Let's be clear. It's still very early in the season. Several teams have played a maximum of six games, and one (Carolina) has played only three.

Within all the games played to date, 19 players have registered at least eight points, with the scoring leader board headed by a trio of Washington Capitals - Evgeny Kuznetsov (11), Nicklas Backstrom (11), and Alex Ovechkin (10).

Among the other 16 players in that range, there are some rather surprising names. Here are five that stand out:

Mike Green

In the final year of his contract with the Detroit Red Wings, Green is proving he still has value on the blue line.

Through five games, he's recorded eight assists, four of which have come on the power play, and three serving as the primary helpers.

The 32-year-old is averaging almost 23 minutes of ice time per game and sits tied among all defensemen in points. He's also serving as a catalyst for a Red Wings team that wasn't expected to be all that competitive.

Will Butcher

The 2017 Hobey Baker award winner as the top player in men's NCAA hockey was the focus of this year's college free-agent class after choosing not to sign with Colorado, who drafted him 123rd overall in 2013.

Butcher decided to sign with the New Jersey Devils, and it's working out just fine for both parties. In five games, the rookie defenseman has matched Green's eight assists, making NHL history in the process.

Yes, five of the assists have come on the power play and only two have been primary in nature, but it's an impressive debut nonetheless.

Bryan Rust

Tied with Sidney Crosby for the Pittsburgh Penguins points lead is none other than Rust.

The winger has been given a spot among the team's top six alongside Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, and his eight points (one goal, seven assists) are outpacing them both.

Rust scored 22 goals in 80 games for the Penguins between the 2016-17 regular season and playoffs, and spent time in the offseason rounding out his game.

"It's always nice to score goals and be the guy finishing, but I think being a setup man is just as important," Rust told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette. "That's part of my game that probably wasn't as strong as it could have been. That's something I've tried to work on."

Clearly it's paying off.

Brayden Point

The Tampa Bay Lightning are led up front by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, but 21-year-old Point is proving depth scoring matters.

In fact, all he's done since being promoted to the NHL is put up points.

Another hidden gem mined from the later rounds of the NHL Draft by general manager Steve Yzerman and his staff.

Ryan Hartman

Like in Tampa, a young forward is hanging with the superstars in Chicago, namely 23-year-old Hartman.

The winger is playing on the left side of a line with Tanner Kero and Patrick Kane, and has matched the latter with two goals and six assists in eight games.

The Blackhawks have relied heavily on cheap, young talent to complement the core over the past several years, and Hartman - selected with the last pick of the first round in 2013 - is doing just that while in the final season of his entry-level contract.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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By now, the hockey world is well aware of Nikita Kucherov's penchant for scoring goals, and after netting 40 in 2016-17, it appears the mystery on how to slow down the Russian sniper is yet to be solved.

Kucherov, who's potted five goals in five games to start the new campaign, is a strong possession player, has great linemates, fires a ton of shots on goal, and gets top minutes at both even strength and on the powerplay - all of which are key ingredients to producing a high number of goals.

However, no matter how you boil it down, the bottom line when it comes to Kucherov is he can score from anywhere, in any way. Below, we'll take a look at multiple examples of his unique goal-scoring versatility.

Backhand magic

Here's a look at Kucherov's latest goal, the game-winner in Saturday's contest versus St. Louis.

Even after losing balance, Kucherov had the wherewithal to catch goaltender Jake Allen briefly sliding to his left, and expose a small gap beneath his blocker.

If you're a Lightning fan, the finish must look very familiar.

Monday against Washington, Kucherov scored a nearly-identical goal. With defenseman Taylor Chorney at his mercy, Kucherov turned on the jets and went upstairs in tight on a shot not many players in the world can pull off at full speed.

The release

Backhand be damned, Kucherov's wrist shot is his bread and butter. Thursday against Pittsburgh, he reminded us of that.

The Penguins gave Kucherov a comfortable cushion as he entered the zone, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Coasting above the circle, Kucherov rifled a perfect far-side shot, one he made look far too easy from such a distance.

Note how he waited until Brayden Coburn blocked the goaltender's vision before uncorking that lethal release at the perfect moment.

One-timer

He's yet to convert on one so far this season, but you can count on Kucherov scoring a one-timer sooner rather than later. Especially considering he scored three in one game from the exact same spot a year ago.

While Alex Ovechkin's power play office is on the left circle, Kucherov's is on the right. Looking at his shot locations at five-on-four last season, it's easy to see where he does his damage.

(Chart courtesy: hockeyviz.com)

In three seasons as a full-time NHLer, Kucherov has seen his goal totals rise each year. Considering his arsenal of shots and ability to score from all over the ice, you can expect that trend to continue in 2017-18.

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Rick Tocchet is sorry.

The Arizona Coyotes head coach apologized to fans of his team following Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins. It was the fifth-straight defeat for the Coyotes, as Arizona remains winless on the season, holding an 0-4-1 record.

"I'm embarrassed," Tocchet told Sarah McLellan or The Arizona Republic. "I apologize to the fans."

Tocchet is in his first year behind the Coyotes' bench following an eight-year run by former head coach Dave Tippett. His hiring was part of a major offseason makeover by the club, which has failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the past five years.

But the team's summer acquisitions - including Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers, and goaltender Antti Raanta - have yet to deliver in the early goings of the new season.

"When pressure hits this team for some reason, adversity, they just forget where to go and then they just starting running around," Tocchet added.

Tocchet's next opportunity to win his first game with Arizona comes Tuesday when the Coyotes take on the Dallas Stars.

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Saturday offered a jam-packed 14-game schedule across the NHL, and there was surely no shortage of action.

Streaks were snapped, and milestones were reached, but without wasting too much time, let's dissect what we can take away from the busy slate of games.

The Flyers can light the lamp

The Flyers couldn't wait to get back to Philly, as they thumped the Washington Capitals 8-2 in their home opener coming off a Western swing to start the season.

The Flyers have scored at least five goals in three of five games and have received positive contributions from star players Jakub Voracek (nine assists) and Claude Giroux (three goals, four assists), both of whom are looking to rebound from poor outputs a season ago.

Crosby owns the Panthers again

Sidney Crosby tipped home two goals Saturday against Florida, continuing a rather ridiculous trend for his career.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Crosby's in town for another matchup on Friday.

The Senators are still pesky

The Senators must absolutely love being doubted. After many believed Ottawa couldn't repeat last season's success, the Sens promptly went to western Canada and won three games in five nights, resulting in an overall record of 3-0-2.

Ottawa capped the road trip with a 6-1 drubbing of the listless Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, and have managed to capture eight of a possible 10 points without captain Erik Karlsson - who could be back as soon as Tuesday.

Hellebuyck is No. 1?

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

The Winnipeg Jets have won three games in a row thanks in large part to Connor Hellebuyck taking over the crease. He backstopped the club to a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

In his trio of starts since earning the nod over Steve Mason, Hellebuyck has posted a save percentage of .951 and has yet to allow more than two goals in a game. It's safe to assume he'll be Paul Maurice's go-to guy for the immediate future at the very least.

Butcher shining for 1st-place Devils

Early returns indicate the New Jersey Devils won big by luring defenseman Will Butcher out of Denver University.

The reigning Hobey Baker winner registered two assists in Saturday's win over the New York Rangers, bringing him to eight on the season and five in his last three games for the Metropolitan-leading Devils.

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Dallas Stars bench boss Ken Hitchcock claimed his 783rd career win Saturday to pass Al Arbour for third on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list.

The mark came as the Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche by a 3-1 score.

Hitchcock returned to the Stars this offseason after a six-year run with the St. Louis Blues. He previously coached the Stars from 1995 to 2002, guiding the franchise to its lone Stanley Cup championship in 1999.

Here's the breakdown of Hitchcock's historic coaching career:

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It was a good Saturday night for Mike Babcock.

With a 4-3 overtime win over the rival Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss notched his fourth win of the season, and 600th of his NHL coaching career.

Babcock, who joined the Maple Leafs in 2015, picked up 458 wins in his previous stop with the Detroit Red Wings. He also collected 69 victories while with the Anaheim Ducks from 2002-04. Saturday's victory marked his 73rd win at the helm of the Maple Leafs.

Babcock currently sits 16th in all-time wins, and a spot just outside of the top-10 could be in reach by season's end:

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Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was at it again Saturday night in Montreal, going end-to-end to bury a nasty finish top corner past Canadiens netminder Carey Price in the first period.

Of course, the shot and the goal itself were nice, but the play as a whole deserves another look due to Matthews' stellar solo effort and silky hands.

Here's a more in-depth look at the sequence.

Matthews, No. 34, starts the play in his own defensive zone, taking a pass from Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen and quickly turns up ice. The next frame is where the magic starts to happen.

With his hand-eye coordination on full display, Matthews flips the puck over the outstretched stick of the Montreal defender and proceeds to corral the puck and continue the rush.

After skating the puck through the neutral zone, Matthews temporarily loses it to Canadiens defenseman Jordie Benn only to bat the biscuit out of mid-air and back onto his tape. No big deal.

With the puck seemingly glued to his blade, Matthews then sizes up his competition and sets up for a slippery toe drag.

Executing the toe drag to perfection, Matthews slips the puck slightly to his inside and fires an absolute lazer of a wrist shot past Price for his fourth tally of the season.

Here is the play in it's entirety:

The season may be in its early stages, but after watching this play unfold, it's quite clear that Matthews is already in peak midseason form.

(Images courtesy: Rogers NHL Live)

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Local hero Georges St-Pierre was on hand to drop the ceremonial puck ahead of the Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Bell Centre Saturday.

St-Pierre was joined by Michael Bisping - his opponent for the middleweight championship at UFC 217, along with UFC president Dana White. The Canadian superstar was loudly greeted by the Canadiens' fan base, while Bisping received a chorus of boos.

St-Pierre was also gifted a Canadiens jersey donning his name and the 217 number, a nod to his upcoming fight.

St-Pierre also met with Canadiens star goaltender Carey Price ahead of the game.

Greatness begets further greatness, and the Canadiens are hoping that St-Pierre gives them an extra edge against their arch-rival.

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