This Week in the NHL: More history for Connor McDavid?
With 32 teams, games every night and countless narratives emerging, the NHL season can make one’s head spin, and it’s easy to miss out on the weekly storylines. Not to worry; every Monday from October to April, I’ll map out the major events, games, plotlines and milestones on tap for the next seven days.
So what’s happening the week of Nov. 3-9?
Nov. 5: Nazem Kadri’s 1,000th game
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m. ET
Mixing silky hands with a gritty game that sometimes pushes him close to the line or across it, Kadri has put together a memorable NHL career between the Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a key contributor on Colorado’s 2021-22 Stanley Cup team and has amassed more than 300 goals and 700 points in his career. This week, he’ll become the ninth member of the 2009 NHL Draft class to play Game No. 1,000.
Nov. 9: Hockey Hall of Fame Game
Carolina Hurricanes @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:00 p.m. ET
The Leafs host the Canes as part of the annual Hall induction weekend in Toronto. Enshrined the following Monday will be a strong class: men’s players Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Thornton, women’s players Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker and builders Daniele Sauvageau and Jack Parker.
Nov. 9: Marcus Johansson’s 1,000th game
Calgary Flames @ Minnesota Wild, 8:00 p.m. ET
Speaking of that 2009 NHL Draft class: Johansson, a.k.a. MoJo, is another member who will hit 1,000 games this week. Johansson arguably hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing but has forged a serviceable career as a middle-six forward, tallying at least 40 points in six of his first 15 seasons.
Connor McDavid’s 1,100th point
McDavid sits one point shy of 1,100 to open the week. He narrowly fell short of catching Mike Bossy to become the third fastest player to reach the mark – Bossy did it in 725 games and McDavid is at 725 games now – but McDavid will comfortably become the fourth-fastest behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bossy.
Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal
Did ‘Ovi’ use up all his luck for the magical 2024-25 season in which he broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record? Through 12 games of 2025-26, Ovechkin found twine twice and remains one goal away from 900. He gets three chances to hit the milestone this week.