Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar saw their 13-game season-opening point streaks come to an end on Thursday. The two were both spectacular in the 1-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets but just couldn’t get one to go on goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who made 34 saves to shut out the Avalanche in an entertaining goalie battle.
MacKinnon currently leads the NHL with 25 points and became just the second player in NHL history to have multiple season-opening 13-game point streaks. He also did it in 2019-20. The only other player with more than one is the great Wayne Gretzky, who did it four times. For Makar, his 23 points are tied with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for second-most in the NHL. Makar was a game-time decision after leaving Tuesday’s game early but ended up playing. He looked like his normal self, logging a team-high 25:16 of icetime.
MacKinnon had four shots on goal while Makar had two.
Gabriel Landeskog: If you missed it (which you probably haven’t), head coach Jared Bednar commented on Gabriel Landeskog on Wednesday before the team boarded a flight to Winnipeg. Colleen Flynn wrote something up about it, which you can find here.
I get the frustration with all the Landeskog updates and how they’re ultimately all the same nowadays. But, anytime Bednar takes time to share something — anything about the captain, it’s worth writing about. Your guess is as good as mine on how this all ends. But, for now, we’re just going to have to continue with these updates until this all concludes. I often wonder what could’ve been had Landeskog not suffered that injury. It’s truly a shame.
Casey Mittelstadt: In the latest ‘Inside the Locker Room’, Flynn wrote about Casey Mittelstadt. It’s a nice read and available to CHN+ subscribers. If you’re not a CHN+ member, click the link to the story here and join us for a few dollars a month — or a discounted rate for an annual membership. It’s well worth it if you ask me.
Around The NHL
Kevin Weekes: The ESPN analyst and NHL Insider tweeted a tease that might be related to an Igor Shesterkin contract extension. The tweet, which could be found here, simply says “$11.5M?” Shesterkin is a pending unrestricted free agent and is looking to become the highest paid goalie in NHL history. Carey Price’s $10.5 million AAV is currently the largest the league has seen. If Shesterkin signs for $11.5 million with the New York Rangers, and if it’s over eight years, it would blow past Price’s number.
Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs lost again, this time falling 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils. Alex Newhook had two of Montreal’s goals, which doubled his season totals. He was their best player in the loss but the former Avs forward is having a rough start to the season. Newhook has four goals and zero assists in 14 games while boasting a -10 rating.
Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers came away with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Ivan Fedotov earned his first win of the season and Owen Tippett scored a big goal for the Flyers. Rookie senation Matvei Michkov, who won rookie of the month in October, was healthy scratched by head coach John Tortorella for this game.