* Anze Kopitar’s 400th career goal helped the Kings continue their success as the visitors and did so by defeating the NHL’s top team at T-Mobile Arena. Los Angeles joined rare company in NHL history in the process with their seventh straight road win to start the season.
* Tim Stützle continued to leave his mark in the “Battle of Ontario” by collecting his fifth career four-point game and boosting his career points per game in the history of the rivalry to 1.00 in 18 contests.
* Thursday features an ESPN+ and Hulu doubleheader, which opens at 7:30 p.m. ET when Joe Pavelski and the Stars visit Adam Fantilli and the Blue Jackets and closes at 10:30 p.m. ET when Tomas Hertl and the Sharks host Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers.
* The 11-game slate also includes Quinn Hughes and the Canucks looking to earn their 10th win of the season, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin putting his lengthy campaign-opening point streak on the line as well as Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard playing his first head-to-head contest with Lightning captain and fellow No. 1 pick Steven Stamkos.
KOPITAR’S MILESTONE NIGHT HELPS KINGS CONQUER NHL’S TOP TEAM
Anze Kopitar’s 400th career goal was one of his team’s four tallies Wednesday night and Cam Talbot (37 saves) secured his NHL-best seventh victory of the season (tied) as the Kings (8-2-2, 18 points) captured their seventh consecutive road win to start 2023-24 en route to conquering the League-leading Golden Knights (11-2-1, 23 points).
* Kopitar joined Alex Ovechkin (824 w/ WSH), Sidney Crosby (556 w/ PIT), Steven Stamkos (519 w/ TBL) and Evgeni Malkin (478 w/ PIT) as the fifth active player under contract with a team to score at least 400 goals with the franchise that drafted them. Of note, Patrick Kane scored 446 goals with Chicago.
* In addition to becoming the franchise leader in games played earlier this season, the captain’s 1-1—2 performance helped him become the fourth player in franchise history to score 400 career goals, move into a tie with Luc Robitaille (557-597—1,154) for the second-most points in Kings history and move within three assists of matching Marcel Dionne’s franchise record (757).
STÜTZLE LIFTS SENATORS TO VICTORY IN “BATTLE OF ONTARIO” Tim Stützle racked up 1-3—4, including a goal and an assist in a three-goal third period for Ottawa, to help the Senators (5-6-0, 10 points) defeat the Maple Leafs in this season’s first rendition of the “Battle of Ontario.” Ottawa’s six-goal performance boosted their goals-per-game rate in 2023-24 to 4.00 (excluding shootout-deciding goals), the third-highest among all teams behind Vancouver (4.50 G/GP) and Los Angeles (4.25 G/GP).
* With 7-11—18 in 18 career games versus Toronto, Stützle is one of only five players in Senators history to average at least a point per game in the “Battle of Ontario” (min. 15 GP). The others: Mark Stone (30 in 21 GP; 1.43 P/GP), Dany Heatley (40 in 29 GP; 1.38 P/GP), Alexei Yashin (19 in 17 GP; 1.12 P/GP) and Jason Spezza (56 in 56 GP; 1.00 P/GP).
* The 21-year-old notched his second three-assist outing of 2023-24, joining Quinn Hughes (4 GP), Jack Hughes (3 GP), Mitchell Marner (2 GP), Jesper Bratt (2 GP) and Elias Pettersson (2 GP) as the sixth player with multiple such performances this season, while also placing himself on an exclusive list among all active skaters with his fifth career four-point game.
REINHART ENDS IT EARLY IN OVERTIME FOR FLORIDA Aleksander Barkov (1-1—2) scored Florida’s second goal of the game to extend his lengthy point streak against the Capitals but it was Sam Reinhart (1-1—2) who played the role of hero to help the Panthers (7-4-1, 15 points) claim their second overtime win in three days. Four of Florida’s seven victories have come by a one-goal margin this season, one shy of Carolina and Dallas (both w/ 5) for the most among all teams in 2023-24.
* Reinhart netted his ninth goal of the season – more than double that of any other teammate. Pavel Bure (1998-99: 13 in 11 GP) is the only other player in Panthers history with as many tallies through their first 12 games of a campaign.
THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTED BY STARS-BLUE JACKETS, OILERS-SHARKS ON ESPN+, HULU
An 11-game Thursday slate is highlighted by an ESPN+ and Hulu doubleheader, which features the Stars visiting the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena as well as the Sharks hosting the Oilers at SAP Center.
* Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (311-447—758 in 649 GP) has a team-leading five goals this season and needs two to tie former Edmonton forward Petr Klima (313-260—573 in 786 GP) for 40th place on the League’s all-time list among players born outside North America. Draisaitl is also set to skate in the 650th game of his NHL career Thursday.
Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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