Ovechkin, McDavid and Andersen Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for October
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of October.
FIRST STAR – ALEX OVECHKIN, LW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Ovechkin registered a League-leading nine goals in eight games (9-6—15) to power the Capitals to a 5-0-3 month (13 points), marking the first time in franchise history that Washington has completed October without a regulation loss. Ovechkin, who also ranked second in the NHL with 15 points and fourth with 36 shots on goal, scored in seven of his eight appearances, including his 731st and 732nd career goals on opening night (Oct. 13 vs. NYR: 2-2—4) to surpass Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth place on the League’s all-time list. The nine-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner, who now sits two goals shy of matching Brett Hull (741) for fourth place in NHL history, also tied his own franchise record by beginning the season with points in eight straight games, a feat he first accomplished during his rookie campaign of 2005-06 (6-4—10) and was matched by Alexander Semin in 2006-07 (8-4—12). The 36-year-old Moscow, Russia, native has accumulated 739-596—1,335 in 1,206 contests since entering the NHL in 2005-06, 253 more goals and 10 more points than the next-closest player during that span (Sidney Crosby: 486-839—1,325 in 1,040 GP).
SECOND STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS
McDavid topped the NHL with 7-9—16 in seven outings to propel the Oilers to a 6-1-0 October (12 points) and second place in the Pacific Division. McDavid found the scoresheet during all seven of his appearances, including six consecutive multi-point performances to open the season (7-8—15) – a feat achieved by only six other players in League history (Mario Lemieux: 2x, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Sweeney Schriner and Kevin Stevens). That run included McDavid’s 10th career hat trick (Oct. 16 vs. CGY: 3-0—3) and 200th NHL goal (Oct. 21 at ARI: 2-1—3). Among players to make their League debut with Edmonton, only three required fewer games than McDavid (411 GP) to reach the 200-goal milestone: Gretzky (242 GP), Jari Kurri (328 GP) and Glenn Anderson (348 GP). The 24-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., native and reigning Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Art Ross Trophy winner has produced 202-389—591 in 415 contests since joining the NHL in 2015-16, 51 more points than the next-closest player during that time (Patrick Kane: 203-337—540 in 459 GP).
THIRD STAR – FREDERIK ANDERSEN, G, CAROLINA HURRICANES
Andersen began his tenure in Carolina with a 7-0-0 record, 1.29 goals-against average, .956 save percentage and one shutout to help the Hurricanes (8-0-0, 16 points) become the eighth team in NHL history – and second in 2021-22 (also FLA) – with a season-opening win streak of at least eight games. Andersen, who signed with Carolina as a free agent on July 28, became the fourth goaltender in League history to win each of his first seven regular-season appearances with a new team – a feat also achieved by Bob Froese (8 w/ PHI), Martin Jones (8 w/ LAK) and Wayne Thomas (7 w/ MTL). Andersen did so by allowing two or fewer goals in six of his seven outings, highlighted by his 20th career shutout Oct. 28 vs. BOS (33 SV). The 32-year-old Herning, Denmark, native – who capped the month by playing in his 400th NHL game (Oct. 31 vs. ARI) – has earned 233 career victories since joining the League in 2013-14, fifth behind Braden Holtby (254), Marc-Andre Fleury (244), Sergei Bobrovsky (240) and Tuukka Rask (240) during that span.
