NHL Weekly: Stamkos makes emotional return to Tampa as Ovechkin's hot streak rolls on
Most productive player
While last season Alexander Ovechkin got off to a really slow start in the NHL and only had seven goals by the end of the 2023 calendar year, this season he has already managed to reach that total by the beginning of November, in just eleven matches.
Five of them came in the past week and the aging Washington captain added four assists in that time too.
Moreover, with a +7 record, he was the league's all-time best and his fifteen shot attempts ranked eighth in the NHL.
Goaltender of the week
There is still no clear-cut goaltender number one in Philadelphia this season but Swedish goaltender Samuel Ersson has been making a strong case for it lately.
The 25-year-old first stopped all 23 shots against Boston to record his first clean sheet of the season, then added another win and allowed just one goal against St. Louis. But he was injured on Saturday and is expected to miss a few days. He pulled a 98.1% save percentage in the week.
Highlight of the week
Steven Stamkos has been a mainstay of the Tampa team for sixteen years, captain for eleven, he won two Stanley Cups and no one in Tampa has scored as many points (1,137) or scored as many goals (555).
It was thus a huge shock when the Lightning let Steven Stamkos go this summer and the Canadian signed in Nashville.
In the ninth game of the season, he returned to the place that he had called home for years. He had two assists but could not prevent a 3-2 loss in overtime. Before the opening buzzer, Stamkos received a warm welcome and the 19,092 fans went wild.
“It was pretty emotional. I didn’t know how I was going to react. I could feel some tears coming, so I decided to get back to the bench,” he gushed after the game, a statement backed up by his father Chris, who was in the stands.
“It’s pretty special,” Chris said. “Even on our way from the condo to the game, we saw a lot of Stamkos jerseys, probably more than some of the games when he played here.
"So, it’s kind of great to see they appreciated all the hard work that he’s done over 16 years.
“And to hear them chant his name, for a visiting player, it was kind of nice, to be honest with you.”
Stat of the week
Minnesota is on a roll and their best player is forward Kirill Kaprizov. The Russian superstar just set a new club record, registering at least two points in a game seven straight times. On two occasions, it was three points and the Wild won six of the seven.
His streak ended on Sunday against Toronto, however, when the Wild won 2-1 in overtime without his help.
Social media highlight
The power of social media was once again on display when the Halloween costume of seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who dressed up as Auston Matthews' hockey card, caught the public's attention. His outfit was so impressive that he was invited to meet the Toronto captain.
"You look like me," the youngster was not shy when he met the American forward, and that wasn't all. He also dropped the gloves with tough guy Ryan Reaves!
Pic of the week
Minnesota took the ice in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and one man had a very special night. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins and is one of the biggest stars in franchise history alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Fleury will likely retire after the season, so it was possible the last time on the ice at PPG Paints Arena. “I don’t know. It’s maybe hard to believe that's the last time,” Fleury said to NHL.com.
“I told you I’ve gotten soft. Yeah, hard to believe, but so appreciative... I’ve had a few tough games here. I don’t know. It just feels so weird, so not comfortable," he added.
Ladislav Smid's take
"Leon Draisaitl helped Nashville beat the Predators 5-1 on Thursday with two goals and an assist, and he has racked up an incredible 41 points in his last 16 games against the Predators. That's called sheer dominance.
"Sometimes you have a team that you do extremely well against, which has never happened to me personally in terms of points. (Laughs) But when it fits, it just fits.
"Edmonton are missing Connor McDavid right now, so after a bad start to the season for the Oilers, everyone there is relying on Draisaitl even more. We'll see how this continues to play out.
"I remember when I played for Edmonton the Sedin brothers often played against us in Vancouver, I don't know their stats exactly but it seemed like every time they played against us they each had a goal and an assist. When someone asks me who was the worst team to play against, I say it was them.
"It didn't matter if you played hard or tactically against them, they always found a way. They were always one step ahead and you felt like they had eyes in the back of their head. In addition, everyone who played with them became a level better player. They were also great on and off the ice, I still have a lot of respect for them."
