Were you not entertained?
Some pretty juicy storylines were served up on the ice during the first week of the NHL’s 2022-23 season.
Newly installed coaches Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, Jim Montgomery, Derek Lalonde, John Tortorella and Paul Maurice all got through the weekend with unbeaten records. A couple of well-known superstars made early plays for your attention. And the early standout in this year’s rookie class is a mature-beyond-his-years teenager in Seattle.
Here’s a look at some of the NHL’s most intriguing stats from Week 1, and what we might expect to see going forward.
Vegas Is On A Roll
Eleven teams made it to the end of the first week with perfect records. The Vegas Golden Knights sit atop the NHL standings because they played three games — and won them all.
Kudos to new coach Cassidy, who’s quickly re-establishing the winning culture that slipped away last season. Props to the skaters, who have controlled just over 60 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. And congratulations to netminders Logan Thompson and Adin Hill, who have collectively allowed an average of just 1.67 goals against per game while recording a team save percentage of .947.
In his 22nd NHL game, Thompson also recorded his second career shutout last Thursday, making 27 saves as Vegas eked out a 1-0 home win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
At 25, the undrafted Thompson is continuing to run with the starter’s job he assumed after last season’s injuries to Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. He could become a darkhorse Calder Trophy candidate if he keeps doing what he’s doing.
After dispatching the Kings, Blackhawks and Kraken to start the year, the road gets tougher for the Golden Knights this week. They’ll touch down in Calgary on Tuesday before returning home to face the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and the new champs from Colorado on Saturday.
Sidney Crosby Leads Scoring Race
The NHL is now supposed to be a young man’s league, but Sidney Crosby doesn’t care.
At 35, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain keyed his club to 6-2 wins over both Arizona and Tampa Bay last week, with a pair of three-point performances. He heads into Week 2 in a tie with Artemi Panarin atop the Art Ross Trophy race — with Crosby having played one fewer game.
Pittsburgh GM Ron Hextall committed to his team’s core during the off-season, bringing back lifelong Penguins Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust on multi-year deals. Early signs show the group rewarding him for his faith.
If Crosby can notch a third three-point night when the Penguins visit the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, he’ll join his former landlord, Mario Lemieux, as just the second player age 35 or older to post nine points in his first three games of a season.
Lemieux accomplished the feat when he returned to the NHL in December 2000 after more than three years out of the game. Joe Pavelski (2020) and Rod Gilbert (1976) share the current record for points by 35+ players in their teams’ first three games of the season, at eight each.
Connor McDavid Is On Pace For 164 Goals
Small sample sizes make for gaudy — and amusing — early-season stats. But after Connor McDavid acknowledged that he spent this summer working on his shot, perhaps it’s not so surprising that he has logged four goals in his first two games, including a hat trick in the Oilers’ season-opener against the Vancouver Canucks?
It’s clear that the primary goal in Edmonton this season is even more playoff success, trying to build off last spring’s trip to the Western Conference final. But a player like McDavid probably also needs to strive for some personal milestones. And after four scoring titles in his first seven seasons, a first Rocket Richard Trophy would be a nice addition to his trophy case.
Watching Evander Kane unselfishly set up McDavid for the empty-netter against Vancouver suggests the team is on board. He won’t sustain his current pace, but watch for McDavid to easily surpass his previous career high of 44 goals, set last season. Along the way, he could also establish new personal highs in total shots and shooting percentage.
Matty Beniers Paces Rookie Scoring
On and off the ice, Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers carries himself with authority. It’s easy to forget that the second-overall pick from the 2021 draft is still a teenager. He doesn’t turn 20 until Nov. 5.
Beniers’ uncanny maturity has served him well since he made his NHL debut last April. He’s operating at a point-a-game pace in his first 13 pro games and leads all rookies with four points in three games so far this season. He can tie Brady Tkachuk for fewest games to 15 career points among players drafted from NCAA programs at 14 matches if he marks two points against the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night.
Congratulations are also in order for another 19-year-old, Wyatt Johnston of Dallas, along with 21-year-old Elmer Soderblom of Detroit. Both rookies scored goals in winning causes in their first-career NHL games last week.
Correction: Eleven teams are undefeated after Week 1, not nine.
