SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 10/19/2019 1157573 Ducks continue to defy expectations with impressive 1157599 Jonathan Toews’ first of the season gives the performance against Hurricanes Blackhawks a 3-2 overtime victory over Blue Jackets 1157574 Ducks start fast, hold off Hurricanes for 4th straight home 1157600 Blackhawks aren’t getting power-play opportunities: ‘It’s win hard to draw penalties when you don’t have the puck’ 1157575 Ducks center Sam Steel back in lineup and back on track 1157601 Kendall Coyne Schofield highlights a showcase this 1157576 How Jacob Larsson is developing into ‘an all-package weekend as women’s pro hockey reaches a crossroads player’ for the Ducks 1157602 Blackhawks recall rookie center Kirby Dach from conditioning stint after three AHL appearances 1157603 Jonathan Toews breaks slump with OT goal as 1157577 Arizona Coyotes' power play taking flight amid four-game Blackhawks edge Blue Jackets point streak 1157604 Former AHL teammates Calvin de Haan, Jeremy Colliton 1157578 Developments on the Coyotes trend mostly positive after enjoying reunion with Blackhawks win vs. Nashville 1157605 Toews' game-winner nets Blackhawks at OT win over 1157579 Coyotes D Oesterle leaves game after taking puck to back Columbus of head 1157606 Blackhawks recall Kirby Dach from AHL conditioning stint 1157580 Arizona Coyotes form new Hispanic Advisory Board 1157607 Blackhawks, as part of Magellan Corporation Women's Hockey Showcase, host clinic for female youth hockey playe 1157581 Patrice Bergeron may miss Saturday’s game in Toronto 1157608 Four takeaways: Blackhawks kill 'excellent' in 1157582 Secondary scoring Bruins biggest dilemma in early going overtime win over Blue Jackets 1157583 Anders Bjork ready to get a look from Bruins? 1157609 Instant reaction: Jonathan Toews lifts Blackhawks past 1157584 Bruins' David Pastrnak joins elite company while carrying Blue Jackets in overtime Boston offense 1157610 Robin Lehner to start in goal for Blackhawks vs. Blue 1157585 Bruins rule David Krejci, Joakim Nordstrom vs. Maple Jackets Leafs Saturday 1157611 Blackhawks remember Dave Bolland for more than just 1157586 Bruins' Charlie McAvoy hopes 'offense is going to break '17 Seconds' through' after slow start 1157612 Ten things we’ve learned about the Blackhawks after five 1157587 Bruce Cassidy laments Bruins' lack of secondary scoring games vs. Lightning 1157613 ‘I think we’re at the forefront’: Blackhawks confident in 1157588 Now is not the time: 6 reasons shorthanded Bruins should secretive analytics department’s place in NHL not recall Anders Bjork 1157614 Nathan MacKinnon’s OT goal lifts Avalanche over 1157589 Rasmus Asplund injured, Lawrence Pilut debuts for Panthers Amerks 1157615 Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon (leg/hip bruise) 1157590 Casey Mittelstadt centering line that could be 'x-factor' for questionable at Florida Sabres 1157616 Got a second … line? The Avs do, and the unit does more 1157591 Sabres prospect Tage Thompson using 'gritty ways' in hot than just score goals start 1157617 Takeaways from the Avalanche’s overtime loss in 1157592 How Rochester’s coaches are keeping those players on Pittsburgh the cusp of the Sabres roster focused 1157618 Avs Game 7 Grades: Fun in the Sun 1157619 Philipp Grubauer’s brilliance buoys thrilling Avalanche comeback win 1157593 Czarnik logging more ice-time for depth-driven Flames 1157594 Roundtable: Why is Matthew Tkachuk vs. Drew Doughty so good for hockey? 1157620 Blackhawks 3, Blue Jackets 2, OT | Goalie Elvis Merzlikins much improved in tough loss 1157621 For Blackhawks' Connor Murphy, ties to Blue Jackets and 1157595 Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco taking leave to Columbus remain undergo medical treatment 1157622 No hard feelings for Brandon Saad over unexpected trade 1157596 3 Red Flags to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Hot Start from the Columbus Blue Jackets 1157597 Hurricanes’ Necas Is Ready to Stay in the NHL 1157623 Portzline: 10 observations from the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 OT 1157598 Freedom ain’t free: Breaking down the high-risk, high- loss to the Blackhawks reward Hurricanes and the penalties that come with the g 1157624 Challenged to concentrate on defensive play, how are the Blue Jackets responding? Stars 1157625 Third-period failure becoming a trend for Stars, who 1157661 Predators hear boos, decide to take pedal tavern off ice at lacked urgency vs. Penguins Bridgestone Arena 1157626 Getting angry: Anton Khudobin shows emotions after Stars tie worst start in franchise history 1157627 Stars 20/20: Stars prove they still aren’t tired of losing as 1157662 Another N.H.L. First for Jack Hughes: A Game Against His skid hits 5 games in Pittsburgh Brother 1157628 Film Room: What’s wrong with the ’ power 1157663 How Devils pieced together 1st win of season by downing play? Rangers | 4 takeaways 1157664 Behind Jack Hughes’ 1st NHL point with the Devils 1157665 NJ Devils Jack Hughes set to face brother Quinn and 1157629 Red Wings head home after another road loss in Edmonton 1157666 NJ Devils and Nico Hischier agree on seven-year contract 1157630 Lack of specialty-teams success leading to Red Wings extension losses 1157667 Message received: The differences NJ Devils made in win 1157631 Red Wings' Darren Helm fined the max for slashing over Rangers Flames forward 1157668 Devils give Nico Hischier a big raise with 7-year, $50.75M 1157632 Red Wings’ skid at four after loss to Oilers extension 1157633 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin demonstrates saucer pass; 1157669 Why Nico Hischier’s new mega-contract with the Devils is Darren Helm fined a big win for both sides 1157634 Flames pull away in third period to beat Red Wings 5-1 1157670 Mathew Barzal continues to show his importance to 1157635 Edmonton Oilers back on track after win over Red Wings Islanders 1157636 JONES: Red Wings couldn't post tribute win over Oilers 1157671 The origins of #Brocktober, and how Brock Nelson keeps for former coach the hot starts rolling 1157637 It's tough to break those old ties for Ken Holland 1157638 Edmonton Oilers Game Day: Ken Holland's former team comes calling 1157672 Rangers lose 5-2 to Capitals, John Carlson 1157639 Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and Draisaitl’s bid to join 1157673 David Quinn benches Tony DeAngelo in Rangers line elite company and key to Vegas’ impressive start shake-up 1157640 Can the Oilers afford to pursue Taylor Hall in free agency? 1157674 It keeps getting uglier for Rangers in third straight loss 1157641 Lowetide: Assessing the early season progress of Oilers’ 1157675 NY Rangers make line changes prior to Capitals game; forwards Chris Kreider moves to top line 1157676 Message received: The differences NJ Devils made in win over Rangers 1157642 Another ‘letdown in the second’ spoils Panthers’ strong 1157677 David Quinn unhappy with Rangers' defensive effort in start against red-hot Avalanche loss to Capitals 1157643 Avalanche rally twice, slip past Panthers in OT 1157678 Rangers' line changes fail to work in loss to Capitals 1157644 Comeback Cats on their past road trip, Panthers hoping to 1157679 On Chris Kreider and his present and future with the play with more consistency Rangers: It’s complicated 1157645 Panthers hockey team bringing a little ice and a $45 million makeover to Fort Lauderdale 1157646 Still looking for their first: Top Florida Panthers itching to 1157680 Warrenspiece: Sticking with the kid duo score a goal 1157681 Senators seeking the power in the power play 1157682 GAME DAY: Senators at Coyotes 1157683 Chabot steps up his game as Senators' road trip continues 1157647 Kings assign first-round pick Tobias Bjornfot to AHL affiliate Ontario 1157648 Kings coach Todd McLellan fumes over critical mistakes 1157684 Carter Hart and the valuable lessons he learned from the 1157649 ‘He’ll be back’: By demoting Tobias Bjornfot to AHL, Kings Edmonton game acknowledge he has exceeded their expectations 1157685 Under Alain Vigneault, rest and recovery are keys to 1157650 Roundtable: Why is Matthew Tkachuk vs. Drew Doughty keeping Flyers fresh all season | Sam Carchidi so good for hockey? 1157686 For road-weary Flyers, there’s no place like home | Sam 1157651 BJORNFOT STAYING IN SOCAL (+ DETAILS); Carchidi DOUGHTY’S OWN EVALUATION; PROKHORKIN; 1157687 The Jakub Voracek balance doesn't have to be so GRUNDSTROM complicated 1157652 WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: OCTOBER 18 1157688 Flyers loan Connor Bunnaman to Phantoms; is Nolan 1157653 PROKHORKIN TO LAK, GRUNDSTROM & BJORNFOT Patrick nearing a return? TO ONT 1157689 How worried should Flyers be about each of their scoring-starved veterans? 1157654 Ranking the Wild’s collapses, from understandable to unacceptable 1157690 Empty Thoughts: Penguins 4, Stars 2 1157691 Matt Murray’s timely save lifts the Penguins past the Stars Canadiens 1157692 Ex-Penguins defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is getting a 1157655 Canadiens expected to use both goalies in weekend road second chance with the Stars games 1157693 Dominik Kahun still searching for first goal with Penguins 1157656 Stu Cowan: Baby Habs enforcer Globensky lived Slap 1157694 , Bryan Rust participate in Penguins’ Shot in real life morning skate 1157657 What the Puck: Habs coach Claude Julien heaps blame 1157695 Kris Letang's hot start continues with highlight-reel goal on wrong players against the Stars 1157658 Finding focus: Ryan Poehling’s early lessons from a 1157696 Don't overlook Matt Murray after another pretty goal in a ‘shaky’ start in AHL Penguins win 1157659 Anatomy of the most anticipated goal in recent Canadiens 1157697 Evgeni Malkin skates at PPG Paints Arena as he history continues to recover from injury 1157660 More relieved than elated after his first NHL goal, Nick Suzuki wants to get down to business Websites 1157698 An underappreciated part to the Sharks’ three-game win 1157734 The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and streak Draisaitl’s bid to join elite company and key to Vegas’ 1157699 Sharks' tough tests continue as team faces East- impres commanding Sabres 1157735 The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Coaches on the hot seat, 1157700 Sharks' Brent Burns appreciates connection to STEM when refs don’t suck and teenage Joe Sakic rides a bicyc programs in schools 1157736 .ca / Koskinen's continued success a potential game changer for Oilers St Louis Blues 1157737 Sportsnet.ca / How Maple Leafs' lines shake out without 1157701 Gunnarsson injured, so Parayko could be paired with John Tavares Petro 1157738 Sportsnet.ca / Something good, something bad about 1157702 Blues give up 2-goal lead again, lose in shootout each Canadian NHL team's start 1157703 On Blues' fourth line, center role is subject to change 1157739 Sportsnet.ca / Doughty's mom hoping defenceman 1157704 St. Louis faces Montreal, aims to break 3-game skid quashes feud with Flames' Tkachuk 1157705 What to like and not like about the start to the Blues’ 1157740 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks' Quinn, Devils' Jack Hughes hate 2019-20 season to lose, but love each other 1157741 Sportsnet.ca / Timeline of Hate: Doughty and Tkachuk's war of words, elbows and slashes 1157706 Lightning’s power line looks to strike Colorado Avalanche 1157742 Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: How Max Domi is 1157707 Brad Marchand puts Brayden Point in headlock following up his career-best season 1157708 Lightning beat Boston Bruins but have problems on 1157743 Sportsnet.ca / Holland's open-book style felt in both Oilers special teams and Red Wings organizations 1157709 How rare adversity sparked ‘awakening’ for Lightning on 1157744 TSN.CA / Exceeding Maple Leafs' expectations, ‘feisty’ road trip Kerfoot gets chance with Marner 1157745 TSN.CA / With John Tavares out, the Toronto Maple Leafs shuffled lines at Friday's practice 1157710 Toronto Maple Leafs set to begin life against Boston Bruins, without John Tavares 1157711 Fierce Boston Bruins defenceman Ted Green won over 1157728 So, how 'bout those Jets, eh? Nobody asked me, but... fans with his fists 1157729 High-flying Ehlers even more dangerous with Connor as 1157712 Maple Leafs will have to count on depth to succeed linemate without John Tavares 1157730 Numbers tell an ugly tale for Jets, but is it that bad? 1157713 Leafs-Bruins rivalry isn’t as one-sided as you think, unless 1157731 Analyzing the Jets’ defensive adjustments to see what is you’re thinking playoffs working and what needs to be changed 1157714 TRAIKOS: Leafs losing Tavares not as bad as if it was SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 Andersen or Rielly 1157715 Alex Kerfoot’s prime opportunity with the Maple Leafs comes with John Tavares out Vancouver Canucks 1157732 Hughes brothers take competitive rivalry into marquee matchup 1157733 Jacob Markstrom set for Canucks return, Zane McIntyre re-assigned to Utica 1157716 Golden Knights fans still hold Erik Brannstrom in high regard 1157717 Detailed planning leads to in-arena magic for Golden Knights 1157718 Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and Draisaitl’s bid to join elite company and key to Vegas’ impressive start 1157719 Michal Kempny, back in action at last, scores early to help Capitals past Rangers 1157720 Michal Kempny to play against Rangers; Capitals place Richard Panik on long-term injured reserve 1157721 Carlson posts another three points to help Capitals beat Rangers 1157722 Capitals place Panik on long-term IR, Kempny to make season debut 1157723 Adam Eaton gives pregame speech and announces Capitals starters against New York Rangers 1157724 The 'Baby Shark' phenomenon hits Capital One Arena as Nationals visit Caps game 1157725 Capitals Prospect Report: Travis Boyd makes the most of his time in Hershey 1157726 5 things to know for Caps-Rangers: Michal Kempny is back 1157727 Putting Capitals defenseman John Carlson’s historic start in context 1157573 Anaheim Ducks LA Times: LOADED: 10.19.2019

Ducks continue to defy expectations with impressive performance against Hurricanes

Ducks forward Troy Terry celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal.

By JACK HARRIS

STAFF WRITER

OCT. 18, 2019 9:52 PM

The Ducks hopped off the home bench and huddled around Ryan Miller, again indulging in a victory routine that is starting to seem second nature.

This time, the Ducks were celebrating a 4-2 defeat of the Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center on Friday. Behind Miller’s 22 saves and points from 10 players inthe lineup, they improved to 6-2-0 overall and remained perfect on home ice (4-0-0). Few seasons in the Ducks’ franchise history have begun so auspiciously. Fewer still have been as unanticipated.

Coming off a third-to-last-place finish in the Western Conference a season ago, the Ducks were supposed to still be in rebuild mode this season. They are breaking in a new coach in Dallas Eakins and a reshaped lineup that on Friday included six players 23 or younger.

Nonetheless, they’ve played like a contender in the opening weeks, trailing only the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division and fast becoming one of the league’s biggest early-season surprises.

“It gives us confidence,” Eakins said of knocking off a Hurricanes squad that had won six of its first eight. “For us to come in and be able to skate with them and be fortunate to come out on top, it reinforces what we’re trying to build.”

The first half of Friday’s win epitomized everything that is going right for Eakins’ side. They were stifling in their own end, sharp on the penalty kill and opportunistic offensively.

Their first goal came after a slick neutral zone play between Ondrej Kase and Rickard Rakell (the only Duck with multiple points on the night with two assists) sprang a wide-open Adam Henrique into the offensive zone. He went barreling toward the net and buried a wrist shot on Hurricane goalie Petr Mrazek’s blocker side.

Later, moments after killing off a penalty, the Ducks set up in the offensive zone. From the right-wing boards, Sam Steel skated into space and found Cam Fowler open at the point. Fowler wound up and fired a slap shot toward the net. Troy Terry deflected it with a screen in front, registering his first point of the season.

“I feel like I’ve been playing the same way all year,” Terry said. “I thought I had the same game tonight. I felt good and confident. Just had a goal to show for it finally.”

By the first television timeout of the second period, the Ducks put the game out of reach. Thirty-seven seconds into the frame, Jakob Silfverberg gathered his own rebound near the crease and slipped the puck inside the post. At the 5:56 mark, Carter Rowney roofed a short- handed goal.

Down 4-0, the Hurricanes made a goalie change and scored twice before the end of the second, getting goals from Erik Haula and Haydn Fleury. After that, Miller and the Ducks slammed the door.

The veteran stopped Sebastian Aho on a partial breakaway in the second, and kicked aside a blast from the point in the third.

Hampus Lindholm blocked back-to-back Teuvo Teravainen shots from point-blank range.

“We’re not giving up a ton [with the lead],” Eakins said. “We don’t want to just back out of the zone, either, and play with a super high forward. We want to stay aggressive. We still want to get O-zone time. But in the same breath, we want to be calculated with our offense. Overall, I just like our aggression.” 1157574 Anaheim Ducks sees one of his guys get, he feels, gets cheap-shotted and he stood up for him. So it says a lot about him for sure.”

Backup goaltender Ryan Miller made his second appearance of the Ducks start fast, hold off Hurricanes for 4th straight home win season in place of John Gibson and made 22 saves to improve to 2-0. Miller also was in a goal for the Ducks’ victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 11, when he stopped 26 shots. By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] The Ducks have given up 14 goals in eight games for a league-low Orange County Register average of only 1.75 per contest. Miller has a 1.50 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. Gibson also has a .941 save percentage to PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 9:55 pm | UPDATED: October 18, go with a 1.85 goals-against average. 2019 at 11:27 PM “That’s the only way to do it now,” Miller said of the Ducks’ mastery of the

speed game. “If you’re getting into a grind game and trying to hit ANAHEIM — It almost looked too easy at times Friday. Not only did the everybody, there is somebody going right by you on the open side. Then Ducks win battles for loose pucks all around the ice, but they won the you’re chasing the game all night. We’re keeping guys in front of us races to them, too, no insignificant feat against a team with the hyper- pretty well. speed ability of the Carolina Hurricanes. “That’s good to see.” So maybe the Ducks’ 4-2 victory at Honda Center shouldn’t have come RICO AND THE SWEDES STRIKE AGAIN! as a complete surprise since it was, after all, their fourth consecutive home win to start the season and their sixth in eight games overall. Stay , @AdamHenrique!#LetsGoDucks • @AnaheimDucks Maybe, just maybe, they’ve gotten the hang of this whole faster-paced pic.twitter.com/QR00Q5BEQ1 game thing now. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) October 19, 2019 “For us to come in and be able to skate with them and be fortunate enough to come out on top, it reinforces what we’re trying to build and Terry just barely gets the stick blade on it to tuck in his first of the year, lets us leave the rink with a little bit of extra confidence,” Ducks coach and it's 2-0. pic.twitter.com/LsNRl9DEyW Dallas Eakins said. “The group has really embraced how we want to — Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 19, 2019 play.” JAKOB SILFVERBERGGGGGGG Adam Henrique raced down the left wing to score the Ducks’ first goal only 4:06 into the game, his third in two games and team-leading fifth @AnaheimDucks • #LetsGoDucks pic.twitter.com/O9Rzn1Rae0 overall. Troy Terry charged to the front of the net to deflect Cam Fowler’s perimeter shot at 13:44 of the first period. Jakob Silfverberg hustled after — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) October 19, 2019 his own miss and scored 37 seconds into the second, celebrating his 500th game in the NHL with his fourth goal of the season. Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.19.2019

Carter Rowney made it 4-0 with a short-handed goal, chasing down a rebound of a Rickard Rakell shot and sending Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek to the bench after giving up four goals on 13 shots. replaced Mrazek at 5:56 of the second. Rakell also assisted on Henrique’s goal.

Game over?

Well, no.

This is the new NHL, after all.

No lead, however commanding it might appear, is safe with so much time remaining. As if on cue, the Hurricanes rallied. Erik Haula scored at 8:47 of the second period to cut the Ducks’ lead to 4-1, and then Haydn Fleury trimmed it to 4-2 at 12:20 with his first NHL goal in his 96th career game.

In the third period, and especially down the stretch, the Ducks refused to yield a third goal. Only once this season have they given up more than two in a game and that was in a 4-2 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins on Monday.

“I think we’re doing a good job of staying calm and we’re still out there trying to score the next goal,” Silfverberg said. “We’re not just sitting back and receiving the game. When you start doing that, you start getting caught with extended shifts and that leads into trouble.”

Ducks defenseman Josh Manson kicked a hornets’ nest by leveling Haula behind the net with a fair but brutal challenge and sending Haula to the dressing room for good not long after Haula had scored a power- play goal that made it 4-1 at 8:47 of the second period.

Haula didn’t play in the third period.

Fleury’s goal, a little less than four minutes later, cut the Ducks lead to 4- 2, and suddenly it was a game again, but not for long, though. Manson and Carolina defenseman Joel Edmundson engaged in a spirited fight at 13:39 of the second period.

Manson was bloodied and departed for the dressing room to be treated. Edmundson clapped at his bench, trying to lift his teammates. There was no further scoring in the second. Or in the third, when the Ducks locked down another comprehensive victory.

“That’s a good teammate, right?” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Edmundson tangling with Manson after Manson’s hit on Haula. “He 1157575 Anaheim Ducks Oct. 5 and then sent Lundestrom back to San Diego when Steel was ready to return to the lineup.

“You want that goaltending position looked after, you want your defense Ducks center Sam Steel back in lineup and back on track looked after, then we could argue whether it’s defense or centers next,” Progress is the name of the game for the relieved 21-year-old, as well as Eakins said of his roster priorities. “For me, it’s the ‘D.’ But those three for all of the team's top young players positions, you want lots of depth.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.19.2019

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected]

Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 2:35 pm | UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 4:09 PM

ANAHEIM — If this is going to work as the Ducks intend, if their youngest players are going to learn on the job and then some day in the not-too- distant future become the new core of the franchise, then they’re going to have to play significant roles. They can’t simply be observers.

When center Sam Steel, one of the Ducks’ top youngsters, sat out for four games because of an unspecified mid-body injury in the opening days of the season, it put his advancement on hold. It also stalled the Ducks’ development only one game into 2019-20.

Steel, 21, was activated from injured reserve on Monday, playing against the Boston Bruins in his second game of the season, which bolstered the Ducks’ depth at center. When he assisted on Ryan Getzlaf’s power-play goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, it boosted his confidence.

In addition, Steel won eight of nine faceoffs and also had one shot on net in 14:35 of ice time.

“You want to get back in it,” Steel said of the frustration of sitting out so early in the season because of an injury and having to wait to rejoin the lineup. “You’ve been waiting all summer to play the game. But I’m back now, so it’s all good.”

Ducks coach Dallas Eakins welcomed Steel back with open arms, slotting him on a line Wednesday between fellow youngsters , on left wing, and Troy Terry, on right wing. Eakins, Steel, Jones and Terry were together last season with the Ducks’ AHL team, the .

That familiarity was an important factor in teaming them together.

Returning from an injury is always difficult, but especially for a player trying to make his mark in the NHL. Eakins sought to find a comfort zone for Steel, but also to get his other young players clicking after a lack of production to start the season.

Steel had one point in three games going into the Ducks’ game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night at Honda Center. Jones also had one point in six games, an assist in the Ducks’ season-opening victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 3. Terry was scoreless in seven contests.

“It’s hard mentally too,” Eakins said. “You’re playing well, you’re building momentum, you know you’re in a battle with some other guys and then you get injured. First in your head, you’re doubting things. Hey, are those other guys going to gain on me? How long is this going to take?”

Eakins said he appreciated Steel’s desire to return to the lineup as quickly as possible.

“He’s not a guy you have to nudge back into the lineup,” Eakins said. “You have to keep an eye on him because he’s a real competitive kid. He’s always going to try to jump back in (the lineup) a little bit early. But I thought he’s come through this very well. His progression is back on track.”

CENTER DEPTH

At the moment, the Ducks would seem to be set at the center position, with Getzlaf skating between wingers Max Comtois and Ondrej Kase, plus Adam Henrique teaming with wingers Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg and Derek Grant playing with Carter Rowney and a rotating left wing.

Steel and Isac Lundestrom are locked in a competitive battle for the other center position. The Ducks recalled Lundestrom when Steel was hurt 1157576 Anaheim Ducks It has helped Larsson to have Eakins, a coach he knows from their time with the Gulls. And aside from a tweak here and there in adapting to the NHL, Eakins has the Ducks playing a zone defense that’s largely similar How Jacob Larsson is developing into ‘an all-package player’ for the to what he ran in San Diego. Larsson finds it more simplified than the Ducks man-to-man pursuit style preferred by former Ducks coach Randy Carlyle.

“I feel like the system we’re playing now is a little bit more easier,” By Eric Stephens Larsson said. “Last season, it was a lot of situations where I feel like everybody wasn’t really on the same page. When it’s like that and Oct 18, 2019 everybody isn’t on the same page, it often ends up where someone is being free somewhere in the D-zone. How we’re playing now is more like everybody knows where to be in every situation and what to do. I like this ANAHEIM, Calif. – In the second period of the Ducks’ 5-2 win over system.” Buffalo, Jacob Larsson was under pressure from a Sabres forechecker and dumped the puck over the glass and several rows into the lower The zone concept forces the defense to trust that a teammate will cover bowl of Honda Center. his area, and it lessens the desire to leave his own to assist if an opposing player gets past him. If forwards are moving from one part of As penalties go, that one is about as automatic as it gets. Larsson strode the ice to another within the Ducks’ zone, there’s a better chance they over to the box to serve his two minutes. Nothing unusual there. will run into a different defender along the way.

Not so fast. The Sabres’ penalty box. To Larsson, it removes any potential indecision when it comes to reads. And that has him brimming with confidence. “They opened the door,” Larsson said breaking into a broad smile. “I didn’t really think about it. Someone probably saw it.” “You can almost say where we have areas to cover for each play,” he said. “And we trust each other, too. Say I’m going to be in my area all the Not many among the Ducks did. But they would find out. time and I’m going to do my best there. If a player comes in there, that’s “I didn’t see that, but I heard about it this morning because the guys were my guy. I would say it’s easier to play like that.” giving it to him,” coach Dallas Eakins said. “It means he doesn’t take a lot Offense isn’t expected to come in bulk from Larsson. But Eakins is of penalties.” asking more from his defenders with his implementation of a system His defense partner, Korbinian Holzer, didn’t spot the flub. But when told pushing them to activate more inside the blue line. of it, he cracked, “Typical Lars.” Larsson is taking heed. For instance, his well-placed shot on a rush up The path to an everyday spot on the Ducks hasn’t been the straightest ice off the right pad of Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark resulted in a perfect one for the 22-year-old Larsson. There have been some moments worthy rebound for Max Jones to hammer into the net. But the assist never went of scratching your head. Moments of wonder and not the good kind of into the scorebook as the Sabres successfully challenged the goal, wonder. catching Jones going offside before Larsson entered the zone.

But here he is. Larsson has been affixed to the third pairing of the Still, the play was a hint at some possibilities. Larsson can be asked to defense corps, and his presence and development can be essential in do more than defend at 5-on-5 play and help kill penalties. solidifying an area that was a revolving door last season. “I definitely think he’s one of those guys that comes to work every day Thrust into a top-four role because of injuries in the first part of last and does those little things that people just starting watching the game season, Larsson struggled under the weight of more minutes and tougher don’t always see,” Hampus Lindholm said. “But to someone that really assignments. But his play gradually improved, especially after returning knows hockey, I think he’s a guy that everyone would want on his team. to Anaheim following a step-back stint with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. “He just works hard. He’s a very competitive guy. He never gets Once the Ducks’ season ended, Larsson jumped in to help the Gulls in outcompeted. And he does all those little things. Plus with all that, he’s their lengthy playoff run. He would be a blue-line standout for got a great shot and hockey sense — he’s like an all-package player.” Eakins. The Ducks took Larsson with their first pick of the 2015 draft. A year As his coach got a promotion, Larsson received his and appears to have later, he impressed the team enough in training camp to be with the found a sweet spot. Whether paired with Holzer or Michael Del Zotto, the Ducks on opening night. But then it was ultimately determined that he young Swede isn’t turning heads with his possession numbers, but he was better off finishing out his contract with Frolunda HC and developing has fared well in the early going with the defense-minded role that he’s further in the . been asked to do. It was late in the 2016-17 season where he developed knee issues. He “That’s a tough job for a guy of his age,” Eakins said. “Other than being a would need to undergo surgery, and it impacted him enough that his first goaltender, to be a young player at that position, it’s a tough one. He’s a full pro season was spent in San Diego as he tried to get back up to real student of the game. He’s first in to see his shifts. He’s always speed. Meanwhile, Marcus Pettersson — a countryman and also a left- looking for direction. I think he’s done a really fabulous job of nailing handed shooter — was continuing to move up the depth chart. down his position. And it’s an important one. It’s an important one. The brass never lost faith even as Larsson had to make up for lost time. “You’re not always going to get the matchup that you want. And he’s going to have to go out there against some very good players some “Jacob’s development was delayed tremendously by a knee injury the nights. The thing I’ve always loved about Lars is he comes in every day year after we drafted him that his Swedish team mishandled,” Ducks with a big smile on his face. He loves to work, he loves to play hockey, general manager Bob Murray told The Athletic. “He has worked hard to he likes being at the rink. And he’s got that level of battle. It’s not like he’s get back to where he was.” a dirty player. But he is a hard one. There was also living up to the expectation of a first-round pick becoming “It doesn’t matter whose name is on the back. He’s going to compete with an NHL regular. The Ducks have done well with their selections over the everybody equally.” last decade. Prior to taking current Boston University freshman Trevor Zegras in June, Anaheim has seven of its last eight top picks in its Just seven games have been played so some context is needed. But current lineup. The other, Shea Theodore, is now a stalwart for Vegas. after seeing less than 15 minutes of ice time in the season opener against Arizona, Larsson has been deployed for more than that as But it took Larsson longer than others to stick. Lindholm knows about the Eakins has divided the minutes among his six defenders in a balanced pressure that comes with being a high pick. manner. He’s been over 17 minutes on three occasions but also hasn’t exceeded 18, a sign that Eakins doesn’t want to ask too much from him. “The good thing coming from Sweden is that you don’t feel it as much,” The defense has remained fairly healthy with the exception of Brendan said Lindholm, the sixth overall choice in 2012. “If you’re from Canada, I Guhle, who skated Thursday and could return as soon as Friday’s home think it would be a little different. I’m not sure how much pressure you game against Carolina. feel. You’ve seen it with me (or others). I think it’s more pressure from yourself that you want to make it and obviously be as good as you can be. So I think the pressure from himself is far bigger than (anyone else).”

Defensemen often take longer to hit their stride in the NHL. And Larsson is only 22. But he didn’t deny the feeling of living up to that pick.

“Of course, I feel a little bit,” he said. “I feel like you can’t think about that too much because that’s just going to make your game (stagnate) a little bit and you’re just going to think too much. Just go out there and not think about it. Do what you can.”

The surest sign that the club’s belief in him remained strong was when Murray dealt Pettersson to Pittsburgh for Daniel Sprong last fall. Larsson and Pettersson often hung out together in training camps. He still considers the current Penguins defender a great friend and had dinner with him when the Ducks visited Pittsburgh on their recent road trip.

But Larsson always knew that they were often vying for the same spot on the Anaheim blue line.

“That’s how it is, though,” Larsson said. “In hockey, you never know what’s going to happen. We’ll always be friends.”

Murray remains bullish on his player. “We think as he gains more confidence in his knee and himself, he can be a solid NHL defenseman,” the GM said. “We’ve always loved his competitive nature. He’s still young. Lots of time to grow.”

What impresses Lindholm about his teammate is his eagerness to learn and improve. And he offered a reminder that it simply takes time to reach one’s potential, especially for a young NHL defenseman.

“We got a good group of guys here that he can learn a lot from,” Lindholm said. “I think it’s just about knowing it’s a process and that it’s step by step. Not getting too far ahead. He’s been really great so far. And I feel he’s been asking questions and trying to get better. It’s a good way to keep going.”

Much of the talk about the Ducks has centered around their group of young forwards who are breaking into the league. Just as important is the youth within the defense corps and how it will impact the club. An area that was seen a real weak link entering the season because of the lack of high-level proven experience beyond Lindholm, Cam Fowler and Josh Manson may not be so much after all.

The Ducks have high hopes for the 22-year-old Guhle. Larsson also is finding his way. Unlike his wayward journey on Wednesday, the Swede remains headed in the right direction.

“It was extremely important for him to have a great training camp. As were some others,” Eakins said. “The thing I love about Lars — it’s funny that you’re asking about him — I always think he’s the one that flies under the radar. Everybody wants to talk about this guy or this guy or this guy or this guy. And he might be the most important cog of them all.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157577 Arizona Coyotes settle it down from there. The chemistry we’re working on a lot in practice and I think that helps, getting the reps in.”

There are still some moving parts, especially with the uncertain status of Arizona Coyotes' power play taking flight amid four-game point streak defenseman Jordan Oesterle, who was hit in the back of the head by a rogue shot on Thursday.

Richard Morin Oesterle, whose timetable to return is uncertain at this point, required stitches in the back of his head and felt dizzy after the game, according Arizona Republic to Tocchet, who also confirmed Oesterle was placed in concussion protocol. Published 6:18 p.m. MT Oct. 18, 2019 The Coyotes will likely look to defenseman Alex Goligoski to play a more

prominent role on the second power-play unit in Oesterle’s place. For a while, the only special-teams unit that got Coyotes fans excited Additionally, rookie Barrett Hayton should figure into one of the units in was the penalty kill, providing not only entertainment but more consistent the event he returns to the lineup. Hayton was a healthy scratch in each offensive chances than the man-advantage. of the past two games.

However, thanks to five power-play goals in their past two games, the Up next Coyotes have reversed that narrative. Fans no longer have to look away Coyotes vs. Ottawa Senators, 4 p.m., Saturday: The Coyotes (3-2-1) when their team has more skaters than the opponent. wrap up a brief, two-game homestand in an afternoon tilt at Gila River “A little more focus,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said of the power Arena. ... Coyotes goaltender is expected to get the start in play, which scored three times in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Nashville net as the Coyotes look to extend their point streak to five games. ... Predators. “I felt earlier in the year we weren’t making those couple of Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin could make his season debut, drawing in good passes. Now we are making those two passes and someone’s got for injured defenseman Jordan Oesterle. ... Nick Schmaltz, who leads the a shot. (Nick) Schmaltz the other night, Carl (Soderberg) in front, Phil Coyotes with seven points (three goals, four assists), is riding a four- (Kessel) obviously off the rush with (Clayton) Keller for a couple of nice game point streak. off-the-rush goals. Arizona Republic LOADED: 10.19.2019 “Those are good goals for us it’s all creativity, but you still have to have 5-on-5 mentalities.”

Entering play Friday, the Coyotes ranked third among Western Conference teams with a 29.4 conversion percentage on the power play.

In 2018-19, the Coyotes converted at just 16.3 percent to go along with four games with no power-play goals to begin this season. At one point last season, the penalty kill (16 short-handed goals) was scoring at a higher rate than the power play.

Prior to Thursday, the Coyotes hadn't scored three power-play goals in a game since Feb. 12, 2016.

It seems times have changed.

Among teams to have played at least six games this season, the Coyotes were one of just three teams in the entire NHL to have a power-play percentage of at least 29 percent while also boasting a penalty-kill percentage of at least 85 percent.

It's no shock to Tocchet that the emergence of the power play has gone hand-in-hand with results in the form of seven out of a possible eight points in the standings over their past four games.

"It makes a difference, obviously," Tocchet said.

Kessel tallied two power-play goals on Thursday, his first and second tucks in a Coyotes uniform. Both came off passes from Keller while the two were transitioning through the neutral zone.

“I think we’ve been great breaking the puck through the zone,” Kessel said after Thursday’s game. “We’ve had a lot of success there, but hopefully we can get a little bit more zone time and start getting it going there.”

Kessel brings up a point that illustrates how far the Coyotes’ power play still has to go, despite its recent success. The top unit of Keller, Kessel, Derek Stepan, Christian Dvorak and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has struggled to get set up in their own zone during power plays.

The second unit, however, has found some success in the offensive zone. Running the half-wall, Schmaltz was instrumental in creating the Coyotes’ third and final power-play goal on Thursday when he fed a no- look, cross-ice pass to Jakob Chychrun, who ripped it home for his first of the season.

Still, both units seem to have not only stabilized but thrived since Tocchet and assistant coach Phil Housley, hired this season in part to revitalize the man-advantage, moved Schmaltz off the first unit and onto the second.

“I think we just know where each other are at,” Schmaltz said of the units’ respective chemistry. “We can put it to an area where we know our teammate is going to be. It relieves some pressure and then we can 1157578 Arizona Coyotes “I thought O [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] was great. I thought O, J.D. [Jason Demers] and Goose [Goligoski], the three were really good — and obviously Capi and Chych — but those three guys held it together. That’s Developments on the Coyotes trend mostly positive after win vs. a lot of minutes they had to play. And that’s tough sledding. That’s a Nashville tough team over there.”

That said, the Predators had the worst power play in the league last year. The Coyotes need to keep up on the PK with Hjalmarsson out for a while. BY MATT LAYMAN Phil Kessel got his first… and then his second OCTOBER 17, 2019 AT 11:27 PM Kessel had plenty of scoring chances prior to Thursday, but no goals to show for it. That changed against Nashville as he scored twice, both times on the power play, for his first two goals as a Coyote. GLENDALE, Ariz. — Just 17 seconds into Thursday night’s Coyotes game against the Nashville Predators, Arizona lost a defenseman for the “It feels nice to get one,” Kessel said. “Hopefully they start coming. second time in three games. “You watch, we’ve had a ton of chances. I’ve had a bunch of chances. An audible “thwack” could be heard in the arena as a shot from the blue Our line’s had a bunch of chances, and eventually, they go in.” line caught Jordan Oesterle in the back of the head. He went down hard, didn’t move much for a few moments and eventually left on his own two He’s now at two goals and two assists for four points in six games this feet, with lots of help and a lot of caution. season.

As one would expect, he didn’t return to the game. Nick Schmaltz staying hot

“I saw him in between periods. He was pretty dizzy,” head coach Rick Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak have been a dynamic pairing together on Tocchet said. “Took one off the back of the head, had a bunch of the second line for the Coyotes, and the latter of the two scored his third stitches. He went to the hospital to get scanned, obviously, that’s goal in two games on Thursday. Meanwhile, Schmaltz got hot recently precautionary. Hopefully it’s … he’s a little dizzy and he’s back. But yeah, and has stayed that way so far. it was a scary moment for us.” He had two assists on Thursday and has three goals with four assists for The loss comes just a few days after Niklas Hjalmarsson, the team’s best seven points in six games. All seven of those points, though, have come defensive defenseman, went down with a lower body injury. That one in the last four games. sounded like it would be months, not days or weeks. “Him and Dvo really, the last three or four games, really got their game After Oesterle exited, there were plenty of positive takeaways from going,” Tocchet said. “I can tell, lot of chemistry. They’re defending well, Thursday night’s game. The Coyotes beat the Predators, 5-2. The power too. They’re not just a one-way line. I think Dvo’s been great for us for play went 3-for-6. Phil Kessel scored twice. Christian Dvorak scored his four games now, like he’s been really, really good. third goal in two games. “[Schmaltz] was out for 10 months, right? And I think having a good Shots on goal favored Arizona, 32-25. Shot attempts were 56-50. Darcy training camp. I know his first couple games, he wasn’t happy with Kuemper made 23 saves. himself and sticking with it and you get rewarded for it.”

The Coyotes got their seventh point out of eight possible points in their Schmaltz scored 14 points in 17 games last year for Arizona before last four games. missing the rest of the season.

Two games into a week that will feature three contests (the third being a “I think I’ve been building and getting better every game and feeling more Saturday tilt with Ottawa), here are some things to know after the confident with the puck,” Schmaltz said. “I think we’re getting a lot of Coyotes beat the Preds: chemistry as far as our line goes. We’re working for each other and know where each other are at. And the puck’s going in right now.” The power play is clicking LOOSE PUCKS This is far-and-away the most significant development the team could’ve asked for. — Michael Grabner skated in his 600th NHL game.

The Coyotes were 0-for-9 on the power play the first four games this — Darcy Kuemper made his 12th consecutive start allowing two or fewer season. But they’re 5-for-8 the last two games. goals. That’s a new franchise record.

“I think we’re just more patient with the puck,” Nick Schmaltz said. “We’re Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.19.2019 not just rimming it around and we’re holding it, we’re supporting each other. Our entries have been a lot better, too, where we come in with possession.

“If you can get that possession off the entry, I think that’s huge, and then you can settle things down, work it around and then they get tired. And that’s when the seams and plays open up.”

Schmaltz credited chemistry as a unit and practice reps as reasons why they’ve gotten better.

The penalty kill is getting by

Without Hjalmarsson, the Coyotes’ penalty kill for the rest of the game on Saturday and all of Tuesday’s game killed off just six out of nine opposing power plays (66%), even though it hadn’t given up a goal this season before that when Hjalmarsson was in the lineup.

The negative trend halted on Thursday. The Coyotes killed off all three penalties they incurred against the Predators.

Personnel shorthanded included Kyle Capobianco, Jakob Chychrun and Alex Goligoski on the blue line.

“[Capobianco’s] filling in. [Chychrun], they don’t penalty kill,” Tocchet said. “I don’t think they’ve penalty-killed at all for us, and they took, I told you guys, a piece of the pie for [Hjalmarsson]. 1157579 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes D Oesterle leaves game after taking puck to back of head

BY KELLAN OLSON

OCTOBER 17, 2019 AT 7:44 PM

UPDATED: OCTOBER 17, 2019 AT 8:07 PM

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jordan Oesterle left Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators after taking a puck off the back of his head.

In the first period, a shot by the Predators from the blue line was headed towards Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

Oesterle was battling for position in front of the net, and when it was clear the shot was headed right in his direction, he turned his head away. At that moment, it appeared that Kuemper’s glove also caught Oesterle in the face.

The puck then hit Oesterle in the back of the head and he immediately went down as play was stopped.

Trainers attended to Oesterle and had him sitting upright after a few minutes. There was blood on the ice as trainers held towels to the back of his head. He was then slowly helped off the ice.

Later in the game, Oesterle was ruled out due to an upper-body injury.

Oesterle was one of the Coyotes’ six primary defensemen last season, playing in 71 games and recording six goals and 14 assists for a total of 20 points.

The Coyotes are already without one important defenseman after Niklas Hjalmarsson broke his fibula after blocking a shot on Saturday.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157580 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes form new Hispanic Advisory Board

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

OCTOBER 17, 2019 AT 11:36 AM

UPDATED: OCTOBER 17, 2019 AT 11:50 AM

The Arizona Coyotes announced the formation of the organization’s Hispanic Advisory Board, on Thursday.

The board, which will be led by team majority owner , was created to help improve relations with the Latino community.

Meruelo became the first Hispanic majority owner in NHL history this July.

Coyotes CEO Ahron Cohen and representatives from Chicanos Por La Causa, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, iHeartMedia, Visit Tucson, Valle de Sol, Univision and City of Tucson Council Member Regina Romero will also be joining the board.

“We are very fortunate to have Mr. Meruelo as the first Hispanic owner of an NHL team,” Cohen said in a press release. “We finally have the right person in place to connect with the Hispanic community and build a genuine relationship. I’m very proud of the board we’ve assembled and look forward to working with these great business leaders to develop authentic strategies for reaching out to the Latino community.”

The Coyotes have also launched Spanish-language social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, all using the handle @LosYotes.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Coyotes will hold Noche de los Yotes on Oct. 17 when they host the Nashville Predators at Gila River Arena.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157581 Boston Bruins Michael McCarron leveled him with a center-ice hit away from the puck five minutes into the game.

No penalty was called, but Gaunce was stretchered off the ice. P-Bruins Patrice Bergeron may miss Saturday’s game in Toronto coach Jay Leach said after the 3-2 loss in Quebec — about an hour flight from Toronto — that Gaunce is week to week.

By Matt Porter Gaunce, who has 194 games of AHL experience and 117 as a Canuck, posted a 3-1—4 line in his first five games with Providence. Globe Staff A day off October 18, 2019, 5:06 p.m. Several veterans sat out Friday’s practice, including those healthy (Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Marchand, and Pastrnak) and not (Bergeron, Krejci, Nordstrom). Krug logged a team-high 25:50 in Thursday’s Patrice Bergeron will travel to Toronto but his game status is shootout loss . . . Jaroslav Halak will start in net Saturday, with Tuukka undetermined. Rask likely to get the call Tuesday at TD Garden in the return date with Patrice Bergeron will travel to Toronto but his game status is the Leafs . . . Five Bruins aside from the top line have scored: Brett undetermined.john tlumacki/ Ritchie and Danton Heinen (in the opener in Dallas), Krug (at Vegas), Chara (at Colorado), and Nordstrom (against New Jersey). The list of Globe Staff zeroes includes Krejci and his wingers, Jake DeBrusk and Karson Kuhlman, as well as Coyle, who refused to call it a slump. “The hard work Those Atlantic Division rivals, forever trying to one-up each other. is there,” he said, “but the end result is not coming right now. A lot of The Maple Leafs will be missing 47-goal scorer and newly appointed times when you go into slumps is when you’re doing the right things and captain John Tavares — out at least two weeks with a broken finger — you’re not getting the results, but you’re getting away from it. We’re not for a Saturday night showdown in Toronto with the Bruins. The visitors far off. We’re right there.” will be down at least one of their top two centers, and a valued fourth- Boston Globe LOADED: 10.19.2019 liner.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said after Friday’s practice that David Krejci, whose undisclosed upper-body injury has lingered, will miss his third game in a row. Boston also may be without Patrice Bergeron, who took a wrister by Tampa Bay’s Ryan McDonagh off his leg with 25 seconds left in overtime Thursday.

“Little lower-body last night,” Cassidy said of Bergeron, who finished that shift in Boston’s 4-3 shootout loss to Tampa Bay.

Bergeron did not practice Friday, but he will travel with the team to Toronto. Cassidy said Krejci, who took a cross-check to the right side from Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf on Monday, will not travel because of an injury that “turned out to be worse than we thought.”

Also staying home: Joakim Nordstrom, who took a few bumps late against the Lightning and reported upper-body soreness. Like Krejci, he is listed as day to day, neither injury considered long-term.

The Bruins have enough bodies for the one-game roadie if Bergeron plays and David Backes, a healthy scratch the last three games, draws in on the fourth line. They also could dip into their Providence reserves.

The most intriguing of the potential call-ups is Anders Bjork. The former Notre Dame star has 6 points in five games (3-3—6) for the P-Bruins, as he tries to regain his touch following two shoulder surgeries that ended his first two pro seasons.

Bjork, who was a standout in camp, formed a solid-looking trio last month with Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen, the latter playing his off wing.

“We wanted him to go down and find his offensive game, and he has,” Cassidy said. “Is it enough of a sample size to say he’s ready to play in the NHL? Until we bring him up, that’s a hard question to answer.

“We wanted it to be a prolonged amount of time, whether that was one month, 10 days, two months. Five games is probably a little bit of a short sample supply, but he’s certainly passing the test down there, if we decide to go that route.”

Peter Cehlarik is another possibility, but Bjork, tied for second in the AHL in points through the first two weeks, has shown the most in the bigs. For a team that’s hunting for goals from anyone not named David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, or Bergeron, he may be difficult to deny.

“He was as good as some of the other guys here [in camp],” Cassidy said. “We just felt, go establish your offensive game, which he is doing, or in the process of doing. Is it enough where he’s going to come up here and be confident and do it here? That’s what we’re hoping for in the end, and I can’t answer that until he gets here.”

Cehlarik, in his fourth AHL season, has opened with three goals in two games. First-year captain Paul Carey is also a known commodity for Boston’s coaching staff. Former Vancouver property Brendan Gaunce saw his chances evaporate on Friday night, however, when Laval’s 1157582 Boston Bruins

Secondary scoring Bruins biggest dilemma in early going

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected]

Boston Herald

October 18, 2019 at 5:30 PM

Just seven games into the NHL season, it’s tough to take any trends truly seriously.

That said, just three players scoring 14 of the Bruins past 17 goals is a valid conversation.

Secondary scoring has always been a question mark for the Bruins, dating back to before last season. They got by, and then some, considering they made it to the final day of the season any NHL team is able to play. Those same scoring issues that plagued them at times last season, though, remain a concern in the early going of 2019-20.

David Pastrnak (six goals in his past two games), Brad Marchand (team- leading seven assists) and Patrice Bergeron (seven points in seven games) have paced the offense. That’s expected.

It gets bleak from there.

The next Bruins leading scorer is defenseman Torey Krug with his one goal and five assists. Then for forwards, fourth-line center Sean Kuraly’s two assists, fourth-line winger Chris Wagner’s one assist, Danton Heinen’s one goal from opening night … and so on.

It’s a dramatic drop-off. It’s early, but it’s the type of thing that needs to be resolved to continue to gain standings points with the schedule only getting tougher.

“It’s a tough balance,” said Jake DeBrusk, seeking his first goal of the season on the second line. “Obviously as things keep going along, it’s tougher and tougher to stay patient, so you do try different things, whether it’s superstitions and things like that. You try to stay patient and positive as much as possible, but it kind of gets to a certain point where you just understand that you know you can do it. It’s just a matter of getting that first one and then usually things start going really well.”

DeBrusk had one strong shift in overtime against the Lightning on Thursday before his shootout attempt failed in the fourth round. But, just to have a strong shift against a good team was a step in the positive direction.

“That’s more my style,” he said. “That was my last shift of that game. That shift, I got my legs skating. For the first time this year, I pretty much went full speed. To feel those muscles and feel like that was good.”

His line is playing without David Krejci for now as well, who was injured against Anaheim and he played under five minutes, while missing Thursday’s game and will miss Saturday as well.

It’s tough to get secondary scoring without the main secondary playmaker in the lineup, but the Bruins forward depth is certainly deeper than no one beyond the top line having multiple goals; or, in the case of the second line, not having a single goal at all.

The Bruins had spurts last season where the top line was their main production, and it’s early enough in the season where just getting points is important, especially with the possibility of hitting a midseason wall being realistic. To win beyond this current stretch, though, eventually it’s a trend that has to be a concern.

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157583 Boston Bruins

Anders Bjork ready to get a look from Bruins?

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected]

Boston Herald

PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 4:45 pm | UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 5:14 PM

A lack of scoring already calls for a potential shakeup, and Anders Bjork‘s quick start in Providence has created more clamor for the 23- year-old.

Bjork, who had his last two seasons cut short by shoulder injuries, started this season in the AHL despite a strong training camp to get him back up to speed. He started last season with the Bruins varsity, but struggled, leading to his send-down and subsequent injury.

Since being sent to Providence this time around, Bjork has produced six points in five games and doesn’t have much more to prove at that level.

With Joakim Nordstrom (upper body injury sustained against Tampa Bay) and David Krejci out for Saturday’s contest in Toronto, there’s the possibility someone might get a recall ahead of the next two contests with the Maple Leafs.

“We have (David) Backes as an extra who sat out with Nordstrom being out,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy on Friday. “He could slot in there. We may decide to get somebody from Providence if we want a different look down there. Bjork has been playing well down there, (Brendan) Gaunce has been playing well down there and (Peter) Cehlarik. Those are the names that I have heard among others, so those are potential guys.”

Several players sat out Friday’s practice, with Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Zdeno Chara, and Torey Krug getting maintenance days. Nordstrom had the injury he picked up on Thursday, and Patrice Bergeron sat out with a lower body injury from blocking a shot. He’s expected to dress in Toronto, but the sudden influx of forward issues has the Bruins thinking of what they might need from Providence.

Bjork would be the easy answer. They want to keep him on the left side, while most of their holes have been on the right. Some of that can be solved by flipping Danton Heinen to the right; he played part of the third period there on Thursday night.

There’s no guarantee Bjork would be the first call-up if they go that route, though it’s certainly trending that way. But, if they’re committed to seeing how he develops his offense before getting another crack at the NHL, it might be a bit soon.

“We wanted him to go down there and find his offensive game, and he has,” Cassidy said. “Is it enough of a sample size to say he’s ready to play in the NHL? Until we bring him up, that’s a hard question to answer. We wanted it to be a prolonged amount of time, whether that was one month, 10 days, or two months. Like I said, five games is probably a short sample supply, but he’s certainly passing the test down there if we decided to go that route.”

Halak stays sharp

The Bruins will stick with their early-season goalie rotation even with the schedule getting tougher.

Jaroslav Halak will start for the fourth time when he is between the pipes on Saturday in Toronto. Tuukka Rask started in Thursday night’s loss to the Lightning, after Halak started on Monday against the Ducks.

Cassidy has stressed they have a script for the goalies, and the importance of Halak staying sharp, and so far they’ve stuck with that with a true rotation, with both goalies starting every other game.

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Bruins' David Pastrnak joins elite company while carrying Boston offense

By NBC Sports Boston Staff

October 18, 2019 12:06 PM

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak continues to etch himself into the record books.

The 23-year-old added to his goal total Thursday night, and in the process did something no Bruin has accomplished in about 15 years -- score at least five consecutive team goals.

Most consecutive team goals, @NHLBruins franchise history:

6 - Glen Murray (2003-04)

5 - @pastrnak96 (2019-20)

5 - Dunc Fisher (1951-52)#NHLStats pic.twitter.com/x2Ud3h1y6S

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 18, 2019

Pastrnak has played a role in at least seven consecutive team goals for the second time in his young career, according to NHL Public Relations. The only other player in Bruins history to accomplish the feat was Phil Esposito in 1974 (nine straight team goals).

The Czech Republic native, as of early Friday afternoon, is also tied with Edmonton Oilers forward James Neal for the league lead in goals scored with eight. Pastrnak also ranks fourth in points with 13. Since the start of his NHL career in 2014-15, Pastrnak has tallied 140 goals and 157 assists for 297 points in 327 games played.

While Pastrnak and his linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are carrying the B's offense, Boston will need to get its secondary scoring situation squared away quickly. The top line has combined for 17 goals and 14 assists while the remainder of Boston's lineup has accounted for a mere three goals and six assists -- not great for a team that saw its top line shut down throughout the 2019 Final.

Pastrnak and his linemates were given the day off Friday as the team prepares for a home-and-home set with the Toronto Maple Leafs beginning Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

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Bruins rule David Krejci, Joakim Nordstrom vs. Maple Leafs Saturday

By Joe Haggerty

October 18, 2019 1:12 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass. — With a big home-and-home series against the Toronto Maple Leafs set for the next couple of days, the Bruins opted to give their veteran core group the day away from the ice on Friday morning at Warrior Ice Arena.

It was a maintenance day for Patrice Bergeron (lower body), Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak after scoring 14 of the last 17 goals for the Bruins over the last six games, and both Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug spent the day off the ice as well. Joakim Nordstrom (upper body) and David Krejci (upper body) were also missing from the Warrior Ice Arena sheet at Friday’s practice — and neither of those players will travel to Toronto for Saturday's game.

“We have Backes as an extra that sat out with Nordstrom being out,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, of the expected replacement in the lineup. “He could slot in there. We may decide to get somebody from Providence if we want a different look down there. [Anders] Bjork has been playing well down there, [Brendan] Gaunce has been playing well down there and [Peter] Cehlarik. Those are the names that I have heard amongst other, so those are potential guys.”

Bjork, of course, has been tearing it up since the start of the season with three goals and six points in five games after being one of the last cuts in Bruins training camp. The Bruins wanted to leave him in the AHL for a spell to regain his offensive mojo and it seems pretty clear that he's done that while deserving another NHL look.

The Bruins would prefer to keep him on the left side as they've done all season, and that would easy enough if they swung Heinen to the right side as he's done on multiple occasions over the last few seasons.

While the message wasn’t spelled out by Cassidy following practice, it felt pretty clear given who was on the ice working and who was given a day to rest and recuperate. The Bruins focused on net-drive drills and taking the puck hard to the paint in practice as a reminder for the forwards to simplify their games while looking to produce some much- needed secondary scoring.

Here are the projected line combos and D-pairings based on Friday’s practice with Jaroslav Halak getting the start on Saturday night vs the Leafs:

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Bruins' Charlie McAvoy hopes 'offense is going to break through' after slow start

By Joe Haggerty

October 18, 2019 9:58 AM

BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy isn’t the biggest problem with the Bruins offense right now based on the black hole that the Bruins are getting offensively from their second- and third-line forwards over the last couple of weeks.

But the 21-year-old defenseman hasn’t been part of the solution either as the B’s lost a 4-3 shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night little help from anybody offensively that’s not named Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron or David Pastrnak.

McAvoy has just one assist in the first seven games of the season, is a minus-2 and has just eight shots on net while averaging a team-high 22:21 of ice time. Certainly, the lack of offense is an issue for a developing young player the Bruins hope can develop into a bona fide No. 1 D-man in the NHL capable of double-digit goals and 50 points per season.

McAvoy is keenly aware that he needs to be an impact player and he hasn’t been that to this point in the season. Some of it is finding that balance between being offensively assertive and defensively responsible, and some of it is about simply shooting the puck more for a guy with top drawer offensive skill on the back end.

“We’d like to start bringing our ‘A’ game and that’s me personally. We’re building it and we’re just going to keep going up,” said McAvoy. “I think I just need to keep pushing and playing mistake-free hockey. I know that’s not possible, but I do the best I can. I’m just trying to contribute when I can and hopefully the offense will break through at some point. But I don’t want to push it in the way that will make me defensively irresponsible. I just need to keep moving my feet and skating. We have a lot of good players on this team so we’ll find it.”

It’s why the Bruins handed him a substantial bridge contract that starts paying him $4.9 million per season and sets him up for a big raise on his next deal three years down the road. But McAvoy needs to develop his offensive game, get dangerous quarterbacking the power play and create much more during even-strength play with his outlet passing and on-ice vision.

Instead right now McAvoy was one of two guilty parties — along with Zdeno Chara — who allowed Brayden Point to sneak behind them in the closing seconds of the first period, and that breakaway goal helped turn the tide in a game they eventually lost in the shootout. So now not only is McAvoy not stepping up enough offensively, but he’s making mental mistakes on the ice that are costing the Black and Gold at the defensive end of the ice.

McAvoy admits that his game isn’t where it needs to be right now, though he’s got company across a Bruins roster that’s been relying far too much on their top three forwards to do everything early in the season.

“It kinds of happens. It comes and goes. I think once we break through, personally I’m hoping to just keep pushing and things will come,” said McAvoy. “First and foremost, I’m trying to be the most reliable player I can be and then those things come. They just do. There’s a ton of hockey left and we’ll find it.”

McAvoy and the most of the Bruins will find it at some point, but they could certainly use a few more players to find their game offensively at a time when they are far too top-heavy with their offensive production.

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Bruce Cassidy laments Bruins' lack of secondary scoring vs. Lightning

By Joe Haggerty

October 18, 2019 7:53 AM

BOSTON – It was a variation on the same theme for the Bruins on Thursday night as they scored three goals, all of which came from their top offensive guns on the power play.

David Pastrnak scored two power play goals and Patrice Bergeron added a tally for the Black and Gold on the man advantage, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden.

That means Brad Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak have scored 14 of the Bruins' 17 goals over the last six games, and means they are getting a whole lot of nothing from just about everybody else across the board.

Torey Krug and Sean Kuraly are the only other B’s players who have more than one point over seven games played this season, while Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy, David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, Danton Heinen and Karson Kuhlman (among others) have yet to get anything going offensively this year.

All of those players were kept off the board for the B’s on Thursday night, and that proved to be the difference in the game.

“We win the game tonight if we get secondary scoring from anybody," head coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I think we’re stating the obvious saying that. Having said that, our record is pretty good without it, but I don’t think it’s sustainable."

Other than Coyle, Heinen and Brett Ritchie producing as a third line on opening night against the Dallas Stars, the second and third lines have been nonexistent offensively for a Bruins team that's still pulled in 11 of a possible 14 points thus far.

The good news is that the Bruins are still getting results despite a very top-heavy offense, but the bad news is they desperately need somebody to step up.

“It’s important. As time moves on guys start doubting themselves a little bit more,” admitted defenseman Torey Krug. “We need to find a way to breakthrough and when we do then the floodgates will open. It’s just about finding your confidence and your touch. Maybe when you think you’re working hard, you’ve just got to work that little bit harder. A lot of time guys think they’re putting in the extra work and putting in the time, but they can do a little bit more.”

That certainly sounds like Krug feels some of the struggling forwards can bring a little bit more to the table right now, both in terms of production and the energy and effort they are bringing to the table.

One thing is for sure: It can’t get much worse than it’s been over the last six games where nobody aside from Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak has provided any kind of scoring for a Bruins team still off to a pretty good start.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157588 Boston Bruins 4. Bjork has been playing left wing all year. The Bruins want this to continue. Although they’re down a left wing in Nordstrom, the Bruins’ bigger holes are on the right side.

Now is not the time: 6 reasons shorthanded Bruins should not recall With each shift, Brett Ritchie (0-0—0 in his last five games, 10:41 of Anders Bjork average ice time per appearance) is proving why the Stars were happy to let him walk. Karson Kuhlman is playing with pace at even strength and on the penalty kill. But the rookie has no points in seven games. By Fluto Shinzawa “We would like him to go in on the left side where he’s been playing, Oct 18, 2019 where he played in camp,” Cassidy said. “Ideally, to bring him up, then put him in a position where it’s not the best to succeed, is not something

we would want to do in a perfect world. We want him playing on left wing, Point A: The Bruins need help up front. so we’d have to look at that.”

They are one of the worst teams in the league at producing 5-on-5 Given how poorly Jake DeBrusk has started, it’s possible Bjork could be offense. They will be down two forwards against Toronto on Saturday: the No. 2 left wing behind Brad Marchand. David Krejci, hobbled against Anaheim, and Joakim Nordstrom, felled DeBrusk has no goals and one assist. He had one goal taken away against Tampa. Patrice Bergeron did not practice on Friday after blocking against Colorado following an offside challenge. That his time with Krejci a shot the night before, but Bruce Cassidy believes the No. 1 center will has been limited is no excuse for his disappearance. be available against the Maple Leafs. “I haven’t found my game at all this year,” DeBrusk said. “Even with the Point B: Anders Bjork, currently leading Providence in scoring (three Colorado game, getting that disallowed and everything, that’s in the past. goals and three assists in five games), is off to a ripping start in the AHL. You look at statistics and everything like that, I’m not really helping Point A plus Point B, however, does not necessarily equal Point C: a myself out in a lot of categories.” Bjork promotion. Ideally, however, Bjork would be the No. 3 left wing after Marchand and The Bruins already screwed up once with Bjork. This is no time to DeBrusk. The Bruins could flip Danton Heinen, who’s been the third-line compound their mistake. Here’s why the 23-year-old requires more left wing, to the right side. marinating in Providence: 5. The Bruins are down a skilled center. Krejci did not practice on Friday. 1. No need to repeat history. Bjork was limited in training camp last year He participated in the first part of Thursday’s practice. His return date is while recovering from shoulder surgery. It was one reason he stayed unknown. behind while most of his varsity teammates traveled to China during the Charlie Coyle has gotten the first crack at playing second-line center with preseason. He should have started last season in Providence to become, Jake DeBrusk on his left flank. During the preseason, Bjork played well for the first time, a reliable professional scorer. on Coyle’s left and Heinen on the right side. With Coyle moving up, Par Instead, Bjork broke camp with the varsity — as a healthy scratch for the Lindholm was the No. 3 center against the Lightning. Lindholm has season opener, no less. It was a disservice. With no confidence to start shown limited offensive touch. As such, he would be a poor fit for the his second pro season, Bjork went 0-0—0 in 18 of 20 games before the explosive Bjork. Bruins demoted him to Providence. 6. The Bruins have other short-term options. Coyle will take Krejci’s spot. This year, the Bruins were committed to allowing Bjork to become a go-to Chris Wagner could switch to No. 4 left wing. David Backes, a healthy player in Providence, even after an excellent rookie tournament in Buffalo scratch for the last three games, could be the No. 4 right wing. If and a good main camp. So far, the plan is proceeding well. Bergeron can’t go, Brendan Gaunce could support Coyle, Lindholm and Sean Kuraly. 2. That said, the sample size is small. The organization’s plan was to leave Bjork in Providence for 10-12 appearances. Six games may be too Bjork is the Bruins’ most promising prospect. This is no time to limited of a snapshot to capture Bjork’s true level of performance. compromise such status.

“We wanted him to go down and find his offensive game. And he has,” The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 Bruce Cassidy said. “Is it enough of a sample size to say he’s ready to play in the NHL? Until we bring him up, that’s a hard question to answer. We wanted it to be a prolonged amount of time, whether that was one month, 10 days, two months. Five games is probably a little bit of a short sample supply. But he’s certainly passing the test down there if we decide to go that route.”

3. The reward is not worth the risk. The Bruins (5-1-1) are still in good shape. Goaltending, power play and the No. 1 line are carrying them to wins despite their inability to generate 5-on-5 chances (6.88 high-danger shot attempts/60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick, second-lowest in the league).

Accelerating Bjork’s timeline in hopes of jump-starting the offense is a short-sighted plan. It would put pressure on Bjork that he does not need. The worst thing that could happen is if Bjork comes up too early, spins his wheels and requires another demotion. It could ruin his year and maybe even spike the rest of his career.

The point of stashing Bjork in Providence is to let him ripen to the point of decay. By the end of his stay, Bjork should be so ticked off at being in the AHL behind worse players that he resolves never to return to Providence again.

“He was as good as some of the other guys here,” Cassidy said of Bjork’s camp. “We just felt, ‘Go establish your offensive game.’ Which he is doing and in the process of doing. Is it enough where he’s going to come up here and be confident to be able to do it here? That’s what we’re hoping for in the end. I can’t answer that until he gets here.” 1157589 Buffalo Sabres

Rasmus Asplund injured, Lawrence Pilut debuts for Amerks

By Bill Hoppe

Published Fri, Oct 18, 2019

ROCHESTER -- Sabres prospect Rasmus Asplund suffered an upper body injury on a blocked shot in the opening minutes of Friday night for the .

Asplund, 21, was killing a penalty and crouched down when the puck hit him about 2:15 into the game. He quickly skated off and did not return.

Interim Americans coach Gord Dineen said Asplund had X-rays, but he did not know the results.

“We’ll just have to evaluate and see how is tomorrow,” Dineen said after the Amerks fell to the Cleveland Monsters, 4-3 in a shootout in Blue Cross Arena. “He’s a gamer. He really wants to be out there. He would’ve been compromised probably being out there.”

With Asplund sidelined, Dineen rotated a few centers between Remi Elie and Tage Thompson.

Asplund, one of the Sabres’ top forward prospects, compiled two assists in the first four games this season.

Despite losing Asplund and the game Friday, the Amerks had some good news.

Defenseman Lawrence Pilut made his season debut after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder during the offseason.

The Amerks threw Pilut, 23, right into the fray, playing him in all situations.

“It felt all right,” said Pilut, who injured his shoulder in the playoffs April 24. “I think I’m a little rusty. I feel like I did some good things out there but I still have some things to clean up.

“But that will come the more games I get in. I feel confident out there.”

Pilut, an All-Star as a rookie last season, skated beside Will Borgen at even strength. The Swede also quarterbacked and killed penalties.

“His conditioning was excellent, pace that he played at was very good,” Dineen said. “I think some of the completion of plays that he normally makes wasn’t quite where he would want it and where we know that he’s got the ability to execute.

“Overall, I was real happy with his game.”

Pilut registered three shots on goal, including one through traffic in the second period. He also drew a roughing penalty late in regulation.

“He’s got such elite vision out there,” Dineen said. “It really shows up on the power play. I’d like to see him add a little bit more to our power play.”

Pilut quickly morphed into one of the Sabres’ top defense prospects last season, playing 33 NHL games.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157590 Buffalo Sabres During a 4-0 win over Dallas on Monday, the group had what Krueger called a "Sabre hockey kind of shift," where it controlled the puck in the offensive zone for over one minute and drew a penalty. Mittelstadt and Casey Mittelstadt centering line that could be 'x-factor' for Sabres Vesey also have successfully navigated the challenge of limited ice time.

"It is a challenge," Vesey acknowledged prior to the Sabres' loss in Anaheim on Wednesday. "I think just when you sit there for a little bit you By Lance Lysowski should be well-rested. We have to create our own energy and stay in it mentally, which we’ve done better at as of late. … If we can get it going Published Fri, Oct 18, 2019|Updated Fri, Oct 18, 2019 here, we have the skill to really be an x-factor for the team."

Krueger, though, has tried to put Mittelstadt in a position to build SAN JOSE, Calif. – Casey Mittelstadt sensed a breakthrough was near. confidence. He ranks third among Sabres forwards with 22 offensive- The 20-year-old center and his left winger, Jimmy Vesey, were zone starts and he has taken the fewest faceoffs in the defensive zone. generating more scoring chances and sustaining pressure in the Though his 5-on-5 ice time has been limited, Mittelstadt remains on the offensive zone, yet neither had a goal through seven games. Sabres' second power-play unit, and his faceoff percentage is up almost 11% from last season. "We were pretty due," Mittelstadt said with a grin late Thursday night inside the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room at Staples Center. Vesey, meanwhile, has contributed on the penalty kill and has consistently provided pressure in the defensive zone. Now, both are Their confidence never wavered, not even when facing the challenge of proving to be a threat on offense. limited ice time some nights. Playing with two different linemates this season didn't matter, either. When the Sabres were in need of a fast start "It can be frustrating at times," Sheary said of his linemates' bad luck on the second night of their first back-to-back games of the season, during his absence. "I know they thought they were playing pretty good Mittelstadt, Vesey and their right wing, Conor Sheary, delivered. and I did, too, from watching. It’s just a matter of a bounce here or there that’s going to go in for you. I was happy Mittsy was able to get a couple Mittelstadt scored a career-high two goals, Vesey recorded his first assist tonight and hopefully it’s Jimmy’s turn next game." with the Sabres and Sheary added a goal in his return from injury in a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. The performance showed Lazar joins Amerks that Buffalo (6-1-1) has four lines that are a legitimate threat to score on Forward Curtis Lazar, who was recalled from Rochester on Sunday, was every shift. assigned to the Amerks on Friday morning. Lazar no longer was needed "The last few games, we had quite a few chances, especially the last on the Sabres' roster since Sheary returned and Rodrigues served as the couple," Mittelstadt, who has two goals among five points, said. "Shears extra forward. was out, but I’ve played with him enough that it’s pretty easy to pick up Additionally, Rochester assigned goalie Michael Houser to Cincinnati. where we left off. It felt good. We’ve done a lot of good things and it was good to see a few go in." Preparing for Sharks

The performance was particularly important for Mittelstadt. He seemed to The Sabres are expected to hold a morning skate Saturday in San Jose have a slow start to training camp while adjusting to the new defensive- to prepare for their game against the Sharks in SAP Center at 10:30 p.m. zone structure implemented by coach Ralph Krueger. EST. The team is expected to be off Sunday and will host San Jose in KeyBank Center on Tuesday. However, Mittelstadt and his linemates have provided reliable defense. His plus-5 rating is a remarkable improvement from the minus-19 he Buffalo News LOADED: 10.19.2019 recorded in 77 games as a rookie, and his added strength has helped him forecheck effectively.

During the first period Thursday night, Mittelstadt gained leverage on a Kings defender to jar a puck loose. Vesey retrieved it near the opposing blue line, drew a defender to him in the left circle and passed to Mittelstadt, whose one-timer gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead.

Less than three minutes later, Mittelstadt managed to track a pass from Rasmus Dahlin at his skates, entered the offensive zone and his cross- ice pass was one-timed into the net by Sheary, who missed the previous four games with an upper-body injury.

Mittelstadt scored his second goal at 2:32 into the second period, when he gained positioning in front of the net and deflected a pass from Rasmus Ristolainen past Kings goalie Jack Campbell.

"I thought Conor came in with a lot of energy today and added to the punch," Krueger said of Mittelstadt's line. "They could have had more. They were the difference-maker for sure tonight and the offense. That’s the kind of team we need to be. We need to find different ways to win, especially on back-to-backs, on a long trip like this. The mental side of it, you need help and you need everyone to chip in. It was just really a good night for them to step up. These are big two points for us."

The performance was a byproduct of patience and progress in Krueger's system. The line seemed to form instant chemistry in the season-opening win at Pittsburgh, when Sheary scored two goals against his former team.

However, the group's ice time began to dip and Evan Rodrigues drew into the lineup for Sheary. Following the win Thursday, Vesey was averaging a career-low 12:11 of ice time and Mittelstadt was at 11:05 while ranking last in 5-on-5 ice time among Sabres to appear in eight games. They haven't been a liability in their own zone. Neither player has been on the ice for a goal against this season, but the line wasn't generating much time in the offensive zone until the Sabres' win over Florida on Oct. 11. 1157591 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres prospect Tage Thompson using 'gritty ways' in hot start

By Bill Hoppe

Published Fri, Oct 18, 2019

Buffalo Sabres prospect Tage Thompson has roared out of the gate for the Rochester Americans, scoring two goals and five points in the first four games.

After registering two assists in regulation Sunday afternoon in Hartford, Thompson, 21, scored the shootout’s only goal to clinch a 3-2 win.

Interim coach Gord Dineen attributes Thompson’s hot to start to playing a “complete game.”

“He’s been working hard on the walls and trying to play with a lot of structure,” he said. “He’s been killing some penalties, playing against the other team’s top lines. So it’s been pretty impressive so far.”

Dineen said finding “gritty ways” to grab pucks along the wall and in front of the net has also helped the 6-7 Thompson.

“He’s used his size and reach in different ways,” he said. “He’s got such a width of reach that he comes up with pucks you think he can never get. He’s strong on his stick.”

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157592 Buffalo Sabres Just trying to do what I can to help round out that area and kind of get the whole package going.

“I think their thing is they see me as someone that can contribute offense, How Rochester’s coaches are keeping those players on the cusp of the score a lot, hopefully (play) top-six, top-nine minutes, and be a guy they Sabres roster focused can go to in all situations. That’s what I want too and in order for me to get that they think this is the best route for that.”

By Joe Yerdon TAGE THOMPSON OVERTIME WINNER FROM RASMUS ASPLUND. PIC.TWITTER.COM/JKKE860D1E Oct 18, 2019 — LET’S GO AMERKS (@LETSGOAMERKS) OCTOBER 5, 2019

What makes it easier for players to be able to ascend to the NHL again is ROCHESTER, N.Y. — John Vogl’s State of the Americans showed that how Rochester and Buffalo are on the same page both in how their Rochester was going to have a good roster and a team capable of games are designed and how practices are run. Many of the same drills winning the Calder Cup. But icing the best team possible in the AHL and are used for both teams and both the Sabres and Americans are playing balancing those goals with the hopes the players have with getting to the a high-pressure style of hockey. While that comes from Ralph Krueger in NHL as soon as possible requires a strong organizational message and a Buffalo, the coaches in Rochester and Cincinnati are all on the same buy-in from the players. A big part of that is communicating what the page and making things more enjoyable for everyone. organization needs from them when they’ve been assigned to the minors. “It’s easier, I wouldn’t say it’s more fun because hockey is always fun, it’s That messaging has fallen largely on the coaching staff, which is just an easier style to play because they just want you to go out there currently being led by Gord Dineen while Amerks head coach Chris and play but with some guidelines, but still go out there and play and Taylor replaces Sabres assistant Don Granato during his recovery from show what you’ve got,” center Rasmus Asplund said. “I think it’s just pneumonia. easier to fall into it.”

“It’s easy to say ‘don’t worry about what they’re doing up there’ and I Asplund is the kind of player who can thrive in the sort of system the think it’s a bit of a Pollyanna view if you’re saying that. They’re going to organization is implementing. He demonstrated last season in Rochester look and they’re going to see it,” Americans interim coach Gord Dineen he can dig in defensively but he can also accelerate his offensive game said. “The one thing that we always try and stress is they’re caretakers of as well. Although he hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, the work to get their own career and we give them the means and the opportunity to be there can’t let up. the best – and certainly the Pegulas and everything they provide allows that – but they’re caretakers of their career so they have to focus on “I can’t control if they want someone else or they want me, that’s a where they are at any given time. decision they have to make,” Asplund said. “The important thing for me is that I’m playing well and doing the things I’m good at and being a good “I hate to go cliché on it but it’s one day at a time type thing, but they player for the team down here. That’s the only thing I can focus on right really have to focus on where they’re at any given day, practice, coming here and that’s the only thing I’ll focus on, too. A call-up or Buffalo is into games, and just focus on that and help themselves as far as something I can’t control, that’s not a decision of mine or nothing like opportunity and be in the moment.” that.”

For players who just missed making the opening night roster in Buffalo, Injuries will happen and spots will open in Buffalo at some point, but to be what can take the sting out of being sent down is both playing well and the next man up the players know they have to be the right player where knowing that opportunity for promotion is there. But not every player’s they’re at right now. situation is the same. For some, further development is needed, while for others it’s a matter of a roster numbers game. “I definitely extend the message that comes from up top. When we’re doing our job well, we don’t see these guys here for very long,” Dineen Casey Nelson is back in Rochester after the Sabres loaded up on said. “The one thing we really try to stress is coming from up top is what defensemen in the offseason. 20-year-old Henri Jokiharju steamrolled his their habits are, how they want to see them develop as NHL players, and way into the top-six and John Gilmour edged him out. Even with Brandon keep trying to stress at those habits at this level over here.” Montour’s hand injury loosening the roster up a bit, it was tough to stick even with nearly 100 NHL games played (93 in Nelson’s case). The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019

“I just worry about where I’m at right now. I’m day to day,” Nelson said. “I still keep in contact with some of the guys (in Buffalo) here and there, but I’m playing hockey here right now. That’s all you can control.”

Consider Tage Thompson’s situation. Just 21, he’s played over 100 NHL games and spent most of last season with the Sabres before he was sent to Rochester late in the year. For Thompson, preparing for his next chance in Buffalo means playing more minutes in a different role in Rochester.

“They thought this was the best for my development. It’s something that’s going to help round out my game and help me to be an NHL player for a long time,” Thompson said. “They felt that this was the best to get a lot of playing time and continue to develop rather than maybe be in and out of the lineup or on fourth line minutes just sitting there on the bench.”

Last season, Thompson beat out Alex Nylander for a spot on the Sabres but was used minimally and down in the lineup. For a young player, that’s not always the optimal use as Thompson struggled to both put up points and defend. Even for the most confident player that can be discouraging, but so can not making the NHL team. Instead, Thompson was given clear goals on what to work on so the call to go up can come sooner than later.

“They said by no means did they think I had a bad camp, they thought I had a really good camp,” Thompson said. “It was no indication of how my camp went, how my summer went — they were really happy with how I put in a lot of work and gained weight and got stronger and they could see it — they could see it in my play, too. They said it’s just a couple things we’ve got to clean up and that’ll keep you in the NHL a long time. 1157593 Calgary Flames

Czarnik logging more ice-time for depth-driven Flames

Kristen Anderson

Postmedia

Published:October 18, 2019

Updated:October 18, 2019 8:08 PM MDT

On Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, Austin Czarnik logged the most ice-time he has all year.

On the ice for just over 11 minutes (11:24), the 26-year-old played 16 shifts, including 2:51 of power-play time, which was part of the design of the Calgary Flames’ 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The coaching staff wanted to keep everyone engaged, in an attempt to squeeze as much depth out of the group as possible.

It worked — eight players hit the scoresheet.

As for Czarnik, who is part of the bottom-six forward group, he was involved.

“It’s been a challenge, for sure, but you just have to stay positive and work at it,” Czarnik said. “Sooner or later, something’s going to happen for you. Good or bad, you just have to stay positive. (Thursday) they gave me an opportunity to be on the power play, so that’s a way to get more ice-time, but now it’s my job to try and stay on it and just move forward from there.”

His previous outings this early 2019-20 season were 5:34 against the Philadelphia Flyers, 8:23 versus the San Jose Sharks and 3:56 against the Colorado Avalanche.

Against the Red Wings, he skated mostly with Mark Jankowski and Milan Lucic. Czarnik might not every be mistaken for Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan or Elias Lindholm, but after logging 54 appearances last season with the Flames and scoring six goals and adding 12 assists, he’s an important element to the forward group.

And especially after Thursday’s clash which saw Andrew Mangiapane disappear down the tunnel after an awkward collision into the boards.

The team did not skate on Friday and opted to fly straight to Los Angeles, where they’ll square off with the Kings during the late game on (8 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

So no update was provided on Mangiapane, although the feeling is his injury is more serious than Elias Lindholm, who was slashed in the back of the legs by Darren Helm in the same game.

If Mangiapane is out for an extended period of time, that means the Flames will be even more reliant on players such as Czarnik to help shoulder the load.

“I think we’re a smart hockey team when we’re dialed in,” Flames head coach Bill Peters was saying of his group which is 4-3-1 after Thursday’s victory. “And what we had (Thursday) was everybody on a specialty- teams unit. Everybody was going to be involved. Mangy (Mangiapane) was going to kill with Doc (Derek Ryan) — I don’t think it ever happened, but that was the plan. Z was on the Bennett unit on the power play. We want to get everybody involved.

“We want everybody to feel like they’re a part of it, because they are. And we need everybody to find a way to contribute.”

Czarnik is ready, whenever his name is called.

“You can’t lose your confidence in yourself if you’re not playing,” Czarnik said. “That’s one thing I focused on this past summer, maintaining confidence and trying to do my job.

“You have to be ready to go on all cylinders. That’s my mindset right now.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157594 Calgary Flames SHOULD MATTHEW TKACHUK BE SUSPENDED FOR THIS ELBOW ON DREW DOUGHTY? PIC.TWITTER.COM/PYPHFEUN8O

— TIM AND SID (@TIMANDSID) MARCH 20, 2017 Roundtable: Why is Matthew Tkachuk vs. Drew Doughty so good for hockey? These days, it often feels like the life, color and personality is getting sucked out of the game. Here are two star players — genuine individuals who have strong opinions about things, who don’t mind speaking their By Lisa Dillman and Scott Cruickshank minds.

Oct 18, 2019 This is what creates interest in the sport. Really, who would be talking about a Calgary-L.A. game this early in the season if not for the Tkachuk- Doughty fireworks in Calgary?

When it comes to the NHL, it’s hard to get all of the pundits, or at least I’m thinking it will be something of a ratings bonanza in Canada on most of them, on the same page about even the most benign topic. Saturday. Will anything happen on the ice? Probably not.

Which is why the latest chapter in the feud between Calgary Flames But there is an innate curiosity about this game and that’s fundamentally forward Matthew Tkachuk and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew a good thing. Doughty stood out. I remember watching a political debate and it was great TV when the The new wrinkle on an old-school rivalry: It’s good for the game. candidates were asked to say something good about each other. Jermain Franklin of TSN said to Doughty in Calgary that the rivalry could be put to Tkachuk and Doughty took it to the next level by backing up the talk and rest if one said something nice about the other. producing some compelling hockey in Calgary on Oct. 8. Tkachuk had three points — two goals and an assist, including a late highlight-reel “I think we both know who the better player is,” Doughty said. “If he wants goal to tie the game. to compliment me first, then I’ll give him one back.”

In overtime, Doughty’s power play goal decided it and capped off a three- Zing. point night. Considering the history here, what do you think would happen if the And Tkachuk, cleverly, set the stage for the next battle, saying: “I’m Kings and the Flames — down the road — met in the playoffs? Would excited for Round 2 in a couple weeks in L.A.” anyone survive a best-of-seven game series?

That day is almost here. Doughty addressed some of the possible Cruickshank: Whoa, an even grander stage. Both guys, clearly, aren’t upcoming brouhaha at practice Friday and noted some family members afraid of the spotlight. For the first meeting this season, with their wanted him to tone everything down. animosity in full view, they rose to the occasion with a superb display of hockey. But, Lisa, your question is what would happen if they met in the “As much as all that stuff happened, with me and the other guy talking postseason. It’s hard to say … except that let’s get a look at it, the sooner back and forth, as much as a lot of people liked it, my mom (Connie) the better. didn’t like it too much,” Doughty said. “She just wants me to go out there and do what I can on the ice and keep it that way, keep it out of the It’s what made the Battle of Alberta so great — the wicked winter clashes media. She was not happy with me, no. Especially after the (goal) as an appetizer for the brackets. (Carey Wilson, who once sacrificed his celebration.” spleen to Steve Smith’s stick in one of these skirmishes, noted that BOA regular-season matches were brutal, but the playoffs were worse.) With the Flames and Kings playing on Saturday night at Staples Center, The Athletic’s Scott Cruickshank and Lisa Dillman exchanged thoughts Maybe Kings/Doughty versus Flames/Tkachuk would be a dud in a best- on one of hockey’s best rivalries, why it seems to resonate, and whether of seven — but that’s hard to imagine. this odd couple could survive a playoff series against one another in years to come. “It’s a rivalry between the two teams — as much as you guys try to make it about me and him, it’s just about two teams not liking each other,” Dillman: I’ll start off with this basic question: What is it about this rivalry Doughty said. “I think it’s good to have guys going at it. But I have a guy that makes it so compelling? that I go at it with on every team. It’s just how it is. It just happens to be that he plays in Calgary, so there’s a bigger deal made about it.” Cruickshank: There are a few reasons, I think. For starters, it’s a feud between two elite players. So, instead of a couple of enforcers renewing For sure, their get-togethers appeal to, uh, vintage viewers. Talking last acquaintances with a predictable off-the-draw scrap, this is a couple of year to three of the Sutter brothers about playing against each other, they guys who, in a lot of ways, stir their respective team’s drinks. To have a pointed out that they NEVER spoke to one another on game day — and, couple of stars bickering? Very interesting. with no prompting, they all mentioned that no opponents should be talking on game day, period. That scowling attitude has faded over the On top of which, with Doughty and Tkachuk, it’s not forced. They’re years — players from opposing sides regularly chat over the boards outgoing, on the ice and in front of cameras. And, as much as they sort of during morning skates. downplay the battle, they can’t help engaging. Although on Thursday morning — hours before the Flames hosted the Detroit Red Wings — But Doughty-Tkachuk is definitely old-timey, in a good way. And to see Tkachuk was understandably tight-lipped. (“We have a big one tonight, the beef played out every other night over a couple of weeks? You just so I’m not thinking anything other than Detroit right now.” But you know want to see it. After Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza, you wanted to there’s going to be hype about this weekend? “Nothing really bothers me see them meet in the fall. They did, with memorable results. too much outside my bubble or the team’s bubble. If everyone else makes a big deal about something, that’s whatever. I get it. But it doesn’t Generally, I think, most people take a positive view of the grudge — as affect me too much.”) long as it doesn’t escalate into drop kicks in the parking lot.

It’s also intriguing because a squabble of this magnitude is becoming a And if there happens to be a few more juicy soundbites along the way? rare thing. So, when it does happen — Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane, All the better. Reaves and Tom Wilson, and Ryan Johansen — it’s Dillman: Juicy soundbites are a daily, if not hourly, occurrence in the notable. And this one seems to have legs — like years’ worth. NBA. I covered the Clippers for parts of three seasons, returning to the Dillman: Those are all great points, Scott. It is the exact opposite of a NHL in time to chronicle the Kings’ first Stanley Cup championship in manufactured rivalry, a dislike that developed organically between 2012. During Doughty-Tkachuk, Round 1, I noted that the ability to show Doughty and Tkachuk. personality in the NBA is celebrated, not shunned like it often is in the NHL. (Of course, elbowing someone in the head isn’t my recommended starting point. That was the first flash point when Tkachuk, in his rookie Now that isn’t true with the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, season, elbowed Doughty in March of 2017 and earned a two-game which also happens to be one of the best (team) rivalries right now. In suspension.) recent years, the best team feud (non Oilers) for the Flames has been, not with the Kings, but the Anaheim Ducks. Who couldn’t forget the war of words between Flames GM Brad Treliving and Ducks GM Bob Murray leading up to their first-round playoff series in 2017?

That was amusing. Scott, I’m sure you can think of other recent Flames feuds. And a bonus question: How have the Tkachuk brothers — Matthew and Brady — handled games against one another?

Cruickshank: The Tkachuk boys managed to behave in two meetings last season — Brady scored in the first game, Matthew in the second — but I’m sure it had been a different story in the rumpus room and on the driveway when they were growing up. No doubt Mom made them promise to keep it clean in the NHL. At least last year.

Recent feuds? Hmmm. Not many, which might be the appeal of this main event — right-side defender pitted against left-side winger. It’s been a while since one’s brewed in Calgary.

Certainly, Jarome Iginla, in his heyday, created regular sparks — sparring with Steve Ott, Sean Avery, Jordin Tootoo, and, strangely enough, Tomas Vokoun, goalie of the Nashville Predators — but those seemed to come and go.

I remember a few — a lot? — of years ago at the Saddledome, Bill Lindsay and Chris Chelios just skated over to each other one night and commenced boxing. No incident. No words. No leadup. Odd, but afterward, Lindsay said there’s something in hockey called history and he acknowledged his own with Chelios. He added that the rugged rearguard probably had “run-ins with half the league. He’s got wars going with a lot of players.”

So, unknown to reporters and fans and maybe even other skaters, there are countless feuds simmering.

But there’s no guessing with this one — Doughty and Tkachuk do not like each other. It’s obvious. And great.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157595 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco taking leave to undergo medical treatment

BY LUKE DECOCK

OCTOBER 18, 2019 04:47 PM

Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco is dealing with a serious medical issue after falling ill on the team’s West Coast road trip, the team announced Friday.

Maniscalco, who serves as the sideline reporter and pregame host on FS Carolinas broadcasts and also works for the team’s website, went to the emergency room in San Jose early Wednesday morning after the team’s game in Los Angeles on Tuesday night complaining of abdominal pain.

Doctors discovered a large mass in his stomach and his wife Kristen flew to California to join him on Wednesday. Maniscalco has been hospitalized at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center since then, missing the Hurricanes’ games at San Jose on Wednesday and Anaheim on Friday.

“I just intend to get back to work as soon as I can and I’m truly grateful for the support that has been shown to me by the organization and the fans,” Maniscalco said in a text message to the News & Observer.

Caniacs across NC are thinking about and praying for the health of our man on the ice, @mikemaniscalco. https://t.co/7RA6S3urQG

— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) October 18, 2019

Maniscalco received medical clearance on Friday to return to Raleigh for further diagnosis, perhaps as soon as Saturday, but will continue to be absent from Hurricanes broadcasts indefinitely while he undergoes treatment.

“What stands out to me, and always has, is Mike’s relationship with the players,” Hurricanes analyst Tripp Tracy said. “I think that was certainly reflected in Dougie Hamilton’s comments in our interview with him in the second intermission on Wednesday. We’ll be thinking about him each and every night until he returns to the broadcast.”

Added play-by-play announcer John Forslund: “At times like this, the power of positive thoughts directed toward Mike and his family is essential. It’s essential for the fans who love Mike to rally around this. We all are. He’s with us, even when he can’t be. We miss him dearly.”

News Observer LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157596 Carolina Hurricanes After being acquired from the Minnesota Wild last January, Niederreiter caught flames, scoring 30 points in Carolina’s final 36 games on a top line with Aho and Justin Williams. In the playoffs, his production dipped significantly. He only scored one goal and three assists in 15 playoff 3 Red Flags to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Hot Start games, and the Swiss winger still hasn’t been able to shake off the bad mojo.

Carolina Hurricanes Nino Niederreiter BY MATT COSMAN In his six seasons with the Wild, Niederreiter averaged 0.52 points per OCTOBER 18TH, 2019 game (PPG). When he first came to Carolina, he was producing at a 0.83 PPG rate, well above his career average. The 27-year-old has the ability to climb to that level, especially playing with Aho, but his slow start There hasn’t been much to complain about lately for the Carolina indicates he’s settling back to his career average. A 50-point season Hurricanes. They’re 6-2-0, tied for second place in the NHL, and their should be the minimum expectation for Niederreiter this year. The good team seems to be clicking on and off the ice. The 2019-20 season is still news is, he and Aho are still posting excellent possession numbers – in its infancy, but the Hurricanes are currently on a 123-point pace. While both are sporting a Corsi rating of over 60 percent. that’s probably not sustainable, they do have a team that’s more than capable of finishing with over 100 points, which they haven’t achieved The big boys for the Hurricanes will turn it around, but the biggest hole up since 2005-06 – the year they won the Stanley Cup. front, and the greatest cause for concern, is the spot vacated by the former captain Williams. Svechnikov and center Jordan Staal have spent Beneath the surface of their success, there have been a few red flags much of the season playing on the same line together, but the winger early that are making ‘Canes fans take warning. And if these themes who accompanies them hasn’t been working out. continue, there could be some bumps down the road. Brock McGinn should not be in a top-six role. He’s an excellent penalty Lack of Discipline killer, strong forechecker and a gritty presence better suited for the fourth line. But with the third line clicking so well, it leaves Brind’Amour with few It drives every head coach crazy and Rod Brind’Amour is no different. options. The Hurricanes have taken a league-high 39 minor penalties this season, and it’s been the most obvious catalyst that has stifled their momentum The Hurricanes would get much more mileage out of Svechnikov, their and frustrated their coach. star second-overall pick in 2018, if they paired him with a player of similar skill. Recently, it’s been rumored the Hurricanes are interested in right- “They’re calling lots of things. That’s just how it is now. We’ve got to kill wingers Josh Ho-Sang from the New York Islanders and Jesse Puljujarvi, them, though. We’ve got to do a better job,” Brind’Amour said following whose rights belong to the Edmonton Oilers. Either player could be a the Hurricanes’ 5-2 loss Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks, in buy-low option for the Hurricanes that can bolster their top-nine to give which they allowed two power play goals in the first period. “At the end of them three strong scoring lines. the day, you’ve got to kill them, and we didn’t. When we get our power play, we’ve got to make it count, and we didn’t. There’s the game.” The Hurricanes haven’t had problems scoring this season, but it’s hard not to think they’re only a few injuries away from trouble. They can’t rely Tripping and interference are Carolina’s two most common infractions, on their third line forever – their main guys need to step it up. accounting for 49% of all penalties taken by the Hurricanes so far this season. The abundance of those kinds of penalties suggests the players Power Play Hasn’t Found Its Groove are making lazy, careless decisions when caught out of position. Forwards Nino Niederreiter and Andrei Svechnikov are the two most Nitpicking the Hurricanes’ power play has officially entered the category guilty culprits, having earned five minor penalties each in the eight games of beating a dead horse. It cursed them in last season’s playoffs, this season. executing at only 9.6 percent through 15 games. This season, they have a few more weapons up front, and they’ve split their power play into two Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, their penalty kill isn’t good enough to relatively even units. make up for their lack of discipline. They’ve been able to kill off 77.8 percent of penalties, which is currently 19th in the NHL, but if that Even on paper, anyway. The unit comprised of Svechnikov, Teuvo number is sustained over the course of 82 games, they’re in trouble. That Teravainen, Erik Haula, Ryan Dzingel and Dougie Hamilton has scored penalty-kill rate would have been bottom-five in the league last season. 14 out of the 15 total power play points (PPP) on the team. The other is a lone assist from rookie Martin Necas. The penalty problem is slowly being corrected, but they still have a long way to go. Through the first four games of the season, the Hurricanes Aho’s struggles have seeped into his crew as well, where he, took 22 minor penalties. In the four games since, they’ve chipped that Niederreiter, Jake Gardiner and Jordan Staal have yet to tally a PPP. number down to 17. It’s still not where they want to be, but it seems to be Overall, Carolina’s power play sits 22nd in the league at 17.8 percent. trending in a better direction. Unit 1 sees more ice time – an average of 3:14 minutes per game, while For the time being, this is an issue the Hurricanes can’t allow to snowball Aho’s unit averages 2:04 per game. Unit 1 was firing on all cylinders in out of control. They need to tone down their recklessness, harness their the first four games of the season, where they were converting at a 33.3 intensity and play smart hockey, otherwise the penalty box bench is percent rate. But in the four games since, the Hurricanes haven’t been going to stay toasty warm. able to convert at all with the man advantage, going 0-for-13.

3 Forwards Struggling Offensively A shakeup on the power play could be just what Aho needs to get his offense going again, and now could be the time to mix up the groups to Sebastian Aho’s struggles have been well documented. After scoring 83 find a spark. Otherwise, special teams as a whole could anchor the points in 82 games in a career year last season, Aho has debuted with Hurricanes as they attempt to climb the standings. three points in eight games to start this season, and two of those were empty-net goals. The Hockey Writers LOADED: 10.19.2019

The chances have been there – he leads the team with 28 shots – but he’s been snakebitten since signing his $42.27-million contract over the summer. We know Aho is going to come around – he’s an established superstar in this league, and he’s still been noticeable on the ice despite his lack of scoring. Don’t push the button on Aho yet.

His linemate, Niederreiter, hasn’t been able to find the net either. He’s one of only three Carolina forwards to have played every game this season and still not have a goal (Warren Foegele, Brock McGinn). With three assists to his name, and the only Hurricanes regulars to have a negative plus-minus rating, Niederreiter’s slow start is slightly more concerning. 1157597 Carolina Hurricanes “He looks like he’s more mature,” Brind’Amour said Monday during his camp press conference. “He’s certainly more mature than he was last year on the ice. And off the ice he’s physically more mature. But again, we’ll see how it all comes together when he starts playing for real.” Hurricanes’ Necas Is Ready to Stay in the NHL His Resiliency

After consecutive seasons of starting out on the Hurricanes roster, only BY EVAN LYNCH to later get demoted early on in the season, he could have easily said I want to go back to the Czech Republic, yet he always remained OCTOBER 18TH, 2019 optimistic and he understood that as long as kept working hard, his time would eventually come.

When the Carolina Hurricanes drafted Martin Necas as their first-round “It was tough,” he said. “Some (Canes) guys are injured and sometimes pick (12th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the front office had you’re waiting (for) the call-up and you’re feeling good on the ice but it expectations that he would not play with the Hurricanes soon after he doesn’t come. But that’s hockey. That’s hockey in the NHL.” was drafted, as he needed time to develop more. Scouts painted him as Despite many roster spots not going to him, he made the most out of being an undersized forward, but he was an extremely skilled skater, so playing for the Charlotte Checkers as he recorded 52 points in 64 games. good in fact that he was ranked the fifth-best international skater. He also That season was an extremely special season as the Checkers won the added great offensive instincts to his arsenal, which made for a safe Calder Cup playoffs for the first time ever and Necas had a blast during lottery pick. their run, but he would love a full season in the red and black. Junior Career “It was a great run for us in the playoffs,” he said. “We had a really good Necas was born on Jan. 15, 1999 in Nové Město na Moravě, Czech team on the ice but also off the ice, which is really important, especially in Republic. Growing up in the Czech Republic allowed for him to be the playoffs. That was cool. I really enjoyed it. It was great to win it.” enthralled into the hockey culture at a young age. He started his junior Next Up for the Canes campaign in 2012 at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a youth team from Chemutov, Czech Republic. His first The Hurricanes are in the midst of a west coast road trip where they are full season as a junior hockey player came during the 2014-15 season, currently 1-1, and a 6-2-0 overall record. They had a 2-0 win at the where Necas played on two junior teams, SKLH Žďár nad Sázavou and Staples Center versus the Los Angeles Kings and a 5-2 loss versus the HC Kometa Brno. He ending up leading the Czech league in scoring with San Jose Sharks. Carolina will face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in their an outstanding 91 points in 34 games. last game on the west coast and then they travel to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday of next week. Necas looks to Despite an underwhelming 2015-16 season due to injuries and sickness, contribute even more in the near future and hopes to prove that he Necas made his professional debut with HC Kometa Brno in 2016. belongs in Raleigh, NC for months and years to come. During the following season, Necas played in 41 games where he logged a disappointing 15 points, but he played significantly better during their The Hockey Writers LOADED: 10.19.2019 playoff run that, with his help, ended in a championship for Brno. Necas scored four goals in 10 games in their playoff run, which ranked second on the team. During the NHL Entry Draft following that season, Necas was snagged by the Hurricanes in the first round at 12th overall. He later signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canes.

NHL Career

Necas was not expected to be on the Carolina roster immediately following his draft selection as he was predicted to return to the Czech Republic and train more for the NHL, or he was planned to play on the Charlotte Checkers, the Hurricanes AHL affiliate; however, due to a Lee Stempniak injury, the opportunity for Necas was there and he took advantage, as he ended up making the roster. Due to NHL rules, he was only allowed to play in up to nine games or else it would have counted as a year of his contract. The Hurricanes’ front office was unsure if he would stay in the NHL the whole year so they decided to limit his playing time.

He was able to make his NHL debut, around two years ago to the date on Oct. 17, 2017, versus the Oilers. After remaining on the team for about a week later, he returned to Brno where he led them to back-to- back championships.

At the start of last season, Necas began the season on the Carolina roster and he scored his first career goal on Oct. 16; however, he was sent back down to the Checkers for more development.

Going into this season, Necas has had huge expectations as he was considered the top prospect in the Hurricanes farm system. So far in this young season, he has played extremely well, tallying two goals and three assists, including a goal in the season-opener shootout win. He has been one of the best rookies in the entire NHL as he is tied for second in total points among rookies at five points, one behind the leaders. He believes that he is ready to stay a Hurricane for the entire season. (from ‘Hurricanes’ Martin Necas ready to be full-time NHL player,’ News & Observer, 09/16/2019)

“I feel pretty good on the ice,” he said in an N&O interview Monday. “I feel like I’m a little stronger than last year. I feel ready but now I have to show it in the game, on the ice.”

Even head coach Rod Brind’Amour has been impressed by Necas’ improved play, but he still needs to prove himself even more. 1157598 Carolina Hurricanes Delay of game bench penalty that made Brind’Amour rightfully scream “What for?”: 1

Most of the tripping, hooking and holding has come in the so-called dirty Freedom ain’t free: Breaking down the high-risk, high-reward Hurricanes areas players fear for this exact reason. and the penalties that come with the goals When the plan succeeds, it looks like this Andrei Svechnikov sequence:

When it fails, it looks like that Svechnikov tripping penalty at the end of By Sara Civian the first period.

Oct 18, 2019 Every coach in the league has a different tolerance level in the makes mistakes/makes big plays ratio. Brind’Amour has shown he’s got one of the highest. That’s important on a team full of young stars, but it sure makes for some high-event hockey. SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dougie Hamilton scored his fifth goal in eight games (just like he wanted to) as the Sharks handed the Hurricanes their It seems like every year, from preseason puck drop ’till about 20 games second loss of the season Wednesday. in, the referees pick something to hyper-fixate on in an attempt to make a point. It usually manifests in hall monitoring at the faceoff dot, but this But Hamilton revels in the new trust head coach Rod Brind’Amour has year it seems like interference penalties are the hill to die on. The Canes given him on the penalty kill, so the goal didn’t matter much to him in the have seven. Brind’Amour: “They’re calling lots of things. That’s just how it context of a 5-2 loss featuring two San Jose power play tallies. is now. We’ve got to kill them, though. We’ve got to do a better job.” “Those are big, especially a team like that with a (power play) so lethal,” Where/When he said. “We have to be smarter. We’re probably leading the league in minor penalties so far, and you can’t win games when you’re PK-ing all In chronological order, Carolina’s penalty kill went … the time.” 2-for-3 vs. Montreal in a shootout win He was correct — through eight games, the Hurricanes have racked up a league-leading 39 penalties (38 minors). That’s 4.75 minors per game, 6-for-6 vs. Washington in an overtime win and eight more than the next closest team. 3-for-4 vs. Tampa Bay in an overtime win Even the best penalty killers in the league will struggle with a 1.58 4-for-6 vs. Florida in a regulation (!) win penalties per period pace. While letting a few goals in down a man is expected, it’s hard to make up for it against the better teams in the 3-for-5 vs. the Islanders in a win league, and when it starts to lose you games, it’s obviously something you want to correct. 3-for-3 against Columbus in a loss

The first rule of not letting opponents score on the power play is don’t talk 5-for-5 against the Kings in a win about opponents scoring on the power play not getting so many penalties 2-for-4 against the Sharks in a loss in the first place. The record shows that there’s some recency bias in making a big deal Duh. out of this, as the Canes were perfect on the penalty kill in a loss and Let’s dive (pun intended) into the five Ws of the Hurricanes’ early penalty allowed two in a win. woes and see what we find. You still aren’t making it easy on yourself if you allow Alex Ovechkin six What/Why opportunities to make business calls from his office, though, and the first month of the season is all about recognizing the habits that could cause Anaheim and Calgary are tied at No. 2 with 30 minor penalties, so it’s trouble later. obvious that part of the early foul trouble is a byproduct of a fast-paced, aggressive system. The Evander Kane show was the first time the penalty kill really lost the Hurricanes a game all season, but the way they let a strong five-on-five (I know, the fast-paced Ducks? I promise you I’m not making this up.) game slip after the fact is a warning sign for one of Brind’Amour’s biggest pet peeves: letting one isolated issue bleed into the good stuff. Turns out the attitude that has allowed the Hurricanes high-octane defense to flourish comes with a catch. Who

“I think we work hard and we’re hard on pucks — I don’t think they’re Nino Niederreiter: 10 PIMs necessarily stupid penalties,” Hamilton said. “It’s just we’re working hard, we’re getting sticks in there and stuff. I don’t think it’s retaliation, slashes Andrei Svechnikov: 10 PIMs or anything like that. When you’re working hard and you’re hard on pucks Jordan Staal: 8 PIMs I think that’s what happens.” Joel Edmundson: 6 PIMs “Oh, we don’t retaliate, that’s not how we do it,” Brind’Amour agreed. “Some of those penalties in the zone we were just kind of riding them, Dougie Hamilton: 6 PIMs that’s gonna happen. At the end of the day, you’ve gotta kill them and we didn’t.” My instincts initially misfired in telling me that the penalties were correlated with age. Hamilton immediately shut that down when we They’re right — of Carolina’s 39 total penalties: discussed this, and I heard he’s pretty smart so maybe I should start listening to him. Tripping: 12 He and Svechnikov are the poster boys for what he was talking about in Interference: 7 San Jose — if you’re going to score five goals in eight games as a Hooking: 4 defenseman or collect four consecutive multi-point games as a teen, mistakes will be made. You’ll take that. Holding: 4 We know who Staal is at this point. He’ll figure it out. Slashing: 3 It would be weird if Edmundson didn’t make this list. Hi-sticking: 2 Niederreiter is the only one starting to move the needle on the panic Holding the stick: 2 meter for me. You get the sense that some of his penalties are the Hard On Pucks mentality, but some are a result of trying too hard to get that Boarding: 2 first goal of the season. I’d start to worry if this is still happening at the Roughing: 2 same pace after that first goal. Bottom Line

The Canes are 6-2-0, largely thanks to the “giveth” on the other side of this “taketh away.”

The amount of penalties they’re piling up is just one of those early hints about what might give them trouble down the road.

It’s like when you’re in a new relationship and it’s going great, except one thing seems a little off. Usually the thing turns into a cute quirk you laugh about later, but there’s always a chance some bodies are buried in the backyard.

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Jonathan Toews’ first goal of the season gives the Blackhawks a 3-2 overtime victory over Blue Jackets

By JIMMY GREENFIELD

CHICAGO TRIBUNE |

OCT 18, 2019 | 10:17 PM

Jonathan Toews’ first goal of the season couldn’t have come at a better time. And he couldn’t have been in a better place.

Patrick Kane’s shot was stopped by Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, but the puck caromed off Toews as he raced to the net to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 overtime win Friday night at the United Center.

The Hawks won their second straight to improve to 2-2-1 while the Blue Jackets dropped to 3-3-1. Robin Lehner stopped 37 shots for his first win in a Hawks uniform.

Markus Nutivaara put back a rebound of his own shot 2 minutes, 55 seconds into the third period to give the Blue Jackets a brief lead, but a power-play goal by Alex DeBrincat — his second goal of the season — midway through the period tied it 2-2.

The Hawks were badly outplayed in the first but got the lone goal of the period, a Drake Caggiula snap shot that caught the crossbar and shot down into the goal to make it 1-0. It was Caggiula’s first goal of the season.

The Blue Jackets’ Pierre-Luc Dubois tied it with 14:27 left in the second when he picked up a puck in the Hawks’ zone and eluded a poke check by Lehner and slipped it around him for his third goal.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157600 Chicago Blackhawks and hits the D stick. Last game, Alex had a pretty close chance, just missed high glove. We’re getting our chances. Just a matter of time before they go in.

Blackhawks aren’t getting power-play opportunities: ‘It’s hard to draw “We get four or five power plays in the game and hopefully (score) two penalties when you don’t have the puck’ and start to click from there. I think we’re feeling pretty good in practice and lots of good meetings, so just keep it going.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2019 By JIMMY GREENFIELD

CHICAGO TRIBUNE |

OCT 18, 2019 | 4:50 PM

The Blackhawks may have the best power play in the league. Or it could be the worst.

It’s hard to say when the season is so young and the Hawks have had a terrible time even getting their power-play unit on the ice.

Only the Islanders have been worse at drawing penalties so far this season than the Hawks, who had just nine power plays in four games (2.25 per game) entering Friday night’s game against the Blue Jackets at the United Center. The Avalanche were leading the league with a little over four power plays per game.

The Hawks have discussed ways to get opponents into the penalty box and think they know what they have to do.

“Play (more) with the puck,” Dylan Strome said. “It’s hard to draw penalties when you don’t have the puck. I think the last game we did a better job of playing with the puck, it was probably our best game. I don’t know the statistics exactly, but it felt like it was our best game with possession and we drew three penalties. We can even do a better job. The more they get tired, that’s when penalties happen.”

Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews celebrates with goaltender Corey Crawford after the Blackhawks defeated the Oilers 3-1 at the United Center on Oct. 14, 2019.

Strome was correct about the Hawks’ possession numbers being strong in their 3-1 win over the Oilers. They had 50 shot attempts for and 38 shot attempts against to give them a 56.82 Corsi percentage, easily their best of the season.

But even though the Hawks had a season-high three power plays against the Oilers it was just one more than they had in each of their first three games.

“You always like more,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We can do our part to give ourselves those chances. We’ve got to get to the net. We’ve got to be more dynamic in the offensive zone — spend more time there. Keep moving our feet. Be hard to play against. Put pressure on the other team when they want to defend, when they’re trying to defend. And then we’ll get a few more.”

The Hawks are a respectable 13th in the league with a 22.2 power-play conversion rate but with two goals in nine attempts, that rate can still fluctuate wildly. Last season, the Hawks scored at a 20.2 clip but had dramatic ups and downs throughout the season.

On Thursday, Dominik Kubalik was getting some work practicing a five- on-three power play with Strome sitting out. But Colliton said he has no plans to alter the first unit of Strome, Erik Gustafsson, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat that has been in place for nearly a full season.

“We think we have something that’s going to work,” he said. “If we felt there was a better option, then we’d move to it. I think you come up together as a staff — and the players are involved too — kind of come up with a plan that we can have sustainable success with. We’re going to stick with it.”

But is it sustainable? The Hawks had a terrible 3-for-37 stretch during Colliton’s first few weeks as coach before turning things around once Gustafsson and Strome were added to the power play. They went 32-for- 91 over 29 games to help the Hawks get back into playoff contention before going 4-for-42 over their final 18 games.

“We just haven’t had a lot of opportunities," Strome said. "We’re getting some good chances. In the game against San Jose, Kaner hits a (defenseman’s) stick and the guy doesn’t even see it. It was open net 1157601 Chicago Blackhawks “I’m so excited for fans to see the product that’s going to be on the ice,” Coyne Schofield said. “There are going to be so many incredible athletes competing this weekend. For all of us to be under one roof and not in a national-team jersey is extremely exciting, because this is what we’re Kendall Coyne Schofield highlights a showcase this weekend as fighting for and this is what the future should look like.” women’s pro hockey reaches a crossroads Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.19.2019

By JIMMY GREENFIELD

CHICAGO TRIBUNE |

OCT 17, 2019 | 7:36 PM

Chicago never has been home to a women’s professional hockey team. That’s about to change, at least for one weekend.

More than 35 Olympians from around the world will compete Saturday and Sunday at Fifth Third Arena in the Women’s Hockey Showcase, a four-game event developed by the recently formed Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association.

The Women’s Hockey Showcase in Chicago is part of the PWHPA’s Dream Gap Tour that already has taken place in Toronto and Hudson, N.H., with future events for other North American cities in the planning process.

The PWHPA was created in the spring in response to the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folding after 12 seasons. Instead of jumping to the U.S.-based National Women’s Hockey League, many of the CWHL players — as well as some from the NWHL — decided to sit out the 2019-20 season and work together for the creation of one viable women’s pro hockey league. The PHWPA has about 200 members.

The NWHL has five teams — located in St. Paul, Minn.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danbury, Conn.; Monmouth Junction, N.J., and Boston — playing a 24- game schedule. The salary cap is $150,000 per team. With the five teams listing between 19 and 23 players on their rosters, nearly all the women are working full-time jobs in order to make a living.

Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield, who grew up in Orland Park, chose not to continue playing for the NWHL’s Minnesota Whitecaps and joined the PWHPA.

"There's been no professional league to date that has showcased the best product of women's hockey," Coyne Schofield said. "And that's because of the lack of resources and infrastructure and business model in the current state of the game."

Coyne Schofield is an electrifying player who became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition last season, finishing seventh in the fastest-skater competition. She is working this season for the Sharks as a TV color analyst.

But her goal as a young girl wasn’t to broadcast games. She and her brother both dreamed of playing for the Blackhawks.

"I realized that wasn't a reality," she said. "I quickly realized it also wasn't a reality that I could make a living playing this game and he could. We're trying to change that landscape."

The NHL is not involved with the NWHL or the PWHPA.

“We’re supportive and we’re watching,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told ESPN last month. “We don’t want to do anything that would undermine an existing league.”

Coyne Schofield has watched the WNBA grow over the last 20 years and believes it's a model that can work in hockey.

"We would love to see the NHL provide resources to the women's professional game," she said. "They have the infrastructure. They have the business model. They have the resources already put in place. I think the NHL would help tremendously and be a no-brainer in terms of a partner for a women's professional league."

On Friday at the United Center before the Hawks game, Coyne Schofield and the other women competing over the weekend will conduct a clinic for about 60 girls. The four-team tournament will begin Saturday with a pair of games followed Sunday by the consolation and championship games. 1157602 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks recall rookie center Kirby Dach from conditioning stint after three AHL appearances

Dach registered zero points and seven shots on goal with the Rockford IceHogs.

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Oct 18, 2019, 11:27pm CDT

Center Kirby Dach’s conditioning stint in the American Hockey League could have lasted 14 days.

But after only six, the Blackhawks apparently had seen enough of him in the minors to call him up from Rockford after their 3-2 overtime victory Friday against the Blue Jackets and the IceHogs’ 3-2 victory Friday against the Wolves.

Dach, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft in June, didn’t have a sensational three-game AHL stint in terms of on-paper production, registering seven shots on goal and zero points. But he successfully was eased back into game action after a concussion suffered in the preseason and introduced to the intensity of pro hockey, which were the primary goals all along.

It will be fascinating to see how Dach, 18, slots into the Hawks’ lineup moving forward, provided he sticks with the NHL roster. He can make up to nine NHL appearances before being sent back to his Canadian junior team (if the Hawks wish to slide his three-year entry-level contract forward a year), but he also could contend for a permanent role on the NHL roster.

The Hawks will hold an optional practice Saturday that should reveal more about their plans for Dach.

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Jonathan Toews breaks slump with OT goal as Blackhawks edge Blue Jackets

Toews scored his first goal of the season as the Hawks rallied to win 3-2.

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Oct 18, 2019, 10:40pm CDT

In a 10-second span of overtime, captain Jonathan Toews evolved from an aging player mired in a season-opening slump to the hero of the Hawks’ second victory of the season.

Toews blocked a dangerous shot in the defensive zone, sprung a two-on- one the other way, drove to the net and knocked in the rebound of a shot off his body to give the Hawks the victory.

For the first few seconds, he couldn’t help but smile and laugh after getting the figurative monkey off his back. Minutes later, he was all business again.

‘‘I wouldn’t say we’re super-satisfied with our play these first five games,’’ Toews said. ‘‘There are some positives there that we can build on. Given the fact that we’ve strung a couple of games together here, found a way to win these [last two] games at home, it’s a good sign.’’

The Hawks looked sluggish and sloppy throughout the first two periods, with only a goal by wing Drake Caggiula and plenty of spectacular saves by goalie Robin Lehner keeping them in the game. When they fell behind 2-1 early in the third, Toews had zero shots to his name.

But then Patrick Kane found fellow wing Alex DeBrincat for the tying power-play goal and the Hawks’ penalty kill, which went four-for-four and looked as staunch as it has in years, staved off a late Blue Jackets opportunity before Toews scored his first goal of the season.

‘‘We’ve just got to find that consistent level,’’ coach Jeremy Colliton said. ‘‘The Winnipeg game and the Edmonton game, that was a good stretch. It wasn’t a perfect six periods, but we did a lot of things right.

‘‘Tonight was not like that, I don’t think. But the opportunity to build on some points and a little bit of success . . . that’s a good thing.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157604 Chicago Blackhawks Now fully healthy, De Haan will likely slide into a larger role soon. And when he does, he knows he’ll have a prime resource for any questions he needs answered.

Former AHL teammates Calvin de Haan, Jeremy Colliton enjoying “Jeremy’s very approachable,” he said. “He’s easy to talk to, easy to get reunion with Blackhawks along with, and having that relationship before definitely helps for sure.”

Calvin de Haan was a rookie and Jeremy Colliton an AHL captain when Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 their careers crossed eight years ago. Now, they’re back together in far different roles.

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Oct 18, 2019, 6:55am CDT

Jeremy Colliton runs intense practices. Heavy breathing and sweat- dripping brows are common sights in the Blackhawks’ locker room.

But for new Hawks defenseman Calvin de Haan, who played alongside Colliton in the AHL eight years ago, many of the strenuous parts seem oddly familiar.

“It’s funny because there’s a couple drills that we’ve done throughout training camp and practice that I’ve seen a few times before,” de Haan said Thursday, chuckling. “I’ve kind of called him out on that.”

The veteran blueliner finds himself in a situation few NHL players have ever experienced: being coached by a former teammate.

As a rookie in the Islanders organization in 2011-12, de Haan spent all but one game of the season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. And in Bridgeport, Colliton was royalty — he was the team’s captain and, by the end of the year, its all-time leading scorer.

Despite occupying different positions (Colliton was a forward), de Haan’s status as a recent first-round pick meant he and the future Hawks boss still frequently worked and played together. De Haan’s third-ever professional point, in fact, was the primary assist on a Colliton overtime winner.

“I was coming in right out of juniors, not knowing anything about pro hockey, moving in with a couple other 20-year-old kids,” de Haan said last July, shortly after his trade from Carolina to Chicago. “Having Jeremy there was probably like the ... best captain you could have asked for for the young team.”

The two men went separate directions after that season — Colliton moving to Sweden and quickly switching to coaching, de Haan emerging as a full-time NHL defenseman with now 380 career appearances — but de Haan said he was never surprised to see the speed with which Colliton was climbing the ranks.

Since their reunion in Chicago at the start of training camp, he’s seen firsthand how Colliton’s leadership qualities have translated to his current role.

“I’ve enjoyed playing for him so far,” de Haan said. “I could see it when he was a captain in Bridgeport, and he hasn’t changed much — he’s a smart guy and he thinks outside the box, and that’s the new NHL.”

Their preexisting relationship has proved useful, too, despite the eight years apart.

As de Haan worked his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and a groin issue during the preseason, the Hawks’ Europe trip and the first week of the regular season, Colliton and de Haan chatting on the ice after practice was a near-daily occurrence.

De Haan needed to give Colliton daily updates on his health status, and Colliton needed to familiarize de Haan with his hybrid defensive scheme, which de Haan said differs substantially from the man-on-man system he ran with the Hurricanes. Despite one misstep, the regular communication was largely effective.

“When you’ve played with a guy, you have a connection,” Colliton said. “Maybe it’s a bit quicker to be able to get to the point, because he knows me, and I can be quite direct with him. That’s a nice thing.”

De Haan finally made his Hawks debut last weekend and then played well alongside Erik Gustafsson on the third pairing Monday — the duo was on the ice for 12 Hawks scoring chances and only four Oilers scoring chances. 1157605 Chicago Blackhawks

Toews' game-winner nets Blackhawks at OT win over Columbus

John Dietz

Updated10/18/2019 11:45 PM

Over the course of a season, not every victory -- or every goal, for that matter -- is going to be pretty.

The Blackhawks can attest to both of those facts in spades after clawing their way past Columbus 3-2 at the United Center on Friday when Jonathan Toews scored 46 seconds into overtime.

Toews' first goal of the season came when the puck bounced off his left leg after Patrick Kane's initial shot was saved by goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

"If that's the way I've got to score to get things going, I'll take it," Toews said after the Hawks improved to 2-2-1.

Drake Caggiula and Alex DeBrincat notched the other goals, and Robin Lehner registered his first victory with the Hawks after making 37 saves.

This game was a lesson in patience and perseverance for everyone on coach Jeremy Colliton's squad.

The Blue Jackets (3-4-0) controlled much of the first period, outshooting the Hawks 15-10. Lehner was under constant fire, but stepped up and managed to turn away numerous high-quality chances.

"It could have been 3, 4-nothing early on," Toews said. "He made some big stops -- couple 2-on-1s, a couple breakaways. He was standing tall there."

Also standing tall was the Hawks' special teams as they went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and notched a huge power-play goal when DeBrincat banged home a Kane pass 8:08 into the third period.

Going forward, the Hawks must start creating more offensively. Too many times pucks are mishandled or flat-out stripped, and passes aren't hitting their marks. Then, when an opportunity does present itself, an extra pass is made when a shot would suffice.

That's where Caggiula deserves some credit for not forcing the puck to Toews in the first period. He instead recognized that his captain was well covered and unleashed a shot that clanked off the crossbar and into the net.

As for Toews, whose 2 points this season have come in overtime and on an assist into an empty net, he wouldn't admit to being frustrated with his slow start.

"More just pressing to create more," he said. "I've had some chances but not that many.

"So gotta be better with the puck. Keep pucks down low, just play a little heavier on it and try to get it up to our D-men on the blue line (so they) can get some shots."

It must start soon because two of the top teams in the league come to the United Center next in Washington (5-2-2) and Vegas (5-3-0).

"Sometimes it's nice to learn some lessons when you win," Colliton said. "That's probably the case tonight. We have a little momentum and hopefully we can continue that."

Dach recalled:

The Hawks recalled forward Kirby Dach from his conditioning stint in Rockford. Dach did not record any points in his three games with the IceHogs.

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Blackhawks recall Kirby Dach from AHL conditioning stint

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 18, 2019 11:30 PM

Six days after being assigned to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, No. 3 overall pick Kirby Dach has been recalled by the Blackhawks, the team announced late Friday night. He is not eligible to play in the AHL full-time this season, but he was allowed to stay in Rockford for up to 14 days on a conditioning stint, according to CBA rules.

Dach, who was sidelined for the first week of training camp with a concussion, appeared in three games with the IceHogs and was held off the scoresheet in each of them. He started on the fourth line in the first game, got promoted to the third in the second and played on the first line with Matthew Highmore and Dylan Sikura on Friday night against the .

The Blackhawks are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over Columbus to improve to 2-0-1 in their past three games, and that helps ease Dach into the equation with the team riding some positive momentum. The next game is on Sunday at 6 p.m. against the Washington Capitals, which is possibly when he'll make his NHL debut.

Where Dach fits into the four-line rotation is unclear and will be interesting to monitor. It's possible he starts on the wing, especially with the third line of David Kampf, Dominik Kubalik and Brandon Saad clicking. Before Dach was assigned to Rockford, he was taking practice reps with Jonathan Toews and alternating on the wing with Drake Caggiula and Alex DeBrincat.

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Blackhawks, as part of Magellan Corporation Women's Hockey Showcase, host clinic for female youth hockey players

By Rob Schaefer

October 18, 2019 10:00 PM

Four hours before the puck dropped for their Friday night matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Blackhawks — in conjunction with the six-time gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield and the PWHPA — hosted a night to remember for over 60 female youth hockey players at the United Center.

The proceedings were highlighted by a pregame clinic for those 60+ skaters (ages 6-16) titled the “Meet Your Sheros” Girls Clinic, which was led by a gaggle of Olympians and served as a kickoff for the Magellan Corporation Women's Hockey Showcase.

But the fun didn’t end there: after the clinic concluded, youth participants also attended a private meet-and-greet with their ‘Sheros’ and then the Blackhawks’ game later in the evening. They also received passes to the Showcase, a four-team tournament put on by the Magellan Corporation and Billie Jean King Enterprises that will be held over the weekend (and feature 35 Olympic women’s hockey players!) at Fifth Third Arena. The impetus behind the Showcase is to "celebrate women in sports and promote gender equality."

And tonight, to hear Coyne Schofield tell it, was all about the next generation:

“I think what’s so important about this weekend is — you guys are talking about the 2018 Olympics and how special that was — but we’re trying to create that platform every day, not every four years,” she told NBC Sports Chicago.

“We’re working so hard every day and, as you can see, one of the most important parts of this weekend is being on the ice with the young girls, the next generation, who [are] going to fill our skates one day and hopefully -- not hopefully. They will grow up knowing they can make a living playing this sport if they’re good enough to do so.”

The epic display of women’s hockey set to ensue this weekend will certainly aid in that mission, as well. Look out for further developments related to the tournament — it’s sure to be a thrilling and inspiring weekend, both for the present and future of the sport.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157608 Chicago Blackhawks those mistakes are pretty easy to clean up. So I felt like the first goal is unacceptable but I made up for it. So just got to go and keep trying to get better.

Four takeaways: Blackhawks penalty kill 'excellent' in overtime win over Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 Blue Jackets

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 18, 2019 11:20 PM

Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 3-2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center on Friday:

1. Blackhawks stringing together points

The Blackhawks turned in their best 60-minute effort of the season on Monday and they wanted to build on that performance after a three-day layoff. The start was slow against Columbus, but the finish was strong and it ended on a Jonathan Toews overtime goal.

After starting the season with back-to-back losses in regulation, the Blackhawks have picked up five out of a possible six points in their past three games. They're starting to climb in the standings.

"That's a hard-working team," Toews said. "They've got some skill, they played well as a team and they didn't give us much room out there. It's probably not our best start, there's a lot of things that we know we can do better, but for us to hang in there and tie things up, give ourselves a chance in overtime, get the crowd into it, you've got to find ways to win those games, can't let them slip, so it's nice to get two points."

2. Penalty kill 'excellent'

The Blue Jackets came into the game with a bottom-third-ranked special teams, converting on 17.8 percent of their power plays and killing off 73.7 percent of their penalties. This was an area the Blackhawks could exploit, and they did.

The Blackhawks went 1-for-4 on the power play thanks to an Alex DeBrincat goal, but it was the penalty kill that allowed the team to be in it till the very end. The Blackhawks killed off all four penalties, including a crucial one late in the third period to keep the game knotted up at 2-2.

"I thought the penalty kill was excellent," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "We were really good. At any point, if they score and they had multiple chances, it really changes the game. It allowed our power play, in the end, to come through and make a difference for us. That was big, and I thought they were full value for not getting scored on, too. We didn’t give up much. Just as likely to score going the other way."

3. Coming out on top in the first period

The Blackhawks were outplayed in the first period, which hasn't usually been the case this season. The Blue Jackets led in every statistically category except the one that matters the most and that's the scoreboard. It easily could've gone the other way.

But the Blackhawks survived when they weren't at their best, and Drake Caggiula opened the scoring with a beautiful shot at the 15:35 mark of the opening frame. It's the fourth straight game the Blackhawks have scored first.

"Didn’t love our first period," Colliton said. "I think we were fortunate to be in the lead. I did like our response in the second. Even though they tied it up I thought we played much better in the second period. And after that, I thought we were reasonably solid. ... It wasn’t perfect but it’s also a positive that we found a way to win anyway."

4. Robin Lehner turns in another strong effort

The Blackhawks don't get out of the first period with the lead without Lehner, who finished with 37 saves on 39 shots for a save percentage of .949. He stopped all 13 shots in the first 20 minutes, a majority of which were high quality.

The first goal to Pierre-Luc Dubois, Lehner committed to the poke-check but then got caught too far out of the net. Otherwise, he was strong between the pipes for the Blackhawks.

"I felt really good," Lehner said. "Feel like I see the puck well but the first two games I've played I've also made some mistakes and the good thing 1157609 Chicago Blackhawks

Instant reaction: Jonathan Toews lifts Blackhawks past Blue Jackets in overtime

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 18, 2019 10:25 PM

FINAL SCORE:

Blackhawks 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT)

Snap judgments:

— The Blackhawks didn't play their best, but they'll take it. Jonathan Toews scored the overtime winner for his first goal of the season after the puck hit off his leg from a Patrick Kane shot.

— The Blue Jackets were the better team in the first period. They led in shot attempts (22-17), shots on goal (13-10), scoring chances at even strength (11-5) and high-danger chances at even strength (3-2), according to Natural Stat Trick. But it was the Blackhawks who left the opening frame with a 1-0 lead.

— The Blackhawks took some uncharacteristic penalties. Andrew Shaw committed two of them, the second of which came in the offensive zone when he was whistled for interference. And then Robin Lehner got penalized for tripping late in the second period.

— Fortunately for the Blackhawks, their penalty kill was terrific. They went 4-for-4 and killed off a crucial late third-period penalty to keep the game tied at 2-2. Lehner stopped all seven shots he faced with the man advantage.

Three stars:

1. Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews — Overtime goal, three shots on goal in 22:06 of ice time

2. Blackhawks G Robin Lehner — Stopped 37 of 39 shots for a save percentage of .949

3. Blackhawks RW Alex DeBrincat — One goal, one assist, four shot attempts (two on goal) in 17:13 of ice time

Must-see highlights:

— Toews overtime winner

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/v0dwE191uJ

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

— Caggiula goes top shelf

Drake Caggiula goes top shelf. What a shot. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/pLYxctu0Ud

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 19, 2019

— DeBrincat buries power-play goal

   pic.twitter.com/oApg048srb

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

What's next:

The Blackhawks host the Washington Capitals on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago.

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Robin Lehner to start in goal for Blackhawks vs. Blue Jackets

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 18, 2019 11:35 AM

Robin Lehner will start in goal for the Blackhawks when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed after morning skate. It will be his second start of the season.

In his season debut against the Winnipeg Jets, Lehner stopped 30 of 33 shots for a save percentage of .909 in a 3-2 overtime loss. He gave up a 5-on-5 goal, power-play goal and overtime goal at 3-on-3. Overall, he was solid.

"Everyone wants to play all the time," Colliton said of the dynamic between Corey Crawford and Lehner. "Whether it's a goalie, forward or D, they play better when they play more. That's just the standard answer. But we've had a little bit of a lighter schedule. We're trying to make ... we want both guys going because we're coming up on a stretch where we're playing a lot of games, so we're going to need them both."

Lehner is 5-3-0 with a 1.97 goals-against average, .945 save percentage and one shutout in eight career appearances against the Blue Jackets.

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Blackhawks remember Dave Bolland for more than just '17 Seconds'

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 18, 2019 12:00 PM

The Blackhawks are honoring one of their own on Friday, with Dave Bolland set to skate “One More Shift” with the organization. He will join the team on the ice during the anthem, and will be featured throughout the game commemorating his time in Chicago.

When you think of Bolland, the first thing that pops up into the minds of fans is his game-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. Or, better known as the second goal of "17 Seconds."

But his former teammates remember him for more than that.

"He was awesome," Patrick Kane said. "He was one of those guys who played a third-line role for like his whole time here and just really did well with it. I remember the line with him, [Martin] Havlat and [Andrew] Ladd really took off in 2009 and obviously [Dustin] Byfuglien, him and [Kris] Versteeg were a good line in 2010. But just the way he played, he got underneath the other team's skin, especially their star players. Wasn't afraid to chirp, wasn't afraid to get into the mix, especially with his size and the way he was built.

"But yeah, some great moments, some big goals, a lot of big shorthanded goals, you can obviously remember his 17 seconds was unbelievable as well, that's a goal I'm sure he'll never forget. We'll never forget that celebration too, so it's awesome he's getting honored."

Bolland, who earned the nickname "The Rat," is perhaps best known for the role he played in the Blackhawks' playoff series battles with the Vancouver Canucks. His line frequently drew the defensive matchups against Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and he's the one player who really knew how to throw both twins off their game at the same time.

"I think he's kind of like Shawzy," Jonathan Toews said. "He's one of those guys that fans here in Chicago really like. Aside from scoring goals and the plays that he made over the years in the playoffs, he was one of those guys that you loved having on your team that other teams hated. He found ways to chip away at their best players and get them off their game. He was good at a lot of little things like that, so he was a big part of those winning teams."

Andrew Shaw was teammates with Bolland for only two seasons, but they won a Stanley Cup together and Bolland was one of the best and knowing his role and perfecting it.

"One of the best at his job," Shaw said. "He played that shutdown centerman. I always thought he had the shortest shifts. His shift lengths were so short just 'cause he would play so much against top guys that he'd want to be so well-rested while he was out there. ... He was skilled enough to chip in offensively as well.

"That's the type of player he was. He'd play against the top guys, he'd shut them down, he'd be that little rat himself, just try to get them off their game as well as outworking them."

Bolland spent seven of his 10 NHL seasons in Chicago, where he registered 168 points (70 goals, 98 assists) in 332 games. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the second round (No. 32 overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft.

Friday will mark the first night honoring the 10-year anniversary of the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship, which ended a 49-year drought in franchise history. The first 10,000 fans on Friday will receive a Marian Hossa bobblehead.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157612 Chicago Blackhawks was just his turn. After all, it’s not as if he deserved to be sat after his last game. Just like Crawford didn’t deserve to be sat after his.

At least Friday’s game kicked off a stretch of seven games in 12 days, Ten things we’ve learned about the Blackhawks after five games which should help keep both goalies busy.

“I felt really good,” Lehner said. “The problem is the schedule has been a little bit what it is. The schedule’s going to speed up for us a little bit now, By Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus to kind of get into it more.”

Oct 18, 2019 For now, this is a good problem to have. The whole idea of signing Lehner was to ensure a No. 1-caliber goalie would be in net for every

game in a season in which every point will matter. How Colliton and Ten observations through five games for the Blackhawks, who improved goaltending coach Jimmy Waite handle the duo going forward will be to 2-2-1 with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on important, though. Right now, Crawford and Lehner are saying all the Friday night: right things, and they’re on board with the timeshare. But what happens the first time either one gets hot and takes the net for a few games in a 1. Every coach wants to see his team play a perfect 60-minute game — row? to show the same intensity from start to finish, to maintain consistent pressure in the offensive zone, to make smart decisions with the puck, to Colliton knows he needs both guys to keep buying in. play a clean game. “Yeah, and that’s partly communication, whether it’s me or Jimmy, right But there’s something to be said for winning ugly. from the beginning,” he said. “We’re here to win, and we need both of you, and we need both of you at a high level. I don’t think many teams — “Sometimes it’s nice to learn some lessons when you win,” Jeremy I won’t say any, maybe there’s one — but I don’t think many teams win a Colliton said after Patrick Kane’s rebound bounced off Jonathan Toews Stanley Cup or go really deep with one guy playing 70 games or 65 and in for the overtime win Friday night. games. Doesn’t seem to be the formula right now. So that’s part of why we were happy to get Robin. It’s going to help make our team better.” The Blackhawks have plenty to learn from a rather harrowing victory over the Blue Jackets, and we’ll get into a lot of that here. There were Jonathan Toews scored his first goal of the season on Friday. (Kamil unnecessary penalties, a squandered five-on-three power play, little Krzaczynski / USA Today) sustained zone time, unchecked forwards in Robin Lehner’s goalmouth, and a seemingly endless parade of bouncing, off-target passes. These 3. Like just about any player, Jonathan Toews goes through goal are familiar problems and will surely be points of emphasis going droughts every season. And every time, he says the same thing: forward. Through two periods, the best display of skill on the ice might Sometimes you just need to see the puck go in, to ease the mental have come from 75-year-old Billie Jean King, who scored in Shoot the burden and remind you what it feels like. Even superstars need a Puck and came inches away from doing it again. confidence boost every now and then.

But it’s a lot easier to stomach those issues and tackle them when you So, no, Toews wasn’t complaining about how he scored his game- escape with two points, when Lehner makes 37 saves, when Alex winner. They all look like top-shelf one-timers on the scoresheet. Asked if DeBrincat and the power play come through in the third period, when the he was stealing Andrew Shaw’s “I love shin pads” bit with that goal, penalty kill is 4-for-4, including a critical kill after a questionable (at best) Toews laughed. interference call on Brent Seabrook. A high-intensity, highly entertaining “I ain’t stealing anything from Shawzie,” he said. “But yeah, I guess if third period atoned for the sleepy start. that’s the way I’ve got to score to get things going, so be it.” The Blackhawks are far from a finished product. But the looming difficult It was Toews’ first goal of the season, and while he’s looked particularly stretch of games against Washington, Vegas, Philadelphia and Carolina aggressive and effective on the penalty kill, he hasn’t quite looked like looks a lot less daunting when you’re 2-2-1 instead of 1-3-1. This seven- himself in five-on-five play. He didn’t even have a shot attempt in the first game homestand is a critical step in avoiding another insurmountable two periods against Columbus, and he had a 28 percent Corsi for the early-season hole while other teams with busier schedules pile up points, game (out-attempted 18-7). Toews has been hard on himself for his slow and a 2-0-1 stretch is a good start, even if Friday’s win wasn’t nearly as start, but Colliton has insisted he’s liked his game so far. pretty as Monday’s. “He was good again tonight,” Colliton said. “For him to come through, he 2. In his first appearance in a Blackhawks uniform last Saturday against only had the one point, but he was involved. He was involved on Winnipeg, Lehner looked great. He was big, he was composed, he was (DeBrincat’s) power-play goal. He doesn’t get a point on it, but he carried in total control and he got the Blackhawks their first point of the season. the puck, he lugged it, he broke pressure, he got the zone and got us set So Corey Crawford got the next start. up, and then it’s in the back of the net. So I thought he did a lot of good things tonight.” In that start, Crawford was even better, flirting with a shutout against the hottest team in the league and putting together a vintage 27-save The numbers and Toews himself might disagree, but as he always says, performance to get the Blackhawks their first win of the season. sometimes it just takes one puck going in to open the floodgates.

So Lehner got the next start. “For sure, for sure,” he said. “Just being around the net and trying to get your sticks on pucks. It’s definitely nice to get one any way you can.” And he was even better than last time, staving off a handful of Columbus two-on-ones and breakaways and surviving a third-period review to get 4. Not scoring in three games doesn’t sound so bad. But not scoring in his first win in Chicago. two weeks sounds awful to a guy like DeBrincat, who makes his living by putting the puck in the net. The Blackhawks’ loose schedule made his This goaltending situation is going to be odd like that for a while. breakthrough Friday night feel a little bigger than it otherwise might have.

“Everyone wants to play all the time,” Colliton said. “That’s what “There’s a lot of off-time there,” he said. “I mean, I wasn’t too worried everyone says, whether it’s a goalie or a forward or a D: ‘Yeah, I’ll play about it. I was getting chances, and it had to go in sooner or later. Just better if you just play me more.’ That’s just the standard answer, right? keep battling and hoping for the best.” But we’ve had a little lighter schedule. We want both guys going because we’re coming up to a stretch where we’re going to play a lot of games, so The Blackhawks’ power play is run through Patrick Kane on the half-wall, we’re going to need them both. I think both guys feel pretty confident in and just like with Alex Ovechkin in Washington, it’s geared around Kane their games, and both their last performances were good. So I think we’re finding a seam and teeing up a DeBrincat one-timer in the left circle with in a good spot there.” a cross-ice pass. And for the past three games, that seam just wasn’t there. As long as neither goalie gets ridiculously dominant or completely falls apart, it’s going to be a difficult — almost random — decision most Columbus was clearly trying to take away that play, clogging things up nights. Maybe Lehner’s familiarity with the Blue Jackets from his time in below the dots, and the two failed to connect during a 66-second two- the last season played into the decision. Maybe it man advantage at the end of the first period. So when Seth Jones was hit with a tripping penalty at 6:58 of the third period, DeBrincat decided to when he’s out there. It may not be a bad thing for him as he grows into slide back a little. With Kane and DeBrincat each at the top of their an everyday NHLer.” respective circles, rather than at the dots or below, a lane opened up between Alexander Wennberg up top and Cam Atkinson in the slot. Kane Dylan Sikura could be an option if Colliton wants a more defensively threaded the pass, DeBrincat hammered it home, and all was well with reliable forward on that fourth line. Sikura is off to a strong start with the the Blackhawks’ power play again. Rockford IceHogs with three goals in four games and proved last season he can be better away from the puck. “We’ve been trying that for a while now,” DeBrincat said of the seam pass. “Finally worked. Finally got good wood on it, and lucky it went in.” 7. The Blackhawks might have had a playoff team last season if it wasn’t for their penalty kill. They finished last in the league with a 72.7 It was just the Blackhawks’ third power-play goal in five games. percentage. Considering how the power play — particularly the top unit of Kane, DeBrincat, Toews, Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson (though Dominik Colliton and Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman worked to Kubalik replaced Strome during the five-on-three, something they address that this offseason by signing Carpenter and trading for Olli practiced earlier in the week) — carried the Blackhawks into playoff Maatta, Calvin de Haan and Zack Smith. All four were players they contention last winter, they’ll need more where that one came from. thought would improve their penalty kill.

“Good teams in the league have good special teams, and I think we have Through five games, we’ve seen their impact. Carpenter leads the that,” Lehner said. “We’ve got to keep cleaning up a few things and we’re Blackhawks in shorthanded ice time. Maatta is second among the going to get better and better.” defensemen in ice time. Smith and de Haan are chipping in as well.

5. Andrew Shaw giveth, and Andrew Shaw taketh away. Even though the Blackhawks’ overall penalty-kill percentage isn’t great — they’re at 70.6 percent, giving up five goals on 17 chances — you can On a night when the Blackhawks honored Dave Bolland, The Rat, they see where they’re better. They’ve been aggressive on the forecheck and were reminded of the yin and the yang of Shaw, The Mutt. One of the even in the offensive zone to slow down the opposing team. Since things that separated Bolland from other agitators in the league was how everyone has been healthy, the penalty kill has also gotten better. Over crafty he was. He had a knack for drawing penalties — sometimes even the past three games, the Blackhawks have killed off 9 of 11 power wrapping a guy’s stick around his own body while the ref wasn’t looking, plays. They killed off all four they faced against the Blue Jackets on then screaming for a hooking call — but didn’t take a bunch himself. Friday. Shaw hasn’t quite mastered that yet. “That’s work ethic, so that’s something we can really focus on using as Shaw was whistled for a hooking penalty in the first period, then took a momentum,” Toews said of the penalty kill on Friday. “We got a big long run at Pierre-Luc Dubois in the second period, earning himself an penalty kill, and we’ve got guys like Smitty and Carps, and going down interference penalty. Those unnecessary offensive-zone penalties are the list, we’ve got some big blocks and some big hits from those guys, what drive people nuts about Shaw, and for good reason. too. PK was one of those things that was a major issue during our game last year, so it’s nice to see some early success right now.” But Shaw also draws his share of penalties with his tenacious, high- energy style. In his three seasons in Montreal, he was fourth among the 8. The line that Colliton landed on early and has stuck with throughout Canadiens with 1.08 minor penalties drawn per 60 minutes. In his five the season has been Brandon Saad, David Kampf and Dominik Kubalik. seasons in Chicago, he led the Blackhawks with 1.41 minors drawn per 60, far ahead of his nearest teammate (Toews at 1.13). It’s hard to argue with it, too. It contained Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers’ top line. It was dominant against the San Jose Sharks “It’s something I’ve always been pretty good at,” Shaw said during and had an 11-to-1 advantage in shots on goal before Colliton broke it training camp. “I need to stay out of the box, too, though. That’s always up. It played about even hockey against the Blue Jackets’ top line Friday. something I’m working on.” It’s helped that Saad has come out flying this season and seems like he So far, he needs more work. Through five games, he has a team-high 10 has some extra jump to his game. Kubalik has quickly adjusted to the penalty minutes. Nobody else has more than four. NHL and should only get better. Kampf’s offense has been limited, as expected, but he’s often been responsible for getting that line out of the The Blackhawks will want to get Patrick Kane going more in five-on-five defensive zone and moving the puck through the neutral zone. It’s a line play. (Mike DiNovo / USA Today) that complements one another and works. The Blackhawks just need 6. Colliton has tried to give his lines some time to breathe over the past their other lines to mesh as well. few games, but they just don’t seem like they’re clicking yet. “You guys know I like that line since the festival game,” Colliton said We’ve already discussed Toews and DeBrincat. Drake Caggiula scored a earlier this week. “They all just got real big motors, big engine. They work goal on the top line on Friday, and he’s shown he can be utilized and compete, and they all bring a little bit different ingredient. Obviously, anywhere in the lineup. The second line of Shaw, Strome and Kane like, Saad is an accomplished, proven performer. He takes the puck to showed some life against the Blue Jackets, but it didn’t produce any the net. He’s a horse there. He’s really hard to get the puck off. He goals. You see the magic that can be created with DeBrincat and Kane transports it from D-zone to the offensive zone. He can make those on the ice on a power play, and Kane hasn’t had much of that in five-on- plays. I think Kampy is a workhorse. He takes a lot of responsibility five so far this season. Kane scored a goal with Shaw and Strome in the defensively and can transport the puck from one end to another. Then last game, but his two other points in five-on-five play have come with you got Kubi — he’s got a bomb. I’ve been very impressed with his play other linemates. away from the puck. That’s been a surprise for me. So now he can play on that line because he does so many responsible things. He wins a lot The third line has been a staple. The fourth line has been OK. Ryan of races. He’s a great forechecker. So, pleased with that line.” Carpenter and Zack Smith have a Corsi percentage below 40.0, but they haven’t been noticeably struggling. That can be a difficult role in limited 9. The Blackhawks seemed to have settled into their defenseman minutes. pairings.

Whether Alexander Nylander is best used on that fourth line is up for Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy: Colliton tried Keith and Gustafsson debate. He played 7:29 against the Blue Jackets and had 8:20 of ice time together as the top pairing again but moved away from that after a few the game prior. Nylander’s offensive talent is undeniable — he already games this season. Keith and Murphy have brought some stability to the has two goals this season — but he might still benefit from getting major top pairing. In 52:40 of five-on-five ice time together, the pairing has an minutes in Rockford and coming back better prepared for a larger role. edge in shot attempts (44-42, 51.16 Corsi) and shots on goal (22-21). It’s Nylander has a team-worst 34.21 Corsi percentage in the four games in been on the ice for zero goals for and one against and has an expected- which he’s played. goals percentage of 48.58. It’s not a perfect top pairing, but it’s been stable. “It’s all about performance and ‘are you going to help the team win?’” Colliton said of Nylander earlier this week. “We watched the shifts Olli Maatta and Brent Seabrook: There were some concerns about this together today, and I thought he was very good. Eleven shifts, he was pairing’s foot speed entering the season and whether it’d spend too much probably good for five, great for five and he had one tough one. He time in the defensive zone. So far, that’s been the case. The pairing has helped us win. He was a big part of our win the other night. It can be a been on the ice for 36 shot attempts for and 66 against for a 35.29 Corsi little easier for him when he’s playing less to really focus on the quality percentage. It also has an expected goals-for percentage of 30.81. The positive for the Blackhawks is the pairing hasn’t been on the ice for many goals against despite those numbers. It’s been on the ice for one goal for and one goal against.

“Him and Seabs, we know what we get out of them playing that controlled game,” Colliton said of the pairing this week. “We want them to continue to work on their gap, trying to kill plays earlier, so they don’t have to go back for the puck, don’t have to handle so much speed coming at them. But they’re very good in D-zone and play a little bit of a harder game, which is good for our guys.”

Calvin de Haan and Erik Gustafsson: This is the pairing that will likely generate some offense for the Blackhawks. It probably will give up some chances, too, considering that’s what usually happens with Gustafsson on the ice. De Haan gives the pairing balance, though. In 35:13 of ice time together, the pairing has a 45.45 Corsi percentage (35-42), has been on the ice for three goals for and two against and has an expected goals-for percentage of 34.51.

10. One of the questions that remains for the beginning of this season is Kirby Dach’s future. The Blackhawks have clearly stated they want to give him an NHL look this season, and he was recalled to the NHL after Friday’s game.

Dach was a week into his conditioning assignment with the IceHogs. Friday marked his seventh day on assignment and his third game with the IceHogs. He could have remained with them for seven more days.

Dach held his own with the IceHogs through three games. There had been shifts in which you could see the high-end skill. There were others in which he was less visible. Statistics-wise, he had zero points and seven shots on goal.

It seems certain the Blackhawks will give Dach an NHL game, but what that means for his future is still unclear. Maybe he gets a look on the top line with players such as Toews and DeBrincat and they see if he can really help this team this season. Colliton could move Caggiula back down the lineup and sit Nylander for a game. Maybe Dach just gets a brief look and is sent back to his WHL team.

We should know more in the coming days about the Blackhawks’ plan with Dach. The Blackhawks have games Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday next week, so one would expect him to get in a game or two in that span.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157613 Chicago Blackhawks “If they’re putting all those resources into analytics, they’re not listening to their people,” another league source said. “Yada, yada, yada, Brent Seabrook.”

‘I think we’re at the forefront’: Blackhawks confident in secretive analytics That sort of response comes with the territory of winning three Stanley department’s place in NHL Cups and now missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. There are plenty of people around the league who don’t mind seeing the Blackhawks come down to earth.

By Scott Powers The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn also weighed in about the Blackhawks and the analytics he follows. Oct 18, 2019 “They’re one of the worst xG teams, but an OK Corsi team,” Luszczyszyn

said. “It’s a big gap. I wonder if they’re better at creating dangerous At the mention of hockey analytics, a smile spread on Blackhawks chances in places that aren’t normally dangerous. Is there a lot of puck general manager Stan Bowman’s face. movement in the offensive zone? On defense, I mean, they seem to give up the front of the net very easily, so I’m not sure what data they have to We were sitting outside his suite at the United Center prior to a be honest.” preseason game last month. We had already talked about many topics, including Alex DeBrincat’s contract, something he would swiftly resolve Multiple sources backed Bowman’s claim that the Blackhawks had put just weeks later. He was engaged throughout the interview, but he money, time and people into building up their analytics department. seemed even more so when analytics was broached. Bowman wouldn’t get into specifics as much as I asked. But he was The specific question was about how other NHL teams appeared to be willing to generally talk about how the Blackhawks tap into their analytics. increasingly focused on analytics, and I was curious about where he felt “It’s used in scouting,” Bowman said. “It’s used in trades. It’s used in day- the Blackhawks were organizationally in that department, as well as his to-day (decisions) with our team, coaching, deployment of players, general mindset. It’s not something that’s openly discussed very often. utilization of players. It’s used in all of those areas. I think we have a real As you’ll soon read, Bowman said a lot, but also very little. That wasn’t by deep … Now it’s not gospel, but I think it’s a nice blend of both. I think mistake. we’re in a great place with it.”

“Nobody’s asked me about that in a while. That’s interesting,” Bowman How much do analytics factor into the Blackhawks’ decisions? We’ll likely said, smiling. “I think we’re at the forefront. I don’t know if I am. I look at never really know. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today) what we’re doing. I don’t talk about what we’re doing. There are some Bowman and Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton appear to be on the teams in the league who have essentially copied everything we’ve done same page about analytics. Joel Quenneville said he was open to the last 4-5 years. If we hire somebody to do something, they’ll hire analytics when he was Blackhawks coach, but you weren’t always sure somebody for the exact same role. his decisions were driven by them. Colliton isn’t basing all of his “I think what we do analytics-wise is very in-depth. It’s different and it’s decisions on analytics, but it’s definitely part of the puzzle for him. extremely detailed and it’s very useful and it’s different than what’s out When Colliton and Bowman assessed which players to potentially add to there to the public. I’m not trying to be difficult or coy about it, but I feel their roster this past offseason, analytics were part of the equation. You like if I explained everything we’re doing … I think it’s an advantage we can see why the Blackhawks believed they were addressing some needs have over other teams, but then I lose the advantage if other teams start by acquiring Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta and Andrew Shaw, among doing it. Now, I can’t prove I’m right. I’m just telling you my feelings. I’ve others. Analytics supported those decisions. seen what other people do. I’ve looked into it. We’ve done a lot of research on what other people are tracking and what they’re studying, “It’s one area I thought we looked at,” Colliton said in Prague. “I don’t and I look at what we’re doing and it’s different. I believe it’s ahead of think it’s the total picture. I don’t think any one area is making all the them. But I don’t like to give specifics on them because I just know what decisions. We got a pro scouting group. They do a lot of work. They do a some other teams have done as far as replicating what we’ve done. I lot of leg work and then we’re watching games. We want to make sure think it’s an advantage. The less I talk about it, it’ll remain an advantage. I we’re seeing the type of player who we think can help. Of course, we put a lot of time into it. We don’t really list out who we have working in it. want to know the numbers. Do the numbers add up to what we see on We’ve got a big group of people working.” the ice? Kind of put all the pieces together.

Asked how many people worked in their analytics department, Bowman “There’s a lot of numbers out there. So I think the challenge is to find out said “several.” Publicly, it’s one. Under the Blackhawks’ hockey what numbers lead to winning. Probably different people have different operations and scouting staff listing, Andrew Contis is a hockey ideas as far as what’s important. There are a lot of things that are out analyst/video coach. He began with the Blackhawks as a hockey there. Some are of value and some I think are not or are limited. We operations intern in 2014 and has been in his current role for the last have certain things we focus on. Probably everyone has different ideas. four-plus years. That’s what makes it fun.”

One other known name is Richard Coleman, whom the Blackhawks have Colliton wouldn’t divulge anything about the Blackhawks’ analytics either. used for many years as a consultant, according to a source. He founded Coleman Analytics Inc. during the 2005-06 season. Former Blackhawks “You can track anything you want,” Colliton said. “Like anything you can general manager Mike Smith mentioned Coleman and his company in count, you can track. There’s so many things that are out there. But this story in 2009. It’s believed the Blackhawks are among Coleman’s there’s probably no benefit in sharing what we think is important. But I main clients now. think what we have isn’t necessarily the best, we just think it leads to winning, so that’s our focus.” I talked to a handful of people who have worked in analytics for other NHL teams for this story. They spoke on the condition of anonymity. As I Colliton was willing to dive further into what’s important to him on the ice, discovered, everyone is pretty tight-lipped on this topic. and you can maybe take something from that. He was asked about how he cultivated his own ideas about analytics. One league source said, “Chicago has generally been private about who they hire and what they’re doing.” “You just watch games and you coach games and you’re looking for indicators,” Colliton said. “Who can help us win? Who’s driving the Another source said, “We rarely hear anything about Chicago from an success? Who’s helping us have the puck? Who’s creating chances? analytics perspective, even in private. I’m very surprised to hear the claim Defensively vice versa, who’s not giving up anything? Ultimately, the that they’re in on analytics. I’ve never heard much to support that.” game is what you get minus what you give up. We want to drive the play. We want to control the play. We want to create more than we give up and Considering what Bowman said about where he believes the Blackhawks then we want to finish. I think we have a team that can capitalize on our stand in analytics compared to other teams, some members of other chances. But it’s important we want to be tight defensively. Like I said analytics staffs will undoubtedly roll their eyes. It’s a competitive game off before, we don’t want to be a gambling team. We’re good enough. We the ice as well as on it. just want to control the game. If you play 60 minutes a certain way, hopefully you win more than lose.” Bowman said the Blackhawks’ use of analytics had evolved, and he thought it would continue to do so.

“It’s going to be even different a year from now,” Bowman said. “I think we’re trying a lot of different things. I think it’s one of the strengths of our organization, is the level of sophistication. It’s a very progressive look at things. We pay attention to what else is out there, but we don’t try to … If there’s something we like, that we aren’t doing, then we’ll implement, but we’ll never just take it, though. We’ll kind of put our own spin on it. That’s just because I think we have a really good rhythm with it.”

Bowman emphasized that he thought analytics were important. He didn’t want that to be confused with his usual silence about the subject.

“I think it’s critical,” Bowman said. “I get asked to go to these conferences all the time. It’s not that I don’t want to go and speak at them. I did one time, like years ago, I think the first year that they had it. They’ve always asked me to come back, but I don’t want to go there if I can’t say anything. I’m not saying I’m better than anybody. I’m not looking for praise. There are some people who are talking about what they do. I think they’re looked upon as being avant-garde. I think we’re way ahead of them, but I’m not looking for credit, which is why I stay quiet about it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157614 Colorado Avalanche Footnotes. Avs defenseman Nikita Zadorov returned to the lineup after being a surprising scratch Wednesday at Pittsburgh. He replaced Mark Barberio. The other healthy scratches were forwards Vladislav Kamenev and Valeri Nichushkin, the latter of whom would have played if Nathan MacKinnon’s OT goal lifts Avalanche over Panthers MacKinnon did not. … Former University of Denver standout Henrik Borgstrom was scratched for Florida. Borgstrom, a sophomore in 2017 The Avs (6-0-1), who were coming off Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss at when DU won the NCAA championship, has played in four of seven Pittsburgh, are the NHL’s only team without a regulation loss games for the Panthers.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.19.2019 By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected]

The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 7:55 pm | UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 9:07 PM

SUNRISE, Fla. — Nathan MacKinnon was a game-time decision with a leg bruise, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said, but after scoring the overtime goal to beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Friday night, MacKinnon said there was no doubt he would play at BB&T Center.

“I was playing the whole day,” said MacKinnon, who skipped the morning skate. “I was just tired.”

MacKinnon didn’t look tired in what turned into a track meet with the Panthers. He logged 21:36 and was tied for a team-high five shots, including the winner at 3:03 of OT. MacKinnon won it with a wrister over the glove-side shoulder of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who blew leads of 2- 0 and 3-1 in a game Colorado started slowly before improving to 6-0-1 on the season and 2-0-1 on this six-game road stretch.

The Avs, who were coming off Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh, are the NHL’s only team without a regulation loss.

“Just shows the resilience our team has,” MacKinnon said of the comeback. “We’re a very calm group, and confident group. Obviously, it’s easy to be confident with our record but no matter the game, we feel like we’re (always) in it.”

Andre Burakovsky assisted on MacKinnon’s goal after scoring twice, including late in the second period to tie it 4-4. Fellow newcomer Joonas Donskoi also had three points, including a first-period good that cut Florida’s 2-0 lead in half.

The other hero for the Avs was goalie Philipp Grubauer, who made 40 saves — including two point-blank chances from sniper Aleksander Barkov in the third period.

“He’s amazing,” MacKinnon said of Grubauer. “Gruby has been our best player for a year, year and a half now, the way he carried us into the playoffs, and in the playoffs. He’s kind of rolling over from last season and looks great.”

The game was a coach’s nightmare. For Bednar, the first period was a disaster when his team allowed 17 shots and three goals.

“Loose. That’s what it was. It was loose — with the exception of the second period. I liked our second period. The rest of the game was too loose. They came out firing on all cylinders. They gained momentum on our power play (with a shorthanded goal) early. Too many odd-man rushes.”

Florida led 3-1 after the first period, but the Avs outshot the Panthers 10- 2 in the second before Matt Nieto and Burakovsky scored within a 32- second span midway through the period to tie it 3-3. Florida, however, went back ahead 4-3 just 2:10 later on Brett Connolly’s goal, but Burakovsky answered on the next shift, just 16 seconds later.

Colorado killed off consecutive penalties in the third period to keep it tied. Nieto nearly scored late in the period but his shot caromed off the left post and rolled out of trouble parallel to the goal line. But he was thankful MacKinnon went on to win it.

“That’s just one of those road games where, we come out, don’t have a ton of energy and taking the play to us in the first period. And then we come back, regroup and just find a way,” Nieto said. “We started being smarter with the puck, managing it better and came up with some big goals. That’s a huge win for us.”

The Avs play the Tampa Bay Lightning, the defending President’s Trophy winners, on Saturday to complete a consecutive-night stretch. 1157615 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon (leg/hip bruise) questionable at Florida

MacKinnon was injured early in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh; he scored the tying goal to force OT

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected]

The Denver Post

October 18, 2019 at 10:39 am

SUNRISE, Fla. — Star center Nathan MacKinnon will be a game-time decision Friday when the Avalanche plays the Florida Panthers. MacKinnon suffered a deep bruise to his leg/hip in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh and did not participate in Friday’s morning skate.

“His leg’s pretty sore. He got hit there the other night by (Patric) Hornqvist,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I give him a lot of credit — I know he was hurting on the bench the whole game and he battled through it and ends up getting us a big goal in the third period and has a really good third period for us. But he’s questionable (tonight).”

MacKinnon has played in all 82 regular-season games in two of the past three years. If he doesn’t play against the Panthers, Nazem Kadri will step into the top-line role. Third-line center J.T. Compher will slide to the second line and replace MacKinnon on the No. 1 power-play unit.

Valeri Nichushkin, a healthy scratch at Pittsburgh, will play a fourth-line role if MacKinnon doesn’t make the lineup.

Also, defenseman Nikita Zadorov is back in the lineup after being scratched against the Penguins. He’ll replace Mark Barberio.

In goal, Philipp Grubauer will make his sixth start of the season but Bednar said he’ll likely go with backup Pavel Francouz on Saturday when the Avs complete a back-to-back set at Tampa Bay.

Jared Bednar after AM skate in FLA #Avs https://t.co/JyYKntl36V

— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) October 18, 2019

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157616 Colorado Avalanche OK, cool. Burakovsky can shoot. Donskoi is finding more comfort within the system while Kadri is a proven 30-goal scorer when placed in a second-line role.

Got a second … line? The Avs do, and the unit does more than just Having that sort of production is what Bednar and Sakic envisioned when score goals all three were added this summer. Something else they and the rest of the front office also valued was the two-way element that line could provide.

By Ryan S. Clark Donskoi is known for being a strong defensive forward who has already earned Bednar’s trust by playing on the penalty kill. Kadri can win Oct 18, 2019 faceoffs in a manner that makes him a reliable center who can capture possession while also possessing the abilities that allow him to be deployed in matchups against the opposing team’s first-line center. SUNRISE, Fla. — “Still, I think we can get better,” Joonas Donskoi said while failing to keep a straight face. Even he was aware such a statement “We’re going to play against him tonight, so, I don’t want to talk too much could come off as a bit comical given what he and his linemates just about him,” Panthers star center Aleksander Barkov said after the team’s achieved. morning skate. “Overall, I think he’s exactly what they needed. They needed a guy who can do everything, and he can do everything. He can All Andre Burakovsky did was score two goals and finish with three play offense, defense, faceoffs, power play, penalty kill, and he’s one of points. Donskoi had a goal and two assists, and Nazem Kadri, despite those guys who is tough to play against. Really good skill. Pretty not recording a point, went 68 percent from the faceoff circle. underrated skill.

Now you’re seeing why Donskoi laughed after realizing what he just said “Nothing but good things to say about him, but the only bad thing is he’s after the Colorado Avalanche’s 5-4 overtime win against the Florida tough to play against.” Panthers on Friday at the BB&T Center. Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said adding Burakovsky, Donskoi and Sure, superstar center Nathan MacKinnon scored the game-winning goal Kadri provides the Avalanche a look they did not have last season. and did it less than 48 hours after receiving a bruising check in an overtime loss Wednesday to the Penguins that resulted in MacKinnon Quenneville said that second line does several things to make them being a game-time decision after being held out of morning skate. “dangerous” on top of the skill and speed that have become constant factors throughout the Avalanche’s lineup. But the Avalanche would not have reached the extra frame Friday if not for their second line. “I think when you have a top group, all of a sudden, if you got another line that some nights you don’t know which line you want to be checking Maybe the funniest aspect of all of this? Remember, none of the three although everyone is going to be focused on their top line,” Quenneville was with the Avalanche a season ago, and they are still searching for the said. “All of a sudden, you have another line that can score at a pretty most sustainable amount of cohesion. good rate as well.”

“It’s impressive how fast they have picked up on the system,” captain But one of the concerns about the line would be how Burakovsky would Gabriel Landeskog said. “Even if they don’t necessarily know the system assimilate into a combination where defensive ability is a cornerstone in down in the small, small detail, they are learning on the go, and that’s their individual games. important to do. They are all students of the game, and they’re quality players. They’ve been able to learn and adapt and fit in really well. It’s To that point, the early returns show Burakovsky is doing what has been been good so far, and they’ll continue to learn and continue to move on.” asked of him.

Secondary scoring was a talking point last season. It carried over to the “I mean, that’s something that goes into being a veteran,” Burakovsky offseason even when Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic made the said earlier in the week. “For sure, Donskoi and Kadri are really good necessary moves to acquire Burakovsky and Kadri via trades while two-way players. I think I am a little bit better of up front than I am in the signing Donskoi in free agency. d-zone. They are helping me out and so far, we’ve been doing a pretty good job. There’s going to be mistakes that happen and some confusion, Finding and sustaining supplemental production was viewed by many as but that’s something you figure out and you Watch video together. a crucial piece in whether the Avalanche could be serious Stanley Cup challenges throughout the season. It has only been seven games, but the “It’s a fast game and you can’t be perfect all the time, but so far we’ve early results show Sakic’s experiment might work after all. been good in the d-zone and in the offensive zone too.”

Burakovsky has eight points while Donskoi has six and Kadri has put up Friday night reinforced the argument that Burakovsky is learning how to four. become a better two-way player in Bednar’s scheme that demands defensive responsibility from all of his forwards. “I just think collectively we’re playing as a unit and not just having one or two guys take on most of the slack. We’re really playing together,” Kadri Burakovsky was credited with three takeaways against the Panthers. He said earlier this week. “We’re just trying to play the right way, and things was credited with three blocked shots against the Capitals on Monday in are starting to come on the offensive side now.” a 6-3 victory during his first game back at the Capital One Arena.

An example of their still-forming cohesion came on Burakovsky’s first “Works hard. I mean, he works hard,” Bednar said of Burakovsky’s goal that tied the score at 3-3 with 8:05 remaining in the second period. defensive abilities. “He reloads hard. He tracks the puck hard. He’s broken up a handful of plays on the backcheck. Coming late and filling in The Avalanche exited their zone with Donskoi leading the rush down the for other guys that have missed assignments. He did it the other night. right wing and Burakovsky trailing down the middle as Kadri was behind He did it again tonight, taking away scoring opportunities, so, I like what I him just to the left. Donskoi waited for the defense to close and moved am seeing from him.” possession to Burakovsky at center ice to create what was a two-on-two opportunity and a decision. Remember, all this comes with the caveat that the Avalanche have played only seven games. Granted, they are 6-0-1 to start the season Does he shoot or pass to a wide-open Kadri? while picking up points in each contest.

Burakovsky, who had quite a bit of space, fired a wrist shot to beat Seeing how this functions over the course of a season remains the Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the score. objective. Especially for a team attempting to take the next step in its progression as a legitimate championship contender after unexpectedly “They are doing some good things on a nightly basis,” Avalanche coach surging to the second round just a few months earlier. Jared Bednar said. “But what I liked about that line tonight was Donskoi was winning all the puck battles. So was Kadri. Burakovsky’s got some Figuring out how the Avs answer all those questions will be determined confidence and swagger in his game right now. We’re still encouraging over the next several months. him to shoot the puck because he’s got a laser and that was a great shot he makes on his one goal.” But for now, there is one question they can attempt to answer: Was this their best game of the season? “Production was something we were able to do with how we put the puck in the net tonight,” Donskoi said while Burakovsky was listening in the next stall. “We were feeling good about ourselves, and we just want to keep it rolling. Still, I think we can be better. We still have some mistakes that we need to get out of our game.

“But it’s on the right track, and I am happy with what we were able to do tonight.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157617 Colorado Avalanche

Takeaways from the Avalanche’s overtime loss in Pittsburgh

By Aarif Deen

October 17, 2019

The 82-0 dream is over. The Avalanche, playing their second of a six- game road-trip dropped a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena.

Colorado scored the first goal early, taking a 1-0 lead after Matt Calvert one-time a feed from Matt Nieto past goalie Matt Murray. After the Penguins scored the next two goals, a strong forecheck from winger Mikko Rantanen set up a 2-on-1 play with center Nathan MacKinnon, who finished the give-and-go to tie the game.

In overtime, Avs defenseman Cale Makar drew a penalty to put Colorado on the power play. The Avalanche looked out of sorts with the man- advantage, allowing the Penguins to have two rushes going the other way, and scoring the game-winner on the second chance while shorthanded.

The 5-0-1 Avalanche are still leading the Central Division. Here’s what we learned from the contest on Wednesday.

The Avalanche are still unbeaten in regulation, but no longer undefeated. The 5-0-0 start by the Avs matches the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers for the best start of the 2019-20 season. Both teams lost in regulation to put an end to their hot starts. Colorado is the only team without a regulation loss through the first two weeks of the season.

The Avs looked tired and out of sorts on Wednesday. After a strong start and an early one-goal lead, Colorado seemed to lack the fire it had in the early-going. The Penguins controlled most of the second period, despite the Avs putting nine shots on goal. It is a good sign however that a team riding a three-game winning streak heading into Wednesday needed overtime to defeat the Avs on an off night.

Colorado’s power play was finally stopped and it was hard to watch at times. The Avalanche entered the contest having scored a power-play goal in each of its first five games. On Wednesday, not only did the Penguins keep them off the boards on three opportunities, but they also scored a rare 3-on-4 shorthanded goal in overtime to end the game, while keeping the Avs from recording a shot on goal on the man- advantage.

MacKinnon and Rantanen continue to produce. The impressive third- period play that tied the game means both MacKinnon (3-6-9) and Rantanen (4-6-10) have recorded a point in each of the Avalanche’s first six games of the season.

Colorado continues its road trip at 5 p.m. MT on Friday against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Arena. milehighsports.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157618 Colorado Avalanche He played more than his linemates because of special teams time, but a solid game overall for him, and he nearly gave the Avs the lead late while shorthanded. Picked up an assist in the first when he cycled out high to the blueline, which is something the Avs try in practice a lot with their Avs Game 7 Grades: Fun in the Sun centers. It worked to perfection there.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – A

BY EVAN RAWAL Who knew that Bellemare could sauce like that? Bednar has his ideal fourth line together and they did their job tonight. He did much better in OCTOBER 18, 2019 the face-off circle this evening as well, which is what he was brought in for. A strong PK night for him.

Erik Johnson – C Samuel Girard – D

Another up and down game for EJ. He, like most of the defense, had a For the second game in a row, I thought Girard really struggled. It’s rare really tough first period and calmed down after that. He ended the night for him to lose a foot race, which he did on the shorthanded goal for the with five shot attempts at even strength, which is pretty strong. Had an Panthers, and there was some miscommunication between him, inexplicable icing late in the game that could have cost the team but Landeskog, and EJ on the opening goal. didn’t. He’s turned into a very good player in the 3 on 3 overtime, a rarity Joonas Donskoi – A for the Avs. Even though the Panthers scored pretty quickly afterward, his goal in the Cale Makar – F first period was enormous, as it gave them something to go off of Rookies, no matter how talented they are, have games like this. A brutal heading into the second period. He was a monster at both ends of the ice night all around for him. He looked afraid of contact when he missed the in this one and picked up a season-high three points. The second line puck prior to the Panthers’ third goal, then got turned around by talented took their turn being the top line tonight. players. Struggled with the puck all night long, and was eventually Matt Nieto – A stapled to the bench with eight minutes left in the game. I highly doubt he will be put in the press box for a night, but Bednar has shown he’s not Yes, I know he missed a potential game-winning goal late on that afraid to do what he thinks he has too. The point production has masked breakaway, but the tenacious forecheck of his to even create that play is some of his mistakes early on, but they were obvious tonight. something he’s done well all year. I’ve said it before that he’s the unsung hero for this team right now, and he’s played well in each game. Matt Calvert – A Nazem Kadri – A- Don’t look now, but Calvert has five points in seven games. His manhandling of Yandle in the corner created the second goal for the Avs, His defensive zone work just prior to the first Burakovsky goal is which ended up being huge. That line is a coach’s dream. something the Avs desperately need in their own end. Even though he didn’t pick up a point in this one, he played great overall. Yet again, he Nikita Zadorov – C dominated in the face-off circle, winning 69% of his draws. The one He got back into the lineup and had a strong game with some big downside to his game tonight was getting tricked into taking an mistakes. His play with the puck left a lot to be desired at times, and you unsportsmanlike penalty in the second period. would like to see him put a little more pressure on Connolly before his Gabriel Landeskog – F goal. Other than that, the coaching staff seemed to put their trust in him, as he played over 20 minutes, picked up an assist, and was on the ice in After his tough night in Pittsburgh, I would have expected better, but it overtime. He threw a big hit in the second period on Barkov when the was the opposite of that tonight. He was a mess with the puck all night, Avs were down by two that may have given the team a little boost. losing it all over the ice and causing odd-man rushes trying to skate through guys. A sign that it wasn’t his night? He didn’t touch the ice in Tyson Jost – B overtime. Jost isn’t playing a lot right now, but you have to be happy with how he’s Andre Burakovsky – A played since being moved back to center. He had a great chance in the slot in the first that Bobrovsky got his leg on. Unfortunately, he’s still I’m not the type of guy who is afraid to admit he was wrong, and it sure getting hammered in the face-off circle. looks like I might have been on this one. What a rocker of a shot in the second period to tie the game. That’s a shot that no one other than Colin Wilson – C+ MacKinnon on this team could make. 15 seconds after the Panthers took A quiet, grind it out game for Wilson. While he didn’t stand out in any the lead, Burakovsky scored a dirty one in front of the net. He capped off way in this one, he did have the best possession numbers on the team. I his night with the primary assist on MacKinnon’s winner. That trade is think that line just did their job, as they essentially become the fourth line looking pretty…pretty…pretty good right now. for the night. Mikko Rantanen – D Ryan Graves – B Of the three forwards on the top line, I think he may have been the best, A relatively quiet night overall for Graves, but he looked quite good on but that’s not saying much. He used his strength a few times, including the PK, and outside of a few turnovers on defense, was just fine. If you late in the game when he powered around a defenseman to put it go the entire night without really noticing him, I think you have to be towards the net, but that was few and far between. Had an offensive happy. blueline turnover in the second period that forced him to come back and take a penalty. An off night for the big three. Ian Cole – A Philipp Grubauer – B Six shot attempts, two assists, a +4, and the Avs controlled 67% of the shot attempts with him out there. By the second period, he had moved to How the heck do I grade that one? Two of the four goals he gave up the second pairing with Zadorov, and they were out there together for were leaky, getting through when they shouldn’t have, but he also made three Avs goals. Hard not to like his game tonight. some absurd saves in this one, including several in the third period. His glove was doing some work late in the game, and Barkov will have Nathan MacKinnon – D+ nightmares when he looks back and sees what Grubauer did to him on that late power play. His ability to lock it down when he needs too has This is a tough one. He’s clearly not 100%, but he (and that line in been special to start the year. general) were just awful tonight. His line was clearly outplayed by the top players on Florida. MacKinnon registered zero shot attempts at even BSN DENVER LOADED: 10.19.2019 strength and looked slow. But he’s a game-breaker, and all he needed was one nice chance in overtime to end the game.

J.T. Compher – B 1157619 Colorado Avalanche Ryan Graves just continues chugging along quietly. I think he has taken a real step forward from the bit player we saw at the end of last year who I felt was more lucky than good. Right now he is just playing some damn fine hockey. Philipp Grubauer’s brilliance buoys thrilling Avalanche comeback win Saving the best for last here but Philipp Grubauer…wow. The first goal was pretty soft but after that, I didn’t really have a problem with the pucks that got by him. The real story of the night, however, was the pucks that BY AJ HAEFELE didn’t slip past him. He made spectacular save after spectacular save in OCTOBER 18, 2019 third period and again in overtime before the Avalanche eventually won it. He finished the game a .909 save percentage but was nothing short of fantastic. MacKinnon said after the game Grubauer was their best player.

It was a pretty wild one in Sunrise, Florida tonight as the Avalanche kept There was plenty of reason to wonder if Grubauer was ‘the man’ coming their hot start going with a 5-4 overtime win against the Panthers. into this season but he seems to have picked up right where he left off at the end of last year. He hasn’t lost a regular season game in regulation Nathan MacKinnon won it in OT on a wrist shot that beat Sergei since March 11, 2019, against the Carolina Hurricanes when he stopped Bobrovsky. It was the only point Colorado’s top line scored all game. two of 32 shots in a 3-0 Avalanche loss in Pepsi Center. That’s because Joonas Donskoi (1 g, 2 a) and Andre Burakovsky (2g, There’s nothing cheap about what Grubauer has done this season. He’s 1a) drove the bus offensively for the Avalanche as they overcame a 3-1 locking games down in the third period and keeping teams off the first period deficit. scoresheet as the Avalanche continues to find ways to finish. He is Matt Nieto got in on the action with a second-period goal that pulled the playing with an extra level of confidence and if this is the guy Colorado game out of the mud and into a high-scoring affair as four goals were gets most nights, he’s going to compete for a Vezina and the Avalanche scored in a 2:58 span to put the game in the 4-4 tie that would last until will be very difficult to stop. MacKinnon’s game-winner. BSN DENVER LOADED: 10.19.2019 TAKEAWAYS

There have been three obvious too many men on the ice penalties in the last two games and none were called. The only reason it sticks with me is it is usually an automatic call that crews don’t miss often.

The top line was an absolute horror show through almost the entirety of the game. Their best shift might have been their last of regulation as they held the puck into the zone and cycled quite a bit. Rantanen even got a shot off after they cleared the zone and he took advantage of tired legs. But that was easily the worst game I remember from this line in a very long time.

And then MacKinnon ends it in overtime with a vintage snipe despite clearly being gassed at the end of a long shift. Hockey.

MacKinnon’s winner moved him past Peter Forsberg for game-winning goals in an Avalanche sweater. We always knew his assault on the Avalanche record books was inevitable but for him to Forsberg in something certainly makes it a little more real.

Overtime usage was pretty interesting as it didn’t look like Makar ever touched the ice and Landeskog and Rantanen each only saw one shift.

The fourth line, however, was awesome again tonight. Matt Nieto got the goal that broke the dam in the second period and then made an outstanding individual effort late in the third period to steal the puck and beat Bobrovsky but banged the puck off the inside of the post. Heartbreak.

The fourth line continues to be a difference-making group for the Avalanche. This is a major change from last year when it was an offensive black hole where you just hoped they didn’t do anything to hurt you. This group is actively playing a major role in them accumulating points in the standings.

Interesting how the first half of the game was carried by Joonas Donskoi but the second half was marked by Andre Burakovsky continuing to shine. Two huge acquisitions over the summer, those guys are not taking any time at all to settle into their new roles.

Burakovsky, especially, looks like a player transformed. I watched him in Washington and there were always flashes of talent. His combination of size, skating, and skill always kept Washington on the hook hoping for something more but it never showed consistently. It’s obviously very early but Colorado’s pro scouting staff has to be thrilled with their projections of Burakovsky in a bigger role. He has been nothing short of transformational in Colorado’s search for secondary scoring.

Cale Makar was pretty terrible in all facets tonight. Eyes and shot metrics align on this one: Makar should probably just burn this game tape and move on. Too many basic mistakes and he looked like a fish out of water on Florida’s third goal.

Ian Cole’s night, in numbers: 19:18 TOI, two assists, +4, two SOG, three blocked shots, 19 CF/9 CA, 11 SCF/4 SCA, 4 HDCF/ 2 HDCA. Wow. 1157620 Columbus Blue Jackets So, she reached out to “Coach Kenny,” her favorite skills coach, to say hello — and, perhaps, get on the ice with him.

“I use the analogy where they said in the old days that Michael Jordan Blackhawks 3, Blue Jackets 2, OT | Goalie Elvis Merzlikins much couldn’t walk past a basketball court without jumping on the court with improved in tough loss kids or whatever, or adults, just to play 3-on-3,” said McCudden, who first began working with Coyne-Schofield when she was an early teen. “Kendall can’t walk past a rink. She has to get on the ice.”

Brian Hedger So, that’s exactly what she wound up doing at the Jackets’ optional morning skate — zipping around the ice at the United Center with four The Columbus Dispatch Blue Jackets skaters and both goalies. Oct 18, 2019 at 11:29 PM Coyne-Schofield, who has a burgeoning career as a television analyst, returned to Chicago to help run a girls hockey clinic Friday at the United Center. CHICAGO — The last time Elvis Merzlikins started a game, it quickly turned into a nightmare in Pittsburgh. “She sends out a text (Friday) morning and says, ‘Can I see you after the girls’ clinic? I’m going to be at the UC,’ ” McCudden said. The Blue Jackets’ ebullient rookie goalie allowed all seven goals in a 7-2 loss Oct. 5 against the Penguins, including two that hit him before going McCudden cleared it with coach John Tortorella, who said, “Put her in into the net, and the Jackets weren’t any better in the second half of the there,” and just like that, one of the best female hockey players in the game. world pulled on a dark blue practice jersey with the Blue Jackets’ logo on the front — which she was allowed to keep. They used it as a learning lesson, but there was a sting from that game that helped power their effort Friday night at the United Center, when Texier eager to measure up Merzlikins — playing just his second NHL regular-season game — got He grew up in Grenoble, France, but rookie forward Alexandre Texier his next shot to play against the Chicago Blackhawks. was like every other young hockey player in his early teens. He would “We’ll be pumped when he gets back in the lineup, just to get him a win watch NHL highlights and then try to put what he saw into his game. and make him feel good about himself,” captain Nick Foligno said this Now, he’s an NHL player and is making the rounds at arenas that he’s week. “He’s been working so hard in practice and those games happen. only seen in video clips, including the United Center. He’s enjoying the I’ve seen them happen to Vezina Trophy-winning goalies before. experience, but isn’t awed by it. Hopefully, it will become a distant memory and we can be a part of getting him his first one.” “I think it’s fun,” he said. “Right now, it doesn’t matter what rink it is. I just want to play. I’m just enjoying every moment here.” The Blue Jackets did their best to make it happen but came up just short in a 3-2 overtime loss — nearly coming away with a big road win by using Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019 quick sticks defensively, sacrificing their bodies to block 14 shots and putting a damper on the Blackhawks’ transition game.

Merzlikins was more reliable in making 30 saves.

Drake Caggiula beat him with a high, hard wrist shot over the glove for a 1-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first period, but the Jackets’ backstop didn’t cave. Instead, he helped the Jackets fight off a 5-on-3 situation late in the first period and made several key stops against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane (nine shots).

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Markus Nutivaara, meanwhile, scored early in the second and third to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead — Dubois scoring his third goal in four games to tie it at 1 at 5:33 of the second, and Nutivaara following up his own shot for the lead at 2:55 of the third.

Chicago tied it at 2 at 8:08 of the third on Alex DeBrincat’s power-play goal, scored less than a minute after Foligno was denied by a whistle on a short-handed breakaway, but Merzlikins — and his teammates — handled that well too.

The Blackhawks pushed for a go-ahead goal late in the third, but Merzlikins denied a shot by defenseman Connor Murphy — who's from Dublin — and the Jackets then killed off another power play to keep it knotted 2-2.

Kane and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews got the better of him 46 seconds into OT, with Toews scoring off Kane’s rebound, but overall it was a much better night for Merzlikins.

“He cares,” Foligno said. “He takes a lot of pride in his abilities, and he’s a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s just got to learn that in his position, don’t worry so much about what others think. Just do what makes you good. When he does that, he’s so competitive that it just brings out the athleticism.”

Olympian skates with Jackets

Kenny McCudden got a text message Friday from an elite player he has known nearly 15 years.

The Blue Jackets’ skills coach was thrilled, as always, to hear from Kendall Coyne-Schofield — a longtime pupil from the Chicago suburb of Palos Heights. Coyne-Schofield, a 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist (2018 Pyeongchang Games) and avid promoter of women’s hockey, just happened to be in town at the same time as the Blue Jackets. 1157621 Columbus Blue Jackets It also comes rushing back sometimes, including when it's time to play against the Blue Jackets.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019 For Blackhawks' Connor Murphy, ties to Blue Jackets and Columbus remain

Brian Hedger

The Columbus Dispatch

Oct 18, 2019 at 12:01 AM

Oct 18, 2019 at 7:19 AM

CHICAGO — The thrill has yet to vanish.

When Connor Murphy strides onto the ice Friday night at the United Center — the Windy City’s famed “Madhouse on Madison Street” — the tall, rangy Blackhawks defenseman will have a little extra juice because of the team across the ice.

Murphy, the son of former NHL defenseman and former Blue Jackets assistant Gord Murphy, was raised in Dublin and still considers it a special game when he gets to play the Jackets.

“I mean, it’s your hometown and I think more people notice it at home,” said Murphy, who returns to cental Ohio for at least part of his offseason breaks. “It’s cool to still have texts coming in from friends who will see the game back there.”

Also cool for Murphy is seeing the Blue Jackets logo on the team he’s playing, since he literally grew up with it. This will be his 11th career game against them, and it’s still a kick.

“My dad coached there for eight years, so I grew up running around the dressing room and I was all into it,” said Murphy, who has played for the Arizona Coyotes and Blackhawks in his seven-year NHL career. “We didn’t have the best results for seasons; I think we made the playoffs once … but it was unique and I was really lucky to have that to grow up around.”

Also unique were the bonds he formed while growing up playing hockey in central Ohio.

Murphy still keeps in contact with his former amateur coach, Ed Gingher, who heads up the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program, and his older brother still plays in a local men’s league in Columbus, along with some former AAA Blue Jackets teammates.

Murphy has developed some close friendships with fellow NHLers who grew up in Columbus, as well, including Boston Bruins center Sean Kuraly, Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic and the Sherwood brothers of New Albany — Kole (Blue Jackets) and Kiefer (Anaheim Ducks).

Murphy, Kuraly and Roslovic are established in the NHL now, trying to help their teams win a championship. The Sherwoods made their NHL debuts last season and are hoping to become regulars soon.

“It’s fun because every summer it changes,” Murphy said. “The first years, you come back from your NHL teams and you’re saying, like, ‘How about those meals and those pregame meals, huh?’ Or, ‘How about the plane?’ Now, it’s more like you’re just talking about your teams and trying to win a Stanley Cup and trying to make the playoffs. It just becomes more normal, I guess, having more experience.”

Kuraly had an atypical experience last season, helping the Bruins eliminate the Blue Jackets in the second round of the playoffs and scoring a goal in Boston’s 4-1 victory in Game 4 at Nationwide Arena. Kuraly also became the first hockey player raised in central Ohio to play in the Stanley Cup finals.

Murphy didn’t have a rooting interest, as far as teams, but he pulled hard for his longtime friend, Kuraly, whose Bruins came up just short of winning the Cup in a seven-game series against the St. Louis Blues.

“It was surreal,” Murphy said of watching Kuraly being introduced as a Bruins starter for Game 1 of that series at TD Garden. “I was nervous for him. You try to put yourself in those shoes, thinking of what that would be like to be on that stage — which is what we’d both dreamed about our whole lives watching hockey together growing up. It comes full circle.” 1157622 Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019

No hard feelings for Brandon Saad over unexpected trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets

Brian Hedger

Henry Palattella

The Columbus Dispatch

Oct 18, 2019 at 5:29 AM

CHICAGO — The first trade was stunning, but Brandon Saad had an inkling it might happen.

The Blue Jackets acquired Saad on June 30, 2015, from the Chicago Blackhawks, rocking the NHL’s offseason days after Saad had won the Stanley Cup a second time, but he began to foresee that one materializing as negotiations for a contract extension hit a brick wall.

Saad eventually signed a six-year contract worth an average of $6 million a season with the Jackets after the trade, and figured he might want to get used to living in Columbus. He even bought a house in Upper Arlington.

Then came another phone call two years later, informing him he’d been traded back to the Blackhawks in a deal for Artemi Panarin.

Saad did not see that one coming.

“That was more surprising,” he said Thursday at the Blackhawks’ practice facility, a day before facing the Blue Jackets at the United Center. “I signed a long-term deal, you have a house there, you’re feeling comfortable, we came off a good year … and then you just get a phone call saying you’re being traded.”

That was June 23, 2017, the first day of the NHL draft in Chicago. Saad had put up 53 points in each of his two seasons with the Blue Jackets and helped them set a franchise record with 108 points in 2016-17 — including a franchise-record 16-game winning streak.

He struggled in the Jackets’ first-round playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, though, finishing with just a goal, two assists and a minus-5 rating in the five games. It wasn’t the greatest of endings to a career chapter, but Saad said he doesn’t look back on his time with the team in a negative light.

“You’re always learning something as a player, whether it’s good or bad,“ he said. “I can’t say enough about it there. I had a great time there. I think I grew as a player.”

Seeking a spark

Sonny Milano was the talk of the hockey world Wednesday after he went between the legs to score against the Dallas Stars, a shot that is already generating goal-of-the-year hype.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella is hoping it will provide Milano with something else: momentum.

“That was just off the charts," Tortorella said. “It can do nothing but help an offensive player.”

Although Milano hasn’t been on the ice much through the Jackets' first six games, Tortorella knows he has the skill to give the fourth line a spark.

“He's a skilled guy,” Tortorella said. “Not too many players can do what he did last night.”

Anderson practices

Josh Anderson practiced Thursday for the first time since being placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 5 because of an undisclosed upper body injury.

“He's progressing,” Tortorella said. “I don't really have any updates, but he’s progressing.”

Anderson has missed four games. 1157623 Columbus Blue Jackets “I thought we controlled a lot of the play,” Foligno said. “I have to find a way to score; that’s what pisses me off. I have a (third-period) breakaway (and don’t score), and they come down and score to make it 2-2. A lot of missed opportunities tonight. Portzline: 10 observations from the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 OT loss to the Blackhawks “Scoring chances aren’t good enough. You get a chance to bury those, you have to bury them. This game could have gone either way, though. Overtime, lucky bounce … those suck being on the other end of them. I liked a lot of what we did.” By Aaron Portzline Pierre-Luc Dubois and Markus Nutivaara had goals for the Blue Jackets. Oct 18, 2019 That’s three goals in four games for Dubois and two on the season for Nutivaara.

CHICAGO — Ten observations from the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 overtime loss “We played well enough to win,” Dubois said. “But it’s a ‘results’ league.” to Chicago on Friday: 3. Turning point 1. Merzlikins’ second “debut” goes much better With Seth Jones in the penalty box for tripping Andrew Shaw, Foligno The Blue Jackets carried the play for long stretches in this game, and a outworked two Blackhawks to earn a short-handed breakaway at 7:29 of strong case could be made that they deserved a better fate than a single the third. point. Foligno’s first shot was stopped by Lehner, but the puck settled between The biggest issue was their inability to finish those scoring chances, but the goaltender’s pads and skidded over the goal line when Foligno the best story of the night was found on the other end of the ice. jabbed at it.

After a “nightmare” debut on Oct. 5 in Pittsburgh, goaltender Elvis FOLIGNO THOUGHT HE SCORED BUT…NO. Merzlikins looked much sharper in his second outing, stopping 30 of 33 PIC.TWITTER.COM/G0KOXAPNRW shots. — ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019 Maybe he’d like less of a rebound on Chicago’s OT game-winner — NHL referee Francis Charron ruled that he blew his whistle on the play Patrick Kane’s shot ricocheted up and off Jonathan Toews’ shin before before Foligno’s second effort pushed it over the line. The officials going into the net. gathered near their off-ice brethren and communicated to the NHL ANOTHER ANGLE. PUCK BOUNCES UP INTO TOEWS’ BODY AND situation room that Charron’s whistle had killed the play, thus there was THEN INTO THE NET. #CBJ PIC.TWITTER.COM/0ZR3R56KHS no review.

— ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019 As one could imagine, Foligno was not happy.

But on the whole? “I don’t know why it didn’t (count),” Foligno said. “Francis was just so concerned … dead set on it not being a goal. It’s disappointing that he “He played great, and that’s what pisses you off, too,” Blue Jackets didn’t even give it a chance to see where it developed. captain Nick Foligno said. “You see him play as well as he did, and to not find a way to get a win for him, to make him feel good about himself … “I saw it sitting between (Lehner’s) legs (after) I shot it. You never know why he was so quick to blow the whistle, but I’m not going to start “It’s coming. We knew he was a great goalie and he was going to bounce dissecting it. For whatever reason, they didn’t give us an explanation; he back, especially in an atmosphere like tonight. He played really well. He just waves his arms. It’s one of those nights.” handled some firepower.” Only 39 seconds later, the Blackhawks scored a power-play goal to make Merzlikins made a right-pad save on Chicago’s Brandon Saad it 2-2. (remember him?) only 46 seconds into the game and seemed to be (mostly) under control the rest of the night. AND THEN CHICAGO EVENS THE SCORE #CBJ PIC.TWITTER.COM/SQPUCNZCBE With Joonas Korpisalo making the previous four starts, Merzlikins sat and stewed about his debut for nearly two weeks before he returned to the — ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019 net. 4. Andrew Shaw with a violent “interference” on Dubois It was one of the worst NHL debuts ever for a goaltender, making When the Blue Jackets last saw Andrew Shaw, he was committing on-ice Merzlikins’ mental composition as big a concern as the technical violence in the name of the . His blindside elbow to mistakes he was making. the head of then-Blue Jackets defenseman Adam McQuaid ended “I’m not gonna count my debut,” Merzlikins said. “I’m going to count this McQuaid’s game, his season and possibly his career. one more than the debut. That was a nightmare. I’m going to forget that. McQuaid remains on the market as an unrestricted free agent, but he’s I’m not wishing to any kid to wait so many years to get to the NHL and not able to play, per his agent. wait (for) that moment and that game and get seven goals scored on you. Shaw is now back with the Blackhawks and still up to his old tricks. At “That’s too painful. So, uh, I’m gonna count this one as my debut. I win a 16:58 of the second period, he took a long path to Dubois along the wall point … so, it’s positive, I think. I worked really (hard) with Manny on my before launching himself high into Dubois’ upper chest and possibly his glove position. I felt good.” face. 2. So many chances, too few goals SHAW WILL SIT FOR THIS AND #CBJ GET ANOTHER POWER PLAY This might sound familiar, but the Blue Jackets had 39 shots on goal and OPPORTUNITY PIC.TWITTER.COM/13DSHVDPXT played really well offensively, cycling the puck, battling for loose pucks — ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019 and creating plenty of scoring chances. Two head hits … and the call both times on Shaw — last spring on But this club has not been rewarded — or perhaps it doesn’t have McQuaid and Friday on Dubois — was just a two-minute minor for enough “finishers” to reward itself — for its hard work in the early going interference. this season. Asked if he cared to comment, Dubois smiled and said, “No. Not worth Alexander Wennberg, like Foligno later in the game, was denied on a it.” breakaway. Riley Nash missed a wide-open look on Chicago goaltender Robin Lehner in the first period. Pucks slid just wide of an empty cage; Foligno held back, too. He missed the play because he was working on others were denied by Lehner. his skates near the bench area, so he watched the replay. “He walks that line,” Foligno said of Shaw. “He’ll answer for it sometime. But there’s another facet that has been dramatically improved, too, and Not sure when.” it’s not getting enough attention.

5. Too much time to think Wennberg leads the Blue Jackets in faceoffs taken (90). He leads the Blue Jackets in faceoffs won (51) and is second in faceoff winning Merzlikins needed to play, and quickly, if only to shrink those horrible percentage (54.3). numbers next to his name. After Friday night’s game, his goals-against average shrank from 7.00 to 4.99 and his save percentage climbed from It’s a small sample size (seven games), perhaps. But Wennberg looks .825 to .863. nothing like the player who had a 45.6 faceoff winning percentage before this season. Those are still some ugly digits, but he’s moving in the right direction. Wennberg won 10 out of 16 draws on Saturday, including 4 of 7 against “I was nervous (before Friday’s game),” Merzlikins said. “I was nervous a Toews. little bit. So I guess there was something wrong in Pittsburgh that I wasn’t nervous. It’s better to put me under pressure. 9. Dubois scores another powerful goal

“Again, I work with (goaltending coach) Manny (Legace), and I am Dubois made a powerful move at 5:33 of the second period to wrestle the thankful to him. Now I want to just get back (to Columbus) and practice puck from Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy, then shed Murphy and with him (some more).” skated wide before beating Lehner with a wrister.

THEN MERZLIKINS DOES HIS PART AT THE OTHER END. #CBJ It was quite similar to some of the other powerful goals he’s scored this PIC.TWITTER.COM/KBZTOL7MPK season.

— ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019 DUBOIS INDIVIDUAL EFFORT TIES THE GAME AT 1. PUTS THE CENTER SECOND ALL-TIME FOR #CBJ IN FASTEST TO 50 GOALS. Merzlikins noted how hard the Blue Jackets played in front of him. PIC.TWITTER.COM/7Q2LSUYOTI Foligno, Jenner and Wennberg each sold out to block shots, but there were several gritty performances in the defensive zone. — ALISON (@ALISONL) OCTOBER 19, 2019

“The team helped me a lot,” Merzlikins said. “They did huge blocked Dubois, who now leads the Blue Jackets with three goals, is one of the shots in front of me, where I didn’t (see) the puck. I thanked them for that. few players with the ability to finish right now.

“It was better (than Pittsburgh). It was better. It wasn’t seven goals. It was “There’s 82 games; spans like this always happen,” Dubois said of his just three now, so the positive is here. Now, keep working hard again, team’s offensive struggles. “Look at Pittsburgh. They’re scoring seven and then when it’s going to be the next chance again, try to go.” goals a game. But I’m sure this year they’re going to have games where they should have scored seven and they’re going to score only two. Here’s Dubois on Merzlikins: “Every team goes through moments like this. It’s a long season. It’s a “He’s better and better in practices; you see it. From (training) camp until positive we’re getting scoring chances. We’re doing something right. We now, there’s a big difference in everything. He works extremely hard with have a lot of good players in here. We’re not getting scared. We’re Manny (Legace). To see him play well tonight, it’s disappointing we didn’t confident. We just have to keep going.” get a win for him. But he should be really proud of himself. He played a really good game. He gave us a chance to win. He kept us in it the entire 10. USA hockey star joins morning skate game. It’s disappointing, but he’ll get another chance.” Blue Jackets assistant coach Kenny McCudden had an early-morning 6. Forty-eight seconds text message from an old friend from his Chicago days.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella put the “brief” in press briefing Friday It was Kendall Coyne Schofield, an Olympic gold medalist and five-time with a postgame media scrum that lasted 48 seconds. winner of gold at the IIHF Women’s World Championship.

The transcript: “It was: ‘How many guys are you skating today?’” McCudden said. “That’s Kendall being Kendall. That means: ‘If you don’t have a morning On Elvis … skate, can I get in there?’

“Played better.” The Blue Jackets did not have a morning skate. They had an optional, His club’s defensive commitment in front of Merzlikins … with only six players taking part: forwards Josh Anderson and Markus Hannikainen, defensemen Scott Harrington and Dean Kukan, and “We played good there.” Joonas Korpisalo and Merzlikins.

Did the Blue Jackets deserve a better fate? “So I sent a text to Torts from the hotel: ‘Just what would you think about Kendall Coyne joining us this morning? Great hands, great feet, the “I don’t know.” whole bit. Represents our country.’ 7. Bemstrom awakening? “Tortorella came back, and the message was: ‘Put her in there.’” Rookie Emil Bemstrom has yet to score a goal, but he’s looking more Coyne, only 5-foot-2, appeared on the bench looking a bit out of place comfortable on the ice, especially with the puck. next to a towering player such as Anderson. But when she took the ice Bemstrom led the Blue Jackets in shots on goal (six) and shot attempts and started skating, it was clear she was an elite player. (eight). Who was second? Defenseman Markus Nuitvaara with five shots The skate lasted about 45 minutes. on goal. “That was so much fun,” said Coyne, who began working with McCudden It’ll be interesting to see what the Blue Jackets do with Bemstrom when has a 14-year-old. “It’s crazy. So much fun. forward Josh Anderson returns from an injury. The club has called it an upper-body injury, but Fox Sports Ohio reported Friday it’s a shoulder “(McCudden) is the best skills coach in the world, but he’s an even better injury. person. This was so much fun. Any time I get to be with coach Kenny, it refuels my love for the game.” Bemstrom has played on the right side of a line with fellow rookie Alexandre Texier and center Boone Jenner, which should be considered Solo video … the Blue Jackets’ third line. Analytically speaking Anderson will have a spot in the top nine, for sure, when he returns. The Athletic’s hockey data dynamo Alison Lukan provided these insights 8. Wennberg … strong on faceoffs, too? into the Blue Jackets’ overtime loss:

As you’ve read in this space, Alexander Wennberg looks like a much As a team, Columbus played the way it needed to play against Chicago. different player this season with the way he’s playing in traffic, carrying The Jackets controlled five-on-five shot share (56.29 percent), scoring the puck and actually shooting. chances (63.22 percent) and shot quality (59.75 percent). The second period was their weakest defensively — Chicago had the edge in shot quality — but the Blue Jackets were able to keep their opponent off the scoresheet in the middle frame.

The issue, of course, was the ability to finish. Of the 62 shot attempts and 33 scoring chances Columbus had, only two got into the net.

There was perhaps no area of the Blue Jackets’ game getting more focus Friday than goaltending, as Merzlikins got his second NHL start. The Latvian responded with an encouraging performance. Based on the shots he faced, Merzlikins outperformed the league-average save percentage by 1.6 percent. That is the best performance by either Blue Jackets goaltender to date this season. Anecdotally, Merzlikins also turned away 13 shot attempts (nine on target) from Kane. Kane is one of the most talented goal scorers in the NHL and, in this game, led the Blackhawks in shot quality (1.04 expected goals).

Another encouraging sign: Bemstrom led all Columbus skaters in shot attempts (8) and tied with Wennberg and Foligno for a team-leading five scoring chances. He also tilted the ice more than any other Blue Jackets skater. The visiting team had 78.95 percent of all shot attempts when Bemstrom was on the ice.

Wennberg had a strong outing. His line generated the highest shot quality of the game (87.09 percent), and he was trusted by the coaching staff to take the final faceoff in regulation and again to start overtime.

Who led in terms of game score? The top three Blue Jackets skaters were Foligno (1.76), Oliver Bjorkstrand (1.67) and Nutivaara (1.46).

— Data via MoneyPuck, Evolving-Hockey and Natural Stat Trick and reflects score and venue adjusted five-on-five play unless otherwise stated.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157624 Columbus Blue Jackets But the approach has served the team well more often than not so far. In this clip, we see the zone-play concepts Atkinson described. We see

the Jackets’ forecheck effectively pressure Carolina into a long pass that Challenged to concentrate on defensive play, how are the Blue Jackets flips possession back to the Blue Jackets for an effective transition back responding? through the neutral zone.

Stimson highlights how this strategy, which almost resembles a 1-1-3 forecheck in the neutral zone, forces play to one side or to a long pass By Alison Lukan into the wall at the blue line just as it did in this shift.

Oct 18, 2019 Front and center

And with the added emphasis on play away from the puck, an obvious question might be which forwards contribute the most defensively. An At the beginning of this season, the charge to Blue Jackets players was informal poll of some Columbus defensemen named the team’s centers to stay above the puck and limit the chances opponents would get. It was primarily. This makes sense because these are the players who are a mantra that pervaded all of preseason and training camp. Head coach usually going low in the defensive zone. But of that positional group, John Tortorella described it not as a systems change but as a Riley Nash was either the first or second player mentioned every time. “concentration” on a part of the game in which the team was already successful. This should be of no surprise, however, to people who know how Nash plays. The chart below (click to enlarge) from HockeyViz.com measures “A lot of people think defense is hard work,” Tortorella said. “It is. But it the isolated impact a player has on offensive play (top row) and also takes a mindset of (being) willing to commit to it. That’s the key. I do defensive play (bottom row). For offense, the higher the number, the think … how we had to play in the playoffs bled into the mindset of how better. For defense, the lower the number, the better as you are having we have to play this year.” an impact on your opponent’s offense. So with a young season just underway, are the Jackets on the right track Those are some strong numbers defensively, and this season is showing in terms of how they’ve been asked to play? Tortorella has said that other early as one of the center’s best. than the second half of the team’s loss in Pittsburgh, his team has done a good job answering the defensive call, but can we see that impact? “I think it’s just his positioning,” Zach Werenski said. “He talks a lot. He’s open, he calls for (the puck). But I think the main thing is positioning. You While the sample size is still small, just five games played* going into know he’s going to be in the right spot, you don’t have to look. A lot of Wednesday’s match against Dallas, we can look for a small signal of times he’ll face the puck. He won’t turn his back to it so he’s always an what a team might be about. out. Just little things that might not be much to the fan watching, but to So let’s dig in. us, it makes a big difference in getting it out of our zone.”

In their first five games*, among all 31 NHL teams, Columbus ranked We see Nash here as an effective outlet for Werenski, who starts the fourth in terms of limiting shot quality per game (1.75 expected goals breakout. Here’s what Werenski notices and why it matters. against/60), third in cumulative shot quality (7.07 expected goals “I had the puck behind the net,” Werenski said. “I turn and pass and go against), fifth in unblocked shot attempts against (38.88 Fenwick the other way and Nasher, instead of doing a big loop, does a tight turn, against/60) and eighth in scoring chances against per game. goes right back up, the puck goes to Nasher out the other way and we’re As a result, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo faced the fifth-easiest workload on the attack. I think he’s really good at just reading the play and staying in terms of shot quality against (1.5 expected goals against/60) in the in the right position at all times.” league among goaltenders who had played more than one game. Fighting for the first two mentions by defensemen was Alexander Here are the shots Korpisalo has faced thus far this year. Wennberg. Nash and Wennberg rank in the top five among Blue Jackets skaters in shot suppression per 60 and shot quality suppression per 60. We can see the impact of the team’s defensive play not just overall, but also in a look at each opponent’s track record. When it comes to Wennberg specifically, his teammates highlight his intelligence and playmaking. As Werenski said, if the puck is on As the Jackets have rolled through their first five contests, they held Wennberg’s stick, your job is to get open because he will find you. Carolina to their third-weakest performance in terms of shot volume and shot quality, and Toronto and Anaheim were held to the lowest number of Here we see the Swede anticipate the play and disrupt the passing lane scoring chances of any game the teams had played so far this year. to transition the puck toward the Blue Jackets’ offensive zone.

“It means we’re playing well defensively,” David Savard said. “(Forwards) “(Wennberg) is obviously a very smart player,” Seth Jones said. “I think are coming back, and obviously our goalies are doing a good job, too. If he’s come a long way. You see him get a little more physical now, laying you can limit the good teams to only a few scoring chances, you give the body, and then he’s holding on to pucks. I think that’s what he’s best yourself a better chance to win. I think we created more than we usually at. Seeing the ice. His vision is probably one of the best on our team for give up, so it’s a good sign.” sure — that helps on breakouts.”

So what are the elements of this style of play that are currently working And only improving the picture is that Nash and Wennberg are not just for Columbus? stopping opponents, they also are contributing offensively. Nash’s (0-3-3) pass started the play that led to Sonny Milano’s highlight-reel goal Checking in and zoning out Wednesday, while Wennberg (1-3-4) added a goal of his own and two assists Saturday in Carolina. A big part of the Blue Jackets’ approach this year is their forecheck. To Tortorella’s point, this isn’t anything life-changing; it’s an evolution of Other forwards as well are earning their teammates’ praise for defensive what helped Columbus beat Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs play. Jones cites Pierre-Luc Dubois’ “big-boy hockey” and Boone last year. Jenner’s ability to be a physical presence low in the zone.

“(On the forecheck), typically F1 and F2 take away the D so they go at Early on, Oliver Bjorkstrand is playing a much more aggressive game the D,” Cam Atkinson said. “F3 is on the strong-side boards, just and has ranked high in suppression of shot volume, shot quality and anticipating if the play is going to go up the boards. If the play is going to scoring chances. Young Alexandre Texier has shown well in those go D to D to the other side, then (F3) goes across. measures also and has been effective with his stick checking. That topic draws a chuckle from Jones when you ask about how close Texier walks “Then F1, if they are on the strong side, they come above the net. F2 the slashing line. goes at (the puck carrier) so it’s all about reloading and tracking.” “When (Texier) is on the forecheck, or guys are on him, he seems to There are some risks to this style. Ryan Stimson of The Coaches Site always be on his stick, hitting the stick,” Jones said. “It makes it hard and Hockey Graphs points out that the workload on F3 can be significant when the guy’s constantly on you, constantly ragging you when you have with this setup. Also, this stretches out the forecheck and opens up the puck.” passing lanes like we see in the clip above. Overall, the team’s ability to adhere to their defensive structure is reaping early benefits. Now the challenge is to maintain it as they go deep into the season.

*Editor’s note: Recently, an issue was identified in NHL play-by-play tracking data that affected shot based-metrics like those we use here. Counsel with Evolving-Hockey resulted in our use of this year’s data in comparative means only. Because the tracking error was fixed beginning with Oct. 16 games, we did not include Wednesday’s game in our sample as the scale of measure is different due to the correction. It is anticipated historical data will be updated to the corrected scale.

— Data via NaturalStatTrick.com, Corsica. Hockey and Evolving- Hockey.com. All numbers represent five-on-five performance unless otherwise stated. This post relies heavily on shot-based metrics. Here is a good primer on these numbers.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157625 Dallas Stars he’s going to do more. The best predictor of the future is your past and the past of a lot of our good players is really good.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.19.2019 Third-period failure becoming a trend for Stars, who lacked urgency vs. Penguins

By Matthew DeFranks

3:54 AM on Oct 19, 2019

PITTSBURGH — The Stars entered the third period of Friday night’s 4-2 loss to the Penguins tied at 1. They didn’t notch their first shot on goal of the period until 9:57 remained in the game.

“Not enough urgency,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “You need to come out and dictate in that time and circumstance. Pittsburgh dictated more than we did.”

Pittsburgh outscored the Stars 3-1 in the third period (though one of them was Kris Letang’s empty-net goal with 22 seconds left), continuing a trend of Dallas coughing up opportunities to collect points. Here’s a list of Dallas’ third-period failures this season.

-- Allowed St. Louis to scored two third-period goals after carrying a 2-1 lead into the third period.

-- Gave up Anthony Mantha’s fourth goal of the game with 54 seconds left after jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.

-- Surrendered Niklas Backstrom’s game-tying 6-on-5 goal in Washington with 31 seconds left to send the game to overtime in the team’s only win.

-- Blew a two-goal lead against Calgary in a three-minute span, then lost in a shootout.

-- Gave up Sonny Milano’s highlight reel goal in Columbus that put the game out of reach.

-- Allowed Kris Letang to score twice as Pittsburgh scored three times.

“Just not good enough,” Stars forward Joe Pavelski said. “There’s been a lot of moments so far throughout this season where we’ve had chances to turn this around, and string something together. We’ve just kind of let it slip every time.”

The Stars finished with eight shots on goal in the period and nearly tied the game in the final minute when Pavelski’s tip hit the post. The Penguins had seven shots on goal in the period, but scored twice before Dallas’ second shot on goal.

The third period sullied what was a decent second period for the Stars offensively when they attempted 22 shots at 5-on-5 and generated 10 scoring chances.

“I thought we got pucks to the goalline,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t think we turned as many pucks over. I thought we drove pucks wide and it led to good offense. I still felt that we allowed them to come at us with too much speed.”

Momentum suckers: Twice on Friday night did the Stars get called for penalties less than a minute after scoring a goal.

After Roope Hintz’s second-period goal at 5:10, Denis Gurianov was called for hooking at 5:26. After John Klingberg’s third-period goal at 12:01, Jamie Oleksiak was called for tripping at 12:58. Pittsburgh did not score on either power play.

“I think we have to give more than what we’re giving,” Montgomery said. “Score a goal, we take a penalty right after. We make it 3-2, we take a penalty right after. Those are things that are within your control.”

Klingberg’s first: Klingberg scored his first goal of the season on Friday night when his point shot found the back of the net through screens. He also had a secondary assist on Hintz’s goal, tripling his point total from one entering the night to three leaving it.

This is what Montgomery said about Klingberg before the game.

“He’s a microcosm of the team, right?” Montgomery said. “As the team goes, so does the play of our elite players. We all expect more from each other, and he’s just one of a bunch of us that isn’t doing enough. And 1157626 Dallas Stars fortunate thing of our game right now is you get another chance. Got to do something.”

Perhaps Friday serves as a wake-up call, as if the previous seven losses Getting angry: Anton Khudobin shows emotions after Stars tie worst start failed to present themselves as such. Maybe the frustrations from the in franchise history worst start in three decades can spur something in the Stars. But, for now, the new normal has become losing.

“We’re at a time right now when we need results, production,” Pavelski By Matthew DeFranks said. “There’s not much of it going around this team and in this group right now. So we’ve got to find it. We’ve got to find it soon.” 2:59 AM on Oct 19, 2019 Zone entries are criticized: During the Stars’ early-season struggles, the

team’s zone entries have been scrutinized as Dallas’ offense has failed PITTSBURGH — In the wake of another Stars’ loss — this one a 4-2 to generate in-zone offense. At times, the Stars have dumped the puck in defeat to the Penguins on Friday night — as the team searches for too often instead of carrying the puck in or passing it into the offensive answers and finds none, as the standings tell the truth none of them care zone. to hear, as the hockey world turns without Dallas’ involvement, Anton When does Montgomery want the Stars to dump the puck? Khudobin stood in the nearly empty Dallas dressing room. “When you’re pressured, when you have no time and space, that’s when He’d just completed a 29-save effort in the loss, one whose pure number the puck goes in,” said Montgomery, who added that this philosophy has of saves masks the difficulty of those he faced. He’d given the Stars a been preached since Day One. “When you have time and space, you’ve chance to win their second game of the season by carrying them into the got to take that ice.” third period tied at 1. But he couldn’t save the Stars from a 1-7-1 fate, a record that ties the worst in franchise history through nine games. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.19.2019 Then he spotlighted one of the many Stars issues through the first two weeks: They’re not angry enough.

“What else can you say?” Khudobin said. “We just got another L, [expletive], I don’t know. We just have to keep going and do something.”

The loss was the fifth straight for the Stars, and they remain without a win in regulation. Only one point separates them from being the worst team in the league, and league-worst Minnesota has played two fewer games than the Stars.

Dallas finishes a four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Entering the road trip, the team talked about treating it with playoff intensity. Instead, they’ll go home with a maximum of two out of eight points, with the possibility of zero for eight looming.

At this point in the season, losses have become the new normal; wins, the exception. The script dictates that the Stars do enough to inspire hope — like a strong open in Columbus, or a second-period lead in Pittsburgh — but crash back to their current and unfortunate reality before the night is over.

The postgame questions become stale, and the platitudes meaningless without action. The positives from the worst start in 30 years are extracted and the schedule rolls on. The routine changes scores and it changes locations and it changes main characters, but it doesn’t change results. As of now, the emotion hasn’t changed either.

How does the team get angrier?

“Just getting tired of losing,” Khudobin said. “That’s how.”

On Friday night, the Stars wasted Khudobin’s effort and Roope Hintz’s fifth goal of the season when they allowed Kris Letang to score two third- period goals. The power play remained toothless by not converting on their lone attempt of the night, dropping them to 1 for 24 on the season.

“You can’t drive passion into people,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “You can try everything. You can try motivational tactics. You can try everything. But it’s got to come from within. Ultimately, if there’s a puck between you and I, I’d bite your leg off to get it. That’s the attitude you’ve got to have. Anton had that competitive spirit tonight that we need to permeate throughout our lineup.”

Tyler Seguin finished a team-worst minus-3 Friday night, on the ice for Jared McCann’s redirect and both of Letang’s goals. On Letang’s first one, after Andrej Sekera coughed up a puck in the corner of the Stars’ zone, Joe Pavelski dropped to the ice to try to block a shot. Then Seguin did. Letang danced around both of them and stuffed the puck between Khudobin’s legs.

“Pavs goes in and slides and then for whatever reason, I go and slide too and the guy just walks in on a breakaway,” Seguin said. “It just can’t happen.

“Tonight, we needed a win and I think I finished minus-3, so it’s tough to talk about team stuff when I look at myself, it just can’t happen right now. We’ve got another opportunity tomorrow to bounce back. It’s the only 1157627 Dallas Stars Sure, Dallas could make a minor trade like it did last season, flipping Devin Shore for Andrew Cogliano, but a blockbuster isn’t possible during the season.

Stars 20/20: Stars prove they still aren’t tired of losing as skid hits 5 The players whom fans want to trade account for too much against the games in Pittsburgh salary cap, and the teams that do have the space would never be approved by players with no-movement clauses.

The Stars’ players will either figure it out or go down in flames. By Sean Shapiro 8. The offensive issues have been abundantly clear this season, but the Oct 18, 2019 defensive issues have added to that snowball over the past week.

Against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Stars’ supposed top players lost their man on two of the three goals. On Friday, Tyler Seguin and Joe PITTSBURGH — The Dallas Stars lost their fifth consecutive game and Pavelski were sent sliding across the ice by Kris Letang on the go-ahead continued a nightmare start to the season with a 4-2 loss to the goal. Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Khudobin said it was his fault and that he should have stopped the puck, 1. After morning skate, Jim Montgomery gathered his players at center but the optics of a flightless bird sending two Stars players flying ice and delivered an edict for the contest against the Penguins. He told encapsulates just how far Dallas has gotten from its defensive details. them to stick together, repeating a message he delivered earlier in the week, and said they were going to dig in against Pittsburgh and start to It was just 14 seconds into the game when Sidney Crosby was all alone turn the tide. on a breakaway. In the second period, Khudobin was stellar on the penalty kill. 2. They didn’t. The score could have been much worse. 3. The meltdown happened in the third period. With the score tied at 1, the Stars allowed two goals before taking a shot on net. There was no 9. Fishing for positives: The Stars didn’t play poorly in the first two effort and no urgency to try to win. The Stars lost puck battles, and after periods. They were still in the game, and Roope Hintz continued to look losing them, they didn’t to try to make up for them. like a breakout player as he scored his fifth goal.

“If I had the answer, we’d be doing it right now, right? Can’t drive passion Hintz could flirt with 40 goals if he keeps getting loose for breakaways into people. You can try everything. You can try motivational tactics, you like he did on Friday. can try everything. It’s got to come from within,” Montgomery said. “Ultimately, if there is a puck between you and I, I’d bite your leg off to The Stars also hit a couple of posts, so luck wasn’t on their side, and with get it. And that’s the attitude you’ve got to have. Anton (Khudobin) had about a minute remaining, a tip by Pavelski hit the iron before Letang’s the competitive spirit tonight that we need to permeate throughout our second goal, an empty netter, iced it. lineup.” 10. Moral victories at this point are worthless. 4. Khudobin gave the more unvarnished take, and his frustration was Some optimists might point to the St. Louis Blues, who last season went evident after a game in which he played quite well to keep it closer. from last in the NHL in January to winning the Stanley Cup. “What else can you say?” Khudobin said. “We just got another L. The Blues, however, were never as bad last season as the Stars are Fucking, I don’t know. We just have to keep going and do something.” now. Khudobin said the Stars need to get angrier. How can they do that? 11. Rhett Gardner was a healthy scratch for the first time after his recall “Just getting tired of losing, that’s how.” from the AHL, and he was replaced on the fourth line by Justin Dowling.

5. The 1-7-1 start is the worst since the franchise moved to Dallas. Montgomery also made a couple of line swaps, switching left wingers Mattias Janmark and after Wednesday in Columbus. The were 1-7-1 in 1988-89 and finished 27-37-16, but they made the playoffs because there were only 10 teams in the The lines: conference and eight got in. The Stars won’t be that lucky, and the start Jason Dickinson — Tyler Seguin — Alexander Radulov very likely already cost them a chance at the postseason. Jamie Benn — Roope Hintz — Corey Perry Even if Dallas were to turn it around and catch fire, it likely wouldn’t be enough. Teams can’t dig a hole that deep. Mattias Janmark — Radek Faksa — Joe Pavelski

6. The length of the slide has shifted the discussion from what effect it Andrew Cogliano — Justin Dowling — Denis Gurianov would have on a potential playoff race to more nuclear options. Esa Lindell — John Klingberg likely isn’t going to push the button and fire someone, but owner Tom Gaglardi likely isn’t going to sit on his hands if the losing keeps Andrej Sekera — Miro Heiskanen happening. Jamie Oleksiak — Taylor Fedun

Last year, when ’ “fucking horseshit” comments were made, Pittsburgh’s lines: they were a message from an angry owner who was frustrated with his team. Jake Guentzel — Sidney Crosby — Dominik Simon

Lites is actually the one who keeps Gaglardi away from the launch Dominik Kahun — Jared McCann — Patric Hornqvist codes. There are times when Lites talks Gaglardi away from the edge and keeps him from stepping into matters of hockey operations. Zach Aston-Reese — Teddy Blueger — Brandon Tanev

But with how things have gone, the Stars may have set off a ticking time Adam Johnson — Joseph Blandisi — Sam Lafferty bomb at the top. Brian Dumoulin — Kris Letang

What happens if Dallas loses against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday Marcus Pettersson — Justin Schultz and then the Ottawa Senators on Monday to drop to 1-9-1? Jack Johnson — John Marino That’s a situation in which Gaglardi might decide to make a change with either the coaching staff or management, and there is nothing any of the 12. The Stars have only had one non-morning skate this season. Jims could do about it. That schedule created an interesting dynamic for Khudobin, who only 7. From a player standpoint, the Stars can’t blow things up. It’s not had a pair of morning skates to stay sharp since his last start on Oct. 12 possible. against the Washington Capitals. “It is what it is,” Khudobin said after the morning skate. “We’re just going Win special teams: Failed. for pregame skates. Whatever it takes: extra shots, maybe more in warmups and stuff like that. Just pretty much you taking (morning skate) The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 as a regular practice, even if it’s not as long.”

Khudobin said morning skates aren’t a necessity for his routine. If it’s optional and he’s starting, he’ll often not skate, but he said with the Stars’ schedule, it’s even more important to “try and feel the puck in the morning.”

“It depends on the time of the year. … To me, I would like to go and get a couple shots and get the sweat going and just kind of get a little bit in the rhythm,” Khudobin said. “Like, last year at the end of the season, I rarely skated in the morning (during optionals) because I just felt ready (to start). So, right now, only two games — I would like to get sweat going like I did.”

13. Oleksiak returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since the Stars and Penguins effectively hit the reset button on a trade they completed in 2017-18.

Oleksiak played 95 games with Pittsburgh between the playoffs and regular season and credits his time with the Penguins as one of the reasons he’s found his game.

“I think knowing you can play in this league and be a regular, I think that was a big part and confidence booster,” Oleksiak said. “I kind of look back now and that’s what I remember.”

Oleksiak never played a consistent role with the Stars during his first stint in Dallas. Since returning, he’s been a lineup regular and a fixture on the third pairing.

Oleksiak also said he learned quite a bit from the Penguins as an organization. There was a standard players felt they had to live up to.

Montgomery didn’t coach Oleksiak during his first stint in Dallas, but he had heard about the defenseman’s history when the Stars traded for him last season.

“He had matured. Having gone to Pittsburgh helped him immensely, being around someone like Sidney Crosby and the leaders they have over there,” Montgomery said.

14. That Oleksiak had to go to Pittsburgh to learn about professionalism and leadership isn’t a great indictment on the Stars’ leadership group over the past couple of seasons.

15. Montgomery was asked after morning skate about when the Stars should be dumping the puck into the offensive zone.

“When you’re pressured,” Montgomery said. “When you have no time and space, that’s when the puck goes in. When you have time and space, you have to take that ice.”

Montgomery said that’s something the Stars have been preaching since Day 1.

16. The Stars’ power play dropped to 1-for-25 and didn’t have a shot on their one opportunity Friday.

17. John Klingberg finally has a goal after his rough start, as he cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third period when he picked a corner.

Maybe that’s something he can build on. Maybe it’s an aberration.

18. The NHL took a risk awarding the Winter Classic to Dallas, and it’s one executives thought would pan out after the Stars and Nashville Predators met in the playoffs last season. The Stars are dropping deeper and deeper into anonymity with their start.

19. If the answers are out there for the Stars, they need to be found — quick. Before this road trip, it seemed Dallas would need to pick up at least five out of the eight points away from . At best, they can get two.

20. How did the Stars do with regard to Montgomery’s process?

Average five-on-five shift length of 40 seconds or fewer: Failed. The average shift length was 41.74 seconds.

Zero undisciplined penalties: Failed.

Three or fewer odd-man rushes: Failed.

Win net-front battle: Failed. 1157628 Dallas Stars There are quite a few examples of plays like this, where Benn doesn’t have any pressure on him from the penalty killers but can’t corral a puck on the boards and the Stars are forced to regroup.

Film Room: What’s wrong with the Dallas Stars’ power play? It’s also happened quite often with the Stars’ typical point man, John Klingberg. On this play, he can’t keep a puck in the zone and decides to send it back to Anton Khudobin to buy time as the Stars have to regroup.

By Sean Shapiro Here’s an example with Radulov, in which it just looks like a lazy play from the winger after missing the pass. The Stars have to regroup once Oct 18, 2019 again.

Another thing that becomes evident is how much the Stars are allowing The Dallas Stars’ first power play of the season was an abbreviated one opposing goalies to see the puck cleanly on the power play and aren’t against the Boston Bruins. creating enough traffic in front of the net. Seguin’s one-timer is a weapon, but on this play in St. Louis, the goalie is able to easily read the play and While on the penalty kill, Tyler Seguin was interfered with by Bruins make a simple save since the Stars aren’t putting a man in front of the defenseman Charlie McAvoy, setting up a situation where the Stars net. would have 70 seconds of power-play time once the four-on-four situation came to an end. Speaking of Seguin’s one-timer, the Stars have not adapted well to having him on his opposite side at times this season. If Seguin is on his And on the first power-play entry of the season, the puck ended up in the right side, he should be in more of a passing role. Instead, the Stars still netting when John Klingberg’s attempted dump-in was deflected over the try to feed him looks for shots and he can’t fire right away. glass. Look at this play against Washington where Seguin has to receive the It turns out that this was a bit of an omen for how the Stars’ power play pass and wait before shooting because of his handedness. That minor would operate during the first two weeks of the season. moment to get set for the shot allows the defenders and opposing goalie to get better situated for the block. Through eight games, the Stars are 1-for-24 with the man advantage, a conversion rate of 4.2 percent, and the lack of goals has also caused an After re-watching all 24 power plays, you do start to notice a couple of emotional drain on a team searching for answers. On Saturday in a loss positives that the Stars should try to build on as they work their way out to the Washington Capitals, the Stars went 0-for-6 with the man of the slump. advantage, a fact that took any life out of the team and seemed to impact its even-strength play as well. For starters, the Stars have frequently had the player in the slot open during the man advantage. It’s a slightly different look for each opponent, The power play looks even worse when you examine the one goal the but in more than half their games, Dallas could have worked the puck Stars did score with the man advantage. into the slot or “bumper” player for a chance.

It’s a nice goal on the rush that was set up by Roope Hintz off a center- Here is a tip situation for Benn in that spot. (He missed the net.) ice faceoff, but it’s also a reminder that Dallas has yet to score a power- play goal this season while set up in the offensive zone. Here is another situation against Detroit, in which Esa Lindell is in the bumper spot and has a prime shot but misses the net. So in this film room, we’re taking a look at what’s gone wrong with the Stars’ power play and whether there is seemingly any foundation for He handles the puck more than he should — that’s a side effect of so improvement. many clearances by the penalty killers. But Ben Bishop has done a good job of making sure Dallas can stop opponents from making a change with The biggest issue is quite obvious, the Stars spend way too much time his stretch passes, particularly in the second period. out of the offensive zone on the power play. It often starts with the opening faceoff of a power play, where something like this frequently On this play, his quick passing creates a rush chance for Seguin, who happens. buzzes the shoulder of Flames goalie David Rittich.

Even when the defending team doesn’t get a straight clear as Buffalo did, Corey Perry’s addition should help the power play. One thing that hasn’t it often finds a way to burn up some clock as Washington does in this gone with age and injuries is Perry’s passing ability with his back turned situation by forcing a tie-up along the board on the first faceoff of a Stars to the net and in situations near the crease. In his first game with the power play. Stars, he nearly set up Denis Gurianov on this play.

Stars coach Jim Montgomery has spoken about the faceoff issues. As a The other thing is how little Joe Pavelski has been involved in the power team, Dallas is winning 50 percent of its power-play draws, tied for 22nd play so far. He’s been on the ice and played a good number of minutes in the league in such situations, according to PuckBase. The individual with the man advantage, but overall he hasn’t found a fit yet either in the numbers are a bit more concerning. Joe Pavelski (45 percent), Tyler slot or in front of the net, where he operated for years with the San Jose Seguin (28.6 percent) and Jamie Benn (42.9 percent) are getting Sharks. thrashed in the circle. When working on this film room, I had to go back and re-watch a couple Radek Faksa has been quite good on power-play faceoffs, winning seven of power plays to find a clip where Pavelski was getting work done in out of 10. You don’t want to force a faceoff-get-off center with the man front of the net. This clip, where the Stars actually outwork the Blues advantage, but Dallas might have to consider it if other players can’t find before getting a puck to Pavelski for a tip, shouldn’t be a rarity. more frequent solutions in the circle. Fixing the power play is part of a long list of concerns for Dallas at the Getting back into the zone after losing the draw has also been a big area moment, but figuring out how to succeed with the man advantage could of concern for the Stars, who have looked disjointed and out of sync on be the key to unlocking the rest of the Stars’ offense. Of their seven zone entries. There have been several power-plays where the Stars losses, five have been by one goal. A power-play goal every so often simply get turned back before they can gain the blue line. Many times could make a tremendous difference. when they do gain the blue line, it looks like this, where they dump the The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 puck in and lose the battle.

Perhaps the worst zone-entry display came against Calgary, where the Stars iced the puck three times on one power play. This is the second icing of that sequence, a missed pass from Miro Heiskanen to Faksa.

Missed passes and general sloppiness have been trending once the Stars do get into the zone. It’s actually a bit of a head-scratching phenomenon because the number of missed passes and simple mistakes is extremely high for a group of players that includes the likes of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov. 1157629 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings head home after another road loss in Edmonton

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit NewsPublished 11:55 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019 | Updated 12:01 a.m. ET Oct. 19, 2019

The Red Wings are coming home desperately searching for a victory.

They sure didn’t find one in three games in western Canada, ending the three-game trip Friday with a 2-1 loss in Edmonton.

The defeat extended the Wings’ losing streak to four games, after the Wings began the season winning three of four.

Mike Green had the Wings' lone goal, while goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 35 shots in a busy night of work.

James Neal and Ethan Bear scored for the Oilers. Goaltender Mikko Koskinen had 25 saves for the Oilers, including a big save on Trevor Daley with six minutes left in regulation time and getting help from his post on a Dylan Larkin shot late.

Here are other highlights from Friday's loss:

► Detroit's goal: Green, who had struggled in the defensive zone earlier on this trip, cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 at 16:37 of the second period, his first goal of the season. Several puck retrievals kept the Wings in possession of the puck, and ultimately Tyler Bertuzzi, who had one of his better all-around games, found Green in the slot for a shot through former Wings forwards and Tomas Jurco.

► Athanasiou struggling: He used his speed well, broke away for a couple chances, had a couple nice passes…but Andreas Athanasiou continues to look for his first goal of the season. Maybe he's still slowed by an injury that forced him to miss the first two games of the season, but Athanasiou looks like he still cannot find his preferred gear and might be pressing.

► Solid goaltending: Bernier kept the Wings close the first half of the game, helped along by Edmonton hitting a couple posts. Bernier didn’t have much of a chance stopping the Oilers’ two second-period goals. Bernier got a heavy dose of Edmonton stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the veteran goaltender kept both off the goal-scoring column.

► Special teams problems again: The Wings kept an Edmonton power play that was ranked No. 1 in the NHL off the scoresheet on two Oilers power plays. But the Wings were unable to get on the scoresheet, again, on their own power play in only one attempt in the game.

► Edmonton goals: Neal scored his NHL-leading ninth goal at 7:39 of the second period. Darnell Nurse’s shot was tipped but Bernier made the save and the puck squirted to Neal, who snapped the puck at net and was rewarded. Bear scored his second goal at the 12:22 mark. Draisaitl passed to Bear at the point, and the young defenseman snapped a shot through a screened Bernier.

► McDavid’s evening: McDavid’s speed and wizardry with the puck can leave opponents look excessively slow, but the Wings did a fine job defensively to keep McDavid off the scoresheet for only the second game this season. But McDavid’s linemate, Draisaitl, kept his streak of eight games going with another point, assisting on Bear’s goal.

► Tough trip: The Wings were outscored 12-3 in the three games in western Canada and really struggled offensively. There was a concern about secondary scoring beyond the first line, and it really showed in these three games. Team defense was also an issue the first two games, in Vancouver and Calgary, though the Wings were much tighter against Edmonton. Containing McDavid and Draisaitl was a good accomplishment, but the Wings couldn't secure a win.

► Next: The Wings return home and are off until Tuesday when they entertain Vancouver (7:30 p.m.; FSD/97.1).

Detroit News LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157630 Detroit Red Wings

Lack of specialty-teams success leading to Red Wings losses

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit NewsPublished 5:02 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard makes a toe-save against Flames left wing Andrew Mangiapane on Thursday.

There are a multitude of reasons the Red Wings didn’t win enough games the last three seasons to make the playoffs.

But one of the keys was their lack of success on specialty teams. The Red Wings didn’t have much success on either the power play or penalty kill, and ultimately, that refected itself in the final regular season standings.

Heading into Friday’s game in Edmonton, it’s happening again.

The Red Wings are struggling badly on the power play, not doing much better on the penalty kill, with the first two games of a western Canada road trip this week prime examples.

Tuesday in Vancouver, the Red Wings were 0-for-3 on the power play and allowed three Canucks power play goals, leading to Vancouver’s 5-1 victory.

The final score was identical Thursday in Calgary, and the results on special teams were equally dreadful.

The Wings failed to get a goal on two power play attempts in Calgary, while allowing two Flames goals in five Calgary attempts.

“When you lose the specialty teams battle, you’re going to lose a lot of games,” forward Justin Abdelkader told reporters after the Calgary loss.

“We have to make sure we’re winning those battles. Winning battles 5- on-4, 5-on-5, everywhere, stick battles, 1-on-1 battles.

“It’s early in the season, but we’ve got to make sure that’s our calling card.”

The NHL statistics Friday morning showed how far the Red Wings have to go to get back to respectability in the two areas.

The Wings ranked 24th in the NHL on the penalty kill (69.6 percent), and 26th on the power play (10.0 percent).

The power play has been a specific area of concern the last few games. The Red Wings' have had difficulty gaining the zone and struggled with possession, leading to mounting frustration and failed scoring opportunities.

Coach Jeff Blashill switched personnel, including moving forward Andreas Athanasiou onto the top unit, in hopes of sparking some sort of offense.

But the Wings continued to struggle Thursday in Calgary, generating little zone time and precious little pressure.

Detroit News LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157631 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' Darren Helm fined the max for slashing Flames forward

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit NewsPublished 1:51 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019 | Updated 4:57 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

Detroit — Darren Helm has been fined $5,000 for slashing Calgary forward Elias Lindholm on Thursday in the Flames’ 5-1 victory over the Red Wings.

The incident occurred at 5 minutes, 10 seconds of the third period, after Lindholm struck Helm near the head of the Wings’ forward.

Helm fell to the ice, but got himself up and with both hands, slashed the back of Lindholm’s legs.

Lindholm dropped to the ice and had to be helped off the ice.

Officials on the ice gave Helm a major penalty for slashing — Calgary scored one goal during the power play — plus a game misconduct which forced Helm out of the game.

Lindholm was given a minor for interference.

The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.

After the game, coach Jeff Blashill told reporters the Wings’ have to be disciplined in those types of situations.

“Their guy comes with an elbow that should have probably been called right away,” Blashill said. “Then Darren reacts to that as most guys would, you get an elbow to the face for no reason you’re going to react. We got to be more disciplined in those situations, but he (Helm) slashed him. I don’t think the slash was that super-hard, but it sure looked hard the way he went down."

Detroit News LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157632 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ skid at four after loss to Oilers

Today 12:14 AM

By The Associated Press

EDMONTON, Alberta — James Neal and Ethan Bear scored, Mikko Koskinen made 25 saves and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Friday night to regain sole possession of the overall NHL lead.

Darnell Nurse had two assists to help the Oilers improve to 7-1-0. Mike Green scored for Detroit. Coming off a 5-1 loss at Calgary on Thursday night, the Red Wings have lost four in a row to drop to 3-5-0.

Neal scored eight minutes into the second period when a long rebound came out to him for his NHL-leading ninth goal of the season. Neal has already surpassed the seven goals he had last season with the Calgary Flames.

Bear scored his second goal in two games, connecting on a point shot 4 minutes after Neal's goal.

Green scored late in the second.

NOTES: Oilers general manager Ken Holland faced his longtime former team for the first time since being hired by Edmonton on May 7. ... The Oilers wore their new third jerseys for the first time.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night.

Oilers: At Winnipeg on Sunday.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157633 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin demonstrates saucer pass; Darren Helm fined

Posted Oct 18, 2019

By Ansar Khan

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin will be among the “speedy skaters” featured Saturday on “NHL Network Ice Time," the weekly show geared toward kids.

Larkin will demonstrate his saucer pass drill with NHL Network’s Mike Johnson.

“It comes in handy for creating turnovers as a centerman, when you’re around the puck a lot,” Larkin said. "Anytime a guy tries to saucer one by you, I feel like it’s more getting your eyes and hands working at the same time. Just another skill if you can break up a couple plays and get the puck back, why not.”

Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin, Nashville’s Matt Duchene and Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers also will be featured on the show, which will air Saturday at 9 a.m. and noon. It will re-air Sunday at 10 a.m.

Helm fined

Darren Helm was fined the maximum $5,000 but avoided a suspension for slashing Calgary’s Elias Lindholm in Thursday’s 5-1 loss, NHL Player Safety announced. Helm retaliated for a couple of elbow shots to the head from Lindholm, who was penalized in the game or disciplined by the league. Helm received a five-minute slashing penalty and game misconduct.

Hot Oilers up next

The Red Wings will try to snap a three-game losing streak tonight in Edmonton (9 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), in the final stop of a three-game Western Canada trip.

Detroit (3-4-0) has allowed five goals in each of its past three games and faces an Oilers club, under former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, that is off to a 6-1-0 start. Connor McDavid (five goals, 17 points) and Leon Draisaitl (six goals, 15 points) rank 1-2 in NHL scoring.

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Flames pull away in third period to beat Red Wings 5-1

By The Associated Press Oct 18, 2019

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Sam Bennett, Derek Ryan and Mark Giordano scored in a 5:18 span of the third period to break open a close game in the Calgary Flames' 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

Bennett gave Calgary a 3-1 lead at 3:29, Ryan connected at 4:57 and Giordano added a power-play goal at 8:47. Andrew Mangiapane and Elias Lindholm also scored and David Rittich made 27 saves.

Darren Helm scored for Detroit. The Red Wings have lost three in a row to fall to 3-4-0.

Mangiapane scored midway through the first period and Lindholm made it 2-0 on a power play halfway through the second. Helm struck 28 seconds later for Detroit.

NOTES: Jimmy Howard made 31 saves for the Red Wings. .... The Flames improved to 3-0-1 at home and 4-3-1 overall. ... Giordano also had an assist.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: At Edmonton on Friday night.

Flames: At Los Angeles on Saturday night

Macomb Daily LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157635 Edmonton Oilers “That’s who he is,” said Tippett. “He finds opportunities and he capitalizes.”

Neal for Milan Lucic was a steal in the middle of the summer. After nine Edmonton Oilers back on track after win over Red Wings goals in eight games it’s impossible to quantify the scope of the larceny.

BIG REBOUND

Robert Tychkowski Mikko Koskinen is making the transition from whipping boy to fan favourite with his start to the season. The big Finn, a liability down the Published:October 18, 2019 stretch last season, has been stellar in the early going. He followed up his 49-save effort against the Flyers with another strong game against Updated:October 18, 2019 10:39 PM MDT the Wings.

“My expectations were for him to come in here and be a solid It’s not often that a team coming off a 6-3 victory is looking to redeem goaltender,” said Tippett. “And that’s exactly what we are getting here itself, but, then again, a lot of things happening with the Edmonton Oilers right now.” this year are totally out of character. BEARING DOWN Like sitting first overall in the NHL. Like flirting with team records that Defenceman Ethan Bear scored his second goal of the season when he haven’t been touched since Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier were side stepped a Red Wing and let one go from the point. The importance ruling the league. of just getting the puck past the shot blocker and through to the net is lost Like improving to 4-0 at home and 7-1 in a season where most people on many defencemen, but he’s mastering the skill. gave them little or no hope to make the playoffs. “I made a fake and when I saw lane I stayed patient and made sure I got So, while most of what we’re seeing right now is out of the ordinary, it’s a it there with some good height,” he said. “I knew where I was putting it. welcome change for the players and a long-suffering fan base. We practice that shot every day, all the time.”

The Oilers continued their roll Friday night at Rogers Place, outlasting Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2019 hard-charging Detroit in a 2-1 victory that wasn’t sealed until they had withstood a furious Red Wings push in the final five minutes.

“You don’t want to panic in those situations, you want to stay composed,” said Ethan Bear, who played 21:40, scored a goal and was named the game’s first star. “I really didn’t feel too much pressure out there. We were just trying to make plays and keep advancing it.”

The Oilers didn’t erupt offensively like they did in their six previous wins, but showing they can close out a tight one is another step in the right direction.

“It was a hard-fought 2-1 game,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “They’re a desperate team, they lost three in a row. I thought we checked well, had some good opportunities that we missed on. We competed hard the last 10 minutes of that game. They were pushing hard and we were not giving up a lot.

“All in all it was probably the kind of game we needed coming off the last one.”

It’s a performance 48 hours in the making after Tippett took his club to task for what he saw as a corner-cutting effort against the Flyers. Yes, they beat Philly 6-3, but they were outshot 52-22 and needed five points from Connor McDavid and a huge night from Mikko Koskinen to do it. He spent much of the last two days focusing on why they needed to be better.

“The goal is a lot bigger than winning on a Wednesday night, seventh game of the year,” he said. “To win a game that your goaltender steals or your star player has five points, it all looks fancy on the scoreboard but those two points don’t earn you the right to be a playoff team. It’s how you play over 82 games and how you build your team that earns you that right.”

To see the players take the message to heart and respond the way they did is exactly what Tippett was looking for.

“There were some things we needed to clean up in our game and I thought we did for the most part,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “That’s a good thing. If you’re winning and you’re still looking for ways to get better, that’s a good sign for our group.

“We all know how we played. You always leave the rink with a pretty good realization of how your game went, whether it was good or bad. We had the realization that we needed to be better, the coaches reinforced it, and we found a way to have a way better performance.”

NICE TRADE

James Neal ended his scoring slump at one game. The former Calgary Flame (lol) scored his league-leading ninth goal of the season to open the scoring against Detroit. He is the first Oiler to score nine goals in eight games since Glenn Anderson in 1987-88. 1157636 Edmonton Oilers While the Red Wings took 13 of the 14 shots in the first period, the team that had played the night before finally began to stagger and wilt.

Finally, the Oilers, on their 20th shot on Jonathan Bernier, managed to JONES: Red Wings couldn't post tribute win over Oilers for former coach get one through. Ethan Bear following with his second of the season and third of his career.

That was good enough to provide the Oilers with the margin of victory. Terry Jones But it didn’t stop the Red Wings from coming and coming and coming in what turned out to be a pretty good hockey game. Published:October 18, 2019 Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2019 Updated:October 18, 2019 9:56 PM MDT

Ken Holland would have been proud of his Detroit Red Wings. You know — if they were still his Detroit Red Wings.

But they’re not.

Playing their second game in back-to-back nights, the Motor City wanderers held in there against the red hot sticks held by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and took Holland’s new team to a frantic final few minutes with McDavid hitting the goal post on an empty net for a 2-1 win.

The Red Wings, 5-1 losers in both Vancouver and Calgary on this Western Canada road trip after losing their get-away-day game 5-2, were worthy of what was being billed as the Ken Holland Game in honour of the 36-year former Red Wing boss and winner of four Stanley Cups.

It would have been a memorable win for the wheeled wings.

For Holland’s new team it was more like a top of the tables team, again riding exceptional goaltending from Mikko Koskinen, doing what it had to do to hold on to win a game.

The win left the Oilers with a 7-1 record including a 4-0 slate at home in Rogers Place where, for the second straight game after a 449-game sellout streak, they failed to sell out, if only by a few hundred fans.

I don’t know at what point Edmonton fans can give themselves permission to get giddy and declare these Oilers for real.

This isn’t it.

But if you keep getting results like you watched last night, it might be by American Thanksgiving, the traditional point where teams that are in a playoff position historically end up in a playoff position, give or take a St.Louis Blues story. The Blues were dead last at Christmas and won the Stanley Cup.

The sample size may still be small but eight games is now essentially 10 per cent of a season and a 7-1 record is still a 7-1 record.

Fourteen points in the standings is still 14 points.

The Oilers are now up 10 or more points ahead of Los Angeles, Dallas and Minnesota in positions where Edmonton could be counted on finishing throughout the Decade of Darkness.

Three years ago, when the Oilers put together a 47-win 103-point season and went to Game 7 of the Pacific Division Final, Edmonton had a 7-1 start to the season.

The last two years, the team was 2-5-1 and 4-3-1 out of the gate in the first eight.

Go back to 2007-08 and Edmonton left the starting blocks at 3-5, 4-3-1, 5-2-1, 2-4-2, 4-2-2, 4-3-1, 1-6-1, 3-4-1, and 3-5 prior to the one and only playoff year in the careers of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl and McDavid so far.

The Oilers now head on the road with a two-game winning streak headed to Winnipeg and Minnesota for their ninth and tenth games of the season.

It’s not often Edmonton wins a game when McDavid doesn’t hit the score sheet but it happened this night.

For the first half of the game it was like the Oilers were trying to do everything well defensively well enough to avoid the wrath of head coach Dave Tippett while waiting for McDavid and Draisaitl to do it. And for the ninth time this year it was once again former Calgary Flame seven-goal- getter James Neal pulling the trigger. 1157637 Edmonton Oilers Haas said he never really considered coming to North America to play junior like Nico Hischier (Halifax), who just got a seven-year, $7.25 million (a season) extension in New Jersey.

It's tough to break those old ties for Ken Holland “I was in the National A (top league) at 17 years old, playing against men,” said Haas. “I was getting maybe 1000 Swiss francs a month.” That’s about US$1,015. Lot better than the wages for junior hockey players in Canada. Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal NHL’S BRAND OF JUSTICE Published:October 18, 2019 Wings forward Darren Helm was fined $5,000 for a slash to Calgary’s Updated:October 18, 2019 8:41 PM MDT Elias Lindholm Thursday, but Blashill wonders about what started it all, an elbow by the Flames’ winger.

As Ken Holland waited for the first Detroit-Edmonton game Friday, he “The elbow was way more vicious to me than the slash. The slash was a admitted he knows the Red Wings kids better than his own because “I slash on the back of the legs, the elbow was at someone’s head. That’s a shook the hands of a lot of those players at the draft table.” big deal for Darren Helm, who’s had multiple concussions and has had a history of that. If somebody throws a flying elbow at me, I’d be pretty Indeed, Holland drafted Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha and Tyler pissed. So I’d like to know what happened with the elbow and I don’t Bertuzzi, the Wings’ first line. know that answer right now,” said Blashill.

“Strange night for me … obviously I was a Red Wing for 36 years,” said CALLING FOR REINFORCEMENTS the Edmonton Oilers GM. “I watched a lot of them become young men and grow into being NHL players. The Oilers are down right-shot D Adam Larsson (broken leg) and Joel Persson (concussion) but they called up a left defenceman William “Strange to see a Red Wings jersey skating around and cheering against Lagesson from Bakersfield rather than, say, Evan Bouchard. it. There are still times I find myself saying Grand Rapids (as Oilers farm team). I’m working on it but it was 36 years. Hopefully sometime this “You’re looking for the best fit and we brought up the guy closest to season it’ll be ‘we’ as in Edmonton,” he laughed. making the team out of camp,” said Tippett, acknowledging the righty Bouchard wasn’t considered. “Our right-shot defenceman down there is “The Grand Rapids (AHL farm team) was a two-hour drive from my still there.” They don’t want to mess with Bouchard’s development to house in Detroit. have him as a seventh defenceman here if Brandon Manning is now the No. 6 with Persson out seven to 10 days. “It’ll be stranger going back to Detroit and into Little Caesar’s Arena (Oct. 27). For me, I’m glad we play Detroit twice in October so that when the This ’n that: The Oilers are going with 22 players for now, one under the calendar moves into November it’s all over. They’re in the East and we’re max, choosing not to bring up a 14th forward from Bakersfield…Ex-Oilers in the West.” centre Mark Letestu, who made the Jets as a fourth-line centre, was just put on injured reserve with a groin issue so won’t play against his old After Holland spoke before the game, Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson club Sunday in Winnipeg. presented him with a framed copy of the opening game scoresheet and game puck as a keepsake. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2019 Thanks for the memories:

Red Wings’ coach Jeff Blashill was hired by Holland to coach Detroit’s AHL farm team, then was brought to the NHL when Mike Babcock left for Toronto. So he has an obvious affinity for the Oilers GM.

“Ken’s a really good friend, a great leader and boss for me,” said Blashill.

“For me, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Fame GM based on his record.

“Other than that, I’m going to coach tonight, our players are going to play, he’ll GM and we’ll have a beer,” said Blashill.

Big part of this fan club

Blashill has all the time in the world for Oilers centre Riley Sheahan, coaching him in the minors and the bigs.

“I had Riley in Grand Rapids and he’s an awesome person and a great competitor. He’s a big body and from what I’ve heard he’s trimmed his weight and looks quicker on the ice,” said Blashill.

“He can defend, he can play in lots of different roles. The year he didn’t score (until two in the last league game) was just one of those things. He can contribute in secondary scoring, something important to try and find here.”

SOME REMEDIAL WORK OFF ICE

Gaetan Haas, back in the lineup after sitting out three games, has an old Swiss friend here. Benoit Pont, the national team video coach who’s worked with Nashville captain Roman Josi and others, is in town. Pont has been analyzing Haas’s body position on the ice. “Not really a skills coach. He does profiling, he looks at how your body is working,” Haas said.

Haas hasn’t been happy with how he’s played. Too tentative.

“I want to try and keep the puck now. I played too simple in the games I played because I didn’t want to make a mistake. Even if I make one or two mistakes, I’ll help the team more than if I play simple,” he said. “And I will be better in the corners, in the battle. A lot of times I was on the floor (ice) with my stick and my skates. I have to be stronger there,” he said. 1157638 Edmonton Oilers ’88-89. So, the Red Wings, no matter what combination of checkers he puts out against McDavid and Draisaitl, will have their hands full.

SPECIAL TEAMS Edmonton Oilers Game Day: Ken Holland's former team comes calling Oilers: PP 10-22, 45.5 per cent, first; PK 23-26, 88.5 percent, fifth.

Wings: PP 2-18, 9.1 per cent, 26th; PK 13-18 72.2 percent, 25th Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal SICK BAY Published:October 18, 2019 Oilers: Joakim Nygard (ribs), Joel Persson (concussion), Adam Larsson Updated:October 18, 2019 6:00 AM MDT (broken fibula)

Wings: Jonathan Ericsson (broken wrist), Danny DeKeyser (mid-body), Adam Ernie (upper-body) It's tough to break those old ties for Ken Holland GAME DAY LINES Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers Oilers (projected) 7 P.M. TV: SPORTSNET. RADIO 630 CHED Leon Draisaitl-Connor McDavid-Zack Kassian Five Things James Neal-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Alex Chiasson 1. HOLLAND SEEING RED Tomas Jurco-Gaetan Haas-Josh Archibaild Oilers GM Ken Holland will be looking at his old Red Wings for the very first time since he left that organization for Edmonton in May after Steve Jujhar Khaira-Riley Sheahan-Patrick Russell Yzerman took over as Detroit general manager. Holland was Detroit’s Darnell Nurse-Ethan Bear GM for 22 years and was in their organization for 36, starting as a goalie, then an amateur scout. Holland thought, “he would be there for life,” but Oscar Klefbom- 18 days after Yzerman became Detroit GM and after Holland was to become senior VP, he was hired in Edmonton. Brandon Manning-Matt Benning

2. JUGGLING ON BLUE LINE Mikko Koskinen

With two right-shot D — Adam Larsson and now rookie Joel Persson out Mike Smith as top four defenders — Jim Playfair, in charge of the blue liners, has to Red Wings (projected) move the pieces around on his chess board. Ethan Bear has done a very nice job alongside Darnell Nurse, replacing Larsson (busted leg) but with Tyler Bertuzzi-Dylan Larkin-Anthony Mantha Persson getting rocked by Andrew Shaw Monday and in concussion protocol, there’s now two lefties Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell in a Luke Glendening-Frans Nielsen-Andreas Athanasiou second pairing. This isn’t ideal because Russell is playing his off side, but Taro Hirose-Val Filppula-Christoffer Ehn he played 22 effective minutes against Philadelphia. Brandon Manning, released from purgatory, got into his first game with Matt Benning Darren Helm-Jacob de la Rose-Justin Abdelkader Wednesday and did well. Patrick Nemeth-Mike Green 3. POWER PLAY FLOURISHING Trevor Daley-Filip Hronek They’ve scored 10 times in only 22 attempts over seven games, which is scorching hot. Obviously scoring at a 45.5 per cent clip is unsustainable Dennis Cholowski-Alex Biega over 82 games, but if Detroit, with a PK that ranks 25th, takes two Jimmy Howard penalties, they are likely down a goal. Connor McDavid has nine PP points which means he’s been in on all but one of their 10 PP goals. Jonathan Bernier James Neal has six PP goals. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.19.2019 4. MIKKO, MIKKO, MIKKO

Koskinen was fantastic making 49 saves against the Flyers, facing 25 shots in the third period alone against Philly. He’s 3-0 and has a .927 save percentage and nobody’s talking about that glove hand. Of goalies playing at least three games, he’s seventh in that category. He’s stopped 102 of 110 shots in his 184 minutes. The Oilers lose against the Flyers if he’s not red-hot in the first 30 minutes when the Oilers were outshot 24- 11 and Philly had at least six 10-bell chances.

5. CUTTING DOWN THE SHOTS

The Oilers are 6-1 but they’re giving up 33 shots a game, way too many. Obviously, Koskinen facing 52 shots against Philly skewers that somewhat but there’s still too much pressure on Koskinen and Mike Smith, who’s faced 120 shots in his four starts. Smith’s save percentage is .917 so he’s been almost as good as Koskinen. They’re getting out by more than seven shots a game. They’re only mustering 25.6 shots of their own, but have 27 goals (another was a shootout winner).

Big Matchup

CONNOR MCDAVID AND LEON DRAISAITL VS THE WORLD

The NHL’s ultimate tag-team is rolling over everybody through the first seven games, the first duo to record 15 or more points each since and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96 in Pittsburgh. Since 1972-73, it’s only happened 10 times including our (630 CHED commentator) Rob Brown and Lemieux in ’88-89. If you’re wondering about Wayne Gretzky, yeah, he did it but with Bernie Nicholls while playing for LA Kings, also in 1157639 Edmonton Oilers The other, of course, is how much McDavid and Draisaitl are contributing to the Oilers’ heartening start.

Apart from running 1-2 in the scoring race, Draisaitl is also No. 3 in goal- Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and Draisaitl’s bid to join elite company scoring with six and thus is on pace to exceed 50 again. and key to Vegas’ impressive start They are also playing massive minutes for an Oilers’ team that knew it had to produce more secondary scoring this year. If you examine current ice time levels for forwards around the NHL, there are currently 24 who By Eric Duhatschek Oct 18, 2019 are averaging above 20 minutes of ice time per night. Of those, only four are playing more than 22 minutes: Draisaitl leads at 24:23, followed by

the New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad at 22:46, McDavid at 22:30 and Only three times in NHL history – and not since 1971 when Phil Esposito the Florida Panthers’ Alex Barkov at 22:25. (For McDavid, that translates and Bobby Orr managed the feat – have teammates ever finished 1-2 in into a small decline from the 22:50 he averaged a year ago). Draisaitl the Hart Trophy race as the NHL’s most valuable player. was at 22:35 last year, so he’s up almost two minutes per game – a significant chunk of additional ice time for a forward. In the more recent past, if teams had a pair of strong MVP candidates, they’ve often split the vote – and neither ends up winning, because the Chances are, as the season moves along, Draisaitl’s usage may shrink voters can’t decide who between, say, a Sidney Crosby or an Evgeni slightly. The Oilers haven’t had any back-to-back games yet this season Malkin, made the greater overall contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ – their first comes Oct. 29 and 30 on the road against Detroit and collective success. Columbus. Usually, in those situations, depending upon how the games are going, coaches tend to moderate a players’ ice time, to make sure Sometimes the winning candidate ends up being a player (such as the there’s gas in the tank for the next night. It’s probably why Zibanejad is New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall in 2018) who was demonstrably the best where he is. The Rangers have only played four games; so, the Big Z player on a team that made an unexpected turnaround, after starting the has had lots of time for rest and recovery. year as a lightly regarded playoff contender. Luckily for the Oilers, they only have to deal with one more instance of That year, Hall edged the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon after back-to-back games between now and Christmas – Nov. 23 and 24 MacKinnon had performed virtually the same sort of alchemy with his against Vegas and Arizona. Accordingly, if Tippett is of a mind to keep own team – in their case, a staggering 47-point season-over-season McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s minutes up, the schedule will allow him to do improvement. It’s that sort of super-star driven achievement that so. Then, it’ll be up to them to demonstrate that they can continue to consistently resonates with the voters. handle the big minutes just as they did a year ago when McDavid finished second in the scoring race behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov. Further complicating matters every year is the specific wording of the Draisaitl, meanwhile, was fourth in scoring with 105 points and No. 2 Hart Trophy – annually awarded to the player adjudged to be “most behind Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard race, with 50 goals, one valuable to his own team” which is not necessarily the same thing as behind Ovechkin’s 51. simply selecting the NHL’s best player. Pretty impressive numbers and yet, when the final Hart Trophy tally came Which leads me to this question: Can two players from the same team in, McDavid finished third and earned just a single first-place vote while ever contribute so much that they can run 1-2 in the Hart Trophy voting? Draisaitl didn’t get mentioned at all, on any Hart Trophy ballots, despite a The last time it happened, in 1971, the NHL was a 14 team entity and the sensational individual year. Bruins boasted not just the four top scorers in the league (Esposito, Orr, That’s what happens historically to players on non-playoff teams. One Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge), but seven of the top 10 (Wayne could argue as an intellectual exercise that without McDavid and Draisaitl Cashman and Johnny McKenzie were No. 7 and 8 respectively, while last season, the Oilers were just slightly above an AHL-caliber team, but Fred Stanfield finished in a three-way tie for ninth with Dave Keon and that’s not going to sway voting patterns in the real world. Jean Beliveau). It probably wasn’t much of a surprise therefore that the Bruins produced a 121-point regular-season, 12 more than the runner-up Furthermore, Crosby (and others) may have something to say about this New York Rangers – and miles ahead of everyone else. Given how that discussion when all is said and done. season finished, it would have been hard to imagine any other MVP result than the one that occurred. With all of Pittsburgh’s injuries (to Malkin, Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann and others), Crosby is practically keeping the Penguins The only other instances where teammates finished 1-2 in the Hart race alive singlehandedly in the early going (They are 5-2; and of the 28 goals dated back to the days of the Original Six – in 1955 when it was Ted they’ve scored, Crosby has been in on 12 of them). Kennedy and Harry Lumley of Toronto. And 10 years earlier, in 1945, when Montreal’s Elmer Lach beat out Maurice Richard. Different in so Remarkably, at the age of 32, and almost a decade and a half after many ways from the current era. Crosby and Ovechkin arrived in the NHL at the start of the 2005-06 season, they remain two of the most important, intriguing faces of the All of this is a lengthy preamble to ponder the start of the Edmonton game. Oilers. Seven games into the season, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit perched atop the NHL scoring race, with 17 and 15 points Crosby has only ever won the Hart Trophy twice (the fact that he didn’t respectively and have, night after night, put on a consistent and win in 2012-13 remains a baffling mystery to some of us), but the second dominating show. time came in 2014, the year injuries limited Malkin to just 60 games.

Now, as we like to say, it’s early and lots can change, but what if it Similarly, Malkin’s Hart Trophy win came in 2012, the year Crosby played doesn’t and McDavid and Draisaitl keep racking up points and Edmonton only 22 games, recovering from a concussion. This is a familiar voting continues to win games on a more-or-less regular basis? pattern too – Henrik Sedin’s win in 2010 came the year his brother Daniel missed 19 games to injury, proof to some voters that one twin could play Under new coach Dave Tippett and new general manager Ken Holland, at a high level without the other constantly beside him on the ice. the Oilers – along with the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference – rate as one of the biggest positive stories of this young NHL season. The There is lots to chew on when it comes to Edmonton’s two stars in the Oilers set modest goals for the season – eye a playoff spot and then see early going, and maybe the two most important takeaways are 1. where things stand in March and hope they’re still in it. That was McDavid is clearly feeling no ill effects from the knee injury that he was reasonable then and remains reasonable now – because sometimes, forced to rehab all summer, 2. In Draisaitl, we may have a new candidate quick starts prove to be wholly unsustainable. However, getting out of the to replace Barkov on everybody’s annual list of the most underrated gate fast creates positive momentum that can carry a team a long way. players in the game. If 24 different players could appear on MVP ballots last year, and the league’s No. 4 scorer didn’t even get an obligatory fifth- If they can keep some version of this going, the Oilers would certainly place mention, then it’s safe to say he’s still operating in McDavid’s check one box when it comes to Hart Trophy balloting – being a vastly shadow – and that his notoriety on the larger national stage hasn’t caught improved team, coming off a bad year (the Oilers had 79 points last up to his performance levels quite yet. season, 14th place in the 15-team Western Conference). Because he is, in his own right, a star in the game (as colleague Daniel Nugent-Bowman outlined in this profile here). Maybe this year’s MVP race will ultimately reflect that turn of events. “That is the only goal,” he answered. “That is the goal every year. That’s why we come in here at the start of September every year. That’s exactly Catching up with The Nuge what we’re thinking about – and we’d be lying if we said it’s not. That’s Speaking of the Oilers and the need for production beyond the Big Two, what everyone wants and that’s why it’s such a hard thing to accomplish. the only other forward from last year’s team that made any sort of “I mean, I’m halfway through and maybe over halfway through my career meaningful offensive contribution was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who had and it hasn’t happened yet. One year, we came closer than all the others one of the quietest 69-point seasons of the year. but we haven’t come close enough yet. So, we want to push for it.

With all their turmoil and roster churn of the past half-dozen years, “Obviously, as you said, that’s what it’s all about.” Nugent-Hopkins is now – believe it or not – the longest-tenured player on the team. Vegas rising

Nugent-Hopkins made the Oilers as an 18-year-old after being the first Last year, after the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mark Stone in that overall choice of the 2011 Draft, a skinny beanpole of a kid back then. blockbuster trade from Ottawa, one of the fun parlor games people had Listed in his first media directory at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Nugent- around the NHL was determining which was their first line and which was Hopkins was positioned by some as the third important piece of the their second. Oilers’ rebuilding puzzle after they’d grabbed Taylor Hall first overall in 2010 and Jordan Eberle with the 22nd pick in 2009. And in that weird For most, the addition of Stone to play on a line with Max Pacioretty and trifecta world that the Oilers lived in during that time – lucky at the lottery, Paul Stastny made that trio the de facto No. 1 line – even if most people no luck just about anywhere else – they then landed Nail Yakupov with listed it as the No. 2. Certainly, based on last year’s playoff performance, their third consecutive No. 1 overall pick in 2012. you’d be hard-pressed to argue that it wasn’t the Golden Knights’ top unit. That trio combined for 31 points in seven games; the nominal No. 1 The original plan in Edmonton was to build a foundation around those line of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault pieces, plus Justin Schultz. Now, some eight years later, the other four managed 17. In a bid to create greater depth, Vegas tried to play Stastny are long gone and only Nugent-Hopkins remains. In his time, Nugent- down the depth chart at the start of the season, giving Cody Glass a Hopkins has played for four general managers (Steve Tambellini, Craig chance to play between Stone and Pacioretty while Cody Eakin MacTavish, Peter Chiarelli and Holland) and eight coaches (Tom convalesced from an injury. Renney, Ralph Krueger, Dallas Eakins, MacTavish, Todd Nelson, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock and now Tippett). Eventually, coach Gerard Gallant restored Stastny to that spot and the reunited line was out in full force on Thursday night, when Stone’s former Other than the 2016-17 season, when they finished second in the Pacific team, the Senators, paid a visit to Vegas and gave the Golden Knights all and fourth in the Western Conference, the Oilers have been a non- they could handle before losing in a shootout. That Vegas is at 5-3 is playoff team in every other year of Nugent-Hopkins’ career, which is now pretty impressive when you consider the Golden Knights lost their top in its ninth season. Even though he’s only 26 and still has a boyish look defenseman, Nate Schmidt, to injury on opening night and thus have to him, Nugent-Hopkins will acknowledge that development “seems crazy been playing with a six-man defense corps that consists of – in to me – that I’m in my ninth year now. I can still hardly believe it.” descending order of minutes played – Shea Theodore, Jon Merrill, Nick Holden, Brayden McNabb, Deryk Engelland and Nicolas Hague. But Nugent-Hopkins also suggested in an interview that he liked the stability that Holland and Tippett bring to a team that’s been constantly in Part of the season for their success is that the Karlsson line is off to a a state of flux during his time in Edmonton. good start this season – Smith especially (he leads the team with six goals). In short, the former top line is starting to look like a top line again, “I think Dave and Ken are both certified guys in the NHL and have been and maybe the answer is that forward depth above all else is what’s for years,” Nugent-Hopkins said, “and they’ll bring some good made Vegas the betting favorite in some quarters to top the Western consistency and stability for us. We’ve got to find a way to play Conference again, after slipping to third in the Pacific a year ago. It consistently and it definitely helps when you get that feeling and attitude continues to be impressive, what they’re doing under Gallant’s leadership from your management and your coach. It should go a long way for us.” and Marc-Andre Fleury’s play in goal.

There have been moments, as in the spring of 2017, when it looked as if The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 things were on track in Edmonton – and then it fell off again. Does this feel different in any way?

“We do have a good feeling in the room and a good positive mindset,” answered Nugent-Hopkins. “I mean, we’re hungry for it. A lot of us were there a few years back (for the second-round playoff loss to Anaheim) – and we want to get back to that feeling and that level of play again.

“I feel as if we know we can get there. It’s just we’ve got to do it every night – and it ain’t going to come easy – so we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

As the longest-serving member of the team, Nugent-Hopkins will be asked to provide supplement leadership to assist the leader, McDavid.

Mostly, when a player is starting out in the league, they look to older players for leadership and direction. Then the years slip by and players such as Nugent-Hopkins look around and suddenly realize, ‘oh OK, now I’m that guy.’ But not everybody can be a vocal leader, if their natural personality tends to be reticent and shy – and that description fits Nugent-Hopkins.

“Not everybody’s built the same way and I’m not the most talkative guy out there, so at times, you’ve got to remind yourself you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone in certain situations and speak up and just do it,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But the biggest way for me to lead is by example – the way I carry myself on and off the ice. A lot of it is how I play on the ice. I try to play the right way, the smart way. I feel that’s where I do lead. I think I can still become more talkative in the room and on the bench, but I’d say for the most part, it’s to lead by example.”

Every player starts their NHL life with dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. At this intermediate stage of his career, does the desire to win burn as brightly for Nugent-Hopkins as when he first started? 1157640 Edmonton Oilers the opening night roster in 2020-21, but some of them will be and the ones who aren’t can be replaced for similar money with the kind of low- end veterans Ken Holland brought in this past summer.

Can the Oilers afford to pursue Taylor Hall in free agency? To finish off the group, we’ll add a veteran depth centre and a European pro on an entry level deal.

Defence is easier. It’s reasonable to think that one of Edmonton’s current By Jonathan Willis Oct 18, 2019 crop of young defencemen will be able to handle a second-pair gig next season, with others filling the Nos. 6 and 7 jobs.

If it sounds odd to be slotting in young defencemen in press-box roles, The rumours and speculation that Taylor Hall might one day rejoin the remember that Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones and William Lagesson are all Edmonton Oilers started not long after the trade that sent him to New waiver-eligible next year. At that point it’s better to have quality players in Jersey. With Hall a free agent on July 1, the Devils off to a slow start, and a No. 6/7 role than on the waiver wire. the Oilers still in need of more scoring punch behind the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, further consideration of the topic was For this purpose I’ve picked Bear, Jones and Evan Bouchard as the three inevitable. young defencemen in the lineup. If you prefer Lagesson or Joel Persson instead, the contract math works out similarly. There is one question that supersedes all others, though: Even if the player was willing and it was a good idea for Edmonton, could the Oilers As it stands, there’s just no way the Oilers could afford a high-end free afford to add a big-name free agent this summer? agent next summer. The modest, plausible play would be to push a prospect like Benson into the top-six, and sprinkle some money on a That point applies to more players than just Hall. The Oilers have a lot of middle-six winger to improve Edmonton’s scoring depth. expiring contracts this summer, which means they have flexibility but also means they have multiple lineup slots to fill. Money and cap space, as Before we shrug our shoulders and rule out a big play, though, we should ever, remain finite. Whether it’s Hall or defenceman Alex Pietrangelo or a look at how the Oilers could reduce costs. big-name goalie, it’s important to know whether Edmonton has the money to do something before getting into whether that something is The obvious place to start is Kris Russell. Despite his $4-million cap hit either plausible or beneficial. next year, he’ll earn only $2.5 million, with 40 percent of that coming in the form of a signing bonus. In other words, there’s a scenario where a As it stands, the Oilers have ten players on NHL contracts for next budget team could bring him in at a very modest real-dollars price-point. season. Those deals, combined with the remaining buyouts of Benoit His no-trade list also opens up significantly. Pouliot and Andrej Sekera and the salary retention on Milan Lucic mean Edmonton has committed $57.5-million to 2020-21 before making any For an Oilers team with young defencemen on the way, depth on the left additions: side, and cap constraints, Russell is a plausible trade chip. He’ll certainly merit consideration next summer, and given the way player prices are A modest 2.5 percent rise in the salary cap, which is in line with the elevated at the trade deadline it’s a possibility that also needs to be lower-end increases in recent league history, would bring the upper limit considered this spring. to $83.5-million. In that scenario, the Oilers would have $26 million to fill their 13 remaining roster spots. It’s feasible that Edmonton can trade Russell without taking money back for next season, assuming his third-pair slot can be filled by a prospect or Given what John Tavares and Artemi Panarin commanded in their recent cheap veteran that clears $3-million immediately. salary negotiations, an NHL team can expect to pay Taylor Hall something in the range of $11 million annually on his next contract. If that Additional savings can be found by dropping from a 23-man to 22-man team is the Oilers, that leaves $15 million for 12 roster spots. roster. That leaves the team with only a single spare forward instead of the usual two, but that’s workable, and in a pinch there’s always the That’s a problem, because they have some big contracts to deal with in option of running 11 forwards and seven defencemen for a night until a the meantime. recall can be brought up.

Darnell Nurse is the team’s most important free agent this summer. What That gets the Oilers most of the way to a Hall-level free agent, but they he does this year will obviously factor into contract negotiations, but still need to free up some more money. One option would be a big trade based on last season we can ballpark that number now, as we did in late (Nurse or Larsson, for example), but that’s pretty risky for next season August. He’s probably looking at just over $6 million per year on a long- even if the prospects have a brilliant year. term extension. There is, however, an approach that would take from the area being There’s also the matter of the Oilers’ top-line right wing, currently pending strengthened in free agency: UFA Zack Kassian. It’s too early to know now whether Kassian will be a long-term fit in that role, but the Oilers are going to have to pay for Actually landing Hall would definitely create the circumstances under someone to slot in there. Let’s pencil in $3.5 million for that job. which a prospect could be pushed into a top-six role safely. Between two Hart winners, a 50-goal man, Nugent-Hopkins and a revitalized Neal Finally there’s the goaltending. Much will depend on how Mikko Koskinen that’s a brilliant top-end group. performs this season. The range of possible outcomes is extreme: At the high end, the Oilers will need a cheap backup; at the low end, they could It’s doable, just. In this scenario the Oilers have $10.5 million to spend on be looking at a buyout and a pricey new starter. For this purpose, we’ll a premium free agent, and if it’s worth doing then it’s worth making the split the difference and pencil in a $2.5-million platoon goalie. last few economies to reach $11 million. Maybe it’s a cheaper goalie or veteran centre; maybe it’s dealing Jujhar Khaira or Alex Chiasson for a We’ve filled three roster spots, bringing the total to 13, and in doing so league-minimum guy; maybe it’s grinding a Bear or Jones to a lower we’ve eaten up roughly half of the Oilers’ available cap space. At this number on a short-term deal. point it’s already clear that despite its expiring contracts, Edmonton will be operating under many of the same constraints as last season. None of this answers the questions of whether Hall would really return or if the Oilers should be interested in bringing him back if he is. Nor does it That is in large part because so many of the contracts slated to run out suggest that fitting in his high-end contract would be easy. this year belong to cheap, low-end veterans. Brandon Manning and Sam Gagner certainly open up some space, but more modestly priced skaters What it does show is that, if the Oilers want, they have the means to go such as Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald are already being paid at all-out on an expensive UFA signing this summer. near-minimum wage rates. The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 The upside is that many of those newly created roster spots can be filled on the cheap once again, especially as the Oilers have prospects on the way.

Up front, we’ll promote the Bakersfield trio of Tyler Benson, Cooper Marody and Kailer Yamamoto, as well as re-signing Patrick Russell to a minimum-wage extension. It’s unlikely that all four of those players are on 1157641 Edmonton Oilers The two teams have similar roster construction, but there are important differences. When we drill down on each line through the first seven games, interesting differences arise in five-on-five performance.

Lowetide: Assessing the early season progress of Oilers’ forwards The McDavid line has been the featured trio in both seasons, and in 2016-17 the captain started out with Lucic and Eberle before eventually graduating to Patrick Maroon and Draisaitl. Here are the first seven games for the top line in each of ’16-17 and the current season: By Allan Mitchell Oct 18, 2019 Lucic-McDavid-Eberle ’16-17: 76 minutes, 4-1 goals, 57.7 shot

differential, 70.1 expected goal percentage Seven games into the 2019-20 schedule, there are many things to Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian ’19-20: 94 minutes, 10-3 goals, 44.1 shot remind Oilers fans of the fall of 2016. The 2016-17 team and this one differential, 45.9 expected goal percentage share identical records (6-1-0) and similar goal differentials (+9 this season, +10 three years ago) after seven games. The offence is firing on The top line this season has delivered stunning offence, while losing the all cylinders when Connor McDavid is on the ice, and the goaltenders are shot differential. The line is riding a 24.4 shooting percentage and a 94 under consideration for awards of valour. percent save percentage, so the possession numbers have been held at bay. If this continues, the regression will be severe, although McDavid It’s an important comparable, as that 2016-17 team posted 47 wins, 103 has shown an ability to outscore everything. The 2019-20 possession points and won a playoff series. If that’s what awaits Oilers fans next performance does recall the line’s output beginning in January when spring, there will be few complaints. Kassian moved up the depth chart. We can overrate these numbers early The quick start isn’t the only thing the two seasons have in common. In in a season, suffice to say one or the other (goals or shot differential) are the first seven games of each season, while the wins and goals kept going to regress like a demon over time. piling up, the possession metrics matched — but told a wildly different Pouliot-Nugent-Hopkins-Kassian ’16-17: 55 minutes, 3-2 goals, 47.1 shot story. What can Dave Tippett do in order to ensure this team makes the differential, 38.9 expected goal percentage playoffs in a fashion similar to the Edmonton team in 2016-17? I’m going to drill down on four specific items from each season: five-on-five goals, Jurco-Nugent-Hopkins-Neal ’19-20: 39 minutes, 3-1 goals, 48.7 shot power play, penalty kill and the team performance with McDavid on and differential, 51.9 expected goal percentage off the ice at full strength. This article is about the forwards; defence and goalies to come. Let’s have a look. Oilers fans have to be encouraged by the current success enjoyed by this year’s Nugent-Hopkins line. The 2016-17 version of the Nuge line Five-on-five goals was also successful, but the presence of a revitalized Neal may mean this trio posts superior numbers. Either way, added to each man’s power- Through seven games in the fall of 2016, five-on-five goals counted 17- play success, the second line is only a left winger away from setting sail. 12 in favour of the Oilers. McDavid was scoring well (2-4-6) with Milan Lucic and Jordan Eberle as his primary linemates. McDavid’s line started Maroon-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi ’16-17: 33 minutes, 1-0 goals, 51.4 shot the season 7-2 in on-ice five-on-five goal differential, meaning the other differential, 55.1 expected goal percentage Oilers were 10-10 with McDavid at rest. The leading goal scorers on the team were Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Pitlick (three goals each) in those Khaira-Sheahan-Patrick Russell ’19-20: 31 minutes, 0-1 goals, 28.0 shot early days of 2016-17. differential, 32.2 expected goal percentage

Through seven games in the fall of 2019, the five-on-five goals counted In the early days of the ’16-17 season, Draisaitl played in the middle and 16-14, again favouring Edmonton. McDavid has been more productive was able to help this group to early success. Maroon would go on to a this season in the discipline, posting 3-5-8 in those seven games with feature role, Draisait would blossom into one of the most prolific scorers Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian. McDavid is 10-5 so far this year at five- in the NHL. The current third line is still being sorted out, but in the early on-five and the Oilers are 6-9 without the captain on the ice. days of the season, all combinations have delivered miserable results. One wonders if Puljujarvi could handle this role in 2019. McDavid on ice five-on-five, 2016-17 (through seven games): 7-2 Anton Lander-Mark Letestu-Tyler Pitlick ’16-17: 29 minutes, 2-1 goals, McDavid on ice five-on-five, 2019-20 (through seven games): 10-5 46.7 shot differential, 59.4 expected goal percentage

McDavid off ice five-on-five, 2016-17 (through seven games): 10-10 Joakim Nygard-Gaetan Haas-Markus Granund ’19-20: 0-1 goals, 44.0 shot differential, 52.0 expected goal percentage McDavid off ice five-on-five, 2019-20 (through seven games): 6-9 The ’16-17 team had enough depth to run a solid No. 4 line early in the The gap in five-on-five goal production through seven games without season, far more impressive than the current group. Edmonton’s roster McDavid is concerning, but nothing close to a panic point. Edmonton’s bottom among forwards hasn’t found a third line, let alone a fourth trio. shot differential through seven games in 2016 (48.8) is far superior to this There is some talent there, but Tippett will need to find chemistry in the year’s (43.9) after seven games, while the team Corsi in 2016 (47.5) is group. also well clear of the current Oilers (45.3). In the fall of 2016, the Oilers were able to hold the opposition at zero goal differential, this year it’s -3 Similarities after seven games. It’s an area of the team that Ken Holland and Tippett will want to improve, we’ll get into specifics in a minute. The 2016-17 Oilers march in lockstep with this year’s team in total points, goal differential, penalty kill and successful No. 1 and No. 2 lines. Much Power-play goals of the success comes from McDavid and Draisaitl, but there’s a possibility Nugent-Hopkins and Neal can deliver strong offensive In the first seven games of the 2016-17 season, the Oilers enjoyed 40:15 numbers from the second line, matching the depth and success of ’16- in power-play time, scoring four goals (and allowing two, as an aside). 17. The club ran a 5.96 per 60 power play in the early days of the season. Differences This fall, Edmonton is crushing opponents with the man advantage. In scoring 10 goals in just 33:12, Edmonton’s per 60 scoring number is 18.1 Although the two teams are close in five-on-five goals, there’s a gap in per 60 so far this season. Unsustainable? Absolutely, but the points goals scored when McDavid is off the ice. Oilers fans will know this gained from the high-octane offence have already been gathered. became more pronounced after 2016-17, and expanded as the Oilers moved farther away from the playoffs. The -3 total in differential now over Penalty kill seven games could be random luck, but if Edmonton wants the playoffs The 2016 Oilers allowed three goals in 46:49 through seven games, and a 100-point season, that’s an area that needs to see improvement while this year’s team has allowed three goals in 43:27. Numbers are over 2018-19. very similar, although this was a massive positive for Edmonton before The power play is running so hot right now that it’s basically impossible to the Philadelphia game. project anything, so it’s best to merely enjoy the ride. The possession Specific lines and performance and shot differences for the McDavid line is also a worry and worth paying attention to as the games roll along. Finally, the personnel on the third and fourth lines was far superior, or more pronounced, three years ago. That must be improved.

What does it all mean?

Holland needed a scoring right winger and he acquired Neal. He now needs a skill left winger and the auditions continue. The club’s third and fourth lines are taking time to show themselves, while those who populate them are contributing to a productive penalty kill.

This is not a balanced roster, but some of the fixes are holding and that’s progress. In the days when the Oilers power play ruled the earth (basically the first seven games), Tippett had extra time to work on the other fixes. At some point, that time will run out.

It’s likely we see some farmhands recalled if things don’t get better on the depth lines. Oilers fans should be encouraged by Nugent-Hopkins’ line and the goal results delivered so far by McDavid’s trio.

This is not a balanced team, but the franchise is blessed with enormous riches. It’s going to be a fascinating season, with the first seven games offering an experience quite similar to 2016-17’s team.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157642 Florida Panthers ▪ The Panthers used seven defensemen in Friday’s game. Mark Pysyk rushed as the right wing on the third forward line with Frank Vatrano and Denis Malgin pregame and was used in spurts throughout the game.

Another ‘letdown in the second’ spoils Panthers’ strong start against red- ▪ Henrik Borgstrom and Jayce Hawryluk were healthy scratches on hot Avalanche Friday.

▪ The Panthers held the Avalanche scoreless on their two power play opportunities, with Bobrovsky saving five shots over the six minutes BY JORDAN MCPHERSON Florida played down a skater. The Panthers entered Thursday ranked sixth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency (86.7 percent). OCTOBER 18, 2019 10:10 PM ▪ Florida heads on the road to face the Nashville Predators for their

second set of back-to-back games in a week. Sam Montembeault is Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov flicked a pass to from the expected to be the Panthers’ goaltender. left circle to linemate Jonathan Huberdeau late in the first period Friday. Miami Herald LOADED: 10.19.2019 Huberdeau, standing directly in front of the net with a clean shot against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer, took aim and shot without hesitation.

The puck slid under Grubauer’s left leg.

Another early Panthers goal — Huberdeau’s second and the Panthers’ third in the first 15 minutes.

Maybe the Panthers’ early-game woes were behind them.

Then again, maybe not.

The Panthers gave up their lead with another second-period collapse and saw their chances at a marquee win against the NHL’s hottest team come to a sobering end.

Final score from the BB&T Center: Avalanche 5, Panthers 4.

The game-winning goal: Nathan McKinnon’s shot in front of the goal past Sergei Bobrovsky about three minutes into overtime.

The Panthers (2-2-3) have lost four of their past five games — including three either in overtime or a shootout, thus still earning points — while the Avalanche (6-0-1) remain the only team in NHL this year to not have a loss in regulation.

“A letdown in the second,” Huberdeau said.

One that spoiled a marquee first period by Huberdeau.

He put the Panthers on the board three-and-a-half minutes into the game when he charged in from the left side and had a shot ricochet off Grubauer’s glove and into the net.

Frank Vatrano added a short-handed goal — his first goal of the season and the Panthers’ second of the year when playing in a man-down situation — about five minutes later to break up Huberdeau’s first-period scores that gave Florida a 3-1 edge at the first intermission.

Huberdeau now has three goals in his past two games and has recorded at least one goal or assist in each of the last six games.

But the Avalanche dominated the second period. They tied the game with goals from Matt Nieto and Andre Burakovsky in a span of 32 seconds.

Even when Brett Connolly put the Panthers back up by a goal later in the period, Burakosvsky responded with another game-tying score 16 seconds later.

“It was a high chance game,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “Both teams had their time when they had possession of it, but I thought the second period, we were very sloppy. We weren’t controlling the game like we did in the first period.”

A scoreless third period brought up overtime, where Nathan Mackinnon sealed the game.

Grubauer, who gave up those three first-period goals, saved 27 of 28 shots in the final two periods and overtime to allow Colorado to stay in the game long enough to finish the comeback. That included a dozen stops in the third period, highlighted by a point-blank save against Huberdeau with a minute left in regulation.

“We had a lot of chances to score at the end,” Huberdeau said, “but he made some great saves.”

THIS AND THAT 1157643 Florida Panthers

Avalanche rally twice, slip past Panthers in OT

ASSOCIATED PRESS |OCT 18, 2019 | 10:38 PM

Nathan MacKinnon didn't let an injury keep him off the ice.

MacKinnon scored 3:03 into overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche their sixth victory in seven games this season, 5-4 over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

MacKinnon played after sustaining a leg injury Wednesday night in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh and missing the morning skate on Friday.

"I knew I was going to play the whole day," MacKinnon said. "It's great. It just shows the resilience our team has. We're a very calm group and confident group. Luckily, I finished it in OT."

MacKinnon's shot from the high slot and beat Sergei Bobrovsky to the glove side.

Andre Burakovsky scored twice, Joonas Donskoi had a goal and two assists, Matt Nieto also scored and Philipp Grubauer stopped 40 shots for Colorado.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice for Florida, Brett Connolly and Frank Vatrano added goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves.

Connolly gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead with 5:55 left in the second, and Burakovsky tied it 16 seconds later when he banged in a rebound.

"We had a complete first period, turning in the right direction for sixty and we let off the gas there, pursuing the puck or keeping it," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "We got slow as that period progressed. We scored a big goal, then gave up one simultaneously. That can't happen."

Colorado scored twice in a 32-second span midway through the second period to tie it a 3.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare passed from behind the net to Nieto and he beat Bobrovsky to make it 3-2. Burakovsky's first goal, a shot from the top of the right circle, tied it with 8:05 left in the period.

"In previous games, we've been struggling in the second," Burakovsky said. "I think we turned that around today and we were strong in the second and third."

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the first on goals by Huberdeau and Vatrano.

“Loose. That’s what it was. It was loose. They [Panthers] came out firing on all cylinders,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Early on I didn’t like it, and then the second period starts to come around.”

Panthers high-priced free agent goalie acquisition Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 22 goals in 325 minutes, a goals-against average of 4.06. In his seven seasons in Columbus, Bobrovsky’s GAA was a stellar 2.41 goals per game.

UP NEXT:

Panthers: At Nashville on Saturday night.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157644 Florida Panthers

Comeback Cats on their past road trip, Panthers hoping to play with more consistency

By WELLS DUSENBURY

OCT 18, 2019 | 7:28 PM

After falling behind and rallying late in every game on its most recent road trip, the Florida Panthers are hoping to develop a little more consistency on ice moving forward.

Overall, the three-game road swing was a success with the team taking four out of six points against the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. All three contests, though, followed a very similar script. The Panthers would fall behind early, trail entering the third period and then rally late.

In the first two games, Florida battled to force overtime, but was forced to settle for a point after suffering a pair of shootout losses. On Tuesday, Florida took home a regulation victory, scoring five unanswered goals to overcome a 4-1 deficit and top New Jersey.

“Overall play was pretty good,” defenseman Anton Stralman said. "But within every game and there was a big dip in our quality of our game and that’s something we want to fix. We want to play 60-minute games and not drop the second or first period or whatever it may be.

"We want to have a consistent level of play, so that’s something to work on.

Now, the Panthers are trying to take that manic come-front-behind energy and play with it all 60 minutes.

“It’s a tough league to come back in and knowing it’s eventually going to be tough playing catch-up hockey,” coach Joel Quenneville said. "But I really liked how we played especially the last period in Jersey. That might have been our best 20 minutes of the year.

“Finding that consistency and having the puck a little more from start to finish. We’d like to find out how good we can be.”

Off to a 2-2-2 start, avoiding slow starts is key point of emphasis for the team. Through its first six games, Florida has been outscored 8-2 in the first period. While the team is 7-7 in the second, the Panthers hold a 10-7 advantage in the third.

Playing with desperation, the Panthers have tapped into the potential they’re capable of. The question is whether they can sustain that through the entirety of a game.

“I think if you look back at our games, we’re a different team chasing,” Stralman said. "That’s the team we want to be. We don’t want to chase games, but we want to play like that with the lead. We haven’t been able to; it seems like we take the lead and take a step back.

“That’s when you have a chance to bury a team and that’s what you want to do. Especially at home, you want to come out hot, get the lead, play well and defend it. Hopefully you can sustain that throughout the whole game and never feel threatened.”

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157645 Florida Panthers When the team isn’t using it, the rink will be available for use by the public.

The Panthers will still lease the rink in Coral Springs, but it will take on Panthers hockey team bringing a little ice and a $45 million makeover to more of a focus on youth hockey, McCaffrey said. Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale residents will get a 15% discount on figure skating, hockey, curling and public skating sessions. They’ll also get a discount on youth hockey recreational leagues registration and multipurpose By SUSANNAH BRYAN communal meeting rooms.

OCT 18, 2019 | 6:30 AM At least one resident doesn’t plan to use the rinks when they open.

That would be Gary Olsen, an attorney who filed a lawsuit against the city and War Memorial Benefit Corporation in June in an attempt to block Rendering of the proposed War Memorial Auditorium $45 million the project. makeover thanks to the Florida Panthers and a 50-year lease agreement with Fort Lauderdale. The plan includes two ice rinks, a Panthers practice “I won’t be taking advantage of my 15% city discount,” he said. facility, indoor facilities for youth sports and a 3,000-seat concert venue. Olsen says he’s used the tree-lined walking trail at Holiday Park for 35 Rendering of the proposed War Memorial Auditorium $45 million years and doesn’t want to see it disappear. makeover thanks to the Florida Panthers and a 50-year lease agreement with Fort Lauderdale. The plan includes two ice rinks, a Panthers practice “That trail and all the slash pines are going to go away,” he said. “There’s facility, indoor facilities for youth sports and a 3,000-seat concert venue. probably a couple hundred pines in that area. Some of those are 80, 90 (Rossetti Architects / Courtesy) years old. It would just be tragic if you take those away.”

A fancy $45 million makeover is coming to the War Memorial Auditorium At least 50 trees will be torn down, but four large oaks will be moved and in Fort Lauderdale and it looks like this: Art deco with a modern flavor. A 100 shade trees will be planted, McCaffrey said. little bit of ballet and a whole lot of hockey, including two chill new rinks. Glassman says most people are in favor of the Panthers coming to town. “I think this park is going to be a showplace,” said Commissioner Steve “War Memorial has been a money loser,” he said. “It’s just a little rough Glassman, whose district includes Holiday Park, home to the War around the edges. Now we have someone who is going to do something Memorial building. “I think this will really be the Central Park for Fort incredible and restore the building and add two ice rinks. That’s opening Lauderdale. It’s going to be a big attraction.” up a whole new world of opportunity for kids and their families.” The Florida Panthers’ nonprofit arm, the War Memorial Benefit Another makeover is also in the pipeline: Holiday Park itself will be Corporation, will foot the bill for a major overhaul of a structure that spruced up to the tune of $21 million, compliments of Fort Lauderdale opened in 1950 as a popular venue for opera, symphonies and sporting taxpayers, who approved a $200 million parks bond in March. events — and more recently, gun shows. A $10 million parking garage will rise on the property, freeing up more Fort Lauderdale, as owner of the site just southeast of Federal Highway space for sports fields. The tennis center, tennis courts and concession and Sunrise Boulevard, is kicking in an $800,000 grant and leasing the 7- stands will undergo renovations. acre parcel at $1 a year for 50 years. The lease began in June. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.19.2019 In exchange, the Panthers plan to renovate War Memorial, bringing a modern flair to the art deco spot perched on the western end of 93-acre Holiday Park. A new building to the east will feature two indoor ice rinks. One will become the team’s primary practice spot and the other will be open year-round to youth hockey leagues and public skates.

The project will likely break ground in March 2020 and open by the summer of 2021, said Sean McCaffrey, chief operating officer for the Panthers and director of the War Memorial Benefit Corporation.

A new 3,000-seat concert hall is in the plans, along with a rock climbing wall and rooms for off-ice activities like yoga, dance and Pilates.

The northern rink will be used for recreational hockey, youth hockey, youth figure skating and public skating.

The southern rink will be reserved for Panthers practice sessions about 75 times a year, McCaffrey said. Those sessions will be open to fans, who will get a chance to meet and get photos with the players.

“Fans and kids can come watch every practice,” McCaffrey said. “Our players are very community minded and they like the idea of exposing more kids to the game.”

Rendering of the proposed War Memorial Auditorium $45 million makeover thanks to the Florida Panthers and a 50-year lease agreement with Fort Lauderdale.

Rendering of the proposed War Memorial Auditorium $45 million makeover thanks to the Florida Panthers and a 50-year lease agreement with Fort Lauderdale. (Rossetti Architects / Courtesy)

The Panthers play in the BB&T Center in Sunrise and currently practice in the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs.

That will change when they start using the War Memorial rink, likely in September 2021.

“The Panthers will primarily practice out of the War Memorial facility,” McCaffrey said. “The players are excited. They do see the buzz of Fort Lauderdale.” 1157646 Florida Panthers Connolly says scoring goals is “streaky” and once one goes in, more will surely come.

“You can go five or six games and have all the chances in the world yet Still looking for their first: Top Florida Panthers itching to score a goal have nothing to show for it,’’ Connolly said. “But you just try and be streaky with it.

“Look at (Dadonov); he’s on four now and all offensive guys are like that. By George Richards Oct 18, 2019 You try to ride the hot streaks as long as you can and minimize the games where you’re not scoring.

“But you always want to make sure you’re doing other things well. CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Through the first six games of this young Mentally, I think it’s good to see the first one go in. For me, to get another season, the Florida Panthers have won twice, lost twice in overtime and one right away was nice. That’s just the way it starts.’’ twice in regulation. Vatrano hopes it starts up soon for him. Six points in the first six games is not great, but it is not much of a concern. There are 76 more of these to go, after all. After setting a career high in goals last season, he has had a few scoring chances but hasn’t been able to cash in. What is also of not much concern around the Panthers is the goal drought some of their most counted on players are currently going Keeping that self-doubt and frustration at bay right now is key. through. “I think you always put pressure on yourself no matter what and you have Surprising, sure. to produce,’’ Vatrano said. “For us, you have to do the little things right and you’ll eventually get rewarded. No one is sweating it just yet. “You know you can’t get frustrated because that’s when your game is Going into Friday’s game at BB&T Center against Colorado, Florida has going to start changing. You have to keep doing the things that made you five players who scored eight or more goals last season who haven’t successful, can’t change how you play and then eventually the results scored a single one yet this season: Sasha Barkov (35 last year), Frank will come. Vatrano (24), Aaron Ekblad (13), Henrik Borgstrom (eight) and Mike Matheson (eight). “This is the NHL, it is a league of ups-and-downs. No matter who you are in this league, you can go five games without a goal or 10 without a point. “I haven’t really thought about it, but of course, you want to score goals The biggest thing is that your team is getting wins and you’re trying to and I have tried to help the team by scoring them but I haven’t had any contribute every single night whether you’re on the scoresheet or not. yet,’’ said Barkov, who set a franchise record with 96 points last season You have to do something to make sure that you’re valuable in that and comes into Friday with five. game, make a difference.’’ “Sure, it is there in the back of your head. But the most important thing Coach Joel Quenneville started mixing up the forward lines following a for me is to make sure the team wins and to make sure I’m doing first period last week in which Carolina scored four goals. everything I can to help the team win. I’m getting there.’’ He continued mixing and matching for the following couple of games, but Barkov has definitely had scoring chances but perhaps none as big as in by the end of Saturday’s shootout loss to the Islanders, he settled back in the first period Monday. with some familiar looks. With the score tied at 1, Barkov broke free in the neutral zone and took a Monday, the Panthers rolled out the same four forward lines they did in long pass from MacKenzie Weegar turning into a 2-on-1 chance. the opener at Tampa Bay. Barkov drove down the left side but instead of taking aim at goalie Cory Quenneville says he is going to mix things up as the season goes along, Schneider, he instead made a slick backhanded pass to a wide-open but for right now, he wants to show a little patience and see if the Evgenii Dadonov. Panthers can get rolling offensively with a little familiarity. Dadonov’s shot was stopped by Schneider and play continued. “You could say I didn’t have patience when I was moving things around,’’ “I just need to concentrate more on going to the net, shooting more,’’ Quenneville said with a grin. “You know, we have tried them both ways. Barkov said. “I had the breakaway last game. I decided to pass. It was a So I think we’re looking to get something to click and we tried that. I think very nice pass, but it was on a breakaway. I should have had the mindset right now we’re going to keep it the way it is.’’ to shoot it and continue to shoot. That’s how you score.’’ As for Barkov, Quenneville said, “he brings everything.” Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, who scored a franchise-record 96 Again, no one is worried about their captain scoring. It is coming and it is points last season, isn’t the only high-profile player to get off to a slow coming soon. start. (Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today) “He brings everything, whether it is faceoffs or quality ice time, important Barkov is not the only high-profile player to get off to a slow start on the shifts, special teams and matchup minutes, he does everything you want scoresheet this season. in your top guy,’’ Quenneville said. Jonathan Huberdeau, who plays on Barkov’s left side, got his first goal “Sometimes the pucks don’t go in for you, but we’re still looking for those 16 seconds into Monday’s game against the Devils. other things that really add up throughout the course of the game. He says it is only a matter of time before his line — which includes Everybody has stretches over a year where the pucks are going to go in, Dadonov, who has a four-game goal streak going — really gets cooking. and I think once some guys get going, all of a sudden they keep going in for you. Everyone has their turn where they’re going to be hot.’’ “I wasn’t really thinking about not having a goal, but it’s the kind of thing when you start scoring you start playing with a certain confidence,’’ Defensive improvement Huberdeau said. Weegar and Ekblad have been paired together the past couple of games “Obviously guys like Barkov are going to come on. You want to play your and Quenneville says he likes the way those two young defenseman best hockey right now, but to get things going, you kind of have to just “move together” and hopes to see more good things out of them. get back to the basics. We know we can be one of the top lines … there’s On Monday, Weegar had one of his best days with the Panthers, scoring no way we cannot be good. We’re going to get back to playing our style a goal and assisting on another. and the goals are going to come.’’ Weegar leads all Florida defensemen with two goals, and his four points Brett Connolly was another Florida player who came into the New Jersey are tied with Ekblad. game with no goals but broke through when he scored his first goal of the season in the second period. “They’re transporting the puck and making a lot of direct plays,’’ Quenneville said. “I think their activity not just on entries but in the Not long afterward, Connolly added his second. offensive zone, their movement at the point, shot selection, is really helping sustain our cycle game as well.

“Defensively, their gaps have been tight and they have been good in the neutral zone and in our own end. They’ve been good reading plays. They have been really effective and playing some big minutes and getting some good assignments and getting it done.”

• Aside from that top pairing, Quenneville said he liked what he saw from all six Florida defensemen on the previous road trip as the team continues to work through some growing pains.

Mike Matheson has been paired with veteran Anton Stralman on the second pairing, with Keith Yandle and Josh Brown rounding things out.

“As a team, we all have to absorb some defensive responsibilities but I thought our D has been more mobile, more supportive of the attack,’’ Quenneville said. “I think there has been improvement.’’

When Stralman signed with the Panthers in July, general manager said he would likely be paired up with Matheson — only those two did not start the season together.

Stralman says he likes playing with Matheson, and the two seem to complement one another.

“He is a great skater and I think he reads the game really well, keeps a good gap,’’ Stralman said.

Stralman added the Panthers still have a lot to work on defensively and that it’s an ongoing process.

Florida is ranked 24th in the league in goals allowed per game (3.67) — something that is not going to cut it as the season progresses.

“It always takes time whether it is a new system or not,’’ Stralman said. “We are getting there, but if you look at our goals-against … it’s horseshit. It is not close to where we want it to be.”

• Sergei Bobrovsky will be in net Friday against the Avalanche, with backup Sam Montembeault expected to start Saturday night in Nashville.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157647 Los Angeles Kings LA Times: LOADED: 10.19.2019

Kings assign first-round pick Tobias Bjornfot to AHL affiliate Ontario

By JACK HARRISSTAFF WRITER

OCT. 18, 2019 10:55 AM

When rookie defenseman Tobias Bjornfot made the Kings roster to start the season, it came with a caveat from coach Todd McLellan.

As long as Bjornfot, one of the team’s first-round picks this summer, could keep himself in the lineup, his development was best served with the Kings’ roster. But after playing just three times in the season’s first seven games, Bjonfot’s first NHL stint came to an end Friday.

The Kings assigned Bjornfot and forward Carl Grundstrom to their American Hockey League affiliate, the , and recalled center Nikolai Prokhorkin, shuffling their roster for the first time this season amid a 2-5-0 start.

“Both of them didn’t get to play very much here,” McLellan said of Bjornfot and Grundstrom, who had dressed just once. “They need playing time; they need an opportunity to be go-to players on a team right now.”

Bjornfot, 18, played in each of the Kings’ first three games this season. Partnered with Drew Doughty, he often was on the ice against opponents’ top lines. The result was a minus-four rating and some of the worst puck-possession metrics on the team. After averaging only 12:58 of ice time per game, he was a healthy scratch on each game of the Kings’ homestand this week.

Bjornfot’s development, however, remains ahead of schedule. Initially slated to return to his native Sweden this season, the left-handed defenseman is now on track to play out the campaign in the Kings’ system.

“We feel that he can develop here,” McLellan said. “He’s excited about being here, whether it’s with our club or with the Reign. I think he’s adapted really well. He’s a fun kid to be around. He enjoys the game. He’s got a smile on his face. That didn’t change yesterday when he heard the news.”

By going to the Reign, Bjornfot will get more minutes, more experience playing on special teams, and more opportunities to grow. He is a candidate to represent Sweden in the World Junior Championships this winter, and according to McLellan could be called up again before the season ends (the rookie can play up to nine NHL games without it counting as a service year against his entry-level contract).

“He’s been great around the rink,” echoed Doughty. “Not putting on a pouty face. He’s just been a professional about it. He’s getting in the gym, working hard. Working hard in practice. Trying to still learn as much as he can.”

McLellan also expects to see Grundstrom, the left-handed winger the Kings acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Jake Muzzin trade last season, back with the club at some point.

After a promising debut season with the Kings last year, which saw the 21-year-old score five goals in 15 games following the trade, he too will be looking for more consistent minutes at the AHL level.

“Grunny is an NHL player,” McLellan said. “He just needs to get a few reps, get a little bit of confidence there. He’s more a game player than a practice player. He’ll get in some games there and he’ll be back.”

Prokhorkin, 26, was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round in 2012 and played eight games that season with the team’s then-AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs. Then, he returned to his native Russia to play in the KHL, where he has played every season since. After failing to make the Kings’ season-opening roster this preseason though, Prokhorkin stayed in North America to play with the Reign. In four games, he has two assists and a plus-two rating.

“He’s been over here before, he has experienced life in this building, around teammates,” McLellan said. “He knows management, he knows the area. He was in the minors. So it’s not brand new to him.” 1157648 Los Angeles Kings St. Petersburg in the KHL, where he recorded 20 goals and 21 assists with a plus-27 rating.

Bjornfot, 18, was chosen 22nd overall in this year’s draft and was Kings coach Todd McLellan fumes over critical mistakes scoreless in three games. Grundstrom had appeared in one game this season with one assist.

Calgary at Kings By ANDREW KNOLL |PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 8:28 am | UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 9:15 am When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Staples Center

After 135 scoreless minutes and three consecutive losses, the Kings TV/Radio: Fox Sports West/iHeartRadio could stand to close out their five-game engagement at Staples Center Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.19.2019 on a high note against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Dull results have drawn sharp words from coach Todd McLellan, who has bluntly criticized his team and individual players.

Evolving elements of the Kings’ game have been overshadowed by critical mistakes. McLellan identified errors in coverage that ended up in the Kings’ net in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

“We’re not giving up much, but we’re giving up long opportunities from end to end, and it continually has hurt us since training camp,” McLellan said. “Eventually guys are going to have to get it or we’ll be chasing games forever.”

McLellan was particularly critical of the forward line of Michael Amadio, and Austin Wagner. They were on the ice for both first- period goals against, scored on consecutive shifts by the trio.

“The same line two shifts in a row made the same mistake. You’d think you’d learn the first time,” McLellan said.

He elaborated: “That’s stupidity. They know exactly what they’re supposed to do.”

McLellan also took time to critique Kovalchuk and seemingly Wagner as individuals. Kovalchuk was a major free-agent signing in the summer of 2018 and Wagner was identified by some as a pleasant surprise last season.

“You may have scored 10, 12, 14, 15 goals last year. You think you’re going to (score) 25 and giving up 30? Obviously it’s not going to work that way,” McLellan said, likely referring to Wagner.

He also zeroed in on missed offensive opportunities by Kovalchuk, particularly during a lengthy but ineffective two-man advantage.

“We’ve got a guy that’s scored 400 NHL goals with a slapper from the hashmarks, he had two of them, and put it over the net. We pay him handsomely to put those in and he’s got to do that,” said McLellan, adding that those misses were compounded by three minor penalties Kovalchuk took against a dangerous power play.

The Kings (2-5-0, 4 points) now face Calgary (4-3-1, 9 points), a squad they beat in overtime Oct. 8 at the Saddledome for their first victory of the season. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk have been downplaying their feud of late, though Doughty reminded everyone “who the better player is” before the last contest.

Fewer fighting words did not stop them for each producing three points, including Tkachuk’s late goal to force overtime and Doughty’s to win the game 50 seconds into OT.

Beyond any individual battles, the Kings feel the pressure as a group of the three-game skid, even if there may be more excitement around this year’s Kings than the wearying group they put on the ice last season.

“We might be playing a little bit better, yeah, sure,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “But make no mistake, nobody likes losing in here. It’s frustrating and it shouldn’t be acceptable.”

Roster moves

The Kings on Friday recalled forward Nikolai Prokhorkin from the Ontario Reign of the AHL, Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake announced in a press release. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and forward Carl Grundstrom were assigned to the Reign.

Prokhorkin, 26, was drafted in the fourth round by the Kings in 2012. He was signed in the offseason after playing 41 games last season with SKA 1157649 Los Angeles Kings “And that didn’t change yesterday when he heard the news.” Doughty said he planned on talking to Bjornfot following practice Friday.

The message he planned to give to the 18-year-old was a simple one: ‘He’ll be back’: By demoting Tobias Bjornfot to AHL, Kings acknowledge Just stick with it. he has exceeded their expectations “You’re a young guy,” Doughty said. “You’ve got a bright future in this league. When you’re not playing, there’s no point being up in the NHL, sitting in the stands watching. It’s good for him to go down to the ‘A,’ get By Lisa Dillman Oct 18, 2019 some playing time. Get his confidence back up.

“He’ll be back here eventually.”

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Drew Doughty played nearly 24 minutes in his If Bjornfot plays more than nine NHL games, however, the first year of his second NHL game. entry-level contract would be burned. Another potential high-profile opportunity for him could be the World Junior Championships in the The Kings defenseman was a plus-3 in his sixth game and his plus- Czech Republic starting in December, playing for Sweden. minus in October of that season was a plus-6. And the Kings, in 2008-09, were not a playoff team. Prokhorkin (sort of) speaks

What Doughty was able to do in his rookie season looks even more Prokhorkin, 26, was willing to try to conduct a brief interview with Kings impressive as the years have gone by, a No. 2 draft pick stepping into an beat reporters on Friday. Ilya Kovalchuk, also from Russia, helped him NHL lineup and making a meaningful impact. during training camp but the other player providing guidance in Ontario was none other than Mario Kempe, who is from Sweden and is the older Still, for every Doughty, there are hosts of other first-round draft choices brother of Kings center Adrian Kempe. who either go back to the junior teams in Canada or to Europe for more seasoning after training camp and the preseason. “When I practice in Ontario, Mario Kempe helped me,” Prokhorkin said. “He played in Russia.” But the likes of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider of Germany and Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot of Sweden, taken fifth and 22nd, How is his Russian? respectively, in June, are a bit different. The Red Wings and Kings have opted to assign their two highly regarded prospects to the American “A little bit. He understands me,” Prokhorkin said, smiling. Hockey League. The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 Seider was sent to Grand Rapids before the regular season started and Bjornfot was assigned to Ontario on Friday, along with forward Carl Grundstrom. Additionally, forward Nikolai Prokhorkin was called up from the Reign, joining the Kings for practice.

Considering Prokhorkin has options elsewhere, it makes sense the Kings will be looking to see exactly what they have in him.

Bjornfot was in the season-opening night lineup in Edmonton, the fifth- youngest player in franchise history to appear in a regular-season game. He played in three games and had been a healthy scratch in the last four, when he was a combined minus-4, mostly a byproduct of the Kings’ subpar performance in an 8-2 loss at Vancouver on Oct. 9 in which he was a minus-3.

Grundstrom’s ice time was even more limited as he appeared in one of the first seven games.

“Both of them didn’t get to play very much here,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “They need playing time. They need an opportunity to be go-to players on a team right now.

“Toby, for example, (needs a) power-play, penalty kill opportunity (that) he might not get with our team and just feel good about himself. He’s been in our environment. He’s been in this arena, which is where (the Reign) practice. He knows where he’s living now. He knows who his teammates are.

“(Grundstrom) is an NHL player. He just needs a few reps. I think he is more a game player than a practice player. He’ll be back.”

Bjornfot is very much an integral part of the Kings’ future. Kings general manager Rob Blake praised his composure and steadiness during the preseason, saying he is “going to be a very important player for us.” Initially, the Kings’ plan had been to send him back to Sweden at various times during the preseason.

Doughty, in fact, raved about playing alongside Bjornfot in the preseason, repeatedly using the word “awesome” to describe the precocious defenseman.

But keeping Bjornfot in Ontario, rather than sending him back to Sweden, is a good way for the Kings to have control of the situation and his development.

It is also a sign he has exceeded expectations.

“That’s a good way of putting it,” McLellan said. “We feel he can develop here. He’s excited about being here, whether it’s with our club or the Reign. I think he’s adapted really well. He’s a fun kid to be around. Enjoys the game. Smile on his face. 1157650 Los Angeles Kings These days, it often feels like the life, color and personality is getting sucked out of the game. Here are two star players — genuine individuals who have strong opinions about things, who don’t mind speaking their minds. Roundtable: Why is Matthew Tkachuk vs. Drew Doughty so good for hockey? This is what creates interest in the sport. Really, who would be talking about a Calgary-L.A. game this early in the season if not for the Tkachuk- Doughty fireworks in Calgary?

By Lisa Dillman and Scott Cruickshank Oct 18, 2019 I’m thinking it will be something of a ratings bonanza in Canada on Saturday. Will anything happen on the ice? Probably not.

But there is an innate curiosity about this game and that’s fundamentally When it comes to the NHL, it’s hard to get all of the pundits, or at least a good thing. most of them, on the same page about even the most benign topic. I remember watching a political debate and it was great TV when the Which is why the latest chapter in the feud between Calgary Flames candidates were asked to say something good about each other. Jermain forward Matthew Tkachuk and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Franklin of TSN said to Doughty in Calgary that the rivalry could be put to Doughty stood out. rest if one said something nice about the other. The new wrinkle on an old-school rivalry: It’s good for the game. “I think we both know who the better player is,” Doughty said. “If he wants Tkachuk and Doughty took it to the next level by backing up the talk and to compliment me first, then I’ll give him one back.” producing some compelling hockey in Calgary on Oct. 8. Tkachuk had Zing. three points — two goals and an assist, including a late highlight-reel goal to tie the game. Considering the history here, what do you think would happen if the Kings and the Flames — down the road — met in the playoffs? Would In overtime, Doughty’s power play goal decided it and capped off a three- anyone survive a best-of-seven game series? point night. Cruickshank: Whoa, an even grander stage. Both guys, clearly, aren’t And Tkachuk, cleverly, set the stage for the next battle, saying: “I’m afraid of the spotlight. For the first meeting this season, with their excited for Round 2 in a couple weeks in L.A.” animosity in full view, they rose to the occasion with a superb display of That day is almost here. Doughty addressed some of the possible hockey. But, Lisa, your question is what would happen if they met in the upcoming brouhaha at practice Friday and noted some family members postseason. It’s hard to say … except that let’s get a look at it, the sooner wanted him to tone everything down. the better.

“As much as all that stuff happened, with me and the other guy talking It’s what made the Battle of Alberta so great — the wicked winter clashes back and forth, as much as a lot of people liked it, my mom (Connie) as an appetizer for the brackets. (Carey Wilson, who once sacrificed his didn’t like it too much,” Doughty said. “She just wants me to go out there spleen to Steve Smith’s stick in one of these skirmishes, noted that BOA and do what I can on the ice and keep it that way, keep it out of the regular-season matches were brutal, but the playoffs were worse.) media. She was not happy with me, no. Especially after the (goal) Maybe Kings/Doughty versus Flames/Tkachuk would be a dud in a best- celebration.” of seven — but that’s hard to imagine. With the Flames and Kings playing on Saturday night at Staples Center, “It’s a rivalry between the two teams — as much as you guys try to make The Athletic’s Scott Cruickshank and Lisa Dillman exchanged thoughts it about me and him, it’s just about two teams not liking each other,” on one of hockey’s best rivalries, why it seems to resonate, and whether Doughty said. “I think it’s good to have guys going at it. But I have a guy this odd couple could survive a playoff series against one another in that I go at it with on every team. It’s just how it is. It just happens to be years to come. that he plays in Calgary, so there’s a bigger deal made about it.” Dillman: I’ll start off with this basic question: What is it about this rivalry For sure, their get-togethers appeal to, uh, vintage viewers. Talking last that makes it so compelling? year to three of the Sutter brothers about playing against each other, they Cruickshank: There are a few reasons, I think. For starters, it’s a feud pointed out that they NEVER spoke to one another on game day — and, between two elite players. So, instead of a couple of enforcers renewing with no prompting, they all mentioned that no opponents should be acquaintances with a predictable off-the-draw scrap, this is a couple of talking on game day, period. That scowling attitude has faded over the guys who, in a lot of ways, stir their respective team’s drinks. To have a years — players from opposing sides regularly chat over the boards couple of stars bickering? Very interesting. during morning skates.

On top of which, with Doughty and Tkachuk, it’s not forced. They’re But Doughty-Tkachuk is definitely old-timey, in a good way. And to see outgoing, on the ice and in front of cameras. And, as much as they sort of the beef played out every other night over a couple of weeks? You just downplay the battle, they can’t help engaging. Although on Thursday want to see it. After Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza, you wanted to morning — hours before the Flames hosted the Detroit Red Wings — see them meet in the fall. They did, with memorable results. Tkachuk was understandably tight-lipped. (“We have a big one tonight, Generally, I think, most people take a positive view of the grudge — as so I’m not thinking anything other than Detroit right now.” But you know long as it doesn’t escalate into drop kicks in the parking lot. there’s going to be hype about this weekend? “Nothing really bothers me too much outside my bubble or the team’s bubble. If everyone else And if there happens to be a few more juicy soundbites along the way? makes a big deal about something, that’s whatever. I get it. But it doesn’t All the better. affect me too much.”) Dillman: Juicy soundbites are a daily, if not hourly, occurrence in the It’s also intriguing because a squabble of this magnitude is becoming a NBA. I covered the Clippers for parts of three seasons, returning to the rare thing. So, when it does happen — Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane, NHL in time to chronicle the Kings’ first Stanley Cup championship in Reaves and Tom Wilson, Ryan Kesler and Ryan Johansen — it’s 2012. During Doughty-Tkachuk, Round 1, I noted that the ability to show notable. And this one seems to have legs — like years’ worth. personality in the NBA is celebrated, not shunned like it often is in the NHL. Dillman: Those are all great points, Scott. It is the exact opposite of a manufactured rivalry, a dislike that developed organically between Now that isn’t true with the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, Doughty and Tkachuk. which also happens to be one of the best (team) rivalries right now. In recent years, the best team feud (non Oilers) for the Flames has been, (Of course, elbowing someone in the head isn’t my recommended not with the Kings, but the Anaheim Ducks. starting point. That was the first flash point when Tkachuk, in his rookie season, elbowed Doughty in March of 2017 and earned a two-game Who couldn’t forget the war of words between Flames GM Brad Treliving suspension.) and Ducks GM Bob Murray leading up to their first-round playoff series in 2017? That was amusing. Scott, I’m sure you can think of other recent Flames feuds. And a bonus question: How have the Tkachuk brothers — Matthew and Brady — handled games against one another?

Cruickshank: The Tkachuk boys managed to behave in two meetings last season — Brady scored in the first game, Matthew in the second — but I’m sure it had been a different story in the rumpus room and on the driveway when they were growing up. No doubt Mom made them promise to keep it clean in the NHL. At least last year.

Recent feuds? Hmmm. Not many, which might be the appeal of this main event — right-side defender pitted against left-side winger. It’s been a while since one’s brewed in Calgary.

Certainly, Jarome Iginla, in his heyday, created regular sparks — sparring with Steve Ott, Sean Avery, Jordin Tootoo, and, strangely enough, Tomas Vokoun, goalie of the Nashville Predators — but those seemed to come and go.

I remember a few — a lot? — of years ago at the Saddledome, Bill Lindsay and Chris Chelios just skated over to each other one night and commenced boxing. No incident. No words. No leadup. Odd, but afterward, Lindsay said there’s something in hockey called history and he acknowledged his own with Chelios. He added that the rugged rearguard probably had “run-ins with half the league. He’s got wars going with a lot of players.”

So, unknown to reporters and fans and maybe even other skaters, there are countless feuds simmering.

But there’s no guessing with this one — Doughty and Tkachuk do not like each other. It’s obvious. And great.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157651 Los Angeles Kings There wasn’t anything shaky about his message at practice Friday morning.

“The message was two-fold: The defensive side giving up freebies, BJORNFOT STAYING IN SOCAL (+ DETAILS); DOUGHTY’S OWN especially early in the game and repetitive mistakes, so we tried to EVALUATION; PROKHORKIN; GRUNDSTROM address that and repair a fix. And the other side of the coin was the opportunities we created – why did we create them and why didn’t they go in? So, a little bit of that. But it was more a maintenance day for our team. Keep our legs moving and get ready for a tough battle tomorrow.” JON ROSENOCTOBER 18, 2019 More about the impending battle to come. What about those chances –

was a thesis built towards the team’s lack of finishing on Thursday? PRACTICE NOTESROSTER MOVES “It’s having the poise to hold onto it a little longer, to read the play and Lots of stuff to go over, Insiders, some of it important, some of it trivial, shoot it a little bit quicker, to elevate the puck when you need it. some of it [road apples]. The LA Kings took the TSPC ice shortly before Sometimes space is necessary in and around the crease,” McLellan said. 11:00 a.m. and showed the following alignment up front: “We tend to be chasing pucks away from the net because we’re so tight. Getting the shot off from the point maybe a little bit quicker, or maybe a Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown little bit later. Letting people get there. There’s a lot of factors that go into it. If we could move the posts over by a half-inch, we’d be fine too, but we Carter-Lizotte-Toffoli don’t get to do those things.” Kovalchuk-Kempe-Lewis — Doughty-Tkachuk, which is nearing Jaws 19 territory in its catalogue Clifford-Amadio-Wagner of chapters, episodes and sequels (the latest of which served as a compelling remake), will be reprised Saturday. “To be honest, I’m just Prokhorkin sick of it,” Doughty said. “I mean, it is, I guess, good for the game in a Notes! way because other sports , but we don’t. But, yeah, I’m just kind of getting sick of it.” — More on today’s roster moves. First, Tobias Bjornfot ain’t going back to Sweden, as was the plan at the start of training camp. He was It’s hard to blame him. The personal rivalry doesn’t register beyond assigned to AHL-Ontario this morning and will be expected to spend engaged hockey fans in the United States, but in Canada, where hockey most of the rest of the season there, where he’ll be able to get in ample forms part of the national identity, the spat is national sports news. Kings work in a variety of situations and “just feel good about himself,” fans aren’t fond of Tkachuk and fiercely supported Doughty after his according to Todd McLellan. emotive outburst in the penalty box during a heated encounter at Staples Center near the start of the 2017-18 season, “but they aren’t chirping him “He’s been in this environment, he’s been in this arena, where they on Twitter like I’m getting chirped all the time and stuff like that, so it’s a practice. He knows where he’s living now, he knows who his teammates little different,” he said, adding that he dug into his game-winning are, and we have no problem or hesitation to call him up.” celebration at Scotiabank Saddledome last week “because my home country fans were booing me the entire game.” Any hypothetical call-up as of today is hazy, though expect to see him to get a small handful of games in Los Angeles the rest of the way, most of “In America, unfortunately, hockey isn’t the number one sport. That’s just which should be expected to come in the second half. He just can’t play the bottom line. You’re going to get more attention, more media, more more than nine games with the Kings – he’s at three now – or else the people talking about it. There’s more fans in Canada, obviously. That’s first year of his entry-level contract will kick in. That’s not in the team’s just why it happens,” Doughty said. best interests. By signing as an 18-year-old, he’s actually eligible for a two-year entry-level slide, provided he doesn’t play more than nine Doughty said his mom was not happy with his goal celebration in Calgary games in either 2019-20 or 2020-21. — lisa dillman (@reallisa) October 18, 2019

“We feel that he can develop here,” McLellan said. “He’s excited being Doughty-Tkachuk isn’t simply low-hanging fruit, it’ll be a central story line here, whether it’s with our club or with the Reign, and I think he’s adapted for Saturday’s game. It’s a necessary inclusion when providing really well. He’s a fun kid to be around. He just enjoys the game, took a appropriate context for Kings and Flames meetings in 2019-20. smile on his face, and that didn’t change yesterday when he heard the news. It was actually ongoing for a little while, and he’s handled it well.” But it’s not what I’d planned on asking Doughty about. His game’s a bit off, and it’s not always apparent, shift-after-shift. He’s got three goals and Hockey ops said earlier today that the “plan is to keep him over here for five points in seven games, but where his game’s at at the start of the an extended period of time,” and that should be interpreted as the full 2019-20 season is not at the same perch as it was under Darryl Sutter or year. Barring an improbable swath of defensive injuries or unforeseen during John Stevens’ first year. circumstances that could necessitate a recall, the expectation as of today is that he’ll be released to participate in world juniors this December. Some of that’s understandable, as written in today’s Waking up with the Kings. On the personal side, he’s a new father, he’s approaching 30. On Drew Doughty said that his advice to Bjornfot was to “just stick with it.” the ice, he’s working with his third defensive partner since the start of “You’re a young guy, you’ve got a bright future in this league. When camp amidst a much more aggressive system. He’s still making you’re not playing, there’s no point in being up in the NHL just sitting in adjustments, some of which may require an extra beat of thinking and the stands watching, so it’s good for him to go down in the A, get some aren’t as much in line with the renowned reading, reacting and escaping playing time, get his confidence back up, and he’ll be back here that have formed a core part of one of the NHL’s most diverse and high- eventually,” he said. end defensive skill sets.

As for Carl Grundstrom, he’s an NHL player, as McLellan branded him. “I’m just in a different spot in the neutral zone and stuff and I’m not able His move was to get him playing games when there might not have been to get up in the rush as much as I feel like, and I’m trying to find ways to an opportunity this weekend or in the near future for that to happen with do that,” he said. “I think I’m more worried this year, more than anything, the parent club. “He just needs to get a few reps and get a little bit of just worried about getting scored on. It’s always in my head because I confidence there,” McLellan said. “He’s more a game player than a was in the top minuses for last year, and I think that kind of messed with practice player, and he’ll get in some games there and then he’ll be my head, so that’s all I’m really focused on this year, which is really a bad back.” thing, but I think my defensive game has been really good.”

— There was an earthquake last night! “3-0 earthquake, yeah,” offered There’s always been the colloquialism that he still does a number of McLellan, who didn’t feel the temblor but “was awoken to some car things to help his team win even when he’s not on his game, and his alarms and stuff like that.” eminent braggadocio supported that premise. “There still hasn’t been a defenseman better than me on the ice in any game, and that’s just a He’s a repatriated Californian whose family experienced similar jolts in fact,” he said. the past, so last night’s quake was “nothing out of the norm.” But he’s a -13.1% CF%Rel on the (early) season, even though he was well in the black on Thursday. And, as I’ve shared on this site and on television, disregard Doughty’s evaluations of himself and others at your peril.

“I think I played really well last night – really, really well,” he said. “I liked my game in Calgary, didn’t like my game in Vancouver. I mean, I didn’t like a few of my games. I feel like I haven’t been able to control the game as much as I used to in the past, but last night I thought I was pretty dominant.”

— Nikolai Prokhorkin, recalled from AHL-Ontario earlier in the day, skated through practice as an extra, and whether he’ll make his NHL debut against Calgary should be learned as Saturday’s morning skate elapses. He’s not fully fluent in English, though as someone who has played in North America and has a history with the organization, he’s able to hold his own.

Prokhorkin learned English in school, through music and his earlier time in Manchester, as well as from ex-Kings bench boss John Torchetti, who coached him at CSKA-Moscow. It also helps that Mario Kempe speaks a “little bit” of Russian. “When I practice in Ontario, it’s Mario Kempe helping me. He played in Russia,” he said.

But given Prokhorkin’s age (he’s 26) and the universal hockey language, he’s not exactly a stranger in a strange land. He certainly understood the message when Ontario GM Rich Seeley informed him he’d be changing locker rooms.

“He has experienced life in this building around teammates,” McLellan said. “He knows management, he knows the area, he was in the minors, so it’s not brand new to him. He’s old enough now and spent enough time here that he can communicate quite well. The slang that we sometimes use, the pace at which we talk or explain drills can leave him behind, but we have coaches that sit with him individually and explain things, show him visually. In my mind, that’s a language. Vision is a language, and everybody sees it usually the same. If it was somebody else that was coming over clean from Russia or somewhere where they couldn’t speak English, weren’t accustomed to North American tradition or antyihng like that, didn’t have the life skills necessary to survive and be healthy, we would provide all of that for them. We would make sure they had proper English tutors and live with perhaps a billet, meals, all that type of stuff. And we’re not the only team. Every team in the league does that.”

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157652 Los Angeles Kings

WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: OCTOBER 18

JON ROSENOCTOBER 18, 2019

GAME STORY

Not quite adding up. Thursday’s Kings-Sabres game, deemed by shot and chance-based metrics to be a level of L.A. domination equivalent to a Cowboys-Bills Super Bowl, wasn’t a model of the combined fruits being greater than their individual labors. There were, again, encouraging signs in structure, and, over the final 50 minutes or so, a healthy forecheck that didn’t allow Buffalo to get anything going at even strength. Los Angeles’ 80 shot attempts at five-on-five were the most since the nadir of the 2011-12 season when they recorded 81 during a 4-2 loss to Minnesota in Terry Murray’s second-to-last game. But games are 60 minutes long, and a lightning-quick 20-year-old easily penetrated the Kings in transition twice in the early-going and found prime, soft spots as part of a three- point, second-star effort in the 3-0 win. This is a younger player’s league, and the Kings’ potential impact player selected three spots after Mittelstadt isn’t available. Rather, many of the surplus opportunities weren’t converted, which has been a periodic staple of this team’s M.O. even in the best of times. But with Jeff Carter continuing to add on to a healthy bank account of early-season chances if not his goal total, and others like Joakim Ryan (who activated to hit a post and is also among those capable of pushing the puck up-ice quickly) owning some good moments, they were unable to capitalize on their chances, did not generate the quality or quantity of the Sabres’ rush chances, yielded effective long chances again and relied on uneven performances from individuals, including a number of their star players.

The game furthered the eternal Ilya Kovalchuk paradox. Kovalchuk was as engaged, physical and committed as any player on the ice, but this is a results-based league, and he took three stick infractions, missed three nets, including one on a pristine Grade-A look, and was on the ice for both goals against (though those goals were scored from Austin Wagner’s side of the ice, representing positional mistakes on consecutive shifts that added some definition with Todd McLellan’s reference to players who “may have scored 10, 12, 14, 15 goals last year. You think you’re going to 25 and giving up 30? It’s not going to work that way.”) While Buffalo was at game speed from the start and took advantages of narrow and opportunistic openings, they were the latest team to capitalize on an early window despite Los Angeles’ otherwise strong first periods. Edmonton (0:53), Vancouver (5:26), Nashville (4:55), Vegas (5:42) and Buffalo (2:36) have all scored early against the Kings, who have been outscored 8-2 in the opening seven minutes of first periods this season.

There were other incomplete or insufficient individual performances. These aren’t depicted in the chance or possession stats, which aren’t particularly useful for individual games and paint a territorial picture, to quote MGoBlog, of a baby seal clubbing. Looking closer, Anze Kopitar was on the ice for 25 shot attempts for, though he didn’t record a shot on goal of his own over the final 53 minutes of the game. I’ve seen Drew Doughty play as the best defenseman in the world for years at a time, and I’ve seen him in a season like last year, where the impenetrable aura of his all-situational near-perfection was dented. Last night’s game continued the latter trend, but there are reasons for a start that’s quieter than his three goals and five points might suggest. He’s experienced change in his personal life, he’s gone through three different defensive partners since the start of training camp, he’s learning a new system in which the level of competition affords no margin for error. Perhaps an emotional game against Matthew Tkachuk and Calgary is what’s needed to spur the extra dynamism into a player whose Matrix-like fluidity and natural instincts with the puck are a touch overshadowed right now by his navigation of a new system and how it affects his positioning and understanding when to activate and engage.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157653 Los Angeles Kings

PROKHORKIN TO LAK, GRUNDSTROM & BJORNFOT TO ONT

ZACH DOOLEYOCTOBER 18, 2019

ONTARIO REIGNROSTER MOVES

Roster moves are upon us.

The LA Kings announced this morning that forward Nikolai Prokhorkin has been recalled from the Ontario Reign, and in a corresponding move, the Kings have assigned forward Carl Grundstrom and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to the Reign.

Ontario is back in action tomorrow afternoon at 1:15 PM in San Jose and the Reign play four games in an eight-day span, including that game.

From the Kings official release –

LOS ANGELES – The LA Kings have recalled forward Nikolai Prokhorkin from Ontario (AHL), Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake announced today. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and forward Carl Grundstrom have been assigned to the Reign.

The 26-year-old Prokhorkin (born Sept. 17, 1993) is a 6-3, 190-pound native of Chelyabinsk, Russia who has appeared in four games this season with Ontario, posting two points (0-2=2) and two penalty minutes. Drafted by the Kings in the fourth-round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and signed in the offseason, the skilled forward played in 41 games last season with SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) where he recorded 41 points (20- 21=41), a plus-27 rating and 10 penalty minutes.

Bjornfot made his NHL debut earlier this season and became the fifth youngest player in franchise history to appear in a game for the Kings and was just one of five players drafted this season (selected 22nd overall by the Kings) to make their team out of camp. He went scoreless in three games. Grundstrom has appeared in one game so far this year, recording an assist (0-1=1).

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157654 Minnesota Wild pay by scoring 28 seconds apart to put the game out of reach. This was the first time the lapses seriously emerged as an issue, and the Wild have done little to fix things since then.

Ranking the Wild’s collapses, from understandable to unacceptable 2. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: 3 GOALS; 2 MINUTES, 28 SECONDS

After weathering an early storm, the Wild threatened to make things interesting before the Penguins hit the NOS and left them in the dust. By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 4:32 pm | This was alarming in the sense that the Wild looked more apathetic than UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 4:32 PM overmatched in their home opener. They let Adam Johnson, Kris Letang and Joseph Blandisi pile on in the second period, effectively ending the

game with more than 20 minutes to play. Longtime Wild captain Mikko Koivu shut door and took the floor inside 1. MONTREAL CANADIENS: 3 GOALS; 4 MINUTES, 46 SECONDS the visitor’s locker room following Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal. Nothing encapsulates the struggles for the Wild more than the first period Thursday night against the Canadiens. They stopped playing for a five- His message during the players-only meeting after the game was brief, minute stretch and allowed easy goals to Victor Mete, Joel Armia and less than 10 minutes, though he probably could have gone on for hours Nick Suzuki. It hurts even more considering this was a very winnable voicing his frustration regarding one of the worst starts in franchise game for the Wild on paper. It’s not like they were going up against the history. immense firepower of the the Penguins or the Maple Leafs. Nonetheless, “There’s two ways we can go and we’ve got to (fight) ourselves out of it,” the Wild made the Canadiens look like one of their dynastic teams of Koivu told reporters as the locker room cleared out around him. yesteryear. That brutal loss paved the way for the players-only meeting “Obviously it’s not even close to being enough right now.” as the discontent in the locker room clearly has reached a boiling point.

While the Wild have been fighting an uphill battle from the start of the Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.19.2019 2019-20 season, trotting out an aging roster devoid of top-tier talent, the biggest concern during the 1-6-0 start is that nearly every game has followed the same script.

It’s not so much that the Wild have been outplayed in every loss. It’s that they have stopped playing for an extended stretch, seeming to curl into the fetal position after an opponent scores a goal.

“I think it has to be (mental); I don’t know what else it is,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “You’re digging yourself a grave (by doing that).”

That’s exactly what the Wild have done, and not surprisingly, they haven’t been able to dig themselves out.

“Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it,” winger Jason Zucker said. “It’s like they score one goal and all of a sudden we decide let’s just give them two more goals and then we’ll start playing again. I don’t have an answer for it.”

Here’s a breakdown of the six collapses, from understandable to unacceptable:

6. COLORADO AVALANCHE: 2 GOALS; 1 MINUTE, 27 SECONDS

This was somewhat forgivable considering it came during the Avalanche’s home opener and pretty much everybody expected them to come out on fire. They did just that as Mikko Rantanen and Pierre- Edouard Bellemare scored less than 90 seconds apart in the first period to put the Wild in a two-goal deficit before they could even adapt to the altitude in the Mile High City. The Wild did fight back to tie the score before letting it get away again down the stretch.

5. NASHVILLE PREDATORS: 2 GOALS; 1 MINUTE, 29 SECONDS

It was the highly anticipated season opener, and the Wild were actually playing the Predators evenly until a 90-second lapse in the third period that turned a one-goal lead into a one-goal deficit. Mikael Granlund — yes, the former Wild player — and Austin Watson opened the final peroid with a flurry, and the Wild never recovered. This stings more in hindsight considering the way everything has played out since then. Who’s to say if the Wild could have won this one, how the next two weeks might have played out.

4. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: 2 GOALS; 1 MINUTE, 12 SECONDS

This was probably the most overmatched the Wild have looked at any point this season. After taking an early lead, the Wild fell asleep in the second period, starting with a goal from John Tavares to tie it, and ending with a couple of big body blows from Mitch Marner and Andreas Johnsson. That one-two punch made it a two-goal deficit, and the Wild never recovered. Truthfully, nobody really thought they were going to win this game in the first place.

3. WINNIPEG JETS: 2 GOALS; 28 SECONDS

This was an inexcusable lapse by the Wild, especially considering it came during arguably their best effort of this season as they battled back against the Jets. It was almost like the Wild were content after tying the score the third period, and Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic made them 1157655 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens expected to use both goalies in weekend road games

STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: October 18, 2019

ST. LOUIS — Canadiens coach Claude Julien plans to use both his goalies this weekend, but he wasn’t saying after practice Friday in Brossard which order they will play.

The Canadiens flew to St. Louis after practice for the start of a busy weekend with road games against the Blues on Saturday (3 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (5 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). Julien said he wasn’t hiding anything from the media or fans by not announcing his goalie assignments, but instead wanted to keep the Blues guessing whether they will face Carey Price or Keith Kinkaid.

You’d have to think Julien will want to use Price — who is coming off a 17-save shutout in Thursday night’s 4-0 win over Minnesota — against the Stanley Cup-champion Blues and then play Kinkaid against the Wild, who have the worst record in the NHL at 1-6-0.

Julien got a bit of a scare during Friday’s practice when Kinkaid took a shot off the hand and had to leave the ice. He returned shortly after and told reporters after practice that he’s good to play one of the games this weekend.

The Canadiens (3-2-2) played their best game so far this season last Saturday when they beat the Blues 6-3 at the Bell Centre.

“We want to keep rolling, we want to get on a winning streak,” Kinkaid told reporters after practice. “So it starts with St. Louis tomorrow and then on to Minnesota. We just got to be prepared to give it our best. St. Louis probably wants to get us back after the little winning that we had there. They’re a great team, especially in their building, so we just got to be prepared to play our game.”

Price improved his record to 3-2-1 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage with his first shutout of the season against the Wild. Kinkaid has only played one game this season, losing 5-4 to the Sabres in Buffalo, and has a 4.93 goals-against average with a .872 save percentage.

The Canadiens did a lot of things well against Minnesota, including killing off all five power plays the Wild had. Penalty-killing has been a problem for the Canadiens early in the season and after Thursday’s game they ranked 25th in the NHL with a 69.6 per cent success rate.

The power play, which was a big problem for the Canadiens last season — when they ranked 30th in the NHL with a 13.2 per cent success rate, has been much improved this season, ranking 11th in the NHL after Thursday’s game with a 23.1 per cent success rate. Joel Armia scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season — and his second on the power play — in Thursday’s win over the Wild as the Canadiens went 1- for-5 with the man advantage.

After this weekend, the Canadiens will enjoy a three-day break in the schedule before facing the San Jose Sharks Thursday at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157656 Montreal Canadiens they had known in high school. A year later, Globensky moved in with Pilon and they are now married.

“If I wasn’t on the 12 pills I take every day, I’m sorry, I’d be out of here,” Stu Cowan: Baby Habs enforcer Globensky lived Slap Shot in real life the soft-spoken Globensky said. “I’ve had wonderful people pull me out of that hole before I blew myself up. I had a box of pills and I knew where the liquor cabinet was, and I knew exactly where I could do it without anybody seeing or hearing and maybe not even finding me for a week or STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: October 18, 2019 two. There was no doubt that if it gets that bad — if I get into that hole so deep — I’m out of here. I still get into these mini-depressions. I don’t get it as bad, which is great. Anyone getting a major depression — unless The 1968-69 Montreal Junior Canadiens were one of the best junior you’ve been in their shoes — wow! It puts you through hell. hockey teams ever assembled. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world when I look at my wife and the people I That team included future NHLers , Réjean Houle, have leaned on,” he added. “But not all of us have that.” Richard Martin, Jocelyn Guevremont and André Dupont. They finished the regular season with a 37-11-6 record, scoring 303 goals and allowing Book signings: Allan Globensky will be selling and signing copies of his 171, and went on to win the Memorial Cup. book this Sunday (4-6 p.m.), Wednesday (6-8 p.m.) and Thursday (7-8 p.m.) at the Cynthia Coull Arena during the Greenfield Park OldTimers The next season, there were a few new faces, including Allan Globensky. Hockey Tournament. He will also be at Newland Café in Greenfield Park The Junior Canadiens won the Memorial Cup again after a 37-12-5 next Saturday (2-4 p.m.) and Scotyz Bar & Grill in Saint-Hubert next season with Perreault posting 51-70-121 totals before being selected by Sunday (2-4 p.m.). the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 1 pick at the 1970 NHL Draft. Globensky finished that season with 0-6-6 totals and 181 penalty minutes and Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019 became as big a star as Perreault when the Junior Canadiens played at the Forum, which was often sold out.

“On veut Globensky! On veut Globensky!” became a favourite chant.

In the wild world of junior hockey in those days, skilled players like Perreault couldn’t do what they did without being protected by someone like Globensky, who called himself a policeman on the ice.

“As a hockey enforcer (a ‘goon’ if you will, although I never identified by that term), I had a dirty job,” Globensky, 68, writes in his new book, A Little Knock Won’t Hurt Ya! My Life as a Hockey Enforcer. “It was hardly glamorous, but it was certainly interesting.

“Some of these things would get me banned from hockey for life, or even land me in jail, if I did them today,” he adds. “The passing of four decades has given me some perspective, and has made me realize that the borderline insanity I experienced both on and off the ice should never have been acceptable, but it was. Those were the times we played in.”

While Perreault went on to have a Hall of Fame career, Globensky played one more season with the Junior Canadiens — posting 3-16-19 totals and 219 penalty minutes — before spending eight years bouncing around the minors and playing 42 games with the WHA’s Quebec Nordiques. His most lucrative contract was a two-year, $40,000 deal.

Some of the stories in Globensky’s book seem to be right out of the movie Slap Shot, but the fights, bench-clearing brawls and blood were all real. The thing he remembers most is the fear he would feel in the days and hours leading up to a game — “scared to death about what I would encounter on the ice” — and how he was always only as good as his last fight, especially on home ice.

“Thankfully, I never got knocked down by one shot by anybody,” he said in an interview.

Life after hockey hasn’t been easy for Globensky, which has sadly become a familiar story with hockey’s enforcers. Globensky estimates he suffered 60-65 concussions from more than 90 fights and “countless blows to the head.”

Former Montreal Junior Canadiens enforcer Allan Globensky has written a book titled A Little Knock Won’t Hurt Ya! about his life as a hockey enforcer and the impact it had.

Globensky has gone through two divorces and struggled with alcohol and depression. During the last few years, he has taken part in a concussion study group at Toronto’s Baycrest Hospital and believes he probably has CTE, although the neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries can only be diagnosed after death. Globensky will donate his brain posthumously for CTE research.

A positive turning point in Globensky’s life came in 2007 when Dave Main, his best friend from his days growing up in Greenfield Park, came to visit him in Lewiston, Me., where he had settled after his playing career, becoming a firefighter and later running a hockey arena.

Globensky was in a very bad state at the time and Main convinced him to come back to Greenfield Park with him to meet Carole Pilon, a woman 1157657 Montreal Canadiens Leaf — who was Toronto fans’ favourite whipping boy — was not about to come to another intense Canadian hockey market.

They need someone better than Mete on that first pairing, but the What the Puck: Habs coach Claude Julien heaps blame on wrong worrisome thing is that Weber — who carries a US$7.8-million cap hit — players hasn’t looked good. He faded in the final third of last season and appears the same again this season. But don’t expect Julien to admit that any time soon.

BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: October 18, 2019 Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019

This roller-coaster of a week for our Montreal Canadiens proved two things: head coach Claude Julien is far too quick to publicly put down his young players and the defence corps needs help.

I know fans are on a high following Thursday’s 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild and, like everyone else, I loved that moment when Victor Mete scored his first National Hockey League goal, in his 127th game. The 21-year-old defenceman was beaming like a kid on Christmas morning. It was even cooler to see his teammates’ reactions on the bench — they looked so happy for him and it’s a reflection of what a cohesive group this is.

But it’s my job to keep it real — or some might say to keep it dark — so I have to point out that Minnesota (1-6) sits last in the NHL and very much looked like a basement-dwelling team at the Bell Centre. Montreal played a solid game, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The 6-3 victory last Saturday against the Stanley Cup-champion Blues was a much more impressive feat and it’s going to be interesting to see how the Habs match up against the Blues in Part II of that series Saturday in St. Louis.

The funny thing is that between the game Tuesday — which the Canadiens lost 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning — and the start of the game Thursday, there was something close to panic among Habs fans and the media was pretty darn grumbly, too. I listened to RDS play-by- play commentator Pierre Houde on 91.9 FM on Wednesday morning and he tends to be a relentlessly positive chronicler of Les Boys. But he said this year’s edition does not look like last season’s squad, an inspired outfit that did far better than anyone predicted.

I was actually surprised by how freaked out people were by the loss to Tampa Bay. They lost to possibly the best team in the NHL and, for close to 57 minutes of that game, Montreal was the better team but they just couldn’t beat goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Julien overreacted after the game, and I was not impressed. He threw Jesperi Kotkaniemi under the bus with his post-game comments in which he singled out the 19-year-old Finnish centre for not being able to get the puck out of the zone during that interminable sequence at the end of the first period, which ended with Braydon Coburn scoring with seven seconds left in the period.

It’s so easy to pick on the teenager and so unnecessary. In the post- game scrum, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels asked Julien about captain Shea Weber’s poor play, a perfectly legitimate question given that Man Mountain had been on the ice for the last eight goals scored against the Habs. Julien refused to criticize Weber and instead picked on another kid, Mete, blaming Weber’s woes on his blue-line partner.

“Victor has his troubles at times finishing and closing and turning pucks over,” said Julien. “When Victor is on his game and skating and moving the puck, Shea is better at defending. It’s a work in progress.”

Julien has a point, he’s just wrong to knock KotkaKid and Mete and protect Weber. He’s right, Mete isn’t good enough to be on the first pairing, but that’s not Mete’s fault. He’s a good, young defenceman playing in the wrong spot on the roster. It reminds me so much of the David Desharnais fiasco. He, too, was a decent player, but never should’ve been the No. 1 centre on an NHL team and he became a target for ridicule because the Habs gave him a job he never should’ve had. The Canadiens are doing the same thing with Mete.

The defence just isn’t good enough, which is why Mete is on the first pairing. Weber is good when the game is at a standstill and he can shove guys in the corner or in front of the net, but when the fast skaters are flying, he just can’t keep up.

On Wednesday, Julien was probably too frank for his bosses, telling the media that he could only work with what he has and that general manager Marc Bergevin is actively seeking a defenceman to play on the left of Weber. He tried to get Jake Gardiner in the summer, but the former 1157658 Montreal Canadiens including the most talented player, which, in this case, happens to be Poehling.

“I really like the way he’s starting to become a professional,” said Finding focus: Ryan Poehling’s early lessons from a ‘shaky’ start in AHL Bouchard as the scrum ended.

Starting. That’s the key. This is just the beginning for Poehling. Not just for his NHL aspirations, but also when it comes to cancelling out all the By Marc Dumont Oct 18, 2019 white noise that comes with playing for the organization.

“I started out a little shaky,” said Poehling. “I just didn’t feel like I was in it (mentally). Obviously, a lot was going on, moving from Montreal and One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to the AHL is the level everything that happened. Now that I settled in I think I’ve played quite of play is significantly worse than the NHL. well.” It isn’t. If the NHL represents the one percent, the AHL is in the top five Poehling isn’t the first, nor will he be the last player to struggle while percentile. adjusting to life in the AHL. But unlike many talented players before him, There are no Ovechkins or Crosbys to worry about, but we’re talking it didn’t take long for Poehling hit the reset button, accept his situation about a league composed of some of the best players in the world that and focus on what had to be done. are about to be, or just were, playing in the NHL. That misconception isn’t “Keep getting better at the little things, it adds up,” he said. “I need to limited to fans and analysts. Players will also underestimate the intensity keep learning from all the other guys, and managing my game better is and skill level involved. something I’m doing.” That may have been the case for Ryan Poehling, who struggled to find There’s no better place than the AHL to work on those little things, and his rhythm following his assignment to the Laval Rocket. there’s no better coach to teach them than Bouchard. It’s a process, one But things have turned around in a hurry for the Canadiens’ 2017 first- that may last a little longer than everyone in the organization, Poehling round pick. included, may have expected.

After a slow start to his AHL career, which included no points and just But it’s a process that seems to be on the right track. one shot on net in his first two games, he’s started to hit the scoresheet “Now, he understands what he needs to do,” said Bouchard. “He’s with points in back-to-back games. Not to mention, his shot rate has playing with better players, he can match their pace, but his game needs increased significantly and he’s no longer trying to win the game single- to be more complete.” handedly on every shift. The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 His uptick in play led to Joël Bouchard placing him on the first line, between Charles Hudon and Alex Belzile. But that uptick was not achieved due to talent alone; Poehling needed time to adapt to his settings in order to focus on the task at hand.

Simply put, he needed to forget about the NHL.

“When I told you a while ago that half the team wasn’t paying attention, he was part of that half,” said Bouchard. “And when I say that, it’s not because they’re bad people, it’s just the reality of the situation.”

Bouchard didn’t single out Poehling in his scathing criticism of his players at the start of the season. That’s not his style. Though I’d venture a guess that behind closed doors, Bouchard went out of his way to drive the message home to the 20-year-old centre.

He needed focus from Poehling and he needed it immediately. Not just for the Rocket’s sake, but for Poehling’s as well. Given Poehling’s last six months, his lack of focus upon his arrival in Laval isn’t just understandable according to Bouchard, it was to be expected.

“You have to put yourself in their mindset,” he said. “Look at the reality of the situation and realize all players have a different reality. Ryan’s reality is that there were a lot of moving parts. He came from college, went to Montreal, went to the rookie camp, got injured at the main camp and then he had to pack his bags and drive to Laval. There was no stability. He didn’t get here with a bad attitude. But his focus, with reason, wasn’t there because of his situation.”

Bouchard has had several one-on-one conversations since Poehling joined the team and he’s paid particularly close attention to Poehling’s play at practice. Not all the feedback has been positive — far from it. Poehling will hear from his coaches if he takes too long to deliver a cross-ice pass, or if he’s lagging behind at practice. Due to his pedigree, the standard is higher when it comes to his play. Good is not good enough. They want him to be great.

“He knows I am going to be tough on him, I’ll be very demanding,” said Bouchard. “The reason is, once he drives 15 minutes south (to Montreal), things won’t get easier. And he knows it.

“But now he’s focused, it’s positive and he’s learning a lot, which is good because we have a lot to teach him. He’s listening well.”

Listening is the most important aspect of being under Bouchard’s tutelage. Regardless of your past experience or draft status, if you don’t listen to the instructions given at practice, your ice time will take a hit the following game. And that meritocracy applies to everyone on the team, 1157659 Montreal Canadiens puck and into the ice,” he said. “It’s kind of like a lateral one timer that he got in there with an unloaded stick.”

It’s not hard to imagine Mete toiling away in a dark arena on a sunny day, Anatomy of the most anticipated goal in recent Canadiens history hammering slapshot after slapshot from the blue line. But in truth, the opportunities to get full extension and really lean into one are comparatively rare in the NHL; they require time and space. The better, more suitable play for Mete’s skill set is to choose the opportune moment By Marc Antoine Godin Oct 18, 2019 to dart up the ice in support and to make himself available in the right spot.

No player in the Canadiens’ historical annals had endured a longer wait In fact, that’s probably what made Turk proudest: not only did Mete get to to score his first NHL goal. In his 127th career game, Victor Mete decided the area that best plays to his strengths, he applied the lessons that fit the joke just wasn’t funny anymore. the situation.

It’s worth dwelling on for a few minutes, no? “He just kept his stick on the ice,” Turk said. “We worked on generating power short distance. I feel so proud that he did that.” Particularly given the fact that, well, who really knows when it’ll happen again? Watching Mete lock his left arm during the pre-shot downswing reminded Turk of the way Gallagher shoots now. He’s been working with the right The wait winger for much longer, and Mete will probably never generate quite as much power, but the two players’ technique is starting to bear a “I was as excited as I think anyone’s ever been for anyone scoring a resemblance. goal,” said Brendan Gallagher after the Canadiens coasted by the Minnesota Wild, 4-0. Mete has made dozens of identical forays in the past without being able to quite find an end product (and on the occasions he did, the hockey For years now, Gallagher has spent part of each offseason working with gods’ cruel side revealed itself – as when Andrew Shaw was called for skills coach Tim Turk, a shot improvement guru. Turk also took Mete goalie interference in the Canadiens’ third game last year). This time, under his wing this past summer, which The Athletic’s Arpon Basu Nick Cousins heard his voice from the top of the slot. documented by donning a pair of skates and joining Mete on the ice for a training session. Cousins, who was playing his first game in a home uniform at the Bell Centre, hasn’t been around the club long enough to know about all the When Turk went to Vancouver to meet Gallagher, the latter inquired running gags and inside jokes. All he was thinking was he needed to get about his teammate and fellow pupil. back to the bench, but then Nate Thompson got hold of the puck and “Gally was like, ‘he’s got to get one because the guys are on him. Turkey, made a nifty zone entry into the Wild’s end. So he headed behind the net you got to get him to really wheel that puck in the net’,” Turk said. to help out and to be in a position to grab the puck if Thompson was able to sweep it to him. Turk promised that Mete would get his first goal within the first 10 games. He said it half-jokingly, but look where we are in the schedule: the Thompson did, Cousins quickly slid a pass to Mete, who by this point Canadiens played their seventh game of the season on Thursday. was all alone in the slot.

Let’s not kid anyone, the goal was eating away at Mete a lot more than it “Yeah, I called for it so I was kind of just hanging around there, and he showed, and everyone in the Canadiens’ room shares the view he won the battle and I was able to get a clear shot,” Mete said. handled the situation like a boss. The reaction When David Hale, a defenceman with the then-Phoenix Coyotes, Judging by sound, there was literally nobody in the Bell Centre who didn’t snapped his record 230-game goalless string on Nov. 26, 2008, in understand the significance of what had just happened. Well, other than Columbus, he talked about how great it felt to feel like he’d made a Cousins. Announcer Michel Lacroix took a lengthy, theatrical pause meaningful contribution. before making it all official, giving the crowd ample time to crank up the Mete, who sits behind Hale and only four other players on the NHL’s all- volume before giving Mete his due. time list for games without a goal to start a career, spent all that time “Those fans will remember when they were there for Mete’s first goal,” trying to find other ways to contribute. Not once did he show up at the Gallagher said. rink telling himself “tonight’s the night it’s going to happen.” The giddiness on the Canadiens’ bench was easily a match for the joy in “I just kind of go into every game the exact same way I do every night, so the stands. It represented the culmination of months (years?) of friendly I don’t lose focus and just focus on playing good, playing hard,” Mete chirps and opened the floodgates of sheer delight for a kid who is said. “And when opportunity comes like that, if I can kind of pounce on it, impossible not to like. then I will. But if not, if I don’t get chances in that game, then I need to play solid. ” In the middle of the bench, you had Nick Suzuki, who remembered playing against Mete for two years in the and The shot watching as he scored multiple goals against his Owen Sound Attack. One of the first things that became apparent to Turk in working with Mete “I was shocked he hadn’t scored yet,” said the 20-year-old rookie. was that he was working with the wrong tool. As the Bell Centre celebrated and stood to cheer for Mete, Suzuki had a “Technically we were working on his stick, trying to see if we needed to single thought. make changes to his pattern and his lie and stuff like that, just so the puck came off in a lot tighter spin and the flight path was flying flatter in “I want to be the next one,” he said. the air,” he said. Less than five minutes later, he followed through as a power play In the end, Mete changed everything up: stick manufacturer, length, flex, expired, moments after Joel Armia got his stick on a Jonathan Drouin lie . . . all in aid of finding something, anything, that would be better suited pass and roofed a shot past Alex Stalock. to him and allow him to accomplish what he did against the Wild. It was the first time two Canadiens’ players scored their first goal in the But it’s not merely a question of equipment. There’s technique to same game since Chris Higgins and Alexander Perezhogin did it on Oct. consider, and positioning. 6, 2005. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was actually the second time this season two teammates scored their first goal in the same game. When Turk, who was travelling to Saskatchewan on Thursday, was sent Last Saturday, Adam Johnson and Sam Lafferty had their sticks in the air a clip of the goal, he couldn’t help himself from texting Mete to point out in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ defeat of . . . Minnesota. he’d scored on a release they had practiced together at least 500 times. Well, well. “The video that I saw, I was like holy smokes, we set up those redirect one-timers shots where, you know, when your body drops down like that, it enhances power in your shot because you can put pressure into the The goal drought was long, so maybe that explains why Mete seemed a little bit reluctant to make too much out of it. Anyway, he was humble afterward.

“It was cool. The fans were probably waiting for that for a long time. So kind of to give it to them here, the first goal, is pretty special.”

Come on, Victor. It was your moment!

“He is like that, he downplays everything and I think it comes from within, in his family background,” said Turk. “They’re so modest of a family, I think it runs from his parents to him.”

Even in the moment, his defence partner Shea Weber seemed happier than the guy who’d actually scored. He squeezed Mete in the kind of bear hug only a Man Mountain call pull off then skated off to retrieve the puck

“He was just holding it in better than me,” Weber said.

When the team repaired back to the dressing room at the first intermission, the mood was understandably buoyant.

“Medium cheese, Meat, fucking rights!” Weber yelled in reference to the shot that beat Stalock.

There is no chance that Mete’s text messages weren’t blowing up by then, but he’s not the sort of guy who goes diving for his phone between periods (and thank goodness for that). He was content to just listen to his teammates jibes: if you can score one you can score two, kid.

It was a special moment, it’s not every day a team – and in this case a team that has remained almost entirely intact from a year ago – has that much fun in a first period intermission. That sort of exuberance is usually reserved for postgame. There was a euphoria to it, Mete’s teammates said.

“We were pretty excited so we were just trying to keep our foot on the gas for the next two periods,” Cousins said.

If only the Wild had felt like actually playing, it might actually have mattered.

The aftermath

Remember how we told you at the beginning of this story that Mete refused to let himself be distracted by the idea of scoring his first goal, and that his main concern was playing solid defensive hockey?

After scoring his first goal, he insisted that his defensive work on the night is what gave him the greatest satisfaction. The duo he forms with Weber has been a source of worry in the early part of the season, and Mete couldn’t have found a more effective way of changing the channel on that narrative if he drew it up on a whiteboard. It was also an unequivocal retort to those who doubt the Toronto native’s ability to hang with, and complement, Weber.

“He was good, he was really good'” Weber said. “He was quick, especially on guys who first entered the zone. He was good at shutting the play down quick with led to little chips or dumps, which led to transition for us. He used his skating really well tonight to cut the plays off early, and we didn’t have to chase the puck a lot.”

One game isn’t enough to erase everything we’ve seen from the Weber- Mete pair since the beginning of the season, but you never can tell: perhaps chasing away the slowly darkening cloud that hung over one half of the tandem will allow Mete to play more freely. Who really knows what effect that might have on his game?

We’ll have to wait a while yet to properly evaluate the repercussions, but there is one thing that leaves absolutely no doubt: Nick Cousins expects his younger teammate to pick up the tab at dinner.

“I like my steak medium rare,” he said, “we’ll have to figure that out in St. Louis tomorrow.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157660 Montreal Canadiens himself more room. He seems supremely unhurried. As Domi sprints up the ice, the right-handed Suzuki shows pass to the middle. Hunt, a lefty, is in perfect position to cut off the pass and seal off the wall. The play is to the middle, everyone on the ice knows it. Only, Suzuki doesn’t go More relieved than elated after his first NHL goal, Nick Suzuki wants to there. Instead, he whirls and fires a backhand area pass off the boards, get down to business where Hunt’s stick isn’t.

Five seconds later, his arms are in the air, the red light is on and the Bell Centre is in delirium. By Sean Gordon Oct 18, 2019 Here’s his thought process as he’s drifting toward the boards: “I was just

trying to get it deep for (Domi) who was flying in, he made a great play to It’s the moment every young hockey fan plays on repeat in their head, get around the net, kind of stretched their box out. When (Petry) shot it, I embroidering it with detail upon each viewing. The one that marks your was just trying to get hard to the net for a rebound and just kind of arrival as an NHL player. The first goal. popped out to my stick. Yeah, nice bounce for me.”

Typically, the reaction when it arrives is unbridled joy; watching first-time Yup, sure was. Most importantly, he said the goal allowed him to relax goal scorers never gets old. The Bell Centre got to witness it twice and to “play freely.” He’s clearly been waiting for that feeling to arrive. against the Minnesota Wild, the first time that’s happened in Montreal It’s here, and that’s potentially important. since 2005 (Chris Higgins and Alexander Perezhogin) and the second time in a week it’s happened to the Wild. Go figure. One of the aspects of Suzuki’s game that needs polishing at the pro level is being more decisive and assertive when it comes to engaging in one- So, Nick Suzuki, you’ve been thinking about this forever, how did it feel to on-one battles. Claude Julien alluded to it last week. It’s one of the actually make it happen? reasons he was taken off Domi’s line and slotted alongside Nate “It seems like it’s been just on my mind a ton, it’s definitely nice to get it Thompson. out of the way,” he said. In the third period, Suzuki showed what a confidence boost can do for a Uh, OK. young player.

But seriously, watching an actual regulation NHL puck slide by an NHL Feast your eyes on this forecheck, and what follows: goalie and go into an official NHL net had to be really cool, right? It’s all there. The efficient route to the puck carrier, the anticipation, the “Definitely a relief, now I can settle down a little bit and get back to dangle, the puck protection, the understanding that he needs to wait for playing my game,” he said. “I felt a lot better after that. Just have to keep support. that going.” That’s an NHL play, a high-level one at that. Lest anyone be under the misapprehension Suzuki is joyless and Call it a microcosm of the increasing comfort level Suzuki said he’s incapable of savouring important moments, or that he’s lying his face off, developed over the past five days or so. know this: waiting six games before scoring in a new league is new for him. “The past three games have definitely been the best, I just want to keep building more confidence and building more chemistry with all these guys The last time he jumped circuits, from midget to the OHL, he notched his … day by day I’m getting more comfortable,” he said. first goal in the first period he played. It’s not a coincidence that Suzuki’s goal came one game after he was This is a player who expects to score, who recognizes that’s what he’s thrust into the third-line centre’s spot when Julien decided to bench supposed to do, and understands that if he’s going to stick around the Jesperi Kotkaniemi. NHL as more than a promising prospect with shaky job security, he needs for the round object to find twine regularly. Therein lies the significance of the milestone. Suzuki doesn’t lack belief in his ability, but the past couple of outings hint that he also has the Now that it has, he can afford to let himself look a little further down the adaptability that will be required for him to progress quickly. road. And so too should we. Suzuki’s challenge is to earn the coaches’ trust by showing growth in his But first, the goal itself was a full showcase of Suzuki’s skill: anticipation, game. On a team built around its forecheck and neutral-zone transition timing, footwork, hands — when Jeff Petry’s point shot caromed off plays, that last clip — and the spinning pass — will surely be tagged and Jason Zucker, he shaped to take the puck on his forehand but was able saved for posterity. to adjust seamlessly to slide a pinpoint backhand past Alex Stalock. Suzuki’s ticket to a permanent top-six role is to show he can make the Here’s what it looked like: sorts of plays he did against Minnesota on a regular basis. It’s possible But the most consequential part wasn’t the goal itself, it was two we’ll eventually look back on this week as the starting point of something moments that preceded it. And one sequence that followed. good from a player upon whom a lot will hinge in the future.

Suzuki featured on what is nominally the Canadiens’ second power-play It bears mention that Suzuki’s goal wasn’t the only moment of note on the unit against Minnesota but actually started as the first wave on their initial Night of Firsts at the Bell Centre. opportunities. Carey Price posted shutout No. 1 of the season; the Canadiens played The man-advantage is a specialty of Suzuki’s, who ended up having 60 minutes without giving up a power-play goal for the first time in 2018- what appeared to be a slightly expanded playmaking role with the 19; Nate Thompson logged the first fight of the season. addition of Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the mix. He’s looked comfortable on the Oh, and Victor Mete scored after failing to do so in his first 126 career man-advantage, but every so often one provides a reminder of his games. inexperience at the game’s top level. Mete has waited longer than all but five players in NHL history to score On the same shift where he would eventually score, Suzuki was slow to his first goal on the big stage, the roar that greeted it had playoff-level support Jeff Petry and it almost resulted in a short-handed chance for intensity behind it. Ryan Hartman. Soon after, he bobbled a simple pass from Tomas Tatar and followed it up with a giveaway. “It was cool,” he said. “The fans were probably waiting for that for a long time. So kind of give it to them here, the first goal, is pretty special.” Crucially, he made up for the miscue immediately. Unfortunately, the camera angle doesn’t do justice to just how slick a play he made when The contrast with Suzuki was interesting. Domi fired a pass up the boards on the regroup. Take it from someone who saw it head-on, it was great. Whereas the latter has clearly been thinking a lot about getting in the goal column, Mete has been doing his best to shut it out entirely; his Under pressure from a fast-closing Brad Hunt, Suzuki glides forward focus is on being up to par defensively — “I just kind of go into every before abruptly, yet subtly, fading back in the other direction to give game the exact same way I do every night, so I don’t lose focus and just focus on playing good, playing hard. And when an opportunity comes like that, if I can kind of pounce on it, then I will. but if not, if I don’t get chances in that game, then I need to play solid.”

Mete is only a year older than Suzuki, but they’ve known each other for a half-decade; both attended Blyth Academy in London, Ont.

And when Mete scored on a gorgeous slapshot to put Montreal on the board, Suzuki had one thought.

“It was awesome,” he said. “When I saw Vic and how crazy they went, I was kind of talking to myself and saying, ‘I want to be the next one.’ Yeah, the building went nuts.”

When the two first met, Suzuki was a grade 10 student who was hoping to be drafted into the OHL, Mete was a grade 11 pupil and already a member of the big-man-on-campus London Knights.

“They didn’t pay too much attention to us, maybe, but we always crossed paths,” Suzuki said. “I was heading into the my OHL year, and always tried to get in touch with these guys to ask them questions.”

Speaking of southwestern Ontario, Suzuki’s parents were on hand for his first NHL game in Carolina but father Rob had to content himself to watch his son’s first professional tally via live stream.

While sitting in the stands at another hockey game.

“That sounds like him,” the younger Suzuki said. “He never misses a game, really. He finds a way to watch … we usually have two TVs set up in our living room. If both of us are playing, he usually likes to stay at home and watch both of us at the same time.”

The news tidbit about his dad might have elicited a bigger postgame smile than reliving the goal.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157661 Nashville Predators Tennessean LOADED: 10.19.2019

Predators hear boos, decide to take pedal tavern off ice at Bridgestone Arena

Paul Skrbina, Nashville TennesseanPublished 6:00 a.m. CT Oct. 18, 2019 | Updated 3:48 p.m. CT Oct. 18, 2019

When it came to the pedal tavern, many Predators fans brought their own boos.

The Predators heard those boos directed at the between-periods ride that raised money for the 365 Fund and will repurpose the pedal tavern into a real tavern that serves booze and still raises money for charity, a source told the Tennessean.

The gimmick, which allowed fans to purchase a ride on the ice during an intermission, lasted four games and was mocked by many both inside the arena and on social media. It will be removed from the ice beginning with Saturday’s game against the Panthers and will instead reside in the plaza at Bridgestone Arena as a bar.

"You should be thanking us for taking one off the street," Predators president and CEO Sean Henry said playfully in response to a tweet. "Those that complain about them have they done the same for society? Every time you see this on the ice, means one less can be in front of your car! Now we need to figure out how to have scooter skiers off the back."

While the pedal tavern’s life on the ice at Bridgestone was short-lived, a few other changes before and during games also have taken place.

You should be thanking us for taking one off the street. Those that complain about them have they done the same for society? Every time you see this on the ice, means one less can be in front of your car! Now we need to figure out how to have scooter skiers off the back

— PREDSident (@PREDSident) October 8, 2019

Perhaps the most notable is the Predators’ new power-play song, Dierks Bentley’s “5-1-5-0,” with a bit of a twist. Bentley, a Predators fan, wrote custom the lyrics for the Predators:

“Sit your booty down bro

We’re going crazy, that power play baby

5-1-5-0 Bridgestone going loco

Preds going crazy, that power play baby”

The Predators finished last in the league on the power play last season and auditioned several songs to replace the former power play song, “Party Up (Up in Here)” by DMX during preseason games at Bridgestone.

“We use the phrase, 'Only in Smashville,’ and our new power-play song is just another example of that," Henry said. "Dierks is an artist who lives here, is a big fan of the team and supports everything we do, so it was natural to partner with him to create something that was different and a lot of fun. We said during the offseason we were going to revamp every part of our power play, from the product on the ice to how we celebrate it, and used our fans’ feedback to create this.”

That, Henry said, is also why the team made the decision to ditch the pedal tavern — at least on the ice.

“We have the best fans in all of sports, and the reason we have such a great relationship with our fans is that we start initiatives because of them, help bring their ideas to life and make them better with their input," he said. "This being the ‘Year of the Fan,’ we listened to their feedback on the tavern, while still using it to raise money for the 365 Fund.”

The Predators also began showing the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Champ of the Game during the first period, in which a hospitalized child is shown live on the scoreboard cheering on the Predators inside Bridgestone.

Also, as part of "Year of the Fan" promotion, the team will show seven introduction videos, starting with its youngest fans and working its way toward fans who have been season ticket holders since the beginning of the franchise. 1157662 New Jersey Devils Hughes said. “What it allows you to do is work on your creativity, work on your mind and work on your hands and your skill sets. Then, most importantly, because they had so much fun, you’re going up and down a tennis court 200, 300 times a night, so the skating, the skating, the Another N.H.L. First for Jack Hughes: A Game Against His Brother skating, the cutting, the maneuvering.”

Ellen often dropped Jack off at the outdoor rink for long afternoons of pickup games. He always wanted to play, even if he had Greater Toronto By Joe Lemire Hockey League games later in the day. Ellen said she acquiesced, so Oct. 19, 2019, 12:30 a.m. ET long as he remained a good teammate. She would sharpen his skates between sessions and drop him off at league games with a conspiratorial reminder: “Don’t tell anyone you were on the ice for the last three hours.”

The Devils’ Jack Hughes, the No. 1 draft pick in June, is only 18 years Hughes is listed at only 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds and is universally old and has yet to score an N.H.L. goal, but his background has already praised for his exceptional on-ice vision and skating ability. John been spun into hockey folklore. Wroblewski, his coach the past two years, praised Hughes for “his edge work and then his bravery within that speed game” — a maximum-effort His hockey education can be traced to scouting trips to see prospects commitment on every game shift and practice drill. alongside his father, Jim, who led player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009 to 2015. Jack and his brothers, Quinn and Luke, Dan Ninkovich, a fitness trainer who has worked with Hughes for five would watch N.H.L. games and pepper their father with questions about years, compared the way the youngster changed directions while this play and that formation, keeping the DVR active and extending the handling the puck to a crossover dribble in basketball. He even length of games by hours. nicknamed Hughes “Allen,” in honor of the former N.B.A. point guard Allen Iverson. The family held fantasy-style player drafts. Jack would often ask his father hypotheticals like, “Would you trade this guy, Dad, for this guy?” Devils left wing Taylor Hall first shared the ice with Hughes two years ago and was struck by the teenager’s precocious technique. Jack’s mother, Ellen, a former member of the United States national hockey team, taught the boys to skate. “I didn’t know who he was, and we were just doing a summer skill skate,” said Hall, the No. 1 pick of the 2010 draft and the 2018 Hart Trophy The appetite for and interest in hockey were present early on, dating to winner as the N.H.L.’s most valuable player. “He’s a pretty slender kid, Jim’s two seasons as a Boston Bruins assistant coach, when Quinn was obviously small.” 3 and Jack not quite 2. When Ellen took them to the arena, both watched attentively. Jack, in particular, sat mesmerized, without any of the But Hall said he could see the skills and the skating ability. “I just asked, fidgeting one would expect from a toddler. ‘Who is that?’” he added.

“He would just sit in the Babybjörn with me, or he’d sit in his own chair Hall tracked Hughes’s progress, observing an increase in strength that and just watch. He literally would have a bucket of popcorn in his lap, and will help the teen’s shot. Having become Hughes’s teammate and locker- he’d just sit. And he would watch,” Ellen said, before adding with a laugh: room neighbor this summer, Hall praised his game play, off-ice conduct “Now, I never thought that was weird then. But looking back on it, I’m like, and weight room work ethic. ‘Wow, that was a little odd.’” Devils General Manager Ray Shero said Hughes had earned his way On Saturday, Quinn and Jack Hughes can create another story to tell onto the roster in training camp, making it “apparent where he could fit in years from now: They will play against each other for the first time as our lineup and complement some other players.” The modern N.H.L. professionals, Jack’s Devils hosting Quinn’s Canucks. emphasizes offensive skill over brute physicality, a shift from the Devils’ championship era in the 1990s and early 2000s. At the N.H.L. draft this summer, Jack Hughes, a center, led a cohort of eight first-round picks and 17 total selections from the U.S.A. Hockey Shero became the Devils’ general manager in May 2015, after the first of National Team Development Program, where he smashed the record for three straight seasons in which the team finished seventh or last in the career points. He finished with 228 points, 39 clear of second place, eight-team Metropolitan Division. The Devils reached the first round of besting players who became N.H.L. stars, such as the Blackhawks’ the playoffs during the 2017-18 season before falling back to last place Patrick Kane, the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews and the Sabres’ Jack last season. Eichel. Shero has preached patience during the franchise’s rebuilding years, Quinn, who turned 20 on Monday, was the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft crediting the team’s managing partners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, for and is still technically a rookie, like his younger brother. A defenseman, their willingness to stick with that plan and also noting the success of the he made his N.H.L. debut last March, playing five games for Vancouver arduous “Process” followed by Harris and Blitzer’s N.B.A. team, the after starring at the U.S.A. Hockey development program and then Philadelphia 76ers. But winning the draft lottery and landing Hughes attending the University of Michigan for a year. (Luke, a 16-year-old somewhat “accelerates” the process, Shero said. defenseman, is now in the development program.) In his first seven N.H.L. games, Hughes has collected only one point — “Now we’re just parents watching this all unfold,” Ellen Hughes said, an assist on Thursday night against the Rangers. But he netted three adding, “I would prefer not to have two sons enter their rookie seasons preseason goals in five games, including two in his debut and a the same year.” breakaway score against Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Such moments serve as reminders why fans of several downtrodden hockey Though American by birth, the Hughes brothers spent their formative franchises adopted the #LoseForHughes hashtag last year. years in suburban Toronto. “He has his own level of expectations,” Jim Hughes said of Jack. “It Jack gave up his bedroom to let William Nylander, a 2014 first-round pick wasn’t weekend expectations. It’s an all-the-time thing. It’s practice and by the Leafs, board at the family house for a few weeks. The brothers practice and practice hard, practice fast. That stuff carries into the played late-night hockey on ice inside the barn of the retired Leafs star games.” Wendel Clark. New York Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 Jim and Ellen Hughes said they emphasized open-ended play over scheduled lessons.

The local tennis courts at Wedgewood Park were flooded for wintertime hockey, becoming a key site for shinny, or street hockey, that the Hugheses called O.D.R. for “outdoor rink.” There, they played sprawling 15-on-15 games devoid of line changes, requiring imagination and vision to find space.

“The closest analogy I can use would be basketball in Queens or the Bronx or Brooklyn, where they’re just playing in the schoolyard,” Jim 1157663 New Jersey Devils The start of the third period mirrored a couple of the Devils’ past defeats this season. They led 3-1 entering the frame after successfully closing out a scoreless second period, but the Rangers pounced for a quick goal to pull within 3-2 less than three minutes into the final period. How Devils pieced together 1st win of season by downing Rangers | 4 takeaways In past games, that’s where things snowballed. The tying goal — and possibly even the winner — soon followed. But that didn’t happen Thursday.

Updated Oct 18, 2019; Posted Oct 18, 2019 The Devils got that key penalty kill, and while they weren’t able to cash in on an ensuing power play, Gusev jumped on a turnover just as the game By Chris Ryan went back to 5-on-5, and he delivered the Devils’ fourth goal for some valuable cushion.

It was bound to happen eventually. The Devils were going to get in the Mackenzie Blackwood came up with big saves when needed win column, and when it came Thursday against the Rangers, it was the No matter what the Devils’ skaters do, there are going to be parts of any result of the Devils taking things into their own control. game where they need their goalie to make saves to bail them out. Following their 0-4-2 start leading into Thursday, the Devils saw some Thursday wasn’t Blackwood’s cleanest effort, with a few rebounds getting key changes happen on the ice that allowed them to celebrate a 5-2 away from him over the course of the night, but he came through with a victory. few crucial stops when the team needed them.

No passengers His biggest of the night came on a Rangers power play in the second period, with the Devils up 2-1. Following a cross-ice pass, Blackwood P.K. Subban and Blake Coleman both expressed the same sentiment. fully extended his right leg to make a skate save at the right post. The From the opening puck drop until the final horn on Thursday, all 18 effort pushed the puck away from danger and knocked the net off its skaters and one goalie were on the same page. They all played with the moorings, stopping play. The Devils regrouped and successfully killed same purpose and composure, and it led to a drastically different result the rest of the penalty. for the Devils. “He was strong. I thought he looked confident. He made himself big, he “I’m not really sure what the numbers were but it seemed that we won a made some key saves at key times,” Coleman said. “And obviously that’s ton of battles and then when we didn’t, we worked so hard to get the another key part of the penalty kill, when you get good goaltending, it puck back, and I think I was a difference in the game,” Subban said. “We makes everybody look good. He’s a big body and big presence, and if talk about Xs and Os, but I think our tenacity on the puck and resiliency he’s on his game, it gives you that extra support and that feeling of that if we lost the puck or made a mistake, to get back and make a play, confidence. He did his job." was the difference in the game.” Star Ledger LOADED: 10.19.2019 Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Only 35 minutes of the game were played at 5-on-5, with penalties popping up all night, and the Rangers held the shot attempt advantage at even strength. But with the Devils leading in the third period, they kept their foot on the gas, out-attempting the Rangers 12-11 in the final 20 minutes. They got an insurance goal from Nikita Gusev and an empty netter from Subban as a result.

“We didn’t have any passengers tonight,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “If you go through the lineup, I think the competitive battles, the areas that we’ve struggled, the puck management, some of those decisions, they were pretty good tonight. More consistent throughout the lineup and that’s something that we haven’t had. We had more consistency through our play.”

Special teams showed up

For the first time this season, the Devils won both battles on special teams. They netted their elusive first power-play goal to take the lead for good early in the second period, and a busy night for penalty kill ended with a 6-for-6 effort — a vast improvement for a unit that entered the game 12-for-21 with an NHL-low 57.1 percent kill rate.

That included a key kill with a one-goal lead in the third period after the Devils unsuccessfully challenged a goalie interference call on a Taylor Hall goal that would have pushed the score to 4-2. Hynes made the decision to challenge the play, knowing a good goal could seal the victory, but he had the trust in his penalty killers to hold on to the advantage.

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So what was different about the penalty kill? The Devils were still without their top PK defenseman in Andy Greene, who missed his fourth straight game with an injury. But the rest of the players limited the Rangers to 10 shot attempts and four scoring chances while generating three of their own scoring chances.

“That’s our M.O. We’ve gotten away from it for whatever reason these first few games here, but tonight, that’s New Jersey Devils penalty killing,” forward Blake Coleman said. “That’s what we expect every game, and we’ve set the bar now. We know what to expect from ourselves, and we put our foot in the sand, so to speak.”

No folding under pressure 1157664 New Jersey Devils

Behind Jack Hughes’ 1st NHL point with the Devils

Updated Oct 18, 2019; Posted Oct 18, 2019

By Chris Ryan

From the way Jack Hughes reacted, Blake Coleman thought the rookie had his first NHL goal.

“I saw him celly pretty hard," Coleman said. "So I thought he had something to do with it.”

Hughes thought so, too. His deflection of a Matt Tennyson shot during the second period went into traffic at the crease and bounced into net, and the Devils’ 2019 No. 1 overall pick celebrated accordingly. So did Miles Wood, who was at the net and got his body on the puck to direct it into goal.

So Hughes was ultimately credited with his first career NHL point, coming on an assist on the Devils’ third goal in a 5-2 victory over the Rangers on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark.

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Hughes is still searching for that first goal, but now seven games into his career, he’s got his name on the scoresheet.

“It’s really nice to be on the board. More at ease in my head now to get on the board,” Hughes said. "So it’s special obviously, and hopefully it’ll start to come a little bit more.

“Seven out of 10 times I kind of float to the wall. I wouldn’t really go to the front net, so maybe I’ll start to go to the front of the net more.”

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While Hughes knew he got a piece of the initial shot to get the assist, it wasn’t clear to everyone else at first. When the goal was announced to the sellout crowd at The Rock, it was credited to Wood with the lone assist going to Tennyson.

But Hughes’ name quickly popped up on the scoresheet with the primary assist, and he was later shown on the video board hanging above center ice, with his first NHL point announced to the crowd.

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban also saw Hughes tip the shot, so he knew the point was locked in. Amid the celebration, the defenseman alertly grabbed the puck and brought it to the Devils’ bench.

“When he gets his 1,500th point, I hope he remembers who got him the puck on his first point,” Subban laughed. “He’s going to get a ton of points in this league and he’s going to do extremely well. He’s 18 years old, it’s hard to believe, and he’s gonna be just fine. He’s working hard and comes into the rink every day with a smile on his face and that’s all you can ask. You just come with your energy and learn and have fun.”

The points haven’t piled up early in Hughes’ career, but he and others pointed to his game trending upward as the season got underway. Now with one to Hughes’ name, the Devils anticipate many more to follow as his rookie campaign continues.

“He’s a guy that’s grown up and he’s been able to produce points that will basically," Devils coach John Hynes said. "And now he’s come into the NHL and I think he’s understood some things, but his work ethic hasn’t varied. He’s gotten better and better every game. He’s gotten more comfortable, and we knew he would adjust. I think the biggest thing out of that is we’re certainly happy he got his first point. It’s well deserved. But the way he’s gone about the process to do it is something that we’re really excited about.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157665 New Jersey Devils player chosen after him in the draft, and the Rangers on national TV on Thursday night.

Everyone wanted to know what it was like to face Kakko. It was nothing NJ Devils Jack Hughes set to face brother Quinn and Vancouver special, he said. It was just Devils vs. Rangers, not Jack vs. Kaapo. Canucks He earned his first point in the game, putting his mind at ease and proving to himself and everyone else that he was capable of delivering in big moments. Abbey Mastracco, NHL writerPublished 3:18 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019 “Everything has gotten better,” coach John Hynes said. “His maturity level off the ice has gotten better. His understanding within the team and understanding how you have to take care of yourself and just how NEWARK — There was a story going around Vancouver back in June. A professional this league is.” few years before the 2019 NHL Draft, New Jersey Devils’ general manager Ray Shero and assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald had In a year full of firsts, this will be one of the more meaningful for Jack, but been watching their friend Jim Hughes’ kids play hockey. it’s ultimately just another game for the unflappable Hughes. The one person it may not be a normal game for? Their mother, Ellen. Fitzgerald turned to Shero and said, “I knew Jimmy’s kids were good, but I didn’t know they were that good.” “I don’t think my mom will want us on the ice together playing against each other,” Jack joked. “But I think they’ll be really proud.” Looking back on the story, all Shero and Fitzgerald could do was laugh. Quinn Hughes’ face adorned banners throughout Rogers Arena, the site Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2019 of the 2019 draft. The seventh overall pick one year prior, Quinn played five games with the Canucks last season and was already living up to his billing as a franchise cornerstone.

Hughes was the man of the weekend, the first overall pick and the most highly-touted pick since Auston Matthews.

Jimmy’s kids were, in fact, that good. The oldest two, Quinn and Jack, will meet for the first time as NHL players Saturday afternoon at Prudential Center, when the Devils host the Canucks.

“It will be something we dreamed of,” Hughes said. “Anytime you get to play your brother, it’s a lot of fun.”

The two both played for the U.S. National Team Development program and have obviously played against one another while training. Jack wouldn’t say who got the better of who, only saying, “Who do you think?” But he did say the two have battled pretty hard in summer practices.

Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers skates against Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during the second period at the Prudential Center on October 17, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.

“I did it all summer with him,” Hughes said. “I’m sure the only difference will be that I’m in an NHL jersey.”

Last year, they played against one another in a game for the first time in years. Quinn was playing at Michigan and the USNTDP, which is based in Plymouth, Michigan, had their under-20 program play the Wolverines in an exhibition game.

Jack described the atmosphere as “pretty crazy” but what was even crazier was that they had Quinn, a defenseman, take the opening faceoff against his brother.

“It was weird,” Hughes said. “I’m sure that won’t happen again. I don’t think (Canucks coach Travis Green) would like that too much.”

If Jack seems unfazed by the whole thing, it’s probably because he is. He’s been unfazed by just about everything since he’s come into the league. He might only be 18, but sometimes his own teammates have to remind themselves that he’s still a teenager.

“Sometimes you forget about it and then you look at him and you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s 18.’” Devils captain Andy Greene said. “He’s very easygoing and outgoing. He likes to joke around and be in the mix there and that’s good.”

Boyish looks aside, he’s been a pro on the ice since training camp. New Jersey is 1-4-2 to start the season, with their first win coming Thursday night against the Rangers.

There was a learning curve and Hughes is still learning that sometimes his skilled plays in the USHL won’t work in the NHL. His minutes have been managed and he’s been sheltered from certain players and certain lines.

He could have been frustrated. But Greene said he came to work every day seeking answers as to how to get better and how to help the team win.

Jack is used to the spotlight by now and it will dim a little bit next week, but this week all of the attention was on him. He faced Kaapo Kakko, the 1157666 New Jersey Devils

NJ Devils and Nico Hischier agree on seven-year contract extension

Abbey Mastracco, NHL writerPublished 3:46 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019 | Updated 4:21 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

NEWARK — The New Jersey Devils reached a contract extension with Nico Hischier, the team announced on Friday. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN was the first to report the deal was imminent.

Hischier, a 20-year-old center out of Brig, , is in the final year of his entry-level contract. The Devils are signing him to a seven-year, $50.75 million contract with an average annual value of $7.25 million.

The first No. 1 overall draft pick in franchise history in 2017, Hischier was an instant boost to the Devils’ lineup as a rookie.

Centering a line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, he scored 20 goals and assisted on 32, playing all 82 regular season games and all five postseason games. Even when the Devils’ production dropped off last season, Hischier’s did not. He put up 30 points in his sophomore season, skating with a rotating cast of characters and holding together an injury- depleted lineup.

A $7.25 million AAV deal for Hischier puts him in the realm of other centers like St. Louis’ Ryan O'Reilly ($7.5 million ), Boston’s David Krejci ($7.25) and Philadelphia’s Kevin Hayes ($7,142,857 million).

A first-round pick should be a franchise cornerstone but this contract says Hischier’s value is similar to veteran centermen and that his impact on the team is just as great. O’Reilly and Krejci both helped their respective teams to the Stanley Cup Final last season and the former won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player.

The Devils view him long-term as a dynamic, two-way center. This season he’s been deployed to play defense against top lines and he’s killed penalties. Should the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Hischier end up as good or better than those other centers, this contract could end up looking like a bargain.

Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157667 New Jersey Devils “We have not overreacted internally to what is going on,” Hynes said. “Sometimes you don’t like the results but you’ve got to stay with it. Eventually, they learn, they understand it, they begin to hold themselves accountable to certain situations and tonight was an example of that. Message received: The differences NJ Devils made in win over Rangers “But it’s one.”

Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2019 Abbey Mastracco, North Jersey RecordPublished 5:46 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

NEWARK — With the Devils down 1-0 to the Rangers in the first period on Thursday night at Prudential Center, Blake Coleman had three defenders closing in on him in the New York zone. His first instinct was to hang on to the puck and pass it up top to start a play.

“I was maybe looking for one extra play or maybe looking to make a tight pass through some spaces that maybe are too tight to make,” Coleman said. “But I’ve got to get back to my north-south game and getting pucks on net.”

So instead, he just went for it. Coleman just shot it.

It went off the mask of Alexandar Georgiev and through his five-hole, tying the game.

This is exactly what the coaching staff wanted to see. After six games of fancy but failed plays, the staff spent the week trying to get the Devils to simplify their approach. The message was received, as New Jersey downed their Hudson River Rivals 5-2 for their first win of the season.

“We weren’t just trying to shoot to score every time,” coach John Hynes said. “We were shooting for rebounds. There was a purpose to what we were doing.”

Ever since the Devils blew a 4-0 lead to the Winnipeg Jets in the season- opening contest fans have been calling for John Hynes’ head. Lou Lamoriello conditioned the fanbase to think coaches are disposable and teams are built overnight. Lamoriello was masterful in executing his vision and the success of a Hall-of-Famer isn’t being debated, but the Devils have a new regime in place running the show in a new era. Firing the coach doesn’t solve all that ails a team.

It’s clear the organization values Hynes. They didn’t place the blame for a dismal start on the systems and structures Hynes runs. And they didn’t blame the uninspired play on him either, but they did bring in assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald to help do some inspiring of his own, among other things.

What does solve problems is an aggressive penalty kill, much like the one displayed by New Jersey on Thursday night, winning puck battles and execution during tense moments of the game.

Oct 17, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Miles Wood (44) celebrates his goal during the second period of their game against the New York Rangers at Prudential Center.

“Tonight was basically every scenario we’ve gone through throughout the year,” Hynes said. “We came from behind, we actually held a lead, both sets of special teams played well and we got a very good performance from Mackenzie Blackwood. It’s one of those ones where, when you’re going to get out of a rut or tough situations, you kind of need all of those things to click.

“Tonight, they did.”

They clicked because the Devils worked hard to make them click. They were strong on pucks, they played fast and physical and yes, simple.

“I felt that when we did make plays, it was the right time to make plays,” defenseman P.K. Subban said. “We weren’t forcing them and trying to make plays that weren’t there. We worked hard to create that space to open up other plays. And I think that was the difference between this game and a few games before. We didn’t work hard enough to generate that separation from a checker or our defense partner or a winger forechecking.

But the Devils aren’t out of the woods just yet. It’s one win. It could end up being meaningless in the grand scheme of things if the Devils don’t string together a few more. Hynes’ job is safe and so is general manager Ray Shero’s, but like Shero said, it’s up to the players to keep them safe. 1157668 New Jersey Devils

Devils give Nico Hischier a big raise with 7-year, $50.75M extension

By Michael BlinnOctober 18, 2019 | 4:50PM

The New Jersey Devils locked up one of their young stars for the long term.

Nico Hischier signed a seven-year contract extension Friday worth $50.75 million, with an annual average value of $7.25 million. That number represents a sizable increase from his rookie contract worth $925,000 per season, which runs through this season. The 20-year-old is now under contract through 2026-27.

“We are all excited to get ahead of the process and be able to come to a deal with Nico and his team that’s beneficial for both sides,” Devils general manager Ray Shero said, via press release. “At a young age he’s established himself in the League as a driver of 5-on-5 play and can thrive in all situations.

“He’s developed into a top-end, complete center not only with what he does with the puck, but just as important, his play away from the puck. Nico will be a big part of this organization moving forward and we are excited for his continual growth.”

Hischier, the top pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is a valuable two-way forward that the Devils expect to be a franchise cornerstone along with 2019 top pick Jack Hughes.

In his rookie season of 2017-18, Hischier posted 20 goals and 52 points. He was on his way to improving those totals as a sophomore, but finished with 17 goals and 47 points in 69 games while battling injuries. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Swiss pivot has two assists in six games in 2019-20.

Having Hischier under contract for the long haul could help Shero signal to Taylor Hall that the team is committed to being a Stanley Cup contender. The 2018 MVP, who can become a free agent after this season, continues to work out his future with the team.

New York Post LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157669 New Jersey Devils Roy talked to The Athletic in June about how all of those deals from the 2019 RFA class would have an impact on where Hischier’s contract ended up.

Why Nico Hischier’s new mega-contract with the Devils is a big win for “The short-term deals ended up sort of where I thought they would end both sides up,” Roy said. “I’m not going to name names, but there were one, maybe two of the longer-term deals that I thought could have ended up at a little higher number, because that makes our job more challenging. But, really, by a week or two weeks ago we knew what the market looked like.” By Corey Masisak Oct 18, 2019 Hischier’s deal has the highest average annual value ($7.25 million per

season) for any pending RFA coming off an entry-level contract who One of the two cornerstone players who need a new contract for next signed for seven years. There aren’t a lot of guys who have signed for season is going to be with the Devils for a long time. seven years in the salary cap era. Hischier got more per year than Kyle Connor with the Jets and Samuel Girard with the Avalanche, and going Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, signed a seven-year, back a few years, more than his teammate Taylor Hall (seven years, $42 $50.75 million deal Friday with New Jersey, committing to the franchise million) and Nathan MacKinnon (seven years, $44.1 million). Both of through the 2026-27 season. The deal was first reported by The those guys were also No. 1 picks. Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun. Before the most recent CBA negotiations, players could sign much longer Hischier, 20, was set to be a restricted free agent July 1, 2020, but there contracts. The maximum is now set at eight years with the current team will be no late drama for him and the Devils like there was for so many and seven years with a new one. Roy explained why getting a deal done RFAs this past offseason. He has 37 goals and 101 points in 157 career for seven years, not eight, was important for Hischier. games. His present-day value goes beyond the goals and points, and his future value could far exceed what the Devils agreed to pay him. “As his agent, I’d much rather see Nico as a UFA at 28 (years old) than 29,” Roy said. “It sounds trivial to some people, but I like that age more to The Swiss native became the fifth high-profile member of the 2020 RFA go to UFA. And who knows, maybe by then he re-signs with New Jersey class to sign a new contract becoming eligible July 1, 2019. He joins and never leaves. That was an important deal on our part. We didn’t want defensemen Thomas Chabot and Samuel Girard and forwards Clayton to do eight (years), not because of the Devils or anything other than just Keller and Alex DeBrincat in the “got this out of the way early” club. trying to keep the player’s value.”

“I think it speaks volumes of what Nico thinks of the Devils and where the As the league gets younger and younger, a player reaching his early 30s team is going with some of the moves that Ray (Shero) has made in the ends up with something akin to a scarlet letter. Teams are signing star last year or so,” said Hischier’s agent, Alain Roy. “I think that has a lot to players to huge deals in their late 20s knowing the back end of the do it. And I think Nico is a very loyal guy. They picked Nico first when contract could be problematic, but the hope is that the front end proves they could have selected other guys, and they gave Nico a chance to be fruitful enough to be worth it. We don’t know what the contract restrictions a star in New Jersey. Nico is the type of guy who remembers that, and it will be when the CBA is renegotiated, but Hischier will have two seasons didn’t become as much about the money as it did the situation. He felt before he turns 30. comfortable in that situation for seven years.” Hischier doesn’t turn 21 until January, but he’s already one of the top Here’s how their deals stack up: young two-way players in the league. He became a No. 1 center for a playoff team at 18, and Hall credited Hischier for helping him claim the Player, team Years Total dollars Cap hit Hart Trophy in 2018. Thomas Chabot, Senators 8 $64M $8M His value shows up in statistics beyond goals and points. He’s third Nico Hischier, Devils 7 $50.75M $7.25M among Devils forwards with at least 100 games since the start of 2017- 18 in Corsi For percentage, second in goals-for percentage and fourth in Clayton Keller, Coyotes 8 $57.2M $7.15M expected-goals-for percentage (all of those are at even strength).

Samuel Girard, Avalanche 7 $35M $5M He’s also one of the league’s top forwards at drawing penalties (45) and Alex DeBrincat, Blackhawks 3 $19.2M $6.4M penalty differential because he’s taken 13 minors in 157 games, according to Natural Stat Trick. There were two trends to watch with the most recent RFA class. One was how many players waited well beyond July 1 and even into training Hischier is 21st in the league since 2017-18 in Goals Above camp before signing a deal. William Nylander went right up to the in- Replacement, according to Evolving-Hockey. He’s just behind Mitch season Dec. 1 deadline the year before. Marner and Ryan O’Reilly, and just ahead of such centers as Patrice Bergeron, Leon Draisaitl and Mathew Barzal. The other theme was shorter contracts. Many of the top RFAs took shorter deals, bucking a long trend that saw teams lock up their key He’s already a very valuable player and projects to be that for a long young players with long pacts. Here were the top deals from the 2019 time. Here is what The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn projects his value to class (and Nylander, who was part of the 2018 group): be over the life of the contract:

Player, team Years Total dollars Cap hit Hischier’s contract includes a $3 million signing bonus in the first year. It also has a 10-team no-trade clause that kicks in for the final three Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs 5 $58.17M $11.634M seasons of the deal. Here is the full year-by-year breakdown, first reported by Chris Johnston from Sportsnet. Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs 6 $65.538M $10.893M BREAKDOWN OF NICO HISCHIER'S $50.75M, SEVEN-YEAR Mikko Rantanen, Avalanche 6 $55.5M $9.25M EXTENSION WITH #NJDEVILS:

Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes 5 $42.27M $8.454M $3M SB/$4M SALARY

Kyle Connor, Jets 7 $50M $7.143M $7.25M SALARY

Matthew Tkachuk, Flames 3 $21M $7M $4.5M SALARY

William Nylander, Maple Leafs 6 $41.77M $6.962M $7.75M SALARY

Patrik Laine, Jets 2 $13.5M $6.75M $7.75M SALARY

Ivan Provorov, Flyers 6 $40.5M $6.75M $8M SALARY

Brayden Point, Lightning 3 $20.25M $6.75M $8.5M SALARY

— CHRIS JOHNSTON (@REPORTERCHRIS) OCTOBER 18, 2019 The slight dip in actual salary in Year 3 is some protection against a potential lockout that season. Other players did take shorter deals with the upcoming CBA negotiations and a new U.S. television contract on their minds, but Hischier’s sense of loyalty — and the two sides’ ability to align on the compensation — made this deal possible months before any sort of clock started ticking and applying pressure to get it done.

For Hischier, it’s $50 million of security and the confirmation that he will be a key member of New Jersey’s core for a long time. For the Devils, one huge piece of business gets done well in advance of the offseason, and now the other huge pending free agent — Hall — knows that Hischier is going to be here. They also lock in a two-way center who could mature into a Selke Trophy candidate and a key leader in the dressing room (while also being a potentially great offensive player, too).

“It has to fit with the player and his personality,” Roy said. “Some guys want to do the three-year deal, and I think a lot of people are banking on the new TV contract and revenues to go up quite a bit. Maybe there is a big pop. We are all hoping there is a big pop. At the end of the day, I’ve seen a lot of quotes from (David) Pastrnak in Boston. His quotes are always, ‘This is what made me happy. I’m perfectly fine with my contract.’ As an agent, the player drives the boat. You bring him all of the information and the pluses and minuses, but they are the final decision maker.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157670 New York Islanders

Mathew Barzal continues to show his importance to Islanders

By Andrew Gross

Updated October 18, 2019 5:52 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Paul Maurice was trying to pay the Islanders a compliment, indicating how they stifled opponents defensively with their “heavy” style.

But when the Jets coach said, “they’ve got a high-end offensive line. They’ve got almost three checking lines and an offensive line,” he also spoke the truth of top-line center Mathew Barzal’s absolute importance to any Islanders’ success.

Barzal scored two goals, one on the power play, in Thursday night’s come-from-behind 3-1 win at Winnipeg. The Islanders (4-3-0), who have won three straight, conclude their two-game road trip on Saturday night against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. They had Friday off.

“I’m just trying to shoot a little bit more,” said Barzal, who has three goals and three assists and has been urged by Barry Trotz since the coach took the job last season to have more of a shoot-first mentality. His goal with 17.0 seconds left in the second period on Thursday to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead came as he kept the puck on a two-on-one rush.

Barzal, 22, connected on two of his three shots against the Jets. Center Brock Nelson is the team-leader with 22 shots but Barzal is second with 18 after finishing fourth last season with 179 and fifth with 170 as a rookie in 2017-18 when he won the Calder Trophy with 22 goals and 63 assists.

And after being on the ice for just one of the Islanders’ first nine goals this season, Barzal has been on the ice for six of the Islanders’ eight goals over the last three games as he’s notched three goals and two assists.

That includes four goals skating five-on-five, one on the power play and one in a three-on-three overtime.

“I’m just trying to get the puck and trying to play my game,” Barzal said. “I’ve got good linemates. I’m trying to feed them a little bit as well. The chemistry has been pretty good.”

Barzal has been with captain Anders Lee since the season opener and they’ve been joined the last two games by right wing Tom Kuhnhackl with Jordan Eberle out with a lower-body injury.

One intriguing possibility if Eberle remains out for a longer stretch might be elevating rookie Oliver Wahlstrom, the 11th overall pick in 2018, to Barzal’s line. Wahlstrom has played his first two NHL games since his recall from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on ’s third line and has shown both a knack for unleashing quick wrist shots and for getting to the crease.

“There’s no agenda,” Trotz said. “I’ll put [Wahlstrom] with people that will support him and where he might fit and his play will dictate whether he goes up or down the lineup.”

Barzal and Wahlstrom played on different power-play units the last two games. The Islanders are 4-for-12 overall on the man advantage but have gotten just three opportunities in the last three games.

“We’ve got to find a way to draw more penalties,” left wing Josh Bailey said.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157671 New York Islanders This season, Lee and Eberle are firmly entrenched with Barzal on the top line. Nelson, Bailey and a rotating cast of wingers have formed more of a matchup line, especially with Cizikas missing the last four. Nelson’s 47.7 faceoff win percentage is right around his career average, but he’s on The origins of #Brocktober, and how Brock Nelson keeps the hot starts pace to take almost 1,500 faceoffs this season — he’s taken 75 over the rolling last three games.

And he’s still got some traditional #Brocktober in him. Take Monday’s rally over the Blues: Nelson snapped off a sharp-angle shot that caught By Arthur Staple Oct 18, 2019 Jordan Binnington by surprise in the third, getting the comeback started. Nelson also leads the Isles with 22 shots on goal, the best pace of his career. WINNIPEG — Are you familiar with #Brocktober? “Honestly, there’s just some times of the year you feel really good,” Lee “Oh, yeah,” Anders Lee said. “It’s a thing.” said. “Sometimes it’s a good January. Brock seems to feel it right off the hop and it’s huge for us, especially now. How much he’s helped us win The annual hashtag celebration of Brock Nelson’s consistently good first games. He doesn’t need any of that breaking into the season, he’s firing month of the NHL season has only four games left, so this may not be a right away.” legendary #Brocktober by Nelson’s high standards. He’s tied for the team lead with three goals through seven games, so he’d need a bit of a run Now, while Lee and certainly a few other Islanders are well aware of here to break his personal #Brocktober record of six, set in 2014-15 and #Brocktober — the social media movement, not the actual on-ice matched last year. success — Nelson claimed to be only vaguely aware.

But Nelson’s responsibilities under Barry Trotz extend beyond scoring “I don’t have social media, so I know about it but I haven’t really seen goals. With Casey Cizikas sidelined, Nelson has been Trotz’s go-to for much,” he said. “Couple good starts and it’s become a thing.” key faceoffs. Nelson took a career-high 32 draws in Winnipeg on Thursday, including the last four in the Islanders zone with a one-goal For some perspective, Nelson’s 26 goals in 67 career #Brocktober lead and the Jets’ net empty. games are pretty clearly his best monthly numbers — he’s got 21 goals in 87 March games. Lee, who has 154 career goals to Nelson’s 127, is Nelson won three of them, including the last one that led to Josh Bailey’s more of a December (31 in 69 games) and March (33 in 89) guy than empty-net clincher. October (17 in 54).

“He was real solid there,” Trotz said. “We put a lot of weight on Brock. So there are four games left in the month. Lee says no one really Usually with Casey in the lineup, we share a bit of that responsibility and references #Brocktober around the room, even after all these great starts Brock’s done a good job of stepping up in that role and getting it done.” to Nelson’s seasons.

Winning draws and withstanding the opposition’s top lines was not how “Now that we’re talking about it, though,” Lee said, “I think we might have #Brocktober was born, though. to get it going.”

Back in 2014-15, Nelson’s second NHL season, the Islanders coaching The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 staff was still wrestling with where the lanky young man belonged. Was he a winger, as he’d been most of his rookie season? Was he a center, the position he’d played well enough to be drafted 30th overall in 2010?

With the start Nelson had to that season, the only spot that mattered was where he stood on the Isles’ lethal power play. His good friend, Lee, began that season in the AHL, so Nelson was the net-front guy on the top power-play unit. That meant dodging rockets from Johnny Boychuk — or, in the home-and-home with the Hurricanes to open the season, taking a couple off the legs.

Nelson had four goals the first three games of that season, two of which were power-play goals that Nelson never got a stick on. Accidentally or no, #Brocktober was born.

“That first year it was something that wasn’t sustainable, when I scored three or four in the first few games with a couple lucky bounces,” Nelson said. “Those things are tough to keep up over 82 games.”

He ended that #Brocktober with 6-6-12 in 10 games. He ended the season 20-22-42, very respectable numbers for a second-year player who still bounced between wing and center at times, but perhaps not quite the breakout season everyone expected after that first unbelievable month.

Six seasons later, that may be the double-edged sword of #Brocktober. Nelson starts so well that people — fans, coaches, GMs — come to feel he should be that player every month.

“I wish I could,” he said. “I really just try to come into the season ready and I find the net a little more this month. I’m playing the same game. Just wish sometimes it could last a little longer.”

Trotz has designated Nelson for a different role, one that did help him sustain last year’s six-goal #Brocktober. He was with Lee and Jordan Eberle for the bulk of last season, serving as a de facto No. 1 line while Mathew Barzal studied hard to learn the 200-foot ways of Trotz’s system.

By the playoffs, Nelson was with Josh Bailey and Tom Kuhnhackl as a line to match against either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin; Nelson’s line shut those stars down and he also contributed three goals in that Pittsburgh sweep, a bit of #Brocktober in April, when it matters even more. 1157672 New York Rangers NOTES: The Capitals have won seven in a row against the Rangers. ... Garnet Hathaway sealed it with an empty-net goal with 27.7 seconds left. ... With an assist on Kempny's goal, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin registered his 1,219th point and passed Jean Beliveau for 42nd on the Rangers lose 5-2 to Capitals, John Carlson career scoring list. ... Capitals D Jonas Siegenthaler played two nights after colliding with teammate Richard Panik during a game against the

Maple Leafs and leaving with a left shoulder injury. Panik was placed on By STEPHEN WHYNO long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury and will miss at least 10 games. ... F Brendan Lemieux returned to the Rangers lineup, ASSOCIATED PRESS | replacing Greg McKegg. ... Nationals ace Max Scherzer dropped a baseball as part of a ceremonial faceoff to honor Washington's first World OCT 19, 2019 | 12:42 AM Series appearance since 1933.

UP NEXT WASHINGTON — John Carlson’s longtime defense partner thinks he’s a Rangers: After three games in 17 days to start the season, Rangers future Norris Trophy winner. continues a busy stretch by hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. That might be this season the way he's going. Capitals: Open a five-game road trip Sunday at the Chicago Blackhawks, Carlson added three assists to his historic start, T.J. Oshie scored two with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto to follow. power-play goals and the Washington Capitals beat the Rangers 5-2 New York Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2019 Friday night for their second consecutive home victory.

Carlson tied Edmonton captain Connor McDavid for tops in the NHL with 17 points and leads the league with 14 assists.

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson.

“He’s been amazing so far,” said Michal Kempny, who has repeatedly predicted Carlson would one day win the Norris as the league’s best defenseman. “He’s a great guy, great teammate, obviously great defenseman. He’s unreal. He’s hot right now, and he’s feeling it.”

The 29-year-old Carlson assisted on one of Oshie's goals and scores by Nic Dowd and Michal Kempny in the Czech defenseman's return from a hamstring injury. Kempny and Carlson played together during the Capitals' 2018 Stanley Cup run.

Already the seventh defenseman in NHL history with 14-plus points in his first eight games of the season and the first to do so in 30 years, Carlson has six multipoint games in nine opportunities.

"Chances happen, chances get created and sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't," Carlson said. "They seem to be going in right now, which is nice. Just keep working the same way."

Oshie got credit for his first power-play goal when Rangers defenseman Marc Staal knocked the puck into his own net. He deflected Carlson’s point shot past the Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for his second.

Kempny drove to the net and scored in the first period of his first game action since tearing his left hamstring in March and undergoing surgery in April.

"I felt pretty good, actually," Kempny said. "My legs felt good. Obviously not an easy situation for me. But I got to say just thank you to all of the staff, whole organization, my teammates, my family, my friends who were supporting me all the way through here and help me. It means a lot to me."

Braden Holtby stopped 26 of 28 shots to bounce back from a rough start Monday against Colorado.

"I didn't really like how I was playing," Holtby said. "It was nice to get a couple days to work on a couple things, get back to feeling comfortable in certain situations. It wasn't perfect tonight, but it's going in the right direction."

At the either end of the ice, Lundqvist stopped Jakub Vrana on a penalty shot and made 29 saves to help keep the Rangers in the game in the second half of a back-to-back set. Pavel Buchnevich had a power-play goal, and top offseason addition Artemi Panarin scored his third of the season for the Rangers, who have only played five games this season to Washington’s nine.

Coach David Quinn was not too thrilled about how his team defended against Washington.

"We were just weren't mentally sharp at all," Quinn said. "We lost our way, and no matter what structure we were supposed to be in, there was a lot of purposeless hockey tonight."

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby stops the puck against Rangers right wing Kaapo Kakko. 1157673 New York Rangers

David Quinn benches Tony DeAngelo in Rangers line shake-up

By Brett CyrgalisOctober 19, 2019 | 1:40am | Updated

WASHINGTON — The personnel juggling and the experimenting continues as Rangers coach David Quinn tries to find some traction in this strange schedule to start the season.

Quinn broke up his top line before the game, switched two defensive pairs, inserted Brendan Lemieux after a healthy scratch, demoted “tired” rookie Kaapo Kakko during the game and benched defenseman Tony DeAngelo for all but two shifts after the first period.

All this as his team lost their third straight game, a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Capitals here on Friday night.

Having played just three games in the first 13 days since opening night, Quinn’s team was jarred by this back-to-back that started with a 5-2 loss to the Devils in Newark on Thursday. But he came back by inserting Chris Kreider onto the right side of the top line with Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, and they combined for the team’s only even-strength goal, a sweet give-and-go between Kreider and Panarin that the latter buried for his third goal of the season.

“We have a lot of very capable players, and those two are incredible players,” Kreider said. “I just try to skate and win pucks for them and get to the front of the net.”

Immediately after the game, Quinn said it was “tough to tell” how he thought that line worked, adding: “I liked some of the things that line did, but I’ll have to watch the film a little bit more.”

The move bumped Pavel Buchnevich down to the left side of the second line, which started with Brett Howden and Kakko. Buchnevich scored a first-period power-play goal, the team’s first tally on the man-advantage after going 0-for-10 in the previous two games.

Kakko then opened the third period on the third line, with Lemieux and Ryan Strome. Quinn said the 18-year-old, taken with the No. 2-overall pick, “looked tired.” He finished with a minus-2 rating in 15:56 of ice time.

It keeps getting uglier for Rangers

Quinn didn’t want to elaborate on why he benched DeAngelo, who was on for two goals against and got just two shifts in the second period before not seeing the ice in the third.

“As a team, we just didn’t defend well,” Quinn said in response. “It’s something we felt we were going to do. It’s a coach’s decision.”

Even before DeAngelo was benched, Quinn had switched his previous partner, Marc Staal, to go with Jacob Trouba. That started DeAngelo with Libor Hajek, only keeping the -Adam Fox duo together.

New York Post LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157674 New York Rangers

It keeps getting uglier for Rangers in third straight loss

By Brett CyrgalisOctober 18, 2019 | 9:55pm | Updated

WASHINGTON — It was like the first two-plus weeks of the season happened in some semi-conscious state, and all of a sudden, the alarm has gone off and the Rangers have woken up to a cold, cold morning.

The reality, for good and bad, is that these Blueshirts have a lot of room to grow before they start to see the other side of this rebuild. If optimism for this season has diminished slightly after a third straight loss came with a 5-2 defeat to the Capitals here on Friday night, then that’s only because it might have been too high to begin with.

“We just weren’t mentally sharp at all. We lost our way,” coach David Quinn said after his team couldn’t maintain much offensive zone time and was desultory in their own end. “There was a lot of purposeless hockey tonight.”

Games like this are bound to happen for the young Rangers (2-3-0), whose lows like this against the experienced Capitals (5-2-2) might come more often than they like, but does not necessarily taint the possibilities for the future. The Blueshirts have had such a strange start to their schedule, just three games in the first 13 days before this jarring back-to- back that started with a 5-2 loss to the Devils in Newark on Thursday, that just playing games and getting live-action feedback seems valuable.

“I’m sure that’s a little piece of it,” Quinn said. “But you have to learn to play tired. That’s part of being a pro. When you don’t have it, just be structurally sound and don’t run around thinking you’re going to force it. We were forcing things all over the rink.”

The Capitals’ Michal Kempny scores on Henrik Lundqvist.AP

The sloppiness led Quinn to juggling his lines, once before the game and once in-game, as well as benching defenseman Tony DeAngelo for all but two shifts after the first period. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist was inundated with high-danger scoring chances, stopping 30 of 34 shots in his third start of the season — that while his team lost the special-teams battle again, going 1-for-4 on their power play while the Capitals went 2- for-4.

“When you face some of the best power plays, like we did today, they had so many different options,” said Lundqvist, who kept his team in it with a couple big stops that included one on a penalty shot on Jakub Brana at 10:16 of the second period.

That middle frame was when the Blueshirts came out lifeless, not getting a shot on Lundqvist’s counterpart, Braden Holtby, until there was 8:57 left in the frame.

“It felt like pretty much every shift was an odd-man rush,” Lundqvist said of the second period. “They’re a really good team when you give them that type of game. They have some skill players; they want rush chances. You don’t want to get into that type of game. We did. But we kind of got out of the period.”

That would come by way of Artemi Panarin finishing a nice give-and-go with his new right-winger, Chris Kreider, cutting the deficit to 3-2 at 16:56 of the second. But T.J. Oshie managed his second power-play goal of game at 10:18 of the third, making it 4-2 on a deft tip of the shot from red- hot defenseman John Carlson, who collected three more assists to give him a league-leading 14.

Washington was given that power play because of an extra minor called on Brendan Smith from a cross-check preceding his fight with Garnet Hathaway — just another inconsistency during another game that was haphazardly officiated. But the Rangers’ previously struggling man advantage could get only one, from Pavel Buchnevich at 12:25 of the first period that tied it at 1. That was a distant memory by the time Hathaway ended it into the empty net with just 28 seconds left.

“It sucks losing. I hate losing,” said Mika Zibanejad. “But there is always a lesson. Hopefully we can learn from it quickly, and move on.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157675 New York Rangers

NY Rangers make line changes prior to Capitals game; Chris Kreider moves to top line

Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL writerPublished 5:52 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019 | Updated 6:42 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The New York Rangers are making more line changes going into Friday's 7 p.m. game at the Capital One Arena against the Capitals.

Coach David Quinn announced a few shakeups during his pregame session with the media, with the most notable swapping Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich on the top two lines. Kreider will play right wing on the first line, while Buchnevich moves down to left wing on the second line.

"We've been thinking about it for a little bit," Quinn said. "I just think it's something that might get people going. You're looking for chemistry within lines, and I just thinking having Kreider up on that right wing might give those guys a little bit of a different look than they've had with Buchy."

RANGERS TAKEAWAYS: NJ Devils take advantage of mistakes to claim first win

ROOKIES: Kaapo Kakko unfazed by matchup with Jack Hughes

Here's the full lineup of forwards:

First line → Artemi Panarin (LW) – Mika Zibanejad (C) – Chris Kreider (RW)

Second line → Pavel Buchnevich (LW) – Brett Howden (C) – Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Third line → Brendan Lemieux (LW) – Ryan Strome (C) – Jesper Fast (RW)

Fourth line → Brendan Smith (LW) – Lias Andersson (C) – Micheal Haley (RW)

Greg McKegg, who played in the last two games, will be a healthy scratch.

Quinn said the top power play unit of Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Buchnevich and defenseman Jacob Trouba will remain intact.

"There's been thought to a lot of different looks," Quinn said of the power play. "But again, you don't want to panic. It's only been two games (where the power play didn't score), and I thought one game that we didn't score (against the Edmonton Oilers), we looked pretty damn good."

Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157676 New York Rangers Eventually, they learn, they understand it, they begin to hold themselves accountable to certain situations and tonight was an example of that.

“But it’s one.” Message received: The differences NJ Devils made in win over Rangers Bergen Record LOADED: 10.19.2019

Abbey Mastracco, Published 5:46 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2019

NEWARK — With the Devils down 1-0 to the Rangers in the first period on Thursday night at Prudential Center, Blake Coleman had three defenders closing in on him in the New York zone. His first instinct was to hang on to the puck and pass it up top to start a play.

“I was maybe looking for one extra play or maybe looking to make a tight pass through some spaces that maybe are too tight to make,” Coleman said. “But I’ve got to get back to my north-south game and getting pucks on net.”

So instead, he just went for it. Coleman just shot it.

It went off the mask of Alexandar Georgiev and through his five-hole, tying the game.

This is exactly what the coaching staff wanted to see. After six games of fancy but failed plays, the staff spent the week trying to get the Devils to simplify their approach. The message was received, as New Jersey downed their Hudson River Rivals 5-2 for their first win of the season.

“We weren’t just trying to shoot to score every time,” coach John Hynes said. “We were shooting for rebounds. There was a purpose to what we were doing.”

Ever since the Devils blew a 4-0 lead to the Winnipeg Jets in the season- opening contest fans have been calling for John Hynes’ head. Lou Lamoriello conditioned the fanbase to think coaches are disposable and teams are built overnight. Lamoriello was masterful in executing his vision and the success of a Hall-of-Famer isn’t being debated, but the Devils have a new regime in place running the show in a new era. Firing the coach doesn’t solve all that ails a team.

It’s clear the organization values Hynes. They didn’t place the blame for a dismal start on the systems and structures Hynes runs. And they didn’t blame the uninspired play on him either, but they did bring in assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald to help do some inspiring of his own, among other things.

What does solve problems is an aggressive penalty kill, much like the one displayed by New Jersey on Thursday night, winning puck battles and execution during tense moments of the game.

Oct 17, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Miles Wood (44) celebrates his goal during the second period of their game against the New York Rangers at Prudential Center.

“Tonight was basically every scenario we’ve gone through throughout the year,” Hynes said. “We came from behind, we actually held a lead, both sets of special teams played well and we got a very good performance from Mackenzie Blackwood. It’s one of those ones where, when you’re going to get out of a rut or tough situations, you kind of need all of those things to click.

“Tonight, they did.”

They clicked because the Devils worked hard to make them click. They were strong on pucks, they played fast and physical and yes, simple.

“I felt that when we did make plays, it was the right time to make plays,” defenseman P.K. Subban said. “We weren’t forcing them and trying to make plays that weren’t there. We worked hard to create that space to open up other plays. And I think that was the difference between this game and a few games before. We didn’t work hard enough to generate that separation from a checker or our defense partner or a winger forechecking.

But the Devils aren’t out of the woods just yet. It’s one win. It could end up being meaningless in the grand scheme of things if the Devils don’t string together a few more. Hynes’ job is safe and so is general manager Ray Shero’s, but like Shero said, it’s up to the players to keep them safe.

“We have not overreacted internally to what is going on,” Hynes said. “Sometimes you don’t like the results but you’ve got to stay with it. 1157677 New York Rangers

David Quinn unhappy with Rangers' defensive effort in loss to Capitals

By Colin Stephenson

Updated October 18, 2019 11:02 PM

WASHINGTON — David Quinn was not happy with his team’s defensive effort in the 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals Friday and he wasn’t shy about saying that in his postgame media briefing.

“Guys just going on a man-to-man mode, chasing people around, we just weren't mentally sharp at all,’’ Quinn said. “We lost our way, you know, and no matter what structure we're supposed to be in, we just — it was a lot of purposeless hockey tonight.’’

Quinn apparently was most frustrated at defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who played just two shifts in second period and never got off the bench in the third. The coach wasn’t willing, though, to elaborate on what made him single out DeAngelo that way.

“Listen, we just as a team, we just didn't defend well and, it was just something that we felt we were going to do, that's all,’’ Quinn said. “Coach's decision.’’

DeAngelo, who partnered with rookie Libor Hajek as Quinn shuffled his defense pairs, played just 8:09 and was a minus-2.

In addition to making changes on all four lines, Quinn switched up his defense pairs, too, breaking up the partnership of DeAngelo and Marc Staal and putting Staal together with Jacob Trouba to form a No. 1 pair that played against the Capitals’ top line of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie.

That meant Hajek, who had been playing with Trouba, partnered instead with DeAngelo on a third pair. The pair of Brady Skjei and Adam Fox remained together and were slotted as the second pair.

Lemieux returns to lineup

Brendan Lemieux, who was scratched Thursday in New Jersey against the Devils, returned to the lineup, slotting back in on the third line, on the left of Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast. Brendan Smith dropped back down to right wing on the fourth line, with Micheal Haley staying in as the fourth line left wing. Greg McKegg was scratched.

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Rangers' line changes fail to work in loss to Capitals

By Colin Stephenson

Updated October 18, 2019 10:42 PM

WASHINGTON — Early in the week, when the Rangers were still in the midst of their one-game-in-11-days stretch, coach David Quinn had said he didn’t want to be hasty in making too many changes within his lineup, given the fact the Rangers had only played three games and didn’t have much of a sample size on which to base any judgments.

But after two losses in a row, Quinn felt the need to do something. And so, the second-year coach jumbled his forward lines for Friday’s game against the Washington Capitals, moving struggling Chris Kreider up from the second line to the top line, putting him on the right wing with Artemi Panarin and Kreider’s longtime centerman, Mika Zibanejad.

Pavel Buchnevich, who had been the first line right wing for the first four games of the season, dropped down to Kreider’s spot on the left of the second line, with center Brett Howden and rookie right wing Kaapo Kakko, and Quinn tinkered with the third and fourth lines, too, and changed up a couple of defense pairs as well.

The changes weren’t enough to halt the losing streak, though. T.J. Oshie had two power play goals and John Carlson had three assists as the Capitals closed out a homestand with a 5-2 victory that extended the Rangers’ losing streak to three games and dropped their record below .500 for the first time this season (2-3). Kreider had an assist on a goal by Panarin and Buchnevich had a power play goal, but it wasn’t enough as the Rangers dropped both ends of a back-to-back against the Devils and Capitals. They return to action Sunday afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks at the Garden.

“It’s tough to tell right now,’’ Quinn said when asked if he thought the changes he made were working. “I liked some of the things that line did, but I have to watch the film a little bit more to have a better answer for you.’’

Kreider thought things looked well enough.

“Every shift, it felt like we were half-a-second here, or there away from popping one,'' Kreider said. "We were generating some good chances.

“We were so close, doing a lot of things pretty well, five-on-five, getting pucks to the net, crashing the net,’’ he said. “And it came down to special teams, and that team is very good at special teams. It's something we talked about before the game. You can't take penalties against that team. We took penalties, and that's what they do, they score. And they got the number one penalty kill in the game to go along with it. So, getting a penalty kill, or a special teams battle with them, it's going to be tough sledding.’’

The Caps scored on two of four power plays, while the Rangers scored on one of four. Quinn, though, didn’t think special teams was the reason for this loss.

“For me… it was just how bad we were defensively,’’ he said. “Just, the glaring chances we gave up; the number of glaring chances we gave up; the turnovers, a lack of urgency in the D zone, that's where all our troubles started.’’

The Caps opened the scoring just 2:24 into the game when, with Panarin sitting out a slashing penalty, Oshie scored his first goal, whacking at a puck enough times until it trickled by Henrik Lundqvist and went in off the skate of defenseman Marc Staal. Buchnevich’s goal tied things up at 12:25, but Michal Kempny, playing his first game of the season and first since he tore a hamstring in March, scored with 4:44 remaining in the period to restore Washington’s lead.

Nic Dowd’s rebound goal early in the second made it 3-1 and the Caps had many chances to extend the lead, but Lundqvist kept them at bay with several fine saves. Panarin’s goal at 16:56 of the second period pulled the Rangers to within 3-2, but Oshie’s second goal, at 10:18 of the third, made it 4-2, and Garnet Hathaway added an empty netter in the final 30 seconds to wrap things up. 1157679 New York Rangers puck goes to the back post. That’s something our entire team can do up and down our lineup because we have that quickness. Coach talks about the willingness and desire to get physical with guys, and that’s how you create space and create opportunities. When everyone plays on their On Chris Kreider and his present and future with the Rangers: It’s toes, and then you beat guys back to the net, that’s what you’re able to complicated do.”

Individually, Kreider’s speed was much more evident, and he used it. And again, to be fair, sometimes it’s hard to use speed depending on what By Rick Carpiniello Oct 18, 2019 else is happening with the puck, and who has it, and how you anticipate what will happen next. He surely was physical in a game that was a battle, even as the Rangers ceded way too much defensively. WASHINGTON, D.C. — He is now one of the few elder statesmen on the Rangers, at age 28 and having been around since the 2012 playoffs. I asked Quinn what he thought of the Bread and Butter Line with Kreider on it. He is as distinctive a player as they have, or have had in a long time. He’s great with the younger guys, especially the Europeans, with whom “Tough to tell right now,” Quinn said. “I liked some of the things that line he bonds tremendously and who follow him like a Pied Piper of offseason did, but I’ll have to watch the film to have a better answer for you.” workouts. I asked Kreider how he felt it worked out. Chris Kreider is, in his own way, one of the most important Rangers “I don’t get paid for my opinions, so I just try to do the same thing because of the combo platter of specific skills he possesses, even regardless of where I play in the lineup,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of without those intangibles. capable players. Obviously, those two are incredible players, so I just try And all of that can become moot at the trade deadline before his current and skate and win pucks for them and get to the front of the net. contract expires and some team — almost surely another team — pays “We definitely were on our toes, playing in their zone a lot of the game. him big money for long years as a free agent. Every shift it felt like we were half a second here or there away from But for now, while he’s here, while he’s wearing an “A” on his chest, while popping one, generating some good chances. Hopefully, it just grabs and the Rangers lack players of his physical makeup — freakish makeup — improves as we get more comfortable with each other.” he’s a critical piece. Last but not least, the Rangers need him to have And I asked Kreider how he assesses his play so far this season. value if/when the time to deal him arrives. The pause he stretched was incredibly long. A little uncomfortable. On Friday against the Capitals, Rangers coach David Quinn promoted Kreider to the top line with Mika Zibanejad, with whom he’s had much “I like how I’m getting into battles,” he finally said. “I like how I’m coming success, and with Artemi Panarin, with whom he hadn’t played other than up with pucks. I’ve got to continue to look for ways to manufacture speed power plays. He played the right wing on that line, in place of Pavel and use my speed whether it be through the neutral zone or on the Buchnevich (with whom, by the way, Kreider and Zibanejad have had forecheck. I thought that’s improved every single game. Continue getting success), who had a lukewarm start, too, as the gunner on that top line to the net. Continue driving to the net, screening the goalie, working and hadn’t pulled the trigger enough. down below the hash marks there. I’m happy with my defensive game. I think it’s come a really long way, and I’m proud of that. And just continue There’s never a better time to tinker than in the midst of a two-game to work hard and do the little things. That’s how you create chances and losing streak, right? Well, now it’s three after a 5-2 loss to the Capitals. that’s how you win hockey games. So continue to get into battles, stay in You can wonder if the move was made to jump-start Kreider, or to jump- the battles and win pucks and disrupt plays and create a little bit of start Buchnevich, or to jump-start Panarin and Zibenajad, who had done havoc. And everything else takes care of itself.” nothing on the scoresheet in the two previous losses after beginning the See? It’s complicated. There’s not an easy answer to that question, and season in flames, albeit mostly on the power play. any answer you come up with probably won’t be 100 percent accurate. You can wonder, too, what Quinn has thought of Kreider’s game, playing But with this particular player and all he possesses, you always think as he has on a line with a wide-eyed 18-year-old, Kaapo Kakko, trying to there could be more. Perhaps that is unfair. find his way amid the hype. Playing as he has with Ryan Strome or Brett Thoughts Howden, who were miscast as second-line centers because (another of Kreider’s converted gym rats) failed to win the job in training 1. No excuses this time. No rust. No layoff, unless 21 hours is considered camp and was sent to Hartford. a layoff. Nope, this was just giving too much — too much space, too many power plays, too many turnovers and just poor defensive play — to It’s also complicated when you judge Kreider’s game, because there are a superior opponent. times when you don’t see the speed, you don’t see the big hits or physical manhandling of opponents, you don’t see results in numbers (he Fortunately for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist turned back the clock for had just two assists through the first four games), and you tend to say this one, and it was just 3-2 entering the third when it should have been he’s disappeared or just hasn’t played well. Rarely, though, if Kreider’s much worse. not imminently visible in a game, is it because of a lack of try. “From my end of it,” Quinn said, “it was just how bad we were defensively That’s the dangerous part of the complication. Because Kreider has, — the glaring chances we gave up, the number of glaring chances we indeed, been a critical piece to the power play, both in helping to win gave up, the turnovers, the lack of urgency in the D zone, that’s where all faceoffs (at even strength, too) by being quick and physical, and our troubles started. especially with his net-front presence. His play down low has not been bad at all, and if you broke down video the way Quinn does, you might “I don’t know whether it was the opponent tonight because (in New even think it’s been good. Or he’s been good. Because it’s complicated Jersey the night before) we were pretty good in our own end structurally and there aren’t stats — old-school or advanced — that measure some and we gave up two scoring chances off our D-zone coverage. Tonight, of the things he does. I’d probably bet we gave up between 15 and 20. Guys going into man-to- man mode, chasing people around. We just weren’t mentally sharp at all. So in an otherwise slovenly loss to Washington, Panarin and Zibanejad We lost our way. No matter what structure we were supposed to be in, and Buchnevich provided offense, and Kreider was involved in all of it (he we just — it was a lot of purposeless hockey tonight. had an assist, but again, that doesn’t tell the story). “When the game starts, there’s got to be a big piece of you, when the For example, the Rangers’ first goal, by Buchnevich from Zibanejad on game ends, how you evaluate yourself, asking yourself ‘Did I play good the power play, doesn’t happen if Kreider — to use one of his favorite defense tonight, and was I committed to playing good defense tonight?’ terms — doesn’t drive to the net like his hair’s on fire. Kreider then set up has to be part of the evaluation process.” a Panarin goal on a give-and-go. 2. The Rangers were just run over in the second period (and to a lesser “We had, I think, five or six looks exactly like that,” Kreider said. “I had extent in the first). Somehow, Quinn’s Rangers play the Capitals tough. one in the first where the guy got a good stick on it. We had one in the Or at least close and snarly. I often think of that game last season, the third where it was just a little mistimed, where I jumped inside and the day after the Mats Zuccarello trade, with Kevin Hayes bubble-wrapped, nobody near him. After the Panarin goal, Lundqvist was hung out to dry and the Rangers not only hanging with the Capitals but also trading hits by his defense again and stopped Oshie all alone in front. and punches throughout. 14. Brendan Smith came into the game with points in three of the first 3. Panarin and Zibanejad had been kind of ordinary for two straight four games. Holy shish kebab. He’s actually a pretty decent bottom-six games, outscored by Brendan Smith and Ryan Strome. Not combined, winger (ducks). Drew another penalty, too, then took one late. Last either. season, Smith led all NHL defensemen (with a minimum of 20 games) in minor penalties drawn per 60 minutes (1.12) and was third in minors 4. Kreider was involved. In the second period, after a behind-the-back drawn (18). Stats courtesy of Rangers’ Stats Superhero Mike Rappaport. pass from Zibanejad to Panarin, Kreider executed a pretty give-and-go that Panarin buried to cut Washington’s lead to 3-2 when it should have 15. Smith was given an extra minor when he fought Garnet Hathaway in been about 6-2. the third, and Oshie deflected a Carlson shot out of mid-air and past Lundqvist. 4-2. Hathaway scored an empty netter. 5. Right off the hop, my goodness, a forecheck by the first line. But as soon as the puck came out, TJ Oshie got behind the Rangers and 16. Kakko-Meter: Got one twirl with the Bread and Butter Line. “I thought Panarin gave him one of those modern-NHL love taps that in 2019 is a he looked tired tonight,” Quinn said. “There’s just so many things at this penalty. level that an 18-year-old’s never been asked to do, and he’s never even thought about doing it. I’ve said this a lot. It’s almost unfair to a kid like 6. So the Capitals went on the power play and Oshie was allowed — as him who gets here because the game he’s been playing to this point isn’t is the plan in today’s NHL — to stand in the paint alone to take Nick going to happen from here on in. And when you have that talent, he’s Backstrom’s pass, as Marc Staal went to one knee (more on that later). going to learn because he wants to learn and he’s committed to being a Oshie was at first robbed by Lundqvist, then stopped again on the great player. There’s absolutely zero reservations what we have with rebound, then after the second or third rebound before Staal or Jacob him. It’s just going to be a process and take some time.” Trouba could get to him. Staal ended up actually kicking the puck into the net. Once upon a time, that player in the paint would be put on his wallet, 17. Good Tony, Bad Tony: DeAngelo got two shifts in the second period, or at least feel the wrath of some wood sticks. Now they leave him alone, none in the third. “Listen, as a team we just didn’t defend well,” Quinn and when the puck gets behind the defense, it’s mayhem. 1-0 Caps. said. “It was something we felt we were going to do. That’s all. Coach’s decision.” 7. Quinn Bin: Tony DeAngelo hopped in during the game. More on that later. Brendan Lemieux, out of the Bin, hit Michael Kempny and fought 18. So, what is creeping back into the Rangers’ defensemen’s games is ex-Flyer Radko Gudas — which was about seven or eight years overdue the snow angel and, more lately, the one-knee attempt to block a pass or for a Ranger. Should have been an instigator to Gudas, but that rule a shot. For a defense corps that doesn’t necessarily shine, and on a doesn’t exist. … And it’s surprising that it was Gudas who responded, team whose forwards mostly don’t help defend, going down to the ice is, and not Tom Wilson, who was on the ice. Anyway, with Lemieux back in, in my opinion, just making matters exponentially worse. When the puck Greg McKegg came out. gets past a downed defenseman, all hell breaks loose. I always think of those great Devils teams and how Larry Robinson taught them to “stay 8. Backstrom went to the box for tripping, and the Rangers power play on your feet.” got out of its funk — and did so with a shot by Buchnevich, who took a cross-ice pass from Zibanejad, with Kreider going hard to the paint, 19. I find it somewhat humorous that Scott Arniel now coaches on a waited until Holtby committed, and put the puck upstairs. 1-1. Zibanejad’s bench with that power play. first point in three games. 20. A Rangers fan among the sea of red in front of the press box was NICE CARRY IN BY ZIBANEJAD TO GET THE PUCK INTO THE ZONE pleading with the Washington fans to go easy on him: “We’re under ON THE POWER PLAY, AND A NICE PASS TO BUCHNEVICH construction. C’mon. We’re under construction.” PIC.TWITTER.COM/K6SKBR4JPW My Three Rangers Stars: — SHAYNA (@HAYYYSHAYYY) OCTOBER 18, 2019 1. Henrik Lundqvist. 9. Daily Bread: Another breakdown, and Evgeny Kuznetsov popped open and tried a fancy pass for Carl Hagelin, but Panarin swooped in to 2. Pavel Buchnevich. intercept it. I’m telling you, the guy does a lot more than score … most of 3. Jacob Trouba. the time. Next shift, though, and the second line, plus Libor Hajek and DeAngelo, went full fire drill and Michael Kempny put back an Alex The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 Ovechkin rebound of a John Carlson shot. Carlson, by the way, just eats the Rangers’ lunch lately; and he has 17 points already this season! 2-1 Caps. Kempny was playing his first game after that awful hamstring tear, which required surgery, last season.

10. Kreider then went to the box for an offensive-zone trip, and, well, you kinda knew what was next, right? The Rangers actually survived the Caps’ first unit, then killed off the rest. Brett Howden actually paid attention to Ovechkin in the left circle, which is sort of out-of-the-box thinking, no? (sarcasm).

11. My Great Aunt Tillie Could Have Scored (sponsored again by reader Anthony D, but we’re still awaiting the check from last year): Early second, the first line got caught standing around and watching after a good shift by the fourths. Dmitry Orlov rang a shot off the left post behind Lundqvist, and Nic Dowd was all alone to bang in the rebound. Another assist for Carlson. Like picking apples for him. 3-1.

12. Lundqvist kept it there momentarily with a sliding save, then an outstretched glove-hand stop on Garnet Hathaway, in behind, and unchecked by, Howden and Hajek. Lundqvist made a pad save on a penalty shot by Jakub Vrana, who had taken a touchdown pass and was fouled from behind by Brady Skjei, who made what was once considered a terrific defensive play, getting a stick on Vrana’s stick before he could get a shot off. Today? That’s a foul. It is. So a penalty shot was awarded. And by the way, the Rangers didn’t have a shot on goal in the period to that point, or until Buchnevich got one with 8:57 left.

13. Just a bit later, Lundqvist stopped a shorthanded breakaway by Orlov. And when I say breakaway, I mean it was a walk in the park — 1157680 Ottawa Senators hits … In back-to-back visits to the T-Mobile Arena, the Senators have allowed 54 and 53 shots on goal. Last October, Craig Anderson stopped 49 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Warrenspiece: Sticking with the kid duo SUPPORTING SABOURIN

Former Coyotes heavyweight Paul Bissonnette, aka “BizNasty”, has all the time in the world for Senators tough guy Scott Sabourin. “I’m real Ken Warren happy for him,” said Bissonnette. “Going into camp on a (professional tryout offer), your expectation is just to get a contract and pay some bills.” Published:October 18, 2019 … During training camp, Bissonnette came to Sabourin’s defence when Updated:October 18, 2019 9:54 PM EDT Toronto’s Auston Matthews mocked his no-name status. In retrospect, Bissonnette says, it might be the best thing that ever happened for Sabourin … Sabourin and the Golden Knights’ Ryan Reaves took centre stage early Thursday in a bout that had the fans out of their seats. “Yeah, GLENDALE, Ariz. – The only constant among the forward lines in the we’re in Vegas, so no better place to do it, right?” Sabourin said. opening six games of the Ottawa Senators season has been the inseparable duo of centre 22-year-old Colin White and 20-year-old Brady MOVING UP Tkachuk. Nick Paul, called up from Belleville of the AHL last weekend, skated on a Despite some inconsistency, they’re going to stay together. At least for line with Duclair and Jean-Gabriel Pageau Friday, but he’s not about to now. get ahead of himself. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “As soon as game time comes, that’s the lineup, that’s what I see. Whoever (Smith) “I’m going to let them work through it,” Senators head coach D.J. Smith puts me with, I’m just going to do whatever he says.” said Friday following the team’s workout at the Gila River Arena. “They will find their groove here, I think. If it doesn’t happen, at some point, we Good on Smith, rewarding Paul for doing what he was asked to do – will look at that, but I’ve got to stay with it and give them some confidence getting the puck behind the Golden Knights defence and hitting hard. He and let them work through it. Sometimes, even guys who have been was on the ice in the final minute of regulation, helping the Senators together for a long time go through stretches where they don’t get a ton hanging on to a 2-2 tie. done. I think these guys work well together, though.” “That’s what I’ve been working for, wanting to gain the coach’s trust,” he Tkachuk has two goals and an assist. White has one goal and an assist, said. “Being put out there in the last couple of minutes there gave me a but he has been up and down while facing the challenges of being little confidence.” matched up against top defenders every game. Centre Artem Anisimov remains questionable for the game Saturday THE NEW WINGER against Arizona. “That will affect a lot of things,” said Smith.

After a shaky game in Vegas on Thursday, including a late third-period Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.19.2019 boarding penalty, Anthony Duclair is no longer riding on the wing with Tkachuk and White. The latest to audition in that spot is Vladislav Namestnikov.

“Vladdy is a real possession player and I think it will give that line a bit of a spark,” said Smith.

GOLDEN FINISH TO A CAREER?

What if the Vegas Golden Knights were looking for defensive insurance at the trade deadline and looked towards Mark Borowiecki? He was certainly hard to miss Thursday after registering eight hits and five blocked shots in 16:53 of ice time.

Clearly, he loves the place, too. “That team is built for the playoffs,” said Borowiecki, who is the final year of his contract. “What a fun atmosphere. What a fun team to play against. The whole hockey community (in Vegas) needs to be commended for what they’ve done. It’s a great rink to play in. The fans are great. That team brings it.”

It may be nothing more than a coincidence, but Borowiecki came to the Senators organization after playing for the Golden Knights – the Clarkson Golden Knights, that is…

THE NAME GAME

The Tkachuk name was in a lofty place as Brady Tkachuk stepped on the ice for practice at Gila Arena Friday, a slapshot away from his birthplace in Scottsdale.

The No. 7 of Tkachuk, as in Brady’s father, Keith, is on the Coyotes’ Ring of Honour.

“Big Walt is one of my favourite players,” said Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who played for three seasons with Keith Tkachuk. “He was one of the best with the puck in front of the net and I watch his kid and it’s the same thing. You’ve got to tie his stick up, he’s hard to play against … he’s like the other kid (brother Matthew of the Calgary Flames). Walt did a nice job. Those two players are hard to find. They’re sticky, they’re not scared. I call them seven game series guys. Those are the guys that win playoff games for you.”

MORE VEGAS NUMBERS

In the Senators’ loss in Vegas on Thursday, Tkachuk led all players with seven shots on goal, not including the deflection of a Nick Holden shot that unfortunately went into his own net. He was also credited with four 1157681 Ottawa Senators

Senators seeking the power in the power play

Ken Warren

Published:October 18, 2019

Updated:October 18, 2019 9:01 PM EDT

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Twenty-one is a great number at the blackjack tables in Vegas.

It’s not such a good number when it represents how many failed opportunities an NHL team has had with the man advantage to open the season.

But that is the where the Senators left off against the Golden Knights, remaining as the only team to not yet score on the power play.

They are close. Anthony Duclair rang a shot off the post and Brady Tkachuk had several opportunities in close against Vegas.

“It was by far our best game of the season on the power play,” defenceman Thomas Chabot said. “Our breakouts were good and when we got in the zone we were moving it. Every team goes through some lapses in the season when the power play is not going well.

“Right now, we’re just trying to stay positive and keep working at it.”

While there’s a growing movement to give the pesky, Mr. Fix It Jean- Gabriel Pageau a shot on the power play, that’s not happening. At least not yet.

“You look at him and he gets the points,” said coach D.J. Smith. “But you know, then I’m playing him 27 minutes a game. And I don’t think that’s the player he is. He’s been very good on the penalty kill, he has been great 5-on-5. I think we would be overloading him in that situation.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157682 Ottawa Senators Goalies Craig Anderson

Anders Nilsson GAME DAY: Senators at Coyotes Sick Bay

Rudolfs Balcers Ken Warren Coyotes Gameday Lines Published:October 18, 2019 Clayton Keller-Derek Stepan-Phil Kessel Updated:October 18, 2019 8:09 PM EDT Conor Garland-Christian Dvorak-Nick Schmaltz

Lawson Crouse-Carl Soderberg-Christian Fischer OTTAWA SENATORS at ARIZONA COYOTES Michael Grabner-Brad Richardson-Vinnie Hinostroza Saturday, Gila River Arena, 7 p.m. Defence TV: CITY, Sportsnet 360 Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Jason Demers Radio: TSN 1200-AM, Unique 94,5-FM Jakob Chychrun-Alex Goligoski THE BIG MATCHUP Kyle Capobianco-Ilya Lyubushkin Thomas Chabot vs. Phil Kessel Goaltending Chabot is coming off his best game of the year against Vegas and not just because he scored his first goal, a highlight-reel effort. He was as Antti Raanta solid defensively as he was offensively, logging more than 28 minutes. Chabot will no doubt see plenty of Kessel, one of the few high-profile Darcy Kuemper names on the Coyotes. Kessel has the ability to take over games with his Sick Bay raw talent, and he’s off to a decent start in his new desert home. It should be fun to watch them go head-to-head. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jordan Oesterle

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.19.2019

Arizona rising

These aren’t the same old lapdog Coyotes. The Rick Tocchet-led squad is full of depth and determination and a stingy defence. They have given up only 11 goals in six games.

Net advantage?

Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who has allowed two or fewer goals in 12 straight starts dating back to last season, is sitting this one out. Backup Antti Raanta will make his second appearance of the season.

Taking advantage of man advantage

The Senators’ power-play woes continued Thursday in their 3-2 shootout loss to Vegas. They are now 0-for-21 to start the season.

Turning to Anderson

After Seantors goaltender Anders Nilsson faced 54 shots against Vegas, the Senators will go back to Craig Anderson, who has been sharp in the early going to the season, despite having only one win.

Intriguing line combinations

Senators head coach D.J. Smith is toying with a number of tweaks – including the possibility of Nick Paul playing alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair – but the makeup of the forward units depends on whether centre Artem Anisimov is healthy enough to play.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Senators: PP: 0.0 (31st) PK: 80.0 (17th)

Coyotes: PP: 29.4 (7th), PK: 85.0 (9th)

Senators Gameday Lines

Brady Tkachuk-Colin White-Vladislav Namestnikov

Nick Paul-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Anthony Duclair

Tyler Ennis-Chris Tierney-Connor Brown

Scott Sabourin-Artem Anisimov-Bobby Ryan

Defence

Thomas Chabot-Nikita Zaitsev

Erik Brannstrom-Ron Hainsey

Mark Borowiecki-Dylan DeMelo 1157683 Ottawa Senators Next up are the Coyotes, a team that the league best not take lightly. They’ve been a tidy group, outscoring opponents 16-11 in starting the season with a 3-2-1 record.

Chabot steps up his game as Senators' road trip continues “We have played six good games,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said following Friday’s practice. “It’s not woulda, coulda, shoulda, but we could be 6-0. I like the way we’ve bounced back after a couple of early losses. We’ve been consistent.” Ken Warren It’s that consistency, along with plenty of depth, that makes the Coyotes Published:October 18, 2019 a tough test every night. In past years, NHL teams had a tendency to Updated:October 18, 2019 8:05 PM EDT lose focus in the desert, taking Arizona lightly.

Chabot says the strength of the Coyotes is as simple as a glance at the forward lines. GLENDALE, Ariz. — Success was all in the numbers for Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot in Thursday’s wildly entertaining “They’ve got (Michael) Grabner and number 13, I don’t want to make a 3-2 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. mistake on pronouncing his name (Vinnie Hinostroza), very talented guys that are on the fourth line,” he said. “They’re a tough team. They have Where do we start? lots of skill, lots of speed. We have to try and cut down their speed.”

Perhaps with goal No. 1 of his season, a slick toe-drag of the puck past Given his recent play, Chabot will be given half the game to try to do just Paul Stastny and over the trapper hand of Golden Knights goaltender that. Marc-André Fleury? Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.19.2019 Or maybe we can look at his 28:12 of ice time, including an astounding 3:58 during the five-minute overtime?

In the eyes of Senators coach D.J. Smith, Chabot owned the game due to his number of solid defensive plays, often matched up against the line of Stastny, former Senator Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty.

However you want to look at it, Chabot certainly sounded like he had some of his confident swagger back following practice here Friday in preparation for Saturday’s contest against the Arizona Coyotes.

“It’s always the same thing every year, that first (goal) is always fun to get and everyone thinks about getting that first one of the year to get going,” said Chabot, who scored 14 goals and 41 assists in 70 games last season.

“It felt good to get that out of the way and now I can just focus on keeping improving, keep on trying to help team have success.”

Chabot, whose 26:22 of average ice time per game leads the NHL, saw a little bit of good and bad from his squad in the loss to the Golden Knights.

Naturally, allowing 54 shots and forcing goaltender Anders Nilsson to stop waves of pressure from the Golden Knights wasn’t so positive. At the same time, though, the Senators did show the resolve to battle back, tying the game 2-2 on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s third-period goal.

The Senators also owned the overtime, much of it spent with the puck on Chabot’s stick, forcing Fleury to perform some magic of his own to keep the Senators from winning.

“In overtime, it was kind of funny,” said Chabot. “My first shift, it was maybe over two minutes, but the forwards were playing (up ice) and I was just kind of staying back, and you’re not really wasting energy there, so I was fine.

“I guess it just depends (on the type of) game it is. But I like playing three-on-three. I think it’s the best part of overtime. There’s always so much action going back and forth. It was fun.”

Smith, like Chabot, wasn’t over the moon about his club allowing 54 shots. But among the many bright spots for the Senators coach was the play of his star 22-year-old defenceman.

“That was by the far the most competitive game he has played (this season),” said Smith. “He was cutting people off. He wasn’t letting guys take the puck. I thought he took the game over for us. He gave us every opportunity to win.”

Smith might be overstating it a bit — the Senators did allow 16 shots in each of the first two periods and 20 in the third — but the organizational mandate is about building around whatever positives the club’s youthful core can deliver.

Picking up a single point against Vegas to begin the three-game road trip was a measure of success.

Thomas Chabot played 3 minutes 57 seconds in overtime last night. I don't know if Karlsson ever played that much OT here.

— Count Drosscula (@Sheer_Rossyness) October 18, 2019 1157684 Philadelphia Flyers 7, 215) since Dallas is playing on consecutive nights. The Flyers lost to another monster goalie on Wednesday in Edmonton’s Mikko Koskinen (6-7, 202).

Carter Hart and the valuable lessons he learned from the Edmonton Bishop is 0-1-1 in two starts at the Wells Fargo Center. He also came in game in relief during another loss in 2015 while he was with Tampa Bay.

Ice chips by Ed Barkowitz, The Flyers sent Connor Bunnaman to Lehigh Valley on Friday and will have Chris Stewart in the lineup Saturday. ... Craig Berube will accept the men’s team of the year award at the Philadelphia SportsWriters Association banquet Jan. 20 in Cherry Hill. Berube, the former Flyers Carter Hart vowed that it won’t happen again. He had a miserable game player and coach, coached the St. Louis Blues to an unlikely in Edmonton, in front of his hometown crowd no less, and he knows championship last season. For tickets, which will include awards for exactly what the problem was. Aaron Nola and Sonny Hill and an appearance by Gabe Kapler (as Hart learned two things Wednesday night: Connor McDavid is really good comedian Joe Conklin), visit PhillySportsWriters.com. and time management is really crucial. The last word “It was the first time for me playing at home in the NHL and I had a lot of Reflecting on the last five weeks in which the Flyers have played in people asking me for tickets and whatever,” said Hart, who will be back in Boston, New York, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, three cities in net when the Flyers play [gasp] a home game Saturday night against Western Canada, and one game in Philadelphia, forward Jake Voracek is Dallas. “I think what I learned now is that I have a job to do and I just happy to be home for a few days. definitely will handle it better next time.” “I couldn’t stand the guys anymore. It’s crazy,” he half-joked. “I was like, Hart gave up four goals and was pulled less than five minutes into the ‘[Look], guys, I like you, but I don’t want to see you anymore. I’ll hang out second period of the Flyers’ 6-3 loss. McDavid, who Hart pointed out is with my family and my friends. That’s about it. I’ll see you tomorrow probably the top player in the NHL, had a goal and four assists. night.” Hart also learned that this kind of thing happens to even the best. Former ##Flyers coach Craig Berube, who guided the STL #Blues to “My old goalie coach from back home, Dustin Schwartz, who is the Oilers their first Stanley Cup, will accept the men’s Team of the Year award at goalie coach, said when McDavid played his first game in Toronto it was the @PSWABanquet on Jan. 20 at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill. For the same way,” Hart said. “He came out with a flat effort, but he had so tickets to the 116th annual banquet, go to https://t.co/1KHNxZg3aJ. many people coming to the game and there was so much hype because — Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) October 18, 2019 it was Toronto, that was where his head was at.” Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2019 When McDavid made his first visit to Toronto three years ago, it may as well have been a national holiday. Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr even showed up.

Flyers’ next five

Saturday vs. Dallas 7 p.m. NBCSP

Monday vs. Vegas 7 p.m. NBCSP, NHLN

Thursday at Chicago 8:30 p.m. NBCSP

Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. Columbus 7 p.m. NBCSP

Sunday, Oct. 27 at N.Y. Islanders 7 p.m. NBCSP

The Flyers on Saturday will host Dallas in just their second true home game since opening the regular season Oct. 4 in the Czech Republic. They have another home game Monday and can start to settle into a relatively normal NHL schedule.

“It’s nice to get into a routine here; sleep in your own bed, cook some meals for yourself instead of always eating out,” Hart said.

If there was any consolation for Hart the other night, it’s that the four dozen or so folks who showed up were there to brighten his spirits after the loss

“It’s cool to see how many people care about you. Those are the people that got me to where I am," he said. "The next time [we visit Edmonton], I have to take care of everything a couple weeks in advance.”

Nolan Patrick update

Third-year forward Nolan Patrick participated for about 30 minutes with the rest of the club during a one-hour practice Friday. Patrick, who has not played this season because of a migraine disorder, wore a white non- contact jersey.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher declined to provide an update on when Patrick may return to play. Last Saturday, after Patrick skated with the club in Vancouver, coach Alain Vigneault said the 21-year-old was “week-to-week.”

Saturday’s opponent

The Stars were 1-6-1 entering Friday’s game at Pittsburgh. Anton Khudobin was expected to start in net against the Penguins which presumably means the Flyers would see massive goalie Ben Bishop (6- 1157685 Philadelphia Flyers and some [game] days, you just come in for a workout in the morning, do a little warm-up, and stay off the ice.”

Many others things contribute to a speedy recovery after a game, experts Under Alain Vigneault, rest and recovery are keys to keeping Flyers fresh say, including getting at least seven hours’ sleep a night, taking a daily all season | Sam Carchidi nap (20 minutes is plenty), drinking lots of water to stay hydrated, and keeping your daily protein intake high.

As for morning skates, if Vigneault doesn’t hold one, he still has his by Sam Carchidi, reserve players attend them, but he wants his regulars off the ice until game time. Instead, he wants them in meetings. Goalies, however, have

the option of participating in morning skates on game day, taking shots Things are different with the Flyers under new coach Alain Vigneault. and getting loose if they desire, and both Carter Hart and Brian Elliott seem inclined to do just that. There’s a skills coach to help the players in various areas. Defenseman Matt Niskanen, who at 32 is the Flyers’ oldest skater, says There’s a deeply respected coaching presence, thanks to Vigneault (see it’s becoming a trend to reduce morning skates. his demotion of turnover-plagued Jake Voracek) and his track record. That presence hasn’t been felt since Peter Laviolette was behind the “Apparently that’s what science says is best,” he said. “I think some guys Flyers bench. were resistant to it just because they like their routine, and I was in that camp for a while. But I’m open to this. Once you get used to it, it probably There’s generally been stronger special-teams play, though the sample is better.” size is extremely small. “The game’s so fast now and so tight,” Niskanen said. “… I think you Oh, and there’s a difference in the practices, which have a much brisker need to maximize energy as much as possible.” pace. And hope you have a deep playoff run that uses that energy to the finish That is, when the Flyers have practices. line.

Under Vigneault, the Flyers will have fewer practices and will reduce the Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2019 number of morning skates this season.

“You know why I started that? Way back in my Vancouver time, it was because the media didn’t like coming down for the morning skates, so I said I’m not doing it anymore,” Vigneault said the other day.

Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom participating in a drill during a September practice.

Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom participating in a drill during a September practice.

He was kidding, of course.

The truth is, Vigneault, in consultation with strength coaches and players throughout his long and successful NHL coaching career, believes rest and recovery are important factors between games. That, he says, will lead to more energy during games and his players won’t be as apt to wear down late in the season.

“It got to the point where I felt we just had to touch the ice once between games,” he said. “Whether it was a morning skate or a practice, that’s enough.”

The Flyers won’t be “off” on days when they are not on the ice. There will be some light work in the gym, and video sessions and meetings with the coaches.

“You can do stuff off the ice that’s going to help your game,” Vigneault said. “All the arenas now have facilities where they can work on their shots and work on their puck-handling skills. But I think just once on the ice between games is good, and I’ve been doing it for quite a few years now.”

It seems to have worked. Vigneault is the 12th-winningest coach in NHL history.

Flyers center Kevin Hayes, who played for Vigneault for four years with the New York Rangers, was asked if less ice time was helpful.

“If you asked every guy, I think you’ll get a different answer,” he said. “Sometimes I want a morning skate; sometimes I don’t. It depends how the night before goes and the [previous] game. In the beginning of the season, I like the morning skates because we’re just starting to play games and just getting used to each other.”

There’s a fine line. You want your players to be sharp on the ice, but you also want their bodies to recover from the previous game and a grueling schedule. The Flyers, for instance, traveled nearly 14,000 miles to play their first five games.

“It’s a long year, and every game everyone is going all-out,” said defenseman Ivan Provorov, a workaholic in the weight room, “so I think it’s important to get your rest and recovery when you can. Sometimes, when you have a late game, like 8 o’clock, you need a morning skate, 1157686 Philadelphia Flyers At times in the first five games, the Flyers have looked much quicker and hungrier than last season.

At other times, they have looked, well, just like last season — that is, For road-weary Flyers, there’s no place like home | Sam Carchidi slower than their opponent. Their penalty kill has been both brilliant (killing a two-minute, five-on-three that keyed a win over New Jersey) and awful (then again, McDavid does that to opponents). by Sam Carchidi, “I’m not going to talk about last year. I think we’re a different team,” Claude Giroux said after goalie Carter Hart struggled in his Edmonton

homecoming. “We can’t get down on ourselves. We’ve very confident in EDMONTON, Alberta — They traveled nearly 14,000 miles to play their this group that we can be successful. It’s not time to hit the panic button.” first five games and, yet, the Flyers went backward. Their starts to games have been both good and bad. They were mostly Back to .500 (2-2-1), after a 2-0 start. bad last year. In the first two weeks this year, they won the two games when they scored first and lost the three games they didn’t. Back to the questions about whether enough was done in the offseason to address their offensive needs and whether promising winger Joel “I do feel we’re on the right track,” Vigneault said. “There’s a lot of good Farbee will be recalled from the Phantoms sooner rather than later. willingness on the part of the players to do things the right way. I mean, I know the result (Wednesday) is not what we wanted, but we did do a lot Back to wondering if their slow starts in games and their inability to of good things.” convert golden scoring chances will make this seem like last season. Now they have two straight home games — facing Dallas and Vegas — But at least they’re back home, have gotten two long trips (Europe, and that’s something that happens just one other time in their first 22 Western Canada) out of the way, and now they can start to develop contests (thanks, NHL). It’s a chance to steady themselves, build some some continuity in their on- and off-ice routine. That hasn’t been easy chemistry and limit the mistakes that lead to goals. because of a brutal travel schedule in which they played their first three games in three different countries and their first four games in four It’s also a chance to sleep in their owns beds. After seemingly circling the different time zones globe to play just five games, that may be what helps them the most.

To their credit, the players didn’t use that as an excuse for their 0-2-1 Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.19.2019 Western Canada trip that ended with a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton McDavids on Wednesday, but it had to take its toll.

Also to their credit: On the second end of back-to-back games, they dominated the action and outshot Edmonton, 52-22, but got trampled on the scoreboard.

“Sometimes, the game looks unfair, but I’m a firm believer if you do things the right way, things will even out,” coach Alain Vigneault said.

Center Sean Couturier said if the players play like they did Wednesday, “we’ll win a lot of games. Maybe we deserved a better result. I feel the few chances we gave up were really quality chances. Maybe we’ll need to clean that up, but if we shoot 40, 50 shots in a back-to-back, there’s still some positives, even if it doesn’t seem that way.”

A 'lesson’

Despite many more chances and an 85-37 domination in shot attempts, the Flyers lost focus on the penalty kill against the Oilers — something that can’t be done against superstar Connor McDavid — and got shaky goaltending. It seemed like whenever opportunistic Edmonton had a Grade A scoring chance, it converted. McDavid, naturally, was in the middle of things, equaling a career high with five points.

“It’s a lesson,” said Justin Braun, who wasn’t the first defenseman to get undressed by a mind-boggling McDavid move that produced a highlight- reel goal. “You have to shut down the top players in this league if you want a chance to win.”

The Flyers, on the other hand, couldn’t finish. Some of it had to do with Mikko Koskinen (49 saves) and his brilliant goaltending. Some of it had to do with shooting right at the 6-foot-7, 202-pound goaltender. The Oilers hit the corners with their shots. The Flyers hit the goaltender with most of theirs.

It’s been a strange start for the Flyers, who are still digesting Vigneault’s system — not easy to do when so many different line combinations are being used.

Defensive focus

Vigneault has his team playing with a defense-first style, and he likes how the players, for the most part, have bought into his philosophy. But he admitted that it may have affected the team’s attack.

Because the Flyers have put a premium on defense, “a couple guys may be slow in taking off [to the offensive end],” said Vigneault, who scrambled all four lines Wednesday. “They’re making sure maybe about the emphasis we’re putting on defense. You have to find the right balance in both.”

It will be a work in progress for the next few months as the Flyers search for that balance, the right line combinations and defensive pairings. 1157687 Philadelphia Flyers still end up with four of five points in the first four games, the chances were there — passing, couple of chances, but it didn’t. If it did, it would be a different story. If you get the goal, if you get an assist, that builds up your confidence little bit. The Jakub Voracek balance doesn't have to be so complicated "Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t good [in those games], either. Especially during the seasons in the past, you can’t have four or five games and end up with one point [and say] your game could be at the top level. By Jordan Hall "The funny thing is, when you play well, it’s easy to find the balance October 18, 2019 8:30 PM because you have confidence.”

As Voracek makes plays, he will also make mistakes. VOORHEES, N.J. — Jakub Voracek has the NHL’s seventh-most assists Is it frustrating when the fans or media only see the mistakes? since the 2013-14 season. “Obviously from upstairs, you see the different perspective of the ice,” His job description as a playmaker comes with a double-edged sword. Voracek said. “There are different lanes when you have the puck, you Throughout his career, he has been tasked with creating offense. To do see different things. I got here the way I played before and the way I was, so, it requires pushing the envelope — taking risks, making bang-bang I think, doing the right things. But sometimes it’s hard to satisfy decisions and playing instinctually. everybody, you know what I mean? Especially today, it’s really hard to Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. satisfy everyone. It’s almost impossible in today’s society.”

When a facilitator like Voracek tries to make plays at a prolific clip, he’s That’s why Voracek just needs to be himself. There is no perfect balance. bound to make mistakes. It’s no coincidence the year Voracek set career Overthinking in search of it won’t help Voracek or the Flyers. highs in assists (65) and points (85), he also had his most giveaways (65). That was 2017-18, the Flyers’ best season (42 wins, 98 points) Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 since 2011-12, when the franchise last won a playoff series.

Voracek is in a new system with a new head coach. He and Alain Vigneault are still getting to know each other — from the player’s tendencies to the coach’s style.

In the third game of the relationship, Voracek was demoted from the first line to the fourth unit during the third period and played his fewest minutes (14:30) since 2015-16. In the fifth game, Voracek climbed from the third line to the second unit alongside Kevin Hayes and Oskar Lindblom after scoring a goal during the first period. He ended up with two goals and an assist during the 6-3 loss to the Oilers, although his final two points came late in the third when the game was out of reach.

“That’s why I made that quick change after the first period where I put him with Haysey and Oskar,” Vigneault said Friday following practice. “I thought his first period was good. He had good vibes, good energy. He was protecting the puck well. For the most part, that for him was a step in the right direction.”

Ultimately, Voracek needs to be himself. The Flyers are better when he’s himself. Over the past five seasons, the Flyers went 59-18-10 when Voracek had a multi-point game. When he’s himself, he’s not overthinking, he’s playing freely — and, yes, he’s playing harder and smarter. Voracek understands there must be a balance between aggressiveness and conservativeness with his playmaking.

And he knows fans might struggle to grasp the intricacies of that balance.

Prior to his three-point effort against Edmonton, Voracek had gone scoreless through the first four games of the season for the first time in his career.

If I play good defense, nobody is going to see that because I don’t produce offensively. If I produce offensively and I still make a couple of mistakes, they’re going to say I’m sh---y defensively. It’s a no-win situation.

But I think defensively, I was pretty good when you look at those games. But it’s not good enough for me and for the team. I expect more out of myself offensively. And that’s what it takes sometimes, you have to … not take chances, but you have to create more. Obviously with creating more, being on the puck more, there’s a bigger chance you’re going to f-- - it up sometimes.

With me right now, I’m 30 years old, I think we’re focusing on helping the team to win the game. If it’s scoring goals, getting an assist, making a good defensive play, focusing on playing good defense — it doesn’t matter as long as we find a way to win.

Confidence often drives Voracek. An important play or big goal can lead to points in bunches from the winger. He has mentioned that word a lot in his time here. Vigneault, Voracek and the Flyers will have to find ways to boost confidence together.

“A lot of it has to do with confidence,” Voracek said. “If you go in, if you don’t produce and if you are careful, it’s hard to gain something. I could 1157688 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers loan Connor Bunnaman to Phantoms; is Nolan Patrick nearing a return?

By Jordan Hall

October 18, 2019 11:20 AM

Updated: 2:52 p.m.

VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers on Friday loaned forward Connor Bunnaman to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

The move could mean center Nolan Patrick, who has been week to week with a migraine disorder, is nearing a return.

When Patrick does come back, there will be an odd man out of the lineup. Bunnaman, a 21-year-old rookie, was the likely candidate. Instead of having him sit and watch, the team signed veteran Chris Stewart, who can be the 13th forward, as Bunnaman continues his development with the Phantoms.

"We want the kid to play," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said after practice Friday. "I really think we’ve got a good, young player there.

"He’s a 21-year-old player that got 19 goals last year in the American League, that’s pretty good. He needs to play, he needs to get some minutes, and then when he comes back here at some point, he’ll be a better player for us."

Stewart will play Saturday against the Stars at the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m./NBCSP).

#Flyers forwards today:

Claude Giroux-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny

Oskar Lindblom-Kevin Hayes-Jakub Voracek

James van Riemsdyk-Scott Laughton-Tyler Pitlick

Carsen Twarynski-Michael Raffl-Chris Stewart

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 18, 2019

With Patrick not quite back yet, the Flyers could call up a forward from Lehigh Valley for some added offense. The candidates are Joel Farabee, German Rubtsov, Mikhail Vorobyev, Nicolas Aube-Kubel or possibly a veteran like Andy Andreoff. The Flyers currently have only 12 forwards and the roster is at 21 players. It can be at a maximum 23.

Patrick did more solo work Friday and took part in practice wearing a non-contact jersey.

Nolan Patrick still getting in solo work. pic.twitter.com/C70kxnpZpk

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 18, 2019

Nolan Patrick in practice. pic.twitter.com/b9KwhYpO8g

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 18, 2019

"I see Nolan around, I really would tell you that when there’s feedback as far as where he is, I get it from our medical staff," Vigneault said. "I have been told that he’s been making some progress. Today I think was his longest practice, it was almost 30 minutes with us. So I think he’s on the right track."

The 21-year-old missed all of training camp and the preseason.

"We consulted a lot of different people and I think we feel we're in a good place medically," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Sept. 26. "We'll hope for the best."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157689 Philadelphia Flyers James van Riemsdyk isn’t getting paid $7 million a year to play Selke- level, two-way hockey, or to protect leads in the third period, or to make desperation blocks on the penalty kill. He’s paid to score goals and produce points, so the big zero in both columns through five games is a How worried should Flyers be about each of their scoring-starved major disappointment. veterans? That said, the fact that JvR hasn’t scored yet is flat-out nuts.

You want snakebitten? No Flyers player has more shots on goal than van By Charlie O'Connor Riemsdyk with 23, which averages out to a whopping 4.6 per game. For reference, that’s equivalent to 377 shots over an 82-game slate, which Oct 18, 2019 would have led the NHL by 12 last season. It’s not like he’s inflating his totals with weak attempts, either. No Flyers player is even close to van Riemsdyk’s 18 high-danger chances, and by Expected Goals, he Five games into the season, there are some unfamiliar names at the top “should” have 3.52 tallies based on the quality of his chances — of the scoring charts for the Philadelphia Flyers. remember, due to the early season tracking issue, that number is probably lowballing how many goals he “deserves” to have. Sure, players like Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov and Oskar Lindblom are talented youngsters poised to help shape the next era of Flyers After a down play-driving year, JvR is back on the right track thus far. hockey. But it’s not their era, yet. In 2019-20, the old names were still Despite his most frequent linemates being Scott Laughton and Carsen expected to lead the charge and drive the team’s offense. Giroux. Twarynski (far from established impact players), van Riemsdyk holds a Voracek. Couturier. Gostisbehere. The longtime, core offensive threats strong 59.23 percent Corsi For and a downright fantastic 78.30 percent on the team. xG For rate. Even in small samples, it’s rare to see those numbers from players in third-line usage — particularly when they’re adjusting to a new But at least in terms of point-scoring, none of the big-name veterans has position (RW instead of van Riemsdyk’s usual spot on the left). been lighting the lamp. Obviously, it’s extremely early in the season, and by the time the team takes its one-game trip to Chicago next week, the But it’s that usage that probably is the biggest reason a gigantic JvR usual suspects could be back in their normal spots on the charts. Still, at breakout might not be imminent. With Nolan Patrick still working back this moment, they aren’t there — yet. into game shape and none of the high-upside scoring prospects with the big club yet, the Flyers have six spots available on scoring lines for seven So is there cause for concern about the lack of high-end production from players; someone is going to be the odd man out. More often than not, so the big names? Let’s go through each case, one by one. far, it’s been van Riemsdyk. Claude Giroux (zero goals, three assists in five games) It’s obviously harder to create chances and score goals with lesser- Over the past two seasons, only four players — Nikita Kucherov, Connor skilled linemates than with more talented ones. Add in the fact that van McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby — have scored more Riemsdyk was bumped from PP1 in favor of Sean Couturier on points than Claude Giroux and his 187. But after five games, Giroux has Wednesday, and the unit responded with two goals, so it’s a strong a mere three assists, one of which came in garbage time Wednesday. He possibility he’s lost his cushy spot on the top unit, at least for now. But doesn’t have a single point at even strength. And he’s yet to light the van Riemsdyk has played perfectly fine thus far; he’s simply dealt with a lamp. What’s the problem? ridiculous amount of bad luck. Unfortunately for him, he’s not being placed in the most ideal positions to change that luck. Most likely, there isn’t one. Giroux is actually both shooting the puck more and creating more scoring chances at 5-on-5 than he did in his Van Riemsdyk Concern level: 2 Grittys previous two banner campaigns, which counters any worries his “slow” Jakub Voracek (two goals, one assist in five games) start is an early sign of a player in rapid decline. He’s even blowing away his previous high-danger chance and individual Expected Goal creation After Wednesday’s three-point explosion, suddenly Jakub Voracek isn’t totals, which is especially impressive considering that prior to that far off his usual 60-70ish point pace. Sure, he was scoreless in the Wednesday night the NHL wasn’t even tracking tight-to-the-net chances first four games, but solid early work versus Edmonton got him moved properly. (Basically, they were incorrectly recording in-crease shots as back into the top six after a brief demotion to Line 3, and now the points being taken a couple feet outside the crease area.) Even with that limiting seem to be coming. Maybe Voracek is fine. his results, Giroux was still peppering the net with dangerous opportunities. And he very well might be! But there are enough red flags to provide some pause that a full-fledged Voracek rebound is right around the All stats at 5-on-5. corner.

Giroux has hit three goalposts, a total that easily leads the team and is For starters, he just isn’t playing a ton. It’s not fair to say that Voracek is more of a fluke than anything else. As for the lack of assists, the Flyers “clashing” with the new coaching staff, and so far, Voracek has said all have somehow scored just one goal on 40 shots with Giroux on the ice at the right things publicly about his brief drop down the lineup. But ice time 5-on-5 — a ghastly 2.5 percent on-ice shooting percentage that simply is a reflection of the coaches’ trust in players, and Voracek apparently will not stay that low. It’s especially bound to increase if the Flyers hasn’t earned it. continue to bulldoze opponents territorially when Giroux skates; they’ve built up a 79-51 shot-attempts edge and 41-23 scoring-chance Even on Wednesday, when he spent the final two-thirds of the game on advantage with Giroux on the ice. This isn’t a case of Giroux and his Line 2, Voracek still finished sixth in 5-on-5 ice time among Flyers teammates not getting chances. They are. They’re just not finishing. forwards, behind Giroux, Couturier, Konecny, Lindblom and Kevin Hayes. Through five games, he’s eighth in TOI per night (11:56), behind those Now, all of this doesn’t mean Giroux is destined to break out of his mini- five players in addition to van Riemsdyk and even Laughton. For slump immediately. On Wednesday night, he looked the part of a player comparison’s sake, Voracek averaged 14:14 last season, trailing only gripping the stick a bit too tightly in search of his first 2019-20 goal; the Couturier and Giroux. captain does have a tendency to overdo it when bounces aren’t going his way. In addition, his placement on the right side of the top power play Unlike many of his snakebitten teammates, Voracek’s offense creation unit cuts down his goal-scoring potential by neutering his one-timer — numbers at 5-on-5 are actually down. It’s not dramatic — and again, the he’ll likely have to generate the lion’s share of his PP value via assists as tracking issue has to be noted — but Voracek hasn’t been his usual self long as that structure holds. in generating shots and dangerous chances.

But considering the strength of his process and track record of scoring All stats at 5-on-5. prowess, Giroux shouldn’t stay below the point-per-game threshold much Voracek has acknowledged his offense hasn’t been up to the usual longer. standard, so it’s not as if he hasn’t recognized the issue. And Alain Giroux Concern level: 1 Gritty Vigneault praised the Czech winger for his early commitment to defense despite his underwhelming production. But Voracek is never going to be James van Riemsdyk (zero goals, zero assists in five games) a defensive stalwart; he’s at his best from a shot and chance prevention standpoint when he’s playing keep-away with the puck, not when he’s stuck in defensive zone coverage. Wednesday’s points — largely scored That’s because, unlike the other five players on this list, Ghost isn’t in garbage time — may help spark the rest of his game. But unlike some coming off an especially strong season; nine goals and 37 points of his peers, Voracek’s struggles can’t simply be chalked up to bad puck qualifies as a down year for him. He came to camp motivated and luck. focused, and even exhibited early chemistry with Justin Braun in preseason, raising hopes for a bounce-back year. Five games in, he’s yet Voracek Concern level: 3 Grittys to produce a single point.

Sean Couturier (one goal, two assists in five games) It hasn’t really been a case of Gostisbehere being snakebitten, either. The people expressing concern over Sean Couturier’s start probably He’s not shooting as much as usual at 5-on-5, and PP1 is still trying to haven’t been able to catch many of the early season games due to the find its way, even though the top unit did take positive strides Flyers’ bizarre schedule. Sure, he might have only three points in five Wednesday. But there hasn’t been an extended period in which Ghost games — a 49-point pace, way below his totals from the previous two has looked like his dynamic old self from his rookie year or his monster years. But don’t worry. Couturier has been his usual, dominant two-way 2017-18 season. He’s largely looked ordinary. self. That doesn’t mean Gostisbehere has been useless. He’s formed a solid His underlying numbers are staggering. With Couturier on the ice at 5-on- pairing with Robert Hagg at 5-on-5 (60.60% xG in 52:33 together), and 5, the Flyers have generated 91 shot attempts and allowed just 44; in considering Hagg’s horrid play-driving results in 2018-19, it’s fair to other words, they’ve doubled up the opposition territorially. Quality- assume Ghost is driving the bus there. Gostisbehere has made his share adjusted metrics like xG tell the same tale: a 4.44 to 1.88 advantage that of mistakes in the early going — Tuesday’s game in Calgary was comes out to a 70.30 percent share. As Vigneault put it before particularly rough for him — but he hasn’t been a liability overall. He’s Wednesday’s game, “Right now, it seems that everybody playing with just not at peak powers. Coots is (getting) some chances.” That’s no coincidence. Can he get back there? The Flyers certainly hope so. But as long as he’s What about Couturier’s individual offense, though? Well, it’s never been paired alongside Hagg and getting a relatively low amount of 5-on-5 ice better, at least from a process standpoint. He’s taking more shots at 5- time behind Couturier and Hayes (he’s spent about 48 percent of his on-5, averaging 11.79 shots/60 minutes compared to a career average of minutes behind one of the top two centers while the 6.58. He’s taking more better shots, too (11.03 scoring chances/60 Provorov/Braun/Sanheim/Niskanen pairs clear 60 percent), Gostisbehere versus 7.11 last season). The problem is simple: The shots aren’t going might find it tough to produce at even strength. That leaves the power in, yet. Last season, Couturier scored on 14.8 percent of his shots, after play, and on the Flyers’ final PP on Wednesday, Provorov replaced a 13.7 percent year in 2017-18. So far this season? He’s at 5.0 percent, Ghost on the top unit. which would be a career-low. After just five games, we’re really talking That doesn’t mean Gostisbehere has lost his spot on PP1. But if he were about only one or two goals he’s missed out on due to bad shooting usurped — even briefly — and continued to be used on the third pair at percentage luck. Give him those tallies, and he’s right in the 0.8 to 1.0 5-on-5, ending his early slump and rediscovering his electric self point-per-game range — exactly where he should be. becomes even more difficult.

Now, it’s possible that losing Giroux as his primary winger hurt The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 Couturier’s goal-scoring ability in the early going, as the two exhibited fantastic chemistry over the past two seasons. But that’s no longer an issue; Giroux was back on Couturier’s left side Wednesday. Most likely, the bounces were going to start going Couturier’s way from a goal- scoring standpoint anyway. Give him Giroux back as a linemate, and that outcome feels inevitable.

Couturier Concern level: negative-3 Grittys

Kevin Hayes (one goal, zero assists in five games)

The moment news broke regarding the size of Kevin Hayes’ seven-year, $50 million contract, it became clear he would have to convince the doubters he was truly worth that kind of investment. A one-goal-in-five- games start doesn’t qualify as an especially strong opening statement.

But Hayes’ positive impact has been undeniable, as it needed to be with Patrick on the shelf. Hayes has finally given the Flyers a second line that can be trusted to drive play on a nightly basis, and while his underlying metrics don’t match Couturier’s, they’re still through-the-roof impressive in comparison to mere mortals (55.73 percent Corsi, 65.63 percent xG). Though it may seem like a broken record at this point — first-five-games Hayes is way above his recent full-season averages in generating shots and scoring chances.

All stats at 5-on-5.

Combine that with a far-too-low 2.22 percent on-ice shooting percentage, and you get a dismal scoring start — even if Hayes is more or less playing his usual game. There’s little reason to think that solid point production isn’t on the horizon.

If you expected Hayes to come in, light up the scoresheet and turn into a point-per-game player under his new contract, then yes, his slow start is a concern. But if you were more reasonable in your hopes — a quality 2C who can push play in the right direction, keep up with high-skill wingers and finish a season in the 45- to 55-point range while solving one of Philadelphia’s longest-standing roster issues — then Hayes is right on track.

Hayes Concern level: 2 Grittys

Shayne Gostisbehere (zero goals, zero assists in five games)

Out of all the high-profile veterans off to slow scoring starts, Gostisbehere is probably the most concerning. 1157690 Pittsburgh Penguins Murray and fired a wrister through his five hole. Assists went to Benn and Klingberg.

The Stars had a brilliant opportunity to double their lead at 15:27 of the Empty Thoughts: Penguins 4, Stars 2 second but Murray came up with those time saves as mentioned earlier. Dallas forward Denis Gurianov lifted a wrister from the left wing on net which hit off the near post. It deflected between Murray and the cage to the right circle. Stars all-star forward Tyler Seguin had a seemingly wide Seth Rorabaugh open cage to bury the puck but shot it low immediately into Murray’s left Saturday, October 19, 2019 1:11 a.m. leg. Following up another rebound, Seguin chopped a shot but the inside of Murray’s left elbow fought it off then smothered the rebound.

A deflection goal tied the game, 1-1, late in the second at the 17:34 mark. Observations from the Penguins’ 4-2 win against the Stars. Forward Jared McCann lifted a wrister from the left circle which Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin fought off to the left of the cage. Battling The story of the Penguins to this embryonic point of the regular season Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen for the rebound, Penguins forward are the injuries up front. For better or worse, they’re beat up. Yet, it’s led Patric Hornqvist was able to backhand the puck, while falling forward, to to quite a bit of opportunity for so many of their lower-tiered players to above the right circle. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson carefully drove a contribute. shot/pass to the slot where forward Jared McCann leaned forward and Zach Aston-Reese had a big two-goal game in Winnipeg on Sunday. tapped the puck with his forehand past Khudobin’s blocker. It was the third goal of the season for McCann, who returned to the lineup after Sam Lafferty is realizing his dream of playing in the NHL with his missing the previous game due to an undisclosed injury. Assists went to hometown team. Pettersson and Hornqvist.

Jared McCann is getting plenty of chances as a No. 2 center. They nearly took their first lead of the contest 3:50 into the third period. Joseph Blandisi and Adam Johnson are cashing NHL paychecks and Just as a Dallas power play expired, defenseman Kris Letang sprung contributing offense. Lafferty on a breakaway. With Tanev riding shotgun on the two-on-none rush, Lafferty elected to shoot and put a backhander off the right post: The new guys and the incumbents have all found ways to chip into this tidy five-game winning streak. The Penguins finally went ahead at the 6:34 mark of the third. After Seguin fumbled a puck in his own right circle, Penguins forward Dominik So is the guy in net. Simon fed a pass from the slot to Letang at the left point. Moving into the left circle, Letang avoided a sliding block attempt by Seguin, advanced Matt Murray is usually a quiet guy. He doesn’t like talking about himself closer to the net and waited for Khudobin to slide lift his right leg just that much. Ask him about a save or goal he allowed and he often will enough to allow a forehand shot to slide into the net. It was Letang’s third give you a bare-bones description of the sequence. goal of the season. Simon recorded the lone assist.

What happened on that save? A goal by Hornqvist gave the Penguins a 3-1 advantage at 10:20 of the Their guy shot it and I just tried to stop it. third. Taking a pass at the right point, defenseman Brian Dumoulin lobbed a wobbly wrister which Hornqvist, positioned in the slot, was able What happened on that goal? to deflect with the shaft of his stick and past Khodobin’s right skate on the far side. Dumoulin and forward Dominik Kahun netted assists. It went in. The Stars pulled within one score at 12:01 of the third. Corralling a puck With the exception of Sunday’s 7-2 win at Winnipeg in which Tristan at the right point, Klingberg whistled a wrister through a forest of bodies Jarry started, this winning streak and strong start overall has been in and past the left shoulder of Murray on the near side. Heiskanen had the many ways a Matt Murray production. During the team’s winning streak, only assist. he has appeared in four games, has a 4-0-0 record, a 2.22 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Making timely saves is one thing. Being lucky is another. Both are good. Murray was a bit out of position for a deflection by Stars forward Joe “He’s been huge,” said defenseman Marcus Pettersson. “A couple of Pavelski, one of the NHL’s best at tipping pucks, with 1:08 left in games, we’ve scored seven goals. I feel like (coach Mike Sullivan) has regulation. Fortunately for the Penguins, it clunked off the left post. talked about those timely saves early (in games) that have given us chances and momentum all around. He’s been stellar. I look forward to Letang airmailed an empty net goal from the red line to secure victor at seeing him continue like that.” 19:38 of the third. Assists went to Hornqvist and forward Jake Guentzel.

Murray had another timely save (two actually) which will be described Statistically speaking below which keyed this victory. He’s never going to one to put up basic stats worthy of the Vezina Trophy. The Penguins will never be defensive- • The Penguins led in shots, 33-24. minded enough for that to happen while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin • Letang and Guentzel each led the game with five shots. and Kris Letang are involved with this franchise’s fortunes. Much like his predecessor, Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray will often make making that • Klingberg led the Stars with four shots. timely save which can offer a course correction to any contest. • Heiskanen led the game with 25:17 of ice time on 27 shifts. It’s more than fair to question Murray given his history of injuries and inconsistency. But it’s also fair to suggest he’s been one of this team’s • Letang led the Penguins with 24:57 of ice time on 28 shifts. most stable entities during the early days of the 2019-20 campaign. • The Stars controlled faceoffs, 29-19 (60 percent).

“Matt came up big for us,” Sullivan said. “That’s what he does. He makes • Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was 12 for 20 (60 percent). key saves at key times during games that help us win or give us a chance to win. He did it again for us tonight.” • Stars forward Joe Pavelski was 5 for 6 (83 percent).

What Happened • McCann led the game with three blocked shots.

Dallas opened the scoring at 5:10 of the second period. Lugging a puck • Defenseman Esa Lindell led the Stars with two blocked shots. from behind his own net, Stars defenseman John Klingberg fired a pass Historically speaking from his own left circle up across the ice to forward Jamie Benn on the left wing. From the defensive side of the center red line, Benn distributed • Hornqvist (239 points) surpassed forward Ken Schinkel (236) for 36th a pass that glanced off the stick the Penguins’ defenseman John Marino place on the franchise’s career scoring list. to the offensive blue for forward Roope Hintz who was streaking into the offensive zone like a comet. As Penguins forward Brandon Tanev and • Guentzel (165 points) surpassed forward Phil Bourque (164) for 54th defenseman Jack Johnson gave a futile pursuit, Hintz moved in on place on the franchise’s career scoring list. Randomly speaking • The Penguins winning streak has been exclusively against Western “They were great. You see Marcus there, he’s holding onto the puck and Conference foes. finding McCann to get us going. Then (Letang) there on the second goal, he’s staying with it, staying with it. Then (Dumoulin) shot it off my stick • The Penguins lead the NHL with 16 second period goals. and it went in. Then (Letang) scored the fourth one. We’re playing really • Pettersson and Simon each have a tidy three-game scoring streak. good hockey. We’re all supporting each other all over the ice, we’re playing for each other and it’s a great feeling.” • Crosby failed to score a point for the first time this season. He had a streak of seven games. • Sullivan is high on how his defensive group is contributing to the offense: • The Penguins’ penalty killers are getting it done: “When you look at our defense corp. and how it’s built, we have the For the first time in 3 seasons, Pens have held opponents without a PP ability to generate offense from that group of six. (Letang) obviously is an shot in consecutive GP. They have not allowed a PP shot in the last elite defenseman. Justin Schultz is a real good offensive defenseman. 126:40 of play. We think some of these other guys have an offensive dimension to their games as well. Marcus has really evolved in that area of his game. — Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) October 19, 2019 (Dumoulin) has evolved in that area of his game. Those guys, they don’t • After missing Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Avalanche due always pile up points but they certainly help us generate offense. Jack to an injury, McCann returned and made a clear impact with his goal. He and John Marino have the ability to do it as well. (Gudbranson) the same logged 14:30 of ice time on 21 shifts, including 47 hard seconds on the for him. We have a group of defensemen that for sure help us generate penalty kill. He even got banged up a bit after being struck in the left arm offense. They don’t always end up in the score sheet but it’s nice when with a puck and heading to the bench for a little attention from athletic they do.” trainer Chris Stewart. McCann had three shots on three attempts and • Letang admitted he is trying to shoot a bit more this season: was 2 for 9 in the faceoff circle (22 percent). “A little bit. Especially with the power play with the group that we have • Kahun recorded his second point as a Penguins with his assist on right now. We try to simplify things. We’re shooting more. Maybe a little Hornqvist’s goal. After recording a season-low 10:35 of ice time in bit. In the previous years, you could look at a guy like Brent Burns or Erik Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Avalanche, his ice time Karlsson, they’re shooting the puck a lot. It’s paying dividends. They’re bumped up to 13:18 on 19 shifts. He also recorded a shot on net and scoring or they’re creating offense from it. It’s the only way to generate blocked one. offense.” • The Stars are off to a wretched 1-7-1 start. Ick. • Sullivan spoke about his team’s emphasis on tipping shots or re- Publicly speaking directing pucks:

• Hornqvist was effusive at how important Murray’s saves on Seguin “We’re always looking for different avenues to get the puck to the net. were: The way the game is being played today, there’s a lot of good shot- blocking teams. Sometimes, there’s layers of shot blockers in the shot “Huge. Yeah, it’s a 2-0 game there and we’re probably not standing here lane. So you’re looking for that off-net stick or that off-lane stick that laughing right now. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.” defensemen can just deliver pucks down to those areas. It’s just another opportunity to get the puck to the net. We work on that stuff a lot with the (Murray, by the way, is a pending restricted free agent. Maybe Hornqvist different strategies or the concepts that we’re trying to implement since can serve as his agent.) training camp. That one tonight for Patric to get his stick on that puck, • Pettersson did a nice job of explaining what a timely save means: you’ve got to give Patric a lot of credit. He works on those things daily. Whether it’s net front or that one in the slot tonight, that’s an acquired or “You kind of grow as a team when you see those saves and kind of catch developed skill that guys spend of time on that over their entire career. momentum. Small things like that. It gave us a chance to score at the We’ve got some of the best deflection players in the game I think other end.” between Patric and Sid and Jake.”

• Murray was succinct in describing the saves on Seguin: Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2019 “It was like a low two-on-one. The guy shot it. I got a piece of the post and in behind me. I just tried to get something over there.

“That’s all I try to do is just make every save that I can no matter what time in the game. I feel like that’s my job is to help my team and make those saves.”

• Pettersson kind of called himself (and defensive partner Justin Schultz) for their play on the sequence leading to the saves:

“Yeah, it was huge. It was kind of a fluky play. Me and (Schultz) were kind of late to the puck. It ended up bouncing to Seguin. That was two big stops. He saved the rebound too and gave us a chance to score on the other end.”

“You know he’s back there to cover for you. We just try to be aggressive off the rush. You know they’re a skilled team up front and they’ve got big bodies. We tried to be as aggressive as we could be. Sometimes, you’re not going to get there. We have Matt to bail you out.”

• Letang broke down how he scored his first goal:

“I know I was getting close so I had to try to make him open a little bit. So I made a move to the right to make him move and it opened the five hole.

“It’s just instinct when you get that close to the net. You just try to pick the right time to shoot or try to make a play.”

• Sullivan was impressed by Letang’s first goal:

“It was certainly a goal-scorer’s goal. We have a few them on our team that I could probably point to that have the same level of patience. It was a terrific play by (Letang).”

• Hornqvist lauded the defensemen involvement in the offense: 1157691 Pittsburgh Penguins “Matt came up big for us,” Sullivan said. “That’s what he does. He makes key saves at key times during games that help us win or give us a chance to win. He did it again for us tonight.”

Matt Murray’s timely save lifts the Penguins past the Stars “You kind of grow as a team when you see those saves and kind of catch momentum,” Petterson said. “It gave us a chance.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2019 Seth Rorabaugh

Friday, October 18, 2019 9:53 p.m.

Mike Sullivan has plenty of phrases or idioms he leans on.

Being “conscientious” on defense is one of them.

The “200-foot” game is a classic.

And don’t forget “drill down” when the Penguins’ coach explains how he evaluates many things.

His greatest hit might just be the “timely save.”

Matt Murray provided two vital stops on the same sequence in the middle stages of the Penguins’ 4-2 win against the Dallas Stars, their fifth in a row, on Friday at PPG Paints Arena.

On paper, a single save (or two) might not seem significant in a six-goal game. To the Penguins, it dictated the route this contest took.

“Huge,” said forward Patric Hornqvist. “It’s a 2-0 game there and we’re probably not standing here laughing right now.

“That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.”

Murray’s status as a pending restricted free agent after this season notwithstanding, he did quite a bit to allow his team to earn a victory.

Already up, 1-0, thanks to a breakaway goal by forward Roope Hintz at 5:10 of the second period, the Stars were still on the attack just over 10 minutes later when forward Denis Gurianov lifted a wrister from the left wing. Murray got a piece of it with his right arm but the puck struck the near post and deflected between Murray’s back and the net then bounced toward the right circle.

Stars All-Star forward Tyler Seguin was ready to pounce on the puck and a seemingly wide open net but shot it low into Murray’s left leg. Following up on another rebound, Seguin lifted a wrister but the inside of Murray’s left elbow fended off that shot, then smothered the puck to keep the deficit at 1-0 at the 15:27 mark.

“It was like a low two-on-one,” Murray said. “The guy shot it. I got a piece of the post and in behind me. I just tried to get something over there.

“That’s all I try to do is just make every save that I can no matter what time in the game. I feel like that’s my job is to help my team and make those saves.”

“It was kind of a fluky play,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “Me and (defenseman Justin Schultz) were kind of late to the puck. It ended up bouncing to Seguin. That was two big stops.

“He saved the rebound too and gave us a chance to score on the other end.”

Just over two minutes later at the opposite portion of the rink, the Penguins tied the game thanks to a deflection goal by forward Jared McCann, back in the lineup after a one-game absence due to an undisclosed ailment, at the 17:36 mark.

A dazzling individual goal by defenseman Kris Letang at 6:34 of the third put the Penguins up 2-1. Then at 10:20 of the third, another deflection goal by Hornqvist put the Penguins up by two scores.

Dallas made it a one-goal contest at 12:01 of the third when defenseman John Klingberg whistled a wrister from the left point through a forest of bodies and past Murray’s right shoulder on the near side.

The victory and the Penguins’ winning streak was secured with 22 seconds remaining in regulation thanks to an empty-net goal by Letang, his fourth of the season.

The opportunity to stage a comeback was ensured by Murray with his stops on Seguin, two of 22 he made during the game. 1157692 Pittsburgh Penguins After re-signing him as a restricted free agent to a three-year deal with a salary cap hit of $2.1375 million during the 2018 offseason, the Penguins dealt Oleksiak back to Dallas in part to clear salary in order to add forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann via a trade last February. Ex-Penguins defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is getting a second chance with the Stars “Whenever you get traded, I think it’s a bit of a surprise, no matter what the situation is,” Oleksiak said. “I feel like it was a pretty big shakeup overall with that squad. There’s not a whole lot of guys left (from Oleksiak’s time with the team). Obviously, the core is still there, the big Seth Rorabaugh guys. Whenever you get traded, it always kind of catches you off guard. Friday, October 18, 2019 6:49 p.m. It’s the nature of the business.”

His second taste of the postseason was brief last spring as a knee injury limited him to four playoff games. The Stars lost to the eventual Stanley Things were a bit awkward for Jamie Oleksiak last Christmas. Cup champion St. Louis Blues in overtime in Game 7 of the second round. Had Dallas moved on to the Western Conference final or beyond, Traveling home to Toronto during the NHL’s holiday break in December, Oleksiak thinks he could have returned to the lineup. he was stopped at a New York-Ontario border crossing and asked if he was traveling for business or pleasure. “That was really tough,” he said. “Obviously, playoffs, you want to really be out there trying to push through it. It was frustrating because I felt It was pleasure, as he was visiting his family. good in that first series there against Nashville. Who knows what could He then had to explain the nasty piece of business on his face. have happened in St. Louis? You want to be out there competing with the boys, especially when it was so close. Game 7, one goal to the eventual “I had a black eye there crossing the border,” Oleksiak said. “I had to go Stanley Cup champions. It’s a tough pill to swallow. the whole length, the description, with the border (guard).” “Going through that has woken me up a little bit to how fragile it is, just a Oleksiak’s description of his bruised cosmetic appearance may have career in general. You don’t know what could happen and you just have taken longer than how he received the black eye. to make the most of the opportunities you have.”

A handful of days earlier, on Dec. 19, he was jumped by long-time Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2019 Penguins nemesis Tom Wilson during a road game against the Washington Capitals and dropped by a right hand from Wilson.

Oleksiak’s time in Pittsburgh didn’t last much longer after that as the Penguins traded him to a place he’s familiar with.

Dallas.

Initially acquired by the Penguins in December of 2017 for a fourth-round pick in 2019, he was traded back to the Stars 13 months later this past January for the same draft pick.

“Getting traded back for the same pick and everything … it’s been an interesting journey,” Oleksiak said. “You kind of go somewhere you’re familiar with, the guys in the locker room. I’m happy to be back.”

The Stars seems satisfied to have him back. He’s been a steady player for a team that began the season with a wretched 1-6-1 mark. Despite primarily being used as a third-pairing defenseman along with Taylor Fedun, Oleksiak was one of only 17 defensemen with at least two primary assists in the NHL in five-on-five play prior to Friday’s games. Only Ryan Ellis (five) of the Nashville Predators and John Carlson (three) of the Washington Capitals have more according to Natural Stat Trick.

“Lots of confidence, composure back there,” said Stars forward Tyler Seguin, when asked what’s different about Oleksiak in his second stint with the team. “His decision making. He’s really just grown into how big and strong he is and using that. He’s been great for us this year.”

“He’s given us real important minutes,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “He’s separated people from pucks (and) he’s transitioned pucks out of our end really well for us.”

Drafted in the first round (No. 14 overall) by the Stars in 2011, Oleksiak rarely lived up to that billing during his first stint in Dallas and was a frequent scratch under different coaches. The Penguins, with the prodding of assistant coach Sergei Gonchar, briefly a teammate of Oleksiak in Dallas, acquired him in hopes of tapping some unrealized potential.

“Getting a chance to be a regular in Pittsburgh and playing in the playoffs and getting all the experience, you learn you can handle it,” said Oleksiak, who made his postseason debut with the Penguins in 2018. “You’re confident that you can play and kind of learn different tendencies of what you need to do to play big minutes. Instead of playing not to make mistakes, I was playing to make sure we won the game and I was an effective player out there. It was a good experience.”

Oleksiak didn’t erase any scoring records in Pittsburgh, but he enjoyed the most production of his career with the Penguins. In 83 career games, he scored 25 points. With the Stars, he had played 169 career games prior to Friday and also scored 25 points. 1157693 Pittsburgh Penguins

Dominik Kahun still searching for first goal with Penguins

Seth Rorabaugh

Friday, October 18, 2019 3:16 p.m.

Dominik Kahun is something of a rarity among the Penguins forwards.

First, he’s healthy. Unlike so many of his teammates, Kahun has nary a scratch on his body.

But most importantly, he’s the only able-bodied forward on the roster who has yet to score a goal through seven games.

“It’s been a long time now,” said Kahun, who has been limited to a single assist. “I get good chances there. Unfortunately, it didn’t (go) in. But I just keep working. I think soon it will happen.”

His futility in scoring hasn’t been for a lack of opportunity. He has six shots on net this season, including two during Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win at home against the Colorado Avalanche.

“If you’re playing and there’s no chances, then something is wrong,” said Kahun, who the Penguins acquired in an offseason deal which sent defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks. “That’s not always good. When you get those chances, it’s good for you. You know you’re doing things right. They just have to go in some time.”

His best chance putting one in came during a 2-1 home win against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 10

Creating his own breakaway with a blocked shot, he bore down on all- star goaltender John Gibson and beat him over the right shoulder … only to have the puck clank off the cross bar.

Despite his struggles with scoring with an elevated role on the second line because of injuries up front, coach Mike Sullivan gave Kahun’s play an endorsement.

“We think he’s gaining some traction,” Sullivan said. “It’s always an adjustment process when he goes to a new team. Dominik, he’s trying to understand how we’re trying to play. He’s trying to understand what his role is amongst the group with this identity that we’re trying to build here. It’s just an adjustment process, but we like how he’s trending. We think he’s getting more comfortable with every day that he’s here, with every practice that he gets under his belt, with every game that he gets an opportunity to play in.

“You can see his offensive instincts are evident. He’s a good playmaker, he’s pretty good at tight space. He’s almost scored a handful of times. We’re just trying to encourage him to stay with it.”

“Obviously, when you get those chances, it helps you,” Kahun said. “You feel more comfortable, more confident. It’s always the waiting for a goal, that’s the worse in hockey. You just want to get it over. I just hope it happens soon so I can feel better.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157694 Pittsburgh Penguins

Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust participate in Penguins’ morning skate

Seth Rorabaugh

Friday, October 18, 2019 12:10 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ morning skate at PPG Paints Arena on Friday featured a rarity.

Actual players on the ice.

As they get deeper into the regular season, the Penguins have opted to make their morning skates optional and the vast majority of players — at least those who aren’t destined to be healthy scratches — have vigorously opted to employ that option.

On Friday, prior to their game against the Dallas Stars, plenty of their regulars took the ice. They just haven’t played regularly over the past week-plus.

Injured forwards Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust and defenseman Zach Trotman participated in the optional skate along with healthy defensemen , Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel. The latter three are expected to be scratched Friday night.

Goaltenders Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry also skated.

Bjugstad has not played since suffering an undisclosed injury Oct. 5. He is on injured reserve. Rust (suspected left hand) and Trotman (sports hernia) each began the season on long-term injured reserve.

Additionally, forwards Evgeni Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk each worked out on the ice prior to the morning skate. Malkin has not played since Oct. 5 while Galchenyuk has been sidelined since Oct. 8. Both players are also on injured reserve with undisclosed ailments.

“Obviously, the fact that they’re on the ice suggests they’re at another stage in their rehab process,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re getting closer, and that’s encouraging from our standpoint. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later that we start get some of these guys back.”

Notes:

• Forward Jared McCann, who missed Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime victory at home against the Colorado Avalanche, is considered a game-time decision, according to Sullivan.

• Murray is expected to start.

• Presumably, that would mean Jarry is expected to start for Saturday’s home game against the Vegas Golden Knights and former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

• Stars forward Blake Comeau (undisclosed), a former Penguin, and defenseman Stephen Johns (head), a native of Wampum, are on injured reserve.

• Stars backup goaltender Anton Khudobin is scheduled to start.

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157695 Pittsburgh Penguins Letang does becomes even more significant. But when that defenseman is also making solid decisions and playing within structure, that’s how a team that had to play defenseman Juuso Riikola as a forward earlier this week is somehow on a five-game winning streak. Kris Letang's hot start continues with highlight-reel goal against the Stars As the season goes on, Letang will remain a player to watch – as he The Penguins' star has struck the right balance this year between risk always is. If the Penguins can get healthy and continue to get this kind of and reward decision-making and offensive production out of Letang, they’ll have an intriguing mix of structure, speed and skill.

Will it all come together? Time will tell. For now, we’ll just have to do as MIKE DEFABO Letang did.. and wait. OCT 19, 2019 5:46 AM Post Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019

Kris Letang collected the pass from Dominik Simon at the top of the left circle and patiently waited…

And waited…

And waited...

Finally, as the Penguins’ defenseman wound up, Dallas Stars winger Joe Pavelski went down to block the shot. Okay, no problem. Letang calmly sidestepped one defender. He drew his stick back again. A second defender, Tyler Seguin, slid to stop a shot attempt. Again, Letang deked a second defender, walked in and beat Anton Khudobin through his five hole.

The go-ahead, third period goal was one for the highlight reel, no doubt. In coach Mike Sullivan’s words, “It was certainly a goal-scorer’s goal.”

And here’s the wild thing: Letang initially wasn’t even looking to shoot. He was hoping to set up a teammate.

“I was trying to find the back-door play,” Letang said. “But they played man-on-man, so it gave me room.”

During the Penguins’ 4-2 win over the Stars at PPG Paints Arena, Letang tacked on an empty-netter to seal things. The second goal was nicely done in its own way and certainly critical with the Stars threatening.

But let’s focus on that first one. In many ways, it highlighted what the Penguins have come to expect from the player they call “Tanger.” Skill. Instinct. Skating. Vision. Patience.

Few defensemen in the NHL have that kind of ability with the puck on their stick. Heck, not a ton of forwards can do it.

“You see him and you kind of want to do the same thing,” fellow defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “But not a lot of us can do that.”

Plays like this one are what helped make Letang the highest-scoring defenseman in team history. Just this week, he notched his 500th career point.

Yet, there are times when he can be a polarizing player. He’s a gambler. Sometimes it pays off in spectacular fashion. When it doesn’t? The critics come out of the woodwork. That was especially the case during last year’s first-round postseason sweep when his decision to skate into a swarm of Islanders defenders led to an odd-man rush the other way that set the stage for the series.

The challenge for Letang and the Penguins is to maximize moments like Friday night, while minimizing the ones like last postseason.

“We want to stay out of his way in terms of his ability to create offense,” Sullivan said earlier this week when asked about Letang. “But we’re just trying to help him recognize situations when he needs to make simple plays and not put himself in difficult positions or our team in difficult positions.”

It’s still early. But so far, Letang has seemingly struck that balance. He’s off to a torrid start offensively, recording at least one point in seven of the Penguins’ eight games this season. He currently ranks second in both goals (4) and points (10) among NHL defensemen.

“What I’ve really liked about his game most recently is just the decisions he’s making,” Sullivan said earlier this week. “I think his defensive game has been a lot better over the last couple of weeks. He’s getting more involved physically, which I think helps him be at his best.”

In their current injury-ridden state, the Penguins have leaned on both parts of Letang’s game. With four forwards missing, including most notably Evgeni Malkin, a defenseman who can generate offense like 1157696 Pittsburgh Penguins And Murray will be a restricted free agent next summer. The Penguins get the right to match any offer another team gives him. Murray, of course, would have to be open to leaving Pittsburgh. He has given no indication that is the case. Don't overlook Matt Murray after another pretty goal in a Penguins win But the Penguins are projected to be in an even more perilous salary-cap position then than they are now and will likely have to make Murray their top priority. If he keeps playing like this, his annual salary will nudge MATTHEW VENSEL closer to eight figures. Post-Gazette “He’s tremendous. He’s so confident in that net. And it’s amazing to see OCT 19, 2019 2:57 AM and awesome to play in front of,” Brian Dumoulin said. “We know what he’s capable of and how good he is, and he’s showing it right now. He’s so steady in there.”

Patric Hornqvist was all smiles after the latest Penguins win. And why He added: “We needed him more than ever, and he’s showing up every not? night.”

He tallied three points Friday as the Penguins beat the Dallas Stars, 4-2, Letang has been showing up every night, too, usually in a good way. He at PPG Paints Arena. He had one of the best seats in the house for Kris has four goals and six assists in eight games after scoring twice against Letang’s ridiculous goal. And his team has a five-game winning streak the Stars. and is getting healthier. After Roope Hintz beat Murray on a breakaway and McCann, back in the But in that joyful home locker room, the veteran forward got serious for a lineup, tied it, Letang put the Penguins up with one of the prettiest of his second when asked about two key saves Matt Murray made in the career. second period. With a flick of his stick, the blue-liner got Joe Pavelski to drop to the ice. “Huge,” he said. “You know what? That’s a 2-0 game there and I’m Letang faked another shot, this time convincing Tyler Seguin to leave his probably not standing here laughing right now. That’s why you get paid skates. Gliding backwards, he dangled the puck past Seguin then pivoted the big bucks.” toward Khudobin.

Penguins forward Dominik Simon congratulates defenseman Kris Letang The Stars goalie was in good position as Letang attacked from an acute on his goal against the Stars in the third period Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at angle. But Letang somehow got Khudobin to drop to his knees and then PPG Paints Arena. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette) open his pads.

Keep it up, and the bucks get bigger for Murray. More on that in a minute. “It’s just instinct when you get that close to the net,” said Letang, who has a point in seven of eight. “You just try to pick the right time to shoot or The Penguins trailed the struggling Stars, 1-0, in the second period and make a play.” the game was in danger of slipping away when Stars winger Denis Gurianov rang a shot off the left post and the rebound came right to five- Four minutes after that goal, Hornqvist redirected Dumoulin’s shot from time All-Star Tyler Seguin. the point Khudobin to make it 3-1. The eventual game-winner was Hornqvist’s fourth goal of the season. That’s more than he had in his final Staring at a mostly-empty net, Seguin fired the puck right into Murray’s 40 games last season. pad. He got a second whack in the crease but Murray got his left arm on that one. John Klingberg put a shot through a crowd and past Murray to pull the Stars back within a goal. But Letang sealed it with an empty-netter with “I just tried to get something over there,” Murray said of that sequence. 22 seconds left. Two minutes later, Jared McCann tied it up. Marcus Pettersson was in The Penguins on Saturday host Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas the process of winding up a slapshot. He spotted McCann and in mid- Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena. Sullivan has not yet announced swing changed the angle to fire an incredible pass to McCann, who whether Murray or backup Tristan Jarry will be in goal. But Murray poked it past Anton Khudobin. seldom starts on back-to-back nights. “Those were two big stops. They gave us a chance to score on the other Post Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019 end,” said Pettersson, adding, “You kind of grow as a team when see those saves.”

Thursday, a day after Murray gave up only two goals to the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche, Mike Sullivan said he was “quietly” off to a “really strong start.”

Penguins center Sidney Crosby is congratulated after scoring against the Ducks Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, at the PPG Paints Arena Uptown.

“It’s hard to win in this league if you don’t get the timely save,” he noted.

Murray’s play this season has been overlooked with Sidney Crosby dominating, American Hockey League call-ups contributing and the Penguins scoring 32 goals in eight games. But he has now delivered the goods in six of seven starts.

He kept the Penguins in the opener even though his teammates apparently thought the game was a different day. He played a prominent role in wins over Columbus, Anaheim and Colorado. Friday, Murray got bailed out by the post on multiple occasions. But he made 22 saves, including 11 in a sloppy second period.

This season is a pivotal one for the two-time Cup-winner, still just 25.

Murray, for all his playoff success, has yet to put together a regular season that gets him into the Vezina conversation. In the past, he battled relatively minor injuries and bouts of inconsistency. Last season was no different, though he did pull it together in the second half to help lug the Penguins into the playoffs. 1157697 Pittsburgh Penguins At least that was the old-school approach. But could the Penguins be changing?

Around the sports world, coaches and player are becoming much more Evgeni Malkin skates at PPG Paints Arena as he continues to recover cognizant of the wear and tear their bodies take. More is not always from injury better when it comes to the workload. The Penguins have now canceled three morning skates in the last week. It will be a trend to watch as the season continues.

MIKE DEFABO “We’re just trying to manage their workloads,” Sullivan said. “We’re in the middle of three games in four nights. We just came off a similar OCT 18, 2019 5:00 PM circumstance of three games in four nights. We try to communicate with our players on where their needs are at.

Penguins star Evgeni Malkin made his return to PPG Paints Arena on “Quite honestly, we’ve really liked the energy we’ve had when the puck Friday … well, sort of. drops. It’s just more about trying to make the best decisions so the guys are — from an energy standpoint and a workload standpoint — at their In the morning, Malkin took the ice wearing a track suit. He went through optimal position when the puck drops tonight.” some drills and did a little bit of skating on his own. While he may have been skating previously on his own, this was the first time Malkin had Post Gazette LOADED: 10.19.2019 been spotted by reporters on the ice at PPG Paints Arena since he sustained a lower-body injury in the second game of the season.

Previously, the Penguins placed Malkin on long-term injured reserve, retroactive to Oct 5. That means he must miss at least 10 games and 24 days.

Coach Mike Sullivan has not — and likely will not — outline a timetable for Malkin’s return. However, to see Malkin on the ice is a positive sign, considering that just last week, Sullivan was fielding questions about if Malkin’s injury could be season-ending.

Malkin is just one of many injured players on the Penguins roster. The Penguins are currently without forwards Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Bryan Rust (hand) and Alex Galchenyuk (lower body), plus defenseman Zach Trotman (sports hernia).

All of those injured players skated in some capacity on Friday morning. Galchenyuk did some individual work. Bjugstad, Rust and Trotman participated in a more structured setting with some of the healthy scratches, although not a full-speed practice.

“The fact that they’re on the ice suggests that they’re at another stage in their rehab process,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re getting closer. That’s encouraging from our standpoint. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later that we start to get some of these guys back.”

The numerous injuries have opened the door for multiple younger players, including Sam Lafferty, Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi. With a mix of older veteran leadership and young hunger, the Penguins entered Friday night’s game against the Dallas Stars riding a four-game winning streak.

McCann back in action

The injury-ravaged Penguins got one of their forwards back on Friday when Jared McCann took the ice.

McCann missed Wednesday’s game with a nagging lower-body injury. However, he was back at practice on Thursday and did not participate in the extremely optional morning skate, an early sign that he would play that evening.

He started the game as the second-line center, with Dominik Kahun on his left wing and Patric Hornqvist on the right.

Murray vs. Fleury unlikely

Penguins fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury will return to Pittsburgh on Saturday when the Penguins host the Vegas Golden Knights. However, signs say he won’t be matched up against the man who succeeded him.

Matt Murray started in goal on Friday against the Dallas Stars. It would be going against Sullivan’s tendencies for him to play Murray on back-to- back nights. So, at least for now, it looks like Tristan Jarry will make the start in net against Vegas.

Morning skate changes?

If you aren’t aware, there’s this terribly antiquated concept called a morning skate in hockey. Players who are expected to buzz up and down the ice at 10 p.m. have to wake up early and go through a practice the morning of a game. 1157698 San Jose Sharks in the middle, so they can’t switch sides all the time. Keep them on one side hopefully.”

▪ The Sharks reassigned Danil Yurtaykin to the Barracuda on Friday An underappreciated part to the Sharks’ three-game win streak morning. Yurtaykin had been a healthy scratch for three of the last four games after Kane returned from his suspension.

Later Friday, per the AHL transactions page, the Sharks recalled forward By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: October 18, 2019 at 2:08 pm | Noah Gregor from the Barracuda. Gregor, a fourth round draft choice by UPDATED: October 18, 2019 at 10:11 PM the Sharks in 2016, has three points in three Barracuda games this season. He has yet to make his NHL debut.

In the four games he played, Yurtaykin, 22, averaged 13 minutes of ice SAN JOSE — As much as the return of Evander Kane and the signing of time, playing mainly in a top nine forward role. He did not have a point. Patrick Marleau have helped the Sharks turn things around after one of the worst starts in franchise history, their record might look a lot different “What we tell all guys when they go down is they’ll decide when they now if it wasn’t for their penalty kill. come back up,” DeBoer said/. “This league, week-to-week, you’re looking to bring someone in. Somebody’s hurt and you need another guy. The Sharks had to kill a third period penalty to protect a one-goal lead in their Oct. 10 game against Chicago, scored shorthanded and killed two “There is no plan (with Yurtaykin) other than go down and play well and more third period penalties in their two-goal win over Calgary on Sunday, we’re going to recall the best players down there. He’s got to play games, then killed four penalties after the first period in what became a three- he’s got to get stronger. You can see the skill and you like some things.” goal win over Carolina on Wednesday. Yurtaykin has a tutor, will also be helped by Evgeni Nabokov in learning “I’d say two out of three times,” Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic English. said, “the penalty kill wins you games.” “There’s a lot of things he can develop down there,” DeBoer said. As it is, the Sharks enter Saturday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-4-0 record, and penalty kill that entered Friday ranked ▪ Forward Lukas Radil was ill Friday morning and missed practice. He’s fourth in the NHL at 91.7 percent. considered day-to-day. Lean Bergmann took Radil’s spot on the fourth line with Melker Karlsson and Dylan Gambrell. That percentage will vary wildly early in the season, but the Sharks have six points in the bank now in part because of their work on special teams. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.19.2019 Goalies Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have combined to make 10 saves while shorthanded the last three games.

“I think we were pretty good last year. We had a dip last year for a couple games that got the percentage down,” Sharks forward Melker Karlsson said. “But so far, we’re working hard. It’s been a pretty big part of our game right now when we’re winning.”

The Sharks penalty kill was inside the NHL’s top 10 for most of the 2018- 19 season but went through a tough stretch in March. In 15 games that month, the Sharks allowed 11 goals on 41 penalty kill attempts.

The Sharks at that time were trying to earn layers to their penalty kill unit, with Sharks coach Pete DeBoer saying they got away from the foundation they had established through much of the season. The unit finished the season ranked 15th in the NHL at 80.8 percent.

“We tried to add some things to what we were doing and complicated it,” DeBoer said. “Instead of doing a few little things really well, we complicated the picture a little bit and kind of lost that foundation.

“We reset it heading into the final stretch and into the playoffs, and I thought it got back in the playoffs to where it needed to be.”

The Sharks lost two key pieces from their penalty kill units from last season.

One, defenseman Justin Braun, was second on the team in shorthanded time on ice with 178 minutes and 50 seconds over 78 games. He also blocked a team-high 37 shots while shorthanded. Joe Pavelski also played a smaller role on the PK.

Those holes have been filled in part this season by Mario Ferraro and Timo Meier, although Vlasic, Brent Burns, Brenden Dillon and Erik Karlsson are still doing the lion’s share. Up front, Barclay Goodrow, Melker Karlsson and Tomas Hertl have led the way.

“It’s the same thing. You lose a good PKer up front (Pavelski) and one of the PKers in the league on defense (Braun), so it’s a big hole to fill,” Vlasic said. “But it’s the same system, same in-zone pressure, same forecheck. It’s about the new guys or whoever hadn’t played it last year blocking shots, getting in lanes, having good sticks.”

The Sharks’ kill will face a stiff test from the Sabres, who entered Friday with the third best power play in the NHL at 35.5 percent through eight games. Buffalo has scored 11 times with the man advantage in 31 tries.

Sabres rookie Victor Olofsson was tied for the league lead with six power play goals, and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and center Jack Eichel have combined for 10 power play assists.

“They have threats on both flanks. Eichel and Olofsson can really shoot it,” Melker Karlsson said. “It’s going to be managing their (seam passes) 1157699 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' tough tests continue as team faces East-commanding Sabres

By Chelena Goldman October 18, 2019 3:25 PM

SAN JOSE -- The Sharks might've tallied their third straight win on Wednesday night by beating a tough Carolina Hurricanes team. But their work against tough Eastern Conference competition has only begun.

Saturday night's contest marks the start of a six-game stretch against teams from the other side of the country, which starts with a home-and- home the Sharks will play against the conference-leading Buffalo Sabres.

That's right. The Sabres have command of the east at the moment. And the offensive weapons they'll bring to the next two games are sure to challenge some areas where San Jose has been at its weakest -- getting hemmed in their own zone and giving opponents too many chances.

Buffalo isn't leading the entire league with 13 points by accident. Through their first eight games of the 2019-20 season, they've outscored their opponents 29-18 and have a power play that has found the back of the net 11 times in 31 attempts so far.

Part of that success is because Victor Olofsson is tied for first in the league with six points per game on the young season. But the Sabres are also getting set-up help from Rasmus Dahlin, a ten-goal boost from captain Jack Eichel, and an offensive jolt from winger Jeff Skinner who continues to roll after posting a career-best 40 goals last season.

Add to it that netminder Carter Hutton is leading the league with a 1.39 goals-against average and .953 save percentage and you have the makings of a team on a red-hot start.

Not to mention one that will put the Sharks to the test.

The Sharks weren't completely satisfied with the effort they put on the ice last Wednesday against Carolina, especially in the first period when they were heavily pinned into their own end of the ice and got outshot 16-7. Despite scoring two power-play goals in that first frame San Jose knew that their penalty kill was the reason the Hurricanes weren't able to take the game over in the second stanza when the score was just 3-1.

After the win, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer gave a lot of credit to Martin Jones in helping keep the Canes from taking the game over, especially with their power play. "Your goalie's always your best penalty killer," he said. "(Jones) was really solid. I thought in that first period [the score] could've been 3-3."

But the Sharks don't just need another big performance in the net on Saturday. They'll need to find a way to take the ice away from the Sabres and minimize their chances.

Needless to say, San Jose has to find a way to get more zone time against in their first period against the Sabres than they did in their first 20 against the Hurricanes. With an average 30.6 shots per game, Buffalo is winning games whether they outshoot their opponents or not -- not to mention being 6-1-0 when they score the first goal. San Jose might've caught a break in their last game by having a rough first period overshadowed by Evander Kane's hat trick and some killer saves on Jones' end, but they'll have to work harder to get out of their zone against a Buffalo team that's finding the back of the net early and often.

This isn't to say it's all doom and gloom for the Sharks. They've cleaned a lot of things up over their last three games, getting big contributions from their special teams as well as from their goaltending.

Getting positive contributions from all of those areas when they face off against the red-hot Sabres is really going to be the key.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157700 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Brent Burns appreciates connection to STEM programs in schools

By Chelena Goldman October 18, 2019 7:55 AM

SAN JOSE — When the average 5th-grade Sharks fan watches a Brent Burns’ slap shot beeline towards the goal, he or she is probably just worried about whether the puck hits the back of the net or not. The angle of Burns’ shot or the goalie’s save percentage probably isn’t even a blip on their radar.

But SAP’s “Digital Scholars” program is aiming to show students there are math and technology-based jobs in sports too -- ones that look at things like how many goals-against can hurt a netminder's average or how changing the price of merchandise in a team's store can impact sales.

In a hands-on session with students at Baldwin Elementary School in the South Bay, Burns himself had the opportunity to interact with students who are using the program to learn about the different sides of the sports industry, from analytics to jersey sales and more.

The Norris Trophy winner told NBC Sports California he was impressed - - especially with how quickly the students could make their way through the math-based tasks the program sets up for them.

"It wouldn't be easy for me to do that stuff," Burns laughed after he had watched several students maneuver through the program.

The initiative's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education platform features a hands-on way of learning, with it's "Data Champions" module that has a focus on football, basketball, and, of course, hockey. Plans for the STEM program to be used in schools emerged in the spring of 2019, with hopes to use the "gamified" program in select schools in seven U.S. states along with Ontario and British Columbia in Canada.

But the laptop-compatible program is more than a video game with a few math-based trivia questions popping up along the way. Although, to be fair, a few questions from the program posed at Thursday's event were hard for even the adults in the room to answer. All in all, it teaches students about some of the detail that goes into jobs surrounding a team -- not just being the star athlete,

So while one task includes moving a puck-scorer to different areas of the offensive zone to get the best shot at a goal, it's also teaching students about turning their interests in this program into future jobs thanks to its "career-pathing" focus, which makes the program more of a job-creating tool and less of a video game.

Something Burns, who spent nearly an hour talking to students about what they were learning from the program, liked about the STEM education overall.

"It was pretty cool to see how it was steering them based on their interests and what they're doing on certain things and what they can look into doing later in life," Burns said. "It's really cool to see that these programs can start tracking based on their interests and what they're clicking on. Just to let them know 'Hey, you might want to look into this.'"

That's high praise from a father of three.

Burns' biggest takeaway was that the program made learning about the different aspects of sports accessible to any student -- whether they're a future athlete or bound to be a stellar statistician.

"It's all relatable and that's the biggest thing with school," Burns said. "All of this was relatable and it was helping them steer to the future."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157701 St Louis Blues “It was not too far from the hotel, and hung out there. Marc Savard and I took the cab to the airport and met the team.”

Savard, an assistant coach, also was not with the Blues last season. Gunnarsson injured, so Parayko could be paired with Petro FRIDAY’S LINES/PAIRINGS

Forwards By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 11 hrs ago Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko

Blais-O’Reilly-Perron Carl Gunnarsson did not practice Friday, so it looks like the Blues will Fabbri-Bozak-Steen shuffle their defensive pairings when they return to action Saturday against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Barbashev-Sundqvist-Thomas

Gunnarsson did not play over the final 6 minutes 54 seconds of Defensemen regulation, or in overtime, in the Blues’ 4-3 shootout loss to Vancouver on Thursday. Parayko-Pietrangelo

“He’s day-to-day right now,” coach Craig Berube said. “Lower-body.” Bouwmeester-Bortuzzo

Gunnarsson has appeared in five of the Blues’ seven games this season, Dunn-Faulk and has been paired with captain Alex Pietrangelo each time. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019 Without Gunnarsson, Colton Parayko was paired with Pietrangelo in practice Friday, which meant splitting up the Jay Bouwmeester-Parayko duo which has been the Blues’ shutdown pairing since early January of last season.

Like Pietrangelo, Parayko is a right-hander; it was Parayko playing on his off side (left side) in practice.

“He’s such a good skater,” Berube said of Parayko. “He does wheel that way a lot in games, so we gotta find somebody that can fit over there at times in situations like this.”

SIGNS POINT TO ALLEN

When asked who starts in goal Saturday against Montreal, Berube laughed and replied: “Wait till game time.”

But all signs pointed to Jake Allen getting his second start of the season. Allen was off the ice quickly following Friday’s practice at Centene Community Ice Center. Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington stayed late getting extra work. If you’re starting the next day, you usually don’t get in extra work after practice like that.

Binnington allowed five goals against the Canadiens on Oct. 12 in a 6-3 Blues defeat, the most he’s allowed in a regular-season game as a member of the Blues.

AFTERNOON PUCK DROP

For the second time in six days, the Blues will play an afternoon game, with Saturday’s contest at Enterprise Center starting shortly after 2 p.m.

“I don’t mind ‘em,” Berube said. “It’s just about being prepared to go. Our guys, just doing a little bit extra in the mornings to get yourself ready to go.”

Without a morning skate because of the afternoon start, the players have to get ready on their own, whether it's more stretching, mental preparation, or individual work in the stadium hallways.

“Once that puck drops it’s on,” Berube said. “We don’t want to be waiting 10 minutes to get into the game. We want to start on time. That’ll be important for sure tomorrow against Montreal. They’re playing well. They won (Thursday) night again. So it’ll be a tough game.”

LUNCH IN D.C.

As usual, defenseman Justin Faulk didn’t take part in the Blues’ White House ceremony Tuesday commemorating their Stanley Cup championship with President Donald J. Trump. Faulk was with the Carolina Hurricanes last year, so he has not attended any of the Blues’ Cup-related festivities since the late-September trade brought him to St. Louis.

So where was he while the Blues were in the Rose Garden?

“I went to grab lunch, simply put,” Faulk said. “I think I had a tuna rice cake. It’s almost like a crispy hash brown in a sense. And then I think I had like a pastrami _ no, I don’t think it was pastrami. But some sort of sandwich, like a roast beef. 1157702 St Louis Blues It might not have mattered if the Blues had been able to score on their five-on-three. The Blues did get a goal on one in the postseason last year, but in the regular season, they’ve gone 225 games — and had 15 chances — without one. This time, the Blues had four shots on goal in Blues give up 2-goal lead again, lose in shootout the 80 seconds of two-man advantage but couldn’t score.

“We need to make it 4-1 there,” Berube said. “It’s probably game over.”

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 20 hrs ago “You always think you can do more,” he added. “But we had three pretty good opportunities to score. Good shots, and just didn’t pick the corner.

… I think that we could move the puck quicker on 5-on-3 than we did. Among the things the Blues have carried over from last season is Sometimes we probably slow it down a little too much.” apparently their penchant for making things as tough on themselves as “We talked about plays we want to run,” said Pietrangelo, who was out possible. on the ice for the five-on-three, during which the Blues called a timeout Up two goals in the second period and with 80 seconds of two-man midway through to get the unit some rest. “We ran them, some were advantage ahead of them, the Blues had a chance to take control of there, some weren’t. We had some good looks, I had a really good look Thursday night’s game with Vancouver and instead they did what they and so did (Brayden Schenn). have done so often in the past: let the chance slip away. “Their goal was five on five. They almost went two minutes and didn’t The Blues, who haven’t scored in the regular season with a two-man score either. It would have been nice to go up 4-1 there. First one we had advantage since Dec. 9, 2016, didn’t score there. Then when Vancouver (this season), so it was some pretty good looks.” got a two-man advantage for a full two minutes in the third period, thanks The failure to score was laid bare when, 50 seconds after Vancouver to an iffy goaltender interference penalty and a bench minor that coach killed off the last of its penalties, J.T. Miller scored for Vancouver to make Craig Berube took the blame for, the Canucks scored to tie the game and it 3-2. This had shades of Monday’s game, when the Islanders killed off a send it to overtime. From there, the Blues ended up losing in a six-round Blues power play and scored 72 seconds later to start their comeback. shootout, 4-3. The Blues carried their lead Thursday night into the third period, but So while the Blues have gotten points in six out of seven games, they couldn’t get it to the finish line. have blown a two-goal lead in three of them and gone on to lose in After a desultory overtime, both teams couldn’t score on their first five overtime each time. That’s three points that were there for the taking. shootout chances. Finally, Josh Leivo got Binnington to make the first “It’s frustrating giving up these leads and these extra points,” said goalie move and go down and then lifted the puck over him and into the net to Jordan Binnington, who lost his first shootout after three wins last end it. season. “We’re going to have to find a way to come out on top.” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019 “We can do a better job of closing teams out and keeping things five on five,” captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “Lot we can build off. Once we start closing games, we’re going to be pushing things in the right direction.”

But right now, they’re stuck in neutral, playing well for long stretches but then making costly mistakes that cancel the good play out. On opening night, they were up 2-0 on Washington on their way to a 3-2 loss. On Monday, they were up 2-0 on the Islanders in the third period and lost 3- 2. This time, it was a 3-1 lead that melted away. In each case, one more goal would have meant one more point.

“I thought we were playing pretty well,” Berube said. “You know the penalty on (Robert) Thomas is unwarranted. And that’s my fault … the bench minor.”

The back half of the two penalties seemed to sneak up on everyone. Binnington said he didn’t know it was a five-on-three until they were about to drop the puck to resume play. Thomas, back in the lineup after missing five games with an upper-body injury, was called for goaltender interference for colliding with Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, but he was clearly pushed into him by Tyler Myers.

Berube took issue with the call and said something on the bench that rubbed the refs the wrong way. The next thing you know, David Perron was skating to the box to serve the two-minute penalty.

“It’s on me,” said Berube, who said he was “big time” surprised to be hit with the call. “Whatever. That’s my fault.” It’s the first time Berube has been called for a bench minor in St. Louis, though he said it’s happened to him before.

The Blues almost escaped. The goal went into the books as an even- strength goal, coming two minutes after the penalties were called, but it came into formation in the closing seconds of the five-on-three and well before Perron or Thomas were able to rejoin the play.

With time running down, Elias Pettersson got the puck just outside the crease and, in slow motion it seemed, was able to maneuver around Binnington, but he couldn’t maneuver around Colton Parayko, who got behind Binnington and blocked the shot. But, as he was lying on his side inside the goal, he couldn’t clear the puck out of the crease. Bo Horvat eventually got the puck over the line.

“I just saw him go around the goalie,” Parayko said, “and I tried to get my stick in there and took a swipe at it, and my stick went over it and then it was a jamfest after that.” 1157703 St Louis Blues prospect still in juniors who got in a game in the preseason, signed a three-year entry level deal. Laferriere is with Cape Breton of the QMJHL.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.19.2019 On Blues' fourth line, center role is subject to change

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Oct 18, 2019

When Ivan Barbashev showed up at the Nassau Coliseum for the Blues’ game Monday against the New York Islanders, he looked at the lineup sheet in the dressing room and got concerned. He didn’t see his name.

“Then I realized they moved me back to center,” he said, re-creating his sigh of relief. “I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Good.’”

The lesson learned for Barbashev? “Got to look everywhere. You never know.”

That’s how it’s been on the Blues’ fourth line, where Barbashev and Sundqvist regularly trade the center spot back and forth. Saturday in Montreal, Sundqvist was the center. Monday, it was Barbashev. Thursday night against Vancouver, it was back to Barbashev. (With Robert Thomas, back from an injury, playing on the right wing.)

“That’s how it is,” Sundqvist said. “It doesn’t matter though. I can play both. ... We have to come here to see where we’re supposed to be playing today.”

The distinction is irrelevant at times as the two change roles throughout the game. When there’s a faceoff on the right, Sundqvist’s strong side, he takes it. When there’s a faceoff on the left, Barbashev’s strong side, he takes it. That’s what determines who is playing center on any one play.

“They take their draws on their strong side, so whoever takes it plays center that shift,” coach Craig Berube said. “That’s how it works, which is a real good thing for us, to have two guys out there, both can play center, take faceoffs on their strong side, so it’s a positive.”

“It hasn’t been a discussion about it, just me as a righty taking the right side,” Sundqvist said, “and him as a lefty taking the left side.”

As seen on TV

When the Blues crowded around the Resolute desk in the Oval Office for a picture Tuesday, there were only three Blues from the United States in the photo. Mackenzie MacEachern and Zach Sanford are still on this year’s team, and Chris Butler, who retired after last season, came along. The other American on the Blues’ current roster, Justin Faulk, passed on the trip because he wasn’t on the team last season.

But it was easy to spot the Americans. Butler saw to that.

“He gave all of the American guys American flag pins,” Sanford said. “That was pretty cool. I looked at Trump, he had the same pin on. I don’t know where (Butler) got them, but that was a good idea by him.”

And one observation from Sanford about the Oval Office:

“I started watching that show, ‘Designated Survivor,’” Sanford said. “I was wondering if that’s what it really looks like. I walk into the Oval Office, and it looks like twice as big on the show. It’s weird. I thought, ‘This feels like it’s way too small.’”

‘A little suspicious’

At some points in American history, having a Russian roaming the White House would have been a bit odd. Ivan Barbashev still felt out of place.

“It’s weird,” he said. “I felt a little suspicious as a Russian guy being in the White House and (with) the United States president. It was awesome. It was great. It was one to remember.”

Notes

With Thomas back in the lineup, MacEachern was a scratch, along with Sanford and Robert Bortuzzo. … The Blues’ Stanley Cup summer has officially ended. The trophy was returned to Toronto on Thursday, where it will remain most of the time until a new winner is crowned. … Jordan Ta’amu, quarterback for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, was in the Blues’ dressing room after the morning skate. … Forward Mathias Laferriere, the team’s sixth-round pick in 2018 and the only Blues 1157704 St Louis Blues

St. Louis faces Montreal, aims to break 3-game skid

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCTOBER 19, 2019 02:06 AM

BOTTOM LINE: St. Louis looks to stop its three-game losing streak with a victory over Montreal.

St. Louis went 45-28-9 overall a season ago while going 24-15-2 at home. Goalies for the Blues recorded nine shutouts last season while compiling a .906 save percentage.

Montreal finished 44-30-8 overall with a 19-18-4 record on the road during the 2018-19 season. The Canadiens were called for 293 penalties last season averaging 3.6 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes per game.

In their last meeting on Oct. 12, Montreal won 6-3. Brendan Gallagher recorded a team-high 3 points for the Canadiens in the victory.

Blues Injuries: None listed.

Canadiens Injuries: None listed.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157705 St Louis Blues There’s also no denying the fact that Schenn, who had been in the final year of his contract, is feeling more comfortable after signing an eight- year, $52 million contract extension.

What to like and not like about the start to the Blues’ 2019-20 season “I think at the end of the day, yeah,” he said. “You don’t really want to worry about the contract and the Blues came in and gave a very fair offer. It’s just good to get it out of the way.”

By Jeremy Rutherford Oct 18, 2019 Sammy Blais’ emergence

It’s not that the Blues didn’t think Blais was capable of being a productive player, but the poise and skill he’s shown has been more than expected, On June 12, Philip Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup tweeted, “Summer especially this early in the season. with Stanley begins now. Congratulations to the St. Louis Blues.” Blais scored three goals in his first 43 games in the NHL and matched Over the next four months, from the parade on Market Street to the that number in his fifth game this season. No. 3 was pure filth, a ceremony at the White House, there were 198 tweets from the backhander that beat Montreal netminder Carey Price last week upstairs. @keeperofthecup account, most of them sharing scenic pictures. Blais has also been the Blues’ most physical player, and one of the On Thursday, Pritchard hit “send” one last time this summer, saying the bigger hitters in the NHL. His team-high 32 hits rank fourth in the league. club’s time with the Cup had come to an end. His ability to play left wing on the second line is a tremendous “It’s time to close the case” with the St. Louis Blues, he tweeted. development for the Blues because there’s been no one else not already The day certainly came with some emotion, as the symbol of the Blues’ in the top-six who has shown they could handle it. history-making season was packed away. But it also came with some Vince Dunn’s analytics relief, defenseman Vince Dunn and coach Craig Berube acknowledged prior to the team’s game against Vancouver. Sean Tierney, director of analytics for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League, recently published some evidence for “Yeah, I think it’s time to kind of forget about all of that,” Dunn said. “The @chartinghockey that Dunn has been the Blues’ best defender this social media and all the news reports have been looking forward to the season. next Cup event that we’re going to have. I think that it’s good it’s finally over now and we can just kind of look forward to the season ahead.” Averaging 14:30 of 5-on-5 ice time through the first seven games of the season, Dunn has a club-high 55.73 Corsi For, which includes a 63.25 Coaches aren’t typically ones to make these kinds of admissions, but CF/60 and a 50.25 CA/60. Berube agreed with Dunn that the team’s visit to the White House on Tuesday was a welcome end to the summer tour. “That means the ice is tilted in St. Louis’ favor when he’s playing and it’s a positive sign for the 22-year-old in the early going,” Tierney said. “Yeah, that was the final thing,” Berube said. “We started the season off at home with two games, but in your mind, you’re thinking about the Dunn began training camp in a pairing with Alex Pietrangelo, but things that are ahead: the , the ring ceremony, and following the trade for Justin Faulk, he has spent the first seven games then you’ve got the White House. That stuff is still lingering in your head. this season rotating between Faulk and Robert Bortuzzo. The Dunn- They’re all real good things and positive things, but they’re all over with Faulk pairing has logged 62:16 minutes of ice time together, and the now, so it’s just hockey.” results have been solid with a 57.26 Corsi For percentage.

It’s just hockey, but the Blues’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks was But at some point, the Blues have to consider bumping Dunn up with similar to the hockey they’ve played during their first six games of the Pietrangelo. Currently, Carl Gunnarsson, who’s had success playing with season: good at times and not nearly good enough on other occasions. Pietrangelo in the past, has a Corsi For percentage of 46.74 in 61:24 of Their overall record is 3-1-3, and though they’ve lost just once in ice time with him this season. regulation, they’ve left a lot on the table. PK killing it Let’s take a look at what to like and not to like. The Blues’ penalty-killing unit ranks No. 2 in the NHL so far this season, What to like … giving up just one power play goal in 17 chances against (94.1 percent). Only one other club in the league — Vancouver — has surrendered just Brayden Schenn’s start one PP goal. Schenn’s goal-scoring streak ended at five straight games Thursday According to official stats after Thursday’s game, the unit successfully night, but he did pick up an assist, giving him a team-high eight points in erased a full two-minute, two-man advantage in their loss to the seven games. Canucks. Bo Horvat’s game-tying goal went into the books as an even- Schenn scored five times in the first six games of the season, after taking strength goal with 7:55 remaining — the same second the power play 17 games to get to No. 5 last season. ended.

He was asked what he felt were the factors in his quick start. That kept alive a streak that is now at 15 consecutive kills for the Blues, who have five players averaging two minutes or more per game on the “Obviously getting opportunity … playing with good players, power-play unit: Alexander Steen (2:43), Colton Parayko (2:06), Gunnarsson (2:05), time,” Schenn said. “I think just trying to play loose, relaxed, and getting a Jay Bouwmeester (2:02) and Pietrangelo (2:00). few bounces along the way definitely helps that, kind of builds your confidence.” Vladimir Tarasenko trending up

A year ago, Ryan O’Reilly arrived on the scene and opened the season After offseason knee surgery and an undisclosed illness in training, on a line with Vladmir Tarasenko. This season, it’s Schenn who has Vladimir Tarasenko got off to perhaps an understandable slow start. drawn the assignment with Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. The veteran right winger didn’t score in his first five games of the season, Furthermore, O’Reilly stepped in on the No. 1 power play unit last but that wasn’t as alarming as his limited shot total. He had a combined season, pushing Schenn to the No. 2 group. This season, through seven 10 attempts in those five games, none in Saturday’s 6-3 loss at Montreal, games at least, Schenn has the second-most PP ice time on the team which was his first shotless game since Nov. 29, 2017. behind Tarasenko (2:26 per game). But Tarasenko has picked up the pace in the past two games, scoring in It has translated into Schenn taking 19 shots this season, and with goals both, including a power-play goal against the New York Islanders and an on five of those, he has a 26.3 shooting percentage. That’s more than even-strength goal against Vancouver. He totaled 12 shots in those two double his career average of 12.6, and while that may not last all year, games as well, a signal that he’s getting back up to speed. enjoy it while it does. What not to like … “He’s shooting the puck well, he’s hitting the net, picking corners,” Berube said. “His shot is good right now and he’s scoring.” Defensive play not up to par The Blues’ bread and butter in the second half of their Stanley Cup The Blues desperately need more of that from Fabbri and Sanford, and season hasn’t been the same through seven games. They have allowed they need Thomas, who eased back into the mix Thursday on the fourth 23 goals in all — all but one of those coming at even-strength — and 16 line, to get healthy. of those 23 have come in the last four games. Binnington can be better A year ago, the defensive pairing of Bouwmeester and Parayko was phenomenal, particularly in the postseason. They had a goals against per Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who burst onto the scene as a rookie 60 minutes of 1.18 at even strength in the regular season and it was just sensation in 2018-19, has a stiff challenge this season proving to 1.68 in the playoffs. This season, though, that number has jumped to everyone that he’s the real deal. 2.65. The early returns: he’s been OK, not great.

But Bouwmeester and Parayko are not the only culprits, as Tierney Binnington went 24-5-1 last season with a 1.89 goals-against average displayed in a recent chart showing the team’s expected goals against and a .927 save percentage. In six appearances this season, he’s 2-1-3 per 60, in which the Blues are near the bottom of the league. with a 2.93 GAA and a .909.

“Expected goals is a measure that looks at the quality of shots a team The difference is he’s allowed a few goals he’d like to have back and he generates and allows,” Tierney said. “How close to the net was the shot? hasn’t been nearly as effective on high-danger shots as he was in his Was it a rebound? What type of shot was it? As a team, St. Louis is breakout year. He had a high-danger save percentage of .866 last allowing 2.41 expected goals per 60 minutes, which is the sixth-highest season, and through six games this year, it’s at .804. rate in the league. They’re managing to create only 1.65 expected goals per game themselves, which is second-lowest in the NHL. The team will They are the hard saves to make, ones that goalies don’t make routinely, need to improve the shot quality they create, while limiting the quality but Binnington has made them before, so the bar has been raised. they allow against, if they hope to remain a serious contender in the The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 Western Conference this season.”

Inability to close out games

The Blues have played three overtime games this season and lost them all. The problem is, they should have never gone to OT.

In each of the losses, the Blues blew a two-goal lead. They were up 2-0 on both Washington and the New York Islanders and fell in OT. They were up 3-1 on Vancouver and dropped the decision in a shootout. That’s three lost points in the standings.

“That’s been a staple of our game for years here, right, closing out leads,” Pietrangelo said. “We’ve just got to find a way to keep playing the same way. I mean look, a couple of weird bounces the last couple of games. It’s not an excuse; I think we can still do a better job closing teams out and keeping things 5-on-5.”

Power play not generating enough

The Blues’ power-play unit ranked in the top 10 in the NHL before its 0- for-4 performance Thursday, dropping the team to No. 16 in the league (21.1 percent).

That’s not shabby, but shining the spotlight on their last two games in particular will illustrate the problem.

The Blues went on the power play against the Islanders Monday with a 2- 0 lead and failed to add to it, eventually losing in OT. They went on a 5- on-3 power play for 1:20 against the Canucks Thursday with a 3-1 lead and again failed to score, and lost in a shootout.

The team has not scored a 5-on-3 goal in the regular season since Dec. 9, 2016. That’s a stretch of 225 regular-season games, during which the unit has gone 0-for-15.

“We don’t get very many (5-on-3s), but in saying that, I think we could move the puck quicker on a 5-on-3 than we do,” Berube said. “I think sometimes we probably slow it down a little bit too much.”

Third line not producing

The Blues’ offensive success last season was built on having three quality forward lines and a fourth line that chipped in.

But early this season, the Blues’ point production has come primarily from their top two lines. Their skaters have a total of 60 points, and 36 of those (60 percent) have come from Schwartz, Schenn, Tarasenko, Blais, O’Reilly and Perron.

The Blues are missing the chemistry of last year’s third line, which comprised of Pat Maroon, Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas. Maroon signed with Tampa Bay and Thomas has played in just two games because of a lingering wrist injury following offseason surgery.

At the start of the season, Zach Sanford and were plugged onto the third line, sandwiching Bozak, but Sanford was yanked from the lineup after posting no points in four games. Likewise, Fabbri had no points until his goal Thursday against Vancouver. 1157706 Tampa Bay Lightning “We win the game if we get secondary scoring from anybody,” Cassidy said.

That’s part of the “super line” risk. Lightning’s power line looks to strike Colorado Avalanche Babcock likes maintaining balance throughout his lineup, but he said the Lightning are pretty balanced even with their top scorers together. Before the Oct. 10 against Tampa Bay, he wondered if the Lightning had enough By Diana C. Nearhos pucks to go around. Stamkos, Point and Kucherov had eight even- strength points in that game and 11 overall. Published Yesterday “The reality is you have to do what you think is best for your group,” Updated Earlier today Babcock said. “There’s no question about it, when it goes real good, whatever you did was right. When it doesn’t go good, what you did wasn’t right.” Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak? Done, at least for one game. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.19.2019

Now bring on the Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

The Lightning on Thursday faced one of the league’s best lines in the Bruins trio of Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak, and tonight they get another against Colorado.

It’s an old debate: Do you combine your top scorers into one power line that plays regularly or spread them out?

Last season the Lightning kept them separate with Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point centering the top two lines. The Maple Leafs do the same with Auston Matthews and John Tavares, as do the Penguins with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

This year, though, Lightning coach Jon Cooper is using a top line of Stamkos on a wing and Point centering him and Nikita Kucherov on the right.

“I’ve had (a line like that) here for years, so I’m a fan of it, clearly,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “When they’re on, they can dominate and build energy for the rest of the group.”

Cassidy likes the chemistry of his top line, which has played together for a couple of years. He said the rest of the team feeds off it.

Said Cooper, “The one thing is, you can’t forget about the rest of your team.”

The Avalanche got hurt last year because when opponents stopped their top line, they had a hard time winning. That’s how the Lightning beat them twice last year. The first time, a 1-0 win, MacKinnon took four shots, but Landeskog had only two and Rantanen one. In the second game, a 7-1 win, they got shots on net, but only MacKinnon got one past Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Having all its best scorers on one line opens up a team to tighter matchups. Last season a Lightning opponent had to chose between putting its shutdown line against a line with Point and Kucherov, or one with Stamkos. Now an opponent gets all three at once.

Early in the Oct. 10 game against Toronto, Cooper and Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock chased each other around a bit with a matchup. Babcock wanted the Tavares line against the Point line, and Cooper couldn’t get away from that matchup.

Point, Kucherov and Stamkos combined for three even-strength goals in that game.

But Cooper isn’t afraid to change things up with his top line.

“When they’re rolling, you keep them together,” he said. “When other lines need a boost, they’ll be split up. So far it’s worked for us.”

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh often lines up against opponents’ top lines for the Lightning. He knows getting the matchup a team wants is only the first step.

“These guys, they make passes without even looking at one another,” he said. “It’s a challenge to make sure you make them go the full length of the ice and keep your head on a swivel at all times.”

In the 4-3 shootout win against the Bruins on Thursday, the Lightning were able to keep them off the board at even strength. Boston’s top line, which is also its top power-play unit, scored three times with the man advantage. 1157707 Tampa Bay Lightning · Tyler Johnson led the Lightning with five hits on Thursday. Yes, that Tyler Johnson, known for speed and skill. Three other players made four hits: McDonagh, Černák and Sergachev. Hits can be subjective and the stat should be taken with a grain of salt, but extremes are usually Brad Marchand puts Brayden Point in headlock indicators

· Speaking of Johnson … he played in his 476th game on Thursday to break his tie with Rob Zamuner and take sole possession of 10th on the By Diana C. Nearhos Lightning's list of all-time games played. Johnson is also seventh in goals Published Yesterday (131) and eighth in points (312).

· At 6-foot-8, Zdeno Chara is hard to miss on the ice. But he was barely noticeable against the Lightning on Thursday. In addition to his size, BOSTON — Brad Marchand is one of the more polarizing, and Chara usually stands out for his strong defensive play, but he didn’t have confusing, players in the NHL. much of an impact on Thursday.

He is a highly skilled forward, one of the best in the league. And he can’t Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 shake (doesn’t want to shake?) his pest tendencies.

At the end of overtime on Thursday, Marchand and Brayden Point battled for the puck along the boards. Marchand grabbed Point in a headlock and started a melee.

Anthony Cirelli jumped on Marchand, Patrice Bergeron followed him. Ryan McDonagh and Charlie McAvoy held onto each other.

Marchand received a roughing penalty, but there’s no fall out from a penalty at the overtime buzzer. He still took an attempt in the shootout.

“Really, it’s a great play,” Point said. “There’s not much time. He breaks up a potential chance for us and he still gets to shoot in the shootout. There’s no real consequence for that. So really it’s a good play.

That didn’t appear to be what Point said at the time. When the linesmen pulled the two apart, he was still reaching for Marchand.

As Marchand appeared on the video board, the TD Garden crowd went wild. They love his antics. Even when said antics make no sense (um, licking Ryan Callahan), Bruins fans love Marchand.

This instance has some ironic timing. I had a conversation with another reporter just Wednesday about Marchand in which I admitted I still tend to classify Marchand in the pest category vs. skilled category. The other reporter leaned the other way, saying Marchand had mostly shed his pest ways.

Hours later, I got another message: he was leaving open that Marchand could return to his pest ways at any time.

Turns out, that was a good clarification.

On Thursday, Marchand hit the post twice on very near goals. He assisted two power-play goals. And he put Point in a headlock.

He is who we thought he was. Well, kinda.

Read up on the Lightning’s 4-3 shootout win

Tampa Bay played a great game five-on-five but couldn’t do much on special teams. The Lightning won the game, but the penalties and issues on both power play and penalty kill over-shadowed the positive elements. Read more.

Jon Cooper joined a list with names like Bill Belichick and Doug Armstrong when he was invited to speak to the Boston College hockey team. Read more.

More notes and thoughts from the game

· The Lightning split up Erik Černák and Ryan McDonagh, a move the team appeared to be avoiding. Černák looks good playing with Victor Hedman in the top pairing. The next step is to move Mikhail Sergachev to the second pair with McDonagh. Right now, he’s playing with Braydon Coburn and McDonagh with Kevin Shattenkirk. If the Lightning wants to see more defensive responsibility and maturity from Sergachev, playing with McDonagh could help him get there.

MORE LIGHTNING: Subscribe now using promo code GOBOLTS to get three months of digital access for $14

· Point scored a nice breakaway goal in with 0.8 seconds left in the first period. But when he was tasked with nearly the same thing in the shootout, he came up short. Point is now scoreless in his last seven shootout attempts, including all of last season. He was reliable in shootouts his first two seasons (10-of-15), but something flipped last year. 1157708 Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos pulled out the win in the shootout. After three rounds without a goal, he made it look simple. Stamkos landed a shot above Tuukka Rask’s blocker.

Lightning beat Boston Bruins but have problems on special teams Andrei Vasilevskiy followed with a save on Jake DeBrusk to secure the win.

“Eight out of 12 points in a six-game road trip, we’ll take that,” Cooper By Diana C. Nearhos said. “That’s making-the-playoffs hockey. Now we can’t rest when we get home.” Published Yesterday The Lightning begin a three-game homestand Saturday against the Updated Yesterday Avalanche.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 BOSTON — Five-on-five play, check. Special teams, not so much.

The Lightning pulled their pieces together and played a strong game at even strength against the Bruins on Thursday, but their 4-3 shootout win showed that they still have work to do on the power play and penalty kill.

“Our five-on-five play was fantastic,” Kevin Shattenkirk said. “We were smart with the puck in the neutral zone. When we did get it into their zone, we were hounds on the puck.”

At even strength the Lightning outscored the Bruins 3-0. The problem was that Boston scored on three of their five power plays.

The first problem was that the Lightning gave the Bruins five power plays. The second was giving up the goals.

“That’s probably the best power play in the league,” coach Jon Cooper said of Boston. “Okay, you give them one (goal), maybe you give them two, but you can’t give them three. It doesn’t help when you take five (penalties).”

In two straight games, both wins, the Lightning have taken five penalties in each. Against the Canadiens on Tuesday, they killed off four of the five.

The other difference between the games was that the Lightning scored on its only power play Tuesday. They came up blank on three power plays against Boston. On two advantages in the first period, they totaled two shots. They spent more time chasing down the puck than anything else.

“It should never have gotten to that,” Cooper said. “You get the 3-2 lead (as the Lightning did late in regulation) and the game has to be over there. We let a point slip away to a division rival that we didn’t think we should have.”

The Lightning took that lead on Kevin Shattenkirk’s goal with 4:47 left in the third. Anthony Cirelli took a tripping penalty about a minute later, and that led to David Pastrnak’s second power-play goal of the game. That goal saved the Bruins a point in the standings.

Cirelli is typically a very low-penalty player. He averaged one every seven games last year. This year he has two in the first six. That’s still not a lot — and it’s a small sample size — but it is an increase.

Victor Hedman, Yanni Gourde and Mikhail Sergachev each have more penalty minutes than games played. Again, it’s a small sample size, but it’s not a good trend.

MORE LIGHTNING: The team's Montreal natives advised Diana C. Nearhos on how to experience their city.

The Lightning started the season wanting to cut down on penalties, and instead, they’ve gone the other way.

This game was not all bad. As Shattenkirk said, the five-on-five play was sharp. This was a case of getting a win when recurring troubles overshadowed the good things.

“It’s a testament to the team to lose the special-team game 3-0 and still win the hockey game,” Cooper said.

Brayden Point said the Lightning’s intensity was high, which was another point they wanted to improve. The Lightning came out hard, driving the play to start the game.

But then the Bruins scored first, on Pastrnak’s first power-play goal midway through the first period, and that shifted momentum. The teams traded goals until Shattenkirk’s third-period score followed Mathieu Joseph’s goal that tied it at 2 midway through the second period. 1157709 Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning controlled play at even strength for most of Thursday’s game, doing so with cleaner breakouts, crisper passing and a renewed commitment and support. It looked more like the engaged group from last week’s win in Toronto, something we saw only for half the game in How rare adversity sparked ‘awakening’ for Lightning on road trip Tuesday’s 3-1 win in Montreal. The Lightning outhit Boston 31-21 and won 55 percent of the draws.

“I think our five-on-five play was fantastic,” said defenseman Kevin By Joe Smith Oct 18, 2019 Shattenkirk, who has a team-high-matching four goals. “We were smarter with the puck in the neutral zone, and when we did get in the zone, we were hounds on the puck. We possessed it, made them play defense. BOSTON — You have to wonder what was said on the Lightning’s two- Made them play a hard game. hour bus ride to Montreal on Saturday night. “In our D-zone, I thought we did a good job of getting pucks out when we Tampa Bay had just been outworked by the winless Senators in a 4-2 didn’t have plays.” loss at the Canadian Tire Center. The Lightning, who never lost three of four games during their 62-win season, had now lost three of four in their The battle drills the Lightning went through all week, the repetition with first five games. breakouts and support, appeared to create some muscle memory. Cooper called Monday’s practice in Montreal an “awakening for The fact captain Steven Stamkos had delivered a pointed message compete,” needed both after Sunday’s off day and Saturday’s loss. earlier in the week struck a chord. But there’s not a more humbling teacher than losing, and this stretch might have been just what the The entire team — coaches and players — has stressed since the Presidents’ Trophy-winning team needed to soften its strut. opening of training camp the importance of being more responsible defensively and disciplined penalty-wise. The “high-octane” group also “It seems like there were a lot of games like (Saturday) that we won last needed to be harder to play against, and it wouldn’t just happen with the year,” wing Alex Killorn said. “You can get mad and you can show clips additions of Pat Maroon and Luke Witkowski. and be like, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ But at the end of the day, you still won a game, and it’s a hard league to win in. Seeing the likes of Point and Anthony Cirelli scrap after Brad Marchand’s headlock at the end of overtime — sparking a mega pile in the corner — “I guess you don’t learn as much from it because you’re winning. Now was an example of that pushback (Point, in typical Point fashion, called that you’re losing, it shows us that — at five-on-five — we have to be a Marchand’s headlock a “great play” because he broke up a potential better team if we want to be consistent and do something special in this chance the other way and still got to shoot in the shootout (“no real league.” consequence”).

Flash forward five nights, and you could hear Tampa Bay’s victory “When you look back, it’s really hard to change your identity when you anthem — Yung Gravy’s “Gravy Train” — thumping in the bowels of the have the success we had last year,” Cooper said. “What culminated in an team’s house of horrors, TD Garden. The Lightning had just outlasted the early playoff exit is not something we anticipated or wanted. But to Bruins 4-3 in a shootout, delivering their best five-on-five performance of completely change our identity? No. the young season. “A complete game,” Brayden Point said. “But there are things that we needed to add to our game and be a little bit It was just Tampa Bay’s ninth regular-season win in 53 trips here in stronger. (Being) a little bit more competitive in those battles is something franchise history. But as the Lightning packed their bags to head home we have to do. It’s something we’ve been working on. But it has to be an from their eight-day, four-city trip, they didn’t just bring six of eight everyday thing. You watched the game we played against Toronto and possible points back. it’s there, and two days later, it’s not. It’s our job as coaches and players that it’s got to be an everyday thing. They are starting to regain their identity — and much-needed compete — which have been forged through losses and a lot of practice. “We’re still trying to instill that with the guys.”

“You can see that competitiveness really translate into our game,” As much improvement as the Lightning have made — and taking seven defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “A lot more battles won, a lot more of 12 possible points in a stretch of six consecutive road games is close support. It seems like we’re not spreading out as much. Guys are nothing to sneeze at — there’s still a long way to go. Tampa Bay faces really buying into working at both ends. three top-tier teams at home this week, with Colorado on Saturday, the Penguins on Wednesday and the Predators the following Saturday “You grow at different rates as a team. The season is still young and before a two-week trip to New York and Sweden. The penalty kill, which there’s a lot to improve on. But that Ottawa game we weren’t happy we’ll get into with more depth in the coming days, can’t continue to be the about in a lot of aspects. We tried to grow out of that and become a team Achilles’ heel. with some identity here — and not just known for special teams play. We want to be tough to play against in five-on-five. And it was a good step But you have to wonder. Will this early-season adversity, having to grind tonight.” things out, be something the Lightning could eventually look back on as a positive? Whether it means sharpening their game or realizing they won’t The Lightning are far from a finished product. They still took too many always get away with their bad habits? penalties, amassing five minors for the second straight game, and the Bruins man advantage — which coach Jon Cooper dubbed “the best “At the time, adversity is never a good thing because when you’re going power play in the league” — made them pay. Boston scored all three of through it, you’re never fired up about it,” Cooper said. “It’s when you its goals on the power play, with the beleaguered Tampa Bay penalty kill look back and say, ‘Oh, well, maybe it was good to go through that’ when having now allowed nine goals in its last 24 chances. you move forward. But when you’re going through it, you’re not really sure what the future is going to hold. The Lightning’s potent power play fizzled, going 0-for-4, and they let the Bruins pick up a point by tying it with three minutes left on David “You never want to give away games. When you win 62 games, there are Pastrnak’s power-play goal. That left a bit of a sour taste. probably a few in there you shouldn’t have (won). That’s how you get to 62. Maybe last year we would have (won the Ottawa game). It wouldn’t “It’s a testament to the team that you lose the special teams war 3-0 and have changed the feeling coming in after. Maybe last year would have you still win a hockey game,” Cooper said. “It should have never gotten been a scenario where we won two points (and thought), ‘That’s what we to that. A 3-2 lead, it’s got to be, ‘It’s over.’ The game has got to be over. do,’ but not felt good about it. “We let one slip away to a division rival that we didn’t think we should “We wouldn’t have felt good about winning the Ottawa game. We didn’t have.” deserve to win the game, nor should we have. But it’s a painful lesson.” Cooper and his coaches have been hard on the team the past week, and The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 deservedly so. They immediately cracked the whip after the clunker in Carolina Oct. 6 (a loss that sparked Stamkos’ comments), putting players through a 90-minute practice two days later. Friday will be the group’s second day off since, with this week’s back-to-basics, battle-filled practices seemingly sinking in. 1157710 Toronto Maple Leafs The injury prompted Babcock to insert Alexander Kerfoot into Tavares’s spot on the second line with Mitch Marner and Ilya Mikheyev. On Friday, he also promoted Jason Spezza to third-line centre playing between Kasperi Kapanen and Trevor Moore. The top line remains Auston Toronto Maple Leafs set to begin life against Boston Bruins, without John Matthews, William Nylander and Andreas Johnsson. Tavares Babcock sees Saturday night’s game as a huge opportunity for his team.

“A lot of guys probably wanted more ice time and now they are going to MARTY KLINKENBERG get it,” he said. “ As a team we have to get better. I think we are better than we have played.” PUBLISHED OCTOBER 18, 2019 Not only do the Leafs play Boston at home on Saturday, but again at TD UPDATED OCTOBER 18, 2019 Garden on Tuesday. That gives them two chances to serve notice that this year could be different.

It has been nearly six months and yet the disappointment of playoff “This will be fun,” Babcock said. “Obviously, we have a history with elimination haunts this city. them.”

Toronto cashed out of the postseason early for a third year in a row, and It is not a very good one, though. for the second successive time it was Boston, those darn Bruins, that Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.19.2019 delivered the blow.

It is a long time between now and April when Stanley Cup proceedings commence, but the rivalry between these opponents seemingly drawn to one another renews on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The outcome of a game itself in mid-October is relatively insignificant – but will bring relief, and a little measure of pleasure, to the Maple Leafs if they win: “See, they aren’t so tough! This is a whole new year.”

Nobody will say it, of course, because that would be interesting. No use in giving Boston incentive. As though any is needed.

The Bruins are gifted when it comes to making Torontonians miserable. Think not about those Game 7 losses in the first round in each of the past two years. For true torment, go back to the Maple Leafs’ epic collapse in Game 7 on May 13, 2013. That night the Bruins scored twice in the final 82 seconds to force a tie, and then won in extra time. It was the first time an NHL team had won a seventh game after trailing by three goals in the third period.

Had the Maple Leafs won then, or in either of the past two series between them, it would have been their first victory over the Bruins in the playoffs since 1959. That was so long ago that not even Zdeno Chara was playing. A trend, perhaps.

A victory is important for Toronto, but not just to end its own little curse. The Maple Leafs enter the game 4-3-1 following a loss to the Capitals in Washington on Wednesday. They have yet to beat a good team. Laying one on the Bruins would go a long way toward boosting the confidence in the home team’s dressing room.

Saying, “We believe in this group and know we can beat anyone” rings hollow until it is done. It has been repeated a few times already this year, and we aren’t 10 games in yet.

At 5-1-1, Boston is off to a strong start. The Bruins play with grit and get great goaltending from their tandem keeper. They have the game’s foremost irritant in Brad Marchand – he is probably practising his slashes right now – and an extraordinary centre in Patrice Bergeron.

They pretty much have it all, which is why they bumped off Toronto en route to reaching the Stanley Cup final last year, and rank among this season’s favourites.

The Maple Leafs see themselves as a contender and time will tell. They are exciting and score a lot of goals – but give up too many as well.

Their task just got more difficult thanks to a broken finger on John Tavares’s left hand. He was struck late in Wednesday’s game by a teammate’s shot, and will be out for at least two weeks.

“As soon as I got hit by the puck, my finger went numb,” Tavares said after sitting out practice on Friday. “I went back to the bench and it didn’t feel very good.”

Tavares said he did not believe the injury was serious when he woke up on Thursday morning. He was surprised by the prognosis and a possible lengthy recovery.

“I am frustrated,” Tavares said. “I did not want to miss any time. I was really hopeful it was something I could play with. It is very, very stiff.” 1157711 Toronto Maple Leafs The defenceman was assessed more than 100 minutes in penalties in each of his first five seasons. The hooligan shenanigans did little to help Boston climb out of the basement of the six-team league, but astute trades and the arrival of whiz-kid defenceman Bobby Orr, coinciding with Fierce Boston Bruins defenceman Ted Green won over fans with his fists the adoption of a robust, physical style of play, transformed the sad-sack squad into the Big Bad Bruins by the late 1960s.

After the 1968-69 season, Mr. Green was named to the NHL’s second Tom Hawthorn all-star team, recognition he had developed into one of the league’s elite The Canadian Press players.

The Bruins were preparing for the club’s first serious challenge for the championship in a quarter-century when Mr. Green suffered his severe A hockey stick clubbed down on Ted Green’s unprotected head, cracking injury. In a meaningless preseason exhibition game in Ottawa on Sept. his skull and driving bone chips into his brain. 21, 1969, Mr. Green tussled with left-winger Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues. The defenceman crumpled to the ice, his head involuntarily thrashing from side to side. A grotesque indentation could be seen near his right “As I trapped the puck behind the net, the kid hit me from behind, and I temple. The left side of his body was partly paralyzed. His eyes were got a little ticked off, as I always do when that happens,” Mr. Green glassy and, as he tried to talk, only mumbling noises could be heard. His recounted in his 1971 book, High Stick, written with Al Hirshberg. “But my face was contorted into a frozen grimace. first obligation was to clear the puck. I kicked it with my skate up to my stick and shot it out around the boards to our right wing. Then I turned to At hospital in Ottawa that night, Mr. Green asked a Catholic priest to take care of the guy who hit me.” administer the last rites. For his part in a stick-swinging duel that ended with his injury, the National Hockey League suspended him for 13 games Mr. Green shoved a gloved left hand in Mr. Maki’s face. The player – to be served if he ever returned to action. He also faced a criminal retaliated by shoving the blade of his stick into the defenceman, a “filthy charge from the incident. Even if he survived, it was thought his hockey trick” known as spearing. The Boston player swung his stick, catching Mr. career was over. Maki on the bicep. Mr. Green would have no memory of what happened next. “Death gave me a little brush on the shoulder,” he said from his hospital bed while recuperating from emergency brain surgery. Mr. Maki took a lumberjack’s swing, clubbing Mr. Green on the head at the point where the blade meets the shaft – the most unyielding part of Mr. Green, who lived with a protective acrylic plate in his head for a half- the stick. As the defenceman later wrote, “nobody really knows what century before dying Oct. 8, at the age of 79, recovered from the damage a hockey stick can cause until it happens.” The Bruins, led by devastating head injury to win two Stanley Cups as a player with the Mr. Orr, charged off the bench with the intention of attacking Mr. Maki, Boston Bruins and another five behind the bench as an assistant coach who was ushered off the ice. and co-coach with the Edmonton Oilers. An emergency 2½-hour operation was performed that night by doctor Terrible Teddy Green, as he was known, was a fearsome opponent, a Michael Richard. Days later, a buildup of blood and swelling of the brain rock-solid defenceman with a scofflaw’s disdain for the rule book and a made another emergency operation necessary. The player was left with street brawler’s willingness to engage in pugilism. He relied on instinct partial paralysis on his left side. and intuition more than skill. Mr. Green was said to be the meanest person to wear Boston’s black-and-gold sweater since the retirement of Mr. Maki was suspended 30 games by the NHL. Both players faced a the notorious Eddie Shore. At 5-foot-10 and 190-pounds, the player had charge of assault causing bodily harm, believed to be the first instance of a crooked nose, a boxer’s hard face and a smile that seemed more like criminal charges laid as the result of action in an NHL game. Facing a the smirk of an ill-tempered drunk at the end of the bar. two-year prison term if convicted, both players were acquitted in separate trials. (Mr. Maki later starred for the expansion Vancouver Canucks, Edward Joseph Green was born March 23, 1940, in Eriksdale, Man., a scoring 25 goals in their inaugural NHL season. He died of a brain farming community about 120 kilometres north of Winnipeg. He was one tumour in 1974, at the age of 29.) of three sons born to Hortense Glemas, who had been placed in an orphanage at the age of 8, and John Joseph (Jack) Green, who worked Mr. Green missed the entire 1969-70 season, at the end of which the for 30 years as a security guard and carman’s helper with the Canadian Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Their recuperating teammate was voted a National Railway. As a teenager, young Teddy skated for the Norwood full share of bonus money and had his name engraved on the Cup. He Falcons, whose outdoor rink was downwind from Winnipeg’s stockyards, returned to action the following season, wearing a bubble-style helmet to under the tutelage of Mike Yaschuk, a former professional. He was protect his injury. Still a rugged presence, Mr. Green engaged in fights taught to throw a hip-check by former NHL player Bill Juzda. less frequently.

He played junior hockey for the St. Boniface Canadiens, leading the He won a second Stanley Cup with Boston in 1972 before jumping to the league in penalty minutes in his first full season. The tough defenceman rival World Hockey Association, where he won three Avco Cup won a Memorial Cup junior championship when added to the playoff championships with the New England Whalers and Winnipeg Jets over roster of the Winnipeg Braves in 1959. He celebrated by filling the cup seven seasons. He needed five operations on his arthritic knees over his with champagne and pouring it over the heads of teammates. career before retiring as a player in 1979. He had scored 48 goals with 254 assists in 620 NHL games. The Montreal Canadiens invited him to training camp in the fall, only to release him to the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League. Three years later, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Boston claimed his NHL rights with the second pick in the 1960 Oilers, adding his name to the Stanley Cup five more times as the Wayne intraleague draft. Gretzky-led team enjoyed a dynasty.

He missed the start of the 1961-62 season with a broken knuckle on his Mr. Green became the Oilers’ head coach before the 1991-92 season, by left hand, suffered in a frantic melee in the crease during which he which time Mr. Gretzky had been traded and the Oilers were rebuilding. punched, in turn, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Nevin, a hapless lineman and an The coach was fired after recording just three wins and three ties after unyielding goal post in an exhibition game at Niagara Falls, Ont. He the first 24 games of the 1993-94 season. He continued working as an returned to action weeks later with a cast still protecting his injury. assistant coach before taking a similar post with the New York Rangers.

The rugged rearguard became a favourite of the Boston Garden crowd Away from the rink, Mr. Green pursued a business placing automated, early in his rookie campaign. In one December game against the Toronto skate-sharpening machines in Edmonton-area rinks, sporting-goods Maple Leafs, Mr. Green waited all of two minutes after the puck dropped stores and Esso service stations. He was also a long-time volunteer at before engaging in a wild donnybrook, beating up Dick Duff and George the Mustard Seed support centre in inner-city Edmonton. He suffered Armstrong. The Boston Globe wrote approvingly the next day that the long-lasting physical ailments, as well as depression, from his head new player “punches with the rapidity of a machine-gun.” Mr. Green was injury. assessed two fighting majors and an automatic 10-minute misconduct and, after serving his penalty time, spent the rest of the game on the Boston bench, even as the crowd chanted, “We want Green!” Mr. Green has been inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, and the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minn., in 2010.

Mr. Green, who died after a long illness, leaves Pat, his wife of 56 years, and three adult children. A complete list of survivors was unavailable.

A fierce competitor on the ice, Mr. Green was treasured in hockey circles for his wise-cracking humour. He was coaching the Oilers when centreman Shaun Van Allen was knocked unconscious during a game in Washington. When informed the groggy player woke up not knowing who he was, the coach responded: “Tell him he’s Wayne Gretzky.”

Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157712 Toronto Maple Leafs Spezza has played mostly fourth-line minutes, averaging just 9:54 of playing time. He practised Friday with Moore and Kapanen, a couple of speedsters with some offensive flair. “Both are playing really well of late, and both have a lot of speed and both shoot the puck really well so, for Maple Leafs will have to count on depth to succeed without John Tavares me, it’s just a matter of getting those guys the puck and being in good position, and being a good possession line, trying to control play in

there.” Kevin McGran The Matthews line remains intact, but Matthews will see tougher Fri., Oct. 18, 2019 matchups at home. He usually gets them on the road when the Leafs don’t have the last change. But without Tavares, Babcock will have to play Matthews against the other team’s top lines, starting Saturday against the Bruins’ top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad With the index and middle fingers of his right hand taped together, John Marchand. Tavares emerged from the Maple Leafs’ training room on Friday trying to look at the bright side of the injury that will keep him out of the lineup for “We have to try to make sure that we play well in our own zone and play at least two weeks. well without the puck,” Matthews said. “Especially against their top line. They can obviously move it around, and they’re really solid, probably the “I feel disappointed, a little frustrated but, at same time, I know it could be top line in the league. So we’ve got to be careful out there and not turn worse,” Tavares said. the puck over.” The Leafs captain, who has three goals and four assists in eight games Toronto Star LOADED: 10.19.2019 this season, broke the finger on a Morgan Rielly shot in the third period of a 4-3 loss to Washington on Wednesday. He stayed in the game and scored late a goal to bring the Leafs to within one.

“Pretty much soon as the puck hit me — Morgan’s shot there late in the third — it went pretty numb,” Tavares said. “So I didn’t feel very good and just went back to the bench and it was a little more painful but obviously the adrenalin (was going) and the inflammation really hadn’t settled in, so I just finished the game.

“Honestly, it didn’t feel like it was too bad. We just have to be smart and not put myself at long-term risk. (But) I was really hopeful that it was something I would be able to play with.”

That hope was dashed after a talk with the team’s medical staff. And it set in motion a series of changes to the Leafs’ lines, most notably Mitch Marner — the team’s leading scorer up front and the only healthy player from last season’s top line — joining what had been the third line with Ilya Mikheyev and Alex Kerfoot. They’re now the second line.

“Guys got to step up and be ready for a bigger role now, and I think everyone is,” Marner said.

Jason Spezza gets a reprieve from being a healthy scratch, joining Trevor Moore and Kasperi Kapanen on a newly formed third line. William Nylander gets Tavares’s spot on the first power play. Spezza gets Nylander’s spot on the second power play.

At least until the first period Saturday night against Boston.

“We spent the full day (talking lines),” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “I got everybody’s input ... everyone had a different theory. And then we walked through all the options.

“Nothing is set in stone ... but this for warm-up, for sure.”

The bigger question the Leafs must answer is how will they deal with losing their captain — and one of their top two centres — for a prolonged period of time. The Bruins are doing OK without David Krejci. The Penguins are doing OK without Evgeni Malkin. And the Leafs went 9-5-0 in a 14-game stretch without Auston Matthews last season.

“We dealt with some injuries to some key players and handled it well, and a lot of that leadership corps is back and we will be able to deal with it,” Tavares said. “That’s part of the season, part of hockey. There are always ups and downs, and guys that miss time, (guys that) have injuries.

“And we’ve had all four lines contribute so far. It’s huge to have that kind of depth and that kind of contribution and (this) just creates great opportunity for someone else.”

Spezza gets the biggest opportunity. The 36-year-old veteran has played in just three of the Leafs’ eight games, earning one assist.

“You don’t like seeing Johnny get hurt, at all,” Spezza said. “He’s a big part of our team and good teams always have to go through injuries. This will give us a chance to prove that we can keep winning games without Johnny. It’s an important time for us, with a couple games against Boston coming up. It’s tough time to lose a guy like Johnny, but it’s also an opportunity for everybody else.” 1157713 Toronto Maple Leafs The Bruins’ payroll is nicely balanced. They got restricted free agent defencemen Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy under contract for a combined $7.75-million (U.S.) cap hit, and have all three members of their top line tied up for less than $20 million combined. The top heavy Leafs-Bruins rivalry isn’t as one-sided as you think, unless you’re thinking Leafs, by contrast, have devoted almost 50 per cent of their payroll to playoffs Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and that has created depth challenges in other parts of the lineup.

Boston’s lineup oozes experience and is the fourth oldest in the NHL. By Damien Cox Meanwhile, Matthews, Marner and Nylander are all 23 years of age or Fri., Oct. 18, 2019 younger and the Leafs, after chopping one experienced veteran after another over the past two years to control costs, are one of the NHL’s youngest teams.

Oft-repeated and reworked to fit different contexts, it goes down as one The Bruins are a committed, elite defensive team, third best in the NHL of the great quotes in sports history. last season and third again this season. The Leafs allowed 3.04 goals per game last year to rank 20th, and are a little worse (3.38) so far this “Let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in season. a row,” deadpanned Gerulaitis, the tennis playboy, after finally beating Jimmy Connors following 16 consecutive defeats. Boston has been able to strike a nice balance between speed and physicality, while the Leafs have now almost completely shunned The competition between the Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, it should traditional hockey values of grit to go with a lineup based on finesse and be said, isn’t that one-sided. skill. It just feels that way to Leafs fans, and probably to Toronto’s NHL entry Bruce Cassidy, now in his fourth year as Boston coach, is as solid in his itself. Regular-season competition has been back and forth over the position as any current NHL coach. Mike Babcock is in the fifth year of an years. In the post-season, the last three confrontations have all gone eight-year contract and is under fire in many corners. seven games, but it’s been the Bruins who survived and moved on all three times — in 2013, 2018 and again last spring. Could two teams be more different? You certainly can’t accuse the Leafs of trying to copy Boston, that’s for sure. Throw in playoff losses to Boston in 1969, 1972 and 1974, and it will be a tidy 61 years next spring since the Leafs beat the Bruins in the playoffs. The Bruins, at this point, shouldn’t consider the Leafs their most significant obstacle as they chase a fourth berth in the Cup final in nine An NHL team could get a complex with that kind of Gerulaitis vs. years. It’s up to the Leafs to make them think differently. Connors record against another team. But while Leafs Nation has nightmares about Boston, the Bruins live for their rivalry with Montreal. Toronto Star LOADED: 10.19.2019 And they painfully ponder the two recent Stanley Cups that got away: a six-game defeat to Chicago in 2013 and a seven-game loss, with the final game on home ice, to St. Louis in the spring.

Those demons and that sense of unfinished business fuel the Bruins.

Heading into a pair of games against Toronto over the next four days, the Bruins seem to be picking up where they left off, with one regulation loss in seven games. Carried by stingy goaltending, a legendary defenceman and arguably hockey’s best forward line, you could draw some broad parallels between the modern Bruins and the Big, Bad Bruins of the early 1970s who were led by the goalie tandem of Gerry Cheevers and , rearguard Bobby Orr and the forward line of Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman.

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Many believe that team should have won more than the two Cups it did (1970 and ’72). The core of today’s Bruins — goalie Tuukka Rask, defenceman Zdeno Chara and the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak — certainly could have two more titles to go with the one captured in 2011 against Vancouver.

Pastrnak, of course, wasn’t on that ’11 winner. But he’s leading the way this season with eight goals already, two more in a 4-3 overtime loss at home to Tampa on Thursday in a battle of the two best teams in the Atlantic Division, with all due respect to Buffalo’s early-season sizzle.

Pastrnak and his linemates are carrying the B’s in the early going even more than is usually the case. That one line has 14 of the team’s 19 goals. No other player on the Boston roster has more than one yet.

Toronto, meanwhile, is getting goals from all over its lineup, but has yet to beat a good team or show any consistency. While you might think the Leafs would be trying to emulate the Bruins in effort to figure out a way to beat them, the contrasts between the two clubs this season seem even more stark:

While Toronto did major surgery to its roster heading into the season, the only significant alterations the Bruins made were the addition of forward Brett Ritchie and the deletion of free-agent centre Noel Acciari.

Rask and Jaroslav Halak each have a shutout this season and can make a case for being the NHL’s best goalie tandem. In Toronto, Freddie Andersen has struggled again to start the campaign and the stubborn refusal of GM Kyle Dubas to invest in backup goaltending remains a problem. 1157714 Toronto Maple Leafs All teams say injuries create opportunities. This time around, the Leafs actually mean it.

When Nazem Kadri was suspended against Boston in the first round of TRAIKOS: Leafs losing Tavares not as bad as if it was Andersen or the playoffs, it meant a mad scramble of shifting Nylander from the wing Rielly to centre and hoping for the best. It was less about opportunity and more about plugging a hole with a square peg.

On paper, this year’s team seems to be constructed better and deeper. Michael Traikos The Leafs are not asking anyone to play out of position. They are not Published:October 18, 2019 even demanding the impossible. They are simply bumping up rookie Ilya Mikheyev and centre Alex Kerfoot, who had been the driving forces Updated:October 18, 2019 4:37 PM EDT behind the wildly productive third line, and bringing Jason Spezza off the bench.

As soon as the puck hit him, John Tavares knew something was wrong. At best, Babcock will see if Miheyev is built for top-line minutes and whether Spezza has any magic left in a pair of hands that have scored He didn’t know he had broken his finger, but the pain that shot through 916 points in 1,068 career games. At worst, the Leafs might have to his entire hand pretty much told him what he already feared. depend on Matthews and Marner to generate all of the offence.

One day later, the prognosis came. “I think it’s difficult when you lose a top guy that you rely on, but also it can make the team better because it gives different guys opportunities Tavares, who scored a career-best 47 goals and 88 points last season, and puts pressure on different guys to take more of a focal point,” said will be out for at least two weeks with what he deemed a fluke injury Spezza, who has been a healthy scratch in five of the team’s eight suffered in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. games. “As a team, if you can keep winning through injuries, it builds the “I was a little surprised by the circumstances. It could have been worse,” belief that you’re a good team.” said Tavares on Friday, the index and middle fingers of his right hand The Leafs, who still reached the 100-point mark last season despite taped together. “I don’t want to miss games. I don’t want to miss any losing Matthews for 14 games, believe they are a good team. With time. This is what you work for, this is what you play the game for, to be Tavares out, it’s now time to prove it. out there and play.” “Everybody’s got to step up now that John’s out. It will be a hard void to Now might be a good time to mention that heading into their game on fill,” said Marner. “He’s a leader in this room. He’s one of the best goal- Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins had won four straight since losing Evgeni scorers in the league. Malkin and two of their top-six forwards to injury. Or that the Boston Bruins reached the Stanley Cup final in a year where Patrice Bergeron, “We got challenged last year when (Matthews) went out as well, so I David Pastrnak, Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy missed a combined think guys have to step up and be ready for a bigger role now.” 81 games. SPEZZA DRAWS BACK INTO LINEUP Heck, the New York Islanders went to the second round after losing John Tavares to free agency. With John Tavares injured, Jason Spezza is about to get a lot more ice time and more responsibility than he had been so far this season. But in In other words, take a deep breath, Toronto. some ways, he’s also getting a chance to be himself again.

Tavares is only expected to miss half a dozen games, not the entire That hadn’t been the case since arriving to Toronto. season. Losing him is still not an ideal situation for a team fighting for consistency, especially with two of its next three games against a Bruins A top-line producer for most of his career, the 38-year-old swallowed his team that has lost just once in regulation. pride when he accepted a league-minimum salary to play on the Maple Leafs fourth line this year. It was a role that meant fewer minutes and But like the Maple Leafs captain said, this could have been far, far worse. fewer offensive opportunities. Having been a healthy scratch in five of the team’s eight games, it was a role that Spezza struggled to perform. After all, it’s not like Frederik Andersen or Morgan Rielly are the ones who are injured. Now, those absences would have really tested Toronto’s But with Tavares out with a broken finger, the veteran centre will get an depth. That might have put the season in jeopardy. opportunity to show he can still produce on a line with Kasperi Kapanen and Trevor Moore. As good as Tavares has been — and we’re talking about someone who ranked third in the league in goals last season and had seven points in “Obviously, there’s disappointment in not playing,” said Spezza. “I think his first eight games this year — he plays a position of strength for just getting into the lineup is good. Wherever I’m slotted, I’ll try to play Toronto. well and make the most of when I’m on the ice.

The Leafs still have Auston Matthews. They still have Mitch Marner and “I’ve played most of my life on the top lines. You just want to get in the William Nylander. They have players who can score. So many of whom lineup and play well when you’re on the ice … and stay in hopefully.” can’t even get into the lineup. Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.19.2019 What they don’t have is a Plan B in net or on defence. That’s why Andersen and Rielly are the team’s most important — if not irreplaceable — players. As for who is No. 3 on that list, well, that’s an argument worth having.

It could be Tavares or Matthews or Marner. Then again, on a team lacking in defensive depth, it could very well be Jake Muzzin.

Either way, if you’re going to sink $29.5 million into the combined contracts of Matthews, Marner and Nylander this season, then playing the next two weeks without Tavares shouldn’t temporarily knock the Leafs out of a playoff spot.

If it does, then Mike Babcock might not be coaching this team by the time Tavares returns.

“That’s part of hockey,” said Tavares. “There’s always ups and downs and guys miss time who have injuries. I think that we’ve had all four lines contribute is a real positive sign for us. It’s huge to have that kind of depth. It creates an opportunity for someone.” 1157715 Toronto Maple Leafs “To be friends with him,” Kerfoot said, “to be able to just come to dinner with him on the road, that makes the transition easier, getting to know guys and you kind of fit in easier like that.”

Alex Kerfoot’s prime opportunity with the Maple Leafs comes with John Auston Matthews noted Friday that Kerfoot, quiet around the dressing Tavares out room in the early days this fall, had opened up more recently.

“There’s a lot more staff,” Kerfoot said of what’s struck him as different about the Leafs organization. “I had a great experience in Colorado. I By Jonas Siegel Oct 18, 2019 don’t want it to seem anything like that. But it’s just that the way it is here there’s a lot of people for everything. They make it really easy to be as

good as you possibly can be in this organization.” Trevor Moore was finishing up dinner in the city recently with Tyson He was still figuring out how to put all those resources to work. Barrie, Alex Kerfoot and some other Maple Leafs teammates when the cheque arrived. Kerfoot is getting acquainted on the ice, too, getting familiar with a whole new round of teammates (save for Barrie) and style of play. At this point, Moore quickly got to work calculating the tip. Barrie waved him off. No so early in the process, he’s found himself thinking rather than reacting need. Kerfoot, who studied economics at Harvard, would sort it out with on instinct more than he’d like. “You kind of resort to some of your old ease. habits and the ways you used to play and some different tendencies that Talk to any teammate about Kerfoot and the first thing you’ll usually hear maybe I was doing in Colorado that I can’t be doing here,” Kerfoot said, is how smart he is — on the ice, off the ice, it’s all the same. “Kerf, he’s a “and some things that they really focus on here that I need to get better smart guy,” Moore said. “You see it — he makes the right plays, he’s at. always in good spots. And then off the ice, he’s super smart.” “I know what they are, but sometimes it takes a little bit longer to do them The Leafs will be counting on that brain and that improving all-around on the ice.” ability, especially over the coming weeks, as Kerfoot temporarily steps Kerfoot might not have the same high-end skill as Kadri, a first-round pick into prime time for the injured John Tavares. The 25-year-old will get the in 2009 who potted 32 goals in back-to-back seasons for the Leafs, but first crack with Mitch Marner and Ilya Mikheyev in a post-Tavares he has better straightaway speed, a similar mind for the game, a knack landscape the Leafs will live through until November. It’s a big, if not for hanging onto the puck, and if not the same grit, and a level of unfamiliar, step up for Kerfoot. Not only will he get an opportunity to play “grease” that’s surprised even Babcock. with Marner, starting Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, but also he will play a good deal more than the 14 minutes he’s averaged so far, Kadri was overqualified as a third-line centre. Is Kerfoot? including under 12 minutes in Washington on Wednesday night. He gets his best chance now to show it. He also gets his best chance to show why the Leafs believed he could be an approximate replacement of Nazem Kadri, the man he was traded for, The B.C. boy obviously won’t offer the same sniper skills as 47-goal man alongside Barrie, in July — only a version who’s four years younger and Tavares, but he’s shown pretty good finishing ability already this season signed now for an extra season at $1 million less on the cap ($3.5 million (see the clip below) and managed 34 goals in his first two NHL seasons. per season until 2023). He had the same 51 assists in that span as Kadri while playing fewer minutes for the Avs. Mike Babcock spent all day Thursday with his coaching staff scheming who would replace their captain on what’s now a second line, ultimately Perhaps he can spark Marner, who’s had a relatively quiet start to the landing on Kerfoot. “I just think it’s a good opportunity for Kerf,” Babcock season (nine points, but still), in the same way Kadri did midway through said after practice Friday. “Kerf is a way better player than we expected. 2017-18. He’s way grittier — he’s got more grease to him. We think he’s gonna Tavares will miss at least the next six games, four of them at home, make way more plays as time goes on and he gets more comfortable.” meaning Babcock can largely control where, when and against whom Babcock added that Kerfoot, in the earliest stages of just his third NHL Kerfoot plays. season, had to continue improving at the other end. “That’s the big thing Teaming with Marner will mean many more scoring opportunities and for him, having the puck more,” Babcock said. undoubtedly more starts in the offensive zone, with Kerfoot (43 percent) A point made easier with two puck hounds, Marner and Mikheyev, now at predictably behind Matthews (70 percent) and Tavares (60 percent) in his side. offensive zone start percentage. He’s also unlikely to see any of the odd, difficult defensive-zone assignments Tavares would normally absorb, “He’s an intelligent guy with the puck,” said Jason Spezza, a Central what with the Frederik Gauthier-led fourth lines eating up more and more division foe for two seasons before he and Kerfoot joined the Leafs on of those and Matthews likely to step into any opportunities beyond that. July 1. “He hangs onto it really well, so that gives you a hard time when you’re playing against him. He’s not a natural shooter, he’s a playmaker, (Kerfoot has also won only 7 of 23 defensive zone draws and only 44 so his game is possession-based. He enters the zone with speed and percent overall.) turns up and can have (a lot of) zone time, so he’s a tough guy to play In short, Kerfoot has a juicy opportunity to show he can do more. Already against that way.” this season, he’s shown a knack for pushing the puck forward, with the “He’s responsible,” Moore said. “He’s always under the puck when we’re Leafs grabbing almost 55 percent of shot attempts when he’s on the ice breaking out, which is nice because I know that if I want to make a play and outscoring foes 6-3. there, or if I make a mistake, Kerf’s always there to bail you out.” Just as Kadri did, before Tavares’ arrival and again last season when Kerfoot isn’t all the way adjusted to his new life in Toronto or with the Auston Matthews was injured, the Leafs need Kerfoot to make this Leafs just yet. increased opportunity work.

What’s helped him is going through it all is something similar — new city, Short of moving William Nylander to centre, which Babcock doesn’t seem new team — he experienced just two years earlier, when he landed in inclined to do, the Leafs don’t really have a fallback if Kerfoot can’t cut it Denver to play for the Avalanche after four years at Harvard. with more minutes against more talented competition. Already, the Leafs are having to move Spezza, at 36, from the press box to the third line. “I got to Colorado, didn’t know anyone in the organization and was (What’s the fallback if that doesn’t work?) starting from scratch there,” he said. “I think that that process helped me with what I’m doing this year. Then, secondly, coming over here and Kerfoot, at the very least, isn’t unfamiliar with this kind of front-line knowing Morgan Rielly really well, knowing Tyson Barrie obviously from spotlight. Colorado, having those two guys, who are both vets in the league, both The Avs tried hard last season to find scoring beyond their vaunted No. 1 big-time pieces on this team. I think that those two things combined line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, made the transition pretty easy.” which led to Kerfoot’s spending about 220 minutes with MacKinnon (52 Kerfoot and Rielly were on some of the same teams as kids in percent possession). Vancouver. Kerfoot doesn’t think he’s played with anyone like Marner before, though — a “pretty unique player,” he said.

“But I played with Mikko and Nate a decent amount in Colorado,” he said. “Those are elite hockey players. They got different games than Mitch. But, no, I guess I haven’t played with anyone like him before.”

Marner, who played all but 152 five-on-five minutes with Tavares last season, seemed intrigued by the potential.

“He’s got a lot of fight in him,” Marner said of Kerfoot, his new centre for now. “He’s a guy that’s not afraid to get around the net as well, and he’s got a lot of skill in him. Should be fun playing with him.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157716 Vegas Golden Knights But in receiving a top prospect such as Brannstrom — his value is the reason a second-round draft pick was included and not a first — the Senators added a significant piece to their rebuild.

Golden Knights fans still hold Erik Brannstrom in high regard He has one assist in six games and is part of the second power-play unit. But most in Ottawa are unaware of the fascination that Knights fans hold for him.

By Ed Graney Asked one Ottawa media member: “What’s a Brannwagon?”

October 18, 2019 - 6:48 PM “I’m getting more and more comfortable with each game,” said Brannstrom, who logged the least amount of ice time (14:57) for Ottawa

defensemen against the Knights. “I need to work on some things in the D It began with his size, because the first time most hockey fans in Las zone and gain more confidence in the offensive zone, but I think I’m Vegas saw Erik Brannstrom, he looked as if he should be picking up after headed in the right direction. NHL players and not skating alongside them. “I’m glad to be in Ottawa. They have given me a chance to be an NHL Then came the speed, the ease at which he drifted back and forth across player right away. I was in Chicago when the trade (occurred), so it was’t 200 feet of ice. too crazy. But I understood. It was fun to be part of it.

This was at the Las Vegas Ice Center, the inaugural development camp “I mean, they got Mark Stone, so, yeah …” in June 2017 for the then-expansion Golden Knights, the team’s practice LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.19.2019 facility with City National Arena not completed and the town getting its first glimpse at those prospects drafted days earlier.

And of those selected in the first round by the Knights — Cody Glass at No. 6, Nick Suzuki at No. 13 and Brannstrom at No. 15 — none captured the interest of most watching like the Swedish defenseman small in stature at a listed 5 feet 10 inches and yet sizable in skill.

Is it possible to have earned cult hero status as an athlete without having played a regular-season game for a specific franchise?

Brannstrom has more than tested the theory.

He finally played in a game that mattered at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday night, only Brannstrom was wearing the sweater of visiting Ottawa in a matchup that would see the Knights prevail with a 3-2 shootout victory.

He played in Las Vegas in preseason games with the Knights, and by that time the infatuation fans had for him had reached immense levels.

The Brannwagon was full to capacity.

“A lot still follow me on Instagram, which is nice that they still care about me,” Brannstrom said. “I loved my time with (the organization), both in Las Vegas and with (the team’s American Hockey League side in Chicago).

“They had a Brannwagon train going around the arena every time I scored in Chicago. That was pretty cool.”

He spoke inside the visitor’s locker room at T-Mobile Arena because the Knights made a trade deadline move in February for one of the NHL’s finest forwards in Mark Stone.

For this, they shipped Brannstrom, center Oscar Lindberg (now playing in Switzerland) and a 2020 second-round pick to Ottawa, where the defenseman small in stature but sizable in skill made the team out of camp this season after playing in two games for the Senators last season.

He’s joined on the second D-pair by veteran Ron Hainsey, and this more than anything else should hasten Brannstrom’s development as an NHL player.

Hainsey has played in more than 1,000 games and won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning there couldn’t be a deeper pool of knowledge from which to draw for a 20-year-old rookie.

“Other than talking to him on a personal basis, I haven’t coached (Brannstrom) much,” Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. “He’s well ahead of where I would have guessed if you asked me over the summer. I knew offensively he could move the puck and jump in the rush, but his hockey sense and compete level is really high. I see him getting better every night.

“This kid is going to be a really good hockey player.”

‘They got Mark Stone’

Stone has been a great one for some time, and the Knights made sure he would be in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future, signing him to an eight-year, $76 million contract after making the deal.

Easy decision. Easy trade to make. 1157717 Vegas Golden Knights Rehearsals started in August at Foley’s ranch in Montana. Additional filming took place at Nelson Ghost Town in Nevada, and the shots of Knights players donning cowboy hats before beginning their chase were shot at City National Arena. Detailed planning leads to in-arena magic for Golden Knights The players who have been featured include goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, center William Karlsson, left wing William Carrier and defensemen Brayden McNabb, Deryk Engelland and Nate Schmidt. By Ben Gotz The video concludes with one thief, who is wearing a bandana bearing October 18, 2019 - 1:15 PM the logo of that night’s opponent, clashing with the Golden Knight, which leads directly to an on-ice battle. The scene was filmed 30 times with 30 different bandanas. Right wing Reilly Smith scored 10 minutes after puck drop Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. Greco calls it one of the video’s “pop” moments that amp up the crowd. All so when the players skate through a 20-foot tall helmet — Immediately, Jonny Greco, the Golden Knights’ vice president of affectionately nicknamed Elvis — soon afterward, the energy inside T- entertainment production, and his game-day team sprung into action at Mobile Arena is as crazy as possible. T-Mobile Arena. By the time public address announcer Bruce Cusick was ready to say “Scooooring for your Vegas Golden Knights,” they had the “We don’t want to mail it in ever,” Greco said. “This city and our fans highlight video of the goal ready, Smith’s headshot cued up and were deserve the best at all times.” prepared to play his celebration video, which features him pretending to LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.19.2019 sheath his stick like a sword while flames shoot up in a “V” behind him.

The announcement and accompanying videos only took a few seconds, but they whipped the already-hyped crowd into a frenzy. That, in turn, gave Knights players energy.

It’s what Greco and his staff were going for when they mapped the moment out months ago. Meticulous planning goes into every part of the Knights’ in-arena experience, and the 10 full-time members of the entertainment team are still catching up on the sleep they lost in September.

They’ll get a slight break over the next week, as the Knights begin a three-game trip at 4 p.m. Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“This isn’t going to play in a lot of other places, and that’s OK,” Greco said. “It’s not supposed to. But it is supposed to play here, and we’re very, very thankful this crowd supports it and champions it.”

Planning for the Knights’ flaming headshots and celebration videos — which are played during warmups, when the starting lineup is announced and after goals — started when Motion Graphic Artist Trent Bailey had a three-word idea: “Fire on ice.”

So the team called the company Pyrotek Special Effects Inc. to see what they could set up. The Knights ended up making the headshots part of their player media day Sept. 12. Players went station to station to do various off-ice tests, social media promos and more, but in the middle of it all, they had to stop and play with literal fire.

“That was the cool station to go to with all the pyro stuff,” left wing Max Pacioretty said. “Definitely unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Greco’s team needed to get 10 different shots in a 15-minute window at the station. That included things such as players stickhandling and shooting with fire blazing behind them, as well as their celebrations. All while making sure the lighting, fire and player hit their cue on time.

The group ended up liking what they shot so much they packaged it together for the team’s preseason intro video. It was set to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.”

“We know everything they do makes us look good,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “We know at first it’s kind of weird, getting in the fire and everything, but when you see it on the Jumbotron, (you say), ‘Oh, that looks sick now.’”

Then for the team’s regular-season intro video, the logistics went up a notch. Filming took place over six weeks in three locations, including two different states.

The video, which features the team mascot, the Golden Knight, having his sword stolen, owner Bill Foley finding the four thieves in a helicopter and four members of the Knights chasing the posse down on horseback, has references to many genres and time periods. But Greco took team president Kerry Bubolz’s advice: “Try not to make too much sense of it. Just enjoy it.”

“We’re not overthinking this,” Greco said. “We’re like, ‘Is it fun? Yes.’ ‘Will the crowd like it? We hope so.’ ‘Is everyone into it? Yeah, let’s see what we can do.’” 1157718 Vegas Golden Knights The other, of course, is how much McDavid and Draisaitl are contributing to the Oilers’ heartening start.

Apart from running 1-2 in the scoring race, Draisaitl is also No. 3 in goal- Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and Draisaitl’s bid to join elite company scoring with six and thus is on pace to exceed 50 again. and key to Vegas’ impressive start They are also playing massive minutes for an Oilers’ team that knew it had to produce more secondary scoring this year. If you examine current ice time levels for forwards around the NHL, there are currently 24 who By Eric Duhatschek Oct 18, 2019 are averaging above 20 minutes of ice time per night. Of those, only four are playing more than 22 minutes: Draisaitl leads at 24:23, followed by

the New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad at 22:46, McDavid at 22:30 and Only three times in NHL history – and not since 1971 when Phil Esposito the Florida Panthers’ Alex Barkov at 22:25. (For McDavid, that translates and Bobby Orr managed the feat – have teammates ever finished 1-2 in into a small decline from the 22:50 he averaged a year ago). Draisaitl the Hart Trophy race as the NHL’s most valuable player. was at 22:35 last year, so he’s up almost two minutes per game – a significant chunk of additional ice time for a forward. In the more recent past, if teams had a pair of strong MVP candidates, they’ve often split the vote – and neither ends up winning, because the Chances are, as the season moves along, Draisaitl’s usage may shrink voters can’t decide who between, say, a Sidney Crosby or an Evgeni slightly. The Oilers haven’t had any back-to-back games yet this season Malkin, made the greater overall contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ – their first comes Oct. 29 and 30 on the road against Detroit and collective success. Columbus. Usually, in those situations, depending upon how the games are going, coaches tend to moderate a players’ ice time, to make sure Sometimes the winning candidate ends up being a player (such as the there’s gas in the tank for the next night. It’s probably why Zibanejad is New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall in 2018) who was demonstrably the best where he is. The Rangers have only played four games; so, the Big Z player on a team that made an unexpected turnaround, after starting the has had lots of time for rest and recovery. year as a lightly regarded playoff contender. Luckily for the Oilers, they only have to deal with one more instance of That year, Hall edged the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon after back-to-back games between now and Christmas – Nov. 23 and 24 MacKinnon had performed virtually the same sort of alchemy with his against Vegas and Arizona. Accordingly, if Tippett is of a mind to keep own team – in their case, a staggering 47-point season-over-season McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s minutes up, the schedule will allow him to do improvement. It’s that sort of super-star driven achievement that so. Then, it’ll be up to them to demonstrate that they can continue to consistently resonates with the voters. handle the big minutes just as they did a year ago when McDavid finished second in the scoring race behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov. Further complicating matters every year is the specific wording of the Draisaitl, meanwhile, was fourth in scoring with 105 points and No. 2 Hart Trophy – annually awarded to the player adjudged to be “most behind Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard race, with 50 goals, one valuable to his own team” which is not necessarily the same thing as behind Ovechkin’s 51. simply selecting the NHL’s best player. Pretty impressive numbers and yet, when the final Hart Trophy tally came Which leads me to this question: Can two players from the same team in, McDavid finished third and earned just a single first-place vote while ever contribute so much that they can run 1-2 in the Hart Trophy voting? Draisaitl didn’t get mentioned at all, on any Hart Trophy ballots, despite a The last time it happened, in 1971, the NHL was a 14 team entity and the sensational individual year. Bruins boasted not just the four top scorers in the league (Esposito, Orr, That’s what happens historically to players on non-playoff teams. One Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge), but seven of the top 10 (Wayne could argue as an intellectual exercise that without McDavid and Draisaitl Cashman and Johnny McKenzie were No. 7 and 8 respectively, while last season, the Oilers were just slightly above an AHL-caliber team, but Fred Stanfield finished in a three-way tie for ninth with Dave Keon and that’s not going to sway voting patterns in the real world. Jean Beliveau). It probably wasn’t much of a surprise therefore that the Bruins produced a 121-point regular-season, 12 more than the runner-up Furthermore, Crosby (and others) may have something to say about this New York Rangers – and miles ahead of everyone else. Given how that discussion when all is said and done. season finished, it would have been hard to imagine any other MVP result than the one that occurred. With all of Pittsburgh’s injuries (to Malkin, Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann and others), Crosby is practically keeping the Penguins The only other instances where teammates finished 1-2 in the Hart race alive singlehandedly in the early going (They are 5-2; and of the 28 goals dated back to the days of the Original Six – in 1955 when it was Ted they’ve scored, Crosby has been in on 12 of them). Kennedy and Harry Lumley of Toronto. And 10 years earlier, in 1945, when Montreal’s Elmer Lach beat out Maurice Richard. Different in so Remarkably, at the age of 32, and almost a decade and a half after many ways from the current era. Crosby and Ovechkin arrived in the NHL at the start of the 2005-06 season, they remain two of the most important, intriguing faces of the All of this is a lengthy preamble to ponder the start of the Edmonton game. Oilers. Seven games into the season, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit perched atop the NHL scoring race, with 17 and 15 points Crosby has only ever won the Hart Trophy twice (the fact that he didn’t respectively and have, night after night, put on a consistent and win in 2012-13 remains a baffling mystery to some of us), but the second dominating show. time came in 2014, the year injuries limited Malkin to just 60 games.

Now, as we like to say, it’s early and lots can change, but what if it Similarly, Malkin’s Hart Trophy win came in 2012, the year Crosby played doesn’t and McDavid and Draisaitl keep racking up points and Edmonton only 22 games, recovering from a concussion. This is a familiar voting continues to win games on a more-or-less regular basis? pattern too – Henrik Sedin’s win in 2010 came the year his brother Daniel missed 19 games to injury, proof to some voters that one twin could play Under new coach Dave Tippett and new general manager Ken Holland, at a high level without the other constantly beside him on the ice. the Oilers – along with the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference – rate as one of the biggest positive stories of this young NHL season. The There is lots to chew on when it comes to Edmonton’s two stars in the Oilers set modest goals for the season – eye a playoff spot and then see early going, and maybe the two most important takeaways are 1. where things stand in March and hope they’re still in it. That was McDavid is clearly feeling no ill effects from the knee injury that he was reasonable then and remains reasonable now – because sometimes, forced to rehab all summer, 2. In Draisaitl, we may have a new candidate quick starts prove to be wholly unsustainable. However, getting out of the to replace Barkov on everybody’s annual list of the most underrated gate fast creates positive momentum that can carry a team a long way. players in the game. If 24 different players could appear on MVP ballots last year, and the league’s No. 4 scorer didn’t even get an obligatory fifth- If they can keep some version of this going, the Oilers would certainly place mention, then it’s safe to say he’s still operating in McDavid’s check one box when it comes to Hart Trophy balloting – being a vastly shadow – and that his notoriety on the larger national stage hasn’t caught improved team, coming off a bad year (the Oilers had 79 points last up to his performance levels quite yet. season, 14th place in the 15-team Western Conference). Because he is, in his own right, a star in the game (as colleague Daniel Nugent-Bowman outlined in this profile here). Maybe this year’s MVP race will ultimately reflect that turn of events. “That is the only goal,” he answered. “That is the goal every year. That’s why we come in here at the start of September every year. That’s exactly Catching up with The Nuge what we’re thinking about – and we’d be lying if we said it’s not. That’s Speaking of the Oilers and the need for production beyond the Big Two, what everyone wants and that’s why it’s such a hard thing to accomplish. the only other forward from last year’s team that made any sort of “I mean, I’m halfway through and maybe over halfway through my career meaningful offensive contribution was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who had and it hasn’t happened yet. One year, we came closer than all the others one of the quietest 69-point seasons of the year. but we haven’t come close enough yet. So, we want to push for it.

With all their turmoil and roster churn of the past half-dozen years, “Obviously, as you said, that’s what it’s all about.” Nugent-Hopkins is now – believe it or not – the longest-tenured player on the team. Vegas rising

Nugent-Hopkins made the Oilers as an 18-year-old after being the first Last year, after the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mark Stone in that overall choice of the 2011 Draft, a skinny beanpole of a kid back then. blockbuster trade from Ottawa, one of the fun parlor games people had Listed in his first media directory at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Nugent- around the NHL was determining which was their first line and which was Hopkins was positioned by some as the third important piece of the their second. Oilers’ rebuilding puzzle after they’d grabbed Taylor Hall first overall in 2010 and Jordan Eberle with the 22nd pick in 2009. And in that weird For most, the addition of Stone to play on a line with Max Pacioretty and trifecta world that the Oilers lived in during that time – lucky at the lottery, Paul Stastny made that trio the de facto No. 1 line – even if most people no luck just about anywhere else – they then landed Nail Yakupov with listed it as the No. 2. Certainly, based on last year’s playoff performance, their third consecutive No. 1 overall pick in 2012. you’d be hard-pressed to argue that it wasn’t the Golden Knights’ top unit. That trio combined for 31 points in seven games; the nominal No. 1 The original plan in Edmonton was to build a foundation around those line of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault pieces, plus Justin Schultz. Now, some eight years later, the other four managed 17. In a bid to create greater depth, Vegas tried to play Stastny are long gone and only Nugent-Hopkins remains. In his time, Nugent- down the depth chart at the start of the season, giving Cody Glass a Hopkins has played for four general managers (Steve Tambellini, Craig chance to play between Stone and Pacioretty while Cody Eakin MacTavish, Peter Chiarelli and Holland) and eight coaches (Tom convalesced from an injury. Renney, Ralph Krueger, Dallas Eakins, MacTavish, Todd Nelson, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock and now Tippett). Eventually, coach Gerard Gallant restored Stastny to that spot and the reunited line was out in full force on Thursday night, when Stone’s former Other than the 2016-17 season, when they finished second in the Pacific team, the Senators, paid a visit to Vegas and gave the Golden Knights all and fourth in the Western Conference, the Oilers have been a non- they could handle before losing in a shootout. That Vegas is at 5-3 is playoff team in every other year of Nugent-Hopkins’ career, which is now pretty impressive when you consider the Golden Knights lost their top in its ninth season. Even though he’s only 26 and still has a boyish look defenseman, Nate Schmidt, to injury on opening night and thus have to him, Nugent-Hopkins will acknowledge that development “seems crazy been playing with a six-man defense corps that consists of – in to me – that I’m in my ninth year now. I can still hardly believe it.” descending order of minutes played – Shea Theodore, Jon Merrill, Nick Holden, Brayden McNabb, Deryk Engelland and Nicolas Hague. But Nugent-Hopkins also suggested in an interview that he liked the stability that Holland and Tippett bring to a team that’s been constantly in Part of the season for their success is that the Karlsson line is off to a a state of flux during his time in Edmonton. good start this season – Smith especially (he leads the team with six goals). In short, the former top line is starting to look like a top line again, “I think Dave and Ken are both certified guys in the NHL and have been and maybe the answer is that forward depth above all else is what’s for years,” Nugent-Hopkins said, “and they’ll bring some good made Vegas the betting favorite in some quarters to top the Western consistency and stability for us. We’ve got to find a way to play Conference again, after slipping to third in the Pacific a year ago. It consistently and it definitely helps when you get that feeling and attitude continues to be impressive, what they’re doing under Gallant’s leadership from your management and your coach. It should go a long way for us.” and Marc-Andre Fleury’s play in goal.

There have been moments, as in the spring of 2017, when it looked as if The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 things were on track in Edmonton – and then it fell off again. Does this feel different in any way?

“We do have a good feeling in the room and a good positive mindset,” answered Nugent-Hopkins. “I mean, we’re hungry for it. A lot of us were there a few years back (for the second-round playoff loss to Anaheim) – and we want to get back to that feeling and that level of play again.

“I feel as if we know we can get there. It’s just we’ve got to do it every night – and it ain’t going to come easy – so we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

As the longest-serving member of the team, Nugent-Hopkins will be asked to provide supplement leadership to assist the leader, McDavid.

Mostly, when a player is starting out in the league, they look to older players for leadership and direction. Then the years slip by and players such as Nugent-Hopkins look around and suddenly realize, ‘oh OK, now I’m that guy.’ But not everybody can be a vocal leader, if their natural personality tends to be reticent and shy – and that description fits Nugent-Hopkins.

“Not everybody’s built the same way and I’m not the most talkative guy out there, so at times, you’ve got to remind yourself you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone in certain situations and speak up and just do it,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But the biggest way for me to lead is by example – the way I carry myself on and off the ice. A lot of it is how I play on the ice. I try to play the right way, the smart way. I feel that’s where I do lead. I think I can still become more talkative in the room and on the bench, but I’d say for the most part, it’s to lead by example.”

Every player starts their NHL life with dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. At this intermediate stage of his career, does the desire to win burn as brightly for Nugent-Hopkins as when he first started? 1157719 Washington Capitals third-period tally gave him six goals, the most on the team, through nine games.

The Rangers knotted it at 1 when Pavel Buchnevich scored on the power Michal Kempny, back in action at last, scores early to help Capitals past play at 12:25 of the first period, but Kempny’s goal at 15:16 gave the Rangers Capitals the lead again. Jakub Vrana had a chance to extend the advantage with 9:44 left in the second period after he was awarded a penalty shot, but Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (29 saves) denied him with a left-pad stop. Samantha Pell “I really liked how it was a big team win today for us for a number of October 18, 2019 at 10:34 PM EDT different reasons,” Reirden said. “Tonight was significant. That was a big game for our team.”

Every step of Michal Kempny’s recovery after he tore his hamstring Washington Post LOADED: 10.19.2019 March 20 was increasingly notable for the 29-year-old defenseman. Each moment that he felt his body approach game shape meant he was that much closer to donning his Washington Capitals sweater again.

Finally, in the Capitals’ 5-2 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night at Capital One Arena, Kempny put his long rehab behind him. And not only did he play, he contributed early: He scored in his season debut after he jumped on a rebound in front of the net, breaking a 1-1 tie in the first period.

“I felt pretty good, actually,” Kempny said afterward. “My legs felt good. Obviously not an easy situation for me. But I got to say just thank you to all of the staff, whole organization, my teammates, my family, my friends who were supporting me all the way through here and help me. It means a lot to me.”

Kempny typically plays next to John Carlson, but Coach Todd Reirden wanted to ease him back into action, so he kept Jonas Siegenthaler on the top pairing. Kempny played just over 14 minutes and also had an interference penalty. Reirden said he expects Kempny’s minutes to increase when a five-game road trip for the team starts Sunday in Chicago; he said Friday was the “perfect” game for Kempny to get back into.

Carlson, meanwhile, continued his hot streak with three assists, giving him 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in nine games.

“John just continues to get better,” Reirden said. “He’s taken advantage of his situations, and his execution with the puck is as good as I’ve seen from him for sure. . . . The game has slowed down for him.”

The Capitals (5-2-2) were the dominant team for most of the evening. They went up 3-1 on center Nic Dowd’s first goal of the season at 3:45 of the second period. Artemi Panarin’s goal at 16:56 cut the Capitals’ lead to one, but the Rangers (2-3-0) could get no closer. Forward T.J. Oshie scored his second power-play goal of the evening at 10:18 of the third period to give the Capitals some breathing room, and Garnet Hathaway added an empty netter with 27.7 seconds left. Braden Holtby made 26 saves.

Dowd, who has been in and out of the lineup on the fourth line, played beside and Chandler Stephenson after Richard Panik (upper body) was placed on long-term injured reserve. Panik took the brunt of a collision with Siegenthaler during the Capitals’ 4-3 win over visiting Toronto on Wednesday.

Kempny’s return was filled with positives for a Capitals blue line that finally had all six players it was projected to have at the start of the season. The Rangers went after Kempny early; Brendan Lemieux hit him high with his shoulder, which caused teammate Radko Gudas to drop the gloves with Lemieux. The hit, albeit high, was right through the center of the chest, which fits the definition for unavoidable head contact. It is not expected to result in supplementary discipline.

Hathaway left the game midway through the second period after he was hit hard in the chest by Jacob Trouba but returned in the third. (Hathaway told reporters after the game that he suffered a broken nose on the hit.) He subsequently dropped the gloves with Brendan Smith and had to leave the ice again, but he returned to the bench with 4:31 left.

“They are a physical team, but they are coming off a back-to-back, too,” Hathaway said. “We got to be dominant. We got to be physical on their top guys, and they pushed back. They were a tough team to play against tonight.”

Oshie got things going on the power play at 2:24 of the first period. After he was flattened by Trouba, he recovered and jammed home a rebound that hit off Rangers defenseman Marc Staal’s skate and went in. Oshie’s 1157720 Washington Capitals Washington Post LOADED: 10.19.2019

Michal Kempny to play against Rangers; Capitals place Richard Panik on long-term injured reserve

Samantha Pell

October 18, 2019 at 12:08 PM EDT

Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny will make his return to the lineup Friday against the New York Rangers, his first game back after tearing his hamstring on March 20. Kempny will skate on the third defensive pairing with Radko Gudas, with the possibility of getting a few shifts on the top pairing with John Carlson.

“Yeah I’m playing tonight, it’s been a long time and I’m very excited,” Kempny said. “Ready to go … especially from the beginning of the rehab, small steps make me happy. I think it’s part of rehab and all the bad is behind me and I’m just focusing now and today’s game.”

Kempny’s return has been highly anticipated since the start of training camp. The 29-year-old’s original timeline was for him to be out four to six months after he underwent surgery in April. The six-month mark passed, and Kempny was cleared for contact Oct. 2. He has been a full participant at practice since, with the team repeatedly “hopeful” each week for his return. Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said “to do what is right for the player,” Kempny will ease back into a normal workload, which is why he’ll start on the third pairing.

“We have a range we’d like to have him in and we will see how the game goes,” Reirden said. “Obviously he is fresh, he’s skating really well, he’s in unbelievable condition, so now it’s just to see how it transfers into game action and how his wind is and that and his conditioning.”

As Kempny returns, the Capitals placed forward Richard Panik on long- term injured reserve Friday after he was involved in a collision Wednesday against Toronto. Panik, who signed a four-year $11-million deal this offseason, will have to miss at least 10 games, and Reirden said the forward should not require surgery. In a corresponding move, Washington recalled center Travis Boyd and defenseman Martin Fehervary from the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey, Pa.

Panik and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler had an in-game collision Wednesday against Toronto.

“It’s unfortunate because he did have some good chances in the last few games, I felt like it was coming,” Reirden said of Panik. “He just needed to get one, but that’s the game and so now we will get him healthy and ready to go once he gets back.”

Siegenthaler appeared to take the brunt of the collision in the moment, grimacing on the bench in pain, but after both were reevaluated Thursday by team doctors, the team determined it would send Panik to LTIR and Siegenthaler would be a game-time decision for Friday’s contest. Siegenthaler (day-to-day) was skating Friday morning and took normal line rushes on the top pairing with Carlson. If Siegenthaler cannot play Friday, Fehervary will take his place in the lineup.

By placing Panik on LTIR, it gave the club in $2.75 million in cap space. After recalling Boyd and Fehervary, leaving the team with just over $1 million in space, according to CapFriendly.com. Boyd, who is expected to be a healthy scratch Friday, was waived in favor of Chandler Stephenson on Oct. 6. Reirden said he expects Boyd to travel with the team for their five-game, 10-day road trip starting Sunday night in Chicago. Fehervary’s travel projection is still uncertain and will be reassessed in the coming days.

Fehervary spent the first three games of the season in the lineup before being sent down. The 20-year-old defenseman was the team’s second- round pick in the 2018 NHL draft and made his NHL debut against St. Louis. In three games with Hershey this season, Fehervary scored one goal.

Additionally, goaltender Braden Holtby will get the start in net against the Rangers, after rookie Ilya Samsonov got the start Wednesday in a 4-3 win over Toronto. 1157721 Washington Capitals

Carlson posts another three points to help Capitals beat Rangers

By Stephen Whyno - Associated Press - Friday, October 18, 2019

John Carlson added three assists to his historic start, T.J. Oshie scored two power-play goals and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers 5-2 Friday night for their second consecutive home victory.

Carlson assisted on each of Oshie’s goals and one by Michal Kempny in the Czech defenseman’s return from a hamstring injury. With 17 points, Carlson tied Edmonton captain Connor McDavid for most in the NHL, and he leads the league with 14 assists.

Carlson was already the seventh defenseman in NHL history with 14-plus points in his first eight games of the season and the first to do so in 30 years. He has six multipoint games in nine opportunities and set the franchise record for most points by a defenseman in October.

Oshie got credit for his first power-play goal when Rangers defenseman Marc Staal knocked the puck into his own net. He deflected Carlson’s point shot past New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for his second.

Kempny drove to the net and scored in the first period of his first game action since tearing his left hamstring in March and undergoing surgery in April. The Capitals planned to ease the defenseman back into the lineup with limited minutes after being out so long.

Lundqvist stopped Jakub Vrana on a penalty shot and made 29 saves to help keep New York in the game in the second half of a back-to-back set. Pavel Buchnevich had a power-play goal, and top offseason addition Artemi Panarin scored his third of the season for the Rangers, who have only played five games this season to Washington’s nine.

NOTES: The Capitals have won seven in a row against the Rangers. … Garnet Hathaway sealed it with an empty-net goal with 27.7 seconds left. … With an assist on Kempny’s goal, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin registered his 1,219th point and passed Jean Beliveau for 42nd on the career scoring list. … Washington goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 26 of 28 shots. … Capitals D Jonas Siegenthaler played two nights after colliding with teammate Richard Panik during a game against the Maple Leafs and leaving with a left shoulder injury. … Panik was placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury and will miss at least 10 games. F Brendan Lemieux returned to the Rangers lineup, replacing Greg McKegg. … Nationals ace Max Scherzer dropped a baseball as part of a ceremonial faceoff to honor Washington’s first World Series appearance since 1933.

UP NEXT

Rangers: After three games in 17 days to start the season, New York continues a busy stretch by hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

Capitals: Open a five-game road trip Sunday at the Chicago Blackhawks with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto to follow.

Washington Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157722 Washington Capitals

Capitals place Panik on long-term IR, Kempny to make season debut

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Friday, October 18, 2019

ARLINGTON — The Washington Capitals placed forward Richard Panik on long-term injured reserve after he suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game.

Panik, signed via free agency in the offseason, has played the third-line right wing position alongside Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin.

He collided with defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on this play in the Capitals‘ win over the Toronto Maple Leafs:

Siegenthaler appeared to take the brunt of the hit, but he was listed as a game-time decision for Friday’s home game against the New York Rangers.

With Panik on LTIR, he must sit out at least 10 games.

Meanwhile, defenseman Michal Kempny will make his season debut Friday after fully recovering from a torn hamstring he suffered last March in a game against the Lightning. Kempny missed the first eight games of the new season as he worked back to full health.

While normally he plays on the top defensive pair alongside John Carlson, coach Todd Reirden said Kempny will start on the third pair with Radko Gudas against the Rangers and might see shifts with Carlson depending on how the game goes.

In a related move, the Capitals recalled forward Travis Boyd and defenseman Martin Fehervary from the Hershey Bears of the AHL.

Fehervary started the season with the Capitals but was sent down when Evgeny Kuznetsov returned from his suspension. If Siegenthaler is unable to play, Fehervary will fill in.

Washington Times LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157723 Washington Capitals

Adam Eaton gives pregame speech and announces Capitals starters against New York Rangers

By Quinton Mayo October 18, 2019 8:52 PM

Due to the recent success of the World Champion Washington Mystics, and NLCS Champion Washington Nationals, the Washington Capitals have gotten a fair share of locker room visits recently.

Before the Caps Friday night showdown with the visiting New York Rangers, Nationals’ right fielder, Adam Eaton called out the starting lineup. One thing both parties have in common, other than being pretty darn good at their jobs, is a matchup with a New York team.

Two-time league MVP Elena Delle Donne also participated in the tradition just two days after throwing out the first pitch of the Nationals game four victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

It all comes full circle in the nation’s capital.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157724 Washington Capitals

The 'Baby Shark' phenomenon hits Capital One Arena as Nationals visit Caps game

By Frank Piscani October 18, 2019 7:58 PM

We seriously cannot get enough of the Washington Capitals and Nationals bromance.

With the practically every single Nationals players in attendance, the Capitals played 'Baby Shark' during their game against the New York Rangers. The song has been the Nationals' anthem during their magical playoff run, and sports fans all around Washington have rallied around it.

After Max Scherzer pulled a trick during the ceremonial puck drop, the Capitals showed their support for the Nationals' World Series quest.

When the Caps made their Stanley Cup run in 2018, the Nationals showed their support throughout the playoffs. Scherzer and Ryan Zimmerman even led Capital One Arena in a "Let's go Caps" chant while decked out in Capitals gear during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

How about that for some Washington D.C. love?

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157725 Washington Capitals players from both Canada and Russia. Russia brings a team of junior players to Canada to play all-star rosters from the QMJHL, OHL, and WHL. The OHL team will play Russia on Nov. 7 and 11.

Capitals Prospect Report: Travis Boyd makes the most of his time in Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News expects this to be a big year for Hershey McMichael.

Eric Florchuk earned First Star honors for his performance on Monday. He led Saskatoon to a 9-3 win over Calgary with a hat-trick performance. By J.J. Regan October 18, 2019 1:32 PM Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019

Players dream of one day making the NHL. Everyone knows how hard it is to get there, but few realize how difficult it can be to stay. Travis Boyd learned that first hand this season. After a full season in the NHL last year in which he played 61 games, Boyd was put on waivers after Evgeny Kuznetsov returned from suspension and sent to Hershey.

Boyd is not the first player to be sent back down to the AHL and he won’t be the last. Some players do not handle this well and their stats plummet. Boyd, however, took the opposite approach.

The best way to show you are an NHL player is by dominating the league below it and that is exactly what Boyd has been doing.

In two games with the Bears, he scored four goals and two assists. That performance earned him AHL Player of the Week honors.

On Wednesday, Richard Panik suffered an injury and was placed on long-term injured reserve. It was no surprise to see Boyd as the first forward to get called up.

The injury leaves Panik out of the lineup for at least 10 games. Head coach Todd Reirden said Friday that Boyd will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. If he gets into a game, it is now up to him to do what he did in the AHL, prove he belongs.

With a total cap hit of only $800,000, Boyd would be doing the team a favor if he can outplay another player like Chander Stephenson has a larger cap hit. It all depends on what he can do with his opportunity.

Other prospect notes

In addition to Boyd, Martin Fehervary was also recalled on Friday with Jonas Siegenthaler being a game-time decision. Siegenthaler is expected to play on Friday, but it is worth keeping an eye on to see if the team tries to get Fehervary a game or two while they have cap flexibility with Panik on LTIR. It is doubtful he will stick around given that Tyler Lewington has a smaller cap hit. The salary cap house of cards likely does not work without Lewington’s $675,000, but this could be an opportunity to get Fehervary another game.

Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic got a chance to speak with Pheonix Copley and Christian Djoos, two other players who did not expect to start the season in the AHL. You can read his story here.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby scored two goals against the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday. His greatest asset is his speed and he used it on both goals. The first was a steal in the neutral zone that he was able to turn into a breakaway when he turned on the jets. The second was a breakout from the defensive zone. His speed put a lot of pressure on the defense and he never stopped going to the front of the net. He started the play and finished it with a tip-in for the goal. You can watch the highlights here:

Defenseman Bobby Nardella has yet to play for Hershey this season. I was asked about this for this week’s Caps Mailbag so I reached out to a team official. There is no injury, the situation is just that there are nine defensemen on the roster and the top four is set with Alex Alexeyev, Erik Burgdoerfer, Djoos, and Fehervary. That leaves Lucas Johansen, Connor Hobbs, Colby Williams, Tobias Geisser and Nardella all fighting for those final two spots in the lineup. Is nine defensemen too many? I don’t know enough about the day-to-day operations of an AHL team to be able to answer that. It seems like it would be beneficial to send one or two of those nine to the ECHL to get more playing time, but that does not seem to be the plan for now. Maybe Fehervary going to Washington can get Nardella a game.

Alexeyev saw his chance to make the NHL out of camp evaporate after a hit to the head in the prospects showcase. El-Bashir caught up with him in Hershey to see how he is handling life with the Bears.

Connor McMichael has been named to the Team OHL roster for the Canada-Russia series. The series is an annual tournament for junior 1157726 Washington Capitals The first chapter of Jack Hughes vs. Kaapo Kakko rivalry took place on Thursday as the New Rangers played the New Jersey Devils. The Devils won this round earning their first win of the season. Hughes also notched his first career point. 5 things to know for Caps-Rangers: Michal Kempny is back The bad news for the Caps is that Alexander Georgiev got the start on Thursday meaning Henrik Lundqvist is likely to start Friday in Washington. By J.J. Regan October 18, 2019 11:17 AM Welcome Kaapo Kakko

The rookie phenom was fantastic in the World Championships over the The Capitals (4-2-2) rallied for an impressive win over the Toronto Maple summer, scoring six goals against teams full of NHL players. The start of Leafs on Wednesday and now close out a three-game home stand his NHL career, however, has proven more difficult which is to be against the New York Rangers (2-2-0). This is the last home game before expected. This will be Washington’s first look at the rookie with a defense a five-game road swing to close out the month of October. You can catch that has already been victimized by star players this season. all the action on NBC Sports Washington with Caps FaceOff Live kicking things off at 6 p.m. before Caps Pregame Live begins at 6:30 p.m. to One player who is already familiar with how dangerous Kakko can be is bring you up to the 7 p.m. puck drop. Stick with NBC Sports Washington Fehervary. In a game between Finland and Slovakia, Kakko received the afterward for Caps Postgame Live, D.C. Sports Live and Caps Overtime puck below the goal line, nutmegged Fehervary and scored on the Live. backhand.

Here are five things to know for Friday’s game. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.19.2019 Kempny will make his return

At long last, Michal Kempny will be back in the lineup for the first time since getting injured in March. Todd Reirden warned earlier in the week that when he does make his return not to expect him to immediately step in and play top pair minutes with Carlson. At morning skate, Kempny skated with Radko Gudas on the third defensive pair.

The team has clearly missed Kempny especially this season with no Matt Niskanen or Brooks Orpik. Getting him back even if it is just in a third-pair role to start should be a huge boon for the blue line.

An injury shakeup

Richard Panik and Jonas Siegenthaler both left Wednesday's game late in the second period after colliding with one another. On Friday, the team announced a flurry of moves with Panik being placed on long-term injured reserve and both Martin Fehervary and Travis Boyd recalled from Hershey. Siegenthaler took part in the morning skate. He is officially considered a game-time decision, but I spoke with him after the morning skate and he said he feels fine and expects to play.

Here are how the lines looked at morning skate:

Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie

Carl Hagelin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Tom Wilson

Jakub Vrana - Lars Eller - Garnet Hathaway

Brendan Leipsic - Nic Dowd - Chandler Stephenson

Jonas Siegenthaler - John Carlson

Dmitry Orlov - Nick Jenson

Michal Kempny - Radko Gudas

Holtby back in net

Braden Holtby is back in net after a one-game “reset.” He was pulled in Monday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after giving up three goals on three shots leading to Ilya Samsonov getting the start for Wednesday’s game against the Leafs.

Reirden has been adamant that there is no goalie controversy and that Holtby remains the No. 1. If that is the case, putting him back in on Friday was the only move Reirden could have made. To put Samsonov back in for a second straight game after a good but not great performance on Wednesday would have been a clear signal that confidence in Holtby may be waning.

The pressure now is for Holtby to reward the confidence Reirden still has in him with a rebound performance. Otherwise a longer reset may be needed like we saw back in 2018 when he was pulled from a game on March 6 and did not play again until March 16.

Another back-to-back

Just as they did Wednesday, the Caps will be playing a team coming in on the second leg of a back-to-back. 1157727 Washington Capitals Earlier this month, Reirden decided to give Carlson the alternate captain’s ‘A’ that was previously worn by Brooks Orpik, who retired in June. The backend needed a leader, and Reirden felt that Carlson could be that guy – using his words and actions. Putting Capitals defenseman John Carlson’s historic start in context “His leadership back there (has been important),” Reirden said. “He’s a guy that does say things during the game. He does say things on the bench. He does say things in the locker room.” By Tarik El-Bashir Oct 18, 2019 Reirden also noted that getting off to a strong start this season was a

point of emphasis for Carlson, particularly with Kempny, his usual ARLINGTON, Va. – John Carlson’s offensive outburst to start the season partner, expected to miss some time before eventually easing his way isn’t just impressive. back into the lineup.

It’s also historic. In Reirden’s estimation, the Caps may not be where they are in the standings had Carlson not produced the way he has minus the other half Consider this: of the top pair.

Carlson is the first Capitals’ defenseman to record 14 points (three goals, Kempny could return as soon as Friday’s matchup against the Rangers, 11 assists) in Washington’s first eight games. In fact, it’s only been done Reirden said Wednesday. by two other Caps: forwards Alex Ovechkin (nine goals, seven assists in 2009) and Alexander Semin (seven goals, seven assists in 2008-09). “He’s big for our team,” Carlson said of Kempny. “If he plays with me, that’d be big for me. (But) I just think about the guy and what he’s gone Carlson’s total makes him the seventh different defenseman in NHL through and what’s he’s endured and how hard he’s worked. … I’m history to record 14 points through his team’s first eight games – and the looking forward to having him back.” first to do it in 30 years. The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 With a goal and two assists in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs, Carlson now has five multi-point games. That makes him the third defenseman in NHL history to accomplish the feat; Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin each did it twice.

Carlson’s three points versus the Leafs also pushed him past Sergei Gonchar (416) and into fourth place on the Caps’ all-time list for points by a defenseman. Carlson now has 417 points – and Kevin Hatcher (426) and Scott Stevens (429) in his crosshairs. Calle Johansson sits atop the category with 474, so he’s within reach. Larry Murphy’s record of 81 points in a season (1986-87) could be reachable, too.

Entering Thursday night’s games, Carlson led the Capitals in points and was third overall in the NHL, ranking behind Edmonton’s dynamic forwards Connor McDavid (17) and Leon Draisaitl (15), and ahead of Sidney Crosby (12).

Carlson’s 14 points were five more than the next defenseman entering Thursday’s games.

Meanwhile, Carlson’s assist total (11) was second only to McDavid’s 12.

Carlson has also led the Caps in ice time in each of the team’s first eight games, averaging 26:02 as the team deals with the absence of Michal Kempny, who is still working his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered in April.

The fact that Carlson is putting up big numbers should not come as a surprise; he enjoyed a similarly strong start last season en route to a career-high 70 points. He also earned his first All-Star Game appearance and a personal best fourth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting in 2018- 19.

As impressive as Carlson has been, though, he shrugged and credited luck and his teammates for his hot start.

“Next,” he joked, when informed by The Athletic that he’s on pace for 143.5 points.

Turning serious, the 29-year-old blueliner added: “I’m just getting lucky, I think. Guys are making some good plays to me, and the guys I’m passing to are scoring right now. Especially as a D, it’s pretty streaky. You just take ’em when you can. There are a lot of guys out there making good plays right now.”

Of Carlson’s goals, two came at even strength and the other came on a two-man advantage versus the Leafs. He’s recorded assists on six different teammates’ goals, racking up four on the power play – two to Ovechkin in his office.

“He’s making some strong plays, for sure,” coach Todd Reirden said of Carlson. “I mean, the vision to be able to see the play to (Jakub) Vrana on that goal (versus the Leafs) is outstanding. Obviously, the five-on- three goal is something we’ve had success with in the past.

“He’s playing really well and that was something that we talked about this summer with the departure of some other guys.” 1157728 Winnipeg Jets Dustin Byfuglien continues to hold the Jets hostage by delaying a decision on whether he intends to continue playing hockey. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

So, how 'bout those Jets, eh? Nobody asked me, but... General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff needs some clarity and he needs it now. I realize he likely can't force Byfuglien to decide tomorrow, but some pressure needs to be applied. It seems like the Jets, at least so far, have been willing to sit back and give Byfuglien all the time and space he Mike McIntyre needs, but that's happening to the detriment of their own bottom line. Posted: 10/18/2019 5:09 PM Enough is enough.

If Byfuglien and his US$7.6 million cap hit are returning, the Jets need to figure out exactly what they'll be getting in a 34-year-old coming off three The Winnipeg Jets are waking up these days in unfamiliar territory, injuries last season who has done very little skating or training to this although I suspect many around the club aren't sleeping all that well right point. Nobody should expect Big Buff to swoop in wearing a cape to save now, given the current state of affairs. the day, but at least the Jets can plan accordingly.

Thursday's 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders dropped them to 4-5-0, And if he isn't coming back, that opens up additional opportunities for the which gives them just one more point than their worst-ever start through team. nine games since relocating from Atlanta (3-5-1 in that inaugural 2011-12 season). It's also the first time they've been below .500 this many games 3) Nobody asked me, but... it's time to fix the penalty kill. File this one into a season since 2016-17, when they sported an identical 4-5-0 record under "Duh!" The only thing the Jets are killing when they take a penalty en route to missing the post-season. is their chance of winning the game. Despite being angels on the ice and taking just 16 minors so far, Winnipeg has already given up seven power- Two straight playoff years have followed (with starts of 4-3-2 and 6-2-1), plays goals. That's an efficiency rate — and I use that term very loosely with many believing they were just the start of a lengthy period of Stanley — of 56.3 per cent. That's also dead-last in the NHL, by a considerable Cup contention opening up, especially with such a young, talented core. margin. But now? You can already feel things starting to circle the drain following three straight defeats this week on home ice and a date with the red-hot Wheeler said following Thursday's loss that "there’s capable bodies Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers up next Sunday night at Bell there, guys that can do the job." Perhaps, but they might soon find MTS Place. themselves on the unemployment line if they can't turn things around. Getting in lanes and blocking shots has been a huge issue, with the Jets This team, as currently constructed, just doesn't appear good enough. either unwilling or unable to do it. Wheeler said as much, alluding to There are too many flaws getting exposed. players needing to be "committed to eating some pucks."

However, that doesn't mean all hope should be abandoned and that This should be priority No. 1 right now for the coaching staff to figure out, we're already into "next year" territory. Despite all kinds of off-season complete with exhaustive video study and practice, practice, practice, turmoil and turnover, most of it salary-cap related, the Jets still have something the Jets have done only a handful of times so far due to a plenty of talent in the lineup. This doesn't have to be a lost season. busy schedule that had them playing an NHL-leading nine games through Thursday. The key is finding a way to maximize it on a nightly basis, something coach Paul Maurice and his club have failed to do in the early going. With If the current group isn't up to snuff, it's time to either try other bodies on that in mind, it's time for another semi-regular instalment of Nobody the PK or start looking elsewhere. Asked Me, But..., in which I offer up my two cents worth on various issues surrounding the club. 4) Nobody asked me, but... it's time to swing a trade. The needs are many, with two major areas of concern — the blue-line and the penalty 1) Nobody asked me, but... it's time to try Blake Wheeler and Mark kill — highlighted above. And, as already stated, Cheveldayoff's hands Scheifele on separate lines. There's no question these two have are somewhat tied right now with the Byfuglien matter. As of now, the displayed terrific chemistry together in the past, but I'm just not seeing it Jets could only really do a deal if the salary going out matches the salary through the first nine games of the season. coming back.

And certainly not after three straight defeats in which the Jets have only I've long thought a player like Roslovic, with his top-six potential but lack scored five goals — and just one of them at five-on-five, by fourth-liner of available space for such a role in Winnipeg, would be a valuable chip. Mathieu Perreault. Problem is, he's still in his entry-level deal, making $894,000, which would limit what kind of return you get for him. This is where some With veteran centre Bryan Little set to return to the lineup from a creativity might have to be involved, with another piece going out such as concussion, it's time to rethink the line configurations and split up the Perreault ($4.125 million) or defenceman Dmitry Kulikov ($4.333 million). dynamic duo, other than on the power play. At the risk of repeating myself, this is why the Byfuglien situation needs Wheeler isn't even the best right-winger on his team right now. That to be solved ASAP. It's too late to hit the free-agent market for this would be Nikolaj Ehlers, who seems to have found another level to his season, so his freed-up money would be of no assistance in that game. Why not try Ehlers with Scheifele and Patrik Laine on the top trio? department, but it could help considerably on the trade market. Drop Wheeler down to the second line for a reunion with his longtime 5) Nobody asked me, but... keep playing the kid. Ville Heinola has proven linemate in Little, with Kyle Connor on the left wing. That would allow for to be one of Winnipeg's best defencemen despite being just 18. At this Andrew Copp to reunite with Adam Lowry on the third line, and throw in point, taking him out of the lineup under the guise of helping his speedster Jack Roslovic to give Winnipeg an intriguing top nine. development or saving the first year of his entry-level deal from being Then you have a fourth line including the likes of Perreault, David burned (after he plays nine NHL games) is hogwash. Gustafsson, Mason Appleton, Gabriel Bourque and Mark Letestu (when Heinola makes the Jets better. Period. Sure, he's going to make healthy), or even options on the farm with the Moose such as Joona mistakes, but he's hardly alone in that department. After four very strong Luoto, Andrei Chibisov, C.J. Suess, Kristian Vesalainen, Jansen Harkins, games to start his career and one tough one against Minnesota, Maurice Logan Shaw or Seth Griffith, who are among a number of players who made Heinola a healthy scratch for three straight. Only an injury to are pushing for work and creating internal competition. journeyman Anthony Bitetto got him back in Thursday night, and Heinola 2) Nobody asked me, but... it's time to get some closure on the Dustin impressed once again. Byfuglien situation. The veteran defenceman continues to hold the Jets I'll add Sami Niku to this as well, although he's still battling a nagging hostage by delaying a decision on whether he intends to continue playing groin injury down with the Moose. Once healthy and back up to speed, hockey. That can't continue. there's no reason Niku shouldn't be up with the big club playing a regular Dustin Byfuglien continues to hold the Jets hostage by delaying a role. decision on whether he intends to continue playing hockey. (Mike Deal / If nothing else, the two two young Finnish blue-liners will provide plenty Winnipeg Free Press files)

of excitement in what might end up being a long season for fans. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.19.2019 1157729 Winnipeg Jets overall and producing strong scoring-chance volume, but this year is another thing entirely.

Ehlers has improved slightly but mostly remained consistent; he appears High-flying Ehlers even more dangerous with Connor as linemate to have found a partner who can work with his playmaking skills off the rush and convert more of his rush plays into goals.

Chances off the rush are the highest-quality chance type in the NHL, and By: Andrew Berkshire | Posted: 10/18/2019 7:00 PM when you add lateral passing to a teammate to the already dangerous proposition of an attacker coming in with speed, things get much more

difficult for defenders to handle and for goaltenders to calculate what One of the areas I kept revisiting last season when breaking down good their best course of action is. things the Winnipeg Jets were doing was the play of Nikolaj Ehlers. From It’s very early in the season, so this duo may not prove to be as a point-production perspective, Ehlers had an underwhelming season in dangerous as the early numbers are leading us to believe, but if this is 2018-19 — scoring just 37 points in 62 games. His underlying offensive something that they can sustain, the Jets may finally have a second line numbers, however, were excellent. that opponents struggle to deal with on a nightly basis, and the centre Specifically, he was one of only two Jets forwards — the other being almost doesn’t matter. Mark Scheifele — who was capable of competently attacking off the rush. If the Jets are able to weather the hits they’ve taken on the defensive end This year, much of the same is occurring, with Ehlers being the driving so far, I think this duo — and specifically Ehlers — will be a big reason force of the Jets’ rush attacks. Even more than that, he’s driving the why. team’s offence at even-strength overall and is the key to their ability to transition up the ice. Andrew Berkshire is a hockey writer specializing in data-driven analysis of the game. Ehlers is not only leading the Jets in plays that produce scoring chances, but blowing the entire forward group out of the water with his ability to Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.19.2019 transition the puck up the ice.

Every 20 minutes of ice time at even-strength, Ehlers is making a forward transition play 25 times, and no one else on the roster is even close. In fact, the closest forward to Ehlers in transition play is his linemate, Kyle Connor, which is not something that’s been a strength of his so far in his career. We’re going to touch on that momentarily.

Somewhere in the wilds of B.C.'s Okanagan Valley, just north of Kelowna, lives a man who never played the game.

Nevertheless, Adam Francilia's work during the six-month-long National Hockey League season takes him on the road. A lot. It's a grind he says averages out to more than three months away from home.

Maybe the issue for the rest of the Jets’ roster is its transition play is built around defencemen. Carl Dahlstrom and Neal Pionk are both above 20 transition plays per 20 minutes and would be the next-best to Ehlers on the team, but once again, they’re not really anywhere close to his impact on the game.

Last season Ehlers was first in transition plays on the Jets and second in offensive involvement, so this isn’t new, but what is new is that he’s actually getting production out of it as well this year.

Eight points in nine games isn’t blowing the league apart offensively. It’s not Connor McDavid tying records set in the high-scoring 1980s kinds of offence, but it’s very good and sustainable production from Ehlers. When you factor in that he is also scoring on just 9.4 per cent of his shots on goal, and the Jets’ on-ice shooting percentage is just 7.78 per cent with him on the ice, his production so far is actually lower than what you would expect on average.

Ehlers may not be leading the Jets in points so far this season, but at even-strength it’s arguable that he’s been their best and most important player, aside from Josh Morrissey.

Another impact of Ehlers’ strong play this season has been his effect on Connor, who wasn’t a poor transition player last season, but has jumped up to be the second-best forward on the roster this season.

Ehlers is one of those players whose presence dictates the way a game flows while he’s on the ice because he’s so effective with the puck in all three zones. Last season Ehlers couldn’t really find a regular partner to ride shotgun with him on his rush attacks, which led to him producing a lot of offence off the rush but being on his own too often, making him easier to defend against.

This year, Connor has really bought into Ehlers’ style of play, and the underlying numbers are looking solid.

Ehlers is one of those players whose presence dictates the way a game flows while he’s on the ice because he’s so effective with the puck in all three zones.

Last year, Connor was better than team average at producing scoring chances off the rush, mostly by virtue of him being a high quality shooter 1157730 Winnipeg Jets Despite their record over their first nine games, or the current losing streak they are on, Wheeler appears far from concerned just over 10% into the 2019-20 season.

Numbers tell an ugly tale for Jets, but is it that bad? “The puck’s shaped crazy, our ice bounces a little bit crazy sometimes,” Wheeler said of the game-winning goal scored by Mat Barzal of the Islanders. “So yeah, we can definitely dwell on that. But we’re not that type of group. I think we’re going to look at the areas that we had some Scott Billeck opportunities to really taking control of the game and we didn’t. Published:October 18, 2019 “Maybe there was times in the second period where we had control of the Updated:October 18, 2019 7:08 PM CDT puck but were too complacent on the outside, whereas in the first and probably most of the third period we were getting pucks to the net and getting some rebounds, some traffic that way. I think that’s kind of how we controlled the game.” After most games as you enter the Winnipeg Jets’ dressing room, across the large, square room stands Blake Wheeler, the team’s captain. Wheeler’s scrum ends and a new one begins a couple stalls to the captain’s left. As cameramen and reporters rush to assemble around bim, Wheeler stands, often with both hands on his hips and a deadpanned look in his Nikolaj Ehlers is in the room. He scored on this particular night, a laser of eye as he awaits the first question a wrist shot that beat Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov clean high on his glove side on the power play, which has gone 5-for-18 in its past four At some point, it comes. games after operating at just 1-for-11 during the first five. “Is it a night where you feel you deserved a better fate, offensively,” one “I think we played a really good game and it’s something we can build reporter asked on Thursday after Winnipeg’s 3-1 loss to the New York off,” Ehlers said. Islanders — their third straight defeat and all on home ice at BellMTS Place. There’s certainly some stuff from the loss that Winnipeg can take and build off. With his Jets hat on backward and still wearing his long-sleeve, blue (and sweat-soaked) Nike compression shirt, Wheeler delivers his first answer For the majority of the game — 50 minutes, give or take — they took it to and the scrum begins. the Islanders.

“It’s not going for us right now,” he began. The Jets owned the lion’s share of the possession in the game and hit double digits in high-danger chances. Their problem was two-fold: they Wheeler isn’t lying when he says things aren’t going his team’s way at ran into a hot-hand in Varlamov. And they lacked the killer instinct the moment. needed given all the scoring chances they generated. On some nights, such as Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders, Or not. there is some bad luck involved. “Listen, we’re not sitting back in these games,” Jets head Maurice said. On others, say a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes 48 hours earlier, they “We’re not defending a 1-0 lead from the second period on. It’s not a simply have been the second-best team on the ice. function of us not having a killer instinct.” Win or lose — the Jets are 4-5-0 on the season — most statistics, Maurice is partially right here. advanced and otherwise, tell a grim story: At 5-on-5, the Jets have put up the second most shot attempts and the • Last in goals allowed with (22) most shots-for this season. They’re tied for 5th in terms of goals-for at 5- • Last in shots attempts against (407) on-5 with 16. They’re third in high-danger chances for with 71. Keep in mind all the games they’ve played, however. • Last in shots against (244) But there is no finish at the moment. None of that killer instinct to not just • Last in high-danger chances against (78) create the chances, but also score off them.

• 25th in shots against per game (33.3) Like Wheeler, Maurice entertains questions from the media after every • 24th in expected goals percentage at even strength (45.26%) game.

There are, of course, some caveats here. Queries on Thursday ranged from what changed after a strong first period to questions about the penalty kill, one that now sits 31st in the Their schedule to open the regular season has been a bit cruel. As of NHL at 56.3% — a shockingly bad number. Thursday’s game, the Jets had played nine games in 15 nights. In truth, the PK is disjointed and dysfunctional at the moment. The Jets The New York Rangers, who began their season on the same night have tried all of their good penalty killers as well, including the Winnipeg did, have played just four times. unfavourable move of trying Scheifele and Wheeler there to stem the bleeding. Beginning of the season or not, having already played two back to backs and all those games bring with it some fatigue, not to mention the grind With those two on the ice, Barzal’s power-play goal game 16 seconds on several young players not used to NHL hockey or the demands of its into the man advantage. schedule at times. After lamenting the lack of blocked shots in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the The sheer number of games the team has played thus far skews the Arizona Coyotes, where the ‘Yotes scored on both of their power play numbers a bit, if only because other teams have yet to catch up. The Jets opportunities, Maurice was asked to compare that effort to the one on probably aren’t the worst 5-on-5 team when it comes to goals allowed. Thursday.

In fact, they aren’t if we look at goals-against/60, where they sit 20th in “It was equal,” Maurice said. the NHL, or the simpler goals-against per game, where they are 25th. His availability ended. Wheeler hasn’t strayed much from the same message after each of Winnipeg’s three consecutive losses this past week. There is good amongst the bad.

Depending on what he’s asked, Wheeler will offer glowing reviews of his On offence, for instance, Jack Roslovic is beginning to come into his own teammates, lament some costly mistakes, suggest ways the team will go this season. Whether at centre or out on the wing, Roslovic has about fixing those errors and offer some optimism moving forward. performed, and consistently, which has been one of the knocks against his game. The season is young. The line of Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp and Nikolaj Ehlers is coming off a game where they had a Corsi-for of 22 and a Corsi-against of just four. That’s domination in every sense of the word.

Copp has done well at centre after being given the opportunity in the aftermath of Bryan Little’s concussion. It’s a line that shouldn’t be split up when Little returns (likely on Sunday).

Instead, Little should be used to reinforce the third or fourth line to start. Perhaps he replaces Mathieu Perreault on the third line and Adam Lowry moves out to the wing. Perreault moves down to the fourth line with David Gustafsson and Mason Appleton.

It’s just a thought, and despite how well the Copp line has done, the Jets have lost three straight, so there’s certainly an argument to shake things up.

On defence, Neal Pionk is a different player than he was with the Rangers last season.

He’s controlling more possession, helping create for high-danger chances and has significantly improved his expected goals over his rookie campaign.

Pionk was immediately written off by many (at least on Twitter) when he arrived in the trade that sent Jacob Trouba to the Rangers. But if there is one player that’s bought into what Maurice and Co. were teaching in a defence-oriented training camp, it’s Pionk.

He’s aggressive, has a good gap, and he’s challenging the offence at the blue line and he’s winning a good portion of those challenges. He’s played well in big minutes and his numbers across the board, from Corsi (43.99% to 50.53%) to expected goals percentage (45.04% to 49.53%) have improved dramatically from last season. Pionk leads all Jets defencemen in expected goals/60 at 0.21.

In goal, Connor Hellebuyck has rebounded from a so-so start to post rock-solid save percentage numbers in his past five starts (Arizona notwithstanding):

NYI: .920

ARI: .886

CHI: .931

MIN: .950

PIT: .974

The Jets know they are a team in transition, working to establish an identity and find ways to work with the personnel they have. It’s a tall order given all the turmoil thus far.

On Thursday, they felt like they should have won. There’s an argument to be made there.

It’s easy to be jovial in defeat in the infancy of the season, and the Jets have kept things upbeat. There’s plenty of hockey to play.

Those feelings will be suppressed if things don’t change here in the near future, however.

They’ve become better in some areas but are still lacking immensely in others — and it’s the latter that continues to hold them back.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.19.2019 1157731 Winnipeg Jets of context involved every single time a defenceman challenges a puck carrier at the line. If there’s no forward coming back, stepping up is the wrong play. If there’s a line change or a player’s defensive partner is caught out of position, stepping up is the wrong play. Analyzing the Jets’ defensive adjustments to see what is working and what needs to be changed But if there is back pressure from a forward — and this season’s Jets, to my eye, are good at providing this — and a player’s partner is in the right lane, the Jets’ instructions are to challenge the puck.

By Murat Ates Oct 18, 2019 The screenshot above is a good example of what I’m talking about. Nik Ehlers is the forward tracking back. Note that he’s on the safe side of a

third Penguin forward who is still out of frame. This pressure from Ehlers Winnipeg’s defence is worse than it was last season. It’s much worse allows Bitetto to challenge the puck carrier, Sidney Crosby. than it was two seasons ago. And yet, systems wise, there is one bright Now that you’ve got a good handle on what this looks like, we can dive light. into the numbers. Let’s start simple and find out who steps up at the blue “Half of our defensive game is really good,” Paul Maurice told reporters line on the highest percentage of entry attempts? on Thursday morning. “Our odd-man rushes and our controlled entries Through Winnipeg’s first five games of the season, the most aggressive are really, really good. Better than they were last year and better than Jets blueliner was… 18-year-old rookie Ville Heinola? they were two years ago. And then there’s a big chunk of our defensive numbers that we don’t like at all.” I’d pretend to be as shocked as you are but there are two important considerations to make. First, this chart isn’t telling you who threw the Winnipeg has made a personnel-based neutral zone adjustment that’s most hip checks at the line — it’s just showing you how often each player mostly been successful. Compared to 2017-18 and 2018-19 — two challenges an entry attempt. This includes stick checks, body checks, playoff seasons with a much deeper defensive roster — Winnipeg has pass knock-downs, etc., as long as the defenceman stepped up and been much more aggressive trying to stop zone entries at its own blue challenged a zone entry at or above Winnipeg’s blue line. line. The gaps have been tighter, the forwards have come back hard enough to allow for that and the percentage of pucks challenged at or To challenge a zone entry, a defenceman has to read the play, find a above Winnipeg’s blue line has skyrocketed this season. lane and do what the coach instructs him to do. More than anything, it’s about play-reading and mobility and that’s what Heinola’s excelled at That’s the good half. here. His biggest strength is his hockey IQ and, after re-watching The bad half is what happens when the puck crosses Winnipeg’s blue Winnipeg’s first five games of the season, I’m confident he reads the line. neutral zone as well as any other defender on the Jets right now.

“Our zone time isn’t that far off because our forwards are really making Josh Morrissey isn’t as high up as you’d expect. At first glance, that’s a up for it and working hard, but we’re not there,” Maurice said. “From a concern because mobility and hockey sense are two of his biggest defensive point of view … in-zone, we’re not going to get the seal like we strengths. Kulikov, Carl Dahlstrom and Sami Niku round out the most did.” passive players (note that Niku has played only one game) while Tucker Poolman, Neal Pionk and Anthony Bitetto show well. I’ve been tracking Winnipeg’s defence from the start of the season to now. The data I have supports both of Maurice’s claims. The Jets are Most interesting? Pionk, whose zone entry prevention numbers in New very aggressive at their own blue line and even some of their worse York were among the league’s worst last season. That he is fighting for positional D-men are having success at challenging entries and turning Winnipeg’s blue line as often as he does is very good news for the Jets pucks over. It just hasn’t been enough to make up for Winnipeg’s — to me, it highlights Pionk’s coachability, the contextual differences struggles inside its own zone. between Winnipeg and New York, or both.

A lot of this is to be expected. Losing Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba But challenging the puck at the blue line is one thing. Who is actually — two top-pairing caliber defencemen whose strengths include in-zone stopping the entry from happening? defence — will do that to a team. Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers are There is a lot to digest here. First off, Pionk continues to excel. I don’t towering presences too — each more effective than Dmitry Kulikov and expect him to lead Morrissey on the year-long aggregate but Pionk’s Anthony Bitetto, two physical defencemen in their own right, at winning aggression has mostly been effective. Again, this is good news for the board and slot battles. Jets as they seek to develop him into a reliable, top-four defender. In the end, the net-front defence suffers. Winnipeg’s board play suffers Kulikov takes a leap forward. While he doesn’t challenge the puck above too. the line as much as other defencemen do, Kulikov can stay with and “We’re a little longer in our end,” Maurice said. “We’re much better at eliminate his man inside the Jets’ blue line and that’s what shows here. odd-man rushes and much better and controlled entry defense which is a Cross the line and get checked two steps afterward? That’s a zone entry function of our D being at the blue line all of the time for the most part, denial and Kulikov had success. but we’ve got room to improve in the closeouts in our end.” Tucker Poolman continues to shine while it’s clear that Heinola wins What about the bright light I promised? disproportionately fewer pucks than he challenges. At his size and strength, that’s perhaps to be expected. Finally, the ineffectiveness of Despite giving up a league-worst 22 goals against at 5-on-5 so far this Bitetto and Dahlstrom is clear, while Niku languishes in his one-game season, the Jets defence has done one thing well. They’re protecting sample size. their own blue line. And they’re doing it well enough to suggest that, should Winnipeg ever get to the point where it can play its six best The final chart I want to show you will grow more important as the defencemen — Byfuglien included — you might reasonably be optimistic sample size grows larger. Whether the Jets defenceman challenges the about the playoffs. puck above the blue line or not, how often does his 1-on-1 coverage lead to possession of the puck for Winnipeg? Picture Kulikov backing off the But which defencemen are specifically succeeding? line but then laying the body on a player in the corner. If Winnipeg skates away with the puck, it’s almost as good as stopping the entry outright. To get a better sense of this, I tracked zone entry attempts against the Jets for the first five games of Winnipeg’s season. I kept track of how This early in the season, the total number of entry attempts isn’t high many entry attempts each defenceman faced, how many they gapped at enough for there to be a ton of separation. Yes, it’s impressive that Niku or above the Jets’ blue line, how many they stopped outright and how stands out — as much as he backed off the line in the one game I many led to Winnipeg possession even if it happened a few seconds tracked, he got a stick on enough plays to lead to a lot of Jets possession later inside the zone. The goal in all of this is to get a sense of which Jets — but it was one game. defenders are good at reading neutral zone play, which ones are good at shutting those plays down and which ones are struggling in open ice. The biggest takeaway I have from this third chart is Heinola’s continued fall. He was the most aggressive defenceman in terms of challenging Caveats abound. First and foremost, as much as trends emerge, five pucks at the line and then fell to mid-pack when it came to stopping games is not a large sample size. Second, there is a tremendous amount pucks at the line. If you follow the play into Winnipeg’s zone and get into as confirmed by the Jets coaching staff. But it’s early in the season and I a battle situation, Heinola’s less effective than Bitetto or Dahlstrom. see us as a team on this, dearest The Athletic Winnipeg. If you have your own thoughts on the most valuable information to preen from Winnipeg’s While stressing for the millionth time that it’s a small sample, this is the zone entry defensive scheme — within reason because I’m only watching part of Heinola’s game that emerges more (for me at least) during these these things twice — let me know. viewings. Heinola’s puck skills and offensive instincts have shone brilliantly and he’s up to four points in six games played. He’s a gifted The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 passer and his vision is usually impeccable, but a winner of battles he is not.

Does this mean Winnipeg should send him to the AHL or SM-liiga? Consider the details:

As soon as Heinola plays 10 games, one year of his entry-level contract is burned, bringing him to restricted free agency one year sooner

As soon as Heinola plays 11 games, the number of seasons he is waivers-exempt is reduced from five years to three

As soon as Heinola stays on the NHL roster for 40 games (whether he plays in those games or not), he earns one year of professional experience, bringing him to unrestricted free agency when he’s 25.

The first detail might or might not matter. If you believe Heinola the 19- year-old should be much further along than he is today, you might want to hold him back for one season. The second detail matters mostly for non-elite players. Consider the fact that Mason Appleton is waivers exempt at 23 years old — Winnipeg can send him to the Moose without passing him through waivers. On the surface, this is a decided advantage for the team. In reality, it only matters if you anticipate needing to send a player to the minors — Heinola at 20 years old probably won’t need the AHL.

The biggest issue is unrestricted free agency, which starts when a player is either 27 years old or has seven accrued NHL seasons.

If Heinola stays on Winnipeg’s Jets roster for 40 or more Jets games, he starts accruing NHL seasons whether he plays in those games or not. This would bring him to unrestricted free agency at 25 (instead of 26 if he starts accruing NHL seasons next year or 27 if he starts any year after that.) If the Jets are looking to maximize team control of Heinola at a good, non-UFA price, they’ll send him down before game 40 whether they keep him past game 10 or not.

And, bringing it back to zone entry prevention, I wouldn’t begrudge the Jets at all if they slow-played Heinola — no matter how brightly his strengths shine. Every year he has to get stronger or faster while still under team control is to the club’s advantage and, as long as he plays big minutes for the Moose or Lukko in SM-liiga, I believe it will be good for his development.

The pity, from Winnipeg’s perspective, is how easy it is to argue he’s already one of Winnipeg’s top six defencemen.

Ideally, Byfuglien would be playing and Niku would be healthy. Ideally, Beaulieu wouldn’t be injured and Winnipeg could preach patience while running a top six of Byfuglien, Morrissey, Pionk, Beaulieu, Niku and Poolman. Ideally, Heinola’s excellence would be a bonus and not something the Jets depend on for their playoff run. You can judge for yourself whether you believe that’s the case now.

Paul Maurice is absolutely right to cite rush chances against and controlled entries against as a strength for the Winnipeg Jets. This is a systemic adjustment on his part that is very easy to lose, given how poor Winnipeg’s in-zone defensive coverage has been. No one has given up more shot attempts, shots, or goals at 5-on-5 than the Jets have this season.

But some of that is a function of how many games Winnipeg has played. The Jets are giving up an average of 53.8 shot attempts, 32.2 shots and 2.9 goals during 5-on-5 play so far this season. That shot attempt number is improved from last season, the shot number is almost identical and the goal number is much worse.

If the Jets can clean up their net front, it just may catch up. Given how much more aggressive Winnipeg has been at the defensive blue line, the Jets may finally have made the adjustments they needed to make for so much of last season — just with a much worse defence corps.

Too little, too late for this window? Not in my opinion — and especially not if Byfuglien returns this season.

One last note: this zone entry prevention project is a new thought. It’s a direct response to Winnipeg’s systemic changes as observed here and 1157732 Vancouver Canucks What Quinn doesn’t have to worry about his how Jack is handling the scrutiny of being a first-overall pick. Jack hasn’t put up the points — he has one secondary assist through seven games — and bristled Friday when asked if his game was coming around. Hughes brothers take competitive rivalry into marquee matchup “My game is not coming around, it’s been there for all the games,” Jack stressed. “I’m happy where my game is at and I just couldn’t buy a goal or a point. Now, that I’m on the board, they will come.” BEN KUZMA Quinn agreed. He believes his brother could have seven or eight points Published:October 18, 2019 judging by what he has seen in the games to date. Updated:October 18, 2019 3:05 PM PDT Quinn Hughes will face younger broth Quinn for the first time in the NHL on Saturday. NICK PROCAYLO / PNG

NEWARK N.J. — Sibling rivalries often depend on the birth certificate. The Hughes brothers were raised in a hard-working, sports-focused family. His father, Jim, was a defenceman and team captain at An older brother will often pay little heed to a younger one, but when Providence College and then served as an assistant and coach in you’re separated by one NHL draft class — and expected to lead your several capacities. He was also director of player development for the respective clubs to the playoffs as first-round selections — the rivalry Maple Leafs. takes on a new dimension. The brothers’ mother, Ellen, was a three-sports star and University of For Quinn and Jack Hughes that means competitiveness, support, New Hampshire Hall of Fame inductee. admiration and winning at more than hockey. And when the rookies face each other for the first time at the NHL level in a Saturday matinee before As for Luke, he’s playing with the U.S under-17 team, and because he 75 friends and family, the marquee should read: ‘Oh, brother. Now what?’ has two games this weekend, he won’t see his brothers go at it.

Quinn, 20, is the smooth skating, quick-thinking playmaker for the Which gets us back to the competitiveness. Vancouver Canucks, who has already displayed power-play quarterback When Jack was asked how many times he could beat Quinn in a one-on- potential. Jack, 18, is the direct route centre who uses a strong stride and one matchup, he only ramped up the sibling rivalry. comparisons to Patrick Kane to be the next big thing for the New Jersey Devils. “I’d like to think I’d score, probably six out of 10 for me.”

However, the path to prominence started well before the pair became Said Quinn: “Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.” standouts with the U.S National Development Team program. You name it, they went at it. Inside. Outside. In a rink. On a street. Or in the And because Jack’s under-18 team when to Michigan and beat Quinn’s basement. side 6-3, there’s more redemption on the line Saturday.

“Literally everything and anything,” said Quinn. “I remember it got to a “Obviously, more bragging rights,” said Jack. “But you have to look at like point where we were really serious about ping pong. Someone would win it’s just another game.” and someone would not live up to the bet. I’d start videotaping the Which it isn’t. handshake and video of taking the deal. Maybe I wanted a hat that he had or whatever.” OVERTIME — Jacob Markstrom practised Friday after being granted a leave of absence to attend to a serious family matter. He could play Responded Jack: “If you’re not cheating you’re not trying. It’s all good Sunday in . Zane McIntyre was reassigned to though.” Utica. In other words, the games got as feisty as figuring out who owed what to Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.19.2019 whom.

“Oh, yeah,” added Quinn. “They did all the time. It was usually just the two of us down in the basement for a couple of hours. Maybe Luke (youngest brother) would come down and play a bit. Every time we were playing mini-sticks or road hockey or even skiing, we were always competing against each other.

“And he (Jack) wasn’t competing against his own age, just a kid two years older than him. He was able to keep up and that made him better and obviously him pushing me made me better.”

Maybe even better than expected.

While there’s an obvious fixation with points — Quinn has three points (1- 2) in six games — it’s the poise that he has shown at both ends of the ice that has impressed.

“He’s known as an offensive D-man, but his defensive game is just as good,” said Jack. “He’s got some serious matchups — the (Connor) McDavid line and (Ryan) O’Reilly — and he and (Chris) Tanev work well. And his offensive game, his shiftiness at the blueline and agility, he’s a threat all over the ice with the way he can move the puck and you see how he can shoot it, too.”

The Hughes brothers train with each other in the summer and Jack knows there’s no better way to up his game than trying to get the best of Quinn in one-on-one drills. His hand-eye co-ordination and ability to knock pucks down and gain quick control is something you can’t teach.

“He’s a good guy if you want to get better,” said Jack. “We‘ve been good at taking things from each other and implementing them and we really push each other. We’re obviously really tight. We stay in touch and watch our games and lean on each other a lot. We’re in the same situation now where we’re a good support for each other.” 1157733 Vancouver Canucks

Jacob Markstrom set for Canucks return, Zane McIntyre re-assigned to Utica

PATRICK JOHNSTON

Published:October 18, 2019

Updated:October 18, 2019 12:05 PM PDT

The Canucks announced Friday third-stringer Zane McIntyre is on his way back to Utica, meaning Jacob Markstrom has returned to the team.

As they’d hoped, the Canucks are set to get their No. 1 goalie back as they hit the bright lights of Broadway.

Jacob Markstrom, who left the team to deal with an undisclosed family issue immediately following last Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers, has returned to the NHL club ahead of a pair of weekend games against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.

He practised with his teammates on Friday in Newark, N.J.

After practice, he asked for privacy in relation to his family issue.

Zane McIntyre, who was recalled from the AHL’s Utica Comets last Monday, was reassigned back to the Canucks’s main minor league affiliate on Friday.

Thatcher Demko is still expected to start on Saturday in New Jersey; if Demko does face the Devils, bet on Markstrom starting Sunday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.

In Markstrom’s absence, Demko started on Tuesday at home against the Red Wings and again on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues. McIntyre served as Demko’s backup in both games.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157734 Websites The other, of course, is how much McDavid and Draisaitl are contributing to the Oilers’ heartening start.

Apart from running 1-2 in the scoring race, Draisaitl is also No. 3 in goal- The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: McDavid and Draisaitl’s bid to join scoring with six and thus is on pace to exceed 50 again. elite company and key to Vegas’ impressive start They are also playing massive minutes for an Oilers’ team that knew it had to produce more secondary scoring this year. If you examine current ice time levels for forwards around the NHL, there are currently 24 who By Eric Duhatschek Oct 18, 2019 are averaging above 20 minutes of ice time per night. Of those, only four are playing more than 22 minutes: Draisaitl leads at 24:23, followed by

the New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad at 22:46, McDavid at 22:30 and Only three times in NHL history – and not since 1971 when Phil Esposito the Florida Panthers’ Alex Barkov at 22:25. (For McDavid, that translates and Bobby Orr managed the feat – have teammates ever finished 1-2 in into a small decline from the 22:50 he averaged a year ago). Draisaitl the Hart Trophy race as the NHL’s most valuable player. was at 22:35 last year, so he’s up almost two minutes per game – a significant chunk of additional ice time for a forward. In the more recent past, if teams had a pair of strong MVP candidates, they’ve often split the vote – and neither ends up winning, because the Chances are, as the season moves along, Draisaitl’s usage may shrink voters can’t decide who between, say, a Sidney Crosby or an Evgeni slightly. The Oilers haven’t had any back-to-back games yet this season Malkin, made the greater overall contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ – their first comes Oct. 29 and 30 on the road against Detroit and collective success. Columbus. Usually, in those situations, depending upon how the games are going, coaches tend to moderate a players’ ice time, to make sure Sometimes the winning candidate ends up being a player (such as the there’s gas in the tank for the next night. It’s probably why Zibanejad is New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall in 2018) who was demonstrably the best where he is. The Rangers have only played four games; so, the Big Z player on a team that made an unexpected turnaround, after starting the has had lots of time for rest and recovery. year as a lightly regarded playoff contender. Luckily for the Oilers, they only have to deal with one more instance of That year, Hall edged the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon after back-to-back games between now and Christmas – Nov. 23 and 24 MacKinnon had performed virtually the same sort of alchemy with his against Vegas and Arizona. Accordingly, if Tippett is of a mind to keep own team – in their case, a staggering 47-point season-over-season McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s minutes up, the schedule will allow him to do improvement. It’s that sort of super-star driven achievement that so. Then, it’ll be up to them to demonstrate that they can continue to consistently resonates with the voters. handle the big minutes just as they did a year ago when McDavid finished second in the scoring race behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov. Further complicating matters every year is the specific wording of the Draisaitl, meanwhile, was fourth in scoring with 105 points and No. 2 Hart Trophy – annually awarded to the player adjudged to be “most behind Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard race, with 50 goals, one valuable to his own team” which is not necessarily the same thing as behind Ovechkin’s 51. simply selecting the NHL’s best player. Pretty impressive numbers and yet, when the final Hart Trophy tally came Which leads me to this question: Can two players from the same team in, McDavid finished third and earned just a single first-place vote while ever contribute so much that they can run 1-2 in the Hart Trophy voting? Draisaitl didn’t get mentioned at all, on any Hart Trophy ballots, despite a The last time it happened, in 1971, the NHL was a 14 team entity and the sensational individual year. Bruins boasted not just the four top scorers in the league (Esposito, Orr, That’s what happens historically to players on non-playoff teams. One Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge), but seven of the top 10 (Wayne could argue as an intellectual exercise that without McDavid and Draisaitl Cashman and Johnny McKenzie were No. 7 and 8 respectively, while last season, the Oilers were just slightly above an AHL-caliber team, but Fred Stanfield finished in a three-way tie for ninth with Dave Keon and that’s not going to sway voting patterns in the real world. Jean Beliveau). It probably wasn’t much of a surprise therefore that the Bruins produced a 121-point regular-season, 12 more than the runner-up Furthermore, Crosby (and others) may have something to say about this New York Rangers – and miles ahead of everyone else. Given how that discussion when all is said and done. season finished, it would have been hard to imagine any other MVP result than the one that occurred. With all of Pittsburgh’s injuries (to Malkin, Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann and others), Crosby is practically keeping the Penguins The only other instances where teammates finished 1-2 in the Hart race alive singlehandedly in the early going (They are 5-2; and of the 28 goals dated back to the days of the Original Six – in 1955 when it was Ted they’ve scored, Crosby has been in on 12 of them). Kennedy and Harry Lumley of Toronto. And 10 years earlier, in 1945, when Montreal’s Elmer Lach beat out Maurice Richard. Different in so Remarkably, at the age of 32, and almost a decade and a half after many ways from the current era. Crosby and Ovechkin arrived in the NHL at the start of the 2005-06 season, they remain two of the most important, intriguing faces of the All of this is a lengthy preamble to ponder the start of the Edmonton game. Oilers. Seven games into the season, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit perched atop the NHL scoring race, with 17 and 15 points Crosby has only ever won the Hart Trophy twice (the fact that he didn’t respectively and have, night after night, put on a consistent and win in 2012-13 remains a baffling mystery to some of us), but the second dominating show. time came in 2014, the year injuries limited Malkin to just 60 games.

Now, as we like to say, it’s early and lots can change, but what if it Similarly, Malkin’s Hart Trophy win came in 2012, the year Crosby played doesn’t and McDavid and Draisaitl keep racking up points and Edmonton only 22 games, recovering from a concussion. This is a familiar voting continues to win games on a more-or-less regular basis? pattern too – Henrik Sedin’s win in 2010 came the year his brother Daniel missed 19 games to injury, proof to some voters that one twin could play Under new coach Dave Tippett and new general manager Ken Holland, at a high level without the other constantly beside him on the ice. the Oilers – along with the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference – rate as one of the biggest positive stories of this young NHL season. The There is lots to chew on when it comes to Edmonton’s two stars in the Oilers set modest goals for the season – eye a playoff spot and then see early going, and maybe the two most important takeaways are 1. where things stand in March and hope they’re still in it. That was McDavid is clearly feeling no ill effects from the knee injury that he was reasonable then and remains reasonable now – because sometimes, forced to rehab all summer, 2. In Draisaitl, we may have a new candidate quick starts prove to be wholly unsustainable. However, getting out of the to replace Barkov on everybody’s annual list of the most underrated gate fast creates positive momentum that can carry a team a long way. players in the game. If 24 different players could appear on MVP ballots last year, and the league’s No. 4 scorer didn’t even get an obligatory fifth- If they can keep some version of this going, the Oilers would certainly place mention, then it’s safe to say he’s still operating in McDavid’s check one box when it comes to Hart Trophy balloting – being a vastly shadow – and that his notoriety on the larger national stage hasn’t caught improved team, coming off a bad year (the Oilers had 79 points last up to his performance levels quite yet. season, 14th place in the 15-team Western Conference). Because he is, in his own right, a star in the game (as colleague Daniel Nugent-Bowman outlined in this profile here). Maybe this year’s MVP race will ultimately reflect that turn of events. “That is the only goal,” he answered. “That is the goal every year. That’s why we come in here at the start of September every year. That’s exactly Catching up with The Nuge what we’re thinking about – and we’d be lying if we said it’s not. That’s Speaking of the Oilers and the need for production beyond the Big Two, what everyone wants and that’s why it’s such a hard thing to accomplish. the only other forward from last year’s team that made any sort of “I mean, I’m halfway through and maybe over halfway through my career meaningful offensive contribution was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who had and it hasn’t happened yet. One year, we came closer than all the others one of the quietest 69-point seasons of the year. but we haven’t come close enough yet. So, we want to push for it.

With all their turmoil and roster churn of the past half-dozen years, “Obviously, as you said, that’s what it’s all about.” Nugent-Hopkins is now – believe it or not – the longest-tenured player on the team. Vegas rising

Nugent-Hopkins made the Oilers as an 18-year-old after being the first Last year, after the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mark Stone in that overall choice of the 2011 Draft, a skinny beanpole of a kid back then. blockbuster trade from Ottawa, one of the fun parlor games people had Listed in his first media directory at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Nugent- around the NHL was determining which was their first line and which was Hopkins was positioned by some as the third important piece of the their second. Oilers’ rebuilding puzzle after they’d grabbed Taylor Hall first overall in 2010 and Jordan Eberle with the 22nd pick in 2009. And in that weird For most, the addition of Stone to play on a line with Max Pacioretty and trifecta world that the Oilers lived in during that time – lucky at the lottery, Paul Stastny made that trio the de facto No. 1 line – even if most people no luck just about anywhere else – they then landed Nail Yakupov with listed it as the No. 2. Certainly, based on last year’s playoff performance, their third consecutive No. 1 overall pick in 2012. you’d be hard-pressed to argue that it wasn’t the Golden Knights’ top unit. That trio combined for 31 points in seven games; the nominal No. 1 The original plan in Edmonton was to build a foundation around those line of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault pieces, plus Justin Schultz. Now, some eight years later, the other four managed 17. In a bid to create greater depth, Vegas tried to play Stastny are long gone and only Nugent-Hopkins remains. In his time, Nugent- down the depth chart at the start of the season, giving Cody Glass a Hopkins has played for four general managers (Steve Tambellini, Craig chance to play between Stone and Pacioretty while Cody Eakin MacTavish, Peter Chiarelli and Holland) and eight coaches (Tom convalesced from an injury. Renney, Ralph Krueger, Dallas Eakins, MacTavish, Todd Nelson, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock and now Tippett). Eventually, coach Gerard Gallant restored Stastny to that spot and the reunited line was out in full force on Thursday night, when Stone’s former Other than the 2016-17 season, when they finished second in the Pacific team, the Senators, paid a visit to Vegas and gave the Golden Knights all and fourth in the Western Conference, the Oilers have been a non- they could handle before losing in a shootout. That Vegas is at 5-3 is playoff team in every other year of Nugent-Hopkins’ career, which is now pretty impressive when you consider the Golden Knights lost their top in its ninth season. Even though he’s only 26 and still has a boyish look defenseman, Nate Schmidt, to injury on opening night and thus have to him, Nugent-Hopkins will acknowledge that development “seems crazy been playing with a six-man defense corps that consists of – in to me – that I’m in my ninth year now. I can still hardly believe it.” descending order of minutes played – Shea Theodore, Jon Merrill, Nick Holden, Brayden McNabb, Deryk Engelland and Nicolas Hague. But Nugent-Hopkins also suggested in an interview that he liked the stability that Holland and Tippett bring to a team that’s been constantly in Part of the season for their success is that the Karlsson line is off to a a state of flux during his time in Edmonton. good start this season – Smith especially (he leads the team with six goals). In short, the former top line is starting to look like a top line again, “I think Dave and Ken are both certified guys in the NHL and have been and maybe the answer is that forward depth above all else is what’s for years,” Nugent-Hopkins said, “and they’ll bring some good made Vegas the betting favorite in some quarters to top the Western consistency and stability for us. We’ve got to find a way to play Conference again, after slipping to third in the Pacific a year ago. It consistently and it definitely helps when you get that feeling and attitude continues to be impressive, what they’re doing under Gallant’s leadership from your management and your coach. It should go a long way for us.” and Marc-Andre Fleury’s play in goal.

There have been moments, as in the spring of 2017, when it looked as if The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 things were on track in Edmonton – and then it fell off again. Does this feel different in any way?

“We do have a good feeling in the room and a good positive mindset,” answered Nugent-Hopkins. “I mean, we’re hungry for it. A lot of us were there a few years back (for the second-round playoff loss to Anaheim) – and we want to get back to that feeling and that level of play again.

“I feel as if we know we can get there. It’s just we’ve got to do it every night – and it ain’t going to come easy – so we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

As the longest-serving member of the team, Nugent-Hopkins will be asked to provide supplement leadership to assist the leader, McDavid.

Mostly, when a player is starting out in the league, they look to older players for leadership and direction. Then the years slip by and players such as Nugent-Hopkins look around and suddenly realize, ‘oh OK, now I’m that guy.’ But not everybody can be a vocal leader, if their natural personality tends to be reticent and shy – and that description fits Nugent-Hopkins.

“Not everybody’s built the same way and I’m not the most talkative guy out there, so at times, you’ve got to remind yourself you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone in certain situations and speak up and just do it,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But the biggest way for me to lead is by example – the way I carry myself on and off the ice. A lot of it is how I play on the ice. I try to play the right way, the smart way. I feel that’s where I do lead. I think I can still become more talkative in the room and on the bench, but I’d say for the most part, it’s to lead by example.”

Every player starts their NHL life with dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. At this intermediate stage of his career, does the desire to win burn as brightly for Nugent-Hopkins as when he first started? 1157735 Websites One of the big stories of the first few weeks has been officiating controversies. As in, there kinda haven’t been any.

I know, I’m as surprised as you are. But so far, we’ve made it into Week The Athletic / DGB Grab Bag: Coaches on the hot seat, when refs don’t 3 without the refs being front and center very much at all, aside from a suck and teenage Joe Sakic rides a bicycle with one leg few run-of-the-mill controversies, which is a nice change from how the playoffs went. Back then, everyone was mad at the officials all the time. Today, not so much, and I think it can be attributed to a few reasons. Some of it is good luck, some of it is the new replay review rules being at By Sean McIndoe Oct 18, 2019 least somewhat successful at discouraging gray-area challenges, and most of it is probably due to the fact that we pay way more attention to everything that happens in the playoffs. But especially with everyone in We’re far enough into the season that some coaching seats are getting the NFL currently melting down over bad calls, it’s nice to see the NHL warm around the league, as teams get out to slow starts and front offices officials mostly just getting the job done. start thinking about making changes. An early change worked wonders for the Blues last year, after all, so GMs will be under pressure to follow All of which is to say that if there was ever a time when I could get away the same path. We’ve already seen one move behind the bench, kind of, with a vaguely pro-referees take, it’s right now. So here goes. as the Devils announced on Wednesday that assistant GM Tom We are using the “ref you suck” chant way too much. Fitzgerald would move down to “assist” beleaguered head coach John Hynes. Look, I get it. Being pretty much permanently mad at the officials is part of the sports fan bill of rights. And sometimes in the NHL, the refs do That’s unusual, but the Devils are hardly the league’s only indeed suck. When they do, it’s your right as a fan to let them hear about. underachieving team, which means it’s a good time to check in with ten Personally, I thought booing worked fine. In extreme cases, the classic coaches around the league who could be feeling the heat. “bull spit” chant got the job done. But at some point, we apparently all Bruce Boudreau, Wild – Has long been criticized for failing to win Game decided to go with “ref you suck.” Fine. I guess that works too. 7 showdowns in the playoffs, but has personally assured the Minnesota But come on folks, let’s pick our spots. “Ref you suck” should be saved front office that he’s pretty sure that won’t be an issue with this roster. for the big stuff, like a blatant missed call that leads to a crucial goal, or a Paul Maurice, Jets – Some fans have argued that he’s a good coach who string of one-sided officiating that builds all game long. You don’t need to deserves to keep his job, which marks the first time this season that he’s break it out three minutes into the game because a dicey hooking call had any defenders. went against your team. Some of you are just way too eager with your chant-based invective. Jon Cooper, Lightning – We’re already three weeks into the season and he still hasn’t answered his critics by winning so much as a single playoff If this sounds familiar, it’s a little like my long-ago rant against the game. overuse of the goalie taunt, which is another one that fans break out way too early. But at least that one has a bit of an excuse since it’s so much John Tortorella, Blue Jackets – Has been rumored to be one bad losing fun to do. “Ref you suck” is just kind of crude. It’s cathartic, I guess, but streak from being shown the exit door, although it would probably be you shouldn’t need catharsis before the first commercial break. Pace easier to go out through the player-shaped hole in the wall that’s been yourself when it comes to abject misery, guys. Trust me, I’m a Leafs fan, there since July 1. this is my area of expertise.

D.J. Smith, Senators – Probably running out of time after recently An entire arena chanting “Ref you suck” is breaking out the big guns and becoming the third longest-serving coach of the era. should be saved for big occasions. If you want to do it every few minutes, stay home. Or just try to watch an NFL game. Peter DeBoer, Sharks – Has been feeling nervous after repeatedly seeing Doug Wilson walking around holding a pink slip, although come to Obscure former player of the week think of it, that could also just be a regular white piece of paper reflecting the red goal light that’s flashing behind the Sharks’ goaltenders at all Could anyone else out there use a break from politics? We’ve got a times. federal election in a few days up here in Canada, while there was another primary debate this week in the States. And of course, we had Jim Montgomery, Stars – Recently received a vote of confidence from the Blues visiting the White House on Tuesday, with all the strong ownership, in the sense that they called him f*cking horsh*t in a slightly feelings that always brings. I’m worn out. So this week, let’s change the nicer voice than usual. subject by picking a player at random who won’t make us think about elections. Jeff Blashill, Red Wings – Was surprised to find out that Steve Yzerman was super into military history with an emphasis on the engineering This week’s obscure player is left winger Bernie Saunders. challenges associated with vehicle acceleration on battlefield terrain, he assumes, based on all these texts about how the tank is starting too Wait. slowly. (Checks spelling.) No, we’re good, that’s Saunders with a “u.” As far as I Mike Babcock, Maple Leafs – Has been around long enough to know that can tell, Bernie Saunders never ran for office, so we’re OK. any decisions about his future will be made by his owner, and so far he Saunders was an undrafted winger from Montreal who played college hasn’t heard anything from the Boston Bruins. hockey with his older brother John at Western Michigan, eventually John Hynes, Devils – Is still so popular with his players that they’ve serving as captain. He was signed by the Quebec Nordiques in the wake started a petition to save his job, or at least that’s what Ray Shero keeps of the WHA/NHL merger and quasi-expansion in 1979, spending most of telling Taylor Hall while insisting he sign this piece of paper quickly the year in minors. He earned a call-up in March 1980, playing four without reading it. games.

The week’s three stars of comedy That debut was important historically, for a couple of reasons, the first of which was Saunders becoming the first Broncos alum to make the NHL. The third star: Gabriel Landeskog – The dance is fun, but my favorite part But more importantly, he became only the fifth black player in NHL of the clip is Erik Johnson fake-laughing and then making the exact same history, and just the second to play for a Canadian team. Over 32 years “please tell me he’s not still doing it” face that my kids make when I do after Willie O’Ree became the league’s first black player in 1958, only this stuff to them. Mike Marson, Bill Riley and Tony McKegney had followed.

The second star: Brad Marchand – Man, when this guy decides he wants Unfortunately, Saunders didn’t get much of a shot in the NHL. He to head to the bench there’s just no stopping him. appeared in six more games in 1980-81, recording his first point with an assist on a Marc Tardif goal in a win over the Jets on Nov. 12. It would be The first star: This kid – He says more interesting things in this two- the only point of his NHL career. He played a few more years in the minute interview than Sidney Crosby has in his entire career. minors, scoring 38 goals for the Kalamazoo Wings in the IHL in 1981-82, Trivial annoyance of the week before hanging up his skates. He’s since been inducted into both the WMU Hockey Ring of Honorand the WMU Athletics Hall of Fame. As for his brother, John Saunders never did make the NHL. But he did season, as well as in each of the next two, a streak that would only be make a name for himself in the sports world, becoming a beloved snapped by the arrival of an even worse expansion team. They wouldn’t broadcaster with ESPN from 1986 until his death three years ago. get back to the playoffs until 1993, and wouldn’t actually be good until There’s a great photo of the two brothers on the Broncos web site. 1995 when the franchise was murdered by Alexei Kovalev’s lies. Sakic would never actually win a playoff series in Quebec, although I hear he It’s been a good start to the season for Joe Sakic. The GM of the did OK once the team moved to Colorado. Colorado Avalanche has watched his team get out to a 5-0-1 start, further cementing the young Avs as legitimate Cup contenders. It’s the We close off with a clip of Sakic finishing off his second career hat trick latest in a long string of success for Sakic, who’s followed a Hall-of-Fame with an empty netter against the Habs, then celebrating with goaltender playing career with some strong work in the executive ranks. Mario Gosselin before presumably rubbing shaving cream on his phone. And that’s it for our clip. Today, let’s look back at a time when Sakic’s hockey resume wasn’t quite as extensive, and his place among the NHL’s elite was still to be Epilogue: Sakic cooled off once he returned to the lineup, finishing the determined. To get there, we have to go back almost 31 years… year with 23 goals and 62 points and earning just two third-place votes in a Calder race won by Brian Leetch over . It was one of the It’s December 1988, and we’re two months into Sakic’s rookie season. only things he didn’t win, as he’d go on to capture two Cups, a Conn He’s off to a great start, having put up points in 21 of his first 24 NHL Smythe, a Hart and a Pearson. He also once lost a fight with a games. But the 25th game was cut short by an ankle injury, one that’s snowblower, because we all have our weaknesses. But he can score sidelined Sakic and put his Calder Trophy hopes into question. The CBC 1,600 points, rebuild a 48-point team on the fly and ride a bike with one is on the scene to bring us the story. leg. Not bad for Simple Joe.

We open with a shot of Sakic sniping on Brian Hayward, who has yet to The Athletic LOADED: 10.19.2019 gain superpowers from his awesome Sharks mask. Our reporter gives us the basics: Sakic was flying, he got hurt and it might take him out of the running for rookie of the year. None of that matters because you’re about to see what Joe Sakic looked like when he was a teenager and I promise you that you’re not prepared for it.

And there it is. I don’t know about you, but I’m completely thrown off. I mean, it’s clearly him. You can see the resemblance. But it’s not him him, right? I’m pretty sure it’s the hair. It’s too short. Once he grows it out a bit in like 1990, he will look exactly the same for the next three decades. But this … this is just wrong.

The other odd detail here is the jersey hanging behind him, which reminds us that he didn’t always wear his famous No. 19. Early on, he briefly wore No. 88. Hey, at least somebody did for the Nordiques.

Sakic mentions being surprised that he’s already at 30 points. It’s 32, to be exact – 16 goals and 16 assists through just 25 games, putting him on pace for 102 points. Even in the 1980s, those would be pretty insane numbers, ranking ahead of Mario Lemieux as one of the most productive rookie seasons ever. Unfortunately, it won’t happen because he’s hurt now, because the Nordiques can’t have nice things.

Sakic mentions coach Ron Lapointe, who he credits for much of his success. We then cut to a shot of Lapointe running practice, and he makes it roughly three seconds before shaking his head in disgust, which might be a Nordiques record for this era. Lapointe tells us that he wants Sakic “to stay as simple as he is.” Uh, thanks coach. Now I feel bad that Simple Joe Sakic never caught on as a nickname. There’s still time!

This clip is actually a bit tough to watch if you know what’s about to happen. Just days after this story would have aired, Lapointe was diagnosed with a tumor in his kidney and stepped down as coach. At the time, he intended to return later in the season but never did. He passed away in 1992. The QMJHL named its coach of the year trophy in his honor and inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2016.

On that happy note, we’re back to Sakic. He’s hanging out at his apartment watching a tiny TV that’s either showing two suburban moms from 2019 or literally every male celebrity from 1988. He’s also riding a stationary bike with one leg and now I’m not sure what to do with this GIF:

We find out that Sakic is dealing with the language barrier and is perceived as a good kid. Then we move on to … wait a second, did I hear that right? The Nordiques’ vice-president of marketing is named “Jean DeLogo?” There’s no way that’s real. That is 100 percent the name you make up on the spot if you had to come up with a fake French marketing guy, right? We need to get this dude into a room with Jock O’Care.

We get a look at some of that marketing, in the form of an absolutely fantastic program cover that features a photo of Sakic and the wonderfully creative slogan “JOE JOE JOE.” OK, I know that doesn’t sound great by today’s standards, but remember, it was the 1980s in Canada: Chanting a star player’s first name over and over was kind of a thing.

Of course, marketing only goes so far when you’re not winning, and we get some discussion of how quickly Sakic can get the Nordiques into contention. It turns out to be a while; the Nords would finish dead last this 1157736 Websites don’t do well in, you watch them, over and over. Try and learn from them.”

“His confidence level is out of this league,” Koskinen said of Bear. “He’s Sportsnet.ca / Koskinen's continued success a potential game changer doing everything right. It’s great to watch him right now.” for Oilers • James Neal scored again, his ninth of the season. He is the first Oiler with nine goals in the first eight games of a season since Glenn Anderson turned the trick in the fall of 1987. Mark Spector | October 19, 2019, 12:52 AM He had 40 goals back in the 2011-12 season with Pittsburgh. That season he had six goals in his first eight games, scoring No. 9 in Game 12. EDMONTON — The quote of the day came at Friday’s morning skate, when Dave Tippett was asked about a 6-3 win over Philadelphia two With nine goals on Oct. 18, does he feel the same mojo? days before. It was two points in the bank, sure, but those points were the only redeeming feature for a head coach who watched his team play “You don’t want to jinx yourself,” he smiled, “but I feel really confident. I a loose, sloppy game, won on a five-point night by Connor McDavid. feel like I’ve got my swagger back, my legs back. I had lots of chances tonight.” “The goal,” began Tippett, “is a lot bigger than winning on a Wednesday night, seventh game of the year. The goal is to be much better and be a What’s Next playoff team. Oilers hit the road for a pair in the Central Division, at Winnipeg (Sunday) “To win a game that your goaltender steals or your star player has five and Minnesota (Tuesday). points, it all looks fancy on the scoreboard but those two points don’t Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 earn you the right to be a playoff team,” he said. “It’s how you play over 82 games and how you build your team that earns you that right.”

Later that Friday evening, the Detroit Red Wings were in town for Game 8 of the young season — a hard-fought, responsibly-played 2-1 win for Edmonton. McDavid went pointless and the Oilers took just one minor penalty all night, their overall game vastly improved.

That performance, after the one two days previous, left the Oilers at 7-1.

Are they for real? Stay tuned…

The Big Takeaway

After watching goaltender Mikko Koskinen stumble down the stretch last year, his three-year, $13.5-million deal set to begin only this season, Oilers fans emitted a collective “Gulp!” at the prospects of their goaltending this season and beyond.

Well, four starts in, Koskinen has a .934 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average, and stopped 25 of 26 shots Friday, beaten only by a deflected puck. He was fabulous in wins over the Flyers and Red Wings this week, coming back to the NHL for his second full season after honing his craft back home in Finland.

Has the work he put in during the summer paid off?

“It’s hard to say. It’s your guys’ job to talk about that,” said the quiet, six- foot-seven giant. “The main thing for myself is I put everything out there this summer and that builds confidence.”

They always say that NHL shooters get a book on a goalie after he has made a couple of tours through the league. But for Koskinen, coming back to a familiar situation in Edmonton has worked to his advantage.

“Of course. It really helps a lot — I started from zero (last season),” he said of his NHL experience (four games with the Islanders in 2010-11). “I practiced all summer in a small rink and I was more ready this year.”

The Oilers’ goaltending was their No. 1 question mark this season, considering the body of Koskinen’s work last season and the injury history of co-starter Mike Smith. If Koskinen can maintain this level of play, allowing Smith to play less and stay healthier, it’s a game changer in Edmonton.

Goaltending was supposed to be a weakness here. If it becomes a strength, it could be time to reassess this team’s chances.

Quick Hits

• Defenceman Ethan Bear scored again — his second in as many nights –— and the Oilers look to have really found something here. Bear was a fifth-round pick back in 2015 who was not expected to crack the NHL team this year, or maybe ever. Instead, he looks like a confident, offensively-skilled, slick-passing D-man who could play the next decade in the league.

“I love this game so much. I could talk hockey for hours, and Watch videos and highlights for days. I love this game,” Bear said after logging 21:40 of ice time, the third-straight game he’s been around 22 minutes played. “Every game you’re put in different situations, and the ones you 1157737 Websites The biggest adjustment here falls on Marner, who will be matched with two new linemates. He stresses finding quick chemistry will be essential with his new centre.

Sportsnet.ca / How Maple Leafs' lines shake out without John Tavares "He’s feisty. He’s got a lot of fight in him," Marner said of Kerfoot. "It should be fun playing with him."

The collective tasked with pitching in for Tavares includes Jason Spezza, Luke Fox | October 18, 2019, 3:44 PM as the veteran climbs down from the press box to centre a fresh-look third line that features speedy checkers Trevor Moore and Kasperi

Kapanen, the latter returning to his natural right wing. TORONTO – There was no set contingency plan already in place for the Spezza will also see shifts on the second power-play unit, while William event of John Tavares going down to injury. Nylander assumes Tavares’s bumper spot on that fearsome PP1. So upon learning Thursday morning, to the captain’s dismay, that it was "I just think getting in the lineup is good," said Spezza, naturally best he not play the next two weeks (minimum) and let the broken finger disappointed and humbled by how his free-agency decision has turned on his right hand heal, everyone in the Maple Leafs’ front office and on out thus far. the coaching staff with a say in these matters offered their lineup suggestions to head coach Mike Babcock. Were it not for Tavares accidentally absorbing a Morgan Rielly shot with his finger Wednesday night, there is a chance Spezza might have The suggestions came attached with explanations and theories. already skated his last game in a Leafs sweater, considering the cap Play the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool presented by RAM for your money that will have to be moved out when the healing Travis Dermott chance to drive away with a 2020 RAM 1500 Sport or win cash prizes! and Zach Hyman come off long-term injured reserve. It's FREE and easy to play! With Babcock pumped on his fourth line, this gives Spezza a window to What was intended to be a club day off, before buckling down and show he belongs, to make that decision more difficult on the lineup preparing to face the Boston Bruins for the first time since another architects when the time comes. miserable Game 7 at TD Garden, became a day of forward-line Jenga. "Good teams always have to go through injuries, and this will give us a The brain trust took all of Thursday, Babcock says, to scramble through chance for us to prove we can keep playing games without Johnny. It’s and debate their options. And even then, the coach warns, he’ll be quick important time for us, with a couple games against Boston coming up," to adjust if his Tavares-free dozen isn’t executing. said Spezza, who should finally see some offensive-zone starts.

"Nothing’s set in stone," Babcock said, after unveiling the Leafs’ new look "It puts pressure on different guys to take more of a focal point and then during Friday’s practice. "But this is for warmup for sure." when Johnny inevitably comes back, guys gain confidence from that."

Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander Adversity, change, the unexpected — these aren’t necessarily bad things. Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Marner Especially for hungry athletes, like Spezza and Kerfoot, suddenly gifted Moore-Spezza-Kapanen with a shot to flex a little more offensive flair.

Timashov-Shore-Gauthier "You gotta get in there and get after it," Babcock said. "When you’re a good player on teams, you want to be the guy. Here’s an opportunity." The red-hot Auston Matthews line remains intact, with the expectation that the club’s leading goal-scorer will be handed some of the stiffer Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 defensive assignments normally shouldered by Tavares.

So, too, does the Frederik Gauthier-led fourth line, which sees almost exclusively defensive-zone starts. Babcock noted that this is the most comfortable he’s felt with his fourth unit since he drove his Ford F-150 from Detroit to Toronto four years ago.

"We didn’t want to screw around with that," Babcock said.

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It’s the middle six that got chucked in the blender, with third-line centre Alexander Kerfoot seeing a hard-earned promotion to the 2C spot alongside the dynamic Mitchell Marner. Ironically, it’s a role that last year would’ve been a no-brainer fill for Nazem Kadri, who was traded away to acquire Kerfoot (and defenceman Tyson Barrie).

"Kerfoot is a way better player than we expected," Babcock said. "He’s way grittier and got more grease to him. We think he’s going to make way more plays; he’s just got to continue to work on his defensive side so he has the puck more."

Each game night, when Kerfoot is handed a stat sheet post-game, his eyes search for his face-off results. Though he played centre in college, Colorado primarily used him on the wing. Taking draws at the NHL level has been a challenge — he’ll enter Saturday’s game at 44.9 per cent — and Tavares had been on a tear of late.

The challenge will be for Kerfoot to help get Marner the type of puck possession he needs to work his magic.

"Marns is one of the best players in the league, so when you get the opportunity to play with him, you know there’s more responsibility and you have to do a good job," said Kerfoot, the recipient of a brief one-on- one chat with Babcock prior to practice. "I don’t think anyone is going to replace J.T., so I think you’ve got to do it as a collective group." 1157738 Websites been shutout on the man advantage, too, and you know both of them will get going before long. At 5-on-5 Montreal has out-shot, out-chanced and out-scored the competition so far — and Carey Price hasn’t even got into his groove yet. Jonathan Drouin has shrugged off pre-season struggles Sportsnet.ca / Something good, something bad about each Canadian and trade rumours for a point-per-game start. NHL team's start The bad: Shea Weber hasn’t looked like himself. He’s been on the ice for seven of the 15 even-strength goals Montreal has allowed, and 14 of the 23 they’ve given up in all situations. Price isn’t to blame for anything, Rory Boylen | October 18, 2019, 3:36 PM though Thursday’s shutout of a Minnesota team already in distress was the first game he allowed less than three goals in this season. More concerning might be the penalty kill, which is ranked 25th in the NHL Yes, we’re just over two weeks into the NHL season. Yes, the samples currently with a 69.6 per cent rate after being a top 12 unit last season. are still small. And, yes, the St. Louis Blues went from worst to first in a Too often teams are allowed to attack the Canadiens with side-to-side span of six months at the start of 2019 (in case you hadn’t heard). passes that leave open a trigger man and Montreal hasn’t been able to adapt well enough yet. But at some point “it’s too early” transitions into something more solid. The excuse that a bad stretch will turn around, or the warning that a OTTAWA SENATORS surprising spurt will peter out due to small sample sizes will coalesce into more hardened analysis about what is going right, or wrong. The good: Vladislav Namestnikov was basically a salary dump for the New York Rangers, who sent the former Tampa Bay Lightning to Ottawa We may not quite be at that point yet — but we’re getting very close. 11 days ago for a fourth-rounder in 2021, but he’s been a good fit early. Playing on the Sens’ second line, Namestnikov has found quick With five of Canada’s seven teams currently occupying a spot in the top chemistry with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Connor Brown — the trio has half of the NHL standings, things have started off pretty well in the Great been Ottawa’s best line at even strength, and the only one with a positive White North. But there are no teams here that will rival the 2018-19 shot differential. Those three players are Ottawa’s top scorers to this Tampa Bay Lightning’s regular season dominance. In a league of parity, point. everyone has a weakness — but at the same time, even the bottom- feeders will have something going for them. What you mostly want to see from this team is development from the young players who will make up the core of a (hopefully) future Here’s an expanded look at something good and something bad from contender. Thomas Chabot leads the entire league with an average ice each of Canada’s teams that we first touched on in this week’s Sportsnet time of 26:22 and Brady Tkachuk has been on the ice for more high NHL newsletter. For pieces like this and more (we also ranked the best danger chances for than against, while being physical and fun to watch. off-season trade pickups this week) make sure to subscribe to the once- And, hey, they beat the Lightning! a-week email here: The bad: A lack of butts in the seats is becoming a major concern as the All “advanced” stats from Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise indicated. Sens sit 30th in average attendance and 31st in capacity percentage TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS through four home games. Some of this has to do with the inconvenience of where the Canadian Tire Centre is located and some likely has to do The good: They always had the stars, but was their bottom six strong with the state and immediate hopes of the team. But mostly, this is about enough? Early returns are positive with Ilya Mikheyev (six points), a lack of faith in ownership that has been brewing for years now. Until we Alexander Kerfoot (four points) and Trevor Moore (five points) all get some positive news on the potential for a new arena at LeBreton showing well. Moore, in fact, got promoted to the Tavares-Marner line to Flats (which is nowhere right now), optimism is hard to come by in fill the sandpaper quota, and then when Tavares went down to injury Ottawa, despite the fact the team does have a promising collection of Kerfoot got promoted, too. young players and prospects.

Heck, the Leafs have gotten 55.36 per cent of the 5-on-5 scoring Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey chances when fourth-liner Frederik Gauthier has been on the ice, which world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what is a better split than either Marner or Tavares. We’ll mention their (poor) they think about it. 5-on-5 goal differentials in a second, but the good news on that end is that the Leafs have the league’s second-best scoring chance percentage WINNIPEG JETS at 5-on-5 and only the 16th-best shooting percentage. You’d think more The good: Patrik Laine got the top-line minutes he craved and has goals are to come there with all the weapons Toronto has. PDO (aka the answered with 12 points in nine games — only three of which have been luck stat) ranks the Leafs near the bottom of the league. goals. This is great news because it signals much more could be on the The bad: In four games against 2018–19 playoff teams, the Leafs have way. Laine has not scored at all on the power play yet, but has led the come away with just two points – and that was a win against Columbus, Jets in that department each of the three years he’s been with the team. a very non-playoff team in 2020. Not ideal! Morgan Rielly has had his Their record is not great so far, but they have been able to stay around early-season play classified as a “struggle” which is troubling for a pre- .500 with the depleted defence core and without second line centre season Norris hopeful and the only Leafs blueliner signed past this Bryan Little, which has had a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup, season. explored by Sean Reynolds here. The Jets had the third-most wins when trailing after the first period in 2018-19 and that has also continued — Toronto’s power play is top 10 but, as alluded to above, they’ve been they’re plucky as ever with a 3-0-0 record when playing from behind after outscored 22-19 at 5-on-5 and have the league’s worst goals against per 20 minutes. 60 minutes at 5-on-5 rate. In two starts, backup Michael Hutchinson has allowed nine goals, which is concerning because the league is trending in The bad: They’re near the bottom of the league in shots against per 60 a direction that favours resting your starter more frequently in the regular minutes of 5-on-5 action and high danger chances against per 60 season. So if the Leafs can’t get anything consistent from Hutchinson, minutes — so it comes as no surprise they’re leaking goals against. After they’ll either have to a) live with it and likely give up hope for the regular a 5-2 win against lowly Minnesota in their home opener, the Jets dropped season division title b) somehow find another backup c) play Andersen their next three at MTS Centre by a combined 14-5 score against injured 60 games or more for the fourth straight season. Pittsburgh, goal-starved Arizona and the Even Steven NY Islanders. Their penalty kill, which ranked 22nd in the NHL last season, has MONTREAL CANADIENS somehow been even worse in 2019-20 by getting out of shorthanded The good: Their putrid power play from last season has converted 23.1 situations without giving up a goal just 56.3 per cent of the time. per cent of its opportunities so far, which is well up from the 13.2 per cent CALGARY FLAMES efficiency it crawled along with in 2018-19, and ultimately cost them a playoff spot. Maybe there’s reason to believe the Habs could either The good: Cam Talbot has only been given one start so far because maintain this level or stay close to it all season. David Rittich has been so strong — a great sign since we still had to learn whether or not he was a No. 1 this season. So far, he’s passing that Eric Engels pointed out that all the success found on the power play so test. Helping that along is the fact Calgary allows 8.06 high danger far has come from the sticks of the players on the second unit. That chances against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, which is among the 10 means Shea Weber hasn’t scored a PP goal yet. Brendan Gallagher has best defences in the league. They’ve had to kill the 10th-most penalties (which would fall into the “bad” category) but have the seventh-best kill rate so far. Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm have lived up to expectations, while Mark Giordano is making us start to think that his Norris Trophy-winning season at age 35, in which he posted a career-best 74 points, may be attainable once again.

The bad: The power play has been slow to find success after it finished in the bottom half of the NHL last season as well. Meantime, the Flames have been outscored at 5-on-5 by two — a gap they halved after Thursday’s lopsided win against the Red Wings, but could widen again with a tough upcoming schedule. Depth up front remains a bit of a concern. While the top two lines pull their weight, the bottom-six has had one strong game on offence — again, against the lowly Red Wings. They’re still figuring out how those bottom two lines should look. They’re 1-2-1 against divisional opponents and have been outscored 13-9 by them.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

The good: Elias Pettersson looks as good as ever, costly trade pickup JT Miller leads them in scoring with eight points in six games, Jacob Markstrom has a solid .926 save percentage and when he had to step away for a couple games for personal reasons, goalie of the future Thatcher Demko won two games in relief, posting a .938 save percentage. By goal differential alone, the Canucks are Canada’s best 5- on-5 team right now, outscoring the competition 16-12, the seventh-best split in the league. Quinn Hughes looks comfortable on NHL ice averaging more than 20 minutes a game and his 16 zone entries (all strengths) ranks tied for sixth among all NHL defencemen, while his 35 zone exits rank 10th, per Sportlogiq.

The bad: While the 5-on-5 goal differential is very good at the moment, the Canucks have the eighth-worst shot differential in that situation to this point and are bottom-10 in high danger chance differential at 5-on-5. Their shooting percentage is second-highest in the league right now, a huge contributing factor to their goal splits, and you have to think that’ll catch up to them eventually. Looking back at PDO (the “luck” stat we touched on earlier) the Canucks rank fourth in the league, which really drives the point home that some kind of course correction is on the horizon.

EDMONTON OILERS

The good: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the highlights. Draisaitl leads all NHL forwards with an average ice time per game of 24:23 and McDavid is currently third at 22:30 — and they are the top two in even strength ice time. James Neal has been a revelation, already surpassing his goal total from all of last season in Calgary. But what really shows how this year’s team could be different is how they’re not giving up and are showing a streak and ability to fight back. Edmonton trailed at some point in five of their six wins so far and were able to come away with two points instead of folding. The jury was out on how good Mikko Koskinen (or how weak his glove and) really was, but so far he’s been fantastic.

The bad: Depth, especially up front, remains a huge question mark. Though the power play is on fire with a league-best 45.5 per cent success rate, at 5-on-5 the Oilers have been outshot by 37, and Tomas Jurco is the only non-top-six forward with a point at 5-on-5. In fact, no line has outshot its opponents in this situation and the Oilers have the league’s fifth-worst scoring chance differential per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. As great a story as Neal has been thus far, six of his eight goals have come on the power play, which itself is clicking at a wholly unsustainable pace. It’s obvious that his scoring pace will cool — when it does and some of the team averages come back to normal, the Oilers’ fortitude will be put to the test and that’s when we’ll really start to understand if this is real or not.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157739 Websites said Doughty, who was asked if he envied NBA culture, where players routinely pop off in the media about one another.

“It doesn’t really bother me because I don’t want to get in any trouble.” Sportsnet.ca / Doughty's mom hoping defenceman quashes feud with Right. Flames' Tkachuk Over the last few weeks Doughty has alluded to being told “they” don’t

want him trash-talking Tkachuk anymore, which likely has plenty to do Eric Francis | October 18, 2019, 6:36 PM with why he suggested after last game he wanted the feud put to rest.

Pressed on Friday for who “they” are, he chose to keep it in house.

LOS ANGELES — After two-and-a-half years of feuding between Drew “I mean, I don’t even want to tell you — I don’t want to create Doughty and Matthew Tkachuk, a third party has entered the fray: (controversy),” said Doughty, who has called Tkachuk, “the most hated player in the league” and previously said he had no respect for the 21- Drew Doughty’s mom. year-old Flames winger.

“As much as all that stuff happened with me and the other guy talking “It’s not my mom, though.” back and forth — as much as a lot of people liked it — my mom didn’t like it too much,” Doughty said Friday from the Los Angeles Kings It’s hard to believe the two can duplicate the tremendous theatre of their practice facility in El Segundo, Calif. last meeting when Tkachuk tied the game late, Doughty won it in overtime and each had three points. “She just wants me to go out there and do what I can on the ice and keep it out of the media. That’s my new objective. She was not happy with me, Still, Saturday’s tilt will be must-watch TV, as will the post-game’s After especially after the celebration there.” Hours segment, where Doughty will sit in a chair alongside Scott Oake as Tkachuk did two weeks earlier. Indeed, Doughty’s overtime goal celebration in Calgary on Oct. 8 included an emotional directive aimed at the fans you can be sure Asked Thursday about Doughty, Tkachuk shrugged it off and insisted he Connie Doughty wasn’t thrilled about. had nothing to say.

His first words in the hallway after the win were a loud, exuberant exhale “No, not right now,” he said, well aware of the spotlight on everything he that included, “(Screw) that guy.” says about his adversary.

The hatred between the two is real, as was his frustration with the way “I don’t really pay attention to how much attention or hype is around it. I the Flames fans treated him once again. Asked why the celebration was don’t really listen to too much outside my own personal bubble or our so over the top, Doughty was frank on Friday. team’s bubble. If everyone else is making a big deal about it, that’s for them to make a big deal about it. But it’s a big game for us and it’s a “Because my home country fans were booing me the entire game,” said Hockey Night in Canada game, so it’s huge.” the two-time Olympian and London, Ont., native, whose Flames adversary is American. Doughty said it’s only a big story in Canada.

While Doughty is trying hard to bury the off-ice rift, he continues to be “I don’t think L.A. Kings fans really care too much about it,” he said. one of the most colourful, controversial and quotable players in a league “They care, but they’re not chirping him on Twitter like I’m getting chirped that has long shunned those traits. all the time. It’s a little different.”

Still refusing to refer to Tkachuk by name, Doughty did his best not to Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 stoke the feud’s fire as he answered endless questions about a rivalry Hockey Night in Canada has been promoting all week long with the duo at the forefront.

“To be honest, I’m just sick of it,” said the 29-year-old Norris Trophy winner. “I just want to go win hockey games and focus on the L.A. Kings versus the Flames, and not me versus him.

“It’s not about me and him. We’re both obviously two really good players and two big parts of both our teams, but we’re just trying to catch them in the standings.

“It’s a rivalry between two teams. As much as you guys try to make it about me and him, it’s about two teams not liking each other.”

The two have indeed dragged their teams into the fight ever since Tkachuk delivered an elbow to Doughty’s face that earned him a two- game suspension in 2017.

Tkachuk mocked Doughty in the press soon thereafter for whining about the elbow, prompting nine highly-anticipated battles on the ice that have rarely disappointed ever since.

“I think it’s good to have guys going at it, but I have a guy I go at it with on every team,” said Doughty, again downplaying the obvious storyline.

“That’s just how it is. It just happens he plays in Calgary so a bigger deal is made about it. I have multiple rivalries with multiple guys on every team, but you guys just don’t know about it.”

He went on to list adversaries he had in junior, like Steve Downie, Mike Duco, Akim Aliu and a brief one with James Neal, who he now counts as a friend.

What’s made this so different is the open disrespect shown off the ice by the two highly-quotable spark plugs. It’s something we’re more used to seeing in football or basketball.

“Definitely it’s a different culture in the hockey world — we’re more about being respectful to each other and just kind of finishing things on the ice,” 1157740 Websites Quinn said that during table tennis matches in the family basement, the brothers were so competitive they eventually had to video-tape pre-game wagers to ensure rules were followed and losing bets paid.

Sportsnet.ca / Canucks' Quinn, Devils' Jack Hughes hate to lose, but What else did they compete in? love each other “Literally anything,” Quinn said.

“We’re going one-on-one in the summer every day,” Jack said of their Iain MacIntyre | October 18, 2019, 7:51 PM hockey training, usually done under dad’s watch. “(Quinn’s) the guy I compete against in the summer. He’s a really good guy if you want to get better. You work on your game. We’ve been good for each other in how we can take things from each other’s game… and also push each other, NEW YORK — They have been unbelievable, these Hughes boys. make each other better.” The small brothers were big enough growing up — the largest chunk of Quinn explained: “I feel like he was never competing against his own age their childhoods were in Toronto, but they lived wherever their dad, Jim, — he was always competing against a kid two years older than him. He was coaching — that they were selected in consecutive years at or near was able to keep up and I feel that made him better. And him pushing me the top of the National Hockey League entry draft. made me better.” Born 19 months apart, Quinn, who turned 20 on Monday, and Jack, 18, Amid all that ego and competitiveness, there is also an unmistakable are NHL rookies on opposite coasts. Quinn is a defenceman with the fondness between the boys. Each raves about how good the other is and Vancouver Canucks, Jack a forward with the New Jersey Devils. will be. They’re each only five-foot-10, but you wouldn’t want to take them Potential superstars out of the U.S. National Team Development on if they were fighting for each other. Program, Quinn and Jack have already made the Hugheses the first family of American hockey. “He’s one of my best friends,” Quinn said. “I hang out with him all the time and always watch him play. I learn what I can.” They could be the first siblings in NHL history to be finalists for the Calder Trophy in the same season. And a third brother, Luke, could join them in Asked if one parent will wear a Canucks jersey and other a Devils the league in a few years. sweater on Saturday, Quinn said he hoped they’d wear neither and just “come in disguise.” Quinn and Jack have always had each other to beat, and their fierce competition in everything drove them to this: On Saturday they face each Jack remembers how the U.S.-Michigan game affected his mom and other in the NHL for the first time when the Canucks visit the Devils in a dad. matinee game. “I think our parents were a little nervous, hoping we weren’t on the ice “That was our dream and every kid believes in their dream,” Quinn said. together,” he said. “But it was a lot of fun. Every time I looked over (at “Now that it’s here, it’s not shocking or surprising. But it’s like, ‘Wow, Quinn), I was laughing. I’m sure it will be a lot different now.” we’re really here.’ Not only for me and Jack but for our whole family, it’s a pretty cool moment.” • Starting goalie Jacob Markstrom rejoined the Canucks for their optional practice on Friday after spending most of the week home in Sweden on a Jack figures there will be 75 members of Team Hughes at the Prudential family leave. Backup Thatcher Demko, who played exceptionally well in Center, friends and family from Boston and New York and Michigan, two games while Markstrom was away, is expected to start Saturday where Jim and his wife Ellen settled a few years ago to finish raising their against the Devils. Markstrom could play Sunday against the New York kids after Jim left the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and his job in Rangers. player development. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 “It’s a great time for me and Quinn, obviously,” Jack told reporters on Friday. “But it’s also a great time for our family and friends to be proud of us and see where we’ve gotten.”

Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes skates before a game against the Los Angeles Kings. (Darryl Dyck/CP)

Quinn said: “A lot of parents don’t get to experience what they’re going to experience tomorrow. I think it will probably be a little bit stressful but enjoyable.

“I’m looking forward to it, but at the same time, I don’t really like playing Jack. He’s a really good player, for one. And two, I don’t know, it’s just a weird dynamic. But it will be fun and we’ll have family there.”

Family matchups are rare in the NHL, and what makes Hughes-versus- Hughes even more special, besides the ages and pedigree of the dynamic brothers, is that Quinn should often be defending against Jack.

Jack’s deflection-assist off teammate Miles Wood’s butt during the Devils’ 5-2 win Thursday against the New York Rangers was the 2019 first- overall pick’s first NHL point. It was his seventh game.

Quinn, the 2018 seventh-overall pick who had another strong performance in the Canucks’ 4-3 shootout win Thursday in St. Louis, has three points in six games this month and leads all NHL rookies with an average ice time of 20:28.

The only time they played each other in an official hockey game: Jack’s U.S. under-18 team beat Quinn’s University of Michigan Wolverines 6-3 one year ago.

Jack said Friday that if he went one-on-one against Quinn 10 times, he’d get past his brother on six of the rushes.

Quinn countered: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” 1157741 Websites “There was good energy in the building,” Tkachuk said after the game, a 4-1 loss that saw the Flames fizzled out in the third. “We obviously wanted to be better and, you know, you tip your hat to them. They played good tonight. [The elbow] is something that happened in the past, it’s Sportsnet.ca / Timeline of Hate: Doughty and Tkachuk's war of words, done with and you move forward.” elbows and slashes Ah, but it was really only just the beginning…

Oct. 11, 2017: [just a bunch of expletives] Emily Sadler October 18, 2019, 2:23 PM Feelings didn’t exactly cool off over the off-season. In the first Flames- Kings matchup of 2019-20, Tkachuk found himself in the penalty box after a late-game skirmish — that actually didn’t involve Doughty — but It started with an elbow. look who was there to greet him and welcome him to the sin bin: Early in a March 2017 matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and Jan. 24, 2018: Hate’s a strong word, but… Calgary Flames, then-rookie Matthew Tkachuk sent defenceman Drew Doughty to the ice with an elbow to the face. It took all of 30 seconds for Tkachuk to get his pest on during the teams’ third meeting of the season. The incident resulted in a two-game suspension for Tkachuk, and sparked a rivalry between a decorated NHL veteran at the top of his Thorn, meet side: game and a feisty rookie just finding his footing in the league and taking his first steps as one of the game’s best pests. Doughty didn’t hold back with his post-game comments. When asked if Tkachuk might be the most-hated player in the league, Doughty told As unlikely as it may have been to start, it is in so many ways the perfect Sportsnet’s Eric Francis this: player rivalry, really: two highly-skilled Pacific Division players unafraid to stir the pot and more than capable of calling their shots — and dishing “I’m pretty sure he might be,” said the Kings defenceman. “I have lots of ’em out, too. friends on other teams and they don’t love him either. But whatever, that’s how he plays. All it does is fire guys up and guys take over games Looking around the league, there aren’t a lot of true player-versus-player when that happens. Like tonight.” rivalries today, which explains our love affair with this one. Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane make every meeting between the San Jose Sharks The Kings won this one in overtime, and Doughty was, uh, pretty fired up and Vegas Golden Knights a lot more interesting, while Brad Marchand about silencing the home crowd: and Tom Wilson pride themselves on getting under the skin of just about March 25, 2019: “No respect for him, none.” everyone who goes up against them — especially if they’re sporting a certain blue-and-white sweater. At this point, almost a full season has passed without any more big blowups between the two. Just a healthy rivalry, eh, Doughty? Doughty and Tkachuk have met nine times since the elbow that started it all. Not all have been notable, but the ones that were have kept us From Francis: “Oh no,” Doughty said before the game. “No respect for wanting more. Here’s a timeline of the war of words — and the jabs, hits, him, none. I respect everyone else. I’ll never talk to him off the ice.” penalties and obscenities — that have made this head-to-head so much fun to watch. “I’m used to it and know how to deal with it,” Doughty added. “He’s entertaining for you guys, but he’s not respected by most of the people in March 19, 2017: “He’s a pretty dirty player, that kid.” the league, it’s not just me — that’s just a fact.”

While the elbow sparked the dislike, Doughty’s post-game interview Tkachuk challenged those words on the ice, drawing a sneaky slashing following that game brought the fire: penalty against Doughty:

“He’s a pretty dirty player, that kid,” Doughty told Kings insider Jon “No reaction, it doesn’t bother me at all — in one ear and out the other Rosen, also shedding a little light on what was, at that point, a budding with that stuff,” Tkachuk told reporters after the game, when asked his mutual dislike between the two. “To be a rookie and play like that is a response to Doughty’s pre-game jabs. little surprising.” “Doesn’t really surprise me or not surprise me — it’s just another day. I’ll The Flames issued a statement accepting the suspension, but a media sleep like a baby tonight, I’m not worried about that type of stuff, I’ll tell availability following the two-game ban showed Tkachuk wasn’t exactly ya’ that.” remorseful for his actions. He doubled down on his sandpaper playing style, telling reporters upon his return from suspension, “I’m not changing Oct. 8, 2019: “Drew Doughty… does not like you.” my game at all.” New season, same bad blood.

Fans hungry for another round of this budding rivalry had to wait just 10 When asked prior to the season for his thoughts on Tkachuk, Doughty days for their next dose… and boy, was it a big one. described the Flames forward as, “a guy that kinda thinks he’s really March 29, 2017: “I expected more from him, honestly.” good but isn’t.”

Tkachuk got this one started a day early with a few pre-game chirps (and In the wise words of Hockey Night in Canada’s Scott Oake, when talking maybe a little compliment buried in there?) during practice a day before to Tkachuk during an After Hours interview on Hockey Night in Canada the game: following the Flames’ game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 5: “Drew Doughty… does not like you.” “I expected more from him, honestly, than to go right to the media and start complaining after a loss,” Tkachuk told Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson Tkachuk told Oake it “goes right in one ear, out the other. I’m really the day before the grudge match, responding to Doughty calling him a looking forward to Tuesday’s game.” dirty player. “But he’s a good player. He’s a good enough player where (So were we.) he doesn’t have to worry about any of that stuff. He’s a skilled guy and everything like that, and he’s won a couple of Cups.” Oake: “But has it ever crossed your mind that maybe you should show a Norris Trophy winner and a Stanley Cup champion more respect?” “(Doughty) is a good player, so I don’t think his focus will be too much on me,” Tkachuk said. “My focus isn’t on him. My focus is on the playoffs.” Tkachuk: “I show Gio respect, he’s a Norris Trophy winner.”

The game that followed featured just about everything you could ask of a Doughty responded the next day: good old fashioned grudge match — tensions were high, warmup words were exchanged, gloves were dropped early and often, and penalty “We both know who the better player is, so, if he wants to compliment me minutes were doled out by the dozens. The second period saw Tkachuk first I’ll give him one back,” Doughty told reporters before the Oct. 8 take a dangerous run at Doughty, lining the rearguard up for an open-ice matchup. hit that Doughty just barely managed to dodge: As much as the two players have both, at times, attempted to put the war of words to rest, it’s clear they both thrive off this stuff — and we’re all the better for it.

“I’ve had individual rivalries with guys on every team,” Doughty told reporters.

“You’ve got to pick someone on that team that gets you up for a game. If I come into a barn and don’t feel I have a rivalry with a team or with any player — like, say we go into Florida or something — I’m not the same player. I need to kind of have that to get myself going. If I’m not emotionally invested I’m not going to play well — that’s the bottom line.”

With all eyes on Doughty and Tkachuk come game time, the two did not disappoint. Tkachuk tied the game late with a gorgeous goal and Doughty one-upped his nemesis with the overtime winner. His celebration that followed was… quite something:

“As much as I love getting booed every time I touch the puck, you kind of want to shove it in their faces,” Doughty said after the game.

Doughty also said he’s looking to close the book on this head-to-head.

“I want to put that to rest — it’s over,” said Doughty.

Meanwhile, in the Flames’ dressing room:

“I’m excited for Round 2 in two weeks in L.A,” said Tkachuk.

Which brings us to Saturday…

Oct. 19, 2019: Game on, again.

Who ya got?

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157742 Websites below team average to above, and improved marginally in controlling shots on net.

The main area of concern is controlling passes to the slot, which is Sportsnet.ca / Truth By Numbers: How Max Domi is following up his something that’s haunted the Canadiens for a long while now; they have career-best season been terrible at closing dangerous passing lanes for multiple seasons now.

This is an area Domi will have to continue to work on going forward, Andrew Berkshire October 18, 2019, 12:01 PM specifically with a commitment to positioning himself lower in the defensive zone so he can be more disruptive to attempted passes and

close lanes better. Domi is a player who always has offence on his mind, Usually when I’m starting a Truth by Numbers column and we’re looking so he can be guilty of cheating a little bit to catch opponents off guard, at the Spotlight Performer, it’s about a player who has been tearing the and in turn getting caught himself. league to shreds for the past week or two and we examine what’s driving Overall, though, the slot passes are also a relatively small sample. And that performance and whether it’s sustainable. But this week we’re going all things considered it sure looks like Domi is improving defensively to do something a little different. while his offensive performance continues to elevate. Last season was a breakout by all measures for Max Domi. He fit Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey seamlessly into his new position as a centre with the Montreal Canadiens world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what and seemed tailor made for the system Claude Julien had built. However, they think about it. it’s fair to say that a lot of people don’t expect him to repeat that level of production. THE QUESTION

Based on early returns, though, Domi isn’t one of those people. Steve Dangle went in a different direction this week. Instead of asking me about a team or player and looking at their stats, he asked me about Two of the most important qualities of Julien’s system in Montreal are stats themselves. speed and making plays with the puck to move it forward. The goal is to be on the attack as soon as you gain possession as opposed to a puck “A growing story in the sport is the spotty accuracy of publicly available pursuit system, which can create more mistakes for opponents with an stats and how much NHL teams are relying on internal analytics. What aggressive forecheck, but also wastes more energy. has surprised you the most about public stats since joining the private sector?” Julien’s system puts more focus on attacking off the rush, keeping the puck under team control the whole way through, giving offensive players This is a tricky one because from the outset I have a bias in that I get to the freedom to attempt riskier plays to gain the offensive zone and use private data. We have to differentiate public data itself from analytics, creating dangerous chances. because what some smart people have been able to squeeze out of the NHL’s public data is incredible, but anything that’s built off data scraped Right away it’s easy to see why Domi fits into that system better than he from the NHL carries with it the possibility of being wildly inaccurate. ever did in the more conservative Arizona Coyotes system. But last season didn’t just see Domi better his strengths, he added a newfound At the team level it’s mostly okay, but in smaller sample sizes it can be goal scoring touch, more than tripling his previous season’s total while way off. That’s not on the analytics providers, but in the NHL’s system of posting a team-leading 72 points. gathering data itself. For example, when you look at some websites’ scoring chances on a team level this season, some are bang on and In speaking with Eric Engels before the season began, Domi guessed some are as much as 13 percentage points off of what the private data that one of the reasons he excelled at centre was the nature of the says. position was to always be skating, which is one of his best skills, instead of often being stagnant on the walls in battles on the wing. But the biggest problem of all is ice time. The NHL’s ice time and shift starts and stops are wildly inaccurate, which can lead to a lot of public It was the perfect situation offensively for Domi, but he struggled on the data not being accurate for individual players. There just isn’t a way for defensive side, especially while paired with Jonathan Drouin. To start this the NHL’s current stat counting infrastructure to accurately record all the season, the two are on different lines and both thriving, tied for the team data they provide on their website. It’s why you see different definitions lead in points with Brendan Gallagher with seven in seven games. for turnovers in different rinks — it’s too decentralized. Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it None of this means public data is useless — far from it. It only means 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, that as the methods used to collect and quality check data by companies they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover with the resources to do so becomes more public, our information will get Canada’s most beloved game. more accurate. Last season I was surprised to see where Domi ranked in the NHL with BUY OR SELL his involvement in creating scoring chances for his teammates on a per minute basis at 5-on-5 — all the way up at 15th. So far this season he’s • Six games isn’t enough to throw in the towel, but this season has not even more dynamic. In 2019-20 he’s ranked ninth in the league, started well for Shea Weber. Among Canadiens defencemen he’s been sandwiched between Sebastian Aho and David Pastrnak. That’s some on the ice for the most inner slot shots and passes to the slot against per good company. minute played, which are areas he usually dominates. His skating looks very rough whenever he has to stop and start. I’ve been assured he’s not The resurgence of the Canadiens’ power play should also go a long way hurt either, which is very worrying for the Habs. towards helping him keep his point totals up if his shooting percentage regresses from a career high, but the biggest change for him has been • Speaking of Weber, you know who else has had a horrible start to the defensive play. season? P.K. Subban. Subban has less support around him than Weber, but like Weber he’s been team-worst in both high danger chances and Despite being a stellar offensive performer last season, when Domi was passes to the slot against, and by the eye test things aren’t much better. on the ice the Canadiens were actually worse off than when he was It will be interesting to see which one or if either of them dig themselves between shifts. Part of the issue there is simply that Phil Danault, out of this early hole as the season goes on. Brendan Gallagher, and Tomas Tatar were one of the best even strength lines in the entire league last year, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi took on • Last season the Buffalo Sabres had a 10-game winning streak in sheltered minutes and put up a defensive performance worthy of a Selke November that had a lot of people believing they had finally taken a nomination. But there could be no denying that while Domi was on the substantial step, despite their underlying numbers being horrible during ice, the puck was in his zone a lot. that stretch. Of course, things fell apart and the Sabres missed the playoffs, but their start this year has been very different. The Sabres So far this season he’s been absurdly dominant in shots from the high have been shockingly good at even strength, and that’s despite Rasmus danger area, which is a small sample size — and we should view these Dahlin getting off to a slow start. They might be ready to compete for a stats with that in mind — but he’s also flipped his shot attempts from playoff spot this year — really. • The biggest surprise for the Sabres isn’t even one of their young players standing out, but all of a sudden Kyle Okposo looks like an impact player again. Okposo leads the Sabres in scoring chances and scoring chances created at 5-on-5, which is found money for Buffalo. Whether he can stay healthy and sustain that is a huge question, but it’s good news right now.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157743 Websites spend a couple of years in the minors with Grand Rapids. It was exactly how he expected things to go.

"Messages aren’t cloudy with Ken. It’s pretty clear. He is honest, and Sportsnet.ca / Holland's open-book style felt in both Oilers and Red loyal too. Look at how many guys go back to work there, live there. Raise Wings organizations their families there."

One of the early ‘Ken Holland’ moments in Edmonton came when he sent down four top prospects with a good eight or nine days left in camp. Mark Spector | October 18, 2019, 4:34 PM The message was, "Get down to Bakersfield, find an apartment and get settled."

What wasn’t said was, "You’re not getting called up before Christmas, EDMONTON – Ken Holland may have moved on from the Detroit Red and likely not all season, if we can help it." Wings when it became clear that Steve Yzerman’s time had come in Motown. His influence still runs deep through the Detroit organization, Holland didn’t say it, because he doesn’t have to. however. "When guys are down in the minors," said Draper, "he wants them to It starts with Detroit GM Yzerman, who stepped off the ice as a lifetime learn how to be pros, learn the right way, and when they get called up Red Wing to learn at the feet of the GM who likely knew before anyone they’re ready to play. Ready to make an impact. that the day would come when he’d be stepping aside for Yzerman. "He wants them coming up for eight, 10, 12 years. Not eight, 10, 12 Today Yzerman presides over a hockey department that has nothing but games." ties to Holland, with names like Pat Verbeek, Shawn Horcoff, Jiri Fischer, Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, Dan Cleary all working in some capacity for the When Draper stepped off the ice, Holland opened up his office door to Red Wings. Each of those former players has a piece of Holland in their him. front office game, a foundation on which the new, post-Holland Red "Come work with me," Draper said Holland told him. "Come in the front Wings will be built. office. Come for lunch, When I’m on the phone, listen to the "I’m a big believer in what Ken Holland is," said Kris Draper, the Director conversations that I have with agents and other general managers…" of Amateur Scouting for Detroit, a 17-year Red Wings player. "Ken Start learning the game. Because as Holland would tell you, there is no Holland believes in culture, and creating a winning attitude within that finish line in that race. culture. Then, when you start getting superstars buying into that culture — the McDavids, the Draisaitls, the Yzermans, the Lidstroms — and you Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.19.2019 plug third- and fourth-line guys come into a team where there is that culture and work ethic (coming down) from the top…

"That’s where you become a great team."

The last general manager in Edmonton, Peter Chiarelli, shunned public appearances like the pre-game media meal, while sitting in his own private press box across the arena from the one inhabited by media, scouts and officials who inhabit an NHL press box.

Holland had a "Reserved for Ken Holland" sign printed and placed on a table at the media meal — a standing reservation, if you will — and kibitzes over coffee during intermissions with scouts, media, and staff from other teams every night in Edmonton.

"You have a question? I’m right here."

He is an open book, to the extent an NHL general manager can be. It’s just not in his nature not to be.

"If you’re having dinner with Ken Holland in the middle of the summer, a good portion of the conversation is going to be about hockey," said Maltby, now a pro scout for Detroit after 14 seasons as a Red Wing. "On top of that, he knows what he’ talking about. He understands the game."

Maltby is one of those former players, like Draper, or Cleary, whose career ended under Holland. For longer than they knew, he’d viewed those players as possible post-career hires, but when the job presented itself, he got out of their way and let them figure out where they would best fit.

"He allowed me to find my style," Maltby said. "When you’re a hockey player, if you’re going to score goals, then score goals. If not, you need to find your niche. In scouting, he gave me some basic advice — make sure you get your credentials sorted out ahead of time, get your hotel and airline points arranged — then go up there and put your reports together.

"He let me figure things out. How I would develop my style of scouting."

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It’s the same for a young draft pick, like Oilers centre Riley Sheahan was back in 2010 when Detroit drafted him in the first round.

"When you get drafted by Detroit, you don’t see the lineup for another however many years. I went back to school, tried to figure it out there," said Sheahan, who would play two more seasons at Notre Dame and 1157744 Websites because it gives different guys opportunities and it puts pressure on different guys to take more of a focal point and then when Johnny will inevitably be back, you know, guys gain confidence from that. As a team, if you can keep winning when you go through injuries I think it just builds TSN.CA / Exceeding Maple Leafs' expectations, ‘feisty’ Kerfoot gets the belief of your squad that you’re a good team." chance with Marner The Leafs are a middling 4-3-1 on the season with all four wins (Ottawa, Columbus, Detroit and Minnesota) coming against opponents that are at .500 or worse. Mark Masters "As a team, we got to get better," said Babcock. "I think we’re better than

(how) we’ve played." TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes "He's one of our best goal scorers in the league," Marner said of Tavares, on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Friday "so we just got to make sure we fill that void. We had the same kind of ahead of Saturday's home game against the Boston Bruins. problem last year when Auston (Matthews) went out so guys just need to With John Tavares (broken finger) out for at least two weeks, Alexander step up and be ready for that." Kerfoot will move into a top-six role. Kerfoot, who was acquired in an off- Matthews missed 14 games last season with a shoulder injury and it was season trade with the Colorado Avalanche, skated between Ilya Marner who stepped up big time with 18 points in that stretch as the Mikheyev and Mitch Marner at Friday's practice. Leafs won nine games. "Kerf's way better than we expected," said head coach Mike Babcock. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews are aware that playing without a "He's way grittier, got more grease to him. We think he's going to make player and leader like John Tavares will be a challenge but they see it as way more plays as time goes on and he gets more comfortable. He's just an opportunity for other players to 'step up' and increase their productivity got to continue to work on his defensive side more so he has the puck to help the team until they get their captain back. more. That's the big thing for him." Spezza lined up on the fourth line in his three games this season, but slid "He's feisty," observed Marner. "He's got a lot of fight in him. He's a guy into the third-line role Friday, because Babcock didn't want to mess with who's not afraid to get around the net and he's got a lot of skill so it the growing chemistry between Dmytro Timashov, Nick Shore and should be a lot of fun playing with him." Frederik Gauthier. Kerfoot, who finished with 15 goals and 27 assists last season with the "They've actually been one of our better lines," Babcock said. "That's Avalanche, will need to adjust his focus to be effective with Marner. something that's working for us right now and we didn't want to screw "You got to have a mindset to shoot," he said. "He's going to find you in around with that. So, Spezz will get an opportunity with good players ... places where you might not be expecting the puck all the time so you every opportunity is what you make of it. You got to get in there and get have to be ready. There's nowhere on the ice that he's not going to find after it." you so I got to be looking to shoot ... Obviously, Marns is one of the best Babcock hasn't hesitated to use his fourth line to start shifts in the players in the league so when you get the opportunity to play with him defensive zone even against top lines. Last season, he often leaned on you know there’s more responsibility and you have to do a good job." the Tavares line with Marner on Zach Hyman in that spot. What stands out most about the dynamic right winger? "We did it on purpose last year to John Tavares," Babcock explained, "Just how smart he is," Kerfoot noted. "The plays he makes with the "wanted to improve his defensive game and that was a great match-up puck, he does stuff that not many guys in the league can do and just with Hyman, they started in the D-zone and were always in the O-zone ... watching him on a day in, day out basis, how elusive he is, he's got such we were waiting to get a fourth line. Over four years we've done a lot of good control over his edges and so confident with the puck that he trading to get that to work. Now, Goat seems to have come of age and makes a lot of guys look silly out there." Shoresy seems able to do it (but) we keep evaluating it."

Kerfoot has two goals and two assists this season while averaging 14:14 The Leafs announced yesterday that Tavares will miss a minimum of two of ice time per game. He had a brief chat with Babcock on the ice before weeks. Is the 29-year-old optimistic he can return sooner than later? practice began. "The main thing is we just have to be smart and not put myself at long- "Definitely changes a bit," Kerfoot said of his role. "Obviously, you're term risk and making it worse," Tavares said. "I was really hopeful that it probably going to play a little bit more, but I got to play my game and not was something I was able to play with, but the medical staff just felt that try and change too much." there has to be enough healing to make sure it’s stable."

Babcock, meanwhile, reserved the right to juggle the lines again should Tavares, whose injured index/pointer finger was swollen and taped to the the early returns be negative. middle digit when he met with the media, could tell immediately something was wrong when a Morgan Rielly shot hit his right hand late in "Nothing’s set in stone," the coach said with a grin, "but this is for warm- Wednesday's game. up for sure." "Went pretty numb so didn't feel very good," he recalled. "Just went back With John Tavares out for the next few weeks with a broken finger, head to the bench and it was a little more painful and obviously (with) the coach Mike Babcock shuffled the lines and has placed Alex Kerfoot adrenaline, and the inflammation hadn’t really set in yet, so just finished between Ilya Mikheyev and Mitch Marner. Kerfoot and Marner are eager the game." to start building chemistry together and are excited to have Mikheyev along to help them get going. Tavares actually scored a goal after sustaining the injury. It was only the next day that the extent of the issue was revealed. With Tavares out, Jason Spezza is also getting a new opportunity. He's been a healthy scratch in the last three games, but skated as the third- "Honestly, didn't feel like it was too bad even waking up yesterday so line centre today between Trevor Moore and Kasperi Kapanen. The 36- was a little surprised by the circumstances," Tavares said, "but could be year-old is taking nothing for granted. a lot worse."

"I don't know where I'm playing," Spezza said when asked about being in Tavares calls injury disappointing, frustrating: 'Missing time sucks' the top nine. "You just want to get in the lineup, you want to play well John Tavares suffered a broken finger after taking a Morgan Rielly point when you get on the ice and that's why you keep yourself ready. I knew shot off his right hand late in the third period against the Capitals. it's a long season and there would be different opportunities at different Expected to be out until November, the Leafs' captain met with the media times." to discuss his initial reaction to the injury and the timeline for his return. Spezza believes the Tavares injury may be a blessing in disguise for the William Nylander will fill-in for Tavares in the middle of the top power-play Leafs. unit. Before the main practice started on Friday, that group hit the ice to "It's difficult when you lose your top guy that you rely on for a lot of do some work with assistant coach Paul McFarland. Nylander has things," Spezza acknowledged, "but it also can make the team grow, usually played on the flank for the Leafs. "He's a right-hander, Johnny's a left-hander so it’s just a little different," said Matthews. "He's going to be a shot threat, especially when the puck's on my side."

"The only difference now is Mats has that one-T option for Willy," said Marner, "and for me it’s just going to be trying to find Willy in the slot for a high tip ... he’s a pretty electric player out there, he’s going to find those holes nicely and he's not afraid to shoot it and that’s something you want in that middle spot."

Lines at Friday's practice:

Forwards

Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander

Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Marner

Moore - Spezza - Kapanen

Timashov - Shore - Gauthier

Petan, Hyman

Defencemen

Muzzin - Barrie

Rielly - Ceci

Marincin - Holl

Gravel - Dermott

Goaltenders

Andersen

Hutchinson

Power play units at Friday's practice:

Rielly

Marner - Nylander - Matthews

Johnsson

Barrie

Kerfoot - Petan^ - Spezza

Kapanen

^ Placeholder for Moore, who worked on PK

TSN.CA LOADED: 10.19.2019 1157745 Websites best players in the league, so when you get the opportunity to play with him you know there’s more responsibility and you have to do a good job.”

“Kerfoot is a way better player than we expected,” Babcock added. “He’s TSN.CA / With captain John Tavares out, the Toronto Maple Leafs way grittier, and got more grease to him. We think he is going to make shuffled lines at Friday's practice way more plays; he’s just got to continue to work on his defensive side so he has the puck more. But he's playing with good players and he’ll get a good opportunity.”

Kristen Shilton As the Leafs navigate their new reality, there’s no doubt it will be painful for Tavares to watch from the sidelines. But the team managed to

weather an early season injury last year to Auston Matthews, going 9-5-0 TORONTO – The Maple Leafs debuted new line combinations at practice through 14 games without him, so Tavares isn’t worried about the Leafs on Friday as the team prepares for life without captain and top centre struggling now. John Tavares, who will miss at least two weeks with a broken finger. “I think the confidence is very high,” he said. “A lot of the group that was Head coach Mike Babcock has settled so far on sliding Alexander here last year, we dealt with some injuries to some key players and Kerfoot into Tavares’ vacated spot between Mitch Marner and Ilya handled it well. We’ve had all four lines contribute so far, that’s been a Mikheyev and inserting Jason Spezza at third-line centre with Trevor real positive sign for us, and it’s huge to have that kind of depth that Moore and Kasperi Kapanen. creates a great opportunity for someone else.”

Auston Matthews’ unit with Andreas Johnsson and William Nylander TSN.CA LOADED: 10.19.2019 remained untouched, as did the Leafs’ fourth line of Dmytro Timashov, Nick Shore and Frederik Gauthier. Nylander was also in Tavares’ bumper spot on the Leafs’ top power-play unit.

“It’s an opportunity for guys,” Babcock said. “When you’re a good player you want to be the guy, and here’s an opportunity. As a team, we got to get better. I think we’re better than we’ve played. Now, everyone's getting an opportunity. We can always adjust the lineup if you’re really good and you play really well. We can find a way to get you on the ice more, so here's your opportunity.”

Babcock said the process of landing on this new-look lineup included a full day of debate among the Leafs’ staff, including assistant coaches Dave Hakstol and Paul McFarland. While they eventually arrived at this tentative setup ahead of facing the Boston Bruins on Saturday, there’s no decision that won’t be undone if necessary.

“We spent the full day [Thursday] on it,” admitted Babcock. “Of course I got everybody’s input. They all sent it to me and everyone had a different theory. And then we walked through all the options and why. Nothing is set in stone. We did the pre-scout on Boston, you say, ‘Okay, what are we going to do, how's it going to go?’ and try to give yourself the best opportunity. This is [the lineup] for warmups for sure.”

Tavares was originally hoping he wouldn’t have to miss any time at all. Tavares said his finger went “pretty numb” right after Morgan Rielly’s shot hit his hand late in the third period of Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Washington, but the centre still managed to score a goal on his final shift.

The timing of his injury is particularly tough for Tavares, given how he'd begun turning a corner on the ice. After a slow offensive start to the season, with zero goals in his first four games, Tavares produced three goals and four points in his last four outings.

“Honestly, it didn't feel like it was too bad, even waking up yesterday,” Tavares said, his swollen right pointer finger on full display. “So I was a little surprised by the circumstances. I was really hopeful that it was something I was able to play with, but the medical staff just felt there has to be enough healing to make sure that it's stable.”

Tavares said he hadn’t broken a finger before, but did have surgery on his thumb a couple years ago and dealt with ligament damage to the area with a brace. While the initial timeline for Tavares’ return is a minimum of two weeks, he’s hoping for a quicker return.

“It's just very stiff,” he explained. “But I really didn’t try to move it or use it just so I can make sure that I can get better as soon as possible. It’s hard to even really say how painful it is, but certainly it's not as functional as it normally is. You have to be cautious on making sure I'm not putting myself at any risk to make it worse. So I feel disappointed, and it’s a little frustrating, but at the same time I know it could be worse.”

In the meantime, Kerfoot will step into his biggest role with the Leafs since arriving via trade from Colorado last July. The third-year centre has played all season with Mikheyev on his wing, and is confident their chemistry will translate well into a top-six position with Marner.

“I don't think anyone is going to replace JT, so I think you’ve got to do it as a collective group,” Kerfoot said. “I've been playing with Mikheyev since I’ve been here so that's going to be no different. Marns is one of the