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2019-20 NHL OPENERS

The 2019-20 NHL season opens Wednesday, Oct. 2, highlighted by the St. Louis Blues raising their banner at prior to their game against the Capitals (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

ALL-TIME RECORDS IN SEASON OPENERS GP W L T/OT PTS P% GF GA 2019-20 OPENING GAME 26 17 7 2 36 .692 90 69 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. FLA 39 22 10 7 51 .653 149 113 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. CGY Devils 44 23 12 9 55 .625 144 123 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. WPG Senators 26 12 6 8 32 .615 82 73 Wednesday, Oct. 2 at TOR Canadiens 101 53 30 18 124 .613 336 250 Thursday, Oct. 3 at CAR Canucks 48 26 17 5 57 .593 159 143 Wednesday, Oct. 2 at EDM Oilers 39 21 14 4 46 .589 118 112 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. VAN St. Louis Blues* 51 26 17 8 60 .588 179 159 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. WSH Panthers 25 12 8 5 29 .580 75 66 Thursday, Oct. 3 at TBL 20 11 8 1 23 .575 53 51 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. MIN 51 22 16 13 57 .558 168 150 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. BOS Wild 18 9 7 2 20 .555 49 40 Thursday, Oct. 3 at NSH Jets 19 10 8 1 21 .552 60 58 Thursday, Oct. 3 at NYR 48 24 19 5 53 .552 142 135 Thursday, Oct. 3 at PIT 51 24 19 8 56 .549 146 137 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. CHI Penguins 51 24 20 7 55 .539 170 170 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. BUF 39 19 16 4 42 .538 130 119 Thursday, Oct. 3 at ANA Blackhawks 92 40 33 19 99 .538 262 267 Friday, Oct. 4 at PHI Red Wings 92 41 36 15 97 .527 264 262 Saturday, Oct. 5 at NSH 44 21 19 4 46 .522 153 149 Wednesday, Oct. 2 at STL Bruins 94 40 38 16 96 .510 269 278 Thursday, Oct. 3 at DAL 51 21 20 10 52 .509 140 150 Saturday, Oct. 5 at EDM 18 8 8 2 18 .500 49 47 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. TOR 2 1 1 0 2 .500 4 6 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. SJS 92 38 40 14 90 .489 260 260 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. WPG Maple Leafs 101 40 43 18 98 .485 301 300 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. OTT 27 11 12 4 26 .481 84 85 Wednesday, Oct. 2 at VGK Flames 46 12 23 11 35 .380 141 166 Thursday, Oct. 3 at COL 46 12 23 11 35 .380 120 151 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. WSH 39 9 20 10 28 .358 98 139 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. MTL 25 7 18 0 14 .280 56 88 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. ARI * Defending Stanley Cup champions own an all-time record of 58-25-15 (98 GP) in season openers, including a 4-4-2 mark over the last 10 years and a 9-7-4 clip over the past 20 seasons. (There was no Stanley Cup champion in 1918-19 due to the influenza epidemic. A non-NHL team won the Stanley Cup in 1924-25.)

ALL-TIME RECORDS WHEN OPENING THE SEASON AT HOME GP W L T/OT PTS P% GF GA 10 8 0 2 18 .900 41 19 10 8 1 1 17 .850 37 19 Tampa Bay Lightning 18 13 3 2 28 .777 69 45 23 14 3 6 34 .739 87 54 Washington Capitals 20 14 5 1 29 .725 77 54 Colorado Avalanche 21 13 5 3 29 .690 85 58 Arizona Coyotes 22 14 6 2 30 .681 85 69 Nashville Predators 11 7 3 1 15 .681 30 22 29 18 8 3 39 .672 97 80 59 34 15 10 78 .661 207 125 Dallas Stars 30 17 8 5 39 .650 103 77 55 32 16 7 71 .645 165 122 60 32 17 11 75 .625 206 173 45 22 11 12 56 .622 143 121 33 18 10 5 41 .621 104 87 Buffalo Sabres 32 17 10 5 39 .609 109 93 St. Louis Blues 23 13 8 2 28 .608 86 66 Anaheim Ducks 5 3 2 0 6 .600 15 19 Philadelphia Flyers 29 15 11 3 33 .568 91 79 28 13 10 5 31 .553 89 82 Los Angeles Kings 30 12 11 7 31 .516 87 84 61 25 24 12 62 .508 184 168 New York Rangers 27 11 11 5 27 .500 89 80 San Jose Sharks 16 7 7 2 16 .500 52 56 10 3 3 4 10 .500 33 33 12 5 6 1 11 .458 33 41 Carolina Hurricanes 22 6 8 8 20 .454 50 70 24 8 11 5 21 .437 79 77 Columbus Blue Jackets 12 4 6 2 10 .416 33 33 New York Islanders 9 2 4 3 7 .388 22 24 Vegas Golden Knights 1 0 1 0 0 .000 2 5

ALL-TIME RECORDS WHEN OPENING THE SEASON ON THE ROAD GP W L T/OT PTS P% GF GA Vegas Golden Knights 1 1 0 0 2 1.000 2 1 Winnipeg Jets 7 5 2 0 10 .714 27 17 Ottawa Senators 16 9 3 4 22 .687 49 40 Columbus Blue Jackets 6 4 2 0 8 .666 16 14 Colorado Avalanche 18 9 5 4 22 .611 64 55 St. Louis Blues 28 13 9 6 32 .571 93 93 Montreal Canadiens 42 19 15 8 46 .547 129 125 Vancouver Canucks 15 8 7 0 16 .533 55 56 Philadelphia Flyers 22 9 8 5 23 .522 55 58 Pittsburgh Penguins 23 11 10 2 24 .521 81 88 Los Angeles Kings 21 9 9 3 21 .500 53 66 New Jersey Devils 21 9 9 3 21 .500 57 69 Tampa Bay Lightning 8 4 4 0 8 .500 21 24 New York Rangers 65 27 29 9 63 .484 171 180 Chicago Blackhawks 47 18 22 7 43 .457 119 146 San Jose Sharks 11 4 5 2 10 .454 32 29 Toronto Maple Leafs 40 15 19 6 36 .450 117 132 Nashville Predators 9 4 5 0 8 .444 23 29 Buffalo Sabres 16 7 9 0 14 .437 33 42 Dallas Stars 21 5 8 8 18 .428 65 73 New York Islanders 37 10 19 8 28 .378 98 127 Florida Panthers 15 4 8 3 11 .366 34 47 Washington Capitals 24 7 14 3 17 .354 76 95 Arizona Coyotes 17 5 10 2 12 .352 45 50 Detroit Red Wings 37 9 20 8 26 .351 99 140 Edmonton Oilers 10 3 6 1 7 .350 21 32 Calgary Flames 22 4 12 6 14 .318 62 89 Boston Bruins 34 8 21 5 21 .308 63 105 Carolina Hurricanes 17 3 12 2 8 .235 48 69 Anaheim Ducks 20 4 16 0 8 .200 41 69 Minnesota Wild 8 1 6 1 3 .187 12 21

ALL-TIME RECORDS IN HOME OPENERS GP W L T/OT PTS P% GF GA 2019-20 HOME OPENER Minnesota Wild 18 13 1 4 30 .833 63 40 Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. PIT Colorado Avalanche 39 27 8 4 58 .744 166 105 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. CGY Tampa Bay Lightning 26 16 7 3 35 .673 95 67 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. FLA Arizona Coyotes 39 24 12 3 51 .654 132 108 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. BOS Ottawa Senators 26 14 6 6 34 .654 84 72 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. NYR New York Islanders 46 27 13 6 60 .652 160 121 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. WSH Montreal Canadiens 101 57 27 17 131 .649 348 235 Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. DET Florida Panthers 25 14 7 4 32 .640 82 65 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. TBL Boston Bruins 94 49 24 21 119 .633 304 253 Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. NJD Edmonton Oilers 39 22 12 5 49 .628 130 115 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. VAN New Jersey Devils 44 22 11 11 55 .625 152 124 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. WPG Washington Capitals 44 26 15 3 55 .625 165 134 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. CAR Anaheim Ducks 25 15 9 1 31 .620 65 65 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. ARI Dallas Stars 51 28 16 7 63 .618 174 135 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. BOS St. Louis Blues 51 30 19 2 62 .608 186 151 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. WSH Philadelphia Flyers 51 28 17 6 62 .608 169 145 Wednesday, Oct. 9 vs. NJD Vancouver Canucks 48 26 16 6 58 .604 157 138 Wednesday, Oct. 9 vs. LAK Nashville Predators 20 11 7 2 24 .600 52 48 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. MIN Pittsburgh Penguins 51 26 16 9 61 .598 183 168 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. BUF Detroit Red Wings 92 50 32 10 110 .598 289 236 Sunday, Oct. 6 vs. DAL Los Angeles Kings 51 24 18 9 57 .559 158 139 Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. NSH Toronto Maple Leafs 101 47 36 18 112 .554 361 320 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. OTT Chicago Blackhawks 92 38 32 22 98 .533 263 246 Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. SJS Winnipeg Jets 19 9 8 2 20 .526 57 59 Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. MIN Calgary Flames 46 19 17 10 48 .522 158 141 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. VAN San Jose Sharks 27 12 11 4 28 .519 81 80 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. VGK New York Rangers 92 38 38 16 92 .500 273 258 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. WPG Vegas Golden Knights 2 1 1 0 2 .500 7 7 Wednesday, Oct. 2 vs. SJS Buffalo Sabres 48 20 21 7 47 .490 137 147 Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. NJD Carolina Hurricanes 39 14 15 10 38 .487 100 118 Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. MTL Columbus Blue Jackets 18 7 8 3 17 .472 53 47 Friday, Oct. 4 vs. TOR

ACTIVE HEAD COACHES’ RECORDS IN SEASON OPENERS GC W L T/OT PTS P% (COL) 3 3 0 0 6 1.000 (VAN) 2 2 0 0 4 1.000 (BUF) 1 1 0 0 2 1.000 Jim Montgomery (DAL) 1 1 0 0 2 1.000 (WSH) 1 1 0 0 2 1.000 (TBL) 6 5 1 0 10 .833 (BOS) 4 3 1 0 6 .750 Todd McLellan (LAK) 11 8 3 0 16 .727 (EDM) 14 8 4 2 18 .642 (DET) 4 2 1 1 5 .625 (NJD) 4 2 1 1 5 .625 (CBJ) 14 8 5 1 17 .607 (NSH) 15 8 5 2 18 .600 Mike Sullivan (PIT) 5 2 1 2 6 .600 (TOR) 16 9 6 1 19 .593 (NYI) 20 10 7 3 23 .575 (VGK) 7 3 2 2 8 .571 Claude Julien (MTL) 15 8 6 1 17 .566 (WPG) 18 8 7 3 19 .527 (PHI) 16 7 7 2 16 .500 Rod Brind’Amour (CAR) 1 0 0 1 1 .500 Peter DeBoer (SJS) 11 5 6 0 10 .454 (FLA) 20 6 8 6 18 .450 (CGY) 5 1 3 1 3 .300 (MIN) 11 3 8 0 6 .272 (ARI) 3 0 3 0 0 .000 (ANA) 2 0 2 0 0 .000 (STL) 1 0 1 0 0 .000 (NYR) 1 0 1 0 0 .000 (CHI) ------D.J. Smith (OTT) ------

LONGEST WIN STREAKS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY 9 – Montreal Canadiens, from 1953-54 – 1961-62 – St. Louis Blues, from 1978-79 – 1986-87 8 – Detroit Red Wings, from 1947-48 – 1954-55 – Nordiques, from 1981-82 – 1988-89 – Boston Bruins, from 1987-88 – 1994-95 7 – New York Rangers, from 1926-27 – 1932-33 – Pittsburgh Penguins, from 1971-72 – 1977-78 – San Jose Sharks, from 2010-11 – 2016-17

Active Streaks: 5 – Tampa Bay Lightning, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 – Vancouver Canucks, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 3 – Colorado Avalanche, from 2016-17 – 2018-19 – Philadelphia Flyers, from 2016-17 – 2018-19

LONGEST STREAKS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY 17 – Montreal Canadiens, from 1963-64 – 1979-80 (13-0-4) 15 – Detroit Red Wings, from 1940-41 – 1954-55 (14-0-1) 12 – Boston Bruins, from 1987-88 – 1998-99 (9-0-3) 10 – Dallas Stars, from 1996-97 – 2006-07 (7-0-3) 9 – Montreal Canadiens, from 1953-54 – 1961-62 (9-0-0) – St. Louis Blues, from 1978-79 – 1986-87 (9-0-0) – , from 1980-81 – 1988-89 (8-0-1) – New Jersey Devils, from 1989-90 – 1997-98 (7-0-2) – Los Angeles Kings, from 1994-95 – 2002-03 (6-0-3)

Active Streaks: 5 – Montreal Canadiens, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 (4-0-1) – Tampa Bay Lightning, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 (5-0-0) – Vancouver Canucks, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 (5-0-0) – Washington Capitals, from 2014-15 – 2018-19 (3-0-2) 4 – Ottawa Senators, from 2015-16 – 2018-19 (2-0-2) – Philadelphia Flyers, from 2015-16 – 2018-19 (3-0-1)

LONGEST WINLESS STREAKS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY 12 – Detroit Red Wings, from 1982-83 – 1993-94 (0-8-4) 10 – St. Louis Blues, from 1997-98 – 2007-08 (0-6-4) 9 – Calgary Flames, 2010-11 – 2018-19 (0-8-1) 8 – Boston Bruins, from 1939-40 – 1946-47 (0-5-3) – Toronto Maple Leafs, from 1945-46 – 1952-53 (0-4-4) – , from 1987-88 – 1994-95 (0-6-2)

Active Streaks: 9 – Calgary Flames, 2010-11 – 2018-19 (0-8-1) 6 – Buffalo Sabres, from 2013-14 – 2018-19 (0-5-1) 3 – Minnesota Wild, from 2016-17 – 2018-19 (0-3-0)

FASTEST GOALS FROM START OF A SEASON OPENER, NHL HISTORY Date Team Opponent Player Time Oct. 11, 1986 MNS at QUE Kent Nilsson 0:10 Oct. 7, 1981 WSH at BUF 0:12 Oct. 31, 1943 CHI vs. TOR 0:13 Oct. 7, 1981 CHI vs. PIT 0:13 Oct. 30, 1943 TOR vs. NYR 0:15 Oct. 4, 1991 CGY vs. EDM Theo Fleury 0:16 Oct. 10, 1974 BUF vs. BOS 0:18 Oct. 10, 1973 STL at CGS Lou Angotti 0:20 Oct. 5, 1989 BUF vs. QUE 0:20 Oct. 10, 1970 STL vs. NYR Christian Bordeleau 0:21 MOST GOALS IN A SEASON OPENER, NHL HISTORY Date Team Opponent Player Goals Dec. 19, 1917 MWN vs. TAN 5 Dec. 19, 1917 MTL at SEN 5 Dec. 16, 1922 TSP vs. MTL 5 Dec. 19, 1917 TAN at MWN 4 Oct. 6, 1976 VAN at PIT Rick Blight 4 Oct. 8, 1987 VAN vs. STL Greg Adams 4 Oct. 7, 1992 TBL vs. CHI Chris Kontos 4 Oct. 12, 2016 TOR at OTT 4 * Overall, there have been 56 all-time instances of a player scoring a hat trick in a season opener, including the eight listed above.

Active NHL Players w/ 3+ Goals in a Season Opener: Date Team Opponent Player Goals Oct. 12, 2016 TOR at OTT Auston Matthews 4 Oct. 3, 2007 COL vs. DAL 3 Oct. 9, 2010 NYR at BUF 3 Oct. 9, 2014 ANA at PIT 3 Oct. 8, 2015 MIN at COL 3 Oct. 9, 2015 DET vs. TOR 3 Oct. 4, 2017 PHI at SJS 3 Oct. 4, 2017 EDM vs. CGY Connor McDavid 3 Oct. 5, 2017 WSH at OTT Alex Ovechkin 3 Oct. 5, 2017 CHI vs. PIT 3

MOST ASSISTS IN A SEASON OPENER, NHL HISTORY Date Team Opponent Player Assists Oct. 10, 1985 NJD at PHI Greg Adams 5 Oct. 5, 1990 PIT at WSH John Cullen 5 * Overall, there have been 21 all-time instances of a player collecting at least four assists in a season opener, including the two listed above.

Last Five Players w/ 4+ Assists in a Season Opener: Date Team Opponent Player Assists Oct. 5, 2017 DET vs. MIN Mike Green 4 Oct. 5, 2017 CHI vs. PIT Ryan Hartman 4 Oct. 5, 2006 PHX vs. NYI Steve Reinprecht 4 Oct. 10, 2002 TOR at PIT Darcy Tucker 4 Oct. 10, 1998 MTL vs. NYR 4

MOST POINTS IN A SEASON OPENER, NHL HISTORY Date Team Opponent Player Points Dec. 16, 1922 TSP vs. MTL Babe Dye 5-1—6 Oct. 5, 1990 PIT at WSH 2-4—6 Dec. 19, 1917 MWN vs. TAN Harry Hyland 5-0—5 Dec. 19, 1917 MTL at SEN Joe Malone 5-0—5 Oct. 7, 1955 NYR at CHI 1-4—5 Oct. 10, 1973 BOS vs. VAN 3-2—5 Oct. 10, 1974 BUF vs. BOS 3-2—5 Oct. 4, 1983 QUE vs. NYI Michel Goulet 1-4—5 Oct. 10, 1985 NJD at PHI Greg Adams 0-5—5 Oct. 9, 1986 TOR vs. MTL Tom Fergus 3-2—5 Oct. 5, 1990 PIT at WSH John Cullen 0-5—5 Oct. 5, 2006 PHX vs. NYI Steve Reinprecht 1-4—5 Jan. 20, 2013 BUF vs. PHI Thomas Vanek 2-3—5 Oct. 13, 2016 BOS at CBJ Brad Marchand 2-3—5 Oct. 5, 2017 CHI vs. PIT Ryan Hartman 1-4—5 * Overall, there have been 96 all-time instances of a player recording at least four points in a season opener, including the 15 listed above.

Last Six Players w/ 4+ Points in a Season Opener: Date Team Opponent Player Points Oct. 5, 2017 CHI vs. PIT Ryan Hartman 1-4—5 Oct. 5, 2017 DET vs. MIN Mike Green 0-4—4 Oct. 5, 2017 CHI vs. PIT 1-3—4 Oct. 13, 2016 BOS at CBJ Brad Marchand 2-3—5 Oct. 13, 2016 BOS at CBJ David Pastrnak 2-2—4 Oct. 12, 2016 TOR at OTT Auston Matthews 4-0—4

MOST CAREER GOALS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY Player GP Goals Michel Goulet 13 14 16 14 10 13 Alexander Mogilny 14 13 Radim Vrbata 15 13 17 13 18 13 19 13 Jaromir Jagr 23 13 Aurel Joliat 16 12 16 12 19 12

Most Career Goals in Season Openers, Active NHL Players: Player GP Goals Zach Parise 13 10 Alex Ovechkin 14 10 Paul Stastny 13 8 Auston Matthews 3 7 11 7 Corey Perry 13 7 Kyle Turris 8 6 11 6 12 6 Patrick Kane 12 6 Bryan Little 12 6

MOST CAREER ASSISTS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY Player GP Assists Jaromir Jagr 23 26 17 24 21 21 18 19 19 18 18 17 18 17 Al MacInnis 20 17 25 17 Gary Suter 15 16 20 16

Most Career Assists in Season Openers, Active NHL Players: Player GP Assists Nicklas Backstrom 11 14 Mike Green 11 12 20 12 14 11 12 10 12 10 11 9 Jakub Voracek 11 9 Patrick Kane 12 9 13 9 13 9

MOST CAREER POINTS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY Player GP Points Jaromir Jagr 23 13-26—39 Ray Bourque 21 9-21—30 Wayne Gretzky 19 9-18—27 Joe Sakic 20 11-16—27 Michel Goulet 13 14-11—25 Phil Esposito 16 11-14—25 Adam Oates 17 1-24—25 Al MacInnis 20 8-17—25 Gordie Howe 25 8-17—25 Marcel Dionne 18 6-18—24 Dale Hunter 18 5-19—24

Most Career Points in Season Openers, Active NHL Players: Player GP Points Alex Ovechkin 14 10-7—17 Joe Thornton 20 5-12—17 Zach Parise 13 10-6—16 Mike Green 11 3-12—15 Patrick Kane 12 6-9—15 Nicklas Backstrom 11 0-14—14 Evgeni Malkin 12 4-10—14 Paul Stastny 13 8-6—14 Sidney Crosby 12 6-7—13 Joe Pavelski 12 3-10—13 Jason Spezza 14 2-11—13

MOST CAREER WINS IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY GP Wins 13 10 18 10 * 13 9 Marc-Andre Fleury* 14 9 12 8 Mike Vernon 13 8 Andy Moog 10 7 Kirk McLean 12 7 12 7 13 7 * 13 7 14 7 14 7 15 7 16 7 17 7 * Active

MOST CAREER IN SEASON OPENERS, NHL HISTORY Goaltender GP Shutouts 11 3 Jacques Plante 12 3 4 2 6 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 Stephane Fiset 8 2 Jimmy Howard* 8 2 Alec Connell 11 2 11 2 12 2 John Ross Roach 12 2 Marc-Andre Fleury* 14 2 16 2 Martin Brodeur 18 2 * Active

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