Morning Skate - Wednesday, November 2

Morning Skate - Quotes, Stats & Struggling to Score

November 02, 2022

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Yesterday's NHL Scores

Last Night's News đź“°

SENS FOR SALE: There are reports that the Ottawa Senators' owners have retained Galatioto Sports Partners, an investment bank, to help sell the team. Ottawa won't confirm or deny the report, but with the Sens valued at $655 million, and potentially even higher under new leadership, they will attract plenty of suitors.

CONNOR'S A GONER: Connor Brown underwent successful right knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and will be out of action for 6-8 months. The Washington Capitals forward suffered a knee injury in an Oct. 17 game against the Vancouver Canucks.

WINTER CLASSIC TEASE: Yesterday, the league unveiled the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins team logos for the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic scheduled for Jan. 2, 2023. Inspired by past NHL teams and designs from both cities, the NHL and Adidas worked closely to create new identities for each club.

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL: With an assist in last night's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, Jesper Bratt tied the New Jersey Devils record by recording a point in each of New Jersey's first 10 games. Bratt (four goals, 12 assists) is the first Devils player to tally points in each game since Tim Higgins from Oct. 12-Nov. 2, 1984.

MULLETT MAGIC: After three attempts, the Arizona Coyotes have finally won at Mullett Arena. Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist, while Karel Vejmelka made 41 saves to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-1.

Who Said It

1) "I wouldn't be where I am in life without him. He's helped so much. He did everything I wanted to achieve first. He came into the OHL and then went through the NHL Draft. I got to follow his lead and he showed me the ropes. He's helped me a lot in my career."

A. Brandt ClarkeB. Ryan McLeodC. Malcolm Subban 

2) "The energy was great. I think it's fun, something that we've missed as players, especially guys that have been here for a while. It's a fun place to play. A lot of noise from the outside about all the details of it, but we're playing a hockey game, it's loud and the fans are cheering for us. That's all we care about. I thought the fans were great. Cool little rink."

A. Christian FischerB. Clayton KellerC. Shayne Gostisbehere 

3) "He was a role model for probably 85 percent of the goalies that started out during that era, especially in Canada. He was the goaltender of our country. Everyone wanted to be Carey Price. So his impact will be felt for many, many years to come."

A. Jake AllenB. Curtis McElhinneyC. Carter Hart

Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.

Wacky Wednesday (Pt. 6)

There is never a dull moment in hockey, so we will keep you updated on all the "wacky" stats from around the NHL during the 2022-23 season. Here is part six of our "Wacky Wednesday" series—enjoy!

Aging Gracefully

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has been in his position since 2018 and has reached an impressive feat. After turning 80 years old on Oct. 21, Lamoriello is the first 80+-year-old general manager in NHL history. Being older and wiser is unquestionably a true statement in Lamoriello's case!

McDavid Things

One of the surprising stats of the season, or maybe not so shocking, is that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has played in 10 games this season and already has two hat tricks. You know, just a typical day at the office for him!

Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)

Goals on Goals

Heading into Nov. 1, the NHL had an average of 6.3 goals scored per game, the highest goals-per-game scoring rate since 2005-06, and that season hit that plateau in 146 games. We think NHL fans are in for a treat for the rest of the year if teams keep scoring at this pace!

Spooky Season

On Oct. 31, Buffalo Sabers forward Tage Thompson had a six-point night, leading his team to an 8-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, and he also has his name etched in Halloween hockey history. His night tied him with Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Clarke for having the most points in a game played on Halloween. Gretzky had the last six-point outing in 1989. That's pretty spooky company if you ask us!

The 0-Point Club

An 82-game NHL season is a marathon, not a sprint. So we try to be patient with any critical analysis we offer, pointing out that it's still early and there's plenty of time to turn things around. However, if you've been healthy and still have zero points to your name in 2022-23, you likely deserve to get called out.

And that's what we're going to do here. With much of the league past single digits in games played, let's introduce a few notable members of a club that no NHL player wants to be a part of—the 0-Point Club.

Barrett Hayton (ARI)

Barrett Hayton, Arizona Coyotes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

A 10-goal campaign in 2021-22 didn't set the league on fire, but it did highlight

as a player to watch as the Arizona Coyotes seek continued development within their young roster. Given how thin the Yotes remain down the middle, the possibility was there for Hayton, the 2018 fifth overall pick, to move up and center one of the top two lines. The one-time Soo Greyhound has a more difficult hill to climb now that he's gone nine games without a point while sporting a minus-8.

Evgenii Dadonov (MTL)

In June, the

from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Shea Weber. Fast forward to today, and the two men have the same number of points. That wouldn't be a problem for the Canadiens if not for the fact that Weber will never play hockey again amidst a litany of injuries incurred by the stud defenseman whose move was salary fodder. Dadonov should be producing but instead finds himself

as a healthy scratch.

Travis Sanheim (PHI)

The weird thing about

going scoreless through nine games thus far is that the Philadelphia Flyers blueliner has traditionally been an offensive, puck-moving defenseman. Last season, Sanheim even held a share of the team scoring lead from the back end with Ivan Provorov (both had 31 points). Averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per night for the better-than-expected Flyers, it seems like it's only a matter of time before Sanheim gets off the schneid.

Marc Staal (FLA)

Marc Staal, Florida Panthers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

To his credit,

continually illustrates how to make a positive impact beyond the scope of goals and assists. By blocking shots and setting a physical tone from the Florida Panthers' back end, the 35-year-old is still helping his team. It isn't exactly new territory for Staal, either—in 11 of his 16 NHL seasons, he's finished with 15 points or fewer.

"Who Said It" Answers

NHL Standings

NHL's Leading Scorers

Today's NHL Schedule