from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Elias Pettersson is shooting 43.8 per cent. The best rookie number in NHL history is Warren Young’s 30.5 in 1984–85. Second? Rob Brown’s 30.0 in 1987–88. Major difference between them and Pettersson? The latter doesn’t have Mario Lemieux passing it to him.

- NHL Hockey Operations said it would keep a close eye on teams that were guilty of “slow changes,” delaying the game when their players needed a breather. Washington was hit with a penalty for it last Thursday in Edmonton. Officials felt they took too long after icing the puck.

- Great story from Scott Oake: With the Penguins in Vancouver, Canucks assistant coach (and fishing champion) Nolan Baumgartner asked through the equipment staff for a Sidney Crosby stick. Crosby said he’d do it, as long as Baumgartner returned the favour. The coach thought he was being pranked, but Crosby, who knows everything, was well aware of Baumgartner’s junior success — two Memorial Cups with WHL Kamloops. Crosby, who lost in the 2005 final with QMJHL Rimouski, signed the stick with “jealous of your Memorial Cups!” Baumgartner told Oake he was thinking of signing his stick with, “‘Jealous of your two Olympic Golds, three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, two Rocket Richards, three Ted Lindsays and two Art Ross’ — but there wasn’t enough room on the stick.”

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