Round 2 between Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid goes Tuesday night, and here's hoping for a little more intrigue this time around.
The first battle between the two most recent No. 1 picks was overshadowed by Nazem Kadri, who potted two goals for the Maple Leafs while the 19-year-old phenoms were held off the scoresheet.
The Oilers captain currently paces the NHL in points, while Matthews sits one point back of the rookie lead, 21 games into his inaugural campaign.
As the two rising stars collide for the last time this season - barring an incredibly unlikely meeting in the Stanley Cup Final - here's a look at their production rates through 21 games in their respective careers.
Player
GP
G
A
P
Multi-Point Games
McDavid
21
9
16
25
6
Matthews
21
9
7
16
4
Advantage McDavid, who was sidelined 13 games into his rookie season with a broken collarbone, but returned with something to prove.
He netted 13 points in his next eight games, including a career-high five-point effort Feb. 11 versus - that's right - Toronto.
Five players return from Canada’s national junior team that competed at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland: Mathew Barzal, Thomas Chabot, Julien Gauthier, Mitchell Stephens, and Dylan Strome.
Twenty-two of these players will be selected to represent Canada at the 2017 tournament, set to be played in Toronto and Montreal beginning Dec. 26.
The 2015 second overall pick will make his season debut Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. Eichel has missed all 21 of Buffalo's games after injuring his ankle the day before opening night.
Jack's back. Eichel makes it official he is playing tonight for Sabres versus Senators. pic.twitter.com/KV10YuGu7d
Eichel has been practicing on the team's second line with Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane in advance of his first game action.
In 81 games as a rookie, Eichel recorded 24 goals and 32 assists with 238 shots. In his absence, the Sabres have scored a league-low 39 goals, and sit six points out of a wild-card playoff spot.
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, November 29 (advanced stats pulled from Corsica.Hockey):
Triple Threat
LW Milan Lucic (55K), C Connor McDavid (90K), RW Jesse Puljujarvi (33K), Oilers (vs. Maple Leafs): Home ice will be key for the Oilers, as they'll be able to deploy their top line away from the Maple Leafs top trio centered by rookie Auston Matthews. While the Leafs have been a strong possession team this season, only one of their four most common trios has a positive Corsi rating.
C Erik Haula (34K), RW Nino Niederreiter (43K), D Mathew Dumba (35K), Wild (at Canucks): Along with RW Jason Pominville, Haula and Niederreiter form the Wild's third line. The group starts just 32.43 percent of shifts in the offensive zone, but finishes there on 46.97 percent of 5v5 shifts. Dumba joins Niederreiter as part of the second power-play unit.
C Logan Couture (62K), RW Joonas Donskoi (42K), D Brent Burns (77K), Sharks (vs. Coyotes): The Sharks' second line averages 11 more shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5v5 play than their direct opposition. The Coyotes' second line of Anthony Duclair, Christian Dvorak and Jamie McGinn has spent only 41 minutes together at 5v5, but they've posted a Corsi For percentage of just 40.86.
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET - Pekka Rinne (96K), Predators (at Avalanche): The Avalanche average just 5.90 scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5v5 play, the lowest rate in the league. They're expected to score just two full-strength goals per 60 minutes, also the lowest. Rinne has stopped 69 of 74 shots he has faced over his past three games, winning each start.
BARGAIN - Kari Lehtonen (82K), Stars (at Red Wings): Rarely a safe option, Lehtonen will face a Red Wings with an Expected Goals For per 60 of just 2.16 at 5v5. They're actually scoring at a rate of 2.18 per 60 minutes, posing little more than the expected threat. Lehtonen is reasonably priced after allowing four or more goals in three of his past four starts.
FADE - Craig Anderson (126K), Senators (vs. Sabres): Coming off a First Star of the Week performance, Anderson most recently shut out the New York Rangers. He seems like an easy choice at home against the league's worst offense, but the Sabres will have C Jack Eichel rejoin the lineup, adding a significant boost. Buffalo has averaged just 26.6 shots on goal per road game.
CONTRARIAN - Connor Hellebuyck (100K), Jets (vs. Devils): While it originally seemed as though it would be a consistently easy choice, picking "Goalie X" against the Devils of late hasn't worked too well. Even without LW Taylor Hall, they've scored 11 goals in their past three games. Hellebuyck is coming off a 42-save shutout of the Predators.
Bargain Plays
LW Michael Raffl (26K), Flyers (vs. Bruins): Raffl has recently seen an uptick in playing time, as he plays on the left side of the Flyers' top line with C Claude Giroux and RW Jakub Voracek. He topped 14 minutes in each of his past two games, scoring his fourth goal of the season in his most recent outing. He offers exposure to the other two at a low cost.
D Zach Werenski (33K), Blue Jackets (vs. Lightning): Werenski tallied just a single shot in his most recent game, but he totaled seven in the game prior. He hasn't played less than 20 minutes in any of his past 11 games. He has gone without a point just five times in November.
RW Craig Smith (34K), Predators (at Avalanche): Smith is playing on the right side of Nashville's second line with pass-first C Mike Ribeiro beside him. Rookie LW Kevin Fiala is filling in for the injured James Neal as the third piece of the trio. Smith has topped 14 minutes of ice time in four of his past five games, totaling four SOG last time out.
Top Fades
RW Nikita Kucherov (70K), Lightning (at Blue Jackets): Opposing Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed more than two goals in just one of his past six starts. Kucherov ranks second in league scoring, but his salary is at the level where he needs multiple points in order to return value.
C Ryan O'Reilly (66K), Sabres (at Senators): The return of Eichel will likely cut into O'Reilly's offensive opportunities, forcing him back into more of a defensive role. As it is, he has just one goal and one assist this month, though he did tally five SOG in each of his past two games.
LW Patrick Marleau (58K), Sharks (vs. Coyotes): While Marleau has an extremely favorable matchup while at home, he doesn't have a multi-point game on the year. He doesn't necessarily need one in order to return value, but he has averaged significantly less ice time in games decided by two or more goals this season.
Contrarian Options
D Jacob Trouba (30K), Jets (vs. Devils): Trouba finally found some offense in his most recent game, tallying his first two assists of the season. He also logged 27:07 in ice time, his second-highest total of the year. While the Devils have been scoring more of late, they've also been allowing more goals.
LW Evander Kane (49K), Sabres (at Senators): While Senators G Craig Anderson has been among the league's best goaltenders this year, he is also allowing more rebound opportunities than anyone else. Part of the reason has been his massive workload, but the second opportunities lend to the benefit of a power forward such as Kane.
C Auston Matthews (57K), Maple Leafs (at Oilers): Per Corsica, Talbot has faced more Rush Shots than any other goalie this year. The high-danger, fast-break chances provide an opportunity for the speed and capitalization of Matthews.
With both goalies now healthy and able to play every night, balancing the workload is proving to be a challenge, according to the general manager.
"Despite the fact I like having the two top goalies, it's difficult when both goalies are used to playing the majority of the games," Rutherford said Monday, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "You get into weeks where they're splitting and going every other game. That hasn't worked, at this point, as well as I thought it would."
Murray has excelled since coming back from a broken hand suffered at the World Cup, outplaying Fleury overall this season.
Player
Games
Record
Save %
Matt Murray
8
7-1-0
.939
Marc-Andre Fleury
15
6-5-3
.901
Still, Rutherford is in no rush to move one goalie out and hand the starting job to the other.
"I don't feel urgency (to decide)," Rutherford said, adding, "It is one area I'm probably looking at the most right now."
With an expansion draft looming next summer, it's a situation that needs to be resolved one way or another in the coming months.
The NHL is quickly turning into a two-goalie league.
In the past, the workhorse netminder was a staple, with one player carrying the majority of the starts over the course of an 82-game season. Even following the 2004-05 lockout, 26 goalies recording at least 70 starts from 2005-06 to 2010-11.
Over the past five regular seasons, however, only four goalies have made 70 or more starts:
Player
Team
Season
Starts
Jonas Hiller
Anaheim
2011-12
73
Pekka Rinne
Nashville
2011-12
72
Braden Holtby
Washington
2014-15
72
Jonathan Quick
Los Angeles
2014-15
71
While it's still early in the season, there are no fewer than four goalies on pace to reach the 70-start mark.
Here's a quick look at the NHL's new workhorses:
Cam Talbot
With 21 starts through 23 games, the Edmonton Oilers' Cam Talbot is on pace for 75 - a number reached only eight times by five different goalies over the past decade.
Talbot has posted an 11-8-0 record with a .921 save percentage to date, playing a big part in Edmonton's somewhat unexpected rise to first place in the Pacific Division.
Jonas Gustavsson waits in the wings as his backup, so it stands to reason head coach Todd McLellan will continue to call Talbot's number as long as he's able to play.
Sergei Bobrovsky
After starting 18 of 20 games to date, the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner is on pace to start 74 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets - a somewhat troubling forecast considering Sergei Bobrovsky's recent groin injuries.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen offered a more measured response.
"Bob is our No. 1 goalie and we're going to monitor the situation very close ... to make sure we don't overload him or overwork him," he said. "But he's going to play most of our games no matter who our backup is."
Since coming over from Boston after he was sent there by rival Los Angeles, Jones has been as reliable as they come, and - with 19 starts in 22 games - is on pace to start 71 games for the Sharks this season.
The other goalie on San Jose's roster is 27-year-old Aaron Dell, who went undrafted and has four career appearances at the NHL level on his resume - all of which have come this season.
Frederik Andersen
For better or worse, the Toronto Maple Leafs are placing their already slim playoff hopes on the back of Frederik Andersen. Thankfully, things have fallen on the better side since a rough start to the season.
Andersen was acquired from Anaheim this past offseason, and promptly signed to a five-year contract extension - a deal that seemed questionable at best back in October. In November, however, he has displayed the kind of game that led Toronto to bank on him.
Month
Games
Record
Save %
October
7
2-2-3
.876
November
11
7-4-0
.931
Jhonas Enroth hasn't proved himself capable of effectively easing Andersen's load, putting the No. 1 option in line to start 70 games for Mike Babcock.
Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."
Calgary Flames
Plus: Supposed backup netminder Chad Johnson remains the Flames' savior, as he's 7-4-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .922 save percentage in 12 starts.
Minus: The Flames haven't treated home fans to much this season, putting together a measly 3-7 record at the Saddledome, which traditionally has been tough on opposing teams.
The Take: Calgary has the worst powerplay, the second-worst penalty kill, and have allowed the most goals against in the NHL. But hey, they're only two points out of a wild-card spot in the uncertain Western Conference.
Edmonton Oilers
Plus:Connor McDavid is stealing the show atop the NHL's scoring race, but next on the Oilers' production list is Leon Draisaitl, who's quietly racked up 17 points in 23 contests.
Minus: Really? The Coyotes? After dropping both games in a home-and-home with Arizona last week, Edmonton is 0-21-4 in their last 25 contests versus their foes from the desert. Seriously.
The Take: If McDavid stays healthy, a top-three position in the Pacific Division is definitely attainable, but one wonders, when will Cam Talbot's workload ease? The 29-year-old has started 21 of the Oilers' 23 games.
Montreal Canadiens
Plus: Both Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov have been outstanding for Montreal this season, serving as the catalysts for an offense averaging more than three goals a game.
Radulov has 10 points in his last 10 games, while Galchenyuk has benefited greatly since joining his line. The 22-year-old sniper ranks seventh in league scoring with 22 points, averaging just under 16 minutes per game.
Minus:Tomas Plekanec is struggling mightily a quarter of the way through the season, with only one goal and five assists in 22 games. He's topped the 50-point plateau in each of the past two seasons.
The Take: The Habs have a threatening offense and the best goaltender in the universe. Don't expect them to fall out of first place any time soon.
Ottawa Senators
Plus: Ottawa's won four in a row, and seven of their last 10, supplanting Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic. They've done so on the strength of Craig Anderson, who sits at 12-4-1 on the season, with an exceptional 2.03 GAA and .936 save percentage.
The Take: If the goaltending can stay hot, the Senators will remain in the playoff race, but any regression could spell trouble, as Ottawa is allowing 31.2 shots per game, and are scoring at the second-lowest rate in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Plus: Breathe easy, Maple Leafs fans, Auston Matthews is off the schneid. The 2016 first overall pick broke out of his slump in a big way last week, earning three points versus New Jersey, then adding another tally in Saturday's impressive win over Washington.
Minus: Despite Matthews' slumpbuster, which saw Toronto jump out to a 3-0 lead over the Devils, the Leafs squandered another advantage, ultimately losing in a shootout.
The Take: Toronto is 5-4-1 in their last 10, and sit above .500 as December approaches, so that has to resonate well with the young club. However, the Leafs embark on a three-game road trip this week, which should serve as a tough test, only earning one win on the road this season.
Vancouver Canucks
Plus: It looks as though Bo Horvat is emerging into the star Vancouver hoped he'd become. The former ninth overall pick leads the Canucks with 15 points, 11 of which have come in his last 10 games.
Minus: The Canucks have won three of five, but other than a brief uptick in their offense, they're still struggling in many facets of the game, allowing too many shots, while barely squeaking out the majority of their wins in extra time.
The Take: Vancouver seems to be wedged in the middle of tearing it all down, and unnecessarily pressing to make a run with an insufficient roster. Hardly anyone expected much from the Canucks this season, but as the rest of the season plays out, it will be interesting to see which route management pursues.
Winnipeg Jets
Plus: The Jets erased an ugly five-game skid with an impressive 3-0 shutout Sunday over Nashville. Time to regroup. Bryan Little is also due back soon, which should help an offense that's struggled of late.
Minus: Maybe rookie slumps are contagious. Patrik Laine has just one goal in his last 10, while the rest of the Jets attack has sputtered to only nine tallies in six games.
The Take: Now it's up to Winnipeg to find its balance again. With their slide a memory, the Jets need to capitalize on four of their next six games on home ice, where they've been better all season.
