Is Jagr finally haggard in Florida?

Is the oldest player in the NHL finally looking his age? It might look like it at first glance.

Jaromir Jagr, who finished last season with 27 goals and 66 points, had only one goal and six points in 17 games before notching his first multi-point game of the season over the weekend. He has just two goals and nine points overall though.

So is this the beginning of the end for the future Hall of Famer, who turns 45 in February? Maybe not.

Jagr looks to have been a touch unlucky thus far. After scoring on 19 per cent of his shots last year, Jagr is scoring on less than five per cent of his shots this season. And Aleksander Barkov, his most frequent linemate this season, has gone 17 straight games without a goal.

Better luck and increased production from Barkov — and Jonathan Huberdeau, who has yet to play this season because of injury — will likely push Jagr’s numbers upward. Eleven more points will move him past Mark Messier for second on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.

Ovie and Ovie again: How do Patrik Laine’s dazzling first 21 games stack up against Alex Ovechkin, the superstar goal-scorer he has long been compared to? Pretty favourably actually. Starting his NHL career in the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin had 15 goals and 22 points in his first 21 games with Washington, while firing 111 shots on goal. At the same stage of his rookie year with Winnipeg, Laine has 12 goals and 18 points, if managing a more tidy 57 shots.

Ovechkin eventually beat out Sidney Crosby for the Calder Trophy in 2006, finishing with 52 goals and 106 points. The Russian star is now the grizzled 31-year-old captain of the Capitals and easily the greatest scorer of his generation and one of the best all-time.

Over the 12-plus years since he entered the league, Ovechkin has 171 more goals than his next closest competitor (Jarome Iginla). Laine has a long way to go to reach those heights, but he’s on the right track.

Powering the Jackets: A not-so-secret part of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ roaring start to the season, which includes an 8-1-1 mark in their last 10 games: the NHL’s No. 1 power play.

The Blue Jackets have scored on 31.8 per cent of power plays this year, including a pair of goals in a 3-2 win over Washington on Sunday.

Alexander Wennberg, who scored the go-ahead power-play winner against the Capitals, is tied for the NHL lead with 10 power-play points after posting 12 points with the man advantage in 69 games last year.

Maybe the biggest difference-maker though on the Columbus power play is Zach Werenski, the calm, cool, 19-year-old rookie who has seven points while quarterbacking the top unit. Star understudy: He won’t be in the role for much longer, but there’s a strong case to be made that 22-yearold Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is the NHL’s best backup.

He has earned shutouts in each of his last two starts for Tampa Bay and owns a 5-1-1record this season with a .953 save percentage.

Vasilevskiy could take over the Lightning crease next season with current starter Ben Bishop due for unrestricted free agency following this season.