I missed this yesterday....

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Brady Tkachuk leads the league in penalty minutes, headed for 225. No one’s had that many since Steve Downie’s 238 in 2014-15. (Last season’s leader, Pat Maroon, had 150.) Matthew Tkachuk’s career-high is 123. Keith’s was 255 during a different era, although after his sixth season, he never had more than 151. This is frustration, you know how much Brady cares. Whenever Ottawa’s down, the fuse lights.

- Remember: Rod Brind’Amour’s never given any indication he would want to leave Tobacco Road. But some teams looking for bench bosses will want to see how it plays out in Carolina.

- There was another occasion where Alexandar Georgiev, upset at being unintentionally screened on a goal, delivered a slight smack with the blade of his stick to talented young defenceman Sam Malinski. A team conversation followed, Georgiev owned the mistake publicly and privately, while Malinski shrugged it off.

What it says about the Avalanche: they have high standards and high expectations, never a bad thing; and when you are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who does not pull his punches on or off the ice — you have to be prepared for things to boil over from time-to-time. Gabriel Landeskog could turn down the temperature; he’s supposed to resume skating but a return to the lineup is hard to predict.

more Thoughts plus a look at all the controversial hits....