42.9 – John Carlson hit the 40-point mark last night in San Jose. He finished the night with a 12-point lead among the league’s defensemen, Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton with 28 points standing in second place. That 42.9 percent gap between first and second place in scoring among defensemen is beyond significant, it is borderline insane. How insane? Leon Draisaitl is second among all skaters in points with 50 after last night. If Connor McDavid, who leads the league with 51 points, had a 42.9 percent gap with Draisaitl, he would have 71 points. How insane, you ask again? Last season, the points gap among defensemen was nine points, Brent Burns’ 83 points topping Mark Giordano’s 74 points, a 12.2 percent gap. The year before that, Carlson led all defensemen in points with 68, but just one more than Burns and John Klingburg.
Yes, “insane” just about describes it.