Facts and Figures: Offenses thrived in October

The first month of the 2018-19 NHL season was a good one for scorers.

There were 1,102 goals scored in the 178 games played during October. That's an average of 6.2 per game, matching 2017-18 for the highest-scoring season through 178 games since 2005-06 (6.4 goals per game). The 2017-18 season finished with an average of 5.9 goals per game (in 1,271 games), the highest since 2005-06 (6.2 goals per game in 1,230 games).
All that offense led to 80 comeback wins, including a nine-day stretch from Oct. 20-28 that saw at least one team rally from down two or more goals to win. In all, there were 13 multiple-goal comebacks during that span and 22 overall in October.
A total of 82 players reached double digits in points. That includes 18 with at least 15 points, led by Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen with 21 (five goals, 16 assists). Only two of the previous 23 seasons saw at least 80 players reach double figures in points this early: 2009-10 (80) and 2005-06 (85).
Of the 178 games played, 42 went past regulation; 30 of those (71.4 percent) were decided during the five-minute overtime, the highest percentage since the NHL adopted the shootout for the 2005-06 season.
Forwards Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning (against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 30) and Jakub Voracek of the Philadelphia Flyers (against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 10) were the only players with five points in a game. Point was one of seven players to have four assists in a game. There were 12 hat tricks; the most recent was Oct. 27 when Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg scored three goals in a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had the most goals in a game, defeating the Calgary Flames 9-1 on Oct. 25. The Lightning had two of the five eight-goal games (8-2 against Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 13; 8-3 against the Devils on Oct. 30).

Five teams had at least 50 shots in a game, led by the Carolina Hurricanes, who had 57 in a 5-4 overtime win at the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 13. The Lightning had a 55-shot game in a 6-3 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 21 that included 33 in the second period, an NHL single-period record since shots became an official statistic in 1997-98.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews had10 goals and 16 points in 11 games. He has 42 points (25 goals, 17 assists) in 32 October games, an NHL career average of 1.31 points per game that leads all active players (minimum 30 games played). Penguins center Sidney Crosby is next at 1.27 and Oilers center Connor McDavid is third at 1.26.
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty led all players in average ice time per game at 26:49. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was seventh at 25:33, but his 32:00 time on ice in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 13 was the most by a player in one game.