The most productive player
There were four players who got seven points this time, so we will look at all of them. Mikko Rantanen of Colorado spent the least time on the ice of this selection (17:52), and his 2+5 record was most impressive against Florida, where he scored one goal and had three assists.
Defensive man Zach Werenski of Columbus contributed the most to the seven points with 2+3 against Tampa, while playing an average of 28 minutes and 28 seconds, and his 14 shots on goal were the top of the selection. In addition, Sean Monahan picked up a goal and six assists.
Last to be selected is Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who was the only one to play in four games. He recorded an identical 2+1 record in wins over Ottawa and the NY Rangers.
Goaltender of the Week
He has shined in the AHL farm system in recent years and was expected to break through to the next level. Dustin Wolfe's time in Calgary seems to have just begun. The 23-year-old American has been one of the main reasons for the Flames' excellent start to the season and has enjoyed recent battles against New York teams.
In both cases, he had 29 shots on him, cashing in once against the Islanders and twice against the Rangers. He pushed his average to 1.44 goals per game and in the game against the latter, he got a signed stick from Jonathan Quick, his idol and the opponent's goalie.
Highlight of the week
Boston's Jim Montgomery became the first coach fired for the 2024/25 season on Tuesday, after a miserable start to the season crowned by a 1-5 loss to Columbus. That loss marked the fifth game of the season in which the Bruins fell by at least four goals. In the last two seasons combined, they had only three games like this!
According to the numbers, the coaching job in Boston is sometimes not a good one, Montgomery quit after 184 games, in which he had a great record of 120-41-23. And his predecessor Bruce Cassidy? That was 245-108-46...
Another interesting fact is that Montgomery was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for best coach of the season in 2023. Along with New Jersey's Lindy Ruff and Seattle's Dave Hakstol. Neither is on the bench of those clubs anymore.
Canadian Joe Sacco, the current assistant, will replace him at least temporarily. And Montgomery? On Sunday, he signed a five-year contract in St. Louis, who fired Drew Bannister.
Stat of the Week
If he weren't in such a small hockey market as Carolina's, I'm sure he'd be much more visible throughout the league. Instead, Finnish forward Sebastian Aho is somewhat invisible, yet there have been cautious rumours overseas that he could one day be the best player in franchise history.
He already reigns supreme in some statistics, such as the number of winning goals. On Wednesday against Philadelphia (4-1), he scored his 58th goal, beating the legendary Ron Francis by one. Moreover, he did it in only 618 games, Francis needed over 500 more.
Social media highlight
He is undoubtedly one of the greatest personalities in the history of the famous Chicago Blackhawks, and in terms of winning hockey trophies, almost no one can match him. Jonathan Toews is simply a giant. However, he played his last NHL game in April 2023, and even though his career is not officially over, his return seems very unlikely.
He's now posted about his life on Instagram, the lingering immune system health issues from previous years addressed by the man nicknamed "Captain Serious" in India, where he was on a five-week recovery trip. "Ayurveda has taught me that I am responsible for everything I experience," Toews wrote, talking, of course, about the NHL.
Photo of the week
One of the best hockey players in history, Sidney Crosby, reached another milestone, becoming the 21st player in history to reach 600 goals in the NHL in Saturday's game against Utah. Along with Wayne Gretzky, the Pittsburgh captain is the only player in history to have 600 goals, 1,600 points, three Stanley Cups and two Conn Smythe Trophy wins. Too bad the celebration was spoiled by a 1-6 home loss.
Ladislav Smid's view
"If we leave politics aside and focus only on Alexander Ovechkin as a hockey player, it's unreal that we can even talk about someone trying to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record. That figure of 894 - that's a really big chunk of goals, especially in this day and age when goaltending is at a really high level. I don't mean to diminish Gretzky's record in any way, but it's also amazing to watch Ovechkin start the season at thirty-nine.
"The last one wasn't the best for him, but he ended up scoring 31 goals too. He's probably set himself up well now, I think he'll keep playing until he breaks that record. Injuries have slowed him down, we'll see what kind of shape he comes back in. It's unbelievable that he can stay on top for so long, his rivalry with Sidney Crosby shows all young hockey players that when you're passionate about something and you love something and you give it your all, it will come back."
