Fans were asked to select three forwards, two defenseman and one goalie from teams in each of the four realigned divisions for this season: The Scotia North Division, the Honda West Division, the Discover Central Division and the MassMutual East Division.
Forward Brayden Point, defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy were voted onto the Central Division team from the Lightning. Forward Mark Stone, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and goalie Robin Lehner were voted onto the West Division team from the Golden Knights.
Voting concluded Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
Here are the four teams with NHL.com analysis:
North Division
Forward:Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Forward:Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs;
Forward:Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Defenseman:Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Defenseman:Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Goalie: Carey Price, Canadiens
Analysis: McDavid and Draisaitl already have chemistry from playing together; imagine adding Matthews to the mix. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, McDavid is first in the NHL with 421 points (146 goals, 275 assists) and Draisaitl is third with 362 (147 goals, 215 assists). Matthews in second in goals over that span with 158, behind Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (181). The defense would also have a lot of skill with Hughes, who tied for fourth last season among players at the position with 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) as a rookie, and Weber, who possesses a booming shot and tied for fourth among defensemen with 15 goals. Price proved he can still be an elite goalie in the postseason, when he was 5-5 with a 1.78 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and two shutouts and helped Montreal upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
Analysis: A line of MacKinnon, O’Reilly and Stone would be a challenge to play against on both sides of the puck. O’Reilly won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward in 2019, and Stone and MacKinnon are also well-rounded players. MacKinnon’s 289 points (115 goals, 174 assists) over the past three seasons are third-most in the NHL. Pietrangelo, who signed a seven-year contract with Vegas on Oct. 12 after 12 seasons with St. Louis, and Makar, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie last season after scoring 50 points (12 goals, 38 assists), could each be in the discussion for the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman this season. Lehner’s .925 save percentage over the past two seasons is fourth best in the NHL among goalies who played at least 50 games.
Analysis: Good luck scoring against a defense pair of Hedman, a finalist for the Norris Trophy the past four seasons and won the award in 2018, and Josi, who won it last season. They’re backed by Vasilevskiy, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the League’s best goalie the past three seasons and the winner in 2019. Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and a nine-time participant in the NHL All-Star Game, is the elder statesman among the Central forwards with 13 seasons on his resume. Point, who is beginning his fifth NHL season, reached another level in the playoffs last season when he finished one behind teammate Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assist). Aho, also entering his fifth season, remains one of the more underrated players in the NHL despite leading Carolina in points each of the past three seasons.
Analysis: Watching Ovechkin and Crosby skate as linemates after 15 seasons as rivals would be fun. Since they debuted in 2005-06, Ovechkin is first in the NHL with 1,278 points (706 goals, 572 assists) in 1,152 games and Crosby is second with 1,263 points (462 goals, 801 assists) in 984 games. When Crosby and Ovechkin aren’t setting each other up, they can feed Pastrnak, who tied Ovechkin for the NHL lead with 48 goals last season. A defense pair of Carlson, a first-time Norris finalist last season, and McAvoy, who has developed into a top defenseman over his first three NHL seasons, would also be entertaining. The selection of Hart, who was 40-26-4 with a 2.59 GAA, .915 save percentage and one shutout over his first two NHL seasons, demonstrates the lofty expectations for the 22-year-old.
The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
