Seven voting points separated the top three players ranked in this week’s Super 16, the best right wings among the 24 teams returning to play.
David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins edged Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points to be the No. 1 right wing. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks finished third, five points behind Kucherov.
Pastrnak was ranked first by six of the 12 voters. Kucherov and Kane each were ranked first by three voters, but Kucherov was ranked second by six voters and Kane by three.
There were 31 right wings to receive a vote this week.
To create the Super 16, each of the 12 participating staff members put together his or her version of what they think it should look like. Those were submitted and a point total assigned to each.
The right wing that was selected first was given 16 points, second got 15, third 14 and so on down to No. 16, who got one point.
Season stats: 95 points (48 goals, 47 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 42 games
Pastrnak and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin led the NHL in goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy this season. Pastrnak was tied for third in points with New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin, and was first among right wings. Pastrnak is third with 155 goals in the NHL since 2016-17, three behind Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (158) and 26 behind Ovechkin (181). Pastrnak scored 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2018 and 2019, second behind Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (40).
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Total points: 180
Season stats: 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games
Kucherov was seventh in points this season and second among right wings. He closed the season on a hot streak, scoring 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games from Jan. 14 to the season pause, and he scored at least one point in 23 of the 24 games. Last season, Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players’ Association, and the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer with 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games.
3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Total points: 175
Season stats: 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 123 points (50 goals, 73 assists) in 127 games
Kane is the most decorated right wing on this list. He was eighth in the NHL in scoring this season, the fifth time in 13 NHL seasons he’s scored at least 80 points. He’s sixth among active players with 1,022 points (389 goals, 633 assists) in 973 regular-season games, and sixth among active players in playoff points. Kane is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015), and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 2013; the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy in 2015-16; and the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year in 2007-08.
Season stats: 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 42 games
Career playoff stats: 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 18 games
Rantanen missed 28 games this season because of injuries but finished sixth among right wings (minimum 30 games) at 0.98 points per game. He’s scored 250 points (99 goals, 151 assists) in 272 games since 2016-17, and his average of 0.92 points per game is seventh among right wings (minimum 100 games) during that span.
5. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Total points: 130
Season stats: 67 points (16 goals, 51 assists) in 59 games
Career playoff stats: 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 20 games
Marner was fourth among right wings in points and points per game (1.14) this season. He is fifth among right wings in points since 2016-17, his rookie season, with 291 (83 goals, 208 assists) in 300 games. He is fifth among right wings in points per game during that time at 0.97 (minimum 100 games).
6. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Total points: 127
Season stats: 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 65 games
Career playoff stats: 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 34 games
Stone arguably is the best defensive wing in the NHL. He was first among right wings and tied with Matthews for second in the NHL this season with 78 takeaways (Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman, 81). Stone’s 3.70 takeaways per 60 minutes was second behind Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin‘s 3.91 among players with at least 10 games played this season. Stone leads the NHL with 581 takeaways (4.26 per 60 minutes), 150 more than any player, since 2014-15. He scored 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven playoff games with the Golden Knights last season.
7. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets
Total points: 123
Season stats: 65 points (22 goals, 43 assists) in 71 games
Career playoff stats: 33 points (six goals, 27 assists) in 48 games
Wheeler is seventh in the NHL and second among right wings with 634 points (207 goals, 427 assists) in 687 games, an average of 0.92 points per game, since the 2011-12 season. He is fifth among all players in assists during that period. Wheeler scored 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 17 games during the 2018 playoffs, when the Jets lost the Western Conference Final to Vegas.
Season stats: 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 23 games
Laine has scored 138 goals in his four NHL seasons. Since debuting in 2016-17, he’s tied with Kane for seventh in the NHL and third among right wings, behind Pastrnak (155) and Kucherov (153).
9. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
Total points: 87
Season stats: 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games
Career playoff stats: 49 points (33 goals, 16 assists) in 70 games
Tarasenko is healthy after recovering from surgery Oct. 29 to repair a dislocated left shoulder. He was injured Oct. 24 after he scored eight points (three goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. He scored 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 26 playoff games last season to help the Blues win the Stanley Cup. He was third in the NHL and first among right wings with 182 goals from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
10. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
Total points: 63
Season stats: 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: Five points (three goals, two assists) in nine games
Svechnikov’s production increased by 24 points in 14 fewer games compared to his rookie season of 2018-19, when he scored 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games. He was tied with Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers for eighth among right wings in points this season. Svechnikov scored five points (three goals, two assists) in nine playoff games for the Hurricanes last season.
11. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
Total points: 56
Season stats: 56 points (12 goals, 44 assists) in 69 games
Career playoff stats: 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 34 games
Voracek was fifth in assists and tied with Bryan Rust of the Pittsburgh Penguins for 11th in points among right wings this season. He scored 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in the final 10 games before the season pause. He is fifth among right wings since 2013-14 with 466 points (128 goals, 338 assists) in 548 games.
12. T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals
Total points: 46
Season stats: 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in 69 games
Career playoff stats: 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 83 games
Oshie has scored 257 points (128 goals, 129 assists) in 360 games during five seasons with the Capitals; he is eighth in goals and 11th in points among right wings during that time. He helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018 by scoring 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 24 playoff games.
Season stats: 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 57 games
Career playoff stats: N/A
Boeser has been one of the more productive right wings in the NHL during the past three seasons with 156 points (71 goals, 85 assists) in 188 games. Among right wings during that time, he’s tied for 15th in goals, tied for 16th in points and 12th in points per game (0.83; minimum 100 games) despite being 58th in games played.
14. Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Total points: 37
Season stats: 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) in 66 games
Career playoff stats: One point (one goal, zero assists) in six games
Konecny scored 24 goals for a third straight season, but with 13 games left when the season was paused, a hot streak could have gotten him to 30. He scored an NHL career-high in points and was on pace for 73 this season.
15. Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes
Total points: 35
Season stats: 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 70 games
Career playoff stats: 77 points (33 goals, 44 assists) in 87 games
Kessel fell on this list because of his performance this season, his first with the Coyotes. He scored five even-strength goals, the fewest in his 14-season NHL career. But that doesn’t take away from his potential impact and the career he’s had to date, including Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. His 18 goals in 49 games led all players during those two postseasons and his 45 points were third, behind his Penguins teammates Malkin (46) and Sidney Crosby (46). Kessel is second behind Kane among active right wings with 861 points (371 goals, 490 assists) in 1,066 games, and has played 844 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in the NHL (Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers defenseman, 866; Patrick Marleau, Penguins forward, 854).
Season stats: 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 68 games
Career playoff stats: 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 20 games
Nylander was fourth among right wings in goals this season and is 14th among right wings with 208 points (80 goals, 128 assists) in 285 games since 2016-17.
Others receiving points: Bryan Rust, Pittsburgh Penguins, 23; Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens, 12; Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes, 11; Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets, 6; Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders, 6; Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals, 6; Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers, 5; Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers, 5; Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars, 5; Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes, 3; Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild, 3; Tyler Toffoli, Vancouver Canucks, 3; Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars, 2; Corey Perry, Dallas Stars, 2; Oliver Bjorkstrand, Columbus Blue Jackets, 1
HERE’S HOW WE RANKED ‘EM
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2. David Pastrnak; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mitchell Marner; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Vladimir Tarasenko; 7. Blake Wheeler; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Brock Boeser; 12. Travis Konecny; 13. William Nylander; 14. Jakub Voracek; 15. Joe Pavelski; 16. T.J. Oshie
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2; David Pastrnak; 3. Blake Wheeler; 4. Patrick Kane; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Patrik Laine; 7. Mikko Rantanen; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. T.J. Oshie; 10. Mitchell Marner; 11. Brendan Gallagher; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. Clayton Keller; 15. Travis Konecny; 16. Mats Zuccarello
BRIAN COMPTON
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Mitchell Marner; 4. Patrick Kane; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Patrik Laine; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Blake Wheeler; 11. William Nylander; 12. Travis Konecny; 13. T.J. Oshie; 14. Brock Boeser; 15. Jordan Eberle; 16. Evgenii Dadonov
TOM GULITTI
1. Nikita Kucherov; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. David Pastrnak; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Blake Wheeler; 6. Mitchell Marner; 7. Patrik Laine; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Vladimir Tarasenko; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Phil Kessel; 12. Jakub Voracek; 13. Evgenii Dadonov; 14. Tom Wilson; 15. Travis Konecny; 16. Brendan Gallagher
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Vladimir Tarasenko; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Mitchell Marner; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Travis Konecny; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. William Nylander; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. Tyler Toffoli; 15. Jakub Voracek; 16. T.J. Oshie
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Mitchell Marner; 7. Blake Wheeler; 8. T.J. Oshie; 9. Brock Boeser; 10. Travis Konecny; 11. Patrick Laine; 12. Kailer Yamamoto; 13. Bryan Rust; 14. Jakub Voracek; 15. Brendan Gallagher; 16. Justin Williams
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Patrick Kane; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Blake Wheeler; 4. David Pastrnak; 5. Mitchell Marner; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Justin Williams; 8. Vladimir Tarasenko; 9. Jakub Voracek; 10. T.J. Oshie; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Jordan Eberle; 14. Mikko Rantanen; 15. Corey Perry; 16. Brendan Gallagher
TRACEY MYERS
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Vladimir Tarasenko; 6. Mark Stone; 7. Andrei Svechnikov; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Mitchell Marner; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Phil Kessel; 12. Brock Boeser; 13. Jakub Voracek; 14. Bryan Rust; 15. Mats Zuccarello; 16. William Nylander
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Patrick Kane; 2. David Pastrnak; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Mikko Rantanen; 5. Blake Wheeler; 6. Vladimir Tarasenko; 7. Mitchell Marner; 8. Mark Stone; 9. Bryan Rust; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Patrik Laine; 12. Phil Kessel; 13. Brock Boeser; 14. William Nylander; 15. Brendan Gallagher; 16. Jakub Voracek
DAN ROSEN
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Patrick Kane; 3. Nikita Kucherov; 4. Blake Wheeler; 5. Mark Stone; 6. Mikko Rantanen; 7. Vladimir Tarasenko; 8. Mitchell Marner; 9. Patrik Laine; 10. Andrei Svechnikov; 11. Bryan Rust; 12. William Nylander; 13. Travis Konecny; 14. T.J. Oshie; 15. Jakub Voracek; 16. Oliver Bjorkstrand
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Patrick Kane; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. David Pastrnak; 4. Vladimir Tarasenko; 5; Mitchell Marner; 6. Mikko Rantanen; 7. Mark Stone; 8. Jakub Voracek; 9. Phil Kessel; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Cam Atkinson; 12. Alexander Radulov; 13. Blake Wheeler; 14. William Nylander; 15. T.J. Oshie; 16. Andrei Svechnikov
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. David Pastrnak; 2. Nikita Kucherov; 3. Patrick Kane; 4. Mitchell Marner; 5. Mikko Rantanen; 6. T.J. Oshie; 7. Mark Stone; 8. Blake Wheeler; 9. Andrei Svechnikov; 10. Patrik Laine; 11. Brock Boeser; 12. William Nylander; 13. Travis Konecny; 14. Tom Wilson; 15. Bryan Rust; 16. Jakub Voracek
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
