The Mark Streit era seems to be nearing its end in Montreal once again, as the Canadiens are trying to trade the veteran rearguard, Sportsnet's Eric Engels reports.
Streit was added to Montreal's roster during the offseason in an attempt to offset the offensive production lost with Andrei Markov's move to the KHL.
The 39-year-old rearguard is in his second tour of duty with the Canadiens. Across two games this season, Streit has zero points and three shots on goal.
The two rivals, linked since sharing the same rookie campaign in 2005-06, will face off for the first time this season Wednesday at Washington's newly renamed Capital One Arena.
Each superstar has taken home a mantle full of personal accolades. What really separates them is team accomplishments; there, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has steadily outpaced Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
Here's where the matchup stands heading into Wednesday's contest, their 42nd encounter during the regular season.
Goals
It's no surprise that Ovechkin, one of the best pure shooters in decades, leads Crosby here. His 565 career goals are 182 more than Crosby's netted, and put him just outside the top 20 in NHL all-time scoring.
Even when compared on a per-game basis - Ovechkin has played 139 more games than Crosby - the Capitals captain still comes out ahead, besting Crosby 0.61 to 0.49 goals per game.
Head to head, Ovechkin again takes top honors. In their 41 regular-season meetings, Ovechkin has heavily outscored Crosby, coming up with 29 tallies to Crosby's 20.
Assists
Much as Ovechkin is the goal-scorer, Crosby is the setup man. He's managed 649 career helpers, nearly 200 ahead of Ovechkin. Crosby's assist total ranks 63rd all time, and he could climb inside the top 50 with a strong 2017-18 season.
On a per-game basis, Crosby is well in front of Ovechkin in this department at 0.83 assists, compared to his fellow superstar's 0.52.
The regular-season matchup isn't remotely close: Crosby has tallied 40 assists, more than double Ovechkin's 18.
Points
Their current head-to-head tally in points is 60 to 57, with the Penguins captain getting the nod. The two players have been nearly evenly matched when facing each other during the regular season, with both producing well above a point per game, but in the end, the slim margin of victory goes to Crosby.
The career numbers are tight as well, with Ovechkin just 10 total points ahead of Crosby. The comparison becomes much more wide-open when reviewing points per game, however - Crosby mightily outpaces Ovechkin, 1.31 to 1.13.
Awards
Ovechkin takes the lead in personal accolades. He's got six goal-scoring titles, an Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point producer, three Hart Trophies as the NHL MVP, and even a Calder Trophy from the season he topped Crosby as the league's most outstanding rookie.
But Crosby's collected some hardware of his own. The Penguins center is a two-time Art Ross winner and has two Hart Trophies, plus some other major plaudits - including the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, an award Crosby's won in each of the past two postseasons.
Playoffs
Where it matters most, Crosby has prevailed: The Penguins have erased the Capitals three times in the postseason during the Crosby and Ovechkin era.
That count includes last spring, when the defending Stanley Cup champions eliminated the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners in their second straight playoff meetup. Both years ended with Crosby hoisting the Stanley Cup - his second and third titles after winning his first NHL championship in 2009.
The longtime Kings announcer, who retired at the end of last season following 44 years in the broadcast booth, will be recognized by the team with a statue in his honor.
The statue, to be unveiled Jan. 13 prior to a contest vs. the rival Anaheim Ducks, will be located outside of the Staples Center. Miller's will be the third statue revealed by the Kings, following Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille.
Miller, 78, called 3,353 games as the team's broadcaster and witnessed Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.
Sonny Milano has won over one of the NHL's most stubborn head coaches.
The Columbus Blue Jackets rookie scored his fourth goal of the young campaign on Tuesday - an overtime winner against the Carolina Hurricanes - and while his offense has been the talk of the town, head coach John Tortorella has marveled at his play on the other side of the puck.
"Forget about offense, because we know that's going to be there," Tortorella said, according to NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. "I think he's been really consistent away from the puck too. He gets the puck out, and that's the most important part for this coach."
With goals in each of the Blue Jackets' first three games, Milano has matched a franchise record set by Kristian Huselius in 2010-2011. He also paces all rookies in goals and ranks second in points, but for now he can be content knowing Tortorella applauds his back-checking.
On Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will tangle for the first time since the Penguins ousted the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series last spring.
The Penguins and Capitals have long been the kings of the Metropolitan Division and, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are certainly making strides, the Caps and Pens remain the behemoths.
Both teams are offensively sound and strong between the pipes (although Pittsburgh goaltending has been shaky to begin the season). And let's not forget the Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin never-dying rivalry. If you aren't completely convinced, here are three reasons why Wednesday's contest is a must-watch:
"Just hatred"
When a team eliminates you from the playoffs in two straight seasons and then goes on to win the Stanley Cup - twice - chances are you're not their biggest fan.
That appears to be the case, as Capitals head coach Barry Trotz discussed the emotion felt by his club toward their Metropolitan rival.
"No, just hatred," Trotz said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "You hate the guys that bumped you out and all the credit to the Penguins. They've been the standard for the last two seasons and we've had to try to get by them and we have not."
It's not the playoffs, but you would be foolish to think that the Capitals aren't chomping at the bit to try and get some sort of redemption.
Emotions will be high, and while Capitals tough customer Tom Wilson will remain sidelined due to a suspension, Ryan Reaves and Ovechkin will almost guarantee that there is no shortage of rough stuff on Wednesday.
Crosby vs. Ovechkin
It's the storyline you just can't avoid.
Crosby and Ovechkin will go head-to-head once again and, as per usual, each are the focal point of their respected club.
Ovechkin has set the league ablaze with his seven goals through three games, including two hat tricks, and there doesn't appear to be any sign of him slowing down.
Meanwhile, Crosby has been no slouch either. The Penguins captain has tallied five points in three contests, recording at least a point in as many games.
Eyes will clearly be on these two and for good reason.
There will be goals
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but chances are we are in for some goals on Wednesday night.
Through a total of six games, the two clubs have combined for 22 goals for and 24 against. In fact, a quick look at the numbers from each team's top producers really proves just how much talent these clubs boast.
Team
Player
Goals
Points
Capitals
Evgeny Kuznetsov
0
8
Capitals
Alex Ovechkin
7
7
Capitals
Niklas Backstrom
1
5
Penguins
Sidney Crosby
1
5
Penguins
Evgeni Malkin
1
4
Penguins
Bryan Rust
0
4
Capitals
T.J. Oshie
3
4
Penguins
Jake Guentzel
1
3
Capitals
Jakub Vrana
0
3
Penguins
Olli Maatta
2
3
Meanwhile, though the stats are largely inflated by the Penguins' 10-1 drumming at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, Antti Niemi currently sports a 26.67 goals-against average and a .692 save percentage while Matt Murray holds a 3.84 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.
It's hard to take those numbers too serious early on, but the point is the Penguins' goaltending is off to a rocky start, which opens up the potential for a high-scoring affair.
It will be at least another week until Erik Karlsson makes his season debut.
General manager Pierre Dorion announced Wednesday that while Karlsson has not suffered a setback, he will not join the Ottawa Senators on their current Western Canada road trip, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
"No setback. It’s all about when he’ll be ready to play. It’s all about conditioning and he’s got to get used to a different sensation in his feet but there’s no setback," Dorion said. "We’re always hopeful he’d be ready (this week) but we felt the best thing for him would be to skate with Shean Donovan on a daily basis and we’re very hopeful he’ll play next week."
The Senators are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night and will now travel to play the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on back-to-back nights starting Friday.
Karlsson - who is coming off surgery to repair tendons in his foot - stated last Saturday that he still hadn't taken contact in practice, but felt he wasn't too far away from returning to the lineup.
With Karlsson out for the remainder of the road trip, the earliest date for his potential return is Oct. 17 when the Senators host the Canucks.
Jaromir Jagr is set to make his debut with the Flames against the division rival Kings, one week after signing with Calgary as an unrestricted free agent, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon.
The Flames have posted a 2-1-0 record through their first three games of the season.
Calgary will be the ninth NHL club Jagr has suited up for over his illustrious career.
Jagr, 45, spent parts of the past three seasons with the Florida Panthers. He wrapped the 2016-17 campaign with 16 goals and 30 assists to finish fourth in Panthers scoring.
Exhibition is over and the games now count for real points. Despite the small sample size, some squads are already drawing many positives from the season's initial offering. Here are three teams that can celebrate exceeding expectations.
St. Louis Blues
Despite key injuries to forwards Alex Steen, Robby Fabbri, and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, the Blues charged out of the gate for a perfect 4-0 start.
They've been powered to the NHL's best record by contributions from new face Brayden Schenn, acquired in an offseason deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, and center Paul Stastny, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jaden Schwartz has also chipped in with seven points.
Chicago Blackhawks
It seemed reasonable to assume the Blackhawks would take a step back this season, particularly given the inexperienced blue line the club pieced together over the summer. In the early going, though, Chicago's done anything but take a step back - the team stands atop the league with an eye-popping 21 goals in four games.
The Blackhawks have also been sound defensively, allowing just seven goals for a league-best plus-14 goal differential. After being reacquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brandon Saad has wasted little time getting reacclimated to his old surroundings, tallying seven points. He's also sparking offense from captain Jonathan Toews, who is scoring above a point-per-game pace.
Vegas Golden Knights
Playing with house money is doing the trick for the Golden Knights. The free-wheeling expansion club came away with the victory in its first three games - an NHL record. A team that pundits nearly unanimously predicted would finish in the league basement is leading the Pacific Division and enjoying the first phase of its inaugural season.
Among the many key contributors for the Golden Knights, two stand out: three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who's allowed just four goals in three contests, and James Neal. He lost to Fleury's Penguins in this spring's final while with the Nashville Predators, but now he's putting on a show in Sin City, notching five goals in three games.
The attendance for the Carolina Hurricanes' first two home games of the season has been a tale of day and night.
After the club bested the Minnesota Wild in front of a capacity crowd of 18,680 inside PNC Arena on Saturday night, the Hurricanes followed that up with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in front of just 7,892 spectators.
Of course, the sudden drop shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Last season, the Hurricanes' average attendance was 11,776, which equated to 63 percent capacity, the lowest mark in the league.
James Neal couldn't draw up a better start to his season if he tried.
The 30-year-old helped propel the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-0-0 record on the back of five goals in the first week of the season, and in the process, achieved feats that only a select few have managed with new teams.
With his five goals, he joins Real Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques as the only players in the expansion era to score five or more goals in an expansion team's first three games.
Neal became just the second player to score the game-winner in his team's first three games of a season after Brian Propp of the Philadelphia Flyers did it in 1982.
Finally, Neal is just the fourth player in the expansion era to score in the first three games of his team's inaugural season, joining Billy Harris, Larry Keenan, and Kent Douglas.
Look out, David Copperfield: There's a new magician in town.
