Mitch Marner suddenly NHL's top scoring rookie

With Patrik Laine shelved and teammate Auston Matthews cooling, Mitch Marner has his nose out front in the rookie scoring race.

Marner scored his 11th of the season, and later added his 28th assist on Nazem Kadri's 20th goal, leapfrogging Matthews to take top spot in team and rookie scoring in Monday's 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames.

With 39 points through 45 games, Marner is on pace for 71 in his freshman campaign - which has been about a top-15 finish in the NHL scoring races over the past few seasons.

Marner is still outside the top 20 in league scoring, but with a lighter, more sheltered workload, he continues to creep up into elite company in terms of all-situations points rate.