Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Victor Rask of the Carolina Hurricanes both had points in Sunday night’s contest in Raleigh. In so doing, they both extended their point streaks — Giroux to nine straight games and Rask to eight. They are currently leading the NHL in games in which they have recorded a point — Giroux is first and Rask is second, respectively.
Claude Giroux
Giroux is having an incredible start to the season. At www.phillyvoice.com, Matt Mullin wrote on Oct. 30 that it is one of the best starts in Giroux’s career:
What’s going unnoticed — likely due to a combination of the Flyers’ 3-5-1 record, their defensive struggles, and his lack of scoring — is that Giroux is actually having one of the best starts to a season in his career, at least statistically speaking.
Mullin noted that as the team captain, Giroux has a lot expected of him. And while he has not been filling the net, Giroux has been involved with much of the Flyers’ scoring. Mullin wrote:
More importantly, however — and this is the main point being lost on those who have ripped him for his lack of goal-scoring this season — Giroux has an NHL-leading nine assists, two clear of a large group at seven. He is also tied for second in points, along with line mate Jake Voracek, who scored a pair of goals on Saturday night.
Adding to his numbers and his streak of games with points Sunday night in Carolina, shows the legitimate value he is to the Flyers. There are those who only judge players by the number of goals they score. But, in the overall scheme of things, Giroux is quietly proving that there are other measures and Philly fans would do well to realize how important he is to their team.
Claude Giroux (@NHLFlyers) pushed his point streak to nine games, matching a career high last achieved Dec. 11-30, 2013 (6-11—17). #PHIvsCAR pic.twitter.com/XKsyKeGVde
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 30, 2016
Victor Rask
Rask is another example of a player making huge contributions to his team. In addition to his point streak being in second place in the league, Rask is in second place on the Hurricanes in total points with 10, with four goals and six assists. In a preseason look at some of the ‘Canes younger players, I wrote that Rask said he always feels like he has to prove himself. He certainly is doing that quite well and is emerging as a top leader on the Hurricanes’ team.
If you have followed my articles on the ‘Canes for the past few seasons, you know that I am really high on Rask. Others are seeing how much of a critical part he is to what general manager Ron Francis is building in Raleigh.
In praise of Victor Rask https://t.co/D2Zsg43AIp
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) October 31, 2016
From his play as a rookie prospect in Traverse City, to his tenacity in the faceoff circle and overall consistency, Rask is emerging as a strong leader on the Hurricanes. His point streak to start the season is now the second longest in the team’s history, behind only Francis himself.
As long as Rask for the Hurricanes and Giroux for the Flyers continue to play their games, they will shine. Maybe not in the spotlight that others attract, but in real importance to their respective teams. Let the streaks continue, and may the fans see these players as the stars that they are.
