Facts and Figures: Carlson adds to NHL-leading point total for Capitals

John Carlson added to his NHL-leading point total with an assist for the Washington Capitals in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

Carlson has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 12 games, one ahead of Oilers center Connor McDavid. Carlson is the second defenseman in NHL history to lead the League outright in points through the first 23 days in a season.
Bobby Orr
of the Boston Bruins in 1969-70 had 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 10 games, leading all players
through games played Nov. 2, 1969
.
His 21 points are tied with
Brian Leetch
of the New York Rangers in 1990-91 and
Paul Coffey
of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988-89 for the second-most by a defenseman in October;
Al MacInnis
of the Calgary Flames had 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 13 games in 1990-91. The Capitals have two games remaining in October, against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Friday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN1, NBCSWA+, NHL.TV), and against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

The assist also extended Carlson's point streak to nine games (five goals, 13 assists). He's one shy of the longest streak by a Washington defenseman, 10 games by
Robert Picard
from Dec. 17, 1978 through Jan. 9, 1979, and by
Al Iafrate
from Nov. 25 through Dec. 12, 1992.

McDavid rediscovers scoring touch in Oilers win

McDavid had a goal and two assists, including an assist on Leon Draisaitl's overtime goal, in Edmonton's win against the Capitals. He ended his three-game point drought, which tied the longest of his NHL career; McDavid also went three games without a point from Dec. 29, 2017 through Jan. 2, 2018.
The game was McDavid's 298th in the NHL, and he'll become the eighth player in League history to never experience a point drought longer than three games through his first 300 regular-season games. Every player who has achieved that feat -- with the exception of Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby -- has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hamilton scores again for Hurricanes

Dougie Hamilton scored his sixth goal of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes in their 4-3 overtime loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Hamilton's six goals are the most among NHL defensemen. He's the second defenseman in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history with at least six goals in October, joining
Al Sims
, who scored eight goals for the Whalers in 1980-81.

40-year-olds Thornton, Marleau assist on same goal for Sharks

San Jose Sharks teammates Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, each 40 years old, assisted on Melker Karlsson's third-period goal in the San Jose Sharks' 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. They are the first players age 40 or older to factor in a goal since 40-year-old
Ray Whitney
and 41-year-old
Jaromir Jagr
had assists on a goal by Jamie Benn for the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild on March 29, 2013.
The win was the Sharks' ninth straight against the Canadiens, dating to Dec. 15, 2015. San Jose is the seventh team in NHL history with a regular-season winning streak of at least nine games against Montreal. Two teams have won 12 straight against the Canadiens: the Ottawa Senators from Feb. 28, 1925 to Feb. 22, 1927, and the Toronto Maple Leafs from Dec. 9, 1939 to Jan. 23, 1941.