"What McDavid's doing in the league right now, it's truly incredible," Marchand told reporters. "Definitely one of the best players to ever play the game, and it's special to watch firsthand."
McDavid has led the NHL in scoring in four of the last six years but has taken his game to new heights this season, pacing the league with 124 points in 65 contests entering Thursday. He's a virtual lock to win his third career Hart Trophy.
Furthermore, McDavid is on pace for a staggering 157 points this season, which would be the most since Mario Lemieux racked up 161 - in just 70 games - in 1995-96.
"We only see him twice a year, but (we're) watching the highlights each night to see what he does," Marchand continued. "We're still fans of the game, and it's a lot of fun to witness history firsthand and be able to say we all played against him, so that's pretty cool."
Marchand also offered high praise for teammate David Pastrnak, whose 44 goals are second most in the league, though a distant 10 behind McDavid's 54.
"Pasta's having an incredible year, same thing, one of the best goal-scorers in the game. Just an incredible talent," he said. "So it's special when the two of them are on the ice."
Marchand is having a stellar season of his own. Despite returning early from offseason surgery on both hips, the 34-year-old has tallied 54 points in 54 games.
The puck drops at 7:30 ET at Boston's TD Garden, where the league-leading Bruins are seeking their 11th straight win.
Foerster was recalled from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms on an emergency basis due to injuries to forwards Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux.
The Flyers selected Foerster 23rd overall at the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-2 winger has recorded 18 goals and 20 assists in 56 games with the Phantoms this season.
Foerster enjoyed a stellar junior career with the OHL's Barrie Colts, racking up 114 points across 139 contests. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championship, where he contributed three goals and three helpers in seven games.
We split our player props on Wednesday night. Kyle Connor came through at plus money against the Wild. Unfortunately, Elias Pettersson put up a dud and generated only two shots against the Ducks.
We'll set our sights higher with three plays for Thursday night's jam-packed slate.
Brayden Point over 2.5 shots (-125)
Point has cooled off of late, going over on his shot total in just three of the past 10 games. I like the Lightning center's chances of getting back on track Thursday night against the Golden Knights.
The matchup is more enticing than meets the eye. Vegas has been bleeding shots of late, ranking 29th in five-on-five attempts against per 60 over the past 10 games.
The center position has caused the Golden Knights more problems than any other during this stretch. They've allowed 13.6 shots per game by centers, which is the third-highest mark in the NHL.
Point is also a more efficient shot generator at home. He has gone over at a 59% clip in Tampa Bay, compared to 50% on the road.
Look for him to get back on track in an advantageous spot against Vegas.
Miro Heiskanen over 2.5 shots (-135)
Heiskanen has been shooting the lights out. He has gone over 2.5 shots in seven of the past 10 games, over which span he's accumulated a whopping 72 attempts.
Roman Josi (80) and Brandon Montour (74) are the only defenders in the NHL who've attempted more shots during the same period.
Now Heiskanen finds himself in a mouthwatering matchup against the Sabres. Not only do the Sabres tend to play high-event games that pull the pace out of opposing teams, they give up a lot of shots to defensemen.
Only the Coyotes and Ducks - two teams in the thick of the Connor Bedard sweepstakes - have allowed more shots per game to blue-liners over the past 10.
Expect Heiskanen to be ripping pucks early and often in this game.
Clayton Keller over 2.5 shots (-120)
Keller let us down last time out, but we're going right back to the well with the Coyotes star forward.
He has hit in four of his past five home games and his success rate in Arizona sits above 55%. That's a far cry from the 34% clip he's hit at on the road this year.
Perhaps more important than the location of the game, though, is the opponent. The Nashville Predators have not defended all that well for quite some time, and things are likely to get worse given the state of their roster post-deadline.
Keller generated six shots on eight attempts when these teams met a couple of weeks ago. I don't know that he'll reach those heights again, but with cushy usage and a relatively weak opponent, Keller should be able to get the job done in the desert.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Bratt will be a restricted free agent at the end of the campaign and can become unrestricted following the 2023-24 season. He and the Devils settled on a one-year, $5.45-million contract this past offseason.
The 24-year-old winger is enjoying another strong season, recording 25 goals and 33 assists in 63 games. Bratt broke out in a big way over the last campaign with 73 points, more than doubling his previous career high.
The Devils are quietly playing some of their best of the season. That's saying something considering they sit third in the NHL in points and goal differential; the bar is high.
They have won the expected goal battle at five-on-five in 11 of the last 12 games and have consistently graded remarkably well, even in defeat.
For example, the Devils have suffered three losses over the past nine games. The lowest expected goal share they posted in one of those three came last time out against the Maple Leafs, a game in which the Devils controlled 66.89% of the expected goals and won the Grade A chance battle 15-4.
If those are the kind of losing efforts the Devils are putting out, they're in really good shape.
The one - and perhaps only - concern with them of late is the play of Vitek Vanecek. He has provided stable play for the majority of the year, but he's really fallen into a rut. He has posted a sub-.865 save percentage five games in a row, allowing 20 goals over that span despite facing more than 25 shots just once.
The expectation is he'll get a night off in favor of Akira Schmid. The young Swiss netminder has played really well when given the chance, posting a .926 save percentage through 12 NHL appearances this year.
He should be able to step in and get the job done against the post-deadline version of the Washington Capitals. Their play of late leaves a lot to be desired; they've managed just a 43% xG share over the last five.
Their issues stem mostly from a bruised and battered defense. John Carlson, Nick Jensen, and Martin Fehervary are all injured, which has left their blue line very thin.
Look for a Devils team loaded with firepower - Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier come to mind - to exploit those weaknesses and get the Devils back in the win column inside 60 minutes.
The Eastern Conference has sort of beat up on the Western Conference this season, which a quick look at the standings would tell you.
I expect that trend to continue Thursday night when the Senators take on the Kraken in Seattle.
The Senators have largely played quality hockey for several months now. Their underlying metrics are good, they have finished chances at an efficient clip, and they seem to have a real positive aura around them as they push to get into a wild-card spot.
The Senators sort of took their foot off the gas against Chicago last time out, expecting a free two points against the Blackhawks. They paid the price; it was their first negative xG performance in six games and they were blown out of the rink, 5-0.
Brady Tkachuk and co. are no doubt chomping at the bit to right those wrongs and respond following what can only be considered an embarrassing effort.
Although the Kraken - on a 7-3 run - look to be a fierce opponent right now, they are more bark than bite. They have controlled just 46% of the expected goal share at five-on-five (24th) and own a negative goal differential in that gamestate.
They have also faced the Red Wings (x2), Ducks, Blue Jackets, Blues, Sharks, and Flyers in that time. Their schedule has been soft and they've still posted underwhelming numbers.
With a mediocre five-on-five game, and pedestrian goaltending, I expect the Kraken to take a step back and taste defeat against the Senators.
Bet: Senators (+110)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Welcome to the sixth edition of theScore's 2022-23 Norris Trophy Rankings, and the fifth in-season version. New rankings are published once a month throughout the campaign.
These rankings focus on analytics and the all-around ability of defensemen rather than just points or reputation.
xGF% = the share of expected goals a team produces while a player is on the ice at five-on-five
xGA/60 = expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five
GAR = goals above replacement
xGAR = expected goals above replacement
Two new players enter the mix in this edition. Cale Makar's play - when healthy - has him deserving of a spot, but we omitted him after he played only four games since the last rankings due to injury (he's now missed 13 games this season). The best ability is availability, after all.
5. Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes
Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: N/A
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
56
5
15
22:19
62.71
Slavin's defense partner, Brent Burns, is arguably just as deserving of a spot on this list since he's racked up an impressive 50 points in 62 games this season. Both have posted outstanding underlying numbers, too. However, we thought Slavin - the more defensively sound of the two partners - was more deserving.
After all, Burns looked to be declining before joining the Canes this season. And Slavin has a history of propping up his defense partners, as he did with Tony DeAngelo a season ago.
Slavin has been the league's best defensive defenseman this season. He possesses a 99 percentile defensive grade (factoring in contributions at even strength and the penalty kill), and among NHL blue-liners with at least 500 five-on-five minutes, he ranks first in xGF% and second in xGA/60.
The 28-year-old isn't the most physical defender, as he's only thrown 30 hits this season, but he uses his 6-foot-3 frame to break up plays in ways that don't necessarily make the highlight reel. His 67 takeaways lead all NHL defensemen, he's only committed 30 giveaways, and he's only taken four minor penalties while drawing tough assignments.
Slavin's not flashy offensively, but the play doesn't die when the puck touches his stick, either. He's great at facilitating for his more offensively gifted linemates and can pinch in with a goal or a nice setup every now and then. That, combined with his aforementioned defensive acumen, makes him more than worthy of a spot on this list.
4. Roman Josi, Predators
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: N/A
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
61
17
39
25:13
50.84
The Predators may be having a disappointing season, but it's through no fault of Josi's. The 2020 Norris winner and 2022 runner-up makes his first appearance in the top five this season after a scorching-hot month that saw him tally five goals, nine assists, and a 57.68 xGF% in 12 games since the last rankings.
Josi has been exceptional offensively this season, ranking first among NHL defensemen in shots, third in goals, and seventh in points. His all-around game has been strong, too, as he ranks ninth among blue-liners with 13.8 GAR and seventh with 15.6 xGAR.
3. Adam Fox, Rangers
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Previous rank: 3rd
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
63
10
47
24:54
56.62
Fox is coming off his coldest month of the season, as he tallied just eight assists in 13 games since the last rankings. His 51.05 xGF% in that span was also rather pedestrian. But with Makar going down with an injury and no other player stepping up enough to pass him, Fox holds on to a top-three spot, as he's done throughout the entire campaign.
Just because Fox has teetered off a bit, doesn't mean his season still hasn't been superb. Among qualified blue-liners, he ranks sixth in points, fifth in assists, 10th in average ice time, 10th in GAR, first in xGAR, 17th in xGF%, and second with 64 takeaways.
2. Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 4th
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
59
14
49
25:47
52.4
Dahlin recently missed three games due to injury, but it wasn't enough to slow down his chances of capturing his first Norris Trophy. Even with the time missed, Dahlin still recorded eight assists in 10 games since the last rankings.
A lack of discipline continues to be an issue for Dahlin, though. He racked up 14 penalty minutes during that 10-game stretch and is now up to 78 on the season - the third-most among NHL defensemen. If that weren't the case, he might be giving Karlsson a serious run for the top spot.
Everything else about Dahlin's game is terrific. He's third among blue-liners in points, first with 19.8 GAR, and third in average time on ice.
1. Erik Karlsson, Sharks
Kavin Mistry / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 1st
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
65
19
63
25:33
52.66
Karlsson continues to show no signs of slowing down, even as the team around him worsens. Not only did the Sharks trade away their top offensive weapon in Timo Meier, but they also dealt Jaycob Megna - Karlsson's primary defense partner - in early February.
Yet he's still racked up 13 points in 13 games since the last rankings. His xGF% in that time (47.36) has dropped a bit, but it's nowhere near enough to move him out of the top spot as his overall underlying numbers are still excellent despite playing for a rebuilding team. He ranks second among defensemen in both GAR (17.6) and xGAR (21.9), and third with 62 takeaways.
Amazingly, Karlsson still leads all NHL skaters in even-strength points with 62 - a one-point edge over Connor McDavid. His lead in that category over the next blue-liner is an astounding 21. He's on pace for 103 points, which would be the most by a defenseman since Hall of Famer Al MacInnis in 1990-91.
Sat and Bik break down the game as the Canucks beat the Ducks 3-2 in OT at Rogers Arena. Hear from Randip Janda following the game, Head Coach Rick Tocchet at the podium, and Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre!
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
It's another edition of Overrated/Underrated as Sat and Bik debate whether topics such as building winning habits, eliminating the salary cap, and more are overrated or underrated.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
