NHL Weekly: Ovechkin's goal drought continues, MacKinnon overtakes Hejduk
The most productive player
In Sunday's 6-2 win over San Jose, star forward Nathan MacKinnon got two goals and the same number of assists, moving him to the top of the weekly standings. In four games, the 2015 World Champion from Canada, has 10 points and is on a 15-game point streak. He currently has 806 points in the NHL and has moved into fourth place in Colorado's historical scoring, one point ahead of Milan Hejduk.
Goaltender of the Week
A slightly unusual name, as Joey Daccord was only Seattle's third-choice goalie last season behind Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger. However, the experienced German has been plagued by injuries, and Daccord has taken his chance. The former Ottawa goalie played three games in four days, saving 81 shots, conceding only three times and recording two wins and a loss in overtime. He also kept his first clean sheet in the NHL at the age of 27 with a 4-0 win against Florida.
Highlight of the week
The rivalries in the NHL have not been great in recent years, and they have been dwindling. But a new one may have been born.
Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk is afraid of no one and nothing, and Russian goalie Pyotr Kochetkov of Carolina has a very peculiar personality as well. Still, when the Senators man took off like a jet for a penalty, few probably expected this outcome.
Kochetkov took advantage of his opponent's speed and unexpectedly jumped under Tkachuk's feet, robbed him of the puck and only looked back as the forward slammed into the boards. He added a few peppery words to annoy Tkachuk.
It was a scramble that resulted in a ten-minute penalty. "I thought he tripped my legs, it surprised me, I absolutely didn't expect it," Tkachuk said. "This is just my style, I like to play aggressive," explained Kochetkov after the game, which his team won 4-1.
Stat of the week
So far, it looks like the 2023/24 season is the year that infallible Washington goal machine Alexander Ovechkin becomes unstuck. The second all-time leading scorer in NHL history, who aspires to the overall title, currently hasn't scored in 13 straight games, the worst streak of his career.
At this point, his last 46 shots have not ended in a goal, he has been waiting since November 19 and is now 249th in the NHL with five goals. His coach Spencer Carbery continues to believe in him, however.
Social media highlight
Canadian forward Rob Ray ended his career 20 years ago, playing in 900 games for Buffalo and Ottawa and scoring 41 goals. He excelled at another activity too - fighting. His 3,207 penalty minutes rank him sixth in history. However, although he hasn't fought in a long time, he doesn't deny the tough guy in him when commentating on games.
In a game between Buffalo and Arizona, he was hit by a flying puck between the boards, but whatever. All it took was a little stitching, a clean pair of glasses, and he kept working...
Photo of the week
Defenseman Erik Johnson, the top overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, played 13 seasons in Colorado. Highlight? Definitely winning the Stanley Cup last year. The American signed with Buffalo for this season and when he first arrived in Denver as a contender, he was in for a pleasant surprise.
Currently injured Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog came to greet the ex-colleague with his children, who brought a nice banner. "You may have the wrong jersey, but we still love you, Uncle EJ." A true American touch...
Ladislav Smid's view
Nathan MacKinnon reached the 800-point mark in the NHL this week, which really made me happy. I said before the season that he was my favourite player. What do I like about him? Absolutely everything. He always sets the rhythm for the team, he leaves his soul out there when he hits the ice. He's a dynamic player who can handle the puck, but it's not just about being able to get around players one-on-one. He's like a tank! And if he can't do it with technique, he'll break through with his body. And he showed that he can hit the body in a week when he sent Buffalo's Jeff Skinner to the sidelines.
He's got a lot of energy and drive, and having a leader like that on the team is priceless, because from what I hear, he's not only demanding of himself, but of his teammates as well. For me, he's definitely one of the top three players in the world, I'm rooting for him to get that point. I remember him from when I was in Calgary and he was just starting his career. Coach warned us about him being the last pick in the draft and we kind of took it lightly.
Then he came between me and my defensive partner like a bolt of lightning, threw the puck between us, we both fell on our asses, just stared at each other in disbelief, and MacKinnon drove himself to the net. Luckily, he didn't convert the rush, so at least I didn't have a minus point, but I've been watching him ever since.