<p><br>The 2025-26 NHL season may still be in its relatively early stages, but a few players are exceeding expectations for a little longer than many expected.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While some rookies have outscored expectations in their first year in the league, it’s the hot starts for veterans that have turned heads with larger-than-regular scoring outputs. Among those standouts is <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> winger Justin Brazeau.</p>



<p>At 27 years old, he has six goals and six assists for 12 points through the first 12 games of the season and has greatly benefited from playing with a center as skilled as Evgeni Malkin.&nbsp;</p>



<p>On Thursday’s episode of<strong><em> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_czePk1D0E">Daily Faceoff Live</a></em></strong>, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dove into his hot start and how it compares to other hot starts from <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/ottawa-senators/line-combinations">Ottawa Senators</a> forward Shane Pinto and the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/utah-mammoth/line-combinations">Utah Mammoth</a>’s Nick Schmaltz.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="135"></div>



<p><strong>Yaremchuk: </strong>Shane Pinto, Justin Brazeau and Nick Schmaltz were the three players who we looked at and said, ‘This hot start may be fooling you a little bit,’ and I think also, just like some teams, they’ll cool off at some point. Shane Pinto —I think he might be a 70-plus-point guy. Maybe this hot start isn’t all that much of a trick. But with Justin Brazeau, it’s pretty easy to see that. If he manages to hit 25 goals this year, I’d be stunned.</p>



<p><strong>Hutton: </strong>With Brazeau for me, it’s Evgeni Malkin. Honestly, I don’t want to take away from Brazeau because he’s doing a good job, but Malkin looks rejuvenated this year and looks very good. I think Sidney Crosby and him, with just that passion those guys have to play and help Pittsburgh, I think Brazeau is reaping the benefits of that and playing with a healthy and rejuvenated Malkin.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="153"></div>



<p>You can catch the whole segment and the rest of the episode right here…</p>



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