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Top scorer
The entire hockey world is watching to see where the point-scoring machine that is Connor McDavid will stop, but that has not happened yet. The Edmonton captain collected three, five and two points (2+8) in three games this time around, making him the week's top scorer. With 33 points in 11 games, he leads the league scoring race by 10 points.
He reached 20 assists for the season after just nine games, setting a new NHL record. He also broke Wayne Gretzky's franchise record by recording 31 points in his first 10 games.
"It's incredible. He might be the best hockey player who has ever played," said his teammate and the league's second-leading scorer, Leon Draisaitl.
Goaltender of the week
Backup goaltender Devin Cooley has been one of the few bright spots in Calgary's poor start to the season. At least temporarily, he has also taken over as the team's No. 1 goaltender from Dustin Wolf, who has struggled.
The American picked up two wins during the week, giving him three in a row, and conceded just one goal each against Minnesota and Detroit. In total, he stopped 66 shots and posted a 97.1% save percentage. On top of that, his interviews are pure gold.
Highlight of the week
It is hard to choose any other topic than former captain Brady Tkachuk's return to Ottawa in the colours of Florida, the team he was traded to at the end of June. The closer the game drew, the more it was discussed.
"It's going to be amazing and it's going to be intense," former top agitator Matthew Barnaby wrote on X, for example.
He was right. The departure of the American Olympic champion left a bitter taste in the Senators' locker room. Tim Stutzle, who lived with Tkachuk in Ottawa and shared a close friendship with him, fired a pointed message at the media before the game.
"I have my own chef at home, so I didn't go out for dinner," he told reporters when asked whether he had also attended Tkachuk's meeting with his former teammates before the game.
During the game, Tkachuk heard a barrage of abuse in addition to the boos, including during the tribute video. Among the more printable insults were that he was a traitor and that the club did not need him, while the crowd also had plenty of more colourful language for him.
Still, he was the first player to make an impact on the game, opening the scoring on the power play at 10:00. That was all the Panthers had to offer.
The home side eventually won convincingly, 5-1. The Ottawa enforcers also held their own in fights and scrums. Tkachuk played just over 13 minutes, finished with a minus-two rating and served six penalty minutes.
"It was nice to be back, but it didn't turn out the way we wanted," he told NHL.com diplomatically after the game.
The Ottawa crowd genuinely went after him. A tribute video for Lars Eller, who played for the club last season, even appeared on the scoreboard. Stutzle once again had something to say about it.
"It was great, we miss him here. He's a great guy to have in the locker room, and it's always nice to meet former teammates," the German forward cheekily said after the entertaining game.
The two teams will meet three more times this season. The next game is scheduled for November 25th in Florida.
Stat of the Week
Do you remember Colorado's dominant start to last season? The Avalanche did not record their fourth regulation loss until January 6th, 2026. This season, Colorado needed just 10 games to reach the same mark...
Social media highlight
Following in your father's footsteps is not always easy, especially when your father is Mario Lemieux, one of the greatest hockey players in history. His son Austin has taken a different path, although he has stayed in sports. He is a golfer who recently made his PGA Tour debut.
Photo of the week
On Thursday, Florida goaltender Cooper Black made his league debut and immediately rewrote the history books. At 206 centimetres, the Michigan-born goaltender became the tallest masked man ever to appear in an NHL game. That made for quite an experience. The only thing that could have been better for him was the result, as the Panthers lost 0-4 in Pittsburgh.
The goaltender's unusual height was perfectly captured in a moment when he spoke with reporter Katie Engelson, who is approximately 170 centimetres tall.
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