Patrick Kane sets historic assist mark, Central Division roundup

Patrick Kane took centre stage in the Central Division. According to Sportsnet, the Chicago Blackhawks winger became the NHL’s all-time assists leader among U.S.-born players with a helper on Connor Bedard’s first goal of the season. Chicago finished the night with a 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets, with Artyom Levshunov netting the OT winner as noted by Sportsnet.

Mammoth and Wild set the pace

At the top of the division, the Utah Mammoth continue to dictate the early pace. Utah sits first with 12 points in eight games (6-2-0) after a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Sportsnet reports that Clayton Keller scored twice and Logan Cooley not only struck for the game-winner but also sprung Keller on a power play goal with a slick, no-look, through-the-legs pass.

Right behind them, the Minnesota Wild improved to 11 points in eight outings (5-2-1) by outlasting the St. Louis Blues 5-4. As covered by Sportsnet, Matt Boldy recorded a hat trick – the fifth of his NHL career – and added an assist, while Kirill Kaprizov chipped in three points to power the Wild’s offence. The loss leaves St. Louis in fifth place in the Central with 7 points in seven games (3-3-1).

Jets banged up, Predators squeeze a point, Stars add Perron

Despite the overtime loss in Chicago, Winnipeg remains third with 10 points in seven games (4-1-2). Daily Faceoff points out that the Jets are off to a strong start even without Connor Hellebuyck, with Stuart Skinner handling the crease effectively. The same outlet and Sportsnet have already underlined that defenceman Josh Morrissey is now considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, an update we broke down on the site yesterday, while Sportsnet also relays ongoing trade chatter linking Hellebuyck to the Los Angeles Kings.

In Nashville, the Predators slipped to 7 points (2-2-3) after a 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks. Sportsnet shows Steven Stamkos wiring home a buzzer-beater with under one second left in regulation to force overtime, while Will Smith scored his third goal of the season and Macklin Celebrini delivered the lone goal in the shootout.

The Dallas Stars, currently tied for fifth with 7 points (3-3-1), made a veteran addition up front. The Hockey Writers and Daily Faceoff report that they’ve signed forward David Perron to a one-year contract worth $850,000, and Sportsnet notes that Perron is set to embark on his 20th NHL season.

In Chicago, Daily Faceoff reports that defenceman Bowen Byram is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after being hit by a shot against the Penguins, while Sportsnet notes that Jason Dickinson was unavailable for the Oilers against Utah after leaving the morning skate. Finally, our readers already saw our briefings on Morrissey’s week-to-week status in Winnipeg and Dave Hakstol’s move from a Colorado Avalanche assistant role to the head coaching job at Arizona State.