Six NHL Teams With Reason To Be Thankful Today

Good morning and happy Thursday, November 24th... and Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! 🦃

Plus, a special shoutout to our readers who predicted Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen would record the most points in yesterday's poll — both scored 2 goals while Crosby registered zero points in a win over the Flames.

Last night was an epic night to watch hockey with 15 NHL games on the docket, so let's get you caught up 👊

Thanksgiving is a day for turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and catching a nap while watching football on television. It is also a day to be grateful for our blessings. Here are some NHL teams with a reason to be thankful:

Vegas Golden Knights: For Jack Eichel’s good health. Some fans should be eating crow instead of turkey today because they believed the Golden Knights whiffed when they acquired Eichel. But Vegas hit the jackpot. Eichel has 11 goals and 26 points in 21 games to help the Golden Knights post a 16-4-1 record. That’s second-best in the NHL.

Boston Bruins: For David Krejci returning this season for a $1 million salary. With 15 points in 17 games, he’s one of the league’s best bargains. And at 17-3-0 the Boston Bruins sit atop the NHL standings.

New York Islanders: For Ilya Sorokin’s goaltending. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello did minimal tinkering with his team. But Sorokin’s dazzling goaltending (2.20 GAA, .931 save percentage) has allowed the Islanders to own the league’s sixth-best record (13-8-0).

Detroit Red Wings: For Steve Yzerman’s stewardship. Four years ago, Yzerman gave up a high-octane Tampa Bay Lightning team to return to Detroit. He has methodically rebuilt this team. His drafting (Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson) has been superb, his trading (Jakub Vrana deal) has been bold and his free agent signings are noteworthy (Ville Husso, Ben Chiarot, and Andrew Copp). As Detroit fans pass the sweet potatoes and green bean casserole today, their team is in a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins: For Sidney Crosby’s magnificence. Three months beyond his 35th birthday, Crosby sits 10th in the NHL scoring race with 27 points in 20 games. That’s a 110-point pace. San Jose’s Erik Karlsson is the only other player over age 30 in the NHL’s top 20 scorers. He’s three years younger than Crosby.

Seattle Kraken: For having the confidence to do it their way. An 11-5-3 start in season two. Matty Beniers and Shane Wright as building blocks. Headed in the right direction. GM Ron Francis deserves an extra piece of pumpkin pie today.

TRIVIA: Eleven NHL players have recorded eight points in one game and no players have recorded nine points. Who is the only player ever to record ten points in an NHL game?

🚫 The Devils' 13-game winning streak came to an end last night in a 2-1 loss to the Leafs. And the Devils' faithful weren't happy as the officials called off three goals leading to fans throwing debris on the ice, forcing the Maple Leafs to briefly clear their bench.

✌️ The New York Rangers traded enforcer Ryan Reaves to the Wild for a 2025 fifth-round pick. Reaves has been a healthy scratch in eight of the Rangers' past 12 games. The 35-year-old forward has no points and 12 penalty minutes in 12 games this season.

• Oilers fall out of playoff picture after another sloppy loss exposes struggles

• Kraken scores club record eight goals in win over Sharks

• Evgeni Malkin scores the shootout winner but fails to clear the glass with his stick toss celebration

• Vejmelka makes 36 saves, Coyotes shut out Hurricanes

• Ovechkin scores 790th goal, Capitals beat Flyers in OT (watch OT winner here)

• While Canucks remain unpredictable, Pettersson's reliability persists

• Foligno scores twice as Wild rout Jets

• Watch Hawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi light up Ty Dellandrea before fighting Jani Hakanpaa

• Red Wings claim G Hellberg off waivers from Kraken

• Man-on-Man vs. Zone Defense with former Toronto Marlies assistant coach Jack Han

• Master your one-foot forward outside edge to backward inside edge transition with this tutorial from Katy Jo power skating

TRIVIA ANSWER:

Darryl Sittler on February 2, 1976 vs. the Boston Bruins