NHL Weekly: San Jose rewrite the history books and Justin Kirkland's comeback story
The most productive player
Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is the most productive man of the season at the moment, thanks to a successful three games in which he scored two goals and assisted six others. The game against Los Angeles was decided by his 39th career game-winning goal. He got four points on the power play, something no one managed all week.
Goaltender of the Week
After the opening four losses, the Colorado hockey team picked up and recorded five wins in a row. Surprisingly, Finnish rookie Justus Annunen helped them to do it, as he has now defeated Seattle, Utah and Ottawa in succession and was the only goalie to record three wins. In total, he stopped 76 of 83 shots and held a 91.6% save percentage.
Highlight of the week
When Calgary's game against Pittsburgh was decided in the sixth shootout on Tuesday, Justin Kirkland couldn't help but smile. "It's unbelievable, I don't think I've ever been this nervous," the 28-year-old Canadian told NHL.com after the game. Why? Simple.
He was drafted by Nashville in the third round in 2014 and had to slog through the minor leagues of the AHL and ECHL for eight years before making his NHL debut. And once he made his way onto the Anaheim Ducks roster in January 2023, the road to game eight was over.
"I woke up in an ambulance, my wife was sitting next to me crying, and our coach Dallas Eakins was sitting next to her. Like a mainstay," he recalled of the car accident that occurred just after the trip to the game.
Severe head trauma, facial fractures, surgery... But the worst part, according to Kirkland, was the psyche. Three months of rehab and wondering what's next. But he got through it all, he even scored his first NHL goal at the start of this season and currently has four points (1+3) in seven games.
Stat of the week
The San Jose Sharks are in a rebuild and are not having an easy time in California. They started last season with a 0-10-1 record, and this season they are 0-7-2 and still waiting for a win. This makes them the first NHL team to start two seasons in a row with at least nine straight losses. "It's embarrassing," coach Ryan Warsofsky said after Saturday's 3-7 loss to Vegas.
Social media highlight
Still not quite there, talented young defenseman David Jiricek still hasn't been able to break onto the Columbus roster and has played just two games so far this season. In the second game against Toronto, he impressed mainly by surprising the cameraman after he was hit by veteran Max Pacioretty at the boards.
Photo of the week
This is how Vancouver forward Kiefer Sherwood jumped, right in the famous Chicago arena where the best - Michael Jordan himself - once performed similar actions.
Ladislav Smíd's view
"Boston captain Brad Marchand was at fault for a 1-1 tie against Utah on Monday and got a good hearing from coach Jim Montgomery on the bench. He then defended his coach, who was criticized by the media afterwards. I think he said that if you make a mistake, you should suck it up and I liked that. Until a few years ago this was perfectly normal, now some people think you should tiptoe around players.
"Of course, it's different in the NHL and different with kids, where you need some balance and caution. Because education is simply different now. I remember my dad was already hard on me - maybe sometimes too hard - but then again I wasn't surprised if someone raised their voice at me. That's emotion.
"Marchand handled it brilliantly; when you make a mistake, sometimes you have to hear it out loud to realize it all. Sometimes I'm really surprised that times have changed so much. Something like this wouldn't have been an issue ten years ago.
"On the other hand, if it happened repeatedly, a coach could easily "lose" his player. But a matador like Marchand won't do anything about it, he'll take exactly what he needs from it. And it might motivate him. But a young player could change, he could break down and do whatever he wants."
