Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane and what we learned in the NHL last week

Lessons from the past week of play in the NHL:

• This isn’t Logan Couture’s season — and it won’t be the Sharks’ season, either. Playing his second game after recovering from a broken bone in his leg, the skillful forward left San Jose’s game at Edmonton last Wednesday because of what was determined to be a small arterial bleed. Couture underwent surgery the next day and is out indefinitely, though likely not long term. An absence of any length hurts the Sharks, who are 3-6-1 in their last 10.

• Steven Stamkos will be in for a busy time Tuesday, when the Tampa Bay Lightning plays at Toronto. Stamkos last week “liked” a tweet linking a video that discussed his chances of signing with the Maple Leafs as a free agent next summer, spinning Toronto fans and media into a frenzy. Stamkos “unliked” the tweet but the storm it spawned is sure to hit ridiculous heights when he plays in the Center of the Hockey Universe.

• Trips to Alberta are becoming perilous. After the Edmonton Oilers gave a nod to their past last Friday by honoring former coach and general manager Glen Sather, the architect of their Stanley Cup dynasty, they provided a glimpse of a promising future with a 7-5 victory over the New York Rangers. That capped a 5-0 homestand. The Calgary Flames faced the same teams--Dallas, Boston, San Jose, Buffalo and the Rangers—and also went 5-0.

• Patrick Kane and Jaromir Jagr keep on going. Kane’s point streak reached 26 games with a secondary assist on the first goal of the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. That’s the longest since Mats Sundin’s 30-game streak with the Quebec Nordiques in the 1992-93 season. Kane has 16 goals and 40 points during his streak. Jagr, 43, has 731 goals and is tied with Marcel Dionne for fourth on the career goals list. Jagr, who has nine goals in 28 games with Florida, is 10 behind Brett Hull for third, 70 behind Gordie Howe, and a too-distant 163 behind leader Wayne Gretzky. Imagine what Jagr might have done if not for three NHL lockouts and if he hadn’t spent three seasons in the KHL.