Sport-Scan Daily Brief

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 2/3/2021 Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche 1182849 Arthur Kaliyev’s goal in debut wasted in Kings’ loss to 1182877 Avalanche grinds out 2-1 win over Minnesota behind Ducks defense, depth scoring 1182850 Ducks have two games rescheduled due to COVID-19 1182878 Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon out “week-to-week” with pandemic lower-body injury 1182851 Ducks take the game to Kings in comprehensive victory 1182879 Philipp Grubauer backstops injury-riddled Avalanche to over rivals 2-1 victory over Minnesota 1182880 Avs Injury Updates and Line Combos for Tonight Arizona Coyotes 1182852 Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong recalls time in St. Louis, as Columbus Blue Jackets Coyotes begin long road trip 1182881 Four takeaways from Blue Jackets' 6-3 loss to Stars in 1182853 Coyotes ambassador to skate across Valley in honor of Laine's debut Leighton Accardo 1182882 Jackets fall flat in Laine debut, lose to Stars 6-3. 1182854 Arizona Coyotes activate D Ilya Lyubushkin, who practiced 1182883 Blue Jackets excited for Laine to launch a new NHL Monday chapter — and a lot of pucks 1182884 Blue Jackets still adjusting to the NHL's new normal: Boston Bruins 'Everything's up in the air' 1182855 Bruins’ schedule reshuffled for the first time this season by 1182885 Patrik Laine’s debut not enough for Blue Jackets to avoid COVID ugly ‘retro’ loss 1182856 Bruins weekend clash with Sabres postponed 1182886 Patrik Laine’s supernova career seeks a new launch point 1182857 Frederic's fight with Tom Wilson gave Bruins needed with Blue Jackets boost in win vs. Capitals 1182858 Carlo scores late to complete amazing Bruins comeback Dallas Stars win 1182887 Stars notebook: Dallas’ ‘infectious’ shooting mentality vs. 1182859 Boston Bruins’ Games vs. Sabres Postponed Due To Blue Jackets helps set a season record COVID Protocols 1182888 Dynamic duo: John Klingberg, Joe Pavelski make it look 1182860 Boston Bruins Getting Back To Being Bigger, Badder easy in Stars’ win over Blue Jackets 1182861 Pastrnak Jumpstarts Improbable Comeback Win For 1182889 Stars forward Ty Dellandrea scratched, Jake Oettinger Boston Bruins back in net vs. Blue Jackets 1182862 Frederic Shows ‘No Fear’ In Sparking Boston Bruins With 1182890 Joe Pavelski’s scoring prowess and leadership on full Fight display in Stars’ win 1182891 Thomas Harley headlines top things to watch for with Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate 1182863 Sabres' season on pause as Hall, Ristolainen land on Covid-19 list Detroit Red Wings 1182864 Sabres game vs. Islanders is postponed due to Covid 1182892 Detroit Red Wings can expect a boost as they hit the road. protocols Here's why 1182865 NHL postpones Sabres’ next four games due to COVID-19 1182893 Red Wings welcome back several familiar, needed faces protocols with long road trip looming 1182894 Detroit's Doug Plagens turns Red Wings' fandom into NHL Calgary Flames play-by-play gig 1182866 Hockey Alberta, Ringette Calgary cancel minor games for 1182895 Red Wings’ road ahead daunting, but help on the way rest of season 1182896 Dylan Larkin’s road to Red Wings captain is a fairy tale, 1182867 No comeback this time as Flames fall to Jets after another but it wasn’t inevitable slow start 1182868 'They’ve been playing great': Hanifin, Tanev form rock- Edmonton Oilers solid defensive duo for Flames 1182897 Jesse Puljujarvi scores two for Oilers in win against Senators Carolina Hurricanes 1182898 OILERS SNAPSHOTS: Bouchard get a look, Neal gets a 1182869 Svechnikov goal gives Hurricanes 4-3 shootout win over seat Blackhawks 1182899 Bouchard makes his debut tonight on Edmonton Oilers blue line Chicago Blackhawks 1182900 Oil Spills: That empty (arena) feeling 1182870 Chicago Blackhawks rally twice to tie the Carolina 1182901 Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers January report card — grading Hurricanes, but they lose 4-3 in a shootout everyone from Connor McDavid to Kyle Turris 1182871 Blackhawks fall to Hurricanes in shootout despite Alex DeBrincat’s surprise return Florida Panthers 1182872 Duncan Keith’s viral Corsi joke raises interesting point 1182902 With Panthers on best start in history, their top about value of NHL’s proxy stats defenseman is ‘meeting the challenge’ 1182873 Hawks hang tough against Hurricanes, but fall 4-3 in 1182903 Wheeler’s 2021 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 9 Florida shootout Panthers 1182874 Hawks' DeBrincat, Beaudin clear COVID protocol, start in Tuesday's game 1182875 Competitive and – dare we say? – fun Blackhawks continue to defy expectations 1182876 Power play, a goaltending success: 10 Blackhawks observations after 10 games Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers 1182904 Arthur Kaliyev’s goal in debut wasted in Kings’ loss to 1182939 Rangers Demote Top Player and Say He Won’t Be Back Ducks 1182940 The glaring red flag that makes Tony DeAngelo 1182905 Ducks take the game to Kings in comprehensive victory radioactive after Rangers dismissal over rivals 1182941 Post-Tony DeAngelo Rangers may be ready for a reversal 1182906 Kings’ Arthur Kaliyev scores in his NHL debut against of fortunes Ducks 1182907 FINAL – KINGS 1, DUCKS 3 – PETERSEN, KALIYEV, Ottawa Senators MCLELLAN 1182942 SNAPSHOTS: Senators goalie Matt Murray gets the night 1182908 GAME THREAD – KINGS VS. DUCKS, 2/2 off in Edmonton 1182909 KINGS MAKE SEVERAL ROSTER MOVES, WITH FOUR 1182943 GARRIOCH: Tim Stuetzle is here to stay after suiting up ADDED TO ACTIVE ROSTER for his seventh game of the NHL season 1182910 2/2 PREVIEW – PETERSEN OFF FIRST, LINES, ARTY 1182944 Start of Belleville Senators season delayed, again PARTY, CENTERS, REVERSE RETROS 1182911 ANZE KOPITAR, DR. MAURICE O’GORMAN NAMED Philadelphia Flyers JANUARY WEST DIVISION “STARS OF THE MONTH” 1182945 Wells Fargo Center gets high health-safety rating, raising hopes fans can attend Flyers, Sixers games this sea Minnesota Wild 1182946 GM Chuck Fletcher likes Flyers’ record so far, but knows 1182912 Jared Spurgeon latest to get injured in Wild's narrow loss his team hasn’t played as well as it suggests to Avalanche 1182947 Morgan Frost may miss rest of season; Flyers GM keeping 1182913 Wild-Colorado game recap door open for Matt Niskanen return 1182914 Wild stays close but falls short to Avalanche 1182948 GM not completely satisfied with the Flyers’ fast start 1182915 COVID-19 always lurking in the minds of Wild players 1182949 In assessing blueline depth, Chuck Fletcher keeping door 1182916 Wild, Avalanche missing key players for Round 3 open for Matt Niskanen 1182917 Who is the best center to pair with Wild rookie star Kirill 1182950 One of Flyers' top prospects to have surgery; Couturier Kaprizov? nearing return 1182918 Wild fall 2-1 to rival Avs, lose captain Jared Spurgeon in 1182951 Flyers prospect recovering from collapsed lung process 1182919 After 10 1/2 months off, Wild taxi squad players make an Pittsburgh Penguins impact 1182952 Penguins remain on task despite so many diversions 1182953 Injured Penguins Zach Aston-Reese, Mike Matheson Montreal Canadiens making progress 1182920 In the Habs' Room: Tyler Toffoli punishing his former team 1182954 Penguins assign defenseman Will Reilly to this season Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1182921 Newcomers lead Canadiens into first place in the North 1182955 Empty Thoughts: Rangers 3, Penguins 1 Division 1182956 When Evgeni Malkin finds his game, he'll have two 1182922 Canadiens Game Day: Bergy's Boys are looking good for wingers waiting first-place Habs 1182957 10 stats that tell the tale of Penguins' first 10 games 1182923 Stu Cowan: 'I never really imagined,' playing 1,000 games, 1182958 Apologies Sid, You’re Not Old, but Others Are and They’re Weber says StrugglingPublished 5 hours ago on February 2, 2021 1182924 Conversation with Canadiens' Shea Weber about reaching 1182959 P-O Joseph’s Arrival is Exciting, Creates Penguins Trade 1,000-game mark ChipPublished 15 hours ago on February 2, 2021 1182925 In the Habs' Room: With lead against the Canucks, Canadiens are fresh for Round 5 San Jose Sharks 1182926 A sportswriter’s admission of failure: The Canadiens are 1182960 Patrick Marleau moves up to second line as Sharks look so good, it’s boring for balance 1182927 Shea Weber at 1,000 games: Former teammates reveal 1182961 Nikolai Knyzhov’s ‘crazy road’ leads to breakthrough their best untold tales season with Sharks Nashville Predators Seattle Kraken 1182928 I'm ready to sound the alarm on Nashville Predators' 2021 1182962 As Kraken waits to hire coach, Mike Grier and Rod season. Here's why| Estes Brind’Amour emerge as possible options 1182929 ‘BoroCop’ isn’t just a nickname to Mark Borowiecki. It’s a way of life St Louis Blues 1182963 Blues notebook: Combination of Krug and Faulk settling in New Jersey Devils for Blues 1182930 NHL rumors: Penguins target Devils’ Tom Fitzgerald for 1182964 Blues treat their fans to a 4-3 win over Arizona vacant GM job 1182965 Blues ready for Coyotes and, for a change, paying 1182931 NHL postpones Sabres games through Feb. 8 due to customers at Enterprise COVID issues following Devils series 1182966 Blues fans feel safe, players feel support as club hosts 1182932 What Devils’ COVID outbreak means for short-term and crowd of 1,400 long-term status of the team 1182933 Devils’ COVID outbreak prompts NHL to postpone Tampa Bay Lightning upcoming games 1182967 When might Amalie Arena reopen to Lightning, Raptors 1182934 6 observations from Devils’ win over Sabres: Michael fans? McLeod, Miles Wood spark big day for 4th line, COVID 1182968 Lightning mailbag: Time to flip Mathieu Joseph and Tyler conc Johnson in lineup? 1182935 NJ Devils now have 14 players in COVID protocol: When will they play again? New York Islanders 1182936 Two Islanders games postponed due to COVID protocol 1182937 COVID-19 outbreak on Devils leads to Islanders-Sabres postponements 1182938 Second Islanders, Sabres Clash Postponed Due to COVIDPublished 8 hours ago on February 2, 2021 Toronto Maple Leafs 1182969 Wayne Simmonds could be playing his way up the Leafs’ lineup with hard work, recent hot streak 1182970 It’s easy to make too much of the Maple Leafs’ early numbers 1182971 Petan skates into the Maple Leafs' fray while Lehtonen continues to try to find his way 1182972 Simmonds gets a deserved Maple Leafs promotion, though Keefe not yet ready to commit 1182973 Emphasis for Leafs' goalless Mikheyev is to take greater advantage of speed, power 1182974 Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Updates on Rodion Amirov, Mikko Kokkonen, more Vancouver Canucks 1182988 Canadiens 5, Canucks 3: Lightning strikes twice as Toffoli torches former club again 1182989 Canucks notebook: Horvat learning leadership, fixing Green's machine 1182990 The Armies: Tyler Toffoli continues to haunt Canucks and the Shea Weber what-if Vegas Golden Knights 1182975 Silver Knights staff returns after stint with Golden Knights 1182976 Golden Knights Expected Back Friday, Games Rescheduled Washington Capitals 1182977 Vitek Vanecek's rookie of the month honor allowed Capitals to 'turn the page' from loss 1182978 The behind-the-scenes story of Chara's missing hockey sticks 1182979 Vitek Vanecek named NHL Rookie of the Month for January 1182980 Evaluating the Capitals through 10 games 1182981 ‘What did I order?’ — How Zdeno Chara’s sticks were delivered to the wrong address Websites 1182991 The Athletic / Why sitting out AHL season was best option for some independently owned teams 1182992 The Athletic / Projecting the 2022 Canadian men’s Olympic hockey roster 1182993 The Athletic / Projecting the 2022 Canadian women’s Olympic hockey roster 1182994 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Toffoli, Anderson delivering early returns on big-money deals 1182995 Sportsnet.ca / Rittich still seeking return to form as Flames hope for more balance in net 1182996 Sportsnet.ca / Two-game series with Senators proves to be tonic for what ailed Oilers 1182997 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks take step in right direction, but still walking a difficult path 1182998 Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Why Sabres postponements are cause for concern 1182999 Sportsnet.ca / 5 areas of concern for Maple Leafs after 'shotgun start' to season 1183000 Sportsnet.ca / Kesler on why 'military-like' Tortorella is hard on his top players 1183001 Five Takeaways: Canucks @ Montreal 1183002 ‘Fearless’ Simmonds earns a look with Nylander-Tavares line 1183003 USA TODAY / Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara's new hockey sticks mistakenly delivered to man in New Jersey Winnipeg Jets 1182982 Jets goaltender stands tall for teammate 1182983 Jets get depth scoring, timely saves in slim 3-2 win over Flames 1182984 Hellebuyck's show of emotion a 'rare occurrence' 1182985 Jets survive late push from Flames, hold on for hard- fought win 1182986 'I already like the guy': Torts, as Patrik Laine era begins in Columbus 1182987 Jets need more from Hellebuyck and have faith that they’ll get it SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1182849 Anaheim Ducks

Arthur Kaliyev’s goal in debut wasted in Kings’ loss to Ducks

Kings' Arthur Kaliyev is defended by Arizona Coyotes' Cam Dineen during a preseason game.

By JACK HARRIS FEB. 2, 2021 UPDATED 10:22 PM PT

It won’t be the prettiest goal Arthur Kaliyev ever scores, but it’ll definitely be among the most memorable.

Making his NHL debut at 19 on Tuesday night, Kaliyev became the 21st player in Kings history to score in his first game in the league, burying a point-blank rebound in the second period of the team’s 3-1 loss to the Ducks at Staples Center.

Danton Heinen, David Backes and Nicolas Deslauriers (empty net) scored for the Ducks.

For Kaliyev, Tuesday’s game was two years in the making. Though the 6-foot-2 winger’s scoring touch has never been in doubt — he has 248 points (including 126 goals) in 192 junior games in the Ontario Hockey League — he unexpectedly fell to the second round of the 2019 draft, dropping to the Kings at 33rd overall amid questions about his defensive abilities and commitment level.

Since then, Kaliyev has been trying to set the record straight, complementing his tantalizing offensive talents with a more dependable full-ice skill set.

“I’ve been working on it a lot since coming on last season,” Kaliyev said hours before Tuesday’s game. “Trying to do a lot of video. Trying to work hard in the D zone, neutral zone. Having good details. Being able to try to be the best 200-foot player out there, not just trying to score.”

He did score Tuesday, of course, providing the lone offense on a night the Kings — playing without forwards Blake Lizotte and Andreas Athanasiou, and defensemen Matt Roy and Sean Walker — looked disjointed from the start.

Kings right wing Arthur Kaliyev celebrates with center Michael Amadio.

“They were better than us in every aspect of the game,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

Kaliyev was one of the few players McLellan praised Tuesday — “There was nothing that I didn’t like … a good start for him,” McLellan said — showing off his continually improving two-way game.

At the World Junior Championship last month, Kaliyev helped Team USA to a gold medal not only by contributing eight points but also by registering a plus-nine rating on the team’s top line. He scored three goals in five preseason games with the Kings’ minor league Ontario Reign affiliate last week, yet received more praise from Reign coach John Wroblewski on his play away from the puck.

“I’ve liked him on the forecheck,” Wroblewski said. “He’s become increasingly more responsible defensively.”

McLellan echoed that message Tuesday afternoon, highlighting Kaliyev’s development as a distributor as well.

“He’s probably always going to be known for his shot but he does have good vision and nice hands, gets the puck off quick,” McLellan said, adding: “His creativity offensively will be an asset that he’ll always have and will need to take advantage of as the years go on.”

Tuesday was a good start. With his parents already in town on a pre- planned trip when he got the news, Kaliyev said he was feeling anxious yet excited pregame. He even got a good night’s sleep Monday.

“I was thinking about it a bit,” he said, chuckling. “But once I fell asleep it was all fine.”

LA Times: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182850 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks have two games rescheduled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Two contests later this month have been shifted to April because of a recent outbreak among the Vegas Golden Knights

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 2:32 p.m. | UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 6:22 p.m.

They have worn their masks, socially distanced, stayed home as much as possible and generally taken all the precautions necessary to attempt to play hockey in the pandemic world. The Ducks got a reminder Monday of the fragile state of affairs of the coronavirus season, though.

The NHL shifted two of their games later this month to April in order to accommodate the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights because of positive cases among two Vegas players and three coaches that forced postponements of three games last week.

The Ducks’ game Feb. 13 against the Sharks in San Jose was rescheduled for April 6 and their Feb. 26 game against the Golden Knights at Honda Center was shifted to April 23, the first impact to their season beyond what they’ve grown accustomed to since training camp began Dec. 31.

The Golden Knights were cleared to resume practices and games Monday. Their next scheduled game is Friday against the Kings in Las Vegas, although one Vegas player and two members of the Kings remained on the NHL’s protocol list of players who are unavailable to play.

Monday, the league shut down all of the New Jersey Devils practices and games through Saturday and has placed 14 players on the unavailable to play list. Tuesday, it halted all of the Buffalo Sabres’ practices and games through next Monday because the Sabres played the Devils twice over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Ducks continued to prepare for what challenges might soon come.

“It’s just kind of turned into reality now,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said Tuesday. “I think when we first got here and got started (before training camp began), it was new and a new habit we had to get into, right from the testing to making sure we have masks on, to splitting up meetings.”

For example, the Ducks have kept goaltender John Gibson away from his teammates at times in the dressing room in order to limit any further exposure. Gibson might ordinarily attend meetings of the Ducks’ power- play units, but he’s been told to stay away this season.

Also, the coaching staff often cuts short face-to-face conversations for similar reasons.

“The reality is, your whole group, from staff to players to families at home, and some guys have kids in school, we just need everyone to be super disciplined,” Eakins said. “The other reality is, even if you are super disciplined, you can still end up with this thing. It’s not hard to transmit or to get.

“We’re trying to be really diligent, as are all the teams, because you certainly don’t want to be shut down. You can’t practice. You basically can’t do anything. It takes the rhythm out of your schedule, as well. Certainly, we don’t want to risk anybody getting sick or infecting anyone else.”

Plans are in place in case someone does become infected, however.

“We just need to assume, and we’re waiting and ready, in case it does happen,” Eakins said. “We’re doing our best, not only with the league protocols but our own, to keep it out. … So, I think you just have to take the approach of it’s coming at some point and we’ll be ready, but you’re hopeful it doesn’t come.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182851 Anaheim Ducks and the message was received loud and clear, judging by Henrique’s strong play while skating alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Troy Terry.

Each of the Ducks’ four lines contributed, but none more than the Ducks take the game to Kings in comprehensive victory over rivals Deslauriers, Backes and Carter Rowney line. Deslauriers’ goal, with 46 seconds remaining and Petersen on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, was unassisted. Rowney set up Backes’ goal with a deft pass By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 9:42 p.m. | from below the goal line. UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 11:54 p.m. It was Backes’ first goal since Dec. 1, 2019, while with the Boston Bruins.

“I don’t know how many games it had been,” Backes said. “It might have Nicolas Deslauriers of the Ducks and Kurtis MacDermid of the Kings got been 12 games (actually, it was 15) since I scored. I got back to the the first of this season’s eight grudge matches between the rivals off to a bench and you forget how good it feels to score. I want to just keep doing rollicking start on Tuesday night at Staples Center, dropping the gloves to it. I had a lot of shots, a lot of opportunities. fight only three seconds after the opening faceoff. “My linemates were working their butts off.” It’s a tough way to earn a living, and MacDermid paid the price for his decision over Deslauriers, displaying bloodied knuckles while seated in Deslauriers seals the win with an ANAHEIM the penalty box. Deslauriers cooled himself down by splashing water GOOOOOOAAAAAAAL #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks I over his head while seated next door. #FreewayFaceoff pic.twitter.com/KWaRuCczoW

It was not that kind of a game, though. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021

Deslauriers did more skating, passing and shooting, but not that much Deslauriers with the Gordie Howe hat trick tonight more scoring than fighting as the Ducks took a 3-1 victory from the Kings. #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks I #FreewayFaceoff I There was some intense, physical play, of course, but nothing that could @AlysonLozoff pic.twitter.com/PX3Q07sRqJ compare to the rough stuff of seasons past. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 These are not those kinds of teams anymore. "I thought we were on point on everything we wanted to accomplish. I Deslauriers, a fourth-line winger who led the NHL with 14 fighting majors would still like us to score more goals. The chances are last season, mastered the more refined parts of the game Tuesday as there."#FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/TjjEZOZyZo the Ducks ended a three-game losing streak with a comprehensive victory that was their best overall showing in 11 games this season. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021

In addition to his first-period fight, he also assisted on linemate David Todd McLellan keeps it real after tonight's loss #FreewayFaceoff | Backes’ goal in the second that gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead and then @LAKings pic.twitter.com/788GMCMlZT scored into an empty net in the third to account for the final score for a well-earned Gordie Howe hat trick. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021

Danton Heinen also scored for the Ducks, who outshot the Kings by 43- Cal Petersen address the media after a stellar performance @LAKings 21, including 15-4 in the opening period. John Gibson made 20 saves, | #FreewayFaceoff pic.twitter.com/EDY0nrfOkr with the Ducks easing his burden by taking the game to the Kings and — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 putting them on their heels from start to finish. He's still got it in him! Two for David Backes tonight! “I thought we were on point with everything we wanted to accomplish,” #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/gjb8Y6adVl Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “I would still like us to score more goals. The chances are there. We’ve just got to put them in the net. We still had — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 a few times where I thought we passed up shots. Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.03.2021 “It’s a good feeling to have an effort like that.”

Arthur Kaliyev, a crafty 19-year-old right wing, scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, a tap-in after Gibson had to scramble to deny Michael Amidio’s initial attempt from the right wing, pulling the Kings within 2-1 at 5:32 of the second period.

“It was a really special moment, getting the first one,” Kaliyev said. “You never forget those moments, getting your first goal. When I saw Amadio shoot off the pad (of Gibson), I thought I was going to see a rebound there. Luckily, I got the rebound and I was able to bury it.”

The goal came against the run of play and gave the Kings some much- needed momentum after the Ducks had hemmed them in for extended stretches in the first period. All things considered, a 2-1 deficit entering the third could have been far worse, as far as the Kings were concerned.

After all, the Ducks led in shots 33-11 to start the final period.

“There’s nothing that I didn’t like,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said of Kaliyev. “He’s a young player who was excited to play. The guys were excited for him. That gave us a little bit of life and a little bit of energy.”

Instead of retreating, the Ducks continued to push for a third goal in the third. They killed off an early holding penalty given to defenseman Hampus Lindholm, but then couldn’t click on a power play moments later, with the Kings penalized for having too many men on the ice.

Henrique was back in the Ducks’ lineup after he was scratched from Sunday’s game, a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Eakins sent a message 1182852 Arizona Coyotes When the NHL was looking at reconfiguring divisions for the shortened season, St. Louis was thought to be headed to the Central before being placed in the West. So at that point, Armstrong knew he'd face his former Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong recalls time in St. Louis, as Coyotes begin team. long road trip "We're just hockey people. It's just business, you just go in and make sure your team's prepared," Armstrong said. "That's the best thing that you can do." JOSE M. ROMERO | Arizona Republic Coyotes Gameday

Coyotes at St. Louis Blues, Tuesday, 6 p.m. Bill Armstrong knew this week would come, but he purposely didn't mark Feb. 2 on his calendar. TV/Radio: Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports 910 AM

The Arizona Coyotes general manager, just eight games and a few Update: The Coyotes are soon to get a defensive reinforcement in the months into his tenure, tried to avoid thinking about the days his team will burly Ilya Lyubushkin, who practiced with the team for the first time this play in St. Louis. Still, he has plenty of good memories of his time there. season on Monday. Lyubushkin was added to the active roster as the team prepared to leave on their six-game road trip, which starts in St. The Coyotes open a six-game road trip with two games against the Blues Louis. Also, captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson appears closer to being taken on Tuesday and Thursday. off injured reserve, where he's been for two weeks. Ekman-Larsson is on the road trip and is expected to practice with the team this week. Forward "It's hard, because a lot of the players you've known since they were 18 Christian Fischer is day-to-day with an unspecified injury and didn't years old," Armstrong said. "Such fond memories of going through that practice the past two days. And goalie Antti Raanta could be in line for a organization and being a part of it. It's very hard, you know, and so I've start in net on this trip, as he's made just one start in part due to injury. tried not to think about it. Arizona Republic LOADED: 02.03.2021 "That's the truth."

The road to Armstrong becoming an NHL general manager went through the Midwest city for 16 years. Armstrong began his time there as a scout, then in 2010 was named director of amateur scouting. In 2018, Armstrong was named assistant general manger to Doug Armstrong, who is still the Blues' GM.

The years of contributing to, then overseeing drafts paid off when the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019. That helped Bill Armstrong draw interest from other teams in search of a general manager, and the Coyotes were the ones to land him.

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"As we're preparing to play them, it's a different mindset then just looking at the calendar and knowing they're coming next," Armstrong said. "They're a good team, and how can we play a certain way and are we going to be healthy and you worry about all those different things coming at you. Definitely going to be a battle for us. But I do believe we match up pretty good with them in certain situations."

The Blues (6-2-1) sit atop the Honda West Division and have won three straight. Their roster is stocked with players drafted during Armstrong's time there, including Jordan Kyrou (the co-leader in points with 10), Jaden Schwartz, David Perron, Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas and No. 1 goalie Jordan Binnington.

"My biggest thing is, it ended the way you're supposed to end it, right? By winning a championship. The second part of it is I got to work with so many great people that kind of mentored me, brought me under their wing," Armstrong said. "At the end, Mr. (Tom) Stillman being one of our owners, he was such a great owner, it was just an awesome experience to go through. Let alone working with Doug Armstrong, which was a bonus."

There won't be the freedom for Armstrong to re-visit much of the city where he spent all those years. National Hockey League COVID-19 protocols are making sure of that.

The restrictions will keep Armstrong from reconnecting with many old friends and co-workers. It's walk into the arena, go up to his seat and watch the game.

But the memories of his work and family time there will be everywhere.

"The Midwest people are great people, that's number one," Armstrong said. "There was a lot of former players that we got to become really good friends with, like Keith Tkachuk and the Al MacInnises of the world, that when you were there always made you feel like their place was your place. I think the people were the biggest thing for me, always very loyal to the Blues, great fans."

One lasting recollection for Armstrong was the 2017 Winter Classic, played at Busch Stadium where baseball's Cardinals call home, and in front of 46,000 fans. Armstrong enjoyed seeing so many fans wearing Blues colors inside and outside of the stadium. 1182853 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes ambassador to skate across Valley in honor of Leighton Accardo

BY CHARACTER COUNTS FEBRUARY 1, 2021 AT 5:31 PM

Arizona Coyotes ambassador Lyndsey Fry is planning a trans-Valley roller skate later this month in honor of one of team’s most devoted fans.

Fry will skate 96 miles in total on Feb. 21, from Phoenix Children’s Hospital southeast toward AZ Ice Gilbert, before turning north towards Ice Den Scottsdale.

Her skate, dubbed “Skatin’ for Leighton” will head westward to AZ Ice in Peoria, before wrapping up at Gila River Arena, with a goal of raising $49,000 in memory of Coyotes’ superfan Leighton Accardo, who passed away at the age of 9 in November after battling Stage 4 cancer for more than a year.

Fry’s path on Feb. 21 will see her skate to all of the ice rinks in Arizona before wrapping up her ultra-marathon activities at the home of the Coyotes.

All funds raised by Fry will go toward a girls hockey scholarship fund in Leighton’s honor, according to a team press release.

As of Feb. 1, the “Skatin’ for Leighton” drive has raised $28,500, a less than 75% of the way toward their overall goal.

Interested donors can choose from several funding options, ranging from $25 to $250. Everyone that donates more than $49 will receive a T-shirt that honors Leighton.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182854 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes activate D Ilya Lyubushkin, who practiced Monday

BY ARIZONA SPORTS FEBRUARY 1, 2021 AT 2:26 PM

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin practiced on Monday and was activated to the roster after clearing quarantine.

Lyubushkin had not been with Arizona through training camp and the team’s 3-4-1 start to the 2021 season due to visa issues.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said that the 26-year-old Russian will take a few practices to get his legs under him but returned to the team in good physical shape.

“First of all, he came back like (with) great improvements with his weight and his body fat … so he’s really worked at it,” Tocchet told reporters Monday. “Poor guy, he’s been in quarantine … I don’t know how many days. He hasn’t really been on the ice.

“He was a little rusty out there. That’ll come back when he has two or three practices, but he looks to me like he came back in good shape because his is numbers are way down … better than last year. He’s done his work. Now it’s about getting reps.”

Lyubushkin averaged 14:11 on ice in 2019-20 and during 51 appearances totaled four assists.

The Coyotes head to the road for their next six games where they will play the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche twice each. That road trip starts Tuesday in St. Louis.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182855 Boston Bruins “Usually, to do that in other teams building, you got to have some confidence, but also a team that can play any way,” Cassidy said. “So that was the good part. So yes, it might be one of those, you’ll look back Bruins’ schedule reshuffled for the first time this season by COVID and say hey, that did a lot of good for us. But honestly, I do feel we feel good about ourselves. There’s very few nights where we’re really down and out and feel we can’t win. So that’s a part of it as well.”

By Julian Benbow Globe Staff,Updated February 2, 2021, 6:02 p.m. Rask will start against Flyers

Cassidy mapped out his plan for the goaltenders this week. Tuukka Rask will start Wednesday against Philadelphia. He’s been dominant against The Sabres' training facility was closed, effective immediately. the Flyers over his career (16-2-4, .918 save percentage, 23 games). He The Bruins’ schedule will be shaken up for the first time this season hasn’t lost to Philly since 2013, going 12-0-1 over the past 13 matchups. because of the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, Rask will likely be in net when the two teams meet Their matchups Saturday and Monday against Buffalo were postponed again Friday. because two Sabres — Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen — are in the Jaroslav Halak, who picked up the win Monday against Washington, NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. would have been back in net Saturday against the Sabres. The Sabres had their game against the Islanders postponed Tuesday “We’re going to try to keep it, in that regard, where we’re not overplaying because the snowstorm that slammed the East Coast delayed their flight one guy for a week,” Cassidy said. “But he might play two in a row and and they were unable to go through testing and contact tracing in time to then the other guy will go in. So that’s what we’re thinking right now.” play. Cassidy is being mindful of the workload for the two goalies. Rask, 33, Buffalo’s COVID-19 cases arose after playing two games over the has started five games so far. Halak, 35, has started four. weekend against the Devils, who had 14 players placed on the league’s protocols list. Tuukka Rask will start Wednesday against Philadelphia.

The Devils have been shut down through Feb. 9, and Buffalo won’t play “We have confidence in both,” Cassidy said. “I think when you’re the age again until Feb. 11. they’re at, they understand why we’re doing it. A younger [player] might say, ‘Hey, I’m hot. Leave me in there. Let me get on a roll.’ But they know “The National Hockey League announced today that Buffalo Sabres we have a plan going in, and it’s big picture. games have been postponed at least through Feb. 8 as a result of two Players entering the NHL’s COVID Protocols,” the league said in a “But yeah, there could be a time where we just feel if the guy’s really statement. “The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and feeling it and he’s healthy and the schedule allows it, then you might get Club’s medical groups, who determined that more caution was warranted a few extra starts in a row.” while the League continues to analyze test results in the coming days. Sloppy and slow “The team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed until further notice. The League is in the process The Bruins have the seventh-best power-play percentage in the league of reviewing and revising the Sabres’ regular-season schedule and it is (30.0) but went 0 for 5 with an advantage Monday against the Capitals. expected that a decision on next week’s games will be made in the Cassidy chalked it up to execution. coming days. The Sabres’ organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of “I thought we were sloppy and slow,” Cassidy said. “Sloppy and slow is its Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state the best way to put it. Probably our worst performance in a while in terms and national agencies.” of just not being crisp and zipping around and finding the right outlet.”

Never out of it Between holding onto the puck too long and forcing plays against an aggressive Capitals defense, Cassidy said the Bruins were Before the Bruins wiped out a 3-0 deficit in a win Monday over uncharacteristic. Washington, coach Bruce Cassidy saw the signs of a team that knew no hole was too deep to climb out of two nights prior. “Just stuff that typically we don’t [do],” Cassidy said. “So you put all that into it and just not really effective.” The Bruins were down, 3-0, in the second period Saturday against the Capitals but clawed back to force overtime. Even though they couldn’t Boston Globe LOADED: 02.03.2021 pull out the comeback, they confirmed they could score in bursts and keep themselves in games.

“There’s a good feeling in this team, no matter what, that we can come back,” Cassidy said. “We’re never out of it. You have to play a certain way to stay in it. But I think our guys feel that we can score. We can win games like that where we need to outscore the other team because we’ve had some breakdowns.”

The Capitals jumped out to a 3-0 lead again Monday, but the Bruins rallied and scored four goals, rattling off three in the third period to steal a 5-3 win.

Brandon Carlo came through with a big goal Monday night.

For proof that the Bruins believe the game is truly never over, Brandon Carlo scored the go-ahead goal with 2:37 left in the game and Brad Marchand added an empty-netter with 1:26 left.

Pulling out a comeback against Washington also exorcised some demons against a team that had won 18 of the last 21 matchups going back to 2014 and gave the Bruins a confidence boost.

“In Washington, a team that we’ve had probably mental hurdles with over the last four or five years, we’re starting to get over those,” Cassidy said. “I think we match up a little better.”

The Bruins hadn’t won at Washington since 2019. They were 1-9 on the road against the Capitals going back to 2015. 1182856 Boston Bruins such a weapon this season and in recent years, went 0-for-4, including a 5-on-3 that lasted nearly a minute. It tended to kill momentum instead of generate it.

Bruins weekend clash with Sabres postponed Obviously, the B’s somehow found a way to overcome the deficiency, but the dreadful PP was not something that escaped Cassidy’s attention.

By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 6:35 p.m. | “It was strictly execution to me. I thought we were sloppy and slow. UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 8:38 p.m. Sloppy and slow is the best way to put it, probably our worst performance in terms of not being crisp and zipping it around finding the right outlet,” said Cassidy. “Guys held on to it a little too long and forced a play. They were a little more aggressive up high at times than maybe we expected, It was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 epidemic would affect but still, we just came off playing one like Pittsburgh, so we should have the Bruins in some way, shape or form — and that time has come. been better prepared for it. We were just not real clean. On the 5-on-3 On Tuesday the NHL announced that the B’s games against the Buffalo (last week vs. Penguins), I thought we hit the right play in Pittsburgh. Sabres scheduled for Saturday and Monday at the Garden are They had two forwards on the ice and we got low in a hurry and got the postponed due to two Sabres players — Taylor Hall and Rasmus backdoor play (Brad Marchand to Nick Ritchie). (On Monday), they had Ristolainen — entering the league’s protocol list. two D out the other night and we hit Pasta up top for what we call a plunger, up top that one-timer and he was just off net. And then we got “The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical away from it. I think it was the right play to get the shot from up top there groups, who determined that more caution was warranted while the in the middle of the ice, we just tried to force a few other ones, missed a league continues to analyze test results in the coming days,” read a seam, got a shot blocked. Just stuff we typically don’t do. Didn’t recover a league statement. puck, they got a couple clears. You put all that into it, and it was just not real effective.” The statement went on to say that the Sabres’ training facilities have been closed, effective immediately and that they will remain closed until Ferguson to interview with Penguins further notice. The league also stated that there was no protocol-breaking on the Sabres’ part. The Bruins have granted the Penguins permission to interview executive director of Player Personnel John Ferguson Jr. for it’s open GM position “The Sabres’ organization has and will continue to follow all following Jim Rutherford‘s surprise resignation, the Herald confirmed. recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its TSN originally reported the contact between the teams. players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies,” said the statement. It would be hard to beat Ferguson’s experience. Ferguson was GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs for four-plus seasons (2003-08) and before arriving The issue traces back to the New Jersey Devils, who now have 14 in Boston, he was Director of Pro Scouting for the San Jose Sharks for players on the protocol list. The Sabres had played the Devils on Sunday six years (2008-14). He was also assistant GM for the St. Louis Blues afternoon and, earlier in the day on Tuesday, had their scheduled game from 1997-2003. against the Islanders postponed as the Sabres continued to conduct their contact tracing. TSN also reported the Penguins have also reportedly received permission to speak with Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury. The league has not yet set makeup dates for the two Bruins-Sabres games. Odds and ends

The B’s are in the midst of a four-game road trip, with games Wednesday The NHL had a conference call to promote the outdoor game between and Friday against Philadelphia. With the postponed games against the the Bruins and Flyers on Feb. 21. This year it will be a fan-free event held Sabres, the B’s will not play at the Garden, where they are 4-0, until Feb. against the stunning backdrop of Lake Tahoe. This will be Charlie 15. That game is scheduled to be against the Devils. McAvoy‘s first outdoor game, having missed the game at Notre Dame in 2019 due to injury. B’s hope to get bounce from big win “The scenery is going to be very unique and I think the atmosphere and The Bruins no doubt had an enjoyable train ride from Washington, D.C., effect of not having fans there kind of makes it feel even more like it used to Philadelphia late Monday night. to when you’re a kid outside with a couple of friends,” said McAvoy. “I think that aspect will be really unique. It’s just going to be a lot of fun for Not only did they stage a spirited come-from-behind victory in our all of us.” national’s capital on Monday, erasing a three-goal deficit. But it came against a team in the Capitals that had taken 17 of the previous 19 B’s catch break games against the B’s, a dizzying stat of futility for a team that has been as good as the Bruins have been the last couple of years. While the B’s are still missing Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk and Ondrej Kase, they are getting a little break in their matchups with the Flyers. As And oh, the B’s also punched the bully straight in the kisser in the they were last week in their two losses in Boston, the Flyers will again be process, surely warming everyone’s Black and Gold heart. without difference-maker Sean Couturier, one of the best two-way centers in the league. The Flyers announced Couturier will be out Coach Bruce Cassidy on Tuesday said it was the kind of win that could another 7-10 days with a rib injury. catapult a team. Boston Herald LOADED: 02.03.2021 “There’s a good feeling on this team that, no matter what, that we can come back. We’re never out of it,” said Cassidy. “You have to play a certain way to stay in it. But guys think we can score and win games like that when we need to outscore the other team because we’ve had some breakdowns. But, yes, I would think that it being in Washington, against a team we had mental hurdles with over the last five years, we’re starting to get over those. We match up a little better. Obviously, the (Trent) Frederic-(Tom) Wilson scrap’s been talked about a lot, but I think that helps, knowing that if a game goes a certain way, we’re fine either way. I actually thought we out-skated them in the third and put pucks behind them and wore out their D, got pucks back and that was the difference. Usually to do that in another team’s building, you’ve got to have some confidence that you can play a team any way. That was the good part. It might be one of those games where look back and say ‘It did a lot of good for us.’ But we do feel good about ourselves. There are very few nights where we’re really down and out and feel we can’t win.”

But no game is perfect. And in the 5-3 victory at Capital One Arena, there was one particular imperfection that flashed brightly. The B’s power play, 1182857 Boston Bruins

Frederic's fight with Tom Wilson gave Bruins needed boost in win vs. Capitals

BY NICK GOSS

Trent Frederic is a tough customer, and he proved that at the very beginning of his NHL career when he fought (and demolished) veteran defenseman Brandon Tanev in his first game for the Boston Bruins.

The 22-year-old forward is getting his second extended run at the NHL level this season, and he's continued to bring much-needed physicality and energy to the ice.

We saw a great example of that in Monday night's 5-3 comeback win over the Washington Capitals on the road.

B's have great chance to make February run with healthy roster, weak schedule

The Bruins were mounting a comeback and trailing 3-2 to the Capitals when Frederic dropped his gloves to fight Capitals forward Tom Wilson in the third period. Wilson is an experienced fighter and one of the more truculent players in the league.

Frederic held his own in an exciting bout with Wilson:

"It started with Freddy, obviously, an unbelievable job by him," Pastrnak said. "We know what he can do and the way he plays, and he proved it. He had a great fight and gave huge energy to our bench. It was unbelievable. He's a great forward and he's done a lot for the win today."

It's harder to build momentum in a game, especially when a team is trailing on the scoreboard, without fans in the building yelling and screaming. Fighting and playing with a physical mindset are two ways to instill a little more energy in a team, and Frederic certainly accomplished that Monday night.

The next step for Frederic is producing offensively. He's tallied zero goals and one assist through nine games. If Frederic is able to give the Bruins a little offense along with his physical style of play, he could become a very useful bottom-six forward for a long time.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182858 Boston Bruins AND JUST LIKE THAT BRANDON CARLO GIVES THE BRUINS THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/knxOUprAkv— NESN (@NESN) February 2, 2021

UP NEXT: Carlo scores late to complete amazing Bruins comeback win Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Philadelphia Flyers, 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 BY JACOB CAMENKER

The Boston Bruins once again started slowly against the Washington Capitals. They fell behind 3-0 for the second straight game against the Capitals and it looked like the game may turn into a rout.

Instead, the Bruins turned things up after the midpoint of the game. They scored the final five goals unanswered, including four in the third period, to earn an important win over their East division rivals.

FINAL SCORE: Bruins 5, Capitals 3

BOX SCORE

BRUINS RECORD: 6-1-2 (14 points)

HIGHLIGHTS

Zdeno Chara opened the scoring for the Capitals, scoring against the Bruins for the first time in 5,140 days.

BIG ZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE that's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/0mqKw8aVRa— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 2, 2021

Just 11 seconds later, Daniel Sprong was able to double the lead for the Capitals and gave them a 2-0 lead that they would hold at the first intermission. The period was one of the worst of the season for the Bruins. when it rains it pours pic.twitter.com/zvuEDNjDyP— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 2, 2021

On their third power play of the evening, the Capitals extended their lead to 3-0 thanks to John Carlson. it simply looked like the Bruins were overmatched at the midpoint of the game. prettyyyyy prettty prettyy goood pic.twitter.com/EpM6moURm3— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 2, 2021

Finally, the Bruins were able to get on the board via a one-timer from David Pastrnak. This came after a bizarre sequence during which the Bruins appeared to be incorrectly awarded an offensive-zone face-off.

LIKE CLOCKWORK BABYYYYYYYY

David Pastrnak has scored his first (of many) goal of the 2021 season pic.twitter.com/LOhfrw9JlT— NESN (@NESN) February 2, 2021

In the third period, Pastrnak scored again to put the Bruins within striking distance.

A double serving. #NHLBruins | @pastrnak96 pic.twitter.com/Qr6cR87wA1— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 2, 2021

With the game slipping away from the Capitals, Tom Wilson squared off for a fight against Trent Frederic. Both got in some good blows before they were separated by officials.

Trent Frederic and Tom Wilson with w BIG fight.

The matchup we’ve all been waiting for: pic.twitter.com/o2g1SFBoHR— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) February 2, 2021

Later in the period, Jeremy Lauzon made an absolute beauty of a pass to find Craig Smith, who found the back of the net. That tied the game and completed the shift of momentum to the Bruins.

WHAT A FEED FROM LAUZON! CRAIG SMITH TIE GAME! #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/8kbN9W3E7i— Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) February 2, 2021

And with 2:37 left in the period, Brandon Carlo notched the game-winner. The rocket went into the top of the net and that, along with an empty- netter from Brad Marchand, handed the Capitals their first loss of the season. 1182859 Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins’ Games vs. Sabres Postponed Due To COVID Protocols

By Joe Haggerty

The Boston Bruins are pretty banged up at this point with Ondrej Kase, Jake DeBrusk, Jack Studnicka and Matt Grzelcyk all injured seriously enough that they aren’t on the current road trip. The injured Bruins have left the club with a bit of a dilemma on the right wing currently, but they will get a chance to heal up this weekend as the B’s Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 home games against the Buffalo Sabres have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns with the Sabres.

Schedule Update: @BuffaloSabres games postponed at least through February 8. https://t.co/LLL0Xq290K pic.twitter.com/yQ8NdDfQAr

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 2, 2021

The Sabres had a pair of players enter the COVID-19 Protocols after last weekend’s games vs. a New Jersey Devils club that’s currently enduring a major outbreak.

The Bruins were originally slated to play Friday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers and then get ready for a home Saturday night date against the Sabres in their first back-to-back games of the season. Instead, they will get a four-day break in the schedule before heading to New York for a couple of games vs. the New York Rangers beginning on Feb. 10.

The Bruins are currently on a 5-0-1 roll in their last six games and sit just behind the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the East Division standings, and to this point have been fairly good about containing any COVID-19 situations. The East Division will now be going through a test of the NHL protocols with both the New Jersey Devils and the Sabres facing game postponements through the first week in February.

The Boston Bruins won’t be back at TD Garden an actual game until Feb. 15 against the New Jersey Devils, meaning they will have gone 17 days between home games after skipping the two-game series against the Sabres.

The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups, who determined that more caution was warranted while the League continues to analyze test results in the coming days. The team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed until further notice. The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Sabres’ regular season schedule and it is expected that a decision on next week’s games will be made in the coming days.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182860 Boston Bruins the Bruins needed to make quickly with Chara now gone. It’s big, heavy hits thrown by Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy on a regular basis, like the open ice smash that rocked Jordan Staal in the first round of last Boston Bruins Getting Back To Being Bigger, Badder summer’s playoff series between the Bruins and Hurricanes.

Chris Wagner is a classic hard-nosed fourth line player that hits and agitates when the situation calls for it and occasionally creates offense as By Joe Haggerty he did on Monday night’s game-winning Carlo goal, but he’s also a willing combatant when he needs to be. The personnel the Bruins have this

season gives them a group of players that can back things up physically For most of the last decade, the Washington Capitals have owned the when it gets a little nasty on the ice, and that’s a lot closer to the last B’s Boston Bruins when the two Eastern Conference titans have met. group that won the Cup than they’ve been in quite some time.

Since 2010 the Bruins and Capitals have played a total of 45 times “I definitely think it was something on the mind [of Bruins management] during the regular season and the Bruins have won a paltry 14 games with the personnel that’s now on the team,” said Bruins fourth line center over that span, not even including last year’s Bruins loss in the Toronto Sean Kuraly. “There’s two ways to attack. We definitely have what we bubble or the seven-game series loss to the Capitals in the Stanley Cup need to combat any of that. But we think we can skate, and we can do a playoffs back in 2012. little bit of both. We want to pride ourselves on being a team that can play a tight, low-scoring game or if we let a few in then we can score too. A lot of that was about Braden Holtby’s mastery over the Boston Bruins for a full decade, but in recent seasons it’s been more about a big, heavy “For us, we can combat some of the [physical play]. I think we have the and physical Capitals bunch punishing the formerly Big Bad Bruins any tools and pieces. No question. And then where we get ahead is that I chance they would get. think we can skate. That’s what we’re talking about in the room: Let’s skate and use our legs, and we think that’s a strength of our team. If it Washington employed heavy hitters like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, TJ gets a little physical, we want to, we like to and we have what it takes in Oshie and Dmitry Orlov in their lineup along with the obvious skill level, that room.” and they continuously add physical players like Brendan Dillon and Zdeno Chara to the mix on an annual basis as well. Last season’s The Bruins want to win with their Perfection Line skill and they want to regular season finale was the perfect example with the Bruins taking a dazzle opponents with their special teams’ prowess, and those are going rare 7-3 win over the Capitals on home ice, but in the process of a to be the main building blocks to victory along with the NHL’s best blowout loss the Capitals began running Bruins players and took both goaltending duo in Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. They believe that Charlie McAvoy and Torey Krug out for extended periods of time. the skill and skating game is what gets them into the postseason tournament during the regular season, but they have been a little light in In essence, the Bruins had few answers for a player like the 6-foot-4, the postseason and it’s caught up to them the last three seasons. 220-pound Wilson running around roughshod with players like Brad Marchand forced to fight out of their weight class in order to try and keep That’s changed this season with the recent bulky addition of Jeremy the peace. That wasn’t an effective deterrent at all, with all due credit to Lauzon, Ritchie, Frederic to the rest of the group. The Bruins are also Marchand for stepping up and showing both leadership and gusts. But a showing a newfound willingness to go toe-to-toe with physical, truculent funny has happened with the Boston Bruins after being pushed around teams like the Capitals, and even beat them at their own game when by teams like the Capitals, the St. Louis Blues and, yes, even the Tampa push comes to shove. Bay Lightning during their last two playoff meetings. That’s a new wrinkle for this group of Bruins that’s essentially a It sure feels like the Big Bad Bruins have gotten their toughness mojo throwback to the way the B’s have historically always been, and it’s a back despite losing the ultimate intimidator in Chara. component they’re going to need when things get heated in the big moments this season. Instead, the Bruins now boast a couple of beefy boys up front in Nick Ritchie and Trent Frederic, with the 22-year-old rookie showing his mettle Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 while challenging Wilson to a heavyweight bout in the third period that changed the momentum of Monday night’s 5-3 comeback win.

Trent Frederic drops the gloves with Tom Wilson. pic.twitter.com/8CnbGI3cPX

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 2, 2021

Frederic more than held his own against the toughest customer he’ll see in the East Division in Wilson, and is playing a gnarly, nasty brand of hockey that the Bruins haven’t seen in a homegrown forward since Milan Lucic left town back in 2015.

“I think Freddy had a lot to do [with the comeback]; his scrap with Wilson kind of got everyone’s attention on the bench. Wilson is arguably the toughest guys in the National Hockey League, but Freddy stood in there and gave us a bit of a boost,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “I don’t know what it does to their team, but it gives us a boost.

“It’s part of his game. He knows it’s in him. He tried [to fight] the other night. He tried with Wilson the other night, so he’s recognizing what he needs to do to spark us. We’re going to give him some rope with his offensive game, but he needs to bring the assertiveness and the abrasiveness. He’s drawing penalties and he’s annoying people, so that’s just some of the intangibles he can bring. We wanted to be heavier this year and tried to build our club to be a little more abrasive while still holding the speed and skill. If he can bring that when it’s needed without being a goof, then we’re going to relish it. Tonight, it was perfect timing.”

But it goes beyond Frederic simply dropping the gloves and showing he can throw punches with the meanest of them.

It was Kevan Miller responding in the second game of the season to Miles Wood crashing Tuukka Rask in the Boston net, and showing that the Bruins will have a willing de facto enforcer in Miller if things begin to get out of hand. The Miller-Wood fight was exactly the kind of statement 1182861 Boston Bruins

Pastrnak Jumpstarts Improbable Comeback Win For Boston Bruins

By Jimmy Murphy

‘Pasta’ is back on the Boston Bruins offensive menu and it couldn’t have returned at a better time!

Boston Bruins superstar winger David Pastrnak ignited another Bruins comeback Monday with his first two goals of the 2021 season as the Bruins erased another 3-0 deficit in a 5-3 win for the ages. Unlike Saturday, when the Bruins also came back from a 3-0 deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback in overtime, there would be no need for the extra session as they scored five unanswered goals and handed the Capitals their first regulation loss of the season.

“Scoring obviously felt great,” Pastrnak said following the statement win by him and his teammates. “Had a little trouble, I was missing the net a lot, so obviously it was a good one to finally hit the net, definitely good to get the first one up.”

No one could blame Pastrnak if he was a bit rusty when he returned to the lineup for the first time this season on Saturday against the Capitals. After undergoing right hip arthroscopy and labral repair on Sept. 16, Pastrnak wasn’t expected to be in the lineup until at least February 7 but after an extensive and grueling rehab, he returned earlier than expected.

“He’s been skating hard,” Cassidy said. “He’s feeling very healthy. Was able to work with our skating coach Kim Brandvold for at least a minimum three weeks, and it gets a little boring on your own all the time. But he’s certainly working on his shot, and he was ready. A little bit ahead of schedule, thankfully for us. We knew that could be a possibility probably about a month ago because of the way he keeps himself in shape, and we’re happy to have him back in the lineup.”

The Caps made sure to welcome Pastrnak back on Saturday with as much physical punishment as possible and Pastrnak admitted postgame, first to Czech NHL reporter Zdenek Matejovsky, that he was feeling the pain and rust after the game Saturday and on Sunday.

“When I had the Czech question, I said I felt like I got hit by a train, so that was pretty much how I felt after first game,” Pastrnak said with his trademark smile. “I felt great during the first game, but obviously the next morning was a little tough.”

He still mustered five shots and an assist in 20:29 TOI in the 4-3 loss Saturday but after going scoreless in his first game of the season Saturday and watching his co-Rocket Richard Trophy winner and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin score the overtime winner, Pastrnak’s two goals (7 shots, 20:00 TOI) jumpstarted an improbable Boston Bruins comeback win over the Caps and the Bruins couldn’t be happier to have the ever-present scoring threat he presents for opponents every time he’s on the ice, back in their lineup.

“Again, he’s a threat every time he’s on the ice,” Cassidy pointed out. “He just looks stronger on pucks, and that’s just the physical maturity coming through. Again, nice weapon to have back in the mix.”

David Pastrnak buries his first goal of the season.

3-1 game. pic.twitter.com/t4dewUCpW5

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 2, 2021

Get BHN+

David Pastrnak buries his second goal of the night.

3-2 game. pic.twitter.com/cd4k9Qw3mJ

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 2, 2021

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182862 Boston Bruins Beyond the fight, Frederic has also done an excellent job of drawing penalties in the early going without stepping over the line. The rugged forward has one assist and 11 shots on net in nine games thus far, so Frederic Shows ‘No Fear’ In Sparking Boston Bruins With Fight there is more offense to be mined for the youngster as Frederic gets more comfortable around the net at the NHL level.

But the 21-year-old Frederic seems like the perfect truculent, young By Joe Haggerty player coming along at exactly the right time that plays to the Big Bad Bruins identity that, at times, has been a little light over the last few

years. Now Frederic just needs to keep doing it when it’s called for and One thing the Boston Bruins have been missing over the last few years is prove that the Boston Bruins are indeed a more abrasive bunch of a truly intimidating force amongst their forward group. hockey players this year.

Sure, they had 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara on their back end, but he wasn’t Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 going to pick too many fights with opposing tough guys or throw his weight around too much because he was too important to habitually land himself in the penalty box.

What they didn’t have was a Milan Lucic-type up front that could instill fear into the other team’s players and let hard-driving opponents know there would be somebody to answer to if they stepped too far over the line. Trent Frederic may not be exactly like Lucic in his prime and the 22- year-old is going to have to prove he can consistently be that guy by doing it over a long period of time, but he’s showing signs he could be the homegrown Bruins tough guy that the hockey club has desperately missed for the last handful of years.

But Frederic has done the job for the first month of the season and the 6- foot-2, 210-pounder made an unmistakable statement when he threw down with Washington Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson in Boston’s 5-3 comeback win on Monday night. Frederic finally got Wilson to drop the gloves after challenging him for two games and both big boy heavyweight threw big shots in a pretty evenly matched bout.

Trent Frederic drops the gloves with Tom Wilson. pic.twitter.com/8CnbGI3cPX

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 2, 2021

Needless to say Frederic’s teammates were impressed and appreciative afterward watching the youngster step up and fight the 6-foot-4, 220- pound Wilson at center ice.

“It’s huge. He’s a young kid that wants to get in there and be physical,” said Craig Smith, who popped in the game-tying goal in the aftermath of the Frederic-Wilson bout. “That’s a tough job to do. He can certainly handle himself. It’s impressive too because he’s got other attributes to his game that are helpful too. When he can jump in and do that, it fires our bench right up. He plays with no fear and it’s a big part of his game.”

The Boston Bruins bench was clearly energized by the pugilists and scored the game-tying and game-winning goal while Frederic dutifully served out his five-minute fighting major. Frederic joked he had one of the best seats in the house for the entire thrilling comeback.

“In the box, I was like a little kid in [the penalty box] jumping around when we scored. It felt good to watch that,” said Frederic, who led the AHL in penalty minutes last season and really began building his reputation as a legit tough guy. “They were pretty physical both nights really, so I was just trying to give it back. Both games we were down and it’s tough sometimes with no fans when you need a spark. Both games the opportunity presented itself [to fight Wilson], but it obviously takes two [willing combatants] to do it.

“I would have liked to do it earlier in the game, but I never got the opportunity. The two guys have to agree on it. It’s almost an honor thing. That’s what happened and it worked out great.” 1182863 Buffalo Sabres were put at risk by the NHL to play 2 games when it appears the Devils had an outbreak. The Sabres should be furious."

This should not have happened and is unacceptable. The careers and Sabres' season on pause as Hall, Ristolainen land on Covid-19 list lives of players, coaches, staff, and security at the arena and hotel where the Devils stayed were put at risk by the NHL to play 2 games when it appears the Devils had an outbreak. The Sabres should be furious. Mike Harrington Feb 2, 2021 Updated 4 hrs ago 0 https://t.co/vuqoxRFn1N

— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) February 2, 2021

The Buffalo Sabres' season is on pause, seemingly as a result of a major The Sabres declined comment Tuesday, except to issue a terse outbreak of Covid-19 among the New Jersey Devils. statement that read: "Sabres players and staff have been closely following and will continue to follow the Covid protocols as outlined by the The Sabres had their next four games postponed Tuesday by the NHL, NHL and the team's medical staff. Our organization will continue to work with three of them wiped out late in the afternoon after winger Taylor Hall with the league and our medical team to ensure the health and safety of and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen were placed on the league's Covid- our players." 19 protocol list. The league said that the decision on the Sabres was made jointly with The Sabres did not travel to New York for Tuesday night's scheduled the NHLPA and the club's medical groups "who determined that more game against the New York Islanders due to the snowstorm that hit caution was warranted while the League continues to analyze test results downstate, and that was probably a good thing. Intending to leave in the coming days." Tuesday morning, the game was postponed and the team was instead instructed to stay home for more Covid-19 testing and contact tracing as The Sabres' training facilities downtown have been closed and will the Devils' outbreak saw their list grow to 10 players. That group included remain closed until further notice. The league said that it will review and five who played here against the Sabres over the weekend. revise the team's schedule in the coming days. As the schedule is currently constructed, the Sabres will not play again until they host New Jersey split games with the Sabres on Saturday and Sunday at Washington on Feb. 11. KeyBank Center, with the opener played shortly after the news that veteran center Travis Zajac had joined the Covid-19 list. The teams then The league has not had a high level of concern about in-game played Sunday's game, even though veteran New Jersey winger Kyle transmission between teams. Areas of much bigger concern are spread Palmieri was sidelined by the protocols, which the Devils announced within a team in the close quarters of the bench or dressing room. And shortly after faceoff. KeyBank Center has one of the smaller visiting locker rooms in the NHL, a room that was downsized during the arena's 2011 renovation to The NHL wiped out Thursday's game on Long Island, as well as Buffalo's increase the size of the Sabres' facilities. games in Boston on Saturday and Monday, when Hall and Ristolainen became the first Sabres on the Covid-19 list this season. In New York, Islanders captain Anders Lee said his team understood the league was operating with an abundance of caution in postponing Schedule Update: @BuffaloSabres games postponed at least through Tuesday's game. February 8. https://t.co/LLL0Xq290K pic.twitter.com/yQ8NdDfQAr "I think you just want to be safe. You don't want to have this turn into — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 2, 2021 something where we have a bunch of guys coming down with it," Lee It is important to note that Hall's and Ristolainen's names landing on the said on a video call before the NHL put the Sabres on pause. "It's one of league's list do not necessarily mean they have tested positive. Players those things where you kind of take the safe way. Canceling today's can make the list while waiting for confirmation of an initial positive, as game was one step forward with that. I think everybody is just trying to well as for a variety of other reasons that include being a close contact or make the right decisions here." a need to quarantine. Like the Sabres, the Islanders had yet to have a player on the list since "At this point, it’s not clear to us that there was transmission between the start of the season and had not experienced any changes to their teams," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Tuesday night in an e- schedule. mail to The Buffalo News. "The incubation period was shorter than it "It just re-emphasizes the importance of being smart about everything normally would be. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of days when you're away from the rink," Lee said. "I know our guys were doing and then perhaps we will have information from which we can draw that and I'd like to think everyone else is, too, and that's what makes this conclusions." all tricky. It's tough. You can be doing all the right things and still get it at While the Sabres are understandably upset at the situation, Daly denied times. I think everyone is doing the best they can, but I think just one source's claim that the Sabres wanted to postpone Sunday's game emphasizing that a little bit more now that we're directly affected." and were rebuffed by the league. Counting the four lost Sabres games, there have been 18 games "There was one conversation over the weekend where we discussed the postponed in the NHL by Covid-19 protocols. Thirteen of the 24 U.S.- relevant facts as we knew them at the time," Daly wrote. "There was no based teams in the league have been impacted, and there have been request for, nor serious consideration given to, postponing the games." pauses of various lengths in Dallas, Carolina and Vegas. There have been no postponements to date in the seven-team North Division, which Ristolainen and Hall, of course, are two of the Sabres' most prominent features all Canadian clubs. players. Ristolainen, who has been here since 2013 and recently played his 500th career game with the team, has two goals and four assists The postponements are the Sabres' first since a home game against the while averaging a team-high 23:34 in ice time per game. Hall, who signed New York Rangers on Nov. 21, 2014, was not played in the wake of the a one-year, $8 million contract in October, has one goal and eight Wall of Snow storm. The last road postponement was a game in assists. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player while Pittsburgh on April 20, 2013, which was moved to three days later as the with the Devils in 2018. NHL switched some games around police activity in Boston related to the Boston Marathon bombing earlier that week. In addition to Hall and Ristolainen, the NHL also announced that five more members of the Devils – forwards Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt Buffalo News LOADED: 02.03.2021 and defensemen Damon Severson, Ty Smith and Matt Tennyson – have been added to the Covid-19 list. That makes 14 New Jersey players in total.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted his disgust over the news Tuesday night.

"This should not have happened and is unacceptable," Poloncarz said. "The careers and lives of players, coaches, staff, and security at the arena and hotel where the Devils stayed (the Marriott HarborCenter) 1182864 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres game vs. Islanders is postponed due to Covid protocols

Mike Harrington Feb 2, 2021

The Buffalo Sabres' game Tuesday night against the New York Islanders in Nassau Coliseum has been postponed, the NHL has announced.

A day after completing a two-game series against the Buffalo Sabres in KeyBank Center, the New Jersey Devils have had their training facility in Newark shut down by the NHL because of a Covid-19 outbreak.

Because of a Covid-19 outbreak among the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo's opponent Saturday in Sunday in KeyBank Center, the league postponed the game out of an abundance of caution.

"Due to weather conditions yesterday, the Sabres altered their travel schedule so as to fly to New York today," the NHL said in a statement. "So that required COVID contact tracing and testing protocols can be completed appropriately, the decision has been made to reschedule the game for a future date."

Ten Devils are now on the NHL's Covid Protocol list, including five who played against the Sabres over the weekend.

The Sabres' charter flight to New York, postponed on Monday, never left as scheduled Tuesday morning. The Sabres and Islanders are scheduled to meet in Nassau Coliseum on Thursday night. The status of that game is uncertain based on the Sabres' testing results from today. Those are generally released in the late afternoon.

Players who land on the NHL Covid Protocol list do not necessarily have a positive test. They could also be close contacts or be involved in quarantine situations due to local, state or national laws. New Jersey center Travis Zajac was ruled out of Saturday's game against the Sabres due to Covid protocols and the Sabres reportedly inquired about whether Sunday's game should go forward.

That game was also played but not before New Jersey winger Kyle Palmieri was ruled out by the protocols, an announcement the Devils released after the opening faceoff. On Monday, the NHL shut down the New Jersey facility when Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Janne Kuokkanen and Andreas Johnsson landed on the list -- and all four played against the Sabres on Sunday.

"Responses to Covid situations, including game decisions, are made based on all available contact tracing information and reflect medical determinations relating to the likelihood and risk of transmission and the potential of outbreak," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said today in an email to The Buffalo News prior to the announcement that the game was postponed.

In response to Daly's comment, another source told The News the league does not have a high level of concern about in-game transmission between teams. Areas of much bigger concern are spread within a team in the close quarters of the bench or dressing room. KeyBank Center has one of the smaller visiting locker rooms in the NHL, a room that was downsized during the arena's 2011 renovation to increase the size of the Sabres' facilities.

There has been no immediate comment from the Sabres. Coach Ralph Krueger's weekly interview on WGR Radio was first delayed 30 minutes this morning and then canceled entirely.

The Sabres-Islanders game was the 15th this season to be postponed in the NHL by Covid protocols. Thirteen of the 24 US-based teams in the league have been impacted. There have been on postponements to date in the seven-team North Division, which features all Canadian clubs.

It's the Sabres' first postponement since a Nov. 21, 2014 home game against the New York Rangers was postponed in the wake of the Wall of Snow storm. The last road postponement was a game in Pittsburgh on April 20, 2013, which was moved to three days later as the NHL switched some games around police activity in Boston related to the Boston Marathon bombing earlier that week.

Buffalo News LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182865 Buffalo Sabres

NHL postpones Sabres’ next four games due to COVID-19 protocols

By John Vogl Feb 2, 2021

Editor’s note: We have updated an earlier version of this story with additional details on the NHL postponing Buffalo’s next four games and closing the team’s training facility.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Sabres are shut down until next week because of COVID-19.

They’re furious.

Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen have entered the league’s COVID- 19 protocols, so the NHL has postponed Buffalo’s next four games and closed the team’s training facilities. The Sabres won’t be allowed to return to the rink until next Tuesday at the earliest.

It’s how this happened that has the organization in an uproar.

NHL players knew they’d be taking a risk having a season in the COVID- 19 era. But they didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.

The Sabres believe they were forced into a dangerous situation. They hosted New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday despite the Devils showing significant signs of a coronavirus outbreak.

New Jersey’s Travis Zajac was added to the COVID-19 protocol list Friday and did not travel to Buffalo. Kyle Palmieri played Saturday and was added to the list Sunday.

The Sabres, according to multiple sources, requested more information from the NHL and the Devils about the health of their opponent. Their request was denied.

The Sabres were wary about playing Sunday, having already faced one Devils player who went into the league’s COVID-19 protocol, but the NHL continued with the scheduled game.

On Monday, New Jersey’s Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod and Pavel Zacha were added to the COVID-19 protocols after playing in both contests. The Sabres’ concerns were proved correct.

“Buffalo is furious with the league and with New Jersey,” a source said.

The situation exploded Tuesday.

First, the league postponed Tuesday’s game between the Sabres and Islanders in New York, saying more time was needed for Buffalo’s required COVID-19 contact tracing and testing protocols.

Then the NHL added Hall and Ristolainen to the protocols while the Devils’ list ballooned to 14 players. Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Ty Smith and Matt Tennyson were added after facing the Sabres over the weekend.

“Sabres players and staff have been closely following and will continue to follow the COVID protocols as outlined by the NHL and the team’s medical staff,” the Sabres said in a statement. “Our organization will continue to work with the league and our medical team to ensure the health and safety of our players and staff.”

Being on the COVID-19 list doesn’t mean Hall and Ristolainen have tested positive for the virus. In addition to having a positive test, players can be added to the protocols while an initial positive test remains unconfirmed; if they’ve been ordered into quarantine because of symptoms or as a high-risk close contact; or for travel reasons.

The Sabres were scheduled to visit the Islanders on Tuesday and Thursday then fly to Boston, where they’d play the Bruins on Saturday and Monday. The NHL is reviewing and revising the Sabres’ schedule and is expected to make a decision on next week’s games in the coming days. Buffalo is supposed to host Washington on Feb. 11 and 13.

The Sabres’ daily tests will determine if that’s possible. One thing that’s for sure is Buffalo feels this situation was avoidable.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182866 Calgary Flames

Hockey Alberta, Ringette Calgary cancel minor games for rest of season

Todd Saelhof

Hockey is on hold for young Calgarians.

Same goes for the city’s ringette players.

Right on through to next season where league play is concerned.

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to run interference on return- to-play plans, Hockey Alberta announced Tuesday it is cancelling scheduled games for tiered, AAA and AA teams until the end of the 2020-21 season.

It follows Ringette Calgary’s shelving of the remainder of its league campaign.

Both decisions fall on the heels of the Alberta government’s four-step blueprint to slowly peel back COVID-19 restrictions in the province that keeps teams off the ice for at least four more weeks.

“The earliest hockey could return would be March 1,” said Hockey Alberta in a statement. “Hockey Alberta is disappointed by the government’s announcement. Our senior leadership team has been involved in ongoing discussions on what a safe and inclusive relaunch plan could look like for our sport.

“Hockey Alberta will continue working with government and health officials to develop a relaunch plan that allows for hockey activities and keeps our youth active for their physical and mental well-being.”

That doesn’t appear to be coming anytime soon.

On Friday, Premier Jason Kenney announced Alberta would begin to ease public-health restrictions beginning Feb. 8. That includes kids’ sports but only when related to school activities such as physical education classes.

A further lift of restrictions related to youth sports could come into play at the beginning of March, but that’s only if the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province drops below 450. As of Tuesday, there were 556 Albertans in hospital battling the virus.

“No resumption of leagues this year,” said Ringette Calgary president Erika Earle. “We have been preparing for various scenarios and created some timelines. … Based on those criteria, we’ve decided it’s not feasible for us to host any more league operations for the rest of this season.”

So what now for the rest of the 2020-21 season?

Hockey Calgary says it will release a statement Wednesday morning on how it intends to keep the city’s 12,500 kids involved in the sport through the rest of the winter and into the spring.

Ringette Calgary is actively working to create some kind of a plan for its 1,500-odd players.

“We’re just trying to do the best we can,” Earle said. “If we get community sports allowed in one of the government’s future steps before the end of March, we might be able to get teams back out on the ice.

“We’re working with our facility partners right now to see if there’s any modified options we can have — whether its small cohorts or if we get updated information from the province or if we can have small teams or individual activities or individual team practices on the ice or shinny games or intrasquad games.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182867 Calgary Flames Ultimately, the first period was the difference between winning and losing for the Flames, and that’s proving to be something of a habit. A bad habit.

No comeback this time as Flames fall to Jets after another slow start “We have a good enough team where we can come back if we’re down one or two and we have to stick to our game,” Giordano said. “Once we start cleaning this up, where we get the lead ourselves in the first period Daniel Austin and stick to our game, that’s where we’ll be at our best.”

ICE CHIPS

The Calgary Flames really need to figure out how to be better in first Gaudreau’s sensational start to the season continued on Tuesday night periods. when he picked up an assist on Tkachuk’s second goal of the night. Gaudreau now has points in nine straight games to start the season. That’s something they have acknowledged. They just haven’t figured out That ties him with Jiri Hudler for the fourth-longest such streak in Flames how to fix it. franchise history. Hudler’s nine-game streak came in 2013-14. The On Tuesday night, the Flames went to the dressing room after the franchise record belongs to Bob MacMillan, who scored in the Atlanta opening 20 minutes down two goals for the fourth time in five games. Flames’ first 11 games in 1978-89 … The North Division hasn’t resulted in the type of playoff-style physical intensity some had been predicting There was no coming back from the deficit they’d dug themselves before the season started. With that said, Tkachuk and Neal Pionk against the Winnipeg Jets this time. There was no lucky bounce from a seemed to enjoy getting on each other’s nerves throughout Tuesday’s tilt. 122-foot shot the way there was a night earlier and the Jets matched any Tkachuk got into it a bit with Adam Lowry late in the second period, too, improvements the Flames showed in the final 40 minutes. although it didn’t materialize into anything too serious … Derek Ryan came awfully close to scoring on a breakaway with about 6:30 left in the Ultimately, the Flames (4-4-1) left the rink with a 3-2 loss at the hands of second period but narrowly missed the net … To the surprise of the Jets (6-3-1) and dropped back to .500 on the season. absolutely no one, head coach Geoff Ward mixed up the Flames’ lines in “I don’t think I’m worried about that, but it’s definitely something we the second period. The most notable change was having Sam Bennett (were) trying to focus on before this game and going into this game,” said play alongside Sean Monahan and Gaudreau. Flames centre Derek Ryan. “I think our starts have to be better in Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 general. I don’t know what exactly the solution is there besides the clichés of just being more prepared and ready to start right away. But yeah, we’ve got to find our legs earlier and be more mentally prepared.”

The Flames have mostly managed to claw their way back into previous games where they’ve fallen behind by two goals, although they’ve only managed to win one this season. There’s enough skill on the roster that being down a goal or two doesn’t automatically mean they need to throw in the towel.

On Tuesday night, they had chances late in the third period to tie things up but couldn’t find the goal they needed.

Even if the Flames had found a way to equalize or even win, the slow starts would still be a concern. Playing catch-up every game is no way to succeed in the NHL.

“You don’t want to get down ever in games, but just thinking back, we just gave them too many opportunities on the rush,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano. “They were really clogging up the neutral zone, obviously, and I thought we had a good push in the third but you get down goals every night and that’s not a recipe for success. We’ve got to just learn from that. Come out and be sharper with our details and we’ll be fine.”

The Jets’ opening goal was the result of a bad turnover by Milan Lucic while the Flames were on the power play. The big bruiser passed the puck back into the Flames’ zone, only for it to fall to the Jets’ Mason Appleton, who neatly fed the puck to Trevor Lewis for the opener at the 6:40 mark.

It was a momentum-shifter and 30 seconds later the Jets would double their lead when former Flames defenceman Derek Forbort buried on the rush.

To their credit, the Flames bounced back quickly when Matthew Tkachuk finished off a beautiful cross-seam pass from Dillon Dube, who bounced back nicely from a difficult outing on Monday night.

Whatever relief that goal provided, the Jets made sure it didn’t last when they made it 3-1 courtesy of Nikolaj Ehlers.

Starting his second game of the season, backup goaltender David Rittich – who stopped 25-of-28 shots – was hardly at fault for any of the Jets’ three goals. He was quite solid in the final 40 minutes, too, settling in nicely and making a number of confident saves that at least gave the Flames a shot at getting something from the game.

It wasn’t until Tkachuk scored his second of the game at the 10:53 mark of the third period that the Flames ever seemed likely to do that, though.

With the deficit down to one, the Flames made their push. They fired shot after shot at Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit, but couldn’t get the goal they needed. 1182868 Calgary Flames That’s helped the left-handed Hanifin to feel more comfortable joining the attack, unlocking some of the offensive instincts that made him such a highly-touted prospect.

'They’ve been playing great': Hanifin, Tanev form rock-solid defensive You witnessed that on Andrew Mangiapane’s third-period marker duo for Flames Monday, with Hanifin recognizing the Jets were bunching up and sneaking into the slot. While his shot was stopped, Mangiapane buried the rebound. Wes Gilbertson Flames head coach Geoff Ward also mentioned this week that Hanifin, now in his sixth campaign at the highest level and third in Calgary, “has gotten a lot better in terms of his back-side awareness” and is “not as The streak was bound to end eventually. puck-focused as he was in years past.” After all, you can’t expect any defence duo — especially a couple of “I feel pretty confident right now, and I think Chris has been a huge part dudes often deployed against the opposing stars — to be spotless for an of that,” Hanifin said prior Tuesday’s clash, the second of three in a row entire season. against the Jets. “He’s been a great guy for me to play with and I think The Calgary Flames’ second pairing of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev he’s really allowed me to play my own game, which is being aggressive surrendered their first even-strength goal of 2021 in Tuesday’s 3-2 road offensively and jumping into the play. He’s just always in the right loss to the Winnipeg Jets, ending a superb spell of eight games and position so he makes my job a lot easier back there. So right now, I’m nearly two hours of icetime together without fishing a single puck out of confident and I feel good about my game.” their own net. He should. While that stat now resets, their chemistry should carry forward. This So, too, should his new blue-line buddy. budding bond is a very positive development for the Flames. What a terrific tandem this has been so far, even if their streak is now “They’ve been playing great,” said club captain Mark Giordano prior to over. Tuesday’s defeat. “We all knew that getting Tanny would be a huge addition to our team. I’ve always thought he was such an under-rated “It’s been a real good pair for us,” Ward said. “I think they complement puck-mover and skater and just a good all-around defenceman. And each other well. I think they allow the other player to play to their they’ve really found that chemistry together early. They have been strengths. playing great, both of them. And I think Hanny is looking the best I’ve ever seen, too, since he’s been here. “We’ll continue to have them together, and I just anticipate it getting better as they spend more time together.” “So it’s nice to see. I love the way our D core can really roll right now, all six of us. It doesn’t matter who is out for the other team, we have a lot of Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 confidence in every pair.”

The Flames’ faithful — and the coaching staff, too — should be extra confident when Nos. 8 and 55 hop over the boards.

The numbers certainly back that up.

Heading into Tuesday’s battle at Bell MTS Place, Hanifin had logged 136:22 of five-on-five icetime without a blemish. In fact, the 24-year-old — it’s easy to forget he is still so young because he’ll hit the 400-game plateau this weekend — then owned the longest clean-sheet of any player across the entire league.

Who was next on the list? Yeah, you guessed it, Tanev. The Flames’ free-agent addition had worked 127:10 at regular-strength without heading back to the bench bummed because the other team has just tickled twine.

According to Natural Stat Trick, they’d spent 110:51 of that — the equivalent of five-and-a-half periods — skating side-by-side.

Their shutout string was spoiled in Tuesday’s opening stanza in Winnipeg, with friend-turned-foe Derek Forbort going shelf after Tanev tripped up.

Despite that downer, the Flames still have a very positive stat-line when those two gents are patrolling the back-end together — out-scoring the opposition 5-1 at five-on-five, and out-chancing the other guys by a 69-38 margin.

“I feel looking at me and Tanny, that’s kind of our job, you know?” Hanifin said after Tuesday’s early prep. “It’s to play against top lines and limit their chances and, at the same time, also create offence and not just sit back and play defence the whole time. And I think that’s been a major reason why we’ve done a good job together — it’s because we’re not sitting back. We’re actually playing, we’re holding onto pucks and we’re making plays in the offensive zone, even when we’re out there against top lines. I think that’s been a big part of our success so far.”

When the Flames inked Tanev to a four-year, US$18-million contract, they were counting on the veteran righty to be a stabilizing and calming presence alongside one of their young’ns.

Through nine outings so far, he’s been precisely that. The more you watch the 31-year-old, the more you come to appreciate that he’s just oh- so-steady. 1182869 Carolina Hurricanes The Blackhawks, who tied the score 2-2 late in the first, have given the Canes problems with their quickness and puck-handling. But a hit on defenseman Brett Pesce by Chicago’s Carl Soderberg gave the game a harder edge. Svechnikov goal gives Hurricanes 4-3 shootout win over Blackhawks Pesce was flattened at center ice. Staal and Svechnikov quickly answered, Svechnikov putting a shoulder into Soderberg later to knock the forward to the ice. BY CHIP ALEXANDER FIRST PERIOD: SCORE TIED 2-2

Svechnikov’s goal, his fifth of the season, came off the rush at 3:51 as Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour referred to a shootout as a Staal got off a strong, one-handed pass driving the net. Staal, who has a “talent show” Tuesday. four-game point streak, repeated it later with Foegele, who was playing If so, it helps to have a special talent like Andrei Svechnikov. his first game since returning from the NHL COVID-19 protocol list.

Svechnikov had a chance to end a shootout Tuesday against the Foegele’s score came after the forward made a defensive mistake, Chicago Blackhawks. After goalie James Reimer had stopped three allowing defenseman Calvin de Haan to walk in on Reimer. Staal alertly Chicago shooters, Svechnikov had the victory on his stick as the forward poked the puck away. collected the puck and skated down the ice. The Blackhawks responded with a power-play goal after a holding Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen had given up a goal to Svechnikov off penalty on Haydn Fleury. Kane then tied the score after a Canes turnover the rush early in the game but then stopped some Svechnikov forehand by Slavin, beating Reimer with a quick shot and score with 18 seconds attempts later, making big saves. So what did Svechnikov do? Go back left in the period. to the forehand and beat Lankinen for a 4-3 win at the United Center. News Observer LOADED: 02.03.2021 “I had tried the move and couldn’t score,” Svechnikov said on the postgame media call. “But I decided to do the same thing because the goalie knew I had tried it already a couple of times, and it was like he knew I wasn’t going to do that. It was a great shot for me.”

Call it reverse psychology, hockey style, but it worked.

“He’s game-changer for us every night and tonight was no different,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said.

Just like that, the Canes (6-1-0) had won their fourth straight game since their COVID-19 pause. They had won their second straight shootout. They also had won on a night when Brind’Amour said the four players returning to the lineup from the NHL COVID-19 protocol list were sluggish and that the sluggishness “bled” into the Canes’ game.

“Tonight was not a good night for us,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ll take the win for sure but we were not in sync. We were a little off for most of the game. We got kind of fortunate tonight.”

Reimer, who wasn’t sluggish, again was the winner in the shootout, as he was Sunday against the Dallas Stars. With goalie Petr Mrazek electing to have surgery for a hand injury -- a decision he announced Tuesday on his Instagram account -- the Canes must rely heavily on Reimer to give them consistently good play in net.

Reimer faced 33 shots Tuesday and in the shootout faced Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome. None could score, Kane approaching the net in slow motion, toe-dragging the puck, trying to out- wait Reumer.

Lankinen stopped Dougie Hamilton and Trocheck, who both scored in Sunday’s shootout. But not Svechnikov.

Staal had a pair of assists, setting up Svechnikov and then Warren Foegele for first-period goals for a 2-0 lead. But the Blackhawks (3-4-4) skated and attacked, using their quickness.

A power-play goal by Philipp Kurashev and then a score by Kane late in the first tied it 2-2. Vincent Trocheck’s third-period score gave the Canes a 3-2 lead, but the Blackhawks countered on a Strome goal.

Foegele was one of the players who had been placed in the COVID protocol and spent time in quarantine. Brind’Amour also had defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Martinook back and playing.

The overtime was loosely played by both teams and Lankinen made stops on Teravainen and Sebastian Aho, a Finnish duel, in the final minute.

“Sometimes you’ve got to win ugly games,” Brind’Amour said. “Good teams find a way to win and that’s what we did tonight. We hung in there and then our big guys kind of took over.”

SECOND PERIOD RECAP

The second period had a lot of skating and a few very hard hits but no scoring and it’s 2-2 after two. 1182870 Chicago Blackhawks Svechnikov took the Hurricanes’ third attempt and put it through Lankinen’s legs for the winner.

“We knew coming in what a test it was going to be,” Colliton said. “They Chicago Blackhawks rally twice to tie the Carolina Hurricanes, but they were missing however many guys the last few games and when you lose 4-3 in a shootout watch the games they looked dynamite.

“And then they’re adding all these guys from their COVID list. Big challenge. And I thought, for the most part we answered the bell.” By PHIL THOMPSON Chicago Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021

It’s tough when the bully is bigger than you, but it’s even more daunting if he’s faster too.

That’s what the Chicago Blackhawks had to deal with against the now- Central Division leading Carolina Hurricanes, who put pressure on the Hawks with their skating and aggressiveness and built a 2-0 lead in the first period.

To their credit, the Hawks rallied twice to tie the Canes, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to come away with more than a point, and perhaps they should feel fortunate for that.

A third-period goal by Dylan Strome took the game to overtime, but Andrei Svechnikov’s goal in a shootout gave the Hurricanes a 4-3 win Tuesday at the United Center in the teams’ first meeting this season.

“They really challenged us right from the beginning,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “I thought the first seven or eight minutes we weren’t quite ready for how they were going to come at us. We got caught on the wrong side multiple times, and when they’ve got the size and speed, it’s hard to recover.”

Philipp Kurashev and Patrick Kane scored in quick succession to close out the first period in a 2-2 tie, and after the Hawks fell behind in the third, Dylan Strome knotted it again with 6:39 left in regulation.

Winger Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Nicolas Beaudin returned to the Hawks lineup after being removed from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day.

“It was a little tough but I had morning skate to get back under me and get the legs back a little bit,” DeBrincat said. “First period, I was just trying to keep it simple, play an easy game. ... It turned out fine. I felt pretty good the rest of the game.”

“I was out three days with the protocol and stuff. It just felt good to get out there with the guys,” Beaudin added. “Just happy I can play hockey again.”

The Hurricanes jumped on Hawks goalie Kevin Lankinen, taking a 1-0 lead 3:51 into the game on Svechnikov’s snap shot. Warren Foegele found an opening with 5:14 left in the first period as Lankinen tried to slide over to cover the right post.

But once again the power play gave the Hawks the jump- start they needed.

Matthew Highmore drew a holding penalty against defenseman Haydn Fleury and Kurashev tapped in Pius Suter’s pass in front of goalie James Reimer. It was Kurashev’s second goal in as many games and his first on the power play.

Kane finished off a Hawks rush with a snipe over Reimer’s stick 1:44 later, the Hawks’ quickest back-to-back goals this season. DeBrincat and Kane scored 1:51 apart against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second game.

The Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in the third period on an unfortunate ricochet from Nino Niederreiter’s right-side shot that bounced to Vincent Trocheck and left Lankinen exposed on his left side.

But Strome answered late in the third after some nifty passing by Dominik Kubalik and DeBrincat that found Strome in front of the net for the tying goal.

DeBrincat and Beaudin both played on the Hawks’ three-on-three units in overtime. DeBrincat played 21 minutes, 47 seconds despite a weeklong layoff and Beaudin was in for 20:01.

DeBrincat also took the first try in the shootout — the Hawks’ second of the season — but was denied. 1182871 Chicago Blackhawks “It’s a long season,” Highmore said. “Stuff’s going to happen. There’s going to be ups, there’s going to downs. [I] just have to continue to stay even-keel.”

Blackhawks fall to Hurricanes in shootout despite Alex DeBrincat’s The last two games, though, Highmore re-entered the lineup and had six surprise return combined shots on goal.

DeBrincat had two assists in an unexpectedly quick return from the “I just want to be more consistent,” he said. “That’s the key to the game: COVID-19 list, but the Hawks only earned their fourth “loser point” of the better puck plays . . . [and] trying to create more battles.” season. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 02.03.2021

By Ben Pope Feb 2, 2021, 9:51pm CST

Alex DeBrincat rejoined and looked good in the Blackhawks’ lineup Tuesday. Getty

A week ago, Alex DeBrincat was part of the Blackhawks’ first round of COVID-19 protocol-list designations, with coach Jeremy Colliton saying he’d be out “certainly two weeks.”

But on Tuesday morning, well ahead of schedule, DeBrincat’s grinning face, tattooed left arm and dynamic offensive skills were back on the United Center ice.

The Hurricanes nonetheless spoiled DeBrincat’s return with a 4-3 shootout win, fending off two comebacks by the resilient Hawks and prevailing on Andrei Svechnikov’s walk-off shootout winner.

“We dug ourselves a bit of a hole, but [I’m] really happy with how we bounced back and responded,” Colliton said. “The first two periods were a pretty even hockey game; we were right there with them. Third period, we were hanging on a little bit. They really pushed.”

Philipp Kurashev and Patrick Kane scored in the first period to help the Hawks rally from a 2-0 deficit, then Dylan Strome scored with 6:39 left in regulation to tie the score.

But, as Colliton mentioned, the Hurricanes had more chances (18-11) than the Hawks in the third period and overtime, eventually dropping the Hawks to 0-4 in extra-time games.

DeBrincat didn’t score but had two assists and was full of energy after not touching the ice for eight days.

His quick stick forced a rare Jaccob Slavin turnover to set up Kane’s goal. Later, he tracked down the puck behind the net and found Strome crashing the net for the equalizer.

“This morning, I was trying to take a few hard strides, just trying to tire [my legs] out a little bit and then regroup for the game,” he said.

“Then during the game, there wasn’t too much problem with it. I had some consistent shifts in the first period, which was nice. I was able to catch my wind and play well.”

Defenseman Nicolas Beaudin also was activated after three days on the COVID-19 list and played a whopping 20:01, getting time on the second power-play unit and in overtime.

Colliton clarified that neither DeBrincat nor Beaudin had tested positive, thus explaining their faster-than-anticipated returns.

The Hawks’ COVID-19 list is down to three players: Adam Boqvist, Lucas Wallmark and Ryan Carpenter.

DeBrincat said Boqvist, who normally lives with him, has temporarily left his house.

“That’s the right direction, for sure,” Colliton said.

“You don’t want that list getting larger. Give credit to our team. We handled [their absences] well as far as taking care of business and focusing on our own performance.”

Highmore moves on from scratches

Matthew Highmore entered the season with a secure spot in the lineup, manning the left wing on the seemingly ultra-stable fourth line with David Kampf and Carpenter.

But shakeups after the Hawks’ third game unexpectedly cost him his spot in the lineup for a time. He was a healthy scratch in five of six games between Jan. 18 and Jan. 30. 1182872 Chicago Blackhawks And while there’s no documented evidence of a player consciously manipulating his Corsi, there would be plausible motivation.

Corsi and other similarly “advanced” stats are often brought up in Duncan Keith’s viral Corsi joke raises interesting point about value of contract negotiations — and players are keenly aware of which stats are NHL’s proxy stats and aren’t, as Nikita Zadorov evidenced Monday when told he ranked in the top five in hits per game. Keith, asked about his 15 shots over the Blackhawks’ last two games, joked that he was “getting the Corsi up, so you guys think I’m good.” In “I don’t think that stat’s going to . . . give an extra $5 million,” Zadorov doing so, he raised a good point about Corsi’s key weakness. joked. “It’s not points or goals or anything.”

Therein lies Corsi’s problem.

By Ben Pope Feb 2, 2021, 2:45pm CST As a proxy for possession rate, it has definite value, at least until the NHL’s new player- and puck-tracking data become publicly available. But the data points that serve as its foundation — shots — are not, depending on context, always valuable themselves. Duncan Keith’s individual shot attempts shot way up in the Blackhawks- Blue Jackets series. Conversely, there’s no question scoring chances are always valuable. A player who “manipulated” his scoring-chance ratio would have simply Defenseman Duncan Keith was just trying to make a joke. become a better player — the very thing proxy statistics intend to But in doing so, he raised an interesting point about the merits and measure. shortcomings of hockey’s proxy stats. Keith probably didn’t think about any of that Monday. But his viral quip First, some context: Keith has visibly made an effort to shoot the puck raised a good point nonetheless. more often recently. Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton noted it Sunday, Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 and the data back him up.

Keith took five shots in the Hawks’ first game against the Blue Jackets, then 10 in the second game — leading the team with six on goal — after taking no more than three shots in any game this season.

There’s a real reason why, too.

“It started on the power play,” Keith said Monday. “We didn’t really have too much [going], a couple of entries didn’t work out, and I just figured that we needed to start getting some shots. I shot a few, and we were able to get a little momentum, and then a few other things opened up. . . . It’s important that if I have the shot there, I have to use it.”

But before giving that thorough answer, Keith made a quip that went viral in the hockey world and ignited a years-old argument on Twitter, Reddit and beyond:

“Getting the Corsi up, so you guys think I’m good.”

Duncan Keith on his many shot attempts the past 2 games: "Getting the Corsi up so you guys think I'm good."

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 1, 2021

Corsi, of course, is the statistic that measures shot differential (it’s like plus-minus, but for shots instead of goals) while at even strength. It’s purely quantity-based.

In recent years, analysts have somewhat shifted away from Corsi and toward scoring chances and the more complex “expected goals.”

Those stats incorporate quantity and quality and give a more accurate, comprehensive evaluation of performance.

Yet Corsi remains the buzzword for the entire family of statistics, making it the most recognized and the most contentious.

Keith is far from the first NHL player to criticize Corsi for its overuse. Fellow Hawks defenseman Calvin de Haan memorably did the same thing last season in a far longer rant. (De Haan chimed in again Monday, tweeting, “Dunks isn’t wrong.”)

Keith is, however, perhaps the first NHL player to imply — even clearly jokingly — that a desire to maximize Corsi could theoretically affect decisions on the ice.

That brings up the philosophical maxim colloquially called Goodhart’s Law: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”

It would certainly be possible for an NHL player to slightly manipulate Corsi if he so wished.

Consider a scenario in which he has the puck on the perimeter of the offensive zone. He could shoot, minutely improving his Corsi ratio but with almost no chance of scoring, or make a pass, forgoing the guaranteed shot but potentially leading to a better scoring opportunity. 1182873 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks hang tough against Hurricanes, but fall 4-3 in shootout

John Dietz

At first, it looked like we were in for a bloodbath at the United Center on Tuesday.

Carolina, one of the top teams in the league and a legit Stanley Cup contender, came out firing on all cylinders and could have had 3, 4 or even 5 goals in the first four minutes.

Fortunately for the Blackhawks, the puck bounced the right way and Kevin Lankinen came up with a few key saves to keep his team alive.

In the end, the Hawks battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits and eventually lost 4-3 in a shootout when Andrei Svechnikov scored on Carolina's third attempt. Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome all failed to convert for the Hawks (3-4-4).

Carolina, which was able to remove Teuvo Teravainen, Warren Foegele and D-man Jaccob Slavin from COVID-19 protocol, improved to 6-1-0. Foegele had a goal and an assist, while Slavin played nearly 25 minutes.

"We knew coming in what a test it was going to be," said coach Jeremy Colliton. "I mean they were missing however many guys ... and when you watch the (games) they looked dynamite. And then they're adding all these guys from their COVID list.

"So big challenge and for the most part we answered the bell."

Philipp Kurashev, Kane and Strome scored for the Hawks, and Lankinen finished with 38 saves. DeBrincat, also activated from COVID-19 protocol, notched a pair of assists. The second went to Strome and tied the game 3-3 with 6:39 remaining.

"I had some consistent shifts in the first period, which was nice," said DeBrincat, who also took 4 shots on goal in 22 minutes. "I was able to catch my wind and play well. There was no problems there."

Said Colliton: "You can't ask for much more after being off the ice for so many days. He was skating and he made plays; he won battles. He's a very important player for us."

Carolina took a 2-0 lead on goals by Andrei Svechnikov and Foegele at 3:51 and 14:46 of the first period.

The Hawks made it 2-1 on a power-play tally from Kurashev at 17:58 of the first period, then tied it on Kane's goal at 19:42.

Kane's score, his fifth, came after a forechecking DeBrincat alertly deflected a pass attempt from Slavin. The puck bounced right to Kane, who skated into the middle of the offensive zone, waited for the right moment and zipped a wrist shot that found its mark.

Lankinen remained rock solid in net and especially in the third period when he stopped Svechnikov on two Grade-A chances. Eight of Lankinen's saves came in the final 4:36 of regulation and another 5 came in OT.

"Seems like when we're getting dominated, he's always there to shut the door," DeBrincat said. "It's nice to have goalies that have your back when you turn over a puck or have a little defensive breakdown."

Dominik Kubalik (2) and Pius Suter (1) had assists, Nikita Zadorov had 8 hits and Connor Murphy had 6 blocks.

After the teams meet in a rematch Thursday, the Hawks will play back-to- back games at Dallas on Sunday and Tuesday.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182874 Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks' DeBrincat, Beaudin clear COVID protocol, start in Tuesday's game

John Dietz

Forward Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Nicolas Beaudin came out of COVID-19 protocol Tuesday, and both played in the Blackhawks' game against Carolina at the United Center.

Neither tested positive, according to coach Jeremy Colliton. Lucas Wallmark, Adam Boqvist and Ryan Carpenter remain in the protocol.

Colliton was definitely happy to see the number of his players on the list shrinking.

"That's the right direction for sure," Colliton said. "Credit to our team. I think we handled it really well as far as taking care of business and focusing on our own performance.

"It's easy when things don't go your way (to) feel sorry for yourself. ... That's not the mentality we want to have in our team."

Beaudin and DeBrincat both helped set up first-period goals.

The first came on the power play when a Beaudin began a play that ended with Philipp Kurashev tapping in pass from Pius Suter.

Less than two minutes later, a backchecking DeBrincat freed the puck up for Patrick Kane, who beat Carolina goalie James Reimer with a slick wrist shot from 26 feet out.

No puck luck:

Dominik Kubalik just can't seem to get going this season, and he chalks a bit of it up to bad luck. The Blackhawks' forward has just 2 goals on 31 shots for a shooting percentage of 6.5 percent.

During his 30-goal campaign in 2019-20, Kubalik converted on 19.1 percent of his shots.

"I'm still trying to play my game, for sure. Nothing complicated," Kubalik said. "Just shoot the puck as much as I can, be around the net as much as I can and use my speed. ...

"Sometimes maybe you need a bounce, a little luck on your side. You have to work or be lucky. That's my mindset right now."

Slap shots:

Heading into Tuesday's games, Kevin Lankinen was fourth in save percentage (.937) and eighth in goals against average (1.97) among goalies with at least three appearances. ... The Hurricanes came into Tuesday allowing the fewest goals per game at 1.67. Their penalty kill was ranked second (91.3%).

He said it

"It's not tough. ... Hockey is fun."

Duncan Keith on if it's difficult to get the juices flowing in the empty United Center

He said it II:

"Gettin' the Corsi up so you guys think I'm good."

Duncan Keith on why he took so many shots against Columbus on Sunday

He said it III:

"I don't think that stat gonna give me anything, right? It's not gonna give me an extra $5 million."

A smiling Nikita Zadorov when asked if he takes pride in being ranked near the top of the league in hits

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182875 Chicago Blackhawks This was a chance to see how far the Blackhawks truly had come since that dreadful opening series in Tampa. This wasn’t Detroit, and this wasn’t a middling team with low-end scoring talent such as Nashville or Columbus. This was a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Even Colliton Competitive and – dare we say? – fun Blackhawks continue to defy was curious to see just how far his team truly had come in the past few expectations weeks.

“Yeah, I was,” he said. “We knew coming in what a test it was going to be. They were missing however many guys the last few games and when By Mark Lazerus Feb 2, 2021 you watch the games, they looked dynamite. And then they’re adding all these guys (including Teuvo Teravainen and Jaccob Slavin) from their COVID list. Big challenge. And I thought, for the most part, we answered It’s a weird and borderline insulting thing to ask an NHL coach if he’s the bell. …We’re not patting ourselves on the back too hard over the “surprised” by how “competitive” his sub-.500 team has been, but given performance, but I do think there’s been improvement.” everyone Chicago had lost and everything the Blackhawks were facing in a season that had “unmitigated disaster” written all over it, it was a fair This was a measuring-stick game. And on this night, like so many others question, all the same. so far this season, the Blackhawks measured up. However this season turns out, it’s OK to relish that. It’s OK to enjoy the process and the Jeremy Colliton wryly chuckled before offering a firm “no, actually” before progress. It’s OK to admit you’re having fun. going back to his stump speech about the “relentless” mindset he wants the Blackhawks to have. And it’s OK to be surprised by all of it. Because the Blackhawks are better than anyone thought, and better than they probably have any right “I’m pleased but not surprised,” he said. “As a group, we’ve decided to to be. commit to play that way. Doesn’t guarantee anything, but you’re in the fight.” 1. On the flip side, the Blackhawks have lost all four games that went beyond 60 minutes, two in overtime and two in shootouts. In fact, they’re Asked the same question, Duncan Keith didn’t chuckle. He sat there for a 0-for-6 in the shootout this season, failing to beat Nashville’s Juuse moment, pondering the question and his answer. A moment dragged out Saros or Carolina’s James Reimer. into several seconds of awkward silence. Eventually, he offered up a “not really” before rattling off a modest list of reasons why, including the “It’s frustrating,” said Strome, who said he changed his mind “three or signings of Mattias Janmark and Lucas Wallmark, the excitement of four times” on his way to Reimer in the shootout. “Four overtime or having so many young players “chomping at the bit to get in games” and shootout losses. Our record could be a lot better.” the fact that “we still got Patrick Kane on offense.” On the plus side, the Blackhawks’ past two overtime periods have been But objectively speaking, the Blackhawks have been a surprise. A very better than their first two, with Colliton going for a more attack-oriented pleasant one. Certainly nobody outside the organization saw an already- approach. Tuesday’s extra session opened with Kane, Keith and thin roster that was now without Corey Crawford, Jonathan Toews, Kirby DeBrincat rather than a mishmash of skill and checking-line types. The Dach and Alex Nylander and thought, You know, they might not be so Blackhawks were still outshot 5-3 in overtime, however. bad. Surely no one figured they’d be gathering points and in nearly every Shootouts and three-on-three overtime are gimmicky and unpredictable, game after losing five more regulars to COVID-19 protocol for a week or but Colliton wasn’t content to just write it off as fluky. more. And few people probably gave the Blackhawks much of a chance to hang with the ridiculously fast and deep Carolina Hurricanes, either, “It’s not unlucky, we’ve got to be better,” he said. “Finding a way to create before Tuesday’s game or after watching them nearly run Chicago out of a little more, taking care of the puck a little more in overtime. We’ve had its own rink for most of the first period. some chances, no question. If they go in, you’re probably not asking me this question. But I do think we need to improve. And in the shootout, it’s But there the Blackhawks were, twice erasing deficits and forcing and a crapshoot, but obviously, we’ve got to find a way to score.” surviving overtime before losing 4-3 in the silliness of the shootout. Since their awful first three games (and be honest, you thought the next 53 2. You can thank Lankinen (career-high 38 saves) for the standings would look similar), they’ve been in all eight games, and came away with point. It very easily could have been 4-3 in regulation instead of 4-3 in a at least a point in seven of them (3-1-4). shootout had he not turned aside this flurry of Hurricanes chances, including steering Svechnikov wide on a 2-on-0. Look, nobody’s saying the Blackhawks are good. It remains to be seen if they’re even mediocre. Twenty-one of their final 45 games come against “Too much all at once,” Colliton said of the flurry. the Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the sudden juggernaut Dallas Stars. It’s distinctly possible that the Blackhawks could still end up 3. The SportLogiq tracking data backed up the eye test in this one. The jockeying for position at the bottom of the Central Division with the putrid Blackhawks had more offensive-zone possession time (6:54-6:24), more Red Wings. They don’t have Carolina’s speed, or Tampa’s skill, or controlled entries (60-50) and more controlled exits (87-74), while Dallas’ apparent Faustian bargain for all the goals in the world. Carolina had more slot shots on net (24-15) and rush chances (14-7). Against a team as fast, as big and as deep as Carolina, the Blackhawks But Philipp Kurashev, projected as a third-line center but forced into a have to be pretty thrilled with those numbers. top-line role out of necessity, is on a 30-goal pace for an 82-game season after scoring his fourth goal Tuesday night. Alex DeBrincat 4. DeBrincat made a surprise return to the lineup, giving the Blackhawks returned from COVID protocol without missing a beat, forcing a turnover a much-needed boost in the top six. that led to Kane’s game-tying goal late in the first period and setting up Six days earlier, Colliton had said that DeBrincat and Adam Boqvist Dylan Strome’s equalizer at 13:21 of the third with a deft pass through would miss two weeks, and then “go from there.” So it was surprising to traffic. Kevin Lankinen made 38 saves and withstood a wild flurry from see DeBrincat on the ice for the morning skate Tuesday. He and Nicolas Carolina, including a two-on-none, late in the third to get the game to Beaudin, who was put into the protocol Saturday, were back on the overtime. Brandon Hagel’s still buzzing around every shift. Nicolas active roster, and both were in the lineup Tuesday. That leaves Boqvist, Beaudin quarterbacked the second power-play unit and triggered a goal. Ryan Carpenter and Lucas Wallmark in protocol. Three is a lot, but three This season wasn’t supposed to be about winning. It was supposed to be is better than five. about all the guys in their early 20s proving they can hang in the NHL, “That’s the right direction, for sure,” Colliton said. “You don’t want that list and the proven ones showing they have more to give. Any standings getting larger. I mean, credit to our team. I think we handled it well, as far points would be a bonus (or for the Think Tank brigade out there, a as taking care of business and focusing on our own performance. It’s detriment). easy when things don’t go your way (to) feel sorry for yourself. That’s not Yet the Blackhawks are piling up a few of them, anyway. And even when the approach we want to have, that’s not the type of mentality we want to it’s no points, it’s hardly been pointless. have. That was really nice to see how we responded in all four games. It’s varying levels of uncertainty and adversity. We came away with a “We’re playing more of a team game now,” said DeBrincat, who had a bunch of points. As we get guys back, hopefully, we can continue to different vantage from his couch the last week. “We’re finding ways to build.” stay in games and push them into overtime.” Colliton said Tuesday that neither DeBrincat nor Beaudin tested positive skates) in Calgary in 2018 — the last morning skate of the Joel for COVID-19. DeBrincat couldn’t even skate while he was in protocol, so Quenneville era, actually. We were talking about how the analytics he jumped right in after a week off and just one morning skate and had revolution had impacted player evaluation and contract negotiations, and probably his best game of the season. Ah, to be 23. he joked that some players are just out there firing off shot attempts “from anywhere and everywhere” just to goose their Corsi numbers — a “It’s a long week, but it was nice watching the games — which also conspiracy theory that had gained some traction early that season. sucked, as well,” he said. “At least I got to watch some hockey and spend some time at home. Overall, just making sure I’m healthy and making Kane is pretty tuned in to the numbers, certainly more than most players. sure no one else gets sick. … You’ve got to take it the way the season is. But just a couple of years ago, he mostly demurred. It’s crazy. If nothing happens to you this season, you’re very lucky.” “You hear about it and you can talk about it and there’s a lot of media 5. Beaudin only missed a few days and one game, so his task wasn’t as attention on it,” he said that morning. “But I don’t really look at it too tall as DeBrincat’s. But he had an impressive game, too. He got the much. I couldn’t tell you what anyone’s Corsi or anything is in here. I chance to quarterback the second power-play unit, triggering the passing think some players might think about it more than others, especially if sequence that led to Kurashev’s first-period goal, and was the second maybe you’re a guy that doesn’t play as much, or a guy on the third or defenseman over the boards after Keith in overtime. After playing just fourth line fighting for a contract or something like that. Then you start 9:50 in his first game of the season, and 13:35 in his second, Beaudin thinking about it and maybe you can take it to the bank that you’ve got a was up to 20:01 on Tuesday, drawing rave reviews from Colliton. high Corsi or something. I don’t know if that’s the way players think now or not, but I don’t really look at it too much.” “He was terrific,” Colliton said. “So patient with the puck, and happy we were able to get him back in so quickly. He’s got his chance here and Spoken like a guy with pretty decent job security, eh? he’s done real well with it. Real strong defensively. Sure-handed, got us out of D-zone. Played him in overtime and I felt extremely confident with 8. Matthew Highmore came into camp looking like a lock for an everyday him.” spot on the Blackhawks’ fourth line with David Kampf and Ryan Carpenter following his strong showing in the Edmonton bubble, where Beaudin was pretty even-keel about his breakout game, especially he had three goals and provided mostly steady play defensively. That considering the COVID scare he just dealt with. spot seemed even safer after the Blackhawks lost three regulars in the weeks leading up to camp. “I’m just lucky to be playing in the NHL right now, with what’s going on in the world,” he said. “Whatever happens in the game, whether I play five But after three games this season, Colliton bumped him from the lineup minutes or play 20, I’m going to give it my all and try to help the team in favor of Hagel. Highmore then sat four of the next five games, and he win.” played a team-low 8:21 on Tuesday. Highmore said he never took a spot for granted, noting that “everybody’s always looking for a job.” 6. The reason DeBrincat wasn’t back in his usual spot on the top line (he was with Strome and Dominik Kubalik on the second line) is because “Look, it’s a long season,” he said. “Stuff’s going to happen. There’s Janmark has looked sharp in that role. going to be ups, there’s going to downs. Just have to continue to stay even keel, come to work every day, work hard, do your thing and be Janmark wasn’t signed to be a top-line winger for the Blackhawks. He supportive. Those guys that came in, they played well. … I’m just here to was supposed to bolster the third line and provide a little depth scoring help the team as much as I can and hopefully help in contributing in along with his sound defensive play. But when DeBrincat was sidelined, wins.” Janmark got the big promotion, moving up to the top line with Kane — first with Pius Suter, then with Kurashev. 9. Reese Johnson was out of the lineup Tuesday thanks to DeBrincat’s return, but he was the fifth Blackhawks player to make his NHL debut in “I’m just a hard-working player,” Janmark said last week. “But I do feel I the first game (Lankinen, Kurashev, Ian Mitchell and Suter are the have a lot of offense in me.” others). Meanwhile, the season debuts for Hagel and Beaudin were just Janmark is constantly in the thick of the action, aggressive and creative their second NHL games. In a season during which genuine excitement in the offensive zone. Ideally, he’ll be back in a middle-six or bottom-six is at a premium — as Keith put it, the United Center is “pretty dead” role soon. But it’s good to know he has the versatility — and the creativity without fans — the young guys have injected some much-needed energy — to hang with Kane when needed. He has three goals and three assists into the team. through 11 games. “Yeah, it’s exciting,” Keith said. “It’s nice to see the young guys get a “He’s so strong on the puck, that’s a big part of it,” Colliton said. “He can chance and get an opportunity. You can feel some of their nervous hold it, protect it, whether that’s in D-zone or in the offensive zone. He energy and it’s good. It’s nice to have that in the room.” seems comfortable, confident. To carry the puck through the neutral Added Kubalik: “It’s always exciting to see someone get their first one. I zone, you need more than one guy who has to do the entries, and I think know that feeling, I had it last year. So I’m really happy for those guys.” with Kaner sometimes, the instinct is just to look for him as early as possible and get him the puck. Of course, we want him to have the puck, The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 and he’s going to handle a lot of the entries, but it can’t be all the time. So I like (that) Janmark’s willing to take that responsibility. He goes to the net and he’s shown some ability to make plays. He’s been good wherever we played him. He had a bit of a slow start the first few games, but from game 3, game 4 on, he’s been getting better and better.”

7. Keith was in a loose mood during his post-practice Zoom call Monday, and he had a highly tweetable one-liner when asked about his sudden boom in shot attempts. He had 10 shots on goal in the two games against Columbus after having 11 total in the first eight games.

“Just getting the Corsi up so you guys think I’m good,” he cracked, mispronouncing Corsi as “course-eye” before going into a more serious answer about consciously trying to have a more shoot-first mentality on the power play.

While Corsi has faded a bit in the analytics hierarchy as newer, more nuanced stats become in vogue, it’s still shorthand for all “fancy stats” in the eyes of more traditionally minded players. Keith, for one, is a guy who obsesses over his own plus-minus, and can be found grumbling to himself about it at his locker stall after a game as he looks over the stat sheet. Lots of players are like that, particularly defensemen.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with Kane after a morning skate (man, I miss having actual conversations with players after morning 1182876 Chicago Blackhawks Carlsson has been playing with Duncan Keith. Mitchell has been getting more ice time. Hagel has been getting looks up the lineup.

3. So much for the tank? Power play, a goaltending success: 10 Blackhawks observations after 10 With the Blackhawks possibly being too good and other teams being too games bad, the Blackhawks may not realistically be in the conversation for the No. 1 draft pick.

By Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus Feb 2, 2021 Of course, the lottery balls can bounce any way, but early indications are the Blackhawks will accumulate too many points to have the highest odds for the first pick.

We thought we knew how the Blackhawks’ season would go. According to Tankathon, as of Monday, the Ottawa Senators have an 18.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick as they’ve started out the season It wouldn’t be difficult to track down fans’ opinions on Twitter, scouts’ with three points through nine games. They’re followed by the Detroit takes or what we said on Laz & Powers. Ten games don’t make a Red Wings (six points in 10 games) and San Jose Sharks (six points in season, but it’s fair to say a lot of us were probably wrong about the eight games). The Blackhawks are ninth and have a 4.5 percent chance. Blackhawks. In 10 simulations, the Blackhawks landed the third pick once, the ninth So here are 10 things we’ve learned so far this season. pick four times, the 10th pick three times and the 11th pick twice. 1. The Blackhawks are … fun? 4. The Blackhawks have a goalie, after all Look, nobody’s saying this is a good hockey team. These Blackhawks Lankinen was the last of the Blackhawks’ three goalies to get a shot, will not win the Stanley Cup this season, and they likely won’t make the which gives you an idea of where he sat in the minds of the Blackhawks playoffs. But despite losing their top two centers and their goaltender, coaching staff entering the season. But scouts suggested he had a despite losing their top left wing and their star young defenseman and higher ceiling than Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia, and it looks they three others to COVID-19 protocol, despite being told they had no might have been on to something. chance to compete, these Blackhawks have gotten at least a point in six of their last seven games. And the one in which they didn’t get a point — Lankinen has been a revelation, far and away the biggest bright spot Friday against Joonas Korpisalo and Columbus — might have been their early this season. Since losing 5-4 in overtime to Florida in his NHL debut best effort of the season. (a game in which he was better than the score suggested), Lankinen has allowed just seven goals in five starts, stopping 153 of 160 shots, for a They work hard. Brandon Hagel plays every shift like it’s his first and last. .956 save percentage, second only to Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko in Patrick Kane is still making highlight-reel plays. Connor Murphy has that span (he’s fifth in the NHL overall this season). taken over as the No. 1 defenseman. Ian Mitchell has looked like an NHLer. Philipp Kurashev has out-performed expectations. Andrew Shaw It goes beyond the numbers, though. Lankinen looks the part. Sounds looks like his old self, and has been a puck-retrieval machine. Pius Suter the part, too. Frequently playing deep within his own net, he looks calm had a hat trick in his sixth NHL game. Reese Johnson was a one-man and poised, making the easy saves but also enough of the tough ones to wrecking ball in his NHL debut. And Kevin Lankinen has been pretty keep the Blackhawks in every game. We all sort of smirked at his spectacular. seemingly unearned confidence during training camp, but now he’s backing it all up. He speaks like a goalie who’s been in the NHL for This is a weird, mishmash, patchwork team, depleted by injury and years, and who’s been on this team for years, too. illness. They don’t have a lot of offensive punch. They have too many bottom-six types in top-six roles. There are head-slapping plays in the “I feel comfortable in the net,” he said. “The guys have done a pretty defensive zone nearly every night. good job to help me get comfortable inside and outside the rink. The communication is getting better with the defensemen. All in all, I feel like But they play hard. And they’ve been competitive against everybody but the guys are comfortable with me in the net, so I can feel that in my Tampa Bay. The Carolina Hurricanes are very good, and maybe this era game. Obviously there’s still a lot to work on; we’re early in the season of good feelings gets punctured a bit this week. But these Blackhawks and (it’s) a lot of new experiences for me. Every game is still a new are more competitive than anyone thought they’d be. They’re also more experience and I’m going to learn a lot and I’m only going to get better fun than anyone had the right to expect. every single game.” This looked like it would be a lost season. Instead, in just 10 games, the Goaltending was supposed to be the Blackhawks’ most glaring weakness Blackhawks have found quite a bit. this season after Stan Bowman let Corey Crawford walk. Instead, it’s “We’ve said it right from the beginning of the year in training camp, we been their biggest strength. Who saw that coming? got to focus on getting better all the time,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy 5. Mattias Janmark is a player Colliton said after Sunday’s win. “The outside impression of us as a team really doesn’t matter. Our priority’s got to be trying to get better, Fun fact: Mattias Janmark has the worst expected-goals-for percentage competing, relentless, be determined, protect each other with our work on the Blackhawks, at a dismal 35.8 percent. Opponents have taken 59 ethic and our decisions and they’re doing it. You got to give them I think a percent of the shot attempts when Janmark is on the ice, 60 percent of ton of credit. The older guys leading the way and the younger guys the scoring chances and nearly 62 percent of the high-danger chances. playing without fear and coming in and being aggressive, playing on their toes and seizing the opportunity that’s there. We are getting better. The But every time he’s out there, it seems like he’s making things happen. results, they’re not perfect yet, but I think there’s a lot to be excited about. Ten games is a pretty small sample size, so let’s give him the benefit of Again, with so many young guys showing they’re ready to at least get an the doubt. He sure looks like a player. He’s aggressive offensively, opportunity, they’re going to get a lot better here as the year goes on. muscling past defenders and creating plays out of nothing. He’s got three That looks really good for our team in the weeks and months ahead.” goals and three assists in his last six games, and has had little trouble keeping up with Kane since being bumped up to the top line in the wake 2. It’s all about the youth of all the COVID-19 absences. He’s on the power play, he’s on the penalty kill, and he’s got more speed than expected — witness the burst The Blackhawks’ goal this season was to play their young players. It’s after intercepting this pass and taking it all the way in for a goal. how they have any chance of getting back to where they once were. It’s easy to see why he was a fan favorite in Dallas. At 28 years old, he So far, so good. doesn’t necessarily fit the Blackhawks’ youth movement. But you can’t Five players have made their NHL debuts — Johnson, Kurashev, have all kids, either. Maybe he slots in a middle-six role for the future. Lankinen, Mitchell and Suter. Hagel and Nicolas Beaudin had just one Maybe he gets flipped at the trade deadline for a mid-range pick or two. NHL game entering this season and now have more. Either way, he was a sneaky-good signing, and has been a sneaky-good player (as long as you don’t look at the numbers). It’s not just ice time, though. It’s about opportunities to develop. Adam Boqivst was made the quarterback of the first power-play unit. Kurashev 6. Nikita Zadorov is not a finished product centered Kane on the top line on Sunday. Suter was there before. Lucas Bowman traded Brandon Saad to Colorado for Nikita Zadorov and Shots on goal percentage: 56.1, 3rd immediately anointed Zadorov a Big Piece of the future. He was brought in to play alongside prized young defensemen Boqvist and/or Mitchell, Scoring chances percentage: 55.07, 3rd and to be the stabilizing shutdown defender the Blackhawks have High-danger chances percentage: 60.0, 2nd needed for years. Hagel has done a lot of that despite playing in a fourth-line role and often It hasn’t exactly worked out that way. Zadorov lasted just three games as starting in the neutral or defensive zone. He has the fifth-lowest offensive Boqvist’s partner before being moved to Connor Murphy’s pairing. He zone starting percentage on the team at 32.5. was too often hesitant with the puck, making poor decisions and finding himself out of position defensively. It’s not been all bad — he’s been the The one area the Blackhawks would love to see Hagel improve is the physical force the Blackhawks craved, and he’s broken up his share of actual goals percentage, and factor into more goals for. The Blackhawks plays. It’s just been all or nothing with him — for every good play, there’s have scored just one 5-on-5 goal with him on the ice. The positive is he’s a turnover. For every play he breaks up, he gives one up. This is exactly only been on the ice for two goals against. how he was advertised by those who watched him play in Colorado — Takeaways can be a pretty subjective stat, but it’s no surprise Hagel is lots of potential and the kind of size coaches dream about, but lacking among the team’s leaders there. He’s second on the team with 3.03 the consistency to tap into his seemingly limitless potential. takeaways per 60 minutes. He forechecks and forechecks and Zadorov is just 25. And his contract expires at the end of the season. forechecks. Bowman brought him here to play a big role in the future. Zadorov still “He’s sure playing well and it’s exciting,” Colliton said. “Second-year pro has to prove he’s worthy of such a commitment, though. And the jury’s here and he’s really taken hold of the opportunity and he does a lot of still out. things you like — just pressure on the puck, great forechecker, he forces “I think the past few games have been pretty solid, in my opinion,” turnovers. He is relentless. He’s done a lot of nice things with the puck, Zadorov said on Monday. “I had a couple of bad games — I think the first too.” Nashville game, first Detroit game weren’t my best. I was still learning the 10. The power play looks legit system, learning how to play with my teammates and everything. There was kind of a lack of urgency. But I think I fixed it. Now I want to get The Blackhawks have their offensive challenges. Without so many top-6 better every game. For me, to be a leader on this team I need to go out skilled players, that was expected. The goals aren’t going to be flowing there and play big minutes. I’m here for a reason, bring physicality to this like years past. team, bring toughness, be (hard to play) against. That’s what I want to do all the time, and I also increase my games when I’m doing that.” That’s proven true so far. The Blackhawks are 26th in 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes at 1.77. They’re 22nd with 2.6 overall goals per game. One 7. The defense is making progress positive is the Blackhawks are fifth in the league at getting even-strength shots on net, according to Sportlogiq. The problem is they’re just not The Blackhawks made a concerted effort to add defensively responsible going in. players throughout the lineup in an effort to turn around arguably the league’s worst team defense. And while the Blackhawks have hardly But the one area where the Blackhawks have shown they score and become a Barry Trotz- or John Tortorella-type team — they’re still third- hang with anyone is on the power play. Coming off a 2019-20 season worst in the league at 33.5 shots-against per game — they’ve made where they were 28th with a 15.2 power-play percentage, they’re sixth strides in the right direction. now with a 33.3 percentage.

They’re in the middle third of the league when it comes to giving up high- That percentage isn’t likely to stand over time, but the Blackhawks’ power danger scoring chances, after being third-worst in the league last year. play does look like it’s legit. They’re moving themselves and the puck Lankinen has had to make his share of bail-out saves, but nothing close more. They’re getting more chances from the slot. It’s a group that is not to what Crawford and Robin Lehner did last season. Generally speaking, just relying on Kane to do something. the Blackhawks have done a better job of keeping opponents on the perimeter, clogging up shooting lanes with sticks and bodies, and The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 clearing bodies and rebounds in front of the net.

There are still too many instances of miscommunications, of two defensemen in the same corner of the ice while an opposing forward skates freely in the far circle, of failed clears and unmoved forwards. But those instances are happening marginally less frequently than the last couple of seasons. And that’s progress.

8. Improvement around the net

Ten games isn’t a massive sample size, but the Blackhawks have been defending better around the net.

The Blackhawks were last in the league two seasons ago by allowing 13.66 high-danger chances per 60 minutes and last again last season at 12.91. That number is down to 10.1 this season and ranks 14th in the NHL.

Some new roles and new players have factored into that. Dylan Strome has been on the ice for the fewest high-danger chances per 60 minutes at 7.05. He’s followed by Boqvist (7.49), Zadorov (8.58), Suter (8.93), Kurashev (8.99) and Murphy (9.13).

On the other end, Carpenter has been on the ice for the most at 13.09 and is followed by Keith (12.99), Carl Soderberg (12.93) and David Kampf (11.96).

9. Brandon Hagel proving he can play, excel in the NHL

There are probably a few players who would be in the discussion for most surprising player so far, and Hagel certainly is one of them.

Here’s how he ranks in five important 5-on-5 categories:

Expected goals percentage: 56.13, 1st

Corsi percentage: 57.4, 2nd 1182877 Colorado Avalanche Colorado went ahead 2-0 at 7:09 of the second period. Joonas Donskoi won the draw in Minnesota’s end and managed to also get off a quick shot. Nichushkin drove to the net and slapped the rebound in between Talbot’s legs. Avalanche grinds out 2-1 win over Minnesota behind defense, depth scoring MacKinnon is the newcomer to the long injury list. Defensemen Erik Johnson and Devon Toews missed their second and third-straight The Avs are now 6-2-1 when scoring the game’s first goal games, respectively. Forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also missed his third-straight. Winger Matt Calvert missed his fourth and goalie Pavel

Francouz, who backed up Grubauer in the first two games, has been on By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 9:30 p.m. | the injured list the last nine games. Bednar doesn’t expect any of those UPDATED: February 3, 2021 at 12:20 a.m. players back this week.

Footnotes. Right winger Mikko Rantanen, 23, and defenseman Sam Girard, 22, replaced Johnson and MacKinnon as alternate captains. The Avalanche had to do it differently Tuesday night. Rantanen logged 21:57, tops among Avs forwards, and Girard was second on the team at 25:47. Rantanen and Girard might be the In their first game without injured superstar Nathan MacKinnon, the Avs youngest guys in the league donning an “A” on their chest. … Colorado couldn’t count on the perennial Hart Trophy candidate to provide his elite has earned points in its last five games (4-0-1) and tied with St. Louis for skills in all three zones. They were forced to accept the fact they must first in the West Division. … The Avs are 8-3-1 on Groundhog Day. learn to win without MacKinnon because, according to coach Jared Bednar, he could be out for multiple weeks from a mysterious lower-body Denver Post: LOADED: 02.03.2021 injury suffered Sunday in Minnesota.

Mission accomplished. In the third of four consecutive games against the Wild, the top line didn’t score but the Avs played great defense and their all-around depth was good enough to forge a 2-1 victory at Ball Arena. Colorado (7-3-1), which is now 2-0-1 against Minnesota since Saturday, got goals from bottom-six forwards Logan O’Connor and Valeri Nichushkin and goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 27-of-28 shots for his NHL-leading seventh win.

“Obviously (MacKinnon’s) a very special player. Not a single person can fill that void,” said star Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who logged a team-high 26:23 playing in all situations. “I just think everybody, as a collective group, steps up and plays the role that we need them to. Overall tonight, I think we played a relatively consistent game and stuck to it.”

“We played with a better conscience, for sure,” said Bednar, who was critical of how his team played in Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild in which MacKinnon was injured. “I liked the work ethic of our group. I liked the way they stuck with our game plan and found a way to get the job done.”

The Avs had successfully killed 22 consecutive power plays entering Tuesday, but Minnesota, while trailing 2-0, scored on its third man- advantage opportunity to end the streak at 24. Wild rookie winger Kirill Kaprizov got the goal at 13:05 off a nice pass from Zach Parise.

But Bednar didn’t have a problem with the penalty that created the power play. Minnesota forward Kyle Rau forechecked hard into the corner as Avs star defenseman Cale Makar was playing the puck with a defender draped on him. Rau created a 2-on-1 advantage and delivered what looked like a dangerous hit on Makar. It could have been boarding or charging.

Rau fell to the ice on the play, rose to his skates and Avs center J.T. Compher, MacKinnon’s replacement, was ready to fight. Both he and Rau received fighting majors and Compher drew an additional minor for unsportsmanlike conduct (instigating).

“All day long,” Bednar said when asked if he was OK with Compher’s actions. “I thought they should have had the extra (penalty). I thought the hit (on Makar) was probably boarding or a charge. They don’t call it. We get the extra.”

In addition to the goal-allowed, the Avs had to play without their first-line center for seven minutes.

“If it ended up costing us the game it’s a little bit different, but … I think you got to stick up for one another. You got to police yourselves if the officials don’t,” Bednar said. “I was fine with the play and I still am.”

“I appreciate what Comph did,” Makar said. “We should have got the kill for him.”

The Avs scored first for the ninth time in 11 games. Fourth-liner O’Connor (who is still technically an NHL rookie) made it 1-0 at 17:45 of the first period. He picked up a loose puck beside the right post, threw it at Talbot and the puck caromed in off his pads. It was O’Connor’s second goal in three games since being recalled.

The Avs are now 6-2-1 when scoring the game’s first goal. 1182878 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon out “week-to-week” with lower-body injury

By KYLE FREDRICKSON | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 10:13 a.m. | UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 8:31 p.m.

The Avalanche will be without star player Nathan MacKinnon for potentially multiple weeks as injuries continue piling up for the early season favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Colorado entered Tuesday night’s home tilt against the Minnesota Wild with six Avs currently on the mend. No absence stings quite like MacKinnon, though, whose 14 points (two goals) leads the team after 10 games in a shortened 56-game season.

Colorado cannot afford a letdown in MacKinnon’s absence if they wish to remain in contention for a West Division championship. Avs forward J.T. Compher, stepping in as the team’s top-line center, is confident they won’t miss a beat.

“We know how great Nate has been for us over the last few years and to start the (season). With that said, I’m not Nate,” Compher said. “I need to just play my game, support those guys, and do what I can to help the team win.”

Avs coach Jared Bednar began his virtual news conference on Tuesday with a laundry list of health updates. Bednar told reporters that all six injured players — forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (lower-body), Matt Calvert (likely concussion) and MacKinnon (lower-body), defensemen Devon Toews (foot) and Erik Johnson (upper-body), and goalie Pavel Francouz (lower-body) — are considered “week-to-week” for return.

Bednar added that Francouz is “continuing his rehab and working off the ice. … I don’t know when that is going to change.” Bednar did not specify the cause or timing of MacKinnon’s injury, but said that it is “not going to be a situation where he’s back ready to play for us tomorrow.”

It’s an unfortunate flashback to last season when an injury-plagued Avalanche roster, previously viewed by many as Cup favorites, made a second-round exit in the NHL playoffs.

“It’s unfortunate and you never want to see any teammate go down,” said Avalanche defenseman Sheldon Dries, called up this week from the taxi squad to the active lineup. “Every guy in that room still knows what is at hand and knows what job needs to be done.”

The Avalanche (6-3-1) entered Tuesday night tied atop the division points lead (13) with the St. Louis Blues. Colorado’s depth will ultimately determine whether the team remains among the NHL’s best entering the postseason.

“We’ve had this as part of our culture the past few years. We’ve dealt with injuries in the regular season and playoffs,” Compher said. “We know that we have the guys that are capable of stepping up and guys that can fill in, wherever in the lineup we need.”

Penalty-kill carousel. The Avalanche’s penalty kill rate of 91.7% ranks first in the NHL. The feat is especially impressive when you consider that injuries to Toews and Johnson have led Colorado to rotate several new faces on the unit, including Cale Makar.

The Avs had successfully killed 22 consecutive opponent power-play chances before Tuesday night.

“They’re doing a nice job of getting their clears,” Bednar said. “Guys like Cale, (Sam) Girard and Bowen Byram are going to kill penalties. That’s just the way it is, especially when you have injuries like this. They’ll kill more than they would normally do. It means more ice time for those guys. But they’re using their skills in the right areas to help us get pucks down.”

Denver Post: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182879 Colorado Avalanche Sam the leader: Defenseman Sam Girard, 22, wore the alternate captain’s ‘A’ for the first time in his NHL career. Without usual alternate captain MacKinnon in the lineup, Bednar turned to Girard, saying that he made the decision “based off of who’s leading us on the ice.” And Girard Philipp Grubauer backstops injury-riddled Avalanche to 2-1 victory over has been that leader. Minnesota “I watch him play and watch the way he handles himself in the locker room,” Bednar said. “That’s what he is. He’s a leader.”

By Aarif Deen - February 2, 2021 Injury front: Bednar said Tuesday morning that MacKinnon, Johnson, Toews, Bellemare, Calvert and Francouz are all out “week-to-week.”

None are expected to be in the lineup for the Avalanche’s next three Nathan MacKinnon didn’t play Tuesday. Neither did Erik Johnson. Nor games. An update on their statuses, most notably MacKinnon, will come Devon Toews, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Matt Calvert or Pavel early next week. Francouz. But the suddenly injury-riddled Avalanche were business as milehighsports.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 usual. And it was the depth scoring and Philipp Grubauer in goal that led the way.

Third-line winger Valeri Nichushkin scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Grubauer stopped 27 shots to give Colorado a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena.

Fourth-line winger Logan O’Connor also scored for the Avs (7-3-1), who won without a goal from the top six for the first time this season. They extended their home winning streak to four games.

“I thought the bottom two lines played hard,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Some of those guys are eager to prove they deserve more ice time.”

Grubauer’s seven victories lead the NHL. He has been in goal for every Avs win, allowing just nine goals. Without backup goalie Francouz (lower- body), Colorado has relied heavily on Grubauer. He has played the second-most minutes among NHL goalies, trailing only Edmonton’s Mikko Koskinen.

“He’s really confident, really sure of himself right now,” Bednar said of Grubauer’s play. “He’s not giving up a lot of rebounds down low. He’s making the big saves when we need it so again I thought it was a great performance for him.”

J.T. Compher replaced MacKinnon as the center on the top line and first power-play unit. The 25-year-old did not record a point but was noticeable in other ways, specifically in the second period. After watching teammate Cale Makar take a hit along the boards from Minnesota’s Kyle Rau, Compher dropped the gloves with Rau.

Makar skated away unscathed, and the two combatants were sent to the box to serve their fighting majors. But Compher was given an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov scored a power-play goal while Compher was in the penalty box, ending Colorado’s streak of 22 consecutive killed penalties.

The Avalanche were unwilling to blame Compher for taking that penalty, rather he was applauded for sticking up for a teammate.

“All day long,” Bednar said, when asked if he’s okay with Compher’s actions. “I thought they should’ve had the extra (penalty). I thought the hit was probably boarding or a charge. They don’t call it, we get the extra.”

The Avalanche did not allow a goal for the rest of the evening.

“If it ended up costing us the game it’s a little bit different,” Bednar said. “I think you got to stick up for one another. You got to police yourselves if the officials don’t. I was fine with the play and I still am.”

Makar added: “I really appreciate it when teammates do that. I’ve said this before but I shouldn’t put myself in positions like that. I don’t want guys to have to stand in, I should stand up for myself. But I appreciate what Comph did. We should’ve got the kill for him.”

Makar played a team-high 26:23, logging over 25 minutes of ice time for the third consecutive game. His assist on O’Connor’s goal extended his point streak to five games (seven points).

Makar has played a large role in Colorado’s improved defense, but he still believes Grubauer has been the key component of the minimal goals against.

“Gruby has been incredible for us,” he said. “He’s the backbone of our team and honestly it just gives a lot of confidence playing in front of him. He plays consistently night in and night out.” 1182880 Colorado Avalanche Saad – Kadri – Burakovsky Nichushkin – Jost – Donskoi

O’Connor – Dries – Sherwood Avs Injury Updates and Line Combos for Tonight D-pairs:

Byram – Makar By Scott MacDonald Timmins – Girard

Graves – MacDonald Avs head coach Jared Bednar updated the media as soon as he sat down, reading off a triage report of his increasingly lengthening list of Grubauer injuries. Other news and notes: He seemed a bit annoyed and frustrated — and rightfully so…half his team is out with injuries — when, of course, the first question that was J.T. Compher being promoted to the top line is a move that might interest asked was about a medical update from injured star Nathan MacKinnon. a lot of people. “I’m not Nate,” Compher said. “But me and Gabe and Mikko are on the same page. I just need to play my game, support those “K,” Bednar said when asked. “I’ll go through all the injuries. What I like to guys and do whatever I can to help the team win.” do is give you the update and we can touch on it at the beginning of every week, so we’re not answering injury questions every single Defenseman Jacob MacDonald (no relation to me) grew up an Avs fan. I day…I’ll just update everyone when whatever my first meeting with the did a story on that last year and spoke with him and his peewee coach media is that week and I’ll answer more questions about the inujured (who influenced his decision to become the Avalanche fan), which you guys, but until then I’ll just kind of give you that week-to-week update, can read here. alright?” I asked him again how cool it is playing for his childhood favorite team, Alright. maybe for more games than originally expected: “That was one of the first things I thought of when I pulled the sweater over my head before And then it was, decidedly, not great news with regards Bednar’s first warm-ups. It’s just a really cool feeling and words can’t really describe it. week-to-week injury update. None of the players are day-to-day; they’re You’re living your dream and just being able to contribute and do all “week-to-week,” according to Bednar. everything I can to help this team win.”

Here’s the transcript: You know, as bad as the injuries are — and the news sucks — it’s cool to see dreams come true for guys like MacDonald and to see young guys “Francouz is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury,” Bednar began, like Logan O’Connor and Kiefer Sherwood really stepping up to the plate. as he read of his triage report. “He’s continuing his rehab and is working off the ice. He has not been on the ice again and I don’t when that’s That didn’t make you feel any better about the injury news, did it? No? going to change.” Sorry.

“Johnson, upper body. Got hurt in the Minny game; he’s week-to-week.” Also the fact that we have to have a “week-to-week” injury update from a team’s head coach is never a good sign. It shouldn’t ever be a regular “We got Toews’ information: Not as good as what we’d have liked. It’s occurrence. Good indication we’ll be getting these updates for multiple lower body and he’s week-to-week. It’s not a day-to-day thing. He’s not weeks… coming back here any time soon, or in the next couple of games.” Spoke with a source that confirmed some news I had received shortly “Bellemare, same thing, lower body; he’s week-to-week.” after the Colorado Eagles new uniforms were unveiled…Due to a last- “Calvert is upper body and he’s also week-to-week.” minute change by the Avs, the Eagles new unis are very, uh, blue.

“And MacKinnon, he’s week-to-week, as well. It’s not going to be a Puck drop at Ball Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. MT. The game won’t be situation where he’s back ready to play for us tomorrow.” broadcast on AltitudeTV if you’re a Comcast subscriber. It also won’t be broadcast on DirecTV due to blackout restrictions, given NBCSN has the So there you have it. We at Colorado Hockey Now still believe, based on territorial rights to tonight’s game. talks with sources, that MacKinnon will miss 1-2 weeks, and the same with Toews. Technically, that still fits into Bednar’s “week to week” Colorado hockey now LOADED: 02.03.2021 prognoses. Even though Toews was put on injured reserve today, we’re hearing he’ll resume skating this weekend, and that a 7-10 day prognosis is still in play.

Forward Sheldon Dries will make his Avs season debut tonight, centering the fourth line. He said he’s going to bring “energy and grit tonight. That’s what got me here…I have a lot of heart, a lot grit. If I can come up with some pucks in the corners, that’s kind of my job.”

He also commented on the injuries: “It’s unfortunate…But it’s next-man- up mentality. Every guy in that room still knows what’s at hand and knows what job needs to be done. It is unfortunate, but we have a job to do.”

J.T. Compher, who’s filling in for MacKinnon on the top line says the injuries are nothing new for the team, equating it to part of the Avs culture.

Stinkin' Good QB Spread.

“I think we’ve had this as part of culture these past couple years,” he said. “We’ve dealt with injuries. We have guys that are capable of stepping up and guys that can fill in wherever in the lineup we need. It’s been this way for a few years and we just have to keep pushing in the right direction, keep playing as a team and pick those guys up that aren’t in the lineup.”

Tonight’s lines:

Landeskog – Compher – Rantanen 1182881 Columbus Blue Jackets Tortorella attributed some of the struggles to an inconsistent forecheck and difficulty maintaining possession. But the inability to be crisp in getting the puck out of the Jackets’ zone has been an ongoing issue.

Four takeaways from Blue Jackets' 6-3 loss to Stars in Laine's debut “We do have to get our transition going,” Tortorella said. “We do have to get out cleaner.” Laine disappointed with first game, defensive struggles continue and Korpisalo gets pulled. It wasn’t all bad news for the defensemen. Jones did get his first goal of the season on a wrist shot during a second-period power play to cut the Stars’ lead to 2-1.

Bill Rabinowitz But Dallas answered with a goal only 17 seconds left.

“It hurts,” Jones said. “Anytime you score a goal and the next shift you give one up, it doesn’t do the team any good when it comes to energy.” Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine (29) skates around the ice during the third period of the NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars Kukan also added a goal as the Jackets tried to rally from a 5-1 deficit. at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. Korpisalo pulled In the Blue Jackets’ ideal scenario, Patrick Laine would have made a triumphant Columbus debut against an opponent he lit up while with his Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has been superb this season as he former team. has alternated with Elvis Merzlikins. But he was pulled for the first time in 2021 late in the second period after giving up the fifth goal. Little went ideally for the Jackets on Tuesday. Tortorella said he did it out of mercy, not because Korpisalo played Laine had a quiet debut as Columbus struggled on both offense and poorly. The first two Dallas goals were scored on tips off the stick of Joe defense in a 6-3 loss to Dallas at Nationwide Arena. Pavelski on shots by defenseman John Klingberg.

While playing with Winnipeg, Laine scored 18 goals in 17 games against On the later goals, Korpisalo had little chance on rebounds or defensive the Stars, who reached the Stanley Cup Finals last year before losing to breakdowns. He made 18 saves. Tampa Bay. He had no such magic while wearing the home, er, red jersey as the Blue Jackets also debuted their adidas Retro Reverse "I just didn't want him beat up (mentally)," Tortorella said. "There was uniforms. Laine didn’t register a point and had only two shots on goal. enough crazy things happening in front of him. He's played so very well. I just didn't want him scarred anymore." Laine was disappointed with his performance, but coach John Tortorella said he saw plenty in Laine’s game that he liked. Merzlikins stopped all nine shots he faced.

There wasn’t much else to like about the Jackets on Tuesday. They gave And the rest... up four second-period goals to fall behind 5-1. Columbus scored a couple Mikhail Grigorenko had a two-point night for the Jackets. He got his of goals in the first eight minutes of the third period to make things second goal of the season early in the third period when he tucked in a interesting, but Dallas ended any suspense with an empty-net goal. rebound past Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger on a shot by Eric Robinson. Here are four takeaways: Grigorenko then assisted on Kukan’s goal. The goal and assist were both Laine expects better his second of the season.

Almost all the focus before the game was on Laine, and with good Oliver Bjorkstrand was called for a 4-minute high-sticking penalty in the reason. Scoring goals has been, shall we say, a challenge for Columbus final seconds of the first period when he took a shot at a bouncing puck. this season, and Laine is a goal-scoring machine. On his follow-through, Bjorkstrand's stick hit Dallas defenseman Joel Hanley in the face, sending Hanley’s stick flying. Dallas scored early in But he hadn’t played in two weeks because of an upper-body injury, the the second period on the ensuing power play. need to get a U.S. work visa, and then the mandatory two-day quarantine. The first time on the ice with his teammates was in the Riley Nash was a healthy scratch after his wife, Clare, had a baby on Tuesday morning skate. Monday.

Laine said that nothing clicked for him – not his legs, not his hands, and Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 not his head. Laine started the game on a line centered by Alexandre Texier. By the end of the second period, Tortorella had Laine playing with Jack Roslovic, who accompanied him in the trade from Winnipeg for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

“Kind of the whole game, it was just tough,” he said. “It’s one of those games. Coming back after two weeks, into a new system against a really good team, it’s not the easiest situation. But I’m not here to make excuses. I’ve got to be better next game. We have to play better as a team and as individuals.”

Tortorella was more charitable.

“I think he’s looking for more shots to get on net, but he can pass the puck,” he said. “That’s one thing you can see right away. I thought he had some good shifts here tonight.”

Defensive woes

Tortorella hasn’t been happy with his defensive pairings all season, and he broke up the normal tandems for Tuesday’s game. Seth Jones was paired with Michael Del Zotto instead of Zach Werenski. David Savard skated with Werenski. Savard’s normal partner, Vladislav Gavrikov, played instead with Dean Kukan.

The tinkering didn’t really pan out. The Jackets had trouble getting the puck out of their zone quickly and several of the Stars’ goals followed defensive sloppiness. 1182882 Columbus Blue Jackets

Jackets fall flat in Laine debut, lose to Stars 6-3.

Bill Rabinowitz

It was not a storybook Columbus Blue Jackets debut for Patrik Laine.

The Jackets fell behind by four goals before rallying to make the third period interesting, but it wasn't enough in a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

Laine was scoreless in his first game for Columbus following his trade Jan. 23 with Jack Roslovic for Pierre-Luc Dubois. After a delay to obtain a U.S. work visa, recover from an upper-body injury and quarantine for two days upon his arrival, Laine was eager to get back on the ice. So were the goal-starved Blue Jackets.

"This guy can score goals," Tortorella said earlier Tuesday. "So it's certainly a welcome addition to the team."

Laine scored 140 goals in 306 games for Winnipeg, but he didn't have a major impact in his first game as a Jacket. He had two shots on goal.

Seth Jones, Mikhael Grigorenko and Dean Kukan had the Columbus goals.

Laine started the game playing left wing on a line centered by Alexandre Texier. By late in the second period, he was skating with Roslovic.

"It was tough at the beginning," Laine said. "My legs weren't quite there. My head was definitely not there. My hands were not there. And obviously it's a new system and new linemates.

"But I'm not here to make excuses. I wasn't at the level I need to be for this team to be able to win. I think that's the same for everybody."

Laine took one penalty, for high-sticking, and the Stars capitalized on that for a power-play goal. They spent a lot of Tuesday capitalizing.

Dallas took a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Stars defenseman John Klingberg took a harmless-looking shot from inside the blue line, but Joe Pavelski tipped the puck past Korpisalo.

The Blue Jackets (4-4-3) generated little offense in the first 20 minutes. They had trouble clearing their own zone and difficulty setting up in the Stars'. Tortorella juggled his defensive pairs entering the game, but it didn't have the desired effect.

Jackets right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand was called for a 4-minute high- sticking penalty when he tried to swat a puck out of the air but instead hit defenseman Joel Hanley with 4.6 seconds left in the period.

Dallas scored early in the second period on the ensuing power play as Pavelski again tipped a shot from Klingberg by Korpisalo.

Jones made it 2-1 on a wrister at 5:41 of the period with the Jackets on the power play for his first goal of the season. The one-goal deficit lasted only 17 seconds. Pavelski fed Jamie Benn after a rebound to make it 3-1. So much for any Blue Jackets' momentum.

Dallas added two more goals in the second period to chase Korpisalo and take a 5-1 lead.

"I just didn't want him beat up (mentally)," Tortorella said. "There was enough crazy things happening in front of him. He's played so very well. I just didn't want him scarred anymore."

The Blue Jackets kept the third period from being a formality with the goals by Grigorenko and Kukan, the latter with 12:37 left. But the Jackets couldn't get any closer. Dallas ended an empty-net goal with 1:41 left by Alexander Radulov.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182883 Columbus Blue Jackets his first game out there in Winnipeg. He gets hurt, but he puts the team on his shoulders there. He’s a good player and he can score goals.”

That’s important because the Jackets’ offense is sputtering again, Blue Jackets excited for Laine to launch a new NHL chapter — and a lot desperately in need of a jump start. Laine is a player opposing teams of pucks have to account for every shift he takes, which should make it easier for his teammates to “get lost” in the offensive zone. Atkinson, for example, The 22-year old's goal-scoring prowess was already noticeable Tuesday flourished with Artemi Panarin, scoring a career-high 41 goals in 2018-19 at the team's morning skate, which was filled with excitement for Laine's while skating on the opposite wing of the former Blue Jackets star left first official practice. wing.

“I’ve always been able to get lost, but a high-caliber player like (Laine), a lot of focus is going to be on him and he’s going to bring a lot of attention Brian Hedger and guys to him,” Atkinson said. “Being able to find those areas where you give yourself an opportunity to score a goal or make a good play ... (I’m) looking forward to that.” New Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine works out at the team's morning skate at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. The hope is that it works out better than Laine’s wish to leave the snow and cold of Winnipeg behind. The puck took off like a rocket, ripping into the net behind Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo on the short side. “Being traded as a 22-year-old, that’s not easy going into a new team, so (the team has) been really awesome,” he said. “I’ve just got to say ‘thank The cheering that followed was from Korpisalo’s teammates, and it you’ to those guys and it looks like I brought the winter to Columbus with wouldn’t be surprising to learn the goalie himself applauded a little after me. I thought I was going to get away from the snow, but it looks like I Patrik Laine’s booming one-timer beat him Tuesday morning at brought it here, too.” Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets will soon find out if he also brought more ammunition Going into the 22-year-old Finnish forward’s first game with the Blue with him for their goal cannon. Jackets, on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, Laine’s new team had scored just three power-play goals in 26 opportunities over the first “I always thought my ears were gonna pop whenever they scored on us, 10 games of the season. They were understandably excited to add a but that’s going to be fun on the other side of that,” Laine said. “Hopefully howitzer to the lineup. I can try to fire the cannon a couple times and hopefully, maybe (Tuesday night).” “Bringing in any new faces, especially a high-caliber player like (Laine), it definitely gives you a lot of juice,” veteran Cam Atkinson said. “You can Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 see it even in this little pregame skate. I know it was quick, but it seemed like every time he shot the puck or scored a goal, the boys got a little bit louder. So, a guy like him coming in definitely brings a lot of energy and I’m excited to play with him.”

The reason Laine is here also gives a pick-me-up for the Blue Jackets, who began this season having to pretend that Pierre-Luc Dubois’ offseason trade request wasn’t an issue.

Clearly it was a problem and the trade that sent Dubois and a third-round draft pick in 2022 to Winnipeg for Laine and forward Jack Roslovic was a weight off their collective shoulders. That relief is now eager anticipation about getting Laine into an actual game, after waiting more than a week for his U.S. work visa plus a 48-hour quarantine once he arrived in Columbus, on Friday.

“I’m just excited to play again,” said Laine, who also was activated from injured reserve following an upper-body injury. “I haven’t played in the last couple weeks, so I’m definitely excited to play and play with new guys and play in a different building, where I only used to play as a visiting team. So, I think that’s just exciting to be a part of this team now.”

The Blue Jackets concur.

“Any time there’s new blood that comes into the room, it adds enthusiasm and energy,” defenseman Michael Del Zotto said. “You can see it (Tuesday) morning working on power play. It adds a different dynamic to our hockey club. Obviously, our power play hasn’t been working as efficiently as we’d like, and hopefully (Laine) can be a big boost for us.”

That’s the plan. Laine hasn’t played since Jan. 14 but said he’s not concerned about the layoff affecting his effort level.

“I’m not going to come and play if I’m not going to be myself,” he said. “I’m going to play like I played against Calgary in my last game and I’m going to fight as hard as I can every time the coach puts me on the ice. That’s all I can do.”

Despite sustaining an injury in that game, Laine was impressive against the Flames in the Jets’ season-opener. He scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, and finished with three points with an assist on a power-play goal.

The Blue Jackets will happily take that kind of effort.

“In the short conversations I’ve had with him on the phone and meeting him face-to-face this morning, I think he has personality,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “I think he's gonna fit in here. I watched him 1182884 Columbus Blue Jackets Some of that might eventually matter, should the Blue Jackets’ players involved test positive and it can be traced to the game. Or it could turn out that none of it matters, which is the most likely outcome given what’s known about transmission. Blue Jackets still adjusting to the NHL's new normal: 'Everything's up in the air' All of these considerations are new this season.

A COVID-19 situation with the Chicago Blackhawks had the Jackets “It’s definitely safety first, for everybody,” Blue Jackets forward Boone wondering whether their game Sunday would be canceled. It wasn't and Jenner said. “It’s serious and we take it seriously here, so we’re following they lost, but it showed just how quickly things can change. the rules as best we can and we’re just trying to win hockey games. That’s our focus right now.”

Players have acknowledged the difficulty thus far this season in drawing Brian Hedger energy in games contested in arenas devoid of fans.

The Blackhawks and other teams are trying alternative ways to generate excitement, including a video of fans cheering from home during the On Friday, Blackhawks forward Ryan Carpenter (22) was credited with a national anthem and taped crowd noise, but the atmosphere is not the hit on the Blue Jackets Liam Foudy (19). A day later, Carpenter and a same. teammate were placed on Chicago's COVID-19 protocols list. Should Foudy and the Jackets worry? Sticks and pucks clack loudly, echoing to the rafters, and the sound of skates sheering off layers of ice can be louder than the artificial crowd CHICAGO — The virus at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the noise pumped through the sound system. only thing that can spread quickly during this one-of-a-kind NHL season. Some players admittedly have trouble getting the juices flowing without News travels just as fast, which the Blue Jackets learned this past screaming fans. They’re paid professionals, but also human beings. weekend. After winning a tight game Friday at the United Center, the Jackets awoke Saturday to the news that practice that day for the “Should I do a dance or a jingle?” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella Chicago Blackhawks had been canceled “out of an abundance of a said when asked if he had come up with any pregame rituals to fill the caution” related to COVID-19 exposure. intensity void. “I’m not trying to be sarcastic with (the) question. It’s a good question, but I just don’t know what to do before a game. You’ve The Blackhawks also announced that two players who had played just got to be ready to play and get things to go your way within a game against the Blue Jackets the night before — forward Ryan Carpenter and and gain momentum that way.” defenseman Nicolas Beaudin — had joined three of their teammates on the NHL’s COVID protocols list. That’s easier said than done, of course. There’s just no substitute for the NHL’s organic ebbs and flows when there’s a live audience filling the “We saw that news and thought, ‘Well, is the game (Sunday) going to be seats, which probably is going to be the case for a while, even after fans canceled? What’s going to happen if there’s going to be more (positive are allowed inside in limited capacity. test results)?’ ” Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones said. “And we’re worried about our players, as well, at that point. It’s just … everything’s “They’re performers and they want to be in front of people and play, and up in the air and nobody really knows until it happens. So we’re just enjoy the excitement — the momentum going against you, the high of trying our best to concentrate on hockey and trying to get better on the ramping it up for eight or 10 minutes in a period and the building is alive,” ice.” Tortorella said. “None of those momentum swings happen … and I think we need to be honest about that.” Such is the NHL’s new “normal” this season, which includes quiet arenas devoid of fans, strict rules for teams traveling to other cities and daily Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 testing for players, coaches, team staff and others assigned to “Group 1” in the league’s extensive protocols.

There’s a lot to process.

“There’s talk. It’s human nature, right?” Jones said, when asked how much players discuss situations like the one the Blackhawks are facing. (The Blackhawks were able to play Sunday and beat Columbus 3-1.)

“It’s going to be like this all season, so we’re going to just put our heads down and continue to work and take this a day at a time as a team,” Jones said. “But we did talk about it (Saturday). A couple of those guys (on Chicago’s protocols list) we played against. We have to try and put that aside as best we can.”

Research about COVID-19 has shown the virus is more likely to be transmitted through the air, especially in poorly ventilated indoor areas for durations that last 15 minutes or longer. There is still a chance of infection, however, through other means, including direct contact on surfaces or through droplets expelled from a person’s mouth.

Those last two have players talking the most, since hockey is a contact sport.

The way the NHL handles its identification of players removed for COVID-19 protocols leaves wiggle room for unanswered questions. Players are put on the list if they test positive for the virus, but also if they tested negative and are identified through tracing as a close contact of a person who has tested positive.

So the Blue Jackets didn’t know whether they’d just played against two Blackhawks, Carpenter and Beaudin, who had tested positive or were merely removed for potential exposure.

Carpenter was credited with two hits Friday, on Liam Foudy and Dean Kukan, while Beaudin had one hit, on Eric Robinson. Also, Blue Jackets defenseman Michael Del Zotto was credited with a hit against Carpenter and Robinson hit Beaudin. 1182885 Columbus Blue Jackets Laine’s night So much for easing Laine in with his new club: He played 20:54, more

than any other Blue Jackets forward and behind only Jones (22:30) and Patrik Laine’s debut not enough for Blue Jackets to avoid ugly ‘retro’ loss Werenski (21:30).

Laine also led the Blue Jackets with seven shot attempts (two of them on goal). His special talent was evident in glimpses, but the game was a By Aaron Portzline Feb 2, 2021 struggle for him, as expected.

“It was tough at the beginning,” Laine said. “Legs weren’t quite there. My head was definitely not there. My hands were not there. Obviously a new COLUMBUS, Ohio — Who knew that when the Blue Jackets put on their system and new linemates, too. But I’m not here to make excuses. old-school sweater — yep, the one with the “electric green” stick forming the ‘J’ across the crest of the logo — that their play would transport back “I wasn’t at the level I need to be for this team to be able to win. That’s to the awful, early days of the franchise, too. the same for everybody. We just need to be better on Thursday (versus Dallas). It starts with me. I have to be way better.” We’ll spare the inaugural Blue Jackets of 2000-01, those blessed overachievers. The first Blue Jackets remain one of the most beloved LAINE RECOUNTS HIS FIRST GAME WITH THE JACKETS. #CBJ | teams in franchise history. Long live Tugnutt. Love live Knutsen. Long @PEDIALYTE PIC.TWITTER.COM/VDRXAYEAKH live Sanderson, Wright and Dineen. And by all means, long live Kinger. — COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (@BLUEJACKETSNHL) FEBRUARY But that 2001-02 club? Yeah, that team reappeared on Tuesday when 3, 2021 the Blue Jackets spent the first two periods just trying to get out of their own zone, falling behind the Dallas Stars by four goals and losing 6-3 Laine had a couple of rips on net, including one that felled Stars forward after a mild uptick in the third period. Nick Caamano in the second period. The best aspect of his game, though, was his playmaking, including a nifty pass through two Stars For the first time on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets wore their “Retro defenders to find Jones streaking through the slot in the second period. Reverse” sweaters, an NHL invention (to make money during desperate financial times) to hearken back to the good ol’ days of each franchise. “He had a great pass to me for a tip in the slot,” Jones said. “He had a great pass to Cam (Atkinson) in the first period. You can see some of the IS IT TOMORROW YET? #CBJ | #REVERSERETRO plays he made off the rush, and some of his creativity. I’m sure that will PIC.TWITTER.COM/U2NTJL3JRT help us.”

— COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (@BLUEJACKETSNHL) FEBRUARY Laine started the game on a line with Alexandre Texier at center and 1, 2021 Atkinson on right wing, but by the middle of the second period, Tortorella had replaced Texier on that line with Jack Roslovic, who came to Except the good ol’ days — for Columbus hockey, in particular — weren’t Columbus with Laine in the trade. really all that great. The Blue Jackets never made the playoffs in their original duds, making it wholly appropriate to call them duds. As for an early diagnosis of the Blue Jackets’ offensive woes, Laine offered this: And speaking of duds, the Blue Jackets got jumped from the start by the Stars. “We were just passing it around outside too much. It looks pretty, but we’re not going to create any scoring chances doing that.” The Blue Jackets were hoping for a better unveiling for forward Patrik Laine, who finally made his Columbus debut Tuesday, 10 days after he Snacks was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets. • Boone Jenner played in his 500th NHL game for the Blue Jackets. Laine had some bright moments (more on that in a bit), but the Blue Jackets failed to match the Stars’ pace of play, which made it difficult to • Blue Jackets center Riley Nash missed the game after his wife, Clare, forecheck, which left them retreating and scrambling in their own zone. gave birth to a son Monday. Rhett Nash is eligible for the 2039 NHL Draft. The big news before puck drop was not Laine’s debut. It was a major shift among the Blue Jackets’ defensive pairs, with all three pairs getting • Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after Dallas’ Radek Faksa a new look. Even the No. 1 pair with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski scored at 13:59 of the second period to make it 5-1. Korpisalo allowed wasn’t spared. five goals on 23 shots, but none of the goals allowed were truly despicable. Tortorella said he turned to Elvis Merzlikins (nine shots, nine Michael Del Zotto, who came to training camp on a tryout agreement, saves the rest of the way) to keep Korpisalo from being “beat up” on a was elevated to the No. 1 pair alongside Jones, while Werenski dropped rough night at the rink. to the second pair with David Savard. That left Vladislav Gavrikov to play with Dan Kukan on the third pair. • The Blue Jackets will have a chance to do something on Wednesday that has been all too rare so far this season: practice. It won’t be a long “We’re constantly breaking out of our end zone,” coach John Tortorella outing but a crucial on-ice session for Laine, as well as intensive film said. “That first period, we were constantly breaking out. Are we coming study as they try to get him up and running midseason. out clean? No. We’ve had some struggles. To alleviate that we need to do some work up front as far as holding on to pucks and establishing The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 more of a puck-possession game in the offensive zone.

“I just think we’re struggling. Our back end, our puck movement … I just don’t like the pairs. It’s been a struggle. (Del Zotto) has probably been our best puck-moving defenseman these first few games here, as far as getting us out. So we wanted to see if we could change things up.”

The Blue Jackets fell behind 2-0 early in the second period on ageless Joe Pavelski’s second goal of the game.

Seth Jones scored his first of the season on the power play at 5:41, but the Stars pushed the margin back to two goals by scoring only 17 seconds later.

The Stars played tack-on with two goals in a stretch of 2:30 later in the second period to make it 5-1.

The Jackets got goals from Mikhail Grigorenko and Dean Kukan in the third period — they actually played significantly better in the final 20 minutes — but the Stars scored an empty-net goal with 1:41 to seal it. 1182886 Columbus Blue Jackets “I remember doing not-so-smart things when I was 14 years old, too,” he said.

Laine’s fame in Finland is on par with Finnish president Sauli Niinistö, Patrik Laine’s supernova career seeks a new launch point with Blue former NHL legend Teemu Selanne, and Formula 1 driver Kimi Jackets Räikkönen. Kekäläinen has one of Räikkönen’s suits framed and hanging in his office.

“Laine is right there,” Seppälä said. “Everybody knows about him, Aaron Portzline Feb 2, 2021 watches him, talks about every move he makes.

“We can tell from the clicks on our Web site. Put it like this: If Laine had a cat, and I wrote a fucking story about his cat, it would just go ‘Boom!’ on COLUMBUS, Ohio — Most of the hockey-loving world began hearing our site. It doesn’t matter what he does.” about Patrik Laine near the end of 2015 or early 2016, when the gangly forward was part of a line at the World Junior Championship that made But he has also been a polarizing figure. Finland’s games appointment viewing. The Finns are revered for their stoic determination, among other things, Laine skated with future NHLers Sebastian Aho and Jesse Puljujarvi, and but Laine doesn’t always fit the mold. they were unstoppable. Laine, only 17, had two goals and an assist in a huge quarterfinal upset of Canada and a goal and an assist in the gold- “He’s not a real difficult Finn,” Kekäläinen said. “He’s pretty direct and to medal game against Russia. the point, not afraid to express his opinion. Finns are usually a little more introverted than extroverted, let’s put it that way, and he’s not like that. And he was just getting started. “In Finland, that’s often perceived as borderline cocky, but he backs it up. Laine — pronounced “LIE-nay” — returned to his club in Finland’s top I always talk about being proud of being good. There’s a difference league, Liiga, and caught fire, helping Tappara surge in the second half between being arrogant and being proud. He oozes confidence. You can and through the playoffs on their way to a championship. Laine had 10-5- tell when you talk to him that he’s not a guy who’s lacking confidence.” 15 in 18 playoff games and was named the playoff MVP just one week after his 18th birthday. Before he was drafted, Laine spoke openly about wanting to score 50 goals in the NHL, something his idol, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, has He still wasn’t finished. done eight times in his remarkable career. So far, Laine’s best season (2017-18) brought 44 goals. One month later, Laine was invited to play for Finland at the IIHF World Championship. He had 7-5-12 in 10 games, Finland took silver and Laine Seppälä has covered Laine extensively since before he was drafted. He was named the most valuable player in the tournament. has seen him after incredible highs and devastating lows in the postgame dressing room when emotions can be raw. That June, Laine was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, going to the Winnipeg Jets one pick after Toronto drafted Auston Matthews and “I spent a lot of time around him in Winnipeg, and it didn’t really matter if one pick before the Blue Jackets selected Pierre-Luc Dubois. they won or lost, if it was the conference final or a regular-season game,” Seppälä said. “He was always there, always telling the truth, always “It was one crazy ride for him,” said Tommi Seppälä, a North American- super honest. based reporter with Yle Urheilu, a Finnish media company. “It put him right on a pedestal in this country, and he hasn’t come down since.” “People think he’s arrogant — he’s not arrogant by any means. He’s confident. He thinks he’s good. When he’s good, he’d say, ‘I was good.’ Laine, 22, is expected to make his Blue Jackets debut on Tuesday when But when he’s bad, he’s the first one to tell you ‘I sucked.’ Honest, they host the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena. humble, funny, smart … he’s a good kid.” It’s been 10 days since Kekäläinen swung one of the biggest trades in Former Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu spent the final season of his franchise history, sending a disgruntled Dubois and a third-round pick (in 11-year NHL career in Winnipeg. It was 2019-20, and Letestu played 2021) to Winnipeg for Laine and Columbus native Jack Roslovic. only seven games due to a heart ailment, but his time around the Jets Kekäläinen, also a Finn, has known about Laine since he was 14 or 15 was illuminating. years old, he said. He tried desperately to acquire Winnipeg’s No. 2 pick Like most NHL global stars, Laine has a presence about him. in the 2016 draft with an eye on Laine, but couldn’t swing the deal. Or, as Letestu put it: “When you shoot lightning bolts off your stick, you’re “It was all so impressive at that age,” Kekäläinen said. “It’s hardly ever allowed to have a little bit of swagger.” been done in Finland where you’re the lead horse to win the championship in the men’s league when you’re still 17 years old. “He’s probably in the elite of elite shooters, and with success comes a little swagger,” Letestu said. “But for an older player on his way out of the “To be dominant at 17 years old in the World Juniors is … I’ve seen league, Patty never treated me with anything but respect. (future Hall of Famer) Joe Thornton sitting the bench the whole tournament in his draft year. I’ve seen lots of great NHL players not make “Yeah, he’ll have a goofy backpack on one day or some flashy clothes the tournament. A lot of guys aren’t mature enough to make (the World and a little bit of confidence, but … he’s a hockey player.” Championship) at that age, period. Well, to dominate it … that’s just really rare.” (James Carey Lauder / USA Today)

Laine actually made headlines in Finland a few years before his World Laine’s time in Winnipeg was, in many ways, a mixed bag. He led the Junior eruption. Jets in goals during each of his first two seasons, scoring a staggering 80 goals in the NHL before he had celebrated his 20th birthday. “Patrik was 14 or 15, playing for the under-16 national team,” Seppälä said. “A story started spreading about this really good player who got That’s more than any player in the NHL over the last 30 years, more than kicked out of his own game by his own coach. Sidney Crosby (75), Ilya Kovalchuk (67) and Rick Nash (58).

“Here’s what happened: They pulled a goalie for an extra skater, and But it wasn’t always a smooth ride with the Jets, either. Patrik wasn’t one of the six on the ice. He was like, ‘What?’ He gave the According to widely published reports in Finland, Laine was never fully finger to his coach. Yeah. He got kicked off the bench, suspended for a welcomed in the Winnipeg dressing room, where veteran players Mark bit. Scheifele and Blake Wheeler run the show. “Now it’s long gone, and nobody talks about it anymore. Never anything Pekka Jalonen, one of Finland’s most respected hockey writers, reported close to that from him. But for a lot of people in Finland, that’s the first in the Iltalehti newspaper last week that Wheeler was threatened by time they learned Patrik Laine’s name.” Laine’s presence and that Scheifele and Wheeler made it clear they Kekäläinen recalled hearing the same story. He would have been in his preferred to play together. first or second season as GM of the Blue Jackets, but he has kept close ties back home. Laine never ranked higher than third in ice time among Jets forwards in “He’s battled an image where people think he’s just a shooter and a any of his seasons in Winnipeg. The season he scored 44 goals, he was scorer, but if you watch his games and his highlights, he makes some sixth among forwards. great plays,” Kekäläinen said. “He’s really put a lot of effort in trying to be a complete player, a 200-foot player, which proves to me that he doesn’t When Laine’s unhappiness in Winnipeg started to seep into the public want to be labled as a one-dimensional goal scorer. That’s the right space a couple of seasons ago, many in North American wrongly mindset. assumed that he’d grown tired of living in Winnipeg, the NHL’s smallest market and a city known for it’s frigid, gray winters. “A lot of guys would be happy because, in a bad year, they scored 30 goals. A lot of people would take their cookies, make their money and be But his issue was never with the city of Winnipeg, home of some of the totally content with it. But he wants the respect of his peers and he wants NHL’s most passionate fans. the respect of the hockey world and the fans. He’s got the right attitude to “In all of our conversations, I’ve never once heard him complain about do it.” the city of Winnipeg,” Seppälä said. “He would always say, ‘I play (Jerome Miron / USA Today) hockey, I go home, I play on PlayStation and I go to bed. It doesn’t matter if I do that in New York City or Winnipeg. Kekäläinen has one of the great poker faces among NHL GMs. He rarely gets rattled, rarely has outbursts and rarely puts his cards on the table. “I think it was more about the team and the way they saw him and the But there are a few things that rankle the 54-year-old. way he sees himself. I talked to him last week and he was so happy (after the trade), so happy about the opportunity in Columbus, and he “I hate it when TV commentators say, ‘You can’t teach that,’ or ‘You can’t was like, ‘Yeah, I’m willing to think about an extension in Columbus practice that, you’re born with that,” Kekäläinen said. “That’s such already.'” bullshit. How do you think they got that skill?”

It’s highly doubtful Laine will ever be sixth in ice time with the Blue Laine is a wonderful example. Jackets. With the Jets, he had a hard time cracking the top line on a club with Scheifele, Wheeler, Kyle Connor and others. His shot is a masterpiece, a rare gem that stands out as exceptional even in the rare air that is the NHL. Blue Jackets players have spoken With the Blue Jackets, he’ll be the offensive centerpiece, the big-ticket openly about their excitement to see Laine shoot pucks, not just in player that balances a roster with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski on games but in practices. defense. There are some built-in advantages for Laine, certainly. He’s 6-foot-5 and (James Carey Lauder / USA Today) has incredible hand-eye coordination and remarkable quick-trigger reflexes. Before coach John Tortorella started mapping out his forward lines for the beginning of the Laine era in Columbus, he pressed Laine, a right “It’s not that easy to one-time a puck with such a long stick,” Kekäläinen shot, to tell them if he preferred playing left or right wing. He played both said. “It’s quite the skill. He can shoot from any position, anywhere on the in Winnipeg. ice. He can one-time it, slap it, wrist it … not too many guys have a release like that. “He said he’s fine with either,” Kekäläinen said. “He just wants to play. He’s eager to go into the lineup (on Tuesday), but I told him he might be “But he wasn’t just born with it. I laugh when people say that guys like huffing and puffing after not practicing for two weeks.” him were born with it. They all used to shoot 10,000 pucks in the garage or the barn, whatever. Look at the guys who are really good at tipping The concern in Columbus, of course, is not whether Laine skates on the pucks, and watch what they do before and after every practice. There’s a left or right. It’s who’s beside him at center. There is no bona fide, No. 1 reason Joe Pavelski is the best tipper in the league. center with elite playmaking skills on the roster, which could stall Laine’s production. “I make it my duty to correct people who think you’re born with it.”

Kekäläinen isn’t concerned about the center position specifically, he said, Laine is known to stay on the ice long after practice, blasting away at noting that the best playmaker the Blue Jackets have had in recent pucks from all different angles, passed to him at all different speeds, seasons wasn’t a center at all. It was left winger Artemi Panarin. perfecting his footwork and balance so that each puck is put on net with maximum velocity and accuracy. “It’s not so much about the position,” Kekäläinen said. “It’s more about finding somebody who’s on the same wavelength. It’s the chemistry of He doesn’t hold back in practice, either. the line and how you transition the puck out of your zone, which should be one of our biggest strengths (with Jones and Werenski) on the back “The guy loves to score, even in practice,” Letestu said, with a chuckle. end.” “If (a teammate) is in the lane during practice, he might avoid taking it. But if he’s got a clear shot, the goaltender better be ready.” Laine has a reputation as a one-trick pony. His shot is one hell of a trick, mind you, but he has worked hard in recent seasons to dispel the notion Laine will open Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas on a line with center that he is a goals-or-nothing player. Alexandre Texier and right winger Cam Atkinson. He’ll also see significant power-play time. Letestu saw it up close in Winnipeg. It’s hoped, in both instances, that his presence and the threat of his shot “Before I played with him, I knew him as a big shot,” Letestu said. “I knew will create more time and space for the rest of the Blue Jackets, who are he was a special shooter, especially on the power play. We’d go through once again one of the NHL’s lowest-scoring teams. pre-scouts (as an Edmonton Oiler) and he was one of those superior talent guys, but he was a secondary player as far as concerns. We keyed “Laine changes the way you prepare as an opponent,” Letestu said. on Scheifele, Wheeler, (Dustin) Byfuglien. With him we tried to eliminate “When you’re going through the pregame meetings, you always have to that shot, because the feeling was, that’s all he had. be conscious of the shot lane, especially on the power play. You knew if you gave him three good looks, he might get two goals, and it doesn’t “But when I played with him in Winnipeg, I found out there’s a lot more to take much time or space for it to come off his stick. it. Especially the year that I got there (2019), he had a holdout, got a nice contract and he came to camp determined and focused to be better on “It always opened up play because of how dynamic a shooter he was. both sides of the puck. There was more urgency with puck battles and You had to be aware of him at all times, and sometimes that still wasn’t backchecking, the things that maybe were questioned about him enough.” previously. He seemed to really take it to heart and put some focus on Laine scored in his NHL debut back in 2016. He had a hat trick in his the other side of the puck.” fourth game. The 22-year-old already has eight hat tricks on his resume, Since the trade went down on Jan. 23, Kekäläinen has been singing including a five-goal game (on five shots) versus St. Louis in 2018. Laine’s praises as more than an elite goal-scorer. He has obviously been The Blue Jackets have had some incredibly talented players on their watching Laine closely through the years and has never thought Laine roster through the years: Ray Whitney was a wizard with the puck on was given enough credit for his playmaking skills. some really lousy teams. Rick Nash was a banger and a leaner who But he has also seen a change in his all-around game, as Letestu cleaned up around the net. Panarin was a sublime playmaker and shot described. creator. Laine is different than all of them. It only makes sense that the NHL player with a cannon of a shot should reside in Nationwide Arena, where they blast a cannon every time the home team scores.

“He should give us a boost,” Kekäläinen said. “I don’t want anybody to think he’s a miracle man who comes in and is gonna score five goals the first game, seven goals the second game …

“He’s gonna have to gel with our team and learn to play with teammates and linemates. That could take a little time to get used to our way of playing, but he’ll be fine. He’ll be a great addition to our group.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182887 Dallas Stars

Stars notebook: Dallas’ ‘infectious’ shooting mentality vs. Blue Jackets helps set a season record

By Matthew DeFranks 10:32 PM on Feb 2, 2021 CST

After two slow starts in Carolina, the Stars came out flying in the first period of a 6-3 win over Columbus on Tuesday night.

Dallas attempted 22 shots against the Blue Jackets in the first period, staking the Stars to a 1-0 lead and setting the stage for a four-goal offensive outburst in the second period. It was the most first-period shot attempts for the Stars this season, and more than the last two games against the Hurricanes (11 on Saturday and six on Sunday).

“One guy goes out and makes too many cute plays and the next guys does it,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “All of a sudden, it’s infectious. When we come out, we have that shooting mentality, that’s infectious as well. Everyone has to feed off of that.”

The Stars finished Tuesday with 51 shot attempts, the team’s second- highest total this season, but far from where Bowness wants his team. Ideally, Dallas would finish games with 60 to 70 shot attempts. Last year, the Stars averaged 56.7 attempts in the regular season and 56.3 in the postseason.

The offensive play was set up by a strong forecheck, preceded by clean exits from the Stars’ own end.

“We created a lot of opportunities when we’re skating like that,” Bowness said. “But the forecheck doesn’t start unless we break the puck out properly. It starts there. I know you’re seeing the end result, but we look at it ‘We’ve got to get out of our zone to get to the forecheck.’ There’s just as much focus on the breakouts and getting guys back and moving the puck, and breaking out as a five-man unit as there is on the forecheck.”

Of the Stars’ six goals Tuesday night, three of them could be attributed to the forecheck — twice by Alexander Radulov’s effort and once by Radek Faksa.

“We are a forechecking team,” Faksa said. “If we are playing simple, I think we are at the best and that’s what we did tonight.”

A rare win: Tuesday night’s win was the first one over Columbus since Dec. 15, 2015, snapping an 0-6-2 stretch against the Blue Jackets. It was the Stars’ first win in Columbus since Oct. 14, 2014.

The Stars have not beaten the Blue Jackets in consecutive games since Oct. 2011.

Feeling the love: Rookie goaltender Jake Oettinger has started two NHL games, and the Stars have given him plenty of cushion both times. Against Detroit last week, the Stars scored seven goals for Oettinger, before scoring six for him on Tuesday in Columbus.

Oettinger made 23 saves on 26 shots against the Blue Jackets, beat on a pair of point shots and a rebound after a turnover.

Unselfish: Joe Pavelski had a chance at picking up a hat trick on Tuesday night, but passed up an empty-net opportunity from the neutral zone and instead sprung Radulov for the empty-netter.

“You look at that play Joe made at the end giving Rads that puck,” Bowness said. “He had two goals, he could have had the hat trick, but he passed it. You’re looking at the goals that he’s scoring and the points that he’s getting, but you better also put as much emphasis on the leadership and playing the right way that he provides us as well.”

Pavelski has seven goals and seven assists through seven games.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182888 Dallas Stars As the Stars displayed in Carolina over the weekend, offensive outbursts won’t come every game. Dallas remains a defensive team at its core. But that’s what makes nights like Tuesday appreciated more when Klingberg and Pavelski are able to rip through a typically structurally sound team Dynamic duo: John Klingberg, Joe Pavelski make it look easy in Stars’ like the Blue Jackets. win over Blue Jackets The offense from Klingberg and Pavelski has been welcome in the early going with the plethora of injuries Dallas has endured in the season’s first two weeks. Benn and Blake Comeau each missed four games. Roope By Matthew DeFranks 9:56 PM on Feb 2, 2021 CST Hintz missed two. Joel Kiviranta has missed five (and counting). Tyler Seguin won’t play for another two months.

It’s not supposed to be this way in the world’s hardest league. In the Dallas needed offense from somewhere. And Klingberg and Pavelski are NHL, it’s not supposed to be this … easy. happily obliging, and making it look effortless along the way.

But that’s the way John Klingberg and Joe Pavelski are making it look, Dellandrea out: For the first time this season, rookie forward Ty most recently in the Stars’ 6-3 win in Columbus on Tuesday night. Dellandrea was a healthy scratch. Pavelski (two goals, two assists) and Kling-berg (two assists) continued Forward Joel L’Esperance entered the lineup in Dellandrea’s place. their tear through the Central Division as the Stars rebounded from a Bowness said Dellandrea would likely be back in the lineup Thursday vs. winless weekend in Carolina. the Blue Jackets. With their first road win of the season, the Stars moved to 5-1-1 heading Kiviranta doubtful: Kiviranta (lower-body) is skating again, Bowness said, into the last game of the road trip on Thursday in Columbus. Jamie Benn, but is doubtful to play this week. Denis Gurianov, Radek Faksa and Alexander Radulov (empty-netter) also scored for Dallas as rookie goaltender Jake Oettinger picked up his Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.03.2021 second win in his second NHL start.

Klingberg and Pavelski set the table for the Stars.

“Joe and John have got a pretty good thing going,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “They work on this high-tip and screen, they’ve been working together very well. They work together in practice. They’re key guys on this team to ignite the offense, and they’ve been delivering.”

The duo combined for the team’s first two goals in similar fashion: Klingberg lofted a point shot toward the net, and Pavelski tipped it home. The first came at 5 on 5 punctuating some offensive zone time, while the second came after a faceoff win on the power play. But no matter the circumstances, Klingberg and Pavelski have proved a potent tandem for the Stars.

The Stars have scored 29 goals this season. Klingberg has been on the ice for 20 of them; Pavelski, 19. Both have been on the ice for 13, accounting for almost half of the Dallas offense.

Pavelski has seven goals this season. Klingberg has an assist on five of them.

The two players have served as the offensive engine for the Stars, with Klingberg jumpstarting the team both in transition and from the blue line, while Pavelski has owned the net-front, as he’s done for most of his career.

The success isn’t surprising for anyone, especially for anyone paying attention. The skills that Klingberg and Pavelski are toting in their tool box are well known around the league.

Klingberg is one of the league’s best at moving laterally in the offensive zone, shimmying his way to space to unleash a wrist shot. Teams know about his presence on the power play and how he can drive offense with such an effective shot. It’s these skills that make his third-period turnover that led to a Columbus goal worth it. Welcome the good, accept the bad.

“I think we were trying to find each other last year, and didn’t get the pucks through really and didn’t get to work on that,” Klingberg said. “That’s something that, before the bubble, we were trying to change as well. I always, in my career, haven’t shot enough pucks. I think that’s something that I have to do more of.”

Pavelski is one of the league’s best around the net, savvy enough to find pockets of space and quick-twitched enough to deflect pucks when they arrive. It’s how the 36-year-old has survived in the NHL as a seventh- round pick who doesn’t scrape 6-feet tall.

The combination makes almost any innocuous play a dangerous one for the Stars. Flicked from the point with a screen in front? That’s a scoring chance for Dallas. Won faceoff on the power play? That’s a scoring chance for Dallas.

“Those things take time,” Pavelski said. “It’s taken a little bit. He’s been playing with a ton of confidence. He really wants the puck right now, and he’s finding lanes, which that’s all I can ask for. Tonight, he delivered a couple good pucks. After I got a stick on them, they found holes.” 1182889 Dallas Stars Projected Stars lineup Tuesday at Columbus, 6 p.m. (unofficial) Jamie Benn – Roope Hintz – Alexander Radulov

Jason Dickinson – Joe Pavelski – Denis Gurianov Stars forward Ty Dellandrea scratched, Jake Oettinger back in net vs. Blue Jackets Andrew Cogliano – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau

Nick Caamano – Joel L’Esperance – Tanner Kero

By Matthew DeFranks12:48 PM on Feb 2, 2021 CST Esa Lindell – John Klingberg

Jamie Oleksiak – Miro Heiskanen

For the first time this season, rookie forward Ty Dellandrea will be a Joel Hanley – Mark Pysyk healthy scratch on Tuesday night in Columbus, Stars coach Rick Bowness said. Jake Oettinger

Forward Joel L’Esperance will enter the lineup in Dellandrea’s place. Anton Khudobin

“Sometimes, you’re on that ice and you just feel crowded,” Bowness said. Scratches: Ty Dellandrea, Justin Dowling, Taylor Fedun. “The game is so fast out there. What you feel on the ice is constant Taxi squad: Jason Robertson, Rhett Gardner, Julius Honka, Landon awareness that there’s people around you all the time. But then Bow. sometimes, you sit up in the stands, and you see ‘Wow, there’s a little bit more room out there’ than you realize.’ Injured reserve and non-roster: Joel Kiviranta (lower-body), Andrej Sekera (COVID-19 protocol), Ben Bishop (knee), Tyler Seguin (hip), “He’s not going to play in every game. We’re very happy with Ty. He’s a Stephen Johns (head). great prospect. He’s a big part of our team now, and a big part of it moving forward.” Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.03.2021

Bowness said Dellandrea would likely be back in the lineup Thursday vs. Columbus, regardless of the result on Tuesday night.

Dellandrea has been one of the team’s pleasant surprises this season, playing an all-around game that has included time on the power play, penalty kill and at both right wing and center. The 2018 first-round pick scored his first career goal Thursday against Detroit.

“As a 20-year-old, there’s a learning curve in the league,” Bowness said. “He’s a big part of our present, he’s a big part of our future, but we’re going to give him the night off tonight. We’ve got to win games, and we’ve got to keep everyone as fresh as we can.”

L’Esperance, 25, has played in NHL games with the Stars in each of the last three seasons, with three career goals in 22 games. He is a 6-2 center that can also play right wing.

“He played very well in the Detroit game,” Bowness said. “We don’t want him sitting too long.”

Oettinger in: After Anton Khudobin started both games of the back-to- back in Carolina over the weekend, Jake Oettinger will start Tuesday in Columbus, Bowness said. Oettinger made his first NHL start Thursday against Detroit, and relieved Khudobin during the second period of Saturday’s loss to the Hurricanes.

“We’ve said from the get-go he’s going to play, and he’s going to play,” Bowness said. “Dobby cannot play in every game. The kid’s got to play, and to get him in after the relief performance he gave us the other night is important.”

Oettiner, 22, made 20 of 23 saves vs. the Red Wings last week, and stopped all 10 shots he faced in Carolina.

Hello, old friend: Dallas nemesis Patrik Laine will make his Blue Jackets debut Tuesday night against the Stars after his trade from Winnipeg on Jan. 23. Laine will be the top-line left wing alongside center Alexandre Texier and right wing Cam Atkinson.

Laine has not played since Jan. 14, but has historically tormented the Stars by scoring 18 goals in 17 games against Dallas.

Bowness said the Stars will have to be aware of where Laine is on the power play (in the left circle blasting one-timers), and he will see a steady diet of left defensemen Esa Lindell and Jamie Oleksiak when either is on the ice.

Kiviranta doubtful for road trip: Injured Stars forward Joel Kiviranta (lower-body) is skating again, Bowness said, but is doubtful to play this week.

“Very doubtful you’ll see him this week, but again, at this point that he’s skating, it’s day to day, but he’s out tonight,” Bowness said.

Kiviranta has not played since Opening Night against Nashville on Jan. 22. 1182890 Dallas Stars puck and had a two-on-one in front of him and no goaltender in the back. Pavelski could have tried to skate around the defender or find an angle to launch the puck toward the net and complete the hat trick. Instead, he made the right play in front of him, passed the puck to Radulov, who Joe Pavelski’s scoring prowess and leadership on full display in Stars’ delivered the dagger. win “You’re looking at the goals that he’s scoring and the points that he’s scoring, but you better also put as much emphasis on the leadership and playing the right way that he provides,” Bowness said. By Saad Yousuf Feb 2, 2021 Pavelski’s role, both on the ice and in the locker room, had to increase

this season in Seguin’s absence. Seguin produced at a high level When the Stars signed Joe Pavelski at the dawn of free agency in 2019, offensively and wore an “A” on his chest. Before the season started, it came with disclaimers. Yes, he was coming off of a 64-point season in Bowness said making Pavelski an alternate captain in Seguin’s absence which he scored 38 goals, but he was on the verge of turning 35. Yes, was an easy choice. Making up the production would be a lot harder but the Stars needed some offense, but they played a defensive-focused at 36 years old, Pavelski is exceeding expectations and off to the best system. Don’t expect Pavelski to ever have that sort of a run over his start of his career. three-year contract in Dallas, which will end when he’s about to celebrate 1. Sticking with Pavelski, signing him will go down as one of the best his 38th birthday. moves made by Stars general manager Jim Nill. At the 2019 trade That’s what they said. deadline, Nill made a move for Mats Zuccarello to add some offense. Zuccarello did during the Stars’ playoff run, which ended in Game 7 Pavelski had his worst statistical output since his rookie year last season, against the St. Louis Blues. scoring 31 points in 67 games but followed that up with 19 points in the 27-game Stanley Cup playoff run, a stretch that numbers alone don’t do According to terms of the trade, if Dallas advanced to the third round in justice given the timely big plays in big moments. Was that a sign of the playoffs that season, the second-round pick would have become a things to come or just Pavelski exploding on the biggest stage? With first-round pick. Though the Stars certainly would have loved to move on Tyler Seguin out until April, the Stars were banking on the former to be in the postseason, the consolation was keeping the first-round pick and the case, and through seven games, Pavelski has exceeded everyone’s landing highly-touted defenseman prospect Thomas Harley. The second expectations. pick was a third-round selection in the 2020 draft, which would have become a first-rounder if Zuccarello re-signed in Dallas, which didn’t “He’s just a very intelligent hockey player,” coach Rick Bowness said. even come close to happening. The consolation for that was signing “When you have hockey sense that he has, you play longer and you can Pavelski and drafting promising forward prospect Mavrik Bourque last produce a lot longer as well. He’s got a tremendous feel for the game. fall. Sometimes as you get older, the hands leave you or the legs leave; something leaves. He certainly has the hands and the hockey sense and Additionally, Pavelski gave the Stars flexibility with his three-year the feel for the game. I’m happy for him that he’s had such a great start contract. He has a no-movement clause for only the first two years of his because we need the offense he’s providing and just important is the contract, knowing it’s highly unlikely the Seattle Kraken select a soon-to- leadership he’s providing.” be 37-year-old this summer in the expansion draft (though at the pace Pavelski’s at right now, who knows?). Zuccarello signed a five-year On Tuesday, the Pavelski experience was on full display in a 6-3 win contract containing a full no-movement clause with the Wild, which would over Columbus. Less than four minutes into the game, John Klingberg have been an automatic protection in the expansion draft. That kind of found a lane and shot the puck from the blue line. Pavelski was in perfect contract in Dallas would have meant one less slot to protect the Stars’ position in front of the net, anticipating the shot and showing off his young, talented forwards. otherworldly hand-eye coordination. On top of all of that, Zuccarello has unfortunate luck with injuries, which A running theme from training camp through the start of the season has showed almost the instant he arrived in Dallas. On Sunday, the Wild been coaches and players encouraging Klingberg, who is one of the best placed Zuccarello on long-term injured reserve. On Tuesday, Pavelski shooters in the NHL from the blue line, to put more shots on net. scored four points in a win, bringing his season total up to 14 points in the first seven games. “Yeah, I think so,” Klingberg said when asked if his confidence in shooting changes when Pavelski is at the net. “We were trying to find 2. Tuesday afternoon, the NHL announced the “Stars of the Month” for each other last year and didn’t get the pucks through, really, and didn’t January. Pavelski was the player representing the Central Division and get him to work on that. That’s something before the bubble we were the healthcare worker for the division was Heather Newby, also from trying to change as well. I told myself, always in my career, I haven’t shot Dallas. Newby works for the GENder Education and Care enough pucks. That’s something I had to do more of. A lot of times, I look Interdisciplinary Support (GENECIS) Program at Children’s Health in to make an extra play sometimes.” Dallas, the first and largest transgender youth clinic in the Southwest that serves patients from all over Texas as well as adjoining states. The dynamic duo was back at it again as the Stars opened the second period with a four-minute power play. Klingberg once again did his magic, 3. The Stars have struggled to come out of the gate strong this season, launched a shot toward the net and allowed Pavelski to do what he does but their two best performances in the first period, offensively and best and tip the shot home. defensively, have come in both games that rookie goaltender Jake Oettinger has started. The first one was Jan. 28 against the Detroit Red “So much about it is getting free from a defender, finding some space Wings and the second was Tuesday night. The Stars also provided and then having those pucks delivered,” Pavelski said. “For me, you’re Oettinger superb goal support, scoring seven goals against Detroit and trying to get your stick on everything. Every time you miss one, it’s six against Columbus. frustrating because you know the opportunity you have when they’re going in like that.” After the game, the players shot down any notion that they play differently because a rookie goaltender is in net instead of veteran Anton Pavelski’s two goals were a demonstration of his rare skill. His two Khudobin. assists that followed showed his hockey IQ and leadership. The first one came when the game was still very much in reach. After the Stars went “We have a lot of trust in Oetter,” Klingberg said. “He’s a huge part of this up 2-0, Columbus cut the lead in half with a goal. On the next shift, organization and we’re lucky to have him. I don’t see him as a third goalie Pavelski tapped a bouncing puck over to Jamie Benn, who easily tapped or something like that. He’s ready, he’s showing it in practice and showed it in for a 3-1 lead. it in the games as well.”

Pavelski’s final point was the one that caught Bowness’ attention the 4. Oettinger had a strong night, for the most part. He had a moment of most. After the game, Bowness was asked about Pavelski’s chemistry good fortune in the second period when somehow, this puck didn’t score with Klingberg and ability to deflect pucks in front of the net. The Stars for the Blue Jackets: coach went out of his way to highlight Pavelski’s play, which came at the least critical juncture of the game of his four points. With 1 minute, 43 The two goals Columbus scored early in the third period to cut a 5-1 seconds left and Columbus playing with an empty net, the game was Stars lead to 5-3 are probably two he’d like back, but it was a good mostly put away. That was the case even more so when Pavelski got the learning experience for the young goaltender to fight back from those and not melt. He didn’t allow any more goals in the final 12 minutes of the game.

5. Denis Gurianov got in on the scoring action, converting on a power- play opportunity in the second period. It wasn’t the typical scorching one- timer or his blazing speed this time. Instead, he cleaned up a rebound for one of the easier goals he has scored in his young career:

6. Radek Faksa scored his first goal of the season. The FCC line isn’t expected to add much offensively, but they’ve elevated their play in that area. Andrew Cogliano has a couple of goals this season, the second courtesy of a beautiful pass by Blake Comeau. This one was a full line effort, with Faksa scoring and Comeau and Cogliano getting the assists.

7. The Stars called up Tanner Kero and Joel L’Esperance from the taxi squad and sent Ty Dellandrea down to give him a breather. This is what the lines looked like:

Jamie Benn — Joe Pavelski — Alexander Radulov

Jason Dickinson — Roope Hintz — Denis Gurianov

Andrew Cogliano — Radek Faksa — Blake Comeau

Nicholas Caamano — Tanner Kero — Joel L’Esperance

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg

Jamie Oleksiak — Miro Heiskanen

Mark Pysyk — Joel Hanley

Jake Oettinger

The Blue Jackets had Patrik Laine making his debut with the team. They countered with this:

Patrik Laine — Alexandre Texier — Cam Atkinson

Mikhail Grigorenko — Nick Foligno — Max Domi

Boone Jenner — Jack Roslovic — Oliver Bjorkstrand

Eric Robinson — Mikko Koivu — Liam Foudy

Zach Werenski — Seth Jones

Vladislav Gavrikov — David Savard

Michael Del Zotto — Dean Kukan

Joonas Korpisalo

The Blue Jackets pulled Korpisalo after he allowed his fifth goal for Elvis Merzlikins.

8. The Stars gave Dellandrea a day to watch from up top. He hasn’t been demoted to the taxi squad or anything like that. Bowness said Tuesday morning that regardless of the result Tuesday night, Dellandrea will be back in the lineup on Thursday. Getting to watch the game from upstairs can be a valuable experience for players, especially younger guys like Dellandrea. It allows them to see the full 200-feet game. Dellandrea had played every game this season, so allowing him to have the playing experience and see the game from up top was intentional and should be beneficial to him.

Joel Kiviranta is skating with the Stars, but his return to the lineup isn’t imminent. Bowness said it’s doubtful he returns this week, putting his earliest return date Sunday against the Blackhawks at the American Airlines Center.

9. Laine made his Blue Jackets debut following the trade from Winnipeg and clearing the COVID-19 quarantine protocol. Laine has usually been a Stars killer, scoring 1.06 goals per game against them, tied with Steven Stamkos for most ever against the franchise. His 18 goals against Dallas remain his most against any opponent in the NHL, but he was blanked on the stat sheet Tuesday.

10. The Stars are 5-1-1, notching their fifth win of the season in their seventh game. Last season, the seventh win came in the 14th game of the season.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182891 Dallas Stars All four forwards on the taxi squad have already tasted some NHL action six games into the season due to the number of injuries Dallas has suffered. With Sekera currently in COVID-19 protocol, Honka is also on the shortlist. But what does that mean for the AHL players? There have Thomas Harley headlines top things to watch for with Dallas Stars’ AHL been situations in the past where players have driven up from Austin on affiliate hours’ notice to be available for Dallas. Will that remain a possibility?

Yes and no. Direct call-ups from the AHL to the NHL will be on a case- by-case basis that depends on circumstances. The Stars are fortunate By Saad Yousuf Feb 2, 2021 that their AHL affiliate is within a few hours’ drive of state lines. That’s why, when Dallas reassigned Harley to the AHL on Friday, he was practicing on Saturday. He was already taking part in daily testing and Hockey is set to return to Central Texas. The Texas Stars, Dallas’ AHL hadn’t left Dallas – this was right before the team left on its first road trip affiliate, will begin their 38-game, five-team schedule this Friday in Iowa. to Carolina – so he was able to plug right in with Texas. The following Friday, Texas will play its first game at H-E-B Center since Mar. 7, 2020, when it hosts the San Jose Barracuda. If the Stars get to a point where they need to dig into their depth beyond the taxi squad, there will be certain things considered that weren’t in play This season will be unusual, but there will be plenty of significant before – namely, geography. Where was Texas playing, if they were on developments in Cedar Park. The importance of having an AHL season the road? Where are the Dallas Stars? Is there a quarantine period can’t be overstated for hockey, especially in a year when the involved? All of these things make it harder for AHL players to gain NHL organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads, isn’t playing. As it reps this season. currently stands, neither is the OHL. Let’s dive into some of the top storylines surrounding the Texas Stars this season. Who else will join?

Thomas Harley Harley’s assignment to the AHL was the predictable one, but could there be more players with the NHL squad joining him? You’ll notice a theme There is no bigger storyline in Cedar Park this season than the among the players that make up the taxi squad. Kero, L’Esperance, development of Thomas Harley. The 19-year-old defenseman is arguably Honka and Bow are all 25 years old or older, while Gardner turns 25 later the top prospect in the organization and wouldn’t even be eligible to play this month. That’s the sweet spot the Stars are looking for with players in the American Hockey League, if the OHL was functioning. Without an that role: young enough that they’re still developing, old enough that they OHL season, Harley gets an early crack at professional hockey. have enough professional game reps under their belt to not stunt their development and they can be NHL contributors. “Especially for a situation that Thomas is in, he needs to play games,” Texas Stars general manager and Dallas Stars assistant general That brings us to Jason Robertson. The 21-year-old began the season manager Scott White said. “We have the opportunity to put him in the on the NHL roster and played limited minutes in the first two games American League based on the circumstances around the hockey world against the Nashville Predators. He was assigned to the taxi squad currently … He’s just got to play games and try to apply what he’s before the third game of the season, as Stars head coach Rick Bowness learned in the short time in camp and carry over his play from World said he needed some work on his game before he would be ready to Juniors. That’s how we view his process.” contribute at the NHL level. Robertson is a prospect the organization has high hopes for as an offensive weapon. He was deemed unable to stay in There are fans frustrated about Harley not getting a chance in the NHL the NHL lineup when the team still had injuries among their forwards, so on the third pairing this season, which thus far has consisted of some what are the chances he will crack the lineup now? Robertson is still very combination of Andrej Sekera, Mark Pysyk and Joel Hanley. The much at the stage in his career where he needs game reps. If that’s not question is not whether Harley has more talent than those players; he going to happen in the NHL, it makes sense for him to join Harley in the does. But all three of them are more pro-ready right now, and none of AHL and develop his skills during games instead of just in practice. them are being asked to do the things Dallas hopes Harley will once he breaks through and becomes an NHL defenseman. Honka would seem like a candidate to show what he’s got on the ice in the AHL and if his time in Dallas can be salvaged, but his being the only The Stars believe their plan for Harley is better suited for him in the long defenseman on the taxi squad probably cements him as the NHL team’s run. Harley is projected to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL and he emergency defenseman unless a player currently in AHL camp trades will have a variety of roles on the team. This process isn’t just about spots with him. Harley’s defensive play, though that’s a big factor. It also means getting valuable special-teams minutes, which would be an impossibility in the Neil Graham’s progress NHL right now. Graham is a bright young mind expected to make some noise in the NHL “He has a very high ceiling, and you could see it in his very first practice in the future. Last season, he was thrown into the fire as the Texas Stars’ with us (on Saturday),” Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham said. “The head coach after the abrupt firing of Jim Montgomery led to a coaching things we’re going to have to continue to hark on are pro details and pro shuffle in the NHL and called for then-AHL head coach Derek Laxdal to habits. He already has so many tools in his bag, we don’t want to take become an assistant in Dallas. any of those tools away from him. We just want to help sharpen them.” This NHL season has required coaches and players to make things work Harley will work on things like stick positioning, activating offensively and on shorter notice than they’re used to, but for Graham, it’s a rare case of becoming a more complete defenseman who can play in any situation. the opposite. Unlike his overnight rise to head coaching duties last He’ll also be able to quarterback the power play and get more season, this season has been a gradual buildup. Graham was in Dallas comfortable shooting the puck. The Stars will be able to do this at a for training camp in January, where he got to learn under the Dallas professional pace with low stakes and ample learning opportunities coaching staff and work with many of the players he’ll be coaching in the without significant consequences. With Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg, AHL because they were part of the expanded training camp roster. He’s Esa Lindell and Jamie Oleksiak handling the defensive spotlight in the also got a training-camp period this season, which began Jan. 26, before NHL, there’s no need for the Stars to rush the 2019 first-round pick into games get going. situations he’s not ready for. In the AHL, Harley will be expected to run the show in short order. “At the end of the day, we want to mimic a lot of what we’re doing at the parent club in Dallas so that when our guys do get that opportunity, they NHL opportunities can step in seamlessly,” Graham said. “(Training) camp was a great opportunity for me to develop as a coach. Any time you’re up a level, you Usually, being in the AHL means being on the cusp of NHL action. That’s want to be a sponge. I thought it was critical for me to make sure our not the case this season, with the extra layer of a taxi squad added to the verbiage matches and systematically we’re in sync.” equation. If players on the NHL roster are unavailable, whether due to injuries or other circumstances, the first step is to utilize the players on Quick hitters the taxi squad. In Dallas’ case, that currently consists of four forwards in Rhett Gardner, Jason Robertson, Tanner Kero and Joel L’Esperance; — This is going to be a big season for forward Riley Tufte. He had a one defenseman in Julius Honka; and Landon Bow as the mandatory strong training camp in Dallas, and the organization is hoping he can third goaltender. take a big step in the right direction this season and start showing some NHL-readiness in his play. The Stars have shown they can be patient with their prospects, and Tufte has a long leash as a 2016 first-round pick, but it’s getting close to the time for him to put those flashes together and take a leap in his development.

— It will be interesting to see if the Stars can find a goaltender that can at the very least handle the net in the AHL moving forward. Dallas has its goaltenders of the present in Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop as well as a fusion of present and future in Jake Oettinger. There isn’t much organizational depth at that position beyond that. Bow will stick on the taxi squad, so the AHL battle will fall to Colton Point, Tomas Sholl and Matt Jurusik. The ideal situation for the Stars would be for Point to revitalize his game and show some semblance of the promise the Stars saw in him a few years ago.

— There will be limited fans allowed in H-E-B Center this season. If that’s something you’re comfortable with, you can Click here for ticket options. Otherwise, if you wish to follow from afar, here are your AHLTV options.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021

1182892 Detroit Red Wings going. And with Bert out, it gives us a winger to play with Larks at that spot.”

If Gagner enters the lineup, Givani Smith most likely would sit, although Detroit Red Wings can expect a boost as they hit the road. Here's why he’s earned two assists in his three games. There could be a case made Smith should stay in over Erne. Gagner, though he had no points in four games, adds the element of a right-handed shot, especially on the power play. HELENE ST. JAMES Goaltender Jonathan Bernier (upper body) will travel but has been ruled

out for Wednesday’s game. Blashill ruled out Bertuzzi for the first four After spending the better part of the last two weeks under self-imposed games. Ifhe is ready for the Feb. 11 and 13 games at Nashville, Blashill room arrest, Robby Fabbri can’t wait to rejoin the Detroit Red Wings’ said the team will decide if “we can find a way to get him there within lineup. protocol of NHL, because if he flies commercially, he would have to quarantine, which would make it moot to travel. Fabbri is one of four players emerging from COVID-19 protocol for the start of the Wings’ six-game road trip to Tampa Bay, Florida and Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.03.2021 Nashville. It's just in time, as Tyler Bertuzzi will miss at least the start of the trip because of an upper-body injury.

Adam Erne, Sam Gagner and Jon Merrill are eligible to play Wednesday, when the Wings (2-6-2) seek to nip a six-game winless skid with an afternoon game against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Filip Zadina is expected to be available Friday.

[ NHL Central Division Misery Index: Red Wings far from alone in 'Heartbreak Hotel' ]

Fabbri is a top-six forward, and had already notched a goal before bowing out two games into the season. Erne is a grinder and penalty killer.

“It was good to have those two guys back,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think the anticipation of other guys coming back is a positive for us. It gives you some energy, some confidence moving forward that more guys are getting inserted into the lineup.

“I would say, too, we have to temper our expectations of the guys coming back. We can’t ask them to shoulder too much of the load, because they’ve been off for a while. But it’s certainly good to have those guys back in the mix.”

Blashill sounded confident Fabbri and Erne will play on the first game of the trip. Gagner and Merrill were not eligible to practice Tuesday, so they may be jumping in cold after a two-week layoff (COVID–19 protocol requires players not exert themselves for at least 10 days, after which they skated by themselves).

Fabbri tested positive Jan. 18, and spent the next week in bed.

“I was watching a lot of shows, a lot of sports,” he said. “Some pacing in my room once I got my energy back. Days 2-5, I got every symptom you hear about. Wasn’t too fun. A lot of sleeping and relaxing. Then after Day 5, I slowly started to get some energy back and the symptoms were gone.

“The worst part was being locked in my room, but you have to do what you have to do.”

Fabbri tried to maintain a positive attitude through the quarantine period, though, “you’re obviously not happy,” he said. “I’d gone this long with being careful not getting it, and then getting it. Nothing you can do. We knew this was a risk going into the season. It’s something everyone is going through, not just professional athletes.”

Fabbri texted with his teammates while they were at Chicago and Dallas to be a voice of support.

Mailbag: Why Steve Yzerman likely won't fire Jeff Blashill during season

“It’s never easy when you’re losing five guys that were on your opening night roster, and then to go on the road and battle some good teams,” he said. “It was a lot on a lot of the guys. Everybody needed to step up, and some. We’re just happy to get back and help the guys out as much as we can and get back to where we were at the start of the year.”

After starting 2-2, the Wings have gone 0-4-2. Getting Fabbri back will allow for better balance among the top lines. He had been centering the second line with Zadina and Bobby Ryan, but Fabbri will be eased back into game action playing wing on Dylan Larkin’s line, and leaving Vladislav Namestnikov to center Anthony Mantha and Taro Hirose.

“He’s just getting back into it, so rather than throwing him right back at center, let’s put him on the wing for a little bit,” Blashill said. “Vladdy has done a good job at center, too. So this gives us a chance to get him 1182893 Detroit Red Wings This long road trip doesn't begin easily, at all, given the powerful Lightning are first up for the Wings.

Tampa is without forward Nikita Kucherov (hip surgery) for the entire Red Wings welcome back several familiar, needed faces with long road regular season, but his absence has enabled the Lightning to keep their trip looming roster together when, otherwise, they would have had serious salary cap concerns.

The Lightning look utterly capable of making another long Stanley Cup TED KULFAN | The Detroit News run this season.

"Without a doubt," Blashill said. "I know they're missing Kucherov, which is a huge loss, I get that for sure, but it allows them to not trade other Detroit — They’re about to embark on the longest road trip of the season, players, so that keeps their roster real deep. When you go through their but at least the Red Wings will not be as shorthanded as they’ve been. lineup, they've got lines that can beat you in a lot of different ways. They They’ll head out on a six-game, 11-day trip with five players who’ve been have high end talent up front. on the COVID-19 protocol list gradually filtering into the lineup. "They have a great roster and a great team and that's why they won the Forwards Robby Fabbri and Adam Erne took part in Tuesday’s practice Cup and been in the Finals in the past number of years and they're a at Little Caesars Arena and appear set to rejoin the lineup Wednesday in tough challenge. With all that said, (if) we go down and play our best Tampa. Forward Sam Gagner and defenseman Jon Merrill didn’t practice hockey, we'll put ourselves in position to win and you have to find ways to but will be eligible to play Wednesday if coach Jeff Blashill so chooses. win." And forward Filip Zadina will be eligible to play Friday; he didn’t skate Red Wings at Lightning Tuesday. Faceoff: 5:30 Wednesday, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida So, reinforcements are on the way for a Wings’ team that hasn’t won in six games. TV/radio: FSD/97.1

“It was good to have those two guys (Fabbri, Erne) back, and the Outlook: The Wings visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning anticipation of the other guys coming back is a positive thing for us,” for a two-game series. ... Tampa (5-1-1) is off to a fine start, despite Blashill said in a Zoom chat with media after practice. “It gives you some losing LW Nikita Kucherov (hip) for the regular season. ... The Lightning energy and a little bit of confidence moving forward knowing guys will be have dominated the Wings in recent seasons, winning 15 of the last 16 getting back in the lineup.” games.

None of the players on the COVID-19 list have been available since the Detroit News LOADED: 02.03.2021 season-opening, four-game homestand, so conditioning and rust could be factors.

Blashill was quick to keep expectations tempered.

“You still have to go out and execute, and I would say, too, we have to make sure we temper the expectations of the guys coming back and they shouldn’t have to carry too much of the load considering they’ve been off for a while," he said.

“But it was good to have them back.”

Fabbri was excited to be back after several difficult days with the virus early.

Subscribers: Detroit's Doug Plagens turns Red Wings' fandom into NHL play-by-play gig

“Watched a lot of shows and a lot of sports,” Fabbri said of his quarantining in a room in his house. “Pacing in my room, getting up and moving once I was getting my energy back. The worst part was just being locked in my room, but you have to do what you have to do.”

Fabbri said the first five days of having the virus were, by far, the worst.

“I got every symptom you hear about, it wasn’t too much fun,” Fabbri said. “A lot of sleeping and laying down and relaxing, then after Day 5, I started getting my energy back and the symptoms were gone.

“Obviously I wasn’t happy two games into the season getting this thing, without getting it (the previous 10 months) and being careful and doing all the things, and (now) getting it. But nothing you can do about it. I’m a good guy at staying positive and we knew it would be a risk going into this season and it’s something everyone is going through, not just professional athletes.

“But it was no joke for a couple of days.”

Fabbri, who started the season at center, was skating on a wing on a line with Dylan Larkin and Bobby Ryan at Tuesday’s practice.

Blashill said putting Fabbri on a wing gives him a little more time to get his conditioning level higher, but also enables Vladislav Namestnikov to stay at center, where Namestnikov has looked comfortable.

Blashill also said forward Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) will not travel for the start of this trip, and is likely to miss all six games, so plugging Fabbri in Bertuzzi’s spot alleviates that loss.

“This gives us a chance to get him (Fabbri) going, and gives us a winger to play with Larkin in that spot,” Blashill said. 1182894 Detroit Red Wings After graduating from Trenton, Plagens earned a bachelor's degree in communication from Lake Forest College north of Chicago and a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University, whose alumni include Bob Costas, Ann Arbor's Mike Tirico and Sean Detroit's Doug Plagens turns Red Wings' fandom into NHL play-by-play McDonough. gig He spent seven years in the minors with the American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters and the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads and is now entering his sixth season with the Panthers. MARK FALKNER | The Detroit News "People always ask me about growing up a Red Wings fan and working

for the Panthers," Plagens said. "I wouldn't trade my Red Wings' fandom He calls himself "one of those '90s kids," who learned the game of for anything because it's what helped me develop my love for the game. hockey by watching the four-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red It's full-on Panthers now but I still keep a close eye on the Red Wings. Wings from 1997-2008. "Steve Yzeman is putting all the right pieces in place with the team in Born in 1985 in Detroit and raised in Trenton, Doug Plagens turned his transition. In my opinion, once they take the next step and he gets Red Wings' fandom into a play-by-play position with the Florida Panthers another nice draft pick or two to put with their first-rounders in the mix, and joined a list of Detroit-area hockey fans who have full-time jobs in the the turnaround is going to be pretty quick." National Hockey League a generation after the Red Wings were in their Detroit News LOADED: 02.03.2021 heyday. The list includes:

►Red Wings forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who spent time in the Detroit dressing room with his uncle Slava Kozlov, one of the famous Russian Five.

►Blackhawks prospect and former Red Wings draft pick Alec Regula, whose father Chet was the team's dentist for 29 years.

►Seattle Kraken's Everett Fitzhugh, who grew up in Detroit listening to Red Wings' games and became the first Black NHL team broadcaster.

Plagens' rise to the top of his broadcast profession began with his first trip to Joe Louis Arena at age 4 to watch the Minnesota North Stars and continued with subsequent visits downtown with his family as longtime season ticket holders. His father's first cousin, Douglas G. Plagens, is a team physician with the Red Wings, specializing in general orthopedics.

Among Plagens' highlights were the Cup-clinching games at home in 1997 against the Philadelphia Flyers and 2002 against the Washington Capitals.

"I remember being at the game in 1997 and my dad (a policeman) was born in September of 1955, just a few months after the last Stanley Cup," Plagens said of the Red Wings breaking the 42-year championship drought. "I'm thinking, Wow, this is something in my dad's lifetime he's never seen. That made it that much more special to enjoy it with him in the arena.

"I remember driving out of the parking lot and people were lining the street and high-fiving you as you drove by in your car. It was a scene like nothing I had ever seen in my life up until then. I was in sixth grade and when you're in sixth grade, the single most important thing to you is that your favorite team is winning the Stanley Cup."

The only other game that compares for Plagens was the Darren McCarty-Claude Lemieux brawl on March 26, 1997. The Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche were meeting for the last time before the playoffs and were on a "collision course" after Lemieux's hit on Kris Draper in Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference finals left Draper with a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone, broken nose and damage to his right orbital bone.

"I remember being at school and knowing that I was going to the game that night," Plagens said. "All the hype, listening to the old WDFN on the drive there, walking through the concrete tunnel into the Joe. The place was jammed pack for the warmups, the buzz, the electricity was off the charts. Everyone was in their seats waiting for the fireworks."

Plagens' on-ice highlight was being a defenseman with the Trenton High School team which won a state championship in 2003 under the guidance of now retired coach Michael Turner, the all-time leader in career victories with 629 wins and 11 state titles in 28 years.

"Coach Turner built a special culture there, to be the best representative of the team and city," said Plagens, who celebrated the 4-0 win over Davison in the final at Compuware Arena by telling Channel 4's State Champs Show, "It's awesome. I'm going to Disneyland."

"The expectation was to go out and win a state title. In my only year there, we had 11 seniors and were No. 1 in the state. We knew it was championship or bust with that team." 1182895 Detroit Red Wings away from the stick penalties. Those penalties, unless you’re saving a goal, don’t serve any purpose.”

Said Larkin: “We got to be disciplined, we got to be hard to play against, Red Wings’ road ahead daunting, but help on the way but we can’t cross over that line into taking bad penalties and penalties away from our net and needless mistakes. We got to figure a way to get through this little slump on the penalty kill, and I know we will.”

By Ansar Khan Smith contributing

Givani Smith made a nice pass to set up Larkin’s goal. It was the second assist in four games for Smith, who has been shuffled back and forth The Detroit Red Wings are winless in six and play their next six on the from the taxi squad to the main roster. road starting with a pair against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who have defeated them in 16 of their previous 17 “I think Gio has done a solid job,” Blashill said. “He’s very good when he meetings. gets in the offensive zone, both on the forecheck and certainly in the O- zone. He’s really strong on the puck and knows how to get to the net. He Then it’s on to Florida for two games against the Panthers, who have does a pretty good job of using his body and is a bit of an agitator. He’ll won eight in a row from Detroit, including a pair this weekend at Little provide some energy.” Caesars Arena. It remains to be seen if Smith will maintain his roster spot when players By the time the Red Wings get to Nashville on Feb. 11, they will be one- return this week from the COVID list. quarter of the way through this 56-game season and, considering the dauting task ahead of them, possibly buried in the Central Division cellar. “Givani’s been great for us,” Larkin said. “He’s not only hard to play against in being physical but he’s making plays, he’s hanging onto pucks “I’m sure there’s frustration and that’s what can mount in these down low and he’s starting to generate a cycle and spending time in the situations,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said following Sunday’s 3-2 offensive zone, which is huge for our team and huge for the line he loss to Florida. “We got a lot of the season ahead of us. I know it goes played on. He’s a heads-up player, he plays hard and plays the right fast, not many games. I think we made strides in the right direction the way.” last couple games. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.03.2021 “All we can do on Tuesday is look at the film, learn from the film, have some meetings and then get better and try to win a game (Wednesday) against the defending Stanley Cup champions. We sat around for 11 months. We want these challenges. The record isn’t good enough, but we got a chance to change it on Wednesday, so let’s go out and change it.”

On the bright side, several players not available during this 0-4-2 slide due to COVID protocol will return this week. Blashill said Robby Fabbri, Adam Erne, Sam Gagner and Jon Merrill should be available for Wednesday’s game and Filip Zadina for Friday’s contest.

These players were in the lineup when the Red Wings started 2-2 and were optimistic that their solid play up until that point was repeatable.

The Red Wings played well enough to win both games against the Panthers, outplaying them five-on-five. But they lost the special teams battle, going 0 for 7 on the power play while yielding four power-play goals to Florida.

“We out-chanced them and didn’t win. That’s disappointing,” Blashill said. “I thought given the circumstances, back-to-back and (Tyler Bertuzzi, day-to-day with an upper-body injury) out and not everybody 100 percent, we played really hard. We played good enough to win but we have to find a way to win these close games.”

The Red Wings are 2-6-2, with the same number of points (six) they had after 10 games during a disastrous 2019-20 season.

“We’re trying to build things here; nothing great happens with a giant leap, it happens in small steps,” Blashill said. “My job is to make sure we’re taking steps in the right direction and we’re not taking any shortcuts to try to win short-term. We want to win long-term. So, we’ll keep focusing on making sure our individuals are getting better and we’re getting better as a group.”

Costly penalties

The Red Wings got a goal from Dylan Larkin and led 1-0 after a strong first period. But the Panthers scored twice on the power play in the second. Michael Rasmussen was called for boarding MacKenzie Weegar in the neutral zone and Darren Helm was whistled for slashing Anton Stralman in the offensive zone.

“Ras tried to be physical, trying to bring that element to his game,” Blashill said. “He’s been told by everybody in the organization it’s an important part of what he can bring to the table. He caught the guy kind of as he’s turning and took a penalty.”

Blashill said of the Helm penalty: “Ultimately, we got to keep our stick on the ice and not slash around the hands. It’s something we talked about. Those are easy penalties to eliminate. We want to take as few penalties as possible while still playing hard. The consequence of playing hard is sometimes you might take a penalty like Ras, but you can certainly get 1182896 Detroit Red Wings Larkin is many things on the ice: He’s fast, skilled and big, and already, at age 24, he has had seasons of 32 goals and 47 assists. Those around him believe someday he could contend for a Selke Trophy. Those are his visible traits. But the one underpinning all of them is the competitive fire Dylan Larkin’s road to Red Wings captain is a fairy tale, but it wasn’t that lives under the surface. inevitable “Larks is as competitive a person as I’ve been around,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said this offseason. “When he goes up against the other team’s best players, he wants to win that battle to a level that the great ones Max Bultman Feb 2, 2021 have in terms of competitiveness.”

It was already there in college, when Hyman recalled Larkin looking over Zach Hyman was just hitting his stride at the University of Michigan when at him in down-and-back skating races, trying to beat his senior mentor Red Berenson, the legendary longtime coach of the Wolverines, came to and linemate at a drill Hyman had always made his calling card. It him with an idea. already was there at the NTDP, too: Danton Cole, Larkin’s coach at the national program, made it all of 35 seconds into an interview about Larkin Hyman had turned in a career-high 17 points as a junior, playing at that age before mentioning his compete level. alongside fellow future NHLers Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte, and had expected to stay on a line with them as he entered his final collegiate Whenever it first emerged, though, the roots of it trait trace back to his season. Berenson wanted to try something new. father, Kevin.

“I want to put you with this young kid Dylan, who we have great hopes Kevin Larkin had grown up in Toronto before he and his brothers, Paul for,” Hyman remembers Berenson telling him ahead of the 2014-15 and Jimmy, each came to the U.S. on college soccer scholarships — season. “We think he’s going to be a great player, and we want you to Kevin to the University of Southern Indiana, Paul to Oakland University play with him. You’re a senior, you have to mentor the younger guys.” and Jimmy to Virginia Commonwealth.

At the time, Hyman didn’t personally know Dylan Larkin, the incoming The brothers were athletes used to competing, and that carried on to the freshman from the U.S. National Team Development Program who the next generation of Larkins, after Kevin and Paul moved near each other Detroit Red Wings drafted 15th overall that summer. But he was up for it. in metro Detroit and each had two boys, all similar in age.

As Hyman got to know his new centerman, he noticed the uncommon That meant there was “always a game” going on, said Dylan’s mother, confidence and swagger he had about him as a freshman. At Michigan’s Denise Larkin. “Mini-sticks in the house in the winter, playing on the first practice, he also saw what’s impossible to miss: Larkin’s speed. That ponds, soccer.” was one of Hyman’s best attributes too. The two figured they could skate She remembered being at tournaments and how, if the team needed a around defenders, then work down low. goal, Dylan would throw “everything but the kitchen sink” at the net, until “It was crazy how fast we clicked, and how much chemistry we had from something went in. The competitive streak, she said, definitely did not the start,” Hyman, now with the Maple Leafs, recalled by phone in come from her. December. “We didn’t look back. It was one of the most fun years I’ve “But I think it is something that you’re kind of born with to be so had playing hockey.” competitive,” she said. “I’m sure, too, being a (younger) brother. His older Hyman’s scoring skyrocketed to 54 points, more than tripling his total as brother would probably tease him and push him, probably literally and a junior en route to being one of the top 10 finalists for the NCAA’s figuratively. Just always not wanting to be the one left behind, I think Hobey Baker Award. Larkin, even as a freshman, wasn’t far behind. He that’s where it comes from.” racked up 47 points in 35 games, propelling him to the NHL the very next Between that, and the athletic and competitive genes from the Larkin season. side of the family, it’s easy enough to see how Dylan Larkin, the Looking back on that season now, with both players now in key roles for competitor, came to be. a pair of Original Six franchises, Hyman joked that he’ll always see Larkin But there’s never a guarantee that a competitive edge will go anywhere as a kid because of their age and experience gap when they first met. without the right molding. Those who’ve been around Larkin agree that The Larkin he first knew was the young guy in the locker room, smart Kevin and Denise gave him that at home. “They were two of the best enough not to barge in too hard and step on anyone’s toes. parents that we ever had in the organization,” said Joe Smaza, the coach But in the time since, Hyman had also seen from afar how Larkin has of the Belle Tire AAA program for Larkin’s age group. developed from those days in Ann Arbor. He’d noticed Larkin taking on On the ice, though, that guiding hand also came from Smaza, who Larkin more of a leadership role in Detroit. last year called one of his most influential youth coaches. Their origin And so, while answering a series of questions about Larkin, Hyman also story was simple enough: Smaza had heard about a fast young player in wound up posing one himself. the area playing exhibition hockey for HoneyBaked, and liked what he saw, prompting him to offer Larkin a spot on his team. “I don’t think the Red Wings have a captain yet, right?” he asked. That team, as it happened, went on to become legendary, at least as By then, the answer to Hyman’s question felt inevitable. Five weeks later, AAA hockey teams go: Belle Tire won the 14U National Championship, Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman — himself the most legendary and in addition to Larkin, his three Belle Tire AAA teams from 2009-12 leader in franchise history — called Larkin in for a meeting to ask if he featured future NHL first-round picks Kyle Connor, Zach Werenski and were willing to take on the responsibility of the Red Wings’ captaincy. Brendan Perlini, plus five more players who went on to be drafted.

“Absolutely,” Larkin told him. That sheer volume of players drafted from one program ran sharply counter to prevailing wisdom: that making the NHL was an extreme It was the latest storybook moment for Larkin, who was born in Waterford longshot. and has played his entire career in Michigan. He went from missing school for the Red Wings championship parade down Woodward in “All you hear as a kid in hockey is how impossible it is to play in the 2002, to being drafted by the team, and now captaining it. With an arc NHL,” Smaza said. “And that wasn’t our message. It’s never been any of like that, it’s easy to wonder when, exactly, Larkin’s storybook road to the the messages that I’ve had on any of the teams that I’ve coached. captaincy really began. When did he go from just one of the million faces in the crowd at that 2002 parade, to the franchise’s next, best hope at “It’s: ‘If it’s not you, then who?'” leading it to another? Because of their overall talent level, and perhaps that mindset, Larkin’s But with a story like Larkin’s, nearly everything, in hindsight, feels like it teams could go toe-to-toe with other top teams and players in North may have been a sign of what was to come. America, whether it was the Chicago Mission, led by future first-rounders William Nylander and Nick Schmaltz, or the Toronto Marlboros, with Josh “Competitive” is among the first words those have coached or played with Ho-Sang and Connor McDavid. Larkin use to describe him. It’s the trait that has, perhaps more than any other, defined his rise in the NHL. “One thing with Dylan,” Kevin Larkin said, “he always wanted to play Larkin, looking for a moment to illustrate him, there’s not one game or against the best, measure himself against the best players in his age one goal that comes to mind. His memory leads him to the weeks and group. … He loves playing against the best. He feels it brings the best months just before that explosive second season, when Larkin had 56 out in him.” points in 60 games.

Under normal circumstances, Smaza recalled, his teams “very, very “It was that two months in there,” he said. “Where it was like, ‘Hey, this rarely” had captains. He and his staff didn’t like to differentiate any of the kid’s serious about this. This is going to happen. He’s already decided.’” players from each other. But the ’96 birth year group was special in that way, too: Over their run together, with all that future NHL talent, Smaza Larkin, as it turned out, did blossom in his final year with the national said they had three captains: Damian Chrcek and Austin Kamer — two team, and then his star really took off in his one season at Michigan. players who would go on to play at Michigan State — and Larkin. After that, in spring 2015, he turned pro, playing in just six American Hockey League playoff games before getting promoted to the Red “He was the kind of kid — and I really truly believe he still is, it was in his Wings’ roster that fall. DNA that we didn’t have to motivate him,” Smaza said. “You knew what you were going to get out of him. … For Dylan, the guys knew it and they By any definition, he had made it, and then for good measure he was respected it.” selected to the NHL All-Star game as a rookie, too. But what should have been clear, by then, was that getting to the NHL was not going to be These are the kind of stories that sound prophetic in hindsight: The enough for Larkin. And if his rookie season in 2015-16 felt like a dream, young center who went toe-to-toe with the continent’s best as a kid, only then his 2016-17 was a reality check. His scoring from Year 1 dropped to grow up and do the same as a pro. The competitive streak rooted in off from 45 points to 32. He slipped from a plus-11 to a minus-28. genes and honed in the exact right environment. The early experience with leadership. He had young-player habits that coach Jeff Blashill felt needed to change, and without the torrid scoring pace, they were harder to The reality check for that predestined narrative, though, might just come overlook. That, Blashill recalled, is when “the real hard conversations” from Larkin’s mom, who thinks she was “probably one of the last ones to started. really think that it would go this far.” It’s hard to know how a player, especially one with such a meteoric rise, Yes, she too felt like the family was in a “fairy tale” when Dylan was will handle those moments. Competitiveness alone doesn’t help drafted to the hometown team. Denise Larkin was floored watching her someone improve. 19-year-old suddenly playing on a line with Henrik Zetterberg. And admittedly, she did sense early on her son had something special, “Constantly, you could always tell that he was reflecting on it after the possibly as young as 5 or 6. conversations, and had an understanding that ultimately what I was trying to do was help him,” Blashill said. “And I think sometimes, players, “But there’s a lot of special kids out there,” she said. “So you just don’t when they get coached, they get their back up and then you can’t get know which one is going to be that one that gets to where he’s at.” helped. And ultimately I think even from those early days, Dylan, because of who he is, understood that, understood where I was coming If Larkin gets his competitiveness from his dad, then the other side of his from … And I think that understanding, that ability then to look in the makeup very likely comes from Denise. She says she’s tried to be the mirror and say there might be something here, and I gotta make one who “softens the edges” and to remind him that no one can actually adjustments, is what’s really allowed him to continue to grow into, I think, be perfect, no matter how hard they chase it. She saw early on how hard- one of the better winners in this league in terms of how he plays hockey.” driven her son was to improve, and while that certainly seems to serve him in many ways, it’s also only part of his personality. And only part of That accountability and willingness to adapt was an early sign of Larkin’s what it will now take for him to lead. leadership ability. You can’t push and help others if you won’t be pushed or helped yourself. Before Larkin was given the “C,” his teammate and fellow alternate captain Luke Glendening remarked that Larkin had “a great temperature He was learning how to do this on a team with Stanley Cup winners like of the room, in terms of, he knows when something needs to be said, Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg, who Larkin called “the ultimate when we need to call out something in terms of as a team, just not captain” because of his consistency and how he kept the pulse of the performing. But he also knows that there’s a time to lift guys up.” Weeks locker room. later, Bobby Ryan told the story of how, shortly after arriving in Detroit, he asked Larkin what was near the Arcadia Bluffs golf course, where he was “The guys respected him as great as I’ve seen anyone respected,” Larkin planning a day trip alone. Larkin called back and said he and two others said. were coming with Ryan. Zetterberg had become an immediate fixture in Larkin’s Red Wings Those interpersonal dynamics of a team sport take much more than career, playing on a line together their first season. He had watched competitiveness or work ethic. They take a perceptiveness and everything Zetterberg had done from his first day, and as time went on, sensitivity. As early as first grade, Denise remembers Dylan’s teachers Zetterberg would tell him things like just keep that fire in you going, or pointing out that he had an aptitude for reading the emotions in a room. keep your engine running. Larkin looks back now at the former captain’s final seasons, and sees the ways Zetterberg “molded me and would give “He’s kind of got a natural ability to read people, and he actually is very me lessons without me even knowing it, maybe.” compassionate about it,” she said. By the end, it had gotten to the point where Larkin was playing more than These are things that have always made her proud of her son, long Zetterberg, and scoring more, too. But not being the center of attention before anyone knew his name. But asked to remember the time when the didn’t seem to matter to the franchise legend. And seeing that made one path to this point seemed possible, she points to Larkin’s second year final impression on Larkin. with the NTDP, his final year of high school. “It never affected who he was and how he handled himself in the locker The first year with Team USA is notoriously tough for players. The U17s room, he never got upset about it, just went about his business and was play a USHL schedule, filled with older, more experienced players, happy for me,” Larkin said. “And that’s what a captain is: someone that thereby forcing their development into gear. Larkin had done relatively (when) someone else gets the puck or the game-winning goal, and well in that first season, finishing fifth on the team in scoring, but as you’re just as happy for the team as it would be if you scored. Just having Denise remembers, “we lost a lot of games.” that, having him kind of mold me and push me to be a growing voice in the locker room, (happened) at the end of Henrik’s career.” The second year, however, is when players are supposed to reap the benefits. And Larkin, she remembers, came out flying. If you’re looking for the final, crucial moments that propelled Larkin to the captaincy, it’s hard not to point there. Larkin had already been gaining Coach Danton Cole recalls Larkin arriving for workouts in the summer of the locker room’s respect, Blashill and Glendening said, through his work 2013, and getting a glimpse at the binder given to the player by the ethic. But those final observations of Zetterberg, in the fleeting days of team’s strength coach. his mentor’s career, paved the way for him to quickly and obviously “There was pencil marks all over it,” Cole said. emerge as the next leader once Zetterberg and Kronwall retired.

He was struck by the commitment, notable for a coach of a program In hindsight, this outcome can look misleadingly inevitable, from virtually composed of the country’s elite. That’s why, when Cole thinks back on any point in Larkin’s story. It really does read like a fairy tale. But none of it was ever actually predestined. It happened as much because of how Larkin was raised, the people who guided him, and his willingness to learn and grow — every bit as much as it happened because of his innate skills and traits.

Ironically, by the time Yzerman returned to the franchise as general manager in 2019, it was obvious, and perhaps even inevitable, Larkin would be the Red Wings’ captain. But Yzerman waited.

And even as the Red Wings’ season devolved into one of the most challenging in recent NHL memory, “I can’t say there was too many nights where I said, ‘you know what, Dylan didn’t bring it tonight,'” Yzerman said. “He brought it every day in practice and every night in the games. Those are the things that really stood out to me.”

In the end, he concluded what so many others already had: It was clear Larkin was the Red Wings’ captain.

Certainly, the moment it was announced last month felt like a culmination. But for someone as competitive as Larkin, getting a “C” stitched onto his jersey is far from an endgame. Less than two weeks before the announcement, talking about his desire to become a top two- way player, Larkin said he wants “to be known for team success.”

Right now, he is stepping into this role for a team stuck at the bottom of the NHL standings. His coach, Jeff Blashill, is in the final year of his contract, and the team’s next wave of players is only just beginning to arrive in the NHL. Larkin’s leadership, in ways big and small, is going to be tested constantly.

If he succeeds, though, then the captaincy won’t one day look like the destination of his fairy-tale journey. It will be just the beginning of a whole new stretch of road.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182897 Edmonton Oilers LEARNING ON THE FLY Ottawa coach D.J. Smith knows German rookie Tim Stutzle, who blocked

a Bouchard shot off his skate laces and was hobbled in the third, was Jesse Puljujarvi scores two for Oilers in win against Senators very noticeable.

“He’s an explosive player off the rush … I can’t think of a young, high-end player who’s done this well with no training camp. He’s doing this on the Jim Matheson Edmonton Journal fly. He’s playing the best players in the world every night, it’s on display for him. It’s not like he’s seeing sub. 500 teams that missed the playoffs

last year,” said Ottawa coach D.J. Smith. As works of art go, the Edmonton Oilers second straight win over the This ‘n that: The 50-50 game proceeds, over $1.5 million, went to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday was something that could certainly hang on Mustard Seed, in memory of John Muckler, who did lots of work along the wall over the living room sofa, unlike Sunday where it maybe with fellow Oiler coach Teddy Green … Ottawa’s head athletic therapist belonged more on the garage floor next to the lawn mower. Dom Nicoletta is married to Muckler’s daughter Jenny, Nicoletta has his But the Oilers aren’t into how it looks as much as how it feels right now. first meeting was the ex-Oiler head coach in 2002 when Muckler was Ottawa’s GM … McDavid, who has six straight multi-point games, had a Two days after the Oilers scored three times on their first six shots shift of 2:45 in the second period, rapped around a power play … Oilers against the Senators in a messy 8-5 W, the Oilers had a tidier 4-2 victory defenceman Ethan Bear skated Tuesday after taking a puck in the head with Jesse Puljuarvi getting his second-ever two-goal NHL game and against Toronto last Saturday. He’s day-to-day, but not on IR…The Evan Bouchard in his first NHL game in two and a half years played 15 Senators got their best D Thomas Chabot, a possible Canadian Olympic minutes and got his first NHL assist. selection for Bejing in 2022, back after missing Sunday out with a leg issue. He played over 25 minutes. So now, they’re feeling like a .500 hockey team, maybe not rarefied air, but when you’re 3-6 last Friday and now you’re 6-6 after beating Toronto Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 and the Baby Sens two straight at Rogers Place, this qualifies as major progress.

The Senators, losers of nine straight and outscored 45-18 aren’t exactly a measuring tool for anybody in the All-Canadian division. But a win is a win is a win, and the Oilers, who now go on the road for four in a row (Calgary, Ottawa twice and Montreal), are back in the True North fight.

While Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said, “you see it all the time where teams losing the first game (of a series) come out so hungry in the second,” the Oilers fed on a team that’s 1-8-1 in their first 10.

It took them longer than eight seconds to score like Dominik Kahun did to their starter Matt Murray Sunday. He was gone after three goals in six shots for Marcus Hogberg, who gave up five more in 21 shots.

But they did another number of Hogberg, who came into the game a 4.71 average, an .845 save percentage and winless in three games, with three in the first period (Nurse, Puljujarvi and Leon Draisaitl) and another by Puljuarvi off Evan Bouchard’s quick shot before the game was 26 minutes gone.

The Oilers, who got the first three Sunday in seven minutes, got on the board when Nurse ripped one off Austin Watson’s stick and past Hogberg for his third goal and ninth point, Puljujarvi tucked one home with dandy move in the blue-paint, his first goal since Jan. 6, 2019 (25 game drought), then Draisaitl looked like he would pass and blew one past Hogberg, who lost his net giving Draisaitl acres of room.

McDavid had assists on the first two and has 19 points in his last eight games while Mikko Koskinen, who got Sunday’s game off after facing 325 shots over 592 minutes in 10 games, only gave up Cedric Paquette’s five-footer.

Bouchard was playing his first Oiler game in 831 days, when he scored his first NHL goal Oct. 25, 2018 against Washington’s Braden Holtby at Rogers Place. He played 15 minutes and had four shots with Kris Russell, with his long shot through traffic tipped by Puljuarvi for the Finn’s second two-goal NHL game with the Oilers dressing seven D for one of the rare times.

Slater Koekkoek was the extra blueliner.

With the Oilers dressing seven D for one of the rare times, they surprisingly took out left-winger James Neal off his two-goal game against Ottawa Sunday. They only had he only had 11 forwards with Kyle Turris and Chiasson as the 10th and 11th guys. Turris, who went to the dressing room for a chunk of time in the second period with either an injury or equipment issues, got some penalty-kill work. Chiasson was the net-front presence on the power play, apart from playing on different lines.

The Oilers PK work was impeccable, with Ottawa only getting four shots on five power plays after the Oilers had given up nine in the previous six games were a harbinger of his shift Tuesday. 1182898 Edmonton Oilers “You’re looking at different aspects of the game, penalty kill, power play, it’s just the way the adjustment went,” said the coach. “With seven D somebody has to come out and he was the guy who came out.”

OILERS SNAPSHOTS: Bouchard get a look, Neal gets a seat GOOD LOSERS

The Ottawa Senators are off to a miserable start, but with some great young building blocks in place, you really do have to believe that better Robert Tychkowski days are ahead.

But take it from someone who has been there when he tells you that those sympathetic pats on the back and assurances of a brighter No sooner had fans finished scolding the Edmonton Oilers for rushing tomorrow are no consolation for what’s happening right now. Jesse Puljujarvi into the NHL than they began griping about why it’s taking so long to get Evan Bouchard into the lineup. “As a player you don’t think of it that way at all,” said Nurse. “When that puck drops there is no thinking of rebuild or anything like that. They want That’s probably a good thing. It means the organization seems to have to win. That’s why guys are in this position and playing in this league, learned a valuable lesson and wants to be extra patient when deciding because they’re competitors. All they care about is winning. how and when to give a prospect his shot. “Are they rebuilding? Yeah, but you could go through that whole room For Edmonton’s first-round pick (10th overall) in the 2018 draft, that time and ask them: When that puck drops do they care about a rebuild or not? is now. In fact, it was probably a week ago, but a back issue with the That’s not where their mind is, their mind is on winning the game and young defenceman and a rocky start for the Oilers postponed his North that’s all that matters. Division debut until Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. “I know (the Oilers) have been in that position before and, as a player, “It’s a process that young players go through,” said head coach Dave that wasn’t where my mind was when I was on the ice, that we’re losing, Tippett, adding the 21-year-old has embraced the journey. “He’s coming but it’s OK in the grand scheme of things. That’s not how guys think. through that and he’s become a better player. Every day he works at it. They want to win.” He came to camp in great shape. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 “It shows the maturity he’s gaining; he’s learning how to work like a pro. He just needs some experience before his game gets up and going and he becomes a good NHL player.”

Bouchard has been on a slow and steady development curve. He got his feet wet with the Oilers for seven games in 2019, went back to Junior for a full season, and spent all of last year in the American Hockey League, picking up 36 points in 54 games. He started this year on loan to a Swedish league team.

There are high hopes for the smooth-skating puck mover, but competition on the blue line is stiff this season. All but three of Edmonton’s nine defencemen have already spent time in the press box or on the taxi squad. And, again, there is no need to rush him.

“You’d like to see everybody play, but you just don’t have that many spots,” said Tippett. “We’re trying to get everybody up and running and eventually we’ll get a group we’re comfortable with and we’re going to go with, but with (Ethan) Bear’s injury right now, Bouch will get a chance to play.”

Defenceman Darnell Nurse went down the same developmental road when he was breaking into the league (he didn’t make the Oilers until his third try after being drafted seventh overall in 2013) and likes what the time has done for the 6-foot-3, 194-pounder.

“It’s exciting to see him draw back in because he works so hard and prepared himself so much for this season,” said Nurse, who marvels at the poise Bouchard shows for a young player.

“He’s a guy who’s calm in every situation, it’s what makes him so special. He’s a guy who can adapt; you can’t rattle him. We’ve very fortunate to have him in this organization and on this team.”

MINORS A MAJOR HELP

Winger Kailer Yamamoto needed a couple of runs at the Oilers before he stuck, and looks back on his 50 games in Bakersfield over two seasons as the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Playing in the AHL helped my game all around,” he said. “When I first came up I was a little hesitant, the second time I was definitely a lot more confident in my plays.”

Now Yamamoto is riding shotgun with one of the best players in the NHL, watching from up close just how gifted Leon Draisaitl is.

“Every pass is so precise,” he said. “And he sees everyone on the ice. Even when you don’t think he sees you, he sees you. He makes that pass right on your tape. You have to be ready all the time.”

NEAL OUT

It’s unusual for a player to be pulled from the lineup after scoring two goals the game before, but James Neal drew the short straw so that Tippett could dress seven defenceman and 11 forwards. 1182899 Edmonton Oilers

Bouchard makes his debut tonight on Edmonton Oilers blue line

Robert Tychkowski

Highly-touted prospect Evan Bouchard will make his North Division debut tonight when he draws in against the Ottawa Senators.

Edmonton’s first round pick (10th overall) in the 2018 draft has been on a slow and steady development curve, spending all of last season in the American Hockey League and the start of this season on loan to a Swedish League team.

Fans have been itching to get another look at him (he got his feet with the Oilers for seven games in 2019), but a back issue with the young defenceman and a rocky start for the Oilers postponed the debut ’till Tuesday.

But head coach Dave Tippett is ready to see what he can bring.

“It’s a process that young players go through,” he said, adding the 21- year-old has embraced the journey. “Every day he works at it. He came to camp in great shape. It shows the maturity he’s gaining. He just needs some experience before his game gets up and going and he becomes a good NHL player.”

The competition on the blue line is stiff, though. With all but three of Edmonton’s nine defencemen having already spent time in the press box or on the taxi squad. Edmonton will dress seven defenceman as a bit of an insurance policy tonight.

“You’d like to see everybody play, but you just don’t have that many spots,” said Tippett. “We’re trying to get everybody up and running and eventually we’ll get a group we’re comfortable with and we’re going to go with, but with Bear’s injury right now, Bouch will get a chance to play.”

"He's a guy that can adapt. You can't rattle him & we're very fortunate to have him in this organization & on this team."

Nurse on Bouchard as the latter gets set to make his #Oilers season debut & first @NHL appearance since 2018. pic.twitter.com/Hxpzyp8Lml

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 2, 2021

NEAL OUT

It’s unusual for a player to be pulled from the lineup after scoring two goals the game before, but James Neal drew the short straw so Tippett could dress seven defenceman and 11 forwards.

“You’re looking at different aspects of the game, penalty kill, power play, it’s just the way the adjustment went,” said the coach. “With seven D somebody has to come out and he was the guy who came out.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182900 Edmonton Oilers

Oil Spills: That empty (arena) feeling

Craig Ellingson

There are many differences between a ‘normal’ NHL season and the pandemic-altered circuit we’re experiencing today. One of the biggest: No fans attending Edmonton Oilers games; in fact, none of the all- Canadian North Division teams have spectators watching them live to start the year.

NHL beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest covered many of the NHL playoff games staged at Edmonton’s Rogers Place last summer and have been following the Oilers and their rivals from the press seats. They have seen a difference in how games unfold.

In this edition of Oil Spills, I talk to them about: what it’s like watching a game live now: “You can hear them chirping each other in the box.” the difference between the playoffs’ bubble environment and the current set-up with visiting teams coming and going: “There are some players that feed off the crowd; for the rest of the players, after a while, it’s just another hockey game.” whether or not home-ice advantage is gone: “It’s quiet now, it’s like it’s a shinny game … you don’t have that momentum (from fans cheering) to ride; you don’t have that buzz.” the pros and cons of a road trip now: “You’re going from the plane to the bus to the hotel. That’s it. There’s no leaving the hotel. There’s no going out on the town, there’s no eating out at restaurants … there’s nowhere to go. That’s going to be a big adjustment for some players.”

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182901 Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid, A+: The first thing you notice: McDavid is averaging two points per game (11 games, 8-14-22), making the impossible (100 points in a 56-game season) look attainable. His 3.07 points per 60 at five-on-five trails only Draisaitl among Oilers forwards, while his 10.15 Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers January report card — grading everyone points per 60 on the power play leads the team. McDavid has improved from Connor McDavid to Kyle Turris many areas year over year, including shot differential (56.4 percent), face-off percentage (53.2) and penalties drawn (1.71 per 60). His line

(Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on left wing, Jesse Puljujarvi on right wing) has a By Allan Mitchell Feb 2, 2021 shot edge of 55.6 percent but is losing the goal share 1-5 so far since being put together. Those numbers should reverse, and at that point McDavid’s numbers are likely to be even stronger. He is on a collision course with earth-shattering numbers. January was a month of wildly varied performances for the Edmonton Oilers, from the top of the organization to the bottom of the taxi squad, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, B+: The Nuge leads Oilers forwards in ice time and that variety is well-reflected in the report card the team brings home this season, owing to his great utility and heavy usage in all three game for the month. disciplines. His five-on-five per 60 (1.51) is down markedly from last year (2.23), when he played much of the year on Draisaitl’s line. His There are A’s and even A+’s but also a few F’s — and then there are a deployment this year with McDavid is an attempt to allow the captain to whole lot of middling and incomplete grades in between. wheel freely while also having a defensive conscience on the line. The It was a month that saw Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl romping, trio has improved in shot share and expected goals, but the McDavid- finishing as the league’s top scorers. And it was a month that saw Nuge combo is 5-8 at five-on-five goals so far this season. All indicators general manager Ken Holland tracking backup goaltenders across North suggest that number should recover with better luck or goaltending. He is America, as a waiver claim led to an overworked starter at a vital also part of a struggling penalty kill, the only real downbeat on his season position. And it was a month that saw coach Dave Tippett struggling to at this time. get his defencemen figured out, with some very loose coverage plaguing Kailer Yamamoto, B: Through the first six or seven games of the season, the team. Yamamoto was a contender for the best forward on the team. He faded a The sum of it all was a 5-6-0 record with 38 goals for and 41 against little late in the month but scored against Ottawa on Jan. 31 to finish 4-3- heading into Tuesday night’s first game of February. At five-on-five, the 7 in 11 games. His 2.35 points-per-60 at five-on-five is the top total Oilers are minus-five (21-26) with an expected goal share of 51 percent among Edmonton’s wingers, and his goals per 60 (1.57) ranks No. 1 and a save percentage of .906. The power play (12 goals for, two among all Oilers forwards. As was the case last year, Yamamoto is against) started slow but was absolute fire later in the month. The team’s playing on a strong outscoring line with Draisaitl (6-1 this season) and penalty kill (2-for-11) began poorly and never stopped caused new linemate Kahun. headaches. Kailer Yamamoto (Perry Nelson / USA Today) The team has not threatened to lead the North Division at any time since James Neal, B: He missed the first five games of the season, but he has the season really got going but also hasn’t looked in danger of falling out been successful (2-1-3) in the six games he’s dressed. Neal is a pure of contention, its only streaks (losing two in a row twice, winning two in a shooter and has had success on both the power play and five-on-five in row one time) of the minor variety. The low point came with a pair of the early days. His 2.09 points per 60 (in less than one hour) is his best home losses against the Montreal Canadiens by an aggregate score of total since 2013-14, suggesting that regression will occur. His possession 8-2. The high point? Two wins at the end of the month, including a wildly numbers are mostly good, though, and he has improved fortunes for the entertaining home win in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs on third line since he arrived. The Turris line is 2-3 in five-on-five goals with Saturday. Neal, 1-8 without him. Overall, Neal has been sneaky good in limited So, yes, an uneven month deserving of an uneven report card. But minutes. before we get to the grades, let’s look at a few more numbers to serve as Dominik Kahun, C: He picked up an assist and looked dynamic (four context for the team’s overall performance. shots, several great looks) opening night, then spent eight games The numbers chasing offence. He played well in the interim, but part of being on a high skill line is contributing individually. He scored a goal in each of the final Record: 5-6-0, 10 points (fifth in the North) two games of the month to finish 2-1-3 in 11 games. He is producing at Even-strength goal share: 46.15 percent (sixth) 1.25 points per 60 through the first month and will need to land closer to 2.00 in order to remain on the Draisaitl line. Like Yamamoto, Kahun is Even-strength expected-goal share: 51.27 percent (third) good at turning over pucks and creating opportunity. He is also a fine passer. Power play: 10.25 goals per hour (second) Zack Kassian, C-: He began the season on the top line with McDavid and Penalty kill: 10.15 goals against per hour (sixth) Nugent-Hopkins, getting good possession results but not scoring enough Even-strength save percentage: .9007 (sixth) to stay there. He didn’t score his first goal (1-2-3 in 10 games) until moving to the third line, where he and Neal have improved the fortunes Edmonton finished the month as sixth of seven teams in the division over of centre Turris. Kassian’s contract ($3.2 million times four years) is just several categories. The good news is the power play turned a corner — starting, and there’s going to be great pressure to provide offence over converting on four of five opportunities Sunday — and the team’s even- the rest of the season. He looks more comfortable on the third line, but strength expected goals indicate it has been dealing with some bad luck. we could see him move up at some point in February. His 1.35 points per Should that even-strength number regress to the mean, Edmonton 60 at five-on-five is a reasonable number for the third line, a poor one should move up in the North. when he’s skating with McDavid.

The forwards Jesse Puljujarvi, C-: The big Finn started out strong and has been shooting the puck more, but in the first month of the season he failed to Leon Draisaitl, A+: The reigning Hart Trophy winner is serving notice score a goal (11 games, 0-2-2). His shot total (27) is enormous for a there may be another level. He posted six assists against the Ottawa player with zero goals, and Natural Stat Trick has him with 13 high- Senators on the final night of January and currently sits No. 2 in league danger chances. The problem is he hasn’t scored yet, and the longer he scoring (6-15-21), while his assist total leads the NHL. He scored 3.29 goes without scoring, the more pressure he’ll be under. In 56 minutes of points per 60 minutes at five-on-five during the month, leading the Oilers, Puljujarvi playing McDavid and the Nuge, the trio is outshooting while his 9.08 points per 60 on the power play trailed only Connor opponents 35-28 and getting outscored 1-5. Tippett has given him 18 McDavid among Oilers forwards. Perhaps most impressive is his five-on- minutes on the power play (one assist), but the goals haven’t come. five on-ice goal differential, currently at 13-2, plus-11. A year ago, many Sooner or later, something has to give. No one can claim the observers pointed to Draisaitl’s five-on-five on-ice goal differential (69-62, organization is short-changing the player in terms of opportunity. plus-7) as a reason to vote elsewhere for the Hart Trophy. Early days, but Draisaitl’s 2020-21 performance is actually tracking better than his Josh Archibald, D: His offence (2-0-2 in 11 games) is low. Archibald has stunning last season. consistently been between 1.10 and 1.45 points per 60 at five-on-five but this season is at 0.59. That is likely to recover, though. The bigger who can consistently outlet pass tape-to-tape without making the forward concern is his performance on the penalty kill, where Archibald was part break stride, and when he’s out (he has missed two games), it changes of a very successful group a year ago. His on-ice goals against on the PK the team’s look leaving the defensive zone. He and Nurse are the team’s has grown from 5.08 per 60 last season to 8.64 this season. It’s early, top pairing, play the tough minutes and have delivered 54 percent of and there’s plenty of time for the penalty kill to recover, but Archibald isn’t shots and 64 percent of goals at five-on-five. Bear seems more able to in the lineup because of his scoring. win battles in his sophomore season and is once again drawing penalties (three this year, eight a year ago) at an interesting rate. Devin Shore, D: He is an upgrade on Jujhar Khaira at the No. 4 centre position, but Shore has failed so far to grab a full-time job. He has yet to Caleb Jones, C+: Jones has played well with Adam Larsson this season, post a point in 55 five-on-five minutes with Edmonton, and while his one although there seems to be some disagreement about who’s zooming point (1-0-1 in eight games) was a fantastic shorthanded goal at home who. I tend to believe the younger defender is more helpful because of against the Montreal Canadiens, he has not been sharp overall in shot his strong puck-moving/passing skills, but it’s a conversation taking place suppression during his short (11 minutes in eight games) audition on the right now. The two men have played 82 minutes together and are 50 penalty kill. Shore should get more chances but will need to make a percent goal share and a little better in shot differential. Jones has just better impression. one assist in seven games and is averaging about 15 minutes a game, but I think he’s likely to emerge as a top-four defenceman this season. Alex Chiasson, F: A harsh mark for a veteran who does good things that He earned a healthy scratch with a tough night’s work early in the month often go unnoticed, but you have to post offence in the NHL. He has zero (slow reaction on a jailbreak plus he wasn’t in the lane to block a shot points in six games, and that includes 45 minutes at five-on-five and that eventually went in the Edmonton net), but he has a dynamic quality 28:43 on the power play. Chiasson’s shot share (35 percent) at five-on- that others vying for minutes don’t possess, and he’s learned quickly five contribute to this grade. And the team’s view of him seems to reflect since arriving in the NHL a year ago. the same assessment that it’s been a tough start for a nine-year NHL veteran. Edmonton placed him on waivers Monday. Caleb Jones (Perry Nelson / USA Today)

Kyle Turris, F: The least successful of Ken Holland’s offseason bets by Tyson Barrie, C: Barrie began slowly and fans were upset about a power some margin, February arrives with the veteran in real danger of being play that seemed to have lost momentum. Online complaints included healthy scratched. His five-on-five goal differential (3-11) has improved taking too much time deciding on whether to pass or shoot. As the month since Neal and Kassian joined him. It still isn’t fabulous, but a 2-3 goal wore along, Barrie and the power play warmed up, and he finished the share and 52.6 Corsi for percentage in 36 minutes is better than the month 1-3-4 in 50 minutes (4.78 per 60) with the man advantage. At five- previous trio. Turris appears to be ill-suited for the checking role, as he is on-five, his goal differential (4-10) was poor through the first 11 games of slow to recognize danger and has been the ultimate ‘also in photo’ centre the season and especially concerning in the final five (3-7) when the in the first month of the season. Absolutely in danger of losing his job. team was more high-event. Barrie is getting used to the Oilers and vice versa. It’s still not certain who his ideal partner might be on the roster. He Tyler Ennis, Incomplete: He has played in just five games this season, has posted 1-6-7 in 11 games overall, and coach Tippett will find a way often seeming a step behind. He does have an assist but is averaging to give him minutes despite the chaos. less than 10 minutes a night, and that suggests he is being used on the fringes instead of the skill lines. He remains an intriguing player but is Adam Larsson, C-: It’s unusual for a veteran like Larsson to be miles from the dynamic winger seen after the trade deadline in 2020. inconsistent over long periods without injury, but the first 11 games have seen a range of performances from Edmonton’s best shutdown defender. Gaetan Haas, Incomplete: He played just one game, the final one in His five-on-five on-ice goal differential (6-9) is especially disappointing January. Haas was quality on the penalty kill (four clean minutes) for a since he’s not playing the same quality of competition as in previous team that badly needed some help in this area. He’ll get plenty of playing years. His best partner so far has been young Jones, the duo owning a time in February based on first impressions. 54 percent shot share and a 5-5 goal differential at five-on-five. Larsson Jujhar Khaira, Incomplete: He has barely played (0-1-1 in three games), has scored two goals already this year, a hockey anomaly that and it seems several men have passed him on the depth chart. Khaira’s sometimes occurs with shutdown types. In a 10-year career, Larsson’s penalty-killing acumen kept him on the roster last year, but even that season high in goals is four (he’s done it twice) and that would appear to appeal (opponents haven’t scored on Edmonton with Khaira on the ice be in danger this season. during nine minutes of penalty-killing this year) hasn’t been enough to Slater Koekkoek, D: Koekkoek has shown an ability to play several roles keep him in the lineup, and he was on waivers earlier in the season. He adequately but had a tough time when the ask approached 20 minutes is waiting for another chance on the roster that may not come. some nights around the middle of the month. His five-on-five on-ice goal Joakim Nygard, Incomplete: He’s played four games with no points and a differential (3-9) includes a difficult 0-5 run in three games against fairly pedestrian stats line for 33 minutes work at five-on-five. He has two Toronto near the end of the month. He can play either side and was not shots on goal, drew a penalty and, while nothing bad or good happened the right partner for Larsson in January (1-3 goals, 37.8 shot differential while he was on the ice, he’ll need to be more dynamic in his next look. during 42 five on five minutes).

Patrick Russell, Incomplete: He posted an assist in his one game, played Kris Russell, D: Russell has played in six games, averaging over 17 8:48 and did everything a coach could ask. Russell is a perfect role minutes a night. He has zero points, but that’s not his game anymore. As player but lacks the ability to play more than a fourth-line role. a defender five-on-five, the Oilers are 0-3 goal share (in 86 minutes), which leads Oilers defencemen who can be considered regulars. He has The defencemen struggled (as have many others) on the penalty kill. Many Oilers fans are clamoring for younger solutions, but that GA/60 at five-on-five (2.08) is Darnell Nurse, A: Nurse is one of the top defencemen in the NHL in music to coaching staffs, despite the lack of offence. even-strength offence, tied for No. 5 leaguewide with five points (2-3-5) and also plays a major role on both special teams units. He’s at 2-6-8 William Lagesson, Incomplete: He has played two games and showed overall after 11 games, playing 24:10 per game, 18th among NHL well. Lagesson is a shutdown type, one of the few young players in the defenders. His pairing with Ethan Bear (145 minutes at five-on-five) has system who appears to be NHL calibre and can fill the role. Oilers been very strong this year: 54 percent shot share and a 9-5 edge in coaching and management are clearly impressed with him as the team goals. That’s fantastic work for a team missing Oscar Klefbom and his has waived all kinds of players while holding the youngster back from the big minutes. Overall at five-on-five, he is 13-10 in on-ice goal differential, waiver wire. He should get more playing time in the next 30 days. playing against tough competition. He has been part of the struggling penalty kill (7.85 goals against per 60 when he is on the ice), but his Goaltenders increased power-play time has been productive. One final note: A Mikko Koskinen (Perry Nelson / USA Today) perennial worry about Nurse’s game involves his ability to outlet pass well. He has a tendency to send passes that are too hard or that miss his Mikko Koskinen, C: It’s extremely difficult to give a fair grade for this intended target. This year, with noticeable regularity, Nurse has shown player. He was placed in a tough situation and played his best without a an impressive touch on his passes and fine accuracy. reliever in the bullpen. His .908 save percentage at even strength ranks No. 31 among qualified goaltenders so far this year. There’s zero doubt Ethan Bear, B: He has played in nine games (0-2-2), averaging over 20 he lost some goals due to fatigue, but he also backstopped the team to minutes a night, and the Oilers are winning the shot and goal share at enough wins to remain competitive. five-on-five while he’s on the ice. Bear is the one regular in the top four Stuart Skinner, Incomplete: He played in one game, a win, and posted a .903 save percentage at even strength. He is likely years from pushing for an NHL job, but the organization likes him and that can count for a lot.

Mike Smith, Incomplete: The veteran missed the first month of the year but is not far from returning.

Coaching and management

Dave Tippett, B-: Tippett entered the season needing to find a replacement for Klefbom’s minutes, improve five-on-five goal differential, make sure the goaltending held up, identify wingers for Kyle Turris on the third line and work out spots for Holland’s bets on skill wings.

I believe he has identified Klefbom’s replacement (Jones), but that’s a work in progress. Five-on-five, the team isn’t there yet, but the expected goal percentage suggests Tippett has things headed in a good direction. The goaltending was a mess, but that’s not on the coach. And the Turris situation may be untenable, but that’s not on the coach, either. Tippett has found a home for Kahun and is doing everything possible to find one for Puljujarvi.

His B- could become another A by season’s end (he got one last year) if some of these issues land properly.

Ken Holland, D: I gave Holland an A for his offseason because the bets were (for the most part) strong. I was concerned about the goaltending, and that has been a major issue, compounded by the waiver turmoil. It is not all bad news, though. Kahun has worked out well. Barrie started slowly but is coming along now. Puljujarvi was a worthwhile bet no matter how it turns out. On the downside, Smith’s injury and Anton Forsberg’s being claimed on waivers created a very difficult situation for the organization. And the struggles of Turris must also be considered.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182902 Florida Panthers ▪ Noel Acciari was not on the ice for the first half of practice but was active during the half hour of special teams work as one of the top forwards on the penalty kill.

With Panthers on best start in history, their top defenseman is ‘meeting Miami Herald LOADED: 02.03.2021 the challenge’

BY JORDAN MCPHERSON

It’s hard to find a key shift when Aaron Ekblad is not on the ice.

The Florida Panthers defenseman, now in his seventh NHL season, is honing in on his all-around game, and his presence has been well noticed through the Panthers’ franchise-record 5-0-1 start to the season.

And while most of the new guys — the Carter Verhaeghes, Anthony Duclairs and Patric Hornqvists of the roster — are getting the bulk of the attention, it’s hard to downplay Ekblad’s contributions early this year.

The simplest evidence: The sheer amount of time he’s on the ice each game.

Heading into Tuesday’s set of games, Ekblad is sixth in the NHL in average ice time per game (25:49) and one of just eight players averaging more than 25 minutes per game. That’s nothing unusual for Ekblad. He has been the Panthers’ leader in average ice time each of the past two seasons and was second the four years prior to that.

“He’s playing important minutes, matchup minutes late in games,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ve had a lot of games on the line here, five in a row. Those are a lot of big minutes and important minutes. He’s meeting the challenge.”

The 24-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, setting personal-best marks with 41 points and 35 assists through 67 games. He has had steady production so far this year, scoring two goals and recording three assists through six games.

He’s on the top defensive pairing with MacKenzie Weegar for a second consecutive year. The duo was stellar last season, with the Panthers scoring nine more goals than they let up in 5-on-5 situations when Ekblad and Weegar were on the ice together (33 goals for, 24 goals against).

“I think we left off right where we were,” Weegar said. “We’ve been playing solid. Ek’s consistent every year. Every game, he’s been playing well and he’s fun to play with. I just try to pick up off him.”

He’s finally cracked the top power-play unit, deployed as a winger alongside forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist as well as fellow defenseman Keith Yandle.

That top power-play unit has already scored seven goals in six games with all five players scoring at least one goal. Ekblad has been involved in three of the seven goals, scoring on a one-timer in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Red Wings and adding a pair of primary assists.

“It’s a little bit different playing on that flank on the power play,” Ekblad said, “but I love it. It’s it’s a fun place to be and you get to handle the puck especially if you get a power play early in the game, it helps to handle the puck and that situation kind of sets you up to be a little bit more patient with it throughout the rest of the game. I love it. I’m happy with the way things are going and just gonna try and build on it and continue building on my defensive game.”

And, for good measure, Ekblad is playing a vital role on the Panthers’ penalty kill unit, averaging 3:02 of ice time per game while the team is shorthanded. That’s the most among Florida defensemen and only trails forwards Noel Acciari (3:45) and Alex Wennberg (3:21).

“It’s a comfortability aspect,” Ekblad said. “Obviously the more experience you have in certain situations, things come a little bit more naturally and it’s muscle memory. ... I’m happy with the way things are going. Just going to try to continue to build on it.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Rookie forward Owen Tippett practiced with the taxi squad group on Tuesday during the Panthers’ first practice back in South Florida. Quenneville said he is fine. Brett Connolly took Tippett’s usual spot on the third line along with Frank Vatrano and Eetu Luostarinen during practice. 1182903 Florida Panthers and has composure. It’s unwise to project any goalie as a true star (you could project potential Norris upside with Rasmus Dahlin or Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes before they played in a way you can’t with the best young goalies as potential future Vezina bets) until they prove it, but Wheeler’s 2021 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 9 Florida Panthers Knight has all of the tools needed to become a bona fide No. 1.

3. Owen Tippett, RW/LW, 21 (Florida Panthers)

By Scott Wheeler Feb 2, 2021 Tippett’s going to drive people crazy and either never put it together or eventually figure it all out and be a really, really good NHL goal-scorer.

There’s a great deal of power to his shot, his skating, and his overall Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2021 rankings of every NHL organization’s strength on the puck, which are complemented by quick hands. He’s got prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the natural gifts needed to score and create chances inside the offensive the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The zone. But a reliance on a playmaker to get him the puck and wavering series, which includes my own evaluations and commentary from consistency have thus far held him back from realizing his potential as a coaches and staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. middle-six scorer and power play threat. 9. 4. Grigori Denisenko, RW/LW, 20 (Syracuse Crunch) The Panthers’ prospect pool looks a lot different today than it did when I Denisenko’s production and his talent level have never aligned, making ran the 2020 version of this series and ranked their 20 best prospects a him a difficult player to properly evaluate and contextualize. I’ve typically year ago. settled lower on him in the debate that follows than most, arguing the Seven of their nine picks in the 2020 draft have made the ranking here, appeal of Denisenko is more than the reality of him. It’s important to with another of the two who didn’t listed as an honorable mention. They remember his age, because he’s still extremely young even though it also acquired Eetu Luostarinen, who is now playing with the NHL club feels like he’s been on the scene forever. His hands can dazzle one-on- but remains a prospect for the purposes of this series one last time, as one, he’s quick on his edges, his playmaking can really flash, and he’s a part of the Vincent Trochek trade. Eight players on last year’s list either feisty, engaged player whose competitiveness is not an issue (though I weren’t good enough to rank here a year later due to all of those do think he can occasionally chase the play a little too much). But I think additions or were no longer eligible for inclusion under the criteria. how noticeable he is on the ice contradicts how effective he is, and I’m not sure his impressive all-around skill is complemented by his All told, the Panthers’ pool now ranks firmly in the league’s top 10, understanding of how to use it. If he can figure it out, he’ll make an slotting closer to the couple of teams that rank ahead of them on the entertaining, involved second-line player. I think there are good odds his countdown than to the couple of teams that rank behind them. processing of the game is just catching up and he’ll really ramp things up as he gets older and more comfortable at the pro level. But I do think The strength of the Panthers’ system is at forward and goalie, where they there’s a modest bust factor (at least relative to where he was picked in have a couple of near locks for the top of the lineup and impressive the draft). depth. Things are considerably thinner on defense, where their best prospects top out as No. 4-6 D at their ceilings. 5. Aleksi Heponiemi, C/RW, 22 (MODO Hockey/Florida Panthers)

2020 prospect pool rank: No. 11 (change: +2) Heponiemi is a unicorn. There isn’t a player in the sport who looks or plays like he does, with his wiry frame, and his constant stopping and 1. Anton Lundell, C, 19 (HIFK) starting to adjust his way around the offensive zone, and his soft touch. The number of under-20 players who’ve produced at a higher rate than Things didn’t go well for him as a rookie in the AHL last year but there Lundell’s current 1.14 points per game in the last 20 seasons in Liiga is were myriad of reasons for that (including a bouncing between his natural zero. Only Sebastian Aho and Mikael Granlund have played at a point center position and the wing, as well as his usage and linemates) and he per game level or higher to even challenge him. Teuvo Teravainen was has looked a lot more like himself this season, first with MODO where he 0.90 two seasons after he drafted. Lundell’s 16 goals in 22 games are was an instant primary creator in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. the best under-20 goal-scoring numbers in the modern history of the Heponiemi needs specific kinds of linemates and usage to be at his best, league. The list goes on. Lundell is having a spectacular age-adjusted but he can play through layers inside the offensive zone with his best is season in Liiga. Despite time missed for the world juniors (where he brilliant puck skills and passing ability. scored six goals in seven games), Lundell’s 16 goals lead all of Liiga, 6. Michael Benning, RHD, 19 (University of Denver) regardless of age. This from a player whose defensive game is as strong as his offensive game, from a player who never cheats for offense, wins Benning hit the ground running at Denver, immediately improving their his battles, and always stays above the puck. I said before the draft when power play and making a pronounced impact offensively at 5-on-5. He I ranked Lundell ninth on my board that I believed there were misnomers plays a flow game that looks effortless. Pucks quickly travel through him about his game and that he was closer to a top-five pick. His acceleration on breakouts and transitions, keeping pace of play high without looks a step quicker this season, which is big for him and has helped him interruptions or hiccups. And then inside the offensive zone, there’s a get to the slot with a lot more ease and attack in transition more calmness to his game that is rare among teenaged defensemen. He dangerously. Lundell will make quick decisions under pressure and play looks completely unbothered by pressure, shielding pucks, faking out with pace when he needs to, but I think that style of game can often opposing players, and side-stepping across the line to find and hit lanes overcast a player’s offensive instincts and talent and he’s a good as a passer and shooter. It’s a big deal that he has already proven he example of that, with equal skill when he wants to hang onto the puck can manage the college game, direct play, lead rushes, and quarterback and make plays happen himself. He plays in the middle of the ice. He the PP. I wouldn’t say his skill set is dynamic, but he’s a crafty handler takes smart routes with and without the puck. He drives possession. who can lead a rush, escape pressure, and facilitate through tough lanes. There’s nothing about Lundell’s game to really dislike. He’s not going to He’s also on the smaller side but he’s athletic and he’s got good four-way be the kind of player who puts up 80-90 points in a season during his mobility. It’s going to take him some time in college to learn how to prime, but Lundell should comfortably fit into the 60-75 range (depending defend consistently against bigger players at a high level, but Benning’s on linemates) while providing significant two-way value. got second-pairing upside and power play value at the next level at his ceiling, which is a slightly higher projection than the ones I have for the 2. Spencer Knight, G, 19 (Boston College) handful of other Panthers D prospects I like. Spencer Knight is in an echelon of prospects where diehard fans are 7. Ty Smilanic, C, 19 (Quinnipiac University) familiar with what makes him good in almost the same way they’re familiar with NHLers. Normally there’s a wider knowledge gap between Smilanic was bothered by injuries (and illness) throughout his draft year people like myself on prospects than on NHLers. But if you’re subscribed but he always looked like a player who would break out at the college to The Athletic, you probably don’t need me to tell you that Knight is legit. level as a freshman once he had a good summer of training and returned I was also wrong when I ranked Knight as a late first-rounder/early to full health. It’s nice to see him thriving with a team-high 11 goals in 18 second-rounder throughout his draft year, so this is one of those times games as I write this, which ties him for fourth in the NCAA and leads all when you get to say “I don’t take insight from you, Scott!” He checks all under-19 players. He’s got great north-south speed, he stays on top of of the boxes. He’s big, athletic, agile and explosive, positionally and pucks on the forecheck, he protects the puck both out wide and in tight to technically sound. He plays the puck well (world juniors opener aside!) his body beautifully, and he’s got a scorer’s touch around the net because of his timing and aggression. He’s an attack mentality player And here’s Team Canada head coach Andre Tourigny on the decision who goes at defenders head on and plays hard. (which proved to be a good one) to name Levi, who wasn’t invited to their summer selection camp, as the team’s starter after just a couple of Red- Watch No. 96 in yellow on the backcheck early in this sequence, the White scrimmages: “His competitiveness, his quickness, that’s what forecheck in the middle of it, and in transition at the tail end to catch, made the difference.” release and score in motion: 12. Eetu Luostarinen, C, 22 (KalPa/Florida Panthers) 8. Justin Sourdif, RW, 18 (Vancouver Giants) After a tough start to his time with the Panthers organization in his five Sourdif is one of a number of players the Panthers took later than where I AHL games in Springfield before the season was paused and later had them ranked on my 2020 board. He finished at No. 50 on my list and cancelled, Luostarinen bounced back in a big way in Kuopio with the club the Panthers drafted him 87th. I like a lot about his game. His fast-and- he came with, KalPa. He often looked like their best player, before loose approach. The galloping speed that complements it. His feistiness. returning to North America to join the Panthers in Sunrise (where he has And his overall skill level with the puck, which helps him dash into lanes. I also looked good). Luostarinen doesn’t have game-breaking talent but he was expecting his production to take a giant leap forward in the WHL has pro size and good playmaking skill to complement his 6-foot-3 frame. before the season was pushed back. A little more muscle and some time He involves himself on the forecheck, he wins battles on the cycle, and will do his development wonders. he’s got enough poise with the puck to come off the wall and make plays. Here’s Vancouver Giants general manager Barclay Parneta on Sourdif: “I I think he’ll have a good career as a two-way third-liner who makes his think had we had a playoff that Justin would’ve gone in the first round. linemates better with above-average skill, good touch, and a driven The way he was trending and his game was becoming more complete, approach. he was doing the little things that he needed to do and he was putting it 13. Max Gildon, LHD, 21 (Syracuse Crunch) all back together. He would’ve had a tremendous playoff because he’s extremely competitive and when more’s on the line, he thrives on that. I Gildon’s college progression followed a steady incline (without following a think he should’ve gone higher. He’s got an opportunity to prove teams steep one) as he learned to balance his offense and his defense without wrong. And we’re going to help him. It’s ‘why didn’t you go higher and sacrificing the former, which has always made him interesting (especially what can we help you with?’ I’ve talked to a lot of friends who work in the since he’s 6-foot-3). He filled out his long frame, and he continued to industry and they all think he could be one of those guys where it’s ‘wow, attack off the line, join the rush, and utilize his hard shot, while making he went in the third round?’” modest progress defending the rush and inside his own zone. I don’t think anyone would say he’s bad defensively, but it’s not the most 9. Serron Noel, RW, 20 (Syracuse Crunch) polished game, he’s probably about an average skater, and he can lose Noel has a fascinating collection of skills, with high-end speed and soft his mark in coverage. But he also played huge minutes, which is bound hands in tight to his body, both of which are extremely rare for a 6-foot-5 to result in some mistakes, and I think he’s a better all-around player than forward. He makes a lot of plays in his feet and he’s a threat to turn and people realize, with the physical tools and the talent needed to become a burn a defender out wide. These are tools that clearly translate up levels. good third-pairing option. I’m looking forward to seeing how he stacks up He’s also got a hard wrist shot. But he didn’t take the step forward last in the AHL. season that many expected he would and he can play too timidly with the 14. Vladislav Kolyachonok, LHD, 19 (Dinamo Minsk) puck, leaving evaluators and coaches wanting more. He’s a lot to handle on the wall and even more difficult to stop when he attacks aggressively In his first season at the pro level, Kolyachonok made the leap to the to the inside of the ice, but I just want to see him look to take over a little KHL, joining a young Minsk roster and playing significant minutes right more than he does. He’ll admit that confidence has typically played a big away (often 18-19 minutes a night). Those minutes have dipped recently role in his play. When he’s on, he looks like an NHLer. When he’s not, he (he has often played under 10 minutes of late) as the Minsk roster has doesn’t. If you’re the Panthers, you’re eager to get him into the system returned to full health and he has become more of a depth option, but and work to get more of the former than the latter. overall he has handled the giant leap well. Kolyachonok’s biggest attribute is his skating, which he uses to close gaps, pivot on dumped in 10. Logan Hutsko, RW, 21 (Boston College) pucks, and to attack off the line to use his heavy shot from the high slot. Hutsko is a threatening forward at the NCAA level, with quick hands, a Defensively, Kolyachonok plays an aggressive style, relying more on the lethal release, some sneaky playmaking skill off the flank, and great timing of his reads than on maintaining sound positioning. Offensively, he north-south perimeter speed. He makes the odd one-on-one play that looks to attack when the spacing is there and outlets the puck effectively wows you and he’s got a quick snapping motion to his wrister which he when it isn’t. can release in motion or from a standstill. But there are also little details 15. Riley Stillman, LHD, 22 (Florida Panthers/Syracuse Crunch) in his game that have developed over the years to round him out and help him impact the game in a more pronounced way despite relatively You’d think that a player who has played games in three different NHL stagnant production from his freshman year to his senior year. There’s no seasons would rank higher than a group of player who might never make defining star quality to his game but he might carve out a niche as an it, and you wouldn’t be crazy. So consider this a reminder that this series offensive middle-six winger who can play on the second power play. is about projection. I like Stillman. There’s an argument to be made for him to rank ahead of Kolyachonok and Gildon here, in particular. He’s got Watch the way No. 9 in white catches up with the rush, staying balanced a smooth stride, he has improved his power and gotten stronger, and he over his feet and recovering through each stride to join the rush and beat plays a simple but effective game with and without the puck. He can be the UConn defender to the front of the net to score: trusted to make smart choices, play within himself, play hard, and quietly And then watch the way he pushes down the wall to be disruptive on the go about his business. But he also turns 23 in a month, which will remove forecheck before sliding to the back post to score here: him from this project next year, he looks like he’s largely done his development, and I’m just not convinced he’s going to be more than a 11. Devon Levi, G, 19 (Northeastern University) No. 6 or No. 7 defenseman. The talent level just isn’t there offensively and he’s not a lockdown type defensively, which slots him as a bit of a Levi has exactly the skills smaller goalies need to be successful: AAAA guy. impressive control on his outside edges (and the patience to hold them), quick feet on his shuffles so that he can stick with dekes and go post-to- 16. Emil Heineman, LW, 19 (Leksands IF) post or low-to-high to get to tough pucks, perfect reads on shooters, and a battler’s mentality in the net which keeps him in plays even when he It has been a bit of a transitional year for Heineman, who showed last looks like he’s down and out on his knees. There aren’t a ton of 6-foot season that he was ready to graduate out of Sweden’s top junior league goalies in today’s NHL, at least not starting ones, but Levi, like diminutive but isn’t dynamic enough to have an immediate impact in the SHL. The Flames prospect Dustin Wolf, has all of the makings. Knowing that Knight good news is that in the interim while he tries to work his way into a is closer, the Panthers can also give Levi the time he needs to develop in scoring role at the pro level, he plays with enough hustle to succeed in a college for the full four years if they want (they could even move him depth role by winning races, disrupting opposing carriers on the slowly through the AHL ranks after that). forecheck, and intercepting passes. He’s got a pitchfork skating stride that he’ll need to correct (though he’s actually quite quick on his edges) Here’s Dallas Stars prospect Thomas Harley on Levi: “He’s really quick to elevate his game offensively at the pro level. There are some side-to-side. He’s hard to beat in the shootout, I can tell you that.” legitimate pro qualities to his game, though. He’s a great one-touch and two-touch shooter, he protects the puck well to attack the interior, and I often argued last year that his playmaking flew a under the radar standing still with the puck while his options evaporate way too much this because of all of the focus on his high goal totals (I’ve seen him execute season. He’s a much better player when he plays with a little more some really creative passes). confidence.

Watch the way he (No. 29 in white) leads this exit and entry simply by The Tiers keeping his feet moving, and then check out that sneaky east-west vision I hinted at: Each of my prospect pool rankings will be broken down into team-specific tiers to give you a better sense of the talent proximity from one player to And then here’s that one-touch shot (good pathing to find the back side): the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases quite pronounced). 17. John Ludvig, LHD, 20 (Syracuse Crunch) The Panthers’ prospect tiers break down plainly, with two A-level Ludvig was one of the better power play quarterbacks in junior hockey prospects at the top, two B-pluses, a big group of Bs in the middle, and last season, finishing second among all WHL defensemen in primary then some Cs and Ds to round things out, revealing good overall depth power play points (19). After being named captain, he took on a huge all- (especially at forward). situations role in Portland, finishing tied for second among all WHL defensemen in total points (62 in 60 games) while leading the contending The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 Winterhawks in plus-minus (plus-46!) and outscoring the opposition 83- 42 (66.4 GF%) at even strength. By today’s standards, it was about as good a season as you can have at the junior level. But age and the quality of his teammates played a major role. Ludvig’s play in the AHL in the next couple of years will ultimately determine his trajectory. He’s a powerful, athletic defender who plays a physical, lean-on-you game that helps him win battles and rub players out in transition. He also possesses a hard shot and consistently makes the right choices in puck management. If he can learn to move a little more quickly and a little more smoothly, he’ll become another contender for a third-pairing role in time.

18. Cole Schwindt, RW, 19 (Syracuse Crunch)

Schwindt has always had the making of a good role player. He’s a right- shot winger with pro size and a working approach who plays on the inside, goes to the net, and handles the puck well. Last year, his skill began to pop a little more too, more consistently using his good hands one to attack for himself while continuing to showcase his above-average passing instincts. He was more noticeable when he had the puck on his stick. A sluggish skating stride (he used to really drag his toes across the ice on his recovery but he has made some progress there) also began to improve, upgrading his modest NHL aspirations.

19. Owen Lindmark, C, 19 (University of Wisconsin)

Lindmark has always played the third- or fourth-line forward role extremely effectively. The problem with playing that role on every team, though, is that with each new rung it gets harder for a depth player at one level to become a depth player at the next. These days, depth NHLers were star AHLers, or star junior players, or star college players. Lindmark influences the game enough to warrant continued inclusion here, though. He produces in those minutes offensively, he’s a reliable above-puck defensive player, he forechecks effectively for his linemates, he gets to loose pucks, and he’s got B-level skill in every area. He’s a long shot to make it but I could see him turning pro after four years in college and slowly working his way into the call-up conversation in his mid-to-late 20s because of his versatility. You won’t find a linemate who doesn’t like playing with him.

20. Kasper Puutio, RHD, 18 (Kärpät)

It’s nearly impossible to map out what Puutio might become because he has travelled such a weird trajectory to this point. He progressed quickly up the ranks in Finland, playing a prominent role for his age group internationally and playing in Finland’s top junior league as a 16-year-old. Then he made the jump to the WHL in his draft year and was dealt as an import rookie midway through the season, with all that comes with on the culture shock side of the equation (which can often be ignored). Then he was drafted in the fifth round by the Panthers, signed to return home to play professionally at Finland’s top level as a young 18-year-old (he’s got a June birthday), and made the Finnish world juniors team. And yet I can’t help but think he’d probably be in a better spot on the hockey side of the equation had he just stayed in Finland and progressed naturally with Kärpät, even if the CHL served as a better showcase in theory. He hasn’t looked out of place in Liiga but some continuity probably would have been good for him and probably would have revealed that some more fine-tuning against his peers is still needed. Stylistically, Puutio hasn’t looked to try to make anything happen in Liiga or at the world juniors, playing a simplified version of his game that constantly looks, to a fault, to make the available play. There are things to like about his game. I like his skating, which is smooth and will add power as he continues to fill out. I like how patient he is defensively, not trying to play beyond his limits like many young players do. But I worry his game offensively could stagnate because he has advanced too quickly. He has got caught 1182904 Los Angeles Kings

Arthur Kaliyev’s goal in debut wasted in Kings’ loss to Ducks

By JACK HARRISSTAFF WRITER

It won’t be the prettiest goal Arthur Kaliyev ever scores, but it’ll definitely be among the most memorable.

Danton Heinen, David Backes and Nicolas Deslauriers (empty net) scored for the Ducks.

Since then, Kaliyev has been trying to set the record straight, complementing his tantalizing offensive talents with a more dependable full-ice skill set.

Kings right wing Arthur Kaliyev celebrates with center Michael Amadio.

“They were better than us in every aspect of the game,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

“I’ve liked him on the forecheck,” Wroblewski said. “He’s become increasingly more responsible defensively.”

McLellan echoed that message Tuesday afternoon, highlighting Kaliyev’s development as a distributor as well.

Kings could have a lot of new faces against the Ducks

“I was thinking about it a bit,” he said, chuckling. “But once I fell asleep it was all fine.”

LA Times: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182905 Los Angeles Kings Henrique was back in the Ducks’ lineup after he was scratched from Sunday’s game, a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Eakins sent a message and the message was received loud and clear, judging by Henrique’s strong play while skating alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Troy Terry. Ducks take the game to Kings in comprehensive victory over rivals Each of the Ducks’ four lines contributed, but none more than the Deslauriers, Backes and Carter Rowney line. Deslauriers’ goal, with 46 seconds remaining and Petersen on the bench in favor of a sixth By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 9:42 p.m. | attacker, was unassisted. Rowney set up Backes’ goal with a deft pass UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 11:54 p.m. from below the goal line.

It was Backes’ first goal since Dec. 1, 2019, while with the Boston Bruins. Nicolas Deslauriers of the Ducks and Kurtis MacDermid of the Kings got “I don’t know how many games it had been,” Backes said. “It might have the first of this season’s eight grudge matches between the rivals off to a been 12 games (actually, it was 15) since I scored. I got back to the rollicking start on Tuesday night at Staples Center, dropping the gloves to bench and you forget how good it feels to score. I want to just keep doing fight only three seconds after the opening faceoff. it. I had a lot of shots, a lot of opportunities. It’s a tough way to earn a living, and MacDermid paid the price for his “My linemates were working their butts off.” decision over Deslauriers, displaying bloodied knuckles while seated in the penalty box. Deslauriers cooled himself down by splashing water Deslauriers seals the win with an ANAHEIM over his head while seated next door. GOOOOOOAAAAAAAL #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks I #FreewayFaceoff pic.twitter.com/KWaRuCczoW It was not that kind of a game, though. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 Deslauriers did more skating, passing and shooting, but not that much more scoring than fighting as the Ducks took a 3-1 victory from the Kings. Deslauriers with the Gordie Howe hat trick tonight There was some intense, physical play, of course, but nothing that could compare to the rough stuff of seasons past. #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks I #FreewayFaceoff I @AlysonLozoff pic.twitter.com/PX3Q07sRqJ These are not those kinds of teams anymore. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 Deslauriers, a fourth-line winger who led the NHL with 14 fighting majors last season, mastered the more refined parts of the game Tuesday as "I thought we were on point on everything we wanted to accomplish. I the Ducks ended a three-game losing streak with a comprehensive would still like us to score more goals. The chances are victory that was their best overall showing in 11 games this season. there."#FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/TjjEZOZyZo

In addition to his first-period fight, he also assisted on linemate David — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 Backes’ goal in the second that gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead and then Todd McLellan keeps it real after tonight's loss #FreewayFaceoff | scored into an empty net in the third to account for the final score for a @LAKings pic.twitter.com/788GMCMlZT well-earned Gordie Howe hat trick. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 Danton Heinen also scored for the Ducks, who outshot the Kings by 43- 21, including 15-4 in the opening period. John Gibson made 20 saves, Cal Petersen address the media after a stellar performance @LAKings with the Ducks easing his burden by taking the game to the Kings and | #FreewayFaceoff pic.twitter.com/EDY0nrfOkr putting them on their heels from start to finish. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 “I thought we were on point with everything we wanted to accomplish,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “I would still like us to score more goals. He's still got it in him! Two for David Backes tonight! The chances are there. We’ve just got to put them in the net. We still had #FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/gjb8Y6adVl a few times where I thought we passed up shots. — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021

“It’s a good feeling to have an effort like that.” Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.03.2021 Arthur Kaliyev, a crafty 19-year-old right wing, scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, a tap-in after Gibson had to scramble to deny Michael Amidio’s initial attempt from the right wing, pulling the Kings within 2-1 at 5:32 of the second period.

After all, the Ducks led in shots 33-11 to start the final period.

Kings goalie Cal Petersen was under pressure from the start and made several big saves to keep the Kings within striking distance until the end. He also got help from the right goalpost when Adam Henrique hammered a shot off the iron while the Ducks were on their third-period power play. 1182906 Los Angeles Kings That opened the door for Alt, who spent last season in the Colorado Avalanche system. He played a total of 18 NHL games between 2014-15 and last season, split between the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado.

Kings’ Arthur Kaliyev scores in his NHL debut against Ducks While his role remains somewhat undefined at the top level, the 6-foot-4 Alt throws his 200 pounds around effectively. He showed leadership and some scoring prowess at the University of Minnesota and later with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Alt was also an outstanding high school By ANDREW KNOLL |PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 8:51 p.m. | quarterback who could have played college football. His father Jon was UPDATED: February 2, 2021 at 11:48 p.m. an offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.

POWER-PLAY SURGE With each loss over the past three seasons, the chorus of Kings fans The Kings had eight power-play goals in eight games going into Tuesday grew louder: Why aren’t they playing the kids? night, after scoring just 33 in 70 games last year, which made theirs one The answer, at least in one case, was “tonight.” of the least effective units in the league.

Winger Arthur Kaliyev, whom the Kings selected in the second round of Their power play has demonstrated more movement as well as a broader the 2019 draft (No. 33 overall), made his NHL debut on Tuesday in the array of formations and plays. McLellan had some outstanding power- Kings’ 3-1 loss to the Ducks at Staples Center. play units in Detroit as an assistant as well as San Jose and Edmonton as a head coach. But he also had the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Joe He wasted no time making an impact, scoring his first goal with 5:32 left Thornton and Connor McDavid, and he changed the Kings’ system in the second period when he trailed the rush, crashed the net and drastically from its previous four coaches. scored on a rebound. He tapped the puck in after Ducks goaltender John Gibson had to scramble to deny Michael Amidio’s initial attempt from the “Last year really helped lay our foundation. Now we’re just adding more right wing, pulling the Kings within 2-1. elements to it that give us more options given our personnel,” winger Dustin Brown said. “It was a really special moment, getting the first one,” Kaliyev said. “You never forget those moments, getting your first goal. When I saw Amadio Part of their success on the power play has been drawing more shoot off the pad (of Gibson), I thought I was going to see a rebound penalties, and minor penalties have been up league-wide this season, there. Luckily, I got the rebound and I was able to bury it.” which began without any exhibition games. The Kings averaged 2.76 power-play opportunities per game last season, but have earned 4.5 Kings coach Todd McLellan was pleased with the rookie’s performance. chances a night so far in 2021.

“There’s nothing that I didn’t like,” McLellan said. “He’s a young player Staff writer Elliott Teaford contributed to this story. who was excited to play. The guys were excited for him. That gave us a little bit of life and a little bit of energy.” Arthur Kaliyev (19 years, 221 days) is the second @LAKings teenager to score a goal in his NHL debut, joining teammate Anze Kopitar (19 years, Kaliyev, 19, helped his junior club to an Ontario Hockey League 43 days) on Oct. 6, 2006. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/URY5LU4zba championship in 2018. In 2019 he finished the season with 51 goals, becoming the fifth player under 18 to score 50 or more goals in the OHL — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 3, 2021 since 2000 (two of the other four were No. 1 overall picks in Steven "You never forget one of those moments, getting your first goal." Stamkos and John Tavares). He was a significant contributor to the U.S. team’s gold medal run at this year’s World Junior Championships, BIG night for @Arthur_Kaliyev @LAKings | #FreewayFaceoff notching eight points in seven tournament games. pic.twitter.com/v8m1pPFwZj

“He is probably always going to be known for his shot, but he does have — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 3, 2021 good vision, nice hands and gets the puck off quick,” McLellan said. Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.03.2021 Kaliyev captivated scouts with his hair-trigger release, his shot placement and how they combined to create a lethal one-timer from anywhere near the slot. But his play without the puck has been a work in progress – McLellan said recently that it was coming along – and his skating likely also diminished his stock in his draft year.

“His play with the puck, his creativity, his offensive ability, will be an asset that he’ll always have. We’ll need to take advantage of it as the years go on,” McLellan said. “His play away from the puck … is something that we’ll continually work on; it will improve over time and he’ll become a complete player.”

Kaliyev immigrated from Uzbekistan to the United States at age 2, was raised on Staten Island and has competed internationally for Team USA. He also recently got his first taste of pro hockey playing preseason games for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League.

“A lot of nerves at the start of the game, but I thought I tried to play my best out there,” he said.

Kaliyev is the 20th player to score a goal in his Kings debut.

CONTROL, ALT, DELETE?

Defenseman Mark Alt has not dressed for the Kings since their season- opening overtime loss to Minnesota, but drew back into the lineup on Tuesday. So did defenseman Olli Maatta, who started the season on the top pairing but soon found himself scratched for four consecutive games.

In their previous game, the Kings lost two right-handed defensemen in Sean Walker, who took a slap shot to the face in a grisly incident, and Matt Roy, who went head-first into the dasher boards and required help from the ice. Both players appear to be week-to-week. 1182907 Los Angeles Kings him and he’ll learn his way through the league. It’s no different than Gabe, it’s a hard league, it’s not going to come easy, that’s part of cutting your teeth.

FINAL – KINGS 1, DUCKS 3 – PETERSEN, KALIYEV, MCLELLAN On younger players stepping into larger roles, and overcoming guys missing from the lineup

Some of these young kids – I consider Gabe and Arty young kids – but BY ZACH DOOLEY Clague, Grundstrom, those types of players, they’ve been in the organization for a little while. They may be young when it comes to their

NHL career, but they’re not for pro experience. They’ve got to find a way The LA Kings were unable to build off of some positive signs from their to contribute, and the leadership has to be better. We have to be better recent road trip, as they fell by a 3-1 final against the Anaheim Ducks on prepared, and ready to play, and that falls on the coaching leadership, I Tuesday evening at STAPLES Center. fall into that pot too. We can’t use injuries or COVID [Protocol] as an excuse, the whole league is going through it. Get over it, shut up and The Kings were outshot by a 43-21 margin, with shot attempts at 70-32, play. as the Ducks generated extended stretches in the offensive end that the Kings couldn’t match on a consistent basis. The Kings few true quality On Cal Petersen’s play tonight opportunities and were unable to really generate the offensive chances to He was our best player, and we’re lucky we had him in there tonight fight back after going down by two goals. On execution in the passing game tonight The Kings did have a pair of pretty large bright spots, however, including Arthur Kaliyev’s first career NHL goal, in his first career NHL game, as They threw a heavy forecheck at us, and we didn’t handle that additional well as a 40-save performance from Cal Petersen in net. Petersen’s eyes up play. We get the puck, we get our eyes up, we’ve got to make standout effort kept the Kings within striking distance throughout the that first pass and then connect from there on the way out. We couldn’t game, though they could not pull a goal closer than Kaliyev’s second- make the first one, so don’t worry about the second or third, they didn’t period tally. exist. Even when we had open ice, I thought we telegraphed a lot, I thought they could read off of our vision, get sticks in the way. We also, Anaheim got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick from forward Nicolas Deslauriers, them being a rival, we have to give them credit. They played a hell of a who capped off the game with the empty-net goal, after starting it with a game, they were in good positions, they played hard, they did what they heavyweight bout against Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid. David needed to do to win. They got in the way and we didn’t have an answer Backes and Danton Heinen also scored for Anaheim, while John Gibson for it. A lot to work on. earned the victory with 20 saves in net. Notes – The Kings fall to 3-4-2 on the season, with a trip to face the 5-1-1 Vegas Golden Knights on the horizon. – Forward Arthur Kaliyev made his NHL debut this evening and became the 21st LA Kings player all-time to score in his debut with the team. Hear from Petersen, Kaliyev and Todd McLellan after tonight’s game. Kaliyev joined Gabe Vilardi, Carl Grundstrom and Anze Kopitar as Cal Petersen current teammates who achieved the same feat.

Arthur Kaliyev – The 19-year-old skated 14:42 in his NHL debut, including 54 seconds on the power play, and became the 20th youngest player to debut for the On his feelings after his debut and first NHL goal Kings (19y, 221d), the 23rd teenager in franchise history.

It was a really special moment, getting the first one. You never forget – Goaltender Cal Petersen made 40+ saves for the third time in his NHL those moments, getting your first goal. I thought it was a pretty good career. Petersen’s 40 stops tied Jonathan Quick (1/16) for the most in a game, a lot of nerves at the start of the game, but I tried to play my best game this season and were just three saves shy of his previous career- out there and picked up a rebound goal. high of 43 (12/11/18 @ BUF).

On when he started to shake the nerves and settle in – Drew Doughty collected an assist tonight, giving him points in back-to- back games (1-2-3). Doughty now has six points over his last six I was just trying to get used to the game pace, and get involved in the contests (3-3-6). game more, try to get more up to speed. I think every shift we got better as the game went on. – With the primary assist on Kaliyev’s goal, forward Michael Amadio now has points in back-to-back games (0-2-2) On what he saw on the play leading up to his goal – Tonight was just the 12th time in the last 32 games between the Kings Drew was skating down the wall, and I saw that I was the third man high. and the Ducks that was decided by more than one goal. I saw [Amadio] get it off the pad and I thought I was going to see a rebound there. Next thing I knew, I got lucky enough that the rebound – For the eighth time in nine games, the Kings allowed the game’s first popped right to me and I was able to bury it. goal.

On what caught him most by surprise about an NHL game LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.03.2021 Just more game speed, more physicality, more skill guys out there, of course. I think pretty much that’s what I’ve noticed so far.

Todd McLellan

On what was missing tonight from the Kings

Well, 20 players. They were better than us in every aspect of the game. To get whatever we did, 20 shots on goal, was actually fortunate for us. We didn’t have the puck much off of faceoffs, we didn’t execute when we won, we didn’t handle a heavy forecheck, we didn’t create a forecheck on our own, we didn’t sustain any offensive zone time at all. So that pretty much sums up how you end up on the shortend of a shot total.

On Arthur Kaliyev’s game tonight

He’s a young player, he was excited to play and the guys were excited for him and that gave us a little bit of life and a little bit of energy. When a 19-year-old can come in and do that, he’s obviously dangerous when he’s got the puck in and around the net, he had some other chances, more than a lot of our other forwards that played tonight. A good start for 1182908 Los Angeles Kings

GAME THREAD – KINGS VS. DUCKS, 2/2

BY ZACH DOOLEY

Los Angeles Kings 1, Anaheim Ducks 3

FINAL

Game Previews: LA Kings Insider – NHL.com – Anaheim Ducks

Fox Sports Live Stream

SOG: LAK – 21 ANA – 43

PP: LAK – 0/1 ANA – 0/1

First Period

1. ANA – Danton Heinen (3) – (Jacob Silfverberg, Sam Steel) – 10:07

Second Period

2. ANA – David Backes (1) – (Carter Rowney, Nicolas Deslauriers) – 0:17

3. LAK – Arthur Kaliyev (1) – (Michael Amadio, Drew Doughty) – 5:32

Third Period

4. ANA – Nicolas Dedslauriers (3) – (Unassisted) – 19:14

Los Angeles Kings (3-3-2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (3-5-2)

Tuesday, February 2, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. PT

STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA

Referees: #14 Trevor Hanson, #36 Dean Morton

Linesmen: #73 Vaughan Rody, #58 Ryan Gibbons

Fox Sports West, FOX Sports GO, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK Starters: G Cal Petersen, D Kurtis MacDermid, Kale Clague, F Carl Grundstrom, Gabriel Vilardi, Dustin Brown

LAK Scratches: Martin Frk, Matt Roy, Austin Strand

ANA Starters: G John Gibson, D Cam Fowler, Jani Hakanpaa, F Nicolas Deslauriers, David Backes, Carter Rowney

ANA Scratches: Derek Grant, Max Jones

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182909 Los Angeles Kings All we’ll have are the memories of his stall and the thought of what could have been in adding him to the mix for a potential Reign playoff push.

Turcotte is reunited with Head Coach John Wroblewski, who he worked KINGS MAKE SEVERAL ROSTER MOVES, WITH FOUR ADDED TO with extensively while with the United States National Team ACTIVE ROSTER Development Program. Wroblewski, from an interview with The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman, talked about Turcotte’s development from the time he joined the USNTDP as a 16-year-old, to where he’s at now.

BY ZACH DOOLEY “It’s a tough one because he’s still very much the same young man, hardworking and respectful,” Wroblewski said. “His confidence is

cemented is how I’d like to put it. He’s always had belief in his game and As expected, the LA Kings announced several roster moves in advance belief in himself. Teenage years are hard on everybody. He’s looking of tonight’s game against Anaheim. around the room and trying to figure out where he fits in amongst Jack Hughes and Trevor Zegras. He has a strong belief in who he is as a Defensemen Mark Alt and Austin Strand, as well as forwards Lias person and who he is as a hockey player. From the time we got him, he Andersson and Arthur Kaliyev, have all been activated from the taxi was a selfless player. He was a leader. And he was a fiery player. That’s squad and are eligible to play tonight against the Ducks. Forward Boko still who he is as a player.” Imama and defenseman Sean Durzi have also been recalled from Ontario and added to the taxi squad. From the Reign’s official release –

Additionally, the Kings have activated forward Martin Frk from injured ONTARIO, CA – The LA Kings, NHL affiliate of the Ontario Reign, have reserve, adding him to the active roster, and placed defenseman Sean activated forward Alex Turcotte from the injured/non-roster list and Walker on injured reserve, retroactive to January 16, as well as placing assigned him to Ontario. forward Blake Lizotte and Andreas Athanasiou on the injured/non-roster Turcotte, the fifth-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, signed with the list. The Kings also activated Alex Turcotte off of the injured/non-roster Kings in March 2020, after he completed his freshman season at the list and assigned him to Ontario (AHL) University of Wisconsin (NCAA). The 19-year-old forward posted 26 Alt has appeared in one game so far this season with the Kings, opening points (9-17=26) in 29 games with the Badgers to rank third on the team night against Minnesota, and has moved between the active roster, taxi in points (26) while also tying for third in both goals (9) and assists (17). squad and Ontario Reign roster since then. Strand has yet to appear in His .897 points-per-game also ranked second on the Badgers and sixth an NHL game, but has spent time on the taxi squad so far this season. among college freshmen nationwide. This would be his first recall to the NHL active roster so far in his Prior to joining Wisconsin, the native of Island Lake, Illinois played two professional career. seasons with the United States National Team Development Program In terms of Andersson, he’s approaching the league lead in roster moves. (USNTDP). The 5-11, 190-pound forward appeared in 95 games with The 22-year-old forward has skated in each of the last six games for the USNTDP where he registered 125 points (45-80=125) between the Kings, but has been shuffled between the active roster and taxi squad in Under-17 and Under-18 teams. In 2018-19, his 1.68 points-per-game between those games. ranked second among all skaters while his 80 career assists is tied for 10th in program history. Kaliyev began the season in the AHL with the Reign, and skated in the team’s full complement of preseason games. The 19-year-old winger has Internationally, Turcotte has represented Team USA on four separate three goals from five AHL exhibition games so far this season. Kaliyev occasions, playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2020 and would be in line for his NHL debut tonight, assuming he plays against the 2021, as well as the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship in 2018 Ducks. More on Kaliyev, in advance of said debut, here. and 2019. After he tallied two points in his first World Juniors in 2020, Turcotte won a gold-medal, as an alternate captain with Team USA in To summarize – 2021. The 19-year-old forward was also tied for second on the team with eight points (2-5-8) from seven games played. Taxi Squad to Active Roster: Alt, Andersson, Kaliyev, Strand LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.03.2021 Reign to Taxi Squad: Durzi, Imama

Activated from IR, to Kings: Frk

To Injured Reserve: Walker

Activated from Injured/Non-Roster, to Reign: Turcotte

To Injured/Non-Roster: Athanasiou, Lizotte

Regarding Turcotte, when was the last time you saw the LA Kings most recent four first-round draft picks on the same Ontario Reign roster?

If your answer was never you’d be correct!

With today’s collection of roster moves, Turcotte joins 2020 first-round selection Quinton Byfield, fellow 2019 first-round selection Tobias Bjornfot and 2018 first-round selection Rasmus Kupari on an Ontario roster loaded with high-level prospects.

Turcotte has yet to skate with the organization at either level so far this season, after he was designated as injured/non-roster during training camp. The Wisconsin native suffered a lower-body injury during the gold- medal game at the 2021 World Junior Championship against Canada, a game in which he also scored the game-winning goal. Turcotte, along with fellow Kings prospects Arthur Kaliyev and Brock Faber, won gold medals, as Turcotte and Kaliyev tied for second on the team in total scoring.

The activation is a big step for Turcotte, whose first practice with the Ontario Reign is nearly 11 months in the making. On March 11, 2020, Turcotte signed his entry-level contract with the Kings, after his freshman season at Wisconsin, and was slated to join Ontario the following day on an ATO. Although he arrived at the facility for his medicals and other behind the scenes work, Turcotte never actually suited up for the Reign. 1182910 Los Angeles Kings “I think I’m just going to try and play hard in all three zones,” Kaliyev said. “Defensively, offensively, and in the neutral zone, just try and play my best out there.”

2/2 PREVIEW – PETERSEN OFF FIRST, LINES, ARTY PARTY, The 2019 second-round selection by the Kings is a well-touted offensive CENTERS, REVERSE RETROS player, with an NHL-caliber shot. The highly-anticipated debut for the 19- year-old forward should come tonight with an Arty Party in Downtown Los Angeles.

BY ZACH DOOLEY DUCKS VITALS: Just one goaltender has played in more games so far this season than Anaheim’s John Gibson, who would appear in his tenth

game of the season tonight at STAPLES Center if he gets the start. So WHO: Los Angeles Kings (3-3-2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (3-5-2) far this season, Gibson is just 3-4-2, but his .921 save percentage ranks amongst the NHL’s best, and he is one just five goaltenders with two WHAT: NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME shutouts to his name. All-time, Gibson is 10-5-0 against the Kings, with a .934 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average. WHEN: Tuesday, February 2 @ 7:00 PM Pacific Here’s how the Ducks lined up last time out, against St. Louis at home on WHERE: STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA Sunday.

HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: Fox Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio Jones – Getzlaf – Terry – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK Heinen – Steel – Silfverberg TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The LA Kings are back in action tonight at STAPLES Center, following four consecutive games on the road. The Comtois – Agozzino – Rakell Kings are 1-1-2 on home ice so far this season, and now host Anaheim in Deslauriers – Backes – Rowney the first Freeway Faceoff of the 2020-21 campaign. Lindholm – Shattenkirk HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a 1-2-0 record against Anaheim last season, with the lone game played at STAPLES Center resulting in a 3-1 Fowler – Hakanpaa Ducks victory. No Kings player currently on the active roster had multiple points versus Anaheim last season, but of those expected to play tonight, Hutton – Larsson Jeff Carter and Kurtis MacDermid each scored a goal. In their respective Gibson / Miller NHL careers, Dustin Brown (27) and Anze Kopitar (24) have more goals against the Ducks than any other opponent. For Anaheim, forward Derek In the Ducks, it’s a rivalry game. As the saying goes, you throw out the Grant led his team with four goals against the Kings a season ago, while records in a rivalry game, even though the records here a combined 18 forward Jacob Silfverberg (1-2-3) and Hampus Lindholm (0-3-3) each games into the season aren’t all that different. 20 of the last 31 Kings – had three points. Ducks games have been decided by one goal, indicative of a tight- checking rivalry. KINGS VITALS: The Kings were back on the ice for morning skate today in El Segundo. While optional, all Kings players skated today with the “It’s a rivalry game,” McLellan said. “They’re always heavy games, exception of Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter. they’re hard games played in all areas of the rink, I don’t think that’s going to be any different. Some of our opponents, I thought Minnesota Here is how the team is expected to line up for tonight’s game – played that way, St. Louis had that in their game, so we’ve had a good Iafallo – Kopitar – Kempe lead into that type of game here. For us, we’ll be looking at a number of different players, at different positions, which will be a good measuring Wagner – Amadio – Carter tool, but I expect us to be ready for a tough night, it always is against that team.” Grundstrom – Vilardi – Brown Many players will be skating in their first-ever Freeway Faceoff tonight, Moore – Andersson – Kaliyev including forward Lias Andersson. He’s been in the NHL before, and he’s Anderson – Doughty played in rivalry games with the New York Rangers. He’s played in international tournaments with Team Sweden, so he knows all about MacDermid – Clague rivalries on that stage as well. Tonight’s he’s excited to add the Los Maatta – Alt Angeles – Anaheim showdown to that list.

Petersen / Quick “I’m really excited for this game,” Andersson said. “Guys have been talking about it in the locker room, so we’re fired up. I’m excited to get out Per this morning’s skate, expect to see goaltender Cal Petersen in net there tonight and hopefully get a win.” tonight for the Kings. Petersen has yet to face Anaheim so far in his professional career. The Waterloo, IA native is coming off of his best Center of Attention performance of the season, in which he stopped 32 of the 33 shots he With Blake Lizotte out of the lineup, on the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol faced in a 2-1 victory over Minnesota, earning the game’s first star for his List, the Kings were faced with adding a new center to the lineup for the efforts. first time this season.

In terms of the skaters, forward Arthur Kaliyev is expected to check into The team had several options in available and ultimately decided to the lineup this evening against the Ducks for his NHL debut. Kaliyev has move Lias Andersson from the wing back to center, while bumping Carl scored three goals from five preseason games in the AHL with Ontario Grundstrom up in the lineup at the same time to fill Andersson’s spot and is likely to slot in alongside Lias Andersson and Trevor Moore on a alongside Gabe Vilardi and Dustin Brown. line tonight at STAPLES Center. With regards to Grundstrom, the move was made simply to get a player “Really excited, really pumped to play that game, my first game,” Kaliyev who is playing well more ice time, as McLellan said this morning. said this morning. “It’s going to be a bit nerve-wracking, but I’ll just take it Grundstrom scored in both St. Louis and Minnesota and has been one shift at a time and try my best out there.” effective since he entered the lineup in the third game of the season. For Andersson, his versatility will be on display once again, as a player who Kaliyev said that he was thinking about his debut a bit last night – who can play wherever he is asked, whenever he is called upon. wouldn’t be – but he thought that he got a pretty good night of sleep in advance of such a monumental moment. Looking at tonight’s game, “We also needed a center on that fourth line, and that’s where Lias can Kaliyev is focused on playing a good, solid game in all three zones, and fill in,” McLellan said. “He has the ability to play both positions, and we is just focused on putting his best foot forward. feel better about that as well.”

For his part, Andersson has said that he’s comfortable playing in both positions, and has played effectively in both positions so far this season. “I’m usually a center, so I’m comfortable playing there, but I liked playing on the wing too,” Andersson said this morning. “I hadn’t played too much on the wing, but I liked it a lot and I feel comfortable in both positions. Now, with Lizzo not playing tonight, I’m trying to fill a center spot and just do as well as I can.”

Two additional options that the Kings had at their disposal were inserting forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan into the lineup at center, where he spent last season with the Ontario Reign, or sliding Jeff Carter into the middle from the right wing.

McLellan spoke yesterday about Anderson-Dolan getting games this season, with both the Kings and Reign, but that day will likely not come tonight. He added today that while there were internal conversations about possibly moving Carter back to center, McLellan has liked the veteran forward’s game on the wing and wants to see him continue to play there for the time being.

“We could do that, and we have talked about it, but the great thing about him is that he’s a utility player, he can play either of the two wing positions and also center,” McLellan said of Carter. “He can take faceoffs, and has taken faceoffs with that line before, and if we have to we can flip things around. We’ve appreciated his game on the wing so far, I think he feels comfortable there and he’s been effective there.”

Reverse Retros Debut

Tonight marks the first game of the season for the Kings in their Reverse Retro jerseys. The Kings have practiced in their Forum Blue and Gold equipment in the last two days of practice, and that gear will be in action, alongside the matching jerseys, tonight at STAPLES Center.

The Kings will wear their Reverse Retro jerseys four times this season, including tonight against Anaheim. The team will also wear the jerseys twice more at home – March 17 vs. St. Louis and April 14 vs. Vegas – as well as once on the road, on February 27 at Minnesota, with the Wild also wearing their own Reverse Retro sweaters on that night.

Still To Come….

Three of the players listed above – Mark Alt, Andersson and Kaliyev – currently reside on the team’s taxi squad, rather than the active roster. Therefore, expect to see at least a few roster moves from the Kings in advance of tonight’s game.

More on those moves, when they happen, to come here on LAKI, along with the Game Thread, before the Freeway Faceoff!

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182911 Los Angeles Kings

ANZE KOPITAR, DR. MAURICE O’GORMAN NAMED JANUARY WEST DIVISION “STARS OF THE MONTH”

BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGS

LA Kings forward Anze Kopitar and Children’s Hopsital Los Angeles doctor Maurice O’Gorman have been selected as the NHL’s West Division “Stars of the Month” for the month of January.

Kopitar led all NHL skaters in assists-per-game (1.38) during the month of January, while he also led West Division players (with at least eight games played) in points-per-game (1.50), and ranked second across the division in both assists (11) and points (12). Kopitar also leads all players in the West Division in power-play points (7) and time on ice per game amongst forwards (23:01).

While these awards are primarily offensive, Kopitar was been a part of two forward lines (Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown, Iafallo – Kopitar – Kempe) throughout January and those two lines were on the ice for exactly one 5- on-5 goal against. Kopitar himself has been on the ice for just two 5-on-5 goals against this season in total. The two-time Selke Trophy winner has merited consideration for a third in the season’s first month and has brought his best at both ends of the ice for the Kings.

“Kopi is so consistent in the things that he does,” Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan said, earlier this season. “He commits to both ends of the rink, and that allows him to be good at both. I think there’s some great offensive players that cheat to get their offense and as a result, it hurts the team. That’s never the way that Kopi has played and I don’t think he’ll ever finish his career cheating. He sets the tone and when you play the right way, you often get rewarded, or your linemates do. In his case, he and his linemates are.”

Dr. O’Gorman, who has been in the medical field for more than 30 years, has been with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for the past nine years. Dr. O’Gorman is Chief of Laboratory Medicine, as well as Director of the Clinical Lab and the Diagnostic Immunology and Flow Cytometry Laboratory at CHLA. He oversees the development and operations of the over 2 million laboratory tests performed annually at CHLA, and leads the hospital’s laboratory and pathology teams, which have been very involved in our COVID testing and research effort.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals around the country have experienced a shortage of blood donations. Dr. O’Gorman’s team works with the organizations like the Kings Cares Foundation to encourage community members to safely continue to donate blood and platelets to help CHLA patients.

Dr. O’Gorman’s research interests include the discovery of biomarkers related to the immunopathogenesis of immune system-related disorders and the development of diagnostic laboratory tests for the latter. He has held numerous leadership positions in his field including president of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists and is currently the Chair of the Duke Vaccine Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 02.03.2021

1182912 Minnesota Wild

Jared Spurgeon latest to get injured in Wild's narrow loss to Avalanche

By Sarah McLellan FEBRUARY 3, 2021 — 12:19AM

DENVER – The outcome on the scoreboard wasn't the only loss absorbed by the Wild.

Captain Jared Spurgeon suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday, missing the entire third period, and the Wild ran out of gas to sputter 2-1 to the Avalanche at Ball Arena.

"It's definitely tough going down to five 'D' in the altitude," defenseman Carson Soucy said.

Spurgeon is the latest Wild player to get hurt, with defenseman Matt Dumba (lower body) and winger Marcus Johansson (upper body) already out. Winger Marcus Foligno is unavailable due to the NHL's COVID protocols.

Winger Kevin Fiala is eligible to return Thursday after finishing up a three-game suspension for boarding. But the Wild could be subbing in a regular just as it replaces another if Spurgeon can't suit up.

The team doesn't have any extra defensemen currently available on the active roster, but Matt Bartkowski and Dakota Mermis are the defensive reserves on the taxi squad.

"It's a contact sport," defenseman Ian Cole said. "Things happen, and we just need to close ranks and set up and do our best to be better as a group of five or a group of four or however many guys we have in the lineup in that given moment. So, it's about mental toughness and stepping up and doing the job."

Already the Wild has added three players from the taxi squad into its lineup in this matchup vs. the Avalanche, and the likes of Gerald Mayhew and Kyle Rau are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Mayhew earned his first career assist and first point of the season on rookie Kirill Kaprizov's power play goal in the second period, and what got started that momentum for the Wild was a fight by Rau after he leveled a heavy hit on Colorado's Cale Makar.

"That was kind of just the spark we needed on the road," Soucy said.

The Wild continued to pile on the pressure in the third period, but the Avalanche didn't break – a stingy defensive posture that siphoned off free space. Still, throughout the game, the Wild had looks in tight with the puck squirming around the crease. Lately, though, that's a trouble spot for the team.

"It's just not going in right now," coach Dean Evason said. "There's so many around the goal line that are up for grabs and haven't went our way yet."

After a day off Wednesday, the Wild will finish off this two-game set in Denver on Thursday. The Wild and Avalanche then won't see each other until mid-March.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182913 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Colorado game recap

GAME RECAP star tribune's three stars

1. Philipp Grubauer, Avalanche: The goalie turned aside all but one of the 28 shots he faced.

2. Valeri Nichushkin, Avalanche: The winger scored the decisive goal in the second period.

3. Kirill Kaprizov, Wild: The rookie tallied his first career power-play goal. by the numbers

1 Assist by winger Gerald Mayhew, his first career assist and first point of the season.

3 Power-play goals for the Wild this season through 42 tries after Kaprizov's goal.

29 Saves for Wild goalie Cam Talbot.

SARAH McLELLAN

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182914 Minnesota Wild "But we can do it by committee. We can step up and play a little bit better."

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021 Wild stays close but falls short to Avalanche

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 3, 2021 — 12:41AM

DENVER – The Wild clapped back at the adversity that sapped its lineup last game, responding with its gutsiest performance so far this season in a 4-3 overtime win over Colorado on Sunday.

But when the team lost yet another player to injury — and an important one in captain Jared Spurgeon — the shorthanded Wild didn't have an answer this time and faded 2-1 to the Avalanche on Tuesday night at Ball Arena to drop to 1-2 in the four-game series that will wrap up Thursday.

"We were exhausted at the end," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "We got caught a couple of times in our zone, softer clears didn't get it out when we had opportunities and resulted in expending a lot of energy down there. We still had a couple of real good looks at the end. But from the back end, no question, [having only] five hurt us there at the end."

Spurgeon didn't play in the third period, leaving the game because of an upper-body injury, and Evason isn't sure how long Spurgeon will be out of commission.

The defenseman joins an already lengthy list of absent Wild players, with fellow blue liner Matt Dumba (lower body) and winger Marcus Johansson (upper body) also out because of injuries. Winger Marcus Foligno is sidelined because of the NHL's COVID protocols.

Winger Kevin Fiala also didn't suit up Tuesday, still serving a three-game suspension for boarding, but he'll be eligible to return Thursday.

"It's hard," defenseman Carson Soucy said. "Those guys are obviously elite players."

Spurgeon's exit coincided with the Wild's best push of the night.

After getting behind by a pair of goals — the first a Logan O'Connor shot off goalie Cam Talbot 17 minutes, 45 seconds into the first period, and the second a rebound buried by Valeri Nichushkin at 7:09 of the second — the Wild stole momentum away from the Avalanche.

BOXSCORE: Colorado 2, Wild 1

The turning point came when taxi squad call-up Kyle Rau crunched Colorado's Cale Makar into the boards and was immediately challenged to a fight by J.T. Compher. Both players received fighting majors, but Compher received an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct for initiating the bout.

"Anytime someone steps up and lays their body on the line like that with a good hit and a good fight," Soucy said, "it's going to get the boys going."

On the ensuing power play, rookie Kirill Kaprizov registered his first career power-play goal — a one-timer as he was falling to his knees at 13:05 of the second — that counted as the Wild's third power-play goal of the season in 42 tries. Overall, the Wild went 1-for-3 with the man advantage and the Avalanche was 0-for-3.

But when the Wild had to rely on only five defensemen in the third, fatigue set in. The team did generate some quality looks, but it lacked the finish to pull even with Colorado. Talbot totaled 29 saves, and Philipp Grubauer had 27 for the Avalanche.

"It was a really hard-fought hockey game that we felt could have went either way," Evason said.

The Wild will get a day to rest up and regroup before its last test against Colorado until mid-March, and it might have to assemble another patchwork lineup if Spurgeon can't play. Matt Bartkowski and Dakota Mermis are the defensemen on the taxi squad.

"Anytime you lose pieces of your team, especially huge pieces of your team like Spurge, it's tough," defenseman Ian Cole said. "There's obviously a huge hole there and you're not going to fill the holes of the guys that we've lost with just one guy. No one's going to step up and be Matt Dumba or Spurgeon or Marcus Johansson or Kevin Fiala. 1182915 Minnesota Wild "There's going to be injuries," Mayhew said. "There's going to be COVID, and we're going to get a chance to play this year. It's just when you're called upon you've got to be ready."

COVID-19 always lurking in the minds of Wild players Winger Marcus Johansson (upper body) did not make the trip to Colorado.

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021 By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune FEBRUARY 3, 2021 — 12:52AM

DENVER – The Wild's routine around the rink has changed.

Masking up and staying socially distanced off the ice are now embedded in players' daily activities, like team meetings and pregame skates.

But the threat of the coronavirus still looms, a reality that hit close to home for the Wild recently when the team had its first active player in winger Marcus Foligno sidelined by the NHL's COVID protocols.

"It just shows no matter how careful you are there's always a chance it can happen," captain Jared Spurgeon said during a virtual interview. "As a group, we've all been pretty respectful and responsible with giving ourselves space and wearing our masks whenever we're supposed to and around each other. He's a big part of our team, but we're just taking it day by day and hoping it ends there."

Foligno remained in the league's protocols Tuesday, the third day he's had a COVID protocols related absence, and he'll be away from the team until he's removed from the NHL's list.

That rundown has included players from all but five teams (Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, St. Louis and Toronto) since the league began announcing daily updates when the season opened three weeks ago, and the NHL has postponed 18 games.

"You can see with other teams that it seems to be one or two players and then it either stops there or you keep counting with players popping up," Spurgeon said.

Rossi back in Austria

The fallout from player absences is immediate, but the Wild is also experiencing a situation where the impact on a player lingers.

Prospect Marco Rossi was sidelined with COVID-19 in November and just recently returned to his native Austria to rest due to complications with the virus.

Rossi reported to Minnesota after skating in the IIHF World Junior Championship to compete for a roster spot at training camp, but doctors "saw something" during his testing, Rossi's agent Serge Payer said, and Rossi never got to audition.

"It was a shock to everybody, especially him," Payer said. "He was extremely motivated to come to camp."

Since then, Rossi has received positive results and he's motivated to resume training once he's able. He tweeted on Monday that he will come back stronger.

"Marco has recently had some good tests," Payer said, "and we're very optimistic that this is a temporary situation."

Separate ways

The Wild is being mindful of keeping goalies Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen spaced out off the ice.

"They cannot eat together," coach Dean Evason said. "They cannot hang out together. We want them separated as much as we can. In L.A., we saw them chatting, waiting for a bus, and we had [goaltender coach] Freddie Chabot go over and tell them, 'Get away from each other' because you don't want that situation.

"Obviously, it goes to the quarterback situations in the NFL.''

Ready to go

Sunday was the first time the Wild had to usher some of its reserves into action, promoting forwards Gerald Mayhew, Kyle Rau and Luke Johnson from the taxi squad to the lineup, and all three skated in a second straight game Tuesday.

But while they were idle, the three players remained around the Wild and followed a similar practice schedule. 1182916 Minnesota Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021

Wild, Avalanche missing key players for Round 3

By Sarah McLellan FEBRUARY 2, 2021 — 1:09PM

DENVER – The Wild isn't the only team missing key players.

So is its opponent across the ice.

Colorado superstar Nathan MacKinnon will be out for the remainder of the team's four-game series against the Wild, which resumes Tuesday at Ball Arena in Denver.

MacKinnon is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered Sunday in the Wild's 4-3 overtime win at Xcel Energy Center.

That game the Wild started a completely revamped lineup with regulars Marcus Foligno (COVID protocols), Marcus Johansson (upper-body injury), Matt Dumba (lower-body injury) and Kevin Fiala (suspension) sidelined.

And despite relying on three players from its taxi squad who hadn't played in almost a year, the Wild persevered with a no-nonsense approach that it'll try to duplicate in Round 3.

"Hopefully we can play that way and even better," coach Dean Evason said. "We know they're going to be real good here. They always are. We have to play a very similar type of game. It needs to be a grinding game. Regardless if MacKinnon is in or not, they're a very special group. We've got to pay attention to certain people, obviously, but we've got to play the type of game, the type of gritty game, that we played the other night in order to give ourselves an opportunity.

"Having said that, it's not just against Colorado. That's how the Minnesota Wild hopefully play on every single night and give ourselves an opportunity to have the result we want."

Fiala will be eligible to return from his three-game suspension for boarding Thursday when this set against the Avalanche wraps up, but he's probably the only addition for the Wild. Johansson did not make the trip to Colorado, and Dumba is on injured reserve.

Projected lineup:

Zach Parise-Nick Bjugstad-Luke Johnson

Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson Ek-Ryan Hartman

Gerald Mayhew-Victor Rask-Kirill Kaprizov

Nico Sturm-Nick Bonino-Kyle Rau

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin-Carson Soucy

Ian Cole-Brad Hunt

Cam Talbot

Key numbers:

4: Goals or more scored by the Wild in five of its first 10 games.

5: Points for winger Jordan Greenway during a career-long four-game point streak.

3: Multi-point games for center Joel Eriksson Ek this season.

8: Points in 10 games for rookie Kirill Kaprizov.

23: Points for the Wild's defense.

About the Avalanche:

MacKinnon isn't the only player sidelined for the Avalanche. Colorado is dealing with a slew of injuries, with six players currently sidelined. Among that group is defenseman Devon Toews (lower body) and forward Pierre- Edouard Bellemare (lower body) are also out. Goalie Philipp Grubauer, who made 19 saves in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Wild, will be back in net tonight. Grubauer is 4-2 all-time vs. the Wild. 1182917 Minnesota Wild

Who is the best center to pair with Wild rookie star Kirill Kaprizov?

Sarah McLellan, who covers the Wild for the Star Tribune, joins Michael Rand in a discussion of the Wild's first 10 games. Minnesota is off to a 6- 4 start, fueled in large part by strong play from its third line and emerging forward Kirill Kaprizov. But can its depth withstand a current test? And long-term, can the Wild find the right type of center to consistently bring out the best in Kaprizov?

Also on the show: A look at the Timberwolves' offensive woes, looming labor problems in baseball and three of your hottest — but measured — takes

Star Tribune LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182918 Minnesota Wild for the Wild, it will give other players a chance to step up, which could offering something to build on moving forward.

“You’re not going to fill the holes of the guys that we’ve lost,” defenseman Wild fall 2-1 to rival Avs, lose captain Jared Spurgeon in process Ian Cole said. “We can do it by committee. Everyone has to step up and play a little bit better. I think we did a pretty decent job of that tonight. Unfortunately we fell short. If we’re able to come out of this on the back end, it will only raise our battle level, and it will only raise our By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] | Pioneer Press sticktoitiveness going forward in the season and going toward the playoffs.”

Wild coach Dean Evason loved the way his team played in Sunday’s Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.03.2021 game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Why wouldn’t he? Not only did the Wild make things tough defensively, they were opportunistic offensively en route to an overtime win.

That’s what Evason wanted his team focused on entering Tuesday’s rematch. Not the fact that Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon was out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.

As dynamic as MacKinnon is with the puck on his stick, the Avalanche aren’t Stanley Cup favorites because of any individual player. “They are a very special group,” Evason said before the game. “We have to play the type of gritty game that we played the other night in order to give ourselves an opportunity.”

While that’s exactly how the Wild played on this particular night at Ball Arena, they couldn’t complete another comeback in a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche.

More glaring for the Wild, though, was the fact that they lost captain Jared Spurgeon to an upper-body injury. No immediate update was given regarding how much time Spurgeon will miss.

His absence meant the Wild had to roll with five defensemen for the final 20 minutes of play. Not ideal considering they were already without winger Kevin Fiala (suspension), winger Marcus Foligno (COVID protocols), defenseman Matt Dumba (lower-body injury), and winger Marcus Johansson (upper-body injury).

“We were exhausted at the end,” Evason said. “We didn’t get it out when we had opportunities and it resulted in expending a lot of energy down there. We still had a couple of real good looks at the end. From the backend, though, no question playing with five guys hurt us there.”

It was a back-and-forth game with the fist period serving as a perfect precursor of what to expect the rest of the way. While both teams had chances in the first period, winger Logan O’Connor finally gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead thanks to a fortuitous bounce in front of goaltender Cam Talbot.

That forced the Wild to chase the game and it looked like things might get away from them in the second period when winger Valeri Nichushkin hammered home a rebound in front to make it 2-0 in favor of the Avalanche.

That might’ve been enough for the Wild to go away in the past. Not this particular group of players. They have already mounted a few impressive comebacks this season and clearly feel comfortable in playing from behind.

Maybe it should come as a surprise then that rookie Kirill Kaprizov helped the Wild cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the second period. He accepted a pass from Zach Parise on the power play and ripped the puck into the back of the net while falling down.

Unfortunately for the Wild, they couldn’t complete the comeback in the third period, despite a number of chances in front of goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

“We had a good effort there,” winger Jordan Greenway said. “We had a lot of chances throughout the game. Obviously we have to find a way to bury them and tonight we didn’t.”

Nothing summed up that frustration more than defenseman Carson Soucy hitting the side of the net in the waning minutes with a chance to tie the game.

“It looked like it was going in and I think that’s the worst part,” Soucy said. “I’ll be seeing flashbacks of that tonight for sure.”

It won’t get any easier from the Wild with another game coming up against the Avalanche in a couple of days. As tough as that game will be 1182919 Minnesota Wild “I talked to him, and he’s disappointed,” Evason said. “You know Marcus. He’s very positive, and regardless of what he’s doing, he’s going to be ready to play when he comes back.”

After 10 1/2 months off, Wild taxi squad players make an impact Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.03.2021

By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] | Pioneer Press

It had been 10 1/2 months since Wild forward Gerry Mayhew skated in an actual hockey game, so yeah, there was a little bit of rust in the early stages of Sunday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche.

“It felt good getting out there,” said Mayhew, the MVP of the American Hockey League last season. “I had to get a couple of hits and puck touches out of the way. Then it felt like any other game.”

The same goes for Kyle Rau and Luke Johnson, the other taxi squad players thrust into action for the Wild over the weekend.

Never mind that they hadn’t played since March 11 when the Iowa Wild lost 4-1 to Grand Rapids Griffins. All three players knew they had to be ready to go once the puck dropped against the Avalanche.

“It definitely took a little bit get used to the pace of play,” Rau said. “You could try to replicate it in practice. There’s just nothing like it when the chips are flying. Overall, I thought we played pretty well.”

Did they ever.

“Yeah,” veteran defenseman Ryan Suter said, “I thought they played well. They kept it simple. They were physical. They were skating. I thought they played a really solid game for us. It was a big part of us winning.”

Coach Dean Evason was most impressed with the mental fortitude he got from Mayhew, Rau, and Johnson, stepping into a game against the Stanley Cup favorites.

“They weren’t in awe of playing in the NHL or playing against the Colorado Avalanche,” Evason said. “They played the game the right way. They played the game hard. They finished their checks and had scoring chances and were involved in helping us.”

It helped have each other to lean on. Even if they weren’t skating together on the same line, Mayhew, Rau, and Johnson seemed to feed off each other regardless.

“It’s definitely nice,” Rau said. “We kind of snowballed off each other. Just seeing them have success gives me confidence.”

It’s unclear how long the taxi squad players will be in the lineup. They were in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Avalanche in Colorado since the Wild still are missing a number of regulars.

“You’ve got to be ready,” Mayhew said. “This season, with COVID, with injuries, we’re going to get a chance to play. Just have to wait for our number to be called upon. We have to step up in times like this.”

STAYING POSITIVE

After playing sparingly this season, defenseman Brad Hunt could be looking at some sustained time in the lineup. That increase in playing time comes as the result of fellow defenseman Matt Dumba being placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

While there’s no way Hunt can replace Dumba in the lineup, the Wild appreciate his positive attitude, which helped him effectively fill a role on the blue line in Sunday’s win.

“He is ready to play in every situation,” Evason said. “He doesn’t come to the coaching staff and say, ‘Gee. I only got a minute and a half of ice time. What the heck is going on?’ He comes to the rink the next day ready to play, and he got in the lineup and he conducted himself extremely well.”

COVID PROTOCOLS

There’s no timetable on when veteran winger Marcus Foligno will be able to return to the lineup. Currently is on the COVID list, he cannot be around the team. He was the only Wild player on the COVID list entering Tuesday’s game. 1182920 Montreal Canadiens

In the Habs' Room: Tyler Toffoli punishing his former team this season

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Tyler Toffoli has made life miserable for the Vancouver Canucks this season, but that’s been the case for most of his career in the NHL.

Toffoli scored twice and added an assist in the Canadiens’ 5-3 win over Vancouver Tuesday night as he ran his goal total against his former team this season to eight in five games.

But success against the Canucks is nothing new for Toffoli, who now has 21 goals and 11 assists in 32 career games against Vancouver.

“It’s one of those things,” Toffoli said of his point-a-game production. “Even early in my career in L.A., I always felt really good (when I played the Canucks). My legs were always under me and things just go my way and tonight was another example of that. I just stick with it and am making the most of my chances.”

Toffoli’s second goal was a highlight-reel effort, as he went past defenceman Jordie Benn and beat Thatcher Demko by tucking a backhander under the crossbar. Josh Anderson, who also scored twice in the win, and goaltender Jake Allen were suitably impressed.

“He’s scored some pretty incredible goals,” Anderson said. “Tonight he was one-on-one and he goes through his legs and goes top shelf with the backhander. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Backhands are obviously tricky,” Allen said. “I think a lot of the time the player doesn’t know where the shot’s going, to be honest. They’re just trying to get it on net, high and hard, and you can’t read the release because the blade is backwards. There’s no specifics on where it’s going to go. It just slides off the blade to one side or the other.

“I played against Toff a lot in the West and he’s always a guy who’s dangerous out there,” said Allen, who made 36 saves for his first Bell Centre win as a Canadien. “He’s not overly flashy, although obviously he has scored some super-nice goals this year. He just knows how to find those quiet areas. He has his stick in the right spot. When goal-scorers score, they say the puck comes to them. He always had that in L.A.”

Toffoli might have netted a hat trick, but passed the puck to Jeff Petry for a game-clinching empty-net goal.

“They scored just before that and if we had a two-goal lead, I might have tried to be a little selfish,” Toffoli said. “But we had a good game and Jake was great in net and I didn’t want to mess it up for him. Petey was flying down the ice and I couldn’t not give it to him.

Petry added an assist to his empty-netter to give him 13 points this season, tops among NHL defencemen. He’s also among the leaders in plus/minus at plus-12, but his defence partner, Joel Edmundson, tops the league at plus-14.

The Canadiens face the Ottawa Senators for two games, Thursday at the Bell Centre and Saturday in Ottawa. The Senators are at the bottom of the North Division with only one win, but Anderson said the Canadiens can’t take anything for granted.

“There are no easy games. I’ve said every game is going to be a battle. We can’t take it lightly and we’re not,” Anderson said.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182921 Montreal Canadiens

Newcomers lead Canadiens into first place in the North Division

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

It was newcomers night at the Bell Centre as three of Marc Bergevin’s prized off-season acquisitions led the Canadiens to a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli each scored two goals and Jake Allen made 36 saves as Montreal moved into first place in the all-Canadian North Division with a 7-1-2 record and a one-point lead over Toronto.

The Canadiens traded Max Domi for Anderson because they wanted more of a net presence and that’s what he provided as he scored both first-period goals to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead.

On the opening goal, Anderson won a battle behind the net and pushed the puck to Nick Suzuki. He sent the puck to Ben Chiarot on the side boards and the defenceman threw the puck to the net. Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko got a stick on the puck, but Anderson was standing at the far side of the crease to bury the rebound.

It was more of the same on the second goal. Suzuki’s shot from the high slot was blocked, but the puck came back to Brett Kulak, who launched a low shot that was deflected by Anderson for his sixth goal of the season,

With the two assists, Suzuki has 11 points on the season with at least one point in nine of Montreal’s 10 games.

If there was a disappointment in the first period, it was the Montreal power play that came up empty on two opportunities, including a two- man advantage for 48 seconds.

The Canadiens also failed to score on a power play early in the second period after Antoine Roussel went off for kneeing Jeff Petry. Demko deserves credit for keeping Montreal off the board, because he made two good saves on Corey Perry and one on Brendan Gallagher.

Roussel atoned for the transgression when he returned to the ice and scored on a rebound to end Allen’s shutout bid.

But Montreal extended its lead when Toffoli went to work later in the period. He made it 3-1 when he deflected Joel Edmundson’s shot from the point. He added a second goal when he got a step on former Canadien Jordie Been and roofed a beautiful backhander against Demko.

Toffoli finished last season with the Canucks and he played well after arriving from Los Angeles at the trade deadline. Vancouver failed to re- sign him and they may be regretting the decision, He’s now the leading goal-scorer in the NHL with nine and he has scored eight of them in five games against Vancouver.

Vancouver made it close in the third period on a power-play goal by Elias Pettersson and a goal by Tanner Pearson after the Canucks pulled Demko, but Petry scored into an empty net.

Shea Weber, who picked up an assist on Toffoli’s second goal, played his 1,000th NHL game. The game was paused in the first period for the announcement and a series of tributes from his teammates, including Jesperi Kotkaniemi who said Weber was like having a second dad in the dressing room. Weber acknowledged the moment by standing up and waving to a non-existent crowd.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182922 Montreal Canadiens “Just trying to make a play,” Toffoli said. “I definitely didn’t have that set up in my mind. Just trying to get it on net. I didn’t even see it go in, to be honest. But all the boys on the bench were howling. It was good. Obviously a big goal in the game, gave us the win. It was fun.” Canadiens Game Day: Bergy's Boys are looking good for first-place Habs Yes, it was.

Toffoli had a chance to complete a hat-trick in the final minute with an empty Vancouver net but instead decided to pass the puck to Petry, who Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette went in alone to score.

“I think if we had a two-goal lead I would have tried to be a little selfish,” Toffoli said. “But we had a good game and Jake played great in net, so You can call them Bergy’s Boys. didn’t want to mess that up for him. Get him another win. Petey was Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson — two of GM Marc Bergevin’s key off- flying down the wing, I couldn’t not give it to him.” season acquisitions — had two goals each and Jeff Petry added an Bergy’s Boys bond empty-netter Tuesday night as the Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3. All of Bergevin’s off-season additions, including Corey Perry, have fit in well with the Canadiens so far and they still have Michael Frolik waiting Backup goalie Jake Allen — another off-season addition — made 36 on the taxi squad. saves, improving his record to 3-1-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage as the Canucks outshot the Canadiens 39- “I remember when we first got here in training camp, the new guys kind 33. of stuck together because we didn’t really know anybody,” Anderson said. “So I think we started off with our chemistry there and then it Defenceman Joel Edmundson — also acquired during the off-season — continued on to the road trip.” was plus-2 and now has the best plus/minus in the NHL at plus-14. Petry ranks second at plus-12 and also ranks second in NHL scoring among The Canadiens played their first six games on the road over an 11-day defencemen with 5-8-13 totals, one point behind the Canucks’ Quinn span and Anderson said that helped the new guys fit in with the rest of Hughes (1-13-14). Hughes is minus-7. the team.

Another one of Bergevin’s off-season moves was to sign Petry to a four- “I still think that was a big part of it,” he said. “Just all the new guys year, US$25-million contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 coming together and really meeting the team for that two-week road trip. I season. thought that really helped us.”

Milestone night for Weber

The win improved the Canadiens’ record to 7-1-2 and they are now in The Canadiens gave Shea Weber a win in his 1,000th career NHL game. first place in the North Division, one point ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-2-1). The Canadiens have outscored the opposition 44-27 and With no fans in the Bell Centre because of COVID-19, the Canadiens put their plus-17 goal differential is the best in the NHL. a video tribute to their captain on the giant screen during a break in play in the first period. Weber’s three young children also drew posters for “I don’t know if I’m surprised, but I’m liking the fact that they’ve all fit in,” their dad that were placed on the glass near the team’s bench. coach Claude Julien said after the game when asked about the early- season success of Bergy’s Boys. “You know, when we made those “I thought that was awesome,” Anderson said. “Obviously, a very special trades — and Marc was the one making those trades — but when we night. Maybe it’s a little unfortunate that his family and friends couldn’t go talked about making those trades we really felt that those guys belonged to the game with the situation going on. But I thought they did a on our team and that they could definitely fit somewhere and all that stuff. tremendous job. And then we had a nice get-together after the game. We So I guess it’s not surprising that we’re having success because that was had a little gift from the boys there and the management. But not every the goal from the get-go when we made those kind of deals. Whether it’s day you get to play your 1,000th game and I think it was such a special trades or signing free agents or whatever the case was, we really felt that night just to be a part of it and see Webs being such a great leader and these were areas where we could help improve our hockey club. So far going through that. Very happy for him.” it’s working out well and we’re 10 games in, so it’s certainly encouraging.

But as I often mention, it’s a long year and we just got to keep plugging away.” When Arpon Basu of The Athletic asked what the gift was for Weber, Anderson said: “I’ll let him tell you that.”

“But he’s not going to tell us, though, Josh,” Basu responded. “I mean, Toffoli now leads the NHL with nine goals in 10 games, one more than you know that. So could you just tell us instead of him?” Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Vancouver’s Brock Boeser. Anderson ranks second on the Canadiens with six goals. “I don’t want to spoil it as a surprise,” Anderson said with a chuckle.

“I think at the end of the day, before they even played a game, we told TSN’s John Lu tried to find out what Weber’s gift was by asking Allen. you guys what kind of players they were and what they could bring and that’s what they’re doing,” Julien said. “I think in Josh Anderson’s case “I can’t spoil that surprise,” the goalie said. “It’s too nice of a gift for me to we said he’s got unbelievable speed, he’s great on the forecheck. He’s spoil it. I think if you want to ask Shea I’m sure he’ll talk either tonight or also got outside speed. He either takes the puck to the net or he goes to tomorrow. It’s a big milestone. It’s a real nice gift and he’ll have it for a the net without the puck if he doesn’t have it. So that’s why he’s having long time. So you’ll have to ask him yourself.” success scoring. Weber didn’t speak with the media after the game and the Canadiens “We always thought that Tyler Toffoli was really good at scoring goals have a day off Wednesday. and was a smart player and we could use him in all kinds of situations,” the coach added. “Well, that’s what he’s doing. He’s killing penalties, he’s on the power play and five-on-five that goal he scored tonight on the We’ll probably never find out what the gift was since the very private backhand is a beauty. So those guys are just filling in the gaps that we Weber might threaten to cross-check any teammate who tells during needed to fill and they’re doing it in a really good fashion.” practice.

Praise for “Eddie”

Toffolli’s second goal was highlight-reel stuff as he went in one-on-one Allen knows Edmundson very well since they were teammates in St. on former Canadiens defenceman Jordie Benn, did a toe drag before Louis and won the Stanley Cup together with the Blues in 2019. putting the puck between his own legs and then beat goalie Thatcher Demko with a beautiful backhander high to the glove side. “Eddie’s really finding his rhythm here the last few games,” Allen said. “Playing with Petey, Eddie’s a steady presence back there for Petey to be able to jump up in the rush and do his thing. Obviously, Petey’s playing great. I think that’s just what Eddie does and he brings. He’s a The Canadiens will have a day off on Wednesday before facing the real solid No. 3, 4 (defenceman) on any team. He’s just a steady Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on Thursday night (7 p.m., TSN2, presence for an offensive defenceman like Petry. As he plays solid TSN5, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). Those two teams will meet again defensively, he’s going to get those pluses because he’s usually out Saturday afternoon in Ottawa (1 p.m., TSN2, TSN5, RDS, TSN 690 there with an offensive line. He’s a really good player. He’s found his Radio). footing here and I think he’s only going to get better.” Next week, the Canadiens have back-to-back home games against the Leafs and Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday and Thursday night at the Bell Centre before travelling to Toronto to face the Leafs on Saturday For Allen, it was his first win with the Canadiens at the Bell Centre after night. his first two victories came on the road. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 “It’s pretty special,” he said. “Every time I played here when I was with St. Louis it was just exciting. I’d get chills before the game and I rarely get that anymore in the NHL. It’s probably the only building that would really give me that feeling and that anxiousness.

“To be on the good side of it now, even though there’s no fans in the building, you still can picture what it would be like,” the goalie added. “You remember what it’s like when you come out and the Canadiens are skating around. It’s been great. Obviously, the first win in Edmonton was neat. But to be able to get one tonight was really cool. It will be fun when the fans can get in and win in front of them.”

Some stats

After 10 games, the Canadiens have three players with more than 10 points: Toffoli (9-4-13), Petry (5-8-13) and Nick Suzuki (3-8-11). Jonathan Drouin has 1-8-9 totas. Suzuki had two assists Tuesday night and now has points in nine of the first 10 games.

Weber led the Canadiens in ice time with 23:33, followed by Petry (23:07) and Ben Chiarot (21:51). Suzuki led the forwards with 20:03 of ice time, followed by Toffoli (17:24) and Artturi Lehkonen (15:38).

Brendan Gallagher and Toffoli both had five shots, while Anderson had four. Anderson also led the team with three hits.

The Canadiens won 51 per cent of the faceoffs, led by Jake Evans, who went 12-6 (67 per cent). Phillip Danault went 7-6 (54 per cent), Suzuki went 8-14 (36 per cent) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi went 4-8 (33 per cent).

Romanov a healthy scratch

Rookie defenceman Alexander Romanov was made a healthy scratch for the first time with Brett Kulak taking his place beside Victor Mete. Kulak was a healthy scratch for Monday night’s 6-2 win over the Canucks.

Mete was a healthy scratch for the first eight games before it was reported Saturday night that his agent, Darren Ferris, had asked the Canadiens to trade him, telling TSN’s Salim Nadim Jalji they would “work together in finding a trade partner.”

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun contacted Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, who responded: “Not true and not trading him.”

Now, Mete has been in the lineup for two straight games. Draw your own conclusions, but you have to think the Canadiens might be showcasing Mete for a possible trade. Mete has been on the ice for three of Vancouver’s five goals during the last two games, including the first one Tuesday night.

“We had a chat with him this morning,” Julien said about Romanov before the game. “We decided to make the rotation a few days ago with the fact that we don’t have injuries. It’s not a bad thing for a young player. Kulak got sat out yesterday.

“Anybody that sits out, when you look at the game from up top it’s a lot easier,” Julien added. “But there’s certain things you can see from up there that maybe makes you simplify the game itself and say: OK, next time I’m out there I can see now why I should be doing this or that. So it’s going to be important for Romy to watch the game closely tonight. He’s working out right now so that he can go up and watch the game, have a chance to see it properly. We hope it’s a growing situation for him as much as a learning one watching this game tonight.”

Romanov had 1-1-2 totals in the first nine games and was plus-4, while averaging 18:45 of ice time. He logged 19:20 of ice time in Monday’s game and was minus-1 with two hits and four giveaways. One of those giveaways led to the Canucks’ first goal.

What’s next? 1182923 Montreal Canadiens hair salon while raising their two sons, including younger brother Brandon. Sadly, Weber’s mother died in 2010 from a brain tumour at age 47.

Stu Cowan: 'I never really imagined,' playing 1,000 games, Weber says Canadiens captain Shea Weber celebrates Phillip Danault's third-period goal with teammates Tuesday night.

“Obviously, my mom and dad were my biggest influences growing up,” Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette Weber said.

“I think the biggest thing from them was just hard-working,” he added. “Neither of them took a day off. They worked hard for me and my brother Sicamous, B.C., is a town of 3,000 people, located about halfway to be able to play hockey. It wasn’t easy, but they allowed us to do what between Calgary and Vancouver. It’s best known for its many lakes and we loved. Not only that, but (they) just gave us a good upbringing. I can’t houseboating. say enough. My dad would work all day, 10-hour shifts, come home and It’s also where Canadiens captain Shea Weber grew up with a dream coach me or my brother or both. Kudos to them for taking care of us. I shared by so many young Canadian boys: to one day play in the NHL. can’t say enough.”

“As a kid, you always think you’re going to play in the NHL,” Weber said When asked what has given him the most joy during his 16-year NHL during a video conference Tuesday morning. career, Weber said it’s the game itself.

It wasn’t until he started playing junior for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets that Weber started to believe that dream might actually come true. He “Obviously, the love of the game,” he said. “You grow up as a kid loving moved a step closer when the Nashville Predators selected him in the it, that’s why you play it. That’s why we still play it. That’s what it’s all second round (49th overall) at the 2003 NHL Draft. about. Just coming to the rink and being with the guys and play the sport “I mean, you always think you have a chance, but maybe realistically you you love the most.” don’t know,” Weber said. Back home in Sicamous, Weber is the boy next door who grew up and On Tuesday night, the 35-year-old Weber will reach an impressive got to live his dream, also marrying his high-school sweetheart, Bailey. milestone when he plays in his 1,000th career NHL game against the They are now the parents of three young children. Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Fittingly, there’s a street named after him in Sicamous: Shea Weber Way.

Weber still remembers his first NHL game on Jan. 6, 2006, during which Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 he logged 11:08 of ice time and was minus-1 in a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Nashville. Weber was sitting in the penalty box for tripping when Nicklas Lidstrom scored what proved to be the winning goal.

“Everything was kind of a blur,” Weber recalled. “I know I took a penalty in that game and they scored. At that point, I was probably thinking if I was ever going to get a chance again. But thankfully Trotzy (former Predators head coach Barry Trotz) and the coaching staff believed in me.”

Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin also believed in Weber when he made the blockbuster trade on June 29, 2016, acquiring him from Nashville in exchange for P.K. Subban. Since then, Weber has become the leader and captain of the Canadiens, while remaining a man of few words. But when he speaks, his teammates definitely listen. His young teammates call him “Dad”.

Weber spoke with the media for 15 minutes Tuesday morning, which must be a record for him.

“Obviously, it’s special,” he said about reaching the 1,000-game milestone. “It’s something that, as a kid, you dream of playing in the NHL. As a kid, you think that it’s going to come true and you imagine it. Realistically, it’s a lot tougher than people realize. It’s tough to do, so just making it here has been really special. Obviously, making it this long and having a career of this many games is something that I never really imagined. Obviously dreamed about, but pretty surreal.”

It’s also surreal that because of COVID-19 there will be no fans in the Bell Centre to applaud Weber’s accomplishment Tuesday night. Originally, he was supposed to play his 1,000th game last April in Nashville, which would have been fitting.

“There’s no regret,” Weber said. “Everything kind of happens for a reason. That definitely would have been kind of … obviously a special moment just to be back where it all started. But, at the same time, circumstances nobody really predicted and people are in a lot worse places. So just looking forward to kind of getting it over with, I guess, tonight and just focusing on playing.”

It takes an incredible work ethic to reach 1,000 games in the NHL, especially for a player like Weber who had to recover from two surgeries in 2018 to repair tendons in his left foot and a meniscal tear in his right knee. That work ethic came from watching his parents. His father, James, worked long hours in a B.C. sawmill, and his mother, Tracy, ran a 1182924 Montreal Canadiens On how workouts have changed since he first joined the NHL in 2005-06 after being selected by the Predators in the second round (49th overall) of 2003 NHL Draft:

Conversation with Canadiens' Shea Weber about reaching 1,000-game “As a younger guy I think there’s a lot more focus on — especially for me mark — I was a lot more focused on strength and building my strength. I think once you get that up you can focus more on the quickness and speed and everything else. Obviously, it kind of goes hand in hand, but you want to build up that base as a young kid, especially through junior and Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette your early years of pro. You want to make sure you’re going to be able to be strong enough to handle the guys at this level and it just kind of progresses from there.” Canadiens captain Shea Weber is normally a man of very few words — especially when speaking with the media. Is it true the car he drove as a junior player with Kelowna was purchased by his mother after winning a 50/50 raffle at a Rockets game? But on Tuesday morning, Weber thoughtfully answered questions from the media for 15 minutes before playing in his 1,000th career NHL game Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. “Yeah, her and my grandmother (chuckles). Yeah, they won the 50/50.” Here’s some of what he said. On passing along leadership skills: On reaching the milestone in his 16th NHL season at age 35: “You take little bits of things you learned through all the years, guys you “It’s special. It’s something that as a kid you dream of playing in the NHL. played with. You just listen and try and take things in. I think everyone is As a kid you think that it’s going to come true and you imagine it. a leader in their own way in some ways, so you don’t change. But you Realistically, it’s a lot tougher than people realize. It’s tough to do, so just just kind of take little bits and you just do what you think is right. So I making it here has been really special. Obviously, making it this long and think that everyone kind of has their own thing and own way, but you’re having a career of this many games is something that I never really definitely trying to learn at all times.” imagined. Obviously dreamed about, but pretty surreal.” Did he already have a leadership mindset in his personality while growing On the people who helped him along the way: up?

“There’s tons of people. I mean, I can’t say thanks enough to coaches, “I don’t know. I guess you learn as much as you can coming up and that, family, friends. There’s so many people along the way … it’s definitely obviously, was something that I wasn’t opposed to. But to say that it not just a personal thing. There’s strength coaches, therapists, hockey wasn’t in me, I don’t really know, to be honest. Like I said, you learn and coaches, family members. My mom and dad were my biggest influences you take what you appreciate and you try and pay that forward.” growing up. It’s just a team effort, for sure.”

At what age did he first think he might be good enough to play in the On looking ahead to the milestone when he saw this year’s NHL NHL? schedule: “As a kid you always think you’re going to play in the NHL. Realistically, “To be honest, it’s something that I didn’t even really think about. probably not until I started playing in Kelowna and I thought that I’d have Obviously, as it got closer and closer I think everyone was mentioning a legitimate chance. I mean, you always think you have a chance but last year it was a possibility and then it was going to come at some point maybe, realistically, you don’t know. And then that first game (in the NHL this year, sooner or later. Obviously, you get up to it and then it happens, with the Predators) it was kind of a blur, to be honest. We were on the and then I think everyone will probably just move along and forget about road in Milwaukee and I just got called up. We were flying, I think it was it.” from Cleveland. We were on the road somewhere and I flew right to Nashville. I just got there just in time for warmups. We played Detroit. It Shea Weber plays game 1000 tonight. #GoHabsGo was a quick turnaround in and out, but definitely a moment playing against especially some of those guys that Detroit had. Some of the Career Stats players that they had, it was a pretty cool memory.” Goals 220 We'll start you off with a pair of headshots. #GoHabsGo #Shea1000 Assists 356 pic.twitter.com/g2KWQlI9Om

Points 576 — Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) February 2, 2021

PIM 689 pic.twitter.com/RtnmakqxNP

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) February 2, 2021 On a giant-screen tribute expected Tuesday night at the Bell Centre:

“I don’t really know what to expect, to be honest. It’s tough. It is a special night but, at the same time, second game of a back-to-back here and On having no fans in the Bell Centre Tuesday night because of COVID- we’re going to have a really hungry team after last night’s game. 19: Obviously, the main focus is that and then whether it’s a little 30-second “It is definitely a moment that you want to share with those people that I piece or whatever it’s going to be, definitely meaningful. But I can’t really mentioned before. The people that have helped you get to where you speak on what the feeling’s going to be yet.” are. That’s just the way it is right now, so there’s not much we can do. On the other defencemen in the NHL he admires the most: Just have to find other ways to communicate and enjoy the evening.” “That’s tough. I think I probably got to go with some of the guys that have On teammates who helped him become a pro: played a really long time at a high level, like (Zdeno) Chara. I mean, he’s “The first major one for me was probably Rick Berry. That was in been around longer than anyone. Just adapts to the game, always Milwaukee (of the AHL). He kind of helped me really get acclimated to getting it done, and that he’s able to play at a top level for this long is pro life. I’ve had numerous dinners at his place … we lived in the same pretty special. Not many guys can do it and not many guys have done it. building. There was a number of guys. Greg Zanon, Kevin Kline, we So he’s definitely one. Another guy, maybe like Duncan Keith. Someone came up together there. Suits (Ryan Suter). And then there was all the else that’s played a really long time, won, done kind of everything and guys in Nashville. The (Kimmo) Timonens, (Dan) Hamhuis, all the guys had a Hall of Fame career. Two guys that I kind of admire for still doing before me that kind of led the way. I mean there’s a number of guys, but I what they’re doing.” think the first initial help was Rick just kind of getting me settled in and Montreal Canadiens' Shea Weber speaks during a press conference figuring out the way to go in pro.” announcing him as the new captain of the team in Brossard on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. Stu Cowan: Young Canadiens team gains a captain and a father figure

On Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin saying he and Carey Price will leave a lasting legacy on the Canadiens, even after their careers are over:

“I don’t know. I guess that’s probably for other people to find out. To be honest, I’m not thinking about leaving a lasting legacy. My job is to be a good teammate, to help the Montreal Canadiens win, and then whatever comes of that comes of that. It’s definitely not a focus to look at accolades or things like that. The biggest goal for us is to win and I think everybody that has won knows how special it is and those of us that haven’t won yet want want a taste of that. So that’s our goal, that’s my goal and what we’re trying to do here.”

As the 30th captain in Canadiens history, when he looks at portraits of former captains in the locker room does any one make a stronger impression than others?

“I don’t think so. That’s a tough question because there was so many great captains. You talk about looking around the room at all the pictures there and the guys that were captains, you can’t just pick one. There was so many guys that did different things for this franchise in different ways, too. Some are here longer than others, some of us. But everyone contributed and definitely helped with this franchise’s history.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182925 Montreal Canadiens Victor Mete made his first appearance of the season, replacing Brett Kulak. He played 17:45 and, while he blocked three shots, he was on the ice for both Vancouver goals.

In the Habs' Room: With lead against the Canucks, Canadiens are fresh Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 for Round 5

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens not only defeated the Vancouver Canucks Monday, but they also set themselves up for Tuesday’s rematch (7 p.m, TSN 2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

With the Canadiens jumping off to an early lead, head coach Claude Julien was able to stick to his plan of rolling four lines and three defence pairs and that means his players should be fresh for Round 5 against the Canucks.

“Regardless of whether you’re playing back-to-back, it’s important to spread out the ice time whether it’s for later in the season or tomorrow night,” said defenceman Jeff Petry, who led the offence with two goals and an assist. “The way we played tonight allowed us to spread the ice time. It helped that we didn’t take a lot of penalties. Where we get in trouble is when we have multiple guys playing on the PK and that throws everything off.”

Petry has always been known for his offensive play and he shares the NHL lead in points for a defenceman with 11.

But Petry went into this season with a goal of improving his defensive play and he is among the NHL leaders in plus/minus at plus-11.

“It’s always been something I wanted to improve on and the time spent in the bubble allowed me to take a step forward there,” said Petry. “It’s knowing how to play, to be responsible in the defensive zone but still be a threat offensively. I’m making sure that I’m not leading the rush but supporting it, especially with the group of forwards we have. They’re responsible defensively and we have the ability to score throughout the lineup.”

That was evident Monday as all four lines contributed goals. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki represented the top three lines, while the fourth line was represented was by Artturi Lehkonen, who scored a shorthanded goal, and by Jake Evans, who took the puck from Quinn Hughes to start the sequence that led to Petry’s first goal.

“The fourth line played a fair amount tonight because they were a good line tonight,” said Julien. “The thing that they do well is they’re always pushing the play forward, they’re always putting the puck behind the (defencemen). They compete hard and because they compete hard, they give themselves good chances. On nights like tonight, it’s so easy to use them against other team’s top lines because I feel they give themselves a chance to outwork them and out-compete them.”

While the Canadiens should be fresh physically, they have to be in the right frame of mind for the second game and they can probably take something away from their recent experience against Calgary. They dominated the Flames in a 4-2 win last Thursday and then came up short on Saturday, losing 2-0.

Julien said teams have to get used to playing multiple games against the same opponent.

“You know the team that loses wants to get back and we have to get used to that because that’s the way it’s going to be,” said Julien. “(The Canucks) are going to be better and we have to be ready for that. The big key is to stay hungry, to play the right way. If you do that, you’re giving yourself a good chance.”

The Canucks were also looking forward to Tuesday. In normal times, goaltender Braden Holtby would have been pulled after giving up six goals in the first two periods. Vancouver head coach Travis Green wanted to keep Thatcher Demko fresh for the start Tuesday. 1182926 Montreal Canadiens But what is the angle on this Canadiens team? They’re good? Yes, we’ve gone over that. They’re deep? Yes, we’ve gone over that extensively. Nick Suzuki is excellent? Yup, covered. Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli are scoring goals at a rate that even Marc Bergevin couldn’t have A sportswriter’s admission of failure: The Canadiens are so good, it’s dreamed of? boring Yup, covered, as Julien so perfectly put it Tuesday night after each of them scored twice.

By Arpon Basu Feb 2, 2021 16 “I think at the end of the day, before they even played a game, we told you guys what kind of players they were and what they could bring,”

Julien said, “and that’s what they’re doing.” It was Groundhog Day, and the Canadiens played like it. OK, all done there. It’s almost as though they should have Bill Murray as their second-line I apologize, but I am offering you all a window into the life of a centre. sportswriter who has run out of things to write about a team that is Over and over again, the Canadiens have been grinding teams into the already the best Canadiens team I have ever covered in 20 years of ground. Over and over again, the Canadiens are looking like a covering this team. It is a very public way of saying I am not good enough juggernaut with the same strengths manifesting themselves in ways their at my job to make this team’s strengths interesting only 10 games into opponents simply can’t match. Over and over again, we hear those the season. opponents simply accepting reality after a loss. The Canadiens are not perfect, but they are 7-1-2 after 10 games and I have always said that as a sportswriter, there is nothing worse than haven’t played a bad game yet. Some players have had bad games, covering a team that always wins or always loses. Right now, I’ve got to even some forward lines, but their depth has made those deficiencies be honest, it’s only 10 games into this Canadiens season and it’s getting insignificant in an individual game, and no one has played consecutive very hard to find new ways to say this team is good. That’s my job, I bad games. know, but it’s getting tough. The angle here is that everything general manager Marc Bergevin did in On Tuesday night, after a 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks — the offseason has turned to gold. We’ve already covered Allen, but his who probably never want to see a red-white-and-blue sweater again — most criticized offseason move, acquiring Joel Edmundson, now leads Claude Julien was being asked all sorts of questions that he’s heard the NHL in plus-minus with a plus-14. He hasn’t looked great on many before. occasions and still appears confused at times as to who the offensive element is supposed to be on his pairing with Jeff Petry, and plus-minus He even laughed at one of mine. is an awful stat, but still, that’s something.

I asked what it felt like for him to have so much confidence in a backup Petry, meanwhile, has 13 points and is tied with Guy Lapointe (1976-77 goalie for the first time since his return to Montreal. Jake Allen has played and 1978-79), Gaston Gingras (1986-87) and Andrei Markov (2008-09) as advertised and delivered exactly what the Canadiens expected him to for the second-best 10-game start by a defenceman in Canadiens deliver and more. He has a .930 save percentage in four starts, eighth history, behind Sprague Cleghorn’s 14 points in 1921-22. best in the NHL and a far cry from anything Julien has had behind Carey Price. Toffoli, with nine goals, is tied for fifth for most goals in team history in his first 10 games in a Canadiens uniform behind only Pierre Turgeon (10), I was looking for an angle, because that’s what sportswriters do. It wasn’t Didier Pitre (11), Odie Cleghorn (12) and Joe Malone (24). With six a great angle, and I probably could have asked a better question, but goals, Anderson is tied for 14th most; he has one more than Max Domi Julien’s answer provided a perfect snapshot of what these Canadiens are did in his first 10 games, which was tied for 26th all time. after 10 games. The Canadiens have scored 44 goals in 10 games. The last time that They are so good, they are boring. They are a team without new angles happened was in 1992-93, when they scored 47 goals in 10 games and because nothing changes from game to game. In other words, every day … went on to win their last Stanley Cup. is Groundhog Day. So there’s some historic stuff happening here. But the Canadiens’ So when I asked the question, Julien laughed at me. And honestly, I excellence has still somehow become hum-drum, something that already don’t blame him. has been written and covered in depth.

“I’m laughing because you guys have asked me that question at the This is why when Anderson revealed that the team held a little ceremony beginning of the year when we got Jake and all that stuff, and I’m going after the game and presented Shea Weber with a gift to commemorate to say the same thing again,” Julien said. “I’m just repeating myself.” his 1,000th NHL game, my ears perked up a little bit. What was this gift? Could it be something for me to write about? An interesting angle for all I know, Claude. I’ll try to be better next time. of you to read about? I was desperate, and so I raised my hand in the Earlier, however, Julien showed that he, too, is grasping at straws, trying Zoom call. to find ways to motivate this group to continue improving. “Would you mind sharing what the gift was for Shea?” I asked Anderson. “When you start a season the way we’ve started this season, there’s no “Uhh, I’ll let him tell you that,” Anderson replied with a smile. doubt it builds confidence,” Julien said. “But when you say confidence, I think the guys are smart enough to realize the confidence comes from “He’s not going to tell us that, Josh, you know that, so could you just tell the work we put into our practices and our games. us instead of him?” I replied.

“But there will be challenges, and tonight we had a good one, especially “I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” Anderson said. in the third period. Vancouver tightened things up and we managed to stay in the game and still win.” Basically, like Julien would later, Anderson was laughing at me.

About that. It’s perfectly normal for Julien to want to manufacture I hope you all appreciate my willingness to be ridiculed by the Canadiens adversity for this team because coaches love adversity. They love seeing in my hunt for an interesting angle. I do it for you. their players rise to a challenge, and yes, it’s true the Canucks scored a “It’s obvious, we have a better team this year than we had in the past,” power-play goal early in the third period to make it a two-goal game and Julien said. “It’s pretty obvious to everyone that we have a better team, scored again with less than a minute left to make it a one-goal game. But not only on paper but on the ice also.” the game was never really in doubt, and Julien knows that. Between those two goals, the Canucks applied some pressure, but it never It is obvious, Claude. I can only hope I will do a better job of making appeared all that threatening. There was never a real sense that the something so obvious more interesting next time around. Canadiens were going to blow that two-goal lead. The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 If Julien wants to present that as his players responding to a challenge, fine. We’re all looking for angles, as it turns out. 1182927 Montreal Canadiens toilet paper stuffed in the sunroof because it was rattling. It was just this old car that we had a lot of good memories in driving to and from practice, dropping me off at home, picking me up.”

Shea Weber at 1,000 games: Former teammates reveal their best untold What happened when you didn’t have enough speed? tales “It was slow going,” he said. “We probably should have thrown up the four-way lights because there would be a line of traffic behind us.”

Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin Feb 2, 2021 39 The beauty of that car is that Weber acquired it when his late mother, Tracy, and his grandmother won a 50-50 raffle at a Rockets game and used the winnings to buy him the car. It spoke to the kind of background Weber came from, and how that background has shaped who he is Shea Weber is perched in a tree. today. Next to him is former teammate Jordin Tootoo. It is sometime in the late “I think when you get to know him away from the rink, and being one of fall of 2020, outside Weber’s offseason home of Kelowna, B.C., where his close friends, he’s actually a really laid back guy away from the rink,” Tootoo also lives. There is snow on the ground, it is cold, and the two Comeau said. “He’s got a great sense of humour, he likes to be around friends are sitting in a tree, waiting for deer. In silence. people, he likes to be around his friends and his family and he likes to get When reached to discuss his former teammate being on the verge of together with people. He’s just a humble guy. He comes from a humble playing his 1,000th NHL game, this is the scene Tootoo first thought of. It background in Sicamous. I’ve been in the league long enough where I’ve was Weber’s ability to appreciate the moment, to be able to get away seen guys have some success, and they maybe get a little bit arrogant or from the hectic life he leads as an NHL star and just sit in the woods with complacent. Total opposite with Shea. He’s the exact same guy when I a friend without saying a word. was 16 and he was 17 that he is now. Obviously, he’s had an amazing career, a lot of accomplishments, he’s won a lot of things, he’s done well “Reaching 1,000 games as an individual is a pretty significant milestone contractually with the money that he’s made, but you would never know for any professional athlete,” Tootoo said. “But for Shea, he’s just a that he’s made that amount of money. He’s so humble and he’s not regular guy, like everyone. It’s funny, when we’re out in the bush, we flashy. He’s just a down to earth great teammate, great person, great don’t talk a lot of hockey because we’re living in the moment. It’s all father and everybody that knows him loves being around him.” about the fact that we’re out here hunting and everything else doesn’t matter. He’s able to separate his work life from his personal life, and I The next-door neighbour think that’s a great attribute for a professional athlete. … Rick Berry is not a household name, but he was important to Weber. “I remember sitting out in the snow in a tree stand with Shea, and I don’t At a time when an entire generation of high-end defencemen was making think we said a word to each other for two or three hours. We just sat its way up the ranks in the Predators organization, Berry arrived with the there in silence and observed. Those are the moments where people Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL at age 26 with some experience, having don’t understand, when you’re a professional athlete, all the buzz and the played nearly 200 NHL games at that point. fast pace of life kind of just goes away in that moment.” Weber identified Berry as the one who helped him adapt to the life of a Tootoo has helped introduce Weber to the outdoor lifestyle quite recently, professional hockey player. which might be why this is the image that first comes to mind for him when asked to tell a story about his friend. It is a side of Weber we don’t “I think it was just seeing the routine of a professional hockey player on a normally see, but which is there, lying underneath the surface. We daily basis,” Berry said. “Always planning ahead, knowing your schedule, sought out nine other people who have taken part in Weber’s journey to being early and never leaving anything up for surprise.” 1,000 games, a milestone he will hit Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, a team from his native B.C. It should come as no surprise, based on that kind of pragmatic thinking, that Berry is a financial planner today. Were it not for the pandemic, Weber was on track to hit the milestone in the second-to-last game of last season. On April Fool’s Day. In Nashville. Admirals head coach Claude Noël paired Berry with the 20-year-old It would have been perfect. rookie and the two of them, as is often the case with defence partners, developed a special relationship. Berry was Weber’s next-door neighbour Instead, he will mark it an empty Bell Centre, with a bit of a nod to his in the apartment complex that housed a few other Admirals players, home province. To commemorate that, we invite you to hear from these including Greg Zanon. Berry would often invite Weber over for dinner nine people who played a role in Weber getting here, but first one more because, at a certain point, playing football on X-Box got a little stale. word from Tootoo. “Shea coming in, young guy, no girlfriend, no nothing, whenever there’s Did all that sitting in a tree in silence pay off? Did they shoot a deer? downtime – and I don’t even think he was old enough to go to the bars – it’s a pretty quiet life, just sitting in a one-bedroom apartment by yourself,” Tootoo laughs. Berry said. “He would come over, watch movies, have a big steak dinner “Shea wants to catch a six-pointer for his first deer. So we passed up a or a big bowl of pasta and get ready for the game the next day.” lot of bucks. But I told Shea, don’t worry about it, the deer are always Several of Weber’s NHL teammates have said how much he likes going to be there. … That is definitely Shea Weber; you’ve got to aim for organizing team meals as a way to bring the group together. He’s always the top right off the bat.” had a knack for leadership, but perhaps this one aspect of leadership is The little white car that could something he took from Berry, who also valued these off-ice moments.

Blake Comeau first met Weber when he tried out for the Kelowna “I’ve always been one of the guys that liked to keep the team close, keep Rockets as an undrafted 17-year-old, ultimately making the team out of guys in contact away from the rink,” Berry said. “A lot of teams that I Junior B hockey and finishing that season as a second-round draft pick of played on that were successful always hung out together away from the the Nashville Predators. rink, not just at the rink. So it’s kind of a keep-everybody-together type of philosophy.” A bit less than 20 years later, Comeau is one of Weber’s best friends. They played together for three years in Kelowna and have been tight But Berry feels somewhat uncomfortable taking any credit for how Weber ever since. wound up developing.

And that relationship was built in a special little vehicle. “This guy was on his way well before, I was just fortunate to cross his path,” said Berry, who is 42 today. “I think I played two periods with the “One of my good memories is we were playing junior in Kelowna and he kid and I knew he wouldn’t be around the AHL for very long.” had this old, white car that felt like it was going to fall apart,” Comeau said. “I lived up on Dilworth Mountain, and we had to climb this big hill to Physical sacrifice get up to my house. So sometimes we’d have to time the red light for Weber’s roommate on the road was Zanon, the Admirals captain who when it would hit green so that we had speed when we would hit the was five years older than him. green light to get it all the way up the mountain. We had Kleenex and Zanon, a defenceman who made a career out of blocking shots, is the bottom of my heart, he’s one of those guys I really hope can win the another player who had a positive influence on Weber’s smooth transition Stanley Cup one day.” to the professional ranks. And Zanon knew a little something about the physical sacrifice required to thrive in the NHL. An obvious captain from the beginning

“I was just able to hopefully give him some good guidance on how to be a Dan Hamhuis was Weber’s first defence partner in Nashville. He was good pro, which he is, by far, one of the best that I know anyway,” Zanon well into his second NHL season at the time, but he knew immediately said. “I kind of learned a lot from him too, even him being a younger guy. what type of player he was paired with.

“I was older than he was, but we kind of broke into the league at the “You could just tell right away from when he came in that he had the same time, so definitely he’s one of my peers. I might be older in age, but makings of having a long NHL career. So I’m not surprised he’s hitting we kind of grew together.” 1,000 games,” Hamhuis said. “And he also had the makings of being a captain one day, you could see it right away in that first year. His natural Zanon left the Predators in 2009 and played four more seasons in the personality, his leadership abilities, his presence he carries, how he NHL. Over the course of his career, no NHL player blocked more shots treats people, all those things add up. It’s not surprising to me to see the than Zanon, but there was one shooter that always gave him pause when career he’s had.” he was winding up. Again, much like everyone we spoke with, Hamhuis could not pinpoint “I know when we finally split ways from Nashville, and we had to play one reason why he had these immediate impressions of Weber, but his against Shea,” Zanon said, “that was one of the ones that I was like, ability to create a sense of community had a lot to do with it, which is one ‘God, I just don’t want to block his shot.’” recurring theme that comes up a lot whenever anyone talks about Weber. Like Weber, Zanon is originally from British Columbia, but he settled in Minnesota at the end of his career, where he now coaches high school “With him, it’s not necessarily one thing. He has a presence about him. hockey. He has this ability to just make everyone feel important and included. From the person at the bottom of the lineup to the person at the top of “I wasn’t much of a Canadiens fan growing up,” he said, “but since the lineup. It’s just how he treats people, and I think that goes such a Shea’s gone there, my kids and myself, we find ourselves watching long way. He creates an environment, as one guy on a team of 20, that Montreal Canadiens games – when they’re on down here anyways – people want to be in and want to do well in, because he demands a lot mostly because of him being there.” from himself. That really carries through to his teammates.”

The total opposite of me The death stare

When Weber arrived in Nashville, Kimmo Timonen had gotten a preview New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz coached Weber for his first nine of the Predators’ new defenceman a year earlier. And in Weber, Timonen NHL seasons, and Weber served as his captain for Trotz’s last four already saw a future defence partner. seasons in Nashville.

“I remember David Poile telling me a year before that, when he got “When I think about what a captain should be, I always think about a guy drafted by Nashville, that this is the guy who is going to score a lot of like Shea Weber,” Trotz said. “He knows who he is, and he does hold points; he’s going to be a leader for years to come. He’s big, he’s strong, people accountable, even with a talk or a stare. The best is the death he can move, he can fight,” Timonen said, before bursting out laughing. stare. That’s the one thing that players will talk about. If you’re a young “He was, like, totally the opposite of me! With everything! So I was like, player and Shea Weber maybe doesn’t like what you did and it might not ‘Wow! Hopefully we get to play as partners because I’m not tough, I’m be an appropriate time to talk to you about it, he’ll give you the death not mean, my slap shot is bad, so we’re going to be a good stare. And the guys know what that is. It’s like, you’re crossing the line combination.’” here, get your act together.”

Timonen, of course, is being modest. He was an incredible defenceman A great number of players, whether they were teammates or opponents, and was one year away from being named Predators captain when have encountered the death stare over the years. Just a couple of weeks Weber arrived. They only played two years together before Timonen was ago, Jonathan Drouin committed a turnover that cost Jake Allen a traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, but in that time, a young Weber left shutout late in his first start with the Canadiens, and Weber administered quite the impression on him. the death stare as the team was gathering around Allen to celebrate the “First of all, he’s a fantastic human being,” Timonen began by saying. win.

This is a very common refrain from anyone who has played with Weber. But even when Weber was playing for the Rockets, he favoured the But for some reason, no one really has anything specific they can point to same form of communication. as to why they feel that way about Weber. There are very few funny “Yeah, even when he was young playing junior, he had that intensity, that stories, or memorable moments that come up. Timonen has a theory as competitive spirit to him,” Comeau said. “You’d be playing a game and to why. something would happen and he was so competitive and wanted to win “I can try to explain it this way: I got to know a lot of good players so bad, he would sometimes have that death stare, blow a bit of a throughout my career, but Webs is the guy you can go have a beer with, gasket. you can talk to him about your problems, you can trust the guy,” Timonen “It wasn’t in a negative way, it was in a way that I think everyone said. “There’s a lot of players I know, same calibre players as he is, but I respected because they knew it was coming from a good place, they wouldn’t do the same things I would do with Webs. So his personality is, knew how competitive he was and how bad he wanted to win. But you you know, I can trust this guy.” knew when he was in that state of mind to give him a little space, let him The last time we saw Timonen with an NHL uniform on his back was cool down a little bit.” after the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. He was on the ice with the Chicago Seth Jones remembers the same thing from his early days in Nashville. Blackhawks, at age 40 and at the end of an injury-plagued season where he battled blood clots before coming back to play in the playoffs and cap “I think when I was 19, in my first year in the league, I was paired with a tremendous career with the ultimate prize. Timonen was on the ice him a little bit because (Roman) Josi got hurt that first year,” Jones said. afterwards, surrounded by his family, sobbing uncontrollably. “So I was playing probably more minutes than I should have at age 19, and I got the death stare a few times to wake up. It was the wake up They were tears of joy. stare.

As Timonen recounted that moment, his thoughts instantly turned back to “I was just trying to do my best out there, and I know he’s like, ‘I’ve got to Weber. play with this 19-year-old!’”

“And talking about Webs, that’s one of those guys, you hope he’s going Victor Mete could probably say the exact same thing. to win it someday,” Timonen said. “He played so hard for years and had some injuries past couple of years, but he’s still battling through, still We know Weber is not a man of many words, and that look can say more making plays, still does everything for his teammates. Obviously now than any words ever could. Montreal is doing pretty good, so hopefully they can keep it up. But from But there is obviously more to it, according to Trotz. There is a sense of “He was one of the first guys I got to talk to when I got traded,” Suzuki professionalism and work ethic that distinguishes Weber from others. said. “I was kind of the new guy around the room. When I first came in, I That’s exactly what the Predators needed when Weber got to Nashville. was doing fitness testing with all the NHL players and we ended up talking a little bit. Ever since then, he’s been just a guy I always look up “When he arrived in Nashville, him and guys like Pekka Rinne and Ryan to, always can go to to ask questions. You can just see the respect that Suter started having an influence on the culture of the team, and he was he gets around our room, around the league, and that’s kind of what I made captain and the rest is history,” Trotz said. “But without the want to be if I can hit 1,000 games. Just be the way that he’s respected. I development of Shea Weber, that type of person, it’s hard to have great really look up to him in a lot of ways.” culture. And you see him on a daily basis in Montreal. The best of the best counted on him “When Marc (Bergevin) made that move years ago, there was some criticism, obviously, but I said long term you’re going to be fine. This Marc-Édouard Vlasic has played with Weber a few times on the guy’s the real deal. You can win championships with Shea. So that trade, international stage, whether it was at the Sochi Olympics or the world when it was first made, it was probably criticized a lot. Now, to me, it was championships or the World Cup of Hockey, where he and Weber formed a really good trade. I know what he’s capable of and he’s got a lot of Team Canada’s shutdown pairing. good years left.” The San Jose Sharks defenceman remembers practices where Weber Like a son would leave some of the best players in the world with their jaws dropped over his slap shot. But the memory that sticks with him is a goal against Many hockey players seem older than they actually are. Maybe it’s Latvia in Sochi. genetics, or maybe it’s their experience in the game. “It was 1-1 and we had a power play,” Vlasic said. “He jumps on the ice When Weber was 32, Andrew Shaw, a teammate at the time, said the and it doesn’t take him much. A shot from the blue line and bang! It was following to The Athletic: “I’ve got one word to describe him for you: Dad. 2-1 for us. There were seven minutes left and, despite all the great He’s the dad of the room. He comes to work, he works hard, he players we had on the ice, he’s the one who scored. We were counting competes, does all the little things right, doesn’t let any little detail go on his big shot. You have to be a great player for us to be relying on unnoticed in his game and then he makes sure everyone’s pulling their Shea Weber when we had so many elite players on our team.” weight and everyone’s comfortable. I mean, he’d have the young guys over for dinner all the time, making sure they have home cooked meals. Team Canada relied on Weber in key moments, yes, but his presence still counted for something in a dressing room full of stars, says Hamhuis. “I always look at him as the dad of the room.” Weber didn’t have the same pressure to lead as he did in Nashville, But there is perhaps no player who was more like a son to Weber than Hamhuis noted, but he still had an impact on that room. Seth Jones. “Even though he was probably one of the younger guys on that team at In the fall of 2014, Jones, 19 at the time, arrived at Predators training that time, he was still a guy that players looked up to, even guys much camp not knowing if he would make the team. His mother had agreed to older than him,” said Hamhuis, who was the seventh defenceman on that come live with him if he survived the final cuts, but they couldn’t know team. “He just has that presence about him.” that in advance. So Weber offered to have Jones live with him. He spent Weber becomes the 346th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 games, a two months with Weber, his wife Bailey and their two dogs, riding with mark that is probably held in higher regard within hockey circles than it is Weber to and from the rink every day. in the general public. Vlasic, who reached the mark himself last season, And Weber also brought him to the gym. says it’s not only difficult to reach the milestone, but it’s even tougher to remain effective every night along the way. “He would get up a 100-pound dumbbell, or dumbbell bench press,” Jones said. “I’m 19, and I’m not doing 100-pound dumbbells. But he “He reached 1,000 games without being a peripheral player,” Vlasic said. would always push me in certain areas like that to be better. The point “He goes hard every night. He blocks shots, he hits everything that was that he wanted me to always be better.” moves and if he has to fight, he’ll do that too. Then there’s his shot. Day after day, he goes hard, he’s physical and does everything for his team, Six years later, is Jones pushing 100-pound dumbbells today? so it’s even more impressive that he’s done that every night for 1,000 games. “Heck no! No, no, no, no, no,” Jones said. “I mean, he’s a big guy, he will always be stronger than me. He’s got big man strength, you know what I “He’s been elite right from the start, and he’s still elite today.” mean? You look at the guy’s shot and everything about him. He’s just a big boy.” The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021

A Man Mountain, yes.

When Jones was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Ryan Johansen in January, 2016, Weber called Jones a few minutes after the news came out.

“It was a tough phone call, to be honest with you. Not easy,” Weber told Pierre LeBrun at the time. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he’s a good friend. He’s almost, I want to say, like a son, but I don’t want to feel like I’m too old yet.”

“I always looked up to Shea,” Jones says today. “I can definitely see how he would look at me as a son and wanted to lead by example around me, which I respect, fully. And even to this day, it definitely feels like he’s just an older figure, not only a colleague or a peer, but someone that I can always talk to and get advice from. I feel like he has always kind of been that way for me, whether I asked for it or not, really. I appreciate everything that he’s told me really over the years.”

A one-man welcoming committee

You could say Nick Suzuki is a representative of sorts here, in that he is speaking on behalf of just about every rookie or young player the Canadiens have had since Weber arrived in 2016. And he can probably speak on behalf of most of the rookie and young players the Predators had before that as well.

This is simply something Weber does, and he’s done it for a very long time, as Hamhuis mentioned earlier, and Jones mentioned before that. 1182928 Nashville Predators The team has stressed it has deserved better results because of its quality of play. Maybe so.

But analytics don’t put the puck in the net, and so far, neither have the I'm ready to sound the alarm on Nashville Predators' 2021 season. Predators often enough. The coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff is wearing Here's why| Estes thin for a team that continues to look a lot better on paper than it usually does on the ice.

Tennessean LOADED: 02.03.2021 GENTRY ESTES | Nashville Tennessean

Admittedly, it's early for alarm bells.

In a normal NHL season, sure.

In this shortened hockey season of 56 games, though, the nine games the Nashville Predators have played account for 16% of their regular season. In terms of a normal game, they’d be halfway through the first period already.

And they’d be playing from behind.

Of course, they’d be. These Predators have been playing from behind seemingly all season, the kind of thing that happens when you’ve scored two first-period goals in nine games. They’ve started games slowly, and they’ve started this season slowly. The luxury of patience is dwindling rapidly.

After Monday night’s 5-2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Predators were next-to-last in the eight-team Central Division, only two points clear of the Detroit Red Wings. Three teams ahead of the Predators had only played six games. Another had only played seven. Not good.

[ Misery Index: Here's how bad the week was for Nashville Predators ]

But this really isn’t about the standings. Not yet, at least. The Predators’ 4-5 record isn’t worth bragging about, but it’s not horrific to the point of packing up hopes for an entire season.

It’s more the way this is happening that should trouble Smashville.

Because their Predators just don’t pass the eye test. There isn’t much they’re doing especially well on the ice, and there’s a list of things they aren’t doing well.

Entering Monday night, their penalty-kill percentage ranked worst in the NHL. The power-play success rate wasn’t much better (25th out of 31 teams).

Defensively, things haven’t been terrible. The goaltending tandem of Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne has been pretty good, actually, but they’ve needed to be spectacular to withstand the pressure of consistently poor offensive production on the other end.

Offensively, the team's worst preseason fear is again coming true in that the Predators’ highest-paid forwards are not producing to expectation.

Young prospect Eeli Tolvanen was called up from the taxi squad Monday and scored a goal, which gave him one more than Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene and their $8 million salaries.

It’s not just Johansen and Duchene, either. Only once in nine games have the Predators scored more than three goals. They’re averaging only 2.33 goals per contest and a meager 1.85 goals in their past seven contests.

While they did win two of those past seven, both were in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks. They haven’t been ahead at the end of regulation in more than two weeks.

Now, a case could be made that, yes, four of the Predators’ five defeats were to the Lightning and the Dallas Stars, last season's Stanley Cup finalists. But here’s the thing: The Predators will play the Lightning and Stars 12 more times in this weird season with a schedule of only divisional opponents and geographical proximity. Better learn how to face them.

Again, it is early for doom and gloom. I do realize that.

The slump could turn quickly, rendering these thoughts obsolete. Can’t say that won’t happen. But I also can’t look at the Predators so far this season and give you a viable reason why I'd expect it will happen. 1182929 Nashville Predators hard-nosed defenseman subdued the burglar, who fled empty-handed after breaking into a parked car.

“I’m fairly confident physically and in my physical abilities, so in a ‘BoroCop’ isn’t just a nickname to Mark Borowiecki. It’s a way of life situation like that, I didn’t really mind stepping up and doing what I thought was right,” Borowiecki said.

In that moment, “BoroCop,” the nickname given to Borowiecki at the Adam Vingan Feb 2, 2021 31 outset of his professional career, took on new meaning. It was a fitting moniker long before then, though, both on and off the ice.

“I think it’s just instinctual or intrinsic,” Borowiecki said about his Justin Morissette had just returned home from his shift as a radio dedication to helping others. “My parents raised me by impressing upon producer at Sportsnet 650 on Aug. 22, 2020, when he heard something me a strong sense of right and wrong. Hockey’s a big part of my identity, unpleasant. but it’s not everything about me. I take a lot of pride in being a successful Anti-LGBTQ street preachers were sermonizing on the sidewalk outside hockey player, but I take even more pride in trying to be a good person.” Morissette’s apartment building in Davie Village, a gay enclave in the “Mark has been like that all his life,” said Borowiecki’s mother, Cynthia. West End section of Vancouver, B.C. “He’s always been one (who) likes to help people and root for the “The fact that this was happening in the heart of the gay community in underdog. He’s always been (a) very kind, very empathetic person. downtown Vancouver (was) not an accident,” said Morissette, 33. “These That’s just something that’s innate within his personality. people clearly came to spread this in a spot where they knew it would be “If he sees (someone) being picked on, or there’s something wrong going the most hurtful.” on, he’s the first one to defend them. I think that goes out on the ice, too. Morissette confronted the preachers, who were unwilling to leave or Mark is a very moral person and very respectful, but respect has to be lower the volume, so he snatched the microphone and walked away. earned.”

“What good is a P.A. system if you don’t have a mic to run into it in the Borowiecki’s grit made him a fan favorite with the Senators. (Courtesy of first place?” Morissette said. “I tried to get at the P.A. and turn it down but the Ottawa Senators) was shoved away from doing that, so my follow-up plan was just to take When word of Borowiecki’s heroics in Vancouver reached Eric Gryba in the mic altogether.” Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the retired defenseman could only laugh. As Morissette was leaving, one of the men trapped him in a full-nelson “That’s so Boro,” Gryba said. “He’s salt of the earth. For as tough-as- wrestling hold and wrenched his left leg. It snapped. nails as he is, he’s really softhearted.” Morissette suffered a broken tibia and fibula, a “very badly” dislocated Gryba was present for the birth of “BoroCop,” a play on the title of the knee and a banged-up shoulder from when he hit the ground. 1987 film about a street-cop-turned-cyborg. He was playing for the AHL’s “It was probably the worst experience of my whole life,” Morissette said. Binghamton Senators when Borowiecki turned pro in 2011. “I was in the hospital for 27 days and couldn’t walk for about 17, I think, “I was definitely really reckless when I came into pro hockey,” Borowiecki of those days. I still can’t walk, honestly, but couldn’t even stand up for said. “It’s something I still struggle with a little bit now, that line and how the first 17 days.” to tread it. The guys jokingly started saying that I was always on patrol in Morissette’s deed became a national story. Canadian Prime Minister the American League. Then it spiraled into this ‘BoroCop’ nickname.” Justin Trudeau phoned Morissette while he was in the hospital to express An unheralded prospect drafted in the fifth round in 2008, Borowiecki gratitude. He also heard from then-Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark decided he would make a name for himself by “fighting anyone and Borowiecki, who came across the story as he scrolled through the CBC hitting everything that moves,” which was not limited to opponents. News app on his phone. “I’m pretty sure he’s fought people in practice,” Gryba said. “Sometimes Borowiecki posted a screenshot of the article in an Instagram story, and in practice I would have to say, ‘Holy shit, Boro. I don’t want to get hit with the help of his followers, connected with Morissette. They struck up today. Please don’t hit me. I’m sore. We played last night. I just want to a friendship, with Borowiecki helping Morissette through some stretch the legs today. I don’t want to get freaking buried in practice.’ His particularly difficult days by sharing his personal experiences with injury (intensity) is an everyday thing, that’s for sure.” rehab. That intensity fueled Borowiecki’s ascent to the Ottawa Senators’ blue “His story behind what had happened and him standing up for LGBTQ line. Over parts of nine seasons, he developed a reputation as one of the rights and suffering the consequences of it, for lack of a better term, it hardest hitters in the league and set the tone in the dressing room. just really hit a nerve with me seeing that he was in trouble,” said Borowiecki, 31. “I wanted to make sure I reached out to him and offered “He really just kept people on his team honest,” said Gryba, Borowiecki’s him some support.” teammate and occasional defensive partner until 2015. “He was always patrolling on and off the ice and keeping other people honest, whether it About a month later, Morissette, home from the hospital, woke up from was in practice and working probably the hardest out of anybody, and the an afternoon nap to find a package from Borowiecki on the seat of his same thing in the gym. wheelchair. Inside were a pair of autographed, game-worn gloves and a note. “That nickname fits him just too well. (It’s) his presence and the way he just holds people accountable, whether it’s in games fighting, playing Justin, hard and playing physical, or with his teammates, playing hard against Awesome work being an ally and good person. Wishing you a full them in practice and showing them how hard he works on and off the recovery and good days ahead. Apologies for the smell. ice.”

Your friend, The Predators signed Borowiecki to a two-year contract in October 2020. (Kim Klement / USA Today) Mark The Predators were short on those particular intangibles after a string of “He was a real bright light for me in a really dark moment,” Morissette playoff disappointments. The relentless work ethic that was once the said. “He didn’t do it for attention or whatever. He just did it because he franchise’s calling card had deteriorated. Center Matt Duchene recently saw a guy in a rough spot, and he felt compelled to try to help in the went as far as to say that the Predators were “fragile” last season. same way that I tried to help and put myself in this situation in the first place, or the same way he saw that robbery going on in Gastown and felt After years of chasing skill players, Predators general manager David compelled to help.” Poile changed course by prioritizing toughness this past offseason. Enter Borowiecki, who signed a two-year, $4 million contract in his first foray In December 2019, Borowiecki was shopping for baby supplies during a into free agency. day off in Vancouver when he stumbled on an attempted robbery. The “It was definitely a big factor,” Borowiecki said. “On-ice, they expressed they wanted a little more jam and some bite and some compete, and obviously that’s what I’m known for.”

When Borowiecki arrived in Nashville, he did not see an absence of strong leadership in the dressing room. He saw his job as supporting the Predators’ established leaders by emphasizing the importance of hard work.

“Work ethic and mental toughness and character, these are the things that I think are a foundation for a team,” Borowiecki said. “When you have these qualities in a group, I think when times get tough and puck luck doesn’t go your way and bounces don’t go your way for whatever reasons, you always have that to fall back on.

“I don’t think you ever want to be this team that’s high on high-end talent, coasts through a bunch of easy wins, and then when the going gets tough, you have no foundation to fall back on. I think that’s something that we’re trying to build here, and I think it’s going to do us a really good service not even just this year but as this organization progresses forward, too.”

Although the Predators are 4-5-0 this season, they have shown signs of being more resilient. When Borowiecki has been in the lineup, he has helped shore up the third defensive pair, one of the Predators’ weaknesses in recent years.

“One of the best people I’ve met playing this game,” said Duchene, who previously played with Borowiecki with the Senators from 2017-19. “He (has) such a big heart. As mean as he is on the ice, he’s a teddy bear off it. Great teammate, guy who will do anything to help you win. … Guy that will fight anybody. Scary guy to play against. He’s freakishly strong, like one of the strongest guys I’ve ever been around. I don’t think I can say one negative thing about the guy.”

Borowiecki with 11-month-old son Miles. (Courtesy of Mark Borowiecki)

There was a time when Borowiecki strongly considered becoming a police officer. Before committing to Clarkson University to play hockey, he thought about attending the Royal Military College of Canada and serving in the armed forces.

“I thought long and hard about it,” Borowiecki said pursuing a career in law enforcement. “You can ask most hockey players when they’re in the American League and they’re not sure what their path forward is in professional hockey. You start trying to get your ducks in a row and prepare for a life after hockey. That was something that appealed to me, and I was pretty serious about it.”

“Mark’s not a desk type,” Cynthia said.

Borowiecki’s priorities changed last February, when wife Tara gave birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Miles. Now, Borowiecki plans to spend his post-hockey life instilling in Miles the core beliefs that have guided him.

“I don’t think I do anything above and beyond,” Borowiecki said. “I just try to live my life a certain way. Tara and I, we have a certain set of values that we live by, and I just don’t compromise on those. That’s trying to be polite and kind to everyone I come across.

“Sometimes you get these incidents like (the foiled robbery in Vancouver) and they bring you some accolades or temporary fame or something, but it’s not why I act the way I act. I just think it’s the right way to live your life.”

In that sense, “BoroCop” is never off duty.

“He expects himself to be honest, but he also expects everyone else to be honest and do things the right way, because he does things the right way,” Gryba said. “No one’s ever going to point the finger at him and say, ‘You didn’t train hard enough. You lied. You cheated.’ That doesn’t happen in Boro’s world. He’s able to hold people accountable because he is who he is.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182930 New Jersey Devils

NHL rumors: Penguins target Devils’ Tom Fitzgerald for vacant GM job

By Chris Ryan

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for a new full-time general manager after Jim Rutherford unexpectedly resigned last week.

One person the Penguins are interested in: Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald.

According to reports from The Athletic, Fitzgerald is considered by the Penguins as one of the top candidates to fill that vacancy.

“Team and league sources described Fitzgerald as the Penguins’ preferred choice to be their next GM. Working in Fitzgerald’s favor, the sources said, are his familiarity with Pittsburgh’s structure, in which a GM will report Morehouse; his strong relationship with team captain Sidney Crosby (Fitzgerald was an interim assistant coach for the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup club); and his proven success as an evaluator and developer of amateur talent.

“If Fitzy wasn’t a GM right now, he’d be our GM right now,” a team source said. “He’s that great of a fit.”

Fitzgerald became the Devils’ full-time GM during the offseason after serving in an interim role following the firing of Ray Shero last season.

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Devils have not granted the Penguins permission to speak to Fitzgerald.

“He’s a bit of a wildcard in this search because he has a long-term deal in New Jersey, but only a one-year contract to be general manager,” Friedman said on Sportsnet. “Now I think if he was available, he would be at the top of the Penguins’ list. But my understanding is the Devils are not inclined to allow Fitzgerald to interview. The word is they consider him a big part of their future, so I don’t think he’s going to be part of this.”

The Athletic reported the Penguins want to name a full-time GM during the season, so if the Devils don’t grant permission for Fitzgerald to interview at any point in the near future, Pittsburgh won’t be in position to hire him.

Fitzgerald spent the first portion of his front-office career with the Penguins, joining the team as Director of Player Development in 2007 under Shero. He was promoted to assistant GM in 2009, and when Shero was hired in New Jersey in 2015, Fitzgerald took the same role with the Devils.

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182931 New Jersey Devils

NHL postpones Sabres games through Feb. 8 due to COVID issues following Devils series

By Chris Ryan

While the Devils are dealing with massive COVID-19 issues that have impacted more than half the active roster, their latest opponent is also dealing with the fallout.

The NHL postponed all games for the Buffalo Sabres through at least Feb. 8 after two players, Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen, entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday.

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The Sabres and Devils played two games over the weekend in Buffalo, and nine Devils players have been added to the COVID-19 list since Monday after appearing in both games. Forward Kyle Palmieri went into the NHL’s protocols on Sunday after playing in only Saturday’s game.

The NHL initially postponed only Tuesday’s game between the Sabres and the Islanders, citing COVID-19 protocols.

The league initially said due to weather conditions, the Sabres changed their travel schedule to fly New York on Tuesday, requiring contact tracing and testing protocols to be completed appropriately.

The Devils had their next three games postponed due to COVID-19, and they won’t play again until at least Feb. 9.

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182932 New Jersey Devils better chance. But like with all things regarding COVID-19, there’s no timeline for when he might be activated.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen, defenseman Connor Carrick and goalie What Devils’ COVID outbreak means for short-term and long-term status Aaron Dell are all on the COVID-19 list right now due to quarantine of the team following travel separate from the team. Dell is eligible to be activated on Thursday, Vatanen can clear on Sunday, and Vatanen can clear as early as Saturday, if all three have four negative tests while quarantined. If there are no hiccups there, they could be with the team at the next By Chris Ryan practice.

What it means for Binghamton Devils With a total of 10 players on the NHL’s COVID-19 list, the Devils are The Binghamton Devils are playing the 2020-21 season in New Jersey, currently at a standstill. The league postponed their next three games using the Devils’ practice facility for home games. Their season is through Saturday, Feb. 6, and players and coaches are left to wait and scheduled to start on Friday when they host the Hersey Bears at learn when they’ll be allowed to return to the ice. RWJBaranbas Hockey House in Newark. There are plenty of unknowns about the Devils’ current situation, given While the facility will be closed for NHL players, the AHL team will be the nature of trying to play a season during a pandemic. allowed to proceed as usual. The AHL team uses a separate locker room Sign up for Devils Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes from the NHL team, and the Devils have practiced only on the Prudential observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers Center game rink this season, leaving the practice rink for Binghamton.

Here’s what we do know about what happens next, and how the current Star Ledger LOADED: 02.03.2021 situation will affect the group going forward.

What’s next in the coming days

The Devils traveled back to New Jersey on Monday after initially flying from Buffalo to Pittsburgh following Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Sabres. The team’s facilities will remain closed this week in addition to the postponed games.

After the four more players landed on the COVID-19 list on Monday, it will be worth watching to see if any other players are added in the coming days.

If additional players are placed on the COVID-19 list this week, it could prompt more postponements beyond the next three games three games. If no more players are added in the coming days, it will be a positive sign that the team could resume playing under the NHL’s current timeline, which would put their next game on Tuesday, Feb. 9, when they’re scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Even if the Devils are cleared to resume practicing and play next Tuesday’s game there’s no guarantee players currently on the COVID-19 list will be cleared by that time. Players will need to clear protocols on an individual basis, and timeframes vary. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was placed on the COVID-19 list on Jan. 24, more than a week before this outbreak, and he still hasn’t been activated.

The Devils and the rest of the NHL are already playing a condensed 56- game schedule due to the pandemic, but the league intends — at this point — to reschedule all COVID-related postponements.

The Devils don’t have many long breaks between games this season. Every gap between games is two days or less, except for a pair of three- day stretches in late February and early April.

So there’s not a ton of flexibility in terms of the schedule, but there are days where the NHL can fit in the three postponed contests. Fortunately for the Devils, travel isn’t a major concern to makeup games against the Rangers and Penguins. Some other games currently on the schedule will likely be rearranged to make everything fit.

Nothing about a COVID-19 outbreak on a NHL team is positive. The players and league are dealing with a lot of unknowns while trying to play a season during a pandemic, and there will be plenty to sort out before the Devils are deemed ready to play again.

The three postponed games (and any additional postponements) will be made up later in the season, so the one thing the outbreak did do is buy the Devils some time for players who are already missing from the lineup.

Center Nico Hischier hasn’t played this season while recovering from a leg injury suffered while training in December. Ruff said Hischier has been making steady progress in his rehab, and they would get him onto the ice with the team when he was 100% ready. Hischier has been skating a bit on his own, so another week could allow him to be that much closer to playing in a game.

Blackwood went on the COVID-19 list on Jan. 24, well before the latest outbreak hit the team. So while all of the Devils currently on the list might not be cleared to play when the Devils return to play, Blackwood has a 1182933 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ COVID outbreak prompts NHL to postpone upcoming games

By Chris Ryan

After Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri went into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols in recent days, four more Devils players landed on the COVID- 19 list on Monday, prompting the NHL to postpone Tuesday’s scheduled road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and more.

The NHL announced the team’s games through Saturday, Feb. 6, will be postponed, at a minimum. They were scheduled to play the Penguins on Tuesday and Thursday before hosting the Rangers on Saturday. If no further games are postponed, the Devils could return to play on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

There are now 10 Devils on the NHL’s COVID-19 list: Mackenzie Blackwood, Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Pavel Zacha and Zajac.

Johnsson, Kuokkanen, McLeod and Zacha were added on Monday after playing in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Vatanen, Dell and Carrick are all on the list for quarantine following travel separate from the team.

Palmieri went into COVID-19 protocols on Sunday and didn’t play in the Devils’ 5-3 win over the Sabres. Zajac was placed on the COVID-19 list on Friday, and Blackwood has been in COVID-19 protocols since Thursday, Jan. 24.

The Devils joined several other teams to have games postponed due to COVID-19 issues. The start of the Dallas Stars’ season was delayed more than a week after the team had 17 players test positive for the coronavirus during training camp.

The Carolina Hurricanes had four games postponed following an outbreak on their team in January, and they resumed play on Jan. 30.

The Vegas Golden Knights had their past three games postponed, and they are currently slated to resume play on Friday.

Star Ledger LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182934 New Jersey Devils Palmieri remains in the protocols like Blackwood and Zajac, they’ll have to continue to adjust on the fly without another one of the team’s leaders.

“Just deal with it and move on. We know other teams have dealt with it,” 6 observations from Devils’ win over Sabres: Michael McLeod, Miles Ruff said. “We got to deal with it, we can’t make excuses. It’s really just Wood spark big day for 4th line, COVID concerns, more part of the product, part of the game right now.”

The Devils may have found the perfect way to deploy Ty Smith

By Chris Ryan While Ty Smith was racking up points in the first five games of his NHL career, his offensive performance didn’t entirely reflect his overall game.

The Devils were getting caved in defensively with Smith on the ice at 5- The Devils ended a three-game winless skid, thanks to two-goal games on-5 during his early games while he was paired with Matt Tennyson. from Michael McLeod and Miles Wood en route to a 5-3 victory over the The team just happened to be outscoring opponents despite getting Buffalo Sabres on Sunday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. consistently out-shot with the duo playing at even strength.

Eric Comrie also pitched in with 30 saves in his first start with the Devils In the last three games, Ruff mixed up the defensive pairings to put while picking up his first NHL win in more than three years. Smith with Damon Severson, and the results have been drastically different. Here are some takeaways from the game: The Devils have attempted 59 shots with Smith on the ice at 5-on-5 over Career days for Miles Wood, Michael McLeod the past three games while allowing just 25. That’s the result of the McLeod went without a goal for the first 38 games of his NHL career. pairing and more selective deployment for Smith. Ruff hasn’t put him on Now he’s got three goals in his past four games. the ice for a defensive-zone face-off in the past three games.

McLeod’s two-goal effort on Sunday highlighted a monster day for the Smith is still just 20 years old, so the defensive side of his game is going Devils’ fourth line featuring him, Wood and Nathan Bastian. Wood also to take time to progress at the NHL level. But they’re finding ways to use chipped in two goals, and he and McLeod accounted for the final two of him so his NHL-ready offensive skills are shining on a nightly basis. the day to put the game away in the third period. “When we put those two guys together, we were looking at two guys that “I think we were all kind of playing the same way today. We wanted to be can be real good puck movers,” Ruff said. “They bring almost the same, hard on them, kind of make their D not want to go back on those pucks,” they play with your top line, they can create some extra opportunities. McLeod said. “I think we work well with each other. One guy would take they both defend well. But maybe a little bit more of an offensive flair, the hit, and the other guy would pick up the puck and then we make too.” quick plays. So that was huge for us today, and I’m really liking the The Devils dressed a very young forward group chemistry we’re building here.” Nikita Gusev turned 28 in July, and by NHL standards, he’s just barely McLeod and Bastian are getting their first extended look in the NHL after above the average age for a player in the league. a few brief call-ups over the past couple seasons, and so far, the two 2016 draft picks are making the most of it. He was also the older forward dressed for the Devils on Sunday.

Wood hasn’t been a consistent partner with them on the fourth line this Behind Gusev, the next older forward playing for the Devils was Andreas season, but Sunday might give head coach Lindy Ruff plenty of reason to Johnsson at 26. The other 10 forwards were all 25 or younger, including keep them together for the foreseeable future. five rookies.

“I thought Mikey and Bastian had an unbelievable game,” Wood said. “It’s an extremely young team,” Wood said. “And the fact that we kept on “I’ve been around them for quite a few years now. And as a person that fighting throughout the game and we never got it down on ourselves, I seen them each year, this year they’ve taken huge strides. They’re think it just shows the type of group that we have and it’s a young group absolutely great teammates on and off the ice, but today was a strong but it’s a fiery group, too.” game for both of them.” Why Mikhail Maltsev got nod for NHL debut Sunday’s game also gave a big hint about how Ruff likes to deploy forwards who are playing well. Despite being on the fourth line, McLeod With Palmieri ruled out, the Devils had a few options from the team’s taxi was second among forwards in 5-on-5 ice time, trailing only Jack squad to plug in the lineup. Jesper Boqvist was the obvious choice after Hughes. Wood was fourth behind Jesper Bratt. he started the season in the NHL lineup.

McLeod played 7:30 of 5-on-5 in the third period alone — three minutes But Ruff and the coaching staff also opted to replace Nick Merkley in the more than he played in the second period. With the game on the line in lineup, leading to Mikhail Maltsev making his NHL debut. the final 20 minutes, Ruff wasn’t shy about putting out the line that was The 2016 fourth-round pick arrived in North America last season, moving rolling. to play in the AHL following three seasons in the KHL after his draft year. “The fourth line of played great. A lot of energy,” Ruff said. “Back-to-back He made some noise in training camp last season with a highlight-reel afternoon games, you don’t know where your energy is going to come goal, and he was a solid performer again this season. So Ruff wanted to from, but they gave us one heck of a game.” give him a chance in an actual game.

Unfortunately for the Devils, Sunday’s situation with Kyle Palmieri wasn’t “His hockey IQ seems very good. Positionally he was sound,” Ruff said. a new one. “Strong on the puck, made a lot of smart plays. I thought he added to the (Yegor) Sharangovich, Gusev (line). They created four or five good They’d already seen goalie Mackenzie Blackwood land on the COVID-19 opportunities, and he was a big part of that. And defending-wise, for list hours before a game this season, and forward Travis Zajac also went playing his first NHL game, did a real nice job for us.” on the list on Friday before the team’s weekend series against the Sabres. Devils’ late-period goals make NHL history

So when Palmieri was ruled out for Sunday’s game due to COVID-19 The Devils scored goals in the final 20 seconds of all three periods, protocols, it threw another wrench in the team’s plans. making them only the second NHL team to ever pull off that feat in a game. Andreas Johnsson scored with 17 seconds left in the first, and “That’s a day and age that we live in. It’s just kind of like next-man-up Wood’s two games came with 0.6 and eight seconds left in the second mentality,” Wood said. “It certainly stinks to lose you know Blackie, Trav and third periods, respectively. and Palms, all within a few weeks, but I think that our team came out with fire (Sunday), and it certainly showed.” Only the Flyers accomplished that type of late-period scoring in the past, doing so in a game on Dec. 9, 1978. The Devils have two more road games this week against the Pittsburgh Penguins before returning home to play the Rangers on Saturday. If Star Ledger LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182935 New Jersey Devils

NJ Devils now have 14 players in COVID protocol: When will they play again?

ROBERT AITKEN JR. | NorthJersey.com

A day after the New Jersey Devils had their season paused, more names have been added to the league's COVID protocol.

Five more Devils players were added to the league-wide list Tuesday, bringing the total for the team to 14.

Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith and Matt Tennyson are the additional Devils added to the league's protocol. They join Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Pavel Zacha and Travis Zajac on the list.

The Devils and the NHL will not disclose whether any players in protocol have tested positive for COVID-19. Players are placed into the league's COVID protocol if there is an initial positive test, even if the diagnosis is unconfirmed. Players that have a false positive must still have two straight days of negative tests to be removed from the list. Players are also placed on the list for being a high-risk close contact and go through the same league policies.

In the cases of Dell and Vatanen, both players joined the Devils during the season and are required to go through quarantine and negative tests before initially joining the team. As for Carrick, the defenseman left the team to be with his family and the birth of his first child. Carrick will also have to go through league protocol to rejoin the team.

On Monday, the NHL announced the Devils' season was postponed until at least Saturday due to the number of players in protocol increasing to 10. Later Monday, the scheduled game for Saturday against the Rangers was postponed. Postponed games are expected to be rescheduled.

The Devils' next scheduled game is Feb. 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Mackenzie Blackwood off COVID list

One bright aspect for the Devils on Tuesday was the removal of goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the league's COVID protocol list. Blackwood was the first member of the Devils opening day roster to be placed on the list prior to a game on Jan. 21.

Blackwood's total time on the list spanned 12 days and required three negative tests within 24 hours apart in order to be removed, according to the league's policies.

Sabres added to league's list

The last two games played by New Jersey were in Buffalo, and the Sabres have also been impacted since. Rasmus Ristolainen and former Devil Taylor Hall have been added to the league's COVID protocol.

Hall and Ristolainen join nine of the Devils players in protocol as players who all participated in Sunday's Devils-Sabres game, the last action for either team.

Further contact tracing forced postponements of the Sabres games against the Islanders on Tuesday and Thursday.

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Two Islanders games postponed due to COVID protocol

By Associated PressFebruary 2, 2021 | 7:12PM

Barry Trotz livid as Islanders fall: ‘Pissing me off’

The Islanders have had two games scheduled for this week postponed after the Sabres, late Tuesday, became the latest NHL team to be shut down due to players in COVID protocol.

The league announced the Sabres have been shut down through at least Monday after two players were added to the COVID-19 protocol list. Buffalo played two games over the weekend against the Devils, who are off through at least Saturday with 10 players on the list.

The Islanders’ games against the Sabres, scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday at Nassau Coliseum, were postponed. Tuesday’s game already had been postponed because the snowstorm that hit the East Coast postponed the Sabres’ flight until Tuesday, which altered COVID- 19 testing and contact tracing and led to the postponement.

New York Post LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182937 New York Islanders "I think we’re in a pretty good frame of mind, actually," Trotz said. "We’ll get one day away from the game. If things aren’t going really well, it can sometimes linger. When we get back, we’ve got to be ready to go."

COVID-19 outbreak on Devils leads to Islanders-Sabres postponements Trotz said an "emphasis" during these practices will be on special teams. The Islanders’ power play was 2-for-18 on the road trip.

Notes & quotes: Anthony Beauvillier (injured reserve/lower body) has By Andrew Gross resumed skating but did not participate fully in Tuesday’s practice. Said Trotz: "He’s working through his rehab."

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.03.2021 The Devils’ COVID-19 outbreak and its subsequent impact on the Sabres after those teams played two games this weekend in Buffalo has forced the first postponements of the Islanders’ season.

The NHL announced on Tuesday that all Sabres’ games through at least Monday have been postponed. That includes scheduled games at Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

The Sabres’ Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen were added to the NHL’s COVID-protocol list on Tuesday. The Devils’ list of players in league protocol grew to 14 with Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith and Matt Tennyson added and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood finally cleared.

"The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups, who determined that more caution was warranted while the League continues to analyze test results in the coming days," the NHL said in announcing the Sabres’ postponements. "The team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed until further notice."

Island Ice: Newsday's podcast about the Islanders. Island Ice: Newsday's podcast about the Islanders.

Island Ice Ep. 68: What's gone wrong so far, Sabres-Isles with Mike Harrington, Andrew's Answers

Andrew Gross talks about what's gone wrong for the Islanders to start the season, plus Sabers-Isles series preview with Buffalo News beat writer Mike Harrington, and Andrew's Answers.

The NHL there was no timetable to announce the rescheduled games but "a decision on next week’s games will be made in the coming days."

Tuesday’s game was supposed to be the start of a three-game homestand and a stretch of five of six at home for the struggling Islanders, who completed an 0-3-2 road trip with Sunday’s overtime loss in Philadelphia.

"Yeah, absolutely," captain Anders Lee said when asked if the postponement was disappointing. "We’re excited to get home, get on our home ice and get back to playing the way we want to and righting the ship. As we know, a lot of this stuff, we’ve got to be flexible. It’s understood. Follow the protocol. Whenever our next game is, we’ll be ready to go."

That will now be Saturday against the Penguins at the Coliseum.

The Sabres were unable to travel from Buffalo as scheduled on Monday because of the winter storm that dumped up to 20 inches of snow on Long Island. Their rescheduled flight for Tuesday morning also was scrubbed to allow more time for contact tracing and testing and to keep the Sabres from potentially being quarantined on the road.

It was just another reminder how fragile this 56-game regular season is amid the ongoing pandemic.

"We’ve seen it a few times in the league and we’re a part of it," said Islanders coach Barry Trotz, after putting his team through an impromptu practice on Tuesday once the team learned at 9 a.m. that night’s game had been postponed. "We just adjusted."

The Devils’ Travis Zajac was placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list on Friday and did not travel with the team to Buffalo. At that point, the Devils had three players unavailable because of COVID protocol. Kyle Palmieri played for the Devils on Saturday but then missed Sunday’s game when he was added to the list. Pavel Zacha, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod and Andreas Johnsson played both games for the Devils and were placed on the protocol list on Monday.

So, the Islanders now have a few more unexpected practice days ahead. 1182938 New York Islanders

Second Islanders, Sabres Clash Postponed Due to COVIDPublished 8 hours ago on February 2, 2021

By Christian Arnold

The New York Islanders will have to wait until Saturday to turn things around after a rough five-game road trip.

Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres was postponed just hours after the NHL had to postpone their Tuesday matchup at Nassau Coliseum with Buffalo. Weather-related travel delays prevented the proper COVID contact tracing and testing protocols to take place and Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen were put on the COVID protocol list Tuesday evennning.

Buffalo’s season is on pause until atleast Feb. 8 and the league is working to reschedule those game, which included what was supposed to be Thursday’s second game of the year between the Islanders and Buffalo.

“Going into this year we understood that something like this might happen,” Anders Lee said before news of Thursday’s cancellation broke. “And it’s come into our schedule now. Now we just adjust and go forward.”

What this all means for the Islanders is that they won’t play again until Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders have managed to stay away from any COVID issues during the course of this season so far.

Up until Tuesday, their only direct brush with any virus related issues was when Josh Bailey was briefly put on the COVID protocol list. He was quickly cleared from it.

“I think you just want to be safe and obviously you don’t want to have this turn into something where we have a bunch of guys coming down with it,” Lee said. “Just one of those things you kind of take the safe way. Obviously canceling today’s game is one step forward in that and I think everyone is just trying to make the right decisions here.

“Like everything else you just want guys to be safe.”

The Islanders will play three of their next four games at home beginning with Saturday’s matchup with Pittsburgh. Only their Monday showdown with the New York Rangers will be on the road during that span.

“We’re excited to get home and get on our home ice,” Lee said. “Get back to playing the way we want to and righting the ship. As we know with a lot of this stuff we have to be flexible. It’s understood and just follow protocol and that stuff. We’ll figure this out and whenever our next game is we’ll be ready to go.”

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182939 New York Rangers While playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League, DeAngelo was twice suspended for violating the league’s harassment, abuse and diversity policy — at least once after using an unspecified slur against a teammate. And he was suspended once in juniors and again with the Rangers Demote Top Player and Say He Won’t Be Back Arizona Coyotes for abuse of an official.

The Rangers acquired DeAngelo, a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014, from the Coyotes in June 2017 as part of a trade for By Allan Kreda center Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta.

Gorton said the team had done its research on DeAngelo at that time. Tony DeAngelo was sent to the Rangers’ practice unit on Monday, one “We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people about Tony prior to day after the team waived the high-priced defenseman, who was on the acquiring him,’’ Gorton said. “We did our homework, we felt comfortable. ice as his team surrendered four goals in a 5-4 overtime loss on Saturday If you look at his track record on the ice with us I think you know his to the Pittsburgh Penguins. season spoke for itself last year. There’s been a few things along the way DeAngelo, 25, signed a two-year, $9.6 million contract extension in but really nothing that would suggest anything from his past and junior. October after a season in which he scored 15 goals and had 53 points, There’s been nothing like that that’s ever come up with us.” both career highs, in 68 games. He had only one assist and a minus-six SLAP SHOTS rating in six games this season for the Rangers, who improved to 3-4-2 after Monday’s win over Pittsburgh. The Rangers’ game Saturday against the Devils has been postponed as part of the schedule changes caused by the Devils’ having 10 players on According to multiple news reports, DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar the N.H.L.’s Covid-19 protocols list. The Devils will not play until at least Georgiev had a physical confrontation after Saturday night’s loss. Just Saturday. The Rangers also added Kaapo Kakko, a second-year before Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal, DeAngelo forward, to the Covid-19 list. and Georgiev appeared to have a miscommunication over handling the puck behind the Rangers’ net. New York Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 “We had an incident that happened,” Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton said. “It’s in our room, we’re dealing with it. This is one of the ways we’re dealing with it. Our team is ready to move on.”

After DeAngelo cleared waivers Monday, the Rangers had the option of sending him to their A.H.L. affiliate in Hartford, Conn., assigning him to the Rangers’ practice unit or releasing him outright.

Assigning DeAngelo to the Hartford Wolf Pack would have subtracted $1.075 million from his $4.8 million salary-cap hit. The Rangers have no opportunity to buy out the remainder of DeAngelo’s contract until the summer.

Instead, the Rangers will pursue a trade.

“He has played his last game for the Rangers,’’ Gorton said. “What happens going forward, I don’t have the answer for that. He’s been assigned to our taxi squad. We’ll look right now to see if there’s another place for him to play.”

Rangers Coach Davd Quinn had benched DeAngelo twice over the past three seasons, most recently for two games after he incurred an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for slamming the penalty box door and yelling at referees late in an opening-night loss to the Islanders.

Gorton said he spoke with DeAngelo after that game and indicated that if there were further issues, “the time is going to come where we’re going to put you on waivers and move on.”

“I just felt like this was becoming a distraction and we’re trying to stay true to our word here,” Gorton said.

DeAngelo has been involved in controversies on and off the ice during his career. DeAngelo has played down the severity of the coronavirus on social media. He took down his Twitter page in January and said he would be joining Parler, the app some conservatives began using after Facebook and Twitter began flagging posts for misinformation.

His opinions on social media weren’t a factor in the decision to waive DeAngelo, the team’s second-highest-paid defenseman by average annual value, Rangers President John Davidson said.

“I think there’s a fine line obviously with social media but there’s also freedom of speech and we certainly watch what our players say and do on social media,’’ Davidson said. “But that had nothing to do with this.”

Davidson added that he had spoken to DeAngelo and wanted to help him.

“Some time ago, I had Tony into my office at the training center,” Davidson said. “We had a real good conversation and my feeling was that with Tony we had to try to help Tony. Tony’s got a lot of good attributes. Sometimes he gets in his own way, which has happened again. And we had to make it clear that if something came up again, that something’s going to happen. And that’s exactly what happened.” 1182940 New York Rangers 40 minutes of Monday’s contest that featured almost no open ice. Hence, No. 13 got only three shifts worth 2:17 in the third and finished with a career low of 9:00 of ice time.

The glaring red flag that makes Tony DeAngelo radioactive after Rangers 8. Ryan Strome, who was among the NHL leaders for forwards taking dismissal minor penalties last season, has corrected the issue. Strome, who took 24 penalties while drawing only seven, has been charged with only one minor so far while drawing two, according to Evolving-Hockey. Pavel Buchnevich leads the team in positive differential, drawing five minors By Larry BrooksFebruary 2, 2021 | 2:34pm | Updated while taking none. Brendan Lemieux, plus-11 last year (18/29), is plus- two (3/5). Artemi Panarin, Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren are also plus- two. Chris Kreider, minus-two last year (14/16) is the leader on the wrong Regarding the Rangers, who enter the Big Boy portion of the schedule side of the chart, with a minus-four (0/4). when the Caps visit the Garden on Thursday. 9. Kreider, though, is second on the team in hits, his 21 trailing Jacob 1. What must those teams across Major League Baseball and the NFL Trouba’s 33, per the same website. Phil DiGiuseppe is third with 20. who routinely sign, trade for and keep known domestic violence Lindgren has absorbed the most hits with 21, while Lafreniere is next at offenders be thinking about the Rangers’ dismissal of Tony DeAngelo for, 19. issues? New York Post LOADED: 02.03.2021 2. There was some disconnect, was there not, in hearing about all the affection that management, the head coach, and his former teammates have for the defenseman while announcing his summary dismissal from the organization?

3. Perhaps it would be in DeAngelo’s best interests to enter an anger management program as a first step toward NHL re-entry and not merely as a PR maneuver. Verbal outbursts such as the one during the opener were, if not commonplace, then not particularly isolated. DeAngelo is going to need to provide a reason and some cover for an organization to take him on at this point. The Rangers did not take this action because of his social media activity, but rest assured that his history on those platforms is the red flag staring every organization in the face. He might be the most radioactive player in (or not in) the NHL since Sean Avery was waived out of the league in 2011-12.

Tony DeAngelo will not play again for the Rangers.

4. And in addition to everything else, the Rangers and Mika Zibanejad are set up for a contract negotiation this summer in advance of the final season of his deal and prospective 2022 unrestricted free agency, and how in the world is management going to approach this if No. 93 does not turn his year around? Six straight games without a point for No. 93, who has one goal and one assist for the first nine games. After shooting a slightly out of whack 19.7 percent last year (and an entirely out of whack 26.4 percent in recording 23 goals on 87 shots over the season’s final 22 games, though Steve Vickers converted at a 29.6 rate while scoring 29 goals in 1979-80), Zibanejad has scored on one of 30 shots thus far. Parts of Monday were a bit better, Zibanejad appeared to have the puck more often, but the Rangers have no chance if they don’t get a reasonable facsimile of the player No. 93 was in 2019-20. The Rangers’ long-term second center situation is problematic enough. Now imagine if they don’t have a long-term first center. Or maybe better off that you don’t.

5. The Blueshirts are not hurting for organizational depth on defense, but so much of it is rooted in prospects unavailable to the varsity. So while the team waits for Nils Lundkvist, Matt Robertson, Zac Jones, Braden Schneider, et al., there is the matter of at least temporarily replacing three of the seven defensemen on the opening roster. DeAngelo is one. Jack Johnson, sidelined with a groin issue, is two. Brendan Smith, who suffered an upper-body injury when he took the brunt of a first-period open-ice check on Brandon Tanev on Monday, is three. If neither Johnson nor Smith can play Thursday when the Caps visit the Garden, Libor Hajek would presumably get the call to join Anthony Bitetto on the third pair. If another defenseman goes down, though, who would be next? Tarmo Reunanen, maybe? And maybe, big picture, it would serve the Rangers just as well to get extended looks at Hajek and Reunanen. According to our best information, the Blueshirts are not in the hunt for St. Louis’ apparently expendable 24-year-old lefty Vince Dunn.

6. So after going 3-4-2 while playing their first nine games against the Penguins, Sabres, Islanders and Devils, four teams who with the Rangers comprise the lower section of the [corporate name deleted] Eastern division, the Blueshirts will play 10 of their 11 remaining games in February against the upper crust. There will be four against the Bruins and three against both the Flyers and Caps, with one tossed in against the Islanders. Boston, Philadelphia and Washington are a combined 19- 4-6 overall that includes a 13-2-4 record against the lower section.

7. Alexis Lafreniere’s effectiveness has dipped a bit in the last two games. He wasn’t involved or around the puck as often as usual through 1182941 New York Rangers

Post-Tony DeAngelo Rangers may be ready for a reversal of fortunes

By Colin Stephenson

After enduring an emotional 48 hours and playing their most impressive third period of the season to lock down their 3-1 win Monday over the Pittsburgh Penguins, it’s reasonable to ask whether the Rangers — with the Tony DeAngelo saga behind them — could now be poised to turn their sluggish start around.

"We got five out of six points in the last three games [2-0-1], so we’re starting to get things going in the right direction,’’ coach David Quinn said Monday after the game. "Guys felt really good about the win tonight. There was a good feel in the locker room before the game, and there was a great feeling after the game. And we’ve got to carry it over.’’

The team got the day off Tuesday and will return to practice Wednesday to prepare to face the Washington Capitals for the first time this season on Thursday at the Garden. Their scheduled away game in Newark Saturday against the Devils has been postponed, because the Devils have 14 players currently on their COVID-19 list. That means the Rangers (3-4-2) are in the midst of a seven-game homestand.

Despite all his offensive capabilities, cutting ties with DeAngelo after he reportedly got into a fight with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev following the 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins Saturday could actually improve the team on the ice. Regardless of whether his presence in the locker room had become a distraction, his on-ice performance had clearly been a liability for the Rangers.

To be fair, DeAngelo’s partners on the third defense pair — either Jack Johnson or Brendan Smith — had not played well, either. But DeAngelo wasn’t exactly lifting his partners with his own play. He was a team-worst minus-6, having been on for three Rangers goals during five-on-five play, versus nine goals against. And while he was never known as a defensive stalwart, his offensive abilities generally covered up for his defensive liabilities. But in his six games this season, he had just one assist, that on a power play.

Without him, the Rangers turned to Island Park native Anthony Bitetto to step in on the third pair. And despite losing his partner, Smith — he left the game late in the first period after a collision with Pittsburgh’s Brandon Tanev — Bitetto acquitted himself just fine in his Rangers debut. He had four hits, two blocked shots, one minor penalty, one takeaway and no giveaways in 14:51 of ice time.

"I thought Bitetto played well,’’ Quinn said. "Listen, you go down to five ‘D’ that early in the game, it’s not easy. And especially for a guy who hasn’t played in a long time. I thought he did a good job. I really did. I thought our ‘D’ all . . . responded under difficult circumstances.’’

The biggest turnaround, though, was how they played in the third period. Tied 1-1 entering the third, the Rangers got the winner on a power-play tip-in by Chris Kreider, off Adam Fox’s shot, at 11:10 of the third. And then, after having blown third-period leads in four of their previous five games, they held on to this one. Artemi Panarin added an empty-net goal at the buzzer for the final score.

"I think we just played smart and we were able to play in their end a little bit,’’ Fox said when asked what the difference was. "And then, you’ve got to do things like blocking shots. ‘Key’ [K’Andre Miller] had a big block there that saved a goal. And I just think that we were able to play a little smarter, [and] not give them as many chances as we did, especially the last game.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.03.2021

1182942 Ottawa Senators Getting Chabot back was big for the Senators because Smith certainly didn’t feel that was a possibility when he spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon in Edmonton.

SNAPSHOTS: Senators goalie Matt Murray gets the night off in “He’s day to day. He skated again (Tuesday),” Smith said. “He’s our best Edmonton puck mover, power-play guy and all of the above.”

Defenceman Christian Wolanin missed his third game in a row with his own unspecified injury. Bruce Garrioch “We expect he’ll skate, hopefully, in Montreal,” Smith said. “He’s a guy we miss back there big time just from a puck movement (standpoint). I thought he was really starting to come into his own in this league for a D.J. Smith decided to scrap his practice of making people wait until the guy that missed a year with injury.” goaltender comes down the tunnel to name his starter Tuesday night at Rogers Place.

Yes, it was a little bit of a surprise to see backup Marcus Hogberg in the THE LAST WORDS Ottawa Senators’ net. Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse was part of a rebuilding team with As the Senators tried to end an eight-game winless skid in the finale of the Oilers and knows the difficulty the Senators are going through right this two-game series against the Edmonton Oilers, Matt Murray, the now. The Oilers had a lot of lean years and Nurse knows how hard it is club’s top netminder, spent extra time on the ice following the optional on Ottawa players to have such a difficult start to the season. skate, doing work with goalie coach Pierre Groulx. “As a player, you don’t think of it that way at all,” Nurse said. “Any player Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed to a four-year, $25- who plays in this league, every single time you put on your jersey and go million deal in October, the 27-year-old Murray has a whopping 4.82 out there on the ice, you want to win. goals-against average and a lousy .849 save-percentage that is the NHL’s second-worst. It’s only eclipsed by Hogberg’s .845-save “When that puck drops, there is no thinking of rebuild or anything like percentage. that. When the puck drops, what you want to do is win. That’s why guys are in this position and playing in this league, because they’re A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, Murray had a long competitors. All they care about is winning. chat with Smith on Monday afternoon. He was yanked Sunday after giving up three goals on nine shots. “Are they rebuilding? Yeah, but you could go through that whole room and ask them: When that puck drops, do they care about rebuild or not? That’s not where their mind is. Their mind is on winning the game and that’s all that matters.” “It’s maintenance day for Matt to get out there, get work, get ready and to have him feeling good going forward,” Smith said Tuesday afternoon. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021 “This is a lot of games in a short amount of time and my job is to put guys in the best spots to succeed.

“Right now this is a good work day for him. (Murray) felt good (Monday), he was good. And we’ve got to put him in a spot where we can play good in front of them. We think (Tuesday was) a good day to get some work, get some rest and be ready for the next one.”

People are pointing to all kinds of issues with the Senators, but the biggest one is in net. Unless that changes consistently, the Senators’ fortunes likely won’t, either.

The Senators had a practice Monday and an optional skate Tuesday, but they’re flying from Edmonton to Montreal on Wednesday, so they won’t be on the ice at all. Murray will have a morning skate Thursday to get ready for facing the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.

That was why getting some work done Tuesday was paramount. As Smith noted, Murray is here to be a long-term solution and that’s why his game to improve.

Smith said he “had a good talk with him (Tuesday)” and he wanted to make sure that Murray knew he was brought in to be part of building long-term success. Smith told Murray that meant the Senators would bringing more young players into the lineup as the season goes on.

“I’ve never changed from when I got here, that we want this team to be set up so it can be good for 10 years,” Smith said. “Slowly, we’re integrating more and more young guys. And (Murray’s) going to be the goalie when this team is the team that we know it can be, he’s going to be the guy holding them every day.

“You have to manage his load and you can’t just expect him to go in there and steal every single game and put all the pressure on him. He’s a guy that we have to work to develop through our group as well.”

CHABOT MAKES HIS RETURN

Thomas Chabot was on the ice for the optional skate Tuesday, and then made a surprising return to the Ottawa roster Tuesday night.

He crashed into the net during the Senators’ game in Vancouver last Thursday. It was thought that he needed a little more time to rest his unspecified injury. He wasn’t expected to return until the club arrived in Montreal to face the Habs. 1182943 Ottawa Senators start Tuesday’s game with veteran centre Chris Tierney and rookie winger Drake Batherson.

This shortened season in the all-Canadian North division is the perfect GARRIOCH: Tim Stuetzle is here to stay after suiting up for his seventh NHL baptism for Stuetzle. It will get him used to the rigours of playing in game of the NHL season the NHL during the 56-game season and he’ll be well prepared next season if the NHL is able to find a way to playing a full 82-game schedule.

Bruce Garrioch This season also allows him to get comfortable in his surroundings and to learn the defensive part of the game.

No, the losing at the start of the season hasn’t been easy for anybody, Tim Stuetzle isn’t going anywhere. but Smith noted this opportunity was giving Stuetzle a chance to form The Ottawa Senators top selection in the National Hockey League draft bonds with players like Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Josh Norris and in October reached a small milestone when he suited up for the seventh Batherson. These guys are the building blocks of the team. game of his career Tuesday night at Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton.

Once the 19-year-old Stuetzle, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, stepped “He realizes how hard he’s going to have to train in the summer, how on the ice for his shift, that meant the first season of the three-year entry- hard he’s going to have to play to be one of those guys, and I see every level contract he signed in January kicked in and a year of eligibility for attribute that he’s going to be one of them,” Smith said. “He’s (in the waivers also ticked off the clock. league) younger than almost any player who’s in our division has been. But the reality was that Stuetzle wasn’t going anywhere, having shown “As good as (centre Elias) Pettersson is in Vancouver, he wasn’t even in he could play in the NHL. the NHL at (Stuetzle’s) age. Fifty-six games to see all the players, see “He’s an offensive player who can score off the rush for sure and he just how hard the league is perfect, and it’s (good) that he’s in the lineup needs to continue to get better in the offensive-zone play, holding onto every night. He’s getting to learn on the fly. He’s developing a pucks and some of his stick lifts,” Senators head coach D.J. Smith said camaraderie with Brady, Norris and Batherson. These losses are tough Tuesday afternoon on a Zoom call from Edmonton. “He’s getting better in on them, but they’re going to be better for it.” every practice. He didn’t have training camp with us, and then no Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021 exhibition games.

“I can’t think of the last time a player like of that calibre, a high-end player, had no training camp, no exhibition games and has done as well as he’s done on the fly. He gets better every day, he’s really coachable, he’s a fun-loving kid that’s smiling all the time. He’s going to be a good player for us for a long time. As he continues to get bigger and stronger, people will be excited to watch this team play.”

Yes, there are some who believe the Senators shouldn’t have allowed the contract to toll a year, but it makes zero sense to send Stuetzle back to Adler Mannheim in the German league. That country is currently in lockdown and there are no guarantees the DEL will even finish its season with rinks empty.

Quite frankly, I doubt Senators general manager Pierre Dorion spent much time thinking about the possibility of returning Stuetzle to Mannheim. Sure, the organization would have had discussions about it, however, it probably didn’t get much in the way of serious consideration.

Edmonton's Kailer Yamamoto (56) celebrates a goal by Dominik Kahun (not seen) against Ottawa netminder Matt Murray on Sunday night. Murray was pulled after allowing three goals in the first period.

While Stuetzle could be sent to their American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, the Senators agreed when they secured his release from his contract in Mannheim last month that, if he wasn’t kept in Ottawa, he would be sent back to Germany.

When the Senators took Stuetzle as high as they did in the draft, they were convinced he could play in the NHL this season, and that’s certainly been the case. He doesn’t need to develop overseas, he needs to get used to playing the North American game and any thinking otherwise just doesn’t wash.

“He’s playing against the best players in the world every night, he’s got two goals in six games, he’s gotten chances on the power play and it’s not like you’re seeing .500 hockey teams that missed the playoffs last year,” Smith said. “Every single night, you’re seeing the best players in the world and he’s watching it on display.”

The Senators are still trying to figure out the best fit is for Stuetzle. In yhe first two games, he played beside veteran centre Derek Stepan before an injury sidelined him for a couple of games. Since Stuetzle returned, it’s been a work in progress.

With Ottawa in an eight-game winless skid (0-7-1), Smith has tried several different line combinations with Stuetzle. He was scheduled to 1182944 Ottawa Senators

Start of Belleville Senators season delayed, again

Ken Warren

The Belleville Senators continue to skate in circles in Ottawa, waiting for government approval to allow American Hockey League games to be played in Canada.

Late Monday, the AHL announced an indefinite delay on its original plan for the five teams in Canada — Belleville, the Toronto Marlies, the Laval Rocket, the Manitoba Moose and the Stockton Heat (currently based in Calgary) — to begin play on Feb. 5.

It’s a decision that could prompt Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion to recall prospects including Erik Brannstrom, Logan Brown and/or Alex Formenton.

While the rest of the AHL is set to begin play this weekend — pending on-going COVID-19 concerns — it’s believed the current stay-at-home emergency in Ontario is holding up scheduling for the Canadian teams. The current order expires on Feb. 9.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has returned to play in a weekend bubble tournament format and last week the Alberta government cleared the way for Western Hockey League teams based in that province to play games beginning on Feb. 26.

Senators forward Tim Stuetzle celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Oilers in Sunday's game at Edmonton.

Edmonton's Kailer Yamamoto (56) celebrates a goal by Dominik Kahun (not seen) against Ottawa netminder Matt Murray on Sunday night. Murray was pulled after allowing three goals in the first period.

The Belleville Senators have been skating at Canadian Tire Centre ever since the parent Ottawa Senators made their final roster and taxi squad decisions following training camp, wondering and waiting when they could start playing games inside the arena.

That game inactivity, coupled with Ottawa’s weak start to the season, could alter the original plans for top Senators prospects.

Dorion could flip some players to and from the six-player taxi squad, but a seven-day quarantine period would be required after any move. The Senators’ current seven-game road trip ends following Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. After a three-game homestand, the Senators will be in Winnipeg on Feb. 11 and Feb. 13 and in Toronto on Feb. 15.

Defenceman Jonathan Aspirot and forward Matthew Peca, currently on the taxi squad, have yet to play in an NHL game and could be candidates to go to the AHL.

It may not be smooth sailing for the AHL schedule south of the border, either.

The Binghamton Devils are practising alongside the parent New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Centre in Newark, but the Devils’ weekend games have been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.

Binghamton was also scheduled to play at the Prudential Center on the weekend.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182945 Philadelphia Flyers The Wells Fargo Center has had many Flyers and 76ers games without fans at the start of their respective seasons, though the Flyers have hosted an honored COVID-19 frontline worker and his/her family at each home game. Wells Fargo Center gets high health-safety rating, raising hopes fans can attend Flyers, Sixers games this season “For the Flyers, our fans are the heart and soul of the franchise,” Camillo said. “Every sports team says that, but in Philly, we know it means something real.” by Sam Carchidi, The Flyers had the best home record (25-6-4) in the NHL last season. The Sixers were 31-4 at home last season.

“Our fans bring an intimidating passion and energy to each game,” Wells Fargo Center gets high health-safety rating, raising hopes fans can Camillo said. “… For a lot of people, getting back to a Flyers game at the attend Flyers, Sixers games this season Wells Fargo Center with friends and loved ones is going to be an Wells Fargo Center executives are calling it an important step toward important part of healing and moving on from this pandemic, and we take welcoming Flyers and 76ers fans back to the arena later in their that very seriously.” respective seasons this year. Once fans are allowed back in the building, the Wells Fargo Center will The arena has been awarded the WELL health-safety rating for facility have specific guidelines on masks, the amount of distance required operations and management. It is a science-based, third-party-verified between spectators, and other instructions. evaluation of the venue’s health and safety protocols. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.03.2021 The International WELL Building Institute awards the rating, which accesses new and existing buildings’ policies, protocols, and emergency plans to address pandemic challenges and broader health and safety issues in the future.

According to a Wells Fargo Center spokesperson, a WELL health-safety rating gives spectators confidence that a venue has implemented a comprehensive, best-in-class response plan to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The health and safety of our guests, employees, athletes, and entertainers is our top priority — that’s why we’ve been working around the clock to ensure Wells Fargo Center is ready to welcome fans back later this year,” said Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center.

Camillo said the decision on whether fans can attend is a “collaborative effort” between public health officials at the city and state level, team and league officials, and health and safety leaders at the Wells Fargo Center.

She said she would like to see the Wells Fargo Center get back to full capacity — around 20,000 — “as soon and as safely as we can. It would be great if we could do that for the playoffs this season.”

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Gritty to be alone while watching Flyers games from the stands at the Wells Fargo Center.

Camillo said that the plan was for a smaller amount of fans to initially be brought back when permitted, and that the number would hopefully increase down the road.

The arena, she added, will “continue to follow the guidance of public health officials at the city, state, and national levels so that we’re ready to welcome fans back.”

The rating follows health and safety advancements made to the Wells Fargo Center, including a recently completed, $11 million upgrade of its HVAC system with filtration that replaces all the air in the arena’s seating bowl every 30 minutes.

“That’s a very, very high [air] turnover after running it through the filters, and it sounds very promising,” said Charles Haas, department chairman of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Drexel University.

Experts say that any filter with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value of 13 is considered very good. The Wells Fargo’s MERV rating is between 13 and 14.

The arena has also instituted comprehensive sanitation protocols, including new systems to reduce contact points between staff and guests, new technology to support contactless ticket scanning and concession transactions, and new crowd management protocols.

Cleanliness is important, said Haas, but the air-filtration system is the biggest factor in evaluating the health risks for fans in a building.

“The key is the air,” he said. “The surface cleaning and plexiglass barriers are somewhat less important. It’s upping the ventilation that is one of the dominating factors in improving the quality.” 1182946 Philadelphia Flyers Flyers center Sean Couturier is currently sidelined with a rib injury. Flyers center Sean Couturier is currently sidelined with a rib injury.

Fletcher wants his forwards to have a “different mindset and different GM Chuck Fletcher likes Flyers’ record so far, but knows his team hasn’t approach if we’re going to be successful as the schedule continues into played as well as it suggests February, March, and April, when teams start to tighten up. It will be difficult to be successful with the way we’re playing right now.” by Sam Carchidi, The Flyers’ next four games – two against Boston (6-1-2), two in Washington (6-1-3) – will show how they stand against upper-echelon teams. The Flyers are tied with Washington atop the East Division, one point ahead of Boston. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher is happy with his team’s 7-2-1 start, but he doesn’t have his head in the sand. “They are right with us in the standings,” said left winger James van Riemsdyk, who leads the Flyers with 13 points. “As we know, this year He knows his team hasn’t played as well as its record might suggest, with every game being within the division, there’s different swings that which is why he called the first 10 games a “mixed bag.” can happen. It makes the games that much more important when you are “At the end of the day, it’s going to be a very tight race. A 56-game sprint jockeying for position.” to try to make the playoffs,” he said in a conference call with reporters Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.03.2021 Tuesday, “and anytime you can bank 15 points over your first 10 games, you have to be happy with the results.”

But ...

“I’m not sure the process is where we want it to be,” added Fletcher, whose team will host Boston on Wednesday and Friday and try to avenge a pair of losses to the Bruins. ”I’m not sure we’re playing at the level we want to be, and I think it’s a good thing. I don’t think anybody in our room is fooled by our record. I think our coaches understand the work we need to do to get better.”

Despite their uneven play and getting badly outshot in nine of 10 games, the Flyers have been the definition of opportunistic.

“I guess what I respect about this group is we find a way, and the will to win is high,” Fletcher said. “Again, there’s certain areas of our game that clearly need to get better, but every night somebody steps up or some element of our game allows us to get the win. The last four games our penalty kill has been much improved. We’ve had games where our power play’s had a big impact. Obviously our goaltenders have been consistently good for us and they give us a chance.”

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart making a save against the Islanders on Jan. 30.

Fletcher liked the way the Flyers played and the physicality they showed in their 4-3 overtime win Sunday over the New York Islanders.

“We got our forecheck going for the first time and we were able to make the Islanders defend a little bit more than they’d had to defend against us in the past,” he said.

Fletcher said the defense has played “better than I expected” and praised the play provided by Shayne Gostisbehere, Phil Myers, Ivan Provorov, and Travis Sanheim.

He wants to see improved 200-foot play from the guys up front.

“Our group of forwards to me haven’t played at the level they need to play at,” Fletcher said. “I think they’ve made the game extremely difficult for our defensemen and for our goaltenders.”

Fletcher said star center Sean Couturier, sidelined with a rib injury, should return in seven to 10 days.

He wants his other forwards to have better situational awareness, “and that starts with puck management in the neutral zone, our ability to get pucks behind their D and establish a forecheck, and our desire to occasionally shoot the puck at the other team’s net,” he said. “I think we have a group of players that likes to make plays. The positive side to that is that we make some tremendous plays. Typically when we’re able to execute on the passes we make in the offensive zone, we give our teammates unbelievable looks at the net. We create a lot of high-danger chances. I think that’s one of the reasons our shooting percentage is so high. We make some incredible plays.

“The downside to doing that is we have a lot of one and dones. We have a lot of plays that get disrupted,” he said. “We allow easy transitions to the other team to come up the ice and often with an odd-man advantage. It puts a lot of pressure on our defensemen and goaltenders.” 1182947 Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.03.2021

Morgan Frost may miss rest of season; Flyers GM keeping door open for Matt Niskanen return

by Sam Carchidi,

Morgan Frost may miss rest of season; Flyers GM keeping door open for Matt Niskanen return

Center Morgan Frost, the Flyers’ top prospect, will undergo shoulder surgery in Colorado and may miss the rest of the season, general manager Chuck Fletcher said on Tuesday.

Fletcher said Frost would be sidelined for several months. “I don’t know if he’s a candidate to come back at any point this season,” Fletcher said. “I guess in my mind, I’m just hopeful for a full recovery and a great offseason and get him ready for next year. Maybe he’ll beat that timeline – we’ll have more information after the surgery is completed this week.”

Frost, 21, a first-round selection in 2017, replaced the injured Sean Couturier and played two games before dislocating his left shoulder when hit by Buffalo’s Jake McCabe in a Jan. 19 contest. At the time, the Flyers said he was sidelined indefinitely.

Last season, Frost was an All-Star selection with the AHL’s Phantoms, and he had seven points in 20 games with the Flyers. He had a strong training camp before this season.

In other injury news, right winger Wade Allison, ranked No. 3 by The Inquirer in its prospect ratings, had ankle surgery last week and will be sidelined four to five weeks before joining the Phantoms.

“Hopefully, we can fix something that’s been bothering him for a while,” Fletcher said.

Left winger Isaac Ratcliffe, another top prospect, had a rib injury that turned into a collapsed lung, Fletcher said. After two surgeries, he has returned to skating and will play for the Phantoms in about a month.

Matt Niskanen stabilized the Flyers defense last season.

Door is open for Niskanen

When Matt Niskanen unexpectedly retired after last season, the Flyers lost a top-pairing defenseman, a player who played in all situations, a leader in the locker room, and the only member of the Orange and Black to have a Stanley Cup ring.

No wonder, then, that Chuck Fletcher stays in touch with Niskanen, 34, and calls him every two weeks.

If there’s a chance Niskanen changes his mind, Fletcher said, he would welcome the veteran with open arms.

“But I think he’s having too much fun ice fishing,” Fletcher said in an interview Tuesday morning on SiriusXM’s NHL Network.

Later in the day, in a conference call with local reporters, Fletcher said, “Matt’s made it pretty clear he’s done playing, but we didn’t terminate his contract. We left open the possibility that if he did change his mind, we would be in a position to bring him back. It’s not something we’re counting on; he’s been pretty clear in his conversations with me that he’s enjoying where he’s at now and it was the right decision at the right time.”

Fletcher said Niskanen “had a massive impact on our team last year and really changed the trajectory of this franchise. We’re really indebted to him. I would have loved to have had him for one more year, but he made the choice he did and we respect it.”

JVR honored

Left winger James van Riemsdyk was named the East Division’s player of the month for January. He had 13 points, including five goals, and shared the league lead with four power-play tallies.

The NHL is also honoring frontline health-care workers each month, and Amanda and Josh Hathaway of Langhorne, Pa., were saluted. 1182948 Philadelphia Flyers While there have been conversations, Fletcher is fairly certain Niskanen is not coming back to the NHL, either as a player or some sort of consultant/advisor.

GM not completely satisfied with the Flyers’ fast start “(Niskanen) seems to be doing well, enjoying his time with his family,’’ Fletcher said. “Matt’s made it pretty clear he’s done playing. We didn’t terminate his contract – we left open that possibility if he did change his mind, we would be in a position to bring him back. Wayne Fishflyingfishhockey.com “But it’s not something we’re counting on.’’

JVR named player of month What’s not to like? Apparently the folks who vote for NHL monthly awards were paying The 7-2-1 Flyers are off to one of the fastest starts in their history and attention to the Flyers-Islanders game on Sunday night. they’re finding different ways to win on a nightly basis. In that game, van Riemsdyk sculpted the first four-assist performance of Sometimes it’s the goaltending. Other nights, like the 4-3 overtime win his career in Philadelphia’s overtime victory. against the Islanders, it’s crazy four-assist efforts from James van Riemsdyk. And then there are others where, for instance, Philippe Myers It capped a first month of the season in which he took the team scoring plays the best game of his NHL career. lead with five goals and 13 points.

So when pressed to find any fault with his team’s 10-game getaway, JVR registered a career-high 36 goals as recently as three years ago and general manager Chuck Fletcher didn’t have a very long list. isn’t known as a playmaker. Yet here he is with eight assists in just 10 games. “It’s been a mixed bag,’’ said Fletcher during a Tuesday afternoon media Zoom call. “We’re happy with our record. At the end of the day, it’s going Bucks family honored with JVR to be a 56-game sprint to try to make the playoffs. Sharing the NHL East honor with JVR was the Hatheway family of “Anytime you can bank 15 points over your first 10 games, you have to Langhorne – both parents (Amanda, Josh) are frontline healthy workers. be happy with the results. I’m not sure the process is where we want it to They were recently honored during a ceremony at the Wells Fargo be – not sure we’re playing at the level we want to be –and I think that’s a Center. good thing.’’ Amanda, a nurse at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, specializes in How come? family healthcare visits. She had to take a leave from her job recently after she was diagnosed with cancer. She received a bone marrow “I don’t think anybody in our room is fooled by our record,’’ Fletcher said. transplant and is now home recovering. “I think our coaches understand the work that we need to do to get better. Our play’s been a little bit uneven. Josh is an EMT who started with the Newtown Ambulance Unit and now is the clinical lead for all technicians at the St. Mary emergency room. “Having said all that, I think what I respect about this group is we find a way. The will to win is high. There are certain areas of our game that The couple has two children: Westin, 4, and Carson, 2. need to get better but every night somebody steps up that allows us to get the win.’’ Injury updates

Fletcher then cited some reasons why the Flyers have been so Fletcher said Sean Couturier (rib injury) is still about seven to 10 days successful, even though there are some unsightly stats, such as being from a return. Morgan Frost is scheduled to undergo surgery for his outgunned by a more than 100-shot margin. dislocated shoulder and is expected to be out for months. Prospect Wade Allison underwent ankle surgery and will miss at least another month. “Our last four games, our penalty kill has been much improved,’’ Fletcher said. “We’ve had games where our power play has a big impact. Our Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 goaltenders have been consistently good for us – they give us a chance.

“The other night we got our forecheck going for the first time. We were able to make the Islanders defend a bit more than they’ve had to defend us in the past. We’ve had a couple big goals in overtime. We haven’t played a consistent game we need to play eventually but we’re working our way through some things. At the end of the day, we’ve found ways to win.’’

Fletcher sounds happy with the work of his defense. In particular, he praised the performances of Myers and Shayne Gostisbehere.

“I think (the entire defense) have played better than I expected,’’ Fletcher said. “I guess I would suggest our group of forwards to me haven’t played to the level they need to play at. I think they’ve made the game extremely difficult for our defensemen and our goaltenders.

“There have been some players who have exceeded my expectations, namely Gostisbehere and Myers. I thought the game he played Sunday night was tremendous. I thought that was arguably his most impactful game as a pro.’’

Gostisbehere, just back after recovering from a case of COVID-19, has been placed on the first defense tandem with Ivan Provorov and looks like his old self so far.

“Shayne is playing as well as he’s played since I’ve been with the Flyers (November, 2018),’’ Fletcher said. “As a group, there hasn’t been perfection, but considering the pressure put on our defense and goaltenders, they’ve done a pretty job for us.’’

Talks with Niskanen

Fletcher disclosed he’s had talks on a bi-weekly basis with retired defenseman Matt Niskanen. 1182949 Philadelphia Flyers games. I felt it would take some time to get the group to where we wanted it to get to."

As for his disappointment with the forwards, Fletcher said it stemmed In assessing blueline depth, Chuck Fletcher keeping door open for Matt from early shortcomings with "situational awareness and ... puck Niskanen management in the neutral zone, our ability to get pucks behind their D and establish a forecheck, and our desire to occasionally shoot the puck at the other team’s net."

By Rob Parent [email protected] @ReluctantSE on "I think we have a group of players that likes to make plays," Fletcher Twitter 8 hrs ago Comments added. "The positive side to that is that we make some tremendous plays. Typically when we’re able to execute on the passes we make in

the offensive zone, we give our teammates unbelievable looks at the net. While praising the work of his defensemen, saying they have played We create a lot of high-danger chances. ... The downside to doing that is better than he'd expected, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher we have a lot of one and dones. We have a lot of plays that get admitted Tuesday that he's tried to rectify the club's biggest offseason disrupted. We allow easy transitions to the other team to come up the ice personnel hit ... losing Matt Niskanen. and often with an odd-man advantage. It puts a lot of pressure on our defensemen and our goaltenders. After one solid season partnering top defender Ivan Provorov, Niskanen called it a career late last summer despite having another year remaining "I think there has to be a different mindset and different approach if we’re on his contract. Niskanen, who turned 34 last month, had put in 12 years going to be successful as the schedule continues into February, March, with Dallas, Pittsburgh and Washington prior to his one outstanding and April when teams start to tighten up. It will be difficult to be Flyers season. successful with the way we’re playing right now."

Being away from his family, and the reality of playing under the • • • restrictions and risks of a pandemic, moved him to think that was James van Riemsdyk is off to a hot start, even though this is the first time enough. the 31-year-old is starting a season with a baby in the house. He credits But Fletcher thought it best to not take "no' as Niskanen's final answer. the smooth change to his wife, Lauren. Not yet, anyway. "She’s has been a rock star," JVR said of his better half. "This is "He seems to be doing well and enjoying his time with his family," said obviously our first time going through a season like this together with the Fletcher, who has kept in touch with Niskanen every few weeks or so. baby (daughter Scarlett Everly), who’s nine months old today. (Lauren's) "Matt’s made it pretty clear he’s done playing. (But) we didn’t terminate been great, letting me sleep in on game days and days after games, his contract and we left open the possibility that if he did change his which is pretty much every single day of the week now. She’s definitely mind, we would be in a position to bring him back. It’s not something holding down the fort, allowing me to put all my energy on recovering and we’re counting on. He’s been pretty clear in his conversations with me playing the best I can play." that he’s enjoying where he’s at right now and it was the right decision for Something's working, as van Riemsdyk was announced as the East him at the right time." Division Player of the Month. He took it in stride. Of course, in time, things could change, and quickly. All you needed for "I think you kind of look more at the end of a career where little stuff like proof was to see how targeted top-pair partner Shayne Gostisbehere was that is cool," said van Riemsdyk, who has five goals and 13 points in 10 struck with COVID-19 during the short training camp, forcing him to miss games. "As far as where I’m at, at this stage of my career, it’s certainly all the first six games of the season. about the team and winning a Stanley Cup, so that’s what I’m focused on Youthful Phil Myers could have been a replacement for Gostisbehere day in and day out." next to Provorov, but he was out for four games with a rib cartilage tear. Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 The risk of being exposed to the virus will be with every team through however long this shortened 56-game season takes. Having the chance to add a veteran defenseman, no matter how slim, is worth holding onto for as long as possible.

"He’s been pretty clear the times I’ve spoken to him," Fletcher said. "He’s put a lot of time into the NHL. He’s spent a lot of time preparing to be a player and competing. At this stage, he wanted to spend time with his family and just take a step back. That’s a conversation maybe for another time. At this point in time, I think the most important thing is to give Matt the space he needs to be with his family and thank him for what he did for us."

Citing a radio interview he gave earlier Tuesday, Fletcher added, "As I said earlier on the radio, however good you think he is as a player, he’s even better than that. He had a massive impact on our team last year and really helped change the trajectory of this franchise. We’re really indebted to him and would have loved to have him for one more year."

Niskanen's departure helped motivate Fletcher to sign free agent Erik Gustafsson. But with no exhibition games and not much of a training camp, it's clear Gustafsson could have used a lot more time to adjust to his new team.

"I think (Gustafsson) has played better the last two games he has played," Fletcher said. "Clearly (he) needs to improve and evolve."

Meanwhile, Fletcher cited Gostisbehere and Myers for their sharp recent play, and is hoping his defense can stay healthy.

"I think they’ve played better than I expected," he said of the D as a whole. "I guess I would suggest our group of forwards, to me, haven’t played at the level they need to play at. I think they’ve made the game extremely difficult for our defensemen and for our goaltenders. All things considered, I think the D have surpassed my expectations for the first 10 1182950 Philadelphia Flyers

One of Flyers' top prospects to have surgery; Couturier nearing return

/ by Jordan Hall

The window closed on Morgan Frost's opportunity with the Flyers this season as quickly as it opened.

With an injury to Sean Couturier in the second game of the 2020-21 campaign, the talented 21-year-old Frost jumped into the lineup. His opportunity lasted only two games as Frost suffered a dislocated left shoulder in the Flyers' 3-0 win over the Sabres on Jan. 19.

It appears likely that Frost's second game will be his last of this season. Frost is set to undergo shoulder surgery this week at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, and will miss multiple months.

"I don't know if he's a candidate to come back at any point this season," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Tuesday. "I guess in my mind I'm just hopeful for a full recovery and a great offseason and get him ready for next year. Maybe he can beat that timeline; we'll have more information after the surgery is completed."

The injury is an unfortunate halt to the development of Frost, who was just starting his second year of pro hockey. He was going to be a key depth option down the middle of the ice for the Flyers and would have been one of AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley's best players had he'd joined the Phantoms at some point.

Frost, who is arguably the Flyers' top prospect in their system, opened the season as the club's 13th forward. The playmaking center made a bang when he was called up to the Flyers in November 2019 for his NHL debut, scoring two goals and three points over his opening two games. He finished with seven points in 20 games.

Couturier, who is on injured reserve, is progressing in his recovery from a costochondral separation. The 2019-20 Frank J. Selke Trophy has been skating and practicing skill work since last Monday. The team should have a clearer picture in the next few days about Couturier's timeline, but the Flyers are hopeful he'll be back in seven to 10 days.

"Hopefully he'll be able to come back in the next week, I'm not 100 percent sure," Fletcher said Tuesday. "He skated today, he was shooting the puck today, he's made really good progress. I don't think he's quite day to day yet, but hopefully in the next seven to 10 days, he can be a player for us."

The Flyers host the Bruins on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET/NBCSN) and Friday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP) before they visit the Capitals for a two-game set over Sunday (noon ET/NBC) and Tuesday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Tuesday seems most likely for Couturier's return. Depending on how the 28-year-old center feels and if he can get cleared, maybe he'll try to give it a go Sunday.

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Flyers prospect recovering from collapsed lung

/ by Jordan Hall

Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe missed the big club's condensed training camp because of a fractured rib.

Turns out he was dealing with more than a fractured rib, which can't be pleasant to deal with in itself.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher explained on Tuesday that Ratcliffe's rib issue led to a collapsed lung and a couple of surgeries. The 6-foot-6 winger has been skating recently at Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey, and will eventually go to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley to play with the Phantoms, who begin their 38-game season on Saturday.

"He’s doing much better, he’s back skating," Fletcher said. "I think he’s still a few weeks away from being able to return to practice and probably a few weeks away from being able to return to play after that. ... He’s had a tough go; he’s in a much better spot now."

Ratcliffe, who turns 22 years old this month, was a 2017 second-round pick of the Flyers and scored 50 goals over his final junior hockey season with the OHL's Guelph Storm in 2018-19. Ratcliffe had six goals and nine assists in 53 regular-season games with the Phantoms last season, his first year of professional hockey.

Wade Allison, another prospect along the wing, underwent ankle surgery last week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and will be out four to six weeks. Allison, a 23-year-old turning pro after a four-year college career at Western Michigan, opened camp with the Flyers but had been nagged by the injury. His camp was cut short Jan. 8.

Allison was a candidate to crack the Flyers' roster at some point in 2020- 21. That will be much more difficult now with Allison having to make his way back and aiming for development time in Lehigh Valley.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182952 Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL’s medical staffers) making sure that they’re going to make the right decisions. I feel that they are. They’re doing a great job so far. We have to respect their decision and just be ready when the puck drops, whenever they tell us we’re going to play next.” Penguins remain on task despite so many diversions The Penguins are not oblivious to what has happened to them over the past week.

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, February 2, 2021 6:51 p.m. But they don’t seem interested in devoting much focus on it.

“We recognize we’re in a unique circumstance,” Sullivan said. “Our expectation going into this (season) was there was going to be In any other timeline, Tuesday would have been unusual for the distractions and uncontrollable that are going to come our way, just with Pittsburgh Penguins. the respect to the pandemic alone. From a sheer mindset standpoint, it’s But practicing at Madison Square Garden in the middle of bustling New not anything that our guys and coaching staff isn’t prepared for. When it York then flying home to Pittsburgh might have been relatively normal hits, the conversation usually revolves around this is what we were compared to their past seven days. talking about before the season. We’ve got to expect inconvenience.

To review, the past week for the Penguins included: “Uncontrollable circumstances are going to come our way, and we’ve got to react accordingly.” • General manager Jim Rutherford abruptly re-signing for reasons that remain unclear, at least publicly Tribune Review LOADED: 02.03.2021

• Newly signed defenseman Yannick Weber staging his own “Cannonball Run” by driving from Central Tennessee to Midtown Manhattan in order to join his new team

• Another injury on defense with All-Star Kris Letang being hobbled

• Having two of their upcoming home games postponed when the opponent, the New Jersey Devils, had 10 players land on the NHL’s list of covid-19 protocol-related absences

• Getting stuck in New York for one day after a Nor’Easter blasted the East Coast

Coach Mike Sullivan often implores his players to “control the controllables,” but that’s a lot of uncontrollables disrupting what they can control in a short period of time.

Regardless, his message remains the same.

“We’re focused on playing the game,” Sullivan said via video conference. “That’s what we talk to the players about. We’re going to control what we can, and that’s focusing on the hockey and the day-to-day process in trying to improve and get better. When the game comes, we’ve got to put our best game on the ice. We’ll learn from each experience, we’ll move by it and we’ll move to the next task at hand.”

The team’s captain echoed that tenant.

“You go through different things,” forward Sidney Crosby said. “Not specifically these things all kind of bunched together, but different experiences. You’ve just to focus on games and preparation. Block out everything else. We’ve done a pretty good job of that. We’ve played some pretty good hockey. It just comes down to executing and a few mistakes. It’s a pretty small margin of error in this league. For the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job of handling that.”

With games Tuesday and Thursday against the Devils postponed indefinitely, the Penguins will have four days between Monday’s 3-1 road loss to the New York Rangers and Saturday’s road game against the New York Islanders.

They’ve pledged to take full advantage of the respite.

“Coming into this season, we knew this was going to be a possibility, that we’d have to deal with this at some point, whether it was our team or a different team,” goaltender Casey DeSmith said. “So just take the next couple of days to rest up, get some really good practices in, improve the special teams, stuff like that. Just use the time for something positive.”

Considering how many injuries the Penguins are dealing with, particularly on the blue line, the chance to take a breather is welcomed, as well.

“We’re going to try to accomplish two things We’re going to try to get better in the areas where we need to improve and we’re going to try to give the players an opportunity to recover so, from an energy standpoint, we’re ready to play when the puck drops for the next game,” Sullivan said. “We’re looking at this as an opportunity for us to try to improve our overall team game in all different areas.”

Added forward Jason Zucker: “We obviously never want to miss games, but we had to expect it. We’re putting our trust in the league and the 1182953 Pittsburgh Penguins

Injured Penguins Zach Aston-Reese, Mike Matheson making progress

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, February 2, 2021 3:18 p.m.

Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese and defenseman Mike Matheson participated in the team’s practice Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Both remain on injured reserve but have been semi-regular presences at the Penguins’ irregular practice sessions as of late.

Aston-Reese is recuperating from offseason surgery on his left shoulder in mid-August, and Matheson has missed the past eight games because of an undisclosed injury.

Coach Mike Sullivan offered few details but plenty of optimism over their status.

“Mike Matheson and Zach, their progress I think is real encouraging,” Sullivan said via video conference. “They’re getting more involved in fully participating in practice. So that’s real encouraging from our standpoint.”

Defenseman Kris Letang did not practice. He missed Monday’s 3-1 road loss to the New York Rangers because of an undisclosed injury. His status has been termed “day to day.”

Roster moves

With the team off until Saturday, the Penguins assigned defenseman Kevin Czuczman and forward Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad and sent defenseman Will Reilly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Because of injuries to so many incumbent defenseman, Czuczman has been able to play in two of the Penguins’ last three games. He has no points, two shots and has averaged 11 minutes, 39 seconds of ice time per contest.

These games represent his first NHL action since he appeared in 13 games with the New York Islanders in 2013-14.

Given the nearly seven-year gap, primarily spent in the AHL, Czuczman has considerable appreciation for the rare opportunity.

“It feels like a lot of development, seven years of it,” the 30-year-old said. “It’s just an unbelievable opportunity. It’s such a good culture here, it’s such a great dressing room of guys. It’s definitely something that I’ve been working towards for a lot of years. It’s one of those things, you’ve just got to keep building, keep getting confident in practice and whatnot. And keep learning because the game keeps changing; you’ve got to adapt with it. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m enjoying every moment.”

Lacrosse goal attempt

Early in the second period of Monday’s game, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby attempted a “lacrosse goal.” That’s to say he picked up the puck with his stick and tried to tuck it into the net from behind the cage. The shot attempt was unsuccessful as Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin batted the puck away.

“I don’t usually get that much time behind the net,” Crosby said. “I just had a lot of time back there. The goalie made a great read. Enough guys have done that now that (goalies) are somewhat anticipating it. But it would have been nice for that to go in.”

Crosby scored one such goal while playing for Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League during the 2003-04 season.

AHL season set to begin

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had their final game of the preseason, a road game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Allentown, rescheduled from Tuesday to Thursday because of the winter weather that struck the Northeast.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is scheduled to open its 2020-21 season Saturday with a home game against the Binghamton Devils.

Tribune Review LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182954 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins assign defenseman Will Reilly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, February 2, 2021 11:08 a.m.

The Penguins assigned defenseman Will Reilly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

A first-year professional, Reilly was recalled from the taxi squad Monday and served as a healthy scratch during a 3-1 road loss to the New York Rangers that same day.

Reilly, 23, has yet to play a professional game at any level. The last overall pick (No. 2017) of the 2017 draft, Reilly joined the Penguins in April by signing a two-year entry-level contract.

Last season, in 34 NCAA games with Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute, the right-handed Reilly had 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).

Additionally, the team assigned defenseman Kevin Czuczman and Drew O’Connor from the NHL roster to the taxi squad.

Czuczman, 30, has appeared in two games this season and has no points.

O’Connor, 22, has played in four games and has one assist.

Tribune Review LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182955 Pittsburgh Penguins New York took its first lead of the game at 11:10 of the third period with a power-play goal. Taking a pass at the Penguins’ left point, Rangers defenseman Adam Fox sauntered to the center point and lifted a wrister toward the cage. Rangers forward Chris Kreider faced minimal resistance Empty Thoughts: Rangers 3, Penguins 1 above the crease and re-directed the puck over DeSmith’s glove hand for his fourth goal. Fox and Panarin had assists.

The scoring was capped off at the last second, literally, when Panarin SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, February 2, 2021 5:52 a.m. collected his fifth goal with an empty netter at 19:59 of the third period. Ryan Strome netted the lone assist.

Observations from the Penguins’ 3-1 loss to the Rangers: Statistically speaking

First things first, no one in a Penguins jersey was injured. There haven’t • The Penguins led in shots, 26-24. been many times after games this season that could be said. • Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich led the game with six shots. The combination of the Penguins’ chaos on the blue line and the six • Defenseman P.O Joseph led the Penguins with four shots. power-play chances they were afforded on Monday led to John Marino ending up having a career game. • Joseph was second on the Penguins with 26:14 of ice time on 32 shifts.

Logging 30:30 of ice time on 29 shifts — keep in mind this was a • Defenseman Jacob Trouba led the Rangers with 26:08 of ice time on 29 regulation game — Marino established a career-high for ice time in this shifts. contest. • The Penguins controlled faceoffs, 34-14 (71%). Marino’s ice time deconstructed: • Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was 16 for 23 (70%). Marino’s combined special teams ice time (11:08) alone was more than the total ice time enjoyed by six of his teammates: • Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad was 8 for 21 (38%).

His considerable effort — at least the quantifiable volume of it — was • Fox led the game with five blocked shots. even more remarkable when you weigh it against the context of the • Defenseman Cody Ceci led the Penguins with three blocked shots. team’s history. Randomly speaking Marino’s ice time was the ninth-highest regular season total on record in the history of the franchise for regulation games: • The Penguins’ woes on the power play continued as they were 0 for 6. They haven’t scored a power-play goal in their past five games and are 0 Two notes about that statistic: for 19 over that span. • First, the NHL did not maintain time on ice figures until the 1997-98 There’s been a lot of talk of keeping things simple and just getting shots season. So if Paul Coffey or Randy Carlyle or Ron Stackhouse or Duane on net to get the power play on track by the Penguins’ players and Rupp ever had a half hour of ice time, it is not on the books. coaches over the past week. And sure enough, they stuck to those tenets • Second, defensemen Darius Kasparaitis (31:46) and Frederick early in this contest. Olausson (31:31) are credited with the second- and third-highest totals in The Penguins had four shots on net with the 3:11 of power-play time they franchise history for the parameters listed above. But their totals are had during the first period. But they could only muster three more shots omitted from the above list because the documentation of the game they during the additional 8:49 of time they had with the man advantage over registered those figures in, a 4-3 road win against the Carolina the final two periods. Hurricanes on Oct. 3, 1997, is highly dubious. • Through two periods, the Penguins were probably the better team, at As it was the first home game in Hurricanes history, it’s probably a safe least when it came to even-strength play. In the third period, they were assumption that the stat crew at the Greensboro Coliseum was really on their heels. It only felt like a matter of time before the Rangers inexperienced, particularly with a very new statistic as time on ice was in would take a lead. October of 1997. • Even if he suffered his first loss, DeSmith might have had his best game Regardless, Marino played a TON on Monday. of the season. His rebound control in his game was far better than what “He’s been given a huge responsibility back there out of necessity based he offered in Saturday’s 5-4 overtime road win against the Rangers. on the amount of injuries that we have on the blue line,” coach Mike • Miller had a pretty vital defensive play shortly after the Rangers took a Sullivan said via video conference. “We’re asking him to do an awful lot lead. At 11:51 of the third period, Joseph had a mostly open net to shoot and play in a lot of situations that maybe he wouldn’t be accustomed to at but Miller came through with a big block on Joseph’s wrister to playing if we’ve got a healthy complement of defensemen. But whatever preserve the one-goal lead. we give him, he embraces it. He’s a competitive kid. He’s trying to help us win. He’s done an admirable job back there.” • Kapanen recorded the Penguins’ first fighting major of the season at 20:00 of the first period when he got into a tussle with Rangers forward What happened Brett Howden. The Penguins took the game’s first lead 9:05 into regulation. Taking a • There was an absolute train wreck of a collision at 17:15 of the first pass at the left point, Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel snapped off period between Penguins forward Brandon Tanev and Brendan Smith. a wrister that went wide of the cage on the near side. Goaltender Igor Tanev burst up the right wing and into the offensive zone like a comet. Shesterkin misjudged the puck and made an ill-advised attempt to play it When he tried to cut to the high slot, Smith tried to line him up and … with his blocker but missed and slid out of the crease. The puck took a Ooof. Smith did not win when they met. It appeared they might have hit fortuitous bounce off the end boards to the right of the cage. With helmet on helmet. Smith laid on the ice for several moments and Shesterkin out of position, Penguins forward Jason Zucker beat Rangers eventually left the ice under his own power and retreated to the dressing defenseman K’Andre Miller to the puck and tucked in a forehand shot for room. He did not return. There was no update on his status following the his third goal of the season. Assists went to Ruhwedel and forward game. Evgeni Malkin. Tanev did not miss a shift. The game was tied late in the second period at the 17:42 mark. On a delayed penalty against the Penguins, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin • With Penguins defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang each teed up a one-timer from above the Penguins’ right circle but partially sidelined, forward Bryan Rust served as an alternate captain. fanned on the shot. The puck bounced toward the net and was settled to the left of the crease by Rangers forward Kevin Rooney who was able to • At 1:02 of the second period, Crosby tried to pull off a “lacrosse goal.” tuck a shot past scrambling Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith for his His attempt — with his backhand — hit off the side of the net. second goal of the season. Panarin and defenseman Ryan Lindgren collected assists. Almost a year ago to the day, Crosby said he had no issue trying that adjustments as well. We’re trying to do that. It’s definitely a work in move. progress. We’re not happy with it. We’re not happy with our special teams. We’ve got to keep fixing it. But I believe in the guys in this room • Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel took two minor penalties. He that we’re going to work on it. We’re going to work hard on it and hold now leads the team in penalty minutes with 12. each other accountable from guy to guy, from coaches to players and • The Penguins wore their alternate white jerseys. Dubbed “Reverse players to coaches. We’ve got to make sure that we all get better as a Retro” by some marketing whiz at Adidas, they really should be called cohesive unit. The simple answer is to shoot the puck. But we’ve got to the Hockey Related Revenue jerseys since the only purpose of them are make sure we’re making adjustments and finding ways to get those good to help offset the brutal financial losses the NHL is suffering this season shots on net.” with few fans in buildings. • Marino on his ice time:

Either way, the Penguins jerseys, from the perspective of this author, are “You don’t really think about it when you’re playing. You don’t really think unremarkable. They’re not horrible necessarily, but they simply look like about how many minutes you’re playing. You just kind of go out there a lazy effort to reverse the black and yellow jersey they wore in the early when you’re told. You just take it one shift at a time, really.” 1990s with “PITTSBURGH” spelled diagonally across the chest. • Sullivan was happy with his team at even strength: Have you ever seen a deleted scenes from a CGI-heavy movie? The special effects are never rendered fully because there’s no point in “Five on five, we had a pretty strong game. We had a good start. It’s finishing them since they won’t make the finished product. something that we’ve been talking about for a while. I thought our first period was really strong. We had good energy. There was a lot of special That’s what the Penguins’ jerseys on Monday felt like. It was almost as if teams in the game. That doesn’t help. It doesn’t give your bench an Adidas designed 62% of the jersey and just forgot the final 38%. opportunity to get any sort of flow. It just seemed like every few minutes, Also, any team that has used that diagonal design across the chest is there was another penalty called and now, you’re either on the power just copying the Rangers’ iconic look. play or the penalty kill. It takes certain guys out of the flow. It was a difficult game, from a five-on-five standpoint, to get any sort of flow. But I • With the East Coast a mess due to the winter weather and the thought five-on-five, we had good energy. We were playing hard. Our Penguins’ next two home games, each against the Devils, postponed decision making with the puck through the neutral zone was pretty good. indefinitely due to the Devils having some serious covid-19 issues, the We were accomplishing what we set out to accomplish.” Penguins stayed an extra day in New York and will practice in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. • DeSmith on his team having a much better overall defensive game:

• Between the injuries, the general manager resigning, Weber’s crazy “We simplified. Not many catastrophic breakdowns. We protected the slot journey to join the team, the weather and the Devils’ problems, the really well … for the most part, tying up sticks, keeping it to the outside. If Penguins had themselves quite a week. we can keep doing that, we’ll limit the goals against.”

• The Rangers showed a lot of moxie for a somewhat tumultuous 48 • Zucker on the next two games being postponed: hours. With defenseman Tony DeAngelo’s antics virtually ending his “It’s something that we had to expect coming into the season. We Rangers career and promising forward Kaapo Kakko being withheld for obviously never want to miss games but we had to expect it. We’re covid-19 concerns, the Rangers limped into this game at less than full putting our trust in the league and the (NHL’s medical staffers) making speed. They stuck with it and grinded out a tough win. sure that they’re going to make the right decisions. I feel that they are. Historically speaking They’re doing a great job so far. We have to respect their decision and just be ready when the puck drops, whenever they tell us we’re going to • DeSmith (16 losses) surpassed Steve Guenette and Garth Snow (15 play next. For us, we’re going to take care of what we can on our end, each) for 29th place on the franchise’s career goaltending loss list. make sure we keep the (positives tests) out of our locker room as much as we can. We’re going to welcome this practice time these few days to • Strome appeared in his 500th career game. get ready for our next games.” • Panarin appeared in his 400th career game. • DeSmith on the next two games being postponed: • Defenseman Anthony Bitetto made his Rangers debut. “We just found out today so it will change the next couple of days. But Publicly speaking coming into this season, we knew this was going to be a possibility, that we’d have to deal with this at some point, whether it was our team or a • Sullivan was asked why the power play stinks: different team. So just take the next couple of days to rest up, get some really good practices in, improve the special teams, stuff like that. Just “I’m not sure I have a good answer for you. We’ve talked about just use the time for something positive.” simplifying the game, trying to shoot the puck more and creating our offense off of that shot. It looks like we’re looking for a better play that’s Tribune Review LOADED: 02.03.2021 not there. We’ve got to do a better job of just putting pucks at the net and creating our offense that way. My experience has been any time you struggle offensively, that shooting the puck and just simplifying is part of the solution. We’ve got to get back to that.”

• Sullivan was asked if his team is getting a sufficient net-front presence on the power play:

“We’ve got guys that are willing to go there. If we don’t put the puck there, guys aren’t going to go there. It’s a little bit of both. If we were inclined to shoot the puck a little bit more, I think players would be more inclined to go there and they’d create something off of that. These guys that are on (the power play), they’re trying to make it work, obviously. I just think we’re in a little bit of a mindset where we’re a little bit too robotic and predictable. We’ve got just to free up our minds a little bit. The best way to do that, in my experience, is to shoot the puck and then create opportunity off of that. We’ll go to work on it this week. We’ll try to improve and get better.”

• Zucker, who primarily skates on the second power-play unit, tried to diagnose his team’s issues with the man advantage:

“It’s simple to say from the outside. For me, staring at the first unit from the bench, it’s easy to say we need to shoot the puck more. But teams make changes and they try to get us off our game and make us make 1182956 Pittsburgh Penguins the scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. So there’s still plenty of room to grow, even if the puck is going in more often.

“We’ve taken a good step here,” Zucker said. “But we want more. We When Evgeni Malkin finds his game, he'll have two wingers waiting want to keep getting better as a line. We feel we can be a line that leads this team.”

Letang latest Mike DeFabo Kris Letang sat out of Tuesday’s practice in New York City. He was initially injured during Saturday’s game against the Rangers and missed the 3-1 loss on Monday night. His status remains day-to-day. NEW YORK — Visibly upset with his slow start to the season, Evgeni Malkin declared last week in Boston it was time to look himself in the Meanwhile, defenseman Mike Matheson (upper-body injury) and forward mirror. Zach Aston-Reese (offseason shoulder surgery) are taking steps toward returning to the lineup. They’ve been skating in team settings throughout Two games later, what did he see? Not the version of himself that the road trip. brought three Stanley Cup parades to Pittsburgh, not the player whose jersey will rightfully hang one day in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena and “They’re getting more involved with full participation in the practice,” not the one who may have won the Hart Trophy just last year if he were Sullivan said. “That’s real encouraging from our standpoint.” healthy for the first month. Perhaps in a related move, the Penguins reassigned defenseman Kevin There were flashes, sure, but very few positive developments during the Czuczman and rookie forward Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad on four-game road trip that suggest Malkin is any closer to pulling himself Tuesday. For what it’s worth, Aston-Reese is eligible to come off long- out of his early-season slump. His 13 giveaways this year are more than term injured reserve in time for Saturday’s game against the New York all but five players in the league. Ten games in, he’s still searching for his Islanders. first even-strength goal. Michigan goal But, let’s stop there. This is not another story to pile on the star center. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby nearly pulled off a highlight-reel goal on While the real Malkin remains mostly MIA, when or if his game does Monday night in New York, when he attempted the fabled “Michigan finally return, he’ll have a couple wingers waiting. goal.” He scooped the puck up from behind the net and, like a lacrosse player, tried to wrap it around the goal and into the top shelf. It almost Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen represent two of the significant worked. bright spots from a long, strange road trip through Boston and New York. Zucker scored three times during the four-game jaunt. Kapanen, “I don’t usually get that much time behind the net,” Crosby said. “I don’t meanwhile, netted two breakaway goals and showed his edge by remember having that much time. ... The goalie made a great read. I dropping the gloves in the series finale against the Rangers. think enough guys have done that now where they’re somewhat anticipating that. It would have been nice to have it go in.” “That line has gained a lot of traction over the last few games,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. Former Michigan forward Mike Legg made the move famous in 1996 when he shocked Minnesota goalie with it. Crosby is familiar with the On the left wing, Zucker wasn’t quite as hard on himself as Malkin. He move himself. In 2003 when he was breaking records with Rimouski was equally candid, saying he was unhappy with his start to the season. Oceanic of the QMJHL, he pulled it off. It wasn’t just that he failed to score in the first six game, even though he had several snake-bitten, Grade A chances. Mike DeFabo:

“It’s more about playing the game the right way,” Zucker said. “If you do Post Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 that consistently, you’re going to put yourself in positions to score goals. For me, I’m just trying to hang around the net and use my speed to create some plays.”

The 29-year-old speedster likely feels a lot better about it now. And so does his coach.

“I think Zuck is playing really well right now,” Sullivan said. “He’s just a gritty player that’s strong on pucks. He goes to the net front.”

On the right wing, Kapanen’s delayed arrival in Pittsburgh kept him out of the first three games of the season. Even though Sullivan wanted to ease Kapanen into the action to make sure he didn’t get injured or overwhelmed, he’s been a difference maker in almost every game he’s played. He’s tallied five points in seven games, including the two goals during this road trip.

“I think Kappy, from a fitness level standpoint, is starting to get into more game shape,” Sullivan said. “I think his timing is better. His speed is really dangerous. He has a scoring touch. And he has good size. He’s strong in the battle areas.”

These two players will be linked on a line and maybe also directly tied to former general manager Jim Rutherford’s legacy. They were two of the biggest — and last — moves he made. The combined compensation to acquire both players was two first-round picks, their best defensive prospect (Calen Addison) and a pretty decent forward prospect (Filip Hallander).

The goal of those trades was to add more punch to the top six and help Malkin maximize the remaining championship window. These next days off, as the Penguins take a breather while the New Jersey Devils recover from numerous COVID-19 cases, will be important moments to continue to build on that chemistry.

In total, this trio has logged nearly 50 minutes of ice time together. Opponents have controlled about 53% of the expected goals and 59% of 1182957 Pittsburgh Penguins qualifying goalies in save percentage for those situations, per Natural Stat Trick. They can be much better.

71.9: shot attempts per 60 minutes of power play time for Pittsburgh 10 stats that tell the tale of Penguins' first 10 games We could have provided 10 stats alone on the punchless power play.

That unit provided reasons for optimism in the first few games under Matt Vensel assistant coach Todd Reirden, but the Penguins are back to being static and predictable. After they went 0-for-19 on this road trip, they rank 23rd at 13.9%. Throw in the two shorties they’ve given up, and only five teams have a worse net power play rate. The Penguins, three weeks into the season, have already played 10 games. That’s still a small sample size but enough to start looking for As always, there are a bunch of factors at play here. But if over the past patterns in the statistical profile of a 5-4-1 hockey team that has been week you have woken up your pets by yelling “shoot the puck” at the pretty flummoxing so far. television, the numbers have been screaming that, too. The Penguins rank last in the NHL in shot attempts per 60 minutes of power play time, They’ve often held the puck but not often the lead. Their top forwards per Natural Stat Trick. have more goals in overtime or the shootout than they do at 5-on-5. Despite a slew of blue-line injuries and goals against, the Penguins rank 9: power play goals allowed by the Penguins on 35 opportunities among the league leaders in a few key defensive categories. And they are 1-4 in games decided in regulation. The penalty kill has been a problem, too. The 21st-ranked Penguins have given up at least one power play goal in eight of their 10 games. That Depending on which numbers you pull, you could make a case that they included Chris Kreider’s game-winner during Monday’s 3-1 loss to the should have seven wins or three. So it makes sense they’ve landed in New York Rangers. the middle. The Penguins have done an OK job staying out of the box, ranking in the To try to summarize what we’ve seen from coach Mike Sullivan’s squad teens in penalties taken. And they do have a pair of short-handed goals. through the first 10 games of 2021, we have identified 10 stats that stand But they have killed just 74.3% of their penalties after ranking 10th at out so far. 82.1% in 2019-20.

Please note that all of the statistics below are through Monday’s games. 0: goals by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin during 5-on-5 play

79: total number of minutes the Penguins have held the lead in 2021 Much has been made about Malkin’s slow start — and rightfully so. He has one goal, on a power play. He has fired only 20 shots on goal. His The Penguins have allowed a league-high 15 goals in the first period. 4.05 giveaways per 60 minutes give him one of the worst rates in the And only three NHL teams have given up more in the second. Combined, league. And opponents average 25.9 scoring chances per 60 minutes the Penguins have been outscored 28-19 by their opponents in the first with Malkin on the ice at 5-on-5. two periods this season. In their 10 games combined, the Penguins have led for exactly 79 minutes. Crosby has struggled at 5-on-5, too, though. He has also yet to score at 5-on-5 and he has a minus-5 rating. But in eight of 10 games, the The fact that the Penguins are in the middle of the pack in the East Penguins earned at least 50% of the high-danger scoring chances while Division is pretty wild considering how much they have trailed in games Crosby was on at full strength, per Natural Stat Trick. So perhaps puck this season. Only one NHL team, Nashville, has held the lead for less luck has been a factor with the captain. time, per Natural Stat Trick. Still, the Penguins will go nowhere if these two don’t pick up their play. 11: different defensemen who have suited up for the Penguins so far 12: goals scored by Penguins blue-liners and bottom-six forwards The Penguins have been decimated by injuries on the blue line, particularly among the guys who skate around with a left-handed stick. Depth, specifically secondary scoring, was a worry heading into the They have five blue-liners on one of the injured reserve lists right now. season. But so far the guys currently in the bottom six and on the blue Their collective salary cap hits total about $16 million. That doesn’t line have done their part offensively, scoring a dozen of the team’s 28 include Kris Letang, who is “day to day.” goals. Brandon Tanev, Teddy Blueger, Colton Sceviour and Jared McCann all have more goals than Malkin. They have had to rely on an (impressive) rookie, a dude who hadn’t played in the NHL in seven years and somebody they signed off the 289: total hits for the Penguins, tops in the NHL entering Tuesday street. Pittsburgh has already used 11 different defensemen, tied with Colorado for most in the NHL. Hits can be a complicated stat because there isn’t a ton of context to them and they are subjectively tabulated by stat-keepers in each arena. 37: goals allowed by the Penguins, the league’s fourth-highest total But the Penguins leading the league in that category certainly caught the eye, especially given that they more often than not have possessed the Even with all those injuries, the Penguins have actually fared well in a puck more than opponents. number of key defensive categories. They rank in the top 10 in shots from the slot against, chances allowed off the rush and zone possession Does this mean the Penguins have gotten “harder to play against” in this time, per Sportlogiq. area? Or is Tanev, a one-man wrecking crew with 51 hits, inflating the team’s total? Truthfully, we’ve got no clue, but this stat is one we will But two areas in particular have really hurt them — the sheer number of continue to monitor. odd-man rushes against and a number of premium chances off rebounds. 1: regulation win for the Penguins, tied for the lowest mark in the NHL

Those are reasons why the Penguins, despite allowing the fewest shot Add all of that up, and you get a team that has won just one game in attempts per game in the entire league, have given up the fourth-most regulation. That’s tied with Ottawa, Detroit and San Jose, cellar-dwellers goals. a season ago.

.863: combined save percentage for Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith The Penguins have been buoyed by two OT game-winners from Crosby and by being one of three NHL teams to win multiple shootouts. So they Another reason for all of those goals against is subpar goaltending from are probably fortunate to be sitting fifth in the East Division with their .550 Jarry and, to a lesser degree, DeSmith. In their 10 starts, they have points percentage. posted a save percentage above .900 only four times. Collectively, their .863 save percentage is well below the league average of .901 and Matt Vense ahead of only the Ottawa Senators. Post Gazette LOADED: 02.03.2021 It’s mostly the guys in front of them, you say? Let’s drill down a little deeper and look at how Jarry and DeSmith have fared on high-danger scoring chances. They rank 43rd and 35th, respectively, among 47 1182958 Pittsburgh Penguins early season has been the training camps. The teams and players we see now should continue to improve.

Everything should improve. Maybe even the Pittsburgh Penguins power Apologies Sid, You’re Not Old, but Others Are and They’re play, too. StrugglingPublished 5 hours ago on February 2, 2021 Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021

By Dan Kingerski

“Well, I don’t know if I fit into the older player category…” said Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby after chuckling at a question from Pittsburgh Hockey Now about older players struggling to get their legs in this compressed COVID season.

Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Eric Staal, Anze Kopitar are just some of the established names in their mid-30s who are scoring well below normal rates or have already battled injuries.

A crazy stat was sent to me on Monday night from a former team PR director.

“Get this, Daniel Sprong and Conor Sheary have as many goals this season as Ovi!”

I looked it up. It’s true. The Washington Capitals powerhouse has two goals. So, too, do Penguins castoffs Sprong and Sheary. Giroux has one goal. Couturier was injured in the second game of the season. Staal has five points in 10 games. Kopitar also has just one goal.

In fairness, Ovechkin missed several games after the NHL put him into COVID protocol for visiting a teammate’s hotel room.

Malkin’s struggles are well documented in Pittsburgh. He owned up to decreased conditioning and his struggles, which were directly tied to pandemic closures and a lack of training camp.

“I understand I’m not playing great right now,” Malkin said last week. “It’s a different season. Short training camp. No preseason games. It’s a little bit different for sure,” Malkin said. “I need to look at myself in the mirror. I need to find my body, find myself and help the team win for sure and I understand that.”

Unfortunately, I have a unique ability to offend without effort. It’s my superpower, much like Sidney Crosby scores points or effortlessly scoops pucks for a lacrosse style attempt. Hopefully, Mr. Crosby laughed off the term “older player,” even if he is 33-years-old.

No offense Sid, you are kind-of an older player. Remember, being 20- years-old and looking at people in their 30s? Time flies, but I digress.

“I don’t know. It’s not easy for anybody. It’s a short camp and things like that. Everyone prepares differently and has their own opinion,” Crosby said. “For me, personally, I haven’t played a lot of hockey in the last year. I love that we’re able to jump into games and play every second day.”

Crosby is one of the “other side” of, shall we say, more seasoned players. Patrice Bergeron, Patrick Kane, John Tavares are players in their 30s who are ripping it up. Crosby has four goals and four assists in 10 games. Kane and Bergeron are scoring at a point-per-game pace.

“I don’t know if I fit into the older category or not, but I like (the schedule),” he concluded.

That’s fitting. Sidney Crosby wants to play hockey and play more hockey.

But there is a clear difficulty for many players to find a rhythm. Is it more difficult for the older players to get on their toes? It seems so, especially as Pittsburgh Penguins Bryan Rust and Jason Zucker appear to be on their game. Young Penguins players such as Kasperi Kapanen, Teddy Blueger, and P-O Joseph needed less ramp-up, too.

As part of his mea culpa, Malkin likely spoke for a lot of players.

“No (I didn’t do the same workouts this offseason) because of the situation. Everything was closed in Russia, too. We had ice, but we didn’t have any gyms. Everything was closed, and (workouts) were not easy to find,” Malkin said. “I won’t say it’s my fault. (Offseason workouts) are not the same as a training camp. I was doing my best. I skated every day and tried to do workouts after; use my body. Do squats, pushups.”

But Crosby, who sources said “worked out like an animal” during the pandemic, has had early-season success. For the rest of the mortals, the 1182959 Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Chips Defensemen are a rare commodity on the NHL trade market. Like

pitchers in baseball, they can be dealt for a lopsided value. Former P-O Joseph’s Arrival is Exciting, Creates Penguins Trade ChipPublished Penguins GM Jim Rutherford may have been ill-advised to trade Patric 15 hours ago on February 2, 2021 Hornqvist for LHD Mike Matheson (and Colton Sceviour) in the offseason, but it could pay unexpected benefits.

Eventually, the Penguins defense will be healthy. They will have five LHD By Dan Kingerski defensemen. Whoever gets to sit in the Pittsburgh Penguins GM chair in a few weeks or months will have a surplus of blueline assets.

Matheson and Riikola are the least attractive options, and they’ll likely Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman P-O Joseph is making waves. stick around as a third pair defender and depth, respectively. Before The defenseman has played a few seconds under 26 minutes in the last Matheson is a trade chip, he must first prove the last couple of years two games, earned time on the power play, and effectively killed were rough patches, not a career arc. penalties. Joseph has dropped jaws and excited fans while smashing expectations. Matheson’s contract carries a $4.8 million AAV for this season and five more, so he’s not an attractive Penguins trade chip yet. Just a few weeks ago, the 21-year-old defenseman achieved a moral victory of sorts when he made the Penguins taxi squad instead of being This brings us to Marcus Pettersson. Someone has to go to make room sent to the AHL for a second year of seasoning. As the injuries mounted for Joseph. Sure, the Penguins could stash Matheson in the press box on the Penguins’ blue line, Joseph’s opportunity grew. and expose Riikola to waivers. They could also save about the same amount of money by putting Matheson on the taxi squad (and through First, he played sheltered third-pair minutes, about 13 minutes per game. waivers) and keeping Riikola on the NHL roster, but those are not long- He and Chad Ruhwedel were protected from hard minutes until they term solutions. earned a level of trust. The only long-term solution is to trade a young defenseman with value. But the hockey gods had different ideas. As significant injuries befell Pettersson, 24, carries an annual cap hit of $4.025 million for the next Marcus Pettersson, then Mike Matheson, then Juuso Riikola, Joseph four years and doesn’t have any trade protection for two more seasons. moved up the Penguins depth chart. Then, top-pairing blueliner Brian Dumoulin landed on LTIR, and Joseph was suddenly a top-pair The Penguins currently have a second, fifth, and two seventh-round defenseman with Kris Letang. picks in the 2021 NHL Draft. A young defenseman could easily fill a few of those empty slots, perhaps even a pick on the first day of the draft. That lasted until Letang was injured in the first period of that first game with Joseph. Welcome to the Penguins’ luck. However, peeking through Perhaps the Penguins could find a taker for Matheson, though an the storm clouds, the sunshine has revealed a defenseman every bit industry source expressed shock that Florida could deal Matheson. A worthy of his 2017 first-round status, with speed, vision, and guts. second trade this year would likely require a substantial salary hold back, too. Penguins coaches are in a balancing act. They need to win games but also put players in positions to be successful. Joseph is quickly proving It’s not a pressing issue, and no Penguins trade is imminent or there isn’t a conflict between the two. He’s handled everything the immediately necessary. The Penguins blue line will not be full for several Penguins have thrown his way and everything else the situation has weeks, at least. Even then, the Penguins’ easiest solution would be to dumped upon him. put Joseph on the taxi squad or let him play in the AHL.

“We understand where P-O is in his career, and we’re excited about his But as we’ve seen, Joseph not on the ice would mean the best six game to this point,” head coach Mike Sullivan said on Monday. “But we defensemen are not on the ice. It’s a good problem to have, provided the also have respect for this league and how difficult it is to play in this next Pittsburgh Penguins GM handles it well. league. We’ll take each game as it comes and try to put each player in the best possible position to be successful.” Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021

The situation has dictated the Penguins cannot protect Joseph. He’s the only left-handed defenseman with NHL pedigree on the roster.

Like trumpets heralding royalty, Joseph pounded three assists Saturday night, including setting up Sidney Crosby for the OT game-winner.

“I thought P-O had a great game. He was competing defensively. He has great offensive instincts,” Sullivan said on Saturday after the three-assist game against New York. “You can see how some of the plays he makes. We used him on the power play. He made some real nice outlet passes under pressure. We believe he’s going to get better and better…”

His slick pass set up the Penguins’ first goal. And his ability to moonwalk the blue line enabled him to get a shot on goal, which was deflected for the go-ahead goal. And his speed in 3v3 overtime helped Crosby light the lamp.

There were the heavy hits in Boston. The passes in New York. The skating in every game.

The superlatives former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach and current Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci heaped upon Joseph.

Last March, Vellucci offered:

“He could have played games this year in certain situations,” he said. “No doubt, he could play games next year.”

It’s now next year, and Joseph is on fire. Penguins fans could be forgiven for wistfully thinking to the future when Joseph would pair with second- year-pro John Marino as the Penguins top pair.

That future is now, as long as Letang and Dumoulin are absent. Dumoulin was placed on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 26, so he’ll be out for some time to come. Letang is still being evaluated. San Jose Sharks CLAESSON’S WHEREABOUTS: Boughner said defenseman Fredrik 1182960 Claesson is scheduled to meet the Sharks in Anaheim later this week and will be the team’s seventh defenseman on Friday against the Ducks. Patrick Marleau moves up to second line as Sharks look for balance Between their taxi squad and the active roster, the Sharks are only carrying six defensemen at the moment. Before they traveled back to San Jose, the Sharks assigned Brinson Pasichnuk, Jake Middleton and Nicolas Meloche to the Barracuda, which had a player test positive for By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay the coronavirus over the weekend. Area News Group As of Monday, Barracuda players and coaches remained in Las Vegas. PUBLISHED: February 2, 2021 at 5:01 a.m. | UPDATED: February 2, Their first regular-season games are still scheduled for Friday, Saturday 2021 at 10:38 a.m. and next Monday in Tucson against the Roadrunners. Claesson signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sharks on Jan. 11. In San Jose Sharks coach Bob Boughner shook up his forward lines for his North American professional career since the start of the 2012-13 practices this week and the new configuration puts a little more season, Claesson has played 155 NHL games and 355 AHL games. responsibility on the shoulders of Patrick Marleau. Looking to spark the Sharks’ second line and perhaps create a little more San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.03.2021 offensive balance, Boughner has Marleau and Ryan Donato as wingers on a line with Tomas Hertl. Marleau, who has played in 1,731 NHL games — tied for fourth-most all- time with Hall of Famer Ron Francis — had been skating almost exclusively on the Sharks’ fourth line so far this season. The Sharks start a four-game road trip this week with games against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and Saturday. They’ll play the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Feb. 9 and 11 before they return home to play the Vegas Golden Knights in their home opener on Feb. 13. Hertl had been on a line with Evander Kane for most of the season, but the two had combined for just two points over their last five games. “On the road, you need to be able to run four lines, and I don’t want a weak link or a weak line,” Boughner said. “I want to make sure all four lines are strong, so that’s what we have in mind with some of these changes, to have a little more balance. “We’ve got to find a way to get Hertl’s line going offensively, but also make sure that each line we roll out there is solid.” Donato’s arguably been the Sharks’ most consistent forward recently and had been having success on a line with Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc. But the Sharks (3-5-0) have had trouble getting more than one line going in most of their games this season, and are in last place in the eight-team West Division. The Sharks also have Couture with Labanc and Kane on the first line, and Dylan Gambrell with Timo Meier and Noah Gregor on the third line. The fourth line now consists of Sasha Chmelevski at center, with Marcus Sorensen, Matt Nieto or Stefan Noesen on the wings. Meier has played some of his best hockey this season when he’s been with Gambrell and Gregor. “We’ve got a lot of different guys and combinations to look at, but I like to have some kind of balance moving forward,” Boughner said. Marleau, 41, has one assist and has averaged 11 minutes and 38 seconds of ice time in eight games so far this season. Marleau averaged over 15 minutes of ice time last season between the Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins, so it’s not a matter of whether he can handle the added minutes, but rather if he can help stop some of the churn that’s gone on inside the Sharks’ top six forward group so far this season. Boughner has tried John Leonard and Meier as wingers on Hertl’s line, as has had limited success. “You’re going to get your opportunities, you just have to be ready for them and put them in the back of the net,” Marleau said of playing with Hertl and Donato, adding that playing more minutes will help “get in the game a little bit more and get the legs moving, get the blood pumping.” SASHA TO PLAY VS. DUCKS?: It appears Chmelevski’s NHL debut will come Friday in his native Orange County when the Sharks face the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Chmelevski, a Huntington Beach native, was supposed to make his NHL debut last Thursday vs. the Colorado Avalanche but Boughner said the team did not complete the transaction in time. Chmelevski had been on the taxi squad. “He’s a guy that’s worked hard and he’s ready for his first game so we’re leaning that way,” Boughner said of playing Chmelevski on Friday. “I definitely want to see him at this level for sure.” San Jose Sharks I think Vancouver was somewhat interested at the end of the season, but 1182961 they weren’t following me as close as the Sharks were. So I placed my bet on San Jose. I wanted to be here, and just happy it ended up to be this way.” Nikolai Knyzhov’s ‘crazy road’ leads to breakthrough season with Sharks Knyzhov spent the majority of last season with the Barracuda, posting five points (1g, 4a) in 33 games while paired mostly with Nick DeSimone and Nicolas Meloche. After several injuries to the Sharks’ back end late By Kevin Kurz in the season, he played three games for the NHL team just before the Feb 2, 2021 mid-March shutdown. It gave him a taste of the NHL, however brief. He ramped up his offseason training. Knyzhov mentioned in mid-January that he added “20 pounds of muscle” over the summer. He skated with The Sharks broke training camp with two rookies. Forward John Leonard fellow Sharks prospects Brinson Pasichnuk and Maxim Letunov in got most of the early attention, starting the season in the top six after Arizona in the fall, in some practice sessions that featured a number of earning effusive praise from coach Bob Boughner in the two weeks elite NHL stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Jonathan leading up to the opener. Toews. But Leonard is now with the AHL Barracuda. Defenseman Nikolai Cracking the Sharks lineup wasn’t going to be easy. Pasichnuk, Jacob Knyzhov is still with the big club, playing in all eight games on the third Middleton and former first-round pick Ryan Merkley, among others, defense pair. would be gunning for that open spot on the third defense pair. He’s still looking for his first point, averaging about 10 and a half minutes Knyzhov stood out among the group, though, with his 6-foot-3, 200- of ice time per game, with four penalty minutes, a -3 rating and 56.3 shot- pound frame and mobility. He also possesses a gritty element to his attempt percentage (second on the team). But Knyzhov doesn’t have to game, something that Boughner surely appreciates. When Minnesota’s score, as part of a blue line that features Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. Jordan Greenway gave him a post-whistle cross-check in a game on Jan. The elements that Boughner is looking for on the third pair, which also 24, for example, Knyzhov immediately grabbed the 6-6 forward and a features Radim Simek, have been provided by the 22-year-old Russian scrum ensued. Greenway and Knyzhov were issued coincidental minors. native. “He’s not going to let anybody take liberties on him,” Boughner said after “He’s a big guy with great feet. He plays a heavy game down low, and to the game. “He’s a big horse. He’s a big guy. You can see his physicality be honest … from camp (on) Day 1 until now, he’s been the best of the in the way he plays. He’s definitely going to stick up for himself, so good young guys,” Boughner said. “He deserves to stay in. All young guys are for him. I think we need a little more of that grit.” going to make some mistakes and there’s going to be some room for improvement, but (it’s the coaching staff’s) job to keep developing them. I Burns, who went on to score a gorgeous, late third-period goal to lead think he’s handled himself pretty well under some pressure (against) the Sharks to a 5-3 win that night in St. Paul, said the team noticed some good teams in trying to be a steady guy in the NHL.” Knyzhov’s response to the giant Greenway. Speaking on Monday morning, Boughner mentioned that he had just “He steps up as a young guy, battling (Nick) Foligno and Greenway. I wrapped up a meeting with Knyzhov in which they went over various think he showed a lot there,” Burns said that night. “He’s a huge, strong aspects of his game. Knyzhov is a receptive audience. boy. That was nice to see. Him battling like that kind of got everybody fired up.” “He shows me some positive moments like what I did good, but at the same time shows me the moments I should pay a little different, (like) Like all young players, Knyzhov will have to keep earning his place in the close the gap here, be a little closer to the other guy in other situations,” lineup on a nightly basis. There is more competition on the way, too. The Knyzhov said. “Just showing little details and working on those little Sharks signed 28-year-old defenseman Fredrik Claesson on Jan. 11, and things to improve from game to game.” he’s set to meet the Sharks in Anaheim in time for Friday’s game. They also made a trade on Jan. 27 for 24-year-old Christian Jaros, who played Knyzhov’s path to the NHL was fairly peripatetic. Or, as he puts it, “a 76 NHL games with Ottawa over the last two seasons. crazy road.” Boughner would prefer to skate Knyzhov closer to 14-15 minutes a night, Born in Kemerovo, Russia — much closer to Mongolia than to Moscow which could be reachable if Knyzhov is able to kill penalties — something — Knyzhov came to North America to play midget hockey in his mid- he hasn’t really done yet this season. Perhaps that’s something he can teens. In 2015-2016 he played 19 games for the Regina Pats of the work on this week, after the Sharks’ two games against the Golden WHL, with one assist and eight penalty minutes, before he was placed on Knights were postponed. waivers. He ended up in Springfield, Ill., in the NAHL, playing 17 games for the Jr. Blues, then Austin, Minn., where he played four games for the Regardless, Knyzhov will continue to control what he can as he is still in NAHL Bruins, before going back to Russia. the early stages of his professional career. Regarding his brief stint in the Canadian juniors, Knyzhov said “I don’t “Just trying to focus on doing my thing, playing good defense, moving the think I was mentally ready. … (I) finished the season (in the NAHL), and puck up (the ice), and just trying to help the team to win the best I can,” just decided to go back home and play in the top junior league there.” he said. “During the U-20 camp prior to arriving to Buffalo (for the World Juniors), Milstein said: “He’s a great testament to all those guys that don’t get we knew that he was special because coaches, teammates — everybody drafted, that if you work hard, things will happen.” was raving about him,” Milstein said. Still, Knyzhov had no takers in the draft that year. He remained under the The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 radar in Russian in 2018-2019, too. His rights belonged to SKA St. Petersburg — the most stacked team in the KHL, featuring Pavel Datsyuk as captain. Knyzhov played in just three games in the top-tier league that season, spending most of his time in the second-tier VHL. He was still draft eligible in 2019, but, again, his name wasn’t called. The Sharks rang Milstein soon after. Three teams were interested, but the Sharks were the team that got back to Milstein first. The result was a standard three-year entry-level contract that was announced on July 2, 2019. “We were looking at what teams could possibly work,” Milstein said. “His contract was up in Russia in the KHL, and he wanted to come back to North America right away. We were looking at teams that basically could have a need for somebody like him. We basically said it would be great if you didn’t get drafted and I could just (gather) a list of teams that would be of interest, and he could start playing in the AHL and developing.” Knyzhov recalled: “When I was talking to my agent, he said the Sharks are actually really interested in you. They’ve been watching you since the beginning of my last season in Russia. There were a couple other teams, Seattle Kraken Rather than taking risks on Babcock and Tortorella baggage, the Kraken 1182962 could make a choice that would engender positive vibes and potentially broaden the fan base beyond typical NHL demographics. As Kraken waits to hire coach, Mike Grier and Rod Brind’Amour emerge I’m talking about hiring former New Jersey Devils assistant coach Mike as possible options Grier, who stepped away from the game this season after they cleaned house under new coach Lindy Ruff.

It’s Black History Month, and the NHL, as always in recent years, will Feb. 2, 2021 at 5:27 pm Updated Feb. 2, 2021 at 5:37 PM spend the coming weeks declaring it’s a changed league from decades past. Still, the league hasn’t had a Black head coach since Dirk Graham By Geoff Baker — its first and only — was fired by Chicago in 1999 after just 59 games. Seattle Times staff reporter Detroit native Grier was the first Black NHL player fully developed in the U.S. The tough winger was highly regarded by peers, playing more than 1,000 games with four NHL teams and serving as alternate captain with One benefit to the Kraken waiting this long to hire a coach is that it has Edmonton and San Jose. provided time for additional options to materialize depending on how bold the team dares to be. After two seasons as a Devils assistant, the team asked him back, but GM Tom Fitzgerald told reporters that Grier declined. Let’s face it: Most Kraken fans would have been high-fiving two years ago if presented a coaching choice among Mike Babcock, Bruce “If something comes up that gives him the opportunity to grow more with Boudreau and Gerard Gallant. Now there’s a fair chance that none is more responsibilities than we could have offered him, then he’ll consider picked. that,” Fitzgerald said. Waiting has provided the Kraken improved perspective on some Well, Kraken coach fits that description. candidates. Take Gallant, whose Vegas Golden Knights made the We’ve mentioned Grier’s on-ice leadership traits, and his 14 NHL Stanley Cup Final their expansion season. In 13 months since his Vegas seasons played are 14 more than the total by Tortorella or Babcock. firing, the Knights returned to the conference final last fall under new Grier is only 46, and he uses video and preaches skills development as coach Peter DeBoer and this season have just one regulation loss in part of a communicative style that today’s players favor. Like seven games. Brind’Amour, Grier also has long maintained a rigid fitness and nutritional So, yeah, it’s pretty clear the Knights were stacked to begin with and regimen he has tried to pass on through coaching. probably not expansion misfits galvanized by Gallant’s superior coaching. Don’t overlook that fitness aspect. The Kraken hired former NHL forward That’s not to diminish Gallant, because good coaches typically have Gary Roberts as a performance consultant and hope to “Moneyball” good players, and he’s still somewhat viewed as the front-runner here. some extra victories by tapping this largely untapped area. But it does add perspective. Grier’s father, Bobby, was vice president of player personnel for the New Rather than pouncing on Gallant this winter, the Kraken watched him vie England Patriots — when Pete Carroll was their coach — and later an for the Washington Capitals’ coaching vacancy. The Kraken isn’t shy associate director of pro player personnel for the Houston Texans. And about throwing money around and could have paid one extra season’s Grier’s brother, Chris, is GM of the Miami Dolphins. salary to lock up Gallant. So Grier has undoubtedly gleaned extra tips about team-building and Yet it risked losing him. Perhaps because it sees other options emerging. maximizing player output. I’ve asked around, and Kraken decision- For one, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour becomes a free makers are well aware of Grier’s attributes. agent this summer unless given an extension most assumed was coming The Kraken has prioritized racial and gender diversity, making analytics two offseasons ago. Instead, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on NHL chief Alexandra Mandrycky its first hockey operations hire. Cammi revenues. The Hurricanes were never a financial behemoth to begin with, Granato later became the NHL’s first female pro scout and Everett and their relatively new owner has a reputation for playing hardball with Fitzhugh its first Black play-by-play broadcaster. some business decisions. Naming Grier the coach would be right in line with the Kraken’s history- So waiting around has created an opportunity the Kraken might never making course. He’d be untested, but he has intangibles that make this a have imagined. And you’d best believe Kraken GM Ron Francis would calculated risk with enormous upside. jump at bringing his former teammate and employee to Seattle. Brind’Amour — known as “Rod the Bod” for his fanatical workout regimen Considering this team already named itself the Kraken, hiring someone going back decades — is credited with fostering a Cup-contending who hasn’t been a head coach probably shouldn’t be considered its most culture in Carolina and meshes with a Kraken organization looking to daring decision. Sure, Grier would still be a relatively bold move. But — make fitness and nutrition an organizational cornerstone. especially if Brind’Amour stays in Carolina — not bold enough to prevent the Kraken from actually doing it. Now, it would take bold money to lure away Brind’Amour. But the Kraken, as mentioned, has money and, unlike NHL teams currently playing games, isn’t losing it during the pandemic. Seattle Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 The Kraken likely would be less bold on some other guys if Brind’Amour stays with the Hurricanes. Sure, Babcock is out there, working for NBC Sports and trying to soften a reputation decimated when he was fired by Toronto in November 2019 and accused of being mentally abusive toward some players. Babcock also was a finalist for the Caps job, and I’m sure he’ll get a second chance somewhere to modify his coaching style. I just don’t see a new organization such as the Kraken having the surplus energy for his baggage. Same with Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, whose contract expires this summer. He’s a Cup winner like Babcock, with the most victories all-time by an American-born coach. But his spat last month with Pierre-Luc Dubois — hastening the star center’s trade to Winnipeg — could be what makes Tortorella available to begin with, a final straw of sorts barring a surprising Cup run by his team. Tortorella seems to seek out feuds with some players and the media at every NHL stopover, including a forgettable lone season with the Vancouver Canucks. I just can’t see the Kraken having surplus PR energy to deal with that when, beyond on-ice play, it needs to sell the NHL product in a new market. St Louis Blues One thing I can ell you he’s a good manager of people and he wants 1182963 people’s opinions.”

Blues notebook: Combination of Krug and Faulk settling in for Blues St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021

Tom Timmermann

For the fourth straight game, coach Craig Berube paired Torey Krug with Justin Faulk on the Blues defense Tuesday night. Krug started the season with Colton Parayko, but Parayko is now playing alongside Marco Scandella. The pairing of Faulk and Krug has given the Blues a more offensive pairing while Scandella and Parayko have become the responsibility of being the shutdown pairing. Krug and Faulk have a tiny piece of history together. They were partners for the U.S. team at the world championships in 2016. So far, the combination has been solid. “It was a long time ago,” Krug said. “Both of us were younger and different players. We’ve matured a little bit. We’ve hit the ground running. Faulker’s been playing great, so at this point, for me, it’s just trying to keep up with him. Get the puck into his hands and go forward. I think we think the game alike. Anytime one of us has it we know it’s going up to the forwards and then the other guy can join the rush and be a part of the attack. Crafty guys on the breakouts and it’s been a good pairing so far.” What’s certainly helped the combination is how well Faulk has been playing so far this season. “I think with the way Faulk is playing right now,” coach Craig Berube said, “they’re both doing a lot of things up ice offensively, getting involved in the play. Faulk is doing a great job of killing plays defensively, which helps create loose pucks and helps Krug to get on the offensive side of things and transition and go the other way.” Faulk scored a goal, his third of the season, Tuesday in the Blues’ 4-3 victory over Arizona. When Vladimir Tarasenko had his shoulder operation in September, the Blues said he would be re-evaluated in five months. That milepost now is two weeks away. While Tarasenko hasn’t resumed skating with the team (though it’s possible he’s skating with the taxi squad, which works out separately), he is back on the ice. “He’s skating and he’s doing a good job,” Berube said. “I think he’s worked really hard off the ice and kept himself in good shape from what I’ve seen and now he’s on the ice skating, he’s putting in the work on the ice now, so we’ll see how it goes. That’s as much as I can tell you.” Bozak still out Forward Tyler Bozak missed his third game in a row on Tuesday, following his being knocked to the ice by Mark Stone of Vegas on Jan. 26. The team has termed it an upper-body injury and, judging from how Bozak fell, a concussion seems likely. Because Bozak already has been out for a week, the team could put him on injured reserve at any point to activate a player and still be able to recall Bozak whenever he was ready to play. But with the Blues home for a week and extra players on hand thanks to the taxi squad, there’s no rush to do that. Berube said Bozak remained day to day. “We’ll see how he feels,” Berube said. “Right now, he doesn’t feel good enough to go on the ice, so that’s where he’s at.” Also remaining out of the lineup was defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who has missed eight of the Blues’ 10 games. Bortuzzo took part in the team’s morning skate Tuesday, skating with healthy scratch Carl Gunnarsson. The other Army Former Blues assistant general manager Bill Armstrong now is Arizona’s general manager and is gradually making moves to revive the franchise. “It’s been great,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “He’s an excitable guy. He loves making sure that everybody has a say. He runs a really good meeting. We’ve had a bunch of meetings and he really wants to hear what everyone has to say. He’s a smart guy, he knows what type of player he wants to get and what improvements we need. “It’s his first year as a GM, you can tell he’s really excited, he wants to learn. He’s always asking me stuff: In this situation, what should we do? St Louis Blues “You’re trying to get three to five shots a game as a shooter in this 1182964 league,” said Hoffman, who had five shots on goal Tuesday. “That’s kind of my objective every night. Their D kind of lost his footing, gave me a partial breakaway. Anytime you can get opportunities like that, it’s nice to Blues treat their fans to a 4-3 win over Arizona take advantage of them. It seems like we were searching for some spark, something to get us going. … I was glad I could get the first one and get the ball rolling a bit.” Tom Timmermann A goal by Justin Faulk with some expected dipsy-doo from him in front of the goal put the Blues ahead — “I’ve seen it a couple times, actually,” said Dunn, Faulk’s defensive partner much of last season — and after The Blues had paying fans back for the first time on Tuesday night at Arizona tied the game just seconds after a two-man advantage had Enterprise Center, about 1,400 season-ticket holders who bought socially ended, Dunn put them ahead to stay. Ryan O’Reilly’s second goal of the distanced seats for a game with the Coyotes. season gave them some insurance they needed when Arizona pulled its goalie and scored with 2:39 to play. It got a little frantic after that, but The Blues also look to be getting Vince Dunn back. Jordan Binnington held off some good pressure in the final two minutes The young defenseman’s long-term situation remains uncertain, but in for the win. the short term, he’s doing exactly what the team wants, which is not what After the game, Dunn was announced as the No. 1 star and got an they felt he was doing just a week ago. Dunn had a goal, his second in ovation. Prior games had 300 fans on hand as invited guests; this time, three games since he was a healthy scratch on Jan. 26, an assist and there were actual cheers. was on the ice for all four of the Blues’ goals in their 4-3 win over the Coyotes that pushed their win streak to four games. “It was great,” Dunn said. “Obviously even when we had the (300) there, it’s nice just having a couple people out there watching. There’s “He’s playing pretty hard, I think,” coach Craig Berube said. “He’s obviously even more watching on TV but to have that many more tonight, involved, physical, moving pucks well. He was a plus-3 tonight. Looks that’s a good feeling for us and a good feeling for the community. pretty good, right?” Obviously we’re taking strides for the battle against COVID. I think it’s just a good feeling not only in the rink but in the city.” The Blues as a whole looked pretty good again, assuming you didn’t watch the first 10 minutes or so of the game when they looked bad. Falling behind 1-0, plus some choice words from Berube, got them turned around and they were pretty much in control from there, with only St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 a few lapses. In addition to the goal from Dunn, his third of the season, they got a key goal from Mike Hoffman that helped spark their recovery. Dunn’s play remains one of the focal points for the Blues in the early stage of the season. After a rough night against the Kings on Jan. 24 that drew some extended bench time, some criticism from Berube afterward and then a benching the next night, Dunn has responded to the challenge. He had a goal in his first game back against Anaheim, saw his ice time jump to a season high the next night, and then came through again against the Coyotes. “It’s always a surprise,” he said of being a scratch. “You’re never really walking into the rink and thinking that’s going to be happening to you, but obviously coaches make decisions and you obviously have to respect that and put your head down, work even harder. I guess it was just a reset for me. I didn’t think I was playing that bad, but obviously I had a lot more to give. Obviously that’s behind me now and just trying to forget about it.” That reset had a major mental component to it. “I’m just trying not to think out there so much out there,” he said. “By the time you’re thinking about something happening on the ice, it’s probably too late. I’m just trying to play off my instincts and trust myself and trust myself to put me in good positions and they’re doing a great job of that. I just need to keep things simple when I can and jump in holes and make offensive plays when I can. It’s all about focusing on me and making sure I’m doing my job.” On his goal, he moved down the slot to take a precise pass from Jaden Schwartz and drill the puck past Darcy Kuemper to make it 3-2. Goals, of course, are the easy part for Dunn. He has three this season after scoring nine last season and 12 the season before that. It’s the defensive side that matters more, and that’s where the progress is coming. Dunn’s Corsi score of plus-8 was the best among Blues defensemen, though he and partner Niko Mikkola were the one defensive pairing that never had to start in its own end. If Dunn has moved his game back into Berube’s good graces, it took the whole team a while to do that on Tuesday. The first 10 minutes of the game were definitely lacking. “We were just a step behind,” Berube said, “we just didn’t get there on time to break a play up or on the forecheck we were late and they were breaking out and coming at us with speed. We just didn’t close any plays out in the D zone … so it was just a matter of playing quicker and playing harder. (Brayden) Schenn went out and hit a few guys, (so did Kyle) Clifford. We had some guys banging bodies around after that, I thought it changed the momentum of the game. Then I thought we played pretty good after that.” Down 1-0, Hoffman got the puck in his own end, skated it up ice, saw Arizona defenseman Alex Goligoski fall down and took advantage of the space to slam it home from the right dot for his second goal of the season. It’s been slow going for Hoffman, the high-scoring free agent the Blues picked up at a reduced price right before the season began. St Louis Blues "It's day to day, we'll see how he feels," Berube said. "Right now, he 1182965 doesn't feel good enough to go on the ice so that's where he's at."

Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who is still on injured reserve, skated with Blues ready for Coyotes and, for a change, paying customers at the team but won't be in the lineup tonight. Enterprise As you would expect for a team on a three-game winning streak, Berube is sticking with the same lineup: Tom Timmermann St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.03.2021 There were a smattering of fans, about 300, at the Blues first four home games. When they face Arizona tonight at Enterprise Center, that number will be much larger. A crowed of about 1,400 is expected on Tuesday night as the Blues become just the fifth team in the NHL this season to open their doors to paying customers. Tickets were made available to season ticket holders to sit in pairs spaced throughout the building. "It's exciting for us," said defenseman Torey Krug. "The chatter in the locker room is just about the excitement of having people back in the building. I know as an opposing player coming in here how hard it is to play. We want to continue that excitement and the roll that we're on and give them something to cheer about. The guys are really pumped up." "It's gonna be fun," forward Sammy Blais said, "being able to play in front of more fans, so I think the guys in the locker room are really excited about it and hopefully we can get more fans here as the season goes on." The crowd may seem even bigger on camera as the number of cardboard fan cutouts around the arena has grown. One of the teams that has had fans in the stand has been the Coyotes. "It's been awesome back home, having the fans that we have, 3,000 around there," said Coyotes forward (and St. Louis native) Clayton Keller. "It's awesome to have them back in the building, it's exciting. Everyone wants to play in front of fans, so that was a special thing to have to start the season." (The announced attendances for the Coyotes have run from 1,808 to 2,712.) Keller didn't have to worry about trying to get tickets for his family. He said his mother and brother are up in Minnesota right now (his brother Jake is playing hockey and going to high school up there) and his father is in Arizona. In 11 games against the Blues, Keller has two goals and seven assists. Coyote trouble Fans may not be big on the late starts that the Blues being in the West Division has led to — though the number of really late starts hasn't been as bad as many feared — but the worst thing about being in that division may be that the Blues landed in the same division as Arizona. The Coyotes have been one of their biggest nemeses in recent years, winning six of the past eight games and outscoring the Blues 26-12. Since Rick Tocchet took over Arizona, the Coyotes are 3-1-1 against the Blues. "They've got a lot of speed on their team," coach Craig Berube said. "Their goaltending is very strong. They play a good structured game. They do things right. You've really got to work to beat that team, they're going to work hard and they're going to play within themselves, so you've got to find a way to break that. We've had some real good games against them at home here that I can remember where we really possessed the puck and did a lot of good things, but still it's a tight game, so I expect a lot of the same tonight." Tarasenko update Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, recovering from a shoulder surgery, has resumed skating, though not with the team. Feb. 17 will mark five months from the operation and was the time frame first set by the team. "He's skating and he's doing a good job," Berube said. "I think he's worked really hard off the ice and kept himself in good shape from what I've seen and now he's on the ice skating, he's putting in the work on the ice now, so we'll see how it goes. That's as I can tell you." Lineups Tyler Bozak will miss his third game after taking a hit from Mark Stone while the Blues were in Vegas. The Blues have called it an upper body injury, and the nature of the hit points to a concussion. St Louis Blues this a confirmation of how much the players appreciate the fans being 1182966 here. They’ve been very clear about it. It makes a big difference to them.”

Blues fans Bard Stephens (left) and Bill Bitting with Blues owners Mary Blues fans feel safe, players feel support as club hosts crowd of 1,400 and Tom Stillman at Enterprise Center on Tuesday. (Jeremy Rutherford / The Athletic)

Prior to the game, Zimmerman said that he couldn’t wait to hear fans By Jeremy Rutherford respond when the Blues were introduced. Feb 3, 2021 “I heard Brayden Schenn’s comment, where he said, ‘1,400 is going to feel like 10,000,'” Zimmerman said. “I don’t know whether it will sound that way, but I think that’s how it’s going to feel to the players.” Richard Hellwege and his daughter, Emily, have been coming to Blues Adam Clouser, 34, and his mother, Kim, 60, of Wright City, Mo., were games for years. sitting in their seats — Section 101, Row U, Seats 11-12 — and cheered. “I was an original season-ticket holder in 1967 with my dad,” said “It was a rush to see them for the first time on the ice out there,” Adam Hellwege, of Kirkwood, Mo. “Then I brought her to a Detroit-Blues playoff said. “I had tears in my eyes.” game when she was probably 12, 13.” Kim is a front-line worker at a local hospital, working as a pharmacy “I was hooked,” Emily said. technician in the ICU. She felt like the Blues were taking many steps to “She’s the kind of person that will watch a game on TV, have her iPad on ensure the safety of fans. another game, then have another game on her phone, all at the same “You’ve got to do your precautions like they tell you — your mask, hand time,” her dad said. sanitizer, washing your hands,” Kim said. “That’s going to be a given for But like the rest of the Blues’ fan base, they’ve been locked out of the next six months to a year until it’s gone. I think the team is doing a Enterprise Center since the start of the pandemic last spring. Their last good job.” game was Feb. 29, and about two weeks later, the NHL paused its The Clousers also felt comfortable making a pit stop at the cashless regular season. The league returned to the ice in July to complete its concession stands, where items were individually bagged. postseason, but the games were played in Edmonton and Toronto and no fans were allowed. “No lines!” Adam said, laughing. This season, the Blues allowed about 300 front-line workers, along with Kim Clouser (left) and her son, Adam, of Wright City, Mo., enjoy organizational staff and friends and families of the players, to the first four Tuesday’s game. (Jeremy Rutherford / The Athletic) games on the schedule. Then it was announced recently that the team would become just the fifth franchise in the NHL to allow paid fans into Janine and Jessica Fabick, a mother and daughter who attended the the building beginning with Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, game, were also impressed with the standards, both at the concession who lost to the Blues, 4-3. There would be a maximum capacity of 1,400. stand and in the seating area. And who would be the first two people through the turnstiles at the main “I feel like they’re really being overly cautious,” Janine said. “We’re sitting entrance of Enterprise Center at 6 p.m. CT? here and there’s no one around us, but the usher is wiping down the railings every time there’s a timeout, and there’s nobody even touching “We were parked about 4:30,” Hellwege said, before adding sarcastically, the railings. But I totally understand that they want to be able to get fans “We weren’t too excited.” back in. Nobody should have any caution about coming to a Blues game.” As the 69-year-old father and his 35-year-old daughter took their first few steps in the concourse, Emily said, “It looks great considering there “Bring your debit card, your ID and you’re ready to have a good time,” hasn’t been a game here with fans in 10 months.” Jessica said. There, of course, wasn’t the normal hustle and bustle Tuesday when The ladies were screaming after Vince Dunn gave the Blues a 3-2 lead in fans, who were offered the opportunity to purchase tickets based on their the second period over the Coyotes. They felt like the crowd was loud season-ticket tenure, walked slowly to their socially distanced seats. enough that the piped-in fake noise might not be needed anymore. There were more masks than Jordan Binnington has in his goalie bag, and there were more stops at the hand-sanitizing station than the beer “I feel like there’s enough of us here that we can take over,” Jessica said. garden. “I think 1,400 people can make enough noise that they can hear us.” But amid the rows of cardboard cutouts at Enterprise Center, there was a They could. living and breathing loyal crowd, wearing the jerseys of Torey Krug, “Yeah, it was great,” Dunn said. “Even when we had the 300 there, it’s Vladimir Tarasenko and Bernie Federko, ready to scream when the club nice just having a couple of people out there. (But) to have that many scored, and chant “Let’s Go Blues!” when the players needed support. more tonight, that’s a good feeling for us and a good feeling for the “I’m like a kid in a candy store,” said Kevin Dolansky, 60, of Belleville, Ill., community. Obviously, we’re taking strides with the battle that’s COVID whose last game was March 9. “It’s great to be back. I didn’t think it was right now. I think it’s just a good feeling, not only in the rink, but in the going to happen this soon. I guess it either means: A) We’re making city.” headway; or B) the Blues are following all the protocols and guidelines as “The more, the better,” Blues teammate Mike Hoffman said. “Hopefully they’re being laid down by the city and health officials.” down the road, we can get even more in here. I thought it was awesome. Blues business CEO Chris Zimmerman, who has been working with city For 1,400, they were pretty loud out there.” officials to re-open the rink, stood near the entrance as the Hellweges The Blues celebrate their 4-3 win over Arizona on Tuesday. (Jeff Curry / and Dolansky entered the building and couldn’t help but think about the USA Today) long road to this day. Steve Vollmer, 51, of O’Fallon, Ill., felt like the Blues can get more fans in “Quite honestly, I go back to the second week of March,” Zimmerman the building soon. said. “We’re about 11 months, and it’s been a long haul to get here. So yeah, it’s actually a bit moving to see this. You get a chance to talk with “Oh, heck yeah,” he said. “I think they could afford to have, not a huge people and you see how happy they are and how much it means to them. amount, but you would think 3,000 or 4,000 this next series certainly and still be socially distanced.” “I really think it’s gratifying for our staff, too, whether it’s retail or food and beverage, or the ushers, many of whom have been working at this place Zimmerman is hopeful. for 20-plus years. It’s become a big part of all of our lives, and we’re starting to get back to not-normal, but back to some of the things that “I think we’ll be able to keep moving forward with time,” he said. “We’ve people really care about.” seen what’s happening with the television ratings, which are up like 40 percent. People want to be back and be part of this is in a big way and Blues owner Tom Stillman and his wife, Mary, both attended games that’s exciting, and this is one of the critical ways.” earlier this season, and noted that the pulse picked up Tuesday. Many more will get their turn, but for fans like the Fabicks, they were “It’s this feeling that, ‘OK, it’s happening, we’re re-opening, the Blues’ appreciative to be in attendance Tuesday. world and we hope the world at-large — it’s starting to open up and this is just sort of a peek at it,” Stillman said. “And I think we’ve seen through “We love being here, we love the Blues,” Jessica said. “We made so many memories the year that we took the Stanley Cup home that we’ll carry for a lifetime. So being here tonight, it’s so hopeful to be back. It gives me a lot of hope for our future and the fans.”

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182967 Tampa Bay Lightning

When might Amalie Arena reopen to Lightning, Raptors fans?

By Eduardo A. Encina Published Yesterday Updated Yesterday

Amidst spiking coronavirus case numbers and positivity rates throughout Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay area, the Lightning made the decision last month to open the hockey season without fans in the stands. The Vinik Sports Group, which owns the Lightning and manages Amalie Arena, announced that the arena would not host fans at Lightning or Raptors games through at least Feb. 5. That will continue to be the case through the Lightning’s home games Wednesday and Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. However, with trends starting to improve, it is likely fans will be back in the arena later this month provided the numbers continue to fall. An announcement on the Lightning’s plans is expected next week. The team will be on the road next week, so its next home game after the Detroit series will be Feb. 15 against the Florida Panthers. That is the earliest possible date fans could be in the building. The Raptors also play away from Tampa for most of the next two weeks. Their longest stretch of home games this month starts Feb. 21, when they are slated to play five of six games at Amalie. Before Lightning ownership decided to close the arena to fans, it planned to allow no more than 4,000 into the stands to comply with social- distancing protocols. The Raptors played to a 3,800-fan maximum capacity for their first four games at Amalie — one preseason game and three regular-season games. The Lightning were on pace to be one of four NHL teams (along with Arizona, Dallas and Florida) to open the season with fans in attendance. But in early January, coronavirus numbers hit all-time highs, and the team pivoted from its initial plan during the same week as it had its ticket rollout to season plan holders. The Lightning made their announcement on Jan. 9, right as local cases were at their worst. For the week ending Jan. 8, there was an average of 1,085 new cases a day in Hillsborough County, most since the pandemic began in March. Average weekly positive cases in Hillsborough County have dropped by half since then. The week ending Monday recorded an average of 529 new cases a day. The Lightning have been evaluating the county and Tampa Bay area case and positivity trends while working with their health partners to devise a plan for when and how to reopen the arena moving forward. But the situation remains fluid, and if a sudden spike occurs again, their plans could change. Since the pandemic, Amalie Arena was retrofitted to meet all CDC standards, changes that include new HVAC systems, signs on the ground 6 feet apart reminding fans to distance themselves in restrooms and concession areas, and new UV lightning to sanitize escalator guardrails. The Raptors, who are playing their home games in Tampa at least through March 5, were the first team to play at Amalie since the pandemic. Their preseason games had a soft opening, and their regular- season games had a maximum capacity of 3,800 fans. Fans sat in pods of two and four seats and were instructed to wear masks at all times when not actively eating or drinking. Because of the zoning of the arena, most of the fans were sitting in the 300 level. A limited-capacity comedy show, Mike Epps’ Super Comedy Jam, is scheduled for Saturday at the arena, but it’s uncertain whether that event will go on as planned. Tickets are still being sold for Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac’s concerts scheduled for Feb. 19 and 20.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 Tampa Bay Lightning percentage was just above break-even (53.3), ahead of Joseph, Killorn, 1182968 Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat.

The team has been taking a high rate of shots for, and allowing few Lightning mailbag: Time to flip Mathieu Joseph and Tyler Johnson in against with Johnson on the ice five-on-five. The Lightning are allowing lineup? few quality chances, just not creating as many with him out there (his goals per 60 minutes at .9 was last on the team entering Monday, according to Evolving Hockey). By Joe Smith “Our line as a whole is finding more chemistry,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve been pretty good defensively and are creating a lot of shots, Feb 2, 2021 chances. But we have a lot more to give.” The Lightning are 5-1-1 heading into a two-game series with the Mathieu Joseph looks like a different player this season. rebuilding Red Wings. They’re playing well. The top line and third line are pretty much set. Would it be worth mixing Joseph with Cirelli and Killorn? He’s more confident, comfortable. And while he’s showing off his Sure. But I think Cooper found a good solution on Monday, going with 11 disruptive speed, the game seems to be slowing down for him. forwards and seven defensemen. That allowed Cooper to roll different lines, giving Joseph shifts with some of the team’s top forwards, like It was Joseph’s slick assist on Brayden Point’s buzzer-beating goal to Point, while also giving Johnson 16:30 of ice time. They could also give end Monday’s first period that really epitomized this. rookie defenseman Cal Foote another game, easing him in. With eight seconds left, Joseph smartly sent the puck back behind the The good news for Tampa Bay is that Joseph is playing at a high level, Lightning net to reset. He didn’t force a risky play up the ice. He looked pushing for more playing time. And you have to imagine he’s also up at the clock, realizing he was the last guy leaving the zone. Then pushing Johnson too. Joseph used his world-class speed to glide up the ice — from Tampa Bay’s crease to Nashville’s — in just six seconds. And in a two-on-none At what point do the Lightning start taking premium ice time away from with Point, Joseph had the savvy, and hands, to make the extra pass Killorn for taking stupid penalties at the wrong times of a game? — Gary back in the waning second. Point said he wasn’t expecting to get it back B. for the tap-in with .4 seconds left. It was the play of the game in a 5-2 win over Nashville. I don’t see the Lightning taking away Alex Killorn’s ice time. He has had a few penalties (six penalty minutes through six games), but overall he’s “I think it’s more instinct than anything,” Joseph said. “I thought it was a played pretty well. Killorn has just four points so far, but he and Anthony good read by both of us.” Cirelli have driven a lot of the play when they’ve been on the ice. In Saturday’s 4-3 win over Nashville, Killorn and Cirelli had a perfect It should come as little surprise that about half the questions in my latest expected goals rating at five-on-five. Lightning mailbag revolved around Joseph and who you think he should replace in the top six, Tyler Johnson. Joseph, 23, who has found his way Two questions, Joe: Is there an update on how Kuch is doing? And back after a humbling demotion to AHL Syracuse last season, has second question — I know we are only a handful of games into the earned more ice time, and was given it Monday (a season-high 13:41, season and I know you have written an article on this. I just want to see if including a power play and penalty kill shift). The former fourth-round pick your view or mind has changed on who we protect in the expansion is determined to not be the “odd man out,” like he was during the entire draft/who gets taken? — Kaleb F Stanley Cup run, when he appeared in zero games. Hey, Kaleb. Nikita Kucherov is doing well, still rehabbing from late- “He came in on a mission with a chip on his shoulder after the way things December hip surgery. Kucherov is expected to miss the entire regular went last year,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “He made it a point to season, but the hope is that he’ll be back for the start of the playoffs. come in and have a really good camp and just really forced his way on Coach Jon Cooper said Monday that he’s seen the Hart Trophy winner the team. He looks fantastic. The skating has been exceptional. When he every day that the team is home, and he’s in really good spirits, itching to utilizes his speed, he can be a real danger out there offensively. On the come back. They had an extensive conversation after Saturday’s game backcheck, he’s playing that style where he’s in your face. against Nashville. The next step for Kucherov is starting to skate again, but that’s still a little ways off. “Coming in, he wanted to be a guy that is counted on in the lineup every night. He’s been a really huge part of our success early on in the As for the Lightning’s expansion draft protection, that list is evolving, with season.” our latest predictions coming in December. Like I wrote in that story, the development and performance of the team’s young players could be Joseph is certainly forcing coach Jon Cooper’s hand in playing more, but factors in their decision. I’m looking specifically at a player such as rookie it doesn’t mean the Lightning should demote Johnson. At least, not yet. defenseman Cal Foote, who earned his spot on the opening night roster And here’s why. and will have to battle for minutes. I get the idea that it’d be intriguing to tinker and flip-flop Joseph and Gemel Smith can fill the fourth-line center position with Stephens out Johnson, who would then be back at his natural center spot on the fourth indefinitely. Do you think he could crack the lineup or will Joseph line. We saw how dynamic Joseph can be with Alex Killorn and Anthony continue to play the 4C? — Tharajan G. Cirelli in the season opener. The fact that Joseph is emerging, and growing, is a good sign not only for this season, but for next when he’d I think Smith is definitely capable of filling the 4C spot, as he boasts the probably have to replace either Blake Coleman or Barclay Goodrow if kind of relentless style and defensive responsibility needed. But the both are too expensive as UFAs. Lightning are going to give Joseph the first crack at it. It’s been only a game or two so far, so not a large sample size, but Joseph seems to be But this is also about getting the most out of Johnson, too. The former handling it well. He’s constantly working after practice with assistant Jeff All-Star has already been through the wringer, getting put on waivers in Halpern, a long-time center, who has been especially helpful on faceoffs. the offseason, asked by the Lightning to consider waiving his no-trade The idea in giving the role to Joseph was twofold: 1) He deserved the clause. It had to be a humbling and hurtful moment. Everyone has given right to stay in the lineup and 2) it saves the team on the salary cap not Johnson credit for how he handled the situation, coming into camp in having to add Smith to the roster from the taxi squad. terrific shape and with a smile on his face. Do you believe Alex Volkov will get more consistent and play better with Has Johnson’s production been great this season? You didn’t notice him the ice time he is now getting? He seems to disappear on the ice a lot. — a ton until Saturday night, when Johnson scored a power-play goal, his Dawn W. first of the season. And on Monday, Johnson made a great centering pass to Yanni Gourde for the team’s second goal. Let’s not forget that Volkov has been a “mystery” to scouts since he’s been a pro. The Johnson scored 29 goals just two seasons ago. He’s still got that Russian winger has a top-six toolkit in terms of skill, size and hockey playmaking ability in him. He just needs to bring it consistently. sense. But Volkov has yet to put it together consistently enough at the NHL level. He’s still young, 23, with just 13 games of NHL experience, so If you bury Johnson on the fourth line and play him 8-9 minutes a night, let’s not give up on him yet. Coaches and teammates were impressed by you risk losing him, damaging his confidence. He’s already bounced Volkov’s practices in the bubble, which earned him a spot in the Cup- around a lot the past few years from center to wing. Sure, he’s on the clinching Game 6. Volkov said that did a lot for his confidence, something power play, but the second unit doesn’t play nearly as much as the top he hoped to carry over into this season. We haven’t seen a lot out of him one, understandably. Johnson has to earn that top-six spot, but through yet through the first few weeks of the season. Volkov has one shot on seven games, it’s not like he’s been dragging down the group. He goal through his first four games, and his Corsi-For percentage is 32.0, entered Monday’s game leading the team in Corsi-For percentage (63.1), so there’s room to grow. He was a healthy scratch on Monday, however, with linemates Killorn and Cirelli No. 2-3. His expected goals for with the Lightning going with seven defensemen. But you haven’t seen the last of Volkov, he’ll get more opportunities to make the much- As for the equipment, the team provides the equipment, including sticks, anticipated impact. which make up for a considerable expense. Many players, such as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, have deals with equipment It’s tough seeing a lot of our young and promising players stuck buried on manufacturers or apparel companies that can hook them up with certain the depth chart. Johnny has partly contributed to us losing Marchessault other gear/clothes along the way. and Verhaeghe, and others? What’s the justification here? Is there a solution? — Adam D. It’s hard to blame Johnson for the Lightning losing both Jonathan The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 Marchessault and Carter Verhaeghe. There were a number of factors, and players, who were taking top-six spots at the time. The Lightning took a calculated gamble with Verhaeghe this offseason, not giving him a qualifying offer. They had hoped to still keep him and sign him to a contract, but Verhaeghe signed a two-year, $2 million deal with the Panthers. They gave him what Verhaeghe likely wouldn’t have got in Tampa — a top-line spot — and rewarded Florida’s faith with five goals in his first seven games. Tampa Bay focused on keeping fellow RFAs Mitchell Stephens, Joseph and Volkov. Is there a solution? With the Lightning’s continuous cap crunch, there are always going to be players who won’t fit in their budget, it’s just a matter of picking the right ones. There’s only so much money, and top-six spots, to go around. Do you see Ryan McDonagh being able to maintain his production for the entirety of his contract or see him declining in a year or two and if so should there be a trade at the end of the season involving him? — Grant C. McDonagh has been really good this season, and you can tell a noticeable difference in how much more active he’s been in the offensive zone/rush. He is 31 years old, but he came into camp in tremendous shape. He’s the kind of veteran player who takes really good care of himself in the offseason, so I can see him maintaining his level of play for several years. Keep in mind that the Lightning don’t win the Stanley Cup last fall without McDonagh. Now, will McDonagh’s play decline over the final six years of his contract (at $6.75 million AAV)? It’s fair to think that. And a lot of that will depend on if McDonagh can avoid injuries, as skating is one of his strengths. My point in previous stories I’ve written about McDonagh is that with the Lightning’s cap issues, and the emergence of Mikhail Sergachev on the left side, you could see the team looking at options eventually to shed that salary. McDonagh has got a full no-trade clause and has every right to want to stay here for the rest of his career, and I don’t think Tampa Bay is in a rush to move him. But eventually tough decisions have to be made, especially when players such as Brayden Point and, eventually Sergachev, are up for bigger deals. Hi, Joe. You continue to do a great job and we appreciate it. Just an office comment. I know The Athletic crew has covered this, but my frustration level is off the charts over Fox Sports regionals being blocked from the streaming services. Cut the cord years ago and can’t go back. Know I’m not the only one. — Joe O. Thank you so much for the kind words, Joe! Our NHL business writer, Sean Shapiro, has covered this saga in detail, and I wish I had better news for you and many other Lightning fans. It doesn’t seem like negotiations have changed much over the past couple of months. Fox Sports Sun is still reporting record ratings for Lightning games, and you’d imagine they’d be even higher if other outlets were able to have access to them. It’s a tough position for the team to be in, too, as they have a lucrative deal with FSN/Sinclair, so I don’t see them getting into a major fight over this. But the Lightning want as many eyeballs on them as possible, especially when it comes to their next deal. Do you know if there are any discussions about the fact that teams are not getting the same amount of games in to be able to evaluate the draft picks that have been signed as opposed to years past and if so, what changes are they discussing? — Larry W. I am not aware of those kinds of talks, but I know the league has been discussing potentially putting off this year’s NHL Draft, which is scheduled for July, to later in the year or maybe next summer. Our Corey Pronman tackled a lot of the issues surrounding it, which included the fact that teams won’t be able to evaluate prospects as effectively due to many of the minor or junior leagues being canceled or limited. But I would have to believe that teams have thought of what you’re bringing up — not being able to see their picks play in as many games before signing them to entry-level deals. I just don’t know if there’s a solution for it yet. Good day, Joe. Do you know if there will be a Morning Skate Program this year? And, would you explain about a player’s equipment, what the organization provides and what each player has to supply. Thanks. — Rae S. Hey Rae! There hasn’t been a “Morning Skate” program done by the Lightning this season, though they’re hoping that a “reimagined version” of the show will be back soon. Toronto Maple Leafs possession, and also have the ability to get in front of net and make 1182969 plays.”

Wayne Simmonds could be playing his way up the Leafs’ lineup with Toronto Star LOADED: 02.03.2021 hard work, recent hot streak

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter Tue., Feb. 2, 2021

If Wayne Simmonds ends up on the second line in Thursday’s game with Vancouver, it won’t be because the Maple Leafs are taking a chance on him. It will be because he has earned it. Simmonds, normally the anchor of the third line, practised with second- line regulars John Tavares and William Nylander on Tuesday. Part of that stemmed from the team’s injury bay, which added third-line centre Alex Kerfoot to a group that includes Joe Thornton and Nick Roberston, and from the struggles of Ilya Mikheyev, who is still looking for his first goal of 2021. But head coach Sheldon Keefe is among many observers who have noticed Simmonds’ growing comfort in a Leafs uniform and his dedication to making himself a better player. “I think on the road trip, he was a real standout for us,” Keefe said of Simmonds, who scored goals in three consecutive games against Calgary and Edmonton. “With the injury to Jumbo (Thornton), it’s allowed us to move things around a bit, and it’s given him more opportunity … he got lots off the jump, he looks quick, he’s on the puck, he’s around the net, he found a way to score in three straight games for us. It’s given him a little extra confidence, a little extra boost. “As for the lines, we haven’t made any decisions as to what we’re going to do there. We just wanted to give that a look there, and I thought Wayne looked great in practice today. We had him in a development session before practice, and he was one of our players (Monday) who took the option of coming in to get some extra work … he’s learned to really value the development sessions we have, whether it’s in the offseason or during the season here, he’s seen the value in that. “He’s seen some areas he can improve on, took it upon himself to get the work … we wanted to give him a look with John and William (Tuesday).” Keefe said Kerfoot is suffering “the same thing that Auston (Matthews) had,” which is believed to be a hand issue. Matthews missed a game, and Kerfoot’s availability for Thursday’s game is uncertain. Simmonds, with his hot hand of late, might help Keefe and his staff address a decline in the team’s possession figures on offence. While the Leafs enjoyed a successful road trip and climbed to a North Division leading 7-2-1, the team’s normally dominant possession metrics in the offensive zone declined over the course of the trip. Toronto’s offensive zone possession times in the last five games were 24:31 at even strength and 31:20 overall, down from 29:56 at even strength and 40:37 overall in the first five games. “On this past road trip, we saw a dramatic reduction in our pace in how much we had the puck and played on offence,” Keefe said. “Some of that is the teams we played against … Edmonton and Calgary are good with the puck and good on the rush. We played with the lead for a good portion in those games but I don’t think we accomplished that well, There’s been a distinct drop from the first five games we played and the last five.” Toronto has been battling its five-on-five offensive game for much of the season. The Leafs have lacked the speed and the pressure needed to break down defences and cause the confusion that creates good scoring chances and second chances. Simmonds could be a cure. Every one of his 31 even-strength goals since the 2017-18 season came from the inner slot area or low in the faceoff circle. “He’s had a lot of success in this league, he’s played with a lot of great players, he knows how to be productive in all areas of the ice, and certainly with his size and skating ability, he’s tough around the net and the boards,” Tavares said. “We’re hoping to break opponents down and get some pucks more to the middle of the ice and off the wall, and do good job of maintaining Toronto Maple Leafs things usually even out. Going back to 2016, the Leafs have drawn 1,081 1182970 penalties and taken 1,082.

Frederik Andersen has avoided a slow start: Andersen’s first month is It’s easy to make too much of the Maple Leafs’ early numbers usually his worst month. So the notion that Frederik Andersen emerged from January with a 5-2-1 record has to be a relief. Still, some of Andersen’s other numbers aren’t nearly as impressive. His save percentage (.892) ranks 44th in the league. Backup Jack Campbell, who By Dave Feschuk Sports Columnist is 2-0-0 in two starts, ranks 14th at .923. And though the sample size is Tue., Feb. 2, 2021 small, it’s not hard to see a moment coming soon that the identity of Toronto’s go-to starter isn’t necessarily the red-headed Dane who has commanded the spot without question since 2016. Then again, if this is merely Andersen ramping up toward mid-season form, no one would be It’s a question we’ve heard in press boxes through the years: Why don’t shocked to see him reel off a dominant stretch soon. great hockey players turn into great hockey analysts? The Leafs have fixed their defensive woes: Sure, on the surface, there’s Every other major sport has a Hall of Famer or two among their most plenty to be excited about. The Leafs, seemingly committed to Sheldon influential media voices, from basketball’s Charles Barkley to football’s Keefe’s insistence they transform themselves into a harder team to play Troy Aikman to baseball’s Alex Rodriguez. The NHL alumni who’ve against, came into Tuesday atop the league standings. They had won emerged as leading on-air observers, meanwhile — Ray Ferraro and five one-goal games. They hadn’t squandered any of the six games they Craig Simpson, to name a couple — generally don’t bring athletic led into the second intermission. And by the measure of conventional resumés that compare. counting stats, their 2.90 goals against per game ranked 17th in the Maybe it’s for the best. Witness the latest series of headline-making league. That’s an improvement from last year, when they ranked 26th in observations from Wayne Gretzky, the majority owner of hockey’s record the same category. Still, GM Kyle Dubas has spoken of his interest in the advanced stat known as expected goals. By that measure, Toronto book. Gretzky was asked this week if it’s possible for Edmonton Oilers ranked 24th in the league in five-on-five expected-goals percentage stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to reel off a 100-point season heading into Tuesday. Which isn’t particularly impressive. in the span of this season’s 56-game schedule. Given the Great One’s lifelong cultivation of a public persona that demands he also be the Can they get better? The unfailingly Gracious One would surely say: I unfailingly Gracious One, you didn’t need to hear his answer to correctly think they can. There are times Gretzky can’t seem to help himself when predict it. it comes to doling out kind words. Continuing this week’s exaltation of McDavid and Draisaitl, No. 99 inevitably drew parallels that don’t exist. “I think they can,” Gretzky told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The correct answer, of course, is: They probably can’t. Scoring 100 “It’s so similar to myself and Mark (Messier) in that they have two points in 56 games will require a pace of 1.79 points per game. Nobody’s players, a 1 and a 1A. One is as good as the other,” Gretzky said. scored at a rate better than that since Mario Lemieux managed to do it in Maybe this is why great hockey players can’t be great analysts. The a slightly higher-scoring era. So, yes, McDavid had a remarkable 22 analyst who tells you Draisaitl is as good as McDavid isn’t nearly as points through 11 games heading into Tuesday, a pace of two points a delusional than the one who tells you Messier was as good as Gretzky. game. And, sure, Draisaitl was only a shade behind him at 21 points. And, yes, they and everyone else in the defence-challenged Canadian Gretzky, to review, is the league’s all-time leading point getter. Messier is division gets a steady dose of the woeful Senators. Still, let’s just say the third. But Gretzky racked up 970 more career points than Messier in 269 100-point-season talk is, more than likely, an overreaction to a hot start. fewer games. Think about that. Gretzky outscored Messier by 970 points. To put that number in perspective, consider that Rocket Richard finished Early-season outbursts tend to breed such exuberance. A few years his career with 966 points. In other words, the only thing that separated back, when McDavid scored a hat trick in the season opener, it was Gretzky and Messier was the career of a Quebecois deity, give or take a Jaromir Jagr who mused about the possibility of McDavid one day few points. Maybe it’s for the best that hockey leaves its analysis to the breaking Gretzky’s single-season record of 92 goals. mere mortals. “I wouldn't be surprised if someday (McDavid) scored 100 goals and broke (Gretzky’s) record,” Jagr said. Toronto Star LOADED: 02.03.2021 McDavid, it’s worth noting, finished the season with 41 goals. Put Jagr in the Hall of Fame, in other words. Maybe consider somebody else for the broadcast booth. With that in mind, and with the Maple Leafs idle for a four-day stretch that will end with Thursday night’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks, let’s take a look at a few early-season observations in Leafland that may or may not be overreactions to a small sample size. The Leafs’ toughness is their power play: You remember Mike Babcock’s passive-aggressive non-compliment to his Kyle Dubas-constructed roster, which was stacked with so much skill and so little sandpaper. Even with the addition of the grit-injecting likes of Wayne Simmonds and Zach Bogosian, nobody considers the Leafs a physically imposing group. Their power play, on the other hand, which is leading the league with a 43-per-cent conversion rate through their first 10 games, looks downright menacing. Still, as good as it is — and as good as it ought to be, given Toronto’s investment in its highest-scoring forwards — we’ve seen a similar movie before in previous seasons, wherein the Leafs’ 5-on-4 unit appeared unstoppable in the early going only to be stopped at a much more regular rate when it mattered. And we’ve seen the chronic problem: As good as the Leafs are with the man advantage, they don’t find themselves wielding it nearly enough. Here’s the alarming stat. Toronto ranked 28th in power-play time heading into Tuesday’s slate of games. If the Leafs are truly going to scare opposing teams, in other words, they’ll need to find a way to draw more penalties. They’ll also need to take fewer penalties: So far the Leafs have taken 11 more penalties than they’ve drawn, a considering discrepancy 10 games into the season. Not surprising, then, that they’d spent more time killing penalties than all but three teams. Considering their penalty kill ranks 21st in the league, you can make the case they’re flirting with danger. You can also make the case that, referees being what they are, these 1182971 Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021

Petan skates into the Maple Leafs' fray while Lehtonen continues to try to find his way

Terry Koshan Publishing date: Feb 02, 2021

Nic Petan has found his way into the Maple Leafs’ mix. That’s how coach Sheldon Keefe termed Petan’s situation after the 25- year-old forward skated on the fourth line with Jason Spezza and Travis Boyd at practice on Tuesday. “We’ve used different people on our fourth line and we’ve moved guys in and out of the lineup and in and out of the (taxi) group,” Keefe said. “I just felt in talking to (general manager) Kyle (Dubas) as we’re going through everybody, that Nick belonged in the (main) group and has some things that he can offer us. We want to give him that chance. “He’s another guy, that had there been exhibition games, would have been in competition to play on our fourth line. We’re continuing to tweak and experiment with that and give those guys some exposure.” Petan has 27 points in 129 National Hockey League games, but has not skated in an NHL game since Dec. 12, 2019, for the Leafs at Calgary. Petan was with the Toronto Marlies and in their lineup for their final game last March 11 before the coronavirus pandemic included the American Hockey League on its list of shutdowns. So yes, it has been a while since Petan experienced the adrenaline of an actual game at any level. “It’s definitely an abnormal process,” Petan said. “You just try to focus 24 hours at a time. Wake up, go to the rink, go home. “It’s repetitive at times, it’s tough at times, you just have to find a way to have fun every day.” Whether Alex Kerfoot gets past a minor injury is bound to have an impact on Petan’s standing in the lineup against Vancouver on Thursday. LEHTONEN LINGERS Anyone else getting the impression the Leafs figured defenceman Mikko Lehtonen would have adjusted to the NHL by now? The 27-year-old hasn’t found his footing in four games, and on Tuesday, was on the fourth pairing with Rasmus Sandin. Travis Dermott, who was scratched in two of the past three games, was back on the third pair with Zach Bogosian. The Leafs can’t afford for Lehtonen, who was a star with Jokerit of the KHL last season and was named the league’s top defenceman, to take time to find a rhythm. “The message is that he has to continue to adjust to the NHL level,” Keefe said. “The difficulty of it is that we’re rolling here. It’s not like we can just put him out there and let him figure it out. It’s as simple as that, because we’re in a competitive division and we’re in a shortened season. “He has to find ways to adjust through practice. We think a lot of the things that happen on our half of the ice with Mikko need to get better both with and without the puck.” The Leafs are in a similar spot with their other allegedly significant offseason signing from the KHL, forward Alex Barabanov. In six games, Barabanov has no points and his overall impact has been nil. Thus far, neither signing has helped the Leafs. LOOSE LEAFS Practice on Tuesday ran 90 minutes, and that was after some players took part in individual drills prior to the 11 a.m. start. We can’t recall as long a practice in the Keefe era … In a season where every point counts that much more because of play only within the North Division, no club wants to see another win beyond regulation, with the loser getting one point. “We have talked about each point remaining in the division and how important every game is,” Keefe said. “But we haven’t talked a great deal about avoiding overtime or anything like that. It goes without saying that you’re trying to win in regulation.”

Toronto Maple Leafs And as for the chance to play with Simmonds, Tavares, whose four goals 1182972 have all come on the power play, is all for it.

“He just loves to compete, he loves getting in the dirty areas andbeing Simmonds gets a deserved Maple Leafs promotion, though Keefe not yet involved,” Tavares said. “He knows how he has to make his presence felt ready to commit and what makes him a consistent player on a nightly basis. He knows how to be productive in all areas of the ice.”

Terry Koshan Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021 Publishing date: Feb 02, 2021

That process has unfolded for Maple Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds rode the right side on a line with captain John Tavares and William Nylander at practice on Tuesday, and while that could change before the Leafs play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, there’s no doubt that Simmonds legitimately has worked his way into the top-six conversation. Simmonds scored in each of the Leafs’ first three games of a four-game trip through Alberta last week, with two goals coming on the power play. “He was a real standout for us,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said after the lengthy on-ice workout at the Ford Performance Centre. “He has lots of jump, he looks quick, he’s competitive, he’s around the net, he found a way to score.” The Simmonds move was one of several as the Leafs had their first full practice following their western sojourn. Centre Alex Kerfoot didn’t participate, though he was on the ice earlier with Joe Thornton, who continues to work his way back from a rib injury. Keefe said Kerfoot is day to day with a minor ailment, adding that it’s a situation similar to what Auston Matthews (who missed one game with a hand problem) experienced a couple of weeks ago. Kerfoot will be evaluated again on Wednesday. Nic Petan was added to the main group and skated on a fourth line with Jason Spezza and Travis Boyd; dressed in grey sweaters, usually worn by forwards not in the top 12, were Alexander Barabanov and Adam Brooks. Pierre Engvall centred Jimmy Vesey and Ilya Mikheyev, while the top line of Matthews between Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner remained intact. On defence, Travis Dermott was reunited with Zach Bogosian on the third pair, pushing Mikko Lehtonen to the fourth pair with Rasmus Sandin. “With the lines, we haven’t made any decisions about what we’re going to do as we go into the next game,” Keefe said. “We’ll make decisions on what we want to do with our lines to counter (what the Canucks might do).” Simmonds has earned the shot with Tavares and Nylander. The latter noted some chemistry after one practice, and Keefe saw it as well. Simmonds has been putting in the work to help result in his production. “He has learned to really value the development sessions that we have, whether it was in the off-season or during the season,” Keefe said. “We had a development session with him before practice (on Tuesday) and (on Monday) he was one of our players that had the option (of not going on the ice) and he wanted to come in and get some extra work. There’s all positives surrounding Wayne.” In the bigger picture, Keefe wants to see an uptick in pace, which, presumably, would lead to more pressure in the offensive zone. The Leafs’ 7-2-1 record through their first 10 games is admirable, but Keefe is striving to see some offensive gaps filled in. “In particular on this past trip, we saw a pretty dramatic reduction in our pace and how much we had the puck, and how much we played on offence,” Keefe said. “That’s not a choice of ours.” The Leafs finished last season at 52.03% in possession at five on five, good for sixth in the National Hockey League. Before NHL games on Tuesday, they were 16th at 50.8%. “We want to be a better defensive team and more consistently defend better,” Tavares said. “At times, when you do that, you’re also not going to get some chances to go your way. We’re just trying to find that right balance as a group. “With the depth and the skill sets that we have, there’s a lot of trust and belief in what we’re doing.” 1182973 Toronto Maple Leafs

Emphasis for Leafs' goalless Mikheyev is to take greater advantage of speed, power

Terry Koshan Publishing date: Feb 02, 2021

Among the more surprising stat lines in the Maple Leafs’ first 10 games is the zero that Ilya Mikheyev is carrying. The big, quick winger is the lone Leafs forward who has played in each game and failed to score at least one goal. He has two assists and 16 shots on goal. “We’d like to find ways to help him generate more offence for himself, generate more dangerous shots,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “With the speed and power and size he has, he can get to the inside a lot more. We’re working with him on that, to challenge defenders, make it harder. If he’s not going to generate chances, he can draw penalties or create opportunities for others. “That’s a big piece of it offensively. We think there’s a number of little details in this game defensively that can continue to get better. At the same time, we look at his game and he brings a lot to our team. He has been an effective player for us.” In 39 games last season, Mikheyev scored eight goals before a wrist injury on Dec. 27 ended his first year in the National Hockey League. Heading into Thursday against Vancouver, Mikheyev is averaging 15 minutes four seconds a game, 31 seconds shy of his 2019-20 average.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.03.2021 Toronto Maple Leafs tournament’s most talented lines, the left winger’s skill and deception 1182974 were on display throughout the majority of the tournament.

It’s not uncommon for a prospect to return to his club team following a Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Updates on Rodion Amirov, Mikko decent world juniors and take his game to another level. But according to Kokkonen, more Salavat Ufa assistant coach Viktor Kozlov, that hasn’t been the case for Amirov since his return to the KHL.

“From my perspective, he needs be more involved in puck battles, By Joshua Kloke winning battles, (be) willing to go to the battles and (be) willing to win the battles,” he said. “If he improves on this, he will be a much better player.” Feb 2, 2021 In his nine games since returning to the KHL, Amirov has averaged between 12:31 and 14:54 of ice time. He’s netted a goal and an assist in With multiple professional, junior and college leagues deep into their that time, highlighted by some willingness to attack the net: respective seasons, we can get a decent look into the progression of It’s a step up from the fourth-line minutes he was playing over a four- some Maple Leafs prospects. game stretch in October and November, sure, but a far cry from the top- This edition of The Athletic’s Maple Leafs Prospect Report takes a look at line minutes he was getting in September and early October when he a group of players whose games have changed (or in one high-profile was matching those minutes with some of his best production of the case, hasn’t) this season. season. Ovchinnikov moving quickly “We play a little bit different type of hockey (in the KHL),” said Kozlov. “It’s different than in the world juniors.” Tucked away in the middle of Siberia, Dmitri Ovchinnikov has taken steps this season towards his ultimate goal: playing in the NHL. The picture surrounding his future in Russia remains cloudy, but his lack of playing time and responsibility with Ufa might further increase his “This is my dream, I want to go there,” the Leafs 2020 fifth-round draft desire to try his hand at North American hockey next season. pick said via a translator, of playing in the NHL. “But you need to be completely ready. I understand that it is different hockey.” Kokkonen wants to add offence The 18-year-old centre’s production alone suggests he’s at least on the On the topic of Leafs prospects at the world juniors, 2019 third-round pick right track. He had 17 goals and 45 points in 34 MHL games with Mikko Kokkonen felt good about the feedback he said he received from Sibirskie Snaipery. Among regular players, his 1.32 points per game the Leafs after the tournament. The 20-year-old defenceman said the were tops in Russia’s junior league. Leafs liked his defensive game, his tight gap, his breakouts, and how he played the body. It was enough to warrant a call-up to the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk last week. He has been held pointless in three games since. “Of course, I want to be more offensive. But I got good feedback and now I know what I have to improve on,” said Kokkonen. What changed for Ovchinnikov in his third MHL season? And so that will be his focus in the second half of his Liiga season with “The head coach began to trust me more,” he explained. “I believed in Jukurit: adding offensive touches that will make him a more complete myself more.” player. He currently leads Jukurit in ice time (20:42) but has just three assists in 24 games. Ovchinnikov’s Snaipery head coach, Dmitri Gogolev, cited his stickhandling, vision and ability to anticipate passing lanes as his strengths. “I just have to have more confidence, take the shots, join the rush and things will be much better,” said Kokkonen. “Everything he does is at high speed. This is his biggest advantage,” said Gogolev. He admitted he has learned from fellow Leafs draft pick and Finnish defenceman Topi Niemela. Ovchinnikov has chosen a high-flying NHL player to emulate. “If I make mistakes, that’s fine,” said Kokkonen. “But I can learn from “Connor McDavid,” he said. “I try to imitate him in everything.” those mistakes. I know I can play more offensively.” “Speed and stick control – yes, here he looks like McDavid,” said So if all goes well, will this be his last season in Finland before he moves Gogolev. “Because some players have good hands but bad skating, or into the Leafs organization? good speed but poor vision. But McDavid is tall, I think, and Dmitri (5- foot-11) is closer to Patrick Kane in size.” “Hopefully,” said Kokkonen. Gogolev believes Ovchinnikov needs to seriously bulk up and improve Abramov getting back to form his defensive responsibilities before becoming a full-time KHL player. Whether he can handle the physicality and continue to produce while Mikhail Abramov didn’t have the best world junior tournament. Russia playing against men will provide some insight into his future with the head coach Igor Larionov described Abramov’s tournament as “up and Leafs. down.” “Of course, I expect that I will be given a chance, I will try to use it,” After returning to Canada and serving his mandatory 14-day quarantine, Ovchinnikov said of playing in the KHL. “There, I need to add confidence Abramov is still working his way back into top form. The 19-year-old too, go out and not be afraid.” forward had just two practices with the Victoriaville Tigres before returning to game action. He has two points in four games since. Der-Arguchintsev on the mend “He can be better, for sure,” said Tigres head coach Carl Mallette. A brief update on Semyon Der-Arguchintsev: after suffering a leg injury on Nov. 29, the 2018 third-round pick remains in Russia, working his way With his vision and playmaking ability, Abramov has established himself back to full health with KHL’s Torpedo. It was thought he’d miss four as a player who needs to be surrounded by equally skilled players to weeks of playing time, but he’s since skated twice just with the team. excel. While he said his leg has yet to completely heal, his hope is that within It seems the Tigres see the same thing. They recently traded for two new two weeks he’ll be ready for game action. linemates for Abramov: QMJHL leading scorer Shawn Element and 2019 Colorado Avalanche third-round pick Alex Beaucage. Der-Arguchintsev plans to return to North America only once his KHL season is over. Torpedo’s final KHL regular season game is Feb. 27. “In top shape, he can dominate the game more than he has,” said They currently sit in seventh place in the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Mallette of Abramov. The crafty, playmaking centre has one goal and five points in 10 KHL I’m of the belief that a prospect’s play in the world juniors won’t games. necessarily lead to a serious impact on his future. Nevertheless, after signing his entry-level contract in March, you have to believe the Leafs Amirov still has work to do want Abramov to start contributing to their organization later in 2021. Regaining his prior form will be key for Abramov to end his junior career Expectations were high for Rodion Amirov entering the recent world on a strong note and hopefully ease his eventual move to the Marlies. juniors. The 2020 Leafs first round pick had a solid showing, leading Russia in scoring with six points in seven games. Playing on one of the Koster skating better Defenceman Mike Koster, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick, has spent most of numbers. On Monday, he was named to the Swedish national team’s the past four summers training with the renowned Jack Blatherwick to roster for the Beijer Hockey Games, a February tournament against the improve his skating. But ahead of his freshman season at the University Finnish, Russian and Czech national teams. of Minnesota, the skilled puck-mover wanted to amp things up. Koster is now spending time on the team’s top pair. After starting last season as a winger, Växjö Lakers head coach Sam Hallam has since moved the 21-year-old to centre. Holmberg had decent “I’ve heard from a handful of scouts who had watched him in the USHL skating and strength when he arrived in the SHL, but the most notable and said they couldn’t believe the improvement in one year,” said improvement in his game this season is how he thinks about himself. University of Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko. “The biggest developments are in his confidence: understanding how Koster chose to focus on improving his lower body strength and good he is, and really taking more initiative to believe in himself,” said recovering from an ankle injury last season. The added explosiveness in Hallam. “What has developed is the way he carries the puck when he his stride has allowed him to feel more confident finding more dangerous believes in himself and the way he challenges players in a good, smart spots in the offensive zone, producing points and recovering in the way.” defensive zone. He has two goals and eight points in 18 games. The rest of the season will be less about making necessary improvements to his The change in mindset has seen him ditch his pass-first mentality. He’s game, but instead “elevating” the things he does well. averaging 1.29 shots per game this season, an increase from the 0.75 shots per game he averaged last season. He has six goals and 15 points “What separates me from other players is using my hockey IQ, jumping in 34 games. into the rush when I can, and reading plays,” said Koster. “I think those are the big focuses because that’s what elevates me from other guys.” “Since he’s taking more initiative, he’s in situations when he’s dangerous,” said Hallam. “He’s just making more things happen around Fusco adapting on the fly him, by himself.” Like many players this season, John Fusco had to alter some plans. After Regardless, Hallam said patience is important to allow Holmberg more being selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft out of high school, time to “settle in” to his new role. he was committed to Harvard. But when their season was cancelled, he moved to the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. “In two years, he’s definitely going to be ready (to play in North America),” said Hallam. “He can play different roles.” One concern regarding prospects this season was how their development might be stunted adapting to unexpected surroundings. But Another under-discussed prospect worth keeping an eye on is Noel Fusco’s new head coach, Luke Strand, was not concerned when the 19- Hoefenmayer. year-old right-shot defenceman arrived ahead of this season. The Arizona Coyotes 2017 fourth-round draft pick did not sign an ELC, “He was probably as close to being game-ready, without games, as you opting instead to become a free agent. could be,” said Strand. “He was off and running.” “It put a chip on my shoulder in my overage year in Ottawa,” said Fusco has two goals and 10 points in 15 games. Hoefenmayer. “Since then, I’ve wanted to show people how good of a hockey player I can be.” Fusco will inevitably return to Harvard should their 2021-22 season go ahead. It’s a safe bet that he plays four seasons at Harvard to maximize The 22-year-old led all OHL defencemen in scoring with 82 points in 58 his development, and so expectations surrounding his arrival to the Leafs games for the Ottawa 67’s and signed a two-year AHL deal with the organization should be tempered. Marlies in April. He has continued to produce on loan to the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. After a brief stint off the team due to COVID-19 But his ability to quickly adapt his offensive game to a different league protocols, he has two goals and six points in 10 games. has to make the Leafs happy for now. His powerful shot and offensive game would put him in contention for “He’s got an innate ability to make himself open (to receive a pass). He’s power-play time should he crack the Marlies roster. a shooter. You can just see he’s got a savvy for arriving on time, offensively, which makes him pretty effective,” said Strand. “And that shot Like a lot of young prospects the Leafs have taken bets on, of his is an NHL-calibre shot.” Hoefenmayer’s skating needs to improve. He worked with Barb Underhill and the Leafs development staff this summer. Tverberg’s new surroundings “What I learned was how to be light and skate more on one foot, and not It’s been a hectic few months for Leafs 2020 seventh-round pick Ryan get stuck,” said Hoefenmayer. Tverberg. After being drafted out of the OJHL’s Toronto Jr. Canadiens in October, the Harvard commit was traded to the BCHL’s Alberni Valley After the summer, he jumped at the opportunity to log some ECHL Bulldogs when it became clear the OJHL season would not begin on minutes to become more confident to make more creative offensive time. He logged seven pre-season games. Throughout the COVID-19 plays. pandemic, the 19-year-old had been unable to complete an SAT test, Miettinen can attack even more which was necessary to satisfy enrolment requirements at Harvard. Once it became clear the BCHL’s season would not continue, multiple schools I’ll admit to being skeptical about 2020 sixth-round pick Veeti Miettinen’s showed interest in him. The Leafs wanted him to start logging big decision to play college hockey instead of staying in Finland and playing minutes right away, and the University of Connecticut could offer him just in Liiga. But in his freshman season at St. Cloud State, he’s become that. arguably the Leafs’ most successful college prospect. With his dangerous release, he’s leading St. Cloud State in scoring with nine The tenacious forward thought he could quickly adapt to the style of play goals and 18 points in 17 games. employed by head coach Mike Cavanaugh. And he’s even surprised his new head coach, Brett Larson. “They play a good style of hockey here. Just gritty hockey. It’s a little bit different compared to what I’m used to,” said Tverberg. “The one thing I didn’t know about him was how good his hockey sense is, and his feel for the game,” said Larson. “I think his hockey sense has “His speed is what jumps out at you. He’s got that extra gear so he can helped him transition in North American hockey faster than I expected. get by people, get in on the fore-check, create havoc,” said Cavanaugh. He’s been able to adapt to new systems quick.” He’s been able to play his relentless style because, according to So much so that Larson believes they can push him to evolve even more Cavanaugh, while the Huskies players found the two separate pauses in this season. the season due to COVID-19 draining, Tverberg has come in with “fresh legs” and brought much-needed energy. “We’re trying to actually get him to use his feet a little bit more,” said Larson. “He has good feet, but he likes to be that patient guy and find the “There are some guys who play on the edge and play that pest role. He soft areas to get pucks to shoot. So we’re trying to get him to attack a plays the right way; he finishes his checks but he’s not a guy that’s little bit more off the rush.” slashing guys behind the play,” said Cavanaugh.

While Tverberg is only logging 5-on-5 time for now, Cavanaugh sees a role on both the penalty kill and the power play in the near future. The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 Tverberg has two goals and three points in six games.

One Leafs prospect that doesn’t get the same buzz as some of his European peers is Pontus Holmberg. The 2018 sixth-round pick has spent the past three seasons quietly putting up decent possession 1182975 Vegas Golden Knights

Silver Knights staff returns after stint with Golden Knights

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal February 2, 2021 - 5:39 PM

The Silver Knights didn’t have any new absences in their first practice since their preseason game Jan. 30 was canceled. In fact, the team added people. Coach Manny Viveiros and his staff were back on the Lifeguard Arena ice Tuesday after spending the previous week helping the Golden Knights. The full practice was welcome news for the Silver Knights after their second preseason game was stopped after the second period because of a positive COVID-19 test for a San Jose Barracuda player. Every player in the lineup that night practiced Tuesday. Now the focus shifts to preparing for the opener against the Ontario Reign at 7 p.m. Saturday at Orleans Arena. “We’re all ready,” defenseman Zack Hayes said. “We’re all hungry to get at it and prove we’re a good team.” The Silver Knights’ past week, just like their parent club’s, has been a whirlwind. Viveiros and assistants Jamie Heward and Joel Ward were asked to assist on the Golden Knights’ bench Jan. 26 after the NHL coaches self-isolated after one had a positive COVID-19 test. Viveiros and his staff weren’t allowed to have contact with their players afterward because they were subject to the NHL’s COVID-19 rules. Veteran forward Patrick Brown ran practice Jan. 27 and recently retired Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland took over the next day. Engelland also coached the Silver Knights in their two preseason games. They won 7-3 Friday and were leading 1-0 Saturday when the game was canceled. “I told him he’s going after Scotty Bowman’s record,” Viveiros said jokingly, referring to the NHL’s all-time leader in wins. “Any time (Engelland) wants to be around our team, if he has the time, he’s more than welcome.” Viveiros and his staff weren’t on the bench for either game but watched from above. They could only look on from a distance Jan. 30 as both teams returned to the ice for the third period just to head back to their locker rooms shortly thereafter. Defenseman Jake McLaughlin admitted it was a surreal scene. “It was definitely something that obviously I’ve never experienced before,” he said. The Silver Knights didn’t practice Sunday or Monday to ensure no positive tests appeared after the game. They were back Tuesday, ready to get their inaugural 40-game season started. “It is what it is,” Viveiros said of the adjustments. “We had to deal with it, and I thought the players did a remarkable job and were prepared, and I thought we played pretty good.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182976 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Expected Back Friday, Games Rescheduled

Published 14 hours ago on February 2, 2021 By Tom Callahan Vegas Golden Knights franchise value Forbes

The National Hockey League has announced the rescheduled dates for the Vegas Golden Knights, and GM Kelly McCrimmon says he expects the team to be back on the ice Friday night against the Los Angeles Kings. At a news conference yesterday, McCrimmon said the team will return to practice Wednesday and play Friday at T-Mobile Arena against the Kings. He also added that the team has not had any positive COVID-19 tests in the last four days. Currently three members of the coaching staff and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo are in the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182977 Washington Capitals

Vitek Vanecek's rookie of the month honor allowed Capitals to 'turn the page' from loss

By Andy Kostka - The Washington Times Tuesday, February 2, 2021

The Washington Capitals huddled on the ice ahead of Tuesday’s practice, and goaltending coach Scott Murray made an announcement. Vitek Vanecek, the 25-year-old who finally has a chance at the NHL level following five years in the minors, was named the league’s rookie of the month. After a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday in which Washington blew a three-goal edge, the moment to highlight Vanecek’s strong contributions was a salve the team needed. “Everyone woke up feeling pretty lousy today,” coach Peter Laviolette said, “so you’ve got to enjoy the good moments for a second when they come.” Vanecek has seen considerable time on the ice this season because Ilya Samsonov — the presumptive starting goalie — has been on the NHL’s coronavirus protocol list since Jan. 20. Even before that, Vanecek seemed destined for more time in the minors or on the taxi squad when the Capitals signed experienced netminder Henrik Lundqvist this offseason. But Lundqvist was ruled out for the season due to a heart condition, leaving Washington little choice but to trust two inexperienced options in net. Samsonov has hardly had time to prove himself, playing twice and recording a .868 save percentage. Vanecek, though, has started seven straight games while Samsonov remains absent. He’s impressed in that time, too, compiling a 2.94 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. The Czech Republic native has won five games, lost one and brought two to overtime. “I start feeling more comfortable and more comfortable,” Vanecek said. In the month of January alone, Vanecek’s save percentage was .918. He recorded 30 saves in his first career start and has amassed as many as 45 stops in a game. He became the 11th goaltender in NHL history to open his career with a point streak of at least seven contests. “It’s really nice when I heard it,” Vanecek said. “It’s good feeling right now, but I want to thank teammates too. They’re doing what they can, and they help me a lot with blocking shots and being in the front of net.” Without Samsonov, Washington’s second-string goalie is 39-year-old Craig Anderson, a veteran in his 18th season. Anderson hasn’t featured yet, not with the way Vanecek has played. But Anderson’s presence has been valuable for Vanecek, offering a netminder 14 years his junior tips after games. Vanecek soaks up the advice. He knows improvement in certain areas is still required, such as his puck handling behind his own net. For much of Vanecek’s career, he’s split time in goal. That was the plan this year, too, between him and Samsonov. With Vanecek handling the load now, though, Laviolette said he tries to watch his minutes, making sure the Capitals don’t overuse the goalie. “There’s been no back-to-backs, there hasn’t been a lot of travel lately, and so we’ve been in a good place to have him stay fresh and feel like he’s done a good job,” Laviolette said. “Right now, the schedule and the way he’s played has allowed him to stay in the crease.” The NHL recognized Vanecek’s performances Tuesday, when they named him the rookie of the month. That led to Washington taking a moment before practice, announcing the news and allowing the bad feelings from the loss one night before to wash away. “We had moved past all the garbage that we had to deal with from video and meetings in the morning and put it in the can and moved forward,” Laviolette said. “So that to me was just a good opportunity to turn the page and talk about something good and get ready for the next game. But it was a good moment for our guys, who are really happy for him with the way he’s played for us.”

Washington Times LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182978 Washington Capitals

The behind-the-scenes story of Chara's missing hockey sticks by Ethan Cadeaux

Ariel Ben-Abraham was at his New Jersey home on Monday when he received a large shipment from FedEx. At first, Ben-Abraham didn't think twice about it. As the owner of a streetwear clothing brand, Create Supply, he receives several packages a day. But on Monday, there was one box that was just a tad larger than the rest. "I get packages all the time for my clothing brand, Create Supply, so it's nothing new. I don't even look at the labels at this point, just because we have such a high volume of packages coming on the daily," Ben- Abraham told NBC Sports Washington. "I open one, I open two, three and I get to the big box," he continued. "I do think to myself, 'Why is this box so f----- tall?' So I open it and I see a bunch of hockey sticks, and I'm just confused. Then I proceed to look at the label, and I see 'Washington Capitals.'" After opening the package, Ben-Abraham realized that several hockey sticks belonging to Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara had been wrongly delivered to his home. Ben-Abraham then took to Twitter to share. Chara hasn't tweeted since 2014, but Ben-Abraham tagged him in a follow-up post, jokingly asking if he was going to pick up the package from him or not. Ben-Abraham also shared his tweet on hockey's main Reddit page, and the post took off. As of Tuesday afternoon, the post remains on r/hockey's top posts with nearly 30,000 upvotes. The package label was addressed to Capitals longtime head equipment manager Brock Myles, who probably will have some words with FedEx. The Capitals have yet to reach out to Ben-Abraham, but the equipment company True Hockey has. Ben-Abraham plans to ship the sticks back to them on Tuesday, although some people online have told him to hold onto them for now. "Everyone online was telling me they're unsolicited goods, you can keep them, you don't have to give them back, you can put them on eBay," Ben-Abraham said. "But like, if this happened to my brand and I had a high-profile athlete that needed his goods, I feel like I would want someone to do the same thing. So it doesn't sit right for me to keep it. Even though, I think any sane person finds this as an essential gold mine, to keep it until the guy becomes maybe a Hall of Famer, maybe sell some." As the owner of Create Supply, a clothing company that works with content creators in the online gaming industry, Ben-Abraham is familiar with the inner-workings of the Internet. Yet going viral for something to do with hockey is something he never would have expected. "We're a clothing company and we work with a lot of content creators in the online gaming industry that live stream and make YouTube videos. So, this whole Internet stuff is nothing new to me," Ben-Abraham said. "We did have fairly viral tweets before. But something that amassed this big? Never in my life. I'm honestly shocked that it happened with hockey, that would be the last sport, the last thing I thought I would go completely viral for. I guess it's not too bad."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 1182979 Washington Capitals

Vitek Vanecek named NHL Rookie of the Month for January by Matt Weyrich

Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek was awarded NHL Rookie of the Month honors for January, prompting a series of cheers from his teammates when head coach Peter Laviolette informed them at practice Tuesday. Vanecek was thrust into a starting role in mid-January when fellow rookie Ilya Samsonov was among the Capitals’ players who were forced to quarantine after breaking COVID-19 protocols. He posted a 5-0-2 record with a .918 save percentage (20 goals allowed) on 243 shot attempts during the month. Not even expected to be in the NHL this year, Vanecek made the Capitals’ roster after a heart condition requiring surgery prevented Henrik Lundqvist from playing this season. Samsonov, a former first-round pick and the NHL’s top goalie prospect, entered the season as the team’s presumptive No. 1 goalie. However, Vanecek’s strong play has helped him build a case to be a significant part of the rotation moving forward. After spending five years in the minors, the 25-year-old Czech goalie finally has his opportunity and is making the most of it.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 Washington Capitals has been very good especially considering the shot volume he has been 1182980 facing. Now we have to see how teams adjust.

Special teams Evaluating the Capitals through 10 games Stats

The Caps rank 2nd on the power play at 40.9 percent and 18th on the by J.J. Regan penalty kill at 77.8 percent. They have taken the 8th most minor penalties and have the 16th most PIMs per game.

Thoughts With the Capitals now 10 games into the season after Monday night's loss to the Boston Bruins, it is time to take a step back and evaluate what I am shocked the Caps are not among the most penalized teams in the we have seen thus far. league. I thought they would be in the top five in minors for sure as every game seems like an endless parade to the penalty box but apparently the Offense situation is not as bad as it feels. Stats Overall, I am not concerned about the penalty kill. Ranking 18th is not great, but that percentage took a hit in the Buffalo game where the Caps The Caps rank 3rd in the NHL with 3.7 goals per game. allowed three power play goals and completely fell apart. For the most Nicklas Backstrom leads the team in goals (5), assists (8) and points part, the penalty kill has been decent. (13). The power play is encouraging considering how bad it was last year. Thoughts There were times when I thought they could not score on the power play even if the other team had its goalie pulled. Obviously, 40.9 percent is My biggest takeaway is that the defense's role in the offense is as going to come way down over the course of the season, but this is a advertised. Of Washington's 37 goals this season, nine have come from good start. the defense, good for about 24 percent. The biggest issue with the penalties is the team's lack of possession. The Caps have come a long way from the shot quality philosophy they That's why we keep seeing hooks, trips, holds, etc — penalties that had during the end of the Barry Trotz era. Now, there's a lot more players take when they don't have the puck and are reacting to the puck- pushing the puck back to the blue line and getting traffic in front of the carrier. I haven't seen too many undisciplined moments so really I would net. The only issue with that is that they are not shooting enough and say possession is the big issue here. rank 27th in the NHL in shots on goal. Coaching The point of shooting from the blue line is looking for deflections and screens, but those shots are ultimately lower percentage shots. For this The Caps are tied for first in the East with a 6-1-3 record and 15 points. to be an effective offense in the long run, it will require the team to get Thoughts more rubber on net. My biggest criticism of Todd Reirden as a head coach is his inability to But on the plus side, the way everyone is contributing is fantastic. The adjust. The team did have success with him at times, but when things team has 17 different players who have recorded at least one goal, which went bad he had no answer. Through 10 games, you have to tip your cap leads the league. The fact that Alex Ovechkin has only two goals and the to the way Laviolette has been able to adjust to every challenge. There team is still 6-1-3 is pretty staggering. are few teams, if any, that could walk away from the first 10 games with Defense 15 points after losing the amount of talent the Caps lost. Stats The most notable change for me is the breakouts. The offense and defense seem to be on the same page when it comes to transitioning The Caps rank 24th in the NHL with 3.2 goals per game. through the neutral zone, which has cut down on turnovers and high- danger opportunities for the opposition. Thoughts But my main concern for the team is its lack of assertiveness. They are The defense still appears to be a work in progress, but the biggest issue not dictating games and, when they do, it is brief. The past two games here is the team's lack of possession. I am not a "the best defense is a have seen the Caps cough up 3-0 leads. Again, this goes to possession. good offense" type of guy, but when you rank 27th in shots on goal per game and 26th in shots on goal allowed per game, that's a pretty clear They have to hold onto the puck more and play a more consistent 60- indicator that Washington just doesn't have the puck enough. This looks minute game. even worse when you consider shot attempts. Washington ranks 29th in Corsi-For percentage at 46.3 percent. Biggest questions the team needs to answer If other teams have the puck the majority of the game, they are going to Is the team's lack of possession more about the players out of the lineup score more. or a sign of a major flaw? Given the players in and out of the lineup, you can accept the possession I am not a slave to analytics, but I know enough to know the team is numbers for now with the hope and expectations that this will improve as going to struggle if they don't have the puck more. They will struggle to the team continues to get players back and adjust to Peter Laviolette's make the playoffs let alone compete for the top of the division if they system. If this trend doesn't improve, however, then Washington's record continue to spend the majority of games chasing after the puck. will deteriorate over the course of the season. And before you say the Caps' possession numbers weren't great in 2018, Personally, from watching the first 10 games, I still think more of their that's because the team was consciously shooting the puck less in struggles come from attrition and adjusting to Laviolette than it does to search of higher-quality shots and possession metrics are based on shot bad play. But in a 56-game season, this needs to turn around fast. attempts. That is not what is happening here. Right now, the Caps just don't have the puck enough. Thoughts Who is the team's No. 1 goalie? Vanecek has far surpassed my expectations, but there is one aspect of his game he really has to clean up and that is his rebound control. Samsonov has to get his shot. You don't discard a first-round draft pick after two games just because you like what you see from someone else The interesting thing about goalies is that you really have to wait to in his eight appearances. evaluate them after teams are able to scout them and break down their game. Is Vanecek as good as he has played or is the book just not out How much of a weakness is the team's center depth and can they fix it? on him yet? Once teams start to see those juicy rebounds, they will The Caps depth has been tested at every position this year and the only adjust for it so he has to shore that aspect of his game up. position in which they appear thin is at center. Brian Pinho is not an NHL The most important takeaway for the goaltending is that eight games are player and the coaches do not appear to believe Connor McMichael is not enough to simply declare Vanecek the starter and give him the bulk ready yet. Can you win a Cup with Mike Sgarbossa playing fourth-line of the starts going forward. I just haven't seen enough of Samsonov yet center? Can you win with T.J. Oshie playing second-line center? this year to know really where the team's goaltending stands overall. Through the first 10 games, I can't say that it's been great, but Vanecek But with the team so tight against the cap and with how difficult trades will likely be in the pandemic, I'm not sure Brian MacLellan could add anything even if he wanted to unless he got very creative. Is a full-strength roster even possible in 2021 or is this just what it is going to be like the entire season? Honestly, I'm not sure which would be better for Washington. I believe the Caps roster can compete for a Stanley Cup at full strength, but if all teams battle the same level of attrition as Washington has, I find it hard to believe there are very many teams that are deep enough to handle it as well as the Caps have thus far. Are the Caps building something special or is this just a good start? Let's not forget, Washington was the best team in the NHL last season until Dec. 23. From then on, everything went south. Washington was 37 games into the season before it started to struggle and really showed us the true colors of the 2019-20 squad. These first 10 games are exciting, but let's not plan the parade just yet.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.03.2021 Washington Capitals “We have no idea what happened. They are clearly stated for the 1182981 Washington Capitals in Arlington, Va., to their practice facility and they ended up in New Jersey,” said Corey Gregory, True’s marketing manager for North America. ‘What did I order?’ — How Zdeno Chara’s sticks were delivered to the wrong address Gregory’s first call was to FedEx. The shipping company’s tracking system said the sticks were in Memphis.

Problem was Ben-Abraham had a picture of them in New Jersey and it By Tarik El-Bashir was being shared all over social media. Feb 2, 2021 “I would say in a perfect world what happened was FedEx drops off a bunch of boxes and that one gets grabbed with them,” Gregory said. “But I don’t have a better answer.” Ariel Ben-Abraham, like he does each day, opened his deliveries shortly Ben-Abraham said he suspects the mistaken delivery might have after they were dropped off. something to do with the country of origin. There were three boxes on Monday. Might. The first contained clothes. The second contained signage for his He said the sticks were shipped directly from a manufacturer in China. company. CreateSupply.com, meanwhile, receives dozens of shipments from China The third? Well, that’s where this strange tale begins. every week. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Why is this box so tall?'” Ben-Abraham told The “It still doesn’t make any sense how I got this box,” he said. “No sense. Athletic by phone on Monday evening. “I opened it and there’s a bunch of For this bad of a mess up, for a package that’s value of several hockey sticks. And I’m like, ‘What did I order?'” thousands of dollars, it’s insane.” Indeed, there were more than a dozen black, blue and silver hockey Ben-Abraham said the cardboard box contained 17-20 of Chara’s extra sticks from equipment manufacturer True Sports. Really, really long long sticks. The tallest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9, Chara has a hockey sticks, individually wrapped in cellophane. special exemption from the league to use a 67-inch shafted stick, or four inches longer than NHL rules permit. True Sports’s top of the line offering Stamped in white on the shaft was, “Chara 33.” retails for $259.99 each at Pure Hockey. Ben-Abraham checked the shipping label. “He’s the tallest player to ever play!” Ben-Abraham said, acknowledging that he had done a little research on Chara. “I’m 6-2, and they’re like “Company Name: Washington Capitals. Ship to: 627 N. Glebe Road, three inches taller than me.” Arlington, Va.,” it read. What’s also been crazy, he added, was the extent to which his phone That’s not Ben-Abraham’s business or his address. blew up the past 24 hours. In addition to the retweets, likes and He operates an online clothing company, CreateSupply.com, that’s comments, he’s been contacted by reporters interested in following up on based in Toms River, N.J. the story. “My whole world is basically online,” Ben-Abraham said, explaining how a “It’s literally been insane,” he said with a laugh. 20-year-old came to operate a clothing business. “I’m in the whole So what’s next? gaming scene and the esports scene, so I work with a few content creators and we do clothing lines for them. And luckily in the three years The plan as of Tuesday morning, Gregory said, was to pick up the sticks I’ve been doing it we’ve had some pretty good success.” from Ben-Abraham and then hand-deliver them to Chara at the morning skate Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Ben-Abraham has no connection to hockey other than attending a few New York Rangers games at Madison Square Garden. Both True Sports and FedEx responded to Ben-Abraham’s tweet about the mix-up, with a representative from True Sports writing: “Hey He’s actually a basketball fan, and his favorite team is the New York @ArielCreate check your DMs.” Knicks. Ben-Abraham said on Tuesday morning that he was in contact with True “I follow hockey a little bit,” he said. “I love going to Madison Square Sports and that he received a text message thanking him for his Garden. Being in that environment and always having the arena packed assistance and informing him that someone would swing later in the day out, whether it’s a Rangers game, Knicks game or even a preseason to pick up the sticks and send them to their rightful owner. game — it’s just incredible.” “Again, thank you on behalf of Team TRUE for your cooperation and He paused. willingness to help,” the message read, in part, according to Ben- “It’s a little bit painful to be a New York sports fan these days,” he added, Abraham. “but I’m hanging in there.” “I’m going to return them, obviously. To post them (on Twitter) and keep As for how Zdeno Chara’s sticks ended up at Ben-Abraham’s New ’em wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.” Jersey address, some 200 miles from where they were supposed to be delivered, he could only offer a shrug. The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 “I was so confused,” he said, also a little amused by the situation. It didn’t take Ben-Abraham long to connect the dots. Then, like any self-respecting young person would, he turned to social media to document it all. By 10 a.m. Tuesday, Ben-Abraham’s tweet had been retweeted more than 1,500 times. It had also generated more than 10,000 likes. Ben- Abraham’s account, @Create_Supply, has picked up followers, too, pacing 8,000 followers. In a follow-up Tweet, he tagged Chara’s Twitter account and jokingly asked if he planned to pick up the sticks, noting that the account hadn’t tweeted anything since 2014 since posting, “Retweet to vote #NHL15Bergeron” on May 31, 2014. The Caps, The Athletic is told, are aware of the mix-up and are working to figure out how to get the sticks from New Jersey to Arlington. And True Sports is aware of the mixup. 1182982 Winnipeg Jets

Jets goaltender stands tall for teammate

Jeff Hamilton

There were more than just two points on the line for Winnipeg Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit when he took his place in net ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the visiting Calgary Flames. Brossoit, who was making his first start since Jan. 24, also had his close friend and fellow Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck on his mind. On Monday, Hellebuyck was visibly upset following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames. His anger eventually boiled over, resulting in Hellebuyck smashing his stick on the crossbar and then requiring a moment with goalie coach Wade Flaherty to finally settle down. Needless to say, Brossoit took that as motivation, turning it into a 3-2 win over the Flames the next night. "Hundred per cent (it mattered). Me and Helly have gotten close over our stint here and he gets really intense and yesterday was one of those games he really wanted to win for us," Brossoit, who made 29 saves in the victory, said. "It was important that we as a team battled back and not lose two in a row." “Hundred per cent (it mattered). Me and Helly have gotten close over our stint here and he gets really intense and yesterday was one of those games he really wanted to win for us." — Laurent Brossoit Brossoit entered the game with a 1-1-0 record in two starts this season, with a 3.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. He opened 2021 with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Ottawa Senators, stopping 38 shots, but fell just short of a win a week later when the Jets were downed by the Edmonton Oilers. What made it more difficult to swallow was the winning goal was scored with .7 seconds remaining in regulation. "He looked like he was right on, right from the get-go, even though they weren’t sitting on a lot of shots that they got credit for. He made some really good saves. I think he’s going to have... the thing I’m most excited about was how he was able to get himself so sharp after a tough loss (against Edmonton)," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. "He’s in the backup role with a Vezina Trophy winner, which means your competition is different. You’re there to support (Hellebuyck) and the two of them have a spectacular relationship. And then he has a tough night and then it’s almost personal for him. He was great tonight. Right from the start and straight through the game. The difference in the game for us. We worked hard but our goaltender gave us a chance to win, for sure." At first glance, it looked like it was going to be an easy night for Brossoit. Unlike his previous outings this season, he wasn’t forced to face a flurry of shots until the late stages of the game. The Flames had just 14 shots through two periods, though that included a number of quality chances, including stopping Dillon Dube on a breakaway in the second period. Most of the work came in what turned out to be an exciting third frame. Brossoit registered 16 saves in the final 20 minutes, turning aside two particularly tough shots from Matthew Tkachuk and Noah Hanifin while the Jets were on the penalty kill. He then needed to make an acrobatic stop on Johnny Gaudreau in the dying seconds, a play in which he charged out of the net to make the save and secure the puck. "To be honest, I kind of caught him late. I didn’t realize he was there until the puck was halfway there," Brossoit said. "So I had to make an aggressive play because I was kind of behind it. I gave a big push towards him, try to take away as much space as I could and I was lucky enough to get a piece of it." Maurice will return to Hellebuyck for the third of four straight games against the Flames, when the two teams meet Thursday night.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.03.2021 Winnipeg Jets Lewis’s goal came after Mason Appleton stole a puck from Milan Lucic in 1182983 Calgary’s end and fed him in the slot. Forbort’s came on a sizzling wrist shot after a pass from Pionk. Jets get depth scoring, timely saves in slim 3-2 win over Flames "That was a heck of a shot by Forbort. But they can do both. They can defend, they both compete real hard. They have chemistry. We changed the other two pairings and we like the result of that in the game. But they look like they’ve got something that they’re building on," said Maurice. Mike McIntyre After grabbing that 2-0 advantage, Tkachuk cut the deficit in half 35 seconds later when he redirected a beautiful Dillon Dube pass. But the Derek Forbort and Trevor Lewis were two beneath-the-radar signings by Jets got it back at 13:32 of the first period when Ehlers got a stick on a Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff that wouldn’t have DeMelo point shot for his team-leading sixth of the year. He didn’t get an caused so much as a ripple across NHL waters this past off-season. Or, assist, but Andrew Copp made a great play behind the Flames net to win to be frank, on their own star-studded roster. a puck battle and regain possession for his team. But the small fish in the free agent pond made a big splash Tuesday It’s the little things that add up. The Jets needed it, too, as they sat back night, leading their new club to an important 3-2 victory over the Calgary on the lead in the third period, which grew slimmer when Tkachuk scored Flames at Bell MTS Place. again at 10:53. But that’s as close as they would get, thanks to both Forbort and Brossoit’s efforts in the Winnipeg crease. Lewis, 34, opened the scoring with a short-handed snipe 6:40 into the game, while Forbort, 28, doubled the early lead just 30 seconds later with Brossoit’s biggest save was his last, a sprawling stop on Johnny his first regular-season tally in nearly three years. The stay-at-home blue- Gaudreau with just over a dozen seconds left on the clock. liner then made a key play in his own end, swatting away an airborne "Right from the get-go I thought the energy was good. We stuck to our puck in his own crease with the Jets clinging to a one-goal lead late in game, we stuck to the plan we wanted to have for 60 minutes. We didn’t the third period. have too many lulls. When they scored, we came back and scored again. "I don’t know exactly where it was going to land, I just knew it wasn’t Any time they got momentum, I thought we did a good job of getting it going to be in a good spot no matter what. It happens pretty quick and back. The penalty kill was big tonight and it was definitely a big win," said you kind of swat it to get it out of there. I felt like I was playing volleyball Lewis. back in California," joked Forbort, who began his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.03.2021 Lewis and Forbort were also major parts of a penalty killing unit that went four-for-four, and a Winnipeg team that was willing to pay the price in front of their net by blocking a whopping 24 Calgary shot attempts. The Jets snapped a two-game slide and improve to 6-3-1 on the year. Calgary falls to 4-4-1. "Trevor Lewis has been a really, really good signing by Kevin. He’s had an impact. He’s an elite penalty killer. Short-handed goals are always really good because they’re tough on the other team and good for your team," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "Forbort’s also kind of in that fabric of the room, where he’s a really good guy, a really good team guy. So those goals mean more. You’ve got Lewis and Forbort, they play hard minutes. The shot blockers, the penalty killers. Everybody wants to score goals, so when those two guys do it gives you a really good boost." Laurent Brossoit was the other big story, making 29 saves as he got a spot start in place of Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Sixteen of those came in a third period where the Jets were hanging on for dear life against a hard-charging Flames team. Add it all up and it was just enough on a night Winnipeg’s biggest offensive weapons were mostly held in check, save for a Nikolaj Ehlers’ deflection later in the opening frame that proved to be the game-winner. Matthew Tkachuk had both of Calgary’s goals. It was a solid bounce-back result for the Jets after Monday night’s disappointing series-opener against the Flames, in which they blew a 2-0 lead and fell 4-3 in a shootout. The two teams will meet for a third straight time on Thursday night. "It was huge. I thought tonight we played pretty well for all 60 minutes. You know they’re gonna get their chances because they have good offensive players, but when they did L.B. (Brossoit) was there and it was a big win for us," said Lewis, the two-time Stanley Cup champion with Los Angeles who came to Winnipeg’s training camp on a professional tryout and ultimately inked a one-year, US$750,000 contract. Maurice switched up two of his three defensive pairs before the game, moving Nathan Beaulieu up to play with a struggling Josh Morrissey, and moving Dylan DeMelo down to the third pair with rookie Logan Stanley. The one constant was the pairing of Forbort and Neal Pionk, a pair of Minnesotans who are good friends and off-season training partners. They’ve easily been Winnipeg’s best duo through the first 10 games, and Forbort’s first-star effort Tuesday was terrific value for a guy who spent last season with the Flames and signed a one-year, US$1-million free agent deal with the Jets. "You got a big man and a puck mover. Both compete real hard. If you look at, and I don’t think this is necessarily part of your analytics, but if you look at kill plays, plays where one team has possession and the play gets stopped and you get possession back, and you measure that, Forbort and Pionk have really good numbers in that area," said Maurice. Winnipeg Jets "Let’s be clear: in any single game he plays that he doesn’t like his game, 1182984 he wants the next night. This guy wants to play every single game and has complete confidence that he can do that. I would only do something like that — I’ve got to be careful how I say this because you’ll accuse me Hellebuyck's show of emotion a 'rare occurrence' of being worried about the guy — if I felt he really, really needed it," Maurice said. "There’s gonna be games down the stretch in this division, because all of these teams are gonna be in the fight for it right to the last Jeff Hamilton week, where you’re gonna have to double back on your goalie, you’re gonna have to play your No. 1 guy, you’re gonna have to run him. That day will come on it’s own, but I’ve got way too much confidence in this guy, way too much faith in him, that I don’t think he needs it. He wants it Connor Hellebuyck wore his frustration from the night in a way rarely but I don’t think he needs seen before. Following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames Monday night, the Winnipeg Jets goaltender smashed his stick over the crossbar, signalling his displeasure with defeat. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.03.2021 Often soft-spoken when dealing with media — and always confident in his game — Hellebuyck still needed time to reflect afterwards. He wasn't made available for immediate post-game comment, but there he was Tuesday afternoon ready to discuss the previous night and what had him fuming mad. "It’s more been the buildup of this season. I felt really good and I feel like I’m getting better and better every single day. And then I get into practice and I’m giving 110 per cent of my energy and my effort to show everyone around me that I’m here to improve every single day and I’m here for you guys, to be a rock," Hellebuyck said. "Then again, some bad luck happened. All I want to do is to continue to show how bad I want it and after that first goal went in, I didn’t want that to define my game. I wanted everyone to see that I felt great in the net and that I’m still a rock back there. So to get the loss really weighed on my emotions way more than I usually let my emotions get out. So it was a rare occurrence but I think I showed everyone how much I care about this team and winning." The 27-year-old has already established himself as one of the premier goaltenders in the NHL. He's been nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder two out of the previous three seasons, edging out Boston's Tuukka Rask and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy for the honour in 2020. Hellebuyck has always shown confidence in himself. Rarely does he feel as if he's played a bad game. But he admitted Tuesday the emotions of a game — or season — can get the best of you and sometimes the best remedy is to let it all out. "It was one of the tougher ones, too, because I like to try to stay even keel and don't let emotions get too high or too low. But I think in a moment like this, I had to just let it out and let the process take place. Let myself be angry, let myself be upset and just let it all out so I can bring it back down and get back to that even level," he said. "I can't hold on to those emotions forever, because they'll just continue to build up and build up. I just needed a moment... (goalie coach Wade Flaherty) and I just talked it out and just had a moment of let it all out and then let's get back to game time and put it behind us. We got a long season ahead of us, there’s a lot of hockey to be played and a lot of fun to be had." Hellebuyck's play has varied this season. Heading into Tuesday's action, he was 26th among NHL goalies with a 2.69 goals-against average and his .909 save percentage was good for 30th. With just seven starts this season, those numbers can change drastically from one game to the next. Hellebuyck hasn't dominated the crease this season like he has at times over his career, and there have been goals he'd certainly like back. Look no further than the innocent dump-in Monday from Flames defenceman Chris Tanev. Coming just seconds into the second period, the shot, which was taken from Calgary's blue line, ended up fooling Hellebuyck. Adding insult to injury, the goal seemed to spark a comeback in the Flames, who rallied with two more goals to take the lead before the Jets tied the game late in the third period — only to lose in the shootout. "I didn’t see it moving a whole lot. I saw it was touching the blue line and it looked like it was just skidding across the top of the ice until the last second, where it kind of picked up speed and took a wild bounce," he said. "It sucks but I thought I responded well and I really wanted that win and I’ll just have to wait until the next one." Hellebuyck isn't worried about his approach, especially after one game or what's been a small sample size this season. He's also been around long enough to trust his instincts. His practise habits, he said, remain on point, so when these low days occur, they just become part of the process — not something that dictates it. Jets head coach Paul Maurice has gotten to know his goalie well. He understands Hellebuyck's drive to want to be better, a commitment he needs to reel in from time to time. And with a long season ahead, he felt no urgency to get him back between the pipes as the Jets prepared to face off in a rematch against the Flames Tuesday night. Winnipeg Jets of good blocks by our penalty killing unit and from our five-on-five as 1182985 well.”

It was a game for the unsung heroes on the Jets, with big guns like Blake Jets survive late push from Flames, hold on for hard-fought win Wheeler, Kyle Connor and Paul Stastny held off the scoresheet and Brossoit putting in a winning performance in place of Vezina Trophy- winning goalie Connor Helleabuyck. Ted Wyman “To be able to take the lead and keep the lead was good for us,” Maurice said. “Trevor Lewis has been a really, really good signing. He’s had an Publishing date: Feb 03, 2021 impact. He’s an elite penalty killer. Shorthanded goals are always really good because they’re tough on the other team and good for your team. They’ve shown numerous times this season that they can come back in “Forbort’s also kind of in that fabric of the room, where he’s a really good games and on Tuesday the Winnipeg Jets showed they can protect a guy, a really good team guy. So those goals mean more. You’ve got lead as well. Lewis and Forbort, they play hard minutes. The shot blockers, the penalty killers. Everybody wants to score goals, so when those two guys The Jets jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period and went on to a 3-2 do it gives you a really good boost. win over the Calgary Flames at Bell MTS Place. “And Brossoit was the difference in the game for us. We worked hard but It was a decent, balanced, performance by the Jets — although they had our goaltender gave us a chance to win, for sure.” to survive a late push by the Flames in the third — as they avenged Monday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames and improved their record to 6- The Jets and Flames will meet again on Thursday night at Bell MTS 3-1 on the season. Place. The only other time the Jets had such a complete performance was in a MOVING ON UP 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators last month. In fact, this was only the One area where the Jets have improved considerably over the last five second time this season that the Jets did not trail at any point during the games is penalty killing. game. The Jets have killed off nine straight penalties and 12 of 14 over five “Right from the get-go I thought the energy was good,” veteran winger games (85.7%). Trevor Lewis said. “We stuck to our game, we stuck to the plan we wanted to have for 60 minutes. They are now 18th in the league, killing at a 78.6% rate over 10 games, which tells you how badly things went in the first five games of the “We didn’t have too many lulls. When they scored, we came back and season. scored again. Any time they got momentum, I thought we did a good job of getting it back.” The Flames went 0-for-4 on Tuesday and the Jets scored a shorthanded goal. Lewis converted a pass from Mason Appleton to open the scoring while the Jets were short-handed in the first period and his former L.A. Kings “Obviously (Brossoit) was huge back there for us,” Lewis said. “He made teammate, defenceman Derek Forbort, scored 30 seconds later to give some great stops but we also made it tough for them to get into the zone. the Jets an early 2-0 lead. They had to rim a lot of pucks and that led to not clean zone time. Obviously getting in lanes and blocking shots is huge and getting those Matthew Tkachuk converted a beautiful pass from Dillon Dube to get the clears when we can.” Flames on the board just 35 seconds later, but the Jets came out of the first period with a 3-1 lead thanks to Nikolaj Ehlers tipping a Dylan 10 GAMES IN THE BOOKS DeMelo point shot past Calgary goalie David Rittich. Tuesday’s game was the Jets’ 10th this season, not an insignificant The Jets seemed to be in full control until the midway mark of the third number in a condensed 56-game schedule. period, when the Flames got another goal from Tkachuk — he banged in a rebound after getting stopped on a breakaway — and then pushed The 6-3-1 record looks pretty good on the Jets, although they’ve had hard down the stretch for the equalizer. their issues, from defensive lapses, to soft goals getting by Hellebuyck to some inconsistency from the likes of captain Blake Wheeler and his The Flames outshot the Jets 17-5 in the third period but Winnipeg got a alternates — centre Mark Scheifele and defenceman Josh Morrissey. great performance from backup goalie Laurent Brossoit, who finished the night with 29 saves and robbed Monday’s scoring hero Johnny Gaudreau As mentioned earlier, the Jets have trailed in all but two of their games in the waning seconds. and have had to come back from two goals down on numerous occasions to earn points. “It was one of our more impressive and effortful games on the defensive side of things,” Brossoit said. “It was a big testament to what we can do.” Overall, it’s clear the North Division is going to be an absolute dogfight, so the Jets have to be happy with their start. Brossoit also got some help from Forbort, who batted a puck away from the goal with his glove after it hit the goaltender high and seemed to be “We’ve got pieces of our game that look really good that look differently heading toward the net late in the third. than they have in the past,” Maurice said. “I’m starting to very much like our offensive game. I don’t think I would have said that to you over the “It happened pretty quick so I just kind of swatted it out of there,” Forbort last couple of years. Also, I really like what’s going on, on our bench. said. “It was like I was playing volleyball back in California.” (Monday) night, even when the (Flames) take the lead, the leadership on our bench, the shift length, is right now. And it has been since we kind of “He’s been doing that for us since he got here,” Brossoit added about got into Ottawa. They’re playing for each other. I like where the team is Forbort. “He showed it again tonight and added to the offence as well. going, I like where the culture of the team is going.” He’s been a great pickup for us.” CAPTAIN HURTING? The Jets had a big night on the penalty kill, keeping the Flames scoreless on four chances and getting a shorthanded marker themselves. Wheeler played only 13:14 and generated just one shot attempt, but abnormally low numbers for the Jets captain. He finished the night “It was a good fore-check there by (Appleton),” said Lewis, who scored minus-2 and had terrible possession numbers (he was on the ice for nine his first goal as a Jet after playing the first 13 seasons of his career with shot attempts by the Jets and 17 by the Flames). the Kings. Many observers suspect Wheeler is dealing with an injury, though the “He turned the puck over and had good vision to find me there. I shot the veteran very rarely sits out games. puck and it went in.” “He’s dealing with you guys,” Maurice wise-cracked when asked by the The Jets blocked 24 shots as a team, many of them in that frantic last 10 Sun’s Scott Billeck if Wheeler is injured. “That’s got to be enough. No, minutes of the third period. Josh Morrissey led the team with four blocks, he’s been great. I’ve moved him around. What’s he got, 11 points? Real while Forbort contributed three. good. He’s been really, really good.” “We had a run of blocked shots tonight, so it was kind of fitting that it QUOTE OF THE NIGHT ended in a way that some of those guys could get appreciated for the work that they did,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “(Brossoit) was really We already used Forbort’s quote about playing volleyball with a puck good tonight. I thought it was such an important game for him. He wasn’t near the goal-line, so we’ll use a different one from the 28-year-old lucky tonight, he was just darn good and when we needed it, we got lots defenceman here. He’s talking about his former Kings’ teammate Lewis, who has been a good, veteran presence on the Jets fourth line. “It’s awesome,” Forbort said. “In L.A., he was voted the unsung hero like every year. He just does the little things out there (that) it takes to win. To see him get rewarded, it was pretty awesome. Everyone was pretty excited for him.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.03.2021 Winnipeg Jets Laine’s reputation as one of the most dangerous goal scorers in hockey 1182986 preceded him, and his arrival in Columbus is like the discovery of water in the desert for a team ranked 28th in scoring. 'I already like the guy': Torts, as Patrik Laine era begins in Columbus “You can see in this pregame skate,” his linemate, Cam Atkinson, said. “It seemed like every time he shot the puck or scored a goal, the boys got a little bit louder. A guy like him coming in definitely brings a lot of energy.” Paul Friesen Laine figures to be a godsend for the Jackets’ power play, ranked 27th Publishing date: Feb 03, 2021 going into Tuesday night. “There’s only so many players in the league that have that lethalness… Giant billboards, fired-up teammates, even a warm-and-fuzzy John every time they touch the puck,” defenceman Michael Del Zotto said. Tortorella greeted Patrik Laine as he arrived in Columbus and officially “I’ve watched highlights enough of him to know what we’re getting.” left his career as a Winnipeg Jet behind. Tortorella figures his biggest challenge is going to be to find the right fit While the Jets wait patiently for Pierre-Luc Dubois to finish his Manitoba for linemates. quarantine, the Laine era has begun in Ohio. “I’ve got to figure out who’s going to get him the puck.” The Finn played his first game for the Blue Jackets against Dallas on The Blue Jackets don’t have an obvious marquee centre to line up Tuesday night, joining the other player involved in the blockbuster trade, alongside Laine, and you wonder how that’s going to play out. Jack Roslovic, who played his fourth. Whether or not Laine gets the increased role and ice time he so coveted It was an inauspicious debut, Laine on the ice for the Stars’ first and last in Winnipeg remains to be seen, too. goals, in the penalty box for their fourth and blanked on the scoresheet, as the Blue Jackets dropped a 6-3 decision. He played nearly 21 minutes in his debut. Before the game, Laine conducted a Zoom call with reporters in which he “He’s going to fit in here,” Tortorella predicted. “I watch him his first game was asked about his reported conflict with Jets captain Blake Wheeler out there in Winnipeg… he puts the team on his shoulders there.” and why it didn’t work out with the franchise that drafted him second overall. That didn’t happen in his Jackets debut. The 22-year-old took the high road on that first one, while acknowledging But Laine did get an immediate reminder of his old hockey home, as it wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops in his old dressing room. Columbus just got its first major snowfall of the winter. “He’s a genuine guy,” Laine said of Wheeler. “When he comes to the rink “I thought I was going to get away from the snow,” he said. “But looks like he’s always going to work as hard as he can. There’s always frustration I brought it with me, too.” going on, but I don’t think we ever fought or had that big of a argument. It The Blue Jackets are counting on him to heat up and bring a whole lot was always really good, really professional. He always tried to help the more. young guys, and obviously did that for me as a young guy.”

As for why his relationship with the Jets soured to the point of forcing the Jan. 23 trade, Laine did a little stickhandling. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.03.2021 “I didn’t make the trade, so it’s hard to say,” he began. “But like I said before… they have a lot of real good players. Guys like Andrew Copp, he’s been off to an awesome start. So they have a lot of good players in the lineup, and it was just better for me and for the team that they get a centre to that team. It was tough… but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.” The topic switched to his new team, and Laine lit up when asked if he’d seen the billboards that welcomed him, in his native tongue, to Columbus. “Oh yeah, I saw it,” Laine said. “Took a picture of it right away. I had to. It’s awesome. They put a lot of time and effort into it. It’s obviously a big, warm welcome for me and makes me feel really good about the city right away and the people.” The Blue Jackets took out billboards for Roslovic, too, welcoming him back to his hometown. It took Laine a week longer to get to Columbus because of a delay getting his visa. He had to serve just a 48-hour quarantine, before joining his new teammates in time for Tuesday’s morning skate. First up was a meeting with Tortorella, perhaps the NHL’s most demanding bench boss. “Everybody has heard stories about him, but seems like a really good guy, a really good coach,” Laine said. “Just a guy who’s going to do everything to make the team win. That’s all we can ask for as players. Work as hard as we can and he’ll give us all the tools.” Tuesday was the first face-to-face meeting between the two. Tortorella came out beaming, and not just because Laine is exactly what the doctor ordered for the offensively challenged Blue Jackets. “In the short conversations we’ve had on the phone and meeting him in person, he has personality,” the coach said. “He’s a laid-back personality but a very intense player. I already like the guy. He’s a good guy to be around. He’s certainly willing to give his opinion on things, which is very good.” After their meeting, Tortorella introduced Laine to the rest of the team. Not that he needed an introduction. Winnipeg Jets “In any single game he plays that he doesn’t like his game, he wants the 1182987 next night,” Maurice said. “This guy wants to play every single game and has complete confidence that he can do that. I would only do something like that — I’ve got to be careful how I say this because you’ll accuse me Jets need more from Hellebuyck and have faith that they’ll get it of being worried about the guy — if I felt he really, really needed it.” The Jets coach said he would have put money on Hellebuyck having a strong bounce back after giving up such a poor goal. Ted Wyman “That’s vintage Connor,” Maurice said. “If you’re going to bet on a Connor Publishing date: Feb 03, 2021 Hellebuyck game after a goal like that goes in, I think you bet on seeing exactly what you saw. Connor Hellebuyck was expected to have a night off on Tuesday but that “He made four incredible saves. The stick save alone was him all fired up didn’t stop him from talking about an off night 24 hours before. and angry in the net. And that’s his personality, that’s his strength. Something bad happens and you don’t have to hold his hand for three The Winnipeg Jets’ starting goalie was angry with himself about giving up weeks and pump his tires. a fluke goal to Calgary’s Christopher Tanev, who shot the puck from inside his own blue-line. “He wants to play every game now for the rest of the year just because of that goal. That’s his strength, that’s his character.” Even though he shook off the early second-period bad goal — chalking it up to lousy luck — and played very well for the rest of Monday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames, Hellebuyck was a little more emotional than Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.03.2021 usual when he left the ice surface at the end of the game. Jets coach Paul Maurice said backup Laurent Brossoit would start in goal in Tuesday’s rematch with the Flames, but Hellebuyck seemed like a guy who was itching to get back in and erase the memory of a goal that made highlight reels for all the wrong reasons. “All I want to do is to continue to show how bad I want it and after that first goal went in, I didn’t want that to define my game,” Hellebuyck said Tuesday, ahead of Game 2 of a three-game set with the Flames at Bell MTS Place. “I wanted everyone to see that I felt great in the net and that I’m still a rock back there. So to get the loss really weighed on my emotions way more than I usually let my emotions get out. So it was a rare occurrence but I think I showed everyone how much I care about this team and winning.” Hellebuyck certainly showed his mettle as Monday night’s game wore on. He made several high-level saves, including an absolute robbery of Elias Lindholm — Hellebuyck used the paddle of his stick to take away a sure goal after the Flames forward deked to his backhand. “You know, it’s kind of crazy because of one of the flukiest goals I’ve let in in my entire career and then I make probably one of the best saves in my entire career,” Hellebuyck said. “The ice kind of gave out on my left skate so I wasn’t able to push with it, so that was my desperation and I just kept my eye on it. Kind of crazy I got it.” Hellebuyck, 27, is not off to the kind of start that suggests he’s going to win another Vezina Trophy this season. Monday’s bad goal was just one of a handful he has let in lately. His goals-against average (2.69) is on the rise and his save percentage (.907) is well below where it needs to be. Still, Hellebuyck is 4-2 on the season and the Jets entered Tuesday’s game with a 5-3-1 record overall, which puts them in the thick of things in a hotly contested North Division. The Jets need more from their No. 1 goalie if they want to have a chance to make the playoffs. There no question Hellebuyck has passion for the game, for playing well, for winning hockey games in a Jets’ jersey. He’s already won one Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie (2019-20) and was runner up another time (2017-18), proving that he belongs in a class with the league’s elite. With all that in mind, it was clear that he was in need of an emotional release as he skated off after Johnny Gaudreau’s shootout-winning goal on Monday. “It was one of the tougher ones,” Hellebuyck said. “Because I like the try to stay even keel and don’t let emotions get too high or too low. But I think in a moment like this, I had to just let it out and let the process take place. “Let myself be angry, let myself be upset and just let it all out so I can bring it back down and get back to that even level. I can’t hold onto those emotions forever, because they’ll just continue to build up and build up. I just had a moment to let it all out and then let’s get back to game time and put it behind us.” Even in announcing that Brossoit would be in net Tuesday — based on the fact that the Jets and Flames were playing on back-to-back nights — Maurice made clear that Hellebuyck wanted the net again. Vancouver Canucks how we needed to play. I was looking for us to respond in the right way 1182988 and we did.”

Pettersson was more engaged. He unleashed his heavy and accurate Canadiens 5, Canucks 3: Lightning strikes twice as Toffoli torches former shot on a third-period power play to narrow the count to 4-2. It was the club again club’s first man-advantage road goal of the season and Pettersson came right back and nearly drew the Canucks to within a goal. And he was later denied with Demko pulled for the extra attacker. Ben Kuzma “I liked our third period and we came up a little short,” added Green. “We looked like a team that knew what it takes to win. It was a grinding game Publishing date: Feb 03, 2021 early and a step in the right direction for sure.” Pettersson took a step with his five shots and eight attempts. Other need You know what they say. to as well, but the Canucks did manage 39 shots. One player doesn’t make a team. “We had a good third, a good game,” said Pettersson. “We raised our compete level and it was definitely better today, a step in the right However, one player can drive you absolutely crazy. direction but we’ve got a lot to work on.” On a night when the Vancouver Canucks changed their lines to change Teams seldom stay with the same lines through the course of any their fortunes, they were getting solid goaltending from Thatcher Demko season. But The Lotto Line needed some separation after playing so well to stay within striking range of the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at the Saturday in Winnipeg and so poorly Monday in Montreal to start the two- Bell Centre. game series. It was 2-1 in the second period when Tyler Toffoli was denied on a 2-on- “Obviously, we needed a little spark today and whatever lines he (Green) 1 break. It looked like the former Canucks winger wouldn’t once again be goes with, you’ve got to play,” said Miller. “Me Brock and Bo had some a giant thorn in the side. Maybe he was going to go quietly into the night. good jump. We really didn’t turn pucks over and had good shots and played direct. Then lighting struck not once, but twice. “I thought it was a good effort for pretty much the whole game. We had Toffoli scored two goals in a span of 3:18 to not only give the Canadiens more zone time and more urgency from the start. It was a good push and a comfortable three-goal cushion before hanging on for a 5-3 victory, his we didn’t quit, and I don’t think this a team that’s going to quit. We didn’t eight goals in five meetings against the Canucks is of historic proportions get two points, but we should feel good about the game we played.” for the storied Montreal franchise. However, the stopper with a fascination of human behaviour has studied In Vancouver, the goal spree has turned into a haunting nightmare of the psychology, so he wasn’t going to get psyched out by two first-period one that got away in free agency. goals that were the result of a fortuitous bounce and a deflection. After all, Toffoli not only had a flair for the dramatic Tuesday, he stuck in Instead, it was a pair of power play saves off Corey Perry in the second the dagger with a creative twist. period that allowed the Canucks to stay within striking range. Demko First, he got position on Quinn Hughes to deftly deflect a point shot that went post-to-post to stop Perry on a cross-ice feed and then gathered bounced up and over Demko. He then executed a toe-drag on Jordie himself as the Canadiens’ winger tried to bank another shot off the Benn and quickly adjusted to roof a backhander over Demko’s glove and starter. in off the post. It allowed the Canucks to find some momentum and for Antoine Roussel “A good play by a good player,” acknowledged Demko. “I’ll look at the to make amends for a bad offensive-zone penalty. The winger got to the video and see if there’s something I could do differently and make a net to convert a skate pass by Jay Beagle after Hughes took the point shot. It got the Canucks on the board and it was Roussel’s first goal of different read and pick up on his body language.” the season. Tanner Pearson scored in the final minute with Demko pulled to make it “I thought the group played really well,” said Demko. “Montreal is a hard 4-3 before a Jeff Petry empty-netter, and the close loss only emphasized team to play against and we had to raise our game and I thought the the Toffoli effect. guys did that. A bad bounce on their (Canadiens’) first goal and a couple Toffoli had already made a name for himself in the Canadiens’ rich of tips and I was just trying to keep the team in it. I’ll look at video to see history by scoring six goals against the Canucks in the clubs’ first four if I can make different reads on the tip, but there is something to build off meetings. It equalled the franchise mark for most goals against of.” Vancouver in a single season held by Yvan Cournoyer (1973-74), Jacques Lemaire (1971-72) and Frank Mahovlich (1971-72). It’s now SCHOOL WAS IN SESSION eight. Rookie Jalen Chatfield looked comfortable on a penalty kill, but All that is worth a tip of the cap, maybe even from former linemate J.T. uncomfortable in trying to negate the opening goal. Miller. When a Ben Chiarot shot from the sideboards deflected off Horvat’s stick “I’m trying to win the game and I don’t care who scores, to be honest,” and found Josh Anderson at the side of the net, a surprised Chatfield stressed the Canucks winger. “He’s a good player. We all know that, but was unable to establish position. He was bowled over by the winger as I’m not tipping my cap to anybody — I want to win. That’s all I’m worried he tapped the puck home to open scoring in the first period. about.” On Anderson’s second goal of the frame, it was the veteran Brandon Sutter who had his cross-ice pass picked off in the high slot of the Added Elias Pettersson: “Great player and an awesome guy and, of defensive zone by Nick Suzuki to start the scoring sequence. After a course, it sucks that he scored those goals against us. We have to play point shot was blocked, it was Anderson getting into position to redirect him tighter.” Brett Kulak’s point shot. Here’s what else we learned as the Canucks fell to 6-7-0: Montreal Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber passes by a sign made by HEY, WHAT’S MY LINE? his children as he warms up before his 1,000th game of his career for the game against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday, February 2, 2021 in Travis Green iced a new look and it was obviously by design. Montreal. If star players were doing too much freelancing and not paying attention Shea Weber was one of them. to detail to play a strong and direct game, why not mix up the lines to make his players more wary of the team game? With Bo Horvat between The Sicamous, B.C. native, who played his 1,000th career NHL regular- Miller and Brock Boeser and Pettersson flanked by Tanner Pearson and season game Tuesday, purposely hid an injury so Olympic head coach rookie Nils Hoglander, maybe turnovers would be replaced by some Mike Babcock would keep him in the back-end mix. It even got to the tenacity from his top players. point where Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz got into the act, texting Babcock that the big blueliner wasn’t quite himself in a game “I felt like we needed a different look,” said Green. “There has been a lot against the Detroit Red Wings. of talk of certain players not playing well and some times a breath of fresh air kind of alleviates some of that pressure. We had a good team “I had a fracture,” said Weber. “Obviously, it wasn’t that bad because I talk and some individual talks and every player was buying in tonight on could still skate and managed to have a decent year with it. It was tough when it first happened because I wasn’t playing very well, but he (Trotz) was trying to keep it pretty hush without saying what really happened.” Trotz marvelled at Weber’s resolve to keep playing to stay on the Team Canada radar and claim gold. “I knew Shea was in the mix and they (Team Canada) thought highly of him,” said Trotz. “But he struggled. He had trouble turning one way and he was in a tremendous amount of pain. We thought about him not going to the All-Star Game, but he wanted him to keep it (injury) quiet. I think he’s one of the emerging defencemen in this league.” Weber, 35, has 220 career goals and through 1,000 games, only six other defencemen scored more. Paul Coffey had 339 at that plateau followed by Denis Potvin (293), Ray Bourque (281), Phil Housley (277), Al MacInnis (256) and Doug Wilson (234). And few have hammered the puck harder than Weber, who was clocked at 108.5 miles per hour in the 2015 hardest-shot competition at the All- Star Game. “I haven’t got in the way of one and they’re not fun to get in front of — just from watching other guys,” said Horvat. “He’s a heck of a player and has had an unbelievable career.”

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.03.2021 Vancouver Canucks The ebb-and-flow of the early season has already delivered some tough 1182989 lessons. The 2-5-0 start can be attributed to thinking wins were going to pile up after a strong 2020 post-season. And being bombed 6-2 Monday after a strong 4-1 effort Saturday in Winnipeg is another result of a lack of Canucks notebook: Horvat learning leadership, fixing Green's machine maturity. “It’s easy to say that, but we were stubborn with individual play and didn’t stick to a game plan and were reluctant to play in a game (Monday) that’s Ben Kuzma different,” stressed Green. “There are different nuances between teams Publishing date: Feb 03, 2021 and styles of play — some are faster and more wide open and some more detailed and structured — and you have to play very hard and aggressive and don’t beat yourself. The post-game victory ritual is the easy stuff for Bo Horvat. “That’s the kind of game we needed against Montreal.” The Canucks’ captain stands at the gate entrance to the bench and greets every teammate with either a high-five, fist-pump, shoulder slam or hug as they depart the ice. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.03.2021 The losses are the hard stuff. Knowing what to say and when to say it in the room can be as challenging for the 25-year-old centre as making a difference on the ice. Horvat was the first NHL player to hit the five-goal mark in his first six games. He then went goalless in the next six matches with just seven shots and faltering faceoffs that dipped below 50 per cent efficiency on three occasions. A condensed schedule had the Canucks playing their 13th game in a 21- day span Tuesday, so there’s little time to celebrate a win or dwell on a loss. Coaches have a 90-minute rule to process a game, but now it’s probably half of that. Win or lose, hurry up and move on. “I’m still trying to figure things out as a captain,” Horvat said before facing the Montreal Canadiens. “I’ve only been doing it for a year and there are certain times when you’ve got to step up and say things. The biggest thing for me is to lead by example on the ice. “If I do that, guys are going to follow. You’re going to go through parts of the season when everything is going in for you and doing well in the (faceoff) circle and your game is on a high. And there are times when it’s not going to be there. “It’s staying mentally in it and doing whatever you can. If it’s not scoring goals, it’s playing well defensively.” However, when structure breaks down and the Canucks cough up turnovers, like the 11 they committed Monday, it’s a recipe for disaster. They fell behind and pressed harder, only to surrender breakaways and odd-man rushes. “It was on display,” said Horvat. “The league can humble you. Guys get out of position and our entire team gets out of sync and we spend time in our own end or get scored on. A big part of our identity is playing together and as one unit and working hard.” Horvat struck three times in his first 12 games on a power play that has gone from potent to perplexing. The first 44 chances were second most in the NHL, yet the club also gave up a league-high three short-handed goals. Teams have adjusted to take away the centre’s effectiveness in the bumper position — finding a slot seam to quickly convert passes from J.T. Miller — and it’s been more evident on the road where the Canucks didn’t click on their first 19 man-advantage chances. “I had pretty good success there early and obviously they’re keying a little bit more on me,” added Horvat. “I don’t have to change much. If they’re keying on me, other people are going to be open. I just have to get open or be a decoy.” Through their first 12 games, the Canucks had given up the most shots per game (37.2), were short-handed on the most occasions (52), had the most penalty minutes (162), led with most even-strength goals (32) and surrendered the second-most 5-on-5 goals (27). It’s either too early to get too worried about those telling statistics or a sign that the club is trending in the wrong direction. Is it new players, no exhibition games and little practice time, or something else? Aside from a four-game win streak, what’s worrisome to Canucks coach Travis Green is his club hasn’t played well enough. Sometimes, you play well with a simple, strong and direct game and still lose. And sometimes, you fail on all fronts and get blown out. “Our game was loose (Monday) and loose a lot in our first three games against Montreal,” admitted Green. “We haven’t put our best foot forward and that’s a little frustrating to me. It’s not just effort. It’s the style that we’re playing.” Vancouver Canucks You can’t ask a professional athlete for more from a media relations 1182990 perspective than what Henrik Sedin gave the Canucks during his decade as the club’s captain. The Armies: Tyler Toffoli continues to haunt Canucks and the Shea Game after game, whether it was after losses in the Stanley Cup Final or Weber what-if in the regular season (even as those piled up depressingly during the Willie Desjardins era), Sedin would talk to the media for as long as it was required. By Thomas Drance And he had a certain panache for spin. A gift for being as positive as he could about his club’s performance without being dishonest. Feb 2, 2021 If Sedin’s gift for spin isn’t quite as legendary as his arsenal of spinning backhand saucer passes that magically land flat on the blade of his Games against the Montreal Canadiens have become like a slasher flick teammates stick from 30 feet away, it’s still notable and very real. And for the Vancouver Canucks. the Canucks spun their loss to the Canadiens as a better performance than Monday’s outing. It was a moral victory. And if you wanted to take something positive from Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss, the club’s fourth defeat in five games against Montreal this season, “I feel good about the game we played,” Miller said. then you might note that at least on Tuesday night the club made “You’re never happy when you lose,” Alex Edler said, “but we played different mistakes. better today, we played better as a team.” The Canucks weren’t making copious turnovers at their own blue line. “I think we battled hard,” Pettersson said. “We talked about it, we weren’t Nor were they making beer league-level coverage errors. happy about our game yesterday, but we raised our compete level. It On Tuesday night, the Canucks at least resembled a team that could sucks to lose, but it was definitely better today than yesterday.” compete with the Canadiens. It’s just that, for whatever reason, they “I thought the group played really well tonight,” Thatcher Demko said. can’t. Montreal’s ability to control the middle and overwhelm the Canucks “We knew we had to raise our game and I thought the guys did that.” was just too decisive. It wasn’t until the game was well in hand and Montreal had a three-goal lead, that the tide began to turn the Canucks’ Those quotes might ring hollow to a frustrated fanbase at the moment, way. but the players are right. It’s also appropriate that in another game in which the Canucks got stuck Yes, they didn’t generate offense until the game was in hand for with the pointy end of it all, that the call was coming from inside the Montreal, but the Canadiens were fortunate with some of their finishing house. Yes, in the horror movie that is the Canadiens from Vancouver’s luck on Tuesday. At the very least, this was the first time the Canucks perspective this season, former Canucks player Tyler Toffoli is the villain. lost to the Canadiens in which the expected goals were within one. He’s the Canucks own personal Mike Myers. Most revealing quote The former Canucks volume shooter (not poacher) — who was acquired Pettersson was asked about whether his line needs to manage the puck at significant cost ahead of the 2020 NHL trade deadline — has better. absolutely tortured his former team in five games this season, scoring eight goals. He’d be tied for the NHL’s goal-scoring lead based on his “I think,” he said, sighing heavily, “we’ve been trying to make too (many) output against the Canucks. hard plays. There have been Canucks killers in the past, from Mike Bossy to Milan “We’ve been turning the puck over too much. We don’t make the simple Hejduk to Dave Bolland to Brad Marchand to Martin Gelinas to Wes Walz plays good, and I think today was a step in the right direction, but still, we to Dustin Byfuglien to Andrew Brunette to … actually, let’s just stop it have a lot to work on and be ready for.” there. Pettersson then stopped for a second, before admitting he wasn’t sure Something about what Toffoli has done to the Canucks in five games this how to finish the quote because he wasn’t positive what day of the week season feels different though. it is. Toffoli’s demolition of the Canucks through five games this season “I don’t even know what day it is … Friday? Thursday? Be ready for should be scary and painful for Vancouver fans, but instead, it’s just kind Thursday, yeah,” he said. of a novelty. It’s like taking a classic bit — a long-tortured fan base gets You know how your job is the same as it was before the pandemic, tormented to extreme levels by a former player — and playing it out to its except that it’s 150 percent more stressful and all the perks — spending most logical albeit absurd conclusion. time in the lunchroom with your coworkers, going for beers afterward, the Eight goals in five games! It’s an insane haul and the eighth stood up as occasional work trip, not having the constant dread that comes with the game winner — of course — and was scored off an unbelievable diminished budgets and job security — are gone? spin-o-rama backhand shot. Well, it’s the same for NHL players. The Canucks just spent three nights “What do you say?” Elias Pettersson said when asked for his reaction to in Montreal — one of the best NHL cities to visit — and were forced to Toffoli’s dominance against his former club in the early going. “He stay in their hotel rooms. Tuesday night’s game marked their 13th should’ve scored some of those last year. He’s a great player, awesome contest in 21 nights and their fourth set of back-to-backs. guy. It sucks that he has to score those goals against us, but it is what it It’s not an excuse, they haven’t performed well enough, but it’s worth is, we have to play him tighter.” keeping in mind. If Pettersson was willing to play ball and field the Toffoli question, J.T. Hardest truth Miller was not. Antoine Roussel’s arrow “I’m not tipping my cap to anybody,” Miller said. “I want to win.” Antoine Roussel wasn’t asked about his goal or what appeared to be a Whether you tip your cap to Toffoli or not though, in this spooky season tribute to his agent, Christian Daigle, who passed away recently at the series, he’s always coming — slowly, inexorably. A spectre of an age of 42. offseason in which the Canucks lost key pieces and regressed, while teams that invested and added players — as the Canadiens did — When Roussel scored for the Canucks’ first goal of the game, he unfurled improved. Alex Burrows’ old bow and arrow goal celebration and pointed to the sky with emotion. And in Montreal’s case, improved significantly. We don’t know for sure that Roussel had Daigle in mind as he pointed to Best negativity the sky, but you should know this about Roussel: He’s very close with The best type of horror movies involves a totally defensible choice that Burrows and is aware of the significance of the bow and arrow the protagonist made in the past, coming back to haunt them in terrifying celebration. ways. When Roussel scored on his return to the lineup in December 2019, on I know what you did last deadline … the night Burrows was added to the Ring of Honour at Rogers Arena, Roussel was asked why he didn’t pay tribute to Burrows’ iconic goal Welcome to the Henrik Sedin spin zone celebration. “That’s not my place,” Roussel said at the time. “That’s his connection potentially land the player. If Weber were to ever have signed such a with Luc Bourdon … I didn’t know Luc, so I don’t want to take that away.” deal, Roussel understood the significance of the tribute. It was a solemn and the Predators didn’t match, the Canucks would have given up four acknowledgment, and a hugely resonant one. first-round “Antoine and Chris were very close,” wrote Emilie Costonguay, who was draft choices. If the Predators did match, Weber was scheduled to Daigle’s partner at Momentum Hockey Agency, in response to The Armies on Tuesday night. “He was Antoine’s first client and they share become an unrestricted free agent in one year. great memories together. We have been representing Antoine at But that was a non-starter from Weber’s side, because if he signed a Momentum for many years, and he’s one of the kindest and smartest one-year people I know. I knew he would play his heart out tonight in Montreal in honour of Chris and his family. That’s just who Antoine Roussel is.” offer sheet he wouldn’t be able to sign an extension until Jan. 1, long The Shea Weber thing after the current CBA expires on Sept. 15. Shea Weber has put together a remarkable career and played in his “I got the sense he wanted to take advantage of the current rules in place 1,000th game Tuesday night, marking the occasion against the NHL club from his home province. financially and he did that. And he’s entitled to do that,” Gillis said. It’s too bad Weber hit this milestone in an empty arena. Hopefully, the Ultimately, and quite reasonably considering the money involved, Weber Canadiens will wait to present Weber with a golden stick after the decided to sign with Philadelphia and lock himself into a contract, which coronavirus restrictions, so that one of the best NHL defenders of his was governed by the old CBA rules and ran through the balance of his generation can receive the recognition he’s earned and share the NHL career. moment with Montreal’s fans. And what a career it’s been. Weber, who hails from the interior of British Columbia, is probably the Mike Futa’s pitch sought-after NHL player of the past decade among obsessive Canucks fans. He had it all, and Canucks fans spent years hoping he would join I think Mike Futa was angling for the Pittsburgh Penguins vacancy when Vancouver. he boasted — and it must be said, boasted in an entertaining way and with a definite wink — at length during the Sportsnet intermission about It was one of those classic nativist Canadian hockey wishes — like the terrific evening all the players he’d had a hand in drafting were having Pierre-Luc Dubois having eyes only for the Canadiens, or Steven in the NHL on Tuesday. Stamkos being Toronto-bound. Watching Futa take credit for drafting Toffoli just one week after Futa’s The big right-handed shot, the snarl, the imposing beard, the Hockey name was widely whispered about in connection with possible regime Canada pedigree. Weber shot a puck through the net in Vancouver at the change in Vancouver was certainly eyebrow raising. 2010 Olympics. He’d have been the perfect finishing piece for the Sedin- led core. And yet, it was mostly just good fun and tremendous television. Kudos to Futa and Sportsnet Pacific alumnus Caroline Cameron for making a meal But most of the time when fans insist that a quality local star wants of the bit. Additional kudos to Futa for having the guts to brag about nothing more than to play in their home province, it’s untrue. In Weber’s selecting Derek Forbort (one pick ahead of Vladimir Tarasenko) and case though, there was something there. Certainly the organization at the Trevor Lewis (five picks ahead of Claude Giroux) in the first round. time felt confident about its chances of signing Weber if he ever hit unrestricted free agency. Which makes this an all-time great Canucks what-if. The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 But Weber never hit the open market. And he never got to unrestricted free agency largely because of the mechanics and timing of the 2012 NHL lockout. Weber was a restricted free agent in summer 2012, and it was his final year as a restricted player. You’ll probably remember that he signed a wonderfully designed poison pill offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers in the middle of summer 2012, a contract that the Predators decided to match despite the insane financial strain it put on the organization at the time. He signed that deal in part because everyone knew that the rules of the next CBA would change, and impact player rights as they applied to standard player contracts. Weber signed a 14-year deal and within six months, players were limited to eight-year contracts. So Weber’s deal earned him about $20 million extra. It was a significant swing. Though Weber was a restricted free agent that summer, however, Canucks brass did meet with him to discuss the possibility of an offer sheet. And they explained to him that in their view Nashville would match any long-term offer sheet, which is why that wasn’t an option they’d consider. The Mike Gillis regime gave David Backes an offer sheet in their first summer in Vancouver, but St. Louis matched and responded by giving Steve Bernier an offer sheet. Over time, Gillis’ believed that offer sheets weren’t a functional method of actually acquiring players. With Weber, however, the club offered him a one-year offer sheet. It was similar to its thinking on a possible Jamie Benn offer sheet, which Elliotte Friedman has reported on at length in the past. From the late Jason Botchford in a Vancouver Province article that no- longer exists online unfortunately: The Canucks discussed with Weber the idea of a one-year, $14 million deal. It included a $1 million salary and a $1 -million signing bonus. It was a risky plan but the Canucks believed it was the only contract that could Websites Black, who ironically has the Calder Cup, was tasked with making the 1182991 difficult decision for the Checkers and was also part of the AHL’s return to play committee. The Athletic / Why sitting out AHL season was best option for some Geographically Charlotte is an island in the AHL and that only increased independently owned teams when the Carolina Hurricanes decided to move their affiliation to Chicago. For the Checkers, every game in 2021 would be a flight and it would require the team to spend long stretches on the road. By Sean Shapiro This is a cost that other geographically-isolated AHL teams can justify, like the Tucson Roadrunners or Texas Stars, when owned by an NHL Feb 2, 2021 parent club. Justifying costs and figuring out a new financial plan for 2021 was key for Charlotte Checkers CEO Tera Black can’t help but laugh when asked. independent teams that did opt-in this season. The basic conversation effectively went, “How can you make it more financially feasible for us to The Calder Cup, where is it? operate a team this season?” “It’s still right here, I’m looking straight at it.” In Milwaukee, Charlotte and Springfield, the NHL affiliates weren’t able to come up with a financial answer to justify the costs. In other places, The AHL’s top prize is still sitting in Black’s office in Charlotte, North altered financial deals were enough, or AHL independent owners were Carolina. more motivated to play because of past relationships with a particular And unless the league has a sudden change of policy, the trophy resides NHL affiliate. with the current defending champions, it likely will continue to be a Those NHL partners have found temporary fixes for this season. The decorative conversation piece in Black’s office until at least the summer Panthers are sending prospects to the Syracuse Crunch, the Predators of 2022. are sending prospects to the Chicago Wolves, and the Blues are sending their prospects to the Utica Comets, an AHL team owned by the Charlotte hoisted the Calder Cup on June 8, 2019, and is still technically Vancouver Canucks. the reigning champions after the 2019-20 season was canceled in March. There will be no Calder Cup champion in 2021 after a truncated season, Howard Dolgon, who has owned the Syracuse Crunch for 27 years, multiple sources have confirmed to The Athletic, so the Checkers, even knows his team will operate at a loss this season, but he made the after sitting out this season and changing affiliations, will have the longest decision to play because of his partnership with the Tampa Bay reign in AHL history. Lightning. That’s right, the Checkers aren’t playing this season. Neither are the “This is all about being a partner and finding a fit with Tampa,” Dolgon Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL’s best team during the 2019-20 campaign said. “We were able to find a fit and work something out to make the before the stoppage, nor the Springfield Thunderbirds. financial situation work a little bit better, but no one is making money. We All three have opted out of the upcoming season and their absence, are trying to get creative, but there won’t be fans in the stands and for an combined with the Calder Cup continuing to reside in Charlotte, is an AHL team without that, it’s impossible to make money.” important reminder of how the AHL has evolved into more of a player- The Crunch have worked to get games on local television, but he’s development league and that this shortened 2020-21 season, scheduled standing strong on his stance that no matter what happens in the to begin Feb. 5, is highlighting a further divide between the ownership shortened season he will not have fans in the building. structures in the AHL. “Even if the state or county or whatever gives me permission, I won’t do Of the 31 AHL teams, 20 are owned by NHL teams. The Seattle Kraken it,” Dolgon said. “It’s not worth it to me to have a couple of hundred already own an AHL affiliate that will be based in Palm Springs, people at a hockey game and risk having a kid or a dad bring COVID California. home and then spread it to school or the community because they went to a Crunch game. It’s not worth risking what we’ve (had) here for The 11 remaining AHL teams are owned by independent owners, with decades to risk spreading COVID to the community.” varying levels of connectivity to their NHL partners. Some AHL teams are hoping to have fans in attendance, and it typically For those independent owners, the decision to play this season was more difficult than for their NHL-owned cohorts who are able to lines up with the NHL parent club if they are in the same state. The effectively use the AHL as a line item for development and, even with Texas Stars, for example, are going to follow the Dallas Stars’ lead and financial losses, justify playing this season without worrying nearly as have limited attendance. much about the long-term business. NHL owners also don’t worry about Piecing together an AHL season hasn’t been easy for anyone involved. winning Calder Cups; it’s a nice perk if it happens, but in reality, the AHL The puzzle has included hammering out a deal with frustrated players, team is part of building a team that could win championships in the NHL. figuring out provincial permission for Canadian-based teams, and a late That’s not a reality for an independent owner whose revenue comes from move by the Calgary Flames to re-locate the Stockton Heat to Alberta for three main columns: ticket sales, food and beverage sales at games, and this season. sponsorship. There could be a playoff structure, but it would just be regional and For most teams, all three of those key revenue drivers were knocked out divisional, while teams are playing a varying number of games, and that was a key reason that Dolgon said some independent owners were when it became apparent they wouldn’t have fans or it would be a greatly willing to opt-in this season. reduced attendance with a similar or higher cost of operations with COVID-19 safety protocols. “On the calls of independent owners we talked about that a lot, we needed to have a format where teams could play more if they wanted, “You start to add up the costs, including the additional costs with COVID but there was no way someone could be punished for playing less,” and it starts to hit easily $400,000 or $500,000 before you even get into some of the finer details,” Admirals owner and CEO Harris Turer said. Dolgon said. “Also the playoff was a key question. If we are going to play, “And without any revenue, where does that cost come from? Well, it it’s going to be for development this season, everyone knows that. It’s not comes out of my pocket.” worth the risk or cost to try and figure out a playoff-like anything we’ve seen in the past.” Turer said Milwaukee also ran into complications where the team couldn’t play in another community rink without fans, similar to how some NHL In the end, it creates an AHL puzzle that is more focused on teams have moved their AHL affiliate into NHL practice rinks for one development than ever before. There are standings, but they don’t really season. UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is the only rink in the Milwaukee matter, and just like a trio of franchises, the Calder Cup is sitting this one area that has AHL-proved curved glass for games, so for the Admirals to out. play this season his options were continuing to pay rent for an empty building or taking on the cost of helping another rink refurbish its facilities, which wouldn’t be cheap. The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 And as Turer put it, “for an independent owner, if there is no Calder Cup or fans, what’s the point?” Websites season last year and was off to a good start this year as well. Chances 1182992 are if Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong has the final say, Jordan Binnington would likely be the third goalie on this roster. The Athletic / Projecting the 2022 Canadian men’s Olympic hockey roster All of which leads us to the hardest, most controversial decisions which involve the forward group. There’s the usual problem of having too many natural centres on the roster and so someone will have to switch to the right wing. Among the elite-level centres in Canada, both Nathan By Eric Duhatschek and Thomas Drance MacKinnon and Mark Scheifele are right-handed shots and could swing Feb 2, 2021 over to the wing. One likely will have to and in this scenario, it’s Scheifele, if only so that MacKinnon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who developed some familiarity playing for Team North America in the World Cup, can play together. The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are just a year away and to celebrate, we’re projecting what the rosters for the major teams might look like in That creates some flexibility if the coach – we’re picking Barry Trotz – Beijing. ultimately wants to shift Nugent-Hopkins up to Connor McDavid’s line. Remember how the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang unfolded? Splitting Crosby and Brad Marchand may also just be temporary. In Canada won a hard-earned bronze medal playing a stingy brand of 2016, those two along with Patrice Bergeron were the clear top line for defence under coach Willie Desjardins and lost only a single game in Canada, and scored all the important goal. But Bergeron will be 36 by the regulation – to Germany in the semifinals – before defeating the Czech time the Olympics roll around, and thus, didn’t make the final group here. Republic to earn a place on the podium. You could theoretically put Marchand, Crosby and MacKinnon (playing right wing) together on an all-Nova Scotia line and the chemistry could be Just one thing was missing: NHL players. Hockey’s crème de la crème. magical. Three years ago, the NHL decided not to participate in the Winter Olympics for a lot of reasons that made little sense to the hockey world The beauty of Canada’s roster is the versatility of so many of the better which made the Games look a little like the Spengler Cup. forwards – Ryan O’Reilly, Sean Couturier, Brayden Point and Bo Horvat could all play the wing as well as down the middle. Chances are, every Thankfully, as part of the collective bargaining extension signed last line that Canada rolls out will include two natural centres making face-off summer, the NHL is returning to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in match-ups easier for the coaching staff, if they can fit both a right- and a Beijing — assuming the logistical details can be ironed out among the left-hand centre onto each line. league, the IIHF and the IOC and that the pandemic is under some sort of control. The bottom line: With a player pool so deep, Canada has incredible talent and flexibility. Talent enough to get the go-ahead goal in a tight With apologies to all the players who competed so hard for Canada in game. 2018, the selection process this time around will be far more difficult because of the staggering depth of the talent pool. Flexibility enough to juggle lines as needed and get the defensive matchups as required. The greatest coaching challenge is usually selling a One thing Canada never lacks at the highest level of hockey is oodles of one-for-all and all-for-one vision. If a star player is forced to adopt a options at both forward and defence. The players who don’t make the secondary role, he’ll need to handle it with maturity and grace and cannot grade for Canada would fill out a ‘B’ team that would contend for gold. start pouting because he isn’t the first option on the PP or the PK the way How might Team Canada 2022 look? Thought you’d never ask. In our he might be on his club team. eternal quest to be helpful to the managerial powers-that-be, here are our I’m going to keep this very simple. projections for a 25-player roster, which is what the IOC permitted for Sochi in 2014. Hockey Canada has a formula. It involves a few key rules that have helped Team Canada dominate best-on-best competition to an As always, remember that in Canada, for an exercise such as this one, unprecedented degree over the past decade: there really aren’t many bad options. Just too many good ones. 1) Everyone plays on their strong side. The last time men’s hockey had a best-on-best tournament was back in 2016 and if that World Cup taught us anything, it is that the younger 2) Wherever possible, bring pairs of players that play together in the NHL generation of players dominating the game today had no stage fright so you have an immediate chemistry advantage in a short tournament. whatsoever when they were got a chance to play together as North America’s 23-and-under team. They were fun to watch and unlucky not to 3) Bring extra centres and just have them play on the wall. advance to the medal round. 4) Experience and tenure matter. If you were on the last team and are In previous Olympics, sometimes Canada’s management team would opt still elite, you have an edge in the event all other factors are equal. for veteran players over young up-and-comers because of a fear that Now, Hockey Canada has also opted to play grinding, low event hockey they might be overwhelmed by the moment. Team Canada’s biggest over the past decade. It’s cynical, it’s ruthless and it delivers gold. Olympic bobble in the NHL era came in 2006 and you wonder what might have happened if they’d injected the youth and vigour of Sidney Crosby However, this approach stinks. It shows a certain ruthless focus, which I onto a team that seemed slow and plodding on the big ice of Turin. appreciate, but it actually lacks any grander ambition. By contrast, the decision to go with the 20-year-old Drew Doughty in Hockey Canada could aspire for more. They should aspire for greatness. Vancouver proved quite prescient – he was one of the key contributors that year and then again in 2014 in Sochi, as Canada won back-to-back They should aspir for a national men’s team with the purpose of golds. articulating a national vision of a beautiful, skillful and yet still assertive and physical two-way brand of hockey. Canada’s men’s team could play Nowadays, Doughty is one of the more polarizing players in the game. hockey beautifully if Canada decided to play hockey beautifully, and He still plays a ton of minutes for the Los Angeles Kings and oozes that’s what this team is going to do — within the framework of Hockey confidence. On a blue line that features a whole lot of next-gen talent – Canada’s otherwise winning formula. from Cale Makar and Shea Theodore to Thomas Chabot and Morgan Rielly — chances are they’ll opt for one or two steadying veterans on the Right off the top, I’ve built the fastest first line in the history of the sport. blue line. We’ve selected Alex Pietrangelo and Doughty to fill out what is McDavid moves to the wing mostly for handedness reasons. A top line of otherwise a talented but relatively green defence corps that’ll get the McDavid, MacKinnon and Mathew Barzal are going to test the limits of puck up to the forwards, with great dispatch and accuracy. what’s possible to accomplish in hockey playing at the highest possible speed. Canada’s 2014 gold-medal team won with a stingy brand of hockey and timely saves from Carey Price, whenever he was called upon. That can Until one of Marchand, Crosby and Bergeron fall off and aren’t among be a challenge sometimes – playing goal on a team that surrenders few the NHL’s best individually, they’re a set line for Hockey Canada. This is Grade-A opportunities and tests your level of focus and concentration the easiest choice there is. They have chemistry, experience, swagger as because there will be the occasional breakdown that you will need to be a group, and they bring the DNA of Hockey Canada’s decade-of- in a position to respond to. dominance to this forward group. Long-term, Carter Hart will likely take over from Price as Canada’s go-to The third line is where things get interesting, particularly because this is starter in goal, but there are still some inconsistencies in his game that where the toughest omission from my team — Jonathan Huberdeau — drops him down to the No. 2 position. One wild card I considered here kicks in. Ultimately I’m going to make a decision to prefer John Tavares’ was the Devils’ Mackenzie Blackwood, who had an excellent rookie experience, ability to cover in the event of a centre injury and his chemistry with Mitch Marner over Huberdeau’s electricity. I’m not bringing Rob Zamuner or Kris Draper to fill a role or anything, but my fourth-line definitely has the identity of the highest-end possible version of an energy line. Honestly, in some matchups, this trio may well end up being Hockey Canada’s matchup line ahead of the Crosby line, since it’s just a collection of the countries most willful two-way players. I’m bringing Steven Stamkos and Couturier as extra forwards, basically two centremen — a lefty and a righty — which means snubbing Bo Horvat and Claude Giroux, my toughest omissions besides Huberdeau. We weren’t asked to name coaches, but I should add that I’ve named Pete DeBoer and Jared Bednar as assistant coaches, partly because they’re deserving and partly so that my top-four can get reps together throughout the NHL season leading up to the 2022 Games. There’s a factor in the international game that I still don’t think Hockey Canada has fully incorporated into their player selection process, but they really should: Puck-moving defenders are everything. Which is why Samuel Girard — probably my most surprising selection — is a slam dunk no brainer for this team and is likely to play a prominent role. Thanks to Bednar’s colluding with me to win a gold medal, he’ll spend more time with Makar in the season leading up to the Olympics (although they’ve spent 200 5-on-5 minutes together the past two seasons, so they’re not exactly strangers). Same goes for Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, who have played together a bit at 5-on-5 in the early going for Vegas (about 35 minutes so far), but will become the Golden Knight’s fixture top pair in 2021-22 for the purposes of Olympic preparation. Doughty makes the team because he’s still performing at a high enough level that his status as the most important Hockey Canada veteran defender matters. And Morgan Rielly will be his partner on a mobile third pair, narrowly edging out Giordano. Ryan Ellis is custom made for the international game and my Hockey Canada will have zero reservation bumping him up the lineup if injuries call for it. In net, Price and Hart are coming to represent the past and the future while Jordan Binnington gets the nod to round out my trio of netminders. I’m comfortable enough with all three goaltenders that whoever is performing the best ahead of the tournament will go into the round-robin as my defacto starter. — Thomas Drance

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 Websites Marie-Philip Poulin, 29, is now over a decade into her international career 1182993 and is arguably the greatest player of all-time in the women’s game. She’s Canada’s captain and scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal games of her first two Olympic appearances (2010 and 2014). A The Athletic / Projecting the 2022 Canadian women’s Olympic hockey knee injury kept her mostly out of the 2019 world championships, but roster she’s healthy now. And it would take something completely unforeseen for Poulin to not be in Beijing.

Her frequent winger for club (the now-defunct CWHL Les Canadiennes) By Hailey Salvian and country, Mélodie Daoust, is also a natural choice. With three goals Feb 2, 2021 and seven points in five games, she led Canada in scoring at the last Olympics. And scored one of the most impressive shootout goals in the gold medal game. Picking a Canadian roster a year ahead of an Olympics is never easy. Natalie Spooner and Brianne Jenner have been consistent staples for Team Canada in the last two Olympic Games, with Spooner making her And this time around, looking ahead to Beijing 2022, might be harder World Championship debut in 2011, and Jenner in 2012. The duo ranked than ever, as the years since the 2018 Games have been unlike any No. 1 and 2 in scoring for Canada at the 2019 world championships. other post-Olympic period for Team Canada. Spooner scored six goals and 10 points in seven games, only one goal First of all, Canada is coming off a silver medal finish at the last games in behind Hilary Knight, who led the tournament with 11 points. Jenner Pyeongchang — the first time that’s happened in two decades. If that wasn’t far behind with nine points. wasn’t difficult enough, on the eve of the 2019 world championships, the Lauriane Rougeau and Jocelyne Larocque are also steady veterans, Canadian Women’s Hockey League announced it would fold after nearly albeit on the blue line, who have the 2014 and 2018 Olympics under their 12 years in operation, taking away most Canadians’ daily training belts. While, Nurse and Clark, who played together at the University of environments. Canada ultimately lost in the semifinal of the tournament Wisconsin, both made their Olympic debuts in 2018 and should be and took home a bronze medal, the first time Team Canada hasn’t won’t natural choices to return in 2022. Similarly, Fast made her debut in 2018 at least silver at a world championship. Then, the 2019 4 Nations Cup and has established herself as one of the top defenders in the women’s was cancelled due to contract disputes between the Swedish Ice Hockey game. Association and the Swedish women’s team. I wanted to strike a balance on this roster with returning players, veterans On top of all of that, there have been further complications brought by a and young players, or those making their Olympic debut. Because global pandemic, which led to the cancellation of the 2020 4 Nations Cup according to Kingsbury, as much as you want to win a gold medal, you and the 2020 women’s world championships. have to keep an eye to the future. Essentially, the women’s hockey calendar through the first three years of “Often you tend to lean on what you know, and the unknowns of the the Olympic quad cycle has been almost entirely wiped out. young players obviously is a little scary, but I do think we’re at a point in “This quad had been a huge challenge, not only for our program but our program that we do have to sometimes take calculated risks,” she certainly for women’s hockey globally,” said Gina Kingsbury, the explained. “We’re aiming at winning a gold medal in Beijing, but we’re manager of the senior women’s national team. “We’re sitting at Year 3 of also making sure that we’ve got a sustainable success here down the our quad with a very little amount of critical experience that we were able road as well and that we’re looking ahead in the future of our program.” to share across our athlete pool to be able to evaluate them and be able With that front of mind, there are some obvious omissions on this to prepare them for an Olympic Games.” projected roster. The last time Team Canada played at an international event was 660 Both Johnston and Laura Fortino, who played in 2018, were among the days ago at the 2019 worlds. Since then, they’ve relied on games against final cuts for the 2020 world championships. I left them off this roster. the U.S. national team and mini-camps throughout the season hosted by Hockey Canada, but even those have been largely put on hold due to the Shannon Szabados was a steady presence in Canada’s crease from her pandemic. Olympic debut in 2010 until 2019. She recently had her first child and is currently not playing. She could certainly decide to come back but will be Still, with all that being said, as part of The Athletic’s one year out from 35 by the next games and 39 by 2026. the Olympics package, we are going to try our best to project the 2022 Team Canada women’s Olympic roster. So, this feels like a natural time for a passing of the torch in the crease to younger goalies like Ann-Renée Desbiens, 26, and Emerance From 2018 to 2022, we’re projecting 15 returnees among the 23 roster Maschmeyer, 26, who have been given a lot of the net over the last two spots. Nine up front, four on the blue line, and two in goal. It’s not a ton of and a half years, along with Geneviève Lacasse, 31. turnover between the four years, but there are still several spots for younger players to break onto the senior national team and for others to Similarly, Meaghan Mikkelson, a three-time Olympian, was one of the make their Olympic debuts. most experienced players at last week’s camp, with just under 50 games for Canada at the Olympics (14) and world championships (35) over the Now, let’s look at the projection. last decade. She last played in 2017-18, taking a leave after the birth of How did I arrive at these names with so few evaluation opportunities? her second child. This will be her second comeback to the national team. This was one of the more difficult decisions for my projected blue line, Well, despite the cancellation, Hockey Canada still named its 23-player and I assume this will be the same for the real decision-makers at roster for the 2020 world championships. Hockey Canada. Mikkelson will be 37 when the Games begin. If she can And, in early January, 47 players were invited to a training camp at re-elevate her game, she can be a force on the ice. But could, say, Claire Hockey Canada’s home base in Calgary. Thirty-five athletes attended the Thompson, 23, have a similar impact? two-week camp — players such as Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Nurse were invited but unable to attend — and were split into two teams for If we assume Rougeau, 30, and Larocque, 31, make this team, with two scrimmages, with the line rushes and defence pairings posted daily. other returning blueliners in Fast and Lacquette, the Canadian blue line isn’t going to be inexperienced. So bringing Thompson to Beijing over It’s not a huge sample size, but using the previous Olympic and World Mikkelson could be one of those “looking ahead in the future” decisions. Championship rosters, and taking stock of the two-week camp, which ended on Friday, you can get a pretty good idea of where things stand There could be a similar decision in looking at a player like Erin Ambrose, one year out from Beijing 2022. who was the most difficult omission for me. Ambrose was one of the last cuts for the 2018 Olympics, but played her way onto the 2019 and 2020 As mentioned above, this roster consists of 15 returnees from the 2018 World Championship rosters. She could realistically do the same for Games. And 22 of the 23 players projected here were named to Beijing. But again, how much does Hockey Canada want to look forward Canada’s roster for the cancelled 2020 Women’s World Championship. to the future? Brigette Lacquette is the only player on my roster who didn’t make the Admittedly, Ambrose, Mikkelson and even Meghan Agosta — a four-time World Championship roster, as she was unable to play. Olympian who is a full-time Vancouver police officer who hasn’t play for These lines and pairings certainly aren’t set in stone, but they were Canada since 2017-18 — could be the ultimate wild cards for 2022. consistently used at last week’s camp, except for Nurse on the line with However, for this exercise, I decided that if I was undecided between a Emily Clark and Blayre Turnbull, as Nurse did not attend camp. player on the way up and an older player, I erred on the side of the former. To start, there are some names on this roster that should be no-brainers. This brings us to the Olympic rookies, projected to be: Jamie Lee Rattray, Victoria Bach, Sarah Fillier, Loren Gabel, Jaime Bourbonnais, Micah Zandee-Hart, and the aforementioned Maschmeyer and Thompson. All eight of these rookies were named to the 2020 World Championship roster, and they were all featured in the 2019 world championships except for Bach and Fillier, who were among the final cuts. Rattray, 28, has been in the Hockey Canada program for a while now and has seemed to solidify a place within the core group. Bach was set to make her international tournament debut at the world championships, and while that debut has been delayed, her standing on the team remains. There are two young stars to watch for here, too, in Gabel and Fillier. Gabel, 23, made her senior team debut at the 2018 4 Nations Cup and won the Patty Kazmaier Award — the biggest individual honour in women’s college hockey — in 2019 after scoring 40 goals and 69 points in 38 games, including 11 game-winning goals for Clarkson University. She graduated that year as the all-time leading scorer with 213 points on 116 goals and 97 assists through 160 games. Fillier, 20, was nominated for the Patty Kazmaier as a rookie at Princeton in 2018-19 after she put up nearly two points per game (1.97) to lead NCAA women’s hockey. Fillier, a centre, also led her team in scoring (22 goals and 57 points in 29 games) and was named the National Rookie of the Year. Like Gabel, Fillier made her senior team debut at the 2018 4 Nations Cup. These two have been on the rise and should certainly crack the 2021 World Championship and 2022 Olympics rosters. Bourbonnais, Thompson and Zandee-Hart further make up the young up and coming core of Hockey Canada’s roster, specifically on the blue line. As mentioned, all of the above players were named to the 2020 World Championship roster, which shows a lot of trust from the decision-makers to put them into best-on-best competition. The world championships is often a dress rehearsal for the Olympics, too. That they were all chosen over veterans like Johnston and Fortino means a lot. Finally, there are some other young players in Hockey Canada’s talent pool to be highlighted here, such as Élizabeth Giguère, Emma Maltais and Daryl Watts. Giguère won the Patty Kazmaier last season, while Watts currently leads the nation with 11 goals and 21 points through 10 games to start the NCAA season. There are some key complications impacting their Olympic chances. None of the three were at the recent camp, a key evaluator for the 2021 world championships. Kingsbury said “it was impossible” to bring any U.S.-based athletes to camp due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. (Fillier decided to take the year off from Princeton with the questions around if Ivy League schools would have a season and the Olympic considerations in mind.) “Having our college players not here is definitely another challenge,” she said. “You’re trying to scout online, and it’s hard to see what they do in college and try to figure out if that’s going to have an impact at the international level.” So while they are talented, without camps and potentially cracking the 2021 World Championship roster, it will be hard to jump into the 2022 Olympics. Especially if they are trying to take spots from returning players such as Turnbull, Jill Saulnier and Laura Stacey, who have all shown they can be reliable forwards who can play up and down the lineup. For everything laid out here, all it takes is a really good tournament or training camp by one or two players to change my entire roster. Every year before the Olympics, Hockey Canada invites its Olympic hopefuls to Calgary for a six-to-seven month “centralized” camp before the Games. Typically, there are some surprises on the roster, as Kingsbury said some players come in “like sponges” and elevate their game. Such is the difficulty in this exercise. Anything can happen once we officially get into the final year of the Olympic quad. But regardless, Canada is going to have a deep talent pool to chose from when it comes time for Beijing 2022.

The Athletic LOADED: 02.03.2021 Websites They’ve been doing it since the puck dropped Jan. 13, and ritualistically 1182994 against these Canucks, who are probably thrilled to be leaving Montreal knowing they won’t have to face the Canadiens again until March. Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Toffoli, Anderson delivering early returns on You know what else is getting repetitive? Jeff Petry scoring. big-money deals He was the recipient of a gift-wrapped, empty-net goal Toffoli could’ve scored for himself, and he now leads all NHL defencemen with 13 points this season. Eric Engels@EricEngels Also on repeat: Jake Allen played great in his fourth game as Carey February 2, 2021, 11:42 PM Price’s backup, recording his third win — this one on the strength of 36 saves — and improving his save percentage to .930. How consistent.

He’s rolling, this Canadiens team is rocking, and we’ve just about hit our MONTREAL — It snowed, the wind-chill factor made staying at home in word count. a locked-down Quebec an easy decision for anyone not obliged to be elsewhere, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks at Here’s hoping for clear skies and less wind come morning. the Bell Centre, with Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson both hitting the board. Do we need 700 more words? We wrote this story 24 hours ago. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 Groundhog Day, 2021. How fitting. OK, here’s what was different Tuesday, aside from Shea Weber playing in his 1000th NHL game: This wasn’t exactly like Monday’s 6-2, wide- open romp, over which more than half the players in red sweaters recorded at least a point. No, this was more of a grind-it-out, muck-it-up affair with two hired guns firing most of the bullets — a 5-3 Canadiens win keyed by Toffoli and Anderson. General manager Marc Bergevin, just like the rest of us, has watched them combine for 15 goals in 10 games since awarding them hefty contracts over the off-season to do exactly that. Toffoli leads the NHL with nine — eight of them scored in five games against this Vancouver team he was skating for just four months ago — and Anderson’s six puts him in solo second on the Canadiens in the category. Do you think the GM of this NHL-leading Montreal troupe is happy? If there wasn’t a foot of snow on Saint-Antoine Street, we think he’d probably be doing cartwheels toward the 720 highway right about now. And it’s not just about the goals that Toffoli and Anderson are delivering, it’s how they’re scoring them and fitting the exact profiles Bergevin thought he was purchasing when he asked owner Geoff Molson for just north of $55 million to pay them. It was the six-foot-three, 226-pound Anderson bullying his way to Thatcher Demko’s crease to push the puck — and Canucks defenceman Jalen Chatfield — into the net for Montreal’s first goal of the game. Just before he scored his second, Anderson chased down Brandon Sutter and forced a turnover in the offensive zone and then installed himself in the slot for a tip that gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead. Toffoli, who’s made a career of sneaking his way into the scoring areas and finding ways to get his stick in the perfect position did exactly that to score his eighth of the season in Period 2. And then he turned a routine one-on-one into a clean scoring chance with a deft pull of the puck between his legs and a cross-body backhand that landed in the shelf of Demko’s net. The way Toffoli later described it, it was as if he was boiling the whole sequence down to luck. “I definitely didn’t have that setup in my mind,” he said. “Just trying to get it on net, I didn’t even see it go in, to be honest, but all the boys on the bench were howling.” It was a beauty, but not a stunner. Toffoli came to Montreal with 145 goals already banked — many of them scored in highlight-reel fashion. Just like Anderson came — even after an injury riddled season that saw him produce just one goal in 26 games — as an established power forward. “Before they even played a game, we told you guys what kind of players they were and what they could bring, and that’s what they’re doing,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. “I think in Josh Anderson’s case, we said he’s got unbelievable speed, he’s great on the forecheck, he’s also got outside speed and he also takes the puck to the net. Or he goes to the net if he doesn’t have it. That’s why he’s having success scoring. “We always thought that Tyler Toffoli was really good at scoring goals and was a smart player and we could use him in all kinds of situations as well. That’s what he’s doing — he’s killing penalties, he’s on the power play and at 5-on-5, that goal he scored tonight on the backhand is a beauty. So, those guys are just filling in the gaps that we needed to fill, and they’re doing it in a really good fashion.” Websites “Why should be frustrating? I play two games and it was some tough 1182995 bounces, but that’s hockey – it’s going to happen,” said the personable Rittich, always upbeat. Sportsnet.ca / Rittich still seeking return to form as Flames hope for more “My confidence level is pretty good. The guys can say I’m a pretty hard balance in net worker and I’m working hard in practice.” As part of the team-wide effort to help boost Rittich, Derek Ryan jumped in on the post-game Zoom call with Rittich by his side to confirm his Eric Francis@EricFrancis goalie’s mindset is in a solid state, praising his work ethic and attitude all season long. February 3, 2021, 1:42 AM “I think David is doing a really good job in probably a situation he hasn’t seen before and not comfortable with,” said Ryan. As the only NHL tandem to have played in last year’s NHL all-star game, “He’s been great around practice and working hard and staying positive.” David Rittich figured in camp he and Jacob Markstrom had a chance at being the league’s top duo. Ryan confirmed the real issue Tuesday was the early deficit his team keeps finding itself in. Nine games in, only one has held up his end of the bargain. “I think our starts have to be better in general,” said Ryan, whose club While Markstrom has been every bit as good as advertised, Rittich has allowed a short-handed goal by Trevor Lewis, followed by a Derek been unable to get the kind of outing he hoped would erase memories of Forbort strike 30 seconds later, a mere seven minutes in. last season’s late struggles. “We’ve got to find our legs and be more mentally prepared. It’s definitely Resigned to the fact he’d play a much more limited role this season, it something we’re trying to focus on.” puts all the more pressure on him to ensure he makes the most of rare starts. Tkachuk’s fourth of the year cut the deficit in half 35 seconds later, before Ehlers’ put the Jets up 3-1 13 minutes into the opening frame. It’s a dilly of a pickle for the 28-year-old Czech netminder who only recently got his first start in almost 11 months. Making his second start of Asked if he considered pulling Rittich, which would have been a the season Tuesday, Rittich finished much the same way as he did his ridiculous move, Ward didn’t hesitate. first – with a loss. “No, never thought about it,” said Ward, whose club plays the rubber It would be patently unfair to pin either setback on Rittich. However, it match with Winnipeg Thursday. would also be hard to suggest he should be thrilled with either start, leaving him with a .857 save percentage and 3.56 goals-against average “He’s got to find his game and we’ve got confidence in him. It’s a totally in two tries. different role for him. He’s used to having the start and being the guy that’s in there and playing a lot of minutes. Having it the other way As part of the Flames’ recent tradition of opening with a two-goal deficit, around when you’re not getting a regular start and having to come off the Rittich was beaten three times in the first 13 minutes to dig a hole the bench is a whole different mentality. I think he’s dealing with it well.” club couldn’t climb out of. It’s a process. But with every loss comes more hesitation by the coaching A pair of Matthew Tkachuk goals made it close, as did a handful of timely staff to try balancing a workload they’d love to even out more, as saves by Rittich to keep them in the game, but the backup is still seeking originally planned. the comfort of his first win. Johnny Gaudreau, who extended his league-leading point streak to nine “The first period was tough, I gave up three goals, which I should get games with an assist on Tkachuk’s late goal, had a chance to tie the some of them,” said Rittich, who had no chance on Nikolaj Ehlers' game while all alone in front with 15 seconds left, only to have Laurent redirect, and was beaten clean on two other good shots. Brossoit make his 29th save of the night. “It’s hard to get your game when you are not playing that much. It’s The Jets will now debate whether Brossoit deserves a second something I knew I’d have to figure out and go through. How the game consecutive start Thursday. went on I got my feeling back and battled through.” The Flames coaches won’t likely have a similar debate on their hands. Sure did, and that’s what head coach Geoff Ward, goalie coach Jason LaBarbera and everyone else in the room will focus on with a goalie who has lost his last six starts dating back to last season. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 He’s allowed no fewer than three goals in all those games, including the trio he gave up in 16 minutes of impossible relief the night the Flames were eliminated from the playoffs. None of this is to question the ability of Big Save Dave. It’s simply to point out how important it is he finds his confidence and comfort level soon to not only give the team a chance at the playoffs, but to take pressure off Markstrom while opening up opportunities for him on the open market next summer. “It’s extremely critical, and I thought he got stronger as the game went on,” said Ward when asked about the need to get Rittich into a groove. “Gosh, we didn’t give him much help on those goals against in the first period. He battled through and gave us a chance to win at the end. At the end of the day, I think he’s going to draw some confidence out of this. Talking to (LaBarbera), and from what we saw, it was a good performance from him. He didn’t have very much of a chance on those goals. He made some big saves in the second and third when we needed him to, and I’m sure that’s going to give him some confidence and get him some momentum going his way. “We’re going to need both our goaltenders. We like our tandem. Our team is confident with David in the net. He’s won an awful lot of hockey games for us, played some huge games for us, stole some games for us. We just want him to find his game and be what he can be. He was all- star goalie for a reason. We want him to find his way back to that form.” He’s not there yet. Asked to rate his confidence level, and if he was frustrated by his start, Rittich shrugged. 1182996 Websites What did his coach think? “Really solid. Really solid,” Tippett repeated. “That’s a tough thing to

jump into a game like that — every game the points are critical — and I Sportsnet.ca / Two-game series with Senators proves to be tonic for what think he got 17, 18 minutes. I was really pleased with his game. Smart, ailed Oilers got an assist on a good shot from the point, and didn’t look out of place. The Sens acquired goalie Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins then promptly signed him to a four-year, $25 million deal in the off-season. Mark Spector@sportsnetspec That made him the third-highest paid player on the roster, and, alongside Thomas Chabot, the only other Senator signed through 2023-24. February 3, 2021, 1:59 AM He is clearly the goalie of record for this rebuild, but boy oh boy, things haven’t started well for Murray. In seven games he’s sporting a .842 EDMONTON — Back to .500 and feeling awfully good about themselves, saves percentage and a 4.82 goals-against average. the Edmonton Oilers discovered this week what the Vancouver Canucks Murray watched the final two periods of Sunday’s game from the bench learned a week ago: The Ottawa Senators are a tonic for whatever ails after being pulled, and backed up again tonight while the Sens went with you. Marcus Hogberg and his .849 saves percentage. After an 8-5 win Sunday with rookie Stuart Skinner making his first NHL “I’ve never changed from when I got here,” Smith said. “We want this start in goal, the Oilers inserted Mikko Koskinen back between the pipes, team to be set up so it can be good for 10 years. Slowly, we’re buckled down defensively, and executed a clinical 4-2 victory over the integrating more and more young guys, and (Murray’s) going to be the Senators — scoring the first four goals of Tuesday's game. The Oilers goalie when this team is the team that we know it can be. He’s going to travel to Calgary for a game on Friday, then two more at the Sens rink be the guy holding them every day.” after that — four points that should not go to waste. Murray spent some extra time on the ice following Tuesday’s optional “We came home for this homestand and we had that (reaching .500) goal morning skate working with goalie coach Pierre Groulx. He’s grinding in mind,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “There were some things we away in search of the game that took him to two Stanley Cups as a were doing, even when we were losing, that we liked. Then we’d make a Penguin. mistake or take a penalty at the wrong time. “Right now, this is a good work day for him,” observed Smith, who had “a “I don’t mind our game moving forward here. We’ve taken some steps good talk with him” Tuesday. “We’ve got to put him in a spot where we from where we were, but there are more steps to take.” can play good in front of them. We think (Tuesday) was a good day to get On Groundhog Day, the Sens lost their ninth straight. Now they go home some work, get some rest and be ready for the next one.” and home with the first-place Montreal Canadiens, and then they have It can only go up from here. two games vs. Edmonton, which outscored them 12-7 in this two-game set and gave up just 25 shots on goal Tuesday despite four Senators power plays. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 “Right now, every break seems to go in,” Senators head coach D.J. Smith said. “Probably, I need more from some of the older guys. Probably, need more right now from some of the guys who have been in the league.” Connor McDavid (two assists on Tuesday) now has six consecutive multi-point games. He and Leon Draisaitl (one goal) have 36 points between them in the past eight games. Jesse Cashes It was the great Finn Teemu Selanne who used to speak of the old ketchup bottle whenever he would be in a goal-scoring slump. Eventually, Selanne always said, the ketchup would flow again. And so it was that with 27 shots on goal but not a single tuck on the season, the young Finn Jesse Puljujarvi entered Tuesday’s game with the distinction of being the only NHL forward with that many shots not to have scored. Well, let the ketchup flow. “I have a couple of chances and they go in. That’s good,” said Puljujarvi, who scored on a solo rush and then tipped home an Evan Bouchard wrister while cruising through the slot. “Sometimes good shifts, sometimes bad shifts. All the time I try to be better player, help those guys and be a better linemate. There are things that I and the team can do better. (I can) be strong and make some plays all the time. That kind of stuff.” This will give the 22-year-old some confidence, and blow some wind into the sails of a fan base that has been waiting for something good to happen to Puljujarvi. “I’ve been talking to him quite a bit,” Tippett said. “He says it doesn’t bother him, but it’s nice to see him get on the board. Anybody, if you feel like you’re not scoring, there’s that extra bit of pressure you’re putting on yourself. Good to see that smile on his face.” Puljujarvi played 14:31 and had three shots on goal. It was a calm, professional debut for Bouchard, who got into his first game this season. He had an assist, four shots on goal, eight shots in total, played 16:56 and simply looked like an NHL defenceman. “Felt good to get back playing here in Edmonton. It took a shift or two to get back used to it,” said the 21-year-old, who watched the first 10 games of the season. “The message was, 'Go out, have fun and work hard every day,' it was a matter of time before I got to play a game. It’s the NHL. It’s always fun being here. Staying positive was a big part of it.” Websites game today. We have three more games on the road trip, so we're just 1182997 worried about having a good game next game.”

Honestly, it’s impossible to know what to expect of the Canucks against Sportsnet.ca / Canucks take step in right direction, but still walking a the Leafs. difficult path They followed their best game of the season, Saturday’s 4-1 win in Winnipeg, with one of their worst. The titanic shifts in performance are embodied by Miller. Iain MacIntyre@imacSportsnet On Tuesday, the Canucks’ leading scorer from last season had four February 2, 2021, 11:46 PM shots on net, six hits, one point in 23:31 of ice time, had an 11-7 shot- differential when he was on the ice at even strength and an expected- goals percentage of 57. At least the Vancouver Canucks did not beat themselves on Tuesday. The night before, Miller had no shots, no hits, was outshot 17-4 and his The Montreal Canadiens did that – again. expected-goals was 13 per cent. After a dreadful 6-2 loss on Monday when the Canucks never gave “I thought it was a good effort,” Miller said, staying on point after themselves a chance to win by repeatedly giving the puck to the Tuesday’s game. “A little jump in our step tonight pretty much the whole Canadiens in dangerous positions and then failing to defend, Vancouver game. We had a lot of good looks, a lot of good zone time and had a little cleaned up its game 24 hours later and at least made Montreal earn it. more urgency in our game tonight from the start, I think. We didn't get But even with their reforms and another excellent game from goalie two points today, but I think we feel good about the game we played.” Thatcher Demko, whom we should now call Vancouver’s “starter,” the At least it’s something. Canucks still surrendered another handful of goals to the Canadiens and lost 5-3. Pettersson, on the power play, and Pearson, with the goalie pulled, scored third-period goals as Vancouver pushed back from a 4-1 deficit Montreal’s first three goals came on a deflected pass and two deflected before Jeff Petry scored into an empty net with six seconds left. shots, and the last was an empty-netter, so the many categories in which the Canadiens are superior to the Canucks include luck. Antoine Roussel had the other goal for the Canucks, who outshot the Canadiens for the first time in the teams’ five games, 39-33. And just because, former Canuck Tyler Toffoli scored two more goals against his old team to make it eight goals in five games against “I think we had a good full game,” Pettersson said. “I think we battled Vancouver this season. The Canadiens have taken nine of 10 points hard. We talked about it because we weren't happy with our game against the Canucks, who were ventilated for 28 goals in the five games. yesterday and I think we raised our compete level. It sucks to lose, but it was definitely better today than yesterday.” The Canucks have been so erratic during a torturous start – the National Hockey League force-fed them 13 games in 21 nights with four sets of back-to-backs – that it’s difficult to make confident conclusions about the group. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 But we know this much: the organization should have found the money to keep Toffoli, who was turned away by Vancouver in free agency and signed a relatively modest four-year, $17-million contract with Montreal. Optics were made even worse Tuesday by Canuck coach Travis Green’s removal from the lineup of recently-signed winger Jake Virtanen, whose $2.55-million annual cap hit would have covered much of the annual cost for Toffoli. “What do you say? He should have scored them last year,” Elias Pettersson, Toffoli’s linemate at the end of last season, said of his ex- teammate. “He's a great player, awesome guy. But of course it sucks that he has to score those goals against us. It is what it is. We've got to play him tighter.” The Canucks didn’t miss Virtanen, but they sure have missed Toffoli. Vancouver’s top line has been so spotty without him – and was abysmal on Monday – that Green re-deployed his best forwards on Tuesday, splitting J.T. Miller from Pettersson and using Bo Horvat on the top line. The moves freshened the lines and the Canucks’ top-six forwards combined for 21 shots and generated goals for Pettersson and Tanner Pearson, albeit with Vancouver playing with an extra man on both. “I just felt like we needed a different look,” Green said. “There's been a lot of talk about certain players maybe not playing as well, and sometimes a breath of fresh air kind of alleviates some of that pressure. We had a good team talk with our group, a couple individual talks. I thought every player really was buying in tonight to how we needed to play. That's what we need from our team. “Now, we didn't get a win. I'm not happy about that. Sometimes when you play as bad as we did the night before, as a coach, you're really looking for your team to respond in the right way and we did.” Green called it a “step in the right direction,” but the Canucks are still walking in an awfully dark place. Having struggled just to compete with the 7-1-2 Canadiens, the Canucks open a three-game series in Toronto against the 7-2-1 Maple Leafs on Thursday. Getting swept in Montreal also sunk the Canucks back below .500 at 6-7-0. Their shortened season will already by one-quarter over after Thursday’s game. “I don't want to sit back and dwell on what's happened in the past,” Miller said. “It's 10, 11, 12 games into the season. We're trying to build our game. It's a kind of funky start to the year, but we played a good team Websites “If you look at the data, one thing that shines through is that context 1182998 matters,” said Dr. Christina Mack, an epidemiologist and advisor to the NFL. “Football is played in a well-ventilated area, with a lot of airflow, and with brief interactions on the field.” Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Why Sabres postponements are cause for concern The question we’re all going to be asking now is, okay, how much different is the NHL’s data than the NFL’s?

2. I read three or four different articles about the NFL/CDC call. What Elliotte Friedman@FriedgeHNIC really stood out was the belief that time exposed to an infectious person (15 minutes) or distance from that person (six feet) weren’t necessarily February 2, 2021, 1:36 PM the benchmarks for being a close contact. “That was a wake-up call,” Sills said. “We had to be more precise in our He’s currently the men’s basketball coach at Laurentian University in definition because transmission could occur outside those basic Sudbury, Ont., but, 25 years ago, Shawn Swords cemented himself as boundaries of time and distance.” one of the greatest players in school history. The NFL changed its rules to define close contacts as people who had I can’t remember which specific Team Canada he was trying out for, but I “unmasked, indoor interactions with an infected person for any length of do remember someone lobbying for his inclusion. The argument: Swords time.” was the type of personality who, if not given an enormous role, wouldn’t Quarantine periods were lengthened, group eating was eliminated and cause a problem. He’d bust his butt in practice, keep a great attitude and meetings went virtual. give you good minutes when you needed them. And he ended up representing his country several times, most notably at the 2000 The protocols agreed upon for this season NHL indicate daily testing the Olympics. first four weeks of the season, then to be discussed. Can’t imagine that being changed. And will we see a second daily test (a rapid test) added? As the Toronto Raptors’ first head coach, Brendan Malone, once said (paraphrasing): “You need your top four and your bottom four to buy in to 3. The Rangers have made it clear they will eat salary to facilitate a Tony what you are selling. If they do, the middle falls in line. If they don’t, DeAngelo trade. GM Jeff Gorton provided clarity on why DeAngelo was you’re in trouble.” cut: The organization felt DeAngelo “wasn’t able to move on” from his early-season benching and warned him one more incident would be the I thought of these examples last week when listening to Edmonton coach end of his tenure. That came Saturday night, after the 5–4 overtime loss Dave Tippett discuss the taxi squad. to Pittsburgh. DeAngelo delivered a sarcastic, cutting comment to “Normally you’ve got one or two guys who are unhappy,” he said. “Now Alexandar Georgiev in the aftermath of that defeat. The goalie clocked you’ve got eight guys who are unhappy.” DeAngelo before the two were separated, and the decision to put him on waivers was made that night. Calgary’s Brad Treliving and Montreal’s Marc Bergevin were furious last weekend when agent Darren Ferris went public with two trade requests New York will try to trade him, but it’s not going to be easy. Any acquiring — Sam Bennett (Flames) and Victor Mete (Canadiens). We are 10 days team knows there will be heat. Gorton indicated the Rangers currently removed from a deal that involved three players who wanted out: Pierre- are not pursuing a termination of DeAngelo’s contract, and it appears Luc Dubois, Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. unlikely they’d be able to do it unless the player agreed, for whatever reason. Since he does not turn 26 until October, he can be bought out for Don’t know if there are any analytics on trade requests, but five in such a one-third of the $5.3-million salary on his contract for 2021–22. short time frame seems like a lot. Not all of these situations are analogous. Three of the asks pre-dated puck drop. But I wonder, how 4. Sam Bennett spent some time with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean many more are out there? Monahan during the third period of Calgary’s 4–3 shootout win over Winnipeg on Monday night. Hours before that game, coach Geoff Ward And how much of it is really the teams’ fault? Through no mistake of their detailed his conversations with the player. own, not playing this year stinks even more than normal — even if you’re on a club that’s going well. The taxi squad means even more competition “At the beginning of the season, and what a lot of people don’t know, I for open spots on the active roster. COVID rules make it hard even on basically gave Sam the choice of where he wanted to play. He wanted to those who get to play every night; imagine the stress on those who don’t start at centre and so we started him at centre, and he came in after a have the release of competition. While the AHL’s upcoming startup could couple of games and said, ‘Hey, I think I may want to take the other help that, being sent down can also mean a significant cut in salary. option,’ which was playing on the wing. We gave him a choice to play in two different positions at the start of the year. So before anybody jumps If you’re not playing, are you willing to be patient? all over that as to reasons why he may be unhappy, let’s just quell that right now.” All 31 rosters feature young players desperate for action. Mete’s first game was Monday. Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard could get his first ice Expect the Flames to proceed cautiously, for a few reasons. One: time Tuesday. Toronto’s Rasmus Sandin hasn’t played in almost a year. Bennett was GM Brad Treliving’s first-ever draft pick, so there’s a lot Developing pros like Riley Stillman (Florida) and Eeli Tolvanen invested with him. Second: Bennett’s production increases in the (Nashville) dressed once, the latter scoring in his season debut Monday playoffs, and he does not shy away from the kind of hockey that wins in night. How many goalies haven’t faced a shooter from another the post-season. The Flames know this and value it. Third: There’ve organization in months? been previous occasions where there’s been frustration between player and organization. So, to the Flames, there’s a question about whether It’s another challenge in a season full of them. this too shall pass. My sense is there’s greater resolve this time, although time will tell. 31 THOUGHTS While Calgary’s tested his value, they haven’t made the move. Both the 1. You don’t want to panic and call it the nuclear scenario, but it’s incredibly concerning that Buffalo’s game with the Islanders on Tuesday Flames and the Canadiens (with Mete) will be determined to show they night is cancelled days after the Sabres played New Jersey. The Sabres set the agenda, not anyone else. are very upset, with the Devils now on hiatus after close to 10 positive 5. The Flames were feisty in their two most recent games, wins over COVID tests. Montreal and the Jets. That’s not a coincidence. When Matthew Tkachuk Last week, the NFL and the Center for Disease Control co-published a exploded at the end of last Tuesday’s loss to Toronto, it wasn’t about scientific paper detailing the league’s processes during this season. One Jake Muzzin flipping the puck at him. If you dish it out, you’ve got to take of its critical findings was that their information indicated teams were not it. I think he was upset that no one joined him in the scrum. transmitting COVID to each other during games. Calgary held a players-only meeting last Friday, and it sounds like he “There is no evidence that the virus crossed the line of scrimmage, so to conveyed that message. It was received, although some comments were speak," said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, on a made to him that it can’t be a riot every night. Get your feelings in the conference call with reporters. “All close contacts are not created open, get it sorted out, and play. The results speak for themselves. equal…. Some convey a much higher risk; circumstances really matter.” 6. It will surprise no one to know Pittsburgh was one of the teams that asked about Mete. (It’s believed they also poked around Toronto for The NFL’s advantage, particularly over leagues like the NHL and NBA, is Travis Dermott. Basically, if you’re a defenceman, they asked about you.) ventilation. The Canadiens can’t take back money, so it’s basically dollar in, dollar out. Plus, they do like Mete. 7. Pittsburgh will begin interviews with its “long list” of GM candidates this *I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time. week. Many names are already out there, but what we’re still waiting for is clarity on Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury. If he’s involved in this 16. Sunday’s Ottawa/Edmonton encounter was even crazier the more process, he’s a serious contender. you really look at it. Draisaitl with six assists in less than 40 minutes of game time; McDavid with five points in 30 minutes. While all that was A couple newer names to keep an eye on: former Dallas GM Joe going on, the Senators outshot the Oilers 31-19 at five-on-five. This Nieuwendyk and Jason Karmanos, who was part of the Penguins’ front wasn’t score effects, either. (“Score effects” refers to a trailing team office until being fired during the off-season. (More on him in a second.) taking control of play because there’s no other option.) Everyone counts Nieuwendyk has preferred low-profile roles in Carolina and Seattle over scoring attempts differently, but at five-on-five they were lopsided in the past few years, but there are rumblings Pittsburgh would like to talk to favour of Ottawa. Totally bananas game. him. 17. What the Senators need most are saves. No team’s had a goals- 8. New Jersey does not want to let Tom Fitzgerald interview. The Devils against average higher than four since the 1995–96 San Jose Sharks consider him an important part of their future, and it sounds like they’re (4.35, with Ottawa starting the year at 4.89). going to address his situation. (He’s under contract for another season, but only this one with the GM title.) 18. Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev have played 110:51 together at five- on-five. No goals against. That’s best in class so far. Adam Fox and 9. Not long before Karmanos was fired, Jim Rutherford appeared on Ryan Lindgren (Rangers) are at 94:55. Carson Soucy and newly Tripp Tracy’s Digging in with Tripp podcast. acquired Ian Cole were above 60 minutes in Minnesota, but the Avalanche ruined that. “Unfortunately for Jason, he gets the brunt of my frustrations when I get frustrated,” Rutherford said. “Because he’s been with me for so long, he’s 19. Vancouver’s gone from one of the NHL’s worst schedules to one of figured out a way to take the punch and just go with it…. I think it was its more rested ones. After Tuesday night’s game in Montreal, the really good for him to come to Pittsburgh with me because he got away Canucks don’t have another back-to-back until March 1 and 2 in from people thinking he was only working because it was with the team Winnipeg. Does Travis Green give Thatcher Demko a big run? that his father owned. But he did a lot of good things in Carolina with me. He’s really good with contracts, he’s really good at evaluating players, 20. Congratulations to the Foote family, which celebrated Cal’s first NHL he’s what I need for a guy that works and an assistant GM. He goes with goal. The Tampa Bay defenceman scored during the Lightning’s 4-3 win the ups and downs with me — he’s used to it now.” (Rutherford was over Nashville last Saturday: chuckling as he said that.) Father Adam, who played 1,154 NHL games, laughed that his first (on Unfortunately, the two had a falling out, and Karmanos was gone. Jan. 14, 1992) was banked in off a Russian (Alexander Godynyuk) while There’s a theory his absence contributed to the philosophical split Cal’s first was on a perfect feed from a Russian (Mikhail Sergachev). between Rutherford and ownership, because Karmanos wasn’t there to 21. Credit to Darin Stephens (@SharksStats on Twitter) for this one: act as the buffer. Brent Burns’s 30:51 of ice time Jan. 20 against St. Louis was the most by Some rest and peace of mind will be excellent for Rutherford, who has a 35-year-old since Andrei Markov’s 31:57 on Valentine’s Day 2015 been extremely careful and responsible during the pandemic. versus Toronto. 10. I do think one factor that added to internal stress in Pittsburgh was 22. A few teams are looking at Arvid Soderblom, a goalie for Skelleftea in Kasperi Kapanen’s visa issues. Since he’s signed, there was an internal Sweden. I’d guess Chicago would be one. feeling the holdup shouldn’t have happened. 23. Bridgeport and Providence are scheduled to start the AHL season It’s possible there isn’t one hire, but multiple hires to bolster a front office Friday afternoon. The last few months haven’t been easy, with plenty of that’s got smart people but lost several bodies to other organizations. I emotional and financial challenges for the players, teams and league. heard Alexandra Mandrycky’s name, but doubt Seattle lets that happen. “It’s been stressful for sure, a wild ride of uncertainty,” said Cleveland One possibility: Theresa Feaster, who just won a gold medal at the World defenceman Dillon Simpson, also a member of the Professional Hockey Juniors as an assistant coach with Team USA. Toronto interviewed her Players’ Association’s executive board. “I’m just glad now a vast majority for an AHL Marlies assistant coach opening last summer. The timing of guys are excited to play.” wasn’t right for her, and she opted to stay with her full-time job at Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis reported on the critical points of a Providence College. new agreement reached last week: all players on one-way AHL contracts 11. One year from the Olympics. First of all, will they happen? Second, get a minimum 40 per cent of their salary no matter how many games are expect negotiations to intensify in securing NHL participation. All sides played; all players are paid at the rate of 48 per cent of their salaries; and were moving towards it last February, but then COVID hit. Just need to no player shall receive a salary below $30,000. It was especially difficult make sure everything gets done with the IOC and IIHF. during the gap between the start of the NHL and the start of the AHL, where many players weren’t collecting salary, but needed to commit to 12. It’s widely expected that St. Louis’s Doug Armstrong deservedly will living arrangements. Some teams went the extra mile to help out, but be Team Canada’s GM, but expect at least one fresh face among his other situations weren’t pretty. lieutenants. Possibility: Boston’s Don Sweeney. “The toughest part was guys trying to settle down and find places, not 13. One name to watch on the trade market: Florida’s Brett Connolly. knowing how much they’d get paid,” Simpson said. “There’s five of us, Panthers have started strong despite COVID postponements. Connolly’s and 600 to 800 players — we know every decision is not going to make been out of the lineup — although he’s expected to get back in shortly. everyone happy. We tried to make the best of a bad situation. We don’t He was a valuable piece on Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup champion have the leverage of the major sports leagues, but we fought as hard as team. I could see a contender going there. we could for a fair deal, so guys can make ends meet and play hockey in a safe manner.” 14. In the short term, expect Carolina to hold despite Petr Mrazek’s injury. Goalies are a luxury item right now, the costs are high. The The negotiation team fought hard for players on the low end of the pay Hurricanes will try to grind through it. scale, to get them as much of their salaries as possible, and Simpson is proud of that. 15. Alain Vigneault’s stunning benching of Travis Konecny didn’t surprise one of his former players: Kevin Bieksa. During Hockey Night in Canada 24. For now, as Simpson said, the players can focus on hockey. But last Saturday, he said there was a game during the prime of his career there are questions to be answered. First, what is going to happen in where Vigneault told him during a morning skate that only an injury to Canada? Three teams are ready to go: Laval (Montreal), Manitoba Alex Edler prevented Bieksa from being a healthy scratch that night. (Not (Winnipeg) and Calgary. That leaves Belleville (Ottawa) and Toronto. surprisingly, Bieksa threw a massive tantrum, smashing sticks and There is still no clearance from the province of Ontario, and the AHL has slamming doors.) said only that no Canadian clubs will play this weekend. Second, is there any chance of playoffs? Simpson said there’s the possibility of divisional For several hours, fans flooded my DMs with insane trade scenarios, but playoffs — two rounds, both a best-of-three. save your energy — Konecny’s not going anywhere. “It will be revisited in April. (NHL) teams want more games and important At some point, Philadelphia will be forced to look at third-pairing games for their prospects, but it is a risk-reward thing. The day this defensive solutions if internal options don’t improve. During a Tuesday season ends is when the conversations about next year begin.” morning interview on NHL Radio, GM Chuck Fletcher joked they will happily bring back Matt Niskanen if the defenceman changes his mind on 25. He did have a great line about Zac Dalpe, named the Monsters’ retirement. captain. Asked if that made him the worst captain in franchise history, Simpson replied, “On the record, yes. Off the record, no.” “But he’s having too much fun ice-fishing,” Fletcher said. 26. The Belleville/Toronto situation is a bad omen for the OHL. Hope McNamee enjoyed Germany, Denmark and the U.K. before coming back those kids get to play, even if it’s not many games. home. He loved his hockey career, but it’s time to try a new one. He’s talented. Good luck and go get ’em. 27. Sunday night, Mike McNamee of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits walked into the dressing for a game against the Jacksonville 30. Yahoo senior basketball writer Vincent Goodwill reported that the Icemen. Before puck drop, the 28-year-old stood up and announced this Brooklyn Nets’ first game with James Harden had enormous ratings: the would be his final game. most-viewed game in the U.S. this season, fourth-most-viewed globally. What would an NHL super-team do? “It’s been a long decision,” the Perth, Ont., native said Monday. “I just started realizing that … not that I don’t love the game — I’d take issue 31. If you’re looking for something different, check out a podcast called with that — it’s just not giving me the same feeling as it once did. But I The Apology Line. Not gonna lie, it’s creepy (it gets an “explicit” warning wanted it to end at home, and I liked that it was our third game in three from Apple podcasts) and not for everyone. But it’s … really something. days. It was a very emotional day. Taping my stick one last time, tying my skates for the last time, crazy feelings.” McNamee played last season for the Cardiff Devils in the United Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 Kingdom’s Elite League, a team he felt would have won a championship if not for the pandemic. The coach was Andrew Lord, who left Cardiff for Greenville last June and convinced McNamee to join him. With the Swamp Rabbits up 1–0, and Jacksonville’s net empty, McNamee scored the empty-net clincher in the 2-0 win. The emotion in the celebration was obvious. You’ve got good karma when your career ends that way. “That’s what my teammates said,” McNamee laughed. “I had tears in my eyes as I skated to the bench. They gave me the puck and told me to make a speech. I spent about 30 seconds sobbing into my hands, not sure of what to say. Great people there.” 28. Like many of us during COVID, McNamee eyed life changes and new challenges. His uncles were guitar players, and he got one as a Christmas gift “when I was 13 or 14. I said I would never play it, but as an over-ager in the QMJHL, I had too much free time.” McNamee developed a love for the instrument. In 2017-18, while playing in Germany, he saw that Kingston’s The Glorious Sons were on tour in Cologne. A big fan, he drove to the concert, joking, “I was one of 14 people at the show.” But it allowed him to strike up a friendship with Jay Emmons, the band’s lead guitar player. “Jay gave me his number, but I didn’t want to be like that obnoxious ex who keeps calling. Just once in awhile, to prove that I wasn’t another fool with a guitar.” Instead, McNamee worked at this craft, and one result is “Feel It All”: Emmons was so impressed, he decided to manage McNamee’s career. His stage name is Boston Levi; there’s a great story behind that choice. “My maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Boston. Her father, my great-grandfather, was Levi Boston. My mom (Beth) wanted to switch that around and name me Boston Levi. My dad (Terry) said no,” he laughs. “I’m a little upset to be honest. It’s unique. Jay said if there’s anything I’d want my name to be, do it. Don’t hesitate. I’m very lucky to be around The Glorious Sons." 29. Ten years ago, McNamee was finishing an 81-point season for the Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Canada Hockey League. “I had no idea what I was getting into. I wanted to go to school, but I was young and stubborn and didn’t like the offers.” Things turned when he stood out at a Junior A showcase weekend. A scout for QMJHL Quebec gave him a business card and said they’d be in touch. “They offered for me to go there immediately, but I turned them down. Then Patrick Roy asked me to come for my 19-year-old year.” The experience was life-changing. “Unlike anything I’d ever seen. The fans, the passion, to learn from (Roy), his passion.” McNamee played one season with the Remparts, then went to Sherbrooke. From there it was four seasons at Carleton University, where he became captain. One night, then-head coach Marty Johnson (now at AHL Manitoba) pulled McNamee into his office after warm-up. “He told me Tampa Bay’s head scout was there to watch me. I was like, ‘What?!?’ He told me that if he was playing he’d want to know.” He joined AHL Syracuse for 12 games at the end of the 2016-17 season, and had one assist. “It was overwhelming, and I realized I was a lot further away (from the NHL) than I thought. But I was grateful for the opportunity.” Websites those fresh faces. But the fact remains: High-powered Toronto has 1182999 slipped out of the top-10 in goals per game (3.3).

And its ratio of even-strength goals (20, including two empty-netters) to Sportsnet.ca / 5 areas of concern for Maple Leafs after 'shotgun start' to power-play goals (13) feels something less than optimal. season During rare back-to-back full-team practices Tuesday and Wednesday, Keefe will stress the importance of increasing his group’s offensive zone time. Luke Fox@lukefoxjukebox “We need to find ways to control play a little bit better and generate more February 2, 2021, 11:33 AM shots, more opportunities offensively,” Keefe said. Could we see Connor McDavid in blue and white one day? TORONTO -- As the dust settles on what Auston Matthews termed “a Toronto’s subpar penalty kill has been described as a work in progress. shotgun start” to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2021 campaign -- the club ran through 10 games in 18 days, losing two skilled forwards and two backup That progress has yet to be made. The work is plentiful. goalies in the process -- there are plenty of positives to celebrate from The Leafs are on pace to see their kill rate drop for a fourth straight this 7-2-1 burst. season. It currently sits at 76.9 per cent (21st overall), and Connor Toronto’s 15 points and six regulation wins have vaulted it to a share of McDavid put it on blast during his early Goal of the Year contender the league lead. Saturday. Previously prone to blowouts either way, these Maple Leafs are thriving “It's always tough on a goalie when you're taking as many penalties as in tight conditions, going 5-0-1 in one-goal contests. we are,” Keefe explained. The Leafs’ vaunted No. 1 power-play has ascended to deadly new The coach has cracked the whip both privately and publicly on his heights (43.3 per cent) under new assistant coach Manny Malhotra’s two- group’s tendency to commit unnecessary stick fouls, which was an issue unit attack that makes smart use of Wayne Simmonds and Zach in the Mike Babcock era too. Hyman’s net-front ferocity. Toronto is hardly a rugged group, but it commits 3.28 penalties per Their best players are their best players. Each of Mitch Marner, John game, seventh-worst in the NHL. Toss in the Leafs’ relative inability to Tavares and Matthews has produced a point per game or better; William draw penalties, and only two clubs have a worse penalty differential (- Nylander (nine points) and Morgan Rielly (seven) aren’t far behind. 1.09 per game) than the Leafs. Toronto’s faceoff prowess is top five again (53.3 per cent), and its depth Imagine how much more damage their power play could inflict if it wasn’t has been flexed early. Fourteen different Leafs have scored a goal. among the bottom third in the league in opportunities. Twenty have registered a point. Diehard fans will be quick to show you gifs of borderline calls that didn’t Yet despite these feel-good signs, staff and players have been quick to fall Toronto’s way, and whistles are being blown at an 11-year high. The note the need for improvement. There is a pervasive sense that the NHL is now seeing 3.64 power-play opportunities per team per game. roster still isn’t clicking the way it should be. “The standard changes year to year, and it's just a matter of us adapting,” “The greatest news of all is that none of the games have been perfect said Alexander Kerfoot, owning the issue. “The refs are going to call the and there's lots of room for growth still,” head coach Sheldon Keefe says. game however they want, and that's their job. They have a tough job “I wouldn't say there's been really any pleasant surprises. I think we've themselves, and we have to learn from whatever it is they're going to be met expectations in a lot of ways, and there still remains many areas for calling on a nightly basis and do a better job to not take penalties.” us to get better. Remaining Time -0:56 “That's exciting for us as a team.” Gotta See It: McDavid cuts through Maple Leafs to score end-to-end goal Toronto has appeared to have remedied its “start on time” issue that It’s the little things that matter plagued recent regular seasons, as the Leafs have outscored their opposition 9-7 in the first period. But that margin shrinks as the games Keefe will often emphasize the need to clean up details, and on Monday wind on. he put his troops through a skills-development session rife with repetition. They often grab a lead but have yet to run away laughing with a single Pick up a hard puck off the wall, then peel away a dozen more. one. As successful as the Leafs are at thieving pucks away from their enemy “We’d like to have a little more comfortable lead heading into the third --- at 6.75 per game, they rank third overall in takeaways -- they might period -- or at least have it not be such a nailbiter,” said defenceman just float it right back. Justin Holl, flashing a smile. “I would like that, at least.” Toronto commits more giveaways per 60 minutes (10.23) than all 30 The back-and-forth tug-o-wars are fantastic for entertainment and for other teams. getting players comfortable with duress. But this avalanche of tight third periods has forced Keefe to shorten his bench and throw a ton of minutes Other quibbles: Even with blue-collar additions like Simmonds and Zach on the plates of Matthews and Marner. Both rank top-five leaguewide in Bogosian performing as advertised, the Maple Leafs still rank among the time-on-ice for forwards. league basement dwellers in hockey’s gruntier physical aspects like hits (17.2 per 60) and blocked shots (11.9 per 60). A trickle-down effect spells fewer shifts for an in-flux bottom six that Keefe is still trying to evaluate and discover the best chemistry. The Leafs’ team save percentage (.895, 24th overall) looks ugly, but the recent eye test and timely save test on Frederik Andersen suggest this “One of the big things would be for us just to get really comfortable in number should only rise. Health willing. playing with leads and having a good process in place that can allow us to take care of that lead but push more on the offensive side of it,” Keefe Remaining Time -0:37 said. “When I say that, that's doing it responsibly.” Matthews happy with Maple Leafs effort after Oilers loss Dominating at even-strength Roster juggling makes for antsy players The Maple Leafs’ 5-on-4 prowess, improved defensive play and fine “Probably the biggest wrinkle in this whole thing is we're still unsure shooting percentage (11 per cent, when the league average is 9.9) have about a lot of guys and where they fit in and what they can offer us,” done an excellent job masking the fact that they’ve only been a middle- Keefe says. “We've got to find our way to give them some opportunities of-the-pack outfit when it comes to offence 5-on-5. to show what they can do and figure out what our best mix will be. Once Known for their firepower, the Maple Leafs rank just 18th overall in shots we have those answers, I think we'll find a little more consistency in our per game (29.9), and most of their possession metrics (50.4 CF%) have lineup.” dipped from last year’s pace. A coach who has always prided his rosters So, Travis Boyd can wait two weeks to dress, enjoy a two-game point on owning the puck notices these things. streak, then get treated to a healthy scratch. Chalk it up to a three-ingredient cocktail of line juggling, a stronger defensive mandate and the absence of a pre-season to integrate all Travis Dermott can be a plus-two, do everything his coaches have asked of him and still sit for seven days. Adam Brooks can average a goal a game and go right back to taxi duty. An ill-timed puck-over-glass penalty can stunt Joey Anderson’s tryout. And Rasmus Sandin, the franchise’s prized defence prospect, can get stuck in eighth-defenceman purgatory until further injury. “There is some growth to be had there,” Keefe noted Monday of Sandin. “We have no doubt he's going to be an everyday NHLer.” If there is a downside to depth and all this bubbling internal competition, it’s that keeping everyone engaged and content is a near-Herculean task. Ask yourself this: Would giving up on fringe players like Mikko Lehtonen and Alexander Barabanov before they’ve been granted an ample look in North America harm the organization’s chances of luring European free agents in the future? We think Keefe has done an admirable job incorporating the taxi squad. He’s trying to balance the need to bank points with the need to figure out his ideal third pairing and develop a third and fourth line he can trust. “As much as they're in our practices and they're around, it's tough,” Keefe says of all those healthy scratches. “They're just kind of sitting around and practising. “We'll see how injuries go and all those kinds of things, but right now, we've got to keep moving things around a little bit.” Are the Maple Leafs off to a strong start? Absolutely. Are they immune from improvement or blind to their blemishes? Not at all. Says Keefe: “We expect to bring it to another level when we come back to play after this break.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 1183000 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Kesler on why 'military-like' Tortorella is hard on his top players

Mike Johnston@MikeyJ_MMA February 2, 2021, 3:15 PM

There are quite a few current and former NHL players who could empathize with Pierre-Luc Dubois during his rift with John Tortorella that ultimately led to the star centre being benched then traded to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Ryan Kesler was one of those players monitoring the developments regarding the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 36-year-old spent his final season with the Vancouver Canucks playing under Tortorella during a tumultuous 2013-14 campaign. “What (the Dubois situation) made me think about is how hard he is on his top players and if you’re a top player and you don’t like it and it obviously doesn’t rub you right then you don’t want to play for him,” the one-time Selke Trophy winner and Olympic silver medallist said Tuesday during an appearance on Good Show. Kesler, who last suited up for an NHL game in 2019 and is currently on the Anaheim Ducks’ long-term injured reserve list, said there are clear positives to Tortorella’s coaching style even though it isn’t ideal for everyone. “It shows the group that you’re holding everybody accountable, not just the bottom six or the whipping boys of the team,” Kesler explained. “You’re holding your star player accountable to play right every single shift and if you look at the shift right before he got benched, I can tell you exactly why he got benched.” Kesler described Tortorella as “very military-like” and that he respected him for it, adding the two-time Jack Adams Award winner also has an ability to give “a pre-game speech that makes you want to run through a wall.” “He runs a tight ship and that’s how he gets the most out of his players and if you don’t like his style of play then you definitely don’t want to play there and I think that’s why Dubois asked for a trade. … I have a love- hate (relationship) with him. I hated that he was hard on me but I loved that he held me accountable,” Kesler said. That would fall in line with what Tortorella recently told Sportsnet’s Christine Simpson in an interview you can watch at the top of the page. “I don’t believe in trying to change someone’s mind. My relationship with Luc is just like anybody else’s on this team,” Tortorella said. “My job is I’m going to push you, I’m going to hold you accountable. There is a certain standard that we want here and that we all live by. If someone doesn’t want to be here then that’s a hard thing for me to stomach quite honestly. (Jeff Carter) left, (Artemi Panarin) left, (Sergei Bobrovsky) left, and my back gets up a little bit.” The Blue Jackets have gone 3-1-1 since the trade. Roslovic has one assist in three games with Columbus while Laine is expected to make his Blue Jackets debut Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars. Kesler added with a laugh: “I’m a coach now. I coach my 10-year-old and I run the same tight ship that he runs with Columbus.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.03.2021 Websites Max Domi on October 6th and then signed Anderson to a seven-year 1183001 $38.5M contract days later. On October 12th, the Canadiens convinced Tyler Toffoli to leave Vancouver and sign in Montreal for four years and $17M. On September 2nd, the Habs traded for Jake Allen from St. Louis Five Takeaways: Canucks @ Montreal looking to shore up their netminding behind Carey Price. On Tuesday, Allen stopped 36 of 39 shots to improve to 3-1 on the season with his second win in two weeks over the Canucks. Beyond that, the Canadiens By Jeff Paterson also committed $25M to defenseman Jeff Petry on a four year deal and Petry had a goal and an assist on Tuesday after scoring twice on Monday night. The point is that the Habs recognized areas of concern on their hockey club over the off-season and made bold moves to address TAKEAWAYS them. The Canucks stood pat for the most part and it looks in the early The Vancouver Canucks were better on Tuesday than they were on going this season like they are feeling the impact. Tuesday’s outcome Monday. But it still wasn’t enough to beat the Montreal Canadiens at Bell was the result of a Montreal team that got serious about getting better. Centre. After falling 6-2 and going far too quietly into the Montreal night And the Habs were able to make their moves despite having Carey 24 hours earlier, the Canucks produced a sturdier start and a solid finish Price’s $10.5M deal and Shea Weber’s $7.857M on the books for on Tuesday. But yet again, as on so many nights already this season, the seasons to come. How do they do it? No Montreal forward makes as Canucks contributed to their own demise. A brutal Brandon Sutter much as Loui Eriksson this season. turnover through the middle of the ice led to Josh Anderson’s second Bo Horvat is likely the least of the Vancouver Canucks concerns. But goal of the opening period and -- despite a decent first 10 minutes of the it’s not fair to repeatedly throw darts at the Lotto Liners without hockey game -- put the Canucks in a 2-0 hole. Then at 3-1 in the late mentioning that the captain has gone seven games without a goal and stages of the second period, JT Miller was unable to control a bouncing has just one point (his off the top of the net assist on Nils Höglander’s puck just inside the Montreal line. Jesperi Kotkaniemi gained possession goal in Winnipeg on Saturday) in his last five games. The Canucks need and sent Tyler Toffoli the other way and the former Canuck bagged his all of their top players going and right now Horvat has hit a cold patch. It second of the night and NHL-leading 9th of the season (incredibly 8 of happens, but it can’t continue much longer as the team heads for three them have come against Vancouver) beating Thatcher Demko on a straight in Toronto. He was the first player in the league to get to five backhand. The mistakes weren’t as frequent as they were on Monday, goals this season, but that’s where he sits after 13 games. He scored but the Canucks continue to have puck management issues that seem to twice in back to back games against the Habs on January 20th and 21st. blow up in their face. It’s a problem they need to fix. That feels like a long time ago now. Horvat didn’t register a point in either The Canucks are now 0-6 when surrendering the opening goal of the game in Montreal although he did have three shots on goal on Tuesday hockey games and that was the case in both games in Montreal. On and his line with Miller and Boeser held its own in terms of shot attempts, Monday night, the Habs opened the scoring 60 seconds into the game. shots and expected goals, although came out on the wrong end of the On Tuesday, the Canucks had nothing to show for their efforts despite ledger in scoring chances and goals scored (0-2) at even strength. registering five of the first six shots of the game. But momentum turned Horvat knows what he means to the Canucks and their success and he’ll when Alex Edler took a cross-checking penalty on Corey Perry and the surely find a way to play his way out of this stretch. The Canucks have Canucks then were assessed a too many men penalty while already scored 28 goals – and 13 of his teammates have found the back of net – short-handed. The Canucks managed to kill off the 48-second two-man since Horvat last cashed in. He’s likely overdue to bump the slump soon, advantage, but the Habs seemed to gain some life off the power plays but it’s up to him to make it happen. and Josh Anderson went to work. The big Montreal winger fended off Jalen Chatfield and poked a rebound past Demko at the 13:53 mark of the opening period. On five of the six occasions when falling behind 1-0, TSN.CA LOADED: 02.03.2021 the Canucks have also gone down 2-0. At that point they are chasing the game. They won’t always be able to opening the scoring, but they have to ensure that games aren’t over just because they go down 1-0. The Canucks need to find a way to claw their way back into games. In both games in Montreal, they scored to make it 2-1, but could not get that next goal they needed. On Tuesday night, the Canucks waited nearly half the hockey game to get their first power play. With the team on the board after Antoine Roussel’s first goal of the season and looking for the equalizer, Tanner Pearson took a hooking penalty that negated the man- advantage (see Takeaway 1 re: self-inflicted wounds). Instead of a chance to tie the game, the Canucks gave their first power play chance of the night away after just 42 seconds. As a response to Monday’s disappointing show from his top players, Travis Green split the Lotto Line to start Tuesday’s game. He moved Bo Horvat between JT Miller and Brock Boeser and dropped Elias Pettersson to skate with Tanner Pearson and Nils Höglander. While the effort was better to open Tuesday’s game than at any point on Monday night, it wasn’t until the third period that the Canucks saw the kind of urgency they needed from their best players. Down 4-1 to start the third, Pettersson looked like he took out a week’s worth of frustration ripping a wrist shot past Jake Allen and under the bar for his fourth of the season and the Canucks first road power play goal of the season. Pettersson had some purpose to his game in the third period and nearly scored again in tight on the backhand on another power play moments later. Miller responded with a far more engaged effort on Tuesday after perhaps his poorest showing in Canuck colours the previous night. If you just went off the scoresheet, you’d think Miller had a monster game. He led all Canucks forwards with 23:31 of ice time including 10:52 of the third period, had four shots on seven attempts, six hits and three blocked shots. He certainly seemed invested on Tuesday and added his ninth assist of the season on Pettersson’s goal. Overall, neither of the new look top lines dominated and the Canucks failed to win. So it’s hard to call the changes an overwhelming success. But the Canucks needed to see some signs of life from their best players and it may merely be a silver lining, but at least there was some sort of response. It’s hard to imagine if there hadn’t been. The schedule will show the Habs beat the Canucks on February 2nd. But really, this game was won last fall. That’s when the Canucks made the organizational decision to shed salary and walk away from key pieces of last season’s team while the Habs went the other way. They got ultra- aggressive in the off-season acquiring Josh Anderson from Columbus for 1183002 Websites ‘Fearless' Simmonds promoted to Nylander-Tavares line After some early season success coupled with some injuries, Wayne

Simmonds has earned himself a spot on the Leafs' second line with John ‘Fearless’ Simmonds earns a look with Nylander-Tavares line Tavares and William Nylander. While not a sure thing moving forward, Simmonds' new linemates can't help but admire his toughness.

With Simmonds moving up, Mikheyev moved down to the third line. He By Mark Masters has just two assists on the season. Mark Masters "We'd like to find ways to help him generate more offence," said Keefe. "We think with the speed and power and size that he has, he can get to the inside a lot more [and] challenge defenders a lot more and if he's not TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who going to generate chances he can draw penalties or create opportunities practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday. The Leafs host for others." the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Mikheyev has drawn three penalties this season, which is tied for second The Wayne Train is rolling up the Leafs lineup. on the Leafs with Morgan Rielly, one behind Kerfoot. Wayne Simmonds started the season on the fourth line before moving to Keefe also revealed the team is working with Mikheyev on some the third line after an injury to Joe Thornton. At Tuesday's practice, he defensive details. skated on the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. "But, at the same time, we look at his game and he brings a lot to our "On the road trip, he was a real standout for us," said head coach team," said Keefe. "He's been an effective player for us and all the areas Sheldon Keefe. "He's got lots of jump. He looks quick and he's on the that we look at where he can improve that's just a bonus." puck. He's competitive. He's around the net. He found a way to score in Toronto boasts some explosive, high-end talent, but is only outscoring three straight games for us, which has given him a little extra confidence the opposition 17-16 in five-on-five play. and a little extra boost." "We'd like to be more consistent offensively and try and generate some Simmonds, for his part, downplayed the Alberta goal spree during a more chances," Tavares acknowledged. "Coming off this road trip, I think Zoom session following Thursday's win in Edmonton. we know there were stretches of hockey where we defended more than "The way I've been able to skate and make contact and get in our we liked to." forechecks, that's the way I gauge my game," the 32-year-old said. "The The Leafs are controlling 50.8 per cent of shot attempts this season, goals are kind of extra and they come along with it." which is 15th in the NHL entering Tuesday's games. Toronto finished last Two of the goals Simmonds scored came on the power play where he season at 52 per cent, which ranked sixth overall. serves as the net-front presence. He has repeatedly told Mitch Marner, "There's a distinct drop in the first five games we played and the last who operates on the flank, to feel free to shoot the puck at his chest to five," Keefe said. "That's a big area of focus." create rebound opportunities. During the recent four-game trip, the Leafs controlled only 42.9 per cent "He's fearless," noted Nylander with a smile. "He works really hard. He's of the shot attempts, which ranked dead last in the league in that stretch. got a lot of energy all the time, which is fun ... He's a heavy body in front of the net and wins pucks back and is a great net-front guy. We had "Some of that is just the teams we played against," Keefe said. some nice chemistry in practice today." "Edmonton and Calgary [are] both teams that are very good with the puck and very good on the rush. We played with the lead for the better The Tavares line has struggled to generate goals in five-on-five play. part of most of those games and I don't think we managed that very well." Nylander has three even-strength goals, but one came on opening night and one came just as a power-play expired on Thursday. Tavares, The Leafs are averaging 29.9 shots per game (18th overall entering meanwhile, has yet to bulge the twine at even strength. Jimmy Vesey Tuesday's games), which is down from 32.9 last season (sixth overall). started the season with that line before giving way to Ilya Mikheyev during the last three games of the road swing. "Teams are just playing a little tighter against us and getting pucks out so we're not able to get the second chances and we're stuck on the walls," Now, Simmonds is getting a look. What can he bring? said Nylander. "That's part of our issue and we're working on it. We know that we're capable of playing a heavy, offensive-zone game so I think we "Just helping to break opponents down and get some pucks more to the know what we can do in there and we just need a little more practice." middle of the ice, get them off the walls and doing a good job of maintaining possession," said Tavares, "and having the ability and touch The team is prioritizing defence this season, which has led to some around the net to make plays." growing pains as they seek the right balance within Keefe's system. Simmonds had been slotting in beside Alex Kerfoot before Tuesday's "We want to be a better defensive team, more consistent, and at times shuffle. when you do that you're also not going to get some chances to go your way when the game is more open," Tavares said. "Certainly, we know "He's an easy guy to play with," Kerfoot said last week. "You know what the depth and the skill-sets that we have on our team so there's a lot of you're getting from him every night. He's easy to read off or on the ice." trust and belief in what we're doing." "He knows how he's got to make his presence felt," said Tavares, "and 'We're stuck on the wall': Nylander, Leafs look to generate more offence what makes him a consistent player on a nightly basis. It's great the energy and passion he brings." Why has Toronto struggled to generate even-strength offence? When asked, Leafs players believe it is a combination of playing a smarter After a few injury-plagued years, Simmonds benefited from a long off- defensively, combined with teams focusing on taking time and space season in which he could focus on building up his body instead of away from their skilled players. rehabbing it. As a result, he feels like he's skating and moving much better. The defence can certainly do its part to help spark the attack. Simmonds, who's in his 13th NHL season, was among a handful of "Just being cleaner on the break outs," said TJ Brodie when asked where veterans to take part in an optional practice on Monday. improvements can be made. "That will give us a chance to get through the neutral zone with the puck and get some zone time." "He was one of our players who had the option and he wanted to come in and get some extra work," Keefe said. "He's learned to really value the Keefe is making the most of this four-day break between games. The development sessions that we have around here whether it was the ones players started practice with a 30-minute development session on in the off-season or during the season ... It's all positives surrounding Tuesday with the forwards, defencemen and goalie Frederik Andersen all Wayne so we wanted to give him a look with John and Will today." on different pads working on different skills. Keefe stressed that the lines for Thursday's game against the Vancouver When the group eventually came together, they went through 60 minutes Canucks are still to be determined. The coach wants to see how worth of work featuring battle drills and plenty of time at the white board. Vancouver looks against Montreal on Tuesday night before making any final decisions. But Simmonds certainly made the most of his audition. The Amazon Prime documentary crew was all over it with a camera and boom mic eavesdropping on Keefe's instructions. "Wayne looked great in practice today," Keefe sad. "Again, lots of energy, lots of jump." "I guess you sort of get used to it," said the soft-spoken Brodie, who joined the Leafs this season after a decade with the Flames. "They're always there. It's almost second nature now. You're just used to it. It's a little bit different coming from Calgary. There's not as many cameras there so it took a while to get used to it." Kerfoot skated before practice, but didn't take part in the main session. "He's day-to-day at this point," Keefe said. "His situation [is] pretty similar to what Auston [Matthews] had previously, but in this case we have a little bit more time off." Matthews missed one practice and one game with a hand injury earlier this season. Travis Dermott replaced Mikko Lehtonen on the third defence pairing at practice. Keefe is still not comfortable with Lehtonen, a 27-year-old KHL import, at even strength. "We're in a very competitive division," the coach said. "We're in a shortened season. A lot of these bugs, as we've talked to him about, would usually be sorted out through exhibition [games] and that hasn't been possible. So, it's real tough." Keefe and Lehtonen had a lengthy chat on the ice at the end of Tuesday's workout. "He's got to find ways to adjust through practice," Keefe said. "We think a lot of things that happen on our side of the ice, our half of the ice, with Mikko need to get better both with and without the puck. He's got to continue to get reps at that. That's been a focus for him in our development sessions both yesterday and today and in our meetings with him and he's got to find ways to adapt." Lehtonen is only averaging nine minutes and 22 seconds of ice time in four games this season. Keefe pointed out that all of Toronto's games have been tight and they also haven't had any injuries on defence. Nic Petan joined the main group for the first time this season and skated on the fourth line with Travis Boyd and Jason Spezza. "I just felt, in talking to [general manager] Kyle [Dubas] as we were going through everybody, that Nic belonged in that group and has some things that he can offer us," Keefe explained. "So, brought him in here and gave him a chance at practice on a regular line and he'll be in that mix with our fourth line going ahead here ... we definitely feel like he belongs in that group and should get an opportunity." The fourth line has been a bit of a revolving door of late with Boyd, Joey Anderson, Adam Brooks and Alexander Barabanov all getting looks. Petan played 16 games with the Leafs last season, with the last one on Dec. 12, 2019. "It's definitely an abnormal process," the 25-year-old said of staying ready for the next chance with no American Hockey League season happening yet. "You just try and focus 24 hours at a time. Wake up, go to the rink, get home and it's kind of repetitive, at times it's tough, at times you just have to find a way to have fun with it." Leafs Ice Chips: Kerfoot misses practice; Petan on fourth line The Leafs' practiced Tuesday without Alex Kerfoot. Due to his absence, head coach Sheldon Keefe juggled the lines, including moving Nic Petan onto the fourth unit with Jason Spezza and Travis Boyd. TSN's Mark masters has more.

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USA TODAY / Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara's new hockey sticks mistakenly delivered to man in New Jersey

Steve Gardner USA TODAY

In this time of extreme social distancing and increased online shopping, it's not uncommon to have a package delivered to an incorrect address. But a New Jersey man got quite a surprise this week when an unexpected box from China arrived at his house. Ariel Ben-Abraham was stunned Monday to find the box contained a shipment of hockey sticks that were custom-made for Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara. How they ended up being delivered to his home remains a mystery. "This has to take the cake as the strangest thing I've gotten by mistake," said Ben-Abraham, who runs his own clothing company, in an interview with ESPN. "Future Hall of Famer's sticks, for the tallest player in NHL history? That's crazy. Those odds don't even make sense." Ben-Abraham told The Athletic that the package contained 17-20 sticks. Chara is 6-foot-9 and uses a 67-inch shafted stick. After Ben-Abraham posted photos of the shipment on social media, he was contacted by a representative from True Hockey, the company that thought it had sent the sticks to Chara. As it turns out, the sticks are a new model called Project X that aren't even available to the general public yet. True Hockey had one batch delivered to Chara on Jan. 25, but this second shipment didn't arrive as successfully. Ben-Abraham told ESPN he posted photos of Chara's sticks online because of his own frustrations with delivery companies and because he wanted to connect with Chara and the Capitals directly. It worked. True Hockey is arranging for the equipment to be picked up and delivered to its intended destination, possibly in time for the Capitals' next game on Thursday in New York against the Rangers. USA TODAY LOADED: 02.03.2021