NHL 2022-23 Recap Week 8 Kraken vs Kings thriller, Marner and Ovechkin set records, Bad week for Binnington and Letang

The Seattle Kraken beat the Los Angeles Kings in a thrilling 9-8 overtime game which tied it for the twenty-first highest-scoring game in NHL history. We had another 17-goal game earlier this year in February when the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 10-7. But this was only the twenty-sixth time both teams scored at least eight goals and the first since 2011. It's a rare thing. This was the sixth win in the Kraken's seven-game win streak that has since been snapped. Eight goals were scored in the second period, including six in an eight-minute span. The Kings pulled Jonathan Quick after giving up five goals because they thought that would make a difference. Yeah right. When both offenses are clicking, a goalie change will accomplish nothing. The Kings gave up two unassisted goals shortly after. So it clearly didn't work. You can see one in the goat section.

With scoring up this season, teams are never out of it. Down 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings scored three unanswered in the third to force a shootout. They lost but earned a point. Down 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild, the Dallas Stars scored four unanswered in the third to force a shootout. They lost but snagged a point. Roope Hintz had his second career hat trick in the game after signing his eight-year extension.

The point is, don't turn off the game. You never know what may happen.

Things I like

1. Alex Ovechkin finally broke one of Wayne Gretzky's 61 records. Only it was most career road goals. A weird stat but one nonetheless. Ovechkin trails Gretzky by 102 in the home department. I'm truly amazed his goal-scoring has not declined. The Capitals as a team have finally declined. A few years later than I thought, but it finally happened. Ovechkin has three left after this season, but I can see him leaving earlier. Interestingly, all their defensemen will be free agents at the end of the season except John Carlson. Very unusual.

2. Mitchell Marner's point streak hit 19, breaking the Maple Leafs' franchise record. Considering they've been around since 1927, and Auston Matthews only hit 16 twice, it's a big deal. Marner isn't on the same pace as his career year last season, but he leads the team in scoring. None of the Maple Leafs are scoring like they used to, but that's a good thing. A more defensive team will bode well for the playoffs. They're surprisingly sixth in GAA, and Matt Murray has been revived. If Murray can revert to his early Penguins' days, that spells trouble for teams in the playoffs.

Things I don't

1. Kris Letang suffered his second stroke in eight years. It's great he's not experiencing any lasting effects, but at age 35, you have to wonder if it's worth playing anymore. It's odd someone his age would already have two strokes. I hope he spends time trying to find the underlying problem.

2. Jordan Binnington had a bad week. Against the Carolina Hurricanes, he tried taking out Jordan Staal but ended up on the ground instead. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he tried to punch Jason Zucker. Only Zucker scored on him later, which yanked Binnington. But on his way to the bench, he flapped his gums at Zucker, which earned him a game misconduct. Later his coach said he should knock it off and just stop the puck. Truer words have never been spoken. But if it wasn't for Binnington, the St. Louis Blues would never have won the Stanley Cup.

3. The New Jersey Devils reverse retro jerseys. Hideous.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Brady Tkachuk vs Jacob Trouba

Captains rarely fight but they gave us a good one. Tkachuk scored the game-tying and winning goals and had an assist for his Gordie Howe hat trick.

Joel Hanley vs Nathan Walker

Fast with a lot of wild punches.

Andreas Englund vs Nick Foligno

Fast and furious as well.

Matt Martin vs Zack MacEwen

A couple of big boys going toe to toe.

Goats of the Week

Carter Hart - Philadelphia Flyers

I have no idea what Hart is doing. Next time, stay in your net. The Flyers lost to the Devils by one, of course.

Gabriel Vilardi - Los Angeles Kings

As far as passes up the middle in your zone to the opposing team go, this one was one of the worst. You already know they lost in overtime.

Stat Line of the Week

12/01/22 Colorado 6 vs.Buffalo 4

The Colorado Avalanche aren't what they used to be due to injuries, but Nathan MacKinnon is quietly having his best season ever. MacKinnon has never cracked 100 points, coming one point shy a few years ago, but he's on pace to this season. MacKinnon had five points, three on the power play, against the Sabres playing in almost half the game.

Numbers, Numbers

1001 – Career NHL points for Steven Stamkos, the tenth active player to hit the mark

11 – Straight road wins for the New Jersey Devils, a franchise record

14 – Home wins for the Boston Bruins, still undefeated there

45 – Saves by Jake Allen in a win over the Calgary Flames

11 – Game active points streak for the Toronto Maple Leafs

5 – Shorthanded goals for the Minnesota Wild, now first in the NHL

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Boston
2. New Jersey
3. Toronto
4. Tampa Bay
5. Seattle

Bottom 5

30. Philadelphia
31. Anaheim
32. Arizona
33. San Jose
34. Chicago

Football Thoughts

1. I talk to my dad every week, and before the season started, we discussed the 49ers keeping Jimmy Garoppolo while naming Trey Lance the starter. I said it wouldn't matter who started. They were both going to get injured. Well, that happened, and now there's Brock Purdy. It won't surprise me if Lance is never the starter. Purdy came in and looked great. That twenty-yard laser he threw while almost getting sacked is not a throw a rookie makes in his first real game. You can't name Lance the starter if he leads them to a playoff win. To the Trey Lance era, that never was.

2. My dad is the exact opposite of me. He's terrible at making predictions. He went to the University of Utah. I asked him if he thought they had a chance to beat USC the first time, and he said no. He didn't even watch the game because he assumed they would lose. I told him it was a great game. I asked him if he thought they would win the Pac-12 championship game, and he said there was no chance. Well, he was wrong again. I knew they would come back after being down two touchdowns because they did the first time. It's just a shame a Pac-12 team won't make the playoffs again. But I guess that'll change in two years.