NHL Review October 23, 2021

SHARKS PICK UP THEIR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN
Adin Hill (30 saves), who was acquired by San Jose on July 17, earned his third straight win as a member of the Sharks to help the club remain undefeated in 2021-22. San Jose, which improved to 4-0-0 with a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, has posted a longer season-opening win streak only twice in franchise history: 7-0-0 in 2012-13 and 6-0-0 in 2013-14.

• Logan Couture (2-1—3), Timo Meier (1-1—2) and Erik Karlsson (1-0—1) each extended their season-opening point streaks to four games. The 2021-22 campaign marks the first since 2013-14 in which the Sharks have featured multiple players with points in each of the team’s opening four or more contests, when Patrick Marleau (8 GP), Couture (6 GP) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (4 GP) combined for the feat.

KRAKEN HOME OPENER HIGHLIGHTS SATURDAY’S 13-GAME SLATE
The second Saturday of the 2021-22 NHL season features 26 teams in action, including the Kraken welcoming the Canucks to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle’s first-ever home opener.

• The last time an NHL team went head-to-head against a Seattle-based club in the Emerald City was during the 1919 Stanley Cup Final (excluding exhibition games). The PCHA’s Seattle Metropolitans contested five games against the Montreal Canadiens at Seattle Ice Arena before the series was canceled due to the influenza epidemic.
• The 31 current franchises and seven defunct clubs which preceded the Kraken own a combined record of 15-18-5 in their first-ever home game. Three franchises which joined the NHL over the last 41 years earned a win.
• Newsy Lalonde, who played against Seattle in the 1919 Final, is one of eight players in NHL history with a hat trick for a franchise in its first-ever home game. Chris Kontos and Real Cloutier are the only players to achieve the feat with a modern-era club (since 1943-44) – the last skater to score two goals was James Neal with the Golden Knights on Oct. 10, 2017.

McDAVID POSTS ANOTHER MULTI-POINT OUTING AS OILERS IMPROVE TO 5-0-0…
Connor McDavid (0-2—2) recorded his fifth consecutive multi-point game as the Oilers improved to 5-0-0, matching their second-best start to a season in franchise history behind only 1983-84 (7-0-0).

• McDavid has recorded 6-7—13, which marks the highest point total through five games of a campaign since Sharks forwards Joe Thornton (3-10—13 in 5 GP) and Patrick Marleau (9-4—13 in 5 GP) in 2012-13. Only one Oilers player has recorded more points through the club’s opening five contests: Wayne Gretzky (7-8—15 in 1983-84 and 3-11—14 in 1986-87).