• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/4/2013

Anaheim Ducks 724704 Michael Arace commentary: Getting All-Star Game is big win 724673 Up next for Ducks: Monday at New York Rangers for Jackets, city 724705 Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 0: Columbus offense stifled 724674 Getzlaf rebounds, but power play lags 724706 Blue Jackets notebook: Sergei Bobrovsky sits a night after 724675 Ducks reach end of road in New York being pulled from game Boston Bruins 724707 Blue Jackets box score 724676 Bruins’ Campbell struggling to produce points 724708 2015 even better time to host All-Star Game, Jackets 724677 Tyler Seguin struggles on faceoffs in 4-3 shootout win president says 724709 Blue Jackets: Head hits on way out, NHL commissioner says 724678 Eriksson back on the ice 724679 Bad side of Bruins on display in ugly loss Buffalo Sabres 724680 Kaleta clears waivers 724681 Kaleta clears waivers, assigned to Amerks 724682 Patrick Kaleta joining Rochester Amerks Calgary Flames 724683 Reto Berra starting in net vs. Chicago Blackhawks 724684 Swiss goalie Berra shines in debut, leading Flames to victory over defending Stanley Cup champs 724685 Live: Flames vs. Hawks 724686 Calgary Flames' Reto Berra steals show in win over Blackhawks 724687 Monahan and Toews have serious similarities in temperament … Don’t expect MacDonald back soon … Baertschi figh Carolina Hurricanes 724688 Carolina Hurricanes losing games, losing confidence Chicago Blackhawks 724689 Stanley Cup champs look forward to White House trip 724690 Rookie goalie stymies Blackhawks 724691 Back for 2nd: Blackhawks return to White House 724692 Blackhawks rally late but lose 3-2 to Calgary in OT 724693 New goalie too hot for Blackhawks 724694 Blackhawks flame out in overtime 724695 Hawks' Crawford gets back-to-back starts 724696 Five things: Hawks' offense starting to roll 724697 Blackhawks' White House coverage provided by CSN 724698 Konroyd's keys to Blackhawks-Flames 724699 Another quick turnaround for Blackhawks 724700 Blackhawks force overtime, can't finish comeback in loss to Flames 724701 Hawks' Bollig opts to add more dimension to his game Colorado Avalanche 724702 Frei: Young Avalanche players fully aware of team's storied past 724703 Posted November 3, 2013, 9:20 pm MT Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars 724710 Valeri Nichushkin (finally) breaks through in Dallas Stars' shootout victory over Ottawa Senators 724711 Dallas Stars summary: Valeri Nichushkin nets first NHL goal in 4-3 win against Ottawa Senators 724712 Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson taken off ice on stretcher after collision with Dallas Stars' Valeri Nic 724713 Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff calls out Tyler Seguin; wants center to 'get mad' 724714 Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar receives warm welcome in Ottawa, believes team is improving 724715 Jamie Benn lifts Dallas Stars past Ottawa Senators with shootout goal; Craig Anderson leaves on stretcher Detroit Red Wings 724716 Red Wings' Adam Almqvist called up for injured Brendan Smith 724717 Red Wings recall defenseman Adam Almquist 724718 Wings promote defenseman Adam Almquist from Grand Rapids 724719 Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith out 1-2 weeks with shoulder injury; Adam Almquist recalled 724720 Red Wings' Darren Helm will return to dangerous form in time, Mike Babcock, teammates say 724721 Darren Helm excited about Winnipeg homecoming as Red Wings seek Western Canada sweep 724722 Red Wings finally get healthy Darren Helm back in the lineup Edmonton Oilers 724723 Ex-Edmonton Oilers head coach says he doesn’t find pleasure in team’s woes 724724 It’s going to get ‘really uncomfortable’ for ‘disconnected’ Oilers 724725 This ‘n’ that: Edmonton Oilers will hotly pursue Jonas Hiller as free agent if Devan Dubnyk doesn’t work out i 724726 Edmonton Oilers: 'Sick of what's going on' Florida Panthers 724727 SHOOTOUT WOES CONTINUE: Panthers Still Bad in the Shooting Exhibition 724728 Shootouts still a curse for Florida Panthers 724729 Despite shootout loss, Dineen appreciates team effort Los Angeles Kings 724730 Schedule break comes at good time for Kings' injured players 724731 Toffoli shakes off high sticks in fine performance 724732 November 3 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter 724733 Updates on Stoll, Carter 724734 Waking up with the Kings: November 3 Minnesota Wild 724767 Crushed Ice: Ryan McDonagh has three-game point streak, 724735 Coyle sidelined again Jesper Fast sprains ankle in AHL, notes from 5-1 Range 724768 Tough schedule has contributed to Rangers’ start 724736 Postgame: PK comes up large, and other thoughts after Wild's shutout over Devils 724769 Rangers finally are clicking on all cylinders 724737 Wild-New Jersey game recap 724770 Rangers have turned their season around since 6-0 loss in 724738 Josh Harding stops 19 shots as Wild beat Devils 4-0 for fifth Anaheim win in six games 724771 Rangers-Hurricanes in review 724739 Wild shuts out New Jersey 724772 Mighty Ducks at Rangers tonight (7:30 p.m.) … pre-game 724740 Wild's Nate Prosser impresses coach notes 724741 Wild: Carson McMillan called up from Iowa to fill forward slot NHL 724742 Wild: Charlie Coyle aggravates knee injury, won't play 724773 Arrest of the Avalanche’s Goalie Casts a Shadow on a tonight Promising Season 724743 Minnesota Wild's Torrey Mitchell gets first goal in first trip with first line 724744 Wild 4, Devils 0: Minnesota cruises behind Harding shutout 724745 Ex-Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky downplays return to St. Paul Montreal Canadiens 724746 Stubbs: Half-century of history in prized Habs jacket 724747 Galchenyuk to play centre against Blues Tuesday 724748 Jack Todd: Therrien partly to blame for Subban’s detractors 724749 Halak up next for Habs Nashville Predators 724750 Nashville Predators off to good start on long road trip New Jersey Devils 724751 Harding’s Shutout Gives the Wild a Win Over Devils 724752 Former Devils captain Zach Parise: I'm happy with decision to sign with Wild 724753 Devils recall Jon Merrill from Albany (AHL); Cory Schneider activated 724754 Devils will dress seven D in warmup; Jon Merrill could make NHL debut 724755 Devils' Cory Schneider hopes early flight to Minnesota will give him an edge 724756 Devils' Peter Harrold will be out 'for a while' with injured elbow 724757 Devils shut out by Wild, 4-0, as Jon Merrill's NHL debut cut short after taking shot to face 724758 Devils' scoreless drought reaches seven straight periods 724759 Devils lose both ends of back-to-backs, along with rookie Jon Merrill 724760 Devils vs. Wild: Live game analysis and fan discussion 724761 Devils: Jon Merrill will make NHL debut; Anton Volchenkov hurt 724762 Devils notes: Jon Merrill injured in debut 724763 Devils blanked again, fall to Wild, 4-0 724764 Devils shut out in Wild loss New York Islanders 724765 Kyle Okposo off to a much better start this season New York Rangers 724766 NY Rangers looking for a little payback as Ducks visit Madison Square Garden Ottawa Senators 724807 Leafs GM Nonis talks keys facing the team 724774 Ottawa Senators goalie Anderson OK after leaving on Vancouver Canucks stretcher 724814 Bieksa believes there’s a place in the game for fighting to 724775 Gameday preview: Senators vs. Stars curb cheap shots 724776 Senators bounce back, fall short 724815 The compete. The dangle. The shot. The goal. 724777 Scanlan: Sens lose in shootout but get points for being 724816 Willes: Things looking much better now for Gillis pesky 724817 Canucks’ second line starting to jell 724778 Ottawa Senators No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson out with a neck injury 724818 Kuzma: Fighting has a key role to play in NHL games — it 724779 Ottawa Senators make a few changes as they prepare for lets the players police themselves Dallas Stars 724819 The Attempted Assassination of Henrik Sedin By The 724780 The Senators this week Coward Joffery Lupul 724820 Secondary scoring crucial to Canucks’ Cup dreams 724781 Sens star Bobby Ryan feeling a little shootout déjà vu 724821 Leafs look to put ‘worst game of the year’ behind them 724782 Ottawa-native Mark Borowiecki owes Ottawa Sens star Bobby Ryan a beer 724783 Ottawa Sens forward Kyle Turris sitting pretty on the point Philadelphia Flyers 724784 Flyers aren't apologizing for brawl with Caps 724785 Flyers goalie Ray Emery's brawl spurring NHL rule change? 724786 Flyers will take wins any way they can 724787 Gill's veteran presence appears helpful 724788 McCaffery: Flyers' resilient response a potential defining moment 724789 Flyers Storylines: More division games coming 724790 Emery's actions vs. Capitals were inexcusable 724791 Flyers may stick with new defense pairings Phoenix Coyotes 724792 Goal miner: Phoenix Coyotes’ Mike Smith looks to stake claims on Stanley Cup, Olympic gold 724793 NHL Insider: Buffalo Sabres waive Patrick Kaleta after suspension Pittsburgh Penguins 724794 Penguins center Malkin's sluggish start tied to lack of fit with wingers 724795 Fleury’s early season play with Penguins may sway Team Canada St Louis Blues 724796 Shattenkirk rounding into form after slow start 724797 Former Blues goalie gets a win against his old team Tampa Bay Lightning 724798 Blues still big fans of Bishop 724799 Lightning "not satisfied" with strong start 724800 Bolts notes: Connolly finally gets his reward 724801 Hot-starting Lightning gaining confidence Toronto Maple Leafs 724802 Leafs look to put ‘worst game of the year’ behind them 724803 Maple Leafs: Penthouse/doghouse 724804 Maple Leafs' Kadri has chance to shine as go-to guy 724805 Maple Leafs' McClement moving on up? 724806 Maple Leafs' warts need addressing Washington Capitals 724808 John Carlson finally scores Websites 724822 ESPN / Emery escapes discipline for pummelfest 724823 ESPN / Wait, what? Lightning are rocking the East? 724824 FOXSports.com /Prohaska's overhaul at Mater Dei equals positive results 724825 NBCSports.com / Flyers’ Downie out of hospital 724826 NBCSports.com / Sens goalie Anderson stretchered off in overtime (Update: It’s a stiff neck) 724827 NBCSports.com / Bettman on Emery fight: ‘I don’t think anybody liked it, liked what it looked like’ 724828 NBCSports.com / Flames rookie goalie to make first NHL start against Chicago 724829 NBCSports.com / Kaleta clears waivers, next stop: Rochester 724830 NBCSports.com / Devils moves: Schneider off IR, Harrold on it; Merrill called up 724831 NBCSports.com / Elias: Zatkoff first Pens goalie to record a shutout in first NHL win 724832 NBCSports.com / Kings’ Stoll left Saturday’s game with unspecified injury 724833 NBCSports.com / Eakins: ‘If you play scared in this league, you’re going to get killed’ 724834 NBCSports.com / Vigneault calls Murphy hit on Dorsett ‘very, very dangerous’ 724835 USA TODAY / Blackhawks are still the team to beat in the NHL 724836 USA TODAY / Panthers’ Krys Barch pulls out own tooth, throws it to fan 724837 USA TODAY / Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen might’ve made the NHL’s save of the year Winnipeg Jets 724809 Jets make moves on defence 724810 Welcome to the NHL, kid 724811 Hawks take candy from Jets 724812 Ellerby set to make Jets debut 724813 Maybe the best defence really is a good offence for Jets SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 724673 Anaheim Ducks

Up next for Ducks: Monday at New York Rangers

By Lance Pugmire 4:57 PM PST, November 3, 2013

Ducks tonight AT NEW YORK RANGERS When: 4:30 PST. Where: Madison Square Garden. On the air: TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: 830. Record vs. Rangers: 1-0. Update: Corey Perry and Emerson Etem each scored two goals and Sami Vatanen scored the first goal by a Ducks defenseman in the team's 6-3 victory at Buffalo on Saturday. Now they have a chance to cap their 15-day, eight-game trip with a 5-2-1 record if they can beat the Rangers, who lost to the Ducks, 6-0, at Honda Center on Oct. 10 but have won three games in a row. The Ducks return home Wednesday against Phoenix. LA Times: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724674 Anaheim Ducks

Getzlaf rebounds, but power play lags

By ERIC STEPHENS / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The Ducks sometimes display their maddening side. The one in which they play to the level of their opponent. That's a virtue when the opponent is the Detroit Red Wings or San Jose Sharks. It isn't so much when they’re dealing with a bottom feeder, which they are most certainly above. So with the end of the Ducks’ trip in sight at a renovated Madison Square Garden, their game Saturday night against NHL-worst Buffalo set up as a classic trap. And for an undistinguished first period, it looked that way. Then the Ducks got down to business with three goals in the second period and three more in the third. And the result was what it should be, a breezy 6-3 win over the Sabres. “I think we got a little mad,” Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We didn’t play very good in the first period and then they scored the first goal. I think it was really important for us to lift our spirits by getting Getzy (Ryan Getzlaf), being the leader that he is, coming right back and scoring the goal. “I think that deflated them a little bit. And we scored another one right after.” The big center is back in tune with three goals and four assists in the past five games after being blanked in losses to Toronto and Montreal to open their eight-game, 15-day sojourn. His goal off a nice feed from Dustin Penner started a night in which the Ducks were able to put plays together in the offensive zone and finish them, something they've had trouble doing despite averaging 3.27 goals per game. Emerson Etem scored twice, once on a rebound created by Mathieu Perreault and the other on a feed from Perreault down low. Now if they can only do something about their awful special teams. “It was good,” Getzlaf said. “If ever we can get this power play going, we’ll be an elite team in this league. We just got to keep working, keep doing the right things. We scored a lot of goals tonight and our goaltender (Jonas Hiller) played well.” TRADING PLACES The Ducks swapped out centers on Sunday, recalling Rickard Rakell from Norfolk of the American Hockey League and returning Peter Holland to the Admirals. Rakell will make his season debut tonight when the Ducks face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in the final game of their season- long trip. Rakell, 20, has four goals and two assists in 11 games with Norfolk. He played in four games with the Ducks last season. Holland scored a goal last week against Columbus for his lone point in four games with the Ducks. He appeared in Saturday's game against Buffalo, logging 9:14 of ice time and winning four of 11 faceoffs. The Ducks also called back defenseman Luca Sbisa from his conditioning loan to Norfolk. Sbisa is coming back from a badly sprained ankle and had two assists in two games with the Admirals this weekend. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724675 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks reach end of road in New York

Posted: 11/03/13, 8:49 PM PST | Elliott Teaford

DUCKS vs. N.Y. RANGERS Faceoff: 4:30 p.m., today, Madison Square Garden TV/Radio: NBCSN, KLAA 830-AM Update: The Ducks (11-3-1) finally reach the end of the road, facing the Rangers in the final game on their eight-game, 15-day trek around North America. A victory tonight would give the Ducks a 5-2-1 mark on their longest trip of the season. They have recorded points in five games in a row since consecutive losses to Toronto and Montreal to start the trip. Long Beach’s Emerson Etem had his first two-goal game in the NHL during the Ducks’ 6-3 victory Saturday over the Buffalo Sabres. Corey Perry also scored twice, boosting his team-leading total to eight goals. The Ducks thumped the Rangers 6-0 in their home-opening game Oct. 10 at the Honda Center. The Rangers (6-7-0) are coming off a 5-1 victory Saturday over the Carolina Hurricanes, their third consecutive win. Derek Stepan had a hat trick for the Rangers for his first three goals of the season and goalie Henrik Lundqvist had 27 saves. LA Daily News: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724676 Boston Bruins usual off-ice conditioning in the summer, something that Campbell takes pride in. “In a perfect world, I would have liked to be on the ice a lot earlier,” said Bruins’ Campbell struggling to produce points Campbell, who didn’t hit the ice until late August. “A big part of our game, a big part of my game, is skating and really getting in there and disrupting the other team.” By Amalie Benjamin While Campbell averaged 13:26, 12:47 , and 13:42 in his three previous November 04, 2013 seasons in Boston, that average is down to 11:41 this season. Campbell played just 9:44 against the Islanders on Saturday. Paille and Thornton played even fewer minutes. UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Part of what makes the Bruins good — what makes “I don’t think anyone has higher expectations of ourselves than we do,” the Bruins, the Bruins — is their ability to roll four lines. It aids their Campbell said of the Merlot line. “There’s been times over the last three production, their energy, their ability to not rely so much on minutes and years where we’ve chipped in in many different ways, so that’s the points from their top lines. expectation of us and that’s what we have on ourselves. But that hasn’t been the case this season. Though Daniel Paille and Shawn “It’s probably going to take a little bit more work and a little bit more effort Thornton scored in consecutive games in mid-October, that has been the for us to score like some other lines do. But having said that, there’s things extent of the fourth line’s production this season. The line has produced that we do consistently — hem teams in their zone and be relentless on the exactly 3 points in 13 games — 2 from Paille, 1 from Thornton, and none forecheck and be a really hard, solid line to play against. from Gregory Campbell. “I know the coaching staff relies on us to sometimes change the momentum So as the Bruins struggle as a team with energy and effort levels that don’t of a game. If we’re a little bit flat, it’s our job to go out there and provide match their expectations — or the expectations of coach Claude Julien — some energy. Campbell has struggled with his inability to return to the level that he believes his team needs from him. “Claude’s given us a lot of opportunity and I think the onus is on us to return that favor for our team, for the success of our team.” “I’m not satisfied,” Campbell said before the Bruins played what Julien called “probably the worst” game of the season against the Islanders on Boston Globe LOADED: 11.04.2013 Saturday night. “I have high standards for myself. I want to contribute every night to this team.” He added, “It is early, but at the same time I expect more of myself to help the team and to help my line. Lines are successful when you have all three guys going. I want to be a leader on that line, help those other two out.” Of course, there’s a reason he hasn’t done that yet this season. Campbell spent the summer recovering from the broken leg he famously sustained in the Eastern Conference finals against the Penguins. He had surgery, and had to get used to the plate and screws inserted into his leg to stabilize the area. That hasn’t been easy for him, and it’s showed in his skating. “I’ve tried not to look back at the injury and use it as an excuse — I’m never going to use it as an excuse,” Campbell said. “I’m going to focus on what I need to do to be better and try to get my body where I want it to be and up to the speed of the game here. So I’ll keep working until I reach that point.” Campbell has continued to feel the injury, something he admitted in early September was a possibility. Because of that, he continues to use padding in his skate that he said Saturday is unlikely to come out any time soon. “It’s hard for me to talk about because I do feel it, but it’s not something that’s really affecting me,” he said. “It’s just the getting back to where I was. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m going to feel it. It’s a broken bone and there’s a foreign object in my body.” Julien expressed frustration Saturday at some players on his club whom he believes aren’t putting in enough effort, aren’t competing hard enough, aren’t playing with confidence. But Campbell isn’t among those, despite results that are not what he or the club want. That’s partially because there’s a blueprint. Chris Kelly broke his leg in March, and struggled to get back to his customary play. In fact, he didn’t play up to his level until well into the playoffs, months after the injury. “It’s the fact that he’s coming off a broken leg,” Julien said of Campbell. “I think when you look at Kelly last year, it took him a while to get going. [Campbell] suffered a pretty big break in his leg and didn’t skate all summer, so you know it’s going to be a bit of a challenge for him right now to find his rhythm and his speed again. “So you’ve got to be patient, you’ve got to give him time and you let him work through it.” The injury is most notable in Campbell’s skating, something that’s key to the work that his line puts in. His speed — never overwhelming, but integral to his game — is not where it was or should be. He was not able to do his 724677 Boston Bruins

Tyler Seguin struggles on faceoffs in 4-3 shootout win

Posted by Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff November 3, 2013 04:46 PM

OTTAWA – Tyler Seguin is a full-time center for the first time in the NHL. In Dallas’s 4-3 shootout win over the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday, Seguin proved he has much to learn. Seguin went 1 for 14 on faceoffs. Seguin struggled so much that coach Lindy Ruff pulled the ex-Bruin off draw duties in the third period and overtime. “It’s tough to go 0 and 13,” said the Dallas coach. “The compete on that has to be a lot stronger. Scratch your nose on the ice if you have to.” Seguin assisted on Ray Whitney’s game-opening goal. Seguin shot wide in the shootout. Seguin, Dallas’s No. 1 center, had zero shots in 20:22 of ice time. Seguin played mostly against Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen. “It just wasn’t good,” Seguin said of his faceoff work. “It’s going to come with time. This is my first year at this position in the NHL. It can only get better.” On Tuesday at TD Garden, Seguin will play against his former team for the first time since the July 4 trade. Boston Globe LOADED: 11.04.2013 724678 Boston Bruins speed back is by playing. You do the best you can with the situation and allow them the opportunity to find their game.” . . . For those who claim fighting has little influence on the outcome of games, Eriksson back on the ice consider: The B’s are 46-23-3 since the 2011-12 season in games in which they had at least one fighting major. . . .

Sunday, November 3, 2013 The Bruins get a day off today. They then practice tomorrow to prep for the visit Tuesday by the Stars. That, of course, is the homecoming of Tyler Stephen Harris Seguin, who, in his new role as a No. 1 center, is off to a good start (as long as you don’t look at faceoffs). Seguin has 6-8-14 totals in 13 games, but just a 39.7 percent success rate on draws. . . . UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Winger Loui Eriksson missed his fifth game because The Dallas match opens a five-game homestand for the Bruins, their of a concussion last night vs. the Islanders, but did hit the ice with the team longest of the season. At its end, the B’s will have played 12 home games during the morning skate — a key step toward returning to the lineup. and six on the road. That’s not an ideal balance, which must be paid off down the road. “First time skating with the team, no contact,” said B’s coach Claude Julien, before his club’s very weak 3-1 loss to the Islanders. “We’re just going step Curious trade by step. That’s basically where he is right now. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed that he keeps going forward. The typical reaction to the Islanders’ trade this week of forward Matt Moulson, plus a first- and second-round pick, to Buffalo for Thomas Vanek? “It’s always encouraging, because you never know with concussions how Would astonishment be too strong a word? Derisive laughter? long they can last. We’ve seen different types, some where they last for a long time — some where (the player) never comes back. To see him out The Islanders have made some historically poor trades over the years, but there, continuing to progress, is encouraging for us. But we’re not out of the their latest will probably rank among the worst. Now, a straight-up swap of woods until he’s cleared to play.” Moulson and Vanek, both headed for free agency in July, would have been a fairly equitable deal — two popular 29-year-olds of comparable age and If Eriksson was given the green light for contact tomorrow, a return Tuesday recent production (Moulson 112 goals the past four seasons, Vanek 106.) against his ex-team, the Dallas Stars, could be possible. But to include the two draft choices — pretty high picks (in a good draft) if Boychuk out the Isles miss the playoffs again — seems foolish. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk remained in Boston with what’s believed to “It’s (the media’s) job to critique trades more than me,” said Lucic. “I guess be a fairly minor ankle injury. Without him, the young defensemen — with all the picks they’re getting Buffalo is a team to watch for the future. especially Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton — struggled. But this was a The Islanders feel they’re trying to build something now. It was a bit of a team-wide mess. strange trade. But with draft picks, you never know. You can bring out a long list of high picks who didn’t work out.” “Our passes weren’t on, we didn’t move our feet, we just couldn’t come out clean and they came right back at us,” said Bruin Dennis Seidenberg. “They Boston Herald LOADED: 11.04.2013 just wanted it more. This is very disappointing. We told ourselves to be ready. We knew they’d played (Friday) night, so it was up to us to get up for the start of the game and play the way we’re supposed to — getting pucks deep and making them skate. But it was the other way around.” Matt Bartkowski, whom Julien said could be a top-four defenseman on many teams, took Boychuk’s spot. “I’m excited to get back in,” Bartkowski said before the game. “It’s unfortunate that I’m getting back in on an injury. But those things happen. So I just (stay in) condition, skate and do all of that to stay ready.” . . . Rookie center Ryan Spooner, who looked good in his season debut vs. the Ducks Thursday, remained in the B’s lineup and assisted on the lone goal. Jordan Caron, who turned 23 yesterday, celebrated with a tough after- practice skate under the direction of assistant coach Doug Houda and then took a seat in the press box for the game. . . . Backup goalie Chad Johnson got his second start of the season, faced 34 shots — including several on 2-on-1s or near breakaways — and performed well. . . . The top Bruins line of David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla line had piled up 8-15-23 totals in its previous six games, but came up empty last night. . . . Several Bruins are in mini-scoring droughts: Gregory Campbell has no points in 13 games, Reilly Smith is scoreless in five, Chris Kelly has just an assist in six, and Brad Marchand has a helper in five. Julien patient Julien talked about Campbell’s return from his broken leg, and about Carl Soderberg’s ankle injury in training camp. “Well, it’s just the fact that (Campbell) is coming off a broken leg,” said the coach. “He suffered a pretty big break in his leg last year and didn’t skate all summer. You know it’s going to be a bit of a challenge to find his rhythm and speed again. You’ve got to be patient, give him time and let him work through it. “It’s the same thing with Carl Soderberg. An ankle injury is a tough thing to come back from. I don’t think Carl is skating as well as he did in camp. That ankle injury kind of set him back a bit. The only way they’ll get their game 724679 Boston Bruins ready for games. I think it’s just about making sure we do have good starts, making sure we execute the game plan right away instead of waiting. Strong starts are something we’ve been thriving on for years — stepping on Bad side of Bruins on display in ugly loss other teams’ throats right away and keeping the pressure on. When we do that, we’re effective.” Forward Chris Kelly also expressed optimism the Bruins’ problems will be Monday, November 4, 2013 corrected quickly. Stephen Harris “I’m not concerned,” Kelly said. “It’s frustrating when you know the group in here and you know how we can play. When, for whatever reason, we don’t play that way, it’s frustrating. But this group in here will rectify it.” More than once in recent seasons, Bruins coach Claude Julien has referred True. But it sure would be less frustrating for this team if it could just avoid to the Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde quality of his team — a collection of players slipping into that Mr. Hyde persona. capable of so many good things, but equally prone to being really bad. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.04.2013 The Bruins were at their worst Saturday night against the New York Islanders in a game that, let’s be real here, they could have and should have won. They didn’t come close, as they were outworked and outplayed just about from start to finish in New York’s 3-1 victory. It was the B’s third loss in their last four games, and Julien said afterward that his team hasn’t played a genuinely good game in two weeks. The difference in the competition Saturday seemed entirely too obvious: On the one hand, there was a young, hungry Isles club playing with urgency and intensity to prove itself against one of the NHL’s preeminent teams. And on the other hand, there were the Bruins, buying into the notion of their presumed superiority — and maybe figuring they were guaranteed two points simply by stepping onto the choppy ice at the decrepit Nassau Coliseum. “I hope that’s not it, but I don’t know,” Bruins winger Shawn Thornton said after the game. “All I know is that in a few games of late, we haven’t had everyone going. We can’t have that. We’re a good team when we have everyone going and everyone contributing.” But Saturday, the Bruins had just about no one going. The B’s were a step behind the Isles all night, and seemed unable to execute a clean breakout, complete a pass or generate the forechecking pressure that’s key to their game plan. The Bruins no doubt could have used a practice yesterday, but had a day off per new CBA rules. They return to action tomorrow night against Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars, and will try to erase the bad memories of Long Island. “Very disappointing,” Thornton said. “We haven’t been consistent enough, for whatever reason. This was a missed opportunity to come out and take charge of this game. There’s no excuse for the way we played. We should have been better.” The Islanders had played Friday night in Ottawa. That should have afforded the rested B’s a significant physical edge. But it looked like the Isles were the fresh team, and the B’s road-weary. “I’m sure they got in late coming from Ottawa,” Thornton said. “As we know — we’ve done it many times — I’m sure they got in very late. But we didn’t take advantage of the situation.” Julien had pointed criticism of his players after the game, noting that some key guys haven’t played well all season. He may well have been thinking about winger Brad Marchand, whom he singled out for failing to back up the play when defenseman Dougie Hamilton skated deep on the attack and got caught. Marchand (1-3-4 in 13 games) was a step behind as the Isles’ Thomas Vanek scored on the ensuing 2-on-1 break. “It’s about everyone knowing what the system is and executing it,” center Patrice Bergeron said. “We didn’t do that (Saturday). At times we weren’t moving the puck fast enough and they were on us pretty quick. We knew they were going to come hard on the forecheck. Other times we were too aggressive and we were getting caught. That’s not just D-men, but also forwards not covering for defensemen helping out on the attack. I don’t know why this is happening, but we have to correct it. We know the Islanders are a good team. But it doesn’t matter who we’re facing right now if we were playing like this.” Bergeron, who has seen the B’s go through comparable funks before and eventually get back on track, is confident it will happen again soon. “I’m not concerned about that,” he said. “I think we have enough character in this room to get out of this. We’re professionals. We know how to get 724680 Buffalo Sabres

Kaleta clears waivers

November 3, 2013 - 12:30 PM by Amy Moritz

Patrick Kaleta has cleared waivers allowing the Buffalo Sabres to assign him to Rochester, according to a report from TSN's Bob McKenzie. Kaleta was placed on waivers at noon on Friday as the forward had come off his 10-game suspension for a hit to the head of Columbus' Jack Johnson on Oct. 10. It was his fourth suspension since 2009 and his repeat offender status played into the lengthy suspension. John Vogl reported in today's Buffalo News that the Sabres tried to trade Kaleta but had no takers. Check out Bucky Gleason's take on why waiving Kaleta sent the wrong message to the younger players on the Sabres. The Sabres were off today after last night's 6-3 loss to Anaheim. They fly to California on Monday for a three-game West Coast road trip. (San Jose on Tuesday. Los Angeles on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday). The Rochester Americans next play on Wednesday, hosting the Hamilton Bulldogs at Blue Cross Arena. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724681 Buffalo Sabres

Kaleta clears waivers, assigned to Amerks

By Amy Moritz on November 3, 2013 - 6:57 PM updated November 3, 2013 at 11:53 PM

The next chapter in Patrick Kaleta’s professional hockey career will take him to Rochester. The eight-year veteran with the Buffalo Sabres cleared waivers Sunday. With no team picking up the forward, the Sabres assigned him to the Americans of the American Hockey League. The demotion came wrapped in language stating that the Sabres organization wanted Kaleta to work on adjusting his game after serving his fourth suspension since 2009. “We’d love to have him in our organization,” coach Ron Rolston said after the Sabres lost, 6-3, to Anaheim on Saturday. In the meantime, he will stay in the organization with Rochester, which next plays Wednesday at home against the Hamilton Bulldogs at Blue Cross Arena. Kaleta, 27, is in the second season of a three-year deal that pays $1.25 million per season regardless of where he plays. For the Sabres veterans, it’s a reminder of the business side of the game and the need to find a way to create better results. “It’s tough. He’s another guy that’s been here with me seven years,” said Sabres forward Drew Stafford. “He’s a loyal soldier. Just a heck of a teammate. Heck of a guy. Puts his body on the line. It’s unfortunate circumstances. “It’s just the reality of the situation. It’s unfortunate because it seems like he has a target on his back and he doesn’t have any slack whatsoever. The league has him on an extremely short leash. One little mistake like that cost him again and unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of another suspension. “Like I said, it’s just the reality of the situation and the way it played out. It’s the business side of it. … At the same time you have to wish him well and focus on trying to win a freaking hockey game.” For a period and change Saturday night, the Sabres looked as if they had found focus and spark. The First Niagara Center crowd was on their side, applauding the effort. Everyone was excited when the Sabres scored first, on the power play, taking a 1-0 lead for just the second time in the first 16 games of the season. The addition of Corey Tropp to the lineup and the physical presence of Cody McCormick helped give the Sabres much-needed jump. But the tide turned quickly. The great start everyone has been asking for fizzled into despair in the second period. “We’ve talked about it a ton, about having good first periods, and it was finally nice to get out there,” said Cody Hodgson, who scored the first goal. “Tropper brought a lot of energy. I thought Cody McCormick and those guys had real energy and they brought it to the team and the team responded. Our defense was stepping up and I thought we had a real even first period. “But then the wheels kind of fell off there in the second and we gave them too many in the third, too. … Just it seemed like we were with them and then all of a sudden they just took off. I can’t say any more than that.” The Sabres were off Sunday and travel today to California for a three-game West Coast swing. Buffalo plays at San Jose on Tuesday, at Los Angeles on Thursday and at Anaheim on Friday. The Sabres return to Buffalo for a home game against Los Angeles on Nov. 12. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724682 Buffalo Sabres

Patrick Kaleta joining Rochester Amerks

Kevin Oklobzija, ROC 6:35 p.m. EST November 3, 2013

Project Suffering Rebuild is underway in Buffalo with the Sabres. Project Career Revamp begins now for Patrick Kaleta with the Amerks. The veteran right winger went unclaimed during his 24 hours on the NHL waiver wire and he will be joining the Rochester Americans. Kaleta was placed on waivers on Saturday and cleared at noon Sunday. He is now clearly at a career crossroads. The NHL has ramped up efforts to rid the ice of players who deliver hits to an opponent’s head. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the league ______(fill in the blank with any of the following words: suggested, hinted, mandated, ordered) the Sabres to lop Kaleta off their roster. Yes, it’s entirely possible the Sabres simply realize they can’t afford to have Kaleta deliver another cheap shot, get suspended for 20 games and lose a roster spot for two months. He’s making $1.25 million this season and they will be paying him that amount next season, too. If he’s ever going to help them again — and he can help — then he must find a way to turn his hard-charging, bull-like forechecking attack into a less- dangerous, fully legal barrage. Body checking is still allowed, and encouraged. But Kaleta no longer can take a 30-foot run, shove a player from behind near the boards or allow his elbow or shoulder to blast into the head of an opponent. He will apparently come to the Amerks to learn how to do that. The AHL is, after all, a place where players hone their skill sets. Kaleta’s ability to throw a fierce check is a talent. But just like a 100 mph slap shot that is worthless if it’s never on target, the same is true for a player whose illegal checks read like an RPD rap sheet. Kaleta didn’t have a point in the five games he played this season. He has scored just one goal in his past 65 games. He doesn’t have the soft hands of a goal-scorer, but he also has the skating ability and fearless approach that enable him to play in the NHL. He can terrorize on the forecheck, he’s not afraid to block a shot, and over the years he has become a pretty decent penalty killer. His arrival in Rochester will create a headache for the coaching staff, however. The Amerks will have seven players in the AHL’s “veteran” category (Kevin Porter, Matt Ellis, Jamie Tardif, Mike Zigomanis, Drew Bagnall and Alex Sulzer). They’re only allowed to play five veterans in any given game. That means coach Chadd Cassidy will now be required to scratch two of them. When Porter cleared waivers last weekend, Cassidy said he would rotate five spots among the six veterans. The Amerks play at home at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 11.04.2013 724683 Calgary Flames Jackman. Hartley said it was because of what Jackman, a tough six-foot- two, 225-pound body, brings to the table. “We want to give a shot to Jacks,” Hartley said. “We’re playing on the road so we want to try and bring a little Reto Berra starting in net vs. Chicago Blackhawks more emotion and see where that will take us.” *A few other things on Chicago … they’re currently 9-2-3 and riding a three- game win streak heading into tonight’s game. The Blackhawks are a team November 3, 2013. 12:01 pm • that, if allowed to gain momentum from game’s start, usually can finish the job. Their record is 8-0-2 when scoring first, 4-0-0 when leading after one Kristen Odland period, and 8-0-1 when leading after two. *Quirky stat …. Canadian Press reporter Darren Haynes (who writes an excellent blog on the Flames called “The Calgary Flames – From 80 Feet Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley gave Reto Berra the go-ahead for Above” which is worth checking out) noted that in 78 games since the tonight’s starting assignment against the Chicago Blackhawks. Flames outshot Chicago 47-19 on Feb. 2, 2012, (3-2 shootout loss), the It’s no small test for the Swiss goaltender’s first National Hockey League Blackhawks haven’t been outshot by more than 11 shots. game, either. Playing the defending Stanley Cup champions off the hop is *The Flames have lost 10 straight regular season games at the United akin to throwing a child into the deep end of a pool. Center. Sink or swim. *Chicago’s penalty kill is awful — worst in the league with opponents “Let’s face it,” Hartley was saying after Sunday’s morning skate at scoring 73.2 per cent of the time. Chicago’s United Center where the Chicago Bulls had just hosted their *The Blackhawks may start Nikolai Khabibulin against the Flames (although home opener three nights earlier. “There are no easy games in this league. Corey Crawford has been their go-to guy in net). In 42 games against the Every game comes down to getting more shot than your opponent and Flames in his career, Khabibulin is 23-13-2 with two ties. getting one more save than your opponent. We feel the timing is right.” The Flames’ lineup tonight looks like this….. Reto Berra is pictured in July in Calgary. He is playing his first game back with the Flames since the pre-season. The Lines Reto Berra is pictured in July in Calgary. He is playing his first game back Curtis Glencross-Matt Stajan-David Jones with the Flames since the pre-season. Mike Cammalleri-Joe Colborne-T.J.Galiardi Following Friday’s 4-3 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Flames put goaltender Joey MacDonald on waivers and summoned Berra from the Sven Baertschi-Sean Monahan-Jiri Hudler American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat. The 26-year-old, acquired in the Jay Bouwmeester deal with St. Louis, had met up the team in Chicago Tim Jackman-Mikael Backlund-Brian McGrattan on Saturday night along with defenceman Chad Billins, also called up from The Pairings the Heat (but is set to be a healthy scratch tonight). Kris Russell-D.Wideman Berra, who Hartley knew from the Swiss league, had carried most of the load in Abbotsford going 4-3-1 (a 2.66 goals against average and 0.908 Chris Butler-T.J. Brodie save percentage) and is set for his debut tonight (5:30 p.m. MT; Sportsnet West, FAN 960). Derek Smith-Shane O’Brien “We were open to everything,” Hartley said. “I kind of asked him, ‘When are The Goalies you ready?’ I know of Reto because of my Swiss connections and this guy Reto Berra was probably the biggest free agent in the Swiss league. He didn’t even sign any contracts over there — his mindset was to play in the NHL. He Karri Ramo came here for a reason. That’s why he’s in tonight’s game. I understand the challenge. But here’s a guy who played in world championships. He wants The Injuries to play.” D Mark Giordano (ankle), D Chris Breen (abdomen), RW Lee Stempniak Berra’s last outing for the Flames was a 3-2 preseason win over the (foot) Phoenix Coyotes on Sept. 26 before the team decided to go with the The Hawks (although they didn’t skate this morning) should ice a lineup that (relatively) more experienced Karri Ramo who had 48 NHL appearances looks like this….. under his belt to start the 2013-14 campaign. Ramo is 2-3-1 (3.49, 0.888). The Lines The pressure tonight is one thing, however, Hartley said Berra’s performance will not dictate his entire future with the Flames. Patrick Sharp-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa “I just want to make clear — it’s not a one game shot,” Hartley said. “I told Brandon Saad-Brandon Pirri-Patrick Kane him this when I sat with him yesterday. I told him, ‘I’m not putting all my chips on the table right now.’ He’s going to get many starts.” Bryan Bickell-Andrew Shaw-Jeremy Morin The Flames’ defence is going to have to manufacture some quick chemistry Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Ben Smith for tonight’s game. But Hartley noted their blueliners have been good at The Pairings communication and haven’t gave up too many three-on-two and two-on-one situations, which they’ll need to avoid especially against a skilled, quick Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook transition team like Chicago which pummelled the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on the road Saturday. Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson Other notes and bits of information…. Nick Leddy-Sheldon Brookbank/Michal Rozsival *Interestingly enough, Berra and Blackhawks’ star Patrick Kane share some The Goalies history. During last year’s lockout, the pair played together with the EHC Biel-Bienne in the Swiss elite league. Nikolai Khabibulin * Heading into the game, the Flames are 5-6-2 — and want to desperately Corey Crawford improve on a 2-4-1 road record. After tonight, they have stops in Minnesota, Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.04.2013 St. Louis, and Colorado. * Also scratched tonight for Calgary is LW Lance Bouma. In his place on the fourth line with C Mikael Backlund and RW Brian McGrattan will be Tim 724684 Calgary Flames They kept Berra’s crease clear and weren’t getting star-struck by the fine puck movement of Toews, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp. Or the equally dangerous line of Brandon Saad, Brandon Pirri, and Patrick Kane. Swiss goalie Berra shines in debut, leading Flames to victory over The Flames’ forwards also didn’t quit on him. defending Stanley Cup champs In the second period, Flames forward T.J. Galiardi, taken down by Hossa on a breakaway, was awarded a penalty shot less than five minutes into the By Kristen Odland, Calgary HeraldNovember 4, 2013 1:10 AM second period. The Calgary native missed the net, trying to go blocker side, but the visitors kept pressing.

At the 6:25 mark of the middle frame, Kane, Berra’s former 2012-13 NHL CHICAGO — Everyone in the dressing room, in the city of Calgary, and lockout teammate (the two played for EHC Biel-Bienne in the Swiss elite even in the city of Chicago, knew the task in front of Reto Berra. league), put the Hawks’ on the scoresheet with a shot from the top of the circle. Not only was Sunday his first National Hockey League game, the recently called up Calgary Flames goalie was set to debut on the road against the Forty-Five seconds later, while the United Center announcers were still defending Stanley Cup champions at Chicago’s United Center — one of the celebrating Kane’s goal, Michael Cammalleri deflected Wideman’s point loudest buildings in the league where, right off the hop, over 20,000 fans set shot to knot the score. Then, just 2:16 into the third period, Curtis Glencross the tone and scream through an emotional rendition of the Star Spangled picked the top corner of Crawford’s net and made it 2-1. Banner. “It’s big,” said the Caroline native who logged an impressive seven blocked That, alone, is enough to get the blood pumping. shots to help make the night easier on Berra. “It’s fun when you get one in overtime. I thought we played a good game. It was unfortunate when we “It was crazy awesome,” the bubbly 26-year-old Swiss netminder said. “I gave up that five-on-three (goal), I thought we did such a good job on that almost cried there. Like, my hair was standing up. The guys told me a little kill up until then. bit what to expect, but when you’re out there as a goalie . . . it’s really unbelievable. “It was good to get that extra point.” “I was really nervous, but I knew I didn’t have much to lose against the Which was the best case scenario as the 6-6-2 Flames began a four-game Stanley Cup winning team.” road trip that also includes upcoming stops in Minnesota (Tuesday), St. Louis (Thursday), and Colorado (Friday). So, what does the Swiss lad do? It also snapped the 9-2-4 Chicago’s three-game win streak and a 10-game Looks settled off the hop. Stops 29 of 30 shots to keep the action a 1-1 tie losing streak for the Flames at the United Center. through two periods of play. With his team ahead 2-1, he nearly wards off a five-on-three Blackhawks’ advantage in the third but shakes off Marian “We beat the L.A. Kings, we beat the Hawks, so with some saves, we’re Hossa’s equalizer and marches overtime. Sweats through 44 shots at the going to be in lots of games,” Hartley said. “(Sunday) could have gone game’s end. either way, but it all starts with your goaltending.” And, with Kris Russell sealing it stick side on Chicago goalie Corey Acquired in the Jay Bouwmeester deal with St. Louis and sent to Crawford 1:32 into the extra frame, Berra and the Flames nail a 3-2 road Abbotsford for seasoning at the start of the year, Berra had carried most of victory. the load in Abbotsford going 4-3-1 (a 2.66 goals against average and 0.908 save percentage). “Very proud of Reto,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “Just the poise he showed throughout the game. Perfect control on every shot. The two “Before the game, when they sing the national anthem, that gives you so shots that beat him were perfect shots. much energy,” Berra said. “I had energy in the last period, also on the five- on-three. It was tough . . . to get a win in Chicago, I’ll take that.” “When you feel your goalie is on the game, every shot is not an adventure. Players feed off it. ICE CHIPS . . . The Flames scratched LW Lance Bouma, slotting Tim Jackman in his place on the fourth line with Backlund and RW Brian “You could tell from the bench.” McGrattan. Following Friday’s 4-3 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Flames put Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.04.2013 goaltender Joey MacDonald on waivers and shipped him to the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat on Sunday. MacDonald had played seven games in Calgary this season, registering a 3-3-1 record along with a 3.17 GAA and a .885% save percentage. But it was decided the Flames’ wanted to give Berra a look — so why not throw him into the deep end against the Blackhawks? So, he’d met up the team in Chicago on Saturday night along with defenceman Chad Billins, also called up from the Heat. “Honestly, I had a lot of thoughts. Everything went through my mind,” said Berra, who’d last been seen in a Flames jersey in a 3-2 pre-season win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sept. 26. “After lunch, I always sleep, but (Sunday) I couldn’t sleep. I was pretty nervous.” Not that it showed. On the third-period five-on-three Blackhawks’ power play — with Chris Butler off for holding and Matt Stajan for a delay of game — Berra spied Patrick Sharp hanging around the back door and made a superb save on his one-timer. Shortly after, he made a splendid glove save on Patrick Kane. Although Hossa’s one-timer eventually beat him, it was an impressive sequence which also featured solid penalty-killing by T.J. Brodie, Mikael Backlund, and Dennis Wideman. The entire Flames’ defence deserved credit all around for limiting the tired Blackhawks which had rattled off a 5-1 road win over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon. 724685 Calgary Flames Butler-Brodie Russell-Wideman Live: Flames vs. Hawks Smith-O'Brien GOALTENDERS By WES GILBERTSON,Calgary Sun Berra First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:25 AM MST | Updated: Ramo Sunday, November 03, 2013 04:20 PM MST Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.04.2013

Flames (5-6-2) at Blackhawks (9-2-3) TIME: 5:30 p.m. TV: Sportsnet West RADIO: Sportsnet Fan 960 THE MAIN STORYLINE: The United Center — affectionately known as the Madhouse on Madison — has been a house of horrors for the Flames, who are 0-9-1 in their past 10 trips to the Windy City. In fact, the Flames' most recent victory in Chicago was March 16, 2008, when Miikka Kiprusoff was named the first star after kicking aside a barrage of shots and Kristian Huselius netted the game-winner. LINEUP NOTES: Welcome to the big leagues, Reto Berra. The towering netminder met the team Saturday in Chicago and will make his NHL debut in Sunday's date with the defending champs. In front of him, Flames head coach Bob Hartley will also juggle his fourth line, inserting winger Tim Jackman in Lance Bouma's usual spot. Chad Billins, who is also up from the AHL's Abbotsford Heat, will be a healthy scratch. The Blackhawks didn't skate Sunday morning, but head coach Joel Quenneville isn't expected to shuffle his lineup after Saturday's 5-1 victory in Winnipeg. Watch out for Chicago's top trio of Jonathan Toews and wingers Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp, a unit that absolutely oozes talent. Playing their second game in as many days, the Blackhawks could put backup Nikolai Khabibulin between the pipes. BURNING QUESTION: How will Flames goaltender Reto Berra fare in his debut? The 26-year-old was summoned Saturday from the AHL and is being thrown directly into the deep-end against the offensively-loaded Blackhawks. The Flames were satisfied with Berra's performance in nine outings for the Heat, but it's worth noting he was yanked twice in his past five starts for the farm club. PLAYER TO WATCH: Blackhawks centre Jonathan Toews has been an offensive terror over the past two weeks. Chicago's captain cobbled together five goals and four assists over a five-game spree and, even worse news for the Flames, could be in a foul mood after being blanked in Saturday's 5-1 victory in his hometown of Winnipeg. Toews is skating alongside right-winger Patrick Kane, who had five points in three games against Calgary last winter. FAST FACT: The defending Stanley Cup champions are really struggling on the penalty kill. Heading into Sunday's action, the Blackhawks have surrendered 11 goals on 41 short-handed situations so far this season. Their penalty-kill efficiency rate of 73.2% is the worst in the NHL. QUOTE TO NOTE: “I understand the challenge, but here's a guy that played in world championship and everything. He wants to play and I'll never try to hold back a thoroughbred. This guy loves to play. With his team in Switzerland, he basically played like 50 games out of 50, back-to-backs every weekend, and he was real strong. I don't see why we wouldn't put him in tonight's game.” — Flames head coach Bob Hartley on decision to start goalie Reto Berra against the high-powered Blackhawks FLAMES PROJECTED LINEUP FORWARD LINES Glencross-Stajan-Jones Cammalleri-Colborne-Galiardi Baertschi-Monahan-Hudler McGrattan-Backlund-Jackman DEFENCE PAIRINGS 724686 Calgary Flames “It all starts with your goaltending.” The next stop for the Flames is Minnesota for Tuesday’s meeting with the Wild at Xcel Energy Center (6 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 960). Calgary Flames' Reto Berra steals show in win over Blackhawks Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.04.2013

By WES GILBERTSON,Calgary Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:07 PM MST | Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:12 PM MST

CHICAGO — It had been 2,058 days since the Calgary Flames last celebrated a victory at United Center in Chicago. All they needed to end that skid was about the same number of saves from netminder Reto Berra. Alright, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but Berra was the first star — and could have been the second and third star, too — in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime triumph against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City. A former Swiss League standout, Berra finished with 42 stops in his NHL debut, surrendering just two tallies to the defending Stanley Cup champions and making his boss look like a genius for giving him his first start in one of the NHL’s most intimidating settings just one day after his callup from the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. “Honestly, I had a lot of thoughts. Everything went through my mind,” Berra told reporters after backstopping the Flames to their first victory in Chicago since March 16, 2008. “After lunch, I always sleep, but today I couldn’t sleep. I was really nervous. But right before game when I was sitting in here, I said, ‘Just go out and play your game and have fun. You have nothing to lose.’ I put that excitement and nerves into positive energy.” If Berra was, indeed, a bundle of nerves, it didn’t show. He killed off an early man-advantage with four stops and had already racked up 18 saves when the buzzer sounded to end a scoreless opening period. Of the 44 shots fired his direction, only a top-shelf snipe by Patrick Kane in the middle period and a late equalizer by Marian Hossa — that’s two of the NHL’s most dangerous shooters, with 597 career goals between them — got by him. Alternate captains Michael Cammalleri and Curtis Glencross each scored in regulation for the Flames, while defenceman Kris Russell ripped a shot from the blueline in overtime to ensure the 26-year-old netminder was rewarded for his stellar effort. “Very proud for Reto. He played tonight the same way I’ve seen him play for a full year in Switzerland,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley, a witness to Berra’s puck-stopping skills during his season as the bench boss in Zurich. “Just the poise that he showed throughout the game. Never got rattled. “Was in perfect control on every shot. “The two shots that beat him were perfect shots.” Added Russell: “He was great. Especially in the first, they came hard and he settled us down a bit, made some big saves early to get us in the game and that was huge for us.” After losing back-to-back games to finish off a three-game homestand, Sunday’s victory in the Windy City should be a huge emotional boost to the Flames (6-6-2). The Blackhawks (9-2-4), after all, haven’t exactly struggled with a Stanley Cup hangover. Heading into Sunday’s date, they’d rattled off three straight wins, scoring 16 times during that span. Summoning an unproven puck-stopper to face Hossa, Kane, Jonathan Toews & Co. isn’t a defence many other teams had thought of. “We beat the L.A. Kings. We beat the ‘Hawks,” beamed Hartley, referring to the NHL’s past two champions. “With some saves, we’re going to be in lots of games. Tonight, it could have gone either way, but we found a way ... 724687 Calgary Flames Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.04.2013

Monahan and Toews have serious similarities in temperament … Don’t expect MacDonald back soon … Baertschi fights pain

By WES GILBERTSON,Calgary Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 10:32 PM MST | Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 10:41 PM MST

CHICAGO - At this point, the comparison is based more on off-ice personality than on-ice play. Chicago Blackhawks superstar Jonathan Toews, a.k.a. Captain Serious. Calgary Flames rookie sensation Sean Monahan, who could be known as Straight-faced Sean. “I’m serious about the game. It’s a big commitment for me,” Monahan said during Calgary’s recent homestand. “But I think I’m a pretty outgoing guy and I really like to joke around and be sarcastic.” Flames fans and Calgary’s sports media have yet to see that side of the 19- year-old centre, other than spurts of enthusiasm after the seven goals he’s scored in what’s been an impressive start to his professional puck career. Serious as he might be, Toews has had plenty of reason to smile during his six-and-counting campaigns in Chicago. Still only 25, he owns a pair of Stanley Cup rings, an Olympic gold medal and a reputation as one of the NHL’s best leaders and most reliable two- way forwards. He’s also caught the eye of Monahan, who listed the Blackhawks captain and San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton as two guys he tries model his game after. “(Toews) is a player I’ve looked up to the last couple of years,” Monahan said. “It’s a style of play that I try to play like. “I try to play a hard two-way game and compete every shift. “He plays hard in both ends of the ice, and that’s something I want to do.” Around the boards Twenty-nine other teams passed on Flames G Joey MacDonald on the waiver-wire, and the 33-year-old puck-stopper was officially demoted Sunday to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat ... Discussing his decision to throw G Reto Berra into the deep-end against the defending champions, Flames head coach Bob Hartley told reporters, “I just want to make clear it’s not a one-game shot ... He’s going to get many starts.” In other words, don’t expect to see MacDonald back at the Saddledome anytime soon ... Berra, by the way, made 18 saves in the first period of Sunday’s overtime victory, the same number MacDonald made — total — in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings ... With MacDonald on waivers and Berra racing to Chicago to join the Flames, the Heat signed 40-year-old David Harris — a personal trainer and strength coach for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Newmarket Hurricanes — as an emergency backup for Saturday’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. No word on whether the Edmonton Oilers were also negotiating with Harris. Off the boards With LW Lance Bouma scratched at United Center, only four Flames forwards — Monahan, RW TJ Galiardi, LW Curtis Glencross and RW Jiri Hudler — have skated in all 14 contests so far this season ... Flames LW Sven Baertschi was grimacing after D Dennis Wideman’s first-period blast hit his left elbow, but the 21-year-old didn’t miss a shift. Meanwhile, D Chris Butler lost a little blood after a shot deflected up into his face in the middle frame ... Galiardi fired wide on a penalty shot in Sunday’s second period. After missing on two attempts in the lockout-shortened season, the Flames haven’t capitalized on a penalty shot since Feb. 25, 2012 ... Hearing the Star Spangled Banner at the United Center? Yeah, that experience is all it’s cracked up to be. A special scene. 724688 Carolina Hurricanes NOTE: The Canes on Sunday placed forward Brett Sutter on waivers with the intent of assigning him to the Charlotte Checkers (AHL). NHL teams have until noon Monday to claim Sutter off waivers. Carolina Hurricanes losing games, losing confidence News Observer LOADED: 11.04.2013

Published: November 3, 2013 By Chip Alexander

RALEIGH — What now for the Carolina Hurricanes? That’s hard to say. The Canes have lost five straight games after a 5-1 beating Saturday by the New York Rangers. Goaltenders Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are injured. No one is scoring goals. Confidence is low. Canes coach Kirk Muller tried to shake up some things Saturday in New York. Eric Staal, Jordan Staal and Alex Semin played together on the same line. Why not? Nothing else was working. The Canes (4-7-3) scored once Monday in losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They were shut out 3-0 Friday by Tampa Bay, Eric Staal had six of the Canes' 28 shots against the Rangers, and Jordan Staal and Semin each had two. The line did some effective forechecking early in the game, but the Rangers did a better job getting the puck out of their zone and using their speed as the game wore on. The Canes' first period was a good one . But one rush into the Canes' zone by the Rangers and Carl Hagelin scored on a backhander from the slot for a 1-0 lead. The Canes then fell asleep on a power play in the second period and Hagelin jumped out of the penalty box to score again. Derek Stepan took it from there, recording a hat trick to finish it off for the surging Rangers, who have won four of their past five and are moving up in the Metropolitan Division. "You could tell our jump was there at the beginning,” Jordan Staal said after the game. “We just couldn't keep it going and it wasn't a good enough effort the rest of the game." Trailing 3-1 after the second, after a power-play goal from Andrej Sekera in the final minute of the period, the Canes came out attacking in the third. But Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stifled any hopes of a comeback with some nice saves. Stepan scored a couple of times and that was that. "We did get a few opportunities but we still have to play even better to win games and we're still not doing that," Jordan Staal said. "There are times when when we do play well and just have breakdowns that cost us. There's no consistency of sticking with our game all throughout the game." Khudobin is still hobbling and not able to practice and Ward could be sidelined until Thanksgiving. Justin Peters played reasonably well against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay but was shaky at times against the Rangers. Hagelin's first goal came on a well-placed shot. On his second, after bolting out of the box, the speedy forward got the puck between Peters' pads. "We came out flying, playing the game plan we wanted to play," Peters said. "It seemed like once they got that first one, they got the momentum going. (Hagelin) made a pretty good shot, a backhand through traffic." And the second one? "I kind of bobbled it," Peters said. "I wish I had just corralled it. Unfortunately, that one trickled in." Muller noted after the game the Canes did not get the "timely saves" from Peters. He also said, "We need to score more for him, get the lead." The Canes need injured forward Jeff Skinner back in the lineup. They need the guys who have proven they can score goals doing it while getting more help from those who aren't known as scorers. The Hurricanes also need to win at home. Carolina begins a five-game homestand with a 1-3-3 record at PNC Arena. Peters was asked Saturday how the the Canes can end the five-game skid. "Persistency,” Peters said. “Being persistent, working hard, staying on course.” 724689 Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup champs look forward to White House trip

By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter 9:50 p.m. CST, November 3, 2013

There was no rest for the Blackhawks following back-to-back games, as they were scheduled to board a plane bound for Washington, D.C., not long after Sunday night's loss to the Flames. The Hawks have a date with President Barack Obama on Monday afternoon to cap the celebration of their 2013 Stanley Cup championship. It will be the second go-around for many Hawks, who were feted in March 2011 after their run to the Cup in 2010. "For the guys who went there a few years ago, it was a pretty amazing thing," captain Jonathan Toews said. "For the guys who will have their first chance, it's a special thing and just a cool place to be. Anyone who gets a chance to win a Stanley Cup or a championship like that kind of enjoys that tradition." The festivities are set to begin at 1:10 p.m. with a reception in the East Room of the White House. "It's exciting," said Patrick Kane, one of four Americans currently on the Hawks' roster. "You hear about the president and then you're right there in the White House getting to meet him and shake his hand and be a part of something he's congratulating you for. It's pretty special." In the circle: The Hawks won 45 of 74 faceoffs during their 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames at the United Center. Entering the game, the Hawks ranked 16th in the NHL with a 50.1 percent win rate. It's an area the Hawks have been working to improve, bringing in former center and faceoff specialist Yanic Perreault to work with the team. "Over time ... you get a little bit familiar with your opponents and their strengths," coach Joel Quenneville said. "There's a science to it. Yanic gives them a look at the thought process going into it, and it helps our guys. We're progressing as we're going along here." Let it grow: Kane, Bryan Bickell, Brandon Bollig and Niklas Hjalmarsson are growing mustaches in November in support of "Movember," an annual monthlong event that focuses on raising awareness and funds to fight prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges. One-timer: Center Michal Handzus skated before the game, and Quenneville said the veteran had "progressed" in his recovery from an upper-body injury. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724690 Chicago Blackhawks

Rookie goalie stymies Blackhawks

By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter 10:54 p.m. CST, November 3, 2013

With a tendency to gravitate toward goaltenders when it comes to making friends with teammates, Patrick Kane needed no formal introduction to the Flames' Reto Berra on the occasion of the goaltender's his first NHL start. The pair became close when they played for ECH Biel-Bienne of the Swiss League — where the winger played during last season's lockout — so Kane was not surprised by Berra's effort in the Flames' 3-2 overtime victory over the Blackhawks on Sunday night at the United Center. "For whatever reason I've always been pretty close with the goalies I've played with and I knew him really well," Kane said. "He's one of those goalies that never really quits and is never out of the play." Berra proved that Sunday with 42 saves to halt the Hawks' three-game winning streak in front of 21,229. Kris Russell scored 1 minute, 32 seconds into overtime, Curtis Glencross had a goal and an assist and Mike Cammalleri also scored for Calgary, but it was Berra who stole the show. The 26-year-old's big night started before the drop of the puck when he was amazed by the national anthem. "Crazy, awesome — I almost cried there. My hair stand up," Berra said. "The guys, they told me a little bit what to expect when you're out there. It is really unbelievable." Berra was then pretty unbelievable himself, turning aside wave after wave of shots from a Hawks offense that had a combined 16 goals in its last three games. "They do a good job; they bottle it up pretty tight in their own zone," Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We got some good chances and (Berra) made some big saves. You have to give him credit." Kane had a goal and the assist on Marian Hossa's power-play goal that pulled the Hawks into a 2-2 tie with 4:19 remaining in the third. "In the first period (Berra) probably got a little bit of confidence from some point shots maybe he didn't see (and) he was getting pads and his body on," Kane said. "Sometimes you have to generate a little bit more, but they play a good team game and don't give you too much." Corey Crawford suffered the loss in goal as the Hawks often appeared sluggish in the second of back-to-back games. Russell's overtime winner came on a shot from the blue line that eluded Crawford (27 saves). "I was really nervous, but right before the game when I was just sitting in (the dressing room), I just thought, 'Go out and play your game and have fun. You have nothing to lose,' " Berra said. "I put the excitement and nerves into a positive energy." Said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville: "We had a little drop-off in our game, but we knew going into the game it was going to be a hard game." Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724691 Chicago Blackhawks

Back for 2nd: Blackhawks return to White House

BY HERB GOULD Last Modified: Nov 3, 2013 11:43PM

The celebration is not quite over. The Blackhawks will be saluted by President Barack Obama for their Stanley Cup championship Monday (1 p.m., CSN) at the White House. And they plan to relish the moment. ‘‘That’ll be fun,’’ captain Jonathan Toews said of the Hawks’ second White House visit in four years. ‘‘It’s going to be kind of a quick trip in and out. It’s tough that we couldn’t play a game [in Washington] and get to enjoy it more. Still, for the guys that went there a few years ago, it’s a pretty amazing thing to be there [again]. And for the guys that’ll have their first chance, it’s a special thing.’’ Although the trip will be brief, the Hawks will pack a lot into their D.C. visit. ‘‘Everybody gets to enjoy the day,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said, ‘‘and we get to go to Walter Reed [military hospital] in the morning as well. That was a fun visit [last time]. We ran into the Wounded Warriors a couple of times. But when you get to the White House, it’s kind of a nice setting.’’ For the Hawks, it’s one more reminder of a great season, a brief pause in their quest to add more Stanley Cup glory. ‘‘It’ll be one more reflection of a pretty special year for us all,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘I guess at that point I’d probably wrap up last year’s [celebrating]. But it’ll be a good moment for us.’’ Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724692 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks rally late but lose 3-2 to Calgary in OT

BY HERB GOULD Last Modified: Nov 3, 2013 11:40PM

This looked like a promising scenario. The Blackhawks had scored 16 goals during their three-game winning streak. They were coming home to tee it up against Reto Berra, a 26-year- old Swiss goalie who was making his NHL debut for the slumping Calgary Flames. But as another Berra, who also spoke a different language, so eloquently put it: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That was certainly the case at the United Center on Sunday. Calgary pulled off a 3-2 overtime surprise vs. the Hawks, who never really found their usual spark. Kris Russell scored the game-winner on a slapshot as Berra made 40 saves to halt the Hawks’ winning streak. The Flames opened a 2-1 lead early in the third period on Curtis Glencross’ wrister from the left circle that found the far corner of the net. Marian Hossa tied it 2-2 at 15:41 of the third, one second after a Hawks’ two-man advantage for 1:42 had ended. The Hawks outshot the Flames 44- 29 in regulation. The teams traded goals in less than a minute during the second period. The Hawks took a 1-0 lead on Patrick Kane’s eighth goal, from the left point, at 6:25 of the second period. That goal came 2-1/2 minutes after Corey Crawford made the net small enough on a penalty shot that T.J. Galiardi shot wide. Flames center Mike Cammalleri tied the game 1-1 at 7:15 of the second. Finishing up their third back-to-back of this young season, the Hawks were trying to complete the double hat trick and go 6-0 in those games. They were 20-2-2 in their 12 back-to-back games last year; they were 10-1- 1 on each night. Calgary had lost four of five since its captain, defenseman Mark Giordano, went down with a broken foot. The Hawks, who were going for their fourth straight win, had scored 16 goals in those three games, their most productive offense stretch of the season. But in a potentially intimidating environment before 21,229 fans eager to spur the Stanley Cup champions to their fourth straight victory, Berra didn’t rattle. The volume of shots by the Hawks, who outshot Calgary 30-21 in the first two periods, was not indicative of their quality chances in this sleepy contest. For much of the night, the Madhouse on Madison had all the decibels of a greenhouse. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724693 Chicago Blackhawks Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.04.2013

New goalie too hot for Blackhawks

By Tim Sassone

There was little energy in the United Center on Sunday night, but don’t blame the fans. They take their cue from the Blackhawks, and the Hawks were a step behind the Calgary Flames all game. If it wasn’t for Marian Hossa’s power-play goal with 4:19 to play, the Hawks might have been staring at a regulation defeat instead of getting a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames. Kris Russell’s goal off Andrew Shaw’s shin pad at 1:32 of OT made a winner out of rookie goalie Reto Berra, who made 42 saves in his NHL debut. “We didn’t get the second and third opportunities, but I thought his rebound control was very effective,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We probably could have had more bodies in front of him.” Quenneville thought his team played just OK. “The last three games were the way we had to play, but today we had a little drop-off in our game,” Quenneville said. “We did put pucks (on net), but we didn’t get rebounds and we didn’t get traffic. “Still, it was a very deserving 2 points for them.” The 44 shots by the Hawks was a season high. They had 18 in a scoreless first period. “I was disappointed with the amount of shots that we didn’t score more goals,” said Patrick Kane, who tallied the Hawks’ first goal. “In the first period he (Berra) probably got a little bit of confidence. We had some point shots that maybe he didn’t see he was getting pads and his body on. “He’s a good goaltender, but sometimes you’ve got to generate a little more.” The Flames have been searching for a goalie ever since Miikka Kiprusoff retired. “Very proud for Reto,” said Flames coach Bob Hartley, whose team is now 6-6-2. “He played tonight the same way as I’ve seen him play a full year in Switzerland. Obviously, it’s not the same caliber, but just the poise that he showed throughout the game. Never got rattled, was perfect control on every shot. The two shots that beat him were perfect shots. “Well, we beat the L.A. Kings. We beat the Hawks. With some saves, we’re going to be in lots of games. Tonight it could have gone either way, but we found a way to go. But it all starts with your goaltending.” Berra never got rattled playing in one of the most intimidating buildings in the league. “During the national anthem, my hair stand up,” Berra said. After a scoreless first period during which he faced 11 shots, Hawks goalie Corey Crawford was faced with stopping T.J. Giliardi on a penalty shot 4:06 into the second period. Crawford didn’t have to do much as Giliardi fired wide from close range. Berra couldn’t stop Kane at 6:25 of the second period as Kane weaved his way around and through the Calgary defense before scoring from inside the left circle. The lead didn’t even last a minute as Calgary tied it on Mike Cammalleri’s tip-in from in front. Curtis Glencross put Calgary ahead for the first time at 2:16 of the third period, but Hossa tied it just as a two-man advantage expired. “We have to hand it to (Berra), coming in and playing his first game with us,” Glencross said. “Stood on his head, 40-some shots on goal. We stuck with it.” 724694 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks flame out in overtime

By Associated Press

Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, Reto Berra made 42 saves in his first NHL game and the Calgary Flames defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday night at United Center. Russell's shot from the blue line clanked off the crossbar and past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, ending Calgary's 10-game losing streak in Chicago. The Flames won at the United Center for the first time since March 2008. Mike Cammalleri and Curtis Glencross scored in regulation for the Flames. Calgary's T.J. Galiardi missed on a second-period penalty shot. Chicago's Marian Hossa scored a power-play goal with 4:19 left in the third period to tie it at 2. Patrick Kane also scored for Chicago, which had won three in a row. Crawford made 27 saves. The 26-year-old Berra was recalled from Abbotsford of the AHL on Saturday after the Flames waived Joey MacDonald. The 6-foot-4 Swiss goaltender was acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis last April. Berra was sharp against the Blackhawks, making a handful of point-blank and flashy stops. After a slow start this season offensively, Chicago had scored 24 times in its previous five games. But the Stanley Cup champions showed little of that explosive skill and tempo against Calgary. The Blackhawks outshot the Flames 18-11 in the scoreless first. Berra coolly swept away Chicago's routine chances and turned in a couple of tough stops, including a quick glove save on Andrew Shaw with 5:00 left in the period. Calgary's best chance came with 1:28 left, but Dennis Wideman's shot capping a 3-on-2 break was smothered by Crawford. Galiardi was awarded his penalty shot — the first for Calgary and first against Chicago this season at 4:06 of the second after he was hooked from behind on a breakaway by Hossa. He fired wide on the attempt. Kane opened the scoring, beating Berra on Chicago's 23rd shot at 6:25 of the second. After cutting across the top of the Calgary zone, Kane moved to the left faceoff circle and wristed a shot through a screen that fooled Berra on the short side. Cammalleri tied it at 1 just 50 seconds later. Left open at the edge of the crease, Cammelleri was able to deflect Wideman's shot from the right point in midair and past Crawford. Cammalleri has seven points in seven games since returning from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the start of the season. Glencross gave Calgary a 2-1 lead at 2:16 of the third on a shot that sailed past Crawford's glove, clanked off the right post and landed in the net. Glencross cut in from left wing and gained a step on Chicago defenseman Sheldon Brookbank. He fired from the circle and Crawford fanned on a glove save attempt. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724695 Chicago Blackhawks 724696 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks' Crawford gets back-to-back starts Five things: Hawks' offense starting to roll

By Tim Sassone November 3, 2013, 5:15 pm Article updated: 11/3/2013 8:43 PM Staff

Nikolai Khabibulin's struggles likely cost him a start Sunday as Blackhawks Goals, goals and more goals: don’t look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville came back with Corey Crawford against Calgary in offense is clicking like they all said it would eventually. Corey Crawford, the second half of back-to-back games. fresh off a victory in Winnipeg, will get the start again tonight. Michal Handzus skated solo this morning, but coach Joel Quenneville is uncertain Crawford stopped 26 shots Saturday in a 5-1 win at Winnipeg. when he’ll return. "We always go into today's game and look and see how he did and see And now, since it’s only a few hours until puck drop, we’ll get to the Five how he's doing," Quenneville said. "We had a light week so that was part of Things to watch for tonight against the Calgary Flames. it as well." 1. The fourth trio of Brandon Bollig, Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith really Khabibulin is coming off two shaky starts where he allowed 10 goals, but fueled the offense on Saturday in Winnipeg. You know what that means: four times last season Quenneville came with the same goalie in back-to- when the Blackhawks are rolling four lines, they’re back in the rhythm that back games. catapulted them to so many victories last season. There’s a lot of "We've got basically four weeks in a row with the same situation here," confidence going through the Blackhawks right now. How much of it shows Quenneville said. "We'll see how it goes on throughout the month. Crow itself tonight? could have got this game as well." 2. Patrick Kane: Flames nemesis. A few Blackhawks have solid career point Crawford was ready to play for a second straight game. totals against Calgary but Kane tops them all. In 22 career games vs. the Flames, Kane has 11 goals and 13 assists. Kane has gone sans points the "For me personally, I think it's just how tough a game you have," Crawford past two games, so he’s about due to get on the score sheet again. said. "How much work you have, travel too. There are a bunch of little factors that play into it, but Q is a smart coach. He knows how to control 3. Expect angry Flames. Calgary has lost its past two games and four of its that." last five. The Flames are going to be an angry bunch entering the United Center tonight, and are going to want to take it to the Cup champions in Rookie starts: their first meeting this season. The Blackhawks want to beware of Calgary stampeding out of the gate. Flames rookie goalie Reto Berra made his first NHL start Sunday in the hostile United Center. 4. New goalie alert. Reto Berra will get his first NHL start tonight against the Blackhawks. The Swiss goaltender went 4-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against Berra made 18 saves in a scoreless first period. average in Abbotsford in this early going. The Blackhawks usually attack early in games, and they’ll definitely want to keep that mentality against the Joel Quenneville said the Hawks were making no special preparations for new guy. someone they had never seen. 5. What is it with the Blackhawks and second periods? Beats us, but in their "We go over the goalies no matter who's in net," Quenneville said. recent victories that’s where they’ve been separating themselves from the "Whether you have a history of knowing how they move in the net, we know pack, outscoring opponents 23-12 this season. That could continue tonight. he's going to be a big guy. We want to do what we do against most teams and that's get pucks in traffic, get the second opportunities and see how he Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 moves. Don't try to be fancy and get as many pucks as we can and as many bodies to the net." The 6-foot-4 Berra came to the Flames on April 1 as one of the pieces from St. Louis in the trade for defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Injury report: Center Michal Handzus skated on his own Sunday but still missed his fifth straight game with an upper body injury. Joel Quenneville said Handzus was making progress. "We'll see how long it is before he gets back into practice, but there is progress," Quenneville said. Forward Brad Mills missed his second game in a row with a lower body injury. Tough blow: The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost center and former Hawk Dave Bolland indefinitely with a left leg laceration that required immediate surgery on Saturday night. Bolland had a tendon severed by the skate on Canucks forward Zack Kassian, who was finishing a check in the Toronto zone. Bolland had to be helped off the ice and eventually departed Rogers Arena on a stretcher. "Obviously it's a blow for us," said Toronto center Jay McClement. "He's been really good for us in all situations." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724697 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks' White House coverage provided by CSN

November 3, 2013, 1:00 pm CSN Staff

The Blackhawks are heading to the White House. The team will be arriving at our nation's capital on Monday to be honored by President Barack Obama for their Stanley Cup victory. Fans will be able to watch the full White House ceremony on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and CSNChicago.com beginning at 1:00 CT. Insider Tracey Myers and reporter Luke Stuckmeyer will have complete on-air and online coverage. Make sure to join the conversation during tomorrow ceremony by using #HawksTalk on Twitter. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724698 Chicago Blackhawks

Konroyd's keys to Blackhawks-Flames

November 3, 2013, 11:15 am Steve Konroyd

1. Continue the “O” from the “D” — Blackhawks defensemen have scored four goals in the last three games. That is fantastic production from a crew that isn’t known as goal scorers. All six of these defenders have taken the opportunity to exploit opposing teams who “collapse” in front of their net. With so much scoring talent up front for Chicago, a lot of teams’ game plan is to create a 5-on-3 in front of their own net, allowing the D-men to be open. Blackhawks forwards have done a great job recognizing this, and have been feeding the points for points. 12 points from the defensemen in the last three games, all wins. Pretty impressive stuff. 2. Use forward speed on Calgary defense — The Calgary Flames received some bad news a few games ago when Captain and defenseman Mark Giordano broke his foot in a win against the LA Kings. They have won only one game in the five games since. They have given up 17 goals in the four losses, and clearly miss their leader. Use speed wide on the defense and try to back off their coverage. 3. Keep the offensive momentum rolling — 16 goals scored by the Blackhawks in their last three wins, and it hasn’t been all run-and-gun either. Great defense has led to some odd man attacks, and that has been sparking the offense. Coach Joel Quenneville will be the first to tell you, how you check determines how you perform offensively. The Blackhawks have been creating turnovers all over the ice, and their quick transition offense has left the other teams in their dust. Check the puck well and you will get plenty of chances. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724699 Chicago Blackhawks

Another quick turnaround for Blackhawks

November 3, 2013, 10:15 am Nina Falcone

The Blackhawks returned home following their 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday and now welcome the Calgary Flames to the United Center. Catch all the action on Comcast SportsNet, beginning at 6:00 with Blackhawks Pregame Live. The Blackhawks' schedule hasn't exactly been ideal throughout their first few weeks of play. After playing back-to-back games against the Wild and Senators just one week ago, the team went three days without a game before facing the Jets in Winnipeg on Saturday night. Now they face another quick turnaround as they prepare to host the Flames (5-6-2) inside the United Center. The back-to-back games haven't been a problem for the Blackhawks. They've already played two sets of them throughout the regular season and have won all four contests. Those matchups are similar to the 2013 lockout-season setup where the team is constantly on the go, and we all know how well that went for the team. Yep. If anything, it's the days off that could prove troublesome for the Blackhawks. But on Saturday that wasn't an issue as the defending Stanley Cup champions went on to record a 5-1 victory on the road. Now, they'll hope the quick return once again pays off against Calgary. [WATCH: Toews returns home to Winnipeg] The Flames, on the other hand, are coming into tonight's game hungry following losses to the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. It's been a tough start for Calgary, as the team remains sixth in the Pacific Division. Point leaders Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews (7G, 6A), Marian Hossa (5G, 6A), Patrick Kane (7G, 4A), Patrick Sharp (3G, 6A), Duncan Keith (9A) Flames: Jiri Hudler (5G, 10A), Sean Monahan (7G, 4A), Lee Stempniak (4G, 5A), Mark Giordano (2G, 7A, but injured), Dennis Wideman (1G, 7A) Goaltender matchup Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville announced Corey Crawford will get the start in net against the Calgary. It also appears that Kane may be facing his former teammate in Switzerland as Reto Berra is expected to get his first NHL start tonight for the Flames. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724700 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks force overtime, can't finish comeback in loss to Flames

November 3, 2013, 8:45 pm Staff

Through their last three games the Chicago Blackhawks were playing the type of hockey that won them so many contests last season: tenacious, driving and fast. Sunday, there wasn’t much of any of that. Marian Hossa scored a power-play goal late in regulation to force overtime, but Kris Russell won it there as the Calgary Flames edged the Blackhawks 3-2. It was a so-so game for the Blackhawks, who were missing a lot of the energy that’s been so evident in recent contests. "We were just OK. The last three games were the way we have to play but we had a drop-off in our game tonight,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We knew going in it was going to be a hard game. They play with a purpose and offensively they make plays around your net. It was a hard game, all game long. But they make you play a hard game.” The Blackhawks didn’t have a ton of response to that hard game but they did have a ton of shots for Flames goaltender Reto Berra, who played with Patrick Kane for EHC Biel during the lockout last season. Berra, making his NHL debut tonight, was stellar in stopping 42 of 44 shots. The Blackhawks didn’t get the exact quality of shots they wanted on Berra – not as much traffic, rebounds as recent games. But as Quenneville pointed out, Berra wasn’t allowing many second- and third-chance opportunities, either. “His rebound control was effective,” Quenneville said. “We didn’t get a handle on what was there. We could’ve had more bodies in front of him. But they were pretty effective around the second opportunities.” Kane, who scored his eighth of the season on his former overseas teammate and gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead, agreed. “Think in the first he got some confidence from some point shots he didn’t see but he was getting his pads and his body on them,” Kane said. “Sometimes you have to generate a little more. But they play a good team game and don’t give too much. It’s disappointing, with the amount of shots we had, we didn’t score more goals.” Kane’s goal had barely been announced in the building when the Flames found the equalizer, a double-deflected shot – last by Mike Cammalleri – to tie it at 1-1. Curtis Glencross gave the Flames a 2-1 advantage early in the third period. Then the Blackhawks got a chance to tie, first with a power play and then with a 5-on-3 for a minute, 42 seconds. The 5-on-3 had just expired when Hossa lasered one through Berra to tie it 2-2. But the Flames had the last say, with Russell’s shot hitting pipe and landing behind Corey Crawford in overtime. No, it wasn’t the Blackhawks’ best outing. Nevertheless, they still got a point. Considering the “just OK” performance, they’ll take the point. BRIEFLY Michal Handzus (upper body) skated on his own this morning. Quenneville said Handzus is making progress, but he’s not sure when the veteran will return to practice. The status of Brad Mills (lower body) still seems to be up in the air. “We’ll probably find out more tomorrow,” Quenneville said. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724701 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks' Bollig opts to add more dimension to his game

November 3, 2013, 6:00 pm Staff

Brandon Bollig knows the fighter, the true enforcer, is becoming the NHL’s version of a dinosaur. It’s nearing extinction, and the writing is on the wall: learn to do more in the game, get away from the one-dimensional. To that end, Bollig has tried to hone his game, add more to it. He’ll never be a point-a-game guy, but his outing in Winnipeg on Saturday showed that Bollig has more than a pair of fists. Bollig recorded his first multi-point game on Saturday, getting a goal and an assist in the Blackhawks’ 5-1 victory over the Jets. For Bollig, it’s about doing what got him here when he needs to. But with that enforcer-only player becoming a relic more by the day, Bollig knows he needs a multi- dimensional game. “Obviously, the fighting part is very much a part of my game. But it’s no secret the game is changing and it has to be the right time and place to get the fight,” he said prior to the Blackhawks hosting the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. “If it’s not happening, then obviously it’s a bonus if I get a couple points. Hopefully you just find a way to contribute to a team, whether it’s fighting, getting points, playing defensively or whatever.” Coach Joel Quenneville has seen Bollig’s versatility bloom. “Last year he really improved his overall game. We lot of trust in him defensively,” Quenneville said. “(That fourth line) had a nice role for us. We’re comfortable with them against anyone. Not being a one-dimensional tough guy, he added to his usefulness as a player. That line’s gotten more responsibility. He’s got a nice shot and offensively, his instincts are fine. You’re comfortable with him on the ice.” It would be easy for a team to relegate Bollig to playing scant minutes, just have him look for a fight. But the Blackhawks like to give players a chance to round out their games, be it more minutes, special teams, whatever. Bollig has benefitted from that opportunity and appreciates it. “It’s huge to get those minutes and have that responsibility with the coach trusting you,” he said. “My goal was to expand my role and my ice time, and that’s been happening so far. I’m looking to keep that going and not look back.” Bollig also looked a little sleeker on Saturday. No, he didn’t lose weight; he shaved his mustache and beard to prep for November and, as he said, “not look too grizzly” for the Blackhawks’ visit to the White House on Monday. “It’s for a good cause,” he said. “Obviously I had a good game last game, but I can’t wait to get the beard back already.” All facial hair aside, the writing is on the wall in the NHL: the one- dimensional fighter is disappearing fast. Bollig’s got the chance to become more than that, and he’ll take it. “The enforcer is being ousted from the game, so it’s nice (Quenneville) trusts me enough to get more minutes under my belt and more responsibilities,” Bollig said. “It’s ideal for me, and I’m looking to continue to progress.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724702 Colorado Avalanche Denver Post: LOADED: 11.04.2013

Frei: Young Avalanche players fully aware of team's storied past

By Terry Frei The Denver Post Posted: 11/04/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

Saturday night was the most obvious example of how this 2013-14 Avalanche team is both staging a turnaround on the ice and constructing a bridge linking the present to the franchise's glory years. Before the game against Montreal, Adam Foote's number was raised to the Pepsi Center rafters, with many of his prominent former teammates in the house, including his defensive partners on the two Stanley Cup teams. One was Alexei Gusarov, a Coloradan in retirement, flashing that sly grin that reminded you he always understood and could speak English better than he let on as an underrated player. The other was that famous Boston restaurateur, Ray Bourque. And, yes, there was the bearded Swede, Peter Forsberg, honored in a similar ceremony two years ago. The crews from "Hockey Night in Canada" and French-language RDS were present too, sending the broadcast back to the home nation of 18 of the Avalanche's 23 players. For most of them, of course, this was old hat, and a Saturday game against the Canadiens was an automatic for regional broadcast on HNIC. But with the Avalanche becoming the NHL's top story in the first month, this also had the feel of validation. With Foote helping out as a part-time assistant coach, with Joe Sakic serving as the top hockey executive and Patrick Roy as head coach, the early-season success remains astounding. Coming off a horrendous season, the Avalanche is 12-1. I walked into the dressing room after Colorado's 4-1 victory, and there was Avalanche rookie Nathan MacKinnon excitedly talking about getting his first home-ice goal as a pro — and about knowing, and not having to be told about, his coach's connection to the Canadiens. It hit me: MacKinnon was 3 months old when an angry Roy made his way through the bench to announce to Canadiens team president Ronald Corey that he had played his final game for Montreal ... and the wheels were set in motion to ensure that the veteran goalie was right. "He never talked about it leading up to this game, but everyone knew the history," MacKinnon said. "How many Cups did he win there? Two? He won two in Montreal and I mean, he was a great player for them." Matt Duchene, whose nine goals left him tied for fourth in the league going into Sunday's games, also revels in the history lessons. "The Avalanche and the Habs were my teams, and it's pretty special to play them on 'Hockey Night in Canada,' " he said. "It doesn't get much better than that. Every win we're picking up right now is big. We just have so much confidence. Winning's contagious, losing's contagious." The domestic violence allegations against goaltender Semyon Varlamov have complicated matters, and by putting it that simply, I'm not downplaying the seriousness of the situation. I believed Colorado should have called up another goaltender for the weekend to join Jean-Sebastien Giguere, taken a deep breath and then re-evaluated on Monday. That would have been based on pragmatism, not presumption. Yet I'm convinced the Avalanche position reflects faith in Varlamov, not simply a desire to win hockey games. Now that they're committed to backing him and letting the very complex legal and personal dramas unfold, I won't criticize the team for sticking to that plan — as long as no additional developments prove it to be unwarranted faith. Amid all that, the Avs managed to win Friday in Dallas in overtime and Saturday at home. "It seems difficult, but it is not in reality, because we're focused on what we have to do," Roy said after the game Saturday. "That's what we can control. What we control is the way we want to play, the focus, being prepared before the game and how we approach those games." 724703 Colorado Avalanche

Posted November 3, 2013, 9:20 pm MT

By Terry Frei

My Monday column on the Avalanche will be posted overnight and in the morning paper. Once it’s available, it can be accessed here. I cut out a brief analysis of the meaning of the 12-1 start, mostly for space, but also because I didn’t want anyone to accuse me of joining the forces attempting to ruin sports — the champions of “metrics” and their seemingly daily invention of a new ridiculous statistic. (Dorks, please go play in the corner and give us the games back.) But I’ll toss this out here. Under Patrick Roy, the Avalanche already has 24 points in 13 games. I have no doubt Colorado will slow down, slump and have trials as the regular season continues. But this is a significant head start in the race for at least a playoff spot. In the NHL’s most recent full season — 2011-12 — the 30 teams averaged 92 points in their 82 games. For that season, at least, that was the true .500 standard, with the numbers skewed by the three-point games. In other words, it drives me crazy any time a coach tries to peddle the idea that, say, a 12-12-5 record is “.500 hockey.” No, that’s 12 wins in 29 games. A point a game is not “.500 hockey.” Buying into that is falling for the NHL’s contrivance to make records look deceptively better than they really are. The average points will be slightly different each season, but if it’s in the neighborhood of 92 again, Colorado could reach that by getting only 68 points in the remaining 69 games. (For example, 30-31-8 would do the trick.) Predicting the number of points needed to make the playoffs can be tricky, especially under the new alignment and tweaked scheduling, but for the sake of argument, let’s say 96 points would be good enough in the Western Conference. In that case, Colorado could be back in the postseason by posting 72 points in the 69 games left on the schedule. That’s doable. Now about WAR … P.S.: I’ve been asked about Roy mentioning a 2000 column I wrote in his post-game news conference Saturday night. I wasn’t going to mention this, because I feel a bit awkward and I am not a fan of grandstanding. But here’s the context: Roy was asked if his 2000 experience affected the way he was reacting to and handling Semyon Varlamov’s situation. “The answer is yes,” he said. “I guess Varly is like me, appreciating that nobody is making a judgment. The best article I think was written by Terry Frei and he said let’s not make a judgment before the process is done. I thought that was something I appreciated at the time and I’m sure Varly appreciates seeing that support from our fans and a lot of people around him.” Here’s that 2000 column. Yes, the Post website looked a little different in those days. And I took Roy’s point under advisement. Denver Post: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724704 Columbus Blue Jackets The All-Star Game is coming. Next up for the Jackets: How about an All- Star? Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 Michael Arace commentary: Getting All-Star Game is big win for Jackets, city

Michael Arace The Columbus Dispatch Sunday November 3, 2013 6:16 AM

Nationwide Arena was filled to capacity last night. Granted, it was half-filled with Pittsburgh Penguins fans, but that is part of the beauty of the new Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is right down the road, and at the moment, Penguins fans can find seats here that they cannot find there. If this is some kind of knock on Columbus, it is not a hard knock. Pittsburghers might recall the early 1980s, when the old Igloo was half-full. As recently as the mid-2000s, the Penguins had the worst attendance figures in the NHL — at a time when the Blue Jackets were near capacity. A harbinger of Columbus’ changing fortunes arrived during the first period last night, when a video announcement was aired on the arena scoreboard. The Blue Jackets have been awarded the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. It drew cheers from everyone in the building, no matter the color of their jersey. It is official now. The league’s biggest party is coming to Columbus. As we learned when the draft was here in 2007, this is as good a place as any — and better than most. Last night’s announcement was not exactly a surprise. Columbus was supposed to stage the 2013 All-Star gala, but it was scuttled amid the owners’ lockout. There was a tacit pledge to get the event back here as soon as possible. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened. The announcement was made jointly by John Davidson, the Jackets’ president of hockey operations; Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission; Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL; and Mayor Michael B. Coleman. During a brief media confab that followed, there were laughs all around. That is the way these things go. The city is great. Everyone is proud. A lot of people worked hard. Of course, all of these things are true, but if you have heard one of these trot-outs, you have heard them all. Shake hands, slap backs and smile for the cameras. But if you care about Columbus and its hockey team, and you step back and look at the bigger picture, the All-Star Game fits into a burgeoning theme in the Arena District. The dynamic is changing. Bettman, pulled aside and asked about it, provided some perspective. “Looking at various factors, to us this franchise is as strong as it has been in some time, if not ever,” Bettman said. “The reorganization last year with Nationwide Insurance and the building was vitally important. The fact that the franchise has a new management component with JD and Jarmo (Kekalainen, the general manager) is another important ingredient. “On all fronts, on and off the ice, it has more credibility than it has had in some time. As we all know, there have been some difficult times.” Blue Jackets president Mike Priest made it his duty to press Bettman and the league to redeliver the All-Star Game. Priest, you might recall, was one of the people that fans wanted swept out of the building a couple of years ago. He should stand proud now. He is a link to John H. McConnell and a conduit for McConnell’s heirs. He has shepherded the franchise through difficult times. Priest was a key player in the deal that swung ownership of Nationwide Arena from the company to the county. There are those who do not like the deal, but in any case, it probably saved the team. It put the terms of the Blue Jackets’ lease in line with the rest of the league. It made for a healthier franchise, which makes for a healthier Arena District, which is good for Downtown. Priest also understood that he needed a better product to sell, and to that end, he hired Davidson to be the face of the franchise and the brains of hockey operations. That, too, was a brilliant move. “This (announcement) is recognition, and an affirmation, of what has been going on in Columbus,” Bettman said. 724705 Columbus Blue Jackets

Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 0: Columbus offense stifled

By Shawn Mitchell The Columbus Dispatch Sunday November 3, 2013 8:00 AM

The season-high 39 shots that the Blue Jackets took at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ net on Friday night did little more than whet the offensive appetite of coach Todd Richards. But last night, he was left hungry. The Penguins, the Metropolitan Division leaders, limited the Blue Jackets to a season-low 19 shots, and won 3-0 at Nationwide Arena to sweep a home- and-home series. The Blue Jackets wasted a solid performance by backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who saved 13 of 14 shots in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky on Friday and saved 24 of 26 last night. “For whatever reason, a lot of the good things we did (on Friday in a 4-2 loss) … there was little to none of that tonight,” Richards said. Penguins backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff made his third career start after allowing a total of 10 goals in his first two, but the skilled and speedy Penguins laid claim to the space in front of him and got grittier as the game progressed. The Blue Jackets were outshot 10-3 in the first period and went without a shot for the final 15:54 of the period. The Penguins had a 22-10 shot advantage after the second period. They also had a 1-0 lead after defenseman Deryk Engelland ripped a pass from Joe Vitale past the glove of McElhinney at 6:46. The cushion grew early in the third, when Blue Jackets forward Blake Comeau inadvertently poked a centering pass by Chris Kunitz past McElhinney 47 seconds into the period. Comeau was attempting to redirect the puck away from the far post, where Sidney Crosby was hovering. The own goal seemed to take the air out of half of the arena. The other half, occupied by Penguins fans, was elated. “You can’t even call it the difference-maker because we didn’t even score a goal,” Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky said. “If that doesn’t go in, maybe they win 1-0.” Jussi Jokinen added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Zatkoff, who entered with an .818 save percentage, earned his first career shutout. “We all knew who was between the pipes,” Blue Jackets center Derek MacKenzie said. “That’s where you give them a lot of credit. They found a way to clog things up. Certainly, we would have loved to have the shots we had in Pittsburgh, but it didn’t happen.” The Blue Jackets lost their third straight and dropped three games below . 500 for the second time this season. Richards switched all three of his defensive pairs. Defenseman Nikita Nikitin, a healthy scratch in the previous five games, replaced David Savard in the lineup. Richards put Nikitin next to Dalton Prout and paired rookie Ryan Murray with Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski with Fedor Tyutin. Richards also reunited Marian Gaborik, Cam Atkinson and Dubinsky on the top line. “We were trying to do some things to get more lines involved offensively,” Richards said. “Did it help? I don’t know. It certainly doesn’t seem like it did. I thought we defended hard. There was some desperation, but it came when there was a mistake made or there was an opening for Pittsburgh. “But I don’t know that we had the desperation when we climbed over the boards to start our shifts.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724706 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets notebook: Sergei Bobrovsky sits a night after being pulled from game

By Shawn Mitchell The Columbus Dispatch Sunday November 3, 2013 6:07 AM

Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards did not agonize over the decision to sit reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at Nationwide Arena. Bobrovsky, voted the NHL’s best goalie last season, allowed three goals on 13 shots on Friday night in a 4-2 loss at Pittsburgh and was pulled early in the second period. Richards said shortly thereafter that he decided to keep Bobrovsky on the bench for last night’s game. “I think by the time I got on the plane, and I thought about it more on the plane, my decision was made,” said Richards, who gave backup Curtis McElhinney the nod in the second of back-to-back games against the Penguins. Richards said earlier in the week that he was considering starting McElhinney in the second game depending on how Friday’s game went. Bobrovsky, who had a middling October, helped Richards make up his mind. Second-period goals by Brandon Sutter and Kris Letang gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead. “Going back to last year, I think we saw some similar things when we were fluctuating back and forth between (Steve) Mason and Bobrovsky and trying to find who was going to establish themselves as our No. 1,” Richards said. “We saw similar play.” Bobrovsky participated in an optional pregame skate yesterday morning. He stayed on the ice with goaltending coach Ian Clark long after his teammates headed for the locker room. “I feel like I have to be better,” Bobrovsky said. “If (being pulled and benched) happens, that means I deserve it. I did something wrong. I have to go through this, look forward, work hard and find my game.” Bobrovsky and Richards said it’s tough to pinpoint what is wrong, although Richards pointed out that a rough run by Bobrovsky stands out more than those of his teammates. “As a goalie, when you make a mistake, there is nobody to bail you out,” Richards said. “As a goalie, it becomes much more magnified.” Bobrovsky is 4-7 with a 2.79 goals-against average and .910 save percentage this season. He has been pulled from three of the 48 starts he has made since he was acquired from Philadelphia in June 2012. Bobrovsky said his early season struggles are motivating. “It’s more like I go harder on myself,” he said. “I just try to go harder and stronger. These situations make people better, and I have to go through this.” Night of No. 2s Penguins backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff made his third career start, a night after starter Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding in a 37-save performance. Zatkoff spent five seasons in the minor leagues before signing as a free agent in July. He allowed 10 goals on 55 shots in losses to Florida (6-3 on Oct. 11) and the New York Islanders (4-3 on Oct. 25). [email protected] @smitchcd - See more at: http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/11/03/bobrovsky- sits-a-night-after-being-pulled-from-game.html#sthash.D0D0h5NC.dpuf Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724707 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets box score

Sunday November 3, 2013 6:04 AM Staff

Pittsburgh 0 1 2 —3 Columbus 0 0 0 — 0 FIRST PERIOD: Penalty — Wisniewski, Clm (cross-checking), 18:35. SECOND: Scoring — 1, Pittsburgh, Engelland 2 (Vitale, Jeffrey), 6:46. Penalties — Pittsburgh bench, served by Jokinen (too many men), 10:07; Letang, Pit (roughing), 12:44; Umberger, Clm (holding), 12:44; Boll, Clm (boarding), 15:31. THIRD: Scoring — 2, Pittsburgh, Kunitz 8 (Dupuis, Martin), :47. 3, Pittsburgh, Jokinen 7 (Malkin, Crosby), 19:22 (en). Penalties — Atkinson, Clm (tripping), 6:53; Maatta, Pit (tripping), 8:32. Shots on goal: Pittsburgh 10-12-5—27. Columbus 3-7-9—19. Power plays: Pittsburgh 0 of 3; Columbus 0 of 2. Goalies: Pittsburgh, Zatkoff 1-2-0 (19 shots-19 saves). Columbus, McElhinney 1-1-0 (26-24). A: 18,634. T: 2:24. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724708 Columbus Blue Jackets

2015 even better time to host All-Star Game, Jackets president says

By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch Monday November 4, 2013 5:04 AM

The cancellation of the 2013 NHL All-Star Game turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Blue Jackets president Mike Priest said. When the game was axed last winter, the NHL was in the throes of an owners’ lockout, with scores of games canceled every other week, millions of dollars in revenue lost, and the rancor growing among players, owners and fans. When the lockout finally ended, the season was cut to 48 games and there was no time for a midseason gala. The situation is much different now. On Saturday, when league commissioner Gary Bettman awarded the 2015 All-Star Game to the Blue Jackets and the city, it brought into focus — at least for Priest — that it has all worked out well. “We didn’t want to have a hockey celebration at a time when there might have been residual effects from the work stoppage,” Priest said. “It was an abbreviated season. There were lots of things about that that just didn’t feel good anymore. “We didn’t want an abbreviated All-Star celebration. This way, it can be full bore, a lot of celebration, and clearly the team is in a better place than the team was at the time.” Priest was in constant contact with Bettman and the NHL hierarchy from the time the lockout was settled last January until Oct. 25, when Bettman phoned Priest to confirm the 2015 game in Nationwide Arena. “It took a lot of work by a lot of people to get it the first time,” Priest said. “We got it, we lost it and we wanted it back. We felt like we delivered it for our fans, and we wanted it back. “Gary was very good about telling us, ‘We’ll get you one again.’ But for a good while, it was just ‘again’; they left their options open, and I understood that. But I didn’t want to take any chances that they would forget about us.” Take it outside The Blue Jackets played host to the draft in 2007. Now they’re getting the All-Star Game. The only thing left — other than the Stanley Cup, of course — is an outdoor game in Ohio Stadium. Priest is very much interested. “I thought it was a little early to ask Gary tonight,” Priest joked on Saturday. “We’re going to focus on making the All-Star Game be all it can be, but we certainly have aspirations for an outdoor game.” Slap shots Right wing Marian Gaborik was held without a shot on goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the first time that has happened in 24 games with the Blue Jackets. His only attempt was blocked. … Defenseman Jack Johnson played a game-high 26 minutes, 26 seconds but was minus-3 for the second time this season. … The Blue Jackets were off yesterday. They return to practice at 10:30 this morning. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724709 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets: Head hits on way out, NHL commissioner says

By Aaron Portzline The Columbus Dispatch Monday November 4, 2013 5:02 AM

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the wave of early-season “head hits” and ensuing suspensions is not because the league has seen an uptick in violence, but simply because it has changed the standard for what is deemed a punishable hit in the name of player safety. Barely one month into the season, the league has suspended four players — Vancouver’s Alex Edler, Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta, the New York Islanders’ Michael Grabner and Buffalo’s John Scott — a total of 22 games for targeting an opponent’s head during a hit. Six other players have been suspended for other forms of dangerous hits. Bettman, in Nationwide Arena on Saturday to award the 2015 All-Star Game to the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus, said the league is undergoing a transformation since cracking down on hits that target the head a year ago. “If you look at what we’ve been doing, particularly with player safety, and look at the rule changes, we’re effectuating a change,” Bettman said. “We’ve taken a hit out of the game that a couple of years ago was legal. It requires an adjustment, but (league vice president of player safety) Brendan Shanahan and the players’ safety department have been very diligent in making sure we’re adjusting. “In the course of a season, we probably have 55,000 hits (across the league), give or take. We’re talking about a relatively small percentage of the hits, a fraction of 1 percent. And when there are head hits, they’re dealt with.” One week ago, the Blue Jackets feared that center Brandon Dubinsky would be suspended for his hit on Anaheim’s Saku Koivu after his right shoulder collided with Koivu’s jaw and sent him straight to the ice with a concussion. After reviewing the hit, Shanahan ruled that Dubinsky was not targeting Koivu’s head, that he landed a body-to-body check that involved incidental contact with Koivu’s head. The NHL gained national sports headlines for all the wrong reasons on Friday — not for checks to the head, but for punches to the head. During Washington’s 7-0 rout of Philadelphia, the Flyers sparked a line brawl in the third period, during which goaltender Ray Emery skated the length of the ice, grabbed Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby against his will and began pummeling him. Philadelphia forward Steve Downie was taken to a hospital after the game, and teammate Vincent Lecavalier suffered a facial injury. Emery was not punished by the league, but Bettman said it might look at adding a rule to punish such actions in the future. One suggestion is that a goaltender can’t cross the far-end blue line to start a fracas, or he would face a fine or suspension. If goalies want to fight, they would have to meet in the neutral zone. Bettman would first need the approval of the NHL’s board of governors to change the rule book. “We constantly monitor and look at the game,” Bettman said. “There was no rule that was violated (by Emery) to elevate things to the level of a suspension. It’s something we’ll continue to discuss. “I don’t think anybody liked it, liked what it looked like. Fortunately, it’s not something that happens very often. But I’m sure it’s something we’ll focus on, particularly with the general managers.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724710 Dallas Stars talks with Nichushkin. "The last few games he’s been flying. I played with him in pre-season, and I definitely see him improving every game. He can take the puck to the net, he can use his speed and drive hard. He’s a big Valeri Nichushkin (finally) breaks through in Dallas Stars' shootout victory boy, and I imagine he’s going to fill out even more." over Ottawa Senators Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013

By MIKE HEIKA Published: 03 November 2013 07:58 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 09:02 PM

KANATA, Ontario — If you want to find encouragement in the Stars right now, there’s no better place to look than Valeri Nichushkin. The 18-year-old winger was the 10th-overall pick in the draft and decided to jump right into the NHL, becoming the youngest player on the Stars since they moved to Dallas in 1993. However, that leap looked pretty high during his first 10 games, as he struggled to score or even create scoring opportunities. But Sunday, Nichushkin broke through and scored his first NHL goal. It was a huge play in a 4-3 shootout win over Ottawa for the Stars, who are sort of reflecting their young forward in development this season. "He’s coming along really well," Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Tonight, he dominated, skating wise, physically. He made the play right off the bat that (Jamie) Benn could have completed, and then in overtime, he could have finished it himself." The Stars start their three-game road trip on a good foot, and even their record at 6-6-2, good for 14 points. Ottawa falls to 4-6-4. Ruff juggled his lines and put Nichushkin with Cody Eakin and Benn. Nichushkin finished with four shots on goal, and a beautiful fading wrister that he took across the grain and put past Craig Anderson in the second period. It was a goal-scorer’s goal. "It’s a good feeling, but teammates helped him," Sergei Gonchar said, serving as Nichushkin’s translator. "Lately, he was frustrated, because he felt like he had good chances every game, so this is a good one to get. It feels good." The game featured the first goal of the season for three different players. Ray Whitney added a goal to the six assists he has accumulated, while Antoine Roussel scored his first on a bit of a luck play. Roussel was battling on the forecheck in the third period, when he gained possession behind the net, and tossed a puck into the slot. Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki, accidentally tapped the puck past his own goalie to give Dallas a 3-2 lead with 17 minutes left to play. The Stars and goalie Kari Lehtonen almost made that lead stand up in regulation, but witnessed the game tied with 9.3 seconds remaining. After Ottawa pulled its goalie, Milan Michalek came off the bench and went flying to the Stars net, he fed Bobby Ryan in the slot, and Ryan was able to get a broken-stick change-up past Lehtonen. The game moved through overtime and to a shootout, where Jamie Benn scored for the Stars, and nobody scored on Lehtonen. "I had a rough shootout the last time, and I really wanted to be a little bit more patient" Lehtonen said. "We had a pretty good game plan, watching the things they like to do, and today it worked" But as good as the two points were, there still are questions. The Stars dominated early, couldn’t cash in on a four-minute power play, and squandered a chance to make the night a lot easier. And that’s where the comparisons to the 18-year-old rookie are applicable. This group really is trying to learn how to play as a team, just as Nichushkin is trying to learn how to play in the league. "We're going to have to learn how to win," Ruff said. "We made it tough on ourselves. We’re going to have to fix a few of those mistakes that we made and get a greater understanding of when you are up 2-0 in a game what kind of opportunities you want to give up." That said, the improvement in both player and team is tangible. "I’ve been where he is, and so I told him that. Once you get that confidence in the NHL, I definitely think you play better,’’ center Tyler Seguin said of his 724711 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars summary: Valeri Nichushkin nets first NHL goal in 4-3 win against Ottawa Senators

By MIKE HEIKA Published: 03 November 2013 07:45 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 07:58 PM

Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators scoring summary Stars 4, Ottawa 3 (SO) Three Stars Kari Lehtonen, Stars: Held strong in third period and shootout. Bobby Ryan, Ottawa: Goal, assist and six shots on goal. Valeri Nichushkin, Stars: First NHL goal, and several great scoring chances. First period: The Stars played one of their most complete periods of the year, dominating attack zone time and drawing two power plays. The only problem was they couldn’t score on either. The Stars finished with a 19-9 edge in shots on goal in the period and took a 1-0 lead when Ray Whitney broke in on the right wing and slapped in his first goal of the season at the 17:03 mark. Stars 1, Colorado 0 Second period: The Stars pushed their lead to 2-0 just 30 seconds into the period when Valeri Nichushkin scored his first NHL goal. Nichushkin floated across the high slot from left to right, and snapped a wrister against the grain, beating Craig Anderson. The Stars had a chance to expand the lead with a four-minute power play at the 2:57 mark, but failed. That seemed to awaken the Senators, and they enjoyed a 16-12 advantage in shots on goal for the period. Erik Karlsson made it 2-1 when he scored his fourth goal of the season, and Jason Spezza then tallied on the power play to make it 2-2 at the 16:40 mark. Stars 2, Ottawa 2 Third period: Dallas fought back hard and was rewarded with some good luck. Antoine Roussel won a battle in the offensive zone, skated behind the goal, and flipped a puck in front of the net. Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki accidentally hit it past Anderson to give Roussel his first goal of the season. Ottawa pulled its goalie late in the game and tied it at the 19:50 mark. Milan Michalek raced off the bench and dug a puck from behind the net, and Bobby Ryan spanked it home for his eighth goal of the season. Stars 3, Colorado 3 Overtime/Shootout: Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson was hurt in the overtime, as Nichushkin drove the net and his thigh hit Anderson in the head or neck. Anderson was removed from the game, and back-up goalie Robin Lehner came in. Lehner stopped the Stars for the remainder of overtime, but then allowed the only goal in the shootout, a wrister from Jamie Benn. Kari Lehtonen stopped all three Ottawa shooters. Stars 4, Ottawa 3 (SO) Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724712 Dallas Stars

Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson taken off ice on stretcher after collision with Dallas Stars' Valeri Nichushkin

MIKE HEIKA Published: 03 November 2013 06:46 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 07:43 PM

KANATA, Ontario - Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson was taken off on a stretcher after Valeri Nichushkin drove the net in overtime. Anderson appeared to be hit in the head or neck by Nichushkin's thigh or knee. Senators coach Paul MacLean said Anderson had a stiff neck and would be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. He said did not expect Anderson to be available Tuesday. "It's one of those plays that I think it's even worse when you see the replay and the way he kind of got jammed in there," Ottawa winger Bobby Ryan said. "You never want to see it, but it's just a kid going to the net hard, and you can't really do anything about it." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724713 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff calls out Tyler Seguin; wants center to 'get mad'

MIKE HEIKA Published: 03 November 2013 06:43 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 06:49 PM

KANATA, Ontario - Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff tried to balance his scoring by splitting Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn for the first part of the game Sunday. But Ruff put Seguin and Benn back together because Seguin couldn't win a faceoff. He ended the game winning 1-of-14 (7 percent). "The compete on that has to be a lot stronger; scratch your nose on the ice if you have to," Ruff said. "You're going to have to get low, you're going to have to get stronger, you're going to have to get kicked out a few times. It's a form of competing. … Get mad." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724714 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar receives warm welcome in Ottawa, believes team is improving

MIKE HEIKA Published: 03 November 2013 06:40 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 06:49 PM

KANATA, Ontario - Defenseman Sergei Gonchar was feted with a nice Homecoming video Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre. Despite playing just three seasons in Ottawa, Gonchar was welcomed back for his first return with a scoreboard video highlighting his Ottawa years and a warm round of applause from the crowd. "It's nice to come back, to have that feeling," said Gonchar, 39, who signed with the Stars when Ottawa did not extend a two-year offer. "It was good here, and it's good to feel that." Gonchar logged 17:57 in ice time and had two shots on goal. He has one assist and is minus-5 in 14 games, but he said he feels he is improving. "It's a lot like I have been with other teams; it takes me some time," Gonchar said. "I feel like every game has been better than the last, and I think the team is getting better game by game, too. It's an adjustment for all of us." Gonchar said speed is a big part of the new NHL, and he is trying to adjust. "There is a lot of skating and speed, and we all have to adapt," Gonchar said. "We all were new and all trying to do different things, and it's a little bit hard to do that. But, as we get to know each other and understand more, it's getting easier." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724715 Dallas Stars Senators was given a warm welcome by fans with a video tribute during the first intermission. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.04.2013 Jamie Benn lifts Dallas Stars past Ottawa Senators with shootout goal; Craig Anderson leaves on stretcher

Associated Press Published: 03 November 2013 06:21 PM Updated: 03 November 2013 06:54 PM

OTTAWA — Jamie Benn gave Dallas a full two points to start a three-game trip, scoring the winner in a shootout in the Stars' 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. "It's obviously big to get those two and start the road trip on the right foot," Benn said. "It wasn't an easy two points and we really didn't help ourselves out too much. We gave up a couple, but found a way to win in the shootout." The game had a number of twists and turns, but perhaps the most disconcerting for the Senators was an injury to goalie Craig Anderson. With 1:32 gone in overtime, Anderson went down hard after being hit by Valeri Nichushkin. The goalie was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he appeared to take a knee to the head. Anderson faced 36 shots before Robin Lehner was forced into action. Lehner stopped two shots in overtime. Antoine Roussel, Ray Whitney and Nichushkin scored for the Stars (6-6-2). Kari Lehtonen stopped 36 shots. Lehtonen stopped Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan in the shootout. Ryan, Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza scored for the Senators (4-6-4). The Senators' winless streak reached five games (0-3-2). "I thought we dug in and found a way to get something out of a game," Senators coach Doug MacLean said. "That's a great start for our team." They haven't won on home ice since Oct. 17. "We can't keep doing this all season," Erik Karlsson said. "We got a point and we played better than we have in the past, so we have to take the positives out of things." After a solid second period, the Senators had some bad luck when Borowiecki put the puck in his own net when trying to clear it from the front of the net giving the Stars a 3-2 lead. Despite Borowiecki's goal, the Senators did all they could to tie things, and with 9.6 seconds remaining in regulation Ryan jumped on a loose puck in the slot and tied it. "We rebounded, which we really haven't seen our team do in the past," Ryan said. "We found a way to get one late to tie it. I thought the team battled and that's all you can really ask for." The second period didn't get off to a great start for the Senators as Nichushkin, with his first NHL goal, made it 2-0 after taking a pass from Brenden Dillon and beat Anderson high 30 seconds into the period. Chris Neil took a double minor for high sticking, but the Senators managed to kill the penalties and even created a number of scoring chances short- handed. Ottawa cut the deficit in half when Karlsson took a cross-ice pass from Ryan and caught Lehtonen moving at 7:41. Ottawa capped the period with a power-play goal by Spezza to make it 2-2 at 16:40. The Stars opened the scoring at 17:03 of the first when Whitney came down the side boards and beat Anderson glove side. The play was a result of a Milan Michalek turnover in the Stars end. Notes: D Eric Gryba and D Joe Corvo were healthy scratches for the Senators. RW Erik Condra missed the game with a sprained muscle in his right leg. ... The Stars' D Kevin Connauton and LW Lane MacDermid were healthy scratches. ... D Sergei Gonchar who played three seasons with the 724716 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' Adam Almqvist called up for injured Brendan Smith

3:30 PM, November 3, 2013 By Helene St. James

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — Which Detroit Red Wings player will Jets fan boo? Darren Helm would be a cruel choice, since he's an area native. Todd Bertuzzi would be an uninspired choice, since he already gets booed in various arenas. The Wings make their only stop of the season Monday in Winnipeg, home to the Jets since the Thrashers club ditched Atlanta in 2011. Jets fans have developed a habit of booing a member of the opposing team every time he touches the puck. Usually it's a star player, so Henrik Zetterberg or Pavel Datsyuk may get an earful. "I'm pumped, looking forward to it," coach Mike Babcock said. "Should be exciting. The crowd is going crazy there, they're fired up about hockey." All the Wings really care about is finishing their trek through Western Canada with a fourth straight victory. They'll be without defenseman Brendan Smith, who general manager Ken Holland said was injured during his fight at Edmonton. Smith was put on short-term injured reserve. Adam Almqvist, a seventh-round pick from 2009, was called up to sub against the Jets. The game at MTS Centre will be the Wings' third in four nights. They took Sunday off to recuperate after following up Friday's 4-3 victory at Calgary with a 5-0 rout Saturday at Edmonton. The Oilers haven't offered much challenge to anyone this season, but the Wings made it easier on themselves when Helm started the scoring five minutes into the game. Saturday was a terrific night for Helm, his first game in nine months because of various injuries. Now he gets to play in front of family and friends, as the Wings foray into Winnipeg for the first time since 1996, when they beat the former Jets franchise (now in Phoenix) in the first round of the playoffs. "It's great for the city," Helm said. "They're a city that really loves their hockey, gets behind their team. I'm excited to go back. Should be an interesting feeling, going home. See family, friends, I don't get to see too often. I've been getting a lot of calls, text messages, from people telling me how excited they are to see me play there. I've got a pretty big family. There's quite a bit of people going. Should be lots of Helm family members there." Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724717 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings recall defenseman Adam Almquist

Detroit News staff

The Red Wings recalled defenseman Adam Almquist from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday. In 10 games with the Griffins this season Almquist had seven points, all assists. The former 7th-round draft pick from Sweden is expected to make his NHL debut Monday in Winnipeg. Detroit News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724718 Detroit Red Wings “Just a nice way to win the game,” said forward Darren Helm, who was more intent on praising goalie Petr Mrazek (also making his regular-season debut) and the impressive team win for the Red Wings. Wings promote defenseman Adam Almquist from Grand Rapids Still, it was special. “I just knew I was alone and had some time and I was able to get a good Ted Kulfan shot away,” Helm said. “I was really excited. That was one of the happiest moments I’ve had in a while since the injury bug started.” Mrazek shutout Winnipeg, Manitoba — Adam Almquist was one of the Red Wings’ most impressive young players during the exhibition season. Mrazek needed to stop only 14 shots to earn the easy shutout against the Oilers, but it was something he’ll always remember. Now, the team will get a chance to see what he can do when the games count for real. “I feel great, we played real good,” he said. Almquist was promoted Sunday from Grand Rapids when defenseman Mrazek, 21, is one of the top prospects in the Red Wings minor league Brendan Smith was placed on the short-term (seven-day) injured list system, and showed why by taking Grand Rapids to the Calder Cup because of a slight shoulder injury. championship in June. The injury was just the capper for a tough evening for Smith, who had three The fifth-round pick (2010) plays and carries himself with an air of penalties in the Red Wings’ 5-0 victory over Edmonton. calmness. Almquist made a good impression during the exhibition and training camp. “He’s always been like that,” said defenseman Brian Lashoff, who was part of that championship-winning Griffins team. “I remember last season in He’s only 22, and at 5-foot-11, 174 pounds, he’s not a big defenseman. But Game 6 of the Finals (against Syracuse, the championship-clinching game) Almquist is mobile, is good with the puck, and has good hockey instincts. he was the calmest guy in the room. “That’s nice to have when it’s your goalie. He’s learning a lot from Howie (Jimmy Howard) and Gus (Jonas Almquist played in 68 games with Grand Rapids last season, with 10 goals Gustavsson) and it’s nice to have a guy like that come up and do well.” and 21 assists. Babcock remembers something goaltending coach Jim Bedard said to “He’s talented,” coach Mike Babcock said during the exhibition season. “He Babcock earlier this week regarding Mrazek. moves the puck. He’s an undersized guy, but his hockey sense, his mind, and athleticism is good.” “He thinks he is here to take Howie’s job, not Gustavsson’s job,” said Babcock, of the starting goaltending job. “He has that attitude. He’s won Too long away everywhere he’s been and there’s obviously something to it.” The last time the Red Wings played a regular-season game in Winnipeg? Red Wings at Jets It was March 10, 1996, in the old Winnipeg Arena. Then, a little over a Faceoff: 8 tonight, MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba month later, the Red Wings helped usher the Jets out of Winnipeg. TV/radio: FSD/97.1 After the Red Wings defeated the Jets, 4-1, in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series, on April 28, 1996, the Jets moved to Phoenix because of Outlook: This will be the Red Wings’ first visit to Winnipeg since 1996. ... mounting financial difficulties. The Jets have lost three consecutive games and are last in the Central Division. ... C Bryan Little (11 points) leads offensively, while former “It was a shame when they left,” said forward Darren Helm, a Winnipeg Michigan G Al Montoya has played well in limited action (1-1-0, .944 SVS). native, who was 9 at the time. Detroit News LOADED: 11.04.2013 But the Jets have been reborn. Two seasons ago, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, amid financial difficulties of their own. The Jets were, and are, back. And the Red Wings get their first chance to see the hysteria in the new MTS Centre, for themselves, Monday night. “I’m pumped,” coach Mike Babcock said. “I’m looking forward to it. It should be exciting. Helmer (Helm) is from there. I watched the game (Saturday against Chicago) and the crowd is going crazy, they’re fired up. They love hockey. It’ll be fun to go there.” The lowest ticket price on the StubHub secondary ticket outlet was went for $117 per ticket, with some going for as much as $400. The Red Wings are one of the last teams who have yet to play a game in Winnipeg since it returned to the league. “It’s great for the city,” said Helm, of the NHL’s return. “The city loves its hockey and gets behind its team. Everyone is really excited. “It should be a great feeling (Monday).” Especially for Helm, who returned to the lineup Saturday with a goal, and will have family and friends in attendance. “It’s going to be real nice, good to see family and friends that I don’t get to see that often,” he said. “It’ll be nice to be able to play at home. I’ve been getting messages and texts about how excited people are.” Quite a return By the way, it was a return from a movie script for Helm, who hopped on the ice just over five minutes into Saturday’s game, found himself on a breakaway, and scored a goal. It was his first regular-season game since January, and just his third game overall since April 2012 because of string of injuries. 724719 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith out 1-2 weeks with shoulder injury; Adam Almquist recalled

Ansar Khan on November 03, 2013 at 3:54 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 6:27 PM

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – A tough start to the season for Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith took a bad turn Saturday night, when he injured his shoulder in a fight with Edmonton’s Will Acton. Smith has a slightly separated shoulder and will miss 1-2 weeks, general manager Ken Holland said. The Red Wings recalled defenseman Adam Almquist from the Grand Rapids Griffins. He will make his NHL debut Monday against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre (8 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). Smith was placed on short-term injured reserve, meaning he must sit out a minimum of seven days. “We waited last night, wanted to see how he felt today,’’ Holland said. “When (trainer) Piet Van Zant saw him today, he said he’s very sore.’’ After taking three penalties earlier in the game, a 5-0 win for the Red Wings, Smith fought Acton with 41 seconds remaining. The Red Wings already are missing defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (separated shoulder), who isn't eligible to come off long-term IR until Nov. 15. Holland said they opted to recall Almquist because he’s earned the opportunity and they want to see what he can do before next season, when he is out of minor league options and must clear waivers to be sent to the AHL. “He’s a third-year pro, he can move the puck,’’ Holland said. “He’s not a big guy (5-foot-11, 173) but has learned how to position himself defensively at the American League level. It’s an opportunity for us to see what one of your young players can do.’’ Almquist, 22, has seven points (all assists) in 10 games with the Griffins. He had an impressive training camp and preseason with the Red Wings. “He was an important part of Grand Rapids’ run to the Calder Cup last year (31 points in 68 regular season games and 10 points in 21 playoff games), played in their top four,’’ Holland said. “He quarterbacks the power play in the AHL. There’s a chance he could be on our second power-play unit.’’ Holland said they are also happy with the play of rookie Xavier Ouellet, who appeared in one game in Detroit as an injury replacement. Almquist, a native of Huskvarna, Sweden, was drafted in the seventh round (210th overall) in 2009. Smith has one point (an assist) in 11 games as well as a team-worst minus- 7 rating and team-leading 19 penalty minutes. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.04.2013 724720 Detroit Red Wings our lines a lot deeper. He’s one of those guys that can get in on the forecheck and create a lot of havoc.’’ Helm played just one game last season, a 5-3 win over Minnesota on Jan. Red Wings' Darren Helm will return to dangerous form in time, Mike 25. He re-aggravated his back the following day in practice. Babcock, teammates say Now he says his body is as healthy as it’s going to be. “The physical part of the game is going to be there, the speed’s there, Ansar Khan on November 03, 2013 at 11:05 AM cardio might not be quite where I want it to be,’’ Helm said. “The mental part of it, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up right away. Going to take a while to adjust to the speed.’’ "He can be a real factor for us. He's flat-out got speed, he's tenacious, he's strong, he's heavy and he's a good player.'' -- Mike Babcock EDMONTON, Alberta – Darren Helm’s string of misfortune began with a Said Bertuzzi: “It’s a frustrating injury because it shuts down your whole sprained knee following an awkward collision with Dominic Moore in San lower half. It’s something he’s going to have to deal with and start Jose on March 17, 2012. maintaining and working on it.’’ In the ensuing 19 months, the speedy Detroit Red Wings center logged only Helm, for the most part, remained confident throughout his ordeal that he 15:35 of ice time in two games. would play again. In his first game back from the knee injury, tendons in his forearm were “There were days that I was uncertain it would come to this day, whether or severed by the skate blade of Nashville’s Alexander Radulov. Then he not I’d be playing again,’’ Helm said. “I’m just really happy for today.’’ suffered a fractured orbital bone when struck by a puck at an informal So are the Red Wings, because Helm will give them a much-needed practice during the lockout. dimension, once he’s back up to speed. The major problem started a few days before training camp in January Michigan Live LOADED: 11.04.2013 2013, when he hurt his back doing squats. The back healed over the summer, but a groin pull forced him to miss camp and the first few games of the season, and another groin pull delayed his comeback. It might be easy to forget what Helm means to this team. Coach Mike Babcock offered a reminder Saturday morning, hours before Helm’s return during a 5-0 victory over Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. “I think he’s the best third-line center in the NHL,’’ Babcock said. That’s what Babcock said before Helm’s rash of injuries. He’s confident the 26-year-old grinder can return to that form. Saturday was a good first step as Helm scored a breakaway goal on his second shift and felt fine after playing a little more than 10 minutes. “He’s just got to get his game back,’’ Babcock said. It’s going to take a while for that. But it’s a long season, and barring any more setbacks, the club feels Helm could be back to his normal self just after the New Year. “He can be a real factor for us,’’ Babcock said. “He’s flat-out got speed, he’s tenacious, he’s strong, he’s heavy and he’s a good player.’’ Said Helm: “I want to get back playing the way I did before this string of injuries. They told me they know it’s going to take a while. I want to work my hardest to get back to that spot.’’ Veteran Todd Bertuzzi sort of knows what Helm is going through, having experienced back issues himself. “The thing with him is he’s got youth on his side and he’s got speed,’’ Bertuzzi said. “I think getting a couple of games in where there’s contact, getting his confidence back that things will hold up will help. “He’s a huge part of this team, brings a lot to the (penalty kill) and to the third-line center spot. He’s a guy that you have to watch all the time; he can get breakaways and he’s very good on the forecheck.’’ Helm played on a line with Drew Miller and Mikael Samuelsson on Saturday. Miller noted that Helm is hard to play against. “He creates opportunities for himself and guys on his line with his speed and the respect that opposing players have to give him because he’s so fast,’’ Miller said. “It’s probably going to take him a little while to get back into game mode and the level he’s used to. But if anyone can get back quick, it’s probably him. “He’s going to be flying around and bringing an element that only he can bring.’’ Eventually, he will. “He hasn’t played in quite some time, so we’re going to have to give him some time to adjust,’’ goaltender Jimmy Howard said. “But just how hard he plays, his speed, he’s going to make our penalty kill a lot better and make 724721 Detroit Red Wings

Darren Helm excited about Winnipeg homecoming as Red Wings seek Western Canada sweep

Ansar Khan on November 04, 2013 at 1:13 AM, updated November 04, 2013 at 1:27 AM

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – The Detroit Red Wings are back in Winnipeg for the first time in 17 years and nobody is happier than Manitoba native Darren Helm. Helm was born and raised in Winnipeg, watched the Jets play a few times before they relocated to Phoenix in 1996, when he was 9 years old. Winnipeg got another NHL team in 2011, when the Thrashers uprooted from Atlanta, and Monday will be the first time the Red Wings visit the second version of the Jets. The 15,000-seat MTS Centre, which opened in 2004, will include many of Helm’s family and friends. “I am excited to get back there,’’ Helm said. “It’s going to be really nice to see some family, friends; don’t get to see them too often. “I’ve been getting calls and texts and messages, people are excited to get a chance to see me come home. The excitement goes both ways for sure.’’ Asked how large his cheering section will be, Helm said, “We got a pretty big family; a few more ticket requests I got to fill. Should be lots of Helm family members out there.’’ Helm saw a handful of Jets games at the old Winnipeg Arena back in the day, a building that was famous for the 5-by-7 (meters) oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II that hung from the rafters. He played in a charity game at the MTS Centre a few years ago. “It’s a little smaller, they pack it,’’ Helm said. “Winnipeg fans are pretty intense and they’re right on top of you cheering. They’re loud, so it’s exciting, especially when you’re in a smaller rink.’’ The Red Wings’ last appearance in Winnipeg was on April 28, 1996, when they won Game 6 of their Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series 4- 1, eliminating the Jets in what would be the franchise’s final game. The Red Wings have played the Jets only once since they returned to Winnipeg, beating them 7-1 at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 10, 2011. “It’s great for the city,’’ Helm said. “It’s a city that loves its hockey and really gets behind their team. It was a shame when they left. You can tell when I go back how excited everybody is.’’ Helm returned to action in Saturday’s 5-0 win at Edmonton, even scoring a breakaway goal during his second shift. It was his first game since Jan. 25, just The Red Wings (9-4-2) have an opportunity for a rare and impressive feat– a four-game sweep in Western Canada. Coach Mike Babcock called his team professional in the way it played Saturday, winning its third in a row. “We think we play well some of the time and we think we got a pretty good team, but we have to play well all the time and we’re trying to put a run together here,’’ Babcock said. The Jets are near the bottom of the Western Conference at 5-8-2. “I’m looking forward to it, it should be exciting,’’ Babcock said. “I watched the game (Saturday), Chicago had a good day in there (won 5-1), but the crowd’s going crazy and they’re fired up about hockey and it’ll be fun to go.’’ Michigan Live LOADED: 11.04.2013 724722 Detroit Red Wings can tell when I go back how excited everybody is. Should be an interesting feeling going back there.” The Jets team Helm went to see as a child relocated to Phoenix in 1996. Red Wings finally get healthy Darren Helm back in the lineup This team is the former Atlanta Thrashers, which relocated to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season.

By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Smith on IR with shoulder injury Posted: 11/03/13, 10:30 PM EST | Defenseman Brendan Smith will be sidelined one to two weeks with a slight shoulder separation. The injury occurred in a fight with Edmonton’s Will Acton with 41 seconds Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock feels he has the best third-line left in the Wings’ 5-0 win over the Oilers on Saturday. center on his roster. “He was very sore today,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “We On Saturday night in Edmonton, he finally got him back. think it’s a minimum week.” Darren Helm returned to the Wings’ lineup after playing in just two games Smith was placed on short-term injured reserve and Adam Almquist was over the last 19 months, playing nearly 10 minutes. recalled from Grand Rapids. He’ll make his NHL debut Monday in Winnipeg. “I think he’s is the best third-line center in the NHL when he’s healthy, but we haven’t seen that in two years, so it’s a long way back,” Babcock said. “He can move the puck,” Holland said of Almquist, who’s out of options “He’s just got to get his game back. He can be a real factor for us. He’s flat after this season. “He’s not a big guy and has learned how to position out got speed, he’s tenacious, he’s strong, he’s heavy and he’s a good himself defensively at the American League level. It’s an opportunity for us player.” to see what one of your young players can do.” Babcock eased Helm back into the lineup by having him center the fourth Xavier Ouellet had been the guy called up when another blue liner was line in their 5-0 over the Oilers. needed. It took Helm just two shifts in to make his presence felt, scoring on a “He was an important part of Grand Rapids’ run to the Calder Cup last breakaway to give Detroit the early lead. year,” Holland said. “He played in the top four and quarterbacked the power play. There’s a chance he could be on our second power-play unit. We “Helmer is a huge dimension for our team,” Babcock said. “If he can get think he gives us the best chance to win tomorrow night.” healthy, he’s dominant. To see him do what he did ... he didn’t play much as far as ice time but he played quite a few shifts and played well.” Detroit is already missing Jonathan Ericsson with a separated shoulder. He’s not eligible to come off long-term injured reserve until Nov. 15. Helm’s rash of injuries began on March 17, 2012 after a collision with San Jose’s Dominic Moore. The end result was a sprained MCL that sidelined “We’re happy with Ouellet, we’re happy with Almquist,” Holland said. him the final 10 regular season games. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.04.2013 He returned for the Wings’ playoff opener against Nashville that year, but didn’t make it through the entire game after he had tendons in his forearm sliced by the skate of Alexander Radulov. Then, during an informal skate on Nov. 2, 2012, at Troy, while the players were locked out by owners, he broke an orbital bone after being hit in the face by a puck. Helm’s next setback was a back injury he suffered while doing squats, before training camp was set to begin in January for the lockout-shortened season. “I wouldn’t say there was a really dark day but there were days that I was uncertain it would come to this day, whether or not I’d be playing, really, again,” Helm said. “There was a lot of good days but a couple of days that kind of swamped my mood, kind of made me second guess. There were some days of doubt.” After finally getting his back to heal over the summer, he pulled a groin that sidelined him all of this past training camp. Then, during a conditioning stint in Grand Rapids he suffered another pulled groin to delay his return yet again. “He wasn’t a good player in the American League when he went down and then he came back and you hoped he was going to be on the ice and he got himself hurt,” Babcock said. “(He) probably should be in the American League and playing 10 games and getting going, but we don’t have that luxury with the rules and such, so we need him in our lineup.” Getting that first game under his belt in Edmonton may have been better than having it happen in Winnipeg where he grew up. “I’ve been getting calls and texts how excited people are to get a chance to see me come home,’ Helm said. “The excitement goes both ways for sure. We got a pretty big family. I know there’s quite a bit of people going. (There are) a few more ticket requests I’ve got to fill. There should be lots of Helm family members out there. It’ll be good.” The Wings play the Jets Monday to wrap up their four-game Western Canada road trip. “It’s a city that loves its hockey and really gets behind their team,” Helm said. “It was a shame when they left, but the city is really behind them. You 724723 Edmonton Oilers “The forwards also have to take the good habits from North America and can’t get pulled into the Euro game, playing on the outside.” Krueger is also jockeying responsibilities with the World Economic Forum Ex-Edmonton Oilers head coach says he doesn’t find pleasure in team’s alongside his the Olympic team work. He’s attending a conference in Abu woes Dhabi soon, and there’s another one in Davos in January. He’s had many feelers from European teams to coach again, if not right now then next season, but he’s rebuffed them because he’s excited by the Olympic task. By Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal November 3, 2013 3:00 PM He really wants back into the NHL milieu because it was intoxicating. But he’s a scout now, not a head coach.

Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger, centre, here talking to “I feel really good having this time and this space to step back,” Kruger players Taylor Hall, right, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during a January 2013 said. “I have a need inside me to coach, but when you coach 24 years in a game, says he isn't finding any joy in his ex-team's current struggles. row, stepping outside the box is good. I slip in and out of rinks in Europe Krueger was fired by the Oilers in the off-season after one year on the job now. I’m not very visible.” and replaced by Dallas Eakins. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.04.2013 Being German, Ralph Krueger knows what schadenfreude means — a feeling of pleasure when you see somebody else fail — but the former Edmonton Oilers head coach isn’t wired that way. He’s not kicking back and saying “I told you it wasn’t the coaching” as the Oilers stumble out of the gate, as the new man Dallas Eakins works overtime to get a club a win, anywhere. Krueger hasn’t watched an Oilers’ game yet on his computer or on TV — he’s back at his home base in Davos, Switzerland — but he admits he thought about the players when October rolled round. He’s on assignment for Canadian Olympic head man Mike Babcock and his staff to scout European teams in advance of February’s Games in Sochi, Russia. He coached the Swiss team in three Olympics, including Torino in 2006 on the big surface. “All my friends at times are feeling schadenfreude, but I really don’t,” Krueger said. “At the beginning of October, I started thinking about the Oilers. I thought ‘whoa, I’m still attached to these guys.’ The attachment to the guys in Edmonton doesn’t allow me to think badly. I hope the players reach their potential, and as a team, too. I haven’t got up one day with any other feeling. “It’s not my kind of pleasure. I think people know me better than that.” “But I have not watched an Oilers game. I told Mike I wouldn’t be doing that, and he was fine with it. The energy’s not there yet. At some point, I’ll break down. Maybe the Detroit game this weekend will be tempting because of Babs and Tom (Renney, the Red Wings’ associate coach and former Oilers bench boss).” An Oilers fan texted into a local radio show Thursday and said “Ralph must still be in Edmonton, why doesn’t he come down and fix the penalty-killing and the power play?” Krueger laughed heartily at that idea. “A lot of people think I’m in Canada. When they heard my role with Team Canada, they thought I’d stay there, maybe stay in Edmonton and do my work from there, They seem surprised when they see me in rinks in Europe,” Krueger said. “It’s better to have some distance (from his old NHL job). “My role with Team Canada starts to rev up in November with some national team games. It’s less than 100 days to the Olympics now, so I’m looking forward to that, trying to reel in information for the guys on the big ice ... I’m trying to prepare us for what they’ll come at us with, systems, penalty-kill, the tendencies of the coaches so there are no surprises, a really thorough scouting report.” Krueger said those that will line up on Canada’s blue-line will have to be excellent skaters, “not only to play defence, but if you want to be involved offensively.” “Teams give up on the forecheck (on the defence) in Europe a lot quicker than in the NHL, where they’re down your throat. Because of the bigger rink, they have more time, so there’s less pressure,” he said. “But one problem is North American rinks are curved along the end boards. In Europe it’s almost square. That’s an adjustment (area to cover). 724724 Edmonton Oilers “This is one of the worst games I think I’ve played in, but I don’t think we realize this can get worse. We just have to keep our heads up somehow ... and whatever we say in the locker-room, we have to do out there.” It’s going to get ‘really uncomfortable’ for ‘disconnected’ Oilers Ference said the intentions are there, but there’s still too much individual play. And, despite all the talk about doing the right things, there hasn’t been enough action to back up the messages. By Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal November 3, 2013 “What’s concerning is that you have games you want to recover from, turn the page on,” said Ference, “and you crank up the competitive level in practice, really focus on some fundamental stuff, and it’s like none of it has EDMONTON - They were supposed to turn the page. Move on. Make soaked in. amends for a 4-0 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’m lost for words after that one.” They had a players-only meeting, two days of practice and time to recharge — something the Detroit Red Wings didn’t have — yet the Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.04.2013 did nothing but give the crowd at Rexall Place a reason to boo them off the ice by the second intermission on Saturday. Dispirited captain Andrew Ference said he was at a loss for words after Saturday’s 5-0 defeat by the Red Wings. Head coach Dallas Eakins said his team had lost its confidence. Defenceman Ladislav Smid, who has experienced his share of losses since 2006, said he was in shock. “I don’t know if this is rock bottom (because) this can get worse. People are going to get traded, it’s going to get really uncomfortable for everyone now — and I don’t know if we realize that,” Smid said after the Oilers were outshot 31-14. The Oilers have been outscored 17-2 in their last four home games, and are on another five-game losing skid. “I’ve been through this a few times and it’s really uncomfortable,” said Smid. “I don’t think we should be in last place. We have good personnel, good guys in here, but we have to play as a team. It’s like everybody is on their own page, we’re so disconnected. “We are not working hard enough. After two goals, we just kept our heads down. That’s unacceptable,” he continued. “It’s going to get uncomfortable, but that’s the only way to get out of this. And it has to start within the team. The coach can come in and yell and sit people in the box, but we have to make each other accountable. “If the mistakes keep happening over and over, somebody has to stand up and tell him.” The Oilers left Sunday for a four-game road trip that starts Tuesday against the Florida Panthers and ends Nov. 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks. They are dragging a record of 3-10-2, which has dropped them into 29th place in the NHL, ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres (2-13-1). Surely this is a team which is either about to make a move up the standings or implode. “We just have to go out there and compete and play hard,” said Sam Gagner. “Everyone knows what’s expected of them, everyone knows what the system is. There shouldn’t be any tentativeness. “I don’t know if guys are feeling for themselves or waiting for other guys to do it. Teams go through adversity and they battle through it. It shouldn’t be any different in here. If things are going bad, you don’t throw in the towel.” Eakins said the Oilers had 15 turnovers in the second period Saturday, half of which were caused by players trying to beat one more defender. A “spirited” discussion followed in the second intermission, but the end result certainly didn’t change. “We have to get back to the very basics and build our confidence from there,” said Eakins. “For our group right now, probably the safest place to play and to get going is on the road. This is not a fun place to play right now, and rightly so.” Wingers Taylor Hall, Jesse Joensuu and Ryan Smyth travelled with the team and all should be back in the lineup before the end of the road trip. Ditto for David Perron, who has missed the last two games with a neck injury, and defenceman Justin Schultz, who missed Saturday’s game with a rib injury. “I guess it has to get uncomfortable in here, otherwise we’re just going to keep saying the right things but going on the ice where it will be the same old thing,” said Smid. 724725 Edmonton Oilers

This ‘n’ that: Edmonton Oilers will hotly pursue Jonas Hiller as free agent if Devan Dubnyk doesn’t work out in goal

Jim Matheson

- The Edmonton Oilers will be all over Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller this summer, when he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, if Devan Dubnyk (also unrestricted) doesn’t pan out as their No. 1. The Ducks are loaded in goal with Viktor Fasth, Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, the AHL’s Player of the Month. Hiller, 31, will be the Swiss Olympic goalie. - Interesting that Philadelphia Flyers coach Craig Berube had his captain Claude Giroux sit in the box for four minutes serving Emery’s double-minor for the Holtby fight. Giroux has yet to score a goal this season. - It would have been interesting to see if any team was willing to dig deep to give the Vancouver Canucks’ terrific twin Sedins five years and $40 million as free agents this summer. Or would they have had to decide on one or the other because of cap issues? Henrik and Daniel are two prizes — always available, always accountable, way tougher than they’ll ever get credit for. Henrik’s missed 10 games in 12-plus seasons, none in the last 645 Canucks games. - The Chicago Blackhawks will likely trot out Nikolai Khabibulin against the Oilers on Sunday, but they’re a little nervous about the former Edmonton netminder’s bad start. He’s allowed eight goals on forty-four shots in two games played for an .818 save percentage. - The St. Louis Blues have gassed the tradition of players skating along the bench line high-fiving one another after scoring a goal. Good on them. I’ve always thought the practice is juvenile. Act like you’ve been there before. Brett Hull and Kelly Chase, two Blues’ alums, suggested the players cool it, act more professional, congratulate each other, but only the players on the ice. - Plus/minus stats are sometimes skewed (everybody gets a minus when a player hands the puck to the guy in the other sweater and he scores on a breakaway) but Patrick Kane’s minus-9 stands out for the Blackhawks on a solidly plus team. Only three NHL players are worse out of close to 700. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724726 Edmonton Oilers Will players governing themselves help? It can’t hurt. “I don’t think we have a bad team in here, I don’t think we should be in last place,” said Smid. “We just have to play as a team. Everybody is on his own Edmonton Oilers: 'Sick of what's going on' page, so disconnected. “We think we’re working hard, that’s the biggest thing. We have to get in the By Robert Tychkowski,Edmonton Sun mind-set that we aren’t working hard enough.” First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 05:42 PM MST | Updated: Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.04.2013 Sunday, November 03, 2013 06:07 PM MST

Remember the days when Mark Messier or another Oilers veteran would grab a teammate by the scruff of the neck and demand more if the guy wasn’t pulling his weight, or playing hard enough? Those days might be coming back. Only instead of it being a great team trying to stay that way, it’ll be the worst organization in the NHL trying to crawl out of the gutter. But it’s a start. The Oilers have become an embarrassing mess since owner Daryl Katz took over the team seven-plus years ago, and back-to-back shutout losses at home - 4-0 to Toronto and 5-0 to Detroit - pushed a lot of people past the breaking point. No word on how Katz feels after three wins in 15 games and missing the playoffs for an eighth straight year, but the fans (both types), are as bitter as they’ve ever been here. And some of the veterans who spoke Saturday night, also fed up with the never-ending cycle of defeat, promise to address some of the core issues themselves. “If somebody is going to make one mistake, two mistakes, you try to help them," said defenceman Ladislav Smid. "But if it’s going to keep happening over and over, somebody is going to have to stand up and tell him. “We have to stick together and play as a team, but at the same time we have to hold each other accountable. It’s going to get uncomfortable, but that’s the only way to do this... otherwise we’re just going to keep saying the right things and keep going on the ice and it’s going to be the same old thing." New captain Andrew Ference agrees. He’s stunned by the differences between Edmonton and Boston and says tough love has to start at the player level. “Right from the start of the season I’ve been sick of what’s going on here,” he said. “You get that feeling as soon as you get here - the intentions are in the right spot on an individual basis but it’s just a matter of putting into action lessons that we’re supposed to be learning.” Which they’re not doing. “The coach comes in here and gives a pretty black and white world of what expectations are and what you’re supposed to be doing on the ice and it’s up to us as players to do those jobs,” said Ference. “What it boils down to at this point is guys not doing it. Everybody is saying the right thing but it’s the action that matters. “It’s like nothing soaked in. We have to hold each other accountable because there’s no excuse for it. It’s not a league where you can win when guys are trying to do things on their own page - there’s a team system for a reason.” They’ll be saying a lot of the same things head coach Dallas Eakins is, but face-to-face peer pressure might have more impact. “It has to start within the team,” said Smid. “The coach can come in here and yell and sit people in the box, but we have to start it in here, we have to make each other (play harder and smarter).” With the Oilers on a four-game road trip, fans in Edmonton won’t see them again until they sell out the Nov. 13 and 15 home ice losses to Dallas and San Jose, but in the meantime they’ll do everything they can to keep this from getting really ugly. “I don’t think we realize this can get way worse,” said Smid, who’s watched this movie many times before in Edmonton. “People are going to start getting traded. It’s going to get really uncomfortable for everyone.” 724727 Florida Panthers

SHOOTOUT WOES CONTINUE: Panthers Still Bad in the Shooting Exhibition

Posted by George Richards at 12:58 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Panthers have been the league's worst team since the shootout was introduced in 2005 to determine a winner in tie games. The past two weeks has been one of Florida's toughest runs yet. Florida is currently winless in its past five games although it has points from three. Those points came from shootout losses with Chicago, Tampa Bay and Washington all gaining the extra point as Florida was left with the loser's singular point -- as historically has been the case. The Panthers have played in the fifth-most shootout games all-time (93) yet only five teams have fewer wins (34) and no team has more losses (59). Columbus, ranked 29th in the league, has nine fewer losses than the dead- last Panthers. Florida's goalies have a shootout success save rate of 64 percent which is ranked 24th; Florida's shooting rate of 25 percent is last. "I'm still confident in the options I have in the shootout,'' said coach Kevin Dineen, whose team is 1-3 in shootouts this season with all of them coming in the past six games. "This is an area we're going to see a lot of this year. We're going to have games like this because no goals seem to come easy for us. Hopefully that pops open for us, but the shootout will probably be a big part of our season.'' The problems in the past three shootout losses are the same problems which have plagued the Panthers throughout the past decade. They are obvious problems. The Panthers don't score enough and don't stop the opposition enough. In the Panthers 2-1 shootout win over Minnesota on Oct. 19, Florida was perfect. Not only did both Jonathan Huberdeau and Brad Boyes both score, but Tim Thomas stopped both offerings from the Wild. Of course, Thomas is one of the better shootout goalies in the league. Thomas' 31 wins (three fewer than the Panthers have total) rank eighth among active netminders as he has gone 31-27. In the three games without Thomas, Florida has stopped just three of 10 shootout shots while scoring on two of seven. On Saturday, Scott Clemmensen gave up goals on all three shots faced -- including one from Brooks Laich in which he whiffed on the shot yet the puck slid between Clemmensen's skates -- with only Aleksander Barkov scoring. Dineen said as the backup goalie, Clemmensen is at a disadvantage because he's usually the guy used as target practice for Florida's shooters. "He gets a bucketload of shots thrown at him and it's more practice for the shooters than for his own improvement,'' Dineen said. "Sometimes that's not fair.'' Markstrom said he's always prepared for individual shooters and enjoys the challenge of trying to get the extra point for his team. "I think it's fun because it comes down to you versus the skater,'' said Markstrom, who is 0-2 after stopping three of seven this year. "These are the best players in the world and they have the best moves. But it's tough losing them. Sometimes it comes down to luck.'' Miami Herald LOADED: 11.04.2013 724728 Florida Panthers "He had a heck of a chance at the end,’’ Dineen said. “I would have liked to see that puck go in, find a way into the net.’’ Getting physical Shootouts still a curse for Florida Panthers How complete was Florida’s effort Saturday? Shawn Matthias left the game after taking a puck to the face while trying to By George Richards block a shot, Brad Gilbert leaped in front of a shot late in the game and took the puck off his ankle and Marcel Goc got into his first NHL fight in his 502nd game. WASHINGTON -- The Panthers have been the league’s worst team since the shootout was introduced in 2005 to determine a winner in games with Matthias returned to the game but visited a doctor after the game. He was the scored tied after overtime. The past two weeks has been one of struck near one of his eyes. Gilbert was seen limping around with a huge Florida’s toughest runs yet. bag of ice on his swollen ankle. The Panthers are currently winless in its past five games although it has Krys Barch also took a big hit and was upended, leaving him with numerous points from three. facial lacerations. Barch, while in the penalty box, yanked out a loose tooth and then offered it to a fan who watched in amazement. Those points came from shootout losses with Chicago, Tampa Bay and Washington all gaining the extra point as Florida was left with the loser’s Trocheck shining singular point — as historically has been the case. If Florida is looking for internal improvement, rookie forward Vincent The Panthers have played in the fifth-most shootout games all-time (93) yet Trocheck has to be at the top of the list. Trocheck had two assists in San only five teams have fewer wins (34) and no team has more losses (59). Antonio’s 5-3 win over Rick DiPietro and the Charlotte Checkers on Columbus, ranked 29th in the league, has nine fewer losses than the dead- Saturday night. last Panthers. Trocheck, who led the Ontario Hockey League with 50 goals last season, Florida’s goalies have a shootout success save rate of 64 percent, which is leads Florida’s AHL affiliate in scoring with six goals and five assists, and ranked 24th; Florida’s shooting rate of 25 percent is last. has seven points and three goals in the past three games. “I’m still confident in the options I have in the shootout,’’ said coach Kevin Miami Herald LOADED: 11.04.2013 Dineen, whose team is 1-3 in shootouts this season, all coming in the past six games. "This is an area we’re going to see a lot of this year. We’re going to have games like this because no goals seem to come easy for us. Hopefully that pops open for us, but the shootout will probably be a big part of our season.’’ The problems in the past three shootout losses are the same as those throughout the past decade. They are obvious problems. The Panthers don’t score enough and don’t stop the opposition enough. In the Panthers 2-1 shootout win over Minnesota on Oct. 19, Florida was perfect. Not only did both Jonathan Huberdeau and Brad Boyes both score, but Tim Thomas stopped both offerings from the Wild. Of course, Thomas is one of the better shootout goalies in the league. Thomas’ 31 wins (three fewer than the Panthers have total) rank eighth among active netminders as he has gone 31-27. In the three games without Thomas, Florida has stopped just three of 10 shootout attempts while scoring on two of seven. On Saturday, Scott Clemmensen gave up goals on all three shots faced — including one from Brooks Laich in which he whiffed on the shot yet the puck slid between Clemmensen’s skates — with only Aleksander Barkov scoring for the Panthers. Dineen said that as the backup goalie, Clemmensen is at a disadvantage because he’s usually the guy used as target practice for Florida’s shooters. “He gets a bucket-load of shots thrown at him, and it’s more practice for the shooters than for his own improvement,’’ Dineen said. “Sometimes that’s not fair.’’ Goalie Jacob Markstrom said he’s always prepared for individual shooters and enjoys the challenge of trying to get the extra point for his team. “I think it’s fun because it comes down to you vs. the skater,’’ said Markstrom, who is 0-2 after stopping three of seven this year. “These are the best players in the world, and they have the best moves. But it’s tough losing them.’’ Close call Florida may have avoided a shootout Saturday as Tomas Kopecky was robbed of a point-blank shot moments after Tomas Fleischmann tied the score at 2 late in the third period. Dineen said the play was reviewed and determined the puck didn’t go over the line. Kopecky, still without a goal this season, put his head in his hands after getting back to the bench in frustration. 724729 Florida Panthers "I'm still confident in the options I have in the shootout and think it's an area we'll see a lot of this year," Dineen said. "No goals seem to come easy for us, but hopefully, somewhere along the line we can pop that open." Despite shootout loss, Dineen appreciates team effort Clemmensen, who played well in his first start since April 18, 2013, could be pushing Jacob Markstrom back to the minors when Tim Thomas comes off the injured list. But he whiffed on all three Caps' shooters and is now 10- By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel 15 in shootouts. 2:46 PM EST, November 3, 2013 "Clemmensen's a guy in practice who we have all these guys shooting on him all the time," Dineen said. "He's getting a bucket-load of shootouts and some times in my mind he's out there as practice for the shooters instead of working on his technique, and that's not fair." WASHINGTON, D.C. — While veteran defenseman Brian Campbell and his coach Kevin Dineen aren't into moral victories, especially after the Panthers Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.04.2013 fifth straight loss Saturday against the Capitals, they did appreciate the 65- minute team effort it took to snatch a hard-earned point. 'We're a blue-collar team," said Campbell, in a surprisingly upbeat locker room in the Verizon Center despite losing 3-2 in a shootout. "We all went out there and if you didn't have names or numbers on our back you wouldn't know who the players were. "We stuck with what we need to do. We kept it simple. That's what we need to continue to do to have success.'' Dineen is a huge believer in the K-I-S-S theory, and that's the stern message he delivered to his players in a team meeting Saturday afternoon in their downtown hotel. "I liked the way our team played, not just on the ice," said Dineen, who was disgusted after Friday's 4-0 loss to the Blues. "I think there was a good vibe. Our guys felt like this was a game we needed to make a statement and even though we only walked out with one point we are slowly taking steps in the right direction." It helped that the Panthers finally scored a (4-on-3) power-play goal when Tomas Fleischmann zipped one from the corner to tie it 2-2 with 2:38 left in regulation. It was their first in five games and ended a run of one PPG in 23 chances while snapping Washington's 35 PK streak of success. "Uncle," Dineen cracked. "Jeez, we needed that one. … We just can't seem to get over that and it's been such a strength since I've been here that it's a little taken for granted." Campbell, the anchor of the 27th-ranked power-play units that were sixth last year and seventh in 2011-12, assisted on Fleischmann's goal. However, at 3-8-3, Campbell isn't doing cartwheels over three shootout- point losses in the last five of 12 days. "Eighty-two moral victories isn't going to get you into the playoffs," he said. "Everybody knows it's usually 92-93 points, so you can add up the math and see how many games we need to win the rest of the season. "We need to start stringing points and wins together. We've got a lot of road games coming up so we got to stick together and get the job done." Goc's first fight The Panthers certainly stuck together in a chippy game in which mild- mannered center Marcel Goc joined team enforcer Krys Barch in the rough stuff. Barch was seen in the penalty box throwing his tooth to a fan. Goc stuck up for Fleischmann after he received a blow to the head from Michael Latta in the first period, and got into the first fight of his nine-year career. Goc received a 10-minute misconduct and the 17 penalty minutes were a career-high. "I sensed the guys really pulling together," said Panthers forward Jesse Winchester, who scored his third goal of the season on a breakaway. "Goc is one of the best team guys you'll find … so it's not surprising to see him go into that situation. "It brought a lot of energy to the team." Shootout woes Despite losing three consecutive shootouts after winning their first one against the Wild, Dineen is still confident that shootout victories will start coming because of skilled players like Jonathan Huberdeau, rookie Aleksander Barkov and Brad Boyes, who's tied with Pavel Datsyuk for the most shootout goals among active skaters. 724730 Los Angeles Kings

Schedule break comes at good time for Kings' injured players

By Lisa Dillman November 3, 2013, 6:09 p.m.

Call the mini-break in the Kings' schedule a case of good timing. They practiced Sunday — Kings Coach Darryl Sutter called it a "good aerobic day" — will have Monday off, and do not play until Thursday, giving their wounded centers more time to heal. Jeff Carter (foot) is on injured reserve, retroactive to Wednesday, and Jarret Stoll left the game against Nashville on Saturday in the second period because of an upper-body injury and is day to day, according to Sutter. "It's [been] nagging … both them guys; Carter, too, his foot," Sutter said. "Better to take care of it now, the way our schedule is." Carter hurt his ankle shortly before the playoffs with the Kings in 2012 and suffered a hairline fracture at the top of his right foot in 2011, an injury that came early in his brief tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The extra time between games also will give the Kings time to work on their penalty-killing issues. They gave up two power-play goals in a 4-3 loss to the Predators and are ranked 24th in the league. On Saturday, Sutter was sharply critical of the penalty-killers, in particular defensemen Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell. He added to those comments Sunday. "One guy [Mitchell] has missed a year and a half and the one guy [Greene] played about six games in a year, so it's probably where they're at, whether they can regain that skill set," Sutter said. LA Times: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724731 Los Angeles Kings

Toffoli shakes off high sticks in fine performance

Posted by JonRosen on November 3, 2013

One of the topics at the Kings’ practice on Sunday was the performance of Tyler Toffoli during Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. Toffoli was 20-years-old when he posted five points in 10 regular season games last season and 21-years-old during a playoff run in which he recorded six points in 12 games and earned a mostly regular spot in the lineup after making his NHL debut in Game 5 of the St. Louis series. After seeing his playing time decrease in the San Jose series, he became a teen- minute player in the Chicago series after earning regular minutes when Mike Richards was concussed by a Dave Bolland hit late in Game 1. He posted a goal and three assists in four games while lining up to the right of Jeff Carter during the Chicago series and logged a career-high 16:32 of ice time in the in the double overtime loss to the Blackhawks in Game 5. Though Carter is currently on injured reserve, Toffoli stepped in alongside Daniel Carcillo and Mike Richards and recorded an assist as part of a career-high 19:23 of ice time, which included 17 minutes of even strength play and 2:23 spent on the power play. Only Drew Doughty, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar logged more power play time. “I thought it was good,” Toffoli said of his personal performance. “I mean, it’s obviously good to be back and everything, but it sucks to lose, and I don’t think it really matters how somebody plays when a team’s not winning.” He also weathered a stick in the face right off the opening faceoff – one of two high sticks he weathered that went unpenalized – from Rich Clune, a friend and former Manchester Monarchs teammate. “He said ‘sorry’ on the ice, but I wasn’t too happy with it,” Toffoli said. “I just wanted to play. I mean, obviously when you get hit in the face it’s not fun, but there were no cuts. Just had a couple of cuts in my mouth, but that’s the way hockey goes.” LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724732 Los Angeles Kings

November 3 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter

Posted by JonRosen on November 3, 2013

On how he treats this lighter part of the schedule: Well, today we wanted a good aerobic day. Tomorrow’s a day off, and then we get two practices. On whether he has a chance to tune up “system work” with several days off: Well…we missed seven days of practice last month, and with that, there’s lots of days where guys were told to stay off. So we get a little recovery and get a couple practices, and then we go. Everybody gets it once. [Reporter: Is video a huge part of this, too, now?] No. We do enough video. I don’t think there’s a point of over killing that. On what he has seen from Linden Vey: Today is the first day he has practiced with us. [Reporter: Did you like what you saw?] Yeah, I like Linden. [Reporter: Good effort in practice?] I don’t think I question effort in practice very often. It’s hockey…I’m not usually concerned about players’ effort in practice. On what the penalty kill can do to “stop the bleeding”: Have an 0-fer game. Really clear. We’ve played five out of six at home, and in the last six games, we’ve given nine goals on the penalty kill, which makes us 3-3. Clear, right? Partly to do with goaltending. Partly to do with penalty killers. [Reporter: Is it surprising to see Mitchell and Greene make errors, though?] No. One guy’s missed a year and a half, and one guy’s played about six games in a year. So it’s probably where they’re at, and whether they can regain that skill set. [Reporter: It seemed like there weren’t signs of that until very recently. The PK had been on a nice stretch before that.] You know what? That’s the way it usually goes, too. On whether he thinks about the ratio of shots generated by the defense: Yeah, I think about it. I think that your power play guys, which would be your more skilled guys – Drew and Slava and Muzzin – should average three shots a game, and the other guys it’s bonus time. It’s very clear. I mean, if you look at the top defensemen at the end of the year, if you can get somebody that’s 200-to-250 shots, that’s pretty good. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724733 Los Angeles Kings

Updates on Stoll, Carter

Posted by JonRosen on November 3, 2013

On Jarret Stoll: “He’s day-to-day, upper-body. We don’t play until Thursday.” On whether Stoll’s injury stemmed from a “pre-existing condition: “Yeah, nagging. Both of those guys – Carter too. His foot. Better to take care of it now, really, with the way our schedule is.” The Kings don’t play again until Thursday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres. Other than the Christmas break and the Olympic break, it is the only time this season that they will have four full days between games. Monday is a scheduled day off for the team. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724734 Los Angeles Kings

Waking up with the Kings: November 3

Posted by JonRosen on November 3, 2013

-Spotting a National Hockey League team a two-goal lead in the first period is never an optimal way to start a game, though when Anze Kopitar buried a Jake Muzzin rebound to bring the Los Angeles Kings within one 37 seconds before the first intermission, the buoyancy appeared to rebound as the team would have a chance to carry momentum into the second period after outshooting the Nashville Predators 14-6 in the opening frame. That didn’t happen. Nashville was the better team over the first half of the second period, and though they benefited from a fluky bounce off referee Mike Hasenfratz in setting up Eric Nystrom’s goal, referees are a part of the on- ice action, and fluky deflections occur. Perhaps it stings a little bit more because it appeared as though there were one or two high sticks on Tyler Toffoli that went unpenalized, but the real back breaker in this game was when Los Angeles fell behind by two goals in the second period. Also, Patric Hornqvist should be arrested for serial regicide, as he continues to kill the Kings. With three assists last night, he upped his career numbers to seven goals and six assists in 17 games against L.A. Those are impressive numbers considering the games between these two teams aren’t generally as high scoring as Saturday’s game. -Speaking of Tyler Toffoli, he was excellent and well-deserving of his career-high 19:23 of ice time. He produced several high-tension moments for the Nashville defense, including an assist he earned by snapping the puck towards the net during a third period power play before Mike Richards tied the game by depositing a loose puck past Carter Hutton. His best moments might have come during a delayed call in the first period when he did an excellent job of finding space and recognizing Anze Kopitar entering the ice as an extra attacker before feeding him a pass between a pair sticks. He then found a soft spot near the tops of the circles, used his skate to receive the return pass from Kopitar, and fired off a high-quality opportunity from just inside the right circle that Hutton kicked aside. It was one of five shots by the 21-year-old. Andrew D. Bernstein / National Hockey League -The penalty killing is in the type of rut that has never really been associated with the team over the last three seasons. After killing off 14 consecutive power plays, Los Angeles has now conceded a goal while shorthanded in six straight games, going 17-for-26 over that span. Though Nashville’s second goal came as the result of some impressive puck movement between Hornqvist and Shea Weber, the first goal was a simple play in which David Legwand skated with impunity from the right wing half boards towards the tops of the circles and unleashed a hard wristshot against the grain, beating Jonathan Quick to the gloveside with Hornqvist in front. Nobody stepped up to provide pressure; both goals were lamented by Darryl Sutter during the post-game press conference. The Kings did end a seven-game streak of allowing their opponents at least four opportunities on the power play. -There’s no word on Jarret Stoll’s ailment – and don’t expect one, given teams’ reluctance to disclose injuries – but if the Kings will be in the position to call up another player from Manchester, is it possible that we could see the reunion of the Pearson-Vey-Toffoli line at the NHL level? It’s an intriguing consideration, though it would obviously be less desirable than a quick return by Stoll. -Carter Hutton made an excellent save on a Slava Voynov one-timer with under a minute to play in this game. It was the exact type of clutch third period save he was unable to make Thursday night, when the Predators let a two-goal lead slip away before losing in a shootout at Phoenix. Though he’s not out there to be Pekka Rinne, if he continues to make big saves duriung key situations, he’ll do an adequate job of holding down the fort until Nashville’s star goaltender returns from his hip injury. Andrew D. Bernstein / National Hockey League LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724735 Minnesota Wild

Coyle sidelined again

Article by: RACHEL BLOUNT , Star Tribune Updated: November 3, 2013 - 11:51 PM

Just as soon as Charlie Coyle got back into the Wild lineup, he dropped out again. The forward was scratched for Sunday’s game against New Jersey after reaggravating the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for 11 games, though coach Mike Yeo does not expect him to be out for long. Coyle played in Friday’s 4-3 victory over Montreal and practiced Saturday. Yeo described his status as day-to-day. Forward Carson McMillan was recalled from the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa and skated on the fourth line Sunday. When McMillan got the call, he hopped in his truck and drove up Interstate Hwy. 35 to Minnesota. Though he isn’t expected to be a scorer, he is tied for the scoring lead in Iowa with two goals and four assists in seven games. He is plus-4 and has one game-winning goal. “I’ve had a good start to the season, which is always nice,’’ said McMillan, who has been playing on a line with Jason Zucker and Chad Rau in Iowa. “I’m here to just play a checking role, to be solid on the fourth line and try to bring some energy.” Yeo said he wants McMillan to fill a tightly defined role, as a player who makes things difficult for opponents. “He had a very strong training camp, and he deserves this opportunity,’’ the coach said. Happy returns Marek Zidlicky’s tenure in Minnesota did not end well. The defenseman, who played for the Wild from 2008 to 2012, was traded to New Jersey after complaining publicly about Yeo’s style of play and his lack of ice time. That didn’t seem to sully his memories of his years in St. Paul. “Four years was a long time for me,’’ said Zidlicky, who played the Wild for the first time since the February 2012 trade. “For my family and for myself, we had a great four years, a lot of nice memories. It’s nice to be back. The first time, honestly, it’s like I’m home again.’’ Waiting game The Wild continues to consider its options regarding rookie defenseman Matt Dumba. He has played nine games, and his three-year contract will kick in once he plays in his 10th. He has been scratched for the past two games. Yeo said he doesn’t want Dumba to spend extended time as a healthy scratch. But even when Dumba sits out, Yeo said, his development is better served in Minnesota than in Western Hockey League. “It’s got to be good for a young kid to be out there against some of best athletes in the world, day in and day out,’’ Yeo said. ‘Mo’ is less … Center Zenon Konopka is the Wild’s “Movember” captain, the annual tradition Nick Schultz started on the Wild where players grow mustaches to raise awareness and research funds for cancers that affect men. The Wild’s a young team though. As Konopka scanned the boyish faces in the Wild’s locker room, he joked: “We really struggle, now that I think of it. We’re definitely in the bottom three teams in the league for Movember.” Star Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724736 Minnesota Wild So Heatley looks like he’s responded well. “He handled it the right way,” Yeo said. “If he didn’t score that goal, I could still sit here and say that was probably his best game. He came to the rink, Postgame: PK comes up large, and other thoughts after Wild's shutout over he had a good attitude, he never pouted. What he did was focused on his Devils own game.” Yeo said that if he went back and looked at Heatley’s shifts, he’d see a Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: November 3, 2013 - 11:32 PM good forechecking game, puck strength, making plays on entries and good decisions. “That was kind of the message, you do the right things, and eventually Nice win for the Wild tonight after a slow start. Minnesota finally found its you’ll get rewarded,” Yeo said. legs and took two points from a sub-par Devils team who was shorthanded by injuries, hasn’t scored now in seven periods and who played the night Heatley declined to come out and talk to the press tonight. before. -- Granlund continues to play well. One reason why Yeo can’t find a Wild has won five of six with tonight’s 4-zip win over the Devils. Josh consistent right wing for the top line is because how can he break up the Harding made 19 stops for his ninth career shutout and second of the Niederreiter-Granlund-Pominville line right now. season. He’s now 7-2-1 with a 1.10 goals against average and .950 save Keith Ballard got the Granlund goal started with a headman pass that was percentage and is 6-0 at home with a 1.06 goals against average and .950 deflected at center-ice by Granlund (may have been intentionally) to send save percentage. Pominville into the zone. Cory Schneider stopped Pominville, but after The Wild’s not practicing Monday, but it’s safe to say he’ll be starting Niederreiter tried to bank the rebound off Schneider, Niederreiter nudged Tuesday against Calgary. the loose puck to Granlund, who slammed it into an open net. Mikael Granlund scored his first goal of the season, which was his first “I point to where he scored the goal from and I look back to where he was a career winning goal, extended his point streak to five games, won 6 of 10 year ago, and I don’t think he would have been in that position,” Yeo said of faceoffs, had three hits and a big blocked shot on the PK. Granlund. “He’s in the middle of the ice a lot more. He’s taken everything to heart that we’ve asked from him and he just continues to grow.” Torrey Mitchell scored his first goal when a Zach Parise rebound ricocheted off of him. He has not clue where, but he said he’d take it. Dany Heatley, -- Hopefully Charlie Coyle is indeed day-to-day, but if he did aggravate that who seems to be handling fourth-line duty with a good attitude, scored on knee injury, one would think he’d miss some time. I’d say doubtful for the power play and Jason Pominville scored an empty-netter for his 10th Tuesday with no practice Monday. goal, which is third in the NHL. --On the Mitchell goal, Ryan Suter fed Parise to the left of Schneider, and Nino Niederreiter assisted on three goals. Wild’s won five of six and is now the Wild vet put a soft slot at the net with bodies crashing. The puck 2-1 on the homestand. ricocheted off Schneider, off Mitchell and then former Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky and in. Good evening from the X. It’s Russo. I’m back from my friend’s wedding. It felt like I was away from the team for a month, but it’s nice to be back. There was a certain irony. Zidlicky, who demanded to be traded in 2012 because he felt handcuffed by Yeo, didn’t score a goal in 41 games during Before I continue, if you missed my Thomas Vanek column from Sunday, Yeo’s rookie season before being dealt to the Devils. In a way, it was please give it a read here. Fitting after yet another big game from Granlund Zidlicky’s first goal for Yeo. and Niederreiter. No blog Monday unless there’s news. Talk to you Tuesday. Some random thoughts: Star Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 --Wild’s PK was solid tonight, going 3 for 3 and generating momentum for a change. Then the Wild learned its lesson and didn’t take another penalty after four first-period minors. But this is a good sign for a PK that has had some big kills lately but was still 28th in the NHL and had given up at least one PPG in 12 of the previous 14 games. --The Wild also won 39 of 54 faceoffs (72 percent), with Mikko Koivu winning 14 of 20 and Kyle Brodziak winning 11 of 13. That obviously led to more and more puck possession as the night moved on. The Wild’s second in the NHL in faceoff win percentage. -- Torrey Mitchell had a strong game and got the goal. He was elevated to top line duty with Zach Parise (assist) and Mikko Koivu. “He’s played with energy, he’s worked his butt off all year,” coach Mike Yeo said. “I just felt Mikko and Zach needed a straight-line, hard-working [guy]. He is a team first guy. He never ever is going to turn around and say ‘what’s in it for me?’ He just wants to help the team. It’s hard to put into words how valuable that is.” Between Mitchell and Justin Fontaine and Niederreiter, Yeo has been able to slot players up and down the lineup this year, although as far as finding a first-line right wing for Koivu and Parise, Yeo said, “I kind of would like somebody to jump up and just take it for good, but that said, when guys have gone up, they’ve responded and done the job.” -- Heatley was good tonight, and I wrote that on Twitter before the goal. You could see it in the first when he was making some tape-to-tape passes, generating chances, not turning pucks over, winning battles. He’s not dumb. He’s on the fourth line. He knows next stop is the press box or worse. Theoretically, if it ever got to the point where the Wild felt like it exhausted every avenue to get him playing, it could place him on waivers and send him to Iowa. Contrary to some belief out there, Heatley does not have a no-move clause. He has a limited, 10-team no-trade clause. Still, that’d be a heck of a step and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that. 724737 Minnesota Wild

Wild-New Jersey game recap

Updated: November 3, 2013 - 11:51 PM MICHAEL RUSSO game recap star tribune’s three stars 1. Josh Harding, Wild: Made 19 saves for his second shutout of the season. 3. Nino Niederreiter, Wild: Three assists for first career multi-point game; three hits. 3. Mikael Granlund, Wild: Winning goal, three hits, won six of 10 faceoffs, one big blocked shot on a penalty kill. By the numbers 12 Points for Jason Pominville, which leads the team. 5 Game point streak for Granlund (one goal, six assists). 25 of 33 Faceoff wins by Mikko Koivu and Kyle Brodziak. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724738 Minnesota Wild New Jersey defenseman Jon Merrill left his first NHL game after sliding hard into the boards in the first period. Merrill was skating into the corner to the right of Schneider when he was Josh Harding stops 19 shots as Wild beat Devils 4-0 for fifth win in six tripped up by Mitchell. He went into the boards face-first, and it looked as if games he sustained at least one cut on his face. With blood on the ice, Merrill looked wobbly as he was helped to the locker Article by: MIKE COOK , Associated Press room. Coach Peter DeBoer said he had lacerations on his face and the team was conducting some tests. Updated: November 3, 2013 - 11:20 PM "That's tough," DeBoer said. "We were looking forward to seeing him play. He's earned the opportunity to get up here. So you never like to see an injury like that at any point, but particularly on his second or third shift in the ST. PAUL, Minn. — Josh Harding wasn't considered the Minnesota Wild's NHL." top goaltender entering the season. He's currently the league's best at making saves. NOTES: Minnesota C Charlie Coyle missed the game after aggravating a sprained knee Friday. He had missed the previous 11 games with the Harding stopped 19 shots for his second shutout of the season and the Wild injury, and is considered day-to-day. To replace Coyle, the Wild recalled F beat the New Jersey Devils 4-0 Sunday night. Carson McMillan from AHL Iowa. ... New Jersey forwards Patrik Elias (upper body) and Travis Zajac (right ankle) missed their second straight Mikael Granlund, Torrey Mitchell, Dany Heatley and Jason Pominville games. ... Ballard has three assists in his last two games. scored for the Wild, who have won five of six. Nino Niederreiter had three assists. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 Harding improved to 7-2-1 while lowering his goals-against average to 1.11 and increasing his save percentage to .950. "The guys are making it easy. It's never about one player. We win as a team and we lose as a team like we always say. This was another team win. Everybody contributed and pulled their weight," he said. Niklas Backstrom was expected to see the bulk of the action this season for the Wild. However, he went down with a leg injury in the team's third game and hasn't seen much action since, in large part because of Harding's stellar start. "It's unbelievable," Niederreiter said. "Every game he's played he's kept us in the game. He's been playing phenomenal for us." Cory Schneider, back after missing three games with a sore groin, finished with 16 saves for New Jersey. The Devils, 28th in league scoring at 1.86 goals per game, were blanked for the second straight night and fourth time in 14 games. "It's frustrating to a point, but you've just got to keep plugging away. Everything's not going to go your way and you have to just keep fighting through it," center Stephen Gionta said. Looking to forget about Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Philadelphia when it managed just 14 shots, New Jersey dominated early with six shots on goal in the opening 5 minutes. However, the Devils went nearly 8 minutes before their next shot, including two power-play opportunities. "Hards made some good saves. It kept us in the game," said Granlund, who gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first period. Pominville's shot from the left circle was saved by Schneider, and a bad- angle rebound attempt by Niederreiter trickled out to the slot where Granlund was alone for his first goal of the year to go along with a team- leading 10 assists. "I'm glad he got that goal tonight," said coach Mike Yeo. "He's had a lot of chances and he's been setting up a lot of plays, but it's good for him to get that off his back. Mitchell's first goal of the season put Minnesota up 2-0 at 7:35 of the second. Schneider got a piece of Zach Parise's shot from below the right circle, but the puck fluttered to the crease where four players were crashing the net and Mitchell deflected the puck across the line. Parise, who had 194 goals and 410 points with the Devils, signed a 13- year, $98 million contract with the Wild on July 4, 2012, and was playing against his former team for the first time. The teams did not meet last year because of the NHL lockout-shortened schedule. "As a player you always hate practicing and scrimmaging against your own team. That's what it felt like for me tonight the whole game," Parise said. Heatley scored his first non-empty-net goal of the season early in the third, redirecting Keith Ballard's shot behind Schneider. Pominville added an empty-netter with 2:25 to play, his sixth goal in the past four games. 724739 Minnesota Wild sparked by getting fourth-line duty. His passes were tape-to-tape, there were no glaring turnovers and he had three shots. “He handled it the right way,” Yeo said. “If he didn’t score that goal, I could Wild shuts out New Jersey still sit here and say that was probably his best game.” Star Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune Updated: November 4, 2013 - 1:36 AM

Josh Harding posted his second shutout of the season. The Wild must have gotten confused with daylight savings. The expression is “spring forward, fall back,” but for chunks of the first period Sunday night, the Wild looked like it lost an hour’s sleep, not gained it. There were unforced turnovers, passes off the mark and four minor penalties. But the Wild’s penalty kill, which has struggled this season, doused each power play and provided the cushion for the sleepy team to awaken refreshed before easily skating to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Xcel Energy Center. “We kind of felt our way into the game,” coach Mike Yeo said. “They were dictating the play early. Our leaders, what they were saying on the bench, and more importantly how they went out and performed after that, turned things around for us.” Playing against an injury-riddled, offensively challenged team missing Travis Zajac, Patrik Elias and Ryane Clowe, the Wild was opportunistic offensively and as usual got big saves from Josh Harding, who made 19 stops for his ninth career shutout and second of the season. He is 7-2-1 with a league-best 1.10 goals-against average. “He’s keeping us in every game,” said Nino Niederreiter, who assisted on three goals. Mikael Granlund and Torrey Mitchell both scored their first goals of the season, Dany Heatley scored his first with a goalie in net, and Jason Pominville’s empty-netter moved him into third in the NHL with 10 goals. The 8-4-3 Wild won for the fifth time in six games. “This was another team win. Everyone contributed and pulled their weight,” Harding said. Former Devils captain Zach Parise, playing for the first time against the franchise that drafted him, assisted on Mitchell’s goal and had three shots. “As a player, you always hate practicing and scrimmaging against your own team, and that’s what it felt like for me the whole game,” Parise said. The Wild’s penalty kill entered the game ranked 28th in the NHL and had allowed at least one goal in 12 of 14 games. But it went 3-for-3 in the first period and the Wild learned its lesson, staying out of the box the rest of the game. “We’d like to think that we should be near the top of the league,” Yeo said. “I’m happy with the direction that the penalty kill is going.” Less than a minute after the Wild’s second kill, Granlund scored. Cory Schneider turned away Pominville’s shot, but after Niederreiter tried to bank in the rebound, he nudged the loose puck to Granlund, who buried it into an open net. For Granlund, an assist machine lately, the goal extended his point streak to a career-best five games (seven points). “I’m glad that he got that goal,” Yeo said. “He’s had a lot of chances, and he’s been setting up a lot of plays, but it’s good for him to get that off his back.” In the second, Mitchell was promoted to the top line with Parise and Mikko Koivu, drove the net and had Parise’s rebound carom off him, then former Wild Marek Zidlicky and into the net. “Apparently I scored, so I’ll take it,” said Mitchell, who spent the rest of the game on the line. In the third, Heatley deflected Keith Ballard’s shot for a power-play goal. Heatley, who had one empty-net goal in the first 14 games, seemed 724740 Minnesota Wild

Wild's Nate Prosser impresses coach

By Chad Graff Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT Updated: 11/03/2013 05:20:33 PM CST

After sitting out the Wild's first six games of the season as a healthy scratch, Nate Prosser played five of the next seven games, showing coach Mike Yeo a mature, physical game. Prosser got his opportunity because of a couple injuries, but the Wild's eighth defensemen played well in those game. Because of that, in part, the Wild don't want him to sit out long stretches of action. "Certainly he's a guy that we don't want to just sit him on the shelf for three weeks," Yeo said. "He's a guy that we believe we can win with night after night. When he finds himself out of the lineup, that's one thing because we've got a lot of healthy guys, but when he's in the lineup we feel confident with him there." Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724741 Minnesota Wild

Wild: Carson McMillan called up from Iowa to fill forward slot

By Chad Graff Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT | Updated: about 6 hours ago

Carson McMillan made the three-and-a-half hour drive through miles of corn fields alone in his truck Saturday afternoon. It was a boring drive, he admitted, from Des Moines, Iowa to St. Paul. But it was an easy one to make because of where the final destination was. McMillan was called up from the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, Sunday afternoon and is set to play for the Wild on Sunday night against the New Jersey Devils in the vacant forward spot left open due to Charlie Coyle's injury. Wild coach Mike Yeo wouldn't say where McMillan, 25, was going to play, but it's likely he'll slot in on the fourth line alongside Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell. It will be McMillan's first NHL game this season and the 16th game of his career. "It's an opportunity for sure," Yeo said. "This is his chance. He had a very strong training camp and deserves this opportunity. "He's been playing very well in Iowa, and the best part for him is it should be able to translate. We're not asking him to go out and score three goals -- that would be nice. But what we're asking of him is to be a big body, be strong on the puck, get to the offensive zone, play well defensively, and certainly those are things he's capable of doing." McMillan was off to a strong start with the Iowa Wild where he had been playing with a number of different linemates, he said, but most recently with Jason Zucker and Chad Rau. McMillan tallied six points on two goals and four assists in seven games in the AHL this season. "I'm not the biggest goal-scorer or point-getter, but it's nice to help the team as much as I can," McMillan said. "I'm here to just play a checking role, bring a solid fourth line and try to bring some energy." McMillan played most of last season in the AHL with Justin Fontaine, who's become a mainstay with the Wild this season. Fontaine has scored four goals in 14 games this season and said his time with McMillan helped him. "He's a guy that puts a lot of pressure on the defensemen in the forecheck," Fontaine said. "He creates a lot of turnovers. It was nice to play with him." McMillan was called up earlier this season, but was a healthy scratch in his lone game before being sent back to Iowa. Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724742 Minnesota Wild

Wild: Charlie Coyle aggravates knee injury, won't play tonight

By Chad Graff Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT | Updated: about 2 hours ago

One game removed from his return to the Wild lineup following a four-week absence, Charlie Coyle will miss Sunday night's game against New Jersey. Wild coach Mike Yeo said Coyle didn't return too early from a knee sprain, but said Coyle re-aggravated the injury. "He's definitely been cleared," Yeo said. "It's just a day-to-day thing, more precautionary than anything else. It's a long season and we don't want to push it." Coyle suffered a knee sprain Oct. 5 and missed 11 games. He returned Friday in the Wild's win over the Montreal Canadiens. He took a couple of hits early in the game before moving from center to the wing in a move that Yeo said was primarily for conditioning reasons. Coyle practiced Saturday with the team, but was one of four Wild players -- Mikko Koivu, Kyle Brodziak and Matt Cooke the others -- that didn't participate in the team's optional morning skate Sunday. Yeo said the other three that didn't participate are healthy. "We'll just keep him out for (Sunday) and see how he does (Monday)," Yeo said. Coyle is a big part of the Wild's game and one of their best forwards. He was slotted to play the wing on the top line alongside Koivu and Zach Parise Sunday night before sitting out. He'll be re-evaluated Monday before the team plays the Calgary Flames Tuesday. Carson McMillan was called up from the AHL Iowa Wild and is set to play Sunday night. Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724743 Minnesota Wild Mitchell quickly admitted he didn't know how long he'd stay with the top line, and that he doesn't know whether he'll get another chance there. In any case, he'll come to the rink with a smile. That's part of being a Minnesota Wild's Torrey Mitchell gets first goal in first trip with first line mature player, he said. Mitchell didn't care how or why he was put on the top line. And he certainly By Chad Graff didn't care how his first goal of the season came. Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT "Hey," he said, "I'll take it." Updated: 11/03/2013 11:58:18 PM CST Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013

When Torrey Mitchell was told by coach Mike Yeo to take a shift with Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu on the first line Sunday, he didn't know whether it was a reward for solid play or just a temporary move as the Wild rested Justin Fontaine after a power play. Frankly, he didn't care. Mitchell has spent most of this season with a smile on his face while grinding out minutes on the fourth line. But on his first shift with the first line, Mitchell scored his first goal of the season when a Parise shot bounced off him and New Jersey's Marek Zidlicky before slipping past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider at 7:35 of the second period. "I just knew being out with those two guys, go to the net and good things will happen," Mitchell said. "And it did." Mitchell stuck with the top line the rest of the game as the Wild cruised to a 4-0 win at the Xcel Energy Center, their fifth victory in their past six games. The Wild signed Mitchell a few days before they inked Parise and Ryan Suter in July 2012. He figured to be a third-line winger, but the team liked his ability to move into different roles as needed. With San Jose, his previous team, he played on every line during varying stints, though mostly he was a third-line checker. But after the Wild signed Matt Cooke and traded for Nino Niederreiter this summer, and after young players Fontaine, Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle proved reliable, there wasn't much room for Mitchell, who has seen less than 10 minutes of ice time in five team's 15 games. Yet Mitchell never stops smiling. At morning practices, he walks into the locker room and greets everyone around him by name. After games, he sits at his locker with a wide smile that sticks out from his five o'clock shadow. "He is a team-first guy, and he'll do whatever it takes for his teammates," Yeo said. "Never, ever is he going to turn around and say, 'What's in it for me?' He just wants to help the team, and that is something that is hard to put into words how valuable that is." For most of the season, Mitchell has been asked to bring energy with hard- hitting fourth line shifts. But after a sluggish start Sunday, Yeo felt the team needed someone ho skates "straight lines" with his top pair. So he turned to Mitchell, and on his first shift with Parise and Koivu, he helped put the Wild up 2-0. Parise did much of the work, but Mitchell got the credit. "I don't even know how I scored," he said with a laugh. Mitchell is not a flashy player. Parise describes his game as, "Simple, nothing fancy: "He moves it forward," Parise said. Not exactly breathtaking, but it can work. Mitchell played a little on the penalty kill but spent most of the night with Parise and Koivu, including critical shifts at the end of the game. Mitchell had briefs stints on the third line this season, but for the first time, Yeo asked him to play a major role, and he took advantage of his opportunity. "Obviously you want to play more than eight or nine minutes a night," Mitchell said. "I'm competitive, too. It is frustrating at times, but you just stick with it and work hard and stay positive. That's the best way to go about it, I think." 724744 Minnesota Wild

Wild 4, Devils 0: Minnesota cruises behind Harding shutout

Chad Graff Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT Updated: 11/03/2013 09:57:37 PM CST

RECAP: Mikael Granlund got the scoring started in the first period and Torrey Mitchell, Dany Heatley and Jason Pominville also scored as the Wild cruised to the win in front of 17,571. Josh Harding, who owns the best goals-against average in the league, posted his second shutout in his eighth start of the season. MEANING: Since winning just once on a four-game road trip in mid- October, the Wild are 5-1-0, with four of those wins coming in St. Paul. They're 8-4-3 overall and 6-1-2 at Xcel Energy Center. ETC.: Pominville, who recorded a goal and an assist, took the team lead for points with 12. ... Nino Niederreiter, with three assists, has recorded points in consecutive games for the first time in his NHL career and Sunday was his first multi-point game. UP NEXT: vs. Calgary, 7 p.m., FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724745 Minnesota Wild

Ex-Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky downplays return to St. Paul

By Chad Graff Posted: 11/03/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT Updated: 11/03/2013 08:45:27 PM CST

Twenty months removed from being traded to the New Jersey Devils after demanding a trade from the Wild, Marek Zidlicky made his return to St. Paul. The defenseman downplayed his return after being traded in February 2012. "That's hockey," Zidlicky said of the way his time in Minnesota ended. "That's my job. It's nice to be back here. That's all I have to say." Zidlicky played in 241 games with the Wild over parts of four seasons, registering 25 goals and 98 assists. "I played here for four years," Zidlicky said. "I have a lot of memories and friends here still. It's nice to be back, honestly. I spent four years here, so it's a lot of years and a lot of nice memories." Zidlicky entered Sunday with the second most points on the Devils with one goal and eight assists. Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.04.2013 724746 Montreal Canadiens suiting up for an Ottawa company team, Faubert for National Grocers, for whom he managed its Orillia distribution warehouse. Their lives would once more take them different directions, Kane loyally Stubbs: Half-century of history in prized Habs jacket following the Canadiens as he gradually moved west, ultimately to a job with BC Ferries in Powell River, north of Vancouver.

By DAVE STUBBS, THE GAZETTENovember 3, 2013 7:00 PM Along the way, Kane would meet the Rocket at an old-timers game in Calgary and marvels today about how genuinely friendly Richard was in casually shooting the breeze that day.

MONTREAL — Nearly a half-century later, the crested Canadiens blazer is “Rocket was awesome, just like I knew he’d be,” he said. “Ralph Backstrom again on the radar of forever Habs fan Dennis Kane. And if an auction’s was also a favourite of mine and I even got my barber to cut my hair like bidding ends Tuesday as Kane hopes it will, the jacket will be in his closet, his. When I lined up for a faceoff, I tried to copy the way Ralph did it from then bound for display in a fancy frame. seeing him on TV. “That this jacket is back in my life, 50 years after I first saw it, is “I don’t think anyone has ever loved the Canadiens more than me. And I’ve unbelievable,” Kane said late last week. never faltered.” The three-button blazer was team-issued to players, management and staff Kane’s fascination grew with Classic Auctions, whose online sales of of the Canadiens in the late 1950s, the breast pocket adorned with an memorabilia are always rich with Habs treasures. For many months from embroidered red, white and blue shield-shaped crest that featured the B.C. he corresponded with Classic president Marc Juteau, discussing letters CHC, a hockey stick and a puck. employment possibilities as he prepared to take his BC Ferries retirement. Stitched inside the blazer at the neck is a tag identifying Montreal An offer from Juteau came, and late last spring Kane and his wife, Luci, haberdasher Anthony Guinta; on a pocket inside is a Tony The Tailor label. Russian by birth, packed up their car and drove cross-Canada to Quebec. But it was the name “Roy Faubert” needled into the jacket that quite literally “It’s something I really, really wanted to do,” said Kane, who would take on stopped Dennis Kane in his tracks a few months ago when he sat in the work researching and writing up items for detailed description online and in South Shore office of Classic Auctions, preparing to write a catalogue Classic’s catalogues. description of the blazer. “If it didn’t work out, we’d treat it as a nice big car trip. But if it worked out, “I let out a yelp and startled everyone in the office,” Kane said. “I couldn’t great. And it has. They’re happy with me and we’re setting down roots in St- believe, and I still can’t believe, that 50 years later, this jacket has come Hubert. back into my life. It has just blown my mind.” “Moving to Montreal has fulfilled a lifelong dream for me,” he said. “I had To back up, as this story must: always regretted not doing it when I was young, and now I’m here at 63. When we first got here in July, I went to the Forum and I got a big lump in Kane was born in Orillia, Ont., 63 years ago and says he’s been a my throat. What it was, and what it is now. passionate Canadiens fan since age 6. He often would write to the players and he still cherishes a Christmas card that was addressed to him by “It wasn’t an easy move and Luci has supported me incredibly. There’s Maurice (Rocket) Richard. been a lot of red tape — insurance, car license, health insurance … it’s been ongoing, our list a mile long. We have a little list now, but what a thing “My dad took me to see the Canadiens in about 1958 when they came to it’s been.” Toronto,” Kane recalled. “We got to the lobby of Maple Leaf Gardens early and the entire team walked by us in their coats and fedoras — Plante, Kane’s labour-of-love blog is a wonderful reflection of his passion for the Béliveau, the Richards, Harvey … Canadiens, breezy, topical and rich in history. He brightly labels it, “Rated By My Wife As The Best Site In The World.” “Dad had bought me a hockey book for Christmas and sent it away to Montreal. It came back signed by the entire 1957-58 team, except for Doug And then early this summer, he was in Classic’s Delson office when a CHC- Harvey. So Dad brought the book to Toronto when he went to the game. crested blazer crossed his desk for cataloguing. “We got down by the dressing room and (coach) Toe Blake was standing in “I couldn’t believe seeing the jacket,” he said. “First of all, because I’ve had the corridor. My dad asked Toe if he would take the book into the room and this affection for this type of jacket because of my scrapbook and the have Harvey sign it. Toe did and Harvey signed.” picture in it of the Rocket wearing one. Even just finally seeing one and holding it was great. Kane gave the book to his son a few years ago for Christmas. “But then to find Roy’s name on the inside pocket, well, it was …” Worshipping the Canadiens as a boy, Kane began a Habs scrapbook (which he still has) and in it he pasted a glorious colour photo of a grinning Kane’s thought trailed off into laughter, the coincidence still unreal to him. Rocket wearing a dark, crested blazer. The blazer has been consigned for auction by a seller from Whitby, Ont., Kane wrote to the Canadiens in 1961 asking where he could buy that crest whose connection to Faubert is a mystery to Kane. for his own jacket, but was told in a polite reply by team public-relations director Frank Selke Jr. that they were for team use only. Roy Isadore Faubert, a Second World War veteran with the Royal Canadian Air Force and a lifelong sportsman, died in Orillia on July 2, 2007 “Selke sent me a small Canadiens crest, a team photo and a program,” at age 83. Kane said, impressed then and still now. Until 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Canadiens-crested blazer that Faubert It was a few years later, in church in Orillia, that Kane spotted a wore the first time he met Kane will be up for bid online. Kane has a budget, distinguished gentleman wearing the fancy blazer he coveted. a ceiling to where he’ll spend. But he also knows, as a veteran of sports auctions, that the heavy bidding comes in the final minutes and his pockets “I asked him how he got his jacket. He told me he was Roy Faubert and he are only so deep. was doing some scouting for the Canadiens,” Kane said. “I was fascinated knowing someone with the Canadiens organization. The Size 42 is one size larger than what fits Kane. He wouldn’t imagine wearing it should he be the high bidder — “It’s a little outdated, lapel-wise,” “It was a big thing for me. No, it was huge.” he joked — but would see putting it under glass for display. Kane and a friend later would be treated by Faubert to a game up in Whether or not he becomes the new owner, Kane has spent some quality Huntsville, where the scout was bird-dogging talent at a local arena. Years time with this blazer the past few months. It has rekindled fond memories of later, before and after the Forum’s 1968 renovation, Kane would make his youth, of having seen his boyhood hockey heroes with his father. regular pilgrImages to Montreal’s hockey shrine. It has sent him back into his scrapbook, brought back memories of the He and Faubert would meet again in the mid-1980s in Toronto, entirely by Rocket and of a fine man named Roy Faubert, and it has reminded him why chance, playing for different teams in a hockey tournament; Kane was he has remained a Canadiens fan for nearly six decades no matter how the team has fared and no matter where his life has taken him. The fit of all these things has been perfect. You might even say, made to measure. View the auction (blazer is Lot 140): classicauctions.net Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.04.2013 724747 Montreal Canadiens “He’s been great with us,” Giguère said when asked about Roy. “He wants to be a unit with the players and work with us and it’s a refreshing way to be coached.” Galchenyuk to play centre against Blues Tuesday Roy said he wanted to win this game for Adam Foote, the former Avalanche defenceman and current assistant coach whose number 52 was retired prior to the game. By PAT HICKEY, The GazetteNovember 3, 2013 5:45 PM But the players said they were motivated to win this one for Roy.

“We knew this game meant a lot to Patrick,” Giguère said. DENVER — Canadiens fans clamouring to see Alex Galchenyuk at centre will get their wish Tuesday night when the Canadiens confront Jaroslav Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.04.2013 Halak and the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). Head coach Michel Therrien turned to Galchenyuk in the third period of Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, putting him between Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher. They failed to score, but Therrien liked what he saw. “The positive (in this game) is the adjustment we made with Galchenyuk playing centre with Pacioretty and Gallagher,” Therrien said. “It’s something we’ve been thinking about and we decided to do it in the third period and I was really pleased. This is an experiment that we’re going to repeat again.” The trio came close to pulling even with the Avalanche midway through the third period when Pacioretty hit the crossbar with a wrist shot. Less than a minute later, Ryan O’Reilly took advantage of a miscue by P.K. Subban to give the Avalanche a 3-1 lead. Subban gave up the puck behind the Canadiens’ net and O’Reilly circled in front to beat Peter Budaj from close range. Pacioretty, who returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a strained hamstring, said he felt better as the game went on. “It was a little slow at the start but I had some chances, hit the crossbar with one, and it can only get better,” Pacioretty said. “I played with Patch last year and so we have some chemistry,” said Gallagher, who notched his team-leading seventh goal to give the Canadiens a 1-1 tie in the second period. “He’s a goal-scorer and I’m going to try to find him when he’s out there.” Pacioretty led the Canadiens with six shots on goal, while Gallagher added five. Gallagher’s goal was the type you’ve come to expect from the undersized youngster. He was screening goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère on a power play when Subban unloaded a slapshot from the blue line. Gallagher wheeled around and put the puck though the goalie’s pads. “P.K. made that play with his shot,” Gallagher said. “I didn’t really know where the puck was, but you just turn and look for it.” While the Canadiens had trouble beating Giguère, Therrien said mistakes opened the door for the Avalanche. “The execution by the defencemen cost us the game,” he said. “The first (goal) was a bad cover and the second one we turned the puck over and it cost the game.” He didn’t name names, but Douglas Murray lost the puck in his skates on the first goal and Subban and Markov were each an uncharacteristic minus- 3. Budaj, who played six seasons in Colorado, said he was happy with the chance to face his former team. “I battled hard,” he said. “They’re a good team. They’re relentless. They shoot the puck and they go after it. They have a lot of skill, but skill isn’t enough unless you also work.” “The guys are playing so good in front of me,” said Giguère, who ran his record to 4-0 with a 29-save performance. We ‘re a different team than we were last year. We’re playing better in our end as a unit of five and the defenceman are playing so well and making our job much easier.” Giguère said the players are ultimately responsible for the 12-1 start from a team that was at the bottom of the Western Conference last season, but he noted the coaching staff, led by former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy, has played a key role. 724748 Montreal Canadiens But it’s also true that Roy greets every difficulty by charging straight at it. When his young Russian goalie Semyon Varlamov was arrested for domestic violence, Roy refused comment — but his real comment on the Jack Todd: Therrien partly to blame for Subban’s detractors situation was to take Varlamov to Dallas (after he posted bail and was allowed to travel) and play him against the Stars. Varlamov, of course, won. There is no reason the Avs could not have left him on the sideline for at By Jack Todd, special to THE GAZETTE November 3, 2013 least a few games. No doubt Roy’s own experience played into his decision: He was charged with domestic violence in Denver in October of 2000, but the charge was dismissed. (Reporters are still saying that Roy was charged with assaulting his wife — in fact, he assaulted a door.) Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban’s critics have been more vocal than ever this season and there are rumours he’ll be left off the Canadian team On the face of it, at least, the charges against Varlamov are more serious. for the Sochi Olympics. But knowing Roy, no one should be in the least surprised that he chose to back Varlamov to the hilt. It was the spring of 2012, a season of misery most devotees of the CH would just as soon forget. But Roy is a winner and he’s a larger-than-life personality. If nothing else, you have to think that relations between the coach and his star defenceman The Pierre Gauthier regime was coming undone, the team on the ice was would be better had Marc Bergevin reached out for Roy when he took over the worst in decades and the only good thing to come of the entire mess the Habs. (other than Gauthier’s firing) was the No. 3 pick the Canadiens would use for the inspired selection of Alex Galchenyuk. Failing to make an Impact: You won’t see many teams in a playoff situation turn in a more rancid performance than the Montreal Impact did in Houston. Under coach Randy Cunneyworth, hung with the “interim” noose from Day With three or four exceptions, the team was a disgrace, from top to bottom 1, the Habs stumbled and bumbled to season’s end, finishing with a 31-35- — and coach Marco Schallibaum had no real explanation for the fact that 16 record and only 78 points from a full season. Although they weren’t hard-working Davy Arnaud never got on the pitch, although even Lionel officially eliminated until their 76th game, the Canadiens had little to play for Messi might not have been able to turn this game around. except their pride. After watching every minute of the regular-season finale in Toronto and that No one on that sorry team had more pride than P.K. Subban. Under playoff ugliness in Houston, I’d be surprised to see Schallibaum back. He constant pressure from Cunneyworth and assistant coach Randy had this team playing very well in mid-season, but no team in MLS was Ladouceur and constant pressure from the fans and media (including one worse down the stretch. Joey Saputo has invested a lot to bring in quality Michel Therrien on RDS) Subban stood out as the losses mounted. Even players. Now he needs a quality coach. when the Candiens were three or four goals down, he was out there hurling himself all over the ice, playing himself to exhaustion. After failing with American Jesse Marsch and the European Schallibaum, maybe it’s time Saputo looked closer to home and gave Mauro Biello a That was when I made up my mind about young M. Pernell Karl. Mistakes? chance. Of course he made mistakes. Young defencemen with spectacular gifts tend to do that. But oh, my: the gifts. The speed, the shot, the mobility, the Heroes: Big Papi Ortiz, Jon Lester, Koji Uehara, P.K. Subban, Andrei ability to see the ice, the heart to keep working and working when the legs Markov, Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Plekanec, Josh Harding, Adrian had to want to shut down, the willingness to hurl his body into an onrushing Peterson, Ron Kellogg III, Jordan Westerkamp, , Gabriel Landeskog &&&& power forward. last but not least, the one and only Patrick Roy. When it all came together in spectacular, Norris Trophy fashion last spring, Zeros: The Impact, Nelson Rivas, Hernan Bernardello, Andres Romero, we thought Subban had at last put the demons to rest. What could his Marco Schallibaum, P.J. Stock, Glenn Healey, Don Cherry, Patrick Kaleta, detractors possibly say after that? John Scott, Alex Rodriguez, Carl Pelini, Dez Bryant, Marcel Aubut, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria. Unfortunately, we thought wrong. If anything, Subban’s critics have been more vocal than ever — so when you start hearing rumours that Steve Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.04.2013 Yzerman and his brain trust might do the unthinkable and leave Subban off the Team Canada roster for the Sochi Olympics, it’s worrisome. We should consider the source and take some of those rumours with a large grain of salt, but if Yzerman really is thinking of leaving Subban home, then he’s out of his ever-lovin’ mind. The thought of Subban wheeling and dealing with other players of his calibre on the big ice in Sochi is mouth- watering. Sadly, part of the blame for the perception that Subban isn’t dependable in his own end lies with his coach. Therrien has made a couple of comments about Subban that put the “luke” in lukewarm, declining to say when asked if Subban should be on Team Canada and also refusing to call him a world- class player. When he opts for Douglas Murray during the last minute of a one-goal game with Subban nailed to the bench, when he keeps his star off the penalty kill, when he lets 24CH tape an episode with him ripping his star, Therrien feeds the controversy — unwisely, in my view. One fine day, Subban is going to have to decide whether to sign a long- term deal in Montreal or take a bundle of money to play elsewhere. If this keeps up, you could hardly blame him if he elects to leave a situation where he is constantly at odds with his coach for a place where his considerable gifts are appreciated. He’s no Saint, but he is a star: From the day he signed to coach the Avalanche, you knew Patrick Roy was going to be the story — for better or for worse. What you didn’t know was that Roy would have his young Avs atop the NHL standings with only one loss through their first 13 games. Certainly, the Canadiens team that tried to shake off that defence and score on Jean- Sébastien Giguère can tell you how well the Avalanche is playing. 724749 Montreal Canadiens

Halak up next for Habs

Posted by Stu Cowan

For the second straight game, the Canadiens will be facing a former Habs goalie when they play the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. This time, that goalie will actually be on the ice. The Canadiens lost 4-1 to Patrick Roy’s Colorado Avalanche Saturday night in in Denver as the rookie NHL coach improved his record to 12-1-0, the best start in franchise history. On Tuesday, Jaroslav Halak should be in goal for the Blues. After the goaltender led the Canadiens to the conference final in 2010, the Canadiens traded Halak to the Blues in exchange for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, deciding that Carey Price was the Habs’ goalie of the future. Halak has a 7-2-1 record this season with one shutout, a 2.35 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. Price has a 6-6-0 record with one shutout, a 2.18 GAA and .932 save percentage. Alex Galchenyuk will be moved to centre against the Blues, playing on a line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher. Coach Michel Therrien put the new trio together for the third period of Saturday’s game in Denver. “The positive (in this game) is the adjustment we made with Galchenyuk playing centre with Pacioretty and Gallagher,” Therrien told reporters after the game. “It’s something we’ve been thinking about and we decided to do it in the third period and I was really pleased. This is an experiment that we’re going to repeat again.” The Canadiens announced on Sunday that forward Michael Blunden has been returned to the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. Blunden is pointless in six games with the Canadiens this season and is minus-2. Later in the day, the Habs announced they were calling up Martin St-Pierre from the Bulldogs. The 30-year-old forward had three goals and five assists in seven games with the Bulldogs. The Canadiens were given the day off Sunday and will practise Monday at 11 a.m. in Brossard. Montreal Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724750 Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators off to good start on long road trip

Nov. 3, 2013 10:55 AM Josh Cooper

LOS ANGELES — Before last season, the Predators were mostly known as a team that could grind out points on the road — no matter how adverse the circumstance. In 2012-13 they were far less competitive away from Bridgestone Arena. So far this season — and especially on this seven-game road trip — they seem like the type of squad that can at least keep pace in the standings by playing successful road hockey. With a 4-3 win over the Kings on Saturday, the Predators have picked up three of a possible four points so far on this trip. Granted, it has only been two games, but the games were against two of the top teams in the Western Conference — Phoenix and Los Angeles. If Nashville didn't blow a three-goal lead at Phoenix, of course, it would have picked up all four points. Some thoughts and observations so far from the road: David Legwand is playing his way into a contract conundrum for the Predators. Legwand has five points in his first two games of the trip, and 12 points in 14 games overall, to lead the team in scoring. He's also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. With three centers under contract for next season, it seems like there may not be room for the veteran in Nashville. But if he leads the team in scoring — and at a point-per-game pace — how can you not re-sign him? Either way, that's a problem for the end of the season, and right now Nashville will gladly take Legwand's offense. It's hard to see Filip Forsberg developing his offense if he's being scratched or playing low minutes. The main knocks on the Predators throughout their history: they can't develop high-scoring forwards and they stifle creativity with their young offensive players. So far on this road trip, the 19-year-old Forsberg was a healthy scratch against the Coyotes and played 5:07 against the Kings. If he's hardly playing, this just doesn't seem like a situation that will work for him this year in the NHL. While he has looked like a rookie at times, he certainly hasn't looked out of place. Nashville will probably need to figure out a development plan for Forsberg soon — one that involves more ice-time for him at either the NHL level or another league. The toughest part of the road trip has yet to begin. While Nashville can be pleased with getting three of four points to start this journey, the voyage will only get tougher. Exhaustion will likely creep in at some point — probably when the Predators get to Winnipeg, which will be the midpoint of the trip. Either way, the Predators still have a long, long way to go before this 17- day expedition is deemed a success. Tennessean LOADED: 11.04.2013 724751 New Jersey Devils

Harding’s Shutout Gives the Wild a Win Over Devils

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: November 3, 2013 at 10:59 PM ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Josh Harding stopped 19 shots for his second shutout of the season and the Minnesota Wild beat the New Jersey Devils 4-0 Sunday night. Mikael Granlund, Torrey Mitchell, Dany Heatley and Jason Pominville scored for the Wild, who have won five of six. Nino Niederreiter had three assists. Cory Schneider, back after missing three games with a sore groin, finished with 16 saves for New Jersey. The Devils were blanked for the second straight night and fourth time in 14 games. Looking to forget about Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Philadelphia when it managed just 14 shots, New Jersey dominated early with six shots on goal in the opening 5 minutes. However, the Devils went nearly 8 minutes before their next shot, including two power-play opportunities. The Devils began the night ranked 25th in scoring at 2.00 goals per game, and rarely tested Harding, who came in leading the league in goals-against average (1.22) and save percentage (.946). The early missed chances proved costly as Granlund gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead at 13:20 of the first period. Pominville's shot from the left circle was saved by Schneider, and a bad- angle rebound attempt by Niederreiter trickled out to the slot where Granlund was alone for his first goal of the year to go along with a team- leading 10 assists. Mitchell's first goal of the season put Minnesota up 2-0 at 7:35 of the second. Schneider got a piece of Zach Parise's shot from below the right circle, but the puck fluttered to the crease where four players were crashing the net and Mitchell deflected the puck across the line. Parise, who had 194 goals and 410 points with the Devils, signed a 13- year, $98 million contract with the Wild on July 4, 2012, and was playing against his former team for the first time. The teams did not meet last year because of the NHL lockout-shortened schedule. Heatley scored his first non-empty-net goal of the season early in the third, redirecting Keith Ballard's shot behind Schneider. Pominville added an empty-netter with 2:25 to play, his sixth goal in the past four games. New Jersey defenseman Jon Merrill left his first NHL game after sliding hard into the boards in the first period. Merrill was skating into the corner to the right of Schneider when he was tripped up by Mitchell. He went into the boards face-first, and it looked as if he sustained at least one cut on his face. With blood on the ice, Merrill looked wobbly as he was helped to the locker room. The team said he had lacerations on his face and would not return. NOTES: Minnesota C Charlie Coyle missed the game after aggravating a sprained knee Friday. He had missed the previous 11 games with the injury, and is considered day-to-day. To replace Coyle, the Wild recalled F Carson McMillan from AHL Iowa. ... New Jersey forwards Patrik Elias (upper body) and Travis Zajac (right ankle) missed their second straight games. ... Ballard has three assists in his last two games. ... New Jersey is off until Thursday at Philadelphia; Minnesota is home Tuesday against Calgary. New York Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724752 New Jersey Devils

Former Devils captain Zach Parise: I'm happy with decision to sign with Wild

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 03, 2013 at 12:16 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 4:48 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn.-- Former Devils captain Zach Parise, who will face his ex- teammates Sunday night for the first time since he signed a 13-year, $98 million contract with the Minnesota Wild in July of 2012, said it doesn’t seem like it’s been long since he left New Jersey. “Not really. It seems like it’s flown by,” Parise told The Star-Ledger. Parise said he has no regrets about his decision to leave the Devils for his home state. “I’m really happy with it. I’m from here, I love being here and hockey-wise I really love where we’re going with our team,” Parise said. “We’ve got some really good young players. That’s something you have to really look into when you’re signing a long-term deal like that. You have to look at who is coming up. All these guys have delivered. They’re going to be really good players in the league. It’s been a lot of fun. “We’re playing a really good puck possession game, which is something we didn’t do as well last year. We learned a lot. We played against the Blackhawks in the playoffs last year, so we didn’t have the puck the whole series. We’re learned a little bit from them.” Parise won’t get to face friends Travis Zajac (ankle), Patrik Elias (upper body) or Martin Brodeur (backup to Cory Schneider). Zajac and Elias did not make the trip to Minnesota. Although he is happy to be playing for the Wild, Parise has find memories of his days with the Devils. “Like I’ve always said, the fans were so great to me and to Alisha,” Parise said. “It was awesome. That’s that part I’ll remember. That’s the part that was most important to me.” Parise said he is looking forward to being part of Team USA in the Olympics in Sochi, Russia. “Of course I am. I feel like it’s such a long ways away that I haven’t really thought too much about it,” he said. “I’m so consumed with the (NHL) season. I’m sure once they pick the team I’ll think about it more. I want to get past this game against the Devils. That’s what I’m looking at right now.” Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724753 New Jersey Devils

Devils recall Jon Merrill from Albany (AHL); Cory Schneider activated on November 03, 2013 at 11:47 AM, updated November 03, 2013 at 12:26 PM Staff

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Jon Merrill era is about to begin for the Devils. The highly-regarded defenseman, 21, was recalled from Albany (AHL) on Sunday and could make his NHL debut Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. To make room for Merrill on the roster, the Devils put defenseman Peter Harrold on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 28 with what they are calling upper body soreness. Goalie Cory Schneider (groin) was removed from IR and will start against the Wild, as I reported Saturday. Goalie Keith Kinkaid, who had served as Martin Brodeur's backup while Schneider was hurt, has been returned to Albany. Merrill will wear No. 34. In 11 games this season for Albany, Merrill had two goals with five assists (seven points). Both of Merrill's goals came on the power play. He did not have any penalty minutes. Merrill was the Devils' second round pick (38th overall) in the 2010 NHL entry draft. The former University of Michigan star is 6-3, 198 pounds. Coach Pete DeBoer did not speak to the media Sunday morning as the team arrived in the early morning hours and did not have a morning skate. DeBoer will talk prior to the game against Zach Parise and the Wild. Harrold has no points and is minus-6 in nine games with the Devils this season. He has two penalty minutes. The veteran defenseman's injury may be his elbow. Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas is questionable for the game Sunday night because of a sore hand he suffered when he was hit by a puck in the 1-0 loss to the Flyers Saturday night. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724754 New Jersey Devils

Devils will dress seven D in warmup; Jon Merrill could make NHL debut on November 03, 2013 at 6:39 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 7:41 PM Staff

ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Devils will dress seven defensemen for the pregame warmup Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center and it is very possible that Jon Merrill will make his NHL debut. In fact, the banged-up Devils could dress seven defensemen against the Wild. “It’s a possibility,” coach Pete DeBoer said. Patrik Elias (upper body) and Travis Zajac (right ankle) are not with the team and among the injured Devils. DeBoer said it could be the worst injury situation they’ve faced in a long time. “I think so. I think that’s fair to say,” DeBoer said. “We’ve been fairly healthy. It seems like when it rains it pours. With Salvador out and Clowe out, and Zajac and Elias going down.The unfortunate part is a couple (injuries) aren’t even game-related. They're either practice or pre-game ritual related.” That could open the door for Merrill, who flew in from Albany, N.Y., on a 6 a.m. flight. “It’s really exciting. I’m really happy to be here,” the rookie defenseman said. “I'm just taking in the moment and trying to have fun. Growing up being a Red Wings fan, I couldn’t imagine playing in the National Hockey League. Now here I am.” Merrill was on the Albany team bus after Saturday night’s game in Adirondack when he was informed. “I was just kind of in shock,” he said. "I didn't know what to expect. I was on a plane this morning." He said he will be nervous if he plays. “I think so. I think that’s normal, though,” he said. Merrill and Gelinas were defense partners in Albany. "Pretty much every shift," Merrill said. Is Merrill ready for the NHL? "We'll find out when we play him," DeBoer said. "I really don't watch the Albany games. He had a good camp. We'll see. The proff's in the play. Anybody can tell you they're ready. You can read the scouting reports and peopel will tell you, 'This guy is going to be this and that.' That sorts itself out. NHL players find a way to get in the lineup and contribute and stay there." Right now it isn't definite Eric Gelinas will stay there. DeBoer isn't enamored with the Gelinas-Adam Larsson defense pairing. "I'm not married to that combination, no. For me it's more about individual games. I think Lars has been pretty consistent the last four or five games. I've liked his game. I think Geli has been kind of high and low and needs to find some consistency." Defenseman Marek Zidlicky returned to Minnesota for the first time since the Wild traded him to the Devils Feb. 24, 2012. "It's nice to be back. I have a lot of memories from here. Four years," Zidlicky said. "A lot of good memories. Even the way it ended. That's what happens sometimes. That's the NHL. I think it was a pretty good decision to go to New Jersey and that's what I did." In his final days with the Wild, Zidlicky was not happy with his lack of playing time under coach Mike Yeo. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724755 New Jersey Devils

Devils' Cory Schneider hopes early flight to Minnesota will give him an edge on November 03, 2013 at 6:30 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 7:27 PM Staff

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Back in March of 1988, with the Devils in a stretch drive battle for a playoff spot, general manager Lou Lamoriello sent goalie Bob Sauve from St. Louis ahead to Buffalo a day early so he could start a game against the Sabres. It worked. A rested Sauve played well in a 2-2 tie and the Devils needed the point to make the playoffs for the first time. So Lamoriello did the same thing with Cory Schneider, who flew to Minnesota on his own while the Devils played the Flyers at home Saturday night. Schneider will start against the Wild Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. “I’ve never done that before. Maybe (it’s) Lou’s baseball background, sending the pitcher out early,” Schneider suggested. “It’s nice. Sometimes you come in late with the team and you’ve just played the night before and you’re sort of going on adrenalin and you feel better, but obviously I think the rest is nice. Not having played in 10 days or so, (it’s nice) just to get myself prepared and ready to go.” Schneider was taken off injured reserve Sunday after being sidelined with a sore groin. Rookie goalie Keith Kinkaid was returned to Albany (AHL). “(I feel) good. Ready to go,” Schneider said. “I start playing tonight, so obviously I’m 100 percent.” The building is familiar to Schneider, who spent five seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. “I’ve played a lot of games in this building. It was kind of the designated building for me to play in,” Schneider said. “They’re a very good team at home, that’s for sure. I know we always had a hard time with them here when I was in their division. They play structured and disciplined. They play well defensively just like we do, but you look at their lineup and they have elite talents like Koivu and Parise and some of these young kids who are clearly pretty good players.” It will be Zach Parise’s first game against the Devils since he signed with the Wild in July of 2012. “I didn’t know a lot about him when he played in the East,” Schnedier said. “Last year he’s very dangerous around the net. Tireless worker. He seems to make something out of nothing and never gives up on the puck. You have to make sure you stay with him all the way, otherwise he’s going to find a way to beat you.” Coach Pete DeBoer said of facing Parise: "I'm not excited about it. I talked to him this morning. He's a great kid. I feel privileged to have been able to coach him for a year and spent a year around him. As good and honest a player he is, he's a better human being. He's in a good place, he's happy and I'm sure he's going to be motivated tonight. We have to find a way to slow him down." A rested Schneider hoped to have an edge. “I wasn’t going to play last night anyway,” he said. “(We) figured I was going to play tonight, so get out early because it was a pretty late arrival (by the team) last night.” Coach Pete DeBoer said: "He is healthy, he's ready to go. He's excited and he's fresh. We need a big game out of him." Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724756 New Jersey Devils

Devils' Peter Harrold will be out 'for a while' with injured elbow

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 03, 2013 at 4:02 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 4:33 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said defenseman Peter Harrold injured his right elbow during the Oct. 22 game in Columbus but the problem worsened over the weekend. Harrold remained in New Jersey and did not accompany the team to Minnesota. He underwent an MRI and was put on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 28. “He got hurt in the Columbus game. It’s a situation where it’s been bothering him and then yesterday, for whatever reason, it really flared up,” Lamoriello said. “So we had him get an MRI this morning. I put him on IR retroactive. We don’t have the results of the MRI yet.” Lamoriello said Harrold would not be able to play "for a while." The Devils recalled Jon Merrill from Albany (AHL) and he could make his NHL debut Sunday night against the Wild. “He was called up after the Peter Harrold situation and left at six o’clock this morning from Albany (N.Y.) as a precaution because we have a couple of other people banged up,” Lamoriello said of Merrill. “He’s ready to play. It’s a case of it being a game time decision.” Lamoriello would not specify which defensemen were “banged up,” but one of them is rookie Eric Gelinas. He was hit in the left hand when the puck deflected off his own stick during Saturday night’s 1-0 loss to the Flyers. “We’ve got a few people banged up,” Lamoriello said. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724757 New Jersey Devils "I think so. I think that’s fair to say," coach Pete DeBoer said. "We’ve been fairly healthy. It seems like when it rains it pours with (Bryce) Salvador out and (Ryane) Clowe out, and (Travis) Zajac and (Patrik) Elias going down. Devils shut out by Wild, 4-0, as Jon Merrill's NHL debut cut short after The unfortunate part is a couple (injuries) aren’t even game-related. They’re taking shot to face either practice or pre-game ritual-related." Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 03, 2013 at 10:37 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 11:31 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hoping to get a look at their future with the recall of rookie defenseman Jon Merrill, the injury-riddled Devils instead got another slap in the face as they continue to flounder near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Merrill’s NHL debut was cut short early in the first period when he crashed into the boards and suffered facial lacerations that sidelined him for the rest of the night, and the Devils fell to Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild, 4-0, tonight at Xcel Energy Center. In back-to-back losses over the weekend to the Flyers and Wild, the Devils did not score a goal. They’ve been shut out four times in 14 games this season and are now 3-7-4. Goalie Cory Schneider was activated from IR but received no offensive support as his record dropped to 1-4-2. Schneider was pulled with more than three minutes remaining as the Devils tried desperately to score a goal, but it simply led to an empty net goal from Jason Pominville with 2:25 to go. Merrill, 21, was called up from Albany (AHL) when Peter Harrold was put on injured reserve with a shoulder problem and Anton Volchenkov was unable to play because of a lower body injury. Merrill was on the Albany team bus after an AHL game against Adirondack on Saturday night when he got the word. He was headed for the NHL. "I was just kind of in shock," Merrill said before the game. "I didn’t know what to expect. I was on a plane (yesterday) morning. "It’s really exciting. I’m really happy to be here. I’m just taking in the moment and trying to have fun. Growing up being a Red Wings fan, I couldn’t imagine playing in the National Hockey League. Now here I am." But his first NHL game lasted less than five minutes before Merrill was tripped by Minnesota’s Torrey Mitchell and crashed into the boards at 4:49. He had to be helped off the ice and did not return. Mitchell was given a tripping penalty, which the Wild killed off. Goalie Cory Schneider, playing his first game since aggravating his groin on Oct. 24, was sharp. He robbed Mikko Koivu, who fired a one-timer from the right circle at 7:17 of the opening period. Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was sent off for interference at the 10:09 mark. Devils defenseman Adam Larsson fanned on a shot from the right circle during the power play with the net partially open at 10:42. After killing off the penalty, the Wild took a 1-0 lead at 13:20 of the first period on a goal from Mikael Granlund. Schneider made a stop on Nino Neiderreiter and then looked behind into his net. The puck wasn’t there. It had come out into the deep slot, where Granlund got to it and scored his first goal. Former Devils captain Zach Parise, playing his first game against the team since he signed a 13-year, $98 million contract with the Wild in July of 2012, had a hand in the second Minnesota goal at 7:35 of the first. Parise took a shot from the right circle that was blocked by Schneider, but the rebound went to Mitchell as he crashed the net below the left circle. The puck deflected off the Wild center and into the net as defensemen Marek Zidlicky and Eric Gelinas were unable to stop it. The play was reviewed but the goal was allowed to stand. For the Devils, the misery keeps coming. The growing list of injuries are the worst for the team in quite a while. 724758 New Jersey Devils

Devils' scoreless drought reaches seven straight periods

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 04, 2013 at 12:08 AM, updated November 04, 2013 at 12:12 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. – This is how tough it is for the Devils to put anything in the net right now: When Stephen Gionta drove towards the goal and had to leap over Wild goalie Josh Harding as he held the puck, the Devils center hit the post instead of going into the net. “That seems to be the way it’s going. Everything is hitting the post or just bouncing the other way,” Gionta said. Fortunately, he was not hurt and does not have to join the growing injury list. “I’m all right. I was trying to avoid the goalie there and just went into the post,” Gionta said. After being shut out by the Flyers and Wild over the weekend, the Devils have gone seven periods without scoring a goal. “It’s frustrating to a point. You just have to keep plugging away,” Gionta said. “It’s part of the game. Everything is not going to go your way. You just have to keep fighting through it.” With the injury to rookie Jon Merrill early in the game, it put a lot of pressure on the Devils’ defense corps. “It’s tough. It’s back-to-back (games). You’re asking a lot,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “A guy like (Marek) Zidlicky played 22-23 minutes (Saturday) night. You’re ramping up a lot of minutes on guys in tough situations, but it is what it is and you have to persevere and deal with it.” Andy Greene was asked if he said anything to former teammate Zach Parise during the game. “I chirped him I think once on Zid’s penalty: I said, ‘Nice dive.’ ” Greene said with a smile. “He’s a very good friend but I’m not going to play any different against him just because he’s a good friend. We’re battling hard and he’s the same way. He wants to beat you as bad as I want to beat him.” Parise had an assist in his first game against his old club since signing with the Wild in July of 2012. Greene said it was a strange. “A little bit. You play with guys. There are a couple guys. Gio (Brian Gionta) in Montreal, Paulie (Martin) in Pittsburgh,” Greene said. “You know what to expect when you’re playing against him. He’s a good, honest player. You can never take a second off because he’ll make you pay for it. It was a little different seeing him in a Wild shirt.” Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724759 New Jersey Devils “That’s not the way you write it up,” Andy Greene said of Merrill’s debut. “I saw him between periods. Quite a few stitches. I hope he’s alright. You don’t want that to be your first NHL game.” Devils lose both ends of back-to-backs, along with rookie Jon Merrill Mitchell was given a tripping minor, which the Wild killed off. “It look accidental to me,” DeBoer said of the trip. Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger A sad finish to a wasted weekend. on November 03, 2013 at 11:47 PM, updated November 04, 2013 at 12:15 Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Hoping to get a look at their future with the recall of rookie defenseman Jon Merrill, the injury-riddled Devils instead got another slap in the face as they continue to flounder near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Merrill’s NHL debut was cut short less than five minutes into the game when he crashed into the boards and suffered facial lacerations that sidelined him for the rest of the night, and the Devils fell to Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild, 4-0, at Xcel Energy Center. “That’s tough. We were looking forward to seeing him play,” coach Pete DeBoer said of Merrill, who required a significant number of stitches and was not made available to the press after the game. “Everyone has been waiting for him. He’s earned the opportunity to get up here. You never like to see an injury like that at any point, but particularly on his second or third shift in the NHL.” Merrill, 21, had some base-line testing, but DeBoer said he didn’t know the severity of the injury. It is possible Merrill suffered a concussion. In back-to-back losses over the weekend to the Flyers and Wild, the Devils did not score a goal. They’ve been shut out four times in 14 games this season and are now 3-7-4. “This is seven periods without a goal,” DeBoer pointed out. “You’re not going to win. Again, we didn’t give up a lot of shots. I thought we did some good things structurally, but you can’t win in this league without scoring some goals. We have to keep at it. The power play (0-for-3) has to find a way to get a couple. It’s gone cold and it’s kind of mirrored our five-on-five play. “We’re not making any plays. Everything is hard right now and we’re missing some composure people with (Patrik) Elias out of the lineup and (Travis) Zajac. Still, some other guys should seize an opportunity here and make the most of it.” Goalie Cory Schneider was activated from IR but received no offensive support as his record dropped to 1-4-2. “I thought he played great,” DeBoer said. Mikael Granlund gave the Wild a 1-0 lead by scoring on a rebound at 13:20 of the first period and Torrey Mitchell was credited with a second period goal that caromed in after Parise’s shot was stopped by Schneider. The Devils trailed, 3-0, when DeBoer pulled Schneider with more than three minutes to go, resulting in an empty net goal from Jason Pominville. “We’re trying to win the game. We’re not going to lay down and mail it in,” DeBoer explained of the strategy. “We’re going to play right until the buzzer.” Merrill never got that chance. He was on the Albany team bus after an AHL game against Adirondack Saturday night when he got the word he was headed for the NHL. He took a 6 a.m. flight from Albany, N.Y., to join the Devils. “I was just kind of in shock,” Merrill said before the game. "I didn't know what to expect. It’s really exciting. I’m really happy to be here. I'm just taking in the moment and trying to have fun. Growing up being a Red Wings fan, I couldn’t imagine playing in the National Hockey League. Now here I am.” But his first NHL game ended at 4:49 of the opening period when Merrill was tripped by Minnesota’s Torrey Mitchell and crashed into the boards. He had to be helped off the ice. 724760 New Jersey Devils The Wild were outshooting the Devils, 17-15. End of period: Wild 2, Devils 0 Devils vs. Wild: Live game analysis and fan discussion FIRST PERIOD Harding made a pad save on Zidlicky's shot from the right point after 40 seconds. He stopped a Henrique chance at 2:16. Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger Minnesota's Mikael Granlund came a long way to hit Bernier at 3:21. No on November 03, 2013 at 8:00 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 10:30 penalty was called. PM Merrill crashed hard into the boards at 4:49 and had to be helped off the ice. Torrey Mitchell was given a tripping penalty for sending the rookie ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Cory Schneider was back in goal for the Devils as they skates-first into the boards. Merrill hit his head and appeared to be cut. faced the Minnesota Wild Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild killed off the penalty. Josh Harding started for the Wild. Schneider robbed Mikko Koivu, who fired a one-timer from the right circle at Anton Volchenkov (lower body) joined the growing list of injured Devils and 7:17. was a scratch as Jon Merrill made his NHL debut after being called up from Ryan Suter was sent off for interference at the 10:09 mark. Albany (AHL). Larsson fanned on a shot from the right circle during the power play with Devils lines: the right side of the net partially open at 10:42. Dainius Zubrus-Andrei Loktionov-Jaromir Jagr After killing off the penalty, the Wild took a 1-0 lead at 13:20 on a goal from Mattias Tedenby-Adam Henrique-Michael Ryder Granlund. Schneider made a stop on Nino Neiderreiter and then looked into his net. Meanwhile, the puck came out into the deep slot, where Granlund Rostilslav Olesz-Jacob Josefson-Damien Brunner scored his first goal. Ryan Carter-Stephen Gionta-Steve Bernier Schneider stopped a Dany Heatley scoring chance from deep in the left circle with 4:50 left. Defense pairings: Tedenby (holding) and Juston Fontaine (slashing) exchanged minor Andy Greene-Mark Fayne penalties at 16:24. Jon Merrill-Marek Zidlicky Brunner's wrap-around at the left post with 58 seconds to go went through the crease. Minnesota's Keith Ballard took a cross-checking penalty with Eric Gelinas-Adam Larsson 46.9 seconds left. THIRD PERIOD The Devils outshot the Wild, 10-8. Merrill did not come out for the third period. The Devils say he has End of period: Wild 1, Devils 0 lacerations and will not return. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 Zidlicky took an interference penalty at 3:35. Dany Heatley, near the left hash marks, tipped a Ballard shot past Schneider at 4:19 for a power play goal that gave the Wild a 3-0 lead. With 3:26 left, the Devils pulled Schneider for an extra skater despite the three-goal deficit. Jason Pominville scored an empty net goal with 2:25 left. Schneider went back in a stopped Kyle Brodziak on a breakaway with 30 seconds left. SECOND PERIOD Merrill was not on the bench for the start of the second period. Harding stopped a Zidlicky shot and then made a save on Loktionov's backhander off the rebound at the 56-second mark. From outside the right post, Olesz poked the puck behind Harding. The puck slid across the crease at 2:44. Ryder took a holding penalty at 3:46. Schneider closed the door on Granlund as he tried to jam a shot in from the edge of the crease at 5:52. Zach Parise had a hand in the second Minnesota goal at 7:35. Parise took a shot from the right circle that was stopped by Schneider, but the rebound went to Mitchell as he crashed the net. The puck deflected off the Wild center and into the net as Zidlicky and Gelinas were unable to stop it. The play was reviewed but the goal was allowed to stand. Jagr was called for holding at 8:18. Gionta was shaken up with 6:37 left. Harding made a save and held onto the puck while the Devils' center flipped over the goalie and crashed into the right post. Gionta skated off and seemed to be okay. Schneider turned aside a Parise shot at 13:55. 724761 New Jersey Devils

Devils: Jon Merrill will make NHL debut; Anton Volchenkov hurt

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on November 03, 2013 at 6:39 PM, updated November 03, 2013 at 7:45 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Devils dressed six defensemen for the pregame warmup Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center and Jon Merrill will make his NHL debut. Anton Volchenkov (lower body) will be a scratch. Patrik Elias (upper body) and Travis Zajac (right ankle) are not with the team and among the injured Devils. DeBoer said it could be the worst injury situation they’ve faced in a long time. “I think so. I think that’s fair to say,” DeBoer said. “We’ve been fairly healthy. It seems like when it rains it pours. With Salvador out and Clowe out, and Zajac and Elias going down.The unfortunate part is a couple (injuries) aren’t even game-related. They're either practice or pre-game ritual related.” That opened the door for Merrill, who flew in from Albany, N.Y., on a 6 a.m. flight. “It’s really exciting. I’m really happy to be here,” the rookie defenseman said. “I'm just taking in the moment and trying to have fun. Growing up being a Red Wings fan, I couldn’t imagine playing in the National Hockey League. Now here I am.” Merrill was on the Albany team bus after Saturday night’s game in Adirondack when he was informed. “I was just kind of in shock,” he said. "I didn't know what to expect. I was on a plane this morning." He said he will be nervous. “I think so. I think that’s normal, though,” he said. Merrill and Gelinas were defense partners in Albany. "Pretty much every shift," Merrill said. Is Merrill ready for the NHL? "We'll find out when we play him," DeBoer said. "I really don't watch the Albany games. He had a good camp. We'll see. The proff's in the play. Anybody can tell you they're ready. You can read the scouting reports and peopel will tell you, 'This guy is going to be this and that.' That sorts itself out. NHL players find a way to get in the lineup and contribute and stay there." Right now it isn't definite Eric Gelinas will stay there. DeBoer isn't enamored with the Gelinas-Adam Larsson defense pairing. "I'm not married to that combination, no. For me it's more about individual games. I think Lars has been pretty consistent the last four or five games. I've liked his game. I think Geli has been kind of high and low and needs to find some consistency." Defenseman Marek Zidlicky returned to Minnesota for the first time since the Wild traded him to the Devils Feb. 24, 2012. "It's nice to be back. I have a lot of memories from here. Four years," Zidlicky said. "A lot of good memories. Even the way it ended. That's what happens sometimes. That's the NHL. I think it was a pretty good decision to go to New Jersey and that's what I did." In his final days with the Wild, Zidlicky was not happy with his lack of playing time under coach Mike Yeo. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.04.2013 724762 New Jersey Devils

Devils notes: Jon Merrill injured in debut

Monday, November 4, 2013 Tom Gulitti

Merrill injured Rookie defenseman Jon Merrill, who was making his NHL debut, sustained facial lacerations and a possible concussion when he crashed hard into the left-corner boards in the Devils’ end just 4:49 into the game. Pursued by Minnesota’s Torrey Mitchell, Merrill was chasing the puck into the corner when Mitchell’s stick knocked Merrill’s skates out from under him. Merrill slid feet-first into the boards, but also appeared to hit his face. Merrill looked dazed and had a cut over his left eye as he was helped off the ice. Coach Pete DeBoer said Merrill underwent testing for a possible concussion. "I saw him between periods and he had quite a few stitches and whatnot, but hopefully he’s all right," defenseman Andy Greene said. "Hopefully, he gets another go of it. You don’t want it to be your first NHL game." Harrold on IR The Devils placed Peter Harrold on injured reserve with a right elbow injury. GM Lou Lamoriello said Harrold was sent for an MRI on Sunday. He injured the elbow on a big hit from Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard late in the team’s 4-1 loss at Columbus on Oct. 22. "He couldn’t move it [Saturday]," Lamoriello said. Anton Volchenkov was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. Zidlicky’s return A lot was made of Zach Parise playing his first game against the Devils since leaving the team to sign with the Wild, but Sunday’s game also was the first back at Xcel Energy Center for defenseman Marek Zidlicky since the Wild granted his request for a trade to the Devils on Feb. 24, 2012. Zidlicky clashed with coach Mike Yeo, whom he felt restricted him in the team’s system. Zidlicky didn’t want to talk about any of the negatives Sunday. "It’s nice to be back, honestly,’’ he said. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.04.2013 724763 New Jersey Devils Dany Heatley’s power-play deflection 4:19 into the third made it 3-0. Desperate to score a goal, DeBoer pulled Schneider for a sixth attacker with 3:47 left, and that led to Jason Pominville’s empty-netter with 2:25 Devils blanked again, fall to Wild, 4-0 remaining. “We’re trying to win the game,” DeBoer said about pulling the goalie while trailing, 3-0. “We’re not going to lay down and mail it in. We’re going to play Sunday, November 3, 2013 Last updated: Monday November 4, 2013, right to the buzzer.” 12:19 AM Bergen Record LOADED: 11.04.2013 BY TOM GULITTI

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Even the sight of their former captain wasn’t enough to spark the Devils’ dormant offense. Facing Zach Parise for the first time since he left to join the Minnesota Wild following their run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, the Devils came up empty again in the goal department in a 4-0 loss Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. The injury-depleted Devils were shut out for the second time in as many nights and fourth time in their first 14 games. Wild goaltender Josh Harding needed to make only 19 saves to post his second shutout of the season and ninth of his career. The Devils had only 14 shots on goal in a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia Saturday night. “It’s frustrating,” defenseman Andy Greene said. “It’s hard to win in this league when you can’t score. [Saturday], we didn’t create much. [Sunday], we actually came out in the first and generated a lot of stuff, had a lot of zone time and had some chances, but we weren’t getting much traffic in front of [Harding].” The Devils’ goal-less streak reached 149 minutes and six seconds dating back to a Jaromir Jagr’s goal 10:54 into the second period of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Tampa Bay. “The problem is we’ve gone seven periods without a goal, so you’re not going to win,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Again, we didn’t give up a lot of shots. I thought we did some good things structurally, they worked in the system, but you can’t win in this league without scoring some goals.” The Devils had won consecutive games for the first time this season, beating Boston (4-3) and Tampa Bay before being blanked on consecutive nights by Philadelphia and now Minnesota. They remain stuck with three wins through their first 14 games (3-7-4). “Obviously, it’s not what we want,” said Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, who made 16 saves in his return after missing three games with a lower- body injury. “We’re working hard. It’s not for lack of effort. We’re missing some key guys up front who generate a lot of offense for us, but it seems when we’re doing things right, we’re not getting rewarded for it.” The story coming into the night was about Parise facing his old team for the first time since he left to sign a 13-year, $98 million contract with the Wild as an unrestricted free agent on July 4, 2012. The Devils could use Parise now with two of their top forwards — center Travis Zajac (sprained ankle) and left wing Patrik Elias (back spasms) — out for the second consecutive game and left wing Ryane Clowe sidelined since Oct. 13 with concussion symptoms. The Devils also played without defensemen Bryce Salvador (foot stress fracture), Peter Harrold (right elbow) and Anton Volchenkov (lower-body), then lost rookie defenseman Jon Merrill 4:49 into his NHL debut Sunday when he crashed into the boards after being tripped by Minnesota’s Torrey Mitchell. Merrill underwent testing for a possible concussion and sustained facial lacerations. The Devils came out with more energy initially, registering the first six shots on goal and drawing the first two power plays, but could not convert. The Wild jumped ahead when Mikael Granlund finished a scramble in front 13:20 into the first. A goal credited to Mitchell made it 2-0 at 7:35 of the second period. Schneider made a right-arm save on the initial shot from Parise in the right circle, but the rebound went off Mitchell in front before Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky accidentally knocked it in. 724764 New Jersey Devils

Devils shut out in Wild loss

By Associated Press November 3, 2013 | 11:47pm

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Devils welcomed Cory Schneider back in goal, as he returned after a three-game absence with a sore groin, but without goals — or significant scoring chances, even — it doesn’t matter who’s in the net. New Jersey put forth 19 shots, and all of them were put aside by the Wild’s Josh Harding, as Minnesota trampled the Devils, 4-0, Sunday night at the Xcel Energy Center. The Devils were blanked for the second straight night and fourth time in 14 games. They began the night ranked 25th in scoring at 2.0 goals per game and rarely tested Harding, who notched his second shutout of the season. “The guys are making it easy. It’s never about one player. We win as a team and we lose as a team like we always say. This was another team win. Everybody contributed and pulled their weight,” Harding said Mikael Granlund, Torrey Mitchell, Dany Heatley and Jason Pominville scored for the Wild, who have won five of six. Looking to forget about Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Philadelphia when they managed just 14 shots, the Devils dominated early with six shots on goal in the opening 5 minutes. However, the Devils went nearly 8 minutes before their next shot, including two power-play opportunities. “It’s frustrating to a point, but you’ve just got to keep plugging away. Everything’s not going to go your way and you have to just keep fighting through it,” center Stephen Gionta said. Zach Parise was playing against his former team for the first time. The teams did not meet last year because of the NHL lockout-shortened schedule. “As a player you always hate practicing and scrimmaging against your own team. That’s what it felt like for me tonight the whole game,” Parise said. New York Post LOADED: 11.04.2013 724765 New York Islanders

Kyle Okposo off to a much better start this season

Originally published: November 3, 2013 7:38 PM Updated: November 3, 2013 8:47 PM By ARTHUR STAPLE

During a conversation before Saturday night's 3-1 Islanders win over the Bruins, Kyle Okposo joked that he might be better off playing wing with the red-hot Frans Nielsen rather than on the top line with John Tavares and the newly acquired Thomas Vanek. It was a joke, clearly, and a sign that Okposo is feeling at ease through the first month of the season. The joke was further punctuated by Okposo's performance against the Bruins. He had assists on all three goals, giving him 13 assists through 14 games, good for third in the NHL. "He's got all the tools, he's big and strong -- he's a complete player, just like John,'' said Vanek, who scored his first goal as an Islander off a pretty two- on-one feed from Okposo at 16:08 of the second period to restore the Islanders' two-goal lead. But Okposo has never been mentioned in the same breath as Tavares. When the Islanders traded Matt Moulson, a 2014 first-rounder and a 2015 second-rounder to the Sabres for Vanek on Oct. 27, it wasn't a deal made so Vanek could play with Okposo. But the guy on Tavares' right has become as important as Tavares himself. Okposo has slogged through two straight seasons with sluggish starts. He had no goals and three assists through the first 14 games of the 2011-12 season, then had a goal and three assists through 14 games of the shortened 48-game season last January and February. During his horrific drought two seasons ago, his stick company sent him a batch with a lefthanded curve, a cruel mistake that highlighted what a funk the righthanded-shooting Okposo had been in. To combat those slow starts, he changed a big portion of his offseason workout regimen. "I had changed some things at the end of last season that I felt were working for me, so I tried to continue on with those into the summer,'' said Okposo, who declined to discuss which trainer he has been working with. He did spend a week in Toronto with Tavares and his trainer, and occasionally skated at the University of Minnesota with Vanek and several other NHLers. "I just tried to take a look at some things I'd been doing and tried to figure out whether they were working,'' he said. "It was everything from weights to nutrition to skating.'' Those two previous seasons did feature one big change after the slow starts: Okposo finished strong. He ended 2011-12 with a career-high 21 goals, then had three goals and 16 assists in the final 29 games last season, plus three goals in the six-game playoff series loss to the Penguins. That was the 25-year-old's chance to show the league he can be a force. Now, playing alongside two high-wattage NHL stars, Okposo is the one leading the Islanders with 17 points, one ahead of Nielsen and two ahead of Tavares. After the game, there were no more jokes about switching lines. "I think I'll stay where I am,'' Okposo said with a grin. Vanek and Tavares are happy he feels that way, too. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724766 New York Rangers portions of proceeds will be donated to charitable foundations. Go to hockeyfightscancer.com for more details on how to join the fight. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.04.2013 NY Rangers looking for a little payback as Ducks visit Madison Square Garden

By Pat Leonard / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, November 3, 2013, 2:20 PM

They're no Duck dynasty, but the Rangers' Monday opponent beat them so badly on Oct. 10 that Henrik Lundqvist called that 6-0 loss in Anaheim "probably the first time in all my years in New York we've looked this bad." Monday night, the Rangers (6-7-0, 12 points) have home-ice advantage and momentum coming off a three-game winning streak as the Ducks (11- 3-1, 23 points) fly into the Garden. The Blueshirts' defense has been resurgent, allowing just three goals the past three games. Lundqvist, with two straight wins, is finally comfortable. The question is whether they will be able to exorcise the demons from one of their worst defensive collapses out West. "Ever since we came back to the East coast, I think we settled down a little bit, and mentally and physically we regrouped," Lundqvist said Saturday night after a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Garden. "It was a tough trip out West, no question, but I think the first game in Washington (a 2-0 win Oct. 16), we kind of took a big step in the right direction. From that, I think we've been building our game, and getting the wins, we get more confident. Even though we go through tough stretches throughout games, we can handle that better now with the confidence that we've won." The Ducks are part of an elite Pacific Division that gave the Rangers nightmares during their season-opening trip, highlighted by consecutive losses in San Jose, 9-2, and Anaheim, 6-0. Bruce Boudreau's club is vulnerable playing in its eighth and final game of a long road trip, along with injuries to defensemen Sheldon Souray and Luca Sbisa, forwards Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Jakob Silfverberg and Matt Beleskey, and backup goaltender Viktor Fasth. But Anaheim still has managed to win four of its last five, so the Blueshirts defense will be focused intently on stopping the Ducks' top three scorers Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Mathieu Perraeault (19 goals, 44 points through 15 games). Alain Vigneault undoubtedly will rely on Ryan McDonagh (three-game point streak) and Dan Girardi to clamp down on the Ducks, but he also can feel comfortable with the recent bounce back of Marc Staal, whose play had dipped after a strong start before he recovered to turn in several strong performances. "The last four or five games, I felt better about the way I've been playing," Staal said Saturday night, part of a Rangers defense that has allowed just three goals in its last three games. "I'm trying to be more aggressive in the neutral zone, tightening up my gaps and creating turnovers that way. I think I was a little loose in the beginning, a little gun-shy with the way everything was going … (But now) I'm stepping forward and not backward." The Rangers are in the middle of a stretch of seven games in 11 days. It will get no easier in their fourth straight home game Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which starts a back-to-back that concludes Thursday night in Columbus. But while right wing Rick Nash (concussion symptoms) remains out indefinitely, captain Ryan Callahan (broken left thumb) could be back as early as Wednesday against the Pens. Plus, if the Rangers are able to shut down the Ducks on Monday, Lundqvist truly should be feeling himself heading into Wednesday's division rivalry showdown. "With the start we had as a team, it's tough on a goaltender," Staal said of Lundqvist. "It can sway your confidence a little bit, but the last few (games) he's been confident, he's been himself, and we've been playing better in front of him." HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER Monday is Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night at the Garden. After Monday, all 30 NHL arenas will have hosted the event to raise money and awareness for an important cause. Fans can show their support by purchasing Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise on Shop.NHL.com, where 724767 New York Rangers nine minutes in that first period. I liked the way they responded. I challenged them, and they responded the right way. They went on the ice and had some real solid puck possession shifts and that line ended up Crushed Ice: Ryan McDonagh has three-game point streak, Jesper Fast being real good for us at the end of the night after having a so-so start.” sprains ankle in AHL, notes from 5-1 Rangers win over 'Canes So how about the job Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett did reversing momentum and forcing the Staals to play in their own defensive end?: “My idea originally was to try Step(an) there, and that didn’t work out BY Pat Leonard the way I anticipated. This game is sometimes is about making some quick assessments, some quick decisions, and I put that line together and I thought they played that (Staal) line real well. It’s one of the biggest and most skilled lines, and I put them together and they were playing a lot of Carl Hagelin scored two goals Saturday night for the fourth time in his minutes. I thought Brassard (Brassard), Boyle-zee (Boyle … yes, he calls career and the first time since Feb. 10 of last season against the Tampa him Boyle-zee) and Dorse (Dorsett) did a real strong job.” Bay Lightning. Vigneault on Lundqvist: “Hank was, in my mind, the best player on the ice. Hagelin has three points in three games since returning from offseason He permitted us to find our legs and find a little bit of rhythm. We had a shoulder surgery, including the game-winning assist in his first game back couple of breakdowns, but he did what a goaltender is supposed to do and last Tuesday on Benoit Pouliot’s game-winner against the Islanders. he made some real big saves tonight.” “The last couple games, starting against Detroit, we are just getting to Vigneault on Hagelin: “(Hagelin’s) speed definitely helps us. When he pucks, winning battles, just a lot of one-on-one battles that we are winning scores the way he does tonight and backs down the defense the way he as we are creating so many chances,” Hagelin. does, it’s so important to the team have success and winning games. He STEPAN'S HAT TRICK CAPS RANGERS' 5-1 WIN OVER HURRICANES came out with two big goals for us.” Hagelin didn’t play in that win over Detroit, but since he’s returned he has AHL INJURY NEWS been winning a ton of those battles himself, particularly behind the net. Right wing Jesper Fast sprained his ankle playing for the Rangers’ AHL Chris Kreider demonstrated a perfect example of that on Derek Stepan’s affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Springfield third goal, as well, bodying Carolina’s Tuomo Ruutu off the puck and Falcons. Fast reportedly was not putting any weight on leg while being feeding Zuccarello behind the net. helped off the ice during the first period. The little Norwegian sent a pretty backhand feed to the front for Stepan’s Fast made the Rangers’ roster out of training camp and played eight of 10 finish. It marked six points in five games for Zuccarello since being benched games while on the roster, before the Blueshirts sent him down to the AHL Oct. 24 in Philadelphia. on Monday night to make room for Hagelin, who returned from injury. “My two linemates have created some pretty good looks for me, and I Fast was minus-five with no points in those eight games but, when healthy, wasn’t able to find the back of the net,” Stepan said of previous games. he remains on the short list of players the Rangers would call up when they “Tonight, they continued to do it, and I was fortunate enough to find the net require an extra forward. a couple (or a few) times, so that’s good.” With the Ducks and Penguins upcoming as opponents, it wouldn’t be Stepan’s hat trick, of course, was the second of his career. His first hat trick surprising to see either Danny Kristo or Marek Hrivik get a call-up. came in his first-ever NHL game, on Oct. 9, 2010, at Buffalo. THE SCHEDULE Stepan and Brad Richards, who assisted on Hagelin’s first goal, are now tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece. Kreider has two goals and six The Rangers had off on Sunday. They return to action on Monday at 7:30 points in six games since being recalled from the AHL, putting him in a four- p.m. against the Anaheim Ducks at the Garden, the third game of this four- way tie with Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard. game homestand. The Blueshirts are now 2-1-0 this season at home. McDonagh’s secondary assist on Hagelin’s second goal marked his third New York Daily News LOADED: 11.04.2013 straight game with a point. Taylor Pyatt assisted on Hagelin’s second goal, scored out of the penalty box after Pyatt fired the puck down ice from the defensive zone onto Hurricanes goalie Justin Peters. It was Pyatt’s first point of the season. Pouliot had the primary assist on Hagelin’s first goal, a backhand 8:26 into the first period. ON THE MARC Rangers defenseman Marc Staal played an aggressive 19:28 of ice time, marking the 45th combined meeting of him and his brothers, Carolina forwards Eric and Jordan Staal. When Marc poked the puck off Eric’s stick in the first period, it was a refreshing reminder that Marc’s eye injury last season thankfully had not prevented this from being possible once more. “When you’re watching them in Carolina (last spring), you don’t know if you’re gonna get back out there and compete against them again,” Staal said afterward. “It was a lot of fun.” Eric Staal, ‘Canes’ captain, had six shots on net. His line with Jordan Staal and Alex Semin brought their A-game. But the Rangers defense held and, when they didn’t, Henrik Lundqvist really was the main reason they didn’t find the score sheet. COACH SPEAK Vigneault talked afterward about the Stepan line’s bounce-back, the Brassard line’s ability to put the Staals on their heels, Lundqvist’s stellar performance, and Hagelin’s speed: “You say never critique a win, but it didn’t start the way the way I wanted, not just the game but (Stepan’s) line, their first three shifts were totally in our end,” Vigneault said. “I must have sat that line out for maybe eight or 724768 New York Rangers

Tough schedule has contributed to Rangers’ start

By Brett Cyrgalis November 3, 2013 | 6:05pm

Although the Rangers might be hesitant to admit it, their early-season record has been somewhat dictated by their schedule. Normalcy has been restored with the opening of the renovated Garden this past week, and Monday’s game against the Ducks at the Garden can finally be looked at without the context of all the surrounding influences. First, the Rangers (6-7-0) had to deal with the season-opening nine-game road trip, preceded by a nonsensical Western trek during the preseason. Under new coach Alain Vigneault, the team struggled to find cohesion, and was embarrassed in consecutive games against the Sharks and Ducks, outscored 15-2. After a home-opening loss to the Canadiens a week ago, the Rangers had won just three of their first 10 games. “I think we came through a tough part of the schedule, but I wouldn’t call it ‘weathering the storm,’ ” Vigneault said before that Canadiens game. “I expect the team to play well and the right way. “There’s not a road way and home way; there’s a right way.” Since that disheartening 2-0 loss to Montreal, the Rangers have reeled off three consecutive wins against the Islanders, Sabres and Hurricanes, teams with the combined record of 12-25-7 as of Sunday, and whom the Rangers outscored 10-3. During the last two wins, it was Henrik Lundqvist in nets, the franchise goalie who seemingly has overcome his own early- season malaise, as well as a minor, unidentified injury that kept him from dressing for two games. “I felt like the last few games, my focus has been good,” he said after beating Carolina, 5-1, at the Garden on Saturday. “I really try to focus on the things that I can control. It’s so important for the goalie to not get rattled or pay attention to things that don’t really matter.” Vigneault is also rather happy he is beginning to see the real Lundqvist, the one that took home the Vezina Trophy two seasons ago and has carried this Rangers team for most of the past seven years. “Hank was, in my mind, the best player on the ice,” the coach said Saturday, having given his team a day off on Sunday. “He permitted us to find our legs and find a little bit of rhythm. We had a couple of breakdowns, but he did what a goaltender is supposed to do and he made some real big saves.” Lundqvist was helped out Saturday by a hat trick from Derek Stepan, and two goals from Carl Hagelin. Returning for the Islanders’ game on Tuesday at the Coliseum after offseason shoulder surgery, Hagelin has been a wonderful boost of energy and speed for the Rangers. Playing on a line with Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot, the team that once seemed awfully shallow up front now has a semblance of offensive depth. “Hags’ speed definitely helps us,” Vigneault said. “When he scores the way he does [Saturday] and backing down their defense the way he does, it’s so important to the team having success and winning games.” So now, Vigneault, Lundqvist, Hagelin and the whole crew gets another look at the Ducks, a team who on Oct. 10 in Anaheim, in the fourth game of the season, were up on the Rangers 6-0 after two periods and finished the game with the same score. After the Ducks, the Blueshirts play host to the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins on Wednesday, and after that, there will be a better picture of the real Rangers team, finally not viewed in the context of the schedule. New York Post LOADED: 11.04.2013 724769 New York Rangers

Rangers finally are clicking on all cylinders

Monday, November 4, 2013 BY ANDREW GROSS

The Rangers that host the Ducks tonight certainly don't resemble the team that was blown out in Anaheim earlier this season. The defense has been solid for a six-game stretch and, now, the offense finally is matching that level. "It's only a matter of time," defenseman Marc Staal said. "We weren't playing well for a stretch and I think once we started playing the right way, we weren't really getting rewarded with some goals. I think the last few games we've done that and we've played the same way defensively. It's a lot easier that way." The Rangers (6-7-0), who can reach .500 for the first time since the season's second game, have won a season-high three in a row as they go into the third of four straight games at Madison Square Garden. The Ducks (11-3-1) are concluding an eight-game road trip, similar to the Rangers' season-opening, nine-game trip that included a 6-0 loss to the Ducks on Oct. 10. The Rangers were outshot, 17-3, in the first period of that game, and Henrik Lundqvist faced 37 shots overall. Lundqvist has allowed just three goals in his last three starts, and the Rangers have given up just nine goals in their last six games. And since the disastrous loss to the Ducks, the Rangers have added speed to their offense with left wing Carl Hagelin returning from off-season surgery on his left shoulder and Chris Kreider being recalled from Hartford (AHL). That has offset, to a degree, the loss of captain Ryan Callahan to a broken thumb and the indefinite absence of Rick Nash because of a concussion. So has the improved play of center Derek Stepan helped after he missed the preseason due to a contract dispute. Stepan notched his second career hat trick in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Hurricanes for his first goals of the season, and Hagelin added two — also his first of the season. "We are playing a full 60 minutes," Stepan said. "Maybe, early in the year, it was a little scattered." However, the Rangers started the season losing four of five games to Western Conference opponents while being outscored, 25-9. Tonight marks their first game against a Western team since a 5-3 loss at St. Louis on Oct. 12. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.04.2013 724770 New York Rangers

Rangers have turned their season around since 6-0 loss in Anaheim

Originally published: November 3, 2013 8:01 PM Updated: November 3, 2013 8:53 PM By STEVE ZIPAY

Erasing bad memories, players say, is essential in a long NHL season. What's forgettable? A stoppable goal, a terrible shift, a bad penalty. With a victory over the Ducks at home Monday night, the Rangers can eliminate something larger: the sour taste of a 6-0 hammering in Anaheim on Oct. 10 during a brutal season-opening road trip. In that game, the Ducks' home opener, all the goals were scored in the first two periods, including a pair by Jakob Silfverberg, the second of which came on a gamble by Henrik Lundqvist. Just 1:24 into the second period and already down 3-0, Lundqvist skated past the left circle to chase a loose puck but couldn't clear it. Teemu Selanne's shot at the empty net clanged the right post and the puck caromed to Silfverberg, who scored easily. The current circumstances aren't quite the same: Silfverberg (broken hand) and Selanne (facial injury) are sidelined, and the Ducks are concluding an eight-game road trip. The Ducks (11-3-1), however, haven't missed a beat, going 4-0-1 in the last five. They have 50 goals in 15 games, so a strong defensive effort by the Rangers, who did not practice Sunday, is a must. None of the Rangers' last three opponents is as potent as the Ducks, but Lundqvist and the Blueshirts have changed direction. They have won three straight at home, raised their record to 6-7 and gained some confidence. Lundqvist has allowed only three goals in his last three starts, and the Rangers have four young forwards who didn't play in the blowout. Carl Hagelin was on injured reserve and Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller and Brandon Mashinter were in Hartford. The four who played in Anaheim and who are not available are Ryan Callahan (thumb), Dominic Moore (oblique) and Arron Asham and Jesper Fast, who are playing for Hartford. Rick Nash (concussion) did not play in the first game and will not be available Monday night. Still, for every Ranger, this game will be a way to determine, at least in part, how far they have come from the West Coast trip. Grabbing two points from the Ducks would match two four-game winning streaks -- in early March and April -- from last season. Not only that, but a win would pull them into a tie with Washington for third place in the Metropolitan Division and leave the Rangers only two points out of a fifth- place tie in the Eastern Conference. It's still early, but players believe the arrow is pointing up. "We've definitely been playing better offensively," said Hagelin, who scored twice in Saturday night's 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes. "Starting against Detroit [a 3-2 overtime win Oct. 26], we're just getting to pucks and there's a lot of one-on-one battles we're winning. That's where we're creating so many chances and getting so many shots on net." Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724771 New York Rangers 15) Hey, MSG, your team won three in a row, four of five. How about a post-game show? One quote from the Rangers coach’s presser? But let’s examine the Buffalo Sabres, Philly Flyers, Islanders, Devils, and everybody Rangers-Hurricanes in review but … Carolina Hurricanes v New York Rangers

03 November 2013, 5:04 am by Rick Carpiniello My Three Rangers Stars: 1. Derek Stepan.

Carolina Hurricanes v New York Rangers 2. Carl Hagelin. Thoughts: 3. Chris Kreider. 1) A lot of guys did a lot of work on Derek Stepan’s goals—and I’m certainly Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars: not marginalizing his part in each of them— especially Chris Kreider 1. Carl Hagelin. battling in front to keep the puck alive on the PPG and to get it back on the second. I’ll say the same thing about Stepan that I said earlier about Derick 2. Derek Stepan. Brassard: That’s why these guys have to shoot the puck. They both have very good shots. But too often look to make a play. Good for Stepan. He 3. Henrik Lundqvist. kind of said he had been coming back, and had been forced to pick up his Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 11.04.2013 pace because of Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. (sorry, I meant THE Kreider). Carolina Hurricanes v New York Rangers2) Liking the little Italian Kid from Norway on the PK. He also made a terrific takeaway before the PPG. 3) Carl Hagelin has had stretches like this before, where he looks like a legit top-six forward. I’m not sure if he is or isn’t, because that’s really based on whether he can produce more consistently. He had a stretch like this—only longer—last season too. His speed, skill and instincts are good enough for him to play top six. Can he produce enough to be that? 4) John Moore—like a lot of Rangers including Brassard and Stepan and some of the D-men and the goalies—got off to a bad start this season. But, man, he’s really come on since then. 5) The “other” job had me on the road for the first period, when I had the pleasure—and I don’t get the opportunity enough—to listen to Dave Maloney’s analysis on the radio. Maloney was going on about how the Rangers weren’t accomplishing much at all because they weren’t making plays or good passes out of their own end and through the neutral zone. Then, bang, they make one and Hagelin scores to make it 1-0. I went to the DVR and watched the period later and, of course, Maloney was right. Dead on. As usual.Carolina Hurricanes v New York Rangers 6) And by the way, with ESPN radio now on FM, I was actually able to hear it loud and clear from quite a bit north of NYC. 7) One more thing about the radio. Hall of Fame defenseman Mark Howe was the between periods guest. He has seen a lot of the Rangers already as Detroit’s Eastern scout. He said A) that the Rangers’ top six defensemen are probably as good a group as there is in the NHL and B) that he expects the Rangers to be “right there at the end of the season and into the playoffs.” 8) Henrik Lundqvist looked comfortable, and continues to look more comfortable, every night. 9) That low-bridge thrown by the kid Murphy at Derek Dorsett’s knees? I don’t blame Dorsett one bit for being ticked off. And this idea that the rook’s not a dirty player, OK. But that’s a filthy play. It wasn’t even a hip check or a clip. He went to his hands and knees. That easily could have been a double-ACL wreck. I don’t blame Dorsett for being mad. I do blame him for taking a dumb penalty later. Geez. Hit the guy hard, don’t slap him in the face. Carolina Hurricanes v New York Rangers10) I thought Marc Staal had a fabulous game again. But, did you guys know that he has brothers who also play hockey? 11) I saw a lot of gliders again on the visiting team, just like Buffalo. 12) Man, the Lesstropolitan Division really stinks. Advantage: Rangers. 13) How about the news that Buffalo put Patrick Kaleta on waivers (apparently for the purpose of sending him to the minors to rehabilitate his game—and good luck with that)? 14) Philly writers who vote for three stars embarrassed themselves for giving Ray (Assault and Battery) Emery a star after a 7-0 loss in which his performance was, at best, cowardly. Another reason I don’t vote for stars at the arena anymore. 724772 New York Rangers (8-10, 80.0%). The Rangers are 2-2 (1:59) in three-on-five situations (last – 10/16 at WSH), and 1-2 (0:27) when three-on-four (last – 11/2 vs. CAR). Shorthanded goals for (1): 10/7 at LAK (McDonagh). Mighty Ducks at Rangers tonight (7:30 p.m.) … pre-game notes Four-on-Four: New York did not tally/yield a goal in two four-on-four situations (3:34) on Saturday vs. Carolina, and are now -1 in 16 four-on-four situations (26:54) this season. Four-on-four goals for (2): 10/16 at WSH (J. 04 November 2013, 4:39 am by Rick Carpiniello Moore); 10/26 at DET (Brassard). Four-on-four goals allowed (3): 10/3 at PHX (Vrbata); 10/7 at LAK (Muzzin); 10/12 at STL (Backes). HAT TRICK TRIO: Derek Stepan posted his second career hat trick with … and a pre- pre-game note: If time permits I will host another ticket three goals in the Rangers’ 5-1 win on Saturday vs. Carolina. Stepan, along contest today, around noon, in a separate post. Our friend the gracious with linemates Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello, combined for nine points donor has a pair for the game against Florida Sunday. (short notice). So in the contest, with Kreider and Zuccarello assisting on each of Stepan’s look for info later on. three goals. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the sixth time since the start of the 2005-06 season that a trio accounted for all of the scoring on Pre-game notes courtesy of the NYR: a hat trick, with Anaheim’s line of Kyle Palmieri (hat trick), Corey Perry, and NEW YORK RANGERS vs. ANAHEIM DUCKS Ryan Getzlaf being the last to accomplish the feat on Feb. 27, 2013. Monday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET SHUTTING THE DOOR: Henrik Lundqvist posted two shutouts in four appearances, with a 22-save effort in a 2-0 win on Oct. 16 at Washington Madison Square Garden – New York, NY and a 29-save performance in a 2-0 win on Oct. 31 vs. Buffalo. In his last five games, Lundqvist is 3-2-0 with a 1.42 goals against average, .943 save Rangers: 6-7-0 (12 pts) percentage, and two shutouts. With 47 career shutouts, he is now two Ducks: 11-3-1 (23 pts) shutouts shy of Ed Giacomin’s franchise record for most career regular season shutouts (49). TONIGHT’S GAME THE HOT LIST: The Rangers will face-off against the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. — TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7), as they Henrik Lundqvist – 3-2-0 with a 1.42 GAA, .943 Sv%, and 2 SO in his last continue a four-game homestand. The Blueshirts currently rank fourth in the five appearances Metropolitan Division standings, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, with a Mats Zuccarello – three-game assist/point streak (five assists), and six record of 6-7-0 (12 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the points (one goal, five assists) in five games since his healthy scratch on Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, to extend their Oct. 24 at PHI winning streak to three games. New York has now won four of its last five games. The Ducks enter the contest with a 11-3-1 (23 pts) record to rank Chris Kreider – three-game point streak (two goals, three assists), and six third in the Western Conference, and have registered a point in five straight points (two goals, four assists) in six games following his recall on Oct. 20 games (4-0-1). Following the contest, the Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Ryan McDonagh – three-game point streak (one goal, two assists), and four Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.), in the first game of a back-to-back set. points (one goal, three assists) in the last five games RANGERS vs. DUCKS: Derek Stepan – five points (three goals, two assists) in the last three games; 14 shots in the last two games All-Time: 10-14-1-1 overall (6-6-1-0 at home; 4-8-0-1 on the road) Carl Hagelin – three points (two goals, one assist) in the last three games 2013-14: Tonight is the second and final meeting this season, and the only since returning from injury meeting at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are 0-1-0 overall (0-0-0 at home;0-1-0 on the road) this season, following a 6-0 loss on Oct. 10 at Benoit Pouliot – four points (two goals, two assists) in the last five games Anaheim.The Blueshirts out-shot the Ducks, 17-7, in the third period, while FINISHING THE JOB: The Blueshirts have registered a point in 96 their penalty kill was 6-6 (100.0%) in the contest. consecutive regular season games when leading after the second period, Last Season: Did not play. In 2011-12, New York was 1-0-1 overall (1-0-0 at dating back to the 2009-10 season, posting a record of 90-0-6 over the home; 0-0-1 on the road), with both contests decided in the shootout and span. The Rangers’ last regulation loss in a game when entering the third ending in a 2-1 score. The Rangers’ penalty kill was 8-8 (100.0%) in the with the lead was Feb. 4, 2010 (6-5 loss vs. WSH). New York is 4-0-0 when series. Brad Richards (goal) and Ryan McDonagh (assist) were among the leading after the second period this season. point scorers for the Rangers, while Henrik Lundqvist was 1-0-1 with a 0.93 MILESTONES IN SIGHT: Marc Staal – 1 point from 100th NHL career GAA and .964 Sv%. INJURIES: The Rangers have registered at least a point in eight of the last 12 contests against the Ducks (7-4-1 over the span) dating back to Nov. 19, 2002 Rick Nash (IR – 10/14; head injury – 10/8, out indefinitely) – 10 New York is 2-1-0 at home; Anaheim is 6-3-1 on the road Ryan Callahan (IR – 10/21; broken thumb – 10/16, 3-4 weeks) – 7 New York is 1-4-0 vs. Western Conference opponents; Anaheim is 6-2-1 vs. Dominic Moore (strained oblique – 10/29, 7-10 days) – 2 Eastern Conference opponents Total Man-Games Lost: 33 INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. DUCKS: Henrik Lundqvist – 7 GP, 3- 3-1, 2.80 GAA; Rick Nash – 34 GP, 18-16-34; Brad Richards – 25 GP, 11- Rockland Journal News: LOADED: 11.04.2013 11-22; Derick Brassard – 17 GP, 9-3-12; Anton Stralman – 9 GP, 0-3-3. SPECIAL TEAMS: The Rangers are on a three-game power play goal- scoring streak (4-11, 36.4% over the span), and are 5-19 (26.3%) with the man advantage in the last five games The Blueshirts’ penalty kill is 25-29 (86.2%) in the last eight games Power Play: The Rangers were 1-4 (4:29) on Saturday vs. Carolina. New York is tied for 12th in the NHL overall (9-43, 20.9%), and 19th at home (2- 12, 16.7%). The Rangers are 2-3 (0:55) in five-on-three situations (last – 11/2 vs. CAR), and 0-1 (0:30) when four-on-three (last – 10/12 at STL). Shorthanded goals allowed (2): 10/8 at SJS (Vlasic); 10/24 at PHI (Read). Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts were 2-3 (3:38) on Saturday vs. Carolina. New York ranks 15th in the NHL overall (40-49, 81.6%), and 20th at home 724773 NHL “Varly is like me,” Roy said, adding, “Let’s not make a judgment before the process is done.” The Avalanche players have rallied around Varlamov, whose .875 winning Arrest of the Avalanche’s Goalie Casts a Shadow on a Promising Season percentage in October was the highest in franchise history, bettering the mark of .800 set by Roy in 2000.

By KAREN CROUSE After practice Thursday, center Matt Duchene told Denver reporters: “We all love Varly in here. I can’t say enough great things about him. I think we’re Published: November 3, 2013 all pretty confident this is going to get resolved pretty quickly.” So intense are the shared experiences of professional athletes in team sports, the family with whom they share a locker room can take precedence DENVER — During their drive to Pepsi Center, there was much shimmering over the people they actually live with. That the bonds formed as ground for two Colorado Avalanche fans to cover: the poise and production teammates can last a lifetime was evident Saturday when defenseman of the team’s 18-year-old rookie forward, Nathan MacKinnon; the inspired Adam Foote’s No. 52 jersey was retired. play of the defense; the mad genius of the first-year coach, Patrick Roy. And yet, as Keith Martin and his son-in-law drove to the Avalanche’s game The hourlong ceremony unfurled like a family reunion, with his former here Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens, they spoke mostly of teammates Alexei Gusarov and Peter Forsberg traveling from Russia and the dark cloud shadowing the team’s resurgence. Sweden to honor Foote, who was an integral part of the Avalanche’s last championship team. Varlamov played in a win over Montreal on Saturday night. Fans, who stayed away in droves last season as Colorado finished last, Off to an N.H.L.-best start under Roy, the mercurial Hall of Famer who filled the arena to the rafters, enthusiastically embracing their role in the backstopped Colorado to two Stanley Cups, the Avalanche were jolted out tribute. The crowd, announced at 18,152, a record for a hockey game at the of their reverie Wednesday by the arrest of their starting goaltender, arena, included Cynthia Quinlan, who expressed relief that Varlamov’s Semyon Varlamov, on charges of second-degree kidnapping and third- backup, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, was starting. degree assault in an incident last Tuesday involving his girlfriend, Evgeniya Vavrinyuk. “I’m personally very glad that Jiggy’s in net tonight so I can root for the Avs unreservedly,” she said. According to the police report, Varlamov, 25, kicked and stamped on Vavrinyuk, dragged her around the apartment they shared and threatened Quinlan said it was hard for her to celebrate the team’s success given the her upon returning home from a drinking binge. The report described serious allegations facing Varlamov. bruises on her body consistent with a physical encounter. “I don’t think anyone wants to judge him too soon,” she said, adding, “If Varlamov practiced on Wednesday, then turned himself in to the police. you’re an Avs fan, it can really knock you for a loop.” After spending the night in jail, he posted $5,000 bond and was released in time to join his teammates for a flight to Dallas, where he made his ninth Dave Krieger takes the pulse of Avs fans regularly as a local radio host. He start, stopping 27 shots as the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars in overtime works for the Broncos’ flagship station, and even when they were idle last Friday. The Avalanche are now 12-1. week, Krieger said, he fielded calls that were mostly about the N.F.L. Those who wanted to talk about the Avalanche’s fast start — they tied a franchise The district attorney has not determined whether to charge Varlamov, record with a 4-1 victory against the Canadiens — generally avoided the creating a conflict for fans like Martin. topic of Varlamov’s arrest. “My son-in-law and I had this conversation on the way here,” said Martin, “It was as if that conversation was separate from how the team is playing,” who was having a pregame beer at Tailgate Roadhouse next to Pepsi Krieger said. Center. “Everyone has a right to due process. The guy’s not been proven guilty, but do you reward somebody by starting him two days after he has He added: “There’s a bias on the part of fans to believe in their guys. spent the night in jail for accusations that, on the surface, are very There’s a kind of a defensive reaction in these cases to blame the woman disturbing?” because you don’t want to lose the player.” Although Varlamov remained a vital presence in the Avalanche lineup, New York Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 Vavrinyuk retreated to the shadows after talking to reporters Thursday, fearing for her safety and the well-being of her relatives in Russia. She said she had terminated a modeling contract at Varlamov’s urging and followed him to the United States. Vavrinyuk also described multiple occasions of physical abuse by Varlamov, who she said “turns into an animal” when he drinks and “thinks he can get away with anything.” On Friday in Dallas, Varlamov declined to comment on the case but told reporters, “I’ve got such good teammates, so I don’t think about what’s happening.” Roy had his own domestic violence episode 13 years ago, when he was arrested after he pulled two doors off their hinges during an argument with his wife at the time. Roy was not charged, but the incident remains in his biography, to be dug up every time his nature turns destructive. In his first N.H.L. regular-season game behind the bench, Roy lost his composure after his team defeated Anaheim, 6-1. He screamed at Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau and pounded on the glass partition that separated the teams’ benches so forcefully, he nearly knocked it off. Roy was upset at a Ducks defenseman’s late knee-to-knee hit on MacKinnon, the first overall pick in the 2013 draft. The league fined Roy $10,000 for his outburst, but not before he delivered a loud and clear message to his players: If they are wronged, he will defend them without fear of criticism or consequences. So after assurances of innocence from Varlamov, Roy threw his support behind him. Roy’s handling of the situation was informed, he said, by his own experience. 724774 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators goalie Anderson OK after leaving on stretcher by James Gordon on November 3, 2013

Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson left Sunday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Stars on a stretcher after a collision in front his net, but he appears to have avoided serious injury. Anderson was walking around the arena level of Canadian Tire Centre after the game and coach Paul MacLean said the only damage appears to be “a sore neck.” MacLean said Anderson is not expected to be available when the Senators travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. Anderson was attempting to make a save in overtime when Dallas Stars rookie Valeri Nichushkin skated through the crease and made contact with Anderson’s head and neck. He didn’t move as the trainer ran out to assess him, and the silence in the arena was punctured only by occasional chants of “Andy! Andy!” Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter to lift him onto the stretcher and cart him off the ice. Medical personnel determined a hospital trip was unnecessary, however, and his teammates were obviously relieved to see he was OK afterwards. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 724775 Ottawa Senators the numbers do make me wonder how much his injuries (groin, back) have bothered him. Interesting Stat #3: Gameday preview: Senators vs. Stars Having coughed up a number of two goal leads this season, including it happening twice against the Islanders on Friday night, Paul MacLean wants by Graeme Nichols his team to dig in and do a better job protecting the lead. November 3, 2013 How much does MacLean want the Senators to dig in? Well, a quick scan of his comments following Friday’s loss reveals ten instances in which he used some variation of the words ‘dig in’ to convey what his players have to do. Another day and another game against a Western Conference opponent — this time it’s the Dallas Stars. In 26 games versus Dallas, the Sens are 10- Interesting Stat #4: 16-0-0. The Ottawa Senators have taken the second highest number of minor Dallas has won three straight games versus Ottawa, but the last time these penalties in the NHL. With 66, the Sens trail the Los Angeles Kings’ 67; two teams met was on Dec. 1, 2011. albeit, the Sens have played in one less game. Ottawa’s last victory at home against Dallas was a 5-4 overtime win on Dec. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 20, 2008. Jason Smith scored the game winning goal, which coincidentally just happened to be the only goal he would score wearing a Senators jersey. For what it’s worth, Smith played 63 games with the Senators during their 2008/09 season and now serves as a scouting and development consultant with the organization. Storylines to Watch Thanks to Ottawa’s persistent defensive struggles this season, the Senators recalled Mark Borowiecki from Binghamton and he will apparently make his 2013/14 season debut tonight. Between the juggling of line combinations and player personnel between Binghamton and Ottawa, management and the coaching staff have done their best to shake things up. With eight defencemen now on the roster following Borowiecki’s promotion, it’s safe to presume that the Senators have pretty well exhausted all of their internal options. If the addition of Borowiecki doesn’t send a message to the rest of the defensive corps to keep it simple, the organization’s next move will inevitably be one in which they look at external solutions to their problem(s). Greatest Senator Goal Scored Versus Dallas: Interesting Stat #1: According to Statspass.com, the Stars have won three consecutive one- goal games against the Senators, and have scored a power-play goal in seven of their last eight games against them. Interesting Stat #2: According to ExtraSkater.com’s game logs for Jason Spezza, Ottawa’s number one center has had his line be decimated in the puck possession game. Before breaking this down, let me provide a few definitions to you: The Corsi For (CF), sometimes referred to as ‘Corsi events For’ is an ‘advanced’ metric that simply tracks the number of shots directed at the opposition’s net that are either saved, miss the net or are blocked. The Corsi Against (CA), sometimes referred to as ‘Corsi events Against’ metric is essentially the opposite of Corsi For. It simply tracks the number of shots that the opposition directs at the net that are either saved, miss the net or are blocked. By tracking the number of shots directed at each team’s net, Corsi is used to measure puck possession. Looking at his game logs, we can see that Spezza’s game versus the Detroit Red Wings has been the only game this season in which he was on the ice for more Corsi events For than Corsi events Against. Subtracting the totals from his Detroit game, Spezza has been on the ice for 87 Corsi Events For and 158 CA while playing five-on-five hockey. In other words, of those 245 total shots on goal that Spezza has been on the ice for, only 35.5 percent of those shots were directed at the opposition’s net by the Senators. Historically, Spezza has been an excellent possession driver, so this could simply be one really bad stretch of hockey for him and the Sens. However, 724776 Ottawa Senators They must have been wondering what they’d done to so anger the Hockey Gods after what happened next. Mark Borowiecki, thrilled to be making his first start with the big club after Senators bounce back, fall short being called up from AHL Binghamton over the weekend, had about as nightmarish a start as you could imagine for a defensive defenceman trying to establish himself. by James Gordon He accidentally backhanded the go-ahead goal … into his own net. on November 3, 2013 “I was pretty thankful Bobby got it back for me there, so you just try and shake it off,” he said afterwards. “I went and gave him a tap after and told him I owed him a beer.” Almost everything that could go wrong for the Ottawa Senators Sunday afternoon did. It was the lone blemish on an otherwise decent debut for the Binghamton captain. Give up an absurd number of shots to their opponent early? Check. Another positive the team could point to: The No. 1 line of Turris between Fall in a 2-0 hole by the 21st minute, then take a double-minor for high Clarke MacArthur and Ryan was once again outstanding. sticking? Check. Turris and Ryan broke into the Dallas zone midway through the second, Storm back, only to give up a third-period lead by putting the puck in their with the latter threading a nice pass through the slot to a waiting Karlsson own net? Check. for the Senators’ first goal. Watch No. 1 goalie get carted off the ice on a stretcher? Check. Karlsson buried a one-timer for his 14th point of the season, drawing him even with Montreal’s P.K. Subban for the NHL lead among defencemen. And yet, they were feeling pretty good — nay, great — after a 4-3 shootout His assist on Jason Spezza’s marker eight minutes later gave him sole loss to the Dallas Stars at Canadian Tire Centre. possession of first. First and foremost, they were relieved that starter Craig Anderson appeared Turris, playing the point on the power play, also picked up an assist on that to have escaped serious injury after a terrifying collision in overtime. Spezza goal. Secondly, they were happy with their vastly improved play as the game rolled on. For all that, the Senators know they still have plenty of work to do at the other end of the ice. Anderson stayed motionless on the ice after he was run over by Stars rookie Valeri Nichushkin, and a hush fell over the arena as trainer Gerry The first period was a mess of bad pinches, lazy backchecking and A1 Townend ran out to assess the situation. Chants of “Andy! Andy” scoring chances for their opponent. occasionally punctured the silence as paramedics lifted him into the stretcher and as he waved while being rolled off the ice. That they escaped with the score 1-0 was a testament to Anderson’s strong start. Medical personnel determined a trip to the hospital wasn’t necessary, however, and Anderson was walking around the arena level after the game. Twitter.com/SensReporter Coach Paul MacLean said Anderson had a “stiff neck” but that “everything GAME FILE else is fine.” He added Anderson probably won’t be available for Tuesday’s game in Columbus. WHY THEY LOST “We’ll let the doctors evaluate him and we’ll have a better assessment of it Had they played the first period the way they did the second and third, they (Monday).” likely would have snapped their losing skid. They tied things up, but the injury to Anderson — a typically strong shootout goalie — helped do them With Anderson sidelined after stopping 33 shots, Robin Lehner had to come in. in cold under difficult circumstances. He wound up stopping two more in overtime and one of two in the shootout. CHEERS Ray Whitney, Nichushkin and Antoine Roussel scored for the Stars in It was Canadian Armed Forces appreciation day at the rink, with the regulation, with Jamie Benn potting the breakaway contest’s only Senators taking the pre-game skate in camouflage sweaters and uniforms successful attempt. Kari Lehtonen turned aside 33 shots for the win. dotting the announced crowd of 18,106. Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan, who snapped his stick in JEERS two on the game-tying one-timer with just 10 seconds left in the third period, Several of Ottawa’s young defencemen have been struggling, but perhaps hit the scoresheet for Ottawa. none more than Jared Cowen. The Stars were able to speed around him all The start of the game had all the hallmarks of another debacle, with the afternoon as he waved at, and missed, playable pucks. Stars running the shot count to 19-9 after one period and taking a 2-0 lead FLOATER on Nichushkin’s first NHL goal 30 second into the second period. Former Senators defenceman Sergei Gonchar received a warm ovation Things really started to look hopeless when Senators winger Chris Neil took after a T.V. timeout video board highlight reel of his time here. Gonchar, a double-minor for high sticking two minutes later. who left for Dallas as a free agent this summer, acknowledged the fans with Fortunately for the Senators, their home ice penalty kill (first in the NHL) a little wave. has been one of the bright spots early. They limited the Stars’ chances for Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 the next four minutes. Then they woke up. Ryan acknowledged it was the turning point in the game. “I think a four-minute (penalty) when you’re down two can go either way and, if they get a third there, you never know how you’re going to respond or how it’s going to work itself out, so for our PK guys to go out and do a job, it certainly turned it in our direction. “It’s nice to see this team rebounding and, hopefully, turning the page to something better.” The Senators fought back to tie things up 2-2 before the end of the second, and momentum was on their side. 724777 Ottawa Senators Still, there were pleasing signs about the push from the Senators. Spezza liked the Senators game over the final 30 minutes. “It’s hard, when you keep losing, to play with confidence,” Spezza said. “At Scanlan: Sens lose in shootout but get points for being pesky times, we’ve been playing scared because guys are worried about making mistakes.” by Wayne Scanlan Ironically, penalties have killed the Senators this year, yet it was a penalty kill that helped turn the afternoon around. With Chris Neil off four minutes on November 3, 2013 for high sticking, and the Sens down 2-0, the Stars could have put this one away, but their 23rd-ranked NHL power play couldn’t muster anything. Predictably, Ottawa got a huge boost from the double kill. At times, the game seemed comedic, goofy, bordering on slapstick. Not long after Neil returned to the ice, they broke up ice on a three-on-one, A Senators player scores in his own net, but is rescued when a teammate Ryan feathering a sweet pass to Karlsson for a one-timer and a beauty. scores with a broken stick? From there it steamrolled. Alex Goligoski took a roughing penalty and Then, in overtime, Senators goaltender Craig Anderson went down with a everyone on the building could smell a power play goal coming to tie the frightening injury and the laughing gave to way to a pall in the Canadian game. Tire Centre. Using four forwards on the five-man unit (with Turris on the point) to great Anderson appears to be OK, the stretcher routine more of a precaution. He effect, Ottawa controlled the puck off the faceoff, and executed with a has a stiff neck and will be re-evaluated, but head coach Paul MacLean purpose. A Turris shot hit a player in front and caromed off the back boards didn’t think it was anything serious. right to Spezza, who tapped it into the wide open net. He also didn’t think Anderson would be available to the team when it visits Unfortunately, Ottawa’s momentum took an intermission break along with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Anderson was injured trying to the players. As the third period began, the Stars pressed, and got rewarded poke check big Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin as Nichushkin tried when Borowiecki accidentally shoved a puck past Anderson at 3:11 of the to deke around Anderson. period. As he was wheeled off on a stretcher, Anderson waved to the crowd, the Was there any doubt the Senators would tie it in the third? Well, um, hardly first of many good signs. To the relief of his teammates, Anderson was up any. and moving around the Senators dressing room. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 “He’s moving,” said captain Jason Spezza. “It doesn’t look like he’s moving too well.” The upshot from a crazy matinee: the Senators lose their second shootout in three days, 4-3, and lose their starting goalie, likely not for long, but despite being 4-6-4 on the season, start to resemble the Senators fans knew and loved. “It was a game more like we played last year, you could call it pesky,” said centre Kyle Turris, who finished with two assists. “Never giving up.” This team that has had trouble hanging onto leads, clawed back after being down 2-0, had some horrible luck when callup defenceman Mark Borowiecki accidentally scored in his own net; then some brilliant fortune as Bobby Ryan sent the game to overtime with a changeup type shot when his stick broke, 10 seconds remaining. This was dramatic. With just 25 seconds left in the third, down 3-2, the Senators were still deep in their own zone, Erik Karlsson, slowly plotting an attack up ice. The cause appeared hopeless. When they got into the Dallas zone, Ryan tried to rip a puck past Kari Lehtonen but instead watched it dribble through his pads as Ryan’s stick snapped in two, one half of it in his left hand, the other half in his right. “It actually helped,” Ryan said of the stick snapping like kindling. So, which was more fun, scoring with a broken stick, or with a stolen Mikko Koivu stick, back when Ryan played for the Anaheim Ducks and he grabbed the stick of the Minnesota forward before tapping a puck into an open net? “On the Mikko goal, the game was a bit of a blowout, so this one was more fun,” Ryan said. Unfortunately, shootouts haven’t been much fun for Ottawa. All three Senators shooters failed – Milan Michalek, Spezza and Ryan – and the Stars walked away with a victory on Jamie Benn’s goal, against a cold Robin Lehner who replaced Anderson with 3:16 left in the overtime period. “It’s my job to try to be ready, there,” Lehner said. “I got a few shots in overtime, but it’s tough. I’ll keep practicing these shootouts try to give the guys a chance.” The shooters practicing, to give their goalies a chance might help, too. On Friday, Ottawa also missed on all SO shots against the Islanders Evgeni Nabokov. 724778 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson out with a neck injury

By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 05:18 PM EST | Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 07:48 PM EST

The Canadian Tire Centre sat in silence as Craig Anderson was taken off the ice on a stretcher Sunday afternoon. In the end, everybody was able to breathe a sigh of relief. No, the Senators top goalie won't suit up on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he was walking around but did look a little sore in the dressing room after getting a knee to the head by Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin in overtime. Coach Paul MacLean said Anderson has a "stiff neck" but needed to be checked out further after he was taken off the ice by paramedics with 3:16 left in OT. "My expectation is yes (Anderson will be out) but right now I can't say how much (time) he (will miss)," said MacLean. "My expectation is that we play Tuesday and he wouldn't play." The Senators admitted watching Anderson being taken off the ice with assistance wasn't easy. "It's scary. It's one of those plays that's even worse when you see the replay and the way that he cut to the net and got jammed in there," said winger Bobby Ryan. "You never want to see it but it's just a kid going to the net hard and can't really do anything about it. It's certainly in the back of your mind for the next four minutes or so." The good news is Anderson was waiting in the dressing room when the game ended in a shootout. "He looks fine," said captain Jason Spezza. "He's just not moving around too well. The good news is he's not at the hospital." The Senators will likely recall Nathan Lawson from their AHL affiliate in Binghamton to suit up in Columbus. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 724779 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators make a few changes as they prepare for Dallas Stars

By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 03:22 PM EST | Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 06:39 PM EST

The Senators will make minimal changes as they prepare to see the Dallas Stars. Coach Paul MacLean confirmed Sunday that Binghamton callup Mark Borowiecki will be in the lineup along with tough guy Matt Kassian. Defenceman Eric Gryba will be scratched while winger Erik Condra is out with a leg injury. MacLean told reporters who showed up at the rink Sunday morning the Stars are a tough test but the only concern he has is the way the Senators are playing. The Senators will drop the puck at 1 p.m. against the Stars at the Canadian Tire Centre. “For us the biggest opposition we have right now is ourselves,” admitted MacLean. “We have to be more prepared for how we have to play than how they play.” MacLean confirmed Craig Anderson will make the start. Asked if the club missed defenceman Sergei Gonchar, who is now with the Stars, MacLean didn’t avoid the question. “It would be too easy to say ‘yes’. Sergei has the ability to make a good first pass, do we miss that? Yup. But his time was done here. We have to move on. We’re going through some growing pains with our younger players. Not unexpected. Let’s face it they are growing pains. We have to stick with them,” said MacLean. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 724780 Ottawa Senators

The Senators this week by James Gordon on November 3, 2013

The Senators this week share TUESDAY AT COLUMBUS The Columbus Blue Jackets’ move to the Eastern Conference hasn’t been as smooth as everyone predicted. After 13 games, they’re 5-8-0 and sitting tied for sixth in Metropolitan Division. Fortunately for them, the Metro is turning out to be about as tough as the former Southleast, so there’s time to turn things around. One factor dogging Columbus: Last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, Sergei Bobrovsky, has been merely human this season. The first Russian to be named the NHL’s best goaltender accomplished the feat with a 21-11-6 record, .932 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average in 2013. This season? A respectable 2.79 and .910. Respectable isn’t good enough for a team that sits 19th in the league in goals per game, however. 7 p.m., TV: Sportsnet-East, Radio: TSN 1200 AM THURSDAY VS MONTREAL Last season’s first-round playoff foe makes its first visit to Canadian Tire Centre. With the Senators already trailing the post-season pack in the Atlantic Division by five points prior to Sunday’s slate of games, this is an important four-point contest early in the campaign. For the second straight game, the Senators will be facing the recipient of a major NHL award — this time defending Norris winner P.K. Subban. Subban hasn’t slowed a bit, leading the Canadiens with 14 points, including 11 assists. The Habs have few weaknesses early on. They’re 15th in goals per game, fourth in goals- against average, second on the power play and eighth on the penalty kill. Pretty safe to assume the Senators won’t be running them over like they did last spring. 7 p.m., TV: CBC, RDS. Radio: TSN 1200 AM SATURDAY VS FLORIDA The Panthers are the Bizarro Habs right now — they’re struggling in each of the aforementioned areas, the worst being their 28th place standing in goals-against average. But Ottawa beware: There’s a chance Senators killer Tim Thomas could be back in time for this game (he’s currently on IR with a leg injury). In the past, Thomas has credited the lighting at Canadian Tire Centre and clean Canadian air for his success here, so it would behoove arena management to reach for the dimmer switch if he’s ready to go. Thomas is 23-9 lifetime against the Senators with six shutouts and a . 937 save percentage. If they’re lucky, they’ll draw one of Scott Clemmensen (0-0-1 .889 this season) or Jacob Markstrom (1-5-1, .881) instead. This is a game Ottawa has to have. 2 p.m., TV: Sportsnet-East, TVA. Radio: TSN 1200 AM Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.04.2013 724781 Ottawa Senators

Sens star Bobby Ryan feeling a little shootout déjà vu

By Don Brennan,Ottawa Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 09:22 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 04, 2013 12:22 AM EST

Bobby Ryan scored another big goal for the Senators Sunday -- and once again he was denied with the game on the line. Ryan salvaged a point for Ottawa when his eighth of the season beat Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen with 9.6 seconds left in regulation. Lehtonen exacted his revenge, however, when he stopped Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza and then Ryan in the shootout. It was a little bit of déjà vu for Ryan, who was also stopped by Evgeni Nabokov as he tried to extend Friday's shootout with the New York Islanders. "I don't even think (Nabokov) was really in the net and I found a way to put it into his pad," Ryan said after Sunday's loss to the Stars. "Today I thought I made a pretty strong move "¦ maybe he was expecting it, but I saw a lot of net there. Unfortunately, I missed my mark, about a foot too high. "You get one (in a shootout) and you start to feel a little more comfortable," added Ryan. "I need one to break through here, especially if I'm going to be going third in that clutch opportunity. I need to step up a little bit." Ryan was able to "step up" in regulation time, tying the game despite the fact the shaft of his stick snapped as he shot the puck. "I can't remember the last time I got a bounce like that," said Ryan, who also had an assist against the Coyotes. "I think it actually helped because he was predicting a high shot and I truthfully wasn't aiming, I was just trying to label one. He had my number tonight "¦ he made (five) saves off me. So I was just trying to pound one through. I'll take a knuckleball goal, absolutely." Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724782 Ottawa Senators blank range. "My job is to try and be ready," said Lehner, who will play in Columbus Tuesday, if not the next few games while Anderson recovers. "I had a few shots in overtime, but it's tough. I've got to keep practising these Ottawa-native Mark Borowiecki owes Ottawa Sens star Bobby Ryan a beer shootouts. Try to give the guys a chance." "¦ Both Kari Lehtonen and Lehner had their pads measured randomly by the NHL after the game. "They were fine," Lehner said of his.

By Don Brennan,Ottawa Sun THINGS I THINK I THUNK First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 08:38 PM EST | Updated: Valeri Nichushkin scored his first NHL goal in his 13th NHL game Sunday, Sunday, November 03, 2013 10:48 PM EST and he's gonna get a whole bunch more. Selected 10th overall by the Stars in the 2013 entry draft, the 18-year-old winger looks very much like a young Evgeni Malkin. Just before he landed on Anderson's head in OT, he made two outstanding moves that included a complete undressing of the 2012 Mark Borowiecki used to go to Senators games as a kid, but there's no way Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson "¦ Deserving credit for helping the he ever cheered for his hometown team to score any harder than he did in Senators bounce out of a 2-0 hole were the team two toughest wingers. the third period Sunday afternoon. Chris Neil tried on at least three occasions to light a spark by fighting Bobby Ryan made him agonize until the final 10 seconds before erasing Stephane Robidas, a 13-year veteran who, according to hockeyfights.com, what soccer fans might have called the "own losing goal" that Borowiecki has only had eight scraps in his career. (The last, semi-interestingly was on the books for to break a 2-2 tie 17 minutes earlier. enough, was with Neil's good buddy Mike Fisher on Mar. 12, 2013). When Neil couldn't find a dance partner, he poked Brenden Dillon in the face with Years from now, Borowiecki may joke about the play. He may, for instance, his stick. Killing off that double-minor put momentum on the Senators side, say that while Craig Anderson was a very good goalie, he himself had no and less than a minute after Neil stepped off the box Ryan fed a saucer trouble relaying past him a feed from Dallas winger Antoine Roussel for his pass to Karlsson during a 3-on-1 for Ottawa's first goal "¦ Matt Kassian gets first NHL goal. a nod here, too. Right after he was stopped by Lehtonen on a chance from in front, Kassian saw Alex Goligoski poke Cory Conacher in the face. Borowiecki, who was recalled from Binghamton on Saturday, had never Kassian rushed over to Goligoski and pushed him back, but he resisted the even recorded a point in his previous eight NHL games. Nor did he have a urge to give him a shot. Jason Spezza's power play goal was with Goligoski goal or assist in nine games as the B-Sens captain this season. serving his time to punching Conacher "¦. Nichushkin was born Mar. 4, Clearly, he just needs to face Anderson in more 1-on-1 situations. 1995. Seriously, I have shirts, pants, coats, socks and underwear that are older "¦ Not since Jamie Rivers and Jason York ("played a few shifts "Teaches you a little humility, I guess," the 24-year-old Borowiecki said together, I think," says Yorkie) had a pair of Ottawa products patrolled the afterwards, not yet in the joking mood. "The guys were saying you're a Senators blue line on the same pairing, as Borowiecki and Marc Methot did lucky guy if you can get through your career without having one of those. Sunday "¦ Around the midway mark of the first Ryan was all alone in front of It's going to happen. I was pretty thankful Bobby got it back for me. I was Lehtonen and, after a sweeping deke, didn't appear to get a shot on goal. just trying to shake it off." I'm guessing it's about 85% of the time that Ryan converts those opportunities "¦ Senators D-men have to start making better decisions. Coach Paul MacLean helped, wasting little time in getting Borowiecki out for Jared Cowen was caught on a bad pinch that led to Ray Whitney's goal. his next shift. Karlsson inability to get the puck deep when he was at the Dallas blue line "Stuff's going to happen," shrugged MacLean. "I thought Borowiecki's game led to a semi-breakaway for Alex Chiasson. And Wiercioch couldn't do a was very good. I thought he was physical, I thought he brought the attitude thing but take a hooking penalty as Nichushkin blew by him in the first. we were looking for. He made a lot of simple plays. He got caught in a Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 situation that ended up going bad for him, but we've been putting everybody else back on the ice when they make mistakes, so we should do the same thing for him." In 16 minutes of action, Borowiecki's only blemish was that minus-1. He led the Senators in blocked shots, with three, and one of his two hits was a big crunch in the second period Ryan later said swung the momentum in Ottawa's favour. Ryan also stated the Senators very much wanted to bail Borowiecki out with a goal of their own. "You feel for a guy "¦ there's not a hole big enough you can hide in (when that happens to you)," said Ryan. "You feel awful. I've been there, I've done it before, I know the feeling. It's his first game back so I'm sure he felt it even more. "He came in and did everything else, aside from that, he needed to do. We had his back. Everyone was quick to tell him to shake it off and not worry about it. We thought he had a solid game and it was nice to reward him. "He said he owes me a beer (for tying the game)," added Ryan. "And I'm going to make him pay for it." STARTS AND STOPS I had an inkling it was going to be another long day for Anderson when he stopped Jamie Benn on a 2-on-0 break at the 29 second mark. Yes, 2-on-0 and yes, 29 seconds into the game. On the ice for Ottawa was Chris Phillips, Patrick Wiercioch, Milan Michalek, Zack Smith and Mika Zibanejad "¦ Around the five minute mark of the first the Dallas play-by-play guy was heard screeching about the Senators: "Three times they've given up 50 shots in a game! FIFTY!!!" What he didn't know is how much of a sport shot clock watching has become on press row in Ottawa. The Senators looked to be well on their way to a new franchise record when they surrendered 19 in the first period. And at that point, some of us were sure the counter had gone easy on them "¦ In the end, the Senators wound up allowing just 38 shots. A good day for them "¦ While coming in cold for Anderson, Robin Lehner made two stops in OT -- including one off Jamie Benn from point 724783 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Sens forward Kyle Turris sitting pretty on the point

By Don Brennan,Ottawa Sun First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 08:47 PM EST | Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 09:47 PM EST

Senators centre Kyle Turris has plenty of experience playing the point on the power play. When he first broke into the NHL as an 18-year-old, Phoenix had him on the point across from Peter Mueller, then a 19-year-old Coyotes centre. "That was pretty fun," Turris said Sunday. He also played the point on the power play at the University of Wisconsin, and before that with the Burnaby Express of the BCHL. In junior, his fellow point man was Patrick Wiercioch. Now, the Senators are using him instead of Wiercioch on the first unit, alongside Erik Karlsson, and the idea is starting to pay off. During one second period power play against the Stars they had exceptional pressure, thanks in part to Turris knocking a clearing attempt out of mid-air and keeping the puck in the zone. During another, a Turris slapshot from the point went wide, but the rebound off the end boards found Jason Spezza, who scored into an empty side to tie the game. "I'm not complaining about it," Turris said with a grin of being off the mark with that one. "My role is not to be the seam pass guy on that power play "¦ Spezz has been one of the best players in the league the last 10 years doing that. When it comes to me I'm looking to try and make a play at the net. Not rush things, but definitely trying to get things through. "With Spezz and Karl at the top, it makes (playing the point) really easy," added Turris, who wound up with two assists in the 4-3 shootout loss. "But at the same time you see plays develop and you can get pucks through. I'm getting more and more comfortable there, and I really like it." Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724784 Philadelphia Flyers league's salary cap in real dollars each season since 2005, squeezing under only by injury exceptions. The Flyers' only objective over the last 47 years has been to win - even if Flyers aren't apologizing for brawl with Caps that means running over an opponents' goaltender. Perhaps that is the mistaken mystique of the "Broad Street Bullies." Maybe Frank Seravalli , what it means to be a Flyer is not that you're tougher than everyone, it's that you're willing to do anything - even the wrong thing - in order to win. Posted: Monday, November 4, 2013, 3:01 AM How popular internally was Emery's decision? Just watch the tape. As he skates off, more than a handful of teammates pat him on the pads with their sticks. ONE WEEK from today, legendary Flyers coach Fred Shero will be posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The honor Emery started the next night in New Jersey. Is it a coincidence the Flyers is long overdue. He passed away more than 2 decades ago; last coached in turned in their cleanest game of the season? They didn't have a single the NHL in 1980. turnover during a 1-0 win. They put the craziness aside and played hockey. Whether it makes you want to vomit or not, the desperate Flyers are six Despite his innovations, many believe Shero was kept out of the Hall by his points back of a playoff berth with one game in-hand in a terrible division, peers because of their disdain for the "Broad Street Bullies" and their with 69 games to play. pugilistic style of play. Hockey's purists have not appreciated the way the Flyers have played over the last 47 years. The Flyers haven't always been right. They haven't won the Stanley Cup in 38 years. Very clearly, though, this is who they are and who they want to If the Capitals or rest of the NHL is waiting for an apology from the Flyers be. for Friday night, I hope they're not holding their breath. The Flyers have always been the NHL's wackiest franchise. If nothing else, their view in the From this craggy point in the season, only the Flyers get to choose where NHL has been consistent. That wasn't about to change, trailing by six goals they go. They can either perform like the neanderthals the other 29 at the end of the second period. Their response was almost predictable. franchises believe them to be, or they can push that aside and play. Friday night's circus was either an honest emotional pushback or one enormous Before the horn could blow on the second period on Friday night, Flyers stunt. general manager Paul Holmgren was on his way from the press box to the dressing room to address his team. Downie out of hospital What did Holmgren say? Forward Steve Downie was released from Pennsylvania Hospital yesterday morning, according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. Downie required a 2-night "That stays in the room," coach Craig Berube said. stay for observation and testing after “the way he was responding” to his concussion sustained Friday in a second-period fight with Washington’s Judging by his 1,684 career penalty minutes as a player and the ensuing Aaron Flyers reaction, we can only guess. Volpatti. Downie needed to be carried out of Wells Fargo Center on a Five minutes into the next period, gloves and helmets littered the ice. Ray stretcher some 2-plus hours after leaving the game. He could not leave Emery skated from one end to the other and rained blow after blow upon under his own power. It is unclear exactly what kind of reaction Downie’s the head of unwilling combatant Braden Holtby. Vinny Lecavalier, Brayden body exhibited. Schenn and Wayne Simmonds all answered the call simultaneously. “Sometimes you get a late reaction with that,” Holmgren said. “That’s why Two decades after Ron Hextall became a revered figure in this town for people are so careful with head injuries. You watch him and see how they similar outbursts, the rest of the hockey world cried out in despair while the are over a period of time.” thousands left in the Wells Fargo Center stood and roared. Downie is listed as “out indefinitely” by the Flyers. Holmgren vigorously "It hasn't been [part of the NHL]," commissioner Gary Bettman told the denied reports indicating Downie fractured his orbital bone. Friday was Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Saturday. "It's something we're going to keep an Downie’s first game as a Flyer since 2008, after being acquired from eye on and look at." Colorado a day earlier in exchange for Max Talbot. Holmgren didn't apologize after the game. "Do I have an issue with it? Lecavalier close Probably not," Holmgren said. "When you're getting slapped around like that, it's a response from a frustrated hockey team." Despite reports, Holmgren also said he expects forward Vinny Lecavalier to be available for tomorrow’s game in Carolina. Lecavalier sat out Saturday’s Emery unabashedly said he warned Holtby to protect himself as he grabbed game with a facial contusion from his fight with Steve Olesky. Initial reports him. "He really didn't have much of a choice," Emery said. indicated Lecavalier might miss a couple weeks. The Flyers do not apologize. They didn't apologize when they poached No. Stat watch 1 draft pick Eric Lindros from Quebec in 1992, nor when their offer sheet forced small-market Nashville to spend $110 million on Shea Weber in 8: Times in 10 years the Flyers have held an opponent to 14 or fewer shots 2012. They didn't apologize when they traded away players with 11- and in a game, as they did on Saturday. Amazingly, they’ve lost three of those 12-year contracts and haven't apologized to the five coaches they've fired games (vs. FLA 3/20/12; at MTL 12/7/09; vs. TOR 3/18/04). since 2000. 5: Road games played by the Flyers, tied for the fewest in the NHL. Shero and the Flyers never apologized for pounding the Rangers' Dale Rolfe - and no one asked. But this is 2013 and sports have suddenly Quotable become a moral lightning rod in our politically correct society - even though 98 percent of NHL players recently polled want to keep fighting in the game. Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (@strombone1) on Twitter on Friday night: “Just an FYI. If Ray Emery ever decides to skate down the ice and try Bettman would have loved to suspend Emery for leading the battle cry. But to fight me, I’m getting the \[bleep\] out of dodge!!!” the NHL actually has a rule (46.2) for aggressors in fights who "continue to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.04.2013 a defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant." You're allowed to be an "aggressor" three times in one regular season without any penalty. "There was no rule violated that warranted a suspension," Bettman told the Tribune-Review. "But it's something that we have to look at and see what, if anything, needs to be done about it." The Flyers have always pushed the league to its limit, even if that means giving the sport a black eye. They are perhaps the only team to exceed the 724785 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers goalie Ray Emery's brawl spurring NHL rule change?

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Monday, November 4, 2013, 3:01 AM

Washington's 7-0 win over the host Flyers Friday was marred by a brawl that drew the attention of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The brawl included Ray Emery's pummeling of fellow goalie Braden Holtby, even though the latter wanted no part of it. Emery was not punished by the NHL, but Bettman told the Columbus Dispatch the league might look into adding a rule to punish such actions. "We constantly monitor and look at the game," said Bettman, who was in Columbus for the announcement that the Blue Jackets would host the 2015 All-Star Game. "There was no rule that was violated to elevate things to the level of a suspension. It's something we'll continue to discuss." Added Bettman: "I don't think anybody liked it, liked what it looked like. Fortunately it's not something that happens very often. But I'm sure it's something we'll focus on, particularly with the general managers." Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724786 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers will take wins any way they can

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Monday, November 4, 2013, 3:01 AM

If nothing else, the Flyers have shown stunning consistency in one area during the season's first month: an offense that can't find the net. They have scored two goals or fewer in 12 of their first 13 contests, and they are averaging 1.62 goals per game, the 29th-lowest figure in the 30- team NHL. In other words, until some of their marquee forwards such as Claude Giroux (no goals, minus-9), Scott Hartnell (no goals)) Jake Voracek (one goal) and Wayne Simmonds (one goal, minus-9) get untracked, they will have to win with defense and goaltending. The tight-checking games may not be exciting to watch, but with a 4-9 record, the Flyers couldn't care less about style points. They desperately need wins, any type of wins, to climb back into the playoff hunt in the mostly feeble Metropolitan Division. In Saturday's 1-0 victory in New Jersey, the Flyers did not commit a turnover for the first time since 2009, and they allowed just 14 shots - one fewer than in the second period of their embarrassing 7-0 loss to Washington the previous night. It was the second-fewest shots total they had surrendered in a road game in franchise history. "It was pretty much as flawless defensively as you can get," goalie Ray Emery said after what was probably the easiest of his 15 career shutouts. On Tuesday, the Flyers play in Carolina (4-7-3), facing a Hurricanes team that is also off to a listless start. Carolina is 26th in goals scored (1.93 per game) and, weakened by the loss of injured goalie Cam Ward, has just the 23d-ranked defense (3.00). The Flyers lost in Carolina, 2-1, on Oct. 6 and fell to 0-3. The next day, Peter Laviolette was fired and replaced by Craig Berube The Flyers are 4-6 under Berube. "It's a results business," said defenseman Hal Gill, who made his Flyers debut Saturday and is expected to remain in the lineup Tuesday. "We've got to get results. We believe we're better than this. But that doesn't matter unless you show it." Breakaways Recently acquired winger Steve Downie, who suffered a concussion in Friday's loss to Washington, was released from the hospital Sunday. . . . Gill, who was paired with Andrej Meszaros, called Saturday's game "the kind of greasy road win we want. We wanted to wear them down." Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.04.2013 724787 Philadelphia Flyers

Gill's veteran presence appears helpful

Posted: Sunday, November 3, 2013 5:18 pm Wayne Fish

Maybe Hal Gill should have been in the Flyers’ lineup a little sooner. The 38-year-old defenseman, who didn’t even know he had a job here until the day before the season started, made his Flyer debut in Saturday night’s 1-0 win at New Jersey. He certainly doesn’t fit the prototype of the 2013 smooth-skating, puck- moving backliner. But, as general manager Paul Holmgren pointed out in training camp, Gill hasn’t lost a step because he never had that step to lose. And yet, Gill has almost always been a winner, whether it was playing for Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Montreal or Nashville. In 16 seasons, he’s been to the playoffs 11 times and won a Stanley Cup ring with the Penguins in ’09. Saturday night was his 1,103rd NHL game and Gill still played the game with the savvy of a cagey vet. Was it just coincidence that the Flyers tied a franchise record by committing zero giveaways? Probably not. Now the question is whether coach Craig Berube will keep Luke Schenn parked on the bench and give Gill another chance when the Flyers visit Carolina on Tuesday night. It says here he most definitely should, if for no other reason than he brings that element of “battle’’ that seems to be in short supply on the Philadelphia roster these days. “I try to be as steady as I can and be composed under pressure,’’ Gill explained. “I had a few shifts that were a little longer than I would have liked. But I think at any point, whether you’ve played 10 games or 100 or nothing, you’re going to be tired after those.’’ After giving up a total of 23 turnovers in losses to Anaheim and Washington, the Flyers knew the trend couldn’t continue against the mistake-hunting Devils. “We talked about that a lot,’’ Gill said. “That hurt us a lot (vs. Washington) “We had some stretches where we didn’t move it as cleanly as we should have (vs. N.J.) but for the most part we were detailed in what we were doing and limited those turnovers.’’ The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Massachusetts native brings other good stuff to an NHL team’s table as well. He’s one of the most vocal players in the locker room and one who was even speaking up after practices when he wasn’t in the lineup. Now that he is in uniform on game nights – at least for now – the Flyers have someone who can break up the tension with a wisecrack or offer a word of advice to one of the youngsters. Gill was paired with Andrej Meszaros and the pair looked comfortable right off the bat. “I thought he (Gill) played really well,’’ Berube said. “Both him and Meszaros went in and played a strong game together. They were physical and they killed the cycle. They’re big, veteran guys that have been around.’’ Injury update: Steve Downie, who suffered a concussion in a fight during the Washington game, was released from a Philadelphia hospital on Sunday. “Steve is doing well,’’ general manager Paul Holmgren said. Also, Vinny Lecavalier is listed as day to day. He suffered a facial contusion in a fight in the Washington game. Burlington County Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724788 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers were embarrassed Friday, and heckled, and bloodied, and Berube was asked if it felt like rock bottom. “Well,” he said. “it can’t get much lower than this, can it?” McCaffery: Flyers' resilient response a potential defining moment It shouldn’t. And for one night, it didn’t. Posted: 11/03/13, 5:15 PM EST | Updated: 1 min ago If the Flyers recover, and they have that ability, that resilience at a moment Staff of crisis will be why. Delaware County Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 NEWARK, N.J. — Whatever happens to the Flyers this season, the just- completed weekend is destined to serve as a defining moment. When it all ends, and it remains ridiculously early in a NHL season that will bump into June, they will have been exposed as a team unfit for a serious, threatening challenge or they will be characterized by their performance in a tense hour of on-ice franchise trauma. One or the other. They all realized that Friday, amid ambulance sirens and equally piercing fan pleas for a new general manager. They’d just lost, 7-0, to the Washington Capitals, who weren’t even using Alex Ovechkin, and two of their players were in the hospital because they were injured fighting. Paul Holmgren, his eardrums stinging from a night of “Fire Holmgren” chants, accused them of folding “like a cheap suit.” And cheap suits everywhere were offended. So where would they go? “What do you mean?” Craig Berube half-snarled. “You go play a game tomorrow. You pick yourself up and you go play. That’s it. Everybody has been involved in these games before. They’re not fun obviously, but you know you can’t sit there and dwell on it. We’ve got to go play a game tomorrow. Compete tomorrow, work hard. That’s what you do.” That game would be in New Jersey, where the Flyers often struggle. Were there to be a repeat of Friday’s failure, the change-the-culture crowd would have been dumping Gatorade buckets on one another in celebration. The change-the-GM crowd, too. As for Berube, he changed his defensemen, his starting goaltender and some lines, then watched the Flyers allow just 14 shots on goal in a 1-0 victory. As for his opinion that the Flyers could succeed, that he preserved. “I knew the guys would be ready to go,” he said. “They were obviously very frustrated and upset at the game against Washington. I knew that the focus was there and we played a strong game.” With that, the Flyers had won for the third time in their last five, which was a start — a choppy start, a questionable start, but a start. At the minimum, it was not a crash, which is what might have happened had they been haunted by the Washington game. So now what? A game Tuesday in Carolina and another chance to settle after a poor start that has left them with a 4-9 record, their captain without a goal, their second head coach and a grumpy fan base. “You never want to get shelled, 7-0, in your home building like we did,” said Brayden Schenn, who scored the goal in Jersey. “It’s not even that we got beat, 7-0. There was no ‘compete’ and a lot of things that we did wrong. We put that behind us and wiped the slate clean. Now we can build off this win.” They can. And that’s what Schenn said: Can. Not will. That, they must prove. But they can be and should be better than a team able to win four out of every 13. They are responsibly compensated, have some appealing young players, enough former All-Stars and two useful goaltenders. Once he recovers from being knocked out by the Capitals’ Aaron Volpatti, Steve Downie should change the offense for the better, even if as a former Flyer, the birthers will snicker that he is by definition unable to change the you- know-what. Berube has plenty still to prove, but his sturdy upper lip and even sturdier defense Saturday said something about his ability to have his players show pride at a time of potential crisis. “I think everyone in the organization felt that in their hearts,” Hal Gill said. “It hurts when you get beat up like we did. It was lucky that we could come back and redeem ourselves and play the way we can.” 724789 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Storylines: More division games coming

November 3, 2013, 4:45 pm Staff

It's been an eventful couple of days for the orange and black. Less than 24 hours after an embarrassing shellacking at the hands of the Washington Capitals, the Flyers rebounded for arguably their most complete performance of the season in a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers, however, are still far from perfect. They've scored an NHL-low 21 goals through the first 13 games of the season and currently sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division. Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Scott Hartnell have yet to find the back of the net. That has to change. With that in mind, here are a few storylines we'll be keeping an eye on this week: On the mend The Flyers lost both Steve Downie and Vinny Lecavalier to injuries in Friday's loss to the Caps. Downie is out indefinitely with a concussion after taking a hard left from Aaron Volpatti in a second-period scrap. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and general manager Paul Holmgren said he is doing "well." Holmgren expects Lecavalier, who was also hurt in a fight, to return to the lineup for Tuesday's game with the Carolina Hurricanes. Lecavalier missed three games earlier this season because of a lower-body injury. He leads the Flyers with five goals. Bottom dwellers The Flyers have the opportunity to gain some ground in the standings this week. They have two division games -- against Carolina Tuesday and New Jersey Thursday -- before taking on the Edmonton Oilers next Saturday. Entering Sunday, the Flyers were 14 points behind the first-place Pittsburgh Penguins. They trail the Columbus Blue Jackets and Devils by just two points and the Hurricanes by three. More of Gill? Head coach Craig Berube has already moved Andrej Meszaros and Erik Gustafsson in and out of the lineup several times this year, but made another change on the blueline Saturday. Luke Schenn was a healthy scratch and Hal Gill made his Flyers debut. Gill, who is in his 16th NHL season, was a plus-1 in nearly 15 minutes of action against the Devils. The Flyers' defense has committed turnover after turnover this season, so if Berube doesn't like how one of his defensemen looks we could be seeing more of Gill. Day hockey When the Oilers come to town later this week, the Flyers will play their first afternoon game of the season (1 p.m.). Last year, the orange and black were 6-6-0 in games that started before 7 p.m. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724790 Philadelphia Flyers

Emery's actions vs. Capitals were inexcusable

November 3, 2013, 12:00 pm Staff

NEWARK, N.J. -- More than being named the third star of a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of the Capitals, what Flyers goalie Ray Emery richly deserved was a suspension. That wasn’t a fight with Braden Holtby, it was a flat-out assault. There’s still supposed to be code of honor in this sport that if one player declines to fight, you back away. General manager Paul Holmgren said nearly every player he fought on the ice never wanted to fight him. But they did, nonetheless. “It was a response and I am not going to condone it,” Holmgren said. “But I have also been in that position where you get so upset and so embarrassed, you do dumb things.” Craig Berube said he understood where Emery was coming from. He also said he doesn’t think “the code” really exists, anymore. “I’ve been hit when I was down,” Berube said. “It happens. Frustrations set in. … He felt like he needed to do something, so he did.” Emery told Holtby “protect yourself,” and then started wailing on the guy and didn’t let up. “He didn’t want to fight and I basically said, ‘Protect yourself,’” Emery said. “He didn’t really have much of a choice.” Inexcusable. Holtby declined to comment after the game. Friday’s brawl was an embarrassment to the Flyers, to club chairman Ed Snider and to the NHL. Yet because fighting is still allowed, encouraged and deeply embedded into the fabric of the sport from generations back, Emery is able to walk away free and clear of a suspension. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Saturday that, “no rule was violated that warranted a suspension,” then added that the league would re-examine the scenario to see “if something needs done,” in the future. Players in this league have received stiff fines and suspensions for far less a crime on the ice. What Emery was trying to do was inspire his teammates and inject some life into the corpse that has become the Flyers these days. That’s understandable. Yet when a player backs down, you’re supposed to walk away. Instead, Emery shamed himself when he continued to pound on a player who didn’t want to fight. “It happens,” Troy Brouwer told the Washington Post. “It’s Philly.” If the Flyers players, coaches and organization don’t see it that way, then those fans who continue to argue that “the culture hasn’t changed” are proven right once more. There was no honor to what happened here. None. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 724791 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers may stick with new defense pairings

Nov. 3, 2013 10:14 PM Dave Isaac

NEWARK — It looked like a move out of panic, a message sent to a team that got routed 7-0 the night before. Coach Craig Berube went with three new defense pairings Saturday, dressing Hal Gill for the first time all season and Andrej Meszaros who had been a healthy scratch for six of the prior seven games. Well, message received. The Flyers won 1-0 over the New Jersey Devils, a team that’s given them fits the past few seasons. Although Gill and Meszaros had been a pair in practice as healthy scratches, the pairings of Nick Grossmann with Mark Streit and Braydon Coburn with Kimmo Timonen are new this year. “It was pretty much as flawless defensively as you can get,” goalie Ray Emery said after his 15th career shutout. Not bad for a group that wasn’t exactly what the Flyers envisioned at the start of the year. Luke Schenn had never been a healthy scratch as a Flyer before and hadn’t been benched since Feb. 15, 2012 when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Erik Gustafsson, a 24-year-old blueliner on the cusp of making the Swedish Olympic squad, also watched the game from afar. Who’d have thunk that a patchwork blueline would turn in the first performance with no turnovers since 2009? “There’s got to be a fine line to the game of when to make plays and when you get it in deep,” Berube said. “I think we’re getting better, but we still have our moments where we do make a turnover at the wrong time. Tonight was really good, though.” Another bright spot was Gill, 38, who signed as a free agent after a tryout in training camp. He recorded nearly 15 minutes of ice time in his Flyers debut, including some penalty-killing time, and matched up against former Flyer Jaromir Jagr. “I thought he played really well,” Berube said. “Both him and Meszaros went in and played a strong game together. They were physical and they killed the cycle. Big, veteran guys that have been around.” Gill said he felt pretty good after itching to get in the lineup to help his team, which has struggled to start the year. Courier-Post LOADED: 11.04.2013 724792 Phoenix Coyotes I’ve always been one to take pride in how I play, to put a lot of pressure on myself. “But when you wake up in the morning, they don’t care whether you won or Goal miner: Phoenix Coyotes’ Mike Smith looks to stake claims on Stanley lost. They just care that you’re home and spending time with them. That’s Cup, Olympic gold something I didn’t have before. I’d hang onto tough losses and bad games for days and weeks on end, which can be depressing at times. It’s a lot easier to get rid of those tough games now.” By Dan Bickley, columnist azcentral sports Sat Nov 2, 2013 5:24 PM With any luck, the toughest games are still ahead. Smith might have a country to represent at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. He might have a Stanley Cup to chase in Glendale. Unlike most NHL goalies, Mike Smith doesn’t twitch. He doesn’t sip compulsively from his water bottle. He’s a normal guy standing out in a It’s the kind of pressure that makes some goaltenders flinch. profession that breeds lunacy. “Not me,” Smith said. “I love to be the guy. But the beauty of this team is But the stakes keep getting higher. that everyone plays an important role. And we want to win a Cup here in the desert. We’re not going to be satisfied until it happens.” “That’s OK,” he said. “I love the pressure.” Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.04.2013 As the Coyotes’ ace goaltender, Smith seems to hold the keys to the Valley’s next championship parade. His hockey team looks formidable, off to the second-best start in franchise history. They have posted some vintage victories in the past two weeks. The Coyotes rallied from a two-goal deficit to smoke the Red Wings. They hammered the Kings with a powerful counterpunch, atoning for their worst loss of the season during a previous trip to Los Angeles. They had 20 points in the bank by the start of November. Yet for Smith, the individual opportunities are staggering. Already this season, he gained much notoriety by becoming just the 11th goalie in NHL history to actually score a goal. It won’t be his last. Imagine if he encores with a gold medal and a Stanley Cup trophy? Wouldn’t that be the best year a goalie has ever had? “Every kid’s dream is to win the Stanley Cup and play in the Olympics,” Smith said. “To have the opportunity to do both in the same year is that much more motivation to go out and perform at your highest level, to be the ultimate pro.” To win a gold medal, Smith has to be named to the Canadian Olympic team, which is seeking to become the first nation to win consecutive Olympic titles since the Soviet Union’s reign of dominance expired in 1988. During a recent radio interview, goaltending great Martin Brodeur took himself out of consideration, recommending that Team Canada employ Smith, Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo and Montreal’s Carey Price. “Obviously, there’s an opportunity there if I get off to a good start this season,” Smith said. “And so far, I think I’ve been OK. It hasn’t been the greatest start. I think my best hockey is yet to be played. But to get a compliment like that from a Hall of Fame guy like Marty makes you feel pretty cool.” The Stanley Cup is another matter, and even more coveted than a gold medal. While it might seem implausible for a team that missed the playoffs last season, the Coyotes don’t seem to be missing much: They have the goalie, the head coach, the system, the captain and the blue line to win a championship. If anything, the 2013-14 Coyotes need to add another offensive piece to the mix, another forward who can score goals. But they seem to be in a good place already, energized and not sedated by the stability in ownership. “We’ve definitely improved in some areas,” Smith said. “The young guys from that (2011-12 conference finalist) team have gotten older and more experienced. The older guys got rejuvenated that we’re not that far away. It’s an exciting time.” Smith’s early performance in 2013-14 also validates the team’s decision to extend his contract in the off-season, when they locked him up for six additional years. In terms of personal comfort, he seems to be more like the goalie we saw in 2011-12, when he led the team to the Western Conference finals. Smith said the only significant changes are his short hair (“I’m growing it back; long hair is part of my persona”) and fatherhood, where he now has a 2-year-old and a 10-month-old waiting at home. “It’s the best thing in the world,” he said. “It’s definitely matured me as a person, and I think it’s brought the best out of me as a professional athlete. 724793 Phoenix Coyotes “It’s one of those things where you didn’t really think about it. It’s just the way it was when we got here, the way it was in college, what we did in high school. I think this is a unique thing that maybe we can change the trend a NHL Insider: Buffalo Sabres waive Patrick Kaleta after suspension little bit — score the goal, congratulate each other and let’s go do it again.” The suggestion to skip the celebration came from former Blues players Brett Hull and Kelly Chase. By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Sun Nov 3, 2013 8:53 PM “As Hullie says, act like you’ve been there before,” Chase said. “I couldn’t stand the fact that my kids were emulating that. I just think you might have done it high school, or done it in college but this is the NHL. With 17 man games lost to suspension, the Buffalo Sabres appear to be rebuilding their image. “Players come over to the bench and do that high-five stuff in a 2-1 game, as if the game is over, as if they just won the Cup. That’s not the way the Forward Patrick Kaleta, who was suspended 10 games for a hit to the head sport is. Get back out there, line up and play the game.” of Columbus’ Jack Johnson Oct. 10, was eligible to return to the lineup Saturday, but instead the Sabres decided to place Kaleta on waivers. More padding “This was a move we thought was necessary to help Pat change his game After Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano and winger Lee Stempniak and preserve his career in this league,” General Manager Darcy Regier said both took shots off the skate, General Manager Jay Feaster made extra foot in a statement. “We believe in Pat as a person and we hope he will continue protection mandatory for all players during games and practices. his career in our organization and, if the circumstances are right, with the Buffalo Sabres.” Giordano suffered a broken ankle and is out six to eight weeks. Stempniak broke a bone in his foot and is considered week-to-week. Kaleta’s 10-game ban is currently the stiffest punishment handed out by league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan this season. He was heavily "Obviously, it’s too late, but we learn from our mistakes,” coach Bob Hartley dinged because of his repeat offender status. Kaleta was previously told Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald. “Even though they’re pros, suspended three times and fined three times. once in a while we have to put (in) some strict policies. Right now, we’re certainly not a better team without those two guys in the lineup." He appealed the suspension to Commissioner Gary Bettman, who upheld Shanahan’s ruling, and decided not to exercise his right to then appeal to a Players, too, see the value in being proactive and haven’t felt the addition neutral arbitrator. cumbersome to their performance. Kaleta, who is in his eighth season with the Sabres, has played 306 games "It’s a good idea and, obviously, Jay’s the boss and that’s the way the world and tallied 506 penalty minutes, 27 goals and 24 assists. works,” defenseman Shane O’Brien said. “It’s kind of been the way things have gone here - nobody complains, everyone does what they’re told. It’s "He’s a good, heart-and-soul player for us," coach Ron Rolston told John more protection . . . and the way guys are shooting the puck nowadays, it’s Vogl of The Buffalo News. “Good teammate, plays hard, competitive, has probably a smart decision." been good on the penalty kill." Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.04.2013 Less than two weeks after Kaleta’s incident, forward John Scott was suspended seven games for his hit to the head on Boston’s Loui Eriksson. That bruised the Sabres’ reputation around the league, and their on-ice performance hasn’t helped clean it up. After a 6-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks Saturday, the Sabres sat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-13-1 record – good for five points. “When everyone wants this to stop, it’ll stop,” goalie Ryan Miller said earlier in the week. “We seem to be making more situations for ourselves than even the other team can create. It’s on us to dig out of it and start having the right attitude and right approach. It’s been a lot of games searching, trying to figure it out. Enough’s enough.” Toews goes home Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews played the first regular- season game of his career in his hometown of Winnipeg Saturday and although Toews was held pointless, the Blackhawks cruised to a 5-1 win. Toews’ return prompted the question of whether or not the two-time Stanley Cup champ would ever consider playing for his hometown Jets, but it doesn’t sound like a homecoming is imminent. “People want to talk to you about it all the time, especially when you’re back there, and it does run through your mind a little bit,” Toews told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. “But I always kind of squash that question as quick as you can ask me. I love Chicago. Chicago is my home. These fans here have given me everything I could ask for as a player in six great years let alone an entire career. When you think about that, you definitely owe something back to those people.” No celebrating allowed The St. Louis Blues have bucked the long-standing tradition of high-fiving their way down the bench after a goal. They still huddle on the ice after a goal but then quickly move to center ice for the ensuing faceoff. “That came from a few gentlemen who used to play here,” captain David Backes told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “They felt like the going through the line thing was a high school, college type of play. 724794 Pittsburgh Penguins Neal is not close to playing. Bylsma said Saturday that Neal could progress to increasing his workouts this week. Until Neal returns — or the player to Malkin's right starts taking on the Penguins center Malkin's sluggish start tied to lack of fit with wingers tendencies of Neal or Sykora — this struggle could continue for Malkin. “Maybe I (will) get lucky,” Malkin said, “and get some goals, then more By Rob Rossi good games after that.” Tribune Review LOADED: 11.04.2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Evgeni Malkin has not missed a game. That only complicates an offensive start that has confounded him. Malkin has scored three goals and produced 13 points in 15 games, putting him on pace for 16 goals and 71 points this season. He has played in all 82 games only twice. However, he has played in at least 75 games four times and averaged 41 goals and 103 points in those seasons. Something is off, and Malkin is giving that some serious thought. “I want to know why,” he said. “Maybe a bad summer? Maybe (I) think too much? Maybe (I) try (to) do too much? “(I) try to play every game the same, but (I) don't score like before. I try (to) understand why.” He could look to his right. Malkin's best seasons — 2007-08 (47 goals/106 points), 2008-09 (35/113) and 2011-12 (50/109) — have shared two commonalities: • He was a shot hawk, averaging 3.8 shots on net per contest. • He was playing with a legitimate sniper to his right. Petr Sykora scored 49 goals in 135 games as Malkin's regular right winger from 2007-09. James Neal scored 40 goals in Malkin's MVP campaign two years ago. Those players did not shy from shooting even though their center was, in those seasons, no worse than the NHL's second-best point producer. Sykora averaged 2.4 shots while playing with Malkin. Neal's average was 4.1 during their one full season together. Malkin has registered 44 shots this season, a 2.9 average. At a meeting last week with coach Dan Bylsma, Malkin said a message was delivered. “(I) need more shots,” Malkin said. “(I) need to use my partners.” Jussi Jokinen has assumed the role of Malkin's left winger, and he has scored seven goals and recorded 10 points. That partnership is working. Neal's status — out the past 14 games with an upper-body injury and still week-to-week — has left the Penguins without a set piece to Malkin's right. Beau Bennett assumed that role in four full games. He did not score a goal, produced only one point and was credited with five shots. Injured in a win at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12, Bennett will practice Monday — but Bylsma hinted Saturday that he preferred Bennett play the right side on the Penguins' third line, as he is projected to do when all forwards are healthy. Without Bennett, Malkin has played with primarily three right wingers: • Chuck Kobasew played seven games. He went without a goal or point. He averaged 1.6 shots. • Matt D'Agostini, after returning from a season-opening injury, played in two games. He also went without a goal or point, although he averaged three shots. • Jayson Megna has played the past three games. He has scored a goal and averaged two shots. Malkin's right wingers this season have combined to give the Penguins a goal and three points. Deryk Engelland, a natural defenseman, has scored twice in seven games as a checking-line right winger. Malkin — in his prime at 27 and a year from becoming the Penguin with the highest average annual salary ($9.5 million) — repeatedly has acknowledged he “should score (points)” no matter his wingers. 724795 Pittsburgh Penguins As has been noted countless times, the success of Fleury's season will be measured by how he performs in the playoffs. But Team Canada officials figure to factor this season's work into their decision-making, because they Fleury’s early season play with Penguins may sway Team Canada will want players who are performing well going into the tournament. And few, if any, goaltenders -- from Canada or anywhere else -- have gotten a better start than Fleury in 2013-14. November 3, 2013 10:58 PM Still, Fleury realizes it's possible his playoff troubles knocked him so far off Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Team Canada's radar that he's barely a remote blip at this point, regardless of how well he's playing. "There's not too much you can do about it," he said. "It's mostly about the Marc-Andre Fleury isn't going to publicly lobby for the job. team. You try to do well, win games and see what happens after that." Probably wouldn't even think of doing it, because he's not wired that way. NOTES -- The Penguins had a scheduled day off Sunday. ... Rookie Jeff Zatkoff, who stopped 19 shots in a 3-0 victory Saturday in Columbus, is the Besides, it likely wouldn't do him any good, and might even hurt. first Penguins goalie to record a shutout in his first NHL victory, according to Regardless of how much he does or doesn't say about it, Fleury is more the Elias Sports Bureau. than a little motivated to secure a job as one of Canada's three goaltenders Post Gazette LOADED: 11.04.2013 for the 2014 Olympics in February in Sochi, Russia. "It's in the back of my mind," he said. "I had such a great experience [at the 2010 Games] in Vancouver." Fleury never made it into a game for Canada when it won the gold medal nearly four years ago -- Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo got all the work then -- but that didn't detract from the experience for him. Or lessen his desire to compete in the Games again. "Just to be part of it and to be recognized as one of the top three [Canadian goalies] that year was something I really appreciated," Fleury said. At the time, it seemed as if only a major injury could keep him off Canada's 2014 roster. Fleury was regarded as one of the game's top young goalies and was just a half-year removed from winning a Stanley Cup -- a victory he sealed with a memorable stop on Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom as time expired in Game 7 of the Cup final. Since then, however, the Penguins have endured a series of disappointing playoff performances, and Fleury has had some miserable showings in high-stakes games. He hit his nadir in the spring when Tomas Vokoun replaced him four games into the Penguins' opening-round series against the New York Islanders. That demotion not only stung Fleury, but likely cost him an invitation to Canada's Olympic camp in the summer. "It was disappointing for me, but I could see from the two games in the playoffs that got me out," Fleury said. "[Team Canada executives] didn't like that, and that's understandable." Not being asked to attend the camp doesn't mean Fleury is guaranteed to be left off the squad, but it reinforced the point that he wasn't high on the short list of candidates for a spot. "I'm sure it's disappointing that he wasn't selected to that summer camp, but at the same time I always tell guys, 'Control what you can control,' and you can't control what other people are thinking," Penguins goaltending coach Mike Bales said. "You can just control how you play." And, as the Penguins prepare to start the second month of their season with a visit Wednesday to Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, Fleury seems to have his game pretty well under control. He is 10-2 -- the only NHL goalie to reach double-digits in victories -- with a 1.83 goals-against average and save percentage of .929. Going into Sunday, his goals-against average was the league's sixth best and his save percentage ranked eighth. Presumably, Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman and his staff have noticed. "It's been going well," Fleury said. "I try to do well. The month was good. We got some wins. It can't hurt, right?" Probably not. Especially when Fleury's goals-against average is better than that of all five goalies -- Carey Price, Braden Holtby, Corey Crawford, Mike Smith and Luongo -- invited to Team Canada's camp. "Obviously he's gotten off to a great start, just as the team has," Bales said. "We've been playing, for the most part, pretty well defensively and Marc's been a part of that. The way he's played certainly isn't a surprise to me." 724796 St Louis Blues “We’ve seen some great shifts, some great offensive plays, and some plays that are a little below par for him,” said Blues associate head coach Brad Shaw, who specializes with the defense. “He’s an offensive leader for us Shattenkirk rounding into form after slow start and that has to come to the forefront a little more often. It’s got to show up more often. He cares a ton and that’s got to show up in his game a little more.

5 hours ago “Sometimes there’s puck play that is less than decisive and it gets us in a little bit of trouble and it gets him in a little bit of trouble. His feet drive his By Jeremy Rutherford game. It helps his vision, it helps his ability to beat guys, being a threat to skate (with the puck), which opens up passing lanes and other options, too. It’s been a good start, but we’d all probably agree that there’s more there TAMPA, Fla. • Now in his fourth season with the Blues, defenseman Kevin and we need to see it on a more regular basis.” Shattenkirk seemingly had the table set for him entering the 2013-14 On the current road trip, Shattenkirk’s simplicity has led to two Blues goals. season: familiarity with the franchise, a new long-term contract and a He moved the puck quickly to help set up Derek Roy’s game-opening goal trusted leadership role. in a 4-0 win over Florida on Friday. He also created the rush that led to “Every piece of the puzzle is in place,” he said. “There hasn’t been one Jaden Schwartz’s 2-2 game-tying goal in what wound up a 4-2 loss to thing that for me could not have gone better. It’s just a great situation.” Tampa Bay on Saturday. But while everything was positioned for Shattenkirk to blast off into the “I think I’ve gotten back to just playing hard,” Shattenkirk said. “I think that’s player that the Blues believe he will become, the first dozen games have when I’m best, when I’m passing the puck and joining the rush and just been a friendly reminder that learning to play defense in the NHL remains a making the simple play first and then kind of making my reads off of that. process. Things just seem to be going well when I do that, and I’ll stay with it.” Shattenkirk had three points and an even plus-minus rating after seven Said Hitchcock: “I think sometimes you think there’s more pressure on you games, but he was tentative and lacked an edge in his play. Since then, than there is. We’ve worked hard with him to just play with more though, he has a five-game point streak with six assists in that span and composure. And he’s doing that and he’s having way more success.” now nine in 12 games, and he’s been more decisive in his defensive But the process is long from over. execution. Shaw says that Shattenkirk could benefit from being more honest with “Improving dramatically … better and better every day,” Blues coach Ken himself. Hitchcock said. “He’s playing with more composure, he’s using his feet more, and when he uses his feet, he sees the ice well. I think he’s just “I think he has to have better self-awareness and that’s one of the skills that competing at a higher level with the puck and it’s allowed him to have a most young guys have to get a lot better at,” Shaw said. “It’s their self- huge impact on the game now. It’s a marked improvement from the start of assessment — how was the game, how was their last shift, how was the the year.” last period.” The Blues have been praised for having one of the top defensive cores in Shattenkirk said that it’s easy for players to have a false realization of how the NHL, and it came at a cost. Perhaps lost in the shuffle of re-signing Alex they’re playing. Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester to contracts combining for 12 years and $72.5 million, the team also inked Shattenkirk to a four-year, $17 million “That’s why having ‘Shawsy’ is so great because he’s somebody you can extension. just talk to,” Shattenkirk said. “He doesn’t come down on you that much. He’ll tell you when you’re not playing well and help you through it and show That’s no chump change, nor should it have been for a first-round draft pick you what you’re not doing (correct) versus when you’re doing it well. It is — drafted No. 14 overall by Colorado in 2007 — who had posted 23 goals easy to kind of miss that and fool yourself, but I think with the support staff and 86 assists in 201 NHL games with the Avalanche and Blues before this and the players around you, it’s easy to get right back on track.” season. Shaw isn’t only talking about game action. “I think it’s easy, once you sign your contract, to get a little complacent,” Shattenkirk said. “But I think there’s just so many goals of mine and goals of “Every guy is a little bit different, what holds him back,” Shaw said. this team … there’s a lot of things to strive for this year. It doesn’t allow you “Confidence is always a big part of an offensive (defenseman’s) game to be complacent. When you have pressure like that, it forces you to always especially. I think becoming a better practice player would help him in a lot be alert. It’s the next step for me as a player to assume that pressure and of different ways, especially with that confidence.” try to grow.” Shattenkirk admits that he’s sometimes guilty of giving less than a full effort After seeing his ice time diminish late last season, following the arrival of on off days. Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold, Shattenkirk said that he wanted to prove to himself that he could handle more minutes. And after being “Yeah, it’s tough to motivate yourself sometimes in practice and not just targeted by opponents because of his offensive potential, he said that his say, ‘I can get through this practice,’” Shattenkirk said. “You’ve got to get mind-set needed stiffening. something out of it. I think that’s one thing I try to focus on. One thing I tell myself every practice is not to miss a pass. It’s something I kind of pride “Just being rock solid in the defensive zone, while not letting it take away myself on, just executing 100 percent and ingraining those good habits into from my offensive game,” said Shattenkirk, who had five goals and 23 my mind so when you step on the ice (in a game), it carries right over.” points in 48 games last season. “I think my offensive game drives a lot of how I play. Offensively things start to get a little easier in the defensive zone Shaw isn’t concerned about Shattenkirk’s hunger. He knows that the because you’re just moving and not really thinking as much. Once I start defenseman understands the opportunity that he has in front of him. But he thinking, that’s when I kind of stop moving my feet and that’s something that wants Shattenkirk to reach his potential sooner, for his sake and the sake of I would like to push through. the Blues. “Past that, I think it’s just the mental toughness aspect of it. Now at this “He’s a guy that is ultra-competitive, so you don’t have to point in the right point in my career — and Alex (Pietrangelo) will say the same thing — we direction too much and he just sort of takes over,” Shaw said. “He’s an easy kind of know that teams are gunning for us on the back end. They’re going guy to coach and he’s an easy guy to really root for as a coach because of to finish every check on us. It wears on you mentally and I think to be able his real good attitude. to push through that is important, especially as a younger player trying to “He’s got lots of room for growth in his game and that’s what is exciting. He get better.” and ‘Petro’ are both at such early stages in their career, it’s really hard to The Blues were 5-1-1 through their first seven games, but the defense had tell where they’re going to end up as far as development and what the final not played as advertised, and Shattenkirk’s shortcomings were notable. He picture looks like. But that’s way down the road. We’d like to see the day-to- had a two-assist game in a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers, but he day improvement, build that confidence with better play and then obviously was a minus-2 at Winnipeg on Oct. 25 and was on the ice for the Jets’ late we’re a better team because of it.” game-tying goal in what became a 4-3 shootout loss. Jeremy is a reporter at the Post-Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @jprutherford. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.04.2013 724797 St Louis Blues

Former Blues goalie gets a win against his old team

Published: November 3, 2013 By MARK DIDTLER

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning are having great success against the Western Conference. Brett Connolly and Valtteri Filppula scored in the third period, lifting the Lightning to a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Lightning, who have won all five games this season against West teams. Tampa Bay, which has made the playoffs once over the previous six seasons, is off to a 10-4-0 start. "I think progress is probably the correct word because we've played some of these upper echelon teams," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "I thought we earned the victory against an extremely good opponent. That's the progress because we're playing an elite team and I think we more than hung with them." Two of Tampa Bay's out-of-conference victories have come against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. "Are we the perfect hockey team? Not even close," Cooper said. "But are we a team that doesn't quit and responds to challenges? They do." Connolly, playing in his second game since being recalled from Syracuse of the AHL, put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2 when he redirected Radko Gudas' shot at 8:37 of the third. Filppula made it 4-2 with 3:59 remaining. Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop turned aside a shot by Chris Stewart during a late first-period breakaway. He finished with 28 saves in his first game against the team that drafted him. "I thought it was a little bit of a measuring stick," Bishop said of beating the Blues, who are 8-2-2. "We want to be in the same category as those guys." St. Louis got goals from Alex Pietrangelo and Jaden Schwartz. "We need to reset the dial and get more participants," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "This is a real good evaluation, because we've had opponents where we've played kind of average and won, and now we had to play really good and we were still just above average." Stamkos scored his 11th goal of the season to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead 1:43 into the second during a 2-on-1. The center, who has a goal in four consecutive games, briefly dragged the puck before putting an in-close shot past Jaroslav Halak. "We cannot find any excuses," Halak said. "They just outplayed us." Halak stopped 21 shots, including nice saves on Stamkos and Martin St. Louis while the Blues were short-handed in the second. Schwartz got St. Louis even at 2-2 from the slot 2:02 after Stamkos' goal. Pietrangelo extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and put the Blues up 1-0 at 7:50 of the first. Killorn tied it at 1-all with 9:16 left in the first. It was the first even-strength goal allowed by St. Louis in 225 minutes, 55 seconds. NOTES: St. Louis' Alexander Steen, who picked up an assist, had his six- game goal streak end. He scored eight of his 12 goals this season during the stretch. ... Stamkos has six goals and 10 points during a six-game points streak. ... Lightning D Mark Barberio assisted on Stamkos' goal for his first NHL point. ... Blues D Vladimir Sobotka was minus-3 in the game. Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 11.04.2013 724798 Tampa Bay Lightning

Blues still big fans of Bishop

Joe Smith Sunday, November 3, 2013 5:53pm

Lightning goalie Ben Bishop was clearly motivated to beat the Blues Saturday night, having grown up in St. Louis and getting drafted by that organization. "It was definitely special," he said of getting a 4-2 victory. But Bishop was all smiles afterwards, visiting with several members of the Blues staff and some former teammates. He said he had "nothing but respect" for the Blues front office or coaching staff. Of course, Bishop would have loved being the No. 1 goalie for his hometown team, having went to many Blues games as a kid, drafted by St. Louis in 2005 and making his NHL debut for them. But the Blues stacked at goalie, and Bishop's contract running out, he was traded in 2012 to the Ottawa. Retired NHL goalie Darren Pang, a Blues color commentator, said Saturday that Bishop has "a lot of fans in St. Louis," with the Blues happy he's gotten a well-deserved chance in Tampa Bay. "His ability is special," Pang said. "You can't find a guy that's 6-7, 6-8 that can move and catch and play the position like a small athlete. It just goes to show how long it takes to get to this level and be able to handle what's required to be a No. 1 guy. When you're handed it, there's a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, so I'm really pleased with the way he's handling it." Bishop played three years at the University of Maine after getting drafted in 2005, and performed well in parts of three seasons for the Blues' AHL affiliate Peoria. But Bishop played in just seven games for St. Louis, all in 2010, with the Blues set at goalie with both Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott in the fold. There was just no room for Bishop in 2012, when he was traded. "At that point, he was developing so well in Peoria," Pang said. "He was starting to really take it over. Scouts and GMs were watching, saying, 'This guy is ready to go.' Now his contract was up, was going to be a potential unrestricted (free agent), and he wanted to play, there wasn't much of an option. The Blues were rolling with Elliott and Halak. I think everybody felt good for Ben, wanted him to land on his feet and get a chance to play." Bishop has grabbed the No. 1 job with Tampa Bay this season, going 9-2 with a 2.15 goals against average, making some key adjustments, Pang said. "I think the one thing he had to learn is that less is more," Pang said. "It's only a net that's 6 by 4, creases are not that big. When I watched him earlier on, I thought he had to do more than he had, you don't need to move eight feet to your right, you have to move seven inches to your right and that's an area I think he's really tightened up. More efficiency, less is more." Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724799 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning "not satisfied" with strong start

Joe Smith Sunday, November 3, 2013 5:42pm

Lightning coach Jon Cooper knows his team isn't perfect. "Not even close," he said. But Cooper points out it's a group that responds well to challenges, which Tampa Bay did again Saturday night, beating the Blues, one of the league's best teams. The Lightning (10-4) is off to a hot start, the quickest into a season in franchise history it has recorded it's 10th win. It entered Sunday tied for first place in the Atlantic Division (20 points), though won't play again until Thursday against the Oilers at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The fact Tampa Bay has done so despite a difficult schedule, beating the defending champion Blackhawks twice, the Kings once, along with St. Louis, has garnered confidence through measuring-stick matchups. “I think anytime you face a challenge you want to conquer it,’’ center Steven Stamkos said. “Any time we play teams that are known to be very good in this league we come out with a great effort. We have to start to find a way to do that with consistency, and I think we are starting to get that.. "We're not satisfied yet. We're happy with the way we're playing, but it's that relaxed confident attitude. We know it's a long year." For the full story, check out Monday's Tampa Bay Times or tampabay.com later today. [Last modified: Sunday, November 3, 2013 5:45pm] Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724800 Tampa Bay Lightning

Bolts notes: Connolly finally gets his reward

By Erik Erlendsson Published: November 3, 2013

TAMPA — At one point early in the second period Saturday night, Tampa Bay Lightning RW Brett Connolly wanted to throw his stick far into the stands. That moment came after he had a sure goal on his stick, only to see St. Louis G Jaroslav Halak flash almost out of nowhere to rob Connolly of his first goal. Connolly had been staring at a wide-open net after Halak gave the puck away to Steven Stamkos behind the net. The near-goal just added to the frustration for Connolly, who started the season with only one assist in six games with Syracuse in the American Hockey League and failed to score in his first two games with Tampa Bay. “I have no idea (how Halak got there),” Connolly said. “I got a lot on the shot, put it where I wanted to put it and he just kind of got a paddle on it.” Connolly didn’t let his frustration get the better of him, however, and came back to get the game-winning goal midway through the third period, deflecting a Radko Gudas point shot past Halak. “I think the hockey gods gave me a break for missing that first one,’’ Connolly said. “It was nice to see that one go in.’’ Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper called the goal a just reward for the work Connolly has put in. “I had a talk with him (Saturday) that, clearly, he is not here because of his point production in the minors,” Cooper said. “But he’s had tons of chances, had shots, he’s played extremely well and he had a great training camp with us. He’s got speed, he’s got skill and he can put the puck in the net, so for him to get the game winner ... And I don’t know what will happen in the future here, but I don’t think that is the last goal Brett Connolly is going to score in the near future. Sometimes you just have to get the monkey off your back. And he did it and usually when that happens, they usually start to come in bunches.’’ West is Best In the early part of the season there have already been 94 matchups between Eastern and Western conference teams entering Sunday. Of those games, the Western Conference has won 58, or 61.7 percent of those meetings (58-26-10). And of the possible 188 points available, Western Conference teams have earned 126, or 67 percent. Given the disparity in the records and the dominance shown by the West, the fact Tampa Bay is a perfect 5-0 against the West is certainly impressive. With two victories over Chicago as well as wins against Los Angeles, Minnesota and St. Louis (a combined 33-14-8 record), the Lightning are the only team in the East with a perfect record against the West. The East has a combined 35-50-9 record against the West. Tampa Bay will face Western Conference opponent Edmonton on Thursday. “I definitely think we are a good team, but it’s still early in the season, we haven’t played a whole lot of games against Western teams,’’ left wing Alex Killorn said. “I think if we keep playing this way, we’ll be fine. But it does give us a measuring stick of where we are in the league right now.’’ Nuts and Bolts Since allowing three power-play goals in a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Oct. 12, the Lightning have killed 31 of 32 power plays in the past nine games. ... The Lightning power play was 0-for-3 against St. Louis, marking the first time this season Tampa Bay has not had a power-play goal in back-to-back games. ... Tampa Bay’s 19 third-period goals are tied for second most in the league. Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.04.2013 724801 Tampa Bay Lightning

Hot-starting Lightning gaining confidence

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer Sunday, November 3, 2013 8:29pm

TAMPA — Lightning coach Jon Cooper knows his team isn't perfect. "Not even close," he said. But Cooper said it's a group that responds well to challenges, which Tampa Bay did again Saturday night, beating the Blues, one of the league's best teams, 4-2. The Lightning (10-4-0) is off to a hot start. This is the quickest into a season in franchise history that the team has recorded its 10th win. It is tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with 20 points. It doesn't play again until Thursday against the Oilers at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Goalie Ben Bishop said the Lightning wants to be in "the same category" as playoff-contending teams and by beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks twice, the Kings and the Blues, it has garnered confidence. "I think any time you face a challenge, you want to conquer it,'' center Steven Stamkos said. "Any time we play teams that are known to be very good in this league, we come out with a great effort. We have to start to find a way to do that with consistency, and I think we are starting to get that. "We're not satisfied yet. We're happy with the way we're playing, but it's that relaxed, confident attitude. We know it's a long year." Finding stability in net is a big reason for the early success. Bishop, 6 feet 7 and 209 pounds, has played like a No. 1 goalie, going 9-2-0 with a 2.15 goals-against average. Retired NHL goalie Darren Pang, a Blues color commentator, said Bishop is emerging into the kind of player St. Louis envisioned when it drafted him in the third round in 2005. "His ability is special," Pang said. "You can't find a guy that's 6-7, 6-8 that can move and catch and play the position like a small athlete. It just goes to show how long it takes to get to this level and be able to handle what's required to be a No. 1 guy. When you're handed it, there's a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, so I'm really pleased with the way he's handling it." The Lightning can score, too, with Stamkos (11 goals) and Marty St. Louis (seven) leading the way. But how Tampa Bay has played defensively has been the difference. "We know we've got a lot of firepower on our team," Stamkos said. "Our Achilles' heel has been the other end of the rink, and we're taking care of that this year, and I think that's why we have a 10-4 record." The Lightning has had some rough moments. It has two losses to the Bruins, one of which was an embarrassing 5-0 home defeat Oct. 19. It made a couple of glaring mistakes in a loss to the Devils last week. But Cooper has liked his players' "businesslike" approach, not complaining about problems and finding solutions. And in Saturday's win, Cooper saw progress compared to previous games against playoff-contending teams. "We've played some of these upper-echelon teams and we've somehow garnered some points from them, but … you can say we got outplayed in some of these games when we didn't pick up points," Cooper said. "And I didn't think we were outplayed (Saturday). I thought it was an even hockey game. That's some progress, cause we're playing an elite team, and I think we more than hung with them. The two points are still the same, but the question isn't being asked, 'Do you feel fortunate you got those two points?' And I think that's big for us." Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.04.2013 724802 Toronto Maple Leafs 724803 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs look to put ‘worst game of the year’ behind them Maple Leafs: Penthouse/doghouse

DAVID EBNER By: Dave Feschuk Published Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 7:28 PM EST Published on Sun Nov 03 2013 Last updated Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 8:30 PM EST Randy Carlyle had warned his players their comeuppance was coming. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ luck ran out in Vancouver this weekend, hard, He told them they’d have to start playing better than their recent form if they and the team has a week to regroup and figure out answers to the big wanted to beat a team as accomplished as the Vancouver Canucks. He questions of the gaping hole at centre and the continual pounding of shots bashed his stick on the ice at Friday’s practice in Vancouver, imploring his the team sustains. squad to stop giving up the turnovers around the opposing blueline that have led to streams of odd-man rushes heading toward the Toronto net. The worst of it on Saturday was Dave Bolland going down – so quickly this season a primary part of this team’s heart and now lost for possibly an “We turn the puck over too many times in this area!” he hollered. extended period of time. After Vancouver forward Zack Kassian’s skate came down on Bolland’s lower left leg in the early second period, the Leafs The forcefulness of the message, alas, somehow didn’t produce the desired centre was carted from the arena on a stretcher following the 4-0 loss, just results. In a game Carlyle described as his team’s worst of the season, the after coach Randy Carlyle had revealed Bolland was heading straight for Leafs were roundly drubbed 4-0 on Saturday in Vancouver. surgery. The Doghouse Carlyle said on Saturday night it was in the same area as the gruesome Sadly, it’s Toronto’s centremen. Erik Karlsson Achilles cut last year but didn’t know the severity. Bolland was wearing specialized socks to reduce damage from such incidents. On a night when Toronto’s Dave Bolland went to the hospital on a stretcher after his left ankle was cut by the skate of Zack Kassian — he was slated to The Leafs – who don’t play again until Friday at home against the New have surgery to repair a tendon on Saturday night — the news only got Jersey Devils – now have a difficult challenge at centre. Tyler Bozak, worse for Toronto’s men in the middle. already hurt, has been moved to long-term injured reserve, meaning he will be out for at least about two more weeks. Leafs management had grim Carlyle described Bolland’s injury as similar to the partially severed Achilles smiles about the situation, with general manager Dave Nonis joking about tendon that kept Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson out of action for most of three starting to stretch himself, and Carlyle responding to the question of the months last season. The coach also announced that centre Tyler Bozak, void, with a chuckle, “Do I really have to respond to that one?” who missed his fourth straight game with a lower-body ailment, had been placed on the long-term injured reserve list, which will keep him out of the The 2013-14 Maple Leafs, until Saturday in Vancouver, have radically lineup until at least Nov. 19. defied gravity. The team was 10-4 and atop the Atlantic Division, despite putting the fourth-fewest shots on opponents’ nets and absorbing the third- With the ranks depleted, the Leafs struggled in the faceoff circle on most against – a hitherto-unknown strategy for success in the NHL. Saturday night, winning just 43 per cent of draws. Now down to second in the division at 10-5, the Leafs’ luck dissipated in The Penthouse Vancouver. In the few days earlier, the team had picked up wins in Edmonton and Calgary, although it was outshot a cumulative 86-48. But in Once again, it’s occupied by a Maple Leafs goaltender, specifically James Vancouver the tally was severely in the Canucks’ favour, 47-21 in total and, Reimer. strikingly, all shot attempts at even-strength went doubly to the Canucks, Reimer, in taking his first loss of the season, stopped 43 of 47 shots, and 54-27. The Leafs didn’t even tally more than a couple real scoring chances, did so often in spectacular fashion, kicking back at least a couple of bang- as Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo shut them out. bang Canucks snappers that would have easily found the back of the net on James van Riemsdyk is one option to play at centre – he knows the position a netminder less sharp. from college. He sat in his stall in a mostly empty Leafs locker room “It’s kind of all for nothing, really,” Reimer said after it was over. “It’s nice to Saturday night. After trying to explain what went wrong – “I don’t think it was make those saves, but you wish you would have won, 1-0.” for a lack of effort but just wasn’t a very good game by us” – he was softly asked by a Toronto reporter whether this had been building. Van Riemsdyk Reimer’s win-loss record sits at 4-1, and his .942 save percentage ranks didn’t snap back but was clearly annoyed, seemingly more at himself and him third in the league among goaltenders with a minimum six starts. his team than the question. Toronto Star LOADED: 11.04.2013 “You guy have been waiting for this one, to ask that question, huh. Oh, you have been,” he said, before acknowledging, “Obviously you don’t want to get outshot like that every game. Again, we’ve got to find ways to improve upon that.” A magic recipe of a sort must be conjured, following what Carlyle more plainly termed the worst game of the year by his team, a “terrible game for us.” The last time Toronto played in Vancouver, it was mid-February, 2012, and the Leafs were in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Canucks crunched the Leafs 6-2 – also on a Saturday with a 4 p.m. PT start – and it was the beginning of tailspin that saw the Leafs lose 11 of 12 games and eventually miss the playoffs. This time there’s a lot of hockey left to play – but the team feels like it is on an unduly-early precipice, and without their two top centres. “We have to deal with them,” said Nonis after the game. “A lot of teams have to do it, so I don’t think we can cry about it. But we need to make some adjustments, make a few changes, and find a way to get through it.” Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.04.2013 724804 Toronto Maple Leafs “Because (Carlyle) will keep his foot on the gas pedal,” Eakins said, suggesting that the Leafs coach will not allow Kadri to digress into his old bad habits. Maple Leafs' Kadri has chance to shine as go-to guy With five days between games for the Leafs, Kadri will have time to further familiarize himself with whatever linemates Carlyle pairs him with. If van Riemsdyk is shifted to centre, does Kadri stick with Kessel? Or will the By Mike Zeisberger Kessel-JVR duo remain intact, allowing a potential reunion of former linemates Kadri and Joffrey Lupul? First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:26 PM EST Whatever happens, Kadri’s thoughts are with Bolland. Updated: Monday, November 04, 2013 01:08 AM EST “I talked to him (after the game) and he was a little bummed out,” Kadri said. “Obviously, that sucks. But he knows what he has to do. VANCOUVER - While Dave Nonis said Sunday evening that he would have “Hopefully, the surgery went well. I really hope he recovers well and a better gauge on the status of injured forward Dave Bolland on Monday quickly.” morning, the Maple Leafs general manager, like the rest of us, has a much clearer, more definitive understanding on what will now be demanded of In the meantime, Leafs management is hoping Kadri will take advantage of Nazem Kadri. this opportunity to shine. Bolland is expected to return to Toronto on Monday after undergoing SPLIT ON SOCKS surgery on his left leg at a Vancouver hospital over the weekend. All the while, with both he and fellow centre Tyler Bozak out of the lineup, the From the moment he returned to the ice after a skate blade had gashed him spotlight will now shine on Kadri, who has always sought to savour it rather behind his left knee back on Nov. 2, 2010, Maple Leafs captain Dion than hide from it. Phaneuf has donned Kevlar socks for added protection. The torch is all yours, kid. You wanted it. Be it yours to hold high. Or fumble At least, that was the case dating back to the 2013 campaign. and bumble to the ground. Which will it be? “I’ve worn them ever since that incident happened and I will keep wearing With Bolland out indefinitely with a lower left leg laceration and Bozak them,” Pnaneuf said late last season. “I’ve had a few serious cuts in my sidelined until at least Nov. 19 — after being put on the long-term injury list career and they have helped prevent against them.” for a lower body ailment — Kadri now becomes the centrepiece of the Phanuef did not address the media following the Leafs’ 4-0 loss to the Maple Leafs’ plans up the middle. Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday, a night in which There are nights, such as last Tuesday during a 4-0 win at Edmonton, when teammate Dave Bolland left the building on a stretcher en route to have this youngster can do no wrong, helping Phil Kessel roll to a four-point surgery performed after the skate blade of Canucks’ Zack Kassian sliced evening and looking dynamic doing it. into his lower leg during an incident early in the second period. Then there are nights, such as Saturday’s 4-0 loss in Vancouver, where Bolland apparently was wearing Kevlar socks at the time of the incident. But coach Randy Carlyle just wanted to hit the reset button, not only on Kadri, the harsh reality of the situation is that the socks, while being cut resistant, but the entire team. are not cut proof. Sure, veteran Jay McClement is willing and able to gobble up additional Coach Randy Carlyle compared Bolland’s injury to that suffered by minutes. And, yes, James van Riemsdyk says he is open to moving to the Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson this past February, one that sidelined him for almost middle if the Leafs want him to, although you could probably count on one three months. At that time, the Toronto Sun canvassed a few Leafs to see if hand the number of NHL shifts he has played at centre. they wore Kevlar socks. Phaneuf understandably was all in. At the same time, while Kadri has spent the past three games lining up “It’s a fast game. Things happen on the ice,” Phaneuf said, just 24 hours between van Riemsdyk and Kessel on the Leafs’ top line, this really is his after the Karlsson injury. “Accidents can happen at any moment. You have moment to step up. to be as prepared as you can for whatever might happen.” If he can. After Phaneuf’s own injury, then-GM Brian Burke strongly lobbied his players to test out the socks. Some warmed to them, others didn’t. Given the Leafs woes at centre, he’d better. They need him now unlike ever before. “Some guys don’t like the Kevlar,” Phaneuf continued. “Some guys feel uncomfortable with them. I’m fine with them. But fair enough.” “It’s a challenge and I accept any challenge that’s thrown at me,” Kadri said. “I want to be one of those (go-to) guys. What better way to show During our informal survey of the Leafs dressing room in Raleigh on that people? February day, blueliner Cody Franson said he did not need to be swayed on the idea. He’s been donning Kevlar socks since he first got to Nashville “But it’s not just me. Everyone’s got to be ready to play. We have to rally as a member of the Predators in 2009. around each other. This is where we really see what teams are made of.” “I’ve been wearing them for four years, ever since they came out,” Franson And, in this instance, what Kadri is made of. said. “For me, it was a no-brainer. I don’t feel a lot of difference.” Just 23, Kadri was looking for the big payday during the off-season only to On the other hand John- Michael Liles said at the time that he has always find that Leafs management didn’t want to hand him the keys to the vault put his bare feet into skates and isn’t about to wear any kind of socks at this right away. While impressed by the London native’s 44 points in 48 games point in his life. James Van Riemsdyk didn’t like the feel of the Kevlar socks performance during the 2013 season, the Toronto brass ideally wanted to when he tried them, but suggested perhaps a Kevlar hockey sock that runs see a larger body of work before shelling out big bucks. over a player’s shinpad and all the way up to his thigh could be invented. The resolution was a two-year, $5.8-million bridge contract that will take him STAR D-MEN HAVE FELT THAT PAIN through the 2014-15 season. By that time, both sides should have a more accurate gauge on just how good Kadri can be over a prolonged period at Three years to the day that a skate gashed Maple Leafs captain Dion the NHL level. Pnaneuf’s left leg almost down to the bone, Toronto forward David Bolland was rushed to a Vancouver hospital on Saturday night after a blade sliced It says here that Kadri will swim rather than sink in his quest. Of course, he into a tendon in his lower left leg. still needs to be prodded occasionally, with Carlyle in charge of delivering a boot to the butt when needed. Just about nine months ago, Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson suffered a similar injury courtesy of Matt Cooke, leaving him out of action until the post-season. A week ago, Edmonton Oilers coach Dallas Eakins, whose tough-love approach with Kadri with the Marlies was a key reason for Kadri’s Here’s a glimpse at the skate-related injuries suffered by the two D-men: successful climb to the pros, explained why he felt Carlyle was the “perfect DION PHANEUF coach” for the youngster. Nov. 2, 2010 Blade of Ottawa’s Peter Regin slices him behind the left knee ... Sidelined five weeks. Returned Dec. 9 ... “When you pull your pant leg up and you can see inside your leg, it’s not a very good feeling.” — Phaneuf ERIK KARLSSON Feb. 13, 2013

The skate of Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke cleanly rips into Achilles tendon of the Senators defenceman ... Out almost three months. Returns for playoffs in early May ... “He (Cooke) doesn’t belong in the league. He belongs somewhere where the goons play.” — Sens owner Eugene Melnyk. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724805 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs' McClement moving on up?

By Mike Zeisberger First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:51 PM EST Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:56 PM EST

VANCOUVER — - Jay McClement’s best offensive season in the NHL came in 2009-10 with the St. Louis Blues. He had 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points. Modest numbers from a No. 2 centre, which is a role McClement could find himself in should coach Randy Carlyle choose not to move James van Riemsdyk from the wing into that slot. That’s not a knock against McClement. He was the Leafs unsung hero last season and could be on his way to copping that honour again in 2013-14. He’s a team leader. He’s great on the penalty kill. And, with fellow centres Dave Bolland and Tyler Bozak on the shelf right now, his minutes could rise significantly. “I saw it but just looked like he spun off the hit,” McClement said of Bolland’s left-leg laceration injury, which took place when he was hit by Vancouver’s Zack Kassian in a 4-0 loss to the Canucks on Saturday. “Obviously it’s a blow for us. (Bolland) has been good for us in all situations. We got Bozie out too so the rest of us are going to have to pick up the slack,” McClement said. “Someone else certainly is going to have to slide into the middle. You saw at the end that JVR slid in there. He’s played a little bit of centre in the past. I don’t know if that will happen.” How difficult would it be for a winger to move to centre? “I’ve played centre all my life but I’ve done it the opposite way and slid to the wing,” McClement said. “It’s a little different but it’s a good time to have a week of practice, I guess.” McClement is aware that the Leafs have been outshot in 13 of their 15 games. It was particularly obvious in the opening minutes of the Vancouver loss when the Canucks registered the first eight shots of the game. “It’s something we’ve discussed for a while — not just after this particular game,” he said. “We know we’ve gotten away with it and had some success and won. It’s something that we’ve been trying to correct. “It’s not like (Saturday) was a new thing. There’s just so many parts that go into that. It’s battles, it’s not turning pucks over. It’s puck possession. “We’re leaning to heavy on our goalies right now.” As for the thumping the Leafs absorbed from the Canucks, McClement replied: “There weren’t a lot of positives for us in that game. They are a veteran team and kind of had their way with us in all aspects of the game. When it comes down to it, a loss is a loss.” Loose Leafs It will be interesting to see if Carlyle does move van Riemsdyk to centre. JVR admits he hasn’t played it regularly for years but is willing to do whatever the coaching staff wants ... How about this subtle shot at Bolland penned by a prestigious Vancouver Province columnist who was writing about Gino Odjick’s role in Pavel Bure’s jersey retirement ceremony: “Gino Odjick played a big part in making what turned out to be a terrific evening happen, the night not exactly spoiled by watching Dave Bolland be helped off the ice.” This just in: Bolland ended the night going to the hospital for surgery. Even if Bolland did call the Sedins “sisters” several years ago, no one deserves to be injured, accidentally or not, like he was. At least the Canucks fans were classy. There was not a single cheer when Bolland was being helped off the ice. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724806 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs' warts need addressing

By Mike Zeisberger First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:37 PM EST Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:45 PM EST

VANCOUVER — - Randy Carlyle referred to Saturday’s humiliating 4-0 loss in Vancouver as “a terrible game for us — probably the worst game we have played this year.” Don’t sugarcoat it, Kitty. How do you really feel? Truth be told, we all know Carlyle was right on the mark. And he could see it coming through the first two games of the Leafs three-game trip in western Canada, wins in Edmonton and Calgary. Here are five warts the Leafs need to fix in their game — and fast. Sin Bin Blues Being tough is one thing. Being undisciplined is quite another. While opponents continue to bully Toronto goalies inside the blue paint, the Leafs have been tagged with a league-leading 75 minors this season. Sooner or later, their penalty killers are going to crack from fatigue. Shot Clock Horrors Even if you aren’t a big believer that shots on goal are a relevant indicator of how a team is or isn’t playing, just chew on these numbers: The Leafs gave up a combined 133 shots in three games out west, an average of about 44. As well, they are being outshot by an average margin of 10.7 per game. If their goalies continue to face this much rubber, they’ll soon be ready for the rubber room. n Just Say No Yes, we know Leaf fans wanted to jump through their TV screen and wring Alex Burrows’ neck Saturday for his slashing gesture at Phil Kessel, mocking Phil The Thrill’s pre-season incident with John Scott. But Kessel can not allow himself to be goaded into dropping the gloves like he did. He is getting paid $8 million US per season to be on the ice, not the sin bin. Cycle This Even in their two wins in Alberta, the Leafs did not spend nearly enough time in the offensive zone. Forward David Clarkson seems to still be shaking off the rust he accrued during his 10-game suspension. Already expected to be a key in the cycling game, Clarkson’s down-low style gains even more prominence with the injury to Dave Bolland. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid Why are opponents getting so many good chances on the rush? Because the Maple Leafs at times refuse to go the simple route and just dump pucks in deep. Instead, they try to dipsy doodle at the opposition blue line, which leads to turnovers. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013 724807 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.04.2013

Leafs GM Nonis talks keys facing the team

By Mike Zeisberger First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:24 PM EST Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:32 PM EST

VANCOUVER — - When the Maple Leafs return to their personal House of Horrors known as the TD Garden next Saturday, Dave Nonis had planned to have a secret weapon up his blue-and-white sleeve. One named Dave Bolland. As gut-wrenching as the “Gahden” was for the Leafs back in the spring when they belched up a 4-1 third-period lead in Game 7 of their first-round series en route to a 5-4 overtime loss to the Bruins, who better to alter Toronto’s karma in Boston than former Hawk Bolland, who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in that same building in June? So much for those plans. Indeed, Bolland’s leg injury is yet another episode of adversity that recently has smacked Nonis’ Leafs in the face since their season began. But the Leafs general manager is a long way from waving the white towel like forward Frazer McLaren was doing in the visitors penalty box at Rogers Arena during Toronto’s ugly 4-0 defeat in Vancouver on Saturday. With his team suddenly hitting some speedbumps after an outstanding 6-1 start, Nonis took time out to chat with the Toronto Sun about four key issues facing the team. On The Rash of Injuries: No Self-pity here Bolland. Tyler Bozak. Mark Fraser. The list goes on. “Hopefully we’re getting out of the way early,” Nonis said. “We’d like to think that we’ve prepared well and that (the players) were all in good shape coming in. Now we have to deal with injuries. A lot of teams do too so I don’t think you can cry about it. You make adjustments and you try to find your way through it.” On The Return To Boston Nov. 9: Bring it on! “(It’s important) because I — we — still hold the Boston Bruins in very high regard. They are well coached, deep and they can play any way you want to play. I think that, anything you’d want, the Boston Bruins have it. We have shown at times that we can play with them. So I know that game will be interesting. It’ll be important for some things. But it’s a November game. I think it’ll be a good game, an interesting game. But it will be worth two points, nothing more.” On The Leafs Two-Headed Goaltending Monster: All Going To Plan By bringing in Jonathan Bernier during the off-season, the blueprint was for he and James Reimer to push each other to higher levels. Through 15 games, consider them pushed. “This is what we had hoped it would be,” Nonis said. “We believed in their character that they’d be able to get along, that there wouldn’t be any animosity, that they would push each other. And so far, that has been the case. The point was to never knock James out of the spot, it was to augment that position. And to help James improve as well. And I think that’s happened. That’s excellent. He’s been as sharp as we’ve ever seen him. He’s in good shape. With Bernier, we feel the same way. Right now we are content with our goaltending. Both have approached this with great attitudes.” On The First 15 Games: “Fortunate” To Be 10-5 “I like the fact that we’ve competed hard and found a way to win,” Nonis said. “I’d like to see what our whole team would look like once healthy. We haven’t had our entire group together yet. So I think the coaching staff has done a great job of manipulating the lineup to make us competitive almost every night. Our role players have stepped up. Our penalty killing has been pretty good. But there’s a lot of work to do. We’re fortunate to have the record that we have. And I think we’ve played fairly well. But not as well as we can.” 724808 Washington Capitals

John Carlson finally scores

By Barry Svrluga November 3 at 10:54 am

If John Carlson’s fist pump after his second-period goal Saturday night against Florida looked a little more enthusiastic than usual, well, that’s because it was. “You could tell by his celebration how much it meant to him,” Coach Adam Oates said. And how much it could mean to the team. Carlson’s goal, the second for Washington in what became a 3-2 shootout win over the Panthers at Verizon Center, was his first of the season. Carlson joins veteran Mike Green as one of the Capitals’ skilled defensemen, players expected to be weapons on offense. Yet 14 games into the season, Carlson’s tally against Florida is the only goal between the pair. Indeed, on the current roster, it’s the only goal for a defenseman. (Connor Carrick, who scored once with the big club, was reassigned to Hershey last month.) Green had an assist Saturday night on Nicklas Backstrom’s goal, his fourth straight game with a point, and he has nine assists on the year. But for a player who has three times scored at least 18 goals in a season – and last year had 12 goals in just 35 games, a 28-goal pace over a full year – more is expected, particularly because Washington is accustomed to Green being such an important part of the power play. In fact, Oates believes the defensemen all need to chip into the offense, which – at 2.93 goals per game – ranks 13th in the league, virtually the definition of middling. “We need good decisions with the puck,” Oates said. “Carly, Greenie — Greenie still hasn’t got one yet. Obviously he makes a lot of good plays. The shots will come, the chances will come. But we need goals from our ‘D’. Every team does.” Carlson’s goal served as the 100th point of his career. Coming into the season, he had averaged .41 points per game. With three points in his first 14 games of this season, that production is cut in half. That, though, could turn around with that one goal. “They do something for everybody,” Oates said. “Nobody likes to go too long without one. Once you get one you feel that much better.” For a time, Carlson’s goal could’ve been the game-winner – until Florida scored on the power play with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. “It’d be nice to go out there in the third period and lock it down a little bit better,” Carlson said. Just as it would be nice to get some more offense from the D. Here’s a look at Saturday’s game, which featured what has become a rarity: a power-play goal against the Capitals. Dmitry Orlov was reassigned to Hershey this morning. The 22-year-old defenseman was recalled Wednesday but was scratched both Friday and Saturday. The team has today off, and will return to practice on Monday, when Alex Ovechkin — who has missed the past two games with a shoulder injury — may practice. If Ovechkin practices, he’s likely in line to play Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. Washington Post LOADED: 11.04.2013 724809 Winnipeg Jets

Jets make moves on defence

By: Tim Campbell Posted: 10:43 AM Last Modified: 12:52 PM

Roster moves have been made and lineup changes are likely for the Winnipeg Jets when the Detroit Red Wings visit Monday night at the MTS Centre. The Jets recalled defenceman Zach Redmond from their AHL affiliate team in St. John’s today and reassigned defenceman Ben Chiarot and Julian Melchiori. Waiver claim Keaton Ellerby, another defenceman acquired Saturday, said today he’ll be in the lineup against the Red Wings on Monday and there’s a strong chance Redmond would be his partner as the team’s third pairing. Redmond has missed time with the IceCaps because of a knee injury but returned to action this weekend, playing in a pair of games. He has one goal and one assist. Last season, Redmond made the Jets out of training camp but was seriously injured when the femoral artery in his right leg was severed during practice in February. That injury kept him out of NHL action the rest of the season, though he did return to play with the IceCaps before their season was over. Ellerby has yet to play this season, mainly because defenceman Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell have come back to the L.A. Kings and been healthy after serious injuries last season. That situation led the Kings to put the Calgary native, a former first-round pick fo the Florida Panthers, on waivers Friday. "I’m just super excited to be here," Ellerby said after this morning’s practice at the MTS Centre. "It was a tough start. They got Michy and Greener back from big injuries last year. Getting those two guys is a big help for them but it was little tough getting into the lineup with myself playing the same style of game as them. "They’re older guys, been around the league, and were there with the Stanley Cup team. "It was tough not playing but you’ve got to roll with the punches." Ellerby has had plenty of practice time. "Practice gets pretty old sometimes for sure but it’s part of the game," he said. "I’m a young guy, just take it as it comes and work hard every day. I worked a lot with John Stevens down there... he helped me out a ton. He was a great coach for me and I think he’s helped me develop along the way in my time with L.A. but I’m definitely excited to get a game in tomorrow." The Jets, now 5-8-2 after their 5-1 loss to the Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, won’t find their schedule any easier this week. They face the Wings Monday, then go to Chicago for a game there Wednesday. "Obviously it was a tough game," defenceman Zach Bogosian said today about the loss to the Hawks. "We have to keep looking forward to what’s ahead of us. Obviously we were aware of turning over pucks, that Chicago would hurt us. They proved they’re a good transition team. I think we can learn from that but we have to make sure we’re ready for tomorrow. "We can’t dwell on everything. We have to make sure we’re ready." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.04.2013 724810 Winnipeg Jets 724811 Winnipeg Jets

Welcome to the NHL, kid Hawks take candy from Jets

By: Tim Campbell By: Tim Campbell Posted: 11/3/2013 1:00 AM Posted: 11/3/2013 1:00 AM

The toughest assignment of the day probably belonged to Winnipeg Jets Question heard downtown on Saturday: "Why do they allow such loud defenceman Ben Chiarot. music in the library?" The third-year pro from Hamilton, just 22, played his first NHL game Oh wait, this was the MTS Centre. Saturday, pressed into service against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Chicago Blackhawks made their long-overdue first regular-season It didn't go so well no matter what your angle of observation. appearance in Winnipeg, turning the mayhem into the foreign literature section with an easy 5-1 victory over the Jets and their disappointed fans. The Hawks won 5-1 and Chiarot was minus-three from 15 shifts and 10 minutes 47 seconds of ice time. The game went all library after Chicago scored three times in the second period's first 5:49, breaking a 1-1 tie set in the lively first. Still, a first game is a first game and it's something. "We were in pretty good shape in the first period as long as we could keep "It's obviously exciting," Chiarot said after the outing. "It's every young guy it that way," said Jets coach Claude Noel. in Canada's dream of playing on Hockey Night in Canada against the Stanley Cup champs. You can't get a much better stage than that." "I think in the matter of a couple of minutes, the game changed drastically and certainly when that happens, there's a lot of emotion that comes into Chiarot has 88 games worth of AHL experience under his belt with the St. yourself that is not good emotion and that's what starts to get to you. John's IceCaps. Having made strides in his game later last season and early this was one factor in his recall. "Plus you take the air out of the building. You've just managed to take the air right out of the building. That doesn't help. You're at home. That adds to But in the end Saturday, the Jets were no match for the Blackhawks in this the frustration level." one. From 4-1, the Jets could find no way to break through the well-schooled "Chicago's obviously a very skilled team and for my first game, you've Hawks, rendering the game's final shot tally, 27-25 Winnipeg, rather never really seen a team move the puck like that," Chiarot said. "It was irrelevant. pretty impressive. "They're a team that plays the right way," said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. "There was probably a lot of breakdowns there." "First and foremost they're worried about keeping pucks out of their own The fourth-round Atlanta pick from 2009 revisited that quickness issue net. We don't expect anything else from them." several times. Ladd also said his team wasn't proactive enough, especially in the right "Their top line's obviously pretty impressive," he said. "That's one of the ways. best lines in the league, right? That was pretty impressive at first how "There's momentum in the game and you have to find different ways to get quickly they move it." it back," he said. "You have to find a way to get yourself and your team The nerves, Chiarot said, were very present. some energy going the other way." "By the second period I got a couple of shifts where I could move my feet a The defeat leaves the Jets, 5-8-2, with just one win in their last seven little bit," he said. "Caught up with the speed of the game, how fast it was outings. moving. I felt good after that." NO FINISH, THEN FINISHED: The early moments of the second told And he'll have plenty of memories about the game, no matter the result. everything about the afternoon. "Just everything... the crowd was pretty impressive right off, even during Winnipeg started the period with a strong shift by Ladd, Bryan Little and warmups it was pretty impressive," he said. "But playing against the Stanley Devin Setoguchi. There were two or three good scoring chances repelled Cup champs on Hockey Night in Canada, you can't get much better than by Hawks goalie Corey Crawford. that. Then Brandon Bollig went back up the ice, fired in the 2-1 goal on a two- "I wouldn't want it any other way. Why not take on the best first? Obviously I one-one at 54 seconds, followed by Patrick Sharp's honey deke of Ondrej want to adjust to the speed and how quickly the puck moves and how smart Pavelec at 2:41. the players are at this level. I want to do that as quickly as I can." Noel wasn't too enthused about a discussion on finishing abilities. MORE SHUFFLING: With Chiarot and Julian Melchiori already on recall "It's the team you have," he said."We have what we have, they have what from the IceCaps, the Jets moved to the waiver wire Saturday to further they have. You're not going to re-invent how to play. shore up their injured defence corps. "Puck management was critical. That was a key part of the game. Put them The team claimed Keaton Ellerby, 24, from the Los Angeles Kings. on transition, put them on special teams, you're going to have trouble. Ellerby hadn't played yet this season, in L.A. as a sort of insurance policy in "If you don't manage the puck well, you're going to have trouble. The wind case Willie Mitchell and/or Matt Greene didn't fare so well coming back from got out of our sails when they scored their third goal, the second of the serious injuries. period. Their health led to Ellerby's attempted demotion to Manchester, when the "That was a play that really killed our team. It was a turnover and all the ice Jets stepped in. was behind our defence. You had to get pucks to the goalline. Ellerby, the 10th overall pick of the 2007 draft by Florida, is expected in "You didn't, it turned over and Sharp went down and put it in the net." Winnipeg today. NEXT MOVE, HOOK: When Nick Leddy's point shot found net through a Jets defenceman Paul Postma, Jacob Trouba and Mark Stuart remain out screen at 5:49, the Hawks had three goals on four shots early in the second for indefinite periods. and that sent Pavelec to the bench in favour of Al Montoya. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.04.2013 Noel wasn't pinning it on Pavelec, now 4-7-2. "We made mistakes before it got to our goalies so I'm not going to sit here and blame our goalies," he said. "There's no rocket science way to play when you play a team that can hurt you." Pavelec, however, owned up to a poor day. "I'm frustrated," he said. "They showed us how to play. That's a really good team. I think we played a really good first period and then we slowed down and couldn't catch them. "The last two periods, it's just embarrassing. Monday's another game. Chicago won the Cup for a reason." Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 3, 2013 B3 Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.04.2013 724812 Winnipeg Jets

Ellerby set to make Jets debut

By Ken Wiebe First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 12:35 PM CST Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 06:42 PM CST

Keaton Ellerby is being thrown right into the fire. After being claimed off waivers on Saturday, Ellerby had his first practice on Sunday and he’ll be in the lineup Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. “It’s good to be here, good to get on the ice with the team and get to know the guys and get it underway,” said Ellerby, who hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season but has 160 NHL games on his resume with the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings. “It was interesting, getting put on waivers, and picked up by a Canadian team that’s relatively close to home (Calgary). It’s exciting. It’s a great opportunity for myself to step in here and try and help the Winnipeg Jets out. I'm definitely excited to get an actual game in tomorrow.” The Jets also recalled defenceman Zach Redmond from the St. John’s IceCaps and returned Ben Chiarot and Julian Melchiori to the American Hockey League. Jets head coach Claude Noel wasn’t ready to commit to having Redmond — who had been dealing with a lower-body injury for the past month but appeared in a pair of games on the weekend — in the lineup Monday, but didn’t rule him out either. “I probably would like to get him in practice and get him engaged with our team a little bit, so we’ll see if we’re going to put him in the game,” said Noel. “It’s an asset that he’s comfortable and we’re comfortable with him. He’s a guy that’s a prospect that can get in our lineup and play. He gives us some experience. “I’m looking forward to having him back. He’s a real good teammate as well. After going through what he’s gone through, it’s good that he’s back with us.” Forward Evander Kane skipped Sunday’s workout for maintenance but will be available Monday. The Jets are 5-8-2 and have lost three consecutive games, while the Red Wings are off to a 9-4-2 after shifting to the Eastern Conference this season. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.04.2013 724813 Winnipeg Jets

Maybe the best defence really is a good offence for Jets

By Ken Wiebe First posted: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:04 PM CST Updated: Sunday, November 03, 2013 11:52 PM CST

Some of the names may have changed and there's clearly been an infusion of young talent, but the Detroit Red Wings still do many of the same things that have made them a successful team for much of the past two decades. The Red Wings make their lone visit to the MTS Centre on Monday night to face a Winnipeg Jets squad that has lost three consecutive games and currently sits last in the Central Division with a record of 5-8-2. The Jets have scored only 35 goals through 15 games (while giving up 45), so head coach Claude Noel was asked if being better offensively might actually help settle things down in the defensive zone. "There are some things we have to be better at," said Noel. "The offensive part isn't just scoring goals. We could be better in the fun zone, which is the offensive zone. We're not efficient enough there yet. That would help us, alleviate the time in our own zone as well. So from that standpoint, yes better offence is better defence but we're not going to flip things around. "You're still going to win games in the end with defending. That's going to be your bread and better. Look at the goals for and against. We've still got to get on the right side of that ledger. It's a task." Speaking of tasks, trying to find a way to limit the production of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and free-agent signing Daniel Alfredsson, among others, is the latest challenge for the Jets, who lost 5-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. "This team is similar to Chicago," said Jets winger Devin Setoguchi. "If you turn the puck over, it can end up in your net pretty quick. This Detroit team works hard and plays a very structured game. They play the right way and that's the way it is." "We know they're obviously a talented team, a great puck possession team," added Jets forward James Wright. "That's what they thrive on. They don't like to chip it in and give it away. The onus is on us to play in their and get some sustained pressure." LOOSE PUCKS Jets LW Evander Kane skipped Sunday's workout for maintenance purposes, but is expected to be available for Monday's game ... After missing time with back and groin injuries, St. Andrews product Darren Helm returned to the Red Wings lineup on Saturday and scored a goal in a 5-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers ... The Red Wings' roster also includes RW Jordin Tootoo, who was born in Churchill and played in the Western Hockey League with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Tootoo has no points in seven games and has been rumoured to be on the trade block. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.04.2013 724814 Vancouver Canucks When Orr rocked Ryan Stanton and Sestito stepped in for the scrap, he earned a check-mark from John Tortorella. The Canucks coach preaches bite and push in an aggressive forechecking approach and that means Alex Bieksa believes there’s a place in the game for fighting to curb cheap shots Burrows will get under the skin of the opposition. His brief bout with a frustrated Kessel wasn’t that surprising. But no real deterrent to curtail the other craziness rubs Tortorella the wrong way.

November 3, 2013. 4:23 pm “Players need to police themselves,” he stressed. “You put the instigator rule in and all the supplementary discipline and all the crap that comes Ben Kuzma after. It needs to be taken care of on the ice and I don’t think you’ll have all that stuff — the hitting from behind and the cheap stuff. “We’ve taken too much of the game away from the players. They turn in an Kevin Bieksa was giving James van Riemsdyk a cranial massage Saturday honest game and we [league] never will, but we should.” and it wasn’t the soothing kind you’d receive at a spa. More like the one you might endure in an alley for all the wrong reasons. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 When the feisty Vancouver Canucks defenceman shoved his glove in the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs winger and knocked his helmet off, it was the give-and-take you expected in a battle for position and puck possession in what would prove a highly entertaining and edgy 4-0 domination by the Canucks. And even when enforcers Tom Sestito and Colton Orr received 10-minute misconducts in the first period before finally fighting in the second, they adhered to a long-standing code of being as much of a deterrent for cheap shots as the NHL will allow. Far removed from Ray Emery’s ridiculous 200-foot dash to dent the cranium of an unwilling Braden Holtby on Friday in an embarrassing one- sided goalie scrap during a line brawl between Philadelphia and Washington — Emery racked up 29 penalty minutes but there’s no provision yet in the new collective bargaining agreement for supplemental discipline — there was enough ugliness at Rogers Arena on Saturday to warrant a place in the game for some form of fighting. Not the staged variety. Not line brawls and nobody is going to argue with stiffer sanctions to curb stupidity. But Joffrey Lupul needs to know that trying to crush the head of a ducking Henrik Sedin with an elbow — and taking out Nazem Kadri with the lunge — isn’t going to go unchallenged. Same with Frazer McLaren launching Alex Edler into the sideboards. Despite the instigator rule, there has to been a way to combat the prospect of injuries when the Leafs take two brutal boarding minors and two crosschecking infractions. They finished with 14 penalties for 52 minutes. “I played college hockey for four years where there was no fighting and if there was, there were hefty fines and suspensions,” Bieksa said of his time at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “So, you didn’t see it [fighting]. You saw a ton of hitting from behind and boarding and a ton of high sticking. All that stuff. Fighting is a way to keep everybody honest. It’s not always going to work, but I’d rather have it there than not. A couple of boarderline hits from behind [Saturday] and it seems like it’s cyclical and comes in waves. There have been a lot of suspensions and the onus is on the player getting hit to not put yourself in the situation.” That’s about as diplomatic as you can get. Bieksa is no angel and can chirp with the best of them because that’s always going to be part of the game within the game. But he’s also not going to deliver a cheap shot. He has seen enough of that. So has Chris Higgins. “I just don’t understand it,” said the Canucks winger. “Guys can end their careers getting hit from behind. If that [fighting] is the deterrent, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away. Emotions are going to run high and when you’re hitting the best players on the ice — something is going to happen. I’d still like to see less hits from behind more than anything. They’re worse than fighting in my mind.” Leafs winger David Clarkson wanted a piece of Zack Kassian in the third period Saturday and managed to land some right hands on the sideboards while the Canucks winger was being restrained by the linesmen. Already a target for his cornerboards collision with Phil Kessel that resulted in a foot laceration and subsequent surgery for the Leafs centre — the same sequence in which Kassian would score early in the second period to make it 2-0 — he understands the intimidation and accountability parts of the game. Even when Clarkson had an obvious upper punching hand. “Yeah, he got in a couple,” said Kassian. “Those are tough situations. Two guys drop the gloves and want to go and the refs don’t let you. They have one guy, but not the other. When people are fighting for territory and fights break out, players like to see that emotion. And you listen to the crowd. I feel there’s always a place in the game for fighting and every player and every person who watches the game knows that. “If they take fighting out of the game, everybody grows three feet and stupid things happen.” 724815 Vancouver Canucks

The compete. The dangle. The shot. The goal.

November 3, 2013. 4:04 pm Ben Kuzma

Chris Higgins is feeling like all facets of his game are meshing and it couldn’t come at a better time for the Vancouver Canucks. With a demanding four-game road trip against Phoenix, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim opening Tuesday in the desert and those clubs combining to lose just three home games in regulation, we’re going to learn more about the Canucks than we did went they went 5-1-1 on their recent eastern sojourn. What John Tortorella learned Saturday is that his improving second line is the best news since Henrik and Daniel Sedin signed four-year, $28 million US contract extensions Friday. It wasn’t just Higgins scoring his fifth goal of the season with a heavy wrist shot on a second-period dash down the left wing — after missing an open net by clanging a rebound off the post — it’s how the trio set the tone for a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the line’s first shift, Mike Santorelli had a scoring chance on a 2-on-1 with Higgins. Alex Burrows then forced James Reimer to make a highlight- reel right skate save on the goalline off a rebound before Higgins tested the goalie, who had to make a tough pad save. That got Tortorella’s attention. “I thought they were dominant as far as puck possession and playing under the hash marks,” the Canucks coach said of the trio combining for 11 shots and a plus-3 rating. “That was probably our best line. Burrows is beginning to get there and show his personality and that’s good stuff.” And Higgins with the dangles and the spins? “Higgy was feeling it a bit and a little too much,” added Tortorella. “There were a couple of turnovers we didn’t need, but he’s played really well. One person Zack [Kassian] needs to look at is Higgy and he’s right in front of him as he watches the game.” Higgins had a leg up on what to expect from Tortorella in 55 games with the New York Rangers during the 2009-10 season. He knows you have to show up in top shape, listen and learn and don’t mail it in. Higgins is third in shots among Canuck forwards with 53 and could easily be at the 10-goal mark. He could have had a hat-trick Saturday and his 9.4 per cent shooting percentage speaks of some frustration. “I missed a couple early on and our line kind of hand ones we’d like back on our first shift,” said Higgins. “But we stuck with it in the second period and had some pretty good chances and found the net. It’s good to feel good about ourselves with a tough trip and it’s always nice to get the offence up before we head off.” Getting the power play up will be imperative on the four-game litmus test. The Canucks opened scoring with the man advantage Saturday — a sick between-the-legs crease feed from Ryan Kesler to Henrik Sedin and a shot that went off Daniel Sedin — but they would go only 1-for-9 on the night to rank 28th at just 9.6 per cent efficiency. The Canucks don’t have trouble gaining the zone, but are tentative and predictable when shooting lanes get clogged. Too often, it’s get the puck to the point and hope for the best. The irony is that Tortorella doesn’t put handcuffs on artistry, as long as his players are responsible in all zones. You’d think that would help the power play, not hinder it. “For the most part anything goes,” said defenceman Jason Garrison, a hammer on the power-play point. “He doesn’t limit creativity and there are creative players on this team. We all feel the same way about the power play. We all really want to get it going and probably need to go to the drawing board.” Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724816 Vancouver Canucks There have been a lot worse teams than the 2013 Lions who got hot at the right time and made it to the Big Game. The Lions now look like they’ve discovered a running game. It looks like they have a one-two quarterback Willes: Things looking much better now for Gillis punch in Travis Lulay and Buck Pierce. It looks like they’ve found their swagger. And here’s one more thing. It’s not like they’re going to be over-burdened By Ed Willes, with expectations when they travel to Regina next weekend. November 4, 2013 12:06 AM -- And finally, after the Canucks-Caps game on Monday night, I was walking out of The Rog when I overheard a guy say to his buddy: “That’s it. I’m going to Beantown tomorrow.” Willes: Things looking much better now for Gillis Intrigued, I inquired about his plans and was informed Darcy Couto, a 25- year-old who works the Canucks games, was serious about flying to Boston Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, left, looks on as John Tortorella, centre, for Wednesday’s Game 6 of the World Series. and GM Mike Gillis shake hands for the media at Rogers Arena on June 25. Gillis had two brutal years in 2011-12 and in the lockout-shortened 2013 I saw him again on Saturday night after the Leafs game. Turns out he made campaign, writes Province columnist Ed Willes. But this year has been a it to Fenway, landed a $100-bleacher seat for $400 through a connection different story. and watched the Red Sox win their first Series at home since 1918. After the most glorious of Octobers — the Red Sox won the World Series, “It was the time of my life and it will never happen again,” said Couto. golf season lasted until the end of the month — here’s something else to celebrate: the Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of He also met B.C. boy and Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster. Love that story. We sports. should all be 25 and sitting in Fenway for a clinching World Series game. -- We’ve long subscribed to the theory that general managers are just like Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 players. They can have good years and bad years; years when everything goes their way and years when anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Canucks GM Mike Gillis had two brutal years in 2011-12 and in the lockout- shortened 2013 campaign. Space does not permit a full inventory of his miscalculations, but starting with the David Booth trade and ending with the mangling of the goaltending situation, there wasn’t a lot that went right for Gillis or the organization. This year, then, was almost a plebiscite on the GM’s administration and, while it’s still early, the first returns are encouraging on the Gillis’s big off- season decisions. John Tortorella has brought a much-needed infusion of energy to the team. Free agent signings Mike Santorelli and Brad Richardson have been solid in their roles. The addition of sixth defenceman Ryan Stanton was a coup. Roberto Luongo has held up his end of the bargain. And the Sedin twins, who remain the team’s best two players, have been sewn up at reasonable dollars. It’s hard to know where the Canucks will finish this season. They don’t have the appearance of an elite club — especially in a conference that features San Jose and Chicago — but they look like a solid playoff team. Most Canucks fans would have cheerfully accepted that at the beginning of this year. -- The debate over fighting got some juice this weekend with the gong show in Philadelphia. If you missed it, Flyers goalie Ray Emery raced the length of the ice, basically jumped Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and preceded to pummel him while referee Francois St. Laurent waved away other players. The NHL then ruled there’d be no supplemental discipline for Emery because there’s nothing in the NHL rule book — such as common sense — to cover a first-time instigator. Perfect. That, at least, was one incident. During Saturday night’s Canucks-Leafs tilt, however, a second-period scrap between Tom Sestito and Colton Orr did all the things apologists claim fighting does for hockey. The Leafs had fallen behind 3-0. They were starting to run around like idiots. And that fight relieved a lot of the built-up pressure and calmed things down considerably. “That’s part of (Sestito’s) role,” Tortorella said after the contest. “He wasn’t used a whole bunch (six shifts, 2:26 of ice time) but that’s the world he’s living in. He understood where he needed to be.” Now, if you’re waiting for a thesis statement on fighting, sorry, don’t have one. On some level, its presence is troubling. On another, it remains a necessity. But I do know the NHL can’t allow Ray Emery to start wailing on a player who has no interest in fighting him. That’s not going to end the debate. But it might send the message the league is at least thinking about fighting’s role in the game. -- Wouldn’t exactly bet the house on the B.C. Lions making it to the Grey Cup, but consider this. 724817 Vancouver Canucks

Canucks’ second line starting to jell

By Ben Kuzma, The Province November 3, 2013

The compete. The dangle. The shot. The goal. Chris Higgins is feeling like all facets of his game are meshing, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the Vancouver Canucks. With a demanding four-game road trip against Phoenix, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim opening Tuesday in the desert, and those clubs combining to lose just three home games in regulation, we’re going to learn more about the Canucks than we did went they went 5-1-1 on their recent eastern sojourn. What John Tortorella learned Saturday is that his improving second line is the best news since Henrik and Daniel Sedin signed four-year, $28 -million- US contract extensions Friday. It wasn’t just Higgins scoring his fifth goal of the season with a heavy wrist shot on a second-period dash down the left wing — after missing an open net by clanging a rebound off the post — it’s how the trio set the tone for a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the line’s first shift, Mike Santorelli had a scoring chance on a 2-on-1 with Higgins. Alex Burrows then forced James Reimer to make a highlight- reel right skate save on the goal line off a rebound before Higgins tested the goalie, who had to make a tough pad save. That got Tortorella’s attention. “I thought they were dominant as far as puck possession and playing under the hash marks,” the Canucks coach said of the trio combining for 11 shots and a plus-3 rating. “That was probably our best line. Burrows is beginning to get there and show his personality and that’s good stuff.” And Higgins with the dangles and the spins? “Higgy was feeling it a bit and a little too much,” added Tortorella. “There were a couple of turnovers we didn’t need, but he’s played really well. One person Zack [Kassian] needs to look at is Higgy and he’s right in front of him as he watches the game.” Higgins had a leg up on what to expect from Tortorella in 55 games with the New York Rangers during the 2009-10 season. He knows you have to show up in top shape, listen and learn and don’t mail it in. Higgins is third in shots among Canuck forwards with 53 and could easily be at the 10-goal mark. He could have had a hat trick Saturday and his 9.4 per cent shooting percentage speaks of some frustration. “I missed a couple early on and our line kind of had ones we’d like back on our first shift,” said Higgins. “But we stuck with it in the second period and had some pretty good chances and found the net. It’s good to feel good about ourselves with a tough trip and it’s always nice to get the offence up before we head off.” Getting the power play up will be imperative on the four-game litmus test. The Canucks opened scoring with the man advantage Saturday — a sick between-the-legs crease feed from Ryan Kesler to Henrik Sedin and a shot that went off Daniel Sedin — but they would go only 1-for-9 on the night to rank 28th at just 9.6 per cent efficiency. The Canucks don’t have trouble gaining the zone, but are tentative and predictable when shooting lanes get clogged. Too often, it’s get the puck to the point and hope for the best. The irony is that Tortorella doesn’t put handcuffs on artistry, as long as his players are responsible in all zones. You’d think that would help the power play, not hinder it. “For the most part, anything goes,” said defenceman Jason Garrison, a hammer on the power-play point. “He doesn’t limit creativity, and there are creative players on this team. We all feel the same way about the power play. We all really want to get it going and probably need to go to the drawing board.” Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 724818 Vancouver Canucks period to make it 2-0 — he understands the intimidation and accountability parts of the game. Even when Clarkson had an obvious upper punching hand. Kuzma: Fighting has a key role to play in NHL games — it lets the players “Yeah, he got in a couple,” said Kassian. “Those are tough situations. Two police themselves guys drop the gloves and want to go and the refs don’t let you. “They have one guy, but not the other. When people are fighting for territory By Ben Kuzma, and fights break out, players like to see that emotion. And you listen to the crowd. I feel there’s always a place in the game for fighting and every November 3, 2013 player and every person who watches the game knows that. “If they take fighting out of the game, everybody grows three feet and stupid things happen.” Kevin Bieksa was giving James van Riemsdyk a cranial massage Saturday and it wasn’t the soothing kind you’d receive at a spa. More like the one you When Orr rocked Ryan Stanton and Sestito stepped in for the scrap, he might endure in an alley for all the wrong reasons. earned a check mark from John Tortorella. The Canucks coach preaches bite and push in an aggressive forechecking approach, and that means When the feisty Vancouver Canucks defenceman shoved his glove in the Alex Burrows will get under the skin of the opposition. His brief bout with a face of the Toronto Maple Leafs winger and knocked his helmet off, it was frustrated Phil Kessel wasn’t that surprising. the give-and-take you expected in a battle for position and puck possession in what would prove a highly entertaining and edgy 4-0 domination by the But having no real deterrent to curtail the other craziness rubs Tortorella the Canucks. wrong way. And even when enforcers Tom Sestito and Colton Orr received 10-minute “Players need to police themselves,” he stressed. “You put the instigator misconducts in the first period before finally fighting in the second, they rule in and all the supplementary discipline and all the crap that comes adhered to a long-standing code of being as much of a deterrent for cheap after. It needs to be taken care of on the ice and I don’t think you’ll have all shots as the NHL will allow. that stuff — the hitting from behind and the cheap stuff. Far removed from Ray Emery’s ridiculous 200-foot dash to dent the “We’ve taken too much of the game away from the players. They turn in an cranium of an unwilling Braden Holtby on Friday in an embarrassing one- honest game, and we (the league) never will, but we should.” sided goalie scrap during a line brawl between Philadelphia and Washington — Emery racked up 29 penalty minutes, but there’s no Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 provision yet in the new collective bargaining agreement for supplemental discipline — there was enough ugliness at Rogers Arena on Saturday to warrant a place in the game for some form of fighting. Not the staged variety. Not line brawls — and nobody is going to argue with stiffer sanctions to curb stupidity. But Joffrey Lupul needs to know that trying to crush the head of a ducking Henrik Sedin with an elbow — and taking out Nazem Kadri with the lunge — isn’t going to go unchallenged. Same with Frazer McLaren launching Alex Edler into the sideboards. Despite the instigator rule, there has to been a way to combat the prospect of injuries when the Leafs take two brutal boarding minors and two crosschecking infractions. They finished with 14 penalties for 52 minutes. “I played college hockey for four years where there was no fighting and if there was, there were hefty fines and suspensions,” Bieksa said of his time at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “So you didn’t see it [fighting]. You saw a ton of hitting from behind and boarding and a ton of high sticking. All that stuff. Fighting is a way to keep everybody honest. It’s not always going to work, but I’d rather have it there than not. “A couple of borderline hits from behind (Saturday) and it seems like it’s cyclical and comes in waves. There have been a lot of suspensions, and the onus is on the player getting hit to not put yourself in the situation.” That’s about as diplomatic as you can get. Bieksa is no angel and can chirp with the best of them because that’s always going to be part of the game within the game. But he’s also not going to deliver a cheap shot. He has seen enough of that. So has Chris Higgins. “I just don’t understand it,” said the Canucks winger. “Guys can end their careers getting hit from behind. If that (fighting) is the deterrent, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away. “Emotions are going to run high and when you’re hitting the best players on the ice — something is going to happen. I’d still like to see less hits from behind more than anything. They’re worse than fighting, in my mind.” Leafs winger David Clarkson wanted a piece of Zack Kassian in the third period Saturday and managed to land some right hands on the sideboards while the Canucks winger was being restrained by the linesmen. Already a target for his cornerboards collision with Dave Bolland that resulted in a foot laceration and subsequent surgery for the Leafs centre — the same sequence in which Kassian would score early in the second 724819 Vancouver Canucks They in fact put in a rule specifically for head shots, though I guess technically it only covers head shots that connect. 48 The Attempted Assassination of Henrik Sedin By The Coward Joffery The Attempted Assassination of Henrik Sedin By The Coward Joffery Lupul Lupul I have no idea if the NHL plans at looking at the Lupul elbow, or if the November 3, 2013. 1:13 am Canucks even plan on pursuing that route, but at the end of the day, I hope that they do. As I said, if a Canuck had thrown an elbow like this, I would expect the other team to look for a suspension and I would have no problem with it. Even those most ardent Leafs fans have to admit that Lupul Admit it, that’s a catchy title for an article. has very few good intentions in mind with that elbow. For those that missed it last night, there was an incident during the game In a perfect world the NHL would hand out a token one or two game where Lupul tried to throw an elbow in Henrik Sedin’s face, missed, and suspension, so that way it would be on the players official record. This way, ended up taking out his own team mate, Nazem Kadri, instead. any time the player moved they would have to register as an elbow offender and would therefore have the possibility of having a larger suspension Funnily enough CBC didn’t mention this elbow attempt, nor was a replay hanging over their head should they ever do it again. ever shown. Had this been in the age before social media, it most likely would have seemed like it never happened, but alas, Twitter saw. Twitter Then again, the NHL has never made very much sense, so maybe Henrik sees everything. As a result of the internet’s long memory, we all got to Sedin will get suspended for owning an unlicensed unicorn. Stranger things watch as Lupul attempted to throw a cheap shot on Henrik Sedin, replayed have happened. Even stranger still, the NHL might actually suspend Lupul? countlessly on Vine posts and YouTube videos. We shall see what happens. At first I did with this clip the same thing I do with all videos that involve Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.04.2013 players colliding comically; I giggled and watched as Lupul ran over his own team mate. Over and over again. Many many times. There is a humor element to the fact someone tried to take out a player from the other team only to take out his own guy instead, there just is. Then I watched the clip for the 32nd time and I realized “wait a minute, that could have really hurt Henrik.” And I don’t mean that in a facetious way, I honestly was so busy reveling in dastardly plans gone awry that I didn’t bother to think “what if Lupul landed that elbow?” The answer to that question is Henrik’s iron man streak could have been stopped quite quickly were it not for the fact Henrik is a wizard and can apparently see 360 degrees around him and possibly owns a unicorn, thus allowing him the ability to see the elbow coming. Let me preface this by saying I have nothing against the Leafs. Honestly, I don’t. Some of my best friends are Leafs fans. Ok, wait, that sounds awful. Seriously though, I have nothing against them. They play in the East, the Canucks play in the West, the only time we run across each other is once a year, in which cases the ordeal is over in around 3 hours and we both go on our merry way, as if we just had the worlds most awkward blind date. There is simply no reason for me to hold a grudge against them at this point. I am also not out to demand suspensions upon every other non-Canuck in the league. I am not trying to prove any point in a crusade to show that other teams need to be punished like the naughty little boys that they are so I can feel better about Kassian’s suspenion earlier this year. What I do want to have on record is that I believe blatant attempts to hit the head should be suspendable. I don’t care if it was Lupul doing this or if it was Daniel Sedin on a path of revenge against Duncan Keith doing this, if you are caught trying to take someone’s head off and miss, you should still be punished. Why should an injury have to take place before a suspension is handed out? Funnily enough, they have a rule in place for refs to call during the game itself: match The Attempted Assassination of Henrik Sedin By The Coward Joffery Lupul So let’s assume the refs missed the Lupul elbow. That doesn’t mean the NHL shouldn’t be suspending players after the fact. Let’s use hyperbole here, what if Henrik Sedin takes his stick, two hands a swing at Lupul’s face in retaliation, misses, and hits Daniel instead and the refs miss it. Do we all sit back and laugh as the two Sedins go “awww shucks” and start picking up Daniel’s teeth from the ice? Or should the NHL hand out a suspension for an attempt to injure? They should probably hand out a suspension to discourage that sort of thinking. It doesn’t make sense that someone would have to potentially concuss another player before they get suspended, yet they can attempt it as many times as they want without risk, until they connect. It’s like telling a player “Well you can try and hit him in the face with that elbow, but we’re only going to punish you if you connect with it, so take as many practice swings as you’d like.” Throwing an elbow to a players head is not a hockey play. It has not been a hockey play ever since they stopped glorifying Gordie Howe and Mark Messier for having “sharp elbows”. In today’s day and age when brain health is supposedly at the forefront of the NHL player mandate, it makes zero sense to not punish players for attempting illegal shots to the head. 724820 Vancouver Canucks

Secondary scoring crucial to Canucks’ Cup dreams

DAVID EBNER Published Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 7:22 PM EST Last updated Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 7:27 PM EST There he was again, Ryan Kesler, booking the most ice time of any Vancouver Canuck in the team’s 4-0 thumping of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kesler’s 25:08 played increased his season’s average to 22:57, the most among all NHL forwards. Henrik Sedin is second. Daniel Sedin is fourth. Playing your first-unit power play as your primary first line, as much as you can, is a strategy coach John Tortorella has employed before. In Tampa Bay, he deployed Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier for the same bounty of ice time. Hockey The Flames enjoy a furious start The Sedins, with Kesler, have rediscovered their scoring punch – but the good news Saturday night for Vancouver was the top-flight play of their patchwork second line, winger Alex Burrows in his third game returned from injury, winger Chris Higgins, and unwanted-journeyman-turned-top-six- forward Mike Santorelli at centre. It’s no longer a one-line team: it’s a two- line team. The second line set the tone early, several minutes into the game, when a Burrows steal led to a Santorelli and Higgins two-on-one and a flurry of shots, the Canucks unlucky not to score on Toronto’s stellar James Reimer. But their real work – along with defence pairing Dan Hamhuis and Chris Tanev – was neutralizing Toronto’s first line, led by Phil Kessel. Again, the tone was set early. Burrows invoked his chirpy self, which had been tamped down in former coach Alain Vigneault’s final years, chirping that on Saturday including a mocking mimic of Kessel’s swinging-of-stick at John Scott. A fight soon enough ensued and both went off for five. “He’s beginning to show some of his personality here tonight also,” said Tortorella after the game of Burrows and his finding his stride, “so that was good stuff for this game.” Of the second line as whole, the coach said: “Throughout the game probably our best line, as far as puck control and where we want to play.” Indeed, the second line shut down Kessel, Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk. In one example, in a second-period encounter some seven minutes into the frame, Toronto’s first line could not get out of its zone, pinned by alternating pushes of fore-checking and offensive pressure. In a game dominated by Vancouver, the statistics behind the play of especially Hamhuis and Tanev against Toronto’s top three stands out. With those two on the ice at even-strength, in figures compiled by extraskater.com, the Canucks had almost 30 shot attempts compared with just four against – a ridiculous, massive gap. Santorelli, Higgins and Burrows had more than 20 shots for, compared with six against. For Vancouver, the notably rise of another line is crucial. And the third line looked somewhat better on Saturday, as the team pushes towards “balance,” as Tortorella put it. The fourth line as always had micro-minutes, less than three on Saturday. It’s impossible for the Canucks to succeed in the competitive Pacific Division, which is as difficult as the former Northwest was easy for Vancouver, if the team does not get more out of its bottom-six forwards. The Canucks stand fourth in the Pacific, with nearly 20 per cent of the year finished, and their coming four-game road trip pits them against tough division rivals, Phoenix, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim, all except for L.A. undefeated at home. When L.A. appears like one of the easier teams on a trip, you know the quartet of games will be a suitable acid test. Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.04.2013 724821 Vancouver Canucks This time there’s a lot of hockey left to play – but the team feels like it is on an unduly-early precipice, and without their two top centres. “We have to deal with them,” said Nonis after the game. “A lot of teams Leafs look to put ‘worst game of the year’ behind them have to do it, so I don’t think we can cry about it. But we need to make some adjustments, make a few changes, and find a way to get through it.”

DAVID EBNER Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.04.2013

VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 7:28 PM EST Last updated Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 8:30 PM EST

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ luck ran out in Vancouver this weekend, hard, and the team has a week to regroup and figure out answers to the big questions of the gaping hole at centre and the continual pounding of shots the team sustains. The worst of it on Saturday was Dave Bolland going down – so quickly this season a primary part of this team’s heart and now lost for possibly an extended period of time. After Vancouver forward Zack Kassian’s skate came down on Bolland’s lower left leg in the early second period, the Leafs centre was carted from the arena on a stretcher following the 4-0 loss, just after coach Randy Carlyle had revealed Bolland was heading straight for surgery. Retired Vancouver Canucks' forward Pavel Bure, of Russia, speaks after the NHL hockey team inducted him into their "Hall of Heroes" in Vancouver on Friday November 1, 2013. The Canucks will retire Bure's number 10 Saturday night before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carlyle said on Saturday night it was in the same area as the gruesome Erik Karlsson Achilles cut last year but didn’t know the severity. Bolland was wearing specialized socks to reduce damage from such incidents. The Leafs – who don’t play again until Friday at home against the New Jersey Devils – now have a difficult challenge at centre. Tyler Bozak, already hurt, has been moved to long-term injured reserve, meaning he will be out for at least about two more weeks. Leafs management had grim smiles about the situation, with general manager Dave Nonis joking about starting to stretch himself, and Carlyle responding to the question of the void, with a chuckle, “Do I really have to respond to that one?” The 2013-14 Maple Leafs, until Saturday in Vancouver, have radically defied gravity. The team was 10-4 and atop the Atlantic Division, despite putting the fourth-fewest shots on opponents’ nets and absorbing the third- most against – a hitherto-unknown strategy for success in the NHL. Now down to second in the division at 10-5, the Leafs’ luck dissipated in Vancouver. In the few days earlier, the team had picked up wins in Edmonton and Calgary, although it was outshot a cumulative 86-48. But in Vancouver the tally was severely in the Canucks’ favour, 47-21 in total and, strikingly, all shot attempts at even-strength went doubly to the Canucks, 54-27. The Leafs didn’t even tally more than a couple real scoring chances, as Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo shut them out. James van Riemsdyk is one option to play at centre – he knows the position from college. He sat in his stall in a mostly empty Leafs locker room Saturday night. After trying to explain what went wrong – “I don’t think it was for a lack of effort but just wasn’t a very good game by us” – he was softly asked by a Toronto reporter whether this had been building. Van Riemsdyk didn’t snap back but was clearly annoyed, seemingly more at himself and his team than the question. “You guy have been waiting for this one, to ask that question, huh. Oh, you have been,” he said, before acknowledging, “Obviously you don’t want to get outshot like that every game. Again, we’ve got to find ways to improve upon that.” A magic recipe of a sort must be conjured, following what Carlyle more plainly termed the worst game of the year by his team, a “terrible game for us.” The last time Toronto played in Vancouver, it was mid-February, 2012, and the Leafs were in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Canucks crunched the Leafs 6-2 – also on a Saturday with a 4 p.m. PT start – and it was the beginning of tailspin that saw the Leafs lose 11 of 12 games and eventually miss the playoffs. 724822 Websites

ESPN / Emery escapes discipline for pummelfest

November, 2, 2013 PM ET By Pierre LeBrun | ESPN.com

No supplemental discipline coming for Ray Emery for his fight against Braden Holtby in Friday night's brawl-marred Philadelphia Flyers- Washington Capitals game. The NHL looked at everything, discussed it internally for 24 hours, but there's just nothing in current rule book allowing for any supplemental discipline for that fight. The league didn't like what it saw last night but nothing it can do. I do think it's the kind of incident, however, that will spur more debate/conversation at GMs meeting Nov. 12 and beyond. One idea, for example, that one might be suggested to be added to the rule book: should a goalie be automatically suspended for leaving his crease to fight another goalie? Just a thought. ESPN LOADED: 11.04.2013 724823 Websites be the domain of the Boston Bruins or Detroit Red Wings. It was news to many on the team. "I love that about our guys," Cooper said. "No one's looking around; no ESPN / Wait, what? Lightning are rocking the East? one's patting themselves on the back." And, oh yeah, they’re still in first place. Go figure. By Scott Burnside ESPN LOADED: 11.04.2013

For most of the first month of the NHL season, there has been pretty much nonstop praise for the Colorado Avalanche and general marveling at the depth of talent in the Western Conference. And with good reason. The West rocks. The Eastern Conference? Well, after the Pittsburgh Penguins, it's pretty much a scrap heap of the broken-down, dysfunctional and just plain lousy. Or you might be excused if that's the impression you got having to watch Philadelphia, Buffalo, et al flail around on the east side of the continent. But take a little closer look and, hey, it's the Tampa Bay Lightning sitting atop the Atlantic Division. How the heck did that happen? Head coach Jon Cooper joked shortly before the Lightning's big home victory Saturday over a tough St. Louis Blues club that he was OK if another rookie head coach, named Patrick Roy, got more attention and people continued to ignore the Lightning right until next April. "We're 100 percent perfectly fine being in the southeast part of the hockey world until they make the call for the 16 teams to play in the playoffs, and hopefully we're one of them," Cooper told ESPN.com. If you'd polled most hockey folk a month ago, we’re guessing a significant if not a vast majority didn’t like the Lightning’s chances of somehow ending up in that group of eight that will start the Eastern Conference playoffs next April. Too much uncertainty in net, too little confidence in the team’s defense. Cooper knew all of the rationale dismissing the Lightning and, frankly, didn't disagree with any of it. But from the start of training camp -- his first since taking over for Guy Boucher on March 25 -- Cooper and his staff preached one thing, and that was keeping the puck out of their own goal. After finishing 26th in goals against last season and 30th the season before, the Lightning have quietly moved into top-10 vicinity this season (as of Sunday they were tied with Vancouver for 10th). That is the kind of improvement that, in general, punches your ticket to the playoffs. A lot of the credit will and should go to the steady netminding of Ben Bishop, who has gone 9-2 with a .925 save percentage and 2.15 GAA. But it’s more than that. Cooper points to his top players, namely Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, who have led the way not just offensively as one might expect but in committing themselves to better all-around play. For most of those two players’ careers their skates "have been pointing north," or strictly in the offensive direction, Cooper said. But both have bought into the plan that the route back to the playoffs is through defense. Stamkos, especially, has embraced the idea of becoming a more complete player a la players such as Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. The results speak for themselves. "I've never seen him play better," Cooper said. As is often the case, the buy-in from the top players has made getting the rest of the Lightning squad’s buy-in that much easier. We often talk about a culture of winning and teams turning corners. The last couple of years, the thought of visiting the Lightning in the charming Channelside area of Tampa didn’t strike much fear into the hearts of opposing teams. That’s starting to change, as the Blues witnessed Saturday. The Lightning’s 4-2 win ran their home record to 6-2 on the season. That, too, was part of the preseason plan, to stop being whipping boys in their own rink, Cooper said. "We didn’t want to be that team that was easy to play against," he said. There's still a long way to go, of course, and the Lightning are going to have to keep proving to folks that October wasn’t a fluke, that they aren’t a fluke. But one day last week the players got on the team flight and someone noted that they were in first place an Atlantic Division that was supposed to 724824 Websites good. Their blood sugar is good and it gets them to develop some good habits by just focusing on a few key times during the day." The results were immediate. FOXSports.com /Prohaska's overhaul at Mater Dei equals positive results In Prhaska's first season, Mater Dei advanced to their first CIF sectional final in a decade, a year removed from a 4-6 season and missing the RAHSHAUN HAYLOCK playoffs. "It's helped me tremendously with speed and agility (and) keeping off some of the weight," offensive lineman Alex McCutcheon said. "I feel so much SANTA ANA, Calif. -- When one listens to Scot Prohaska talk about stronger on the field. Fatigue in the fourth quarter is practically non-existent nutrition, his knowledge and passion on the subject come across as clear with Scot's workout." as crystal. There's a thought that there's magic in Prohaska's teachings which were His passion certainly rubbed off on Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson. revealed during his time at Servite and now at Mater Dei. Asked if his speech on nutrition was the selling point in him being hired by "Do I think that he created magic?" Rollinson questioned. "Yeah, definitely." Rollinson and Mater Dei football as strength coach, Prohaska replied: A humble Prohaska doesn'buy into the fact that he's somehow bottled a "Yeah, he's obsessed with nutrition," Prohaska said of Rollinson with a big magic formula that equals winning but is glad to be in the spot he's in. grin. "He loves it." "I've worked with Troy Thomas and Bruce Rollinson, are you kidding me?" After Mater Dei endured a 4-6 season in 2011, Rollinson, as he puts it, Prohaska questioned. "Two of the biggest leaders in high school football stripped the entire program completely, unhappy with the results. and leaders young men that there is in the world. One of the first calls he made was to Prohaska, whose methods helped "It's a good fit so I think that's one of the reasons it was successful. I think Servite end a 20-year winless drought against Rollinson's Monarchs, win the boys believe in me. They trust me and they believe they got something consecutive CIF Southern Section championships, including their first in 26 special when I come in." years, and a state title. FOXSports.com LOADED: 11.04.2013 When Prohaska talked, Rollinson listened ... intently. "I have to be comfortable with somebody with that much influence on the program," said the longtime Mater Dei head coach. "It has to be the right guy. "I got that comfort level thus Scot and I negotiated a deal that he would take over Mater Dei football." The result of the conversation provided an example of how the game of high school football is changing. The expertise and hiring of a strength coach was already a big issue at the NFL and college level. That importance was beginning to be felt at the high school level. Mater Dei faces the top-ranked team in the CIF-SS, St. John Bosco, tonight at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports West. There were cases in which a head coach's first hire was the strength guy. "Really, the guy that spends the most time with (the team) is the strength coach," Rollinson said. Added Prohaska: "There's articles ... where guys like (Ohio State head coach) Urban Meyer and (Alabama head coach) Nick Saban talking about their first hire, their most important guy, is the strength conditioning guy. No. 1, because how much time they spend with their athletes and No. 2, because it makes such a difference if it's done the right way and they find that an edge." Enter Prohaska who made "wholesale" changes once taking over before the 2012 season, from the way the team lifted, to how much they lifted, to the way they conditioned, to their Saturday morning regimen following games, and, of course, nutrition. Fat, it was determined, was not good. Mater Dei was known for having big offensive linemen but they were also big and out of shape. "Scot showed me a picture of a few years ago where I'm standing in front of the team and it just happens to be that there's eight guys surrounding me and they are eight overweight young men," Rollinson recalled. "And Scot says 'Is that what you want standing behind you, because none of those guys can perform at their size.' So, we had to attack that." Players began policing each other on the diet and making sure they were eating what they were supposed to. Trips to the local pizza shop before and after practice ended. Fast food was cutout. An emphasis was put on protein and any carb intake had to be earned and could only be had at certain times of the day. "(We set) some real good boundaries to focus on so in the morning, post workout, that's when we load their carbs," Prhaska said. "That’s when they get more of the starchy carbs and things they like to eat and then they sacrifice the rest of the day for good reason and it ends up their focus is 724825 Websites

NBCSports.com / Flyers’ Downie out of hospital

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 4:54 PM EST

There’s good news for Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie today. The Flyers released a statement saying Downie was out of the hospital and doing well. They also added that Vincent Lecavalier is still day-to-day. It was just on Saturday the team said Downie would be out indefinitely with a concussion. Him being out of the hospital is at least a good sign that he can recover at home. In case you’d forgotten, Downie was injured in a fight with Washington Capitals forward Aaron Volpatti on Friday night and was taken to a Philly hospital following the game. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724826 Websites

NBCSports.com / Sens goalie Anderson stretchered off in overtime (Update: It’s a stiff neck)

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 3:56 PM EST

Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson was stretchered off the ice during overtime of their game against the Dallas Stars. Anderson collided with Stars rookie forward Valeri Nichushkin with 3:16 left in the extra period. Nichushkin’s thigh appeared to crash into Anderson’s face, knocking his head back awkwardly. Anderson laid on the ice awake and in pain, but motionless. Senators trainers immobilized Anderson and had him taken off the ice on a stretcher. He gave a thumbs up to the Canadian Tire Centre crowd as he was wheeled off the ice. We’ll update on his condition as it becomes available. UPDATE (4:01 p.m. ET): Shawn McKenzie of Sportsnet has a very encouraging update. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724827 Websites

NBCSports.com / Bettman on Emery fight: ‘I don’t think anybody liked it, liked what it looked like’

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 3:42 PM EST

While Philadelphia’s Ray Emery wasn’t suspended for his role in the one- sided fight with Washington’s Braden Holtby, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman wasn’t happy with how things happened in Philadelphia on Friday. Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch spoke with the commissioner and got his thoughts on what went down concerning Emery. “We constantly monitor and look at the game,” Bettman said. “There was no rule that was violated to elevate things to the level of a suspension. It’s something we’ll continue to discuss. “I don’t think anybody liked it, liked what it looked like. Fortunately it’s not something that happens very often. But I’m sure it’s something we’ll focus on, particularly with the general managers.” Bettman voiced his support for Brendan Shanahan and the NHL Department of Player Safety and the job they’ve done. He reiterated the rarity in which things like this occur as well as the relative smaller percentage of hits that require their attention. That said, it’s not good for Emery or the Flyers if the biggest boss is taking notice.

NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724828 Websites

NBCSports.com / Flames rookie goalie to make first NHL start against Chicago

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 2:00 PM EST

The Calgary Flames are starting rookie goalie Reto Berra on Sunday night. While that makes for a normally sweet headline for a young kid, he may be up to his ears in shots. His opponent? The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Flames recalled Berra on Saturday after putting goalie Joey MacDonald on waivers and are putting him right to the test. Coincidentally, Berra was a teammate of Patrick Kane‘s during the lockout last season in the Swiss League with EHC Biel. Flames coach Bob Hartley says this start won’t be a one-off for Berra. The Flames have to be hoping Kane spilled all of his tricks and secrets to Berra while they played in Switzerland. On paper, this doesn’t set up to be one of the most fair match-ups we’ve seen this year. Good luck, kid. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724829 Websites

NBCSports.com / Kaleta clears waivers, next stop: Rochester

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 12:40 PM EST

If Patrick Kaleta is going to straighten up his game, he’ll be doing it in the AHL for now. The troubled Buffalo Sabres forward cleared waivers and was sent to the team’s minor league affiliate in Rochester. Team GM Darcy Regier said before the Sabres’ 6-3 loss to Anaheim on Saturday night they tried to trade Kaleta but found no takers for him. They’re also worried they’re under the NHL’s thumb for what Kaleta has done over the past few seasons topped off by his 10-game suspension for elbowing Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson. Kaleta will need to adjust his game in the AHL along the same lines how Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke adjusted his on the fly in Pittsburgh after numerous high-profile bad hits. If he can do that, there’s likely a spot for him back in Buffalo. Kaleta has another year remaining on his contract with the team. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724830 Websites

NBCSports.com / Devils moves: Schneider off IR, Harrold on it; Merrill called up

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 12:13 PM EST

The New Jersey Devils had some activity going into their game on Sunday against Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild. The team activated goalie Cory Schneider off of injured reserve and put defenseman Peter Harrold on it. They’ve recalled 2010 second-round pick Jon Merrill from Albany to take Harrold’s place. According to Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice, Schneider’s return means he’ll start in Minnesota against the Wild. Meanwhile, Merrill’s recall could put him in line to play in his first NHL game. The former University of Michigan standout spent part of last season in the AHL after departing college. Harrold hasn’t played since October 22. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724831 Websites

NBCSports.com / Elias: Zatkoff first Pens goalie to record a shutout in first NHL win

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 11:45 AM EST

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff made his first NHL win a memorable one with a 19-save shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0. Even better for him? He made team history by doing it that way. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Zatkoff is first goaltender in Penguins history to record a shutout in his first NHL win. He’s also the first Penguins rookie to record a shutout since Marc-Andre Fleury did it in 2006. Zatkoff inherited the backup job when Tomas Vokoun went out with a blood clotting issue in preseason. As Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review shared, Zatkoff was just trying to improve on what he failed to do against the New York Islanders last week – close down a game with a win. “(Saturday) I just kept telling myself it’s about the process: minute by minute, shot by shot,” Zatkoff said. “I tried not to look at the clock, just make saves. I don’t think I looked up until that last timeout at about two minutes. “It was a pretty long two minutes.” NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724832 Websites

NBCSports.com / Kings’ Stoll left Saturday’s game with unspecified injury

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 11:05 AM EST

The Los Angeles Kings are already hurting with Jeff Carter on injured reserve and now they could be without Jarret Stoll as well. Stoll left their game against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night with an unspecified injury. As Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times writes, the Kings are keeping things quiet about what’s up. Stoll played just two shifts in the second period before departing and Kings coach Darryl Sutter only said he was still being evaluated following the game. Lower-body? Upper-body? Body-body? Take your pick, but there likely won’t be an update on him until later today. The Kings can’t afford to have another center go down with injury, however, as a Stoll injury leaves their third line in trouble as Colin Fraser would likely slide up to fill in. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724833 Websites

NBCSports.com / Eakins: ‘If you play scared in this league, you’re going to get killed’

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 10:19 AM EST

By now you’re familiar with the Edmonton Oilers struggles to start the year. They’re the worst team in the Western Conference and only the Buffalo Sabres are keeping them out of last place in the league. After losing 5-0 to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, coach Dallas Eakins gave an honest assessment of his team as John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal shared. “We’ve got a group that’s hurting, they’re dying, they’ve lost their confidence,” Eakins said. “If you play scared in this league, you’re going to get killed.” Getting drubbed by the Red Wings and getting just 14 shots on goal on home ice sure looks like a team getting killed. The Oilers have a 3-10-2 record and are quickly drowning in a loaded Western Conference. In the Pacific Division alone they’re 10 points back of fifth place Los Angeles and 13 behind fourth place Vancouver and 15 points out of first place. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724834 Websites

NBCSports.com / Vigneault calls Murphy hit on Dorsett ‘very, very dangerous’

Joe Yerdon Nov 3, 2013, 9:23 AM EST

New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had strong words for Carolina Hurricanes rookie defenseman Ryan Murphy after the Rangers’ 5-1 win. Vigneault was upset with a low hit Murphy put on Rangers forward Derek Dorsett that resulted in a clipping minor penalty for Murphy. Katie Strang of ESPN-New York share the story. “I mean, in my opinion, that’s real dangerous,” Vigneault said. “Any time you’re going for knees, you’re looking at career-ending injuries here.” “That was borderline very, very dangerous.” On the upside for the Rangers, Dorsett wasn’t injured on the play. Murphy, meanwhile, is in his rookie season in the NHL and has been one of the top first-year players early this year. Getting noticed on the big stage of Madison Square Garden like this probably wasn’t in his plans. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.04.2013 724835 Websites

USA TODAY / Blackhawks are still the team to beat in the NHL

By Kevin Allen November 3, 2013 at 11:43am EST

The NHL early-season buzz has been about the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. It’s been about Colorado’s new coach Patrick Roy, or San Jose’s prize rookie Tomas Hertl or the St. Louis Blues’ late-blooming goal scorer Alexander Steen. But let’s not lose sight of the reality that the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks still have to be considered the team to beat in 2014. Other intriguing story lines have allowed the Blackhawks to quietly go about their business of dealing with their Stanley Cup hangover and getting their game together. While you have been ignoring the Blackhawks, here’s what they have done: 1. Going into tonight’s game at Calgary, the Blackhawks (9-2-3) have only lost twice in regulation in 14 games. They rank third in the NHL in scoring (3.43 goals per game) and second in shots on goal. 2. They are on a three-game winning streak, and their next four games are against teams that are currently sitting below the playoff cut line. 3. Goalie Corey Crawford (2.11 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) is just slightly below where he was last season. Over the past three games, Crawford has a 1.21 GAA and .958 save percentage. 4. The Blackhawks’ top players have stayed healthy. They have 14 players who have played all 14 of their games. 5. This is a team that truly understands what needs to be done during the regular season to prepare to defend their title. The Blackhawks know how to win. If the Blackhawks’ penalty killing was better — it’s currently last in the league — they would probably have three or four more points. Another interesting note: Minnesota’s Zach Parise will be playing his former New Jersey teammates for the first time tonight (8 p.m.) since signing with the Wild in the summer of 2012. The Devils rank 25th out of 30 NHL teams in goal scoring. They miss Parise. USA TODAY LOADED: 11.04.2013 724836 Websites

USA TODAY / Panthers’ Krys Barch pulls out own tooth, throws it to fan

By Jimmy Hascup – November 3, 2013 at 1:27am EST

Game-used souvenirs are hot-ticket items for fans. Nowadays, the list is almost endless. There are jerseys, baseballs, batting gloves, footballs, pucks, you name it. Saturday night at the Washington Capitals’ Verizon Center, a fan got what has to be one of the rarest (and most unique) souvenirs when Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch pulled out his tooth in the penalty box and tossed it to him. Let’s remember that adults typically have between 28 (if you have your wisdom teeth removed) and 32 teeth. For many hockey players, especially for tough guys like Barch, it is probably fewer than that. So that means this fan can command quite the haul for this chiclet. (The only negative, of course, is that in 331 NHL games, Barch has 31 points and 725 penalty minutes, but we digress …) Barch isn’t the first guy to yank out a tooth during a game. Islanders captain John Tavares did it earlier this year and Penguins foward Pascal Dupuis performed some dental work of his own recently, too. USA TODAY LOADED: 11.04.2013 724837 Websites “He went at him like a spider monkey there with a full scissor kick to keep that out.” Those were the words Dallas Stars color commentator Daryl “Razor” USA TODAY / Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen might’ve made the NHL’s save of Reaugh used to describe an incredible save by goalie Kari Lehtonen during the year the third period of Friday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Lehtonen somehow managed to block the puck with his pad while he was By Simon Samano stomach down on the ice. The play doesn’t look like much in real time, but in slow motion you see just how fantastic it was. November 2, 2013 at 11:09pm EST Judge for yourself: Unfortunately this play was part of a losing effort as the Avalanche won 3-2. USA TODAY LOADED: 11.04.2013

Load more

  171

Copy Link