Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: first round, matchup 11

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far have been placed into a bracket of 64 entries, and fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the next round.

In the matchup Wednesday, Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers reaching 100 points defeated Laila Anderson announcing the St. Louis Blues players at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Enterprise Center.

The matchup Thursday pits Gabriel Vilardi of the Los Angeles Kings scoring 10 seconds into his NHL debut Feb. 20 against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar joining fellow rookie Quinn Hughes with 50 points this season.

Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor

I haven't had the privilege of making my professional sports debut (on the playing field), but I have to imagine there are few things quite like it, especially when you make an immediate impact and enter the spotlight like Vilardi did for Los Angeles against the Florida Panthers. The rookie scored his first NHL goal 10 seconds into his first shift in his first NHL game on his first shot on goal against Sergei Bobrovsky, who has twice been voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL (2013, 2017). It was the fastest first goal in NHL history, breaking the previous record set by Gus Bodnar of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who scored 15 seconds into his debut in 1943. If Vilardi's feat wasn't impressive enough on its own, the moment must have been even more special considering it came in a home game at Staples Center with his parents and brother in attendance after he was recalled from Ontario of the American Hockey League earlier that day. What a storybook start to a promising NHL career for the 20-year-old forward. Vilardi should win this debate against Makar, whose 50-point mark was very rare for a rookie defenseman but had already been done once this season.

Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Makar has done so many special things this season but getting to 50 points in 57 games as a rookie might be the most special. It is an insane number. It's a nice try by Pete to point out that Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks got to 50 points first. Hughes did indeed get there first (and that should be celebrated as well), but Makar got there faster than Hughes (61 games). How good is 50 points in 57 games? There hasn't been a 50-point season by a rookie defenseman since Vladimir Malakhov of the New York Islanders had 52 points in 64 games in 1992-93. It's also a rate of 0.88 points per game, which has only been topped by two rookie defensemen in a season (minimum 50 games played) in the history of the League: Brian Leetch of the 1988-89 New York Rangers (1.04 points per game) and Larry Murphy of the 1980-81 Kings (0.95). That is some pretty fine company Makar is keeping. Although there is not the inherent drama of the Vilardi goal, which is undeniable, the history behind the Avalanche defenseman's accomplishment carries far more weight.