NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 12, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
PITTSBURGH 4, Montreal 3 (SO)
Edmonton 4, ANAHEIM 3 (OT)

CROSBY, PENGUINS RALLY PAST CANADIENS

Sidney Crosby collected two assists – including the primary helper on Patric Hornqvist’s tying goal with 6:25 remaining in regulation – and scored the clinching goal in the shootout to lift the Penguins to their 10th victory in their past 12 games following a 0-3-0 start to the season.
* The Penguins, who faced a 3-2 deficit after 40 minutes, won when trailing after two periods for the first time since Jan. 5, 2014 at WPG, snapping a streak of 37 consecutive losses in that scenario. They also improved to 10-3-2 in their past 15 meetings with the Canadiens dating to the start of the 2011-12 season (MTL: 5-5-5).
* Crosby has posted 17-23—40 in 30 career games vs. MTL, including at least one point in 16 of 17 meetings in Pittsburgh (12-14—26). He also improved to 32-for-72 (44.4%) in his shootout career; his 32 shootout goals are tied for 10th in NHL history (w/ Joe Pavelski).
* Marc-Andre Fleury, who briefly left the game after taking a stick to the face, stopped 32 shots through overtime and both attempts he faced in the shootout to improve to 8-5-0 in 13 appearances this season (2.01 GAA, .931 SV%, 2 SO). All eight of those victories have come in his past 10 outings (1.79 GAA, .937 SV%, 2 SO).

STARTING QUICKLY

Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis, who missed the past two games for precautionary reasons, scored 13 seconds after the opening face-off to spot the team an early lead.
* Dupuis notched the second-fastest goal to begin a game this season – Wild forward Jason Zucker scored 10 seconds after the opening face-off on Oct. 25 at WPG.
* Dupuis’ goal was seven seconds shy of the fastest goal to start a game in Penguins history, scored by Jean Pronovost on March 25, 1976 at STL (0:06).
* The fastest goal from the start of a game in NHL history is five seconds, achieved four times:

Fastest Goal From Start of a Game, NHL History
0:05 – Merlyn Phillips, Mtl. M., Dec. 29, 1926 at CHI
0:05 – Doug Smail, WIN, Dec. 20, 1981 vs. STL
0:05 – Bryan Trottier, NYI, March 22, 1984 at BOS
0:05 – Alexander Mogilny, BUF, Dec. 21, 1991 at TOR
* Via Elias, there have been 57 goals scored in the opening minute of any period this season (229 GP) – 11 in the first period, 24 in the second period, 15 in the third period and seven in overtime.

DRAISAITL, PURCELL POWER OILERS OVER DUCKS

Leon Draisaitl registered 1-2—3 and Teddy Purcell scored at 1:16 of overtime to lift the Oilers to their first win at Honda Center since April 1, 2012, halting a six-game skid at ANA (0-6-0).
* The Oilers overcame three separate one-goal deficits to force overtime (1-0, 2-1 and 3-2), including two such margins in the third period.
* Draisaitl, the third overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, has posted 4-6—10 (and four multi-point performances) in six games since being recalled from the Bakersfield Condors (AHL) on Oct. 29. He had 2-7—9 (and one multi-point game) in his first 37 NHL appearances.
* Purcell collected his 13th career game-winning goal and third in overtime (both firsts w/ EDM). His other two overtime goals, both with the Lightning: April 7, 2012 at WPG (3-0—3) and Nov. 9, 2013 at DET.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Ducks forward Corey Perry (2-0—2) scored his 299th and 300th NHL goals (all w/ ANA) to tie Paul Kariya for second place in franchise history, behind only Teemu Selanne (457). Perry, the 28th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, also became the third member of his draft class to reach the 300-goal milestone. The others: Eric Staal (316) and Thomas Vanek (304).
* Ducks forward Shawn Horcoff (1-0—1), a fourth-round selection (99th overall) by the Oilers in the 1998 NHL Draft, registered his 500th NHL point while facing his former team (182-318—500 in 964 GP). Horcoff compiled 162-285—447 with Edmonton from 2000-13 (796 GP).

TEAM EUROPE ADDS STAFF FOR 2016 WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

The NHL and NHLPA announced the appointment of Team Europe’s scouting staff for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey: Peter Bondra, Sean Burke, Lorne Henning, Vaclav Nedomansky and Ricky Olczyk. They also announced the appointment of Paul Maurice as an assistant coach on Team Europe.
Click here for more information.

LOOSE PUCKS

The Ducks extended their point streak to six games (4-0-2) after starting the season 1-7-2 . . . Canadiens goaltender Mike Condon (31 SV) has earned at least one point in each of his first eight NHL appearances (6-0-2, 1.73 GAA, .936 SV%) . . . Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban (0-2—2) registered his 14th and 15th assists of the season to move into first place in the NHL, one ahead of Stars forward Tyler Seguin (14) . . . ICYMI: Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped pumpkin pies as part of a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . . . Various NHL teams donned special apparel in honor of Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada . . . The TALON HAZMAT Robot, accompanied by the 9th Civil Support Team, dropped the ceremonial opening puck prior to the Oilers-Ducks game.

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Colorado @ Boston, 7:00 p.m., ALT, NESN
St. Louis @ NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m., FS-MW, MSG
Washington @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., CSN-DC, CSN-PH
Minnesota @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., FS-N, FS-WI, FS-CR
Vancouver @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., SNV, TSN5, RDS
Calgary @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., SNF, SUN
Buffalo @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., MSG-B, BELL TV, FS-F
Toronto @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., TSN4, FS-TN
New Jersey @ Chicago, 8:30 p.m., MSG+, CSN-CH
Winnipeg @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., TSN3, FS-SW
Edmonton @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., SNOL, FS-A
NY Islanders @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., MSG, FS-W

RANGERS, BLUES LOOK TO CONTINUE RECORD-SETTING STARTS

The Rangers and Blues – two teams that have equaled their best 15-game starts to a season in franchise history – look to improve upon their record-setting runs when they face off at Madison Square Garden. At 11-2-2 (24 points), the Rangers have matched their best 15-game start to a season – in terms of wins and points – in the franchise’s 89-year history (also 1990-91: 11-4-0 and 1971-72: 10-1-4). At 11-3-1 (23 points), the Blues have equaled their best 15-game start to a season – in terms of wins – in the franchise’s 48-year history (4x, most recently 2013-14: 11-2-2).

Both clubs are coming off shutout victories on Tuesday: Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves to lead the Rangers to a 3-0 win vs. CAR, while Jake Allen stopped all 24 shots he faced to guide the Blues to a 2-0 triumph at NJD. The Rangers also are on a 10-game point streak (8-0-2), including six consecutive victories, while the Blues have won six of their last seven outings.

This marks the first of two meetings between these teams in 2015-16 and their lone contest at Madison Square Garden. Last season, Vladimir Tarasenko scored a highlight-reel goal, picked up an assist on the tying marker with 5:27 remaining in regulation and then potted the decisive tally in the shootout to lead the Blues to a 4-3 victory on Nov. 3 at NYR. Overall, St. Louis is 8-0-1 in its past nine visits to Madison Square Garden dating to Oct. 12, 1998 (NYR: 1-7-1).

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Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTS SEVEN NEW MEMBERS

The Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday inducted five players and two builders – and also honored two media members (Bob McKenzie and Nick Nickson) – as part of its class of 2015.

Click on the below links for the speech by each inductee.

2015 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees
Sergei Fedorov (Player)
Bill Hay (Builder)
Phil Housley (Player)
Peter Karmanos Jr. (Builder)
Nicklas Lidstrom (Player)
Chris Pronger (Player)
Angela Ruggiero (Player)

COACH’S CHALLENGE TRACKER . . .

There have been 32 coach’s challenges through the opening 215 games of the 2015-16 season. Of those challenges, 21 calls have been upheld, while 11 have been overturned.
Twenty-three of the coach’s challenges have been for goaltender interference (16 upheld/7 overturned), while nine have been for offside (5 upheld/4 overturned).

. . . 3-ON-3 OVERTIME UPDATE

Thirty of the 43 games that have required overtime this season have been decided in the extra period (70%).

Last season, under the 4-on-4 format, the percentage of overtime periods with goals was 44% (136 of 306).

SNEAK PEEK AT TUESDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
St. Louis @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m., FS-MW, MSG+
Carolina @ NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m., FS-CR, MSG 2
Colorado @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., SNE, ALT, CSN-PH
Vancouver @ Columbus, 7:00 p.m., SNP, FS-O
Washington @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., TVAS, CSN-DC+, FS-D
Buffalo @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN
Calgary @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., SNW, FS-F
Ottawa @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., TSN5, RDS, FS-TN
Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 8:00 p.m., TSN3, FS-N
Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., SNO, FS-SW+
Arizona @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., FS-A, FS-W
NY Islanders @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m., MSG+, CSN-CA

OVECHKIN TRIES TO SET GOAL-SCORING RECORD IN FRONT OF FEDOROV . . .

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who has 483 career goals, looks to set the NHL record for goals by a Russian-born player when Washington visits Detroit at Joe Louis Arena.

Ovechkin currently shares the record with Sergei Fedorov, the longtime Red Wings forward who finished his NHL career with the Capitals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Both clubs will honor Fedorov, who will be in attendance, prior to Tuesday’s game.

“It’s going to be cool,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post.

“It’s going to be something that’s a special moment for me. Obviously, it’s going to be nice to see him out there. It’s a big moment for him and for me as well going to be, if I’m going to break the record. You never know.”

“I would hug him in his uniform [if he breaks the record],” Fedorov added.

“He’d be all wet and my suit would be ruined, but I wouldn’t care. I’ll put it somewhere in the closet. I’d cherish that moment.”

This game also marks the first time that Red Wings defenseman Mike Green faces his former club. Green, the 29th overall selection in the 2004 NHL Draft, played his first 10 NHL seasons with the Capitals, registering 113-247—360 in 575 contests. His 360 points rank fifth in franchise history for a defenseman, while his 113 goals share third (w/ Calle Johansson).

“I was there a long time and obviously, sometimes change is good. I felt I was becoming a little bit stagnant there, so I wanted to evolve,” Green told NHL.com.

“It’ll be strange, but I’ve moved forward now. I think it’s more exciting than anything. I know the personality in the dressing room and how most of these guys play, so it will be fun. But it will be fun because we’re competing.”

. . . TEAMS LOOK TO CONTINUE RECORD-SETTING STARTS

Three teams – the Rangers, Stars and Capitals – look to continue their record-setting starts to the season:

* At 10-2-2 (22 points), the Rangers have equaled their best 14-game start to a season – in terms of points – in the franchise’s 89-year history (also 1971-72: 9-1-4 and 1990-91: 11-3-0). They currently are on a nine-game point streak (7-0-2), including five consecutive wins.
* At 12-3-0 (24 points), the Stars are off to their best 15-game start in the franchise’s 48-year history. They have won six of their last seven games overall, including three straight, and boast a 5-1-0 record this season at American Airlines Center.
* At 10-3-0 (20 points), the Capitals have matched their best 13-game start to a season in the franchise’s 41-year history (also 1991-92: 10-3-0). They have won four of their past five games overall and are 4-1-0 this season as visitors.

MONDAY’S RESULT
Home Team in Caps
Arizona 4, ANAHEIM 3 (OT)

ROOKIES (AGAIN) LEAD COYOTES PAST DUCKS

Max Domi (2-0—2) and Anthony Duclair (1-0—1) combined for three goals in regulation and Mikkel Boedker (1-1—2) registered the decisive tally at 1:18 of overtime to power the Coyotes to their second win in as many games against the Ducks this season.

* The Coyotes also won their first game against the Ducks behind strong performances from their rookies. On Oct. 14, Domi posted 1-1—2 and Duclair recorded his first career hat trick in a 4-0 victory at ANA. The Coyotes face the Ducks three more times this season: Nov. 25 at ARI, Feb. 5 at ANA and Mach 3 at ARI.
* Domi (7-6—13) and Duclair (6-2—8) have combined for 13-8—21 through the Coyotes’ opening 14 games of the season, including one-third of the club’s goals (13 of 39).
* Domi shares first among rookies in goals (w/ Oscar Lindberg, NYR) and also ranks second in points, behind Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin (4-11—15).
* Boedker notched his first overtime goal in the regular season (397 GP). He also has scored two overtime goals in the playoffs (20 GP), in Games 3 and 4 of the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals at CHI.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Coyotes captain Shane Doan appeared in his 1,408th career game to surpass Dale Hunter (1,407 GP) and move into sole possession of 33rd place on the NHL’s all-time games played list. He now is one game shy of tying Paul Coffey (1,409 GP) for 32nd place.

LOOSE PUCKS

Ducks teammates Ryan Kesler and Sami Vatanen both collected 1-1—2 . . . Coyotes forward Dustin Jeffrey picked up one assist in his first NHL appearance since April 13, 2014 at PHX (w/ DAL) . . . Goaltender Anders Lindback made 33 saves to earn his second win in a Coyotes uniform . . . Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen (24 SV) fell to 3-0-3 in seven career appearances vs. ARI (1.58 GAA, .940 SV%) . . . ICYMI: Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, Stars forward Tyler Seguin and Canadiens goaltender Mike Condon were named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Nov. 8.

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