Leon Draisaitl has been a wonder kid for the club this season, and especially as of late. The 21-year-old is coming off his fourth three-point game of the season Thursday - the second-highest total this year, trailing only McDavid's six such games - giving him a team-high eight points over his last five games.
His stellar start to the campaign had head coach Todd McLellan singing his praises on Friday.
"We couldn't be happier with what he's been giving us," said McLellan.
He's right.
With another three-point outing, Draisaitl now has 25 points through 29 games, good enough for 14th league-wide. His 12 goals and 11 power-play points put him in a tie with McDavid for the team lead, while his seven power-play goals are far and away the most on the club, with no other player adding more than three.
The fact is, in just his third season in the league, he's on pace for a monster campaign. At his current rate, he would finish with 33 goals and 70 points, eclipsing last year's career-high total by nearly 20 points.
For a second-line center, what more could the Oilers ask for?
Ken Holland's vision for the NHL to implement a wild card-style postseason game was shot down Friday by Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Bettman responded to the idea, but expressed his contentment with the current playoff format to ESPN's Craig Custance.
"We think the structure we have now works," said Bettman.
If there's one thing to note, it's that 3-on-3 overtime was Holland's brainchild; he pitched the idea years ago before it finally became a reality last season. So, never say never.
For Clutterbuck - who was set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end - the deal keeps him signed through the 2021-22 campaign.
The extension also gives the 29-year-old a raise from his previous four-year, $11-million deal, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that Clutterbuck will earn an average of $3.5 million per season for a total of $17.5 million over the contract.
Through 25 games this season, Clutterbuck has contributed two goals, nine points, and 10 penalty minutes.
With his time in the NHL winding down, Colorado Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla now understands how difficult it can be to walk away from the game.
The future Hall of Famer is in the midst of his 20th season, and with his contract set to expire, he'll need to decide whether to call it a career - a decision he once thought would be easy.
"I remember watching guys like when (Teemu) Selanne was debating and (Nicklas) Lidstrom and Mark Recchi; it's year to year," Iginla said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I'd always be like, 'Oh, they know for sure if they're playing or not.' Now I totally understand it, I totally do. And I realize that they didn't (know), because I don't know.
"I know I'm not playing that much longer no matter what it is, and then take it as it comes. I don't know. I don't know if I'll play again, or I may."
The two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner admitted the hardest part about possibly calling it a career is saying goodbye to all the fun that comes with playing the game.
"I realize that I'm going to miss it," he said. "People retire, you hear about the adjustment of 'Oh, well, it's been what we do' and all that. But I'm also going to miss it because it's fun. It's a ton of fun. It's not just what I'm used to, it's fun to come to the rink and compete and get ready to battle and win, and I'm going to miss that. But hopefully for now, just looking forward to literally (the) next game."
Iginla will continue to take it one game at a time, with his 1,500th appearance coming in Saturday's contest.
Max Domi channelled his pugilist pops Thursday night, going toe-to-toe with Garnet Hathaway of the Calgary Flames before leaving the ice with a smile as blood dripped down his face.
The Arizona Coyotes forward took exception to Hathaway nearly levelling him after Domi passed the puck late in the second period of Calgary's 2-1 victory.
Domi didn't return to the game after the throwdown, and the club would only classify his ailment as an "upper-body" injury. Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett referred to him as day to day after the game.
It was Domi's second fight of the season, and the sixth of his young career.
The 21-year-old scored his fifth goal of the campaign in the first period.
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, December 9 (advanced stats courtesy of Corsica.Hockey):
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET - Sergei Bobrovsky (75K), Blue Jackets (at Red Wings): Bobrovsky is the biggest reason why the Blue Jackets find themselves holding onto a Wild Card spot. The 2012-13 Vezina winner has a .930 SV% and a 2.03 GAA, with two of his three shutouts coming on the road. The Red Wings own the league's second-worst FF% (Fenwick For percentage) at 5v5.
BARGAIN - Braden Holtby (75K), Capitals (at Sabres): As the reigning Vezina winner, it's a mystery why Holtby is also the minimum price for a goaltender. Buffalo has some nice pieces on offense, but they rank outside the top 10 in the majority of meaningful offensive categories.
CONTRARIAN - Henrik Lundqvist (77K), Rangers (at Blackhawks): The Rangers have scuffled a bit lately, but they still sit atop the Metro Division standings. Lundqvist, the 2011-12 Vezina winner, will surely have low ownership in a matchup with the perennial cup contending Blackhawks. At 77K, he is worth the risk, especially since Chicago is without Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford.
FADE - Robin Lehner (104K), Sabres (vs. Capitals): Lehner is having a fine season, but it is not worth forking up 104K on him when there are more affordable options with longer track records of success. Furthermore, Lehner is faced with a difficult matchup against Alex Ovechkin and the Caps.
Triple Threat
C Adam Henrique (38K), LW Taylor Hall (68K), RW P.A. Parenteau (41K), Devils (vs. Blues): Henrique, Hall and Parenteau have played just over 40 minutes together at 5v5, but they have taken 27 shots and generated nine scoring chances as a trio. The Blues are a tough matchup on paper, but they are just 3-7-1 on the road and will likely start Carter Hutton in goal after Jake Allen played on Thursday.
C Eric Staal (47K), RW Nino Niederreiter (45K), D Ryan Suter (35K), Wild (vs. Oilers): The Oilers have tried to fix their defensive woes, but they still have the fifth-highest xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes) at 5v5. The Wild are 4-1-2 over their last seven games. They should benefit from facing a tired Oilers team that played on Thursday night.
C Derek Stepan (47K), LW Chris Kreider (48K), RW Mats Zuccarello (45K), Rangers (at Blackhawks): Chicago is missing their two biggest pieces when it comes to preventing goals: goaltender Corey Crawford and center Jonathan Toews. Without Toews, the Hawks only have one proven line. The speed and creativity of this Rangers line should take full advantage.
Bargain Plays
D Alex Pietrangelo (28K), Blues (at Devils): Pietrangelo is quietly one of the best D-men in the entire league, but more so for his defensive game. Yet, with 14 points, 67 shots and 57 blocks, he should not be this inexpensive - especially since Keith Kinkaid will be in goal for New Jersey.
RW Michael Grabner (25K), Rangers (at Blackhawks): Grabner had 12 goals in his first 20 games, but his expected regression has come to fruition, scoring just once in his last seven games. But at 25K, it is more than worth taking a chance on Grabner and his game-breaking speed. He is among the league leaders in iSCF60 (individual scoring chances for per 60 minutes) at 5v5.
LW Nick Ritchie (25K), Ducks (vs. Sharks): Ritchie has been granted a glorious opportunity to skate on Anaheim's top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He has only six goals on the season, but he can be drafted in both cash games and tournaments because his 78 hits make him a high-floor option.
Top Fades
C Ryan O'Reilly (71K), Sabres (vs. Capitals): O'Reilly is a great two-way player, but he isn't an elite offensive center, therefore he shouldn't be priced like one. With that salary and a matchup against the Capitals, you're better off spending 71K elsewhere.
RW Kyle Okposo (60K), Sabres (vs. Capitals): Same goes for Okposo - good player with a bad matchup and an inflated salary. Wiser investments can be made with 60K.
LW Tomas Tatar (58K), Red Wings (vs. Blue Jackets): Four of Tatar's 11 points on the season have come in his last three games, but it shouldn't warrant a salary of 58K. He and the Wings will have a tough time cracking Sergei Bobrosvky.
Contrarian Options
C Jack Eichel (46K), Sabres (vs. Capitals): Unlike his teammates O'Reilly and Okposo, Eichel actually comes with a reasonable salary. Even excluding salary, Eichel's talent gives him more upside than both of the aforementioned players. Most of his season has been lost to injury, but he has three goals, two assists and 16 shots in five games.
RW Patrick Kane (81K), Blackhawks (vs. Rangers): Kane is far and away the most expensive skater on Squad Up. His matchup against Henrik Lundqvist isn't exactly the most favorable one out there. He is so expensive for a reason - his upside in unmatched. He is always capable of reeling off a multi-point game, and can do so against any goalie.
BOSTON - A two-time Stanley Cup champion hockey player from Massachusetts has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge.
The Boston Globe reports 51-year-old Kevin Stevens entered the plea Thursday in a Boston federal court to a charge of conspiring with another man to sell oxycodone.
Prosecutors say Stevens and another man were involved in a scheme to sell the painkiller from August 2015 through at least March 2016 in several cities. A plea agreement says Stevens was responsible for 175 pills containing 30 milligrams each of oxycodone.
His attorney says Stevens has battled an addiction to painkillers for many years.
The Pembroke, Mass., native played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League, winning consecutive Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
Every Friday this season, theScore's NHL editors are debating a hot-button issue in 'On The Fly,' our roundtable series. This week, we identify a quartet of players we can't help but loathe.
Andrew Shaw
Navin Vaswani: There's just something about Andrew Shaw's face.
He's a pest. He even looks like a pest. And pests are easy to hate. He's always yapping at referees. Did you know that Shaw has never actually committed an infraction on the ice? His 358 career penalty minutes are part of a larger conspiracy against him and players like him.
Shaw's been suspended for dirty hits and for using a homophic slur against an official. The latter's very tough to look past, but Shaw, as we've learned, is clearly someone who plays with a lot of emotion, and he has trouble containing it at times. It's a fine line for the 25-year-old to toe, because he's one of those guys who's most effective when he's playing on the edge.
And that's what makes Shaw so annoying - he's an effective hockey player. He's good at what he does. He's a 20-goal scorer, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with big postseason goals on his CV, including a triple-overtime winner in Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. He played that series with a broken rib.
You want Shaw on your team. He's one of those guys, the kind who clearly drives his opponents crazy. He feeds off it. Problem is, he's so hard to ignore, especially when he loses his mind and abuses innocent hockeysticks.
Yeah, there's just something about Shaw. Love him if he's on your team, loathe him with every fiber of your being if he's not.
Zdeno Chara
Craig Hagerman: Chara is a pest like no other.
That's because no pest stands at 6-foot-9 like he does. Chara is a beast of human, there is no other way to describe him.
Players looking to get in front of Tuukka Rask never do so completely unscathed. Try to slide past him along the boards, and you'll likely end up on your ass. And if the Bruins decide to sit him in front of your goalie on a power play, well, there's very little you can do to stop him. Oh, and if you're stupid enough, he will even drop the gloves with you if you're willing.
Add to the fact he has a cannon of a shot, he's a great leader, and a former Norris Trophy winner and you have all the ingredients of a one-of-a-kind player. The ultimate "hate to play him, would love to have him" kind of talent.
He might be starting to lose his speed at his age, but rest assured, Chara isn't - and never will be - a pushover.
Chris Neil
Sean O'Leary: There's something to be said about Neil's dedication to his craft.
After all, there aren't too many 37-year-old agitators roaming the NHL these days.
Neil has been a heart-and-soul player for the Ottawa Senators his entire career, winning over the hearts of fans by constantly playing in the face of his opponents, and dropping his gloves more than a few times along the way.
His 2,492 penalty minutes (and counting) rank 22nd all time, easily the most among active NHLers. Neil's failed to reach the triple-digit mark in PIMs just once in his career, when he only played 38 games in 2014-15, accumulating 78 minutes in infractions.
Neil is only one game shy of 1,000 for his career - an impressive feat regardless of your playing style. There's probably 29 teams that are sick of seeing his face above the Senators logo he's worn for so long, but there's at least one franchise that holds him near and dear.
Drew Doughty
Cory Wilkins: Doughty is a top-notch NHL defenseman. And he knows it.
The Los Angeles Kings blue-liner hasn't missed a beat since being drafted second overall in 2008 and making an immediate jump into the NHL.
Right-shot defensemen are a rare commodity in the NHL, and Doughty is one of them. Not only that, but he's big, he's rangy, he produces, and that's not to forget his physical game. In other words, he's the complete package. He has the chirps to back it up.
Doughty is what all NHL defensemen should aim to be. He even admitted his frustration that he hadn't won a Norris Trophy, but that all changed last season, when he was recognized as the NHL's top defenseman. It's that sort of drive and dedication that sees you win two Stanley Cups before your 25th birthday.
This is all well and good if you're a Kings fan. If not, Doughty is surely a player you love to hate.
The goal was Ryan's second goal of the game and would hold up as the eventual game-winner, while McGinn would score a goal of his own later in the third period.
