Last night, 12 teams played in the National Hockey League, and there were six games on the schedule.
Well, here’s what got the attention.
1. Leo Carlsson scores his first career hat trick
Many fans and analysts were surprised to see the Anaheim Ducks select Sweden’s Leo Carlsson second overall in the last draft ahead of Adam Fantilli.
Fantilli was usually the second-string player, but the Ducks decided to go a different route.
And let’s just say that the Ducks can be very proud of their choice so far.
Indeed, Carlsson is playing great hockey right now in his debut season. Just yesterday, he scored three goals, his first career hat trick, in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
First career hat trick for @leocarlsson7!!
This kid is fucking good. 👀
Hat Trick Challenge presented @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/6G5DassoKG
— NHL (@NHL) November 11, 2023
The Swede became the youngest player in Ducks history to score a hat trick.
Carlsson now has six goals and one assist for a total of seven points in nine games.
Six goals are already more goals in his career than a certain Juraj Slafkovski, who had only five so far.
2. Max Domi helps the Maple Leafs avoid the worst
As my colleague explained Charles-Alexis Brisebois Yesterday morning, the Leafs really don’t have a start to the season that lives up to the expectations placed on them.
Having the same record (6-5-2) as the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens is clearly not what the Leafs want.
Last night, the Leafs had a chance to improve their record, as they faced a tough team, the Calgary Flames, at home.
The Leafs played very well in the first half, leading 4-1.
The game seemed over then, but not so soon, it was about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
So apparently Sheldon Keefe’s team turned a simple and easy game into a complicated and stressful one by allowing the Flames to come from behind.
This game therefore went to extra time (it was very exciting), before going into a shootout.
In the end, it was Max Domi who settled the argument and gave the Leafs the win by scoring the only goal in the shootout.
MAX DOMI scored the first goal of his career in the shootout on his 10th attempt… and it turned out to be the game-winner for the Maple Leafs 💥 pic.twitter.com/PhIsB6ICV2
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 11, 2023
This is also Domi’s first goal in a Leafs jersey, who has only seven assists in 14 games.
Note that William Nylander scored twice in the win, extending his season-opening streak with at least one point to 14 games.
In 14 games, he has nine goals and 12 assists, which brings him first place in the number of points among the Leafs, and fourth place in the entire NHL.
Let us remind you that the Swede could become a free agent at the end of the season.
3. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel scores his first goal of the season in his first game
Yesterday afternoon, the Capitals recalled Quebec Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from their farm club Hershey Bears.
Aubé-Kubel, who won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, played his first NHL game of the season last night.
Well, he wasted no time in making his presence felt as he scored the first goal of the game.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel leads Sandin’s lineup and opens the scoring for the Capitals!#ALL CAPITAL LETTERS pic.twitter.com/kJsZo8UXOs
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 11, 2023
The 27-year-old forward also added an assist in the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
4. Uvis Balinskis scores his first NHL goal
Excuse me, who?
Yeah I know, I had the same reaction last night when I saw that name pop up as a tag on the NHL app for the Florida Panthers.
Balinskis is a 27-year-old Latvian defenseman who signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers this summer after a solid season in the Czech League, with 35 points (11 goals and 24 assists) in 50 games.
Well, last night, in his 11th game of the season, Balinskis earned his first career NHL point by scoring the Panthers’ second goal in a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Check out UMAK here to set up Uvis Balinskis for his first NHL goal! 🛸 pic.twitter.com/JN2nnjNvLK
— NHL (@NHL) November 11, 2023
Let’s note that in the defeat, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his sixth goal of the season, bringing the total number of points this season to 13 in 14 games.
Kotkaniemi opens the scoring in Florida! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/vskddbamj8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 11, 2023
We remind you that the best scorer from Canada, Cole Caufield, has 13 points.
5. The Sharks’ winning streak ends at two
After a bit of a two-game anomaly with the San Jose Sharks, they came back to reality yesterday, losing 5-0 to the mighty Vegas Golden Knights.
He is quite difficult to contain @jackeichel. ⚔️
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/nXS3aDJYY1
— NHL (@NHL) November 11, 2023
Knights goaltender Adin Hill made 20 saves, adding to his excellent start to the season.
HOLY HILL! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xrcIuCeNI6
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 11, 2023
This is his second shutout this season, and the seventh in his career.
Expansion
– Here are the results from the previous day.
Tea @Golden Knights they picked up their eighth win at T-Mobile Arena this season – tied for the second-most wins in the first 10 home games of the season.#NHLStats: https://t.co/lLny2vmcVH pic.twitter.com/Vpl4jJinnW
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 11, 2023
– Here are the best scorers from the previous day.
– Today on the program in the NHL: 12 games.
