#connor-mcdavid

#connor-mcdavid

Without question, while McDavid and Celebrini have different skill sets, their respective careers through their first 1 seasons in the NHL and their approaches to the game are strikingly similar. After his four-point performance in San Jose's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, Celebrini has 141 points in 121 career NHL games. He's been the Sharks' No. 1 center since the day he arrived in 2024 and in his short career, has averaged 20:20 in ice time per game.

During a second-period scrum near the net, Wilson showed McDavid just how sandpapery he'll be in the international tournament, cross-checking the superstar from behind twice. The crafty Oilers' captain didn't appreciate that much, so he skated backwards just a tad and then donkey-kicked Wilson directly in the family jewels with his left skate. Wilson doubled over in pain as the backwards kick connected with his full taint, sending him back to the Capitals bench in considerable pain.

At times during last night's matchup between the NY Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers, it looked as if the Isles were chasing the Oilers through extended shifts over and over. But despite the Oilers' superstars controlling the puck, the Isles stood tall defensively and had a brick wall in net. The Isles have fared well against opposing superstars this season, especially two who are widely considered the top two forwards in the league, in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

Ilya Sorokin delivered a vintage performance, stopping all 35 shots he faced to record his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season as the New York Islanders edged the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Thursday night at Rogers Place. Sorokin was sharp from the opening faceoff, tracking pucks cleanly through traffic and calmly handling Edmonton's relentless pressure. When he wasn't the difference, the goalposts helped - ringing twice on Oilers chances in a scoreless game that felt like it was waiting for one mistake to decide it.

"But other than that, I thought it was pretty good, exactly what we wanted. ... It's just a little bit frustrating, because I thought guys were into the game, guys were sharp, but that little pop was missing. "I don't know - that little bit of energy on the bench wasn't there, but it was a good game for us. Just little mistakes cost us."

Frederic, who was given a nice hand from the crowd when his obligatory welcome-back video was played, very well may have tripped on a fellow Oiler. Nonetheless, it didn't take long for Edmonton to cash in. McDavid took a Draisaitl feed at the side of the net and he calmly waited for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to sneak behind Sean Kuraly at the opposite post. McDavid hit him for a perfect redirect goal for the 1-0 Edmonton lead at 13:38 of the first period.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 31 shots to make Sam Reinhart's first period snipe stand up in Florida's 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. It was Bobrovsky's second shutout of the season and the 51st of his career. Gustav Forsling drew the lone assist on Reinhart's goal, which gave Sam 1 the NHL lead in game-winning goals (five). A couple of milestones took place in Thursday's contest. Defenseman Jeff Petry suited up for his 1,000th NHL game and forward prospect Jack Devine played his first.

Selected first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, Schaefer has been a transformative presence for the Islanders, and he's been their best player by some distance to start the year. He's the favourite to win the Calder Trophy through the opening month of the season, pulling ahead of Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov. And few players make the game look so easy, as Schaefer's world-class skating and ability to enter the rush are propelling the Islanders into must-watch territory.

"I didn't grow up deeply immersed in hockey, even though my brothers loved the sport. It wasn't until I met Connor that I truly began to understand the game. The skill, the strategy, the passion that drives it."

As Kirill Kaprizov enters the final year of his contract, the hockey world has been waiting for news of a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild to drop -- but Kaprizov has reportedly turned down an offer that would have broken monetary records in the NHL. Right now, the highest-paid player in the league is Leon Draisaitl, who earns $14 million annually, whereas the largest contract in history was Alex Ovechkin's 13-year, $124 million deal signed back in 2008.

While speculation continues to swirl around the superstar's long-term future, McDavid has offered little to fuel the fantasy. Speaking recently during Team Canada's Olympic orientation camp, the Oilers captain struck a measured tone when asked about resigning in Edmonton, echoing the patience he expressed during his postseason press conference after a second straight Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers.

Neither Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl scored in a recent pickup game, surprising fans and demonstrating their casual approach to offseason hockey.