SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 10/15/17 Anaheim Ducks 1078129 Ducks are getting pretty acquainted with the box 1078161 Blackhawks winger wishes Wild's Marcus 1078130 Ducks must adjust to officials’ emphasis on slashing Foligno 'speedy recovery' after fight penalties 1078162 Predators played better, but Blackhawks will take 2-1 overtime victory Arizona Coyotes 1078163 John Hayden not planning to tone down his style: ‘Fights 1078131 Arizona Coyotes Game day: Louis Domingue to start vs. happen’ Boston Bruins 1078164 Brandon Saad scores in OT for unlikely Hawks victory 1078132 Winless Arizona Coyotes 'embarrassed' in blowout loss to 1078165 Schmaltz won't play vs. Predators tonight Bruins 1078166 Sharp, Saad help Blackhawks over Predators 1078133 Tocchet on loss to Bruins: ‘I’m kind of embarrassed for the 1078167 Saad's OT lifts Blackhawks over Preds 2-1 fans’ 1078168 Blackhawks still searching for second-line answers 1078134 Arizona Coyotes remain winless after falling to Boston 1078169 Blackhawks will take OT victory but need sharper starts Bruins again 1078135 Officially speaking, it’s Arizona Coyotes, not Phoenix 1078170 Five takeaways from Blackhawks' 2-1 overtime win over Predators: How long can Brandon Saad keep this up for? Boston Bruins 1078136 Zdeno Chara, Bruins chase away Coyotes Colorado Avalanche 1078137 Anton Khudobin wins first start of season 1078171 Avalanche rookie Tyson Jost out 1-2 games with bone 1078138 Young pups Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy lead NHL’s bruise rookie pack 1078172 Avalanche dominates, but wins a tight one over Anaheim 1078139 ‘Behind the Benches’ is a good reminder that there is no 1078173 Avalanche, Stars off to unexpected starts this season NHL coaching template 1078174 Avalanche loses at Dallas 3-1 1078140 Bruins roll over winless Coyotes 6-2 1078175 Chambers: Anaheim saw in Beuachemin what the 1078141 Bruins president Cam Neely expects more from team as Avalanche could not road trip continues with stops at Arizona and Vegas 1078142 Bruins notebook: Injury keeps Patrice Bergeron out of lineup 1078176 Blue Jackets 5, Wild 4, OT | Bounce goes Jackets’ way 1078143 Morning Skate: The most important player on each NHL 1078177 Blue Jackets | Artemi Panarin makes good impression team 1078144 Bruins' patience getting tested as young players learn Dallas Stars 1078145 Khudobin's on horse, not under it, after first win of season 1078178 Morning Skate Update: Patrik Nemeth back in town as 1078146 Big second period, solid goaltending propel Bruins to 6-2 Stars face Avalanche win over Coyotes 1078179 Observations: Hype machine creates expectations for 1078147 Kevan Miller good to play vs. Coyotes after knee scare fans, but all you can do is wait and watch 1078148 Bruins try to simplify things after a couple of rough losses 1078180 He said it: Players and coaches comment after Stars' 3-1 win over Colorado Saturday 1078181 After 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick', what is Tyler Seguin going 1078149 At crunch time, Kings crown reeling Sabres to do? 'Might hashtag it tonight' 1078150 The Wraparound: Kings 4, Sabres 2 1078182 'I think the goals will come': Despite victory over 1078151 Sabres Notebook: Nolan back at the scene of his greatest Avalanche, Stars' scoring still a work in progress night in the NHL 1078183 Cold facts: Tyler Seguin gets in first fight of NHL career in 1078152 Sabres at Kings: Five Things to Know 3-1 win over Avalanche 1078153 Okposo will miss game against Kings due to illness 1078184 Ex-Star Patrik Nemeth making most of time with 1078154 Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings Avalanche after being claimed off waivers 1078185 Seguin, Benn score in 2nd, Stars beat Avalanche 3-1 Calgary Flames 1078155 GAMEDAY: Flames go back to Smith in net vs. Canucks 1078156 Game Day: Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks 1078186 Detroit Red Wings relish 'big party' atmosphere of hockey 1078157 Flames rebound for win over host Canucks in Las Vegas 1078158 Fellow graduates of 1990 NHL Draft class marvel at 1078187 Red Wings remain grounded in light of sizzling 4-1 start Jaromir Jagr's longevity 1078188 Henrik Zetterberg, Jimmy Howard key Red Wings' fast 1078159 GAMEDAY: Calgary Flames return with Mike Smith to play start Vancouver Canucks Carolina Hurricanes 1078160 Hurricanes recall Carrick, van Riemsdyk placed on IR Edmonton Oilers New Jersey Devils 1078189 Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl benched with 1078228 New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers: LIVE score 'concussion-type symptoms' updates and chat (10/14/17) 1078190 Edmonton Oilers Game Day vs 1078229 3 things to watch when Devils play Rangers | What needs 1078191 Yamamoto hoping to make nine-game deadline to be better? 1078192 Ottawa Senators put the boots to Edmonton Oilers 1078230 Devils lose to Caps: 8 observations | Not hard enough; 1078195 Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto on the clock Chance for quick rebound 1078196 Senators put the boots to Oilers 1078231 Why decision making cost Devils in 1st loss of season 1078232 Devils shake off slow start, rally past Rangers | Rapid Florida Panthers Reaction 1078197 Crosby scores twice, leads Penguins past Panthers 4-3 1078233 Why Devils benched Marcus Johansson, Pavel Zacha and 1078198 Crosby scores twice to lead Penguins past Panthers Jimmy Hayes vs. Rangers 1078234 Devils notebook: Drew Stafford returns to lineup 1078235 Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Oct. 14 1078199 Kings find their power and beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 1078236 Devils 3, Rangers 2: Post-game observations 1078200 Backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper enjoying fresh start 1078237 Devils reverse slow start, beat Rangers, 3-2 with Kings 1078238 Game 5 Live Blog: Devils beat Rangers, 3-2 1078201 Kings halt scoreless power play streak in win over Buffalo 1078239 Rangers fall again after quick start fades in loss to Devils 1078202 Alec Martinez should add to L.A. Kings’ upward trending 1078240 Rangers getting alarmingly close to forcing Jeff Gorton’s offense hand 1078203 OCTOBER 14 MORNING SKATE QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS New York Islanders 1078204 OCTOBER 14 SKATE NOTES: LINE RUSHES; WAGNER 1078241 Arena timeline could leave Isles with a John Tavares SKATING; MARTINEZ/IAFALLO/BUFFALO conundrum 1078205 LADUE ASSIGNED TO ONTARIO AND WILL PLAY 1078242 Thomas Greiss makes 40 saves as Islanders stop Sharks TONIGHT; MARTINEZ RETURN IMMINENT 1078243 Islanders scratch defenseman Ryan Pulock for fifth 1078206 MARTINEZ ACTIVATED; CLIFFORD TO IR straight game 1078207 OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME NOTES 1078244 Busy Thomas Greiss makes Islanders’ lead stand up in 1078208 OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: BUFFALO San Jose 1078209 OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: DOUGHTY, TOFFOLI New York Rangers 1078210 OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS 1078245 Veteran’s return one bit of good news for reeling Rangers 1078211 POSTGAME NOTES: REIGN STRIKE QUICK IN 3RD 1078246 Rangers fall again after quick start fades in loss to Devils PERIOD; FALL TO WOLVES 1078247 Rangers getting alarmingly close to forcing Jeff Gorton’s 1078212 MARTINEZ ADEPT AT PINPOINTING MOMENTS TO hand JOIN RUSH 1078248 Rangers lose their third straight, fall to 1-5 1078249 Coach Alain Vigneault opts to play 11 forwards, 7 defensemen 1078213 Luke Kunin excited to play in Wild's home opener 1078214 Newcomers hold their own, but Wild veterans disappoint Ottawa Senators 1078215 Wild-Columbus game recap 1078250 Johnny Oduya returns as Senators face Connor McDavid 1078216 Veteran Matt Cullen savors opportunity to skate with and the Oilers youngster Luke Kunin 1078251 As Karlsson closes in on return, Senators have put points 1078217 Columbus spoils Wild's home opener with overtime victory in the bank 1078218 Wennberg scores in OT; Columbus beats Minnesota 5-4 1078252 Thomas Chabot seems to be on a fast track for success 1078219 Wild, ravaged by injuries, call up three forwards with the Senators 1078220 Wild blow third-period lead, fall to Blue Jackets in overtime 1078253 How sweep it is: Senators cap perfect trip by blitzing Oilers 1078254 GARRIOCH: As Karlsson closes in on return, Senators 1078221 Awareness isn't enough to stop head injuries in sports. We have put points in the bank need action now 1078255 Senators have chance to pull off Western Canada sweep 1078222 The Ken Dryden rule: No hits to the head, no excuses 1078256 Senators' Chabot making the most of his opportunity 1078223 Auston Matthews dazzles as beat 1078257 GARRIOCH: Thomas Chabot making the most of his Montreal Canadiens in overtime opportunity 1078224 Game Day: Alex Galchenyuk back on ice for Canadiens’ morning skate 1078225 Habs Game Report: Bitter rivals battle to 3-3 draw, but Leafs prevail in OT Nashville Predators 1078226 Predators face Blackhawks for first time since first round upset 1078227 Chicago Blackhawks 2, Nashville Predators 1 : 3 things we learned Philadelphia Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs 1078258 Brian Elliott gets chance to redeem himself in Flyers' 1078292 Carrick, Fehr back in lineup as Leafs look to end 14-game home opener; Travis Sanheim appears out losing streak against Canadiens 1078259 Flyers 8, Capitals 2: Five quick observations 1078293 Saturday night Leafs tradition fading away: Feschuk 1078260 Flyers rout Capitals as Laughton, Couturier, Giroux net 1078294 Matthews OT magic ends Leafs’ hex vs. Habs two goals each 1078295 Leafs winless in 14 against Habs 1078261 Flyers rout Capitals 8-2 to win home opener 1078296 Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev more comfortable 1078262 Flyers notebook: Sean Couturier proving to be more than this season just a stopper 1078297 Leafs snap 14-game losing streak against Habs 1078263 Flyers notes, quotes and tidbits: Depth creates frivolous 1078298 Leafs' Fehr, Moore pushing each other numbers 1078299 Winnipeg Jets pick up third straight victory by edging 1078264 Flyers-Capitals thoughts: Can big boys change trend vs. Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 Washington in home opener? 1078300 Auston Matthews nets OT winner as Toronto Maple Leafs 1078265 Flyers eat up Capitals with 1982-like goal frenzy in edge Montreal Canadiens 4-3 home-opening treat 1078266 Flyers-Capitals observations: 3-goal 2nd sparks home- Vancouver Canucks opening rout 1078318 Canucks Game Day: Who's got better flow? And Edler is a 1078267 Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth not a platoon in Flyers goal no-go due to knee woe just yet 1078319 The Provies Peak PP, Attendance woes, Radio Wars and 1078268 Flyers vs. Capitals: 3 things to watch in Game 5 Reasons JV18 was Scratched 1078269 5 takeaways: Flyers’ self-proclaimed ‘Ginger Line’ learning 1078320 Flames 5, Canucks 2: Boeser's believers a burgeoning someone has to shoot bloc, Sedins a shadow of themselves 1078321 Pouliot gets his shot to find his game, slotting in for injured Pittsburgh Penguins Edler 1078270 Penguins discuss Sidney Crosby's otherworldly hand-eye coordination 1078271 Penguins bounce back with win over Panthers 1078301 Marc-Andre Fleury’s status uncertain after Knights goalie 1078272 Malkin, Kessel back together as Penguins prepare for misses practice Panthers 1078302 Golden Knights help Las Vegas hockey fans heal 1078273 Preview: Why not more excitement for Panthers 1078303 Northern California wildfires threaten Bill Foley’s winery 1078274 Penguins power play shows off its depth 1078304 Australian Nathan Walker latest symbol of hockey’s global 1078275 Murray on back-to-backs: ‘We have to be better’ Peter growth Diana/Post-Gazette 1078276 Penguins unconcerned with high number of shots allowed Washington Capitals against Florida 1078305 Capitals defenseman Madison Bowey will make his NHL 1078277 Sidney Crosby tips scales for Penguins in win over debut vs. Flyers Panthers 1078306 Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen placed on long-term injured reserve; Madison Bowey recalled San Jose Sharks 1078307 Flyers lay waste to depleted Capitals defense, roll to 8-2 1078278 Three things to know: Sharks’ DeBoer makes his opinion win of Islanders’ Tavares known 1078308 Capitals’ Niskanen placed on long-term injured reserve 1078279 Brent Burns geeks out over Jurassic World, which is 1078309 With Niskanen injured, Capitals recall one of their top awesomely nerdy of him prospects from Hershey 1078280 Sharks frustration continues in loss to Islanders 1078310 Game 6: Capitals at Flyers Date, Time, How to Watch, 1078281 Thomas Greiss stands tall as Islanders top Sharks Game Thread 1078282 John Tavares’ pending free agency needs more drama 1078311 Instant Analysis: Capitals blitzed by Flyers, served 1078283 Greiss strong in net as Islanders hand loss to Sharks lopsided road loss St Louis Blues 1078284 After a long day, Blais ready to go in NHL debut 1078285 Blues notebook: Blais goes cross-country to make NHL debut 1078286 Blues rally comes way too late 1078287 Lightning vs. Blues on 25th anniversary night 1078288 Lightning holds on to beat Blues 1078289 Joe Smith's takeaways from Saturday's Lightning-Blues game 1078290 Lightning journal: Nikita Kucherov sets franchise first for goals 1078291 Lightning's Alex Killorn: With consistent effort, points will come Websites 1078322 The Athletic / Why Auston Matthews’ start is even more impressive in Year 2 for the Leafs 1078323 The Athletic / The Penguins were far from perfect, but showed improvement by beating the Panthers 1078324 The Athletic / A hat trick of subplots from the Senators' blowout win over the Flames 1078325 The Athletic / Shannon Szabados' long, trail-blazing road has never been easy: ‘She always has to prove hersel 1078326 The Athletic / 20 Questions with Daniel Negreanu: On reading hands, the Vegas Golden Knights and Donald Trump 1078327 Sportsnet.ca / Matthews, Leafs end lengthy losing streak to Canadiens in style 1078328 Sportsnet.ca / UFC stars GSP, Bisping, Dana White drop puck at Leafs-Canadiens game 1078329 Sportsnet.ca / Leafs’ Connor Brown remains underrated among team’s flashy forwards 1078330 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers’ play not living up to supposed Cup-contender status 1078331 Sportsnet.ca / Struggling special teams cost Canucks in homestand finale 1078332 Sportsnet.ca / Moral victories not enough as Canadiens continue to slide 1078333 Sportsnet.ca / Ron and Don: McLellan’s ‘superstar’ comments should stay in room 1078334 Sportsnet.ca / NHL, NHLPA discussing possibility of scrapping all-star game 1078335 Sportsnet.ca / Bruins plan on re-signing, not trading captain Zdeno Chara 1078336 Sportsnet.ca / Hockey Canada to invite Jarome Iginla to play at Karjala Cup 1078337 TSN.CA / Leafs snap losing streak to Habs with Matthews' OT winner 1078338 TSN.CA / Matthews nets two as Leafs edge Habs in OT 1078339 TSN.CA / Injuries now overshadowing Edler’s Canucks career 1078340 TSN.CA / Leafs poised to end drought vs. Canadiens 1078341 Golden Knights continue to juggle competitiveness with long-term sustainability 1078342 Capitals put top defenseman Matt Niskanen on long-term injured reserve Winnipeg Jets 1078312 Home-ice victory for Jets over Hurricanes makes it three in a row after shaky start to season 1078313 Big Buff back on the ice tonight against Carolina 1078314 Hurricanes at Jets, Oct. 14 1078315 Byfuglien returns to Jets lineup 1078316 Jets' top Canes, winning streak hits three 1078317 Byfuglien a “force” in return to Jets lineup

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1078129 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks are getting pretty acquainted with the penalty box

Mike Coppinger

The Ducks can’t stay out of the penalty box. They incurred 16 penalty minutes in Friday’s 3-1 loss to the Avalanche in Colorado, with five minors in the first period. Four of those first-period penalties were slashing minors, keeping with the new league crackdown on stick infractions that “seem to be [intentional] or directed at the fingers and hands with greater force,” as new NHL head of player safety George Parros described it. The fifth was a penalty for too many men on the ice, and the Ducks received another two slashing penalties later in the game. penalty boxThe Ducks have scored first in a game only once, but even then, they were outshot 21-5 by the New York Islanders in the first period Wednesday. “Every time there’s new rules, there’s an adjustment part,” said center Antoine Vermette, who has eight penalty minutes and registered 93 with the Arizona Coyotes two seasons ago. “The biggest challenge … is on the defensive side if you battle for a puck, stick battles happen quite a bit. That’s where you have to be careful and adjust. “You’re used to [playing] one way, but you have no choice. You have to adjust. You want to play within the rules and put your best foot forward .” The Ducks rank second in the NHL in penalty kill time with 43 minutes 46 seconds, less than a minute behind the league-leading Washington Capitals, and rank first in first-period penalty kill time at 18:33. The Carolina Hurricanes have been forced to kill only 10:46 in penalties. Vermette says the Ducks haven’t adjusted quickly enough. %The Ducks have an 80.8% penalty kill rate, ranking 18th in the league. “Discipline has gotta be adhered to, specifically with the rules when they do change,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “And there’s a learning curve, but the learning curve should have taken place in training camp. “If you’re defending all the time, then you’re going to be forced to take penalties.” Goaltender John Gibson was sharp through four games but was dinged during warmups Friday and played only one period. It was No. 3 goalie Reto Berra who manned the crease for the remainder of the game as backup Ryan Miller remains on injured reserve. Carlyle wasn’t ready to rule Gibson out Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres after the goalie practiced Saturday, but termed his upper-body injury “day to day.” “It was a freak thing,” Carlyle said. “That’s what happens when you’re getting enough pucks thrown at you, usually there’s bumps and bruises somewhere along the line.”

LA Times: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078130 Anaheim Ducks appearances and no game action since an exhibition start against Arizona.

If Miller doesn’t suit up against the Sabres, it figures he would be ready Ducks must adjust to officials’ emphasis on slashing penalties when the Ducks resume play Friday against Montreal. “Very close,” Carlyle said. “I have to wait until he says yes.” By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 7:39 pm | UPDATED: October 14, Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.15.2017 2017 at 7:41 PM

ANAHEIM — Trends begin to emerge once a few games are played and the Ducks already have a troubling one they need to reverse. The easy place to look is an empty power play, but at some point they’ll get their first and others with the man advantage, if only by accident. The thing they can control and haven’t is their propensity to take penalties. To be specific, it is their tendency to commit slashing fouls. Under orders from NHL executives, the league’s referees have cracked down on the aggressive stick work by players to their opponents’ hands and sticks. More whistles are being blown and the Ducks are learning that the hard way. Twelve of the 27 minor penalties the Ducks have taken are for slashing. Nine have come in the last two games and six of those were committed in a particularly embarrassing display Thursday at Colorado. Looking back at a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche in which they allowed eight power plays, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle came away with conclusions that were obvious. “Discipline has got to be adhered to, especially to the rules when they do change,” Carlyle said. “And there is a learning curve. But the learning curve should have taken place during training camp. “The other issue, and I think it’s more important, is the amount of time we spent in our zone is probably the factor into how many penalties we drew. If you’re defending all the time, then you’re going to be forced to take penalties. And that’s really what happened in last night’s scenario.” The list of the guilty is long. Brandon Montour has two slashing minors, both coming Thursday. Rickard Rakell, Cam Fowler and Antoine Vermette each have two as well. Andrew Cogliano, Jared Boll, Corey Perry and Dennis Rasmussen have also served time for that infraction. Vermette sees the need to be stricter on the sticks to a player’s hands, which can and have caused broken bones and wrists that have put players out of the lineup. Changing one’s way to play – particularly to defend and forecheck – isn’t easy. “But at the end, you have no choice,” he said. “It’s an adjustment,” Vermette continued. “Obviously, if you have the puck more, then you expose yourself a little less. You’re receiving the game less. But you have to adjust. Every time they want to implement new rules, there’s an adjustment part. “Certainly you want to get that tuned in as quick as possible for sure.” The Ducks would realize shortly before their game against the Avalanche that Ryan Getzlaf would not play and the uncertainty over the center’s availability extends to Sunday’s contest against Buffalo. Getzlaf aggravated a lower-body injury that kept him out of the first two games. He didn’t practice Saturday and the Ducks could factor in the four days they have in between contests to allow their captain to get closer to ideal health. “We hope it does,” Carlyle said. Carlyle said he needed to get a report from the medical staff on Getzlaf to determine if there was a chance of him playing Sunday. The same applies to John Gibson and the possibility of him getting back in net. Gibson was hurt on a shot he took in the pre-game warm-up skate. It is believed to be in the hand or wrist area, which Carlyle would not confirm. He did not play beyond the first period after absorbing Colorado’s 19-shot barrage but was a full participant in Saturday’s workout. “It was unfortunate that it happened in warm-up and it was a freak thing,” Carlyle said. “That’s what happens when you’re getting enough pucks directed at you. Usually there’s bumps and bruises somewhere along the line.” MILLER TIME SOON? Ryan Miller is moving into position for officially dressing for the first time as a Ducks player. A wrist injury limited him to just two preseason 1078131 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes Game day: Louis Domingue to start vs. Boston Bruins

Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports Published 1:11 p.m. MTOct. 14, 2017

Bruins (1-2) vs. Coyotes (0-3-1) Puck drop: 6 p.m. TV/Radio: Fox Sports Arizona/KTAR-AM (620). Backup Louis Domingue will start in net for the Coyotes against the Bruins, a source said. “I gotta be better, and I gotta play with a swagger that I know I have because I’ve done the job in the league,” Domingue said. “I’ve played enough games to know that I belong here, so I gotta prove that I can do the job.” Winger Clayton Keller has a team-high three goals through four games. “He’s not scared,” coach said. “The goals he gets, he goes to the net. He’s got hit a few times. He bounces up. He’s got swagger. I really like him. He’s a good kid.” The Coyotes are the only team in the Western Conference that has yet to win a game this season. “We could easily be 3-1 right now,” defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “But at the same time, close enough is not good enough. So we’re going to have to work on some things and move forward. I think we’ve been doing some good things that we need to keep doing, and we have been doing some things that we need to clean up. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Arizona Republic LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078132 Arizona Coyotes In the third, the Coyotes pulled within 2 at 16:25 on the power play – a one-timer from Ekman-Larsson that gave him the most power-play goals by a defenseman in franchise history with 41. Winless Arizona Coyotes 'embarrassed' in blowout loss to Bruins But, like they did after the Coyotes’ first goal, the Bruins responded on the very next shift. Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports Published 8:53 p.m. MT Oct. 14, 2017 | This time, Domingue’s stop of a Danton Heinen shot popped out of his Updated 11:01 p.m. MT Oct. 14, 2017 glove and winger Tim Schaller deposited the loose puck behind Domingue only 23 seconds after Ekman-Larsson’s goal.

“I’m a goalie. I have to stop pucks,” said Domingue, who made 23 saves In stumbling through the first week of the season, the one thing the and boasts an .862 save percentage. “I’ve done it in the past. What’s Coyotes didn’t seem to lose was their perspective. going on? I don’t know. I’m going to look at the video, and I’m going to sit down with (goalie coach) Jon (Elkin) and talk about it and work harder. They were dismantled during an offseason overhaul, and synching the That’s all I can do.” pieces back together was going to take time. This reality didn’t stop them from expressing frustration when the deficits started to roll in, but it was With Ekman-Larsson in the box later in the third, the Bruins scored their served with a side of optimism – like their record could be inverted, they sixth on a backdoor one-timer from winger Anders Bjork into a yawning played well a certain period or the effort in practice the next day was cage with Domingue unable to slide over in time to defend the shot. spot-on. Boston went 2-for-3 on the power play, while Arizona was 1-for-3. Bruins backup Anton Khudobin made 29 saves. But after the Coyotes were schooled Saturday by the Bruins en route a 6- 2 meltdown at Gila River Arena that sealed the worst five-game start in “He has to be better,” Tocchet said of Domingue. “Everybody has to be franchise history with the team winless at 0-4-1, the mood changed. better, even myself, coaching staff. It obviously starts with me. I honestly thought these guys were ready to play. I don’t have an answer for why Suddenly, the spotlight remained on all that was wrong with the Coyotes. guys are pinching at the wrong time and stuff, but that’s something we’re going to straighten out.” “I’m embarrassed,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I apologize to the fans.” Tocchet offered up potential solutions, like bringing in new players, All of Arizona’s early season issues bubbled up into its most-lopsided intensifying practices, bag skates and even implementing a curfew, and it showing to date: The defense was downright porous at times, the offense didn’t sound like an overreaction. couldn’t sustain the momentum it generated and the goaltending was sporadic. Instead, it came across as a reminder of why he was brought in to lead this group – to revamp a culture that had gotten stale amid years of "Some guys want more than they're giving right now, and that's losing. something we gotta figure out quickly because we don't want this thing to spiral out of control," Tocchet said. “Listen, you don’t want to babysit players," Tocchet said, "but it’s gotta get harder around here." But the Coyotes aren’t just experiencing technical difficulties. Coach Rick Tocchet didn't sugarcoat where his team is at after perhaps It also looks like they’re struggling to adapt the fortitude Tocchet has its worst loss of the season. The Coyotes came close to snagging their identified as a must, with the team withering when the opposition first win Thursday but took a major step back Saturday, and Tocchet amplifies the intensity. Arizona has led in four of its five games but blew made everyone aware of that. It felt like the right tone to take; yes, this is leads of varying sizes each time. a rebuilding club and setbacks are expected. But sluggish efforts and “When pressure hits this team for some reason, adversity, they just forget bonafide mistakes aren't going to spark improvement. How the Coyotes where to go and then they just start running around,” Tocchet said. respond from this could go a long way in determining their identity and “That’s the dumbfounding thing for me is I don’t understand that.” how this season is remembered. Arizona played a competitive first period and opened the scoring with 4:29 to go when winger Mario Kempe deflected a blistering one-timer Arizona Republic LOADED: 10.15.2017 from winger Anthony Duclair for his first NHL goal. But on the game’s very next shot, the Bruins tied it. Defenseman Zdeno Chara’s one-timer grazed off winger David Pastrnak’s leg and by goalie Louis Domingue just 36 seconds after Kempe’s goal. The Bruins carried that momentum over to the second, scoring only 1:39 into the period on the power play when winger Jake DeBrusk tipped a David Krejci shot while Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers was in the box for hooking. “You look down the bench some guys are sucking wind,” Tocchet said. “I don’t understand that after last game why we’re sucking wind. Are we out of shape? I said that before. Is there anxiety when there’s pressure because sometimes when you get anxiety, you get tired. We’re just trying to put our finger on this.” Boston feasted on odd-man rushes in the second, and the team used the advantages to grow its lead. “The second period it was chaos,” Tocchet said. “That’s my fault. I thought I had them ready to go. A couple guys were loose, not getting the puck in deep. Some guys go off the grid.” At 5:03, Chara made it 3-1 when he put back his own rebound as the trailer to an earlier 2-on-1 and with 3:39 remaining in the period, winger Brad Marchand got behind defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski to skate in alone on Domingue before roofing a backhander in from almost the goal line. “I think it’s the 'D' making some bad decisions out there," Ekman-Larsson said. "At the same time, we don't have a third guy so we can't pinch down. So it's a team effort, I would say. We gotta be smarter." Ekman-Larsson was on the ice for three goals-against and is a team- worst minus-9 on the season. "Oliver's gotta play better," Tocchet said. "He’s gotta play better. Straight up. He's just gotta play better." 1078133 Arizona Coyotes couple guys aren’t playing well and they’ve got look at themselves right now. They really do.”

Tocchet on loss to Bruins: ‘I’m kind of embarrassed for the fans’ Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.15.2017

BY CRAIG MORGAN | OCTOBER 15, 2017 AT 12:38 AM UPDATED: OCTOBER 15, 2017 AT 12:39 AM

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Rick Tocchet earned a reputation as a stand-up guy in his 18 NHL seasons. He also earned a reputation as one of the game’s toughest players. Both character traits were on display after the Boston Bruins humbled the Coyotes 6-2 on Saturday at Gila River Arena. Boston blew open the game with three, second-period goals, dropping Arizona to 0-4-1, and squelching all that early-season excitement that was fueled by so much change. There were defensive breakdowns, mental lapses, lazy plays and lapses in effort that you can read about here. When Tocchet reached the podium to address reporters after the game, he had seen enough to take off the kid gloves with his young team. “I’m kind of embarrassed for the fans,” Tocchet said. “You don’t want to babysit players but it’s just got to get harder around here. Whether it’s harder practices, whether you want to put curfews, all that baby stuff. I hate doing that stuff but if that’s what it takes, we might have to do it. “Some coaches in the NHL, they skate the hell out of their guys and for whatever reason they come back the next night and they play well so maybe I’ve got to do that. Some guys want more than they’re giving right now and that’s something we’ve got to try to figure out quickly because we don’t want this thing to spiral out of control.” Tocchet was hired in great part for his communication skills. It is clearly frustrating him that his message, his teachings and his trust in his players’ accountability is not producing results. The Coyotes have played Tocchet’s push-it pace for stretches of every game this season. They haven’t sustained it in any of them. “I don’t know why we can do it for certain parts of the game, the system looks good, and all of the sudden it doesn’t,” Tocchet said. “When pressure hits this team, for some reason, adversity, they just forget where to go and they just start running around. That’s the dumfounding thing for me. I don’t understand that.” The Coyotes got off to a good start and grabbed a lead for the fourth time in five games when Mario Kempe redirected Anthony Duclair’s shot from the top of left circle past Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin at 15:31 of the first period. In keeping with a bad recent habit, the Coyotes allowed the Bruins to tie the game on the next shift when Zdeno Chara’s shot caromed off David Pastrnak at 16:07. Jake DeBrusk deflected David Krejci’s shot in at 1:39 of the second period to make it 2-1. The 6-foot-9 Chara somehow snuck to the deep slot undetected to knock in his own rebound at 5:03 to make it 3-1, and Marchand scored on a breakaway at 16:21 to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. On that play, Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was pinching at the blue line with the speedy and skilled Marchand behind him. “I was just trying to get the puck and that’s just the way it goes,” said Ekman-Larsson, who is a team-worst minus-9. “We’re down 3-1 so you kind of look for some good breaks and it goes that way instead. I was cheating a little bit. You have to give the guy credit. He knew I was going to do that.” Tocchet apologized to the fans for a second period he called “chaos,” with some players going “off the grid.” What it will take for the Coyotes to get back on the grid is a question Tocchet and his staff are still exploring. “We’ve got some young guys here and we’ve got some veterans here that have got off to a bad start and it seems like we’ve got to collectively get everybody together here and just chip away,” said Tocchet, who lumped Ekman-Larsson in with that group. “You look down the bench and some guys are sucking wind. I don’t understand, after the last game why we’re sucking wind. Are we out of shape? Is there anxiety when there’s pressure because sometimes when you get anxiety you get tired. We’re just trying to put our finger on this. “I don’t have an answer for why guys are pinching at the wrong time. But that’s something we’re going to straighten out. It just can’t continue this way. The leadership group’s got to kind of bunker down a little bit, too. A 1078134 Arizona Coyotes –The Bruins were without top-line center Patrice Bergeron (lower-body) on Saturday.

–Anton Khudobin was in net for Boston with Tuukka Rask as the backup. Arizona Coyotes remain winless after falling to Boston Bruins Khudobin stopped 29 of the 31 shots he saw. –In the next game he plays, Ekman-Larsson will play his 500th game, BY MATT LAYMAN becoming the sixth defenseman in franchise history to do so. OCTOBER 14, 2017 AT 9:57 PM Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.15.2017 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Two days after playing what was perhaps their best game of the young season in a contest against the Detroit Red Wings, the Coyotes were dealt a tough loss at home to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, 6-2. The Coyotes (0-4-1) remain winless to start the year. “The first period was pretty good too,” head coach Rick Tocchet said, alluding to his team’s competitive outing the game before. “We had a 1-0 lead, they come right back and score. And then in the second period, it was chaos. And that’s my fault. I thought I had them ready to go. “I’m embarrassed, I apologize to the fans on this one because that second period was not good.” The Coyotes scored the game’s first goal, doing so for the fourth time in their five games this season. This time, it was Mario Kempe, who deflected a hard shot by Anthony Duclair taken from the top of the right circle. Kempe’s goal was the first of his NHL career, and it was 1-0 Arizona at 15:31 in the first. But the Bruins answered right back, as just 36 seconds later, David Pastrnak scored for Boston to knot things up 1-1. Two goals from Boston in the beginning stages of the second period quickly made it 3-1, the first from Jake DeBrusk on a deflection (1:39) and the second from Zdeno Chara in front (5:03). The Coyotes, leading in shots on goal, were in search of a comeback. Instead, Boston left wing Brad Marchand found himself all alone on a breakaway toward Domingue, and sent the puck off the roof of the goal at 16:21 in the second to make it 4-1 Boston. “I don’t know why we can (play well) for certain parts of the game. The system looks good, and then all of a sudden, it doesn’t,” Tocchet said. “When pressure hits this team, for some reason, adversity, they just forget where to go and they just start running around. That’s the dumbfounded thing for me — I don’t understand that.” In the third period, Oliver Ekman-Larsson put one home at 16:25 to cut the Coyotes’ deficit to 4-2. But, yet again, Boston answered right back — this time from Tim Schaller, 23 seconds after the goal by Ekman- Larsson. From there, a goal by Anders Bjork added a sixth Boston goal for good measure, the final tally of the game to make it 6-2 Boston. THE GOOD –In the first period, the Coyotes pressured the Bruins and were the speedier team for much of the opening portion of the game. Even after killing a power play, Arizona led shots on goal 5-2 at the 6:50 mark in the game and 10-8 after a period. –Ekman-Larsson’s third-period tally was the 41st power play goal of his career, giving him the all-time franchise lead in that category. –The Coyotes led shots on goal, 31 to 29. THE BAD –The Coyotes have led in four of the five games they’ve played. Their one game without a lead was the Vegas Golden Knights’ own home opener at T-Mobile Arena. –Domingue stopped 23 of the 29 shots he faced, filling in as the starter while Antti Raanta recovers from a lower-body injury. His save percentage on the year has fallen to .862 through four games (three starts). “I don’t have much a message, really,” Domingue said. “I don’t have an explanation for the how the team plays. It’s not my job to wonder what we do good or bad — I’ve just got to be better. It’s just me. Focus on getting better, and that’s it.” LOOSE PUCKS 1078135 Arizona Coyotes

Officially speaking, it’s Arizona Coyotes, not Phoenix

BY CRAIG MORGAN | OCTOBER 14, 2017 AT 5:45 PM UPDATED: OCTOBER 14, 2017 AT 5:49 PM

Maybe you have noticed a common slip of the tongue by NHL referees when announcing penalties on the Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Maybe you have voiced your displeasure about this mistake on social media or from the stands. “Hey ref: It’s Arizona! It has been since the 2014-15 season.” Maybe you have dreamed a similar dream to Five For Howling managing editor Sarah Hall’s. Every time the referee says “Phoenix” instead of “Arizona” when announcing a penalty, a dollar goes in a jar for the Coyotes’ marketing budget. “Our guys have been getting better at it but our priority is calling the game, not announcing it,” said Stephen Walkom, the NHL’s vice president and director of officiating. “The average fan is probably thinking, ‘if they can’t get our name right, how are they supposed to call the game fair,’ but there is certainly no malice on our part. It’s not a conscious thing. It just goes to show you that old habits die hard.” The Minnesota Wild, the Colorado Avalanche, the Florida Panthers and the New Jersey Devils also use a state instead of a city in front of their nickname. The New York Rangers’ and New York Islanders’ first name is both a state and a city, and the Carolina Hurricanes appear to be pushing the dream of north-south unification. None of those teams, however, has changed its first name since arriving in its current destination. The Coyotes changed their first name in an effort to embrace the entire state of Arizona and grow the game here in the desert. NHL officials know that change was made. Walkom, who was open, affable and hilarious in a brief interview Friday, said he sends memos reminding officials when they get it wrong. “We’re going to get better at it because we can’t get any worse at it,” he quipped. “We tell them ‘just think like a Canadian when they get to the mic. Think, ‘eh,’ like ‘A’ for Arizona.’ There are far greater issues facing the league and the local team, which is off to an 0-3-1 start, but Coyotes fans consider this a matter of basic respect. “You expect the refs to stay updated on the rules; they should be able to stay updated on the team names,” said Litchfield Park resident Trey Terry, a Coyotes season ticket holder. “No one still calls the Arizona Cardinals “Phoenix” or the Brooklyn Nets “New Jersey.” It’s not as confusing as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim becoming the Los Angeles Angels.” “I feel annoyed and disrespected,” added Mammoth, Arizona resident and Coyotes fan Claudia Rash. “That’s not our name any more. Get with the times, zebras.”

Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078136 Boston Bruins The Coyotes, with only one win in their first four games, finally opened the scoring at 15:31 when Mario Kempe connected during a delayed- penalty call. Stationed near the top of the right-wing circle, Anthony Zdeno Chara, Bruins chase away Coyotes Duclair put the hammer down with a one-time slapper on a cross-slot feed from veteran backliner Luke Schnenn and Kempe provided the tip

Unlike Wednesday night in Denver, the Bruins were quick to answer, By Kevin Paul Dupont compliments of a Chara one-timer launched form the outer edge of the right wing circle. Dave Pastrnak, camped in front, watched Chara’s GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 15, 2017 screaming shot ricochet by goalie Louis Domingue for the equalizer. Similar to Wednesday night in Colorado, it was a three-goal outburst that blew it open. But this time, the Bruins scored the three goals. GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nothing restores confidence like scoring, and the Bruins did plenty of that Saturday night, following up their night of slip- DeBrusk, showing his most confidence thus far, broke the 1-1 deadlock and-fall-and-fall-again Wednesday in Denver with a convincing 6-2 at 1:39 of the second, working the front of the net on a power play. Krejci smackdown of the Coyotes at Gila River Arena. ripped off a no-look feed from Charlie McAvoy and DeBrusk, cutting right- left through the slot, reached forward and tipped it by Domingue. Paced by their veteran core players, including a rare 3-point night by team captain Zdeno Chara — their 40-year-old in Brady Fellow in Chara was instrumental on the next strike, too, when he rimmed a puck Residence — the Bruins evened their season at 2-2-0 and shook off the up the left wing, where a streaking Marchand took possession near the doldrums of two straight humbling losses to the lowly Colorado red line. Barreling down the left side, Marchand finished off the highlight- Avalanche. reel goal by swooping toward the right post and lifting a textbook backhander to the top shelf. Chara’s 1-2—3 night tied his career high for points in a regular-season game (something he has now done only 14 times in his 20 NHL The Marchand goal gave them back some swagger. seasons). Four other Bruins had 2-point nights, including a a goal and assist by Brad Marchand that had the L’il Ball o’Hate connecting for the “A lot of positives tonight, said Chara. “Good energy. We created a lot of 4-1 lead late in the second period on a highlight-reel backhand lift to the chance and we capitalized on a lot of them. top shelf. So good even ESPN will have to show it, albeit perhaps under court order. “The W’s always good,” said Khudobin, who relieved Rask for the third Boston Globe LOADED: 10.15.2017 period in Denver, taking over with the Bruins trailing, 4-1. “Doesn’t matter if the score is 8-6 or 8-7, if you win, it’s a win. Nobody talks about losers, everyone talks about winners, right? “If you win, you are on the horse. If you don’t, you’re under it.” Until DeBrusk’s goal, the Bruins hadn’t led in a game since opening night, Oct. 5, vs. Nashville. They were rubbed out, 4-0, Monday vs. the Avalanche, then smoked, 6-3 in Denver. The DeBrusk strike, a tip off a David Krejci one-timer, ended a streak of 141:39 in which the Bruins either trailed or were tied. “We got going late in the first, and in the second I thought we did a really good job winning pucks,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “And we started our transition game with simple rims and battles . . . instead of trying to make a lot of plays, let’s just get it out of our game in a hurry.” The improved execution eliminated the costly boo-boos that three nights earlier kept handing the Avs prime scoring opportunities, repeatedly leaving Rask vulnerable to Grade-A sirloin chances. With the back end and neutral zone far better managed, and the Coyotes making the mistakes, the Bruins put it away with three goals in the second — goals by DeBrusk, Chara, and Marchand. The Chara goal, his first this year, had the Trencin Tower uncharacteristically swooping down the slot off the rush. Marchand fed him form the right circle and Chara put away his own rebound for the 3-1 lead. “Obviously, a big, big win for us,” said Chara, whose only 4-point career game came in the 2013 playoffs when he put up four assists vs. the Leafs. “Our job as veterans is to pull a good share of the load and we got that. Obviously, the younger group of players stepped up as well.” The night for Bruins Youth included Anders Bjork’s first career goal, a power-play snipe that provided the 6-2 final. It likely won‘t be the most meaningful goal of the 21-year-old’s career, but memorable nonetheless. “Definitely felt good,” said Bjork, the former Notre Dame standout. “Nice to see it on the power play, too, because we haven’t been great on there. So hopefully we’ll continue that success.” Danton Heinen, recalled Tuesday from AHL Providence, chipped in with two assists, helping to add to the profile of his fourth line with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly. Schaller also had a goal, the trio finishing the night with a combined 1-3—4 line. It was, however, another slow start for the Bruins. They needed nearly five minutes before DeBrusk landed their first shot of the night. Friday’s practice had Cassidy talking about urgency, particularly in the first period, but it was another lethargic opening for the Black and Gold. “We eventually found our game in the first period,” said Cassidy. “Neither team generated a lot, and that was OK for us. There’s a lot of nights you want to go out and set the tempo. I think tonight was about, ‘Let’s be stingy.’ The last two games, we hadn’t been of that mind-set.” 1078137 Boston Bruins Miller, another former first-round pick, has yet to collect a point in his four games with the Knights. He was clipped off the Boston roster in the June expansion draft. Miller logged 16 minutes 58 seconds of ice time in the 6- Anton Khudobin wins first start of season 3 loss to the Wings, 2:19 of which was on the power play. Smith, dealt to Florida in the deal in which the Bruins added Hayes (and dumped Marc Savard’s salary) has picked up but two assists in his four By Kevin Paul Dupont games with the Knights. GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 14, 2017 White in play? If the Bruins finish the road trip Sunday without feeling confident in their offensive pop, it will play in favor of Ryan White getting signed, perhaps GLENDALE, Ariz. — Anton Khudobin, stopper. as early as Monday. After two miserable performances against the Colorado Avalanche, the “I’ve been doing a little digging around, talking to people I know in the Bruins turned to Affable Anton at Gila River Arena on Saturday night to business,” said Cassidy, checking on White’s background, “and they’ve stop their early season slide. all been positive reports.” He turned back 29 shots Saturday as the Bruins won, 6-2, over the With the likes of veterans Bergeron and David Backes sidelined, and Coyotes. Dominic Moore not brought back, the Bruins brought in the 29-year-old free agent last week on a PTO (tryout) offer. He has skated well, albeit “We need good games out of that position, from our starter and backup,” only in practices, convincing the staff that he can keep up with the pace said coach Bruce Cassidy, his squad outscored, 10-3, in the home-and- of play. home losses to the Avalanche. “Especially on a road trip, you like to get off on the right foot, which we didn’t.” “To look at out team, to look at him, and see if there is a fit,” said Cassidy. Khudobin, who finished last season with a flourish after struggling through much of 2016-17, took over for Rask Wednesday in Denver after Vatrano would be especially vulnerable to a White signing. Beleskey is two periods. He made a pair of sparkling saves 13 seconds apart late in somewhat guaranteed a roster spot, due to his annual $3.8 million the third period, after the Bruins scored twice cut the Avs’ lead to 4-3. payout over the next three seasons. The home team later scored a pair of empty-netters.

“He’s been good for us so far,” Cassidy said prior to Khudobin’s first start of the season, “so I don’t know why that would change.” Boston Globe LOADED: 10.15.2017 In search of a third-line spark, Cassidy pulled Frank Vatrano (three games: 0-0—0) and inserted the versatile Austin Czarnik, who plays center and wing. Czarnik opened the night on right wing, opposite Matt Beleskey, with Ryan Spooner in the middle. He saw 10:42 of ice time, but failed to add to the scoresheet. “We had [Riley] Nash up around 22 minutes the other night, and I think that’s a lot of work for him,” said Cassidy, who has Nash filling in as first- line center for the injured Patrice Bergeron. “So we might have to find a way to share those minutes at times if we are going to be in the penalty box.” Cassidy viewed the move as “a bit of a shakeup,” aimed at squeezing some offensive production out of the line. The dead start for the trio has been reminiscent of last season’s anemic Zero Sum Line that had Nash flanked by Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes. “Maybe Zarnie’s the answer,” said Cassidy, referring to Czarnik. “He had a good training camp and played well the other night when we put him in — so there’s some positives there. And we do want to create some competition when things aren’t going well.” With Bergeron out again with an undisclosed lower-body injury, the odds point to the veteran center not being in the lineup Sunday for the trip wrap in Las Vegas. “I don’t want to rule him out, because to me, if he’s ready, he’s going in,” said Cassidy. “He’d still have three days to rest till the next one [Thursday night at TD Garden vs. Vancouver]. But it’s not my call. At the end of the day, it’s between him and the training staff.” Ideally, stressed Cassidy, an injured player would have the benefit of at last one day’s full practice before returning to the lineup. With the game in Vegas on Sunday not allowing a full skate, Bergeron would not have that benefit. “I feel he’s getting closer; he skated this morning and felt better,” said Cassidy. The Bruins will play in Las Vegas for the first time on Sunday (7:05 p.m.), with ex-Black-and-Golders Colin Miller, Malcolm Subban, and Reilly Smith in uniform for the Golden Knights. Subban, lost to Vegas via waivers on the eve of the season, has yet to play and is expected again to back up Marc-Andre Fleury, the former Penguin starter who could make as many as 70 starts this season. Fleury was run by mammoth Detroit winger Anthony Mantha (6 feet 5 inches, 225 pounds) in the Knights’ first loss Friday night, but he did not come out of the game. Subban, a former first-round pick, played well in the preseason for the Bruins and improved his profile enough that the Knights felt it worth taking him and then dealing Calvin Pickard to the Leafs. 1078138 Boston Bruins Entering the game vs. the Bruins, he had 4 points (3-1—4) in his first four games this season. In today’s NHL, if Keller can maintain a point-per- game pace over a full season, McAvoy might need a Drew Doughty-like Young pups Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy lead NHL’s rookie pack season to deny him the Calder Trophy. Even Doughty, the beast of the LA back line, who some believe McAvoy’s game best emulates, did not win the Calder in his rookie season. By Kevin Paul Dupont “I was lucky to coach [Sidney] Crosby,” said Tocchet, hired away from the Penguins coaching staff over the summer. “I’m not going to compare GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 14, 2017 him to Crosby, but he gets the puck in the corner and his heart rate goes down. He doesn’t throw pucks away. He can find the good ice and make

a play or he can hold it. In today’s game, with the rules, if you’ve got the GLENDALE, Ariz. — Clayton Keller walked by the Bruins’ dressing room skill to do that, you can be a pretty darned good player in this league.” Friday afternoon at Gila River Arena and Bruce Cassidy was caught a The Bruins covet McAvoy (6 feet, 205 pounds) as a puckhandler, too, a little short: For all there is to like about the Coyotes’ dazzling rookie, strong skater who can help push a play out of the defensive zone or be there’s not a lot to see. an attack factor over the offensive blue line. Torey Krug currently is On a good day, when his Dr. Scholl’s skating inserts are fresh out of the Cassidy’s first option as a point man on the power play, but McAvoy ran wrapper, Keller is 5 feet 10 inches tall. A generous and extremely elusive the advantage at BU, and he’ll have ample chance to challenge Krug for 5-10. No. 1 PP duty this season. “You see the stuff he can do out there against men,” said the admiring “The World Juniors, he was on the ice the whole time,” said Tocchet, Bruins’ coach. “So good for him. He’s good for the game of hockey.” complimenting McAvoy’s play. “And I followed him last year in the playoffs. He’s a good player, a really good player. What is he, 19 years The Terriers’ Frozen Four dream fell short at the end of March, and old? A very good player, the future of the Bruins, for sure. And a very within days Keller, a freshman, and McAvoy, a sophomore, left Comm. good player now.” Ave. to begin their pro careers. Now, with a combined 16 NHL games that counted prior to Saturday, the two 19-year-olds top most every Keller and McAvoy say they’re best pals, a relationship that began in pundit’s list of favorites for this season’s rookie of the year award. their time together with the NTDP, then picked up again on Comm. Ave. Keller opted for BU over playing major junior at Windsor (OHL), not so “Don’t make me pick,” said BU coach David Quinn, understandably torn much because McAvoy was a Terrier, he said, but because of BU’s long when asked which of the two might have the edge in the race. “You’re tradition of being an NHL pipeline for US players. asking me which kid I like the most. Honestly, it’s so close . . . I wouldn’t be surprised if either one of them won it, and I am not being a fence- “Three years ago, we were watching NHL games together,” said Keller, sitter. It’s a tough one.” thinking back to his time with McAvoy at Ann Arbor, Mich.,home of the NTDP, “and now it’s pretty cool to see we are both playing in the NHL Keller, who grew up in St. Louis, is a fast, devilishly shifty, and and playing against each other.” surprisingly strong forward who can play center and wing. Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, the former Bruins winger, has him playing at right wing on Keller and McAvoy, only some six months removed from jumping the a No. 1 line with Max Domi and Derek Stepan, the ex-Ranger whom the Terrier bus for roadies to Durham, N.H., and Burlington, Vt., met up for Desert Dogs hope can be their franchise pivot. dinner Friday night here in the desert. Quinn praised Keller’s resiliency and toughness, the very same traits that “I love that kid, one of my best friends,” said a beaming McAvoy, who have impressed Tocchet. earlier on this road trip made a point of finding a TV to watch the Coyotes play Vegas to catch a glimpse of his old pal. “It looks like he’s going to be “He’s not scared,” said Tocchet, 53, a feisty and pugnacious character an integral part of that offense, which is so awesome to see.” the moment he broke in with the Flyers as a 20-year-old. “The goals he gets, he goes to the net. Gets hit, bounces back up. He’s got swagger. I Initial comparisons between Keller and the likes of Johnny Gaudreau (ex really like him. Good kid. Asking questions. He’s on the bench and he’s of BC) and Patrick Kane, two of the game’s premier wingers, said always looking back at me — he wants on the ice.” McAvoy, are not unfounded. McAvoy, from Long Island, also rates high in the swagger quotient, “You look at their mold,” said McAvoy, “that small, lefty, skilled player . . . though his play from the blue line is not yet as bold as Keller’s, in part very shifty, agile . . . good shot, good hands. I think the three of them are because of their distinctly different job descriptions. from that same mold.” Keller is out there to fill the net, while McAvoy, chosen 14th to Keller’s Over the summer, McAvoy and Keller met up on the Cape, training seventh in the 2016 amateur draft, is still charged first and foremost with together for a week with other NHL players, and to play a round of golf. keeping the net from being filled. Cassidy has him paired most nights “Charlie’s one of the funniest guys I know,” said Keller, kidding over his with Kevan Miller, a rockjawed stay-at-home partner who, as time goes pal’s lack of prowess on the links. “Tell him he’s not the best golfer. on, should allow McAvoy to engage more frequently and boldly in the Sometimes he’ll miss the ball off the tee, then next time hit it pretty good.” attack. “Oh, man, I don’t even want to get into that one,” said a smiling McAvoy. “Different people,” noted Quinn, speaking more to the personality of his “He gave some pointers, so maybe I got a little better. But I can’t play at former charges. “Clayton is a little quieter. Charlie, when he walks in a his level.” room, he kinda owns it just because of his gregarious personality. Clayton is a little quieter with a great wit about him and it probably takes Asked which of the two drove their old college coach crazier, McAvoy him a little longer to be the presence Charlie is, but they are both great was quick to say that it was “whole group effort”, including himself, Keller kids and fun to be around.” and Jordan Greenway, a Minnesota draft pick now playing his third season at BU, On the ice, Keller has already proven a bold cup of espresso piccolo, albeit with Saturday night only his eighth NHL game. He potted two goals “Charlie would be correct!” said Quinn when apprised of McAvoy’s in a loss Thursday to the Red Wings, with enough chances, said appraisal. Tocchet, that he might have scored at least two more. Although Keller begged to differ. “A consistent guy,” said Tocchet, “a kid that gets it.” “I think McAvoy had a few 6 a.m. workouts last year,” recalled Keller, Keller’s composure with the puck, particularly in high-traffic, high- noting Quinn’s early-bird drills for those who require a touch of, let’s say, opportunity areas, has long been one of his top skills, dating to when he discipline in their game. “Luckily, I only had one.” and McAvoy were US National Team Development Program teammates. Thus far, the NHL’s faster pace of play hasn’t caused him to panic in In six months, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association will tally its those areas, allowing him to keep creating chances. votes for the Calder. McAvoy and Keller most likely will be in most of the writers’ 1-2-3 order, focused not on their early-morning workouts, but how “I’ve always had confidence in myself, no matter what anyone else says,” they play at night. said Keller. “As long as I put in the work, I think good things will happen. I am a pretty fast skater and speed is a huge part of my game. At first the speed was an adjustment, but after a few games you know how fast every night is.” Boston Globe LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078139 Boston Bruins ■ It is no secret that Kessel’s reputation among some of his former coaches is not high. Wilson acknowledged Kessel was on his “[expletive] list.” Julien didn’t think much of Kessel’s work ethic in Boston. Kessel ‘Behind the Benches’ is a good reminder that there is no NHL coaching never played a game for Babcock in Toronto, and probably for good template reason. The Leafs traded the ex-Bruin to Pittsburgh on July 1, 2015, less than two months after Babcock signed an eight-year, $50 million deal. “As soon as you know they’re in the way of progress, you move them,” Babcock said. “Period. No matter what the cost.” Babcock was not By Fluto Shinzawa speaking about Kessel. But it’s doubtful the two would have worked well together. GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 14, 2017 ■ Every coach loves players who contribute in ways that don’t

necessarily lead to goals and assists. Think of a defensive-zone faceoff Listen to recent episodes of the Boston Globe’s Season Ticket podcast. win late in a game, a blocked shot, taking a hit to clear the puck. When Bylsma was in Pittsburgh, the Penguins kept score of such instances. Years of torturing had gotten to Vincent Lecavalier. During a team meeting in Carolina, Tampa Bay’s No. 1 center turned to his tormentor ■ Coaches can make their most significant impacts off the ice. Hartley and blew out what been bubbling inside. It did not matter that Lecavalier experienced tragedy in Atlanta when Dan Snyder died in a car crash. was addressing his boss in front of every teammate. During Snyder’s hospitalization, Hartley and his wife brought meals so his player’s family would not have to eat hospital food. Hartley was He had to say it. attending an Atlanta Braves game when Snyder’s mother called the coach with the news that her son had died. Years later in Calgary, , one of Concord’s most flammable products since the Hartley recognized that Micheal Ferland needed help with his alcoholism. Revolutionary War, had been wondering when Lecavalier would fire “I told Ferly, ‘I already saw one of my players buried, I don’t need a back. Tortorella loved it. second. We’re here to help you,’ ” Hartley said. “Ferly started to break “It was a three- or four-year process of battling with these guys,” said up. Cried like a baby. He came around my desk, gave me a hug, and author Craig Custance. “There’d be times he’d create conflict when it said, ‘Please, help me. I don’t know what to do.’ ” Under Glen Gulutzan, wasn’t there. He thought it was good to have it out there. With Vinny, Hartley’s successor, the 25-year-old Ferland has most recently been they’d have private meetings. It wasn’t until they started publicly battling riding on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. in front of the team that they made progress.” ■ Players feed off their coaches. Sullivan was crushed after Pittsburgh Tortorella’s button-pushing and Lecavalier’s boil-over moment are part of lost to San Jose at home in Game 5 of the Cup Final in 2016. Sullivan one of the anecdotes Custance chronicles in “Behind the Bench: Inside was worried about Game 6 because of the travel to San Jose, how the the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches.” The book profiles 10 current Sharks gained momentum, and whether the Penguins would doubt or former NHL coaches: Tortorella, Dan Bylsma, Ron Wilson, Mike themselves after losing the chance to win the Cup at home. Sullivan, Babcock, Bob Hartley, Todd McLellan, Mike Sullivan, Joel Quenneville, however, could not afford to show any cracks. Tortorella, his former boss, Ken Hitchcock, and Claude Julien. reminded him of this in a phone call. “When you get on that plane today, you’d better have your chest puffed out and be as confident as you can Custance used game film with each coach as the entry point to initiate be,” Tortorella told Sullivan. “They’re taking cues off you today. Is it going feedback, analysis, and reflection. Custance watched Game 7 of the to be panic by the coaches? Or is it going to be, ‘[Expletive] it. Let’s just 2011 Stanley Cup Final with Julien at Warrior Ice Arena in his final go down there and get it done. We know we’re better. We know we season as Bruins coach. With Sullivan, Custance reviewed Game 6 of played better.’ ” The Penguins won Game 6 and Sullivan lifted the Cup. the 2016 Final, the first of two Cups the Marshfield native has won. Mike Babcock could have stayed in Detroit. But Babcock believes good In every case, the film served as the station from which the conversation work is possible under uncomfortable circumstances. So he accepted the pulled away, regularly rumbling down different tracks. Custance watched unknown in Toronto. This had an effect on author Craig Custance. the same game with Babcock and Wilson: the 2010 Olympic gold medal match. Wilson, the American coach, repeatedly jabbed Phil Kessel, who “I’ve been very risk-averse in my career,” said Custance. “It definitely also played for him in Toronto. Babcock, Canada’s boss, reviewed the changed me in this two-year process. Babs talked about being game and scribbled notes to use for his upcoming training camp in uncomfortable. You do your best work when you’re stressed and you’re Toronto. doing something you’ve never done before.” It is a good reminder that there is no NHL coaching template. These men When Custance started to research his book, “Behind the Bench: Inside may seem like they’ve come off the factory line with X’s and O’s in their the Minds of Hockey’s Greatest Coaches,” he was working for ESPN. heads and frowns on their faces. In reality, they are human. Since its release, Custance has moved to The Athletic, the digital sports publication with particular robustness in hockey. As editor-in-chief of The Julien comes from a family of roofers. Hartley worked in a windshield Athletic’s Detroit bureau, Custance produces Red Wings copy while factory before he got his first job as a junior coach. McLellan landed his overseeing the city’s coverage of the Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Michigan first gig in North Battleford, , by answering a want ad in the Wolverines, and Michigan State Spartans. Saskatoon StarPhoenix. In the NHL, The Athletic has planted flags in all seven Canadian cities. It Their drive is what separates them from others. covers eight US franchises. Coverage of more teams is coming, including the Bruins. The trick The Athletic is trying to turn is convincing readers to “They have this obsession for the next thing that’s happening that I don’t pay for its coverage: $7.99 on a monthly plan, or $3.99 per month on an know if regular people have,” Custance said. “We’re talking about these annual subscription. great moments. Bob Hartley mentions a great series clincher in Colorado, but there’s zero celebration. They ordered pizzas and pulled “I don’t know what model is going to solve it,” Custance said of the an all-nighter in the coaches’ office preparing for the next round. It’s what divergent strategies media companies are taking. “What I do know is makes these guys great. They’re constantly preparing for the next thing. people will pay for online content. That’s exciting for me.” Babcock is interesting because when he’s doing speeches, which is what he does in the offseason for companies, he’ll try to learn from some CEO The Athletic is leaning on subscribers to foot the bill. Online, subscribers of a company and import that to the Maple Leafs. There’s this constant are more important than advertisers. Think of the last time you clicked on effort to improve and to prepare for the next game. They’re worriers on an ad, to say nothing of purchased the product being advertised. It’s not some level. If it’s a job security thing or what, I don’t know. The great sustainable for publishers. They’re hoping subscribers are a different ones don’t rest on their accomplishments.” story. Some highlights: Locally, ex-Globe employee Greg Bedard is betting on readers. Boston Sports Journal, which Bedard launched this year, has a monthly plan of ■ Things did not end well for Tortorella and Sullivan in Vancouver. The $4.99, or $2.92 per month on an annual subscription. beginning of their end was Tortorella’s 15-day suspension for trying to enter Calgary’s dressing room. They were dismissed after 2013-14. Custance was secure in his previous gig. ESPN retained his services During their unemployment, Tortorella and Sullivan studied analytics by despite saying goodbye to Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun, and Joe tracking every even-strength goal around the league and how it was McDonald in April. But Custance jumped to The Athletic. Its stable varies scored. Tortorella tracked the Bruins. He believed, given Julien’s grind-it- from ex-newspaper writers (Aaron Portzline, Michael Russo, Jeremy out reputation, the Bruins created offense by working the corners. Rutherford) to former team employees (Justin Bourne, Tyler Dellow). Tortorella was surprised to learn how many goals the Bruins scored off According to Custance, the company’s mission is to serve readers the rush. Coaches don’t always have the right answers. differently, via long-form pieces or analytics-driven stories. “I was doing a job I knew and knew how to do,” Custance said. “I knew East teams are exploring individual deals with NESN and ESPN3 for what the expectations were. I had an offer from a company that had just game coverage. been created. I’d be interviewing, hiring, managing a staff. I didn’t know how to do all that. I tended to take safer decisions. In the middle of the Loose pucks process of writing this book, on some level, that was impacted.” New Jersey, St. Louis, Toronto, and Vegas started the season with three ETC. straight wins. Since 2005-06, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, 54 teams began their years with three straight victories. Thirty-eight of those If there is any doubt to the layers of thinking coaches perform, consider teams made the playoffs . . . Lelands is auctioning a 1966 Topps USA the method in which Bruce Cassidy assembled his No. 2 power-play unit Test Bobby Orr rookie card. As of Thursday, the high bid was $25,939. for Game No. 2 against Colorado. Bidding ends on Oct. 27 . . . Full credit to Nikita Zadorov for taking on Adam McQuaid, one of the league’s toughest fighters. Zadorov took The Bruins were down two of their regular right-shot power-play men in exception to McQuaid’s dumping of Tyson Jost in Thursday’s 6-3 Patrice Bergeron and David Backes. Cassidy promoted David Krejci, a Colorado win. Zadorov had four career fights. He is 6 feet 5 inches and regular on the No. 2 unit, to replace Bergeron as the bumper on PP1. 230 pounds. But fighting McQuaid, who has worn a shield the last two It left Cassidy with four left-shot forwards, all wings, on the second unit to seasons, is a tough ask for anyone . . . Starting on Oct. 15, ESPN On skate with Charlie McAvoy. Nothing was ideal about the formation, from Demand will carry “College Hockey Nation,” a half-hour bi-weekly show the preponderance of left sticks to the absence of a draw man. looking at stories around college hockey. The first episode will include a profile of Arizona State goalie Joey Daccord. The 21-year-old North But to Cassidy, part of the decision centered on Riley Nash. Andover native, son of former Bruins goaltending coach Brian Daccord, was drafted by Ottawa in the seventh round in 2015 . . . Alex Galchenyuk Cassidy used Nash in Bergeron’s spot in the season opener. But Cassidy has spent part of the early season parked on Montreal’s fourth line. The considered several things when making the switch. The Bruins were skilled left-shot forward will really know he’s in the doghouse if Claude whistled six times, including three slashing minors, for 15 penalty Julien addresses him as “Spoons.” minutes. Nash, Bergeron, and Backes, all right shots capable of taking draws, are regular members of the penalty-killing rotation. The unavailability of Bergeron and Backes left Nash as the primary right-shot killer. Boston Globe LOADED: 10.15.2017 Cassidy also recognized that Krejci, who started the season hot and healthy, needed his power-play touches. So Nash came off the power play. Krejci went up one unit. Four lefties manned the second: Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Beleskey, and Frank Vatrano. In some sense, Cassidy worked backward, starting with Nash on the kill, to come to his power-play conclusion. “Nash is a big part of our penalty kill,” Cassidy said. “Without Backs and Bergy, it becomes more important to shut down guys. There’s a lot of responsibility on him. But that could be a switch we could make easily. There is no centerman, so if we start the power play and the draw’s on that side of the ice, that’s where you might see a Nash move back in the bumper spot.” The four-lefty unit made it through one power play before Cassidy chucked it. By the Bruins’ third power play of Game No. 2, Cassidy put Nash back in Bergeron’s spot on the first unit. He dropped Krejci to the second group and yanked Beleskey off it. For all that thought and preparation, the experiment didn’t even last one game. Wild start shorthanded The Wild only made it through their season opener before rolling a shorthanded lineup. Zach Parise, out with a back injury, was joined on the sidelines by Mikael Granlund (groin) following the Wild’s 4-2 opening loss to Detroit. Because the Wild are up against the salary cap, it forced them to dress only 11 forwards for their next two games against Carolina and Chicago. Coach Bruce Boudreau went with seven defensemen, but rolled mostly three lines. Neither Granlund nor Parise is expected to be out long enough for the Wild to use long-term injury exceptions to exceed the cap by either of their average annual values. Matheson raises the bar By the time Mike Matheson agreed to his eight-year, $39 million second contract, the ex-Boston College defenseman had just 85 games of NHL experience. That’s just one full season: 7-10—17, 21:03 average ice time in 81 games last year. Matheson was a good five-on-five and penalty- killing defenseman, not as flashy as Keith Yandle but more dependable than his offensive-minded teammate. Teams are more aggressive than ever in extending players leaving their entry-level contracts. But Matheson, currently in the third and final season of his ELC, needed even less time to prove his worth than Jaccob Slavin (seven years, $37.1 million second deal), who signed his extension following 145 NHL games. Slavin, Matheson’s Carolina comparable, had established the market for good second-contract defensemen. Matheson has set a new standard. Bruin Brandon Carlo, among others, likes the new ceiling. No TV deal for Hockey East NESN intends to carry the Beanpot and Hockey East championship. But the network will not carry any of Hockey East’s games outside of those events. The issue is the demise of the American Sports Network, which pulled the plug in August. NESN had carried ASN-produced games last year. According to College Hockey Inc., ASN’s departure will take at least 30 college hockey games nationwide off the screen this season. Hockey 1078140 Boston Bruins

Bruins roll over winless Coyotes 6-2

Staff Report Associated Press Sunday, October 15, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Zdeno Chara had a goal and two assists, Anton Khudobin stopped 27 shots in his first start of the season and the Boston Bruins kept the Arizona Coyotes winless with a 6-2 victory on Saturday night. Coming off consecutive ugly losses to Colorado, the Bruins got back on track against a team they've dominated. Boston fell behind late in the first period, quickly erased that deficit, then raced away from the Coyotes with three third-period goals to extend their winning streak to 11 straight games against Arizona, including seven consecutive in the desert. David Pastrnak scored in the first period for the Bruins, then Chara, Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand in the third. Tim Schaller and Anders Bjork each scored late in the third period after Arizona cut the lead to 4-2. Arizona had numerous defensive miscues, gave up multiple breakaways and got another shaky game from backup goalie Louis Domingue to remain the Western Conference's only winless team (0-4-1). Mario Kempe scored his first career NHL goal and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had his 41st career power-play goal, most ever by a Coyotes defenseman. The Bruins and Coyotes got the season off to slow starts thanks to shaky defense. Boston won its opener 4-3, but allowed 10 combined goals in consecutive losses to Colorado. Tuukka Rask started all three games, though was replaced Khudobin in third period of Thursday's 6-3 loss in Denver. Arizona has struggled as top goalie Antti Raanta has battled injuries. Domingue has labored with Raanta out, entering Saturday's game with a 3.99 goals-against average after allowing a pair of soft goals (three overall) against the Red Wings on Thursday. Both teams were good inside their blue lines early until Kempe deflected a shot by Anthony Duclair past Khudobin's stick side on a delayed penalty. Arizona's lead lasted 36 seconds, erased after a shot by Chara caromed off Pastrnak's body past Domingue. A third deflection goal early in the second period put Boston on top, this one on a power play by DeBrusk on a shot by David Krejci. Chara later punched in his own rebound after Domingue made a difficult save and Marchand gave Boston a three-goal lead after an Arizona mistake set up a breakaway. Ekman-Larsson scored late in the third period, surpassing Fredrik Olausson's franchise record of 40 power-play goals by a defenseman. Schaller scored 23 seconds later and Bjork scored on a power play for his first NHL goal to put it out of reach. Notes: Boston top center Patrice Bergeron started skating, but sat out for the fourth straight game as he recovers from offseason sports hernia surgery. ... Arizona LW Brendan Perlini missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078141 Boston Bruins

Bruins president Cam Neely expects more from team as road trip continues with stops at Arizona and Vegas

Stephen Harris Sunday, October 15, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Talk to Cam Neely, and it’s clear the Bruins president did not expect his team to jell perfectly in the first week of the season. But he hoped for a somewhat better showing than the B’s delivered in back-to-back losses to the Colorado Avalanche. The Bruins went back to work last night against the winless Arizona Coyotes, and close their trip in Las Vegas this evening against the quick- starting expansion Golden Knights. Neely figures, rightly, that two wins will totally change perceptions as the team flies home tomorrow morning. “These next two, if we take care of business, we come back with a positive record and it’s a totally different look,” Neely said. Backup goalie Anton Khudobin got the start for the Bruins, and top center Patrice Bergeron likely remained sidelined by an unidentified ailment. While the B’s were quite good in their season-opening win at the Garden against the Nashville Predators, they fell far short of expectations in the home-and-home series losses to the Avalanche. “I haven’t liked the last two starts,” Neely said. “I’d like to see a little bit more . . . I don’t want to say compete, but I’d like to see a little more urgency out of some of the veteran players who we have high expectations for. After the first Colorado game at home (a 4-0 loss), I was like, ‘OK, did we just take them too lightly — did we think we could just show up and get two points?’ Then you’d think we’d respect them a little more in Colorado than the previous game. So that (6-3 loss) was a little disappointing and surprising what happened. “My hopes are that the character will shine through in these next couple of games.” So much focus, understandably, is on the absence of Bergeron. But a good team should not let itself be sunk by the loss of one player. “Well, it really shouldn’t,” Neely said. “He’s certainly the straw that stirs the drink. But Brad (Marchand) has been around a long time. This is Pasta’s (David Pastrnak) fourth year. Brad played better in the second game against Colorado. But those guys can be better. David (Krejci), is he playing a little bit of catch-up? I don’t know. But we need to get a little more from him. I know he recognizes that. We’ll see what happens.” Even minus Bergeron and David Backes (diverticulitis), it seems the Bruins ought to have two fairly decent scoring lines. “On paper, it looks that way,” Neely said. “It should be. We saw a little bit of in the first game where Krejci played really well and the young kids fed off that.” Neely emphasized that the brass did not assume young forwards Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk would step into their first NHL games and excel. “We certainly didn’t internally have the expectation that they’re going to step right in from the start and help drive the bus,” he said. “But we did feel we’ve got enough veterans around them, especially linemates, who can help them. There’s going to be ups and downs throughout the course of the year for young players like this — and you certainly hope that they will be improving.” And ups and downs for the team as a whole, as well. But the last couple of losses, while hardly grounds for mass panic, have been a bit troubling for this club. “Listen, everybody goes through injuries,” Neely said. “And when everybody is healthy and in the lineup, we should have a pretty good four lines with all they can contribute. Even without three important guys (Bergeron, Backes and Noel Acciari, who has a lower-body injury), there should be enough here. That’s what these guys need to understand: There should be more from them, and there is more from them.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078142 Boston Bruins Boston Herald LOADED: 10.15.2017 Bruins notebook: Injury keeps Patrice Bergeron out of lineup

Stephen Harris Sunday, October 15, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Patrice Bergeron was still out of action last night as the Bruins faced the Coyotes, and coach Bruce Cassidy basically wanted the rest of his players to put the centerman’s absence out of their minds. “Right now, it’s ‘Listen, he’s not in, next man up,’ ” said Cassidy. “I know it sounds simple. But we’ve got other guys in that locker room that have to get hungry and respond to the challenge of ‘Hey, I’m getting the chance to play key minutes.’ “That’s what we’re asking for. We got some of that the other night; were asking for more.” The Bruins will not have a morning skate today in Las Vegas, before facing the Golden Knights in a 4:05 p.m. local start. So it seems very doubtful Bergeron will return for that game. That means Bergeron will have missed five games going into Thursday’s Garden date with the Vancouver Canucks. After a season in which he wasn’t good for the first half (a 1-5-1 record up to Christmas), but bounced back to play well in the final months (6-1- 0), Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin made a strong statement when he stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period of Monday’s loss in Denver. The more important early-season test for the 31-year-old from Kazakhstan came last night, as he faced the Coyotes in a game the Bruins sorely needed to win. “I saw him play very well in the preseason against Detroit and Chicago, his camp (has) been good and he went in the other night and played well,” said Cassidy. “I expect him to be good. “We need good games out of that position, whether you’re the starter or the backup. We’re asking him to do his part, no more. And we’ve got to play well in front of him, score some goals.” Cassidy shook up the under-producing third line as Austin Czarnik opened at right wing with Frank Vatrano a scratch. Ryan Spooner remains the line’s center. Czarnik was likely to see time at center, too, perhaps on the top line with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. “If he’s pursuing pucks, he’s a very good player with a high motor,” said Cassidy of Czarnik. “Playing with Spooner, it is someone you can play give-and-go hockey with, with (Matt) Beleskey getting to the net on the other wing. “I would like to see (Spooner) attack more and take charge of that line. He’s been in the league a while now. But that whole line he’s been on, we need more production from them going forward.” Back on his skates Defenseman Kevan Miller, who left practice after being struck on the right knee by a Vatrano shot, was ready to go last night. “It was just a good dinger initially. The first couple of minutes were tough. But then after that, it was fine. It’s kind of a common injury for guys taking a shot there. But after a couple of minutes walking around, it goes away.” . . . The Bruins seem pleased with the efforts of rugged winger Ryan White, who is with them this week on a professional tryout basis. “We’ve got to make a decision (on signing or releasing White) sometime next week,” said Cassidy. “That was our time frame. Look at our team, look at him and see if there’s a fit.” Former Boston University star Clayton Keller, Arizona’s first-round pick (seventh overall), is off to a terrific start with three goals and an assist in four games. What makes a kid who is just 5-foot-10 and 168 so special? “His determination,” said Phoenix coach Rick Tocchet. “A lot of his goals are right around the net. He’s not scared. He gets banged around out there, but he’s like a little top — he just gets back up and into the play. I love that about him. He’s not intimidated. When you’re a kid of his size, and quick, and you’re not intimidated — like a Marchand — you can be effective in this league. He has great skills and he’s very calm with the puck. He can make plays. He wants the puck and he wants to be out there.” 1078143 Boston Bruins

Morning Skate: The most important player on each NHL team

By Joe Haggerty October 14, 2017 12:23 PM

GLENDALE, Arizona -- Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading, while feeling that dry, dry heat out in the desert. It felt like I was a Kenny Rogers roasted chicken walking from the hotel to the Coyotes arena on Friday to cover the Bruins practice with the mid-afternoon sun beating down. Get me back to the cool, crisp autumn air of Boston ASAP. *Barry Melrose went around the NHL and listed the most important player for all 31 teams. He head-scratchingly he listed Charlie McAvoy with the Bruins. McAvoy is certainly a talented rookie and a potential Calder Trophy candidate, but there is no way he’s more important than Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand or even Tuukka Rask to the Bruins right now. *FOH (Friend of Haggs) doesn’t think that the Habs have what they need to fix their scoring issues. I definitely agree some of the onus is on the personnel, but it’s also on the coach that leans into defense over offense. That’s just the facts. *In a related note, Habs fans are seeing red about what they’re watching on the ice right now with the Canadiens. *The Vegas Golden Knights are certainly getting a little carried away with their strong, undefeated start to the season, but why the heck not? It’s all good right now for Vegas and the show they’re putting on for fans that deserve things to cheer about.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078144 Boston Bruins McAvoy, 19, has had just a single shot on net in each of the two losses and is a minus-3 in those games but he hasn’t struggled to the degree that his fellow rookies have the past couple of games. He wasn’t Bruins' patience getting tested as young players learn generating enough offense, to be sure, but he did level Nathan MacKinnon with a clean, punishing open-ice hit while trying up the energy in the Monday matinee.He’s a little bit ahead of DeBrusk and Bjork in the physicality department and that’s allowed him to get By Joe Haggerty October 14, 2017 11:44 AM assimilated pretty quickly to the NHL. “We’re not using him a lot on the PK, so if it’s not a defenseman penalty then [McAvoy] and Krug are going to be our last pair we’d use because GLENDALE, Arizona – The Bruins have committed fully to the youth we’re saving them for offensive situations. He made plays [in Colorado], movement, so they’re fully aware of what they signed up for this season he’s up the ice and kept pucks alive and contributed to the goal doing with young, first-year players Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk and Charlie that,” said Cassidy. “I’m fine with Charlie. On the first night, he got a little McAvoy filling important roles. lesson against Nashville about trying to defend standing still, and he’s They reaped the benefits on opening night when all three provided tried to play his 1-on-1’s with better angles. So he’s been good. offense and led the Bruins to an impressive victory over Nashville. “[He’s got] composure. He’s a confident guy without being arrogant about They’ve also witnessed an ensuing valley afterward when things leveled it. He’s coachable, but when the puck drops he’s got good instincts for off. Bjork and DeBrusk have been a combined minus-10 with zero points the game. I also think he’s a little underrated in his skating with the puck. in a pair of back-to-back losses to the Colorado Avalanche and McAvoy I think he’s faster with it than he is without it. He fools some people with registered a season-low 17:49 of ice time in the Wednesday night loss in his ability to separate, and he’s strong on it. For a 19-year-old that’s rare. Colorado. We’ve talked about some of the young guys learning the ropes on that, The two stunning losses clearly aren’t all on the rookies. There were but he’s got some of those gifts that take a few years to develop.” plenty of veteran core players who struggled as well, but the difference in One thing to keep in mind when it comes to the rookie wingers or other play for the team, and the rookies, within the first three games has been scuffling Bruins (Ryan Spooner, Frank Vatrano): The B's have some noteworthy. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said shepherding the rookies talented reinforcements in the AHL that are red-hot right now. Peter through tough times was about two things: 1) Striking the balance Cehlarik is off to a strong start in Providence with two goals and five between nurturing patience and challenging them and 2) those young points in two games for the P-Bruins and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson has players getting back to the basics of hockey. two goals in as many games for Providence. Likewise, Kenny Agostino “Probably [needing to] play inside a little more and getting to the net," has a goal and five points in those two games for the P-Bruins and can Cassidy said. "We’ve talked about that they’re going to get a feel for how go back and forth between the NHL and AHL for the next month after hard it is to hold onto to pucks in this league, so they know that. We’re clearing waivers at the end of the preseason. trying to coach them up as far as the structure. I thought some of their That line has been tearing it up for the P-Bruins to start to start the reloads could have been better as far as going back through the middle season and it won’t be long before those players are getting auditions for of the ice, and their line gave up some rushes coming back at us. But NHL jobs if the incumbents continue to struggle after a very promising that’s all stuff on the [coaching] staff to make sure they get up to speed. start. It’s harsh, of course, but that’s also the way of the NHL world where “It’s up to them to do what they do best, which is attack, play inside and it’s a bottom-line business based on present-day results, productivity and get to the net. Hopefully, they do a little bit more of that as a line. Some consistency. The Bruins need to see more of all of those from their young guys catch on quicker than others. We knew there would be consistency guys this weekend in Arizona and Vegas as they look to stop the issues as every young kid goes through them. So we saw highs in the bleeding of a two-game losing streak. first game and some lows in the second game, and we saw them starting to come out of it in the third period [in Colorado]. We’re going to try to keep them confident, but also on their toes and aware of what needs to Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 be better. Sometimes that’s a fine line for the young guys. They take it to heart, or they don’t take it to heart sometimes. We’re working our way through that with them. There are plenty of veteran guys here to pull us through while [the rookies] learn the ropes, and that’s what they need to do.” DeBrusk had four shots on net against Nashville and scored his first NHL goal while attacking the net with speed and assertiveness. He’s had a combined three shots on net in the two games since and is looking to get back to aggressively attacking the net while using his surprising speed and growing strength to get there. “I remember one of the big things last year [in the AHL] was staying consistent every game," DeBrusk said. "Obviously it’s a different league and it’s an 82-game season. It’s a long season. The last two games haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go as a group, and me myself there have been some mistakes and learning curves. It’s frustrating and it’s something you don’t want to have happen. You just learn from it and move on. “The good thing is we have back-to-back games [vs. Arizona and Vegas], so you’ve got a chance to get back to .500 and fix some of those things. I think it’s the details in my game. It’s not just in the defensive zone, but all over the ice. I was a little too reckless on the fore-check and just lost my guys. It’s about wanting to do a little too much. It’s also just fronting more pucks and getting to the net more. That’s what I’m doing when I’m playing well and pucks seem to find me there.” Bjork might have had his best game in the matinee defeat against the Avs when he had three shots on net but didn’t come away from with a point after notching an assist on opening night. The injury to Patrice Bergeron might be toughest of all for him after he’d build up chemistry with No. 37 and Brad Marchand throughout training camp as their probable right wing. Still, the harsh truth is that Bjork has had zero shots on net in two of his first three NHL games after a very strong camp and needs to make himself more of a consistent factor for the Bruins with the speed and hockey smarts to make it happen. 1078145 Boston Bruins

Khudobin's on horse, not under it, after first win of season

By Joe Haggerty October 15, 2017 2:01 AM

GLENDALE, Arizona – Anton Khudobin loves to win hockey games. The Bruins backup goalie loves when his team comes out as a winner, and he’s even more enthused when it’s him at the heart of a winning effort with a good performance between the pipes. So Khudobin was overjoyed after helping lead the Bruins to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes in his first start of the season. While it’s true that Khudobin wasn’t severely tested in a game that the Bruins dominated from the second period through the final horn, it was still a win for a goalie that didn’t get his second ‘W’ of last season until very late in the year. So the 31-year-older Russian netminder wasn’t about to mince words when it came to the importance of winning to him. “The ‘W’ is always great. No matter what the score, whether it’s 8-6 or 9- 7. If you win then you win. Nobody talks about losers. Everybody talks about winners, right?” said Khudobin. “If you win, then you’re on the horse, and if you don’t then you’re under it. It’s great to get one at the start of the season, and so now hopefully it’s not going to roll like it did last year.” Khudobin was likely at his best early in stopping 9-of-10 shots in the first period when it was still a hotly contested hockey game. That solid performance early allowed the Bruins to shake off the cobwebs and get into the rhythm of their game, and that began happening with much more snap and precision starting in the second period. The plan all along was for Khudobin to get one of the two back-to-back games this weekend, but there was never any certainty it was going to be Arizona until Bruce Cassidy made that call at the end of this week. Clearly it was the right call and now sets things up for Tuukka Rask to answer with his own strong performance in Vegas on Sunday night, and get the Bruins goaltending picture up where it should be all season. “He did his job and that’s what we want. He gave us a chance to win,” said Cassidy. “He got some run support tonight, but he doesn’t know that after the first period…so good for him. He battled and he always does. We needed it.” Khudobin battled, he managed to stay on his horse and he got the all- important win for his Bruins. It sounds like a pretty solid all-around night for a backup goalie that the Bruins are going to need to play like that for 20-25 games this season while supporting starter Tuukka Rask.

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Big second period, solid goaltending propel Bruins to 6-2 win over Coyotes

By Joe Haggerty October 14, 2017 11:40 PM

GLENDALE, Arizona – Down several of their key players and down on themselves after a couple of bad defeats to the Colorado Avalanche, the Bruins needed a feel-good night of winning hockey. They got exactly that against the winless Arizona Coyotes as the Bruins parlayed three second period goals into a 6-2 win over the Yotes at the Gila River Arena to even out their three-game road trip with the finale coming on Sunday in Las Vegas. The Bruins actually got off to a bit of a slow start early in allowing the game’s first goal to the Coyotes, but it was pretty consistently all Bruins after that. Zdeno Chara answered Arizona’s score by firing a shot off David Pastrnak’s leg and then into the back of the net for the game-tying strike 36 seconds later. Then Jake DeBrusk, Chara himself and Brad Marchand piled on three more goals in the second period as the B’s outshot the Coyotes by an 11-9 margin, and took advantage of the high-quality scoring chances they were getting. DeBrusk tipped home a David Pastrnak point blast for a power play strike, Chara scored after following his own shot at the front of the Arizona net and Marchand scored on a beautiful backhanded top-shelf finish after getting a breakaway off a face-off play that started with a long Chara feed. Chara, Marchand and Pastrnak all finished with multi-point nights as Boston’s best players lived up to that billing on Saturday night. Anton Khudobin was also on top of his game in his first start of the season, and stopped 29 shots while giving the Bruins the steady goaltending they’ll need for success this season. Rookie Anders Bjork also had a memorable night, netting his first career NHL goal in the closing minutes.

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Kevan Miller good to play vs. Coyotes after knee scare

By Joe Haggerty October 14, 2017 8:49 PM

GLENDALE, Arizona – Kevan Miller had a scare after taking a Frank Vatrano blast off his right knee at Friday’s practice, but the veteran B’s blueliner declared himself fit and ready to play Saturday night against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The 29-year-old Miller is scoreless in his first three games of the season, but they could ill afford to lose another lineup regular with Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Noel Acciari already missing from the action. Essentially, he got a little “dead leg” right after the puck connected with the top of his knee, but it didn’t do any kind of lasting harm to the area despite him needing help getting off the ice. “It was just a good dinger initially. The first couple of minutes were tough and then after that, it wasn’t too bad,” said Miller. “I’m ready to go. I’ve had it before. It’s kind of a common injury for guys that take shots there, and then after a couple of minutes it goes away.” Bergeron hasn’t been ruled out from Sunday night’s game in Vegas against the Golden Knights, but it makes little sense to play No. 37 when the Bruins have three off days prior to suiting up against the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night in Boston. Austin Czarnik will draw back into the lineup on Saturday vs. the Coyotes and a struggling Frank Vatrano will be a healthy scratch after going scoreless in the first three games of the season.

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Bruins try to simplify things after a couple of rough losses

By Joe Haggerty October 14, 2017 4:27 PM

GLENDALE, Arizona – After stubbing their toes in back-to-back games against the Colorado Avalanche after a promising opener, the Bruins have plenty they need to show this weekend in back-to-back games on the road. The Bruins are dead last in the NHL in defense with 4.3 goals allowed per game and the penalty kill is 23rd, averaging a PP goal allowed per game. Bruins patience getting tested as young players learn The Bruins aren’t getting any offensive bang for the defensive transgressions either while averaging just 2.3 goals per game. Clearly, they miss key offensive performers Patrice Bergeron and David Backes out with injuries but need to start finding some answers out of the still- talented group that’s healthy and playing. Bruce Cassidy ran the Bruins through practice ahead of the Saturday night showdown with the winless Coyotes and seemed to be focused on simplifying things for a team that’s a lot of mistakes in the first few games. That means simply taking things to the net in the offensive zone and playing it a little safer when he comes to pinching and jumping on plays at the offensive blue line. It’s not the ideal way this assertive, aggressive version of the Bruins wants to play, but it might be necessary at this point early in the season. “The third period [in Colorado] we scored two goals and I don’t think we did anything spectacular other than win pucks, go to the net and be belligerent there. If that’s what it takes to get going, that’s what it takes sometimes to score goals in this league,” said Cassidy. “There are pretty goals and there are goals like that. If we can carry that attitude going forward that we’re going to be hard to play against in front of their net then I think things are going to loosen up for us and we’ll get rewarded. But that’s something where [the players] have to take that mindset on the ice. “On the offensive blue line, I thought we had some struggles and maybe we were overthinking it and being too active. It’s stuff we’re trying to coach into the game to create some space, but other nights you just need to make sure it gets past their first layer and on net. Sometimes it’s going to get blocked by the second layer on the way to the net, but you have to get it past the first layer if you’re a D-man. That’s very important so the guys going to the net get some sort of reward.” The message sounds simple to the Bruins at this point: Just play simple, hard and strong hockey and get some results until they’re in a position to add a little more flash and dazzle to a fuller, healthier group that’s got the basics down. Right now the Bruins are doing very little at a high level, and that’s not a good recipe for success in the NHL.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078149 Buffalo Sabres have thought different. It's tough in that situation. It's a fast game. He sees one thing from the back."

The Sabres have no time to feel sorry for themselves. They're halfway At crunch time, Kings crown reeling Sabres through this four-game trip, facing a back-to-back Sunday night in Anaheim. By Mike Harrington | Published Sun, Oct 15, 2017 "We've got a game tomorrow and we kind of have to try to cut the chord here," Kane said. "Not have this linger over tomorrow night."

"It stinks," Lehner said flatly. "But we've just got to move right on." LOS ANGELES -- It was a tie game inside the final three minutes. A real chance for the Buffalo Sabres' first win of the season was at hand but they blinked at crunch time Saturday in . Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017 Both on the ice and behind the bench. Drew Doughty's power-play goal with exactly two minutes left capped a horrible few seconds for the Sabres, snapping a 2-2 game and sending the Los Angeles Kings past Buffalo, 4-2. The winning goal was really a three-pronged issue. ** The first problem was the penalty, an offensive zone trip by Evander Kane on Dustin Brown with 2:04 left. Tough play, terrible time. "Obviously, no excuse for that one," Kane said. "I wasn't trying to trip him. I was trying to make a play on the puck. Regardless of that, I can't take that penalty at that time of the game." "It's unfortunate," said coach Phil Housley. "He's going for a puck and his stick gets tangled up. That's when our penalty kill has got to dig in, win a draw, tie a draw and just try to get the job done." ** The second problem was Housley acting like a rookie head coach for the really the first time this season. Ryan O'Reilly was 14-4 on faceoffs to that point in the game but wasn't on the ice at its defining moment. Instead, Housley had Jacob Josefson take the draw and he was promptly smoked in the circle by Jeff Carter. The pairing of Josefson and Benoit Pouliot to kill the penalty was a dubious choice at best. No O'Reilly. No . Or Jack Eichel. Or Johan Larsson or Zemgus Girgensons. Among other choices. Josefson lost the draw, while Pouliot didn't get to the point fast enough and ole'd a potential shot block of Doughty's one-timer. "'Joey' has been pretty good on draws," Housley insisted on Josefson, who entered the game at 44 percent and was 4-2 on the night heading into the key faceoff. "Right now they're our two top penalty killers. Could we have done a better job getting in the shot lane? Yes. "But at the same time, that shot was taken from Doughty and there was no one in front of our goaltender. You're going to lose draws on the penalty kill. We don't want to lose it clean but those are the breaks right now." Off the draw, the puck went to Anze Kopitar, who got it back to Alec Martinez at the right point. Over it went to Doughty on the left point for the slapshot that dropped the Sabres to 0-4-1 and pushed the Kings to 3- 0-1. That's a quartet of Stanley Cup champions schooling a couple of retreads manning the Buffalo penalty kill. ** Problem No. 3 was goaltender Robin Lehner, who was having a good night with 26 saves. He had a clear view but didn't make the save when his team needed it. "That last one totally dove on me, a hard knuckler that was going mid-net and just dove last second," Lehner said. "Of course I want to have that but it's what it is. It was going to go in my glove and it dove and then it didn't go in my glove. "It's just how it's bouncing right now. I see a lot of shots each season and maybe once every thousand shots it dives on you. Usually it doesn't dive but that's what it is." The Sabres went 0 for 3 on the power play in the game while the Kings were perfect after entering the contest 0 for 16. Buffalo had killed off 13 of 14 penalties. Form certainly didn't hold. "It's tough," said Jack Eichel. "Last two minutes of a game. You'd like to be on the other side of that." Eichel had a goal and an assist in this one, pulling Buffalo into a 2-2 tie at 9:06 of the third, just under two minutes after his ticky-tack interference penalty led to Tyler Toffoli's go-ahead goal at 7:09. "I thought the penalty was going on them," Eichel said. "Just trying to backcheck a little bit and he grabbed my arm. Apparently the ref must 1078150 Buffalo Sabres

The Wraparound: Kings 4, Sabres 2

By Mike Harrington | Published Sun, Oct 15, 2017 | Updated Sun, Oct 15, 2017

Drew Doughty's goal with exactly two minutes left -- Los Angeles' third power-play goal of the night -- snapped a tie Saturday night and sent the Kings to a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres before a sellout crowd of 18,230 in Staples Center. The disheartening loss dropped the Sabres to 0-4-1 on the season. The Kings improved to 3-0-1. Doughty's goal came four seconds after Evander Kane went off for tripping in the offensive zone. He took a pass from Alec Martinez and whizzed a quick shot home from the left point past Robin Lehner. The Kings entered the game 0 for 16 on the power play for the season but were 3 for 3 in this one, including two conversions in the third period. The Sabres came in 13 of 14 on the penalty kill and went 0 for 3. Los Angeles clinched its seventh straight home win over Buffalo on Tanner Pearson's empty-net goal with 14.9 seconds left. Earlier in the third: Jack Eichel went off for a dubious interference penalty at 5:26 of the third period and the Kings took advantage to take a 2-1 lead as Tyler Toffoli beat Lehner high glove with a quick snapshot off a Jake Muzzin feed at 7:09. Getting it back: Eichel tied the game at 9:06 with his second of the season, banging home his own rebound after taking a pass in the low slot from Kane. Eichel had his third multi-point game of the season in five attempts. Breaking News: The Sabres actually scored a goal in the first period, with Zemgus Girgensons notching a tap-in on a 2-on-1 via a Eichel pass to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 15:45. It was Girgensons' first goal of the season and gave Buffalo its first lead since the season opener Oct. 5 against Montreal. Advanced math: The Girgensons goal snapped the Sabres' shutout streak in Los Angeles at 279 minutes, 38 seconds, dating to a goal by former captain Craig Rivet in 2010. Buffalo had suffered four straight 2-0 losses here. Taking advantage: The Kings got a power play in the second period when Josh Gorges went off for interference and it took them just 46 seconds to capitalize as Dustin Brown scored his fourth of the season by sliding a loose puck under Lehner. Turn back the clock to 2012 and 2014: The goal was Brown assisted by Jeff Carter, who tapped the puck to him, and Doughty. All three players were key men on the Kings' Stanley Cup teams of '12 and '14. First meeting with hometown team: Eden native Alex Iafallo made his debut against the Sabres and got nailed for a holding penalty against Eichel in the second period -- while also drawing the Sabres' ire when he got the puck and pumped it through Lehner at the whistle. Iafallo played 18:29, had three shots on goal and was minus-1. Thank you, Sabres: During television timeouts during the first period, the Kings did video tributes to Buffalo forward Jordan Nolan and Sabres associate coach Davis Payne. Nolan won Stanley Cups here in 2012 and 2014 and got a huge ovation from the crowd while Payne won the '14 Cup. Also on the big screen: The fans cheered before the game as the Dodgers' NLCS contest against the Chicago Cubs was shown on the jumbotron and gave a big roar when a replay of the hometown team's 5-2 victory was shown. Up next: The Sabres hit the road for Anaheim right after the game and will meet the Ducks Sunday night at 9 p.m. in Honda Center. The road trip wraps up Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078151 Buffalo Sabres and actually put together his best game of the season, collecting five shots on goal and playing 20 minutes, 35 seconds.

But he was too sick to practice Friday or take the morning skate Sabres Notebook: Nolan back at the scene of his greatest night in the Saturday. NHL "He's feeling a little bit under the weather so we're going to give him the night off," coach Phil Housley said before the game. "He's just got a bug. By Mike Harrington | Published Sat, Oct 14, 2017 | Updated Sat, Oct 14, He fought through it in San Jose with a really good effort but it's gotten 2017 the best of him. He's feeling a lot better today." Okposo, in the second season of his seven-year, $42 million contract, has no points and a minus-6 rating in the first four games. Housley said LOS ANGELES – Jordan Nolan was focused on trying to help the Buffalo he didn't know if Okposo would play Sunday in Anaheim but there's a Sabres get their first win of the season here Saturday night. But returning good chance he'd be ready for the road trip finale Tuesday in Las Vegas. to Staples Center certainly brought back memories of June 11, 2012. "Housley said Okposo's illness is unrelated to the health scare the The Los Angeles Kings were one win away from the first Stanley Cup in forward had in April, when reaction to concussion medication landed him their 45-year history heading into Game Six of the Cup final against New in the neuro ICU unit of Buffalo General Medical Center for several days. Jersey. They scored three power-play goals on a first-period major penalty and had a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes. Matt Moulson took Okposo's spot on the second line with Evander Kane and Ryan O'Reilly. The lone healthy scratch was rookie defenseman The game was in the bag. As Nolan sat on the bench and took his shifts, Victor Antipin, who sat for the second straight game. Josh Gorges made he had an entire period of hockey where he knew he was going to win a his second straight appearance after sitting the first three games. Cup. No excruciating drama. No overtime goal to create sudden victory, like the Kings earned in 2014 on Alec Martinez's goal that beat the The Sabres were to head down the freeway to Anaheim immediately Rangers when Nolan was a healthy scratch. after the game and will play the Ducks on Sunday night in Honda Center (9 p.m., MSG, Radio 550 AM). The Ducks are 2-2-1 and coming off a 3-1 The last five Cup clinchers have been taut thrillers. The 2012 Kings could loss Friday at Colorado. breathe easy on the way to a 6-1 win. The Sabres' last visit to Anaheim was in March, and they posted a "We finished eighth that year and it was an incredible playoff run where I memorable 2-1 shootout win as Zemgus Girgensons scored in the 10th felt like we were almost destined to win the Stanley Cup that year," Nolan round to win the skills contests, the longest one Buffalo has had on the said Saturday prior to the Sabres' game against the Kings. "That final road in its history. game, we had the big power play and guys were almost waiting for the game to end so we could get going and celebrate. Former Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, who signed with the Ducks over the summer, will not be in the lineup. He's on injured reserve with a wrist "But guys were in the moment too. You almost wanted the game to last a injury suffered during preseason, but has returned to on-ice work and little longer because it's not every day you get to play in the Stanley Cup hopes to be playing in games by the end of the month. final and know for sure, totally for sure, you're about to win the Stanley Cup. It's one of those moments in your life where if you could live it again, you'd definitely want to do it." Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017 Nolan played 292 games with the Kings over the last six seasons before being waived near the end of training camp. The Sabres claimed him and Saturday was his third game in a Buffalo uniform. "There's obviously a lot of good memories here," he said. "Anytime you come back to your old team there's butterflies in your stomach and you think back to all the good times you had. But in a way, it's a business and LA was going a different path. So I came here and I'm not really thinking about the Kings too much." Nolan, however, did say he'd have a bit of a chip on his shoulder playing against the team that gave up on him. "They didn't want me anymore," he said. "So I think anytime a team doesn't want you, you want to prove them wrong and show them what they're missing out on. I'll move past that and try to help this team win. It will probably be a little bit different but I'm happy to be with Buffalo ... I'm not looking too much at playing my old team." The Sabres entered the game having endured four straight shutouts at the hands of the Kings in this building. All were by 2-0 scores. Reminded of that point, Nolan said it wasn't surprising. "LA is pretty structured, really defensive. They've got a great goalie, great penalty kill," Nolan said, referring to Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. "When I was there, we took a lot of passion in that style. When you come in this barn, you have to stick to your structure. They almost just wait and take the game to you slowly. They want to win 1-0, 2-1. "That's what they like. Our coaching staff at that time always talked about how it was a 2-1 league, a 3-2 league. They don't mind playing that style and it's worked out for them." Nolan said he was thrilled his father, former Sabres coach Ted Nolan, made the trek from Poland to see the team's season opener Oct. 5 against Montreal. Ted Nolan, who was fired as Sabres coach following the 2014-15 tank season, is currently coaching the Polish National Team. "He was a little tired but that was exciting for him," Jordan Nolan said. "He got his start in Buffalo and I'm getting a fresh start in Buffalo now. It's pretty special for our family to be back in the Sabres organization. He was pretty tired that night so I didn't talk to him that much." The Sabres played Saturday's game without veteran winger Kyle Okposo, who didn't play because of illness. Kyle Okposo missed the morning skate Thursday in San Jose but played in the Sabres' 3-2 defeat 1078152 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres at Kings: Five Things to Know

By Mike Harrington | Published Sat, Oct 14, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- It's a House of Horrors for the Buffalo Sabres when they come to Staples Center but they'll give it another try Saturday night when they meet the Los Angeles Kings in the second game of their four- game Western sojourn. Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray are on the call on MSG and WGR Radio, with faceoff slated for 10:38 pm. Yep, it's going to be a late one. The Sabres are 0-3-1 while the Kings are 2-0-1. Here are Five Things to Know about tonight's game: 1. No goals, no hope: The Sabres have been shutout by 2-0 scores in their last four trips here and are 0-5-1 since their last win over the Kings in Los Angeles in 2003. Their shutout streak in the building is 263 minutes, 53 seconds, dating to a goal by former captain Craig Rivet in a 4-3 shootout loss on Jan. 21, 2010. "They do an incredible job playing without the puck," coach Phil Housley said of the Kings after the morning skate. "Down low you're going to have to really fight to get to the interior and they're a big heavy team." The home team has won the last 14 games in the series played in NHL arenas (the Sabres won a 2011 game in Berlin that was technically a Kings home game). The 2003 game here was the last time a visitor won in the series. 2. No Okposo: Kyle Okposo will sit this one out with the flu for the Sabres, putting Matt Moulson on Ryan O'Reilly's line with Evander Kane. The other lines are Girgensons-Eichel-Pominville, Reinhart-Larsson- Griffith and Pouliot-Josefson-Nolan. The Sabres will go with the same six defenseman who played in San Jose, meaning Victor Antipin is again a healthy scratch. 3. In the nets: It's Robin Lehner (0-2-1, 3.18/.901) starting against Kings ace Jonathan Quick (2-0-1, 1.66/.948). Quick is 5-1 in his career against the Sabres with glossy numbers of 1.22/.944 and three shutouts. 4. Homecoming for a Cup champ: Sabres winger Jordan Nolan will play his first game at Staples for the opposition after being acquired on waivers from the Kings at the end of training camp. Nolan was on Los Angeles' 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup teams. "LA is pretty structured, really defensive," Nolan said today. "They've got a great goalie, great penalty kill. When I was there, we took a lot of passion in that style. When you come in this barn, you have to stick to your structure. They almost just wait and take the game to you slowly. They want to win 1-0, 2-1." 5. More connections: Sabres associate coach Davis Payne was an assistant here for five seasons under Darryl Sutter, winning the Cup in 2014. Kings rookie forward Alex Iafallo is an Eden native who was a Sabres fan growing up.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078153 Buffalo Sabres

Okposo will miss game against Kings due to illness

By Mike Harrington | Published Sat, Oct 14, 2017 | Updated Sat, Oct 14, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Kyle Okposo missed the morning skate Thursday in San Jose but played in the Sabres' 3-2 defeat and actually put together his best game of the season, collecting five shots on goal and playing 20 minutes, 35 seconds. The veteran winger was held out of practice Friday in El Segundo to regain his energy but didn't make the morning skate here Saturday in Staples Center and coach Phil Housley has ruled him out of tonight's game against the Los Angeles Kings. "He's feeling a little bit under the weather so we're going to give him the night off," Housley said. "He's just got a bug. He fought through it in San Jose with a really good effort but it's gotten the best of him. He's feeling a lot better today." Okposo, in the second season of his seven-year, $42 million contract, has no points and a minus-6 rating in the first four games. Housley said he didn't know if Okposo would play Sunday in Anaheim but there's a good chance he'd be ready for the road trip finale Tuesday in Las Vegas. "I don't know what the chances are (tomorrow) but we're definitely looking toward Vegas," Housley said. Housley said Okposo's illness is unrelated to the health scare the forward had in April, when reaction to concussion medication landed him in the neuro ICU unit of Buffalo General Hospital for several days. Matt Moulson will take Okposo's spot on the second line with Evander Kane and Ryan O'Reilly. Housley said the same six defensemen who played Thursday in San Jose will play again tonight, meaning rookie Victor Antipin will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game and Josh Gorges will make his second appearance of the season. "I thought they did a really good job," Housley said. "The breakouts were a lot better. Josh had a really good solid game for us so we're going to stick with the same six."

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078154 Buffalo Sabres 29. New York Rangers. You wonder if Lundqvist & Co. are getting old all at once. (13)

30. Buffalo Sabres. No way anyone expected this ugly a start. (23) Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings 31. Arizona Coyotes. Were cannon fodder for two of Golden Knights' wins. (29) By Mike Harrington | Published Sat, Oct 14, 2017 | Updated Sat, Oct 14, 2017 Buffalo News LOADED: 10.15.2017

Through Friday's games. Preseason rankings in parentheses. 1. Washington Capitals. Hottest start of Ovechkin's career puts him back on path to 50 again. (5) 2. Chicago Blackhawks. Quenneville hot over penalty for failed toenail challenge. (6) 3. St. Louis Blues. Pieterangelo averaging over 26 minutes on blueline during 4-1 start. (17) 4. Detroit Red Wings. Got to 4-1 with impressive win at Vegas. (26) 5. Toronto Maple Leafs. Fast start derailed in taking beating from Devils. (7) 6. Columbus Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky didn’t surrender a goal for his first 108 minutes, 45 seconds. (8) 7. Tampa Bay Lightning. Koekkoek's first two NHL goals spark comeback against Pens. (9) 8. Colorado Avalanche. Eight points already. Nobody figured that. (30) 9. Vegas Golden Knights. Brilliant start in all areas in city's time of need. (31) 10. Ottawa Senators. Picking up right where they left off last spring by opening 2-0-2. (18) 11. New Jersey Devils. Not your father's Devils the way they play a speed game. (28) 12. Los Angeles Kings. Eden's Iafallo is an incredible story on top line. (22) Finding a home on Kings' top line, Eden's Alex Iafallo is pumped to meet Sabres 13. Pittsburgh Penguins. Got two wins after opening with two losses but still giving up goals in bushels. (1) 14. Florida Panthers. Trocheck's shortie keyed silencing of Blues. (25) 15. Calgary Flames. Jagr's debut spoiled by 6-0 loss to Senators. (16) 16. Philadelphia Flyers. Simmonds rings up opening night hat trick. (20) 17. Winnipeg Jets. Played a sound two-way game in silencing McDavid, whipping Oilers. (24) 18. Nashville Predators. Pulled out emotional home opener over Flyers with two late PP goals. (3) 19. Carolina Hurricanes. Sold out home opener, didn't draw 8,000 for second game. (14) 20. Anaheim Ducks. Will be in a poor mood as Sabres arrive Sunday after Friday's no-show in Denver. (4) 21. Minnesota Wild. Sudden injury epidemic up front with Coyle, Niederreiter, Foligno all out. (12) 22. Edmonton Oilers. Poor effort against Winnipeg contributes to 1-2 start. (2) 23. San Jose Sharks. Were very beatable in grinding out win over Sabres. (11) 24. Vancouver Canucks. At age 37, Sedins need to be role players and not centerpieces. (27) 25. Boston Bruins. Have been very mediocre in first three games. (19) 26. New York Islanders. Plans bubbling for new arena near Belmont Park. (21) 27. Dallas Stars. Like Sabres' Housley, Hitchcock finding early struggles implementing new system. (10) 28. Montreal Canadiens. Panic mode already setting in as offense simply can't produce, with five goals in four games. (15) 1078155 Calgary Flames

GAMEDAY: Flames go back to Smith in net vs. Canucks

Kristen Odland, Postmedia Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 2:07 PM MDT

Mike Smith, who surrendered five goals on 22 shots Friday night in a 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators, will get another chance tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. But Glen Gulutzan is looking at Saturday’s game at Rogers Arena (8 p.m., Sportsnet One/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) as redemption for the team in front of Smith, rather than for the Calgary Flames netminder. “I don’t know if there’s much you can do on one-timers from the top of the circle,” said a still-steamed Glen Gulutzan, following the team’s meetings at their Vancouver hotel. “But it’s just a by-product of us taking too many penalties and eventually those things are going to happen. “I don’t think it’s a bounce back game for him. It’s a bounce-back game for our team.” And it’s why the Flames (3-2) are going back to Smith, even despite the fact that Eddie Lack is returning to Vancouver (1-1-1) and it would be the ideal opportunity to dress him against his former club on the second half of a back-to-back. Gulutzan indicated that he’d prefer a re-write on Friday’s ending. Plus, Smith has been stellar to start the season. “I think Smitty’s just played that well,” Gulutzan said. “It does certainly appear like good opportunity or a good storyline. But Smitty’s played that well that we thought we’d go back.” On Friday, the Flames took seven penalties and allowed the Senators to connect twice on their man advantage. Sure, they killed off a four-minute high sticking infraction in the second period. But, eventually, their penalty kill was bound to catch up with them. “You look at the game honestly — even if you look at the last three games honestly — we’ve taken too many penalties,” Gulutzan said. “For 37 minutes (Friday), we were pretty good. We killed a big four minute high-stick, and then we put ourselves back in the box. When you take 17 minors in the last three games, the league doesn’t let you off the hook. No matter how good your penalty kill is. “That was the difference in the game.” The team did not skate in Vancouver, but Gulutzan indicated that the defence would stay the same ahead of Saturday’s game. Jaromir Jagr will play versus the Canucks, and Freddie Hamilton draws in … but the coach wouldn’t reveal for which forward, although it also sounds like RW Curtis Lazar will play again.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078156 Calgary Flames

Game Day: Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks

Wes Gilbertson Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 9:42 AM MDT

The stats suggest that the Sedin twins love facing the Flames. Daniel, now the all-time leading marksman at Rogers Arena with 188 goals on Vancouver’s home-sheet, has scored 29 times and piled up 85 points in 89 career clashes against the crew from Calgary, his highest total against any outfit. Henrik has earned 76 scoresheet mentions in 92 meetings, although he’s done more damage against the Oilers. Our best guess is the twins will be firing Saturday at Flames backup Eddie Lack, who should know the Sedins’ tendencies — and vice versa — after two seasons as their teammate in Vancouver. With a four-day layoff ahead, the Flames could stick with stalwart Mike Smith on consecutive nights, but this seems like an obvious spot for backup goalie Eddie Lack to log his first start in Calgary’s crease. A one- of-a-kind character, Lack is trying to put his struggles last season in Carolina in his rearview mirror and will want to earn the trust of his new teammates, whenever he gets that opportunity. In their first back-to-back scenario of the season, Flames bench boss Glen Gulutzan might want to dust off his other spares, too. Forward Freddie Hamilton and blue-liner Brett Kulak have both been scratched for five straight dates so far. If either, or both, are in the lineup at Rogers Arena, they’ll be anxious to make a statement that they’re sick of press- box popcorn and able to provide a spark. The Flames posted a 4-4-3 mark in the second half of back-to-backs last season, a very respectable record in a challenging situation. That’s a more encouraging stat than their recent results at Rogers Arena — the Flames were winless in three trips to Canada’s West Coast during the 2016-17 campaign, although they did collect a couple of loser points. For the second consecutive night, the Flames’ opponent could be missing their best blue-liner. Two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson wasn’t in Friday’s lineup for the Senators and there’s uncertainty about the status of Canucks workhorse Alex Edler after he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday against the Jets. Edler doesn’t have Karlsson’s starry credentials but was Vancouver’s leading minute- man in 61 of their 82 dates last season. SHOOTING FOR 100 With his next lamp-lighting, Flames captain Mark Giordano will hit triple digits in career goals. Heading into Friday’s late date against the Senators, the 34-year-old had 99 snipes in 677 regular-season loggings at hockey’s highest level. He will become only the fourth defenceman to score 100 in Flames silks, joining Paul Reinhart (100), Gary Suter (128) and Al MacInnis (213). Giordano has seven career tallies against the Canucks.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078157 Calgary Flames The Flames, oddly, were getting out-shot 12-8 after 20 minutes and out- chanced 10-3.

The quirks continued. Flames rebound for win over host Canucks With 5:59 elapsed in the second period, Derrick Pouliot was tagged for hooking on Matthew Tkachuk. Then, on the ensuing face-off, the Flames Kristen Odland, Postmedia took a delay-of-game for a face-off violation, and Tkachuk served the two minutes. Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 11:45 PM MDT But TJ Brodie took a slashing penalty shortly after and the Flames were forced to fill off a four-on-three for 46 seconds.

At 10:57, Travis Hamonic scored his first goal with the Flames to go The head coach was quick to point out the statistic — his team had taken ahead 2-1 while Dougie Hamilton’s point-shot with 2:01 remaining in the seventeen minors over the previous three games. middle frame was the visitors’ third goal. “The league doesn’t let you off the hook,” Gulutzan had said earlier in the “I thought our penalty kill was very good, and our captain was a monster day, following their meetings at the team hotel. “No matter how good your out there,” Gulutzan said. “I think that just looking at his will — he pushed penalty kill is.” us through. Our penalty killers? They did a good job. But, yeah, we got lucky. That is, unless, you’re playing a team with a power play that’s worse than your penalty kill. “You can’t do that. We’re dodging bullets here. And we’ve gotta get that cleaned up … our specialty teams and goaltending are what is holding us At least that was the case in Saturday’s game, as the Vancouver in.” Canucks went 0-for-7 (!) on their man-advantage as the Flames added another nine (!) penalties to that total Gulutzan had talked about earlier in As for the Canucks? Aside from an unproductive powerplay, they only the day. had four shots in the second, while the Flames peppered Markstrom with 11. In the end, the Flames escaped with a bizarre 5-2 win over the host Canucks at Rogers Arena. This, of course, was the response to a 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Friday night which saw Flames goalie Mike Smith surrender five goals Yes, you heard that right. The Flames won and improved to 4-2 on the on 22 shots and yanked in favour of Eddie Lack. 2017-18 campaign. While Saturday was a redemption game of sorts for the Flames, Smith “We’re a little out of sync in a lot of areas,” Gulutzan said. “Our lines. was thrown back into action and made 27 saves on 29 shots. Who is playing with who. Our bench for power play. Who’s not on powerplay. We have to sit back in the next couple of days and get a little Meanwhile, Jagr dressed for his third game with the Flames, while stability. Micheal Ferland was out with a lower body injury. “I really like stability, and right now, even for myself on the bench, we’re a Centre Matt Stajan and defenceman Brett Kulak were the other scratches little chaotic.” for the visitors. Still, they managed to establish a 3-1 lead heading into the third period The Flames hit the ice again Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes and added to it with a pair of bad goals allowed by Canucks goalie Jacob come calling. Markstrom.

Jaromir Jagr scored his first point with the Flames as he set up Johnny Gaudreau’s second goal of the season at 10:14, while Dougie Hamilton Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.15.2017 potted Calgary’s fifth goal at 11:11. The hosts scored nine seconds after Gaudreau’s goal to make it reasonably close (4-2). But Hamilton’s marker seemed to deflate the home side, as the Flames cruised to the final buzzer. “I don’t want to talk about myself — let’s talk about the team,” said Jagr who was awarded the in-house man-of-the-match Calgary Police Service cowboy hat. “We talked about the game before the game that we were going to be more disciplined. It didn’t really happen in the first period, but after that, it was OK. “We survived.” Pretty impressive, really, as the Flames took five penalties (!) in the first period alone, and, miraculously, the puck stayed out of the net on all five Canucks powerplays. In fact, Mark Giordano scored his 100th-career marker shortly after Freddie Hamilton exited the box for cross-checking. Still penalty-killing, however (Michael Stone was still in the sin-bin following an 1:11 five-on- three for the Canucks) Giordano had chipped the puck off Daniel Sedin’s stick in the Flames zone to move the play forward. Troy Brouwer picked up the puck, raced up the ice and moved it to Freddie Hamilton who hit the captain with a pass to go up 1-0 at 11:37. Giordano, by the way, becomes only the fourth Flames defenceman to hit triple-digits in goals, joining Al MacInnis, Gary Suter and Paul Reinhart. With 2:15 remaining, Canucks forward Derek Dorsett evened the score right after being tripped by Sam Bennett by the Flames bench (shortly before the trip, it should be mentioned that Dorsett gave a shot to Freddie Hamilton). The native of Kindersley, Sask., had the last laugh when his shot went in off the shoulder of Dougie Hamilton, who had broken a stick moments before. The hosts, by the way, only managed one shot during the entire 8:49 of power-play time in the first period and lost Loui Eriksson to a knee injury after Tanner Glass sent him crashing into the Flames net. 1078158 Calgary Flames There were no busts among the top five in the 1990 NHL Draft, with first- overall prize Owen Nolan (Quebec Nordiques) followed by Petr Nedved (Vancouver Canucks), Keith Primeau (Detroit Red Wings), Mike Ricci Fellow graduates of 1990 NHL Draft class marvel at Jaromir Jagr's (Philadelphia Flyers) and Jagr (Pittsburgh Penguins). longevity The Flames welcomed netminder Trevor Kidd at No. 11, while Keith Tkachuk (Winnipeg Jets) — his sandpapery son, Matthew, is now Jagr’s youngest teammate at the Saddledome — and Martin Brodeur (New Wes Gilbertson Jersey Devils) heard their names called before the end of the first round. Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 5:25 From second-round selection Doug Weight (New York Rangers) to PM MDT eighth-round steal Peter Bondra (Washington Capitals), there were plenty of nice finds scattered throughout.

Still, nobody’s numbers compare to Jagr. Calgary Flames assistant equipment manager Corey Osmak sought out a longtime hockey executive for a handshake last season, jokingly Heading into Saturday’s meeting with the Canucks on the West Coast, introducing himself as one of two selections from the 1990 Entry Draft the rock-star right-winger had piled up 1,914 career points, good for still in the National Hockey League. second on the NHL’s all-time list — trailing only The Great One, Wayne Gretzky — and 749 more than the elder Tkachuk, next-best among the Him and Jaromir Jagr, now the new guy (and the old guy) at the Class of 1990. Saddledome. “With Owen Nolan and Nedved and Jagr and Primeau, I remember there Jagr, the fifth-overall pick that summer, signed earlier this month with the was a lot of excitement around that draft because I think the word on the Flames, the ninth stop of a career that started in Pittsburgh, has spanned street was any of these players are going to be franchise players for a 1,714 regular-season outings (and counting) and will end with shoo-in long time. So it was exciting to be around there and to feel that,” recalled enshrinement to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Pascall, who was in attendance to hear his name called by the Sabres at No. 103 overall and would spend four seasons in the minors after his Of the many measures of Jagr’s incredible longevity, this might be the college career on the blue-line for NCAA’s University of North Dakota. most telling — that each of the 251 other prospects drafted on June 16, 1990, at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium have long since retired from the “People knew that the top five or the top 10 were going to be real good sport. players, but who would have known at that point that one of them would still be playing? Nobody would have guessed that. Osmak started sharpening skates for some teammates while also patrolling the wing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, “Connie and I have talked about that, like, ‘Holy smokes! Imagine still showing enough promise at the NCAA level that he was a ninth-round playing … ’ ” holler of the Hartford Whalers. He is now in his eighth campaign as one of the Flames’ hard-working, unheralded equipment guys after similar They don’t have to imagine. gigs with the Los Angeles Kings, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and the WHL’s Regina Pats. They can now ask Jagr, notorious for his late-night skates or gym sessions. Several draftees from 1990 are now coaching. Fellow right-winger Curtis Lazar, one of 10 current Flames who wasn’t Others are in broadcasting or scouting. yet born when Jagr debuted for the Penguins in 1990, joked a couple of days back: “We’ve been told to keep our phones on loud at midnight, just Some are in hockey operations. Both of Brad Treliving’s assistant in case he wants to go out for a spin.” general managers were selected that day — Brad Pascall to the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round, and Craig Conroy to the Montreal Canadiens in Or maybe he wasn’t joking. the sixth. “It is, truthfully, amazing,” Pascall said. “Obviously he’s a talented guy, “It’s amazing that Jags is still going,” marvelled Conroy, one of 13 grads but in order to play that long, you would need to have a tremendous of the Class of 1990 to join the NHL’s silver-stick club with 1,000 career passion for the game and a desire to win and to keep winning, almost an regular-season outings. “I made it to 39, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow.’ I felt addiction to winning. And then whether you’re a 19-year-old prospect very happy and proud of that. But for him to be able to play at his age coming into an NHL camp or whether you’re Jaromir Jagr, born in 1972, and to play at such a high level, it’s pretty impressive.” you are going to have to come into the season in tremendous shape. Jagr debuted for his latest employer in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime “Obviously, he has the skill and hockey sense and size and experience. triumph against the Kings at Staples Center. Before recording his first But in order to keep it all together, you have to be in world-class shape.” goal or assist or even his first shot on net in Flames togs, he’d already marked his name in the franchise history book — a record that he erased Echoed Conroy: “This guy is a machine. His work ethic and what he’s in Friday’s 6-0 thumping from the Ottawa Senators, again in Saturday’s done … I mean, it’s legendary that he goes to the rink late at night, and late date with the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena and could rewrite all the workouts, and (Michael) Cammalleri was telling me that he’s got 70-some times over before it should eventually stand the test of time. quite a routine after the game, too. So I’m looking forward to seeing all that. My hat goes off to anyone like that. I always root for the older guys Jagr was 45 years and 238 days old for that clash with the Kings, the now.” oldest guy to ever suit up on behalf of the crew from Calgary. There is nobody older in the National Hockey League, unless you check In fact, the oldest by a lot — almost five years beyond the previous mark. the coaching office or the management box or maybe the equipment room. Curtis Joseph was just six days shy of his 41st birthday when he made his last appearance between the pipes for the Flames. The next-oldest guy on a current player payroll is Minnesota Wild centre Matt Cullen, who turns 41 in early November. The oldest skater was former captain Dave Lowry, who was 39 years and 114 days old on the night of his final game action. Conroy fell one week Cullen was drafted in 1996. Jagr had one Art Ross Trophy, two Stanley short of equalling that mark. Cup rings and three all-star game appearances by then. Most National Hockey Leaguers are fossilized by their mid-thirties. Not In league history, only Gordie Howe (52) and Chris Chelios (48) have the Flames’ newest addition, signed to a one-year deal for what he says skated at a later age than the long-haired legend in the No. 68 sweater. will likely be his final campaign. (We’re not sure we believe him.) “The way I look at it, I don’t care what you did 20 years ago — show me “Oh my God … ” started Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan, asked about what you can do for us now,” Jagr told reporters prior to his debut with the secret to Jagr’s longevity. “I think he can do it because, physically, the Flames. “It’s not about me. It’s about the team and my teammates. I he’s a specimen and, mentally, he’s real strong and has a passion for the don’t want to be there just to be there. I want to make them better.” game. The third thing is his hockey I.Q. He’s an elite thinker out there, especially on the offensive side of the game. Combine that with the physical attributes, that’s why he’s been able to keep going for so long. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.15.2017 “He’s got everything. Nothing has deteriorated. He’s been able to maintain that level for a long time.” 1078159 Calgary Flames

GAMEDAY: Calgary Flames return with Mike Smith to play Vancouver Canucks

BY KRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 02:06 PM MDT

Mike Smith, who surrendered five goals on 22 shots Friday night in a 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators, will get another chance tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. But Glen Gulutzan is looking at Saturday’s game at Rogers Arena (8 p.m., Sportsnet One/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) as redemption for the team in front of Smith, rather than for the Calgary Flames netminder. “I don’t know if there’s much you can do on one-timers from the top of the circle,” said a still-steamed Glen Gulutzan, following the team’s meetings at their Vancouver hotel. “But it’s just a by-product of us taking too many penalties and eventually those things are going to happen. “I don’t think it’s a bounce back game for him. It’s a bounce-back game for our team.” And it’s why the Flames (3-2) are going back to Smith, even despite the fact that Eddie Lack is returning to Vancouver (1-1-1) and it would be the ideal opportunity to dress him against his former club on the second half of a back-to-back. Gulutzan indicated that he’d prefer a re-write on Friday’s ending. Plus, Smith has been stellar to start the season. “I think Smitty’s just played that well,” Gulutzan said. “It does certainly appear like good opportunity or a good storyline. But Smitty’s played that well that we thought we’d go back.” On Friday, the Flames took seven penalties and allowed the Senators to connect twice on their man advantage. Sure, they killed off a four-minute high sticking infraction in the second period. But, eventually, their penalty kill was bound to catch up with them. “You look at the game honestly — even if you look at the last three games honestly — we’ve taken too many penalties,” Gulutzan said. “For 37 minutes (Friday), we were pretty good. We killed a big four minute high-stick, and then we put ourselves back in the box. When you take 17 minors in the last three games, the league doesn’t let you off the hook. No matter how good your penalty kill is. “That was the difference in the game.” The team did not skate in Vancouver, but Gulutzan indicated that the defence would stay the same ahead of Saturday’s game. Jaromir Jagr will play versus the Canucks, and Freddie Hamilton draws in … but the coach wouldn’t reveal for which forward, although it also sounds like RW Curtis Lazar will play again.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078160 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes recall Carrick, van Riemsdyk placed on IR

BY CHIP ALEXANDER [email protected] OCTOBER 14, 2017 2:26 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday recalled defenseman Trevor Carrick from the ’s Charlotte Checkers and placed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on NHL injured reserve. Van Riemsdyk has been sidelined with a concussion suffered in the season opener against Minnesota. Carrick, 23, has one assist in two games with the Checkers this season.

News Observer LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078161 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks winger John Hayden wishes Wild's Marcus Foligno 'speedy recovery' after fight

Chris Hine Chicago Tribune

On Thursday Blackhawks winger John Hayden fought Marcus Foligno in the second period of the Hawks’ 5-2 loss to the Wild. During the prolonged fight, Hayden got in a few good haymakers on Foligno, with one right hook connecting on Foligno’s face. It turns out Hayden did some real damage. Foligno has a fractured facial bone and is expected to miss a week. On Saturday, Hayden appeared remorseful that his punch will cause Foligno to miss time. “A lot of respect for him as a player and no matter how competitive the game gets, you never want anyone to get hurt,” Hayden said. “I hope him a speedy recovery.” The Wild said Foligno will miss about a week as he has a procedure to repair a “left facial fracture.” If there is such a thing as an enforcer on the Hawks’ roster, Jordin Tootoo usually fills that role, but Tootoo is on long-term injured reserve. Hayden wanted to try and spark the Hawks on Thursday. Hayden had gotten into a few scraps in the preseason thanks to his physical style of play. "Hockey’s a speed and skill game these days and if you want to be here you’ve got to play that kind of game,” Hayden said. “That’s my focus. That’s what I work on all summer. Sometimes things come up in competitive games." Added coach Joel Quenneville: “Fighting is something that can evolve from the way he plays. He has to be willing, sometimes you pay a hard game and the physicality, be it hits or tough areas, sometimes they just happen. I’m not saying fight or don’t fight, but sometimes those are the results.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078162 Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017

Predators played better, but Blackhawks will take 2-1 overtime victory

Chris Hine Chicago Tribune

For the first time since January, the Blackhawks got to take "Chelsea Dagger" off the shelf with the Predators in town. After playing nearly 175 minutes of hockey against the new bosses of the Western Conference at the United Center without scoring a goal — a stretch the included two April playoff games — the Hawks finally got on the board against the Predators when Patrick Sharp netted a goal late in the third period Saturday. Then they scored again for a 2-1 overtime victory when Brandon Saad redirected a feed from Patrick Kane 3 minutes, 5 seconds into the extra period. Perhaps it was fitting that the Hawks' two goals came from two players who weren't here for the carnage that was April's playoff sweep — two changes that came about after a period of self-examination for the Hawks. Sharp came on a discount to add some veteran scoring punch while Saad was a necessary player to get back, a player who could match the Predators lethal combination of speed and physicality they used to reach the Stanley Cup Final. Corey Crawford enabled the Hawks to get the two points with 37 saves. The Hawks don't exit Saturday feeling particularly good about their place in the Central Division, not after the Wild shut them down for a 5-2 victory on Thursday and the Predators dominated play most of the night. "We can't be overly excited with this short little two gamer at home," coach Joel Quenneville said. The Hawks have nine points through their first six games but for a good portion of Saturday, they experienced some nightmarish flashbacks with how the Predators controlled the game. "It was just tough sledding out there," Sharp said. They made life miserable for the Hawks whenever the Hawks tried to enter the offensive zone. The Predators trapping defense made it impossible for the Hawks to gain clean zone entries. When the Hawks were able to chip the puck in, the Predators were better than they were at retrieving pucks and clearing the zone. It was the same way the Predators dominated the Hawks in April. Filip Forsberg's power-play goal 18:16 into the second period appeared as if it would stand as the only goal the Predators would need. The Hawks' power play got nowhere in six tries, coach Joel Quenneville mixed his lines in search of any semblance of a pulse and the frustration was visible on the faces of the Hawks. "That just had to do with us not managing the puck the right way," Saad said. "We had a lot of turnovers and they capitalized the other way. That's what kept us in our own end and we couldn't create offense. We did it to ourselves." But then, a breakthrough, at last. John Hayden won a puck battle and found Sharp, who sprinted at the net to beat Rinne at 14:24 of the third for the first Hawks goal in 174:56 against the Predators. The previous goal had come late in the third period of a Hawks victory on Jan. 8, before the Predators seemed a viable threat to the Hawks. The Hawks held on until overtime, when the randomness of 3-on-3 hockey led to Saad's goal on a pretty pass from Kane. "It was a big win," Saad said. One that felt a little more cathartic than usual given the Hawks' recent history. Chris Hine's three stars 1. Corey Crawford, Blackhawks: Goaltender kept Hawks alive with 37 saves. 2. Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks. Tied the game in third period. 3. Pekka Rinne, Predators: Got Predators a point with 33 saves.

1078163 Chicago Blackhawks

John Hayden not planning to tone down his style: ‘Fights happen’

10/14/2017, 06:01PM Mark Lazerus @MarkLazerus | email

John Hayden is a Yale graduate with a valuable brain. But he’s also a hockey player. So when it’s time to fight, Hayden’s going to fight, no matter the potential consequences. “In competitive games, fights happen,” Hayden said. They’ve been happening for Hayden more than any other Hawks player lately. Hayden picked a fight with seemingly half the Columbus Blue Jackets in two preseason games, and caved in Minnesota winger Marcus Foligno’s face with a devastating right hook Thursday night at the United Center. Foligno suffered a facial fracture and will be out at least a week. Hayden was clearly a bit shaken by the effect of his haymaker. “[I have] a lot of respect for him as a player, and no matter how competitive the game gets, you never want anyone to get hurt,” Hayden said after Saturday’s morning skate. “I [wish] him a speedy recovery.” But the next time Hayden feels he or a teammate has been wronged, or — like in Thursday night’s case — that his team is sluggish and in need of some energy, he won’t hesitate to drop the gloves again. With Jordin Tootoo on long-term injured reserve, Hayden has stepped up as the Blackhawks’ de facto enforcer. Of course, the question is, in an era in which speed and skill trump braun, is there really a need for an enforcer? And with all the research into head injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), should fighting even be allowed in the NHL? Fighting has decreased dramatically in recent seasons, but likely always will remain a part of the game. Players insist the self-policing cuts down on cheap shots and injuries. “Hockey’s a speed and skill game these days, and if you want to be here, you’ve got to play that kind of game,” Hayden said. “That’s my focus, that’s what I work on all summer. [But] sometimes things come up in competitive games.” The Hawks’ fourth line, with Hayden, Lance Bouma and Tommy Wingels, has added a physical element the team has been lacking in recent seasons. And that style of play tends to lead to fights. Joel Quenneville’s OK with that, to an extent. “Fighting is something that can evolve from the way he plays,” Quenneville said of Hayden. “He has to be willing. Sometimes you play a hard game and [with] the physicality, sometimes they just happen. I’m not saying fight or don’t fight, but sometimes those are the results.” Connor Murphy, who was acquired in June for Niklas Hjalmarsson and is signed for five more years at $3.85 million per season, will be a healthy scratch for the second time in three games. Jan Rutta’s excellent start has made Murphy the odd-man out when Quenneville wants to get veteran Cody Franson in the lineup. Quenneville tried to frame it as a positive situation. “Everyone wants to make a contribution, not just one guy,” Quenneville said. “But it’s still part of the decision-making process, and some nights, [those decisions] are easier. I like when we have to make tough ones.” Nick Schmaltz was originally targeting a return Thursday against Minnesota. But instead he’ll miss his fourth straight game with an apparent head injury suffered last Saturday against the Blue Jackets (he also missed the last 58 minutes of that game). Tanner Kero, not Artem Anisimov, will skate in his spot between Ryan Hartman and Patrick Kane.

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Brandon Saad scores in OT for unlikely Hawks victory

10/15/2017, 12:43am Mark Lazerus @MarkLazerus | email

There was no revenge to be exacted Saturday night at the United Center. There is nothing a team can do during the sixth game of the regular season to atone for a first-round, franchise-altering flameout. But there’s little doubt the Blackhawks felt they at least had a little something to prove entering their first meeting with the Nashville Predators since the first-round sweep in April. “We have to play to win the game,” coach Joel Quenneville said before the game. “Certainly, playing the way we did last year doesn’t help our chances.” No, it certainly didn’t. But despite a game that looked an awful lot like the last four between these two teams, the Hawks pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory over the Predators, with Patrick Sharp scoring late to send the game to overtime, and Brandon Saad redirecting a Patrick Kane feed in overtime for the game-winner. It was notable that the two goal-scorers weren’t on the team last spring, and were brought in to help boost an offense that went dormant when it mattered most. It was an unlikely victory for the Hawks, who improved to 4-1-1 against their murderer’s row of season-opening opponents. Nashville — without two of its big four defensemen in Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis — was faster, stronger, rougher, and more in control for nearly the entire game. At least, until Quenneville shook up his lines in a desperate search for offense. He put Alex DeBrincat with Ryan Hartman and Kane, and John Hayden with Sharp and Artem Anisimov. “[It] just had to do with us not managing the puck the right way,” Saad said of the slow start. “We had a lot of turnovers and they capitalized the other way. That’s what kept us in our own end, and we couldn’t create offense. We did it to ourselves. But we learned from it. It was a big win, and we’ll move on.” The Hawks scored just three goals in the four-game sweep in April, and the two home games were both Predators shutouts. Saturday was mostly more of the same, as the Hawks’ scoreless streak at home against the Predators stretched to 174 minutes, 56 seconds — dating all the way back to Jan. 8 — before Sharp finally broke through to tie the game 1-1 at 14:24 of the third period. Predators coach Peter Laviolette was furious about the equalizer, as Hartman had ripped Matt Irwin’s stick out of his hands and flung it behind the net, leaving Irwin defenseless against Sharp’s shovel shot. “Playing an unbelievable game to that point and [to] have it taken away from us like that is ridiculous,” Laviolette said. The Hawks, meanwhile credited Corey Crawford for keeping them in the game long enough to figure things out. Crawford made 18 of his 37 saves in the first period alone, as things could have gotten ugly early. The Hawks, so dynamic in the first couple of games of the season, once again looked a step slow — witness Brent Seabrook simply grabbing Viktor Arvidsson as he was about to blow by for an odd-man rush early in the third period, taking the penalty to avoid giving up the break. Seabrook was hardly the only culprit, though. For all the change the Hawks went through over the summer in an effort to be “harder to play against,” the Predators still had their way for most of the game. Quenneville shrugged off some of the struggles, noting that Nick Schmaltz’s eventual return — he’s now targeting Wednesday in St. Louis — should stabilize the lines and provide some much-needed speed to the lineup. But he felt fortunate to get two points out of what could have been another lousy night against the Predators. “The last 15 minutes of the game, counting overtime — that’s the way we need to play,” Quenneville said.

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Schmaltz won't play vs. Predators tonight

John Dietz Follow @johndietzdh

Nick Schmaltz will sit out a fourth straight game when the Blackhawks take on Nashville at the United Center tonight. Schmaltz suffered an upper-body injury against Columbus on Oct. 7, and although he has taken part in the last two morning skates, the 21-year- old center wants to make sure he's 100 percent before returning. "It's obviously tough," he said. "You want to be out there with your team and help them out." With Schmaltz sitting, watch for Tanner Kero to skate with Patrick Kane and Ryan Hartman. Artem Anisimov will likely center the third line with Patrick Sharp and Alex DeBrincat on the wings. "It's a little different role," said Kero, who is normally on the fourth line. "But you don't want to change your game too much. You just want to keep being hard defensively; make sure you're being good in our end and get the pucks for them on the breakout. Then support them and use speed to generate space and try to create opportunities." Scratched again? When the Hawks play Nashville tonight, it looks like defenseman Connor Murphy will be a healthy scratch for the second time in three games. Murphy was acquired from Arizona for Niklas Hjalmarsson in the off- season. "I think he's been fine handling it," Joel Quenneville said. "I thought he came in and did a good job (against Minnesota). It's not where you want to be, but it's a depth (problem) for our team." One defenseman who has wowed Quenneville and his staff is 27-year- old Jan Rutta, who is usually paired with second-year man Gustav Forsling. "He's been really good," Quenneville said. "Whether it's a surprise or not, I don't know if (we) were expecting that level of play. It's been fun watching him play. "His gap is tremendous and his thinking process out there complements the gap. Puck movement, reliability, dependability has been excellent." Slap shots: Minnesota's Marcus Foligno suffered a facial fracture during his fight with John Hayden on Thursday. Hayden, who wished Foligno a "very speedy recovery" Saturday, landed a huge right cross during the brawl. … Jonathan Toews will attempt to extend his regular-season points streak to eight games tonight against the Predators.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078166 Chicago Blackhawks

Sharp, Saad help Blackhawks over Predators

John Dietz Follow @johndietzdh

Nearly six months after being swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Nashville Predators, it appeared the Chicago Blackhawks were going to suffer yet another brutal defeat at the hands of their pesky division rivals. But with Nashville clinging to a 1-0 lead and time running short, Patrick Sharp finally solved Pekka Rinne with 5:36 remaining and Brandon Saad gave the Hawks an unlikely 2-1 victory when he tapped in a Patrick Kane pass with 1:55 left in overtime Saturday night at the United Center. Corey Crawford (37 saves) again was sensational in net, giving up just a power-play goal by Filip Forsberg at 18:16 of the second period. The Hawks improved to 4-1-1. Saad now has 6 goals. "It's just a great pass," he said. "I hop on the ice, tick-tack-toe play. Kaner makes a great play." It was hardly a great game by the Hawks, though, as they were again flummoxed by the Predators' neutral-zone trap. Over and over, Hawks forwards had the puck stripped just as they'd cross into the offensive zone. "It was just tough sledding out there," Sharp said. "That was a well- coached team, pretty disciplined through the neutral zone. I don't think we entered their zone with possession too many times throughout the whole game. We had to grind it out a little bit." It was the same story in the playoffs, when Nashville (2-2-1) shut out the Hawks in Games 1 and 2 at the United Center. Sharp's goal snapped a nearly 175-minute scoreless stretch for the Hawks against Nashville at the UC. Sharp scored when he backhanded a shot past Rinne after taking a pass from John Hayden. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was furious that Ryan Hartman wasn't called for holding -- and then flinging -- Matt Irwin's stick just as Sharp tied the game. "Playing an unbelievable game to that point and have it taken away from us like that is ridiculous," Laviolette said. The Predators outshot the Hawks 18-11 in the first period, and that didn't include a short-handed breakaway attempt by Viktor Arvidsson that went wide of Crawford. Because of what happened against Nashville last April, reporters tried to play up the revenge angle, but Sharp said this is a new season. "Everyone had a foul taste in their mouth for what happened here in the playoffs," he said. "That's behind us now. Nashville's been a rival of ours -- a tough division opponent for years. … "Everybody's good in our division. Whenever we have one of those games, whether we have history or not, it's important to play a good, strong game against them. They did that tonight against us and we were just able get one in overtime there." Slap shot: Minnesota's Marcus Foligno suffered a facial fracture during his fight with John Hayden on Thursday. Hayden, who wished Foligno a "very speedy recovery" Saturday, landed a huge right cross during the brawl.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078167 Chicago Blackhawks ... Chicago D Connor Murphy was a scratch for the second time in three games.

Saad's OT goal lifts Blackhawks over Preds 2-1 Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.15.2017

By MATT CARLSON Associated Press

CHICAGO -- This time, the Chicago Blackhawks made a big play at a key moment against the Nashville Predators. Brandon Saad scored his sixth goal 3:05 into overtime, and the Blackhawks beat the Predators 2-1 on Saturday night in their first meeting since last year's playoffs. Saad beat Pekka Rinne with a one-timed deflection as he cut across the crease from the left side, making the most of a pinpoint cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane. "It always feels nice to contribute to wins," Saad said. "It was just a great pass. I hopped on the ice, and Kaner makes a great tic-tac-toe play." Corey Crawford had 37 saves for Chicago, which wasted six power-play chances. The Blackhawks were swept by the Predators in the first round of the postseason last April. "It's a big win against them," Crawford said. "It's kind of nice to beat them from last year, but it's a new season. "They're a tough team to play against." Patrick Sharp scored with 5:36 left in the third period, spoiling Rinne's shutout bid and sending the game to overtime. "I think it was just tough sledding out there," Sharp said. "That's a well- coached team, pretty disciplined through the neutral zone. "We had to kind of grind it out a little bit." After Cody Franson held in a Nashville clearing attempt on the right boards, the puck bounded to rookie John Hayden. He fed Sharp to the right off the crease and the veteran forward beat Rinne with a backhander on Chicago's 26th shot. Filip Forsberg scored a power-play goal late in the second period for Nashville. It was his fifth goal in five games. The Predators picked up right where they left in the playoffs last year, shutting down Chicago's high-scoring attack. The Predators outscored the Blackhawks 13-3 in their playoff sweep in their first step on the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Rinne made 33 saves Saturday night, but wasn't tested until late. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette thought one goal was going be enough for his team. "It should have been a shutout," Laviolette said. "It should have been 1-0 and we should have been out of here. "I thought the guys were right money tonight with decisions and speed and the game plan. We did a lot of good things." The Predators played with a shuffled defense with Roman Josi and Yannick Weber out with short-term injuries. Ryan Ellis is sidelined until December following offseason knee surgery. Nashville dominated a scoreless first period while giving Chicago limited space. The Predators kept up their close checking in the second and jumped in front on Forsberg's goal on their 29th shot with 1:44 left in the period. P.K. Subban slid a low shot from the top of the slot through traffic toward Crawford. Scott Hartnell, parked in front in the crease, deflected the puck to the left side of the net and a wide-open Forsberg, who picked up his fourth goal in three games. Chicago's Ryan Hartman shot wide on a breakaway at 8:32 of the second. Crawford stopped Viktor Arvidsson, alone at the edge of the crease with 30 second left in the period, to keep it at 1-0. NOTES: Josi missed his third game (upper body). Weber sat out his first after taking a high hit on Thursday versus Dallas. ... D Anthony Bitetto jumped in for his second game this season. ... Nashville C Nick Bonino didn't play in the third period, but Laviolette didn't have an injury report postgame. ... Chicago C Nick Schmaltz missed his fourth game (upper body), but coach Joel Quenneville said the forward is close to returning. 1078168 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks still searching for second-line answers

By Tracey Myers October 14, 2017 12:17 PM

Breaking news: when the Blackhawks face the Nashville Predators Saturday night it will be… Game 6 of 82 on the regular-season schedule. No this is not an exact-some-measure-of-revenge game. That’s a silly notion that makes it sound like an early regular-season game will actually constitute some payback for the sweep the Blackhawks suffered in April. That was then. Right now, the Blackhawks are still trying to figure out the right second-line combination in the wake of Nick Schmaltz’s upper-body injury. Schmaltz is close but he’ll be out again against the Predators. Tanner Kero, who finished Thursday’s game centering Ryan Hartman and Patrick Kane, will be there to start against Nashville. The three had a decent spark in their few minutes’ together on Thursday and look to have it right away again vs. the Predators. “Yeah, obviously they’re both playing well, they’re off to great starts,” Kero said. “You just want to help support them, you want to be moving the puck and making sure you’re getting to those areas in front of the net and supporting them all over the ice, try to get them the puck and make plays.” Nashville certainly was bolstered by its Stanley Cup run last season but that didn’t change the Blackhawks’ perspective of the Predators. “We’ve always had a ton of respect for Nashville and we’ve always had hard games against them," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "Tight games, close games, fun games to be involved with — obviously our playoff series wasn’t fun at all — but we feel that we know how good they are. But league-wide it was good for our game, the enthusiasm that Nashville had for its Cup run was good for their market. I think everybody thought pretty good things about Nashville to begin with but certainly that validated it.”

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Blackhawks will take OT victory but need sharper starts again

By Tracey Myers October 14, 2017 11:30 PM

Patrick Sharp’s backhand shot slipped past Pekka Rinne late in regulation. The Blackhawks’ push, which started midway through the third period, finally yielded them something and led to a 2-1 overtime victory. The Blackhawks will take it, but it was the second consecutive game in which it took them two-plus periods and a deficit to get anything going. When the Blackhawks were scoring plenty in the first few games this season they were playing with energy and tenacity from the start and didn’t let up. As they continue through a tough stretch, they want to get back to that. “They controlled a lot of the battle areas, came up with more loose pucks, we didn’t pressure it enough,” coach Joel Quenneville said of the first two periods against the Nashville Predators. “All of a sudden we had some zone time [in the third], got some momentum off that, scored the big goal by Sharpy. Certainly the last 15 minutes of the game, including overtime, that’s what we need to play like more often.” Sure, Nick Schmaltz’s absence hasn’t helped. The Blackhawks have missed him, and they hope he’s back on Wednesday. But Schmaltz or no Schmaltz there’s enough firepower on this team to generate offense. So what gives? On Saturday there may have been early frustration against a Predators team that’s done that to them a few times. “I think it was just tough sledding out there,” Sharp said. “That was a well- coached team, pretty disciplined through the neutral zone. I don’t think we exited the zone with possession too many times throughout the whole game so we had to grind it out a little bit I thought in the third period Joel mixed the lines up and got a little offensive zone time. Got a couple shots on net and able to sneak one in there. I still think we’re capable of scoring multiple goals a game. We can score a lot. That’s never a problem.” It’s ultimately about creating opportunities or taking advantage of those given to you. Speaking of the latter the Blackhawks’ power play, or lack thereof, doesn’t help. In their best seasons the Blackhawks didn’t sweat power-play issues much because their 5-on-5 scoring was strong. When that 5-on-5 production dries up, however, the power play’s issues are magnified. They came up empty in six more power-play opportunities on Saturday night and are now 4 for 27 on the season. In the Blackhawks’ last two home games they haven’t been offensively sharp out of the gate. It’s taken them quite a while to get going. On Saturday it worked out well but it’s not a habit they want to repeat often. “We can’t be overly excited with this short little two-gamer at home,” Quenneville said. “I think that you get Schmaltzy back and you get some consistent lines and more predictable line mates. Maybe if we get that it’ll help push one another in the right way and get more consistency and speed in our game.”

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Five takeaways from Blackhawks' 2-1 overtime win over Predators: How long can Brandon Saad keep this up for?

By Charlie Roumeliotis October 14, 2017 11:20 PM

Here are five takeaways from the Blackhawks' 2-1 overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night: 1. Corey Crawford stays sharp. It was another busy night for the Blackhawks netminder, and he was on his A-game yet again from the moment the puck dropped. Crawford made 29 of his 37 saves in the first two periods, and allowed only one goal for the fourth time in five games this season to up his season save percentage to .959. "He's gotten off to a great start for us," Joel Quenneville said. "Can't say enough good things about him." 2. Slow start, strong finish. The Blackhawks had 17 shot attempts in the first period, 11 of which were on goal, while the Predators peppered 32 attempts towards the net and got 18 on goal. It was an unorthodox start for the Blackhawks, who are outscoring their opponents 11-1 in the opening frame so far this season. Seven of their eight high danger scoring chances allowed came in that period as well. If it weren't for Crawford, as mentioned above, it could've been a different result through 20 minutes. 3. Can Brandon Saad keep this up, and for how long? The Blackhawks could not have envisioned a better start for Saad in his second stint with Chicago. He opened the season with a hat trick, and has recorded at least a point in five of six games. He scored the overtime winner in this one after burying a perfect pass from Patrick Kane, and has now scored the game-winning goal in all four Blackhawks wins this season. Saad is on pace for 82 goals. Is that doable? "I don't know," Saad laughed. "I just try my best and do what I can. It's been fun so far." 4. Power play goes quiet. The Blackhawks scored a power play goal in each of their last four games entering Saturday, but it dried up against Nashville. They went 0-for-6 on the man advantage, and struggled to create any type of quality scoring chance despite recording eight shots on goal during them. What needs to change in that area? "More of the boring quotes that we're going to give you," Patrick Sharp joked with the media. "They're quotes because it's what works. Quick puck movement, more shots, traffic to the net. We feel like we're entering the zone okay, but we're just breaking out too many times, we're not sustaining pressure and generating a whole lot of scoring chances. "I'm sure the next few days we'll talk about getting pucks to the net, screening the goalie, getting those second and third chances." 5. Pekka Rinne picks up where he left off. The visiting goaltender wasn't too bad, either. In four playoff games against the Blackhawks last year, Rinne allowed just three goals and had a .976 save percentage, including two shutouts in back-to-back games at the United Center. He picked up right where he left off, and appeared to be headed for a third straight shutout in Chicago until Sharp got the Blackhawks on the scoreboard with 6:36 left in the third period. Rinne finished the game with a season-high 33 saves.

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Avalanche rookie Tyson Jost out 1-2 games with bone bruise

By: Mike Chambers, Associated Press October 14, 2017 Updated: Today at 9:14 am

The Avalanche’s youngest player, 19-year-old center Tyson Jost, missed Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with a bone bruise. Jost injured his left knee in the second period of Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins, a game he returned to in the third period and Colorado’s sixth goal in an empty-net situation. Jost didn’t practice Thursday and coach Jared Bednar said he is day-to- day with a bone bruise. Bednar suspects Jost won’t play Saturday night at Dallas but will return to the lineup Tuesday at Nashville. The Avs will have Sunday off before practicing Monday in Music City. “We’ll get him back on the ice Monday to test it and participate in practice and try to get ready for Tuesday,” Bednar said after Friday’s morning skate at the Pepsi Center. Matt Nieto replaced Jost in the 12-man forward corps, but Colin Wilson moved up from the fourth line to replace Jost on the line with Gabe Landeskog and J.T. Compher. Nieto hasn’t played since opening night. Lineup. Colorado’s top two lines remained the same: Nathan MacKinnon centered Sven Andrighetto and Mikko Rantanen, and Matt Duchene was between Nail Yakupov and Alex Kerfoot. The Avs again made rookie defensemen Anton Lindholm and Andrei Mironov healthy scratches, using the same defensive pairings as Wednesday. Evacuation. Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin and his family were evacuated from their Anaheim-area home Monday because of the southern California wildfires. Beauchemin, who played the last two seasons for the Avalanche before being bought out by the team in June, is one of many Ducks players/staff who spent a part of their season- opening, four-game homestand in hotels. Footnotes. Anaheim forward Andrew Cogliano appeared in his 791st consecutive game Friday, the longest iron man streak since Steve Larmer played in 884 consecutive ending in 1993. … The Ducks had four former Avs in the lineup Friday in forward Chris Wagner, Beauchemin and backup goalie Reto Berra. … The Ducks entered Friday 0-of-15 on the power play. The Avs were only only slightly better (2-of-17). … Colorado was last in the league in penalty killing at 66.7 percent (12-of- 18). Anaheim was 18-of-22 on the PK after going 3-of-4 against the Avs in the first period. … The Avs have allowed just two goals at 5-on-5. The seven other goals-against have come on special teams. Spotlight on: John Klingberg. The Stars defenseman has points in four consecutive games to start the season and leads the team with five (two goals). Dallas has scored a power-play goal in each game this season and Klingberg has five points (goal, four points) when the team has struck with the man-advantage. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Klingberg is the first Stars blue-liner to record points in his first four games of a season since Philippe Boucher in 2005-06.

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Avalanche dominates, but wins a tight one over Anaheim

By: Mike Chambers, Associated Press October 14, 2017 Updated: Today at 9:14 am

An offensive attack not seen in years at the Pepsi Center developed Friday night. In dominating possession, limiting turnovers, using tremendous speed and creating second chances on seemingly every rush, the Avalanche played a thrilling brand of hockey before an appreciative, long-suffering crowd. The Anaheim Ducks were severely winged. Colorado, however, failed to capitalize on 6-of-8 power plays and had two disallowed goals because of goaltender interference to skate away with a tight triumph. A power-play goal by Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie broke a 1-1 tie at 14:21 of the third period and led to a 3-1 victory after a 190-foot empty-net goal by defenseman Nikita Zadorov with 0.5 seconds left. Suddenly, the 2016-17 last-place Avalanche is 4-1 and looking like a playoff contender. After the game, the thought-to-be serious injury to standout center Nathan MacKinnon became a relief. MacKinnon left the game in the first period with an eye injury, after he was high-sticked in the face by the Ducks’ Derek Grant, who was trying to lift MacKinnon’s stick beside the Anaheim net. Avs coach Jared Bednar said MacKinnon should be fine and play Saturday in Dallas. “He had some vision problems immediately after but right now things have settled down and he should be good to go for tomorrow,” Bednar said. Said Avs captain Gabe Landeskog: “We were scared for him there. Really scared for him. Let alone losing him for the game or for the season, it’s the rest of your life. You only have two eyes.” Former Ducks goalie Jonathan Bernier got the start for Colorado, which outshot Anaheim 30-8 through two periods and 39-18 for the game. The Avs appeared to go ahead 2-0 in the second period but forward Blake Comeau was called for goalie interference on Reto Berra before linemate Matt Nieto shot the puck past Berra, the former Av. The Avs used their coach’s challenge to try to overturn the call on the ice, but instead only lost their timeout as the call stood. In the third period, after the Ducks tied it 1-1 with a short-handed goal, Alex Kerfoot’s goal was disallowed because referees ruled Kerfoot interfered with Berra before a shot from the point caromed in the net off Kerfoot’s back. Colorado might have overturned the call with a coach’s challenge, but had already used it. Bernier improved to 1-1 and the Avs are now 2-0 at home. “Last two games have been pretty easy for the goalies, especially tonight,” Bernier said. “We played the right way for 60 (minutes). We used our speed. We cycled the puck. We spent a lot of time in their zone. We wore them down.” Injury-plagued Anaheim played without a handful of its best players in forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler and defensemen Kevin Bieksa, Sami Vantanen and Hampus Lindholm. But the Ducks managed to stay in the game with their penalty kill and their short-handed goal by defenseman Brandon Montour early in the third period. “I liked a lot of what we did,” Bednar said. “No. 1, we were skating tonight. We were skating back into our zone, getting give guys in there to break out and we did that cleanly a lot. And then up ice we were relentless on the puck. We created power plays. We created secondary opportunities by tracking the puck, forcing turnovers and stealing pucks. We were skating and we were relentless on it.” Colorado was scheduled to depart for Dallas following the game and will play the Stars on Saturday night to begin a two-game trip. The Avs play at Nashville on Tuesday.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078173 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche, Stars off to unexpected starts this season

By SAAD YOUSUF, SPECIAL TO THE DENVER POST | PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 4:44 pm | UPDATED: October 14, 2017 at 4:49 PM

DALLAS — A team sitting at 1-3-0 will take on a 4-1-0 team Saturday at the American Airlines Center, which is pretty much how many hockey pundits had it before the season started. They just didn’t know it would be the Dallas Stars looking for their second win of the season and the Avalanche looking to notch its fourth consecutive win to stay atop the Central Division. The Avs have eight points through five games, tied with the Blues (who just lost their first game of the season) for most in the division. It’s their best start to a season through five games since the 2013-14 season when they started 5-0-0. Colorado won the division that year before falling to the Minnesota Wild in a classic seven-game first-round series. On the other hand, the Stars are in the cellar of the Central Division at 1- 3-0. After having an offseason that had expectations sky-high, the team has failed to put things together as they continue to figure things out under coach Ken Hitchcock. The Avs will want to start fast right out the gate because the Stars’ lone win came when they went up 2-0 in the opening period against the Red Wings. They haven’t responded well to being hit first, something captain Jamie Benn acknowledged after Thursday’s loss to the Predators. “When the other team gets a goal or get momentum, we have to respond as a group,” Benn said. “They started to bring the pressure, and we just let them take it to us.” The Avs are 2-0-0 when leading after the first period and 4-0-0 when leading after the second this season. Juggling act. Hitchcock is going to try a new combination on defense, pairing Marc Methot with John Klingberg. Esa Lindell has played the first four games with Klingberg while Methot has played with a combination of Jamie Oleksiak and Stephen Johns. Hitchcock also moved Mattias Janmark onto a line with Jason Spezza and Brett Richie while Remi Elie moved with Martin Hanzal and Devin Shore. Footnotes. On the injury front, the Avalanche will be without rookie Tyson Jost (bone bruise) but are likely to have the services of Nathan MacKinnon, despite the center taking a stick to the eye area in Friday night’s win over Anaheim. … Patrik Nemeth spent the previous four seasons with the Stars. He was claimed off of waivers by Colorado 11 days ago and will be playing his first game at the AAC as the opposition.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078174 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche loses at Dallas 3-1

By SAAD YOUSUF, SPECIAL TO THE DENVER POST | PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 9:05 pm | UPDATED: October 14, 2017 at 9:34 PM

While the music was blaring at the American Airlines Center on Saturday evening, you’d be hard-pressed to hear it over the gasps of the fans as they watched the Dallas Stars defeat the Avalanche 3-1. It was a theme throughout the night as one player recorded the Gordie Howe Hat Trick and both teams struggled to capitalize on the numerous miscues of the other. Colorado just struggled a lot more. The Avs (4-2-0) had their first real chance just over five minutes into the game when Stars defenseman Esa Lindell was penalized for holding. The Avs managed just a single shot — and a poor one at that — on the power play, something that has plagued the team to start the season. Entering the game, the Avs had converted on only 16 percent of their power-play opportunities — and were just 1-of-12 on the road. The numbers just got worse as they had four power-play opportunities and the Stars (2-3-0) killed them all. That they failed to capitalize against Dallas shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the Stars have yet to allow a short-handed goal this season. But that doesn’t explain the penalties the Avs committed, resulting in chances for the Stars, a team that is considerably better with the extra player. The Stars entered Saturday tied for second in the NHL in converting on nearly 34 percent of their opportunities. They had their struggles as well, failing to convert on their first four opportunities of the game. However, captain Jamie Benn, with an assist from center Tyler Seguin, broke a scoreless tie in the opening minute of the second period and Seguin capitalized on the fifth power play by scoring in the final seconds of the second period, thanks to assists from Devin Shore and Benn. It certainly could’ve been worse for the Avs. They managed to kill a 5-on- 3 power play in the second period and were outshot by the Stars 36-22 on the night. But the offense was stale for the most part, failing to make Stars goalie Ben Bishop sweat too much in the net. Center Nathan MacKinnon, who started for the Avs despite a scary injury Friday night. managed just one shot Saturday. Center Matt Duchene was the one who came through for the Avs in the opening minutes of the third period by scoring a goal to cut the lead to 2-1. Duchene now has three goals to go with his three assists. His offense alone though wasn’t enough to overcome Benn and Seguin. Seguin, by the way, was the player who recorded the Gordie Howe Hat Trick — an assist, a goal and a fight in the same game. While his scoring is nothing new, the fight was the first of his career and came as he disproved of Nikita Zadorov roughing Benn in the third period. The fight actually came against former Star Patrik Nemeth, who was just picked up by the Avs on waivers less than two weeks ago. Lindell added an empty-netter for the Stars in the closing minute to put the icing on the cake. Colorado gets a couple days off before taking on the Predators in Nashville on Tuesday.

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Chambers: Anaheim saw in Beuachemin what the Avalanche could not

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post October 14, 2017 at 7:05 PM

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin was awoken midway through his pregame nap Monday by his wife, Marie Claude. It must have been serious. And it was. Pregame naps are as important to an NHL player as pregame warm-ups, but Marie Claude had reason to disturb her husband: Law enforcement officials were demanding the family evacuate their Anaheim-area home because of the Southern California wildfires. The smoke storm was quickly approaching. Beauchemin, the former Avalanche defenseman surprisingly bought out by the club in June, had a lot on his plate at the time. He had a game that night at the Honda Center against the Calgary Flames. His parents were in town from Montreal. His two children were frightened. And he was trying to settle the family into a new house while trying to sell the Greenwood Village home his family lived in the last two years. “We got everybody out, got in a hotel and I had a game Monday night,” Beauchemin said Friday from the Pepsi Center, following a morning skate on game day against the Avalanche. “It was the start of a very stressful week.” The Beauchemins were allowed to return to their home Tuesday night. The scare was just that, with fire fighters saving the home and others in the neighborhood. Francois flew to Colorado with the Ducks on Thursday and drove to look in on the selling of his Greenwood Village property. Beauchemin, now in his third stint with the Ducks, signed with Colorado as a free agent from Anaheim in 2015. His buyout didn’t add up, because of the financial consequences for Colorado and because he has always been a player you want on your team. The Avs are paying him $1.5 million to play against them this season, and another $1.5 million next season when Beauchemin moves to the family farm in Quebec. After Friday’s morning skate, Beauchemin reflected on his whirlwind summer that began with a phone call from Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic in June. Sakic told Beauchemin the team would buy out the final year of his three-year contract that paid him $4.5 million annually. At age 37, Beauchemin figured he was done playing in the NHL, because he wasn’t interested in moving his family again. “It’s a big deal when you play all your life and then you find you’re not playing anymore, and you don’t expect it,” Beauchemin said. “I had some calls from different teams in July and that’s always fun to hear but I wasn’t interested in moving my family around. So I made up my mind I wasn’t going to play (in the NHL) but maybe go with Team Canada for some tournaments and maybe play in the Olympics — until I got the call on Aug. 17.” The call was from Anaheim GM Bob Murray, who wanted Beauchemin to return to the organization in which he played nine of his 12 NHL seasons. Murray wanted Beauchemin to be the veteran leader that he is and the player/coach for his young defensemen. Anyone who knows Beauchemin knows the guy doesn’t own an ego. He realizes he is no longer a top- pairing defenseman, or even a top-four on a good team. But he’s perhaps an ideal third-pairing guy because of his leadership and character. The summer was stressful, and the Avs lost a player they could use. But in the end, it all worked out for Beauchemin and his family. “Whenever you play against your old team, it’s a little weird, but honestly, when I went back to Anaheim, two years went by and it was like I never left,” he said. “We got lucky to find a house in the same neighborhood, the kids were back in the same schools with the same friends, and in the locker room I see all the same faces. There are only maybe four, five new faces. It feels like just yesterday when I left Anaheim. It was like moving back home.”

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Blue Jackets 5, Wild 4, OT | Bounce goes Jackets’ way

By George Richards Posted Oct 14, 2017 at 11:03 PM Updated at 12:31 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Blue Jackets didn’t hold a lead on Saturday night until it counted. After his team trailed throughout most of the game, Alexander Wennberg got a piece of a puck and knocked it past Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk to lift the Blue Jackets to a 5-4 overtime win. Wennberg’s goal came off a Artemi Panarin shot 47 seconds into overtime as the Jackets earned their third consecutive victory, two of which came in extra time. The Jackets have taken eight of the available 10 points to kick off their season. “You just have to keep working hard, and that’s the kind of hockey we want to play,” Wennberg said. “We want to play a little better than we did, but these are two points and we’ll take it.” The Jackets forced overtime after scoring the final two goals of the third period, the tying one coming when Josh Anderson deflected a shot from defenseman David Savard. “Guys did a did a good job going to the net and finding a way to put it in,” Savard said. “It’s a good sign for our team. We didn’t play our best, but we kept coming and kept trying and it finally paid off at the end.” After Sergei Bobrovsky gave up just two goals in his first three games, the Wild put up four against him and twice took a two-goal lead — only to watch the Jackets come back time and again. Minnesota took its initial lead with 4:10 left in the first when Eric Staal went top shelf to beat Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets weren’t down long, however, as Zach Werenski scored his second of the season just 35 seconds later. Down 2-1, Bobrovsky lost sight of a loose puck after a shot by Landon Ferraro that trickled between his skates and sat behind him. As the sold- out crowd roared, a host of Jackets defenders jumped to try to sweep the puck out of harm’s way, only to see Ferraro fly in and nudge the puck across the line. The Jackets came right back, cutting their deficit to one when Savard scored just over two minutes later. Minnesota made it a two-goal game again early in the third as got his second power-play goal 1:48 in. With Jason Zucker shielding Bobrovsky’s view, Ennis deflected a shot from Mikko Koivu that slid through the skates of both Zucker and Bobrovsky. Not to be outdone, Cam Atkinson corralled a puck from a Jack Johnson shot that bounced off Dubnyk’s chest and popped it into the back of the net to make it 4-3. “It’s great we found a way to come back and win, but we need to figure out the first two periods,” Atkinson said. Minnesota had a chance to make it 5-3 midway through the third when Zucker beat Werenski to a loose puck as it bounded off the boards. He fired a shot that bounced off the crossbar. Video review confirmed the call on the ice, which was no goal. “We had another third period and found a way to win,” coach John Tortorella said.

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Blue Jackets | Artemi Panarin makes good impression

By George Richards Posted Oct 14, 2017 at 9:53 PM Updated Oct 14, 2017 at 9:53 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Upon trading Brandon Saad to Chicago to acquire scorer Artemi Panarin, Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the move was made to fill a hole. Not only can Panarin score — he had 151 points in his first 162 NHL games — he can take over a game. “Panarin has that dynamic one-on-one ability that we’re looking for,” Kekalainen told The Dispatch after the deal was made at the Chicago draft in June, “somebody who can create an odd-man situation by beating a guy and creating space with his quickness, a guy who can make room out of nothing.” On Friday, that particular skill was on full display. Panarin carried the puck into the New York zone, rolled through the Rangers defense and put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist with what would be the winning goal in a 3-1 win at Nationwide Arena. It was Panarin’s first goal since the trade, although he set a Blue Jackets record with three assists in his first game on Oct. 6. “That’s why we brought him in, and kudos to management,” said of Panarin. “He’s a player who can break a game open for you, and maybe we didn’t have that previously. In a game like this, there wasn’t much going on and he stepped up. That’s a big part of our team, and we’re happy to have it.” Added Seth Jones: “That was a tough move, and he’s obviously a very special player offensively. The way he moves on his feet, cuts across the ice; it makes it real hard to defend and get a stick on the puck.” Coach John Tortorella said it’s too early in the season to worry about slow starts. On Friday, the Jackets were down 1-0 late in the second before Jones scored to tie it up. “There are ebbs and flows,” Tortorella said. “I don’t look at (Friday) and think about that; I look at how we raised our level in the third period when we needed it to be and needed to win a game a different way. ... Tortorella said Markus Hannikainen was back in the lineup Saturday because Gabriel Carlsson was “nicked up.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078178 Dallas Stars the right place, but our execution isn't. I think the goals will come, but they have to come within the hard brand of hockey we want to play, and that's what we are trying to do right now." Morning Skate Update: Patrik Nemeth back in town as Stars face -Stars center Jason Spezza on his team scoring eight goals on 150 Avalanche shots. "There's certainly some things that we can be better at as a team. By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika Sometimes it's not necessarily a systems thing. I think we've got a great system in place, it's a matter of executing it when the other teams putting pressure on us and sticking to our game plan. That's something we haven't done well and can get better at." Storyline -Stars defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who will return after missing two A Stars team that has struggled to deal with high pressure will jump into games with a sore groin. a bubbling cauldron as it faces a Colorado team that finished 30th in the NHL last season and played Friday night. The expectation is that the 1-3- "It looks like he is going to be okay.He had some vision problems 0 Stars should get an easy victory, but the Avalanche are off to a 4-1-0 immediately after but things have settled down a little. It looks like he start, so perception and reality are meeting in a strange place. Bottom should be good to go for tomorrow." line, if the Stars win, nobody will complain. If they don't, the pressure will get even more intense. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on the health of Nathan MacKinnon, who took a high stick in the eye Friday but is expected to play tonight. Key match-up "I feel like I have the book on him a little bit, because you see him in Patrik Nemeth vs. Stephen Johns practice like all the time. I was watching the game last night to see him on the other team is just weird...We've been together for a few years, we They won't actually be squaring off, but a lot of eyes will be on how each kind of came up together at the same time and stuff. Never thought that performs. Nemeth, Johns and Jamie Oleksiak have been in a battle for I'd see him on a different team. Until it happens, you always think he's playing time for the past three season, and the Stars decided Nemeth going to be there." was the one who needed to be sent through waivers. Colorado picked Nemeth up, and he has three assists and is plus-7 in five games with the -Stars winger Brett Ritchie on facing longtime teammate Patrik Nemeth, Avalanche. Johns is scoreless and a minus-1 and Oleksiak is a healthy who was pick up on waivers by Colorado earlier in the season. scratch tonight, so you are free to discuss whether Dallas gave up the wrong defenseman. Key Number Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.15.2017 3 That's the number of goals for unlikely Colorado leaders Nail Yakupov and Sven Andrighetto. Yakupov was the first overall pick in 2012 but was let go by the Edmonton Oilers and signed as a free agent by the Avalanche. Andrighetto was acquired by Colorado in a trade with Montreal for Andreas Martinsen. It's also the number of wins for Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov, who is back on his game at 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .945 save percentage. Varlamov is 12-5-2 in his career against Dallas. Dallas lost at Nashville, 4-1, Thursday and is 1-3-0. Colorado beat Anaheim at home Thursday and is 4-1-0. Ben Bishop is expected to start in goal for Dallas. He has a 1-1-0 record with a 1.85 GAA and .932 save percentage this season. He is 4-3-0 in his career against the Avalanche with a 2.28 GAA and .918 save percentage. Dan Hamhuis is expected to return from a groin injury that kept him out two games. John Oleksiak is expected to come out of the lineup. Stars defenseman John Klingberg leads the team with 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 4 games. In 5 career games against the Avalanche, Stars forward Devin Shore has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists). In 19 career games against Colorado, Stars defenseman Marc Methot has 2 points and is minus-12. In 18 career games against Colorado, Stars center Tyler Seguin has 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists). Colorado defenseman (and former teammate of Jamie Benn in Kelowna) Tyson Barrie has 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 17 career games against Dallas and is plus-12 in that span Dallas went 4-1-0 against the Avalanche last season. He said it "The bottom line is if you're going to have success in the league, at some period of time, you've got to outwork the goalie. Doesn't matter who's playing, I mean, we've got the top guy today, We just got to every night take it personally that we're going to outwork the other team's goaltender." -Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on his team facing Marc-Andre Fleury, Jake Allen and Pekke Rinne and now have to face Semyon Varlamov. "Scoring goals in this league you have to learn to have a little composure in front of the net. We're a little more rushed right now because we are trying to do everything so hard and so right. I think our intentions are in 1078179 Dallas Stars But the great thing about Timmy Timmons is he didn't swipe his step- dad's Babe Ruth ball, he didn't hit it over the fence, he didn't create this mess...but he is determined to help find a solution. He's part of The Observations: Hype machine creates expectations for fans, but all you Sandlot team, and that means he's going to use whatever ability he has can do is wait and watch to get that ball back. In the end, he and his buddies fail in their multiple attempts and it takes a heroic act from Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez to save the day. Benny has a By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika level of skill the other's don't, so he does something that only he can do. And part of his journey is discovering that he is the answer.

Like the other members of The Sandlot, sometimes we have to just run One of my favorites scenes from the movie "The Sandlot" is where madly behind and watch history unfold in front of us...and wait for Timmy Timmons emerges from the failed vacuum experiment, shakes someone like Benny "The Jet" to do something historic. the dust from his head, and calmly exclaims with a sigh, "We've been going about this all wrong...I blame myself." When it happens, if it happens, maybe those failed experiments will all be worth it. It's a simple moment, but one I think we can all relate to.

Jamie Benn had his moment Thursday after a 4-1 loss in Nashville dropped his team to 1-3-0 to start the season. Benn hasn't played great, Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.15.2017 and when asked to explain the team's problems, he said: "I think it starts with myself. You're not playing the right way and not trying to lead the way. It's not good enough, and when you set a bad example, the rest of the team will follow." He's partly right, but let me add my own Timmy Timmons moment: "I blame myself." I was part of the legion of "hockey experts" who hyped this team so hard. I parroted the phrase "Won the off-season." I laid out why this team would be so much better. I bought in hard. So did a lot of people. It all makes sense on paper. The Stars got a great coach with a history of puck possession and low GAAs, filled pretty much every hole they had on the roster, and put together an incredible group of talented players. They did win the off-season, because they improved more than anyone else. They should be better. And, the odds say they will be...eventually. So why are we so impatient to make this happen now? I think it's because the wait has been so long. They last had real post- season success in 2008 - that's almost a decade ago. And, truth be told, that was a bit of a fluke. It was a one-time run for the Morrow-Turco Stars, a run that was five years in the making and came from a team that finished fifth in the West. The last time the Stars were one of the best teams in the league and followed up with a great playoff run was 2000. That's an eternity for a sports fan. So folks here get a little anxious when they see something good. They want to believe. They want it badly. I'm part of that group. It's more fun to cover a winner than a loser. I'm connected to you guys every day, so I'd rather get a happy vibe through Twitter than a frustrated one. The folks inside the Stars do a good job, too. When team president Jim Lites came back in 2011 with new owner Tom Gaglardi, he put together a Cracker Jack team of salesmen and promoters. Led by Brad Alberts, the group stirred up interest and filled the building again. They sold the promise of the future in a wonderful way. The problem is they can't perform on the ice. So after creating incredible expectations, they crumpled in pain when last year went awry. They did their jobs, and they just needed the players and coaches to cooperate. The broadcast team is a part of it, too, winning Lone Star Emmys for their tremendous work, and creating a fun environment to be a sports fan. You get hooked into this version of serial TV, where you want to follow all of the storylines and see what happens in the next episode. It can be a great way to distract you from the drudgery of the day. But only if your team wins. We've spent too many seasons sifting through broken parts on a stalled Lamborghini, wondering how something so pretty can't get up and running. And each time we exit the season, we have the soundtrack of The Who playing in our heads. Leaving each one of us to quietly exclaim, "I blame myself." 1078180 Dallas Stars especially with less then 10 minutes left. When you're up a goal or two it feels good to close it out."

On what he saw on his goal: He said it: Players and coaches comment after Stars' 3-1 win over Colorado Saturday "I just kind of read off the defenseman. Kind of looking at him and seeing his gap and felt like he gave me a little too much room so I decided to shoot." By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika On the fight with Patrik Nemeth tonight: "I don't know, a couple shoves then he kind of dropped them. Just two On if he felt different about his team after tonight's game: guys competing." "We've played five games. I've felt the same about this team in every When was your last fight? game, and that is that I am really going to enjoy the process of a team "That I dropped my gloves? I don't know, never really. I got jumped a that wants to have the knowledge the get better. This is a team that is couple times in juniors. Yeah, I mean just competing, just played, didn't hungry for the knowledge, and my job is to keep them task-oriented, but really think much of it. Just trying to compete." keep the process moving along. Whatever would've happened today; if we would've lost I would've been really disappointed because we're On his goal at the end of the second period and if he was aware of how pouring so much into it right now. We've done that since the very first much time was left: game. We have had lapses at times, but every team has had lapses. Nobody's played, from what I have watched, at the level we've played at "I peaked when it was, I don't know, six or seven seconds left. So, when all year, yet our record doesn't show that. I really trust the process that [Devin] Shore got it to me, I was just trying to get it off as fast as I could. these guys are going through and I really trust the players. I think this is a Heck of a pass, especially when he knows the period is about to end as wonderful group that wants to learn and we have lots there, but we have well. You know, it was a good timed goal for us. Literally." a lot to learn. The step today, for me, was how we played when it went 2- On if there was concern as this game went a long that you were letting 1. We dug in and played really hard, and that's the next step for me." them hang around too long and you did not do the things that you talked On the Tyler Seguin fight and how his teammates were enthused by it: about doing: "Well this is what a number one center has to do. The big thing for me "I think the game we were in tonight we've been in before a few times. was that he did all of those things, but he did it against the other team's You know where we finish the night saying that was a good goalie but we best players. We had him matched on the best players, so he played made him look even better. So, tonight was a night where we're just against the other team's best players and was a plus player in the game. really happy to finish them off and we played hard pretty much the whole He stood up and fought. He did everything we wanted him to do and the game. Big two points for us; big bounce back game and you know keep it big thing for me was that he skated with the puck. He wanted the puck in rolling here." the middle of the ice and he wanted to transport it, which is the next step On playing on the penalty kill and it being perfect tonight: for a one. That's what a one or two has to do. They have to be able to carry the puck through the middle of the ice on exits and enters and he is "It's really just the first year that I've really gotten an opportunity. I've starting to understand that." thought about it a little in the past, but not that much about penalty killing. I've just never really been a guy looked at to penalty kill. I always thought On Devin Shore's game and if it was an important game for him: in the back of my mind I'd be good at it. With more time out there I feel "We have a lot of players like [Devin] Shore who I really like their games more confident. I've been doing it and coach has been really good with right now. For them; I wish they could score. I wish we could get me, with extra video and learning everything. Obviously Jamie is a good secondary scoring so they would feel like all of the work they are putting penalty killer, and he's out there talking to me after every shift. I'm feeling in is worth it. They have had great scoring chances and wonderful comfortable out there." opportunities, and it hasn't gone in. For them, and for us later on, we are On if he ever thought he'd be a candidate for a Gordie Howe Hat trick: going to need those guys to score. But, as far as doing the things right and doing it with conviction; we have a lot of guys like Devin [Shore] who "No. I didn't even realize it was a Gordie Howe Hat Trick until they said it are doing a heck of a job. For me, he is the most versatile player on the after the three stars. So, that's a first. Might hash tag it tonight." team. He is a guy that can play on any three positions in any situation. He is on the power play, he kills penalties and he plays on a top line. He On if the back-to-back affected the players: is doing all of the things, but for him I'd like to see him have success. You "We're not going to make any excuses, but I didn't like the way we skated want to see a guy get rewarded for all of the work he is putting in." in the first two periods. Not just the way we skated, but our energy was On what he thought of the Marc Methot and John Klingberg pair tonight: down. We just weren't as competitive with the puck as we were in previous games, and then we found it in the third period and doubled our "It was a good pair tonight. It was a really good pair. I thought [Stephen] shot total that we had from the first forty minutes with only one power Johns, playing where he played, had one of his best games. So, to me, play. We just didn't have our stuff for the first forty minutes. I'll give our Stephen Johns is taking big steps right now. You can see it at practice team credit, I love the way we answered back in the third period. We got and you can see it at the games. He is taking big steps right now." real competitive, we got stronger on pucks and went more to the net. The power play looked a little bit better. I think it's just one of those things On Ben Bishop's play on the power play and how he is able to stop other where we've got to make sure you can't have any lapses in forty minutes. teams from making a change: We're playing a hungry team that's 1-3, at home, digging in, in desperate "Well, we have to better at that. Not Ben [Bishop], but we weren't ready need of a win. We just weren't as desperate tonight." for that. We had a breakaway and a two-on-one off of that, but we On their special teams tonight: weren't ready for it. We were lollygagging at the bench and going and diving in the wrong gate and diving in the offside gate. We have not "The penalty kill was great. You're playing a dangerous power play in practiced that and none of us, including me, were ready for it. I was Dallas. They're going to get the odd chance, we put the chances where looking to get other guys on the ice and next thing you know we are we wanted them to come from. We killed the 5-on-3. On their goal, they looking at a two-on-one breakaway. So, it's going to be a big part for us tracked down a loose puck. We're on the way to get the clear on the and we have to be more ready for it." boards and it stays in and we're battling. We're doing everything we can do to keep it out of the middle of the ice and they find the one-timer for "I thought it was pretty good. Obviously things got a bit rough out there. I Seguin. It was a hard-working penalty kill tonight. The power play on the like when he steps up and does something like that. I told him after the other side, I just felt like we didn't have the pace we needed for the game that, you know, it feels good when all his teammates are coming execution. Whether that was our breakout or in the zone, we were just up to him and tapping him on the knee pads and on the shoulders. You moving the puck a little bit too slow. We just weren't thinking one step know we all respect a good fight, especially from somebody who doesn't ahead tonight." fight often." "We need it. The guys have been playing hard here. The day off is On the game looking similar to previous losses, but being on the "right something that they definitely need, they need their rest. We'll regroup, side" of this one: we know Nashville. It's a tough building, a really good team - very similar "It feels good. They're a good team. They were coming on pretty good in to tonight's circumstances. But we'll be rested, we'll get a day of practice the third period. I liked that we got the job done tonight and closed it out. to adjust some things and where we go." We stuck to our game plan and played the right way and played simple, On the loss tonight: "Our power play was really bad tonight. We didn't play a good first 40 minutes. We had a decent third, but it's tough to come back in this league against a team like that." On the focus going in to tonight's game: "We just wanted to open strong and we didn't do that. We knew that they'd be hungry and they didn't get off to the best start ever. We have more to give, and hopefully we can win on Tuesday." On how they plan to regroup before their next game against Nashville: "I think we have some time, which is nice, before going to Nashville. We get to spend some time together as a team. We are happy with our start but are not satisfied. We want to build on it."

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After 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick', what is Tyler Seguin going to do? 'Might hashtag it tonight'

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika

Tyler Seguin didn't even know what a Gordie Howe hat trick was before Saturday night. Why would he? The hockey term that describes a game in which a player gets a goal, an assist and a fight is named for the legendary winger because it exemplifies his all-around talent and ability to affect the game. Seguin did all of that in a 3-1 win over Colorado at American Airlines Center. "That's a first. Might hashtag it tonight," Seguin said when told the term. "Probably never happen again." Seguin's goal was spectacular scoring on a one-timer with 0.8 seconds left in the second period. His assist was sapient, springing Jamie Benn for a two-on-one goal 24 seconds into the second period. And his fight was shocking, coming against former teammate Patrik Nemeth as he tried to stand up for Benn early in the third period. It was the first fight of Seguin's NHL career in game No. 513. The trio of accomplishments stood at the middle of what might have been Seguin's most complete game in a Stars uniform. He logged 20 minutes, 49 seconds, including 1:51 on the penalty kill. He put up 12 shot attempts, including seven on goal. He won 10 of 20 faceoffs. "This is what a No. 1 center has to do," Hitchcock said. "The big thing for me was that he did all of those things, but he did it against the other team's best players. We had him matched on the best players, so he played against the other team's best players and was a plus player in the game. He stood up and fought. He did everything we wanted him to do, and the big thing for me was that he skated with the puck." Benn said he definitely appreciated the gesture. He and Seguin have formed a strong bond, and he said things like that can help the team get better. "I thought it was pretty good," Benn said. "Obviously, things got a bit rough out there. I like when he steps up and does something like that. I told him after the game that, you know, it feels good when all his teammates are coming up to him and tapping him on the knee pads and on the shoulders. You know we all respect a good fight, especially from somebody who doesn't fight often." The win shouldn't be taken lightly. Colorado (4-2-0) came in on a roll, and goalie Semyon Varlamov was maddening with his ability to keep the puck out of the net. Dallas had a 36-23 advantage in shots on goal, and still tallied just three times -- including an empty-netter. The Stars now sit second in the league in shot differential at plus-11.2 per game, but are just 2-3-0 because they have struggled to convert golden opportunities. "I think the game we were in tonight we've been in before a few times. You know where we finish the night saying that was a good goalie but we made him look even better," Seguin said. "So, tonight was a night where we're just really happy to finish them off and we played hard pretty much the whole game. Big two points for us, big bounce back game, and, you know, keep it rolling here." In addition to Seguin's heroics, Hitchcock moved into sole possession of third place on the NHL's all-time wins list at 783. He passed Al Arbour and now sits behind only Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville.

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'I think the goals will come': Despite victory over Avalanche, Stars' scoring still a work in progress

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika

Scoring goals is still a problem for the Stars. Everything else seems to be going pretty well after a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche Saturday. Dallas once again dominated possession and had a 36-22 advantage in shots on goal, but they continued to be stymied by opposing goalies. Avalanche net-minder Semyon Varlamov was spectacular at times, and joined the ranks of Marc-Andre Fleury, Jake Allen and Pekka Rinne in goalies who have frustrated the Stars this season. However, Dallas received two beautiful goals from Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin (as well as an empty-netter from Esa Lindell) and that was enough to push the Stars to 2-3-0 on the season. Colorado falls to 4-2-0. The win was important, because it comes in the Central Division, but also because the Stars seem to be struggling with pressure. A loss would have caused even more. "Scoring goals in this league, you have to learn to have a little composure in front of the net," center Jason Spezza said. "We're a little more rushed right now because we are trying to do everything so hard and so right. I think our intentions are in the right place, but our execution isn't." Cold facts: Stars pick up 4-1 home victory over Colorado Avalanche Dallas had open chances all night. They hit Varlamov way too many times. But while they clearly were struggling mentally in the first period, they remained patient and scored twice in the second period. Seguin sprung Benn with a nice pass that led to a two-on-one, and Benn snapped in an off-wing wrister for his second goal of the year and a 1-0 lead 24 seconds into the period. Then, with time running down in the period and Dallas on the power play, Devin Shore found a wide open Seguin for a one-time, and the puck officially crossed the line with 0.8 seconds on the clock. It was a gorgeous example of just what the skill on this team can do, and also how the skill on this team has to be tough enough to grind out goals. "The bottom line is if you're going to have success in the league, at some period of time, you've got to outwork the goalie," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Doesn't matter who's playing, I mean, we've just got to every night take it personally that we're going to outwork the other team's goaltender." Dallas worked hard all night. Seguin was especially emblematic of how tough the game can be. In addition to a goal and assist, he had his first career fight. After Benn was caught up in a skirmish, Seguin stepped in and fought former teammate Patrik Nemeth. The brawl was brief, but it showed another side to Seguin, who also has been killing penalties this year. The top line of Seguin, Benn and Alexander Radulov finished with 11 shots on goal, and did some of the things Hitchcock has been seeking. "What I think we need to work on is staying on the hunt longer," Hitchcock said. "We're getting a lot of original chances, we're getting a lot of bang bang plays at the net, but the hunt plays where you check the puck back again and again, we need to be better in that area." Maybe Saturday is a good start in that department. "I think the goals will come," Spezza said. "But they have to come within the hard brand of hockey we want to play, and that's what we are trying to do right now."

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Cold facts: Tyler Seguin gets in first fight of NHL career in 3-1 win over Avalanche

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika

Stars 3, Colorado 1 Three Stars 1. Tyler Seguin, Stars - Goal, assist, fight. 2. Jamie Benn, Stars - Goal, assist, 22:02 in time on ice. 3. Devin Shore, Stars - Two assists, great penalty killing. Big play With timing running down in the second period, Devin Shore corralled a puck and made a slick pass across the slot to an open Tyler Seguin. With 0.8 second left on the clock, Seguin was able to blast a power play goal past Semyon Varlamov to give Dallas a 2-0 lead. Discuss Tyler Seguin had the first fight of his NHL career...and it came against former teammate Patrik Nemeth. Should Seguin mix in the occasional fight to keep opponents off-guard, or should this be the last of his career. What does it mean? The Stars needed this. They move to 2-3-0 and 1-1-0 in division games. In addition, the found a way to get enough pucks past Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov, who looked like he might steal a win on this night. Stars: Tyler Seguin made a great pass to spring Jamie Benn in transition, and Benn walked in on a two-on-one and snapped a wrister from the right wing to the top far corner just 24 seconds into the second period. Stars 1, Avalanche 0. Stars: With Dallas on the power play, Devin Shore made a quick play and found an open Seguin, who scored with 0.8 seconds remaining on the second period clock. Stars 2, Avalanche 0. Avalanche: With Colorado skating on a delayed penalty, Matt Duchene slipped into the left circle and scored his third goal of the season at 1:26 of the third period. Stars 2, Avalanche 1. Stars: Esa Lindell shot the puck into an empty net for his first goal of the season. Stars 3, Avalanche 1.

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Ex-Star Patrik Nemeth making most of time with Avalanche after being claimed off waivers

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika

Patrik Nemeth knows he's getting a great opportunity with the Colorado Avalanche, and he's determined to make the most of it. Nemeth was placed on waivers by the Stars before the season started as they tried to trim down their group of nine NHL defensemen, and Colorado snapped him up. In his first five games with the Avalanche, Nemeth had three assists and was plus-seven. "It's been a little bit of a transition, system-wise, but it is overall pretty good," said Nemeth, who returned to play against the Stars Saturday. "This was coming for a little bit. Right now, it's on me to grab the opportunity and play well every night." In "coming for a little bit," Nemeth is referring to the fact the Stars have carried eight defensemen for two seasons because they didn't want to lose any player on waivers. Nemeth has battled for ice time with Jamie Oleksiak and Stephen Johns over the past three seasons, and the trio knew something had to happen. The Stars decided to move on past Nemeth and rely on Oleksiak and Johns. That meant Nemeth got a fresh start after a three-year battle. "The mental grind is hard to explain unless you're living it, so it's good he's found a niche there," said longtime teammate Brett Ritchie. "We've been together for a few years, we kind of came up together at the same time. [It's] pretty weird. I was watching the game [Friday] night [on TV] and to see him on the other team is just weird." Nemeth, 25, was drafted by the Stars in the second round in 2010. He helped the Texas Stars win the AHL championship in 2014 and was an NHL regular that fall. However, his wrist was cut by a skate blade that season, and it threw off his development. He was in and out of the lineup after that, and it started to wear on him. "It was what it was," he said. John Klingberg said he understood the mental drain. The two played in international competition with Sweden, so he has known Nemeth for years. "I always knew he was a good player, but he was kind of in a tough situation," Klingberg said. "I'm happy he's getting a chance now." Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Nemeth has been a great fit with defenseman Tyson Barrie. "I think he gives us stability back there," Bednar said. "He plays with a guy in Tyson Barrie where their styles complement each other. Patty is deep defending and making simple plays, and his first pass has been strong. He has a heavy presence. [Barrie] is more of a get up and go guy, so when you put them together we've liked what we've seen." Bednar watched Nemeth's development in the minors and said he believes they are getting a player who is ready to take off. "There are lots of players who have to move on to get the opportunity they need," he said. "You've got to make the most of your opportunity, and we want to give him a chance." That's all Nemeth said he is asking. "You know you're going to play, but you have to play well to stay in," he said. "That's up to me now." Briefly: Dan Hamhuis returned to the lineup after missing two games with a groin injury. Jamie Oleksiak came out of the lineup for his first healthy scratch of the season. -- Stars defenseman Marc Methot entered the game with 99 career assists.

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Seguin, Benn score in 2nd, Stars beat Avalanche 3-1

Staff Report OCTOBER 14, 2017 11:22 PM

DALLAS Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn each had a goal and an assist in the second period, and the Dallas Stars held off the surprising Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Saturday night. Ben Bishop made 21 saves and allowed only a third-period goal by Matt Duchene. Bishop has been in goal for both Dallas victories this season. Esa Lindell added an empty-net goal with 39 seconds remaining. Devin Shore had two assists. Colorado, last in the Central Division last season, entered the game atop the division standings after five games. Seguin and Benn also played a big role in helping Dallas kill all four Avalanche power plays. Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves for the Avalanche. The Stars had 36 shots on goal to Colorado’s 22. Dallas has not been outshot in any of the first five games. The first period mirrored Dallas’ season to date. The Stars entered the game averaging 10 more shots on goal per game than their opponents. They put 14 shots on Varlamov, and Colorado had only four. The period was scoreless. That ended just 24 seconds into the second period. Benn sent a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle into the upper left corner of the net, assisted by Seguin. Colorado’s best scoring chance in the second came with 7 1/2 minutes left, but Bishop saved a short-range shot by J.T. Compher following a Dallas giveaway. Seguin scored on the power play a second before the period ended. Shore passed across the slot to Seguin, who wristed the puck over Varlamov from the inside edge of the left circle. Benn also had an assist on the goal. Briefly ▪ Benn’s goal was only the fourth for Dallas while skating 5-on-5 this season, and the third Colorado had allowed with both teams at full strength. ▪ The Stars have scored one power-play goal in each game, including all three of Seguin’s goals this season. ▪ Avalanche C Tyson Jost missed his second game because of a bone bruise on his left knee. ▪ Stars D Dan Hamhuis returned after sitting out two games with a groin injury.

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1078186 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings relish 'big party' atmosphere of hockey in Las Vegas

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 1:30 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 6:13 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

LAS VEGAS — Players came away dazzled and impressed. That Las Vegas is onto something in its latest attraction, the Vegas Golden Knights, was evident to the Detroit Red Wings, as they made their debut at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. The arena was packed, and people were in their seats cheering and chanting. “I felt like it was a big party in the stands,” Gustav Nyquist said. “The fans were loud. They’ve been able to put together a great product here, it seems like. And a good team, too. Fun experience and a good first visit for our team.” The Wings arrived in Vegas in the middle of the night after flying in after their Thursday game at Arizona. As they made the short bus ride from McCarran International Airport to their hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, passing by the fountains at the Bellagio hotel, they were greeted by electronic billboards advertising seemingly every artist on the planet as a current or coming attraction. But there was buzz for the newest artist in residence, too: the expansion hockey franchise that had just played its first home game two days earlier. “You can feel it when you land and going to the hotel, there is great energy,” Nyquist said. “People are happy around here and you feel like this is place for many people around the whole world to come and have fun. It’s got good energy in this city for sure.” The electric atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena befitted a playoff game. Fans in Wings gear were plentiful, and it’s the presence of tourists and transplants that signals Vegas will not suffer the uncertainty of other teams located in markets not traditionally associated with hockey, such as Arizona and Carolina. “We saw a lot of red and white up in the stands,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “We are used to that, especially in Phoenix and Florida. It is fun for us to play when we have fans. But it won’t be just us — I think a lot of fans will come here and make a trip of it and watch their teams. “I see a future here and especially the fans, they are a big part of it. It was loud. It was probably a lot louder than in many other arenas.” Detroit Red Wings' fear of face-off violations hurting possession game The “VegasStrong” signs that sprang up in the aftermath of the Oct. 1 shooting that left 58 people dead at the Route 91 Harvest music festival hung on buildings and in windows. Vegas’ home opener began with a ceremony honoring the dead and the first responders, and it permeated into the second home game. “Everyone knows what Vegas has gone through last couple of weeks,” Zetterberg said. “So coming in here and being a part of an atmosphere like this, it just shows that it is a strong city.” The Wings spent the night in Las Vegas, and players had planned a team dinner even before they beat the Knights, 6-3, on Friday. It was the first time several Wings players had been to Vegas, and the visuals dazzled. “I’m here first time,” Tomas Tatar said. “It looks amazing outside. Even the arena here, I think they have a pretty good setup. It looks really beautiful.” The arena is located on the Vegas Strip, all the more conducive to luring tourists. Once inside, the entertainment value comes through. The Wings handed the Golden Knights their first defeat of the young season, but the atmosphere never dulled. “The Vegas fans were big-time behind them,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “They are going to have lots of real good starts because of the emotion in the building. They are excellent fans. It was a great atmosphere. It’s great for the NHL. “There seems to be a lot of pride in the city of Vegas and I think that is great. When you have pride in your city you’re going to come out and support your teams and there is no question that you could feel the pride that this city has in their team.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078187 Detroit Red Wings “But it won’t be just us. A lot of fans will come here and make a trip of it to see their teams.”

Said Blashill: “It reminded me of some of those games at home, Detroit Red Wings remain grounded in light of sizzling 4-1 start and Toronto, going back and forth. It was a great atmosphere, great for the NHL.” Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 4:53 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | A little lost in Friday’s victory was the steady play of goalie Petr Mrazek, Updated 4:54 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 who kept the Red Wings in the game through two periods. “He was excellent (early), he kept us in there,” Blashill said. “As long as I’ve known Petr the biggest thing he is about is winning hockey games. Las Vegas — Nobody is getting too carried away, that’s for sure. He really isn’t about individual stats. The Red Wings had a 6-2 start last season and wound up not making the “He found a way to dig in and win a game (Friday).” playoffs. Not even close. …The Golden Knights looked on their way to another victory through two So winning four of their first five games, and getting off to the hot start periods Friday, then looked like an expansion team they are for the final they wanted to, is refreshing and needed on many levels. 20 minutes. The Red Wings didn’t want to get into a deep hole again. “They’re great players,” said Vegas coach Gerard Gallant of the Red Wings’ offensive players. “We held them in check for the most part of the Through one week in the schedule, they didn’t. In fact, gave themselves game, and we outplayed them for a period and a half. Then in the third reasons to be optimistic about the months ahead. period, they totally dominated.” “It’s huge, you can’t play from behind in this league,” said coach Jeff Blashill of the successful start. “You can’t be climbing all year. We knew when we looked at our schedule, the structure of the beginning of the Detroit News LOADED: 10.15.2017 year was a lot of road games and at the end of the year there were a lot of road games. Quick starts are a big factor in success. “We have done a good job in this organization for a long time. With that said, we had a good start last year and didn’t finish good enough. So, every game is critically important.” There were several factors Friday that made the 6-3 victory over expansion Vegas a good early-season win. The Golden Knights were undefeated through three games and making their home arena already a difficult place for opponents to play in. Also, the Red Wings had played and won in Arizona the night before, and back-to-backs this early season, against any quality of opponent, isn’t easy. But the Red Wings persevered. “We’ve got leadership in our room and everyone knows what’s at stake. You saw it tonight in the third period,” said Blashill, noting the Red Wings trailed 3-2 after two periods. “We’ve got a leader in Henrik Zetterberg (four points Friday) that will go down as one of the greatest leaders in this generation. We just talk about doing it right every single time you can and our guys did a great job.” The main thing, early, tough is confidence. The Red Wings are getting re- acclimated to the feeling of winning and earning valuable points in the standings. “The most important thing is we know we can play well if we do it right,” Zetterberg said. “We have a good mix on the team. We still have to get better in a few areas but, obviously, we’ll take this start.” Forward Gustav Nyquist was held without a point through the first four games, but scored early Friday in the first period on an odd-man rush with Zetterberg. Nyquist added a second goal in the third-period Red Wings’ explosion (along with an assist), a good sign going forward. “That was nice, to get on (the scoresheet) finally,” Nyquist said. “I felt good in the preseason but haven’t been able to put one in here at the start, so that felt good for sure. “But the most important thing is we got the win here on a back-to-back. That’s big for our club.” If all games in Vegas will be like this, T-Mobile Arena is going to be a fun game to watch a hockey game. Golden Knights fans have taken to their first professional sports team quickly, but this being Vegas, there are a ton of transplants and visitors simply coming in from the opposing team’s hometown to make a weekend out of it. There were plenty of Red Wings fans Friday, some from Michigan, some who’ve moved from Nevada, some from elsewhere. “We saw a lot of red and white in the stands,” Zetterberg said. “We are used to that, especially in Phoenix and Florida. It’s fun for us to play when we have fans. 1078188 Detroit Red Wings

Henrik Zetterberg, Jimmy Howard key Red Wings' fast start

Updated on October 14, 2017 at 12:49 PM Posted on October 14, 2017 at 12:43 PM By Ansar Khan [email protected]

Henrik Zetterberg and Jimmy Howard were the Detroit Red Wings' best players in 2016-17 and they're leading the team's charge out of the gate this season. The Red Wings are 4-1-0, tied for the NHL lead with eight points heading into Saturday's games. Zetterberg's four-point night (goal, three assists) led the Red Wings to a 6-3 victory Friday at Vegas, handing the expansion Golden Knights their first loss (3-1-0). He has three goals and four assists. Howard is 3-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. The schedule gets tougher this week. The Red Wings host Tampa Bay on Monday (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) and Washington on Friday (7:30, FSD), visiting Toronto in between, on Wednesday (7 p.m., FSD). Detroit got off to a good start last season, too, going 6-2-0 but didn't maintain it, due in large part to a 3-10-3 stretch at home. The Red Wings needed a fast start this season because they play 12 of their first 17 on the road. After finishing near the bottom of the league in several statistical categories last season, the Red Wings are closer to the top early on - 10th in goals per game (3.40), tied for fifth in goals-against (2.40), 12th on the power play (22.2 percent) and fourth on the penalty kill (91.3 percent). And while they have scored only one goal in the first period (opponents have only two), it's a positive sign that they've outscored the opposition 10-4 in the third period. The Red Wings faltered too often late in games in 2016-17 and were outscored 81-65 in the third period. In addition to Zetterberg and Howard, several others are off to good starts. Mike Green is tied for second in the NHL with eight assists. Anthony Mantha has three goals and four assists, Dylan Larkin has six points (goal, five assists), Martin Frk has three goals and Trevor Daley leads the club in plus-minus (plus-4) and average ice time (23:34). The Red Wings need to improve in several areas, too. They have not outshot their opponent in any game and their minus-5.2 shots differential is 29th in the league. Normally a decent face-off team, Detroit ranks 29th on draws (45.9 percent). The Red Wings have taken too many penalties (short-handed 27 times). That includes four penalties for delay of game (flipping puck over glass) and two for too many men on the ice. Like all teams, they're also adapting to the new enforcement standards for slashing, having been called for it seven times.

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Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl benched with 'concussion-type symptoms'

JIM MATHESON Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 12:51 PM MDT

COMMENT OK, now it’s clearer. Edmonton Oilers’ forward Leon Draisaitl not only has vision problems in his eye after a high-stick in Monday’s game with Winnipeg Jets, but also has “concussion-type symptoms” over an earlier hard hit during the 5-2 loss Monday night. Draisaitl was smacked by Jets’ defenceman Jacob Trouba in the first period which may be the bigger concern for the Oilers first-line forward. “He’s had an eye injury and the eye was swollen shut but obviously the eye is attached to the head which leads to concussion-type symptoms,” said Oiler coach Todd McLellan. “That’s what we’re dealing with.” With concussion issues, a time-frame for a return is always fuzzy, of course. Draisaitl did not go through any concussion protocol in the Jets’ game, but he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, then on Friday McLellan alluded to a head issue when asked by the media for an update because he was also absent from the skate. He said there were no orbital bone (possible break) concerns, but he’s obviously not feeling right. Draisaitl, who played all 82 games last season, will watch rookie Kailer Yamamoto on the right-wing with captain Connor McDavid against the Ottawa Senators Saturday night. Zack Kassian will be the No. 2 right- winger with Anton Slepyshev on the third line and Iiro Pakarinen on the fourth. The Oilers only have 12 healthy forwards because Drake Caggiula, hurt against Vancouver Canucks in game two, is out with an undisclosed injury. On the back-end, Matt Benning will sit out his first game with Yohann Auvitu drawing in with Eric Gryba on the third pairing. It’s the first NHL game Auvitu’s played since he was hurt against the Oilers, on the first shift of the night when he was playing for the New Jersey Devils Jan. 12. The Senators didn’t skate Saturday morning but Mike Condon will be in goal for his first action of the season and they’ll have Johnny Oduya back on the blue line after he was injured in Ottawa’s first game this year against the Washington Capitals. Ottawa’s coming off a 6-0 win in Calgary where they scored four times in the third period and broke a 0-16 run on the power play with three goals with the man advantage.

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Edmonton Oilers Game Day vs Ottawa Senators

JIM MATHESON Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 6:00 AM MDT

Five Keys To The Game 1. The Oilers power play, which was top five in the league last year, only has one goal in nine tries this season and are going up against the best penalty-killing team in the league. The Senators had killed off all 16 power plays going into Friday’s game against the Flames. The Oilers power play will be missing first-unit forward Leon Draisaitl (eye), too. 2. Let’s see how teenager Kailer Yamamoto does on the No. 1 line, on Connor McDavid’s right side. Without Draisaitl, he’s the only real offensive option on right wing with Zack Kassian, Anton Slepyshev and Iiro Pakarinen as the other right siders. Yamamoto deferred too much to McDavid in pre-season when he got a brief look there. He has to start making an impact or junior in Spokane beckons. 3. Normally we’d say watch Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson but he’s still out due to off-season tendon surgery on his foot after playing in last spring’s playoff on one leg. Karlsson, who’s won two Norris trophies, is the gold seal for rushing defencemen; nobody is better and his overall defence last year was the best it’s ever been. Without him the Senators do not have a power play goal this season. 4.The Oilers need something out of their forward group other than McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who have five of their six goals scored by forwards in the first three games. Patrick Maroon has six shots and no goals, Milan Lucic eight shots and nary a sniff. Mark Letestu nine shots and nada. Ryan Strome and Jussi Jokinen on the third line have no points. 5. The Oilers need to start beating the Senators. They’ve lost four of the last five home games and have a losing record (8-9-3) all-time against Ottawa in Edmonton. Since it’s a back-to-back scenario for the Senators it behooves the Oilers to go after them early, especially their defence without Karlsson. They are getting back veteran Johnny Oduya after he was hurt, playing 10 minutes in the season opener. Cam Talbot vs Mike Condon Last Oct. 30, Craig Anderson blanked the Oilers 2-0, returning to the Senators net after taking time to be with his wife Nicholle who had been diagnosed with throat cancer. But they’re going with backup Condon for his first game of the season. He may be best No. 2 in league off last year’s 2.50 average and five shutouts in 40 games. Talbot needs to rebound after giving up eight goals on his last 50 shots over the last two starts. He has a 1.65 career average and 3-2 record against Ottawa.

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Yamamoto hoping to make nine-game deadline

Robert Tychkowski Published on: October 15, 2017 | Last Updated: October 15, 2017 12:09 AM MDT

As much as he tries not to think of it, Kailer Yamamoto can’t help but think about it. Nine games. The deadline still hangs over him, the prospect of being sent back to Junior is still very real. Yes, he had a great training camp and earned a spot on the Edmonton Oilers right wing based on skill, determination and merit. But, as everyone knew, the regular season is a different animal and the audition is a long way from over. The decision has now shifted to whether or not to keep him past nine games, thus burning a year off of his entry level contract, or send him back to Spokane for another year of seasoning and growth. Like every kid in this position, he wants to stay, but he also knows the final decision will be made a lot higher up the food chain. “It’s hard not to think about it,” said the 19-year-old. “I don’t know what they’re thinking, it’s hard to say. I try to block it out as much as possible. “All I can do is come here every day and work as hard as I can. Just play my game and try to have fun while I’m doing it.” Yamamoto didn’t get off to a great start. He looked nervous in playing just six minutes in the season opener against Calgary and sat in the press box for the second game of the season in Vancouver. But head coach Todd McLellan liked his progress Monday against Winnipeg, although the Oilers set the bar pretty low in that one — hence the three-day boot camp that followed. “I thought he looked like a different player against Winnipeg than the did against Calgary here at home — way less nervous, made a lot more plays, shot the puck on net,” said McLellan, who started the 155-pounder with Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon Saturday against Ottawa. “I think he’s that type of player, he’s a very cerebral guy who has good sense of what’s happening around him. Structure helps him, I believe.” Yamamoto is likely a long-shot to stay here all season, but he was also a long-shot make the team out of camp, so it might be too early to count him out. He still has a say in whether he stays or goes, after all, and believes he still has a lot more to give. “It’s definitely still an adjustment, but I’m getting more comfortable,” he said. “Every game you play you get a bit more comfortable. I just need to be more confident on the puck, start making plays and just play my game. You’re never going to get over your nerves, you just have to be able to handle it.” Being an undersized underdog is a process he’s familiar with, given that it happens every time he moves up to a new level. And in every jump so far he’s adjusted to the bigger stage and gone on to excel. Whether there is time for him to do it at the NHL level this year, before the nine game deadline, remains to be seen — but he knows the clock is ticking. “I just have to stick to my game and how I play,” he said. “I can’t change anything, even if I’m getting frustrated and not producing on offence. I just have to stick to my game. I know eventually I will break through.” Forward Leon Draisaitl missed the Ottawa game and remains questionable for the near future as he waits for concussion symptoms to pass. Draisaitl took a big hit from Jacob Trouba in Monday’s game against the Jets and while he went on to finish the game he hasn’t been on the ice since. “He had an eye injury, the eye was swollen shut,” said McLellan. “Obviously the eye is attached to the head, which leads to concussion type symptoms and that’s what we’re dealing with.”

Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078192 Edmonton Oilers picked at the scab that’s been there the last three games–weak defensive play. There were no road-blocks set up to stop the Senators from rolling into the Oiler end. Ottawa Senators put the boots to Edmonton Oilers McLellan knew the Senators, who swept a Western Canadian series (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) for the first time in their history, would be a handful. He was loud and clear after the team’s optional JIM MATHESON morning skate. But his players weren’t listening. Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 15, 2017 12:17 “They’re well-equipped to beat anybody in the league and they have a AM MDT strong belief system,” said McLellan, whose team doesn’t have anywhere near the same faith in their game right now. For most of the opening period, it looked like a beer-league pickup game where guys are introducing themselves as they put on their skates. Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan put his team through boot camp this week after their flunking grades against the Vancouver Canucks and “A lot of it was fundamentals, fundamental passing, fundamental board- Winnipeg Jets, but Saturday night it was the visiting Ottawa Senators work. The penalty-kill was poor…what we got out of the week (practices) turn to put their brogues to the stumbling Oilers’ throats. was our physical play was better and we actually skated and tried to create but the polish around our play was very rusty, if you will,” said After Milan Lucic scored with some resounding uppercuts to the face of McLellan. Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki after the Senators defenceman picked the fight in the game’s first minute, it went downhill in a hurry as the Senators They’re digging themselves a pretty large hole, but it’s not a crater, yet. out-shot them 9-1 and out-scored them 2-0 in the first 10 minutes en route to a 6-1 beat-down. “If you go by the standings I don’t think it’s that deep,” said McLellan. “But if you’re defining it by our play and our fundamentals, I guess we’re deep. “I don’t know if I have any answers with what went wrong,” said Lucic. I’m concerned because we have to play the game faster. We’re torn “You can come up with any excuse or cliche at this point but at the end of between not scoring and giving up too much right now.” the day it comes down to the attitude and emotion we bring to the game.” He applauded the play of Yamamoto, who led everybody with six shots. “This early in the season we’re really being tested with some adversity He felt he was around the puck, making things happen, skating with but feeling sorry for ourselves and having self-pity won’t get us out of Connor McDavid on the top line, looking nothing like a kid playing his this…goals aren’t coming easy for us, and we’re not clean and sharp in third NHL team. But, there were precious few plusses on a resoundingly the defensive or neutral zone, allowing guys to walk into our zone,” he negative night. said. “Hard to give out any passing grades,” said McLellan. Nice clean, accurate analysis.

The Oilers started with a 3-0 shutout over Calgary in the season-opener where they looked a well-oiled machine but since they’ve been outscored Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.15.2017 14-5. On the season, only three forwards–Connor McDavid (3), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) and Leon Draisaitl, out with concussion symptoms (1)–have scored. On Saturday, defenceman Adam Larsson beat Mike Condon with nine minutes left in the game off Kailer Yamamoto’s first NHL point, but that was the only arrows-up moment after Lucic’s fistic fury against Borowiecki. The Senators beat the Oilers for the eighth time in their last nine trips to Edmonton. Cam Talbot was gone after four goals and 23 shots over 41 minutes and while he couldn’t be faulted on Mike Hoffman’s two (he’s got eight goals in eight career games against Edmonton) or others by Derrick Brassard and Kyle Turris, he’s still given up 11 goals in his last 73 shots his first- game shutout over the Flames. He was pulled for Laurent Brossoit just as he was the Saturday before in Vancouver; Brossoit didn’t give up anything against the Canucks over two periods, but Turris and Chris Wideman beat him on the powerplay in the third as the Senators scored three with the man advantage, just as they did in their 6-0 pasting of the Flames Friday night. Talbot fell on his own sword even though Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy would have been hard-pressed to stop the four he gave up. The fourth by Turris went off his mask, then pinballed off Larsson’s leg a minute into the third. Hoffman got two goal-scorer’s snipes and Brassard had a clean powerplay look. “The goals are costing on us and it’s on me and not on anyone else,” said Talbot. “There’s something I could have done differently on the first three goals and the guys expect me to make the saves, and I have to start making them.” He was as mystified by the result as anybody after they put in the work in three hard days of practice and video after their 5-2 drubbing by the Jets on Thanksgiving. “We have to learn another lesson here. We need a couple more days of good practice and it won’t get any easier with Carolina coming in Tuesday because they play the same system…it’ll be tough coming through the zone against them too,” said Talbot. “But we have to create some chances and get back on the horse.” In the morning, McLellan pointedly said; “I want to see us play faster, I want us to be productive without the puck and be responsible on the defensive side of it. Also, our special teams have to get better.” Nice thought but his 1-3 team paid no heed to the coach’s check-list as the Senators got three on eight shots on their five powerplay tries. The team that was one goal from the Stanley Cup final last spring, also 1078193 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl benched with 'concussion-type symptoms'

BY JIM MATHESON FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 12:59 PM MDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 02:04 PM MDT

OK, now it’s clearer. Edmonton Oilers’ forward Leon Draisaitl not only has vision problems in his eye after a high-stick in Monday’s game with Winnipeg Jets, but also has “concussion-type symptoms” over an earlier hard hit during the 5-2 loss Monday night. Draisaitl was smacked by Jets’ defenceman Jacob Trouba in the first period which may be the bigger concern for the Oilers first-line forward. “He’s had an eye injury and the eye was swollen shut but obviously the eye is attached to the head which leads to concussion-type symptoms,” said Oiler coach Todd McLellan. “That’s what we’re dealing with.” With concussion issues, a time-frame for a return is always fuzzy, of course. Draisaitl did not go through any concussion protocol in the Jets’ game, but he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, then on Friday McLellan alluded to a head issue when asked by the media for an update because he was also absent from the skate. He said there were no orbital bone (possible break) concerns, but he’s obviously not feeling right. Draisaitl, who played all 82 games last season, will watch rookie Kailer Yamamoto on the right-wing with captain Connor McDavid against the Ottawa Senators Saturday night. Zack Kassian will be the No. 2 right- winger with Anton Slepyshev on the third line and Iiro Pakarinen on the fourth. The Oilers only have 12 healthy forwards because Drake Caggiula, hurt against Vancouver Canucks in game two, is out with an undisclosed injury. On the back-end, Matt Benning will sit out his first game with Yohann Auvitu drawing in with Eric Gryba on the third pairing. It’s the first NHL game Auvitu’s played since he was hurt against the Oilers, on the first shift of the night when he was playing for the New Jersey Devils Jan. 12. The Senators didn’t skate Saturday morning but Mike Condon will be in goal for his first action of the season and they’ll have Johnny Oduya back on the blue line after he was injured in Ottawa’s first game this year against the Washington Capitals. Ottawa’s coming off a 6-0 win in Calgary where they scored four times in the third period and broke a 0-16 run on the power play with three goals with the man advantage.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078194 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Game Day vs Ottawa Senators

BY JIM MATHESON FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2017 08:01 PM MDT

Five Keys To The Game 1. The Oilers power play, which was top five in the league last year, only has one goal in nine tries this season and are going up against the best penalty-killing team in the league. The Senators had killed off all 16 power plays going into Friday’s game against the Flames. The Oilers power play will be missing first-unit forward Leon Draisaitl (eye), too. 2. Let’s see how teenager Kailer Yamamoto does on the No. 1 line, on Connor McDavid’s right side. Without Draisaitl, he’s the only real offensive option on right wing with Zack Kassian, Anton Slepyshev and Iiro Pakarinen as the other right siders. Yamamoto deferred too much to McDavid in pre-season when he got a brief look there. He has to start making an impact or junior in Spokane beckons. 3. Normally we’d say watch Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson but he’s still out due to off-season tendon surgery on his foot after playing in last spring’s playoff on one leg. Karlsson, who’s won two Norris trophies, is the gold seal for rushing defencemen; nobody is better and his overall defence last year was the best it’s ever been. Without him the Senators do not have a power play goal this season. 4.The Oilers need something out of their forward group other than McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who have five of their six goals scored by forwards in the first three games. Patrick Maroon has six shots and no goals, Milan Lucic eight shots and nary a sniff. Mark Letestu nine shots and nada. Ryan Strome and Jussi Jokinen on the third line have no points. 5. The Oilers need to start beating the Senators. They’ve lost four of the last five home games and have a losing record (8-9-3) all-time against Ottawa in Edmonton. Since it’s a back-to-back scenario for the Senators it behooves the Oilers to go after them early, especially their defence without Karlsson. They are getting back veteran Johnny Oduya after he was hurt, playing 10 minutes in the season opener. Cam Talbot vs Mike Condon Last Oct. 30, Craig Anderson blanked the Oilers 2-0, returning to the Senators net after taking time to be with his wife Nicholle who had been diagnosed with throat cancer. But they’re going with backup Condon for his first game of the season. He may be best No. 2 in league off last year’s 2.50 average and five shutouts in 40 games. Talbot needs to rebound after giving up eight goals on his last 50 shots over the last two starts. He has a 1.65 career average and 3-2 record against Ottawa.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078195 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto on the clock

BY ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI FIRST POSTED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 12:10 AM MDT | UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 12:15 AM MDT

As much as he tries not to think of it, Kailer Yamamoto can’t help but think about it. Nine games. The deadline still hangs over him, the prospect of being sent back to Junior is still very real. Yes, he had a great training camp and earned a spot on the Edmonton Oilers right wing based on skill, determination and merit. But, as everyone knew, the regular season is a different animal and the audition is a long way from over. The decision has now shifted to whether or not to keep him past nine games, thus burning a year off of his entry level contract, or send him back to Spokane for another year of seasoning and growth. Like every kid in this position, he wants to stay, but he also knows the final decision will be made a lot higher up the food chain. “It’s hard not to think about it,” said the 19-year-old. “I don’t know what they’re thinking, it’s hard to say. I try to block it out as much as possible. “All I can do is come here every day and work as hard as I can. Just play my game and try to have fun while I’m doing it.” Yamamoto didn’t get off to a great start. He looked nervous in playing just six minutes in the season opener against Calgary and sat in the press box for the second game of the season in Vancouver. But head coach Todd McLellan liked his progress Monday against Winnipeg, although the Oilers set the bar pretty low in that one — hence the three-day boot camp that followed. “I thought he looked like a different player against Winnipeg than the did against Calgary here at home — way less nervous, made a lot more plays, shot the puck on net,” said McLellan, who started the 155-pounder with Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon Saturday against Ottawa. “I think he’s that type of player, he’s a very cerebral guy who has good sense of what’s happening around him. Structure helps him, I believe.” Yamamoto is likely a long-shot to stay here all season, but he was also a long-shot make the team out of camp, so it might be too early to count him out. He still has a say in whether he stays or goes, after all, and believes he still has a lot more to give. “It’s definitely still an adjustment, but I’m getting more comfortable,” he said. “Every game you play you get a bit more comfortable. I just need to be more confident on the puck, start making plays and just play my game. You’re never going to get over your nerves, you just have to be able to handle it.” Being an undersized underdog is a process he’s familiar with, given that it happens every time he moves up to a new level. And in every jump so far he’s adjusted to the bigger stage and gone on to excel. Whether there is time for him to do it at the NHL level this year, before the nine game deadline, remains to be seen — but he knows the clock is ticking. “I just have to stick to my game and how I play,” he said. “I can’t change anything, even if I’m getting frustrated and not producing on offence. I just have to stick to my game. I know eventually I will break through.” Forward Leon Draisaitl missed the Ottawa game and remains questionable for the near future as he waits for concussion symptoms to pass. Draisaitl took a big hit from Jacob Trouba in Monday’s game against the Jets and while he went on to finish the game he hasn’t been on the ice since. “He had an eye injury, the eye was swollen shut,” said McLellan. “Obviously the eye is attached to the head, which leads to concussion type symptoms and that’s what we’re dealing with.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078196 Edmonton Oilers picked at the scab that's been there the last three games--weak defensive play. There were no road-blocks set up to stop the Senators from rolling into the Oiler end. Senators put the boots to Oilers McLellan knew the Senators, who swept a Western Canadian series (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) for the first time in their history, would be a handful. He was loud and clear after the team's optional BY JIM MATHESON morning skate. But his players weren't listening. FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 10:49 PM MDT | "They're well-equipped to beat anybody in the league and they have a UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 11:57 PM MDT strong belief system," said McLellan, whose team doesn't have anywhere near the same faith in their game right now. For most of the opening period, it looked like a beer-league pickup game where guys are introducing themselves as they put on their skates. Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan put his team through boot camp this week after their flunking grades against the Vancouver Canucks and "A lot of it was fundamentals, fundamental passing, fundamental board- Winnipeg Jets, but Saturday night it was the visiting Ottawa Senators work. The penalty-kill was poor...what we got out of the week (practices) turn to put their brogues to the stumbling Oilers' throats. was our physical play was better and we actually skated and tried to create but the polish around our play was very rusty, if you will," said After Milan Lucic scored with some resounding uppercuts to the face of McLellan. Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki after the Senators defenceman picked the fight in the game’s first minute, it went downhill in a hurry as the Senators They're digging themselves a pretty large hole, but it's not a crater, yet. out-shot them 9-1 and out-scored them 2-0 in the first 10 minutes en route to a 6-1 beat-down. "If you go by the standings I don't think it's that deep," said McLellan. "But if you're defining it by our play and our fundamentals, I guess we're deep. "I don't know if I have any answers with what went wrong," said Lucic. I'm concerned because we have to play the game faster. We're torn "You can come up with any excuse or cliche at this point but at the end of between not scoring and giving up too much right now." the day it comes down to the attitude and emotion we bring to the game." He applauded the play of Yamamoto, who led everybody with six shots. "This early in the season we're really being tested with some adversity He felt he was around the puck, making things happen, skating with but feeling sorry for ourselves and having self-pity won't get us out of Connor McDavid on the top line, looking nothing like a kid playing his this...goals aren't coming easy for us, and we're not clean and sharp in third NHL team. But, there were precious few plusses on a resoundingly the defensive or neutral zone, allowing guys to walk into our zone," he negative night. said. "Hard to give out any passing grades," said McLellan. Nice clean, accurate analysis.

The Oilers started with a 3-0 shutout over Calgary in the season-opener where they looked a well-oiled machine but since they've been outscored Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.15.2017 14-5. On the season, only three forwards--Connor McDavid (3), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) and Leon Draisaitl, out with concussion symptoms (1)--have scored. On Saturday, defenceman Adam Larsson beat Mike Condon with nine minutes left in the game off Kailer Yamamoto's first NHL point, but that was the only arrows-up moment after Lucic's fistic fury against Borowiecki. The Senators beat the Oilers for the eighth time in their last nine trips to Edmonton. Cam Talbot was gone after four goals and 23 shots over 41 minutes and while he couldn't be faulted on Mike Hoffman's two (he's got eight goals in eight career games against Edmonton) or others by Derrick Brassard and Kyle Turris, he's still given up 11 goals in his last 73 shots his first- game shutout over the Flames. He was pulled for Laurent Brossoit just as he was the Saturday before in Vancouver; Brossoit didn't give up anything against the Canucks over two periods, but Turris and Chris Wideman beat him on the powerplay in the third as the Senators scored three with the man advantage, just as they did in their 6-0 pasting of the Flames Friday night. Talbot fell on his own sword even though Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy would have been hard-pressed to stop the four he gave up. The fourth by Turris went off his mask, then pinballed off Larsson's leg a minute into the third. Hoffman got two goal-scorer's snipes and Brassard had a clean powerplay look. "The goals are costing on us and it's on me and not on anyone else," said Talbot. "There's something I could have done differently on the first three goals and the guys expect me to make the saves, and I have to start making them." He was as mystified by the result as anybody after they put in the work in three hard days of practice and video after their 5-2 drubbing by the Jets on Thanksgiving. "We have to learn another lesson here. We need a couple more days of good practice and it won't get any easier with Carolina coming in Tuesday because they play the same system...it'll be tough coming through the zone against them too," said Talbot. "But we have to create some chances and get back on the horse." In the morning, McLellan pointedly said; “I want to see us play faster, I want us to be productive without the puck and be responsible on the defensive side of it. Also, our special teams have to get better." Nice thought but his 1-3 team paid no heed to the coach’s check-list as the Senators got three on eight shots on their five powerplay tries. The team that was one goal from the Stanley Cup final last spring, also 1078197 Florida Panthers his second of the game, this one on the power play, just 1:50 after McKegg's goal.

The Penguins reclaimed the lead, 3-2, at 13:36 when Hornqvist jammed Crosby scores twice, leads Penguins past Panthers 4-3 a rebound behind Reimer from the top of the crease. Crosby's third-period deflection turned out to be the winner. Staff Report "That kind of angle, you're just trying to get it towards the net any way Associated Press you can," Crosby said. "It was nice to see that one go in." OCTOBER 14, 2017 11:41 PM NOTES: Ekblad's goal was his 100th NHL point. ... Penguins D Ian Cole, hit in the face with a puck last week against Nashville, skated on his own Saturday morning. Sullivan said Cole's next step is to join the team. ... Penguins D Olli Maatta had an assist, giving him points in a career-best PITTSBURGH four straight games. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was hoping for a pass on the ice from Kris Letang. Miami Herald LOADED: 10.15.2017 Instead, the defenseman lifted a saucer pass to Crosby in front of the net. No biggie. Crosby still managed to get his stick on the puck and score the game-winning goal. Crosby scored twice, including a bad-angle deflection in the third period to lead Pittsburgh past the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Saturday night. "I think (Letang) needed to lift it and put a little more on it to get it towards the net, he felt like," Crosby said. "But it would've been nicer a little bit if it was on the ice." Crosby's third goal of the season didn't surprise his coach. "I see him do it all the time," Mike Sullivan said. "He has such great hand- eye coordination, and I think he's the best in the game in and around that net. A lot of it speaks to his skill level, but it's also his determination." Patric Hornqvist and Greg McKegg also scored for the Penguins, who are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games against Florida — their longest stretch without a regulation loss in the history of the series. McKegg, who scored his first goal for Pittsburgh, spent time with the Panthers the last two seasons, compiling eight points in 46 games and appearing in a playoff game in 2016. Matt Murray stopped 43 shots for Pittsburgh. He earned his 44th win, tying Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford for 10th in team history. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice and Aaron Ekblad also had a goal for Florida. Evgeni Dadonov added two assists for the Panthers, unable to win a third straight game. Huberdeau, Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck all have points in each of the Panthers' first four games. James Reimer made his second start of the season for Florida in place of , who is tied with Curtis Joseph for fourth all-time with 454 wins. Reimer made 29 saves. "I think we've got to figure out that when we get into these games, you've got to give teams like this respect, but you've got to come in here and you've got to expect to get a point or two out of here," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. Crosby scored his second of the game at 1:59 of the third period to give Pittsburgh a two-goal cushion. He redirected Letang's pass out of midair and the puck caromed off Reimer's blocker and into the net. Letang said he lifted the puck to give Crosby a better chance to score. "I'm not strong on my backhand, so I thought by floating it, it gives him a better chance to beat the goalie," Letang said. "His hand-eye is outstanding, and these guys like (Evgeni Malkin) and (Crosby), you just have to put a puck towards them and they make something good happen." Ekblad cut the Panthers' deficit to one at 6:18 of the third with a slap shot that beat Murray. The Panthers, who average 40 shots per game, hit the post in the final minute, but were unable to get the equalizer. "It's a tough game," Huberdeau said. "They're a good team, especially at home. In the third period, we kind of played well. We had a lot of chances but we missed some chances, too. I think it could've gone either way, but it happens." Crosby opened the scoring at 6:46 of the first period with a power-play goal. He one-timed Phil Kessel's pass from the right post. The teams combined for three goals during a 3:05 span in the second. Huberdeau tied it for the Panthers at 5:25 of the period, but McKegg put Pittsburgh ahead with a short-handed goal 1:15 later. Huberdeau scored 1078198 Florida Panthers The Penguins reclaimed the lead, 3-2, at 13:36 when Hornqvist jammed a rebound behind Reimer from the top of the crease.

Crosby's third-period deflection turned out to be the winner. Crosby scores twice to lead Penguins past Panthers "That kind of angle, you're just trying to get it towards the net any way you can," Crosby said. "It was nice to see that one go in." Staff Report Associated Press Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.15.2017

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was hoping for a pass on the ice from Kris Letang. Instead, the defenseman lifted a saucer pass to Crosby in front of the net. No biggie. Crosby still managed to get his stick on the puck and score the game-winning goal. Crosby scored twice, including a bad-angle deflection in the third period to lead Pittsburgh past the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Saturday night. "I think (Letang) needed to lift it and put a little more on it to get it towards the net, he felt like," Crosby said. "But it would've been nicer a little bit if it was on the ice." Crosby's third goal of the season didn't surprise his coach. "I see him do it all the time," Mike Sullivan said. "He has such great hand- eye coordination, and I think he's the best in the game in and around that net. A lot of it speaks to his skill level, but it's also his determination." Patric Hornqvist and Greg McKegg also scored for the Penguins, who are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games against Florida — their longest stretch without a regulation loss in the history of the series. McKegg, who scored his first goal for Pittsburgh, spent time with the Panthers the last two seasons, compiling eight points in 46 games and appearing in a playoff game in 2016. Matt Murray stopped 43 shots for Pittsburgh. He earned his 44th win, tying Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford for 10th in team history. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice and Aaron Ekblad also had a goal for Florida. Evgeni Dadonov added two assists for the Panthers, unable to win a third straight game. Huberdeau, Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck all have points in each of the Panthers' first four games. James Reimer made his second start of the season for Florida in place of Roberto Luongo, who is tied with Curtis Joseph for fourth all-time with 454 wins. Reimer made 29 saves. "I think we've got to figure out that when we get into these games, you've got to give teams like this respect, but you've got to come in here and you've got to expect to get a point or two out of here," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. Crosby scored his second of the game at 1:59 of the third period to give Pittsburgh a two-goal cushion. He redirected Letang's pass out of midair and the puck caromed off Reimer's blocker and into the net. Letang said he lifted the puck to give Crosby a better chance to score. "I'm not strong on my backhand, so I thought by floating it, it gives him a better chance to beat the goalie," Letang said. "His hand-eye is outstanding, and these guys like (Evgeni Malkin) and (Crosby), you just have to put a puck towards them and they make something good happen." Ekblad cut the Panthers' deficit to one at 6:18 of the third with a slap shot that beat Murray. The Panthers, who average 40 shots per game, hit the post in the final minute, but were unable to get the equalizer. The Panthers, with 16 goals, have tied a franchise high for goals in the first four games of a season (1995). "It's a tough game," Huberdeau said. "They're a good team, especially at home. In the third period, we kind of played well. We had a lot of chances but we missed some chances, too. I think it could've gone either way, but it happens." Crosby opened the scoring at 6:46 of the first period with a power-play goal. He one-timed Phil Kessel's pass from the right post. The teams combined for three goals during a 3:05 span in the second. Huberdeau tied it for the Panthers at 5:25 of the period, but McKegg put Pittsburgh ahead with a short-handed goal 1:15 later. Huberdeau scored his second of the game, this one on the power play, just 1:50 after McKegg's goal. 1078199 Los Angeles Kings

Kings find their power and beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2

Curtis Zupke

With great power comes great comeback ability. The Kings’ power play was like a slot machine that hadn’t paid off in weeks. It got good looks in the first three games of the season but found itself 0 for 16 going into Saturday. It came alive just in time. Down by a goal, the Kings stormed back on the Buffalo Sabres with man-advantage goals by Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli and Drew Doughty for a 4-2 win at Staples Center. Doughty’s one-timed point shot with two minutes remaining was the game winner, with Brown in front of the net to disrupt the opposition. “It sounds stupid, [but] we’re really happy with the way the power play was going,” Doughty said. “We were getting really good chances. We just weren’t scoring. Tonight, we decided to stick to the same things. We didn’t want to change anything up. The puck just finally went in for us.” Brown scored his fourth goal on an in-close backhand swipe of the puck in the second period to help tilt the game. Toffoli’s pinpoint snap shot high on Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner more than seven minutes into the third period gave the Kings a 2-1 lead. Cheers from the announced crowd of 18,230 fans dissipated two minutes later when Buffalo’s Jack Eichel scored on a second-effort drive to the net. It could have been a different score earlier if not for a remarkable stick save by Jonathan Quick on Seth Griffith early in the second period. “When he’s doing stuff like that, we can bear down on our scoring chances,” Toffoli said of Quick. The day began with two notable lineup changes. Defenseman Alec Martinez was activated from injured reserve and made his season debut, while veteran Michael Cammalleri was scratched. Martinez’s debut took a rough start. He was left back to defend a two-on- one in which Eichel floated a pass that Zemgus Girgensons tapped into the net. Martinez was also leveled by former teammate Jordan Nolan in Nolan’s first game against the Kings. Nolan received a standing ovation during a video tribute, and former Kings assistant coach and current Buffalo assistant Davis Payne was also recognized. Buffalo’s first strike represented its first goal at Staples Center since 2010. The Kings carried a string of four straight home shutouts against Buffalo — all 2-0 scores — into Saturday. But the Kings woke up from another slow start and controlled play by the end of the second period. Alex Iafallo did his part with an adrenaline-filled game that spilled into overzealousness with a second-period holding penalty and subsequent post-whistle shot into Buffalo’s net that quickly drew a crowd of Sabres. Iafallo, from Eden, N.Y., played against his hometown team for the first time and admitted beforehand he was jazzed. He grew up a Buffalo fan and listed former Sabres Chris Drury and Derek Roy among his favorite players. “Right in the backyard, go after school to the game, hop over,” Iafallo said. At the other end of the spectrum was Cammalleri. He has seen scant playing time, especially late in games, and lost his spot on the second power-play unit just three games into the season. What do the Kings need to see from him to get more ice time? “I think Cammy is a guy that usually ends up around the puck a lot, and I think he ends up winning a lot of puck battles, stick battles and creating a lot of scoring chances with his hockey intelligence and his tenacity,” Kings coach John Stevens said. “That’s kind of what we’re looking for.”

LA Times: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078200 Los Angeles Kings

Backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper enjoying fresh start with Kings

Curtis Zupke

It’s easy to spot Darcy Kuemper in and around the Kings’ dressing room, and that’s not just because he’s a lanky 6-foot-5 goalie. Kuemper, who is almost always smiling, has an easygoing demeanor that runs counter to someone who gets pelted by pucks daily without seeing much game action. Being a backup goalie is one of the more thankless jobs in sports, and Kuemper’s approach is above reproach. “He’s a real pleasurable guy,” Kings coach John Stevens said. “He’s in a real positive spot every day he comes to the rink.” A bumpy ending to his career with the Minnesota Wild and new home with the Kings has a lot to do with it. Kuemper still waited to make his official Kings debut before they played the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at Staples Center, the first of back-to-back games. If all goes ideally for the Kings, Kuemper will only see spot duty, or an extended look if he gets hot. Otherwise, he’ll spell Jonathan Quick only when needed. It’s a situation Kuemper knows well, having been a backup for most of his NHL career. He signed a one-year contract on the first day of free agency to back up Quick, and even that became interesting when Jack Campbell turned heads with a great training camp. But Kuemper is just grateful for different surroundings. He was reportedly the subject of trade speculation the summer before his final season in Minnesota. Then the Wild went into a freefall last spring and turned to Alex Stalock instead of Kuemper. It was an unfortunate turn after he spent the first seven years of his NHL career in Minnesota’s organization. “I don’t want to overanalyze it too much,” Kuemper said. “I had a lot of good times there, but it’s exciting to have something new this year. “It was hard not to get frustrated, but I was trying to have a good attitude at the rink every day, and support my teammates, and I thought I did a good job of that.” Christian Folin, a defenseman who also landed with the Kings from Minnesota over the summer, said Kuemper probably took too much blame. “We didn’t really help him the way we should have,” Folin said. “That comes back to us a little bit. We were struggling pretty hard. But he’s always been a really good competitor. He always works really hard, so it’s fun to see.” Kuemper worked with Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford on tracking the puck, particularly behind the net, and he also worked out with Quick before camp. Ranford didn’t necessarily need to build Kuemper’s confidence back up so much as find different ways to keep him motivated, always the challenge for a No. 2 goalie. Ranford liked how Kuemper assimilated into the Kings. “We’ve got a pretty close-knit group that’s been together for a long time,” Ranford said. “It’s tough to come into this scenario for some of these new guys, but he seems to be fitting in great.” The Kings have a recent history of backup goalies who have gone on to better things, with Jonathan Bernier and Martin Jones. That was a plus for Kuemper as he tries to make the most of this chance while enjoying the ride. “It’s been fun,” Kuemper said. “Everyone’s been really welcoming. It’s kind of nice, something fresh. It’s new.”

LA Times: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078201 Los Angeles Kings Not until one of the Sabres final shots bounced off the post behind Quick did the Kings score an empty-net goal to seal what has been a welcomed start to the season that could set the tone for a pivotal season. Kings halt scoreless power play streak in win over Buffalo “It we had lost the first three games or lost a couple of them, the mood in the room wouldn’t be what it is right now,” Doughty said. “But we’re on a high right now. We’re really confident in each other and in the team and By CLAY FOWLER | [email protected] | San Gabriel Valley Tribune we just feel good about ourselves. That all changes if we start losing, so we’ve got to keep pushing forward and keep winning.” PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 10:19 pm | UPDATED: October 14, 2017 at 11:37 PM Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.15.2017 LOS ANGELES – The streak the Buffalo Sabres snapped Saturday night lasted more than seven years. The one the Kings halted began nine days ago, but it was the way they ended their scoreless stretch on the power play that led to a 4-2 win over the Sabres in front of 18,230 at Staples Center. The Sabres hadn’t scored a goal in Los Angeles since 2010, but the Kings’ perfect percentage on the power play earned them three goals in three chances on the man advantage after an 0-for-16 streak to begin the season. “We weren’t disappointed with the way the power play was playing,” said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who scored the go-ahead goal on the power play with two minutes remaining in the game. “It sounds stupid. We had zero goals up until now, but we were getting good chances…We knew it was going to come.” Dustin Brown was a fitting choice to end the streak considering his scorching start to the season. The winger’s second-period goal tied the game and gave him four goals during a 3-0-1 start, the Kings’ best beginning to a season in 22 years. Considering the franchise fired its coach and general manager in April after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, a promising start is particularly meaningful this season. “Those points are extremely important, especially when you’ve got some new people here, some young guys in our lineup,” Kings coach John Stevens said. “You want to get off to a good start, get some points in the bank and hopefully build a little confidence.” It appeared as if the hot start may be too good to be true when Buffalo scored on a first-period two-on-one for its first goal in Staples Center since Jan. 21, 2010. The Kings’ looked flat until Brown tied the game 7:42 into the second period by sweeping in a Jeff Carter rebound into a fast-closing window between the post and Sabres goalie Robin Lehner. Brown had accounted for 40 percent of the Kings’ goals to that point a year after the 32-year-old winger scored 14 goals all of last season, his highest total in four years. The Kings’ momentum waned until Jonathan Quick made the most spectacular of his 25 saves with 16 minutes left in the game. With a seemingly wide open net for Buffalo’s Seth Griffith, the Kings goalie used only his stick to stop a shot that would have given the Sabres the lead. “An absolutely stupid save,” Kings winger Tyler Toffoli said. “I think that changed momentum and made us realize that it’s time and Quickie is battling. After that we stuck together and scored big goals at the right time.” Added Doughty, “I already told him he won save of the year in Game 4. That play changed the game so much.” Three minutes later Toffoli notched his second goal of the young season on the first of two crucial power plays in the third period. Jake Muzzin found him in a soft spot in the middle of the Sabres defense, where Toffoli put a wrist shot in the top corner for a 2-1 lead. After being shut out in their last three games at Staples Center and not earning a win in Los Angeles in their last six attempts, the Sabres weren’t satisfied to simply end their scoring drought in the building. Jack Eichel, who assisted on Buffalo’s first goal, scored their second by putting his own rebound in to tie the game less than two minutes after the Kings took the lead. Quick made a pad save on his first shot, but Eichel gathered the rebound and cut across the crease to navigate his second shot around the goalie’s pad to make the score 2-2. On the night the Kings scored their first power play goal of the season, Doughty finished it with his first goal of the year. A one timer by the Kings’ defenseman with just two minutes left in regulation was the result of what appeared to be a Sabres tripping penalty out of pure frustration. 1078202 Los Angeles Kings

Alec Martinez should add to L.A. Kings’ upward trending offense

By CLAY FOWLER | [email protected] | San Gabriel Valley Tribune October 14, 2017 at 6:44 PM

Early returns on the Kings’ newfound offensive freedom have been encouraging. And that was without defenseman Alec Martinez, whose offensive prowess at his position is perhaps second only to Drew Doughty on the team. After missing the first three games of the season with a lower body injury, Martinez returned to the lineup Saturday night excited about his new role on the rush that allows for more freedom than in years past. His best attribute plays perfectly to his new opportunity. “It’s always been my skating ability, which is probably the No. 1 reason I’m even in the league,” Martinez said. “Use my feet to get out there on the rush and be the fourth man in the attack.” After a modest beginning, the Kings erupted for four goals at San Jose a week ago and produced three goals in an overtime loss on Wednesday to Calgary, expected to be one of the best teams in the . The sample size is small, but by all accounts the system is no longer geared so heavily toward the defensive philosophy that has proven restrictive to the offense. Considering he has played most of his career under defensive-minded coach Darryl Sutter, Martinez could be one of the team’s biggest beneficiaries now that the new coaching staff has loosened the reins on the other end of the ice. Of his eight seasons in the NHL, Martinez posted a career-high 39 points last year – when the Kings’ offensive numbers were some of the worst in the NHL. Despite their offensive skill, defensemen like he and Doughty are accustomed to being asked to simply pass the puck to the forwards and let them execute on the rush. The Kings’ new coaching staff has installed more options. “On the rush we don’t have to be one, two three or four. I guess you’d automatically assume that the D-man would usually be the fourth guy,” Martinez said. “But if you need to lead the rush, go ahead and do that too. Me personally, most of my offense is going to be getting up on the rush and shots from the blue line.” His offensive abilities combined with Martinez’s underrated physical play in the defensive zone give him the potential to be the complete player the Kings need to maintain one of the best defensive units in the league while combating the deficiencies that made them the sixth-lowest scoring team in the NHL last season. Of course, the same season Martinez produced career-best offensive numbers, he posted a career-worst minus-17 while the Kings missed the playoffs last year for the second time in three seasons. Head coach John Stevens, a defenseman during his 14-year playing career, has lauded Martinez’s offensive skill and has a special appreciation for his gritty play on defense. “He’s probably a lot more physical than teams realize,” Stevens said. “He separates the man from the puck because he’s got good feet and he’s an explosive guy. He’s actually really good and firm down low in his battles. It’s something he’s worked extremely hard on, both off the ice getting stronger and his technique.” To make room for Martinez on the roster, the Kings assigned defenseman Paul LaDue to their American League Hockey affiliate in Ontario. LaDue played 22 games for the Kings last season and 38 in Ontario. He was set to begin the season in Ontario before being called up when Martinez was injured in practice on Oct. 3, the eve of the regular season opener.

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OCTOBER 14 MORNING SKATE QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS

MORNING SKATE QUOTES On whether he’s willing to accept additional turnovers in the name of an improved offense: I don’t think we ever want to sacrifice turnovers. I think we felt that the second, third and fourth goals [Wednesday] came from situations where we had control of the puck – just a little better execution in those areas. I think there’s always going to have to be recognition from our team when teams have done a good job of getting numbers over top of you where there’s space in behind where we want to use our speed to get in behind teams, and then there are times where we’ve got a numerical advantage where we can make plays. But the deal with our guys is you execute when you have the puck and then work really hard to get it back when you don’t. But clearly the other night we had some situations where it was probably a poor decision with the puck that ended up in our net that not only was poor execution with the puck that ended up in our net, and then there was another when where we got out-competed probably on a puck that ended up in our net. There are lots of different ways when a puck’s turned over, and those are all things that we’d like to cut down on that number and be as low as possible. On an assertion that a strong penalty kill statistically is more useful than a strong power play: There are just some statistics out there that can prove that top power plays aren’t always indicative of success or championships. It’s how defenses are. I think it’s your five-on-five play that makes a big difference. If you can keep teams off the board in penalty kill situations, just numerically the way it’s proven in terms of winning percentage, it’s got a bigger impact on the outcome of hockey games. I don’t have those exact metrics, but there have been several articles written where one has more weight than the other. It’s not to say that power plays aren’t important, but to me, if a power play’s important, it’s got to outwork the opposition and I think there’s got to be a reflection of your team game in it. I think there’s got to be some accountability. It’s not just a privilege to go out and play on the power play. I mean, you’re going to see top guys and highly skilled guys in those situations, but it those teams that play with the most pace and work the hardest to have a difference, so I don’t think your power play should ever undermine how valuable your five-on- five play is. On whether Andy Andreoff is a good complement to Nick Shore’s line with Kyle Clifford out: Yeah, I think if you’re talking about a profile of a player, I mean they’re both guys that skate well, they have some physicality to their game in toughness and are both really good complementary players. Andy’s a little different where he has the ability to take faceoffs and play center and wing, but in terms of the element that they bring to that line – getting in on the forecheck and getting plays stopped and being focused on getting in and around the net – I think they’re both similar in those respects. We like that element on that line. Shoresy and Lewie have been really good in pretty much all situations for us. They’ve created a lot of offense and have done a good job killing penalties, and that element seems to be good with them, but quite honestly, it didn’t matter who we put there with those guys. Kempe played there a little bit, Cammy played there a little bit. [Nick Shore and Trevor Lewis] have good chemistry together and they’re real workers, so I think the third guy on that line seems to thrive just from the chemistry they bring. -Two quotes have been withheld for a story to come this afternoon. One quote was omitted because it was used in the morning skate notes.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078204 Los Angeles Kings teams, though he did attend several NHL development camps throughout his Bulldog career. In his senior year, when he potted 21 goals as part of a 51-point, 42-game effort, necks had strained by virtue of how hard OCTOBER 14 SKATE NOTES: LINE RUSHES; WAGNER SKATING; heads had turned. MARTINEZ/IAFALLO/BUFFALO But Iafallo isn’t really thinking of his career path – or his first career point in Wednesday’s overtime loss to Calgary – when he takes the ice tonight. JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS “I’m excited to get out there,” he said. “It’s been an honor to be here with such great players and a good organization. So coming into the fourth game against Buffalo, it’s going to be fun. We’re looking to win here.” MORNING SKATE NOTESOPPOSITION “I watched them as a kid. But you know, now it’s just the same old game so I’m just going to try to work hard and play the game and use the A good afternoon to you from El Segundo, Insiders. The Kings took the resources and win a hockey game.” Toyota Sports Center ice shortly before 10:00 a.m. and aligned as such: There’s more on Iafallo via Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. -Jonathan Quick was the first goalie off the ice, and because tonight’s game opens a back-to-back, the #LAKingsGoalieTweetOff applies. Via Harrington, Okposo has been ill on this trip but played through it in Michael Cammalleri and Kurtis MacDermid remained on the ice to get in Thursday’s loss at San Jose. It appears there’s a decent chance he may some extra work with Darcy Kuemper, so they’re not likely to play tonight. play in Matt Moulson’s spot on Ryan O’Reilly’s line. Robin Lehner is John Stevens was asked what Cammalleri will have to do to earn more expected to start in net; he’s 1-3-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and minutes, and he responded, “I think Cammy is a guy that usually ends up a .921 save percentage in his career versus L.A. around the puck a lot, and I think he ends up winning a lot of puck battles, stick battles and creating a lot of scoring chances with his hockey -John Stevens quotes will follow. Enjoy your Saturday, Insiders. intelligence and his tenacity. That’s kind of what we’re looking for.” -The Kings-Sabres match-up has been dominated by home teams, and LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 Los Angeles has done an excellent job keeping Buffalo off the scoreboard at Staples Center for the heavy majority of this decade. Here’s your reminder that the Sabres have not scored in downtown L.A. since Craig Rivet’s third period goal in a 4-3 Kings shootout victory on January 21, 2010. Since then, Los Angeles has shut out Buffalo by 2-0 scores in each of their last four Staples Center meetings, compiling an impressive 263:53 shutout streak. -The word on the street: 20-year-old forward prospect Austin Wagner, who underwent shoulder surgery in early June, has resumed some light skating. There was a red no-contact jersey hanging in his stall Saturday morning. He’s still a ways a way from getting into any sort of practice stage, let alone an assignment to the WHL’s Pats or the AHL’s Reign. Stick tap to the keen eyes of LA Daily News Kings beat writer Clay Fowler, who saw him on the ice early Friday. -I’ll have a story going up later today on Martinez, who is expected to make his 2017-18 debut after being withheld from the first three games and going on injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained at the end of the final practice before the start of the regular season. (He’s still on injured reserve; an activation should be expected to take place closer to game time.) There will be some interesting quotes from John Stevens, who praised the work Martinez put in to become adept at both the left and right sides of the blue line. “[He’s improved at] taking pucks off the wall, especially on the blue line, defending on that side of the rink, and he’s become probably more comfortable on the right than the left,” Stevens said. “I think it’s always been part of his game, but certainly since the Cup in ’14 and what he did on that run and the big goals he scored – but I think his feet and his puck skills have always been a big part of his game.” -Eden, N.Y. native Alex Iafallo has been an interesting story over the first two weeks of the season, one that’ll continue through tonight’s game as he faces off against his home town Sabres. Yes, he was a Sabres fan growing up, and fortunately any memories of 1999 are hazy, since he was only five and a half years old when Brett Hull’s skate was in the crease. “I don’t remember much, just a lot of commotion around,” he said. Enough of that controversy. It’s always a special day the first time a player faces off against their hometown team. “I mean, [they’re] right in the back yard, you know? Just go after school to the game, hop over,” Iafallo said. “So definitely a fan, but you know it’s going to be fun playing against them today.” He was a fan of Dominik Hasek, Chris Drury and Derek Roy when he was younger. But towards the end of the summer, as he prepared to return to Los Angeles for training camp, he skated at the Harborcenter facility adjacent to KeyBank Center alongside players like Jason Pominville and Zach Bogosian. “Some of their prospects were out there too, so I got to know them a little bit,” he said. “I mean we’re just practicing, working on our game to get ready for camp, so just chitchat here and there.” It’s not a bad run for a player who played a lot of Triple-A and travel hockey until he was 18 and joined the Fargo Force of the USHL. By the time he stepped onto the Minnesota-Duluth campus a few months shy of his 20th birthday, he hadn’t attracted a great deal of attention from OHL 1078205 Los Angeles Kings

LADUE ASSIGNED TO ONTARIO AND WILL PLAY TONIGHT; MARTINEZ RETURN IMMINENT

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS

ONTARIO REIGNROSTER MOVES Defenseman Paul LaDue has been assigned to the AHL-Ontario and is expected to be in the Reign’s lineup for tonight’s game against the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. This is another indication that Alec Martinez’s return to the Kings is imminent. Martinez skated through a full practice on Friday without any issues and was used as a defenseman on the top power play unit with Drew Doughty. At Saturday’s morning skate, he returned to his familiar even strength pairing alongside Jake Muzzin, placing Christian Folin alongside Oscar Fantenberg. Kurtis MacDermid was the extra defenseman at the morning skate. The team has not officially activated Martinez at this point. Generally, when a player is ready to return from injured reserve, the roster move will be announced within several hours of game time. Los Angeles plays Buffalo on Saturday and the New York Islanders on Sunday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center

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MARTINEZ ACTIVATED; CLIFFORD TO IR

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS

INJURIESROSTER MOVES An *official* roster move to report: the Kings have activated Alec Martinez (lower-body) from injured reserve and placed Kyle Clifford (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to October 11. Along with Paul LaDue’s assignment to AHL-Ontario earlier in the day, Los Angeles now has 22 players on the active roster. There’s an open space for the Kings to recall a player from Ontario, but unless they’re hit by an injury bug either tonight or tomorrow against the New York Islanders, it’s more likely that the spot will be filled closer to their departure for a six-game road trip that opens October 21 in Columbus. Los Angeles also faces the Montreal on Wednesday, October 18 at Staples Center.

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OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME NOTES

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS POSTGAME NOTES

-With the win, Los Angeles improved to 48-57-20 all-time against Buffalo, a record that includes a home mark of 29-24-9. The Kings are 12-2-1 in their last 15 home games against the Sabres. With the exception of the 2011 NHL Premiere played in Berlin, home teams have won the last 14 games in the series, dating back to a 5-1 Sabres win at Staples Center on October 23, 2003 (L.A. was the designated home team at the NHL Premiere in 2011). -Saturday’s game ended a stretch of four consecutive 2-0 Los Angeles wins at Staples Center over Buffalo. Zemgus Girgensons’ goal 15:45 into the game ended the Sabres’ 279:38 scoreless streak in the head-to-head match-up. -With the win, the Kings improved to 2-0-0 against the Eastern Conference, 1-0-0 against the Atlantic Division, 2-0 in two-goal games, 1- 0-1 when their opponent scores first, 1-0-1 when trailing after the first period, 1-0-0 when tied after two periods and 2-0-1 when outshooting their opponent. -Los Angeles has opened the season 3-0-1, marking the first time since 1995-96 and the sixth time overall that the Kings have registered points in each of their first four games. It also marks the second highest point total through four games in team history (1988-89l 4-0-0, 8 points). -With a 3-for-3 performance, the Kings scored three power play goals in a game for the first time since March 23, 2017. It is the first time since March 9, 2017 the Kings have scored at least three power play goals and gone 100% on the power play. -Dustin Brown (1-0=1) extended his goal-streak to three games (4-2=6). It marks his first goal-streak of at least three games since March 14-17, 2016. With a power play goal, he moved within one goal of Charlie Simmer (79 PPG) for sixth place on Los Angeles’ all-time list. With 20:46 TOI, he has logged at least 20 minutes in two of his four games. -By assisting on Drew Doughty’s goal, Alec Martinez registered his 100th career NHL assist. -By assisting on Drew Doughty’s goal, Anze Kopitar recorded a point for the third consecutive game (3-3=6). -By assisting on Tyler Toffoli’s goal, Oscar Fantenberg recorded his first NHL point. -Derek Forbort appeared in his 100th career NHL game. -Drew Doughty appeared in his 250th consecutive game. The club record is 330 consecutive games, set by Anze Kopitar from March 21, 2007 to March 26, 2011. -The Kings attempted 61 shots (30 on goal, 15 blocked, 16 missed). The Sabres attempted 48 shots (25 on goal, 12 blocked, 11 missed). Dustin Brown, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Ryan O’Reilly tied with a game- high four shots on goal. -Los Angeles won 24-of-55 faceoffs (44%). Adrian Kempe won 0-of-3, Anze Kopitar won 9-of-18, Andy Andreoff won 0-of-1, Jonny Brodzinski won 0-of-1, Nick Shore won 4-of-8, Trevor Lewis won 0-of-1, Nic Dowd won 3-of-6, Tanner Pearson won 1-of-2 and Jeff Carter won 7-of-15. The Kings are scheduled to hold an optional 10:30 a.m. morning skate at Toyota Sports Center on Sunday, October 15.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078208 Los Angeles Kings him. So I don’t really know how I could’ve held him if I was in front of him, but I don’t know, he called me on interference was it? Yeah interference. So I’m just trying to move my feet back and we get tangled up there. It’s OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: BUFFALO a tough position for the ref, obviously everything happens so fast out there. You don’t want to give up that power play goal and its unfortunate that we did with whatever 20, 30 seconds left in it. JESSI MCDONALD OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS Eichel, on using frustration to battle back: POSTGAME QUOTES Yeah, we had a good shift. Scandy pinched in down there in the boards and Kaner pops it out and I’m able to find it in the slot so I there was a lot of momentum swings in the game, Its just some little errors. We’re giving too many pucks back to their team when we have it. It’s kind of just little Phil Housley, on Buffalo’s 5-on-5 versus special teams play: simple stuff. But if we clean up I think we’ll be able to generate a lot more Yeah, I can’t fault our guys for their effort. I mean five-on-five we were a offensive and we’ll spend a lot more time in their end. better hockey team. It’s just unfortunate that they got three power play Eichel, on the highs and lows of the game: goals and our power play didn’t get anything in return. So if you look at that we got to clean up those areas. Special teams, we’ve got to win that Yeah I mean, you know there’s times when you feel good about your battle to help contribute to the win. Right now we’re just finding ways to game and there’s just so many highs and lows in the course of a 60 lose and we’ve got to turn the corner here. Take a lot of the things we did minute game. I think we could work a bit better to stay even keel when well and try to find ways to win. the other team pushes, just try and stand it and we’re obviously going to try and push back, but it’s tough you know. We’re in the game and we Housley, on Kane’s late penalty: give up a power play goal and they get an empty-netter. It’s the last two It’s unfortunate. He’s going for a puck. His stick gets tangled up and it’s minutes of the game and you’d like to be on the other side of that. unfortunate. That’s when our penalty kill’s got to dig in and maybe win a Eichel, on whether this is Buffalo’s best start so far: draw or tie a draw and just try and get the job done. As a team I thought we kept it pretty simple in the first period so it was Housley, on his lineup decision for the last penalty kill: good. We did some good things. We got pucks behind them. We forced Well Joey’s (Jacob Josefson) been pretty good on draws and I think that their defense to go back and you do that and it wears the other team right now they’re two penalty killers. Could we have done a better job of down. But I thought in the second we got away from it a little bit and getting in a shot lane? Yes, but at the same time you know that shot was played in their end. And in the third I thought we pushed and had some taken from doughty. There was nobody in front of our goaltender. So it’s good shifts in there and some good opportunities. I think maybe at this unfortunate. I mean you’re going to lose draws on a penalty kill. You want point guys are gripping their stick a little bit. I know I am. We may just be to lose it clean, but those are the breaks right now. overthinking some plays that usually just come naturally, so it’s a tough loss with two minutes left. Housley, on whether the team was able to recover in the third: Robin Lehner, on the outcome: Yeah, I mean that was just the result of not managing the puck well in the neutral zone. Everything we did well in the first period we got away form It stinks. It stinks but you’ve just got to move on. You’ve just got to move in the second period. We started to get our game back in the third. I on right now. thought we had the majority of the play, but again it just comes down to Lehner, on whether the team pushed back in five-on-five: special teams. I’m just trying to worry about me right now. I think I played a pretty good Evander Kane, on special teams: game, but not good enough. And I want to save an extra one for the team Yeah I mean 5-on-5 I thought we did a pretty good job against them, you and then it happened. know we didn’t do a very good job with our special teams— our power Lehner, on pucks getting away: play, our penalty kill. No, I felt good today. I felt like I made some good saves. I felt calm and Kane, on his penalty: relaxed in there. That last one totally dove on me. A hard knuckler that I Obviously no excuse for that. Obviously, not trying to trip him, just trying think’s going mid-net, and that just dove last second. And of course I to make a play on the puck. But regardless, I can’t take that penalty at want to have that, but it’s what it is. that time of the game. Lehner, on bounces: Kane, on what’s keeping the team from succeeding on the power play: I thought it was going in my glove and then it dove and it didn’t go in my I think we’ve just got to mentally be a lot sharper. It’s the little things glove. It’s just how it’s bouncing right now. I see a lot of shots each breakout passes, not executing on our breakouts. And when you don’t do season and maybe once every thousand shots it dives on me. Usually it that you’re not going to have a very good entry so I think that’s where it doesn’t dive. But it’s what it is. starts and we need to find ways to gain possession in their zone and try to work and be able to use these skills that we have. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 Kane, on coming back from penalties: Yeah, I mean that was the name of the game of the game tonight. Like I said, the penalties, they cost us and you know we didn’t kill off any of the power plays so like I said those are penalties, especially mine, that I can’t take and I got to better in that regard. Kane, on playing better 5-on-5: You know it’s frustrating. We’re trying obviously to get our first one of the season, and we got a game four and we’ve got to kind of cut the cord here and not let this linger over us tomorrow night. Jack Eichel, on special teams: Yeah, obviously a couple chances on the power play. We weren’t able to capitalize on it and special teams can win or lose you the game and we came up on the short end of it and that’s what happened. Eichel, on whether he thought he was held by Brown on his penalty: I thought the penalty was going on them. I’m just trying to backcheck there. I think he grabbed my arm a bit there, but apparently the ref must’ve thought a bit different. You know, its tough in that situation. He sees one thing maybe it looked a little different from the back. From my perspective, you know I wasn’t trying to hold him, I was actually in front of 1078209 Los Angeles Kings

OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: DOUGHTY, TOFFOLI

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS POSTGAME QUOTES

Drew Doughty, on Jonathan Quick’s save on Seth Griffith: Yeah, yeah, I was on the ice for that, so I had a good view. I already told him he won Save of the Year in Game 4, so you’re going to have to talk to him about it over there. I don’t know. That save was ridiculous. That changed the game so much, because either they would’ve had the lead or tied it up – I can’t remember. So that was a big momentum change, yeah. Doughty, on the power play finally getting rewarded: We’ve been talking about that. We weren’t disappointed with the way the power play is playing. Honest to God. It sounds stupid, but we had goals up until now, but we were getting good chances, we were hitting posts, we were just not bearing down and getting the puck in the net and we knew it was going to come if we stick to the basics, and we have, and we’re happy with where our power play’s at, and we’re just going to keep working on it and getting better. Doughty, on the importance of starting the season 3-0-1: Oh, very important. We want to start the season off right. Right now, if we had lost the first three games or lost a couple of them, the mood in the room wouldn’t be where it is right now. We’re on a high right now, we’re really confident in each other and the team and we just feel good about ourselves. That all changes if we start losing, so we’ve got to keep pushing forward and keep winning, and we’re going to continue having fun if we win. Tyler Toffoli, on the power play finally getting rewarded: I think Brownie did a good job of getting the first one out of the way, and after that I think we were just working it pretty well. Muzz made a nice pass to me, and Dewey with a good goal to put it away at a huge time of the game. Toffoli, on earning a win when the team wasn’t at its best: I mean, we talked about it. As the game went on, we got a lot better. We stayed in it. Quickie made an absolutely stupid save there. I think that kind of changed the momentum and made us realize that it’s time and Quickie’s battling, so after that we stuck together and scored big goals at the right time. Toffoli, on whether he was confident the power play would break through: Yeah, and not even on the power play, just throughout the games I’ve been getting some really good chances, and like I said, Muzz made a good play to me in the slot, and if I don’t score that nine times out of 10 then I’ll be upset with myself. Like I said, big goals at the right times, and Dewey with that rocket at the end. Toffoli, on the importance of banking points early in the year: I think it’s huge. I think last year we didn’t do a good job of capitalizing on the close games that we were in, and so far this year we’ve been doing a good job of getting the points and fighting even when we’re not playing our best games.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078210 Los Angeles Kings showed a lot of promise, so I think we’d all agree that goaltending’s important, but we’ll wait and see tomorrow.

OCTOBER 14 POSTGAME QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017

JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS POSTGAME QUOTES

On breaking through with three power play goals: To be honest with you, we think we’ve done some really good things on the power play, and we talked to the guys about it, and the challenge with that is that when you create good looks and you do good things on the power play, don’t change the whole plan. Stick with what’s been creating opportunities and bear down. If anything, we wanted to really focus on having a net presence and thinking about shooting more instead of passing the puck in the net. It’s a real credit to those guys. Special teams obviously was a big factor tonight on both sides of the puck. If you look at their power play analytically, it’s very good, and they haven’t had success, but if you look at the analytics and the numbers, they create a lot of good chances from the slot. We saw that tonight. So I think that’s no different than your five-on-five game. It’s a process you’re going to stay with and your top guys come through for you, and they did tonight. On what turned the game around after a slow start: Well, we just felt after the first period structurally we thought we were fine. We just thought we were on the wrong side of a lot of puck battles. We had a chance to take ice with our feet. We want to be fast, and if there’s ice in front of it, take it, and if there’s a play to be made, make it. We just didn’t like the elevation of our compete in the one-on-one puck battles. That was probably the biggest thing, and we thought we got better as the game went on. They’re a good hockey team. They’re on the road, trying to win a big road game, and they’re a good team, they’re well coached, and we knew we would have to be ready. So I thought that was the difference. I thought the puck battle, we got a little more back in our favor and it started to make a difference in the hockey game. On Alec Martinez’s first game of the season: I thought he was great. He’s an important guy on our team. He’s a key guy in all situations, and he’s a factor defensively and he’s obviously a factor offensively, and he’s a leader on our hockey team, so it was great having him back. On Dustin Brown’s net presence and overall performance: Yeah, Brownie’s been terrific. He’s getting back to his power game. We’re trying to make that a part of our identity as a hockey team and he’s leading the charge when it comes to that. He likes being there. I mean, today, the defensemen were shooting pucks and he stood down there in front of the net tipping pucks for a good five or 10 minutes at the end of practice. He understands the value of being there, he wants to be the guy there, and I think it’s a great example for everybody else to kind of lead the charge of getting more people there. On the importance of getting seven points from the first four games: Well, it’s important. We think you’ve got to get seven points a segment if you’re going to be in the playoff hunt. To get points early in the season, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, those points are extremely important, especially when you’ve got some new people here, you’ve got some young guys in our lineup, you want to get off to a good start, get some points in the bank and hopefully build a little confidence in the group, so I think it’s extremely important. On the video board recognition of Jordan Nolan and Davis Payne: Yeah, I’ll tell you what, it was a real class act by the organization, and those are two class guys. Jordan Nolan made a huge contribution here in his time here. He was part of two Cups and was a really good member of our hockey team, and then Davis Payne’s a terrific coach and a wonderful person and he was a huge part of our team here the time he was here, so it’s a credit to both those guys. We wish them lots of luck, and I thought both from the fans and the organization, I thought it was a real class act. On whether Darcy Kuemper will play tomorrow: You know, I’m not sure. Obviously goaltending’s going to be really important. We think Darcy’s played really well in training camp and we’re going to need him to come in and play well, and we’re going to count on Johnny to come in and play well. We felt good about our goaltending. Jack Campbell had a great camp and we think that the Petersen boy has 1078211 Los Angeles Kings

POSTGAME NOTES: REIGN STRIKE QUICK IN 3RD PERIOD; FALL TO WOLVES

JOEY ZAKRZEWSKI OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS

GAME NOTES: – Reign forwards Matt Marcinew and Keegan Iverson each made their professional debuts tonight. – Reign defenseman Paul LaDue made his season debut tonight after being assigned by the Kings (NHL) earlier today. – Wolves forward Alex Tuch opened the scoring on the power play at the 14:55 mark of the first period. – Wolves potted a trio of goals in the second period, one on the power play, to take a 4-0 lead. Paul Thompson at 5:17. Tomas Hyka at 7:55 on the man advantage. Brandon Pirri at 15:36. – Reign strike twice early in the third period. Philippe Maillet and Brett Sutter 29 seconds apart at 1:03 and 1:32. – Wolves forward Teemu Pulkkinen pushes back with a power-play tally at 15:31 of third period. Pulkkinen finished the contest with a goal and three assists for four points.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078212 Los Angeles Kings defender,” he said. “He’s probably a lot more physical than teams realize. He just separates the man from the puck really well because he’s got good feet. He’s an explosive guy and he’s actually really good and firm MARTINEZ ADEPT AT PINPOINTING MOMENTS TO JOIN RUSH down low in his battles. It’s something he’s worked extremely hard at – both off the ice, getting stronger, and just his technique on the ice – but he has an ability because he’s got good feet to play against speedy guys, and he’s got an ability because of the way he’s gotten stronger to play JON ROSEN OCTOBER 14, 20170 COMMENTS against bigger guys. He’s a really good example for young players of a guy that’s worked really hard at his game to become a good player.”

John Stevens, on whether there was ever a moment or realization he MORNING SKATE QUOTES could pinpoint in which Alec Martinez became comfortable at picking The Kings aren’t a premier offensive club, but if there’s a game situation moments to join the rush: in which they’re elite in finding the back of the net, it’s in overtime. No That’s a tough question. I think we’ve always liked what he brings, and team has posted more overtime wins more than Los Angeles’ 24 since he was paired with Greener as a third pair. He’s obviously very effective. the NHL’s switch to three-on-three, and only Calgary has bettered the He’s always what we would call a fifth defensemen that we thought was their .750 winning percentage. going to cross the threshold of being a fourth defenseman. He got There are reasons behind the offensive success. First off, it doesn’t hurt stronger. I think his endurance got better. He’s able to play against top to open the extra session with a combination of Drew Doughty, Anze guys. That a probably the part of his game, but we always liked his ability Kopitar and Jeff Carter. But other teams have elite players as a part of to move the puck and jump into the play and be an option on the power their core, and they don’t have the same OT record. play. The one thing he wasn’t able to do early in his career was play the right side. He was out of our lineup, and when we’d put guys in, if we What those teams don’t necessarily have on a second OT shift is an needed a right defenseman or on our right side, a lot of times he was explosive skating defenseman who reads the right moments to jump into overlooked, so to his credit, he worked extremely hard on that part of his the rush, and directly transfer his effective checking into tangible offense. game. Taking pucks off the wall, especially on the blue line, defending on That’s what Alec Martinez provides, and he’s ready to make his 2017-18 that side of the rink, and he’s become probably more comfortable on the debut tonight after missing the first three games of the season with a right than the left. I think it’s always been part of his game, but certainly lower-body injury that necessitated a brief stay on injured reserve. Given since the Cup in ’14 and what he did on that run and the big goals he the team’s added emphasis this season on playmaking and utilizing scored, but I think his feet and his puck skills have always been a big part defensemen as an extra wave of the attack, he’s poised to thrive within of his game. the Kings’ evolved system. Alec Martinez, on picking moments in the game to jump into the rush: Finding those soft moments to jump up into the rush – a decision that punctuated Los Angeles’ 2014 Stanley Cup run – is something that I think it’s always been my skating ability, probably the number one “starts in your own end,” according to Martinez. We’ve heard coaches reason why I’m even in the league. So I think just utilizing that. I think if say that scoring chances originate from strong checking, and Martinez I’m not playing well, I’ m usually not moving my feet the way that I should demonstrates that. be. So I think that’s just the focus I take individually. John’s worked with me a lot over the years with that. So I think sometimes it’s easy to … get “Make plays with your feet. I use my feet to get up into the rush with that a little too anxious to join into the rush where I think sometimes it’s good fourth man in the attack,” he said. “We’re a number in the rush. We don’t to kind of slow up and find that soft spot. have to be one, two, three, or four. I guess you’d automatically assume that the defenseman would usually be the fourth guy, but if you need to lead the rush, then go ahead and do that too.” LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.15.2017 That, along with his situational usage when there’s open-ice – either on the man advantage, in four-on-four or three-on-three – has allowed him to shoot 7.6% in all situations since his first full season in the league in 2010-11. It’s the highest rate out of any Kings defenseman over that span. Knowing when to jump into the attack and when to sit back seems to be part of a natural intuition that appears automatic at times. “I don’t know if I’d call it ‘automatic.’ I don’t think anything comes automatic,” he said. “Maybe for Drew Doughty, but not for myself. I’ve got to work on things.” And Darryl Sutter, especially early in Martinez’s tenure, was one to call notice to that. When Martinez was used as a left wing in practice early in the 2013-14 season, Sutter was asked for how long he had considered using Martinez up front. “Every time he’s backchecking when he should have been skating backwards,” he said, dryly. Touché. And there were also inconsistencies that crept into his game while he was paired with Jake Muzzin last season, a year in which Martinez posted a career-best 39 points but a career-worst minus-17 rating. But like Doughty, there have been so many improvements in Martinez’s game both in his understanding of when to jump up into the rush and in his decisions away from the puck. In 2017-18, Martinez averaged 2:13 of shorthanded time on ice, his second consecutive season logging at least two minutes in that situation. That stat is far from some sort of uber revelation, but does demonstrate the comfort that the coaches have in sending him over the boards in any situation. (That shorthanded usage also jumped up significantly between 2013-14 and 2014-15 because Slava Voynov was no longer on the team.) But given that John Stevens worked so closely with the defensemen during his tenure as an assistant coach and as Associate Head Coach, how has he seen the evolution in Martinez’s game apart from what’s most recognizable, and at what point did he become comfortable in his play away from the puck? “I would say since he became a regular in our lineup. I mean, Jeez, he was a huge part of both Cups that we won, so it’s hard to pinpoint a timetable, but Marty’s worked extremely hard at becoming a better 1078213 Minnesota Wild

Luke Kunin excited to play in Wild's home opener

By Rachel Blount OCTOBER 14, 2017 — 12:35PM

If you have tickets to the Wild’s home opener tonight against Columbus, and you expected to see players like Zach Parise, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund, you’re out of luck. You’re going to get a look at the future instead. Friday’s roster moves added four forwards to the Wild roster, plugging some of the holes created during a Thursday victory in Chicago that turned the locker room into a triage ward. The newcomer causing the most excitement is Luke Kunin, called up from the AHL affiliate in Iowa when defenseman Mike Reilly was sent down. Kunin, signed last spring after his sophomore season at Wisconsin, had a great camp and was among the final cuts. He admitted Saturday he was disappointed not to start the season with the Wild, and despite the circumstances, he’s thrilled to be playing in the first game of the season at Xcel Energy Center. “It’s something you think about since you were little,’’ said Kunin, 19, picked by the Wild in the first round of the 2016 NHL draft. “All the times your parents took you to the rink early in the morning, all the things you did to get to this point, it’s all pretty cool and special. I’m looking forward to it.’’ The injuries to Coyle, NIederreiter and Marcus Foligno in Thursday’s victory at Chicago created more chaos in a lineup already missing Parise and Granlund. The lines in Saturday’s morning skate were: Bertschy, Ferraro and Mitchell were called up Friday after Coyle (broken fibula) was put on long-term injured reserve. He’s expected to miss six to eight weeks after having surgery on his right leg. Niederreiter (high left ankle sprain) was put on injured reserve and is expected to be out at least three weeks. Foligno, who sustained a fracture on the left side of his face when Chicago’s John Hayden landed a hard right during a fight, is projected to miss at least one week and will undergo a medical procedure Sunday. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said Saturday morning that he’s sure Parise (undisclosed) will be ready to play in next week’s back-to-back games Friday and Saturday at Winnipeg and Calgary. He added that Foligno could “potentially’’ return next weekend, and Granlund (groin) skated Saturday morning. Boudreau said he wants to keep the pressure low on Kunin, who had a goal and an assist in two games with Iowa. “It’s his first (NHL) game,’’ the coach said. “He’s going to be a real good hockey player for many years. His effort will be there, and he competes.’’ Kunin plans to give the Wild the same thing he showed in camp: energy, versatility and perhaps some scoring. “It’s just another hockey game at the end of the day,’’ he said. “I’ll just go out and do my thing and enjoy the moment.’’ FYI, the Wild has cancelled its outdoor pregame party because of the rain predicted for later this afternoon and evening.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078214 Minnesota Wild

Newcomers hold their own, but Wild veterans disappoint

By Rachel Blount OCTOBER 15, 2017 — 2:41AM

The scoresheet from the Wild’s 5-4 overtime loss to Columbus showed that the fourth line, made up of three players recalled late Friday from Iowa, didn’t see much ice time. Afterward, coach Bruce Boudreau was second-guessing himself. “It wasn’t the kids that made all the mistakes,’’ Boudreau said. “I should have actually played them more, but when (Columbus) stopped playing its fourth line, I sort of stopped playing mine.’’ The line of Landon Ferraro, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy scored one goal, and all three players were plus-one. Only two other players— defensemen Gustav Olofsson and Kyle Quincey—finished on the plus side after the Wild coughed up a two-goal lead in the third period of its home opener. The statistics were much uglier for some of the Wild’s more prominent names. Ryan Suter had two assists but was on the ice for four Blue Jackets goals. Eric Staal, who scored the Wild’s first goal, was on the ice for Columbus’s three unanswered goals in the third period and overtime. Jared Spurgeon (minus-3) also was part of a Wild defense that simply didn’t hold up. “It was a tough way to lose, especially against a team that played (Friday night),’’ said Tyler Ennis, whose two power-play scores were his first goals for the Wild. “We’ve got to clean some things up.’’ The Wild doesn’t play again until a road trip Friday and Saturday to Winnipeg and Calgary. With that long break, Ferraro, Mitchell, Bertschy and Luke Kunin—also recalled Friday as the Wild replenished an injury- riddled roster—were reassigned to Iowa after Saturday’s game for salary- cap reasons. Defenseman Mike Reilly, sent to Iowa on Friday, was recalled after Saturday’s loss. Reilly played Saturday for Iowa and scored a goal in a 7- 4 loss at Rockford. --Kunin finished his first NHL game with 13:53 of ice time and one hit, and he was minus-1. He played right wing on a line with center Matt Cullen and left wing Daniel Winnik. Kunin had a number of relatives and friends at the game, including his parents and brother. His girlfriend Sophia Shaver, a Wayzata native who plays hockey at Wisconsin, planned to come to Xcel after scoring the winning goal for the top-ranked Badgers in a 3-2 victory at Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday afternoon. “You never want to lose, especially your first game,’’ Kunin said. “But it’s a dream come true and a game I’ll never forget. “I think it was way more intense, even faster than the preseason. I felt good as the game went on and felt like my legs got under me.’’ --If you were among the fans who began screaming when Ferraro’s shot sneaked through Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, you get some credit for helping the winger score in the second period. Ferraro thought Bobrovsky had gathered up the puck after it hit him in the stomach. So did the goalie. Neither knew it was sitting behind Bobrovsky in the blue paint, on its edge, until the crowd screamed. Ferraro dived toward the puck and shoved it over the goal line, despite being tackled by a Columbus player. “It was 100 percent (the crowd noise),’’ Ferraro said, when asked how he knew the puck was loose. “Just hearing them get excited, I knew it had to be on the other side. I tried to lay out for it and get as much on it as I could.’’ The goal was Ferraro’s first since his comeback from torn knee ligaments, sustained while playing for Chicago of the AHL, that caused him to miss most of last season. --The Wild is now 14-0-3 in home openers at Xcel.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078215 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Columbus game recap

Staff Report OCTOBER 15, 2017 — 12:10AM

Star Tribune's Three Stars 1. Artemi Panarin, Columbus: Assisted on three Blue Jackets goals, including the winner in overtime. 2. David Savard, Columbus: Scored to make it 3-2, and his shot deflected in by Josh Anderson tied it 4-4 with 3:37 left. 3. Tyler Ennis, Wild: Scored his first two goals for the Wild, both on power plays. By the numbers 1 NHL points for Wild forward Zack Mitchell, an assist on Landon Ferraro's goal in his 12th NHL game.

Rachel Blount Star Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078216 Minnesota Wild • Coyle, Niederreiter and Foligno all attended and were in suits on the bench for pregame introductions.

• Coyle's injury ends his franchise-record streak of consecutive regular- Veteran Matt Cullen savors opportunity to skate with youngster Luke season games at 316. Defenseman Ryan Suter holds the Wild's longest Kunin active streak at 168 games.

By Rachel Blount Star Tribune OCTOBER 15, 2017 — 12:10AM Star Tribune LOADED: 10.15.2017

Matt Cullen didn't have to think long before recalling where he was in December 1997. The Wild center was just embarking on a long NHL career, a 21-year-old Minnesotan learning the pro game in Anaheim. Saturday night, Cullen skated alongside 19-year-old Luke Kunin, recalled a day earlier from the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa. Kunin — born 37 days after Cullen played his first NHL game — made his own NHL debut in the Wild's home opener against Columbus. While Cullen did his best to make his new linemate comfortable, Kunin gave the veteran forward something valuable, too: a sense of happy nostalgia. "You instantly feel a lot older when you bring up the young group of guys," the 40-year-old Cullen said with a laugh. "It's actually a lot of fun. It really does help you feel young and help keep the young energy, the excitement. I remember my first game like it was yesterday, still." When injuries reduced the Wild's already-thin forward corps to eight healthy players, the team recalled four forwards Friday and sent defenseman Mike Reilly to Iowa. After Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss, it reassigned the forwards — Kunin, Landon Ferraro, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy — to Iowa, a move made for salary-cap purposes as the Wild begin a five-day break from competition. Reilly also was called back up late Saturday. Picked by the Wild in the first round of the 2016 NHL draft, Kunin played two seasons in college at Wisconsin before signing last spring. He promised to deliver the same qualities that won over Wild management in the first place: bottomless energy, a strong competitive drive and the versatility to play wherever the team wants to use him. "It was a dream come true,'' said Kunin, who got 13 minutes, 53 seconds of ice time and was minus-1 in the 5-4 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets. "I felt good as the game went on.'' Kunin, who had a goal and an assist in two games with Iowa, was assigned the locker next to Cullen. The newbie said he planned to rely on Cullen for guidance, noting that "he's been in the league forever, and he's won [Stanley] Cups." Well, maybe not forever. Cullen remembered how he felt during his first game — on Oct. 28, 1997, against Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens — and wished the same magic for Kunin. "My first shift, I was out against Mats Sundin," Cullen said. "I remember I lost the faceoff, then [Toronto] shot it and almost scored. It was a short shift, but it was fun. I'll never forget it." With his team depleted by injuries, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau is looking for any bit of good news regarding players' health. That's why he was so happy to reveal three positive developments Saturday. Mikael Granlund, who has been out since Oct. 6 because of a groin injury, skated Saturday morning. Boudreau said he is sure that Zach Parise (undisclosed injury) will be ready to play Friday at Winnipeg, and Marcus Foligno — who had a bone in his face broken during a fight in Thursday's victory at Chicago — is "potentially ready" for next weekend's back-to-back games at Winnipeg and Calgary. Foligno will have a medical procedure on the left side of his face Sunday, and Boudreau anticipated he should be able to return quickly by using a cage on his helmet to protect his face. Granlund's return date is uncertain. Charlie Coyle (broken right fibula) will need six to eight weeks to recover, and Nino Niederreiter (high left ankle sprain) is expected to miss at least three weeks. Boudreau noted that the timing of the injuries lessens the sting a little. The Wild have a five-day break from competition beginning Sunday and has only six games in the first 19 days of the season. "Right now, our schedule is so light," the coach said. "[Injuries are] going to happen to everybody at some point in the year. This is the time you want it to happen." Etc. 1078217 Minnesota Wild

Columbus spoils Wild's home opener with overtime victory

By RACHEL BLOUNT OCTOBER 15, 2017 — 12:09AM

It might have been easier to take if the mistakes had been made by the players just called up from Iowa. The fact that they came from the Wild's veterans, though, left coach Bruce Boudreau searching for words. He finally settled on "embarrassing,'' though he clearly wanted to use something stronger in the wake of Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Columbus. The Wild squandered a two-goal lead in its home opener at Xcel Energy Center, allowing the Blue Jackets to score three unanswered goals to steal a point and deflate a crowd announced at 19,064. With only eight healthy forwards left after Thursday's victory at Chicago, the Wild recalled four players from Iowa on Friday to fill the sizable skates of injured Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter and Marcus Foligno. Boudreau had no quarrel with how the reinforcements played. What upset him was the failure of mainstays such as Eric Staal and Ryan Suter to clamp down defensively in a game the Wild led 4-2 with 18 minutes, 18 seconds remaining. Boudreau pointed out that the Wild has led or been tied in the third period of all four of its games this season, yet it has only one victory to show for it. Saturday, Staal, Suter and other experienced players in a patched- together lineup were charged with holding a two-goal lead. The Blue Jackets rallied with goals from Cam Atkinson at 2:39 of the third and Josh Anderson at 16:23, then finished it with Alexander Wennberg's winner 47 seconds into overtime. "It is embarrassing,'' Boudreau growled. "I don't understand why. It wasn't what Columbus was doing, because I've seen Columbus play 10 times better than that. But the simple plays we're supposed to be making, managing the puck, turning pucks over. "You can make excuses all day long. These guys are professionals, and they shouldn't be doing that.'' Staal and Suter were on the ice for all three of the Blue Jackets' late goals. Jared Spurgeon, Chris Stewart and Joel Eriksson Ek were on for the two that tied it. Staal got things started on a good note with a goal at 15:50 of the first period. But the Blue Jackets tied it 35 seconds later, a quick response they repeated in the third period. Only 57 seconds after Tyler Ennis scored his second goal of the game, a power-play strike that put the Wild ahead 4-2 at 1:42 of the third, Atkinson swatted in a rebound to put the Wild under pressure. Anderson deflected in a David Savard shot to tie it, as Columbus outmaneuvered the Wild down low for much of the third. Wennberg's winning goal also was scored from close range, as a rebound bounced off his chest and then his stick. "When you get that lead, we've got to find a way to come out with that win,'' said Staal, who has scored in each of the past three games. "It's a disappointing feeling. "It felt like [Columbus] just kept answering back. You want to be able to shut them down and close it out, and we weren't able to do that.'' Before the game, Boudreau declared that "excuses are for losers'' and challenged his team to play as well as it did in Thursday's victory at Chicago. The injuries to Coyle, Niederreiter and Foligno left him to reconfigure lines already pockmarked by the absence of Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund. Landon Ferraro, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy, recalled from Iowa along with Luke Kunin, teamed on the fourth line and scored a goal. Columbus outshot the Wild 35-21, including a 13-5 advantage in the third period. Boudreau planned to talk again with his team about its defensive shortcomings, and probably with some unprintable words. "It's been addressed,'' he said. "And they didn't … what's the word I'm looking for? To be safe, I won't say anything.''

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Wennberg scores in OT; Columbus beats Minnesota 5-4

By MIKE COOK Associated Press OCTOBER 14, 2017 — 11:25PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alexander Wennberg was in the perfect spot to get another two points for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wennberg scored 47 seconds into overtime and Columbus rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Saturday night. In the extra time, Artemi Panarin cut to the slot and his shot was stopped by goalie Devan Dubnyk. However, the rebound went off the chest of Wennberg, off his stick and into the Minnesota net. The goal was upheld by video review. "I didn't have any intention to put it in my hand or anything like that. I just went to the net and got rewarded," Wennberg said. Zach Werenski, David Savard, Cam Atkinson and Josh Anderson also scored for the Blue Jackets, winners of three straight. Each win came late. Columbus scored twice in the third period to beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Friday. The Blue Jackets gave up a late third-period equalizer Tuesday in Carolina before winning 2-1 in overtime. "I hope it won't stay a habit," Savard said. "We got to figure out a way to have better starts." Down by two early in the third, Atkinson scored on a rebound and the Blue Jackets kept up the pressure and were rewarded when Anderson redirected a slap shot from Savard past Dubnyk with 3:37 left in regulation. Columbus held a 13-5 shot advantage in the period. "We have to think defend, especially when you have a lead," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It's been addressed yesterday; it's been addressed today about leads in the third period. It's been addressed every day this week as a matter of fact." Tyler Ennis scored two power-play goals for Minnesota, which got 30 saves from Dubnyk. Eric Staal and Landon Ferraro also scored. Ennis gave the Wild a 4-2 lead 1:42 into the third when a shot from Mikko Koivu deflected off his skate. It is the seventh career multigoal game for Ennis and first since Jan. 18, 2015. Ferraro's individual effort gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead five minutes into the second. He followed his shot that trickled behind Sergei Bobrovsky, was knocked down, but still reached in to swat the puck the final few inches. It was Ferraro's first NHL game since April 9, 2016. He, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy were recalled Friday from AHL Iowa to replace three forwards Minnesota lost to injury in Thursday's 5-2 win at Chicago. Mitchell assisted on Ferraro's goal for his first NHL point. Charlie Coyle (right fibula fracture) is expected to miss six to eight weeks, Nino Niederreiter (high left ankle sprain) is out at least three weeks and Marcus Foligno (left facial fracture) is expected to be out a week. The Wild are also without forwards Mikael Granlund (groin) and Zach Parise (undisclosed injury). Granlund skated with the team Saturday morning; Parise is expected back for next weekend's back-to-back games in Winnipeg and Calgary. Scoring in his third straight game, Staal completed a textbook give-and- go with Chris Stewart for a 1-0 Wild lead at 15:50 of the first, but a defensive breakdown left Werenski alone in the left circle for an easy game-tying goal 35 seconds later. Ennis scored early in the second and Savard ripped a slapshot past Dubnyk to get the Blue Jackets within 3-2. NOTES: Minnesota is 14-0-3 all-time in its first game of the season at Xcel Energy Center. ... Wild C Luke Kunin made his NHL debut. The team's 2016 first-round pick signed last spring after his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin. The 19-year-old skated on a line with Matt Cullen, 40, who made his NHL debut 37 days before Kunin was born. ... Columbus D Gabriel Carlsson, who sustained an upper-body injury Friday, did not play. D Scott Harrington made his season debut.

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Wild, ravaged by injuries, call up three forwards

By CHAD GRAFF | [email protected] | Pioneer Press October 14, 2017 at 10:00 am

With Charlie Coyle on long-term injured reserve, out six to eight weeks with a fractured leg, the Wild freed up enough cap space to fill their roster for Saturday’s home-opener with the addition of three minor-league forwards. Thanks to five injuries before they even played in St. Paul, the Wild added Christoph Bertschy, Landon Ferraro, and Zack Mitchell to their roster. They join Luke Kunin, the top prospect set to make his NHL debut Saturday, as minor-league additions to a Wild team that’s been ravaged by injuries to their forwards. As a result, one-third of the Wild’s skaters for Saturday’s game have played fewer than 76 career games in the NHL.

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Wild blow third-period lead, fall to Blue Jackets in overtime

By CHAD GRAFF | [email protected] | Pioneer Press PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 10:02 pm | UPDATED: October 14, 2017 at 11:07 PM

After another blown lead in the third period led to another loss – now three in the first four games of the season – Wild coach Bruce Boudreau took a deep breath and admitted he was thinking about the right word to describe the Wild’s 5-4 overtime loss Saturday night. Finally, he came up with one. “It’s embarrassing,” Boudreau said. After blowing a third period lead in their last loss, Boudreau said he and his coaching staff harped on the mistakes that caused those and preached to his team the importance of closing out teams. It doesn’t matter, he said, whether it’s the fourth game or 44th game, emphasizing that this trend isn’t one that should be taken lightly just because this season isn’t yet two weeks old. “All four games we’ve been tied or ahead in the third period and we’ve only got one win to show for it,” Boudreau said. “It’s a mind-set they have to have. You can’t be thinking of scoring every time you’re out there. Sometimes we have to think defense. Especially when you have a lead. It was addressed yesterday and today. It’s been addressed every day this week.” Back in St. Paul for their first meaningful game at the Xcel Energy Center since they were whisked out of the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues last season, the Wild hoped to start this season on the right foot and build on Boudreau’s strong first regular season as their coach. Instead, the Wild suffered just their second loss in a home-opening game in the 17th season for this franchise. And it came after they were four minutes from what would have been an inspiring win with a short-handed lineup. But their 4-2 third-period lead turned into an overtime loss after the Blue Jackets tied the score with 3 minutes, 37 seconds remaining, then ended it when Artemi Panarin’s wrister bounced off Alexander Wennberg’s hand and behind Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk. “It shouldn’t have happened,” captain Mikko Koivu said. “For sure that’s disappointing.” Certainly no one is discounting the Wild’s injuries, which have piled up in a season that is 10 days old. Although the Wild did their customary introduction of a new team before the first home game of the season, five of their most important forwards waved to the crowd, then retreated out of sight to continue nursing various injuries. Gone from the first home game were Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter and Marcus Foligno. Without them, four players who were in the minor leagues one night earlier entered the lineup. Their fourth line of freshly recalled Landon Ferraro, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy produced the Wild’s third goal of the game when Ferraro crashed the net and poked in a loose puck that lay behind typically stellar Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. “It wasn’t like the kids made mistakes,” Boudreau said, defending them in a loss. “I should’ve actually played them more.” Tyler Ennis scored his first two goals with the Wild, and Eric Staal opened the scoring. But their efforts were wasted thanks to sloppy and sluggish play from the Wild’s usually reliable skaters. Passes skidded into skates, and plays that should have resulted in dump-ins instead too often featured Wild players trying to make heroic plays. “It wasn’t what Columbus was doing because I’ve seen Columbus play 10 times better than that as well,” Boudreau said. “But the simple plays you’re supposed to be doing, (we weren’t). … I know we haven’t played a lot of games. You can make excuses all day long, but these guys are professionals and they shouldn’t be doing it.”

1078221 Montreal Canadiens I learned, the hard way, that awareness has its limits. Scientists, in making public their work, generate awareness. The news media, in their reporting, do the same. Both assume, we all assume, or Awareness isn't enough to stop head injuries in sports. We need action maybe just hope, that if we build the mountain of awareness high now enough, if its very existence is so clearly unacceptable and wrong, something will be done. They – a league, the courts, government, somebody – will do something. But often, they don't. And they especially KEN DRYDEN don't when, just as with other seemingly unmovable problems – racism, inequality, climate change – they don't know what to do. So first, they OCTOBER 14, 2017 don't see what is there, then they ignore, then they doubt, then they fight back, then they create doubt, then they manage. They don't solve.

Awareness is only a step along the way. It is not the final step. I've probably had two concussions in my life. The first was when I was This had to be about action, making decisions and implementing them. 12, in a football game. I went back to pass, got hit from behind, and woke And not just doing something – anybody can do something – but up on the sidelines. The next came many years later, when, in trying to something that is the equivalent to the magnitude of the problem. So I teach my son to skateboard, I decided to teach myself first – not smart. I stopped writing articles. I stopped doing symposiums. I stopped giving didn't think of either of these injuries as significant, as what they might be speeches, except when I felt an absolute obligation to say yes. I could or might mean. In one, I was knocked out; in the other, for two weeks I see what was wrong. I could say what was right. But what did that felt like I'd had the stuffing kicked out of me. I got better. No big deal. matter? I had no interest in generating more awareness. This was about I began thinking more about concussions when Bobby Kuntz died about better decisions. six years ago. He had been a player for the Toronto Argonauts and That's why I decided to write Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a running back and linebacker at a time when CFL Montador, and the Future of Hockey, and why I've written it this way. It's players, the talented ones, played both offence and defence. And he was the story, first of all, most of all, of a life – Steve Montador's, because it's fearless. When he hit the line, though he was small, it was with the a life that gives concussions meaning, that makes clear the stakes for all echoing thwack of a car crash, a sound different from everyone else's. In of us, players, coaches, hockey officials, parents, citizens – and that kids' games, I used to put my head down and run into the line pretending makes clear, as well, the consequences of what we do or don't do, about I was Bobby Kuntz. He died at age 79 – according to news stories, after concussions. suffering from Parkinson's disease the last 11 years of his life. It's also the story of science, of knowing better today than yesterday, but Then there was Ollie Matson. He had been a Hall of Fame running back of never knowing for sure, because science never knows for sure, in the NFL with the Cardinals and the Rams. With his speed and ability to because what it knows today is only a placeholder for what it will know find one more direction than his tacklers could, he seemed to elude the tomorrow. But games are played today – so what do we do? Based on worst of the contact that Bobby Kuntz relished. He, too, died six years the best science we have at this moment, today, what decisions do we ago, of what articles described as "dementia complications." take? I began to read tribute articles all the way through, the great stuff up And this is also the story of a game, of how it has evolved, how in its front, the details of postcareer life coming near the end. Many players I'd beginnings in 1875 it would have been unrecognizable to today's eyes, watched as a kid, I realized, had lived long years at the ends of their lives and how hockey today would be unimaginable to those first players more with conditions others most often experienced in much older years. than a century ago. It's about how a game has changed, and the effect of Then there were the careers in more recent times that I watched end these changes, on concussions and head injuries, and about how the early. Steve Young and Troy Aikman in football; Eric Lindros, Pat game can change again. LaFontaine, Paul Kariya, and many others in hockey. People who, their My book is about all of these things together, interwoven, because it is play having been diminished by their head injuries, had ceased to be only inside the full story that answers can be found, that the real can be superstars long before age would have done them in. separated from the bogus – focused on, and acted upon. I started writing articles about concussions. I gave talks and interviews. I Over 10 seasons, NHL defenceman Steve Montador – shown at right in interested some people in organizing concussion symposiums in their 2004, playing for the Calgary Flames – played for six NHL teams in 571 cities and towns – in Peterborough, Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, games. He died in 2015 at the age of 35. Charlottetown, Guelph, even Dryden, Ont. (an event organized in her hometown by a student of mine at McGill University, where I was Over 10 seasons, NHL defenceman Steve Montador – shown at right in teaching at the time). 2004, playing for the Calgary Flames – played for six NHL teams in 571 games. He died in 2015 at the age of 35. The events lasted a full afternoon or evening. The format was the same: Local athletes told their own stories of the athletic effects and life effects Head injuries took a heavy toll on the Canadian defenceman's health: of their concussions. Local doctors told of the people they treated, about After his death, analysis of his brain found chronic traumatic what they knew and didn't know, and hoped some day would. Local encephalopathy, a degenerative condition linked to concussions. hockey/sports "people" – administrators, officials, hometown stars, the most respected such voices in town, responded to what they had heard Head injuries took a heavy toll on the Canadian defenceman’s health: from the athletes and doctors, then told of what their leagues and teams After his death, analysis of his brain found chronic traumatic were doing and what they might do in the future. In the audience, in encephalopathy, a degenerative condition linked to concussions. significant numbers, parents, coaches and interested citizens listened, asked questions, and left, as they told me, with much greater Our great good luck is that in hockey, different from football, there are "awareness" of the problem. clear, absolutely doable answers. These answers begin where the problem begins, with hits to the head. A hit to the head is a bad thing. But in the meantime, years were passing. Players young and old Many hits, hard hits, are very bad things. Here is where we start. Here is continued to be injured, retired NHL players continued to show life- where we focus. The issue isn't whether a hit is intentional or accidental, altering symptoms, exciting new research was being done, more things whether a player's head is up or down, targeted or not, whether the hit were happening. comes from a shoulder, an elbow or a fist. The brain doesn't distinguish. It is about the hit, period. It is about the player being hit, not the hitter; the But little was changing. effect, not the cause. To some, concussions, as an issue, came to seem confusing and tired. So, at the core of every decision made about concussions is a singular "Confusing" because so many people who seemed to know were saying understanding: No hits to the head – no excuses. so many different things: It's the equipment. We need a better helmet, they said. No, we don't; yes, we do. It's the rules. We need tougher And at the core of the obligation to make those decisions and act is penalties. It's the science. We don't know enough. And, of course, when another understanding: The risk to the game's players is not fair, not awareness isn't enough, the only answer seems to be more awareness. right, and not necessary. More articles, more research, more conferences, until the issue does come to seem "tired" because so much had been said and so little has These last two words are crucial – not necessary. Lots of things in life happened. aren't fair or right, but no matter what we do, they seem beyond us. We keep trying, and don't give up, but until we find answers, we live with STORY CONTINUES BELOW them. We get on with things. For parents with kids in the game, none of this got tired. For the media, We don't need to do that here. Yes, concussions, life-transformng brain though, it did. injuries, can happen anywhere, any time, to anyone. They will always occur. But they can be reduced immensely. That is the point. What we of brain injuries. On my inscription to them, I write: "And now the work have today in hockey is not necessary. It doesn't have to be. There are continues – and begins." steps we can take. This is what makes taking action on this, doing what needs to be done, exciting, and inaction inexcusable. It begins with a simple ripple – no hits to the head. This ripple then runs Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.15.2017 backward, getting bigger, until it becomes a wave. In today's NHL, a stick to an opponent's face is a penalty – automatic – no excuses. A puck shot into the crowd in a team's defensive zone is the same, a penalty – automatic – no excuses. No big deal. Players adapt. The game goes on. It can be the same with head hits. The result: a game that is just as exciting and challenging and compelling to play and to watch, and a game that is safer. If you have any doubts about this, just turn on any NHL game on TV and watch. I did that a few days ago for the opening game of the season between the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first 10 minutes were breathtaking; the rest of the game was almost as good. The pace, the puck zipping from stick to stick, players turning, turning again, creating something when nothing was there. It was unbelievable. And as I watched, I found myself looking for other things as well – I didn't intend to – for head hits, how many there were, where they happened, why, and who delivered them. There were almost none, by anybody, anywhere. Later, I asked myself: If even these few head hits were called as penalties, how would the game not be the game? How would the play of it, and our enjoyment of it, be affected if they weren't there? I came away with my answer: Not much. In fact, likely not at all. Players and coaches adapt. That's what they do, in every game, in every situation of every game, against every opponent. Presented with something different, they find new answers. They would here, too. The game would still be the game, except fewer players would have head injuries, and fewer players would have their careers and future lives put in doubt. Gary Bettman is the decision-maker in hockey. Not the NHL's Board of Governors who employ him; not the NHL Players Association and its head, Don Fehr; not the International Federation, not Hockey Canada, USA Hockey or any other organization or person anywhere. Others administer; they make local decisions. Commissioner Bettman makes, or effects, all the important ones. If change is to happen, he will implement it. But there is one other voice that hasn't yet been heard, and that might have some effect. More than a century ago, modern life presented us with a new problem – drinking and driving. At the time, it was mostly a problem of boys and men. They were the drivers. And for decades, no matter how many men, women, boys and girls were killed by drunk drivers, one piece of conventional wisdom stopped any action in its tracks – "Boys will be boys." Boys, of all ages, will drink. Boys, of all ages, will drive. Except, after tens of thousands of deaths, some mothers decided that this wasn't good enough. Boys and men will do both, but they don't have to do both together. Mothers Against Drunk Driving was born, and has achieved what didn't seem possible. These mothers may not have known what it's like to "be boys," but they did know something about kids and growing up and futures. They decided they had a right to feel what they did, and a right to do something. They acted. What about the mothers of hockey players? Just as the MADD mothers had to deal with "Boys will be boys," these mothers have been told that hits to the head are "just part of the game." And, besides, what do they know? They never played the game. But these mothers, too, know something about kids and growing up and futures. Some day, maybe soon, these hockey mothers will realize they have a right to feel what they do, and a right to do something. They will realize they have a voice. The wives and partners of NHL players, and of athletes in other sports, are beginning to understand this now. They love their guys. They're not interested in spending their opportunity-filled futures together not able to do and enjoy so many things. They didn't sign up for this. Imagine a Mothers Against Head Hits. MAHH. Wives and partners, too. Imagine if these mothers, wives and partners, in all sports, not just hockey, no longer accepted the old wisdom, and fought back. Imagine their rallying cry: No head hits – no excuses. It's all so doable. In hockey, there are answers. It's why the last chapter of Game Change – where we go from here, and how – is by far the longest in the book. In these past few days, I've sent copies of the book to people who helped me in writing it and who have worked for years with dedication in the field 1078222 Montreal Canadiens Steve played that night against Columbus. Almost a month later, on Feb. 8, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Steve had left the game the night before against Colorado The Ken Dryden rule: No hits to the head, no excuses in the second period, "and didn't return because of an upper-body injury. He underwent X-rays for his injury before the Hawks left the Pepsi Center. His injury isn't thought to be serious. 'He's doing OK today,' DAVE CHAN FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL [Blackhawks coach Joel] Quenneville said. 'We'll see how he is [tomorrow].'" OCTOBER 14, 2017 The next day, Steve was put on the injured reserve list.

Nearly three weeks later, having seen Dr. Terry again and still feeling ON STEVE MONTADOR symptoms, Steve decided to seek another opinion. He went to see Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher at the Michigan NeuroSport Clinic at the University of 'He is symptom-free and doing well. He is therefore clear to return to Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. play' Kutcher, in his report, filled in some of the details between Steve's initial In this excerpt, Dryden delves into the medical notes of three doctors injury on Jan. 8, his examinations by Terry and Pieroth, and his injury who examined Steve Montador, who died in 2015 at age 35 after a against Colorado on Feb. 7. Kutcher noted that after his Jan. 8 injury, lifetime on the ice. He also explores the personal journal of Montador Steve played the next four games "without any symptoms or difficulties." himself, to tell the story of his final season. Then, he wrote: "On January 18th, he was struck in the head by an Then the concussions came. opponent's shoulder which caused a more significant constellation of STORY CONTINUES BELOW symptoms. For the next 2 weeks, he felt forgetful, emotional, and 'out of it.' He was beginning to sleep poorly. He was having mild diffuse On Jan. 8, 2012, the Blackhawks played Detroit. When the game was generalized head pain. Despite this, he continued to participate in over, Steve went to see Dr. Michael Terry, one of the Blackhawks' hockey." physicians. He had been hit in the face with a punch, he told Terry, and as Terry later recorded in his notes, had "a brief period where his On Feb. 3, Steve was in a game when he was hit from behind causing a consciousness was altered," where he "felt like he was a little whiplash-type of movement. This resulted in perhaps a short duration of hypoglycemic" and "a little bit hazy." loss of consciousness. He continued to play, however; and on Feb. 7, while playing a game at Colorado, he was involved in a more subtle hit, Terry put him through some tests and wrote: "[H]e was able to perform but one that caused an immediate flash of a green fence in his vision. He serial 7s. Three word recall was intact. His modification of SCAT played the rest of the period, but then removed himself from participation. [Standardization Concussion Assessment Tool] was otherwise normal although he was unable to do 3 number reverse recall and 4 number Steve had been injured first on Jan. 8, then again 10 days later on Jan. reverse recall without prompting. Otherwise normal neuro exam. Cranial 18, then two weeks after that on Feb. 3, then four days later, on Feb. 7. nerves 2 through 12 are intact. His balance is normal. His affect was His meeting with Kutcher occurred 20 days after his last injury in normal." Colorado. Kutcher described his symptoms that day: In his notes, Terry concluded: "A/P [Assessment and Plan]: concussion. "Currently he is continuing to experience focal pounding headaches that We are going to put him through our protocol for return to play." On last anywhere from 5 min. to 2 hours. They occur sporadically, but also Steve's Fitness to Play Determination Form, which he signed, Terry with minimal exertion. Symptoms at baseline have improved otherwise, wrote: "Disabled." but he still describes having problems with sleep, mood, and appetite. As he has improved, he has attempted to return to physical activity with two Two days later, Jan. 10, before the Blackhawks game against Columbus, trials on a stationary bike. One was on February 23rd for 10 min. and Steve was given a neuropsychological examination by Dr. Elizabeth when his heart rate got to approximately 120 he had a significant Pieroth under the NHL Concussion Program. Steve described his injury increase in head pain. He again tried this on the 24th with essentially the and symptoms to Pieroth, as he had done with Terry. same results." Pieroth later wrote in her report that: "The player was a poor historian Kutcher also gave Steve a general examination, and described what he regarding his concussive history. He stated his most recent concussion found as "unremarkable." He put him through additional tests while he occurred February 2011 but he could not recall how he was injured. He was at rest, then after, 22 minutes of exertion on a stationary bike. The denied loss of consciousness or retrograde/anterograde amnesia and next day he gave him the same bike test, then some agility drills in the experienced only headache and neck pain. Steve believes he missed 2– gym followed by drills on the ice. "He did very well tolerating exertional 3 games and thinks this was due to neck pain." levels much higher than previously noted," and "without any significant increase in symptoms," Kutcher wrote. Further, Pieroth reported, "In 2009 he was hit in a practice and missed 2 games but wasn't sure if he had actually suffered a concussion at that He concluded: "I was encouraged today by his performance and the time. The player also reported that in September 2000 he received a rather subtle symptoms that he expressed." Kutcher added a note of blow to the head and was out of play for one week but does not recall caution: "At this point, while I'm encouraged, I would like to be very what symptoms he experienced or how long [they] lasted." Pieroth careful moving forward," and he suggested "we progress along a very checked Steve's recollections against those he had reported on his careful rehabilitation program that stresses both increased exertional earlier NHL tests and found them "not entirely consistent." In addition, levels as well as agility, movement, visuospatial tasks, and the cognitive "Steve cannot state if these were all concussive injuries. He denied any aspects of playing hockey." other head injuries or significant medical history." Kutcher added: "[W]e discussed the possibility of medications to help. He Pieroth went on, describing his present symptoms after the hit two days would like to forgo any medications at this time, but we will continue to before. "Currently Steve did report trouble falling asleep and irritability but monitor his symptoms and he may reconsider this in the future." stated this was secondary to personal issues and not related to his concussions. He has also completed the Blackhawks' exertional protocol Steve returned to Chicago. On Feb. 29, he was examined by Dr. Terry. without eliciting any symptoms. Therefore he can be cleared to play in The doctor's dictation note was less encouraging: "[Steve] still is feeling this evening's game with the team physician's approval." foggy. He has not noticed a good deal of change but he has been exercising a bit. He says that he stops when he is symptomatic." Nine STORY CONTINUES BELOW days later, Steve saw Terry again. The doctor's dictation note reads: "[Steve] says that he has been feeling better. Will have an occasional Pieroth concluded her report: "Steve was also provided with education on feeling of vertigo or dizziness. An occasional headache. He said that they concussive injuries and we discussed the current signs of multiple are both very rare. Overall he said he otherwise feels essentially normal concussions. I explained to him that it is difficult to determine if he has with no focal symptoms." demonstrated increased recovery time or increased vulnerability to concussive injuries given his poor recollection of his past injuries. More often, he began a thought in his journal and didn't complete it. He However, given his report, the player does seem that he has recovered wrote of his gratitude for the chance to play with "this unique club": "I'm along expected lines from his previous concussions. Steve stated that he good, it's fun, there's tough patches but that's OK. [My] capacity for understood my concerns but is comfortable with assuming the risk survival is phenomenal. Pat self on back, it's OK. I bring a lot to the team. associated with continued play at the professional level." I know my being there boosts that environment." Steve's Fitness to Play Determination Form, again signed by Dr. Terry, A week later, on March 21, Steve saw Dr. Terry again and told him he reads: "Not disabled." was feeling better. Terry noticed no symptoms, and noted that Steve's modified Standardized Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) was "normal." Steve's Fitness to Play Determination Form, signed by Terry, read: "Not disabled." Four days later, on his dictation note, Terry affirms Steve's status: "He has been treated for a concussion. He presents today with no symptoms. He completed his exercise protocol and impact testing and passed both. He is symptom-free and doing well. He is therefore clear to return to play." On March 27, 2012, 35 games after his initial injury, 23 games after his fourth injury against Colorado, Steve dressed against New Jersey. He played four minutes and 20 seconds. In the third period, playing on the wing, he crashed the Devils' net and got an "inadvertent elbow" to the head from defenceman Mark Fayne. It never seemed it would happen this way. Steve's return to play was always a matter of time – time to allow things to settle, time to let the brain heal. A different doctor, a new treatment, a different understanding and approach to concussions, and to paraphrase what Steve had written in his journal, "Something's gonna happen to magically make me better." He had always gotten better before. Athletes get better. You feel, you deal, it passes, you get on with it. That's how it had been with his back, his knee, his neck. That's how it had been with his head. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensitivity to light – symptoms that felt like they were going to last forever always went away. No scars left behind, nothing he could see in the mirror, nothing anyone else could see even on MRIs, no indications that anything had happened. It was only when he was asked by doctors about his medical history that he even remembered all those other hits to his head, that they might have been something. The time in minor peewee, that other time in junior. Those times in Calgary when he was trying to make the team, when he did a face plant on the ice and cut up his nose and cheek, when he got knocked silly by an elbow, when he got sucker-punched in a bar. The time in Florida when he ran into an opponent's helmet with his face and broke his nose again. Then, in Buffalo, another elbow, a stick, more cuts, another break to his nose. In every instance the injury he thought he received was a break or a cut, not dizziness or headaches. It was the same earlier in the season when he slid into the boards with his face and fractured his zygomatic arch and temporarily lost his hearing. He'd had a brief loss of consciousness; but isn't that just what happens when you break your cheekbone? If he had a banged-up shoulder and a headache, which injury was he going to focus on? Players get hurt game by game; all his big head-hits, until that season, had happened months and years apart. He'd gotten better in between. He was always fine. He had a game to play. Athletes have their own kind of relationship with pain. They play because they are so absorbed in playing that they don't notice injuries when they happen. The soldier who is shot keeps on going because the imperative to go on is so much more important than the imperative to fall. The explanation for such a miraculous act is purpose more than courage. So players play. And players expect other players to play. Someone goes down in a hockey game and is helped off the ice. "He'll be back," the announcer says. "He's a hockey player."

Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078223 Montreal Canadiens un-Price-like start, after five games his save percentage is a wretched .885.

Drouin won the ensuing faceoff cleanly but the puck bounced off Petry to Auston Matthews dazzles as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Van Riemsdyk, whose squibber slid past Price. Canadiens in overtime The Habs star goalie was not pleased at the result, firing the puck into the end boards. SEAN GORDON Toronto took the lead just 44 seconds later when Matthews' genius was OCTOBER 14, 2017 given free reign and Price appeared to lose his footing – after the goal he stomped his right skate into the ice, as if to remind himself how to find purchase with the blade. It's the sort of sequence kids try in their driveway, not on Saturday night "I didn't see him slip, honestly," said Matthews. "The defence was right in the NHL: pass to yourself, flip it over an onrushing player, chase the there in front of me so I just tried to shoot it, use a screen to shoot it, I puck down, knock it out of the air, sizzle an unstoppable wrist shot top looked around and I think he caught an edge or something. So kind of a cheese. fortunate bounce for us. A hundred times out of a hundred times that shot's probably not going in." But this is Auston Matthews' world, not yours. And besides, when the Toronto Maple Leafs meet the Montreal Canadiens on national television Montreal came back to tie the game before the end of the period when the usual rules don't apply. the much-maligned Alex Galchenyuk fired a power-play wrist shot past Andersen that was the equal of Matthews' trademark release (rookie The Leafs' phenom made the dubiously possible seem routine 8:16 into Leafs defenceman Andreas Borgman looked every bit the first-year the first period, scoring a dazzling goal that saw him grab the puck in his player on the sequence, over-committing at the defensive blue line). own end, chip it over Charles Hudon to centre ice, knock Jordie Benn's clearing attempt out of the air, and proceed to rip one of the most The teams traded goals in the second period, Drouin's peach of a tip for gorgeous wrist shots of this or any era past Habs goaltender Carey his first home-ice goal had the Bell Centre crowd in Montreal buzzing. Price's glove. Not before long it was the sizable Toronto fan contingent's turn to roar when a replay confirmed Patrick Marleau had snuck a shot past beyond That the goal wasn't a decisive marker – the game was tied 1-1 at the an out-of-position Price. time – dulls the shine on it somewhat. The third period was cagier, although the Habs shot the puck from Happily the 20-year-old took care of that in overtime by snapping home everywhere – with five minutes left in regulation the count was 13-2 – his second of the evening and fifth of the season on a beautiful pass by and Toronto pushed for a winner late. William Nylander to give the Leafs a 4-3 win. In October it's never a bad thing for a team to chalk up an overtime point; Make it 18 goals in his last 24 games (including playoffs) for the the Habs had an early chance to win the extra point but Andersen kicked Arizonan, whose legend keeps growing. out a Tomas Plekanec shot and sent the Leafs and Matthews the other way for the winner. Habs defenceman Karl Alzner, who played alongside a shooter of some repute with the Washington Capitals (that would be Alex Ovechkin) and knows whereof he speaks, said afterward "the Matthews shot, it's a pretty nice shot. You have to tip your hat to him, he knocks the puck out of the Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.15.2017 air, in full stride, and makes a good play." The star of the night himself admitted after the game that there was some luck involved. "(Goaltender) Freddie (Andersen) made a really good pass to me and I kind of saw some space, they do a pretty good job of taking away that time and space so I just tried to chip the puck up in front of me and caught a fortunate bounce a couple of times and was able to score," Matthews said. And on his overtime winner Matthews once again credited Andersen and his youthful linemate Nylander. "I'm so used to it by now, he's so good at playing those seams and making those types of passes, myself I just try to make sure I'm ready because I know the puck is coming," he said. So a good showing from the kids at a crucial time, and the Leafs are back in the win column after a dismal midweek loss to New Jersey. Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock said afterward that "I didn't think we were outstanding by any means." "But," he added, "we found a way to win." Indeed, Toronto was heavily out-shot and out-chanced by an increasingly desperate Montreal team, which heads out on a Western road swing with just three points to show from its first five games. Their effort was not enough to forestall a defeat at the hands of their old rival, their first since Jan. 18, 2014, a span of 14 games. The Canadiens carried the play early and opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game, defenceman Jeff Petry leaning into a point shot from Jonathan Drouin's deft set-up and the puck zipping past a screened Andersen. The Leafs have had no trouble scoring goals this season but generated surprisingly little in the way of scoring chances until James Van Riemsdyk snuck in behind Petry and the Montreal blue line and set sail for Price's net on a two-on-one with Mitch Marner. The Team Canada goaltender managed to smother Marner's shot with his arm but looked for it behind him, not for the last time on the evening – the consensus choice as the NHL's top goaltender is off to a decidedly 1078224 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens drafted Hainsey three months before the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews celebrated his third birthday. Matthews, 20, was leading the Leafs in scoring heading into Saturday’s game with 3-3-6 Game Day: Alex Galchenyuk back on ice for Canadiens’ morning skate totals. “I think Patrick’s big asset has always been his skating,” Julien said Saturday morning about Marleau. “The one thing that happens to Posted by Stu Cowan everybody as you get to a certain age, the first thing to go is a lot of time’s is your legs. You don’t have that quickness that you maybe once had. And you can look at a ton of players and you’re going to say the same thing. I don’t think that’s the case with Patrick Marleau. He’s always After missing Friday’s practice with “flu-like symptoms”, Alex Galchenyuk been a great skater and continues to be a great skater. And some of was back on the ice for the Canadiens’ morning skate Saturday in those older players that manage to continue to be as effective are guys Brossard and should be in the lineup Saturday night at the Bell Centre that can certainly keep up with the pace of the game and I think that’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports, TSN Radio where Patrick Marleau is doing a great job. He’s certainly capable of 690). keeping up with the pace.” Meanwhile, Tomas Plekanec didn’t take part in Saturday’s morning skate Odds & Ends because of what the team said again are “flu-like symptoms.” Coach Claude Julien said after the skate that Plekanec and Galchenyuk would The Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher and Karl Alzner are both one assist both be game-time decisions. shy of the 100-mark for their NHL careers. … Galchenyuk didn’t speak to reporters in the locker room after the morning Alzner’s incredible streak of 544 consecutive games played, dating back skate, only saying “good game” as he walked past them en route to the to his time in Washington, is the longest on the Canadiens, followed by showers. The Canadiens said Galchenyuk would speak after the game. Phillip Danault (136) and Artturi Lehkonen (64). Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano has the longest current ironman streak in the NHL with Julien is obviously getting tired of being asked questions about 791 consecutive games played. Former Canadien Doug Jarvis holds the Galchenyuk, who is pointless in four games this season and has only two NHL record for consecutive games played with 964. goals in his last 28 games, including playoffs, dating back to last season. This Date in Habs History “Oh, we’re back on Alex again,” Julien said with a frustrated smile after being asked whether he had spoken with Galchenyuk recently or if the Oct. 14, 1961: Henri Richard scored two goals and Claude Provost had a 23-year-old forward already knows what he has to do to move up from goal and two assists ina 3-1 win over the New York Rangers at the the fourth line, where he skated again Saturday morning on left wing with Forum. It was the ninth straight opening-game victory for the Canadiens, Torrey Mitchell at centre and Ales Hemsky on the right. an NHL record. “He wasn’t put down on the fourth line for punishment reasons,” Julien Oct. 14, 1988: After being suspended for one game by coach Pat Burns, said. “Basically, he’s no different than others. He’s working hard to find forward Claude Lemieux responded with his first career hat-trick and his game … that much I know. Whether he’s playing to the level that we added an assist in a 7-3 win over the Devils in New Jersey. expect or not is one thing. Whether he’s trying or whether he doesn’t know what to do … I think when a player is really trying to find his game What’s next? there’s a lot of things going through his mind. So we talk to him, we tell him, simplify things, this is what can help your game and we keep doing On Sunday, the Canadiens will fly to San Jose for a three-game U.S. those things. And we’ll keep doing it until he finds his game. It’s as simple West Coast road trip with games against the Sharks Tuesday, the Los as that.” Angeles Kings on Wednesday and the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The Canadiens come into Saturday’s game with a 1-3-0 record and have scored only four goals, including two short-handed, in the first four Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 games. They are also 0-for-14 on the power play. The Leafs are 3-0-1, have scored 22 goals and have the second-best power play in the NHL clicking at 33 per cent with eight goals on 24 opportunities. The good news for the Canadiens is that they have won their last 14 games against the Maple Leafs, including 10 in regulation time, dating back to Jan. 18, 2014. Carey Price will make his fifth straight start in goal for the Canadiens. Price has a 1-3-0 record with a 3.30 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. The Canadiens called up defenceman David Schlemko from the AHL’s Laval Rocket Saturday morning but he won’t be in the lineup against the Leafs. Schlemko, who suffered a hand injury early in training camp, was sent down to Laval on Friday for a conditioning stint. He played in the Rocket’s 8-7 overtime win over the Binghamton Devils Friday night in Laval. Daniel Carr scored in overtime for the Rocket to complete a hat- trick. Julien said Schlemko still wasn’t 100-per-cent healthy and the coach wasn’t certain yet if the defenceman would travel with the Canadiens next week to the U.S. West Coast for games in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. “Nothing has been decided yet,” Julien said. “We’re obviously dealing with today and this is out of my hands right now. He’s just not 100-per- cent ready to go tonight so I’ll have to wait and see what comes out of that.” The Maple Leafs’ Patrick Marleau (38), Dominic Moore (37) and Ron Hainsey (36) are all old enough to qualify for old-timers hockey but are still performing well in the NHL. Marleau, signed as a free agent this summer after spending 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, has two goals and two assists in Toronto’s first four games. Moore, who played 21 games with the Canadiens during the 2009-10 season, had two goals heading into Saturday’s game. Hainsey, the Canadiens’ first round draft pick (13th overall) in 2000, had three assists in the first four games. 1078225 Montreal Canadiens

Habs Game Report: Bitter rivals battle to 3-3 draw, but Leafs prevail in OT

Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 10:24 PM EDT

The bottom line: There’s something about playing the Toronto Maple Leafs that brings out the best in the Canadiens or maybe there’s something about playing the Canadiens that brings out the worst in the Leafs. Whatever the case, the Canadiens played their best game of the young season, Auston Matthews scored his second goal of the game at 48 seconds of overtime to give the Leafs a 4-3 win at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, but this was a solid effort from the home team. With the win, the Maple Leafs snapped a 14-game losing streak against the Canadiens. Good start: The Canadiens opened the scoring at 2:19 of the first period when Jonathan Drouin teed it up for Jeff Petry to beat Frederik Andersen from 45 feet out. Drouin made a strong zone entry with the puck and then spotted Petry as he crossed the blue line. It was Petry’s first goal since he scored against Columbus on Dec. 23, 2016. Leafs explosion: Toronto took advantage of some sloppy play by the Canadiens to score two goals in a 45-second span to grab a 2-1 lead. Drouin beat Tyler Bozak cleanly on a defensive zone faceoff, but Petry was unable to control the puck and James Van Riemsdyk beat Carey Price with a low shot on the blocker side at 7:32. The goal came seconds after Price made a spectacular save on Mitch Marner off a cross-ice pass from Van Riemsdyk. A giveaway by Jordie Benn allowed Matthews to skate in on Price and give the Leafs a 2-1 lead at 8:16. Finally, a power-play goal: After going 0-for-14 in the first four games of the season, the Canadiens’ power play produced at 16:49. Charles Hudon and Alex Galchenyuk choked a Toronto clearing attempt at the blue line and Hudon poked the puck loose to give Galchenyuk a 2-on-1 break with Paul Byron. Galchenyuk elected to shoot and beat Andersen cleanly off the rush. It was Galchenyuk’s first point of the season. Sucking it up: Galchenyuk missed practice Friday with flu-like symptoms and Tomas Plekanec skipped Saturday’s morning skate with a similar complaint, but both were in the lineup. Torrey Mitchell was the odd-man out among the forwards, while defencemen Joe Morrow and David Schlemko were also healthy scratches. Schlemko, who has been out with a bruised hand, had an assist in a conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket on Friday night and was recalled by the Canadiens on Saturday morning. Follow the bouncing puck: The Leafs scored at 12:40 of the second period to pull even at 3-3, but it took a video replay to confirm the goal by Patrick Marleau. A wraparound attempt to Leo Komarov touched off a scramble in front. The official on the ice ruled no goal, but a video review showed the puck across the line momentarily before it was knocked out by Petry. Earlier in the period, the Leafs came out on the short end of a replay when the video confirmed Matthews’ stick was above the crossbar when he batted in a rebound. Coming attractions: The Canadiens travel to California for three games. They are in San Jose on Tuesday and then head south for games in Los Angeles on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday.

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Predators face Blackhawks for first time since first round upset

Jon Garcia, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 7:30 a.m. CT Oct. 14, 2017

Every morning during the Predators' season, "Morning Skate" will highlight the odds and ends surrounding the team. Consider this a one- stop shop for Predators-related information. The last time the Predators skated at the United Center in Chicago, they were celebrating a second straight shut out from Pekka Rinne in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We all know what happened next: The Predators swept their archrival to start an incredible run to the Stanley Cup Final. Well, the Blackhawks had a long summer to stew on that loss, and have started the season angry. They made a statement in their first game by hanging 10 goals on the Pittsburgh Penguins, and have rolled to a 3-1-1 record so far while outscoring their opponents nearly 2 to 1. As the Predators seek their first road win of the season, they'll come face to face with a team that will be eager to avenge that embarrassing loss — as much as it can be avenged in October. Chicago's attack has been boosted by the return of Brandon Saad, and Patrick Kane hasn't missed a beat without former running mate Artemi Panarin. However, both of those players trail sophomore Ryan Hartman, who currently leads all Blackhawks in points with two goals and six assists. Meanwhile, the Predators will have a few injury questions that will be answered at morning skate. Yannick Weber joins Roman Josi as listed day-to-day. Though Josi skated yesterday, it's unclear if he's ready to go for tonight.

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Chicago Blackhawks 2, Nashville Predators 1 : 3 things we learned

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 7:12 p.m. CT Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 11:02 p.m. CT Oct. 14, 2017

CHICAGO — Predators-Blackhawks used to be a rivalry in name only. But then Nashville swept Chicago in a first-round matchup last season. Things got real. On Saturday, the Predators and Blackhawks met in the first of four games this season, which Chicago won 2-1 in overtime on a goal from forward Brandon Saad. The Predators, who are 0-2-1 on the road, were the dominant team through most of the game, but couldn't close it out. "It hurts a little not getting the second point of the two," Predators forward Colton Sissons said. "We did like our game for a majority of the game. ... It (stinks) leaving a point out there, but we can definitely build off that game." Here are three observations from Saturday's loss: The Predators led 1-0 with under 10 minutes left in regulation, nearing what would've been their third consecutive shutout at United Center when including the first two games of their postseason series in April. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp tied the game with a late goal that angered Predators coach Peter Laviolette on the bench. Predators defenseman Matt Irwin, who was closest to Sharp in the slot, had his stick trapped and flung into the corner by Blackhawks forward Ryan Hartman. “(To be) playing an unbelievable game to that point and have it taken away from us like that is ridiculous," Laviolette said. "It should’ve been a shutout. It should’ve been 1-0. We should be out of here.” Sharp's goal ended a 174:56 goal drought by the Blackhawks against the Predators at United Center. Forsberg keeps scoring Predators forward Filip Forsberg scored his fifth goal in as many games Saturday, tucking in a backhand on the power play in the second period. He reached that total in 27 fewer games than last season. Four of Forsberg's five goals and five of his seven points this season have come on the power play. Forward Scott Hartnell assisted on the goal, his fourth point in five games as he continues to produce in an elevated role. Predators captain Roman Josi missed his third consecutive game because of a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day. He continues to practice with the team, though, skating Saturday morning at United Center after also doing so Thursday and Friday in Nashville. Nashville was without center Nick Bonino for most of Saturday's loss. He took his last shift with 6:12 remaining in the second period. Laviolette didn't have an update after the game, but Bonino appeared to be limping as he walked through the locker room. Defenseman Yannick Weber, the recipient of a shoulder-to-head hit from Stars center Martin Hanzal on Thursday, didn’t play Saturday. The team has listed Weber as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety didn’t announce a disciplinary hearing for Hanzal, so he will avoid suspension for the hit.

Tennessean LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078228 New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers: LIVE score updates and chat (10/14/17)

Updated on October 14, 2017 at 6:31 PM Posted on October 14, 2017 at 6:30 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected],

NEW YORK -- Taylor Hall, Keith Kinkaid and Kyle Palmieri will lead the New Jersey Devils into their first meeting with the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Drew Stafford will return to the lineup after missing three games. Goalie Keith Kinkaid will make his season debut for the Devils, who are aiming to bounce back from their first loss of the season on Friday. Join NJ.com's live chat during the game in the comments section below. You can also follow along with live score and stat updates above. More to know: Forward Drew Stafford will return to the Devils' lineup after missing three straight games with a lower body injury. He participated in Friday's morning skate -- his first full activity since suffering the injury in the season opener against the Avalanche. Keith Kinkaid will make his season debut in goal for the Devils. It will be his first career start at Madison Square Garden. The Devils will look to rebound from their first loss of the season, when they fell to the Washington Capitals, 5-2, on Friday at the Prudential Center. Saturday's game will mark the end of the first of 16 sets of back- to-back games this season.

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3 things to watch when Devils play Rangers | What needs to be better?

Updated on October 14, 2017 at 5:53 PM Posted on October 14, 2017 at 5:52 PM

By Chris Ryan [email protected],

NEW YORK -- The Devils will complete their first back-to-back of the season when they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. They will be aiming to bounce back from their first loss of the season on Friday, when the Devils fell 5-2 against the Washington Capitals. Here are three things to watch on Saturday, including what the Devils need to change from Friday's loss. The Devils struggled to control the game in the neutral zone and their offensive zone on Friday against the Capitals. It led to an inconsistent offensive performance and too many chances for the Capitals. Prior to Saturday's game, Devils coach John Hynes explained what went wrong. "Our execution coming out of our own zone has to be better," Hynes said. "There were lot times where we worked against one or two forecheckers and we ended up rimming the puck. Those are plays were we have to come out with possession so we can access our speed and skill coming up the ice. "Second thing, we have to understand when there's time and space at the offensive blue line and coming through the neutral zone and when it's not. We showed guys this morning: When we put pucks in and we went with speed and retrieved them and were hard on our forecheck, we had some successful shifts in the offensive zone. There were too many times last night where we tried to play off the rush when it wasn't available." INKAID'S DEBUT Goalie Keith Kinkaid will make his season debut on Saturday after Cory Schneider played each of the Devils' first four games. Kinkaid re-signed with the Devils after his best NHL season in 2016-17, and Hynes said he has become a player the Devils can rely on whenever he enters the lineup. "We feel like Keith gives you a chance to win when he comes in and plays," Hynes said. "I think he's proven that and he's an important part of our team. When you look at the schedule, to have success, everyone has to play there 'backup goalies.' And Keith's come in, our team believes in him, I think they've played well in front of him. He's done a nice job of giving us chances to win." Defenseman Ben Lovejoy is back in the lineup for the Devils after being a healthy scratch in three of the team's four games so far this season. After the Devils allowed the Capitals to convert on three of their four power plays on Friday, Hynes wanted a proven penalty killer back in the lineup. "He'll be able to get in, coming off the back-to-back, we spent a significant amount of time on the penalty kill last night, and Ben is one of our best penalty-kill defenseman," Hynes said. "We feel he's working, his 5-on-5 game is getting better, he's worked extremely hards in games where he's been scratched. We know he's going to be physically and mentally ready to play, and we think with the amount of special teams that are involved in the game with a back-to-back, to have a guy like him to be on the penalty is going to be important."

Star Ledger LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078230 New Jersey Devils

Devils lose to Caps: 8 observations | Not hard enough; Chance for quick rebound

Posted October 14, 2017 at 06:30 AM | Updated October 14, 2017 at 06:32 AM By Chris Ryan

NEWARK -- The Devils dropped their first game of the season on Friday, falling to the Washington Capitals, 5-2. Their perfect start wasn't going to last forever, and the Devils struggled in some areas where they excelled in the opening games of the season. Here are the biggest observations from the games, including their penalties, effort, Blake Coleman's fights and the chance for a quick turnaround. Not the better team For the first time this season, the Devils weren't the best team on the ice. And it didn't come down to just talent. Devils coach John Hynes said the Devils were not a hard enough team to play against, like they were in the first three games of the season. When they couldn't consistently transition through the neutral zone, they didn't do enough to adjust. “They were the better team tonight," Devils forward Blake Coleman told NJ Advance Media. "They were tight checking, we didn’t have any time or space. We’ve got to do a better job of making the adjustment of getting pucks behind them and working down low instead of making east-west plays in the neutral zone. We just never made the adjustment.” espite their struggles, the Devils found themselves in a one-goal game early in the third period. Damon Severson's outlet pass found Kyle Palmieri behind the Caps' defense to get him free for a goal to pull the Devils within 3-2, and momentum appeared to be swinging. But in the first 4:10 of the third, the Devils were hit with three penalties: interference on Palmieri, boarding on Coleman and a double minor on Pavel Zacha for high sticking. During the Caps' four-minute power-play off Zacha's penalty, they scored twice to put the game away. "Pav’s not trying to take a penalty there, and it’s just tough," Devils captain Andy Greene told NJ Advance Media. "It misses the stick and hits him in the face, and all of a sudden it’s a four-minute penalty. We have to do a better job of killing one of those off and getting it back to 5- on-5 there. You saw at the end we had two or three power plays there, so you never know what could have happened there. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078231 New Jersey Devils

Why decision making cost Devils in 1st loss of season

Updated on October 14, 2017 at 6:08 AM Posted on October 14, 2017 at 6:00 AM By Chris Ryan [email protected],

NEWARK -- The Devils thrived off mistakes by opponents in their first three games of the season. On Friday, they were the team making the mistakes. The Devils found no traction in the neutral or offensive zones, resulting in a much quieter offensive night and a defensive struggle against the Washington Capitals in a 5-2 loss. After speed dictated their play in prior games, the Devils never found room to operate around the Capitals. Without speed, the Capitals will eat an opposing rush alive. "If you slow it down a little bit, that's exactly what they want," Devils captain Andy Greene told NJ Advance Media. "That allows them to get into their 1-1-3 there. The best way to beat that is quick opportunities, get pucks behind them and make them turn, getting pucks deep and use our speed. (Defense) didn't do a good enough job. "We didn't move off pucks fast enough, and forwards weren't good enough at getting it in. It was both of us. It's not just D or the forwards. There was a disconnect between the two, and we've got to be better at that." Errors in decision making was the common consensus across the locker room after the game, and it resulted in errant passes, players bumping into each other on the rush and easy turnovers. As the game progressed and the Devils saw what was happening, they didn't do enough to adjust. "We played into the Capitals' hands and we made the game easy on them," forward Taylor Hall said. "Like I said, there's things for us to fix, but they're not complicated things. It's just decision making and reading off each other better, playing with the puck a little bit better. If we clean that up, we'll be fine." After scoring a 5.33 goals per game clip over their first three games, things were going to come back down to earth for the Devils. But coach John Hynes did not see the Devils as the difficult team to play against, like they were to start the season. "In the game, you have to take what's given, and our rush offense, there wasn't a lot of times where we were able to execute it," Hynes said. "I thought we got stubborn with the puck at times, so I think when you play against Washington, you see how teams like Pittsburgh have beat them and gone through them. It's just you want to be able to push them back, put pucks behind them, access your speed, and we didn't do that enough tonight."

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Devils shake off slow start, rally past Rangers | Rapid Reaction

Updated on October 14, 2017 at 11:46 PM Posted on October 14, 2017 at 9:38 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected],

NEW YORK -- It took a while, but the Devils' offense got its groove back as Saturday's game against the Rangers progressed. Despite recording just three first-period shots, the Devils bounced back while erasing a one-goal deficit en route to a 3-2 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The win marked the Devils's first at MSG since Oct. 18, 2015. After shuffling the lines to start the second period, the Devils' (4-1-0) offense found some traction behind a line of Adam Henrique, Miles Wood and Brian Gibbons. The Rangers (1-5-0) snagged a 1-0 lead at 5:31 of the second when Rick Nash scored on a low shot from the left circle, but that line got the Devils the shot they desperately needed. Gibbons used a strong forecheck to keep the puck in the Devils' offensive zone, then he gathered it behind the net and fed Henirque in front, where he scored his sixth career regular-season goal against the Rangers to tie the game at 1-1 at 10:21. What to watch when the Devils play the Rangers for the first time this season. Miles Wood deflected a Ben Lovejoy shot from the points later in the second period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead at 16:41. The teams opened the third period skating 4-on-4 for two minutes, and the Devils picked up a 4-on-3 power play 40 seconds into play. That led to a goal backhanded goal in front of net for Drew Stafford after defenseman Will Butcher hesitated after crossing the blue line before hitting a cutting Stafford at 1:00 for a 3-1 lead. Butcher assisted on Wood's and Stafford's goals, giving him eight assists through his first five NHL games. The Rangers pulled within 3-2 on a Kevin Shattenkirk goal with 56.8 seconds left while skating 6-on-5. Goalie Keith Kinkaid looked sharp in his season debut, saving 29 of the 31 shots he faced in his first ever start at Madison Square Garden. The Devils were looking to rebound from a shaky performance on Friday in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals, but they lacked energy and consistency in the first period. The Rangers outshot them, 14-3, in the first 20 minutes, but goalie Keith Kinkaid kept the game scoreless. The Devils rebounded by registering 12 shots in the second period while holding the Rangers to three. Sending a message? Forwards Pavel Zacha, Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Hayes all took two shifts or less during the second period, and none played in the third period. After the team's sluggish start, it appeared coach John Hynes tried to send a message. Stafford's first goal as a Devils highlighed his return to the lineup after he missed the previous three games with a lower body injury. Stafford came into the season as a veteran presence in the top six, and Devils coach John Hynes expected him to add a valuable piece back to the Devils' puzzle. "When you look at him in the preseason, he's a very smart player, he's very hard on the puck," Hynes said. "He's a strong puck skill player, where he can make plays in traffic, he can fend guys off, he can maintain pucks in the offensive zone. When you look at him, what he can bring to the power play: poise, goal scoring, so we're excited to have him back in. We fell he's worked hard to get himself ready to play tonight, and we feel like we're getting a really good player in the lineup."

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Why Devils benched Marcus Johansson, Pavel Zacha and Jimmy Hayes vs. Rangers

Posted on October 14, 2017 at 10:42 PM By Chris Ryan [email protected],

NEW YORK -- The Devils played with nine forwards while benching Marcus Johansson, Pavel Zacha and Jimmy Hayes for the final 35 minutes of Saturday's 3-2 win over the Rangers. Devils coach John Hynes said the decision was made based on how the rest of the forwards were playing and how the team turned things around in the second period. "Just thought tonight it was what was best for the team," Hynes said. "Where we're at, what we were doing, it was just a decision that we made that felt was going to be best for the group." The Devils won their first game over the Rangers at MSG since Oct. 18, 2015. Johnasson logged only 4:48 off ice time while playing seven shifts. Zacha had 5:35 of ice time on eight shifts and Hayes had 6:56 of ice time on nine shifts. None of them played in the third period, and after the three played a shift around the 5:00 mark of the second period, they did not appear again. The Devils did rally for three goals after the three stopped playing, and the team shook off a shaky start where they recorded just three shots in the first period. Whether Hynes was sending a message to the team or just rolling with the hot hands, it was a drastic move. "I didn't really notice it until early in the third there when it was brought up," Devils captain Andy Greene said. "Hopefully it doesn't have to get to that point, but sometimes there has to be a message sent. I thought the other guys that played had a great response, and i know next time we're in that situation, it's not going to be those guys and they're going to be ready to play." "We're not worried about the way they're playing," Greene continued. "It just happened to be in this instance in this game." Following Friday's 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals, where the Deivls struggled to adjust to the game in front of them, they showed better poise handling adversity from the start of the second period on Saturday. "For the final 40 minutes, very well. For the first 20 minutes, not good," Hynes said of the team's handling of adversity. "Our goaltender was the biggest difference in the game in the first period. But I do think after the first period you have to look and go into the room and talk about the push back that the guys had, the grit that we showed. "We did have push back, and we were able to find a way after a bad start to a game to find a way to win a game against a very good team in a challenging building to play it."

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Devils notebook: Drew Stafford returns to lineup

Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 6:03 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

NEW YORK – As expected, Drew Stafford returned to the Devils’ lineup on Saturday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden after the veteran right wing missed three games with a lower-body injury. Stafford suffered a non-contact injury, believed to be a groin issue, during the first period of the Devils’ 4-1 win over the Avalanche in their season opener on Oct. 7. Stafford, 31, signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with the Devils as a free agent after compiling eight goals and 13 assists in 58 games as he split last season between the Jets and Bruins. “If you look at him in the preseason, he’s a very smart player,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “He’s very hard on the puck. He’s a strong puck skill player who makes plays in traffic and fends guys off and maintains pucks in the offensive zone. And you look at what he can bring to the power play with poise and goal scoring.” Stafford returned to his spot on No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier’s second line along with Marcus Johansson. Fourth-liner Stefan Noesen was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Ben’s back In addition to Stafford, veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy returned to the Devils’ lineup after being a healthy scratch the last two games and in three of the first four games. Lovejoy replaced gritty Dalton Prout, who made his season debut in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Capitals at Prudential Center. The Capitals scored three times on the power play. “We spent a significant amount of time on the penalty kill [Friday] night and Ben is one of our best penalty kill defenseman,” Hynes said. “With the amount of special teams involved in the game on a back-to-back, to have a guy like him on the penalty kill is important.” Mirco Mueller, 22, remained a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Veteran center Brian Boyle, diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia at the start of training camp, has not skated since the Devils returned from their road trip to Buffalo and Toronto early Sunday morning and skated once on his own back in Newark during the four days the team was on the road. However, the team said Boyle continues to work out off ice and Hynes said this was not a setback. “It’s just the process he’s going through,” said Hynes of Boyle, who is on medication to treat the disease. “He’s still on the path to moving forward here. We’ll see where he’s at early next week.”

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Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Oct. 14

Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 6:57 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 6:57 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

NEW YORK – For an early-season game, the Devils facing the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden sees two teams borderline desperate for the victory. Both teams lost on Friday night and are playing on back to back nights for the first time in the season. The Devils (3-1-0) are no longer undefeated after a 5-2 loss to the Capitals at Prudential Center as they failed in their bid to match their best start since 1995-96. The Capitals were able to dictate play and slow the Devils, who chased the puck almost the entire game, from getting to their speed game in the neutral zone. Now, the Devils don’t want to further lose momentum from their strong start, which was based on puck possession and speed and dictating play. The Rangers (1-4-0) lost 3-1 at Columbus in another game marked by too many turnovers and sloppy play and can’t afford to keep giving away points, especially with nine of their first 11 games at the Garden. Here are three storylines for today: First period – Will Drew Stafford play? It sure sounded as if the veteran right wing would be ready to return to the lineup tonight after exiting the Devils’ opener on Oct. 7 against the Avalanche with a lower-body injury. Stafford participated in the full morning skate on Friday and wanted to see how he felt today before making a final decision. He’s likely to be re- inserted into the top six, which would mean coach John Hynes would have to reconfigure his lines. Second period – Keith Kinkaid’s first start of the season: The Devils backup goalie will see action for the first time since making 42 saves in a split-squad 3-0 preseason loss to the Islanders at Barclays Center on Sept. 25. Kinkaid stopped 85 of 89 shots he faced in his two and a half preseason games and had another strong offseason of work. He’s expected to oppose Rangers backup Ondrej Pavelec. Third period – The six defensemen: Physical Dalton Prout dressed for his first game against the Capitals but, as a whole, the Devils defensemen looked tentative for the first time this season. Rookie Butcher notched his sixth assist of the season but did not seem as comfortable playing on his natural left side as when he’s used as a right-side defenseman. How Hynes constructs his pairs against the Rangers will be interesting.

E-mail: [email protected] Bergen Record LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078236 New Jersey Devils “Everyone always wants more ice time,” captain Andy Greene said when asked how benching three players impacted the team, or made an impression on their teammates. “That’s a chance for some guys to step Devils 3, Rangers 2: Post-game observations up and play some big minutes in the second and third with us down to nine. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that often but guys know some nights you’re going to fight it and it’s not going their way. Other guys get to step up for sure. Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 12:52 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2017 | Updated 12:52 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2017 2. Which brings us to Brian Gibbons, who has just been a sparkplug for the Devils after working his way onto the 23-man roster through training camp. At 29, Gibbons is no prospect. But his tenacity, his forechecking, his speed and his penalty killing have been, so far, invaluable to the First off, rookie defenseman Will Butcher, who had two assists in a 3-2 Devils. He logged 17:06 and created Adam Henrique’s equalizer at 10:21 win over the Rangers on Saturday night, has set an NHL record by being of the second period with an aggressive forecheck. the first rookie defenseman in league history with at least eight assists in his first five games. “He’s been up and down (to the AHL) for quite a few years,” Greene said. “Whenever I saw him, he impressed me with the way he played. He plays “He’s a special player,” said veteran right wing Drew Stafford, sprung by an honest game, north-south and he’s good on the puck. He’s a smart Butcher to the crease for a 3-1 lead at 1:00 of the third period as the player that can play up and down the lineup. It’s nice to see a guy like Devils skated four on three on a power play. “He’s fun to play with. Pretty that continue to work and get rewarded for it.” much, you just have to get open. If he keeps this up, he’s going to have a heck of a career.” Added Hynes: “Brian was excellent tonight. It’s another reason we decided to keep him on the team out of training camp. Things weren’t The Devils just won a game after getting outshot 14-3 in the first period going well for us. He’s playing through adversity. He did a great job. He and playing essentially the final 35 minutes with just nine forwards after gave us some life and the way we played the rest of the game, he was a Pavel Zacha, Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Hayes were benched for big factor for us.” various but consistent on-ice foibles. 3. Stafford certainly looked like he’ll be a welcome addition to the lineup. They beat the Rangers and despite the miserable first period and the There’s nothing flashy about the veteran’s game but, at 31, he’s just a one-goal margin, it really wasn’t that close at the end. The Rangers got a smart hockey player who gets to the right places. That’s what happened goal from Kevin Shattenkirk with 56.9 seconds remaining and Ondrej on his goal as he shouted out to Butcher, “I’m going, I’m going,” though Pavelec off for an extra skater so at least the final minute had a modicum Butcher likely would have recognized that without the audio prompts. of drama.` Stafford missed three games with a lower-body injury suffered in the So perhaps the biggest takeaway from this game is that the Rangers, at season opener, a 4-1 win over the Avalanche on Oct. 7. He lasted just 1-5-0, might be in some real trouble here. one period in that, leaving on what he said was a non-contact injury. That would be good for the rest of the contenders in the Metropolitan Stafford deferred and said it would have to remain being classified a Division – which can send a maximum of five to the playoffs – because lower-body injury, though the suspicion is that he suffered a groin issue. the Rangers have pretty much been a playoff consistent since 2006. “My legs felt like they had taken a week and a half off,” said Stafford, who Devils reverse slow start, beat Rangers, 3-2 had three shots in 17:20. “That’ll come around quick.” At 4-1-0, it’s certainly way too early to get overly giddy about the Devils 4. Stafford – and Taylor Hall – were both minus-2 but that wasn’t a real playing postseason hockey for the first time since 2012. But it was reflection of the game either played. certainly a good sign that they composed themselves after looking exactly the same in this first period as they did for three periods in Friday 5. Ben Lovejoy blocked four shots and nearly had a goal – his shot was night’s 5-2 loss to the Capitals at Prudential Center. tipped by Miles Wood near the crease for a 2-1 lead at 16:41 of the second period. Yeah, I’d say the veteran was fairly motivated after being “For the final 40 minutes, very well,” Devils coach John Hynes said when a healthy scratch in three of the first four games. asked how he felt his team handled adversity, 24 hours after saying his team did not handle adversity well against the Capitals. “For the first 20 6. It really is noteworthy the defense depth the Devils seem to have. minutes, not good. I think our goaltender was the biggest difference in Complete reversal from last season. the first period. We did have pushback after a bad start to the game to find a way to win a game against a very good team in a challenging 7. Speaking of, liking the way Adam Henrique has played so far this building to play in. We’ve got to try to put it together a little bit quicker.” season. Very aggressive to the crease, good on faceoffs, looks like he’s skating faster. Kinkaid was certainly the Devils first star as he made several close-range saves to stymie the Rangers. “Yeah, I feel good,” Henrique said. “I think with everybody we have in the lineup, it allows everybody to go that extra notch where we can really roll “We got caught in the first,” Stafford said. “They outworked us. We everybody and you’re not getting overextended. Just playing smart, I feel talked about it. We addressed it. We dumbed our game down a little bit in good on my feet, different from a couple of things last year. I’m confident the second and were playing more of a north-south game. We got a with the puck.” couple of big goals and that was coupled with the most important thing – Keith playing out of his mind.” 8. The Devils are not practicing on Sunday and will be back at it on Monday morning. So I hope everybody has a good Sunday. Unless Not surprisingly, Kinkaid was happy with his first appearance of the something breaks beforehand, I’ll talk to you on Monday morning. season as he made 29 saves, stopping all 14 shots he faced in the first period and 13 of 14 in the third period. “I felt good right off the bat, I was seeing the puck really well,” Kinkaid Bergen Record LOADED: 10.15.2017 said. “It’s easy to get up for this game. It was a fun atmosphere and it was a great way to turn it around after the first. “I think we just had to re-evaluate what type of team we were and what we were doing out there. We need to work hard, get in on the forecheck and use stick detail. We just got away from that a little bit. We came back and just worked hard the rest of the game.” Some post-game observations: 1. Zacha loggied 5:35 over eight shifts and was called for slashing Ryan McDonagh at 13:18 of the first period after his four-minute high sticking call on Lars Eller led to two third-period power play goals as the Capitals broke open Friday night’s game. Johansson, sloppy with the puck, logged 4:48 and his only number on the scoresheet was his two giveaways. Jimmy Hayes, likely to be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Lightning at The Rock in favor of Stefan Noesen, who sat for this game, logged 6:56. 1078237 New Jersey Devils Bergen Record LOADED: 10.15.2017

Devils reverse slow start, beat Rangers, 3-2

Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 9:43 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 12:15 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2017

NEW YORK – Turns out, these youthful Devils can handle adversity. At least they did over the final two periods of a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the reeling Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after an atrocious start, save for goalie Keith Kinkaid. “We knew the first period was unacceptable,” said Devils coach John Hynes, who shortened his rotation to nine forwards after benching Pavel Zacha, Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Hayes in the second period. “We were kind of stuck in mud and we didn’t make good decisions. “I think our goaltender was the biggest difference in the game in the first period,” Hynes added. “You do have to look into the room and talk about the pushback that the guys had. But we’ve got to try to put it together a little bit quicker.” Saturday’s rally came less than 24 hours after the Devils (4-1-0) stumbled for the first time this season, chasing the puck without success for much of their 5-2 loss to the Capitals at Prudential Center. “It was big,” center Adam Henrique, who tied the game at 1 at 10:21 of the second period after scrappy Brian Gibbons forced a turnover and fed him inside the right circle, of the Devils’ response. “Obviously, we have to start the game learning that lesson.” The Rangers (1-5-0), who lost 4-1 at Columbus on Friday night, outshot the Devils 14-3 in the first period – it was 13-1 at one point – but the teams were scoreless heading into the first intermission. That was thanks to Kinkaid (29 saves), who was seeing his first action since capping a stellar preseason with 42 saves in a 3-0 split-squad loss to the Islanders at Barclays Center on Sept. 25. “In the second I thought we took the game over and put them on their heels and started skating them into the ground,” captain Andy Greene said. “I thought that was a huge response for our team and the type of response we need going forward. Obviously, every night can’t be our best but we can’t have four periods in a row like that.” The Devils responded with three unanswered goals on Rangers’ backup Ondrej Pavelec (16 saves), starting his first game this season for Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers took the game’s first six shots before defenseman Damon Severson took a long blast on Pavelec through traffic on the power play. Severson then took the Devils’ first even-strength shot at 16:16. Hynes tried to rouse his slumbering team by breaking up his top line of Pavel Zacha in between Taylor Hall and right wing Kyle Palmieri. Hall moved to No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier’s left wing along with Stafford, Palmieri was put with Henrique and left wing Miles Wood and rookie Jesper Bratt was moved to Blake Coleman’s left wing with Gibbons. Hynes skipped Zacha’s new line with Johansson and Hayes through the first rotation of the period and when that trio did get on the ice, Kinkaid had to sprawl to stop Kevin Hayes at the right post. Zacha did not play the rest of the period and Jimmy Hayes and Johansson only got one more shift the rest of the second period. “I just thought it was the best for the team, where we were at and what we were doing,” Hynes said. The Rangers finally broke thoroughly seconds later as Rick Nash, getting an across-the-crease feed from David Desharnais, made it 1-0 at 5:31 of the second period. Hynes tinkered further and put Gibbons and Wood on Henrique’s line and Palmieri with Coleman and Bratt. Wood tipped in defenseman Ben Lovejoy’s blast from the right point for a 2-1 lead at 16:41 as the Devils outshot the Rangers, 12-3, in the second period. Drew Stafford, returning to the lineup after a three-game absence because of a lower-body injury, took a feed from rookie defenseman Will Butcher, who has a franchise record eight assists in his first five NHL games, and lifted a power-play backhander past Pavelec at the crease at 1:00 of the third period with the Devils skating four on three.

1078238 New Jersey Devils First period: Quick icing for the Devils, Kinkaid has to make two early tough saves and Severson to the box just 43 seconds in for slashing Miller on the way to the crease. Two shots on the power play for the Game 5 Live Blog: Devils beat Rangers, 3-2 Rangers. The Devils were a little scrambly in defending but they got it done. Just over three minutes in Kinkaid with another tough save, this time on Skjei. Wood gets a backhander toward the crease that is gloves by Pavelec, though it was going wide at 3:45. First puck the Devils have Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 6:51 p.m. ET gotten toward the crease as Rangers are up on shots 6-0. Devils get first Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 9:41 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 shot at 6:30, Severson through traffic on the power play blocked by Pavelec. Shots now 7-1. Devils being outshot 8-1 at 9:09 and, so far, this

is a continuation of their game against the Capitals: Spending most of The Devils (3-1-0), who have not made the playoffs since 2012, are an their time chasing the puck and, when they have it, making bad passes. improving squad that still has a way to go to prove it can play consistently Hall with a bad giveaway near the blue line on the power play on a little the way it did for much of its first three games. backhand pass, nearly cost the Devils big time. Now it’s Johansson who gives it up in the Devils zone and that leads to Nash’s shot from the right The Rangers (1-4-0) have not yet resembled the team that has made the that Kinkaid has to make a tough save at 10:36. Shots now 11-1 at playoffs every season since 2006 save for 2010. Both teams are playing 12:20. Make that 13-1 at 12:40 as Kinkaid forces another faceoff. The for the second straight night after the Devils lost to the visiting Capitals, Devils do get the puck behind the Rangers’ crease but Zacha slashes 5-2, and the Rangers were beaten, 3-1, at Columbus. McDonagh as he tries to skate clear at 13:18, shots still 13-1. Severson takes the Devils first even strength shot at 16:16. Period ends scoreless “Just learn the lessons from last night,” Devils coach John Hynes said. thanks to a brilliant Kinkaid. Rangers outshooting the Devils 14-3 and all “Our execution coming out of our own zone needs to be better. Lots of three shots have come by a defenseman, two by Severson and Santini’s times we were going against one or two forecheckers and wound up one shot. Devils lost 10 of 15 faceoffs, too. losing the puck. Those are plays you’ve got to come out with possession so we can access our speed skill coming up the ice. We have to Second period: This time, it’s the Rangers who ice the puck in the understand the time and space in the offensive zone and coming through opening seconds. Does that mean this period will be different? Hischier the neutral zone and when there’s not (space). Too many times last night centering Hall and Stafford to start the period. Then Wood-Henrique- we wanted to play off the rush when it wasn’t available.” Palmieri jumps on so Hynes has seen enough of his first-period combinations. And now Bratt-Coleman-Gibbons. Hynes goes through two Faceoff tonight will be 7:08 p.m. and the game will be televised on MSG rotations of those three lines without using Johansson-Zacha-Hayes. And (Rangers’ crew) and MSG Plus (Devils crew). The radio broadcasts will when he finally does put that trio on the ice, Kinkaid has to sprawl to stop be on ESPN-98.7 FM (Rangers’ crew) and the digital One Jersey Kevin Hayes at the right post. That line comes off but the Rangers Network (Devils). promptly go ahead 1-0 at 5:31 as Desharnais, behind the right post, finds Drew Stafford will indeed be back in the Devils lineup after missing three Nash on the other side of the crease to beat Kinkaid. That gives the games with a lower-body injury suffered on a non-contact play in the first Rangers a 16-5 shot advantage. Shots are 16-6 when Desharnais period of the season opener on Oct. 7 against the Avalanche. slashes Bratt trying to enter the Rangers zone as he’s held up by McDonagh. The Devils, on their seventh shot, tie the game at 10:21 as Stafford was one of six Devils to skate this morning at the Garden along Gibbons, applying pressure on the forecheck, gets it to Henrique inside with goalie Keith Kinkaid, making his first start of the season, the right circle and beats Pavelec with a wrist shot over the right defensemen Mirco Mueller, Dalton Prout and Ben Lovejoy and forward shoulder. Devils playing better but shots still 17-9 at 15:26. Palmieri now Stefan Noesen. skating with Coleman and Bratt as Gibbons had been moved with Henrique and Wood. And the Devils, playing better, take a 2-1 lead as “We feel like Keith gives you a chance to win when he comes in to play,” Lovejoy’s blast from the right point at 16:41 is tipped in by Wood, or at Hynes said. “He’s proven that. He’s an important part of our team. If you least that’s how it’s credited on the scoresheet. Wood did immediately look at the schedule, to have success everybody has to play their quote- skate first to the bench in the celebration. Butcher gets the secondary unquote backup goalies. He’s done a nice job of giving us chances to helper, his seventh assist of the season. At 16:58, a scrum ensues after win.” Nash throws out his arm and catches Hischier up high with an elbow as Prout, who made his season debut on Friday, and Lovejoy both will be the Devils head to the power play. Devils don’t convert but thoroughly healthy scratches for the fourth time in five games while Noesen is a dominate the last half or so of this period. Devils outshoot the Rangers healthy scratch for the first time with Stafford returning to the lineup. Ben 12-3 over the middle 20. Lovejoy re-enters the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last two Third period: Teams will start four on four for two minutes as Palmieri games and three of the first four. Mirco Mueller remains a healthy (slashing) and Kreider (roughing) were penalized at the end of the scratch. second period. And that will be a four on three for 1:21 for the Devils as 1. How sharp will Kinkaid be? He was very sharp in his two and a half DeAngelo cross checks Hischier 40 seconds in. Stafford makes it 3-1 games in the preseason as he stopped 85 of 89 shots and he is coming with a backhander over Pavelec at the crease after being sprung by off his best NHL season. But Kinkaid has not appeared in a game since Butcher, who gets his eighth assist in his fifth NHL game. No Devil has stopping 42 shots in a 3-0 split-squad preseason loss to the Islanders on ever done that. Hischier gets the secondary assist. Shots are even at 17. Sept. 25. Another power play for the Devils as Smith cross checks Palmieri at 2:28. Can’t imagine how frustrated the Rangers are right now. Lovejoy hooks 2. How do the Devils handle adversity? In this case, that being their first Zibanejad at 8:08 but the Devils kill it off. Pavelec comes off for an extra loss of the season in a somewhat submissive loss to the Capitals, who skater with 3:04 remaining. Shattenkirk, at the right point, brings the dictated the pace of play and kept the Devils from building speed through Rangers within 3-2 with 56.8 seconds to go off an offensive zone faceoff the neutral zone. Both Taylor Hall and coach John Hynes said after the win for the Rangers. The Rangers then call timeout. Good win for Devils loss that the Devils had essentially failed their first test of the season as they are outshot, 31-19. facing adversity. Now, the Devils will try to bounce back and not turn one loss into a losing streak. 3. Can the Devils pressure the Rangers into more turnovers? The Bergen Record LOADED: 10.15.2017 Rangers have been turnover-prone in their first five games and coach Alain Vigneault has yet to settle on his defense pairs. The Rangers, who do have fast skaters on the team, have looked slow this season because they’ve had issues handling the puck in their defensive zone and creating rushes. The Devils have to keep the Rangers from getting to that game. They pretty much did that in road wins at Buffalo and Toronto – the Devils are 2-0-0 this season on the road – but chased the puck much of the game against the Capitals. 4. Will a Jimmy Hayes’ team have success against a Kevin Hayes’ team? The Hayes’ brothers have met eight times as opponents in the NHL with the younger brother, Kevin, winning seven of those games. 5. Can Taylor Hall build on his personal momentum? Goal scorers tend to be streaky and Hall finally broke through with his first goal of the season – a power-play tally – in Friday’s loss after taking a team-high 14 shots without a goal in the first three games. 1078239 New Jersey Devils

Rangers fall again after quick start fades in loss to Devils

By Zach Braziller October 14, 2017 | 10:03PM

The Rangers were clearly the better team for the opening 25 minutes, the more active, aggressive and in-tune unit. They were more physical, more defensively responsible. They had the game’s first seven shots and 13 of the first 14. They scored first, too, on Rick Nash’s first goal of the season. It was at that point, the first of four meetings between the Hudson River rivals tilted — in the Devils’ favor. The light switch had been flipped off again, the Rangers again playing uninspired, sloppy hockey. There was little of an attack to speak of, more missed assignments and too many giveaways. They had just five shots on goal over a span of 34 minutes, from the end of the first period to midway through the third. The power play remained powerless, 0-for-3 on Saturday and now 1-for-its-last-14. The result was another loss, the Rangers’ third straight, a 3-2 defeat to the Devils at the Garden that has them at 1-5-0 through six games, the worst start of the Alain Vigneault era, the Rangers’ worst start since the 1980-81 season. “It’s been the story thus far of our season, and there’s no one to blame but ourselves, the guys in this room here, the guys in the lineup every night,” captain Ryan McDonagh said. “We know what’s expected of us, and we’re simply not performing.” The Devils (4-1-0, eight points) responded when the Rangers landed a punch, flattening the Blueshirts, who have just four goals over their past three games, with their response. Backup Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid was mostly responsible for that, making 29 saves, including 14 in a first period where he kept the Devils even despite a Blueshirts onslaught. “We had it going in the first, then we had it going again in the third,” Nash said. “The problem right now is we can’t put a full 60 minutes together. It’s surprising we couldn’t keep it going. “It’s easy to point fingers right now, and get on top of each other, but good teams get through things like this, and come out even better.” Vigneault broke down the issue in simple terms: too many turnovers, leading to the two Devils goals in the second period and hampering the Rangers’ attack. The remedy, he believes, is also simple: Make better decisions. “We obviously came out real strong, and we made the right decisions with the puck, which enabled us to play a fast game,” the Rangers coach said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on some of our looks. You got to keep playing the right way. If you do, you’ll be rewarded.” Instead of Nash’s second period goal giving the Rangers momentum, it had the opposite effect. It woke up the Devils, who outshot the Rangers 8-1 the final 14:29 of the period. They got even after a David Desharnais own-zone giveaway below the circles, leading to Adam Henrique depositing a Brian Gibbons backhand feed up high past goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. Just 6:20 later, another loose Rangers play in their own end led to a Devils lead, when defenseman Ben Lovejoy’s slap shot from just inside the blue line caromed off Miles Wood and past Pavelec. After a Tony DeAngelo cross-checking penalty, the Devils extended to a two-goal lead in the third period, when Will Butcher set up Drew Stafford all alone along the right wing of the Rangers zone, and he went in uncontested, beating Pavelec with a backhand. By then, the Rangers were headed to yet another loss. They made a frantic push late, unleashing the final 14 shots on goal of the contest. One got through Kinkaid, a long Kevin Shattenkirk wrist shot with 56.6 seconds left. But it was merely a tease — like the opening period. “By no means is this group going to quit, I know that for a fact,” McDonagh said. “Hopefully, this is rock bottom here early on and a real gut check time, and understanding what’s expected of us individually and as a group.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078240 New Jersey Devils New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 Rangers getting alarmingly close to forcing Jeff Gorton’s hand

By Larry Brooks October 15, 2017 | 2:32am

There is no indication that a change behind the bench or in the uniformed personnel is imminent, but everyone’s antenna should be up around the Garden because what we’ve seen from the Rangers is not even close to good enough. “I can’t think about whether there could be changes. That’s not my job or focus,” Mats Zuccarello said after the Blueshirts fell to 1-5 with Saturday night’s 3-2 defeat to the Devils at the Garden. “For me as an individual and for us as a team, we have to go day by day and try to improve. “When you lose five out of six any time, it’s tough, and it’s probably tougher when it comes at the start. We’re just not playing well enough.” It is difficult to determine whether the Rangers, who dominated the young and fresh Devils for the first 25 minutes and the final 15, but yielded three goals while going AWOL for those other 20 minutes, need shock treatment — Darryl Sutter, anyone? — or simply a tune-up. This is a team that has had only three coaches since the NHL reopened for business in 2005-06 — Tom Renney followed by John Tortorella followed by Alain Vigneault — and whose ownership and management values stability. But 1-5, while looking disorganized much of the time, tends to prompt careful examination of the program. It is also an organization that hasn’t pulled off a blockbuster in-season trade outside of the deadline in eons in a league where it is mighty difficult to do so. But 1-5, while looking disorganized much of the time, can prompt a general manager, in this case Jeff Gorton, to investigate his options. Again. There is no signal that either a coaching change or a major deal is pending. But the last time the Rangers started 1-5 came in 1980-81 with Freddie Shero in his third season behind the bench, not even two years removed from taking his team on a wholly unexpected ride to the Stanley Cup finals before losing in five to Montreal. Shero made it to the 20-game mark before he was replaced by Craig Patrick with the Blueshirts an ugly-as-sin 4-13-3. That was the time when 16 of the league’s 21 clubs qualified for the playoffs. And the Rangers, seeded 13th in the 1-16 draw, actually made it to the semifinals after upsetting high-seeds Los Angeles and St. Louis before getting swept out by the Islanders. In other words, organizations could afford patience then as opposed to now, when eight of 16 in the East will qualify and the Blueshirts are in danger of losing contact after already losing three of their four at the Garden. The Devils, whom the Rangers have finished ahead of in the standings for six straight years and by an aggregate 85 points the past three years, are 4-1 and feisty, speedy and innocent enough to believe that they can twist the recent imbalance of the Battle of the Hudson their way. And there are Hurricanes, Leafs, Flyers and Puddy Tats in Florida, oh my, for a Rangers team that doesn’t yet seem quite a unit with which to contend. So far the Blueshirts are a takeoff of that timeworn campaign slogan: They seem tired and everyone else seems fresh. The Rangers did put forth their most impressive segment of the season in gaining a 1-0 lead on Rick Nash’s goal from in front at 5:31 of the second. They had played with pace and set the tempo in outshooting New Jersey 16-5 at that point. But if the Blueshirts had seen the light, they descended into immediate darkness, turning the puck over for shift after shift after shift. They played panicky hockey. After the goal, the Rangers did not generate their next shot from inside the blue line for another 21:24. Overall, though, they were an empty sandwich. Where was the beef? “Teams aren’t doing it to us, we’re doing it to ourselves,” said J.T. Miller, who had a very strong game. “We played a strong north-south game, won battles, and then for whatever reason we got away from it. We just haven’t been able to play a full 60-minute game and you can’t win in this league without that. “That’s been the story so far.” The Rangers had best change the story themselves or the story is going to be changed for them. This cannot go on much longer. 1078241 New York Islanders Not with what we know about the danger of taking shots to the head. And perhaps more to the point, not with what the medical profession still does not know about it. Arena timeline could leave Isles with a John Tavares conundrum What once passed for entertainment is now merely disturbing. It is impossible for the NHL to present itself as being serious about By Larry Brooks October 14, 2017 | 12:25PM eliminating intentional blows to the head when fighting—in which landing blows to the head is pretty much the objective—is still countenanced.

Who came up with the idea of sticking that that blot of a red pentagon The initial critical deadline the Islanders face in their quest to get state with the league logo onto the collar of the Rangers’ home jerseys; the approval for construction of their projected state of the arena at Belmont ghost of John Ferguson? Park is a little over four months away. How is it that just about every incarnation of NHL jerseys—this time it’s That is when the NHL trade deadline hits, on Feb. 26, and nobody I can Adidas with the rights—is inferior to the one that preceded it? find is confident that the state approval process that involves multiple bidders and is expected to go through at least a couple of stages beyond And if multiple teams can’t even get the logo right without infringing on the initial RFP will be completed by that time. the integrity of the uniform, what do you think the league will do with sponsorship tags on sweaters? And while ownership can surely wait as long as it takes for the conclusion of what seems like a complex, multi-stage process involving multiple Summer News: Brandon Dubinsky tweets out a storm against the CBA bidders because the ultimate survival of the franchise as a New York rule that allows college players to become free agents, says he thinks entity likely depends on it, the question is whether management can wait teams would agree him and then clarifies that major junior players should beyond that date for a John Tavares commitment. have same options. Every indication is that Tavares is waiting for certainty on the Islanders’ Summer Views: Dubi should have done better on his SAT’s. long-term future before the franchise centerpiece of nine years signs on Finally, Brandon Saad is skating so much better without John Tortorella for eight more. There is no reason to expect that the captain wouldn’t be on his back, isn’t he? willing to wait for the state’s decision until the free agent market opens on July 1, if necessary. He obviously wants to stay; the proper authorities would know otherwise by now. New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 But if the trade deadline approaches without a rapid, favorable decision from Empire State Development, the burden in the Taveras-Islanders dynamic will fall entirely on the team. Ownership and management will have to decide whether to, a) ride it out with No. 91 and risk having their franchise player walk out the door with nothing in return if Belmont hasn’t gone their way by July 1; or, b) move him for what presumably would be a plentiful bounty. And while it would be calamitous for the franchise if Tavares simply departs as a free agent, it would not necessarily be so at all if general manager Garth Snow could pull off an equitable deal—and that means with a team with which Tavares would be willing to sign an extension; perhaps, for instance, Tampa Bay, Toronto or Montreal—at the deadline. I have no doubt that the Scott Malkin-Jon Ledecky ownership wants to do right by the franchise and by their long-abused fan base. I have no doubt that Snow recognizes the value of making Tavares a career Islander. But this is not a normal situation. It is foolish to draw parallels to prior free agent scenarios. This is not about only the Islanders and Tavares. This is every bit as much about the decision-making process of a New York state agency that, sad to say, probably doesn’t care all that much about the NHL trade deadline. And so the clock is ticking, and it is already later than you may have realized. If the Islanders’ plan—developed and being shepherded to a great extent by Sterling Equities’ Jeff Wilpon and Richard Browne, who did such an outstanding job in building Citi Field—is ultimately accepted, the construction of Al Arbour Arena would not be subject to a public referendum, well-placed sources have told Slapshots. And while the Islanders would have to bridge the gap between their final contractually mandated season at Barclays in 2018-19 and a first season at AAA, it understandable that Ledecky did not want to discuss contingency plans at his luncheon with the media last week. There is no need to stir controversy now regarding hypothetical scenarios that may or may not come to fruition. If the Islanders need a temporary home for 2019-20, maybe the Garden, whose Oak View subsidiary would manage the arena at Belmont Park, could make an accommodation. And if AAA could be ready for 2020-21, well that’s the projected lockout- season, so the rink may not need to be ready until late January of 2021, anyway. There is not another team sport in the world in which the fistfight between John Hayden and Marcus Foligno in Chicago on Thursday would be tolerated as part of the game. It is well past time that the NHL legislates it out of hockey, too. Taking a haymaker to the jaw, as Foligno did in suffering a facial fracture on the punch from Hayden—a 22-year-old American who came through the U.S. National Development Program and played four years at Yale— should not be part of anyone’s job description. 1078242 New York Islanders

Thomas Greiss makes 40 saves as Islanders stop Sharks

Staff Report By Associated Press October 15, 2017 | 1:58am | Updated

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Thomas Greiss guided the Islanders on a night when they played it a little bit too safe. Greiss stopped 40 shots, Brock Nelson scored a tiebreaking goal in the second period and the New York Islanders rallied to beat the slumping San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday. The Islanders improved to 1-1 on their three-game, five-day West Coast trip. The Sharks are 1-3 on their season-opening five-game homestand. Nelson made it 2-1 at 13:33 of the second period, capitalizing on an open look in front of the goal after Joshua Ho-Sang’s pass from behind the net. “After we got the lead we just kind of held on, we bent but we didn’t break and we needed some big saves from Thomas,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said. “These teams, when they’re down, they’re gonna push. … You don’t want to sit back but I think it’s human nature. We have to get it out of our heads. We want to play aggressive and we want to put the puck in good spots. We started making some shoddy decisions, our feet stopped moving for a while, but give (the Sharks) credit, they made a good push. Tommy was great.” The Sharks led after Kevin Labanc’s power-play goal at 4:16 of the first. Labanc was in the left circle when he rebounded a deflection and fired a wrist shot that slipped through Greiss’ pads. The Islanders tied it when Anders Lee tipped one in at 17:02 of the first. Cal Clutterbuck scored an empty-net goal at with 1:10 left in the game. “It’s nice, first road win of the year, a good bounce back,” Nelson said, referencing a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. “I thought we did some good things in Anaheim and weren’t rewarded. It’s nice to come out on top here.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078243 New York Islanders

Islanders scratch defenseman Ryan Pulock for fifth straight game

Updated October 14, 2017 6:57 PM By Arthur Staple [email protected]

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Ryan Pulock was scratched again on Saturday night. That’s a perfect five-for-five on the season for the 23-year-old defenseman — not the sort of numbers he was looking to put up once he made the Isles out of training camp for the first time in his four pro seasons. “Obviously every day you’re hoping it’s going to be that day,” Pulock said after getting extra work on the SAP Center ice Saturday morning. “The D are playing well right now so there’s no reason from that aspect to change things. Just stay patient, stay positive and when I get that shot, be ready to go.” Doug Weight has also hammered the same point home in choosing to keep the same six defensemen he’s used since the Isles’ second game of the season, their lone victory to date against the Sabres in Barclays Center a week ago. Dennis Seidenberg came out of the lineup after the season-opening 5-0 loss in Columbus and Scott Mayfield went in. Mayfield has been very strong in his three games and his defense pair with Thomas Hickey has been lights out — Mayfield hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against yet this season and Hickey has been on for one, a shorthanded goal by the Sabres in that 6-3 win a week ago. At even strength, the Hickey-Mayfield pair has been driving play at an elite level, albeit over a very small sample size. “We got some work last year, training camp we had a game or two, so we’re real comfortable with each other,” Mayfield said. “You can really see it in the O zone, I think. Sometimes we both end up a little low but we notice that right away and back each other up. In the D zone, the way we complement each other, how I can back him up physically and the way he can retrieve the puck — in front of the net I’m more boxing out and he’s looking for the puck — it’s just worked so far.” Weight hasn’t ruled out getting Pulock into the lineup for Sunday’s game in Los Angeles, though Saturday night’s game result would surely be a factor. The Calvin de Haan-Adam Pelech pair has had a few hiccups. Of the nine even-strength goals the Islanders have allowed this season, de Haan has been on the ice for six and the de Haan-Pelech pair has been on the ice for three in the last two games. But that pair gets heavier minutes than Hickey-Mayfield against better competition. Pulock had some tentative moments in his own zone during training camp; as much as his cannon of a shot would help the struggling power play, which entered Saturday 0-for-15 on the season, Weight needs to see Pulock as more than just a power-play specialist if he’s going to play. It’s a matter of confidence and Pulock understands that. “They want me to stay positive, be ready for that chance and when it comes,” Pulock said, “they want me to take the bull by the horns and just run with it.” That’s what Mayfield has done. The big defenseman, who turned 25 on Saturday, was speaking the language that coaches want to hear when he said he wanted to grab a spot on day one of camp. “I understand what our team dynamic is with the eight D, I know we all can play and it’s very easy to interchange guys, different partners, different setups,” Mayfield said. “My goal right now is to stay in the lineup. That’s what I’m doing and while I’m in I want to do everything I can to help the team win. That’s offensively, defensively, good first passes, physical stuff, all that. I’m happy with how I’m playing. I’m happy with how the team’s playing too.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078244 New York Islanders

Busy Thomas Greiss makes Islanders’ lead stand up in San Jose

Updated October 15, 2017 1:48 AM By Arthur Staple [email protected]

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Islanders weathered the Sharks’ onslaught in the third period Saturday night, with Thomas Greiss making 40 saves in a 3-1 victory. Greiss stopped all 16 San Jose shots in a lopsided third period and finished with 40 saves for his first win of the season and by far the best performance from an Islanders goaltender thus far. Anders Lee and Brock Nelson provided the offense in the opening two periods and the Islanders could barely get out from under the Sharks’ attack in the third, hanging on thanks to Greiss and some defensive-zone desperation. Cal Clutterbuck snapped one into an empty net with 1:50 to play to seal the win. The Islanders still haven’t gotten a goal from any of their defensemen this season, but the goals that helped them take a 2-1 lead into the third period were on plays started by their defensemen. Specifically, the Calvin de Haan-Adam Pelech pairing, which had been on the ice for three goals against in the previous two games. Nelson’s go-ahead goal in the second was aided by Pelech, but in a curious way. He tried to track a floating puck in the neutral zone and took a shoulder to the jaw from the Sharks’ Ryan Carpenter with the puck nowhere in sight. Pelech went down, got up and charged at Carpenter, who engaged a bit with Pelech near the red line, as did Carpenter’s two linemates. The problem for them was that the officials let the game continue, and de Haan led an Islanders four-on-two into the Sharks’ zone. He sent a pass low to Josh Ho-Sang, who one-touched it to Nelson in the slot, and the center snapped one past Aaron Dell for Nelson’s team-leading third goal of the season and an Islanders lead at 6:27 of the second. Greiss also did his part to maintain the lead, making 24 saves through two periods. He was moving decisively in his crease and swallowing up the numerous long-range shots, especially the bushel of pucks Brent Burns sent toward the goal. Burns and Joe Pavelski had 16 of the Sharks’ 46 shot attempts through two periods, but neither could break through. Right off a first-period draw after de Haan went to the box for slashing, Mikkel Boedker got a point shot through traffic that Greiss kicked out to his left. Kevin Labanc, the Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised Sharks forward, grabbed the rebound and tried to send a pass through the slot that banked off Clutterbuck’s skate and through Greiss’ pads at 4:16, the third time in the Isles’ five games they allowed a goal inside of five minutes gone. The Islanders were sparked by a nice defensive play from Scott Mayfield. The big defenseman took out Joe Thornton and Pavelski behind the Isles’ net, leading to a rush and a few shots on Dell. The Isles pulled even when Pelech sent a low shot that both Jordan Eberle and Lee deflected, with Lee steering it into the net at 17:02.

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Veteran’s return one bit of good news for reeling Rangers

By Zach Braziller October 15, 2017 | 12:51am

Finally, some good news came the Rangers’ way. Finally, during this dreadful 1-5-0 start — the worst of the Alain Vigneault era — there was a sliver of a reason for optimism. Reliable forward Jesper Fast returned Saturday night, and the Rangers sure could use more reliable players after falling to the Devils, 3-2, at the Garden. Over 15:14 of ice time spanning 24 shifts, Fast delivered a game-high seven hits and had a shot on goal. He was part of a penalty kill unit that was solid for the most part, killing off four of five Devils opportunities. “He looked all right,” Vigneault said. “For no [exhibitions], didn’t have a lot of practice on a regular line, I thought he skated well, competed real hard like he always does.” Fast, who signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal in the offseason, missing the season’s first five games wasn’t a surprise after he underwent left hip surgery in June. The 25-year-old Swede said this week he was feeling “no pain” and it was more about regaining his stamina and endurance after being out so long. He passed the team’s skating test Wednesday, and has been practicing for a few weeks now. Fast enjoyed his best offensive season in 2015-16, producing 10 goals and 30 points. He followed that up last year with six goals and 21 points in 68 games. But his value is about his dependability, how steady he is playing the puck, and his value on the penalty kill. There’s a reason he has won two consecutive Players’ Player awards, as voted on by his teammates, a nod to his hard work and competitive nature. Ondrej Pavelec allowed three goals against 19 shots in his first start as a Ranger. He was inactive early, seeing just three shots over the first 20 minutes, and was let down by a few ill-timed, own-zone giveaways. “I had a hard time getting into the game and getting some shots there,” Pavelec said. Vigneault had just 11 active forwards Saturday, opting to go with seven defensemen. He doesn’t plan to make that a pattern. It was more because of playing back-to-back games. “I just felt that tonight that gave us the best chance to win,” he said. Forwards Adam Cracknell and Paul Carey, and defenseman Steven Kampfer were healthy scratches.

New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078246 New York Rangers

Rangers fall again after quick start fades in loss to Devils

By Zach Braziller October 14, 2017 | 10:03PM

It looked like something finally had clicked. The Rangers were clearly the better team for the opening 25 minutes, the more active, aggressive and in-tune unit. They were more physical, more defensively responsible. They had the game’s first seven shots and 13 of the first 14. They scored first, too, on Rick Nash’s first goal of the season. It was at that point, the first of four meetings between the Hudson River rivals tilted — in the Devils’ favor. The light switch had been flipped off again, the Rangers again playing uninspired, sloppy hockey. There was little of an attack to speak of, more missed assignments and too many giveaways. They had just five shots on goal over a span of 34 minutes, from the end of the first period to midway through the third. The power play remained powerless, 0-for-3 on Saturday and now 1-for-its-last-14. The result was another loss, the Rangers’ third straight, a 3-2 defeat to the Devils at the Garden that has them at 1-5-0 through six games, the worst start of the Alain Vigneault era, the Rangers’ worst start since the 1980-81 season. “It’s been the story thus far of our season, and there’s no one to blame but ourselves, the guys in this room here, the guys in the lineup every night,” captain Ryan McDonagh said. “We know what’s expected of us, and we’re simply not performing.” The Devils (4-1-0, eight points) responded when the Rangers landed a punch, flattening the Blueshirts, who have just four goals over their past three games, with their response. Backup Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid was mostly responsible for that, making 29 saves, including 14 in a first period where he kept the Devils even despite a Blueshirts onslaught. “We had it going in the first, then we had it going again in the third,” Nash said. “The problem right now is we can’t put a full 60 minutes together. It’s surprising we couldn’t keep it going. “It’s easy to point fingers right now, and get on top of each other, but good teams get through things like this, and come out even better.” Vigneault broke down the issue in simple terms: too many turnovers, leading to the two Devils goals in the second period and hampering the Rangers’ attack. The remedy, he believes, is also simple: Make better decisions. “We obviously came out real strong, and we made the right decisions with the puck, which enabled us to play a fast game,” the Rangers coach said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on some of our looks. You got to keep playing the right way. If you do, you’ll be rewarded.” Instead of Nash’s second period goal giving the Rangers momentum, it had the opposite effect. It woke up the Devils, who outshot the Rangers 8-1 the final 14:29 of the period. They got even after a David Desharnais own-zone giveaway below the circles, leading to Adam Henrique depositing a Brian Gibbons backhand feed up high past goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. Just 6:20 later, another loose Rangers play in their own end led to a Devils lead, when defenseman Ben Lovejoy’s slap shot from just inside the blue line caromed off Miles Wood and past Pavelec. After a Tony DeAngelo cross-checking penalty, the Devils extended to a two-goal lead in the third period, when Will Butcher set up Drew Stafford all alone along the right wing of the Rangers zone, and he went in uncontested, beating Pavelec with a backhand. By then, the Rangers were headed to yet another loss. They made a frantic push late, unleashing the final 14 shots on goal of the contest. One got through Kinkaid, a long Kevin Shattenkirk wrist shot with 56.6 seconds left. But it was merely a tease — like the opening period. “By no means is this group going to quit, I know that for a fact,” McDonagh said. “Hopefully, this is rock bottom here early on and a real gut check time, and understanding what’s expected of us individually and as a group.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078247 New York Rangers New York Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 Rangers getting alarmingly close to forcing Jeff Gorton’s hand

By Larry Brooks October 15, 2017 | 2:32am

There is no indication that a change behind the bench or in the uniformed personnel is imminent, but everyone’s antenna should be up around the Garden because what we’ve seen from the Rangers is not even close to good enough. “I can’t think about whether there could be changes. That’s not my job or focus,” Mats Zuccarello said after the Blueshirts fell to 1-5 with Saturday night’s 3-2 defeat to the Devils at the Garden. “For me as an individual and for us as a team, we have to go day by day and try to improve. “When you lose five out of six any time, it’s tough, and it’s probably tougher when it comes at the start. We’re just not playing well enough.” It is difficult to determine whether the Rangers, who dominated the young and fresh Devils for the first 25 minutes and the final 15, but yielded three goals while going AWOL for those other 20 minutes, need shock treatment — Darryl Sutter, anyone? — or simply a tune-up. This is a team that has had only three coaches since the NHL reopened for business in 2005-06 — Tom Renney followed by John Tortorella followed by Alain Vigneault — and whose ownership and management values stability. But 1-5, while looking disorganized much of the time, tends to prompt careful examination of the program. It is also an organization that hasn’t pulled off a blockbuster in-season trade outside of the deadline in eons in a league where it is mighty difficult to do so. But 1-5, while looking disorganized much of the time, can prompt a general manager, in this case Jeff Gorton, to investigate his options. Again. There is no signal that either a coaching change or a major deal is pending. But the last time the Rangers started 1-5 came in 1980-81 with Freddie Shero in his third season behind the bench, not even two years removed from taking his team on a wholly unexpected ride to the Stanley Cup finals before losing in five to Montreal. Shero made it to the 20-game mark before he was replaced by Craig Patrick with the Blueshirts an ugly-as-sin 4-13-3. That was the time when 16 of the league’s 21 clubs qualified for the playoffs. And the Rangers, seeded 13th in the 1-16 draw, actually made it to the semifinals after upsetting high-seeds Los Angeles and St. Louis before getting swept out by the Islanders. In other words, organizations could afford patience then as opposed to now, when eight of 16 in the East will qualify and the Blueshirts are in danger of losing contact after already losing three of their four at the Garden. The Devils, whom the Rangers have finished ahead of in the standings for six straight years and by an aggregate 85 points the past three years, are 4-1 and feisty, speedy and innocent enough to believe that they can twist the recent imbalance of the Battle of the Hudson their way. And there are Hurricanes, Leafs, Flyers and Puddy Tats in Florida, oh my, for a Rangers team that doesn’t yet seem quite a unit with which to contend. So far the Blueshirts are a takeoff of that timeworn campaign slogan: They seem tired and everyone else seems fresh. The Rangers did put forth their most impressive segment of the season in gaining a 1-0 lead on Rick Nash’s goal from in front at 5:31 of the second. They had played with pace and set the tempo in outshooting New Jersey 16-5 at that point. But if the Blueshirts had seen the light, they descended into immediate darkness, turning the puck over for shift after shift after shift. They played panicky hockey. After the goal, the Rangers did not generate their next shot from inside the blue line for another 21:24. Overall, though, they were an empty sandwich. Where was the beef? “Teams aren’t doing it to us, we’re doing it to ourselves,” said J.T. Miller, who had a very strong game. “We played a strong north-south game, won battles, and then for whatever reason we got away from it. We just haven’t been able to play a full 60-minute game and you can’t win in this league without that. “That’s been the story so far.” The Rangers had best change the story themselves or the story is going to be changed for them. This cannot go on much longer. 1078248 New York Rangers

Rangers lose their third straight, fall to 1-5

Updated October 14, 2017 11:31 PM By Steve Zipay [email protected]

Like an inexperienced butterfly chaser frantically waving his net, points have been almost impossible to collect for the Rangers this season. After a loss in Columbus on Friday, in the second game of a back-to- back set, the skidding, fragile Rangers fell to the Devils, 3-2, on Saturday. It was their third straight loss, and dropped them to 1-5 this season. The Rangers controlled play in the first period at Madison Square Garden. They were much smoother, quicker with their sticks, more connected in their transition. But the Blueshirts, who played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, still struggled to finish. Coach Alain Vigneault said: “We have to focus on the areas where we need to improve; that’s what we can control. For 35 minutes we played the way we know we can. But we need to capitalize on our opportunities.” After launching 38 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus on Friday and scoring just once in the 3-1 defeat, Devils backup Keith Kinkaid stopped all 14 shots in the first period. The Rangers came close but failed on two power plays after going 0-for-4 against the Blue Jackets. Goalie Ondrej Pavelec, making his first start as a Ranger, faced just three shots. So, the signs were promising. In fact, Rick Nash provided a 1-0 lead with his first goal at 5:31 of the second. David Desharnais spun away from rookie Nico Hischier behind the net and slid a cross-crease pass to Nash, who had eluded John Moore and slid the puck past Kinkaid. Adam Henrique tied the score on the Devils’ seventh shot after Brian Gibbons blocked a backhand clear attempt along the right boards with his body. Henrique put a wrister top-shelf stick side for his second of the season at 10:21. After the Rangers repeatedly failed to clear their zone, Miles Wood turned around at the right point and one-timed a loose puck through traffic at 16:41 for the 2-1 lead. By the end of the period, the Devils had 12 shots and the lead; the Rangers managed just three shots on Kinkaid. The air began to seep out of the building, and it was not long before it disappeared. “We had the momentum in the first, but nothing to show for it,” Brady Skjei said. “You’ve got to come out in the second period and play the same way, and we didn’t.” The third period began four-on-four after Chris Kreider and Kyle Palmieri were sent off for roughing at the 20-minute mark of the second. But Tony DeAngelo’s early penalty gave the Devils a four-on-three. Exactly one minute into the period, on the power play, Will Butcher threaded a pass to Drew Stafford, skating alone through the right circle. He deked and beat Pavelec on his backhand for a two-goal lead that seemed insurmountable for these frustrated Rangers. How futile were they? With 13:04 left in the third, the Rangers had just five shots on goal since the beginning of the second period. Nash had a very good chance for his second goal on a breakaway with 8:36 left, but Kinkaid (29 saves) appeared to deflect the puck with his glove. Kevin Shattenkirk scored his second goal of the season on a rising wrister from the point with 56.8 seconds left, but it was too late to avoid their fate. Pavelec, on the three consecutive losses, said: “It feels like a snowball, you make one mistake and it’s going against us. We need to win games, even if it’s not going to be pretty.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078249 New York Rangers

Coach Alain Vigneault opts to play 11 forwards, 7 defensemen

Updated October 14, 2017 10:56 PM By Steve Zipay [email protected]

For the second time this season, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault opted to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen, rather than the standard 12-6 lineup. It didn’t work as well Saturday as it had against Montreal on Oct. 8 when Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in the Rangers’ 2-0 win. Before Saturday’s game, Vigneault said there were three decisions to make because of “bumps and bruises” and after warmups, the scratches turned out to be forwards Adam Cracknell and Paul Carey and eighth defenseman Steven Kampfer. With only 12 healthy forwards, rookie center Filip Chytil (now in Hartford) and defenseman Brendan Smith were scratched against Montreal, which stands as the Blueshrts’ only win so far. In Saturday’s postgame comments, Vigneault declined to discuss who was injured. “Everybody that I thought was questionable ended up playing,” Vigneault said. He said he played the lineup which he thought “gave us the best chance to win,” in the second game of a back-to-back. The Blueshirts now have 13 forwards available, with right wing Jesper Fast making his season debut after recovering from offseason hip surgery in early June. Fast played 15:14 and led the team with seven hits. He had two shot attempts, one blocked shot and won one of four faceoffs. “He had no [preseason] games and didn’t have a lot of practices, but I thought he skated well and competed real hard, as he always does,” said Vigneault. In his first start as a Ranger, goalie Ondrej Pavelec made 16 saves on 19 shots. He had played 39 minutes after replacing Lundqvist in Toronto in the Rangers’ 8-5 loss . . . The Devils have won all three of their road games; the Rangers are 1-3 at home.

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Johnny Oduya returns as Senators face Connor McDavid and the Oilers

Bruce Garrioch Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 5:20 PM EDT

EDMONTON — The Ottawa Senators have a chance to complete a rare Western Canada sweep. They know they’ve got their hands full in this one as they prepare to face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. Senators head coach Guy Boucher said at the club’s downtown hotel that Mike Condon would start in net and that defenceman Johnny Oduya would return after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. He’ll replace rookie Christian Jaros, who was sent back to the American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville. This will be Oduya’s 800th regular-season game in the National Hockey League. For the third consecutive game, the Senators will dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen. They’re coming off a 6-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Friday after starting this road swing with a 3-2 shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. This one will be a huge challenge. “It’s going to be really difficult for us on the back-to-back with a team that has been waiting for us for four days,” Boucher said. “That’s a terrific team. They’re up and coming and a lot of people see them in the Stanley Cup final. “They’ve got that superstar (McDavid) that can just get right through you with his speed and skill. It’s going to be a really tough one for us, but we’re expecting that.” So, what’s the approach with McDavid on the ice? “I just try to change,” Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki said with a wide smile. “He’s got high-end speed, for sure. He doesn’t do everything at full speed. You see a lot of guys who can skate fast, but their hands can’t keep up. The challenge is to take away his time and space, but, at the same time, don’t get lunging or he’ll burn you.” [email protected] Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078251 Ottawa Senators “There’s been guys playing in every role and they’re playing to those roles successfully,” he said. “We don’t need a hero right now. We need a good team game and a solid 60 minutes, I think we’re getting As Karlsson closes in on return, Senators have put points in the bank contributions from everyone.”

Bruce Garrioch Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.15.2017 Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 5:49 PM EDT

EDMONTON — The Ottawa Senators will have Erik Karlsson waiting for them when they arrive home from Western Canada on Sunday. If all has gone well during the past seven days, head coach Guy Boucher said Saturday afternoon, the club’s captain could suit up for his first game since off-season foot surgery as early Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks in the opener of a five-game homestand at Canadian Tire Centre. If Karlsson doesn’t play then, Boucher said before the Senators faced off against the Edmonton Oilers, he’s fully expected to play later in the week, meaning either Thursday against the New Jersey Devils or next Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good news is that Karlsson is close to returning and any points the Senators can collect until then — they had six in the first four games— are already in the bank. “I think all points, whether your best player is in or are out, are crucial at anytime,” centre Nate Thompson said. “But, for us, to have guys step up and play bigger minutes and fill that void, you’re not going to have guys play like (Karlsson), but, when you have guys (doing the job) in a committee-like way, I think it’s big. “If we can get points now, at the end of the season those are the times you need the points. Points at the beginning of the season are crucial and at the end of the season they mean a lot.” Through training camp and the first 10 days of this National Hockey League regular season, Boucher has compared the Senators without Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins without Sidney Crosby or the Oilers without Connor McDavid. “We’re not a powerhouse a team, but I think we’re a team, and that’s power,” Boucher said. “That’s what we were last year. This is a team that’s got terrific intangibles, great relationships, great chemistry and great leadership. Last year, we did it all year.” Boucher said the Senators learned through the adversity of last season, when goalie Craig Anderson was away on personal leave for two months and winger Clarke MacArthur missed most of the season because of post-concussion syndrome. However, that wasn’t all the Senators went through and they still made the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference final. That experience has paid off while they wait for Karlsson to return. They dressed seven defencemen for the past two games and no blueliner played more than 20 minutes in Friday’s 6-0 victory against the Calgary Flames. “If you look at our lineups, I was looking at some of my game sheets, and I couldn’t believe some of the lineups we had last year with so many guys being brought up or guys injured.,” Boucher said. “Whether it’s goaltending or (Mike Condon) playing (27) games, missing (Mark) Stone for two months or Bobby (Ryan), we were missing high-end players and we still managed to win because the guys stuck together and wanted to be on the same page. That’s our power: We’re a team and that’s how we’ve been doing it in the absence of such a good player on our team.” The Senators without Karlsson have had to change their approach because so much of what happens on the ice begins with him and this group has embraced the challenge. “I think there were a lot of people, Sens fans included, who thought we were going to struggle. We’ve gotten points in every game we’ve played so far,” defenceman Mark Borowiecki said. “Every player is a piece to the puzzle and some pieces are bigger and Karl is one of those big pieces. “But it’s a team game for a reason. We have a lot of talent in this room, we have a lot of sound fundamentals and it’s been paying off.” According to Borowiecki, different Senators have stepped up at different times. 1078252 Ottawa Senators on their power play, I thought their special teams were really good; they just didn’t put the puck in the net. They’re well equipped to beat anybody in the league and they have a strong belief system. They’re a tough team Thomas Chabot seems to be on a fast track for success with the to play against.” Senators THE LAST WORDS: The Senators finished 2-for-7 on the power play against the Flames, but were convinced they should have been credited with a third one. TV replays showed one second left on the clock when Bruce Garrioch centre Derick Brassard beat Mike Smith for a 2-0 lead at 18:43 of the second, but it was listed an even-strength effort. That would have been Published on: October 14, 2017 | Last Updated: October 14, 2017 6:40 the club’s first power play goal of the season. “We were asking right PM EDT away just to get some pressure off our shoulders,” Brassard said. “Everyone just happy to score a goal and to get up 2-0 against that team.

After that we got it done. The power play can win you those games and EDMONTON — Thomas Chabot picked up his first NHL point with an this was a good example.” … Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki assist Friday night against the Calgary Flames. was asked about his approach when Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was on the ice. “I just try to change,” he said with a laugh. You have to think it will the first of many in the National Hockey League.

The Ottawa Senators sent their top prospect down to their American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville at the end of training camp because Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.15.2017 they felt he needed to work on his defensive game before he could assume a full-time NHL role. Of course, injuries to captain Erik Karlsson, Johnny Oduya and Ben Harpur created opportunities, so Chabot and Christian Jaros were called up because the Senators wanted reinforcements for their three-game swing through Western Canada. Chabot is doing everything he can to convince the Senators he should stay. “I got the chance to get a pretty good amount of ice time,” said Chabot, who played 15 minutes six seconds on 19 shifts at Calgary. “Marc (Crawford, Senators associate coach) put me on the ice quite a lot and, every shift you step on the ice, you want to make a good play and you want to build on that. “As the game went along, I got more comfortable and confident. It can’t get too high or too low, but I’ve got to build on that and keep going.” Senators head coach Guy Boucher was impressed with Chabot, the club’s top draft pick in 2015. “He played great,” Boucher said. “Chabot gets his first point, he played terrific on the power play. You could see all his attributes on the power play. It wasn’t even a tryout. You could see he’s outstanding at it and he got the minutes. “We’re happy that he performed really well 5-on-5 and power play. He keeps growing, so that’s the whole goal: to give him chunks to chew on so that he can handle and he’s handling it extremely well. We’re very happy.” Chabot threw a perfect pass to Ryan Dzingel, whose shot beat Flames netminder Mike Smith at 7:29 of the third period to give the Senators a 5- 0 lead. Chabot was so excited that he threw himself into Dzingel’s arms in celebration. “It’s a great feeling,” Chabot said. “That play, I just went up the ice and everything was open. (Kyle) Turris made a great pass and you’ve got to give Dzingel all the credit because there wasn’t a lot of room up there and he was able to put it in.” OFF THE GLASS: Goaltender Craig Anderson’s 6-0 shutout in Calgary was the 39th of his career. According to Elias Sports, that moves Anderson past Tom Barrasso (38) and into a tie with Ryan Miller for fourth on the NHL’s all-time ranking of shutouts by a U.S.-born netminder. It’s also Anderson’s 25th shutout in his career with the Senators, five short of Patrick Lalime’s franchise mark … With Oduya returning to duty against the Oilers, the Senators re-assigned Jaros to Belleville. He had played 9:34 against the Flames … The Oilers were without centre Leon Draisaitl for Saturday’s game. An eye injury Monday has led to concussion-like symptoms. “It was swollen shut, the eye is attached to the head, which leads to concussion-type systems and that’s what we’re dealing,” Oilers coach Todd McLellan said Saturday morning. AROUND THE BOARDS: Senators defenceman Cody Ceci didn’t score his first goal last season until Dec. 27 (35 games), and he scored his second and last of the campaign on March 2. He had two goals this season going into Saturday’s visit to Edmonton, and in consecutive games. Ceci opened the scoring against the Flames. “I’m getting a little more comfortable when to pick my spots and when a good time to go is,” he said. “I’m just trying to do that to the best of my ability and whenever I see something I’m just not hesitating. I want to see what happens.” … McLellan expressed a lot of respect for the Senators. “Good team. Everybody playing the way they need to play, everybody following a system that they obviously believe in,” he said. “They’re getting some good goaltending despite some negative numbers up until (Friday) night 1078253 Ottawa Senators “We talked about (sweeping Western Canada) with the players after. It’s flattering, but we want to stay hungry and not (get) complacent. We can absorb this. It was a real team effort.” How sweep it is: Senators cap perfect trip by blitzing Oilers The Senators were fortunate that Mark Borowiecki was assessed a slashing penalty after he whacked at the Oilers’ Zack Kassian, who had been in alone. Many felt Kassian should have been awarded a penalty Bruce Garrioch shot, although Condon did poke the puck away. Published on: October 15, 2017 | Last Updated: October 15, 2017 1:38 Stone made a perfect pass across the seam to Brassard and he fired it AM EDT home to give the Senators a 2-0 lead at 9:31 of the opening period. They had opened the scoring at 6:09, when Hoffman converted a pass from Tom Pyatt into a quick shot past Talbot. EDMONTON — A perfect end to a perfect trip for the Ottawa Senators. The Senators play host to the Canucks on Tuesday night to open a five- game homestand at Canadian Tire Centre. For the first time in franchise history, the Senators completed the difficult Western Canadian road swing with a sweep after they pulled off their third consecutive victory 6-1 victory against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place Arena on Saturday night. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.15.2017 Battling the odds after starting the National Hockey League regular season without captain Erik Karlsson, who is recovering from foot surgery, the Senators will be flying high when they head home Sunday. They collected all six points on this trip and five games into the season have yet to lose a game in regulation (3-0-2). Kyle Turris had a four-point, including two goals, while Mike Hoffman also scored twice. Derick Brassard and Chris Wideman added one goal each. Goaltender Mike Condon was solid with 34 stops, and only Adam Larsson scored for the Oilers. With the Senators coming off a 6-0 victory only 24 hours earlier against the Calgary Flames on Friday night, head coach Guy Boucher didn’t think this would be easy at the end of a trip that started with a 3-2 shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. “It was great. To finish a trip like that was great for our confidence,” Turris said. “To start the year on big note on a western road trip, we’ve got carry that momentum home now. “It’s another step in our progression of being more consistent as a team. That’s what we want to be ultimately: the same thing every night. We took a big step forward in that.” It helped that the Senators power play also chipped in with three goals. The Senators chased Oilers goalie Cam Talbot after he allowed four goals on 23 shots. He was replaced by Laurent Boissoit after a puck bounced off Smith and and into the Edmonton net at 1:04 of the third period to make the score 4-0. “There were a lot of mental factors going against us but it was a really, really solid game for us,” said Condon, who picked up his first NHL assist on Turris’ second goal. “The start of the season, the first 10 games is always huge. You want to get good momentum. “You want to do that for sure, especially missing one of the best players in the league, and this is nothing but good stuff.” Wideman made it 5-0 on the power play in the third and the rout was on. Up 3-0 after 40 minutes, the Senators were being outshot 30-21, but they were fortunate that Condon was sharp. He made the saves when needed to frustrate the Oilers. The Senators got that three-goal lead with Hoffman’s second of the night. He took a perfect feed from Turris and wired the puck by Talbot’s glove hand at 3:36 of the second period. Hoffman has eight goals in eight games against the Oilers. “It was a good road trip for us. Our goaltending was outstanding. Condon kept us in it at the beginning and we were able to get a couple and go from there,” Hoffman said. “It was almost the exact same game as Calgary.” The Senators couldn’t have scripted a better start, either, as they took a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes. Yes, the Oilers pushed back late, but the Senators owned the play. The scoreboard actually read 11-7 in shots for Ottawa when the period ended, but, oddly, four shots were added to the Oilers total before play resumed. Seriously. “We did absolutely everything we could to get this game today,” Boucher said. “Our players responded with a lot of character and sticking together and sticking with the plan. 1078254 Ottawa Senators “There’s been guys playing in every role and they’re playing to those roles successfully,” he said. “We don’t need a hero right now. We need a good team game and a solid 60 minutes, I think we’re getting GARRIOCH: As Karlsson closes in on return, Senators have put points in contributions from everyone.” the bank Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 05:56 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 06:11 PM EDT

EDMONTON — The Ottawa Senators will have Erik Karlsson waiting for them when they arrive home from Western Canada on Sunday. If all has gone well during the past seven days, head coach Guy Boucher said Saturday afternoon, the club’s captain could suit up for his first game since off-season foot surgery as early Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks in the opener of a five-game homestand at Canadian Tire Centre. If Karlsson doesn’t play then, Boucher said before the Senators faced off against the Edmonton Oilers, he’s fully expected to play later in the week, meaning either Thursday against the New Jersey Devils or next Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good news is that Karlsson is close to returning and any points the Senators can collect until then — they had six in the first four games— are already in the bank. “I think all points, whether your best player is in or are out, are crucial at anytime,” centre Nate Thompson said. “But, for us, to have guys step up and play bigger minutes and fill that void, you’re not going to have guys play like (Karlsson), but, when you have guys (doing the job) in a committee-like way, I think it’s big. “If we can get points now, at the end of the season those are the times you need the points. Points at the beginning of the season are crucial and at the end of the season they mean a lot.” Through training camp and the first 10 days of this National Hockey League regular season, Boucher has compared the Senators without Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins without Sidney Crosby or the Oilers without Connor McDavid. “We’re not a powerhouse a team, but I think we’re a team, and that’s power,” Boucher said. “That’s what we were last year. This is a team that’s got terrific intangibles, great relationships, great chemistry and great leadership. Last year, we did it all year.” Boucher said the Senators learned through the adversity of last season, when goalie Craig Anderson was away on personal leave for two months and winger Clarke MacArthur missed most of the season because of post-concussion syndrome. However, that wasn’t all the Senators went through and they still made the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference final. That experience has paid off while they wait for Karlsson to return. They dressed seven defencemen for the past two games and no blueliner played more than 20 minutes in Friday’s 6-0 victory against the Calgary Flames. “If you look at our lineups, I was looking at some of my game sheets, and I couldn’t believe some of the lineups we had last year with so many guys being brought up or guys injured.,” Boucher said. “Whether it’s goaltending or (Mike Condon) playing (27) games, missing (Mark) Stone for two months or Bobby (Ryan), we were missing high-end players and we still managed to win because the guys stuck together and wanted to be on the same page. That’s our power: We’re a team and that’s how we’ve been doing it in the absence of such a good player on our team.” The Senators without Karlsson have had to change their approach because so much of what happens on the ice begins with him and this group has embraced the challenge. “I think there were a lot of people, Sens fans included, who thought we were going to struggle. We’ve gotten points in every game we’ve played so far,” defenceman Mark Borowiecki said. “Every player is a piece to the puzzle and some pieces are bigger and Karl is one of those big pieces. “But it’s a team game for a reason. We have a lot of talent in this room, we have a lot of sound fundamentals and it’s been paying off.” According to Borowiecki, different Senators have stepped up at different times. 1078255 Ottawa Senators

Senators have chance to pull off Western Canada sweep

BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 04:11 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 04:15 PM EDT

EDMONTON - The Ottawa Senators have a chance to pull off a rare feat by completing a Western Canada sweep Saturday night. They know they've got their hands full in this one as they prepare to face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Coach Guy Boucher told reporters Saturday afternoon at the club's downtown hotel that goaltender Mike Condon will start and defenceman Johnny Oduya will return after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. He'll replace rookie Christian Jaros, who was sent back to the club's AHL affiliate in Belleville. This will be the 800th game of Oduya's career. For the third straight game, the Senators will dress 11 forwards and seven blueliners. The club is coming off a 6-0 victory over the Calgary Flames Friday and started this trip with a 3-2 shootout win Tuesday in Vancouver. This one is a huge challenge with the club in a back-to-back situation. "It's going to be really difficult for us on the back-to-back with a team that has been waiting for us for four days," said Boucher. "That's a terrific team. They're up and coming and a lot of people see them in the Stanley Cup final. "They've got that superstar (McDavid) that can just get right through you with his speed and skill It's going to be a really tough one for us but we're expecting that." McDavid is a tough customer. So, what's the approach with McDavid on the ice? "I just try to change," said defenceman Mark Borowiecki with a wide smile. "He's got high-end speed for sure. He doesn't everything at full speed. You see a lot of guys who can skate fast but their hands can't keep up. The challenge is to take away his time and space but at the same time don't get lunging or he'll burn you."

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078256 Ottawa Senators the league and they have a strong belief system. They’re a tough team to play against.”

The Senators finished 2-for-7 on the power play vs. the Flames on Friday Senators' Chabot making the most of his opportunity but they were convinced they should have been credited with a third one. The TV replays showed one second left on the clock when centre Derick Brassard beat Mike Smith to give the club a 2-0 lead at 18:43 of the BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN second, but it was listed an even-strength effort. That would have been the club’s first power play goal of the season. “We were asking right FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 07:02 PM EDT | away just to get some pressure off our shoulders,” Brassard said. UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 07:07 PM EDT “Everyone just happy to score a goal and to get up 2-0 against that team. After that we got it done. The power play can win you those games and

this was a good example.” ... Defenceman Mark Borowiecki was asked EDMONTON — Thomas Chabot picked up his first NHL point with an about his approach when Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid is on the assist Friday night against the Calgary Flames. ice. “I just try to change,” said Borowiecki with a laugh. You have to think it will the first of many. The Ottawa Senators sent their top prospect down to their AHL affiliate in Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 Belleville at the end of training camp last month because they felt he needed to work on his defensive game before he could assume a full- time role in the NHL. Of course, injuries to captain Erik Karlsson, Johnny Oduya and callup Ben Harpur created opportunities on the club’s blue line and Chabot was called up last Sunday with Christian Jaros because the Senators needed reinforcements for this difficult three-game road swing through Western Canada. Chabot is doing everything he can to convince the Senators he should stay. “I got the chance to get a pretty good amount of ice time,” said Chabot, who played 15:06 with 19 shifts Friday in Calgary. “(Assistant) Marc (Crawford) put me on the ice quite a lot and every shift you step on the ice you want to make a good play and you want to build on that. “As the game went along I got more comfortable and confident. It can’t get too high or too low but I’ve got to build on that and keep going.” Coach Guy Boucher was impressed with the club’s top pick in 2015. “He played great,” said Boucher. “Chabot gets his first point, he played terrific on the power play. You could see all his attributes on the power play, it wasn’t even a tryout, you could see he’s outstanding at it and he got the minutes. “We’re happy that he performed really well 5-on-5 and power play. He keeps growing so that’s the whole goal — to give him chunks to chew on so that he can handle and he’s handling it extremely well. We’re very happy.” Chabot threw a perfect pass across the slot to Dzingel and he beat Smith upstairs at 7:29 of the third to give the Senators a 5-0 lead. Chabot was so excited he threw himself into Dzingel’s arms behind the net. “It’s a great feeling,” Chabot said. “That play I just went up the ice and everything was open. (Kyle) Turris made a great pass and you’ve got to give Dzingel all the credit because there wasn’t a lot of room up there and he was able to put it in.” Goaltender Craig Anderson’s 25 stops in a 6-0 shutout in Calgary was the 39th of his career. According to Elias Sports, that game moves Anderson by Tom Barrasso (38) and into a tie with Ryan Miller into fourth on the NHL’s all-time of shutouts by an American-born netminder. It’s also Anderson’s 25th shutout in his career with the Senators and he’s now five short of Patrick Lalime’s franchise-mark ... With Oduya ready to return against the Oilers, the Senators re-assigned Jaros to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. He played 9:34 against the Flames and the club was impressed with his efforts ... The Oilers were without Leon Draisaitl against Ottawa. He suffered an eye injury Monday and that has led to concussion symptoms. “It was swollen shut, the eye is attached to the head, which leads to concussion-type systems and that’s what we’re dealing,” said coach Todd McLellan Saturday morning. Cody Ceci didn’t score his first goal last season until Dec. 27th (35 games) into the season and he scored his second — and last one — of the year on March 2. He had two goals this season going into Saturday’s visit to Edmonton and they came in two straight games. Ceci opened the scoring against the Flames by going to the net. “I’m getting a little more comfortable when to pick my spots and when a good time to go is,” Ceci said. “I’m just trying to do that to the best of my ability and whenever I see something I’m just not hesitating. I want to see what happens.” ... McLellan has a lot of respect for the Senators. “Good team. Everybody playing the way they need to play, everybody following a system that they obviously believe in,” McLellan said. “They’re getting some good goaltending despite some negative numbers up until (Friday) night on their power play, I thought their special teams were really good they just didn’t put the puck in the net. They’re well equipped to beat anybody in 1078257 Ottawa Senators just didn’t put the puck in the net. They’re well equipped to beat anybody in the league and they have a strong belief system. They’re a tough team to play against.” GARRIOCH: Thomas Chabot making the most of his opportunity THE LAST WORDS: The Senators finished 2-for-7 on the power play against the Flames, but were convinced they should have been credited with a third one. TV replays showed one second left on the clock when BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN centre Derick Brassard beat Mike Smith for a 2-0 lead at 18:43 of the second, but it was listed an even-strength effort. That would have been FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 06:58 PM EDT | the club’s first power play goal of the season. “We were asking right UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 07:05 PM EDT away just to get some pressure off our shoulders,” Brassard said. “Everyone just happy to score a goal and to get up 2-0 against that team.

After that we got it done. The power play can win you those games and EDMONTON — Thomas Chabot picked up his first NHL point with an this was a good example.” … Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki assist Friday night against the Calgary Flames. was asked about his approach when Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was on the ice. “I just try to change,” he said with a laugh. You have to think it will the first of many in the National Hockey League. Alex Formenton and Logan Brown were scratched again Saturday night The Ottawa Senators sent their top prospect down to their American as the Ottawa Senators wrapped up this Western Canada road swing. Hockey League affiliate in Belleville at the end of training camp because they felt he needed to work on his defensive game before he could Coach Guy Boucher promised that won't be the case much longer. assume a full-time NHL role. "There will be a decision soon enough," Boucher said Saturday before Of course, injuries to captain Erik Karlsson, Johnny Oduya and Ben facing the Edmonton Oilers at the Rogers Place Arena. "Right now, it's a Harpur created opportunities, so Chabot and Christian Jaros were called road trip so that's a circumstance that demanded (the team) to have up because the Senators wanted reinforcements for their three-game more players than less." swing through Western Canada. Brown sat for the fourth straight game Saturday while Formenton, 18, Chabot is doing everything he can to convince the Senators he should watched for the third straight time. General manager Pierre Dorion told stay. reporters Wednesday in Vancouver that both situations would be evaluated at the end of the trip and both players have junior eligibility left. “I got the chance to get a pretty good amount of ice time,” said Chabot, who played 15 minutes six seconds on 19 shifts at Calgary. “Marc The 19-year-old Brown has to be returned to the Windsor Spitifires if he (Crawford, Senators associate coach) put me on the ice quite a lot and, doesn't play here and the 18-year-old Formenton is headed back to the every shift you step on the ice, you want to make a good play and you London Knights unless somebody gets hurt and the Senators need a want to build on that. forward. The club dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen for the third straight game Saturday. “As the game went along, I got more comfortable and confident. It can’t get too high or too low, but I’ve got to build on that and keep going.” Senators head coach Guy Boucher was impressed with Chabot, the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 club’s top draft pick in 2015. “He played great,” Boucher said. “Chabot gets his first point, he played terrific on the power play. You could see all his attributes on the power play. It wasn’t even a tryout. You could see he’s outstanding at it and he got the minutes. “We’re happy that he performed really well 5-on-5 and power play. He keeps growing, so that’s the whole goal: to give him chunks to chew on so that he can handle and he’s handling it extremely well. We’re very happy.” Chabot threw a perfect pass to Ryan Dzingel, whose shot beat Flames netminder Mike Smith at 7:29 of the third period to give the Senators a 5- 0 lead. Chabot was so excited that he threw himself into Dzingel’s arms in celebration. “It’s a great feeling,” Chabot said. “That play, I just went up the ice and everything was open. (Kyle) Turris made a great pass and you’ve got to give Dzingel all the credit because there wasn’t a lot of room up there and he was able to put it in.” OFF THE GLASS: Goaltender Craig Anderson’s 6-0 shutout in Calgary was the 39th of his career. According to Elias Sports, that moves Anderson past Tom Barrasso (38) and into a tie with Ryan Miller for fourth on the NHL’s all-time ranking of shutouts by a U.S.-born netminder. It’s also Anderson’s 25th shutout in his career with the Senators, five short of Patrick Lalime’s franchise mark … With Oduya returning to duty against the Oilers, the Senators re-assigned Jaros to Belleville. He had played 9:34 against the Flames … The Oilers were without centre Leon Draisaitl for Saturday’s game. An eye injury Monday has led to concussion-like symptoms. “It was swollen shut, the eye is attached to the head, which leads to concussion-type systems and that’s what we’re dealing,” Oilers coach Todd McLellan said Saturday morning. AROUND THE BOARDS: Senators defenceman Cody Ceci didn’t score his first goal last season until Dec. 27 (35 games), and he scored his second and last of the campaign on March 2. He had two goals this season going into Saturday’s visit to Edmonton, and in consecutive games. Ceci opened the scoring against the Flames. “I’m getting a little more comfortable when to pick my spots and when a good time to go is,” he said. “I’m just trying to do that to the best of my ability and whenever I see something I’m just not hesitating. I want to see what happens.” … McLellan expressed a lot of respect for the Senators. “Good team. Everybody playing the way they need to play, everybody following a system that they obviously believe in,” he said. “They’re getting some good goaltending despite some negative numbers up until (Friday) night on their power play, I thought their special teams were really good; they 1078258 Philadelphia Flyers “I remember when I was a kid, he was already a superstar in the league,” said Hagg, 22. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to go out and face him….You try to have a good gap and stay as close as you can. He’s going to be a Brian Elliott gets chance to redeem himself in Flyers' home opener; challenge, for sure.” Travis Sanheim appears out After starting 2-2 on the road, the Flyers are beginning a five-game homestand. Updated: OCTOBER 14, 2017 — 1:21 PM EDT “We’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity and get some wins here,” Couturier said. by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | [email protected] Breakaways. Tonight is the 50th home opener in the Flyers’ history…. Giroux has 16 goals and 16 assists in 33 career games against the Caps….In 13 games against Washington, Elliott has a 3.31 career goals- against average….Backstrom is averaging a staggering 1.29 points per Goalie Brian Elliott, who allowed six goals against Nashville on Tuesday, game vs. the Flyers _ 49 points, including 33 assists, in 38 games. will get a chance to redeem himself Saturday night when the Flyers play their home opener against Washington. And in a surprise move, it appears rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.15.2017 will be a healthy scratch. At the morning skate, Sanheim was the last defenseman on the ice, usually an indication he will be scratched. It was an optional skate, however, so we won’t know until game time if Sanheim is out and Brandon Manning is in. Coach Dave Hakstol said he wants his goalies to “feel good about what they’re doing and have confidence.” Hence, Elliott is getting the start. He was victimized by a pair of late power-play goals in a 6-5 loss to Nashville. Overall, he has a 3.67 goals- against average and .876 save percentage in three starts. Michal Neuvirth (2.03 GAA, .926 save percentage) was sharp in his only appearance, a 2-0 loss in Los Angeles. “We’ve got a home stretch here and both guys are going to contribute,” Hakstol said after Saturday’s morning skate in Voorhees. Saturday marks the start of a five-game homestand, equaling the club’s longest of the season. “We want both of our guys feeling good and playing well and contributing,” Hakstol said of his goaltenders. Backup goalie Philipp Grubauer (3.81, .900) will start for the Capitals. The Flyers (2-2) will be trying to contain Alex Ovechkin and the high- scoring Capitals (3-1-1), who will be without the injured Matt Niskanen, the team’s top defenseman. Niskanen, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 6-3 win in New Jersey, went on the long-term injured reserve list Saturday. He will miss 10 to 24 games. The Capitals recalled defenseman Madison Bowey, 22, from the AHL’s Hershey Bears and he is expected to make his NHL debut. The Flyers also caught a break when they faced Anaheim and Nashville when they were missing key players. Ovechkin sizzling. Ovechkin’s nine goals lead the NHL, and he and two of his teammates, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, share the league lead with 10 points apiece. Washington’s T.J. Oschie has seven points (five goals, two assists), tied for seventh in the NHL. In 45 career games against the Flyers, Ovechkin has 31 goals and 21 assists. Flyers shut-down center Sean Couturier and linemates Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek figure to spend a lot of time against left winger Ovechkin and his linemates. “It’s a great challenge for us to see what we’re made of,” Couturier said. “It’s an opportunity to prove we can be a top team and shut down guys like that.” Ivan Provorov, the Flyers No. 1 defenseman, agreed. “It’s nice to be able to go against first lines and defend them and frustrate them when they can’t get in the zone or can’t get a shot on net,” he said. “It’s pretty enjoyable when you can shut down first lines on other teams.” The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Ovechkin is a “great player and great scorer, and he plays with very good playmakers,” Provorov added. “For us, we’ll try to limit the chances and limit the turnovers. Don’t give him any time and space. If we play with the puck, they can’t score.” Rookie defenseman Robert Hagg will face the 32-year-old Ovechkin for the first time. 1078259 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers 8, Capitals 2: Five quick observations

Updated: OCTOBER 14, 2017 — 10:05 PM EDT by Sam Donnellon, STAFF WRITER @samdonnellon | [email protected]

Quick takes after the Flyers 8-2 victory over Washington Saturday night: 1 The Flyers have been deeper and faster than every team they have played this season. Significantly. Some of this may be due to injuries (Anaheim), or salary cap concerns (Washington), but after five games, you certainly sense a sea change. 2 Jake Voracek now has eight points – all assists — in his first five games. His assist on Wayne Simmonds power play goal to make it 3-1 looked like a magic trick. Sean Couturier scored twice last night andnow has three for the season. Claude Giroux had a pair too, one directly a result of Couturier’s hustle. I’d say that first line is working out just fine. 3 Nolan Patrick has not been the dominant force people expected when he was drafted in June. Which was a ridiculous expectation anyway. He’s barely 19 years old, and coming off significant summer surgery to mend a new core muscle injury and repair a previous one. Still, zero shots and a single hit over 17 shifts and 13:26 of ice time on a night when 4th line centerman Scott Laughton had a pair of goals, suggests a rookie who may be slightly overwhelmed right now. 4 That said, Patrick’s numbers are not much different thus far than top pick Nico Hischier, who notched his second assist in the Devils 3-2 victory over the Rangers Saturday. Patrick, with a goal and an assist, has as many points. 5 Philipp Grubauer is not Braden Holtby: Captain Obvious says you are welcome.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078260 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers, who started a five-game homestand, scored seven of the next eight goals and held Alex Ovechkin (six shots, minus-4) without a point. Flyers rout Capitals as Laughton, Couturier, Giroux net two goals each “It’s a big home stretch here to set up the year,” Laughton said. Breakaways. The Flyers had lost four of their previous five home Updated: OCTOBER 14, 2017 — 9:57 PM EDT openers…. In a surprise, defenseman Brandon Manning replaced rookie Travis Sanheim and was paired with Radko Gudas. Coach Dave Hakstol by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | wanted Manning’s physicality in the lineup….The Capitals went with an [email protected] all-rookie defensive pair of Bowey and Christian Djoos, and the Flyers took advantage….The Flyers outshot the Caps, 37-23.

The Flyers were well-rested. Washington wasn’t. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.15.2017 It showed. The Flyers had more speed, more energy, and more goals Saturday night as they opened the home portion of their season with an 8-2 win over the defensive-challenged Capitals before a sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. Scott Laughton, Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux (four points) each had two goals, and Jake Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere each had three assists for the Flyers (3-2), who played their first game since a demoralizing 6-5 loss Tuesday in Nashville. Washington (3-2-1 ) played for the third time in four nights, including back-to-back games Friday and Saturday. Wayne Simmonds (power play) and Val Filppula also scored for the Flyers. The only time in franchise history that the Flyers scored more goals in a home opener was in 1982-83, when they mauled Quebec, 9-5. “We knew they were coming in on back to backs and they’d be tired a little bit,” said goalie Brian Elliott, who made his fourth start in five games and faced only 23 shots.”We just wanted to continue with our game plan and be patiently persistent _ and that’s what we did. We kept our foot on the gas pedal.” Saturday was the 50th home opener in franchise history, and the Flyers are 28-16-6 in those games, including a 5-0-1 record against the Capitals. For what it’s worth, the Flyers have reached the Stanley Cup Finals in three of the seasons that started with a home win over Washington. “It was extremely loud, and that’s what we expected,” said Simmonds, who also contributed an assist. “…We have no time to take our foot off the gas. We have to try and accumulate as many points early on that we can.” Laughton’s shorthanded goal snapped a 1-1 tie late in the first period and brought the orange-clad crowd out of its seats. The rout was underway. Laughton intercepted John Carlson’s pass and went in alone on backup goalie Philipp Grubauer, who charged out of his net and attempted to take the puck away from the 23-year-old center. But Grubauer swiped the puck off Laughton in the left circle, and the hustling forward scooped up the carom and deposited a backhander into the empty net with 1:02 left in the first. “I saw him trying to dive out, and I thought there was one option for him, so I tried to read it to the best of my ability,”” Laughton said. “Lucky enough, I had an empty net.” With Carlson in the penalty box for slashing, Simmonds scored off the rush on a power play, making it 3-1 with 16:45 remaining in the second, one of three Flyers goals in the stanza. The ever-present Voracek set up the goals _ Simmonds’ fifth of the young season and third on the power play. Before finding a wide-open Simmonds, Voracek made a nice move to elude Madison Bowey, who made his NHL debut and was playing because of a hand injury to Matt Niskanen, the Caps’ top defenseman. Couturier had a three-point night and now has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) over his last 24 games, dating back to March 4. Laughton, who had the first two-goal game of his career, Couturier and Giroux scored third-period goals. Earlier the Flyers had taken a 1-0 lead as Couturier scored on his own rebound after taking a feed from Voracek with 12:42 to go in the first. A little over two minutes later, two Flyers forwards got caught out of position and Jakub Vrana converted a two-on-one to knot the score at 1- all. 1078261 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers rout Capitals 8-2 to win home opener

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer 7 hrs ago 0

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Claude Giroux, Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier each scored two goals to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to an 8-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Flyers in their home opener. The Flyers won a home opener for the 28th time in 50 games. Brian Elliott rebounded from a dismal six-goal outing against Nashville to stop 21 shots and win for the third time this season. NHL leading scorer Alex Ovechkin failed to record a goal or assist for just the second time in six games. He failed to score a goal in last year's season series against the Flyers for the first time in 12 seasons. Whatever the Flyers are doing to slow down one of the top players in the NHL, it's working. Philly's offense was pretty good, too. The Flyers scored three times in the second period and two each in the first and third, playing nothing like the team that missed the playoffs last season. Jakub Vrana and Nicklas Backstrom scored goals for Washington. Simmonds' fifth goal of the season came on the power play just minutes into the second period to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead. Simmonds, the NHL's third star of the week, is just four goals behind Ovechkin for the league lead. Giroux followed midway through the second to make it 4-1. Backstrom made it 4-2 while Giroux's goal — which put him 15th on the team's career list — was still being announced to the crowd. No worries about the quick give back. Filppula took a feed from Jordan Weal and flipped it over Phillip Grubauer for a 5-2 lead. Laughton, Couturier and Giroux sealed the win in the third with their second goals of the game. Laughton was all alone after he stole the puck and forced Grubauer to miscalculate and attempt a diving swipe at the puck in the circle. He whiffed and Laughton was alone for the empty-netter and a 2-1 lead with just 62 seconds left in the first. Couturier's second goal of the season came off a rebound of his own shot early in the period. Vrana evened the score off Evgeny Kuznetsov's sweet backhand pass with his second goal of the season. The Capitals put No. 1 defenseman Matt Niskanen on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The team says Niskanen is week-to- week. On LTIR, he must miss 10 games and 24 days, which means Niskanen isn't eligible to return until Nov. 7 at Buffalo. Without him, the Caps were a mess in the defensive zone and Grubauer couldn't stave off the Flyers. NOTES: The Flyers played the first game of a five-game homestand. ... The Flyers and Minnesota were the last teams to play a home opener. ... With Niskanen out, Washington recalled 22-year-old defenseman Madison Bowey from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. ... Ovechkin needed 18 games last season to score nine goals. ... Filppula played in his 800th career game.

Burlington County Times LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078262 Philadelphia Flyers For the long-range view, the implications of this move seem unlimited for a Flyers team that some people would feel is too young and perhaps still too goalie-short to compete in the postseason. But this is also a much Flyers notebook: Sean Couturier proving to be more than just a stopper deeper club than the one that couldn’t play past Game 82 in April, with enough of an upgrade in team speed to generate genuine excitement for the near future. By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times You know ... over the next 77 games. POSTED: 10/14/17, 11:57 PM EDT | UPDATED: 33 SECS AGO # For Couturier, however, it’s been a much longer haul than that getting COMMENTS here. “I know I’m going to get chances, so maybe it’s less stressful,” Couturier said. “You know, you tighten the stick a little less. When you get a PHILADELPHIA >> It was an unusual training camp for Sean Couturier, chance, it can get frustrating playing the third line or fourth line; you feel and an NHL exhibition season that probably didn’t seem as long as any like you almost have to bury the puck as soon as you can. Now, mentally, of his previous six. you get chances and more chances and you’re a little looser out there, for sure. Undoubtedly, the prep work for this Flyers season that’s now five games old was more challenging and certainly more entertaining for Couturier, “I’ve been waiting for a long time for this opportunity. So far, it’s been who thinks much older than his 24 years because of the mental stress going good and hopefully we can keep it up and do something special he’s been under all these seasons as the club’s only competent forward this year.” stopper. Scott Laughton, whose terrific training camp won him a role as the club’s You can call it a reward of sorts, Couturier being handed the No. 1 center fourth-line center, showed the home fans how effective he could be in job during training camp, but the Dave Hakstol-inspired move that that role in this first home game of the season. pushed Claude Giroux to left wing and instilled life into Couturier’s previously questioned hands has thus far been a just reward for the Laughton, whose offensive skills made him a first-round draft pick in Flyers, one and all. 2012 but didn’t previously translate to the NHL, used his speed to not only help bottle up opposing rushes but also drive the Caps’ defense nuts Against a presumably tired Washington Capitals team and sleeping off the forecheck. scoring giant Alex Ovechkin, Couturier and his top-line table setters stormed to an 8-2 victory in the home opener Saturday night at Wells Laughton went two steps further in this game. Late in the first period, he Fargo Center. stepped up to steal a puck, then flashed in on Caps goalie Philipp Grubauer, pulling him out of the crease in a flailing failed attempt at a The only other time the Flyers scored more goals in a home opener was poke check. Laughton promptly steered around the Washington backup 1982, a 9-5 win over the Quebec Nordiques, in an era where scoring in goalie and tucked the puck into the net for a 2-1 Flyers lead. NHL games wasn’t all but outlawed. It was a lead they’d never relinquish. It could be argued that this departure from the norm was helped along by the Capitals playing their third game in four nights while the Flyers had a For just reward, Laughton added another goal in the third period for his few days’ recuperation from a bad loss in Nashville Tuesday. first two-goal NHL night. What really ignited this unexpected opening blowout, however, was “I was pretty excited,” Laughton said. “To get one early like that in the Couturier, Giroux and especially Jake Voracek leaving their forward home opener, with this atmosphere ... it feels good to get on the board counterparts in the icy dust. and contribute and to get a win like that.” To that end, Ovechkin, who entered with a stunning nine goals and assist NOTES >> Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, a little shaky early on, got stronger through the Caps’ first five games, would finish this one with no points as the game went on and wound up with a 21-save victory. ... and a minus-4 rating. Overshadowed by the point-producing first line but certainly engaged with them, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had three assists and now “We were skating well,” Voracek said by way of explanation. “We were has eight through the first five games. skating better than them.”

They were skating circles around them, truth be told. Of course, you knew that just by looking at the numbers. Delaware County Times LOADED: 10.15.2017 Couturier, whose best season goal total is 15, scored twice and added an assist. Giroux, who seemingly has had no trouble adjusting to the wing for the first time since hockey childhood, scored twice and had a pair of assists. And Voracek, coming off a relatively disappointing season of 20 goals and 61 points, assisted on three goals against the Caps. He hasn’t scored yet, but he has nine assists, at least temporarily tying Ovechkin for the league lead. Then again, Voracek seems perfectly equipped to help pull Couturier’s previously obscured scoring talents out of him. “Three smart players,” Couturier said with a shrug. “We like to make plays, and we (create) a lot of offense.” Along the way, Couturier hasn’t lost any of his presence as one of the league’s better shutdown centers. He’s just doing it between two top- shelf scoring talents now. This creative coaching move caused a loud stir in camp, but wasn’t really expected to cause much of a difference on the ice. But since Giroux and Voracek’s dynamic pairing was so blunted last season — with Giroux clearly not himself coming off hip surgery — what could it hurt to try? Through five games, Giroux and Couturier have six goals and seven assists between them to go with Voracek’s nine points. “I never really discussed it with management,” Couturier said. “I don’t know how it happened. I think it was an experiment at first, to see how good we can play together. It worked from Day One and we just built on that. It got better and better.” 1078263 Philadelphia Flyers veterans around them that will help them with that. If there are some jitters and adrenaline the first couple shifts, that's to be expected. I'm confident those guys will settle in and play the way they play." Flyers notes, quotes and tidbits: Depth creates frivolous numbers The Capitals are splitting up their goaltending duties this weekend. Braden Holtby, the 2015-16 Vezina Trophy winner, played Friday night, so the Flyers will see backup Philipp Grubauer tonight. By Jordan Hall | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 14, 2017 3:06 PM That may not be a huge break.

The 25-year-old Grubauer is 2-1-0 with a 1.69 goals-against average and VOORHEES, N.J. — First, second, third or fourth. .935 save percentage in four career games against the Flyers. Does it really matter with the lines? Lineup stuff Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol doesn't care much for the numbered According to a report by Flyers.NHL.com contributor Bill Meltzer, rookie distinction between his forwards when he makes the lineup ahead of a defenseman Travis Sanheim will be a healthy scratch tonight as Brandon game. Manning inserts the lineup. But what it can do is highlight a team's depth, good or bad. Morning skate was optional so it is uncertain how the Flyers' lineup shakes out. Sanheim took part and was one of the final players off the For the Flyers right now, two exciting first-round picks no older than 20 ice, which is notable considering extra work is usually taken by the are being featured on the third line, an example of how far the Flyers healthy scratches. have come from recent years past. Based on the morning goalie work, Brian Elliott will start in net. So maybe the statuses don't matter, but they can be telling. Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick making up the third unit with Dale Weise marks a positive development for the Flyers even before their home opener against the Capitals has arrived Saturday night (see Flyers- Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 Capitals thoughts). "I don't label them," Hakstol said after the morning skate. "You guys always label them. I guess I look at the role and how guys are playing on any given night and what they contribute to our hockey team. Everybody's got to go out and do their job on any one given night. "Nolan and T.K. have been together with Weiser now for a short period of time. They've shown good chemistry, they've created good opportunities offensively, and they've been able to limit chances against. That's been a good line. I don't number them. I just look at whether they're a good line or not." Two seasons ago, Konecny and Patrick were each eclipsing 100 points at the junior level. That's some serious talent being sprinkled deeper into the Flyers' forwards group. Similar to Hakstol, Konecny doesn't care about the labels. He said the same opportunities come no matter where you play. "Our team is pretty deep this year," Konecny said. "I wouldn't consider any line any … like even our so-called fourth has been our best line. I really don't look at it any different than I did last year, I played top six last year. I'm playing with two forwards who could be top six, too, so it's good hockey. We're having fun. "I wouldn't even call it a lower role. We have Patty and Weiser on the center and the wing on my line. It's a guy with great vision and Weiser has probably one of the heaviest shots on our team. If we can get on the puck a little bit more, I think that's going to create a little bit more for us." Konecny and Patrick on a third line can also create favorable matchups against teams not as balanced, making for more chances, resulting in more confidence. "It's awesome, it's good, we get a lot of opportunities, he creates a lot of offense," Konecny said of playing with Patrick. "He's good at getting the puck out, too, which helps with transitioning from defense to offense, so it's been good so far." Just don't label them. Holy 'Ovie' Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is doing, well, what he does best — score goals. At 32 years old but in superb shape, he looks as lethal as ever. "Everybody knows he's one of the most dynamic scorers in the game," Hakstol said. "He's going at a hell of a pace right now, so we've got to do the best that we can. There are some things we can talk about to try to limit and we're going to do that." All orange The Flyers will be giving out T-shirts for the home opener. The atmosphere should be electric. How the Flyers' rookies handle the early energy rush will be important. "They know what's in store, but again, they have to go through the experience of it," Hakstol said. "They've got good older guys, older 1078264 Philadelphia Flyers • Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen suffered an upper-body injury Friday and was placed on long-term injured reserve.

Flyers-Capitals thoughts: Can big boys change trend vs. Washington in home opener? Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017

By Jordan Hall | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 14, 2017 10:25 AM Updated: 11:35 a.m.

The Flyers are one of two NHL teams still yet to play a game in their own digs. But that changes Saturday night. The 2017-18 home opener is finally here as the Flyers welcome the Washington Capitals to the Wells Fargo Center after opening with four straight road games. Let's get you set for puck drop with some thoughts before Game 5 of the season. • Beginning with the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals have become a major thorn in the sides of the Flyers' big boys. In four games against Washington last season, Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek combined for one goal and one assist. In the first-round playoff series defeat two seasons ago, the four totaled a pair of goals and four assists in six games. The Flyers are much deeper this season, but Giroux, Gostisbehere, Simmonds and Voracek remain the offensive focal points. They've been neutralized and outplayed by the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, while goalie Braden Holtby has represented a nemesis. Can Giroux and company start to shift the unbalance? It must happen if the Flyers want to be more competitive with the Capitals this season, starting Saturday. • Speaking of the Capitals, following more postseason failure, they're off to another hot start and look dangerous as usual, led by who else but Ovechkin. The Russian sniper scored 33 goals last season after three straight campaigns of 50 or more. Just when you thought maybe this was the start of him slowing down, the 32-year-old rips off nine goals in his first five games this season. Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov are the NHL's early leaders with 10 points apiece. • One positive for the Flyers is they haven't played since Tuesday. Meanwhile, Washington played the Penguins on Wednesday (lost, 3-2) and the Devils last night (won, 5-2), making Saturday the second game of a back-to-back set for the Capitals. The Flyers should have fresh legs and shouldn't be lacking for energy provided it's the home opener coming off a frustrating 6-5 loss in Nashville. • Although it's early, we're already starting to see the benefits of the Flyers' improved depth. Through the team's first four games last season, six players had scored goals. This season, nine Flyers have already tallied a marker. Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick playing third-line roles? Those are first-round picks at 20 and 19 years old, respectively, giving the Flyers playmaking threats in the bottom six, something we didn't see much of at all in 2016-17 (see story). Just think about Tuesday's game. The Flyers nearly won a 6-5 slugfest against the defending Western Conference champs without a goal from Giroux, Gostisbehere, Simmonds, Voracek, Ivan Provorov, Jordan Weal and Sean Couturier. That's a good sign. • The Flyers have lost four of their last five home openers. In order to win this one, they'll want to play with controlled aggression and puck discipline. "Don't turn pucks over,” Simmonds said Friday of the Capitals (see story). "That's when they hurt you. They have a lot of offensive firepower on that team." As the Flyers have seen, Washington is a team that doesn't need help to score. When it gets it, it tends to take advantage. The Flyers have already allowed five power-play goals for a 70.6 penalty-kill percentage, tied for 30th in the NHL. • The Flyers' morning skate in Voorhees, New Jersey, was optional. Brian Elliott took the typical preparation of the starter and was the first off the ice, signaling he'll be between the pipes. Elliott is 6-5-0 with a 3.31 GAA and .888 save percentage in 13 lifetime matchups with Washington. Michal Neuvirth is 1-1-0 with a 3.14 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in three games against his former team. He was strong against the Capitals in the 2016 playoffs. 1078265 Philadelphia Flyers "Tonight went well," Giroux said, "but we need to build on this. "I really think we're just in better shape. The camp we had, guys came to camp in great shape. We don't really get tired. I think we've got four lines Flyers eat up Capitals with 1982-like goal frenzy in home-opening treat that play great. We don't have one line playing 22 minutes or something like that, so when you have four lines going, you can keep your energy up a little bit better. By Jordan Hall | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 15, 2017 1:55 AM "We've got to stay energized, keep working hard in practice and get ready for the next game. Tonight, the fans … I haven't heard the crowd loud like that in a while, so it was great to hear." Home openers tend to feel like a party. Eight goals and a party will do that. The Flyers made sure this one was, without any chance of it dying early.

They binge-scored Saturday night at the expense of their Metropolitan Division neighbors, suffocating the Washington Capitals with an Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 outpouring of goals — an 8-2 onslaught in the Flyers' first Wells Fargo Center rendition of 2017-18 (see observations). "It just kept coming down our throat," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said. Plenty of Flyers celebrated. Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton all scored two goals, while Wayne Simmonds and Valtteri Filppula added one apiece. Giroux finished with four points and Couturier three. Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakub Voracek each had three assists. And 10 different Flyers recorded at least a point. Now that's some offense. "We played a good game," Giroux said. "I don't remember the last time that we won, 8-2, or something like that, so it's good to have a game like that. "Those games are a little bit more fun." The Flyers never had such fun last season when they consistently struggled to score goals, especially from mid-December to the finish line. They missed the playoffs after scoring the NHL's third-fewest markers since Dec. 15 with 110 in the final 50 games (2.20 per game). As a result, some doubts swirled in the offseason regarding the Flyers' core. But Saturday represented a different team. Faster skating, greater possession and more weapons. The Flyers are younger and deeper and looked it. "I think we've added a lot of depth and speed," Simmonds said. "I think those guys probably had a little more depth and speed than we do, so now it's evened up, it's who's going to play harder, who's going to want it that much more, so I think we're in a really good position." This was the first time the Flyers scored eight or more goals in a game since Nov. 5, 2011, and the first time they did so in a home opener since Oct. 7, 1982. The Flyers also saw Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds get the better of their Washington counterparts, something you couldn't say last season or the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals' big names of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom had given them trouble in recent past. So much so that Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds combined for just two points in four games against Washington last season. On Saturday, they went off for nine points (three goals, six assists). "Play with structure and play with detail," Trotz said. "If you play the right way, then your structure and your detail are going to be your security blanket. We didn’t have enough of that and we weren't smart. Absolutely stupid with the puck. We deserved every ounce of that. Giroux's line just ate up Kuznetsov's line today. It wasn't good." While many of the household names did damage Saturday, the Flyers are pleased with the blend of youth and veterans. The new fourth line of Taylor Leier, Laughton and Michael Raffl has made up one of the team's best units. Jordan Weal and Filppula are playing their first full seasons with the Flyers. Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny pose threats in the bottom six, while the defense is young and sharp, as expected. "Our veterans are playing hard, playing well and the young guys are fitting in and doing their part," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said. "It's a combination — we've played five games and the one common thread is we worked hard in all of those games and we've had everybody as a part of it, everybody has been chipping in. We haven’t gotten the results, obviously in all five games (3-2-0), but we’ve played hard as a team and that’s a good place to start." The Flyers know this is just a start. Turning it into a season is the challenge. In 2016-17, the Flyers produced goals at a top-two clip through the first two months before tailing off. 1078266 Philadelphia Flyers • Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom entered as the NHL's early leaders with 10 points apiece. They combined for just one goal and one assist. Flyers-Capitals observations: 3-goal 2nd sparks home-opening rout • Brian Elliott was solid in net with 21 saves. Capitals backup goalie Philipp Grubauer was lit up and still made 29 saves. The Flyers were all over him. By Jordan Hall | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 14, 2017 9:50 PM • The Flyers held a touching moment of silence for those affected by the deadly shooting in Las Vegas earlier this month. "Vegas Strong" flashed across the ice and chants of "U-S-A" broke out once the moment of The Flyers made clear Saturday it's a new season. silence concluded. Also, all proceeds from the Flyers' 50/50 raffle held throughout the Wells Fargo Center are benefiting victim relief efforts. With the Washington Capitals in town for the 2017-18 home opener, the Beautiful job by the Flyers and fans. Flyers put an 8-2 whipping on the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy- winning bunch. A lively Wells Fargo Center witnessed a relentless brand of offensive Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 hockey that never let up, and it wasn't from the visiting Capitals, who had hung a pair of defeats like this on the Flyers last season. This time, this season, the Flyers showed they're capable of dishing it out, too. Sean Couturier (two goals, one assist), Claude Giroux (two goals, two assists), Shayne Gostisbehere (three assists), Scott Laughton (two goals), Jakub Voracek (three assists) and Wayne Simmonds (one goal, one assist) all produced multipoint efforts as the Flyers moved to 3-2-0 to commence a five-game homestand. Impressively, the last time the Flyers scored eight or more goals in a home opener was 1982, when they tallied nine. The Capitals, playing the second game of a back-to-back set, dropped to 3-2-1. This marked the first meeting of a four-game season series between the Metropolitan Division teams. Now, let's get into some observations: • Voracek looked filthy with the puck in creating a point-blank chance for Simmonds on a second-period power play as the Flyers snared a 3-1 lead. Give Voracek some space with a head of steam, and he'll make plays. Madison Bowey still has no idea where Voracek is. Voracek has nine assists through five games and was buzzing Saturday. Not long after Simmonds' goal, he made a stunning fake for separation and another good look, this one to Laughton, who missed wide. No problem, though, because the Flyers scored moments later when Giroux deflected home his first of the game off a Couturier pass. The first line of Giroux, Couturier and Voracek was thoroughly dominant, and when it is, the Flyers will be tough outs. • If Giroux has lost a step at all, his vision, however, hasn't gone anywhere. The Flyers' game-opening goal at 7:18 of the first period all started with Giroux making a magnificent cross-ice pass to a streaking Voracek, who found Couturier opposite in front. Couturier's first shot didn't go but he was able to corral the rebound and put it home. None of it happens without an igniter from Giroux, who is one assist shy of 400 for his career. In the third period, Couturier and Giroux each tacked on their second tallies as the rout went into high gear. There's no arguing the Flyers' big three came up small against this Capitals team last season. Giroux, Simmonds and Voracek combined for two points in four matchups with Washington. The trio was a different animal Saturday, delivering three goals and six assists for nine points. What an answer in the home opener. • Weal really got after it late in the second period to help extend the Flyers' lead to 5-2. He maneuvered his way into the offensive zone with the puck and then made a nice hesitation to set up Valtteri Filppula's third goal of the season. Weal is off to a promising start and that goal was important because it came after the Capitals made it a 4-2 game a little less than seven minutes prior. • Mr. Laughton, take a bow. The rejuvenated fourth-liner netted a pair of goals. Before Saturday, Laughton hadn't scored an NHL goal since April 10, 2016. And good for him, because he worked hard at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley last season and seems to have found himself in 2017-18, adopting his new role. He made a heady play near the end of the first period by skating hard, attacking the puck carrier and forcing a turnover to score a shorthanded goal, giving the Flyers a 2-1 lead. It was eerily similar to a certain goal in 1078267 Philadelphia Flyers team or anybody else’s, there’s 20 good players that are going to be in the lineup.”

Saturday’s game is the only one of the first 21 games of the season that Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth not a platoon in Flyers goal just yet the Flyers play a division opponent. … The home opener also started a five-game homestand. That’s the longest of the season, but the Flyers have two of them. The other one is in December. … The next time the Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 12:58 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 Flyers face the Capitals will be January 21.

VOORHEES — Despite what the Flyers said coming into the season, it Courier-Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 doesn’t look like there’s much of a split between the pipes. At least not yet. Saturday marked the Flyers’ fifth game of the season and it was Brian Elliott’s fourth start. The only game Michal Neuvirth got in was the second half of a back-to-back scenario and he was stellar. Last year that would have earned him another start. This year it seems coach Dave Hakstol wants to keep playing Elliott to get his confidence up. “Like any player, to feel good about what you’re doing and to have confidence in what you’re doing, I think is important,” Hakstol said. Elliott, coming off a game where he gave up half a dozen goals in Nashville, got the nod against the Washington Capitals in the home opener. He was not made available at Saturday’s morning skate despite the NHL’s bylaws requiring all players on the ice to be available to the media. It meant another day of extra work for Neuvirth, who made 23 saves on 25 shots against the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday. “I’ve just been working hard and working hard on the details every day before or after practice, spending a lot of time with Kim (Dillabaugh, the team’s goalie coach) not playing and working hard,” Neuvirth said. “Whenever I get an opportunity I’m gonna be ready.” The oft-injured Neuvirth is completely healthy. He also noted the difference from last year after he played in the World Cup of Hockey. Nearly every player is upbeat and feeling good in October, but Neuvirth returned to the NHL from the Czech Republic national team with a shot confidence and didn’t get into any rhythm once the Flyers got started. Last season Neuvirth was dead last in save percentage at .891 among goalies who played at least 15 games in the league. Elliott wasn’t vastly better at .909, tied for the 16th lowest of the 58 goalies in the bunch. “I feel great during practice. I feel quick,” Neuvirth said. ‘I feel like I’m tracking the puck well. I like how I practice and whenever I’m gonna play I’m gonna go into the game with confidence.” So Neuvirth waits while the Flyers continue giving Elliott an extra look. At some point things figure to look more even in terms of time in net, but it’s interesting that the Flyers have given Elliott all the starts but one despite not having great performances. “We’ve obviously got a home stretch here and both guys are going to contribute during that home stretch,” Hakstol said. “We want both of our guys feeling good and play well and contributing. That’s going to be important for us. It’s not all about one guy. It’s about both guys and how it fits in with our team concept.” The Capitals played Friday night in Newark and it was a costly game despite handing the Devils their first loss of the season. Top-pair defenseman Matt Niskanen was slashed on his left hand and left the game (interestingly with no penalty called despite the league trying to crack down on slashes). Saturday morning Niskanen was on long-term injured reserve and Madison Bowey was recalled. It’s not the first time this season the Flyers have benefitted from a team dealing with injuries. In Nashville, captain Roman Josi was out of the lineup for the Predators and the Anaheim Ducks missed six players against the Flyers. “We caught them on a good night,” Dale Weise said. “Those are probably their top five players so to miss those guys are huge. I think it’s a good opportunity for young guys to get a longer look. The league is so good now there’s so many good players. You miss top guys, guys fill in the same, there’s really no difference. Obviously Anaheim is an extreme case, but it’s a good opportunity for other guys to fill in.” With the Flyers depth, they figure they’ll be well suited to deal with it whenever the injury bug bites them. “The schedule is what it is,” Hakstol said. “You’ve got to go and play the games on any given night. Regardless of who’s in or who’s out on our 1078268 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers vs. Capitals: 3 things to watch in Game 5

Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 7:15 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 11:40 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

THREE THINGS TO WATCH 1. The physical game The Flyers don't employ an old-school fourth line anymore that can't skate or play with the puck. Instead they have Taylor Leier, Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl, a unit that played well enough the first two games that they were the Flyers' most effective line. So they'll have to find a way to deal with , who has already been suspended twice since preseason. It will likely be a physical affair, as many meetings between the Flyers and Capitals are, but there aren't many who drop the gloves on this team. Usually that's not necessary, but with Wilson you never know. 2. Power play consistency Albeit a small sample size, the Flyers' power play has been much improved from last season. There's a few reasons why: a legitimate second power-play unit, early success from the first unit and more plays in their power-play playbook. “We’ll have our ups and downs. We know that,” captain Claude Giroux said. “In San Jose it was pretty good. We had a good power play, then as L.A. we weren’t as good. It’s about trying to be consistent. There’s going to be games where everything goes in and some games where it just won’t go in. You’ve got to stay with your composure and don’t try to do too much, press too much.” 3. Goalie matchup Brian Elliott will be between the pipes once again. He is 6-5-0 in 13 career games against the Caps with a 3.31 goals-against average .888 save percentage. Seeing as how the Capitals were in Newark Friday night, Philipp Grubauer will likely get the start after backing up Friday. He is 2-1-0 in four career games against the Flyers with a 1.69 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

Courier-Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078269 Philadelphia Flyers “I think any time you play within your division it’s a four-point game,” said Wayne Simmonds, who had two points. “Those are two points Washington can no longer gain back. That’s great for us and now we 5 takeaways: Flyers’ self-proclaimed ‘Ginger Line’ learning someone has look ahead. We want to stay even-keeled on this team. We look ahead to to shoot our next game, maybe take a second to enjoy this one but that’s it.” More on this in Monday’s Courier-Post, but the Flyers can skate and they want everyone to know it. So many times in the past they were Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 11:32 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | outworked by opponents and in the first five games no team has been Updated 11:32 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 able to keep up with them. Why is it that everyone seems a few miles-per-hour faster? PHILADELPHIA — Is five games too soon for a line to have its own “I think guys were just tired of not making the playoffs,” Giroux said. nickname? “Guys did a good job this summer.” Because Sean Couturier has one already. The question now becomes how sustainable it is. “Maybe the Ginger Line?” “Five games in I’m happy we’re playing the way we’re playing,” Voracek said. “We outskated them. Now it’s a big question of when we’re gonna The experiment believed to be short lived of having Couturier center the hit the wall, which we will eventually. It’s not going to last for a long time. Flyers’ top line and Claude Giroux be on the left wing has only gotten It can last for three, four games max. Maybe grind out some points when better. Saturday night, Giroux, Couturier and Jake Voracek, the redheads you don’t play well.” up front, exploded for a combined 10 points. The Flyers skated circles around a tired Washington Capitals team and beat them 8-2. All the attention has been on Travis Sanheim for the Flyers’ defense and how the rookie is faring. Well Robert Hagg is a rookie also and had 21 Sure, the Capitals were without Matt Niskanen and played against a New minutes of ice time against the Caps. He’s been steady, which is what Jersey Devils team Friday night that can skate like the wind. The new top helped him make the roster in the first place. trio for the Flyers had been building toward a game like this so the touch passes and speed they had Saturday night that made them look like A new part of his game, in the NHL anyway, is that the physical side of hockey’s Harlem Globetrotters might not just be an outlier. his game showed up. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound blueliner was credited with three hits, but it sure seemed like more. “Tonight maybe the difference was maybe we shot the puck a little more,” Couturier said. “I think it shows up on the stats, too. We scored. We’re “I think that’s always been a part of his game,” Hakstol said. “He’s not out three guys that like to make passes, make plays, but when we have a there looking for big hits, but he’s a heavy body and he uses his skating chance to shoot we need to shoot and go to the net. Tonight was a good ability and his size to his advantage. He’s pretty good in terms of example of that.” separating people from pucks by using his body. It’s not about the big hit. It’s about coming up with possession and then being able to move it.” It was Couturier’s fourth career two-goal game, Giroux’s eighth four-point game and Voracek’s 22nd three-point game. There is certainly offensive There were shades of Mike Richards, the former Flyers captain, when potential and coach Dave Hakstol knew that when he put them together Scott Laughton scored his first of two on the night. in training camp. When Laughton was a first-round pick in 2012 he drew some The question was always going to be who would shoot on that line of comparisons to Richards, but this goal was scary similar to Richards’ three playmakers. shorthanded tally against Montreal in the 2010 playoffs. “I think they have been doing that, though,” Hakstol said. “I don’t think Laughton steals the puck twice before making a quick move to slide the that was really a change for them. I think they have been doing that. puck in an empty net. Obviously tonight they had some of the results that were really good for them, but those guys are continuing to build chemistry and that is “I think last year helped my game playing in all situations and really obviously real important for our hockey team. They were one of the lines contributing down in the minors,” Laughton said. “I think that’s what was that had a good night tonight, I thought everybody did their part.” best for me. (GM Ron Hextall) kind of told me that. I played in all situations and it’s helped my game, but at the same time I have to Each of the three would have reason to come into the season motivated. continue to go. it’s only five games into the year. I’ve got to maintain it Giroux and Voracek weren’t exactly at their best last season and and be consistent. Couturier has always gotten flak for not being a true No. 2 center. Apparently, he can play No. 1 just fine. After all, he had been the Flyers’ shut down defender for most of his Dave Isaac career so he’s used to playing against the opposition’s top lines. For Courier-Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 parts of Saturday night his unit was against Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Kuznetsov co-leads the league with 11 points. The offensive explosion is something the Flyers needed. Last season they were tied for 20th in the league in goals. The ginger on the right wing cautions not to make a number be the objective. “I think Washington was a little tired from (Friday night when they played the New Jersey Devils). It was a tough game on their legs,” Voracek said. “I don’t think this is a game where we can look at it and say, ‘We scored I don’t know how many goals and now it’s going to be like that every game.’ We try as a line to be in the plus numbers. If we’re going to be in the plus numbers as a line every night, there’s a good chance we’re going to win the game.” The win was the only game in the first 21 contests for the Flyers against a fellow Metropolitan Division team. They certainly showed Saturday what they are potentially capable of. “They’re so important points to grab,” Couturier said. “Last year I’m not sure about our record against the division but it’s probably not that great. You need to grab those points and tonight it’s a good start to show our division we’re for real.” Well, they were 12-14-4 against the Metropolitan Division last year and lost out on a playoff spot by seven points. Among the many what-if’s, better in-division play was there. 1078270 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins discuss Sidney Crosby's otherworldly hand-eye coordination

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, 11:18 p.m. Updated 7 hours ago

The Penguins returned home to beat the Panthers on Saturday thanks to two redirected goals from Sidney Crosby. Here, they elaborate on Crosby's hand-eye coordination

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078271 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 10.15.2017 Penguins bounce back with win over Panthers

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, 9:57 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

Matt Murray knows what the nightmare looks like because he sees it in practice every day. When Sidney Crosby is at his puck-batting best around the blue paint, an opposing goaltender barely stands a chance. Crosby scored two goals on redirections from the right post, leading the Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. The Penguins are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games against the Panthers. “That makes a goalie's job so much harder, when you're getting sticks on pucks,” Murray said. “It's so hard to react to it when it's that close to you. That's why he's able to get so many goals like that. It's really tough for goalies to make those saves.” Crosby's first redirection gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the first period. Phil Kessel slid a high-velocity pass from the left faceoff circle to the far post, and Crosby turned it into the cage. Crosby's second was even more improbable. He took a swing at a Kris Letang pass that was 8 or 10 inches off the ice and drove it in off goalie James Reimer's blocker. “It doesn't surprise me because I see him do it all the time,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has such great hand-eye coordination. I think he's the best in the game in and around that net.” Crosby's hand-eye coordination is legendary, and it's something he said he and Patric Hornqvist work on all the time. “Horny and I, four or five times a week are working on stuff like that,” Crosby said. “He loves doing those kind of drills around the net. We both end up there a lot. We want to make sure we can get our sticks on pucks.” The Penguins needed Crosby's hand-eye heroics because at no point in Saturday's game were the Panthers going away. They outshot the Penguins, 46-33, and while most agreed part of that was because Florida's game plan was to get pucks on net from everywhere, there were stretches where the Panthers dominated play. In the second period, for instance, they outshot the Penguins, 20-8, and got a pair of goals from Jonathan Huberdeau. In the third period, after the Penguins pulled ahead by two on Crosby's second goal, Aaron Ekblad answered to make it a nail-biting, one-goal game down the stretch. Sullivan said the Penguins actually could learn a thing or two from the Panthers. “I wish our guys would adopt a little more of a shooting mindset,” Sullivan said. “We pass up opportunities to put the puck on the net when we're in pretty good areas because we're looking for that next play, and a lot of times, that next play never materializes.” The Penguins survived Florida's surges thanks to Crosby, a couple other timely goals and a strong showing from Murray. Each time the Panthers tied the score in the second period, the Penguins answered. First, Greg McKegg scored his first Penguins goal on a shorthanded backhander. Then, Hornqvist scored a prototypical Hornqvist goal, diving head-first into the crease to shove a rebound past Reimer to give the Penguins the lead for good at 3-2. Murray made 43 saves to improve to 3-0-1 on the season. “They throw a lot of pucks from everywhere,” Crosby said. “It's not easy when you've got to track those rebounds and track the puck through traffic. He made some big ones for us.” The Penguins are 3-0-1 this season when they're not playing the tail end of back-to-back games. They're 0-2 under those challenging circumstances. That's probably not a coincidence. “We better get used to it,” Crosby said. “We've got a lot more left.” 1078272 Pittsburgh Penguins

Malkin, Kessel back together as Penguins prepare for Panthers

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, 12:42 p.m. Updated 7 hours ago

When coach Mike Sullivan says no part of his lineup is etched in stone, he really means it. When the Penguins convened for morning skate before taking on the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel were skating on the top line while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were back together on the second line. Those two pairs were practically inseparable during last season's playoff run and they were stapled to each other exclusively during training camp and the preseason. Yet here the Penguins are five games into the regular season, and there have already been stretches where the two most bedrock pairs on the lineup card have been broken up. At times in the last two games, Crosby has skated with Conor Sheary and Patric Hornqvist, bumping Guentzel down the lineup card. Malkin and Kessel, meanwhile, did not finish Thursday's 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay on the same line. “Different players go through the ebbs and flows of the season and sometimes players are in a certain state of mind where they're at the top of their games and other times, players go through struggles,” Sullivan said. “That's the nature of our game. One of the challenges, as a coaching staff, is trying to help players through the struggling times and leverage the opportunities that we have when they're playing extremely well.” In general, it's reasonable to expect the Guentzel-Crosby and Malkin- Kessel tandems will continue to be the default starting point when Sullivan is making out his lineup card. Where it ends up, though, is never etched in stone. “It's an inexact science,” Sullivan said. “You're dealing with human nature. Sometimes it's going to be difficult to figure out.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078273 Pittsburgh Penguins Chad Ruhwedel made the best breakout pass of the season last game against Tampa Bay, setting up Conor Sheary for a goal.

Maybe league-wide, honestly. Preview: Why not more excitement for Panthers Ruhwedel had a couple last year, too. So after morning skate, I asked him what he was thinking there. JASON MACKEY “We’re a team that tries to play fast,” Ruhwedel said. “If we can stretch a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette forward and pull their D back, sometimes they get behind them. We try to hit them. Luckily I’ve been able to connect on a few.” [email protected] Penguins own a nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) here that dates back 12:52 PM OCT 14, 2017 to Dec. 20, 2014. They’ve won five in a row at home and swept the season series in 2016-17, outscoring Florida, 12-3. Crosby was responsible for five of those goals. The Penguins skated this morning at PPG Paints Arena, the same as If he turns out to be the winning goaltender tonight, Matt Murray will tie they always do before a game. general manager Jim Rutherford for 10th place on the franchise’s all-time wins list with 44. They answered questions, the same as they always do before a game. Sheary has goals in back-to-back games for the fifth time in his career. One weird thing: Not a solitary one of them was about the Florida He’s never scored in three straight. Panthers, Saturday’s opponent. Olli Maatta is riding a career-long three-game point streak with one goal Why? and four points during that stretch. Pittsburgh Penguins Phil Kessel during power play drills September 16 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Pa. Post Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 Are the 2-1 Panthers not worth it? Shouldn’t be the case. They rank second in the NHL in shots on goal (40.7) and fourth in goals per game (4.33). They’re filled with young talent and could easily challenge for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Perhaps it’s because, with Jaromir Jagr now in Calgary, the Panthers don’t have the entertainment value here that they once had. Or maybe the Penguins (2-2-1) simply have too much intrigue surrounding them at this point. Through five games, they’ve been all over the map. Consider: • Evgeni Malkin scored in the first three games, went without a point over the past two and criticized himself Thursday in Tampa. • The penalty kill shut down 18 straight, then coughed up a pair of power- play goals. • Coach Mike Sullivan has tinkered quite a bit with his top-six, going so far as to separate the Sidney Crosby-Jake Guentzel and Malkin-Phil Kessel pairings we’ve come to expect. • The Penguins have allowed five or more goals in three of five, all losses. Does that mean anything? Or is an early-season aberration? • The Penguins’ power play has seen mixed results as well. Goals in four of five, but four of the power play’s six goals coming from the second unit. • Meanwhile, the Penguins have not gotten a ton of offensive production out of their third or fourth lines during five-on-five play, a luxury they certainly enjoyed the past two seasons. The conclusion? It’s five games. The sample size is small. The Penguins are still very much evolving. But with a sneaky-good Panthers team in town, this game has plenty of entertainment value. Just not in the sense of celebrating an NHL legend. We need to see more, in a difficult setting, to learn more. Speaking of McKegg, he goes against his old team tonight. McKegg played 46 games for Florida the past two seasons. The Panthers were the first team to really give him an opportunity. “Learned a lot there,” McKegg said. “It was a great place to play. It was a good experience. I had a lot of fun.” So maybe he can appreciate the under-the-radar-ness that are these Panthers. Nick Bjugstad and Upper St. Clair’s Vince Trocheck have two goals apiece. Aleksander Barkov is a criminally underrated player. Aaron Ekblad is a legit top-pairing guy on the back end. These guys play fast, similar to the Penguins, and they’re an excellent watch. “They’re built on speed,” McKegg said. “Obviously they play a fast-paced game and generate off transition. They’re a good team. They’ve played well so far.” 1078274 Pittsburgh Penguins guy, he comes to the rink with a smile on his face, he works his tail off to be the best player he can be and he waits for the coaching staff to call on him.” Penguins power play shows off its depth Sullivan noted that he had conversations with both Archibald and Scott Wilson, who was the winger forced out of the lineup when Hornqvist returned. Both players will almost certainly play a role for the Penguins SAM WERNER AND JASON MACKEY this season. They just have to be patient for when that chance will come. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “When we’re completely healthy up front, we have a very competitive roster and we have difficult decisions to make,” Sullivan said. “The 12:41 PM OCT 14, 2017 players, all they can do is control what’s within their power to help us win and be ready for that opportunity when they’re called upon.”

Panthers coach Bob Boughner played 630 NHL games for six different The Penguins’ power play has never lacked for star power, but so far this franchises, including the Penguins from 1999-2001. season it has flashed some of its depth, too. It’s probably safe to say that two of the things he experienced here are Through five games, the Penguins are tied for second in the NHL with six near the top of the list. man-advantage goals on the season. Their 26.1 percent success rate is seventh-best in the league. First was the five-overtime game, a 2-1 loss to the Flyers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 9, 2000. Four of those goals have come from the mainstay top-unit players — Kris Letang, Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby. Boughner played 50:10 that night, logging 66 shifts on defense. But Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust have also tallied power-play goals this season, and Jake Guentzel’s first-period score against Tampa Bay “I remember the whole arena running out of food,” Boughner said. “All the Thursday night might as well count, too, as it came just four seconds concessions were gone. The players were so hungry at that point, the after a Lightning power play expired. only thing we could do was call for pizza delivery. We had a pizza delivery guy in our room dropping off pizzas in between periods. There In addition to Sheary and Rust, Olli Maatta, Scott Wilson and Greg was not a morsel left in the arena that night.” McKegg are all averaging at least 30 seconds of power-play time per game. Justin Schultz is a regular too, flipping back and forth between the Boughner, who couldn't recall where the Penguins ordered from that first and second unit. night, said he also remembers the sight of sleeping children in the stands. Coach Mike Sullivan has tinkered quite a bit with his top-six, going so far as to separate the Sidney Crosby-Jake Guentzel and Malkin-Phil Kessel “Even the players that were involved in that game, you had the mindset, pairings we’ve come to expect. ‘Someone has to score here. Let’s get this over with.’ ” “I think we’re just going out there and we’re having fun with it,” Rust The second crystal-clear memory for Boughner was Mario Lemieux’s said. “We’re working hard, we’re working together. We’re kind of taking return on Dec. 27, 2000. that 5-on-5 mentality and applying it to the power play. Just try and get pucks back, work them around and get pucks to the net.” “That was pretty special,” Boughner said. “The guys we had, we had an amazing team. We got knocked out by Jersey that year. I’ll just That mindset comes partially from Sullivan, who said his mantra to the remember how talented we were and what kind of team we put together power-play units is “Let’s not play power play, let’s play hockey.” here.” “Sometimes there’s a tendency when you have a 5-on-4 scenario to Defenseman Ian Cole skated on his own before the Penguins’ morning exhale and maybe try to slow the game down,” Sullivan said. “Maybe try skate Saturday. He has missed the last two games after taking a slap to play a little more under control or not necessarily play with the level of shot to the face Oct. 7 against Nashville, which caused him to lose some urgency that’s necessary. teeth. “It’s the level of urgency to make sure you win puck battles, you go to the “He’s making progress,” Sullivan said. “The next step obviously for him is net, you do the little things that help power plays have success.” to join the team, but he hasn’t done that yet. He’s certainly making significant progress.” The Panthers were averaging the fourth-most penalty minutes per game league-wide entering Saturday's game. Knowing the damage the Penguins could inflict, Florida coach Bob Post Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 Bougher said he was looking for a little bit more discipline out of his team. "You can’t these guys get on the power play all night," Boughner said. "It’s a tough way to win in this building.” Sullivan admitted Saturday that he would probably like to eventually get backup goalie Antti Niemi some action in a game that’s not the second half of a back-to-back. Both of Niemi’s starts this season — in Chicago and in Tampa — have come after a game the night before, with a late night of travel and no morning skate. It showed, too, with the Penguins giving up a combined 78 shots in those two games, both losses. “I’d ideally like to put Antti in a situation where he’s got an opportunity to have a fresh hockey team in front of him,” Sullivan said. “His two starts to this point have been really difficult games logistically. But he’s aware of that, that’s part of his job. He understands it.” That could mean a spot start in a game that’s not part of one of the Penguins’ 19 back-to-backs, or Sullivan could opt to give Niemi the first leg in one of them — the next one being next Friday and Saturday against Florida and Tampa Bay — with Matt Murray taking the second game. Josh Archibald has been on the Penguins’ roster since opening night, but he has yet to see action. Patric Hornqvist’s return from injury this week didn’t make a breakthrough into the lineup any more likely, either. “All a player can do is control what they can to be at their very best, and it starts with their attitude when they come to the rink every day,” Sullivan said. “That’s one of the things that we love about Archie. He’s a positive 1078275 Pittsburgh Penguins “It’s about mind over matter and not making excuses that you’re tired, you played the night before, you traveled,” Murray said. “We’re going to have a bunch of those this year. It’s something we have to get used to. Murray on back-to-backs: ‘We have to be better’ Peter Diana/Post- Again, if we’re going to be a good team. We have to start playing a lot Gazette better on those back-to-backs.”

JASON MACKEY Jason Mackey: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Post Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 [email protected] 11:36 PM OCT 14, 2017

Six games into the Penguins season, they’ve already played two sets of back-to-back games. You remember the Chicago debacle. The second time on the second night – Thursday at Tampa Bay – was better but still not good enough. “I think that’s something we need to figure out,” Matt Murray said Saturday after stopping 43 of 46 shots in a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers are PPG Paints Arena. “If we’re going to be a good team, we have to be a lot better on our back-to-backs.” Give Murray some credit here. And not for withstanding a barrage of shots from a talented Panthers team. The Penguins have been looking for vocal leaders to step up this season, and he knocked it out of the park. It’s obvious to say you have to be better than losing 10-1, but it also could be translated into alarm-sounding if you’re saying such things after just two of 19 back-to-back sets. Penguins Sidney Crosby practices Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Twp, PA. When your goalie who just worked his tail off says something like that, however, you listen. “We have a whole lot of them this year, so it’s something that we need to be aware of and get a lot better at,” Murray said. As for Murray’s performance Saturday, it was arguably his best of the regular season to date, ranking right up there with Nashville a week ago. Numbers-wise, the 46 shots he faced were a regular-season high, as he improved to 23-4-4 all-time at home during the regular season. How the Penguins defended either of Jonathan Huberdeau’s second- period goals wasn’t great, either. And the third goal Murray allowed was kind of funky. It was an Aaron Ekblad shot that had some serious movement on it, almost like a cut fastball. “It was rolling,” Murray explained. “It was through a bit of a screen. To be honest, I don’t think he knew where it was going, much less anybody else. That’s a tough one. It kind of dips. It’s going over the net. It kind of dips at the last second and goes bar and in. It’s a tough save. It’s obviously one that I’d like to have back, but we were able to get it done. That’s what matters.” The Penguins got it done because of a pair of redirects by Sidney Crosby. He’s flat-out ridiculous at that sort of thing. Matt Murray made a season-high 43 saves Saturday night. As a goalie, you better believe Murray doesn’t mind getting to avoid Crosby – and also Patric Hornqvist – around the net. “He scores some pretty crazy goals every year –batting pucks from crazy spots where you don’t think he’s going to get a stick on it and he does,” Murray said. “That makes a goalie’s job so much harder, when you’re getting sticks on pucks. It’s so hard to react to it when it’s that close to you. That’s why he’s able to get so many goals like that. It’s really tough for a goalie to make those saves.” It’s been tough for either Penguins goaltender – but especially Antti Niemi – to make saves on the second night of back-to-backs. With another looming this coming Saturday in Tampa, don’t be surprised if you see Niemi get the first night and Murray play the second, either because Murray wants to step up like this or the Penguins coaches want to get a better read on Niemi. And when that happens, Murray wants the Penguins’ mindset to be different than it has been. 1078276 Pittsburgh Penguins only-he-can-do-that kind of tip-in — and was creating offense all night. He was back on a line with Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary, and that trio really could have had at least one or two more goals, too. They were Penguins unconcerned with high number of shots allowed against Florida constantly creating odd-man rushes and buzzing around James Reimer’s net.

2. This game also showed the value that Patric Hornqvist brings to this SAM WERNER team. He was a constant pain in Reimer’s side just about every second he was on the ice. He scored perhaps the most Patric Hornqvist goal in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the history of Patric Hornqvist goals in the second period to put the Penguins ahead. He nearly got a second, but it was overturned on a [email protected] pretty clear-cut case of goaltender interference. Honestly, though, the 11:16 PM OCT 14, 2017 way Hornqvist plays, it’s almost a miracle he doesn’t get called for more of those. He’s very good at being a constant pain and presence around the net, but most of the time (flattening Reimer excepted) doesn’t go over the line. Hornqvist also had a beautiful feed to Carl Hagelin in front of the The Penguins came into Saturday night’s game against Florida well net earlier in the night that, quite frankly, has to be converted into a goal. aware of the Panthers’ propensity to shoot the puck. 3. Phil Kessel didn’t score, but he looks like he’s close to a breakout Kris Letang even rattled off their shot totals in the first three games from game. He had four shots, giving him at least that many in five of the memory: 36, 48, 38. Penguins’ six games. Against Florida, though, he also got some more So even though the 46 shots against in the Penguins’ 4-3 win may jump quality looks than he did Thursday night against Tampa, including one off the stat sheet, it wasn’t exactly cause for concern in the locker room coming in off the right wing that rocketed off Reimer’s facemask. Kessel after the game. did have a nice assist on Crosby’s opening goal, but it looks like a patented Phil Kessel goal-scoring hot streak may not be too far off. “Sometimes they’re not great shots,” Letang said. “The shot clock, it doesn’t show what happened in the game most of the time.” Murray on back-to-backs: ‘We have to be better’ Sam Werner: The Panthers didn’t get many of those, and most of the ones they did get Post Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 ended up bouncing off Matt Murray, who stopped 43 of the 46 shots he faced. “He was solid for us,” Sidney Crosby said. “Again tonight, they throw a lot of pucks from everywhere. It’s not easy when you have to track those rebounds and track the puck through a lot of traffic. He made some big ones throughout the night for us.” Perhaps none more important than in the final minute, as the Panthers maintained possessions and unleashed a furious rally to try and force overtime. Murray agreed, though, that the Panthers’ shot selection was more quantity than quality. “I don’t think we gave them a huge amount of really good chances,” Murray said. “I think they just kind of shot the puck from everywhere. They were good at getting guys to the net. We did a pretty good job of handling that, I think.” So even though the shot totals were up from the 5-4 loss in Tampa Thursday night, both Mike Sullivan and Penguins players said they felt this game didn’t devolve into a “track meet,” with the teams trading chance for chance, the way the game against the Lightning did. The Penguins have the talent to win those “track meet” type games by virtue of their elite offensive skill players — they went 9-1-2 last year when they gave up 40 or more shots — but if the goal is higher than just winning games, that has to change. “One of the cornerstone characteristics of our identity has to be becoming a team that’s more difficult to play against,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard to score your way to a championship in this league.” For his part, Sullivan did say he thought the Penguins “reeled it in” in that regard as compared to the game against Tampa Bay, and his players agreed. “For whatever reason, I didn’t think it was a track meet,” Murray said. “I guess there were a lot of shots both ways, but I didn’t feel like they had a really high amount of Grade-A chances. I thought they out-played us big- time in the second period. Other than that, I thought we were pretty good.” Pretty good, even though the Panthers’ shots on goal average will, amazingly, tick up after their barrage unleashed on Murray Saturday night. “Obviously you want to reduce that,” Letang said. “But at the end of the day, that’s not what we’re looking at.” Three thoughts 1. Hello, Sidney Crosby. Jason wrote about Crosby’s superb night in his game story, but this game is a perfect example of how he’s capable of breaking out at any moment. Crosby had had a relatively quiet first five games to the season, with just one goal and five assists going into Saturday night. He was also coming off his first pointless game of the season against Tampa Bay. But against the Panthers, he was everywhere. He had the two goals – including the second one on an 1078277 Pittsburgh Penguins since returning from offseason hand surgery this past Wednesday in Washington.

Crosby deflected a hard shot-pass from Phil Kessel in the first period, but Sidney Crosby tips scales for Penguins in win over Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau answered in the second for Florida, scoring the first of two goals for him in the middle period. JASON MACKEY Greg McKegg picked up his first goal as a Penguin, a shorthanded tally, in between the Huberdeau tallies. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette As prolific as Crosby and Murray were on this night, the Penguins’ puck [email protected] management could still use some work. Evgeni Malkin was careless on Huberdeau’s first goal, and Sullivan was critical of the Penguins’ pass- 9:58 PM OCT 14, 2017 happy approach after the game. “It’s a great lesson for us because they create a lot,” Sullivan said. “We’re a team that has a little bit of a different mindset. I wish our guys would Sidney Crosby isn’t a huge tennis player. Baseball, maybe. At least in his adopt a little bit more of a shooting mindset.” younger days. Tennis not so much. No problem for Crosby doing that on what turned out to be the game- It’s a shame, if you think about it, what with the world-class eye-hand winning tally, which gave him 10 goals and 18 points in his last 10 games coordination the man possesses. Few players are better at deflections, against the Panthers. tipping shots or scoring goals from did-he-really-do-that angles. Crosby wasn’t trying to bank the puck off of James Reimer. Just put it on With the Penguins needing to bank a win against one of the rare inferior net, trusting his experience that something positive could happen. teams on their difficult early-season schedule, Crosby went work banking pucks into the back of the cage. “That kind of angle, you’re just trying to put it toward the net anywhere you can,” Crosby said. “I don’t know. I think it went through his blocker Crosby scored on a pair of deflections to propel the Penguins to a 4-3 side. You’re just trying to get as much as you can on it and get it toward victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, his the net. second and third goals of the season coming from a total of only a couple feet. “It was nice to see that one go in.” Pittsburgh Penguins Phil Kessel during power play drills September 16 at Should be a familiar feeling by this point. the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Pa. Scary moment at 1:54 of the second period, when Bryan Rust was “We work on it a lot,” Crosby said. “[Patric Hornqvist] and I four or five checked into the bench door by Florida’s Nick Bjugstad. Fortunately for times a week are working on stuff like that. He loves doing those kinds of the Penguins, Rust was OK. … Penguins have won 17 of their past 19 drills, around the net. I think we both end up there a lot. We want to make against the Panthers in Pittsburgh. … Hornqvist hit Colton Sceviour up sure we can get our sticks on pucks.” high late and could hear from the league, as the principal point of contact appeared to be Sceviour's head. No problem there. Technically Crosby scored his goals from 9 and 10 feet – according to NHL stats, which should be taken with a couple pounds of salt – and Hornqvist poked his through from 9 feet. Post Gazette LOADED: 10.15.2017 Which one of Crosby’s tallies was better? That’s tough. It’s like picking a favorite among your children. Both were pretty. For the sake of circumstance, though, let’s go with the second one. The Penguins were nursing a 3-2 lead, one that was relatively wobbly given a second period where the Panthers out-shot the Penguins, 20-9. Stationed to the right of Panthers goaltender James Reimer, Crosby whacked Kris Letang’s delivery out of mid-air, put it off Reimer’s blocker and in. “I was hoping he was going to leave it on the ice, but he lifted it,” Crosby started. “At first I was going to shoot and they kind of overplayed the shot, so I was able to deke to the middle,” Letang continued. “I saw Sid on the side, so I just turned and I threw it right to him.” Murray on back-to-backs: ‘We have to be better’ Think about that for a second. A defenseman adjusted what he was going to do, saw Crosby near the goal and basically fired a shot at him, confident Crosby would do what he did. Yeah, status quo for Crosby. Crosby admitted that the hand-eye coordination “maybe a little bit” has something to do with his baseball-playing days. It’s definitely attributable to his practice habits with Hornqvist and how maniacal Crosby is about working on everything. “I see him do it all the time,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has such great hand-eye coordination. I think he’s the best in the game around the net, in close. “A lot of it speaks to his skill level, but it’s also his determination. He’s in the battle areas all the time.” The Penguins were in the battle areas plenty as a team in this one. Matt Murray stopped 43 of 46 shots in a spectacular performance that delivered the 44th win of his career – tying him with general manager Jim Rutherford atop the Penguins’ all-time wins list. Hornqvist helped the Penguins save some face during a snoozer of a second period with his workmanlike goal, his second in three games 1078278 San Jose Sharks “I’m not surprised. He’s a great player,” Burns said. “He’s very smart. He reads plays well and he talks a lot out there. He’s a similar player to (Paul Martin).” Three things to know: Sharks’ DeBoer makes his opinion of Islanders’ But Burns did point out one area where Ryan could use some drastic Tavares known improvement. “He still has some work to do on that beard,” the 2017 Norris Trophy By PAUL GACKLE | [email protected] | Bay Area News winner said. Group “I don’t know if I’ll ever grow it out that long,” Ryan said, referring to October 14, 2017 at 1:13 PM Burns’ facial hair. “I’m not sure that’s in my repertoire, but I’m trying.” 3. Dell gets the nod vs. Islanders. SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is a smart guy. He isn’t going Speaking of earning the coach’s trust, that’s exactly what Aaron Dell did to step outside of his lane and comment on personnel decisions in the during his rookie season last winter. media. Last year, it took Dell more than a month to earn two starts in goal. But Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, after posting a 2.00 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in commentary and conversation. 20 appearances last year, Dell’s getting the nod in the Sharks fourth game of the year, suggesting that DeBoer feels comfortable enough with Nevertheless, DeBoer didn’t shy away from making his opinion of the him to increase his workload this season. NHL’s biggest pending-unrestricted free agent known when asked a question about the New York Islanders, the Sharks opponent at the SAP “He had a great year last year,” DeBoer said. “Every time we stuck him in Center Saturday night. there he came up with a big game. He followed that up with a really good training camp, played well in exhibition. “In my mind, John Tavares is one of the top-five players in the world. He’s that good,” DeBoer said. “I got first-hand knowledge of him in New “We’re not going to hesitate to put him in and it’s a nice luxury to have Jersey when I (coached) there and he’s a special talent.” two guys like that.” With uncertainty surrounding the Islanders longterm-arena plans, Tavares could be the highest-profile free agent to hit the open market in San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.15.2017 more than a decade if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before July 1, 2018. With Joe Thornton, 38, entering his twilight years, Patrick Marleau in Toronto and a projected $17.5 million available in cap space next year (capfriendly.com), the Sharks could pursue Tavares through a midseason trade this winter or in free agency next summer. Tavares, who won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi Games, would allow the Sharks to maintain their formidable depth down the middle, giving them a chance to stay in the thick of things in the Western Conference after the sun sets on Thornton’s career. The 27-year-old centerman lacks the speed of a Connor McDavid, the shot of an Alexander Ovechkin and the scoring touch of a Patrick Kane, but he checks off all the boxes in what DeBoer is looking for in a top-line center for his puck possession system. “He’s elite offensively, but I (like) his compete level,” the Sharks coach said. “He’s hard. He’s heavy on pucks. He creates offense. He makes people around him better. “I think he’s an exceptional player.” 2. Ryan faces the 10-game test. DeBoer unveiled his approach to playing young players in 2015-16 when Dylan DeMelo, Matt Tennyson and Mirco Mueller were battling for the sixth-defenseman position on the Sharks blue line. The Sharks coach said rookies need to string together “eight to 10 really good games” to earn his trust. Although Joakim Ryan put together a remarkable performance skating alongside Brent Burns for 21:24 in his NHL debut Thursday, DeBoer made it clear that the rookie blue liner still has a lot of work to do to gain the benefit of the doubt. “A lot of our young guys are there,” the Sharks coach said. “We’re looking for consistency. If you’re looking to be a full-time NHL player that’s probably what separates the full-time from the part-time guys.” Ryan understands the challenge he’s facing. “They’re obviously looking for consistency,” he said. “Just got to take it game by game and try to make sure I’m playing the same way I played the other night every game. I’m not looking too far ahead.” Consistency was the name of Ryan’s game with the Barracuda last season as he logged 20-plus minutes a night, ranking fourth in the AHL in plus/minus with a plus-27 rating. “That is something I pride myself on — being a reliable player every game,” Ryan said. “That’s what I was able to do in the A and that’s what I’ve got to prove I can do up here.” While Ryan attempts to earn DeBoer’s trust, he’s already making a strong impression on his defensive partner with the Sharks. 1078279 San Jose Sharks

Brent Burns geeks out over Jurassic World, which is awesomely nerdy of him

By DANIEL MANO | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group October 14, 2017 at 7:00 am

As someone whose countenance could be misconstrued for a caveman’s, Brent Burns clearly appreciates creatures of bygone eras. The Sharks star seemingly saw “Jurassic World” on FX late Friday night (since that network won the TV rights of the 2015 film staring Chris Pratt) and he found himself particularly enjoying it… Oh boy, his enthusiasm is enjoyable to Sharks fans who have become used to the reigning Norris Trophy winner’s wonderful antics. Burns kept that energy going for a few replies to fans… Yes, Brent, a sequel was announced in July 2015 and is set to be released in June 2018. Anyway, that wasn’t the only way Burns showed his hipster-friendly attitude Friday, with a usual comedic twist…

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078280 San Jose Sharks With Joe Thornton, 38, entering his twilight years, Patrick Marleau in Toronto and a projected $17.5 million available in cap space next year (capfriendly.com), the Sharks could pursue Tavares through a Sharks frustration continues in loss to Islanders midseason trade this winter or in free agency next summer. Tavares, who won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi Games, would allow the Sharks to maintain their formidable depth down By PAUL GACKLE | [email protected] | Bay Area News the middle, giving them a chance to stay in the thick of things in the Group Western Conference after the sun sets on Thornton’s career. PUBLISHED: October 14, 2017 at 10:01 pm | UPDATED: October 14, The 27-year-old centerman lacks the speed of a Connor McDavid, the 2017 at 11:04 PM shot of an Alexander Ovechkin and the scoring touch of a Patrick Kane, but he checks off all the boxes in what DeBoer is looking for in a top-line center for his puck possession system. SAN JOSE — What’s that old cliche? One stick smashed over the “He’s elite offensively, but I (like) his compete level,” the Sharks coach crossbar says more than a 1,000 words? said. “He’s hard. He’s heavy on pucks. He creates offense. He makes people around him better. Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation. “I think he’s an exceptional player.” Joe Pavelski captured the frustration of his team and the Sharks fan base Saturday when he broke his stick in anger after failing to punch in a Joe Thornton feed from the doorstep in the second period of the Sharks 3-1 San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.15.2017 loss to the New York Islanders at the SAP Center. Although the Sharks are opening the season on a five-game homestand, the loss dropped their record to 1-3 and things will only get more challenging when they head out onto the road for a five-game jaunt to the East Coast on Wednesday. “We’re used to winning, that’s the expectation and we’re not winning,” head coach Pete DeBoer said, explaining his captain’s reaction to his missed opportunity. “If you’re seeing frustration it’s because these guys expect to win every night.” Pavelski acknowledged that frustration had boiled over when he tomahawk chopped the crossbar in the second. “I’d like the finish to be a little bit better. Something had to give, so I sticked it,” the Sharks captain said. “I liked the way the team played tonight. Guys were in it, worked through it, had some chances. We needed a little finish and I believe I could be better there.” Chris Tierney also fired the puck wide in the third after Jannik Hansen found him all alone in front on the penalty kill and Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic failed to convert a two-on-one chance in the second. After Kevin Labanc opened the scoring with a power play goal at 4:16 of the first, the Islanders capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues to jump ahead 2-1 by 6:27 of the second. Anders Lee scored the Islanders first goal, slipping behind defenseman Justin Braun to tap in a pass from Jordan Eberle at 17:02 of the second. Brock Nelson notched the team’s second tally later in the frame, beating goalie Aaron Dell to the far post after the Sharks defense left him open in the slot. Cal Clutterbuck added an empty-net goal with 1:50 left in regulation. The Sharks nearly charged back in the third, outshooting the Islanders 15-4 in the period after registering the frame’s first 10 shots. But they failed to capitalize on a handful of quality-scoring chances, adding to the group’s frustration. “Throughout the lineup, that was the best game we’ve played of the four,” DeBoer said. “Despite the loss, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. It’s painful to go through and not get wins doing it, but there was a lot more good than bad tonight.” Dell, who was making his first start of the season, stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced. — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is a smart guy. He isn’t going to step outside of his lane and comment on personnel decisions in the media. Nevertheless, DeBoer didn’t shy away from making his opinion of the NHL’s biggest pending-unrestricted free agent known when asked a question about the Islanders after the Sharks morning practice Saturday. “In my mind, John Tavares is one of the top-five players in the world. He’s that good,” DeBoer said. “I got first-hand knowledge of him in New Jersey when I (coached) there and he’s a special talent.” With uncertainty surrounding the Islanders longterm-arena plans, Tavares could be the highest-profile free agent to hit the open market in more than a decade if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before July 1, 2018. 1078281 San Jose Sharks

Thomas Greiss stands tall as Islanders top Sharks

Staff and News Services Published 11:08 pm, Saturday, October 14, 2017

A five-game homestand to open the season offered the Sharks a great opportunity to start strong. Four games in, the home run has been more like a strikeout. Though the Sharks scored first, the lead didn’t last as the New York Islanders posted a 3-1 victory at SAP Center on Saturday night. To make matters worse, it was former Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss who thrived for the Isles, stopping 40 shots as New York dropped San Jose to 1-3. Brock Nelson scored a tie-breaking goal in the second period as the Islanders improved to 1-1 on their three-game, five-day West Coast trip. Nelson made it 2-1 at 6:27 of the second period, capitalizing on an open look in front of Sharks goalie Aaron Dell after Joshua Ho-Sang’s pass from behind the net. The Sharks led after Kevin Labanc’s power-play goal at 4:16 of the first. Labanc was in the left circle when he corraled a rebound and fired a wrist shot that slipped through Greiss’ pads. The Islanders tied it when Anders Lee tipped in a goal at 17:02 of the first. Cal Clutterbuck scored an empty-net goal at with 1:50 left in the game. The Islanders failed to score on three power plays. The Sharks’ penalty- killing unit hasn’t allowed a power-play goal in 12 chances over its past three games. The Sharks had a shorthanded scoring chance after Joakim Ryan was called for holding at 5:27 in the third period, but Greiss turned away Chris Tierney’s shot in front of the goal. Briefly: Sharks defenseman Paul Martin missed a second straight game with a lower body injury. Head coach Pete DeBoer said the injury is day- to-day. ... .Clutterbuck (hip) was in Saturday’s lineup after missing the past three games and center Jordan Eberle was on the ice a day after missing Friday’s practice with an injury he suffered in practice the previous day.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078282 San Jose Sharks

John Tavares’ pending free agency needs more drama

By Marcus White October 14, 2017 11:57 AM

In case you haven’t heard, New York Islanders captain John Tavares could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. It’s only the biggest national storyline this season. The longer Tavares remains unsigned, and the closer we get to the trade deadline, speculation about the center will only intensify. If he’s not traded and remains unsigned, things will reach a fever pitch. And for good reason. Tavares is an elite center, a perennial All-Star among the league’s best players, regardless of position. He’ll attract plenty of interest if he’s made available at the trade deadline, and/or if he becomes a free agent. The Sharks may be one of those teams, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported their interest back in April. They’ll have plenty of cap space, and a need for a top center as Joe Thornton continues to age, so the Sharks should be interested. There should be plenty of intrigue as Tavares takes the ice at SAP Center tonight. Yet the discussion surrounding Tavares’ potential free agency is, well, kind of boring. Perhaps it’s because the season isn’t even two weeks old. Perhaps it’s because Tavares is saying all of the right things. Perhaps it’s because of the tight-lipped nature of the sport. Perhaps it’s because it’s so rare to see a star of Tavares’ stature actually hit free agency. After all, didn’t after signing an eight-year extension with Tampa Bay in 2016, and Brent Burns re-signed with San Jose eight months before he could have hit the open market. Whatever the reason, there’s no fun in any of it. Free agency is one area where the NHL should take one out of the NBA’s book. Comparing pucks and hoops is comparing apples and oranges, but the NBA does free agency drama so much better. If Tavares was an NBA player, he wouldn’t be a sport-stopping free agent like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. He’s probably on the level of Paul George, and the Los Angeles Lakers have already been fined for tampering with George...with a year left on George’s contract. It doesn’t have to end with a Jim Gray interview, but a little more intrigue surrounding John Tavares’ free agency is welcome. That is, unless you’re an Islanders fan.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078283 San Jose Sharks

Greiss strong in net as Islanders hand loss to Sharks

By NBC Sports Bay Area staff October 14, 2017 9:45 PM

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks felt some urgency going into Thursday night, and they responded. Timo Meier scored late in the second period, lifting the Sharks over Jason Pominville and the Buffalo Sabres 3-2. The Sharks were winless after two lackluster home games to start the season. "You drop the first two, the third one you start thinking about it a little bit, especially opening up at home with the amount of games that we have here, it's a little unusual," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "To get that first win was very important." Pominville scored twice for the Sabres, who dropped to 0-2-1 to begin coach Phil Housley's first season. Martin Jones made 23 saves, holding strong after Meier's tiebreaking goal at 14:30 of the second. Meier knocked in a far-side shot for his first goal of the season. San Jose's Tomas Hertl opened the scoring during a power play at 2:15 of the first. Hertl flicked his first of the year past goalie Robin Lehner. "We wanted to get the first goal," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "We've been playing from behind a lot this season it seems most games. We wanted to get out early and feel good about ourselves. We played out front most of the night tonight, which was a big difference." After Pominville tied it, Chris Tierney scored with 4:49 left in the first period, poking in a shot between Lehner and the right post off a behind- the-back pass from Joonas Donskoi. "I've seen him do it a couple times on practice, so I had a feeling that something tricky was coming when he gets the puck with that much time behind the net," Tierney said. "All I had to do was put my stick on the ice and tap it in." Pominville scored his second goal at 6:50 of the second, burying one at the end of a 2-on-1 break with Jack Eichel. The Sabres blew a great scoring chance midway through second in a 2-2 game, failing to capitalize on overlapping tripping penalties on Justin Braun and Brent Burns that left them with a 5-on-3 advantage for 47 seconds. "It's frustrating we're not getting the results we want," Pominville said. "I thought our effort was way better, but at the of the game we didn't get the two points and that's what we play for." Going into Thursday, the Sabres were 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against the Sharks. Buffalo is 24-8-6 all-time against San Jose. NOTES: Lehner had 23 saves. ... Sabres F Evander Kane played in his 500th career game. ... The Sharks placed D Paul Martin on injured reserved (ankle) and called up D Joakim Ryan from the San Jose Barracuda. Ryan made his NHL debut.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078284 St Louis Blues

After a long day, Blais ready to go in NHL debut

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 hrs ago (…)

TAMPA, FLA. -- Friday was a long day for Blues forward Sam Blais. He was in San Jose, Calif., with the San Antonio Rampage when he got a morning phone call that he was being brought up to the NHL by the Blues, and it didn't end until he got to the team hotel, where he joined fellow rookie Vince Dunn, close to 1 a.m. "It was a long day but I received good news in the morning, so it was worth it," Blais said after the Blues held an optional morning skate at Amalie Arena before their game Saturday night against the Lightning. Blais' parents and his brother and sister are flying down from Quebec City to watch Blais make his NHL debut. "I was really happy," Blais said of getting the news. "I'm going to play my first NHL game tonight, so it's a dream come true for sure. When I was younger, my dream was to play in the NHL one day, an tonight it's going to happen, so I'm very happy." Blues coach Mike Yeo was tight-lipped about where Blais would fit into the lineup, but based on Friday's practice, it looks like he will be a right wing on a line with Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn, which is pretty nice beachfront property in the Blues' lineup. Blais had a breakout season with Chicago of the AHL last year and was one of the surprises of camp. It was then another surprise when he didn't make the team out of camp; at the time, the Blues didn't see him getting regular ice time so they sent him to San Antonio. After recording three goals and one assist in two AHL games, the Blues brought him back, sending another rookie, Tage Thompson, to the minors. "I took the news in a good way and went back to San Antonio and played pretty good," Blais said. "I had a good attitude and played good and I think that's why I got called up. I was playing with a lot of confidence, I was playing my game. I had a lot of fun down there, but now tonight is going to be a fun game for sure. "For sure I'm going to be a little nervous in the warmup, just have to do like I did in the preseason and play my game, play like I can play. If I do that, I'll get my chances." "You get one opportunity to have your first game in the NHL," Yeo said. "We talked about some things with Sammy in training camp and obviously we go over the systems with him to make sure he knows that stuff, but I don't want him to come into the game thinking too much. I want him to play with his instincts, to go out there and show us the things and prove why we called him up. He's an offensive player, he's strong on the puck, he has an ability to make plays, and I want to see him get involved and do those things." Paul Stastny, with a point in every game this season, is one point shy of the 600 mark. He would be the 36th active player with that many. ... Coach Mike Yeo needs one win to hit 200 in his NHL career. He would become just the 73rd coach in NHL history to have 200 wins. ... Alex Pietrangelo has a point in every game so far, and dating to last season, has a point in nine straight games (4 goals, 10 assists). He shares the league lead in points by a defenseman this season with eight (2 goals, 6 assists).

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078285 St Louis Blues

Blues notebook: Blais goes cross-country to make NHL debut

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 5 hrs ago (0)

TAMPA, FLA. • Sammy Blais got the news that he was being called up to the NHL early on Friday morning in a hotel room in San Jose, Calif., which launched him on a cross-country journey to make his NHL debut on Saturday night. “It was a long day,” he said Saturday morning. “But I received good news, so it was worth it.” Blais (it’s pronounced BLAY; he’s from Quebec) got a nonstop flight to Tampa, but first he had to text his parents in Quebec City to give them the good news. “I think they booked their flight (to Tampa) an hour after that,” he said. Blais drove from San Jose to San Francisco for the five-hour flight to Tampa, giving him plenty of time to think of what lay ahead. “I was thinking about what was going to happen,” he said. He slept a little and watched a movie. “It went fast,” he said, and when he arrived after midnight, he went to the team hotel where he roomed with rookie defenseman Vince Dunn, who he shared an apartment with when both were with Chicago of the AHL last season. (Blues coach Mike Yeo said the team considered not using Blais because of the length of the trip, but figured that the adrenaline surge of his debut would overcome any weariness.) Blais’ NHL debut came a little later than people expected, as many thought he would make the team out of camp. But the team didn’t see him in the top six forwards at the start, so they sent him to San Antonio to get more playing time. He had three goals and an assist in two games, and when the team wanted Tage Thompson to get more playing time and sent him to San Antonio, it was an easy call. “I took the news (of not making the team) in a good way and went to San Antonio and played pretty good,” he said. “I had a good attitude and I think that’s why I got called up. I was playing with a lot of confidence. I was playing my game. I had a lot of fun down there.” The Blues didn’t re-sign free agent forward Nail Yakupov after last season, and the one-time No. 1 pick in the NHL draft landed with Colorado, in what by all appearances would be a make-or-break season for him to stay in the NHL. In his first five games, he has three goals and two assists. Those three goals match his total last season in 40 games with the Blues. (He had six assists last season.) Vladimir Tarasenko, Yakupov’s closest friend on the team, is delighted. “He’s a great person,” Tarasenko said. “He was our teammate, and he’s Russian, so I’ve known him for a long time. I’m real happy for him.” The Blues wore their home blue jerseys on Saturday because the Lightning, as part of their celebration of their 25th anniversary season, wore white at home, as they did that first year. Among those saluted on Saturday night was Blues play-by-play announcer John Kelly, who called Lightning games that first season. One-time Blues who were on that first Tampa Bay team and were saluted on Saturday were Rob Ramage, Adam Creighton, Basil McRae, Pat Jablonski and Terry Crisp, who was Tampa Bay’s first coach. Another first-year Tampa player was Rob DiMaio, now the Blues director of player personnel. … Blais is only the third Blue to wear No. 64. The other two are Yakupov, who did it last season, and Nikita Nikitin. … Chris Thorburn, Wade Megan and Nate Prosser were healthy scratches. Oskar Sundqvist centered the fourth line, with Kyle Brodziak playing right wing.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078286 St Louis Blues us in the playoffs and we need that from him all the time. He has to be a presence back there, and when he does that, he’s a nightmare for teams to play against.” Blues rally comes way too late The Blues finally scored with 3:23 to play on Vladimir Tarasenko’s fourth goal of the season, which then set up some frantic closing minutes. The Blues pulled Allen with 1:20 to play and then had a six-on-four situation By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 hrs ago (0) for the final 50 seconds after Kucherov was called for high sticking. But while the Blues were peppering the Lightning with shots — Parayko had three in the two-man advantage — none could get past Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. TAMPA, FLA. • Blues coach Mike Yeo saw the Blues’ game with Tampa Bay on Saturday as the difference between a great road trip and a so-so The game marked the NHL debut of forward Sammy Blais, who was road trip. Win it and the Blues would go 3-1 on a weeklong journey called up from San Antonio in the AHL on Friday. Yeo put the right wing through New York and Florida; lose it and go 2-2, but with losses in the in the starting lineup alongside Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz and final two games. the trio showed some immediate chemistry. “It’s about how we respond,” he said after the team lost to Florida by “It was a good moment for my family,” Blais said. “I’ve been dreaming of three goals on Thursday. that all my life and today was a very exciting day for me. I think I did pretty good for my first NHL game. There were a couple chances; I The response was hardly convincing on Saturday, and the trip fell into played with some very good players.” definite so-so territory with a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena. The game was a lot like the whole trip, with a good start followed by some “He had a great game,” Schenn said. “No nerves at all. Holding on to the tough stretches that they couldn’t come back from. Against Tampa Bay, puck down low, holding the puck on the rush, making plays. He has a ton they were effective but unproductive in the first period, then sleepskated of skill. I’ve played with him four games now, three in preseason and one through the second period, fell behind and then couldn’t produce to get up here. He’s definitely got NHL-caliber skill than can make plays in tight back in the game. After winning the season’s first four games, the Blues spaces. He’s fun to play with.” have lost two in a row and are off until Wednesday, when they face Chicago at Scottrade Center. “There’s some things without the puck we have to be careful of,” Yeo said, “but he did a lot of really good things with the puck. That’s a pretty “It’s a tough trip,” Yeo said. “We’re never happy losing hockey games, good debut for a young kid.” but we’re not going to beat the guys up now. I thought the guys competed hard. We have to learn from this. We’re not where we need to be, there’s no question. There’s too many stretches in the game where we get away from the things we need to do. We can’t do that right now. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.15.2017 We have to play 60-minute games and we have to have a real purpose and that’s what we’ll focus on coming on home.” “We’re 4-2 right now,” Blues goalie Jake Allen said. “We’re doing all right. We have a long way to go. We definitely took a step backward, but we have a couple of days now which is nice, get home and get regrouped.” “We got away from our game a little bit (in the second period),” said forward Brayden Schenn, who had an assist on the Blues’ lone goal. “We kind of got back in the third. We still have to find ways to generate more chances, and that’s going to result in goals. One goal, that’s not going to win you many hockey games.” It was the flipside of the game in Florida, where the Blues allowed five goals, another scenario not conducive to winning hockey games. “I thought we had a lot of turnovers, to be honest,” Allen said. “We gave them a lot of chances to come at us in the neutral zone, and for a team like that that’s really, really good, they can pick up speed three-quarter ice, attack and come down your throat. I think we had spurts tonight but just a little too late.” Tampa Bay got its first goal on a power play that was the result of the Blues’ second too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty this season, which is apparently a lesson the team hasn’t learned in the offseason after making that penalty a regular event in 2016-17. “A lot of it is our play with the puck, it’s awareness,” Yeo said. “It’s not a missed assignment, it’s an awareness of where the puck is.” Only 37% of HR managers are confident in how their organization manages disability. A holistic approach may be the key to ... In a Lightning power play in which the Blues never managed to clear the puck out of their zone in 80 seconds, Tyler Johnson scored on a shot from the left circle that hit the bottom of Allen’s glove, went under his arm and into the net. “Straight through me,” Allen said. “Terrible goal.” But the Blues’ offense, which has steadily worked its way down since they scored five goals on opening night in Pittsburgh, had trouble producing many chances. The Blues had 15 shots in the first period, then just 14 in the final 40 minutes, with only five in the second period. Tampa Bay got its second goal, one that effectively put the game away as the Blues’ offense was struggling. Joel Edmundson couldn’t get his stick on a puck in the neutral zone that was there for the clearing. Nikita Kucherov skated on to it, stayed ahead of Colton Parayko and beat Allen with a backhander with 13:33 to go in the third. As Edmundson skated to the goal, he slammed his stick against the goal post, snapping off the blade. “Eddie, when he’s on top of his game, he’s big, he’s physical,” Yeo said. “He’s on his toes, he’s aggressive and assertive. That’s what he did for 1078287 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning vs. Blues on 25th anniversary night

Roger Mooney Saturday, October 14, 2017 12:18PM

The Lightning (3-1) finish off this three-game homestand tonight against the Blues (4-1). G Andrei Vasilevskiy will make his fifth straight start to open the season. His numbers are down ( 3.75 goals against average and a .900 save percentage) but much of that has to do with the barrage of shots he’s faced. His teammates haven’t exactly made life easy for him. Coach Jon Cooper said Vasy has “probably” been the best player for the Lightning through the first four games. The only lineup change for tonight would be if C Cedric Paquette returns. He missed Thursday’s win against the Penguins with an undisclosed injury. Cooper said he’s hoping Paquette plays. C Steven Stamkos, D Victor Hedman and D Slater Koekkoek scored their first goals of the season in Thurrsday’s win. Koakkoak scored twice – the first two of his NHL career. LW Alex Killorn had a career-high four assists. The Lightning will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the inaugural team. Coach Terry Crisp and many of the former players are on hand for the festivities.

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Lightning holds on to beat Blues

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Saturday, October 14, 2017 10:24PM

TAMPA — Andrei Vasilevskiy is the kind of goaltender who would love to play all 82 games if he could. "That's nice every time when you come to the locker room and see your name on the board," Vasilevskiy said. "I like to play." Vasilevskiy, 23, has seen his name on the board a lot in his first full season as the Lightning's No. 1 He started his fifth straight game in nine days Saturday night against the Blues. And Vasilevskiy has handled the workload masterfully, lifting Tampa Bay to a 2-1 win in front of 19,092 at Amalie Arena. The Lightning is off to a 4-1-0 start, sweeping a three-game, measuring- stick home stand against the Capitals, Penguins and Blues last week. Center Tyler Johnson said that if you ask anyone in the locker room, they'll say Vasilevskiy has been their best player. Wing Nikita Kucherov went a step further. "You can see 'Vasy' is a top-two, top-three goalie in the league," Kucherov said. "We always know he has our back." Kucherov himself looks like a top-five player in the league, continuing his red-hot start with another sick backhand goal, the game's winner. He became the first Lightning player to score in each of the team's first five games of a season and is the first player to do so in the league since 2012-13 (Patrick Marleau with the Sharks). The Brayden Point line continued to be a beast in both zones, drawing another tough matchup in Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko. Coach Jon Cooper noted that Tarasenko's goal late in the game came with the Point line on the bench. "Where the (Steven) Stamkos line has probably got a little more dynamic to it, the Point line has probably got a little bit more lunch pail to it," Cooper said. "They make you earn it every shift." The Lightning is doing a better job of making opponents earn it. It started with a wakeup call Oct. 7, a 5-4 loss to the Panthers in which Tampa Bay allowed 48 shots. "We were being too cute with the way we were playing in our defensive zone," Johnson said. After allowing 15 first-period shots Saturday, the Lightning shut down the Blues, its second period arguably its best of the season. Johnson said the difference in the Lightning's play has been like "night and day" since the loss in Sunrise. "We like the way we're playing," Johnson said. "We're getting everyone on the same page." And when the Lightning falters, Vasilevskiy is there to bail it out. His statistics won't pop off the page (a 3.20 goals-against average). He has given up four goals or more in two of his starts. But Vasilevskiy has also faced an average of 35 shots a game. And Vasilevskiy has a penchant for making the timely save, the true mark of a No. 1. There was his breakaway save on Evgeny Kuznetsov early in Monday's 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Washington. And there was his breakaway stop on Pittsburgh's Tom Kuhnhackl midway through the third Thursday, a "game-saver," Stamkos said. So though Tarasenko scored with four minutes to go on a shot that a screened Vasilevskiy didn't see, that was it for the Blues as far as goals. With the Blues on a 6-on-4 in the final minute with Kucherov in the box for high sticking, Vasilevskiy made a few big stops on Colton Parayko to seal the win. Vasilevskiy is bound to get a breather soon. Backup Peter Budaj likely will make his season debut in one of Monday and Tuesday's back-to- back road games. But Vasilevskiy isn't the only one who likes seeing his name on the board. "Having him behind our back is huge," Kucherov said. "Vasy has been unbelievable."

1078289 Tampa Bay Lightning

Joe Smith's takeaways from Saturday's Lightning-Blues game

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Saturday, October 14, 2017 9:15PM

The Yanni Gourde-Brayden Point-Ondrej Palat line must be annoying as heck to play against. The trio once again drew the toughest defensive matchup Saturday, sticking on Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko. But Gourde, Point and Palat were also menaces in the offensive zone, creating chances. Tyler Johnson's second-period power-play goal was another sign that not only is he looking like his old self, but that the Lightning has two solid power-play units. Putting Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on the first unit hasn't left the cupboard bare. Johnson and the Brayden Point line provide a dangerous second option. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin told me once that Lightning wing Nikita Kucherov is the type of player who could score 50 goals in a season "easily." Maybe this is the season. Kucherov is the first Lightning player to score in each of its first five games (one in each). I can see 50 in his future.

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Lightning journal: Nikita Kucherov sets franchise first for goals

Roger Mooney, Times Staff Writer Saturday, October 14, 2017 8:51PM

TAMPA — Another night, another goal for RW Nikita Kucherov. He has five this season, one in each game to become the first player in team history to turn that trick. His latest came in the third period Saturday and proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory against the Blues. Taking a chip pass from C Steven Stamkos, Kucherov controlled the puck on the back of his blade and quickly snapped it past G Jake Allen. "The (play) kind of happened quick," Kucherov said. "I didn't (envision) that I could do that." Coach Jon Cooper said a backhand shot is the hardest for a goalie to read. "But when you deceptively throw the backhand, it makes it even harder, and that's what (Kucherov) did," Cooper said. "He didn't even sell the shot, and all of a sudden it was in the net. That's why he's a special player." Kucherov is the first player to open the season with five goals in five games since Patrick Marleau with the Sharks in 2012-13. There were many in the early 1990s who thought hockey in the sun was a bad idea. But here is the Lightning, celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend. "I consider a point of pride that we were the cornerstone block," Terry Crisp, the first coach in franchise history, said Saturday as the 1992-93 inaugural team was honored before the game against the Blues. The high point for the franchise was beating the Flames in 2004 for the Stanley Cup. Crisp, who coached the Flames to the 1989 Cup title, was invited to Tampa by the Lightning for Game 7 of the 2004 Cup final. He politely declined, telling the Lightning, "We're going to sit at home, we're going to open a bottle of wine, we're going to watch that game and we're going to cheer both ways because I can't lose. I'm going to win this one, one way or another." "If we played in a normal rink, who would have cared? Just another rink. But they converted that, made it into a rink, 10,300 (fans), and the stories get better and better." The Lightning celebrates its 25th anniversary today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Expected to be there are co-founder , original team executive Tony Esposito, coach Terry Crisp and players Rob Ramage, Rob Zamuner, Ken Hodge, Adam Creighton, John Tucker, Chris Kontos, Basil McRae, Rob DiMaio, Brian Bradley, Tim Berglund, Joe Reekie, Peter Taglianetti, Mikael Andersson, Pat Jablonski and Steve Maltais. Slap shots C Cedric Paquette returned to the lineup after missing Thursday's game against the Penguins with an undisclosed injury. … The Lightning wore the white jerseys of the inaugural season during warmups.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078291 Tampa Bay Lightning performance. "He deserves to be in the lineup," Cooper said. "Now guys earn your ice time. That's what has to happen."

Lightning's Alex Killorn: With consistent effort, points will come Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.15.2017

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Saturday, October 14, 2017 7:41PM

TAMPA — The best story of the young Lightning season is center Brayden Point. The best player for Tampa Bay so far is probably goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. But one of the more underrated developments might be the stellar play of wing Alex Killorn. It's not just his career-high four assists Thursday in a win against the Penguins or his seven points in four games (one goal, six assists). It's how Killorn has been a force at both ends of the ice. We know Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov will deliver. But the Lightning can badly use secondary scoring. And when Killorn, a 6-foot-1 power forward, is engaged, he makes linemate Tyler Johnson, and the rest of the team, that much better. "We have great depth up front, and (Killorn) is a huge piece to that," Stamkos said. "He's a veteran player who has always risen when we needed him the most, especially in playoff time. I think he's ready to take a bigger step this year." Killorn has gotten off to hot starts before, such as scoring six goals in the first seven games last year. But he dropped off in the second half of the season, with just three goals in his final 28 games (including a 16-game drought) and finishing minus-9. Killorn learned from it, knowing points can be fickle but your effort can't be. "Playing well on (the power play), playing well on (the penalty kill), helping our team, playing well 5-on-5, that's what I care about more than points," Killorn said. "Because over 82 games, they'll come and they'll go. You get lucky; you won't get lucky. So you've got to bring that consistent effort." Killorn said he got "puck luck" at the beginning of last season: "Just seemed like everything I was shooting was going in." But Killorn's four assists Thursday were a product of doing the little things: creating traffic in front of the net, winning battles in the neutral zone, making the extra pass. "The kind of plays I've done a bunch of times that just happen to go my way," Killorn said. "Now that pucks are bouncing my way in terms of points, I want to keep working the same way." Killorn didn't score while playing for Canada at the World Championships in May, but Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who coached the Canadians, really liked his game. Killorn said he gained a lot of confidence and gathered tips by watching other NHL players practice and play. Killorn noticed how good Point and the Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner were in open ice. He took note of how the Flyers' Wayne Simmonds tipped pucks in front of the net and created chances down low. That Killorn has a role on the Lightning's top power play unit — between Stamkos and Kucherov — should give him a chance to net his first 20- goal season. That's the kind of contribution — and consistency — the Lightning believed Killorn was capable of when signing him to a seven- year, $31.5 million extension in July 2016. "There's different pressures, right?" Killorn said. "The year before, the pressure is getting the contract, and then the pressure is living up to it. This year it's no different. You don't think about (the contract). It's about winning. Once you think about that stuff, you kind of get lost in it. It's just about playing your best hockey." And that's what Killorn is doing. Slap shots • Johnson said game officials admitted they made a mistake on Monday's controversial faceoff violation penalty called against F Yanni Gourde, which resulted in a Capitals goal. But Johnson likes the new stricter enforcement of the faceoff rules, saying it puts onus on the centers to win 1-on-1. "Now it's a real faceoff," Johnson said. "It's more clean wins, clean losses. Not as many tieups." • That D Mikhail Sergachev played just 5:22 against Pittsburgh shouldn't be a concern. Cooper mentioned all the power plays in the game — five for each team — saying the game dictates playing time. But so does 1078292 Toronto Maple Leafs

Carrick, Fehr back in lineup as Leafs look to end 14-game losing streak against Canadiens

By KEVIN MCGRANSports Reporter Sat., Oct. 14, 2017

MONTREAL—Defenceman Connor Carrick and centre Eric Fehr will return to the lineup as the Toronto Maple Leafs look to slay the monster that is a 14-game losing streak against the Montreal Canadiens. “We’ve come in here a couple of times, and were happy with the way we started, the way we played, with special teams, but for whatever reason, we haven’t outscored them,” said Carrick. “That’s our goal tonight. It’s gone on too long.” It’s the longest current streak of its kind in the league, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last team to win 15 straight against another team was the Philadelphia Flyers over the New York Islanders (2008-10). Montreal has had two longer streaks: an NHL-record 23 straight victories over the expansion Washington Capitals (1974-78) and 16 in a row over the California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons franchise (1974-77). “It’s just something different, it’s the way the game goes,” said Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly. “Teams change every year. There are lots of guys in this room that weren’t ever a part of those (Leafs losses). We’re not thinking about it.” Carrick missed two games due to an undisclosed injury suffered against the New York Rangers in the Leafs’ home opener last Saturday. “Watching is an opportunity, you can learn some stuff,” said Carrick. “But it’s a pretty helpless feeling when you’re hanging out. Your livelihood is playing hockey. When they tell you you can’t, it’s, ‘What am I doing?’” Fehr is on a rotation — one game in, one game out — with Dominic Moore. “It’s not ideal for either of us, but we’re both taking advantage of our opportunities,” said Fehr. “We’re pushing each other. We’re trying to push to get ourselves in the lineup.” Frederik Andersen is expected to start in net for the Maple Leafs (3-1-0), while the Canadiens (1-3-0) will go with Carey Price.

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078293 Toronto Maple Leafs Moaning about the schedule’s quirks is a regular complaint heard ’round the sports world. At times during his tenure, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock has blamed the tough stretches in Toronto’s 82-game grind on Saturday night Leafs tradition fading away: Feschuk the team’s status as a ratings draw co-owned by a pair of telecommunications behemoths, Bell and Rogers.

“Our schedule has a little bit to do with TV, if I’m not mistaken,” Babcock By DAVE FESCHUKSports Columnist said in 2015. Sat., Oct. 14, 2017 GM Lou Lamoriello has said in the past he would make it a priority to endeavour to reduce Babcock’s calendar-related angst, specifically the number of back-to-back games on the slate. While the league ultimately sets the schedule, teams have considerable input. Last season the Leafs When Andy Rielly plans a trip to see his son Morgan play for the Maple played 18 sets of back-to-back games. They’ll play 14 this season. It’s Leafs, he prefers to scope out a long weekend. It’s a hefty trip to Toronto conceivable that achieving that reduction sacrificed a Saturday home from the Rielly home in Vancouver. Identifying a pair of games a day or game or two. A club spokesperson said team management declined a two apart — anchored around a Saturday night game at the Air Canada request to comment on the schedule. Centre — provides the framework for a worthwhile stay. Scott Moore, president of Rogers Sportsnet and the overseer of Hockey So when the elder Rielly recently scanned the early part of the schedule Night in Canada, said the whereabouts of Toronto’s Saturday games for possibilities, he was unenthused by the offerings. Saturday home “has nothing to do with TV,” even if, he said, road games typically add to games, a traditional Maple Leaf staple, are surprisingly scarce in the production costs. opening few months of the season. This Saturday, the Maple Leafs are in Montreal. Next Saturday they’re in Ottawa. Two weeks hence, on Oct. “We have in our contract a number of Leaf games on Saturday. We don’t 28, they play at home against Philadelphia — the lone Saturday date at have any input, nor do we care, whether they’re at home or on the road,” the Air Canada Centre in a six-week stretch in which they play Saturday said Moore in an interview. road contests in St. Louis, Boston and Montreal. Moore said the geographical location of a Maple Leafs game “doesn’t This year the Leafs don’t play a single Saturday home game in the month change the ratings.” A home game draws the same number of eyeballs of December. They’ll play just 11 all season, tied for the lowest number in as a road one. franchise history in a schedule made up of at least 60 games, according to an analysis of historical schedule data by the Star’s Andrew Bailey. There was a time when the Maple Leafs played the majority of their This is the first campaign in the Hockey Night in Canada era — which home games on Saturdays. For the bulk of the 1950s and ’60s, when the stretches back to 1952-53 — in which the Maple Leafs will play more league featured six teams and the regular-season schedule ran 70 Saturday nights on the road (12) than at home (11). They’ll play nearly as games, the Leafs routinely played 24 games at Maple Leaf Gardens — many home games on Monday and Wednesday, 10 apiece. about 69 per cent of its 35-game home schedule. In the 1970s and ’80s, as the league added more teams and more games, the percentage of “My dad’s trips to Toronto are based around those (Saturday home) Saturday home games still hovered above 50 per cent. games . . . He was not impressed,” said Morgan Rielly. “That’s strange. I don’t know why that is.” Toronto hockey fans hankering for that throwback feeling will appreciate the tail end of this season’s schedule. Each of its final five weekends will An NHL spokesperson, citing information provided by league scheduling see the Maple Leafs playing where they’re famous for playing — on guru Steve Hatze Petros, said in an email that the scarcity is a product of home ice on Saturday night. a few factors, including fewer than normal available Saturday home dates at the busy Air Canada Centre; more Saturday requests from other clubs; “I think the players get a special feeling for those Saturday home games,” and an instance or two in which the Maple Leafs decided a Saturday said Rielly. “You get excited to play on that stage.” home game coming off a road trip wouldn’t be in the team’s best competitive interest. Still, an NHL source said the Leafs requested a lot more Saturday home Toronto Star LOADED: 10.15.2017 games than they were given. And this year’s allotment appears to be a new normal in the centre of the hockey universe. A year ago, when the Leafs also played 11 Saturday home games, some chalked it up to an NHL schedule compressed by the World Cup of Hockey and newly introduced bye weeks, and to the presence in Toronto of the world junior championship, which gobbled up arena availability for two-plus weeks. But Saturday home games have been slowly disappearing for a while. As recently as 2006-07 the Leafs played 19 of their 41 home games on Saturday. By Rielly’s rookie year of 2013-14 the number was down to 15 — a month of Saturdays more than currently on offer. There were 14 a season later. And 12 a year after that. As a Toronto tradition wanes — and at least some of the club’s legend was built on the romantic allure of the Saturday night pilgrimage to a hockey mecca — there are those who’ll tell you it’s a shame. “I love those Saturday night home games,” said Nazem Kadri, the veteran centreman. “To me, it’s more fun. It’s not like it changes the way I play or changes the way anyone else plays, but it’s just a bigger stage. You feel like more is on the line, even though it’s not.” Said Zach Hyman, the second-year forward: “Saturday night in Toronto is a special night.” Others don’t claim as much of a day-specific attachment. “Toronto is such a good city to play in, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Saturday. Traffic is less — that’s the only good thing (about playing at home on Saturday),” said Leo Komarov, the veteran forward. For the local team, there’s another good thing about playing on Saturday. It’s a historically successful night, and not simply at the cash box. In the 70 seasons going back to 1947-48, the franchise’s overall winning percentage, home and away, is higher on Saturdays than it is on any other day of the week. It’s even better on Saturdays at home, where the Leafs have won 53 per cent of games over the time period. “It’s obviously the best day of the week, I think,” Kadri said. 1078294 Toronto Maple Leafs “I was hoping they’d review it,” said Marleau. “Turns out it was deeper in the net than I thought it was.”

James van Riemsdyk had the other Leafs goal. Jeff Petry and Alex Matthews OT magic ends Leafs’ hex vs. Habs Galchenyuk also scored for Montreal. Frederik Andersen outplayed Price, facing 34 shots to 22 at the Montreal By KEVIN MCGRANSports Reporter end. Andersen made saves in the case of both Matthews goals that shifted the play toward the Montreal end. Sat., Oct. 14, 2017 Toronto's Frederik Andersen was the busier of the two goaltenders Saturday night, outdueling Montreal's Carey Price for the victory. MONTREAL—For the longest time, the difference between the Montreal “The game is going to go back and forth, they’re going to get momentum Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs was Carey Price. at times, and he was solid,” Matthews said of Andersen. “It definitely gives us confidence to change the momentum in our favour. The Habs always seemed to have the better goaltending. “We weren’t happy with how we played Wednesday (a loss to New Now things are changing, and the difference may now be Auston Jersey). We came out against a hungry team who played pretty well. We Matthews. know a lot about each other, and there’s that history there. It’s always fun against these guys.” The Canadiens don’t have a game-changer like him — and even Price couldn’t stop him. Montreal’s now-dead 14 game win streak against Toronto was the longest streak of its kind in the league, according to the Elias Sports Matthews prevailed twice against Price, including the overtime winner, as Bureau. The last team to win 15 straight against another team is the the Maple Leafs beat Montreal 4-3 and put an end to an absurd 14-game Flyers over the Islanders (15, from 2008-10). Montreal has had two losing streak (0-9-5) against the Canadiens. longer streaks: an NHL-record 23 straight wins over the expansion Auston Matthews' overtime winner ended the Leafs' 14-game losing Capitals (1974-1978) and 16 in a row over the Seals/Barons (1974- streak against the archrival Canadiens. 1977). “It’s always a hostile environment when we come here, so to come out The Leafs are glad they won’t be asked any more about a losing streak with two points is what we came here to do,” said Matthews. “We’re to Montreal. going to take them and move on.” “That will be good,” said Nylander. Matthews scored the overtime winner — his second of the week — on a feed from William Nylander. Toronto Star LOADED: 10.15.2017 “I’m so used to it by now. He’s so good at finding those seams,” Matthews said of Nylander. “I just to make sure I’m ready because I know the puck is coming.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau assemble care packages for victims of Mexico’s recent earthquake during their first official visit to the NAFTA partner in Mexico City on Thursday. Both Canada and Mexico have slammed the “sunset clause” plan the U.S. introduced in talks this week. Matthews’ first goal, which briefly gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead in the first period, was the result of a quick and surprising wrist shot that caught Price off guard. “I used a screen to shoot it,” said Matthews. “I think he caught an edge. It was kind of a fortunate bounce, so probably 100 times out of a 100 times that shot is not going in.” Auston Matthews caught Carey Price off guard with a first-period wrist- shot that found the back of the net. But it did. And Matthews’ magic is why folks in Montreal are now worried the hated Maple Leafs might drink from the Stanley Cup before the Canadiens — who are off to a rough start (1-3-1), after winning the division last year. Matthews has a point in every game so far, with five goals and three assists to start the season, leading a Leafs offence that has 26 goals. Montreal scorers have eight over five games. For what was the fifth game of an 82-game season, this Maple Leafs- Canadiens match sure had the intense feel of something bigger. The Leafs certainly seem out to prove themselves to be the team many believe they are, a contender to be reckoned with. They are 4-1-0 in their first five games, winning tilts that a year ago were losses. Canadiens goaltender Carey Price makes the save on a shot by Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. The hope remains that these teams will one day meet in the playoffs, an event that hasn’t happened since 1979. There’s plenty of bad blood boiling in a good way if this game is any evidence. It had a bit of everything: lead changes, an amped-up Bell Centre crowd, a big hit (Matt Martin on Brendan Gallagher), some electrifying goals (Matthews for the Leafs, Jonathan Drouin for the Canadiens). It even had video reviews. Two of them. One disallowed a Matthews goal due to a high stick, the other reversed the call on the ice and gave Patrick Marleau a goal, a reward for tenaciously digging at the puck. Patrick Marleau's goal needed video review to confirm it went in. 1078295 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs winless in 14 against Habs

BY TERRY KOSHAN, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 01:16 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 01:34 PM EDT

MONTREAL — Mike Babcock had something he wanted to clear up with reporters on Saturday morning at the Bell Centre. “Someone said yesterday I was 0-14 against the Habs (as coach of the Maple Leafs) and I said ‘No, probably 0-10,’” Babcock said while laughing. “But what really is it? 0-6-2.” Fact is, Babcock doesn’t much care about the Leafs’ recent history against the Montreal Canadiens, doesn’t care that the Leafs have lost 14 in a row to Montreal and have not won a road game against their long- time rivals since October 2013. More pressing for Babcock has been ensuring his club gets off the mat after a loss to New Jersey on Wednesday during which the Leafs had little jam and not a lot of spark. “You can talk about a lot of different things, but the bottom line is you have to engage,” Babcock said. “If you want to be good at your job, you have to bring it every day, and when you don’t, you don’t look very good and I thought that was evident. “We didn’t play hard, so we are going to need a much better effort against a hungry Montreal team tonight.” The Leafs will face a Canadiens group that seemingly couldn’t score if you spotted them an odd-man rush and an open net. It’s four goals in four games for the Canadiens, who managed to win one of those games, a season-opening shootout in Buffalo versus the Sabres. Montreal has gone down in regulation in three games since, giving up a total of 13 goals. The Leafs have been the opposite, to an extent: Their 22 goals are second-most in the NHL to Chicago’s 23 and they’ve allowed 16 goals. Defenceman Connor Carrick will return to the Toronto lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury, pushing Calle Rosen to the press box. Eric Fehr will play in his third game as the fourth-line centre as the rotation with Dominic Moore continues. “It’s not ideal for Dom or myself but we’re trying to make the most of it,” Fehr said. “We’re pushing each other and trying to push to get ourselves in the lineup and I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far. “I have not (been a part of a similar situation previously in his career). I have seen it go until the team loses and you switch, but I don’t think I’ve seen an every other (game).” Frederik Andersen, 1-3-1 in his career versus Montreal with a .909 save percentage, will start in the Leafs net. Carey Price, 23-13-1 against Toronto with a .924 save percentage, goes for the Canadiens. There had been some thought defenceman David Schlemko would return to the Canadiens lineup from a hand injury, but that won’t happen. Forward Tomas Plekanec missed the morning skate with flu-like symptoms and will be a game-time decision. Alex Galchenyuk, who did not practise on Friday because of flu-like symptoms, indicated to reporters at the Canadiens’ practice facility on Saturday morning that he will be in the lineup. And as for the Canadiens’ recent dominance in the win column over Toronto? “You guys are making a way bigger deal of this than me,” Babcock said. “I just know we’re playing the Habs tonight. They need two (points) and we need two. That’s it for me. I’m serious.”

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Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev more comfortable this season

BY TERRY KOSHAN, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 12:02 AM EDT | UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 12:08 AM EDT

MONTREAL - Nikita Zaitsev is thinking a little more clearly in his second season in the National Hockey League. There a couple of factors that have allowed Zaitsev to do his job with a coherent mind — the Russian defenceman has better understanding of the English language, and more importantly, he has his name on a long- term contract. “It’s much easier — I understand everything, all the slang words,” Zaitsev said before the Maple Leafs played the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. “It has helped a lot. “I don’t want to lie — (the contract) was in my head last year. You’re 25 years old (Zaitsev will turn 26 on Oct. 29), you don’t know what you’re going to have the next year, you have a family, kids. “Now, I think about the game only and preparing for it. I don’t think about anything else.” This past May, Zaitsev, after playing on a one-year pact in 2016-17, signed a seven-year contract with an annual salary cap hit of $4.5 million US. While Zaitsev is working to improve on his possession numbers — as is defence partner Jake Gardiner — coach Mike Babcock and his staff don’t underestimate the value of what Zaitsev brings on an everyday basis. “Knowing where to stand, how to play, not being confused by the coaches,” Babcock said of what has made Zaitsev effective. Babcock went on to offer what he thinks is a problem for some teams in the NHL today, not that it applied to Zaitsev. “It’s a hard league,” Babcock said. “You get kids here before they are ready and pretty soon no one likes them anymore. There is no reason for that. Just because you rushed them, it’s not their fault. So don’t rush guys.” Babcock never has been anything but effusive in his praise of Shea Weber, who has played for Babcock and Canada in the Olympics. Babcock was quick with a quip when asked if observers have lost some appreciation for the work of the rugged Weber and his impact on the game. Despite Weber’s annual excellence, he has not won the Norris Trophy. “I can just tell you this, if you guys don’t want him, we’ll take him,” Babcock said of the Canadiens defenceman. Though said jokingly, the thought of Weber on the Toronto blue line is the kind of thing that can send some Leafs fans into a tizzy. Growing up in Vancouver, Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly was drawn to Weber, also a British Columbia native. “He is probably one of the best defencemen of my generation for sure, or of his generation, if you will,” Rielly said. “He brings a lot to the table. When I was younger, I watched him a lot. He’s a person I really looked up to and I have got to know him a little bit over the course of my career.” Just over a year ago, Auston Matthews was in Montreal with the rest of Team North America to prepare for the World Cup of Hockey later that September in Toronto. “I don’t think about the past too much, but that tournament and being in this city was a great time,” Matthews said. “The year has gone by pretty fast.” … Rielly chatted on Friday with one of his close friends in hockey, Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Slater Koekkoek, who scored his first two NHL goals on Thursday in a win against Pittsburgh. “My parents were watching the game and we’re all very happy for him,” Rielly said. “He has put in a lot of hard work. It was great to see.” Rielly and Koekkoek became tight when they were teammates at Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., during their high-school days. Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078297 Toronto Maple Leafs “I am so used to it by now,” the 20-year-old Matthews said of the pass from Nylander to set up the winner.

“He is so good at finding those seams and making those types of passes. Leafs snap 14-game losing streak against Habs For myself, I just need to make sure I’m ready, because the puck is coming. BY TERRY KOSHAN, TORONTO SUN “It’s always a hostile environment when we come in here and it’s a great atmosphere. To come out with two points is what we came here to do.” FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 10:07 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 11:58 PM EDT Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 MONTREAL — Auston Matthews is blowing away his Maple Leafs teammate who has seen just about everything in the National Hockey League. Patrick Marleau has been at it for 20 years, but the 38-year-old can’t recall watching such a young player seize the big moments and take control the way Matthews does. “I don’t think so,” Marleau said. “He is coming up huge right now and it’s fun to watch.” The latest for the Matthews highlight reel came on Saturday night when he beat Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price in overtime, not only giving the Leafs a 4-3 win but putting a hard stop to the Leafs’ 14-game losing streak (0-9-5) against their bitter rivals. This after Matthews, who has started the 2017-18 regular season with five goals in five games, scored in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night in Toronto. At 48 seconds of the extra period, before a boisterous crowd at the Bell Centre, Matthews took a pass from William Nylander and went high on Price as the Leafs beat the Canadiens for the first time since Jan. 18, 2014. And it was the 600th NHL win for Babcock, who celebrated afterward with a sandwich from Schwartz’s, his favourite Montreal deli. “They want to be in those moments,” Babcock said of Matthews and Nylander. “I think guys who have been doing that their whole lives just believe they are going to get it done at that time. “I didn’t think we were outstanding by any means, but we found a way to win and it was a good road game. Our goaltender got better as the game went on and had a good third and in the end, we win.” Babcock implored his players to be better after he detested the effort in a loss to New Jersey on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. Truth be told, they were not excellent for the full 60 minutes, but Babcock saw enough to be satisfied as the club improved its record to 4-1-0, winning for the first time in Montreal since October 2013. “We tried, we competed,” Babcock said. “I’m good all the time as long as you compete. “It’s not about whether you lost, it’s about whether you competed and went about your business. “We’re not playing near as good as we were at the end of last year, not even close. But we’re probably playing better than we were at this time last year. We have more talent, but we can still play way better than we are playing and we plan on getting better.” Matthews already had scored a pretty goal in the game, coming in the first period when he beat an unbalanced Price with a quick shot following an end-to-end rush (and aided by a Jordie Benn turnover). That gave Toronto a 2-1 lead. Jeff Petry scored on Montreal’s second shot of the game, but James van Riemsdyk scored off a faceoff less than a minute before Matthews’ first goal to tie the game. Alex Galchenyuk got Montreal’s first power-play goal after it started the season going 0-for-14 with a man advantage, scoring prior to the end of the first period. In the second, Matthews had a goal disallowed because of a high stick, Jonathan Drouin got his first as a Canadien and Marleau was credited with a goal following a review. The teams were tied 3-3 after 40 minutes and the Canadiens were the better team in the final 20 minutes of regulation, outshooting the Leafs 13-6. But they could not beat Andersen, who was sharp. Andersen, who made 31 saves in the game, had a big stop in overtime and the Leafs took the puck up the ice and scored. 1078298 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs' Fehr, Moore pushing each other

BY TERRY KOSHAN, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 08:49 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 08:54 PM EDT

MONTREAL — Eric Fehr is trying to make the best of what is not a great situation. Neither Fehr nor Dominic Moore have much choice. It was Fehr centring the fourth line for the Maple Leafs on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens as Leafs coach Mike Babcock continued to rotate the two veterans in and out of the lineup. “I don’t know when that is coming to an end, but we are still in it,” Babcock said simply of the rotation following his team’s morning skate. The 32-year-old Fehr has been witness to a lot in his National Hockey League career, which has been spent with four teams and includes 565 games. But Fehr believed the in-and-out manner of his start to the 2017- 18 regular season could be a first for him. “It’s not ideal for Dom or myself, but we are trying to make the most of it,” Fehr said. “Our job is to make their decisions tough. We’re pushing each other and I think we’ve both done a pretty good job.” There’s the rub for Babcock, though it’s a good one. He would have liked to have settled on an everyday fourth-line centre, but neither Fehr nor Moore, heading into Saturday, had underperformed to the point that Babcock lost trust. Moore had scored two goals and has been fine in the faceoff circle, while Fehr had been logging workhorse minutes during penalty kills. And we realize it could be worse for Fehr and Moore. Winger Josh Leivo has been a healthy scratch for five games and that won’t change any time soon, unless there are injuries. What the play-a-game, sit-a-game approach does, though, is take a player out of what he knows. “I guess you could look at it that way (that rest is good),” Fehr said. “But for players, you like to get into routines and that is big thing in this sport, is getting in a groove. Hockey is a big-time game of momentum and it’s nice to be able to get that as well. “I feel like there is more to give and I’m going to continue to keep pushing the limits.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078299 Toronto Maple Leafs The Jets knew what to expect and didn’t stray from their structure. “There wasn’t going to be any easy ice, there weren’t going to be three- on-two’s, there weren’t going to be odd-man rushes,” said Wheeler. “So if Winnipeg Jets pick up third straight victory by edging Carolina Hurricanes that’s the game we were going to look for, it was probably going to be 3-1 2-1 or 4-1 for Carolina. So we were prepared for our opponent tonight and the thing that makes me most proud of our group is that we never gave in. We were okay grinding it out and we were okay being greasy. We Ken Wiebe were okay letting our fans sit on their hands for two periods. That’s a great sign.” October 15, 2017 That’s a dramatic change from the first two games of the campaign, 12:54 AM EDT when the Jets started well but went astray after falling behind in losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.

That in itself represents progress. WINNIPEG — It’s an item that wasn’t necessarily high on the to-do list for the Winnipeg Jets, but it also represents something all playoff teams “We just found a way to win a hockey game against a team that hadn’t do with regularity. lost a regulation game and had played solid hockey,” said Maurice. “It was good. I’m not here trying to convince anybody that was well played.” Stringing victories together is commonplace for contenders, but on nine separate occasions last season, the Jets won consecutive games but This was more about resisting the temptation to try and open things up in were unable to get over the hump and win three straight. a tie game on a night when the Jets didn’t have their best. That changed in Game 54, when the subject was put to bed after a Doing so allowed the Jets to need only five games to put together their victory over the Dallas Stars. first three-game winning streak. An inability to go on a lengthy streak was one of many reasons the Jets If the Jets remain committed defensively, it won’t likely be their last – or failed to qualify for the post-season once again. their longest. The subject didn’t even have time to grow into a storyline this season, as the Jets have already exorcised that potential demon, earning a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at Bell MTS Place. National Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 “We don’t really care about win streaks. We want to win every game,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who had a strong game despite being held off the scoresheet. “If something goes wrong and we don’t (win), we hit the reset button and we go back to work. That’s what good teams do. They have short memories.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice saw a little more importance in the feat than his top-line centre. “(It shows) that you can do it. You have that good feeling,” said Maurice. “It’s a challenging month for us. (It provides the) belief that you can get on a roll.” And after getting off to a pretty ugly 0-2 start, the Jets are suddenly riding high and on a three-game streak heading into Tuesday’s match-up with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Saturday wasn’t the prettiest game. Some might suggest it was downright ugly. For a good chunk of the first two periods, the Jets didn’t have their usual skating legs and they weren’t crisp in the offensive zone. They didn’t generate much offence either, limited to 12 shots on goal (including a span of 11:22 without a shot on goal to start the second period) after 40 minutes of play. But during the third, the Jets dug down and found a little extra jam and got the eventual game-winner from Nikolaj Ehlers at 6:03. Ehlers, who has five goals and seven points during the past three games, used his blazing speed earlier in the shift to create some separation, made his way to the slot and buried a shot high to the blocker side of Scott Darling. For the third time in as many starts, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck provided a solid effort, making 28 saves to lower his goals-against average to 2.11 and raise his save percentage to .927. Hellebuyck wasn’t under siege, but he made the saves he needed to make – including a glove save off Hurricanes defenceman Jaccob Slavin late in the contest. Jets captain Blake Wheeler was making no apologies for an effort that may have lacked style, but carried plenty of substance. “Oh man, we’ve been talking about defence for six months and now we talking about we don’t have enough offence?” asked Wheeler. “Get used to (the Jets grinding it out). Let’s hope. With the guys we’ve got on this team, if we commit to playing a style like that it’s going to be tough (on the opponent). Carolina is one of the tougher teams to play. (They have) great sticks and there was no room all over the ice. (Maurice) did a great job of preparing us for that, showing us what they do well. Through two periods, we had 10 shots (on goal) and everyone was comfortable. There was no panic, nobody trying to do their own thing or trying to create offence out of nowhere.” 1078300 Toronto Maple Leafs “I am so used to it by now,” the 20-year-old Matthews said of the pass from Nylander to set up the winner.

“He is so good at finding those seams and making those types of passes. Auston Matthews nets OT winner as Toronto Maple Leafs edge Montreal For myself, I just need to make sure I’m ready, because the puck is Canadiens 4-3 coming. “It’s always a hostile environment when we come in here and it’s a great Terry Koshan atmosphere. To come out with two points is what we came here to do.”. October 14, 2017 11:56 PM EDT National Post LOADED: 10.15.2017

MONTREAL — Auston Matthews is blowing away his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate who has seen just about everything in the National Hockey League. Patrick Marleau has been at it for 20 years, but the 38-year-old can’t recall watching such a young player seize the big moments and take control the way Matthews does. “I don’t think so,” Marleau said. “He is coming up huge right now and it’s fun to watch.” The latest for the Matthews highlight reel came on Saturday night when he beat Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price in overtime, not only giving the Leafs a 4-3 win but putting a hard stop to the Leafs’ 14-game losing streak (0-9-5) against their bitter rivals. This after Matthews, who has started the 2017-18 regular season with five goals in five games, scored in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night in Toronto. At 48 seconds of the extra period, before a boisterous crowd at the Bell Centre, Matthews took a pass from William Nylander and went high on Price as the Leafs beat the Canadiens for the first time since Jan. 18, 2014. And it was the 600th NHL win for Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, who celebrated afterward with a sandwich from Schwartz’s, his favourite Montreal deli. “They want to be in those moments,” Babcock said of Matthews and Nylander. “I think guys who have been doing that their whole lives just believe they are going to get it done at that time. “I didn’t think we were outstanding by any means, but we found a way to win and it was a good road game. Our goaltender got better as the game went on and had a good third and in the end, we win.” Babcock implored his players to be better after he detested the effort in a loss to New Jersey on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. Truth be told, they were not excellent for the full 60 minutes, but Babcock saw enough to be satisfied as the club improved its record to 4-1-0, winning for the first time in Montreal since October 2013. “We tried, we competed,” Babcock said. “I’m good all the time as long as you compete. “It’s not about whether you lost, it’s about whether you competed and went about your business. “We’re not playing near as good as we were at the end of last year, not even close. But we’re probably playing better than we were at this time last year. We have more talent, but we can still play way better than we are playing and we plan on getting better.” Matthews already had scored a pretty goal in the game, coming in the first period when he beat an unbalanced Price with a quick shot following an end-to-end rush (and aided by a Jordie Benn turnover). That gave Toronto a 2-1 lead. Jeff Petry scored on Montreal’s second shot of the game, but James van Riemsdyk scored off a faceoff less than a minute before Matthews’ first goal to tie the game. Alex Galchenyuk got Montreal’s first power-play goal after it started the season going 0-for-14 with a man advantage, scoring prior to the end of the first period. In the second, Matthews had a goal disallowed because of a high stick, Jonathan Drouin got his first as a Canadien and Marleau was credited with a goal following a review. The teams were tied 3-3 after 40 minutes and the Canadiens were the better team in the final 20 minutes of regulation, outshooting the Leafs 13-6. But they could not beat Frederik Andersen, who was sharp. Andersen, who made 31 saves in the game, had a big stop in overtime and the Leafs took the puck up the ice and scored. 1078301 Vegas Golden Knights

Marc-Andre Fleury’s status uncertain after Knights goalie misses practice

By Steve Carp Las Vegas Review-Journal October 14, 2017 - 7:41 PM

The Golden Knights might have lost more than their first game Friday. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury did not practice Saturday after the 6-3 loss to the Red Wings at T-Mobile Arena. Fleury took a knee to the head in the second period when Detroit’s Anthony Mantha was pushed into him by defenseman Luca Sbisa while en route to the net. Fleury was woozy but remained in the game. The NHL did not deem the incident severe enough to force Fleury off the ice as part of its concussion protocol. The goaltender took a maintenance day Saturday, according to coach Gerard Gallant, who added that he was unsure of Fleury’s status for Sunday’s 4 p.m. game against the Boston Bruins at T-Mobile. “I hope so,” Gallant said when asked if Fleury will play. “Let’s see what happens.” Fleury’s situation was only the beginning for the Knights. Center Erik Haula, who scored his first goal of the season Friday, was placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury. Haula reportedly hurt his knee, but the Knights wouldn’t confirm it. He landed awkwardly after being hit in the Detroit zone by Tomas Tatar, and that might be when he was injured. He is expected to miss a week. Jonathan Marchessault, who also scored his first goal Friday, did not practice Saturday. He also was taking a maintenance day, Gallant said. His status for Sunday is undetermined. With Haula out and Marchessault’s availability not clear, the Knights recalled Vadim Shipachyov on Saturday. The 30-year-old center from Russia was reassigned to Chicago of the American Hockey League on Oct. 3. He reported to the Wolves but never played or practiced with the team. Shipachyov returned to Las Vegas and was working out on his own. He is expected to make his debut Sunday, likely playing with William Karlsson and Brendan Leipsic. Shipachyov played with Marchessault and Reilly Smith in the preseason, and his last appearance with the Knights was Oct. 1 in the preseason finale against San Jose. Gallant said he wasn’t sure of his lines with Haula out, Shipachyov in and Marchessault a question mark. “I’m not 100 percent sure where we’ll play him,” Gallant said of Shipachyov. Shipachyov, who does not speak English and uses an interpreter to communicate, was not made available to the media Saturday. Gallant said it was important to forget Friday’s loss. “We talked about some of the mistakes we made last night,” he said. “You’ve got to move forward and do the positive things we’ve been doing. “The guys were in good spirits. There’s no need for me to be barking at them. We’re focusing on Sunday.” Fleury is clearly the biggest concern. If he can’t play, Malcolm Subban, who joined the Knights on Oct. 3 after the team moved Calvin Pickard, probably would get his first start. It would come against his former team, as the Bruins placed Subban on waivers and the Knights claimed him. “Obviously you need to be ready to go ,” Subban said. “I’ve been working hard on my game, and I’m trying to show that I can play in the NHL, so that’s what I’m trying to aim for.”

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Golden Knights help Las Vegas hockey fans heal

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal October 14, 2017 - 6:59 PM

Rich Rodriguez had a ticket for the final night of the Route 91 Harvest festival, but a migraine headache prevented him from attending. On Saturday, Rodriguez joined his friend Constant Kern on Fremont Street for the NHL Centennial Fan Arena. It’s all part of the healing process for the Las Vegas residents, who have found an escape in the aftermath of the Oct. 1 mass shooting on the Strip through hockey and the Golden Knights. “It gets you out of the house, gets your mind off stuff,” said Rodriguez, a recent hockey convert. “I’m a little bit strong-headed, so I just wish I could have done more to help more people than myself.” Kern had an extra ticket to the Golden Knights’ game against San Jose on Oct. 1 and offered it to Rodriguez, who said he was going to the outdoor country music festival instead. It wasn’t until the next morning that Kern found out Rodriguez wasn’t in attendance when a gunman opened fire on the crowd from his room at Mandalay Bay, killing 58 people and injuring almost 500. Kern had his Golden Knights home jersey signed at the Fan Arena by Knights defensemen Colin Miller and Nate Schmidt, while Rodriguez got his goalie mask autographed by the players. The Fan Arena featured a museum truck, ball hockey rink, virtual reality Zamboni race and the Stanley Cup, which visited University Medical Center on Thursday. A “(Vegas)Strong” sign that visitors signed was added to the exhibit. “I really truly believe it brought the city together,” Kern said of the Golden Knights’ reaction. “The outpouring of all the Vegas Strong and ‘Go Knights Go,’ and for them to go to all the hospitals, I think that was awesome.” Hockey also has provided a much-needed respite for the Trudell family during the past two weeks. Gavyn Trudell, 8, is the flag boy for the UNLV hockey team, leading the Rebels onto the ice at the start of their home games. As a result, the family is close with Rebels assistant coach Nick Robone, who was shot in the chest at the concert. Robone was released from the hospital Tuesday and honored by the Golden Knights before Friday’s game at T-Mobile Arena. “They’ve proved that it’s more than just a game,” Andy Trudell said. “The simple fact that they took down the advertising on their home opener to convey a message of hope and recovery says a lot to the organization, and it says a lot to what the people of the city mean to the team.” The Trudells traveled to Arizona for the Knights’ game Oct. 7, and the trip allowed the family to escape from the tragedy for an evening. “We kind of were able to push past what went on, the bad stuff that was going on for the four or five days prior to it, let me kind of forget about it,” Becca Trudell said. “It was a perfect little vacation, and being (at the Fan Arena on Friday) night helped, too, with all the hockey.”

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Northern California wildfires threaten Bill Foley’s winery

By Steve Carp Las Vegas Review-Journal October 14, 2017 - 6:22 PM

As Bill Foley was watching his team lose its first hockey game Friday night, the Golden Knights majority owner also was watching the developments in Northern California. Foley’s winery in Sonoma County was evacuated as wildfires in the region swept closer to his property. “We evacuated Friday,” he said. “We’re monitoring the situation and hoping for the best. So far, we’re OK.” Foley said one employee who lives in Santa Rosa lost his home in the fires, which have claimed 31 lives and aren’t close to being contained. “It’s horrible what’s going on up there,” Foley said. “But we’re hoping everything will be all right.” The Red Wings left Las Vegas with a positive impression of T-Mobile Arena and the hockey atmosphere inside the building after Friday’s 6-3 win over the Knights. “It was a great atmosphere and great building,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “The Vegas fans were big time behind them. They’re going to have lots of real good starts because of the emotion in the building. They are excellent fans. “We had a good number of Detroit fans here as well. It reminded me of some of those games at home, Detroit and Toronto, going back and forth. It was a great atmosphere and great for the NHL.” Forward Henrik Zetterberg, who had a goal and three assists, said: “It’s a nice arena to play in. The ice was good. It’ll be many more games here. “Everyone knows what Vegas had gone through the last couple of weeks or so. Coming in here and being a part of the atmosphere like this, it shows that it is a strong city and it is a hockey market. So I see a future here, and especially the fans were a big part of it. It was loud, it was probably a lot louder than many other arenas.” Beat-up Bruins The Boston Bruins, who visit T-Mobile at 4 p.m. Sunday, are already battling injuries. Center David Backes has been out with diverticulitis and might require surgery, and center Patrice Bergeron has been out with a lower body injury. He scored 21 goals and had 53 points last season. Defenseman Kevan Miller took a shot to the inside of his knee at practice Thursday but is expected to play Sunday. Forward Noel Acciari is out with a broken left index finger.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078304 Vegas Golden Knights Bettman said the league hasn’t issued an “edict” and players are encouraged to be socially active away from the rink.

“Our players tend to focus on the games, which is what I think fans want,” Australian Nathan Walker latest symbol of hockey’s global growth Bettman said in part. “There’s lots of places where you can exercise your commitment on either social or political causes, but I don’t think people come to games for that.” By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

October 14, 2017 - 5:57 PM LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.15.2017

The Australian ambassador to the United States is named Joe Hockey. No joke. It was only fitting, then, that Hockey was in attendance in Washington when the first Australian played in the NHL. Nathan Walker made his debut Oct. 7, and the 23-year-old Aussie scored his first career goal in the Capitals’ 6-1 victory over Montreal, the latest symbol of hockey’s growth around the globe. “We are the most internationally diverse of the North American four major sports leagues,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday at the Golden Knights’ home opener when asked about Walker. “Twenty-five percent, roughly, of our players come from outside of North America, and it’s great to see our players have roots from all over the world, although I think if you check his travels, it was a fairly nontraditional route.” Indeed. Walker was born in Wales and immigrated to Australia when he was 2 years old. He was inspired to play hockey by his older brother and “The Mighty Ducks” movie. After dominating his area competition, Walker moved to the Czech Republic at age 13 and became the first Australian to play in the Czech first division. He came to the U.S. in 2013 and played in the junior United States Hockey League, earning a spot in Washington’s development camp that summer. Walker signed a contract with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and eventually was drafted by the Capitals in the third round in 2014 after being passed over the previous two drafts. The scrappy, fourth-line wing had 11 goals and 23 points in 58 games for Hershey last season and would have been called up to the Capitals in January if not for an injured hand. Walker’s historic goal was somewhat overshadowed that night by a hat trick from Alex Ovechkin, who became the first player in 100 years to open the season with back-to-back hat tricks. Walker deflected a shot from Devante Smith-Pelly into the net late in the second period. The goal was originally credited to Smith-Pelly, but later changed. The next day, Walker received a congratulatory phone call from Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Walker was a healthy scratch against New Jersey on Friday and Saturday at Philadelphia. “It’s great to have him in the league, and it’s great to have so many countries represented in our league,” Bettman said. “We are truly a melting pot.” Dustin Byfuglien and Matt Hendricks of the Winnipeg Jets spent their day off Wednesday fishing in British Columbia and landed a sturgeon that measured almost 10 feet long and weighed an estimated 600 pounds. Jets coach Paul Maurice became noticeably agitated when asked about Byfuglien battling a massive fish while injured. Byfuglien played Saturday after missing two games last week with a “soft tissue” lower-body injury, while Hendricks is on injured reserve with a foot injury. “He wasn’t bull riding,” Maurice said of Byfuglien. “He was fishing.” “It was a big fish,” one journalist responded. “Well, he didn’t have to wrestle it,” Maurice answered testily. “We gave him a line and a hook.” Bettman reiterated the league’s stance on protests during the national anthem as part of a fan Q&A last week with Los Angeles Kings analyst . 1078305 Washington Capitals “It’s superstitious, you know?” Backstrom said. “You try with the helmet on one game, then you switch. I don’t know. It’s just mental. But now I’m going to keep it on forever.” Capitals defenseman Madison Bowey will make his NHL debut vs. Flyers Backstrom had a four-point performance with three primary assists and a goal, so maybe he’s superstitious enough to get hit with a puck before every game. He joked it was a “wake-up call” for him. By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 14 at 1:43 PM — Less than three minutes into the third period Friday night, Devils forward Blake Coleman boarded Orlov, who crumpled to the ice. Forward Andre Burakovsky took objection to the hit and tossed off his gloves, PHILADELPHIA — At 10:30 p.m. Friday, Madison Bowey was getting fighting Coleman in defense of Orlov. ready for bed before his American Hockey League game the next day. He then received word from the Capitals that he’d be making his NHL Orlov was checked out briefly in the locker room and then returned to the debut Saturday instead, after he was recalled by Washington after game. Burakovsky received his first fighting major in the NHL and also defenseman Matt Niskanen injured his hand in Friday’s game against the got a 10-minute misconduct for instigating the fight. As he took a seat in New Jersey Devils. the penalty box, Carlson and forward Tom Wilson skated by to praise him for sticking up for his teammate. Bowey immediately FaceTimed his mother and father to share the exciting news. “They were actually both watching my little brother’s “For us, I think that’s the highlight of the game, Burky stepping in there game, so they kind of had to pause that and kind of take the news in,” and protecting Orly, protecting your teammates,” forward T.J. Oshie said. Bowey said. Bowey’s father, Will, then called his daughter-in-law, who “It’s nice when you see a young guy like him kind of step in. We definitely works for WestJet Airlines, to get help booking a last-minute flight from don’t want him doing it every night. He’s very valuable to us, but when Kelowna, British Columbia, to be in attendance for Bowey’s debut in you see a guy step up like that, I think that’s important for the team Philadelphia. morale. It shows what kind of guy he is.” Will Bowey is scheduled to land at the Philadelphia airport at 7 p.m. and will go straight to Wells Fargo Center to hopefully be in place by the 7:18 p.m. puck drop. Washington Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 “It’s been definitely a dream come true so far, and it’s been a whirlwind so far,” Madison Bowey said. “I think it’s just going to get better from here for sure.” While Niskanen’s injury is a significant blow to a team already thin on the blue line, it does give Washington an opportunity to get Bowey in the lineup. After he played well in training camp, Bowey was a salary-cap casualty; his $703,333 cap hit was too high to squeeze onto a 23-man roster, and he didn’t require waivers to be sent down to the AHL. But with Niskanen out of the lineup until at least Nov. 7 after being placed on long- term injured reserve, Bowey likely will have 10 games to show the Capitals that he deserves to stick around. “That’s opportunity,” Coach Barry Trotz said after Friday night’s game, “and sometimes you find out a lot about guys when they get an opportunity.” “For me, the biggest thing was just going down there and working on my game and kind of refining things,” Bowey said. “Making sure that when I did get the opportunity — which was pretty short notice here; nice to have that — to be the best I can. … For me, it was just going down with a positive attitude and knowing that I was close to making an NHL team. Now, I’m here, and I think it’s going to be a great experience for me.” On Saturday night, Bowey will be skating beside fellow rookie Christian Djoos, a third defensive pairing with a combined two games of NHL experience. Before Bowey’s injury in the AHL last season — a skate blade lacerated a tendon in his ankle — he and Djoos were a top duo for the Hershey Bears. Aaron Ness will also stay in the lineup, though it’s unclear who he’ll be paired with in the blue line’s top four. Washington’s top-four defensemen have been taxed through the first five games with the Capitals’ third pairing struggling at times. With Saturday’s game on the road, the Capitals won’t be able to control matchups, so Washington’s top three blue-liners — John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov and Brooks Orpik — may have a heavy minutes load once again. Defenseman John Carlson has averaged 26 minutes 11 seconds of ice time, a career high for him; before Niskanen got hurt, he was playing 23:11, killing penalties and quarterbacking the second power play unit. It is unclear whether Bowey will take Niskanen’s role on the man- advantage, but that might be a natural move with Bowey and Carlson as the team’s only right-shot defensemen on the roster. “I’m lucky to have a great team behind me and supporting me, so I think it’s just going from there,” Bowey said. “It’s just doing the little things right, being good with my details and hopefully I can get comfortable after the first period and then just kind of not look back from there.” — Right after the Capitals came out for warmups Friday night in Newark, forward Nicklas Backstrom hurriedly left the ice and went back to the locker room. One of the few Capitals players who doesn’t wear a helmet during Washington’s pregame skate, Backstrom got clipped by a puck before the game. Expect to see him wearing a helmet moving forward. 1078306 Washington Capitals

Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen placed on long-term injured reserve; Madison Bowey recalled

By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 14 at 10:13 AM

NEWARK — Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen has been placed on long-term injured reserve after he seemed to injure his left hand in Friday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. On long-term injured reserve, Niskanen will miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days, but Washington was able to clear enough salary cap space to recall right- shot defenseman Madison Bowey Saturday morning. In the second period of Washington’s game Friday night, Niskanen was slashed on the stick by Devils forward Jimmy Hayes. Niskanen returned to the bench in pain, taking the glove off his left hand to examine it. He went to the locker room before the second intermission, and was then ruled out for the third period. Niskanen was seen with a wrap around his hand after the game. Niskanen is Washington’s top blue-liner, so his loss is a blow to the Capitals, already thin on defense after the offseason departures of Karl Alzner, Nate Schmidt and Kevin Shattenkirk. Because Washington is experiencing issues with its defensive depth to start the season, the Capitals’ top-four blue-liners have been taxed. Niskanen had averaged a career-high 23 minutes 22 seconds of ice time through the first four games, playing on both the power play and the penalty kill while also facing top competition at even strength. Carlson has averaged north of 26 minutes in the first five games, and while Trotz has acknowledged that’s not sustainable, this injury to Niskanen won’t help. Though Bowey is the Capitals’ next best right shot, he has never played in an NHL game. It’s unclear if he’ll be in the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, potentially his NHL debut. Washington drafted Bowey in the second round of the 2013 draft, and he’s spent the past two years in the American Hockey League. The Capitals have rotated blue-liners Taylor Chorney, Christian Djoos and Aaron Ness in their third pairing, and all three have had their ups and downs to start the season. Djoos is a rookie who played in just his second NHL game Friday night, and while Chorney is the most experienced of the bottom-pairing group, Trotz yanked him from the lineup because he was struggling to play his off side on the right.

Washington Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078307 Washington Capitals Like the Capitals as a whole, Carlson struggled against the Flyers. He was on the ice for Philadelphia’s first goal, when Sean Couturier punched in his own rebound. On the Flyers’ second goal, Carlson’s pass during a Flyers lay waste to depleted Capitals defense, roll to 8-2 win Washington power play was picked off by Scott Laughton, who raced toward Grubauer on a breakaway. Grubauer came all the way out of his net, diving and swinging his stick to swat the puck away from Laughton. But while Grubauer got a piece of the puck, Laughton was able to regain By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 14 at 10:12 PM possession before scoring into an open net. Carlson was also called for two slashing minors, the second of which led to the power play where Simmonds scored Philadelphia’s third goal. The PHILADELPHIA — Madison Bowey’s first welcome-to-the-NHL moment Flyers were able to roll from there. was the solo skate in warmups, when the Washington Capitals followed a tradition of having the rookie come out of the tunnel first to take a twirl “We’ve got a bunch of young guys, and [Bowey’s] first game, and I just around the ice alone before his first game. The second introduction to the thought I could’ve done a lot better myself and lead the way a lot more,” big leagues came in the second period, when Philadelphia’s Jakub Carlson said. “You know, he’s resilient and he’s got all of the tools to do Voracek deked around Bowey, who lost his stick as Voracek set up a it. I would’ve liked to play a little bit better and make him feel a lot more goal by Wayne Simmonds. comfortable. But we’ll get back to work.” The Capitals’ 8-2 loss to the Flyers on Saturday night highlighted that the Capitals as a whole may require an exercise in patience. The team is forced to lean on inexperienced defensemen learning on the job with its Washington Post LOADED: 10.15.2017 blue line depleted, and rookie mistakes are understandable and expected. The forwards have had some issues with puck management through six games, and Saturday’s game was Washington’s worst showing in that area. It’s one game in a long season — far from dire, but ugly nonetheless. It reinforced that the Capitals have more flaws than in years past when they were regular season titans, and it’ll take time to work through some of these deficiencies. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was peppered with 37 shots. The last time the Capitals allowed eight goals in regulation was on Jan. 25, 2006. Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia was an early-season test for the Capitals. While the Flyers were fresh and energized to play their home opener, Washington was playing its second game in two nights in the first back-to-back set of the season. The turnovers increased in the second half of the game, just as players got tired, and it was a recipe for disaster. “We were absolutely stupid with the puck,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “We deserved every ounce of that.” This was also the team’s first game without top defenseman Matt Niskanen, who injured his left hand in New Jersey on Friday, and the Capitals’ blue line included rookies Christian Djoos and Bowey. Voracek burned Bowey on a power play 3:15 into the second period, with Simmonds’s goal lifting the Flyers to a 3-1 lead. They cruised from there, and Bowey was also on the ice for the Flyers’ fourth goal of the game, a redirected shot in front by Claude Giroux. “It’s just something I can build off from here,” Bowey said. “It’s the first game of my career in the NHL, so obviously it’s uphill from here for sure and a lot to build on.” Said Trotz: “That was a tough one. I won’t say anything until I look at it. That was a tough one. We might just junk this game, I don’t know.” Bowey was far from the only player to struggle. Trotz was critical of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s line — “Giroux’s line just ate up Kuznetsov’s line,” Trotz said. Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin both finished with a minus-four rating. Dmitry Orlov typically skates with Niskanen on a top pairing, but he seemed to skate most with Aaron Ness against the Flyers. With less than three minutes left in the second period, Simmonds got around Orlov at the half wall, feeding Jordan Weal at the side of the net. Ness slid in front of Weal to cut off his pass, but Weal maneuvered around Ness to set up Valtteri Filppula’s goal from the slot. That gave Philadelphia a 5-2 lead at second intermission. Washington’s top defensemen were carrying a heavy workload even before Niskanen’s injury. The offseason departures of Karl Alzner, Nate Schmidt and Kevin Shattenkirk hurt their depth. With the third pairing lacking experience, the Capitals have leaned on their top four more, mixing the defense duos within games to typically have at least one veteran on the ice at all times. Entering Saturday night’s game, John Carlson had been especially taxed, skating an average of 26:11 per night, nearly two minutes more than his previous career high. With Niskanen ineligible to return until at least Nov. 7, Trotz said Carlson’s minutes likely won’t be coming down anytime soon. “That’s also the next level for John, too, if he wants to be an elite defenseman in the league,” Trotz said before the game. “A lot of those guys carry those minutes and more, and they can carry them very consistently.” 1078308 Washington Capitals

Capitals’ Niskanen placed on long-term injured reserve

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Saturday, October 14, 2017

Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen will miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days after Washington placed him on long-term injured reserve with an upper body injury. In his absence, the Capitals promoted defenseman Madison Bowey from Hershey, the team’s American Hockey League affiliate. Niskanen left Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils in the second period. The loss is a huge blow to the Capitals, given Washington’s thin- depth on the blue line and Niskanaen’s status as a No.1 defenseman. The earliest Niskanen will be eligible to return is Nov. 7 at Buffalo. Bowey, meanwhile, made a strong push to make the Capitals roster in training camp, but was among the team’s last cuts. He will most likely make his debut Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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With Niskanen injured, Capitals recall one of their top prospects from Hershey

By J.J. Regan October 14, 2017 10:08 AM

The Capitals will get a look at one of their most promising defensive prospects, but it comes at a high price. Defenseman Madison Bowey was recalled from the Hershey Bears on Saturday and Matt Niskanen was placed on LTIR, the team announced. Bowey has an impressive preseason and looked as if he had clearly earned a spot on the team, but because of a tight salary cap situation and his waiver exempt status, Bowey started the season in the AHL. Now just five games into the season, the Caps are in need of his services. Niskanen left Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils in the second period after appearing to take a slash from forward Jimmy Hayes on the hand. The team has listed his status as week-to-week with an upper body injury. The injury is significant for a team that was already thin on the blue line. Niskanen ranked fourth on the team in playing time per game with 21:09. The injury will put further strain on a defensive core that was already relying far too much on its top four. Despite having never played an NHL game, Bowey may be expected to step in and immediately take on a significant role. Of the seven defensemen the Capitals had on the roster prior to Niskanen’s injury, only two of them, Niskanen and John Carlson, were right-handed shots. It would not be an ideal scenario for a team to play with five left-handed shots on the defense, meaning the team may need Bowey to step into the lineup as early as Saturday’sgame against the Philadelphia Flyers.\

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Game 6: Capitals at Flyers Date, Time, How to Watch, Game Thread

By J.J. Regan October 14, 2017 6:30 AM

What: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa. When: 7:00 p.m. ET. Coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. ET with Capitals FaceOff. How to WATCH: Capitals at Flyers will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. (Channel Finder) Live Stream: You can watch the Capitals at Flyers game on NBC Sports Washington's live stream page. WHEN IS THE CAPITALS-FLYERS GAME? The Capitals (3-1-1) take on the Flyers (2-2-0) Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center. WHAT CHANNEL IS THE CAPITALS-FLYERS GAME ON? The Capitals-Flyers game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. Capitals FaceOff gets things started at 6:00 p.m. ET followed by Caps GameTime at 6:30 p.m. S WHERE CAN I STREAM THE CAPITALS-FLYERS GAME? The Capitals-Flyers game, as well as the pre and postgame shows, is available to stream live here through NBC Sports Washington's live stream page and is available to authenticated NBC Sports Washington subscribers on desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs anywhere in the United States.

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Instant Analysis: Capitals blitzed by Flyers, served lopsided road loss

By Troy Machir October 14, 2017 9:14 PM

A night after firing on all cylinders in a Friday road-win against the Devils, the Capitals (3-2-1) were blitzed and pressured by the Flyers (3-2-0) for three full periods on Saturday night, with Philipp Grubauer surrendering eight goals. The end result was a lopsided 8-2 loss on in Philadelphia. How It Happened: The Flyers were the penultimate team to make their home-opner, with over a full day off since their last game. The Capitals, on the other hand, were facing their first second game of a back-to-back road trip. It was clear which team had fresher legs, with the Flyers blitzing and pressuring the Capitals for the entirity of the 6-goal victory. Veteran Claude Giroux (2g, 2a) and young gun Sean Couturier (2g, 1a) led the onslaught, with the Flyers outshooting the Capitals (37-23) in all three periods. Jakub Vrana netted a goal for the second consecutive night, doing so midway through the first period to even the score 1-1. But the relentless pressure began the break the Capitals as the first period came to a close. Scott Laughton's shorthanded goal with just ove a minute remaining stretched the lead to 2-1. The first intermission couldn't save the Capitals, as Wayne Simmonds (1g, 1a) buried a beautiful feed from Jakub Voracek (0g, 3a) past Grubauer to extend the lead to 3-1. From there, the game was out of reach, with only a Nicklas Backstrom (1g, 0a) goal registering for the Capitals. Another goal for the Flyers made it 5-2 at the end of the second. The Flyers beat the Capitals to the puck and to the net in the third period as well, registering three more goals. When the horn flowed sounded, the Caps skated off the ice with a 8-2 loss. Bowey's Debut Hardly Memorable: Madison Bowey was the latest Caps' prospect to make his NHL debut, and it was not one he's likely to remember with much fondest. Bowey got the nod following Matt Niskanen's trip to the Injured Reserve, and while Bowey still has a bright future ahead of him, Saturday night provided a "welocme to the league" experience. It's wasn't entirely his fault, the Capitals — as a team — struggled against the Flyers, but Bowey's 14:55 of ice time was littered with rookie mistakes. Voracek sent Bowey back to school early in the game, catching the 22-year-old out of position before dishing the puck to Wayne Simmonds for the Flyers' third goal of the game. Madison Bowey still has no idea where Voracek is. Bowey finished with a -3 plus/minus rating and was on the ice for five of the Flyers' goals. Looking Ahead: The Capitals get to head home and rest up for the first showdown against Auston Matthews. The Toronto Maple Leafs head to town on Tuesday, Oct. 17 for the first meeting between the two teams since there memorable first-round series of the 206-17 playoffs

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078312 Winnipeg Jets "There was no panic, nobody trying to do their own thing or trying to create offence out of nowhere. Straight lines, we used our speed, used the back of the net," said Wheeler. "When in doubt, get it to the fly guy Home-ice victory for Jets over Hurricanes makes it three in a row after (Ehlers) over there and he’ll take care of the rest." shaky start to season After taking the lead the Jets locked it down the rest of the way. Hellebuyck was solid once again in his third-straight start in net, stopping 28 of the 29 shots he faced including a flashy glove stop with 1:35 left By: Mike McIntyre and Carolina pressing for the equalizer. Posted: 10/14/2017 8:53 PM | Last Modified: 10/14/2017 11:22 PM "The glove save, I had a very clear shot of it. It was mine to grab. He | Updates | Comments: 4 made a good shot. That’s what I’m there for. I think that goes back to the guys in front and keeping it to the outside and letting me see things. Those are the big keys to the game," said Hellebuyck. Winnipeg Jets' Mathieu Perreault (85) battles with Carolina Hurricanes' Winnipeg didn’t win three-in-a-row until their 54th game last season — Brett Pesce (22) during second period NHL hockey action in Winnipeg, failing on nine previous chances to extend two-game win streaks. They Saturday, October 14, 2017. didn’t waste much time doing it this season, something their coach said will build confidence given the style of play needed for success. They kicked off their season with a messy home opener that put fans in a foul mood. But the Winnipeg Jets enlisted some good housekeeping "I don’t think we could have opened it up. I don’t think we made enough habits and tidied things up in their return to Bell MTS Place Saturday 10 foot passes to open up anything, except a can of worms had we not night. continued to do it," said Maurice. No, it wasn’t pretty. But a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes was The Jets finished the game down a couple of players. Both Perreault and another important step for a fragile franchise looking to finally clean up Dmitry Kulikov were shaken up early in the third and went to the dressing their act. It’s the third straight win for the Jets (3-2-0) after starting the room. Neither returned to action. Kulikov took a big hit and skated slowly season with lopsided losses at home to Toronto and on the road in off the ice, while it wasn’t clear what happened to Perreault. Maurice said Calgary. both players will be further evaluated on Sunday. Tanev earned a promotion to the line with Little and Laine in Perreault’s place. "Get used to it. Let’s hope," captain Blake Wheeler said following the game. "With the guys we’ve got on this team, if we commit to playing a Winnipeg continues their three-game homestand by hosting Columbus style like that it’s going to be tough (on the opponent)." on Tuesday and Minnesota on Friday. Nikolaj Ehlers brought the crowd to life when he used his blazing speed to break a tie with just over 14 minutes left in the third period. He flew down the wing, circled behind the Carolina net and dropped the puck for Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.15.2017 Wheeler, then took the return feed in the slot and beat goalie Scott Darling with a wrist shot for the game-winner. It’s his team-leading fifth goal of the season, all coming in the past three games. "I’m feeling good. I feel comfortable out there and I’m using my speed as much as I can. I’m playing with two great players, they’re making it easy for me," said Ehlers. Both teams possess plenty of skilled, offensive weapons and are currently icing the two youngest rosters in the league. But aside from the Ehlers goal, this one took on the tone of a pair of squads desperate to focus on their defensive games and afraid of doing too much with the puck. The result was a choppy affair that seemed stuck in neutral for much of the night. "As tough as it was, they were good enough. Some nights you just got to find a way to be good enough," said coach Paul Maurice. "I’m not here trying to convince anybody that was well played. That game was going to be played like that, was going to look like that, with these two teams and the style of play." Carolina was playing for just the third time in 11 days and coming off three days of rest. Winnipeg was returning from a three-game western road trip, which coaches and players warned earlier in the day could make for some ugly hockey. Dustin Byfuglien, making his return to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a lower-body injury, set the tone just a few minutes into the game with a sliding play to break up a two-on-one rush. His defensive commitment had been called into question after his first two games, so this no doubt brought a smile to the coach’s face. "He’s a big strong man, and his game was completely under control tonight," said Maurice. The Jets opened the scoring with just over six minutes left in the first. Bryan Little finished off an odd-man rush by firing home a low shot that just slid past Darling. Ehlers made a nice drop pass to set it up, with Patrik Laine drawing the other assist. Mathieu Perreault took a tripping penalty less than a minute later, and Carolina made them pay. Jeff Skinner — playing in his 500th career game — beat Connor Hellebuyck with a shot over his shoulder and just under the crossbar. The trio of Little-Ehlers-Laine had another dangerous rush moments later and drew a slashing penalty. Laine fired a rocket off his stick that rattled the post but stayed out to keep it tied. Neither team mustered much in the middle frame. The Jets didn’t even record their first shot of the period until it was more than halfway done, as Mark Scheifele’s shorthanded breakaway was denied by Darling. 1078313 Winnipeg Jets

Big Buff back on the ice tonight against Carolina

By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 10/14/2017 11:19 AM | Comments: 13

Dustin Byfuglien has missed the past two games in Edmonton and Vancouver dealing with a nagging lower-body injury. Dustin Byfuglien returns to the lineup tonight — forcing Tucker Poolman to the press box - as the Winnipeg Jets host the Carolina Hurricanes. Byfuglien has missed the past two games in Edmonton and Vancouver dealing with a nagging lower-body injury. That opened the door for Poolman, the first-year pro out of college who impressed many as the Jets rebounded from an 0-2 start to their season by reeling off a pair of consecutive road victories. "Ready to go. It’s just one of those things that crept into my game. Got to rest it early. It started in training camp and tried to taking care of it as much as possible. We did the right thing, we got on it early," Byfuglien said following this morning's skate at Bell MTS Place. "It’s definitely nothing big. It’s something that can drag for a long time. If you can take care of it early you won’t lose much time." He goes back into a familiar paring with Toby Enstrom. Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey are together, while Tyler Myers and Dmitry Kulikov are the third pairing. Connor Hellebuyck will make a third straight start in net for the Jets. Coach Paul Maurice said his performance and a lack of practice time for Steve Mason, who struggled in his first two starts, made it an easy call. Adam Lowry is out of the lineup tonight with an upper-body injury. Joel Armia, a healthy scratch the past two games, will dress in his place. "We’re quite hopeful that this will be enough to get him back in," Maurice said of Lowry sitting one out. "He had it going into the (Vancouver) game. It didn’t improve and started to deteriorate toward the end of the game so we’ve just got to jump on this early. It shouldn’t be anything long term." The Jets top two lines remain intact, with Mark Scheifele between Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little centering Patrik Laine and Mathieu Perreault. Nic Petan will skate on a line with Armia and Marko Dano. Andrew Copp, Shawn Matthias and Brandon Tanev are the other trio. "It's going to be a fast game tonight. It’s going to be a tough, hard fought game. The key to winning this game is for us to just keep playing the way we’re playing and get better. We were good defensively the last two games, and that’s something we have to get better at. We’re going to get our chances. Defensively, we just got to stick together," Ehlers said this morning. Carolina has only played two games this season, both on home ice. They beat Minnesota in a shootout last Saturday, then lost to Columbus in overtime on Tuesday night. "They’re very very quick. They’ll be ready. So their message in their room is real simple. These guys just came off the west coast, we all know what those trips are, lets hop on them early," Maurice said of the Hurricanes. "They’ve got a tremendous amount of quickness, they’ve got an outstanding power play so we need to be real disciplined with our sticks. And that’s a challenge with their quickness. A simple game for us really is most important."

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.15.2017 1078314 Winnipeg Jets

Hurricanes at Jets, Oct. 14

Staff Report Posted: 10/14/2017 8:26 AM | Comments: 0

Carolina (1-0-1) will be a rested club when it returns to the ice tonight. The Metropolitan Division club hasn’t played since Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime defeat to the visiting Columbus Blue Jackers. The Hurricanes, who opened with a 5-4 shootout victory on home ice over the Minnesota Wild last Saturday, have played the fewest games of any of the league’s 31 teams. G Scott Darling was given the start for the club’s first two contests of the season, while veteran G Cam Ward backed him up. Preparing for free agency, Darling was acquired by the ‘Canes in late April for a third-round pick and signed a four-year, US$16.6-million deal just more than a week later. Through a pair of games, Carolina has just three players with multiple points. European-born forwards C Victor Rask (1G, 1A), C Elias Lindholm (2A) and RW Sebastian Aho (2A) lead the club offensively. LW Jeff Skinner, a 37-goal scorer a year ago, D Noah Hanifin, LW Joakim Nordstrom and C Derek Ryan have one tally apiece to begin the 2017-18 campaign. The Hurricanes waded into free agency and inked veteran RW Justin Williams to a two-year, US$9-million contract on July 1. Though he’s 36, he should bolster a squad short on offensive punch. He was a 20-goal, nearly 50-point guy in Washington the last two seasons, and he’s a perennial Corsi leader and renowned playoff performer. He’s been playing on a line with C Victor Rask and LW Teuvo Teravainen.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.15.2017 1078315 Winnipeg Jets

Byfuglien returns to Jets lineup Hellebuyck makes third consecutive start vs Hurricanes

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 01:21 PM CDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 01:28 PM CDT

Dustin Byfuglien is back in the Winnipeg Jets lineup after missing the past two games with a suspected groin injury. The Jets blue-liner said the soft-tissue issue first came up for him during training camp and it flared up during the game last Saturday against the Calgary Flames. “It’s definitely nothing big. If you take care of it early, you won’t lose much time,” said Byfuglien, who will play alongside Toby Enstrom as the Jets open a three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Bell MTS Place. “Good. Ready to go. It’s just one of those things that crept into my game. Got to rest it early. It started in training camp and tried to taking care of it as much as possible. We did the right thing. “It’s never fun sitting out. When your team wins, it’s good all around.” Byfuglien replaces Tucker Poolman, the rookie blue-liner who looked comfortable during his first two games of NHL action. Connor Hellebuyck makes a third consecutive start in goal for the Jets. “Back to back games looked identical,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He let one in there, the 3-2 goal the other night he’d like to have back. Those things happen. But his play after that was just very mature and very confident. And then part of it also is schedule. So he’s played the last two games. We’ve had two travel days in there, we haven’t practiced very much. So we’ll get Steve (Mason) some practice time and look at him for Columbus (on Tuesday).” The Jets will be without centre Adam Lowry, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury according to Maurice. Lowry’s absence means Andrew Copp moves between Shawn Matthias and Brandon Tanev and Nic Petan goes to centre between Marko Dano and Joel Armia, who returns to the lineup after sitting out the past two games as a healthy scratch. “Just (be) a little bit quicker,” said Maurice, when asked what he’ll be looking for from Armia. “He had a lower body injury in training camp and we really felt that set him back. And he had a tough night there before he came out. Some turnovers that were pretty expensive for us. Get back, find your game, keep it simple so that you can start building some confidence. It’ll be a challenge here. These guys are quick and they’re on the puck. You’ve got to move it, you’ve got to make a decision and move the puck as fast as you can. So what he needs to do to be successful in this game is exactly what he needs to get his game going. So it’ll be a challenge.” The Jets (2-2) won consecutive games after starting the season 0-2 and giving up 13 goals in those losses. They’ll face a 1-0-1 Hurricanes team that hasn’t been overly busy during the first two weeks of the NHL season. “Typically, these games are the toughest ones. Hopefully, we can get the right mindset coming into this game. Be smart, play in straight lines and try to force those guys into playing on our terms,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “We’re still learning. The last two games were a step in the right direction, but we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.15.2017 1078316 Winnipeg Jets “There wasn’t going to be any easy ice, there weren’t going to be three- on-two’s, there weren’t going to be odd-man rushes,” Wheeler said. “So if that’s the game we were going to look for, it was probably going to be 3-1 Jets' top Canes, winning streak hits three or 4-1 for Carolina. So we were prepared for our opponent tonight and the thing that makes me most proud of our group is that we never gave in. We were OK grinding it out and we were okay being greasy. We were OK letting our fans sit on their hands for two periods. That’s a great sign.” BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN That’s a dramatic change from the first two games of the campaign, FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 10:42 PM CDT | when the Jets started well but went astray after falling behind in losses to UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 11:03 PM CDT the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames. That in itself represents progress. It’s an item that wasn’t necessarily high on the to-do list for the Winnipeg “We just found a way to win a hockey game against a team that hadn’t Jets, but it also represents something all playoff teams do with regularity. lost a regulation game and had played solid hockey,” Maurice said. “It was good. I’m not here trying to convince anybody that was well played.” Stringing victories together is commonplace for contenders, but on nine separate occasions last season, the Jets won consecutive games but This was more about resisting the temptation to try and open things up in were unable to get over the hump and win three straight. a tie game on a night when the Jets didn’t have their best. That changed in Game 54, when the subject was put to bed after a Doing so allowed the Jets to need only five games to put together their victory over the Dallas Stars. first three-game winning streak. An inability to go on a lengthy streak was one of many reasons the Jets If the Jets remain committed defensively, it won’t likely be their last — or failed to qualify for the post-season once again. their longest. The subject didn’t even have time to grow into a storyline this season, as the Jets have already exorcised that potential demon, earning a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at Bell MTS Place. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.15.2017 “We don’t really care about win streaks. We want to win every game,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who had a strong game despite being held off the scoresheet. “If something goes wrong and we don’t (win), we hit the reset button and we go back to work. That’s what good teams do. They have short memories.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice saw a little more importance in the feat than his top-line centre. “(It shows) that you can do it. You have that good feeling,” Maurice said. “It’s a challenging month for us. (It provides the) belief that you can get on a roll.” And after getting off to a pretty ugly 0-2 start, the Jets are suddenly riding high and on a three-game streak heading into Tuesday’s match-up with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Saturday wasn’t the prettiest game. Some might suggest it was downright ugly. For a good chunk of the first two periods, the Jets didn’t have their usual skating legs and they weren’t crisp in the offensive zone. They didn’t generate much offence either, limited to 12 shots on goal (including a span of 11:22 without a shot on goal to start the second period) after 40 minutes of play. But during the third, the Jets dug down and found a little extra jam and got the eventual game-winner from Nikolaj Ehlers at 6:03. Ehlers, who has five goals and seven points during the past three games, used his blazing speed earlier in the shift to create some separation, made his way to the slot and buried a shot high to the blocker side of Scott Darling. For the third time in as many starts, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck provided a solid effort, making 28 saves to lower his goals-against average to 2.11 and raise his save percentage to .927. Hellebuyck wasn’t under siege, but he made the saves he needed to make — including a glove save off Hurricanes defenceman Jaccob Slavin late in the contest. Jets captain Blake Wheeler was making no apologies for an effort that may have lacked style, but carried plenty of substance. “Oh man, we’ve been talking about defence for six months and now we talking about we don’t have enough offence?” asked Wheeler. “Get used to (the Jets grinding it out). Let’s hope. With the guys we’ve got on this team, if we commit to playing a style like that it’s going to be tough (on the opponent). Carolina is one of the tougher teams to play. (They have) great sticks and there was no room all over the ice. (Maurice) did a great job of preparing us for that, showing us what they do well. Through two periods, we had 10 shots (on goal) and everyone was comfortable. There was no panic, nobody trying to do their own thing or trying to create offence out of nowhere.” The Jets knew what to expect and didn’t stray from their structure. 1078317 Winnipeg Jets Armia has offensive upside and is a smart penalty killer, but needs to work on his consistency and pick up his pace.

After the injury to Perreault, Armia got a promotion to the third line and Byfuglien a “force” in return to Jets lineup finished with one shot on goal and one blocked shot in 10:44 of ice time. The internal competition among the forward group should only intensify BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN with the return of Lowry (who is officially day-to-day and could be back for Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets). FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 10:02 PM CDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017 10:06 PM CDT “We’re quite hopeful that this will be enough to get him back in,” said Maurice. “He had it going into the (Thursday) game (against the Vancouver Canucks). It didn’t improve and started to deteriorate toward the end of the game so we’ve just got to jump on this early. It shouldn’t Dustin Byfuglien was a welcome addition to the Winnipeg Jets lineup on be anything long term.” Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Veteran forward Matt Hendricks skated again on Saturday morning and Byfuglien, who sat out the past two games with a lower-body injury, was could be activated from injured reserve next week after missing the first a physical force in a 2-1 victory, logging 24 shifts for a team-high 24:14 of five games with a foot injury after blocking a shot in the final minute ice time. against the Ottawa Senators on September 27. The big blue-liner was only credited with two hits officially, but he threw In discussing on Saturday morning why he gave goalie Connor his body around plenty and made a smart defensive play early in the Hellebuyck a third consecutive start, Maurice cited two important factors: contest, diving to break up a two-on-one rush. Hellebuyck’s strong play in two consecutive victories and the schedule. “I thought the third period especially, he kind of changed the way that Hellebuyck did an excellent job in his first two starts of the campaign, game felt,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s a big strong man, turning aside 37 shots against the Edmonton Oilers and 30 more against and his game was completely under control tonight.” the Vancouver Canucks. Byfuglien said the soft-tissue issue first came up for him during training Since the Jets used Friday as a travel day instead of flying home after camp and it flared up during the game last Saturday against the Calgary Thursday’s game, it basically erased the opportunity to go back to Flames. veteran Steve Mason. “It’s definitely nothing big. If you take care of it early, you won’t lose much “We’ll get Steve some practice time and look at him for Columbus,” said time,” said Byfuglien, who played alongside Toby Enstrom as the Jets Maurice, referring to Tuesday’s game. opened a three-game homestand at Bell MTS Place. “It’s just one of those things that crept into my game. Got to rest it early. It started in I was among those who thought Mason was in line to start Saturday’s training camp and tried to taking care of it as much as possible. We did game against the Hurricanes. the right thing. The first two starts didn’t go well for Mason, who gave up 11 goals and is “It’s never fun sitting out. When your team wins, it’s good all around.” sporting a 6.53 goals-against average and .831 save %, but he didn’t get much support either. Maurice said Byfuglien’s presence was missed during his absence. It was obvious the Jets clamped down defensively since the first two “He’s such a force,” said Maurice. “We miss him on the back end of the games of the season and Mason should benefit from that whenever he power play, (with) that shot threat and the movement that that group returns to the crease. has.”

Byfuglien replaced Tucker Poolman, the rookie blue-liner who didn’t look out of place during his first two games of NHL action. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.15.2017 Poolman had no points but averaged 14:29 of ice time as he played almost exclusively at even strength on a pairing with Enstrom. “(Poolman) was great,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “He just kind of played right into that game plan, kept it really simple. Made the right plays. He was tough to get by, always seemed to get the first touch on pucks. Pretty impressive.” Byfuglien was also impressed, though he started his answer to a question about Poolman with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. “The (NHL) game is a lot easier than the college game, I’ll tell you that. Boys aren’t running as hard,” quipped Byfuglien. “You know, he’s done well. He has good gaps and always right there on the guy. That’s something that’s not easy to do sometimes.” Poolman could return to the lineup soon as Tuesday, as defenceman Dmitry Kulikov left Saturday’s game early in the third period with a suspected knee injury after taking along the boards from Hurricanes forward Brock McGinn. The Jets also lost forward Mathieu Perreault to a lower-body injury. Although he keep out for a shift in the opening minute of the third period, Perreault locked skates with Hurricanes centre Derek Ryan late in the second and fell to the ice awkwardly. Maurice didn’t have an update on the severity of the injuries and the Jets don’t return to practice until Monday. Jets centre Adam Lowry sat out Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, creating an opportunity for right-winger Joel Armia to return to the lineup after sitting out the previous two games as a healthy scratch. Armia was a key contributor to the Jets third line last season, chipping in a career-high 10 goals and 19 points in 57 games. He started the season in that role as well, though he was slowed by a lower-body injury during training camp and that set him back according to Maurice. 1078318 Vancouver Canucks Jake Virtanen has generally found himself parked on the bench in third periods, and on Thursday, so did Loui Eriksson.

Green seems partial to matchups (Brandon Sutter and Derek Dorsett Canucks Game Day: Who's got better flow? And Edler is a no-go due to have seen a lot of opposing top lines, with mixed results) and knee woe experienced hands (the Sedins and Thomas Vanek are looking to actually being a thing). PATRICK JOHNSTON Will this be an ongoing pattern? Or just a coach sorting out his options, especially given he’s acknowledged he has no true first line? October 14, 2017 12:29 PM PDT On Thursday, we speculated Anders Nilsson might get his first start, but Green when with the guy who seems to already be his number one, Jacob Markstrom. The kid finally played on Thursday and he made an immediate impact, assisting on a goal and showing lots of good work elsewhere. Oh, and Markstrom has played well in the first three games, though there have he’s got good flow. been hiccups here and there. There’s no doubt he’s going to make the power play better. And he may Green confirms that Markstrom starts again tonight. #Canucks — Steve have the best shot on the team, though coach Travis Green was quick to Ewen (@SteveEwen) October 14, 2017 say “slow down” on Thursday. Tonight will be his 100th start in the NHL — and he’s yet to record a The kid has tons of potential, but you’ve heard that more than once shutout. before. He’s also relieved a baker’s dozen worth of games over his career, But his line wasn’t perfect. Since entering the league Bo Horvat, Boeser’s meaning, as noted by Greg Balloch of InGoal Magazine, the Big Swede’s centre, has struggled to suppress shots against. With Sven Baertschi on closing in on Pokey Reddick’s 132 appearances without a shutout in the the other wing, this is a line that can score. It’s the other end of the ice NHL. that still needs improving. In the opposing crease it will be Mike Smith. The Flames played Friday For the line to become more than just solid, the defensive game needs night and lost to the Senators 6-0; old friend Eddie Lack mopped up after improving. starter Smith was chased early in the third. Edler out? Kid, are you kidding? Alex Edler left Thursday’s game after what mostly looked like an You may have seen this already, but if not, here we go. innocuous collision on the boards. Jonathan Dahlen is a real treat and exciting prospect for next season. Coach Travis Green said after Saturday’s morning skate that Edler suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain and will be sidelined four to He’s skating with Timrå of the second tier Allsvenskan in Sweden for six weeks. Derrick Pouliot, who was picked up from the Pittsburgh now, but will join Brynas of the Swedish Hockey League in a month or so. Penguins in the Andrey Pedan deal, will slot into his place tonight. Pouliot was a star in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks. Green was Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.15.2017 one of his coaches there. “Edler’s a big part of our back end, but it’s a good opportunity for someone else,” said Green. Green on Pouliot: “He wants to play. He’s excited to play. He hasn’t played in awhile. We’ll fit him in accordingly and see how it goes.” re Edler injury & next 6 weeks, #Canucks play 7 home games and 15 on the road. November toughest month of schedule — Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) October 14, 2017 The 23-year-old Pouliot has had his struggles in his own end since first making the leap to the NHL with the Penguins in 2014-15. It seems likely Michael Del Zotto, who soaked up most of Edler’s minutes on Thursday, will be paired with Chris Tanev, while Pouliot could pair up with Erik Gudbranson, who’s been skating with Del Zotto. That would leave the third pairing of Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher together, and while there were worries in the first two games about the young pairing, they were strongly positive possession players on Thursday, suggesting they may be on the verge of finding a comfort level with each other and would be able to handle more ice time. As well with the Vancouver line-up, Jake Virtanen will be a healthy scratch up front, and Alexander Burmistrov comes back in after sitting out the Winnipeg game. At the other end of the ice, one of the most famous hockey hairdos of all time. He’s one of the greatest players too, of course. Jaromir Jagr has made his first foray north of the border and the team’s he’s joined is a bit of a pundit’s darling even without his savvy game. He played his first Flames game Wednesday in LA against the Kings. “I didn’t feel very well,” Jagr told reporters afterwards. “But I expect that. I’m glad it’s behind me, so hopefully next game I feel better.” He played on a line with Kris Versteeg and 20-year-old Sam Bennett. The all-time great admitted at 45, it will take some time for his legs to get back in order, but was confident he’ll be up to speed quickly. Through three games, Travis Green’s even strength line deployment has been clear. Rotate three lines for the bulk of the ice time, while using a fourth sporadically in the first two periods and hardly at all in the third. 1078319 Vancouver Canucks That’s a Marky joke, btw. JPAT: What’s up with that 2-1 goal? The Provies Peak PP, Attendance woes, Radio Wars and Reasons JV18 (Remember that one? Sir Mark-a-lot saw it all the way. The one that was Scratched drifted right through him. The one that wasn’t even a decent shot). Marky: “I don’t know. It was just one of those shitty days. A terrible time for it. It was a huge game for us and I’m not too satisfied from my part.” Jason Botchford He may have been a bad goalie tonight, but he sure was accountable Published: October 15, 2017 and authentic. Updated: October 15, 2017 12:39 AM PDT BEST BACK AND FORTH Check yourself. The real question is what would WE do without JPat? There exists an entire subsection of film centred around repetition. The guy dropped this beautifully crafted question right on Green’s lap: They have had varying degrees of success but generally, movies like “When you look at that 5-on-3 set, who do you see as the shooter, or the Vantage Point, Memento, Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow, are the trigger man? Or maybe is that part of the problem?” pretty enjoyable. oh boy, that’s good. Turns out when it happens in real life, it actually sucks. Green: “I think Vanek has a good shot (Green’s gears start turning). There was Daniel Sedin after another loss trying to explain the inexplicable. The Canucks PP. “Obviously you’re asking me if Brock should have been on the 5-on-3.” Suddenly, four games seems like four weeks. Tonight just looked like so You’re god damn right he is. many of the losses last year.. Who ordered the code red, Green? And tonight was peak Canucks power play. “That’s something were going to have to consider for sure.” Nearly half the first period, the Canucks rolled with a man advantage, 8:39 in all. They managed one shot while giving up two. Oh, and they Damn right. coughed a ridiculous shorthanded goal which was totally preventable. BEST NEW REALITY A new coach hasn’t mattered. In fact, so far, Newell Brown is making Life moves fast when you start making $5.5 million. things worse and looks in need of a calendar displayed by a dude yelling in his ear “It ain’t 2011, guy.” Suddenly, two shots on net, four attempts, dominating in the faceoff circle (winning 10-of-13) and crushing possession at evens (CF 63.16%) isn’t Newell actually had the Sedins on the ice for 2:12 straight power play enough. minutes. Bo Horvat, this is your life. Anyone who thinks that’s a good idea hasn’t watching enough Canucks games in the past five years. You have to make a difference. A big impactful difference. And when you don’t, they’re coming for you. They had multiple chances to make a change too but Newell just watched as the twins figuratively lost one limb after another before there Heck, the coach came for you today. Horvat missed a couple shifts and was nothing there. didn’t get a ringing endorsement post game. Their game essentially collapsed right there on the ice, Henrik making an “I wasn’t crazy about his game,” Green said. uncharacteristically awful pass and Daniel compounding it by losing a half hearted battled along the boards. “But I was trying some different line combos. Trying to get a spark. The new players haven’t made a difference. None of MDZ, Vanek or “I thought Bo was average tonight.” Gagner have mattered. And they will be challenged to change that BEST SHOT/CHASER because none of them give the Canucks what they need most. A great shot. Shot: Boeser has that, and he was a shining light for his second straight game. Chaser: But the fact he wasn’t on a 1:11-long two man advantage looks as BEST SCREEN GRAB bizarre right now as him not playing the first two games. That’s saying something. BEST CAPTION I guess that’s because in 2011 he was just starting high school. BEST SUMMARY BEST QUOTE BEST ARE WE SURE? There stood Marky after a pretty big disappointment in net in front of BEST MAKES YOU THINK Vancouver’s media throng. Didn’t even think how odd it sounded at the time and I was there to Silence. Wait, no questions? confirm this happened. Say what? Is a mad Marky that intimidating? BEST DID YOU NOTICE? Just as Markstrom announced he was going to leave, JPat stepped up Marky dropped that right knee again on the Flames first chance. Wasn’t a and earned another medal, asking the goalie – who is quickly losing his good sign. grip on the No. 1 spot – what went wrong. Oh, caman now, that’s rich. His answers were unexpectedly fantastic. BEST LAST WORD “Like you said, JPat, five is way too many.” Ol Millsy gave up at five goals in his fourth game here too, and at least Ok, I added the JPat part, but he was the only brave soul to ask Sir Mark- four goals in five of his first 15 games in Vancouver a-lot a Q. Let Marky breathe here for a minute. His transition to starter is a much “It’s a tough one to go through. We’re playing good hockey. (I’m) killing bigger ask than Miller’s transition to Van. the momentum. It’s been bad timing to let in goals. BEST THAT TIME “It’s not just that I let in goals, it’s bad timing. That time Dorsett tried to fight Hamilton, got tripped by Bennett and then “I don’t know if I have to work harder in practice to get some bounces my got up, and scored when his shot went off another Hamilton’s face and in way.” the net. Yeah. That happened. exploded in goal scoring (he had 15 at the time of the Lebrun report) and he was still perceived as a 3L winger. BEST NO LOVE The whole thing was killer, must-listen radio. And it was just one more Oh man, on Loui getting hurt: reason 1040 believes it has a clear home run winner with LG on BEST RE-VISIT Wednesdays. It was the push heard round the hockey world. Of course, it’s not just the old war stories. LG has been fair, balanced, and informative on an array of topics. OK, maybe not. But loads of The Provies consumers took notice. Enough so, plenty of media biz higher ups, all the way back to TO, are I missed it during the game, so nods galore to the handful of people who wondering how TSN ended up with LG. dug it up. And this brings me to the kicker. It was The Flow’s first game of the season and on his first power play he launched Daniel Sedin with his stick like he was helping a little kid get a In fact, they never even called him back. head of steam at a skate park. Maybe it’s me, but thinking they may regret this one. And it totally worked. BEST ATTENDANCE It’s one thing for Jagr to do it, and he did it the next day, but Boeser? The There are two wildly different perspectives when it comes to the Canucks rookie? attendance. Now, this is something worth re-visiting. The team contends there’s been momentum with ticket sales. That’s the fastest I’ve seen 22 move in years and it absolutely helped They are saying single game sales are 33% higher than what they disrupt what was a 2-on-1. projected. “I used to do it in college,” Boeser said. “I realized Danny was going to They said season ticket renewals were 5% higher than a year ago. beat me on the backcheck so why not help him? ( They claim to have the 2nd highest season ticket renewal of any NHL “I learned it from one of the older guys in college. Someone pushed me team that didn’t make the playoffs. before. I realized it actually works.” That particular list is not exactly a murderer’s row of hockey markets – It sure does. Arizona, Florida, Carolina, Jersey, Buffalo, Detroit, LA, Dallas, NYI, Good times, amirite? Philly, Tampa, and Colorado. The Jets don’t really count because season ticket buyers signed 3-5 year deals so many wouldn’t need to renew). The sports media gold rush has been some fun. Everyone is getting a piece, something I realized when I saw this lineup: OK, all that said, the place looks empty. We see it here. You see it on TV if you’re not. It was mentioned on the broadcast. What’s next? Canucks Army gonna get a show? Yes, even with all the scarves. There’s been some, uhm, changes I haven’t liked, but I’ll keep those to myself for now. People need time. Jon wasn’t wrong. What have I enjoyed? This was at end of first to make room for late arrivals: I like the Friday round table with Walks and Rinty. I’m a sucker for round The question, obviously, is what gives? tables. I could hate your guts, but if you’re sitting in a round table and If ticket sales are better than they thought, why the heck does the place talking sports I’m in. The other day, I listened to those guys talk about look cleaned out? soccer for 90 minutes. I barely like soccer. I follow it like you follow Phish. But … There I was. I don’t have an easy answer to that. Of it all, the best new thing, and it’s not close, is Gilman with the Boat But I had heard in the week leading into the first game, there was an Capt and Baby Dragon. I’d be packaging that up as a podcast and selling element of papering the house. it to sponsors for all the monies. I didn’t entirely believe it because it was Edmonton, McDavid and, hell, it LG is such an annoyingly effortless storyteller, he makes it sound easy was opening night. But, if you tracked it, there was an odd spike in tickets on air and it’s just not. moving on one of the days in the week before the game. That was definitely enough to make me hmmm. The Burrows return game happening in the first week of the season was a coincidental gift from the gods for the trio. For the Burrows game, the Canucks got a nice walkup crowd and he moved seats. But people at Rogers even that night were warning some Gilman was riveting and detailed as he went down memory lane, all the of us: “Wait till the Jets game.” way to 2009, explaining how Gilly and LG were trying to sign Burrow and working to trade him at the same time, right before he signed am The rumour making the rounds was that the organization was moving extension. away from comp’ing tickets to sponsors as a way of filling seats. Whatever you think of that management group, it was a fascinating There are two key reasons for why comps are a bad practice. One, no reveal and one fans are almost never privy too. ticket buyer who actually pays money wants to sit beside someone who didn’t I remember those days well. In the week before, Burrows – behind the scenes – was covincingly telling some of us there was no chance he Two, once you start doing it in significant numbers, sponsors start waiting would sign before the March 3 trade deadline. on comps and there’s no urgency felt in the market to go out and actually pay real money for tickets. You can understand why too, considering what we know now – the Canucks offer was four years, $8 million and the Burrows side wanted Think you know the results by now: north of $3 million-per-year. The Cancuks really believe that game will be the low water mark for the The sides weren’t close. season. But Lebrun went on HNIC’s hot stove three days before the deadline and Official attendance tonight was 17,074. reported the possibility the Canucks could trade him. The Canucks have recently added Hutton, Stecher, MDZ and Pouliot. The urban legend has long been the Canucks had no intention to deal 14 They STILL need a defenceman who can work a power play. — it was believed there was no real offer — and Gilly used Lebrun as a pressure tactic, understanding how deeply Burr wanted to stay. I like Hutton. I think Hutton is good and can help a PP. But, and these details were new, LG explained they had a sitting offer for I hated this shot. Look at all the time and space he has, and the only Burrows, and the package was a first-round pick and a bonafide third- player in front of him is Tanner Freakin’ Glass. liner. That had to be tempting because this was right before Burrows Make a move. Outskate him. Shoot quicker. Do better than this. When it comes to JV18, I have a lot of time for the Travis Green. JV18 was at the centre of the sequence and it’s probably a contributing factor to his third period deployment, or lack thereof. You should too. The Jets had just scored and a few seconds later were pressing when Just listen to Virtanen. He wants tough love. Says bring it on. On JV18 couldn’t handle a clearing attempt. Saturday, oh it was brought. I don’t think the real issue here is that he couldn’t handle the puck. Green Even though he was benched in Thursday’s third period, Green’s is always on him about moving his feet. And if did that on this play, he decision to sit JV18 against the Flames packed a punch when it dropped. disrupts that point shot. Green levelled the boom when he explained that it was just as much It’s a small thing, but it’s the type of thing Green would pick out and many about getting a message to Virtanen as it was about his icing his optimal of us missed during the game. lineup. I’d still play him. “He’ll be the first to admit it, he wasn’t very good the other night,” Green said. But again, no one has got thru to Jake quite like Green and he’s clearly playing the long game with him. Tough love, indeed.

Runs counter to the post-game, however, when Green said he just wanted to go three lines. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.15.2017 “He needs to … I just thought his intensity level, his assertiveness wasn’t where it had to be. I know Jake well. Am I worried about taking him out? Is it going to impact our speed? “Meh, a little bit. I’m not just going to keep a guy in because he’s fast. “Part of this is making sure Jake knows how he has to play. Getting him to play the way he needs to.” I didn’t think Virtanen had a poor game Saturday, and it’s game freaking four. You really going to bench the best story of the preseason and one of the hopes of the franchise in game 4? It all seems particularly odd when you consider the big picture and underlying data which suggests JV18 has been legitimately good. A couple of tweets from John Garrett’s Muzzy drove this point home with authority: Strong. But I was conflicted. I lean toward giving Green the benefit of the doubt when it comes to JV18. I went back re-watched the film, every shift he played Thursday. I hope I can do some justice at trying to point out Green’s reasoning. There was some good. For one, the Jets didn’t sniff the net when JV18 was on the ice. They had one shot attempt, and I’ll get to that later. In Virtanen’s NHL career, this is a trend. Opposing offences regularly struggle to maintain pressure and possession when he’s on the ice. A significant reason here is his skating. Even Thursday, when he only played 7 minutes, you could see how his speed fits perfectly with the way Green wants to play. His skating creates tons of space on this following play and if the puck doesn’t wobble on him, he’s in on net with the Canucks best scoring chance of the game: Even on the first shift, you saw the potential. If he picks up this pass from Eriksson, he’s a one-on-one away from another really good scoring opportunity: He played smart too, and found this clearing in the slot. He was ridiculously wide open, positioned perfectly and a decent Granny pass away from scoring: Even in his final shift, which encompassed all 7 seconds of third period ice time he got, JV18 made something happen. But, alas, it wasn’t all rainbows and there were obvious plays that backed Green’s concerns about JV18. There were times when I was hoping he’d be physical and he appeared to pass on his opportunity. There’s a chance in this next one for him to lay the body on Poolman early. He appears to stop short: Later he seemed to have Myers lined up for some contact and it just didn’t happen: And he maybe could have done more to pressure and contact Kulikov while forechecking on this one: Now, in his last real shift of the game late in the second period, the Jets get their only shot attempt with him on the ice. They nearly scored too. A tipped point shot went off the post. 1078320 Vancouver Canucks The Canucks publicly remain positive when it comes to the sales trend, claiming season-ticket renewals were up five per cent year over year.

Canucks cite strong group sales and said single-game tickets are selling Flames 5, Canucks 2: Boeser's believers a burgeoning bloc, Sedins a 33 per cent over expectations. shadow of themselves That said, Thursday’s announced crowd was 15,589, the lowest since December 2001. That was a weekday. Jason Botchford Saturday’s lower bowl didn’t look any fuller. Some believe part of the seat Published: October 14, 2017 optics is because the Canucks have either stopped or reduced significantly the number of tickets they comp to sponsors. Updated: October 14, 2017 10:11 PM PDT Green said his decision to scratch Virtanen Saturday was as much about getting a message to the young player as it was about icing the Canucks’ best lineup. The Vancouver Canucks scratched Jake Virtanen in the morning and things got worse from there. “He’ll be the first to admit it, he wasn’t very good the other night,” Green said. Virtually handed the game early with five first-period power plays, the Canucks rolled over instead. Tough love, indeed. The Calgary Flames cruised to a 5-2 win that was littered with soft “He needs to … I just thought his intensity level, his assertiveness wasn’t goaltending and nearly zero offensive push from the Canucks. Here’s where it had to be. I know Jake well. Am I worried about taking him out? what we learned: Is it going to impact our speed? It was a game only a tanker could love. “Meh, a little bit. I’m not just going to keep a guy in because he’s fast. Jacob Markstrom was bad. The power play was worse. But there was “Part of this is making sure Jake knows how he has to play. Getting him one shining light for the surprisingly limp Vancouver Canucks. to play the way he needs to.” Cutting through the slot, Boeser showed again he’s the best one-shot That’s strong. scorer on the team. He doesn’t have much competition. A review of every shift Virtanen played Thursday revealed a mixed bag He does, however, have five goals in 11 NHL games. He nearly had a for the winger. There were plays where you could see how his speed was sixth on Thursday too, but had to settle for an assist. creating time and space, fitting nicely with Green’s go-get-em system. Just imagine what he could do if he was on a power play that didn’t play But there were some obvious shifts where Virtanen could have been like it was pulled from a chapter in a Stephen King book. more physical. On a late second-period shift, he didn’t move his feet enough to get in the way of a point shot, which ended up nailing the post Most of the past five years of Canucks hockey was summed up in the behind Markstrom. first period. Virtanen then sat out virtually the entire third period. You could call it Peak Canucks. Still, the data shows the power forward has been among the Canucks Vancouver got all the calls. Five different times they went on the power best wingers in limited time, so this Green’s decision still redlined the play. It totalled 8:49 in clock time and for 1:11 of it, the Canucks had a surprise metre. two-man advantage.

Back in the day, it would have been a set-up for magic, a moment for the Sedins to show off their wondrous skills. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.15.2017 On Saturday, it was just sad. In all that time, the Canucks managed just one shot. Calgary had two shorthanded shots and scored a goal on one of them. The goal came at the end of an inexplicable Sedin shift that lasted 2:12. It’s been years since the Sedins were effective on the power play. At no time in any game should they be partaking in two-minute shifts. Numerous seats sit empty as Vancouver Canucks’ Henrik Sedin wins a faceoff against Calgary Flames’ Michael Frolik during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver on Saturday. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Loui Eriksson left the game early in the first, and never returned. If he’s out Tuesday, the obvious move to make is get Jake Virtanen back in. But the Canucks’ offensive push was pathetic Saturday. The team lacks dynamic difference-makers. Goldobin can be one. In seven games in Utica, he has seven goals. Do you think he could help on the power play? Is there a world where Virtanen, Brock Boeser and Goldobin can all be in the same lineup for a Green coach team? For the fourth straight game, Markstrom was tapped to start, strongly suggesting Green sees him as the team’s No. 1 goalie. At least, for now. For the second straight game, Markstrom had a tough time. But remember this: In Ryan Miller’s first 15 games in Vancouver, he gave up at least four on five different occasions. Markstrom’s current transition from clear backup to a guy the team hopes can start five or six straight is much more difficult than Miller’s transition in coming here. You’re not alone if you were shocked at how many empty seats you saw on the broadcast in Rogers Arena. There were some sections had more empty seats than fans. 1078321 Vancouver Canucks Edler led the Canucks in ice time last season, averaging 24 minutes, 18 seconds over his 68 games.

Pouliot gets his shot to find his game, slotting in for injured Edler Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.15.2017

Steve Ewen Published: October 14, 2017 Updated: October 14, 2017 5:25 PM PDT

Derrick Pouliot was commonly considered the best defenceman and Mathew Dumba the second on a powerhouse Portland Winterhawks team in 2013-14. As of Saturday morning, Dumba had played 231 NHL games. Pouliot was slated to play his 68th Saturday night for the Vancouver Canucks, taking the spot of injured Alex Edler (knee) against the Calgary Flames. Is this where Pouliot becomes an NHL regular? It sounds like he’ll certainly get a chance, as Canucks coach Travis Green said Saturday morning that Edler will be sidelined for four-to-six weeks. “Do people understand the jump from junior? I understand it now,” said Pouliot, 23, who was voted CHL defenceman of the year after that 2013- 14 campaign with Portland. “I didn’t my first year (of pro hockey). It’s a big jump. This is the best league in the world for a reason. It’s a lot bigger jump than you think when you’re 18 years old, 19 years old. “I need to play more consistently. I need to find that steady game, night in and night out. You just have to be ready every day.” The Pittsburgh Penguins made Pouliot the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, one selection, oddly enough, after the Minnesota Wild took Dumba. Dumba was with the Red Deer Rebels at the time, and was moved to the Winterhawks in that 2013-14 season in a WHL blockbuster trade. The Winnipeg Jets grabbed rearguard Jacob Trouba one pick after Pittsburgh nabbed Pouliot. That gives you some idea of the potential we’re talking about here. Pouliot was unable to snag regular duty in Pittsburgh, though, and they were willing to ship him to Vancouver on Oct. 3, in exchange for defenceman Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick. Green was one of his coaches with the Winterhawks, so Pouliot should know the system and expectations. “The way that we played in Portland is the same way he wants to play here — quick transition, D-men jumping up into the play,” said Pouliot, a 6-foot, 208-pound left-handed shot who was the first pick overall by the Winterhawks in the 2009 WHL draft out of a Weyburn, Sask., bantam program. “Skating is one of the strengths to my game. It’s good when we have a little bit of freedom to get into the rush and create offence that way.” Pouliot totalled 14 points, including two goals, in his first 67 NHL games. He put up 205 points, including 42 goals, in 247 regular-season games with Portland. If he’s right, he could be the power-play quarterback that the Canucks have been searching for since maybe Paul Reinhart. “He wants to play. He’s excited to play. He hasn’t played for awhile,” Green explained of Pouliot, who also had 70 points in 114 career AHL regular-season games. “We’ll fit him in accordingly and see how it goes. I think he’s confident and ready to go.” Meanwhile, it’s easy to wonder if the Edler exit from the lineup isn’t the beginning of the Vancouver blue-line corps being sideswiped again by injuries. Edler, Chris Tanev and Erik Gudbranson missed a combined 95 games last season. Edler left Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets after playing just six shifts. He seemed to get tangled up along the boards with Mark Scheifele. “He’s our No. 1 guy on the back end,” Gudbranson said of Edler. “He dominates out there. He brings such a presence in the locker room as well as on the ice. “It’s a tough loss, but it’s where guys have to step up.” 1078322 Websites Hyman hung around Toronto through the summer months, staying in touch with Matthews, who was Arizona-bound, by text and Snapchat. He got a sense that Matthews was bound for bigger things just by the The Athletic / Why Auston Matthews’ start is even more impressive in expectations he seemed to be setting for himself. Year 2 for the Leafs “I think that he just wants to get better every year,” Hyman said in a near- empty dressing room at Bell Centre before Matthews strolled by the refrigerator to fetch a drink. “And obviously he had a great year last year Jonas Siegel so you can only imagine what the expectations are if he wants to get better every year. 4 hours ago “He got 40 last year – so he just wants to be better.”

It wasn’t just scoring more goals though, Hyman said, it was dialing up MONTREAL – It’s pretty hard to top a start to the season which included his efforts defensively to retrieve the puck quicker and shift back to the first four-goal debut in NHL history, but Auston Matthews may be offence. He thought the improvements were evident in how much time doing it this fall. the line was spending in the offensive zone and how Matthews, in particular, was bursting through the neutral zone with speed. Matthews potted two more goals against the Canadiens on Saturday night — including the overtime winner — and while his first five games as “The little things help a lot,” Hyman said. “It allows you to have the puck a sophomore may look almost identical to the opening five of a historic more so that your skill can show more.” rookie campaign, a deeper dive shows that what Matthews is doing this time around is even more impressive. Matthews didn’t quite tear apart the Canadiens like he did the Blackhawks earlier this week – his puck possession figure was 47.5 per For starters, the competition level is lot higher. cent – but he still scored twice on three shots (and had another one called back on a high-stick). He also logged a season-high of 20:22 in ice “I think that’s what teams tend to do if they’re worried about our line,” time and won 69 per cent of his 13 draws. William Nylander said. The first of his two goals had teammates gleefully chuckling among Matthews, alongside Nylander and Zach Hyman, is not only getting themselves on bench. exclusively defended by top pairs from Day 1 this year but also more threatening forward combinations. It was the biggest difference both “We were kind of like what the heck was that?” Jake Gardiner said before Nylander and Hyman pointed to when asked about changes in the way heading to the team bus. “Special player. Special goal.” the unit was being defended. Special was how Matthews flipped it around Charles Hudon, somehow Consider the early days of Matthews’ rookie campaign. knowing he’d get it back. Special was batting down Jordie Benn’s attempt at shoveling the puck the other way to no avail. Special was using a When the Leafs went to Winnipeg for their third game of the year, helpless Brandon Davidson as a screen for Carey Price. Matthews drew a forward line centered not by Mark Scheifele but Mathieu Perreault. Paul Maurice also matched him with the modest “It’s pretty crazy. Not many guys can do that obviously,” said Hyman, second pair of Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom on the back-end. who was waiting to jump on the ice when Matthews pulled off the goal, his fourth of the year. The next night in Minnesota, Bruce Boudreau decided to use annual Selke Trophy candidate Mikko Koivu not against Matthews but the trio of “I didn’t know what he was going to do,” added Nylander. “It looked like a Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and (the long since forgotten) Milan little broken play and then he picked up the puck and was able to go (top) Michalek. cheese. It was a sick goal.” It was more of the same against Chicago two nights after that. The Leafs Matthews didn’t catch Nylander’s lofting pass clean in overtime but still were hosting the Original-Six meeting and had control over the somehow managed to quickly fire it short-side and beat Price again for matchups, but Joel Quenneville was still fine using Niklas Hjalmarsson the winner and his fifth goal of the year. Babcock said he believes and Gustav Forsling against the Matthews trio and not two-time Norris players like Matthews expect to thrive in those situations because they’d trophy winner, Duncan Keith. done it in their careers for so long already. Fast-forward to this fall — after Matthews' 40-goal rookie campaign and Matthews’ eight game-winning goals last year tied for fifth-best in the the first Leafs' Calder Trophy in 51 years — and all that’s changed. league. He’s now got 10 in the first 87 regular-season games of his career. Start with the recent matchup between the Leafs and Blackhawks, a 4-3 Toronto win. Quenneville, for one, made sure his top pair of Keith and “He’s been pretty clutch this year for us, scoring big goals already, and Brent Seabrook made it out to the Air Canada Centre ice against it’s real early in the season,” Gardiner said. Matthews almost exclusively — though it didn't end up mattering much to the American. “A guy like that, it’s huge that he can step up even more and do that.” Even-strength shot attempts were a wild 21-3 for the Leafs when Matthews was on the ice against Keith. The Athletic LOADED: 10.15.2017 Mike Babcock, who started upping Matthews’ competition level midway through last season, had Matthews match up (and ultimately, obliterate) a Chicago forward unit headlined by 2016 Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane. Matthews scored his first overtime winner of the season and finished with 87-per-cent possession. Equally noteworthy in evaluating his start to the season this year are further means of deployment under Babcock. Last year at this point, Babcock was predictably sheltering his all-rookie line, starting them in the offensive zone as much as he possibly could. Through five games as a rookie, Matthews had started 26 faceoffs in the offensive zone, 15 in the neutral zone and 18 in the defensive zone. It’s almost completely flipped this year with the 20-year-old drawing 15 offensive zone starts, 32 in the neutral zone and 27 in the defensive zone. Babcock has taken a good chunk of the demanding ice-time that went to a Tyler Bozak-led trio and handed it to Matthews, who has thrived with the increased difficulty. He looks like he may climb higher this season. 1078323 Websites offense and our puck pursuit game and different aspects of our game. But one of the cornerstone characteristics of our identity has to be becoming a team that is more difficult to play against. It's hard to score The Athletic / The Penguins were far from perfect, but showed your way to a championship in this league. You have to have a defensive improvement by beating the Panthers conscience.” Sidney Crosby came through with arguably his most impressive game of the season, at least offensively. He scored a season-high two goals, Seth Rorabaugh each off deflections. 5 hours ago The Penguins struck first on the power play at 6:46 of the first period. Circling off the right half wall, Evgeni Malkin dealt a pass to the center point for Letang. Letang then moved the puck to Phil Kessel on the left boards. Surveying the crease, Kessel darted a pass to the far side of the For someone who saw a season-high 46 shots, Matt Murray was pretty blue paint for Crosby who was able to direct it in with his forehand past happy Saturday night. And why not? His team won in regulation, 4-3, the glove hand of goaltender James Reimer. against the the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena. “It doesn't surprise me because I see him do it all the time,” Sullivan said. “I think every win is exciting, exhilarating, no matter how it's done,” “He has such great hand-eye coordination. I think he's the best in the Murray said. “You can win 1-0 in overtime or 10-9, and the win feels just game in and around that net in close just as far as getting his stick on as good. That's what we play for. The wins, not individual stats. They shots coming in, pulling the puck out of people's feet and having the skill kind of shot the puck from everywhere. I didn't think we gave them a to be able to get pucks over goaltenders or get in the top half of the net. huge amount of good chances.” He's just so good in that area. A lot of that speaks to his skill level but it's For a team only nine days removed from a brutal 10-1 loss in Chicago, a also his determination. He's in the battle areas all the time. win of any variety is welcome. And while Murray and his teammates were Crosby's second goal was even more impressive, if not improbable. primarily satisfied with Saturday's result, they realize there were plenty of warts on this beauty. At 1:59 of the third, Letang corralled a loose puck off the right half wall. Fending off Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau, he lifted a backhander The most notable blemish on this contest was the lopsided shot total as toward the right of the cage. Crosby was able to deflect the puck out of the Panthers controlled that part of the game, 46-33. In comparison, the the air with his forehand into Reimer. The puck somehow found Plinko-ed blowout in Chicago saw the Penguins surrender “only” 44 shots. That it way through Reimer's equipment and into the cage. That score proved said, the disparity in shots appeared to be more rooted in the Panthers' to be the game-winner. method of attack rather than any shortcomings on the Penguins' behalf. “The second one, I was just trying to put it toward the net and get lucky,” “We've seen it in the first three games they've played,” said Kris Letang. Crosby admitted. “Went between his arm. “They had 36, 48 and 38. So we know they are shooting a lot of pucks. Sometimes, they're not a lot of great shots. The shot clock, it doesn't “We work on it a lot. (Patric Hornqvist) and I, four or five times a week, show what happened in the game most of the time. Obviously you want work on stuff like that. He loves doing those kinds of drills around the net. to reduce that. But at the end of the day, that's not what we're looking at. We end up there a lot. We want to make sure we get our stick on pucks.” We're looking at the grade-A chances, stuff like that.” Letang's mid-air pass was based more out of necessity than ingenuity. “We knew coming into the game that they like to throw pucks to the net,” said Greg McKegg. “If you look at their previous games, they're on the 40 “I'm not that strong on my backhand so I thought just by floating it, it gave mark each game. So we know they like to throw the puck to the net. The him a better chance to beat the goalie,” Letang said. “Because on the ice guys did a good job defending and obviously (Murray) played great for with a soft backhand, I didn't think he would be able to do much besides us.” stopping and maybe finding another player. But just by floating it, it's a better chance for a tip.” The Panthers' liberal attitude towards putting up potent shot totals is something Mike Sullivan would like to see his players adopt to some “I was hoping he was going to leave it on the ice,” Crosby said with a degree. chuckle. “He lifted it. … I think he needed to lift it to get it on the net. It would have been nicer if it were on the ice.” “They're a team, that obviously their game plan is to put the puck on the net and they do that from literally everywhere,” Sullivan said. “I do think Special teams were a significant factor in this contest as each team it's a great lesson for us because they create a lot. I think what it is is it's recorded one power-play goal while the Penguins got a short-handed an indication of sometimes where the game is being played. score at 6:40 of the second. “We're a team that has a little bit of a different mindset. I wish our guys Stealing an errant pass by Panthers center Aleksander Barkov at would adopt a little bit more of a shooting mindset. We pass up Florida's blue line, Tom Kuhnhackl drove the puck up the slot against opportunities to put the puck on the net when we're in pretty good areas Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle. As Yandle forced him to the ice, because we're looking for that next play and some times, or a lot of times Kuhnhackl was able to leave a drop pass for a trailing Greg McKegg. that next play never materializes. So you have to give them a lot of credit. Taking the puck, McKegg deked to his backhand and lifted a shot over They're a really good team and part of their game plan is to put pucks on the left leg of Reimer for his first goal with the Penguins. the net from off the angles, outside the dots, from the perimeter of the offensive zone. It's an effective strategy because it tends to break “I kind of saw a break there and he made a great play to draw a couple of coverage down and it makes defending difficult.” guys in there and drop the puck there,” McKegg said. “I was lucky enough to put it in the back of the net. Despite giving up so many shots to the Panthers, the Penguins saw progress in how they played coming off Thursday's 5-4 loss at Tampa “I think I yelled at him. I saw him look at me too. He knew I was there. It Bay, a contest Sullivan labeled as a “track meet.” was just a great play by him. … I tried to stay behind a little bit behind on the puck. It jumped free and I was lucky enough to grab it.” “I didn't think, for whatever reason, (Saturday's game) was a track meet,” Murray said. “A lot of shots both ways. But I didn't feel like they had a Statistically speaking high amount of grade-A chances. They outplayed us big time in the -Letang, Yandle, Huberdeau Panthers center Vincent Trocheck, Jared second period. But other than that, I thought we were pretty good and it McCann and defenseman Aaron Ekblad each led the game with five was an even game.” shots on net. “I think this game was more momentum swings,” Letang said. “They -Letang led the game with 28:20 of ice time on 30 shifts. started hard. I would say the second half of the first period, we were over them. The second period, there was a lot of special teams so it was -Yandle led the Panthers with 23:27 of ice tie on 28 shifts. tough to get momentum.” -The Panthers controlled faceoffs, 37-26 (59 percent). Regardless of style, the Penguins got two points in regulation. That always equates to a productive night in the NHL. Still, they realize there -Trocheck was 15 for 21 (71 percent). are considerable wrinkles to their game early in the season. -Crosby was 12 for 21 (57 percent). “I think we were a lot better tonight than we were in Tampa,” said -Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson led the game with four blocked Sullivan. “But certainly, we've got a ways to go if we want to be the team shots. we want to become. We talk a lot about our team identity and what it means. We talk about speed and we talk about our ability to create -Brian Dumoulin led the Penguins with two blocked shots. Historically speaking -The Penguins have not lost in regulation in their past 10 games against the Panthers (8-0-2). -McKegg became the 506th player in franchise history to score a regular season goal. -Letang (390 points) moved past Chris Kunitz (388) for 13th place on the franchise's career scoring list. -Hornqvist (149 points) moved past Dave Hannan (148) for 58th place. -Kessel (133 points) moved past Dave Burrows and Brooks Orpik (132 each) for 66th place. -Crosby (1,035 points) moved past Martin St. Louis and Doug Weight (1,033 each) for 72nd place on the NHL's career scoring list. -Bryan Rust recorded a secondary assist on a second period goal by Hornqvist. That gives Rust a career-best four-game scoring streak.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078324 Websites One of the main subplots of this season is the glut of contracts the Senators need to deal with in order to keep their core together. They did well to get Anderson signed for fair market value before the season The Athletic / A hat trick of subplots from the Senators' blowout win over began, and for all the hand- the Flames They did well to get Anderson signed for fair market value before the season began, and for all the hand-wringing over Mark Borowiecki's extension, he's actually played pretty well so far (51.35% 5v5 CorsiFor, James Gordon with an assist against the Flames). 12 hours ago The longer things go on with Kyle Turris, Mark Stone, and Cody Ceci, however, the more expensive it's going to get.

With his three assists against the Flames, UFA Turris is back to a point- Raise your hand if you thought the Ottawa Senators would be per-game pace and is just a shade behind restricted free agent Stone in undefeated in regulation time through four games this season without ice time among forwards. captain and star defenceman Erik Karlsson. Stone, meanwhile, already has three goals in four games and is playing Yes, yes, funny guy, you can put your hand down now. the best hockey of his career. His highest career goal total is 26, and that was before he became the perennial Selke Trophy contender he is now. Yet here we are through nearly two weeks and the Senators sit at 2-0-2 If Stone stays on pace to surpass 30 goals this year, the Senators might thanks to their 6-0 blowout victory over the Calgary Flames Friday night. as well replace their goal horn with a cash register sound every time he As they did throughout last season, the Senators continue to defy the scores. odds on the strength of elite goaltending and timely scoring, despite getting badly out-chanced at five-on-five. Even Ceci, whose past reputation for offence far outweighed his actual production, has already equalled his goal total (two) from last season. Although the Senators remain third-last in the NHL in 5v5 CorsiFor%, Craig Anderson continues to serve as the team's great equalizer; with Friday night's shutout, he pushed his save percentage up to .937 on the season (sixth among netminders with more than one appearance). The Athletic LOADED: 10.15.2017 The Senators played true to form against the Flames, who dominated early before taking a seemingly endless string of penalties through the middle portion of the game and then effectively quitting in the third period. Here's a quick look at how everyone fared Friday night. Certainly not ideal, and considering Ottawa's full body of work so far, not totally out of character. The good news is that that the Senators were able to get to the net and cash on their super-premium scoring chances, as this Yahoo! Sports chart shows. Three goals right on the doorstep, one from the faceoff dot, and two from the tops of the circles. Here are a few more things that jumped out out me Friday night. 1. Getting on Chabot's good side Thomas Chabot started to struggle as the Senators' preseason schedule wore on and earned himself a brief trip to AHL Belleville as a result. He's looked increasingly comfortable in every NHL game he's played since injuries took out fellow defencemen Johnny Oduya and Ben Harpur, however. Not only did Chabot notch his first career assist with a nice feed to Ryan Dzingel in the third period, he'd also worked his way onto the team's top power play unit by the end of the game. One reason he looked a lot better? It appears the Senators have stopped trying to fit a square peg into a round hole in order to suit their system. The learning curve is steep enough for young NHL defencemen without having to adjust to playing on their off-hand side, something Chabot did throughout the preseason and in his first regular-season appearance against the Canucks earlier this week. Against the Flames, Chabot finally got some time on the left side. With seven defencemen dressed, the defensive pair blender had him out with both Cody Ceci and Chris Wideman at times, and it was on those shifts we started to see what he can do on offence. On the Dzingel goal, Chabot was able to aggressively jump into the play, call for a pass from Kyle Turris, and then feed it through to Dzingel on his forehand. 2. What to do with Oduya? Given Johnny Oduya joined the Senators out west after starting the week in Ottawa, the plan, presumably, is to get him into a game. From a roster perspective, the fix is simple: Christian Jaros comes out. From a game- play perspective? Not so simple. Oduya has only played the left side in Ottawa – mostly with Ceci – and would, again presumably, return to that role. That would either mean a drop in minutes for Chabot or Oduya has only played the left side in Ottawa – mostly with Ceci – and would, again presumably, return to that role. That would either mean a drop in minutes for Chabot, or a shift back to the right side to play with, say, Mark Borowiecki again. Given how strong Chabot was against the Flames and how dynamic the once-anemic power play looked with him directing things from the blue line, it seems premature to end the experiment now. 3. The cost of doing business is rising rapidly 1078325 Websites That assessment, frank and accurate, isn't only Langley's. Nevertheless, there is always red tape to rip through, naysayers and narrow minds to navigate. The Athletic / Shannon Szabados' long, trail-blazing road has never been And, for the most part, Szabados does. easy: ‘She always has to prove herself' Her path, early on, boasted an unprecedented trajectory. She played up a level in local boys-only associations – atom age, she was in peewee; Scott Cruickshank peewee age, she was in bantam; bantam age, she was in midget; midget age she was in junior. 16 hours ago But conflict free? Not a chance.

Doubters? Detractors? CALGARY — A middle-aged gentleman wanders over to check out the morning's on-ice session, two dozen swirling players in helmets and “Tonnes,” replies Szabados, aware that her parents shielded her from the masks. worst of it. “So who's this?” One coach recently told her that he'd been threatened with firing if he dared to add her to his roster. He called the organization's bluff. The The Canadian women's squad, he is told. executive backed down. Suddenly he's dying to know something else: “Which one is Szabados?” “It's sad to say but most of the difficulties I had as a girl playing hockey were in my younger years,” says Szabados, “and it came from parents Because the goalie – who defiantly competes in boys' and men's leagues mostly.” – is a drawer of interest, a grabber of attention. Contrast it to Szabados's foray into boys' baseball, a development that You've heard of her. caused significantly less blowback. Shannon Szabados is a household name. Because? “I don't think every baseball parent thinks their kid is going to the MLB as much as hockey parents (think their kid is NHL-bound).” Even though her story is far from finished – she's itching to pocket her third Olympic gold medal – what she's already written captivates. And it's At 16, Szabados considered herself ready for junior hockey. profound success in the men's game that defines Szabados. Auchenberg, too, was in favour, inviting her to Sherwood Park's camp in From house-league strides as a five-year-old to last winter's 54-save 2002. performance for the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs in Senior AAA action. “I told Shannon, ‘Gender doesn't matter if you can stop the puck,'” he Along the way, she's booted down doors – Alberta Junior Hockey says. “It was a no-brainer for us, but we took a little flack. At that time, League, , Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, they didn't expect a girl to ever make it. But she made it. I told her, ‘It's Southern Professional Hockey League. not going to be easy. You're going to get teased, you're going to get taunted.' She didn't care. She just wanted to play. It never bothered her. “I didn't really give too much thought to it,” Szabados says after practice Never.” the other day at the WinSport facility in Calgary. “I was never like, ‘Oh, I want to be the first one to do this.' Being the first one to play in certain However, after two successful winters in Sherwood Park, with leagues or do certain things, it gets attached to my name … it's Auchenberg now general manager, coach Greg Parks demanded that something that's helped me get to where I am. So I don't mind talking Szabados be traded. about it. Dispatched to Bonnyville, she continued to thrive. “It would be weird if you didn't ask about it.” For the following season, 2006-07, Szabados was acquired by the Fort Yet for all of its groundbreaking influence, for all of its lightning strikes of Saskatchewan Traders – who, in a twist, had Parks at the helm. media excitement, hers may be a journey that's actually been under-sold, Performing for the man who forced her out of Sherwood Park, she under-told, over the years. responded – 31-7-4, 2.13 goals against average, .920 save percentage, AJHL top-goaltender honours. “I think it is,” says Dan Auchenberg, the Sherwood Park skipper who guided Szabados's leap from minor hockey to junior in 2002. “It's huge “That says something – it doesn't matter who you are, what matters is what she's going through all the time. It's always steady pressure. She what you do, right?” says Auchenberg. “I've never seen somebody that always has to prove herself.” mentally sound, guys or girls. I've never seen an athlete that focused, who can handle a lot of media pressure, a lot of distractions. Serge Lajoie – her coach at NAIT, 2011-13 – added, “What she's accomplished is worth noting.” “It never bothered her. It never rattled her.” But Szabados, 31, tells you that she has no desire to lay claim to terms Challenges for Szabados – five foot eight, 146 pounds – swerved like pioneer or trailblazer. To her, that kind of thinking is “silly.” occasionally from the political to the physical. All she ever wanted to do was suit up – which, in Edmonton hockey Langley remembers seeing his star goalie steamrolled during the playoffs circles a quarter-century ago, meant joining the boys. There was no against SAIT. The Trojans had been looking for a boost, so… interest in special status or pot-stirring. “It wasn't a guy crashing into her and a full yard sale,” he says, “but it was What fascinated her most were nets to guard, pucks to parry, games to enough to cause bedlam. Great big scrum. Mayhem erupted. And the win. Szabados burned for that. game slowly got away from us.” Then and now. And that was college. “I mean, you see this cute little woman and inside that frame is one of the What about pro hockey? fiercest competitors,” says Jerome Bechard, her coach with the SPHL Columbus (Ga.) Cottonmouths, 2014-16. “She took every negative word Asked if Szabados ever got crushed, Bechard snorts. – ‘You can't do that' – and used it as motivation to become better. She's one of the most competitive people I know. “Which time?” “She wanted to play, wanted to play, wanted to play.” But the Cottonmouths' bench boss – known as Jerome (Stay Out Of My Yard) Bechard during his nose-bending heyday – understood. Jamie Langley – in charge of Grant MacEwan University's team during Szabados's time there, 2007-11 – describes a refreshingly low- “As a coach, it would be no different for me – ‘She's tiny, she's not maintenance presence. strong, we need to make sure we're crashing the net,'” he says. “So, yeah, she got banged up quite a bit.” “I just had to say, ‘Go play,'” he says. “With some of the guys, it was, ‘What is it going to take for you to quit worrying about what you don't Rarely without ramifications. have?' She wasn't doing anything to try to prove she belonged. In December 2015, the Peoria Rivermen targeted Szabados in the first “She is a talented hockey player – she just happens to be a girl.” game of a weekend set. Next night, they did it again – repeatedly. “I got pretty anxious,” says Bechard. “My players said, ‘Hey, this is going to stop.' One of my guys ended up running their goalie.” Who departed the Columbus Civic Center on a stretcher. Bechard was suspended for six dates, while his crease-crasher received a 28-game ban. Aggression, Szabados insists, is part of the game she loves. “Oh, I was in the middle of a few (brawls) – there's some good YouTube videos,” she says. “I've never been in a fight, but I've been run over. I expect to be treated like any other goalie.” Treatment, however, took a nasty turn a year ago. In what stands as perhaps the ugliest – and certainly the most public – incident of her trek so far, Peoria coach Jean-Guy Trudel released her, then told CBC Sports that her relationship with defenceman Carl Nielsen was “cancerous” to the team. The rant raised eyebrows around the hockey world. Szabados, even now, declines to share her side of the story: “At least until February (after the Olympics), then maybe. We'll see.” Following the drama, she informed reporters that she has “enough ammunition for a whole book.” Which begs the question – what about authoring a tell-all? She says people ask her about it all the time. “I would love to because I'd probably have a bestseller. But it would just be stupid stories about me and my buddies, stupid stuff we did, stupid stuff coaches did. As good as it would be, I would feel bad writing anything crazy about anyone. But I have tonnes of material.” Her portfolio, too, is plump. Her hockeydb.com page brims. Of the historic haul through men's circuits, Szabados says: “It's obviously something I'm proud of.” First girl in the Brick Super Novice showcase in Edmonton. First girl in the Mac's Midget tourney in Calgary. MVP of AJHL's all-star game in 2005. Team MVP for Sherwood Park and Fort Saskatchewan. ACAC record-holder for single-season shutouts, with five. On and on it goes. “Whether she wants to admit it or not, she is a trailblazer,” Bechard says. “There's not many people who are given an opportunity and are able to run with it. I was glad to give her an opportunity and glad she ran with it.” No surprise, she harbours “zero” regrets about her sometimes rocky ride along hockey's highways. She wouldn't trade this adventure for anything. “It's unique, yeah,” says Szabados, shrugging, “but it was just me wanting to play hockey – and it still is.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078326 Websites was like “well, what if it's something” and then of course we got the news and she was really broken up about it because she was going to go to that concert, and she normally does, and all of her friends were there so The Athletic / 20 Questions with Daniel Negreanu: On reading hands, the she spent the next few days kind of just frantically trying to get Vegas Golden Knights and Donald Trump information about if her friends were OK. 7. The Golden Knights have played a role in helping to bring the city back together. What was the home opener like? Scott Wheeler 20 hours ago DN: The home opener was just what the city needed in so many ways. They hit a home run with the presentation. Like you gotta get goosebumps when you hear like ‘welcoming first responder accompanied Since 2014, Daniel Negreanu has been the winningest live tournament by some guy named James Neal.' You know, we talk about that society poker player of all time, with more than $34 million in prize earnings. He where we glorify athletes and celebrity, when really the true heroes in our is the only player to twice be named the World Series of Poker player of society are those first responders, who risked their lives to help people. the year in 2004 and 2013. In 2014, he was inducted into the Poker Hall And it was great what Bill Foley and the team did to honour those people of Fame and was named the Global Poker Index's greatest player of the and really there wasn't a dry eye. I was with some people and, you know, decade. everyone was crying. All things considered, he might be one of Canada's greatest ever players 8. Do you get a real sense if the team has been embraced by the city for relative to his sport. the long haul? At the age of 43, the Las Vegas transplant who was born and raised in DN: I'm very confident there is, yes. I was at the pre-season games in my North York is slowing down. section. The first couple of games I'm explaining ‘that's what's called icing'…'This is an offside.' So there's a learning curve, of course, as with On Thursday afternoon, on a phone call from Vegas, The Athletic asked anything with a new sport. It's not like this was a hockey town before this Negreanu (DN) 20 questions about everything from his first love, the came, but so many of the people that are going are not only falling in love Maple Leafs to fantasy hockey to Donald Trump and his new love, the with the game, but the atmosphere. This is what we want in this city. We Golden Knights. need this as a community. This is a sports town. It always has been. 1. Your parents fled Romania in 1967. What was it like growing up in a 9. When the Leafs play the Golden Knights, who do you cheer for? Romanian-Canadian household in Toronto? DN: That's the interesting question, right? They're coming on New Year's DN: Growing up Romanian-Canadian I feel like I got the best of both Eve and I'll be going to the game. The way I looked at it originally was worlds. The multicultural sort of acceptance that is the city of Toronto, the well the Golden Knights, they're not going to need the points this year, most multicultural city in the world, as well as like the solid European- they don't really have a chance at a playoff spot whereas the Maple style upbringing where all of my friends were getting $5 for lunch to go to Leafs have a chance to win the division and go places, so from that McDonald's and my mother made sure that I had a full bagged lunch. perspective I would say ‘well OK, let's go Leafs' but now (laughs), the And obviously as a kid you didn't appreciate it but as you grow older you Knights might actually (laughs again)…be in the hunt. I think I'll be realize, ‘Wow, that was love. My mother loved me.' wearing a Leafs hat and a Golden Knights jersey. 2. You've talked about being a mama's boy in the past. What was her 10. Do you have a fond hockey memory watching the Leafs growing up? reaction when you told her when you were a teenager that you wanted to pursue professional poker as a career? DN: I can definitely remember a moment when Ed Olcyck did a spin-o- rama in front of the net to score a goal. I can't remember when it was, but DN: My mom was not having it at all. My mom gave me the old European it was a playoff game. Every day after school, like most good Canadians, accent. (Indescribable Romanian). ‘You go to school!' You know. we'd play street hockey and have the nets on the street and it was game Because she didn't fully understand it as a profession, so I made sure to on. show her my books and show her how serious I took it and how I kept statistics and all those kinds of stuff and I was bringing home money and 11. Did you have a favourite player growing up? then I bought her a house in Vegas and I bought her a new car and she's like ‘poker's OK, I'm OK with this', you know (chuckles). DN: It was clearly and then Doug Gilmour came into the fray. Before that it was Rick Vaive. A Leafs lineage. 3. Do you miss it here (in Toronto)? 12. Have you had the chance to meet some of those guys over the DN: I do, especially more and more recently since January 20 (laughs), I years? miss Canada more in general. I do come at least every year for my annual fantasy hockey draft. I've been in the same keeper league since DN: I've played poker with them. I've actually met them all, all three of 1996 with the same group of 20 guys. those. Funny story. When I was 12 years old, I ran into Rick Vaive. We were going to Montreal on the train and I saw him there and so I ran up 4. How's your team looking this year? to him and asked him for an autograph. He didn't have a pen. I didn't have a pen. So he said ‘I tell you what. I'll come through the train and DN: That league, we did fantasy before fantasy was cool and it's the best give you one.' He never did…I met him five years ago, and I told him that fantasy league in the world. My team is in an absolute full-on 100 per story because he was a big fan of mine now because he watches poker cent rebuild because I was good for about 10 years and now I've and he said ‘it's funny you say that' and he pulled two Sharpies out of his bottomed-out and I've sold all my assets. I'm starting fresh. I have Nolan pocket and said: ‘Ever since those days I carry these with me Patrick, Sebastian Aho, I'm going for last place to pick up (Rasmus) everywhere I go' and so he gave me the autograph and I gave him one of Dahlin or (Andrei) Svechnikov next year but I'm excited about it. It's really mine and we signed a hat for each other. fun to rebuild and it's cool because the timing is great and Vegas is also supposed to be doing the same thing except they happen to be just the 13. What's your impression of the Leafs this year? best team in the league apparently (laughs). DN: It's kind of what I predicted — that they would be allowed to score a 5. You mentioned January 20. In many ways you're an immigrant to two lot of goals. And then the question marks still remain. What are those countries. Has that influenced how outspoken you've been about Donald question marks? You know, like getting scored on 3-on-5 (laughs). The Trump? defence, we've got a couple rookies filling out the team, I think that's still the danger point. And when you talk about playoffs, you talk about what DN: I think somewhat. My parents did a great job raising me to be kind of hockey's required to succeed. Do they have enough depth on someone who's accepting, someone who's generous, someone who's defence? I don't think they've answered that question. I thought bringing forgiving and easy-going trying to find common ground with people. And in (Patrick) Marleau sure helps an already potent offence. I didn't think so somebody like a Trump doesn't represent any of those characteristics the deal made a lot of sense when what you really needed was some and attributes and his boastfulness and arrogance and all those kinds of sort of Drew Doughty-like figure on defence to really create some things. My upbringing made me who I am today so there's a good chance balance in the team. I would expect somewhere through the season, that led to my disdain for our current president. rather than have a guy like Ron Hainsey build a role, they try to get 6. You've made Vegas home and become sort of an ambassador for the somebody that's got a little more chutzpah and maybe you move JVR or city. Where were you two weeks ago when you heard the news about the something along those lines. shooting? 14. Who's the best poker-playing hockey player you've played? DN: I was actually home here in Las Vegas and we were just watching some TV, me and my girlfriend, and she saw something on Twitter and I DN: Well one of my buddies will claim he is, and that's Phil Kessel. He The Athletic LOADED: 10.15.2017 plays a lot, he comes to the World Series every year, but Travis Green is also a guy who takes it very seriously, who is now a coach of course in Vancouver. But if you ask Phil Kessel it's Phil Kessel (laughs). 15. What's Phil like? DN: Phil and I have actually become pretty good friends and I love the guy. It really upsets me how he was treated in Toronto, overall, because he loves that city still to this day. He spends a lot of his off time in Toronto. I was with him in Vegas when the rumours of him getting traded were happening and I said, “you might go to Pittsburgh, have you heard that rumour?” and he said he didn't even want to get traded … He came into his last year with the Leafs and physically he did better in all of his tests yet you read in the media that he's fatter, he's gained weight. He's gained weight!? Yeah, it's called muscle and muscle weighs more than fat! And yet when you look at him on the ice and you look at him in the playoffs, you just look how he steps up for Pittsburgh in the last two years in the playoffs. Does that guy look like a guy who's lackadaisical? 16. I don't know if you recall this hand but take me back to the 2013 European Poker Tour feature table. You've already predicted David Vamplew's hand twice, you've got King-2, the table is 7, K, 9, 10, 3 — DN: And he had jacks with a jack of spades. Yeah. How do you know at that point? When you tell Vitalijs Tarhanovs he's got jacks, did you really know? DN: Well, no. If I'm calling out a hand, I'm doing it for various reasons. Sometimes I'm calling out a hand with the intention of telling the guy what he has, so he's like ‘oh my God, he knows what I have' so that I can actually bluff him…But generally speaking, the way that poker works is you start by putting an opponent on sort of a range of hands, a group of hands that they could have and through information, both physical tells and the way with which they bet, you can start to narrow that down to something as specific as often for me one specific hand. And that was what I did in that example and it's something that I've done throughout my career. 17. Do you remember him cracking a smile back at you when you told him he had jacks? DN: Of course. That was great for me from a reaction perspective because whenever I open my mouth I'm always looking for information from my opponents. 18. How do you ever lose? You said recently you used to be the best player in the world and now you think you're more of a top-100 guy. How good is this new generation of players if you can't read them like you used to be able to? DN: There's been a young group of German players who are doing the smart thing, which is they're working super hard, 12-14 hours a day, they're sharing information, they're working together to improve each other's games and they've gone to the very elite level. It would be delusional for somebody who was great 10 years ago to just assume that because you were great 10 years ago, you can beat these guys. It requires immense hard work and the sophistication of the game has gotten to a point with a term called, game theory optimal, being introduced really to poker, it has elevated the level of skill. Against the really tough players there's not as much of an ability to read hands and say ‘you have exactly jacks with a jack of spades.' With average players it's certainly still doable, but with the best they're not as transparent. 19. Reading through your tweets, I noticed you've been in a public spat with Phil Hellmuth about his confidence against this new generation of players. Are you dead serious when you say you'll set up a game for him? DN: We are going to on Poker Go with the Germans. He's mostly full of hot air, but the truth is he's exactly the kind of guy that I talked about. He was good against players 10 years ago and shows a complete lack of respect and total delusion to how good these young players are and they all know. Everybody looks and goes “he can't possibly win.” He doesn't have the tools and he's not playing fundamentally sound enough and he's stubborn enough to not see that. 20. When's the end game for you? Have you ever thought about calling it quits or is it just too much fun? DN: I'm never going to quit…But the great thing about poker is you can play for as long as you like. I don't play like I did in my 20s and 30s in terms of volume. I'm I guess what you would call semi-retired, if you will, but I'm still playing the main big events, the World Series of Poker and I think I'll continue to do that as long as I can.

1078327 Websites “That first one was beautiful,” marvelled Nylander. “I didn’t know what he was going to do. It looked like a broken play, and he picked up the puck and was able to go cheese. It was a sick goal.” Sportsnet.ca / Matthews, Leafs end lengthy losing streak to Canadiens in Gathering steam from his own zone, “AM34” flipped the puck through style traffic from his own zone, bee-lined after his own pass, swatted down a weak Jordie Benn clear at speed, and snapped one on Price, catching the netminder screened and out of position with an unassisted effort. Luke Fox “The more he plays, the more he knows how much he can do for himself @lukefoxjukebox and for his team,” Montreal coach Claude Julien observed of Matthews. October 14, 2017, 10:16 PM This one’s worth sitting through the advertising pre-roll: Prior to puck drop, Babcock lamented that his skilled-yet-loose bunch was nearly leading the league in minor penalties. Discipline, like chance- MONTREAL – The streak is dead. limiting, remains a work in progress. Long live the streak. “We’re leading the charge [in penalties taken],” Babcock said. “The message being sent isn’t received. We’ve got to fix it.” Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs hammered a nail in the coffin of the worst run against a single opponent in club history, defeating Kadri got caught high-sticking 200 feet from his own net, and “fourth-line” the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 Saturday night in jaw-dropping style. “winger” Alex Galchenyuk knotted a back-and-forth first period at two with a glove-side snipe of his own, the Habs’ long-awaited first power-play Matthews needed just one shift in overtime, albeit a long 48-second one, marker of 2017-18. to fire his second three-on-three winner of the week, firing the puck clean over Carey Price’s blocker on a perfect pass from William Nylander. Matthews appeared to strike again in the second frame, deftly tapping home an airborne puck in Price’s crease, but the goal was waved off “It’s always a hostile environment when we come in here,” said first-star because his stick was a couple inches above the crossbar at the point of Matthews. A Hockey Night in Canada towel was draped over the contact. shoulders he used to carry his team to a narrative-altering victory. On the following shift, Jonathan Drouin backhand-tipped a Karl Alzner Matthews had been rammed into the corner by Shea Weber in his first slap pass for the trade acquisition’s first of a presumed whackload as a trip down the fourth-period ice, but a key stop by Frederik Andersen sent Canadien and giving the contest its third significant momentum shift. the puck the other way. Patrick Marleau answered immediately, tucking a loose puck past a “I was contemplating changing, but I didn’t want to give up a three-on- shaky Price during a scramble at the opposite end. two,” Matthews said after 20:22 worth of work, tops among all forwards. “[Nylander] is so used to finding those seams and giving those types of “We’ve shown that we can score some goals, and come back pretty passes. I just need to be ready because the puck’s coming.” quickly when we get scored on,” Marleau said. “Tonight was no different.” It was a night pitting two of the NHL’s top-four possession-driving lineups The sides — running a dead heat in possession metrics and gasp-worthy against one another, an evening in which lopsided trends were supposed scoring opportunities — sharpened in goaltending, until overtime and a to even themselves out. 20-year-old superstar pried the thing open. You may have caught wind that, entering the prime-time show, Toronto Price took blame for the loss, calling it his team’s best effort thus far. had not defeated its eldest rival in 14 consecutive games. Going 0-9-5 against the Canadiens since Jan. 18, 2014, the drought loomed as “Anytime you come in here, you’re playing Price. He’s the best there is in Toronto’s longest against a single opponent in its 100-year history. the league,” Babcock said of Andersen. “You’ve got to be better than him. You’ve got to beat him one-on-one. He did a good job tonight.” “We’re due against these guys,” understated Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly, one of just five current Leafs remaining from that ’14 squad. Attack, counter, repeat. “It’s a new year,” vowed winger Zach Hyman. “It’s going to be different.” Four lead changes. Whoever scores last wins. “That means absolutely nothing. It’s in the past, we’re looking forward,” That would be Matthews, because it could only be him. assured Nazem Kadri. “We’re a better team than we’ve ever been, so we’re not worried about that.” We asked point-a-game Marleau if in all his 1,675 games he’s seen a kid so young with such a knack for the big moments. The talk, the hype, the hope as big as ceremonial puck-dropper GSP’s biceps — so far, it’s being backed up by action. “Jeez,” he thought. “I don’t think so. He’s coming up huge right now. It’s fun to watch.” The Leafs came in averaging an NHL-best 41.3 shots per game, outshooting opponents by more than 10 a game; the Habs had averaged A new streak in hockey’s most storied rivalry has begun: 1-0-0. 38.8 on net, out-firing opponents by more than nine shots a night. The most entertaining show on ice returns to Montreal in just a month’s Thing is, the Leafs’ pucks hit pay dirt. time and will try to keep it alive. “The biggest thing I’m seeing is their shooting percentage is low so “We still could play way better than we’re playing,” Babcock said. “And normally that turns,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “We’re [too] early to we plan on getting better.” get into a big panic mode here about anything or to think you’re too good or too bad. Usually you’re some place in between.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 The Leafs brought their 13.3 shooting percentage and league-leading offence (22 goals over just four games) into a rocking rink hosted by a Habs club converting on just 2.6 per cent of its attempts on net and forced to remodel a fruitless power-play one week in. “One team can’t score. The other can’t defend,” one member of scouts’ row summarized. “Should be fun.” Boy, was it ever. Montreal defenceman Jeff Petry drew first blood on the game’s first shot, a slapper from the point just over two minutes into the affair, and Montreal’s miniscule shooting percentage began to right itself. James van Riemsdyk responded with the fourth of his contract campaign, shovelling in a puck off a Tyler Bozak–won offensive-zone draw. Forty-four seconds later, Auston Matthews did an Auston Matthews thing. 1078328 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / UFC stars GSP, Bisping, Dana White drop puck at Leafs- Canadiens game

Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA October 14, 2017, 8:01 PM

Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping and Dana White have been on a promotional tour this week hyping the upcoming UFC 217 and it appears they’re making a concerted effort to sell the fight to hockey fans. On Friday the trio held a press conference at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and Saturday night they stopped by the Bell Centre in Montreal to perform the ceremonial puck drop prior to the Maple Leafs taking on the Canadiens. Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty and Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak took part in the ceremony. St-Pierre is no stranger to appearing under the lights at the Bell Centre. The former welterweight champion, a native of Saint-Isidore, Que., has headlined four UFC events at the venue. He won the title there at UFC 83 in 2008 when he finished Matt Serra in the UFC’s first event in Canada. He then defended his belt there against Josh Koscheck in 2010, Carlos Condit in 2012 and Nick Diaz in 2013. Bisping has fought at the Bell Centre twice, beating Charles McCarthy in his middleweight debut at UFC 83 and defeating C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186. UFC 217 takes place Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City with GSP challenging Bisping for the middleweight title in the main event.

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Sportsnet.ca / Leafs’ Connor Brown remains underrated among team’s flashy forwards

Andrew Berkshire October 14, 2017, 1:50 PM

The biggest reason the Toronto Maple Leafs have had no trouble piling up goals since the beginning of last season has been 2016-17’s rookie class, which included a franchise cornerstone in Auston Matthews, and possible future stars in William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Underrated among those flashy forwards though, is Connor Brown. Brown had a different path to the NHL than his peers, gutting out two seasons in the American Hockey League for the Marlies and honing his game before getting his first real shot with the big club. Unlike Matthews, Nylander, and Marner, Brown hasn’t found a consistent line to call his own yet. He’s spent time on the shutdown line with Nazem Kadri, he’s played on the fourth line, and he’s spent time with Matthews when Nylander was taken off that line last year. Shuffled all throughout the lineup to fill holes, Brown has fit pretty well anywhere he’s been put, showing himself to be a fairly versatile player who can make an impact at both ends of the ice. But every player of his calibre deserves some level of consistency, so where exactly does he fit? On most teams, Brown could easily slot in among the top-six forwards, he may even be a solid first line guy if he’s the support player on that line, but the Leafs are unusually deep at forward, so it gets complicated. Through his first full season in the league, Brown hasn’t been a big possession driver at even strength, but he hasn’t been a drag either. What this means is that he’s not a player you build a line around, but we already knew that; he’s a complementary player. When you look at Brown’s statistics from 2016-17 compared to his teammates, it’s amazing how often he’s right at the team average or very close to it. Remember that when it comes to offensive statistics that the Maple Leafs are among the best teams in the league, so the averages are higher, but overall it looks to me like Brown fits pretty perfectly as a sixth or seventh best forward. That isn’t really surprising when you think about it, because players at that talent level are usually the ones who get shuffled around the lineup. It’s always tough to separate out a player’s talent from the team they’re on and the role they play, but if your sixth or seventh best forward is scoring 20 goals in the NHL and is sound defensively, that seems like a pretty good sign for your forward group. Brown’s best value to the organization may be this summer, when his versatility may allow them to let Leo Komarov walk instead of giving him a hefty raise, as Brown can step into his role alongside Kadri on the tough-minutes line with relative ease.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078330 Websites saves. We have to reward him at the other end and we have to play much more sound defensively than we are right now.”

And if you’re wondering, don’t even mention the term “playoff hangover” Sportsnet.ca / Oilers’ play not living up to supposed Cup-contender in this matchup. The Senators (who’ve won nine of their last 10 games in status Edmonton) made it to double-overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final before losing to Pittsburgh last spring, and they’ve started the season with real purpose. Mark Spector Edmonton went into Round 2 by comparison, and is playing like a team @sportsnetspec that’s got rooms booked for the Stanley Cup Final next spring. October 15, 2017, 1:49 AM “There are ways out of it and there are ways to dig yourself even deeper,” Lucic surmised. “It’s just a matter of building the right mood and attitude, and coming to the rink and showing it on the ice. It’s easier said than done. EDMONTON — “The time for talk is over. We just have to get results.” “I’m all for being positive, but you have to be realistic with yourself and It was a two-question post-game scrum for Connor McDavid Saturday your game and what you bring to the team. That’s what it comes down to night, and not because he cut it short. He simply didn’t require any more right now.” questions to say what you needed to hear from the captain of a listing ship. “I don’t know what needs to be said,” he quipped. “We just have to be Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 better.” Let’s cut to the chase: Was last season a fluke? Are the Edmonton Oilers just McDavid and a bunch of average Joes? Has general manager Peter Chiarelli’s gamble proven bad, when he went through the summer without signing a top-four NHL defenceman? And, by the way: What the heck happened to Cam Talbot, who was pulled for the second time in four games, flushed by Ottawa in a 6-1 Senators win. The Oilers are 1-3, and that’s not good. But the truly disconcerting part is the level of their play, which is nothing short of horrendous, particularly for a team that many expect to challenge for a Stanley Cup. The Oilers got pounded at home by Winnipeg on Monday, had an off-day and then three solid days of video work and practice. They looked ahead to this game all week, and on Saturday they came out to show what they’d learned. The Senators scored the game’s first six goals. How deep is this hole? “If you’re defining the hole by standings and points, I wouldn’t consider it that deep,” said head coach Todd McLellan. “If you’re defining it based on our play and fundamentals, we are deep. “I’m concerned, because I think we need to play the game faster. We need to have much more polish in our game than we’re seeing right now.” Sometime during the first intermission, while the Oilers were licking their wounds in their dressing room at Rogers Place, the official scorer increased their shot total from seven to 11. As it turned out, that four-shot barrage was as dangerous as the Oilers would get all night. The Oilers fell to 1-3 as the Senators completed their first ever three- game sweep of Western Canada. The 3-0-2 Sens haven’t lost in regulation, but the team that’s raising even more eyebrows across Canada this morning is the Oilers. As in, “What the heck is happening in Edmonton?” “You can come up with any excuse or cliché at this point,” Milan Lucic said, “but it comes down to our attitude and the emotion we bring to the game. This early on in the season, we’re ready to be tested with some adversity, but feeling sorry for ourselves and thinking we deserve better is not going to get us out of this. “Goals aren’t coming easy for us right now, we are not clean and sharp in the offensive and neutral zones, we are allowing guys to walk into our zone and things like that.” Leon Draisaitl missed the game with a concussion, and without his support McDavid went 2-for-11 in the faceoff circle. Ottawa, meanwhile, played without Erik Karlsson, still out after foot surgery, and didn’t miss a beat with three power-play goals. And Talbot? Yikes. In his last three starts Jacob Markstrom, Connor Hellebuyck and Mike Condon have outplayed him. His game is, like the team in front of him, at a level far below where he ended last season. “We’re all in this together,” McLellan said. “We’re in it from the goal crease, in through the blue line, the forwards and the (coaching) staff. We all have a little piece to play in it. There have been times where we’ve needed a save, but there have also been times where he’s made some 1078331 Websites make sure we’re winning races, winning puck battles, hopefully the chances will get created from there."

The loss to the Flames was frighteningly familiar to many of the bleak Sportsnet.ca / Struggling special teams cost Canucks in homestand nights of the last two seasons, the damage from which could be seen in finale all the empty seats — on a Saturday night, one week into the regular season, against a Western Canadian rival. The announced attendance was 17,074, but there were many unoccupied pews. Iain MacIntyre Among the Canuck newcomers, Gagner has a single assist through four @imacSportsnet games, key defenceman Michael Del Zotto was on the ice for the first four Calgary goals to extend his personal goals-against streak to eight, October 15, 2017, 2:08 AM goalie Anders Nilsson still hasn’t played (although he should have Saturday), Thomas Vanek has one goal and two points in four games,

Alex Burmistrov was scratched after two games, and Patrick Wiercioch is VANCOUVER — The best thing about so many empty seats Saturday at in the minors. Rogers Arena is that there were fewer people to boo the Vancouver There is plenty of concern regarding the returnees, too. First-liner Bo Canucks. Horvat scored twice in the season-opener and has nothing in three The drawback for the Canucks is that they have little chance to fill those games since then. Linemate Sven Baertschi was pointless until garbage- empty lower-bowl seats if they play like they did against the Calgary time against the Flames, key forward Markus Granlund has zeroes Flames, who won 5-2 despite the Albertans’ conga line to the penalty across the board, and defenceman Troy Stecher was unable to delay the box. The Flames felt more joy than shame in the box, as Vancouver’s immediate onset of a sophomore jinx. struggling power play went 0-for-7 and surrendered a shorthanded goal Other than all this, the Canucks are fine. They have three points from to Mark Giordano on a 3-on-1 rush. four games, all of them at home, and are just behind last season’s 69- The Flames, embarrassed 6-0 by the Ottawa Senators in Calgary on point pace. Friday, must have been laughing on the team bus after beating the And now they go on the road. Canucks. It’s like they played on a dare, taking five minor penalties in the first 15 minutes alone. The Canucks managed only a single shot on goal during 8:49 of power-play time while surrendering their second shorthanded goal of the season – the same number of power-play goals Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 the Canucks have generated through four games. We’re not sure how many NHL teams the Flames could beat by playing this way, but we suspect they can be counted on one hand. Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan praised his penalty-killers, goalie Mike Smith and especially Giordano, but admitted: "We got lucky. You can’t do that. We’re dodging bullets here. We’ve got to get that cleaned up." Canuck goalie Jacob Markstrom, trying to establish himself as a starter, didn’t look good on any of five shots that beat him, although a couple were deflected. "I don’t know, it’s just one of those s—ty days," Markstrom summarized. "Terrible timing for it. It was a huge game for us. Not too satisfied with today’s game from my part. "Five (goals against) is way too many. We’re playing good hockey. But we’re killing the momentum; bad timing to let in goals. It’s not just letting in goals, it’s bad timing. I’ve got to come up with something here. You want to be the difference-maker and today, I just couldn’t get any." At least accountability is not among the Canucks’ problems. They went 16:23 at one stage without a shot on goal, and fully squandered the final dregs of positivity they generated by beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in their season-opener seven nights earlier. The Canucks ended their four-game homestand at 1-2-1 and limp away to Ottawa to open a five-game road trip Tuesday without momentum and injured skaters Alex Edler and Loui Eriksson. One game after Edler sprained his knee badly enough to miss the next 4-6 weeks, Eriksson hurt his knee on his first shift against the Flames when he was run into the net by Tanner Glass. That was about the only infraction for which the Flames were not penalized. The Flames did everything they could to lose at even-strength, yet won comfortably. Dougie Hamilton scored twice as Calgary defencemen produced four goals. Including Johnny Gaudreau’s power-play goal, the Flames outscored the Canucks 2-0 on special teams. Most of the five skaters Vancouver general manager Jim Benning signed as free agents last summer were supposed to bring help to a power play that finished 29th in the National Hockey League last season. The Canucks even added a new (old) power-play coach, repatriating assistant coach Newell Brown to run the unit he orchestrated when the Canucks were one of the NHL’s best teams, instead of one of the worst. But through four games, the Canucks are 2-for-23 on the power play. Their success rate of 8.7 per cent is just over half as effective as Vancouver’s 14.5-per cent efficiency from last season. "When you have success on the power play, it has to do with compete- level and winning races," forward-pointman Sam Gagner said. "Skill kind of takes over from there. If we can find a way to get back to basics and 1078332 Websites scored his third on a broken play that saw Price uncharacteristically scrambling in his crease to find the puck.

You know he’ll rebound, but the Canadiens have to be wondering what Sportsnet.ca / Moral victories not enough as Canadiens continue to slide it’s going to take for them to put it all together on a given night. "I think right now the only thing I would say is that when things aren’t Eric Engels going well, try and minimize the mistakes and obviously the goals against," said Julien. "For a week now, we’ve been talking about not October 14, 2017, 11:46 PM being able to score. Well we scored three tonight. That’s a step in the right direction, but we gave up four. We’re going to keep working because I think at the end of the day there’s a pretty good team here that probably deserves a better record than it has but it’s not there. So we MONTREAL— Moral victories won’t get you to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. can’t be satisfied with, ‘We think we’re better than we are.’ We gotta just It’s the sobering reality Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty has work our way out of it, and I think down the road it’ll make us a better been rightly referring to over the last week and a bit of losing hockey for team. But we need to turn this thing around sooner than later." his team. No kidding. With three games in four nights on tap for this week, out in On Saturday, against the high-octane Toronto Maple Leafs, Pacioretty’s California and against tough teams like the San Jose Sharks, Los Canadiens nearly executed their game plan to perfection. They scored Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, doing things well without getting the first goal of the game, held a territorial advantage throughout, and rewarded for the effort just won’t cut it. with things tied 3-3 in the third period they made it virtually impossible for Real victories are the only ones worth celebrating in this game. the Leafs to get anywhere near goaltender Carey Price.

End result: 4-3 Leafs in overtime, giving Montreal their fourth consecutive loss since opening the season with a shootout win over the Buffalo Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 Sabres. Fantasy Hockey Pool Play the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool for your chance to score big with over $22,000 worth of prizes to be awarded! It's FREE and easy to play! This one played out almost identically to the three that came before it, with the lone difference being that the Canadiens managed to score three times (instead of just once) in the game. They out-shot Toronto 32- 22, they clogged the neutral zone and disrupted the flow of play with precision. Montreal also had the lion’s share of quality chances but still ended up on the losing side. You can forgive Pacioretty for saying afterwards that there’s nothing satisfying about it. "Give [Auston] Matthews two Grade-A [chances] and he buries both of them," said Pacioretty. There’s a contrast there. The Leafs best player—the 20-year-old phenom who came to the Bell Centre with three goals and three assists in his first four games—made the difference in this one. First he was gifted the puck by Canadiens defenceman Jordie Benn and turned it into a goal by rifling a shot over Price’s glove as the netminder caught a rut in his crease attempting to get set. And then in overtime, after Canadiens forwards Tomas Plekanec and Paul Byron failed to convert on a quality chance, William Nylander threaded a pass to Matthews, who sifted a rocket into the top shelf. You knew the minute the puck got on his stick it was going into the net. Nothing has come as easily for the Canadiens through the first five games. "You look at the way you played tonight," started Canadiens coach Claude Julien. "You played well enough, but a little mistake here or there. A little bad break. On the second goal Carey lost an edge or something and didn’t get enough time to get back in position, and you kinda look and say, ‘Geez, when are we going to get that break? Why are we always getting those kinda things?’" The Canadiens averaged close to 39 shots per game over their first four of the season and scored a total of four goals, leading to losses against the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. Against Washington, their defence started the game 20 minutes too late. Against New York and Chicago, their offence failed to convert. Against Toronto, Canadiens Jeff Petry, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin scored their first goals of the season, but a couple of others made some egregious errors that led to chances their superstar goaltender regularly covers. But Price was more than a fraction off his game. "I thought it might have been our best game of the year. We played very well," Price said. "Unfortunately I didn’t have my best game of the year. I think if I would’ve played better, we’d be looking at this a different way." James Van Riemsdyk got Toronto even at 1-1 on a shot that went right through Price at the 7:32 mark of the first period. And after Matthews scored his fourth of the year while Price was off-balance, Patrick Marleau 1078333 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Ron and Don: McLellan’s ‘superstar’ comments should stay in room

Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA October 14, 2017, 8:47 PM

Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan ripped into his team’s effort earlier this week following a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets — specifically he was critical of the performance of the line featuring both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. “We’re not near competitive enough,” McLellan told reporters Monday. “We’re not outworking teams. It feels like it in moments of the game where you kind of get rolling around, but consistently from minutes one to 60 in the last two nights we haven’t come close to outworking a team, and structurally we’re about as loose as we can be. We’re missing assignments. It starts with your star players. Your stars have to be superstars every night on both sides of the puck. … We didn’t quite get it done with our star players.” gave his two cents on McLellan’s comments Saturday night during the Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “First of all, you know in Edmonton and everybody knows when you’re talking ‘superstar’ who he’s pointing at,” Cherry said, alluding to McDavid. “Here’s a kid, 20-year-old kid’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders and you’re pointing at him [basically saying] the reason they lost is because of him. “You can not do that.” Cherry said he believes comments like McLellan’s shouldn’t take place in public. “What’s in the dressing room stays in the dressing room,” Cherry added. “You don’t need added pressure on a 20-year-old guy.”

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Sportsnet.ca / NHL, NHLPA discussing possibility of scrapping all-star game

Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA October 14, 2017, 11:57 PM

The NHL has made a concerted effort to focus on international growth, which has resulted in some interesting ideas being bandied about. The league and the NHLPA have even discussed the possibility of scrapping the all-star game in favour of potentially holding some type of event overseas as a way to grow the NHL brand in Europe. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported the news Saturday during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. It’s unclear specifically what type of event the league and Players’ Association might be considering. Johnston also reported that the NHL has recently hired Jaka Lednik — a European-born, Harvard-trained businessman — to oversee the league’s European growth strategy. More meetings between the NHL and NHLPA are expected to take place soon. Speaking of international NHL hockey, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Edmonton Oilers have expressed interest in playing games in China if the NHL decides goes back there next year. The Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings played a pair of pre- season games in China in September — one in Shanghai, the other in Beijing. They marked the first games in NHL history to be played in China.

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Sportsnet.ca / Bruins plan on re-signing, not trading captain Zdeno Chara

Sportsnet Staff @Sportsnet October 14, 2017, 9:59 PM

Zdeno Chara continues to be an important player on the blue line for the Boston Bruins, even at age 40. With his contact set to expire at the end of the season, the Bruins captain’s future is unclear for now. But, as reported by Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada, the Bruins would prefer to re-sign Chara instead of trade him. “There have been some rumblings that some teams have asked the Bruins about him, would they consider moving him this year,” Friedman said. “(Bruins GM) Don Sweeny said again today that he is not planning on moving him and he does plan on re-signing him.” For his part, Chara also seems interested in returning to the Bruins beyond this season. In early September he said “I have made no secrets about it. I want to stay here [with the Bruins] and continue to play. “I definitely want to play beyond this season.” Chara is entering his 20th season in the NHL and 12th with the Bruins. This season marks the final year of a seven-year, $45-million contract he signed in 2011. Going into Saturday, Chara has 188 goals and 604 points in 1,353 games.

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Sportsnet.ca / Hockey Canada to invite Jarome Iginla to play at Karjala Cup

Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA October 14, 2017, 10:44 PM

The Karjala Cup is an international men’s hockey tournament held annually in Finland and Hockey Canada is expected to send an invitation to Jarome Iginla. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the news Saturday during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. There will be no NHL participation at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, so the Canadian roster will have a much different look than it did when they won gold in 2014. Hockey Canada is using the Karjala Cup as preparation for the upcoming Games, which begin in February. Since Iginla is currently an unrestricted free agent, he would be eligible to represent his country at the Olympics for the fourth time in his career. Iginla won gold medals in 2002 and 2010 and also had a spot on the disappointing 2006 team that finished in seventh place. It’s unclear at this time whether or not Iginla might be interested in participating in a tournament like the Karjala Cup.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078337 Websites They also did a better job of back checking, led by Zach Hyman, to keep Montreal off its game. All in all, the Leafs attention to detail and their execution got better as the game went on through the beginning of the TSN.CA / Leafs snap losing streak to Habs with Matthews' OT winner third period, and was apparent in how the Canadiens scoring chances diminished to that point.

Patrick Marleau scored his third goal of the season in Montreal, jamming By Kristen Shilton a puck past five Canadiens in front of Price. With that score, the 38-year- old Marleau became the oldest Leaf to score against the Habs since Norm Ullman (39) scored on Jan. 18, 1975. Saturday’s win also marked the 600th career victory for head coach Mike Babcock. The losing streak is over. The Maple Leafs finally beat the Montreal Canadiens. Before Saturday's meeting in Montreal, the Leafs hadn’t won at the Bell TSN.CA LOADED: 10.15.2017 Centre since Oct. 1, 2013. They hadn’t beat the Canadiens at all since Jan. 18, 2014. In 14 straight meetings, the Leafs had been losers. But on Saturday night, Auston Matthews’ overtime winner ended the skid and put the Leafs over the Canadiens 4-3. Toronto moves to 4-1 on the season while Montreal falls to 1-4. Even though Toronto was outplayed for much of the second half on Saturday, Matthews came to the Leafs’ rescue again with his second overtime winner in three games. It was the 20-year old’s second goal of the night; his first came in the first period off a spectacular end-to-end individual effort capped with a superb curl and drag shot past Price. Matthews has five points in five games this season and leads the Leafs in goals and points (8). The second-year player also has 27 goals on the road now in his young career, most by any player since he came into the league last October. Carey Price had been the difference for Montreal against Toronto these past three years. In 11 prior starts, he’d posted 1.88 goals-against and .944 save percentage, with seven of those 11 wins in one-goal games. Saturday’s game also came down to goaltending, but this time it was Frederik Andersen getting the better of Price. Like last season, Andersen has struggled at times out of the gate, posting an .839 save percentage in his previous three starts. He gave up three goals in the first half of Saturday’s game, but when Toronto needed it most, Andersen came up big. Tied 3-3 going into the third period, the Leafs were almost entirely dominated by the Canadiens, especially in the second half. By the midway point of the third the Leafs had only one shot on goal to Montreal’s seven. But Andersen was was there to stave off Montreal’s relentless attack when the Leafs had no answer for them anywhere else and got them to overtime. He finished with a .912 save percentage On the other side, Price was fighting the puck all night, giving up 16 goals on 22 shots for an .818 save percentage. The usually unflappable netminder looked rattled by the Leafs' speed down low and never seemed to establish a good rhythm. Saturday was an off night for Toronto in terms of shots on goal as it was - their prior season-low was 31 against Winnipeg. But shot attempts were fairly even throughout the game, showing how Montreal did a good job clogging up shooting lanes in front of Price. The 34 shots against by the Leafs does continue a season-long pattern of giving up 30 or more shots on goal per game, which they have in four of their first five. They’ve also allowed at least three goals-against in four of their five games. Toronto is back in action Tuesday at Washington to face the Capitals for the first time since they eliminated them from the playoffs last April. The Leafs penalty kill was one of their biggest strengths last season but the unit hasn’t been as much of a bright spot this season, and had another inconsistent night on Saturday, when only two minor penalties assessed against them (the lowest total of any game this season). They entered the game 17th in the league, working at 81.8 per cent, and went one for two against Montreal. Alex Galchenuyk’s power play goal was a perfect shot but he was able to enter the zone cleanly when the Leafs got their signals crossed at the blue line. Mistakes like that are ones Toronto can’t afford when they’ve already shown a tendency to struggle keeping pucks out of the net as it is. On the power play, Toronto never got much going against Montreal. They were 0-for-2 by the end of the night, the first time this season the Leafs have been entirely shut down on the man advantage. On Friday, Nazem Kadri said the Leafs were focused on the neutral zone as an area to clean up after Wednesday’s loss. He said Toronto wanted to do a better job clogging up the middle and give their defensemen more time to make plays. The Leafs were pretty successful in that regard, especially in the second period when neither team was able to get much offensive zone time but Toronto was noticeably more diligent and aware in the middle of the ice to keep the Canadiens from blowing by them. 1078338 Websites TSN.CA LOADED: 10.15.2017 TSN.CA / Matthews nets two as Leafs edge Habs in OT

Staff Report The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Auston Matthews once again brought out his best hockey when the spotlight shines brightest. Facing century-old rival Montreal on national television on a Saturday night, and with the Bell Centre seats packed with 21,302 fans, Matthews took a feed from William Nylander and wired a shot past Carey Price 48 seconds into overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory over the Canadiens. The win ended Toronto's 11-game winless run against Montreal dating back to a 5-3 victory on Jan. 18, 2014. "It was a nice win for us, given the history," said Leafs goaltender Frederik Anderson. "We wanted to change the narrative a little bit." It was Matthews's second goal of the game and his second overtime winner in less than a week, having done the same in a 4-3 win at home over Chicago. Matthews and his linemate Nylander started the overtime and were due to go off the ice when Montreal missed a scoring chance and the puck came back the other way. Nylander jumped on it to start a two-on-one, with Matthews controlling a wobbling puck and firing in the winner. It gave him five goals in five games to start the season. "For the most part we've always been like that, we'll find each other," Matthews said of Nylander. "The whole dynamic of our line has pretty much been with (Zach) Hyman and we just look for each other out there. "Our main goal is to create offence, score goals and make plays to each other. We're doing that. We're working hard both ways." James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Marleau also scored for Toronto (4-1- 0), who next face the high-scoring Capitals in Washington on Tuesday night. Jeff Petry, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Canadiens (1-3-1), whose three goals nearly doubled their struggling attack's offensive output for the season. Montreal led 33-21 in shots in regulation time and 34-22 overall. "For a week now we've been talking about not being able to score — well we scored three tonight," said coach Claude Julien."It's a step in the right direction, but we gave up four, so we're going to keep working. "At the end of the day there's a pretty good team here that probably deserves a better record than it has. We've just got to work our way out of it. Down the road it'll make us a better team but we've got to turn this around, sooner rather than later." The Canadiens struck first as Petry took a drop pass from Drouin and fired a shot through traffic past Anderson at 2:19. The Leafs replied with two goals in 44 seconds as a faceoff in the Montreal zone went to van Riemsdyk for a weak shot that went in off Petry. Matthews, while on an end-to-end rush, grabbed a weak clearing attempt by Jordie Benn and beat and an off-balance Price with a shot under the crossbar at 8:16. Galchenyuk elected to shoot on a two-on-one on the power play for his first of the season. It was Montreal's first goal on a man advantage of the season, ending an 0-for-14 drought. Drouin got his first goal as a Canadien 11:33 into the second frame when he redirected a diagonal pass from Karl Alzner, but Marleau tied it 1:10 later, lifting the puck just over the line after Price lost sight of it in the crease. The goal was confirmed by video review. The Canadiens are on the road next week for three games in California. Toronto has scored at least three goals in their five games this season. Leafs defenceman Connor Carrick returned after missing two games with an upper body injury. Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec missed the morning skate with a flu, but was able to play. 1078339 Websites

TSN.CA / Injuries now overshadowing Edler’s Canucks career

By Jeff Paterson

VANCOUVER – For all the good he did in his 10-years in a Vancouver Canucks uniform – and he did plenty – Sami Salo will always be remembered as the guy who couldn’t stay healthy. The big slap shot and the quick wit – none of that matters. For almost every hockey fan in Vancouver, the unflappable Finn will always be the guy who suffered from a never-ending list of injuries. With Saturday’s news that Alex Edler will miss the next four to six weeks with a knee sprain suffered in the first period of Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Winnipeg, he, too, is starting down a similar path to Salo’s. This latest setback means Edler will play another truncated season after appearing in 68 games a year ago and just 52 games the year before that. Trace his career back even further and you’ll find seasons of 74 games, 63 and even in the lockout shortened season of 2012-13, the 31- year-old defenseman missed three games dressing for 45 of the 48 contests on the schedule. Only once in 12 seasons in Canuck colours has Edler managed to stay healthy enough to appear in every game. That was the 2011-12 season when he produced career-highs with 11 goals and 49 points. Since then, he has been suffered a variety of injuries and ailments that have kept him from appearing in games: a bad back, a broken foot, a broken finger and now a knee injury. A decade-plus of being a workhorse on the Canucks blueline is taking its toll on Edler. And while injuries are fickle and unpredictable – and in so many cases unpreventable – they keep happening to Edler and at an alarming rate. The latest setback comes with Edler just 24 points shy of eclipsing Mattias Ohlund’s franchise mark for points by a defenseman. It was a milestone very much within reach at some point this season, but now considering Edler is likely to miss anywhere from 12 to 20 games, it seems doubtful he will amass the points necessary to move past his fellow Swede. And next season is the final season of his current six-year $30 million contract. Is it conceivable Edler – whose name has seemingly always been in the centre of trade speculation – could be moved before catches Ohlund? Having seen a long list of fellow veteran teammates jettisoned by the Canucks in recent years – Roberto Luongo, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen – in an effort to get younger to speed the organizational rebuild, the possibility at the very least exists that Edler may not get the chance to become the highest scoring blueliner the organization has ever known. That would be unfortunate because Edler is very much in the conversation of the best defenseman the Canucks have ever had. Nearing 700 National Hockey League games (plus another 65 in the playoffs including the 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Final), the 2004 third round draft pick is one of the best examples of the Canucks drafting and developing a mid-round selection. At his best, he’s mobile and physical and chips in offensively on the power play and even strength. Unfortunately, there are too many nights where his willingness to engage and questionable decisions with the puck draw the wrath of fans. But none of that really matters right now. Because good or bad, Edler won’t be around likely until the end of November. After Saturday’s home game against Calgary, the Canucks head out on the road for five games and play 15 of the next 22 on the road. November looks to be the toughest month on the schedule and now the team will have to face it without arguably its top defender. It was already going to be a steep hill to climb and now the task got considerably steeper. The Canucks have no choice but to forge on without Edler. The silver lining – if there is such a thing in these cases – is they’re used to this by now. Unfortunately, it’s happened too often over the past few seasons and it’s now quickly becoming a central theme to the discussion of Edler’s career.

TSN.CA LOADED: 10.15.2017 1078340 Websites “As long as I’ve known them, they’ve been Toronto fans so it’s pretty funny seeing them in a different jersey,” Marner said.

Victor Mete grew up a Leafs fan, but now he's on the other side of one of TSN.CA / Leafs poised to end drought vs. Canadiens hockey's most historic rivalries. While it's been easy for Mete to switch allegiances, he says that it's taken his parents a little longer. By Mark Masters * Hyman often earns rave reviews from Babcock for his ability to get the puck to linemates Matthews and William Nylander. The 25-year-old’s strength is a huge asset when it comes to winning puck battles. During training camp, the Leafs had an internal competition to determine who is TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes the team’s “Iron Man”. Results across a number of categories (push-ups, from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs pull-ups, etc.) were added up before a winner was declared. practised at the MasterCard Centre on Friday. Hyman (6-foot-1, 213 pounds) edged out Connor Carrick (5-foot-10, 192 * For the second straight day, the topic of the Maple Leafs’ 14-game skid pounds) for the title and was actually given a championship belt to against the Canadiens was front and centre at the Leafs media session. commemorate the achievement. “You guys are making a way bigger deal out of this than me,” head coach “He was pretty rattled that I snuck it out,” Hyman said with a grin when Mike Babcock said. “I know we’re playing the Habs tonight. They need asked about Carrick's challenge. “We didn’t really know about it until the two (points) and we need two. That’s it for me. I’m serious. It’s something end, about the belt or anything, so it was a cool surprise.” for you to talk about and you guys need to be busy so I like it.” Hyman said the horizontal row was his best event. “I think I did 47 of The Leafs have lost eight straight at the Bell Centre dating back to Oct. 1, them.” 2013. But Toronto has never appeared more poised to end the drought. Who won the belt as the Maple Leafs Iron Man? “They got the better of us last year,” said left winger Zach Hyman. “It’s a new year … It’s going to be different this year.” The Toronto native lives Zach Hyman edged Connor Carrick in a training camp competition to for nights like these. "It’s awesome. I mean, growing up you watch determine the fittest Leafs player. And the Toronto native was surprised Toronto-Montreal games and being in them is even more fun. I just want to learn he would receive a championship belt for his efforts. to go out there and win, in Montreal especially." * Alexander Ovechkin has scored nine goals in Washington's first five The Canadiens have stumbled out of the gate, winning just once in four games of the season. He's just the fourth player in the expansion era games, although Babcock points to Montreal's league-worst shooting (since 1967-68) to start that hot. The last person to do it? Patrick percentage (2.58%) as the main reason for the slow start. Marleau, who scored nine times in his first five games in the 2013 lockout-shortened season. What does Marleau remember about that “The biggest thing I’m seeing is just their shooting percentage is low so incredible hot streak? normally that turns,” he said. “The bottom line is, we’re early to get into a big panic mode here about anything or to think you’re too good or too “It was crazy. I think it was all that time off and being really excited to get bad. Usually you’re some place in between. Steady on the rudder.” back and playing (smiles). It was a lot of fun. When things are going good like that you want to stay hot and keep playing.” Leafs Ice Chips: Toronto determined to end four-year drought in Montreal Was there a common link between all those goals? Leafs players and coach Mike Babcock have done their best to downplay the franchise's 14-game skid against the Canadiens. But, there's no “Kind of being in the right spot at the right time a lot of times. Obviously, question they're motivated to put that storyline to rest on Saturday night playing with good players and getting some wide open nets helps out a as they play a Habs side that has struggled out of the gate. lot.” Asked about the challenge against Montreal, Auston Matthews is quick to Marleau is 38-years-old and will be playing the 1,498th game of his NHL bring up Carey Price, who used the knob of his stick to stop the Leafs regular season career on Saturday. But this will be the first time he centre on a breakaway in overtime in the last game between the two experiences the Leafs-Habs rivalry on a Saturday night in Montreal. teams on Feb. 25 in Toronto. “It’s going to be different,” he said. “It’s something I watched growing up. “We want to play simple,” Matthews said. “We want to be skating and It’s always a big deal when these two teams meet so pretty exciting.” working hard and doing our best to take away the goalie’s eyes. We’re not going to score on first-chance opportunities. It’s going to be second, Marleau can relate to Ovechkin's hot streak: 'It was crazy' third chances off of rebounds." Alexander Ovechkin has scored nine goals in Washington's first five Price has won his last 11 starts against the Leafs posting a .944 save games of the season. He's just the fourth player in the expansion era percentage in those games. (since 1967-68) to start that hot. The last person to do it? Patrick Marleau, who scored nine times in his first five games in the 2013 Marner on Mete's humour: 'It's kind of hard to put into words' lockout-shortened season. What does the ex-Shark remember about that incredible run? Childhood friends Mitch Marner and Victor Mete helped London win the Memorial Cup in 2016. On Saturday, the Leafs winger and Habs * Despite scoring two goals in two games this season, Dominic Moore defenceman will play against each other in a regular season NHL game will be a healthy scratch as Toronto’s fourth-line centre rotation for the first time. Marner has four points in four games for the Leafs while continues. Eric Fehr draws back in. Mete has surprisingly slotted in on Montreal’s top pairing alongside Shea Weber. So, what are they expecting tonight? “We’re in a process there,” Babcock explained. “I’m not sure when that’s coming to an end, but we’re still in it.” * Saturday’s game will represent the first NHL regular-season showdown between childhood friends Mitch Marner and Victor Mete, who played a After missing two games with an upper-body injury, Carrick will return to couple seasons together with the London Knights in the OHL. the lineup on Saturday taking the spot of Calle Rosen. “He’s pretty jokey,” Marner said when asked if he has a favourite story or moment with Mete. “He jokes around a lot. Fun to be around. Probably TSN.CA LOADED: 10.15.2017 the moment that stands out is winning the Memorial Cup with him (in 2016) ... He’s got a great amount of skill, great amount of potential and it’s going to be fun to play against him tonight.” Is Mete, a native of Woodbridge, Ont., a practice jokester or more into observational humour? “It’s kind of hard to put into words what he’s like,” Marner said. “People who played with him and know him know exactly what I’m talking about, but it’s kind of hard to put into words what kind of guy he’s like." Marner texted Mete to offer him well wishes after he made the Habs opening night roster. He was not surprised to hear that Mete's family is having trouble shelving their Leafs fandom and embracing the Canadiens. 1078341 Websites

Golden Knights continue to juggle competitiveness with long-term sustainability

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Published 4:13 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 4:32 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

In many ways, the NHL expansion team in Las Vegas is playing with house money. The Vegas Golden Knights are already big winners because they have done everything right under the most heart-wrenching circumstances. The way they have reached out to help their community in a time of tragedy. A poignantly perfect opening night ceremony. Many comforting words. A 3-0-0 start. No established NHL team could have navigated the Golden Knights’ situation any better than they did. “I think the team is feeding off the city,” owner Bill Foley said. “I think the city is feeding off the team.” But the true meaning of being an expansion team arrived Friday when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Golden Knights 6-3 for their first loss. Just a gentle reminder that it’s difficult to ride a wave of momentum for any length of time. The back-to-reality likely will continue this week as the Golden Knights become aggressive in dealing with their competitive issues. First, they have too many veteran defensemen, blocking a path for young puck-moving defenseman Shea Theodore to be promoted from the American Hockey League. It seems likely that general manager George McPhee will be talking to the Washington Capitals, who lost Matt Niskanen to the significant injury Friday night. The Caps have called up 22-year-old Madison Bowey, but if he’s not ready they may have to consider a veteran option. The Golden Knights still need to shuffle their lineup. They called up center Vadim Shipachyov and placed Erik Haula on the injured reserve, but they still need to find room for winger Alex Tuch. Both Shipachyov and Tuch were sent to the minors because Vegas had too many veterans. The Golden Knights could use more offense. The Golden Knights have 12 goals in four games, but James Neal has six of those goals. Russian star Shipachoyov, 30, who had 76 points in 50 games in the Kontinential Hockey League last season, will provide a spark to the offense. Shipachoyov didn't come to North America to play in the minors. He would have stayed in the KHL if he realized this was going to happen. Tuch, a 6-4 winger, has scored three goals in two games in the AHL. McPhee admitted that Shipachyov, Tuch and Theodore were sent down only because they didn't require waivers. The Golden Knights are fearful that other players would be claimed. McPhee wants to acquire assets for players he'd prefer to send down. But that requires patience, something that could eventually pay off with defensemen he has hung on to. The Golden Knights’ objective is to have a competitive team within three seasons. That means McPhee wants to turn his expansion draft picks into prospects or more draft picks. Although the NHL created rules that provided the Golden Knights with more desirable players than previous expansion teams have received, McPhee’s job isn’t any easier. And it has been made more complicated by the quick connection the team has made with fans.

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Capitals put top defenseman Matt Niskanen on long-term injured reserve

Staff Report AP Published 10:01 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017 | Updated 1:01 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2017

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Washington Capitals put No. 1 defenseman Matt Niskanen on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The team says Niskanen is week-to-week. On LTIR, he must miss 10 games or 24 days, which means Niskanen isn't eligible to return until Nov. 7 at Buffalo. Niskanen left the Capitals' victory at the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. The 30-year-old was averaging almost 26 minutes a game before being injured. With Niskanen out, Washington recalled 22-year-old defenseman Madison Bowey from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. Bowey could make his NHL debut Saturday night when the Capitals visit the Philadelphia Flyers. Niskanen's injury puts more pressure on John Carlson, the only other veteran right-handed shooter on the blue line.

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