The 2023-24 NHL season officially hits the quarter mark Tuesday. There is no shortage of topics to discuss, but here are three that have caught our attention:
TWO DEFENCEMEN MAKING HISTORY
In NHL history, there are 15 instances of a defenceman scoring 100 points, most recently Erik Karlsson last season. There has never, however, been a season where multiple defencemen hit the century mark.
Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar are on pace to change that.
The Vancouver Canucks captain was the first player this season to reach 30 points. He and Bobby Orr (1974-75) are the only defencemen to win the race to 30 points in a season. The Colorado Avalanche star joined Hughes in the 30-point department Saturday — the first time since 1987-88 that two defenders recorded that many points in 20 games or fewer.
The offensive ability on display from both players is astonishing.
Assuming Hughes and Makar continue producing points at an eye-popping rate, this will be the most fascinating Norris Trophy race in history.
THE GREATEST TRICK THE DEVILS EVER PULLED…
Relative to pre-season expectations, the Edmonton Oilers have been the league’s biggest disappointments so far, but the New Jersey Devils are right behind them.
After finishing with a franchise-record 112 points last season and winning a playoff round for the first time in 11 years, the Devils were supposed to take another step forward. Instead, they are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-9-1 record.
The Devils’ 5-on-5 offence, which was tied for third last season, is near the bottom of the league this season, even after the team scored five such goals in its 7-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. (Of course, it does not help that Jack Hughes, who started the season playing at an MVP level, and Nico Hischier have both missed time because of injuries.)
The good news is that based on their expected goal numbers, the Devils’ process on offence remains sound. Their outburst against the Sabres could be a sign of things to come. Goaltending, however, is still a concern; New Jersey is 27th in goals saved above expected in all situations.
WILL ‘THE GREAT 8’ CATCH ‘THE GREAT ONE’?
Alex Ovechkin’s continued pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record was supposed to be one of the top storylines this season. But Ovechkin, who trailed Gretzky by 72 when the season began, is off to the worst start of his celebrated career with five goals in 18 games — a 23-goal pace over 82 games.
A big part of the problem is the Washington Capitals’ lousy power play, which has cashed in on a league-worst 5.7 per cent of its opportunities. Ovechkin has scored once on 59 power-play shot attempts (1.7 per cent), almost all of which have come from his “office” in the left circle. (Only David Pastrnak has taken more shots on the power play.)
New Capitals coach Spencer Carbery set out to make the power play more dynamic, but the team is 0-for-31 since Oct. 29 — a 11-game drought that is tied for the longest in franchise history.
Without a functional power play, Ovechkin’s chase of history will take much longer.
All stats from Sportlogiq