NHL Recap October 31 2018

PANTHERS, JETS SET FOR 2018 NHL GLOBAL SERIES

Led by Tampere, Finland natives Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine, the Panthers and Jets are set to face off in the 2018 NHL Global Series at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday, Nov. 1 and Friday, Nov. 2. The contests will be the 30th and 31st regular-season games to be played outside North America, and will bring the total to 25 such games in Europe and seven in Finland.

• Barkov, selected second overall in 2013, was the first Finnish-born skater in League history to be selected either No. 1 or No. 2 in the NHL Draft. Laine later became the second Finnish-born skater to be chosen that high, when the Jets picked him second overall in 2016. They now rank in the top five for goals among active Finnish-born players: Mikko Koivu (195), Valtteri Filppula (172), Barkov (102), Mikael Granlund (84) and Laine (83).

Goaltender Kari Lehtonen (Helsinki, Finland) was selected second overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2002

• Barkov (2-6—8 in 9 GP), named the eighth Finnish-born captain in NHL history on Sept. 17, has collected 102-155—257 in 340 career games since entering the League in 2013-14. He ranks seventh and 10th in all-time franchise goals and points, respectively — lists led by Kuopio, Finland native Olli Jokinen (188-231—419 in 567 GP w/ FLA).
• Laine (3-2—5 in 12 GP), who will celebrate his 21st birthday on April 19, 2019, has scored 83 goals through the first 167 games of his NHL career. Only 13 players in NHL history have scored more goals before celebrating their 21st birthday.
• Overall, 216 Finnish-born players (185 skaters, 31 goaltenders) have appeared in a regular-season or playoff NHL game. That includes 40 (33 skaters, 7 goaltenders) this season. Florida’s Juho Lammikko (Noormarkku) joins Barkov and Laine as the only Finnish-born players on the Jets and Panthers rosters.

Did You Know? Finnish-born players have accounted for 435 of the 4,941 regular-season goals scored in Panthers franchise history (not including shootout-deciding goals). The 8.8% of goals by Finnish-born players is the fourth-highest such total among all NHL franchises, behind the Wild (12.4%; 437 of 3,522), Ducks (12.1%; 625 of 5,151) and Golden Knights (10.2%; 30 of 294).

BY THE NUMBERS: NHL GAMES OVERSEAS

• The Jets will become the 24th different team to play a regular-season NHL game outside North America.
• The NHL has played regular-season games outside North America in six different countries and eight different cities, including this October’s contest in Gothenburg, Sweden, between the Oilers and Devils.
• Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena has played host to five prior regular-season NHL games, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. No other Finnish city has staged a regular-season NHL game.
• The Panthers have played in two of the prior five regular-season NHL games at Hartwall Arena. They opened the 2009-10 campaign in Finland with a pair of contests against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 4-3 shootout win on Oct. 2 and a 4-0 loss on Oct. 3. Panthers defenseman and Oulu, Finland, native Ville Koistinen secured Florida’s Oct. 2 win with the game-deciding goal in the shootout.
• The Panthers also played two preseason games in Finland prior to their 2009 regular-season contests in Helsinki. They lost, 3-2 in a shootout, to Tappara at Tempere’s Hakametsan Arena and defeated Jokerit, 4-2, at Hartwall Arena.
• Although the Jets have not played in a regular-season NHL game outside North America, the original incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets – now the Arizona Coyotes – visited Finland during the 1994-95 preseason. Helsinki native Teemu Selanne led Winnipeg to wins over Tappara (8-2 W) and Helsinki IFK (5-3 W), both at Helsinki Ice Hall.
• The 2018 NHL Global Series Information Guide and a full 2018 NHL Global Series Stats Release are available via Media.NHL.com.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULT

Home Team in Caps

VANCOUVER 4, Chicago 2

CANUCKS RALLY PAST BLACKHAWKS, MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE IN PACIFIC DIVISION

Jake Virtanen (2-0—2) tied the game twice and Brendan Gaunce (1-1—2) scored the go-ahead goal with 10:37 remaining in regulation as the Canucks rallied past the Blackhawks and improved to 8-6-0 (16 points) this season. Vancouver moved to 5-0-0 in its last five games against Chicago dating to March 21, 2017 (CHI: 0-4-1).

• The Canucks leapfrogged the Sharks (6-3-3, 15 points) and Flames (7-5-1, 15 points) to move into first place in the Pacific Division standings. Vancouver enters the month of November with sole possession of the most points in its division for the sixth time in franchise history (also 1979-80, 1991-92, 1999-00, 2003-04 and 2005-06).

TOEWS CLIMBS FRANCHISE’S ALL-TIME GOALS LIST

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored the 299th goal of his NHL career (all w/ CHI) to pass Dennis Hull (298) for sole possession of sixth place on the franchise’s all-time list.

• Toews moved within one marker of becoming the second member of the 2006 NHL Draft class to reach the 300-goal milestone, in which he would join Penguins forward Phil Kessel (337). Only 13 players have scored more goals since Toews made his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2007.

Did You Know? Toews and teammate Patrick Kane (323; 5th) are two of three active players on Original Six clubs who rank among the top 10 on their respective franchise’s all-time goals lists. The only other player is Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron (296; 6th).

20TH ANNUAL HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER INITIATIVE BEGINS TODAY

Hockey Fights Cancer, a joint initiative between the NHL and NHLPA, begins today. The 20th annual campaign, which has been uniting the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families since 1998, will feature special events, observances, and stories from people around the hockey community.

• All 31 NHL Clubs will host a Hockey Fights Cancer awareness night in-arena, featuring lavender jerseys, dasherboards, decals on player helmets, and “I Fight For” cards. New this season, youth hockey teams across North America can host their own Hockey Fights Cancer awareness nights in their community rinks via the HFC Assist program. Hockey communities that sign up will receive a package including official helmet decals, lavender tape, “I Fight For” downloadable cards, and tips on how to engage their community to raise funds and awareness. Communities can register at HockeyFightsCancer.com

Thursday’s Games

Winnipeg@ Florida	2:00 PM ET
Dallas@ Toronto	7:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh@ NY Islanders	7:00 PM ET
Washington@ Montréal	7:30 PM ET
Buffalo@ Ottawa	7:30 PM ET
New Jersey@ Detroit	7:30 PM ET
Nashville@ Tampa Bay	7:30 PM ET
Vegas@ St. Louis	8:00 PM ET
Colorado@ Calgary	9:00 PM ET
Chicago@ Edmonton	9:00 PM ET
NY Rangers@ Anaheim	10:00 PM ET
Philadelphia@ Los Angeles	10:30 PM ET
Columbus@ San Jose	10:30 PM ET

Canucks’ Pettersson Named NHL ‘Rookie of the Month’ for October

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, who led all rookies with seven goals and 10 points in eight games (7-3—10), has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for October.

Pettersson edged Ottawa Senators defenseman Maxime Lajoie (4-3—7 in 11 GP), Anaheim Ducks left wing Max Comtois (2-5—7 in 10 GP), Detroit Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski (2-5—7 in 10 GP), and Chicago Blackhawks teammates Dominik Kahun (1‑6—7 in 13 GP) and Henri Jokiharju (0-7—7 in 13 GP) for the honor.

Pettersson, who paced rookies in goals and points despite missing six games due to injury, registered 1-1—2 in his NHL debut Oct. 3 and 2-1—3 in his second outing Oct. 6. He became the fourth player in Canucks history to collect multiple points in his League debut and the second – along with Thomas Gradin (4-1—5 in 1978-79) – to record five points through his first two NHL appearances.

Pettersson ultimately extended his career-opening point streak to five games (5‑3—8), becoming the second player in Vancouver history – along with Don Tannahill (3-2—5 in 5 GP in 1972-73) – to achieve the feat. Pettersson added his sixth and seventh goals Oct. 29, making him the 21st player in League history – and eighth in the modern era – to reach that total through seven career NHL contests.

The 19-year-old Sundsvall, Sweden, native and reigning Swedish Hockey League MVP was the No. 5 overall selection by the Canucks in the 2017 NHL Draft. He and teammate Brock Boeser (November 2017 and December 2017) have combined for three of the past seven Rookie of the Month honors since the start of 2017-18.

Rantanen, Malkin and Kane Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for October

Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of October.

FIRST STAR – MIKKO RANTANEN, RW, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Rantanen paced the NHL with 16 assists and 21 points in 12 games to propel the Avalanche to a 7-3-2 (16 points) opening month. He collected at least one point in all but one of his October appearances, including nine straight to begin the season (Oct. 4-22: 4-12—16). Rantanen registered five multi-point performances, highlighted by four-point outings Oct. 18 at NJD (1-3—4) and Oct. 26 vs. OTT (1-3—4) – the fourth and fifth such efforts of his career (177 GP). He also shared the League lead (with linemate Gabriel Landeskog) with a +14 rating. The 22-year-old Nousiainen, Finland, native ranks eighth in the NHL with 34-71—105 in 93 games since the start of 2017-18.

SECOND STAR – EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Malkin led the NHL with 1.90 points per game, totaling 6-13—19 in 10 outings to guide the Penguins to a 6-2-2 (14 points) October and into first place in the Metropolitan Division. He found the scoresheet in all but one of his games, collecting multiple points six times and three points on four occasions: Oct. 4 vs. WSH (1-2—3), Oct. 11 vs. VGK (0-3—3), Oct. 18 at TOR (2-1—3) and Oct. 27 at VAN (2-1—3). The 32-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia, native ranks third in the NHL with 376-573—949 (794 GP) since making his League debut in 2006-07, behind only Alex Ovechkin (563-467—1,030) and Sidney Crosby (378-650—1,028).

THIRD STAR – PATRICK KANE, RW, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Kane shared the League lead with 11 goals and placed fourth overall with 18 points in 12 outings to power the Blackhawks to a 6-4-3 (15 points) first month of the season. He also found the scoresheet in all but one game, accumulating five multi-point performances and a pair of three-point efforts: Oct. 20 at CBJ (2-1—3) and Oct. 27 at STL (2-1—3). Kane scored in eight different contests, becoming the first Blackhawks player with 11 goals through the team’s opening 11 games since 1967-68 (Bobby Hull). The 29-year-old Buffalo native ranks fourth in the NHL with 323-523—846 (834 GP) since making his debut in 2007-08.