Connor Bedard Eyes Return as NHL Frozen Frenzy Features All 32 Teams

Connor Bedard may be back in Chicago’s lineup Tuesday night, while Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider and Dawson Mercer keep climbing the League’s active ironman list as all 32 clubs take the ice in a 16-game NHL Frozen Frenzy slate.

The Devils visit the Red Wings in the first faceoff of the night at Little Caesars Arena, with DeBrincat set to reach 461 straight regular-season appearances. That places him third among active players, trailing Colorado defenseman Brent Burns at 1,012 and Montreal captain Nick Suzuki at 542.

Seider and Mercer are each due for game No. 415 in a row, matching Columbus center Charlie Coyle. DeBrincat has two goals and three assists through five games for Detroit, which enters at 1-3-1. New Jersey is 2-3-0, led by Jack Hughes’ five points, including four assists.

Milestones on the late board

Burns has two major pursuits waiting in Dallas when Colorado visits the Stars. The 41-year-old Avalanche defenseman remains on the trail of Phil Kessel’s NHL consecutive-games standard of 1,064. He also needs one goal to tie Chris Chelios for third place in goals by a defenseman after turning 40.

In his 23rd NHL campaign, Burns has produced 45 points — 13 goals and 32 assists — since his 40th birthday. Chelios finished his post-40 career with 92 points, including 14 goals, before retiring at 48.

Colorado, 3-2-0, arrives as the NHL’s highest-scoring club at 5.20 goals per game. Nathan MacKinnon has five goals and five assists in five outings, while Cale Makar has three goals and four assists. Dallas is 2-2-1 and has been paced by Mikko Rantanen’s six points. The Stars will be without Matt Duchene for three months following core-injury surgery; the issue had affected the forward during training camp.

At United Center, Bedard could make his season debut against the Penguins after left-shoulder surgery. The injury occurred during an offseason workout in Vancouver on July 2. Chicago named Bedard captain Sept. 15 at 21 years and 60 days, making him the second-youngest captain in franchise history behind Jonathan Toews, who was 20 years and 79 days old.

The Blackhawks are 1-5-0 and could use the production Bedard supplied last season, when he posted 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games. Since Chicago selected him first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard has 75 goals and 128 assists in 219 games.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby enters with nine points in 11 career games in Chicago. One assist would move him past Joe Thornton’s 1,109 for seventh all-time, while two would equal Ray Bourque’s record of 1,111 assists for one franchise, set with the Boston Bruins.

McDavid reaches 800

Connor McDavid is set for his 800th NHL game when Edmonton wraps up its three-stop California swing against Los Angeles. The Oilers captain has 1,233 points in 799 games, made up of 412 goals and 821 assists. At the 800-game mark, only Wayne Gretzky, with 1,892 points, and Mario Lemieux, with 1,580, will stand ahead of him in NHL history.

Edmonton has started 4-0-1 and is the only NHL club without a regulation defeat. The Oilers have won four straight since a 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver in their Sept. 29 opener.

Evan Bouchard has driven the attack from the blue line with six goals and six assists in five games. He is the third defenseman to record at least 12 points over his first five games of a season, joining Harry Cameron, who had 15 for the Toronto Arenas in 1917-18, and Morgan Rielly, who had 12 for Toronto in 2018-19.

Los Angeles, at 0-2-2, remains one of three teams chasing its first victory. Philadelphia is 0-5-2 and Calgary is 0-5-0.

Sharks have made overtime their territory

San Jose takes a 3-2-0 record into its home game with Boston after winning each of its first three victories beyond regulation. Another overtime win would make the Sharks one of five teams in NHL history to begin a season with at least four OT victories.

Macklin Celebrini will play his second game since returning from a two-game absence caused by a lower-body injury. The Sharks captain has a goal and five assists in three appearances.

Boston is 4-2-0, with one of those wins coming in overtime. New Bruins captain David Pastrnak has led the way with two goals and five assists in six games.

Tuesday schedule