Polar Opposites in Every Way Except 1

If I were to ask you what Erik Karlsson and Scott Stevens had in common, you’d probably be scratching your head to think of similarities other than ‘white guys that played hockey’. Well, believe it or not, with Erik Karlsson’s 2 assists today, they’ve become very similar on paper. For those that don’t know, this is what I’m talking about: Erik Karlsson: 3-time Norris Trophy winner, 0-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the best defenseman of his generation. Incredible at moving the puck and quarterbacking power-plays while being average at-best defensively throughout his career. Never finished a season with more than 50 penalty minutes and generally considered a clean player. Scott Stevens: 0-time Norris Trophy winner, 3-time Stanley Cup champions and one of the best defensemen of his generation. Incredible at laying big hits and defending the best players while being average at-best offensively throughout his career. Only finished a season with less than 50 penalty minutes 3 times and is generally considered a very dirty player. From reading that alone, you probably think Karlsson and Stevens are polar opposite defenseman. Well, they are, except for 1 thing. Thanks to Karlsson’s 2 assists tonight, he has now reached 908 career points, tied for 12th among all defensemen in NHL history with Scott Stevens. That’s already strange enough, but it goes deeper. Erik Karlsson’s point distribution is 204 goals and 704 assists. Scott Stevens’s point distribution is 196 goals and 712 assists. Literally 8 goals/assists separates their stats from being dead-even.