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Good morning to everyone except dastardly criminal Jordan Binnington. Your puck-stealing ways have been exposed, and everyone knows that you’re evil now. Well, everyone except that one guy. But the rest of us know!
😵💫 What Is Happening?
You know what? I think I’m done pretending that I understand the Atlantic Division.
At least for now. I’m sure that within a few weeks, I’ll find something resembling solid ground to start building a new narrative foundation. But for now? Nah. I’m beaten, and I don’t mind admitting it. I’m tapping out on this group. Almost none of it makes one bit of sense.
What can we actually say we know about the Atlantic? Let’s summarize:
• It’s all about fresh blood at the top, with the Canadiens and Red Wings shooting past the old guard and taking over control of the division in October. Except then you get a week when the Habs lose to the Flyers and Devils and the Wings lose to the Ducks and Knights, and now the Leafs are right back there with them.
• Right, the Maple Leafs. It feels like just a few days ago that we were burying them, because, well, we were. In fact, after two periods against the Penguins, their own fans seemed ready to pelt them with rotten fruit. Then they came back and won that game. Then they beat the red-hot Mammoth. Now, Toronto is the second-hottest team in the division.
• Yes, second-hottest, because the Bruins have won five straight. Yes, the same Bruins who were expected to be among the league’s worst teams, then started 3-0-0, then yelled “just kidding” and immediately lost their next six. Now, Boston is unbeatable. Sure, why not?
• Speaking of being unbeatable, the Lightning sure were, looking like Cup favorites while rolling off five straight wins. Of course, before that, they were terrible, an old team whose window had slammed shut. Now, they’re rolling the Golden Knights in Vegas.
• In Ottawa, the Senators have already been in crisis mode once, when they lost six of their first eight, and could be headed there again, losing three of four. In between, they had a three-game win streak, including scoring seven goals in back-to-back games like this was an early-’90s video game set on easy mode.
• Who else? Oh right, just the Panthers, the two-time champs who’ve won the conference three straight years. They’re the one thing you can count on in this division. Except, before last night’s win, Florida was in dead last.
• And finally, the Sabres, who’ve lost five of six, including last night to the spiraling Blues, which means … Look, I said “almost” none of it made sense. Thank you for your commitment to shared reality, Buffalo. At least something makes sense.
Forget this. I’m done with this division until it either gets its act together or I get better at faking like I understand anything. I’ll stick with the other divisions where everything is going according to plan, and teams like the Penguins and Ducks are dominating.
💡 Trivia Time
Alexander Ovechkin now has 900 regular-season goals, all of them scored for Washington. That’s a record, of course, but it had me wondering: How many NHL franchises could boast that their top two goal scorers have at least 900 combined?
Not surprisingly, most of the Original Six teams can offer a duo that tops that 900-mark — but not all of them, as the Leafs and Rangers come up short. But not counting Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and Boston, plus the Capitals themselves, how many other teams can you think of that can beat Ovechkin’s solo total with their best two?
And for bonus points, can you name the two players for those teams?
Answer below.
Coast to Coast
🎨 The PWHL revealed the names and logos for its two new expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver, and let’s just say one works and one maybe doesn’t. Find out where all eight of the league’s teams landed in our updated rankings.
🥇 Who doesn’t love a good theme party? The Rankings Guys put together a fun one today by ranking the NHL’s 32 teams and naming one player on the bubble for an Olympic roster spot for each team.
🦣 Pierre LeBrun looks at Utah’s Nick Schmaltz, a pending UFA who might be making himself a lot of money these days. And Chris Johnston has more on the Mammoth, contenders ahead of schedule.
📐 A double dose of Dom Luszczyszyn: projecting some big upcoming contracts in 16 Stats, and taking an updated look at every team’s playoff odds.
🚨 Rob Rossi looks at Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, two intertwined giants.
🚀 Hailey is at the Rivalry Series and has a story on Laila Edwards, the rising star you’re going to want to know.
🎙️ On Thursday’s TAHS, Sean Gentille, Max Bultman and Dom Luszczyszyn break down’s Ovi’s historic 900th goal and try to figure out what exactly Jordan Binnington’s plan was after hiding that puck in his pants.
🧑⚖️ All Rise
(Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
🏛️ Rules Court is in session
One of my favorite recurring features is Rules Court, in which readers can submit their proposed rules changes for a jury of three of us to vote on. It’s led to some key breakthroughs, like how we fixed the point system, puck-over-glass and replay review. More importantly, it’s also led to suggestions like “when there’s a delayed penalty and then a second one happens on the same play, the ref has to skate around with both arms in the air for the rest of the shift,” and “if there’s a bench minor, the coach has to go across the ice and sit in the penalty box to serve it.”
In related news, the NHL head office never responds to our emails about implementing any of these. Maybe we should call? I’m going to try calling.
Anyway, the latest edition of Rules Court ran this morning. You had some interesting ideas this time around, including player loans, a new way to handle suspensions, and something that can only be called “the rule of cool.” You can find out what else was suggested, and how the three of us voted, by heading to court right now.
But first: Because every single Red Light subscriber is a cool person who deserves good things, we decided to work in a bonus Rules Court submission. If you’re new to all this, here’s how it works:
The rule suggestion: If a guy is playing without a stick when his team ices the puck, he has to not only stay on the ice but also start the next shift without a stick. — Justin (and John, who sent a similar suggestion.)
Sean McIndoe: I’ll admit, this feels like kind of an obscure situation, and I was surprised to see multiple submissions addressing it. But the people have spoken, so we’ll consider it. And once we do, I can kind of see the case. A defensive player getting caught without a stick is kind of a neat, hockey-specific sort of moment — almost a random quasi-power play, often out of nowhere. Letting his team off the hook by allowing them to just ice the puck seems kind of cheap. Plus, I’m pretty sure that the stickless player wouldn’t know what to do with their hands while lining up for the draw. You know what, that last bit pushes it over the finish line for me, I’m in. YES.
Sean Gentille: Yeah, this is specific. Justin and John — if you’re out there, email McIndoe the circumstances that prompted all this. I need to know. In any case, that’s just too steep a penalty to pay for breaking your stick. A post-icing defensive zone start is fair. Anything more than that … eh. I’ve been a downer in this court session. Too many nos. Still … NO.
Shayna Goldman: Here’s my problem with it. After an icing, players usually are racing to the bench for a change. So that would take away from the drama of the equipment staff having to dramatically get the players a fresh stick on the fly, which can lead to moments like this and this. I fear that this is too harsh a crime for icing the puck, and without that potential excitement factor, it just isn’t worth it, sorry! NO.
A solid attempt by Justin and John, but in the end they lose a split decision. Did the rest of this week’s submissions fare any better? Find out here.
What to Watch
📺 Rangers @ Red Wings
7 p.m. ET on NHL Net / Sportsnet / TVAS
“It’s an Original Six matchup!” is what I’m obligated to say when there isn’t much else to recommend about a game. The Wings are jelling and being rewarded early on. The Rangers are not doing a ton of either of those things.
📺 Wild @ Islanders
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+
It’s getting late early for the Wild, while the Islanders are Matthew Schaefer’s team right in front of our eyes.
📺 Blackhawks @ Flames
9 p.m. ET on ESPN / SNW / TVAS
Heading into the season, we all figured that one of these teams would be on the bubble and one would be hanging around dead last, and we were all right.
📺 Jets @ Sharks
10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / TSN3
This is always a fun pairing, because we can all make “West Side Story” jokes. If that’s somehow not enough for you, this edition of the matchup is between a strong “win-now” contender led by the league’s best goalie and an up-and-coming team led by the league’s best young star. But yeah, it’s mainly about the music puns.
Full NHL schedule here. Try streaming games like these for free on Fubo.
(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
No Dumb Questions
We believe that in hockey, as in life, there are no dumb questions. So if you have something you’ve always wondered about the sport, ask away by emailing us at redlight@theathletic.com.
🧤 Should refs wear gloves?
Why don’t on-ice officials wear gloves? Don’t their hands get cold? — Michael H.
See, this is the sort of question I love, because in roughly four decades of hockey fandom, it had never occurred to me. But it is a good question — so good, that I had to reach out to a former NHL official for an answer.
Here’s what Dave Jackson, who refereed in the NHL for nearly 30 years and is now ESPN’s rules analyst, had to say when I asked him if officials’ fingers ever get frosty:
Ha ha ha, no, never, it is so hot out there on the ice. The only times guys might wear gloves is in the outdoor games if it’s really cool, but the issue is it’s tough to fit the finger whistle over gloves and there’s a real lack of feel when you’re trying to grip the puck and make sure it lands flat on the ice.
Having said that, some guys have experimented with really thin cut-proof gloves for safety as opposed to warmth. I think in the future you might eventually see those type of gloves from a safety perspective but it certainly is not cold in NHL rinks.
So there you go … NHL officials don’t wear gloves because it’s not that cold and it makes their jobs harder, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see it happen some day.
Don’t ever let anyone say that I don’t do real journalism.
🗣️ Trivia Answer
Apart from the Original Six teams, seven franchises can beat Ovechkin’s 900 goals with their two top scorers. Those are:
Penguins (1,324 from Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby)
Kings (1,107 from Luc Robitaille and Marcel Dionne)
Oilers (1,057 from Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri)
Avalanche/Nordiques (1,081 from Joe Sakic and Michel Goulet)
Islanders (1,073 from Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier)
Stars/North Stars (956 from Mike Modano and Jamie Benn)
Lightning (938 from Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier)
Two teams come agonizingly close: The Flames (889 from Jarome Iginla and Theo Fleury) and Sabres (894 from Gilbert Perrault and Rick Martin).
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