Welcome back to the NHL, here’s what you missed

More thoughts on the NHL and the Rangers

• Coaches challenges way down – The new rules regarding coaches challenges has reduced the number of challenges. Now, if a coach challenges a goalie interference call and loses it results in a minor penalty instead of loss of a timeout, the same punishment as a failed offside challenge.  So far this season there have been 11 challenges with only one unsuccessful.   Last season there were 275 total challenges, the vast majority for goalie interference.  At the current rate, there will be 153 challenges this season, almost half.  With the risk of a penalty, coaches are much more reluctant to challenge what is essentially a judgment call in goalie interference.  When the league introduced the minor penalty for a failed offside challenge, the number of those challenges dropped significantly.
• Playing nice – There have been 24 fighting majors in the NHL this season, meaning  there have been  about 12 fights.  That’s a rate of .13 fights per game.  Last season there were 238 fights for a rate of .18 fights per game, the first time it was below .20 fights per game since 2000-01 and a far cry from 2001-02 when there were a total of 803 fights, for a rate of .65 fights per game. The game is changing.
• Rookie stars – So far this young season, it is Victor Olofsson who is setting the pace for rookies.  He leads with six goals and with eight points.  The 24 year old has sort of come out of nowhere.  Drafted in the seventh round in 2014, he played four seasons in Sweden before playing in the AHL last season.   Cale Makar of Colorado is the top rookie defenseman this season with six assists and an average of over 20 minutes ice time per game. Other top rookies include Ilya Mikheyev and Trevor Moore of Toronto, Martin Necas of Carolina, Cody Glass of Vegas and Sam Lafferty of the Penguins.
• Kravtsov to the KHL – That’s the internet rumor that has been going around and there is absolutely no reason to believe it is true.  He practiced today with the Hartford Wolf Pack and although he has a European Assignment Clause in his contract, it just doesn’t make sense that he would leave just because he is seeing time in the AHL.  Hartford’s next game is Friday night.
• Hughes vs. Kakko –  Jack Hughes is scoreless in six games,  has missed twice in shootouts and is a minus four on the season.  He is averaging 15:50 minutes of ice time per game.  Kaapo Kakko  has one goal in three games, is a minus one on the season and is averaging 15:25 of ice time.

Tonight’s game

Brett Howden will move up to center the second line between Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko with Strome moving to the third line.  Brendan Smith is going to be left wing on the third line as well.

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start against the Devils, meaning Henrik Lundqvist goes on Friday in Washington.

Mika Zibanejad and Brendan Lemieux have the flu, Chris Kreider has a lower body injury and Marc Staal has an unspecified injury.  All are expected to play.

For the Devils, Andy Greene is on injured reserve and Nico Hischier has an upper body injury and will miss the game.

The game tonight will be on NBCSN and it is scheduled to start at 7pm EST.   Radio will be on 1050am.  It will be up against the Yankees-Astros playoff game..  That’s what DVR’s are for.