It's Auston and Connor's world, and the rest of us are just living in it.
Toronto Maple Leafs savior Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid have taken the NHL by storm the last few seasons with slick skating, smooth hands, and poise beyond their years. Their fresh approaches have quickly made the duo the new faces of the league.
After Matthews played in his 100th career game Monday, we take a look at how these two generational talents compare after their first 100 games.
The numbers
Each player entered the league at 19 years old, but they quickly settled into their roles as everyday NHLers, racking up points at impressive rates.
While the arguments over which player is better rage on, when you compare their stats, the two stack up a lot closer than McDavid supporters might be willing to admit.
Here's a look at their stats through the first 100 games:
Player
Goals
Assists
Points
GWG
Plus-minus
McDavid
34
74
108
10
+14
Matthews
52
38
90
10
+16
These numbers won't end the conversation, but they clearly show the gap between the two is more slim than many think.
Durability
Before Oilers fans start sharpening their pitchforks, lighting torches, and heading for theScore's offices, it should be made clear that McDavid's first-season production was stunted when he missed almost three months with a fractured clavicle. A straight-up comparison needs to be viewed with the right lens.
In the 19 games leading up to his injury during the 2015-16 campaign, the first 19 of his career, McDavid registered 24 points and was just heating up, so there's no telling what he would've done offensively in the time he spent on the shelf.
Meanwhile, Matthews registered six goals and seven assists for only 13 points through his first 19 contests.
There's no way of predicting which player will be able to avoid future injury, and McDavid's busted collarbone was a fluke accident. But the fact remains: at this point in their careers, Matthews has proven to be the more durable player.
Linemates
You can't get by without a little help from your friends, and that couldn't be more true for a hockey player.
Last season, Edmonton's line of Patrick Maroon, Leon Draisaitl, and McDavid was a force to be reckoned with, finishing the regular season with a ridiculous total of 219 points. A major reason for McDavid hitting the 100-point mark last campaign was his 70 assists on a line firing on all cylinders.
This year, the Oilers look like a shell of their former selves, sitting near the bottom of the league in goal-scoring with a measly 50. A major reason for that is McDavid's once-stellar supporting cast is firing blanks, leading a panicked management team to acquire aging veteran Michael Cammalleri.
Meanwhile, Matthews' line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman has been one of the better trios in the league this year, racking up 46 combined points while anchoring the Leafs' offensive attack.
Simply put, if McDavid and Co. were able to maintain the insane pace they were on last year to start this one, Matthews' offensive output after 100 would most likely fall well short.
Ultimately, picking one of the two best hockey players of their generation over the other is like choosing between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. Even after 100 games, it doesn't appear this debate will be settled anytime soon.
At the quarter point of the 2017-18 campaign, theScore's NHL team identifies the front-runners to bring home some hardware. This installment was put together by editors Sean O'Leary and Josh Wegman.
Hart - Steven Stamkos
The Tampa Bay Lightning turned heads last season even without their captain, but Stamkos has made them nearly unstoppable.
The Lightning have lost just three games in regulation, and Stamkos leads the NHL with 35 points in 20 games, owning a 1.75 per-game average that projects him to shatter career highs in points and assists. - O'Leary
Vezina - Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky leads all starting goalies in save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (2.02). He also leads all starters in high-danger save percentage, per Corsica, as he already has a season's worth of highlight-reel saves to his name.
Both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Corey Crawford should garner some consideration here, but Bobrovsky is a clear-cut choice for the quarter-season award. - Wegman
Norris - Erik Karlsson
While Alex Pietrangelo and John Klingberg have started strong, only one elite defenseman is producing at least one point per game.
Despite missing the first chunk of his season to recover from offseason foot surgery, Karlsson sits two points off the league lead in points among defenseman with one goal and 16 assists in 14 contests. While he's not logging his usual standard in ice time, he still averages more than 25 minutes per night, and it doesn't look like there's anything that can stop him from snapping his brief, inexplicable two-year Norris drought. - O'Leary
Calder - Will Butcher
While there may be no Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine in this rookie class, there's certainly no shortage of Calder-worthy players.
Butcher, a defenseman for the Devils, has a slight edge at the quarter mark. He has 16 points in 20 games and a plus-7 rating, and has his team atop the Metro Division standings.
This award is generally reserved for Patrice Bergeron, but since the perennial gold standard of defensive forwards has missed some time this season, he hasn't established himself as the early leader.
It's rare that the Selke ever goes to a winger, but Stone should be in the mix. The 25-year-old is tied for second among all forwards with 24 takeaways, and has been on the ice for 17 goals for at even strength, compared to just nine against. - O'Leary
Jack Adams - Gerard Gallant
The no-brainer above all no-brainers. Gallant has his expansion team sitting second in the Pacific Division with 25 points in 19 games, despite having to start a fourth-string netminder.
Though Vegas' success may not be sustainable, it's far and away the NHL's most surprising team this season. Gallant has to be given credit for getting his players to compete every night. - Wegman
General Manager of the Year - Doug Armstrong
There's lots of time left to see which GM can orchestrate a move to push his team over the top, but Armstrong is a worthy candidate to this point.
The Jori Lehtera-Brayden Schenn trade has been highway robbery for the Blues, helping to rejuvenate a lineup now perched atop the Western Conference. - O'Leary
Over the course of the 2017-18 season, theScore will run a series of interviews with former players, coaches, and officials in which they recall some of the greatest moments of their career. This edition focuses on Bernie Nicholls, who racked up more than 1,200 career points and had a 70-goal, 150-point season next to Wayne Gretzky in the late-1980s.
On what he remembers from his first NHL game:
My first game was in Calgary, at the old Calgary Corral, where the boards seemed like they were five feet high, and hard. I remember Jerry Korab got hit from behind into the boards, it might have been my first shift out on the ice. And there's a fan banging on the glass, and I go over, and (Jerry's) teeth are sitting on the ledge of the boards.
So, I'm sitting there going, "Damn, here's my first shift in the NHL and a guy just got his teeth knocked out on a hit from behind." (laughs) I don't remember who won the game, or how well I did, but that's what I remember.
On his first NHL goal:
We're in Colorado. I get a breakaway, and I deke Chico Resch and score.
I actually had someone send me a picture of me deking past him and shooting it into the empty net. And that was back before we had iPhones and things like that. I actually have that picture with my jersey hanging up, where I'm shooting the puck into the empty net. And Chico Resch signed his goalie stick for me, so I have that.
It was actually a pretty nice goal for my first NHL goal.
On adjusting to life in L.A. after growing up in West Guilford, Ontario:
I'll never forget flying into L.A. ... where I come from, there may be 75 people in my hometown. There are trees, it's back in the bush. I'm flying into Hollywood ... you actually fly right over the (Great Western Forum). I remember that. And then you land, and there are, like, 10 million people. I go from one extreme to the next.
I love horse racing; Hollywood Park was right there. (Lakers owner Jerry) Buss had celebrities there all the time. Tom Hanks would be at the games. Sylvester Stallone, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell. We played every Saturday night and the Lakers played every Friday night. I'd go to the games and stand on the floor, and hang out with Magic Johnson and the rest of the Lakers.
I always found I can adapt anywhere. You want to take me to Alaska, I can go live there. I love that part of the world. Hollywood was an easy transition, and I enjoyed it. I got my pink silk suit; I could dress the part. It was pretty cool.
On whether he still fancies wearing fur coats as he did in L.A.:
You know what? I still have one; I haven't worn it in a while.
When I was in junior, my billet owned a fur store. So that's where I kind of got the reputation there as an 18-year-old, playing junior hockey, traveling out with a full-length wolf coat. I guess it followed me out to L.A.
On his favorite on-ice talkers:
Ken Baumgartner was tough. He'd always give you the old, "Daddy's home!" or, "You want to party?" But he could back it up. He was good that way.
Another one was Glen Sather - he was so fitting for the Oilers. Cocky young kids, and their coach was cocky and arrogant, but they could all back it up. Glen would have that shit-ass grin on his face behind the bench, chirping at you, but he could really back it up.
A lot of the tough guys would just kind of tell you what they were going to do. Marty McSorley was one of those guys. I love Marty, and I got to play with him, but I'll never forget one time when we're in L.A., and the whistle goes. And the referee, he's over by the penalty box. And Marty's giving me a face wash, 'cause he knows there's nothing I can do about it. (laughs)
So I turned and punched him as hard as I can right in the head, and then I skated as fast as I could to the penalty box and stood right beside the referee and said, "He's comin'." And sure enough, he came and speared me right in front of the referee. (laughs) That's our friend Marty.
On his favorite referee interaction:
I remember Andy Van Hellemond was a big horse guy, and he knew I was. So when he'd come to L.A., he'd be at the track, and we'd be on the ice and he'd tell me he had a good day, or ask me, "Do you know anything for tomorrow?" I lived with a jockey there, and was a friend with a couple of them ... they used to be in the penalty box in L.A., opening the door on the visitors' side.
Andy knew I was friends with them, so he'd always ask me if I had any tips for him, or just tell me how well he did that day.
On how he developed into one of the best shooters of his era:
I think that was more natural ability than work. I've always said, if I could ever do one thing over again in my career, it would be that. We never worked on our craft like kids do today. We never worked out. I didn't start working out until I got to Chicago in '94. We never even had a bike in L.A.
When I got to Chicago, with Chris Chelios, all of a sudden I'm doing push-ups and sit-ups in the sauna, working out every day and loving it. But that was much later in my career. So for me, I think most of (my shooting ability) was God-given. My endurance was probably as good as anybody's. But I still loved shooting in practice.
People always said I had a deceptive shot, or that when I came down the ice, they never knew where I was going for the puck. I guess that was fortunate for me, when goalies couldn't read me. A lot of guys telegraph their shot, and I guess mine was a little different.
On the moment he found out the Kings had acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers:
I was actually in Tahoe at a celebrity golf event, and Jeremy Roenick said he had just heard that (the Kings) had got Wayne Gretzky. I was absolutely shocked. And I was good friends with Bruce McNall, who had just taken over. He had never really mentioned anything about that.
But it was like Christmas day; I was like, "You gotta be kidding me." I was just so excited to have the opportunity to play with Wayne.
On his relationship with Gretzky during their time together:
I've asked different people - and I don't know how Wayne was in Edmonton or on other teams, if he had one player that he hung with - but I was Wayne's shadow. Every day Wayne took me to lunch. When we went on the road, it was Wayne and I. Went to dinner, went to movies. Every day, I was with him.
We had a McDonald's 200 yards up the street (from the arena). Wayne loved McDonald's. Wayne would say, "Hey, Bern, let's go to lunch." When Wayne says "Let's do something," we're doing it. Let's go. So it's McDonald's. And to this day, I hate McDonald's. (laughs). We went every day.
I'll never forget game days. Wayne was a quiet leader, obviously leading by example. And he would come over to me - and he might have gone over to everybody, I don't know that - but he would give me a little tap privately on my knee pads and say, "I need you tonight." And in your mind you're going, "Oh my God, that's Wayne."
Great players bring out the best in everybody. They always do it. And that's how it was with Wayne. Obviously you want to play well for your team, but I always wanted to play well with Wayne. He had that kind of an impact on me. It was just a dream for me to play and hang with Wayne.
On whether being traded out of L.A. in a 1989 deal with the Rangers might have cost him a shot at the Hockey Hall of Fame:
Oh, absolutely. Any time you get traded ... obviously, after you get traded once it's a little easier ... but the toughest part for me was because of that.
You score 70 goals, you play with the greatest player in the game, and all of a sudden, it's like they tease you: they let you play with him just for a little bit, and that's it. For me, I was absolutely honored and fortunate to play with him for a year and a half, but wow, would it have been fun to play with him for a few more years.
That was absolutely the toughest part. That hurt.
On who he considers most underrated from his era:
I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to play with Gretz for 10 years. It was so much fun. But I've always said that if I could play with one person for my entire career, it would be Chris Chelios.
Chris' work ethic was second to none. He gave me nine stitches in my ear in practice one time as I was trying to go around him. He battled you in practice like it was a game. He always said he wanted to play 60 minutes, and I really truly believe he could have. If I had been the coach, I would have let him try.
Everybody knows that Chris would party hard off the ice at times, but he was the first person on the ice the next day. Always. And Chris was always the hardest-working player out there. No one battled harder than him. He was unbelievable.
On winding down his career with the San Jose Sharks in the late-1990s:
The role was going to be different. I know when I signed there, I talked to the general manager, and he had a plan: "We want you to lead the team." They had just drafted Patrick Marleau, and said, "Later on, we want you to take on a lesser role, be more of a role model for the younger kids and teach them."
I loved the idea. To me, there's nothing better than watching young kids in any sport do well. And I've always said that the older players play such a big role to the younger kids. When I first broke in, you know that you gotta take someone else's job. You're not going to get support from the other center. It's the older guys that know that you're going to be a valuable part of the team going forward that take you under your wing.
For me, going there, I had an opportunity to help young kids, Patrick Marleau, Marco Strum, guys like that. And I really loved that idea.
On an unsatisfying end to his NHL career:
This one is a touchy one. I knew I wasn't done yet. The problem is, Darryl Sutter was the coach. I love Darryl, I had him twice. But he had his brother there, Ronnie. And Ronnie was playing that fourth-line role. But I already had an agreement with (GM) Dean Lombardi. Dean brought me in for that role.
So Darryl decides he's going to keep his brother ahead of me. And I can understand that; I probably would have done the same thing. But it's up to Dean Lombardi, the general manager, who knows I'm a better fit. And Dean wouldn't stand up for me against Darryl.
A year later he apologized, but my thought is, you didn't have the balls to stand up to Darryl and do the right thing for the team. So I was done. That didn't sit well for a long time. And like I said, I had no problem with Darryl; he kept me on as a coach there, and he hired me in L.A. as a coach. I can understand from his point; you do a lot of things for your family.
Dean knew I was the better person for the job, and that was the deal when I signed there. So that part stung - and it still hits a nerve.
On how he wished things had ended:
I wanted to play 20 years. And if I couldn't help the team, then I would know it's time. Obviously my goal scoring wasn't there, but I could still play well on defense, still take faceoffs, still really good for the young kids. And I loved the opportunity to play that role.
Even when I was coaching with the Kings, I hung with the players more than with the coaches. I loved being around the players, loved helping the players. I didn't get to do it enough (as a player), and I really would have liked to do it for a couple more years.
__________
Rapid Fire
Best goalie he ever faced: Patrick Roy
Best player he ever played with (aside from Gretzky): Mario Lemieux
Favorite coach of all time: His dad, Pat Quinn, Jacques Lemaire
Favorite visiting arena: Chicago Stadium
__________
Fact File
Born: June 24, 1961, Haliburton, ON
Drafted: Fourth round (73rd overall), 1980, Los Angeles Kings
Teams: Los Angeles Kings (1981-89), New York Rangers (1989-91), Edmonton Oilers (1991-93), New Jersey Devils (1993-94), Chicago Blackhawks (1994-96), San Jose Sharks (1996-98)
The Columbus Blue Jackets are right in the hunt in a ridiculously crowded Metropolitan Division - but they aren't making things easy on themselves.
The Blue Jackets are an impressive 13-7-1 a quarter of the way into the season despite boasting the NHL's worst power play. Their performance with the man advantage hasn't just been bad - it's been next-level terrible, producing just six goals in 58 opportunities after misfiring on their only man advantage in Monday's 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
The Blue Jackets have gotten away with having a terrible power-play unit through 21 games - but is their success sustainable if they can't fix their woes with the man advantage? Recent history suggests that making the playoffs - never mind being a top-three team in the conference - is a tall task without some semblance of a power play.
Here's a quick look at the bottom-five teams in terms of power-play efficiency over the previous five seasons, along with their end-of-year record and whether they made the postseason:
2016-17 season
TEAM
PP RANK
RECORD
PLAYOFFS
Arizona
26th
30-42-10
No
Detroit
27th
33-36-13
No
N.Y. Islanders
28th
41-29-12
No
Vancouver
29th
30-43-9
No
Colorado
30th
22-56-4
No
None of these teams reached the playoffs, though the Islanders came awfully close. They won seven of their final 10 regular-season games to make things interesting but went a combined 0-for-10 with the man advantage in their three losses over that stretch - including an 0-for-6 showing in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. A win, and they're in.
2015-16 season
TEAM
PP RANK
RECORD
PLAYOFFS
Ottawa
26th
38-35-9
No
Vancouver
27th
31-38-13
No
Tampa Bay
28th
46-31-5
Yes
Toronto
29th
29-42-11
No
Winnipeg
30th
35-39-8
No
The Lightning squeezed into the playoffs as the East's No. 6 seed despite a power-play unit that succeeded just 15.8 percent of the time. Tampa Bay was quite fortunate that season, going 21-10-5 in one-goal games - but also boasted the league's seventh-best penalty-killing unit (84 percent) while squandering just three of its 38 third-period leads.
2014-15 season
TEAM
PP RANK
RECORD
PLAYOFFS
Toronto
26th
30-44-8
No
Minnesota
27th
46-28-8
Yes
Anaheim
28th
51-24-7
Yes
Colorado
29th
39-31-12
No
Buffalo
30th
23-51-8
No
This wacky season produced not one, but two playoff teams with bottom-five power-play success rates. The Wild's inclusion was an easy one to figure out - they allowed the NHL's fourth-fewest goals in the regular season - while the Ducks were an unfathomable (and absolutely unrepeatable) 33-1-7 in one-goal games. That kind of luck will conquer anything.
2013-14 season
TEAM
PP RANK
RECORD
PLAYOFFS
Vancouver
26th
36-35-11
No
Los Angeles
27th
46-28-8
Yes
Carolina
28th
36-35-11
No
Buffalo
29th
25-51-10
No
Florida
30th
29-45-8
No
The Kings proved you can not only make the playoffs with a terrible power play, you can win the whole darned thing. Of course, it wasn't like Los Angeles was a pushover going into the postseason - it allowed the fewest goals against in the regular season, then caught fire during its wild playoff run (on the strength of a 23.5-percent power-play success rate. Go figure.)
2012-13 season
TEAM
PP RANK
RECORD
PLAYOFFS
Boston
26th
28-14-6
Yes
Carolina
27th
19-25-4
No
Columbus
28th
24-17-7
No
Buffalo
29th
21-21-6
No
Winnipeg
30th
24-21-3
No
Stop me if you've heard this before: The Bruins earned a top-three berth in the East by virtue of allowing the conference's second-fewest goals, in combination with the league's fourth-best penalty-killing rate (87.1 percent). It also helped that Boston surrendered just two shorthanded goals in the shortened season, more than just six other teams.
Findings
So on one hand, the odds aren't exactly in the Blue Jackets' favor. But if you consider the commonalities between teams that did prevail despite struggling with the man advantage, you could make a case that Columbus is in position to join the Lightning, Wild, Ducks, Kings, and Bruins as playoff teams with less-than-potent power plays:
Defense/goaltending: This has easily been the Blue Jackets' strength to date, as they come into Tuesday having allowed the second-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is flashing Vezina Trophy form through the first quarter of the season with a 2.02 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Penalty killing: The Blue Jackets have been quite solid here, too, entering Tuesday with the league's 10th-ranked penalty killing unit at 83.4 percent. Columbus hasn't surrendered a man-advantage goal since giving up three in a Nov. 6 loss to the New York Rangers, and are a perfect 13-for-13 in six games since.
One-goal games: A little good fortune is critical for teams with power play deficiencies - and in that regard, Columbus has been great. The Blue Jackets are an almost-flawless 7-0-1 in one-goal games this season, leading the league with an .875 winning percentage in those situations. They're no 2014-15 Anaheim Ducks, but still - not bad.
So yes, the Blue Jackets could very well end up as a top-three team in the East even if their power play doesn't improve. But they'll need to continue getting elite-level goaltending and a little luck in close games - and it wouldn't hurt to score a few more goals with the man advantage.
On Monday night, Auston Matthews had the distinct pleasure of facing his childhood team - the Arizona Coyotes - in the 100th game of his career.
While the 4-1 loss might not have gone as planned, it is seemingly the only thing that has gone askew in the sophomore's impeccable career to date.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar, the milestone may seem premature, but the 20-year-old has already set the league ablaze. Matthews has tallied 52 goals - the second most since he entered the league and most by a rookie since Alex Ovechkin's 52-goal rookie season in 2006 - and has become a nightly highlight reel.
His career remains in it's infancy, but with so many memorable moments to date, its worth looking at the best of Matthews so far.
5. Smashing Maple Leafs records
It might not be the prettiest goal of Matthews' young career, but with his 35th last year in a game against the Florida Panthers, Matthews broke Wendel Clark's record for most goals by a Maple Leafs rookie in a season.
It was a record that had stood for 31 years and one Matthews extended with five additional goals before the year expired. He would also break the Maple Leafs record for most points by a rookie with 69, besting the previous mark of 67.
4. Outdoor Game magic
Last January, the Maple Leafs had the honor of hosting the Centennial Classic - an outdoor game against the Detroit Red Wings.
It was the Maple Leafs' first chance to host an outdoor game and best believe it, Matthews made sure it was one to remember. After scoring on a wicked wrist shot in the third period, the game went to overtime where he once again stole the show.
Matthews hopped on a loose puck and back-handed it over the catching glove of Jared Coreau to give the Maple Leafs a 5-4 win.
3. Playoff heroics
Heading into last season, few expected the Maple Leafs to challenge for a playoff spot, let alone hold their own against the Presidents' Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals.
However, the club did just that, pushing the Capitals to six games in the first round. Once again, it was Matthews leading the way. He was a force all series, scoring four goals and five points. His tally in Game 6 is still fresh in the minds of Leafs fans.
2. The hardware to back it up
While few were surprised by the outcome, Matthews' Calder Trophy win was the bow that perfectly wrapped his incredible rookie campaign.
He finished tied for second in the league with 40 goals, paced all first-year players with 69 points, and immediately made his mark as one of the top talents in the NHL.
1. A debut like no other
It's a performance that will forever be synonymous with his name.
On Oct. 12, 2016, in his first NHL game, Matthews scored not once, not twice, not even a hat trick, but four goals, becoming the first player in NHL history to complete the feat.
For many, it was their first look at the 2016 first-overall pick, and in an instant, he put the league on notice. It's a performance that will be tough to match both for future generations and for the man himself, and still is his most remarkable achievement to date.
Auston Matthews seemed to have scored in his 100th NHL game, but the Toronto Maple Leafs' star center was denied due to a call of goaltender interference.
Zach Hyman got tangled up with Antti Raanta at the right side of the net before Matthews deposited it into the left, and after a lengthy review spurred by a coach's challenge, the NHL ruled the netminder was impeded in his ability to make the save.
The goal would have tied the game at two late in the third period. The Coyotes went on to win 4-1 thanks to a pair of empty-net goals.
A trip to eastern Canada appears to have been just what the Arizona Coyotes needed.
Less than a week ago, Arizona had not won a game in regulation all season, posting a record of 2-15-3 with an overtime and shootout win to their credit. But, after kicking off a four-game Canadian road trip with a loss in Winnipeg, the Coyotes reeled off a trio of victories as they moved through Quebec and Ontario.
First, Arizona scored a pair of third period goals to cap a comeback over the Montreal Canadiens, finally earning their first regulation win of the season. Next up was the Ottawa Senators, who the Coyotes defeated in overtime on the strength of an Anthony Duclair hat trick.
And on Monday, Arizona spoiled hometown boy Auston Matthews' 100th career game by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs, picking up another regulation victory in the process.
Even with the three-game streak, the Coyotes remain in the NHL's basement, but defeating a trio of 2017 playoff teams while on the road is no small feat for a young club.
Now they return home for games against division rivals from San Jose, Los Angeles and Vegas.
The St. Louis Blues activated defenseman Jay Bouwmeester off injured reserve, making him available for Tuesday's game against Edmonton. The veteran has been out since training camp with a fractured ankle.
Despite Bouwmeester's absence, the Blues sit first in the Western Conference and second overall with 31 points through 21 games, and the addition of a defenseman with over 1,000 games to his credit will certainly provide a boost.
"A quality player like 'Bo,' he's an important piece to our game," Blues head coach Mike Yeo said via the team's website. "He's a guy, with his skating ability, his defensive game, he does so many little things that help you win hockey games."
The Blues are allowing only 2.62 goals per game so far this season - good for fifth in the NHL - and Bouwmeester's steady presence should only help the cause.
"He plays both ends of the ice, and he's a guy that eats a lot minutes, too," said captain Alex Pietrangelo. "We've been doing well on the back end, but when you bring a guy with that kind of experience, it sends a calming influence throughout the lineup. He can really control the game and I'm looking forward to having him back."
Through 321 games with the Blues, Bouwmeester has registered a Corsi rating of 50.2 at even strength while regularly beginning his shifts in the defensive zone - a testament to his responsibility with the puck.
