Sport-Scan Daily Brief

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/26/2013

Anaheim Ducks 727387 Matt Duchene returns to Avalanche practice, but is doubtful 727355 Does Ducks' Dustin Penner have a score to settle? vs. Blues 727388 Attorney for Semyon Varlamov accuser asked fee from 727356 Allen becomes latest wounded Duck Sports Illustrated Boston Bruins 727389 Matt Duchene doubtful vs. Blues, Peter Forsberg to be 727357 Game 24 preview: Penguins at Bruins inducted in Swedish HOF 727358 Just can’t break ’em Columbus Blue Jackets 727359 Krug lifts Bruins in OT 727390 Blue Jackets 6, Maple Leafs 0: Long slog of a trip ends with 727360 Eriksson breaks away to success blowout win 727391 Blue Jackets notebook: Nathan Horton gets feel for locker 727361 Krug winning attention room 727362 Bruins beat Penguins in OT 727363 Bruins, Pens battle for East supremacy Buffalo Sabres 727364 Flynn, Sabres work on improving defensive zone coverage Calgary Flames 727365 Johnson: Backlund caught in a Catch-22, without ice time needed to score enough to get more ice time 727366 Even Flames’ stay-at-home defencemen keeping shootout skills sharp 727367 Flames notes: Galiardi helped off ice at practice after suffering back spasms 727368 Picking Brian Burke's brain 727369 Calgary Flames' Joe Colborne a 'pleasant surprise' 727370 Calgayr Flames sharpen shootout skills Carolina Hurricanes 727371 Canes' goalie Ward getting back in the groove 727372 Canes' Westgarth faces NHL hearing over hit Chicago Blackhawks 727373 Hawks chase Oilers goalie in rout 727374 Hossa still out, Handzus to return for Blackhawks 727375 Michal Handzus returns as team gets healthy 727376 Blackhawks flip the script on ‘dangerous’ Oilers in 5-1 rout 727377 New playoff format, new challenges for Blackhawks 727378 Oilers no problem this time for Blackhawks 727379 Hawks run over Oilers with 5-1 win 727380 Konroyd's keys to Blackhawks-Oilers 727381 Oilers 'try to send message' to defending champion Blackhawks 727382 Five things to watch: Blackhawks vs. Oilers 727383 Handzus back in lineup; Hossa to meet team in Calgary 727384 Blackhawks' Circus Trip continues in Edmonton 727385 Where do Blackhawks rank on Forbes' most valuable NHL teams? Colorado Avalanche 727386 Demotion unable to derail Tyson Barrie's career with Avs Dallas Stars 727421 Hawks chase Oilers starter Devan Dubnyk… 727392 Holiday Feast? Dallas Stars hope to boost record during 727422 Kris Versteeg eager to reconnect with friends, restaurants home-heavy stretch since returning to Blackhawks 727393 Dallas Stars-Anaheim Ducks need to know: Ryan Getzlaf vs. Tyler Seguin key matchup 727394 No former Dallas Stars among 10 suing NHL over concussions 727395 Lindy Ruff says Dallas Stars goalie Dan Ellis needs to play soon ... but when? 727396 GameDay: Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings 727397 NHL roundup: 10 former players sue league over concussions 727398 Are the right sports folks in line for Detroit Walk to Fame stars? 727399 Detroit Red Wings say Pavel Datsyuk 'feeling better' after elbow to jaw 727400 Detroit Red Wings worth $470M, 9th in NHL 727401 Big names highlight Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 2014 induction class 727402 Ex-Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood smooth in booth, too 727403 Red Wings feeling boost from return of Darren Helm 727404 Two Red Wing alums among former NHL players suing league on concussions 727405 Daniel Alfredsson provides calming influence for Detroit Red Wings after missing five games 727406 Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk feeling better, status still undetermined; Todd Bertuzzi out for Wednesday 727407 Nicklas Lidstrom, Jason Hanson among latest Michigan Hall of Fame class 727408 Forbes: Detroit Red Wings are the ninth-most valuable NHL franchise at $470 million 727409 Jonas Gustavsson won't replace Jimmy Howard despite hot start but he provides depth in goal 727410 Red Wings hoping to get Cleary out of his slump Edmonton Oilers 727411 Edmonton Oilers find Chicago Blackhawks too much to handle 727412 Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk gets mercy hook the day he earns weekly NHL honours 727413 Former Oiler Brad Aitken part of suit filed against NHL on concussions 727414 Edmonton Oilers set to pit modest three-game win streak against defending Stanley Cup champs 727415 Edmonton Oilers lose 5-1 to Blackhawks, Bryzgalov wins over fans in relief of Dubnyk 727416 Ten former pros sue NHL, saying league did not do enough to minimize risk of concussions 727417 The education of Nugent-Hopkins continues as he goes against Toews Monday 727418 Oilers successful power-play strategy costs them first goal of the game 727419 Oilers 'faithful' cheer Ilya Bryzgalov after team yanks blameless Devan Dubnyk 727420 Much room for improvement as Edmonton Oilers outgunned by Chicago Blackhawks Florida Panthers 727455 Devils are 20th-most valuable NHL franchise, according to 727423 Combined efforts boost Florida Panthers in win over Forbes Philadelphia Flyers 727456 Devils goalie Martin Brodeur feeling fine, will start against 727424 REMEMBERING ROGER: Panthers Honor First Coach, Jets Name Press Box After Neilson 727457 Devils' Cory Schneider could play in Switzerland before 727425 BIG DIFFERENCE: Thomas, Bergenheim Say Hello to career is over Flyers in Florida's 3-1 Win 727458 Devils notes: Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas feeling fine 727426 Sean Bergenheim scores twice to lift Panthers to 3-1 victory 727459 Devils can't rally again in 3-1 loss to Jets over red-hot Flyers 727460 Ondrej Pavelec wins 100th game as Winnipeg Jets beat 727427 Roger Neilson's love of hockey lives on through others Devils, 3-1 Los Angeles Kings 727461 Ageless Devils come up empty vs. Jets 727428 Kings win a wild one, 3-2, in overtime against Canucks New York Islanders 727429 10 former players sue NHL over head injury liability 727462 Captain John Tavares' leadership skills put to the test 727430 Kopitar's OT goal lifts Kings over Canucks 727431 November 25 postgame quotes: Ben Scrivens 727432 November 25 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter 727433 November 25 postgame quotes: Anze Kopitar 727434 Game 25: Los Angeles at Vancouver 727435 Game 25 Preview: Los Angeles at Vancouver 727436 November 25 morning skate quotes: Nolan, Scrivens 727437 Carter to be activated; Quick to IR? Minnesota Wild 727438 Postgame: Parise injured as the Wild begins a difficult stretch of games with a loss at St. Louis 727439 Wild's loss is doubly painful: Parise suffers foot injury 727440 Wild-St. Louis recap 727441 Wild notes: Parise steams over waved-off goal 727442 Steen scores 2 goals, Halak makes 22 saves in Blues' 3-0 over Wild 727443 Mike Rupp to play first NHL game in 6 1/2 months; Mikael Granlund, Josh Harding out tonight at St. Louis 727444 Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise suffers injured foot in shutout loss to Blues 727445 Blues 3, Wild 0: Minnesota suffers first shutout of season 727446 Minnesota Wild: Mike Rupp finally ready to make season debut 727447 Minnesota Wild: Olympic loyalties on hold for now 727448 Minnesota Wild: Goalie Josh Harding not with team in St. Louis Montreal Canadiens 727449 Habs assistant coach Gallant honoured by QMJHL 727450 Habs’ Pacioretty named NHL’s second star of week Nashville Predators 727451 Nashville Predators' offense unfazed without Patric Hornqvist 727452 Nashville Predators beat Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 New Jersey Devils 727453 Devils relieved that Eric Gelinas wasn't seriously hurt on Evander Kane collision 727454 Devils' offensive struggles continue in 3-1 loss to Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers 727503 Skate Update: Flyers set for long road stretch 727463 Tampa Bay Lightning embarrass NY Rangers 5-0 as Henrik 727504 Flyers-Panthers: 5 things you need to know Lundqvist pulled 727505 Panthers will honor former Flyers coach Neilson 727464 Recovering Taylor Pyatt joins Rangers in Tampa but will not 727506 Flyers stumble as streak ends play vs. Lightning as Alain Vigneault sticks with 727507 'Checking line,' with red-hot Read, has team on a roll 727465 Great for Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay and NHL to see Lightning star walking with no crutches or boot two weeks a Phoenix Coyotes 727466 Concussed Pyatt getting close to return 727508 Phoenix Coyotes can't recover from early deficit in 4-2 loss 727467 Punchless Rangers zapped by Lightning at Nashville 727468 Nash, Richards clicking despite lack of goals 727509 Game Day: Coyotes at Predators 727469 Rangers notes: Taylor Pyatt returns 727470 Rangers blasted by Lightning, 5-0 727471 Rangers' road win streak ends at six with shutout loss in Tampa 727472 Taylor Pyatt practices, could play again soon 727473 Rangers rank No. 2 in Forbes' NHL franchise survey 727474 Rangers-Lightnings in review 727475 Lightnings 5, Rangers 0 … post-game notes 727476 It’s Go Time! … Rangers at Lightnings NHL 727477 Canucks Coach John Tortorella has dropped the rude 'tude 727478 NHL pluses and minuses: Canadiens, Flyers rising in the Eastern Conference 727479 Ten Former N.H.L. Players Sue League Over Head Injuries Ottawa Senators 727480 AHL Senators cruising along 727481 Clarke MacArthur showing value to Senators 727482 Senators consistently inconsistent 727483 Mendes: Caps’ Ovechkin virtual lock for Hall 727484 Value of Senators increases 73 per cent to $380 million, says Forbes 727485 What's wrong with the Ottawa Senators? 727486 Ottawa Senators worth $380M: Forbes 727487 Ottawa Senators still in market for defenceman Philadelphia Flyers 727488 Flyers' streak goes south against Panthers 727489 Downie praised for bringing a spark to the Flyers 727490 Flyers go cold in loss to lowly Panthers 727491 Flyers fall to Panthers, 3-1 727492 Flyers Notes: Flyers put early scoring slump behind them 727493 Does Claude Giroux deserve a spot on Team Canada? 727494 Flyers' offense arrives (finally) 727495 Flyers valued at $500 million 727496 Hot team feels a chill in Florida 727497 Teammates see lots of upside to Downie 727498 Surging Panthers catch Flyers napping 727499 Return to Tampa will have extra meaning for Lecavalier 727500 Flyers fail to capitalize on 'huge' opportunity 727501 Flyers' point streak ends with loss to Panthers 727502 Instant Replay: Panthers 3, Flyers 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 727547 Hit by Leafs' Phaneuf raises checking questions 727510 Crosby's late magic goes for naught in 4-3 overtime loss to 727548 Maple Leafs goalie Reimer jeered by ACC crowd Bruins 727549 The case for Bozak being a No. 1 centre takes a huge hit 727511 Beau Bennett has surgery; out 8 to 10 weeks 727550 Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman among ex-Maple Leafs suing NHL 727512 Penguins notebook: Boston defenseman Bartkowski gets 727551 Leafs' Tyler Bozak green with pride comfortable 727552 Maple Leafs shut out in embarrassing loss to Blue Jackets 727513 Penguins' Bennett will be out 8-10 weeks 727553 Leafs' Tyler Bozak returns to lineup against Blue Jackets 727514 Bruins beat Penguins, 4-3, in overtime 727554 Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way as Canadian teams rise 727515 Shelly Anderson's Penguins chat transcript: 11.25.13 on Forbes’ list of NHL franchise values 727516 Penguins estimated at 8th most valuable NHL franchise at 727555 Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bozak to return to lineup against $480 million Columbus Blue Jackets 727517 Penguins' Malkin named No. 1 star of the week San Jose Sharks 727518 San Jose Sharks address struggling power play, penalty kill 727519 Special teams on the agenda at Sharks practice 727520 Hannan providing more than just depth for Sharks 727521 Nieto reassigned to Worcester St Louis Blues 727522 Colaiacovo is back on the ice with Blues, registers an assist 727523 Sobotka's goal gets Blues rolling 727524 Hockey Guy: The poor, poor Blues 727525 Colaiacovo inserted into Blues lineup tonight against Minnesota 727526 Blues keep on rolling with shutout win over Minnesota 727527 Colaiacovo makes his season debut with Blues Tampa Bay Lightning 727528 Family, friends help honor Bolts' St. Louis 727529 Bolts notes: Kucherov provides debut goal 727530 Bolts blank Rangers on St. Louis' big night 727531 Stamkos walking two weeks after breaking leg 727532 St. Louis scores twice, Lightning routs Rangers 727533 Stamkos bouncing back strong 727534 Kucherov stunned to get call from Lightning 727535 Could Stamkos be ready for the Olympics? 'If he's 100 percent ... we'll deal with that at that time,' Yzerman 727536 Lecavalier: 'I'm definitely excited about going back to Tampa' 727537 Kucherov will make NHL debut tonight vs. Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs 727538 Leafs blown out by Blue Jackets in embarrassing loss 727539 Maple Leafs get Bozak back in the lineup 727540 Maple Leafs: Penthouse empty, doghouse full after blowout loss 727541 Maple Leafs: Reimer and company embarrassed by Blue Jackets: Feschuk 727542 Weary Blue Jackets set to face Leafs 727543 Maple Leafs go with James Reimer against Columbus 727544 VIDEO: Leafs-Blue Jackets preview, Bozak returns 727545 Toronto Maple Leafs valued as NHL’s only billion-dollar team 727546 Ex-Leafs Gary Leeman, Rick Vaive among 10 NHLers launching concussion lawsuit Vancouver Canucks 727570 Are ex-NHLers trying to cash in with concussion lawsuit? 727571 Playing hurt could have led to head injuries 727572 Tortorella won’t stray from his message: Canucks are close and they’re going to get through this 727573 Los Angeles 3 Vancouver 2 (OT): Canucks push back but still fall to Kings 727574 Van Provies: Lasting Shark bite, deserving to lose, a physical backbone, a Booth pulse 727575 Booth returns to lineup as Canucks take on red-hot Kings 727576 Canucks Hat Trick: Vancouver leaps to fourth overall in Forbes NHL valuations 727577 Kopitar scores in OT as Kings top Canucks 727578 Canucks’ Booth, known as the ‘weird dude’, remains slowed by injuries Washington Capitals 727556 Michal Neuvirth injured in Capitals practice 727557 Capitals recall Dmitry Orlov, assign Tyson Strachan to Hershey 727558 Martin Erat asks Capitals to trade him 727559 Martin Erat asks for trade as unproductive Caps stint appears soon to end 727560 Nicklas Backstrom the wind beneath Alex Ovechkin’s wings Websites 727579 ESPN / Ex-players must prove NHL hid information 727580 ESPN / There's no betting against Steven Stamkos 727581 NBCSports.com / 10 former players sue NHL over concussions 727582 USA TODAY / Blues grab top spot in NHL power rankings 727583 USA TODAY / Ex-NHLers sue league over concussions 727584 YAHOO SPORTS / Into the unknown: Lawsuit launches NHL into legal arena over concussions Winnipeg Jets 727561 Slump busters lift Jets to victory 727562 Jets now worth twice what Chipman, Thomson paid: Forbes 727563 Slump-busting night for Winnipeg Jets in 3-1 win over Devils 727564 Jets’ value rises significantly, according to Forbes list 727565 Jets Notebook 727566 Pavs knows what it takes to finish right 727567 Slumpbusters answer call in New Jersey 727568 Jets 3 Devils 1 727569 True North and Jets scoring big at bank

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 727355 Anaheim Ducks AT DALLAS When: 5 PST. Does Ducks' Dustin Penner have a score to settle? On the air: TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: 830. Etc.: The Stars have played the fewest home games in the league and start a three-game homestand against the Pacific Division-leading Ducks (17-6- By Lance Pugmire 3). Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen was 8-3-2 in the team's first 13 games, but 6:14 PM PST, November 25, 2013 he has lost twice in the last week even though the Stars out-shot their opponents. LA Times: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Never mind the words of Dustin Penner. His stone-faced expression is what lingers. Asked following the Ducks' practice Monday what he was thinking about Tuesday's reunion with the Dallas Stars and forward Ryan Garbutt, Penner said, "I haven't even thought about it." The 6-foot, 190-pound Garbutt decked the 6-4, 240-pound Penner during the Ducks' 6-3 victory over Dallas on Oct. 20 at Honda Center. Although no penalty was called, the NHL suspended Garbutt for five games, ruling he aimed and launched himself at Penner in what the league called "a violent and dangerous hit." Penner was knocked out briefly, and walked rubber-legged to the dressing room. He missed the next five games and said on Twitter he was blindsided. Penner has recovered impressively to lead the NHL with a plus-18 goal differential while on the ice, and he scored two goals Saturday in the first- place Ducks' 4-2 victory at Phoenix. Perhaps living well is the best revenge, or maybe retribution is best served without warning. Tampa Bay defenseman Radko Gudas took out Ducks winger Teemu Selanne with a penalized hit Nov. 14, and Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa met Gudas on Friday at Honda Center with punches in the face. "They always remember things," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But that's all on an individual basis. Sometimes you forget, sometimes you remember and sometimes you get in a position to hit them fair." Stepping up With veteran Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin, 33, out of the lineup because of an upper-body injury, it has created an opportunity for 22- year-old Sami Vatanen. Vatanen scored a goal in the win at Phoenix, and his job security was enhanced when Sbisa tore a tendon in his right hand while punching Gudas. Sbisa will be out eight to 10 weeks. "He's a guy that should be playing every day in the NHL," Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said of Vatanen, noting he's older than fellow defensemen Hampus Lindholm, 19, and Cam Fowler, 21. Boudreau also said that Vatanen made the team out of training camp and played in the first 15 games before sitting out three of five and being demoted. "He's good . . . an offensive-minded, skilled defenseman," Boudreau said. Vatanen, from Finland, said he's focused on "just playing my own game and not worrying too much about what's going on" with roster decisions, leaning on his defensive partner, veteran Bryan Allen, for guidance if necessary. "I just try to do my own thing . . . my strengths of good skating, support the forwards, play good in the defensive zone, move the puck fast," Vatanen said. Injury update Allen did not practice Monday and did not travel with the team to Dallas after suffering a lower-body injury in Phoenix. Goalie Viktor Fasth is sidelined for two to three weeks by a lower-body injury suffered in pregame warmups Friday. As a result, Boudreau said he expects Jonas Hiller, after consecutive wins, to "be our guy for a while," with Frederik Andersen getting a start in goal "this weekend." The Ducks play visiting Calgary at 1 p.m. Friday, and visit second-place San Jose on Saturday. TONIGHT 727356 Anaheim Ducks “The last two weeks, other than the three games that (Ryan Getzlaf) missed, we’ve had the same five guys starting. And that’s made a big difference.” Allen becomes latest wounded Duck Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.26.2013

By ERIC STEPHENS / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

DALLAS – The rash of injuries that has plagued the Ducks continues unabated, with defenseman Bryan Allen sidelined for their game Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars. Allen suffered a lower-body injury in the second period of the Ducks' 4-2 road win Saturday over Phoenix. It will be the first game missed for the veteran shutdown defender, who has five assists along with a solid plus-8 rating in 25 games. The Ducks’ recall of journeyman Nolan Yonkman comes in handy as Yonkman will make his debut with the club. Yonkman, 32, signed a one- year deal in July and has 74 NHL games with Washington, Phoenix and Florida on his resume. The 6-foot-6, 253-pound Yonkman opened eyes with his physical play during a long stay in training camp. He had three assists and a plus-1 rating in 18 games with the Ducks' AHL team in Norfolk, Va. Already missing on the Ducks' blue line are Francois Beauchemin and Luca Sbisa. Beauchemin got hurt crashing headfirst into the boards Wednesday against New Jersey, while Sbisa is out 6-8 weeks after tearing a tendon in his right hand during a fight Friday. "It's pretty incredible, quite frankly," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said Monday. "I don't know what else you can say. This injury bug has been from day one and it hasn't stopped." There is also no change with center Saku Koivu, who has been sidelined for the past four weeks because of lingering symptoms resulting from a concussion. The Ducks are also playing without winger Jakob Silfverberg (broken hand) and defenseman Sheldon Souray (torn wrist tendon). Goaltender Frederik Andersen, who went 6-1 with a 1.66 goals-against average during his first stint with the Ducks, is back up as Viktor Fasth will be lost for 3-4 weeks because of lower-body muscle inflammation. DUCKS VALUE RISES It appears to be a fine time to have ownership in an NHL team, Forbes magazine asserts. The publication has been estimating team values since 1998 and has calculated that the average worth of a franchise is $413 million, up 46 percent over the past year. Forbes estimates the Ducks are worth $300 million, a 56 percent increase from their 2012 value estimation of $192 million. The Kings’ value has gone from $276 million to $450 million in the past year. The Kings and Ducks remain 10th and 21st on the 30-team list. The top five teams are the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion), New York Rangers ($850 million), Montreal Canadiens ($775 million), Vancouver Canucks ($700 million) and Chicago Blackhawks ($625 million). SPECIAL TEAMS The Ducks can’t be proud of their work on the power play or their penalty- killing. They’re 25th on the power play with a 14.4 percent conversion rate and 24th in penalty killing at 77.9 percent. But the Ducks are trending upward after horrific starts in both areas. They’ve gone 9 for 30 (30 percent) on the power play in their past 10 games and have killed off 31 of 37 penalties (83.7 percent) over their past 11. Boudreau said the team’s many injuries have played a part in not having continuity with players coming in and out of the lineup. His goal is to get the penalty killing up to 83 percent. “It may not sound like much, but you’d like to have your (penalty killing) teams together because then they can read off each other better,” he said. “It’s the same with the power play. 727357 Boston Bruins

Game 24 preview: Penguins at Bruins

Posted by Amalie Benjamin November 25, 2013 12:49 PM

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are back in town for the first time since getting swept out of the Eastern Conference finals. While that issue seemed to be put to bed after the Bruins made their trip to Pittsburgh at the end of October, it's still a rivalry, with the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the East facing each other. The Bruins lost to the Penguins in that first meeting, and coach Claude Julien was not pleased with his team's effort. "To be honest with you, all I remember is I didn't think we were as good as we should have been," Julien said. "I looked at our team, and after two periods, I just felt like there wasn't enough emotion. There wasn't enough in our game and for us to be a team that had a chance to win." The Bruins seem unlikely to get back Adam McQuaid tonight, though Julien left it open, and McQuaid said he's to the level where he'd be playing if it were the postseason. Dennis Seidenberg skated before and during morning skate, leaving the ice halfway through the team skate because he'd already been out for 45 minutes. Game time: 1 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM (98.5) Records: Bruins 15-6-2, Penguins 15-9-0 Projected lineups: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Loui Eriksson Carl Soderberg-Chris Kelly-Reilly Smith Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton Torey Krug-Johnny Boychuk Matt Bartkowski-Kevan Miller Tuukka Rask Chad Johnson Notes: The Bruins have points in their last four games (3-0-1) and are 7-1-2 in their last 10. They've been excellent at home this month, with a 6-0-2 mark in their last eight games at TD Garden ... The Bruins have lost their last seven games against the Penguins in the regular season (but won their last four playoff games against them). The Bruins' last home win against Pittsburgh came on Nov. 10, 2009 ... The Penguins have scored power-play goals in each of their last three games ... The referees tonight are Rob Martell and Kelly Sutherland. The linesmen are Michel Cormier and Mark Shewchyk. Boston Globe LOADED: 11.26.2013 727358 Boston Bruins “Some nights are not as easy as others,” said Julien, “and tonight was one of those nights where we just had to grind it out because the sharpness just didn’t seem to be there.” Just can’t break ’em But on this night, their fortitude was enough to get them over the hump. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 Steve Conroy

You may still have some legitimate questions about the Bruins. Will the second line ever fully come together to be a consistent scoring threat? How will the young defensemen hold up over an 82-game schedule and the meat grinder of the playoffs? Is their early-season penchant for losing third- period leads a major cause for concern? But the one thing you can feel pretty certain about is this: The Bruins are one mentally tough team. They demonstrated that again last night when they didn’t have their top- shelf game, coughed up a two-goal lead, and then allowed the equalizer with less than a second left in regulation to the team that is considered their chief competition in the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yet far from demoralized, the B’s needed all of 34 seconds of overtime to seize the victory. Torey Krug took a beautiful Brad Marchand cross-ice pass, moved down into the left circle and blistered a slap shot past Marc- Andre Fleury to give the B’s a 4-3 victory at the Garden. Afterward, coach Claude Julien said he had no worries about his team’s mindset after allowing what could have been a crushing tying goal when Sidney Crosby scored on a backdoor play with 0.3 seconds left and Fleury pulled for the extra skater. “We’ve been through these kind of situations before and I think the experience has helped us out,” said Julien. “To me, when you get scored on like that, it could be devastating for some teams. But for us, it just probably made us a little hungrier. We went out there, showed some character and ended it early.” There were some pretty goals scored from both sides, but they were the only things pretty about this one, especially for the B’s. As they had in their first meeting in Pittsburgh on Oct. 30, the B’s started slowly and found themselves down 9-1 on the shot clock. But Tuukka Rask (28 saves) stood tall in the early going, making several high-quality saves. “A lot of things were happening slow for us,” said Zdeno Chara. “We were not as quick and sharp as previous games.” As Rask explained, the B’s had “a case of the Mondays, right?” But when the B’s got their first break, they capitalized. Brooks Orpik fanned when trying to one-time a bouncing puck and Carl Soderberg took it the other way. He eventually sent Loui Eriksson in on the breakaway and his fellow Swede made a beautiful self-pass between his legs before beating Fleury on a backhander at 12:27 of the first. Just 3:16 later, the B’s went up 2-0 with a gorgeous power-play goal. Soderberg, who had drawn the hooking penalty on Pascal Dupuis, zipped a terrific pass to Reilly Smith for the tally. The Pens, who outhit the B’s 35-28 in the rugged affair, scratched back. James Neal sniped one over Rask’s blocker side 37 seconds into the second and then tied the game at 11:09 of the third with another laser, this time over Rask’s glove. It looked like the B’s finally grabbed control of the game with 5:15 left in regulation when Crosby deflected a Chara shot past Fleury. But the own-goal wouldn’t be the last one Crosby would score. With the Garden crowd already celebrating a victory near the end of the third, Crosby converted Chris Kunitz’ pass for a goal in the final second. The green light signifying the end of the period was on, but video review clearly showed there was still time left and the B’s went to OT for the third straight game. Unlike Saturday’s win over Carolina, Julien started the extra session with two forwards and two defensemen. But when the B’s got an offensive-zone faceoff, Julien went with three forwards and one forward-thinking defenseman. Patrice Bergeron and Eriksson worked to control the puck, Eriksson then got it to Marchand, who passed to Krug for the winner. 727359 Boston Bruins

Krug lifts Bruins in OT

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 Steve Conroy

After the Bruins allowed the Penguins' Sidney Crosby to tie the game with . 3 seconds left in regulation, they didnt waste much time moping about it. Just 34 seconds into overtime, Torey Krug took a great pass from Brad Marchand and buried a slapshot over Marc-Andre Fleury's glove arm to give the Bruins a 4-3 victory in their third straight game that went to overtime. They have now won eight of their last 10 games. The B's also got goals from Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith (power-play) and Zdeno Chara while Tuukka Rask (28 saves) was excellent. "It was a good start at the faceoff, just good puck pursuit, and making sure we take care of the puck," said Krug. "We had a lot of good composure with the puck, Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] made a great play to me originally off the draw, I had a good chance early on, and then we got the puck again up near the blue line and just great composure. When you’re at the blue line, it’s a risky area, so you’ve got to make sure you take care of the puck, and we did that, and Marchy [Brad Marchand] made an unbelievable pass through two guys, and one guy was cheating so it was good." The B's will practice on Tuesday in Wilmington before jetting off to Detroit for a Wednesday night game against the Red Wings. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 727360 Boston Bruins “I knew him. We had him at the (Canadian) Olympic camp and I got to know Steve, the person,” said Julien. “When you look at what he is in the league and what he’s accomplished and to have that happen to him, I Eriksson breaks away to success thought it was just important to go by and see how he was doing. It was as simple as that. . . . He’s one of the reasons we fill buildings and you hate to see, from anyone’s point of view, a guy like that get injured that way. So I stopped by. Tuesday, November 26, 2013 “He certainly feels like he wants that opportunity to represent his country Steve Conroy, Bruins Notebook and he feels like he can, so I just went there to show my support.” Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 Up until last night, Loui Eriksson had mostly shown off his grit in the offensive zone, demonstrating he wasn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice to score a few goals on tips. But in the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins at the Garden, Eriksson showed the skill level we’ve been expecting to see since he arrived here from Dallas in the Tyler Seguin deal. Eriksson scored his fifth goal of the year at 12:27 of the first period when he took a feed from countryman Carl Soderberg, made a nifty self-pass between his legs and beat Marc-Andre Fleury on a deft backhander. “For sure, I think it was the first breakaway I got this year, so it was nice to get that, and (to) see that it went in too was nice,” said Eriksson. “Yeah, both their ‘D’ stepped up on Kells (Chris Kelly) and I got the puck for a breakaway. It was nice.” While that goal was scored in the middle of a line change, Eriksson, who also assisted on Reilly Smith’s power-play goal, was on the ice with his regular linemates, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and all three had a hand in Torey Krug’s game-winner. Chemistry for that second line has been a long time coming, set back by both Eriksson’s concussion, which cost him five games, and Marchand’s early-season struggles. Bergeron has been kept off the scoresheet for five games, while Eriksson snapped a three-game scoreless streak and Marchand ended a two-game skid. But ever so slowly, they’re becoming a cohesive unit. “Yeah, it feels good and I think there are still some things we can do a little bit better and find a consistency and play that every game,” said Eriksson, who had 1-2-3 totals last night. “If we create chances out there, we know we’re going to score goals. That has to be our mindset, (to) just go out there, create chances and play the game the way we should, and I think if we do that, we will be good.” Soderberg shines Soderberg continues to be a force. He picked up two assists, including a brilliant back-door pass for Smith’s power-play goal. “I felt that when he played in Sweden that’s what he’s been doing,” said Eriksson. “It’s really nice to see that he’s playing with confidence and making good plays out there. He made a great pass today on the power play and even to my goal there. It’s really nice to see that from him and I think he’s getting better and better.” . . . Tuukka Rask got into a little trash-talking match with James Neal after the Penguin hit the crossbar in the second period. Neal had scored in the period and would tie the game in the third. “I just told him to shoot it harder,” deadpanned Rask, “and in the third period, he did.” Injury update Dennis Seidenberg skated for the first time yesterday since suffering a lower-body injury last Tuesday in New York. The defenseman skated with strength coach John Whitesides and then participated in a portion of the team’s morning skate. . . . Adam McQuaid continued skating with the team and is close to returning from his lower-body injury. Kevan Miller played his third game last night. Surprise visitor Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos met the press yesterday for the first time since suffering a broken tibia in a game at the Garden on Nov. 11. He revealed that, while recuperating from the surgery at Mass. General Hospital, he got a visit from B’s coach Claude Julien. 727361 Boston Bruins like to play with the puck. It’s a lot more fun for me. It’s a lot more fun to play with the puck.” He also was delighted by the aggressive approach by Julien, who was Krug winning attention willing to have one defenseman on the ice against a highly dangerous opponent.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 “It’s great,” said Krug. “I like it. You’re in attack mode, you’re trying to win the game. It shows something to us and to the other team: We’re trying to Stephen Harris win the game, we’re not just sitting back and (being) content with the shootout. Definitely, it can be risky at times, but we have the personnel to do that.” Last week in Carolina, Torey Krug was asked if he’s thought at all about the Confidence is a big part of Krug’s makeup. And even if he has gotten possibility of earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Nope, not a bit, he burned on a few recent occasions, it doesn’t lower his desire to get up ice responded. and try to make plays. Krug heard the same question last night after scoring the overtime goal that “Lately it just seems you’ve got to make sure you’re harder on the puck,” he beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3. Same answer. said. “If you’re making soft plays, it’s going to be turnovers. It’s how you respond to those things that makes you the players that you are. If you do “I still don’t think about (the Olympics),” he said. “I’m worried about what’s make mistakes, you can’t sit there and sulk. You’re going to be left behind going on in our locker room, and I want to make sure I keep my game at the and the team is going to be moving forward. You’ve got to do your best to level I want it to be. Our team won. It’s great.” come back.” It’s absolutely the correct approach, especially for a youngster with all of 27 Krug’s contributions have made the Bruins a different, and better, team. Yet regular-season games on his NHL resume. But the thing about sports is, as he says, rightly, that the B’s aren’t playing nearly as well as they can. you focus on the job at hand — game-by-game, period-by-period, shift-by- shift — big things can happen. “I don’t think we’re close to where we want to be as a team,” he said. “What’s nice is that we do win games. Maybe we’re not giving our best And while the Olympics still seem like an unlikely dream for Krug, this kid effort, or things aren’t going our way. It’s a nice sign (to win anyway). But has shown since last year’s playoffs that he is a big-time overachiever — a definitely, we’re far away from where we want to be.” classic prove-people-wrong kind of player. As for Krug, who knows? Maybe he isn’t all that far away from getting a call At 5-foot-9, he may be one of the smallest guys in the league, but he brings from the Olympic team. Not that he’s giving it a thought. a skill set every team covets. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 On the big Olympic ice at Sochi, Krug could prove a valuable asset for the Yanks; he certainly showed last night how well the open ice of 4-on-4 overtime play suits him, as he got open in the left circle, took a nice feed from Brad Marchand and blasted a slap shot high to the far side past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. One nearby spectator had to be impressed: Penguins and Team USA coach Dan Bylsma. And upstairs, Pens general manager Ray Shero, an assistant GM for Team USA, also watched. “I can, without hesitation, say that (Krug) has been mentioned and talked about a little bit, based on the start he’s had and how he’s played and based on what he’s done through (23) games,” Bylsma said before the game. “We’ve got a lot of people out watching hockey games live and on tape, and we certainly have made note of how he’s played and what he’s done on the back end there.” Krug’s goal was his seventh, tying him for the NHL lead among defensemen. It was interesting that on the scoring play, he was the lone defenseman on the ice for the Bruins, as coach Claude Julien sent out the Patrice Bergeron line, plus Krug. “He gets around, he gets in the holes, he moves around really,” Julien said. “There’s no doubt (4-on-4 play is) good for him, such as other players in the league. You look a defenseman like (the Penguins’ Kris) Letang that love that kind of space. He was in the right place. (Marchand) made a great pass, but he picked that top corner; he knew where he was going with that shot.” It’s become a familiar sight for B’s fans, who rise from their seats as Krug tees up shots from the left circle — and frequently puts the puck in the back of the net with his hard, accurate shot. “When you get close like that, you just want to make the goalie make a save with his hands,” Krug said. “I tried to get it up and I was lucky enough I beat him.” Krug has made some high-profile and costly mistakes in recent games, and at times is physically overmatched by much bigger forwards. But this was his milieu, his comfort zone. Open ice and an open shot. He didn’t miss. “I love it,” Krug said of the 4-on-4 play. “(There’s) a lot more room on the ice to skate and play with the puck. It’s more of a possession game; you’re not just chipping pucks up the wall. If you watch me play, you understand that I 727362 Boston Bruins

Bruins beat Penguins in OT

Monday, November 25, 2013 Steve Conroy

Just seconds after watching what appeared to be a sure win slip through their fingers, the Bruins dug down and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins anyway. After the Pens tied the Bruins up a second time with less than a second left in regulation, Torey Krug took a beautiful cross-ice pass from Brad Marchand and drilled the game-winner over Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove arm just 34 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 win at the Garden. Zdeno Chara had put the B’s ahead with 5:15 left in regulation when his right point shot appeared to go off Sidney Crosby and past Fleury, but it wouldn’t hold up. The Pens pulled Fleury with 1:10 and the B’s nearly killed it off, but with .3 seconds left on the clock, Crosby chipped home a Chris Kunitz pass to tie it. The green light initially went on to signify the end of the game, but video review showed that there was still time left. The B’s had squandered an early 2-0 lead, with both Penguins goals coming off the red hot stick of James Neal. The equalizer came at 11:09 of the third period when Johnny Boychuk couldn’t handle a clear-in on his stick and it went to Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen dished it to Neal and the big winger beat Rask over his glove arm. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 727363 Boston Bruins

Bruins, Pens battle for East supremacy

Monday, November 25, 2013 Steve Conroy

The Bruins look to continue their string of solid efforts tonight when they welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Garden. And they certainly hope to have a much better night than they did when they played the Pens for the first time this year down in Pittsburgh on Oct. 30. The Penguins won that game, 3-2, but the B's did not show up for the better part of two periods. “To be honest with you, all I remember is I didn't think we were as good as we should have been.” said coach Claude Julien, adding that he wasn't trying to take anything away from how the Penguins played. “I looked at our team and after two periods I just felt like there wasn't enough emotion, there wasn't enough in our game for us to be a team that had a chance to win. We got a bit sloppy at times and turned some pucks over which ended being some winning goals. But I think when we play each other, we're two of the better teams in the conference and, in my mind, it should have been played with a lot more intensity than it was.” The B's come into the game atop the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division while the Pens, on top of the Metropolitan Division, are two points behind the B's in the confeence race. The B's have a game in hand. It'll be Tuukka Rask against Marc-Andre Fleury, who has regained his form after losing his job in the playoffs last year. He's got a 1.95 GAA, .923 save percentage and a 13-7 record. From the morning skate, it appeared that Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg will be out for at least one more game. McQuaid is the closer of the two and Julien did not rule him out for tonight, but he took some extra skating this morning and comprised a fourth pair with Seidenberg during the team's skate. Seidenberg hit the ice for the first time today since suffering a lower body injury in New York last Tuesday. He skated prior to the team and then joined them for a while before heading off. ... Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos met the press today for the first time since suffering a broken tibia in a game in Boston on Nov. 11. He revealed that, while recuperating from the surgery at Mass. General Hospital, he got a visit from Julien. “I knew him. We had him at the (Canadian) Olympic camp and I got to know Steve, the person,” said Julien when asked about the visit. “When you look at what he is in the league and what he's accomplished and to have that happen to him, I thought it was just important to go by and see how he was doing. It was as simple as that. As I said after the game, he's a guy that people from all different cities come out to watch play. He's one of the reasons we fill buildings and you hate to see, from anyone's point of view, a guy like that get injured that way. So I stopped by. "He certainly feels like he wants that opportunity to represent his country and he feels like he can, so I just went there to show my support.” ... Speaking of the Olympics, this might be a good night for defenseman Torey Krug to play well because he is on Team USA's radar and American head coach Dan Bylsma and assistant GM Ray Shero will be in the house. “I can, without hesitation, say that he has been mentioned and talked about a little bit, based on the start he's had and how he's played and based on what he's done through (23) games,” said Bylsma, the Penguins coach. “We've got a lot of people out watching hockey games live and on tape and we certainly have made note of how he's played and what he's done on the back end there.” Boston Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 727364 Buffalo Sabres ... Patrick Kaleta is expected to be back in the Rochester Americans lineup Wednesday. Kaleta missed the last four games with a lower body injury. He Flynn, Sabres work on improving defensive zone coverage was assigned to the Amerks on Nov. 3 after his 10-game NHL suspension was completed.

By Amy Moritz | News Sports Reporter | @TBN_Moritz | Google+ Buffalo News LOADED: 11.26.2013 on November 25, 2013 - 10:22 PM , updated November 26, 2013 at 3:04 AM

When he moved to center from right wing, Brian Flynn strived to keep his game simple. Nothing fancy. Nothing risky. He wanted to keep everything basic as he centered the line of Corey Tropp and Marcus Foligno “Obviously I haven’t done it in a while so I’m just trying to keep it simple and concentrate more on the d-zone than cheating offensively right now,” Flynn said. Flynn’s focus may come from a position move, but it was the focus for all the Buffalo Sabres as they went back to practice Monday at First Niagara Center after a disappointing defensive effort in a 3-1 loss to Detroit. The team worked for the better part of 40 minutes on defensive zone coverage with an emphasis on playing from instinct rather than from overthinking or reacting, along with increasing communication. “We have to start doing things instinctive,” interim coach Ted Nolan said. “We just kind of react after the fact. A lot of our problems are because of breakdowns. We’re going to try and correct that so that one hand knows what the other one does. “We talked about communication, talking down low. We’re a very quiet team. We don’t talk enough. I’ve always said good communication eliminates duplication so you don’t always end up doing someone else’s job.” Flynn isn’t exactly a chatterbox but his hockey sense has helped him make his way into the NHL and is what has impressed Nolan in his first weeks on the job. The 25-year-old Flynn was signed as a free agent by the Sabres after Flynn finished his senior season at the University of Maine in 2012. He played 45 games for the Rochester Americans before making his NHL debut on March 2, 2013 against the New Jersey Devils. This season, he has three points (two goals, one assist) in 24 games with the Sabres, missing just one as a healthy scratch in Philadelphia last week. “The one thing I like about Flynn is his hockey IQ,” Nolan said. “He’s a very smart player. He’s got to be a little bit stronger, but we all have to be a little bit stronger. I like his hockey sense. He jumps in. He’s got a very quiet demeanor. He doesn’t say too much but he always listens. He pays attention and he does what we ask him to do.” Flynn will take the compliment, although he points out that being a smart player is something he has always required to be in order to succeed. “It’s nice but I need to be a smart player,” Flynn said. “I’m 180 pounds and I’m not going to go knock guys off the puck and stuff like that. If you’re a smaller guy you better be able to be smart and be able to skate. “That’s been the same thing my whole life at every level. Colleges didn’t even think I’d be able to play because they thought I was too small or too weak. Every level you go up, you just adjust and try to figure out what works and play a smart game.” ... The lines at practice were the same as in the game Sunday and Nolan expects to keep them relatively intact to reinforce his message of consistency. “We have to keep them the same. When we ask the players to be consistent, we have to be consistent with our message and our delivery,” Nolan said. “We can’t work on defensive zone coverage one day and forget it about for the next two weeks. We have to do it on a consistent basis and same thing with the lines. We have to keep them somewhat consistent so you learn what each and everyone does on the line.” 727365 Calgary Flames The odd thing is, Stajan, with far more offensive opportunity, has only two more points than Backlund’s seven. Colborne’s hovering at seven, too. Still, the reimagining, the reinvention, of Mikael Backlund continues. Johnson: Backlund caught in a Catch-22, without ice time needed to score enough to get more ice time “Hey, lots of guys extend their careers by many years doing what Back’s is doing right now,” argues Hartley. “Guy Carbonneau was a Quebec league scoring champion and he made a great NHL career as one of the best By GEORGE JOHNSON, Calgary Herald November 25, 2013 checkers, blocking shots and everything. It’s a choice, whether you make $65,000 in the ‘A’ or $700,000 in the NHL and at the same time it’s about playing the game the right way.

Johnson: Backlund caught in a Catch-22, without ice time needed to score “If you score five to 10 goals a season, you can’t sit on this and say ‘My job enough to get more ice time is safe.’ That’s what we’re trying to do with everyone. I’m trying to teach Monahan the right way to play the game on both sides of the puck in the Imagine awaking one day, flipping on the goggle box and learning that three zones, even though, hey, this guy is going to score 30, 40 for us, for you’re on sale on the NHL’s in-house Home Shopping Channel. sure. “You can’t help but wonder ‘What if it happens? What do I do with my “The unfortunate part is that Backs got caught in a rebuilding year where place?’ ” concedes Mikael Backlund. “Things like that are going through my we added two really good young centremen.” head a little bit. It’s only human nature, I guess. I’ve tried not to think too much about it since I heard the rumours. Played the game Friday. Came to Which leaves him in a decidedly tricky Catch-22 situation. Only increased work and practised hard Saturday and today. offence can get him bumped up in the centre-ice pecking order. But stuck on the checking line, given limited minutes and no power play time, it’s “When I get on the ice, I’m trying to do my best. Trying to have fun. Trying almost impossible to do that. to make the best of the situation. Trying to make plays even though I’m on the fourth line.” This always loomed as a decisive moment in Mikael Backlund’s Calgary career, after six seasons of flirting, and failing, to carve out a niche. The Mikael Backlund is only 24. seismic shift to a rebuild seemed to play in his favour. But it’s all played out wrong. Still, at odd, quiet moments of introspection/reflection, he must wonder if he hasn’t somehow been whisked back in time to 1929. Demotion to that fourth chair Hartley spoke of. A healthy scratch one game. And now the inevitable trade gossip. The market’s crashed. His stock’s bottomed out. Once so rich in promise, so flush with opportunity, only to find himself now, jarringly, starting from “On the fourth line you’re not supposed to be scored on, so that’s my job scratch; all the collateral he’d built up, vanished. right now,” he says, fighting to remain positive. “I’m on the PK now, and I like that, it keeps me in the game. Obviously, it’s not my plan to be a fourth- Pipped, not so terribly long ago, as the No. 1 centre of the future in this line player. It’s a long year. I’m trying to stay patient and help the team. organization, if only by process of elimination, a natural fit between Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay, Backlund has watched his status whittled away by “I can’t change my game too much. I did that earlier in my career in the a 19-year-old rookie whiz kid, a resurrected 29-year-old playmaker and a NHL and that’s what’s hurting me a little bit now. I’m trying to find my way hometown Toronto Maple Leaf minor-league cast-off. back again, being more offensive. That’s how I got into this league in the first place. Iginla and Tanguay are, of course, both long gone. And if the rumours that began swirling late last week are true, Backlund just might be, too. “Everybody knows I’m not happy where I am right now. That’s no secret. There’s no use lying about that. Everybody wants to play as much as A revitalized Matt Stajan has nailed down the spot on the No. 1 line. Sean possible. I want to help the team more than I do right now. Monahan has played beyond his years and Joe Colborne’s won organizational hearts with his size and potential. “So, it’s tough. Yeah . . . very tough.” All of which has left Backlund adrift, consigned to the checking line, Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.26.2013 wondering where he fits in, if he’ll ever get to deliver the goods. Or even whether his future can possibly lie here at all. “Stajan, with the way that he has played for us, has made it pretty clear for us that he’s the No. 1 centre,” explains coach Bob Hartley, following Monday’s practice at WinSport. “But from there, on any given night . . . as we saw in the game in Colorado, Backs put us back in the game when I put him with Hudler and Cammalleri. “Obviously, there are four chairs. Right now, Stajan has the big chair. Monny, with his goal production, has the second one. Colborne, with his progression, has the third one. But we’re looking at this every game, every shift, and re-evaluating. Plus, I’m telling Backs this: I understand that being on the fourth line, I cannot expect him to move up by scoring goals. “The role is different. “What’s mind-boggling is: Where has his offence gone? Again, I’m not talking about recent weeks. Before that. You often hear coaches going on about playing without the puck, how guys have to be better in their own end. Backs is the total opposite. “Backs has done so great defensively, but I felt early on that he had lost the desire to score goals. For me, playing good defence should help you score goals. You spend less time in your own zone, you create more turnovers. He has great vision, great hockey sense. But he was struggling in those areas.” Hartley lauds Backlund a “great young pro.” Admires the diligence he’s shown in setting about learning the roll-up-your-sleeves side of the game. Is impressed that there’s been no whining, no sulking, no pouting, at the 2007 first-rounder’s drastic u-turn in fortune. 727366 Calgary Flames “Just in case something happens,” he explained. “Like you go 14, 15 shooters or something like that. But hopefully it doesn’t get too deep. Guys like myself --- and I won’t mention any other names --- have been getting a Even Flames’ stay-at-home defencemen keeping shootout skills sharp little nervous once it goes past six or seven shooters. “When we were in Winnipeg and got into some deeper shooters, we were all kind of joking around on the bench, like we might be next. But I think if By Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald November 25, 2013 you get called and it does go late, you just have to embrace it and try to enjoy it.” Because, at the end of the day, the extra point matters in the end. Even Flames’ stay-at-home defencemen keeping shootout skills sharp Last year, San Jose was tops in the area collecting eight shootout victories in the 48 game-season (which had them in the post-season with 57 points). Ladislav Smid has a shootout move. Really, he does. In 2011-12, teams like New Jersey (12) and Minnesota (11) specialized in the area and were rewarded. Calgary Flames defenceman Shane O’Brien, drawing on his American Hockey League days, would be able to find some move from his repertoire “It’s definitely huge in the standings,” O’Brien said. “If you look at teams that while Chris Butler, if he had to, could make something work. have had success in the shootout, they’re clearly ahead of teams because of that. It’s for the fans and for entertainment purposes but it’s important in Because when the pressure is on and the selected marksmen begin the standings and important for making the playoffs if you’re good in the drawing blanks — like last week’s 16-shooter epic that lead to a 5-4 win shootout.” over the Winnipeg Jets or even Friday’s 12-man go-round in the 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers — it could be up to others (eventually) to get the Regardless of where you are in the order. job done. “I would just go with the flow, probably,” said Smid who turned into a true “Yeah, right before the goalies, probably,” Smid said jokingly Monday at defensive defenceman when he broke into the league with the Edmonton WinSport’s facilities. “I would think they would probably tap 12 forwards and Oilers in 2006-07. “Just shoot it, to be safe. You don’t want to end up on the five defenceman on the shoulder before me. No, but I think I’d be safe. It top-10 TSN bad moves. would be pretty funny, though.” “It’s rare but thank God we managed to get an extra point. Monnie’s our Funny, maybe, but as of Monday evening, 55 of 354 games played in the hero, that’s for sure.” National Hockey League had been decided by shootouts. And three of which have been Flames’ games including two last week. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Against the Jets, the eighth-rounder had been the longest of the 2013-14 campaign to date and two of Calgary’s offensive defenceman — T.J. Brodie and Kris Russell — were sent out. Meaning SOMEONE was the next up. “I’ve gone 13 deep before when I was in Buffalo and we played Colorado one night,” Butler said. “I was really starting to get nervous, thinking I was going to have to go. “Probably would have had the same game plan — five-hole, low blocker, short-side. Some type of shot somewhere. You try to make what you consider the best play possible and go with that.” The most prolific active NHLers to date with 34 successful attempts are Minnesota’s Zach Parise, Florida’s Brad Boyes and Phoenix winger Radim Vrbata. Pavel Datsyuk, Mikko Koivu, and Jussi Jokinen also have more than 30 shootout goals. Currently leading the Calgary Flames is Jiri Hudler (14/42), Lee Stempniak (11/34) and Michael Cammalleri (10/37). Now, with his two shootout winners from his first career attempts last week, rookie Sean Monahan joins Dennis Wideman (2/8), and Curtis Glencross (2/9). For the record, in a combined 1,274 NHL games between Smid, O’Brien, and Butler, they’ve had zero shootout attempts. But, again, you just never know. “At the start of the season, we knew some guys (were capable),” said head coach Bob Hartley. “Other guys are very surprising. When I was in Atlanta, I had Ilya Kovalchuk and he wasn’t very good in shootouts. We all know he could fire that puck. But it’s a touch. There’s obviously some pressure attached to it. So, that’s why, early in the season, we go and look at practices and we look at guys that have certain moves.” The only other time the Flames have been in the situation was their season- opening loss to the Washington Capitals which only featured Hudler and Baertschi. Against Winnipeg the order went like this: Joe Colborne, Hudler, Cammalleri, Stempniak, Brodie, Sven Baertschi, Russell, and Monahan. Friday, the Flames adjusted on the fly and added Blair Jones before Cammalleri while Monahan moved ahead of Brodie. “The key is freezing the goalie and you need a certain skill to do this,” Hartley said. “And after this, you have to put the puck in the right spot. There’s no magic formula but, right now, we’ve won our last few games and we’re pretty confident in some players.” Still, O’Brien, (patenting the “low shot; nothing fancy” move), said everyone must be alert and ready. 727367 Calgary Flames following the recovery from his abdominal injury which leaves the Flames with 13 forwards, eight defencemen, and two goalies along with two players on injured reserve (Mark Giordano and Curtis Glencross). Flames notes: Galiardi helped off ice at practice after suffering back Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.26.2013 spasms

By KRISTEN ODLAND and GEORGE JOHNSON, Calgary Herald November 25, 2013

Flames notes: Galiardi helped off ice at practice after suffering back spasms T.J. Galiardi had to be helped off the ice and into the dressing room after dealing with back spasms at WinSport facilities on Monday. “I saw him go to the bench and the trainers told me he seized up,” reported head coach Bob Hartley. “We’re obviously going to treat him and there’s not much more we know (Monday). “We’ll first see what the medical staff is saying after. (Tuesday) we’ll see, but we have plenty of players.” Game day is not until Wednesday which will give the coaching staff plenty of time to monitor the forward’s status and make a decision. Galiardi, who has a goal and six points in 22 games, was a healthy scratch for the first time as a member of the Flames during Friday’s 5-4 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers. OUR GAME, EH The National Hockey League, says business bible Forbes magazine, is booming in Canada. In an article published recently, the magazine revealed that the Flames ranked among the top teams in gate receipts per-game last season. According to Forbes, six of the seven Canadian teams charged an average ticket price for non-premium seats of at least $70. The league average was $64. And the five most expensive average ticket prices were charged by Canadian franchises — Toronto ($120), Montreal ($99), Winnipeg ($95), Vancouver ($90) and Edmonton ($79). The top teams in gate receipts-per- game last season? Toronto ($2.2 million), Montreal ($2.1 million), Vancouver ($1.8 million), New York Rangers ($1.8 million), and the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers tied at ($1.6 million). It also revealed that the average NHL team now has an enterprise value (equity plus net debt) of $413 million, 46 per cent more than a year ago. For the first time since Forbes began tracking NHL team values in 1998, three of the league’s five most valuable teams are Canadian — Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion), Montreal Canadiens ($775 million), Vancouver Canucks ($700 million). And this is also the first time that every Canadian franchise ranks among the top 16 in the 30 team league. TIGER-CAT GROWL After three-quarters of Sunday’s Grey Cup tilt in Regina, longtime Ticat fan Brian McGrattan had seen enough. “Then,” confessed the Flames’ tough guy, “I switched over to the Broncos- Patriots game.” A Steeltown boy born and raised, McGrattan’s grandparents had season tickets to Ivor Wynne Stadium to watch the ’Cats play when he was growing up and an uncle, Ernie Palango, played running back for the Tabbies in the mid-70s, wearing No. 33. So, naturally, the interest was high when the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton kicked off the 101st Grey Cup on Sunday. “It sucks that they got blown out,” said McGrattan. “At the beginning of the year, they were the team you wouldn’t have expected to be there. A couple big turnovers they could’ve had in the first 10 minutes might’ve changed the game. “But, all things considered, they had a good year. Just getting to that game was a big thing.” BREEN BACK Also Monday, the Flames recalled Chris Breen from the Abbotsford Heat. The six-foot-six, 225-pound defenceman had been on a conditioning stint 727368 Calgary Flames “The NHL doesn’t get any credit for being industry leaders — diagnosing and creating protocol to follow,” Burke said. “We’re going to have concussions in hockey. What we owe players is a full Picking Brian Burke's brain description of the risks involved with playing. As long as a player fully understand the risks, why should we feel sorry for him when he gets hurt?”

By Eric Francis ,Calgary Sun As for his rebuilding Flames, Burke says the feedback he gets is overwhelmingly positive. First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:32 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:59 PM MST “The No. 1 response I get from people is they really like this team,” Burke said of his blue-collar bunch. “They like that the kids are playing. Everyone is buying in, and that’s mostly Minutes before zipping off for an Olympic conference call with USA Hockey our coach. (Flames head coach) Bob Hartley, from Day 1 of camp, set the officials, Brian Burke weighed in on the Canadian goaltending debate with a tone. It was the hardest training camp I’ve ever seen, and he got them to surprising stance. buy in right away.” “As of this week, I’d start Cam Ward,” said the Flames director of hockey Whether he can get Team Canada to buy in on Ward is another issue operations, who doubles as the American Olympic team’s director of player completely. personnel. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 “He’s out of his mind right now — you can’t beat him,” Burke continued. “Everybody’s worried about Canada’s goalies right now, but I’m not. I think they have three guys who could play. You just have to figure out who’s on at that moment.” As part of a wide-ranging chat with a quaint group of KidSport Calgary supporters Monday, Burke says that while he saw the Canadians as the pre-tourney favourites to win in Sochi “the team that scares the living hell out of me is Russia.” “Because it’s their home soil, it’s going to be crazy there, and we hear rumours of huge bonuses for players if they win gold.” Armed with a strong, colourful opinions on everything Burke raised plenty of eyebrows and prompted several laughs with frank answers to some of the biggest questions in hockey. “I was the GM of the silver-medal-winning American team (in 2010) after the Canadian referee kicked the puck to the Canadian … but I’m over that now,” Burke said with a laugh. “Our U.S. team didn’t have anyone from Turin (in ’06) return for (the) Vancouver (Olympics). This year, we’ll have 14 or 15 (returnees), so we can’t sneak up on anybody. (Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven) Stamkos breaking his ankle would be a catastrophe for us. We couldn’t replace him. Canada can just put a band-aid on it. Canada still has the best player-pool and will be able to replace Stamkos. For us, Jonathan Quick is hurt, and we don’t know what to do.” Burke’s strongest words were also Olympic-related when asked if he thought countries should boycott the Sochi Games based on Russia’s anti- gay stance. “It’s archaic, frankly, but I don’t think boycotts punish anyone but the athletes — I don’t support a boycott,” said Burke, who has championed gay rights since his son, Brendan, revealed his sexuality months before dying in a car crash in February 2010. “What I do support is that Russia never be awarded another international competition in any sport of any kind again until they repeal these laws. It’s criminal, and it’s wrong. Like most targeted and oppressive legislation, it will fail over time. It has to, because people are too intelligent.” Not only has he been a spokesman for hybrid icing for seven years, but he’s also pushed other GMs to consider a hybrid ice-size for NHL rinks. “We play on the same ice surface that we played on 100 years ago when we opened our doors for business — it doesn’t make any sense,” said Burke, who wants new NHL rinks to be built 90 or 91-feet wide as opposed to the current 85 feet in the NHL and 100 feet at the Olympics. “Hockey on that Olympic ice surface is really boring. There’s no hitting, and the game sucks on the big sheet. The reason it’s great at the Olympics is you have the 20 best players from every country. The Europeans are shrinking their rinks — Helsinki’s new rink is 91-feet wide. I’ve been on this horse for eight years, and I’m 0-for-30 (talking to NHL teams). The Islanders agreed, but now they’re moving to Brooklyn, so it’s not going to happen.” Burke was frank when asked about concussions hours before word came down the NHL was being sued by 10 former players for alleged negligence. 727369 Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames' Joe Colborne a 'pleasant surprise'

By Daniel Austin ,Calgary Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 06:36 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 06:48 PM MST

Joe Colborne’s always had the tools to make an impact. But so far in his young career, the Calgary Flames’ centre hasn’t quite been able to put it all together and lock down a spot on an NHL roster. A couple of strong performances in the past week have offered hope that — finally — Colborne may have gotten over the hump. “He’s made some very big steps,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley of the Calgary product. “If, after 20-some games, you’re asking me to rate him, he’s a very pleasant surprise for us.” Colborne may never develop into the offensive force some projected him to be when he was picked 16th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. But strong showings against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers last week suggest the Flames may have hit the jackpot when they acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick right before the start of the season. Through 20 games, Colborne was struggling to put points on the board. But in the past two games, he’s picked up two goals and an assist, nearly doubling his season points total, which now sits at seven. He’s also fired four shots on net in those games after only managing to register one shot total in the previous five. What`s changed? It may be as simple as Colborne simply being given a chance to find his big-league legs. After appearing in only 16 NHL games over the past three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs — who acquired him from the Bruins as the centrepiece of the package the Leafs received in exchange for Tomas Kaberle in 2011 — Colborne believes the regular playing time he’s received with the Flames has helped him make the jump. “I’m pretty fortunate to be getting this opportunity right now,” Colborne said. “As you go and you start to play a regular role at this level, the game kind of starts to slow down a little bit for you and your decision-making speeds up a little bit. “You just start to get a comfort level that I haven’t felt before.” After taking shifts with tough-guys Brian McGrattan and Tim Jackman earlier in the season, Colborne’s settled into a line with right-winger David Jones and Lance Bouma on the left. The three may not make many highlight reels with tic-tac-toe passing, but they’ve begun making life difficult for opposing defences with their persistent forechecking — which led to Colborne’s second-period goal against the Panthers on Friday night. For a guy who’s been labelled soft at various points during his career, Colborne’s newfound physicality is encouraging. “It’s something that I think has come a long way, just finally putting some weight on over the last year or two,” Colborne said. “I’m feeling way more comfortable in the corners and winning battles and going to the front of the net. “I’m going to continue working hard in the weight room and put on some weight. I think I can put on another good 10 lb. before I reach my optimal weight that I want to stay at for the rest of my career.” The performances have led to an increase in icetime for the 23-year-old, who played 13:43 on Friday, a significant increase over the 6:12 he played Nov. 16 against the Edmonton Oilers — although still a far cry from the season-high 23:54 he played against the Leafs on Oct. 30. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727370 Calgary Flames

Calgayr Flames sharpen shootout skills

By Daniel Austin ,Calgary Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 06:41 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 06:44 PM MST

It’s as if 60 minutes just isn’t enough to contain a Calgary Flames game. In each of the Flames’ past three games, overtime’s been required. In two of those games, the teams needed a shootout to figure out who took home the two points. At Monday’s practice at Winsport, the Flames worked on ensuring they weren’t leaving those extra points on the table, doing extensive four-on-four drills and practising shootouts. “(On Tuesday), we’re going to work on shootouts again,” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “From the start of the year, we didn’t have very many, so we based (it on who took shots) on practice. But right now, we’ve had two (shootouts) in a row and, as you saw for yourself, some of our order has changed.” So far, the Flames have had games go to overtime seven times this season, meaning more than 30% of their 23 contests have required an extra frame. They’ve won three of those games, with two of those victories coming in shootouts last week against the Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers. The lineup of guys being asked to take centre stage in shootouts has changed since the Flames opening-night shootout loss to the Washington Capitals, when Sven Baertschi and Jiri Hudler both missed on their attempts. Hudler’s remained a constant, shooting in the NHL club’s first three shootouts against the Jets and the Panthers. Meanwhile, Joe Colborne has emerged as an option and led off the proceedings in both games. Although he was the Flames’ eighth shooter against the Jets and the sixth against the Panthers, rookie Sean Monahan scored the winner in both and has shot up the shootout depth chart. “Like the Dow Jones, he’s going up,” Hartley said of Monahan. “Some guys are very surprising — I remember in Atlanta, I had Ilya Kovalchuk, and Ilya was not very good at shootouts, but we all know he could fire that puck. “The key is you need to freeze the goalie, and you need a certain skill to do this.” Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727371 Carolina Hurricanes But Ward's good play may be the biggest stress-reducer for Muller and the Canes. "It's great seeing him back and in top form like that," Muller said. "The injury Canes' goalie Ward getting back in the groove pushed him back and now he's put two good games together. … We walk out of the last two games with three points and lot has to do with goaltending these days. That's a huge lift to have our goalie play that way." By Chip Alexander NOTE: Canes forward Kevin Westgarth will have a hearing Tuesday with [email protected] 25, 2013 Updated 11 hours ago the NHL Department of Player Safety for his hit on defenseman Mark Borowiecki of the Ottawa Senators in Sunday's game. Westgarth was penalized for boarding, and Borowiecki was helped off the ice and did not return to the game. RALEIGH — Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward is fully focused during games but said he does notice the reaction of the home crowd after a big News Observer LOADED: 11.26.2013 save. When Ward made a diving stop Sunday on Colin Greening of the Ottawa Senators, thrusting out his stick to knock away the puck, PNC Arena thundered. "I got goosebumps after that one," Ward said after the Canes' 4-1 victory. "We play this game for a living and you make a save like that and I turn into a little kid." The first-period save on Greening was one of 35 stops for Ward as the Canes ended a four-game winless streak. That came a day after his 35- save effort against the Boston Bruins, albeit in a 3-2 overtime loss on the road, and was further evidence the Canes' No. 1 goalie is healthy and feeling good about himself. A groin injury suffered Oct. 24 kept out Ward out for a 10-game stretch. But he returned last Monday to face the Bruins at PNC Arena, then was in net for the Canes' back-to-back, stopping 96 of 103 shots (.932) in the three games. "The body feels good," Ward said. "It's about preparation and having the right mindset, in my eyes. It's been tough mentally to deal with the injuries I've had and not being able to play a whole lot of games, last year and this year. It's amazing how much the game is played mentally.” To reach the playoffs this season, the Canes likely will need a number of things to fall into place. One is Ward playing, well, like Ward. Another is Eric Staal playing like Eric Staal. Both had serious knee injuries this year – Ward in early March in a game at Florida, Staal in May at the IIHF World Championship in Sweden. Ward's injury limited him to 17 games last season, and he had played seven games this season before sustaining the groin tear early in the game at Minnesota. Many believed the injury may have ended Ward's chances of being in the mix for the Canadian Olympic team for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. But there's still more than a month left before the selections and enough time to make a favorable impression on Team Canada officials. Ward was sharp and smooth in net Saturday against the Bruins, saying he was "moving extremely well and seeing the puck well." He was even better Sunday after giving up an early goal to Jason Spezza that had as much to do with the Canes' defensive breakdowns as Ward's play in net. "I was proud of the way he responded," Staal said of Ward. "I thought he was phenomenal (against Boston) and kind of helped us steal a point. We came on in the third in Boston and were a lot better but his game was solid that whole game. He came back with another good one and that's huge." So is Staal's play of late. He appeared to be laboring at times in the Canes' first 15 or so games, even while he continued to say he was fine physically and the knee was healed. But the Canes captain had a goal and two assists against the Sens, was strong in all three zones and now has a six-game point streak. Staal's pass to Tuomo Ruutu, who was driving the net, led to the go-ahead goal for the Canes in the second period. Staal then set up Elias Lindholm for a power- play goal later in the period. Ruutu's goal was his second in the past four games. A knee injury in preseason set him back but the winger is moving well and back to popping people. "That's the Ruutu we expect and we demand," Canes coach Kirk Muller said. "He has to be one of the hardest working-players on our team. That's how he gets results." 727372 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes' Westgarth faces NHL hearing over hit

By Chip Alexander [email protected] 25, 2013

Canes forward Kevin Westgarth will have a hearing Tuesday with the NHL Department of Player Safety for his hit on defenseman Mark Borowiecki of the Ottawa Senators in Sunday's game. Westgarth was penalized for boarding after the first-period play, when he hit Borowiecki along the boards in the Ottawa zone. Borowiecki was helped off the ice and did not return to the game. News Observer LOADED: 11.26.2013 727373 Chicago Blackhawks Hossa against the Flames in Calgary on Wednesday night after missing two contests to attend to a family matter, the Hawks are nearing full strength. Throw in the addition of defenseman Michael Kostka to the morning skate Hawks chase Oilers goalie in rout while he recovers from a right foot injury and Quenneville has almost all his weapons. "We haven't had many injuries over the last few years," Quenneville said. By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter "It's nice to see a full lineup and all the options available. Handzus is a useful guy (so) it's nice to get him back. We might play him at the wing and November 26, 2013 a little bit at center. He was important for us last year at the end." Handzus started at left wing on a line with Patrick Kane and center Brandon Pirri against the Oilers and was held off the scoresheet in 12:57 of ice time. EDMONTON, Alberta — Count the Blackhawks among those unimpressed that Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk had been named the NHL's Third Star Kostka has been sidelined 16 games and remains on the injured list but for last week. could see action near the end of the trip. Bryan Bickell is back in Chicago recovering from a left knee injury and is expected to be out at least two The defending Stanley Cup champions made it a rough start to the new more weeks. week for Dubnyk as the Hawks chased him during a 5-1 victory Monday night at Rexall Place. Voice of experience: When they were both rookies, the Hawks' Kris Versteeg and the Bulls' Derrick Rose would pass each other in the hallway Andrew Shaw led the offensive onslaught with two goals and an assist of the United Center en route to their jobs. while Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Johnny Oduya also scored to help the Hawks win their third in a row to improve to 3-1-0 on their seven-game The players have something else in common as they have both endured road trip. arduous rehabilitation from ACL surgery. Corey Crawford, making his 15th consecutive appearance, allowed only a With the news that Rose will miss the remainder of the season following goal by Justin Schultz in the second period as the Hawks controlled the surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, Versteeg, who is still pace throughout. rounding into shape after his ACL surgery in March, said he feels empathy for Rose. "We knew we had to be ready from the start and I think that was the start we wanted with some quick goals right off the bat," said Crawford, who "He took a while coming back from his ACL so obviously I know what's he's finished with 24 saves. feeling," Versteeg said. "You come back and you want to hop in with two feet and if you don't it's not going to be successful. He's found his way to Duncan Keith and Brandon Saad each added two assists as the Hawks ran having another unfortunate and you don't want to see that. You definitely their record to 17-4-4 on the season and rode the momentum of Toews' feel for a guy who is under such a big spotlight in their sport and the city of short-handed goal and Kane's score on the power play within the first 8 Chicago." minutes, 4 seconds of puck drop. Versteeg said the mental aspect of rehabbing can be as difficult as the "It was a great start," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We get a short- physical. handed goal and … that certainly got us off on the right foot and then we came right back with a power-play goal. Special teams in the first period "It's tough," Versteeg said. "You need a lot of help from outside of the gym. really put us in a good spot. I thought across the board we did what we Someone to talk to and try to get you through the grind. They're long days. were looking to do. Real solid game." Especially with what Derrick had to go through with his ACL, it's six-, seven-, eight-hour days and it's a grind. It's not like you can have any days Dubnyk earned his honor Monday after backstopping the Oilers to two off. Mentally coming back from ACL … you just have to somehow try to victories last week to help Edmonton extend its winning streak to a season- forget about it and move on. Your biggest worry is getting hurt again or high three games. That streak was ended and the goalie watched the rest hurting the other one. For myself, I just try to put it out of my mind and if it of the night from the bench after being yanked in the second period happens, it happens. It's part of the sport. People would be lying if they said following a four-goal outburst on 14 shots by the Hawks. Dubnyk was they weren't worried a little bit." replaced by veteran Ilya Bryzgalov, who made his season debut after being signed by the Oilers on Nov. 8. Cashing in: Forbes announced its annual valuation of NHL teams and the Hawks ranked fifth on the list with a value of $625 million. The Maple Leafs The Hawks are playing some of their best hockey after dropping the first ranked first at $1.15 billion and the Rangers were second at $850 million. game of the trip to the Avalanche 5-1 on Nov. 19 as they have outscored their next three opponents by a combined 13-5. Forbes said the average NHL team now has an enterprise value, which is equity plus debtless cash, of $413 million. That is 46 percent more than a "It's always a little different when you're on the road, they get the last year ago. change and it's obviously the other team's home building so they have the fans behind them," Keith said. "But we're doing a good job right now of Bewildering: The Hawks' penalty-killing percentage has held steady near taking it one game at a time and just focusing on our game and what we the bottom of the NHL and Quenneville isn't sure why. need to do." "We don't take a lot of penalties but for some reason or other it's going in," Toews started things for the Hawks when the captain scooped up a loose Quenneville said. "Even though we think that we're better in how we're puck and scored short-handed off a breakaway. Special teams came killing penalties, at the end of the night they still get one goal or two goals." through again when Kane notched his team-leading 13th goal while on the power play as the winger pounced on a rebound and flipped it past Dubnyk. The Hawks didn't allow a goal while short-handed three times against the Oilers and rank 29th in the league with a 73.6 percent kill rate. Oduya made it a three-goal advantage when the defenseman's shot from the point pinballed off Oilers defenseman Corey Potter and bounced into "Whether it's winning faceoffs, blocking shot, preventing entries, a little bit of the net. everything, we're better than we were starting the season," Quenneville said. "The stats don't reflect it. It's an ugly stat right now but we feel we're The rout was on when Shaw took a terrific pass off a rush from Jeremy doing the better things and hopefully it will lead to some … predictability Morin and buried it into the open net to end Dubnyk's night. Schultz scored that we haven't really had all year." midway through the second to spoil Crawford's shutout bid before Shaw redirected a Nick Leddy blast past Bryzgalov to finish the scoring late in the Antti matter: Quenneville said backup goaltender Antti Raanta will get the third. start "at some point" on the road trip. Getting there: When Michal Handzus jumped over the boards just a over a When asked if that could be Wednesday night against the Flames in minute into the game against the Oilers, the Hawks' lineup got a whole lot Calgary, Quenneville said: "Could be." deeper. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 The veteran center returned to action after missing 14 consecutive games with an upper-body injury and coupled with the expected return of Marian 727374 Chicago Blackhawks

Hossa still out, Handzus to return for Blackhawks

By Chris Kuc Tribune reporter 2:22 PM CST, November 25, 2013

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Chicago Blackhawks will have one veteran forward returning to the lineup when they face the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night but will have to wait one more game for another. Michal Handzus is scheduled to return for the Hawks after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. He skated at left wing on a line with Brandon Pirri and Patrick Kane during the Hawks' morning skate at Rexall Place. Not on the ice was Marian Hossa, who will miss his second consecutive game while attending a family matter in Chicago. Coach Joel Quenneville said Hossa will join the team in Calgary for Wednesday night's contest against the Flames. Also joining the skate was defenseman Michael Kostka, who has missed 15 games with an injury to his right foot. Kostka has not been activated off the injured list and will not play against the Oilers. Quenneville was buoyed by the fact his lineup is getting closer to returning to full strength. Winger Bryan Bickell remains sidelined another couple of weeks with a left knee injury. "We haven't had many injuries over ther last few years," Quenneville said. "It's nice to see a full lineup and all the options available. Handzus is a useful guy (so) it's nice to get him back. We might play him at the wing and a little bit at center. He was important for us last year at the end so it's nice to see him return." Corey Crawford will start in goal for the Hawks--his 15th consecutive appearance--and will be opposed by Devan Dubnyk for the Oilers. Dubnyk is red-hot and was named the NHL's Third Star of the week Monday after going 2-0-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average and .974 save percentage to help the Oilers extend their season-high winning streak to three games. While Dubnyk's play might be a concern, the Hawks are leery of the offensive talent of the Oilers, who play well against the defending Stanley Cup champions--especially at Rexall Place. "Coming into this building is kind of scary," Quenneville said. "They've had some success against us here and they're playing well right now. They're a dangerous team, they're an attacking team (and) they are dangerous off the rush. We like to go off the rush but we have to be a little bit more patient when we play these guys, otherwise we get in a track meet and it seems like they're better at it." Added captain Jonathan Toews: "Part of our problem is that we get into that run-and-gun, up-and-down offensive-style game. We know if we stick to the way we play, and that's playhing a smart game in our own zone, we're going to get our chances eventually. It's one of those teams we have to constantly remind ourselves to make sure we're playing well in our own end first and then we can go on and make plays and create chances." Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 727375 Chicago Blackhawks

Michal Handzus returns as team gets healthy

BY MARK LAZERUS Staff Reporter November 25, 2013 11:53PM Updated: November 26, 2013 2:25AM

EDMONTON, Alberta — It’ll be at least a couple more weeks until Bryan Bickell returns and puts the Blackhawks back at full strength, but they’re getting closer. Michal Handzus saw almost 13 minutes of ice time (two hits, no points) in his return Monday after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Michael Kostka also rejoined the team for the first time since suffering a foot/ankle injury during a practice on Oct. 22 in Florida. He’s still on injured reserve, but coach Joel Quenneville said he could play in one of the final three games of the circus trip. And Marian Hossa, who left the team on Saturday to attend to a family matter, will be back for Wednesday’s game against the Calgary Flames. “We haven’t had many injuries over the last few years,” Quenneville said. “It’s nice to see a full lineup, and all the options available.” Handzus skated at left wing on the second line with Brandon Pirri and Patrick Kane. Sympathy pains Kane, a Bulls fan and an acquaintance of Derrick Rose, was disappointed to hear that Rose is out for the season. “It’s tough, especially when you go through it all last year, and then you’ve got to go through it all again after being excited about him coming back,” Kane said. “I’m sure he’s probably the one that feels the worst about it. For a guy like that, you just pray for him and hope that he can come back even stronger. I feel bad for him. And it’s not good for Chicago, either.” High value The Hawks were named the fifth-most valuable franchise in the NHL by Forbes. The Hawks are valued at $625 million, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion), the New York Rangers ($850 million), Montreal Canadiens ($775 million) and Vancouver Canucks ($700 million). Still going Corey Crawford (24 saves) made his 15th straight appearance. He reiterated after Saturday’s win in Vancouver that the extra work didn’t bother him. “Nah, I work hard in the summer to be ready and I just take it game by game,” he said. “We have enough time to recover. We have a day in between [games]. Should be enough.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727376 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks flip the script on ‘dangerous’ Oilers in 5-1 rout

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Blackhawks stuck to the script before Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Joel Quenneville said it was “scary” to come to Rexall Place, the Hawks’ own personal house of horrors. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane talked up the Oilers’ elite speed and skill. Brandon Saad termed them “dangerous.” Well the next time these teams meet, it might be time for a new storyline. The Hawks scored the first four goals, Andrew Shaw had two goals and an assist, and Corey Crawford made 24 saves in a 5-1 rout of the Oilers on Monday night. It was the Hawks’ third straight win after dropping the opener of the seven-game circus trip. It was also their fourth win in five tries against Edmonton in 2013, as the idea of the Oilers’ vexing mastery of the Hawks and the memories of the two massacres at Rexall in 2011-12 continue to fade away. “I think we had that in the back of our minds, we got beat those two games here a couple years ago,” said Crawford, who appeared in his 15th straight game. “I think that’s long gone now.” The Hawks even chased Devan Dubnyk — the NHL’s reigning third star of the week after allowing a total of one goal in two victories — early in the second period, forcing Oilers coach Dallas Eakins to give Ilya Bryzgalov his first game time of the season. One storyline that did continue was the subtle but never-ending competition between Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Toews gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 5:14 of the first, tying Kane for the team lead in goals with 12. Less than three minutes later, Kane took the lead right back with a power- play goal. It extended Kane’s point streak to a career-high-tying 11 games (six goals, nine assists). It also was the fifth time in 2013 — and third time this month — that Toews tied Kane, only to see Kane answer with a goal of his own in the same period. “It was a great start,” Quenneville said. “Special teams in the first period really put us in a good spot. But I thought across the board, we did what we were looking to do tonight. Real solid game.” Duncan Keith had the secondary assist on both goals, pushing his total to 19 in 25 games, in his second straight stellar performance. Brandon Saad had a pair of assists, as well. The Hawks made it 3-0 1:28 into the second period when Johnny Oduya’s shot from the point was put in the Oilers net by Edmonton’s Corey Potter. Shaw pushed the lead to 4-0 — and sent Dubnyk to the bench — when he buried a pretty pass from Jeremy Morin on a two-on-one. Justin Schultz’s blast beat Crawford — who had his second strong game in a row — at 8:08 of the second to get the Oilers on the board, but that was all they got. Shaw — after having a goal disallowed because he kicked it in — beat Bryzgalov with less than two minutes in the game for the final margin. Shaw now has seven goals on the season, as he continues to camp out on the opponent’s doorstep. “I eat there, I do everything there,” Shaw joked. The Oilers might still give the Hawks fits at times, playing that risky, end-to- end style that suits the Hawks’ talent but not their system. But they’ve lost their hold on the Hawks, in their heads and on the scoreboard. “We’ve got to keep going into the [Edmonton] games with that mind-set,” Shaw said. “They’re a good team, they’re dangerous, they like to play on the rush. But if we keep sticking to our guys, we should be fine.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727377 Chicago Blackhawks

New playoff format, new challenges for Blackhawks

EDMONTON, Alberta — Like most hockey fans, it’s taking Jonathan Toews some time to get used to the NHL’s new divisional playoff format. Heck, just last week in Toronto, the league’s general managers sought clarification on just how the revamped-yet-retro system is going to work. “I keep looking at the conference standings,” Toews said. “Just old habits, I guess. I’ve got to pay a little more attention to what’s going on in each division.” When he does, he’s going to notice something — the Central Division is absolutely stacked. Entering Monday night’s action, the Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild had each played at least 22 games. None had lost more than five games in regulation, and all four have a better record than any team in the Eastern Conference (in fact, seven Western teams have better records than the current No. 1 in the East, the Boston Bruins). Even Dallas and Nashville are above. 500, and last-place Winnipeg is 10-11-4, which would make them solid playoff contenders in the East. On Saturday night, the Hawks, fighting for first place, won. But so did the Blues. And the Wild. And the Avalanche. It’s the Central standard, time and again. “Pretty amazing, pretty crazy,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “You don’t get any room, you don’t get any comfort. … What number is it going to take to make the playoffs? It’s going to take a lot of points to get in. What’s it going to take to win your division? That could be a freaky number. I don’t think anybody expected it to be this strong this early.” Monday night’s game in Edmonton was the Hawks’ 25th of the season, and by the time they return from the circus trip next week, the campaign will be more than a third over. So we’re past the point of fluky starts. It’s fair to say that the division — particularly the top half — is at the very least, very good. And with the top three teams in each division, plus two wild cards per conference, making the playoffs under the new format, there might not be any dog days this spring — only a dog fight. It’s nothing like last season, when the Hawks ran away and hid with not only the division title, but the conference championship and the Presidents’ Trophy after their record-setting 21-0-3 start. They cruised through the last month or so of the season, and actually had a little trouble flipping the switch come playoff time. At this rate, the Hawks could have another tremendous regular-season record and still be fighting for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs — the Central Division semifinals, essentially — until the very end. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “You always want to go into the playoffs playing strong and playing your best hockey,” Patrick Kane said. “I think last year we were playing our best hockey at the beginning of the year and then we came into the playoffs and we didn’t start off the way we wanted to against Minnesota or Detroit. … It’s important going into the playoffs to be playing your best hockey so you’re ready for that playoff-type mentality.” The Hawks aren’t sweating the standings just yet. After all, it’s still November. But they do check the scores, they do watch the highlights, and they’ve seen first-hand just how strong the Blues, the Avalanche and the Wild are. And they’re quickly learning that maybe unlike last year’s regular- season romp, every point this season is going to count. “We want to put ourselves in a position where we feel pretty comfortable,” Brandon Saad said. “You don’t want to be chasing a playoff spot, because it’s a tough league, let alone our division. It’s not going to be like it was last year.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727378 Chicago Blackhawks

Oilers no problem this time for Blackhawks

By Tim Sassone

Edmonton's Rexall Place has been a house of horrors for the Blackhawks recently. Rewind to the 2011-12 season, when the Hawks suffered lopsided losses of 9-2 and 8-4 there to the Oilers, who always seem to be ready to test themselves against the Stanley Cup champs. "I think for whatever reason they get excited to play us," Patrick Kane told reporters before the game. That wasn't the case Monday night as the Hawks jumped on the Oilers early and went on to dump them 5-1 for their third straight win on the circus road trip. The Hawks led 2-0 after the first period on a short-handed goal by Jonathan Toews and Kane's power-play goal that extended his points streak to 11 games. They made it 3-0 just 1:28 into the second period when Johnny Oduya scored, and then chased Oilers starting goalie Devan Dubnyk when Andrew Shaw scored not long after that. Ilya Bryzgalov, signed as a free agent in the last few week to help solve Edmonton's problems in goal, replaced Dubnyk. Shaw, who also had an assist Monday, closed the scoring with his second goal of the night late in the third period. So what has it been about the Oilers, who earlier this month at the United Center gave the Hawks all they could handle in a 5-4 loss? "I think maybe part of our problem is we get into that run-and-gun, up-and- down offensive-style game," Toews told reporters. "It's one of those teams where we constantly have to remind ourselves to make sure we're playing well in our own end first and then we can go on and make plays and create chances. "You look at their four lines and it's a group you have to be aware of no matter who's on the ice." Hawks coach Joel Quenneville called the Oilers a dangerous team. "Coming into this building is kind of scary," he told reporters. "I know they've had some success against us here. "They like to go off the rush. We like to go off the rush, too, but I think we need to be a little more patient when we play these guys because otherwise we get into a track meet and it seems like they're better at it than we are." The Hawks played for the second straight game without Marian Hossa, who returned to Chicago to attend to a private family matter. Quenneville said he expected Hossa to rejoin the team Wednesday in Calgary. Center Michal Handzus returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. He played left wing on a line with Brandon Pirri and Kane. "I've been on a table too long," Handzus said. "Hopefully this is over and I can have fun in the (locker) room. I haven't had that in a long time because I've been in the training room for too long." The Hawks were looking to improve their penalty killing, which came into the game ranked 29th in the NHL. "We don't take a lot of penalties, but for some reason they're going in," Quenneville said. "Even though we think we're better at how we're killing penalties, at the end of the night they still get 1 goal and 2 goals some nights. "Whether it's winning faceoffs, blocking shots or preventing entries, I think it's a little bit of everything, but we're better than we were when we started the season. The stats don't reflect it, and it's an ugly stat right now, but we feel we're doing the better things." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727379 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks run over Oilers with 5-1 win

Tracey Myers November 25, 2013, 11:00 pm

EDMONTON, Alberta – Rexall Place has been a fortress of horrors for the Chicago Blackhawks in some past games. On Monday night, however, they made it their personal funhouse. Jonathan Toews scored a shorthanded goal just over five minutes into the game, and Andrew Shaw had two goals and an assist as the Blackhawks beat the Oilers 5-1 at Rexall Place on Monday night. It was the third consecutive victory for the Blackhawks, who ended the evening as the NHL’s best team (17-4-4, 38 points). Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal, which proved to be the game- winner, to extend his point streak to 11 consecutive games. It was just a productive night for the Blackhawks overall as they collected a 2-0 lead barely eight minutes into the first period. “It was a great start,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We get a shorthanded goal and they’ve got a red-hot power play. That got us off on the right foot. Special teams put us in a good spot. Across the board, we did what we were looking to do.” Duncan Keith and Brandon Saad each tallied two assists. Corey Crawford stopped 24-of-25 to earn his NHL-leading 16th victory. It was another strong road game for a Blackhawks team that’s getting on a roll. “It’s always a little different on the road,” Keith said. “It’s last change and the other team has the fans behind them. We’re doing a good job right now of taking it one game at a time and focusing on our game.” The Blackhawks were passing crisp, skating hard and occupying the Oilers’ zone plenty on Monday night. No, they didn’t have a ton of shots, but they didn’t need a ton. They were efficient, scoring five times on 27 shots and taking advantage of any opportunity – or deflection – the Oilers gave them. Just 88 seconds into the second period, Johnny Oduya’s shot actually went off Edmonton defenseman Corey Potter and past goaltender Devan Dubnyk for a 3-0 lead. Then Shaw’s first goal came off a slick pass from Jeremy Morin for a 4-0 advantage. That was it for Dubnyk, who allowed four on 14 shots, as Ilya Bryzgalov made his season and Oilers debut 5:49 into the second period. While Justin Schultz assured the Oilers they wouldn’t get shut out with his goal 8:08 into the second, the Blackhawks just continued to work. They were getting a little something from everyone, as 10 different Blackhawks landed on the score sheet. “I think we got back to our systems,” Shaw said. “We’re rolling all four (lines). Everyone’s bringing energy and the chemistry through all four lines has been amazing.” The Blackhawks are back to playing their type of hockey. They’re getting chemistry among their lines, solid defense and goaltending. The Edmonton demon got to them in the past. Looks like they’ve exorcised it. “We’re just getting the full team effort. That’s one of the biggest things,” Ben Smith said. “Guys are competing, contributing. When we have four lines rolling and six defensemen and Corey standing tall in there, we’re a tough team to beat.” Briefly Quenneville said Marian Hossa is expected to join the Blackhawks in Calgary tomorrow. Antti Raanta could get the goaltending start against the Calgary Flames. Quenneville said the staff “will talk about it tomorrow.” Michal Handzus, playing his first game since Oct. 24, logged 12:57 of ice time. He won five of nine faceoffs. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727380 Chicago Blackhawks

Konroyd's keys to Blackhawks-Oilers

November 25, 2013, 3:30 pm Steve Konroyd

1. Get ready for a High Octane game against the Oil. The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of good, young talent. It’s surprising that they are in last place in the Western Conference. But they have been playing better of late and have racked up 15 goals in their last three games, all Oiler victories. Whenever these two teams play, the floodgates normally open. These two teams have combined to average over eight and a-half goals scored when they play each other since the start of the 2011 season. Play good Blackhawk defense, and you should get plenty of chances in Edmonton. 2. PK has got to be better. It’s been about the only complaint you can make about the Chicago Blackhawks – their below average penalty kill. Currently ranked 29th in the league, they have allowed three goals in their last seven kills, although one of those was a five on three opportunity in Vancouver. Fortunately they won both of those games. Penalty killing, especially on the road, is a great momentum builder, and the Blackhawks have to get back to the way they have killed penalties during their previous four seasons. [ALSO: Oilers 'try to send message' to defending champion Blackhawks] 3. Feed Kaner: Patrick Kane is on a pretty impressive roll -- five goals and nine assists in his last 10 games. What is maybe more impressive are his numbers against the Oilers. In his last 15 games against Edmonton, Kaner has eight goals and 17 assists, along with being a plus 12! Maybe he’s showing off for good friend and junior team mate Sam Gagner of the Oilers. I think it’s the run and gun nature of these games with the Oil that brings out the best in number 88. Get him the puck and watch the magic happen. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727381 Chicago Blackhawks

Oilers 'try to send message' to defending champion Blackhawks

November 25, 2013, 3:15 pm Tracey Myers

EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers coach Dallas Eakins is sensing something with his squad tonight, and it probably has everything to do with the opponent. “I just sense our guys are excited for tonight,” said Eakins, whose Oilers face the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. “They want to play hard and want to try to send a message.” The Oilers are feeling better about themselves lately, thanks to a three- game winning streak. And they take some extra confidence knowing they’ve played the Blackhawks well, especially here in Edmonton. Flash back to two seasons ago, when the Oilers beat the Blackhawks twice at Rexall Place, outscoring them 17-6 in the process. Yes, it was two years ago, but two things haven’t changed regardless of the season: the Oilers always get up for, and are a handful, this game; and the Blackhawks always sense danger with this opponent. “Part of our problem is we get into a run-and-gun, up-and-down game (with Edmonton). And we know if we stick to the way we play, play a smart game in our own zone, we’ll get our chances eventually,” Jonathan Toews said. “It’s one of those teams we have to remind ourselves to make sure we’re playing well in our own end first, then we can go on and make plays and create chances.” True, the Oilers will take advantage of defensive lapses. So why else has Edmonton, despite some tough seasons, done so well against the Blackhawks? “It’s hard to say,” said Sam Gagner, who had an eight-point night against Chicago in a February 2012 game. “I guess our style just matches up. They play pretty offensively and have a lot of skill. So do we.” That, and the added incentive the Blackhawks bring. “When you play against one of the better teams in the league, you try to match up to them,” Gagner continued. “It’s always an exciting night for us, and hopefully it’s a good one.” Goaltender Devan Dubnyk has also been playing better, and earned the NHL’s third star of the week for it. “Obviously when things start the way they did, you think about everything. It’s just about getting back out and forgetting about all that stuff, having fun and playing and just trusting,” Dubnyk said. “That’s been the biggest difference: you just go out and play hockey.” The Oilers’ winning streak has come against Calgary, Columbus and Florida. Obviously those are three struggling teams, but victories are victories. Still, the Oilers will look at tonight’s game against Chicago as a gauge for where they are. “We just played them a few weeks ago and we were not great in the first; we were playing shy and safe. But in the second and third I thought we got going and matched them. I’m not saying we outplayed them, but I thought we at least matched them. Even when we maybe weren’t playing our best, we were able to stay close with him,” Eakins said. “We’ve taken a little bit of a step forward. We have a ton of work to do, but it’s always a good measuring stick when you have the Cup champions coming in.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727382 Chicago Blackhawks

Five things to watch: Blackhawks vs. Oilers

EDMONTON – Welcome to Rexall Place, the part-time House of Horrors for the Chicago Blackhawks. We say part-time because they’ve had some big victories in this building, too. Last April, the Blackhawks claimed the Presidents’ Trophy with a victory here. Jonathan Toews recorded a hat trick against the Oilers here in November of 2010. But, there’s always the danger in the Oilers, who are young and speedy and just itching to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions. Ok, we’ve kept you in suspense long enough. Here are Five Things to watch for in tonight’s Oilers-Blackhawks game. 1. Defense first, offense second: yes, it’s a simple mantra to follow but it’s once the Blackhawks have forgotten against the Oilers in past lopsided losses. The Oilers are an opportunistic bunch if you give them the chances. Toews said it this morning: “If we stick to the way we play, with a smart game in our own zone, we’ll get chances eventually.” 2. Pick on the Oilers’ penalty kill. The Oilers’ kill actually isn’t that bad – 14th overall in the league, compared to 29th for the Blackhawks. But coach Dallas Eakins said the team has one big problem on it: clearing. “When we’ve had the puck on our stick, we seem to find a way where a guy knocks it down or it hits a leg or we fan on it. Now it stays in, you’re tired and now you’re in trouble.” Since the Blackhawks’ power play is still humming (11th in the NHL, 4th-best on the road), they’ll want to add to the Oilers’ clearing issues. [ALSO: Handzus back in lineup; Hossa to meet team in Calgary] 3. Keep the opposition’s shots low. Yes, we get it: Corey Crawford doesn’t mind the work. Good thing, because he keeps getting it. But considering he had to stop 36 of 37 shots two nights ago, the Blackhawks will want to limit the shots against the Oilers. Well, that and that Sam Gagner guy… . 4. Who shall click tonight? We were wrong on Patrick Sharp the other night, so we have to redeem ourselves. Going with a defenseman here, be it points or all-around game: Niklas Hjalmarsson. 5. Watch Edmonton try to stifle Patrick Kane. Eakins doesn’t get why so many teams give Kane time and space. It’s a good point: we’ve seen what he does when he gets both. Look for the Oilers to do the exact opposite to try and stop Kane’s 10-game point streak. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727383 Chicago Blackhawks

Handzus back in lineup; Hossa to meet team in Calgary

EDMONTON, Alberta — Michal Handzus is back in the lineup and Corey Crawford will play in his 23rd game of the season when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place tonight. Marian Hossa, who flew back to Chicago over the weekend for a family matter, will meet the team in Calgary, coach Joel Quenneville said this morning. Asked if the situation Hossa flew home for is better, Quenneville said, “I think so.” Meanwhile, tonight will be Handzus’ first game since Oct. 24 against Tampa Bay. Handzus, who was out with an upper-body injury, was skating on the second line with Brandon Pirri and Patrick Kane this morning. “It’s nice to have Handzus back,” Quenneville said. “He’s a useful guy, we may play him on wing and center. He was important last year for us, and it’s nice to see him return.” Crawford, meanwhile, is coming off arguably his best outing of the season, stopping 36 of 37 shots against the Vancouver Canucks. He’s continuing to play plenty but Crawford said after Saturday’s game that fatigue isn’t an issue. “I worked hard in the summer to be ready,” he said “We have enough time to recover; we have a day in between. That should be enough.” The Blackhawks know Rexall Place all too well, and not all the memories have been great. Sure, they did well here last season; but they won’t forget the awful nights they’ve had here. “Coming into this building is kind of scary,” Quenneville said. “They’ve had some success against us. They’re a dangerous team, an attacking team and dangerous off the rush. We like to go off the rush but we have to be more patient when we play these guys because, otherwise, we get into a track meet and it seems like they’re better at it. We’re definitely aware of what they can do and they seem to have our number.” Defenseman Mike Kostka has joined the team and skated with them this morning. Quenneville said Kostka, who hasn’t been activated off long-term injury reserve yet, may play late on the trip. Regardless, outside of Bryan Bickell being out 2-3 weeks, the Blackhawks are starting to regain some health. “It looks like they’re getting close,” Quenneville said of the injured parties. “We haven’t had many injuries the last few years, so it’s nice to have a (nearly) full lineup and all the options available.” Sheldon Brookbank should be in the lineup tonight on defense. Kris Versteeg was on the Blackhawks’ third line with Andrew Shaw and Jeremy Morin this morning. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727384 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks' Circus Trip continues in Edmonton

November 25, 2013, 8:00 am Nina Falcone

The Blackhawks tallied two goals in nine seconds on Saturday night to record a 2-1 victory over the Canucks. Now their circus trip continues in Edmonton as they face the Oilers on Comcast SportsNet beginning at 8:00 with Blackhawks Pregame Live. Things are beginning to go slightly more in the Oilers' favor. After a tough first quarter of the season, Edmonton's picked up some momentum, recording three consecutive wins and outscoring their opponents 15-3 in those games. Granted, those victories came against the struggling Calgary Flames, Columbus Blues Jackets (a 7-0 shutout) and Florida Panthers, but at this point, a win is a win. “We’re kind of at that point, where it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, what their record is, or what they’ve done lately,” Oilers captain Andrew Ference told reporters. “For us we need wins. We dug ourselves a hole that we have to try and get out of.” Now they're taking on the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second time this season, and judging on history, tonight's game won't exactly be a walk in the park for either organization. Earlier in the month, the Blackhawks squeezed out a 5-4 win against the Oilers. As coach Joel Quenneville said, Edmonton can "come at you," and that's just what they've done against the Blackhawks in the past as their last three matchups have all been decided by one goal. The Blackhawks are now heading into the fourth matchup of their seven- game road trip. Point leaders Blackhawks: Patrick Kane (12G, 13A), Jonathan Toews (11G, 12A), Patrick Sharp (8G, 13A), Duncan Keith (1G, 17A), Marian Hossa (10G, 7A) Oilers: Jordan Eberle (8G, 12A), David Perron (8G, 10A), Ryan Nugent- Hopkins (5G, 13A), Taylor Hall (6G, 10A), Ales Hemsky (4G, 8A) Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727385 Chicago Blackhawks

Where do Blackhawks rank on Forbes' most valuable NHL teams?

November 25, 2013, 10:15 am Nina Falcone

Forbes released its annual list of most valuable NHL franchises and the Blackhawks came in at No. 5, at $625 million. The report says the average NHL team is worth $413 million, up 46 percent more than last year. The defending Stanley Cup champions surpassed the average in value and growth, increasing their worth by 79 percent. The only team that increased by a greater percentage is the Vancouver Canucks, who more than doubled at 105 percent. The Toronto Maple Leafs once again led the charts, coming in at $1.15 billion. Last year, they were the first team to crack the billion-dollar mark, and this season they're seeing a 15 percent value increase. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727386 Colorado Avalanche Denver Post: LOADED: 11.26.2013

Demotion unable to derail Tyson Barrie's career with Avs

By Mike Chambers The Denver Post Posted: 11/26/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

During training camp in September, Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie was expected to run with a top-four role and put his minor-league career away for good. Instead, he had to roll with more punches. Barrie, 22, played the first four games of the Avs' season before falling out of favor with the coaching staff and eventually was sent to the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland. He played six games for the Lake Erie Monsters before being recalled by the Avs on Nov. 17. Barrie has played in all three games since his return, and coach Patrick Roy has been pleased. Barrie has a plus-3 rating in that stretch and chipped in three assists while averaging about 18 minutes of ice time per game. "He's been outstanding, played really well," Roy said of Barrie, who was selected by the Avalanche with the 64th pick in the 2009 draft. "He's jumping in the play well, he's making good decisions with the puck and without the puck as well, and he's been more physical in his games. Overall, I'm very pleased with him." Barrie is a third-year pro who made his NHL debut with the Avs as a 20- year-old late in the 2011-12 season. His 50 career games in the NHL included 10 that season and 32 in the 48-game, lockout-shortened season of 2012-13. He thought he was finished bouncing back and forth from the minors in his third year, a contract year as a pending restricted free agent. "I've done that the last two years and was hoping it would be a little different this year," Barrie said after practice Monday. "I went down there, and I'm not the kind of guy who is going to pout. I tried to play a good game there and work on things that I needed to. You never want to be bouncing around too much. Hopefully I can put that behind me." Barrie said he was frustrated when the Avalanche lost faith in him in October. "I felt like I was ready to play from the beginning of the year," Barrie said. "I guess it was good to go down and get my legs under me (because) I hadn't played in a while. But I know I can play in this league; I have before, and hopefully I'm going to keep going here." Roy said defenseman Ryan Wilson needs another two weeks of rest for his injured back, which means Barrie should stick with the Avs for a while, if not the rest of the season. Nick Holden has been the odd man out of the lineup on the blue line. Barrie's goal is to be the defenseman most thought he would be this season. "I'm trying to play my way into the top four," he said. Footnotes. Center Matt Duchene, who has missed the past three games because of an oblique injury, practiced in an orange "no crush" sweater Monday but isn't expected to play Wednesday against the visiting St. Louis Blues. Roy said Duchene probably will return Friday at Minnesota. ... In addition to Wilson, Roy said forward Alex Tanguay (knee) needs another two weeks before returning. Mike Chambers: [email protected] or twitter.com/mikechambers Forbes sets value of Avs at $337 million The Avalanche on Monday ranked No. 17 in the Forbes magazine list of most valuable NHL franchises. The Avs' estimated value of $337 million, according to Forbes research, placed them one slot ahead of Dallas ($333 million) and one behind Winnipeg ($340 million). Three of the top five most valuable teams are in Canada. Toronto ($1.15 billion) led the list, followed by No. 2 New York Rangers ($850 million), No. 3 Montreal ($775 million), No. 4 Vancouver ($700 million) and No. 5 Chicago ($625 million). 727387 Colorado Avalanche

Matt Duchene returns to Avalanche practice, but is doubtful vs. Blues

By Mike Chambers The Denver Post Posted: 11/25/2013 01:17:06 PM MST Updated: 11/25/2013 01:53:12 PM MST

Avalanche center Matt Duchene practiced in a orange no-contact sweater Monday. But Colorado coach Patrick Roy said the team's leading scorer is not expected to play Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center. Duchene, who has missed the past three games since suffering an oblique injury, has not been missed in the Avs' win-loss column. They have won all three games without him, the latter two on the road in overtime against Phoenix and Los Angeles. Center John Mitchell and left wing Cody McLeod have combined to admirably make up for Duchene's absence, both being promoted from the fourth line and serving as the team's hottest current scorers. Because of his injury status, Duchene was not made available to the media. Looking ahead, Roy said goalie Semyon Varlamov would start Wednesday against the Blues and Saturday against visiting Minnesota, while backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere is pegged to play Friday at the Wild to begin the home-and-home set with Minnesota. Roy also said forward Alex Tanguay (knee) and defenseman Ryan Wilson (back) will be unavailable for at least weeks, until approximately Dec. 9. Denver Post: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727388 Colorado Avalanche

Attorney for Semyon Varlamov accuser asked fee from Sports Illustrated

By Adrian Dater The Denver Post

The latest Sports Illustrated has a good story on the Avalanche and its fast start, written by Sarah Kwak. Titled “Mile High Makeover”, it’s a good piece that has an interesting item about Evgeniya Vavrinyuk, whose allegations against Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has led to a formal charge of misdemeanor third-degree assault by the Denver District Attorney. Kwak called Vavrinyuk’s attorney, Robert Abrams, and, to quote from the piece: When contacted by SI on Nov. 5 about the possibility of interviewing his client, Abrams asked, “What kind of fee are you offering?” When told SI does not pay for interviews, he replied, “Oh, O.K. She’s a little tired from giving interviews. I’m sure you can understand. Thanks so much for the call.” He then hung up. A couple weeks ago, a story came out on a Russian website called Life News, where Vavrinyuk gave a Skype interview and said many of the same things she said in a previous media interview that included The Denver Post. Full disclosure: I’ve done work for SI before too, and had an idea the item about Abrams asking about a fee would be coming out in the magazine. I later talked to Abrams soon after the Life News interview came out, and I asked him if his client was paid by Life News. He said he wasn’t going to answer that. I wasn’t going to disclose that until the SI story came out because it was their scoop, and now it has. Does the fact that the Vavrinyuk camp has, at least according to one national magazine, asked to be paid for her story hurt her credibility? That’s up to others to determine I guess. The fact of the matter is, though: Varlamov is facing a real charge from a real district attorney. It’s no secret, not tough to figure out what the Varlamov camp says: that Vavryinyuk made up her story to get money from Varlamov. Abrams says the pictures of bruises to her client are indisputable, and that any other person out there with a theory on this case is an “incompetent witness”, because they weren’t there. So, the case continues on. What will happen? I don’t know, but this is still a big story around the team – as much as everyone around it tries to pretend it isn’t. If Varlamov takes a plea deal – as some close to the case think – he will obviously admit to something and be subject to whatever sanctions agreed to by the parties involved and the court. If he admits to something as part of a plea deal, then he’ll be subject a further possible civil suit by Vavrinyuk. Agreeing to something might also subject Varlamov to further discipline by the Avs and/or the NHL. And, it could jeopardize his possible participation in the Olympics in Sochi – something Varlamov wants badly to achieve. Taking a “deal” would theoretically make the whole thing go away (except for a probable settlement of a civil suit), but it would possibly come with some other heavy prices as described above. And it would make the Avs look a bit bad, for placing their faith in him and continuing to play him. Keep in mind: when people compare Varlamov’s situation to that of Patrick Roy back in 2001 with his ex-wife, they are forgetting that Roy was never formally charged. Varlamov has been formally charged. If Varlamov goes to trial, he could be fully vindicated by a jury. But, obviously, he would take the risk of being found guilty and be subject to a harsher penalty – which could include jail. And, going to trial means a lot more time, expense and potential distraction for him and the team in an ongoing season. The Avs are keeping a wary eye on all this, of course. It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out. Denver Post: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727389 Colorado Avalanche

Matt Duchene doubtful vs. Blues, Peter Forsberg to be inducted in Swedish HOF

By Mike Chambers The Denver Post

Avalanche, Avs, Gabe Landeskog, Matt Duchene, Peter Forsberg Here’s “Karl” Keefe of Altitude working on a tapped skit with Avs rookie Nathan MacKinnon. This was filmed after Keefe completed an even funnier clip with tough guy Patrick Bordeleau. Avalanche center Matt Duchene, who has missed the last three games with a oblique injury, was in orange and participated in some drills in Monday’s practice, before leaving the ice early. He was not available to comment but coach Patrick Roy said he will be “very surprised” if Duchene is able to play Wednesday against the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Avs also practice Tuesday and Duchene could be out of the orange. Peter Forsberg will join the Swedish Hall of Fame during the World Junior Championship in his native country in December. Some leftovers from the Avs’ recent two-game trip: On his 21st birthday Saturday in a thrilling 1-0 victory in Los Angeles against the Kings, Avs captain Gabe Landeskog absorbed a violent collision with the net in overtime, thanks to the strength of L.A. defenseman Willie Mitchell. Landeskog tried to beat Mitchell to the net and fire a shot but was thrown into the left post and thrown over the back of the net by Mitchell. Matt Duchene (Denver Post file) Matt Duchene (Denver Post file) “He’s a big, strong boy,” said Landeskog, who was uninjured on the play. “I thought I had a bit of a step on him. I tried to hold him off with my left hand and it was hard to get a shot. But, like I said, he’s a strong, strong man and he showed me.” Landeskog is the youngest captain in NHL history, but he’s not taking credit for the Avs’ surprising record (17-5) after finishing 29th in the 30-team league last season. “We keep believing in ourselves and keep doing what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ve faced big tests in Phoenix and L.A., two tough places to take points, and to steal two in overtime is big for us. I’m just along for the ride and doing what I can to contribute.” Denver Post: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727390 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets 6, Maple Leafs 0: Long slog of a trip ends with blowout win

By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday November 26, 2013 5:12 AM

TORONTO — The longest trip of the Blue Jackets’ season — eight days, five games and 6,705 air miles if you believe Google — came to a stunning conclusion last night in the epicenter of the hockey universe. Like any good roller coaster, the youngsters (Blue Jackets players) were nothing short of ecstatic, while the grown-ups (coaches and management) were kissing the ground, thankful to have landed in one piece. The Blue Jackets, behind two goals from Ryan Johansen and two assists each from Nick Foligno, James Wisniewski and Mark Letestu, routed the Maple Leafs 6-0, much to the dismay of 19,241 in Air Canada Centre. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had 18 saves for his first shutout of the season, the fifth of his career. “This is the perfect way to end it,” Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said. “It’s the perfect way to go home.” It wasn’t always pretty. In fact, it was rather atrocious at times. But the Blue Jackets went 3-2 on the trip. “I felt like I was back at Valley Fair,” Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said, remembering the amusement park of his youth in Minnesota. “Up and down, up and down. We’re up right now. It’s a good way to finish it.” Richards has acknowledged he has no idea which Blue Jackets team will show up each night, and that was especially true on this trip. A 4-1 win in Ottawa. A 7-0 loss in Edmonton. A 2-1 overtime win in Calgary. A 6-2 loss in Vancouver. Then a six-goal win last night, the Blue Jackets’ largest margin of victory in more than three years. Dizzy yet? “I’m really proud of the guys,” said Johansen, who had the second three- point game of his career. “We had a lot of guys really step up tonight. “It’s something you don’t expect, coming into Toronto. For us to win like we did here, it was everybody. We backed each other up.” Cam Atkinson, R.J. Umberger, Jack Skille and Ryan Murray also scored for the Blue Jackets, who chased Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer at 11:24 of the third period. “I really feel like we bored them,” Johansen said. “They wait for you to make turnovers and they want to go the other way. They have a quick transition game, but we didn’t give them a chance to do that all night. “Their top players didn’t have a lot of room out there.” The game grew hairy in the third, with Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf leveling Blue Jackets center Artem Anisimov with what appeared to be a clean hit in the neutral zone with 9:10 remaining. Anisimov left the game and did not return, although Richards indicated after the game that he “was feeling OK.” The Blue Jackets also lost defenseman Nikita Nikitin, who suffered a leg injury late in the first period and played only one shift in the second. The final five minutes were spent trying to preserve Bobrovsky’s shutout and trying to get Johansen his first career hat trick. “That’s what we want to see right there,” Skille said. “We played exactly how we wanted to play. That’s a fun night at the rink, a good capper to the trip.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 727391 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets notebook: Nathan Horton gets feel for locker room

By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday November 26, 2013 5:06 AM

TORONTO — Even though he’s weeks away from making his Blue Jackets debut, Nathan Horton asked to travel with the club on the longest trip of the season — an eight-day, five-game trek that ended last night in Air Canada Centre. “People always say it, but the best time for a team to come together is on the road,” Horton said. “I wanted to spend time with these guys, get to know them as well as I can, just build some relationships even though I’m not playing right now.” Neither Horton nor the Blue Jackets have put a timeline on his return — Christmas? New Year? Beyond? — simply because it’s impossible to know how long it will take for the range of motion in his surgically-repaired left shoulder to return to normal. And then there’s the pain. “I can’t move it very far without feeling it pretty good,” Horton said. “They’ve told me it’s normal, but it just takes time and nobody can say how much. “I’ve been skating with the guys, and I’m doing a little more each day. I started shooting more (in practice on Sunday and yesterday) and it’s really sore. So I might take (today) to let it rest.” Horton has worn a red “no contact” sweater in practice recently. It’ll likely be his for at least a few more weeks. “Being on this trip, yeah, it does give you the itch more,” Horton said. “But I’ve gone through this whole process to be 100 percent again. I’m going to make sure it’s 100 percent good to go before I go back in there.” Dubinsky: bone bruise Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky suffered a bone bruise in his right ankle when he slammed into the wall one week ago in a 7-0 loss to Edmonton. The club has ruled out a broken bone and a high-ankle sprain, but it’s unclear how long Dubinsky will be out of the lineup. He’s been in Columbus since the middle of last week, when he left the trip. As of yesterday, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the pain was too severe for Dubinsky to twist and push off in a skate. Fourth line hurting The Blue Jackets’ injury woes now range from the top line to the fourth line. Already without Horton, Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik, the Blue Jackets played the Maple Leafs last night without center Derek MacKenzie (back) and right wing Jared Boll (bruised left foot). The Jackets recalled Sean Collins from AHL Springfield on an emergency basis. But Collins experienced travel problems such that his recall was revoked a short while later. The Blue Jackets were forced to activate defenseman Dalton Prout from injured reserve and dress seven blue-liners last night. Prout had suffered back spasms and food poisoning during the past week but he rejoined the club on Sunday. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 727392 Dallas Stars Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.26.2013

Holiday Feast? Dallas Stars hope to boost record during home-heavy stretch

By MIKE HEIKA Staff Writer [email protected] Published: 25 November 2013 09:58 PM Updated: 25 November 2013 09:59 PM

The Stars have had the most road-heavy early schedule in the NHL — playing 14 of 22 games away from home — and have been able to at least keep their heads above water at 11-9-2. Now, they get the chance to settle into the cozy confines of American Airlines Center for 12 of the next 19 games, but that will be an advantage only if they find a way to win. “It’s a great opportunity, but that’s all it is, an opportunity,” captain Jamie Benn said. “It doesn’t really mean much playing at home unless you win them here. We need to make it happen here at home, and we need to make this a tough place to play.” The challenge for the Stars will be difficult. They play Anaheim (17-6-3) on Tuesday and follow with Chicago (16-4-4) on Friday. In facing two of the top teams in the Western Conference, they will have a quick chance to test themselves. “Our opportunity to move up is playing better against the top teams,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “Our energy and our work ethic have been really good, but the place where I need to help the team is the mentality.” The Stars are 1-6-1 against teams that would make the Western Conference playoffs, including a 6-3 loss to the Ducks and 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks. Dallas had patches of great play in both games but didn’t have the consistency of the top-level squads. “Playing these teams with three and four losses, I feel like we’ve been right there, and then, snap your fingers, and it’s going the other way,” center Tyler Seguin said. “It’s just a matter of learning to play in those games where we’re up one or down one and just be able to play our game. We need to be able to step up and not have the letdowns.” One of the advantages of playing at home is the Stars will be able to put their lines out last, so Ruff will be able to get the matchups he wants. That said, he might just put Benn and Seguin out against the other team’s best players, because that’s been working pretty well. Seguin (nine goals, nine assists for 18 points) and Benn (five goals, 13 assists for 18 points) are first and second in road scoring in the NHL. “I think we’re focusing on our game, and I like that,” Benn said. “We’re a four-line team, and we’re probably going to keep rolling four lines. If we get the matchups we want, then it’s our job to take advantage of that. But right now, I kind of look at the mentality we’ve had on the road of just playing our game, and I think that’s how we look at things.” Ruff declined to say who will start in goal Tuesday. Back-up Dan Ellis could get a start soon as Kari Lehtonen has started 14 straight games, the longest current streak in the NHL, but Ruff said Monday that Ellis needs to get a start soon. “I really believe Dan is going to go in and play,” Ruff said when asked if Ellis will play soon. “It isn’t even so much the physical fatigue, it’s the mental burn on a goaltender. Although we’ve given (Lehtonen) extra days, sometimes a goaltender just has to sit there and enjoy a couple of days where he doesn’t have the mental stress of a game.” Lehtonen allowed five goals on 18 shots and was pulled in the third period against St. Louis. However, he said he’s healthy and simply had one bad game. Ruff said it’s a tough decision whether to skip a start for his No. 1 goalie. “For the most part, teams that are succeeding are riding their No. 1’s pretty hard,” he said. 727393 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars-Anaheim Ducks need to know: Ryan Getzlaf vs. Tyler Seguin key matchup

MIKE HEIKA Staff Writer Published: 25 November 2013 09:39 PM Updated: 25 November 2013 09:58 PM

Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars 7 p.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network, KTCK-AM 1310) Key matchup: Ryan Getzlaf vs. Tyler Seguin While that's a matchup of centers, it's really a matchup of the top lines. Anaheim's Getzlaf is fifth in the league in scoring with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists), while linemate Corey Perry is eighth at 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists). Stars center Seguin ranks 18th at 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists), while linemate Jamie Benn is 11th at 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists). Key number: +18 Plus/minus rating of Anaheim winger Dustin Penner, best in the NHL. The Ducks have five of the top nine players in plus/minus. Anaheim has 65 even-strength goals, second to Chicago's 67. Injuries Anaheim: C Saku Koivu (head), G Victor Fasth (lower body), D Sheldon Souray (wrist), D Luca Sbisa (wrist) and LW Jakob Silfverberg (hand) are out. Stars: None. Notable The Ducks beat the Stars, 6-3, in Anaheim Oct. 20. … Stars LW Ray Whitney is expected to return from a groin injury that caused him to miss five games. He is expected to play on a line with Cody Eakin and Alex Chiasson. … Anaheim ranks fifth in points percentage at .712 (17-6-3). It ranks sixth in goal-scoring at 3.04 per game. … The Ducks rank 25th in power-play success at 14.4 percent and 24th in penalty-kill success at 77.9 percent. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727394 Dallas Stars

No former Dallas Stars among 10 suing NHL over concussions

Associated Press Published: 25 November 2013 05:06 PM Updated: 25 November 2013 05:12 PM

WASHINGTON — Ten former National Hockey League players, including All-Star defenseman Gary Leeman, claimed in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit seeks damages and court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players’ brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers. It was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of players who retired on or before February 14 of this year and have suffered such injuries. The suit comes just three months after the National Football League agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems — and in an era when more attention is being paid to the damages of head injuries sustained in sports. Among other things, the suit claims that: —The NHL knew or should have known about scientific evidence that players who sustain repeated head injuries are at greater risk for illnesses and disabilities both during their hockey careers and later in life. —Even after the NHL created a concussion program to study brain injuries affecting NHL players in 1997, the league took no action to reduce the number and severity of concussions during a study period from 1997 to 2004. “Plaintiffs relied on the NHL’s silence to their detriment,” the suit says. —The league didn’t do anything to protect players from unnecessary harm until 2010, when it made it a penalty to target a player’s head. “The NHL’s active and purposeful concealment of the severe risks of brain injuries exposed players to unnecessary dangers they could have avoided had the NHL provided them with truthful and accurate information and taken appropriate action to prevent needless harm,” the lawsuit says. It argues that the league continues to contribute to injuries today, by refusing to ban fighting and body-checking, and by employing “enforcers” whose main job is to fight or violently body-check opponents. And the lawsuit accuses the league of promoting a “culture of violence,” in which players are praised for their fighting and “head-hunting” skills. In addition to Leeman, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadians, Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, the other ex-players on the lawsuit are: Bradley Aitken (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers); Darren Banks (Boston Bruins); Curt Bennett (Blues, New York Rangers and Atlanta Flames); Richard Dunn (Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames); Warren Holmes, (Los Angeles Kings); Robert Manno, (Canucks, Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings); Blair James Stewart (Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques); Morris Titanic, (Sabres); and Rick Vaive (Canucks, Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Chicago Blackhawks). In a statement, Vaive said players “were kept in the dark about the risks of concussions and many of the former NHL players are now suffering from debilitating head injuries from their time in the league. Hopefully this lawsuit will shine a light on the problem and the players will get the help they deserve.” The NHL didn’t respond to requests for comment, but earlier this year, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, ‘’We have, on our own, a long history, going back to 1997, of taking concussions very seriously. We spend a lot of time, money and effort working with the players’ association on player safety.” Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727395 Dallas Stars "More important is to focus on the next game," Ruff said. "We've lost two in a row (overall), stop it at two and get going in the other direction again. We've done some real good things in those games, but we haven't won." Lindy Ruff says Dallas Stars goalie Dan Ellis needs to play soon ... but Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.26.2013 when?

MIKE HEIKA Staff Writer Published: 25 November 2013 02:17 PM Updated: 25 November 2013 03:48 PM

The Stars were back on the practice ice in Frisco Monday after taking Sunday off. Ray Whitney, who has missed five games with a groin injury, was back in full practice and is expected to play Tuesday against Anaheim. The lines at practice looked like this: Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Valeri Nichushkin Ray Whitney-Cody Eakin-Alex Chiasson Erik Cole-Vern Fiddler-Rich Peverley Antoine Roussel-Shawn Horcoff-Ryan Garbutt Brenden Dillon-Stephane Robidas Alex Goligoski-Trevor Daley Jordie Benn-Sergei Gonchar While there was much talk about the upcoming three-game homestand and the need to make hay, Stars coach Lindy Ruff maybe created the most buzz when he said he feels back-up goalie Dan Ellis will probably start a game sometime soon. Kari Lehtonen has made 14 consecutive starts, the most of any goalie in the NHL right now. That's unusual for him, and the fact he allowed five goals on 18 shots Saturday in a 6-1 loss to St. Louis makes you wonder if he is wearing down. Ruff said he has done a lot of thinking about his goalies. "I really believe Dan is going to go in and play," Ruff said. "It isn't even so much the physical fatigue, it's the mental burn on a goaltender. Although we've given (Lehtonen) extra days, sometimes a goaltender just has to sit there and enjoy a couple of days where he doesn't have the mental stress of a game. Kari has played extremely well. He had a tough night, but he's really been strong throughout this stretch." When asked if that means Ellis might play on Tuesday against Anaheim, Ruff said: "Now you're pressing me too hard." Ruff typically does not reveal his goalie before a game and even declined in Calgary to announce his goalie just two hours before a game that night, so we'll just have to wait and read the signs to see when Ellis plays next. Ellis did get in Saturday and played 15 minutes against the Blues, stopping six of seven shots. Ruff said it was probably good for Ellis to get a little time in a game. "I think it helps, I think it does help," Ruff said. "I was actually ready to do it earlier, and I wish I had done it earlier. Sometimes I like a goalie to fight his way through, but (Lehtonen) just didn't have it, and I wish I would have done it earlier. You can always second-guess those situations, but for the most part, teams that are succeeding are riding their No. 1′s pretty hard." So, listening to that, try to figure out if he's leaning toward Ellis now or later. As for Whitney, he seems fine after missing five games. He will jump back onto the second line and also onto the first power play unit. "Ray is back in," Ruff said. "We threw him back with Eaks and Chaser. He's ready to go, and we'll put him back on our power play unit and see if he can help us there." Dallas is 0-2-2 in its last four home games, including three one-game homestands. Ruff said while he likes to be at home, he just wants to concentrate on one game at a time. 727396 Dallas Stars

GameDay: Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars

Posted Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 From online reports

Ducks at Stars 7 p.m. Tuesday, American Airlines Center, Dallas TV: NBC Sports Radio: KTCK/1310 AM Records: Ducks 17-6-3, 37 points; Stars 11-9-2, 24 pts. About the Ducks: Anaheim is unbeaten at home (9-0-1) but a different team on the road, going 1-3-1 in their last five trips. ... The Ducks have won two in a row after suffering through a five-game losing streak. ... Team captain Ryan Getzlaf has a seven-game point scoring streak (seven goals, four assists) and goalie Jonas Hiller has allowed only two goals on 75 shots over his past two games. About the Stars: Dallas has lost two games in a row for the first time this month. ... Home has not been a friendly place for the Stars whose last win in Dallas was four home games ago on Oct. 24. ... Goalie Kari Lehtonen was torched for five goals on 18 shots before being pulled in Saturday’s 6-1 home loss to the Blues. ... Jamie Benn has three goals and eight assists in his past eight games. Star-Telegram LOADED: 11.26.2013 727397 Detroit Red Wings

NHL roundup: 10 former players sue league over concussions

1:36 AM, November 26, 2013 | Detroit Free Press News Services

WASHINGTON — Ten ex-players, including Bob Manno and Blair Stewart of the Wings, claimed in a class-action lawsuit the NHL hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit seeks damages and court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players’ brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers. It was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of players who retired on or before Feb. 14 of this year and have suffered such injuries. The suit comes three months after the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle suits from thousands of ex-players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems — and in an era when more attention is being paid to the damages of head injuries in sports. The suit claims: The NHL knew or should have known about scientific evidence that players who sustain repeated head injuries are at greater risk for illnesses and disabilities during their hockey careers and later in life. Even after the NHL created a concussion program to study brain injuries affecting players in 1997, the league took no action to reduce the number and severity of concussions during a study period in 1997-2004. The NHL didn’t do anything to protect players from unnecessary harm until 2010, when it made it a penalty to target a player’s head. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727398 Detroit Red Wings

Are the right sports folks in line for Detroit Walk to Fame stars?

November 26, 2013 | Posted by James Jahnke Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The preliminary list of honorees for the proposed Detroit Walk to Fame has been released, and there are 25 sports dignitaries among them. (And Mitch Albom, who is listed under the arts.) The plan calls for the granite stars to be situated at relevant landmarks across Detroit, though actual construction of the star plaques — about $7,500 each — will hinge on corporate sponsorships, grants and app revenue. That income stream “will determine how many stars we can lay out in a given year,” said commissioner Herman Jenkins. Honorees may also fund their own stars, via a nonprofit entity set up by the commission. Here are the sports stars in line for stars: ■ Sid Abel ■ Jerome Bettis ■ Dave Bing ■ Chauncey Billups ■ Miguel Cabrera ■ Dave Debuscherre ■ Alex Delvecchio ■ Cecil Fielder ■ Kirk Gibson ■ Ernie Harwell ■ Spencer Haywood ■ Tommy Hearns ■ Gordie Howe ■ Mike Ilitch ■ Al Kaline ■ Jackie Kallen ■ Greg Kelser ■ Bill Laimbeer ■ Joe Louis ■ Tom Monaghan ■ Sugar Ray Robinson ■ Barry Sanders ■ Emanuel Steward ■ Isiah Thomas ■ Chris Webber What do you think? Who’s the biggest snub? And who is on the list who shouldn’t be? Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727399 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings say Pavel Datsyuk 'feeling better' after elbow to jaw

2:24 PM, November 25, 2013 | By Helene St. James Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The Detroit Red Wings are going through concussion protocols for superstar Pavel Datsyuk, but he is improving daily and may not be out long. General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press today that Datsyuk is feeling better and will be at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday. Whether Datsyuk will practice remains to be seen. The Wings are off today after playing back- to-back games over the weekend, and next play Wednesday when they host the Boston Bruins. Datsyuk felt woozy after taking an elbow to his jaw courtesy of Ottawa's Jared Cowen Saturday. Datsyuk dropped to the ice, and was slow to get up. He played a few more shifts, but sat out the last couple of minutes. No penalty was called on the play, and Cowen was not disciplined by the NHL. Datsyuk missed Sunday's game at Buffalo, which the Wings won, 3-1. Daniel Alfredsson returned from a groin injury, giving the Wings enough forwards. Todd Bertuzzi missed that game and will miss the Boston game as well, as he's sidelined by an upper-body injury. The injury hasn't been disclosed, but it is not his back. Holland said he wasn't sure if Datsyuk was, in fact, concussed, but the team is following concussion guidelines for now. The Wings can only hope Datsyuk won't be out long - he's first on the team with 12 goals, and second with 23 points. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727400 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings worth $470M, 9th in NHL

11:46 AM, November 25, 2013 | By Helene St. James Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The Detroit Red Wings are the ninth-most valuable team in the NHL, according to Forbes. Forbes released its annual evaluation of NHL teams today, and the Wings’ value is pegged at $470 million. The Wings ranked sixth in 2012 evaluations — at the time, valued at $346 million. Owners Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the Wings for $8 million in 1982. The Toronto Maple Leafs repeat as No. 1, with a 2013 value of $1.15 billion. The New York Rangers come in second, at $850 million. Montreal and Vancouver rank third and fourth, respectively. The Columbus Blue Jackets are last, at $175 million. Forbes used data primarily from sports bankers, public documents and consultants. The average NHL team has a value of $413 million. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727401 Detroit Red Wings

Big names highlight Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 2014 induction class

10:38 AM, November 25, 2013 | Posted by James Jahnke Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame today announced its 58th induction class, as selected by a statewide group of sports journalists, college and professional sports administrators, MSHOF members, the MSHOF Board of Directors and a public online vote. “The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 58th induction class is made up of a diverse group of individuals from a variety of sports and eras that have achieved excellence and represented the State of Michigan at the highest levels,” MSHOF president Scott Lesher said in a released statement. “We look forward to the annual Michigan Sports Hall of Fame induction event in February of 2014, when our newest class will be formally enshrined." The 58th MSHOF Induction Class: ■ Jim Brandstatter: Longtime Michigan/Detroit Lions radio broadcaster, host of “Michigan Replay” show ■ Dorne Dibble: Michigan State football All-America, member of Detroit Lions NFL championship teams ■ Jason Hanson: Pro Bowl placekicker, NFL record holder, recorded 19 game-winning field goals ■ Alexi Lalas: All-state soccer player at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook High School, Herman Trophy winner, member of U.S. Olympic/World Cup teams ■ Nicklas Lidstrom: Detroit Red Wings captain, 12-time NHL All-Star, seven-time Norris Trophy winner, four-time Stanley Cup champion ■ Tom Mach: Detroit Catholic Central High School football coach, 17 Catholic League titles, four MHSAA championships ■ John Smoltz: Eight-time MLB All-Star with Atlanta Braves, Cy Young Award winner, 200-plus wins and 150-plus saves ■ Percy Snow: All-America at MSU, Butkus and Lombardi award winner, College Football Hall of Fame Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727402 Detroit Red Wings “You know, there’s a lot of homework you have to do: knowing the players, writing down stories about the players, memorizing stuff, memorizing stats, numbers. Ex-Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood smooth in booth, too “I mean, you’re obvously having fun. But you can’t reference all of that when you’re on TV. You have to know all this stuff.

Gregg Krupa “And, so now I appreciate what all these guys do. And when I watch what they’re doing, you know, whether it’s football or whatever, I watch it The Detroit News differently than I ever did before. “I’m more critical. I see stuff that I’ve never seen before.”

As the Islanders carried the puck through center ice, a forward rifled it into It is often said that catchers and goalies are the only players facing all the the Red Wings’ end behind Jonas Gustavsson. action in their respective sports. That view, and his ability to give expression to a point-of-view about a game just played, made Osgood a desirable A sharp rebound off the end boards in the Nassau Veterans Memorial interview during his playing career. Coliseum created a scoring chance. All of those games plainly inform his commentary. “Yeah, you’re going to get about the same bounce off the boards here as you do at Joe Louis,” said Chris Osgood, on the Fox Sports Detroit But goalies have a great perspective when they sit as backups, too. And broadcast. Osgood said that provides a lot of fodder. Evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, presented to the viewers. “Nobody else had the same opportunity, with what a goalie does, whether he is playing or not, whether he is sitting on a bench watching and hearing Osgood, the three-time Stanley Cup winner for the Red Wings, played the things that your coach says or that players say pertaining to the game, or end boards in Detroit and on Long Island as goalie for the home teams for a just watching what another team does and knowing their tendencies.” combined 16 years. What better source? He's a talker now Osgood’s first season at the microphone, from a compelling news-breaking interview with Patrick Roy to rapidly delivered breakdowns amid Ken Osgood does not think the responsibilites of his gig will make much Daniels’ play-by-play, are affording viewers a new standard on what, for difference in his relationship with “the guys,” the players — some of whom Fox, is a significant regional program. were teammates, some of whom were students, many of whom are admirers. Hockey players tend to be pretty straightforward with each other, Mickey Redmond is a big loss, on the road broadcasts. Osgood is already especially about their play. strong in the role, as well as in the studio before and after home games, and between periods. “Obviously, my job is to be honest. If someone’s not playing well, I should say it. Or if they didn’t have a very good game, I’ll say it. But for the most It turns out the once-quiet kid from little Peace River, Alberta, not only part, these guys know that. tended the goal pretty well, including in some of the biggest hockey games played in Detroit in the past 20 years, he is a good television analyst, too. “Hockey players are pretty honest with themselves. They don’t have a problem with that. It’s when someone says something that isn’t true about “I wouldn’t say it is total comfort,” Osgood said, describing the process of them that they get upset.” becoming a broadcaster. “But, I definitely enjoy it. That’s the main thing, which is key for me: I’m having a lot of fun doing it. It turns out, Osgood has a lot to say. And that is a lot different from when he showed up in Detroit, 21 years ago. “I’m just starting to realize I’m getting better the more I do it. There’s plenty of room for improvement. But I would think by the end of the year I will have But literature is full of guys and gals from small towns who start out gotten a lot better at it. observing more than saying and turn out to be more than handy with words. “Going into next year, I’ll be a lot more comfortable with it.” “Growing up in small towns, you talk to certain people. But once you get out of that comfort zone, it’s intimidating. 'You have to know' “I mean, I never was on a flight in my life until I flew to the NHL draft in Coaching goalies with Jim Bedard for the Red Wings was enjoyable, too, Buffalo, and the second time was training camp in Detroit. So, I really was Osgood said. And just like his experience in the booth and studio, he said, never out of that bubble I was in, for years. “a lot more goes into it than I realized.” “But once you get to know people and talk to people, it’s a matter of a “I tell people that if the Grand Rapids Griffins were the Plymouth Griffins comfort level where you feel not only comfortable talking about hockey, but instead, I would still be coaching,” he said. just in your surroundings.” Like nearly every player who retires, Osgood was looking forward to The sense around town is that viewers are already comfortable with “Ozzie” spending a lot more time with a young family than his nine months of on the broadcasts. hockey allowed. Coaching the Wings’ goalies involved lots of work with the prospects, like Petr Mrazek, the Calder Cup-winning goalie for the Griffins. “I guess that’s why some people were surprised, by this, though. “It was two hours there and two hours back, two or three times a week,” “On the plane, Jimmy Howard said the other day — and we were laughing Osgood said. “Plus, being gone on weekends watching games. — he said, ‘When I first met him, he wouldn’t talk. Now, he doesn’t shut up!’ ” “So, I was gone more than I was when I played.” Detroit News LOADED: 11.26.2013 He is on the road for the broadcasts. But the schedule also allows for much more time at home, when home games are not near Grand Rapids. “And I did want to try broadcasting. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often. I thought if I got the opportunity, I’d give it a try.” Clearly, work has long been pleasurable for Osgood. Which is good, because it turns out this broadcasting stuff is a bit more work than it appears. “I was always under the assumption that anyone who did it just did the games. But a lot more goes into it than just that. 727403 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings feeling boost from return of Darren Helm

Ted Kulfan The Detroit News

Detroit — Finally healthy, forward Darren Helm is providing a needed boost to the Red Wings. After playing only two games since April 2012 because of a variety of injuries, Helm has five goals in 11 games. Only Pavel Datsyuk (12 goals), Henrik Zetterberg (10 goals) and Johan Franzen (six) have more. “It’s nice to see the puck going in once in a while,” Helm said after Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Buffalo. “I just have to continue to stick to the basics and focus on that and get my game back to where it needs to be. Pucks are finding me.” Helm found himself Sunday centering a line with Justin Abdelkader and Daniel Alfredsson. Helm and Alfredsson (empty net) both scored goals and had a number of quality chances. “It’s a real good line for (Alfredsson because) they do a lot of leg work for him and he can do the thinking,” Babcock said. Helm also has played on the power play and penalty kill. “Every time he (Babcock) puts me in big situations, I take it as a personal challenge to play my best and not disappoint the team,” Helm said. Abdelkader has been a Helm linemate at times throughout their careers and says Helm continues to gain confidence. “He’s working real hard, skating well, and it’s one of those things where once the puck goes in, you feel more confident and you shoot more pucks,” Abdelkader said. “He’s making plays out there. He’s shooting the puck and it’s going in and that’s huge for us.” Datsyuk update The Red Wings will know more on Datysuk’s condition at Tuesday’s practice. The team feared a possible concussion after Datsyuk was hit on the chin in the third period Saturday by Ottawa defenseman Jared Cowen. Datsyuk felt a bit hazy and did not play the final two minutes of the game, then was held back from Sunday’s game in Buffalo as a precautionary measure. Ice chips Holland said forward Todd Bertuzzi (bruised shoulder) is expected to miss his third consecutive game Wednesday against the Bruins. … Alfredsson returned to the lineup after missing five games with a groin injury and had a goal and assist in 17 minutes of ice time against Buffalo. But the Red Wings already have found Alfredsson’s value goes beyond statistics. “He gets the whole team to calm down a little bit,” Franzen said. “He says the right things. To just step in after missing all those games, it’s pretty impressive.” Detroit News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727404 Detroit Red Wings debilitating head injuries from their time in the league. Hopefully this lawsuit will shine a light on the problem and the players will get the help they deserve." Two Red Wing alums among former NHL players suing league on Earlier this year, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, "We have, on our concussions own, a long history, going back to 1997, of taking concussions very seriously. We spend a lot of time, money and effort working with the players' association on player safety." The Associated Press By The Associated Press Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 on November 26, 2013 at 1:19 AM, updated November 26, 2013 at 1:32 AM

WASHINGTON — Ten former National Hockey League players, including All-Star forward Gary Leeman, claimed in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasn't done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit seeks damages and court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players' brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers. It was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of players who retired on or before February 14 of this year and have suffered such injuries. The suit comes just three months after the National Football League agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems — and in an era when more attention is being paid to the damages of head injuries sustained in sports. Among other things, the suit claims that: — The NHL knew or should have known about scientific evidence that players who sustain repeated head injuries are at greater risk for illnesses and disabilities both during their hockey careers and later in life. — Even after the NHL created a concussion program to study brain injuries affecting NHL players in 1997, the league took no action to reduce the number and severity of concussions during a study period from 1997 to 2004. "Plaintiffs relied on the NHL's silence to their detriment," the suit says. — The league didn't do anything to protect players from unnecessary harm until 2010, when it made it a penalty to target a player's head. "The NHL's active and purposeful concealment of the severe risks of brain injuries exposed players to unnecessary dangers they could have avoided had the NHL provided them with truthful and accurate information and taken appropriate action to prevent needless harm," the lawsuit says. Bill Daly, the league's Deputy Commissioner, issued a statement Monday. "We are aware of the class-action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of a group of former NHL players. While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the players' association have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions," the statement said. "We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time." The suit argues that the league continues to contribute to injuries today, by refusing to ban fighting and body-checking, and by employing "enforcers" whose main job is to fight or violently body-check opponents. And the lawsuit accuses the league of promoting a "culture of violence," in which players are praised for their fighting and "head-hunting" skills. Leeman, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadians, Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues from 1983- 1996, suffered multiple concussions and sub-concussive impacts during his career, according to the lawsuit. Since his retirement, he's suffered from post-traumatic head syndrome, headaches, memory loss and dizziness, the lawsuit says. In addition to Leeman, the other ex-players on the lawsuit are: Bradley Aitken (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers); Darren Banks (Boston Bruins); Curt Bennett (Blues, New York Rangers and Atlanta Flames); Richard Dunn (Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames); Warren Holmes, (Los Angeles Kings); Robert Manno, (Canucks, Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings); Blair James Stewart (Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques); Morris Titanic, (Sabres); and Rick Vaive (Canucks, Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Chicago Blackhawks). In a statement, Vaive said players "were kept in the dark about the risks of concussions and many of the former NHL players are now suffering from 727405 Detroit Red Wings

Daniel Alfredsson provides calming influence for Detroit Red Wings after missing five games

Brendan Savage | [email protected] By Brendan Savage | [email protected] on November 25, 2013 at 4:01 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 4:05 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Listen to the Detroit Red Wings and it's no coincidence their 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres came in the same game Daniel Alfredsson returned to the lineup after missing five games with a groin injury. Alfredsson sealed the win on an empty-net goal with 48 seconds left. But it wasn't Alfredsson's goal that was so important for the Red Wings. Instead, it was the mere presence of their 40-year-old elder statesman, who spent the first 17 years of his career with Ottawa – the last 11 as team captain – before signing with Detroit as a free agent last summer. "He gets the whole team to calm down a little bit," said Johan Franzen, whose third-period power-play goal against Buffalo was the game-winner. "He says the right things. He's been around long enough. "For him to just step in after missing all those games is pretty impressive." Alfredsson also had an assist vs. the Sabres while playing more than 17 minutes in his first game since Nov. 12, when the Red Wings lost 4-2 in Winnipeg. He played on a line with Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. "He's just smart," said coach Mike Babcock. "I don't know if his legs were like he wanted them. He knows how to play. That line with Helm and Abby and him is a real good line because they do a lot of the leg work for him and he can do some thinking for them." Alfredsson's assist came on Helm's goal 30 seconds into the second period that tied it 1-1. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 727406 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk feeling better, status still undetermined; Todd Bertuzzi out for Wednesday

Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected] on November 25, 2013 at 12:32 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 12:56 PM

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk feels "pretty good,'' but his status for Wednesday's game against the Boston Bruins will be determined Tuesday. General manager Ken Holland said Monday that Datsyuk remains day-today but feels better after being elbowed in the chin by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jared Cowen on Saturday. "We'll see what tomorrow brings,'' Holland said. The Red Wings did not practice today and Datsyuk did not come to Joe Louis Arena for treatment. The club held him out of Sunday's game at Buffalo because he didn't feel good, raising concerns of a potential concussion. The NHL reviewed the incident on Sunday and concluded that Cowen's elbow was accidental, therefore he will not be suspended or fined. Holland said forward Todd Bertuzzi will miss his third game in a row Wednesday due to an upper-body injury. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 727407 Detroit Red Wings

Nicklas Lidstrom, Jason Hanson among latest Michigan Hall of Fame class

Josh Slagter | [email protected] By Josh Slagter | [email protected] on November 25, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Nicklas Lidstrom isn't eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame until 2015, when he's a shoo-in to be elected. But another Hall doesn't have to wait. Lidstrom, who won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and was a seven-time Norris Trophy winner, is among the newest inductees into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, announced today. The 58th class also includes Jason Hanson, Dorne Dibble, Percy Snow, Tom Mach, John Smoltz, Alexi Lalas, and Jim Brandstatter. The class will be formally inducted in February 2014. In addition to Lidstrom, here's a little bit on the other inductees: Jason Hanson — Hanson spent all 21 of his NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, and holds NFL records for most field goals of 40-plus yards (189), most field goals of 50-plus yards (51), among others. Dorne Dibble — Dibble won two NFL championships with the Lions, including the franchise's last championship season in 1957. He had 146 career receptions and was a third-round draft pick out of Michigan State. Percy Snow — Snow was added to Michigan State's Ring of Honor this year, and is one of four college football players to win the Butkus Award and the Lombardi Award. Snow was an All-American with the Spartans and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Tom Mach — A high school football coach for Detroit Catholic Central, Mach won 17 league championships and four MHSAA state titles. John Smoltz — A native of Warren who finished his major league career with 213 wins and 154 saves, primarily for the Atlanta Braves. Smoltz won the NL Cy Young in 1996 and was an 8-time All-Star. Alexi Lalas — Lalas was an all-state soccer player at Bloomfield Hills Crankbook High School and went on to be a member of U.S. Olympic and World Cup soccer teams. Jim Brandstatter — A former Michigan offensive lineman who appeared in two Rose Bowls, Brandstatter is better known for serving as a color commentator on Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions football since the 1980s. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 727408 Detroit Red Wings

Forbes: Detroit Red Wings are the ninth-most valuable NHL franchise at $470 million

Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected] on November 25, 2013 at 10:30 AM, updated November 25, 2013 at 12:02 PM

The Detroit Red Wings' value increased by $124 million from a year ago, but the franchise dropped three places in the NHL rankings. That's according to Forbes, which has the Red Wings valued at $470 million, ninth in the NHL, in its 2013 valuations released today. Detroit was sixth in 2012, worth $346 million. But since then, the average NHL club's value has increased by 46 percent, to $413 million, due in large part to the skyrocketing values of the Canadian franchises. Forbes wrote: "For the first time since Forbes began tracking NHL team values in 1998, three of the league’s five most valuable teams–Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion), Montreal Canadiens (third at $775 million), Vancouver Canucks (fourth at $700 million) -- are Canadian (the New York Rangers (second at $850 million) and defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks (fifth at $625 million) are the two U.S. teams to make the top five). And this is also the first time that every Canadian franchise ranks among the top 16 in the 30-team league.'' The Red Wings' value from 2012 increased by 36 percent. The franchise had $96 million in revenue and $10.5 million in equity income, according to Forbes. Mike and Marian Ilitch purchased the Red Wings from the Norris family for $8 million in 1982. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the least-valued franchise, worth $175 million, per Forbes. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 727409 Detroit Red Wings Darren Helm and Daniel Alfredsson also scored for the Red Wings. Helm tied it 1-1 in the first minute of the second period and Alfredsson scored into an open net with 48 seconds left during his first game back after Jonas Gustavsson won't replace Jimmy Howard despite hot start but he missing the past five with a groin injury. provides depth in goal Helm's goal was a big once because the Red Wings – as they did in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Ottawa – dominated the first period only to end up Brendan Savage | [email protected] By Brendan Savage | trailing by a goal. [email protected] "That was big," said Justin Abdelkader, who drew an assist on Helm's goal. on November 25, 2013 at 6:05 AM, updated November 25, 2013 at 6:10 "For whatever reason, we just haven't been getting the breaks, the AM bounces. That was a big one for us and got us settled down a little bit." Captain Henrik Zetterberg picked up his 700th career point when he set up Franzen's game-winning goal. BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jonas Gustavsson isn't going to replace Jimmy Howard as the Detroit Red Wings' No. 1 goaltender despite not having a regulation Buffalo, which owns the NHL's worst record at 5-19-1, lost its fourth loss on his ledger yet this season. straight. The Red Wings didn't give Howard almost $32 million over six seasons and Michigan Live LOADED: 11.26.2013 make him one of the NHL's highest-paid goalies for him to sit on the bench most nights. But Gustavsson's hot start might lead to more playing time for the fifth-year veteran while allowing coach Mike Babcock to keep Howard a bit more fresh next spring should the Red Wings extend their streak of playoff appearances to 23 seasons. Gustavsson turned aside 21 shots Sunday in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center, giving him a 5-0-1 record in seven appearances this season. "He's been great," said forward Johan Franzen, who scored the game- winning goal on a power play with 8:17 to play. "He's a gamer. He battles like crazy out there. He's very agile and he's smart, too. He can really play the puck and read the plays. "We got a lot of confidence in him." Like the Red Wings, Howard has been struggling of late. He hasn't won a game since Nov. 1, when he made 22 saves in a 4-3 victory at Calgary. In his last seven appearances, Howard has an 0-3-4 record. In the Red Wings' last 10 games, they've got a 2-3-5 record and Gustavsson has won both games. "He's doing a real good job there that way," Babcock said of Gustavsson. "Let's be honest, Howie is one of the best goalies in the world. It hasn't gone the way he's wanted a bit here for him. Probably pressing a little bit. "As Howie goes, we go. Let's not kid ourselves. He's a big-time leader on our team with his work ethic and commitment to doing things right. We need him going. But sometimes if Gus can buy time ... I remember one time in the old days when Howie bought (Chris Osgood) almost half a winter one year. "It was good for us (the way Gustavsson played against Buffalo), good for him." Against Buffalo, Gustavsson kept the Sabres off the board for the final 52- plus minutes after Cody Hodgson opened the scoring 7:47 after the opening faceoff. His biggest stop came with 10:21 left in the second period, when Sabres captain Steve Ott was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked by Niklas Kronwall while on a breakaway. Gustavsson forced Ott to his right and then pushed the puck behind the net. "I didn't actually think he was going to go that way again," Gustavsson said. "That's the way he went when had the first opportunity. I just tried to be patient and follow. Luckily enough, he didn't score." The personal success is nice and playing well obviously is good for the Red Wings (11-7-7) but at the end of the day its wins and losses that gives Gustavsson the most pleasure regardless of who is in the net. "That's why you play hockey," said Gustavsson, who has a 2.35 goals- against average and .926 save percentage. "That's why you play a team game. You want to win together. It's a lot of fun now when we win when I've been playing. "But I'm happy when we win and I'm not playing. For me, it's all about playing well as a team and going forward." 727410 Detroit Red Wings Todd Bertuzzi will miss his third straight game Wednesday with an upper- body injury. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.26.2013 Red Wings hoping to get Cleary out of his slump

By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 11/25/13, 8:02 PM EST |

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is doing everything he can to try and get Daniel Cleary out of his offensive slump. Babcock has sat Cleary as a healthy scratch and then promoted him to play alongside Pavel Datsyuk a few games later. Nothing has seemed to work. “You just have to be good defensively, do the little things and always believe your game will come out of it,” Cleary said. “Being a professional, you have to mentally be strong and sometimes you go through stretches where … it’s one thing if the team is winning but we haven’t been winning.” Cleary has just one goal and two assists in 24 games this season. “Just like you, not enough,” Babcock said when asked what he was seeing out of Cleary. “The bottom line is confidence is a tough thing in the league.” Cleary has not scored in 18 straight games. Last Saturday, Babcock added Cleary to a line with Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi. “It’s like winning the lottery,” Babcock said of anyone skating on a line with Datsyuk. As the game progressed Cleary saw his ice time decrease ending with him playing just one shift in the third period of the Wings’ 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. “We’re hoping ideally that playing with Pav might help him,” Babcock said before the game. “Pav’s a pretty good player and yet we need Pav to be going big-time for us to have success and helping him in some ways is probably more important than helping Cleary. That’s our thought process right now.” Babcock, whose squad is 2-3-5 over its last 10 games, said afterwards that it wasn’t a benching, he just wanted to see Justin Abdelkader inserted there “for a different look.” On Sunday, Cleary played his fewest shifts of the season, 14, and registered no shots on goal in just over 11 minutes of ice time. “It’s in the middle,” Cleary said when asked where his confidence level was. “We’ve all been through it. You have to stay positive, have to stay confident. That’s the only way to get through it.” Cleary reached a deal with the Wings a day into training camp after turning down a professional tryout by the Philadelphia Flyers, getting one year at $1.75 million. Cleary, 34, reportedly was offered a three-year deal worth $2.75 million a season to join the Flyers but he shot down the report on his first day at camp. When Cleary rejected the Wings’ two- and three-year offers prior to the opening of free agency they moved on and signed Daniel Alfredsson (one year, $5.5 million) and Stephen Weiss (five years, $24.5 million). “You can’t meet with him every day,” Babcock said. “You can talk to them about their kids every day. You can see them at the coffee pot. You can’t talk to them about hockey every day, they’d quit hockey.” Ins and outs Pavel Datsyuk is feeling “pretty good” according to Wings general manager Ken Holland after taking an elbow to the jaw by Ottawa’s Jared Cowen. The Wings’ second-leading scorer didn’t accompany team to Buffalo for Sunday’s game and his status for Wednesday is up in the air as he deals with what could be a concussion. He remains listed as day-to-day. 727411 Edmonton Oilers Dubnyk certainly couldn’t be fingered for this loss. He got no help whatsoever. “It’s never fun to get pulled,” said Dubnyk, who was told by Eakins “not to Edmonton Oilers find Chicago Blackhawks too much to handle worry about it.” “When games are going that way, you need a change, you need to change By Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal November 25, 2013 11:48 PM the momentum. I felt OK in the net, but it was one of those games,” he said. Bryzgalov, who had played two warm-up games in AHL Oklahoma City and practised for a week with the Oilers, was supposed to get his first game EDMONTON — If playing the Chicago Blackhawks was a yardstick game action in either Nashville Thursday or Columbus Friday, but Eakins turned after the Edmonton Oilers had inched up the NHL standings with wins over to the Russian after Shaw’s ridiculously easy goal. fellow bottom-feeders Calgary, Columbus and Florida, the defending Stanley Cup champions took a big ruler to the Blue and Orange’s backside Schultz beat Crawford on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins feed, Nugent-Hopkins’s Monday night. sixth point in the last three games. The visiting ’Hawks scored early and often on helpless Oilers goalie Devan ON THE BENCH: Shaw had another goal wiped out in the third for kicking it Dubnyk and rolled to a 5-1 victory. into net past Bryzgalov ... Goaltending legend Glenn Hall, who played a record 502 straight games for the Blackhawks, attended the game ... The “Disappointing game for us, wanting to make a statement,” Oilers winger Oilers sat Philip Larsen (back), Mark Arcobello and Ryan Jones. David Perron said. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 “Pretty much every aspect, they beat us. I thought our energy was pretty low with having three days off.” Oilers captain Andrew Ference dismissed the idea the team wasn’t ready for the game, even though it certainly looked like it. “A loss is a loss. We made mistakes and they capitalized,” he said. “You want to come out aggressively and assert yourself, but we got knocked back on our heels. “This suggests we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Chicago goals by Jonathan Toews (short-handed), Patrick Kane (on the power play), Johnny Oduya and Andrew Shaw on 14 shots earned Dubnyk a mercy hook five minutes into the second period for Ilya Bryzgalov. Dubnyk came into the game having given up only seven goals in 135 shots over the previous five games. Bryzgalov got an ovation for his first action as an Oiler since signing a one- year free-agent contract earlier this month, making 12 saves before Shaw scored his second of the game on a redirect of Nick Leddy’s shot with two minutes left in the third period. Justin Schultz was the only Oilers player to beat Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford. The Oilers had outscored the Flames, Blue Jackets and Panthers a total of 15-1 over the last seven periods of play coming into Monday’s game, but they’re a long ways from turning the corner. The Blackhawks, embarrassed twice here — by scores of 9-2 and 8-4 — in the past two years, easily handled the Oilers. While Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said his club seemed “excited” to be playing the ’Hawks after watching their morning skate, but they only time they were even with Chicago was during the national anthems. Very shortly, it was all Blackhawks — Toews scored in the fifth minute, Kane in the eighth minute. Toews picked on the power play with five Oilers forwards and scored on the ensuing breakaway after Chicago winger Brandon Saad tried to clear and broke his stick. Oilers forward Nail Yakupov couldn’t corral Toews, who broke free and made no mistake for his 12th goal of the season. “Weird play. The puck was supposed to go down the ice,” Perron said. “It was a bit of a misread and you don’t want to give that guy a breakaway.” Kane had an open net on the power play after a scramble with Boyd Gordon off for the second ’Hawks goal. After a first period in which Dubnyk kept it from being much worse than a 2- 0 hole, Oduya got lucky when his 50-footer bounced off Dubnyk, pinballed off Oilers defenceman Corey Potter, and landed in the net 88 seconds into the middle frame. Shaw tapped in a goalmouth feed from rookie Jeremy Morin. 727412 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk gets mercy hook the day he earns weekly NHL honours

By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal November 25, 2013 10:45 PM

EDMONTON — There was no validation for Devan Dubnyk when he got word he’d been named the NHL’s third star of the week — even if it was his first such honour and even if it came weeks after he had been the poster boy for all the that was wrong with the Edmonton Oilers. He just accepted the distinction, then stepped out for his 10th straight start in the Oilers net. Unfortunately, his teammates didn’t follow suit. The Oilers failed to offer any sort of challenge for the first 26 minutes of Monday’s contest at Rexall Place, and as a consequence, spotted the visiting Chicago Blackhawks a 4-0 lead. Nail Yakupov turned the puck over on a power play, a mistake that turned into a short-handed goal; Patrick Kane lifted a power play rebound over a sprawling Dubnyk; Johnny Oduya banked an even strength marker in off defenceman Corey Potter; then Andrew Shaw netted another, ending Dubnyk’s night in net. He turned the game over to Ilya Bryzgalov six minutes into the second period. It was Bryzgalov’s first appearance in an Oilers uniform, and it came a few days before he was to make his first start. Head coach Dallas Eakins had said he was going to give the veteran either Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators or Friday’s game against the Blue Jackets in Columbus Bryzgalov was signed earlier this month, replacing Jason LaBarbera, who had struggled mightily and is now with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers’ farm team. Dubnyk, meanwhile, was singled out for his work in last week’s 7-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and the 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Through the two games, he registered a 0.50 goals-against average and a . 974 save percentage. The shutout — his first of the season — came during a stretch that saw him go 119.26 minutes between allowing any goals. He went into the Monday’s game against the Blackhawks with a 3.17 GAA and a .896 save percentage — a marked improvement from the 5.43 GAA he was dragging around earlier this year. “I care a lot about the group and what’s going on in here, and obviously, when things start the way they did, you’re thinking about every T-push and every shuffle you make out there and if you’re doing the right things for these guys,” Dubnyk had said after the morning skate. “It was a matter of just getting back out, forgetting about all that stuff and just having fun. Relaxing, trusting what I do. That’s been the biggest difference.” Dubnyk had joined Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens and first star Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins on the honour roll. “He was struggling, but he didn’t shy away from it,” said Eakins. “He dug his heels in and did the necessary work to get to a better place. (But) our team was struggling in front of him which probably magnified everything. That was unfair to him. “He battled through it. He got it together and our team was slowly taking baby steps, getting better. Believe me, we still have a long, long way to go.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727413 Edmonton Oilers

Former Oiler Brad Aitken part of suit filed against NHL on concussions

November 25, 2013. 4:24 pm • Section: Oil Spills Jim Matheson

Forward Brad Aitken, who had a cameo for the Edmonton Oilers in 1991, is one of the 10 former NHL players in a class-action suit against the National Hockey League claiming the league hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions. Aitken, now 46, played three Oilers’ games after they got him from Pittsburgh for failed former first-round draft forward Kim Issel in March of ’91. Aitken, a tough-nosed centre who six times had at least 128 PIMS in the minors, played 14 total NHL games. He’s a claimant along with a a mixture of veterans like former Maple Leafs’ Rick Vaive and Gary Leeman, middle-of-the road players such as defencemen Richie Dunn and Bob Manno and forwards Curt Bennett and Blair Stewart and part-time NHLers like Aitken and fellow forwards Darren Banks (20 games), Morris Titanic (19 games). Warren Holmes (45 games). It’s interesting that centre Keith Primeau, a lightning-rod for concussion questions after his career was cut short by too many blows to the head, and pivot Eric Lindros, whose career also ended prematurely with a run of concussions, are not part of the 10-game group filing at a Washington court. The 10 players in the class-action suit say it’s time the league does more to elevate player safety over profit and tradition. The suit comes a few months after the NFL gave thousands of former players $765 million, many of whom have dementia or long-term health problems because of repeated blows to the head. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727414 Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers set to pit modest three-game win streak against defending Stanley Cup champs

November 25, 2013. 12:25 pm • Section: Oil Spills Joanne Ireland

The facial stubble is still intact, only because Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins has let a few superstitious tendancies creep into his day to day routine. The Oilers, who have fashioned their first three game win streak of the season, host the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at Rexall Place – with the same lineup in tact of course. That means goaltender Devan Dubnyk — who was named the NHL’s third star, behind the Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin and the Montreal Canadiens Max Pacioretty — will make his 10th straight start. Ilya Bryzgalov will start on the upcoming road trip that opens with back-to-back games in Nashville and Columbus. In the meantime, there’s the Blackhawks to contend with. The defending Stanley Cup champs have lost only three of its last 13 games and have scored a league high 87 goals. “I think we have taken a little bit of a step forward. We have a ton of work to do but it’s always a good measuring stick when you have the Stanley Cup champions coming in,” said Eakins. “I just sensed our guys are excited for tonight . . . They want to try and send a message.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727415 Edmonton Oilers every move, for a while. Which was disrespectful to Dubnyk, and probably a more accurate measure of fan frustration than anything. The Oilers players were frustrated too, not that they had any particular Edmonton Oilers lose 5-1 to Blackhawks, Bryzgalov wins over fans in relief diagnosis for their desultory performance. of Dubnyk “We just didn’t have it tonight, it just wasn’t there,” said defenceman Justin Schultz, whose wicked one-timer at 8:08 of the second period was November 25, 2013. 11:17 pm • Section: Oil Spills, Sports, Sweatsox Edmonton’s only goal. “We’ve just got to forget about this, learn from it and move on.” John MacKinnon That goal came as a result of some diligent board work by Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the kind of shift the Oilers needed plenty more of to be able to compete with the Blackhawks, wire-to-wire. This was not, Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins explained, a 5-1 game. “That’s the way we were playing in the last few games and it worked out for “I thought it was probably a 3-1 game,” Eakins said in his post-game media us,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “We got away from that tonight, for whatever availability. reason that was. Which is one way to look at it. And you could see the rookie NHL head “We’ve got to get back to that and play in the offensive zone. When we’re coach’s point, but only up to a point. After all, the Blackhawks first goal breaking the puck out clean, is when we’re playing our best hockey.” came as a result of a weird giveaway by winger Nail Yakupov at the Chicago blueline during an Edmonton power play. The nifty centre had no answers for the club’s poor performance, either. Off on a long, clear breakaway went Blackhawks captain, one of the world’s “After (the slow start), I thought we played better,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “At best players, Jonathan Toews. He deked Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk and the start of the game, we weren’t playing our game at all. whipped a forehand wrist shot high into the empty net. 1-0 Blackhawks at 5:14 of the opening period. “We just came out a little flat, it definitely wasn’t the way we wanted to start. It wasn’t the way we started the past few games. We’ve got to get back to Less than three minutes later, 35 seconds into a Blackhawks power play, that; this is a good team (Chicago), but I definitely thought we could have there was Patrick Kane with an easy finish to make it 2-0. Chicago’s third done a better job tonight.” goal was a slap shot from the point by Johnny Oduya that popped up into the air off Dubnyk, off Oilers defenceman Corey Potter and past the The truth is the Oilers were exposed, really, by the Blackhawks. Shown up helpless goalie. for what they are: a flawed team; soft in their own zone; easily discouraged; challenged when it comes to what the hockey people call ‘structure.’ Dubnyk was yanked after the fourth Chicago goal, a tap-in by Andrew Shaw to finish off a three-on-one at 5:49 of the second period But none of the They were, in a word, Busted. “craziness” was Dubnyk’s fault. This was, Eakins stressed, strictly a mercy Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 pull. Anyway, if, as Eakins insisted, the Oilers had been “excited to play” the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks at the morning skate, the frisson of anticipation had worn off before the first period was 10 minutes old. It really disappeared after that Potter. . .oops, Oduya goal. But, never mind calibrating whether this was a two-goal or a four-goal loss on merit, a better calculation might have been that this was the Chicago Blackhawks, not the Calgary Flames (4-2), Columbus Blue Jackets (7-0) or the Florida Panthers (4-1), all victimized by the Oilers as they assembled a modest three-game winning streak. Modest, it must be said, owing to the quality of competition, as much as anything else. If those victories had infused the Oilers with any enthusiasm, confidence, mojo, it sure didn’t show in the first period against the Blackhawks. The Oilers were lucky to escape the period down just 2-0, but that was plenty for the Blackhawks, the way their goalie, Corey Crawford was playing, not to mention their deep, gifted lineup. “I like to rate players after the game,” Eakins said. “And it’s either you were a negative, you were even, or you were a plus, you did something to help us. “There wasn’t a whole lot of guys that you could give any pluses to. We weren’t there. It may have been a product of being down 2-0 very early. “But we had a day off, and a couple of good days of practice, so I really felt we were ready to go.” That was not the case, which is inexcusable, really. This was meant to be a reality check, litmus test, trot out whatever stock phrase you fancy. After stumbling around through 21 games, then fashioning a bit of a winning streak, the Oilers had a chance to measure themselves against the best in the business. They came off poorly, to say the least. And, doing the math, with few or no players on the plus side of the ledger, the starting goalie blameless, the 5-1 score probably flattered the Oilers and Eakins knows it. So, you’d have to think did the Oilers. Their fans sure did. So desperate were the fans to root for something, that they were waaaaayyy over the top in welcoming Ilya Bryzgalov to the net, after Eakins executed the mercy pull of Dubnyk. They also cheered the Russian goalie’s 727416 Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013

Ten former pros sue NHL, saying league did not do enough to minimize risk of concussions

November 25, 2013. 7:06 pm • Section: Oil Spills, Sports, Sweatsox John MacKinnon

It’s no surprise that a class action lawsuit has been filed against the NHL over the league’s having done too little to minimize the risk of concussions among its players, including not informing them of the short- and long-term risks of brain trauma. This lawsuit comes just three months after the NFL agreed to pay a $765 million settlement to more than 4,000 players, many of whom suffer from dementia. Considering the incidence of head shots and hard hits that result in brain trauma in hockey is on a scale similar to that of pro football, many believed such a lawsuit to be inevitable. The 10 players whose names are attached to the lawsuit include a couple of former stars — Rick Vaive and Gary Leeman — both of whom were elite players, for a time. Other names hockey aficiondos may recognize include Curt Bennett, a hardrock, two-way forward for the Atlanta Flames, Bob Manno. Fans of hockey fighting would remember tough guys like Darren Banks and Richard Dunn. Here’s are some thumbnails on the 10 players, courtesy of Yahoo.ca. And here’s the New York Times story on the filing. However, the lawsuit notes that the ‘class,’ or total universe of potential athletes affected by the lawsuit is 10,000. So this lawsuit has potentially massive implications. The 10 players all retired before the NHL struck its concussion committee in 1997. In other words, their issues pre-date Rule 48 (2010) which banned blindside head shots, for example, among other measures to mitigate the risk of concussions and the procedures to be followed if a players suffers a concussion. Late Monday, Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, issued the following in response to the lawsuit: “We are aware of the class action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of a group of former NHL Players. While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the League and the Players’ Association have managed Player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions. We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time.” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly A couple of things to note about that $765 million NFL settlement: 1. Many critics believe the NFL got off extremely lightly in its financial settlement, which is decimal dust compared to the annual revenue of close to $10 billion the league derives. 2. The settlement includes no language in which the NFL acknowledges a causal link between head hits and brain injury, including CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), the degenerative brain disease researchers have identified as the cause of early-onset dementia in former NFL and NHL players. Nor did that settlement expose the NFL as having hidden the risks from its players, or failing to do enough to minimize the risks of head trauma and its ramifications. This piece by New York Times reporter Alan Schwartz outlines how the NFL settlement was actually friendly to the league, despite the superficial optics of the $765 million. You’d have to think that architecture of that settlement will factor heavily into the legal defence the NHL will construct to defend itself against this class action lawsuit. The lessons gleaned from the NFL lawsuit, sadly, are not encouraging for those who believe the NHL can do far more about player safety than it has done historically, or is currently committed to doing. 727417 Edmonton Oilers Also his shoulder wasn’t good, before he had surgery. “I was shooting muffins,” he said. Ryan Smyth muffins? “No, not like that,” laughed Nugent-Hopkins, of his The education of Nugent-Hopkins continues as he goes against Toews dressing room next-door neighbour. Monday “Your job is to go and play. We want offence and we want defence. That’s the challenge of being a hockey player. If you are one-dimensional, you are November 25, 2013. 3:12 pm • Section: Oil Spills toast in this league. Or at least you are for me. This game has evolved into the catch-phrase ‘he’s a 200-foot player;’ and that’s what it is,” said Eakins. Jim Matheson “Nuge’s mind-set has to be two-fold out there. We’re looking for offence from his line but he can’t cheat (when he doesn’t have the puck). He’s getting better at it.” Edmonton Oilers’ centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is always learning on the fly, Eakins says it starts on the draws for all the centres, but especially Nugent- which is what you do when you are 20. He plays against the big boys like Hopkins. “If you’re going to be a No. 1 centre in this league, you have to be Jumbo Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf, maybe the a stud in the face-off circle. He’s working on it, but it takes time. You can’t abrasive David Backes, too, in the Western precincts of the NHL and it’s a flick a switch on it.” nightly education. He’s smaller than them which creates problems, obviously. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.26.2013 But, a truer measure of where RNH is at, in, this his third NHL season, is how he stacks up against Jonathan Toews, the premier two-way centre in the game. He’ll see the Chicago captain a lot Monday night at Rexall Place. Not only will Nugent-Hopkins have his hands full on face-offs against the guy Oilers’ teammate Boyd Gordon (third best in the league) says is his toughest foe–Toews is fifth-best at 57.8 while Nugent-Hopkins is 40.7 percent–but he’ll also see Toews’ 200-foot game, to use the parlance of today. It’ll be a seminar on how to play the game at both ends, something RNH is looking forward to.What can Nugent-Hopkins learn from Toews, who’ll be the 1a centre to No. 1 Sidney Crosby for Canada at the Olympics? “I like the way Toews battles in all areas of the game. He’s got so much talent offensively but he’s so good defensively. You can definitely tell he’s the leader out there,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “I like the opportunity to play against him, actually. It’s a challenge, for sure, but I’ve enjoyed it.” “Toews is a responsible centre who takes care of his zone first, and the offence comes from that. Most of the best centremen in the league are known for that. I really want to be known as a two-way centreman, and, for sure, I have to keep working on the defensive part of things,” said Nugent- Hopkins, who is minus 10 to Toews’s plus eight. Going against Toews and the rest in the West is RNH’s cross to bear, of course. When you are the No. 1 centre on the Oilers, there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing the top guns on the other team, also the other team’s best defenceman (he’ll see Duncan Keith a lot Monday, as well). This is night after night, which can cut back on your offence, but it’s all part of learning. RNH does not want to be a one-trick offensive pony. “Thornton, Toews and the other guys are obviously really talented offensively but they play a very good defensive game too. They’re all pretty big (Toews is 6’2″, 208, good height but not as heavy as Getzlaf, Thornton or Kopitar),” he said. “I really like (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg, the way they play too. They’re not big guys but they play big games. They don’t shy away from the tough stuff,” said Nugent-Hopkins. Oilers’ coach Dallas Eakins agrees whole-heartedly that Toews is a great role-model for RNH. “All business, all the time, that’s what I love about that kid (Toews),” said Eakins. “You never see him take a shift off. This is his job and he’s serious about his job. He’s a good guy for Nuge to look to, to get his game to that level, especially defensively.” He knows Nugent-Hopkins is learning as he goes. He’s only played 124 NHL games. “If he’s going to be our No. 1 centre he better get used to it (playing against the other big boys),” said Eakins. “If we play the protection game every night with him (going with say a better checker like Gordon against Toews and company), how is he going to get any better? It’s my call in-game.” Nugent-Hopkins is only 185 pounds but he can take care of himself. “He’s quietly good with his stick and he’s quite good with his mouth. He doesn’t get intimidated. As he grows and gets some old-man strength, that’ll help every aspect of his game,” said Eakins. Last year Nugent-Hopkins’ stats were down (four goals, 24 points in 40 games) because he was spending so much time checking the big guns. 727418 Edmonton Oilers

Oilers successful power-play strategy costs them first goal of the game

By Derek Van Diest ,Edmonton Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:01 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:45 PM MST

EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers went into Monday’s game knowing the dangers of having five forwards on the power play. It didn’t take the Chicago Blackhawks long to exploit it. Patrick Toews scored a short-handed goal on the Oilers’ first power play of the night. He jumped on a misplayed puck by Nail Yakupov at the Blackhawks blue line and scored on the ensuing breakaway. “Teams know that there is five forwards out there, so they try to pressure us,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “That was kind of strange play. They had a weird bounce, the guy broke his stick and Yak tried to make a play at the line. “At that point, I should have just backed out and be a support guy for him.” The play started when Brandon Saad broke his stick trying to clear the zone. Anticipating the clearing attempted, Yakupov, who was manning the point along with Nugent-Hopkins took a step back off the blue line. When the puck fluttered towards the line, Yakupov tried to step up and knock it back into the zone, but he missed it, allowing Toews to go in alone from his own blue line. The Blackhawks captain went on to beat Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk with a backhand-to-forehand move. “It was unlucky,” said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. “Yak started to retreat because he thought it was about to be iced. But the guy broke his stick and the puck is wobbling and he want to grab it and it went over his stick and from there we were in trouble.” The Blackhawks have had issues killing penalties this year, going into the game with the second-lowest efficiency in the league. They only have one other short-handed goal this season. Regardless, with Toews as one of their key penalty killers, there’s always the danger of him taking the play back the other way. The Oilers have give up a league-high four short-handed goals this season. “We know that if you give them an opportunity to go, they’re going to go,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “You have to be aware of that and who you’re going up against. You have to be careful and watch out no matter what.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727419 Edmonton Oilers “I felt pretty good. But it’s not good when you come in and you are losing 4- 0. It is not exactly what you want for the team. “But I got some work. So that was good.” Oilers 'faithful' cheer Ilya Bryzgalov after team yanks blameless Devan Dubnyk It wasn’t just last night’s goaltending situation which was worthy of psychological study. One week ago people were having a hard time giving away Oilers tickets. By Terry Jones ,Edmonton Sun But when the Oilers came out of their great depression for the final period in First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:54 PM MST | Updated: Calgary and then came home and made it 14 consecutive goals without Monday, November 25, 2013 11:12 PM MST giving one up, everything changed. Suddenly those season tickets were prized possessions again. Hope had EDMONTON - This town is worthy of some sort of mass population returned. There was a buzz in the building and great anticipation to see how psychological study right now. the revitalized Oilers, with all their top players in the lineup for the first stretch all season, would do against a Chicago team which had lost just four I mean, seriously. of its 24 games this season. It was 5:52 into the second period of the Chicago Blackhawks visit to Rexall Now … well, now they’ve got Bryz. Place last night when Exhibit A for the psychological study presented itself. Whatever works for you, I guess. After Corey Potter booted one into his own net, the visitors scored on a 3- on-1 to make it Stanley Cup Champions 4, Seven Years And Out Of The Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Playoffs 0. Devan Dybnyk, who had a .931 save percentage since GM Craig MacTavish signed Ilya Bryzgalov as second netminder (after having had a save percentage of .871 before Brygalov), had also been blameless on the two first-period goals and made at least four extra-large saves to keep it 2-0 through to the end of the period. Dubnyk, who was named the league's third star on Monday, had given up four goals on 14 shots and was not guilty on any of them. Head coach Dallas Eakins decided to give Dubnyk — who had given up one goal in a seven-period span in which the Oilers won three consecutive games — a mercy pull. And the crowd went crazy when white-masked Bryzgalov came over the boards and headed to the net to replace him. They went ballistic when he kicked a harmless shot out to the blue line. They were even louder when he flipped the puck to the other end of the ice and almost registered a shot on goal. And so it went. How would you like to be Dubnyk skating to the bench and sitting there listening to all of that? “I really don’t want to comment on that,” said the veteran Oilers netminder who was scheduled to split the games in Nashville and Columbus later this week with the Russian newcomer. “It’s frustrating. It’s never fun to be pulled,” Dubnyk added. When it was suggested he was not at fault on any of the goals, he just shrugged. “It was one of those games. I felt fine.” Jonathan Toews scored on a breakaway when Nail Yakupov created a spectacular turnover on an Oilers power play, and the Hawks scored on their own not long later. “I worked hard to get us out of the period and then a fluke goal and … it was frustrating.” “Bryzgalov came in like a veteran guy and he was good. The only goal he gave up was tipped,” said coach Dallas Eakins of the 5-1 goal at 18:02 of the third period. He faced 13 shots. Bryzgalov certainly had to be happy with his reception from the 16,839 people in the pews. “It was very nice from them,” he said. “I was told they gave me a standing ovation but I was so focused on the game I wasn’t paying attention to that at that moment. “I did a lot of work with Freddie Chabot,” he said of the Oilers goaltender coach about his time here waiting for his first action since playing two games on the farm in Oklahoma City. 727420 Edmonton Oilers [email protected] TWITTER.com/SUN_TYCHKOWSKI Much room for improvement as Edmonton Oilers outgunned by Chicago GAME REVIEW Blackhawks Blackhawks 5, Oilers 1 Three Stars By Robert Tychkowski ,Edmonton Sun 1. Andrew Shaw, Blackhawks First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:03 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:03 PM MST Two goals and an assist for the Blackhawks center. 2. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks

EDMONTON - Turns out the Edmonton Oilers are not one of the best Got the ball rolling with a short-handed goal in the first. teams in the league yet. 3. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks And if Monday night taught us anything else, it taught us that maybe they Points streak going strong, 11 and counting with a goal. should stick to measuring themselves against average teams for a while. Game Grades Because after three straight victories, Edmonton’s quest to prove itself against one of the elite teams in the NHL and post as many W’s in the last Offence D four games as they did in the first 21, ran into a world of trouble when the defending Stanley Cup champions rolled into town. Defence D The Oilers learned the hard way that you can’t win ‘em all, and that four in a Goaltending B row is even out of reach for the time being because, this just in, the Chicago Power play D Blackhawks are not Florida. Or Calgary. Or Columbus. Penalty kill A “We didn’t compete enough tonight, we didn’t want it as much as them, and they’re a good team over there,” said Oilers defenceman Justin Schultz, Toughness D after Chicago put Edmonton away early in a 5-1 romp. “I don’t think we were exactly ready for them. We have to be better than that.” Effort D It’s one the Oilers were supposed to be all fired up for, well-rested and on a Why Oilers lost three-game win streak, but they were flat, tentative and by the 26 minute They were brought back to earth by a good team after beating three bottom mark of the game they had just seven shots and we’re trailing 4-0 feeders. The Blackhawks exposed the Oilers defensive weakness. Had it “I definitely don’t think that we played as well as we could have,” said Ryan not been for Devan Dubnyk, early the game would have been a blowout Nugent-Hopkins. “We came out a little flat, didn’t have the same jump that early. Dubnyk was left to fend for himself and then mercifully pulled early in we had in the past few games to start. We have to be prepared no matter the second. who we’re playing and tonight it didn’t seem like we were ready to go right Play of the game from the beginning.” The Blackhawks break out on a two-on-one rush. Jeremy Morin walks Chicago came into the game with just four losses in regulation all season around a sprawling Andrew Ference, then slides the puck over to Andrew (16-4-4) and didn’t seem all that interested in making it five. They scored Shaw for an easy tap in and the Blackhawks fourth goal. shorthanded early in the first period, made it 2-0 on the power play a few minutes later, popped two more before the six-minute mark of the second Save of the game period and never looked back. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford slides across and gets a piece of “I don’t know what it was, we just didn’t have it tonight, it wasn’t there,” said Ryan Smyth’s effort in front denying the Oilers winger on a centring feed. Schultz. “And when you get behind against a team like this you’re going to have a tough time coming back.” Up Next Edmonton got the early power play it was looking for and the five-forward Oilers at Nashville Predators, Thursday (6 p.m.) Bridgestone Arena unit, which had been white hot coming into the game, was looking to make it 1-0 against the NHL’s 29th ranked penalty kill. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Instead, Nail Yakupov turned the puck over at the Chicago blueline and Jonathan Toews scored shorthanded on the ensuing breakaway to make it 1-0 at 5:14. Patrick Kane’s power play goal at 8:06 to give the visitors a two-goal cushion at the first intermission. “Our compete level was like waves in the ocean,” said head coach Dallas Eakins. “It came and went.” A puck that banked in off Corey Potter’s glove and a 3-on-1 capped by Andrew Shaw made it 4-0 Chicago at 5:49 of the second, spelling the end of Dubnyk, who got the hook after giving up four goals on 14 shots. That set the stage for Ilya Bryzgalov’s Oilers debut. He arrived to a huge ovation, and was cheered wildly for each of his three second period stops. The Oilers finally found the scoreboard on their eighth shot of the game (at 8:08 of the second period) when Schultz put one in off the iron. That was it for the offence. In a measuring-stick game, they didn’t measure up. “You want to come out aggressively and assert yourself, but we got knocked back on our heels a bit,” said captain Andrew Ference, adding the loss puts the development process in perspective. “It would suggest we still have a lot of work to do. We’re not denying that. It was obvious before this game and after it as well.” 727421 Edmonton Oilers Last year, Nugent-Hopkins was shut down for the season once the playoffs were out of reach. He finished with four goals in the lockout-shortened season, after scoring 18 during his rookie year. Hawks chase Oilers starter Devan Dubnyk… “I think last year I didn’t feel like I had much strength in my shoulder,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “By the end of the year, it felt like my shot was a muffin. By Derek Van Diest ,Edmonton Sun “I definitely wanted to improve on it, I knew I was getting shoulder surgery. I First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 09:33 PM MST | Updated: was a little bit worried about how it was going to work. I thought it worked Monday, November 25, 2013 10:26 PM MST out well, just getting specific attention on it. I feel like it’s definitely improved it.” Mr. Consistency EDMONTON - Devan Dubnyk was part of the reason the Edmonton Oilers went into Monday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks on a three- The Blackhawks know what they’re going to get out of Patrick Kane on a game winning streak. nightly basis. Unfortunately for the Oilers goaltender, the Blackhawks proved to be on a For the last while, it’s been at least a point per game. different level than the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers. Monday, Kane increased his point streak to 11 games, collecting the Blackhawks second goal of the contest. The Blackhawks chased Dubnyk just over five minutes into the second period after scoring four goals. He had five goals and nine assists during his 10-game point-streak coming in. It was more of a mercy pull as the Oilers hung their goaltender out to dry, giving up a goal on a breakaway, failing to clear a rebound in front, “You want to be consistent and you want to help the team create chances,” knocking the puck into their own net and then conceding a tap-in on a two- Kane said. “To have a scoring streak you need a couple of breaks here and on-one rush. there. I’m just trying to come in with a clean slate every game, not worry about what’s happen in the last game, whether it’s good or bad, you have to It wasn’t the way Dubnyk envisioned his first game after being name the worry about the next game and what you’re going to do that game.” league’s third start for his performance last week. Kane had 25 points in 24 games heading into Monday’s contest against the Regardless, Dubnyk has been much better of late for the Oilers after getting Oilers. off to a rough start. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 “I care a lot about the group and what’s going on here,” Dubnyk said prior to the game. “When things start the way they did, you start thinking about every key push-off and every shuffle you make out there and whether you’re doing the right things for these guys. “Now I’m just getting out there and not worrying about all the stuff and just going out there and playing, having fun and being relaxed, just trusting what I do and that’s been the biggest difference.” Dubnyk’s play had been keeping Ilya Bryzgalov stapled to the bench, having been signed as a free agent a couple of weeks back. Bryzgalov finally had his first action as an Oilers when Dubnyk was pulled after Jeremy Morin walked around Andrew Ference and set up Andrew Shaw for an easy tap-in. Low five The Oilers have credited their five-forward unit for their recent success on the power play. However, any time you have forwards manning the points there is a danger of giving up short-handed goal at the other end. The Blackhawks exploited that danger as Jonathan Toews jumped on a puck misplayed by Nail Yakupov on the point, went down the ice and scored the opening goal of the contest. Not to be intimidated, the Oilers continued to use the five-forward unit after the goal. Shouldering the load Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to collect the points for the Oilers. On Monday, the center picked up another assist, giving him six points in three games to that point. While Nugent-Hopkins is making a name for himself as a setup man, he does have five goals on the year and his shot seems to have extra zip to it this year. “I feel like it’s gotten a little bit harder, I worked on it a lot during the summer,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Even with the shoulder surgery, it gave me a unique chance to focus directly on that. We did lots of drills with (elastic) bands and stuff, different strengthening drills. It’s something that you don’t want to be doing (rehabbing a shoulder injury) but it worked out very positively for me.” 727422 Edmonton Oilers those guys that you can play anywhere and play with anybody, too, which is a nice fit. It’s an easy transition for everyone right now.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Kris Versteeg eager to reconnect with friends, restaurants since returning to Blackhawks

By Derek Van Diest ,Edmonton Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 06:51 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 07:49 PM MST

EDMONTON - When Kris Versteeg was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks following their Stanley Cup victory in 2010, the winger figured he had seen the last of the Windy City. Yet, sometimes life sometimes has a way of coming full circle. After stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers, the Lethbridge product is back to where his NHL career started. A little less than two weeks ago, Versteeg was traded to the Blackhawks from the Panthers in exchange for a pair of prospects. “It’s exciting to be back,” Versteeg said. “I never thought it would really happen. But the last few years have been a journey for myself, so I’m happy it’s landed back here. “I was surprised at the trade. When you sign a deal anywhere, especially for the amount of time I signed it for, I thought that I was going to stay for the period that I signed it for. Obviously with their new ownership, perhaps they wanted to go in a new direction. But you can’t really worry about it, you just have to go out and play your game, no matter who it’s for.” Versteeg, 27, had signed a four-year, $17.6-million deal with the Panthers prior to last season. He had two goals and five assists in 18 games for the Panthers this year before being dealt along with Philippe Lefebvre to the Blackhawks for Jimmy Hayes and Dylan Olsen. In five games with the Blackhawks heading into Monday’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers, Versteeg has a goal and three assists. “He’s a nice fit for us, he’s a very useful guy,” said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. “He’s very versatile in where we can use him in all three forward positions. “I just think he’s one of those players that complements our team. He sees and makes plays very well and helps our power play on that unit that he’s been on. It’s a real, nice fit, a good addition. It’s good to see him back as well.” Originally selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round — 134th overall — of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Versteeg was traded to the Blackhawks organization while still in the minors. He broke into the league on a full-time basis during the 2008-2009 season and the following year won the Cup with the Blackhawks. Following their championship, Versteeg was part of the player purge in Chicago required to get under the salary cap. “I had made a lot of friends in Chicago, so I got to come back to a lot of friendships,” Versteeg said. “It’s nice to go back to Chicago, I’ll go back to the same restaurants I did when I was there. The place I had when I was there, isn’t there anymore, I have to get a new one. “But a lot of my old friends that I made when I was in Chicago were restaurant owners, so I’ll be heading right back to their places, because they took good care of me when I was there.” Versteeg has only played one game in Chicago since going back to the Blackhawks, with the team currently on an extended road trip. The stop in Edmonton is the third of a six-game road trip. Regardless, having coached Versteeg during the Blackhawks Cup run, prior to last year’s championship, Quenneville had few concerns regarding the best place for him in the lineup. “We’re comfortable with him and he’s comfortable walking back into the locker room with some of his old buddies,” Quenneville said. “He’s one of 727423 Florida Panthers • Mike Weaver was taken off injured reserve Monday; Tomas Kopecky (upper body) and Matt Gilroy (lower body) were placed on it. Kopecky was hurt Thursday in Edmonton and could return Saturday; Gilroy will miss at Combined efforts boost Florida Panthers in win over Philadelphia Flyers least the next three games. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013

By George Richards [email protected]

Tim Thomas stuck around for the whole game and Sean Bergenheim was in the lineup this time around. That was bad news for the Flyers. Thomas made 37 saves and Bergenheim scored twice within a 10-minute span as the Panthers opened a five-game homestand with a 3-1 win over Philadelphia on Monday night. Bergenheim missed Florida’s 2-1 loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 8 as he was working his way back into the lineup after being out all of last season. Thomas gave up two goals in less than eight minutes as he left that game early with a groin pull. On Monday, both made their mark against the Flyers. Thomas was sharp throughout as he helped lead the Panthers to their fourth win in nine games — of which Thomas has started all of them — under new coach Peter Horachek. Bergenheim showed incredible focus and determination to give Thomas a 1-0 lead early in the second. Bergenheim got his first crack at goalie Steve Mason but was rejected on a wraparound on the right side of the cage. Bergenheim then followed his own rebound with an odd-angled shot before getting the puck back and finally pushing it past Mason’s leg on the left side. Bergenheim’s goal — his first since the 2012 playoffs — came moments after the Panthers completed a tough penalty kill. Florida was forced to play down two skaters for 1:23 after Erik Gudbranson was flagged for delay of game with Scott Gomez already in the box. Thomas held things down during the extended penalty kill, stopping seven shots during the 2:37 the Flyers held an advantage. The Panthers then made it 2-0 on a power-play of their own when Bergenehim got a piece of Marcel Goc’s heavy shot from the left circle with 6:01 left in the period. Philadelphia, which has won six of its past eight, cut the deficit to one when Wayne Simmonds knocked in a rebound after Thomas stopped Scott Hartnall on a power-play shot early in the third. Erik Gudbranson all but ended it with 4:08 left when his shot from 55 feet out hit Mason then bounced over his head and trickled into the net. Honoring Roger The Panthers honored their first coach Monday by naming the press box at BB&T Center after the late Roger Neilson in an afternoon ceremony. Owner Vinnie Viola said he wanted to be at the event to “make it very clear that the Panthers organization takes care of its own and remembers the sacrifice and dedication it takes.” Neilson’s was hired by Bill Torrey, the Panthers’ team president at the time. On Monday, Torrey opened his remarks by commenting on Neilson's colorful — and often very inexpensive —neckties. “We thought they were bandanas from Woodstock,” Brian Skrudland joked. Neilson’s died in 2003 after battling cancer. “Roger is being honored in a lovely way and a way he would appreciate,” Torrey said. “I told Roger, ‘you gave your life to hockey.’ What more can you say to someone who truly, every single day of life, had his happiest moments when he was at the rink hassling the players or hassling the general manager. I miss him.” Fans honored Neilson’s memory with a standing ovation during a first period timeout. Neilson’s also coached the Flyers for a few seasons. 727424 Florida Panthers

REMEMBERING ROGER: Panthers Honor First Coach, Name Press Box After Neilson

Posted by George Richards

The Panthers honored their first coach Monday by naming the press box at BB&T Center after Roger Neilson in an afternoon ceremony. Owner Vinnie Viola said he wanted to be at the event to "make it very clear that the Panthers organization takes care of its own and remembers the sacrifice and dedication it takes.'' Neilson was hired by Bill Torrey, the Panthers' team president at the time. On Monday, Torrey opened his remarks by commenting on Neilson's colorful -- and often very inexpensive -- neckties. "We thought they were bandanas from Woodstock,'' Brian Skrudland joked. Neilson died in 2003 after battling cancer. "Roger is being honored in a lovely way and a way he would appreciate,'' Torrey said. "I told Roger, 'you gave your life to hockey.' What more can you say to someone who truly, every single day of life, had his happiest moments when he was at the rink hassling the players or hassling the general manager. I miss him.'' Fans honored Neilson's memory with a standing ovation during a first period timeout. Neilson also coached the Flyers for a few seasons. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 727425 Florida Panthers

BIG DIFFERENCE: Thomas, Bergenheim Say Hello to Flyers in Florida's 3- 1 Win

Posted by George Richards

Tim Thomas stuck around for the whole game and Sean Bergenheim was in the lineup this time around. That was bad news for the Flyers. Thomas made 38 saves and Bergenheim scored twice within a 10-minute span as the Panthers opened a five-game homestand with a 3-1 win over Philadelphia on Monday night. Bergenheim missed Florida's 2-1 loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 8 as he was working his way back into the lineup after being out all of last season. Thomas gave up two goals in less than eight minutes as he left that game early with a groin pull. "I wasn't thinking payback,'' Thomas said. "I was just thinking we had a pretty good road trip and I wanted to start the homestand the right way.'' Monday, both made their mark against the Flyers in a positive manner. Thomas was sharp throughout as he helped lead the Panthers to their fourth win in nine games -- of which Thomas has started all of them -- under new coach Peter Horachek. "I think that gives a lot of guys confidence,'' Horachek said. "They know Timmy is there and he's going to make the save when he needs to. Guys need to feel comfortable in these one-goal games.'' Bergenheim, playing with the flu, showed incredible focus and determination to give Thomas a 1-0 lead early in the second. Bergenheim got his first crack at goalie Steve Mason but was rejected on a wraparound on the right side of the cage. Bergenheim then followed his own rebound with an odd-angled shot before getting the puck back and finally pushing it past Mason's leg on the left side. "It feels good [to score] but the win feels the best,'' Bergenheim said. "We're headed in the right direction.'' Bergenheim's goal -- his first since the 2012 playoffs -- came moments after the Panthers completed a tough penalty kill. Florida was forced to play down two skaters for 1:23 after Erik Gudbranson was flagged for delay of game with Scott Gomez already in the box. Thomas held things down during the extended penalty kill, stopping seven shots during the 2:37 the Flyers held an advantage. "Killing off a 5-on-3 like that was a turning point for us,'' Gudbranson said. "Obviously I should have made a better play on the second penalty, but the team stepped up. There was a lot of firepower out there.'' The Panthers made it 2-0 on a power play of their own when Bergenehim got a piece of Marcel Goc's heavy shot from the left circle with 6:01 left in the period. Philadelphia, which has won six of its past eight, cut its deficit to one when Wayne Simmonds knocked in a rebound left after Thomas stopped Scott Hartnall on a power play shot early in the third. Gudbranson all but ended it with 4:08 left when his shot from 55 feet out hit Mason then bounced over his head and trickled into the net. -- Mike Weaver was taken off injured reserve on Monday; Tomas Kopecky (upper body) and Matt Gilroy (lower body) were placed on it. Kopecky was hurt Thursday in Edmonton and could return Saturday; Gilroy will miss at least the next three games. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.26.2013 727426 Florida Panthers Panthers forward Tomas Kopecky, who sustained a hand injury Thursday in Edmonton, was placed on injured reserve Monday. The Panthers also placed defenseman Matt Gilroy on IR with a lower-body Sean Bergenheim scores twice to lift Panthers to 3-1 victory over red-hot injury. They didn't need to call up anyone because veteran defenseman Flyers Mike Weaver returned Monday after missing four games due to the flu. Defenseman Mike Mottau was scratched. By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel Neilson touched lives 11:05 PM EST, November 25, 2013 The Panthers honored their first coach by naming the press area in the upper deck of the BB&T Center the Roger Neilson Memorial Pressbox.

SUNRISE In the months before he succumbed to cancer in 2003 at 69, Neilson penned many letters to former players and friends who he touched along Panthers forward Sean Bergenheim has been so sick with the flu lately that the way. he seemed to forget that he's still not completely recovered from multiple surgeries on his groin and hip. "When he got mad he would say, 'For rats sakes!,' '' Panthers TV analyst Billy Lindsay said. "He wrote me a letter before he passed away about god Bergenheim may have found a cure for 20 months of frustration as he and real touching stuff. I'll save it for the rest of my life." scored two goals and goalie Tim Thomas did the rest to lift the Panthers to a 3-1 victory over the torrid Flyers to kick off a five-game holiday homestand In Neilson's first of two seasons the Panthers went 33-34-17, the best point at the BB&T Center. total and record by any first-year team in league history. "I told Bergy after the game that we're going to make sure he's sick every Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.26.2013 day if he plays like that,'' joked Panthers coach Peter Horachek. "It's tough to come back from that. You rely on energy and skating, those things that affect that. "You know it's there, you just kind of have to go out and play through it.'' The Panthers are now 4-4-1 since Horachek took over earlier this month and they ended a five-game losing streak in Sunrise to the Flyers, who had gone 6-0-1 in their last seven games. Bergenheim was benched for three of the five games of the recently concluded road trip, partly due to Horachek not wanting to change a winning lineup, and also because the affable Finn is still, "battling through stuff." At times, even Bergenheim's bosses were questioning his mental toughness and his slow recovery as he missed all of last season and the first 10 games this year. "I still have stuff to work on. This was one of the hardest games I've played,'' said Bergenheim, whose last goal came on April 24, 2012 in Game 6 of the Panthers' seven-game quarterfinal loss to the Devils. "I feel all and all it's coming from the surgeries. It's not there yet, but it's getting better. It's been such a long road and there's been so many downs, a few ups, but mostly downs. It's been tough.'' Leading 2-0 after two, the Flyers made it a one-goal deficit at 7:06 when defenseman Wayne Simmonds swatted in a doorstep rebound on a power play. However, Erik Gudbranson's slapper eked past goalie Steve Mason with 4:08 left for the dagger and the young defensemen's first goal in since Dec. 27, 2011 or 100 games. "I don't want to know,'' joked Gudbranson when asked if he could remember the last time he scored. "A hundred? Come on.'' Thomas avenged a 2-1 loss to the Flyers on Oct. 8 in which he injured his groin, with 38 saves, including seven during a key 1:23, 5-on-3 penalty kill early in the second period. He's 14-4-2 vs. Philadelphia. Just 29 seconds after the entire 2:37 power play had expired, Bergenheim's second consecutive wraparound attempt found the short side. The assists went to Jimmy Hayes and rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen — in his first game as a Panther — the two players acquired from Chicago in the recent Kris Versteeg trade. Ten minutes later Bergenheim re-directed a blast from Marcel Goc for a power-play goal that gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead. The Panthers were 0 for 9 on their 30th-ranked power play in their last losses to the Flames and Oilers. It was Bergenheim's first multiple-goal game since March 13, 2012 when he scored twice against the Maple Leafs. Mason was 5-0 with a 1.17 goals-against-average vs. Florida. Kopecky, Gilroy on IR 727427 Florida Panthers He was joined by newcomer Dylan Olsen, who came over from Chicago as part of the recent Kris Versteeg trade. Olsen, 22, was Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon's last first-round pick for Chicago when he had the Roger Neilson's love of hockey lives on through others same role with the Blackhawks. Olsen played three games for the Panthers affiliate in San Antonio where he had a goal and seven shots on goal in just three games. By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel "He's another good-sized young man whose got mobility and a good first 5:38 PM EST, November 25, 2013 pass,'' Horachek said. "Hopefully, that'll benefit us.'' Defenseman Mike Mottau, coming off a rough game in Calgary, is expected to be scratched. Defenseman Matt Gilroy was placed on injured reserve SUNRISE with a lower-body injury. … Reporters who covered the early days of the Panthers were often Panthers forward Tomas Kopecky (hand) was placed on IR, too. entertained by barefoot coach Roger Neilson in his cramped Gold Coast Ice Arena office. Veteran defenseman Ed Jovanovski participated in the morning skate for the first time in a few weeks as he didn't accompany the team on the five- Many of those tales were retold on Monday at BB&T Center during a game road trip. ceremony to honor the Panthers first coach by dubbing the press area in the upper deck the Roger Neilson Memorial Pressbox. Horachek said there is not timetable for his return from major hip surgery. "I remember he had bruises all over his legs and scratches on his face; he "This isn't a simple situation. There's a lot of healing in the inside that has to had a bicycle accident; said the sun got in his eyes,'' smiled Bill Torrey, the get to a certain point,'' Horachek said. "If you rush him back you'll have Panthers first president, who along with then General Manager Bobby setbacks. You don't want that.'' Clarke hired Neilson to guide the fledgling expansion team in 1993. Bergy back in the swing "Understated. Typical Roger.'' Both Scott Gomez and Sean Bergenheim returned to the lineup in Friday's The Panthers, Neilson's sixth of eight stops as an NHL head coach, went 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames, and both assisted on the tying goal in the 33-34-17 that first season, the best point total and record by any first-year third period by Marcel Goc. team in league history. That season he named veteran center Brian Skrudland the franchise's first captain. "I thought he played very well, him and [Gomez],'' Horachek said. "I thought they both were a spark, both had good energy and I was pleased with their "He never laughed at my one-liners until I told him those [loud, colorful] ties effort.'' are headbands from the '60s and are longer to hold onto his afro,'' laughed Skrudland, now a Panthers assistant coach. "He knew how to make the Bergenheim had missed the previous three games, while Gomez had sat smallest guy in the dressing room feel like the most important.'' out seven straight. Skrudland, who said he patents much of his upbeat coaching style after "I'm still coming back from my stuff,'' Bergenheim said, referring to his Neilson's, and that he wouldn't have been on the Panthers' 1996 Stanley multiple surgeries on his groin and hip. "But I played 15:33 and felt good.'' Cup finals squad if not for his old coach. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.26.2013 "[GM Bryan Murray] wanted to move my butt in the worst way at the trade deadline [in 1995],'' he said. "Roger delayed the plane until the deadline had passed.'' Panthers television analyst Bill Lindsay said during the shortened lockout year of 1994-95, Neilson would park his boat at his house in the Hillsboro inlet to avoid a dock fee. "He told me, 'You're not getting traded, I need a place to dock my boat,' '' laughed Lindsay. "We went tubing in the ocean and [Stu Barnes] flipped over. We couldn't find him for 20 minutes. Roger says, 'Don't worry.' Meanwhile, Barnesy's in there with the sharks.'' Neilson coached recently named Flyers coach Craig Berube when he was guiding the Flyers in the late '90s, and signed Panthers interim coach Peter Horachek to a juniors contract at 18. "He had some nuts in his hand, was always looking down, quirky and moving,'' smiled Horachek, who borrowed some of Neilson's coaching techniques while attending his hockey clinics in Windsor. "He made you understand and get to the point but never had to raise his voice. I smile whenever I start to think about him.'' Neilson was nicknamed, Captain Video, for his constant use of videotape as a teaching tool, and Mr. Magoo, for always getting lost. In the months before he succumbed to cancer in 2003 at 69, Neilson penned many letters to former players and friends who he touched along the way. "He was always calm between periods and never would curse,'' Lindsay said. "When he got mad he would say, 'For rats sakes!' "He wrote me a letter before he passed away about god and real touching stuff,'' a choked-up Lindsay added. "I'll save it for the rest of my life.'' Blue line changes Panthers veteran defenseman Mike Weaver, who has missed the last four games with the flu, returned Monday to play against the Flyers. 727428 Los Angeles Kings LA Times: LOADED: 11.26.2013

Kings win a wild one, 3-2, in overtime against Canucks

By Helene Elliott 11:07 PM PST, November 25, 2013

VANCOUVER, Canada — There were fights. Thunderous hits. Superb goaltending. Fine penalty killing. A dramatic late rally. "There was a little bit of everything in it tonight," Kings forward Mike Richards said. And a lot of relief on the Kings' part Monday as they skated off with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks. GAME SUMMARY: Kings 3, Canucks 2 (OT) Despite being outplayed and outshot, 28-8, in the second and third periods combined, the Kings pulled even with 2 minutes and 54 seconds left in the third and stunned the crowd at Rogers Arena when Anze Kopitar rifled home a feed from Slava Voynov 48 seconds into overtime. Not that Kopitar needed to audition for the Slovenian Olympic hockey team — his father, Matjaz, will be the coach at the Sochi Games — but it was an exclamation point to an unlikely comeback by the Kings on the first game of their annual fathers-and-brothers trip. Matjaz Kopitar was at the game, beaming proudly, with the other family members. He had good reason to be happy after the Kings extended their streak of standings points to 10 games (7-0-3). "You've got to scrape and claw for points, and that's what we did tonight," said Richards, whose father, Norm, got to see him take a passout from Jeff Carter and bring the Kings even with a quick shot past Roberto Luongo. "It wasn't the prettiest on our part — we took too many penalties and turned some pucks over — but two points is what we wanted." Carter had been activated off injured reserve Monday afternoon and played for the first time since he injured his foot on Oct. 30. To make room for Carter on the roster, the Kings put goaltender Jonathan Quick on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 12. Quick, who has a Grade 2 groin strain, isn't expected to return until sometime around Christmas. Ben Scrivens made 37 saves in goal and has stopped 187 of 196 shots over his last seven starts. "He's playing extremely well," Richards said. "That's the understatement of the century." Rugged winger Kyle Clifford gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 13:50 of the first period, breaking in with Linden Vey on a two-on-one and finishing it by slipping a backhander past Luongo. The Canucks tied it at 17:04 of the second on a long shot by Chris Tanev and went ahead, 2-1, at 6:59 of the third period. Henrik Sedin pounced on a loose puck after a shot by his brother, Daniel, had been blocked on the way to the net. Henrik put it past Scrivens during a power play, the only time the Kings' penalty killers bent in eight disadvantages. Richards sent it to overtime, where the Kings took advantage when a Canucks defenseman overskated the puck, leaving it for Voynov to pounce on and pass to Kopitar. "I happened to be in the middle of the ice, in front of the net. He gave it to me, I closed my eyes. Shot," Kopitar said. He didn't really close his eyes. It just sounded better when he told the story that way. But not as good as Scrivens' goaltending was. "He's making the big saves at the big times of the game to keep us really involved," Kopitar said. "He's making the saves to keep us within striking distance and giving us some time to find our game." They found it just in time on Monday. "It got a little chippy in the second period. We didn't have the best second period but we stuck with it," Kopitar said. "We got a late one and obviously you don't want to give away points but we got the two that we wanted." 727429 Los Angeles Kings

10 former players sue NHL over head injury liability

VANCOUVER, Canada — Ten former NHL players have claimed in a class- action lawsuit the league was negligent in withholding and misrepresenting information about the consequences of repeated blows to the head, contributing to players' brain injuries and neurological disorders. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks compensatory and punitive damages in addition to a court- supervised, league-funded medical monitoring program to diagnose and treat head injuries. In August, the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle a suit brought by 4,500 retired players and their families who said the league didn't disclose the long-term impact of head injuries. The Laguna Hills law firm of Namanny, Byrne and Owens — in which former Rams linebacker Mel Owens is a partner — joined with Baltimore- based Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White to file the lawsuit. The lawsuit contends the NHL ignored medical research on head injuries and didn't promote players' safety until it instituted a concussion program in 1997 and concussion protocols in 2011. "The NHL's active and purposeful concealment of the severe risks of brain injuries exposed players to unnecessary dangers they could have avoided had the NHL provided them with truthful and accurate information and taken appropriate action to prevent needless harm," the suit says. It also claims the league "has nurtured a culture of violence" and encourages players to play despite injuries. The players bringing the suit were Brad Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richard Dunn, former King Warren Holmes, Gary Leeman, Bob Manno, Blair Stewart, Morris Titanic and Rick Vaive. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement: "While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the Players' Assn. have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions. We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time." Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, a prominent agent and former deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, said he wasn't surprised by the lawsuit. "The NHL commenced its concussion program 16 years ago and took no affirmative steps to protect its players until 2011," he said via email. "All we ever heard from the NHL was 'More studies are needed,' and 'We are the first sports league to have a working concussion study group.' "I expect we will see a steady flow of players seeking to join this class- action litigation and similar lawsuits will probably soon be filed in other jurisdictions as well. The alarm bells have been going off for many years and one of the threshold questions is whether the NHL purposely withheld and concealed this information from players." LA Times: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727430 Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar's OT goal lifts Kings over Canucks

Staff Writer

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Anze Kopitar scored 48 seconds into overtime, finishing off the Kings' come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. Kopitar took a feed from Slava Voynov and beat goalie Roberto Luongo with a shot into the top corner to send the Canucks to their seventh loss in eight games. Mike Richards tied it with 2:54 left in regulation, and Kyle Clifford also scored for the Kings (16-6-3). Ben Scrivens made 37 saves for the Kings, who have earned at least a point in 10 straight games (7-0-3). Henrik Sedin and Chris Tanev scored for Vancouver (12-9-5), which went 1-2-3 on a season-high, six-game homestand. Luongo made 19 stops for the Canucks, who are 1-4-3 against Pacific Division rivals this season. Vancouver's 28th-ranked power play was 0-for-7 before Sedin beat Scrivens with a quick shot on the Canucks' eighth advantage, snapping a 1- 1 tie at 6:59. After Scrivens made a number of big stops to keep the Kings in the game, Richards took a feed from Jeff Carter and snapped a shot past Luongo to make it 2-2. Vancouver had dropped six of seven before Monday, with the lone victory coming over Columbus on Friday. The Canucks scored only seven times in those six losses. Down 1-0 after the first period, Vancouver found some life after Henrik Sedin took a big hit from Jordan Nolan midway through the second. Sedin stayed down for a moment but didn't miss a shift. The play woke the Canucks up and they started to take the body more, with Ryan Stanton eventually fighting Nolan. After Vancouver killed off a penalty from the scrum that accompanied that fight, Tanev fired a harmless looking shot from the point that Scrivens couldn't get all of. Tanev's first of the season tied it 1-1 at 17:04. NOTES The Kings activated forward Jeff Carter and moved goalie Jonathan Quick to the injured list. Carter hasn't played since Oct. 30, missing 10 games with a foot injury. He was the Western Conference's top goal-scorer last season. He has five goals and four assists in 14 games this season. Quick's groin injury is expected to keep him out until late December. The 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner hasn't played since Nov. 12, missing the Kings' past six games. ... Vancouver's Daniel Sedin lost a tooth to a high stick early in the second period. … Tanev has three goals in 118 career NHL games. … Booth returned to the lineup after sitting out three games as a healthy scratch. … The Kings beat the Canucks 5-1 at home on Nov. 9. … The Canucks begin a four-game road trip at Ottawa on Thursday. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727431 Los Angeles Kings

November 25 postgame quotes: Ben Scrivens

Posted by James Nicholson on November 25, 2013

On how the team came back to win: You always have to have that belief within the group that you can come back, no matter if it is by one or by five or however much it is. You always have to keep going. That is the reason you play a full 60 minutes, because you never really know. Obviously we got some big goals to force it into overtime. Anytime you can take it to overtime, you give yourself a chance obviously. A big goal by Kopi and we will take the two points. Now we have to focus on a tough San Jose team. On the saves he made before the game tying goal: It probably should not have been a scramble. I think I have to control that initial shot a little better, and then not throw it out into the slot and force myself to make a couple extra ones. All that stuff Billy and I will address in video and work on in practice. Fortunate that I could come up with a couple saves there and really the defense did a great job of boxing guys out on that play specifically. They were getting a couple whacks at it, but they didn’t have the time to pull it and put it up or anything like that. That is a good backcheck, picking up sticks in front and I have to do a little bit better controlling that initial rebound. On the penalty kill: You need your special teams to play well if you are going to have a chance to win all season long. It was a strong showing by a lot of guys on the PK. Robyn Regehr was probably the unsung hero today. [He] had a couple of huge blocked shots from Garrison who can really pump the puck, in the second period. I think you guys should mention Regehr in that one and how great he played on the PK. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727432 Los Angeles Kings

November 25 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter

On whether the comeback was representative of the team’s patience in key situations: [There] was a little bit of honesty in it, in terms of we’ve outshot teams 50- to-20 and haven’t gotten two points. Maybe tonight it all came around for us. On whether he was surprised to be shorthanded for so much of the game: Yeah, I was surprised at some of the calls, quite honest. On the penalty killing: At the end of the day, when you can put two Sedins and Kesler and Garrison or Edler or Bieksa out there, and they have that many minutes on there, eventually they’re going to get one good chance, and basically that’s a shot-screen-rebound. It’s how you score. On “how good” Ben Scrivens was in the win: He’s got to be good every night. As I said this morning, if you look at it now, other than Luongo and four or five guys that have played 20 games this year, if you want to be a playoff team, you need two goalies. It’s really clear. We’re going through a stretch where our big guy’s out, and we’ve got to try and keep our head above it while we do, and that’s what Ben’s done. On Scrivens’ clutch saves: You know what? I’m not jumping on Ben Scrivens’ wagon here, right? There are nights where we’ve only gotten a point and we’ve given up eight or nine shots, so he should be fresh. On Jeff Carter recording a point in his return to the lineup: I think Mike Richards took charge of the game. On how he manages a game with frequent stops and heavy penalty killing time: Try and keep everybody fresh when you’re playing lots of game. I’m not saying very much. We know how to handle it. I’m not a yeller or a screamer. You try and manage guys’ shifts. It’s all you’re trying to. On the Clifford-Vey-Toffoli line during five-on-five play: They played reasonable minutes, they scored a good goal. It’s good to see Cliffy score. I talked to those guys about it – it’s just like what you asked before, about what you’re saying. I asked those young guys to step up and give us some energy, and they did. On whether this was a game to build on: We try and win every game. We have a pretty good attitude about that. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727433 Los Angeles Kings

November 25 postgame quotes: Anze Kopitar

On how the team played: I guess pretty good. There is always room for improvement and there is always stuff that you can work on, but right now, I feel pretty good about the game. On the game: I thought we had a pretty good first period. Then after that, they took it to us in the second. We were a little bit flat-footed and [there was] lots of chippiness going on. We didn’t get down too much, we held our ground and we were able to come back. Obviously we don’t want to put ourselves in a position like this, but sometimes a win like this is welcomed I guess. It just gets the energy going a little bit. On his game winning goal: It was Slava that chipped it into the corner. I think they fanned on the pass and Slava was there and I was in the middle of the ice pretty much on top of the crease. I yelled for it just to make sure he saw me. I was able to put just enough on it to get it up and over his glove. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727434 Los Angeles Kings

Game 25: Los Angeles at Vancouver

Posted by JonRosen on November 25, 2013

Los Angeles Kings 3, Vancouver Canucks 2 Final-Overtime Radio Feed The Royal Half Gameday LA Kings Insider Preview Box Score Ice Tracker SOG: LAK – 22; VAN – 39 PP: LAK – 0/3; VAN – 1/8 Attendance: 18,910 Three Stars: 1) VAN – Henrik Sedin 2) LAK – Mike Richards 3) LAK – Anze Kopitar First Period 1) LAK – Kyle Clifford (2) (Linden Vey, Tyler Toffoli), 13:50 Second Period 2) VAN – Christopher Tanev (1) (Chris Higgins, Dale Weise), 17:04 Third Period 3) VAN – Henrik Sedin (7) (Daniel Sedin, Jason Garrison), 6:59 4) LAK – Mike Richards (6) (Jeff Carter, Dwight King), 17:06 Overtime 5) Anze Kopitar (7) (Slava Voynov, Robyn Regehr), 0:48 Los Angeles Kings (15-6-3) vs Vancouver Canucks (12-9-4) Monday, November 25, 2013, 7:00 p.m. PT Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC FOX Sports West, KTLK 1150 AM Referees: #2 Mike Hasenfratz, #40 Steve Kozari Linesmen: #78 Brian Mach, #73 Vaughan Rody LAK starters: G Ben Scrivens. D Jake Muzzin, D Drew Doughty, LW Dwight King, C Mike Richards, RW Jeff Carter LAK scratches: F Matt Frattin, F Colin Fraser, F Tanner Pearson VAN starters: G Roberto Luongo, D Alexander Edler, D Jason Garrison, LW Daniel Sedin, C Henrik Sedin, RW Alexandre Burrows VAN scratches: F Jeremy Welsh, F Zac Dalpe, D Andrew Alberts LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727435 Los Angeles Kings Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League Los Angeles Projected Lineup Game 25 Preview: Los Angeles at Vancouver Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams Dwight King – Mike Richards – Jeff Carter Posted by JonRosen on November 25, 2013 Daniel Carcillo – Jarret Stoll – Tyler Toffoli Kyle Clifford – Colin Fraser – Jordan Nolan Los Angeles Kings (15-6-3) vs Vancouver Canucks (12-9-4) Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty Monday, November 25, 2013, 7:00 p.m. PT Robyn Regehr – Slava Voynov Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC Willie Mitchell – Alec Martinez Referees: #2 Mike Hasenfratz, #40 Steve Kozari Ben Scrivens Linesmen: #78 Brian Mach, #73 Vaughan Rody Martin Jones FOX Sports West, KTLK 1150 AM Level of confidence in projected lines: B+. Jeff Carter has been activated from injured reserve and is expected to play tonight, barring any setback Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Ben Scrivens during pre-game warm-ups. Daryl Sutter said that a decision would be 2013-14 Season: 11 GP (8 GS) / 5-1-3 record / 1.37 GAA / .946 Sv% / 3 made on Carter following the warm-up; if he’s unable to go, either Linden SHO Vey or Tanner Pearson would dress. Vey and Pearson both stayed on the ice for extra work with Martin Jones, an indication that they will be out of the Career vs Vancouver: First appearance lineup tonight. Last Game vs Vancouver: First appearance Notes and milestones: Los Angeles is 97-96-35 all-time against Vancouver, which includes a road record of 37-58-17. The Kings are 2-7-0 in the last 2013-14, Away: 8 (5) / 4-1-1 / 1.24 / .955 / 3 nine meetings in Vancouver, dating back to March 13, 2009. After tonight, the teams will meet on January 4 and 13 in Los Angeles, and on April 5 in Vancouver Projected Starting Goaltender – Roberto Luongo Vancouver. … The Kings have scored two goals or fewer four times in the 2013-14 Season: 21 GP (21 GS) / 10-7-4 record / 2.30 GAA / .914 Sv% / 2 last five games and are 3-0-2 over that stretch. … Excluding the shootout SHO goal in Buffalo, Los Angeles has allowed two goals or fewer in nine straight games. They have allowed 10 goals over the last nine games. … The Career vs Los Angeles: 28 (28) / 14-10-4 / 2.31 / .918 / 3 Kings’ nine-game point streak (6-0-3) is the fifth longest point streak in club history. The franchise record is 11, accomplished in 1973-74 and 2010-11. Last Game vs Los Angeles: 11/9/13 / 32 MP / 14-18 shots / 1-5 L … Los Angeles has killed off 26 of the last 28 power plays dating back to 2013-14, Home: 12 (12) / 5-5-2 / 2.07 / .920 / 1 November 7, and 19 of the last 20 power plays, dating back to November 14. … Ben Scrivens has allowed five goals in the last 340:04, having 2013-14 Los Angeles Leaders stopped 140 of 145 shots over that period. … Dustin Brown has three points (2-1=3) and is a plus-7 in 10 November games. He has gone 13 Total Points: Anze Kopitar (6-16=22) games without recording a power play point. … Justin Williams has 16 Goals: Justin Williams (9-9=18) points (7-9=16) over the last 16 games. … With 185 career goals, Dustin Brown is one goal behind Jim Fox for ninth place on the club’s all-time goal Assists: Anze Kopitar (6-16=22) scoring list. … Justin Williams’ next goal will be the 200th of his career. … Mike Richards is expected to play in his 600th career game tonight. Plus/Minus: Dustin Brown (+10; 4-5=9) Vancouver Projected Lines Penalty Minutes: Daniel Carcillo (34; 1-1=2) Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Alexandre Burrows Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (25:39; 4-8=12) David Booth – Ryan Kesler – Jannik Hansen 2013-14 Vancouver Leaders Chris Higgins – Mike Santorelli – Zack Kassian Total Points: Henrik Sedin (6-18=24) Tom Sestito – Brad Richardson – Dale Weise Goals: Ryan Kesler (10-7=17) Alexander Edler – Jason Garrison Assists: Henrik Sedin (6-18=24) Dan Hamhuis – Christopher Tanev Plus/Minus: Kevin Bieksa (+9; 1-10=11) Ryan Stanton – Kevin Bieksa Penalty Minutes: Tom Sestito (52; 1-0=1) Roberto Luongo Time On Ice: Alexander Edler (24:18; 3-5=8) Eddie Lack Rankings and Statistics Notes and milestones: Lines via Kevin Woodley of NHL.com. … Ryan Goals/Game: LAK – 21 / 2.50; VAN – 18 / 2.56 Stanton ranks second amongst rookie defensemen with 10 points (1-9=10). Goals Against/Game: LAK – 4 / 2.08; VAN – 14 / 2.48 … With 299 career goals, Daniel Sedin is one goal shy of 300 in his career. Earlier this year, Winnipeg forward and former Los Angeles draft pick Olli Power Play: LAK – 14 / 18.9%; VAN – t-28 / 11.5% Jokinen scored his 300th career goal against the Kings. … With an average of 22:32 minutes per game, Henrik Sedin leads all NHL forwards in average Penalty Kill: LAK – t-11 / 83.5%; VAN – 1 / 89.2% time on ice. He will play in his 655th consecutive game tonight, which ranks second amongst active players (Jay Bouwmeester, STL / 657) and sixth in Shots/Game: LAK – 8 / 31.6; VAN - 3 / 32.8 NHL history. … Vancouver is 7-6-1 when their opponent scores first. Shots Against/Game: LAK – 3 / 25.5; VAN – t-7 / 27.4 Henrik Sedin, on his defensive responsibility: Faceoffs: LAK – 1 / 55.6%; VAN – 12 / 50.9% I think the last couple years we’ve been mainly put in a position to score Save Percentage: LAK – 9 / .918; VAN – t-19 / .910 goals. We didn’t play PK. We didn’t take a lot of faceoffs in our own end because our team was built that way. We’ve never cheated…We take a lot of pride in playing well defensively. We want to be complete players, so that’s my only comment, and I think our plus/minus shows that we’re not cheating. If you look around the league, there are a lot of players that have put a lot of points up on the board, but they’re still minus players, and I think that might be when you question it a little bit. But we’ve always taken a lot of pride in that. But again, in the past couple years…we’ve been on the ice mainly to score goals. We still are, but we take a lot of pride in it, for sure. Sedin, on whether Drew Doughty’s comments were “bulletin board material”: Don’t care at all. No. Zero percent. John Tortorella, on the earlier loss to Los Angeles, and the team’s scoring rut: I didn’t even think it was a blowout….because I thought we had some good minutes in that game. But within that – I think they had three goals on four shots within that time. That’s what happened there. But, again – it’s a loss. I’m just anxious for the guys to get their uniform on and play again, and I’m sure they are, because they’re frustrated with some of the things that have gone on, and I just don’t think we’re far. And I know no one wants to hear that, but you’re not going to talk me into saying ‘This is a lousy hockey club that’s played lousy,’ because it hasn’t. We have not gotten the results that we’ve wanted, but as I’ve said all along, I’m going to coach the team the way it’s playing. That’s a huge part, as far as a coach, for me, is I watch the tape, and if we’re playing like crap, we’re going to handle it like we’re playing like crap. If we’re playing well, we’re going to stay with ‘em. And I’m staying with the team. I am going to support ‘em, and I’m going to get through this. Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727436 Los Angeles Kings

November 25 morning skate quotes: Nolan, Scrivens

Jordan Nolan, on his health: I feel good right now. I’m ready to go. It is just up to coach if he is putting me in tonight or not, but I’m ready to go. Nolan, on his hit on Peter Harrold in New Jersey: I wasn’t feeling quite right after that hit. So I took a few days, and now I feel like I’m back to 100-percent right now. Nolan, on what worked well in the previous win over Vancouver: I think we just came out [and] we played the game we needed to play. We were relentless on the forecheck. We played big, strong, physical and we shut the Sedins down, which is a big part of the game. We just played L.A. hockey. Nolan, on whether shutting down the Sedins is the key to beating Vancouver: They are a big part of their team. They kind of get the ball rolling for them. So if we play physical on them, it definitely does a lot of damage. So hopefully if we do the right work on them it will pay off. Nolan, on seeing Brad Richardson in a Canucks jersey: It’s good. He is a good player and he didn’t too play much here and he felt like he needed a better opportunity. It looks like he is getting it here in Vancouver. It looks like he is enjoying himself here, playing a lot, and he is doing well, so it’s nice to see. It should be fun going against him tonight. Ben Scrivens, on whether he is “in a groove”: You try to not put yourself in a state like that, because when things go the other way, now you’re ‘Well, I’m just out of it right now.’ You try and approach it is as an individual state, I guess. Each game you should try and give it your best effort and try and stop as many shots as possible. And then we let the descriptors – the adjectives to describe how we are playing – fall on you guys. Scrivens, on facing a Vancouver team “hungry for goals”: They’re a good team. Obviously they’ve some really dangerous guys offensively so we’re going to have to be aware and cognizant of what they’ve going on. Our coaches have done a good job of getting our team prepared. It’s going to come down to, I guess, who executes better. Scrivens, on ranking second in league save percentage behind former teammate James Reimer: I try not to play head games with myself, but obviously I’ve paid attention to Reims. He is a good buddy. I’m really happy for him that he is doing well. He’s putting up good numbers. I sent him a text the other day saying ’50 shots, how am I going to compete with that?’ He had a great one against the Caps and I’m really happy for him. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727437 Los Angeles Kings

Carter to be activated; Quick to IR?

Jeff Carter will be activated from injured reserve prior to tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. Carter will be activated prior to tonight's game. 13 forwards will take part in warmups; he'll be a game time decision. — Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) November 25, 2013 No decision has been made, but I've been told it will "probably" be Quick going on IR to make room for Carter. — Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) November 25, 2013 “If he gets through warmup, we’ll make a decision,” Darryl Sutter said in regards to whether the 28-year-old would play tonight. The Kings are 6-1-3 in the 10 games since Carter broke his foot in overtime of the team’s 4-3 win over San Jose on October 30. He has five goals and nine points in 14 games. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727438 Minnesota Wild On Blues working the puck deep and going to work, Yeo said, “They were very strong on their gameplan. They were just getting everything in deep and forecheck and forecheck and forecheck. That’s how they got the lead Postgame: Parise injured as the Wild begins a difficult stretch of games with and they committed to that.” a loss at St. Louis Yeo said the Wild wasn’t strong enough with its exits and when it had a chance to be first on pucks, players weren’t and that’s how St. Louis scored its first two goals. Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild game coverage Updated: November 25, 2013 - 11:30 PM Parise’s quotes on his disallowed goal in the new game notebook on www.startribune.com/wild, so please read that. He had some strong quotes. Niklas Backstrom forked over a bunch of rebounds in the first, and then First things first, on Tuesday, the persistent question I understandably when the Wild’s D were routinely beaten to the net by Blues forwards, it expect to get from all Wild fans is, “Any update on Zach Parise yet?” turned into disaster. The answer will probably be, “No.” Backstrom said, “That’s their strength. They’ve had a lot of success with that the last couple years. It’s always a challenge for the goalie against The Wild has the day off Tuesday, so typically when that happens, injury them. I don’t know if you want to call it playoff style hockey, but that’s how it updates aren’t revealed until the next availability, which will occur is. In the playoffs, you get the bodies in front of the net and get the puck Wednesday morning. So you may have to hold your breath for 24+ hours or there. so. Jason Pominville said once St. Louis got that early lead, it made life difficult, Try not to turn blue. saying that’s what Ken Hitchcock teams thrive on. Also, the Wild’s just not drawing a lot of power plays lately. Pominville (and Yeo this morning) If there’s an update, we’ll get it out to you ASAP. But right now, Parise was basically said when you’re backchecking all game, you’re not going to draw nailed on the instep of his left foot when he blocked Alex Steen’s one-timer penalties. on a first-period penalty kill. “We’re not playing enough in the O zone,” Pominville said. Parise struggled to the bench and was late arriving to the game in the second period. He returned and it was clear his first hop of the boards that There is rarely a good time to play the powerhouse St. Louis Blues, but the he wasn’t feeling the greatest. Still, he battled through three shifts, drew a Blues are churning like a buzz saw right now. penalty and played almost every second of a power play before leaving the game for good. The Blues are arguably the deepest team in the NHL and have run through almost every opponent it has faced (three regulation losses in 23 games), Parise emerged in the locker room after the game in just a dress sock. He blowing out many recently. was limping, but he said he didn’t know how bad it was and that he’ll wait to find out after seeing doctors and getting x-rays, an MRI, etc., on Tuesday. Early tonight, the Cup contenders played keep-away with the puck and barely gave up scoring chances to the Wild. In fact, the Wild’s best chance “When a guy like Zach gets hurt, it’s always concerning because he’s a top- in the first two periods may have come on Zenon Konopka’s goalmouth notch player and brings an awful lot more than just scoring goals," coach backhander. When your best chance comes from an enforcer with one goal Mike Yeo said. "But I do think we’re a deep enough team and have enough since Dec. 2011, it typically doesn’t bode well. character that we should be able to battle through it. But certainly it’ll be a challenge.” The Blues have racked up an 11-game home point streak against Minnesota, not losing in regulation to the Wild in St. Louis since Oct. 20, Yeo then interrupted himself to say, “who knows with Zach,” and that the 2007. Wild must wait for results before it’ll know the prognosis and whether he can even play Wednesday against Phoenix. Talk to you Tuesday if there’s Parise news. Otherwise, Wednesday morning. If the Wild is without Parise for awhile, look out because the team just began its toughest stretch so far this season Monday with a 3-0 loss to St. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Louis. In now eight of the next 10 games, it faces Phoenix, Colorado, San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim. In order, Chicago, St. Louis, San Jose, Phoenix, Colorado and Anaheim are the top-6 scoring teams in the league. Minnesota ranks 23rd and could be entering this stretch without its leading scorer either out or hurting. Tonight, not a good game. Read all the coverage in the paper for most the details, but the Cliff’s Notes version: Disputable disallowed goal by the ref on Parise’s tally 30 seconds in (ruled a high-stick, and because of that, when there was no conclusive video evidence, the call stood up), and then 50 seconds later, Vladimir Sobotka scored. Frustration engulfed the Wild and whether it was that, what St. Louis was doing or both, the Wild was schooled during a first period where virtually every waking moment was spent in the Wild end. “I thought it’s in,” Mikko Koivu said of the Parise no-goal. “You want to have a good start on the road and I thought we did. And then they get their first right after, so that makes it even more frustrating. It’s a tough way to start the game when you think you score and it’s not a goal and they score right after. That’s an excuse. But the difference is we didn’t create enough.” That’s for sure. The Wild created nothing in the first and barely anything in the second. The third was all Minnesota (12-1 shot count, the 1 being Steen’s empty-netter), but by then, Jaroslav Halak was there to make all the saves. Some quotes: Yeo: “We were prepared, engaged right from the start, we come out and do what we’re supposed to do. To me, it’s clear, it’s a good goal.” 727439 Minnesota Wild “I think we all know how worried we are,” captain Mikko Koivu said. “Hope it’s not going to be bad.” Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Wild's loss is doubly painful: Parise suffers foot injury

Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune Updated: November 26, 2013 - 12:30 AM

ST. LOUIS – Wild brass, players and fans will be holding their collective breath the next few days while it is determined just how serious of a foot injury Zach Parise sustained Monday night. The Wild’s 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues became an afterthought once Parise limped out of the trainer’s room wearing only a dress sock on his left foot. While going down to block a shot on a late first-period penalty kill, the Wild’s leading scorer was nailed on the instep by a one-time shot by Alex Steen. Parise fell to the ice in pain before struggling to the bench. He was late to emerge in the second period, then fought through three shifts in the period before being lost for the rest of the game. Parise will be examined by team doctors Tuesday. “You try not to get too worried about it until you find out what’s really wrong,” Parise said. Coach Mike Yeo though seemed to be preparing for life for a while without Parise, saying, “When a guy like Zach gets hurt, it’s always concerning because he’s a top-notch player and brings an awful lot more than just scoring goals. But I do think we’re a deep enough team and have enough character that we should be able to battle through it. But certainly it’ll be a challenge.” Yeo then interrupted himself to say, “Who knows with Zach?” and that the Wild must wait for results before it’ll know the prognosis and whether he can play Wednesday against Phoenix. The Wild has Tuesday off, so Parise’s status might not be known until Wednesday. It was a frustrating night overall for Parise, who appeared to give the Wild a 1-0 lead 30 seconds into the game before the goal was erased by Frederick L’Ecuyer. The referee ruled that Parise’s redirection of Ryan Suter’s point shot was scored with a high stick. It was one of those situations where if L’Ecuyer ruled goal, it would have remained a goal. But because he determined Parise’s downward chop connected with the puck higher than the crossbar, the goal was disallowed when officials in the NHL’s video review room couldn’t find conclusive evidence to overturn his call. To make matters worse, the Blues responded by taking a 1-0 lead 50 seconds later. “To me it’s clear, it’s a good goal,” Yeo said. “Fair to say we probably came unraveled for a few minutes after that. … It’s bad enough we should be up 1-nothing and now all of a sudden we’re down 1-nothing.” With Josh Harding back in Minnesota nursing a stiff hamstring, Niklas Backstrom got his second consecutive start. The veteran couldn’t handle Carlo Colaiacovo’s deflected shot and Vladimir Sobotka buried the rebound. The Blues spent the rest of the first period having their way with the Wild in Minnesota’s end, outshooting the Wild 12-4 and taking a 2-0 lead on another point shot, then rebound goal by Steen. Wild players blamed it on the disallowed goal, saying they never overcame the frustration. “We lost our composure and we didn’t stay as even-keeled as we would have liked,” forward Jason Pominville said. While Blues coach Ken Hitchcock agreed the disallowed goal “could have had maybe a little difference in the game,” he also felt “the way we played in the first period, we were really going. Every part of our game was going.” The Wild didn’t create much until the third, when it outshot St. Louis 12-1 (the one shot being Steen’s empty-net goal). Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves for the Blues, which improved to 11-1-2 at home and 8-0-3 in their past 11 at home against Minnesota. Still, the only concern postgame was with Parise’s health. 727440 Minnesota Wild

Wild-St. Louis recap

Michael Russo Updated: November 25, 2013 - 11:01 PM

Game recap Star Tribune’s Three stars 1. Vladimir Sobotka, Blues: Hard-hitting, hard-working forward scored the winning goal and won 10 of 11 faceoffs. 2. Jay Bouwmeester, Blues: Mobile blue-liner was a rock defensively and had an assist on Alex Steen’s first-period goal. 3. Jaroslav Halak, Blues: Made 22 saves for his 27th shutout, including a third period when St. Louis was outshot 12-1. By the numbers 36 Faceoff losses on 55 tries for the Wild. 8-0-3 Blues in their past 11 games at home against the Wild. 9-2-1 The Wild’s record in November. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 727441 Minnesota Wild Etc. • Goalie Josh Harding missed his second game in a row because of a stiff hamstring caused by spasms. Forward Torrey Mitchell, who has missed Wild notes: Parise steams over waved-off goal three games because of a leg injury, was placed on injured reserve so goalie Darcy Kuemper could back up Niklas Backstrom against St. Louis

Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune Harding suffered a similar injury during an Oct. 24 game against Carolina. Backstrom played the third period of that game and then consecutive Updated: November 26, 2013 - 12:19 AM games against Chicago • Defenseman Nate Prosser dressed for the Wild while Matt Dumba was scratched. ST. LOUIS – Zach Parise still was perplexed after Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Blues for having a goal disallowed 30 seconds in. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Referee Frederick L’Ecuyer ruled Parise deflected Ryan Suter’s point shot with a high stick. Since the NHL war room in Toronto found no conclusive evidence to overturn the goal, the zebra’s call stood. “There was no way — no way — my stick was over the crossbar,” said Parise, who later left the game because of an injured left foot. “I don’t know what they’re watching. I get that on the ice they make that split-second call. I get that. But once you review it and you have all the camera angles, I mean, I’m 5-10, I don’t even think my stick was even over my waist. That’s a bad call. “That’s the wrong call. There’s just no way around it. That’s just the wrong call. To make matters worse, 50 seconds after the goal was waved off, Vladimir Sobotka gave the Blues a 1-0 lead to change the complexion of the game. “Of course there’s frustration on the bench, and they come back and score right after, it’s really deflating in a game we were prepared for, in a game I felt ready to play,” Parise said. “That’s really deflating.” Teammates agreed. “They’re a team that’s tough to play against anyway, but when they get the lead, it makes it harder,” Jason Pominville said. Red, white and blue Monday’s first meeting between the Wild and Blues featured three — Parise, Suter and Blues captain David Backes — of the five members of the United States’ “leadership group” for February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russia. In July, those three and the other two members, Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown and Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, met with General Manager David Poile and coach Dan Bylsma at a Bloomington hotel for two days of Olympic planning. One of the players will be named captain. The other four, Parise said, likely will rotate the “A’s.” “You can’t really go wrong,” Parise said of who will be chosen captain. “We all play the right way and are not necessarily the most vocal guys, but play hard on the ice and lead by example.” Backes agreed, saying, “It doesn’t matter who’s got the ‘C’ on their jersey. As a unit of five guys, we’re going to have to have leadership by committee. Whoever it is, I’m guessing it’ll take a great support with the other four.” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, a member of Team Canada’s staff, joked, “I hope they fail miserably. I hope they all get ankle strains and can’t play and Backes is ready to go in Vancouver for [the Blues’] first practice [after the Olympic break].” Rupp returns Veteran winger Mike Rupp made his long-awaited season debut after offseason knee surgery on a line with Zenon Konopka and Justin Fontaine. He played eight shifts and had two shots. Rupp, 33, had just completed five games during a conditioning stint with AHL Iowa and drew into his first NHL game since May 9 because Mikael Granlund missed his second game in a row because of an upper-body injury. “I’m pleased with what progress has been made in the last 10 days,” Rupp said. “It’s been really good in my head. I want to keep building on that.” Coach Mike Yeo hopes Granlund can return Wednesday against Phoenix. 727442 Minnesota Wild Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom, who started in place of Josh Harding, fell to 2-2-2. Harding is day-to-day with a groin injury. The Wild concluded a four-game road trip at 2-2. Steen scores 2 goals, Halak makes 22 saves in Blues' 3-0 over Wild St. Louis has a franchise record 37 points through its first 23 games. NOTES: St. Louis D Kevin Shattenkirk missed the game because of the Article by: STEVE OVERBEY , Associated Press flu. ... Minnesota LW Mike Rupp made his season debut after missing 24 Updated: November 25, 2013 - 11:15 PM games due to offseason knee surgery. He finished with two shots on goal in 5:07. ... This was the first of five meetings between the new Central Division rivals. ... The Blues lead the NHL with a plus-32 goal differential. ... St. Louis LW Ryan Reaves underwent surgery Monday for a broken bone in his ST. LOUIS — Jaroslav Halak needed a wakeup call. He got one in the form right hand. Reaves, who leads the team with 69 hits, is expected to miss at of a disallowed goal. least six weeks. ... Minnesota has failed to score on its last 11 power plays against the Blues. Halak made 22 saves, and Alexander Steen scored twice to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Steen has 19 goals this season, one behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. Vladimir Sobotka also scored for the Blues, who are 9-1-1 in their last 11 and 12-2-1 in the last 15. They have won six straight against Minnesota by a combined score of 20-7. The Wild were shut out for the first time this season and lost only their second game in the last eight. Minnesota (15-6-4) is still off to its best start with 34 points in its first 25 games. Halak improved to 13-3-2 with his third successive win. He robbed Zenon Konopka from close range late in the second period and earned his second shutout of the season and 27th of his NHL career. The Wild managed just 10 shots over the first two periods, but tested Halak with 12 shots in the final 20 minutes. "The first two periods, no action for me," Halak said. "I needed to stay focused. It wasn't easy." Minnesota appeared to take a 1-0 lead when Zach Parise deflected a shot behind Halak just 30 seconds into the game. The on-ice officials ruled he tipped the puck with a high stick. After a lengthy review, the call stood. Parise was certain that the goal should have counted. "There is no way my stick was over the crossbar," he said. "I'm 5-10 and I don't think the stick was over my waist. "That's just the wrong call." Parise sustained a bruised left foot on a shot by Steen in the first period. Parise played three shifts into the second period before leaving the game. "We'll find out more (Tuesday)," said Parise, who was walking with a noticeable limp after the game. Minnesota coach Mike Yeo agreed that the goal should have counted. "To me, it was clear that it was a goal," he said. "It's fair to say (after that) we came unraveled." Halak was not sure if Parise's stick was high enough to disallow the goal. "It was one of those lucky bounces on our side," he said. "If it was a little bit lower, it would have been a goal. Not giving up a goal like that is huge. It would have been a big boost for them." The Blues needed just 50 seconds to parlay the early break into a 1-0 lead. Sobotka converted off a shot by Carlo Colaiacovo at 1:20. Sobotka also scored the first goal 1:39 into a 6-1 win over Dallas on Saturday. "We talked about it, that we needed a fast start and we needed to play hard," Sobotka said. "I think we did a good job of that." Steen broke out of four-game goal drought by pounding in the rebound of Jay Bouwmeester's shot midway through the first period to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. Steen added an empty-net goal with 1:22 left. "We did a good job of getting pucks through," Steen said. "I thought it was a good game." Both of the Blues' first-period goals came on rebounds of shots from long range. "I thought it was of one the best games we've played five-on-five," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We did a lot of good things." 727443 Minnesota Wild The Rupp-Zenon Konopka-Dany Heatley line should be an interesting one. Konopka is suddenly the best skater on the line, but if that line can play in the offensive zone and ask some size and physicality, it could be utilized Mike Rupp to play first NHL game in 6 1/2 months; Mikael Granlund, Josh well by the Wild tonight. Harding out tonight at St. Louis Yeo said he’s “anxious to have [Rupp] back and his teammates are, too.” Rupp said the games in Iowa were a good thing for him. Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild pregame skate Updated: November “From Game 1 to Game 5, I’m pleased with the progress in that time,” Rupp 25, 2013 - 1:00 PM said, saying he was trying to just get rid of some bad habits by not playing for so long.

Rugged veteran forward Mike Rupp will play his first NHL game since May What’s good for Rupp is he gets back to the Wild and can immediately play. 9’s playoff game against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight when the Wild A week ago when the Wild had Granlund and Mitchell, Rupp extended his visits the St. Louis Blues. conditioning stint because he thought it would be beneficial to him but because he also knew the Wild wasn’t about to fiddle with its winning Rupp, coming off a five-game conditioning stint with AHL Iowa as the final lineup. step in his recoup from offseason knee surgery, draws into the lineup because center Mikael Granlund will miss his second game in a row with an So Rupp would have done the rehab thing and then risked getting rusty upper-body injury. again in the press box. Now he gets to continue getting back into the swing of playing again. Coach Mike Yeo says from what he’s “been told, we don’t have reason to be concerned. We’re just calling him day-to-day and we’ll see what “I’m pleased with what progress has been made in the last 10 days,” Rupp happens here tomorrow.” said. “It’s been really good in my head. I want to keep building on that. The more I’m getting reps in practice and the more I’m playing, the stronger I’m Yeo is being hush-hush about what the issue with Granlund is. Like I wrote going to get.” on yesterday’s blog, he played four games since the Nazem Kadri head shot but was hammered by Marc Methot last Wednesday in Ottawa. Rupp said more than nerves tonight, there’s more “anticipation.” Whatever the injury is, the Wild is clearly thinking there’s a chance “The NHL season is a big groove, and you want to find that as quick as you Granlund could play Wednesday against Phoenix because if he was can,” Rupp said. “I’m joining a team that’s been playing really well, so you already ruled out for that game, the Wild could simply place Granlund on just want to try to be a part of it and build from game to game.” injured reserve retroactive to last Wednesday and call up a forward to I talked to David Backes, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter a lot about the U.S. replace him. Instead, the Wild is keeping Granlund off IR, which would allow leadership group they're a part of with Dustin Brown and Ryan Callahan for him to play Wednesday if he can. the Olympics. That will be in tomorrow's paper. I'm also working ahead on a Torrey Mitchell has been placed on IR (he can come off whenever he’s pretty fun story that will hopefully run Wednesday. healthy) and that move allows Darcy Kuemper to back up tonight. Josh Star Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Harding was not able to return to St. Louis because of a stiff hamstring that was apparently spasming in Winnipeg. Apparently, it’s a similar injury to why he had to come out of the Carolina game Oct. 24. Niklas Backstrom played the third period of that game and then consecutive games against Chicago. Harding’s had some awful luck in this building anyway. He strained his groin here in 2005, which thrust Backstrom onto the NHL stage initially. He tore his ACL and MCL here in his preseason debut in 2010. He also got sick in a tie game here in the preseason. Johan Gustafsson proceeded to come in and the Wild got shellacked in the third. Same thing as Granlund, the Wild is hoping Harding is a day-to-day thing and can play this weekend. If the Wild was worried, it could put Harding on injured reserve retroactive to the time of injury, but the problem with that is he would have to miss a week. With the tough stretch of games coming up, the Wild needs Harding back soon. Backstrom vs. Jaroslav Halak tonight. Ken Hitchcock is going against the grain, starting Halak, who is 1-2-3 against the Wild with a 2.45 goals- against average and .911 save percentage, as opposed to Brian Elliott, who is 4-0 against the Wild with a 2.04 goals-against average. But both St. Louis goalies are playing great and Halak is 12-3-2 with a 2.34 goals-against average and .906 save percentage (Elliott 4-0-1 with a 1.79 GAA and .932 SV%). Nate Prosser will skate on the blue line for Minnesota. Matt Dumba is scratched. Kevin Shattenkirk didn’t skate for St. Louis this morning because of the flu, so the Wild may catch a break there. The Blues have gotten points in 10 straight at home vs. Minnesota since Oct. 20, 2007 (7-0-3, or from the Wild’s standpoint, Minnesota is 3-5-2 in its past 10 at St. Louis). The Blues have won five in a row vs. the Wild and is 5-0-1 in the past six. The Blues have scored in 12 of the past 13 periods against Minnesota, at least three goals in three straight home games against Minnesota and outshot the Wild by at least 18 shots in each of the last three home games and 117-60 overall. So, tough task tonight. 727444 Minnesota Wild said. "I do think that we're a deep enough team and that we have enough character that we should be able to battle through it, but certainly it'll be a challenge." Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise suffers injured foot in shutout loss to Blues Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.26.2013

By Chad Graff [email protected] Posted: 11/25/2013 12:01:00 AM CST | Updated: about 5 hours ago

ST. LOUIS -- Thirty seconds had elapsed in a game between the NHL's two hottest teams when, after a longer-than-usual review, referee Frederick L'Ecuyer stood at the red line and told a delighted crowd that an early Zach Parise goal wouldn't count. There wasn't conclusive evidence, L'Ecuyer said, to determine whether Parise's deflection occurred lower than the crossbar or not, something required for a goal. So they stuck with the original call which was no goal. Fifty seconds later, Vladmir Sobotka scored to put the Blues up 1-0 for what amounted to a two-goal swing, which was all the Blues needed. One game removed from a gut-check win in Winnipeg, the Wild crumbled following the no-goal call and didn't find an offensive rhythm all game, their first this season without lighting the lamp. "It's fair to say we probably didn't handle that (well)," coach Mike Yeo said. "It's bad enough that we should be up 1-0 and now all of a sudden we're down 1-0." After Parise's goal that wasn't, the Wild were outshot 12-4 over the next 19 minutes, 30 seconds. They were outscored 2-0 in that time. They lost 3-0 following an empty-netter. More important than a hyped November tilt, though, was the loss of Parise. The Wild's best forward took an Alexander Steen slap shot off his left foot and his prognosis after the game was unknown. The $98 million winger will undergo testing Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury and his status going forward. Parise hasn't missed any of the Wild's 78 games since signing with Minnesota. He limped to the bench following the blocked shot in the first period and skated three second-period shifts before his night ended early. He wore a dress shoe on his right foot and nothing more than a black sock on his left after the game as he limped across the visitor's locker room at Scottrade Center. "It's tough to say right now," Parise said of his injury. "You try not to get too worried about it until you find out what's really wrong." That won't come until Tuesday. Until then, the team is left to ponder what might have been following the disallowed goal. After the ruling, the Wild fell apart, letting the situation get the best of them. They spent little time in the offensive zone and took two penalties in the first period, still fixated on a scoreboard they felt read 1-0 in the wrong direction. "I saw that it was a goal," Parise said. "There's no way -- no way -- that my stick was over the crossbar. I don't know what they're watching. I get that on the ice they make that split-second call. I get that. But then once you review it and you have all the camera angles ... I mean, I'm 5-foot-10 and I don't think my stick was even over my waist. It's a bad call." Saturday in Winnipeg, the Wild played poorly in the first period, but escaped with a scoreless frame and clawed their way back to a win. Monday night, they weren't able to escape a bad opening frame, got behind 2-0 to a superb defensive team and generated few chances from there. They went more than nine minutes without registering a shot on goal at the end of the first period. But on a night when they lost because they weren't able to respond to a controversial call, the loss of a single player could overshadow it all. "When a guy like Zach gets hurt, it's always concerning because he's a top- notch player and brings an awful lot more than just scoring goals," Yeo 727445 Minnesota Wild

Blues 3, Wild 0: Minnesota suffers first shutout of season

RECAP: Vladimir Sobotka and Alexander Steen netted first-period goals in a dominating frame and the Blues cruised to the win. It was the first time this season that the Wild were shut out. Zach Parise took a Steen slap shot to the leg at the end of the first period, skated sporadically in the second and not at all in the third period. Jaroslav Halak stopped 21 Wild shots for the shutout. MEANING: It was just the second regulation loss of the month for the Wild, who fell to 5-5-2 on the road and 15-6-4 overall against the NHL's top team. The Wild, though, play four of their next five games in St. Paul, where they're 10-1-2. ETC.: The Blues move to 6-0-1 in their last seven games against the Wild at Scottrade Center and 8-0-3 in their last 11 at home against Minnesota. ... The Wild were outshot 12-4 in the first period Monday and 14-4 in the first period Saturday. ... The Blues registered one third-period shot, an empty- net goal by Steen. UP NEXT: vs. Coyotes, 7 p.m. Wednesday, FSN, KFXN-FM 100.3 Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727446 Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild: Mike Rupp finally ready to make season debut

ST. LOUIS -- For the first time in more than six months, Mike Rupp is slated to play in an NHL game. The fourth-line winger is expected to play for the Wild, his first game since the team's first-round playoff series loss in Chicago in May. He was sidelined after having offseason knee injury. He just finished a five-game conditioning stint with Minnesota's American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa. "It was a really good thing for me," Rupp said. "I think from game one to game five (in Iowa), I'm pleased with the progress in that time. More of it, I think, was getting rid of bad habits from not playing." Rupp's returns comes in the Wild's 25th game of the season, a nationally televised match-up with one of the NHL's top teams, the St. Louis Blues. Rupp takes the open roster spot left vacant because Mikael Granlund is expected to miss his second straight game with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Granlund hasn't skated with the team since last Wednesday's game in Ottawa. "I was hoping to have him here (Monday), but I'm going to keep him off," coach Mike Yeo said of Granlund. "From what I've been told, we don't have reason to be concerned. We'll just call it day to day and see what happens (Tuesday)." Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727447 Minnesota Wild 727448 Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild: Olympic loyalties on hold for now Minnesota Wild: Goalie Josh Harding not with team in St. Louis

By Chad Graff By Chad Graff [email protected] [email protected] Posted: 11/25/2013 12:01:00 AM CST | Updated: about 12 hours ago Posted: 11/25/2013 12:01:00 AM CST | Updated: about 13 hours ago

ST. LOUIS -- Against the backdrop of the Mall of America, five NHL players ST. LOUIS -- Wild goalie Josh Harding did not travel with the team to St. who make up America's leadership group heading into the 2014 Winter Louis after suffering a lower-body injury warming up for Saturday's game in Olympics met at a Marriott hotel not far from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Winnipeg. International Airport. Harding returned to the Twin Cities after the game in Winnipeg to get They sat down for two days in late July with Team USA's management staff checked out by team doctors. An MRI revealed no damage. to discuss February's Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Head coach Dan Bylsma and America's associate general manager Ray Shero, of St. Paul, were After the team determined Harding would not be able to serve as Niklas there. Backstrom's backup for Monday's game, the Wild kept him in the Twin Cities to rest. Coach Mike Yeo said Harding's status was "day to day." After several dinners and five or six hours of discussion each day, the five players met for a conversation. Darcy Kuemper was slated to serve as the Wild's backup goalie against the Blues. During the season, they agreed, they wouldn't hold anything back when they faced each other on the ice. Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 "We're going to go out there and battle, and after the game we can shake hands or when we get to Sochi we can mend fences or whatever," said St. Louis captain David Backes, one of the players who got together this summer. "But during the games when we're wearing different jerseys, there's no love lost. We'll give it to each other and then we'll mend those relationships as they come." Backes is joined in Team USA's leadership group by the Wild players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, along with Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings and Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers. It's a message both sides were reminded of entering Monday's game between Backes' Blues and the Wild. "I think there's always that understanding that we're probably going to be teammates coming up, but at the same time I respect that he's the captain of the St. Louis Blues and he's got to do his job, as do Ryan (Suter) and I," Parise said. "So whatever happens on the ice, you've got to do what you've got to do to win the game." That was evident in the preseason when Backes had a several on-ice incidents with Suter and Parise. "We had some run-ins, but he's an honest player and he plays hard," Parise said. "I understand that. It's part of the game. When we're skating back to the bench, he'd give me a little tap, and it's like he's doing it because that's what he's got to do and that's the way he plays, and I understand that. I'll do the same thing." The U.S. will announce its Olympic roster on Jan. 1 at the NHL's Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich. The team could feature as many as six players from the Wild and Blues. Parise, Suter and Jason Pominville of Minnesota, and Backes, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk of St. Louis all are vying for roster spots. "Those guys might be fighting for a little more ice time," Oshie said, "and I'm just trying to make the team here." In all, the Blues and Wild feature a combined 19 players who could make an Olympic roster. As for who will captain the American squad, both sides politely praised other members of the leadership group. Similar to the 2010 Olympics, Parise said, the Americans may select one captain and rotate two alternate captains based on designated home and road games. None of that matters much to Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who will serve as an assistant to the Canadian team. "I hope they fail miserably," he said with a laugh. "I hope they all get ankle strains and can't play. (Then) Backes should be ready to go for Vancouver for our first practice (after the Olympics), so he'll be in good shape." Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.26.2013 727449 Montreal Canadiens “I didn’t know what to expect, but we had some great teams and we were winning every night,” Gallant added. “I had Sean McKenna and John Chabot for linemates and we also had Michel Petit and Paul Boutilier.” Habs assistant coach Gallant honoured by QMJHL Gallant developed a style that would serve him well through an NHL career that spanned 619 games. By Pat Hickey, THE GAZETTE November 25, 2013 “I was 150 pounds and I was the English guy from the Maritimes and lot of guys were yapping a lot and I got in a lot of fights,” Gallant said. “That was a part of the game I enjoyed. I wasn’t a big guy, but the more I fought, the better I played.” MONTREAL - One of the keys to the Canadiens’ success this season has been the power play, and one of the architects of that unit was in the Gallant’s junior career ended in Verdun, where one of his linemates was spotlight Monday. Pat LaFontaine. They went to the Memorial Cup in 1983 and LaFontaine was the leading scorer in the playoffs with 35 points, while Gallant had 33, Gerard Gallant, who oversees the Canadiens’ power play along with fellow along with 84 penalty minutes. The 5-foot-10 forward had more than 200 assistant coach Clément Jodoin, is among four individuals who were penalty minutes in each of his three junior seasons and had four seasons in announced as the latest inductees into to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Detroit with more than 200 penalty minutes. League Hall of Fame. He will be joined by Patrice Brisebois, the former Canadiens defenceman working with the club as a development coach, Gallant had success as a coach in Saint John before Therrien brought him player Jean-Luc Phaneuf and former on-ice official Normand Caisse during to Montreal, but he said the Sea Dogs were “ready to take off and be a a ceremony on April 2. good team. In the three years I was there, we had a lot of good players and it was easy to coach.” “I feel very honoured,” said Gallant, who won QMJHL titles as a player with Sherbrooke and Verdun, and two league titles and a Memorial Cup as head Most of the talent had been assembled by Nathan Beaulieu’s father, coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs. Jacques. Gallant and Brisebois weren’t the only members of the Canadiens The Canadiens took it easy Monday with off-ice workouts. They’ll be back organization to be honoured Monday. Max Pacioretty, who snapped out of a on the ice in Brossard Tuesday before leaving for Buffalo. They play the slump with five goals in three games, was named as one of the National Sabres Wednesday night, have another game against the Capitals in Hockey League’s three stars for the past week. Washington on Friday, and then return home to play the Maple Leafs Saturday at the Bell Centre. To understand the contribution Gallant and Jodoin have made to the Canadiens’ power play, you only have to look at the numbers. The Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 Canadiens’ power play ranked 28th in 2011-12. With the new coaching staff last season, the Canadiens improved to fifth and they currently have the fourth-best power play in the league. “We try to keep it simple,” Gallant said. “We have good weapons there and we try to get pucks to the net.” Gallant said the Canadiens practice set plays, but noted that these rarely work out the way they’re planned. “Most of the goals are the result of rebounds or deflections,” Gallant said. “When we’re successful, it’s because we’ve worked hard and we’ve had people go to the net.” The Canadiens are fortunate to have Andrei Markov’s vision and P.K. Subban’s slapshot at the points. Gallant said teams are starting to key on Subban, “but when people get in the way of his shots they’re going to pay the price.” The Canadiens have played .500 hockey for most of the season, but have moved up with three wins in the past week. “We played three good teams and we played our best hockey,” Gallant said. Gallant dismissed a suggestion the Canadiens are particularly motivated when they play top teams. “They’re motivated for every team,” he said. “One thing that’s helped is that now we’re healthy, knock wood. And coach Michel Therrien has made some adjustments.” Gallant said Therrien controls the bench and his job as an assistant is to act as a teacher and a cheerleader. “Assistant coaches talk to the players about mistakes and we tell them when they’ve done something good,” Gallant said. “I try to be 80 per cent positive and 20 per cent negative.” Said defenceman Josh Gorges: “I’d say he’s more like 85-15.” Gallant grew up on Prince Edward Island, but left home at 16 to play for the Sherbrooke Castors. He described the experience as “nervous and nerve- racking.” “In those days, if you’re growing up in P.E.I. and you wanted to get better, you had to leave,” Gallant said. “In the first three months, I quit three times, but (general manager Georges Guilbault) talked me out of it and once I got past the Christmas break I was okay. 727450 Montreal Canadiens

Habs’ Pacioretty named NHL’s second star of week

Posted by Stu Cowan

The Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty was named the NHL’s second star of the week on Monday after leading all players with five goals last week, including two game-winners, as the Habs won three straight games. The five goals give Pacioretty 7-2-9 totals in 15 games this season. Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was named the NHL’s first star after leading all players with seven assists and eight points in four games. Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk was named the third star after posting a 2-0-0 record with a 0.50 goals-against average and .974 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on Monday that former Canadiens defenceman Patrice Brisebois and current Canadiens assistant coach Gerard Gallant will be among the four new inductees into the QMJHL Hall of Fame. Brisebois and Gallant will be joined by Jean-Luc Phaneuf and Normand Caisse at the official induction ceremony slated for April 2, 2014. Brisebois played 208 games in the QMJHL, posting 258 points, and won the Presidents Cup twice with Laval, in 1989 and 1990. He also won two gold medals with Team Canada at the world junior championships in 1990 and 1991. Brisebois is now a player development coach with the Canadiens. Gallant played three seasons in the QMJHL, starting in 1980-81, when he posted 41-60-101 totals in 68 games as a rookie with the Sherbrooke Castors. During his three seasons in the QMJHL, Gallant accumulated 321 points and 706 penalty minutes. After enjoying a day off Sunday, the Canadiens stayed away from the ice for a second straight day on Monday with the players doing off-ice training in Brossard. Rene Bourque, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, is skating but there was no word on when he might return to the lineup. The Canadiens return to action Wednesday when they visit the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m., TSN-HABS, RDS, TSN Radio 690). The Habs will be in Washington Friday (5 p.m., TSN-HABS, RDS, TSN Radio 690) before facing the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690). Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 727451 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators' offense unfazed without Patric Hornqvist

Nov. 25, 2013 | Written by Nick Cole

It might have been hard to notice in a three-goal first period on Monday night, but the Predators were without top offensive threat Patric Hornqvist for the first time this season. The 26-year-old winger was injured in the first period of Saturday’s loss to the Rangers and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Before the game, Predators coach Barry Trotz expressed concern that the offense would struggle without having Hornqvist to scrap in front of the net. The Predators went on to win 4-2, however. “It hurts with us, because a lot of the stuff like when you need that hard goal with people in the blue paint whacking and hacking and that type of thing, Patric is there,” Trotz said. “He is one of the best every night at creating scoring chances because he is winning those one-on-one battles and taking it to the goal, so yeah, we are going to miss him.” Trotz said he is hopeful that Hornqvist could return at some point over the Predators’ three-game stretch from Wednesday to Saturday. Hornqvist is tied with Craig Smith for second on the team with six goals and had registered eight points in 13 games prior to the injury. Points all around: The Predators had nine different players register a point in their three-goal first period. Six Predators registered assists on goals by Nick Spaling, Mike Fisher and Gabriel Bourque. Doan injured: Phoenix finished the game without the services of captain Shane Doan. The veteran forward left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury and was unable to return. Hanzal returns: After leaving the Coyotes’ last game in the first period with a lower-body injury, Martin Hanzal was back in the Phoenix lineup on Monday night. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound center registered an assist in the second period and leads the Coyotes with 20 points in 21 games. Five-on-five: With only one minor penalty called on the evening, the Predators and Coyotes played 58 of 60 minutes at even strength. Phoenix did not convert on its only power play opportunity. Going camo: The Predators took the ice for the pregame skate wearing camouflage sweaters in honor of “Military Monday” at the arena. They were made available for bid in a silent auction during the game to benefit the Predators Foundation. Pekka update: On Monday, Predators officials indicated that there was no new information on Pekka Rinne’s recovery from a hip infection that has sidelined the goaltender since Oct. 22. Rinne is expected to have an MRI in the coming days that will provide an update on the condition of the hip, and the Predators are expected to discuss a course of action to follow. Tennessean LOADED: 11.26.2013 727452 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators beat Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 Nashville scores three in opening period of victory

Nov. 25, 2013 | Written by Nick Cole

After being shut down completely Saturday night, it took the Predators just over one minute Monday to find their offensive groove against Phoenix. The Predators pounced early, scoring three goals in the first period en route to a 4-2 win over the Coyotes in front of 15,728 fans at Bridgestone Arena. “That was the mind-set that we have to come out with,” Predators coach Barry Trotz said. “We scored three, but we could have scored five or six. We had a couple of breakaways and (Coyotes goalie Mike) Smith made good saves. I think we took one off the post, and we just came out really well and executed.” Nick Spaling got the scoring started by putting a rebound of a Matt Cullen shot past Smith at the 1:02 mark. “I think that coming out early is a key to our success, especially at home,” Spaling said. “We have to take advantage of playing here. We’ve been on the road quite a bit lately, and it is nice to be home with all that energy and excitement.” The early success seemed to open the offensive floodgates for the Predators, who added two more goals in the opening period. Mike Fisher followed Spaling’s effort with a goal off a feed from the corner by Colin Wilson, and Gabriel Bourque took a feed from Viktor Stalberg to push the Nashville lead to 3-0. The Predators jumped out to a similar 3-0 lead against the Coyotes on Oct. 31 in Phoenix, only to watch the Coyotes rally back for a 5-4 shootout win after the fifth round of a shootout. But this time, the Predators showed more resolve in protecting the lead. “We kept it in the back of our minds,” Predators forward Colin Wilson said. “But I think we learned from it and weren’t going to let them come back. That’s the kind of resiliency that our team has.” The Predators weathered a second period in which the Coyotes put two shots past rookie goaltender Marek Mazanec. But it was the 22-year-old who turned away each of the Coyotes’ late third- period attacks to hang on until captain Shea Weber was able to send what was meant to be a clear of the zone with just under 35 seconds remaining into the empty Coyotes net to extend the lead to 4-2. Mazanec was so preoccupied with keeping the puck out of harm’s way that he didn’t even see the Weber clear go in the net. “I was busy,” he said, smiling. “I was just happy that the puck was away.” Tennessean LOADED: 11.26.2013 727453 New Jersey Devils

Devils relieved that Eric Gelinas wasn't seriously hurt on Evander Kane collision

By Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 25, 2013 at 11:19 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 11:23 PM

With 2:29 remaining in the second period Monday night, Devils rookie Eric Gelinas collided with Winnipeg’s Evander Kane and then remained on the ice for a prolonged period. When he finally got up, Gelinas limped off to the dressing room while also being slapped with a kneeing penalty. Fortunately, the young defenseman was able to return early in the third and finished the game. “A little scary. Especially when you’re down, 2-0. He’s a guy you want to see on the ice,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “They called him for a knee-on- knee hit, which wasn’t a knee-on-knee hit. He ended up with a little bit of a bruise but he came back. He was fine.” Slightly confused, maybe. “(Kane) jumped to sidestep me,” Gelinas said. “He got me on the side (of his thigh) with his knee. I had a charley horse.” * * * Rookie defenseman Jon Merrill’s second NHL game lasted longer than his debut on Nov. 3 in Minnesota when he lasted three shifts and 4:49 before suffering a concussion and facial lacerations when he crashed into the boards. DeBoer called this his first game. “I thought he did a good job for his first game. You could see his composure and his ability to move the puck,” the coach said. “Tough circumstances to throw him in and I thought he handled himself very well.” Merrill called his emergency recall from Albany (AHL) “a shock to me.” Merrill suffered a concussion and facial lacerations on the third shift on his NHL debut Nov. 3 in Minnesota and was sent back to the minors to get some ice time. "It felt great. Everything is good,” Merrill said of his stay in Albany. * * * Did the long flight home from California on Sunday and jet lag have an effect on the Devils in their 3-1 loss to the Jets? “Maybe early in the game but in the second and third I thought we skated real well and dictated play,” goalie Martin Brodeur said. “Being down, 2-0, maybe helped the way Winnipeg played and sat back a little more and got us going a little bit.” Patrik Elias, who scored the lone Devils goal, didn’t think travel was a factor. “I actually felt great,” Elias said. “I don’t think anything was said here about (travel fatigue). “It wasn’t a bad game overall at all. We had a lot more chances than we did in the previous three games and got better as the game went on.” DeBoer agreed. “We didn’t score. That’s about the only mistake we made,” he said. Asked if he is concerned about the age of his top players becoming a factor. DeBoer said: “Sure, but they’re in great shape. They take care of themselves. And I haven’t seen that as being an issue.” Star Ledger LOADED: 11.26.2013 727454 New Jersey Devils Whether it is via a trade to bring in more offense, or some other route, the Devils need to score more goals. “I would be more concerned if we didn’t have any chances to score,” Jagr Devils' offensive struggles continue in 3-1 loss to Winnipeg Jets said, “but we had a lot of chances. Just keep the faith.” Star Ledger LOADED: 11.26.2013 By Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 25, 2013 at 9:43 PM, updated November 26, 2013 at 2:30 AM

Before they even put on their pads, Devils goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider have a pretty good idea that on many nights they will not be getting much offensive support. Schneider has been the biggest victim of the team’s constant struggle to score goals, but Monday night it was Brodeur’s turn. Patrik Elias scored their lone goal and came close by hitting the crossbar on another chance, but the Devils came up short against goalie Ondrej Pavelec and the Winnipeg Jets, 3-1, at Prudential Center. “I hate to say it, but we’re kind of used to it a little bit. You just hope that we stay in games,” Brodeur suggested. “Sometimes you get a hot goalie or a lucky goalie. Tonight we got a bit of both. We hit that crossbar in the second (or) it could’ve been a lot different. “You see the way we play. We didn’t draw many penalties. That’s something offensively, if you do the right things you’ll draw more penalties and get more power plays. We haven’t done that in the last three games.” Coach Pete DeBoer said he was pleased with the effort from his team, but admitted the lack of offense is the reason they’ve dropped back below. 500 with two straight losses. “We’ve obviously got to score. We scored one goal in San Jose and we scored one goal tonight,” DeBoer said. “As nice as it sounds, you’re not going to win a lot of games, 1-0, in this league. The good news is I thought we generated enough chances to score two or three. We just didn’t put them in the back of the net.” Brodeur was in goal despite being hit with a Brent Burns shot in the back of the neck late in Saturday night’s loss at San Jose. "He had no effects from it. He wanted the game and that's enough for me," DeBoer said. “He’d won five in a row up until the San Jose game and even in that game he played well. He deserved to play. Early in the season Schneider had been in a similar situation and we went with him and let him run with it. I’m not going to treat Marty any differently than the other guy.” Neither did Brodeur’s teammates, who gave him the lack of support usually reserved for Schneider. They were already behind, 2-0, when Elias hit the crossbar with the Devils shorthanded at 12:54 of the second period. “The puck kind of rolled on me. The puck never settled down for me,” Elias noted. “Maybe a little bit of luck there and it would go in. That was what we call a muffin.” It was Elias who cut the deficit in half at 10:44 of the third period. Andy Greene’s slap shot was redirected by Elias and brought the crowd of 12,253 to its feet. “We got a goal and still had a lot of time left, and we were going,” Elias said. “Obviously you cannot play from behind all the time.” There were no more goals coming as Pavelec stopped 25 of 26 shots he faced. Brodeur was pulled for an extra attacker and Devin Setoguchi scored into an empty net with 27.1 seconds left. “There’s no reason to let that game go. It’s not like they did anything special. They sat back the whole game,” Brodeur said of the Jets. “They took advantage of some of the mistakes we made, a breakdown on the first goal and the other goal was off the faceoff that I should’ve stopped.” On the bright side, his neck felt fine. “No problem. No issues whatsoever,” Brodeur reported. 727455 New Jersey Devils

Devils are 20th-most valuable NHL franchise, according to Forbes

By Charles Curtis/NJ.com on November 25, 2013 at 2:58 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 3:03 PM

Somehow, the Devils dropped a spot on Forbes' annual list of NHL team values after they were sold for over $300 million in August. In 2012, they were 19th in the league and valued at $205 million. Under new management, they're now worth $320 million, but ranked 20th in the NHL. The site's Mike Ozanian noted values have jumped because "the trillions of dollars the Federal Reserve has pumped into the financial system the past five years had fueled a surge in stock prices and inflated asset values. ... When private equity billionaire Josh Harris is willing to pay $320 million for the money-losing New Jersey Devils -- even though the next highest offer was $240 million -- you know money is cheap." The Devils' rivals are more valuable this year -- the Rangers are the second-highest valued franchise ($850 million) behind the Maple Leafs, while the Flyers are seventh ($500 million). The least valuable team is also a member of the Metropolitan division: the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are worth $175 million. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.26.2013 727456 New Jersey Devils

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur feeling fine, will start against Jets

By Mike Vorkunov/The Star-Ledger on November 25, 2013 at 12:55 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 1:06 PM

After taking a puck to the back of the neck Saturday, Martin Brodeur seems to be in fine condition for tonight's game against the Winnipeg Jets. "He feels good," coach Pete DeBoer said after today's morning skate. With that, it was enough for Brodeur to be named the starter. "He had no effects from it. He wanted the game and that's enough for me," DeBoer said. * * * DeBoer said that defenseman Adam Larsson is out tonight with a lower body injury. As is Stephen Gionta, who re-injured his right ankle Saturday night. Anton Volchenkov skated this morning and is a game-time decision. He said he has been skating for five days now. On the possibility of playing tonight: "Everything is possible. We'll see how I feel." * * * Damien Brunner played Saturday after being benched for a game and DeBoer thinks that the winger took some strides forward. "I thought he was better," DeBoer said. "I thought he took a step in the right direction." * * * DeBoer indicated that he is not happy with the production he has received from the team's centers, other than the team's first line of Travis Zajac, Jaromir Jagr, and Dainius Zubrus. "I haven't been happy with the production we've gotten in the middle," he said. * * * Apropos of nothing, here is a quip from Jagr this morning. A reporter asked him if he was surprised by his good start (Jagr has a team-leading nine goals and 18 points). "Did you see me 15 years ago?" Jagr responded, with a wry smile. "I was pretty good." Later he added: "I've had better starts in my career." Star Ledger LOADED: 11.26.2013 727457 New Jersey Devils Schneider was likely slated to start against the Jets before Brodeur's injury. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.26.2013 Devils' Cory Schneider could play in Switzerland before career is over

By Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 24, 2013 at 2:39 PM, updated November 24, 2013 at 7:06 PM

If it somehow doesn’t work out for Cory Schneider as Martin Brodeur’s successor with the Devils, he could always become Ambri-Piotta’s No. 1 goaltender in Switzerland. That, of course, isn’t very appealing to Schneider at this point in his career. But he does see himself playing in the Swiss League, as he did during the NHL lockout in 2012, before he hangs up his goalie pads. Schneider, who figures to start Monday night’s meeting with the Winnipeg Jets at Prudential Center, is a Swiss citizen as well as being a U.S. citizen. “My father’s side is Swiss. My great grandfather came over from Switzerland and I think there is some rule you can pass citizenship down on the male side. So my grandfather and dad have it. My brother and I can get our passports,” Schneider said. Born in Marblehead, Mass., Schneider hasn’t obtained his Swiss passport to this point, but that should happen soon. “Not yet. I didn’t have time to get that before I went over to Switzerland during the lockout,” he said. “There is a consulate in New York so I can probably go over and grab it now. I have to get the citizenship paperwork lined up so I can get over (to the consulate) as quickly as possible.” Schneider, who posted a big victory over the Kings on the Devils’ road trip, knows a bit about the family history. “I think it was in the early 1900s my great grandfather came over and opened a bakery in New York City. He came from the German part of Switzerland, Schneider being a German name,” the goalie said. “He was from a small village up near the German border. I didn’t have a chance to go check it out. I was in the Italian southern part during the lockout and just didn’t have a chance to get up north. I don’t think we have much ancestry still there. If we do, they’re pretty far removed. But it’s a pretty cool story.” What are the benefits right now of his dual citizenship? “I guess nothing right now. It’s just something to have,” Schneider said. “From a hockey standpoint, if I ever want to go over there at some point at the end of my career or just for fun, it was a great place to play. It’s a beautiful country with a really amazing lifestyle. “Who knows how things pan out? The NHL is not forever. If I had a chance to go over there for a couple of years at the end of my career, it would be a great experience. And not counting as an import is pretty important in that league.” Schneider did face Devils teammate Damien Brunner, who was playing for EV Zug, when the two were playing in Switzerland. “I played against him once, but I didn’t know him,” Brunner recalled. “We lost, 5-1, but I scored on him.” Brunner said they never spoke until they became Devils teammates. Now they have something in common. “Sometimes we talk. We sit next to each other on the plane. He’s a great guy,” Brunner said. Perhaps even teammates on the Swiss national team some day. “I always thought if it didn’t work out with the U.S., I could play for Switzerland,” Schneider said. “But now they have some pretty good goalies coming out of there, so maybe that plan isn’t going to work anymore.” There was no definitive word on Brodeur, who was hit in the back of the neck by a Brent Burns shot late in Saturday night’s loss in San Jose. The Devils traveled home Sunday, although initial indications were that Brodeur would be fine. 727458 New Jersey Devils

Devils notes: Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas feeling fine

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 The Record— Tom Gulitti

Gelinas fine Devils rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas said he sustained a charley horse in his right thigh in his collision with Winnipeg’s Evander Kane with 2:29 left in the second period. "He jumped to try to avoid me and his knee went right in my quad," Gelinas said. "It could be worse. It felt like a charley horse right away." Gelinas remained down for about a minute before getting up slowly and heading to the locker room. He missed the remainder of the second period and the start of the third, but returned to play 7:13 in the final period. He said the training staff was able to work out the knot in his leg well enough for him to play. "I was fine to finish the game," he said. Merrill’s debut 2.0 Rookie defenseman Jon Merrill’s second NHL game went a lot better than his first. Merrill lasted just three shifts in making his NHL debut Nov. 3 in Minnesota. He sustained a concussion and facial lacerations when he was tripped from behind by Torrey Mitchell and crashed into the boards. "I felt great out there," the 21-year-old former University of Michigan standout said. Merrill was called up Monday because defenseman Adam Larsson was unable to play with a lower-body injury he sustained in the third period Saturday in San Jose. Merrill played 21 shifts for 15:17 in ice time and registered two shots on net. "I thought he did a good job for his first game," Pete DeBoer said. "You can see his composure and his ability to move the puck. Tough circumstances to throw him in and I thought he handled himself very well." Briefs C Stephen Gionta also sat out after reinjuring his right ankle in the first period Saturday. … D Anton Volchenkov participated in the morning skate and said he was "close" to being ready to play, but missed his sixth game in a row with a leg muscle pull. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.26.2013 727459 New Jersey Devils The Devils had other chances, including two short-handed 2-on-1s in second period. Elias just missed on his at 12:05, hitting the crossbar from the right circle after taking a feed from Adam Henrique. Devils can't rally again in 3-1 loss to Jets “It’s just the puck kind of rolled on me,” Elias said. “We made a good play with [Henrique], a little quick pass. He saw the lane there and the puck never settled down for me. It was rolling and, again, maybe a little bit of luck Monday, November 25, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday November 26, 2013, there and it would go in.” 12:10 AM Bergen Record LOADED: 11.26.2013 BY TOM GULITTI

NEWARK — For the second time in three nights, the Devils couldn’t score enough to complete a comeback. Enough meaning more than one goal. As in the finale of their California road trip Saturday in San Jose, the Devils trailed by two after two periods Monday night. Patrik Elias’ deflection goal in the third got them within one, but they fell short again in a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Prudential Center. Mark Scheifele, Evander Kane and Devin Setoguchi scored the goals for the Jets, who began a six-game road trip by snapping a 0-2-2 slide. “We’ve, obviously, got to score,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “We scored one goal in San Jose and we scored one goal tonight. As nice as it sounds, you’re not going to win a lot of games 1-0 in this league.” The Devils had won three in a row before losing, 2-1, to San Jose in the last game of a three-game trip in which they went 2-1-0. The Devils trailed, 2-0, until Elias deflected defenseman Andy Greene’s left-point shot over goaltender Ondjej Pavelec’s left shoulder with 9:16 remaining. Elias also scored the third-period goal that brought the Devils within a goal Saturday. As in that game, however, the Devils couldn’t find a way to get a second goal. Setoguchi scored an empty-net goal with 27.1 seconds left to seal it. “We had some chances, we were skating but, obviously, you cannot play from behind all the time,” Elias said. Pavelec finished with 25 saves. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur made 19 saves to drop his second straight following a personal five-game winning streak. Brodeur said he had “no problem, no issues whatsoever” after being struck in the back of the neck with the puck making a diving save on San Jose’s Brent Burns late in Saturday’s game. Brodeur was checked out by the doctor Saturday night and underwent an X-ray just to be sure. “Everything was good,” Brodeur said. “No damage or anything.” The Devils had competed well against three of the top teams in the league in their road trip to Anaheim (4-3 overtime win), Los Angeles (2-1 overtime win) and San Jose, but came home and lost to a Jets team that entered the night 10-11-4. “There’s no reason to let that game go,” Brodeur said. “It’s not like they did anything special. They sat back the whole game. They took advantage of some of the mistakes we made.” Brodeur thought he “should have stopped” Kane’s goal, which snuck past him on the short side at 7:16 of the second period after Winnipeg’s Olli Jokinen won the left-circle draw from Travis Zajac. Schiefele had opened the scoring with 3:59 left in the first period when he was left alone on the right side to take a Michael Frolik pass and beat Brodeur high glove. The Devils played pretty well otherwise, but couldn’t find a way to score more than one goal in regulation for the third consecutive game. “We had a lot of chances,” right wing Jaromir Jagr said. “He’s a very aggressive goalie, so if he misses some you might score six. If he’s in the zone, he might stop all of them. We should probably use a little more the high tip shot because he’s so aggressive for the first shot. We did it only once.’’ “But we had enough chances to do it. It wasn’t our night, I guess. Sometimes it happens. You win some you shouldn’t and you lose some you should win,” Jagr added. 727460 New Jersey Devils

Ondrej Pavelec wins 100th game as Winnipeg Jets beat Devils, 3-1

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Updated: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 12:37 AM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets. Ending a four-game losing streak was much more important. Scheifele and Kane gave the Jets the lead, and Pavelec turned aside 25 shots in a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. “This was huge,” said forward Olli Jokinen, who set up Kane’s goal with a faceoff win. “Any win is good, but getting one to start a six-game road trip, we needed this one. It was like a must-win for us to get back to .500 and feel good about ourselves moving forward.” Winnipeg (11-11-4), which moved to the Western Conference this season, was tied for last place in the Central Division starting the night. The Jets were 0-2-2 in their previous four games. Devin Setoguchi added an empty-net goal in the final minute, sending the Devils to their second straight loss. “We had chances to score two or three and we just didn’t put them in the back of the net,” said Devils coach Pete DeBoer, whose team returned from a 2-1 California trip. Pavelec was less than 10 minutes from his second shutout of the season when Patrik Elias deflected a shot from the point by Andy Greene past him. Elias scored his fifth goal of the season after earlier firing a shot off the crossbar in the second period during a short-handed, 2-on-1 break. The Devils spent most of the third period in the Jets’ zone, but Pavelec came up big. He made his best stop against Adam Henrique, who shot from low in the left circle with just over four minutes to play. Pavelec laughed when reminded that the win was his 100th. “We lost four games in a row and I totally forgot,” he said. “It’s nice, but the number means nothing. A win for tonight was what I was worried about.” Scheifele, who scored the Jets’ first goal of the season, ended a 24-game goal drought with 3:59 left in the first period on a wide-open shot from the right circle that found the top corner of the net. The goal came on a quick counterattack. Michael Frolik took a cross-ice pass in the defensive zone, skated into the left side of the Devils’ end, and sent a cross-ice pass to Scheifele, who came late down the right side. Former Devils forward Matt Halischuk helped set up the shot by allowing Frolik’s pass to go through to Scheifele. “It felt pretty good to score there,” Scheifele said. “I feel pretty happy, but I’m a little more happy about the win.” Kane ended an 11-game goal drought at 7:16 of the second period, just seconds after Devils goalie Martin Brodeur stopped a point blank shot that Jokinen set up with a pass from behind the net. The shot hit Brodeur and dropped on the goal line. The play was reviewed, and the no-goal call was upheld. Jokinen won the ensuing faceoff from Travis Zajac and sent the puck to Kane on the outside edge of the circle. He fired the puck at the net, and it beat Brodeur after possibly hitting off the stick of defenseman Marek Zidlicky. It was his seventh goal of the season and third against New Jersey. “It was a big goal for our team and gave us a two-goal lead,” Jokinen said. “It’s good for him. He has been working hard and playing hard. He just hasn’t been able to score lately, so it was good to see him score.” NOTES: Jets D Jacob Trouba, the No. 9 pick in the 2012 NHL draft, returned to the lineup after he missed 17 games with an upper-body injury. ... Winnipeg D Dustin Byfuglien had two assists, giving him a team- high 15. ... The Devils were without D Adam Larsson (lower body) and C Stephen Gionta (ankle). They were hurt Saturday at San Jose. ... The Jets beat the Devils 3-0 on Oct. 13 in Winnipeg. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727461 New Jersey Devils 727462 New York Islanders

Ageless Devils come up empty vs. Jets Captain John Tavares' leadership skills put to the test

By Brett Cyrgalis Originally published: November 25, 2013 5:03 PM November 25, 2013 | 9:55pm Updated: November 25, 2013 9:03 PM By WILL SAMMON [email protected] The Devils are living in a strange and backward world, one where they play well and lose, where they play OK and win, and where, strangest of all, older players look young. It is 24 games into John Tavares' first season as captain, and his Islanders have fallen into last place in the Metropolitan Division. The core of this squad is undoubtedly closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, but the ill effects of such a situation is yet to bear its ugly Their defense is ranked 28th out of 30 in the league, allowing 3.33 goals head. On Monday night at Prudential Center, coming off a successful three- per game. Heading into Wednesday night's home game against Winnipeg, game swing through California, the Devils looked good and played a sound the Islanders (8-13-3) have lost three straight and eight of 10 and have game against the Jets — and lost 3-1. allowed at least three goals in five straight games. It was 41-year-old Martin Brodeur stout in nets, 41-year-old Jaromir Jagr all But Tavares says it's not time to panic; it's time to stay positive. over the puck, and 37-year-old Patrik Elias getting the team’s lone goal. "I'm just trying to keep everyone focused and everyone on the same page And to a man, they neither looked tired nor admitted fatigue in a game in because things can get really frustrating," he said after practice Monday. which they produced more chances than they did against any of those "We're not happy with the losing and it creates a bad taste in your mouth. West-coast powerhouses — the Kings, Ducks and Sharks, against whom As the captain, I've learned that no matter what, I have to stay positive and the Devils took two of three. help others remain positive. “I didn’t think it was a big effect,” said Brodeur, who made 19 saves in his "Losing can put a bad vibe in the locker room," he said, but the slow start second straight start, also quickly disregarding the idea he had any has not altered his style of leading by example. discomfort from taking a shot in the neck the previous game, Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Sharks. “I thought we worked really hard.” "What I try to do is make sure everyone is trying to find a way out of this," said Tavares, who, entering Monday night, was tied for third in the league in Added Jagr: “I think I could play two more games if I wanted to. I’ve never points with 27 (10 goals, 17 assists). "I don't think I should come in and try had a problem with that. We’re professionals, we train to be good. If you’re to do something totally different because of the way things have been fatigued, you should work more. It’s the only way to do it.” going. I think I should continue to just be who I am and let things come And Elias: “I felt great, just speaking for myself. I don’t think that was an naturally." issue.” Tavares, 23, is the second-youngest captain in the NHL, older only than So then why, and how, did the Devils (9-10-5) find a way to lose, coming in Gabriel Landeskog, 20, of the Avalanche. having gone 6-2-1 in their previous nine games? Tavares acknowledged that the Islanders are a young team but said the “We obviously have to score,” said coach Pete DeBoer, whose team came lack of veterans on the roster has not been a hindrance and that he hasn't into the game ranked 27th in the league with an average of 2.08 goals per felt the need to go out of his own skin. game. “As nice as it sounds, you’re not going to win a lot of games 1-0 in "I don't think I've done anything out of the ordinary," he said. "I speak up this league. The good news is that we generated enough chances to score and say things when necessary and I mostly try to lead by example by two or three, we just didn’t put them in the back of the net.” going to work every day in practice and in games." On the other hand, it was the Jets (11-11-4) who played a mostly dull, Tavares has done his part on the ice, but he can't guide the team back to sitting-back road game and capitalized on their rare opportunities. It was the playoffs on his own. When asked about the job he has done as captain, 20-year-old rookie Mark Scheifele who opened the scoring late in the first his teammates offered a similar thought. as he converted on a botched 3-on-2 coverage, and then Winnipeg sniper Patrick Kane getting his seventh of the season 7:16 into the second when "Right now, it's not a question of scoring goals or leadership from up front," he just freewheeled a quick snap shot through traffic, stunning Brodeur to defenseman Radek Martinek said. "First, it's our defense that has to play to the near side. what we're capable of." “We had a breakdown on the first goal, the other goal was a goal off the Notes & quotes: Coach Jack Capuano said after practice Monday that faceoff that I should have stopped,” said Brodeur, who has played 10 of the defenseman Thomas Hickey, who left Saturday's game in Philadelphia after past 14 games. “We had a lot of chances, so you can’t say we didn’t do taking a shot off his foot, is "day-to-day." The defense has been decimated enough, but we didn’t score the goals that we needed to.” by key injuries as Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) and Brian Strait (upper body) remain out. Defenseman Andrew MacDonald left Monday's practice Soon after Kane’s goal, Elias hit the crossbar on a shorthanded chance, after taking a puck to his upper body. He immediately went down and then and soon after that, Jagr had a great chance from the right porch that was left the ice with trainers. There was no update on his condition after denied by his Czech compatriot, Ondrej Pavelec, one of the goaltender’s practice. impressive 25 saves. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.26.2013 “I didn’t think we played that poorly,” said Jagr, still leading the team with nine goals and 18 points, and still one goal short of passing his mentor, Mario Lemieux, on the all-time goals list. “We had our chances to win the hockey game.” Those chances evaporated when Devin Setoguchi tossed one into the empty net in the final minute, yet the chance for success this season, with this aging roster, is far from over. “They’re in great shape, they take care of themselves,” said DeBoer, whose team starts a home-and-home with the Hurricanes on Wednesday. “I haven’t seen that as being an issue.” New York Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727463 New York Rangers

Tampa Bay Lightning embarrass NY Rangers 5-0 as Henrik Lundqvist pulled

By Pat Leonard / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 12:12 AM

TAMPA — The Rangers now have as many all-time no-hitters as the Mets. Frustrated coach Alain Vigneault called his club’s offensive effort in Monday night’s 5-0 loss to the Lightning “a big no-hitter” and couldn't hide his disgust over his team’s lack of physical play in its fifth shutout defeat this season. Vigneault pulled Henrik Lundqvist after four goals allowed in two periods, but said the decision had “nothing to do” with his goalie’s play. Lundqvist was beaten on three breakaways after neutral-zone turnovers. Lightning captain Martin St. Louis, who was honored in a pregame ceremony for recently playing his 1,000th career game, scored twice, as did Tampa Bay forward Teddy Purcell. “It was sort of a Martin St. Louis love-fest out there,” Vigneault said. “Nobody touched a soul, especially not him. At the end of the day, turnovers led to the first three goals, and we were unable to make the other team pay when they made mistakes.” The Rangers (12-12-0) put 37 shots on Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, but they fell into a 2-0 hole just 3:10 into the game. Tampa Bay rookie Nikita Kucherov scored his first career goal on his first career shift 2:12 in, after two separate neutral-zone giveaways by Rangers center Derick Brassard. Fifty-eight seconds later, St. Louis scored on a breakaway that resulted from two Rangers miscues. First, captain Ryan Callahan failed to get the puck deep, then defenseman Marc Staal allowed Victor Hedman’s pass up ice to glance off his stick to a streaking St. Louis. The Lightning captain also tallied 3:12 into the second period off a Derek Dorsett neutral zone giveaway, and the “love-fest” continued when St. Louis appeared to yell “Bangerang!” in celebration — which, funny enough, is the battle cry of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. “It was the big turnovers that really killed us, because I wasn’t able to come up with the big saves there,” said Lundqvist, who made 18 saves on 22 shots after stopping 41 of 43 Thursday in Dallas. Still, what kind of aspiring Stanley Cup contender can’t win when it doesn't score first? The Rangers have a 1-11-0 record this season in games when their opponent scores first. “It seems like we’re getting down on ourselves if we let up an early goal,” said Rick Nash, one of the few Rangers who played a solid game. “It's got to be something where we bounce back and not let it affect us.” “I don't have a reason for you why that is, but that needs to be better,” said Callahan, who was replaced on the top line by a more active Carl Hagelin in the third period. It also had to haunt the Rangers that they went 0-for-6 on the power play, including a 62-second 5-on-3 in the second period; that they were blown out even with Tampa Bay’s top player, center Steven Stamkos (broken right leg), on the sidelines; and maybe even that in the second period, former Rangers and Lightning coach John Tortorella was on the Jumbotron delivering a pre-taped congratulations to St. Louis. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: Forbes.com listed the Rangers as the NHL’s second-most valuable franchise at $850 million in its annual list released Monday. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion) are valued higher. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727464 New York Rangers where we think his game is, and hopefully he’ll continue to improve, because we want all of our players to improve.” TAYLOR’D TO HIS NEEDS Recovering Taylor Pyatt joins Rangers in Tampa but will not play vs. Lightning as Alain Vigneault sticks with winning lineup Pyatt, who visited the same Dr. Jeffrey Scott Kutcher in Michigan that examined Rick Nash, described his symptoms from the Nov. 7 concussion as “just a little bit of fogginess and some headaches the first few days after I BY Pat Leonard was hit. It started to clear up after a few days after not doing too much, and it sort of progressed over the last week and a half.” It’s clear that while Pyatt is feeling better, both he and Vigneault want the TAMPA – Taylor Pyatt (concussion) rejoined the Rangers for Monday’s full left wing to get his legs under him for at least two practices (Monday and morning skate at Tampa Bay Times Forum for the first time since his Nov. 7 Tuesday) before reassessing whether he’s prepared to play. injury, but he will not play against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. Pyatt was under the impression that he hasn’t been cleared yet for contact, even though we wore a normal jersey Monday morning while skating as the Pyatt said he still has to “get up to speed.” Plus, coach Alain Vigneault sees eighth defenseman. no need to make changes to his lineup following two straight wins in Dallas (3-2) and Nashville (2-0). “I don’t think yet, but it’s just nice to be out there practicing and moving at that pace,” Pyatt said. “We played a pretty sound overall game both offensively and defensively last game, didn’t give the opposition very much and had some quality From Vigneault’s point of view, though, there weren’t many restrictions. chances on five-on-five and on the power play,” Vigneault said. “He’s doing fine,” the coach said of Pyatt. “He’s been working out now for I STAMKOS WALKING WITH NO CRUTCHES/BOOT TWO WEEKS AFTER want to say probably a little more than 10 days, and he’s just following the BREAKING LEG steps. He’s been practicing on his own. Today he’s joined the group, and he’s been cleared for all activity. So I would say if things continue to While the Rangers (12-11-0, 24 points) are nearing full health and have progress the way they are now, he should be ready for us soon.” won two in a row, the Lightning (14-8-1, 29 points) in contrast are injury- riddled and come in winless in their last four (0-3-1). Here were Pyatt’s other comments: Tampa Bay lost in regulation to the Coyotes, Kings and Sharks, then in On practicing Monday: “It’s good to be back there on the ice,” he said. “I overtime to the Ducks, on a West Coast road trip that the Blueshirts know skated a few times back in New York just by myself, and I was sort of able first-hand themselves is nothing short of a murderers’ row. to go out there and progress, and I felt good the last few days. So it was nice to be back out there with the guys.” Monday night, the Lightning most importantly will be playing without top scorer and center Steven Stamkos (broken right tibia, team-high 14 goals On whether he has watched the replay of Columbus defenseman Fedor and 23 points in 14 games). They are now 2-3-1 since Stamkos’ Nov. 11 Tyutin’s hit to his head: “I looked at it a week ago. It was just one of those injury. plays where I’m sort of driving to the net, looking for the puck, and he’s trying to finish the check. I don’t think there’s any intent to injure and the The list of ailing Tampa players drags on, though: D Keith Aulie (upper (elbowing) penalty on the play (3:28 into the second period) is probably the body), Radko Gudas (upper body), D Brian Lee (knee), F Ryan Malone right call.” (lower body) and Taylor’s brother, Tom Pyatt (broken collarbone). On whether he has an idea yet when he’ll be ready to go: “No, I’m just The goaltending matchup will include Henrik Lundqvist for the Rangers, trying to go through all the steps and get up to speed at practice.” who is coming off a 41-save victory in Thursday’s win in Dallas before sitting out Saturday’s 2-0 win in Nashville behind 17 saves from backup RANGERS LINEUP VS. LIGHTNING Cam Talbot. The Lightning will send out Ben Bishop, who has won six of his Forwards: Rick Nash-Brad Richards-Ryan Callahan, Chris Kreider-Derek past nine starts and has a 3-0-0 career record against the Rangers, Stepan-Mats Zuccarello, Carl Hagelin-Derick Brassard-Benoit Pouliot, Brian including one shutout and a 1.26 goals against average. Boyle-Dominic Moore-Derek Dorsett. WORKING WITH BRAD Defensemen: Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi, Marc Staal-Anton Stralman, Brad Richards has returned to top form this season in large part due to a John Moore-Michael Del Zotto. committed offseason that included grueling workouts with Martin St. Louis, Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist his friend and former Tampa Bay teammate. St. Louis, the Lightning’s captain to be honored Monday night for skating in his 1,000th NHL game Power play No. 1 (from last game): McDonagh-Richards, Nash-Stepan- during the club’s preceding road trip, said Richards’ dedication this summer Callahan was clear. Power play No. 2 (from last game):: Del Zotto-Girardi, Zuccarello-Brassard- “He really wanted to get back to what he knew he could be,” St. Louis said Kreider at his locker Monday morning. “The way you do that is preparation. It starts with preparation, and he took care of that.” Scratches: J.T. Miller, Justin Falk, Taylor Pyatt (skating but coming off absence due to concussion). St. Louis also stressed that Richards’ hill to climb wasn’t only physical. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 “Any athletes that play at a high level in their sports, a lot of it is mental,” he said. “We all know (Richards) has the ability. I don’t think he was in a good place mentally last year. I think he’s in a good place right now. He really prepared himself to have a great season. I’m happy to see him doing well. It doesn’t surprise me.” MORE FROM MIKE Vigneault was asked if he had seen Michael Del Zotto respond to his previous benching (three straight healthy scratches) the way Mats Zuccarello had in October from a scratch in Philadelphia. Vigneault had used Zuccarello’s bounce-back as an example for Del Zotto to follow. “Maybe not to that extent, but there are some parts of his game last game that I liked better. He moved the puck a little bit quicker,” Vigneault said. “We’re gonna work with him, continue to give him constant feedback on 727465 New York Rangers Claude Julien visited Stamkos in the hospital in Boston, which Stamkos called “pretty classy.” He said he watched the replay of the injury, and while Hamilton did give him Great for Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay and NHL to see Lightning star a “shove” in a “dangerous area” of the ice, he did not believe there was walking with no crutches or boot two weeks after breaking leg anything intentional about the play. Who knows when Stamkos will be able to skate again, play again. Olympic BY Pat Leonard participation is still unlikely for him, something Stamkos said crossed his mind as he laid on the stretcher on Nov. 11 following first significant injury of his NHL career and the first of this magnitude since he was “eight or nine years old.” TAMPA – Only two weeks after breaking his right leg, Lightning star center Steven Stamkos walked into Monday morning’s press conference at Tampa “I broke my foot the last year of minor hockey, but I played with it,” he said. Bay Times Forum without crutches or a walking boot and expressed optimism that he’s already started rehabbing. Still, you couldn’t help getting a good feeling when he walked to that podium under his own power on Monday morning, sat down and smiled. “I can’t believe that I’m able to walk without any boot or crutches less than two weeks later,” Stamkos said in his first public comments since the injury. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 His teammates were preparing to host the Rangers on Monday night. It was a welcome sight for the entire league, and perhaps for Team Canada, to see an upbeat Stamkos, 23, Tampa Bay’s first overall pick in 2008, walk to the podium. He scored 60 goals in hockey’s last full season of 2011-12, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy for the second time but for the first time outright after sharing the award with the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby in 2010 (51 goals). This season, Stamkos again was surging with 14 goals and 23 in 17 games – both of which led the NHL – before breaking his tibia on Nov. 11 against Boston. The reason he is able to walk is that doctors inserted a permanent titanium rod in his leg during surgery on Nov. 12 in Boston. Stamkos said he has some swelling in his right knee from the incision, though, and lost a bit more weight then he had anticipated while sitting idle in bed and resting. When Stamkos broke the leg, the assumption was the Markham, Ontario, product almost certainly would not be able to compete for Canada at the Winter Olympics in February in Sochi, Russia. Stamkos admitted the possibility of playing in the Olympics is “on the back-burner” and that he’s simply focused on rehabbing and the bone healing so he can return for the Lightning as soon as possible. Still, while his focus remains short term, he admitted that he’s “competitive” and that as a goal – whether unrealistic or not – he’d like to hope for a best- case scenario of healing, getting himself back in shape and playing at least a few games with the Lightning before participating in the Olympics. Stamkos qualified, though, that he wouldn’t rush anything about his rehab just to play in the Olympics. He wants to get totally healthy to help the Lightning and in turn, if that happened, it would mean he could wear the Canadian sweater after all. The Lightning (14-8-1, 29 points), which had surged early this season behind Stamkos’ scoring and a stingier defense under new head coach Jon Cooper, has slipped to 2-3-1 in the six games without him. His 23 points still lead the team. Stamkos recalled feeling “the bone move” in his leg after colliding into the post on a backcheck against Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton, and he said frustration was his immediate prevailing emotion that night because of how well the team had started the season. “You could see me pounding the ice a little bit,” Stamkos said. “I don’t know if that was maybe more frustration than pain. The body does a pretty good job of not feeling that much in those situations, but definitely frustrated. At the time I didn’t know it was broken, but I had a pretty good idea, and the way the season was going for the team and me personally, things were pretty good, almost too good to be true. Something maybe was bound to happen. But that’s the way it goes.” Stamkos talked openly for 15 minutes and reaffirmed to those in the room that he – similar to Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers – is a terrific ambassador for the NHL and for the game of hockey in general. The only reason the press conference ended was because the team’s locker room was opening following its morning skate. It felt like he would have talked for a half hour. Whatever anyone needed, he’d help. In another great story for the game of hockey, Stamkos said that the day after his injury, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara sent a text to Stamkos on behalf of the entire Boston team wishing him well, and then Bruins coach 727466 New York Rangers

Concussed Pyatt getting close to return

By Larry Brooks November 26, 2013 | 12:22am

TAMPA, Fla. — This might be tantamount to talking about a baseball no- hitter in the eighth inning, but it is certainly worth noting the Rangers are within a couple of days of being at full health for the first time this season. After playing sustained stretches without Rick Nash, Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin, the Blueshirts were joined on the ice by Taylor Pyatt on Monday morning for the first time since the winger sustained a concussion in Columbus on Nov. 7 on an elbow from Fedor Tyutin. While there is no immediate timetable for Pyatt’s return — and no guarantee he will rejoin the lineup once restored to the active roster — No. 14 has made significant progress since dealing with what he called “fogginess and headaches” in the immediate aftermath of the injury. “I’ll go through all the steps and get up to speed in practice,” Pyatt, expected to engage in contact drills on Tuesday, said following the morning skate that preceded the Blueshirts’ 5-0 defeat to the Lightning. “I skated a few times back in New York by myself where I was able to go at my own pace and progress. “I felt good for the last few days, so it was nice to be back out with the guys.” Coach Alain Vigneault said he expects that Pyatt “should be ready soon if he continues to progress.” Pyatt does not hold Tyutin responsible for his injury after having watched replays of the incident that came at 3:38 of the second period of the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets. “It’s just one of those plays where I’m sort of driving to the net, looking for a puck, and he’s trying to finish a check,” said Pyatt, who has been sidelined for eight games. “I don’t think there’s any intent to injure and probably a penalty on the play [elbowing minor] is the right call. But there’s definitely a lot of different opinions out there. Cam Talbot, who replaced Henrik Lundqvist in net for the third period, had his shutout streak end at 165:27 when he surrendered a goal to Teddy Purcell at 18:59. The game marked the second time in 17 starts Lundqvist has been pulled, the King having previously been excused following the second period of the 9-2 rout in San Jose on Oct. 8. Lundqvist had been pulled once in 110 starts the previous two seasons. Martin St. Louis was honored in a pregame ceremony, that included Brad Richards, for having played his 1,000th NHL game last week. Video tributes, including a pair from Richards and 2004 Lightning Cup-winning coach John Tortorella were interspersed throughout the match. … The Rangers had 32 shot attempts in the first period, but only 13 in the second before adding 29 in the third period. … The Blueshirts blocked just seven shots after blocking a total of five in Nashville on Saturday. New York Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727467 New York Rangers The Rangers, who had won the first two of this trip in Dallas and Nashville, continue the trek with matches in Florida Wednesday and in Boston Friday. Vigneault is liable to juggle his combinations; perhaps even make a change Punchless Rangers zapped by Lightning in the lineup by which J.T. Miller re-enters after four straight scratches. “We can’t totally toss this one out,” Callahan said. “We have to learn from it. We can’t have another one like this.” By Larry Brooks New York Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 November 25, 2013 | 11:01pm

TAMPA, Fla. — This 5-0 defeat Monday night to the Lightning represented an epic fail by the Rangers on almost all accounts. The Blueshirts were careless with the puck in all three zones; unable to convert on a half-dozen power plays; could not get game-turning saves from Henrik Lundqvist; and simply watched Tampa Bay right wing Martin St. Louis score on a pair of breakaways to celebrate a night on which he was feted for having played in 1,000 NHL games. “It was a Martin St. Louis lovefest out there and nobody touched a soul,” said coach Alain Vigneault, whose team was credited with 13 hits. “Especially not him. “It was a big no-hitter.” The Rangers have been shut out five times in 24 games. They have scored one goal in five others, two in five more. That’s 15 matches with fewer than three goals for the 12-12 Blueshirts, who have scored nine goals in going 3- 4 in their last seven games. “On the power play and at full strength, I’m getting sick of trying to come up with reasons why we can’t find the back of the net,” Brad Richards told The Post following the match in which the Rangers squandered a 1:02 two-man advantage in the second while trailing 3-0. “You’d think with the chances we create we’d eventually get one, but we don’t.” The Rangers had a 32-14 first-period advantage in attempts, yet trailed 2-0 after the first when Nikita Kucherov took advantage of a couple of Derek Brassard turnovers to score from the left circle at 2:12, just 58 seconds before St. Louis torched Marc Staal down the right side before sweeping across to beat Lundqvist. It became 3-0 at 3:12 of the second when St. Louis went straight up the gut on a breakaway to capitalize on a Derek Dorsett turnover. “We made a few mistakes and they made us pay for it because I wasn’t able to come up with the saves,” said Lundqvist, pulled after allowing four goals on 22 shots in two periods. “Marty had a great night. I think he might be one of the best in the league on breakaways and I needed to have better timing. “There were quick turnovers and I didn’t play the way I needed to against a top guy.” Vigneault was quick to douse the embers of a potential goaltending controversy in making it clear he did not hold Lundqvist even partially responsible for the lopsided defeat. “It had nothing to do with him,” the coach said. “I just wanted to try and change the momentum.” The Rangers have been excellent at defending leads this year, but they are 1-11 when yielding the first goal. That kind of comes with the territory when the average offensive output is 2.0 goals per game. “You’re not going to win in this league without scoring,” Ryan Callahan said. “We’re trying, but we have to be better, that’s all there is to it. “We can’t keep saying we’re creating chances. That’s not good enough.” Vigneault moved Callahan off the Richards-Rick Nash unit onto the line with Brassard and Benoit Pouliot in the third, flipping the captain with Carl Hagelin. The Blueshirts didn’t mount much of an attack against Ben Bishop — 4-0 lifetime against the Blueshirts with a 0.89 goals-against average and .973 save percentage — after failing on that extended second period five-on-three. “The power play had a couple of opportunities to put us back in the game and they didn’t,” Vigneault said. “You have to be able to make the other team pay when they make mistakes and that 1-11 record [when allowing the first goal] is a telling sign we’re not doing enough.” 727468 New York Rangers “If we do that, we’ll make each other better players. And the pucks will start to go in.” New York Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 Nash, Richards clicking despite lack of goals

By Larry Brooks November 25, 2013 | 4:06pm

TAMPA — The numbers belie what the eye is telling you when watching Brad Richards and Rick Nash skate together on the same line. For even as they have yet to combine for a goal over the three games in which they’ve been united since Nash’s return last Tuesday from Injured Reserve, there appears a comfort level between the pair on the ice that did not exist last season. “Last year, over the summer after the trade and then during the lockout, there was a lot of talk about how Richie and I were going to play together, and a lot of expectations put on us,” Nash said before the Rangers- Lightning match on Monday night. “When we did start, we were forcing it, and it didn’t really work. Now, no one has really talking about it, and it’s just kind of come naturally. It doesn’t seem like the pressure is on us to figure each other out, so we’re just going out there playing and letting it happen.” Nash played the right with Richards in the middle and Marian Gaborik on the left early last season. The trio had an explosive couple of games but struggled mightily on the defensive side of the puck and ultimately were separated. Later in the season after Gaborik had been dealt, Nash and Richards were reunited intermittently by then-coach John Tortorella, but to no good effect. Richards was on the left with Nash on the right and Derek Stepan in the middle for the first three games before No. 61 went down with his Oct. 8 concussion in San Jose. Since returning from the 17-game absence, Nash has been on the left with Richards in the middle and Ryan Callahan on right wing. The unit has combined for 31 shots and 60 attempts — including the power play — in three games, with Nash’s PPG off a Callahan feed in Thursday’s 3-2 victory in Dallas the only score the trio has produced. “We’re obviously looking for pucks to cross the goal line, that’s the bottom line, but there’s definitely a different feel between Rick and myself,” Richards said. “Before last year there was so much talk about Nash and Richards and how we were supposed to be able to do all this stuff together. Then the season started and I was struggling in my own game, and wound up trying to force everything to him, which is completely counterproductive. That never works when a center tries to force the puck to the wing.” Richards, of course, spent the final two games of the playoffs in street clothes as a healthy scratch. After escaping an amnesty buyout in the wake of the Blueshirts’ coaching change to Alain Vigneault from John Tortorella, Richards spent much of the summer training in Connecticut with Marty St. Louis, his former Lightning teammate and close friend. “For any athlete to play at a high level, a lot of it is mental,” said St. Louis, who will be honored before Monday’s match for having reached the 1,000- game milestone for his career. “We all know that [Richards] has the ability, but I don’t think he was in a good place mentally last year. He really wanted to get back to where we know he can be, and the only way to do that was through preparation, and he did that.” Richards is tied with Callahan for the club lead in goals (six) and with Stepan for the team lead in points (16), even in the midst of a stretch in which he has one point (an assist) in the past six games and eight points (1-7) in the past 15. But he has handled the puck with authority, creating chances for himself and his linemates. He leads the Rangers with 83 shots while fourth among NHL’ forwards with 161 shot attempts. “I still have to learn about Rick, his talent level alone backs players off, but I also have to continue shooting and holding onto the puck so it all isn’t predictable,” Richards said. “He and I and Cally have to play to our individual strengths and not just look for each other all game. 727469 New York Rangers

Rangers notes: Taylor Pyatt returns

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 — Andrew Gross

Pyatt rejoins team LW Taylor Pyatt participated in the Rangers’ full morning skate Monday, his first time on the ice with his teammates since suffering a concussion on Fedor Tyutin’s elbowing penalty Nov. 7 at Columbus. "I skated a few times back in New York by myself and I was able to go at my own pace and progress," said Pyatt, adding he had "fogginess" and "headaches" that cleared up within a few days. Pyatt said there is no timetable for his return. Furious C Brad Richards reacted angrily after Nikita Kucherov knocked him down, leading to Teddy Purcell’s goal off an odd-man rush to make it 4-0 at 16:52 of the second period and still was seeking an explanation from referee Francois St. Laurent before the third period. "Yes," Vigneault said when asked if he thought Richards had been taken down. "Nope," Vigneault said of receiving an explanation. Meaningful C Dominic Moore has played for nine NHL teams but said returning to play his first game at Tampa Bay, where he played from 2010-12, was meaningful. Moore was a minus-1 in 11:01. "This place is particularly special to me," said Moore, whose wife, Katie, passed away from cancer Jan. 7. "We had two really good years here. My wife and I got along really well with the group." Briefs G Cam Talbot had his shutout streak end at 165:27 on Purcell’s second goal at 18:59 of the third period. … The Rangers are 1-11-0 when the opponent scores first. ... The Rangers are the second-most valuable NHL franchise, according to Forbes’ annual report. The Rangers were valued at $850 million, with an operating income of $27.3 million. The Maple Leafs, valued at $1.15 billion, topped the list. … Richards and Rick Nash each were minus-3. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.26.2013 727470 New York Rangers “I don’t think we played good enough to say the goalie stole it but it definitely didn’t eel like a 2-0 game for them in the first period,” Brad Richards said. Rangers blasted by Lightning, 5-0 Bergen Record LOADED: 11.26.2013

Monday, November 25, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday November 26, 2013, 12:11 AM BY ANDREW GROSS

TAMPA, Fla. – Alain Vigneault summed up the Rangers’ numerous neutral zone turnovers, limp power-play and soft physical effort on the night the Lightning honored future Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, with quick venom. “Obviously, it was sort of a Martin St. Louis love-fest out there,” Vigneault said. “Nobody touched a soul, especially not him. Turnovers led to the first three goals and [it was] our inability to make the other team pay when they made mistakes.” Specifically on his team’s lack of physical play, the coach said, “it was obviously a big no-hitter.” St. Louis scored two breakaway goals off turnovers and added an assist as the Lightning took a two-goal lead just 3:10 into the first period and snapped the Rangers’ six-game road winning streak, 5-0, Monday night at Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Rangers failing on all six power-plays, including a second-period 5-on-3 certainly didn’t help. St. Louis was honored with a pre-game ceremony for playing in his 1,000th game Nov. 19 at Los Angeles. Lanky Ben Bishop stopped 37 shots for the Lightning (15-8-1), who also got two goals from Teddy Purcell. The Rangers (12-12-0), who had won the first two games of this five-game road trip, were shut out for the fifth time this season. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after allowing four goals on 22 shots in two periods. “It was just unfortunate when we made a few mistakes we had Marty get the puck and he’s tough to stop,” said Lundqvist, who was coming off a brilliant 41-save performance in Thursday’s 3-2 win at Dallas but wound up pulled for the second time this season. “I have to be better there. My timing was a little off when he got his chances.” The Rangers’ last road loss was 2-1 at Philadelphia on Oct. 24. The Lightning, meanwhile, had gone 0-3-1 while being outscored, 17-6, on their just completed road trip. But the Rangers trailed, 2-0, despite outshooting the Lightning, 17-10, in the first period. They had nine attempts blocked and seven more miss the net. Nikita Kucherov, playing in his first NHL game, opened the scoring at 2:12 on his first career shot, swiping at the puck as it came out of the left corner. Lundqvist said he never saw the shot. St. Louis made it 2-0 at 3:10, coming in alone on Lundqvist, past Marc Staal after the defenseman had trouble controlling the puck. “We weren’t sharp early in the neutral zone, causing them to get good opportunities to score,” Staal said. “We got behind and we started pressing and [you] try to create things that aren’t there and it snowballs on you.” The Rangers trailed 3-0 after a neutral-zone turnover led to St. Louis slipping between defensemen Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh to the crease but got a 5-on-3 chance for 1:02 when Alex Killorn hooked Rick Nash at 5:51 and B.J. Crombeen slashed Nash at 6:49. The Rangers had two shots with the two-man advantage and took 10 overall on their six power-plays. “On the road, those are the chances you need to bury and start getting momentum,” captain Ryan Callahan said. “Our power-play isn’t where it’s needed to be the last couple of games. It’s execution. We had a couple of setups. It’s just a matter of executing.” Bishop used his 6-foot-7 frame to make his best save at 16:40 of the first period, lunging forward to glove Anton Stralman’s shot from below the faceoff dot. 727471 New York Rangers

Rangers' road win streak ends at six with shutout loss in Tampa

Originally published: November 25, 2013 10:32 PM Updated: November 25, 2013 11:47 PM By ANTHONY RIEBER [email protected]

TAMPA, Fla. - Rangers coach Alain Vigneault didn't pull any punches, even though it appears he thinks his team did in a 5-0 loss to the Lightning at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Monday night. Vigneault called the loss "a big no-hitter" -- as in the lack of hits his players put on the Lightning. Tampa Bay honored star Martin St. Louis before the game for becoming the 286th man to play in 1,000 NHL games. St. Louis had two goals and an assist and didn't draw enough attention from the Rangers to suit Vigneault. "Obviously, it was a sort of Martin St. Louis lovefest out there," Vigneault said. "Nobody touched a soul, and especially not him." The Lightning came out flying, scoring twice in the first 3:10, and Vigneault pulled Henrik Lundqvist with the Rangers trailing 4-0 after two periods. "It had nothing to do with him," Vigneault said. "We didn't even give him a goal. Just to change the momentum a little bit." The Rangers (12-12-0) could have been due for a setback after six straight road victories, including the first two games of this five-game holiday sojourn. The Rangers had given up two or fewer goals in six straight games. Tampa Bay (15-8-1) was coming off an 0-3-1 road trip in which it was outscored 17- 6 and had the emotion of the St. Louis ceremony, which included an appearance by current Ranger Brad Richards and a taped tribute from former Lightning and Rangers coach John Tortorella. Lundqvist, who made 41 saves in his last outing in a 3-2 victory Thursday in Dallas, quickly fell behind 2-0 Monday night. Nikita Kucherov scored his first goal in his first NHL game 2:12 into the contest with a shot past a screened Lundqvist. Seconds later, the Rangers' Derek Dorsett dropped the gloves with Tampa Bay's Pierre-Cedric Labrie. It was a clear victory for Labrie and the second time in two games that Dorsett has been knocked down during a fight. St. Louis made it 2-0 by getting past Marc Staal, skating in alone on Lundqvist and scoring at 3:10. "We didn't play that bad," Lundqvist said. "We made a few mistakes and they made us pay for it. I wasn't able to come up with the saves there. I think Marty had a great night. To stop him on a breakaway -- I think he's one of the best guys in the league. For me, I need to have better timing." The Rangers actually outshot the Lightning 37-25, but goalie Ben Bishop kept them off the board with a pair of super saves late in the opening period and the Lightning killed off a key five-on-three in the second. St. Louis scored his second goal 3:12 into the second to make it 3-0. Again, he slipped past Rangers defenders and swooped in alone on Lundqvist. Hard-working Rick Nash drew a pair of penalties after that, giving the Rangers a five-on-three for 1:02. But they were unable to generate any heat on Bishop and ended up on the penalty kill themselves when Staal went off for interference at 9:01. Teddy Purcell beat Lundqvist high glove-side with 3:08 left in the period to make it 4-0 and then slipped a garbage-time goal past Cam Talbot at 18:59 of the third. Purcell also had an assist. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727472 New York Rangers

Taylor Pyatt practices, could play again soon

Originally published: November 25, 2013 9:10 PM Updated: November 25, 2013 9:38 PM By ANTHONY RIEBER [email protected]

TAMPA, Fla. - The Rangers welcomed Taylor Pyatt back to the practice ice Monday for the first time since he suffered a concussion on Nov. 7. Coach Alain Vigneault said Pyatt could play for real soon. Pyatt wasn't sure of a timetable or if he had even been cleared for contact, but he is pleased that the "fogginess" he suffered after a hit from Columbus' Fedor Tyutin has lifted. "It was nice to be out there skating with the guys," Pyatt said. "I skated a few times back in New York by myself. I was able to go at my own pace and progress and I felt good the last few days." Pyatt doesn't believe Tyutin -- a former Rangers defenseman -- was trying to hurt him. Tyutin was given a minor penalty for elbowing but was not disciplined further by the league. "It's just one of those plays where I'm sort of driving to the net, looking for the puck, and he's trying to finish a check," Pyatt said. "I don't think there's any intent to injure and probably a penalty on the play is the right call. But there's definitely a lot of different opinions out there." Derek Dorsett's first-period scrap was his NHL-leading eighth fighting major. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727473 New York Rangers

Rangers rank No. 2 in Forbes' NHL franchise survey

Originally published: November 25, 2013 3:02 PM Updated: November 25, 2013 11:15 PM By NEIL BEST [email protected]

The Rangers are the second-most valuable franchise in the 30-team NHL and the Islanders rank 26th, according to Forbes' annual survey of the business of hockey. The magazine's estimated value for the Rangers is $850 million, second only to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are the only United States-based franchise in the top four, which has the Montreal Canadiens at No. 3 and the Vancouver Canucks at No. 4. The rising value of Canadian franchises helped boost the overall league average to $413 million per team, up 46 percent from a year ago. The Rangers -- who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday -- were said to have made $27.3 million in operating income for the 2012-13 season. The Islanders' estimated value was $195 million, with an operating loss of $1.2 million for last season. Canadian teams took the top three spots in gate receipts for last season, with the Rangers fourth at $1.8 million. Teams are expected to get a revenue boost starting next season with the league's Canadian TV rights up for renewal and the rate expected to rise significantly. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727474 New York Rangers all for the Lightnings. Not at all. I’d guess that Florida will see a different team Wednesday. My Three Rangers Stars: Rangers-Lightnings in review 1. Derick Brassard. 2. Derek Stepan. 26 November 2013, 4:49 am by Carp in Hockey New York Rangers NHL Rangers Report - 4 Comments 3. Mats Zuccarello. Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 11.26.2013 New York Rangers v Tampa Bay Lightning Thoughts: 1) Wow, just too, too easy for the home team. Did a lot of guys on defense, and the guy in goal, have a bad game? Sure did. Not that there’s any shame or blame on a goalie in giving up three breakaway goals, but Henrik Lundqvist got beaten three times high glove, and that’s always been his soft spot. He’s fought that in the past, and fixed it in the past. So his next start or two will be interesting. 2) That said, if Lundqvist had thrown a shutout, he would still have had to win a shootout. st. louis3) So let the Calm Talbot/Lundqvist controversy begin … as crazy as that seems to be to me. 4) The Rangers sure do have a lot of games where they score one or none (this was No. 10, in 24 games). And Ben Bishop was really good, especially in the first period … you know, height shouldn’t much matter in a goalie, but with the size of the equipment they wear now, and the way goalies play on their knees, tall goalies really have a big edge. (also see: Cam Talbot). 5) Brutal start for a guy on the bubble, Michael Del Zotto. His man scores the first goal (on his first NHL shot), then he takes the penalty. Yeesh. This after that disastrous shift in the previous game, in which, otherwise, I thought he was OK. Must feel like a giant snowball rolling down a mountain. 6) But honestly, the top three D-men all struggled in this game. Marc Staal got beaten flat-footed by Martin St. Louis’s speed. That’s awareness. Then he took a bad penalty because he was beaten again. Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, so good in Nashville, had a tough night overall, and though most of the blame for the second St. Louis goal goes to the center-ice turnover by Derek Dorsett, that’s awareness, too. New York Rangers v Tampa Bay Lightning7) The Rangers took over the first period after the second goal. Otherwise, you might wonder why Alain Vigneault didn’t use a timeout. He is apparently not a big proponent of the T.O. to stem momentum. Which I find interesting. 8) Dorsett’s staged fight was completely useless. Really dumb. The Rangers need him to be tough, and he is, but staged fights like that just put him in the box for five instead of being on the ice for real toughness issues, and give him more welts. 9) The 5-on-3 which had a chance to keep the Rangers in the game was atrocious, starting with Derek Stepan’s entry, and continuing through the point men playing too high, to Brad Richards getting badly beaten for a 3- on-5 breakaway. Game over. 10) On the fourth goal, Richards had every right to be furious, and he was, after being taken down and off the puck. You could have come up with any foul in the book to call there, but something had to be called. Maybe it would have been a good time for Richards to take a misconduct. Meanwhile, MSG Network—which also had a tough night—for some reason went to a closeup of the Tampa bench while Richards was going nuts on the officials. New York Rangers v Tampa Bay Lightning11) Vigneault doesn’t like to change the lineup after a win. So maybe now J.T. Miller goes back in (and that probably depends on Taylor Pyatt’s availability). If not, then it’s time for Miller to go play in Hartford. This is doing the kid no good at all, sitting behind Benoit Pouliot. I also wonder if this changes the planned goalie rotation for the rest of the trip. 12) One of the changes he made late was taking Ryan Callahan off Rick Nash’s line. Nash is more comfortable on the right wing, the off-wing for a lefty shot. They forced Marian Gaborik to play the off-wing last season, too, and that worked out horribly. Nash and Richards … -3 each. 13) Vigneault was correct after the game: “Nobody touched a soul” (13 hits overall, three by the entire defense) all night long, didn’t make it difficult at 727475 New York Rangers

Lightnings 5, Rangers 0 … post-game notes

25 November 2013, 10:53 pm by Carp in Hockey New York Rangers NHL Rangers Report - 169 Comments

New York Rangers v Tampa Bay Lightning Post-game notes courtesy of the Rangers: Lightning 5, Rangers 0. Click here for boxscore. Team Notes: - The Rangers were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-0, tonight at Tampa Bay Times Forum, to end their winning streak on the road at six games. The Rangers’ six-game road winning streak ended one win shy of the franchise record (1934-35, 1978-79), and is tied as the longest road winning streak in the NHL this season. - The Blueshirts are now 12-12-0 overall (24 pts), including an 8-7-0 mark on the road this season. - The Blueshirts’ penalty kill was 3-3 (6:00) in the contest, and have now held opponents scoreless on the power play in six of the last seven games (18-19, 94.7% over the span). - The Rangers out-shot the Lightning, 37-25, including a 17-10 advantage in the first period and a 10-3 advantage in the third. New York had 16 of 18 skaters register at least one shot in the contest, and 15 players with two or more shots. It is the seventh time in the last eight games the Blueshirts have out-shot their opponent. Player Notes: - Rick Nash registered a game-high, six shots in 17:35 of ice time. The six shots on goal tied his season high. - Ryan Callahan recorded two shots, a team-high, three hits, and led all forwards with 20:10 of ice time. - Derick Brassard registered two shots and won a team-high, 7-10 faceoffs (70%) in 15:35 of ice time. - Henrik Lundqvist (L) stopped 18 of 22 shots through the game’s opening 40:00, and is now 7-10-0 overall with a 3-5-0 mark on the road this season. He has now started 30 of the Rangers’ last 32 contests against Tampa Bay. - Cam Talbot (ND) turned aside two of three shots faced in relief during the third period. Tampa Bay’s goal at 18:59 of the third was the first goal Talbot allowed in the last 60 shots he faced (59 straight saves) and ended his shutout streak at 165:27, dating back to the 13:38 mark of the second period on Nov. 7 at Columbus. Team Schedule: - Tomorrow – Practice, 12:00 p.m. at Ice Sports Forum (10222 Elizabeth Pl., Tampa, FL) - Next Game – Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Florida (7:30 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network) Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727476 New York Rangers

It’s Go Time! … Rangers at Lightnings

25 November 2013, 7:00 pm by Carp in Hockey New York Rangers NHL Rangers Report - 523 Comments

The Rangers have won two in a row to begin this five-game road trip, and have won six in a row on the road. They are 9-4 in their last 13. The Lightnings, minus injured Steven Stamkos, are on a four-game losing streak. The Rangers have held 14 of their last 16 opponents to two goals or fewer, and have allowed five goals, total, in the last five games. Henrik Lundqvist is back in goal at the Arena that Changes Names Every Five Minutes. Otherwise the same lineup, which means Justin Falk and J.T. Miller are prucha’d. Taylor Pyatt (concussion) practiced with the team this morning, and Alain Vigneault said he’s close to returning. Martin St. Louis will be honored pre-game for having played in his 1,000th NHL game. I heard a rumor that the players’ fathers are on the trip. Maybe MSG will shed some light and show some pictures of the dads without identifying them, and ask players what it’s like to have their fathers on the trip. They’ll probably say it’s great. Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727477 NHL Lightning stricken The Tampa Bay Lightning won its first two games after losing standout center Steven Stamkos to a broken right tibia on Nov. 11 but lost its next Canucks Coach John Tortorella has dropped the rude 'tude four, scoring only six goals in that span. John Tortorella, famously testy when he coached Rangers, has been "It's a big hole to fill. Without him we're not as explosive a team," General downright personable in Vancouver. The transformation was deliberate. Manager Steve Yzerman said. "But we want to play the same style, the same way. No more defensively — as defensively. We were playing pretty good in our own zone, playing pretty responsibly. Helene Elliott "Your mind-set changes a little bit. Instead of worrying about scoring goals, 6:14 PM PST, November 25, 2013 let's worry about keeping them out and we'll score. I trust that we'll score enough." Yzerman is also executive director of Canada's Olympic hockey team, and VANCOUVER, Canada — Anyone who saw John Tortorella's testy, 20- he met with other Team Canada executives last week in Toronto. Did they second news conferences when he coached the New York Rangers might decide that anyone had played himself out of contention? have been shocked Monday when he conducted a cordial 20-minute session before the Canucks' morning skate at Rogers Arena. "Not that I would tell you," he said. Tortorella scored a few mild jabs when asked about the lineup — a subject OK, then. Has anyone played his way into contention? "A few," he said, he has established as a no-go — but he was personable and thoughtful, as declining to identify them. "Basically, we just pared our list down a little bit. he has been since he was hired to coach the Canucks last summer. It's more of forming a team now." The group will meet again early next month. It's a deliberate difference from his rudeness in New York. Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis discussed Tortorella's past behavior while Slap Shots interviewing him for the job but saw someone who wanted to reform. Congratulations to St. Louis Blues Coach Ken Hitchcock, who recorded his "I thought he was completely sincere in his feeling about those events and it 621st victory last week and moved into eighth place in career wins. . . . got out of control and he didn't want to be known or recognized as that kind Washington's Martin Erat has asked to be traded. Acquired from Nashville of a coach," Gillis said recently. "And he was committed to not being that to be a top-six forward, he never produced enough to keep top-six minutes. way and doing things differently, and so far he has." He has a no-move clause but told the Washington Post he gave the Capitals a list of places he'd be willing to go. Vancouver forward Alex Burrows said all he previously knew of Tortorella came from TV highlights of Tortorella's rants. "You'd see those clips and LA Times: LOADED: 11.26.2013 you'd think that's him. He's a completely different guy on that," Burrows said Monday. "He's a really smart hockey coach. He really knows how to motivate our guys. He's brought a system in place and he's a good teacher, too. He takes his time to teach guys how he wants us to play. "There's no gray areas. If it's white, it's white. If it's black, it's black and you know where he stands and what he means and what it's all about. That's all you can ask for as a player. He's pretty fair." The Canucks have had difficulty scoring but Tortorella has been encouraging, not scathing. "You can't beat yourself up about it because then it will turn the wrong way," he said. "I think we're playing the system well. I think we're playing well. We can't get the goals regularly but we can't step away and forget about our team concept. We need to be even stronger there." The Canucks aren't among the top eight in the West, and historically it has been difficult for teams to erase even small early-season deficits. "Come March we'll see where we're at," Tortorella said. "If we're not there you'll be kicking the hell out of me. And if we're there we'll keep on trying to find our way." Roy making case for coach of the year The Colorado Avalanche's 6-0 start could be considered a honeymoon period for new Coach Patrick Roy. So could the team's roll to 12-1 and 14- 2. But the Avalanche has continued to excel after encountering its first adversity. Tested by consecutive losses to Carolina, St. Louis and Florida, Colorado responded with wins over Chicago, Phoenix and the Kings, an impressive streak. Roy called the 1-0 overtime victory Saturday at Los Angeles his team's best performance this season. "Right now it's going well. We're playing with confidence," he said. "The win against Chicago was a big win for us. It's a big turnaround. . . . Even in that losing streak I said to the players I was proud of them, the way that we start the season, the way we came to camp and on and on." The Avalanche shares the league lead in wins, with 17, and is 3-0 in overtime. No surprise there: Roy played goal during the Montreal Canadiens' 10 straight overtime victories in their last Stanley Cup run, with the Kings their final victim. "I hope I brought that from '93," he said. 727478 NHL

NHL pluses and minuses: Canadiens, Flyers rising in the Eastern Conference

Times columnist Helene Elliott rates the pluses and minuses in the NHL from the previous week. + Consecutive victories over Minnesota, Washington and Pittsburgh have fueled the Montreal Canadiens' 5-1-1 surge. Tomas Plekanec won 14 of 19 faceoffs he took against the Penguins' Sidney Crosby on Saturday and 16 of 21 overall; Crosby was credited with one offensive-zone faceoff win of the 10 he took. Winger Max Pacioretty, a Connecticut native, scored three times against the Wild and twice against the Penguins, boosting his candidacy for the U.S. Olympic team. + The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks haven't gone two games without earning a standings point this season, reflecting their resilience and depth. Patrick Kane has cracked the top 10 in the scoring race with a 10-game scoring streak through Sunday's games. He had five goals and 14 points in that span. + A 6-0-1 streak through Sunday's games put the Philadelphia Flyers back into the thick of things in the East after a 1-7 start. They swept a three- game homestand and they've continued to get good goaltending from Steve Mason. They seem to be responding well to new Coach Craig Berube, who replaced Peter Laviolette after the team opened the season with three straight losses. - Warmups have become hazardous to goaltenders. On consecutive nights last week, Viktor Fasth of the Ducks and Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild were injured during warmups and couldn't make their scheduled starts. Fasth has a lower-body muscle inflammation and will miss three to four weeks; Harding also sustained a lower-body injury. An MRI exam showed no structural damage but his status was day to day. - Three coaches were fired in the first quarter of the season. Who's next? Claude Noel reportedly is on the hot seat in Winnipeg, and although rumors have put Columbus' Todd Richards' name in the next-fired pool it's likely he will get more time. - Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, last season's Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goalie, is unlikely to be a repeat winner. Through Sunday's games he was 7-10-2 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. Some of that reflects the Blue Jackets' struggles, not just his. LA Times: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727479 NHL

Ten Former N.H.L. Players Sue League Over Head Injuries

By KEN BELSON and JEFF Z. KLEIN

Ten former N.H.L. players sued the league Monday for negligence and fraud, saying the sport’s officials should have done more to address head injuries but instead celebrated a culture of speed and violence. The players, who were in the league in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, filed their suit in federal court in Washington. One of the lead lawyers is Mel Owens, a former N.F.L. player who has represented scores of other retired players in workers’ compensation cases. The hockey players include role players and stars like Rick Vaive, who scored more than 400 goals in 14 seasons. One player in the suit, Darren Banks, was described as an enforcer. The players say they sustained repeated hits to the head during their careers and now have depression, headaches and memory loss. The suit comes about three months after the N.F.L. agreed to pay $765 million to settle hundreds of cases brought by more than 4,000 retired players who said the league knew about the dangers of repeated head hits but failed to properly warn the players. Similar suits have been filed against the N.C.A.A. In seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, the players said in their complaint that the N.H.L. “knew or should have been aware” of the effects of head hits but “took no remedial action to prevent its players from unnecessary harm” until 1997, when the league created a program to research and study brain injuries. Even then, the suit said, “the N.H.L. took no action to reduce the number and severity of concussions among its players during that period and Plaintiffs relied on the N.H.L.’s silence to their detriment.” Owens and other lawyers said in a statement, “The N.H.L. continues to glorify and empower players known as ‘enforcers’ — players with the singular intention of injuring the opposing team.” Bill Daly, the N.H.L.’s deputy commissioner, said in a statement: “While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the players association have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions. We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time.” Though hockey players have sustained concussions and other head injuries for generations, the N.H.L. faced less scrutiny about its policies than the N.F.L. The N.H.L. set up a concussion study program in 1997, the first in North American major league sports, and has in recent years modified rules in response to increased concern about head trauma. In May, the family of Derek Boogaard filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the N.H.L., saying the league was responsible for the physical trauma and brain damage Boogaard sustained in six seasons as one of the league’s top enforcers. Boogaard was found dead of an accidental overdose of prescription painkillers and alcohol in 2011. He was posthumously found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a brain disease thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head. The suits brought by retired N.F.L. players were originally filed in states around the country over many months. They were eventually consolidated and heard in federal court in Philadelphia. Players will soon decide whether they want to approve the proposed settlement. New York Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727480 Ottawa Senators

AHL Senators cruising along

By Ken Warren, OTTAWA CITIZEN November 25, 2013

OTTAWA — Consistency hasn’t been a problem on the farm. The Binghamton Senators, who lead the American Hockey League in goals scored per game, have won eight of their past nine games to improve to 13- 5-0 overall. That success is being led by forwards Mike Hoffman, Stéphane Da Costa, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone, who have all had a small taste of the big leagues with the parent Ottawa Senators. Da Costa and Pageau began the season in Ottawa, but have since been replaced on the National Hockey League team’s roster by Mika Zibanejad and Derek Grant. Hoffman ranks third in AHL scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists in 18 games. Da Costa has six goals and 13 assists in 15 games. Pageau has five goals and nine assists in 14 games. Stone, since recovering from an early-season shoulder injury, has four goals and four assists in nine games. Binghamton coach Luke Richardson says their leadership has not beeen all about offence, either. “They’ve all been really mature about (being in the AHL),” Richardson said. “They’re not happy being here, but it’s not something where they’re dragging their butts around. Sometimes, it gets frustrating for talented (offensive) guys to play a team system. At the end of games, I’m asking them to take on bigger roles defensively, doing the right things, chipping the puck in, chipping it out.” Defenceman Cody Ceci has been an offensive catalyst from the blue line, registering two goals and 13 assists in 18 games. Goaltender Nathan Lawson is 8-2-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. In short, they’re doing a lot of things that should draw attention from Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray, but the NHL team’s roster is already at the league maximum of 23. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.26.2013 727481 Ottawa Senators “You take pride in that,” Smith says. “It tells you the coaches have a lot of faith in you to play you against the top players. There’s obviously some great players, great lines in the league.” Clarke MacArthur showing value to Senators Smith is still trying to work his way back onto the penalty-killing units — MacLean often uses offensive players there to provide a short-handed scoring threat — but No. 15’s fine season is not defined by his three goals By Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Citizen November 25, 2013 and two assists. He has often been referred to as Ottawa’s most consistent forward. “I want to be the defensive player, the guy who’s on the ice the last two OTTAWA — Not even a six-goal month of November has made Clarke minutes to defend a goal,” Smith says. “If I want to be one of the top guys in MacArthur forget about his early scoring drought with the Ottawa Senators. the league, that’s the area I have to be solid in.” “Oh yeah, it’s still right there in the back of my mind,” MacArthur says. WATER BUG CONACHER “What was that, 13 or 14? It was a tough start. That’s how it goes. I stuck with it. With good linemates, you keep getting the puck. I knew it would start Conacher is a welcome addition as a linemate, Smith says. coming” “He’s like a little water bug out there. He buzzes around. He’s a bit of pest, Actually, it was only the first 11 games in which the free-agent winger failed too, so it’s maybe lucky for him he’s with me and Neil.” to score, then he sat out the team’s 12th game because of an injury. Then he turned the page on the month of November, scoring a goal in a Nov. 1 HEARING FOR WESTGARTH shootout loss to the New York Islanders. In 12 games this month, The Senators had a full day off on Monday, so it will be Tuesday before MacArthur has six goals and six assists, jumping into fifth place among there’s an update on defenceman Mark Borowiecki, whose neck was Senators scorers with 17 points. strained when he was slammed into the boards by the Hurricanes’ winger MacArthur scored twice in Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Red Wings. Kevin Westgarth. Borowiecki had fallen and was getting back on his skates when Westgarth rammed him from behind. Borowiecki had to be helped to So much for him flying under the radar. the dressing room and did not return to the game. On July 5, when captain Daniel Alfredsson left for Detroit as a free agent Though Westgarth only received a two-minute minor for boarding, he can and winger Bobby Ryan came to Ottawa in a blockbuster trade, MacArthur expect a longer sentence — a suspension — when he visits the NHL office was the forgotten man, a bit of an afterthought. Today, he’s an integral part Tuesday for a hearing. of the Senators most productive line with Ryan (11 goals, 11 assists) and centre Kyle Turris (six goals, 14 assists). “I thought it showed a total lack of respect for a fellow player that was obviously in a vulnerable position and they should feel shame,” MacLean MacArthur, a former Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres forward with said. “Player 8 (Westgarth) should feel shame. 230 points in 426 career NHL games, instantly fit in with Turris and Ryan. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.26.2013 “It has been good,” MacArthur says. “Turry is a real smart player. And Bobby Ryan, everybody knows what he can do. He’s real dangerous in the offensive zone. We’ve been working off each other so far, it’s still early, only 20-some games, but we communicate pretty well on the ice.” Head coach Paul MacLean says the club knew what to expect from the 28- year-old from Lloydminster, Alta. “We knew Clarke was a very consistent player, a 400-game player in the league, knows how to play, we knew he had some skill and was really a smart player,” MacLean said. “We didn’t put a number on it and say this is what he’s supposed to do and this is what he’s going to be. But, since he has been here, he has been very consistent day in and day out. His practice, his work ethic is something we like. “He has been a really good signing for our group.” While the Senators have struggled with consistency, no one can point to the changes at forward, with Ryan and MacArthur incoming and Alfredsson leaving, and say the new guys haven’t produced. With 58 games remaining, Ryan has already matched his goal total with the Ducks last season in 48 games. “MacArthur and Bobby Ryan,” MacLean says, “have both been outstanding for us.” SMITH FINDS NICHE In Saturday’s victory against the Red Wings, the Senators’ third line set the tone by pounding Detroit players at every opportunity. As a reward, Chris Neil, Zack Smith and new linemate Cory Conacher all recorded a point. Neil’s goal took a few good bounces before getting past netminder Jimmy Howard. “Our line is at its best when we’re physical,” Smith says. “And then we get a little more room out there to work with the puck … and, if we’re finishing checks, it can back them up for the other lines.” Smith is averaging more than 15 minutes per game for the Senators, a career-high time on ice that reflects his role shadowing some of the league’s top offensive lines. 727482 Ottawa Senators Greening was robbed of an open net goal by Cam Ward’s goal stick, and a power play that might have pushed the score to 2-0 generated a single shot on goal. Senators consistently inconsistent As the Hurricanes pushed deeper into the Ottawa zone, the three-goal flurry in the second period against Senators goaltender Robin Lehner was almost predictable. by OttawaCitizen Phillips said the team leaders accentuated the positive heading into the on November 25, 2013 third period, but coming back from a deficit in this league isn’t easy at the best of times. These are not the best of times. “When you don’t have confidence … you don’t just find it or pull it out of OTTAWA — In the 21 years since the Ottawa Senators returned to the your back pocket,” Phillips said. “It’s mental toughness, to not get down, NHL, the hockey club has taken many forms. stay positive even when things aren’t going well. Initially hopeless in the expansion years of 1992-96, the Senators became “Being upset about a play that has happened or being down makes it that endearing as they reached their first playoff in 1997, developed into a much harder on yourself and, in turn, as a team to get things turned contending team from 1999 to 2007, then a rebuilding team. Last season, around.” defying the negative prelude of the NHL lockout, the Senators charmed and over-reached, whetting appetites for greater days ahead. Rebounding in an individual game is one thing. Regarding the standings and playoff positions, crawling out of an early-season hole becomes next to With that backdrop, has there ever been a more maddening Senators group impossible because of loser points. than this 2013-14 edition? This team needs mental therapy, or at least its fans do. It’s as though the pleasing team we see on occasion has an evil, As an illustration, in their past 10 games, the Senators have five wins to uncontrollable twin. Detroit’s two. However, because Ottawa lost their five games in regulation, they have 10 points in that span. By pushing games to overtime, the Red The recent weekend was typical. After beating the Detroit Red Wings on Wings scooped single points in five of their losses, and so have nine points Saturday for a second time this season at Joe Louis Arena, outscoring them despite dropping eight of 10 games. in the two games by a combined 10-3, the Senators could have flown to Raleigh on their own wings. Teams that are in playoff positions at this stage of the season rarely give them up. The Senators are six points behind the wild-card position. The next day, they plummeted to earth with a 4-1 loss to a 12th-ranked Carolina Hurricanes team that had a goal differential of minus-21 at the “We’re going to keep coming to the rink and work at getting better,” start of the game. Now, it’s the Senators who rank 12th in the Eastern MacLean says. “Is that the definition of insanity for this year? I have no Conference with a record of 9-11-4. A year ago after 24 games, despite idea. All I know is the only way you get out of adversity, the only way you fix battling numerous injuries, the Senators were 12-8-4. things, is to work at it.” “One problem we’ve had, is, after emotional wins, the next game we come Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.26.2013 out a little flat,” centre Zack Smith said. “We can’t have that because a lot of the games are going to be emotional, especially later in the year, when you get rivalries with teams playing a lot of back to backs.” Among their other issues, the Senators only seem to get motivated against the best teams. Is it fear of failure that makes them rise to the challenge? “We can play very good against good teams, but against teams even with us or below us in the standings we don’t seem to have enough respect for them,” head coach Paul MacLean said after the loss in Carolina. MacLean has shown the patience of the biblical Job following some wanting performances this season. On Sunday, he was frustrated by his club’s letdown and didn’t want to hear about excuses such as a lack of confidence to battle back. “Confidence is an over-used word,” MacLean said. “They’re all NHL players, they should be confident in themselves. They go through some tough times, yeah. But, during that time, you’re an NHL player. Be an NHL player and play the game. Right now we don’t play long enough and hard enough to consistently win.” TSN radio host Ian Mendes noted a telling statistic: Against teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, notably Toronto, Montreal, Boston and Detroit, the Senators have a record of 4-0-1 and have outscored those teams 22-11. Against the rest of the league, Ottawa is 5-11-3 while getting outscored 66-46. Maybe it will help on Wednesday to face a Washington Capitals team ranked second in the Metro Division, although the Verizon Center has historically been tough on Ottawa. Since 2006, the Senators have a record of 2-8-3 in Washington. The Senators could win big or lose big and neither result would be a surprise. Ringleaders Jason Spezza, Chris Phillips, Chris Neil and Marc Methot are trying to rally the troops, keep them buoyant. “You’re not going to be perfect every night, but you have to find a way, when the other team’s carrying the play, to just protect yourself and not have big momentum swings,” Spezza said. Sunday evening in Raleigh was a case in point. After Spezza scored just over a minute into the game, the Senators took the foot off the gas. Colin 727483 Ottawa Senators If somebody doesn’t figure out how to slow down Ovechkin in the next couple of months, he could add an Olympic gold medal to his résumé. And if that’s the case, they may as well start preparing his plaque for the Hockey Mendes: Caps’ Ovechkin virtual lock for Hall Hall of Fame. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.26.2013 By Ian Mendes, Ottawa November 25, 2013

OTTAWA — To borrow a phrase from Mark Twain, the reports of Alexander Ovechkin’s demise were greatly exaggerated in the hockey world. Just a few months ago, a majority of the hockey media dismissed Ovechkin from the conversation about the best players on the planet. To start the lockout-shortened 2013 season, the Washington Capitals winger scored only nine goals in the first 25 games and his career seemed to be on a sharp decline. He was a shadow of his dynamic self and Ovechkin appeared to be settling in as a consistent, somewhat unspectacular 30-goal scorer. There were whispers and theories about why he lost his ability to dominate, and it was widely accepted that Ovechkin’s best days were behind him. A long-term contract paying him $9.5 million annually until 2021 was seen as a white elephant on the Capitals payroll. Ted Leonsis and the Capitals were going to be paying the Russian for his past performances, while his future appeared to be fairly bleak. Then something remarkable happened in the back half of last season. Ovechkin caught fire in March, and he hasn’t cooled off since. Dating back to last season, Ovechkin has scored 43 goals in his past 45 games, giving him an outside shot for creating his own version of 50 goals in 50 games. The 50-in-50 milestone is one of hockey’s most revered accomplishments, but the National Hockey League only recognizes players who score 50 goals in their teams’ first 50 games. However, if Ovechkin can score seven goals in his next five games — entirely plausible given his production — then the hockey world should figure out a way to commemorate the feat. In many ways this is like Tiger Woods creating his own version of golf’s Grand Slam by winning four consecutive majors even though he didn’t accomplish it in the same calendar year. We ended up referring to it as the “Tiger Slam,” and it is still widely celebrated as one of the greatest stretches in golf history. Considering we haven’t seen any NHL player score 50 goals in his team’s first 50 games since Brett Hull did it for the St. Louis Blues in 1991-92, we should honour Ovechkin’s streak as one of the best in the modern era. Even if Ovechkin isn’t able to hit the magical 50-in-50 mark this season, he is on pace for a campaign that should cement his legacy as one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the game. Ovechkin is projected to score 75 goals this season, but, even if he cools off significantly, he could still join elite company. Another 60-goal campaign would add Ovechkin to a list of just nine NHLers who have multiple 60-goal seasons in their careers. The other nine are in the Hall of Fame, including the likes of Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Even if Ovechkin’s pace slows considerably and he “only” scores 50 goals this season, it would mark the fifth time he has reached that plateau in his career, and that would still put him in the upper echelon of snipers. Only 10 players in league history have had five 50-goal seasons, and all of them are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Another 50-goal season for Ovechkin would essentially make him a lock for the Hall of Fame no matter where his career goes from here. While that seems like a lofty statement for somebody who has yet to reach their 30th birthday, Ovechkin is going to be guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame with the season he is enjoying in 2013-14. If he scores 50 again this season, Ovechkin would have more 50-goal campaigns than some of the best snipers in league history including Jari Kurri, Luc Robitaille and Michel Goulet. All three of those players are in the Hall of Fame and it seems unfathomable to think Ovechkin would be kept outside the hallowed doors in Toronto with numbers that eclipse some of the best shooters in the modern era. Speaking of shooting, Ovechkin is on pace for more than 450 shots on goal this season. If he can surpass the 400-shot plateau, he will join Phil Esposito as the only two players in NHL history with four such seasons. Nobody else in league history has had more than one season with 400 shots on goal. 727484 Ottawa Senators The Maple Leafs led all teams with operating income of $48.7 million. The Canadiens were second at $29.6 million. Rounding out the Canadian contingent was Vancouver at $15.8 million, Value of Senators increases 73 per cent to $380 million, says Forbes Calgary at $11.5 million, Edmonton at $10.3 million, Ottawa at $6.8 million, and Winnipeg at $6.3 million.

by Allen Panzeri The Senators had revenue of $83 million, according to Forbes, and a debt- to-value percentage of 39 per cent, though The Citizen estimated in August on November 25, 2013 that that percentage was approaching 50 per cent. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.26.2013

The value of the Ottawa Senators increased by 73 per cent in the last year to $380 million, according to Forbes, boosting it to 15th in the magazine’s annual rankings of NHL teams. That’s close to three times the $127 million that owner Eugene Melnyk paid for the team and the arena on Aug. 6, 2003 when he rescued it from bankruptcy. That should not only make him smile. It should also make up for his losses over the last 10 years. In an Aug. 16 story in The Citizen, Melnyk and two senior executives — president Cyril Leeder and chief financial officer Erin Crowe – said he has lost $94 million since buying the team, or about $9-10 million a year. However, in a radio interview in October on the eve of the season, Melnyk said the number was a lot higher – around $110 million over the 10 years. Nonetheless, today’s valuation would still leave him with a nice profit if he sold the team today for what Forbes says it’s worth. In rankings that are top heavy with Canadian teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs are No. 1 at $1.15 billion, an increase of 15 per cent; the Montreal Canadiens are No. 2 at $775 million, an increase of 35 per cent; and the Vancouver Canucks are No. 3 at $700 million, an increase of 105 per cent. The full list can be seen at www.forbes.com/nhl-valuations. The New York Rangers, No. 2 at $850 million, and the Chicago Blackhawks, No. 5 at $625 million, round out the top five. This is the first time, says Forbes, that every Canadian franchise ranks among the top 16 in the 30-team league. The Calgary Flames are 11th at $420 million, the Edmonton Oilers are 14th at $400 million, and the Winnipeg Jets are 16th at $340 million. Forbes says Canadian teams typically have higher attendance and higher arena revenue than their U.S colleagues. The St. Louis Blues, 28th at $185 million, the Tampa Bay Lightning, 29th at $180 million, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, No. 30 at $175 million, are the bottom three NHL teams. While the Canucks posted the largest year-to-year increase in value, the Lightning posted the smallest, just three per cent. On the whole, though, franchise owners will be sending thank-you notes to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. In the last year, thanks in part to a successful resolution of last season’s lockout, the value of the average NHL team has increased to $413 million, an increase of 46 per cent. The average team had revenue of $88 million, while operating income averaged $7 million during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. That’s the second-highest profit since the 1997-98 season, according to the magazine. Not everything is roses, though. Forbes calculates that 11 teams lost money. The Minnesota Wild led the way with a loss of $13.6 million, followed by the Phoenix Coyotes, with a loss of $8.9 million, and the Florida Panthers, with a loss of $7.7 million. Oddly, even as they sit 30th, the Columbus Blue Jackets had operating income of $4.9 million last year. The No. 18 Dallas Stars just barely squeezed into the plus side with operating income of $1.6 million. 727485 Ottawa Senators “We play very good against good teams. Then, the teams that are even with us or below us we don’t seem to have enough respect for them to play hard enough. (Carolina) was another example of that.” What's wrong with the Ottawa Senators? Goalie Robin Lehner, who made two straight starts on the weekend, didn’t mince words. He said this club has to get its act together ... quickly.

By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun “We’ve got to figure it out,” said Lehner. “We have glimpses where we’re pretty good, then those five, 10 or 15 minutes that kill us a lot of nights. First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 05:28 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 08:40 PM EST “For us to even think of making the playoffs, we’ve got to figure that out pretty soon.” Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 The only consistent for the Senators this season is their inconsistency. After back-to-back visits to Detroit (4-2 win) Friday and Carolina (4-1 loss) Sunday, the Senators had Monday off to lick their wounds and get ready to face Washington Wednesday night. Twenty-four games into the season, the Senators are on the outside looking in at the NHL’s playoff picture and they haven’t been able to find the right solution to winning regularly. The Senators begin a tough stretch here with the Capitals Wednesday, the Canucks at home Thursday and the emotional return of captain Daniel Alfredsson to the Canadian Tire Centre Sunday night. The club needs to start stringing together some victories. That is something they haven’t been able to do all season. The loss to the Hurricanes was just typical of what this club has been doing regularly. Do they wish they could just flip a switch and get this turned around? “Anyone in the league will tell you that you want to find (consistency),” said alternate captain Chris Phillips after the club’s loss Sunday to the Carolina Hurricanes. ‘For us it’s been a rollercoaster and it’s frustrating to see when we can play really strong ... and we’ve played really strong against the strong teams. “To fall a little bit flat against some of the teams lower in the standings is definitely frustrating. We’ve got to figure out a way to be on top of our game every night. That’s the situation that we are in right now.” Trying to build on their victory over the Wings, the Senators completely fell apart in a span of 5:57 of the second period against the Hurricanes. Captain Jason Spezza had a tough time explaining why that happens. The club is 6-0-1 in its own division and 2-4-2 vs. the weaker Metro division. “We play good games. We play bad games and we don’t play enough good games in a row,” he said. “We tend to play too many bad games. “We have to start stringing together some wins here. Some nights we’re really good. You’re not going to be perfect for 60 minutes every night but you have to find a way during the time of the game when the other team is carrying the play to just protect yourself and not have big momentum swings.” The Senators are struggling to find confidence. Statistics will tell you that if you aren’t in the NHL playoff picture at American Thanksgiving _ which is set for Thursday _ then you have a tough road to get there with teams to leap over. “When you don’t have confidence, yes (it’s hard to manufacture),” said Phillips. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t go and it or pull it out of your back pocket. “It’s the mental toughness to not get down. It makes it hard on the confidence to stay positive even when things aren’t going your well. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to say. For me, it seems like that’s what gets you out of it. Being upset about a play that’s happened or being down, makes it hard on yourself and, in turn, as a team to get things turned around.” The Senators make the same mistakes over and over: Bad penalties, bad turnovers, bad decisions. It’s just the same old story. Coach Paul MacLean isn’t the least bit pleased with the commitment and wasn’t going to buy that the club doesn’t have confidence either. “These guys are NHL players. Play the game,” said MacLean. “Right now, we don’t play long enough and hard enough to consistently win. 727486 Ottawa Senators 61:39. Karlsson ranks No. 3 behind Minny’s Ryan Suter and Winnipeg’s Dustin Byfuglien. THE LAST WORD Ottawa Senators worth $380M: Forbes Captain Jason Spezza doesn’t mind playing the Hurricanes. With his goal Sunday, he has 18-20-38 points in 32 games vs. Carolina ... The Florida By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun Panthers unveiled the Roger Neilson Memorial Press Box Monday at the BB&T Center. The former Senators’ assistant was the club’s original First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 05:48 PM EST | Updated: coach ... G Robin Lehner was happy to get two straight starts and was Monday, November 25, 2013 05:52 PM EST pleased with his effort against the Hurricanes. He didn’t feel he had much chance on what were golden opportunities. “I felt good (Friday and Saturday). They came out in the second, got three good opportunities and we couldn’t catch up,” said Lehner. Owner Eugene Melnyk had reason to smile Monday. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 No he isn’t happy that his club is on the outside of the NHL playoff picture, but Forbes Magazine did release its annual valuation of NHL teams and rated the Senators at being up 73% from last year. According to Forbes, the Senators are valued at $380 million. It’s believed he paid $130 million for the team and the arena when he purchased the club out of bankrupty in 2003. Most NHL owners don’t put a lot of stock in the valuations by Forbes and many league executives consider the numbers nothing more than educated guesswork. The Maple Leafs were the NHL’s most valuable team. Melnyk said in an email to the Sun Monday the valuation is nice but doesn’t mean much because he has no plans to sell the team ... ever. “That’s (Forbes) opinion. I say it’s priceless!” said Melnyk. SMITTY STRUTTING HIS STUFF One guy nobody is complaining about is Zack Smith. Amidst all the issues the club is having trying to get on track, the Senators centre has carved out a nice little niche for himself and has been one of the most consistent performers. Assigned to play in a shutdown role against many of the NHL’s top lines by coach Paul MacLean, Smith has taken the job to heart and has been a bright light in a season where those have been difficult to find. “I consider myself a defensive player. I want to be a guy who is on the ice in the last two minutes of the game defending a lead. If I want to be a top guy in the league that’s an area I have to excel at,” said Smith Sunday. That Smith hasn’t scored in 12 games doesn’t mean a whole lot. He isn’t relied on to put the puck in the net. If he gets a goal that’s a bonus. The key is to help keep the puck out of the net and give the club a chance to win. “I’ve talked about that with the coaches,” admitted Smith. “A lof of the time it has to do with matchups, especially at home. I play against the top lines and if they’re not scoring that’s a bonus. We don’t have necessarily have to score as long as we keep them off the scoresheet. “It’s tough sometimes when you’re not putting up points. When you’re scoring goals and putting up points you’re a little more confident with the puck.” Smith said it’s not difficult to stay involved in a game when you have a big assignement. “You take pride in that,” he said. “It tells you the coaches have a lot of confidence in you to play against those top lines.” THIS N’ THAT The status of D Mark Borowiecki won’t be known until the club returns to practice Tuesday. He had a stiff neck after getting nailed into the boards by Carolina D Kevin Westgarth in the first Sunday. “He’s all right. He’s got stiffness,” said MacLean. “God bless him that he’s all right. He was in a dangerous spot. It appears to be more a stiffness in the neck than anything else.” Brendan Shanahan, the VP of player safety, was reviewing the hit and has a hearing Tuesday morning. The Canes did have an off-day Monday and don’t play again until Wednesday in New Jersey. The hearing will be done by phone which means Westgarth won’t be getting the book thrown at him “We don’t have any say in it from this point forward. To me, it is just a disrespectful play,” said MacLean. He added it was a tough break for Borowiecki. “He just came up here and did his job. He’s been a real good player for us and consistent for us,” said MacLean ... D Erik Karlsson played more than a full game vs. Detroit and Carolina on the weekend. He had 30:20 of ice time vs. the Wings, 31:19 vs. the Hurricanes for a total of 727487 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators still in market for defenceman

By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 05:44 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 05:47 PM EST

The Senators slide has GM Bryan Murray sniffing around the NHL’s trade market for a defenceman. The pickings are slim. Two league executives told the Sun Monday that if the Senators are to deal for a top four defenceman then they’ll have to give up forward in return to make that happen. “Teams want deals that are going to give them something in return,” said a league executive. The Senators have certainly shown an interest in Rangers’ blueliner Michael Del Zotto, but if GM Glen Sather is asking for Chris Neil or defenceman Marc Methot in return then that’s likely a non-starter. It’s believed the Senators have spoken with the Panthers about defenceman Dmitry Kulikov, but the asking price is high and there’s talk the 23-year-old is headed back to Russia a the end of this season. Making $2.5 million, he will be a restricted free agent. He’s expected to get huge cash thrown at him by a KHL club which means it could be difficult for any team to give up a lot of assets to get a young player for the balance of the season. The Hurricanes have been offering around rugged defenceman Tim Gleason, who hasn’t played very tough this year and was a healthy scratch against the Senators Sunday night. He has a ‘no-trade’ clause and two years left at $4 million per-season so he’d have to approve any deal. “You’re not going to get a defencemen without giving something up. You’re going to have to part with some assets,” said the executive. The Senators are sitting outside the NHL’s playoff picture and the time may have come for Murray to do something to try to rattle the cages in the dressing room a little. The club has been suffering from a malaise and making the same old mistakes. “Sometimes you just have to make a change for the sake of change. Short of calling someone up, the only other option is to make a trade,” said the executive. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 727488 Philadelphia Flyers "You should want to come in here and take it to this team," Berube said. "We're a 'north' team - and we played that way in the third period. We weren't 'north' enough. We were just slow. That's why we lost." Flyers' streak goes south against Panthers Slap shots The Panthers dedicated the press box at BB&T Center yesterday in FRANK SERAVALLI, Daily News Staff Writer [email protected] memory of former Flyers and Florida coach Roger Neilson. The Hockey Hall of Famer, who passed away in 2003 at age 69, was the Panthers' Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 3:01 AM inaugural coach. He was 96-57-33 in parts of three seasons with the Flyers (1997-2000) . . . Erik Gudbranson's third-period insurance goal for Florida was his first in 101 games . . . The Flyers' 2-1 win in Pittsburgh on Nov. 13 was the NHL's most-watched November game since 2001 . . . Vinny SUNRISE, Fla. - Standing in the hallway just outside the Flyers' locker Lecavalier will return to Tampa Bay for the first time today since his $32 room, coach Craig Berube was shaking his head in disgust. million buyout by the Lightning last summer Hours earlier, at his team's morning skate, he warned the confident Flyers Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 to not overlook Florida. Berube knew relaxing in Florida's warm breezes can direct a game one of two ways for the Flyers. The two outcomes, like the winter-time temperatures in Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia, are polar opposites. Sometimes, the difference in latitude provides a change in attitude, and the no-pressure environment in South Florida is a healthy respite from a long and grueling season. In that case, the Flyers usually hammer the oft- struggling Panthers, like a 7-1 pounding in their last visit to BB&T Center on Jan. 26. Or, a trip to the beach presents an opportunity to get sidetracked in the sand and surf, acting as a diversion to unhinge all of the good work the Flyers had done. Last night, that was the case for the Flyers, as they kicked off a stretch of 16 of 21 games away from Philadelphia in disappointing style. After sleepwalking through the first two periods, the Flyers fell to the Panthers, 3-1, when their third-period rally fell short in front of 14,299. "Who are we to overlook anybody?" Berube asked. "We talked about it before the game, this morning, about being ready. I'm not sure we were." The result was the Flyers' first regulation loss in eight games, breaking a 6- 0-1 run that began on Nov. 9 against Edmonton. It was also their first regulation loss on the road since Oct. 12 in Detroit, a span of 44 days. The Flyers had won five straight in Sunrise, too. All signs pointed to a win against a team that had lost nine straight at one point this season. "We got distracted. We thought we were the better team," Scott Hartnell said. "When you underestimate your opponent in this league, you're going to get screwed." Defenseman Mark Streit said the Flyers tried to get "too complicated" in the neutral zone. Whatever it was, Hartnell knew the Flyers got away from what earned them a point in seven straight games. It was an untimely, if not somewhat predictable, lapse in focus: the dismal Florida road swing that sucks in most of the NHL's other 28 teams. "The first two periods was how we played the first 15 games: awful," Hartnell said. "Our defense was taking their time getting to the puck. Our forwards were slow getting back for the defense through the neutral zone. We were turning the puck over. We tried to make behind-the-back passes, all of the stuff that we weren't doing the last half-dozen games. "That third period, we played our game that made us undefeated the last six or seven games. We took it to them." The Flyers turned it on for the third period, throwing 20 darts at savvy veteran Tim Thomas, but it took 7 minutes for Wayne Simmonds to crack him. Even with a power-play goal in their seventh consecutive game, it was too late. Their 20 shots in the third was their highest total of any period this season, eclipsing the 19 they posted in the second period against Buffalo last Thursday. "Chief warned us before not to take them lightly," Steve Mason said. "And when you have a team like that over there that has a lot of young players, they can come back to bite you." Perhaps, that is what enraged Berube more than anything - that even after the Flyers' abysmal first two periods, at least salvaging a point was entirely possible. It's not as if the Panthers were playing like world beaters, clinging to just their fourth two-goal lead in 25 games this season. 727489 Philadelphia Flyers conduct studies on such matters. Since almost all teams are privately held, their books are not open to the public. The behemoth Toronto Maple Leafs retained the top spot, being valued at Downie praised for bringing a spark to the Flyers $1.15 billion, playing in Canada's biggest market. The Flyers were ranked seventh, valued at $500 million, up a stunning 49 FRANK SERAVALLI, Daily News Staff Writer [email protected] percent from last year. They also had the smallest operating income in the top 10 at just $6 million - but part of that is probably because they did not Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 3:01 AM make the playoffs last season, where most of income is made, and they've made costly contract decisions including compliance buyouts. The rest of the top 10 in value: No. 2 Rangers, $850 million; No. 3, SUNRISE, Fla. - When Steve Downie was traded from the first-place Canadiens, $775 million; No. 4 Canucks, $700 million; No. 5 Blackhawks, Avalanche to the last-place Flyers on Halloween, many joked his trip was $625 million; No. 6 Bruins, $600 million; No. 8 Penguins, $480 million; No. 9 more trick than threat. Red Wings, $470 million; and Kings, $450 million. Downie rejoined a team in turmoil - with a rookie head coach, a 3-8-0 Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 record and little prospect for the playoffs. He was in nearly an opposite situation in Denver, where he played on the first line for a recordsetting rookie head coach in Patrick Roy. Yet, when Downie joined the Flyers, he looked at their roster and saw a disconnect. The names and numbers didn't add up. "You ask everybody in this room and it was disappointing the way we started," Downie said. "We knew we could be better. We made a push. Now we're right back in the thick of things." It is no coincidence that the Flyers are on a 5-1-1 run since Downie rejoined the lineup after suffering a concussion in his first game with the team. Downie, 26, is skating on a line that Jake Voracek called "the hottest line in hockey" with Sean Couturier and Matt Read. Downie has six assists in the last seven games. And after slow starts to their seasons, Read has five goals and one assist, while Couturier has one goal and four assists in the same span. "When we added him to that line, I knew they'd get the offensive chances, because he's very good with the puck down low," coach Craig Berube said. "He makes plays, he's strong, he sees the ice very well. We're really happy right now." Read called it "a little bit of instant chemistry" with Downie, but said Downie deserves credit not for his brawn, but his brains. When the Flyers acquired him, many mocked Paul Holmgren because of Downie's penchant for penalties and his 700-plus career minutes in fewer than 300 games. Downie has been anything but undisciplined. "He's a very smart player," Read said. "He knows how to get to open areas. He knows how to support the puck very well, which is helpful with me and Sean, because we're learning as a line and we're quickly learning where everyone is on the ice." For Berube, the line also has been a key shutdown checking line, able to play big minutes each night against top opponents. Read said that his line still has plenty of room for improvement and that they're "really just getting to know each other," but Downie said the simplicity of their overall game made it easy to readjust from Colorado. "It's been great," said Downie, who originally was with the team in 2007 and '08. "I think I've played with 90 percent of the guys in this room. The guys in here have done a great job with me, they've kept things as simple as possible. "We're playing well together. Listen, we got hot. We could go cold [at any time]. I hope not, but the reality of it is that some nights you're going to get points and some nights you're not. You've just got to keep pushing." Despite their early season downfalls, the Flyers have made that initial push toward the playoffs - something that seemed like a pipe dream even a month ago. Downie might end up having the last laugh in the trade. "It's going to be fun these next couple of months," Downie said. "Now we're going to see what this team can really do." Forbes' NHL list For the first time ever, three Canadian-based teams are ranked in the top five most valued teams, according to Forbes. Teams have long disputed the Forbes valuations, but Forbes says its data is groomed from sports bankers, public documents and consultants who 727490 Philadelphia Flyers 727491 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers go cold in loss to lowly Panthers Flyers fall to Panthers, 3-1

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer Frank Seravalli, Daily News Staff Writer Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 1:08 AM Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013, 10:07 PM

SUNRISE, Fla. - There were loud "Let's go Flyers!" chants Monday night SUNRISE, Fla. - Standing in the hallway just outside the Flyers' locker from the estimated 1,000 visiting fans who wore orange-and-white jerseys room, coach Craig Berube was shaking his head in disgust. to the BB&T Center. Hours earlier, at his team's morning skate, he warned the confident Flyers They left the South Florida arena unhappy. So did the Flyers. to not overlook Florida. Berube knew relaxing in Florida's warm breezes can direct a game one of two ways for the Flyers. Sean Bergenheim scored a pair of goals as the lowly Florida Panthers defeated the Flyers, 3-1, and ended the visitors' seven-game points streak. The two outcomes, like the winter-time temperatures in Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia, are polar opposites. The Flyers had been on a 6-0-1 run and they had won their previous five games here against the Panthers (7-13-5). Sometimes, the difference in latitude provides a change in attitude, and the no-pressure environment in South Florida is a healthy respite from a long "If you underestimate somebody in this league, you get [beat]," winger Scott and grueling season. In that case, the Flyers usually hammer the oft- Hartnell said. struggling Panthers, like a 7-1 pounding in their last visit to BB&T Center on "Who are we to overlook anybody?" said coach Craig Berube, whose 10- Jan. 26. 11-2 team missed a chance to go over .500 for the first time this season. Or, a trip to the beach presents an opportunity to get sidetracked in the "We talked about it before the game, about being ready. I'm not sure we sand and surf, acting as a diversion to unhinge all of the good work the were." Flyers had done. It was the Flyers' first regulation road loss since a 5-2 defeat in Detroit on Last night, that was the case for the Flyers, as they kicked off a stretch of Oct. 12. They had picked up road points in their previous six games. 16 of 21 games away from Philadelphia in disappointing style. "I don't think we were very good with our execution with the puck in the first After sleepwalking through the first two periods, the Flyers fell to the two periods," Berube said. "We turned it over too many times in the neutral Panthers, 3-1, when their third-period rally fell short in front of 14,299. zone. We were lackadaisical a little bit, in my opinion." "Who are we to overlook anybody?" Berube asked. "We talked about it After two listless periods, the Flyers fired 20 third-period shots, their most before the game, this morning, about being ready. I'm not sure we were." shots in any period this season. The result was the Flyers' first regulation loss in eight games, breaking a 6- Wayne Simmonds scored on a power-play goal, converting a rebound of 0-1 run that began on Nov. 9 against Edmonton. It was also their first Hartnell's shot to get the Flyers within 2-1 with 12 minutes, 54 seconds left. regulation loss on the road since Oct. 12 in Detroit, a span of 44 days. The goal energized the Flyers, who had been second to the puck for much The Flyers had won five straight in Sunrise, too. All signs pointed to a win of the first two periods. After some effective forechecking, Sean Couturier against a team that had lost nine straight at one point this season. nearly tied it, but Tim Thomas made a key stop from in close with 8:10 to go. "We got distracted. We thought we were the better team," Scott Hartnell said. "When you underestimate your opponent in this league, you're going Florida secured the win by scoring an odd goal with 4:08 remaining. After to get screwed." the puck stayed in the zone by hitting the referee's skate, Erik Gudbranson's point shot bounced off Steve Mason's shoulder, caromed Defenseman Mark Streit said the Flyers tried to get "too complicated" in the high into the air and went behind him before trickling into the net for the neutral zone. Whatever it was, Hartnell knew the Flyers got away from what defenseman's first goal in 101 games. earned them a point in seven straight games. It was an untimely, if not somewhat predictable, lapse in focus: the dismal Florida road swing that Thomas made 38 saves, including 19 in the third period. sucks in most of the NHL's other 28 teams. Bergenheim, a fourth-liner, scored on a wraparound after outworking Flyers "The first two periods was how we played the first 15 games: awful," defenders from behind the net. He had his first wraparound, on the right Hartnell said. "Our defense was taking their time getting to the puck. Our side of the net, turned aside by Mason, but he gained control of the puck forwards were slow getting back for the defense through the neutral zone. and scored on the same attempt on the other side with 16:25 remaining in We were turning the puck over. We tried to make behind-the-back passes, the second. all of the stuff that we weren't doing the last half-dozen games. With 6:01 left in the second and Florida on a power play, Bergenheim "That third period, we played our game that made us undefeated the last six deflected Marcel Goc's shot past Mason to make it 2-0. or seven games. We took it to them." They were the first two goals of the season for Bergenheim. The Flyers turned it on for the third period, throwing 20 darts at savvy Earlier in the period, the Flyers failed to convert a five-on-three power play veteran Tim Thomas, but it took 7 minutes for Wayne Simmonds to crack that lasted 1:23. They were not sharp and made too many passes. Thomas him. Even with a power-play goal in their seventh consecutive game, it was made three saves during the five-on-three. too late. Their 20 shots in the third was their highest total of any period this season, eclipsing the 19 they posted in the second period against Buffalo Simmonds had the Flyers' two best chances in a scoreless first period. last Thursday. Thomas, prone on the ice, stopped Simmonds out front with about 15 minutes left in the period. About 10 minutes later, while the Flyers were on "Chief warned us before not to take them lightly," Steve Mason said. "And a power play, Simmonds redirected Claude Giroux's pass wide of the net. when you have a team like that over there that has a lot of young players, they can come back to bite you." The Flyers started a difficult stretch in which they will play eight of nine games on the road. Perhaps, that is what enraged Berube more than anything - that even after the Flyers' abysmal first two periods, at least salvaging a point was entirely "We didn't go north enough," Berube said. "We were just slow." possible. It's not as if the Panthers were playing like world beaters, clinging to just their fourth two-goal lead in 25 games this season. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 "You should want to come in here and take it to this team," Berube said. "We're a 'north' team - and we played that way in the third period. We weren't 'north' enough. We were just slow. That's why we lost." Slap shots The Panthers dedicated the press box at BB&T Center yesterday in memory of former Flyers and Florida coach Roger Neilson. The Hockey Hall of Famer, who passed away in 2003 at age 69, was the Panthers' inaugural coach. He was 96-57-33 in parts of three seasons with the Flyers (1997-2000) . . . Erik Gudbranson's third-period insurance goal for Florida was his first in 101 games . . . The Flyers' 2-1 win in Pittsburgh on Nov. 13 was the NHL's most-watched November game since 2001 . . . Vinny Lecavalier will return to Tampa Bay for the first time today since his $32 million buyout by the Lightning last summer. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727492 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Notes: Flyers put early scoring slump behind them

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 1:08 AM

SUNRISE, Fla. - In the first 15 games, the Flyers scored a total of 22 goals. No team in NHL history had scored fewer goals in that span at the start of a season. Since then, they have dramatically improved on their 1.47-goals-per-game average. Entering Monday, they had scored 27 goals in their last seven games, an average of 3.86 per contest. "We're always playing from above the puck now, and when you do that, you're going to create a lot of turnovers and you can get quick-strike offensive attacks," winger Wayne Simmonds said before Monday's game against Florida. "And everybody's feeling confident now, so we're putting more pucks in the net." The Flyers had more goals in their last six games (23) before Monday than they did in their first 18 games (22). "I think confidence is a huge part of the game," Simmonds said. "Before, we were getting point-blank opportunities and guys were getting nervous or shanking them into the corner. And after that it was kind of putting your head down between your legs and just not reacting the rest of the game. "Now we're getting those opportunities, and if the first one isn't going in then we have a second guy there trying to tap it in, and if he doesn't, we have a third guy there. It's kind of a relentless attack right now and we're trying to improve as we go along." The Flyers had averaged 34 shots per game during the 6-0-1 streak they took into Monday. "We're starting to figure out the O-zone part of it," coach Craig Berube said. "We're doing a good job using the "D" and everybody is involved in it, which is important. When you put pucks and people to the net, good things happen." Remembering Roger The Florida Panthers honored the late Roger Neilson by naming the BB&T Center press box in his honor. Neilson was the first coach in Panthers history, and he also coached seven other NHL teams, including the Flyers. "I loved playing for Roger," Berube said. "Very professional coach. He didn't say a whole lot, but you know exactly what you were getting all the time from him, day in and day out. . . . He had a system and you had to play the system. Everybody had to play the same." Neilson, who died in 2003, was known for his quirkiness, for the way he frequently got lost while driving, and for his love of incorporating video into his coaching. "He was like an encyclopedia" when it came to hockey, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. Worth half a billion In its annual valuations of NHL teams, Forbes ranked the Flyers seventh, at $500 million. The Toronto Maple Leafs were No. 1, valued at $1.15 billion. Breakaways After the morning skate, Vinny Lecavalier said that he was looking forward to what will be an emotional return to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, but that his focus was on Monday's game. . . . Boxer Antonio Tarver posed for photos with several Flyers after the morning skate. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727493 Philadelphia Flyers

Does Claude Giroux deserve a spot on Team Canada?

Alex Ott Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013, 7:37 PM

It’s been a slow, painful fall for Claude Giroux. Just a year ago, the Flyers captain was widely considered a top-ten player in the world. Former Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette even referred to him as “the best player in the world,” (maybe that’s part of the problem). But right now, he’s struggling to make Canada’s Olympic hockey roster. NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writer Corey Masisak released their projected rosters for the upcoming Sochi games, and Giroux won’t love the results. Rosen includes 14 forwards on his roster. Giroux is his last man on it. “Giroux had a finger injury in the summer and did not get off to a good start this season. Like Nash, there were and probably are still doubts about why he would be on the team. But the Philadelphia Flyers captain makes it because he's too good to leave off. He can take over games, play any position and is solid at both ends of the rink. He's also starting to heat up, which bodes well for his chances come late next month.” Masisak, on the other hand, left Giroux off of his roster completely. Their arguments against Giroux are warranted. The 25-year old has no Olympic experience and has utterly underperformed the past two seasons. This is a huge concern for both the Flyers and Team Canada, as it seems Giroux’s growth has completed stunted. Each season from 2008-09 to 2011-12, Giroux’s point totals increased by at least 17 and at most 20. Just two seasons ago, he finished third in the league in points and second in the league in assists. Last season his goals took a hit, but he still managed to average a point per game, good for 14th in the NHL. This season, Giroux is tied for 90th overall and 43rd amongst Canadian- born players. Between the injuries, declining numbers and lack of international experience, it isn’t unreasonable to think Giroux might be watching the Winter Games from his couch. He’s young enough to have a few more chances at cracking the Canadian lineup for future Olympic teams, but with the league considering a shift back to amateur players for international competition, Giroux’s chances at winning a gold medal might be gone forever. He might just have to settle for a Stanley Cup instead. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727494 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' offense arrives (finally)

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013, 2:02 PM

SUNRISE, Fla. _ In the first 15 games, the Flyers scored a total of 22 goals. No team in NHL history had scored fewer goals in that span at the start of a season. Since then, they have dramatically improved on their 1.47-goals-per game average. Entering Monday, they had scored 27 goals in their last seven games, an average of 3.86 per contest, nearly triple their early-season output. “We’re always playing from above the puck now, and when you do that, you’re going to create a lot of turnovers and you can get quick-strike offensive attacks,” winger Wayne Simmonds said before Monday’s game against Florida. “And everybody’s feeling confident now, so we’re putting more pucks in the net.” The Flyers had more goals in their last six games (23) before Monday than they did in their first 15 games (22). “I think confidence is a huge part of the game,” Simmonds said. “Before, we were getting point-blank opportunities and guys were getting nervous or shanking them into the corner. And after that it was kind of putting your head down between your legs, and just not reacting the rest of the game. Now we’re getting those opportunities and if the first one isn’t going in, then we have second guy there trying to tap it in, and if he doesn’t we have a third guy there. It’s kind of a relentless attack right now and we’re trying to improve as we go along.” The Flyers had averaged 34 shots per game during the 6-0-1 streak they took into Monday. “We’re starting to figure out the O-zone part of it,” coach Craig Berube said. “We’re doing a good job using the D and everybody is involved in it, which is important. When you put pucks and people to the net, good things happen.” In addition, the Flyers' power play has made strides, scoring at least once in six straight games and going 7 for 22 (31.8 percent) in that span. Breakaways. Steve Mason ( 7-7-2, 2.11 GAA, .933 save percentage) will face Florida’s Tim Thomas (5-7-1, 2.79, .908) on Monday night….Claude Giroux has taken over the Flyers’ scoring lead with 15 points, while Vinny Lecavalier and Matt Read top the goal scorers with eight apiece…The Panthers’ press box was named in honor of the late Roger Neilson, the first coach in Florida history and a former Flyers coach. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727495 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers valued at $500 million

Frank Seravalli Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013, 10:52 AM

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Turns out, NHL executives did know what they were doing when they imposed that 113-day lockout last season. The average NHL team has an enterprise value (equity plus net debt) of a whopping $413 million, nearly 46 percent more than a year ago, according to Forbes Magazine’s annual rankings. And for the first time ever, three Canadian-based teams are ranked in the top five. Teams have long disputed the Forbes valuations, but Forbes says their data is groomed from sports bankers, public documents and consultants who conduct studies on such matters. Since almost all teams are privately held, their books are not open to the public. Not surprisingly, the behemoth Maple Leafs retained the top spot, being valued at $1.15 billion playing in Canada’s biggest market. The Flyers were ranked 7th, valued at $500 million, up a stunning 49 percent from last year. They also had the smallest operating income in the Top 10 at just $6.0 million - but part of that is probably due to the fact that they did not make the playoffs last season, where most of income is made, and they’ve made costly contract decisions including compliance buyouts. Here are the Top 10 of the rankings: Ranking - Team - Current Value - Revenue - Operating Income Toronto Maple Leafs - $1.15 billion - $142 million - $48.7 million New York Rangers - $850 million - $131 million - $27.3 million Montreal Canadiens - $775 million - $127 million - $29.6 million Vancouver Canucks - $700 million - $101 million - $15.8 million Chicago Blackhawks - $625 million - $115 million - $25.6 million Boston Bruins - $600 million - $114 million - $18.5 million Philadelphia Flyers - $500 million - $95 million - $6.0 million Pittsburgh Penguins - $480 million - $107 million - $20.9 million Detroit Red Wings - $470 million - $96 million - $10.5 million Los Angeles Kings - $450 million - $98 million - $8.2 million Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.26.2013 727496 Philadelphia Flyers “Turnovers,’’ Simmonds said. “That hurt us and that’s why we lost. Coming on the road, we wanted to play a simple game, we complicated things, we didn’t play the way we had been playing.’’ Hot team feels a chill in Florida Defenseman Mark Streit saw it the same way. “We were way too complicated in the neutral zone,’’ he said. “We didn’t use Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 9:52 pm | Updated: 11:30 pm, Mon our speed. In the past few games, we were keeping it simple, chipping Nov 25, 2013. pucks. Tonight, too many turnovers, too complicated. You can’t play like that.’’ Wayne Fish Staff writer Bergenheim beat Mason with a wrap-around shot at 3:35 of the first period, then flipped in a short-side shot during a power play at 13:59 of the second.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- All streaks have to end. But when one is stopped by a Short shots talent-starved team like the Florida Panthers, it’s a little more disappointing than usual. Florida’s Krys Barch picked up 17 penalty minutes for a fight with the Jay Rosehill in the first period. ... Flyers hit the 30-shot mark for the fifth straight It would have been different if the Flyers had given a more workmanlike game. ... Simmonds’ goal was his fourth in the last five games. ... Flyers are effort against a 7-13-5 outfit. now 1-8-1 when an opponent scores first. But that wasn’t the case Monday night as the Flyers lost their seven-game Burlington County Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 streak of at least one point (6-0-1) with a 3-1 loss at BB&T Center. The Flyers entered the game with a 5-0-0 mark in their last five visits to this building but games aren’t won on past performances. After this underachieving effort, Scott Hartnell said the Flyers may have lost because they didn’t have enough respect for their opponent. “We got distracted,’’ Hartnell said. “Maybe we thought we were a better team, that coming in here would be an easy game. You underestimate your opponent in this league, you’re going to get screwed. You’re going to lose the game. And we did just that.’’ Several players said the Flyers simply made the whole thing “too complicated.’’ On the road, it’s best to keep things simple. “Our defense was taking their time getting the puck to the forwards, the forwards weren’t getting back for the defense,’’ Hartnell said. “Through the neutral zone, (the Panthers) were coming back on us pretty hard with back pressure. “We were tired. We were turning the puck over and they were going right back at us, stuff we weren’t doing the last half-dozen games. If you want a reason why we lost the game, that’s why.’’ Steve Mason did his best to keep the Flyers in it but Sean Bergenheim scored two goals (his first two of the season) and Philly slipped back under the .500 mark at 10-11-2. This was the Flyers’ first road loss in regulation time since a setback at Detroit on Oct. 12. Since then they had gone 4-0-2. Adding more salt to the wound, 39-year-old goalie Tim Thomas administered the defeat, raising his career mark against the Flyers to 14-4- 2. Asked whether the Flyers might not have given the Panthers enough respect, coach Craig Berube was quick with an answer. “I hope not,’’ he said. “Who are we to overlook anybody? We talked about it before the game, about being ready. And I’m not sure we weren't.’’ The Flyers could generate little in the way of offense against Thomas until a power-play goal by Wayne Simmonds at 7:06 in the third period. The power-play goal extended the Flyers’ streak to seven straight games with at least a goal with the man advantage. But that’s about all that went right on a night when the Flyers simply played down to the level of the competition. Coming off their hot streak, maybe the Flyers took success for granted. “There’s always that tendency,’’ Mason said. “But Chief (Berube) warned us before not to take them lightly. When you have a team like that over there, with a lot of young players, it can come back to bite you.’’ The Flyers could get little right, including a five-on-three stretch of 1:23 in the second period when they put virtually no pressure on Thomas. Meanwhile, the Flyers were playing pretty loose with the puck throughout the game. 727497 Philadelphia Flyers Neilson receives honor: The Panthers, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, named their press box after former coach Roger Neilson on Monday. A plaque was mounted there in his honor. Teammates see lots of upside to Downie Berube played for Neilson and said he enjoyed the experience. “I loved playing for Roger, he was a very professional coach,” Berube said. Posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 5:29 pm “He didn’t say a whole lot, but you knew exactly what you were getting all the time from him, day in and day out. The lineups were on the board, that’s Wayne Fish Staff writer it. You’re in or you’re out, go play. “He had his reasons if you weren’t playing, and he’d come and tell you and that was it. He’d get you back in, give you a role on the team, which is SUNRISE, Fla. – When Steve Downie showed up for his second tour of important, I think. He had a system. You had to play the system.’’ duty with the Flyers, there were people wondering: “Isn’t this the kid that used to get 20-game suspensions and play hockey like a character in some Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren was impressed by Neilson’s kind of bad video game?’’ dedication to hockey at all levels. Not really. “He had a freeness with the way he dealt with his players,” Holmgren said. “His love of the game was transferred to any team or players he coached. Oh, the name was still the same, but the game? That’s much different. You could not help but feed off his love of the game. Somewhere along the line, whether it was with the Tampa Bay Lightning or “His love of the game was second to none, and if you spent any time with the Colorado Avalanche, the light went on. him, you could learn the history of the game, the future of the game and the present of the game. It was like being around an encyclopedia.” Chalk it up to maturity or whatever, the former Flyer No. 1 draft pick has learned what works and what doesn’t. Vinny going back: Although he’s not scheduled to play in Tampa until Wednesday, Vinny Lecavalier was being peppered with questions about his This year he’s become an assist machine, 12 in all, including three on Matt 14 years there as early as Monday. Read’s four-goals-in-two-games explosion heading into Monday night’s game against the Panthers at BB&T Center. “I’m definitely excited about going back to Tampa,’’ he said. “It was 14 really fun years. Tampa is where my family is, my sister lives there, my The skeptics are slowly being converted as they realize that Downie is the parents are there in the winter. It was tough to leave but you have to move sparkplug on the Flyers’ suddenly stable third line, centered by Sean on.’’ Couturier. Burlington County Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 “He (Downie) just knows where to be,’’ Read pointed out after the morning skate. “It makes the game a lot easier. He’s so smart offensively and defensively. He knows how to create space. I can’t say enough about him, it’s been fun the last three or four games.’’ Downie gained some instant respect from teammates by the way he hurried back from a concussion which cost him two nights in a Philadelphia hospital after a fight in the Nov. 1 game against Washington. “It was tough,’’ he said of the comeback. “I worked hard to get back. ‘Lappy’ (assistant coach Ian Laperriere) really pushed me. Maybe worked hard when I was off. That helped me get back quicker.’’ Added Read: “After that Washington game, I thought he was going to be out a long time. I’m glad we got him back as quickly as we did.’’ Even though Downie is only 26, he’s looked upon as a dependable veteran now. “It’s the maturity, growing as a player,’’ Downie explained. “You get older, you learn the game. When I came to Philly (first time), it was a tough lineup to get into. I played a role, I didn’t get much ice. “When I got traded to Tampa, I got more of an opportunity. I became a two- way player. Marty St. Louis helped me out a lot.’’ Downie admits it took a while, possibly as long as his third year, for everything to fall into place. “Some people can do it (right off), some can’t,’’ he said. “Maybe it took a little longer.’’ When the trade with Colorado was announced (Max Talbot went to the Avalanche), the perception was that Downie was being brought back because he was the kind of player coach Craig Berube likes to have in his lineup. Berube downplayed that notion a bit, stating that Downie impressed some people his first time through Philadelphia and that was a factor in bringing him back. “I knew when we added him to that line, they would get some good offensive chances,’’ Berube said. “He’s very good with the puck down low. Makes plays, strong, sees the ice very well. “We’ve had Downie here before and we all like him. It’s not that we didn’t like Max but (Steve) adds some grit and he’s a Flyer type player.’’ 727498 Philadelphia Flyers The Panthers would subsequently go on a power play, and with just 16 seconds remaining on it, Bergenheim tipped home a shot by Panthers winger Jimmy Hayes to double the lead. Surging Panthers catch Flyers napping The Flyers displayed no signs of comeback interest for the balance of the period and the first several minutes of the third. But given another power play chance, they finally struck as Simmonds rebounded a Hartnell shot at By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times 7:06 to halve the lead. Posted: 11/25/13, 11:39 PM EST | Updated: 2 hrs ago That would make it interesting, sparking some renewed life in the Flyers. They buzzed Thomas around the crease, but really couldn’t gain much sustained pressure from it. The Panthers responded by stepping up the forecheck after that, and finally, former Flyer Scott Upshall got the puck to SUNRISE, Fla. — Cruising along on an upward trajectory and brimming Gudbranson, whose long slapshot bounced off Mason and went up and with confidence, the Flyers took a sudden turn south Monday night at South over him into the net for an insurance goal. Florida’s dismal hockey swamp, and revisited some haunting tendencies of the recent past. “They worked tonight, I’ve got to admit,” Berube said. “That team skates hard and they worked hard and I thought they clogged the middle up real Against a Panthers team that had generously handed them victories in their well in the neutral zone and we didn’t go north enough. We were just slow.” five previous visits to BB&T Center, the Flyers stumbled from the start, strayed from the simple direction they had recently taken toward true But could that have had at least something to do with the confidence gained contention and wound up with a hurtful 3-1 defeat. from the Flyers’ recent streak? From the sounds of their post-game confessions, however, perhaps they at “There’s always that tendency,” Mason said, “but (Berube) warned us least came upon a cold, hard lesson along the way. before not to take them lightly. And when you have a team like that over there that has a lot of young players, that can come back to bite you.” “We didn’t go north enough,” Scott Hartnell said. “We were trying to make behind-the-back passes, and it wasn’t just one line, it was all of us. We got Delaware County Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 distracted. Maybe we thought we were a better team and coming here it would be an easy game. “If you underestimate your opponent in this league you’re going to get screwed and you’re going to lose the game. We did just that.” The loss might have smarted all the more in that all three Panthers goals were supplied by players that hadn’t scored earlier this season ... or last season, either. Sean Bergenheim, who missed the 2013 shortened season due to injury and was slow to return to any semblance of form this season, scored twice in the second period to put the Flyers in an early hole. Then, after a Wayne Simmonds power play goal had finally pushed the Flyers back to their aggressive ways, 21-year-old defenseman Erik Gudbranson scored for the first time in 101 NHL outings to ice it for the somewhat-reborn Panthers (7- 13-5). Since Kevin Dineen was replaced by AHL promotee Peter Horachek as head coach, the Panthers have gone 4-4-1. Maybe the Flyers (10-11-2) have been too busy streaking toward their own fast redemption to pay attention to that. “I hope not,” Craig Berube said sharply. “Who are we to overlook anybody? We talked before the game and this morning about being ready. And I’m not sure we were.” Thus, their lucky seven-game run of 6-0-1 came to a crashing halt. But it was more than luck that had produced that little streak. “We didn’t play the game we wanted to,” Simmonds said. “We know what we have to do to be successful, and we weren’t doing it right. We were trying to make stupid plays in the neutral zone. They played a good game. They stayed on top of us.” “I think we kept it simple in the third and just played a little harder,” Claude Giroux said. “But I think we got outbattled in the first two periods. They were jumping; they wanted it a little more than us. In the third period we kind of played our game a little better, but it was too late.” The Flyers, a step slow in starting a challenging stretch of 16 of 21 games on the road, had trouble all night with their entry attempts through the Panthers’ neutral zone traps. Also showing no real semblance of life early was the Flyers’ power play, which failed miserably in the second period, flopping on 1:23 of two-man advantage without any real pressure on Panthers uber-veteran goalie Tim Thomas. “That was key,” Simmonds said. “We got a lot of shots through but we got nothing on them. We didn’t bear down.” That double kill by the Panthers set the stage for a Bergenheim encore. He took the puck deep in the Flyers zone, tried one side to no avail, then wrapped around and jammed in through the other side behind goalie Steve Mason at 3:35 of the second for a 1-0 Florida lead. 727499 Philadelphia Flyers “He had a freeness and easiness with the way he dealt with his players,” Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said Monday of Neilson. “His love of the game was transferred to any team or players he coached. You could not help but Return to Tampa will have extra meaning for Lecavalier feed off his love of the game. His love of the game was second to none, and if you spent any time with him, you could learn the history of the game, the future of the game and the present of the game. It was like being around an encyclopedia.” By Rob Parent, Delaware County Daily Times Head coach Craig Berube, who came back to the Flyers for Neilson’s last Posted: 11/25/13, 2:21 PM EST | Updated: 1 hr ago season as head coach there in 1999-2000, indicated he’s been influenced as a coach by watching Neilson work. “I loved playing for Roger; he was a very professional coach,” Berube said. SUNRISE, Fla. — The Flyers will be looking to resume their winning ways “He didn’t say a whole lot, but you knew exactly what you were getting all Wednesday night when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. For Vinny the time from him, day in and day out. The lineups were on the board, that’s Lecavalier, however, it won’t be so easy concentrating on just the job at it. You’re in or you’re out, go play. He had his reasons if you weren’t hand. playing, and he’d come and tell you and that was it. He’d get you back in, Lecavalier will be making the cross-state trip for Wednesday’s game in give you a role on the team, which is important, I think. He had a system. Tampa, his first visit to the place where he began as an 18-year-old You had to play the system. phenom, spent his first 14 NHL seasons, won a Stanley Cup and left an “He was just a very smart coach.” indelible impression on the Lightning franchise. ••• “The memories are something I’ll have the rest of my life,” Lecavalier said with a nod to the 2004 run to the Cup. “That was a great year, but (the time) The Flyers Monday night were starting a stretch of eight games out of nine definitely flies by. It gives you a taste. You won one and now you want to on the road, which then will turn into 16 of their next 21 going into January. win another one. But, definitely, it was a lot of fun.” Is somebody out to get them? The Lightning came close to winning again, running to the Eastern “If you look at every team’s schedule, everyone always has a tough stretch Conference finals in 2011 before losing to Boston. But despite Lecavalier of games and we’re no different,” Braydon Coburn said. “Guys in here look signing an 11-year contract in 2008 that he thought would keep him by the at it like, ‘We’re getting screwed,’ but also look at it as a challenge; a Bay for the duration of his career, post-lockout economic realities made him challenge we have to meet. a compliance buyout poster boy. He’d entertain some offers but didn’t take much time before signing with the Flyers over the summer. “We’re playing well here on the road and we have to continue that.” “It’s a great sports market,” Lecavalier said. “They definitely let you know Delaware County Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 the good and the bad, which I like. ... It’s a great feeling to play in front of those fans.” Now he’ll have a chance to relive some of the feelings he has for the Lightning and its fanbase Wednesday, as Lecavalier — whose charity work in the Bay Area won notice throughout the sports world, including his helping to establish the Vinny Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg — reportedly will be presented with a Community Hero Award and a video tribute at the Tampa Bay Times Forum before the game. The emotions that are sure to be stirred might even give him some belated pause. “Everything happened so quickly,” Lecavalier said of his offseason move. “After signing with Philly ... I had to move on and all that. But when I went back to Tampa to get my stuff, that’s when it hit me I wasn’t going back. Obviously, it’s tough. I had 14 really fun years there. But you have to move on. Now I’m really happy where I’m at, where my family is and with the team.” Lecavalier said he harbors no feelings of regret toward the Lightning management, saying “everything was done the right way” with his departure. “When I signed that (contract in 2008), I wanted to be in Tampa the rest of my career,” Lecavalier said. “I spent a lot of years over there. My family was there, my sister lives there, my parents live there during the winter ... the fanbase was there; last year they sold out every game and the team is obviously a really good team. They’re playing really well and even last year when we didn’t make the playoffs I still felt we had a very good team. “So yeah, it was tough. But you have to move on.” ••• The Panthers unveiled a plaque Monday at a ceremony honoring Roger Neilson, naming the press box at BB&T Center after the longtime NHL coach. They also showed a video montage of the former Panthers and Flyers head coach during a first-period stoppage of play. Neilson was hired by then-new Panthers general manager Bob Clarke as head coach in 1993 and oversaw the team in its first two years of existence. He later was brought to Philadelphia by Clarke in 1998, replacing Wayne Cashman as head coach and staying until he contracted multiple myeloma in 2000. Neilson died of cancer in 2003. 727500 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers fail to capitalize on 'huge' opportunity

November 25, 2013, 11:30 pm Tim Panaccio

SUNRISE, Fla. -- They got a gift: A delay of game penalty. It was the break the Flyers were looking for because it gave them a fat, one-minute, 23- second, two-man power-play advantage in a scoreless game against the Panthers. Instead of grabbing it by the throat and making something happen, the power play expired with the Flyers generating three long shots on their five- on-three. Florida used the momentum of its penalty kill to score twice before the second period was over. It was all the goals the Panthers needed in a 3-1 win (see story). “That had a lot of merit in the game,” Wayne Simmonds said. “We had that five-on-three for a minute [something] and that was a key. We got shots through. We got nothing out of it.” Simmonds would later score on the power play in the third period, marking the seventh game in succession the Flyers notched a power-play goal, but not getting another on the five-on-three was crucial in the loss. Especially since Florida came right off it for a goal by Sean Bergenheim. “Any time you get a five-on-three for more than a minute, you got to get shots but you also have to get the puck in the back of the net,” Scott Hartnell said. “We had some good shots but couldn’t find the back of the net.” Flyers captain Claude Giroux called the missed opportunity “huge.” “We had our chances,” he said. “We did the plays we wanted to make. [Goalie] Tim Thomas came up pretty far there. It’s going to go in sometimes … but five-on-three, it’s got to be automatic [scoring].” Flyers coach Craig Berube wasn’t as upset about the missed chance as much as how poorly his team played for two periods at even strength. To him, that was a bigger factor in having the Flyers’ points streak end at seven games (see Instant Replay). “It was as big as any other one,” Berube said. “We had a couple good looks. I didn’t mind the five-on-three. I thought we shot the puck. I thought they tried to do the right thing. “We had missed opportunities in the first period. Simmer had one backdoor and missed the net. Hartsy had an opportunity in the second period, wide open net, couldn’t get his stick on the puck. “For me, it’s more about being prepared to battle in the game. The third period, we came out and had a good third.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727501 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' point streak ends with loss to Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Too complicated. Lackadaisical. Overlooking the opponent. Those were the buzzwords Monday night from the Flyers after a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers that ended their seven-game point streak (see Instant Replay). It was their first loss in regulation play in eight games and first loss on the road in regulation since Oct. 12 in Detroit. “We played too complicated and had some sloppiness in our game,” defenseman Mark Streit said. “Too many turnovers, a lot in the neutral zone, and it cost us the game. “We played hard the last 5-10 minutes of the third period, but it’s not good enough in this league and that’s why we lost this game.” The Flyers were brutal with the puck in the neutral zone for two periods and seemed to be second on the puck far too often through 40 minutes, as the Panthers got a 2-0 jump on them. “That’s a good way to put it,” Flyer captain Claude Giroux said. “They were jumping. They wanted it more than us. In the third period we played a little better, but it was too late. We got out-battled the first two periods.” The bottom line is the Flyers failed to do the little things they had done so well during their past seven games. Skate well. Be hard on the puck. Covet the puck in neutral ice. Slow down things in the middle. “Our [defensemen] were taking their time getting the puck,” Scott Hartnell said. “Our forwards were slow getting back on defense through the neutral zone. They were coming pretty hard with back pressure. We were tired, turning the puck over right back at us. All the stuff we weren't doing the last half-dozen games.” As for playing complicated hockey … “We didn’t go north enough,” Hartnell said. “We tried to make behind-the- back passes. Not just one line, but all of us. We got distracted. Maybe we thought we were the better team coming in here and it [would] be an easy game. If you underestimate your opponent in this league, you are going to get screwed and lose the game. We did just that.” Coach Craig Berube said his team had poor execution in the first two periods, especially in the neutral zone. “We were lackadaisical a little bit,” Berube said. Asked about overconfidence against the second-worst club in the Eastern Conference, he said that was addressed at the morning skate. “Who are we to overlook anyone?” Berube asked. “We talked about it this morning about being ready and I’m not sure we were.” Wayne Simmonds had the lone Flyer goal. “We were sluggish and it carried through the second [period],” Simmonds said. “We didn’t play the game we wanted to … we were trying to make stupid plays in the neutral zone. They played a good game and they got turnovers.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727502 Philadelphia Flyers and the shot was wide. The Flyers were 1 for 4 on the power play in the game. Florida was 1 for 2. Five-on-three Instant Replay: Panthers 3, Flyers 1 The Flyers failed to take advantage of such a situation early in the second period, although they had three shots during the two-man advantage. November 25, 2013, 10:00 pm Thomas had good stops on Vinny Lecavalier and Kimmo Timonen. Giroux tried a stuffer but Thomas had the left post locked up with his pad. Overall, Tim Panaccio there were too many passes during that power play. Not scoring was critical, too, because the kill gave Florida momentum and the Panthers scored off the PK on Bergenheim’s first goal. SUNRISE, Fla. -- All point streaks have to come to an end at some point. Fights And the Flyers' seven-game point streak (6-0-1) ended Monday night here Perhaps the best bout of the season -- longest, too -- between Florida’s in overcast but warm South Florida. Krys Barch and Rosehill with six minutes left. Give the victory to Rosehill. Craig Berube’s team lacked for energy and seemed to be second on the Scratches puck the entire night, expending too much time in its own end. Same as usual. Defensemen Hal Gill (eight games) and Andrej Meszaros Florida looked, at times, on a perpetual power play as 39-year-old goalie (eight games), plus forward Michael Raffl (five games). Tim Thomas looked like he was going to get his first shutout of the season during a 3-1 victory at BB&T Center. Loose pucks The Flyers came into Monday undefeated in their last five games in this The Flyers will practice Tuesday afternoon in Tampa Bay. The team will arena, but they simply didn’t look very sharp with the puck, especially hold a media availability at noon for Lecavalier’s return. A large turnout of passing it. media is expected. … The Flyers will return home after the Bolts’ game in time for Thanksgiving, then welcome Winnipeg for Black Friday’s rare 11:30 They missed a ton of shots on Thomas through 40 minutes and squandered a.m. matinee at Wells Fargo Center. a critical five-on-three power play that would give way to two Panther goals. Thomas had 38 saves in the game. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 Florida’s difference maker in this one was Sean Bergenheim. He scored Florida’s first two goals. His first goal saw him simply outwork the Flyers behind the net, grab a puck off Jay Rosehill, then get two chances off a wraparound rebound. Bergenheim then had a nifty redirect in the paint during a Panthers' power play off a shot from Marcel Goc to make it 2-0. Wayne Simmonds scored on a power play rebound at 7:06 to make it a one-goal game and that seemed to give the Flyers some juice. Though they carried the play the rest of the way, Erik Gudbranson sealed it late with an odd deflected goal. Last time So when did the Flyers last trail 2-0 in a game? That would be Nov. 7 at Wells Fargo Center when they lost 3-0 to New Jersey. The Devils made it 2-0 at 3:01 of the third period. That game saw the Flyers hold a team meeting after the game. A day later, club chairman Ed Snider said the effort was “pathetic.” Next game, the Flyers defeated Edmonton to begin their point streak. Chances Simmonds couldn’t lift a shot over a prone Thomas in the first period and shot it off the goalie's helmet. Minutes later, Gudbranson had a diving breakup of Matt Read’s semi-breakaway deep in Florida’s zone. Jakub Voracek flubbed his shot late in the second period on a partial open net. Sean Couturier, who had zero shots through two periods, put one off Thomas’ pad late in the third that could have caught the inside of the post but missed. Long time, no score Gudbranson had not scored a goal in 100 games. Bergenheim had not scored a goal since Game 6 of Florida's playoff series vs. the Devils in 2011-12. He had been injured this year, as well. The goalies Steve Mason had a nice save on Jonathan Huberdeau’s deflection in the crease during the first period. Thomas was very strong through two periods but benefited from eight blocked shots and a number of botched shots by the Flyers. Thomas had a nice glove save on Zac Rinaldo from the left circle in the third period. Special teams The Flyers had a great chance on their only power play of the opening period with Simmonds trying to convert a cross-crease pass from Claude Giroux for a tip-in attempt. Simmonds didn’t get the puck fully on his stick 727503 Philadelphia Flyers No surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to set the NHL benchmark for team value at $1.15 billion. The Rangers are next at $850 million. Skate Update: Flyers set for long road stretch Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 Flyers streaking behind offense, goaltending

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The next month figures to be the toughest part of the Flyers' schedule, especially their first-half schedule, with 13 of 18 games on the road. And it begins Monday against the Florida Panthers (see game notes). For certain, it’s a mental grind because the Flyers come home after two games in the Sunshine State, meet Winnipeg on Black Friday morning, then head to Nashville the next day before embarking on a back-and-forth journey across the middle of the continent with stops in Minnesota, Detroit, Dallas, Ottawa and Chicago. “It’s a mental grind and it will be a tough trip for sure,” coach Craig Berube said. “We’re a real good road team. You gotta worry about tonight and worry about the next game. Obviously, it’s going to be a grind. Everybody goes through it.” The Flyers go into Monday’s game with a 4-3-2 road record. “When the schedule comes out, everyone looks at and understands where the challenges are,” Braydon Coburn said. “This is a challenge. Anytime you go on the road for an extended period of time, it’s a challenge to the hockey club. You need to become road warriors.” The funny thing is, the Flyers have recently developed good vibes at home, where they've won four straight to get themselves to a 6-7 record. “Yeah we did that and it feels like we’re going to be on the road now for the next three weeks," Brayden Schenn said. “We gotta get used to it again and playing comfortable being away from our building.” Points streak by the numbers The Flyers are aiming to extend their points streak to eight games. They are 6-0-1 and have outscored their opponents, 27-10, over that span in regulation and overtime. They have finally discovered their offense. “They’re shooting the puck,” Berube said. “We’re averaging 30-some shots a game. We got a good rush attack going now and we’re starting to figure out the O-zone part of it. Everyone is involved in it. When you put pucks and people to the net, good things happen. That is what we’re doing.” During this points streak, the Flyers have averaged 3.86 goals per game, which is way up over the paltry 1.47 goals they were averaging during the first 15 games of the season. They have also scored at least one power play goal in six straight games. “That’s confidence and again, they are shooting the puck and getting it to the net,” Berube said. “Power plays are about execution and work. “With the penalty kill, they are going to work hard because they are a man short. The power play has to outwork them. It’s about getting pucks and people to the net.” Mason gets the nod Steve Mason will get the start in goal against the Panthers on Monday. The Flyers have won four of the last five games Mason has started. Forbes value Forbes Magazine released its annual NHL valuations this week and ranked the Flyers No. 7 overall with a franchise value of $500 million, a whopping 49 percent increase over last year. The Flyers also had the smallest operating income among the top eight -- $6 million -- but that’s because the Flyers weren’t in the playoffs last season. 727504 Philadelphia Flyers The Panthers, meanwhile, are returning from a lengthy trip of their own. They finished a five-game road trip with a 2-2-1 record after falling to the Calgary Flames, 4-3, in a shootout on Friday. Flyers-Panthers: 5 things you need to know Florida will begin a five-game homestand after playing eight of its last nine Flyers streaking behind offense, goaltending on the road when the Flyers visit Monday. 4. Injuries

November 25, 2013, 11:00 am The Flyers are a healthy bunch, but the same can’t be said for the Panthers. Tim Riday Defenseman Ed Jovanovski (hip) and forward Steven Pinizzotto (hip) are on injured reserve. In addition, forwards Jesse Winchester (lower body) and Tomas Kopecky (upper body) are out for Monday’s game. After an impressive 6-0-1 stretch — including a perfect 3-0 homestand last week — the Flyers find themselves only two points out of a playoff position Defenseman Mike Weaver hasn’t played since Nov. 15 because of flu-like entering Monday’s action. symptoms but could return against the Flyers. The Flyers (10-10-2) will try to keep their points streak alive when they take 5. This and that on the Florida Panthers (6-13-5) at the BB&T Center on Monday night. • Monday will mark the second of three meetings between the two clubs this With puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. (CSN), here are five things you need to season. On Oct. 8, the first contest between the teams in 2013-14, Braydon know for Flyers-Panthers: Coburn and Brayden Schenn each scored and Mason made 33 saves to help the Flyers to a 2-1 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. 1. Building an identity • Giroux enters Monday with at least one point in each of his last four It didn’t take long for the Flyers to adjust to new head coach Craig Berube. games. During that span, the Flyers’ captain has two goals and three They've gone 10-7-2 under Berube and are finally starting to build an assists. identity. • Former Flyer Scottie Upshall has been piling up some points as of late. In The Flyers have received stellar goaltending all season, but now the his last six games, Upshall has collected two goals and four assists. He’s offense is finally supporting its netminders consistently and the defense is also fired 14 shots on net during that stretch. no longer making poor decisions in its own zone. • He’s still dominating the faceoff circle, so we’ll continue to talk about Adam The confidence is there. The Flyers look like a team that no longer feels Hall. The gritty center has won 50 of 61 draws over his last eight games they will cave when pressured. and is at 64.0 percent for the season overall. “I think we are doing all right,” Brayden Schenn said after the Flyers’ 5-2 • Second-year Panther Jonathan Huberdeau has been held scoreless in his win over the New York Islanders (see story). “Our guys are playing as a last three games after scoring on back-to-back nights on Nov. 15 and 16. team and that’s what it takes to win hockey games. We’ve still got a long The 20-year-old has two goals and two assists in four games against the ways to go. We can’t be happy with a .500 (record), that’s probably not Flyers. going to get you to playoffs.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 The season is still young, but if the Flyers continue their recent play they’ll have no problem climbing the standings in a very weak Metropolitan Division. 2. Read between the lines Matt Read, who is tied with Vinny Lecavalier for the team-lead in goals with eight, has found the back of the net four times in his last two games. He can attribute his recent success to the chemistry he has been building with current linemates Sean Couturier and Steve Downie. The trio has combined for five goals and eight assists over the Flyers’ past three games. Each player has been bringing something different to the table for the Flyers. Read has been burying his chances. Downie has been setting up numerous scoring chances while throwing his body around. And Couturier has shown he can produce offensively and serve in more than just a defensive role. The strong play of the third line has been a pleasant surprise. It has allowed players such as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Lecavalier to play relaxed and with more focus. Most importantly, the Flyers’ goal-scoring improvement has brought line stability and enabled the defense to stay at home, which in turn is leading to stronger play in front of Steve Mason and Ray Emery. 3. Hitting the road Starting Monday, the Flyers will play eight of their next nine games on the road. Strangely, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Before the Flyers’ three-game sweep at home this week, they were just 3-7- 0 in their own building. Away from the Wells Fargo Center, however, the orange and black have posted a 4-3-2 record. They’ll make their second stop in Florida on Wednesday when they play Lecavalier’s former club, the Tampa Bay Lightning. After that, the Flyers will host the Jets on Black Friday morning before departing for a six-game road trip. 727505 Philadelphia Flyers “Roger never realized that if they had scored on us, we wouldn’t have gotten the point in overtime because he had pulled the goalie,” Therien said. Panthers will honor former Flyers coach Neilson Berube, however, never thought of Neilson as eccentric. “For me, I knew exactly every day what was going on with him,” Berube November 25, 2013, 9:00 am said. “No surprises from him. We had video every day, he loved video. It was funny. I wasn’t worried about it, but I’m sure a lot of guys were worried Tim Panaccio about being on the video if it was bad. “He would show good and bad. He’d say, ‘That’s crazy, what would you do that for?’ That was the way he talked, never swearing. SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Flyers had to assign someone to pick him up and drive him to home games at what is now the Wells Fargo Center. He “It was pretty funny. I actually looked forward to the video sessions, sometimes forget his way to the Coliseum, the old practice facility in whether I was on it or not and I wasn’t on it doing a whole lot of good.” Voorhees, N.J., while riding his bike. Berube was on the 1999-00 club when Clarke replaced Neilson with Craig That was small potatoes for the late Roger Neilson, the former Panthers Ramsay because Neilson's chemotherapy treatments had made him so ill, (1993-95) and Flyers coach (1998-00), for whom Florida will rename its he could barely stand, let alone coach behind the bench. He looked terribly press box Monday before hosting the Flyers at night. sick as well. At the 1998 NHL draft in Buffalo’s new Marine Midland Arena, Bob Clarke “It was tough all-around,” Berube said. “He really wanted to coach even was searching frantically for him. No one could find him because he was though he was sick, but they made the change for him and it was the right sound asleep in the trainer’s room. thing to do. “It was the second time he fell asleep at an NHL draft,” Clarke recalled. “Rammer came in and the team was playing well for Rammer. I felt for “When I had him in Florida, we had me, Dennis Patterson and another Roger. He wanted to coach his team but at the time, with the switch and his scout at the table and Roger just pestered the hell out of me to hire one of health, it was best that he wasn’t behind the bench. But it was tough for his buddies as a coach. him.” “I told him over and over I wasn’t hiring his buddy. Finally, I said, ‘Roger Berube left the Flyers after that season and finished his career in 2002-03 shut up, I’ve had it.’ He said, ‘OK.’ A few minutes later, it was silent. I looked with the Calgary Flames, with whom he celebrated his 1,000th career over and he’s sleeping at the table.” game. Neilson died in 2003 after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. “When I got my 1,000th game … Roger wrote me a nice letter,” Berube said. “I still have it.” Monday, the Panthers will honor the legacy of their franchise’s first coach when the press box at the BB&T Center becomes the Roger Neilson Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 Memorial Press Box. “We are humbled and honored to dedicate the BB&T Center press box in Roger Neilson’s name,” Panthers president and CEO Michael R. Yormark said. “He is a hockey legend.” Neilson, named the Panthers' first coach on June 2, 1993, served two seasons, leading the club to a 33-34-17 mark in its first season. His team’s 33 wins, 83 points and .493 winning percentage set National Hockey League records for a first-year club. “I loved playing for him,” recalled Flyers coach Craig Berube, who played under Neilson for two seasons as a Flyer. “I was an older guy, but he would have been the type of coach I would have wanted to play for [for] a long time. Roger had a professional approach. He didn’t talk to his players a lot. He knew exactly what was going on and basically told you what your job was. That was it. You went and did it. “There were no surprises with him. He didn’t say much. He didn’t talk much. The defensive system, you had to play.” And play correctly, too. “I remember I got a puck and cross-corner dumped it into the offensive zone and came back to the bench and he said, ‘Hey, we don’t do that here. You rim the puck in,’” Berube said. “That’s the kind of coach he was. He was real good to me. He gave me a checking role. Made you feel good about what you’re doing. He was a smart coach.” Neilson was often referred to by media as “Mr. Magoo” because he could get lost in the most familiar of surroundings. He once followed a caravan to Philadelphia International Airport to board the Flyers' charter. The caravan turned right. Roger turned left. “I was never very good with directions,” Neilson told me. Oh Magoo, you’ve done it again! During the first year of overtime, the Flyers played in Anaheim. Neilson pulled his goalie in the final minute for an extra skater. Chris Therien thought he lost his mind. 727506 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers stumble as streak ends

Nov. 25, 2013 11:31 PM | Written by Dave Isaac

SUNRISE, FLA. — After a three-game win streak and having points in seven games, it was easy for the Flyers to start thinking too highly of themselves. With the standings posted in their locker room every day on the road and in their practice facility in Voorhees, they knew exactly how low the Florida Panthers were on the Eastern Conference totem pole. Monday night the Panthers were better than that, beating the Flyers 3-1 and handing them their first regulation loss in eight games. “Maybe we thought we were a better team and coming here would be an easy game,” said Scott Hartnell, who got an assist on the Flyers’ only goal. “You underestimate your opponent in this league you’re gonna get screwed and you’re gonna lose the game and we did just that.” The Panthers are now 4-4-1 under new head coach Peter Horacek. A coaching change seemed to work for the Flyers after and 0-3 start and although they were warned not to, they seemed to overlook the Panthers. “I hope not,” coach Craig Berube said. “Who are we to overlook anybody? We talked about it before the game this morning about being ready and I’m not sure we were.” The first period had little life for either team. There were only 16 shots between the two teams after 20 minutes and the Flyers didn’t have their legs about them. “Obviously we’re coming on the road and we wanted to play a simple game,” Wayne Simmonds said. “We complicated things. We didn’t play the way that we had been playing in previous games and we didn’t get off to a fast start and that carried through to the second.” The Flyers had their big opportunity in the second period with 1:23 of 5-on-3 power play. The team mustered three shots on net, but none of them made their way behind Tim Thomas, who made 38 saves on the night. After killing the penalties, the Panthers took the lead when Sean Bergenheim tried a wrap-around on his forehand and Steve Mason blocked it. Bergenheim had the space to skate behind the net and try the other side on his backhand. It went in for his first goal of the year and gave the Panthers the lead at 3:35 of the second period. The Panthers doubled the lead at 13:59 on a power play of their own with Braydon Coburn in the box for cross checking. Again it was Bergenheim, this time on a redirect from Marcel Goc’s wristshot. “I’ve got to admit, they worked,” Berube said. “That team skates hard and they worked hard. They clogged the middle up real well in the neutral zone and we didn’t go North enough. We were just slow.” In their haste to get back in the game, the Flyers were sloppy, as the Panthers had eight takeaways. “The key was we turned the puck over too many times in the middle of the ice and that hurt us,” Simmonds said. “That’s why we lost.” The Flyers scored a power-play goal for the seventh consecutive game when Simmonds put home the rebound of a Hartnell shot from the slot. Courier-Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727507 Philadelphia Flyers

'Checking line,' with red-hot Read, has team on a roll

Nov. 25, 2013 | Written by Dave Isaac

PHILADELPHIA — With a pair of goals in each of his last two games, winger Matt Read would have really loved to keep his good luck charms around. This past week he had his parents staying with him and watching him play. He had five points in the three-game homestand where his mother and father were in attendance. “I may have to leave that guest bedroom open,” Read joked after a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders Saturday night. Whether the room is open or not, Read is now in Florida as the Flyers play a pair of games in the Sunshine State and his parents are about to get on a cruise. The way his line with Sean Couturier and Steve Downie has been playing recently, there’s a lot more than lucky visitors involved, so he can safely wish his parents “bon voyage” without fear of regression in his play. The supposed “checking line” has been phenomenal for the Flyers recently. In home games against Ottawa, Buffalo and New York, the trio of Read, Couturier and Downie have held opponents’ top lines to exactly zero goals ... and scored five of the Flyers’ 15 goals. “We are playing good defense, and the Couturier line is outstanding,” Jake Voracek said. “The last four games they are playing unbelievable and their line is the best in the NHL right now.” The chemistry is certainly there for three very different players. Couturier is the defensive specialist who is recently showing he can put the puck on net as well. Read is a fast-skating winger with one of the best shots on the team, and Downie is proving that he can be more responsible in his second go-round with the Flyers. Aside from the 7-0 blowout loss to Washington, when he racked up 17 penalty minutes on one play with a fight, instigator and misconduct, Downie has taken only one minor penalty in the other six games since he was traded from Colorado on Oct. 31. “He’s been fun to play with,” Read said. “He’s very smart, knows how to get in the open when he has the puck he makes the right plays. It’s helping Sean and I out a lot. We’re building as a group of three out there and we’re getting better every game.” That was a nice homestand and all, but now the trio will lead the Flyers on the road, where they should get used to playing away from Wells Fargo Center. They play 13 of their next 18 on the road and hope to improve on a 4-3-2 road record. “You can’t take a night off,” Read said. “We’re back to .500, but that means nothing. We still have 60-some games or just less than that. We’ve just got to keep playing smart hockey. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or on the road it’s the same simple, get pucks deep, play good defense mentality and we’ll keep winning games.” It only took the Flyers 14 games to go from 1-7 to a .500 team (10-10-2). That was due, in part, to attaining five of a possible six points on a three- game road trip earlier this month. That’s a performance they’ll try to replicate in hopes of continuing to climb in the Metropolitan Division standings. They are now only two points out of a playoff spot. “We have to play the same way,” Voracek said. “We have a lot of good players here and if we are going to play the way we played the last five games, we’re going to be fine.” Courier-Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727508 Phoenix Coyotes “One of our best players tonight,” Tippett said. “Played a very fast game was around the puck. Got rewarded with a goal for going to the net. We need more people contributing like that.” Phoenix Coyotes can't recover from early deficit in 4-2 loss at Nashville It was Kennedy’s first goal of the season, and center Martin Hanzal – who was back in the lineup after leaving the first period of Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, had an assist on the play. By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Mon Nov 25, 2013 11:54 PM The Coyotes continued to pursue the comeback in the third period without captain Shane Doan, who left in the second with a lower-body injury and did not return. Tippett said Doan is day-to-day. NASHVILLE – The Coyotes had no problem hitting the road after two losses at home exposed some much-needed defensive improvement in “We took him out as precautionary,” Tippett said. “We didn’t want it to get their play. any worse.” Road success usually requires a simple, structured defense-first approach, That leave, unfortunately, cost him his eight-game point streak. It was also and that’s a style the Coyotes needed to rediscover. the second straight game in which they played shorthanded. But the Coyotes didn’t exactly accomplish that Monday in Nashville. “That’s hard, especially when you lose a guy like Doaner,” Tippett said. “That’s a tough one to swallow, but we had chances in the third. A couple Instead, they tried to use a familiar formula to get back on track: cover up a bounces or a call here or there, and we might have gotten ourselves back in poor start with a late-game comeback. the game.” That nearly did that, but the early deficit proved to be too much to overcome The Coyotes attempted 12 shots in the period and finished with 31. as the Coyotes fell 4-2 to the Predators in front of 15,728 at Bridgestone Arena. And then with Smith pulled for the extra-attacker, Hanzal had a shot from the slot but was hauled down after it. “We had players getting beat one-on-one all over the ice,” coach Dave Tippett said. “That’s just making sure you’re ready to play, ready to “I watched it on video,” Tippett said. “I thought it was a penalty.” compete against the guy beside you. Outnumber breaks and just completely beat one-on-one – those are issues.” No penalty was called, and defenseman Shea Weber’s clearing attempt went into the empty-net with 35 seconds left to cap off a Predators win. The first three Predators goals came in a first period that saw the Coyotes outskated, outworked and outshot. The performance was completely unlike “Obviously, you gotta switch something,” Boedker said. “You gotta watch their previous first period at Nashville March 28 when the Coyotes tied a some video and talk it over and get everybody on the right mindset. Right franchise record with five goals in the period and set a club record with five now, we’re just battling the puck a little bit in our own zone and guys are goals in the opening 8:26. trying to help other guys instead of just playing our own position and make sure we do that to the best we can.” The outburst snapped a seven-game winless skid at the time and considering how well the Coyotes have started this season, their current Up next three-game slide feels almost as alarming. Coyotes at Wild “There are some mistakes we’re making that we have to clean up,” Tippett When: Wednesday at 6 p.m. said. “But some of it, I think we have to use some different people in situations.” Where: Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota. It took the Predators only 1:02 to go up 1-0. Center Matt Cullen slipped TV/radio: Channel 3/KTAR-FM (92.3). behind the defense and beat Coyotes center Jeff Halpern to the puck. Cullen’s shot was stopped by goalie Mike Smith, but winger Nick Spaling Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.26.2013 picked up the rebound and put it over Smith. Later in the period, after the Coyotes hit the post, the Predators went the other direction. The Coyotes couldn’t clear the zone, and winger Colin Wilson set up center Mike Fisher for the one-timer at 8:22. Wilson would move in on a breakaway not long after that after he was left alone at the blue line, but his shot hit the post. “We gave up too many quality scoring chances, breakaways, two-on-ones,” center Antoine Vermette said. “You want to take those out of your game, and they got great chances and they took advantage of them early on.” The Predators would eventually make it 3-0 with 1:33 left in the period on a two-on-one rush. Winger Viktor Stalberg fed winger Gabriel Bourque, who deked backhand around Smith. He would finish with 25 saves. The Predators ended the period with 12 shots compared to seven for the Coyotes. “We had to get ourselves back in the game before we got embarrassed,” Tippett said. The Coyotes avoided being shut out for the first time this season at 9:34 of the second when a harmless-looking shot from Vermette was redirected by winger Mikkel Boedker and slipped through Predators goalie Marek Mazanec’s five-hole. “We exposed their ‘D’ a little more and got them a little tired,” Vermette said. “That’s where we’re at our best when we establish our forecheck. That’s something we should have done better in the first.” That seemed to ignite the Coyotes’ legs, which started to challenge the Predators. They moved within one when winger Tim Kennedy backhanded a loose puck past Mazanec with seven minutes left in the period. 727509 Phoenix Coyotes “We didn’t compete hard enough without the puck,” Tippett said. “Some issues there that I think we can be much better. That’ll be our focus tonight.” -Winger Rob Klinkhammer is tied for second in the league with a plus-8 Game Day: Coyotes at Predators rating on the road. -Winger Mikkel Boedker leads the team in road scoring with four goals and By Sarah McLellan nine points in 11 games. -The Coyotes are 5-2-1 at Nashville over the past four seasons.

Coyotes (14-5-4) at Predators (11-10-2) -Vermette has three goals in his last four games against the Predators. Puck drop: 6 p.m. -The Predators have scored five power play goals in their last four games. TV/Radio: 3TV/KMVP-AM (860). -Their penalty kill has held the opposition scoreless in their last 13 power play chances. Possible Coyotes lines: -Center David Legwand has 11 points in his last 11 games. Doan-Ribeiro-Moss -Defenseman Seth Jones leads all rookies in average playing time (23:41). Kennedy-Hanzal-Vrbata Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.26.2013 Klinkhammer-Vermette-Boedker Bissonnette-Halpern-Chipchura Ekman-Larsson-Stone Yandle-Morris Klesla-Rundblad Smith Potential scratches: Schlemko, Szwarz and Korpikoski. Injury update: Defenseman Zbynek Michalek (lower-body injury) is on injured reserve and is not with the team on this trip. Neither is winger Lauri Korpikoski, who is out with an upper-body injury. Possible Predators lines: Wilson-Fisher-Hornqvist Bourque-Legwand-Stalberg Spaling-Cullen-Smith Nystrom-Gaustad-Hendricks Weber-Josi Jones-Kline Bartley-Ellis Mazanec Potential scratches: Forsberg, Clune and Ekholm. Injury update: Goalie Pekka Rinne (bacterial infection in hip) and center Filip Forsberg (upper-body). On the Predators: “They’re a solid team,” coach Dave Tippett said. “Well-coached. They’re going to hang around a lot of games. They protect their goaltender very well, so they’re a good team.” On the two-game road trip: “I don’t mind being on the road,” Tippett said. “Our teams gotta dig in and play a disciplined, hard, road-style game. Hopefully that’s the kind of game we can bring tonight. The last two games at home they looked a little scattery because we were down quick in both games. You get out of your character when you chase the game a little bit, which tends to look sloppy at times. That being said, on these two games on the trip, we’re going to have to play a disciplined, sound game.” On rebounding after two losses: “I don’t think it matters whoever you’re playing,” center Antoine Vermette said. “After a disappointing loss, you want to bounce back and that’s one thing we’ve been doing. We’ve been showing some character.” What to improve from Saturday’s loss: 727510 Pittsburgh Penguins Crosby made up for it with the dramatic goal with 0.3 seconds left, as he planted himself in front of the net and silenced the crowd. “We battled hard,” Crosby said. It would have been nice to get two points.” Crosby's late magic goes for naught in 4-3 overtime loss to Bruins Tribune Review LOADED: 11.26.2013

By Josh Yohe Updated 5 hours ago

BOSTON — Bruins coach Claude Julien said fans deserved an intense game between two of the Eastern Conference's best teams. That's what they got even if the Penguins could have removed all of the drama in the first two periods of a 4-3 overtime loss in Boston. And there was plenty of drama, with the Penguins looking stunned in their locker room following the contest, similar to how they looked in the same locker room after being swept for the Eastern Conference final six months ago. “If we could have scored early,” center Sidney Crosby said, “I think maybe it's different.” Instead, Crosby scored late — very late. With the Penguins trailing 3-2 in the final seconds, Crosby banged home a pass from left wing Chris Kunitz with 0.3 seconds remaining. The Bruins, however, seemingly weren't stunned and required only 34 seconds of overtime to beat the Penguins. Defenseman Torey Krug fired a slap shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. “We managed to regroup quickly,” Julien said. The Penguins weren't completely dissatisfied. “It is a good point,” said right wing James Neal, who scored twice to even the game and has scored four goals in his past two games. “But at the same time, we've got to keep getting better here.” In what has become an undeniable theme to many Penguins losses this season, Bylsma's team dominated the opening period but was unable to score. The Penguins fired 10 of the first 11 shots of the game at goaltender Tuukka Rask, and one that didn't reach Rask could have been a goal but Kunitz missed an empty net 15 seconds into the game. Bylsma said he knows the Penguins might have cost themselves a point because of their inability to score early. “Without question,” he said. “The first 10 minutes, we had those opportunities. There were a couple of missed nets. Kunitz had a good opportunity.” There were plenty of other chances for the Penguins. Center Evgeni Malkin skated around Boston captain Zdeno Chara later in the first but was robbed by Rask. Kunitz saw another opportunity on the first shift only to be stoned by Rask's right-pad save. The Penguins entered the game having scored 16 goals in their past eight road games. The Penguins made a number of mental blunders after not capitalizing despite controlling play. Loui Eriksson took advantage of miscommunication between defenseman Brooks Orpik and Neal to score on a semi-breakaway against Fleury to make it 1-0. Turnovers by defensemen Matt Niskanen and Deryk Engelland led to a Pascal Dupuis penalty, which led to Reilly Smith's power-play goal to make it 2-0. “I didn't like the opportunities we gave them,” Bylsma said. Neal scored on two rockets to even the game, but Crosby accidentally deflected Chara's shot past Fleury late in the third. “It was not a great play by me to go after it with my stick,” Crosby said. “It's the last thing a goalie wants you to do. I shouldn't have done that.” 727511 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 11.26.2013

Beau Bennett has surgery; out 8 to 10 weeks

By Josh Yohe

Penguins winger Beau Bennett will miss the next eight to 10 weeks after having surgery in Pittsburgh on Monday. Bennett, who was injured Friday against the Islanders, has a “broken wrist/hand,” said coach Dan Bylsma. There is no update on left wing Tanner Glass, who was injured Saturday in Montreal after blocking consecutive shots from defenseman P.K. Subban. Glass was seen rubbing his hand on the bench after blocking the shots and did not play against Boston on Monday. The Penguins recalled Zach Sill and Andrew Ebbett from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton. If Glass misses extended time, he might be severely missed. Glass ranks second in the NHL with 99 hits, which is 28 more than any Penguins player (Brooks Orpik has 71). Bennett, meanwhile, had been playing his best hockey of the season in recent weeks and had been promoted to center Sidney Crosby's line. He scored his first goal of the season in Washington in the game before sustaining the injury against the Islanders. Malkin receives No. 1 star Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was named the NHL's No. 1 star for the past week. He produced one goal and seven assists during the past four games, leading the Penguins to three victories. Many of Malkin's seven assists were memorable, notably a pass he made on James Neal's second goal against Montreal on Saturday. Malkin went crashing into the boards on the play and remained on the ice for a minute, but suffered only an injured tailbone and played Monday against the Bruins. He also set up rookie Brian Gibbons' first NHL goal against Anaheim last Monday and moved into the NHL's top 10 scorers. Malkin is seventh in the NHL with 26 points, trailing league-leader Sidney Crosby by four. Lofty TV ratings NBC Sports Network has pushed its Wednesday Night Rivalry series, and the Penguins have been a big part. Playing in four straight “rivalry games,” the Penguins have helped the network achieve record ratings. The Penguins' game Nov. 13 against Philadelphia drew 759,000 viewers, making it the most-watched November game on cable since 2001. It also represented the second most-watched game this season, behind the Washington-Chicago season opener. NBC Sports Network's ratings are up 31 percent from two years ago. Franchise 8th in value Forbes released its annual report detailing each NHL team's financial status, and the Penguins ranked high on the list. The franchise is valued at $480 million, ranking eighth in the NHL and fifth among American franchises. Toronto boasts the NHL's most valuable team and is the only organization to be valued at more than $1 billion. Forbes projected that the Penguins' value increased by 67 percent over the past year. Compassionate coach Bruins coach Claude Julien saw Steven Stamkos break his leg in Boston two weeks ago, and he later visited the Lightning star in the hospital. His respect for Stamkos, who met with reporters without a cast or crutches on Monday, is clear. “I had him at Olympic camp, and I got to know Steve the person,” Julien said. “He's one of the reasons we fill buildings in this league.” 727512 Pittsburgh Penguins That surge allowed Malkin to move into seventh place in the NHL scoring race with 24 points and to tie for the league lead with 22 assists. Montreal winger Max Pacioretty was honored as the NHL's second star and Penguins notebook: Boston defenseman Bartkowski gets comfortable Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk was No. 3. Observant coach November 25, 2013 11:35 PM Bruins coach Claude Julien was asked after his team's game-day skate By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette what he has learned from longtime NHL coach Jacques Martin, now an assistant with the Penguins. Julien cited Martin's prowess in coaching defensive hockey, and suggested BOSTON -- Matt Bartkowski, a Boston defenseman and Mt. Lebanon that he has no qualms about borrowing from opposing clubs. native, played in his 12th game of the season Monday night when the Penguins faced the Bruins at TD Garden. "I see things from certain teams that they do extremely well and I say, 'Oh, that makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't mind sliding that into our system,' " At first blush, that might not seem particularly noteworthy, but Bartkowski Julien said. never dressed for more than 11 NHL games in any of his previous three pro seasons. "I don't change our system, but I try to slide it in and I'm not different [from other coaches]. I'll steal anything I can." And while his hold on a spot in the Bruins lineup isn't necessarily guaranteed -- Bartkowski could lose it when Adam McQuaid returns from an Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 injury -- indications are that he might not be commuting between Boston and Providence, R.I., home of the Bruins' American Hockey League affiliate, very often this winter. If at all. "Starting in the playoffs last year and then this year, the more and more I've played, the more comfortable I've gotten," Bartkowski said after the Bruins' game-day skate. He had five assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-3 in his first 11 games. Although Boston has a surplus of NHL-caliber defensemen on its organizational depth chart, Bartkowski, 25, said he never was concerned that he wouldn't get an opportunity to become a fixture on the major league roster. "Worrying about that would essentially be like wondering if I could play well enough," he said. "I was confident that I could. I just had to show it." Clearly different Penguins winger James Neal has switched from a tinted visor to a clear one. He made the change before a 4-0 victory Wednesday in Washington. The Penguins beat the New York Islanders two nights later and Neal turned in a two-goal performance Saturday in Montreal, so it's no surprise that he isn't inclined to switch back. "It's different," he said. "But we won and [I want to] keep it going." Neal said he made the change because of the lighting at the Verizon Center -- "It's a dark building" -- but downplayed the significance of which visor is in favor at a particular time. "In the summer, I use the clear," he said. "It doesn't really matter. At the start, I liked the dark, but it's not a big deal to switch back." Franchise values The Penguins are the eighth-most valuable NHL franchise, according to rankings by Forbes magazine. The team is valued at $480 million, fifth-highest total among clubs based in the United States. Toronto is rated the most valuable at $1.15 billion, followed by the New York Rangers ($850 million), Montreal ($775 million), Vancouver ($700 million), Chicago ($625 million), Boston ($600 million) and Philadelphia ($500 million). Forbes said the average NHL franchise has an enterprise value of $413 million. Malkin honored Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was named the NHL's No. 1 star for the week ending Sunday. He had one goal and seven assist in four games. 727513 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Bennett will be out 8-10 weeks

November 25, 2013 10:50 PM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

BOSTON -- Penguins winger Beau Bennett will be sidelined for eight to 10 weeks, coach Dan Bylsma said tonight, after undergoing surgery to repair damage to a hand/wrist. Bennett was injured Friday in a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders. Winger Tanner Glass, who was hurt during a 3-2 loss in Montreal Saturday, sat out the Penguins' 4-3 overtime loss in Boston tonight. He is believed to have injured his hand blocking a shot by Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, but the Penguins have not specified the nature of his injury. Bylsma said Glass will be re-evaluated after the Penguins return home. Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 727514 Pittsburgh Penguins the past seven games -- to make it 2-0, and force the Penguins to try to come back against one of hockey's stingiest goalies and team defenses. Which they managed to do it. Bruins beat Penguins, 4-3, in overtime "I liked the way, against this tough team, we stayed with it and stayed with the game plan and did come out with a tie after regulation," Bylsma said. November 25, 2013 11:48 PM That didn't seem likely when, with the score tied, 2-2, late in regulation, By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Crosby inadvertently deflected a shot by Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara past Fleury to put Boston back in front. "That's the last thing a goalie wants you to do," Crosby said. "I shouldn't BOSTON -- It could have been worse, of course. have done that." If Sidney Crosby hadn't swatted a puck past Boston goalie Tuukka Rask He earned redemption as time was about to expire, however, converting the with less than a second remaining in regulation Monday night at TD Kunitz pass for his 13th goal of the season. Garden, the Penguins would have returned home from their two-game road trip with nothing more than a couple of losses and a lot of regrets. That goal, which was confirmed by video review, deflated the crowd, but only briefly, as Krug ended the game just minutes later, leaving the As it was, Crosby's goal salvaged a point for them, even though Boston Penguins to again reflect on what could -- or should -- have been. defenseman Torey Krug gave the Bruins a 4-3 victory by hammering a slap shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from the left faceoff dot 34 seconds into "We're a way better team than what we've been showing," Neal said. "We overtime. can't keep saying we deserve a little better. We have to make it happen." The loss dropped the Penguins' record to 15-9-1. It also snapped a seven- Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 game regular-season winning streak against the Bruins and a run of six consecutive victories at TD Garden. And failing to claim that second point wasn't the only bad news for the Penguins, as coach Dan Bylsma revealed after the game that winger Beau Bennett needed surgery to repair an injured hand/wrist and will be out for eight to 10 weeks. The Penguins also played without winger Tanner Glass, who is believed to have injured a hand blocking a P.K. Subban shot Saturday while killing a penalty in Montreal. Bylsma said Glass' injury will be re-evaluated after the Penguins return home. While the point they got for taking the game to overtime was a decent consolation prize for the Penguins, considering that they never led in the game, the most encouraging thing for them likely was that winger James Neal continues to rediscover his scoring touch. He recorded his second two-goal game in three nights, and came within inches of earning a hat trick, as he put a shot off the crossbar with a little more than four minutes to go in the second period. "That's a dangerous shot, anytime he can get it off," Bylsma said. Neal scored his first of the game 37 seconds into the second, when he beat Rask on the stick side from above the right hash mark. He then tied the score at 11:09 of the third, scoring from near the left dot for his sixth this season. "I was lucky enough to find some good spots and get some good passes," Neal said. Luck probably wasn't that much of a factor -- Neal is one of the league's most lethal goal-scorers when his game is in sync -- but the Penguins could have used a little good fortune earlier in the game. They recorded 10 of the first 11 shots and generated a number of quality scoring chances in the first half of the opening period, but still were trailing, 2-0, at the intermission. As was the case in their 3-2 loss Saturday in Montreal, the course of the game could have been altered dramatically if the Penguins had been able to capitalize on at least one of those early chances. "The start was tough," Crosby said. "We outplayed them. They had a couple of chances and scored. If we score one there, maybe it's a different outcome." As it was, they had to play from behind for much of the game. Loui Eriksson put Boston up, 1-0, at 12:27 of the first, when he got behind the Penguins defense and put a backhander between Fleury's legs to cap an odd-man rush that began when Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik shanked a shot attempt in the Bruins zone. Reilly Smith beat Fleury from the inner edge of the left circle on a power play at 15:43 -- the only man-advantage goal the Penguins have given up in 727515 Pittsburgh Penguins situation. It ended up working out for the Penguins; Bylsma just wanted to send a reminder that he needs them to use every possible edge in trying to win, and that they shouldn’t stray from what they are coached to do. Shelly Anderson's Penguins chat transcript: 11.25.13 Lee: Shelly, Some players are said to be injury-prone and have a history of injuries. Do you think this is sometimes due to poor conditioning on the player’s or team’s part? November 25, 2013 3:17 PM Shelly Anderson - I haven’t seen evidence of that. Many of the Penguins’ Shelly Anderson injuries are the result of hits by opposing players or blocking shots. Sidney Crosby is as strong and well-conditioned as anyone, and that is unrelated to his concussion and his broken jaw. Shelly Anderson - Hello, everyone. We’ll go live at p.m., but you can submit dave: Before last season, they were concerned about how many regular questions beforehand, too. season games Fleury was playing. Aren’t they concerned about that now? Why don’t they either give Zatkoff some more starts or trade for a more The Chief: Shelly, how doe you see our four lines shaping up for tonight? dependable backup? Will be see #5 back as a wing on the fourth line? Shelly Anderson - I would have to think they are still concerned about Shelly Anderson - I’m not in Boston for this one, but it looks as if the managing Marc-Andre Fleury’s workload during the regular season. Penguins will go with their “old” lines, the ones they used after Beau However, they were not counting on Tomas Vokoun’s long-term absence Bennett got hurt, with Zach Sill filling in for injured fourth-liner Tanner Glass. because of blood clot/blood-thinner issues. I don’t think they view rookie That would be Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Pascal Dupuis, Jussi Jokinen- Jeff Zatkoff as undependable; he’s just unproven. For a while, the team’s Evgeni Malkin-James Neal, Matt D’Agostini-Brandon Sutter-Brian Gibbons schedule was relatively light. Now that it has picked up, I would expect and Sill-Joe Vitale-Craig Adams. Not sure if Deryk Engelland or Robert Zatkoff to get a few more games. Plus, unless Fleury plays his way onto the Bortuzzo will be on the third defensive pairing with Matt Niskanen, but Canadian Olympic team -- and then plays a fair amount -- he will get a long because the Penguins recalled Sill and Andrew Ebbett, it doesn’t look as if rest in February. they’re going back to the Engelland-on-the-wing look. The Chief: Jeff Zatkoff, seems to be gaining confidence. Is he a keeper and King: Are the penguins on the Blackhawks level? could Vokum be a trade candidate if/when he returns? Shelly Anderson - I think so, yes. It’s tough to do a position-by-position Shelly Anderson - I don’t see Vokoun as a trade candidate. We don’t know breakdown of any two clubs, but the Penguins certainly are on an elite for sure when doctors are going to clear him to stop taking blood-thinners. level, as are the Blackhawks. Chicago has that extra Stanley Cup now to And there isn’t that much of a market for rental players who are backup hold over the Penguins’ heads, but on terms of being on the same level, I goaltenders pushing 40. I agree, that Zatkoff is settling in. believe so. Chief Powhatan: The Pens currently rank 2nd in PK (87%) and 6th JamesinNYC: Any clue how long Bennet will be out? (22.4%)in PP. Wouldn’t you think our 5-on-5 needs to improve? Shelly Anderson - The team has not given a definitive answer, nor details Shelly Anderson - Yes, it could. There have been a lot of games over the on his injury, but coach Dan Bylsma said this morning that Beau Bennett past few weeks when production and puck management have been lacking and Tanner Glass are something longer than day-to-day status. Bennett is five-on-five. That’s in large part what led to the shakeup of the line on IR, although that only means he has to miss another couple of games combinations. It doesn’t seem to be an issue so much with personnel -- before he could be activated. The vibe seems to be that it will be longer beyond the impact of injuries, anyway -- so it is correctable. than that. Chief Powhatan: Shelly, sorry I misspelled ditched. Chief Powhatan: Have the Penguins dithed the powder blue “third jersey” for good? Shelly Anderson - It’s OK. I make typos, too. Shelly Anderson - Assume you mean “ditched.” Those have been Shelly Anderson - Any last question or two? mothballed. Never say never, but they already have used a different third jersey, the darker blue one, since then, so I don’t think there’s a push to Chief Powhatan: Kohl’s or JCP? bring them back. Shelly Anderson - Ikea. dave: What do you think of Plekanec’s comments about getting Crosby off his game? I think he’s right. The Penguins are way too thin-skinned. dave: Why does Malkin play the point on the PP? Shelly Anderson - Don’t think I saw those specific comments, although he Shelly Anderson - He sort of does and sort of doesn’t. The Penguins have a wouldn’t be the first to say that about Sidney Crosby. I think he’s done a lot of times this season used just one defenseman on the power play, Kris pretty good job of keeping his cool. Sometimes (think, in Philadelphia) Letang or, a lot lately, Paul Martin. Malkin will then rotate back to the point, attempts to goad Crosby into to getting off of his game have the opposite but sometimes the unit takes on an umbrella look with the defenseman at effect. the center point. The problem with having Malkin or any forward at the point is keeping the puck in. But it hasn’t been a huge issue. The Penguins have Chief Powhatan: Do you think the NHL will ever adapt the NFL’s policy of gotten some good, crisp movement -- and a couple of really nice goals -- disclosing ‘exactly’ what the injury is so fans aren’t subjected to upper/lower lately once they get set up. body prognosis? SDWC: Do you think Washington will push the Pens for the division lead? Shelly Anderson - You might notice that the Post-Gazette rarely uses the contrived “upper-body” and “lower-body” references, because we don’t Shelly Anderson - If Alex Ovechkin keeps scoring at this pace and Holtby believe those have much meaning. If we aren’t able to report what the injury finally gives them a stable goalie, the Capitals could indeed. is, we say that it is undisclosed (although we do try to find out and report it). Shelly Anderson - Thanks, everyone. Have a good Thanksgiving. We’ll do it As of now, it’s not likely that the NHL will start requiring accurate injury again next Monday. updates. The NFL does that because transparency helps control information related to gambling. Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 The Chief: Neal’s pass to Geno to get the monkey off his back was truly a team first thing, why did Coach Blysma seem to get so upset over that move? Shelly Anderson - Dan Bylsma certainly was glad to see Evgeni Malkin score and end his 15-game goal drought, but he always wants the players to go with the higher-percentage play. James Neal is a scorer, and it’s true he was passing up a good chance to get the puck to Malkin, who scored despite not being ready because he thought Neal would shoot it in that 727516 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins estimated at 8th most valuable NHL franchise at $480 million

November 25, 2013 10:32 AM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins are the eighth-most valuable NHL franchise, according to rankings by Forbes magazine. The team is valued at $480 million, fifth-highest total among clubs based in the United States. Toronto is rated the most valuable at $1.15 billion, followed by the New York Rangers ($850 million), Montreal ($775 million), Vancouver ($700 million), and Chicago ($625 million). Forbes says the average NHL franchise has an enterprise value of $413 million. Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 727517 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Malkin named No. 1 star of the week

November 25, 2013 12:35 PM By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has been named the NHL's No. 1 star for the week ending Sunday. He had one goal and seven assists in four games. Montreal winger Max Pacioretty was honored as the second star and Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk was No. 3. Post Gazette LOADED: 11.26.2013 727518 San Jose Sharks Rookie Matt Nieto was reassigned to Worcester. Nieto had two goals and six points in 19 games with San Jose but had been a scratch the past two as other forwards returned to action after injuries. San Jose Sharks address struggling power play, penalty kill Wednesday's game Los Angeles (16-6-3) at Sharks (15-3-5), 7:30 p.m. CSNCA By David Pollak San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.26.2013 [email protected] Posted: 11/25/2013 04:31:03 PM PST Updated: 11/25/2013 10:12:12 PM PST

SAN JOSE -- His team's power play has dropped out of the NHL's top 10, and its penalty kill is in the NHL's bottom half. So it really isn't a surprise that Sharks coach Todd McLellan is devoting two full practices between games to special teams. "Players just have to be reminded that these are the things we do, this is how we do them," McLellan said. "If the other team can beat us at it, then we'll adjust. But right now, that's not the case. We're beating ourselves in some of those situations." Monday, the team worked on improving a penalty kill that has given up a goal in four of its past six games. Entering play Monday, the Sharks were tied for 17th in the NHL at 82.3 percent. Purcell (16) in front of San Jose Sharks' goaltender Antti Niemi (31) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Tuesday, the Sharks will focus on a power play on a 0-for-11 skid that had dropped them from a respectable eighth-best in the NHL with a 21.4 percent success rate to 13th at 19.6 percent. "Just going over things that we did well at the start of the year that we haven't done so well lately -- our intensity, our clears, our plays on faceoffs and times for pressure," Logan Couture said of the penalty-kill drills. "We were pressuring the other team's power plays at certain times, and we've gotten away from that lately." McLellan was most critical of his team's three power-play attempts in a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night, saying it "took a lot of life and energy out of our team." "A lot of times, especially that New Jersey game, we're getting pucks on our sticks and holding onto it, not making the right plays," McLellan added Monday. "That's the big thing." One change McLellan does plan to make is return Brent Burns to the Sharks' second power-play unit. Monday, he replaced Tommy Wingels alongside Marty Havlat and Tomas Hertl. Dan Boyle said part of the power-play problem is that "when a team has success against us, other teams watch tapes and try to emulate." "Teams have been playing us pretty hard," Boyle said. "Obviously, we need to be a little cleaner breaking the puck out. Last game was probably the worst we've had in a long time. But at the end of the day it's about scoring goals, and we've been spending too much of the time skating back into our end and bringing the puck out." The Sharks are off until Wednesday, when they face the Los Angeles Kings. Forbes magazine's annual financial report on NHL teams has the Sharks ranked 13th in overall value at $405 million, an 82 percent increase over 2012 and the second-highest percentage jump in the league. No explanation was given for the large increase in San Jose, though the magazine did note that the $320 million price paid for the Devils reflected the inflated value of assets in the overall economy. The Sharks and other NHL teams have challenged the Forbes methodology, noting that significant financial documents are not public. Sharks chief operating officer John Tortora was not available for comment Monday. 727519 San Jose Sharks

Special teams on the agenda at Sharks practice

November 25, 2013, 4:00 pm Kevin Kurz

SAN JOSE – On Monday at Sharks Ice, the focus was on the penalty kill. Tuesday will bring increased attention to the power play. Coach Todd McLellan thinks both units could use some polish. “Players just have to be reminded – these are the things we do, and this is how we do them,” he said. “The other team can beat us at it, and we’ll adjust, but right now that’s not the case. We’re beating ourselves in some of those situations.” Logan Couture said: “Just our special teams lately has dipped below our standards.” In Saturday’s game against New Jersey, the Sharks got away with losing the special teams battle in a 2-1 win. The Sharks finished 0-for-3 on the power play, generating just three total shots, none of which came from the top unit. Conversely, Patrik Elias’ third period goal came with time winding down on the Devils’ only advantage of the night. Overall, the Sharks are just 1-for-13 on the power play in their past four games, and haven’t scored in their last 11 opportunities. That’s dropped them to 13th overall in the league (19.6 percent). “We’ve been spending too much time skating back towards our end breaking the puck out,” said Dan Boyle, who considered Saturday’s game against New Jersey his unit’s worst power play performance of the season. McLellan said after the game that the Devils got momentum from the Sharks’ failed power plays. "Our power play gave them life, and it sucked the life out of us,” said the coach. On Monday, McLellan said: “You have to keep working on it, growing it, and keeping it sharp. We’ll go after that area of our game, and try and sharpen it up.” Couture agreed with his coach. “The power play creates a lot of momentum. When we’re not moving it or shooting it, we’re dragging our team down,” he said. As for the penalty kill, the Sharks haven’t had much of an opportunity to tighten it up in games. They’ve been shorthanded just three times total in their last three games, and at 97 minutes and 53 seconds, they’ve been down a man less than any other NHL team this season. Still, they’ve allowed one power play goal in four of their last six games, and are just 6-for-10 over that span. What’s wrong? “Just our intensity, our clears, our plays off faceoffs, and time to pressure,” Couture said. “I think early in the year we were pressuring the other team’s power play at certain times. We’ve gotten away from that lately.” Boyle doesn’t think the infrequency of penalty kill time should negatively affect that unit’s performance. “We know what we have to do,” he said. They’ll be reminded by the time practice concludes on Tuesday. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727520 San Jose Sharks

Hannan providing more than just depth for Sharks

SAN JOSE – When the Sharks added Scott Hannan just prior to last season’s trade deadline, it was seen as a depth move for a club making a playoff push. Hannan, who was recovering from a suspected head injury at the time he arrived from Nashville for a sixth round pick in the 2013 draft, came in handy. The veteran played in just four regular season games, but suited up for all 11 in the postseason, as Jason Demers was out with a high ankle sprain. Skating primarily with Brad Stuart, that third pair provided steady play as the Sharks took Los Angeles to seven games in the second round. Hannan returned on a one-year, $1 million deal in the offseason, in a move that is working out so far. The 34-year-old has played in all but one game, and is even contributing on the scoreboard, with three goals and three assists. His point shot past Martin Brodeur on Saturday night against New Jersey opened the scoring in what was a 2-1 win for the Sharks. “My skating and my legs have felt better than they have in awhile,” Hannan said on Monday. “The offense comes. When you play with good players up front, you get opportunities to shoot the puck, and that’s all I’m doing a lot more.” Todd McLellan said: “I don’t see him as a depth player. I see him as a regular player, and a guy that can contribute on a nightly basis in a lot of different areas.” Hannan took advantage of Stuart’s unspecified offseason lower body injury, which prevented Stuart from training properly in the summer months and playing in any preseason games. Hannan has averaged 18 minutes and 33 seconds of ice time, is a key penalty killer, and has a +5 rating to go along with his six points. In his second stint with the Sharks since he was drafted by the organization in the first round in 1997, Hannan is providing more than just strong on-ice play, though, according to the coach. “I think his leadership skills go unnoticed, unless you’re in the locker room,” McLellan said. “He has a way of carrying himself that’s real positive for our team. I like that, and I didn’t know we were getting that in him.” Currently, Matt Irwin is the odd man out on defense, as the 25-year-old has been a healthy scratch for the last six games. Hannan’s play is a big reason why Irwin, who signed a two-year contract extension last season, has been relegated to the press box. A team’s coaching staff always welcomes internal competition, and the Sharks are fortunate to have seven healthy defensemen foster that competition at the moment. “We’ve got seven good D. We all can’t be in there every night, but I’m happy to be in there, I feel good, and it’s nice,” Hannan said. “We’re going to need seven guys over the course of a season, and we may need more. We never know. … We have guys that can jump into the lineup, and we don’t miss much of a beat.” McLellan is delighted that Hannan is one of those seven. “Sometimes players come advertised in different forms. Some live up to their advertisements, some exceed it, and some don’t even get close to it. For me, Scottie is exceeding it,” McLellan said. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727521 San Jose Sharks

Nieto reassigned to Worcester

SAN JOSE – The Sharks reassigned forward Matt Nieto to their AHL affiliate in Worcester on Monday, according to general manager Doug Wilson. Nieto, 20, has two goals and four assists for six points in 19 games. He was a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, against Tampa Bay on Nov. 21 and New Jersey on Nov. 23. According to Wilson, Nieto has fully recovered from a hand injury that he suffered on Oct. 24 in Boston, when he blocked a shot by the Bruins’ Dennis Seidenberg. Although Nieto played the next game in Montreal, he missed the following two games in late October. Nieto will get a chance to play more minutes and games in the American Hockey League, after some preseason injuries helped open the door for him to make the Sharks’ opening night roster. Last season, Nieto had two goals and four assists in 11 games with Worcester after joining the team late in the season. Brent Burns returned to the Sharks’ lineup on Nov. 21 after missing 13 games with an upper body injury, while Marty Havlat has lately been skating on the third line with Joe Pavelski, where Nieto had spent the majority of the season before Havlat’s return at the end of October. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.26.2013 727522 St Louis Blues

Colaiacovo is back on the ice with Blues, registers an assist

4 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford [email protected] 314- 444-7135

Carlo Colaiacovo made a quick “second” impression Monday night. Beginning another stint with the Blues almost five years to the day after he arrived here in a trade, Colaiacovo had an assist on his first shift back with the club. It came on the Blues’ first goal by Vladimir Sobotka in their 3-0 win over Minnesota. Colaiacovo played his first game in St. Louis on Nov. 26, 2008. A day short of the fifth anniversary, he was in the lineup Monday to replace Kevin Shattenkirk, who was ill. Colaiacovo’s first point didn’t take long. “No, first shift,” he said. “I couldn’t have written it any better. It got me going and obviously the excitement was there to start the game. Just glad I can contribute.” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said that Colaiacovo, who re-signed a one-year deal with the Blues on Nov. 12, has been ready for a week. “He’s a great puck distributor, he’s smart, he plays sneaky good minutes,” Hitchcock said. “He’s a real complementary player. He can play minutes killing penalties, he can play on the power play ... he can add to the group.” TEAM BATTLING FLU BUG Shattenkirk became the fifth Blues’ player in the last week to battle the flu. Four others had symptoms on the recent three-game trip. Chris Stewart missed the club’s morning skate in Buffalo on Nov. 19. Shattenkirk became the first player to miss any game action because of the bug. “We’ve been lucky that guys have come back and played the same day that they’ve been sick, or (sick) the night before,” Hitchcock said. The Blues are one of several NHL teams who offer a flu vaccination, but the decision is up to the players. “Every team goes through it,” Hitchcock said. “So you just manage it properly. We’re not going to risk one hockey game to add another six or seven players (to the flu list) because a guy is in here, the infirmary.” REAVES has SURGERY Blues enforcer Ryan Reaves had surgery Monday on his broken right hand and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, a longer absence than expected. Dr. Charles Goldfarb performed Reaves’ surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Reaves has been placed on the injured-reserve list. With the Blues missing their fourth-line right winger for the long-term, Magnus Paajarvi was moved there Monday after playing his first seven games this season on the left side. “It doesn’t matter for me, none whatsoever,” Paajarvi said. “Left or right, if I end up on either side, it doesn’t really matter for me.” Paajarvi recently missed eight games because of an upper-body injury. “We’d like him to stay healthy here because the way we play, and the energy that he brings, I think is really going to be positive for us,” Hitchcock said. “We need him to get back where he was before the injury because he was a really effective player for us.” BLUENOTE Adam Cracknell was the team’s lone healthy scratch Monday night. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 727523 St Louis Blues Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester put a point shot on net and Steen outworked Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon in front of the Wild net, putting a backhander past Backstrom for the two-goal lead. Sobotka's goal gets Blues rolling Another shot by Steen also changed the complexion of the game. On a Blues power play with just over three minutes left in the first period, 4 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford [email protected] 314- Steen teed off from the point and Parise blocked the blast with his left foot. 444-7135 Parise limped off the ice. He was a late arrival in the second period, played three shifts and then left the game for good. He finished with 11:02 of ice time. In a matter of a minute Monday night, the Blues went from potentially playing catch-up hockey to playing from a position of strength. “He’s a good player,” Sobotka said. “I think they missed him.” A deflection by Minnesota’s Zach Parise landed in the back of the Blues’ In a game that had a scoreless second period, the Blues and Minnesota net just 30 seconds into the game, but was deemed no-goal after a video combined for only 43 shots on goal Monday. The Wild finished with a 22-21 replay. Then 50 seconds later, Vladimir Sobotka put the Blues ahead and advantage. the crowd of 15,832 at Scottrade Center was shown again just how strong The teams had three power plays each, but neither could convert. the club plays with a lead. The Blues were outshot in the third period. Their only shot of the frame was Alexander Steen added his 18th and 19th goals of the season and Steen’s second goal of the game, an empty-netter that traveled three- goaltender Jaroslav Halak padded to his franchise record with his 18th quarters the length of the ice. shutout with the Blues, who beat the Wild 3-0. With No. 19, Steen pulled to within one of NHL leader Alex Ovechkin of With three more five-on-five goals Monday, the team leads the NHL with a Washington in the goal-scoring department. ratio of 1.69 goal-for/goals-against in that department. But true to form, he was only interested in talking about something else — “This was one of the best games we’ve played five on five for a long time,” this time the Blues’ goaltending. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “I thought five on five, we really competed and I thought we created a lot of pressure and presence, especially in the “(Halak) made some key saves when we needed him to, “Steen said. “He first two periods.” got a big shutout for us...real solid.” The Blues won both games of their two-game homestand, running their Halak’s fourth straight victory, improving his record to 13-3-2 this season, record to 11-1-2 at Scottrade Center this season. The club now heads on was the goaltender’s 27th career shutout. the road, where it is 6-2-1, beginning a three-game trip Wednesday in Colorado. “Not giving up a goal like (Minnesota’s potential goal) was huge,” Halak said. “It would be a big boost for their team. Disallowing the goal was For the second straight game, Sobotka got the game rolling for the Blues. momentum on our side and we were able to score right after. We skated In Saturday’s 6-1 win over Dallas, Sobotka charged the crease and picked well for 60 minutes.” up his fourth goal of the season 1 minute, 39 seconds into the game. On St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 Monday, Sobotka took only 1:20 to net No. 5 for a 1-0 advantage. This time, defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, who stepped in for a sick Kevin Shattenkirk on Monday, had a shot blocked by Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom. But Sobotka was in position to drill the rebound past Backstrom. “I’m trying to kind of change my game a little bit, go more in front of the net,” Sobotka said. In addition to Colaiacovo, Jaden Schwartz assisted on the play, stealing a puck from the Wild’s Nate Prosser in the offensive zone and setting up the scoring play. Schwartz now has 10 assists and 14 points in 23 games, surpassing his point total in 45 games last season. The first encounter of the season between the Blues and Minnesota could have had a different look early. The Blues were 7-0-3 in their last 10 games against the Wild at Scottrade Center, but after Parise’s deflection went by Halak it lookedas if the home team would be in the hole. A point shot by Ryan Suter was knocked down by a high-stick from Parise and officials waved off the goal on the ice. After a lengthy video review, the call was upheld.

“I think what saved us was the call on the ice,” Hitchcock said. “It has to be really definitive. The stick was up there pretty good, so it’s hard to turn that over.” The Blues increased their lead to 2-0 with 6:22 remaining in the first period. The team’s fourth line of Brenden Morrow, Maxim Lapierre and Magnus Paajarvi — the latter who was in the lineup for injured Ryan Reaves — put together a stretch of sustained pressure in the offensive zone and came close to scoring. That set the table for the Blues’ top line coming onto the ice. Steen, who hadn’t registered a shot on goal in the team’s past two games, then ended a four-game scoring drought. 727524 St Louis Blues Capitals winger Martin Erat does not enjoy his secondary role in Washington. Hence his request for a trade. Add him to the list of struggling second- and third-line forwards who are in the marketplace. Hockey Guy: The poor, poor Blues The Ottawa Sun notes that Rangers GM Glen Sather has some serious salary cap concerns moving forward, since goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is steaming toward unrestricted free agency and players like Ryan Callahan, 16 hours ago • By Jeff Gordon [email protected] Anton Stralman, Derrick Brassard and Dan Girardi will all be costly to retain. That puts defenseman Michael Del Zotto and his $2.55 million salary in play, since he has been in and out of coach Alain Vigneault’s lineup. The Blues are arguably the best team in the league this season. Martin Havlat has a secondary role in San Jose and $6 million on the last year of his contract, so he is another name high on the list of readily But the franchise still ranks below the NHL’s poverty line, according to the available players. The New York Post insists the Rangers are not annual Forbes analysis of team values and finances. interested, despite scuttlebutt to the contrary. The financial publication claimed the Blues franchise is worth $185 million, Panthers GM Dale Tallon hopes to continue his fire sale so he can strip which ranked 28th in the study. The survey claimed the team collected $72 some big salaries off his roster and facilitate a restart. There is not much million in revenues during the lockout-shortened season and lost $2.5 value on that roster, but other teams do like forward Shawn Matthias for his million. size and skill potential. Diehard Blues fans remain loyal to this team. But Tom Stillman's ownership group inherited some unfavorable business deals that diminished some revenue streams for years to come. The Kings are monitoring the goaltending market closely. Ben Scrivens has done a great job filling in thus far, but Jonathan Quick may not return His management team is also trying to boost ticket revenue and suite until January and Scrivens is, well, Scrivens. But he is 4-0-2 in his last six income. That is no small task after years of heavy discounting conditioned starts with a 1.15 goals-against average. fans to pay less for their pucks. Teams looking for a moderately priced supporting cast scorer should Only the Tampa Bay Lightning ($180 million) and Columbus Blue Jackets consider Flames center Mikael Backlund. The Ottawa Sun believes he and ($175 million) earned lower valuations than the Blues. And even the defenseman Shane O’Brien can be had. Phoenix Coyotes ($200 million) ranked ahead of the Blues, despite losses of $8.9 million last season. The Canadiens could use an offensive jolt, but they wouldn’t get much in return for veteran forwards like Rene Bourque and Brian Gionta. Still, it The Toronto Maple Leafs earned the top valuation of $1.15 billion from sounds like GM Marc Bergevin wants to make a big splash trade. Forbes after earning a league-best $48.7 million profit last season. On the coaching front, we could see some firings soon. Claude Noel Forbes notes that Canadian teams are the most prosperous overall, a far (Jets), Jack Capuano (Islanders) and Todd Richards (Blue Jackets) all cry from the days when a weak currency in the Great White North forced appear to be in some peril. But Columbus hockey czar John Davidson is teams to flee for the United States. trying to maintain the long view of his team's rebuild. The Winnipeg Jets are now worth $340 million, nearly double the AROUND THE RINKS: For a host of reasons, the Western Conference has franchise’s value in Atlanta. The Canadian TV rights will be up for bidding been beating up on the Eastern Conference this season. Given the again, which will be especially good news for those teams north of the incompetent management of many teams back East, the imbalance could border. continue for a while . . . Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos is already up It is worth noting that team executives always complain about the accuracy and at 'em two weeks after suffering a broken leg. That's a hockey player of the Forbes analysis. But this annual study does provide a solid big- for you . . . The Maple Leafs are feeling better about life after getting Tyler picture look at the industry. Bozak back from his hamstring strain. He missed a month . . . The Canucks had a chance to regain traction with a six-game homestand. But they went And that big picture is still pretty cloudy for the Blues. 1-2-2 in the first five . . . Blues winger Alexander Steen seems committed to testing free agency, but more top players are choosing to re-up with their THE HARDING ROAD TO SUCCESS teams . . . The Ottawa Senators should go ahead and start fretting about Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding may be the best story in the NHL goaltender Craig Anderson, who has been way off of his game. today. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 He came back from a catastrophic knee injury. Then he opted to soldier on with his career after doctors diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis last year. That disease becomes debilitating for any individual, but it can be especially devastating for world-class athletes. Thus far Harding has controlled his symptoms through medication and conditioning. Oh, and he has also been one of the top goaltenders in the league this season. Harding is 13-3-2 with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He suffered another injury scare in Winnipeg during warm-ups. Initial reports indicated Harding suffered potentially significant damage when his accidentally stepped on a puck. But Harding dodged disaster. Medical examinations found that he suffered hamstring spasms, not a strain. The injury has shelved him on a game-to-game basis and he did not travel to St. Louis for tonight’s game. So the Blues will see Niklas Backstrom in goal. The veteran entered this season as Minnesota’s clear No. 1 netminder, but injuries and ineffectiveness (2-1-2, 3.03, .892) have left him scrambling to regain his standing. THE RUMOR MILL WHIRLS Here is some of the latest scuttlebutt: 727525 St Louis Blues Shattenkirk is the fifth Blues' player in the last week to battle flu symptoms. On the Blues' recent road trip, Chris Stewart missed the morning skate in Buffalo, but played that night and had two assists. Three other unnamed Colaiacovo inserted into Blues lineup tonight against Minnesota players also experienced symptoms on the trip, but didn't miss any game or practice time.

17 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford [email protected] 314- Most NHL clubs have their players take the flu shot. There are folks, 444-7135 however, who are skeptical if the vaccination even helps. "I don't even know," Hitchcock said. "I just know our preference is, as soon as a guy calls in sick, we just tell him to stay home. Every team goes On November 24, 2008, Carlo Colaiacovo came to St. Louis in a trade with through it. We've been lucky that guys have come back and played the Toronto. Five years later, almost to the day, the defenseman will make his same day that they've been sick or the night before. So you just manage it return to the Blues' lineup. properly. Colaiacovo will be on the ice tonight when the Blues face the Minnesota "The other four all came back and played in the game, so we expect that to Wild at 7 p.m. at Scottrade Center. be happening again (with Shattenkirk). But you never know. We're not going to risk one hockey game to add another six or seven players (to the "It's ironic ... it's exciting," said Colaiacovo, who re-signed with the Blues on flu list) because a guy is in here, the infirmary." Nov. 12. "I've done a lot of hard work off the ice to keep myself in the best shape possible for a situation like this. I feel really good on the ice. I think *** for me, it's just the excitement of finally getting back in a game." PAAJARVI ON RIGHT WING Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was absent from Monday's morning skate. He stayed home sick, but head coach Ken Hitchcock did not rule him In seven appearances with the Blues, Magnus Paajarvi has played strictly out tonight. Whether or not Shattenkirk does suit up, Colaiacovo will play on the left wing. But with Ryan Reaves out for the next month after breaking either way. his right hand, Paajarvi will be on the right wing tonight. "He's been ready for a week," Hitchcock said. "He's a great puck distributor, "It doesn't matter for me, none whatsoever," Paajarvi said. "Left or right, if I he's smart, he plays sneaky good minutes. He's a real complementary end up on either side, it doesn't really matter for me." player. He can play minutes killing penalties, he can play on the power While Paajarvi sounded indifferent, Hitchcock said that "right wing is more play ... he can add to the group." comfortable for him, so this is a real opportunity for him. We were happy *** with the game he played in Boston. If he's going to build on that, that's good stuff. We'd like him to stay healthy here because the way we play, and the BLUES' PROJECTED LINEUP energy that he brings, I think is really going to be positive for us. We need him to get back where he was before the injury because he was a really Forwards effective player for us." Alexander Steen-David Backes-T.J. Oshie *** Derek Roy-Patrick Berglund-Chris Stewart BERGLUND IS BACK Jaden Schwartz-Vladimir Sobotka-Vladimir Tarasenko Blues center Patrik Berglund played 16 minutes, 25 seconds Saturday against Dallas, his first action after missing three games with an upper-body Brenden Morrow-Maxim Lapierre-Magnus Paajarvi injury. Defensemen "I felt pretty good," Berglund said. "Conditioning-wise, I got tired a little Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo quicker than I expected. But I felt good. The injury didn't bother me. It was nice to be back." Barret Jackman-Carlo Colaiacovo In the second period Saturday, Berglund got tangled up with a Stars' player Ian Cole-Roman Polak and hit the wall awkwardly. He stood up slowly, but stayed in the game. Goalie "That kind of stung me a little bit, but I'm a very tough Swede!" Berglund quipped. Jaroslav Halak Berglund is stuck on one goal this season and has gone 17 without one. He *** has one goal and two assists in his last four games against the Wild. WILD'S PROJECTED LINEUP *** Forwards ODDS & ENDS Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Jason Pominville • Minnesota goaltender Josh Harding (lower-body injury) flew from St. Louis Jason Zucker-Charlie Coyle-Justin Fontaine back to the Twin Cities Sunday and will not be in uniform tonight. The Wild backup will be Darcy Kuemper. Matt Cooke-Kyle Brodziak-Nino Niederreiter • The Blues are 13-0-1 this season when scoring three or more goals. They Michael Rupp-Zenon Konopka-Dany Heatley are 12-1-1 when netting one or more power-play goals. Defenseman • The Blues are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games against Minnesota at Scottrade Center. In the past three meetings, the Blues have outshot the Wild by 18 Ryan Suter-Jonas Brodin or more shots (117-60 overall). Marco Scandella-Jared Spurgeon St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.26.2013 Clayton Stoner-Nate Prosser Goalie Niklas Backstrom *** FLU SHOT 727526 St Louis Blues It was a dominant first period by the Blues, who got goals from Sobotka and Steen and outshot the Wild 13-4. Steen pounced on the rebound of a shot by Jay Bouwmeester, Blues keep on rolling with shutout win over Minnesota backhanding a quick shot past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom for his 18th goal this season.

By NORM SANDERS Steen did not have a goal in his previous four games and was held without a shot in the previous two games. News-DemocratNovember 25, 2013 It was the first of five games against new Central Division rival Minnesota this season for the Blues, who are 8-0-2 in their last 10 against the Wild at Scottrade Center. ST. LOUIS — The victory assembly line continued for the St. Louis Blues on Monday at Scottrade Center. "This was one of the best games we've played 5-on-5 for a long time," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team has outscored the opposition by Being paired against one of the NHL's hottest teams did not matter as the an NHL-leading 32 goals (82-50). "I thought any of the scoring chances Blues blanked the Minnesota Wild 3-0 for their fourth straight win and they got were pretty much on the power play. I thought 5-on-5, we really stretched their franchise-record start to 17-3-3. competed and we created a lot of pressure and presence, especially in the first two periods." "This team's been together for a long time, even when I left they were set up pretty good to be successful," said Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 11.26.2013 who picked up an assist in his first game back with his old team. "They've added a lot of key pieces over that time and it's created the team that we have. "When you can roll four lines and play six defensemen in this league, it makes you a really tough team to play against." Blues winger Alexander Steen scored twice to end a four-game goal drought, collecting his 18th and 19th goals this season in his 23rd game. He is one behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin in the NHL goal-scoring race. Steen's second goal was an empty-netter scored from just in front of the Blues' bench at his own blue line with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining. The shutout was the franchise-record 18th for Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak (13-3-2), although he was rarely tested until late in the contest. Minnesota (15-6-4) had an apparent goal waved off 30 seconds into the game when the referee ruled Wild forward Zach Parise deflected it in with a high stick. Video reviews were inconclusive, so the on-ice call stood. Just 50 seconds later, the Blues took a 1-0 lead on Colaiacovo's first shift back with his old team. As it turned out, that was the game-winner as the Wild were blanked for the first time this season. "Not giving up a goal like that, it's huge early in a game," Halak said. "It would be a big boost for their team and by disallowing the goal, it was momentum on our side and we were able to score right after." Vladimir Sobotka scored his second goal in two games on the rebound of a shot from the blue line by Colaiacovo. Jaden Schwartz notched an assist on the play, giving him at least a point for the fourth straight game. "I'm just trying to get my speed and go to the net," Sobotka said. "That was a good shot by Carlo and I just found the puck in front of the net and put it in." Playing center recently, Sobotka has been trying to make himself more useful by crashing the goal crease looking for loose pucks and rebounds. "I'm trying to kind of change my game a little bit, go more in front of the net," he said. The Blues improved to 11-1-2 at home, including 8-0-3 in their last 11 against the Wild on home ice. The Blues and the Wild began Monday on franchise-record starts to the season. They also were the NHL's two hottest teams in November, with Minnesota coming in at 9-1-1 this month while the Blues were 9-2-1. A suffocating Blues defense limited the Wild to just 10 shots in the first two periods before Minnesota applied a bit more pressure in the final 20 minutes to finish with 21. One of Halak's best saves of the night came late in the third period when he slid across to rob Dany Heatley. "He made some key saves when we needed him to, he got a big shutout for us," Steen said. "Real solid. Both (goalies) have been playing unreal. They're reading the plays well and getting the right angles quickly; the last one on Heatley, Jaro seems like he's already there reading the pass. They're on top of their game right now." 727527 St Louis Blues "Anyone can replace players on the ice," he said. "But it's the impact that he has away from the rink and in the locker room that we're going to have to have substitution on. I don't think that happens overnight, it will take a few Colaiacovo makes his season debut with Blues days before someone else steps up there" Blues staying grounded

By NORM SANDERS With more points that all but two NHL teams, the Blues (16-3-3, 35 points) are getting much better with their best start in franchise history. News-DemocratNovember 25, 2013 Updated 6 hours ago Hitchcock said that wasn't the case earlier this season. "Better lately, not great early," he said. "We got happy feet when we had ST. LOUIS — On the first shift of his second tour of duty with the St. Louis success, we didn't play very well after big wins. But we addressed it and I Blues, veteran defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo picked up an assist Monday think our guys got grounded quicker. in a 3-0 victory over Minnesota. "I like what we did after the Boston game, the way we responded so were "The familiarity with the way we play and the players we have definitely learning and getting better with that. We didn't do a good job with that helps," said Colaiacovo, who on Tuesday celebrates the five-year earlier this year and got smoked a couple times because of it." anniversary of the trade that brought he and Alexander Steen from Toronto for Lee Stempniak. "I couldn't have written it any better. (The assist) got me Hitchcock said learning to deal with success is as important as dealing with going and obviously the excitement was there to start the game, the home failure and losing streaks. crowd. I'm just glad I could contribute." "Sometimes winning starts losing if you don't have the right attitude, and I An illness to defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk led to an opening for think our attitude is really starting to mature, he said. Colaiacovo, who made his 2013-14 Blues debut. Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 11.26.2013 "Our preference with anybody that has sickness this year is just to keep them away from the team," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Our preference is to keep him away from the group and let him get some sleep and rest." The Blues signed Colaiacovo to a one-year, pro-rated deal worth $550,000 plus incentives Nov. 12 following the loss of defenseman Jordan Leopold for two months because of finger surgery. "He's been ready for a week," Hitchcock said of Colaiacovo, in his second stint with the Blues after playing here previously from 2008 to 2012. "He's a great puck distributor, he's smart, he plays sneaky good minutes. He's a real complementary player. "He can play minutes killing penalties, he can play on the power play, he can add to the group. I think Brad (assistant coach Brad Shaw) thought he was up to speed conditioning wise a week ago and we kept him the extra week just to work him right through it. He's ready to go." Colaiacovo said watching hockey during his time off at the start of the season helped him stay sharp, along with his own workouts with a local Ontario Hockey League team in Mississauga near Toronto. "It's a great feeling," said Colaiacovo, playing in his first game since he suited up for the Red Wings in the playoffs last spring. "I'm happy that I can get in there. It's been a long time since I played hockey so the transition was a lot better than I expected. "Things are pretty easy out there when you play with good players and we have a lot of those in this room. I just tried to keep it simple." Hitchcock said Shattenkirk is the fifth Blues player this season to deal with the flu or a similar illness. "Every team goes through it," Hitchcock said. "We've been lucky that guys have come back and played the same day they've been sick or the night before. This is now player No 5, so you just mange it properly." More on Reaves The Blues lost physical right winger Ryan Reaves with a fractured bone in his right hand, injured Saturday during a fight with Brenden Dillon of the Dallas Stars. Reaves underwent surgery Monday in St. Louis and will be reevaluated in six weeks, officials said. While forwards Magnus Paajarvi and Adam Cracknell are capable on-ice replacements, Hitchcock said he feels Reaves' absence creates a larger overall void. Reaves has been solid on hockey side with two goals and four points. "I think where we're really going to miss Reaves is the enthusiasm and energy that he brings off the ice," Hitchcock said. "He brings a real positive, enthusiastic energy to every aspect of our team, whether it's the game-day ride or the post(game) rides, the pregame skates, he brings a high level of energy so someone's going to have to replace that." Hitchcock said where that comes from may evolve over time. 727528 Tampa Bay Lightning

Family, friends help honor Bolts' St. Louis

By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff Erik Erlendsson on Google+ Published: November 25, 2013 | Updated: November 26, 2013 at 12:10 AM

TAMPA — Flanked by family and surrounded by 19,000-plus friends in the stands, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Marty St. Louis was honored before Monday's game for playing in 1,000 career games. St. Louis reached the milestone Nov. 19 in Los Angeles, but Monday was the first home game for Tampa Bay since St. Louis reached the mark. St. Louis promptly scored at 3:10 of the first period. Before the ceremony, a video tribute was played highlighting his career while Lightning television voice Rick Peckham handled the introductions before the gifts were handed out. Former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk and former teammate Brad Richards, now with the Rangers, presented an illustrated framed timeline of St. Louis' first 1,000 games. Former NHL official Don Koharski, who was on the ice for St. Louis' first NHL game with Calgary in Tokyo, Japan, presented a Tiffany crystal on behalf of the league. Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman handed out the commemorative silver stick Owner Jeff Vinik presented St. Louis with a Rolex watch And in the surprise of the evening, Steven Stamkos walked to center ice less than two weeks after surgery to repair a broken right tibia, and gave St. Louis a hug before offering a commemorative book filled with newspaper articles and other mementos from his 1,000 games. “He's brought a lot of memories to hockey fans, especially Lightning fans,'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “For him to survive and excel the way he's done, it's unreal. I'm happy and really excited for him.'' Richards, who played on a line with St. Louis for most of the 2004 championship season, was happy to be able to attend the celebration. “I'm thrilled it worked out this way that I'm here,'' Richards said before the game. “I still talk to him pretty much weekly on the game and things we're doing, whether its stick length or how the game is played. We still pick each other's brains. “He's helped me a lot and I still look up to him and love how he competes. He's a good inspiration to me.'' Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 727529 Tampa Bay Lightning D Dmitry Korobov was scratched. ... D Keith Aulie and C Tom Pyatt remain on injured reserve. ... Former Tampa Bay C Dominic Moore faced the Lightning for the first time since being traded to San Jose in 2012. Moore Bolts notes: Kucherov provides debut goal sat out last season after the loss of his wife, Katie, to cancer. ... Former Lightning assistant Dan LaCroix is on the Rangers' staff. Erik Erlendsson By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff Erik Erlendsson on Google+ Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 Published: November 25, 2013 | Updated: November 26, 2013 at 12:16 AM

TAMPA — With injuries mounting and looking for any kind of an offensive spark, the Tampa Bay Lightning called up rookie RW Nikita Kucherov to make his NHL debut on Monday against the New York Rangers. Kucherov is second in scoring in the American Hockey League with 13 goals and 24 points for Syracuse, which leads all rookies. The 20-year-old was a second-round pick in 2011 and finished last season with 29 goals and 63 points in 33 games with Quebec and Rouyn-Noranda in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. “I'm so excited, it's like a dream come true,'' Kucherov said. “They called me and said I was getting a call-up, but I said 'what?' I was nervous, so I was like 'are you sure?' ” Kucherov opened on the second line Monday, playing with Alex Killorn and Teddy Purcell, and he delivered on the hype, picking up his first career goal on his first shot while taking his first NHL shift to become the seventh player in Lightning history to score in his debut. “He is one of these guys that has that uncanny ability to put the puck in the net,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I've watched him develop, and he's kind of turned the corner a little quicker than most guys. And that's not predicting what he's going to do (Monday) or in the future, but the game slows down for him, and just in the short time that I've been around them you can see the hockey IQ is pretty high. Now after this little 60-second barrage your are probably thinking this guy's going to have six tonight, but he's just good player. The kid can play.'' Though the Lightning have shown patience with the team's prospects, letting them develop with more games in the minor leagues before bringing them up to the NHL level, Kucherov might be ahead of the learning curve with his development. “Is it ideal that he is playing now after only playing (17) games in the American League, no it's not,'' Cooper said. “But on the other side of things, he's probably earned his stripes a little quicker than most other guys and he deserves a chance.'' Kucherov has been lauded for his skill set, superb hockey intelligence and penchant for piling up points. J.T. Brown started the season playing on the top line with Kucherov in Syracuse, and he is confident Kucherov will adapt to the NHL. “He is a highly skilled player, and he knows what to do when he gets the puck,'' Brown said. “He has a great shot, and he knows where to put it, and he usually ends up putting it in the back of the net.'' Injury stockpile LW Ryan Malone and D Radko Gudas sat out Monday's game with injuries sustained Friday in Anaheim. Malone hurt his ankle blocking a shot and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Gudas suffered what the team is calling an “upper-body'' injury, potentially stemming from a first-period fight with Anaheim D Lucas Sbisa. Gudas came back to start the second period but left after three shifts and did not return. Sbisa suffered torn ligaments in his hand and will miss significant time for the Ducks. Cooper said neither injury is considered serious. “I'm not saying they both won't play by the end of the week,'' Cooper said. LW Pierre-Cedric Labrie joined that list when he left after the first period on Monday with an undisclosed upper-body injury, one shift after a lengthy fight with Derek Dorsett, and did not return. Nuts and Bolts 727530 Tampa Bay Lightning From there, the Lightning managed the game efficiently even after Lundqvist, who allowed four goals on 22 shots, gave way to Cam Talbot to start the third, to ensure that the special night for St. Louis would end the Bolts blank Rangers on St. Louis' big night right way. “You can't measure the man, you have to measure the size of his heart, and it's just great watching him play,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “He By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff Erik Erlendsson on Google+ deserved everything he has received and more. You have events like this, you never know how the game is going to go, and for us to pull out the Published: November 25, 2013 | Updated: November 26, 2013 at 03:31 game the way we did, for him to contribute the way he did, there is a little AM story book in it.'' Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 TAMPA — Marty St. Louis appreciation night saw St. Louis squarely in the spotlight. Like so many times before, with so many eyes watching him, he found a way to deliver. After brushing aside an emotional pregame ceremony to honor St. Louis for appearing in 1,000 career games, the captain promptly went out and scored a pair of goals and added an assist to help lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-0 victory against the New York Rangers in front of an announced sellout crowd of 19,204 at The Forum. “It was pretty emotional, the whole presentation,'' St. Louis said of the celebration. “Seeing my parents, my wife, my kids, and then when they started the video, I couldn't watch and I kind of lost it (emotionally). It was a special night with all the messages on the JumboTron, from people who helped me along the way — players, coaches, GMs. It was a special night. And to be able to win the game and contribute ... I felt like myself tonight, like a flash from the past.'' Rookie Nikita Kucherov ended up with the game-winning goal, scoring his first career goal, which came on his first career shift and his first shot. Teddy Purcell scored twice and added an assist, and Valtteri Filppula had a pair of assists to help Tampa Bay snap a four-game winless streak. Ben Bishop stopped 37 shots to record his second shutout of the season and fifth of his career as the Lightning won their sixth consecutive game at home while snapping New York's six-game road winning streak. Bishop improved to 4-0 all-time against the Rangers, posting his second career shutout against New York, and has allowed three goals in four games against the Rangers. Since suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, Bishop has responded in the past two games, stopping 76 of 77 shots while allowing one goal. But not even Bishop's performance was enough to take the spotlight away from St. Louis. “Guys like that rise to the occasion and sure enough he goes out there and scores two goals after that ceremony, and I guess we should expect nothing less from him,'' Bishop said. “He worked a lot of years to get to here, so one little shutout (from me) is not going to overlook that.'' Kucherov, called up Sunday to make his NHL debut after being second overall in scoring in the American Hockey League, wasted no time showing what he can bring, getting a wrist shot off a feed from Purcell from the end boards that eluded New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist 2:12 into the game. “I was just in the right spot at the right time, and Teddy made a good pass to me and (Alex Killorn) was in front, so I just needed to shoot the puck on net,'' Kucherov said. “I didn't see it go in, I just saw Killer with his hands up. (But I thought) cool, it went in. I was just so happy to score a goal.'' St. Louis quickly added to that, getting behind the defense and lifting a wrist shot over Lundqvist 58 seconds later, which led to an outburst of emotion that was followed by a stumble to the ice while he celebrated. “I was so excited, and then I take a nice fall, but I really didn't even care,'' St. Louis said with a grin. “I was so excited to score, and I don't know what happened because I've done that pump a few times, but maybe it was a little too hard this time.'' Bishop ensured the score would stay 2-0 after the first period, stopping all 17 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes before St. Louis would again get behind the defense early in the second period and just like his chance in the first period, lifted the puck over Lundqvist 3:12 into the second period. 727531 Tampa Bay Lightning Since the surgery , Stamkos has moved past the “why” and is focused on the “when” — as in when he will be healed and ready to get back on the ice. “Before I went (for surgery) I was still trying to pinch myself and hope that it Stamkos walking two weeks after breaking leg was a dream,” he said. “But when reality sets in, this is the card and hand that you have been dealt. You have to deal with it now. You have to be strong and work hard.’’ By Erik Erlendsson | Tribune Staff Erik Erlendsson on Google+ One day after surgery, doctors told him he needed to take get out of bed Published: November 25, 2013 | Updated: November 26, 2013 at 12:11 and take a few steps on the injured leg, a seemingly simple act he admits AM he was not comfortable trying at first. “I had the boot on and the crutches and even those couple of steps, those were the toughest ones,’’ he said. “I think you get up and you’re a little dizzy TAMPA — Two weeks ago, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos or little woozy; you’ve been in the bed for a little bit and you’re on pain lay in a hospital room unsure of his future after breaking the tibia in his medication. At that point it’s like, ‘Man, I just want to climb back in the bed lower right leg. and there’s no way I’ll be walking anytime soon.’ But it’s gradual steps and, mentally, I think that was the toughest part.’’ When would he be able to walk? Now Stamkos is up and about on a regular basis, coming to the rink to work When would he be able to play again? with team trainers while taking minor steps on the road to recovery. Were his Olympic dreams shattered when his leg slammed into that goal And as he reflects on the events of the past couple of weeks, he has no post during a game in Boston on Nov. 11? issue with the contact from Boston defenseman Dougie Hamilton that led to “I remember especially being on the stretcher leaving the ice and all of that his falling into the post and is appreciative of all the support he’s received kind of going through my head,’’ Stamkos, 23, said Monday at a news from friends and family. conference at the Forum, his first public comments since the injury. That included a visit from Boston head coach Claude Julien at the hospital, “The Olympics, that was something that definitely went through my head, which Stamkos called “pretty classy,’’ and a text message from Bruins as well. It’s just tough (because) you know that something is wrong and captain Zdeno Chara on behalf of the Boston players. you’re going to miss an extended period of time.’’ Seeing Stamkos around the Lightning locker room the past couple of days One day after his leg was broken, the two-time winner of the Rocket cheered up his teammates, who returned home early Saturday morning Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer had surgery at from an 0-3-1 road trip to face the New York Rangers Monday night. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to set the break and insert a “It brought a lot of smiles to everybody’s face to see him,’’ Lightning captain titanium rod. He returned to Tampa on Nov. 14 and began rehabilitation Marty St. Louis said. “He is young, but he’s been here for a long time and right away. he hasn’t missed any games, so it’s tough. Obviously, we miss him on the On Monday, Stamkos walked into the news conference without crutches, a ice. But you miss Stammer the human being, being around the guys.’’ walking boot or a cast. Given the early progress in his recovery, Stamkos could be around sooner “I didn’t think I’d be walking on my own without a boot or crutch less than than expected. two weeks after surgery,’’ said Stamkos, who was leading the NHL in goals “He’s just an inspiration for all of us, everybody is pulling for him,’’ Tampa and points at the time of the injury. “But it’s pretty amazing the work that Bay head coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s just remarkable about medical can be done. And I’ve already started rehabbing and I feel pretty good, so science these days because when you see the injury happen and you are things are good right now.’’ privy to the X-ray and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, this can’t be good,’ and then to There is no timetable for Stamkos to return to the Tampa Bay lineup or see what he is doing now, it’s amazing. I have no idea about a timetable or even a goal-oriented timeline for his recovery. But with rehab already when he’s coming back, but it’s pretty cool to see him mobile without aids. underway, including light weight-bearing exercises with the leg, the signs He’s a remarkable kid.’’ are encouraging it could be shorter than the normal 3-6 month recovery for Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.26.2013 such an injury. “My focus right now is getting to a place where I can get healthy and start rehabbing and getting into shape and get back on the ice and stuff like that,” Stamkos said. “That’s the short-term goal right now. ...But we are definitely not going to rush anything or take chances.’’ Stamkos had been expected to be a key member of Canadian team at the Winter Olympics in February. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, who also is in charge of putting together the Team Canada roster, said playing in the Olympics has not been ruled out. “Our initial impression is that we’re encouraged he’ll be back on the shorter end of the recovery time period,’’ Yzerman said. “The No. 1 underlining factor is that we’re going to make sure we do what’s best for Steven’s long- term health. He’s got a long career ahead of him and we’re not going to do anything that jeopardizes him. He’s not coming back before he’s 100 percent ready.’’ Stamkos was charging back to help on defense when he got tangled with a Boston defenseman, lost his footing and slid into the net, striking his shin against the goal post. “I slammed into the post pretty hard and I knew something was wrong,” he said, “but I didn’t really know until I tried to stand up and skate back to the bench that I could actually feel the bone move.” Several times in the past two weeks, Stamkos watched footage of the play. “Seeing that stuff doesn’t bug me,” he said. “I wanted to see exactly what happened. ...So, to be able to watch it and see the leg sort of snap back a little bit, it made it pretty clear on why it happened.’’ 727532 Tampa Bay Lightning Third Period—5, Tampa Bay, Purcell 7 (St. Louis, Killorn), 18:59. Penalties —Killorn, TB (hooking), 2:19; Hedman, TB (cross-checking), 11:19. Shots on Goal—N.Y. Rangers 17-10-10—37. Tampa Bay 10-12-3—25. Power- St. Louis scores twice, Lightning routs Rangers play opportunities—N.Y. Rangers 0 of 6; Tampa Bay 0 of 3. Goalies—N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 7-10-0 (22 shots-18 saves), Talbot (0:00 third, 3-2). Tampa Bay, Bishop 14-3-1 (37-37). A—19,204 (19,204). T—2:23. Referees —Ghislain Hebert, Francois St. Laurent. Linesmen—Andy McElman, Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Anthony Sericolo. Monday, November 25, 2013 11:21pm Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013

TAMPA — Make no mistake, Monday was Marty St. Louis Night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Lightning captain knew emotions would be high during a pregame ceremony celebrating his 1,000th career game, played last week. His parents, wife and three sons were going to be there as he received gifts and tributes. An hour before faceoff, coach Jon Cooper put St. Louis' nerves at ease with a prescient prediction. "He was just like, 'God, I hope I can keep this together, I'm a wimp when it comes to this stuff, I'm going to start crying,' " Cooper said. "So we're laughing. I'm like, 'Nobody is going to really remember that when you have two (goals) and one (assist).' " St. Louis said he'll always remember Monday's 5-0 win over the Rangers, when he followed Cooper's script, racking up two goals and an assist. It helped snap the Lightning's four-game losing streak as well as a mini-slump for St. Louis, who had one goal in his previous 12 games. "It was a special night," he said. "I felt like myself (Monday). I felt like it was a flash in the past." There were many flashbacks for St. Louis, with former teammate and good buddy Brad Richards, now with the Rangers, helping present him with a framed timeline of his career, one of his many gifts. Injured star Steven Stamkos stepped on the ice for the first time since breaking his right leg two weeks ago, handing him a leather-bound scrapbook. A video montage began with more than a decade of highlights. "I kind of lost it," St. Louis said. "But you have to play." St. Louis settled down after scoring on a partial breakaway about three minutes in. But not after wiping out during his trademark fist-pumping celebration, falling on his back before popping up with a smile. "I took a nice fall," he quipped. "I didn't really care, I was so excited to score. I've done that pump a few times, maybe it was a little too hard this time." Goaltender Ben Bishop said players like St. Louis "rise to the occasion." So Bishop, though he was outstanding in his 37-save shutout for Tampa Bay (15-8-1), didn't mind getting overshadowed by St. Louis. "He worked a lot of years to get here," Bishop said. "One little shutout is not going to mean anything." Wing Teddy Purcell had two goals, and rookie Nikita Kucherov scored his first NHL goal — on the first shot of his first shift. But the night belonged to St. Louis, who watched nearly a dozen video tributes from former teammates and coaches, "people that helped me along the way." Freddy Modin. Vinny Lecavalier. Dan Boyle. Even former coach John Tortorella. They all told St. Louis to enjoy his night, and he sure did. "It was a little storybook," Cooper said. "The stars aligned tonight." Lightning 2 2 1 5 Rangers 0 0 0 0 First Period—1, Tampa Bay, Kucherov 1 (Purcell, Brewer), 2:12. 2, Tampa Bay, St. Louis 9 (Filppula, Hedman), 3:10. Penalties—Dorsett, NYR, major (fighting), 2:14; Labrie, TB, major (fighting), 2:14; Del Zotto, NYR (high- sticking), 5:15; Brewer, TB (hooking), 9:26; Hedman, TB (holding), 13:42. Second Period—3, Tampa Bay, St. Louis 10 (Filppula, Sustr), 3:12. 4, Tampa Bay, Purcell 6, 16:52. Penalties—Killorn, TB (hooking), 5:51; Crombeen, TB (slashing), 6:49; Staal, NYR (interference), 9:01; Stralman, NYR (high-sticking), 11:34. 727533 Tampa Bay Lightning "I think I surprised myself with how positive and upbeat I've tried to be," Stamkos said. He has received plenty of support. Lightning fans gave him a rousing Stamkos bouncing back strong ovation when he walked onto the ice during Monday's pregame ceremonies celebrating Marty St. Louis' 1,000th NHL game. Teammates, friends and family, of course, have reached out to Stamkos. But it was the reaction from Tom Jones, Times Sports Columnist all of hockey that shows just how respected he is. Monday, November 25, 2013 10:32pm Bruins captain Zdeno Chara sent Stamkos a text on behalf of the Boston players, wishing him a speedy recovery. Bruins coach Claude Julien visited Stamkos in the hospital. TAMPA "I thought that was pretty classy," Stamkos said. In the dark days following the gruesome injury that just about snapped his So now what? right tibia in two, Lightning star Steven Stamkos felt it all. Under the care of the Lightning medical team, Stamkos has begun daily Pain. Frustration. Helplessness. Anger. rehabilitation. But one emotion pretty much summed it up. For as exciting as this all sounds, the truth is Stamkos remains a long way from playing. Yes, he was walking Monday, but he was doing so with a "Miserable," Stamkos said. heavy limp. It's still hard to picture him skating with a 230-pound It was pure agony just to go to the restroom, or get a drink from the kitchen. defenseman leaning on him. Just sitting up took all his might. Yzerman, also the GM of the Canadian Olympic team, said the Lightning "I couldn't even lift my own leg off the bed," Stamkos said. "It just felt like will not rush Stamkos back. The overall health of the 23-year-old is the my leg was dead. And there was a lot of pain." priority, not the Lightning season and certainly not the Olympics. Forget hockey. Stamkos only wished to feel normal again. Coach Jon Cooper said the Lightning's best plan is to act as if Stamkos is not coming back until he does come back. But slowly and miserably, the days passed, and here he was Monday — exactly two weeks from when he crashed into the goal post in Boston and Obviously, the Lightning needs him. Cooper thinks his absence costs the broke his leg — incredibly walking without the aid of a crutch, cane or Lightning a goal a game. Let's be real: the Lightning is a postseason walking boot. And, believe it or not, he's talking about playing hockey again. longshot without him. This season. That Monday two weeks ago was the worst day of the season for the "That's the goal and, hopefully, that's the reality when it's all said and done," Lightning. The best day will be the one when Stamkos returns … if he Stamkos said in his first public comments since the injury. returns. A return this season seems miraculous. Two weeks ago today, doctors Monday? That was a good day. hammered a steel rod into his lower leg and secured it into place with Steps in the right direction. screws. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 Yet, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said Monday: "I think there's a very good chance you'll see him this season. I'm expecting that. I don't know exactly when, but I'm expecting him back." The initial prognosis was Stamkos would miss three to six months, but Yzerman said, "Barring any unforeseen setbacks, I think it's reasonable to say he could be on the earlier side of that." Hard to believe when you think back to that Monday afternoon in Boston. Stamkos remembers every detail. He remembers back-checking toward his own goal. He remembers Boston's Dougie Hamilton giving him a little shove just as they approached the net. He remembers thinking "Uh-oh" as he sped toward the post with no way to stop. And after the crash, after Stamkos tried to skate and actually felt the bone moving inside his skin, he crumbled to the ice and began pounding it with his fist. Not because of the pain of breaking his leg, but because he knew what a broken leg meant. Stamkos was leading the NHL in scoring. The Lightning was in first place. He was a lock to play in the upcoming Olympics for his native Canada. All of it felt crushed like dust. "I remember, especially being on the stretcher, all of that kind of going through my head," Stamkos said. "It's tough. You know that something is wrong and you're going to miss an extended period of time." Even before surgery, Stamkos said he pinched himself, hoping it would wake him up from his worst nightmare. A day after surgery, Stamkos tried to stand. Still woozy from the medication and yet still in excruciating pain, Stamkos said he thought: "I just want to climb back into bed and there's no way I'll be walking anytime soon." But after a few days of feeling that misery and watching replays of the injury over and over, Stamkos set his sights on his recovery. 727534 Tampa Bay Lightning

Kucherov stunned to get call from Lightning

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Monday, November 25, 2013 10:28pm

TAMPA — As well as LW Nikita Kucherov was playing for AHL Syracuse, he was still surprised Sunday when he got called up by the Lightning. "It's like a dream come true," Kucherov said. "They said, 'You got called up,' and I said, 'What?' I was nervous. 'Are you sure?' " Coach Jon Cooper said it wasn't ideal to bring Kucherov in after just 17 professional games but said the 20-year-old Russian "earned his stripes a little quicker" and deserved a chance. Plus, the Lightning needed offensive punch without C Steven Stamkos (broken leg) and RW Ryan Malone (lower body). And Kucherov, who led the Crunch with 13 goals and 24 points, brings a unique scoring dynamic. That showed Monday when Kucherov scored his first NHL goal on the first shot of his first shift, a one-timer from the slot. "I was in the right spot at the right time," said Kucherov, who finished plus- two in 11 minutes, 31 seconds of ice time. "I was so excited. I can't describe it." Cooper said, knowing Kucherov's skill, "that won't be the last goal that kid scores in the NHL." "He's one of these guys that has that uncanny ability to put the puck in the net," Cooper said. "It's like the Brett Hulls, they know where to go on the ice, and they know what to do with the puck." Kucherov, 5 feet 11, 178 pounds, was a second-round pick in 2011. Crunch GM Julien BriseBois said Kucherov had some of the best vision he has ever seen. Cooper said it's uncertain how long Kucherov will stay, but "the kid can play." "He's kind of turned the corner a little quicker than most guys," Cooper said. "The game slows down for him and just in this short time I've been around him, you could see the hockey IQ is pretty high." Perfect timing: Rangers C Brad Richards said he was "thrilled" it worked out where he could be there for a pregame ceremony to honor former Lightning teammate Marty St. Louis for 1,000th career games. Richards helped give a framed timeline to St. Louis, who also received a silver stick, a Rolex and a leather-bound scrapbook. And Richards wasn't surprised St. Louis had two goals and an assist on his special night. "That's one of the best, for the last 10-12 years, one of the best players in the world," Richards said. "That's exactly what he does right there. He uses his speed and he'll make you pay." Welcome back: Rangers C Dominic Moore, a key part of the Lightning's 2011 run to the East final, also returned Monday. Moore, with Tampa Bay from 2010-12, took last season off after his wife, Katie, died of liver cancer in January. But Moore said he has received a lot of support from his former teammates: "Katie and I had great memories of being part of this organization and the group we had. That's part of the reason why Tampa is a special place." Nuts and bolts: D Radko Gudas (upper body) and Malone didn't play. … D Dmitry Korobov was also scratched. … LW P.C. Labrie left after suffering an upper-body injury in a first-period fight with RW Derek Dorsett, but Cooper said it wasn't serious. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727535 Tampa Bay Lightning

Could Stamkos be ready for the Olympics? 'If he's 100 percent ... we'll deal with that at that time,' Yzerman says

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer Monday, November 25, 2013 3:37pm

Assuming a recovery window of three to six months for Lightning star center Steven Stamkos, general manager Steve Yzerman said that "barring any unforseen setbacks, I think it's reasonable to say he could be on the earlier side of that." Yzerman's comments came after Stamkos met with reporters for the first time since he sustained a broken right tibia in a Nov. 11 game at Boston. Stamkos had surgery and had a titanium rod inserted into the bone. Yzerman said he expects Stamkos to play again this season. He just can't say exactly when. "We're told it is a very broad range of a recovery period, so it's way too early for anybody to say, 'Oh, he'll be back in X amount of weeks,' but we're cautiously optimistic," Yzerman said. A three-month recovery would create an interesting decision as that would almost exactly coincide with the start of the Olympics in Sochi, Russia. No doubt, Yzerman, the general manager for Team Canda, would love to have Stamkos in the lineup. But Yzerman said he will not rush Stamkos' recovery process. "We couldn't do that. That would be wrong," he said. "We're dealing with a bone. In talking to the doctors about it, as long as we allow this the proper time to heal -- and that time varies from patient to patient -- he'll be as good as new if not better with the rod in there. We've just got to make sure it's healed and it's good to go. It could be before the Olympics. it could be during the Olympics. It could be after, so we'll just wait and see." The first priority, Yzerman said, "is Steven's long-term health. What's the best thing for his leg, that's No. 1. If that means we get him back to play for Tampa this year, that would be great. If, by some chance, he's back prior to the Olympics and he's 100 percent and his strength is good and the doctors say the bone is completley healed and he's ready prior to the Olympics, we'll deal with that at that time." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727536 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lecavalier: 'I'm definitely excited about going back to Tampa'

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer Monday, November 25, 2013 2:15pm

Vinny Lecavalier was in Sunrise on Monday with the Flyers for their game against the Panthers. But the topic of conversation after the morning skate was about returning to Tampa for Wednesday's game with the Lightning, his first game in Tampa since the Lightning bought him out of the final seven years of his contract. Lecavalier will be presented the Community Hero Award at the game and will get a video tribute on the Tampa Bay Times Forum scoreboard. Lecavalier has eight goals and 13 points in 18 games for Philadelphia. He and wife Caroline and their three kids have moved to Haddonfield, N.J. But Lecavalier still has his Tampa home, where his parents are living, and said of the area, "It's something special. I'm from Montreal and I love going back there, but Tampa has always been my home. My kids were all born there, my sister's family is there, my parents are there. It definitely feels like home. Here are some more highlights of what Lecavalier had to say: On playing in Tampa: "I'm excited to go back and see everything, see my old teammates, my buddies and play hard against them." On how the Lightning organization handled the buyout: "(GM) Steve Yzerman told me there might be something going on. They did everything the right way. Everything was classy. They talked to me through the process. It was good." On the 2004 Stanley Cup championship: "The memories are something I'll have the rest of my life. That was a great year, but (the time) definitely flies by. It gives you a taste. You won one and now you want to win another one. But, definitely, it was a lot of fun." On playing for the Flyers: "It's a bigger hockey market, that's just the way Philly is. It's a great sports market. They definitely let you know the good and the bad, which is good, which I like. You get on the ice for warm-ups and already half the building is there, or more. It's a great feeling to play in front of those fans." On if he has something to prove to the Lightning: "I swear it's not to prove anyone wrong. I want to prove this team (the Flyers) right. I want to help this team. (The Lightning) made a business decision, and I don't have anything against the Lightning. They just do everything the right way. The thing for me was to move on and go with it, that's all." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727537 Tampa Bay Lightning

Kucherov will make NHL debut tonight vs. Rangers

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Monday, November 25, 2013 11:45am

The biggest news today was Lightning star center Steven Stamkos walking around without crutches or a boot, just two weeks removed from breaking his leg. Stamkos still is unsure when and if he'll be back this season, but he definitely brought a morale boost - and as Marty St. Louis says "a lot of smiles" - in the dressing room. With Stamkos out, wing Nikita Kucherov was called up from AHL Syracuse to help provide a much-needed offensive spark. Kucherov, a 20-year-old Russian, led the Crunch with 13 goals and 24 points in 17 games this season. Coach Jon Cooper said while Kucherov's call-up this early isn't "ideal," the rookie earned his stripes quicker than other guys. And Kucherov will be thrown right into the fire, making his NHL debut tonight against the Rangers on a line with Teddy Purcell and Alex Killorn. "He's another young gun," Cooper said. "He's one of these guys that has that uncanny ability to put the puck in the net...It's like the Brett Hulls, they know where to go on the ice, and they know what to do with the puck. And there's guys that puck doesn't have eyes for, and there's puck has eyes for, and it has eyes when he has it." Kucherov, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound forward, was the Lightning's second- round pick in the 2011 draft. Crunch Julien BriseBois said Kucherov has some of the best vision he's ever seen, and can make skill players' better. Kucherov admitted he was a little surprised when he got the call so soon, but is "excited" for his first game. He said a key has been how he's improved his play on the defensive side of his game. Cooper said it's uncertain how long Kucherov will stay up, likely depending on a number of factors. But one thing is for sure. "The kid can play," he said. Other stuff from the morning skate: G Ben Bishop is going to start in net, and is 3-0 against the Rangers with a 1.26 goals against average...Cooper said D Radko Gudas and Ryan Malone are out tonight, but could be back by the end of the week... Marty St. Louis will be honored before tonight's game for having played his 1,000th game last week on the road...Former Lightning star Brad Richards, now with the Rangers, said he's thrilled it worked out to where he could be here in Tampa when they honor St. Louis, a close friend."I still talk to him pretty much weekly on the game and the things we're doing, whether ti's stick length to how the game is played," Richards said. "We still pick each other's brains. He's helped me a lot, still look up to him and love how he competes. He's a good inspiration to me." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 727538 Toronto Maple Leafs The Jackets didn’t do anything fancy other than take advantage of the Leafs gaping holes on defence. On their first goal, Toronto’s ever-overmatched fourth line with a fighter on Leafs blown out by Blue Jackets in embarrassing loss each wing was trapped in its own end after an icing play . On their second, R.J. Umberger was left uncontested in front to jam in a James Mirtle rebound. Toronto — The Globe and Mail Those goals were 20 seconds apart and only 10 minutes into the game, giving Columbus more than enough there to win the game the way it played Published Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 9:43 PM EST out. Last updated Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 11:07 PM EST But the Jackets, victims of a 7-0 shellacking in Edmonton last week, weren’t in the mood to ease off, and they pumped four more past Reimer to eventually chase him from the net late in the proceedings. They were bad. They were really, truly terrible. By that point, the Air Canada Centre was mostly empty as the majority of the 20,000 fans went home unhappy. And not even their netminder could save them in this one. “It was like we were playing in our boots and they were playing in skates,” The Toronto Maple Leafs finally coughed up a stinker on Monday night, Carlyle said of his team. “It was one of those ones that was very frustrating. drawing boos from the home crowd early and often in their 24 game of the The most disappointing part to me is we didn’t have energy off a day off season as part of an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the struggling Columbus yesterday. Blue Jackets. “It just seemed like we lacked the necessary pace that was required to Even Leafs netminder James Reimer, who entered the game as the NHL’s compete in the game. That’s mindboggling.” save percentage leader (and left it a ways down the list), wasn’t immune to the catcalls, even though he was one of the more blameless players in the The night’s damage wasn’t limited to just the scoresheet, either. Leafs bloodbath. winger Joffrey Lupul left the game late in the second period after injuring his groin and his status for Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh is in doubt. Columbus – a team missing a top line worth of talent (Marian Gaborik, Nathan Horton and Brandon Dubinsky) and that has struggled to score all This loss can and probably will be written off in some corners as just one year – was picking corners and making plays all around Reimer’s bad loss, but what the Leafs month-long slide has really been is one that beleaguered teammates. backs up everything hockey’s analytics community has been writing about Toronto’s style of play all season. The Blue Jackets looked little like a club that had won just three of its last 13 games. Winning as many games as they have – relying on sky-high shooting and save percentages and despite a huge negative in shot differential – wasn’t Toronto looked little like one at the top of the Eastern Conference going to last forever. Both percentages tend to regress heavily downward standings. when they’re well above the norm, something that’s been evident especially “What can he do?” Leafs defenceman Carl Gunnarsson said of his in the Leafs shooting percentage of late. netminder. “Can’t blame him for anything. We had a real [expletive] game After scoring on a league-leading 10.5 per cent of their shots at even and we hung him out to dry.” strength a year ago, Toronto has converted on just 7.8 per cent of their “With the way we played tonight, our performance was a team effort,” shots so far this season, a dramatic drop-off that – combined with some of coach Randy Carlyle added. “It wasn’t anywhere near what we needed.” the injuries up front – explains the majority of their sudden impotence. While every team in the NHL will have an off night in a packed 82-game The other issue is Carlyle’s continued reliance on players who can’t score schedule, the truth of the matter is this was a loss that has been brewing for goals, with enforcers Frazer McLaren and Colton Orr gifted spots in the a while for Toronto. lineup while offensive players like Peter Holland and Trevor Smith sit in the press box. Three weeks earlier, for example, Carlyle had predicted something along these lines, lamenting during a six-day break that his team had to be far If there’s good news for Toronto in the aftermath of this blowout, it’s that better if they wanted to keep up what was then a 10-5-0 record. there is a lot of season left and this could finally serve as the franchise’s wake-up call. “If we continue to play to the level we are playing at… we’re not going to continue to win hockey games,” Carlyle said in one particularly frank The bad news? The Leafs have been playing this way for an awfully long interview with the CBC. “There are just too many things that are trending time, going back to even last season, and likely need a significant rethink to the wrong way.” fully turn things around. Those were very sunny days by comparison. And the games aren’t going to stop coming as they try to regroup. Phil Kessel, with 18 points in 15 games, was one of the league’s leading “We’ve got a couple games coming up this week so we better go the other scorers, and the Leafs were the ones picking those corners, shooting their way here,” Gunnarsson said, glumly. way to a lot of wins despite being heavily outshot. “Bottom line is we didn’t play well enough,” captain Dion Phaneuf added. “I November, however, has been a comparative horror show. Including don't think there’s much more that has to be said or broken down. We Monday’s loss, the Leafs have won just two of their last 10 games in weren’t good enough.” regulation, a span during which two shootout wins have kept their record Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.26.2013 respectable at 4-5-1. Toronto’s offence, meanwhile, has been almost non-existent in that stretch, producing only 16 goals to drop them to 2.64 per game on the season, a far, far cry from the 3.02 they posted a year ago. That fall off has even been mitigated by a strong power play. At even strength, the Leafs scoring is down by almost 30 per cent. The reasons for that drought are many, but they start with the simple fact that the Leafs are not putting enough pucks on net this season. On Monday against Columbus – a team that had given up 31 shots a game – Toronto managed just 18, part of a year-long trend of simply not being able to generate enough chances that has confounded Carlyle and his staff. 727539 Toronto Maple Leafs 2 Maple Leafs get Bozak back in the lineup To make way for Bozak, the Leafs are expected to sit newcomer Peter Holland along with Trevor Smith and defenceman Paul Ranger. James Reimer will get his second consecutive start in goal after making 49 JAMES MIRTLE saves in Saturday’s win over the Capitals. TORONTO — The Globe and Mail They’ll be facing a Blue Jackets team that is pretty banged up and that Published Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 2:11 PM EST doesn’t really have the depth to compensate. Out of the lineup Monday will be Nathan Horton, Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Derek MacKenzie Last updated Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 2:28 PM EST and Dalton Prout, adding to their 80 man-games lost to injury, which explain at least in part why Columbus has only three wins in its last 13 games (3-7- 3). Tyler Bozak is back. They don’t produce a lot of offence and last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has been a little less than ordinary, a bad combination for And, given the look of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster for Monday’s game a team not especially high on talent to begin with. against Columbus, so are most of his teammates. “We still have a long season left so hopefully we can turn it around and The Leafs run of injuries and suspensions to primarily their forwards is over, make a push,” said defenceman James Wisniewski, the team’s leading as save for Dave Bolland, who will miss a while yet with an ankle injury, scorer with 16 points in 22 games. Bozak coming off of injured reserve after a month gives them a full complement of players for one of the first times this season. What the Jackets do do is work extremely hard, as was on display in their 5-2 win over the Leafs back on Oct. 25, the game where Bozak tore his Some of Toronto’s injuries issues have been overblown, as in all, they have hamstring on a freak play behind the net. only lost 63 man-games after 23 games, putting them on pace for a little more than 220 games lost this season. Even with their absences, Columbus isn’t a team to be taken lightly. That’s roughly in the middle of the pack in the NHL, but what’s been unique They will likely be desperate in this one after being thumped by Edmonton about the Leafs situation is they’ve had a run of losses almost entirely at and Vancouver last week as part of a bizarre road swing that has had them centre, which is a tough position to lose bodies. play five Canadian teams in nine days. In goal and on the blueline, they’ve been rather healthy, with only sixth “We gotta go with what we’ve got,” Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. defenceman Mark Fraser missing 15 games with a knee injury. “We need certain players to step up. We need more from them. They just have to be better with what they bring.” Here’s a look at the core members of the team – including seven of their top nine forwards – that have missed time with injury or suspension: Leafs projected lineup Player JVR – Bozak – Kessel Lupul – Kadri – Clarkson Games missed Raymond – McClement – Kulemin Mark Fraser McLaren – Smithson – Orr Gunnarsson – Phaneuf 15 Gardiner – Franson Nikolai Kulemin Fraser – Rielly Reimer 12 Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.26.2013 Tyler Bozak

12 David Clarkson

10 (susp.) David Bolland

8 Nazem Kadri

3 (susp.) James van Riemsdyk

2 Joffrey Lupul 727540 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs: Penthouse empty, doghouse full after blowout loss

By: Mark Zwolinski Sports reporter, Published on Tue Nov 26 2013

The Leafs have had some lousy games this season — against Vancouver and Chicago, to name two. Monday’s 6-0 loss to Columbus was right up there on that list, and maybe worse. Putting a Leaf in the penthouse is a stretch. The doghouse is another story — plenty of candidates: Penthouse Empty. Dion Phaneuf was the only Leaf close, one of the few with any jam in his game. He had a monster hit on Artem Anisimov. You could sense with the way the Leafs were going that Phaneuf was going to step into someone to show the Leafs weren’t lifeless. Phaneuf said the hit was clean: “The refs have a tough job to do, but I hit him shoulder to shoulder. (The ref) said from his angle he saw contact (with the head), and that’s all I got to say about that.” Anisimov didn’t return. Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said he saw Anisimov after the game and the player told him he “was okay.” Doghouse Just put the whole team down for this one, from goaltending on out. Carlyle’s best quote: “It seemed like we lacked the pace required to compete in a game, and that’s mind boggling.” Enough said. The Leafs have played good hockey and have a solid record, so you can look at Monday’s game as an aberration. A good practice Tuesday could get the team back on track. Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 727541 Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltending, in other words, was both the last line of defence and in some instances the only line. Toronto blue-liners Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson were standing next to each other when Cam Atkinson calmly put Maple Leafs: Reimer and company embarrassed by Blue Jackets: Feschuk the Blue Jackets up 1-0 from the left-wing doorstep — this during a train wreck of an opening period for Gardiner that saw him unfurl a series of ill- advised home-run passes that more often turned into unforced icings and giveaways. By: Dave Feschuk Sports Columnist, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013 Mark Fraser and Morgan Rielly were out there 20 seconds later when R.J. Umberger banged in the goal from the top of the crease that made it 2-0. Fraser, in that instance, had lost his stick and pushed futilely at Umberger’s Life is tough at the top of the mountain. Just ask James Reimer. midsection as the net-front puck was jammed home. A little more than six When Monday began, there was an argument to be made that the Maple minutes into the second period the Blue Jackets were up 4-0. Leafs goaltender was the finest stopper of pucks in the world’s best league. And it only got sloppier. It only got worse. Joffrey Lupul left the game near What was indisputable is that he was leading the NHL in save percentage, the end of the second period with what Carlyle described as a pulled groin. this while also coming off one of his best games of the season, Saturday The return of Bozak, who’d missed 12 games with a hamstring injury, didn’t night’s win over the Washington Capitals in which he repelled a whopping bear much fruit. Soon Carlyle was swapping line combinations in search of 49 of 50 shots. More than a quarter of the way into a contract year that had a spark that never appeared. Meaningless fisticuffs didn’t produce it. A seen him pitted against teammate Jonathan Bernier in the game’s hottest head-checking penalty by Phaneuf could not do the trick. internal competition, things couldn’t have been going better. To top off the list of glorious happenings for the 25-year-old from small-town Manitoba, for Reimer, for his part, was not-so-mercifully yanked after the sixth goal in just the second time this season Reimer had been granted a start in two favour of Bernier, his save percentage dipping a full 13 points in those consecutive Leaf games. gruesome 2 ½ periods, from .947 to .934. In retrospect, it’s a pity the game had to start. On a night the Blue Jackets “(Reimer) was on par with the rest of our group,” Carlyle said. “It was a were fiery and prepared, the Leafs looked flat and clueless. And while team effort, and it was nowhere near what we needed.” Reimer made a few difficult saves off the hop, soon enough began a harsh plummet from the heights. So much for life on the top of the mountain for the kid from the prairies. On the Blue Jackets’ fourth shot of the evening, it was 1-0. Reimer’s “This game’s probably going to keep me up (at night) a bit. But most games league-best save percentage dipped from .947 to .945. On visitors’ fifth do,” Reimer said. “But come tomorrow, you no longer thing about it. It’s just shot, it was 2-0, and Reimer was batting .942. a bad night. It happens to the best of them, and you move on.” On their eighth shot, it was 3-0. Reimer was barely clinging to life at .940. Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 You get the drift. By the time it was over, the home team had fallen 6-0. And the masked man who began the evening as just one of three NHL goaltenders with a save percentage in the .940s — well, let’s just say he suffered a harsh confirmation that a goaltender’s existence, and especially his statistical excellence, is a fragile, ephemeral thing. One day you’re being vaunted for stealing a victory against the talented Capitals on Hockey Night in Canada. Two days later you’re getting Bronx cheered by your home crowd for redirecting a harmless puck to the side of the net in a blowout. “They’re the ones that pay the money,” Reimer said of the fans after the drubbing was done. “They’re the ones that want to come and see a team work their hardest and play well, and it didn’t happen tonight. It’s obviously up to them how they want to react.” Said Carl Gunnarsson, the Leafs defenceman: “You can’t blame (Reimer) for anything. We had a really s----y game and we hung him out to dry.” This was the ugly side of the centre of the hockey universe. Demand for Leafs tickets, the traditional thinking goes, is insatiable. But the phrase “Monday night in November with Columbus in town” might as well be a synonym for “inconsequential.” So perhaps it wasn’t a huge surprise that emails circulated in the lead-up to the contest offering employees of one of the Leafs’ corporate owners 2-for-1 golds and greens for the privilege of seeing the not-so-marquee Blue Jackets. The crowd was announced at a near-capacity 19,241, but there were plenty of empty chairs in the lower bowl from the get-go and more as the game devolved. If a lot of fans who’d pre-purchased ducats apparently couldn’t be bothered to show up, you could say the same for a lot of the players getting paid guaranteed dollars for their services. Said captain Dion Phaneuf: “We got outworked.” Gunnarsson called the effort “embarrassing.” Centreman Tyler Bozak figured it could be a “wakeup call . . . maybe we were getting a little too comfortable.” Said head coach Randy Carlyle: “It was like we were playing on our boots and they were playing in skates. . . . The most disappointing part to me was that we didn’t have energy.” Indeed, the Blue Jackets came into the game missing their three top forwards in Marian Gaborik, Nathan Horton and Brandon Dubinsky, this while labouring through a difficult stretch of scheduling that had seen them play six of their previous seven games on a road swing that has touched three different time zones. And yet it was the Leafs, who’d been at home for a 10-day stretch, who appeared world-weary, falling inexplicably, flubbing passes and fanning on shots in quantity. 727542 Toronto Maple Leafs

Weary Blue Jackets set to face Leafs Columbus hits end of long road trip.

By: Curtis Rush News reporter, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013

The Blue Jackets are a little weary as they complete a five-game road trip against the Maple Leafs tonight at the Air Canada Centre. The Blue Jackets, mired in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with an 8- 12-3 record, had victories against the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames, but suffered blowout losses — 7-0 to the Edmonton Oilers last Tuesday and 6-2 to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. They began the road trip last Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Senators, were pummelled by the Oilers, nosed out the Calgary Flames 2-1 and then fell to the Canucks. Against the Canucks on Friday, Matt Calvert opened the scoring, but the Blue Jackets surrerended the next five goals in the 6-2 defeat. They were outshot 35-16. The Blue Jackets are both tired and fighting the injury bug, with Marian Gaborik (knee), Dalton Prout (back) and Nathan Horton (shoulder) out of the lineup. Calvert, 23, a native of Brandon, Man., who is playing in his fourth season with Columbus, is looking forward to giving the Blue Jackets a chance to finish their road trip on an upswing. The starting goalie tonight will likely be Sergei Bobrovsky, who has a 2.95 goals-against-average and .904 save percentage. Last season the Vezina Trophy winner set a Columbus Blue Jackets single-season record with a 2.00 goals-against-average and .932 save percentage. Calvert said it’s a matter of time for the No. 1 goalie to round into shape. “He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever seen. He brings it every night,” Calvert said. The Blue Jackets have to play a team game to support him, Calvert said. “The more consistent we are, the more we can rely on him every night,” he said. Defenceman James Wisniewski, the team leader in points with 16, said the team is tired, but young players like defenceman Ryan Johansen give the Blue Jackets fresh legs when they need it. “He’s well beyond his years with his poise,” Wisniewski said after the team skate Monday. “He’s very mature for a 20-year-old as a hockey player and a person. He makes very good decisions.” Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 727543 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs go with James Reimer against Columbus James Reimer gets rare back-to-back starts for Maple Leafs.

By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013

James Reimer will likely start for the Maple Leafs on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, giving him his first back-to-back start since Oct. 26 against Pittsburgh and Oct. 29 against Edmonton. Reimer, who practised Monday morning in the home team net at the Air Canada Centre, stopped 49 of 50 shots in a 2-1 shootout win Saturday night over the Washington Capitals. He leads the league in save percentage at .947, has won his last two starts and is 6-2-0 overall with a 2.10 goals-against average. There will be plenty of work for both goalies this week with games Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Friday in Buffalo and Saturday in Montreal. Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 727544 Toronto Maple Leafs

VIDEO: Leafs-Blue Jackets preview, Bozak returns Leaf centre Tyler Bozak missed month with hamstring injury.

By: Curtis Rush News reporter, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013

Tyler Bozak is looking forward to returning to the Leafs lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets after missing a month of action. “I think I’m ready to play,” Bozak, who suffered a hamstring injury on Oct. 25 against the Blue Jackets, said after Monday’s morning skate at the Air Canada Centre. He added he wasn’t sure how coach Randy Carlyle would be using him: “I’ve just got to get in the game and go from there.” Bozak has three goals and three assists in 11 games. His versatility is a big reason why the Leafs re-signed him and bought out Mikhail Grabovski. It looked for a time that Bozak would play against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. However, Bozak limped off the ice last Friday. The 27- year-old forward said there was never any timetable for him to return. “You kind of heal when you do,” he said. “It’s been tough sitting out. I should be in good shape when I get out there.” He has never had a hamstring injury before: “It feels good now. It just takes time to heal.” The Blue Jackets know that having Bozak back makes Toronto more dangerous offensively. Bozak is the kind of player “who can make a difference,” said Columbus forward Matt Calvert said. “The big thing for us is playing a team game, take care of our own zone and go from there.” Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 727545 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs valued as NHL’s only billion-dollar team Forbes annual valuations once again rank the Leafs franchise at the very top, at $1.15 billion.

By: Kim Nursall Staff Reporter, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013

If most valuable team were a factor in Stanley Cup success, the Toronto Maple Leafs would win every year — by a mile. The NHL franchise, which made the playoffs last year after a nine-year drought, once again topped Forbes’ annual valuations of the league’s 30 teams. The Leafs are valued at $1.15 billion, a 15-per-cent increase over last year’s total, when they became the first hockey team to break the billion dollar mark. “Teams north of the border dominate the top of Forbes’ NHL valuations thanks to typically higher attendance and higher arena revenue than their U.S rivals,” Forbes said in a release. Joining the Maple Leafs in the top five are the New York Rangers ($850 million), the Montreal Canadiens ($775 million), the Vancouver Canucks ($700 million) and the Chicago Blackhawks ($625 million). According to Forbes, this is the first time that three of the league’s top five most valuable teams are Canadian. It’s also the first time that every Canadian franchise ranks among the top 16. The average NHL team is valued at $413 million, an almost 50-per-cent increase from last year. At the other end of the spectrum, the league’s least valuable team was the Columbus Blue Jackets at $175 million, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning ($180 million) and the St. Louis Blues ($175 million). The Lighting had the smallest value increase (3 per cent) from last year, while the value of the San Jose Sharks jumped the most (82 per cent.) Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 727546 Toronto Maple Leafs head, blows from behind and fighting can all contribute to brain injuries for hockey players, he added. “The information is there, but we do not feel that the NHL has acted on it Ex-Leafs Gary Leeman, Rick Vaive among 10 NHLers launching sufficiently.” concussion lawsuit Toronto Star LOADED: 11.26.2013 Suit similar to NFL case claims league concealed risk.

By: Gemma Karstens-Smith Staff Reporter, Published on Mon Nov 25 2013

Ten former National Hockey League players, including former Maple Leafs Gary Leeman and Rick Vaive, claim in a new class-action lawsuit that the league has not done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit comes just months after the National Football League agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits with thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems. Led by former NFL player and disability attorney Mel Owens, the NHL lawsuit seeks damages and court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for injuries the players say were a result of their hockey careers. The league knew about scientific evidence saying players who suffered repeated head injuries were at greater risk for illness and disabilities, but failed to protect players from unnecessary harm until 2010, the suit alleges. Claims in the lawsuit have not been proven in court. The suit argues that the league continues to contribute to injuries by refusing to ban fighting and bodychecking, and by employing “enforcers” whose main job is to fight or violently bodycheck opponents. It also accuses the league of promoting a “culture of violence” in which players are praised for their fighting and “headhunting” skills. “The NHL’s active and purposeful concealment of the severe risks of brain injuries exposed players to unnecessary dangers that could have been avoided had the NHL provided them with truthful and accurate information and taken appropriate action to prevent needless harm,” says the lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C., court on Monday. In addition to Leeman and Vaive, the other ex-players in the lawsuit are: Bradley Aitken (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers); Darren Banks (Boston Bruins); Curt Bennett (St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Atlanta Flames); Richard Dunn (Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames); Warren Holmes, (Los Angeles Kings); Robert Manno (Vancouver Canucks, Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings); Blair James Stewart (Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques); and Morris Titanic (Sabres). The suit details injuries the players say resulted from their time in the league, including sleep disorders, memory loss and depression. In a statement, Vaive said many former NHL players are suffering from debilitating head injuries caused by their time in the league. “Hopefully this lawsuit will shine a light on the problem and the players can get the help they deserve,” he said. When reached for further comment Monday night, Vaive and Manno directed all questions to Owens. Owens did not respond to requests for comment. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly issued a statement Monday saying the NHL was aware of the lawsuit. “While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the Players’ Association have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions,” he said. “We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time.” Concussion expert Dr. Charles Tator said the lawsuit should serve as a wake-up call to the NHL. “We do feel this is a real problem, brain degeneration among athletes,” Tator said. “And I think the NHL has to overcome its denial and perhaps this lawsuit will lift their efforts to a much greater degree to prevent injury from happening.” There’s no way to treat brain injuries once they happen, so there needs to be an emphasis on prevention, Tator said. Elbows to the head, hits to the 727547 Toronto Maple Leafs “I didn’t think there was anything wrong with The Hit, but the refs have a tough job with the speed of the game and all,” Phaneuf said after the 6-0 loss. “In my mind, I hit him shoulder to shoulder.” Hit by Leafs' Phaneuf raises checking questions Phaneuf said he had seen The Hit on video and was fine with it. As for his coach’s take, Randy Carlyle opted to keep his opinion to himself, By Mike Zeisberger ,Toronto Sun presumably to avoid a fine. First posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 12:09 AM EST | Updated: “I better not say what I want to say,” Carlyle said. Tuesday, November 26, 2013 12:32 AM EST Once again, we ask: Where do you draw the line? From Phaneuf to Carlyle to Todd Richards to Jack Johnson, no one seems TORONTO - Dion Phaneuf didn’t feel there was anything wrong with The to be really sure. Hit. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 Guys that deliver crushing blows that splatter opponents onto the ice often have no issue with their debilitating body checks. The difference this time around? Neither did many of those down the hallway in the Columbus Blue Jackets dressing room, where the visitors seemed unified in their sentiments on Monday night that there was nothing wrong with Phaneuf’s third-period hit on Artem Anisimov, who made his way to the dressing room after being curled up in a painful ball on the ice for about 20 seconds. “I haven’t seen a replay of it but my initial thought is that he was standing up and it was a clean hit,” Jackets coach Todd Richards said, adding that he had chatted with Anisimov after the game and he “feels pretty good.” Obviously the main concern related to The Hit was Anisimov’s health which, according to the early indications, seemed pretty good, all things considered. Having said that, The Hit — one which pretty much everyone in the building seemed to think was legal, including Richards and Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson — just underscores the grey area that players must deal with when they want to unleash big checks these days. Pretty much the only person at the Air Canada Centre who felt the Maple Leafs captain had made contact with Anisimov’s noggin was the official who immediately put his arm up in the air, slapping Phaneuf with an “illegal check to the head” minor. “That’s just the way hockey is now, whether it’s a good hit or a bad hit, if it’s a big hit ... that’s how the game is played now,” said Jackets assistant captain Jack Johnson. Even if you feel the league is going too far in erring on the side of caution when it comes to protecting players from head shots, you can understand where the NHL is coming from. Bad enough that the league’s poster child, Sidney Crosby, already has endured a series of concussion issues during his young career, scary situations for a superstar who still is a long way away from host 30th birthday. If that wasn’t reason enough for the suits running the league to sound the warning sirens, what is? Then, on Monday afternoon, came word that 10 ex-NHLers — including former Leafs Gary Leeman, Rick Vaive and Bob Manno — had a lawsuit filed on their behalf in federal court in Washington, alleging that the NHL has not done enough to protect players from the effects of concussions, concealed information about the damaging effects of concussions and has “behaved negligently and fraudulently in regards to the player-sustained head trauma over the past decades.” There certainly was a buzz circulating throughout the Air Canada Centre on Monday night concerning the lawsuit, which follows on the heels of the National Football League settlement in August of a $765 million class-action lawsuit with 4,500 former players over the long-term effects of concussions. Conspiracy theory backers might suggest that NHL referees will call contact anywhere above the chest even closer now in the wake of the action taken by those ex-NHLers but that’s not the case at all. The league has been very sensitive to the subject of head shots for a while already and, as mentioned, would rather be safe than sorry, even if it means there are erroneous calls made like the one Monday night against Phaneuf appeared to be. Perhaps the bigger issue here is: What do coaches do for guys like Phaneuf who are more effective when they are throwing their weight around? Do you reel them in even though it takes away from how they play? Just exactly where is the line drawn in the sand — or, in this case, the ice? 727548 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs goalie Reimer jeered by ACC crowd

By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:26 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 11:33 PM EST

TORONTO - His save percentage dropped from .947 to .934, but judging by the home crowd, James Reimer’s stock dipped considerably further. With the club spinning his league-best numbers as a positive before the game, knowing that wonky defensive play has often overworked both goalies this year, the dam burst. Six goals on 21 Columbus shots were the result, with Reimer hearing it the most from 19,241 disgruntled fans at the ACC. “You take the good with the bad,” Reimer said of the jeering and a mock cheer when Jonathan Bernier made his first save in relief. “They’re the ones who pay the money and want to see a team work their hardest. “You’re going to have nights where the puck just eludes you, as much as you try and bear down.” Coach Randy Carlyle said netminding was only part of the problem for a team that couldn’t score one itself and had just 18 shots. “Our performance would be labelled a team effort, nowhere near what we needed, and goaltending was a part of that,” he said. Carlyle thought of pulling Reimer as early as the 3:07 mark of the second period with the Blue Jackets up 3-0. He kept hoping the Leafs would snap out of their funk, but when the lead was stretched to six — the first time Columbus has reached that winning margin in three years — it was time for Reimer to sit. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 727549 Toronto Maple Leafs forward Frederik Gauthier impressed coach Brent Sutter at the summer camp in Lake Placid and should have a good shot. Also in the mix from a Toronto viewpoint are prospects Connor Brown, Ryan Rupert, Matt Finn The case for Bozak being a No. 1 centre takes a huge hit and Carter Verhaeghe. It’s expected the selection camp roster will be announced next Monday, with players arriving Dec. 12 for the camp in Toronto ... The game was a rare Monday night home tilt for the Leafs, who have just one other this season, on March 3 against the Blue Jackets. By Terry Koshan ,Toronto Sun Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:50 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:53 PM EST

TORONTO - If you’re one who argues that Tyler Bozak is not a true No. 1 centre, you got plenty of ammunition on Monday night. In his first game after missing a dozen with a hamstring injury, Bozak couldn’t have been more of a non-factor against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Air Canada Centre. Let’s be clear: All of the Leafs, from goaltender James Reimer to fourth-liner Frazer McLaren, stunk during a 6-0 loss. It was a pathetic effort by Toronto, and probably the worst under coach Randy Carlyle since an 8-0 setback against the Bruins in Boston on March 19, 2012, a couple of weeks after he replaced the fired Ron Wilson. Certainly, we’re not going to pin the blame for the Columbus whitewash solely on Bozak. But most players across the National Hockey League who occupy that coveted middle spot on the top line have an ability to make an impact, and not uncommonly in their first game after an injury. But Bozak couldn’t provide a lift. It didn’t help that linemates James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel, and for a time in the second period, Joffrey Lupul, were invisible. Bozak wasn’t lighting the NHL on fire before he got hurt, which happened to be on Oct. 25 in Columbus, as he had three goals and three assists in 11 games. Carlyle, who said the Leafs’ inability to keep “a necessary pace to compete” was “mind-boggling,” has plenty of challenges with a club that gets outshot just about every game and registered a paltry 18 shot on Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. One of them is trying to find a way to get more out of Bozak, if it’s possible. POINT SHOTS Carl Gunnarsson often cuts through the crap, and did so in this way after the game when he was asked about Reimer: “Can’t blame him for anything. We had a really sh***y game and we hung him out to dry.” ... Consider that the Jackets didn’t have Marian Gaborik, Nathan Horton or Brandon Dubinsky and the loss for the Leafs is harder to digest. Yes, we’re keeping in mind that Dave Bolland is injured ... Nice 20-second burst of hockey by the Leafs in the first period. Jerred Smithson lost a faceoff, Cody Franson flailed, Jake Gardiner chased and the Jackets had their first goal at 10:18 by Cam Atkinson. At 10:38, Mark Fraser kinda, sorta, shoved R.J. Umberger but it was not nearly strong enough to knock the Columbus forward off the puck, so pushing it past Reimer in a goal-mouth scramble was fairly easy. Isn’t Fraser supposed to be a hard-nosed, physical player? ... And how about Gardiner? Errant passes, bad rushes. His head wasn’t in the game. We’ve said it before, but it’s the kind of hockey that could drive Carlyle to tears. Again, if a choice had to be made, the Leafs would keep Morgan Rielly over Gardiner. Can’t imagine the vote would be close in the team’s front office ... Dion Phaneuf demolished Anton Anisimov with what appeared to be a legal hit in the third period, but was penalized for an illegal check to the head. Remember the good old days when that wouldn’t have been called? Phaneuf was surprised by the penalty, as he should have been ... Why fans of the Oshawa Generals loved Boone Jenner and why fans in Columbus will come to love the native of Dorchester, Ont.: The Jackets rookie threw himself in front of a Gunnarsson blast despite a 4-0 Jackets lead. Some players wouldn’t have bothered. Jenner’s guts made the decision an easy one. FROM THE HASH MARKS A couple of plays in the second period summed up the Leafs’ night. Phaneuf walked into a rebound off the end boards, only to have the puck bounce over his stick. Later, Kessel carried the puck over the Columbus blue line and fired a beautiful cross-ice pass to the stick of Jackets forward Blake Comeau ... The Leafs should be represented when Hockey Canada announces the roster for the world junior selection camp. Never mind Rielly, 727550 Toronto Maple Leafs

Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman among ex-Maple Leafs suing NHL

By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 08:19 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 08:23 PM EST

A trio of former Maple Leafs are part of a class action lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. federal court, claiming the National Hockey League did not do enough to protect them from concussions. Former captain Rick Vaive, fellow 50-goal scorer Gary Leeman and defenceman Bob Manno are among 10 ex-players alleging the league hid the dangers of brain injuries. Financial damages would be sought at trial. Many observers expected such court action after the NFL settled a similar suit for $765 million, launched by a large group of retired veterans. “I can’t comment, my statement is in the suit,” Vaive said on Monday night. The other players are Brad Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richie Dunn, Warren Holmes, Blair Stewart and Morris Titanic. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement: “We are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the Players’ Association have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions.” The players involved in the suit are not union members and the P.A. is not part of the action. “I don’t know how that will affect it,” Vaive said. Expect players to be divided on the merits of the suit. Many were around when helmets weren’t mandatory. “I’m disappointed,” said goaltender Greg Millen, who played between 1978- 92. “The game has been very good to most of us and now we’re suing. I think we knew the parameters when we started.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 727551 Toronto Maple Leafs started in Ottawa and then made its way west to Vancouver via Edmonton and Calgary, before heading back to Toronto to face the Leafs. "When you change from the Western Conference to the Eastern Leafs' Tyler Bozak green with pride Conference and you're not very high up on the franchise (list as far as) years in the league, you kind of get the short end of the stick," he said.

By Dave Hilson ,Toronto Sun But Wisniewski did admit that Columbus, which only moved to the East this season, was somewhat lucky not to be in the West any more. First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 07:42 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 07:47 PM EST "It's kind of shocking to see. What is it, 32 points you're in eighth spot?" he asked. "That's the best thing we can look at right now, we're only five points out of a playoff spot and we haven't played close to our best hockey yet, so hopefully we can turn things around and make a push here." TORONTO - Tyler Bozak had a couple of reasons to smile at the Air Canada Centre on Monday morning. The Blue Jackets were tied for last spot in the Metropolitan Division with 19 points heading into play Monday. Firstly, the centre was returning from a 12-game absence because of a hamstring injury to face the Blue Jackets. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 Secondly, the Regina native's beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders won their fourth Grey Cup on Sunday by handily beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23. Bozak said he took in the game at his downtown Toronto condo with roommate Phil Kessel and the American winger's family. "I kind of forced them to watch some CFL football. It was awesome," Bozak said of the Roughriders winning. "I had a lot of family and friends at the game and I guess after Albert St. (in Regina) had the Green Mile going, so it was pretty packed. It was really good for the city. I'm really happy." Watching the Grey Cup isn't something you'd think most American families would appreciate, but Kessel's father, also named Phil, was a quarterback at the University of Northern Michigan where he earned all-American second-team honours in 1980 and eventually made his way north of the border for a short stint with the Calgary Stampeders as a backup. It was originally thought that Bozak would be back in the lineup Saturday against the Washington Capitals, but doctors put the kibosh on that. "I came in (Saturday) morning and met with the doctors and they did some strength tests and they said it wasn't good to go yet. We all planned on me playing, including myself and thought I be able to go, but it's better to miss that one game instead of coming back too early and having to miss 15 more if you re-injure it," Bozak said. WELCOME BACK, BOZIE Goals recently have been a little hard to come by for left winger James van Riemsdyk, and that is partly due to him moving to the centre position for several games because of Bozak's absence. So JVR couldn't have been happier to have Bozak back between himself and fellow winger Kessel on the top line Monday night. "We all know what he brings to the lineup," van Riemsdyk said of Bozak. "He plays in all situations "¦ we welcome him back with open arms. Me, Phil and Bozie have some good chemistry." Even taking into account that JVR was forced into the middle for a few games, he has been struggling to put the puck in the net. In the 15 games prior to the contest Monday, van Riemsdyk had just four goals. PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF Speaking of goals being hard to come by, it took hard-working forward David Clarkson 11 games before he netted his first goal as a Maple Leaf after serving a 10-game suspension to start the season. But in his past three games he has scored two, even though his work ethic has remained constant. Asked what he thought the difference was, Clarkson joked: "I wish I knew, I wouldn't have waited so long to get my first." "Like I've said the whole time, it's a matter of time. You try and do all the little things and ... finally, a couple of bounces go your way. I think it comes in bunches and throughout a season you're going to go through ups and downs, but it's how you handle it and how you address it that matters." JACKETS GETTING SHAFTED? The Blue Jackets' top scorer, defenceman James Wisniewski (16 points as of Monday morning), was lamenting his team's recent tough road trip, which 727552 Toronto Maple Leafs defencemen when Sean Collins couldn’t get a flight in time from the Springfield farm club. Davidson was a lot more loose on his way out the door and his team Maple Leafs shut out in embarrassing loss to Blue Jackets certainly has the Leafs’ number under the new conference re-alignment. In two games against Columbus, the Leafs have been outscored 11-2 with another Monday meeting to come in March. By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun “Maybe it was a wake-up call for us,” Bozak said. “We’re getting a little too First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 02:43 PM EST | Updated: comfortable. We tried to make the cute pass and didn’t have time to shoot. Monday, November 25, 2013 10:51 PM EST Maybe we’re not getting to the net as much as we should, but they played a good game and outworked us. “Now we have to have a good road trip.” TORONTO - The Salvation Army Band played the anthems, but no one could rescue the NHL’s save percentage leader and the Maple Leafs from Toronto ended its homestand 3-2, with just two even-strength goals the their wayward path. past three games. Not the finish Carlyle wanted after all the talk last week about laying down the law with teams coming in to show off for friends and On a blue Monday at the Air Canada Centre, James Reimer first heard the family in the GTA and on national television. cheers when the numbers .947 were flashed on the scoreboard, then jeers from the ever-fickle home crowd. But the goaltender had no help from his Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013 supporting cast in a 6-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a road-weary, banged-up foe that looked like it would end up on the wrong side of a blowout. Coach Randy Carlyle would never count any opponent out, but was clearly miffed his team did not show the urgency needed to put the Jackets away early. “The most disappointing part for me was we didn’t have energy, from a day off on Sunday,” the coach reminded the gathered media. “That is mind- boggling.” The Leafs managed a mere 18 shots, second lowest of their 24 games thus far, and committed 18 giveaways. Carlyle has tried to downplay his team’s awful numbers in that department by pointing out that some pucks are surrendered in the name of fending off teams in the latter stages on a game. Not so on this night. “We couldn’t find the pace of our game at all,” Carlyle said. “It was like we were playing in boots and they were playing on skates. Every puck up for grabs, it seemed we gave it away or it bounced over our stick. We couldn’t get shots directed at the net or we’d put a pass in the guy’s feet.” Ryan Johansen, one of five Jackets with multi-point games, summed it up nicely by saying, “I thought we bored their team.” Adding to the Leafs’ woes was a groin injury to Joffrey Lupul, who was not on the bench for the third period. Carlyle, whose staff is always wary of Lupul and his bad luck with injuries, did not elaborate further. An extended loss of the power winger would be felt with three road games in four nights getting underway Wednesday in Pittsburgh, going through Buffalo and ending in Montreal. While the Jackets practised Sunday at the end of their five-game trip and the Leafs rested before their fifth straight match at the ACC. However, Toronto was not aggressive in front of its own net on the first two goals. On one, defenceman Mark Fraser failed to shove scorer R.J. Umberger out of the way. Fraser then had a shot blocked at the Columbus blueline, leading to a 2-on-1 goal by Jack Skille. Winger James van Riemsdyk committed a similar gaffe in the third period, leading to Johansen’s second of the game. That followed a controversial Dion Phaneuf penalty, after which Reimer was finally lifted for Jonathan Bernier with nine minutes to go. “I don’t really have much to offer,” Reimer said of facing 21 shots. “Just wasn’t my night.” Offensively on the Toronto side, it was a less than stirring return for centre Tyler Bozak after 12 games out with a hamstring injury. He and regular linemates Phil Kessel and van Riemsdyk were blanked with everyone else by Sergei Bobrovsky. Columbus president John Davidson had walked into the ACC looking like he needed a straightjacket. He has felt all the pressure of his young, struggling, injury-riddled team, two regulation wins in the past 13 games before meeting the Leafs, including three consecutive overtime losses. Columbus had to make an emergency call-up on Monday to have enough forwards, but went with seven 727553 Toronto Maple Leafs Last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky will make the start for the floundering Blue Jackets. He allowed all six goals on 35 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night but has won four straight Leafs' Tyler Bozak returns to lineup against Blue Jackets against the Maple Leafs with a 2.00 goals against average. The Blue Jackets (8-12-3) are currently tied for last spot in the Metropolitan Division, while the Leafs (14-8-1). Sit tied for second in the Atlantic Division. By Dave Hilson ,Toronto Sun “We’re only five points out of a playoff spot and we haven’t played close to First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:04 AM EST | Updated: our best hockey yet, so hopefully we can turn things around and make a Monday, November 25, 2013 01:36 PM EST push here,” Blue Jackets defenceman James Wisniewski said. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.26.2013

TORONTO - Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak had a couple of reasons to be smiling on Monday morning at the Air Canada Centre. First off, the Regina native’s beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders handily beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in Regina to win their fourth Grey Cup. Secondly, after missing 12 games with a hamstring injury, Bozak is returning to his spot on the first unit between wingers James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. And he will be making his return against Columbus, where he was injured on the road on Oct. 25. “I wanted to play last game (against the Washington Capitals), but the doc said I couldn’t. It was tough, it’s been tough sitting out,” Bozak said after the Leafs’ gameday skate. “The hard part is bagging that practice every day. I’d rather be playing the games than bag skating after practice,” Bozak joked. “I’m mean, it does help. I should be in good shape for when I get out there now.” The Leafs should greatly benefit from the return of Bozak who is used on both the power play and penalty kill and who was logging around 21 minutes a night, more than any other forward, before being injured. It won’t hurt the Leafs any, either, that their top line is finally being reunited. The Leafs have either had to go with Nazem Kadri on the top unit or recently acquired Peter Holland, who has be performing admirably in Bozak’s absence but who doesn’t have the chemistry with Kessel that Bozak does. “We all know what he brings to the lineup,” left wing van Riemsdyk said of Bozak. “He plays in all situations … we welcome him back with open arms.” There seemed to have been some controversy brewing after Leafs coach Randy Carlyle expressed surprise following Saturday’s game against the Capitals that Bozak was unavailable to the team. But the centre quickly ruled it, saying Carlyle knew he wouldn’t be in the lineup after the morning skate. “We thought I’d be able to go. I came in in the morning and met with the doctors and they did some strength tests and they said it wasn’t good to go yet. We all planned on me playing, including myself and thought I be able to go, but it’s better to miss that one game instead of coming back too early and having to miss 15 more if you re-injure it,” Bozak said. “They wanted to hold me out of the game and give me those two days more rest. I think it was the right decision. It’s better safe than sorry, it’s a long year.” Incidentally Carlyle missed his usual post-skate media debriefing, the only explanation being that he was “caught in traffic.” As far as Bozak soaking in his Riders’ victory, he said it was a rather low- key affair. “Me and Phil and his family is in town – they’re American – so I kind of forced them to watch some CFL football. It was awesome. It was warmer than it was supposed to be. I had a lot of family and friends at the game and I heard that Albert St. (in Regina) had the Green Mile going, so I guess it was pretty packed. It was really good for the city. I’m really happy.” Not surprisingly James Reimer will be getting the start in goal against the Blue Jackets on Monday night. Reimer is 10-6-2 with a league-best .947 save percentage and a 2.10 goals-against average and he was outstanding in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Capitals in which he stopped a career-tying 49 shots in the regular session. “Stats don’t always tell the whole story, they’re not the be-all and the end- all,” Reimer said modestly. “You can have great stats and not play a good game. You yourself, or your coaching staff, know how good of a player you are without looking at the stats.” 727554 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way as Canadian teams rise on Forbes’ list of NHL franchise values

National Post Staff | 25/11/13 3:44 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only NHL team worth more than US$1- billion, according to Forbes. Forbes' Top 10 NHL team values 1. Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15-billion) 2. New York Rangers ($850-million) 3. Montreal Canadiens ($755-million) 4. Vancouver Canucks ($700-million) 5. Chicago Blackhawks ($625-million) 6. Boston Bruins ($600-million) 7. Philadelphia Flyers ($500-million) 8. Pittsburgh Penguins ($480-million) 9. Detroit Red Wings ($470-million) 10. Los Angeles Kings ($450-million) Canada’s Stanley Cup drought keeps getting longer, but the country’s NHL teams are more valuable than ever compared to their American counterparts. Forbes released its annual report on the business of hockey Monday, and for the first time since it began tracking team values in 1997, three of the NHL’s five most valuable clubs are Canadian. The Toronto Maple Leafs topped the list at US$1.15-billion — the team became the league’s only billion-dollar franchise last year — with the Montreal Canadiens third at $755-million and the Vancouver Canucks fourth at $700-million. The New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks round out the top five. With the average value of NHL teams up by almost 50% to $413-million over a tear ago, the Leafs’ record value increased by 15% over last year, while the Canucks’ more than doubled. All seven Canadian teams also rank among the top 16 in the 30-team NHL for the first time. The report noted higher ticket prices in Canada — a notable fact given the importance of ticket revenue in the NHL. Forbes found that six of Canada’s seven teams charged an average of at least $70 for non-premium seats (NHL average is $64) and Canadian teams (Leafs, Canadiens, Jets, Canucks and Edmonton Oilers) are charging the five highest average ticket prices. A stronger Canadian currency and newer arenas mean that even small-market teams are financially strong after struggling a decade ago. The lockout that delayed the start of last season does not appear to have hurt the league financially in the short term. Operating income (average of $7-million per team) in the 2013 season was at its second-highest level since 1997-8 according to Forbes, driven by profitable Canadian teams. Forbes also found that Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is the NHL’s highest-earning player on and off the ice with total earnings of $16.5-million. National Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727555 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bozak to return to lineup against Columbus Blue Jackets

Sean Fitz-Gerald | 25/11/13 | Last Updated: 25/11/13 12:30 PM ET

TORONTO — Players were still drifting into the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room after the pre-game morning skate on Monday, and as a mass of reporters congealed around injured centre Tyler Bozak, a familiar voice rang out from the other side of the room. Leafs get boost from improved shootout record “Is he back? Is he back,” winger Phil Kessel yelled. “Let me know, ‘k guys?” Bozak, the Ernie to Kessel’s Bert, had indeed just confirmed plans to return to the lineup for the first time in a month. The 27-year-old will be in uniform when the Leafs face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Air Canada Centre on Monday night, his first game in uniform since Oct. 25 — when he tore his hamstring in a game against those same Blue Jackets. Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle was not available for comment before the game, but it appears Bozak will return to his usual spot on the top line, between Kessel and James van Riemsdyk. “They’re two highly-skilled players, and we’ve spent a lot of time together now, so I don’t think it should take too long,” Bozak said. “I might be a step behind for the first period or something like that, but hopefully, it doesn’t take too long.” He resumed practising with the team on Nov. 18, but remained on the sidelines even after he was eligible to return from the injured list, on Nov. 21. Bozak said he was injured by a “freak accident” against the Blue Jackets, tearing the tendon and muscle. Bozak leads all Toronto forwards in ice time, logging an average of 21 minutes 16 seconds a game this season. He signed a five-year deal worth US$21-million with the Leafs in July, the same day the team added free agent winger David Clarkson. Goaltender James Reimer will likely start against the Blue Jackets, having made 49 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. National Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727556 Washington Capitals

Michal Neuvirth injured in Capitals practice

By Katie Carrera, Updated: November 25 at 11:13 am

Updated 2 p.m. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth left the ice less than 20 minutes into Monday’s practice with what the team will only describe as a lower- body injury. Coach Adam Oates said the Capitals were simply playing it safe with Neuvirth, who tightened up during practice. “I think he’ll be fine,” Oates said. “He just had a little tightness and we want to be precautionary.” The Capitals were running through a loose, upbeat workout at their practice facility in Arlington with the players divided into two groups. To start the session, skaters rotated through 3-on-0s, trying to score on the other group’s netminder. Neuvirth’s injury occurred during that competition drill, prompting him to head to the dressing room. Neuvirth has appeared in seven games this season, starting five, recording a 2-3-1 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Washington doesn’t play again until Wednesday when they host the Ottawa Senators, but if Neuvirth is unable to back up expect either Philipp Grubauer (4-4-1, 2.60 GAA, .910 save percentage in the AHL this season) or David Leggio (2-4-1, 3.27 GAA, .894 save percentage in the AHL) to be recalled from Hershey. The Bears play Wednesday as well, home against the St. John’s IceCaps. Washington Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727557 Washington Capitals

Capitals recall Dmitry Orlov, assign Tyson Strachan to Hershey

By Katie Carrera, Updated: November 25 at 10:36 am

For the fourth time in less than a month, the Capitals recalled defensive prospect Dmitry Orlov Monday morning, and he’s on the ice in Arlington for the team’s practice. Despite his frequent appearances in Washington, Orlov has yet to appear in an NHL game this season. He’s sat out as a healthy scratch in nine contests during his time on the Capitals’ roster, most recently last week against Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Whether Orlov gets into a game remains to be seen. The 23-year-old Russian blueliner has three goals and six assists in 10 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. To create space for Orlov on the roster, Washington assigned Tyson Strachan back to the Bears. In five games with the Capitals, Strachan finished a minus-2 and averaged 17:44 of ice time. His lowest time in his stint with the Capitals came in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss at Toronto at 13:08. Washington Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 727558 Washington Capitals Said Erat’s agent, Michael Deutsch: “Marty had the highest of hopes when he was traded to Washington, it was high on his list. He really expected that it would work out based on the talent level of the players in the organization, Martin Erat asks Capitals to trade him but for whatever reason it hasn’t worked out. Marty apparently doesn’t fit in and he’d like to move on to a place where he’d be a better fit.” Erat’s current contract, which carries a $4.5 million cap hit, runs through the By Katie Carrera 2014-15 season but his salary is $3.75 million this season and $2.25 million the next. Although teams can retain salary of a player in order to facilitate a November 25 at 12:00 pm trade, McPhee said he would not consider keeping any of Erat’s salary in a move. Washington Post LOADED: 11.26.2013 Updated 1:53 p.m. Less than eight months after he was acquired by Washington, Martin Erat has asked the Capitals to trade him. “I want to be traded. We’ll see how it goes,” Erat said following Monday’s practice in Arlington. “Since day one, I didn’t get the chance here. I got traded here to be a top-six player but never got the chance, never played more than 15 minutes in here, and it’s time for me to move on.” Erat, 32, was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career Saturday night when the Capitals visited the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the veteran winger’s frustration with the way the team utilized him has been building. The Czech native initially approached General Manager George McPhee to request a trade in early October, while he was toiling away on the fourth line, and he reiterated it again last week. “It was long coming, starting from the training camp. I never get any chance, any look,” Erat said. “It’s time for me to go.” Erat has a full no-movement clause in his contract and would need to approve any trade, but McPhee said he doesn’t expect that to be a problem because the winger has been “flexible” and “accommodating” with what teams he would be willing to move to. McPhee said he has been talking to some teams and is working to find a trade. “We’ve always told our players, and our policy for 15 years or so, if you don’t feel like you fit in, if you feel like it’d be better for your career to be someplace else, let us know and we’ll try to accommodate you,” McPhee said. “I admire him for it. He’s been professional, he came in and he’s not pointing fingers or anything like that. He said, ‘These things happen and it’s not working out for me. I’d like an opportunity someplace else.’ No promises on when it happens. We’ll see how long it takes.” Washington acquired Erat along with fourth-line center Michael Latta from the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline last season in exchange for forward Filip Forsberg, a 2012 first-round draft pick who at the time was the second best prospect in the Capitals’ system. Erat had asked for a trade from the Predators when it became clear they were in rebuilding mode. At the time of the trade, McPhee was looking to add top-six forward depth with Brooks Laich out of the lineup because of a lingering groin injury. But Erat’s time in the top half of the lineup has been inconsistent, especially with Laich back in the mix this year. Coach Adam Oates has acknowledged multiple times that he’s struggled to determine where Erat best fits when all the forwards are healthy as well, bringing up questions as to whether it was a shortsighted move. “I’ve always believed that you’ve got to give your team the best chance you can give it going into the playoffs,” McPhee said. ”We were at the deadline, we missed Brooks a lot and didn’t know whether he’d be able to complete the season. We made a deal to help the team because you never know what year it’s going to be that your team advances and goes all the way. “You want to give your team the best opportunity possible, because you can’t have the guys work their guts out all year and then not help them out at the deadline if there’s something there to help them with. So we made that deal. No regrets. We did what we had to do then, and we’ll do what we have to do now.” In 13 games with the Capitals last year, including the regular season and playoffs, Erat skated more than 18 minutes twice and recorded only one goal and two assists. When this season began and Washington had a full complement of forwards, Erat played on the fourth line for the first seven games, saw the lowest ice time in his 11-year career and voiced his frustration with the role Oates gave him. Erat saw time on both the first and second line in the 16 other games he appeared in this season, with all of his six assists occurring when he was in the top half of the lineup, but he has played 17 minutes or more only twice all year. “It’s the way it goes, they just give me straight signal like I don’t fit here,” Erat said. “For me, time to go. It’s black and white. It’s time for me to go.” 727559 Washington Capitals quality minutes and that affects production. Unfortunately he got hurt, twice, for us. He never got a chance to get his legs going." He didn't expect Erat's continued presence to be a problem. These things Martin Erat asks for trade as unproductive Caps stint appears soon to end happen, Oates noted. He requested trades a couple of times during his Hall of Fame playing career. If Erat isn't moved soon, Oates said there would be no hesitation to put him in the lineup again. By Mike Harris "Only problem would be is if it turned into a sideshow," Oates said, "and The Washington Times he's not that type of person. As a coach, my job is to be a pro, too. He's been nothing but a pro about it." Monday, November 25, 2013 Said Erat, "It is my job and I'm going to prove to everybody if I can to try and play as best as I can. But right now, for me, it is time to look at different options." With apologies to the Righteous Brothers, Martin Erat has lost that loving feeling for ol' D.C. If he ever had it in the first place. McPhee said taking on Erat was right for the Caps at the time. Forsberg, 19, has one goal and four assists in 12 games for Nashville this season. Erat, traded to the Capitals on April 3 after requesting to be dealt from the Latta is playing regularly for the Caps on the fourth line. He has a goal and Nashville Predators, confirmed Monday that he'd asked Caps general two assists in 14 games. manager George McPhee to move him again. "No regrets," McPhee said. "We did what we had to do then and we'll do "It is time for me to go," Erat said. what we have to do now." A website in Erat's native Czech Republic, iDNES.cz, first reported his Washington Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 desire to move on after his brief time with the Caps. Erat didn't make any attempt to duck the issue in a brief interview with the local press Monday. "Yes, I want to be traded, see how it goes," Erat said. "Since the day one, I didn't get the chance here. I got here to be a top-six player but never got the chance, never played more than 15 minutes. It is time for me to move on." McPhee and coach Adam Oates said they were not upset with Erat's demand to be traded. Both praised his handling of the situation and McPhee said he is working on taking care of it. Erat sat out Saturday's game in Toronto as a healthy scratch, a move Oates said was related to the request. But Oates did not rule out Erat playing again for the Caps as long as he remains part of the organization. "Marty doesn't feel like he fits in here and we've always told our players that if you don't feel like you fit in and it would be better for your career to be someplace else, let us know and we will try to accommodate you," McPhee said. "This isn't the first time we've done this and it won't be the last. We'll try to accommodate him. "I admire him for it. He's been professional. He's not pointing fingers or anything like that. He just basically said, 'These things happen. It's not working for me and I'd like an opportunity someplace else.' There's no promises on when it happens. We'll see how long it takes." The Caps sent Filip Forsberg, at the time rated the No. 2 prospect in their system, to the Predators for Erat and prospect Martin Latta. Nashville was the only NHL team Erat had played for and he had a streak of eight straight seasons with at least 16 goals. But that ended last year. He had four goals in 36 games when he was traded and added one in nine games with the Caps. This season, Erat started on the fourth line and was eventually moved up to the second line. But he has produced only six assists in 23 games, and three came in one contest. "It's just the way it goes, they just give straight signal," Erat said. "I do not fit here." Despite the lack of production last season and this, McPhee insists Erat still has some value. He's likely not to bring a prospect of Forberg's level in return this time. The team that takes on Erat will take on a salary cap hit of $4.5 million on a deal that runs through next season. "He's a good hockey player and there are teams that would like to have him," McPhee said, "so we'll continue those discussions. All I know is it didn't work for him here. But he's a good guy, a good player, a good pro. I have no issues with him." Oates at first said "you guys just talked about it with George, no sense in me going there," but he did go there for a while. While praising Erat's professionalism, Oates noted the player had two injuries after joining the team last year. This year, the return of Brooks Laich from injury and the addition of Mikhail Grabovski through free agency altered the team's chemistry. "He came from Nashville playing first power play. He came here, you're not first power play," Oates said. "So there's four minutes right there. They are 727560 Washington Capitals "He's a great hockey player in this league and just like everybody he's got room for improvement." Oates said. "He and I talk about little things that I think he can do a little differently and I see him doing that on a nightly Nicklas Backstrom the wind beneath Alex Ovechkin’s wings basis." Johansson said that as quiet as Backstrom appears on the outside, there is a fire that burns within him that comes out more often than fans think. By Chuck Gormley "He does everything on the ice," Johansson said. "Three on five or five on CSNwashington.com three. The last minute of a game. If we're leading; if we're down. He's always doing the right thing." Sunday, November 24, 2013 And occasionally, Backstrom will unleash his own kind of fury in the locker room. Alex Ovechkin is scoring goals at record-setting levels and is arguably the "Sometimes he does that, too," Johansson said. "He's a good leader in NHL's MVP at the quarter mark of the season with 20 goals in his first 22 every way." games. For those counting, he's on an incredible 73-goal pace. Washington Times LOADED: 11.26.2013 But there is someone else at least partially responsible for Ovechkin's prolific start, the proverbial wind beneath his wings. His name is Nicklas Backstrom. You might have heard of the guy, a quiet Swede who on Saturday celebrated his 26th birthday. Through 24 games, Backstrom has 24 points. Eleven of his team-high 19 assists have come on goals scored by Ovechkin. This, of course, is nothing new for Backstrom. Since he arrived in Washington 2007 Backstrom has averaged a little more than a point a game with the Capitals, piling up 439 points in 437 games. In fact, since he entered the NHL, only 12 players have recorded more points than Backstrom's 439. "I think he's getting better every day," said Marcus Johansson, who also has assisted on 11 of Ovechkin's goals this season and has 18 points. "I don't think there is any better player who can slow down the game and find plays. I don't think there is any better passer in the world right now. It's unbelievable to watch and even better to play with." Last week, Backstrom's touch pass led to one of Ovechkin's typical goals, a hard blast from the top of the right circle that beat St. Louis goalie Jaroslav Halak. As he returned to the bench, while Ovechkin was getting congratulations from his teammates, Backstrom caught the eye of Capitals head coach. The two nodded and smiled. Both knew it was the kind of pass Oates made during his Hall of Fame career. "He is the silent guy, no question, but I'm sure he appreciates the fact that we do appreciate that," Oates said. "He has to be reminded by myself and the staff every once in a while that that was a special pass. When he came off I gave him the eyeball. Ovi scored, but I saw [the pass.]." When it comes to attention, Ovechkin basks in it while Backstrom shies away from it. It's the way it's always been and he hopes it's the way it will always be. "I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not going to look for attention," Backstrom said. "That's not who I am. If you ask me a question I'll answer any question you want, but I like it back here [in the shadows]. I don't mind to be in the background. I don't need [attention]. I'm happy with the way it is. People can write about me, but I'm not going to search for it." When Oates was hired by the Capitals he made it very clear he wanted his best players, most of whom are in the prime of their careers, to get better. To that end, he moved Ovechkin to the right side and the 28-year-old Russian has flourished. With Backstrom, Oates worked on his defensive positioning in an effort to make his top line less of a liability when they do not posses the puck. "He's a smart coach with small details and he told me that sometimes you have to be more aggressive in the defensive zone than in the offensive zone," Backstrom said. "He's been teaching me a lot about that." On Friday night against the Canadiens, Backstrom lost a faceoff to David Desharnais, then allowed him to beat him to the net for a goal. It was an uncharacteristic mistake by Backstrom, but Oates did is best to protect him after the game, saying that all of his veterans need to play better. 727561 Winnipeg Jets "It means I got a goal and hopefully I can keep on going and scoring," he said about ending the slump. What did the team do better to win this close one? Slump busters lift Jets to victory "We stuck to what made us successful and continued to play strong through three periods for the most part," Kane said. By: Tim Campbell And how much help were the shot blocks? (He had one himself.) Posted: 11/25/2013 12:04 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 11/25/2013 "That’s something we’re going to have to continue to do if we’re going to 10:37 PM | Updates win," the left-winger said. Good start NEWARK, N.J. — The slump busters came to play Monday night at The five games remaining on this road trip are an opportunity. Prudential Center. So far, the Jets are 5-1-1 versus the East, their old neighbourhood, but it’s Mark Scheifele scored for the first time since opening night, Evander Kane doubly important, because Winnipeg has some catching up to do in this scored for the first time in 30 days, Devin Setoguchi for the first time in eight department. games and the Winnipeg Jets snapped a four-game losing skid with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Now at 10 road games (4-5-1), the Jets have played among the fewest times away from home. The league low to date is nine. "We hung onto the lead and I think that was a good win for our group to play with the lead and come out on top," said Kane, who snapped an 11- Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 game scoring drought. His seventh of the season held up as the winner, giving the Jets a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute. Scheifele had scored in the first period, beating Devils goalie Marty Brodeur over the catching glove, and Setoguchi iced it with an empty-netter with 27.1 seconds to play. After an 0-2-2 slide followed their four-game winning streak, the Jets are once again back at .500 with a 11-11-4 record. Of those four losses, three were tight games in the late going that got away. But in this one, even after New Jersey’s Patrik Elias tipped in a goal to cut the lead to 2-1 with 9:16 to go, the Jets didn’t go all fire-drill, though they had some nervous moments. "(At 2-1), then you expect bad things to happen," Jets coach Claude Noel said, citing the difficulties of the recent past. "I thought we remained composed." Do anything The sacrifices are usually as important as the goals. "There’s a price to pay to win games and tonight I think we paid the price," Noel said. It included 14 blocked shots in the game, a major assistance for goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who was scoring his 100th career NHL win. "The sacrifices are part of it but I don’t think it’s necessarily the way you’d want to manage the game," Noel said of being under pressure in the third. "But that’s the way it goes. They’re going to press. "I thought we were resilient in holding our position." ‘Buster No. 1 Scheifele put the Jets ahead to stay but wasn’t celebrating anything but a win after the game. "The biggest thing that was on my mind was that we got the win," the rookie said. "But I’m definitely happy." But those 24 games in between with no goals? "I think it was a matter I wasn’t focusing on scoring as much," he said. "I was thinking about playing good D, thinking about what I could do to help the team." And it’ll make no difference in the games ahead, he insisted. "I think it’s the same," Scheifele said. "I didn’t lose any confidence. I kept on playing the same way, kept on learning." ‘Buster No. 2 After a video review was inconclusive on a good chance he had in the second period, Kane whipped in a won faceoff two seconds later. His answers after the game were just about as quick. 727562 Winnipeg Jets

Jets now worth twice what Chipman, Thomson paid: Forbes

By: Staff Writer Posted: 11/25/2013 11:05 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 11/25/2013 12:16 PM | Updates

The Winnipeg Jets are worth twice what the Chipman and Thomson families paid for it in 2011. According to the latest report from Forbes magazine on the value of NHL teams, the Jets are now worth $340 million, up 70 per cent from a year ago. That’s exactly twice what was paid for the Atlanta Thrashers in May, 2011. The Jets are the 16th most valuable franchise in the league. The team’s revenue for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season was $79 million and it earned operating income of $6.3 million. The Toronto Maple Leafs are once again the most valuable franchise in the NHL at $1.15 billion. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 727563 Winnipeg Jets “We got a little unnerved when they made it 2-1, but we stuck with it and the guys made some huge sacrifices,” said Jets head coach Claude Noel. “I don’t know if it was the way you want to manage the game, but that’s the Slump-busting night for Winnipeg Jets in 3-1 win over Devils way it goes. We knew they were going to press, but we were resilient in holding our position. “We remained composed.” By Ken Wiebe ,Winnipeg Sun And ultimately, the Jets found a way to get it done. First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 08:35 PM CST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 10:42 PM CST Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.26.2013

NEWARK, N.J. — Slump-busting and sacrifice were the prevalent themes as the Winnipeg Jets snapped a season-long four-game losing skid. Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane erased significant goal-scoring droughts, while Devin Setoguchi provided an insurance marker with 27.1 seconds to go as the Jets grabbed the lead and never let go for a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night before a crowd of 12,253 at the Prudential Center. The Jets sat back a bit much in the third period, but blocked six of their 14 shots during the final frame — including four from Mark Stuart, who finished with a game-high five. “We pushed,” said Setoguchi. “They had good bounce in the third, an extra step but we sacrificed the body, blocked a lot of shots. We got pucks out and pucks in. The simplicity of the game is what (was key) for us.” Things got interesting after Patrik Elias provided a nifty redirection at 10:44 of the third period, but after surviving some Devils’ pressure, Setoguchi shot the puck into the empty net to ensure the Jets started off their six-game road trip on a positive note. Scheifele’s goal was a big-league wrister that beat future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur high to the glove side and was his first since scoring in the season opener back on Oct. 1 against the Edmonton Oilers. “I definitely watched him lots growing up, so it was big to score on him. I was pretty excited for that,” said Scheifele. “I wasn’t focusing on scoring as much (during the slump), I was thinking about playing good (defence) and what I can do to help the team. I didn’t lose any confidence, I kept on playing the same way, kept on learning. It was just a matter of time to get that chance and put it in.” Kane, meanwhile, thought he may have scored twice. Just past the seven-minute mark he took a quick shot that appeared to land between the pads of Brodeur behind the blue paint, but after the play went to video review, there was no camera angle that provided conclusive evidence that the puck ever fully crossed the goal line. However, on the ensuing draw, Olli Jokinen won the draw back to Kane, who beat Brodeur for his seventh of the season. “I thought (the first one) might be (a goal), but I guess it wasn’t. It was good to get one right after that,” said Kane. “I got a goal and hopefully, I can keep on scoring.” Given how often the Jets had been unable to hold onto leads in third periods or surrendered late go-ahead goals, it was important for them to nail this one down, even if there were some sensitive moments. “We hung onto a lead and came out on top,” said Kane. “We stuck to what made us successful and continued to play strong through three periods, for the most part.” Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec played a key role in securing the win, turning aside 25 shots as he earned his 100th NHL victory. “I was thinking about it a little bit a few days ago but then we lost four games in a row and I totally forgot,” said Pavelec. “It’s nice, but the number means nothing. It’s nice to get the win tonight, that’s what I’m worrying about right now.” Jets right-winger Blake Wheeler nearly broke a 12-game drought of his own when drove hard to the net during the third period and put his backhand off the shoulder of Brodeur, leaving him to contribute in another fashion. With the Jets protecting the lead, Wheeler slid to block a shot with his right leg, another example of the type of unselfish play required to help his team get back to .500 at 11-11-4. 727564 Winnipeg Jets

Jets’ value rises significantly, according to Forbes list

First posted: Monday, November 25, 2013 12:13 PM CST | Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013 02:16 PM CST

The value of the Winnipeg Jets has doubled since True North Sports & Entertainment purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and relocated them to the Manitoba capital in 2011. On a list of NHL team valuations unveiled by Forbes on Monday, the Jets were valued at $340 million, which was up 70% from last season and leaves them 16th of 30 teams in the league. The Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.15 billion) are the top-ranked team on the list, while the New York Rangers ($850 million), Montreal Canadiens ($775 million), Vancouver Canucks ($700 million) and Chicago Blackhawks ($625 million) round out the Top 5. The Forbes report says the average NHL team now has an enterprise value (equity plus net debt) of $413 million, which is up 46% from last year. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.26.2013 727565 Winnipeg Jets

Jets Notebook

By: Tim Campbell Posted: 11/26/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

NEWARK, N.J. -- With five weeks between games, Winnipeg Jets rookie Jacob Trouba wasn't expecting perfect. He didn't get it, but was still an asset as the Jets stopped a four-game slide with their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 19-year-old defenceman, out for five weeks after crashing headfirst into the boards on Oct. 18, played 25 shifts and officially 19 minutes 59 seconds in Monday's win. That's a little below his 21:15 average coming into the game. "I thought Trouba was good," said Jets coach Claude Noel, who used the rookie mostly with Grant Clitsome. "Thought he got a little bit better as the game wore on. Some rusty stuff but he was pretty good." Trouba was the same as he always is after a game -- no big deal. "Yeah, that felt good," he said without a smile. "A little rust but I'm sure that will come in time. "I wasn't really too nervous. Just (had) a couple bad passes, bad reads, that kind of stuff. But you can't really practise that if you're not playing the games. So I'm sure it will get better with a couple of games." He said his week or so of practice time leading up to Monday's return was helpful. "I felt fine," he said. "I think they did a good job of getting me in shape, so I was ready for that." Noel's big picture PRIOR to Monday's win, Jets coach Claude Noel wasn't interested in exploring the ins and outs of the style of the six-game road trip that started with the 3-1 score over the Devils. Noel has the bigger picture in mind for his team, he said. "Somewhere in here we've got to get consistently on the right side of the close games," Noel said. "That's what has to be the goal." Sue for non-support YOU'D almost think it was personal. New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider, the former Manitoba Moose standout, isn't taking it that way. He's confident things will change and soon. But so far, his team has scored just 12 goals in his first 10 games. "It's just been bad luck," Schneider said Monday. "We've shown that we can score goals but we, for whatever reason when I have been in there, haven't gotten some bounces. "We've played some pretty strong defensive teams, too. I'm a big believer that everything kind of evens out in the end." The bad luck might have been broken last week in L.A. when he played his brains out and teammate Jaromir Jagr scored in overtime for a 2-1 New Jersey win. Schneider said he will not let it affect how he plays. "Hopefully getting a big goal the other night will be the first of many going forward," he said. "You can't get down on yourself, look at your record and stop believing you're that good. You have to just keep pushing forward. I can't change what I do because if I do, then we're going to need more than one or two goals to win games if I'm giving up three or four." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 727566 Winnipeg Jets

Pavs knows what it takes to finish right His 100th victory notched, he wants to keep it going

By: Tim Campbell Posted: 11/26/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

NEWARK. N.J. -- On the night he hit an NHL milestone, Ondrej Pavelec was more interested in getting to the next game than analyzing his 100th career victory. In conversation about the 3-1 triumph over the New Jersey Devils Monday night, the 26-year-old puck-stopper from the Czech Republic actually revealed how shaky his own team's confidence has been in close games lately. The Jets were on a four-game losing slide coming into this game, and three of those games could have been victories. Two were lost in shootouts and two went down the tubes thanks to opponents' goals in the waning minutes of regulation time. So what went better on Monday night, in a game the Jets led from late in the first period onward? 'We were able to kill the penalties (two for two) and we blocked a lot of shots (14). And we managed the game real well' -- Ondrej Pavelec "Oh, don't ask me that," Pavelec said, putting his head into his hands. Not that he was nervous about talking about his teammates generally, but he just didn't feel like reliving a tough 10 days. But after a pause, he forced out the right answer, right because he pointed to exactly the things the Jets did Monday against the Devils to make a difference. "We were able to kill the penalties (two for two) and we blocked a lot of shots (14)," Pavelec said. "And we managed the game real well. It was awesome, those blocks. That's great. We did the things necessary to win the game. "That's how you want to play." But the Jets' No. 1 goalie was already looking forward to the team's next challenge on this six-game trip -- Wednesday night against the Islanders. "It was a good start," Pavelec said. "It's always important how you start a road trip. But it's only one and we have a lot of hockey in front of us. "We have to focus on the next one. Take the positives and take the next one." In Monday's third period, the Devils put on their big surge and did get close with Patrik Elias's tip-in goal with 9:16 to play. Pavelec kind of rolled his eyes, meaning it was exactly the kind of push he was expecting. "Look at the lineup, what they have," he said. "That's a pretty good hockey team -- Jagr, Elias, Zubrus, those guys can score the goals. Two-nothing doesn't mean anything in this league. "You've got to be careful and you've got to be focused to the end." As is the case just about everywhere as the season moves toward its mid- point, there are many questions about the upcoming Olympic Games. Pavelec is a strong contender to play for his country. "Of course I want to make the team and play my best and we'll see what happens," he said Monday. "But really, I don't think about it right now. It's two months away." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 727567 Winnipeg Jets His answers after the game were just about as quick. "It means I got a goal and hopefully I can keep on going and scoring," he said about ending the slump. Slumpbusters answer call in New Jersey What did the team do better to win this close one? "We stuck to what made Scheifele, Kane, Setoguchi finally find scoring touch us successful and continued to play strong through three periods for the most part." And how much help were the shot blocks? (He had one himself.) By: Tim Campbell "That's something we're going to have to continue to do if we're going to Posted: 11/26/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 win," the left-winger said. Good start NEWARK, N.J. -- The slumpbusters came to play Monday night at The five games remaining on this road trip are an opportunity. So far, the Prudential Center. Jets are 5-1-1 versus the East, their old neighbourhood, but it's doubly important, because Winnipeg has some catching up to do in this Mark Scheifele scored for the first time since opening night, Evander Kane department. scored for the first time in 30 days, Devin Setoguchi for the first time in eight games and the Winnipeg Jets snapped a four-game losing skid with a 3-1 Now at 10 road games (4-5-1), the Jets have played among the fewest victory over the New Jersey Devils. times away from home. The league-low to date is nine. "We hung onto the lead and I think that was a good win for our group, to Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 play with the lead and come out on top," said Kane, who snapped out of an 11-game scoring drought. His seventh of the season held up as the winner, giving the Jets a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute. Scheifele had scored in the first period, beating Devils goalie Marty Brodeur over the catching glove, and Setoguchi iced it with an empty-netter with 27.1 seconds to play. After an 0-2-2 slide followed their four-game winning streak, the Jets are once again back at .500 with a record of 11-11-4. Of those four losses, three were tight games in the late going that got away. But in this one, even after New Jersey's Patrik Elias tipped in a goal to cut the lead to 2-1 with 9:16 to go, the Jets didn't go all fire-drill, though they had some nervous moments. "(At 2-1), then you expect bad things to happen," Jets coach Claude Noel said, citing the difficulties of the recent past. "I thought we remained composed." Do anything The sacrifices are usually as important as the goals. "There's a price to pay to win games and tonight I think we paid the price," Noel said. It included 14 blocked shots in the game, a major assistance for goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who was scoring his 100th career NHL win. "The sacrifices are part of it but I don't think it's necessarily the way you'd want to manage the game," Noel said of being under pressure in the third. "But that's the way it goes. They're going to press. "I thought we were resilient in holding our position." 'Buster No. 1 Scheifele put the Jets ahead to stay but wasn't celebrating anything but a win after the game. "The biggest thing that was on my mind was that we got the win," the rookie said "But I'm definitely happy." But those 24 games in between with no goals? "I think it was a matter I wasn't focusing on scoring as much," he said. "I was thinking about playing good D, thinking about what I could do to help the team." And it'll make no difference in the games ahead, he insisted. "I think it's the same," Scheifele said. "I didn't lose any confidence. I kept on playing the same way, kept on learning." 'Buster No. 2 After a video review was inconclusive on a good chance he had in the second period. Kane whipped in a won faceoff two seconds later. 727568 Winnipeg Jets

Jets 3 Devils 1

By: Staff Writer Posted: 11/26/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

JETS 3 DEVILS 1 Free Press Three Stars 1-Evander Kane, Jets. Offence has been hard to come by and this was a most timely contribution. 2-Mark Scheifele, Jets. Hasn't scored much at all, but see above. It applies to the rookie, too. 3-Ondrej Pavelec, Jets. His team not good at confidently closing them out, he was needed, knew it, and made a difference. Summary goes here Buffed Two assists from Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and a plus-three, his best game that way all season. Byfuglien has been a contributor to the overall effort recently. In his last 10 games, he has scored six goals and 12 points. And Monday, partner Toby Enstrom did his part as well, also plus- three as the duo shared the overall game's ice-time lead with 24:18. Good blocking Jets coach Claude Noel noted the sacrifices after the game. In that vein, he found Mark Stuart with five and Blake Wheeler with three blocked shots in the game to lead all players, and the Jets won the blocked-shots battle 14- 6. They also had a decent night in the faceoff circle once again, gaining a 58-42 edge in percentages, winning 29 of 50. Favourable numbers Winnipeg is now 7-2-1 when getting the game's first goal. And the team's record against Eastern Conference teams is a most pleasing 5-1-1 Up Next Jets at Islanders, Wednesday, 6 p.m. TSNJets, TSN1290. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 727569 Winnipeg Jets "The most important thing that people need to realize is we didn't make a profit last year. Due to the shortened season and the fact that we didn't lay anybody off (during the lockout), we actually sustained losses," he said. True North and Jets scoring big at bank Brown declined to provide specific numbers for the team's operations. For the first time since Forbes began tracking NHL values 15 years ago, By: Geoff Kirbyson three of the league's most valuable franchises are Canadian: The Toronto Maple Leafs are once again are the runaway leader at $1.15 billion, Posted: 11/26/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 followed by the New York Rangers at $850 million, the Montreal Canadiens at $775 million and the Vancouver Canucks at $700 million. The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are next at $625 million. IF the Winnipeg Jets could match their off-ice success with their on-ice The Jets' revenue for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season was $79 performance, the city would not only be preparing for some playoff action, it million and it had operating income of $6.3 million, according to Forbes. might even be planning a parade. The Leafs were also the most profitable at $48.7 million, followed by the The Jets ranked 16th in Forbes magazine's just-released report of the most Canadiens at $29.6 million. valuable teams in the NHL with a current value of $340 million, a 70 per cent jump from a year ago. Ozanian said the Jets, along with every other NHL team north of the border, would have received $13.7 million from various national television rights last Club worth $340 million season plus the Jets earned another $3-million or so from local cable providers. Even though the Jets operate in the NHL's smallest market, they're on the cusp of being in the top half of the league's most valuable franchises. The Jets' skyrocketing value is also due to some out-of-the-box innovations Here's the top 10 plus all the Canadian teams, their worth and their True North has come up with to increase revenue, Ozanian said. Chief operating income last year: among them is its partnership with The Shark Club, a 17,000-square-foot sports bar on the second floor of cityplace. Team ValueOperating Income According to its agreement with the province and Manitoba Liquor & 1. Toronto Maple Leafs$1.15 billion$48.7 million Lotteries, the high-end bar and gaming centre is designed to add about 2. New York Rangers$850 million$27.3 million $5.5 million to True North coffers annually. 3. Montreal Canadiens $775 million$29.6 million "(True North) seems to have thought this out really well. This wasn't a bunch of really rich guys buying the team for a hobby," he said. 4. Vancouver Canucks $700 million$15.8 million Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.26.2013 5. Chicago Blackhawks $625 million$25.6 million 6. Boston Bruins $600 million$18.5 million 7. Philadelphia Flyers$500 million$6.0 million 8. Pittsburgh Penguins $480 million$20.9 million 9. Detroit Red Wings$470 million$10.5 million 10. Los Angeles Kings $450 million$8.2 million 11. Calgary Flames$420 million$11.5 million 14. Edmonton Oilers$400 million$10.3 million 15. Ottawa Senators $380 million$6.8 million 16. Winnipeg Jets$340 million$6.3 million. (Source: Forbes magazine) That's also precisely twice what the Chipman and Thomson families paid for the Atlanta Thrashers in May, 2011. And it's more than triple the return on investment if you consider the initial price included a $60-million relocation fee, a cost considered by many observers at the time as nothing more than a league cash grab. (All figures are in US dollars.) True North Sports & Entertainment has benefitted on a number of fronts from its investment in the Jets, said Mike Ozanian, New York-based executive editor at Forbes. First, the franchise moved from a non-hockey market to one where the sport is nothing short of a religion. Second, True North receives many millions of dollars a year from lucrative national and local television rights, which simply didn't exist in Atlanta. Third, there has been a large surge across the league as the average team increased in value by 46 per cent over the past year. (The Jets had the biggest year- over-year increase.) Part of that surge is driven by the expectation that the NHL, and Canadian teams in particular, are going to hit the jackpot with the next television contract with CBC, he said. "You go from a place (Atlanta) where hockey never got support to Winnipeg where the owner has a great market for hockey and a very loyal fan base," Ozanian said. The Jets, however, take issue with Forbes' numbers. Jets spokesman Scott Brown said the business magazine's figures are "guesstimates" and "incorrect." 727570 Vancouver Canucks

Are ex-NHLers trying to cash in with concussion lawsuit?

By Tony Gallagher, The Province November 25, 2013 11:01 PM

It was almost certainly pure coincidence that a group of largely lesser- known NHL players launched a copycat suit against the league along the same lines NFL players were successful with their concussion action on the same day that the Forbes Magazine estimation on the quickly rising worth of NHL franchises was announced. As long as a league has money there will be people with lawyers after it, although these guys and anyone else that joins the action will have a more difficult job proving the NHL withheld any information they had on the concussion issue given the league didn’t establish its committee on the subject until 1996 after most of the players in question retired. Further, the strength of the NFL thrust was the repeated blows suffered in practice, as well as the withholding of information, and NHL teams don’t have contact of any real consequence at practice, which is why NHL second-in-command Bill Daly suggested a spirited defence Monday night. And there may have been a little head trauma at Rogers Arena in the evening when the Vancouver Canucks finally responded in a significant way to a big hit on Henrik Sedin and the ensuing emotion led to the game of the season in this building. Until Jordan Nolan took a run at the Vancouver captain in the latter stages of the second period, it was shaping up to be another indifferent, slovenly performance from the Canucks, whose pathetic 0-7 power play was leading them to another night of bagels. But then after Nolan turned down an offer to fight from Zack Kassian, a milling session began when the Vancouver forward hit Willie Mitchell instead and at that point Ryan Stanton jumped in and fought Nolan. Something that never happened under coach Alain Vigneault finally came about with coach John Tortorella behind the bench and the festivities seemed to breath life into the Canucks, who scored to tie the game before the end of the period. And then Henrik himself scored on their eighth power play of the evening seven minutes into the third and these guys muscled themselves into the lead. Of course they coughed up that edge with three minutes left and then lost in overtime, that’s a given. But at least they gave their fans a different script before heading out on the road on a four-game trip, even if it had the same, predictable ending. The game featured all kinds of things fans were not accustomed to seeing from their team. As well as a healthy dose of backbone showed, which surely must have surprised the Kings who are used to bullying Vancouver, there were prominent roles played by Kassian and David Booth. Kassian got the whole fight-back push started and the latter actually had a couple of excellent scoring opportunities, which were gobbled up by Kings goalie Ben Scrivens. No goals of course, that would be expecting a little too much after all. But in the end, it was up to the coach to sound the only positives in the Vancouver room. “I’m not a big fan of you played well but didn’t win,” said Roberto Luongo, who again played well but couldn’t come up with the big saves the team requires all to often. “Yeah, we did a lot of good things tonight, but when you have the kind of breakdowns we did ... you just can’t have them” said Vancouver defenceman Dan Hamhuis. “I thought we took the game over after the hit on Henrik, did all the right things but didn’t finish the game,” said Tortorella. “We’re going to keep on trying to chip the mistakes out. But I’m very excited about some of the things that happened tonight. You might think I’m crazy, but I am. “L.A. is a big team, a strong team and I thought we hung in there and took the game right over. I’m not down. You get frustrated, but I’m not down because there were so many good things that happened to individuals and the team. In our division we’re going to have to play that way.” Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727571 Vancouver Canucks the game. It wasn’t that long ago that a player who suffered a head trauma was given smelling salts and sent back into battle. And we’re pretty sure those players weren’t told to sit out a couple of games because repeated Playing hurt could have led to head injuries blows to the head might lead to mental-health issues later in their lives. Playing hurt was an intrinsic part of the game’s culture. Did that lead to head injuries and the conditions that accompany them? That’s a reasonable By Ed Willes, The Province November 25, 2013 11:01 PM conclusion to draw. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013

Unlike the court case that will ensue, it didn’t take the NHL long to respond to the lawsuit filed by 10 former players Monday. “While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and players association have managed players’ safety over time with respect to head injuries and concussions,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. “We intend to defend the case vigorously.” And know this. They won’t have any problem finding enough lawyers to defend their case. Still, it’s one thing for the NHL to be completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which it’s handled the thorny issue of head traumas. It’s another for the courts. It’s impossible to know where this will end or when it will end, but if recent history has taught us anything, it’s taught us this issue isn’t quite as simple as the NHL claims. In a move that was surprising only because it took three months to reach the legal system, 10 former NHLers filed suit in Washington, D.C., claiming the NHL behaved fraudulently and negligently in regards to head injuries and failed to adequately inform its players about the dangers of head trauma. If you’ve been paying attention over the last year or so, the language in the suit is almost identical to the lawsuit filed by former NFL players that was settled in August of this year. That suit was settled when court-appointed mediator Layn Phillips brokered a deal in which the NFL will pay $675 million US in compensation to former players, $75 million to provide baseline testing, $10 million for education and research and the ever-popular lawyer fees. The total settlement was $765 million and it was groundbreaking. But given the size and the scope of the action, it actually represented a compromise on the players’ part. In the NFL action, 4,500 players affixed their names and the court documents read like a playing-card collection come to life. It also featured tragic cases like Cowboys’ Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett, who’s suffering from mental illness related to post-concussion syndrome and Kevin Turner, a former Browns’ running back who has ALS. “The compensation provided in this settlement will lift a huge burden off the men who are suffering right now,” Turner said at the time of the settlement. Those men couldn’t wait. The NFL could, but the pressure on The Shield to do the right thing by its former players was immense. The final number made headlines, but it could have been a lot higher — some estimates had it reaching $10 billion — and, as part of the settlement, the NFL didn’t admit any guilt. By comparison, the size of the NHL action is peanuts. It’s also in its embryonic stages and it figures to grow. Concussions are still relatively new to the NHL conversation and the data is limited. But enough cases have emerged in the last two or three years to suggest there is some merit to the former players’ claims. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, has shown up in the autopsies of former NHLers Reg Fleming, Bob Probert and Derek Boogaard. Those three players were also fighters. Rick Martin, on the other hand, was a goal- scorer who sustained one “recorded” concussion in his 13-year career. Evidence of Grade 2 CTE(Grade 4 is the most severe) was found in Martin’s brain during an autopsy. “Rick Martin’s case shows us that even hockey players who don’t engage in fighting are at risk for CTE, likely because of the repetitive brain trauma players receive throughout their career,” said Chris Nowinski, founder of the Sports Legacy Institute at Boston University. What this says about the NHL’s culpability is for the courts to decide. But it wasn’t that long ago that head injuries were dismissed or minimalized within 727572 Vancouver Canucks it. He was asked about the Canucks’ net-front presence. He was asked about Alex Burrows’ scoring slump. He was asked about Daniel Sedin’s woes. And each time the answer was basically the same. Tortorella won’t stray from his message: Canucks are close and they’re We’re close. We’re playing the right way. This is a good team and we’ll get going to get through this through this. We’ll know soon enough if he’s right or this team just isn’t good enough. By ED WILLES, The Province November 25, 2013 Until then, he will stay on message and, the way things now stand, that’s exactly the message Canucks need to hear. “I know everyone is writing all these things,” Tortorella said. “We can’t get Shortly before John Tortorella’s pre-game news conference on Monday, a involved in it. We just need to take it one game at a time and, come March, group of scribes huddled together and wondered aloud how many more we’ll see where we’re at. times they could ask the Canucks’ head coach the same question. “If we’re not there, you’ll be kicking the hell out of me and if we are, we’ll Tortorella, after all, has been asked about his team’s goal-scoring issues keep on trying to find our way.” more times than Stephen Harper’s been asked about Mike Duffy. That’s still three months away. You can expect to hear the same thing Why can’t you score? again. How can you score more? Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Scoring, what’s up with that? On Saturday night, the Canucks also dropped a 2-1 home-ice decision to the Chicago Blackhawks that marked the fifth time in the past seven games the team had been held to one goal. So if Tortorella was anticipating a new and creative line of questioning, he was going to be disappointed. But say this for the man: If his team was as good on the ice as the coach was at the podium on Monday morning, the Canucks wouldn’t be sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference. “I’m anxious for the guys to get their uniform on and play again,” Tortorella said. “And I’m sure they are too because they’re frustrated with some of the things that have gone on, I just don’t think we’re far off. “I know no one wants to hear that but you’re not going to talk me into saying this is a lousy hockey club and they’re playing lousy because it isn’t.” As if anyone could talk Torts into saying something he didn’t want to. Seven weeks into his Vancouver posting, Tortorella is facing a mini-crisis with his new team and if you were wondering how he’s going to handle it, Monday’s performance revealed all you need to know. This provided every chance for Torts to revert to form, to get surly and combative with his inquisitors, to provide those sound bites on which he built a reputation. But Tortorella had a different message he wanted to deliver on Monday and he was going to get it out. It’s essence was simple enough: We’re close and we’re going to stay the course. But it was the way he said it that was noteworthy. There was analytical Torts. “We had a breakdown and it ended up in our net (on the Hawks’ game- winning goal). That’s where we’re at from lack of scoring. A mistake like that ends up beating us. I think we’re playing well. We can’t step away and forget about our team concept. We need to be even stronger there.” There was inspirational Torts. “Listen, it’s going to be talked about and it should be talked about. We can’t get ourselves into a jam here where we’re over-thinking. We still have to play our game. I like the way the team has played this year. There haven’t been any nights off as far as the effort.” And there was determined Torts. “If we’re playing like crap, we’re going to handle it like we’re playing like crap. But if we’re playing well, we’re staying with it and I’m staying with the team. I’m going to support them and we’ll get through this.” Gold, Jerry. Gold. Tortorella’s pressers, of course, have become appointment viewing for the media and the coaching was feeling it on Monday. It could be because his beloved Patriots fashioned a storybook come-from-behind win over Denver on Sunday night -- and he even delivered some great stuff on that. But, and we’re just spitballing here, it’s more likely because he felt the Canucks needed positive reinforcement, that this wasn’t the time to dissect their weaknesses. As for the reasons behind the scoring slump, they’re hardly the point. Tortorella had his message to transmit and he wasn’t going to deviate from 727573 Vancouver Canucks crazy. We have to address some situational play, but we stood up to them and took the game over. It's a step we need to continue to grow at. I'm not down because there were so many good things happened individually and Los Angeles 3 Vancouver 2 (OT): Canucks push back but still fall to Kings as a team. The approach is the proper approach." Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 By Ben Kuzma, The Province November 25, 2013 11:01 PM

Daniel Sedin lost a tooth to a targeted high stick from Jake Muzzin. Henrik Sedin nearly lost a body part in becoming the meat in a sandwich when targeted by Jordan Nolan and Jarret Stoll in a heavy blueline collision. And when the Vancouver Canucks didn't initially respond to their captain being treated like a pinata and saw him slowly rise from the ice after being winded, they could have lost more than a game Monday at Rogers Arena. They could have totally lost their way. On a night where the Los Angeles Kings looked like they were in prime playoff form — a stick here, a whack there, a fight and enough penalty box jawing for a reality show — the Canucks did what they had to do before doing what they've done too much. This wasn't as much about the pathetic power play and the points as about getting a point across in a 3-2 overtime loss. The encouraging line will show that Henrik Sedin snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period with a power-play goal to end an 0-for-7 special-teams horror show Monday before an unchecked Mike Richards made it 2-2 with 2:56 left in regulation time. However, when an untouched Anze Kopitar scored 48 seconds into the extra segment when fed from behind the net by Slava Voynov, it was like a lump of coal on Christmas morning. Still, not getting run out of their own rink is going to do as much as adhering to the new systems when the Canucks embark on a four-game road trip. They ended the homestead with a 1-2-3 record, but may have started something more important. They may have found their backbone. "We're really sticking together as a group and that's all you can ask," said Henrik Sedin. "But again, we're standing here and talking about a loss. That's why it's tougher to lose these games because they're there for us." In the Pacific Division where the Canucks don't supposedly physically match up well against the San Jose Sharks or the Kings, they sent the right kind of message Monday when more than the game could have slipped away. In a bizarre sequence of second-period events with the Kings up 1-0, it all started with Daniel Sedin showing the referees his dislodged tooth to draw a penalty the hard way. It continued with a frustrated Stoll taking two- handed whack at former teammate Brad Richardson to take the Kings off the power play. But when the Canucks couldn't convert ensuing 4-on-3 and 5-on-3 power plays before Alec Martinez rang a power-play shot off the post, it looked like they would go quietly into the night. The emotional jolt the Canucks needed eventually came five minutes after Henrik Sedin picked himself off the ice after being drilled by Nolan and Stoll. Zack Kassian hit Willie Mitchell to spark a sideboards melee in which Ryah Stanton gamely took on Nolan. The Canucks defenceman absorbed more punches than he landed, but at least he was willing to do what had to be done. Tom Sestito didn't. Either did Kassian. They jawed with Daniel Carcillo and Nolan and the end result was a Kings power play. "We answered the bell when Nolan takes a pretty good run at Hank," said winger Dale Weise. "We get a big goal and then a second one. We just have to find a way to hang on. That goes a long way for a team when you're not being pushed around, but we've got to get some wins." However, when Weise did the spade work on the tying goal — winning a battle to start the cycle that got the puck to the point — he then set the screen for Chris Tanev's half-slapper to beat Ben Scrivens. It erased the memory of another odd-man rush goal when the Kings opened scoring. Stanton was in on the pinch and Kyle Clifford finished off a 2-on-1 break by beating Roberto Luongo with a backhand deke. The willingness to push back overshadowed the expected storylines. David Booth was back from a three-game exile on a second line and impressed with Kesler and Jannik Hansen while Kassian was dropped to the fourth line with Richardson and Sestito. The Canucks outshot the Kings 39-22 but couldn't outscore them. "I thought we did a lot of the right things and didn't finish the game," said Canucks coach John Tortorella. "Obviously, there are mistakes. I'm very excited about some of the things that happened tonight and you can call me 727574 Vancouver Canucks I felt it wasn’t working for him [Saturday]. That’s the world he lives in now in becoming a pro. It’s a balancing act. There’s no answer I can give you — it’s my feel on the bench and that’s the way it’s going to be because we Van Provies: Lasting Shark bite, deserving to lose, a physical backbone, a need to win. But I’m also a huge believer in youth. There are a lot of Booth pulse interesting things with him and it’s potential right now and part of my responsibility is to get to the forefront.” — Tortorella revisiting the 4:10 he gave Kassian against the Blackhawks. November 25, 2013. 11:18 pm Kassian played 5:35 Monday. Posted by: Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 Ben Kuzma

On a night where the Vancouver Canucks again messed with beat writers and made a mess of stories that initially boasted of so much they did right, they lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings. Here’s a look at what happened and what didn’t happen Monday at Rogers Arena. BEST TRUTH SERUM “If we hold on in the first game against San Jose, that’s a huge confidence builder for us on this homestead. We lost that game late and instead of feeling good, we’re going into the Dallas game with a loss. When you do that in this conference, it’s going to go sideways.” — Henrik Sedin on a 2-1 loss that started 1-2-3 homestead record. BEST BITTER PILL “Guys were stepping up and the power play chipped in and it’s a disappointing way to lose, but we deserve it with two breakdowns. With the chances we thought we deserved a better result. We responded well physically and kind of took over the game there. It’s tough when you do so many things right, but Torts warned us not to push the envelope too much and take chances and sacrifice defence. If we do, the odds are we’re going to win.” — Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis. BEST WHAT’S GOING ON? “There were some breakdowns, but I’ve got to come up with the saves. I’m not a big fan of we’re playing well but losing. I don’t believe in that stuff. We’re doing good stuff but not winning. On the overtime goal, I’m not sure what happened behind net and he [Kopitar] one-timed it and it went off the post and in. How many times have things happened where they score late in a game and we lose in overtime or shootout? We’ve got to find a way to close these out.” — Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo BEST POWERLESS ADMISSION “I don’t think we’re shooting the puck enough and with that we’re not getting enough chances. I’m not going to say it’s not a concern and it wasn’t — but it is now. We’re trying to get some consistency there. The beginning of year, I thought it was good because we were getting chances. We need to get some sort of consistency out of it.” — John Tortorella on his 28th-ranked power play that went 1-for-8 on Monday and has struck just twice in last three games and is just 9-for-31 the last eight games. BEST STATS Seven shots for Ryan Kesler. Five shots for Jannik Hansen and David Booth. Brad Richardson winning 8-of-10 faceoffs. BEST PROJECT TAKE 1.0 “We have some projects. Zack Kassian is a project, getting David Booth on track is a project. It’s an every-day thing with me to get David back to getting confidence in his game. David talked about staying in Utica. There’s no real road I’m going to follow. I’d like to settle on a 20-man lineup and try to stay with it, if I can. But the game is so fluid and players come in and out. We know what David’s top end is. We’ll see.” — Tortorella before Booth’s five-shot outing Monday. BEST PROJECT TAKE 2.0 “Zack is at a young age and still needs to go through a process. You have to believe in process and balance it with winning hockey games. With Kass, 727575 Vancouver Canucks

Booth returns to lineup as Canucks take on red-hot Kings

November 25, 2013. 11:55 am Posted by: Jim Jamieson

Winger David Booth, who’s been a healthy scratch the last three games, will return to the lineup on Monday night when the Canucks take on the Los Angeles Kings. It’s uncertain where Booth will play, but informed speculation suggests it would be on the second line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins. It appears that rookie Jeremy Welsh may be the player coming out of the lineup. While Canucks coach John Tortorella would only say the Sedin twins would be back together to start the game, he’s obviously looking for Booth the play a physical game and throw around his 6-foot-215-pound frame against the imposing Kings. “You get an opportunity, you’ve got to do something with it, I’m definitely excited,” said Booth, who’s had injury issues in each of his two previous seasons with Vancouver. Ankle surgery last March kept him from training till late in the summer and lingering groin issues forced him to miss much of the preseason. “It’s just my skating. I need to get back. I’d been off the ice for a long time. It’s feeling balanced and explosive on the ice. It takes a while to get comfortable out there. I’m working on that right now and I think it’s coming around.” The Canucks have lost five of their last six games, a slid that began with a 5-1 loss to the Kings in L.A. on Nov. 9. Including that game, they are 1-4-2 and have scored just seven goals in those six losses. “It’s not concern,” said Tortorella of the team’s lack of scoring. “We know what it is, we know we need to score but we’ve just got to stay with it. The biggest key is to keep our spirits up here and keep banging away and find a way. We had more chances Saturday in the third period — nine chances — and (Hawks goaltender Corey) Crawford just elevates his game. It’s not an excuse, but you can’t beat yourself up about it or it will turn the wrong way.” The Canucks would be aided if they could get their woeful power play converting scoring chances. It is ranked 28th in the NHL and has three goals in 23 chances over the seven-game skid. But team captain Henrik Sedin believes the power play is ready to turn it around. “We’re getting better,” he said. “We’re getting more people around the net. The goal we scored against Dallas, the last game five on three. We’re getting more people there. I think the last few weeks, we’ve had a ton of shots, but not enough traffic. That’s getting a lot better.” L.A. got off to a slow start but is red-hot at the moment and will get a boost with the return of elite forward Jeff Carter, who’s missed 10 games with a foot injury. They haven’t lost in regulation in nine games (6-0-3). Kings goalie Ben Scrivens will start his seventh straight game, with No. 1 Jonathan Quick sidelined with a groin injury. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727576 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Hat Trick: Vancouver leaps to fourth overall in Forbes NHL valuations

November 25, 2013. 9:05 am Posted by: Jim Jamieson

1. The Canucks ripped up the annual Forbes NHL team evaluations, which were released on Monday by the business magazine. Vancouver’s team vaulted to fourth overall in value, increasing a whopping 105 per cent from a year ago. The Canucks, owned by the Aquilini family, are valued at $700 million, according to Forbes, with revenues of $101 million, which included last fall’s NHL lockout. In last year’s valuations, the Canucks were seventh overall, valued at $342 million. Toronto maintained its spot as the NHL’s most valuable team, with an estimated price tag of $1.150 billion, an increase of 15 per cent. New York Rangers returned as the second-place franchise, with a 13 per cent increase in value to $850 million and revenue of $131 million. Montreal was third again this year (value: $775 million; revenue: 127 million), while Chicago was fifth (value: $625 million; revenue: 115 million). Forbes said it was the first time since it began tracking NHL team valuations in 1998 that three of the league’s five most valuable teams are Canadian. This is also the first time that every Canadian franchise ranks among the top 16 in the 30 team league. The full report can be seen at Forbes.com/nhl 2. Will Canucks coach John Tortorella continue to go with a loaded up first line on Monday against the Kings? With the Kings’ depth and ability to play all four lines, we’re guessing he can’t. Look for Burrows to be back with the twins – or maybe some other iteration – and Kesler back on the second line. 3. The Canucks are at or near the top of the league is attempts on goal, yet they are 18th in shooting percentage. Maybe throwing the puck at net isn’t the best strategy. Maybe looking for the best opportunity before shooting would have a better result. After losing six of seven and scoring just seven goals in those six losses, maybe the coach needs to reconsider his strategy. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.26.2013 727577 Vancouver Canucks kaleidoscope of linemates, playing at various points with Hansen and Kesler, as well as combinations of Brad Richardson and Zack Kassian, Richardson and Hansen, and Mike Santorelli and Alex Burrows. In the third, Kopitar scores in OT as Kings top Canucks Booth was out with the Sedin twins. Beyond hockey, the Canucks were already winners on Monday, financial winners, starting with the team owners, the Aquilini family. Earlier in the David Ebner day, Forbes Magazine, in its annual valuations of National Hockey League teams, pegged the Canucks value at $700-million, more than double what VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail Forbes previously figured the value of the team and Rogers Arena to be, the highest gain of any franchise in the National Hockey League. Forbes’s Published Tuesday, Nov. 26 2013, 2:13 AM EST new number ranks the Canucks at No. 4 in the NHL, behind Toronto, New Last updated Tuesday, Nov. 26 2013, 2:22 AM EST York, and Montreal – and far higher than No. 10 in the tally, the L.A. Kings worth $450-million, whose value was up nearly two-thirds amid large gains for many teams. Daniel Sedin did his own dentistry. Smashed in the face by the stick of Los The figures may be ballpark estimates and the new numbers for the Angeles King Jake Muzzin early in the second period on Monday night, Canucks use figures cited by sources based on the recent divorce of Sedin pulled out a tooth that had been loosened by the blow, and showed Francesco Aquilini. Regardless of the precision, the team and building – the evidence to the referee. There was no blood, so it was only two minutes and the new towers going up around the arena in downtown Vancouver – for high-sticking rather than four. And as is the usual case with the have been a boon for the Aquilinis, under whom every single regular– and Vancouver Canucks power play, no goal ensued. postseason game has been sold out, since the family bought half the enterprise nine years ago this month, and the rest seven years ago this It was a chirping testy tilt at Rogers Arena, as the Canucks and Kings month. So even if the business of winning on the ice is much more difficult fought their way through a heated affair, a game whose middle period these days for the hockey team, the business of hockey on Canada’s West especially was filled with fists, general ire, and penalty minutes. The Coast is a profitable one. scrapping including Vancouver rookie defenceman Ryan Stanton taking on the Kings’ Jordan Nolan, Stanton 25 pounds lighter and an inch shorter, Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.26.2013 and holding his own. The home team was desperate for a confidence-buoying victory, having lost six of the past seven games, staggering to the end of an extended home stand, piling up losses despite solid play. Against the Kings, through the first two periods, it was tied at one. Vancouver yielded the opening marker in the first on a two-on-one and L.A. gave up a goal late in the second, a long and lucky Chris Tanev slapshot from the point, the defenceman’s first of the year. The Kings were the better team early on Monday but the Canucks took control in the second period and pushed through the third, taking the lead near the start of the final period on a Henrik Sedin power play goal but ceding it late, when Mike Richards scored with three minutes to go. The finale was another disheartening blow for Vancouver. In overtime, Anze Kopitar smacked a puck in before a minute had passed and it was 3-2 Kings, a gutting end to a hard home stand, a single win in six games, more defeats than victories even as the Canucks outplayed most of their visitors. Against L.A., the Canucks outshot the Kings 39-22. Goalie Roberto Luongo was downcast after the loss. “How many times has this happened?” he said. Henrik Sedin said much the same: “We should have had two points but again we’re talking about a loss.” Vancouver falls to 12-9-5 and is stuck in ninth place in the Western Conference. The team falls to 12-0-4 in games in which they score two or more goals and are 0-9-1 in games in which they score one. The game was exactly the type the Canucks have to win, a tight and narrow scrap against a strong division rival. It’s only late November but it is not looking good for Vancouver. The Kings game concluded Vancouver’s longest home stand of the year, nearly two weeks. The Canucks were scheduled to leave Tuesday morning for the nation’s capital, a four-game road trip starting on Thursday against Ottawa. A Saturday matinee in New York follows, against John Tortorella’s old team, the Rangers, now coached by former Canucks boss Alain Vigneault. Despite the loss, Tortorella said he was “very excited” about many aspects of the Monday game – the bite and tenacity his team showed. “You may call me crazy but I am [excited],” said Tortorella. He went on to say his job is to keep the “psyche” of the Canucks strong, playing well but not seeing the results. “We’ve gone through a lot of crap here,” said Tortorella, adding that “there’s a lot of hockey to play.” Amid the topsy-turvy play on Monday, Tortorella threw a bit of everything on the ice in almost-wild line combinations, the oddest of which had to be Ryan Kesler with Jannik Hansen and fourth-line plugger Tom Sestito midway through the second period. David Booth, back on the ice after three games missed as a healthy scratch, put up a pretty good performance and did so as he saw a 727578 Vancouver Canucks definitely doesn’t like Booth’s hunting hobby. “I’m not crazy about him …” said Tortorella, before hemming his words, “uh, well, I’ll just leave it at that.” Tortorella was prodded at the end of his press conference that day and Canucks’ Booth, known as the ‘weird dude’, remains slowed by injuries mentioned, before exiting, “He shoots animals.” Booth’s most controversial kill came after the 2012 playoffs. DAVID EBNER For a show on a niche network, Wild TV, Booth killed a black bear with a The Globe and Mail bow in Alberta after luring it with a pile of bait, a mix of molasses, beaver, and oatmeal. Bear baiting is illegal in British Columbia and numerous U.S. Published Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 9:58 PM EST states. Booth broadcast his exploits on Twitter. Last updated Monday, Nov. 25 2013, 10:02 PM EST His religion has also stirred debate on Twitter, and when there were questions and critiques for which he had no answer, he sought to learn more about his faith. Last summer he attended a week-long seminar in England with Ravi Zacharias, an Atlanta-based preacher. “I went over there Mike Santorelli was settling in for a pre-game nap three years ago, on the to have conversations, not to say, ‘You’re wrong, I’m right, and this is what I road in a hotel room he shared with teammate David Booth, when he heard believe,’” says Booth. an odd burst of sound. Booth knows the on-ice questions can only be answered if he and several “I hear these noises,” remembers Santorelli. “I’m trying to sleep.” other supposed Canucks snipers start putting pucks behind opposing The noises were, precisely, imitations of a wild turkey – gobbles, purrs and goalies. His coach hasn’t given up on him. “We feel,” says Tortorella, clucks. His roommate, an avid hunter, was practising his turkey calls. “there’s value there.” “I couldn’t even be mad,” says Santorelli, a Vancouver Canucks centre. “I Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.26.2013 was just laughing, it was great.” Booth, a Canucks winger who turned 29 on Sunday and was a healthy scratch for three games before finally getting a start Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings, is one of the more unusual characters in the National Hockey League. He is proud of his hunting achievements, tweeting pictures of trophy kills. And he is an evangelical Christian – religion is another of his favourite topics on Twitter. As his playing time in Vancouver has declined, he has taken to wearing a Canucks green camouflage ball cap. Head coach John Tortorella has called Booth “a weird dude” – mostly meant in a good way. Teammate Chris Higgins, who, like Santorelli, previously played with Booth in Florida, calls him “unique” and “happy-go-lucky.” On the ice, Booth is supposed to be a top-six winger and producing at least 20 goals for his $4.5-million salary this season. He currently has only one goal, and that matches his total of last season. Injuries have badly slowed Booth, and that deprives the Canucks’ anemic offence of a once-prolific scorer. It also leaves Booth without much of a future in Vancouver – he’s a buyout candidate unless he somehow regains his old form. It’s not been a good month. Booth was demoted to the minors for a week earlier in November, and then last week, when he was benched, team boss Mike Gillis called him out on a Team 1040 radio show, saying: “We need him to play harder and play with more tenacity on the puck.” Late Sunday, on his birthday, Booth leaned on God in a tweet: “You keep me going when times are tough – my foundation since my childhood. Ive hung on u from the day of my birth, Ill never run out of praise.” Faith is a constant. In a recent interview, Booth cited giving a full effort as a “biblical principal,” adding, “I still have plenty of good hockey in me.” Booth scored 22 goals in his second NHL season and 31 in his third, but was then waylaid by injuries. His downhill playing spiral began with a concussion caused by a blindside head shot from Philadelphia’s Mike Richards in 2009. He recovered to score 23 times in 2010-11, the season he roomed with Santorelli in Florida and just before he landed in Vancouver. His first year with the Canucks, even as a knee injury kept him out of a chunk of games, Booth produced 16 goals in 56 games with strong two-way play. Last year, in the 12 games he played, the Canucks were better with him on the ice than not – but he scored just one goal, an empty- netter. His season was over by mid-March after he suffered a severe ankle break that required surgery to repair. It wasn’t until mid-August that he could skate with any vigour. The six-foot, 212-pound winger said he got up to 237 pounds over the summer with all the upper-body work he did. Given that his game is based on skating, speed to underpin his physical power, it has been hard to make up ground lost to everyone else in the league – and he may not catch up this year at all. A week into this season, Tortorella produced the most telling and evocative, if vague, take on Booth. Calling him a “weird dude” and a “different personality,” the coach went on to further explain: “I like his personality. I think he’s inquisitive, is a good way to put it.” But Tortorella – who owns four dogs and volunteers time and money in support of animal welfare – 727579 Websites Was there a study commissioned in which the results weren’t made available to players? Were there doctors’ reports outlining dangers that were kept from players? ESPN / Ex-players must prove NHL hid information In short, Macramalla said, the plaintiffs will need “a smoking gun.” When we think of earlier generations, we are reminded of the oft-told tales By Scott Burnside of players getting their bells rung by a hit or dazed in a fight, then returning immediately to action. But there is also the element of consent among players to engage in a risky enterprise that the courts will have to consider. In addition, the likely NHL argument is that “we knew what you knew,” The list of medical conditions is familiar to anyone who has followed the Macramalla said. evolving story of concussions in the NHL: hearing loss, dizziness, mood swings, depression, memory loss, headaches. In a statement deputy commissioner Bill Daly released Monday night, he mentioned the NHL Players’ Association. The NHLPA and NHL have co-run But for a group of 10 former NHL players who filed a class-action lawsuit the league’s concussion program since 1997, therefore the players have against the NHL on Monday, the issue isn’t that they claim to have been in on the ground floor in terms of concussion protocol and research developed these symptoms after years of rugged play mostly before the since at least 1997. NHL introduced measures aimed at reducing or dealing with concussions; it’s that the NHL knew about the dangers of concussions decades ago and As for parallels between the NHL case and the NFL case, which was settled failed to share the information with the players. with a $765 million payout to more than 4,500 former players, Macramalla said, “it’s apples to NFL oranges, at least to begin with.” That is the crux of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington by a group of former players, including former Toronto Maple Leaf captain Rick Vaive The outcome of the NFL case has nothing to do with how this case might and former sniper Gary Leeman. unfold. Vaive told ESPN.com Monday evening there would be a time for the “This NHL case is its own island,” Macramalla said. players to speak about the lawsuit and the issues related to the suit but that time isn’t now. ESPN LOADED: 11.26.2013 He referred to his statement, which said that players "were kept in the dark about the risks of concussions and many of the former NHL players are now suffering from debilitating head injuries from their time in the league. Hopefully this lawsuit will shine a light on the problem and the players will get the help they deserve." “The reluctance of the NHL to do anything but pay lip service in response to this decades-long problem is shocking. The NHL has only reluctantly and recently amended a few rules that have been ineffective in reducing concussions,” said Steven D. Silverman, one of the litigators representing the former NHL players. For each of the players -- such as Darren Banks, who played in only 20 NHL games in the early 1990s, and Bradley Aitken, who played just 14 NHL games -- the suit spells out a series of symptoms they reportedly continue to suffer even though their careers ended long ago. In Vaive’s case, the man who recorded 788 points in 876 games alleges he has suffered from “cephalgia, tinnitus, lightheadedness, depression, and memory loss.” But sports law expert Eric Macramalla said it’s not enough to prove that the players have suffered these conditions, they must prove in court that the league had information the players did not have about the dangers related to concussions and chose not to share that information with the players. Given the recent lawsuit filed by former NFL players and the subsequent settlement of that suit even though the NFL admitted no wrong-doing, it’s not surprising that a similar suit would be brought against the NHL. “This lawsuit is not a surprise. I suspect that the NHL is not surprised,” said Macramalla, an Ottawa-based partner at the national law firm Gowlings with a special interest in sports law. As with the NFL suit, the key “is the issue of concealment,” Macramalla said. The documentation supporting the suit covers a lot of ground, including the amount of money the NHL makes, the “culture of violence” the league purportedly embraces and that league officials should have known about the long-term effects of repeated blows to the head even before the NHL introduced its concussion protocols in the late 1990s. But suggesting that the NHL should have known about the physiological damage related to concussions sustained in a fast, violent game is different than knowing specifically about the long-term effects. Macramalla said the key to the case will be the ability to prove conclusively what information the NHL had, when it had such information and that such information was specifically kept from the players. “They have to find that evidence,” he said. “If they can’t find that evidence, the case will ultimately fail.” That means proving the league had “concrete, empirical evidence of the long-term neurological impacts of head shots and chose not to share them with the players,” the lawyer said. 727580 Websites

ESPN / There's no betting against Steven Stamkos

By Pierre LeBrun

It is still early to read too much into it. It's been only two weeks since Steven Stamkos broke his leg, and it'll just be two weeks Tuesday since he had surgery. But seeing him walking without crutches Monday certainly raised hopes both for Tampa Bay Lightning fans and for all Canadians with the Olympics in mind. "I can't believe that I'm able to walk without any boot or crutches less than two weeks later," Stamkos, who got out of a walking boot over the weekend, told reporters in Tampa in his first comments since the brutal injury. At the very least, considering the usual recovery of three to six months for a broken leg, it does appear the Tampa star will be on the shorter end of that time frame. "It's early, but our initial impression is that we're encouraged he'll be back on the shorter end of the recovery time period -- which is very broad -- but it looks initially that he'll be back on the sooner rather than later end of that three-to-six-months recovery period," Tampa GM Steve Yzerman told ESPN.com Monday. The team still has no official timeline for Stamkos. Yzerman also cautioned that it was early and that more would be known at some point in the next few weeks when X-rays would reveal how much the bone has healed. Because while it's great to see Stamkos putting weight on his leg and walking without crutches, the reality is he's also walking on that titanium rod that's been inserted and his bone still has to heal. If Stamkos is indeed ready to go only three months after his surgery, that's smack-dab into early to mid-February ... right before the Sochi Olympics. It's uncanny how it's all leading to that time frame. What a decision, on all fronts. Yzerman, who doubles as Team Canada head honcho, says it doesn't matter which GM hat he's wearing, the goal is the same. "It's one and the same: We want a healthy Stammer," Yzerman said. "And not just for this year, but for a long time to come. The No. 1 underlining factor is that we're going to make sure we do what's best for Steven's long- term health. He's 23 years old. He's got a long career ahead of him. We're not going to do anything that jeopardizes him. He's not coming back before he's 100 percent ready." In other words, there is no rushing him back. He'll be ready when he's completely ready. But the Olympics remain in play as a possibility. The betting money is that Team Canada would name him before the Dec. 31 roster deadline, then replace him before flying to Russia in early February if he's not ready to go. It still seems like a long shot for Stamkos to be ready in time, but who would bet against this guy? ESPN LOADED: 11.26.2013 727581 Websites

NBCSports.com / 10 former players sue NHL over concussions

Jason Brough Nov 25, 2013, 5:01 PM EST

Ten former National Hockey League players are claiming in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, seeks damages to be determined at trial. The players are also seeking court-approved medical monitoring for their brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers. The ex-hockey players claim that the NHL purposely concealed the risks of brain injuries faced by players, exposing them to unnecessary dangers. Today’s lawsuit comes mere months after the NFL settled a lawsuit brought by thousands of former players over brain injuries suffered during their playing careers. That settlement was worth $765 million. Per ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the 10 former players are Gary Leeman, Brad Aitken, Darren Banks, Curt Bennett, Richard Dunn, Warren Holmes, Bob Manno, Blair Stewart, Morris Titanic and Rick Vaive. For a PDF of the complaint, click here. “The NHL has been aware of and understood the significance of the published medical literature dating from as early as the 1920s that there is a serious risk of short-term and long-term brain injury associated with repetitive traumatic impacts to the head to which NHL players are exposed,” reads part of the complaint. “During that time, the NHL knowingly and fraudulently concealed from then- current NHL players and former NHL players the risks of head injuries in NHL games and practices, including but not limited to the risks associated with returning to physical activity too soon after sustaining a sub-concussive or concussive injury.” The NHL has taken issue with the notion that the dangers of concussions have been ignored by the league. “We have, on our own, a long history, going back to 1997, of taking concussions very seriously,” commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We spend a lot of time, money and effort working with the players’ association on player safety.” NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.26.2013 727582 Websites

USA TODAY / Blues grab top spot in NHL power rankings

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports 1:31 a.m. EST November 26, 2013

Just as during this season, the Western Conference is dominating the NHL power rankings. The top five got shuffled around from the vote two weeks ago, but all remained team from the West. The Boston Bruins (sixth) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (10th) were the only Eastern team to crack the top 10. The defensively stingy St. Louis Blues jumped from fourth place to first, picking up seven first-place votes in a vote that was taken on the morning of Nov. 25 by the 12-person panel. Alexander Steen, who scored twice on Monday night, has been providing the offense, good enough for second place among MVP candidates. He received five first-place votes and was two points behind leader Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, who led the Nov. 11 MVP vote, got no votes this time because a broken tibia will keep him out for at least three months. The goaltender (Boston's Tuukka Rask) and rookie (San Jose's Tomas Hertl) leaders remained the same while Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban broke his Nov. 11 tie with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson. USA TODAY LOADED: 11.26.2013 727583 Websites a continuing fraudulent action against the Plaintiffs and other former NHL players," the suit says. The suit also says the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy USA TODAY / Ex-NHLers sue league over concussions (CTE) has been found in former hockey players Reggie Fleming, Rick Martin, Bob Probert and Derek Boogaard after their deaths. All but Martin were enforcers. Gary Mihoces and Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 9:16 p.m. EST November 25, 2013 "Continuing to the present, the NHL has insisted that more data is needed before any scientifically proven link between repetitive traumatic head impact and later-in-life cognitive brain injury, including CTE and its related symptoms, can be established,'' says the suit. Ten former NHL players filed a federal class action suit Monday against the league, alleging it has failed to protect players and inform them of the The suit accuses the league of promoting violence, noting that NHL Films dangers of concussions and other head impacts – including those sustained has "created numerous highlight features that focus solely on the hardest in body checking and fights -- that can lead to brain impairment. hits." The legal action parallels concussion suits filed by more than 4,500 former It also said that NHL-sponsored video games include fighting and "vicious" NFL players against the NFL. A tentative $765 million settlement was body checks. reached in that litigation in August. "Video games also add virtual enforcers to their team rosters to ensure their The suit seeks unspecified damages and the establishment of a court- players will not be intimidated by the simulated violent acts of the supervised, NHL-funded medical monitoring system to diagnose and treat opposition." players, including a trust fund to monitor and treat them "as frequently as necessary." It alleged the league "nurtured a culture of violence." The suit cites films such as Slap Shot, which the suit says "reflect this NHL-inspired culture. The suit, which was filed in Washington, D.C., against the NHL and its board of governors, says scientific evidence has linked brain injuries to "The public statements of Don Cherry (hockey broadcaster) and the use of long-term neurological problems for decades. highlights on such sites as www.hockeyfights.com and his video series Don Cherry's Rock 'em, Sock 'em Hockey are further examples of this violence- "The NHL has known or should have known of this growing body of centered culture promoted by the NHL," the suit alleges. scientific evidence and its compelling conclusion that hockey players who sustain repetitive concussive events, sub-concussive events and/or brain Leeman, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, injuries are at significantly greater risk for chronic neuro-cognitive illness Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues from 1983 and disabilities both during their hockey careers and later in life," the suit through 1996. The suit says he sustained multiple concussions and sub- alleges. concussive impacts and now suffers from post traumatic head syndrome, headaches, memory loss and dizziness. Steven Silverman, attorney for the players, said, "The NHL still refuses to bar bareknuckle fighting or body-checking in spite of overwhelming The plaintiffs also include Curt Bennett, who played in the NHL from 1970 evidence that both practices result in debilitating head injuries. Instead, the to 1980 with the Blues, New York Rangers and Atlanta Flames. The suit NHL prefers to continue employing and glorifying 'enforcers,' players whose says he suffers from headaches, visual problems, ringing in the ears, light- primary role is to fight and violently body-check opposing players." headedness, memory loss, hearing loss and cognitive deficit. Gary Leeman is the most prominent name among the plaintiffs, who are Other players filing suit are Bradley Aitken, Darren Banks, Richard Dunn, from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Warren Holmes, Robert Manno, James Stewart, Morris Titanic and Rick Vaive. "While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the Players' Association "We were kept in the dark about the risks of concussions. … Hopefully, this have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head suit will shine a light on the problems and the players will get the help they injuries and concussions," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "We deserve," said Vaive, who played for four NHL teams from 1979-92 and intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this says he has headaches, ringing ears, lightheadedness, depression and time." memory loss. The NHLPA had no comment. USA TODAY LOADED: 11.26.2013 "I think we all saw this coming," said player agent Allan Walsh, who has been aggressively trying to raise awareness about the severity of the NHL concussion frequency. "The NHL commenced its concussions program 16 years ago and took no affirmative steps to protect players until 2011. All we ever heard from the NHL was 'more studies are needed' and 'we are the first sports league to have a working concussion study group.'" Walsh said he expects to see a "steady flow" of players seeking to join the class action litigation and similar lawsuits that will probably soon be filed in other jurisdictions. He said "alarm bells" for the issues have been sounding for years. "Take a look at the NHL players forced to end their careers early due to the lingering effects of concussions. Look at the players suffering from some form of permanent impaired brain function," Walsh said. "Were the risks ignored? Could the NHL have taken action to prevent needless harm to players? Did the NHL ignore the warning bells? Many people have opinions on these questions. One thing is clear. It's appropriate for these former players who have been suffering through these permanent debilitating injuries to present their case to a jury." The suit also alleges that the brain injuries can occur during legal body checking and also when players fight during games. "The NHL's continued refusal to ban fighting and body checking, especially given the medical evidence regarding the high correlation between the rotational acceleration (impacts on the brain) present in such contacts … is 727584 Websites factor and rate of progression of CTE have not been established. NHL and NHLPA doctors agree CTE exists, but like others, they say there are many unanswered questions – including what causes pathological changes in the YAHOO SPORTS / Into the unknown: Lawsuit launches NHL into legal brain and how those changes are related to clinical symptoms. arena over concussions “They keep going to the cause-and-effect relationship which hasn’t been supported at this point in time,” said Ruben Echemendia, the NHL’s neuropsychological consultant, in 2011. “It may be in the future, but at this By Nicholas J. Cotsonika 5 hours ago Yahoo Sports point, it’s not. We don’t know what causes CTE. Nobody knows what causes CTE at this point in time.” “If you look at all the people who have cognitive problems late in life and Dryden wrote about how we think back on the past and wonder why we have dementia, have Alzheimer's, there's not an epidemic of ex-athletes in could have been so wrong. He went from slavery to smoking to sports. Why that population,” said Jeffrey Kutcher, a leading sports neurologist and an did football and hockey players go so long without helmets? Why did NHLPA consultant, in 2011. “There's a suggestion here and there that hockey goalies go so long without masks? He wondered what people would some populations of athletes have a higher risk of things like Alzheimer's, think in 50 years about how we have handled head injuries. but it's not obvious and it's not a dramatic thing. So somewhere in there lies the truth, and to get to that truth, you need to do research – hard, “Knowing what they know then, some hints of which we know now, these complicated, long research.” people of the future will wonder, ‘What could they have been thinking? Why didn’t they do more?’ ” Dryden said. [Also: NHL responds to lawsuit, 'completely satisfied' with safety record] Well, forget 50 years. The future came Monday, when a class-action lawsuit The suit points out that the NHL didn’t begin its concussion program until was filed against the NHL alleging the league knew or should have known 1997. But in 1997 the NHL became the first league to introduce baseline the dangers of brain trauma, promoted and profited from on-ice violence, neuropsychological tests and use them as part of return-to-play protocol. did too little too late to address the problem, and caused harm to former players. “We didn’t know what to do with them really to start, because there hadn’t been a lot of research,” said Jamie Kissick, head team physician of the The suit lists 10 former NHL players as plaintiffs, some of whom barely Ottawa Senators from 1992 to 2002, in 2010. “But in a way, it was kind of played in the league, all of whom are suffering from problems that could be pioneering. The NHL does get slammed a lot for sometimes the reactions to related to brain trauma. But it seeks to represent all former NHL players head hits and that sort of thing. But from the standpoint of looking at who retired on or before Feb. 14, 2013, and suffered brain trauma in the concussions, they were in there pretty early.” league. It seeks medical care and “the full measure of damages allowed under applicable law.” The suit says the NHL “did nothing to protect its players from harm until 2010 – 13 years after the concussion program started,” when it made a rule It was inevitable, after the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to former players against checks to the head. But concussions didn’t become a major issue in to settle a lawsuit. Keith Primeau, whose all-star career ended because of sports until relatively recently, and the rule came before the NFL cracked concussions, said in an email Monday that he had been approached about down on hits to the head. The rule has evolved along with several other suing the NHL, though not by this group. It was just a matter of who would initiatives, most notably the department of player safety, which monitors sue and when, and now it is a matter of how big this blows up. every minute of every game, suspends players and releases video explanations for transparency and education. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, both accomplished lawyers, have been well aware of this possibility and no Some other allegations seem far-fetched – like the NHL making rule doubt have been preparing. changes in 2005 to speed up the game “despite knowing that it would result in more concussions.” Did the league really know that? Should it really have In a statement, Daly said the NHL was “completely satisfied with the anticipated that? Did anyone even mention the possibility at the time, let responsible manner” in which the league and the NHL Players’ Association alone protest? The union? Individual players? had managed player safety – notably mentioning the players’ union, which has had a say in rules and procedures at least in recent years. The suit says the NHL persists in “refusing to ban fighting and bodychecking.” Fighting is at least a major penalty, and bodychecking is a “We intend to defend the case vigorously,” Daly said. part of high-level hockey everywhere. Is the NHL liable if it allows any If the case goes to court, the plaintiffs’ lawyers will have to prove two main hitting at all? things: That brain trauma suffered in the NHL specifically caused the Other allegations make more sense – like the NHL not doing more to curb problems that former players are experiencing, and that the NHL knew the fighting. How can the NHL not stiffen penalties for fighting, especially amid risks and didn’t do enough to inform and protect the players. this climate? Is it enough to say fighters are willing combatants? Why do the This could be the NHL’s defense: Doctors are still learning about the short- players continue to support fighting through their union when they know the and long-term effects of brain trauma. Can anyone link brain trauma potential consequences better than ever before? With all the information suffered in the NHL directly to former players’ problems? How could the available, at what point are the players giving their informed consent? league conceal the risks for years when it still doesn’t know them Hindsight is 20/20, and the suit makes these issues seem simple – like definitively now? How could the league have dragged its feet when it has there has been a clear-eyed consensus for decades when there is still a been out front on the issue relative to other pro sports leagues? And if the raging complicated debate today. We wonder why it took so long for risks were so obvious, why don’t the players bear responsibility for helmets and masks, but it did. We know only “some hints” of what we will themselves, especially when they have had influence through their union? know about brain trauma in the future, as Dryden wrote, but the game and The suit states as fact that “both repeated concussions and sub- the science have evolved and continue to evolve. concussions cause permanent brain damage.” It cites studies conducted as Has the NHL evolved fast enough? It isn’t just a philosophical or even a long ago as the 1920s. But even the most current research, including the practical question anymore. It’s a legal one. landmark work at Boston University on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is preliminary. BU has done a series of case studies with biased samples; it YAHOO.COM LOADED: 11.26.2013 has not done incidence-of-prevalence studies. BU agrees that the risk