On Tuesday, Oct. 22 the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 at TD Garden. Forwards Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak both picked up a goal and an assist each. Following their victory over the Maple Leafs, the Bruins had a four-day break before hosting the defending Stanley Cup champions, the St. Louis Blues. Riding their rhythm from earlier in the week, Boston shutout St. Louis 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 26. Bruins’ goalie Tuukka Rask made 26 saves and picked up his second shutout of the season. David Pastrnak picked up his 11th goal of the season and leads the league in goals. The Bruins record is now 7-1-2 and in third place in the Eastern Conference. They take on the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 29 and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Top-Ranked Teams:
The Washington Capitals have been hot out of the gate this season, holding an 8-2-3 record. They are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with 19 points. Defenseman John Carlson leads the league with 21 points, tallying five goals and sixteen assists through 18 contests. Left-wing forward Alex Ovechkin is tied for second in the league with nine goals.
The New York Islanders started out their season 1-3 and since have won six straight games on their way to a 7-3-0 record. Over the course of their past six games, they’ve beaten the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, and the Florida Panthers.
Low Ranked Teams:
The Chicago Blackhawks are 2-5-2 on the season and are currently riding a four-game losing streak. They are currently in last place in the Western Conference, just two points behind the Minnesota Wild. Their losses have been to the Miami Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals.
The Detroit Red Wings started out the season 3-1-0 but have cooled off since, losing their last seven. They are 3-8-0 on the season now and currently sit in second to last place in the Eastern Conference.
League Leaders:
Carlson not only leads the league in points currently but also leads the league in assists with his tally of 16. Carlson has played in all 13 games this season, and his chemistry with the remainder of the team will continue to help the Capitals maintain first place in the Eastern Conference.
Connor McDavid, a center for the Houston Oilers, is currently in second place to Carlson in both regards, having tallied 20 points and 14 assists on the season. Pastrnak currently leads the league with 11 goals. Ovechkin, Maple Leafs’ center Auston Matthews and Golden Knights’ forward James Neal are tied for second place with nine goals.
Boston’s goaltender Rask leads the league in goals-against average with 1.48, and Arizona Coyotes’ goaltender Darcy Kuemper is in second place with 1.87 goals-against average. Rask also leads the league in save percentage with a 0.952%, with Kuemper close behind with 0.934%.
