening home point streak since 2013-14, when Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl each did so (all 5 GP).
* The Sabres have collected four straight wins against the Sharks at SAP Center since Feb. 18, 2023 and can record their second five-game road win streak versus an opponent in the past decade, following a five-game run against the Red Wings from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
* The Mammoth lead all Western Conference clubs in wins since Jan. 1 and they’ll aim to contain Kaprizov, who paces all skaters with 13 goals in 13 games this season and is within striking distance of 500 career points (243-253—496 in 410 GP). Kaprizov, who can skate in two more games this month, is just three goals shy of the League benchmark for goals in a single October (Lemieux: 16 in 1992 & 1988).
