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Anze Kopitar, LA Kings - In Play! magazine
C Anze Kopitar (1-0—1) tied the franchise record for most game-opening goals. Photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
05
Nov

NHL RECAP NOVEMBER 4, 2024 – KUEMPER, ALLEN BACKSTOP CLUBS TO VICTORY

Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper and Devils goaltender Jake Allen both posted perfect performances to allow their clubs to skate to victory Monday.

  • Anze Kopitar (1-0—1) tied the franchise record for most game-opening goals and Kuemper fended off every shot he faced (16 saves) to help the Kings improve to 7-3-3. Kuemper, who is in his second stint with Los Angeles after playing 19 contests for the club in 2017-18, extended his season-opening point streak to seven games (4-0-3), which is the fifth longest in franchise history. He trails Rogie Vachon (11 GP: 7-0-4 in 1974-75), Robb Stauber (10 GP: 9-0-1 in 1992-93), Martin Jones (8 GP: 8-0-0 in 2013-14) and Jonathan Quick (8 GP: 6-0-2 in 2011-12).
  • Jesper Bratt (1-1—2) factored on both of New Jersey’s first two goals before Dawson Mercer (0-1—1) and Timo Meier (1-0—1) combined for a highlight-reel tally as the Devils skated to a 3-0 win. Allen made 31 saves for his League-leading (tied) second shutout of the season as New Jersey now holds the most by a team in 2024-25 (3).

SEVERAL STREAKS ON THE LINE, MILESTONES WITHIN REACH TUESDAY
A busy 11-game night features a whole slew of star players in action, with several skaters and teams looking to extend lengthy streaks and reach milestones Tuesday.

  • Rasmus Dahlin (67-232—299 in 448 GP) will look to reach the 300-point milestone when the Sabres host the Senators at KeyBank Center. Should he do so Tuesday, Dahlin would become the seventh-fastest Swedish-born defenseman to reach the mark behind Borje Salming (338 GP), Erik Karlsson (393 GP), John Klingberg (432 GP), Nicklas Lidstrom (440 GP), Stefan Persson (445 GP) and Fredrik Olausson (448 GP).
  • Sidney Crosby, who has collected multiple goals in each of his past two games, enters tonight three shy of joining Alex Ovechkin (860) as just the second active player to reach 600 career goals when the Penguins take on the Islanders. Crosby has a history of finding the score sheet against New York (41-93—134 in 86 GP) – his 134 points versus the club are his most against a single opponent and the second most in NHL history versus the franchise.
  • Kyle Connor has a team-leading 9-10—19 (12 GP) and has helped the Jets (11-1-0, 22 points) soar to the top of the NHL standings through the first month of the season while notching a point in each of Winnipeg’s games. Should Connor extend his season-opening point streak to 13 contests against Utah, he would match Kevin Stevens (13 GP in 1992-93 w/ PIT) for the longest run in NHL history by a U.S.-born player.
  • Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon both carry 12-game season-opening point streaks into tonight’s contest, with Makar looking to match his longest run at any point in a campaign (13 GP in 2021-22). The Avalanche blueliner can become just the eighth defenseman in NHL history to record multiple point streaks of 13-plus games, following Paul Coffey (3x; longest: 28 GP in 1985-86), Bobby Orr (3x; longest: 18 GP in 1970-71), Ray Bourque (3x; longest: 19 GP in 1987-88), Brian Leetch (3x; longest: 17 GP in 1991-92), Gary Suter (2x; longest: 16 GP in 1987-88), Larry Robinson (16 GP in 1979-80 & 1976-77), and Phil Housley (14 GP in 1992-93 & 1989-90).
  • After recording 1-1—2 in his NHL debut Oct. 10, Macklin Celebrini is set to return to the Sharks lineup Tuesday. Celebrini can become the first Sharks player to record multiple points in each of his first two NHL games. The only skaters to do so in the past decade include Josh Doan (2 GP in 2023-24 w/ ARI), Elias Pettersson (2 GP in 2018-19 w/ VAN) and Jesper Bratt (2 GP in 2017-18 w/ NJD).
  • The Canucks enter Tuesday on a seven-game winning streak against the Ducks dating to Nov. 3, 2022 – their second longest active run versus one franchise (8 GP vs. CHI) – while captain Quinn Hughes (45-297—342 in 375 GP) has his eyes set on the 300-assist milestone. Hughes could become the third-fastest defenseman in NHL history to the mark behind Orr (346 GP) and Leetch (368 GP). Coffey (377 GP) is the only other blueliner to do so in fewer than 400 games.
  • The Bruins, who are looking for their ninth straight victory against the Maple Leafs (8-0-0 dating to Jan. 14, 2023), enter Tuesday’s contest aiming to extend their team shutout streak to three games and match a franchise record for longest such run (5x, last: 1977-78). The last club to post more consecutive shutouts was the Blues in 2015-16 (4 GP).
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Guest Writer