from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

Scoring is down slightly in the NHL – an average of 5.22 goals a game were scored entering the NHL’s schedule Sunday compared to 5.46 for all of last season – but the surprising thing is who is doing the scoring.

The youngsters are taking over the offence this season, as three of the top five and six of the top 15 scorers were 25 or younger. At the top of the list is Toronto Maple Leafs winger Phil Kessel, 24, followed by Claude Giroux, 23, whose rapid development made the Philadelphia Flyers feel comfortable trading star centres Mike Richards and Jeff Carter last summer.

A look at the scoring statistics for individual NHL teams is even more startling. The leading point-producer on 13 of the league’s 30 teams is 25 or younger. Teenagers such as Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes), Tyler Seguin (Boston Bruins) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers) dot the lists.

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