NHL Morning Skate – Oct. 22, 2024

October 22, 2024

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* The only 16-game day of the 2024-25 season is upon us with all 32 teams in action during NHL Frozen Frenzy, with 7.5 hours of continuous action that will be bookended by the opening and closing contests of an exclusive ESPN tripleheader in the U.S. (simulcast on ESPN+). In Canada, fans can stream the action on Sportsnet+.

* Non-stop hockey will be captured throughout the night on the live whip-around studio show hosted by John Buccigross alongside analysts Kevin Weekes and P.K. Subban. Live look-ins will air on ESPN+ from 7-8 p.m. ET, and then on ESPN2 and ESPN+ from 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET.

* All 16 games have a different start time – an NHL first after two games coincided during Frozen Frenzy last year – including a puck drop every 15 minutes across 13 games over a three-hour span (from 6:30 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET).

* #NHLStats for all 16 games are below, including notes on the undefeated Jets, who are the only team without a loss of any kind this season.

STAR POWER IS STRONG ON ESPN EXCLUSIVE TRIPLEHEADER

Alex Ovechkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Eichel are just some of the stars that will be part of the ESPN tripleheader (simulcast on ESPN+), with Ovechkin and the Capitals jumpstarting the 16-game day at 6 p.m. ET in the first half of a back-to-back, home-and-home set against the Flyers (both national telecasts).

6 p.m. ET – Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers (ESPN, ESPN+, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNW)

* Ovechkin is coming off his first tally of the season in a high-scoring thriller Saturday and now sits 41 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894. Ovechkin has 49-31—80 in 74 career games against the Flyers, a goal away from making Philadelphia the fourth franchise against whom he has scored 50 times (55 vs. WPG/ATL, 50 vs. CAR & 50 vs. TBL).

8:30 p.m. ET – Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken (ESPN, ESPN+)

* MacKinnon has helped lift the Avalanche to two straight wins following an 0-4-0 start, and owns season-opening assist and point streaks of six games. This is the third time MacKinnon has started a season with a point streak of at least six games (also 13 GP in 2019-20 and 9 GP in 2018-19), but this is the first time he has posted a season-opening assist streak of at least six contests (same is the case for teammate and NHL assists leader Cale Makar). MacKinnon leads the NHL with five multi-point games this season while Makar paces all defensemen in that category (4 GP).

11 p.m. ET – Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights (ESPN, ESPN+)

* Eichel started the season with a five-game point streak and paces the club with 2-8—10, ahead of linemates Mark Stone (2-7—9) and Ivan Barbashev (4-4—8). Barbashev has recorded all eight of his points at even strength, tops in the NHL. Among active forwards with at least 200 points, seven have recorded at least 88.0% of their points at even strength including Barbashev (88.7%; 219 of 247) and Kings forward Trevor Lewis (90.3%; 205 of 227).

#NHLSTATS FOR THE 13 OTHER GAMES ON THE FROZEN FRENZY DOCKET

A snapshot of the 13 other games on Tuesday’s slate – with additional notes available in the Oct. 22 edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates:

6:30 p.m. ET – Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers (FDSNWI, FDSNNO, SCRIPPS)

* Two big-time producers early this season will be in action in the second game of the day. Florida’s Sam Reinhart led all skaters last week with 4-5—9 in 4 GP and was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week presented by GEICO, while Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov (2-6—8 in 5 GP) can become the fourth player in franchise history to reach 10 points in six games or less, following Mats Zuccarello (5 GP in 2022-23 & 6 GP in 2020-21), Marian Gaborik (5 GP in 2005-06) and Mikko Koivu (6 GP in 2008-09).

6:45 p.m. ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils (FDSNSUN, MSGSN)

* One season after missing the playoffs, the Devils (5-2-1, 11 points) enter NHL Frozen Frenzy atop the overall League standings, though they have played more games than any other team. Entering play on Monday, Jack Hughes had skated a total of 29.23 miles in 2024-25, the highest total of any player.

7 p.m. ET – Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres (Victory+, MSG-B)

* Two American stars will go head-to-head when Jason Robertson (3-2—5 in 6 GP) and the Stars visit Tage Thompson (4-2—6 in 7 GP) and the Sabres. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Robertson (119) and Thompson (118) rank third and fourth in goals among U.S.-born skaters, behind only Auston Matthews and Chris Kreider.

7:15 p.m. ET – New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens (RDS, TSN2, MSG)

* The Rangers (4-0-1, 9 points) roll into Montreal on a season-opening five-game point streak, following back-to-back road wins against Original Six opponents (5-2 W at DET Oct. 17 & 4-1 W at TOR Oct. 19). New York can win three consecutive games, all on the road against Original Six opponents for the third time in franchise history and first since the 1957-58 season (Jan. 16-19, 1958).

7:30 p.m. ET – Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets (FDSNOH, TSN4)

Auston Matthews has scored a goal in each of his last nine games against the Blue Jackets dating to Oct. 4, 2019, the longest active streak by any player against a single opponent. Only two players in Maple Leafs history have extended a goal streak against one franchise to double digits: Phil Kessel (10 GP vs. ATL/WPG) and Lorne Carr (11 GP vs. BOS).

7:45 p.m. ET – Detroit Red Wings at New York Islanders (FDSNDET, MSGSN2)

* Noah Dobson (40-155—195 in 322 GP) is closing in on becoming the seventh defenseman to record 200 points with the Islanders. Of that group, only Denis Potvin (212 GP), Stefan Persson (268 GP) and Tomas Jonsson (326 GP) required fewer than 350 games to reach the benchmark with the franchise.

8 p.m. ET – Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues (FDSNMW, TSN3)

* The only rematch from last year’s Frozen Frenzy (WPG: 4-2 W on Oct. 24, 2023) pits the undefeated Jets (5-0-0, 10 points) against the comeback Blues (4-2-0, 8 points) – St. Louis is the only team so far in 2024-25 to stage a multi-goal comeback win on two occasions, including a three-goal, third period comeback victory on Oct. 10.

8:15 p.m. ET – Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks (SNP, CHSN)

* Connor Bedard (North Vancouver, B.C.) will face his hometown team for the second time in his career when the Canucks visit the Blackhawks. In the first meeting on Dec. 17, 2023, Bedard notched a pair of assists but the Canucks eked out a 4-3 victory. In total, Bedard has 15 career multi-point games (including three in six contests this season), one of five players in Blackhawks history with 15+ multi-point outings as a teenager alongside Eddie Olczyk (29x), Patrick Kane (24x), Bobby Hull (15x) and Jeremy Roenick (15x). Bedard does not turn 20 until July 17.

8:45 p.m. ET – Boston Bruins at Nashville Predators (SNO, SNE, FDSNSO, NESN)

* Stars of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL will clash when David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins visit Filip Forsberg and the Predators, who seek their first win of the season. Swayman owns a perfect 3-0-0 record against Nashville (one of eight clubs against whom he has a perfect record) and has never allowed a goal against at Bridgestone Arena (42-save shutout Dec. 2, 2021 and 28-save shutout Feb. 16, 2023).

9 p.m. ET – Carolina Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers (SNW, TVAS, FDSNSO)

* If recent history is any indication, hats could rain down when the Hurricanes visit the Oilers for their first meeting since Dec. 6, 2023, as there has been a hat trick in three of the past four meetings between the clubs. Zach Hyman had a hat trick in their last meeting – one of four Hyman had during his career-best 54-goal 2023-24 season – and Andrei Svechnikov accounts for the other two in that span (Nov. 10, 2022 and Oct. 20, 2022).

* ICYMI: The NHL and NHLPA announced Monday that the Hockey Fights Cancer Initiative powered by the V Foundation for Cancer Research presented by AstraZeneca returns this season and beyond as a year-long campaign. In 2023-24, AstraZeneca donated $500,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation through the “NHL Hat Trick Challenge,” which returns in 2024-25 – AstraZeneca will donate $3,000 for every hat trick scored during the regular season, with a goal of donating $300,000. AstraZeneca will serve as presenting sponsor of ESPN’s Frozen Frenzy whip-around show, and the Hockey Fights Cancer League-wide moment will evolve to include a public fundraising component for the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation.

9:15 p.m. ET – Ottawa Senators at Utah Hockey Club (Utah16, TSN5, RDSI)

* Ottawa and Utah will meet for the first time, with the visitors seeking their first road win of the season and the hosts putting their unblemished home record on the line. Utah is one of 10 franchises in NHL history to win each of its first two home games – and first since Tampa Bay, Ottawa’s expansion partners, did so in 1992-93 – and now can become the fourth to win at least each of its first three.

9:30 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh Penguins at Calgary Flames (SN1, SN-PIT)

* Sidney Crosby and the Penguins embark on a three-game road trip to Western Canada, starting with a showdown against the 4-0-1 Flames, whose season-opening point streak is their longest in more than a decade and tied for the second longest in franchise history. Sportsnet will carry each game of the Penguins’ road trip, which will continue with contests against the Oilers on Friday and Canucks on Saturday for Hockey Night in Canada.

10:15 p.m. ET – San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks (Victory+, NBCSCA, KCOP-13)

* This game is part of consecutive meetings against California foes for both the Ducks (4-1 L vs. LAK Sunday) and Sharks, who visit the Kings for their home opener Thursday. Troy Terry enters with a four-game point streak after overtaking Andrew Cogliano (points) and Matt Cullen (assists) on two all-time franchise lists Sunday, while the Sharks vie for their first win of the season.

MATTHEWS SCORES, MAPLE LEAFS SHINE DURING PRIME MONDAY NIGHT HOCKEY

Auston Matthews (1-0—1) found the back of the net for the third straight game as the Maple Leafs put up five against the Lightning during the second edition of Prime Monday Night Hockey. The Maple Leafs captain, who turned 27 in September, scored his 371st career goal and tied Alex Ovechkin for 10th most in NHL history before age 28.

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