The NHL reached its halfway mark on Thursday, although not every team has completed 41 games. Here’s what stood out, who fell short, leading candidates for awards, and other notable aspects from the first half of the 2024-25 season:

Most Inspiring Tale: Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau in the offseason and injured captain Boone Jenner’s absence this season, the Blue Jackets find themselves in a wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Key contributors like defenseman Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, and newcomer Sean Monahan have stepped up. Remarkably, even with Monahan sidelined due to injury, Columbus managed to dominate the Seattle Kraken with a 6-2 victory in their first game without him.

Most Remarkable Performer: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. Following a mediocre season by his standards, where he scored only 31 goals in 2023-24, Ovechkin needed to hit 42 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record within two seasons. He started the current season explosively with 15 goals in just 18 games but suffered a broken leg and missed 16 games. Now back on the ice, he has upped his season total to 19 goals, keeping hopes alive for breaking the record this year.

Biggest Shock: Vegas Golden Knights. Many expected a decline after the departures of Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Logan Thompson, among others, during the offseason. However, they lead the league in points. Jack Eichel is on track for his first 100-point season, which is promising for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off representing Team USA.

Major Letdown (tie): New York Rangers, Nashville Predators. The Rangers have plummeted from first overall in 2023-24 to a shocking 24th overall, undergoing a slump that resulted in trades involving Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko. Similarly, the Predators, who acquired Steven Stamkos and another 40-goal scorer Marchessault, have fallen from playoff contenders to 30th overall.

Top Player: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers. He has become the first player to hit 30 goals this season, with nine of them being game-winners, including four in overtime. Draisaitl ranks second in points with 61, tied for second in plus-minus at +24, and wins over 56.6% of his faceoffs.

Best Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets. The reigning two-time Vezina Trophy winner has achieved 25 wins in just 33 starts, both of which are the best in the league. He also leads all No. 1 goalies with the best goals-against average and save percentage, which bodes well for Team USA.

Top Defenseman: Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets. He is tied for the most goals scored among defensemen with 13 and has accumulated 48 points, just one point behind leader Cale Makar, who has played an additional game. Werenski logs the most average ice time at 26:30 and has recorded a five-point and a four-point game this season, again a good indicator for Team USA.

Best Rookie: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks. After making an impact with a goal and assist in his first game, he had to sit out the remainder of October. Nonetheless, he is only two points shy of the rookie scoring lead while maintaining an average of nearly a point per game.

Best Coach: Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals. Carbery has successfully integrated several new players into the Capitals’ lineup. This includes Pierre-Luc Dubois, who faced challenges during his previous season in Los Angeles. The Capitals currently have the second-best record in the league and managed a 10-5-1 record during Ovechkin’s absence. Remarkably, what was a -37 goal differential last season has improved to +41 this season under Carbery’s guidance. Dean Evason of the Columbus Blue Jackets is also recognized for his efforts.

Most Notable Goal: Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames. He performed an impressive leaping maneuver over a fallen Tampa Bay Lightning player while maintaining his balance, spinning around and firing a shot past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Best Save: Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils. Markstrom delivered a stellar performance against the Kraken, making two remarkable saves in the same game.