NHL Odds: Will William Nylnder or Artemi Panarin’s point streak end first?
It’s a big week for Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander. Not only is the Swedish star set to play two games in his home country with dozens of family members and friends in the building, but he has a chance to match the record for longest point streak to open a season among active NHL players. Nylander will tie Connor McDavid’s record if he picks up points against Detroit on Friday and Minnesota on Sunday.
Nylander isn’t the only NHL player on a hot streak as Rangers sniper Artemi Panari is riding a 14-game point streak to open the 2023-24 campaign.
So, the question comes down to this: whose streak will end first?
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NHL record
To put things in perspective, McDavid’s 17-game point streak to start the 2021-22 season, in which he recorded an absurd 32 points (12G, 20A), is the longest among active NHL players. Nylander is on a 15-game streak with 22 points (10G, 12A) and Panarin is on a 14-game heater with 24 points (8G, 16A).
When looking at the current active record, it’s fair to assume there is a good chance that both players’ streaks will end soon. Keeping that in mind, we’re looking at Nylander and Panarin’s next five opponents and predicting when their respective point streaks will end, taking into account how many shots and goals each opponent allows and how they fare on the penalty kill.
William Nylander’s next five opponents
| William Nylander's Next 5 Opponents | Goals Against Per Game | Shots Against Per Game | Penalty Kill Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ Detroit Red Wings (Fri, Nov. 17) | 3.27 | 30.1 | 79.0 |
| @ Minnesota Wild (Sun, Nov. 19) | 4.20 | 32.3 | 63.5 |
| @ Chicago Blackhawks (Fri, Nov. 24) | 3.46 | 34.8 | 79.6 |
| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Sat, Nov. 25) | 2.64 | 29.8 | 84.8 |
| vs. Florida Panthers (Tue, Nov. 28) | 2.87 | 27.6 | 75.5 |
I don’t think anyone in the world who’s watched Nylander’s career believes he’ll let his point streak end in Sweden. He’s a consistently clutch player who thrives in the biggest moments because he keeps cool under pressure. He’ll also be facing two teams in Detroit and Minnesota that rank in bottom half of the NHL in most defensive categories.
The Red Wings rank 18th in the NHL in average goals-against per game, 14th in shots allowed and 16th on the penalty kill. The Wild are even worse, giving up the second-most goals per game and ranking 23rd in shots allowed. Minnesota is also dead-last in the entire NHL on the penalty kill and remember, Nylander has eight power play points which is nearly 40 per cent of his season total.
Following a long flight back from Sweden, we expect Nylander’s streak to end after 17 games when Toronto travels to Chicago. The Blackhawks aren’t a great this season, but teams generally struggle in the first few games following a trip to Europe.
Artemi Panarin’s next five opponents
| Artemi Panarin's Next 5 Opponents | Goals Against Per Game | Shots Against Per Game | Penalty Kill Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ New Jersey Devils (Sat, Nov. 18) | 3.86 | 30.6 | 76.5 |
| @ Dallas Stars (Mon, Nov. 20) | 2.53 | 32.1 | 90.2 |
| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Wed, Nov. 22) | 2.64 | 29.8 | 84.8 |
| @ Philadelphia Flyers (Fri, Nov. 24) | 3.07 | 27.5 | 79.2 |
| vs Boston Bruins (Sat, Nov. 25 | 2.00 | 31.1 | 91.2 |
Panarin and the Rangers have a tough schedule coming up as they embark on a four-game road trip. Their next three opponents are no joke, with visits to rival New Jersey, then Dallas and Pittsburgh on the horizon. Panarin should be able to feast on the Devils’ defence as New Jersey allows the third-most goals per game in the NHL, but the Stars and Pens will be a different story.
Dallas and Pittsburgh both rank within the top-10 in most major defensive categories. The Stars have the second-best penalty kill in the league, while Panarin has scored 10 points on the power play, which is over 40 per cent of his season total. The Penguins won’t be a pushover either as they have the longest active win streak in the NHL at five games.
We expect Panarin’s point streak to end in Dallas after 15 games. I guess that’s one thing the Leafs will win this year.