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Anze Kopitar, LA Kings - In Play! magazine
C 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. Photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
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Nov

NHL Recap November 8, 2023 – 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.

  • Stars forward Joe Pavelski (454-558—1,012 in 1,261 GP) shares the team lead with 11 points this season and needs one to tie Pat LaFontaine (468-545—1,013 in 865 GP) for ninth place on the League’s all-time list among U.S.-born players. Pavelski also needs one goal to tie Theo Fleury (455-633—1,088 in 1,084 GP) for the third most in League history among players selected in the seventh round of the NHL Draft or later.
  • 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.
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Guest Writer