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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 1/29/2021 Blackhawks 1200646 Bounces don’t go Ducks’ way as Coyotes cash in late 1200678 Blackhawks sign Madison Bowey to two-year contract, power play to win providing defensive depth and expansion-draft insurance 1200647 Ducks prospect Jamie Drysdale adjusting to hockey life in 1200679 , ex-Blackhawks enforcer-turned-CEO, the minors hopes to heal fellow TBI survivors with psilocybin mushroo 1200648 How Hampus Lindholm achieved his as the Ducks’ 1200680 Bowman downplays rumors, says everything remains undisputed No. 1 defenseman status quo with Toews 1200681 Blackhawks sign defenseman Madison Bowey to 2-year Coyotes deal 1200649 Christian Dvorak's two goals, defensive effort lead 1200682 Hagel, Lankinen stand out in Blackhawks' shootout loss Coyotes past Ducks 1200683 What Madison Bowey signing means for Blackhawks 1200650 Tocchet looking for Coyotes to be in better scoring position after consecutive losses 1200651 Arizona to rebrand as Arizona 1200684 Nazem Kadri leads Avalanche to two-game sweep of Bruins 1200685 Avalanche rookie Bo Byram, 19, tied his father in NHL 1200652 In rematch, Bruins don’t need overtime to beat Penguins games played 1200653 Bruins shuffle lines with Jake DeBrusk sidelined 1200686 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, 1200654 pull out of NWHL tournament in ’s center depth Lake Placid after ‘several’ positive COVID-19 tests 1200687 Nazem Kadri leads Avalanche to 3-0 shutout and two- 1200655 Jaroslav Halak will be in net as Bruins face Penguins game sweep of San Jose Sharks again 1200688 Source: Avs assistant GM Chris MacFarland being 1200656 Bruins rub out Penguins again considered for Penguins job 1200657 Bruins rally around injured Bishop Feehan hockey player 1200689 Avalanche lines for tonight 1200658 Patrice Bergeron scores twice as B's dominate Penguins, 4-1 1200659 ‘Tough Start’ Continues With Another Grzelcyk Injury For 1200690 Texier's goal, Roslovic's debut, Merzlikins' winning Bruins gamble, and the power play awakens 1200660 Talking Points: Selke Third Line Sets Table For Bergeron, 1200691 Texier's 'ridiculous' shootout goal gives Blue Jackets 3-2 victory 1200661 Game 7 Live Blog: Boston Bruins Vs. Penguins 1200692 Texier’s highlight-reel goal in shootout gives Blue Jackets 1200662 Rask Gets “Full Day Off” For Boston Bruins, Vladar Backs 3-2 win over Panthers Up Halak 1200693 Blue Jackets savor shootout victory in Jack Roslovic’s 1200663 Game 7: Boston Bruins Vs. Penguins Lines, Preview Columbus debut 1200664 Fourth line sizzles after meeting: 10 takeaways as Bruins end perfect homestand Stars 1200665 One Z enters, one Z leaves: How Jakub Zboril is 1200694 Stars notebook: Ty Dellandrea scores first NHL goal; succeeding a legend on defense Tanner Kero gets back on the board 1200695 ‘A dream come true’: Jake Oettinger’s first NHL start in Stars’ win over Red Wings is only the beginning 1200666 Mike Harrington: After an OT stinker, Sabres have to keep 1200696 Stars forwards , Blake Comeau to miss bouncing back Thursday’s game against 1200667 Wraparound: Linus Ullmark stops 36 shots in Sabres' 1200697 Stars Jake Oettinger to make first NHL start overtime loss to Rangers Thursday vs. Red Wings 1200668 Back in Whitehorse, hometown fans go 'bananas' for 1200698 Why ’ coaching style will continue to be Sabres' Dylan Cozens integral to Stars’ success 1200669 Sabres game day: Dylan Cozens, Eric Staal using communication to develop chemistry 1200670 Linus Ullmark gives Sabres everything he can, which is 1200699 Detroit Red Wings lose Jonathan Bernier to injury, game good for a to , 7-3 1200700 For Detroit Red Wings players under COVID protocol, return back may not be all smooth 1200671 Flames 'lacked emotion' in loss to Habs 1200701 Jimmy Howard retires after 11-plus seasons with Detroit 1200672 Exciting day at Saddledome as Heat relocate, Hitmen set Red Wings return date 1200702 Joe Kocur: How Bob Probert fought for me, literally, to 1200673 Flames goalie Rittich tabbed for first start of season return to Detroit Red Wings against Canadiens 1200703 'A real step back': Red Wings go winless on road, lose 7-3 1200674 Game Night: Calgary Flames at Canadiens to Stars 1200675 Flames’ mixed-bag start: Bottom six woes, solid defence, 1200704 Former Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, 'a big-time Johnny Gaudreau watch winner', announces retirement 1200705 Red Wings’ balancing act: More offense without sacrificing defense 1200676 Hurricanes’ Svechnikov Poised For Big Raise in 2021-22 1200706 Detroit’s experiences are relatively cheap 1200677 Welcome to the NHL, Steven Lorentz: ‘You root for guys compared to other U.S. cities like that’ 1200707 Auston Matthews' power-play goal for Maple Leafs sinks 1200744 Lessons continue as Nashville Predators hit the road Oilers again 1200708 OILERS SNAPSHOTS: Sitting out of lineup was tough, but 1200745 Nashville Predators fans are mad, but there’s a ‘different Caleb Jones hopes he's better for it vibe’ this season 1200709 JONES: Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa bumped up to Grade A rating Devils 1200710 Game Night: Maple Leafs at Oilers 1200746 Devils can’t capitalize off strong start in another loss to 1200711 Oilers need misfiring elements to come together — and Flyers fast 1200747 Devils’ Jesper Bratt to make season debut vs. Flyers | 1200712 Lowetide: 3 auditioning Oilers who should be given time to How big a role will he play? find their groove 1200748 What Devils’ Jesper Bratt can provide after being activated from COVID list Panthers 1200749 4 observations from Devils’ loss to Flyers | Rough night for 1200713 More late game heroics. Another shootout. But no win as special teams; Ty Smith’s growing pains; Michael Panthers fall to Blue Jackets 1200750 NJ Devils struggle again in the third period, drop second 1200714 Shootout loss in Columbus snaps Panthers’ club-record straight to Flyers win streak to start season 1200751 Jesper Bratt is back: Devils forward rejoins lineup for 1200715 Game 4: Columbus Blue Jackets 3, 2 season debut (SO) 1200752 Devils fall to Flyers again 1200716 No All-Star Weekend, but how about a Florida Panthers Mailbag? Islanders 1200753 Capitals score 5 in 2nd to erase deficit and beat Islanders Kings 1200754 Islanders blow three-goal lead in stunning loss to Capitals 1200717 Kings’ Andreas Athanasiou is placed on NHL’s COVID 1200755 Islanders blow three-goal lead, lose to Capitals protocol list 1200756 Anders Lee, Josh Bailey reach milestones with Islanders 1200718 Kings planning a new in-game entertainment experience 1200757 Islanders' slow start ramps up the urgency of each game and can’t wait to show it off 1200758 Second-period meltdown leaves Islanders pointless after 1200719 Kings lose two players to scary-looking injuries in loss to two games in Washington Wild 1200759 WASH’D AWAY! Islanders Blow Three Goal Lead in Ugly 1200720 ‘The world we’re in’: Losses — to protocol, to injury, to Loss to Capitals Wild — hit Kings 1200760 REDEMPTION ISLAND: Lineup, 1200721 FINAL – KINGS 3, WILD 5 – DOUGHTY, MCLELLAN Matchups and Game Notes vs. Caps 1200722 GAME THREAD – KINGS @ WILD, 1/28 1200761 NYHN Daily: Islanders’ Poor Decisions Lead to Loss, 1200723 ATHANASIOU ADDED TO NHL’S COVID-19 PROTOCOL Kieffer Bellows Game Breakdown & More LIST, JAD TO ACTIVE ROSTER 1200762 LOST IN TRANSLATION: Islanders Lose Playoff Mentality 1200724 1/28 PREVIEW – QUICK OFF FIRST, OPTIONAL in Second Period vs. Caps | NYHN+ SKATE, GAME 2 OFF A WIN, IAFALLO BLOCK 1200725 DESPITE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES, GAME STILL SPECIAL FOR MIKEY ANDERSON 1200763 Alexis Lafreniere’s 1st goal seals Rangers’ OT win at Buffalo 1200764 Colin Blackwell goes from taxi squad to making big plays 1200726 Marcus Johansson key to Wild's offense in win over Kings for Rangers 1200727 Wild-Los Angeles game recap 1200765 Alexis Lafreniere’s first NHL goal lifts Rangers to OT win 1200728 Kaprizov caps big 1st period, Wild beat Kings 5-3 1200766 NY Rangers takeaways: Alexis Lafrenière snaps four- 1200729 Wild winger Kevin Fiala gets game misconduct after game losing streak with first NHL goal dangerous hit 1200767 NY Rangers projected lineup: What will do 1200730 Wild rides three-goal first period to beat Kings 5-3 next? 1200731 Nico Sturm settles into regular position in Wild lineup 1200768 Previewing AHL Hartford prospects to watch with NY 1200732 Wild breaks up best line ahead of rematch vs. Kings Rangers assistant GM 1200733 Wild ride fast start to important 5-3 win over Kings 1200769 Rookie Alexis Lafreniere scores in overtime as Rangers 1200734 Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek finally gets promoted amid snap four-game losing streak hot start 1200770 David Quinn's call to go with Colin Blackwell in overtime 1200735 A wild one for the Wild: Minnesota overcomes pays off procession to beat Kings 1200771 David Quinn could be forced to make significant change to Rangers' defense 1200772 ‘This guy’s a ballsy kid’: Alexis Lafrenière scores first NHL 1200736 Canadiens top Flames 4-2 in home , remain point, game winner unbeaten in regulation this season 1200737 Stu Cowan: A weird but wonderful night as Canadiens return to 1200773 Yet another change for the Senators in the hopes of 1200738 Canadiens' power play feels at home as they beat Flames finding new energy following slow start 4-2 in Bell Centre opener 1200774 SENATORS AFTERTHOUGHTS: Strong start, but 1200739 Jeff Petry's play has been a big plus for Canadiens to start defensive zone struggles continue season 1200740 Canadiens Game Day: and Ben Chiarot stand tall for Habs 1200741 Calgary Flames at Canadiens: Five things you should know 1200742 The Canadiens have proven they are what said they are 1200743 The Canadiens, years later, finally found the perfect ECHL fit in Trois-Rivières St Louis Blues 1200775 Flyers sweep Devils with 3-1 win, led by Carter Hart’s 33 1200811 Where's the defense? Blues allowing goals at an saves, Michael Raffl’s key goal uncharacteristic pace 1200776 Veteran defenseman Nate Prosser makes impressive 1200812 Wingo gets back into the sportscasting mix Flyers debut in 3-1 win over Devils 1200813 Knights' Pietrangelo on COVID list as game with Blues is 1200777 Flyers, James van Riemsdyk look to exploit Devils’ penalty postponed kill again 1200814 Media Views: Growing acceptance of sports betting 1200778 Why are the Flyers commuting to New Jersey and what do emphasizes Rose must remain banned from the players think? | On the Fly 1200815 Blues-Vegas game postponed; Petro on Vegas COVID 1200779 Another strong third period propels Flyers to two-game list, says he had "zero contact" with any Blues sweep of Devils 1200780 Flyers' Carter Hart ready to rock in Jersey 1200781 Prosser processes career rebirth in Flyers' uniform 1200816 Lightning fall quickly to Hurricanes in overtime 1200782 Bring the kid's bed everywhere — Hart bounces back in 1200817 Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph stepping in, stepping up big way for Flyers 1200818 Lightning counting on veteran Luke Schenn for valuable 1200783 Simmonds does something he hasn't done since 2017 minutes with Flyers Maple Leafs 1200819 William Nylander gives the Leafs a two-goal lead in the 1200784 Empty Thoughts: Bruins 4, Penguins 1 first period, beating Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen fro 1200785 Penguins flat during another loss in Boston 1200820 Matthews bags winner, Leafs beat Oilers in another 1200786 Penguins recall Kevin Czuczman, Sam Lafferty from taxi one-goal game to extend win streak squad 1200821 Are the Maple Leafs an elite team? It depends on what 1200787 Penguins interim general manager Patrik Allvin has put in numbers you look at the work with organization 1200822 Maple Leafs hang on for a wild win in Edmonton, improve 1200788 Penguins move on without Jim Rutherford to 7-2 1200789 Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin sidelined 1200823 Despite solid fourth-line effort, Keefe continues with Leafs' 1200790 Tim Benz: Jim Rutherford’s ‘personal reasons’ for leaving 'Stay Ready Squad' rotation Penguins resulting in public speculation 1200824 Maple Leafs Report Cards: Staying hot with another win in 1200791 Shakeup on 2nd line helps snap Evgeni Malkin, Jason penalty-filled affair Zucker out of scoring funk 1200825 Inside Mitch Marner’s drive to become a more dangerous 1200792 With Brian Dumoulin out, shorthanded Penguins’ point shooter streak ends in Boston 1200793 'It caught us all by surprise:' Sidney Crosby, Mike Sullivan didn't see Jim Rutherford's resignation coming 1200842 The Skate: Goals goals goals! 1200794 12 names to watch during Penguins’ general manager 1200843 Canucks 4, Senators 1: Lotto Line good to be lucky search 1200844 The Armies: Canucks sweep Senators, and the Brock 1200795 Jason Mackey: What it was really like to cover Jim Boeser luck thing Rutherford 1200845 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, 1200796 Yohe’s 10 observations: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Winnipeg’s center depth Kris Letang struggle again 1200846 Elite goaltending and the Lotto line rolling: Are the 1200797 ‘Mario is stunned’: Behind the scenes of Jim Rutherford’s Canucks finally back? shocking Penguins exit 1200798 What’s Wrong With Evgeni Malkin? Postgame Gives Answers 1200826 Should Golden Knights and Blues have played Tuesday? 1200799 Penguins Turning Point: Boston Scrambles Crosby Line in 1200827 Deryk Engelland fills in for Silver Knights coaches at Bruins 4-1 Win practice 1200800 Stuffed Penguins: Bergeron, Bruins Suffocate Powerless 1200828 Golden Knights’ game postponed; Alex Pietrangelo on Pens, 4-1 COVID list 1200801 Patchwork Blue #8: Penguins Lines, Notes Betting Odds 1200829 Golden Knights game vs. Blues postponed due to vs. Bruins COVID-19 1200802 Allvin Shocked by Rutherford; Sullivan Affected, ‘It’s 1200830 Wheeler’s 2021 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 14 Hard…” Vegas Golden Knights 1200803 PENGUINSAnalyzing Five Potential Pittsburgh Penguins 1200831 COVID-19 Prompts Postponement of Thursday’s Golden GM Candidates Knights-Blues Game At T-Mobile ; VGK Defenseman Alex P San Jose Sharks 1200804 Devan Dubnyk solid, but Sharks’ offense sputters in loss to Avalanche 1200832 Capitals start slow, but a five-goal second period paves 1200805 Sharks’ home opener vs. Golden Knights in jeopardy after way past Islanders Vegas COVID issues 1200833 Inside the crazy celebration of Zdeno Chara's goal 1200806 San Jose Sharks forward, set to make NHL debut, is 1200834 Washington explodes in the 2nd, and 3 other reasons the forced to sit Caps won 1200807 Sharks run out of gas, fall to Avalanche 1200835 Caps have yet another injury to worry about 1200808 Dubnyk at his best, Sharks' offense at its worst in loss to 1200836 Caps Featured Fans: Taylor family have been diehards Avs since birth 1200809 Hedican found purpose through Kung Fu after long NHL 1200837 Alex who? Depleted Capitals keep rolling without their full career lineup 1200810 Game Preview/Lines #8: Boughner Has Pointed Words for Hertl & Kane Websites 1200847 The Athletic / What is NBC’s Peacock and why it suddenly matters for sports fans 1200848 The Athletic / NHL destinations, draft reflections, cross- check crackdown: Duhatschek mailbag 1200849 .ca / Maple Leafs' offence remains lethal, but play away from puck is improving 1200850 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers shoot themselves in foot in costly loss to Maple Leafs 1200851 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: The New Additions Edition 1200852 Sportsnet.ca / Flames' miscues, lack of emotion throw Rittich to the wolves vs. Canadiens 1200853 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks temporarily rediscover identity in sweep of lowly Senators 1200854 TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Senators 1200855 TSN.CA / Leafs’ Nylander to zero in on ending scoring drought 1200856 TSN.CA / Ward anticipates reunion with ‘really good mentor’ Julien 1200857 TSN.CA / Tkachuk showing signs of reaching full potential 1200858 TSN.CA / Canucks vs Senators Gameday Preview 1200859 USA TODAY / defensemen Matt Roy, Sean Walker leave game after scary injuries vs. Minnesota W 1200860 USA TODAY / Capitals teammates mob Zdeno Chara, 43, after he scores his first Washington goal 1200861 USA TODAY / NHL debate: Which team's hot start to 2021 season isn't a fluke? Winnipeg Jets 1200838 Jets' Perreault ignores critics, shoots for next contract 1200839 Jets Dubois will go where he's needed... Maurice explains why red-hot Ehlers doesn't get Scheifele's minutes.. 1200840 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, Winnipeg’s center depth 1200841 Limited minutes, big-time production: Nik Ehlers has emerged as the Jets’ top skater despite a secondary role SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1200646 Anaheim Ducks “I just saw them on the ground when it all happened,” Eakins said when asked for an explanation. “I think him and Garland had been having words earlier. I did see that. So, I’m sure something boiled over one way Bounces don’t go Ducks’ way as Coyotes cash in late power play to win or another. I didn’t actually see what exactly happened.”

"It's the same message. We have to stay out of the box. We cannot let teams have more power plays than we get." By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 8:50 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 11:08 p.m. The @AnaheimDucks get their first power play goal of the season, but Coach emphasizes the importance of staying out of the penalty box.#FlyTogether pic..com/FplTrJh4dV

Whatever good fortune, confidence and momentum the Ducks might — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) January 29, 2021 have generated in their first victories in consecutive games this season, they were not in evidence in any shape or form during their 3-2 loss to "We kinda ourselves in the foot there and it was definitely not a good the on Thursday night at . thing."

Christian Dvorak scored the go-ahead goal with the Coyotes on a power Jakob Silfverberg explains what exactly hurt the @AnaheimDucks in play with 4:26 remaining in the third period and the teams went on to split tonight's loss to the Coyotes. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/ZFxSH1cJKp the two-game set. It was the only Arizona goal that the Ducks didn’t — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) January 29, 2021 accidentally direct into the back of their own net. THAT’S WHAT WE LIKE TO In most regards, the Ducks had two opponents on Thursday: The Coyotes and themselves. First PP goal of the season by Danton Heinen and we have a tie ball game!!!!#FlyTogether I @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/QoEnqvm0HX The Ducks were solid in and third periods, Dvorak’s late goal notwithstanding. Their second period play was problematic for the — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) January 29, 2021 second consecutive game, though. As in their 1-0 victory on Tuesday, the Ducks were trapped in their own end of the ice for extended If you're gonna give it to him, he's gonna score #FlyTogether I stretches. @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/R1ZogBoWvZ

They managed to survive Tuesday, but not Thursday, and their two- — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) January 29, 2021 game winning streak ended. Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.29.2021 “It’s frustrating, for sure,” Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg said. “We feel like it’s maybe not them doing their best, but it’s us kind of shooting ourselves in the foot. … We got caught out there way too many times. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re out there over a minute, you’re going to have a hard time checking and playing hard in the defensive zone.”

It happened again and again. Long shifts turned into sustained pressure for the Coyotes.

“We came back a little bit in the third,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “But this league is cruel to the ones who only play 40 minutes. … For whatever reason in the second, we had some critical turnovers. We’re just fine in that offensive zone when we’re fresh.”

Conor Garland was credited with the goal that gave Arizona a 2-1 lead less than a minute into the third period after it appeared Garland’s centering pass struck the stick of Ducks defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and sailed past goaltender John Gibson.

The Ducks tied it 2-2 on Danton Heinen’s second goal in as many games in Glendale, Arizona, and get this, it was their first power-play goal in 18 chances. They were the last team in the NHL to score a man-advantage goal, going seven games without one.

Nick Schmaltz mishandled a pass from Coyotes teammate Jordan Gross in the high slot and Silfverberg made them pay by blasting the puck behind goalie Darcy Kuemper for a 1-0 lead only 3:16 into the game. Dvorak was credited with the tying goal, which bounced in off Kevin Shattenkirk’s leg.

The Ducks were fortunate to be tied with the Coyotes to start the third. They were outshot 10-1 in the second, their only shot on Kuemper’s net came via a dangerous-looking setup from Derek Grant to an unmarked in the lower portion of the left faceoff at 13:54.

Kuemper made the save.

The Ducks showed some fight in the third, literally in fact.

About a minute after Dvorak gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead, Gibson tackled Garland to the ice behind the play and they wrestled as teammates joined the fray. Gibson and Garland were eventually separated and were each penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It was out of character for Gibson, who is usually the calmest player on the ice.

Gibson has only 32 penalty minutes in 294 career games in the NHL, all with the Ducks. 1200647 Anaheim Ducks the final year of junior-level eligibility. “The next step is to play with and eventually separate yourself from the pro leagues.”

If a teenager is suffering in the AHL, it’s time to rethink his assignment. Ducks prospect Jamie Drysdale adjusting to hockey life in the minors But that’s not the case so far. The Ducks like what they’ve seen from Ordinarily, the 18-year-old defenseman would be playing with his junior Drysdale. team rather than the AHL's Gulls “It is encouraging to see Jamie fitting right in there and doing some good things,” Eakins said, having watched as Drysdale and the Gulls split two By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 12:42 p.m. | exhibitions against the San Jose Sharks’ AHL team, the Barracuda, last UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 12:42 p.m. week at Great Park Ice. “He’s not suffering at all. He’s playing well.”

Does he look out of place?

Under normal circumstances, in any normal season, Jamie Drysdale “Not one bit,” Eakins said. might have attended the Ducks’ summer camp for their top prospects Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.29.2021 after he was drafted in June.

He might have played in the rookie tournament after Labor Day and started training camp with the NHL team.

At some point, the Ducks would have sent him to his junior-level club to hone his skills.

Well, welcome to the new normal, where the NHL draft is shifted to October, prospect camps and rookie tournaments are canceled and seasons begin in January.

Drysdale, 18, has skated with the , the Ducks’ AHL team, since returning from the World Junior Championship earlier this month. He’s expected to play in his third with them Friday against the Reign at .

It remained to be determined whether he would rejoin his team, the in , when or even if their season begins. The start of the OHL has been delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic across .

“Honestly, I’m not too sure,” Drysdale said. “I’m just showing up to the rink here every day, doing what I can to get better here. Whatever happens in the future, I guess we’ll figure it out when it comes. From my end, I don’t know anything. I’m just happy to be here.”

Of course he is.

It’s warm and sunny outside Great Park Ice in Irvine, the pandemic home of the 2020-21 Gulls.

Most of the time, anyway. Was that actually frost on the lawn a few mornings ago?

“It’s been great,” Drysdale said. “Coming in, in kind of a unique situation being able to come in and practicing with pros, it’s really cool. Just getting a taste of the pro game and the pro level, it’s been a lot of fun, a lot of learning. All the guys here are great, so it’s been a good couple of weeks.

“I think just being around these guys, being around these pros, just being on the ice, thumping in the gym, being around them, you learn a lot just from being there. Playing and practicing against them, it’s definitely going to help develop my game. It’s a really fun time so far.

“They’re showing me the ropes and I really appreciate that.”

Drysdale, a defenseman, has been paired with Keegan Lowe, 27, and it’s not by accident.

The organization wants Drysdale to learn by doing, of course. But they also want him to learn by keeping his eyes and ears wide open, knowing what to eat and when to sleep. Youthful discovery is all fine and good, but if the goal is to become a standout NHL player, lessons must be learned.

Drysdale is skipping a step by remaining with the Gulls because of the pandemic, so caution must be taken. Often prospects, even those considered to be among at the most elite level like Drysdale, return to their junior teams for one final season after they have been drafted.

It didn’t take long for Drysdale to realize he wasn’t skating strictly with teenagers any longer. The grown men on the ice are bigger, stronger, faster and far more experienced, and that’s been the biggest takeaway for him after two weeks of practice and two exhibitions.

“I think that’s an important part of development, too, to really separate yourself from your peers,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said of excelling in 1200648 Anaheim Ducks Which he is in Anaheim.

“I’d be disappointing myself if I didn’t want that,” Lindholm said. “That’s what I want to strive for. You want to be that guy in every situation. You How Hampus Lindholm achieved his goal as the Ducks’ undisputed No. 1 want to be the guy with the puck. I feel out there when I have the puck on defenseman my stick, I want to try to stuff. I want to make plays. I want to play hard. When I don’t have the puck, get it back as quick as I can. It’s just really fun to be out there. By Eric Stephens Jan 28, 2021 “The more that I can be out there, the more fun I have and hopefully the more I contribute to the team hopefully winning games.”

In his first game since being recognized as the NHL’s Third Star for his Ten months without any games are not something any NHL player ever impressive work last week, John Gibson got a head start on being imagines. But it did provide those that were recovering from injuries that honored again. On Tuesday, the Ducks’ star didn’t allow any of Arizona’s kind of time to heal fully and still undergo a proper off-season training 31 shots that reached him into his net. The 1-0 victory — for which he regimen. The time off not only allowed Lindholm to be on the mend from has had nine of them in his Anaheim career — made for his second a rib fracture and back spasms suffered during a Feb. 25 game against shutout. Only the New York Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov has that many Edmonton but head back home to Sweden and skate often with his old in the season’s first two weeks. Rögle BK team.

Gibson, 27, has already surpassed the one shutout he had last season “Hampus wasn’t fooling around,” Eakins said. “This kid was training and matched the amount recorded two seasons ago in just six starts. He super hard and very efficiently and it’s rolled right into his camp. I see would have three if Anaheim didn’t let a 1-0 lead against Vegas get away him in the hallways warming up before the game. His warm-up would be with just 1:22 left in regulation. The early numbers are staggering. A just an incredible hard workout for most of us. I think that’s just leading goals-against average of 1.67 and save percentage of .948. His goals into his mindset. save above average, which measures how many a netminder saves compared to a league-average goalie facing the same of shots, “We talked about it a few days ago of not settling into your career. And is an NHL-best 8.20. Hampus is one of those guys. He wants to get better every day. Every day he comes in, he is focused on getting better. And it’s paying off with We’re going to wait for the sample size to increase before we start his play. He has been really, really good here the last few games. Just entering into Vezina (and maybe Hart?) talk. But the Ducks have a 3-1-2 excellent. It’s great when you see a young man like that having such record in his six starts despite supporting him offensively with all of 10 confidence.” goals. Now Gibson has withered after scorching opening weeks in 2018- 19 and 2019-20. This one, however, has lasted another week longer and Several of the Ducks veterans didn’t play at the level of previous seasons it’s becoming evident that “Johnny Goalie” has returned. and that was a big part of them missing the playoffs for a second straight season. Lindholm was among them. His year wasn’t up the high “He’s probably the least guy you worry about,” defenseman Hampus standards he had set earlier in his career for an Anaheim club that was a Lindholm said. “Like I said after one of the games, we just have to not regular postseason participant. rely on him as much. Of course, you want to rely on a guy because he’s playing outstanding. At the end of the day, you have to relieve some So far, Lindholm is making up for that. While some of the core vets have pressure from his shoulders too. awakened from early struggles and played better, the Swede has given the Ducks everything they’ve expected from him from the season’s initial “He’s been outstanding and it’s fun to be defending in front of him.” puck drop.

Nothing has been more obvious than the Ducks needing Gibson to return “I guess I’m a better player today than I was yesterday,” he said. “I’m a to an All-Star level in order for them to realistically grab one of the four better player than I was a year ago. I always want to improve. So, I playoff spots in the West Division. He is their best player, their most definitely feel better than I did last season. Sometimes it’s just about critical piece. But he isn’t the only one that’s essential to them and figuring out where to be and how to do it. Kind of those little things can playing at a high level. make a big difference in the end, too.

Lindholm is right there with his goalie in terms of his impact. Advanced “That’s the thing about hockey. It’s such a fun game and there’s so many metrics can help further explain how effective a player is. In the little things that comes into you making that one play. You being quick or defenseman’s case, the Swede’s underlying numbers don’t shine a you being fast. You’re shooting hard or you’re shooting at the right time. positive light. You might see his even-strength Corsi numbers in the 45 Timing. There’s so many little things to make it look effortless and good percent range instead of the 57 in the past and wonder what’s going on. out there. And I think things you learn in time when you get older. There’s Or the negative disparity between scoring chances and expected goals the little things I do in the summer too to really try to give myself that little for and against and think that his effectiveness is waning. edge. Something I try to do every day. Find that edge for tomorrow.”

This is where they don’t tell the whole story about the player. Gibson has Jakob Silfverberg has been Lindholm’s teammate throughout his eight been everything to the Ducks and the primary reason why they have seasons. Silfverberg has seen him be an important part of Anaheim’s allowed only 14 goals. But Lindholm has logged the most shifts of any defense corps from the time he earned a spot out of training camp in skater on their roster, played the most minutes and has had a central role 2013. Lindholm has gone from soaking up the knowledge that his first in a penalty kill that has allowed only two goals in 22 shorthanded defense partner, Francois Beauchemin, passed down to being the situations. He also got his first goal of the year in Friday’s overtime loss backbone of the entire corps. to Colorado and scored into an empty net from his own zone on Sunday to clinch their win over the Avalanche. “I think he’s kind of grew into it,” Silfverberg said. “Obviously, I remember the first couple of years when he was playing with Beauch. He was And there is the unmistakable fact that the 27-year-old is simply their already doing super well. I didn’t really know too much about him other best defender and leading shutdown force. than being his teammate the first couple years. But obviously was really impressed right off the start. “He has been great for us,” forward Rickard Rakell said. “He just thrives playing against other team’s best players. I think he’s a really underrated “He doesn’t always land the big hits. But he’s strong. He’s big and player in this league. He’s so tough to play against. He’s such a good obviously he’s got a really good stick that he sometimes plays a little bit skater, strong skater. Strong overall. He’s a complete player.” too hard in practice. He’s got those low blows with the cross-check in the hips and stuff. He can be a little bit dirty at times, even in practice. But When Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins talks about Lindholm these days, he he’s just well-rounded and strong in his own way. Not only physical but mentions how the defenseman wants to play 60 minutes if he could. just tough to play against.” Lindholm doesn’t get tired. He has already had a 29-minute outing against Minnesota. The only thing that’s lacking in his game is a high-end At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Lindholm has the strength to handle offensive element that he’s always wanted to explore more. He may top opposing forwards and separate them from the puck. But he has the out as a 30-point player from that side of his game. But he is being skating to recover when the play turns toward the Anaheim zone leaned on like a team’s No. 1 defenseman. and exit his own end with the puck. He did that in Tuesday’s game, taking the puck from an on-rushing Coyotes player and then neutralizing any hope of a forecheck by bringing it out on his own.

“He closes so quickly and he’s physical,” Eakins said. “You can see when he’s getting the puck, he’s actually separated himself with his feet. And it’s all of that explosiveness. He just seems to be a step ahead at the reads. It’s like he’s anticipating where the puck’s going and he’s already there to shut the plays down. He just looks so powerful on the ice right now.”

Lindholm has this season and next remaining on a six-year contract his agent, Claude Lemieux, and the Ducks worked out in October 2016 after a brief holdout. With the elevator nature that it was structured, Lindholm is to earn $3.75 million after making as much as $6.75 million two seasons ago. But his salary does return to that peak number next season.

It will be interesting to see how much he’ll make in his next contract. Or how it will be structured given that a long-term deal will take him into his mid-30s. The Ducks signed Cam Fowler to an eight-year contract worth $52 million in the 2017 offseason. They can start to entertain re-upping Lindholm officially this summer. Would he want something that averages more than Fowler’s $6.25 million? What kind of a financial commitment Anaheim would want to make?

It isn’t something Lindholm is going to entertain soon.

“That’s kind of a bridge that I’m not even close to crossing because it hasn’t even crossed my mind to be honest,” he said. “I’m going to try to do whatever I can do to be the best out there on the ice and I think those things are going to sort themselves out.”

Years ago as a 19-year-old rookie, Lindholm exuded the kind of assuredness that is usually reserved for seasoned players. “Every time I step on the ice, I want to be the best out there,” he said in 2013. “Even if I’m now a young guy and you can’t compare yourself to all the veterans out there, I still want to be the best. I try to work as hard every game to be that.”

Now in his prime, Lindholm is the critical piece of a Ducks defense that is toughening up and pushing back.

“And obviously we have Gibby back in net that’s outstanding,” he said. “If we can at least get everyone to kind of chip in a little bit, it’s going to be a fun year.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200649 Arizona Coyotes First star: Dvorak. Now has three goals and seven points this season.

'Toc' Talk

Christian Dvorak's two goals, defensive effort lead Coyotes past Ducks Tocchet likes what he sees from the Coyotes, for the most part, this season:

Inside the arena Jose M. Romero The next hockey game at Gila River Arena won't be when the Coyotes return from a long road trip next month. It is scheduled for next Monday, Early-season games typically don't hold much weight, but with a when the San Jose Sharks borrow the building to use as their home rink condensed schedule and a six-game road trip looming, plus having not for games against the Vegas Golden Knights Feb. 1 and Feb. 3. Those scored a goal in the previous two games, Thursday night's 3-2 win for the will be the first Sharks' "home" games of the season after the first eight Coyotes over the Anaheim Ducks was important. on the road.

Christian Dvorak's power play goal with 4:26 to play proved to be the Up Next game winner for the Coyotes, who got two goals from Dvorak and one The Coyotes embark on a six-game road trip that starts next Tuesday in from Conor Garland. St. Louis against the Blues. It's the first game for general manager Bill "We knew it was a big game for us. We didn’t want to lose again here at Armstrong against the organization with which he spent the previous 16 home," Dvorak said. "Whenever you go through a little (scoreless) stretch years of his career in scouting and hockey operations, leaving last like that, I think everyone probably holds their stick a little tighter. So it September to take over as Coyotes GM. The first lengthy road trip of the was nice to get an ugly one and then everyone seems to have a little bit season takes the Coyotes to St. Louis, Minnesota and Colorado. more confidence." Arizona Republic LOADED: 01.29.2021 Darcy Kuemper, making his sixth straight start in goal, didn't face a lot of shots with 14 saves, but still had big stops. He reached out for a save on a Ryan Getzlaf shot that looked headed for the net in the second period, and thwarted Kevin Shattenkirk on a shorthanded attempt during the same power play as the one on which Dvorak scored the go-ahead goal.

Getzlaf's shot was the Ducks' only one on goal in the second period, as Arizona (3-4-1) outshot Anaheim 34-16 for the game.

It took the Coyotes more than seven periods of play and about 2½ games to score a much-needed goal, but it came at 7:43 of the second. Dvorak's wraparound attempt to stuff the puck into a corner went off Shattenkirk and into the net.

The Ducks (3-3-2) cashed in on an early turnover when Jordan Gross tried to pass to Nick Schmaltz from behind his own net. Schmaltz couldn't control the puck, and Jakob Silfverberg had a good look from the slot with a slap shot that got past Kuemper on his glove side.

Gross survived a turnover early in the game on Tuesday when Kuemper stopped a breakaway, but this time the Ducks made Arizona pay for the error.

The Coyotes were close to breaking their scoring slump on a couple occasions in the first period, once when Clayton Keller hit a goal post at the end of a late power play.

Garland scored after some nifty stick handling and twisting with the puck in his possession, his shot from the wing 52 seconds into the third period going off a Ducks player to make it 2-1. After Danton Heinen tied the game, the Coyotes converted on a late power play with quick passing.

Schmaltz sent in the puck to Phil Kessel, who passed out to Dvorak for shot with one knee down on the ice. The Coyotes' power play was 0-for-9 over three games until that goal.

Garland drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with 3:34 to play in the game after he was tackled out of nowhere by Ducks goalie John Gibson. The two appeared to exchange some words before the incident.

"I don't know what was said," Coyotes Rick Tocchet said. "I still don't understand why 'Gars' got the penalty. It doesn't matter. They're good refs. I don't know what happened, but at that point it doesn't matter, we were trying to win the game."

Goal of the game

Dvorak's second of the season could hardly have come at a better time, with the Coyotes not having scored since the third period on Jan. 22. It wasn't pretty, but it was a spark the Coyotes needed.

Three Stars

Third star: Heinen, who scored for the second time in as many games for the Ducks.

Second star: Garland, who is tied for the team lead with seven points on the season despite being constantly roughed up by opponents. 1200650 Arizona Coyotes

Tocchet looking for Coyotes to be in better scoring position after consecutive losses

Jose M. Romero

Jan 26, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet watches the action against the Anaheim Ducks in the second period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

The key to getting the Arizona Coyotes out of a two-game goal-less mini- slump might be something Coyotes coaches have preached to the players often in the past — getting more guys in front of the net.

"There's got to be a second sit guy (for) some of those tipped plays," head coach Rick Tocchet said. "You have to be consistent on those kind of concepts."

The Coyotes' pre-practice video session Wednesday examined players getting to the net, but not stopping in front of it on a shot. Vacating the area, and thus losing out on a chance to get a rebound, kept the Coyotes from a couple of quality chances at close range.

With the Anaheim Ducks packing in their defense and goaltender John Gibson on his game Tuesday, the Coyotes still managed 31 shots but couldn't get one into the net. Chances were fewer and farther between in the 1-0 loss to Vegas this past Sunday, but the game was less than a minute away from overtime and a wide open 3-on-3 situation where a goal could have come.

"You've got to be careful. I don't want to panic," Tocchet said. "But there are some things that we can change, and that is some of our guys to put themselves in good areas to get rebounds and those second-effort goals. When the games are tight, second-effort goals are huge."

A pair of 1-0 scores, though on the losing end, indicates the Coyotes are getting solid goaltending and a strong defensive effort, which Tocchet noted Wednesday after practice.

"We've really protected the interior," Tocchet said, adding that odd-man rushes for opponents are also down from the first few games of the season.

Every team is in the same situation as far as a condensed schedule, but the reality for the Coyotes is that they have played every other day since the season opened on Jan. 14. That could be a factor, but some rest will come after Thursday's game.

Following one more against Anaheim at home, the Coyotes don't play until next Tuesday, when they start a six-game road trip in St. Louis.

"I'm conscious about their rest and energy," Tocchet said. "Our team has to play with energy. We can't outscore teams all the time, we've got to have energy against other teams and play smart."

Coyotes Gameday

Anaheim Ducks at Coyotes, Thursday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: FOX Sports Arizona, Fox Sports 910 AM

Update: Though early in the season, it would seem imperative the Coyotes find a way to get a win Thursday, with a six-game road trip that starts next Tuesday in St. Louis and takes the team to Minnesota and Colorado, all three teams with winning records. From Tuesday night, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson blocked two shots and tied Dennis Seidenberg (1,549) for 20th on the NHL’s all-time blocked shots list. Forward Conor Garland led the team with six shots and led forwards with 21 minutes of ice time. The Coyotes might not want to see Ducks goalie John Gibson back in net Thursday after he stopped 31 shots in 1-Ducks win over Arizona. Gibson has two shutouts this season, with a 94.8 save percentage, and is allowing just 1.67 goals per game.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200651 Arizona Coyotes

FOX Sports Arizona to rebrand as

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

FOX Sports Arizona and similar regional sports television networks owned by Sinclair will rebrand as Bally Sports before the start of the season.

The groups revealed logos and their plans to make the change on Wednesday.

Bally’s and Sinclair, which operates the FOX regional networks, announced a partnership in November 2020 that created “a long-term strategic partnership that would combine Bally’s vertically-integrated, proprietary sports betting technology with Sinclair’s expansive market footprint.”

“Rolling out Bally’s iconic logo across Sinclair’s regional sports networks is a rewarding first step in a transformational partnership that is going to revolutionize the U.S. sports betting, gaming and media industries,” George Papanier, president and CEO of Bally’s Corporation, said in a press release.

“We look forward to integrating Bally’s unique content, including the award-winning daily fantasy sports platform we are acquiring from Monkey Knife Fight, across Sinclair’s live game day coverage and providing unrivaled sports gamification on a national scale.”

FOX Sports Arizona is the local TV broadcaster for the , and Arizona Coyotes.

Nineteen of FOX’s regional sports networks will be part of the rebrand:

Bally Sports Arizona

Bally Sports Detroit

Bally Sports Florida

Bally Sports Great Lakes

Bally Sports City

Bally Sports

Bally Sports Midwest

Bally Sports

Bally Sports North

Bally Sports

Bally Sports

Bally Sports San Diego

Bally Sports SoCal

Bally Sports South

Bally Sports Southeast

Bally Sports Southwest

Bally Sports Sun

Bally Sports West

Bally Sports

Arizona Sports LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200652 Boston Bruins but it was good, we made some good play, and in weird ways you get paid off for that.”

Bjork’s most impressive work came earlier in the shift when he carried In rematch, Bruins don’t need overtime to beat Penguins the puck behind the net, kept it on his stick, and wheeled all the way back toward the blue line. Rarely has he shown such confidence and bold puck control. By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff,Updated January 28, 2021, 9:24 p.m. The Bruins killed off yet another power play in the first, and two more later in the night. They entered the night with the No. 1-ranked PK in the league and now have burned off 27 of 29 advantages (93.1 percent) over Patrice Bergeron is fired up after scoring the first of his two goals on the first seven games. Thursday night. Bergeron scored the lone goal in the second, sliding in a backhander at In the sprint that is the NHL’s shortened 56-game season, the Bruins 8:13. Grzelcyk again made the key feed, dishing in from near the left Thursday night continued to barrel down the track, racing to a 4-1 win wall, and Bergeron popped in the 3-1 lead. He added the 4-1 jawbreaker over the hangdog Penguins to complete a sweep of their four-game in the third. homestand at the Garden. The home sweep included two wins over the Flyers and the two over the Patrice Bergeron scored twice, Nos. 4 and 5 in only seven games, and Penguins. The Bruins outscored their opponents, 10-2, in the second Jaroslav Halak swatted back only 16 shots — many of the Mike’s Pastry games of the matchups, looking more comfortable in the second looks. cupcake variety — as the Bruins improved to 5-1-1 (.786) only two weeks into the season. “You definitely do get a little more comfortable with [an opponent],” noted Marchand. “There’s a bit of a learning curve. Every team has new Anders Bjork, repositioned of late as a fourth-line left winger, stood out players, different looks. Every line is different, new young guys you have for his speed and confidence with the puck, finishing one bold shift with a to get used to … and it allows you to get a little more comfortable in the fluttering shot that Sean Kuraly tipped home for the 2-0 lead. second game.” Earlier in the first, Chris Wagner scored the opening goal, his first strike Boston Globe LOADED: 01.29.2021 of the season, and for the most part the Bruins controlled play from start to finish. Cody Ceci connected for the lone Penguins strike, good for a 1- 1 tie, and Kuraly snapped it less than four minutes later with what proved to be the game-winner.

The downside: Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who turned in two fine periods (plus-3) after missing the last two games because of injury, was hurt again and did not play in the third. It’s a new injury, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, who made it sound like the ex-Boston University back liner could miss some time.

“A different injury, lower body, so a tough start for Gryz,” noted Cassidy, whose lineup also was sans top-line right winger Jake DeBrusk. “So I don’t think he’ll be available for Saturday. We’re going to put him as day- to-day for now, but it looks like it could be a few days anyway. We’ll have a better idea when it calms down a bit, but that’s the initial prognosis for him.”

Saturday’s matchup is in Washington, where the Burins will face their former , Zdeno Chara, who signed with the Capitals on the eve of the new season.

Big Z, who had been captain in Boston since 2006, Thursday night picked up his first goal for his new club, and was mobbed by adoring teammates at the Capitals’ bench. Emotions should be pegged on both sides on Saturday.

“He’s not going to have any friends out there,” noted veteran winger Brad Marchand. “He’s the kind of guy, when you’re out there, you’re an opponent. He’s there to play the game, compete, and battle.”

Wagner’s goal was unassisted, compliments of a bad cough-up by journeyman defenseman Kevin Czuczman in front of his own net. Grzelcyk shoveled in from the left wall, and Czuczman, under no pressure, flipped the puck directly into the slot for the oncoming Wagner. Grzelcyk should have had an assist, even with the blatant Czuczman boo-boo.

Ceci, the 15th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, is not an offensive defenseman. But he was at 15:03 when he spotted a lane down the middle, sprinted into it, and fired a short-range wrister that went under Halak’s blocker. Tied, 1-1. Halak faced only a dozen shots the rest of the way.

Bjork, slow to make an impact this season, looked like a revived player throughout the night. He did most of the work on Kuraly’s goal, sending in a soft shovel from high in the left circle, which kicked off Teddy Blueger’s backside on the way to the net. Kuraly, parked in front, made the tip. The goal initially was credited to Bjork, but Kuraly got the last knock.

Sean Kuraly celebrates his first-period goal against the Penguins on Thursday.

“I wasn’t sure, it was an ugly one,” said Bjork, asked if he initially thought he scored it. “I didn’t even know if I wanted to take credit for that one … 1200653 Boston Bruins Cassidy said DeBrusk underwent an MRI on Wednesday that showed “no real structural damage.” The fourth-year winger had treatment at the practice facility and Cassidy said a return date will be determined once Bruins shuffle lines with Jake DeBrusk sidelined DeBrusk, 24, is able to resume skating. It’s uncertain if he’ll travel for the upcoming four-game swing through Washington and Philadelphia.

With DeBrusk hors de combat, Par Lindholm suited up for his first game By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff,Updated January 28, 2021, 6:39 p.m. of the season — a move, Cassidy hinted after the morning skate, that could necessitate Ondrej Kase or John Moore going on long-term injured

reserve. As of midafternoon, capfriendly.com showed that Kase (a $2.6 Craig Smith scored in overtime Tuesday night against the Penguins, his million cap hit) was on LTIR. It is believed Kase suffered a concussion in second goal since signing with the Bruins in the offseason. the second game of the season.

Two weeks into the new season, right wing on the Bruins’ top line Lindholm centered the third line, normally Coyle’s spot, between Frederic continues to be a hazardous work zone. and Jack Studnicka. Coyle moved to right wing on a line with Krejci and Nick Ritchie. With No. 1 right wing David Pastrnak still building back from offseason hip surgery, the Bruins on Thursday night moved his replacement, Jake The fourth line was the only one that remained status quo: Anders Bjork- DeBrusk, to the sidelines because of an injury and promoted Craig Smith Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner. into the coveted spot alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. “This is a fix that will help us for tonight,” Cassidy said following the The so-called Perfection Line this season has been perfectly imperfect. morning workout in Brighton. “We’ll see who’s available to us on Saturday, see how DeBrusk is doing, see how Pastrnak is doing.” “It’s going to be fun; they’re great players,” said Smith, as he prepared to suit up in a Garden rematch against the Penguins, which was won by the Penguins looking for GM Bruins, 4-1. “I’ve been taking it all in at practice and stuff . . . they play The Penguins front office was rocked on Wednesday by the abrupt with a lot of tempo. I’m going to try to get in there, do my best, and have resignation of general manager Jim Rutherford. They are expected to some fun, use my legs and try to create that way.” hire a new GM and among the rumored candidates are ex-Bruins boss By early in the second period, coach Bruce Cassidy shifted assignments Peter Chiarelli, named GM in Boston in 2006 and dismissed early in for Smith and Charlie Coyle. He swapped them one for one, with Coyle 2015, with Sweeney soon named as his successor. Chiarelli, now 56, joining Bergeron’s line and Smith riding on the David Krejci trio. hooked on immediately as the Oilers’ GM but was dismissed in Edmonton in January 2019. Patrik Allvin, a longtime scout elevated to “I think Bergy and Marsh are a little more straight-line [in approach],” assistant GM in November, was named the Penguins’ interim GM … The explained Cassidy, noting that Smith is more inclined to “slash,” or Bruins had Jaroslav Halak (2-0-1, 16 saves) in net. He was originally freelance, off his wing. “Charlie gives that line another center down low scheduled for the start, and No. 1 Tuukka Rask slated to go Saturday in … and I like the shift they had. And Smitth got a couple of chances with Washington against the Capitals. Rask was dinged up in Tuesday’s win the Krejci line.” and needed a day off on Wednesday. Cassidy gave Rask the full day to recover, suiting up Dan Vladar as Halak’s backup in the rematch. “Let’s It was a swap, Cassidy explained, that he considered as a likely option keep him out, rather than have any worries about putting him if anything even before the opening faceoff. should happen to Jaro,” said Cassidy. The plan remains for Rask to play “We juggled our lines a little bit” he said. “We got away from the Coyle- Saturday night … Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin Smith-Trent Frederic line [because of mounting injuries], so we just were lackluster at best. Crosby, minus-2 for the second straight game, decided we would play a little more of a matchup game and see where it lost 12 of his 17 faceoffs, most of those against Bergeron (13 for 18). lands us on Saturday.” Malkin rarely made himself seen, though he fared better on draws (5 for 8) … Matt Grzelcyk and partner Brandon Carlo each logged impressive Smith again led the Bruins with shots on net with four. Coyle picked up plus-3s … Charlie McAvoy, who had three assists in the first game, an assist and landed one shot on net. added another helper, collecting the secondary assist on Bergeron’s 4-1 goal … If Grzelcyk must sit again on Saturday, Connor Clifton likely will Craig Smith looks to pass earlier in the week against the Penguins. partner with Carlo … The Bruins were 1 for 2 on the power play, Smith, skating with Krejci in Tuesday’s three-on-three overtime, potted improving to 8 for 22 (36.4 percent). the 3-2 winner off Krejci’s short feed down low. It was Smith’s game-high Boston Globe LOADED: 01.29.2021 10th shot attempt of the night, his seventh on net, and he cashed it in for his second goal since signing in the offseason as a free agent out of Nashville.

The Bruins plucked Smith off the free agent heap for $9.3 million over three seasons. They wanted a shooter. They got a shooter.

“You can’t score if you don’t shoot,” noted Smith, 31, who played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin prior to turning pro. “I try to pick my spots. If I get time and space, I’m going to rip it.”

Smith the last five seasons in Nashville rang up 972 shots on net, third on the club behind Roman Josi (1,202) and Filip Forsberg (1,075). Over the same stretch, the Bruins had three forwards with 1,000-plus shots: Bergeron (1,216), Pastrnak (1,130), and Marchand (1,074). Krejci (642) was next. When general manager Don Sweeney went shopping in the open market, finding firepower for the middle-six forward group was the priority.

“I feel I’ve got a decent enough shot that I can be dangerous from different areas,” said Smith, who scored 162 goals in his nine seasons with Nashville. “If you’re ready to shoot from anywhere, you’re going to get a good chance to get it off.”

DeBrusk has MRI

DeBrusk, who suffered a lower-body injury in the first period Tuesday night, logged only 3:30 of ice time against the Penguins and only picked up one assist in his five other games this season. 1200654 Boston Bruins which partnered with the league for this season. The one confirmed positive was a rapid test, which are known to be less reliable than PCR tests.

Metropolitan Riveters pull out of NWHL tournament in Lake Placid after All NWHL personnel traveling here were asked to exercise caution for ‘several’ positive COVID-19 tests two weeks leading up to the bubble. Most of the players have day jobs, making a strict quarantine difficult to enforce.

By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated January 28, 2021, 2:49 p.m. A spokesperson for New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) had no comment on the NWHL’s coronavirus situation.

ORDA has jurisdiction over Arena, which the NWHL is using LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The NWHL made it about a week into its for games and practices during its two-week run. It does not monitor abbreviated regular season before COVID-19 had an impact. player behavior.

Whether it will spoil the proceedings remains unclear. A Riveters jersey sits at the player and staff entrance. A rink staffer was asking players to sign it before they left. pic.twitter.com/f5uHljztkc Play was halted Thursday after the Metropolitan Riveters, one of six teams chasing the , withdrew from the season. In a statement, — Matt Porter (@mattyports) January 28, 2021 the league said the team returned “several” positive COVID-19 tests. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.29.2021 Additionally, multiple sources told the Globe that at least one positive test by a member of the Connecticut Whale organization prompted an unscheduled round of testing Friday morning.

The league said it hoped to resume play Saturday.

“I think everyone’s a little nervous, but it is what it is,” said coach Paul Mara, whose team played Connecticut on Wednesday.

“Everyone knew the risks,” he added. “We’re confident in the way our team has handled things [regarding safety protocol], both on and off the ice.”

In response to a Globe inquiry about the positive Connecticut test or tests, spokesman Chris Botta said the league had “nothing to report at this time” and had “every intention to return to action on Saturday.”

Until then, it’s game off. Both of Thursday’s games were postponed out of an “abundance of caution,” the league said.

The Riveters were scheduled to play the . Connecticut was to play the .

The fifth-place Pride (1-3-0), who have been tested twice since arriving here last Friday, were supposed to practice on Friday and play the Riveters on Saturday. The latter was in third place (2-1-0) entering the final two games of the five-game regular season. COVID-19-pending, a round-robin tournament next week will decide playoff seeding.

“It’s still a little for me to comment,” said Riveters forward Rebecca Morse, who was loading her hockey bag and sticks into a car outside after 1 p.m. on Thursday. Morse said she was heading home to New Jersey.

“We’re not the only ones” who are disappointed by the news, she said, referring to fans of the team and league.

Teams arrived here in buses last Thursday and Friday. The league said the Riveters and health officials “collaborated to bring every member of the team home” in a safe manner.

The situation began brewing on Wednesday, when the NWHL removed the Riveters from a scheduled game against Buffalo and replaced them with the . The league said that change was “made in line with the NWHL’s medical protocols, prioritizing the health and safety of all participants during this season in Lake Placid.”

On Tuesday, Riveters coach Ivo Mocek and at least one player were removed from the bench for the third period of a loss to Minnesota. It is possible that was related to testing results.

In a statement released by the league Thursday, Mocek said the team was “heartbroken to not have the chance to compete for the Isobel Cup,” but was “aligned” with the NWHL in prioritizing the health of all involved.

The NWHL is not conducting a sealed bubble in Lake Placid, an village of about 2,500. Rather, it is a protected environment.

Teams are staying in hotels within walking distance of the rink. Personnel have food and necessities provided to them. Everyone has been asked to wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and to be at the rink or the hotel at all times.

The NWHL has an on-site doctor or nurse perform nasal swab (rapid) tests. Additional PCR (saliva) tests are sent to Yale Pathology Labs, 1200655 Boston Bruins in 70 games last season. Torey Krug, now in St. Louis, led the pack with nine strikes.

Boston Globe LOADED: 01.29.2021 Jaroslav Halak will be in net as Bruins face Penguins again

By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff, Updated January 28, 2021, 11:02 a.m.

The Penguins, their front office rocked Wednesday by the abrupt resignation of general manager Jim Rutherford, return to TD Garden Thursday night for a rematch with the Bruins after suffering a 3-2 overtime defeat Tuesday on Causeway Street.

The Bruins will have Jaro Halak (1-0-1) making his third start in net. He was scheduled for this start, and No. 1 Tuukka Rask slated to go Saturday in Washington vs. the Capitals. Rask was dinged up in the Tuesday win, so coach Bruce Cassidy gave him the full day to recover, suiting up Dan Vladar as Halak’s backup.

“Let’s keep him out, rather than have any worries about putting him if anything should happen to Jaro,” said Cassidy, referring to Rask’s 24- hour hall pass.

The plan remains for Rask to face the Capitals Saturday night in Washington.

▪ Jake DeBrusk, who suffered a lower-body injury in the first period Tuesday, will not be in the lineup. DeBrusk logged 3:30 Tuesday and picked up only a lone assist in his five other games this season.

Cassidy said DeBrusk underwent an MRI Wednesday that showed “no real structural damage.”

DeBrusk underwent treatment at the practice facility, and Cassidy said a return date will be determined once DeBrusk, 24, is able to resume skating. No telling if he’ll travel on the upcoming four-game swing through Washington and Philadelphia.

▪ With DeBrusk hors de combat, Par Lindholm suits up for his first game of the season — a move, hinted Cassidy, that could necessitate either Ondrej Kase or John Moore going on the long-term injury reserve list.

Newcomer Craig Smith assumes DeBrusk’s duties at right wing on the No. 1 line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.

Lindholm will pivot the No. 3 line, normally Charlie Coyle’s spot, between Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka. Coyle will move to right wing on the Nick Ritchie-David Krejci trio.

The fourth line is the only one that remains the same: Anders Bjork-Sean Kuraly-Charlie Wagner.

“This is a fix that will help us for tonight,” Cassidy said following the morning workout in Brighton. “We’ll see who’s available to us on Saturday — see how DeBrusk is doing, see how [David] Pastrnak is doing.”

▪ The red-hot Marchand entered the night 4-5—9, tied for ninth overall in league scoring. (No. 1: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Toronto’s Mitch Marner with 12 points apiece). He scored his franchise-best 28th shorthanded goal Tuesday. The NHL record for shorties belongs to, no surprise, : 73. Two former Bruins, Dave Poulin and , are tied for No. 5 with 39.

▪ Patrik Allvin, a longtime Penguins scout elevated to assistant GM in November, was named the club’s interim GM upon Rutherford bolting for the door. A number of reports quoted Rutherford as saying only that he felt it was time to leave, noting how well he had been treated during his tenure with the club. The former NHL goalie will be 72 years old next month.

The Penguins are expected to hire a new GM. Among the rumored candidates is ex-Bruins boss Peter Chiarelli, named GM here in 2006 and dismissed early in 2015, with Don Sweeney soon named as his successor. Chiarelli, 56, hooked on immediately as the Oilers GM, but was dismissed there in January 2019.

▪ Charlie McAvoy picked up three assists Tuesday night, factoring in all three Boston goals, and entered the rematch with the Penguins as the club’s top-scoring backliner (0-4—4). Brandon Carlo owns the six-pack’s lone goal through the first six games. The defensemen scored 30 times 1200656 Boston Bruins “(Assistant coach) Jay Pandolfo went through some stuff with them this morning. That always helps to see themselves in a small group, talk about what they liked and having a coach there to remind what to do Bruins rub out Penguins again systematically. They’ve done a good job with that, Jay and Joe (Sacco). Whatever was said, I thought worked well for them. … I was happy for B’s close out home set with another Garden victory them. They’re well-liked in the room and when those guys score, it always lifts the bench.”

Bergeron scored an even-strength goal midway through the second, and By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 9:24 p.m. | after burying a power-play tally early in the third (his fifth goal of the UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 11:20 p.m. season), the outcome was never in doubt.

After the game, their thoughts naturally gravitated to their next matchup The Bruins may be playing in front of an empty house on Causeway — the Washington Capitals and their former captain Zdeno Chara. Street, but they’re finding a way to make their own noise so far this “We’ll see his best,” said Cassidy. “He bled Black and Gold here for season. years and I think he’ll want to show his teammates and everyone in the The B’s got a pair of fourth-line goals and two more from Patrice organization that he can still bring it. I expect nothing less.” Bergeron for a 4-1 victory Thursday night over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Herald LOADED: 01.29.2021 sweeping the two-game set and giving the B’s their fourth Garden win in as many tries.

The B’s may have no fan energy to feed off, but that clearly hasn’t hampered them.

“We pride ourselves on sticking together and creating energy among ourselves as teammates,” said Anders Bjork, who was one of the chief adrenaline suppliers, especially in the early going. “We’ve had injuries and new guys in the lineup, young guys in bigger roles. We’re a close team and we’re sticking together and it’s paying off right now.”

The B’s gave one of their more smothering defensive performances, killing all three penalties they took on the night and limiting the Penguins to just 17 shots. Jaroslav Halak made 16 saves to nail down the victory.

But it wasn’t all smiles for the B’s. Matt Grzelcyk looked good through two periods in his first game back after missing two with a lower body injury. But he could not come out for the third period, falling victim to a different LBI. It’s the third injury in seven games for the undersized defenseman, who has been taking on more minutes and responsibility this year with the departure of Torey Krug.

“Tough start for Grizz. I don’t think he’ll be available for Saturday (vs. Washington). We’re going to put him at day-to-day for now but it looks like it will be a few days anyway,” said coach Bruce Cassidy

With David Pastrnak not yet ready to return from hip surgery (there’s hope he’ll be ready for Saturday), Ondrej Kase out of action for the foreseeable future after taking a hit to the head in the second game of the season and now Jake DeBrusk (lower body) joining the wounded, the B’s were already playing with a cobbled together lineup to start the game. Cassidy had to shuffle his top-three lines, moving Craig Smith up to the Bergeron-Brad Marchand line, Charlie Coyle to David Krejci’s right wing and creating a line of Par Lindholm centering rookies Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka. He eventually flipped Smith and Coyle in the second period and it immediately produced Bergeron’s first goal.

But it was the one line that was untouched from the previous game on Tuesday that made its mark in the first period. The fourth line, scoreless through the first six games of the season, finally got on the board at 6:10 of the first.

Brandon Carlo took a long-distance shot that Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry directed to the left boards. Grzelcyk pinched down to collect it and fired it toward the net. Defenseman Kevin Czuczman knocked it back into the slot right to Chris Wagner, who buried it past Jarry for his first of the year.

The Penguins evened it at 15:03, but the B’s regained the advantage before the period was out, and again it was the fourth line that scored. Bjork, struggling for much of the young season, had helped to draw a Pittsburgh penalty early in the period and figured greatly in the B’s second goal. He rushed the puck down the left wing but was forced wide and behind the net. He eventually ended up back near the blue line and bounced a shot that hit Sean Kuraly’s left leg and deflected past Jarry with 1:07 left in the period.

“I gave them the start tonight. I think in our building they usually give us energy. It’s either them or Bergie and they got off on the right foot. I thought Anders was real good tonight,” said Cassidy, who also gave the line the assignment of facing the Evgeni Malkin line for much of the night. 1200657 Boston Bruins down your throat. So it’s a little bit of him being a student of the game. It helps our penalty to know that. We’ve got other guys who are a little more straight forward who get it down and get it killed. I know Charlie Bruins rally around injured Bishop Feehan hockey player Coyle’s been a threat to attack when he’s on. So it’s nice to have a mix of guys who are willing to attack and make you pay the price and other guys AJ Quetta is in B’s thoughts who are just getting it done and blocking a shot, getting a line change and getting the job done.”

DeBrusk sits out By STEVE CONROY | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 3:54 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 6:09 p.m. Jake DeBrusk was not available for Thursday’s game after taking a hip check from Sidney Crosby on Tuesday that caught the B’s winger on the

left hip/thigh area. Cassidy said he underwent an MRI but had suffered The news of the terrible injury Bishop Feehan hockey player AJ Quetta “no structural damage and he’ll be day-to-day.” suffered in a game on Tuesday has hit home for the Bruins, as the club Cassidy said whether DeBrusk travels with the team to Washington on — as well as the hockey community in general and beyond — rallies Friday will be addressed in the morning by the medical staff. around the teen in his recovery. On Thursday, in DeBrusk’s absence, Craig Smith bumped up to play with In a game against Pope Francis in West Springfield, the Shamrock senior Bergeron and Marchand while Coyle moved to right wing on the line with crashed head-first into the boards, suffering what could be a catastrophic David Krejci and Nick Ritchie. Par Lindholm was moved up from the taxi injury, with paralysis a possibility. squad to center a line with Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka. Bishop Feehan school president Tim Sullivan called in to “The Greg Hill Vladar backs up Show” on WEEI on Thursday morning to report that the senior had undergone his first surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and that Tuukka Rask, who woke up sore on Wednesday after suffering some sort “Mr. and Mrs. Quetta told me it went very well. It was a successful of lower body issue in the third period of Tuesday’s game (he finished out surgery. They’re feeling really good about that,” said Sullivan. the game and quite well), was given the full day off on Thursday and Daniel Vladar backed up Jaroslav Halak, who was the scheduled starter. But the road ahead is expected to be long. Cassidy said the expectation was that Rask would be able to play “Listen, my kids play, so it’s always your biggest fear that something will Saturday in Washington. happen in any sport,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “I don’t know what to Boston Herald LOADED: 01.29.2021 say other than to wish him a speedy recovery and all the best and get healthy. I’m glad the Bruins and the hockey community (are stepping forward). This area is known for rallying around these situations. We’ve seen it with Travis Roy, the Ice Bucket Challenge (spearheaded by late ALS sufferer Pete Frates), and (Denna Laing, the Boston Pride player injured during a game) … I think the hockey community has always been that way. It’s a tight-knit group. Anything the Bruins can do for AJ we will do.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign to defray the family’s medical costs had raised more than $350,000 with nearly 6,000 donors. Also, the Jacobs family and the Bruins Foundation pledged a minimum of $100,000. And before Thursday’s game, the B’s displayed Quetta’s hockey jersey on their bench during warmups.

“You never want to see it happen and unfortunately it does sometimes. I think the big thing is the hockey community rallying around when that happens,” said Charlie Coyle. “You see so much support. AJ and his family aren’t alone by any means. We’ve got so many people behind them, supporting them, helping out as best they can, sending well wishes. We know he’s going to pull through and be great. I hear he’s a strong kid as it is and I know the family is as well. We’re behind him and I know a lot of people are. It’s just great to see support when tragedy strikes but we know there’s brighter days ahead.”

Killing them softly

The Bruins went into Thursday’s game leading the league in the penalty kill, and through six games, they had scored as many shorthanded goals as they’d allowed power-play goals (two each).

On Tuesday, Brad Marchand added to his franchise record with his 28th tally, and he threatened on a couple of more occasions.

In three of the last four years, the B’s have finished in the top three in the PK. Having good goalies certainly helps. And up until this year, the B’s had PK workhorse Zdeno Chara and his incredible reach.

But the seeds that Marchand — usually in tandem with Patrice Bergeron — can plant in the opposition’s mind can help immensely.

“The other teams know when there’s a guy out there trying to score. We do it with our power play. There are certain teams we know that their first job is to get it down the ice, and other teams are going to try to attack and spring a guy or make plays instead of just icing it. Teams are aware of that and sometimes you can’t help it,” said Cassidy.

“I think (Marchand) sees teams that are not as tight or structured going back or he recognizes a line change, especially in the second period. That’s a good time to buzz up ice. You also have to understand if the goalie handles the puck well. It’s going to be tough to do against the Ben Bishops of the world who can get around in a hurry and fire it right back 1200658 Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron scores twice as B's dominate Penguins, 4-1

BY JUSTIN LEGER

No overtime necessary for the Boston Bruins this time vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After winning Tuesday's game vs. Pittsburgh in a dramatic OT period, the B's turned in a dominant effort Thursday night. Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly got Boston going with the first two goals of the game, then the captain Patrice Bergeron finished the job with two goals of his own.

Here's a recap of the B's fourth straight win:

FINAL SCORE: Bruins 4, Penguins 1

BOX SCORE

BRUINS RECORD: 5-1-1

HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Wagner gets the Bruins on the board first:

Incoming @chriswags23 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/M25phrZDoB— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021

The Penguins answer with a goal of their own:

Did you Ceci that tally?!

Ceci gets his first goal as a member of the Penguins.

Rust and Blueger pick up the helpers. pic.twitter.com/CjXxMe1vfh— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 29, 2021

Sean Kuraly gets in on the action thanks to a couple of lucky bounces:

Just like he drew it up.@kurals9 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/pjEnrcy6LD— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021

Patrice Bergeron scores in the second period with the backhand:

Backhand magician.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/gNPFugRmuM— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021

Bergy adds one more for good measure:

Dynamic duo #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/a4b2xNNq6l— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021

UP NEXT

Saturday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. vs. Washington Capitals

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200659 Boston Bruins

‘Tough Start’ Continues With Another Grzelcyk Injury For Bruins

By Joe Haggerty

Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made his return to the Black and Gold lineup on Thursday night after a two-game absence with a lower body injury.

Unfortunately, the return didn’t last for very long for either the Bruins or for Grzelcyk.

The puck-moving defenseman was once again knocked out of the game with a lower body injury ahead of the third period of Boston’s 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bruce Cassidy confirmed postgame that it was a separate lower body injury for the 26-year-old defenseman, and that he wasn’t expected to play this weekend against the Washington Capitals.

“It was a different injury, lower body. Tough start for Gryz,” said Bruce Cassidy. “I don’t think he’ll be available for Saturday. It looks like it might be a few days anyway, so we’ll see. We’ll probably have a much better idea tomorrow or Saturday morning when it calms down a bit.”

It’s too bad because Grzelcyk was brilliant during the game finishing with a team-best plus-3 rating and uncorking a slick centering pass to Patrice Bergeron in front of the net for one of his two goals in the impressive victory over the Penguins.

Coyle Grzelcyk Bergeron 3-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/oRmGD3HGIH

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 29, 2021

It’s expected that Connor Clifton will once again spell Grzelcyk in his second pairing spot alongside Brandon Carlo during any time missed with the injury.

It really doesn’t bode well for the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Grzelcyk that he’s already suffered three different injuries in just a handful of games played for the Bruins this season. The Bruins and Grzelcyk would probably be best served by allowing the small-bodied defenseman to heal up and get back to 100 percent rather than battle through things during a condensed NHL schedule.

That being said, the absence of Grzelcyk takes away the only established veteran player on the defense’s left side with Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon left to keep picking up the slack along with Clifton playing on his weak side.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200660 Boston Bruins

Talking Points: Selke Third Line Sets Table For Bergeron, Boston Bruins

By Jimmy Murphy

After a 1-1-1 start, the Boston Bruins have now won four straight games.

Patrice Bergeron scored two goals and Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly each chipped in with a goal apiece as the Bruins completed a two-game sweep of the suddenly fragile Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-1 win.

Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Anders Bjork, Matt Grzelcyk, and Charlie McAvoy all had an assist each.

Between the pipes, Jaro Halak allowed just a Cody Ceci goal 15:03 into the first and was perfect after that finishing the game with 16 saves.

Here’s your BHN Talking Points:

GOLD STAR: The makeshift third line of Anders Bjork – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner was Selke good in this game. Ironically their tenacious and suffocating play led to a goal for four-time Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron, who put the Boston Bruins up 3-1 at 8:13 of the second period. Their shift before Bergeron hopped over the boards set the table for Bergeron’s fourth goal of the season. Both Kuraly and Wagner lit the lamp for the Bruins and Bjork played easily his best game of the season. He got an assist on the Kuraly goal at 18:53 of the first period and finished a plus 2 with 1 shot and one hit in 15:21 TOI.

BLACK EYE: Sidney Crosby is leaving town looking like a raccoon because he got two straight shiners from BHN this week. Crosby played frustrated from the start and midway through the game was taking two- handers at Boston Bruins players. Crosby finished with no points and three shots and was a minus -2 in 19:21 TOI. The rest of the team was pretty much lethargic after this. …

TURNING POINT: The Bergeron goal at 8:13 seemed to really deflate the Penguins because as mentioned above, it was a complete team effort with one line setting up the next. The Penguins couldn’t seem to find that teamwork or chemistry at all.

HONORABLE MENTION: Some may call me crazy that Patrice Bergeron, with two goals, did not get the Gold Star and just the honorable mention! I get it and honestly, it really was a tie between him and the third line for the Gold Star but seriously, I think Bergeron himself would agree that that third line tonight set the table for this win and really planted the seeds in the collective mind of a clearly fragile Penguins squad right now. That being said, Bergeron was as always, as close to perfect as you get!

BY THE NUMBERS: 12:31 The TOI for Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk before he got injured again and had to leave the game. The team listed it as a lower-body injury but head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed it was not the one that forced him to miss the game Tuesday and has been nagging him since possibly Jan. 18 against the New York Islanders. Grzelcyk did chip in with an assist on Bergeron’s first goal. His status could be in doubt for the Bruins’ first game against Zdeno Chara and the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “They’re all popular guys in this dressing room and the guys really do appreciate it when they get it going. Especially a guy like ‘Marchy’ (Brad Marchand) because he started like that so he really appreciates it.” — Head Coach Bruce Cassidy on the play of the Bjork- Kuraly-Wagner line.

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200661 Boston Bruins Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen

McCann-Blueger-Tanev

Game 7 Live Blog: Boston Bruins Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins O’Connor-Jankowski-Sceviour/Lafferty

Defense:

By Jimmy Murphy Czuczman-Letang

Marino-Ceci

BOSTON — Here are Five Thoughts from the second period: Joseph-Ruhwedel

— While the youth movement on the Boston Bruins blue line has gone Goalies: much better than many – except Brandon Carlo and his blue line teammates – expected. One trending negative though has been the Tristan Jarry opponents’ ability to suddenly and completely take over the game. A Casey DeSmith perfect example of this was the first five minutes of the second period as the Penguins were just buzzing around the ice and more so in the Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 offensive zone. One of the young blueliners’ best attributes though, has been survival and that’s what they did early in the period.

— The Pens were buzzing early in the middle frame but again the Boston Bruins survived and in the process held the Penguins to just one shot despite all that Penguins puck possession. That seemed to grab the momentum back even more and a few minutes later, the Bruins grabbed a 3-1 lead when Patrice Bergeron notched his fourth goal of the season at 8:13 from Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle. Great to see Grzelcyk factor in the scoring after missing Tuesday’s game. As for the Bruins captain, well that’s just a leader leading the way and rewarding his teammates for some Selke worthy play at the other end.

Patrice Bergeron extends the #NHLBruins lead, 3-1 pic.twitter.com/kIPxNSNvzU

— Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) January 29, 2021

— A rather questionable at best, interference call on Boston Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sent the Penguins to their second power play of the game at 13:40. The Bruins PK came up huge again though and preserved the two-goal lead. Bergeron and Lauzon had words with the referee Tim Peel. Was it a coincidence that Wagner then had a questionable holding call goa against him 18:35 into the period? I don’t know about you but I’m finding interesting how players and ref’s interact now even more since each division has its own group of referees.

— Jaro Halak wasn’t really tested much in the first period except for from Cody Ceci he didn’t stop. Halak had five saves in the second period but they were all solid scoring chances.

— The new third line of Bjork-Kuraly-Wagner continued to be the best line on the ice there and Bjork got a well-earned scoring chance in the final seconds. He’s either redeeming himself now or increasing his value. …or both, but the banged-up Bruins will take it.

Boston Bruins Lines

Forwards:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Craig Smith

Nick Ritchie – David Krejci – Charlie Coyle

Anders Bjork – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner

Trent Frederic – Par Lindholm – Jack Studnicka

Defense:

Jeremy Lauzon – Charlie McAvoy

Matt Grzelcyk – Brandon Carlo

Jakub Zboril – Kevan Miller

Extras: John Moore, Connor Clifton

Goalies:

Jaro Halak

Daniel Vladar

Pittsburgh Penguins Lines

Forwards:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust 1200662 Boston Bruins

Rask Gets “Full Day Off” For Boston Bruins, Vladar Backs Up Halak

By Joe Haggerty

The discouraging signs continue to linger around the health of Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask as he was absent from Thursday’s morning skate and will be replaced by Dan Vladar as the backup goaltender for tonight’s game vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. The good news is that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy still has Rask penciled in for this weekend’s road game against the Washington Capitals, but the bad news is he hasn’t been on the ice since tweaking something in the third period of Tuesday’s overtime win vs. Pittsburgh.

The Bruins are officially giving Rask “a full day off” to rest and recuperate from the events of earlier this week, and that was after he was termed “not feeling 100 percent” while missing practice on Wednesday as well.

“We are going to use Vladar only because we’re going to give [Rask] a full day off,” said Bruce Cassidy, of the decision to have Vladar backup Halak on Thursday. “We kind of went through this and the decision was made that if he isn’t going to start, let’s keep him out of any worries of putting him in if anything should happen to Jaro. That’s the thinking. [Rask] will go back in Saturday. That’s the plan for right now.”

The 35-year-old Jaroslav Halak will get his regularly scheduled start on Thursday vs. the Penguins, and the Bruins will be in good hands with Halak already off to a strong start with a 1.44 goals against average and .938 save percentage this season. Meanwhile the 23-year-old Vladar will serve as the backup after making his first NHL appearance in the Toronto bubble last summer when he allowed three goals on 15 shots in relief against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pounder posted a sterling .936 save percentage in 25 games with the P-Bruins last season and got a jump on this year while playing in a handful of Czech League games for Pardubice before heading to Boston for the NHL season. Vladar had a 1.29 goals against average and a .956 save percentage in those six tune-up games before performing solidly in Bruins training camp at the beginning of the month.

As far as Rask goes, the bells and whistles won’t really begin blaring in earnest unless he’s unable to answer the proverbial bell this weekend against the Capitals. But the entire sequence leading to the injury was odd, including Rask being unable to seemingly get up before finishing off the game and making a couple of big saves in overtime for the victory.

So stay tuned to see if any surprises or absences continue with Rask as the Boston Bruins handle the situation carefully just a handful of games into a busy, condensed 56-game schedule this season. In addition to Rask being out for Thursday, Jake DeBrusk (lower body) will miss the game as well after taking a big hip check from Sidney Crosby early in the OT win. DeBrusk had an MRI that revealed there was no structural damage, but there’s no timetable on when he might return for a Boston Bruins already down a couple of wingers in David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase.

Here are the projected Boston Bruins line combos and D-pairings for Thursday night’s game vs. the Penguins:

Marchand-Bergeron-Smith

Ritchie-Krejci-Coyle

Bjork-Kuraly-Wagner

Frederic-Lindholm-Studnicka

Lauzon-McAvoy

Get BHN+

Grzelcyk-Carlo

Zboril-Miller

Halak

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200663 Boston Bruins The Pittsburgh Penguins had a big news day on Wednesday as GM Jim Rutherford announced his immediate resignation running the day-to-day hockey operations for the Penguins. Patrik Allvin takes over as an interim Game 7: Boston Bruins Vs. Penguins Lines, Preview GM “with Mario Lemieux as a back-up” while the Penguins go on a general manager search for the coveted hockey position, and many familiar names like Tom Fitzgerald, Peter Chiarelli and John Ferguson Jr. have already been named as potential candidates for the primo gig. By Joe Haggerty “His legacy is the two banners in the rafters,” Penguins

president David Morehouse said on Wednesday when talking about The Boston Bruins (4-1-1, 9 pts) will finish off a very successful four- Rutherford, and there’s no question about that. game homestand at TD Garden with a Thursday night tilt against the Colleague and FOH (Friend of Haggs) Dan Kingerski breaks down the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2-1, 9 pts) that will conclude their two-game massive change for the Penguins and where the Penguins go from here series with a regular 7 PM ET (NESN, ATTSN-PT, 98.5 the Sports Hub) after a pretty seismic change to their management group with Stanley puck drop. Cup aspirations still there with guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni The Bruins will look to pick up a perfect eight out of a possible eight Malkin still on the roster. points out of the TD Garden homestand after sweeping the Philadelphia Will the Penguins come out with a different kind of energy against the Flyers, and then taking a 3-2 overtime win against the Penguins on Boston Bruins on Thursday after the front office shakeup? It’s too early to Tuesday night. The Bruins have scored 13 goals over their last seven full tell, but big changes like that can definitely act as jumper cables to a periods of hockey after struggling with the offense right out of the gate hockey club in need of some energy. and are 3-1 in four extra session games thus far this season already. Defensemen Brian Dumoulin (lower body) and John Marino (upper body) Jaroslav Halak will get the nod between the pipes in a regularly were both injured in the Tuesday night game against the Bruins, didn’t scheduled start for the Bruins tonight after Tuukka Rask (lower body) practice on Wednesday and are question marks for Thursday night’s was banged up in Tuesday’s overtime win. Rask did not practice with the game. The injuries mean taxi squad member Kevin Czuczman may see Bruins on Wednesday morning. Dan Vladar will serve as the backup his first NHL game action since April 13, 2014 when he was a member of goalie on Thursday as the Bruins wanted to give Rask the full day off the New York Islanders. ahead of being slated to start this weekend against the Washington Capitals. The Penguins also signed veteran defenseman Yanick Weber to a two- way contract on Wednesday as it sounds like their back end is in a bit of Things are getting familiar for the Bruins turmoil right now. The Major League Baseball-style schedule for the Bruins continues with Weber will need to clear waivers before he can be placed on the taxi multi-game series against opponents as the Bruins conclude a couple of squad for the Penguins. two-game series at home against the Flyers and Penguins. There has been an embracing of the COVID-19 influenced schedule when NHL Boston Bruins Lines players are on the road where they can settle into cities for a couple days, even if there isn’t really much, they can do in the other East Forwards: Division cities while on the road this season. Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Craig Smith

It’s certainly been an adjustment for the Boston Bruins players, but it’s Nick Ritchie – David Krejci – Charlie Coyle also undoubtedly ratcheted up the competitiveness and the nastiness when there is carryover from one game to the next when things get a Anders Bjork – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner little nasty on the ice. Overall, though, like everything else this season it’s another weird, little alteration for the NHL guys. Trent Frederic – Par Lindholm – Jack Studnicka

“It’s a little weird. It’s nice for our video guys and our coaches because Defense: they can see and break down the first game and make adjustments for Jeremy Lauzon – Charlie McAvoy the second game,” said B’s right winger Chris Wagner. “It is what it is. I don’t know. Another weird thing in this day and age and I think we’re Matt Grzelcyk – Brandon Carlo getting used to it. Jakub Zboril – Kevan Miller Winger depth getting tested Extras: John Moore, Connor Clifton The Bruins came out of Tuesday night’s hard-fought win with a couple of Goalies: injuries, and as a result Jake DeBrusk (lower body) won’t play Thursday night against the Penguins after taking a hard hip-check from Sidney Jaro Halak Crosby. Instead, Craig Smith will push up to the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand as David Pastrnak is still not quite ready to Daniel Vladar play, and the Bruins may load up with Nick Ritchie and Charlie Coyle on Pittsburgh Penguins Lines David Krejci’s wings. Forwards: “You’ve got to be ready in case the lines get mixed up,” said fourth liner Chris Wagner. “It’s going to be different, line changes and all that. For me Guentzel-Crosby-Rust you’ve just got to be on your toes and be ready when your number is called.” Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen

That would leave the Bruins with a fourth line of Trent Frederic, Par McCann-Blueger-Tanev Lindholm and Jack Studnicka that may not get used all that much during Get BHN+ the game, and a de facto third line of Anders Bjork, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner that may see elevated ice time. The Bruins fourth line has O’Connor-Jankowski-Sceviour/Lafferty been excellent to start the year defensively for the Black and Gold and has earned any added ice time they do see as a result of the injuries. Defense:

On the back end, Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) is expected to make a Czuczman-Letang return to the lineup after missing the last two games and Connor Clifton Marino-Ceci would come out of the lineup if the puck-mover is indeed healthy enough to play. Joseph-Ruhwedel

Penguins Notes Goalies:

Tristan Jarry Casey DeSmith

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200664 Boston Bruins 6. Jake DeBrusk missed his first game because of a lower-body injury. He underwent an MRI that showed “no real structural damage,” according to Cassidy. It is unknown whether DeBrusk will accompany the Fourth line sizzles after meeting: 10 takeaways as Bruins end perfect Bruins on their four-game trip to Washington and Philadelphia. homestand DeBrusk, usually the No. 2 left wing, had been riding with Marchand and Bergeron when he was hurt against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

By Fluto Shinzawa Jan 28, 2021 7. Miller earned a $250,000 bonus by appearing in his seventh game. The bonus was originally set at 10 games played. That number was prorated to the 56-game season.

The Bruins completed a perfect four-game homestand on Thursday with 8. Dan Vladar backed up Jaroslav Halak. Tuukka Rask, injured in a committed and professional 4-1 win over Pittsburgh. The fourth line Tuesday’s third period, was granted the day out of uniform and off skates scored two goals, and Patrice Bergeron netted the others. Jaroslav Halak to recover. Cassidy expects Rask to play Saturday against Washington. stopped 16 of 17 shots. 9. The Bruins pledged at least $100,000 to support the family of A.J. Here are 10 takeaways from the Bruins’ fifth win of the season: Quetta, the Bishop Feehan player who suffered a spinal cord injury Tuesday. The Bruins hung Quetta’s white No. 10 jersey behind their 1. Anders Bjork submitted his strongest outing of the season. The No. 4 bench during pregame warmups. left wing skated hard, made good decisions with the puck and took smart routes all over the ice. He assisted on Sean Kuraly’s goal and played a “We’re all praying for A.J.,” Wagner said. “Way bigger than hockey. Such season-high 15:21. a freak accident. Our team’s really thinking about him, his family, anybody affected. Really makes us think how fragile our careers are and “I haven’t really been happy with my game,” Bjork said. “There’s been life is. We just want to say we’re praying for him.” some holes in it the first 5-6 games. I’m trying to build up and learn from my teammates and the coaching staff to fix those things.” 10. The Bruins will practice on Friday to prepare for Saturday’s game against Zdeno Chara and the Capitals. Chara scored his first goal for his 2. It may have helped that fourth-liners Bjork, Kuraly and Chris Wagner new team Thursday. met with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo to review their game, reinforce good habits and point out areas of improvement. “We’ll see his best,” Cassidy said. “He bled black and gold here for the Bruins for years. I think he’s going to want to show his teammates and Kuraly and Wagner were strong on the boards. Wagner was everyone in the organization that he can still bring it. I would expect opportunistic by jumping on a loose puck to rifle his first puck of the nothing less. It’ll be good to see him. It’ll be odd not seeing him in a season into the net. Later in the first, by being positioned in front of the Bruins jersey. But it’ll be good to see him. He’s a good person. I’ve net, Kuraly was in the right place to get a piece of Bjork’s snapper. always liked Z. Hopefully we’ll have a friendship down the road as a guy “We’ve been working to try to find that exact mix,” Kuraly said of himself who helped me a lot when I first got here. Probably he helped me a lot and Wagner, the two fourth-line mainstays. “Bjorkie’s got a lot of skill and more than I helped him. He’d been in the league a long time. I always a ton of speed. For both of us, it’s been a little bit of a change. I think we appreciated that.” knew that if we could get it figured out, it would work well. I think we’re The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 getting closer. That’s the good sign. Bjorkie played great. He skated. I think he was the big driver of our line tonight.”

3. The Bruins limited the Penguins to 13 five-on-five shots. Pittsburgh’s best chance took place on an extended second-period cycle against the fourth line and the No. 3 pairing of Kevan Miller and Jakub Zboril. But otherwise, the Bruins didn’t give the Penguins any room to breathe around Halak. They closed on the puck rapidly, defended with layers and eliminated any cross-ice seams.

“I think it’s been good all year,” coach Bruce Cassidy said of the defense. “It’s the trademark of the team. Guys are buying in. Bringing in some young defensemen, they’ve been in the system. So they know the drill. They know the culture here. We’ve given them the opportunity to buy into it.”

4. Craig Smith opened the game on the No. 1 line. Midway through the second, Cassidy flipped Smith and Charlie Coyle.

Smith likes to slash through the neutral zone. It doesn’t necessarily mix well with Marchand and Bergeron, who are more straight-line skaters in open ice. Coyle, meanwhile, is good at filling the right side when he plays wing.

The switch paid off immediately. Bergeron took a net-front feed from Grzelcyk and punched in a five-on-five goal at 8:13 of the second.

5. Matt Grzelcyk was not able to play in the third period because of a lower-body injury. It was unrelated to the ding he took that kept him out for the two previous games. Cassidy did not believe Grzelcyk would be available on Saturday against Washington.

“We’re going to put him as day-to-day for now. But it looks like it might be a few days anyway,” Cassidy said. “We’ll probably have a much better idea tomorrow. Or, worst case, Saturday morning when it calms down.”

Grzelcyk made an impact in 12:31 of ice time. He touched the puck in the offensive zone before each of the Bruins’ three goals through the first two periods. He was active, opportunistic and sharp with his feet and skates.

Connor Clifton, who played his off side in Grzelcyk’s spot the two previous games, could go back in against Washington next to Brandon Carlo. 1200665 Boston Bruins fellow 2015 draftee, does not have Chabot’s offensive touch. But Carlo needed only seven AHL tuneups before cracking the varsity in 2016-17.

Zboril followed a different trajectory. After aging out of the QMJHL, Zboril One Z enters, one Z leaves: How Jakub Zboril is succeeding a legend on played his first pro season in 2017-18, the same year Matt Grzeclyk defense became a full-time NHL player. In Providence, under the watch of Jay Leach, Zboril worked on stout positional play, tight gaps, hardness in the battle, consistency. By Fluto Shinzawa Jan 28, 2021 Not all the pieces came together.

“It wasn’t that he didn’t have competitiveness or he didn’t have initiative,” Last season, Jakub Zboril was suffering. Button said. “He had to learn that less was probably going to be more. You don’t want to create vulnerabilities for yourself. When you’re Connor Clifton and Jeremy Lauzon, two of his former Providence blue- younger, you can make up for those mistakes. He’s a good skater. He’s a line running mates, were full-time NHL players. Thomas Chabot, his competitive player. But in the NHL, those mistakes lead to other teams junior teammate in Saint John, was not only playing top-pairing minutes getting goals and you being on the wrong side of the game. Coaches for Ottawa, but had signed an eight-year, $64 million second contract. don’t want that.” Meanwhile, Zboril was parked in Providence, where he would spend all Zboril, in retrospect, was an early adopter of doomscrolling. It got to him. of the season. The Czech native was peering up at a left side that had no After his first year, Zboril canceled his Twitter and Instagram accounts. vacancies. The 2015 first-round pick’s entry-level contract was expiring. “When you’re a young guy and a first-round pick in a big hockey market, Zboril needed help. a hockey-crazed market like Boston, and you don’t immediately jump to The defenseman reached out to Dr. Stephen Durant, the Bruins’ sports the NHL, there’s a lot of people online, keyboard warriors, who can be psychologist. Durant told Zboril that everybody struggles, including especially brutal,” said Allan Walsh, Zboril’s agent. “It’s very hard for a himself. Zboril recognized this every time they spoke. The patch Durant 20-year-old to sit there online, scroll through people’s comments and wears over the left eye he lost in a rugby accident reminded Zboril of this have them saying horrible things about you and about you as a player. reality. That can be very dispiriting. It can be corrosive. It can interfere with your focus. When he made that decision, which was his own, it was a way for “I opened up and told him what was bothering me. I faced my demons,” him to say, ‘I’m going to control my own destiny. I’m going to face Zboril said. “It lifted it all. It helped. It helped a lot. He’s a guy that’s gone adversity and I’m going to face it head on.’ As opposed to letting other through some stuff too. He lost his eye. It helped me a lot.” people write his story for him.”

A season later, the first of the Bruins’ three 2015 first-rounders has Zboril improved parts of his game in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. logged six NHL games, tripling his previous output. The 23-year-old No degree of growth, however, would put him ahead of Chara, Krug or recorded his first NHL point on Jan. 23 by assisting on Brad Marchand’s Grzelcyk. power-play goal. He is averaging 18:44 of ice time per appearance. Zboril has grabbed a third-pairing spot next to Kevan Miller. At 5-on-5, Clifton got his chance because he is a right shot. Lauzon is a lefty, but he according to Natural Stat Trick, opponents are averaging 17.16 shots per was comfortable playing his off side and doing so with more 60 minutes of play with Zboril on the ice, the lowest SA/60 of any Bruins abrasiveness than Zboril. defenseman. Frustration ate at Zboril. He thought about returning to . All of this would have been inconceivable last year or at any point of Walsh, though, never had to explore overseas opportunities. Zboril’s first three pro seasons. But Zboril persevered. His employer “Was there frustration in not being up and playing games sooner? Of practiced patience. Opportunity emerged when Torey Krug and Zdeno course,” Walsh said. “Anyone who doesn’t admit that is just not being Chara said goodbye. honest. But would he have been better off being thrown into an NHL “Some people would have been quick to give up on a guy like that,” said lineup at 20 before he’s ready, perhaps playing 30-40 games before Sportsnet draft analyst Sam Cosentino. “They would say, ‘Ah, you know being sent down and having a serious hit to his confidence? Things what? Forget it. We’re done with him. Let’s cut bait and move on.’ You happen for a reason. We can all look back and say ‘what if’ about any have to give the player some credit. Because I’m sure there were options number of situations out there. I like to deal with clients with the present for him to go home and play.” and the future. Whether he got there a year or two earlier, the whole key for him as an individual is to be an NHL player now and have a career. Through six games, Zboril has confirmed what He’s on that road.” general manager John Ferguson Jr. believed this past offseason: that he was ready for the NHL. Zboril’s development played a part in the Seizing the opportunity organizational signals the Bruins sent to Chara, who will make his first Things were different heading into this season. Zboril had been with the appearance against his old club on Saturday in Washington. Bruins in the Toronto bubble as an extra player. He signed a two-year, One Z left. Another Z came in. So far, it’s worked out for all parties. one-way extension on Oct. 14. Krug and Chara left. Zboril accepted a loan to Brno and played in 18 games before returning to Boston for ‘A prodigy of sorts’ camp.

As a 15-year-old, Zboril played on HC Kometa Brno’s under-18 team. “You’ve got two guys that leave that play left (defense), so naturally, you The next season, the 16-year-old smooth-moving defenseman held his should be excited. There’s an opportunity right away,” Bruins coach own on Brno’s U-20 roster. In his draft year, the Brno native moved to Bruce Cassidy said. “Sometimes you come into camp and you do New Brunswick and adapted rapidly to the QMJHL, scoring 13 goals and everything necessary, but there’s just no room. That was a bit of the case notching 20 assists in 44 games. on the left side here with (Chara) and Krug.”

“Jakub was a prodigy of sorts,” said TSN director of scouting Craig From the start of camp, Cassidy paired Zboril with Kevan Miller. The plan Button. “He was always playing ahead of his age group. He was always was to mimic the setup that worked well in Providence last season. playing up a level. He was always an underage player playing ahead. Jakub has always had a great level of confidence in his game, a great Zboril had played well there with Josiah Didier, a hard-working defensive level of self-belief that he could do anything. And he could.” defenseman. Didier urged Zboril to excel. Miller would do the same.

The Bruins drafted Zboril 13th, five slots ahead of Chabot, based on a “He’s always pushing me in practices to do my best,” Zboril said. “Be the universal projection of a two-way NHL defenseman with high-end wheels hardest-working guy out there. I’m trying to do that. I’m trying to be at his and puck play. These days, such defensemen do not take much time level of competition in practice. He’s helping me how to make the next between junior and the NHL. step in practice to always be there, always be hard, always be on time. He’s a really great guy to look up to.” Chabot, for example, played two post-draft seasons with Saint John and 13 AHL games before sticking with Ottawa in 2017-18. Brandon Carlo, a Initially, Cassidy and assistant coach Kevin Dean proceeded cautiously with Zboril. They didn’t give him any defensive-zone starts at 5-on-5 during the first three games.

Zboril responded by playing brisk but stout defense. He gapped up well. He stayed inside the dot lines, which is not easy for young and exuberant defensemen. Zboril worked well with Miller. He retrieved pucks with purpose and moved them out of harm’s way.

Cassidy and Dean were impressed. Zboril played a career-high 21:52 against Philadelphia on Jan. 21 while logging three defensive-zone starts. Two nights later, Zboril logged 18:34 of 5-on-5 ice time, most of any defenseman on the team.

“He feels, ‘OK, I’m part of this. They believe in me. Now it’s up to me to seize the opportunity.’ Which is entirely on him,” Cassidy said. “And he’s done it. He’s done it. He’s moved the puck. He’s gone in and showed courage going back on pucks. He’s defending hard. He’s still got a ways to go here where we’re only five games in. But we’re very pleased with the games we’ve gotten out of him, the minutes and the ask so far.”

But this is the NHL. There is nowhere to hide when a defenseman has a bad night.

Bouncing back

On Tuesday, Cassidy and Dean presented Zboril with his tallest task yet: defending Sidney Crosby.

It didn’t go well.

Zboril was fighting it from the start. He didn’t make good decisions with the puck. He duplicated defensive-zone coverage assignments with Miller. Pucks and people regularly came back at Zboril. No matter how hard he tried, Zboril couldn’t stop the bleeding.

It looked familiar to Cassidy. Against New Jersey on Jan. 16, after Patrice Bergeron won the opening faceoff, the puck came to Zboril. There was no opponent in his face. But Zboril made a defenseman-to- defenseman pass to Miller, who was covered.

“Right away, that sets off a cue to me,” Cassidy said. “A guy that’s a good puck-mover, where that should be a big part of his game, is not ready to play. When he is, he’s going to take that puck, attack and make a play up the ice that he’s certainly capable of. And has shown. I look for that cue right away. Our job as coaches is to prepare the team to be ready to play, whether it’s through information, practice the day before, morning skate, a little bit of motivation. But it is on the player, individually, to be ready to get himself ready. That’s the challenge Jake is going to have at the NHL level. Because there’s not a lot of nights you can have an off night in this league and get away with it. Those are the words to him. It happens. We don’t want it to snowball. This is why we feel he was off last night. Prepare yourself accordingly in practice. Be clean. Work at it. Tomorrow, come ready to play.”

Zboril will go back in against the Penguins on Thursday. He wants to rebound from a 13:39 workload, his lowest of the season.

By now, he is used to challenges. Zboril is playing in the NHL, which he could not say before.

“It was tough to see,” Zboril said of being bypassed earlier in his career. “But at the same time, I would say it strengthened me mentally. It showed me what I had to do to actually make the next step. It was bad, but it was also a good thing. As a player, you want to get that chance. You want to be that guy. If it’s not happening, you either see the negatives in it, or you look at the other side and see positives in it too. You can’t get to the point where you only see negatives. You have to keep going.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200666 Buffalo Sabres Let's see what kind of rebound they have. In 2018-19, you might remember that 10-game winning streak in November that everyone said was fool's gold because of seven wins after regulation. Turned out the Mike Harrington: After an OT stinker, Sabres have to keep bouncing back pundits were right as Buffalo became just the second team in history to miss the playoffs in a season where it had a 10-game winning streak.

Look at last year. The Sabres opened 8-1-1 under Krueger. But they had Mike Harrington a pair of six-game losing streaks and once things got bad, they could never seem to stop the bleeding. Kyle Okposo has often said this team

gets too high when the going is good and too low when the going gets A News staffer since 1987, I'm a Baseball Hall of Fame voter, a 2013 tough. Going 22-30-7 over the final 59 games was an ugly message. inductee into the Buffalo Baseball HOF and the Buffalo chapter chair of "Last year in my first season, I really felt everything came way too easy the Professional Hockey Writers Association. And I insist only Chicago & for us early," Krueger said. "And I was never extremely comfortable as a New York can come close to Buffalo pizza. coach. I'm actually way more comfortable with this start." One subplot to watching the Sabres this season is their reaction to tough Eichel banged home a power-play goal off a nifty Victor Olofsson feed at times. The slightest bit of adversity has cracked this team in half the last 7:31 of the second period and the celebration was on for the goal that the few years. We saw plenty of that last season, too. Sabres made stand up for a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. A lot has already gone wrong this month, notably injuries, but the Sabres Krueger has been happy with responses this year. The sloppy opening are maturing some in that area. We're going to watch another test of it night loss against Washington was followed by a 2-1 defeat that saw the Saturday afternoon against New Jersey. In the wake of Thursday night's Sabres outshoot the Caps 31-21. A 3-0 loss last week in Philadelphia stinker of an overtime loss to the New York Rangers, let's see if this team (shots 40-30 in Buffalo's favor) was followed by a shootout loss in can park a bad game and come back with a good one. Washington. The Sabres had no business being in this one. They were asleep for 40 "It's the way this group has stuck with the process, the way this group minutes, getting just nine shots on goal. They flat-out stole a point thanks has focused on improvement daily," Krueger said. "A lot of that would to Linus Ullmark, who stopped 36 of 38 shots through regulation. have to do with our additions, with the experience and the maturity that "Linus got us the point. There's just no way to dance around that one,' they bring with it, but also, our group from last year growing up, I mean, said after the 3-2 defeat. "A little too slow, watching them just growing up to another level, I think everybody here has come in skate around us and get to pucks first. It's not a recipe for success." wiser, and smarter and with a more patient attitude when things aren't going our way. Early in the third period, Ullmark stoned New York rookie Alexis Lafreniere with a right skate save. On a power play later in the period, Let's see what happens Saturday against -led New Jersey. Ullmark stopped six straight shots. The last one, a wicked one-timer by Krueger said the Sabres' first step is to be in the playoff race with 20 Mika Zibanejad, saw the goalie stretch far to his right to stop the puck. games left in the season. That seems more than doable right now. Ouch. "I was encouraged by that reaction in the third," Krueger said. "Above all, Linus Ullmark made every type of save imaginable when the Buffalo it was the language in the room. It was the way we approached it. It was Sabres seemed on the verge of imploding. a test of what we were made of. I thought in the end a valuable point on a night we really were not happy with our game." The Lafreniere stop finally seemed to be the wakeup call the Sabres needed. They started to attack, got a tying goal from Reinhart on a power Buffalo News LOADED: 01.29.2021 play and had 15 shots on goal in the period.

No tactics were talked about in the intermission. This was about much more than that.

"It was about testing our mettle and our fight," coach Ralph Krueger said. "Linus started with that save and you could feel the boys rallying. Their spirit was good on the bench. It was good to see us within a game that was really bad from our side find our game and get back on track."

In overtime, however, not much went right. Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen flubbed a 2-on-1 early in the period and Eichel had two turnovers on a later shift, the second that led to Lafreniere's winning goal that was the No. 1 overall pick's first in the NHL.

"You look at our game, we haven't really found any 5-on-5 scoring yet," said Eichel, who has found the net in three straight games with a shootout winner and two goals. "With that being said, we're still giving ourselves chances to win. Credit to the goaltender. Credit to some of our defensive game, but we've got to find ways to score goals 5-on-5 and make more plays."

Local sporting good stores in Dylan Cozens' hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon, have sold out of Sabres merchandise. Kids around the city routinely wear Cozens’ jersey, and Sabres games are mandatory viewing there.

Fans who spew frustration on social media have to remember this isn't the NFL. Every game really isn't a referendum on the entire direction of a franchise. You don't have to wait a week for the next one. In fact, the Sabres will have about 40 hours before Saturday's matinee against the Devils.

This was easily their worst game of the season. I'd rate them with five solid performances, two middling ones and this one. They're 3-3-2 and on a four-game point streak. They're one point out of a playoff spot and their next four games are against the Devils and heavily slumping New York Islanders, both of whom are behind them in the standings. 1200667 Buffalo Sabres Late answer: Despite the ugly first period, the Sabres tied the score with 21.3 seconds remaining on a tip-in by Eichel near the Rangers’ crease. Reinhart skated down the right wall and passed the puck toward the Wraparound: Linus Ullmark stops 36 shots in Sabres' overtime loss to paint, where Eichel got behind the defense and redirected the puck past Rangers Shesterkin’s right leg pad. Buffalo was outshot 15-5 in the first period.

Local sporting good stores in Dylan Cozens' hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon, have sold out of Sabres merchandise. Kids around the city Lance Lysowski Jan 28, 2021 routinely wear Cozens’ jersey, and Sabres games are mandatory viewing there.

Flat second: Krueger did not see improvement after the goal. Buffalo had Linus Ullmark made every type of save imaginable when the Buffalo only four shots on goal in the second period. Through 40 minutes, 12 Sabres seemed on the verge of imploding. Sabres did not have a shot on goal. The Buffalo Sabres’ goalie stopped all six shots he faced during a third- Absence: Kyle Okposo missed a stretch of the third period after a cross period penalty kill, including one that required him to do a split, and kept check from behind by Ryan Lindgren sent him feet first into the boards at the game within reach during a night in which his teammates generated 4:27. Okposo skated slowly to the bench, where he sat until he skated only nine shots on net through 40 minutes. two shifts late in regulation. Ullmark helped secure a point for the Sabres following Sam Reinhart's Response: With Lindgren serving the box for a two-minute minor, the tying goal, but rookie Alexis Lafreniere scored the game-winner with 2:13 Sabres tied the score 2-2 when Reinhart converted on the power play for left in overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory inside his third goal of the season with 15:13 remaining in regulation. KeyBank Center on Thursday night. Winner: Lafreniere scored the game-winner following a turnover by "That was definitely Linus’ point today," said Sabres coach Ralph Eichel that gave the Rangers a 2-on-1. Lafreniere, 19, became the Krueger. "We had two of our rougher periods in the season thus far. The youngest player in NHL history to have an overtime winner for his first first two were extremely disappointing. … Linus played outstanding. goal. Stayed calm in some of the chaos that we had in our end and really looked like a top goalie in the world today. It’s the most positive thing out Injury update: Defenseman Henri Jokiharju missed a second consecutive of an overall disappointing night." game with an undisclosed injury. Irwin, 33, replaced Jokiharju in the lineup and skated alongside Montour at even strength. Winger Tage Buffalo (3-3-2) has earned points in five of its last six games, but it could Thompson was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games. not stretch its win streak to three. The Rangers announced before puck drop that defenseman Jack Jack Eichel scored his second goal in as many games, a tip-in to tie the Johnson is day to day with a groin strain. score late in the first period, and Ullmark made 36 saves while making his fourth consecutive start. However, the Sabres went 1-for-4 on the Addition: According to EliteProspects.com, the power play and were outshot 39-25. Reinhart tied the score at 4:47 into signed defenseman Griffin Luce to a player tryout agreement. Luce, the the third period. 22-year-old grandson of former Sabre Don Luce, played four seasons at the University of Michigan. He had three goals and 11 assists in 131 "He was the best player for us by far," said Eichel of Ullmark. "We games with the Wolverines. Luce is a Williamsville native and his father, wouldn’t have gotten the point without him. It was good to see him have a Scott, is currently the Vegas Golden Knights’ director of amateur great effort, but we can’t rely on him like that repeatedly." scouting. "Let's see if this team can park a bad game and come back with a good Next: The Sabres are scheduled to practice Friday in preparation for their one," writes Mike Harrington. back-to-back series against the on Saturday and Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Rangers (2-4-1), Sunday. Both games begin at 1 p.m., Eastern. who had lost four straight entering Thursday. Panarin gave New York the Buffalo News LOADED: 01.29.2021 lead at 16:10 into the second period when he intercepted a clearing attempt by Sabres defenseman Matt Irwin.

All Brandon Montour could do was watch as Panarin shot over a sprawling Ullmark for his third goal of the season. Ullmark has a .920 save percentage over his last three starts, but his teammates also blocked 14 of the Rangers' shot attempts Thursday night.

"Sometimes you have some luck and today was one of those days where you position yourself in a good spot where you can make a couple good saves," added Ullmark. "When I wasn’t in position, I had my teammates that were blocking shots. There were a couple of huge blocks in the second and also on the PK."

Sloppy start: The Sabres had only one shot on goal seven minutes into the first period. Turnovers gave the Rangers chances off the rush, and Buffalo’s only notable chance early came on a shot from Jeff Skinner at the left circle during a 3-on-2. The Sabres also went 0-for-2 on the power play in the first period.

"It was just similar to our five-on-five play – not getting to pucks first, not making the simple play, losing those races," said Reinhart. "It’s tough to find success in any part of our game when we’re clearly the slower team."

Opening salvo: Strome gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 9:44 into the first period by one-timing a centering pass from Panarin. Rasmus Ristolainen was unable to get a stick on the puck as it crossed through the slot. Buffalo entered Thursday 2-3 this season when its opponent scored first.

Disconnect: The Sabres managed only two shots on goal during a pair of power plays in the first period. The best chance occurred when Eichel’s one-timer from the left circle was stopped by goalie Igor Shesterkin. 1200668 Buffalo Sabres hometown watched as he became one of the top junior players in the world. The city’s hockey fans’ loyalty shifted from the Canucks, Flames and Oilers to the Hurricanes.

Back in Whitehorse, hometown fans go 'bananas' for Sabres' Dylan “He’s really writing his book and he’s only on chapter one, and he’s Cozens already exceeded anyone’s expectations,” said Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis. “We were proud of him when he was on the way up in juniors. We thought he was absolutely fantastic, but we were also realistic in Lance Lysowski Jan 28, 2021 recognizing how many countries and how many people are so passionate about the sport of hockey. But to see someone coming from

our small community and doing as well as he has, it’s hard to find words Since the Ridge Pub opened 12 years ago in Whitehorse, its owner, Rod to describe how proud we are.” Malchow, has heard patrons playfully criticize his love for the Calgary When Cozens returned home from the IIHF World Junior Championship Flames. in January 2019, he took time to sign autographs and greet anyone who Malchow relocated to Yukon’s largest city after growing up in Lethbridge, crossed his path, recalled Curtis. Cozens’ outdoor workouts in Alberta, a hockey hub where fandom is split between the Flames and Whitehorse this past spring drew groups of onlookers who were Edmonton Oilers. Whitehorse, now home to 35,000 residents, has long interested in watching how the top prospect was training for his dream of been known as a Vancouver Canucks town. playing in the NHL.

Then Dylan Cozens came along and changed the city’s hockey fandom. The dream became a reality on Jan. 14, when Cozens was credited with Even Malchow decorated his bar with two autographed jerseys of an assist in the Sabres’ season-opening loss to the Washington Capitals. Cozens, a rookie forward who skated 12:17 in the Buffalo Sabres' 3-2 The time difference has not stopped his hometown fans from watching. overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Many were tuned in when Cozens made history by becoming the first player from Yukon to score a goal in the NHL. “I swallowed my pride because I wanted to support Dylan as much as I can,” Malchow admitted. Children are so invested in the Sabres that Frizzell’s elementary school students were livid upon learning that Cozens was assigned to Buffalo’s Malchow’s not alone. Local sporting good stores have sold out of Sabres taxi squad Sunday, a temporary move by the team to rest the rookie for merchandise. Kids around the city routinely wear Cozens’ jersey, and one game. Sabres games are mandatory viewing in Whitehorse. When Cozens scored his first career NHL goal last Friday on a highlight-reel snipe from “If everybody didn’t already have NHL Center Ice online or through their the right circle in Washington, applause erupted inside The Ridge Pub. satellite company, they do now,” said Frizzell. “I was out on the ice with the U13 team the day Dylan got his first goal, so my phone was in my “The place went bananas,” said Malchow. bag in the locker room. I went in after practice to turn it on and I had about 25 messages with, ‘Wahoo, first goal,’ or whatever. While much of the world struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, the isolated city of Whitehorse currently has zero cases. Hockey is being “I think anybody between the ages of 11 and 15 is a huge Buffalo and played at the local ice rinks and customers have returned to indoor Dylan Cozens fan now. I don’t think any of these kids could have named dining, albeit at half-capacity and with enhanced safety protocols to more than Jack Eichel on that Buffalo team before. Now they can ensure social distancing. probably tell you everybody’s stats.”

A semblance of normalcy returning to their lives arrived at a time in which The success story continued Tuesday with Cozens scoring his second Cozens, lovingly referred to by some as the "Workhorse from goal, a power-play one-timer that helped the Sabres defeat the New York Whitehorse," reached the after a prolific junior Rangers. There were no fans inside KeyBank Center to celebrate the hockey career in which he won a gold medal with at the IIHF achievement. Back home, approximately 3,400 miles away, his biggest World Junior Championship in 2019. supporters beamed with pride.

People in Whitehorse were fixated on the most recent world juniors, a “Buffalo, in the Yukon, you’ve got 40,000 new fans,” said Curtis. “I’ve tournament in which the 19-year-old served as co-captain and led been a Canucks fan my whole life and I’ve given up on them. We’re Canada to a silver medal. Their attention then turned to the NHL season, definitely the Buffalo of the north now, I’ll tell ya. We’re proud of him for as anticipation grew for the former first-round draft pick to become only sure.” the third player from Yukon to appear in a game at that level. He's the first to do so since Peter Sturgeon of the Colorado Rockies in 1980-81. Buffalo News LOADED: 01.29.2021

Cozens was a popular selection in local fantasy hockey drafts. Sabres jerseys and jackets became a regular sight around downtown. Everyone waited to see when, not if, Cozens would make an impact in Buffalo. His inclusion on the Sabres’ roster for opening night was a seminal moment for the youth hockey community in Whitehorse.

“I think that’s huge for these kids because they grow up and we’re pretty isolated in Whitehorse,” said Jeff Frizzell, president of Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association. “We get to play each other, but their closest real rival is when we head down to tournaments in Vancouver. That’s 2,000 kilometers away, so the kids are definitely flying and they see the amount of work that it takes when they see somebody like Dylan succeed. It doesn’t happen very often.”

When the Sabres selected Cozens with the seventh overall pick in June 2019, he became only the fourth player from the territory to be drafted by an NHL team. His well-documented story illustrates why he’s become a heroic figure for many children in Whitehorse.

The city has plenty of hockey rinks but not enough players to field high- level youth teams. Cozens’ natural talent at a young age far exceeded his peers. So much so that at 12 years old, he played in a rec league against men and broke his leg. Two years later, Cozens left Whitehorse for Delta Hockey Academy and, later, Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Cozens was then selected 19th overall by the in the 2016 draft. Across the next three years, his 1200669 Buffalo Sabres Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. Buffalo also ranks ninth in shots allowed per 60 minutes at even strength.

Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe are an early success story, as Sabres game day: Dylan Cozens, Eric Staal using communication to they have been one of the top defense pairs in the league. But develop chemistry Ristolainen said the Sabres’ success stems from a team commitment to Krueger’s system.

Lance Lysowski Jan 28, 2021 Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe an 'outstanding,' shutdown pair for Sabres

Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe an 'outstanding,' shutdown pair for Lance Lysowski Sabres

Matchup: Buffalo Sabres (3-3-1) vs. New York Rangers (1-4-1) Buffalo’s top defense tandem has contributed more than physical play during the Sabres’ 2-3-1 start to the season. Where: KeyBank Center “I think we’ve had better gaps and we’ve played pretty aggressive,” said When: 7 p.m. Ristolainen. “It comes from the team game. I think, we all five guys on the TV: MSG ice, we play much better together this year and really buying into the system. It helps when you have more days in the year with Ralph in the Radio: WGR 550 same system. That hasn’t really happened here in the past; we had so many systems and coaches and everything so it’s nice to play the same Dylan Cozens knew the puck was coming to him before Eric Staal looked system. I feel like everyone should be more comfortable out there.” his way. Goalies: Linus Ullmark is expected to start in goal for a fourth Staal, a 36-year-old center, passed from the right circle to the slot, where consecutive game and has logged a .918 save percentage – 56 saves on the 19-year-old rookie one-timed a shot for a power-play goal Tuesday 61 shots – during the Sabres’ two-game win streak. He made 15 saves in night against the New York Rangers inside KeyBank Center. the third period Tuesday to secure a 3-2 win over the Rangers. The Their success wasn’t limited to the power play, either. According to Sabres, though, rank 27th in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage NaturalStatTrick.com, the line of Staal, Cozens and Victor Olofsson (90.17%). combined for 10 shot attempts at 5 on 5 and did not allow a high-danger New York is making a change in goal, as Igor Shesterkin will start scoring chance. Thursday against Buffalo. Shesterkin, a highly touted 25-year-old, has The Staal-Cozens pairing seemed inevitable once Krueger said in struggled to start the season, totaling an .886 save percentage in four October that he planned to start the rookie at right wing instead of center. games. He allowed three goals on 19 shots in his last start, a 3-2 loss to Staal, a Stanley Cup champion with Carolina in 2006, has totaled 1,025 the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. points in 1,247 career regular-season games. The Sabres have Cozens Special teams: The Sabres’ power play entered Thursday ranked eighth sitting between Staal and Jack Eichel in the dressing room at KeyBank in the NHL. By going 3-for-5 on the man advantage Sunday against Center. Washington and 2-for-4 on Tuesday, Buffalo scored five power-play Krueger never commits to using the same lines at 5 on 5, but he told the goals in a two-game span for the first time since Oct. 5 and 7, 2019. … media Thursday morning that he’s encouraged by the communication Entering Wednesday, the Sabres had a league-high seven different between Cozens and Staal. players score at least one goal on the power play. … Eichel’s five points on the man advantage are tied for the second most in the NHL. “The relationship begins off-ice, in the locker room, and you can see it continues on the bench when they’re sitting side by side,” said Krueger. Spotlight: Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere, the first overall pick in the “Lots of contact last game. Lots of smiles and comments back and forth. most recent draft, had a quiet first game in Buffalo. The 19-year-old had Then on the ice, you can see Eric understanding the play of Dylan and three shots on goal, only one of real quality, and a minus-1 rating in Dylan understanding Eric. Olie, together with them, there’s something 14:58 of ice time. Lafreniere has yet to record a point and ranks ninth developing there that’s exciting, so we’ll see how it goes. Thus far, what I among all rookies in shots on goal. like about it above all is the communication, is the experience of Eric and Possession: Entering Thursday, the Sabres ranked fourth in overall the hunger of Dylan to learn and grow.” faceoff percentage (55.3), third in offensive-zone faceoff percentage Lineup: Krueger is not expected to make changes to the lineup following (57.1) and second in defensive-zone faceoff percentage (60.8). It’s a the win Tuesday night. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju will miss a second remarkable turnaround from last season when Buffalo was 31st in each consecutive game with a minor injury suffered Sunday in Washington. of the three statistics. The Sabres preferred to give Jokiharju additional rest, which will lead to Buffalo News LOADED: 01.29.2021 Matt Irwin filling the spot on the blue line.

Irwin, 33, assisted on Tobias Rieder’s goal Tuesday night and played a solid all-around game while skating 17:57, including 2:21 on the penalty kill.

“I experienced playing against him when he played in Nashville, the Anaheim-Nashville series got pretty rowdy there,” said Brandon Montour, who skated alongside Irwin on Tuesday. “He's a professional. He's been around. He knows his role. … He's very vocal out there. So for myself, I never got a chance to play with him all year. Haven't had a consistent partner, so any time you get another guy that communicates like he does, it's very easy out there. He had a solid game and hopefully we can keep it up tonight.”

Here’s how the team lined up at practice Wednesday:

Here are the lines the Sabres are using today at practice. A couple taxi squad kids on ice too.Hall-Eichel-ReinhartOlofsson-Staal-CozensRieder- Eakin-Okposo Skinner-Lazar-SheahanMcCabe-Ristolainen Dahlin-Miller Irwin-MontourDavidson-BorgenExtras: Mittelstadt, Thompson

— Miguel Rodriguez (@miggyrod33) January 27, 2021

Strong start: According to Evolving-Hockey.com, the Sabres rank third in the NHL in limiting shot quality at 5 on 5, trailing only the Carolina 1200670 Buffalo Sabres eventually got split up because of it. Victor Olofsson moved to the top line, and Hall joined Eric Staal and Dylan Cozens.

“You look at our game,” Eichel said, “we haven’t really found any five-on- Linus Ullmark gives Sabres everything he can, which is good for a point five scoring yet.”

Of Buffalo’s 22 goals, only 12 have come at even strength. Krueger has By John Vogl Jan 28, 2021 begun mixing the lines during games, but the Sabres might be nearing the point where wholesale changes are necessary.

“More than anything, we managed the puck really, really badly,” Krueger BUFFALO, N.Y. — Even though the Sabres’ arena is empty, they still said. “We were too complicated. We were too slow with our puck announce the Three Stars after every home game. decisions.

Linus Ullmark got robbed. “Yeah, we’re definitely going to have to look deep at what happened here.” The Sabres goalie was named Second Star during Buffalo’s 3-2 overtime loss Thursday, sandwiched between the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin and Victor Olofsson: The left winger had 20 percent of the Sabres’ shots, Alexis Lafrenière. The New York forwards can make decent cases — finishing with five. Panarin claimed the top spot with a goal and assist, and No. 1 draft pick Lafrenière scored the winner in overtime for his first NHL goal — but they Fine also had teammates surrounding them. Jeff Skinner: He had three shots on five attempts. Might we finally see Ullmark was the only member of the Sabres to show up. him with Eichel or Staal this weekend? Skinner has no goals and one assist in eight games while sitting fifth on the team with 21 shots. A “Linus got us a point. There’s just no way to dance around that one,” right change could do him and the offense some good. wing Sam Reinhart said. Poor “He was the best player for us by far,” captain Jack Eichel said. Rasmus Dahlin: One of the WWE’s marquee events, the Royal Rumble, Ullmark stopped 36 of 39 shots and made sprawling pad saves look is this weekend. Dahlin should enter based on this third-period body routine. Of course, they needed to be part of his routine because the slam. Rangers circled the Sabres’ zone at will. Ullmark made six saves during a third-period penalty kill to keep the score tied at 2-2 and let Buffalo DAHLIN JUST ALMOST THREW THIS MAN OVER THE BOARDS have a chance in OT. #LETSGOBUFFALO #NYR PIC.TWITTER.COM/N3LM6LWEZL

Though Ullmark deserved a better fate than Lafrenière’s celebratory — BUFFALO HOCKEY MOMENTS (@SABRESPLAYS) JANUARY 29, shout piercing his ears, the Sabres sure didn’t. 2021

“Watching them skate around us, getting to pucks first, it’s not a recipe HELL YEA DAHLIN #LETSGOBUFFALO #NYR for success,” Reinhart said in KeyBank Center. PIC.TWITTER.COM/DBZRCRWDHU

The Sabres entered the night as unexpected analytics darlings. They — BUFFALO HOCKEY MOMENTS (@SABRESPLAYS) JANUARY 29, were tied for third with 33.3 shots per game. They ranked in the top 10 in 2021 fewest shots allowed at 27.7 and in Corsi at 53.3. Bad

They won’t rank that high when Lindy Ruff and the New Jersey Devils Jake McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen: They were the Sabres’ top visit this weekend. defense pair for seven games. They were due for a bad one. They had it, The Rangers had a 15-5 shot advantage after one period and 24-9 after getting buried in their zone. Now they have to bounce back. two. Buffalo rallied to make its final deficit 39-25, but the shot attempts So do the Sabres. told more of the story. New York buried the boys in royal blue 64-39. “That’s just about as bad as we played this year,” Eichel said. “We find a “It was one of those days where you kind of position yourself in a good way to get a point, thankfully, from good goaltending and our penalty kill spot where you can make a couple good saves,” Ullmark said. “It’s not coming up big, but we’ve got to find a way to play a lot better than that.” about being happy that I’m playing well. It’s the team success that matters in the end.” The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021

The Sabres slipped to 3-3-2 with the setback. It’s eight points in eight games, which is a decent start but not a pace that will end their playoff drought. They know it. Periods like the third will get them closer. Periods like the first and second will send them to the bottom of the East Division.

“We had two of our rougher periods in the season thus far,” coach Ralph Krueger said. “We definitely didn’t match the fight or intensity.”

Ullmark made up for it.

“He really looked like a top goalie in the world,” Krueger said. “It’s the most positive thing out of an overall disappointing night.”

Ullmark upped his save percentage to .915, which is the same figure as last season. But he’s trending up after making four consecutive starts.

“It was good to see him have a great effort,” Eichel said, “but we can’t rely on him like that repeatedly.”

Here’s the report card, based on Game Score by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn.

Good

Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel and : This is the first report card where the algorithm really differs from the eye test. Eichel, Reinhart and Hall were on the ice for both Buffalo goals, as Eichel and Reinhart found the net. But the trio was ineffective for most of the other shifts and 1200671 Calgary Flames “Teams go through it,” Ward said. “It probably would have been easier for us if we hadn’t lost the previous two games. It probably would have been easier to generate some emotion if we’d come in off a couple of wins or Flames 'lacked emotion' in loss to Habs off of a win.

“Coming off a couple of losses to Toronto in games that were tight and then getting behind again, I think as a team you have to learn how to Wes Gilbertson regroup and get through that stuff. We haven’t been faced with that yet this year. We saw it at points last year, too, where little things can

happen in a hockey game that will turn it. And once you get that first win, They’re suddenly stalled in the standings. things seem to go the other way. So it’s not tremendously concerning for me as long as we treat it the right way and come out with a better, fuller That, even just two weeks into a shortened season, is a concern for the 60-minute effort.” Calgary Flames. AROUND THE BOARDS This is just as worrisome. After Thursday’s 4-2 setback to the Canadiens in Montreal, a third-straight regulation loss for the Flames, a couple of One more post-game synopsis, this from Flames Noah key contributors pinpointed the missing ingredient. Hanifin: “I thought the details of our game in the first (period) were good, and we just have to keep that going for 60 minutes. That’s been a little bit “I just think we lacked some emotion,” said alternate captain Sean of a problem for us obviously lately, just kind of getting away from our Monahan. “You have to be invested emotionally in games and when game and playing with the right details for certain periods, and it has cost that’s lacking, it’s tough to get that momentum. us some trouble” … The Flames have now lost six straight dates with the Canadiens. They’ll try to snap out of that funk in Saturday’s rematch (5 “I think it’s been there, but tonight we took our foot off the gas a little bit. p.m. MT, CBC/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) … Rittich, who was an all-star last We have a good team. We have to play 60 minutes hard every night and season but lost his No. 1 job prior to the summer restart and had his when you do that, it’s contagious. Guys feed off of it. That’s how you’re second-string status cemented when the Flames signed Jacob going to win games.” Markstrom, was between the pipes for his first starting nod since March It’s hard to play catch-up in the NHL. 8, 2020. He finished with just 17 saves, but you’re not blaming the netminder for this loss. “It wasn’t on him. I don’t think he had a chance on The Flames were already aware of that, but the lesson was reinforced any of the first three goals,” Ward said. “For playing his first game, I Thursday at an empty Bell Centre in Montreal. thought he gave a good accounting of himself” … Thanks to Tyler Toffoli’s breakaway bury late in Thursday’s second period, the Habs have Despite a solid first period, much better than their early work in the already scored five shorties this season. Whoa. They had six in 71 previous defeat, they were trailing by a pair after 20 minutes. Both were games in 2019-20. power-play goals, including one that glanced off the stick of one of their own defenders. (It was a tough night for rookie rearguard Juuso Valimaki, OFF THE GLASS who was seated in the sin-bin when opened the scoring and then deflected Shea Weber’s blast — a shot that seemed to With an assist on Andersson’s power-play tally in the final minute, be destined to miss wide — past goalie David Rittich to make matters Johnny Gaudreau extended his point-streak to six games. His best bud, worse.) Monahan, couldn’t continue his own offensive roll. His spree ended at five … Flames forward Dillon Dube missed a third consecutive contest When Habs winger Josh Anderson batted a rebound out of mid-air to due to a lower-body injury but did participate in the morning skate at Bell extend the lead to 3-0 at the 8:21 mark of the second, the out-of-town Centre, a sign that he’s nearing a return to action. They’ve missed him … team really sagged. The Flames announced their -based farm team — the ’s — will relocate to Calgary for The Canadiens, to their credit, were opportunistic. That’s what you would this season due to cross-border travel restrictions. They’ll compete expect from the highest scoring squad in the NHL’s North Division — exclusively against four other AHL teams in Canada, although what they are averaging 4.71 snipes per night — and from a confident bunch they’re really working for is a promotion to the highest level. For could-be that now owns a 5-0-2 record. call-ups like Glenn Gawdin, Matthew Phillips and Alexander Yelesin, this The Flames did strike twice in the last 1:18, but that just dressed up the is a great opportunity knowing the decision-makers are always watching. final stat-line. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Milan Lucic spoiled ’s shutout bid with a deflection — the shot came courtesy of Sam Bennett, who may get a confidence-boost from his first point of the season — and then Rasmus Andersson squeezed one through the five-hole for a power-play marker with just 23 seconds remaining.

“I think, five-on-five, we were way better than them in the first and they get two power-play goals and after that, we’re kind of dead and not enough emotions,” said Flames centre Elias Lindholm. “That’s the point we need to push each other and keep building off what we did five-on- five in the first. I think we can all be better at that, and it’s gotta start quick here.”

Indeed, in a 56-game sprint, you can’t allow a skid to snowball.

Less than a week ago, the Flames had yet to lose in regulation, rolling to an early 2-0-1 mark. Everything was hunky-dory.

Now, after back-to-back setbacks to the and Thursday’s bummer in Montreal, they’re 2-3-1 and need to get back on track … and soon. Remember, they’ve been warning since the start of training camp that it would be difficult in the condensed schedule to erase the damage done by any extended slide.

Saturday’s response, as they close out a two-game set against the Canadiens, will be telling. The one emotion they don’t want is frustration.

After Thursday’s defeat, Flames head coach Geoff Ward stressed the importance of being able to manufacture some positive energy — perhaps with a blocked shot or big hit — but he wasn’t pushing panic. 1200672 Calgary Flames COVID-19 testing — and further isolation — upon arrival, with the first on-ice sessions no earlier than Feb. 12.

According to Thursday’s league press release, the WHL will implement a Exciting day at Saddledome as Heat relocate, Hitmen set return date private testing program throughout the season “to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health.”

Wes Gilbertson “We have our own Hitmen return-to-play committee with four medical professionals on it, and (team vice-president) Mike Moore is also the chairman of the Western Hockey League return-to-play committee,” Chynoweth said. “So we have been working extensively with the Western The is about to get a whole lot busier. Hockey League and Alberta Health and our chief medical officer in Thursday delivered a double-shot of exciting news for the local hockey Edmonton to cover everything. It’s a big task and a big undertaking, but scene — the Flames confirmed that their farm club will be relocated to we are going to do this and we’re going to do it right, and our players Calgary for this soon-to-start season due to cross-border travel know they’re going to have to make some sacrifices if they want to play restrictions, while provincial health authorities also green-lighted the hockey. It’s different than it was in March and we all have to adjust Hitmen and four other Alberta-based WHL squads to drop the puck in accordingly. late February. “But the protocols that are in place, to me, are second-to-none. I think all That means a hat-trick of high-level teams will soon be playing in this the groups that have been part of it should be commended for their hard city, although none will be allowed to have fans in attendance. work.”

It could be a scheduling headache, but you won’t catch any of the With no start date for those WHL teams located outside of Alberta, pucksters complaining. Flames puck-stopping prospect Dustin Wolf (Everett Silvertips) and first- rounder forward Connor Zary () will be permitted to suit “Ultimately, we had to make a decision on what was best for us this year, up for the Heat. knowing all the different factors — COVID-19-related, travel-related, health-related, NHL protocol-related,” said Flames assistant general Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 manager Brad Pascall after Thursday’s announcement that, as had been rumoured, the AHL’s Stockton Heat would be moving north for 2021. “We felt this was the best decision for us organizationally in this environment, to have a provisional relocation of our team here to Calgary and have them close by.”

The Flames’ top affiliate has been based in Stockton, Calif., for the past five campaigns, a relatively smooth setup when a call-up simply had to drive about 140 km and catch a flight out of San Francisco. Typically, they could be on the ice at the Saddledome — or elsewhere, if the NHLers were on a road-trip — later that day.

That’s not possible, of course, with the current quarantine requirements.

So instead, the Flames’ farmhands will stay put in Calgary. In the case of a promotion to the active roster or the six-man taxi squad, they’ll be switching locker-rooms, not countries.

While the details of the schedule have yet to be released, the Heat will compete in an all-Canadian division with the (Ottawa), (Montreal), Moose (Winnipeg) and (Toronto). The AHL season starts up Feb. 5.

It should be encouraging for Stockton’s skaters — many of them already in town after attending training camp with the Flames — to know they’ll constantly have the opportunity to impress Brad Treliving and the rest of the higher-ups.

“They won’t exactly be rubbing elbows with the (NHL) players … As per the protocols, we’re separated and spaced out, which is great because it keeps everyone safe,” said Pascall, who doubles as general manager of the Heat. “But to be playing and practising in the same building and knowing the staff is around and able to watch … Those are exciting aspects for the players, for sure.”

You can bet the Hitmen players were also pumped Thursday. There hasn’t been any action on their major-junior circuit since the initial wave of pandemic shutdowns.

As general manager Jeff Chynoweth put it, “they haven’t been able to do what they love since last March so to get back and be with their teammates and to compete at a high level … They’ll be really excited about that opportunity.”

Thanks to the approval of the province, the five Alberta-based squads in the WHL — the Hitmen, , Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers and — will open their season Feb. 26.

Each team will play a 24-game slate, but they will be scheduled against a maximum of one opponent per week as a health precaution and there will be a five-day break prior to facing off with another foe. For that reason, all matchups will be on weekends.

All players and staff will be required to self-quarantine starting Saturday and will report to their teams the following weekend. There will be 1200673 Calgary Flames

Flames goalie Rittich tabbed for first start of season against Canadiens

Wes Gilbertson

It’s both a tough task and a terrific opportunity.

Calgary Flames backup netminder David Rittich will be between the pipes for Thursday’s date with the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre (5 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West).

It marks Rittich’s first start of the season, and it comes against the NHL’s top-scoring team. The Habs are averaging 4.83 goals per game in six outings so far.

The 28-year-old Rittich was an all-star last winter but lost the No. 1 job prior to the playoffs and was cemented as second-stringer when the Flames signed star puck-stopper Jacob Markstrom as a free agent. He hasn’t started a game since March 8, 2020.

“We want him to have the mindset of a starting goaltender. We want him to push to be the starting goalie,” said Flames head coach Geoff Ward of Rittich.

“We’re not asking him to do anything different. We just want him to go out and play his game. He has looked good. He’s ready to go. His confidence is high. We expect that he’ll do what he normally does for us in net tonight.

“Getting him back in action is critical and I think it’s important for us to be really good away from the puck early just to get him into the game a little bit and feel it. But then after the first couple of minutes, what he does naturally is going to take over and then he’ll be in the flow of the hockey game.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200674 Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau 0-2-2 -2

CANADIENS’ LINEUP

Game Night: Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens Forwards

Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Wes Gilbertson Jonathan Drouin – Nick Suzuki – Josh Anderson

Tyler Toffoli – – Corey Perry

Calgary Flames (2-2-1) at Montreal Canadiens (4-0-2) Artturi Lehkonen – – Paul Byron

Thursday, 5 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan Defence pairings

Saturday, 5 p.m. MT, CBC/Sportsnet 960 The Fan Ben Chiarot – Shea Weber

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

ROAD RECIPE – Alexander Romanov

The Canadiens started this season on a historic road roll, returning from Goalies a six-game junket with a 4-0-2 record. The 2021 Habs are just the second team in NHL lore to collect points in each of their first half-dozen Carey Price dates — when all six were played in enemy territory. Thursday marks Jake Allen their home-opener at Bell Centre, but they certainly would be satisfied with another road effort. FLAMES’ LINEUP

DYNAMIC DUO Forwards

After rampant off-season speculation they could be trade-bait, or at least Matthew Tkachuk – Elias Lindholm – Dominik Simon be separated as linemates, Flames forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Andrew Mangiapane Monahan are doing their darnedest to silence the critics. The best buddies connected on a pair of tallies Tuesday in Calgary’s 4-3 loss to Milan Lucic – Mikael Backlund – Sam Bennett the Maple Leafs — Gaudreau’s first two-snipe night since December 2019 — and share the team lead with seven points each. Joakim Nordstrom – Derek Ryan – Josh Leivo

TRACKING TOFFOLI Defence pairings

The good news is that Tyler Toffoli has never donned the Flaming C. The Mark Giordano – Rasmus Andersson 28-year-old winger — signed by the Canadiens in free agency — just Noah Hanifin – Chris Tanev torched one of his former teams, racking up five goals during a three- game set against the Canucks in Vancouver. The crew from Calgary will Juuso Valimaki – Nikita Nesterov try to cool off the NHL’s reigning first star-of-the-week. Goalies POTENT POWER-PLAY Jacob Markstrom The Habs are averaging nearly five minor penalties per game and will need to be on their best behaviour against this particular foe. The David Rittich Flames’ power-play has been capitalizing at a stellar clip, with eight man- SPECIAL TEAMS advantage markers to show for their 24 opportunities. Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm lead the charge with four power-play points apiece. Canadiens: PP 26.1% (12th), 78.6% (15th)

THIS N’ THAT Flames: PP 33.3% (6th), PK 83.3% (12th)

The Canadiens have been idle since their 5-2 victory in Vancouver on INJURIES Saturday. That night, Carey Price became the fourth active goalie to hit the 350-win plateau … Flames forward Dillon Dube remains day-to-day Canadiens: C Joel Armia (concussion) with a lower-body injury … The Flames have lost five straight matchups Flames: RW Dillon Dube (lower body) against Montreal. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Season Series (2019-20)

Montreal 2-0-0, 6 GF

Calgary 0-1-1, 3 GF

Previous scores

Dec. 19, 2019: Montreal 4, CALGARY 3 (OT)

Jan. 13, 2020: MONTREAL 2, Calgary 0

Team scoring leaders vs. opponent (2019-20)

CANADIENS vs. FLAMES

Jordan Weal 1-1-2 +2

Artturi Lehkonen 0-2-2 +2

Ben Chiarot 0-1-1 +4

FLAMES vs. CANADIENS

Elias Lindholm 1-1-2 -1

Matthew Tkachuk 1-1-2 -1 1200675 Calgary Flames preseason games, so teams not being complete right off the hop was expected. But not starting on time, or not playing a full 60 minutes is not a new issue for this Flames core.

Flames’ mixed-bag start: Bottom six woes, solid defence, Johnny That needs to change. Gaudreau watch The fourth line (and bottom six) is an issue

After the first game of the season — a 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets — I By Hailey Salvian Jan 28, 2021 raised the point that the Flames’ bottom six would be a work in progress. After five games, that remains true, especially when it comes to the fourth line. After a smooth start with five points out of a possible six in their first three games, the Calgary Flames came out of a five-day layoff with two straight There aren’t many teams with fans who would say they love their fourth regulation losses in a measuring stick series against what many believe line. But the Flames’ fourth line has consistently dragged down play at to be the best team in Canada. five-on-five. That’s by the eye test and the underlying numbers.

That brings them to a .500 record after five games, with two games on The most used fourth-line combinations has been Milan Lucic and Derek deck against the Maple Leafs’ main competitor for the top of the North Ryan with either Dominik Simon or Joakim Nordstrom. Division in the Montreal Canadiens. Then, another slate of games With Simon on that line, shot attempts have been 14-6 in favour of the against Winnipeg, Vancouver and, for the first time this season, the Flames’ opponents. With Nordstrom, shot attempts are a bit more level, Edmonton Oilers. but still not great, at 9-7 in favour of the opposition. Simon has played the The Flames are now in the midst of a 20 games in 37 days stretch. It’s last few games with Gaudreau and Monahan, so Nordstrom has been on not going to be easy, but we knew that heading into this condensed the fourth line. season with every game against Canadian opponents. Both of the above fourth-line combinations have failed to score, or Before we buckle up for what’s going to be a busy few weeks, let’s get register a point — Lucic did score on Tuesday, and has one assist, but into what’s gone wrong and right for the Flames so far. the goal came after being moved to the third line late in the second period. Starting on time The third line, typically featuring Mikael Backlund and Sam Bennett, If the first period against the Vancouver Canucks last week was a slow hasn’t produced much offensively, either. start for the Flames — the team only registered four shots on goal — the opening frame against the Leafs on Tuesday was even worse. Backlund has one goal and one assist at five-on-five. Josh Leivo has one assist and Bennett has yet to register a point. The Flames failed to register a shot on goal in the first 15 minutes of the game on Tuesday. By the time they landed their first shot on goal, with If we look at the expected goal percentage of the Flames’ forwards, the 4:17 remaining in the period, the Leafs had already scored two goals. bottom six is getting outchanced at five-on-five.

And it wasn’t just bad puck luck, or Toronto becoming a defensive Ryan, Bennett and Nordstrom have struggled, with xG percentages juggernaut. The Flames were sleepwalking. They didn’t move their feet, below 40 percent, which means they are giving up far more offence than didn’t win any puck battles, and couldn’t stay in the offensive zone. they have generated. Further, using expected goals against per 60 minutes, the bottom six has been allowing far more shot attempts than “The first period was awful from our whole team, other than (Jacob the top six. Markstrom),” Johnny Gaudreau said after the game. “We just didn’t show up in the first … Thankfully we got back into it a little bit, and I thought we Lucic, for all the criticism he gets, is the only bottom six forward who is played a lot better in the second and third, but that was just an awful first doing much defensively, with the lowest expected goals against among period from us.” the group (2.04).

He’s not wrong. The Flames came out flat and were outworked and Similarly to last season, most of the scoring has come from the Flames’ outclassed from puck drop until the end of the period. By end of the first, top six, and predominately from Gaudreau, Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk Toronto had outshot Calgary 10-1 and heavily controlled play. and Elias Lindholm.

“We didn’t start on time, that’s for sure,” head coach Geoff Ward said To be fair, some of the struggles of the bottom six appear to be about postgame. “We got outworked early, and we were really porous. We finding the right personnel, and the ripple effect from losing Dillon Dube looked like we’d never tracked before in our life. I thought we were very, to a lower-body injury. very poor with respect to our details, with our tracking early. I thought we In Dube’s absence, Andrew Mangiapane has been moved to Tkachuk were soft on our forecheck, too soft. I thought our puck control wasn’t and Lindholm’s line. Mangiapane has the ability to play anywhere and will there. All-in-all, not a good first period.” provide a boost up and down the lineup, and that has certainly been on The Flames played much better in the second and third period and display. But what he’s injected to the top line has been taken away from controlled play for much of the final 40 minutes. Shot attempts at five-on- the third line, and without him, Backlund and Bennett have appeared less five in the second period were 26-16 in favour of Calgary, and slightly effective in the offensive zone. less dominant in the third at 14-10, but still in favour of the Flames. They Shot attempts were 16-13 for the Flames with Mangiapane on a line with made a game of it, but its hard to win games when a team puts up two Bennett and Backlund. Replacing Mangiapane with Leivo and the Flames goals in the opening period. have similarly allowed 12 shots attempts, but have only recorded eight of “You’re trailing early and you’re playing catchup the rest of the game,” their own. So they aren’t driving play as effectively and are not said Sean Monahan. generating the same amount of offence.

“That’s not the way we’re going to win games,” added Gaudreau. There is still a lot to like about the Flames’ forwards, and the early issues could prove to be easy fixes, especially if one of Leivo or Simon can find This isn’t a new trend. As mentioned, the Flames also started poorly in some consistency and help shore up the right wing position. their second of two games against the Canucks last week. After shutting out Vancouver in Game 1, Calgary came out flat in Game 2, registered The return of Dube will help a lot too. Ward said Tuesday that Dube was four shots on goal and were outpaced by a struggling Canucks team. The close to being ready to play but they would err on the side of caution. Flames only controlled the puck 32 percent of the period at five-on-five. The blue line Ultimately they came back to win the game with two complete periods, and their resolve not to crumble after a bad opening was a good sign. Heading into the season, the Flames’ blue line did not appear to be as deep as last year. However, having two games out of five where you’re playing catchup for the final two periods isn’t how you’re going to be successful. Certainly not In analyzing the opening night roster earlier this month using the game against teams like Toronto with firepower in Auston Matthews and Mitch score value added model, I wrote: “Replacing Brodie (1.2), Forbort (0.0) Marner. The obvious caveat here is that it’s still early. And there was no and Gustafsson (0.5) with Tanev (0.1), Valimaki (0.1) and Nesterov (0.0) With games ramping up, Ward says the Flames will certainly tap into the is projected to be a downgrade.” depth of players they have on the taxi squad.

Through five games, it looks like that projection is inaccurate, as the “Although it’s been a little bit dry for them in the first couple of weeks Flames’ defensive depth has looked quite solid. here, I think they’re going to get fast and furious into the mix,” he said. “We got some real good players, we got some NHL-ready players that “We’ve taken some real positive steps,” Ward said about the blue line. “I are there, in shape, and we won’t hesitate to use them as we need think it’s been building since the playoffs last summer and we continue to them.” make strides there … We like our depth a lot.” Gaudreau comeback Since the start of training camp, the Flames have rolled out these pairings: I won’t linger here, because I’ve already written over 3,000 words on the potential comeback for Gaudreau. But I would be remiss if I didn’t Mark Giordano – Rasmus Andersson reiterate that his play in the first five games has indicated that 2019-20 Noah Hanifin – Chris Tanev was a uniquely bad season. We should see Gaudreau’s game return to an elite level. Juuso Valimaki – Nikita Nesterov GAMES NEEDED BY JOHNNY GAUDREAU TO GET TO FOUR Surprisingly, the pairing that’s given up the most chances per 60 minutes GOALS: has been Giordano and Andersson (2.44 xGA). Much of that can be explained by matchups, as they typically play against the other team’s – 2020-21 | 5 top line. League average expected goals against per 60 is around 2.5, so – 2019-20 | 18 it’s not a great start for the pairing, but there shouldn’t be any long-term worries. – 2018-19 | 8

Valimaki and Nesterov have allowed the most goals against (5), but have – 2017-18 | 15 looked to be a solid duo on the third pair. That’s something the Flames haven’t had the luxury of in quite some time. – 2016-17 | 15

GOOD START FOR THE VALMAKI/NESTEROV PAIRING IN CGY. IT’S – 2015-16 | 15 VERY EARLY, BUT HAVING AN ABOVE THIRD PAIRING WOULD BE – 2014-15 | 24 A NICE LUXURY. I CAN’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THE CLUB’S THIRD PAIRING WASN’T MOSTLY A LIABILITY. TWO OBSERVATIONS:

— KENT WILSON (@KENT_WILSON) JANUARY 20, 2021 1. JOHNNY 'SNIPER' HOCKEY OFF TO HIS FASTEST START

The biggest takeaway on the blue line, though, has been the play of 2. IT'S GAUDREAU'S SEVENTH SEASON ALREADY? WOWZERS! Hanifin and Tanev. The duo has played the most minutes at five-on-five — DARREN HAYNES (@DARRENWHAYNES) JANUARY 27, 2021 (70:13), has the lowest expected goals against per 60 (1.05) and has yet to get scored on. He has four goals and seven points through five games, which leads the team, and has looked confident making plays and carrying the puck, two Hanifin is playing some of his best hockey, and his effort level has been pillars of his game. Look at this example from Tuesday: consistently high. For example, on Tuesday, William Nylander took the puck off Gaudreau on the blue line and had a clear breakaway. Hanifin I know the play was blown offside, but the confidence and skill to pull this got back and effortlessly broke up the play: off is impressive. It looks like Johnny Hockey is back.

After climbing back to within one goal, that’s exactly what you want to The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 see out of your defenders. Maybe not so much Gaudreau, but it’s a great play all the same.

Meanwhile, Tanev is doing exactly what he did in Vancouver, and that’s blocking shots, getting his stick in shooting and passing lanes, making good reads and being an overall steadying presence. Together, their chemistry has been very good.

Just look at the way they read off each other on this play:

There is a lot going on here, and some sloppy moves by the Flames with the puck, but the duo read everything perfectly and don’t allow the Leafs to get a high danger chance off on Jacob Markstrom. Ultimately, Tanev breaks up the play and gets the puck out of the zone.

They also lead the defence pairings with three goals while they are on the ice.

When will we see the taxi squad?

Through five games, the Flames have yet to use their taxi squad, though they yo-yo Ryan and Oliver Kylington between the taxi squad and the active roster before and after every game. Kylington is an insurance call- up on game days in case there is a last minute injury on the blue line. Ryan is being sent up and down as a paper transaction to save his daily cap hit.

Other than that, nobody has been called up from the taxi squad to jump into the lineup due to injury, rest, or COVID-19 related reasons. That’s a good thing for the health of the roster. But not great for the five players who have only been seen in practice.

“It’s been bad for our extra people so far, to be honest with you,” Ward said. “Because the games have been so few and far between.”

The Flames played three games the first week of the season, then had five days off. But, as mentioned earlier, the team is about to get busy, as they’re two games into their 20 games in 37 days stretch. 1200676 Carolina Hurricanes At the other end of the spectrum of the short-term “prove it” deals, are contracts like Connor’s. He signed a massive seven-year, $50 million deal with the Jets in September 2019 after setting career-highs in goals (34) and assists (32) in 2018-19. Hurricanes’ Svechnikov Poised For Big Raise in 2021-22 Kyle Connor Winnipeg Jets

That marked the second straight 30-goal season for Connor, who took a January 28, 2021 by Matt Cosman slower path of development to the NHL than Svechnikov. Connor didn’t sign his big contract until he was 22. His deal will also take him into

unrestricted free agency (UFA) in 2026. For Svechnikov, anything shorter The Carolina Hurricanes have played just three games this season due than a seven-year deal will keep him under RFA status, which is to COVID-19 concerns, but once they get back on track Thursday, they’ll preferable for the Hurricanes. only have a few short months before the end of the season is in sight. The reason Connor draws the best comparison to Svechnikov is simply With a schedule that’s both abbreviated and condensed, the offseason the player’s commitment to the team. There’s no doubt Svechnikov is will be coming sooner than anticipated. And as it currently stands, the adored in North Carolina by both fans and teammates, and Hurricanes’ Hurricanes still seem to have no extension in place for pending restricted brass certainly wants to keep him around for a long time. As long as free agent (RFA) Andrei Svechnikov. there’s a mutual sense of commitment from both player and team, they’ll be able to overcome any financial hurdles. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes C Pierre-Luc Dubois, Columbus Blue Jackets The 20-year-old Russian winger currently leads the team in goals (three) and points (five), as the Hurricanes leaped to a 2-1-0 start. In a 68-game Signed two-year, $10 million contract in 2020 sophomore season last year, he scored 61 points, which was just five Dubois signed a two-year, $10 million extension with the Blue Jackets on points off the team-lead. Dec. 31, 2020, only to be turned over to the Jets three weeks later. It was Svechnikov is undoubtedly on pace for an explosive year, but as the an exchange of the 2016 second-overall pick – Patrik Laine – and the season carries on, his value only grows, which will make it more difficult 2016 third-overall pick, Dubois. to sign him to an affordable contract. So as we ponder how much #NHLJets have acquired forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round Svechnikov could command on his first major contract, let’s take a look at pick in the 2022 #NHLDraft in exchange for forwards Patrik Laine and some comparables. Jack Roslovic. C Mat Barzal, New York Islanders DETAILS https://t.co/nh9a2XK00Z pic.twitter.com/xQAYVAysWb Signed three-year, $21 million contract in 2021 — Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 23, 2021 Fresh in the memory of Islanders fans, Barzal’s RFA status cost him the Since Svechnikov was a second-overall pick himself in 2018, both beginning of training camp until the Islanders finally signed him to a Dubois and Laine, who both recently had signed extensions, make for three-year, $21 million contract on Jan. 9. good comparables. Barzal scored at a similar pace to Svechnikov last season, netting Dubois is also a center and was the No. 1 pivot for Columbus the last two himself 60 points in 68 games, leading the Islanders in scoring. He also seasons. While he saw a dip in production in his contract year in 2019- collected 17 points in 22 playoff games as he piloted the Islanders to the 20, he put on a strong showing with 10 points in 10 games in last Eastern Conference Final. season’s playoffs. It seems like that wasn’t enough to warrant a major Mathew Barzal New York Islanders contract, however, as his $5 million AAV, and two-year term, is the lowest among players on this list. While Svechnikov is a winger, centers tend to get an extra drop in the bucket when it comes to contract negotiations. Barzal is also the team’s RW Patrik Laine, Jets most coveted forward and is three years Svechnikov’s senior at 23 years Signed two-year, $13.5 million contract in 2019 old. He’d be more comparable to a Sebastian Aho. The other side of the coin, Laine, also saw a dip in production during the Those factors, along with the stagnation of the NHL’s salary cap, make a season before his extension. He scored just 50 points in 2018-19, after $7 million average annual value (AAV) contract like Barzal’s, very much netting 44 goals and 70 points the year before. Laine, similarly to Dubois, dependent on this season’s performance. landed a two-year contract in September of 2019 worth $6.75 million LW Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames annually.

Signed three-year, $21 million contract in 2019 The now-Blue Jackets’ right winger bears few similarities to Svechnikov, apart from their knack for scoring. Laine may be a deadlier shooter, but So let’s talk wingers. Tkachuk signed an identical contract to Barzal – Svechnikov has a more complete game. three years, $21 million – with the Flames in September of 2019. Tkachuk was also in a similar situation as Svechnikov is now, where he Bridge Deal vs. Long-Term Contract played on the top power play unit, but primarily on the second line at The difference in comparing Svechnikov to the players on this list is he even strength. hasn’t actually played out his contract year yet. Lack of consistency has Tkachuk was also coming off a stellar 2018-19 season when he inked the plagued many players in this stage of their careers before, but deal. He contributed 77 points (34 goals, 43 assists), 207 shots, and 104 Svechnikov has shown remarkable poise for a player at such a young hits in 80 games as the Flames finished second in the NHL with 107 age. And if the early goings of this season are any sign, confidence will points. not be an issue.

Matthew Tkachuk Calgary Flames It’s not uncommon for high-end players coming off their entry-level contracts to opt for short-term deals. These bridge contracts allow young Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) players to prove they can meet, or even exceed, the expectations put on them. They’re also seen as low-risk from the general manager’s While Svechnikov isn’t quite the game-changing agitator Tkachuk is perspective, which can make complex negotiations, like Laine’s or every night, he does have a bite to his game that doesn’t always come in Dubois’, easier to resolve. players with his talent. If he hopes to earn a contract upwards of $7 million a year, he needs to prove he can drive his own line like Barzal, or However, because Svechnikov is such an important gear in the be a catalyst like Tkachuk. And he’s not far off from either of those labels. Hurricanes’ machine, there may be incentive to get a long-term deal done now. LW Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets Final Verdict Signed seven-year, $50 million contract in 2019 As it stands, the Hurricanes will have a chunk of cap relief at the conclusion of the season. Pending UFAs include Ryan Dzingel, Brock McGinn, Jordan Martinook, James Reimer and Petr Mrazek. They all currently carry cap hits of $2 million or above.

If the Hurricanes go the long-term route, Svechnikov could net anywhere from $7-9 million per season. If the Hurricanes want to be stingier, or in the event of a serious injury or other disruption of the season, they may prefer to go with a smaller bridge deal. In that case, the Hurricanes may try to bump that number below $7 million AAV.

Andrei Svechnikov Carolina Hurricanes

Svechnikov has all the tools needed to evolve into one of the league’s top forwards. If he remains healthy throughout the season, he should easily command a contract in the neighborhood of a Barzal, Tkachuk, or Connor. The only question then, will be the term.

Signing pending UFA Dougie Hamilton will be the team’s other top priority. After Hamilton and Svechnikov are locked up, it’ll be up to general manager Don Waddell to decide which – if any – UFAs to retain with the remaining cap space.

The Hurricanes’ only other area of concern is their goaltending. Assuming they can come to terms with Svechnikov and Hamilton, the rest of the team’s core will be locked up for the next several years. That’s why the events of the 2020-21 season will be so crucial for the future success of the Hurricanes’ franchise.

The Hockey Writers LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200677 Carolina Hurricanes “Stevie, you’re never going to believe it!” Mark said, yelling down to the basement. “Seney got drafted, and he’s going to the Devils.”

About two minutes later, Steven walked up the stairs. Welcome to the NHL, Steven Lorentz: ‘You root for guys like that’ “Yeah, you think that’s cool, Dad?” He grinned. “Well, I just got drafted.”

Steven had been passed over in his first year of draft eligibility — and By Sara Civian Jan 28, 2021 countless times before — because of his once-small stature. He’d always had an unmistakable vision and passion for the game, but as Mark put it, “the other guys started growing and he didn’t.” So the took him 226th in the 12th round of the 2012 OHL draft. And Some things just had to be different as Steven Lorentz made his NHL despite two solid years of playing with and against the best competition debut Thursday in front of a PNC Arena audience of cardboard cutouts, there is, Steven wasn’t taken in the 2014 NHL Draft. Even after stark but he said it himself Wednesday: “Hockey is hockey.” improvement in the 2014-15 season, he didn’t make NHL Central So in that spirit, his rookie lap lived on. Scouting’s final draft rankings (his buddy, Seney, was player No. 198 of 210). THE SOLO LAP FOR @SLORENTZ96 PIC.TWITTER.COM/LSPIT61FLV “He was a late bloomer,” Mark explained. “My wife and I were also late bloomers. So all of the sudden boys are taller and bigger and stronger — CAROLINA HURRICANES (@CANES) JANUARY 28, 2021 and faster, and (the OHL draft was) when things started to slow down a little bit. The odds of making it to that club in Peterborough? Slim to none. He glanced at each corner of the arena while he made his rounds. That’s But he didn’t give up. where he’d find his dad, Mark, in a parallel universe unaffected by COVID-19. In this universe, the Lorentzes — Mark, Karon and their three “The first camp he went to, we sat at a table with one of the season ticket daughters — were hovered around their televisions Thursday, all the way holders. One of the older guys looks over and goes, ‘Who’s this little out in locked-down Waterloo, Ontario. The “thousands” of people Mark fellow?’ says helped Steven along the way were watching, too, as the 24-year-old winger graduated from the ECHL, to the AHL, back to the ECHL, back to “I go, ‘This is our son, he’s drafted to the Petes.’ the AHL, to the taxi squad, to the show. “And he goes, ‘Really? He plays hockey?’ “We want to be at the game so bad,” Mark said in an interview with The “Stevie was like 5-foot-9, 138 pounds, and the next morning he had to Athletic on Wednesday. “Stevie called today and I said, ‘Well, when you scrimmage with guys who were like 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4. I was thinking, ‘Oh, go out there tomorrow, you know where I’ll be, right?’ I always stood man, I hope he doesn’t get killed out here.’ down in the corner, away from all the other parents. Early on when he was playing, because he was playing at a very high level and was “But he went out and he managed.” successful, it was frustrating listening to what other parents would say, so I would just go to the other corner, like the far end, and just watch by A young Steven Lorentz winning the “Ranger for a day” contest. myself. He got used to that. So I told him I’ll be there.” (Courtesy of the Lorentz family)

With five NHL regulars out of the Hurricanes lineup because of COVID- The Canes took a chance on the winger with a seventh-round pick, No. 19 protocol, Lorentz assumed a familiar role as next man up, this time to 186, in the 2015 draft, and now he’s 6-4 and 205 pounds. the left of Canes captain Jordan Staal. On the eve of Lorentz’s NHL debut, his father recalled the moment he “The kid was great,” Staal said. “I could tell right away. He was feeling was drafted and got choked up, taking a few seconds to collect himself. pretty comfortable, he’s got great speed. I just told him to use his legs. I “I’m sorry, it’s still emotional to this day,” he said. “It was amazing. His was saying, ‘You go get the pucks and find me backdoor,’ just joking dream came true at that point. As we know, it’s still been a long, slow around with him. I think he had a great game. He skated well, made journey, but you know what? He works hard every day. He has a some great plays and did what he had to do.” on his face every day. It’s not work to him — it’s a labor of love. He just Lorentz recorded 14:41 in ice time in the Hurricanes’ 1-0 overtime win does it because he loves it, and we’re so pleased.” against the Lightning, including a shot on goal, two hits and 38 seconds Of all the things Mark is excited about as his son lives his dream, his of work on the penalty kill. That penalty-kill opportunity is nothing to scoff favorite part of Steven’s NHL debut is simple: “Just how happy he’ll be,” at when your coach is Rod Brind’Amour, who clearly has taken a liking to he said. the kid. “At 4 years old, when most kids are saying they’d like to be a fireman or “You talk to the guy, and you come away with a smile on your face. He’s whatever, Stevie announced to us that he was going to play pro hockey. I just happy to be alive, happy to have this opportunity to play in the NHL,” chuckle because I had a sense of how hard that is. We tell all of our kids, Brind’Amour said Wednesday. “He wants to contribute. He doesn’t just like, ‘Dream. . Do whatever you want to do — but you want to check off the list that he played a game in the NHL. He wants to gotta keep things in perspective.’ But no, he said right from the get-go, do something special. You root for guys like that.” ‘I’m going to do what it takes to make it,’ and hard work pays off.” It’s true — you’re taken aback by Lorentz’s radical positivity and The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 enthusiasm. It’s contagious even via Zoom, even as he was about to embark on a moment he’d dreamed about since he was 4 years old, minus one minor detail: a pandemic.

As Brind’Amour said, Lorentz’s journey is about more than just making the NHL. He’s pursuing something special.

“Maybe it’s a chip on my shoulder, that internal drive that maybe sets me apart,” Lorentz said. “I’ve always kind of believed in myself. Maybe it’s cliche, but I just like coming to the rink with a happy, positive mindset.”

Talk to his dad for a few minutes and you’ll understand why.

It was Canada Day weekend 2015, so naturally, a Waterloo, Ontario, native family like the Lorentzes was at the cottage. Mark and Karon’s only son, whom they call Stevie, was suffering from a bit of tonsillitis and hanging out in the basement. Mark was listening to the NHL Draft on the radio, and he heard one of Steven’s juniors teammates, Brett Seney, get the call. 1200678

Blackhawks sign Madison Bowey to two-year contract, providing defensive depth and expansion-draft insurance

The contract carries a mild $725,000 cap hit and gives the Blackhawks an easy defenseman to expose to .

By Ben Pope

The Blackhawks finally added another depth defenseman to their system Thursday, signing former Capitals and Red Wings defenseman Madison Bowey.

Bowey’s two-year contract is two-way for this season — and he was on waivers Thursday, so he likely will be assigned to the taxi squad or the American Hockey League on Friday — but becomes one-way next season. It carries a manageable $725,000 cap hit.

Bowey, 25, is rather experienced, however. He has appeared in 154 NHL games, compared with only 10 AHL games, in the last three seasons.

The 6-2, 202-pounder had three goals and 14 assists in 53 games for the Red Wings last season, but he also had an ugly 42.6% on-ice scoring- chance ratio (although that was fairly typical for the Red Wings).

He was a second-round draft pick by the Capitals in 2013 and once was considered a decent prospect.

It has seemed plausible for a while that the Hawks would bolster their organizational defensive depth. They entered Thursday with only 13 defensemen under NHL contract, and two of them (Brent Seabrook with a back injury and Adam Boqvist with COVID-19) are out. Plus, only three (Connor Murphy, Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula) of the 11 active ones are right-handed shots, as Bowey is.

The Rockford IceHogs opened their training camp this week with only eight defensemen, and only three of them are on NHL contracts.

But the biggest benefit derived from signing Bowey — and the obvious reason his contract is for two years — is the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

Every team, including the Hawks, will be required to expose at least one experienced defenseman. Bowey will meet the experience parameters after one more NHL game, according to CapFriendly. He would be a no- brainer for exposure.

Murphy is the only other Hawks defenseman eligible for exposure who currently meets the parameters. Nikita Zadorov would meet them once he is re-signed for next season, and Calvin de Haan would meet them if he plays in 32 of the Hawks’ remaining 48 games. But the Hawks well might want to protect all three of those guys or look to deal one or two of them for future assets before the trade deadline April 12.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200679 Chicago Blackhawks Having stabilized his own health, Carcillo has turned his focus toward helping others and growing Wesana.

Alongside co-founder Chad Bronstein, who provides the entrepreneurial Daniel Carcillo, ex-Blackhawks enforcer-turned-CEO, hopes to heal expertise to balance Carcillo’s not-so-helpful-now sports background — fellow TBI survivors with psilocybin mushrooms Carcillo says his hockey-enforcer career made him “a person that I despised” — the company has quickly become one of the fastest-growing The former Blackhawks enforcer used psilocybin to recover from in the psychedelics realm. concussions suffered during his NHL career. Now he’s the CEO of a company that just raised $4 million and begins preclinical trials this year. Carcillo’s opinion of his former self somewhat aligns with the contentious nature of his relationship with the NHL since his retirement.

The 429-game veteran and two-time Stanley Cup winner has frequently By Ben Pope Jan 28, 2021, 6:30am CST criticized the league and the Hawks for mishandling and downplaying concussions, such as that of former Hawks defenseman Steve Montador,

whose 2015 death weighed heavily on him. Carcillo and another ex- Six years ago, Daniel Carcillo retired from the NHL and the Blackhawks. Hawk, Nick Boynton, filed a lawsuit in 2018 alleging the NHL withheld information about TBI from players. Two years ago, having made essentially no progress recovering from the many traumatic brain injuries (or TBI) he suffered during his playing Wesana’s potential to create positive change, though, has inspired career, Carcillo hit rock bottom. Carcillo to try to bridge that gap.

Now, Carcillo feels largely healed, healthy and happy. He’s the CEO of a He recently spoke with Glenn Healy, director of the NHL Alumni new company he co-founded, Wesana Health, that just closed on $4 Association, and has a meeting scheduled next week with the million in financing. association’s medical staff.

And in 10 to 12 weeks, Wesana will begin preclinical trials on psychedelic “I know that there’s former guys suffering, [and] I know we can help drug-assisted therapy — primarily using a compound found in psilocybin guys,” Carcillo said. “This is all very new to them, so if you present mushrooms — as a means of treating TBI-related depression. everything in the right way and let them make a decision, hopefully we have a good shot at helping that community.” But Carcillo still wants to accomplish more. This isn’t the peak. Carcillo also sees psilocybin treatments as possibly helpful for NFL “Too often, TBI survivors are wanting to get back to the person that they players, NASCAR drivers, UFC and MMA fighters — one of Wesana’s were before the injury,” Carcillo, who turned 36 on Thursday, said this executives is Ian McCall, a former MMA champion — and other pro week. “I’m hoping to show people that you can get better because I’ve athletes. never felt better in my life. The largest demographics suffering from TBI-related depression are not “When I started this years ago, I had this thought that I want to try to help athletes, though, but rather military veterans, domestic- and child-abuse a million people, and I’ll do anything I can to try to get there. I think this victims, car-accident survivors and elderly people recovering from falls. has a real shot.” Carcillo wants to start making the potential of psilocybin be about those Wesana — which combines the English word “we” and the Latin word untreated millions, not himself. “sana,” meaning “healthy” — has applied for regulatory approval with the FDA and Health Canada. The goal is to eventually make these But having completed a remarkable recovery from a near-death period of treatments widely available to all TBI victims. his life and having repurposed himself from on-ice villain to CEO, he wouldn’t mind if his personal journey became inspirational for others, too. Once preclinical trials on animals can prove psilocybin’s safety, which Carcillo is extremely confident will happen based on pre-existing data “One of my biggest dreams is to show people, especially current players, and his personal experiences, Wesana plans to begin human clinical you don’t have to be labeled a hockey player for the rest of your life,” trials in the first quarter of 2022. Carcillo said. “I’m Daniel, and I played hockey. I’m not Daniel, the hockey player.” Those personal experiences began after a long, frustrating search. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 From 2015 to 2019, Carcillo tried every type of recognized TBI treatment, particularly those that seek to identify and treat regions of the brain damaged by concussions through eye exercises. He got nowhere.

“I got to a point where I spent $200,000,” he said. “I was extremely angry and frustrated and hopeless. When hopelessness creeps in, the No. 1 cause of death after TBI is suicide, so I started to make plans.”

Then a former NHL teammate reached out and introduced him to psilocybin, sometimes colloquially called magic mushrooms. Psilocybin can create new neurons and new neural pathways in the brain, stimulating concussion-affected areas and reversing destructive, habitual thought processes.

Carcillo started a regimen that includes occasional big doses of the hallucinogen, which create the new pathways, and regular non- hallucinogenic “micro-doses,” which maintain those pathways.

“I’ve always been tracking with [brain scans] and blood work, and once I got to the six-month mark and confirmed I don’t have any abnormalities anymore and that my blood work was clear, I knew right then and there that this is going to be the first novel TBI care option,” he said.

Now 18 months in, he’s still seeing normal scans and clean blood tests.

But maintaining this level of strong mental health requires significant work and intentionality on his part. He’s quick to clarify that psilocybin is not a “miracle drug”; it doesn’t work entirely on its own.

“It works in the individual for what the individual wants,” he said. “It’s been nothing short of life-changing.” 1200680 Chicago Blackhawks Seabrook did not travel to the Edmonton bubble, but he did speak to us for nearly 20 minutes about how excited he was about the 2020-21 campaign.

Bowman downplays rumors, says everything remains status quo with "I still think that I'm one of the best defensemen in this locker room," he Toews said. "If given the chance and the opportunities that some guys get then I think I would definitely be able to live up to those expectations and Despite rumors swirling to the contrary, everything remains status quo exceed them. ... with the Chicago Blackhawks' , GM said. The team captain is still dealing with an undisclosed illness and doing his "I'm looking forward to camp next year." best to try to return to the game he loves. Unfortunately for Seabrook, he tweaked his back the first time he went on the ice in early January. He's remained on injured reserve and has only been back on the ice a couple of times since. John Dietz Stan Bowman saw Seabrook on Thursday but wasn't sure if he was going to attempt to skate.

The rumor mill surrounding Jonathan Toews has been swirling for weeks. "I don't know if you've ever had back problems, but I have. It just comes on out of nowhere," Bowman said. "He's been dealing with that ever Amateur doctors everywhere have myriad theories as to what is ailing the since. I think he's improving, but it's not like he's ready to jump into Blackhawks' captain. practice tomorrow. It's unfair, irresponsible and not right. "He had been really ready to go and he was feeling great. Now he's Look, everyone is hoping Toews will be OK and that whatever he is going taken a step backward. ... Once he does get back to skating then he's through is not a serious long-term issue. You don't have to be a hockey gonna have to catch up and build himself up." fan to understand that. If Seabrook returns, he'll attempt to crack a blue line that includes You just have to be human. Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Calvin de Haan, Nikita Zadorov, Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson, Nicolas Beaudin and Adam Boqvist (once There's some scary speculation as to what Toews is suffering from, but Boqvist is out of COVID-19 protocol). thankfully, Blackhawks general manager and president of hockey operations Stan Bowman said it's all not true. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.29.2021

Everything remains status quo -- Toews is still dealing with an undisclosed illness and wants to return to the Hawks when healthy.

"He seems to be trying to get himself back to where he can rejoin the team, but as far as when that would happen, he doesn't even know," said Bowman, who is in touch with Toews but is also not hounding his superstar on a daily basis. "It's not like we have information that we're not sharing. It's a situation where it's just the great unknown when he'll be feeling ready to play hockey again. ...

"I've found over the years when players are not with the team, the best thing to do is to give them their space; not to be bothering them regularly like, 'How are you feeling?' Just knowing Jonathan the way I do, when he's ready to come back, he'll be back."

On December 29, less than a week before training camp started, the Hawks released a statement stating that Toews was experiencing symptoms that left him "feeling drained and lethargic." Toews thanked the fans, Bowman, , Jeremy Colliton and his teammates, and also asked for privacy as he focused "on my health and recovery."

Toews had been experiencing these symptoms for quite some time, possibly as far back as when the Hawks were taking part in the Stanley Cup playoffs in Edmonton last August.

"As far as when it exactly started, I don't know," Bowman said. "When the time is right, I'm sure he'll share the timeline of things.

"It wasn't a sudden thing where he woke up one day and wasn't feeling right. It was kind of one of those gradual things (where) you can't pinpoint the actual day it began."

Bowman understands the fans' concerns and that it's human nature to speculate -- especially when someone is dealing with an unknown illness.

"When a guy blocks a shot or has a knee-on-knee collision or falls on their shoulder and then they're out, not only do you know what's wrong but you saw the play happen," Bowman said. "Everyone has an easier time with that.

"When it's something like this -- where it's not one thing you can point to - - it just leads to people wondering. 'Gee, what is it? What happened?'

"I get it. I totally get it."

How is Seabrook doing?

In addition to the Jonathan Toews mystery, everyone wants to know what is going on with Brent Seabrook. The last time we saw the veteran defenseman was last July as the Hawks were preparing to take on Edmonton in the Stanley Cup playoffs. 1200681 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks sign defenseman Madison Bowey to 2-year deal

John Dietz

The Blackhawks signed defenseman Madison Bowey to a two-year contract Thursday.

Year one of the contract is a two-way deal ($700,000 NHL/$200,000 AHL) and transitions to a one-way deal ($750,000) in the 2021-2022 season.

Bowey, 25, was a second-round pick (53rd overall) of Washington in 2013 and played 84 games for the Capitals. He was on the 2018 winning Stanley Cup team, and was traded to Detroit in February 2019.

He scored 3 goals and had 14 assists for the Red Wings in 53 games last season while averaging nearly 18 minutes of ice time.

He has 5 goals and 34 assists in 154 regular-season NHL games.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200682 Chicago Blackhawks

Hagel, Lankinen stand out in Blackhawks' shootout loss

Hawks Insider

The Blackhawks were not happy with their effort in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. They felt better about their performance on Wednesday but still found themselves on the losing end, falling 2-1 in a shootout.

The good news is, the Blackhawks were able to pick up at least a point for the fifth straight game, which is certainly notable in a 56-game sprint of a season. The bad news is, the Blackhawks have lost three of those five games in overtime or a shootout and would prefer to turn those into wins, especially since each game is against a divisional opponent.

But there were two positives that shouldn't get overlooked in Wednesday's loss: Brandon Hagel and Kevin Lankinen each had the best game of their young NHL careers.

Lankinen turned aside 41 of 42 shots for a save percentage of .976 and has given up only four 5-on-5 goals in four starts this season. He picked up exactly where he left off over the weekend and continues to impress.

"I’ve been preparing for this opportunity for a long time," Lankinen said. "I've been working extremely hard throughout my career to get a chance to play in the NHL. I’ve been ready, I’ve just been waiting for the right chance. I feel good out there. I’m just happy to get better every day and every single experience is a new one and I’m going to get better every single night."

Lankinen was asked whether he's surprised about his hot start and confidently admitted "I don't think so." Head coach Jeremy Colliton endorses that belief.

"He does have a quiet confidence about him and he’s not surprised," Colliton said. "He’s telling the truth there, and that’s great. You love the little bit of swagger that he has. It’ll transfer to the team."

Hagel, on the other hand, was one of the beneficiaries of the Blackhawks rolling with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Wednesday. He logged a career-high 15:50 of ice time, recorded his first career NHL assist, and had eight controlled exits, according to Sportlogiq, which ranked second-best on the team; only (12) had more.

"I think it’s going pretty well obviously but I’m just taking it game by game," Hagel said of his progression. "I know I've just got to be good every single night and I don’t want to worry about long term or what’s next or what's going to happen in a week or if I’m in the lineup tomorrow or the next game or the next game.

"It’s nice to get a little rhythm playing four or five straight, whatever it is, but so far I think I’m just bringing it every night and that’s what I need to do to be good."

Hagel spent most of his even-strength minutes on the fourth line with Ryan Carpenter and David Kampf, but he was also rewarded by jumping into the top-six at different times as well. He played several shifts with Patrick Kane and separately and certainly didn't look out of place.

"He’s sure playing well and it’s exciting," Colliton said. "He's a second- year pro here and he's really taken hold of the opportunity and does a lot of things you like, just pressure on the puck, great forechecker, forces turnovers. He is relentless. He’s done a lot of nice things with the puck, too. He's skated it from D-zone, entered clean, made some plays. He made a real nice play on the goal. And there’s more there."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200683 Chicago Blackhawks

What Madison Bowey signing means for Blackhawks

Hawks Insider

The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with defenseman Madison Bowey on a two-year contract that runs through the 2021-22 season, the team announced Thursday. His cap hit is $725,000.

The first year of his contract is a two-way deal ($700,000 NHL and $200,000 AHL) and the second year transitions to a one-way deal ($750,000).

Bowey, 25, is coming off a season in which he recorded a career-high 14 assists and 17 points in 53 games for the Detroit Red Wings. He was also a member of the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, where he posted 12 points (all assists) in 51 games.

Bowey was immediately placed on waivers by the Blackhawks, who will likely send him to the taxi squad or Rockford IceHogs if/when he clears and serve as an insurance policy and depth option with Nick Seeler no longer in the mix after his contract was terminated because he did not report to his AHL assignment.

Bowey, who was originally drafted by the Capitals in the second round (No. 53 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, is a right-handed shot defenseman, too, which the Blackhawks are lacking right now with the absences of Adam Boqvist (COVID-19 protocol) and Brent Seabrook (back injury).

By playing in one more NHL game, Bowey would also meet the expansion draft criteria for the Blackhawks. As of Thursday, Connor Murphy is the only one who can be exposed, according to Cap Friendly. Duncan Keith and Seabrook have a no-movement clause and Calvin de Haan and Nikita Zadorov have not yet met the exposure requirement.

Bowey, at the very least, will stabilize Rockford's defensive depth and is the type of player who can give you a spot start at the NHL level when needed.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200684 Colorado Avalanche Footnotes. The Avs were 4-of-4 in penalty killing and have now killed off their last 17 disadvantages. They are a perfect 15-for-15 at home. For the season, they are 28-for-31 (90.3%), ranked third. ranking third in the league. … Colorado went 1-for-4 on the power play and has a league- Nazem Kadri leads Avalanche to two-game sweep of San Jose Sharks high 12 power-play goals for the season. … Goalie Pavel Francouz, who has yet to play this season, remains out with a lower-body injury, and

Hunter Miska continues to back up Gruabuer. … Avs star center Nathan By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 9:45 p.m. | MacKinnon produced a shot in his 228th consecutive game to surpass UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 11:20 p.m. Joe Sakic for the all-time club record. MacKinnon’s streak, the longest active stretch in the NHL, began Oct. 14, 2017, at Dallas. MacKinnon has led the NHL in shots the past two seasons. … San Jose’s Patrick Marleau, 41, played in his 1,731st NHL game to tie Ron Francis for fourth Nazem Kadri was in the Avalanche doghouse last week. On Thursday all-time. Marleau is in his 23rd NHL season. Gordie Howe holds the night, he was the celebrated hero. record for all-time games played with 1,767. is second Kadri, who recently had a team-worst minus-9 rating, scored twice and (1,756) followed by Jaromir Jagr (1,733). … The Avs and Sharks met for assisted on another goal in the third period to lift the Avalanche to a 3-0 the 100th time in the regular season. victory and two-game series sweep over the San Jose Sharks at Ball Denver Post: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Arena.

Colorado (5-3) had scored 15 goals in its last two home games but was held scoreless for the first 49:55 against the Sharks (3-5), who became the first opponent the Avs have swept.

Kadri struck at 9:55 of the final frame, beating Devan Dubnyk in front of the goalie’s left post. Linemates Brandon Saad and former Shark Joonas Donskoi got the assists with hard work, and Saad eventually slid the puck to Kadri from atop the crease.

The Avs doubled their lead 1:58 later, with Andre Burakovsky tapping home Kadri’s pass from above the right circle. Saad got the second assist on the goal.

Kadri and Saad, along with defenseman Sam Girard, led the Avs with a plus-2 rating on the night.

“I thought it was a character win,” Saad said. “Sometimes you’re going to have games like that. We’re not going to win every game by seven goals. For us to stick with it, knowing each period by period play a tight- checking game we’re going to score offense with this team.”

The Sharks took the game’s final penalty and Kadri redirected in Cale Makar’s shot from the point. Makar’s team-high nine assists are tops among all NHL defensemen.

Colorado outshot the Sharks 38-21 — including 20-8 in the third period.

“From talking to the guys, I don’t think we had great legs in the first,” said Avs coach , who picked up his 150th. “We wanted to stick with it in the second and we started to create some scoring chances, some power plays, and I thought, for the most part, was a really good period. We hit a couple posts, had some good chances, and just didn’t capitalize on them. The message was simple: Just stick with it and not pass up on any of our shots. We were getting a little too selective. We could have put a few more pucks to the net. I thought we did that in the third.”

Both teams entered the final frame scoreless and 0-for-3 on the power play. Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer had made 13 saves through two periods and Dubnyk had 18 in front of the other net.

Grubauer went on to record his second shutout of the season — matching his total from last season.

“Playing in those tight games, I think, is a benefit for us because if we skate and play our game there’s not many teams that can beat us,” Grubauer said.

The Avalanche plays next on Saturday to begin a four-game slate against the Wild. The first two games are in St. Paul, and the latter two in Denver.

Injured. Avs fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare suffered what might be a serious injury in the first period. He collided with Donato in the neutral zone and Bellemare’s right leg was compromised.

With no fans in the building, Bellemare could be heard screaming in pain. He did not return and finished with just 2:20 of ice time. Bednar did not have a postgame update on Bellemare’s status.

Colorado’s Matt Calvert, who normally is Bellemare’s right winger, missed his second game will an illness. Calvert has a concussion history and it was revealed that he is not feeling well but has not been diagnosed with a concussion. 1200685 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche rookie Bo Byram, 19, tied his father in NHL games played

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 4:39 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 7:12 p.m.

Avalanche rookie defenseman Bo Byram, 19, played in his fifth career NHL game Thursday against San Jose at — tying his father for games played in the league.

Shawn Byram, 52, was a left wing who played five NHL games in the early 1990s for the New York Islanders (four) and the Chicago Blackhawks (one). He played 15 seasons professionally but mostly in the minor leagues or in Europe.

“I was on the phone with him and I was like, ‘Looks like I’ll be tying your record,’ and he got a good laugh out of it,” Bo said pregame of a conversation he had with his father on Wednesday. “It’s definitely nice having him around. It’s a lot of fun and he’s a great resource for me.”

Bo Byram, the first defenseman selected in the 2019 draft (fourth overall), can play six NHL games this year until the first year of his entry- level contract kicks in. The Avalanche can send Byram back to his junior team before his seventh game or pledge to keep him on the roster all season. It appears Colorado will do the latter, given how he has improved in each of his first four games and his team-high 21:14 of ice time in Tuesday’s 7-3 win over the Sharks.

“I’m taking steps every game. It’s just about learning from everything,” Byram said. “You got to make sure you’re a sponge and make sure you’re paying attention to detail to stay in the lineup.”

Byram played against a guy who is 22 years older than him Thursday. San Jose’s Patrick Marleau, 41, played in his 1,731st NHL game to tie Ron Francis for fourth all-time.

“He’s a big-name guy that’s been around the league forever,” Byram said of Marleau. “Whenever you play against guys like that, you’re in a bit of awe. Pretty cool to be able to say in the future that I got to play against him.”

Gordie Howe holds the record for all-time games played with 1,767. Mark Messier is second (1,756) followed by Jaromir Jagr (1,733)

Denver Post: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200686 Colorado Avalanche forwards, and no one allowing fewer chances. Makar’s 1.05 expected goals against per 60 leads the team and is an absurdly low rate. Only Jaccob Slavin, who has only played three games, is lower at 1.04. Slavin is also the only other defenseman above 68 percent. 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, Winnipeg’s center depth Add eight points in seven games to the equation, which is second among all defensemen, and Makar’s average Game Score is 2.03 which leads everyone in the league, not just defensemen. He’s been special and it’s why his projected GSVA has gone up by half a win since the season By Dom Luszczyszyn Jan 28, 2021 started, the fifth-highest of any player. He’s now the top rated defenseman.

Before the season began, the Colorado Avalanche were a very popular 2. When we unveiled our Player Tiers project before the start of the Stanley Cup pick with many believing they were one of, if not the best season we expected a fair bit of push back on some of our choices. It’s team in hockey. A 4-3-0 start is not what many expected, especially not the nature of the beast anytime you put out rankings, even if they weren’t with losses to the lowly Ducks and Kings over the last week. The actually rankings. Naturally, there were many that took exception to Avalanche were supposed to cruise through the league’s easiest division, Quinn Hughes being placed one tier below his rookie rival Makar. Fair but have instead looked uneven. enough, but after seven-to-nine games it’s looking prescient as Makar has really taken off while Hughes’ has been a bit more uneven. Early season records can be very deceiving though. On the strength of two absolute routs, the Avalanche have a plus-seven goal differential That may seem like a strange take considering Hughes leads all that’s tied for third in the league. That, and their strong 54 percent defensemen in scoring, but there’s more to a defenseman’s value than expected goals percentage is probably much more indicative of the points. Hughes has given a lot back the other way, struggling especially team’s ability. It’s why the team is still projected to be the league’s at five-on-five. strongest team, finish with the most points and likely to hoist the Stanley Through the team’s first nine games he has a 41 percent expected goals Cup when it’s all said and done. According to GSVA, Colorado actually rate and has been outscored nearly as much. Yes, he’s got nine points in looks stronger than anticipated. nine games, one more than Makar, but the actual five-on-five play has That’s mostly because the team’s best players have gone nuclear, been troubling. For context, Jordie Benn was at 43 percent expected looking even better than anticipated. That’s especially true when they’re goals last season and was nearly run out of town. together. Circumstance is important here as it’s much easier to succeed playing in The Avalanche’s top quartet of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Colorado with Toews compared to a revolving door of partners in Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar have played 51 minutes together this Vancouver. Travis Hamonic wasn’t a good fit and Tyler Myers isn’t either. season at five-on-five. In that time frame, they have an 83 percent I doubt Benn is a long-term answer either. expected goals rate together, averaging 5.1 expected goals for per 60 It’ll be interesting to see what happens here in Vancouver who are no and allowing just 1.1 per 60. It’s so absurd that the foursome have doubt surprised that the team’s best players have gotten off to a rocky actually been unlucky to only get 81 percent of the goals when they’re on start at even strength. the ice together, scoring just 4.8 goals-per-60. The top group was strong together last season, just not this strong. 3. That’s especially true of Elias Pettersson, the team’s top forward. Look around the league at the best defensemen and you’ll often find a center On the power play they’ve been extremely dangerous too, scoring 10.9 just as good. There’s a reason those two positions are so pivotal in team goals-per-60 off 9.7 expected goals per 60 in 33 minutes together. That building and when one of those pillars starts to crumble, the whole may not seem like a big sample, but due to all the injuries the team foundation collapses. Makar has had an elite MacKinnon to start; Hughes incurred last season it’s almost already halfway to last season’s 80- hasn’t had the same luck with Pettersson, the forward he spends the minute sample where they scored nine goals per 60 on 7.9 expected most time with. The Canucks have mostly suffered as a result. goals per 60. That’s a sizeable improvement to start the season. Relatively speaking, Hughes’ numbers aren’t as bad without Pettersson, Colorado’s top guys have been flat-out dominant to start the year and are but together they’ve been toxic. It hasn’t worked. unsurprisingly driving the team’s success, but they can’t be on the ice together all the time and that’s been the primary issue to the team’s I’m not sure what’s up with Pettersson, but he just hasn’t looked right at uneven start. The rest of the team isn’t holding up their end of the all. The entire top line can’t get into a rhythm, they struggle getting the bargain. puck up the ice, and have looked just plain ineffective in the offensive zone. Pettersson has struggled to get good looks, earning just 0.59 Together the quartet has been amazing, and even as long as at least one individual expected goals per 60, down from his 0.75 last season. That’s is on the ice the team has earned an above average scoring chance part of the reason the Canucks somehow have a 38 percent expected share, but when none of the four are on the ice? It’s a problem. goals rate with him on the ice, a number that hasn’t really gone up since Colorado has only played seven games so there’s a lot of small sample J.T. Miller has come back either. Miller has a team low 36 percent. noise in this. The depth won’t always control play at a 40 percent rate, The other issue is Pettersson hasn’t been producing either with just two and the top talent won’t always dominate the puck over 80 percent of the goals and two assists in nine games, with just one point on the power time either. It’s just the story so far. Either way, with a top group playing play. He’s mostly been a no-show with the man advantage which the that well, the Avalanche deserves a better record than the one they team likely expected to be in the top 10, not the bottom 10. currently have. Vancouver has a lot of problems right now and they start at the top with 16 Stats Pettersson whose value has dropped by 0.65 wins to start the season, 1. While the spotlight in Colorado usually shines brightest on MacKinnon the largest decline in the league. Many expected him to take the next – for good reason – the team’s most important player in the early goings step towards being a true MVP-calibre player, but it’s been the exact might just be Makar. He was obviously tremendous in his rookie season, opposite. I imagine he’ll recoup that projected value going forward once but has been playing on a completely different level to start his he turns it around – Pettersson is too good not to – but the start has sophomore year. obviously been troubling.

The team’s top line has been rolling this season, but it’s been at its 4. I’m always wary of writing about a player or team on a game day, absolute best with the smooth-skating Makar on the back-end and he’s especially early in the season. One strong game can immediately reverse done well in minutes without the star forwards too. course on the narrative. That wasn’t looking likely after one period. Hughes and the top line had an expected goals percentage of just one That explains why his expected goals percentage for the season is still percent after the first period. Not a typo. an astronomically high 76 percent, nine percentage points clear of MacKinnon, the team’s next highest player, and nearly 14 percentage After that, we started seeing what the team’s top end could really do. points higher than Devon Toews, the team’s next highest defender. First, there was this pretty passing play between Pettersson and Hughes That’s built off incredible dominance at both ends of the ice where the to set up Miller for a freebie to open up the second period. only players generating more offense than Makar are the top-line PETEY WITH THE DROP PASS TO HUGHES, WHO SLIDES IT OVER Goals-per-game by division TO MILLER FOR THE ONE-TIMER! PIC.TWITTER.COM/3PJ3MOQXDN North: 6.76

— VANCOUVER #CANUCKS (@CANUCKS) JANUARY 28, 2021 West: 5.68

Miller added another goal six minutes later and then assisted on a East: 5.62 Pettersson power play goal to close the second period and give Central: 5.49 Vancouver a 4-1 lead. It was his best game of the season and close to it for Pettersson too. The most impressive part: both ended up above 50 8. Like many during the first few isolated months of the pandemic, I was percent in expected goals for the night, a true feat given the horrendous completely enamoured by The Last Dance, an epic documentary start to the game. chronicling ’s reign as the best player in the world. It showcased the competitiveness that fuels the best of the best, the driven We know Pettersson and Hughes are great players. Miller too after last determination that puts players into a tier of their own. Untouchable. It’s season. While a rough patch is alarming and a strong game against all I could think about with regards to Connor McDavid this offseason. Canada’s worst team doesn’t completely absolve it, it does help put things into perspective. We’re still dealing with small sample sizes here, He watched his teammate with the Hart and Art Ross trophy and his title exacerbated by it being the start of the season. It’s a rough patch most for best player in the world come into question during the playoffs after wouldn’t even notice if it happened 20 games from now instead of to start MacKinnon put on a show, a debate that lingered throughout the the season. offseason. Even if everyone still agreed McDavid was the best, there was competition now and I do believe he was in tune with that changing In fact, Petterson had a similar stretch of bad five-on-five play last year – perception. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to take that almost to the date. In a nine-game stretch from January 16 to February personally and put on a show of his own. 10 he earned just a 40 percent expected goals rate. Maybe late January is just a bad time for him? We’re watching peak McDavid right now and it’s nothing short of spectacular. All the questions about his five-on-five numbers, specifically 5. In other Canucks news, it’s very difficult to ignore the former Canucks his defense? They were there for good reason given his prior two that have gone a revenge tour this season, specifically against them. seasons, but after eight games it looks like McDavid has silenced them Against Calgary, Jacob Markstrom saved 57 of 59 shots in back-to-back completely. He’s hit another gear, playing some of the best hockey of his wins, his best two games of the season saving 2.65 goals above career. That’s a scary thought considering how dominant he already was expected in total. Chris Tanev was especially steady in those games with despite the defensive concerns. a 59 percent expected goals rate and zero goals allowed. McDavid leads the league in points right now scoring at his usual 120- Tyler Toffoli has been the most impressive of the bunch and I still can’t point pace, but with how good he’s been playing there’s an argument to believe the Canucks let him go given the contract he ended up receiving. be made that he’s been unlucky to only have 12 points. He leads all He absolutely torched the Canucks in three straight games scoring five Oilers with a 64.5 percent expected goals rate on the back of very strong goals and two assists, outscoring the team 6-1 (at five-on-five), and defensive numbers (just 2.2 expected goals against per 60) and an earning a ridiculous 88 percent expected goals rate. His average Game absolutely ridiculous four expected goals for per 60. It’s the fourth-best Score during the three game set was 3.95. He had an average of 0.54 in mark in the league and the terrifying part is the Oilers have only scored his first three games and over the prior two seasons he’s only had three 3.3 goals-per-60 with McDavid on the ice. games total with a Game Score higher than four. 9. Given the chances he creates and his finishing ability, there’s plenty of Never doubt the power of spite. room for correction. That’s plain to see from watching the Oilers as McDavid has been a dominant force on every shift. 6. Montreal has looked incredible to start the season, going 4-0-2 with a 62 percent expected goals rate, second to only Carolina who have Any night where he doesn’t pick up two points or more feels wrong. A lot played three games. Before the season started I said Toronto was the of it is on shots he’s created for himself. His 1.5 individual expected best team in Canada and it wasn’t even close. It took just six games for goals-per-60 at five-on-five is seventh in the league and a sizeable the Canadiens to turn it into a worthy conversation as Montreal has no improvement from where he’s been the past two seasons. That’s from doubt been the better team so far. This is what the team can look like taking three more shots-per-60, but also increasing his expected when it makes due on its massive scoring chance share, one that’s shooting percentage. Improving volume and quality at the same time grown even larger this season. feels like it should be impossible, but this is McDavid we’re talking about.

That’s on depth which was the team’s primary focus this offseason and Usually, he finishes above expectations, but this season he’s only scored it’s dependent on the continued emergence of its two young centers, Nick 0.96 goals-per-60 so far. That’s an elite season for most. For McDavid Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Both have an expected goals rate above and the way he’s playing this year, he should have a lot more and that’s 65 percent with Suzuki also adding six points in six games on top of that. a scary thought for the rest of Canada. The emergence of rookie Alex Romanov on the backend has also helped 10. Winnipeg shook the hockey world with its blockbuster trade last as he indeed looks like the real deal. week, sending Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to Columbus in exchange The most promising development though might just be Jonathan Drouin. for disgruntled center Pierre-Luc Dubois. It gives the team extremely The former third overall pick hasn’t quite been able to put it all together in enviable center depth, with a strong one-two punch of Mark Scheifele his first six seasons, but if he keeps up his current pace this could be the and Dubois, followed by Paul Stastny and Adam Lowry. I think some may year he finally breaks out. The talent has always been there and the first have gotten ahead of themselves in crowing it arguably the league’s six games have been the best he’s looked in a while. He has six points in best, but it’s certainly up there. By GSVA, the Jets’ center depth now six games, but most importantly has surprisingly been the play-driving ranks fifth in the league, a huge step-up from where they were before force on the second line. He’s currently third on the team in expected acquiring Stastny and then Dubois. There’s a chance it goes even higher goals percentage behind Toffoli and Kotkaniemi at 71 percent. once Dubois gets the requisite ice-time he deserves.

Having five of six games against Vancouver and Edmonton will skew Top Center Depth things in the possession department, so take some of this with a grain of Edmonton: 8.1 wins salt, but it’s still been a very encouraging start for Montreal. Now imagine if the Canadiens had a starting goalie with a save percentage higher than Toronto: 8.1 wins .892. (Sorry Habs fans, couldn’t resist). Tampa Bay: 7.1 wins 7. Before the season started, I noted that the North division would be a Pittsburgh: 7.0 wins goal-scoring hotbed for fantasy purposes. That has indeed been the case so far and there’s little doubt it won’t continue as defense has often been Winnipeg: 6.7 wins optional in many of those contests. It hasn’t even been close with every other division between 5.5-to-5.7 goals-per-game and the North one Colorado: 6.6 wins entire goal above the next highest division. Boston: 6.5 wins St. Louis: 6.0 wins with the puck on his stick. It’s why he was so skilled in transition last year, though his game at either end still needed work. Calgary: 5.9 wins On offense, he’s obviously been much better this season with seven Philadelphia: 5.5 wins points in six games including three goals. That’s especially important 11. As for the Blue Jackets, it’ll take a lot more than Laine’s offense to because he was by far one of the league’s worst finishers last season. In get the team in a comfortable position. It’s been a rocky start for 61 games last season he had just two goals at five-on-five. He’s matched Columbus and a lot of that falls squarely on the team’s supposed that in six games this season and with five points is almost halfway to the superstar top pair. 11 points total he had last year.

In the team’s first seven games, the Seth Jones and Zach Werenski duo What’s interesting with Hughes’ start is how he’s been much more has not looked strong, boasting an ugly 36 percent expected goals rate selective with his shots. He’s taking 3.1 fewer shots-per-60 while not and an actual goal rate in the low 40s. Both are worst among losing much of anything in terms of individual expected goals, dropping defensemen on the team with the issues coming on both sides of the from 0.77 last year to 0.69 this season. The reason is his expected puck. The duo rank dead last in both chances generated and allowed, shooting percentage rising from 10.9 percent to an absurdly high 17.6 the latter by a very large margin. With just one point each, it’s not like percent. That helps explain why he’s finishing more, but he still needs to either is influencing much offense either. find a balance where he takes more than one shot per game at five-on- five. That’ll make him even more dangerous, but it’s baby steps for now. Both are better players than they’ve shown to be so far, but for Jones in He has all the tools to be a star. particular it’s getting more and more difficult to see him as the top 10 defensemen that hockey people believe he is. He’s averaging over 25 The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 minutes per night, but we need to start asking ourselves how effective those minutes really are.

12. Vince Dunn is apparently on the trade block and I won’t be the first or last nerd to tell you that’s a bad idea. He’s had a very rough start to the year, but has a strong track record as a puck-moving defenseman who can drive play. The Blues are asking for a first-round pick which isn’t an unreasonable ask, but some firsts are obviously more valuable than others.

According to the trade machine Prashanth Iyer built using projected GSVA, Dunn’s contract value is seven wins. That’s 5.7 wins for his on-ice play in the four years the Blues have team control and an extra 1.3 wins of surplus value on his current deal. The average first-round pick is worth 4.7 wins and it isn’t until picks seven (7.1 wins) or eight (6.7 wins) where the math starts favouring the draft choice. For a team expected to be outside the league’s bottom 10 this year, Dunn is probably a worthy gamble.

Though there’s obvious concern regarding whether he can handle a bigger role (ignoring that he did in fact handle it fine last season when playing with Alex Pietrangelo), Dunn has top-four upside.

13. The Anaheim Ducks are the only team without a power-play goal which is honestly not surprising when you consider who plays for the Anaheim Ducks. Their 4.67 expected goals per 60 on the power play is 29th in the league so don’t expect much better going forward.

14. Really, the Ducks don’t need anyone else when they have John Gibson in net as he’s single-handedly saving the team’s bacon on a nightly basis. Gibson currently leads all goalies with a nice 6.9 goals saved above expected and 8.3 above average. That’s on the strength of a .948 save percentage with an expected save percentage closer to .911.

In his six starts, the Ducks have won half the games and earned two overtime points despite scoring just 10 goals. Two different 1-0 shutouts wins certainly helps with that. With Gibson playing this way, Anaheim has a real postseason shot and if there’s any goalie that can continue playing at an extraordinarily high level, it’s Gibson. Last season was a down year for him, and his bounce-back should be mighty.

15. The Ducks rank 29th in power play expected goals for and the Coyotes rank 31st. Both things that make absolute sense. In between that anemic sandwich are… the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I feel like every Penguins season starts in the most chaotic way possible before the team settles down into their usual 100-point rhythm. With that being said, it’s been difficult to watch Evgeni Malkin’s start. Just three points in seven games, out-scored at five-on-five and badly outplayed to the tune of a 38 percent expected goals rate. That’s ahead of only Cody Ceci and Mark Jankowski which is bad company. It’s why Malkin has an average Game Score of just 0.01 to start the season which is highly unusual for him. He looked MVP-calibre last season. Hopefully, this isn’t a sign of a decline.

16. When one star begins to fall another begins to ascend and it feels like we’re beginning to see that rise to power for 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes. Being a degenerate gambler means watching a lot of weirdly random hockey games which has meant taking in several Devils games. Hughes has been noticeably impressive so far, looking every bit the future superstar he was billed as. He’s quick, deceptive and excellent 1200687 Colorado Avalanche Colorado has also killed off 17 straight penalties and is third in the NHL on the PK (90.3 percent). … Cale Makar recorded his ninth assist of the season. Makar’s nine points are second-most among NHL defensemen behind fellow sophomore Quinn Hughes (11). … MacKinnon recorded a Nazem Kadri leads Avalanche to 3-0 shutout and two-game sweep of shot for the 228th consecutive game to pass Joe Sakic for the club San Jose Sharks record. His run began on Oct. 14, 2017 and is the longest active streak in the NHL.

milehighsports.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 By Aarif Deen - January 28, 2021

The second line has suddenly found its footing. And Nazem Kadri was front and center in the action.

Kadri scored the game’s first goal midway through the third period Thursday night to help the Avalanche shut out the San Jose Sharks for their first two-game sweep of the season at Ball Arena. Kadri then set up linemate Andre Burakovsky 1:58 later and added another goal on the power play in the final minutes.

The third piece of that line, Brandon Saad, had two assists.

“We’re keeping it simple and playing a little bit more in their end,” Saad said of his line, which combined for 11 points in the two-game sweep. “We tend to get fancy and turn the puck over and then we’re playing in our D-zone most of the night. But I think the past couple of games we did a better job of getting pucks in deep, holding onto it, making plays and playing with confidence.”

The teams combined for just 31 shots and were scoreless after 40 minutes. But Colorado stormed out in the third period with nine shots. Kadri eventually broke through at 9:55 and the Avs finished the third period with a 20-8 shot advantage.

Kadri finished with a game-high 10 shots. He had just one goal and three points in seven games leading up to his offensive explosion Thursday. He had 20 shots in that stretch.

“It’s a game of patience, especially in our division,” Kadri said. “There’ a lot of teams that play lockdown defense and you’re going to have to earn everything you get so I understand that. In previous games, it felt like I’d been missing quality opportunities. So you just stay with it and eventually it’s going to come.”

Colorado’s patience was tested all night. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Nathan MacKinnon and Bo Byram all hit the post while the game was still 0-0.

It was the opposite of Tuesday’s 7-3 drubbing, where the Avs scored all seven of its goals in the opening 40 minutes.

“It’s always nice to get into these kinds of games because it’s what the playoffs are going to be like,” Avs goaltender Philipp Grubauer said. “We’re not always going to score six-plus goals. Things are going to get tightened up and it’s going to be tougher to score.”

Grubauer’s victory was his league-leading fifth of the season. The shutout was his second, matching his total from last season. While the Avalanche’s starter has been hot to start the year, he’s also had to face more than nine shots just once over the past nine periods.

And Grubauer was complimentary of his team for the defensive support.

“Phenomenal. It’s phenomenal,” Grubauer said. “I think that comes from every line’s forwards and defensemen on the ice.”

Colorado has won five of seven games since falling to St. Louis on opening night. For the first time this season, the Avs are preparing for four straight games against the same opponent. They travel to Minnesota for a back-to-back this weekend before hosting the Wild twice next week.

“It’s different,” Saad said. “It’s almost going to feel like a playoff series where you see the same team every night. You do the pre-scout things and get familiar with them.”

Injuries. Colorado is already without Pavel Francouz and Matt Calvert because of injuries, and lost Bellemare in the first period. Bellemare collided with San Joses’s Ryan Donato and was favoring his left knee. The veteran center was unable to apply pressure to his left leg as he was helped off the ice. Avs coach Jared Bednar did not have an update postgame.

Footnotes: The Avalanche killed off all four minor penalties called against them to remain a perfect 15-for-15 on the penalty kill at Ball Arena. 1200688 Colorado Avalanche

Source: Avs assistant GM Chris MacFarland being considered for Penguins job

By Scott MacDonald

A source has informed Colorado Hockey Now that Avs assistant general manager Chris MacFarland is being considered for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM job. His name has gained traction of late in the Pittsburgh circles, and an initial interview could be set up soon.

This isn’t MacFarland’s first interview this year for an open general manager position. This past summer, he was one of a handful of candidates to interview for the New Jersey Devils GM gig.

Chris MacFarland came over to Colorado from the Columbus Blue Jackets organization in the summer of 2015. The Avs assistant GM spent 16 years with the Blue Jackets, starting as the club’s manager of hockey operations before being promoted to assistant GM in the summer of 2008.

Working closely alongside Avs GM Joe Sakic over the last six seasons, MacFarland and the aforementioned have been the architects of turning the Avalanche from the league’s worst team in 2016-17 to being considered the favorites to win the Stanley Cup just four seasons later.

MacFarland, 50, is from the East Coast, and an opportunity to become the general manager of one of the most successful NHL franchises in league history will be a very attractive option for him. For now, however, they’re only in the initial stages, and a decision may not be made until the offseason.

Jim Rutherford, who spent the last seven seasons as the Penguins GM, shocked the team and resigned on Wednesday, citing personal reasons. It’s worth noting, however, that in an interview with The Hockey News, Rutherford did mention that he may consider returning after the season. It’s very possible Pittsburgh decides to roll with interim GM Patrik Allvin until the year ends, allowing Rutherford — who won two Stanley Cups in his last seven years — an open door to return to the team.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200689 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche lines for tonight

By Adrian Dater

The Colorado Avalanche will go with the exact same lineup as Tuesday night. Coach Jared Bednar confirmed that this morning, so here is that lineup again:

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen

Saad-Kadri-Burakovsky

Nichushkin-Compher-Donskoi

Jost-Bellemare-Sherwood

D

Toews-Makar

Byram-Girard

Graves-Johnson

Grubauer in net.

Devan Dubnyk will start in goal for the Sharks.

The Avs have yet to beat the same team twice in the season. Let’s see if they can get that done tonight. I think it’s going to be a tough game. The Sharks were embarrassed the last game, and no doubt have gotten a veritable whipping from coach since then, and they’ll come out hard I think. Key for the Avs is to withstand that energy at the start and settle into a rhythm against them and wear them down.

Doobie is 0-2 with an .894 saves percentage so far, which only makes me more nervous about this game. He’s due for a good game.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200690 Columbus Blue Jackets “Honestly, I don't feel yet (like) myself,” Merzlikins said. “I'm still making little mistakes.”

He mentioned the second goal he gave up, in which he couldn’t snare Texier's goal, Roslovic's debut, Merzlikins' winning gamble, and the and then locate the rebound off a shot by Anton Stralman. Eetu power play awakens Luostarine then poked it in.

The Blue Jackets finally won a game that went beyond regulation thanks “I can do better on that one,” Merzlikins said. “That's good that there is to Texier's 'ridiculous' goal, and Elvis Merzlikins' goaltending. bad things. There is a lot to work on, so I just want to focus on that.”

Merzlikins stopped Duclair, , Frank Vatrano and Patric Hornqvist in the shootout. But he’s ambivalent about shootouts. BILL RABINOWITZ “It's like gambling,” Merzlikins said. “Either you're lucky or you're not. Tonight, luck was in my on my side so I'm happy about that. I like them when I win. When I lose them, I hate them.” Extra time had not been kind to the Blue Jackets this season until Thursday. Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo have been sharing time in net for Columbus, an arrangement that Tortorella repeated would continue. They’d lost their three previous games that went beyond regulation. On Tuesday, Florida scored with 2.5 seconds left to send the game to “Both of our goalies have been unbelievable,” Domi said. “In my opinion, overtime and won in a shootout. we have the best tandem in the league. You have two No. 1 goalies so it’s great. Our group really thrives off that.” Columbus coach John Tortorella was so displeased with his team’s performance that he found it hard to quibble about the blown lead. Take Power play awakens the one point and sprint for the doors before the hockey gods reconsider, he essentially said. The power play has been a source of criticism for Columbus since, well, when did the franchise start to play? On Thursday, the Jackets played considerably better, but again they and the Panthers couldn’t settle things in regulation or overtime. But this time For the last few years, in particular, the man advantage has sometimes Tortorella believed his team got the outcome it deserved when Alexandre felt like a disadvantage because of the futility and stunted momentum Texier scored the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout for a from it. This year, the Jackets had scored only one goal in 19 power 3-2 victory. plays entering Thursday.

Texier’s goal was a thing of understated beauty. As he skated in on But that unit finally delivered in the third period. Domi won the draw to Florida’s Chris Driedger, he stick-handled until almost casually gliding a defenseman Zach Werenski, who then gave it back to Domi. The center one-handed backhander between the goalie’s legs. fired a laser past Driedger to give Columbus a 2-1 lead.

"I was shaking my head," said center Max Domi. "I think the whole bench It was such a hard shot that it wasn’t initially clear that the puck had gone was shaking our heads. That's absolutely off the charts, that move there. under the crossbar. The puck bounced back, and Oliver Bjorkstrand shot It's pretty ridiculous.” it back in the net just in case.

Here are four takeaways from the game: “Obviously, we’ve been struggling a little bit, but that’s how it goes,” Domi said. “Peaks and valleys. Sometimes you’ve just got to simplify. That’s a Redemption for Texier great pass by Zach, right in the wheelhouse. You’ve got to hit the net and hit it as hard as you can. We’ll build on that, for sure.” Texier getting the game-winner had to feel particularly sweet because his error set up Florida’s first goal. With Columbus leading 1-0 in the second On the Blue Jackets’ next power play, they almost got another goal when period, the center’s soft pass trying to get out of the defensive zone was Werenski hit the post. stolen by Anthony Duclair. The former Jacket bore in on Elvis Merzlikins, who stopped his shot. But Carter Verhaeghe pounced on the rebound “Yeah, they were better tonight,” Tortorella said of his power-play and lifted it into the open net. skaters.

At just 21, Texier has been thrust into a prominent role as a top-six Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021 center and has answered the challenge.

“He's been a really good player, probably our most consistent guy,” Tortorella said. “(But) he turns one over to cost us the goal. Gladly, he got an opportunity to redeem himself -- and it was a great goal.”

Roslovic’s debut

Columbus native Jack Roslovic made his Blue Jackets debut on Thursday following his acquisition Saturday from Winnipeg in the Pierre- Luc Dubois trade. He took the opening faceoff at center on a line with Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner and played 14:14 without registering a shot.

“I was super-excited to come in and just get my feet back under me and play a game,” said Roslovic, who had been staying in Columbus as a restricted free agent holdout until the trade. “It's nice to just be in the National Hockey League playing for points and playing with a team that has a really good mentality and works hard and has fun. I think we did all that tonight and I did that, too.”

Asked for his first impressions of Roslovic, Tortorella said he’d need to Watch video to give a more comprehensive opinion.

“You can see that he can skate,” Tortorella said. “He can make some plays. There's no sense of me going any further than that. I want to watch him play a few games.”

Merzlikins sharp

Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 of 35 shots, as well as all four in the shootout. But he isn’t satisfied with his game. 1200691 Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021

Texier's 'ridiculous' shootout goal gives Blue Jackets 3-2 victory

BILL RABINOWITZ | The Columbus Dispatch

For the second straight game, the Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers went to a shootout.

On Tuesday, the Jackets didn't even deserve that much before losing. They deserved a better fate on Thursday, and they got it.

Alexandre Texier scored on the fourth shot of the shootout to give Columbus a 3-2 victory at . It was the Jackets' first win in four games this season that extended beyond regulation.

After the first three shooters for each team were stopped in the shootout, Texier came in on Chris Driedger and almost casually poked the puck in, as if using a pool cue.

"I was shaking my head," said center Max Domi, who scored the Blue Jackets' second goal, of Texier's goal. "I think the whole bench was shaking our heads. That's absolutely off the charts, that move there. It's pretty ridiculous."

Elvis Merzlikins then stopped Patric Hornqvist to seal the win.

"The players want results," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "They got the full result tonight. It was much better throughout the game as far as our competitiveness. I'm glad we did get two (points) and not just one. We've been in a lot of these."

The game marked the Blue Jackets debut of Columbus native Jack Roslovic, who was acquired along with Patrik Laine in the trade Saturday for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Roslovic started at center flanked by Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner. He played just over 14 minutes without registering a shot.

The Jackets were looking to make amends after Tuesday's loss against the Panthers. Florida dominated that game before sending it to overtime on a goal with 2.5 seconds left in regulation and then prevailing in a shootout.

Columbus started slowly early on Thursday before revving up as the first period progressed. The Jackets would break through with just over 3 minutes left. Taking a pass from Dean Kukan, Eric Robinson used his speed to get the puck down low. He lost it briefly before regaining control and passing across the crease to Koivu, who put the puck past Driedger.

It was the first goal as a Blue Jacket for the 37-year-old Koivu, who was playing only his second game after missing the first six games because of COVID-19 protocol.

Florida tied it late in the second period. Texier's soft pass trying to clear the zone was intercepted by Anthony Duclair. The former Jacket drove to the net. Merzlikins stopped the initial shot, but Carter Verhaeghe retrieved the rebound and flipped it into the open net. It was the fourth goal in as many games this season for Verhaeghe and fifth assist for Duclair.

The Blue Jackets' maligned power play came to life to give Columbus a 2-1 lead. Domi won the faceoff to Zach Werenski, who gave it back to Domi. The center then a laser that beat Driedger. It was only the Jackets' second power-play goal of the season.

But the lead lasted only about six minutes. Anton Stralman ripped a shot that Merzlikins stopped but couldn't locate. Eetu Luostarinen did and tapped in the puck to make it 2-2.

The game then went into overtime. Each team had its chances, but Merzlikins and Driedger made big saves. They might have kept doing so in the shootout if not for Texier.

The Jackets play Friday in Chicago.

"We're trying to just stabilize ourselves and not go up and down -- one good game and then a lousy game," Tortorella said. "We're trying to stabilize ourselves. So hopefully, we'll get to Chicago and play another good game there and see if we can find a way to get a result." 1200692 Columbus Blue Jackets John Tortorella is seeking stability on the heels of strong effort tonight and ahead of a two-game set in Chicago beginning tomorrow.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/I7uFS79KNT

Texier’s highlight-reel goal in shootout gives Blue Jackets 3-2 win over — FOX Sports Columbus (@FOXSportsCbus) January 29, 2021 Panthers “We’re trying to stabilize ourselves and not go up and down — one good game and a lousy game,” Tortorella said.

FOX Sports Ohio QUOTABLE

“I don’t think we’re walking out of here licking our wounds by any means,” Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “But we obviously have to know COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Alexandre Texier slickly beat Chris Driedger that we can beat a team like this and know (we) can take the lead in five-hole in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the Columbus Blue games. But there’s a lot to work on, no doubt.” Jackets over the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night. ICE CHIPS Texier skated slowly in on Chris Driedger and poked the puck between his pads with the back of his stick. Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins sealed it Panthers: F Brett Connolly played in his 500th NHL game. … Verhaeghe by denying Patric Hornqvist, who scored the winning goal in a shootout has four goals in the last three games and has points in all four of between the teams Tuesday night. Florida’s games. … Longtime Blue Jacket Markus Nutivaara had the secondary assist on Luostarinen’s goal. … F Anthony Duclair has five Tex scores, Elvis saves, and the @BlueJacketsNHL win in a assists in the last three games. shootout!!!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/ddPP79tdK8 Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic, who grew up in Columbus rooting for the — FOX Sports Columbus (@FOXSportsCbus) January 29, 2021 Blue Jackets, made his debut with the team after coming in the trade with Winnipeg for Pierre-Luc Dubois. … Koivu, who is playing his first season “I mean, it’s like gambling,” said Merzlikins, who improved to 2-1-1. in Columbus after 15 in Minnesota, has points in the last two games. “Either you’re lucky or you’re not, so tonight luck was on my side, so I’m happy about that. I like (shootouts) when I win. When I lose, I hate them.” It was a memorable @BlueJacketsNHL debut for @JRoslovic96, who can't wait to have another game like this in front of a rocking #5thLine To @Merzly30, shootouts are like gambling — either you're lucky, or crowd.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/ExWGvsXhZ8 you're not.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/a9Lakw9R1H — FOX Sports Columbus (@FOXSportsCbus) January 29, 2021 — FOX Sports Columbus (@FOXSportsCbus) January 29, 2021 UP NEXT Besides getting the shootout winner, Texier has started strong with four goals and two assists in the first eight games. Panthers: Move on to Detroit for a two-game set on Saturday and Sunday before heading home for a string of six. “Probably our most consistent guy,” coach John Tortorella said. “He turns one over and it costs us a goal (in the second period). I’m glad he got an Blue Jackets: Play at Chicago on Friday and Sunday. opportunity to redeem himself. It was a great goal (in the shootout).” foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen tied it in the third period, and Carter Verhaeghe also had a goal for the Panthers. Driedger finished with 29 saves.

Mikko Koivu and Max Domi scored and Merzlikins had 33 saves as Columbus dealt the Panthers their first loss in four games this season. Columbus rebounded after giving up a tying goal with 3 seconds left in regulation Tuesday night and then losing the shootout in the fifth round.

Koivu got his first goal as a Blue Jacket late in the first period. Eric Robinson got to the loose puck behind the net, brought it around and set up Koivu with a pass across the crease.

Mikko Koivu's first goal as a member of the @BlueJacketsNHL!

1-0 #CBJ! pic.twitter.com/0EHkovSWYJ

— FOX Sports Columbus (@FOXSportsCbus) January 29, 2021

Verhaeghe took the puck away from Texier in Florida’s zone late in the second and ended up poking it in from the doorstep past the glove of a falling Merzlikins.

Domi got his first goal of the season — also his first as a Blue Jacket — when he beat Driedger on a power play at 6:19 of the third period. The Panthers tied it again at 12:56 when Luostarinen tapped in a rebound that had trickled into the blue paint.

The Blue Jackets showed more jump after managing just 22 shots in the first game against Florida.

“That was a gritty effort there,” Dreidger said. “They came out harder than they did (Tuesday). They definitely upped their game.”

SAVE YOUR ENERGY

Tortorella said that it’s been difficult to work on problem areas because with the way the games are bunched together in the 54-game schedule, he can’t afford to sap the players’ energy with strenuous practices. The coaching staff has to rely mostly on showing video clips in meetings to make adjustments. Consistency has been an issue for the Blue Jackets early, along with a struggling power play. 1200693 Columbus Blue Jackets There is an understanding, the Blue Jackets have said, that there will be an adjustment period for Roslovic.

“(Jack’s) going to get pushed the way Torts demands and coaches,” said Blue Jackets savor shootout victory in Jack Roslovic’s Columbus debut Claude Lemieux, his agent. “He really wants to squeeze, and he does squeeze, every ounce out of most players. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but most of the time it does, and I think it’s good for a young player to play with a coach who is demanding like that. By Aaron Portzline Jan 28, 2021 “The reason for demanding the trade was for an opportunity to develop

as a center. That’s his natural position. His best asset is when he has the COLUMBUS, Ohio — If these were normal times, Nationwide Arena puck, and he didn’t really have that opportunity in Winnipeg. He’s getting would have been packed Thursday and the newest Blue Jackets player it now, and there’s going to be an adjustment, having not played for a — Columbus’ own Jack Roslovic — would have been showered in praise while, having not played center for a while. and attention, almost certainly receiving a standing ovation. “Faceoffs, a new system … people have to be realistic, but when he gets “We’re going to be able to do that here, hopefully in the near future,” the puck and he’s past the offensive blue line, he’ll make things happen Roslovic said. “When everyone is safe to come back, it’s going to be a for his wingers.” great experience. I plan to be a Blue Jacket until then.” Tortorella noticed this much right away: “He can skate!” But he wants to The COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, Roslovic made his Blue watch the tape of Thursday’s game and maybe evaluate a couple of Jackets debut after the weekend trade that brought him back home, more games before he offers an assessment. along with Patrik Laine, in the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois and a Roslovic knows several Blue Jackets players in the room, and Jane third-round pick to Winnipeg. Roslovic knows many of the Blue Jackets players’ moms. It should make Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella sent Roslovic out for the opening for a smooth transition to a new club. faceoff — a nice touch — and put him between two forwards he knows “I’ve got a funny story for you, actually,” Jane Roslovic said. “A few years well from summer skates in Columbus, left winger Boone Jenner and ago, I couldn’t get tickets to a game, so I asked Amy Jones (Seth’s mom) Cam Atkinson. if she could get tickets. She said ‘Yeah, Seth will leave you two at will It was a victorious night in Roslovic’s debut. Mikko Koivu and Max Domi call.’ That was really nice of her, but I had no idea the players had to pay scored in regulation, and Alexandre Texier had the shootout winner in the for them. When I found that out a little while later, I was absolutely fourth round, as the Jackets won 3-2. horrified. Embarrassed.

Elvis Merzlikins celebrated with a jump-hug into captain Nick Foligno’s “I was at Hudson 29 (a local restaurant) and Seth walked in with Boone arms, but these games are difficult to watch and play (players have said) (Jenner) and (Josh) Anderson and a couple of other defensemen and I compared with the usual atmosphere. paid for their lunch as a thank you for the tickets.

The Blue Jackets are limited to 300 people total in Nationwide Arena, so “Seth said, ‘Mrs. Roslovic, you did not need to do that.’ I just told him if Roslovic’s cheering section amounted to two people Thursday: his anybody did that to my son I’d be horrified. Now we laugh about it, but mother, Jane, and his father, John. I’ve told all my friends so they know Jack doesn’t get tickets for free.”

“The energy fans provide in the NHL is just absolutely unreal,” Jane One of Jane Roslovic’s good friends while in Winnipeg, she said, has Roslovic said. “Needless to say, I’ve had enough of this COVID thing. I been Tuija Laine, Patrik’s mother, who is stuck in Finland and unable to do understand the severity of it, but it is tough stuff. travel because of the pandemic.

“But this is still very special. So, so special, and just the beginning of it, “We’ve been FaceTiming all week,” Roslovic said of Tuija Laine. “She’s right? I keep telling myself, we’re going to have some great nights in that really excited, too, just wondering when she can travel again.” building.” Roslovic played the first of many Blue Jackets games Thursday. There is She desperately wanted one more ticket. much to celebrate, even though the big celebration is on hold, perhaps until the 2021-22 season. “I’d be taking Gingher if I could,” she said, referring to Ohio AAA Blue Jackets coach Ed Gingher, whose program helped develop Roslovic as a “Columbus has always been such a huge supporter of Jack,” John youngster in Columbus. Roslovic said. “It’s pretty incredible how the team and the management and the guys on the team have been reaching out to him. It was an emotional weekend, she said. News of the trade started swirling Friday, but it wasn’t official until Saturday morning. “The fan base would have been on fire tonight and everybody would have been excited, and that’s just a ton of fun. We’re going to miss that Jack Roslovic’s mother, Jane, as well as his father, John, were able to be for sure this year. That’s sort of a bummer, but I know the fans still have at the game Thursday in Columbus. (Courtesy of Jane Roslovic) their hearts for the team.

“Right after Jack called me to tell me it was official, I got a FaceTime from “It might be a lot more quiet than normal, but I still had a feeling the fans (Blue Jackets prospect and lifelong friend) Kole Sherwood,” Jane were watching and really excited.” Roslovic said. “I just started crying. It was so sweet, and we were both so excited.” Un magnifique cliche

Roslovic played 14:14, registered no shot attempts, won 4 of 8 faceoffs Texier has been one of the Blue Jackets’ pleasant surprises early this and had one major check, blasting former Blue Jackets center Alexander season, even as he gets used to playing center in the NHL. Wennberg with a thunderous hit in the corner. On Thursday, Texier took the first shootout attempt of his career. Not Three years ago he made his NHL debut in Nationwide Arena with the only did he score the game-winning goal in the fourth round of the Jets. That was a triumphant night, too, of course, but it never quite felt shootout, but also he beat Florida goaltender Chris Driedger on a shot right, John Roslovic said. that sent the Blue Jackets searching for ways to describe it.

“He looks awfully familiar to me in that Blue Jackets jersey,” John “That was absolutely ridiculous,” Domi said. “I was shaking my head. The Roslovic said. “He grew up wearing Blue Jackets stuff all the time, so it’ll whole bench was shaking their heads. That move there was just off the just look normal in the sweater.” charts. It’s pretty ridiculous.”

The Blue Jackets are moving Roslovic to center, hoping he can help fill Texier went backhand to forehand, but rather than pick one side of his the void created by Dubois’ departure. He barely played center in stickblade he simply jabbed the puck forward when it was directly in front Winnipeg — he was mostly a left wing — and he hasn’t played at all this of him, almost as if he was using a pool cue. It split Driedger’s pads. season, as he was holding out through camp and the start of the season WAIT, WHAT? after asking for a trade by the Jets. SERIOUSLY. ALEXANDRE TEXIER (@ATEXIER99). Brisson was infuriated earlier this month when Tortorella, on his weekly PIC.TWITTER.COM/PXCHHXPEHK show with a Columbus radio station (97.1 The Fan), made it known that Dubois wasn’t as transparent as Tortorella would have liked in a — NHL (@NHL) JANUARY 29, 2021 preseason meeting to address his trade request.

It was a highlight goal, to be sure. It was also a nice bit of redemption for One can safely assume Brisson didn’t care for Tortorella’s comments to Texier, who committed an own-zone turnover that led to Florida’s first Sportsnet’s for an interview that aired Wednesday. goal late in the second period. “Have Luc and I had conflict? Goddamn right we’ve had conflict,” “He’s been a really good player, probably our most consistent guy,” Tortorella told Simpson. “If someone doesn’t want to be here, that’s a Texier said. “Turns one over it costs us a goal, but I’m glad he got a hard thing for me to stomach, quite honestly.” chance to redeem himself. It was a great goal.” Later in the interview, Tortorella referred to Dubois’ final game in a Blue No, really, a power-play goal Jackets sweater, when he was benched for the final two-plus periods of Thursday’s game was a markedly different performance by the Blue the game. Jackets on many levels. “I’ll tell you this, I do think the athletes (today), it’s a softer athlete,” For one, they came out with much more speed and tenacity, using a Tortorella said. “And the benching … I’d do it again.” physical style and forecheck to slow the Panthers. And, of course, the Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen said he was aware of Brisson’s Blue Jackets won the shootout instead of losing it, as they did Tuesday. statement but declined to comment.

But they also scored a third-period power play, snapping an 0-for-11 Snacks drought and helping to erase the bad taste of the 0-for-6 Tuesday. • Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves for his second Domi won the faceoff (that’s a start, right?). The puck shot back to Blue straight win. He stopped Anthony Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau, Frank Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, who carried it for a moment, then Vatrano and Patric Hornqvist in the shootout. sent it back to Domi with a perfect pass for a one-timer. • Roslovic went into the lineup in place of center Kevin Stenlund, who is It has often been noted (in this very space), that the Blue Jackets seem out with an injury, per Kekäläinen. uniquely challenged among NHL teams at striking pucks without first gathering it on the stickblade and aiming. • Former Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara made his debut with the Panthers on the third defensive pair. He had a secondary assist THIS SHOULD COUNT AS TWO GOALS JUST SAYIN' on the Panthers goal that tied it 2-2 with 7:04 remaining in the game. PIC.TWITTER.COM/X9IVPQKVUB The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 — COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (@BLUEJACKETSNHL) JANUARY 29, 2021

But Domi just blistered it, putting too much oomph on it for Driedger. In fact, he blasted it so hard, it was hard to read whether it actually went into the net or glanced off the crossbar.

Oliver Bjorkstrand, positioned in the left circle, shot the puck back into the next just to make sure.

“It was nice to see Bjorky put it in just in case,” Domi said. “I thought it was in, but sometimes you can’t see.”

Laine could be on the way Friday

If all goes to plan, Laine should be on a private plane from Ottawa to Columbus at some point Friday, his U.S. work visa in hand.

The Blue Jackets have been doing heavy lifting behind the scenes to get Laine cleared ever since the trade was made with Winnipeg last Saturday, but the process — already slowed by bureaucratic red tape — has been further slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laine flew to Ottawa earlier this week to deal directly with the U.S. Embassy. It was expected he’ll get the green light to travel to Columbus on Friday.

Once he arrives in the U.S., he’ll need to quarantine for 48 hours to conform with the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. That means, if all goes well, Laine will make his Blue Jackets debut Tuesday when they host Dallas.

That’s a good omen, too. In 17 career games versus the Stars, Laine has scored 18 goals.

The sniping continues

It’s been nearly a week since the Jets and Blue Jackets swung one of the biggest deals in the history of both organizations, and the aftershocks continue to reverberate.

Dubois’ agent, Pat Brisson, took a major swipe at Tortorella in a statement provided to TSN’s .

“From Day 1 of camp, John Tortorella wanted to expose Pierre-Luc Dubois,” the statement read. “This included going on radio in the second week, which made it more difficult for the GM to do his job. Now, he continues to use different media platforms trying to justify his position.

“I have not heard once say anything about a trade request from both Laine or Roslovic. This could’ve been operation submarine, but, ah well, Torts wasn’t able to help himself.” 1200694 Dallas Stars Kero is in the lineup due to a lower-body injury to Joel Kiviranta that has kept him out of the lineup the last three games, elevating Kero to play on the second line with Alexander Radulov and Pavelski.

Stars notebook: Ty Dellandrea scores first NHL goal; Tanner Kero gets Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.29.2021 back on the board

By Matthew DeFranks12:31 AM on Jan 29, 2021 CST

It was a night of firsts at the .

On the same night that goaltender Jake Oettinger notched his first NHL win in his first career start, forward Ty Dellandrea scored his first NHL goal in the third period of the Stars’ 7-3 win over Detroit on Thursday night.

Dellandrea tapped in a Miro Heiskanen pass on the power play to give the Stars a 5-3 lead that snowballed into the final four-goal margin. After Dellandrea scored, he leapt into Heiskanen’s arms on the near boards.

“It was a lot of emotion,” Dellandrea said. “Once I saw it going in, I was pretty pumped. It was an unbelievable play by Miro. Emotions took over, and gave him a big hug. Yeah, it was special.”

For Dellandrea, it was a continuation of a strong first week in the NHL.

Playing in the spot vacated by Blake Comeau (returning from COVID-19 protocol), Dellandrea has been impressive on the checking line with and Radek Faksa. He’s killed penalties, taken key faceoffs on the right side, and shown his penchant for two-way play all over the ice.

On his goal, Dellandrea cut in from the back side after initially thinking Alexander Radulov was going to drop the pass to him.

“As soon as he passed to Miro, I knew whoever was coming down had a shot or a back door pass, so I tried to get to the back door quick,” Dellandrea said. “It was a tight gap, but it was an incredible play by Miro.”

Dellandrea was the team’s first-round pick in 2018, and was one of 10 first-round picks in the Stars lineup Thursday, including seven they selected themselves.

Coming in clutch: While Dellandrea scored, the play was driven by Heiskanen, who finished with three assists. After Detroit cut the lead to 4- 3, Heiskanen was the one that responded with a big play to give the Stars breathing room.

“That’s what he does,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “It’s an amazing thing about Miro for a young player like this. When the game’s on the line, A. he wants to be out there and B. he just delivers. That was a phenomenal play.

“We needed that goal, having given them the goals that we did in the third to allow them back in the game. We needed someone to step up and make a big play. Miro did that.”

Heiskanen also assisted on Jamie Oleksiak’s goal from the point in the third period, and picked up the secondary assist on Joe Pavelski’s opening tally in the first period.

In the opening week, Heiskanen has taken a back seat to teammate John Klingberg, who has lit up the scoreboard. But — as if it was in doubt — Heiskanen reminded the world that Dallas has two elite defensemen that can gobble up three-quarters of the game on their own.

Kero back on the board: For the first time since Nov. 2017, forward Tanner Kero picked up an NHL point. In fact, he picked up two on Thursday with two assists.

The first came on Pavelski’s goal after Kero corralled a puck in the neutral zone and then fed Pavelski for a one-timer. It was Pavelski’s fourth goal in four games, and it came on a play where Detroit defenseman Filip Hronek dared Kero to shoot by ceded him the shooting lane.

“He’s hot right now, so you want to get [Pavelski] the puck for sure,” Kero said. “I usually think pass-first, so I think I was instantly thinking pass there versus the shot.” 1200695 Dallas Stars He played for the in the World Junior Championship. He was a first-round pick in 2017. He played three seasons at Boston University. He led all AHL rookies last season in save percentage. And like seemingly all rookie goalies now, he’s big at 6-5. ‘A dream come true’: Jake Oettinger’s first NHL start in Stars’ win over Red Wings is only the beginning The goalie in the crease Thursday is far from the finished product the Stars expect out of the 22-year-old. But getting his first NHL start is the beginning.

By Matthew DeFranks10:35 PM on Jan 28, 2021 CST “We certainly didn’t want to let him sit here too long,” Bowness said before the game. “He’s got to play. He’s going to play games, as we

talked about before the season started. Tonight’s his opportunity. Listen, On Thursday morning, before he exited American Airlines Center ice and we’re all looking forward to seeing him play. He’s a great kid, a great hours before the Stars beat the Red Wings 7-3 to remain perfect, Jake prospect and he needs to play.” Oettinger was a popular man. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.29.2021 Stars goaltending coach Jeff Reese stopped by to say a few words. Coach Rick Bowness gave Oettinger a quick tap on the pads. Teammate Nick Caamano knelt beside him as Oettinger stretched in front of the Stars bench.

By the end of the night, all of Oettinger’s teammates surrounded him after he picked up his first NHL win in his first career start. The 22-year- old rookie made 20 saves on 23 Detroit shots, as seven different Stars scored goals.

The win moved the Stars to 4-0-0 after the season’s first homestand, and Dallas is the last remaining perfect team in the NHL.

“Very happy with that considering what we went through in training camp, considering the amount of injuries we have to key players,” Bowness said. “Give the credit to players who stepped in tonight and the whole homestand.”

Joe Pavelski (fourth goal of the season), Denis Gurianov (third) and John Klingberg (second) continued their hot starts to the year, while Andrew Cogliano, Jamie Oleksiak, Ty Dellandrea and Justin Dowling (empty- netter) scored their first goals of 2020-21.

It was the first goal of Dellandrea’s NHL career.

“That’s Jake’s first win of many to come in his career, and Ty’s first goal of many to come in his career,” Bowness said. “It’s nice that they got them both in the same night. Both of them are a huge part of this organization as we move forward, and it’s great to see them get that behind them.”

Dallas killed six of seven penalties, but the Stars’ penalties gave Detroit life during a game in which the Red Wings finished with just 13 shots on goal at 5 on 5.

The Stars largely stifled the Red Wings in Oettinger’s debut, with two of Detroit’s goals coming off rebounds at the net-front, and the other on a deflected point shot. They didn’t ask Oettinger to be the best player on the ice during his first NHL start, and they survived a third-period push by the Red Wings that sullied Oettinger’s overall stat line.

“For the most part, I was happy with how it went,” Oettinger said. “I’m just happy to get the first one behind me and just continue to build confidence every time I’m in there. Thankfully, the guys played so well in front of me and made my job really easy tonight. If we keep playing like that, then we’re going to keep getting wins.

“I was just happy to be out there, and really a dream come true.”

The Stars will need Oettinger this season.

Thanks to the condensed schedule — tightened further by a preseason coronavirus outbreak in Dallas — and Ben Bishop’s recovery from knee surgery, Oettinger will receive a decent amount of starts to spell Anton Khudobin. Dallas figures to split every back-to-back between Khudobin and Oettinger, beginning with this weekend’s in Carolina.

And for a starting goalie who has never been a No. 1 in the NHL (like Khudobin), having a backup to give him a rest will be critical as the Stars try to lock down a playoff spot with Bishop out until March.

This season should also be big for Oettinger’s future. He is regarded as the successor to Bishop, and one of the best young in the game. Next season, if Khudobin is taken by Seattle in the expansion draft, Oettinger could again be the Stars’ No. 2 goalie.

Oettinger has the pedigree to be the next great Stars goalie to follow the lineage from Moog to Belfour to Turco to Lehtonen to Bishop. 1200696 Dallas Stars

Stars forwards Jamie Benn, Blake Comeau to miss Thursday’s game against Detroit

By Matthew DeFranks 4:25 PM on Jan 28, 2021 CST

Stars forwards Jamie Benn (lower-body) and Blake Comeau (returning from COVID-19 protocol) will miss Thursday’s game against Detroit, head coach Rick Bowness said.

Roope Hintz (lower-body) could be a game-time decision.

The Stars placed Benn on injured reserve Thursday afternoon and recalled Rhett Gardner and Joel L’Esperance. Since Benn last played in the season opener on Jan. 22, he is eligible to play Saturday in Carolina.

Benn, Comeau and Hintz all skated Thursday morning, encouraging signs for a team that has had to reach deep into the taxi squad to fill its roster.

Hello, darkness: Thursday will be the first time the Stars wear their third uniforms, featuring all black numbering and lettering, outlined in neon green. Dallas will wear the sets for 10 home games this season.

“I think they’re cool,” Denis Gurianov said. “Kind of sick. I’m excited.”

Bowness’ wife Judy made sure he was ready for when the Stars broke them out.

“Judy went out and bought me a new tie to match,” Bowness said. “I like the uniforms. I think they’re great, they look great. I think I’m wearing my green tie tonight. Whatever she leaves out when I go home, I wear. She was out looking for that green tie.”

Scouting Gurianov: Teams have caught on to Gurianov and his one-timer from the right circle on the power play. In Tuesday’s overtime win over Detroit, Gurianov had three slap shots blocked by Red Wings defenders on the power play.

Overall, of Gurianov’s 16 shots attempts on the power play, 12 have been slap shots.

“They’re prescouting him pretty good now, too, if you notice how many times the shot’s been blocked the last couple of games,” Bowness said. “Laxy talked to him this morning. We’re going to have to make a few adjustments. He’s very comfortable over there. He is a threat over there, and they’re well aware of where he is.”

Gurianov’s shot is arguably the best on the team, and was a weapon last season and in the playoffs (remember the series-clincher against Vegas?). But the Stars understand that just the threat of the shot is enough to open up other options on the power play. Cross-ice seam passes come into play, as do shot-passes to the front of the net.

“The D is coming right out on him,” Bowness said. “But when they do that, that opens other opportunities. We’ll have to try to expose those other opportunities. But he’s a threat over there and you can never take that away from him.”

Gurianov said: “Some teams will kind of go on me and they know I’m going to shoot, maybe I won’t have a chance to shoot.”

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Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger to make first NHL start Thursday vs. Red Wings

By Matthew DeFranks 4:20 PM on Jan 28, 2021 CST

The future is now?

Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger will make his first career NHL start on Thursday night against Detroit, the first of many for the 22-year-old rookie that has become Dallas’ backup goaltender with Ben Bishop hurt.

Oettinger, a 2017 first-round pick, is widely regarded as the goaltender of the future in Dallas and will get his fair share of chances for the Stars in the shortened and condensed regular season.

“We certainly didn’t want to let him sit here too long,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “He’s got to play. He’s going to play games, as we talked about before the season started. Tonight’s his opportunity. Listen, we’re all looking forward to seeing him play. He’s a great kid, a great prospect and he needs to play.”

Oettinger played in two playoff games last fall during the Stars’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, but entered when games were already out of hand in the third period. Thursday night will be his first start since March 10 with AHL affiliate .

Among AHL rookies last season, Oettinger was first in save percentage (.917) and second in goals against average (2.57). The 6-5 goalie played three years at Boston University before turning pro.

“Some guys are nervous and they get better as their careers go on,” Bowness said of rookie goaltenders. “Some guys it doesn’t rattle whatsoever. We won’t know that until we see Jake play tonight.”

Projected Stars lineup Thursday vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Tanner Kero – Joe Pavelski – Alexander Radulov

Jason Dickinson – Justin Dowling – Denis Gurianov

Andrew Cogliano – Radek Faksa – Ty Dellandrea

Nick Caamano – Rhett Gardner – Joel L’Esperance

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg

Jamie Oleksiak – Miro Heiskanen

Andrej Sekera – Mark Pysyk

Jake Oettinger

Anton Khudobin

Scratches: Roope Hintz (lower-body), Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley.

Taxi squad: Jason Robertson, Thomas Harley, Julius Honka, Landon Bow.

IR and non-roster: Jamie Benn (lower-body), Blake Comeau (returning from COVID-19 protocol), Joel Kiviranta (lower-body), Tyler Seguin (hip), Stephen Johns (head), Ben Bishop (knee).

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200698 Dallas Stars need additional practices, they’re going to get it. No one is going on that ice unless they’re 100 percent and ready to go.”

Considering the tight schedule that comes with this unique season, Why Rick Bowness’ coaching style will continue to be integral to Stars’ injuries may be a bigger factor than in years past. Fatigue will almost success certainly be at a higher rate than in previous seasons. Bowness has established an understanding with the players that if they come to the rink and feel tired, they need to tell the coaches and take the day off.

By Saad Yousuf Jan 28, 2021 “Managing our schedule is going to be a huge part of any success we’re going to have this year,” Bowness said. “We’ve got to get it right …

They’re the ones that know how they feel, they’re the ones that know if When the Dallas Stars entered the COVID-19 pause last March on an 0- they’re feeling fatigued and we’ll give them a day off.” 6 run, it seemed like a longshot that Rick Bowness would shed his Whether it was the player’s call or the team’s decision, players have had interim label and become the head coach in Dallas. Things changed maintenance-related days off. Thirty-four-year-old goaltender Anton once the Stars entered the bubble. Circumstances were different, Khudobin has started the first three games but hasn’t practiced on days including compressed schedules, silent and team personnel in-between. Thirty-four-year-old forward Alexander Radulov didn’t isolated from the wider world. practice Wednesday after playing the first three games. Keeping players The Stars thrived in that world, coming two games short of lifting fresh is as important as keeping them healthy, and Bowness allows that hockey’s prize. Bowness got a lot of the credit – and a new to be a collaborative effort. It comes from a high level of trust fostered contract. He was an experienced hockey mind, respected in his own between the coach and players. locker room and opposing locker rooms alike. He put the person in front “We have great rapport with our players, and we trust our players, and of the player. For that team, in that situation, Bowness was the perfect they trust us,” Bowness said. “You’ve got to build that trust between your head coach. players and your coaching staff. You know me, I’m very big on the It’s a new season, and not much has changed. When healthy, the roster communication from our coaches to our players. The players have to feel is mostly unaltered from the one that made last season’s Stanley Cup free to talk to us and (say) whatever’s on their mind. We just go by that. If Final. Players aren’t in a bubble, while a few thousand fans scatter the a player’s not well, he’ll tell us, and we trust him. American Airlines Center to watch the Stars, but COVID-19 is still “They’re men. They’re pros. They know how to act and how to behave shaping the NHL season. That means Bowness’ style once again will be and know what their responsibilities are. If they’re not up to 100 percent, critical to the Stars’ success. they have to put the team first. That’s what we all do here, we’re a family Bowness is a players’ coach, a rather odd title for somebody who … If you’re not up to snuff then you have to let us know so we don’t hurt celebrated his 66th birthday this week. You won’t find him scrolling the team. We play the guys that are feeling a little better.” through Tik Tok in the locker room or playing video games with his team, This season will require teams to play games within the game, and player but his players readily admit they enjoy being coached by him and want management is at the top of the list. Dallas won’t always be able to ride a to win for him. He doesn’t run the team as a dictatorship. While depleted roster to winning streaks and astounding power play delegating to assistant coaches is one thing, Bowness displays a high performances. Winning masks a lot of deficiencies, and the Stars have level of trust with the players, too. That’s not just limited to the leadership had that luxury while battling the early season-adversity. At some point group but the entire roster, from top to bottom. during the season, the circumstances are bound to change. No matter The Stars have already been slammed with adversity this season, what they are, Bowness has shown that his approach will be unwavering. despite starting 3-0-0 for the first time in over a decade. Beyond the The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 training camp COVID-19 outbreak, Dallas has been eaten up by the injury bug. After entering the season without their top goaltender (Ben Bishop) and top center (Tyler Seguin), the Stars have played games without Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz, Joel Kiviranta and Blake Comeau. They’ve asked a defenseman to play forward and AHL talent to play NHL games. Bowness’ ability to remain patient and consistent with his players as they work through them is arguably just as important as the team’s ability to win during this stretch.

In Friday’s season opener, Benn suffered a knee injury that required a slow trip down the tunnel. He came back to finish the second period but was ruled out for the final frame and missed the two subsequent games. Though he didn’t play Tuesday night, Benn skated that morning. He felt better at practice on Wednesday, but Bowness noted in an appearance on 96.7/1310 The Ticket that he anticipated Benn returning over the weekend, saying it was “very doubtful” that Benn plays Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

Hintz participated in morning skate on Tuesday after playing the first two games of the season. Something felt off, so he told Bowness and did not play Tuesday night. Bowness said it was the “right decision” to hold Hintz out of the game. Kiviranta got hurt in practice on Saturday and was placed on IR, eliminating the possibility of him playing until at least Saturday’s road-opener.

Injuries are part of hockey but the approach to returning from injuries often varies. Players can sometimes feel pressure from the organization to return as soon as they can contribute, even if it’s in a limited capacity. Sometimes, as was the case with Seguin’s run in the bubble, the player’s competitiveness overtakes dealing with the injury responsibly. Given Benn’s history of playing through injuries, it’s important to manage his return with an eye on his long-term future. Hintz not feeling the pressure to play through his ailment and be transparent about his limitations is also important. In both cases, it’s best for the player and the team to take the time to recover. It’s a tone set from the top.

“We’re not going to put a player on the ice that hasn’t had good practice time and doesn’t feel good about their game,” Bowness said. “If they 1200699 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings lose Jonathan Bernier to injury, game to Dallas Stars, 7-3

Stephen HawkinsAssociated Press

DALLAS — Joe Pavelski scored his fourth goal of the season, Jake Oettinger stopped 20 shots in his first NHL start and the Dallas Stars beat the Detroit Red Wings, 7-3, on Thursday night to finish undefeated in their season-opening four-game homestand.

Denis Gurianov had a goal and two assists while Ty Dellandrea had his first NHL goal and first assist – both coming in the final 5:08 when Dallas stretched out a one-goal lead. Seven Stars scored.

Andrew Cogliano, Jamie Oleksiak, Justin Dowling and John Klingberg added goals for the defending Western Conference champion Stars, who last season didn’t win until their fourth game during a 1-7-1 start. Miro Heiskanen, their standout young defenseman, had three assists.

Valtteri Filppula knocked in a rebound for his first goal for the Red Wings (2-5-1). Tyler Bertuzzi added a power-play goal in the third period, and Danny DeKeyser made it a one-goal game with 6:56 left before Dellandrea got his goal, with Dowling following with an empty-netter and Dellandrea assisting Klingberg.

Oettinger, who turned 22 last month, was the 26th overall pick in the first round by the Stars in the 2017 draft — they got Heiskanen with the third pick that year.

The goalie made his NHL debut in the playoffs last season, stopping all eight shots faced in two games after relieving Anton Khudobin. Oettinger was the backup through the postseason because of a knee injury to Ben Bishop, the veteran still out until at least late March while rehabbing from a second surgery.

UPON REVIEW

Gurianov’s unassisted goal in the second period was confirmed on a replay review after Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha slid through the crease, taking Bernier with him and knocking the net loose. The puck crossed the line just before the Red Wings did. Bernier left the game after the collision.

After the game, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he wasn't concerned long-term about the upper-body injury for Bernier.

PAV'S POINTS

Pavelski is off to a fast start in the second of his three-season contract with the Stars, with four goals and five assists. In 67 regular-season games last year, the 36-year-old center had only 14 goals and didn’t reach four goals and nine points until his 19th game The 14 overall goals matched his career low set in 46 games as rookie for San Jose in 2006- 07. Pavelski then had 13 goals in 27 playoff games for Dallas.

LOT OF GAMES

Marc Staal’s eighth game with the Red Wings was the 900th of his NHL career. The first 892 games came the previous 13 seasons with the New York Rangers, who in September traded him to Detroit.

WHAT’S NEXT

Both teams play back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday, the Red Wings at home against Florida, and the Stars on the road for the first time this season at Carolina. Dallas was initially supposed to open with four road games before those games were postponed because of COVID-19 protocols.

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For Detroit Red Wings players under COVID protocol, return back may not be all smooth

Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Help isn’t expected before the middle of next week, and that’s tinged with a good deal of hope.

The Detroit Red Wings were off to a good start when they left for their first road trip of the season, but as they return home for a brief respite, it’s clear just how much they missed the players that didn’t make the trip after testing positive for COVID-19.

The list includes two-thirds of the second line in Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina, fellow man-advantage players in forward and defenseman Jon Merrill, and forward Adam Erne, a grinder and penalty killer.

Fabbri and Erne went into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol Jan. 18, and the rest three days later. The Wings left for Chicago Jan. 22. They host the Florida Panthers Saturday and Sunday, then leave for six-game road trip spanning Feb. 3-13.

Coach Jeff Blashill planned to spend part of Thursday afternoon sitting down with athletic trainer Piet VanZant to map out when players potentially will be available, and sketched something of a timeline.

“It’s a minimum of 14 days,” Blashill said. “They can’t exercise or exert themselves until those 14 days are up. That’s at a minimum. How many days after that is really hard to tell. But being off for 14 days, that’s a long time.

“Part of the process is getting them back into shape so they don’t injure themselves. That would be the No. 1 priority, so they don't have soft- tissue issues. It will be very difficult to get them into as many game situations as you’d like because of the fact it's just really, really hard to practice.”

After Sunday, the Wings have two days before their next game. At best, Fabbri and Erne may be able to practice by then. But the 14-day period of rest won’t be over for Zadina, Gagner and Merrill before the Wings depart for Tampa, and players have to quarantine 48 hours if they travel commercially.

Having to basically be inactive for at least two weeks means players will need time to regain their game legs. And that won’t be easy in a schedule that holds 14 games in February, leaving scant time for practices.

“They won’t be rushed in,” Blashill said. “They will only be put in when we perceive they are in game shape. They might not be as practice-ready as we want, but if they are game shape, then there is a good chance we will insert them back into the lineup given the number of players we are missing.”

The Wings have had to scramble lines and defense pairings to ameliorate losing five players to the pandemic. It’s a tough break for a guy like Zadina, who came into camp with sky-high confidence after starring in the Czech league, where he played in autumn while the pandemic delayed the start of the NHL season. Fabbri, too, was looking comfortable centering the second line between Zadina and .

“Zadina had been playing playing pretty good hockey and then all of a sudden he gets COVID,” Blashill said. “It’s unfortunate for sure for him. Same with Robby Fabbri — he’s had a number of injuries in his career. I know Jonny Merrill was excited about the opportunity he was getting with us on the power play and penalty kill.. It’s unfortunate.”

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Jimmy Howard retires after 11-plus seasons with Detroit Red Wings

Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Through more than a decade with the Detroit Red Wings, Jimmy Howard was an NHL All-Star three times, the runner up for the Calder Memorial Trophy, and celebrated with the Stanley Cup.

It was the second season after the 2008 championship that Howard emerged as the team’s starting goaltender, going 37-15-10 with a .924 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average in 2009-10. He made the All-Rookie team in 2010, and was named to the All-Star team in 2012, 2015 and 2019.

Howard announced on Instagram on Thursday morning that he was retiring, deciding to "to say farewell to playing professional hockey and move on to the next chapter."

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to play and I'm forever thankful to the fans, everyone within the Red Wings organization, my teammates and my family for their ongoing support, loyalty and dedication," Howard wrote.

Howard, 36, spent his entire career with the Wings, rising through the organization after being selected 64th in 2003.

"When I was an assistant here he was an All-Star, and then he was an All-Star again later in his career," coach Jeff Blashill said. "It shows the competitiveness, and also the work ethic that showed in being great at his craft. Goaltending is one of those positions that you can continuously work on and make better, and he continually did that.

"When you look at his career in totality, it was a really, really wonderful career. He was a great competitor and a really great Red Wing."

Howard ranks fourth in his draft class with 246 victories in 543 games, trailing Marc-Andre Fleury (467 in 848), Jaroslav Halak (272 in 521) and Corey Crawford (260 in 488).

Howard enjoyed success early in his career. He finished second in voting for rookie of the year to defenseman Tyler Myers in 2010. That spring, Howard earned his first taste of the NHL playoffs, starting all 12 games before the Wings were eliminated in the second round.

He followed that up with again winning 37 of 63 games in 2010-11. The next season Howard posted 35 victories and a .920 save percentage in 57 games, and was named to the All-Star Game.

Howard was named to the All-Star Game again in 2015, but on the same day the announcement was made, Howard suffered a groin injury during a game at Washington and was not able to play. He returned to the All- Star Game in 2019.

"He was a great goalie for us for a long time," veteran defenseman Danny DeKeyser said. "He gave us a chance to win more nights than not. He loved playing hockey, loved competing. One thing that I think made him a good goalie was his ability to block out things that happened in the past - if he had a bad game, he could rinse it and go out the next night and have a good game.

“Another quality of his was not things too seriously all the time and being able to go out there and have fun, joke about things, even if they weren’t going the right way. He liked to have fun.”

The 2019-20 season wasn't much fun for the Wings, or Howard. His declined was dramatic: He won only twice in 27 starts, his last victory dating to Oct. 29, 2019. Howard was pulled from his last two starts, his last appearance coming Feb. 27. Three weeks later, the NHL shut down the season because of the pandemic.

"As I enter this new chapter in my life, I look forward to spending more time with my family, coaching my son's hockey team and new opportunities the future will hold," Howard wrote.

1200702 Detroit Red Wings (famous Kronk trainer) Emanuel Steward and he showed us some things and gave us a motivational boost. But fighting on skates while holding onto your opponent is totally different from boxing.”

Joe Kocur: How Bob Probert fought for me, literally, to return to Detroit Getting traded to the Rangers Red Wings “I was devastated by the trade because I loved Detroit, my friends were there and that was where I was married. They said it was because I wasn’t fighting anymore but they weren’t really trying to figure out why. Bill Dow | Special to Detroit Free Press When I went to New York, the Rangers sent me to a specialist and I had reconstructive surgery on my right hand because my tendon had been

torn and split across my knuckles. It was basically just bone against Today's profile is on Joe Kocur: whatever I was hitting. It was pretty painful. I wish instead of trading me, the Wings would have found a way to fix it. I have had about five How we remember him surgeries on my hand but today it’s good and looks normal.”

Drafted by the Wings with the 88th overall pick in 1983, the His return to the Wings in 1996 Saskatchewan farm boy formed the “Bruise Brothers” with Bob Probert, perhaps the roughest, toughest duo in NHL history. In his first full “I always wanted to play for the Wings again. I was out of a job, playing in season, 1985-86, Kocur led the league with 377 penalty minutes, a local beer league and with the Red Wing Alumni team. Bob Probert breaking the team record. Known for his devastating right hand, he was with Chicago and I said to him before a game against the Wings, engaged in 219 fights over his 15-year career. He ranks second behind ‘why don’t you kick the crap out of them and maybe they’ll realize they’ll Bob Probert in team history with 1,963 penalty minutes. In an unpopular need an intimidator.' Bob obliged and the following day, there was an trade, Kocur was dealt in 1991 to the Rangers, where he won a Stanley article about how the Wings needed to get tougher. I later learned that Cup in 1994. He was sent to Vancouver two years later. After playing my friends at Art Moran Pontiac, Jerry Vought and Bob Moran, had kept seven games for the Canucks, he was released and Detroit eventually telling , who was a customer, that the Wings should sign re-signed him in December 1996. As a member of the first Grind Line me. In my second game back, we were in Chicago and I started a fight with Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, the trio played a key role in helping the with Bob Probert. At the end of it, I was on top of him and said, ‘Thanks Wings win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1997 and ’98. buddy for getting me back in the league.' He said, ‘no problem.’ Years later when we were being interviewed for the book, "The Bruise After the Red Wings Brothers," he asked me why I had started that fight. I told him that I had to because they signed me to help protect the others. There were never A hernia early in the 1998-99 season, followed by a long rehab, led to any hard feelings between us. I had also fought him when I was with the Kocur's eventual retirement in 2000. The Wings retained him as a video Rangers. We both knew we had a job to do.” coordinator under Scotty Bowman and won another Cup in 2002. The following season, he served as an assistant coach to Dave Lewis. He The Grind Line later coached youth hockey and established his own sales business. “When I signed again with the Wings, Scotty Bowman told me, ‘I don’t Today want you fighting and in the penalty box because I want you available at any given time.’ By placing me on the line with Kris Draper and Kirk Now 56, Kocur and his wife of 29 years, Kristen, live on a lake in Maltby, he gave me the opportunity for the first time to be on a regular Highland. They have two children, Liam and Kendall. He is co-owner of shift. He allowed me to be a total hockey player and not just an enforcer. KocuRoss Group in Auburn Hills, a sales and marketing firm representing Kris, Kirk, and I trusted each other. They both had a ton of speed and automotive suppliers. He is also president of the Joe Kocur Children’s they knew how to get under the skin of our opponents. They never felt Foundation, formed in 2008, the president of the Detroit Red Wings intimidated doing that because they knew I would be standing right there Alumni Association for the past 10 years, and is the honorary co- protecting them. We had a lot of fun.” spokesperson for the Ted Lindsay Foundation. Winning the Stanley Cup with the Wings Remembering his first call-up by the Wings “Every Cup is amazing in its own way, but that first of two consecutive “After a game playing for Adirondack, in which I received 20 stitches in Cups in 1997 was really special since I was back home and because the my right hand from fighting Jim Playfair, I was told I was headed for Grind Line was a major contributor. In Game 1 of the finals against the Detroit. Of course, I was thrilled. When I got to the Joe for the morning Flyers, Maltby scored the first goal in the first period and I also scored practice, my hand and arm were so swollen that I couldn’t put my glove when I intercepted a pass and put a back hand shot past Ron Hextall. on. Before the puck was dropped that night, I was in emergency surgery Considering the circumstances, it was the most memorable goal of my with a major infection. I was told that if I had waited another few hours I career. The crowd really enjoyed seeing the Grind Line score once in a may have lost my arm. After the surgery, I was sent down to Adirondack while. Scotty also had our line on the ice for the last minute when we won but I was called back in February. I don’t have any recollection of my first the Cup and that was very special.” game because I was probably too damn nervous.” Playing for Scotty Bowman Being co-enforcer with Bob Probert “He really let me be a total hockey player. Some people said he played “Our role was to help protect Steve Yzerman, Petr Klima and the other mind games but I always felt he was just keeping the players on their skilled players, but at times when our team needed a boost we would try toes. You could walk into the rink seven days in a row and meet him in and create some excitement by winning a fight. We didn’t have a very the hallway and you would get different responses every time. good team then and there weren’t a lot of fans standing and cheering. Sometimes you didn’t know if he was mad at you or if you did something When Bob and I fought, there was a lot of excitement. Honestly, we kind wrong. It was like, ‘I wonder what practice is going to be like.’ With Steve of felt like rock stars. We did what the Detroit fans wanted us to do. We Yzerman, he helped him become a two-way player and most everyone were real blue-collar players and it was a pretty great time for us. I bought into it. You can’t argue with his success because he is the enjoyed answering the bell, winning a fight and protecting my greatest hockey coach of all time.” teammates. I didn’t fight just to fight. It was always team related.” The influence of Ted Lindsay His fighting technique “His inspiration for me and the team started at my very first practice with “I would get a hold of my opponent’s jersey up near his right shoulder the Wings. We were in the locker room getting dressed and he was in the with my left hand where I could control him like a lever and move him weight room pounding the weights. When we got done with practice, he wherever I wanted to. I would pull the guy into me and when it was time was still working out and he would do this every day. I loved him and I to punch, I would just start throwing my right hand and create as much learned a lot from Ted and Lew LaPaugh at the Ted Lindsay Foundation force as possible. I had to be able to take a punch to use the technique I and the importance of giving back. That helped motivate me to start my used. But I had to be careful that I didn’t miss because if he hit me and I own Foundation in 2008 to help children. At our first-year annual charity went down it would be embarrassing as all hell. With hockey fights game, we raised $17,000 and at our last one $160,000. Like the sometimes, it’s trial and error. You try something and it works, great. And Lindsay Foundation, it is all voluntary, no one is paid a penny, and we if it doesn’t, you get a bloody nose. Bob and I met a couple of times with know where the money goes. It has been very rewarding to provide funds for numerous children charities. Among others, we support handicapped children, the Special Olympics, Wings of Mercy, that helps pay for transportation for kids to have surgeries, and scholarships. I also enjoy being a part of the Red Wing Alumni Association and playing in our charity hockey games.”

Remembering Probert

“We were best friends and had lived together for two years when we were teammates. It was very emotional and very sad for me personally. He had a few dark years but he had gotten through them and was back on track when he passed away. That was tough.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200703 Detroit Red Wings While Gurianov was cutting through the slot on a 2-on-1 rush, Anthony Mantha fell and slid hard into Bernier while Gurianov fired the puck into the net.

'A real step back': Red Wings go winless on road, lose 7-3 to Stars Thomas Greiss replaced Bernier during the next break, with Bernier declared out with an upper-body injury, although Blashill said after the game he didn't expect Bernier to be out for long.

TED KULFAN | The Detroit News

Detroit News LOADED: 01.29.2021 They ended the four-game trip winless Thursday, losing 7-3 in Dallas.

The Wings only gained one point on the trip, losing in overtime Tuesday against the Stars.

Considering the positive vibes of the four-game season-opening home stand (2-2), the Wings return home a week later in a downward spin.

"We took a real step back," coach Jeff Blashill said. "We have to regroup. It's not going to be easy. We're getting home late and we have to turn around and play on Saturday but we have to find a way to regroup. Dig deeper and ultimately we have to a lot of guys play a lot better. We have individuals who can play better hockey for sure."

Valtteri Filppula, Tyler Bertuzzi (power play) and Danny DeKeyser scored for the Wings (2-5-1).

Bertuzzi’s goal, a rebound at 7 minutes, 26 seconds of the third period, cut the Dallas lead to 4-2. After a Wings' power play didn't convert, DeKeyser's shot from the point deflected off a Stars player made it 4-3 at 13:04 and gave the Wings' momentum they hadn't had all night.

But former Flint Firebird (OHL) Ty Dellandrea scored his first NHL goal, on the power play, at 14:52, restoring the Stars' two-goal lead, 5-3, and Justin Dowling (empty net) and John Klingberg added insurance goals.

"We worked our way back into the game, made it 4-3 and the game got away from us," forward Dylan Larkin said. "That's the Western Conference champs over there, and we were in it again, and we just let it slip away and we can't keep letting two points slip away here. Every game is important within our division."

The Wings were ineffective on the power play, scoring only one goal on seven opportunities.

Many of the power-play chances resulted in lost momentum if anything and the Wings' confidence on the units appeared to dwindle as the evening wore on.

"We're fighting against ourselves, not actually fighting, but we have the puck on the stick and we're nervous to make plays and we don't want it on our stick," Larkin said. "We're second-guessing everything and not moving around. We're not hard on it to get in on entries.

"Every power-play goal we scored this year, we kept it simple and threw it on net, and it's not the prettiest goals, but it's in the net. We didn't do that nearly enough and it has to find a way to get going."

Said Blashill: "You get 12 minutes of power-play time, you have to score and score earlier than that. We changed the units around going into the third period and it still wasn't good enough. We're not executing."

Joe Pavelski, Andrew Cogliano, Denis Gurianov and Jamie Oleksiak added the other Dallas goals, while Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, making his NHL regular-season debut, stopped 19 shots for his first NHL victory.

Especially early in the game, the Wings made it too easy for Oettinger in his first game.

"Too easy in the sense we passed up shots and we just didn't have enough zone time," Blashill said. "We spent so much time in the game under siege, it felt like they were on top of us everywhere we looked and again, some of that is execution on our part and some of that, they were a step quicker than us all over the ice. We didn't get enough pressure.

"He's a good goalie, he'll have a good career, but as a young kid in his first start, I know he played a couple of playoff games in relief, but we have to do a better job for sure.

"I was disappointed we were a step slow all over the ice."

The Red Wings lost goaltender Jonathan Bernier on the Gurianov goal. 1200704 Detroit Red Wings Detroit News LOADED: 01.29.2021

Former Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, 'a big-time winner', announces retirement

TED KULFAN | The Detroit News

Jimmy Howard made the expected official Thursday and announced his retirement.

For his Red Wings teammates, and coach Jeff Blashill, it was the official end to one of the team's most competitive players over a successful 14- year career.

“Really competitive, and a big-time winner,” Blashill said after Thursday's morning skate in Dallas, during a Zoom media call. “He worked hard at his craft. He had a great early part of his career, and he worked with our goalie coaches to change his game so he could adapt because he wanted to be great.

“It just shows the competitiveness and the work ethic toward being great at his craft. Goaltending is one of those positions you can continuously work on and make adjustments and get better and he did that."

Howard, 36, had a difficult last season, during a season nearly everyone on the Red Wings struggled, as the team had the worst record in the NHL.

Howard won only two of 27 decisions (2-23-2), with a 4.20 goals-against average and .882 save percentage, in what was also the final year of his contract.

"Last year is as much on our hockey team as anybody," Blashill said. "When you look at his career in totality it really is a wonderful career. I’m thankful I got a chance to coach him because he was a great competitor and a really great Red Wing.”

Howard told The Detroit News over the summer he would be interested in playing another season, or two, if there was a right fit around the NHL.

There were reports of former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, who is now in the same role in Edmonton, reaching out to Howard. But Howard's family is now entrenched in the Metro Detroit area, and he was not interested in moving.

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to play and I'm forever thankful to the fans, everyone within the Red Wings organization, my teammates and my family for their ongoing support, loyalty and dedication," he said. "As I enter this new chapter in my life, I look forward to spending more time with my family, coaching my son's hockey team and new opportunities the future will hold."

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser played with Howard throughout both players' careers and appreciated Howard's competitiveness.

“He loved competing; that’s one thing that really stood out to me," DeKeyser said. "It just seemed like he always tried to do things the right way, and he gave us a chance to win on more nights than not.

“If he gave up a bad goal or had a bad game he could get it out of his head and go out there the next night and play hard and give us a chance to win. As a goalie you have to be able to do that because not every night is going to go your way.”

Howard had a 246-196-70 record with a 2.62 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and 24 shutouts in 543 games. Howard ranks third all- time in franchise history in games and victories (behind Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood) and is fourth in shutouts.

Howard was a 2003 second-round pick of the Wings and made his debut in 2005. He went on to win 246 games for Detroit, plus 21 more in the playoffs. He was an All-Star in 2012 and 2019, and was named to the 2015 All-Star Game, also, but suffered a groin injury the same night he was named to the ASG squad.

"Awesome career," Blashill said. "Jimmy was a great teammate, a great Red Wing. He had a great, great career and certainly want to wish him luck as he enters the next phase of his life.”

1200705 Detroit Red Wings “I don’t think it’s going to be anything that’s going to force him to miss the game, but we’ll see,” Blashill said.

Red Wings’ balancing act: More offense without sacrificing defense Michigan Live LOADED: 01.29.2021

Updated Jan 27, 6:07 PM; Posted Jan 27, 6:07 PM

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

The Detroit Red Wings are seeking ways to generate more offense without sacrificing defense.

Through seven games, the Red Wings are averaging 1.86 goals, third from the bottom in the NHL. It is even worse than 2019-20, when they scored 2.00 goals per game, their lowest output since 1939-40 (1.88).

Missing three top-nine forwards the past three games due to COVID protocol (Robby Fabbri, Filip Zadina, Sam Gagner) has contributed to the decline. They will remain out Thursday when the Red Wings face Dallas in the second game of a back-to-back set at American Airlines Center (8:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit Plus), and possibly longer.

Until then, and even after the team returns to a full complement of players, the Red Wings need more goals.

“How do we score more? Either guys burying their chances, or we have to do a better job scoring the dirty-type goals with chaos at the net,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “(Dallas) is not an easy team to find our offense against. They’re extremely good defensively. They’ve got a couple elite defensemen (Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg) and a really big D corps and they play well structurally.”

Whatever they do, Blashill said it is vital they play the kind of tight- checking game they did in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars.

“If we can be in a lot of games that are 1-1 late in the game, it’s a good spot for us,” Blashill said. “We got to find a way to win those. You win them with making a play on the power play when you get those opportunities. You win them by making a critical play at a critical moment. But we want to be in as many of those tight games in the third period as we can. To do that we got to make sure our defense is great.

“(Henrik) Zetterberg used to say this a lot, you got to be OK with nothing happening on a shift. You can’t force things. You have to attack when the opponent is vulnerable. If you force it, generally bad things happen. I thought we showed maturity (Tuesday) in just laying pucks behind them and being OK with that.”

The path to more offense leads through the power play, where Detroit has converted only 3-of-20 opportunities (15 percent), two in the same game by Tyler Bertuzzi. Fabbri, Zadina and Gagner are regulars on the power play.

“Just more puck execution so we stay in the zone longer, that would be No. 1 by a country mile,” Blashill said. “Lots of times we’ve given the puck away, not really trying to make plays, just poor puck management, both on our entries and in the zone, so then you’re not in the zone long enough. The more you’re in the zone, the more tired the (penalty killers) get and the less they think clearly.”

Blashill said they must find ways to get the puck to Bobby Ryan down low, which could create more one-time opportunities for Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek at the flanks.

“Our execution still needs to be way better, and a number of players still need to be way better,” Blashill said. “While it was good we were better defensively, I still think there’s way more from more people.”

Mantha played better Tuesday after being benched most of the third period in Sunday’s loss at Chicago. But he has only one goal and three points in seven games.

The team was glad to see Vladislav Namestnikov record his first goal on Tuesday. They hope Mathias Brome (no points in seven games) breaks through soon.

Larkin misses practice

Blashill said Dylan Larkin did not practice Wednesday in Dallas and that it is not due to COVID protocol. He missed a couple of shifts in the second period Tuesday after getting banged up. 1200706 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit’s stadium experiences are relatively cheap compared to other U.S. cities

Updated Jan 27, 4:55 PM; Posted Jan 27, 4:55 PM

By Brandon Champion | [email protected]

DETROIT – Fans have been noticeably absent from Ford Field, and Comerica Park lately.

COVID-19 restrictions in Michigan prevented fans from attending Lions, Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings games in 2020 and 2021, but as local coronavirus guidelines change, many stadiums will begin to reopen their doors to sports fans in 2021.

No word on when, or if, that will happen in Michigan, but when it does, Lions fans will get to enjoy one of the cheapest stadium experiences in the NFL, according to a recent study conducted by TN Bets which analyzed the cost to attend a game for all major sports leagues including the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.

Costs were based on one general admission ticket, two beers, a hot dog and the cost of parking. Here’s what they found:

The Detroit Lions ranked 28th in the NFL with an average price of $126.87 to attend the game, just ahead of the Ravens ($123.53) and just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars ($127.24). Furthermore, the cost to see the Lions play was considerably below the league average of $157.07.

The most expensive NFL Stadiums to see a game are the homes of the Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers.

The most expensive beer on average in the NFL will cost you $13 dollars at a Raiders game. The average price at a Lions game is only $5.

As for the other Detroit teams?

The Red Wings are the most expensive Detroit team to watch live relative to other teams in their league. Little Caesars Arena, the home of the 11-time Stanley Cup Champions, is the 11th most expensive place to watch a game at $118.43. The New York Rangers have the most expensive gameday experience at $182.43.

The Pistons rank 25th, with the cost of one general admission ticket, two beers, a hot dog and parking coming in at $86.86. The , who play at historic , are the most expensive team to see, coming in at a whopping $260.38.

The cost of going to games at Comerica Park is also quite reasonable relative to the rest of Major League Baseball. The Tigers also ranked 25th at a cost of $53.56. The , who play at historic Wrigley Field, are the most expensive team to see, checking in at $109.78.

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200707 Edmonton Oilers And when Gaetan Haas returns, maybe Khaira’s the sixth centre on the depth chart. Not good.

“JJ’s penalty-killing is alright but speed and tenacity can be a factor on Auston Matthews' power-play goal for Maple Leafs sinks Oilers that line,” said Oiler coach Dave Tippett, sounding like he wants more of that from Khaira.

This ‘n that: Kerfoot took three minor penalties, one soft one, but a slash Jim Matheson • Edmonton Journal and an interference call that were legit … Gene Principe and his puns were back after his dad Francesco passed and the broadcast host also Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021 had Covid issues … Patrick Russell, who had a strong game in Winnipeg Thursday, also went to the taxi-squad with Shore and Nygard coming in to play. William Lagesson stays on the 23-man roster because he would Nine games into a 56-game NHL season is less than 20 per cent, only a have to clear waivers to go to the taxi-squad and they’re worried snapshot, but if we’re looking at the big picture, the Edmonton Oilers start somebody might claim him … Taxi squad now: Tyler Ennis, Khaira, is black and white. Russell, Alan Quine, Evan Bouchard and goalie Dylan Wells … When Haas comes on non-roster status (Covid protocol) maybe next week, They aren’t good enough. They’re now 3-6-0 in the Great White North then Quine could be going to Bakersfield … Goalie Troy Grosenick, and there’s no blur to where they stand, only better than the Ottawa picked up on waivers from Los Angeles Jan. 16, has skated twice and Senators; lose a game, win a game, lose a game, win a game. will out with the regular roster Friday for practice. Ex-Oiler Andreas After blowing a lead, giving up three goals in five minutes in the third in Athanasiou, who has three goals in LA, was just put on the Covid list … Winnipeg Tuesday, the Oilers dug their way out of a 2-0 hole late in the The Leafs also got Russian free-agent signee winger Alexander second to tie it midway through the third. But they fell 4-3 to the Toronto Barabanov off the taxi squad but he barely got off the bench Leafs outbid Maple Leafs Thursday because their penalty-killing, No. 2 ranked last several teams to sign Barabanov and he’s averaging 5:52 a game. season, continued to be an anchor.

They gave up two PP goals to Auston Matthews and Wayne Simmonds Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 in the third and William Nylander basically had another in the first because Kyle Turris couldn’t get out of the penalty box to get back in the play. So, the Leafs, who came into the game 10-for-24 on the power play, have now won four straight and they’ve won five games this season by a single goal and another by two when Mitch Marner scored with one second left a week ago.

Draisaitl had two for the Oilers on Freddie Andersen, both on the power play, both on McDavid passes — the fifth straight game he’s scored. Zack Kassian got his first of the season to tie it with nine minutes left.

Wayne Simmonds (power-play tip, just after Draisaitl tied it in the third), Jason Spezza and William Nylander, with his first snipe since opening night, got the Leafs goals on Mikko Koskinen.

Andersen continues to beat the Oilers for fun. He’s now 14-1-1 lifetime against Oilers, 7-0 on the road.

After an impotent first three power plays, with just two shots, the Oilers were gifted a 5-on-3 for 90 seconds late in the middle period after a weak slashing call by Alexander Kerfoot on Adam Larsson and a trip on Zach Hyman who spilled McDavid.

Draisaitl after ringing iron, finished off a McDavid feed and slammed one past Andersen to make it 2-1 after 40. He’s scored in four straight games against Toronto.

The Oilers shot themselves in the foot twice in the first period with Toronto jumping to a 2-0 lead. One more self-inflicted than the other as Koskinen, who doesn’t have the same puck-handling chops as Mike Smith, gave the puck away to Travis Boyd behind the net and before you could spell Spezza, he had swatted it home.

Spezza was sprung from the taxi-squad for the game and played five shifts in the first period, 2:48 in all but had two points, the 231st multi- point game of his career.

“Just trying to be a good presence on the ice,” said Spezza, 37.

Players don’t like to give the enemy too many props, but when asked what made McDavid special Hyman didn’t offer up the usual, he’s a great player, great skater.

“His ability to maintain his pace later on in shifts is what stands out for me. You can have a great shift against his line and 45 seconds into the shift he still has the ability to get to top speed. He’s always dangerous, no matter when it is in the shift,” said Hyman.

SHORT LEASH FOR KHAIRA

When Oiler centre Jujhar Khaira was on waivers before the season started, that was clearly a sign that the coaches weren’t sold on him then, and it’s been borne out.

He played the first two games, then sat out five, played 12 minutes in Game 8 against Winnipeg Tuesday, but was back on the taxi-squad for Devin Shore Thursday. 1200708 Edmonton Oilers “We’re looking for people to come in and take those jobs and just secure them. That mix hasn’t presented itself yet. We’re still trying to find that chemistry.”

OILERS SNAPSHOTS: Sitting out of lineup was tough, but Caleb Jones What characteristics are they looking for? hopes he's better for it “You need consistency and a player who recognizes situations in the game and times in games when you have to be really solid. Energy and stability is what I’m looking for.” Robert Tychkowski He’s not asking guys to step in and score 25 goals. The traits he needs Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021 to see are just hustle, hard work and hockey sense. So why is it so hard to fill those slots?

“There hasn’t been enough energy.” About the only thing harder than playing in the NHL is not playing. BACK ON THE SLATE(R) Guys would rather block a Shea Weber slap shot with no shin pads than be a healthy scratch, but with teams carrying an extra half dozen players Slater Koekkoek draw back in Thursday against the Maple Leafs after this season there is disappointment every night. being scratched in the rematch loss to Winnipeg. He was only out one game, but won’t lie about how it felt. Defencemen Caleb Jones knows the sting firsthand after being lifted from the lineup in the first week of the season and spending four long games “It still hurts,” he said. “Anytime you’re told you’re being taken out of the waiting to get back in. lineup or you’re not getting the chance tonight, it’s not easy. It doesn’t feel good. I want to be out there helping my teammates.” “I talked to my brother a little bit,” he said of Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Seth Jones. “He said, ‘Stay positive, it’s a weird year. Trust If missing one game is tough, imagine how some of the taxi squad myself, relax and calm down out there.’” players feel, practising hard every day but not playing for a week or more at a time is brutal. Jones followed his brother’s advice the best he could and tried to turn a negative experience into something positive. “I was telling some of the guys on the taxi squad that I was scratched 16 games in a row to start one season in Tampa,” said Koekkoek. “And all of “I was frustrated, as anyone would be, coming out of the lineup,” said the a sudden, I got a chance and played nine straight. It can happen every 23-year-old, who’s been back in for two games. “But once I mentally got quickly.” through that frustration and really sat back and watched the game, I saw the plays that I wasn’t making, ones that I’ve made before. GRINDING IT OUT

“It definitely helps. When you get that perspective from up top, things The Oilers played their ninth game in 16 days Thursday, part of a stretch slow down and you can see the plays that you need to be making and that sees them play 11 times in 19 days. the ones that you’re missing.” “It is a tough schedule,” said Koekkoek. “Whenever we get a off day, I’m Sitting out and catching your breath can help, but it’s still a long, lonely not moving from that upstairs couch area. Get the Netflix going and get drive to the rink when you know you aren’t going to play. With Oilers your feet up. I really value those days off, as everyone does around the head coach Dave Tippett especially quick with the changes this year, league.” partly because of the team’s lukewarm start and partly because he has to keep the taxi-squad players sharp, everyone knows they can’t get comfortable. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 “It’s the NHL,” said Jones. “If you’re not playing well, there are a lot of hungry guys out there, especially in a weird year like this with a taxi squad. There are nine defencemen (in Edmonton) and they all want to be in there playing.

“You have to show up every night and prove to the coaches that you can consistently go out there and get the job done. We’re all competitive guys; no one wants to be out of the lineup.”

For a young player like Jones still trying to lock down a permanent spot on the Oilers, half the battle is mental. Pouting or getting frustrated is a path that only leads in the wrong direction.

“You have to find a way to stay positive and know that the sun is going to shine tomorrow,” he said. “You’re eventually going to get another opportunity and when you do, you have to make sure you go in and don’t give it back.”

In assessing his own development, Jones believes he just got a little too anxious out of the gate. He is expecting big things from himself this season and he might have tried to push it a little.

“I think I’ve calmed down. I was really excited to get going this year. I was trying to press a bit and, in this league, you can’t press. You have to relax yourself and kind of let the game come to you. That’s what I’m looking to do the rest of the year.”

FOURTH DOWN

Speaking of lineup changes, Tippett is still struggling to find a good mix in his bottom six, particularly the fourth line.

Nine games into the season he’s had six different trios in the four-hole and none of them have worked.

“We’re just looking for some stability, if we can ever find it,” said Tippett, who wants to see somebody step in and lock down what has long been a weakness on this team. 1200709 Edmonton Oilers Cossa said he decided to take a positive attitude about losing more than half of his draft year and do what he could to make himself better off the ice.

JONES: Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa bumped up to Grade A rating “It’s been a really good for me in the gym,” he said of his makeshift set- up during the coronavirus pandemic. “I made a lot of strides in that area, working on lateral explosiveness. It’s a good time for that with my body growing into six-foot-six. I’ve been working on getting more stability with Terry Jones my body and more core activity.” Publishing date: Jan 28, 2021 Cossa been on the ice on a backyard rink just to get time on skates, and a backyard rink is bigger than your average goal crease. But he’s a goalie, and you pretty much need a puck involved. Since the world junior championships, the only goaltender being graded in Edmonton has been Mikko Koskinen. “I’ve done ball work and juggling — throwing balls off a wall to keep kind of active and get my eyes kind of following something again.” The Edmonton Oilers goalie took a 3-5 record, a 48th-ranked goals- against average of 3.42 and a 34th-ranked save percentage of .900 into Cossa watched the world junior played before no fans in the stands in Thursday’s Edmonton Oilers game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Roger Place, the Oil Kings home arena, with a different perspective than most. Most would grade him a B or a C among NHL goalies. Hearing people project him as the probable starter for Canada next year, The news is there’s a netminder in Edmonton who has just been graded he admits, is an exciting thing for a kid who grew up in Fort McMurray with an A. and played his triple-A bantam and midget hockey in Fort Saskatchewan before joining the Oil Kings as a 17-year-old last year. On Thursday, the Western Hockey League announced it has been granted approval by the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health to “There’s only double-A in Fort McMurray,” he explained of the move return to play with a 24-game season starting Feb. 26. down to the Edmonton area, where he and his family made and 18-hour escape drive from the wildfires. Sebastian Cossa, the Fort McMurray product and Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender — quite possibly Canada’s No. 1 netminder for next season’s Surviving this is a different challenge. return of the world juniors to Edmonton — is one of five players who have been moved to NHL Central Scouting’s A list. “My mindset overall is that you can’t really do anything about it. It doesn’t do much to be angry and upset about COVID-19 hitting in your draft year. Central Scouting considers players with A ratings as candidates to be I just decided to devote the time to working as hard as I can and selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. whenever the season gets going, be able to be at full speed and pick up where I left off last year.” Cossa had only played 33 games when play was suspended in the WHL in March, and had a 2.23 goals-against average and a .921 save With the A grade, it appears he’s done better than that. percentage on an Oil Kings team that was projected to return this season as a contender.

“He has that big presence in the net,” Al Jensen of Central Scouting said Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 in making the announcement, “He has very good net coverage while in his stance or when dropping in the butterfly and doesn’t leave a lot of room for shooters. When in the butterfly, he seals the ice and five hole with good leg extensions to protect the low corners. His confidence in his ability shows in his play. He’s got good NHL upside.”

Considering the Oilers’ current goaltending situation, I’m guessing it will be difficult for general manager Ken Holland’s amateur scouting team not to pick this A-graded goalie if he’s still available when the Oilers make their first pick at the next draft.

To have an A-graded goalie get away from under their noses in this situation would be almost criminal.

But getting A-grade status at this stage of proceedings is certainly curious.

What’s the expression? Give him an A for effort? That’s not quite the way it worked for SebCo. He got his A with no effort at all.

So, should the six-foot-six goaltender be excited and delighted being upgraded to A status without stopping a puck in the past 11 months and 11 days?

Not really. He’d rather get his A for his efforts. And like everybody else in the WHL, which promotes itself as “the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players,” Cossa would rather by playing games in front of scouts and fans.

Cossa is in the same boat as Oil Kings teammate Dylan Guenther, the WHL rookie of the year whom many project to be one of the top four or five players in this year’s draft.

“It’s cool. It’s nice to be recognized like this, that’s for sure. But not playing and everything, I don’t really know where it came from. The must have watched a little more video or something, but who knows?” said Cossa. “We were looking forward to this season, especially me personally for the draft, but mostly because the Oil Kings are looking like a pretty strong team this year.

“So far, it’s been pretty disappointing. But the league has promised to at least get us 24 games in.” 1200710 Edmonton Oilers

Game Night: Maple Leafs at Oilers

Robert Tychkowski

Publishing date: Jan 28, 2021

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Keeping it close

Knowing how to close out a game is huge and Leafs are feeling right at home in the kind of tight, hard-fought games we’re going to see in the North Division. They are a perfect 4-0 in one-goal games and 6-0 if you count one-goals games that were clinched with an empty netter in the final seconds.

2. Special teams

The Oilers had the best power play in the league last season and are counting on it to be a cornerstone this year. It got off to a miserable start, though, just 3-for-26 through the first seven games of the season. It connected twice in the loss to Winnipeg, so they’re hoping it’s coming to life when they need it.

3. Separation time?

It’s barely three weeks into the season and the Leafs are already in a position to pad their lead in the standings to 10 points on the lukewarm Oilers. There are still five head-to-head games left between them after this, but Edmonton can’t afford to let a good team like Toronto pull away.

4. Goals-against

A big question heading into the season was whether the Oilers could shore up the defensive side of their game. So far, the answer is no. In their five losses, they’ve given up a whopping 23 goals-against. With only two lines contributing offensively, giving up four or five a night is a recipe for losing.

5. Leading men

Thursday’s game features the NHL’s scoring leaders in Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, who are tied for the top with 12 points. They also have some serious backup. We’ve yet to see a real fireworks display between these two teams, but it seems only a matter of time before they engage in a shootout.

Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200711 Edmonton Oilers apparently also see a larger cast, as well as rotation on defence in the absence of Oscar Klefbom. That’s sensible enough, especially since the Oilers barely use their second power-play unit; there’s no reason not to mix those guys into the top quintet occasionally. Oilers need misfiring elements to come together — and fast In any event, it has been five-on-five play more than special teams that has killed the Oilers, and the story is a familiar one: With stars on the ice, Edmonton does pretty well; with the bottom six on the ice, it gets By Jonathan Willis thumped. With one or both of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl out Jan 28, 2021 there, the Oilers have outscored their opponents 13-8. With neither of them on the ice, they’ve been outscored 14-2. It isn’t hard to spot the part of that equation that kills seasons.

With Thursday’s loss to Toronto, Edmonton has now dropped six of its Third-line centre Kyle Turris was supposed to be the key figure improving first nine games. Only Ottawa, with one win and seven losses, possesses that bottom-six group; instead, he’s been the avatar for its problems, on a worse record among Canadian teams. It’s still early, but it’s also a short the ice for 10 of those 14 goals against. season — one that could get even shorter if COVID-19 cancellations and postponements grind down the NHL’s planned 56-game schedule. Thursday’s game between Neal and Zack Kassian was the first one this year in which the Oilers both out-attempted and outshot the opposition The Oilers have been caught off-balance by a host of problems, more while Turris was on the ice. The line scored a third-period goal, and while than enough of them self-inflicted. They now face the challenge of Tippett described it afterward as a “work in progress,” it’s at least working correcting those issues while at the same time needing to string some toward some progress. In 18 minutes as a trio, Neal, Turris and Kassian wins together. have broken even in terms of goals and are above 50 percent by shots, shot attempts and expected goals. It’s an incredibly modest start, but it’s The four upcoming games against the Senators capture the situation a start. nicely. They could be a golden opportunity to pile up some points in the standings. At the same time, Edmonton can’t simply assume those Perhaps more important is the imminent return of Gaetan Haas, who is games will end favourably, especially given its own difficulties. To pick now skating with the team and like Grosenick waiting for his debut. A one example: Two of those four games come in back-to-back scenarios, year ago, Haas played 500-odd minutes as a bottom-six centre for and so far the Oilers have only played a single goalie. Edmonton without getting crushed; he was just below break-even by shot attempts, goal differential and actual goals. This year, not getting crushed Given how badly optimistic takes have fared in Edmonton over the past would be a big step up from what Turris and the little-used fourth line decade and a half, I’m reluctant to say that I’m starting to see things turn. have managed. I’m especially reluctant to do so after a loss, even a loss to a team that came in with a 0.750 win percentage and in a game that could have gone Naturally, it isn’t all about the forwards, but the defensive situation is either way right up to the bitter end. I’ve got a coffee mug sitting on my beginning to resolve itself as well. desk with a line in the middle that reads “This glass is now half-empty” specifically to ward off these kinds of cheery opinions. With Klefbom injured, it was obvious that Caleb Jones would play a larger role this year, but he struggled out of the gate and earned a seat in Nevertheless, there’s a road back to respectability here, one that has the press box. He’s been much better since being put back into the less to do with the weak opposition on the upcoming schedule and more lineup. In his 27 minutes of five-on-five play over the previous two to do with the belief that the Oilers are going to tidy their own house. games, Edmonton has out-attempted the opposition 28-18 and outscored it 2-0. Start with the goaltending. Edmonton’s management has taken lumps for sticking with mostly the status quo in net, and those started even before Jones now sits third among Oilers defenders by virtually every on-ice the 38-year-old backup got hurt and the No. 3 guy got put on waivers so metric, from shot attempts to expected goals to actual goals, behind only the Oilers could protect some of their umpteen left-shot defencemen. the top pair of Nurse and Ethan Bear. These early results could mark his Most of those lumps were deserved. But Troy Grosenick has now joined emergence as a reasonable top-four option, and if so will do much to the team, and not a moment too soon; before Thursday’s game, Dave shore up a blue line that has looked shaky early. Tippett said he’d give him a full practice and see where he was at before deciding if and when he’d play. It’s a long string of ifs, to be sure, but no less likely than the string of ifs that helped save Edmonton last season. Things weren’t going all that With respect to fill-in backup Stuart Skinner, the organizational No. 4 who well in 2019-20 before McDavid and Draisaitl were split for good, Kailer posted a 0.894 save percentage for the AHL’s Condors last season, Yamamoto was recalled, Bear started playing 23 minutes per game and Grosenick is a far more plausible option to start games for Edmonton. Mike Smith found his legs. Those things happening together propelled The Oilers badly needed another option. An already compressed the Oilers up the standings in the second half. schedule gets bananas over the next two weeks, and Mikko Koskinen is already struggling with his workload. Edmonton is one of the NHL’s five Edmonton needs a similar confluence of positive events now. We might worst teams by five-on-five save percentage in the early going, and while be seeing those elements coming together now, or not. There’s a good that isn’t all on the goalie, some of it certainly is. chance we’ll know for sure within the next two weeks.

Whether Grosenick, a 31-year-old distinguished for his AHL play (last season: 20-9-5, .920 save percentage) who has never really been given The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 a shot in the majors (career: 1-1-0, .948 save percentage), can make a difference is questionable. But he doubles the number of realistic options available to the Oilers.

Much has been made of Edmonton’s special teams, but in the current slump they’re NHL average; the power play is plus-5 and the penalty kill is minus-5, and while no coach is going to write home about those numbers, they also don’t tank clubs. The power play will certainly come around, and with four goals in the Oilers’ previous two games, perhaps it already has. Tippett was asked after Thursday’s loss about his constant tinkering with the unit and presented it as strategy.

“Part of the switching it around is by design,” he said. “It gives it different looks. The three main characters are on it, but then it gives it different looks. It makes it harder for the opposition to read. You have different right-hand/left-handed (players) at the top and at the bottom. There’s different things that we’re looking for, so you’re showing different looks.”

Last season’s extremely successful unit mostly settled for swapping James Neal and Alex Chiasson in front of the net. This season’s will 1200712 Edmonton Oilers Nuge-McDavid-Kassian: 63 minutes, 52.9 percent shot differential, 52.4 percent Corsi for, 40.0 percent goals (2-3)

Such a small sample in both cases, but Puljujarvi’s time with the McDavid Lowetide: 3 auditioning Oilers who should be given time to find their line has produced more dynamic possession numbers. As the team groove needs Puljujarvi to emerge as a useful NHL player, playing him on a featured line should increase the depth and balance on the roster. He hasn’t scored yet, but like Kahun he’s getting chances (14.17 shots per 60 at five-on-five is an impressive number). By Allan Mitchell In an early season with some storm clouds forming, successfully Jan 28, 2021 transitioning Puljujarvi to full-time NHL contributor would be a major success story.

Since arriving in Edmonton in 2019, general manager Ken Holland and Caleb Jones coach Dave Tippett have been working to fill out the roster of a team During training camp, most observers agreed that Jones would play a that’s spent most of the past decade-plus employing some of the best more prominent role for the Oilers in 2020-21 than he played during his hockey players on the planet while not winning hockey games. Making rookie season. Oscar Klefbom’s year-long absence, the team’s reduction progress in this area — improving quality and depth down the lineup in of veteran Kris Russell’s minutes and Jones own impressive performance support roles — takes time and multiple auditions. after being recalled during 2019-20 suggested Jones was ready for a The good news is it’s working. feature role.

In Year 1, the club added Ethan Bear, Kailer Yamamoto and Caleb As is often the case with young players, progress for Jones hasn’t gone Jones. All became contributors. in a straight line. As the team has been inconsistent overall, Jones and his defensive partner Adam Larsson have had uneven results during the This season, another round of auditions is going on even as Edmonton’s year. Here are his five-on-five performances, split into two-game blocks record has them in what looks like it will be a tough playoff battle. this season. His partner is Larsson in all four games:

Fans are restless for a winning streak, but the reality is that the roster First two games (versus Vancouver): 25:22 minutes, 12-12 shots, 18-29 has too many holes for an extended run of success. The players Corsi for, 1-4 goals auditioning, should they be successful, could fill those holes and give the Oilers increased quality and depth across the roster. Last two games (versus Montreal and Winnipeg): 24:50 minutes, 11-7 shots, 15-13 Corsi for, 1-1 goals Patience is required, but there should be no panic. There’s some improvement in the two most recent games, and there’s Here are three players struggling to emerge in important roles in real improvement when Jones is playing with one of the top lines. Here’s Edmonton. Their progress is uneven through eight games, but it’s Jones’ numbers during five-on-five shifts this season. Notice how quickly important for the organization to stay the course and invest playing time the performance fades after the top two lines: in each one. Jones with McDavid: 12:30 minutes, 6-5 shots, 10-13 Corsi for, 0-2 goals Dominik Kahun Jones with Draisaitl: 17:03 minutes, 13-6 shots, 20-12 Corsi for, 2-1 Kahun was a late offseason signing, $975,000 (1.2 percent of the overall goals cap) for one season. His previous playing time with Leon Draisaitl as both men moved up the amateur hockey chain in the German system Jones with Kyle Turris: 15:19 minutes, 5-11 shots, 11-24 Corsi for, 0-1 was a nice story surrounding his signing, and his NHL resume suggested goals a skilled winger who was creative in passing and could score goals while Jones with Jujhar Khaira: 9:18 minutes, 1-3 shots, 2-13 Corsi for, 0-1 showing two-way acumen. goals So far this season, he’s with Draisaitl and Yamamoto, and the numbers Jones has been a little unlucky with McDavid, the expected goals is 55.5 are uneven in a very small sample. If we compare it to the shocking first percent and the actual results so far (0-2) are miles away. That’s the eight games last year’s No. 2 line spent together — after Ryan Nugent- nature of small samples. If you look at shots for the first two lines (19-11) Hopkins, Draisaitl and Yamamoto were grouped up in January — it is a and compare that number with the bottom two lines (6-14), the issue far less dynamic trio this year (stats are five-on-five and via Natural Stat becomes less about Jones and more about the line he’s playing with this Trick): season. Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto: 88 minutes, 47.3 shot differential, 45.4 Corsi Jones and Larsson had a rough beginning and seem to be finding the for, 75 percent goals (3-1) range. Given more playing time with skill (Jones can pass the puck well Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto: 102 minutes, 51.9 shot differential, 48.6 Corsi and transport it even more impressively) this duo could fill the important for, 80 percent goals (8-2) second-pairing role at five-on-five this season.

Kahun has but one assist at five-on-five this season (in 101 minutes) but What does it all mean? is averaging 8.3 shots per 60 in the discipline. That’s good enough for There are areas (Turris as No. 3 centre) where coach Tippett may have No. 4 among Oilers forwards, and the undersized winger has looked to act quickly. The Oilers are 3-5-0 through eight games, and that isn’t dangerous at times during the season. Draisaitl finds him in good spots close to good enough. often (at least once per game), and it would seem only a matter of time before he delivers offensively at five-on-five. In the specific cases of Kahun, Puljujarvi and Jones, there are signs that these auditions could flourish given enough time. Edmonton badly needs Heading into this season, Kahun posted 60 points in 1,808 minutes over good players who can help outscore opponents five-on-five. parts of three seasons (1.99 points per 60) at five-on-five. The Oilers should stay the course, as Kahun’s current scoring per 60 at five-on-five If the organization is patient, these three men could be part of the (0.59) is due for a regression based on his own past. solution.

Jesse Puljujarvi

Putting him together with Connor McDavid is a new roster tweak and has The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 added a wrinkle to that line, and the young Finn appears to be having the time of his life. Here’s a comparison between Puljujarvi and Zack Kassian playing right wing on the No. 1 line this season at five-on-five:

Nuge-McDavid-Puljujarvi: 30 minutes, 61.8 percent shot differential, 63.9 percent Corsi for, 33.3 percent goals (1-2) 1200713 Florida Panthers Verhaeghe tied the game late in the second when he tapped a rebound off a Duclair shot attempt past Merzlikins.

The Blue Jackets re-took the lead early in the third period with a rare More late game heroics. Another shootout. But no win as Panthers fall to power play goal. With Florida down a man and the Blue Jackets taking a Blue Jackets faceoff in their offensive zone, Max Domi took a feed from Zach Werenski in the right circle and blasted a one timer past Driedger’s extended reach to go up 2-1 with 13:41 left in regulation. It was just the Blue Jackets’ second power play goal of the season. BY JORDAN MCPHERSON Luostarinen, who scored the go-ahead goal in the Panthers’ season JANUARY 28, 2021 09:47 PM opener, gave Florida life again with a wrist shot in front of the net on feeds from Anton Stralman and Markus Nutivaara to tie the game 2-2 with 7:04 left in regulation. The Florida Panthers entered the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets in all-too-familiar territory. Each of their first three games were Nutivaara, a defenseman who Florida acquired from the Blue Jackets in tied either entering the third period or in the opening minutes of that final an October trade, made his Panthers debut on Thursday against his stanza of regulation. former team.

Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, Florida’s second road game against Nutivaara, who missed a majority of training camp while being deemed Columbus in three days, was no different. “unfit to play,” split time with Gustav Forsling as part of the Panthers’ second defensive pairing with Stralman. The only thing that was different: The Panthers couldn’t work their late- game magic this time. “It feels so long that I last played,” Nutivaara said after the team’s morning skate on Thursday. “I have been waiting for this day for a while.” Florida rookie center Eetu Luostarinen tied the game with just over seven minutes left in regulation but Alexandre Texier had the game-winning In other roster moves, the Panthers sent rookie forward Owen Tippett to shootout goal to lead the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win via shootout. the taxi squad prior to Thursday’s game.

Carter Verhaeghe also scored Florida. He is now tied for the team lead Tippett had spent the first three games as the right wing on the Panthers’ with four goals. Chris Driedger stopped 29 of 31 shots but gave up the third forward line along with left wing Frank Vatrano and center game-winning goal in the fourth round of the shootout. Luostarinen, but his production has been minimal to this point. He has taken three shots on goal. Panthers coach only played Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins stopped 35 of 37 shots from the Panthers and Tippett for 12 shifts and 7:02 of ice time in Tuesday’s win. He did did not the four shootout attempts from Anthony Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau, play the last 13:34 of the third or during overtime. Frank Vatrano and Patric Hornqvist. “We have a lot of guys here we’re still trying to assess,” Quenneville said The Panthers still picked up a point and are 3-0-1 this season, earning pregame Thursday. “Whether it’s performance-based, right now, we have seven of eight possible points so far through four games. some guys who have played better than others. ... I think Tippett has a lot of great things going for him and I think whether he watches a game or And those points haven’t come easy, with the Panthers playing either tied two here along the way, that’s all part of growing and gaining some or from behind in the third period every game in this young season. experience at the pro level.” They were tied 2-2 with the Chicago Blackhawks with 17 minutes left in The Panthers only dressed 11 forwards on Thursday. Brett Connolly took their season opener on Jan. 17 before Eetu Luostarinen, Horonqvist and Tippett’s spot on the third line. Quenneville rotated wingers on the fourth Huberdeau closed the game with three unanswered goals for a 5-2 win. line with Noel Acciari and Vinnie Hinostroza. They were again tied 3-3 entering the third period against the Veteran forward Connolly played in his 500th career NHL game on Blackhawks on Feb. 19 before winning 5-4 in overtime on a Frank Thursday. Vatrano snap shot off an feed with just over two minutes left in the five-minute extra period. For his career, Connolly has 188 career points (98 goals, 90 assists) and won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in the 2018-2019 They were down 3-2 less than two minutes into the third period on season before joining the Panthers. Tuesday before Hornqvist batted a long shot from Aaron Ekblad into the net with 3 seconds left to force overtime. Hornqvist also scored the Connolly played in all 69 games last year for Florida, scoring 19 goals game-winner in the shootout. and adding 14 assists.

They rallied to force overtime and pick up a point on Thursday, but “You go so many ups-and-downs during your career and you reflect on couldn’t seal their fourth consecutive win to start the season. what I have been through it has gone fast,” Connolly said. “I am very proud to have played 500 games in this league and very privileged.” “Anybody could take that,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said, “but at the end of the day, never being satisfied is what makes you better and makes you more successful. I don’t think we’re walking out of here licking our wounds by any means, but we obviously have to know that we can Herald LOADED: 01.29.2021 beat a team like this and take the lead in games. There’s a lot to work on, no doubt.

“We can be happy about it, but never satisfied.” panthers (2)

Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (23) scores past Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins as Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier (42) and defenseman Dean Kukan (46) try to defend during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. Paul Vernon AP

HOW THE SCORING UNFOLDED

The Blue Jackets (3-2-3) opened scoring when Mikko Koivu took a cross- net feed from Eric Robinson and fired a wrist shot past Driedger with 2:57 left in the first period. It was Koivu’s first goal for Columbus. The Blue Jackets led the Panthers in shots on goal (12-9), attempted shots (23-15) and hits (18-3) in the first period. 1200714 Florida Panthers Panthers: F Brett Connolly played in his 500th NHL game. ... Verhaeghe has four goals in the last three games and has points in all four of Florida’s games. ... Longtime Blue Jacket Markus Nutivaara had the secondary assist on Luostarinen’s goal. ... F Anthony Duclair has five Shootout loss in Columbus snaps Panthers’ club-record win streak to assists in the last three games. start season

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 01.29.2021 By MITCH STACY

ASSOCIATED PRESS

JAN 28, 2021 AT 10:13 PM

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Alexandre Texier slickly beat Chris Driedger five- hole in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night, snapping the Panthers’s club-best three-game win streak to open the season.

Texier skated slowly in on Chris Driedger and poked the puck between his pads with the back of his stick. Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins sealed it by denying Patric Hornqvist, who scored the winning goal in a shootout between the teams Tuesday night.

“I mean, it’s like gambling,” said Merzlikins, who improved to 2-1-1. “Either you’re lucky or you’re not, so tonight luck was on my side, so I’m happy about that. I like [shootouts] when I win. When I lose, I hate them.”

Besides getting the shootout winner, Texier has started strong with four goals and two assists in the first eight games.

“Probably our most consistent guy,” coach John Tortorella said. “He turns one over and it costs us a goal (in the second period). I’m glad he got an opportunity to redeem himself. It was a great goal (in the shootout).”

Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen tied it in the third period, and Carter Verhaeghe also had a goal for the Panthers. Driedger finished with 29 saves.

Mikko Koivu and Max Domi scored and Merzlikins had 33 saves as Columbus dealt the Panthers their first loss in four games this season. Columbus rebounded after giving up a tying goal with 3 seconds left in regulation Tuesday night and then losing the shootout in the fifth round.

Koivu got his first goal as a Blue Jacket late in the first period. Eric Robinson got to the loose puck behind the net, brought it around and set up Koivu with a pass across the crease.

Verhaeghe took the puck away from Texier in Florida’s zone late in the second and ended up poking it in from the doorstep past the glove of a falling Merzlikins.

Domi got his first goal of the season — also his first as a Blue Jacket — when he beat Driedger on a power play at 6:19 of the third period. The Panthers tied it again at 12:56 when Luostarinen tapped in a rebound that had trickled into the blue paint.

The Blue Jackets showed more jump after managing just 22 shots in the first game against Florida.

“That was a gritty effort there,” Dreidger said. “They came out harder than they did (Tuesday). They definitely upped their game.”

SAVE YOUR ENERGY

Tortorella said that it’s been difficult to work on problem areas because with the way the games are bunched together in the 54-game schedule, he can’t afford to sap the players’ energy with strenuous practices. The coaching staff has to rely mostly on showing video clips in meetings to make adjustments. Consistency has been an issue for the Blue Jackets early, along with a struggling power play.

“We’re trying to stabilize ourselves and not go up and down — one good game and a lousy game,” Tortorella said.

QUOTABLE

“I don’t think we’re walking out of here licking our wounds by any means,” Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “But we obviously have to know that we can beat a team like this and know (we) can take the lead in games. But there’s a lot to work on, no doubt.”

ICE CHIPS 1200715 Florida Panthers

Game 4: Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Florida Panthers 2 (SO)

Published on January 28, 2021

By George Richards

If the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets play, expect a close game — and one that, at least this season which will go to the shootout.

On Thursday night, the second meeting between the two teams went into extras as did the first on Tuesday.

This time, it was the Blue Jackets getting the extra point as Alexandre Texier scored in the fourth round and Patric Hornqvist was stopped giving Columbus a 3-4 win.

The Blue Jackets ran their consecutive home point streak against the Panthers to 16 games (14-0-2) while Florida saw its three-game winning streak to open a season come to a close.

”They were better than they were the other night,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said of Columbus.

“It was a hard-fought game, there were positives that came out of the game.”

The Panthers did get seven of the first eight available points to start their season after four games were postponed due to Covid-19.

They head to Detroit this weekend at 3-0-1.

“That was a gritty effort there, (Columbus) came out harder than they did Tuesday and definitely upped their game,” goalie Chris Driedger said.

“It was a gritty, hard-fought game. … Getting seven of eight points in the first four games is a huge start for us.”

Florida trailed 1-0 going into the second period but Carter Verhaeghe tied it with his fourth goal in as many games since joining the Panthers.

Down 2-1 in the third off Max Domi’s power play goal, Eetu Luostarinen tied it for Florida when he cleaned up a rebound off a shot from Anthony Duclair.

Driedger, starting in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, made 29 saves and stopped the first three shooters he faced in his first NHL shootout.

Elvis Merzlikins, playing Florida for the fourth time in his career, made 33 saves not including all four in the shootout in which he stopped Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau, Frank Vatrano and Hornqvist.

PREVIOUS GAME: Florida Panthers 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 3 (SO)

Now, on to the game breakdown from Thursday night:

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200716 Florida Panthers

No All-Star Weekend, but how about a Florida Panthers Mailbag?

Published on January 28, 2021

By George Richards

This would have been the weekend the NHL’s biggest and brightest stars would have descended into for a few days of rest, relaxation and some hockey.

Oh well.

The Panthers hope to play host to the 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend after the 2021 version was cancelled due to the pandemic — and all the restrictions which have come with holding this season at all.

So, instead of stargazing in Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise, we will have to settle for watching the Panthers play a two-game set in Detroit this weekend.

It’ll have to do.

To set the mood for the Panthers’ final series of this odd opening month to the 2021 season, it’s time for the January Mailbag.

You know the deal; if you have any questions about the Panthers — or really, anything — go ahead and ask them.

I will try and answer them all on Friday.

To get your questions in, feel free to leave them on the comment section of this post or visit the Twitter link above and do it there. Whatever’s easier.

I will jump into these on Friday and post them with my answers later in the day.

Hey, it’s not the skills competition, but it’s something.

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200717 Los Angeles Kings

Kings’ Andreas Athanasiou is placed on NHL’s COVID protocol list

By JACK HARRIS STAFF WRITER

JAN. 28, 2021 4:19 PM PT

Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou was added Thursday to the NHL’s list of “players unavailable due to COVID protocols,” ruling him out of the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild and leaving his status for the upcoming schedule in doubt.

A 26-year-old winger who signed with the Kings as a free agent this offseason, Athanasiou had five points (three goals, two assists) over the season’s first seven games, ranking third on the team in scoring. He had been playing on the second line with Blake Lizotte and Jeff Carter, as well as on the team’s secondary power-play unit.

It’s unknown why Athanasiou entered the league’s COVID protocols, or how long he will be away from the team. Team members can enter the protocol for any number of reasons, including testing positive for the virus, exhibiting symptoms of the virus or coming into close contact with a person with a confirmed case of the virus, among others. While in the league’s protocol process, team members are required to self-isolate.

A potentially complicating factor in Athanasiou’s case is that the Kings were on the road at the time he was placed on the COVID protocol list, making it seemingly unlikely he will be able to fly back to Los Angeles on the team flight following Thursday’s game.

Wanton Davis is the Kings’ newly-hired executive producer of live events.

According to the NHL’s “Club Travel Protocol” rules, members of a team’s traveling party (including players, coaches and other staff) are barred from traveling if they have experienced virus symptoms outlined in the league’s COVID-19 protocols or returned a positive or inconclusive test result immediately prior to travel. Thursday’s game was the last of the Kings’ four-game trip.

In a separate roster move Thursday that could help the Kings compensate for Athanasiou’s absence, rookie forward Jaret Anderson- Dolan was recalled to the active roster. Winger Austin Wagner could also fill Athanasiou’s hole in the lineup after being a healthy scratch in each of the Kings’ first three games of the trip.

After Thursday, the Kings play just once over the next seven days, which could potentially minimize the number of games Athanasiou will have to miss. Other Kings players who previously went through the league’s protocol process were unavailable for lengths of three to seven days.

LA Times: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200718 Los Angeles Kings “I essentially want to take you on a sonic journey,” he said. “How I’ve kind of thought about it is, similar to a musical or a movie with an amazing strong soundtrack, I would love for the audio to sort of guide you through the event.” Kings planning a new in-game entertainment experience and can’t wait to show it off Davis emphasized that the hockey itself will always come first. But he also knows that because many people only go “about a minute before checking their phones” it takes a greater effort to keep most modern fans engaged. By JACK HARRIS STAFF WRITER Wayne Gretzky celebrates after scoring a goal for the Kings in 1994. JAN. 28, 2021 7 AM PT “People now, when they attend something live, they’re looking for social

moments, they’re looking for takeaways,” he said. “We need to take that Wanton Davis lived within walking distance of the Forum during his into consideration as far as how we program the event, how we program childhood in Inglewood. He was at the night of Kirk the game.” Gibson’s famous home run. He was raised with a With likely to remain empty for the foreseeable future, passion for L.A. sports that, he said, “has been ingrained in me for my Davis is treating this season as a test run for some of his specific ideas. entire life.” “I plan on throwing a lot of stuff out there and we’ll see what sticks,” he And now, as the Kings’ new executive producer of live events, Davis is said. leaning on that background to reimagine the atmosphere of hockey But just a month into the job, his big-picture goals are already clear. games at Staples Center. “The Kings organization really wants to give the fans a show, and they “I want to drive an experience where, when you come to a Kings game, really want to reward the fans for attending and for being supportive and not only are you going to see amazing hockey,” he said, “but you’re going for being behind them,” Davis said. “We do have some of the best fans in to get a top-notch entertainment experience.” hockey. So they deserve a complete immersive experience.” An accomplished creative director in the music and entertainment sector who previously worked with MTV and NBC Sports and helped launch Sean Combs’ Revolt TV, Davis jumped at the opportunity to head up the LA Times: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Kings’ in-arena game presentation team, officially joining the club last month.

It will be a while before the team can put his plans into action, with spectators still prohibited from home games because of the coronavirus pandemic. But whenever the world does return to normal, he already has a broad vision for what Kings fans should expect.

“I am responsible for creating the live experience, everything from entry to exit point,” he said. “So essentially, as you’re walking up and as you’re entering the Staples Center, what do you see? What do you hear? How does it make you feel? As you navigate your way through the arena, I want various touch points to just really connect you back to the Kings’ brand.”

Davis’ approach is reflective of a growing recognition in sports about the value of in-game entertainment. In a culture dominated by smartphones and defined by shortening attention spans, simple scoreboard hype videos and musical intermission playlists no longer cut it. Teams are increasingly looking for creative, engaging offerings.

“The sports industry has pivoted and really realized that it’s not just a sporting event,” Davis said. “It should be an all-encompassing, immersive experience.”

The trend has been particularly pronounced in the NHL, where the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion franchise received instant acclaim for its innovative presentation, including theatrical on-ice pregame performances and a castle-shaped stage in the upper deck of its arena.

The Kings have been making inventive efforts of their own in recent seasons, combining traditional fan favorites like an organist with such modern elements as an in-house disc jockey and drumline. Davis’ addition is the latest step, the result of a months-long hiring process to fill the organization’s newlycreated executive leadership position.

“The influence of game entertainment and the fan experience has grown exponentially over the last few years, especially with Vegas raising the bar,” said Mike Altieri, the Kings’ senior vice president of marketing, communications and content who was one of several team executives to interview Davis. “We feel he’s going to bring some really unique and different ways of storytelling to the L.A. Kings fans that we haven’t had.”

Davis’ professional background added to his appeal with the Kings. While brainstorming, he said he’s drawn inspiration from WWE events and Cirque du Soleil shows, considering any aspect that might give Kings games a uniquely Los Angeles feel.

A few early examples he’s already excited about: The use of technologies such as social media filters to integrate fans’ digital connection at games, and a revamped audio strategy he hopes will build momentum in the crowd during breaks in the action. 1200719 Los Angeles Kings The Kings drew a pair of penalties early in the second period. Quick’s short-handed save on forward Ryan Hartman headlined the Kings’ first power play, but the Kings converted on the second opportunity when Kopitar’s shot from the left faceoff circle hit Brown in front. His effective Kings lose two players to scary-looking injuries in loss to Wild screen became a favorable bounce and the Kings cut the margin to 3-1 just 3:19 into the period.

Soon after, there was another fracas, this time involving nine skaters in By ANDREW KNOLL the corner. Fiala boarded Roy, who tried to stop and his skates went out PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 9:05 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, from underneath him, causing him to go face-first into the half-wall. Roy 2021 at 11:12 p.m. remained on the ice for several minutes before being helped from the ice by Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Fiala was assessed a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

After stringing together consecutive wins for the first time this season, the “It will be on multiple videos, teaching clips for young players, older Kings stumbled early in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday at players, junior players, pro players on basically what not to do,” McLellan , and worse still, lost three regulars, two on harrowing said. “I feel bad for Roysie. I don’t even know if there’s any intent on the plays. Fiala thing, it just happened. But we have to know by now that we can’t do that.” During the course of the game, they lost two defensemen with apparent head injuries. Matt Roy left after going headfirst into the boards, and The resulting penalty gave the Kings nearly 8½ minutes of power-play Sean Walker was hit in the face by a slap shot. Neither player finished time in the first 11 minutes of the second period, and they managed to the game and they were still being evaluated to see if they could return convert once during the 5-minute penalty. home with the team. Kopitar’s centering pass for Carter was broken up by a deflection but Kings winger Andreas Athanasiou went on the COVID-19 protocol- landed on Doughty’s stick. He hammered the puck from the left slot and related absence list, though Coach Todd McLellan stopped just shy of in off Kahkoen’s pad to bring the Kings within a goal. Doughty logged confirming Athanasiou tested positive. Athanasiou will remain in more than 32 minutes of ice time, with aplomb and enthusiasm. Beyond Minnesota. his contributions on the score sheet, his aggression, ranginess and optimism also helped propel the remaining Kings. “The hit from behind is a dangerous play, you could get very very badly injured. And then to take a shot in the face where you’re just “He had an energy and a passion on the bench that kind of rubbed off the automatically bleeding like crazy, honestly the rest of the third period was rest. He showed the remaining three defensemen that they were okay, kind of scary,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We lost double-A, they could do it. That’s what you call leadership,” McLellan said. too, that (stinks), that’s three key players.” With 1:22 left in the middle period, Minnesota used its size and tenacity The Kings trailed 3-0 a mere 13 minutes into the game. They crept back to double its advantage. The Wild sent three big bodies to the net in within a goal thanks to a torrent of second-period power plays, but they pursuit of a rebound and it was the 6-foot-6-inch Bjugstad on the spot to drew no closer. collect it and hoist the puck off of, then over Quick’s glove.

Winger Dustin Brown and Doughty both netted power-play goals and had Already down one defenseman, the Kings lost another when Walker was assists for the Kings. Winger added another right after struck in the face by Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba’s shot 3:47 into another man-advantage opportunity ended, and center Anze Kopitar the third period. Walker dropped to the ice and left a trail of blood as he contributed two assists. Jonathan Quick stopped 22 of 27 shots. tried to skate back to the bench.

Forwards Marcus Johansson, Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov, Nick Bjugstad The Kings finished the game with four blue-liners, and while McLellan and Joel Eriksson Ek scored for Minnesota, which got 32 saves from said he expected Roy and Walker to travel home with the team, it rookie goalie Kappo Kahkonen. appeared the Kings were preparing to be without both players (and Athanasiou) for an indefinite period of time. The familiarity between the teams might be leading to some early tension. In the teams’ second meeting in three days and their fourth of Eriksson Ek padded the Minnesota lead with a goal 4:44 into the final the young seasons, it only took three seconds for the rancor to bubble period. It was end-to-end action as both teams pushed in transition. After over. Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, who scored in the Kings’ 5-3 the Kings pushed forward unsuccessfully, Minnesota scored off its win on Tuesday, and Wild forward Marcus Foligno started a fight off the counterattack. Eriksson Ek snapped the puck toward Quick and followed opening draw. his shot to push in the rebound unmolested.

“There’s going to be lots of bad blood this season because we’re playing Later, Iafallo scored a de facto power-play goal just after a Minnesota (the same) teams so much,” Doughty said. “In the past, I don’t think penalty expired. He stepped into a one-timer from just above the left there’s a ton of bad blood with Minnesota. But, yeah, I guess tonight faceoff circle. They trailed by two goals midway through the third some of that started.” following an exquisite stretch when they hemmed the Wild into their own zone for nearly 2½ minutes. Minnesota got on the scoreboard first, just 3:33 into the game. Johansson glided into a shot, allowing the Wild to set up two screens that “It’s not always the pretty play, often it’s the ugly play after you tire a aided his shot from the left slot. It was their first of three goals in a span team out that you score on,” McLellan said, adding that he has seen of 9:22. more creativity from the power play but was unsatisfied with his team’s even-strength play on Thursday. The Kings had a chance to tie it when Kahknonen was knocked out of his net as Austin Wagner and Jared Spurgeon collided with the goaltender. The Kings drew a penalty late, an unforced error by Kahkonen who sent The Kings missed a shot on the open net and Fiala blocked a shot to the puck over the glass, but the Wild kept them at bay to preserve the 5-3 spring himself for a breakaway, heading the other way with speed. Fiala victory. made no mistake, stick-handling his way into a wrist shot to cap a partial breakaway 8:17 into the first period, his third goal in four games. “It’s been a messed up day since minute one, to tell you the truth,” McLellan said. “I got a call at about 6:30 this morning, notified that Minnesota’s forecheck intensified and generated its third goal with just Andreas was positive and then the whole thing kicked into play. So, our over seven minutes left in the period. They began a cycle on the right pregame skate was screwed up because there was a number of other side as Kaprizov slipped his man at the blue line and darted to the left guys through contact tracing that had to get retested. We had the taxi side of the net. Johansson slid a cross-ice pass to Kaprizov, who scored squad ready to go. We found out late that the players were going to be easily on the backdoor play. available to us.”

“We didn’t play well in the first period, that was pretty evident,” McLellan said, pointing to Fiala and Eriksson Ek’s goals as being “completely preventable” goals. Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200720 Los Angeles Kings Doughty said the feeling on the bench was to try to win the game for the two injured players. Minnesota led 3-0 after one period, and the Kings cut the Wild’s lead to 3-2 with second-period power-play goals by Dustin Brown and Doughty. Kopitar added two assists and remains tied for the ‘The world we’re in’: Losses — to protocol, to injury, to Wild — hit Kings league’s scoring lead with Connor McDavid (Edmonton) and Mitchell Marner (Toronto) with 12 points.

“It wasn’t harder to focus,” Doughty said. “It just felt weird. I don’t know. By Lisa Dillman It’s like if you see a fight in real life on the street or something. You see Jan 28, 2021 someone get beat up. It’s kind of the same feeling. There’s just a weird feeling.”

The Kings were down to four defensemen — the experienced Doughty All seemed well on the morning of the final day of the Kings’ first trip of and three youngsters, Kale Clague, Mikey Anderson and Kurtis the season. MacDermid — for about the final 16 minutes. Doughty played a season- high 32:19 and had two points, a goal and an assist. They had been moving gingerly through the strange new travel world of protocol, social distancing and staying in relative isolation, hunkering “Drew has the experience and he’s been able to run at a high minute down at a suburban Twin Cities hotel. level for his whole career,” said McLellan, praising Doughty’s leadership. “I thought tonight was one of his better games. He was very aggressive “We’re at noon – the final day of a road trip – as smooth as smooth can all over the rink both offensively and defensively. He had an energy and be,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said Thursday. “Everyone is wearing a passion on the bench that kind of rubbed off on the rest. He showed their masks, social distancing. It feels different. It feels more like a World the remaining three defensemen that they were OK.” Championships event where you stay in the same hotel for a while.” Doughty said he was ready to do what was required. Everything had fallen into place, he said. “I thought tonight I dominated the game,” he said. “Thought I was really Until it fell out of place. really good tonight. I don’t think I can play much better than that. As for In fact, it already had by the time McLellan spoke with the media around the whole season, the first one or two games wasn’t my best. But after midday, via Zoom. After the Minnesota Wild defeated the Kings 5-3 in St. that, I think I played very good hockey. Doing it in all phases of the game, Paul on Thursday night, McLellan disclosed he received a phone call PK, PP, five-on-five and I’m playing with a lot of emotion. I’m trying to around 6:30 in the morning, notifying him of a COVID-19-related situation lead the team to the best I can both on and off the ice, and so I’m very with Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou. happy with how I played.”

“I was lying to you guys at noon when we talked about — were we going The Kings have played eight games, and half of them have been against to make any changes to the roster?” McLellan said. “We knew then, but I Minnesota. They won’t have to wait long to play the Wild again — four didn’t know if it was going to be six (players) or one or anything like that. more are on tap in February. … I had that information then, but I didn’t know what I could share with “There’s going to be lots of bad blood this season because we’re playing you. And that’s how messed up the day was as far as COVID goes. But teams so much,” Doughty said. “In the past, I don’t think there’s a ton of we’re not in a normal world.” bad blood with Minnesota. But yeah, I guess maybe tonight some of that This is why there are taxi squads in place this season. The squad started.” members were braced, but other roster players who may have been in McLellan was pragmatic about what was transpiring in this shortened question eventually were cleared through contract tracing and extra NHL season. Control is going to be elusive in a season of uncertainty testing, McLellan said. and wild swings. The Kings are learning how to deal with it. There is no Athanasiou was placed on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list before the other choice, really. game and will remain in Minnesota. It is unclear how long he will be “It throws everything off,” McLellan said. “We normally have a power-play required to stay as it is dependent on the protocol that the NHL sets, a meeting at the pregame skate in the morning. And we didn’t have that. … source said. I’m going to tell everybody this again: This is the world we’re in. We The tumult continued as day turned to night. Los Angeles endured not should expect this. We started the season without three players. There one but two frightening plays, which resulted in injuries to defenseman are other teams that are going through it. We agreed and chose to enter Matt Roy in the second period and defenseman Sean Walker in the third this type of environment. We have to deal with it. So move on. Let’s period. make the best of it. And it won’t be the last time it happens — so adapt and play.” Wild forward Kevin Fiala received a five-minute major for boarding Roy, an automatic game misconduct, at 5:34. Roy was helped off the ice by teammates Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 “You look on the bench and you look at the replay and you’re going, ‘Holy shit, like that is bad. Is he OK?’” McLellan said.

“It’ll be on multiple videos, teaching clips for young players, older players, junior players, pro players on basically what not to do,” McLellan said. “I feel bad for (Roy). I don’t even know if there was any intent on the Fiala thing. It just happened. But we have to know by now we can’t do that.”

The Walker incident was also deeply unnerving. He took a Matt Dumba slap shot in the face at 3:47 and was bloodied. Even after the game, Dumba, the Wild defenseman, was upset about what had happened.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty described both plays as “scary” and called the boarding against Roy “a dangerous play.”

Walker and Roy were both evaluated by doctors afterward, and Kings hockey operations confirmed to The Athletic that both would be able to travel with the team back to Los Angeles late Thursday night.

“Taking a puck to face and just automatically bleeding like crazy like that,” Doughty said. “Honestly, the rest of the third period was kind of scary. I just kept thinking about that. But they are two really good players, two of our biggest defensemen. So it sucks to lose them. And we lost AA (Athanasiou) too, and that sucks. That’s three key players.” 1200721 Los Angeles Kings rest. He showed the remaining defensemen that they were okay, that they could do it, and that’s what you call leadership in that situation.

Notes – FINAL – KINGS 3, WILD 5 – DOUGHTY, MCLELLAN – The Kings scored two goals on the power play tonight, the second time they have done so this season

BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGSINSIDER.COM – Defenseman Drew Doughty had two points (1-1-2), which tied him for the NHL lead in goals by a defenseman (3) so far this season. He also JANUARY 28, 2021 logged a season-high 32:19 in total time-on-ice, which was 2:02 shy of his regular-season career-high in a game ending in regulation

– With two assists, Anze Kopitar extended his league-leading assists (11) It was first and foremost a scary evening for the LA Kings, as total, while also moving back into a tie for the NHL lead for most points defensemen Matt Roy and Sean Walker both exited the game early with amongst all players (12) injuries that were extremely difficult to watch. – Dustin Brown tallied his first multi-point game (1-1-2) of the season. After the game, McLellan indicated that both players were currently Brown’s goal leaves him one shy of 100 power-play goals in his NHL seeing the doctors, and that he expected both players to be able to travel career back to Los Angeles with the team tonight. He called both incidents “unfortunate” and did believe that both players will be okay in the long – Michael Amadio collected his first point of the season, with an assist on term. Full quote from McLellan below. Doughty’s second-period goal

In terms of the game itself, the Kings went down by three goals in the first – Kale Clague played an NHL career-high 19:00 in total time-on-ice period, only to claw back to a one-goal game with a pair of power-play tonight goals in the middle stanza. The teams traded goals from there on out, with the Wild ultimately coming out on top by a 5-3 margin. – The Kings conceded a season-high three goals in the first period tonight, their highest total allowed in any individual period this season Drew Doughty was active all night, as he collected a goal and an assist and logged more than 30 minutes of ice time with both other Kings right- – With tonight’s loss, teams in the West Division fell to 3-9-1 when shot defensemen on the roster leaving early with the aforementioned winning the first game of a two-game set this season. Tonight was the injuries. Dustin Brown also had a multi-point effort (1-1-2), as did Anze Kings’ first regulation loss of the season in the second game of the two- Kopitar (0-2-2). game sets (2-0-1) entering tonight’s game

The power play was the driving force tonight offensively, with two goals The Kings are traveling back to Los Angeles tonight and will have an off coming directly on the man advantage, and the third coming just after a day tomorrow. PP had expired. The Kings applied some pressure down the stretch but were unable to pull any closer in the game’s final minutes. The Wild had more of the puck, especially in the first period, at 5-on-5 and ultimately, LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.29.2021 the three-goal deficit in the opening frame was too much to overcome.

Hear from Doughty and Todd McLellan after tonight’s game.

They’re both seeing the doctors and getting evaluated right now, I think they’ll both be able to travel home with us. Obviously, two very unfortunate incidents in the game, not something we want to see in the game at all. I think they’re going to be okay eventually.

On the challenge of refocusing on the game, after those scary moments

Of course it is. Nevermind one, but two in one night, it affects everybody. I thought we tried to rally around it. To begin with, we weren’t very good before Royzie got hit, then we started to wake up and play a little bit more. When Walks took the shot, again we talked about it and the guys wanted to play for them. I thought we played harder after we lost two guys than we did before, but emotionally, it takes a lot out of a group to see two teammates leave like that.

On chasing the game from behind tonight, especially with a short bench

We didn’t play well in the first period, that was pretty evident. The second and the fifth goals, for me, they’re so preventable. We had an empty net, we missed the net with one shot and then the d-man shoots it into somebody else for a breakaway. I don’t know if the goal would have counted, due to goalie interference, but at least let’s put them in the situation to make the call. We didn’t on either of those, and it was in our net after a breakaway, so that one was really frustrating to see. The fifth one, we’re crawling back into the game and we just give the puck away for nothing and it’s in our net. Those are frustrating goals against, they’re completely preventable, they’re not even really forced mistakes, you’re not even in a really stressful situation, you just make bad decisions. We’ve got to get that out of our game if we want to have any type of success. As far as coming back, short-staffed, especially on the backend, you could see at the end the guys were bagged, not a lot left in the tank. You play the hand you’re dealt, and we weren’t dealt a very good one tonight. We’ll regroup and get better.

On Drew Doughty’s play tonight

Drew has the experience, he’s been able to run at a high minute level for his entire career. I thought tonight was one of his better games, he was very aggressive all over the rink, both offensively and defensively. He had an energy and a passion on the bench that kind of rubbed off on the 1200722 Los Angeles Kings

GAME THREAD – KINGS @ WILD, 1/28

BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGSINSIDER.COM

JANUARY 28, 2021

Los Angeles Kings 3, Minnesota Wild 5

1:52 Left, Third Period

Game Previews: LA Kings Insider – NHL.com – Minnesota Wild

SOG: LAK – 33 MIN – 28

PP: LAK – 2/7 MIN – 0/4

First Period

1. MIN – Marcus Johansson (2) – (Nick Bonino, Carson Soucy) – 3:33

2. MIN – Kevin Fiala (2) – (Unassisted) – 8:17

3. MIN – Kirill Kaprizov (2) – (Marcus Johansson, Ian Cole) – 12:55

Second Period

4. LAK – Dustin Brown (3) – (Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty) – 3:19 (PP)

5. LAK – Drew Doughty (3) – (Anze Kopitar, Michael Amadio) – 9:07 (PP)

6. MIN – Nick Bjugstad (2) – (Jonas Brodin, Zach Parise) – 18:38

Third Period

7. MIN – Joel Eriksson Ek (5) – (Jonas Brodin, Jordan Greenway) – 4:44

8. LAK – Alex Iafallo (2) – (Dustin Brown, Kale Clague) – 9:41

Los Angeles Kings (3-2-2) @ Minnesota Wild (4-3-0)

Thursday, January 28, 2021 – 5:00 p.m. PT

Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, Minnesota

Referees: #44 Furman South, #12 Justin St. Pierre

Linesmen: #74 Trent Knorr, #88 Tyson Baker

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

LAK Starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Kurtis MacDermid, Sean Walker, F Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe

LAK Scratches: Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Olli Maatta

MIN Starters: G Kaapo Kahkonen, D Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, F Jordan Greenway, Nico Sturm, Marcus Foligno

MIN Scratches: Brad Hunt, Gerald Mayhew, Cam Talbot

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200723 Los Angeles Kings

ATHANASIOU ADDED TO NHL’S COVID-19 PROTOCOL LIST, JAD TO ACTIVE ROSTER

BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGSINSIDER.COM

JANUARY 28, 2021

The NHL announced today that forward Andreas Athanasiou has been added to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol List. Additionally, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan has been activated from the taxi squad to the active roster.

The team’s release regarding Athanasiou is below –

LA Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou has been added to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol List, the league announced this afternoon. Athanasiou won’t be available for practices, travel or games until he is removed from the protocol.

Throughout the 2020-21 season, the NHL is releasing the names of Players who are “unavailable” to teams due to COVID protocols. This list is updated daily.

These “COVID Protocol Related Absences” can be the result of a number of factors including, among others: (1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.

Athanasiou is tied for third on the team in scoring with five points (3-2=5) in seven games.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200724 Los Angeles Kings WILD VITALS: Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who played on Tuesday against the Kings, is expected to get the start again tonight for the Wild. Andrew Hammond is expected to serve as the backup tonight, while it was reported that Cam Talbot could return to the team as soon as this 1/28 PREVIEW – QUICK OFF FIRST, OPTIONAL SKATE, GAME 2 OFF weekend, but not tonight against Los Angeles. In his first career start A WIN, IAFALLO BLOCK against the Kings, Kahkonen allowed just two goals on 21 shots faced, but was outdueled by Cal Petersen, who was named as the game’s first

start with 32 saves in the opposite net. BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGSINSIDER.COM Per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the Wild are looking at some new line JANUARY 28, 2021 combinations tonight, amongst the forwards. Here’s how the team is projected to look –

Parise – Bjugstad – Fiala TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The LA Kings conclude a four-game road trip tonight against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Kings are Johansson – Eriksson Ek – Kaprizov 2-1-0 on the trip thus far, bolstered by a 2-1 victory over Minnesota on Greenway – Sturm – Foligno Tuesday evening. Rask – Bonino – Hartman HEAD-TO-HEAD: With Tuesday’s win over the Wild, the Kings evened up the season series at four points apiece, while moving their record to 1- Defensive pairings, and goaltenders, are expected to remain the same as 0-2 versus Minnesota. With an assist on Tuesday, Jeff Carter assumed Tuesday’s game – sole possession of the season-series lead between these two teams with five points (1-4-5) from three games played. For Minnesota, Jordan Suter – Spurgeon Greenway now has three assists from three games played, extended Brodin – Dumba with a helper on Tuesday, while forward Joel Eriksson Ek now has goals in consecutive games, with the Wild’s lone tally in defeat. Soucy – Cole

KINGS VITALS: The Kings were back on the ice for morning skate today Kahkonen in Minnesota, following a practice day yesterday that did not give us much clarity on today’s lineup. Today’s skate was optional for the group, Hammond so we will get a better sense of the lines as we move closer to tonight’s Perhaps the most interesting note of these lines is separating the trio of game. Per Todd McLellan’s morning availability, he’s not anticipating any Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno, which was one moves from what we saw on Tuesday. of the top defensive units in the NHL through the opening slate of games Here is how the team lined up in Game 1 in Minnesota, minus a change this season. Through Minnesota’s first seven games, that trio has not in net – allowed a single goal in 5-on-5 play, and combined for another goal, Minnesota’s only tally, on Tuesday. Kempe – Kopitar – Iafallo In terms of tonight’s head-to-head matchup, playing against the Kings Athanasiou – Lizotte – Carter has not necessarily been an easy task for opposing teams so far this season. Minnesota captain Jared Spurgeon talked about how the Kings Andersson – Vilardi – Brown do a good job of clogging up the neutral zone defensively, forcing teams Grundstrom – Amadio – Moore to dump the puck in, as opposed to being able to carry it in with possession and speed. Anderson – Doughty “We try to change each time we play a team, we can make adjustments Clague – Roy throughout the game,” Spurgeon said. “At the start, you have to see what the other team’s doing and go from there. We had a game plan and, I MacDermid – Walker think by the end, it’s not always the prettiest with the way you have to Quick come through the neutral zone against them. There’s a lot of chipped pucks, a lot of dumped pucks, but that’s what you have to do. You can’t Petersen be turning pucks over or else they’re coming back at you.”

Per this morning’s skate, expect to see Jonathan Quick in goal tonight Team 2, Game 2 against the Wild. Quick is 0-0-2 this season against Minnesota, after starting both games in the season-opening series. Quick made a season- A stat that was thrown out on today’s pre-game media availability, per high 40 saves on January 18, his highest total since October 30, 2019 Steven “Hoover” Dorfman of Fox Sports West – In the West Division, (44 vs. VAN). teams that won the first game of a two-game set so far this season are 3- 8-1 in the second game. Quick’s performance as of late, including a stout effort in St. Louis last time out, has caught the praise of many, including his captain. This is especially interesting for the Kings. They’ve been responsible for one of those three wins, Game 2 against Minnesota at STAPLES Center, “I’m seeing the same old Jonny,” Anze Kopitar said of Quick. “I do think but also they’re responsible for two of the eight, with wins over Colorado maybe this extended period of time gave him time to get those little, and St. Louis after falling on night one. teeny-tiny injuries out of the way, and really get prepared for the season. He’s looked great so far, so we really hope he can keep playing like that It’s early in the season, and a 12-game sample size is exactly that, but it for us. There’s really nothing new, we’ve been used to that for a while.” is interesting to think about. From the team’s perspective, Todd McLellan feels that the Kings are still approaching each game as its own, separate Quick believes that he and the Kings have had a much stronger start to entity and that at this stage of the season and they won’t read too much the season this year, and sees the goal right now as just continuing to into that trend. get better, both individually and as a group. “I don’t, I think you start all over again,” McLellan said. “Obviously. no He feels that, due to the bulk of the group now entering their second one wants to go on an extended losing streak, so maybe the team that season together under Todd McLellan’s systems, the team has been lost the first game, their intensity is a little bit higher than maybe what it able to get off to a better start to the season overall. was in game one. I think it’s still a little bit too early to read into any of those trends, personally. We’ll see what happens here tonight, we’ll “I just think that, having the majority of this group together last year and worry about our own world and we won’t look at stats, over-evaluate building relationships on the ice, off the ice, it’s a little more cohesive,” anything. Let’s get ourselves in order, and see if we can play a better Quick said. “Having Todd for the year, knowing what he expects of us, game than we did in game one when we were successful.” system play, things like that, it’s just a little smoother, despite the ten- month layoff where we missed time, and the short training camp. It was The Kings will have their own opportunity to be the team of record in that just a little smoother going into the season.” scenario for the first time tonight, after Tuesday’s win over Minnesota, their first “game one” victory of the season to date. Like Blockwork

Forward Alex Iafallo made one of two key blocks for the Kings in Tuesday’s victory.

Inside the final minute of play, Iafallo was trusted to be on the ice in a key situation, with the Kings leading by a goal, and made a huge block off a shot from the right point, which preceded another big block from defenseman Mikey Anderson.

In those late-game situations, Iafallo said today that his goal as a winger is to funnel the attackers to the outside and protect the middle of the ice from both passes and skaters.

“6-on-5, you’re trying to not let the puck get to the middle,” Iafallo said. “Mainly, we’re just trying to stay really tight within the zone and make sure that they can’t get any passes through the middle, or skate through the middle. As a winger, I’m just trying to block shots if they get it to the point or any one-timers that might get through us. Pretty much just blocking shots, and chipping the puck out at the end of the game there.”

After the game, Cal Petersen commended both Iafallo and Anderson for sacrificing their bodies in that situation.

Petersen noted that any time you have those 6-on-5 situations, and the puck doesn’t go in, you can usually attribute some of that success to a block by one of the defending players. He went on to add that when you have players selling out to make those blocks, it usually means you have the right players on the ice in that scenario, including Iafallo.

“Any big win, where there’s a scramble at the end of a team pulls the goalie, I think you can always come back to big blocks as the reason that the puck never gets to me,” Petersen said, after Tuesday’s win. “Honestly, the further away it is from me the better, so any time guys are sacrificing their bodies, you know you have the right guys on the ice, guys that want to win at all costs. Those were huge blocks, and we’ll take them and that’s the reason that we win hockey games at the end.”

Game thread is next from Minnesota!

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200725 Los Angeles Kings Anderson. Regardless of the circumstances, playing an NHL game in Minnesota was still a box on the bucket list checked for the 21-year-old defenseman.

DESPITE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES, MINNESOTA GAME STILL Anderson grew up as one of so many young Minnesotans who one day SPECIAL FOR MIKEY ANDERSON wanted to play in the NHL, and he achieved that dream last season, when he made his NHL debut at STAPLES Center in February 2020.

Playing in the NHL at Xcel Energy Center was another cool moment. Like BY ZACH DOOLEY FOR LAKINGSINSIDER.COM Lizotte, Anderson played in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, with Anderson representing Hill-Murray School in the 2015 JANUARY 28, 2021 tournament. Stationed behind the team benches are jerseys of every high-school team in Minnesota, including Anderson’s alma mater.

Teammates, roommates and fellow Minnesotans Mikey Anderson and The 6-0 blueliner also played in the arena in collegiate hockey at Blake Lizotte have had vastly different NHL homecomings in their home Minnesota Duluth. The NCHC holds its annual conference tournament at state of Minnesota. Xcel Energy Center, which Anderson and the Bulldogs won in 2019, over Lizotte’s St. Cloud State Huskies nonetheless. Lizotte, who made the Kings out of training camp last season, returned to Minnesota for an early-season game in October 2019. Though the Kings Anderson, alongside his brother Joey, also won the 2018 NCAA National lost that night, Lizotte – who grew up just under an hour away from Xcel Championship in St. Paul, one of two consecutive collegiate titles for the Energy Center – got to live a dream playing in front of so many friends younger Anderson brother. and family. “My favorite moment [at Xcel Energy Center], would be my freshman “It was just fun to have all of my friends and family there,” Lizotte said. “In year of college, when we won the national championship there,” a non-COVID season, everyone was able to come to the game, and the Anderson said. “That was my number one, going into this week, was support from my hometown was pretty cool. Chisago Lakes is fully playing in that game.” behind me wherever I go, especially when I’m in Minnesota, I get a lot of Yesterday’s game seemed to bring Anderson’s career, from a Minnesota people coming to the game. That was the coolest part for me, just seeing standpoint, full circle. He’s played there at just about every level in his all the support from friends, family, people that I grew up with, people hockey career, and now he’s done so at the highest level. from my hometown, it was pretty cool.” It didn’t quite hit him until today, but he’s had the opportunity to play at Anderson’s experience on Tuesday was certainly a little bit different. the arena since he was a young kid, and last night was the ultimate next Due to the restrictions around fans attending games this season, step. Anderson’s support section was limited to his parents, his sister and his “I didn’t even really think about that until now, but looking back, I even girlfriend, who were graciously accommodated by the Minnesota Wild as had a couple of youth games there as well,” he said. “I’ve been there a part of their friends and family allotment of just 150 tickets. In the throughout my life at different stages, it’s pretty cool, especially growing process, they became perhaps the first set of Kings fans in the stands up going to the Wild games. I kind of forgot about it, but when that horn this season. goes off when they come on the ice, I’ve heard it for the last 20 years. It’s Though just over a half hour away from Xcel Energy Center, the rest of pretty cool to be a part of it and participate in a game at the rink.” Anderson’s friends and family in Lakeville, MN were forced to watch on With the first one under his belt, and a Kings victory to boot, Anderson, television. It was certainly a different kind of homecoming than Lizotte like the rest of his teammates is now focused on tonight’s rematch, as the was able to have 15 months prior, but Anderson understood the situation Kings look to extend their strong momentum with another victory in the at hand, and still had a cool experience playing against Minnesota. “State of Hockey.” “It’s just kind of the way everything is right now,” he said. “The no fans for With his immediate family in the stands once again tonight, Anderson is one, just the way the world is right now, everyone is trying to make the still looking forward to another game in his home state, as he continues safe call for everyone involved, which is [the right thing to do]. Just being to build his own seat at a table of NHL players from the state of able to play against the Wild is pretty special for me, because growing up Minnesota. that’s the team I watched.”

Perhaps the most difficult part of the situation was being so close to his family, but not able to actually see them. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Before Tuesday’s game, Lizotte talked about how that was particularly difficult on him as well, being less than an hour from his hometown but not able to actually see any one from it. While a bit frustrating at time, he understands that’s just one of the sacrifices that players around the NHL need to make this season, in order to safely accommodate a regular season during a global pandemic.

Two days later, Anderson had similar sentiments, but also noted that it was a comforting feeling knowing that he did have his family in the stands, finding a silver lining in the situation.

“It’s different, not being able to see [my family], be able to give them a hug, or talk to them,” Anderson said. “Just being able to have them at the game though, it’s special for us. Growing up in this city and playing in this rink before in college and high school, and having them there, having their support, it feels great, it makes it feel a little bit more comforting.”

No matter what was different, however, it was still a special moment for Anderson, and for his family.

Although in advance of the first game of this two-game set, Todd McLellan says that he didn’t really plan to have any kind of special conversation with either Minnesota native, or have anything special planned, it was a nice touch of the veteran bench boss to start both players in Tuesday’s game.

The starting lineup nod, the hometown feels and the chance to, at least in a small way, share a moment with his family was a rewarding feeling for 1200726 Minnesota Wild "He's one of the guys that's always around the net, just getting to the net," Evason said. "He's great at tipping, obviously scored a couple tip goals. He's such a big body that if he's committed to get there then good things are going to happen." Marcus Johansson key to Wild's offense in win over Kings The Wild will be off Friday, but the team could possibly get goalie Cam Talbot back for its weekend series vs. Colorado.

By Sarah McLellan Regardless, Kaapo Kahkonen has done an admirable job stepping in for Talbot while he deals with a lower-body injury. JANUARY 28, 2021 — 11:57PM Since taking over for Talbot, Kahkonen has stopped 99 of 108 shots.

"He's made timely saves for us where the game can go sideways at Marcus Johansson had settled under the radar since his first goal of the different points and could've gone sideways here tonight after they made season in Game No.2 sealed another comeback overtime victory for the it 3-2," Evason said. "He's able to come up with a couple of real big Wild in Los Angeles. saves." But in the latest chapter of the Wild vs. Kings, he resurfaced in a major way. LOADED: 01.29.2021 Not only did Johansson's contribute to a three-goal outburst in the first period, but he rediscovered his chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov in a slump- busting, 5-3 win Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

"He skated, really pushed the pace tonight," coach said. "Clearly, he's a wonderful skater but he hadn't pushed it like he did tonight. He had another gear. He's got a fast gear anyway, but he stepped it up and it was great for him to be rewarded with that one first and then what a great play obviously to Kirill. Yeah, he was real good all night."

Johansson was held pointless in the five contests since his game-winner on Jan.16; what's more, he was caught reaching on the decisive goal Tuesday in the Kings' 2-1 win that dealt the Wild a second straight loss. Johansson also botched a 4-on-1 rush for the Wild early Thursday.

Seconds later, though, he opened the scoring with a shot from the point and before the period ended, he fed Kaprizov for a score that put the Wild up 3-0. Kaprizov's goal was his first since his overtime finish in the season opener, and his seven points are tied with center Joel Eriksson Ek for the most on the team. Eriksson Ek joined the Johansson-Kaprizov duo, one of a few lineup changes the Wild made before Thursday's puck drop.

"It feels like we're finding each other out there," said Johansson about Kaprizov. "I don't know if it's kind of the European type of hockey. It's been fun playing with him. I think we felt like we only played one period together today because of the penalties and [Kevin Fiala] leaving the game. It was fun. We had some chances to score a couple more and hopefully we'll get those next time."

The loss wasn't the only tough outcome for the Kings.

They lost a pair of defensemen during the game, with Matt Roy leaving in the second period after he was checked from behind into the boards by Fiala. Not only did Fiala receive a 5-minute boarding major, but he was also slapped with a game misconduct.

And then in the third period, Sean Walker went down after taking a Matt Dumba shot to the face – leaving a trail of blood on the ice as he made his way to the bench.

"I feel so bad about it," Dumba said. "It's got to be one of the worst shots I've taken in my career. I feel so bad. I gotta go apologize."

Kings coach Todd McLellan said after the game both players were getting evaluated by doctors and he thought they'd be able to accompany the team back to Los Angeles.

"Two very unfortunate incidents in the game," McLellan said. "Not something we want to see in the game at all. I think they're going to be OK eventually."

During the extended power play that came after Fiala's boarding penalty, the Kings scored twice to pull within a goal of the Wild.

But the Wild pushed back on a goal from center Nick Bjugstad to take a two-goal cushion into the intermission. Bjugstad's goal came after he was penalized for a faceoff violation, the second time this season he's scored after a brush with adversity.

His first tally on Sunday against San Jose came on the heels of having a goal disallowed. 1200727 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Los Angeles game recap

Staff Report

JANUARY 28, 2021 — 11:29PM

GAME RECAP

STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS

1. Marcus Johansson, Wild: The winger scored a goal and set up another.

2. Nick Bjugstad, Wild: The center ended up with the game-deciding goal.

3. Anze Kopitar, Kings: The captain assisted on both of Los Angeles' second-period goals.

BY THE NUMBERS

1 Fight by Marcus Foligno, the first this season for the Wild.

2 Assists by defenseman Jonas Brodin.

11 Players who produced at least a point for the Wild.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200728 Minnesota Wild Before the game, Los Angeles put forward Andreas Athanasiou on the COVID-19 protocol list. The announcement came after the team's morning skate.

Kaprizov caps big 1st period, Wild beat Kings 5-3 "It's been a messed up day since minute one, to tell you the truth," McLellan said. "I got a call at about 6:30 this morning, notified that Andreas was positive and then the whole thing kicked into play. So, our pregame skate was screwed up because there was a number of other By BRIAN HALL guys through contact tracing that had to get retested. We had the taxi JANUARY 28, 2021 — 10:50PM squad ready to go. We found out late that the players were going to be available to us."

DAY TO DAY? ST. PAUL, Minn. — Kirill Kaprizov scored the second goal of his rookie season to cap Minnesota's three-goal first period and the Wild beat the Wild goaltender Cam Talbot participated in the team's morning skate, but Los Angeles Kings 5-3 on Thursday night. he missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. Kahkonen started his third straight game and played in his fifth straight. Marcus Johansson had a goal and an assist, and Kevin Fiala, Nick Bjugstad and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for Minnesota, which had lost two in a row. Kaapo Kahkonen made 32 saves for the Wild. Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 "It had everything from the get-go," Bjugstad said. "We had good energy from all around the lineup."

Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Alex Iafallo scored for Los Angeles in the second straight and fourth overall meeting between the two teams this season. Jonathan Quick stopped 23 shots for the Kings, who lost two defensemen to scary-looking injuries.

Matt Roy left after going headfirst into the boards, and Sean Walker was hit in the face by a slap shot.

"There's going to be lots of bad blood this season because we're playing teams so much," Doughty said. "In the past, I don't think there's a ton of bad blood with Minnesota. But, yeah, I guess tonight some of that started."

The familiarity between the teams might be leading to some early tension. Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno and Los Angeles defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, who scored in the Kings' 5-3 win on Tuesday, started a fight off the opening draw.

The Wild then took control.

Johansson opened the scoring just 3:33 into the first with his second goal of the season.

Los Angeles had a chance to tie it when Kahknonen was knocked out of his net as Austin Wagner and Jared Spurgeon collided with the goaltender. The Kings missed a shot on the open net and Fiala blocked a shot to spring himself for a breakaway that he snapped past Quick. It was Fiala's third goal in four games.

Johansson then set up Kaprizov with a nifty, cross-ice pass to cap the scoring in the first.

"Well, two games ago I just thought it was our worst start probably," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "Last game we felt we got taken out of the game with some penalties in the first. But I think our group from the start of the season has been ready to go right from the drop of the puck."

Minnesota allowed Los Angeles back into the game in the second by making a series of trips to the penalty box. The Wild were called for 11 minutes worth of penalties in the first 12:09 of the period.

Fiala was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct after he pushed Roy going into the boards. Roy tried to stop and his skates went out from underneath him, causing him to go headfirst into the boards.

Roy was down for several minutes before being helped off the ice.

"It will be on multiple videos, teaching clips for young players, older players, junior players, pro players on basically what not to do," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "I feel bad for Roysie. I don't even know if there's any intent on the Fiala thing, it just happened. But we have to know by now that we can't do that."

Brown and Doughty's goals both came on the power play.

Along with Roy leaving the game, Walker was hit in the face by Matt Dumba's slap shot in the third. Walker dropped to the ice and left a trail of blood as he tried to skate back to the bench.

McLellan said both were being seen by doctors and he expected them to travel with the team back to Los Angeles. 1200729 Minnesota Wild

Wild winger Kevin Fiala gets game misconduct after dangerous hit

By Chris Miller

JANUARY 28, 2021 — 11:51PM

Kevin Fiala faces a likely suspension after a dangerous play early in the second period of Thursday's Wild victory over the Kings at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild winger got a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct after checking Los Angeles defenseman Matt Roy from behind five minutes into the period.

Roy, trying to control the puck in the Kings zone, was thrown forward by Fiala; Roy's facemask hit the dasher and his head snapped back on the play. He was down on the ice for a few minutes before being helped to the Kings' dressing room.

Fiala, who scored his third goal of the season in the first period of the 5-3 win, was given a major and the play was reviewed before the game misconduct was added.

"You just don't feel right after that," Kings coach Todd McLellan said of the play, which called an example of "what not to do."

The NHL Department of Safety would next handle the case. Fiala has no previous NHL suspensions.

"You never know what's going to happen," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "We'll just wait what the league has to say and we'll go from there."

The King also lost defenseman Sean Walker in the third period when Wild defenseman Matt Dumba's slap shot from the left point hit Walker directly in the mouth. Play immediately stopped and Walker struggled to the bench, leaving a trail of blood on the ice.

"I feel so bad about it," said a shaken Dumba. "It was probably one of the worst shots I've taken in my career. I feel so bad. I've got to go and apologize for that."

With two defensemen out, Kings blueliner Drew Doughty played 32:19 in the game.

McLellan said both Roy and Walker were being evaluated by doctors but were expected to travel back to Los Angeles with the team.

"Not something we want to see in the game at all, but I think they're going to be OK eventually," McLellan said.

"Emotionally it takes a lot out of the group to see two teammates leave like that."

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200730 Minnesota Wild Eriksson Ek continued his impressive play in this spot, putting back his own rebound 4:44 into the third for his team-leading fifth goal.

By this point, the Kings were missing Roy and Sean Walker, who took a Wild rides three-goal first period to beat Kings 5-3 Dumba shot to the face early in the third — leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Still, Los Angeles continued to press and Alex Iafallo finalized a 5-3 By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune outcome on a one-timer 9:41 into the third. But the Wild was too far ahead by then, the reward of a strong first and gut-check second. JANUARY 29, 2021 — 12:35AM

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 Maybe it was Marcus Foligno's fight after the opening faceoff.

The new forward lines might have done the trick, too.

Or perhaps the Wild was just fed up after dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season.

"I don't know exactly why," coach Dean Evason said.

Either way, the team stirred from its recent snoozefest to debut its best start thus far and then weathered a wave of adversity en route to a 5-3 win over the Kings on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center, earning back the two points it lost in the first game of the series.

"We weren't gonna lose another one here at home," Matt Dumba said. "It's got to be a tough place to come into. That's what we wanted to do tonight, and [Foligno] kind of set things off and everyone else followed suit."

The Wild (5-3) scored three goals in the first, the most in any period this season, but the victory was secured in the second when the Wild flirted with blowing its early edge.

After consecutive penalties at the beginning of the period, the Wild's manpower took a permanent hit when Kevin Fiala was ejected. He crunched Los Angeles' Matt Roy from behind into the boards, receiving a five-minute boarding major and game misconduct — a sequence that could merit further discipline by the NHL.

"We'll just wait and see what the league has to say," Evason said, "and we'll deal with it from there."

On the ensuing five-minute power play, Drew Doughty's shot rolled five- hole on goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to move the Kings within a goal of the Wild at 3-2. Los Angeles' first goal also came on the power play, a deflection by Dustin Brown.

But the Wild reclaimed control when Nick Bjugstad provided a much- needed insurance goal with 1:22 to go in the second period – this after Kahkonen made a key save on Blake Lizotte to keep the Wild's slim lead intact. Kahkonen racked up a season-high 32 saves, while Jonathan Quick had 23 for the Kings.

"The guys just stuck with it," Evason said. "It's such a credit to our leadership group that there's no sag. There's no yelling. There's no whining. It's just, 'You know what? W got a penalty, so let's go kill it.'"

The first period wasn't as tense, but Foligno got the Wild's attention when he dropped the gloves with Kurtis MacDermid after the puck dropped — a much more assertive start after the Wild slumped 2-1 to the Kings on Tuesday.

BOXSCORE: Wild 5, Los Angeles 3

"It was just something that maybe individually I took upon myself," Foligno said. "We just needed some energy."

In his best game with the Wild, Marcus Johansson got the ball rolling, throwing a puck on net from the point that eluded Quick at 3:33.

Fiala doubled the lead at 8:17, capitalizing on a breakaway that started when he blocked a shot in the Wild's end. It was his third goal in his past four games.

And then at 12:55, rookie Kirill Kaprizov finished off a smooth pass from Johansson for his second goal of the season and first since his overtime winner in Game 1 vs. the Kings.

This surge came amid a reshuffled lineup, with Joel Eriksson Ek's promotion to the Johansson-Kaprizov tandem one of the most notable changes. 1200731 Minnesota Wild These COVID-related absences can be a result of several factors, including a positive or unconfirmed positive test, contract tracing and quarantine.

Nico Sturm settles into regular position in Wild lineup No Wild players were listed Thursday.

The West Division had its first postponed game Thursday, with the NHL calling off Vegas vs. St. Louis after a Golden Knights player (Alex By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune Pietrangelo) and another member of the Vegas coaching staff entered the league's COVID protocols. JANUARY 28, 2021 — 6:04PM Earlier in the week, Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon

took over behind the bench for the team's Tuesday game after the Nico Sturm scored his first NHL goal in the playoffs last season, making coaching staff self-isolated following an exposure on the staff. a seamless transition halfway through the Wild's series against

Vancouver. Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 The team also locked him up to a new two-year, one-way contract for $1.45 million in October.

And yet Sturm still felt he would have to earn a spot in the lineup.

"I don't think anybody's going to give me anything," the forward said after re-signing.

But two weeks into the season, Sturm is settling into life as an NHLer — emerging as a mainstay for the Wild to continue the upward trajectory of his pro career.

"I just want to get better every day, and I think I'm only just starting to scratch the surface and starting to really feel comfortable in practices and games," Sturm said during a virtual interview. "I just don't want to fill in a role. I want to help this team succeed and take the next step and become a winning club."

After leaving Clarkson University to turn pro in 2019, Sturm spent most of last season in the minors, recording 12 goals and 20 assists in 55 games with in the American Hockey League. He logged just six appearances with the Wild during the regular season but was included on the team's playoff roster.

And when Sturm was inserted into the lineup in Game 3, the 25-year-old scored his first career goal the very next game.

"It was huge for his development to not only get into NHL hockey games and playoff NHL hockey games but to do it with his teammates," coach Dean Evason said. "Then coming in this year and knowing his surroundings and knowing his teammates a little bit better and knowing the pace of an NHL practice and an NHL game, playing against NHL guys and practicing against NHL guys, I think it's set him up to be ready."

Sturm missed two recent games, getting sidelined with an illness he figured was probably food-related, but he returned to action Tuesday. And against the Kings on Thursday, he was given a more prominent role — moving from wing to center between Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno after Evason decided to break up the Wild's dominant line of Greenway, Foligno and center Joel Eriksson Ek to spark the team's offense.

Eriksson Ek was promoted to the top six to skate with veteran Marcus Johansson and rookie Kirill Kaprizov, and Victor Rask shifted from center to wing next to center Nick Bonino and winger Ryan Hartman.

"He's got an element that we really like and that's speed and work," Evason said of Sturm. "We have seen him progress here. He had a real good year obviously in Iowa and played well in the bubble. He's a very versatile guy."

Injury update

Goaltender Cam Talbot skated Thursday morning but was still idle against Los Angeles, the third straight game he's missed with a lower- body injury suffered last Friday vs. San Jose.

Kaapo Kahkonen was backed up by Andrew Hammond, and the Wild added goalie Dereck Baribeau to the taxi squad from Iowa.

"We're hoping that he'll be available to us going forward here," Evason said about Talbot.

Etc.

Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou was added to the NHL's COVID protocols list Thursday and did not play against the Wild. 1200732 Minnesota Wild

Wild breaks up best line ahead of rematch vs. Kings

By Sarah McLellan

JANUARY 28, 2021 — 11:47AM

After a breakdown to the Kings on Tuesday, its second straight loss, the Wild is hoping a breakup will help the team recover in the rematch Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

Coach Dean Evason has split up the Wild's best line of wingers Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno and center Joel Eriksson Ek – promoting Eriksson Ek up the lineup to work with veteran Marcus Johansson and rookie Kirill Kaprizov. Foligno and Greenway remain united and will be centered by Nico Sturm.

As for the other units, wingers Zach Parise and Kevin Fiala are still with center Nick Bjugstad. And Victor Rask has moved to left wing on a line with center Nico Bonino and winger Ryan Hartman.

"We had tons of opportunities to score last game but only scored one goal," Evason said, referring to the 2-1 setback. "It's an opportunity for us to get a look at some different combinations, not just that one [but] some other combinations, as well. So, we're hoping that the decision that we made will allow us to continue to have those chances to score and bury a few in the net."

Together for the first two weeks of the season, Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Foligno combined for 15 points in seven games – while everyone else on the team has accounted for 32 points. Eriksson Ek has been particularly effective offensively, getting off to the best start of his career with four goals and two assists.

"Lines are goingto change," Evason said. "Lines are changing a little bit here tonight, but clearly Ek's playing extremely well and we just thought it was an opportunity. It is an opportunity now to move him, so we'll see how he looks here this evening."

Although No.1 goalie Cam Talbot skated Thursday morning, he won't dress against the Kings – missing a third straight game with a lower-body injury. Andrew Hammond will back up Kaapo Kahkonen.

"Just getting a light little workout," Evason said of Talbot. "We're hoping that he'll be available to us going forward here."

Key numbers:

2: Consecutive losses for the Wild for the first time this season.

3: Goals for Eriksson Ek in the past four games.

19: Saves for Kahkonen on 21 shots last game vs. the Kings.

199: Career assists for captain Jared Spurgeon.

19: Points for Parise in 32 career games against Los Angeles.

About the Kings:

Los Angeles' victory Tuesday was the second in a row for the team and third in its past four contests. That game was the first time this season the Kings have scored first. They also went a spotless 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. It was the second straight game Los Angeles wasn't tagged for a power play goal. Captain Anze Kopitar's nine assists are tied for the most in the NHL.

Star Tribune LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200733 Minnesota Wild That paved the way for the third period where Joel Eriksson Ek continued his hot start with a goal to make it 5-2. He has a team-high five goals this season and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Wild ride fast start to important 5-3 win over Kings While the Kings got a late goal from Alex Iafallo to finalize the score at 5- 3, it wasn’t nearly enough as the Wild snapped a brief losing streak and improved to 5-3-0 heading into a huge series against the rival Colorado Avalanche. By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] | Pioneer Press “We just talked about in the room,” Matt Dumba said. “We weren’t gonna PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 9:42 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, lose another one here at home. It’s got to be a tough place to come into. 2021 at 11:12 p.m. That’s what we wanted to do tonight, and Moose kind of set things off (with his fight), and everyone else followed suit.”

After a few slow starts in a row, the Wild wanted to come out fast Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.29.2021 Perhaps that explains why Marcus Foligno dropped the gloves pretty much as soon as the puck dropped at Xcel Energy Center.

While the fight didn’t magically help the Wild score more goals, they followed it up with undoubtedly their best opening 20 minutes of the season and rode it to an important 5-3 win.

“It was just something that maybe individually I took upon myself,” Foligno said. “You just need that adrenaline rush sometimes, and it’s always nice to be on the end where the guys on the bench pick it up.”

A few minutes after Foligno’s fight, Marcus Johansson made it 1-0 in favor of the Wild by wiring a puck into the back of the net. It was some redemption for Johansson after he completely bungled an odd-man rush about 30 seconds earlier.

That opened the floodgates, and Kevin Fiala made it 2-0 later in the period with an incredible individual effort. He started the sequence by selling out to block a shot with goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen out of the crease, then raced the other way and beat goaltender Jonathan Quick with a twisted wrist shot.

Kirill Kaprizov made it 3-0 late in the first period after Johansson found him with a highlight-reel pass in front.

“I got it and I just saw that he was beating his guy,” Johansson said. “It feels like we’re finding each other out there. I don’t know if it’s kind of the European type of hockey. It’s been fun playing with him.”

While the pass from Johansson was worthy of SportsCenter, the fact Kaprizov capitalized can’t be overstated. That hasn’t always been a guarantee with the Wild in the past.

Surely, that was a big enough lead for the Wild to breathe easy the rest of the way, right?

Not quite, as the Wild started the second period with a parade to the penalty box. That came back to bite them when Dustin Brown scored a greasy goal to help the Kings cut the deficit to 3-1.

The undisciplined play from the Wild continued a couple of minutes later as Fiala dangerously rode Matt Roy face-first into the boards. He correctly got called for boarding and after a very brief video review was kicked out of the game. On the ensuing power play, the Kings cut the deficit to 3-2 with a goal from Drew Doughty.

Asked about Fiala’s hit and whether he expected a suspension, Wild coach Dean Evason replied, “You never know what’s going to happen. We will just wait and see what the league has to say, and we will deal with it from there.”

With the game in danger of getting away from them at that point, the Wild finally calmed thanks to a few big saves from Kahkonen between the pipes, none more important than his denial on Blake Lizotte late in the second period.

That was the turning point, and less than 90 seconds after it Nick Bjugstad scored an enormous goal for the Wild to increase their lead to 4-2.

“It could’ve gone sideways here tonight after they made it 3-2, and he’s able to come up with a couple of real big saves,” Evason said. “He competes his butt off. He’s likely the most exhausted guy at practice. He never takes a shot off. It’s translated into a game, and he gave us an opportunity to have some success here tonight.” 1200734 Minnesota Wild

Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek finally gets promoted amid hot start

By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] | Pioneer Press

PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 12:33 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 12:33 p.m.

Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek is finally moving up in the lineup.

While it’s been something Wild fans have been clamoring for over the past couple of weeks, coach Dean Evason has understandably been averse to breaking up the team’s most consistent line until now. He didn’t see the point is messing with a good thing with Eriksson Ek looking so good playing between Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno.

But the Wild have struggled to score over the past couple of games, prompting Evason to switch things up ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings. He elevated Eriksson Ek, a 23-year-old Swede, to play between Marcus Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov, which should give the Wild more firepower up front.

“It’s something that we’ve talked about,” Evason said. “He’s playing extremely well, and we just thought it was an opportunity to move him and see how he looks.”

Asked about breaking up his line, Foligno shifted the focus to Eriksson Ek and the impact he can have throughout the lineup.

“We are excited for him,” Foligno said. “We want to win games, and if we can get some balance up there with Ekker on the top line, then that’s the way we have to do it. It’s about finding a way to win and getting that balance and getting everyone going, and we are happy that Ekker is playing the way he is.”

Eriksson Ek’s move provides Nico Sturm, a second-year pro from Germany, with an opportunity to play between Greenway and Foligno. In theory, the Wild won’t lose much since Sturm plays a similar game to Eriksson Ek, and Greenway and Foligno play a game that complements whoever is between them.

“We don’t want our game to change at all,” Foligno said. “Whoever comes into the center position, we want them to be able to feel comfortable with us, and still have that same output every night. We are looking forward to tonight with Sturmy and getting him comfortable and situated with us.”

As for Sturm, 25, who spent the bulk of last season playing for the , he seemed excited about moving back to his natural position. He has been penciled in as a winger so far this season, and while he performed well in that role, he clearly feels more comfortable in the middle of the ice.

“I just want to get better every day,” Sturm said. “I’m only just starting to scratch the surface and starting to really feel comfortable in practices and games. And I think there’s still so much to learn. Just pick up new things here and there and try to help this team win. That’s the biggest thing I want to do. I just don’t want to fill in a role; I want to help this team succeed and take the next step.”

TALBOT UPDATE

After suffering a lower-body injury in last Friday’s win over the San Jose Sharks, goaltender Cam Talbot is on the verge of returning to the lineup. He was on the ice for part of Thursday’s morning skate, though Evason confirmed he won’t play in the actual game. “Just getting a light little workout,” Evason said. “We’re hoping that he’ll be available to us going forward here. We’ll assess how he is after today.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200735 Minnesota Wild Foligno took a slashing minor 51 seconds in. The Wild killed that, then Eriksson Ek took a tripping minor 21 seconds after Foligno exited the penalty box. It took Dustin Brown seven seconds into the power play to make it 3-1. A wild one for the Wild: Minnesota overcomes penalty procession to beat Kings Bjugstad tried to turn the momentum with a great shift to draw a power play, but 1:33 into the world’s worst power play (which is saying something by Wild standards, considering they’re 2 for 34 in eight games), Fiala sped into the corner on a forecheck, saw defenseman Matt By Michael Russo Roy’s numbers and rode him into the boards. Roy’s right skate did seem Jan 28, 2021 to hit a rut, but Fiala needed to pull up and did not. Roy was hurt when his face smashed into the top of the wall.

He left the game hurt and Fiala was assessed a five-minute boarding As Nick Bjugstad said succinctly and so, so accurately, Thursday night’s major and game misconduct. heated, roller coaster of a game between the Wild and Los Angeles Kings “had everything from the get-go.” “It will be on multiple videos, teaching clips for young players, older players, junior players, pro players on basically what not to do,” Kings A fight off the opening faceoff. Three first-period goals from the Wild. A coach Todd McLellan said. “I feel bad for Roysie. I don’t even know if near-meltdown from the Wild a period later thanks to a penalty-box there’s any intent on the Fiala thing, it just happened. But we have to procession. know by now that we can’t do that.”

Big saves, clutch goals, heavy hits, one very questionable one that may It was a careless hit, but as McLellan noted, it’s hard to say there was warrant a suspension for the Wild’s best player, a gruesome injury to a intent. Fiala is a skilled player who once broke his femur crashing into the Kings defenseman that caused blood to pour from the slot to the bench end wall, so if there’s anyone who should show respect to a player in a and, in the end, a gnaw-off-the-fingernails, much-needed 5-3 victory by vulnerable position, it’d be him. It’s likely that the hit just got away from the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Fiala.

“Good energy from all around the lineup,” said Bjugstad, whose second- Nevertheless, Fiala, who has never been suspended in the NHL, could period goal halted the Kings’ momentum and turned into the game- be looking at a disciplinary hearing with the league Friday and a possible winner. “We had to insert a lot of different guys in different scenarios. It suspension. was an interesting one to be a part of, for sure. It’s good to get the win.” “We will just wait and see what the outcome is and we will deal with it,” In a game in which coach Dean Evason pulled the trigger on wholesale Evason said. line changes after consecutive home losses, the Wild responded in the first period with their first three-goal period of the season and finished Defenseman Drew Doughty scored on the ensuing power play, but the with a season-high five in the game. Wild were fortunate to not give up more.

Marcus Johansson, who scored the overtime winner at Los Angeles two Kahkonen would ultimately deny Blake Lizotte on a breakaway. Just 88 weeks ago, scored a goal and set up a beauty for Kirill Kaprizov. Kevin seconds later, Bjugstad crashed the net, found a Jonas Brodin rebound, Fiala, who may get his hand slapped Friday for a dangerous check from then batted his own rebound out of the air for a 4-2 lead to halt the Kings’ behind that injured a Kings player, scored on a breakaway after blocking momentum with 1:22 left in the period. a shot destined for a wide-open net, Bjugstad scored from the “When you’re getting saves from your goaltender and coming down the goalmouth, and Joel Eriksson Ek scored his team-leading fifth goal, other way scoring, that’s a huge credit to (Kahkonen) and that can which is, believe it or not from the checking center, tied for the second- change the entire momentum of the game,” Bjugstad said. “Obviously, most in the NHL. Kaapo’s young, but he’s playing poised, and it’s fun to play in front of Eleven Wild players had points, and rookie Kaapo Kahkonen made 32 him.” saves to improve to 3-2. The Wild kept their foot on the gas to start the third. Brodin sprung “I think we just talked about in the room, we weren’t gonna lose another Swedish countryman Eriksson Ek for a two-on-one, and he scored on his one here at home,” defenseman Matt Dumba said. “It’s got to be a tough own rebound with the puck looking like it was about to roll over the goal place to come into. That’s what we wanted to do tonight, and Moose line anyway. (Marcus Foligno) kind of set things off and everyone else following suit. If the Roy incident earlier wasn’t scary enough, defenseman Sean Made for a great start for us.” Walker would soon be nailed directly on the upper left side of his face Whether Foligno’s manufactured scrap seconds into the game with Kurtis with a Dumba slap shot. Blood instantly began to spill, and a horrified MacDermid truly had an effect or not, the Wild looked like they were on a Dumba sprinted right up to him as Walker skated fast to the bench to power play for much of their five-on-five play in the first and swarmed the meet trainers with a trail of blood following him. Kings during a perfectly played period. “I feel so bad about it,” Dumba said. “It’s got to be one of the worst shots For the first time, Eriksson Ek was elevated in the lineup and played I’ve taken in my career. I feel so bad. I’ve gotta go apologize after this between Johansson and Kaprizov. After Johansson’s second goal of the (press conference).” season, Fiala scored a scintillating breakaway goal after speeding up ice McLellan said after the game he expects Roy and Walker to recover and following his block of Kale Clague’s shot with Kahkonen down and out of expected both to be on the Kings’ plane after the game. his cage. The Kings eventually scored one more goal, but the Wild held on to While that Fiala tally was pretty, so was Johansson’s seeing-eye, cross- improve to 5-3 on this season heading into four games in a row against slot pass to a driving Kaprizov for his second NHL goal that made it 3-0. heated rival Colorado. The first two games will take place in Minnesota “I just saw that he was beating his guy,” Johansson, who hails from on Saturday and Sunday nights. Sweden, said of his pass to the Russian Kaprizov. “I don’t know if it’s Overall, it was an exciting and well-played game by the Wild — if you kind of the European type of hockey. It’s been fun playing with him. I quickly forget about the penalties in the first half of the second period. think we felt like we only played one period together today because of the penalties and Kev leaving the game. It was fun. We had some chances The Wild seemed to respond the right way to Evason’s line changes, to score a couple more, and hopefully we’ll get those next time.” especially the chemistry shown by Johansson and Kaprizov. It was by far Johansson’s best game after a couple of meh games to open the As Johansson alluded, one couldn’t come up with a better recipe to homestand. destroy a game than the Wild seemed intent on doing in the second. “He skated and really pushed the pace tonight,” Evason said. “Clearly, After carrying that 3-0 lead out of the first, the Wild took, get this, 11 he’s a wonderful skater, but he hadn’t pushed it like he did tonight. He minutes of penalties in the first 12:09 of the period. had another gear. He’s got a fast gear anyway, but he stepped it up and it was great for him to be rewarded with that one first and then what a home in the western suburbs of . Cole will rent Lee’s home great play obviously to Kirill.” for the rest of the season and joked that it was nice to have an Irish connection with his fellow Notre Dame alum. Cole, incidentally, recorded As has been discussed ad nauseam at this point, the Wild lack his first point with the Wild on the secondary assist of Kaprizov’s first- playmaking centermen, so one way to help get talents like Kaprizov and period goal. Fiala the puck would be with playmaking wingers. Johansson, with Mats Zuccarello injured, is by far the Wild’s best playmaking winger not named Fiala or Kaprizov. The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 Even though Kaprizov scored an overtime winner and had two assists in his NHL debut Jan. 14 in L.A., it’s fair to say Thursday was his best NHL game. He was buzzing all game long, scored the goal, had five attempted shots, including a wraparound that Doughty robbed of a goal. He was physical as he showed on a mammoth wallop on Austin Wagner, and he ignored repeated cross-checks and extracurricular stuff from Doughty.

Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway are tied for the team lead with seven points each.

“There’s going to be lots of bad blood this season because we’re playing teams so much,” Doughty said. “In the past, I don’t think there’s a ton of bad blood with Minnesota. But, yeah, I guess tonight some of that started.”

The Wild and Kings can deal with that when the Wild head back to California in a few weeks, but first things first. The Wild have Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar to deal with in the next four games.

“We are going to be excited to play them,” Foligno said. “Everyone is going to be up for that game. Just looking forward to having some success against that team.”

Power outage

The Wild went 0 for 4 on the power play and continue to struggle strikingly despite changes in personnel, looks, everything.

When asked Wednesday, Evason said, “It’s a sour note for us. If our power play was average, we would have had more success than we’ve had up to this point. I mean, we’re grinding in there trying to figure out combinations, trying to figure out what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong.

“The key for us is to continue to work at it, to continue to teach, continue to work on it in practice whenever we get that opportunity. But also continue to believe that if we get those opportunities that they’re going to go in the net, we’re going to get those bounces, we’re not going to hit crossbars, we’re not going to hit posts, they’re going to hit a leg and go in, they’re gonna hit a leg and have a rebound. So that’s what we believe. But as far as it being a negative part of our game, absolutely, it is, and it’s got to be better.”

Sturm moved up on the lineup

Rookie Nico Sturm took Eriksson Ek’s normal spot in the middle of Greenway and Foligno and had another quality game.

“Signing the one-way contract was a big thing for me (in the offseason), a lot of trust (GM) Billy (Guerin) and the coaching staff put in me,” Sturm said. “It doesn’t guarantee a spot in the lineup every night. For me, I want to get better every day. I’m starting to scratch the surface and starting to really feel comfortable in practices and games.

“So I think there’s still so much to learn from me. I’m trying to just help this team win. That’s the biggest thing I want to do. I just don’t want to fill in a role. I want to help this team succeed and take the next step and become a winning club.”

Etc.

• Goalie Cam Talbot, who missed his third game in a row with a lower- body injury, took the ice Thursday night to tend net with the taxi squad and healthy scratches Brad Hunt and Gerry Mayhew. The Wild have the day off Friday, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to start Sunday’s second of a back-to-back with the Avalanche. One has to think Kahkonen will start the front end.

• Injured right wing Mats Zuccarello (offseason wrist surgery) skated on his own before Thursday’s morning skate and has yet to be cleared for full practice, Evason said.

• Defenseman Ian Cole, traded to the Wild from Colorado on Jan. 19, has moved out of a St. Paul hotel and into Islanders captain Anders Lee’s 1200736 Montreal Canadiens “I think we were very opportunistic tonight,” Weber said. “I don’t think that was our best effort by any means. I think we’ve got a lot of room to improve here.

Canadiens top Flames 4-2 in home opener, remain unbeaten in “That’s a good sign obviously because we’re playing well enough to win regulation this season and we’re capitalizing.”

The Flames (2-3-1) will continue their five-game road trip with another matchup against Montreal on Saturday night. Staff Report Front-line workers introduced the Montreal players before the game. The THE CANADIAN PRESS final introduction was made by NFL lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who received his medical degree from McGill University in 2018. PUBLISHED JANUARY 28, 2021 Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out of the football season to help fight the UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO COVID-19 pandemic, has been working at a Montreal long-term care facility.

After opening their season in style with an impressive six-game road trip, Notes: Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves for a brief scrap the Montreal Canadiens looked just as comfortable on home ice with Montreal’s Ben Chiarot midway through the third period. … Thursday night. Anderson has four goals on the season, one more than Gallagher and two more than Weber. … The Canadiens challenged Calgary’s first goal, Brendan Gallagher, Shea Weber, Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli scored hoping the play was offside, but to no avail. as the Canadiens rolled to a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames in their home opener at Bell Centre.

“Everything is just clicking pretty good,” said Montreal forward Jesperi Globe And Mail LOADED: 01.29.2021 Kotkaniemi. “It’s the feeling. Everything is just feeling right at the moment.”

Kotkaniemi and Jonathan Drouin had two assists apiece as the Canadiens (5-0-2) remained unbeaten in regulation time this season.

Calgary’s Milan Lucic ended Carey Price’s shutout bid with 78 seconds left in the third period. Rasmus Andersson added a second power-play goal for the Flames with 22.7 seconds to play.

It was the first of nine meetings this year between the North Division teams.

The Canadiens looked fresh but a tad scattered on occasion after returning to game action for the first time since Saturday’s 5-2 win in Vancouver. The Flames, coming off a 4-3 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, also had some early zip but an early Juuso Valimaki hooking call proved costly.

With the penalty winding down, Kotkaniemi found Corey Perry stationed by the side of the crease. Perry made a deft no-look back-pass to Gallagher, who one-timed it in at 10:07.

The assist left the veteran Perry, who signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens last month, just one point shy of the 800-mark for his career.

Another Montreal power-play goal made it 2-0 at 15:39. Weber fired a shot from inside the point that was going wide but deflected off Valimaki’s stick and left Calgary netminder David Rittich frozen.

“Just little things, little breakdowns cost us a couple goals there,” said Flames defenceman Mark Giordano. “I thought from there on we started taking way too many risks through the neutral zone and against a good- structured team, they’re going to make you pay.”

Kotkaniemi flashed his speed midway through the second period to set up a 2-on-1 break. His snapshot was stopped but Anderson swatted the chest-high rebound into the net at 8:21.

Price, meanwhile, was steady when called upon. The Flames had some chances but couldn’t deliver any sustained pressure.

Montreal had all four lines rolling and its defensive pairs were steady too.

“It’s definitely a luxury, it’s definitely something that obviously every coach likes to have,” Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said of team depth. “Right now we’ve got that and for the most part we’re a pretty healthy hockey club. So hopefully we stay that way.”

Calgary had the man advantage for the first time late in the second period but Toffoli put the game out of reach with a short-handed goal at 19:35. It was his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Nick Suzuki flipped the puck high out of the Montreal zone and an unmarked Toffoli tracked it down before jamming it between Rittich’s legs.

Calgary outshot Montreal 25-21. 1200737 Montreal Canadiens “In my opinion, there’s not a single positive thing about playing in an empty building,” Canadiens coach Claude Julien said after Thursday’s morning skate in Brossard. “I think you ask any player from any team, we would love to have our fans in our buildings. That’s what this sport is all Stu Cowan: A weird but wonderful night as Canadiens return to Bell about. We’re in an entertainment business that would love to have our Centre fans, not just watching on TV but having them in the arenas itself. So there’s nothing positive about it.

“At the same time, what we do is we adjust and we make the necessary Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette adjustments to make our sport a good sport which is entertaining,” Julien Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021 added “I think what you’re seeing right now is players are professional enough that even though there’s nobody in the buildings they still know that there’s people watching us on TV and they want to give the best that they can of themselves. I think so far what I’ve seen from watching other Weird. games besides ours is they’re pretty entertaining.” That’s the best word to describe the Canadiens’ home opener Thursday Gallagher said Thursday morning that the games provide a distraction night against the Calgary Flames with no fans at the Bell Centre. from what’s going on in the world for a few hours, not only for fans but Everything about the night was weird. also the players.

It was weird with no traffic jam around the building before the game, and I “You get to focus on a game,” he said. “That’s really all it is. It’s a game missed seeing the regular parking-lot attendant who always does such a that a lot of people care about. It’s a game that we make a livelihood out great job directing cars and people trying to get into the Bell Centre. It of it. It’s still a game and that’s what it’s there for. We’re pretty lucky to be was also weird that it only cost $15 to park instead of $38. able to do what we do, bring excitement to people’s lives for a few short hours and hopefully we can deliver on that. We know how much people It was weird wearing a mask and sitting socially distanced in a press box care about the Montreal Canadiens. It’s not lost on us. We know how that was less than half full. The red and blue canvases used to cover up passionate they are. Obviously, it would be great to have the fans in the the lower-bowl seats were weird. building. But for us to hopefully put on a show, we know they’re all A Bell Centre security guard wipes down cases after photographers go watching at home, and hopefully we make it exciting for them.” through a security and sanitization station upon arrival for the first home game of the season of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday January 28, 2021. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021

In this COVID-19 world, everything has become weird, but it was wonderful to have Hockey Night in Montreal back for the first time in 324 days.

It’s a shame there weren’t 21,302 fans in the Bell Centre to watch the Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames 4-2, but you could almost hear them cheering from their homes while watching on TV.

Former Montreal Gazette sports columnist Michael Farber once wrote: “Only two institutions in Western civilization truly grasp ceremony: the House of Windsor and the Montreal Canadiens.”

The Canadiens kept that reputation intact with a very classy opening ceremony paying tribute to the the healthcare heroes in this cruel pandemic.

It started with a video on the giant screen showing deserted Montreal street scenes, followed by healthcare workers in action and then Canadiens players talking about their high expectations for this year’s team, all with Ozzie Osbourne’s song Mama, I’m Coming Home playing in the background. Another video was shown of players expressing their thanks to healthcare workers on the front lines.

Then the Canadiens had the brilliant idea of having healthcare heroes from across the province announce the players’ names on the giant screen as they skated out one at a time to centre ice. The new Canadiens players didn’t get a first roaring Bell Centre welcome, but this was something they will surely never forget. It was special.

So was the national anthem as the Canadiens played a video of different singers from over the years belting out O Canada, starting with Roger Doucette and ending with Ginette Reno.

Once the puck dropped, things got weird again. Normally, you can’t hear yourself think in the press box, but on this night I could hear Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, sitting 6 feet from me, open a bag of snacks. When Nick Suzuki decided to pass on a failed two-on-one early in the game, I said out loud to myself: “Shoot, the puck, Nick.”

Engels, overhearing me, responded: “If you yell it loud enough he’ll hear you.”

The fake crowd noise provided a bit of atmosphere and the first fake “Go Habs Go!” chant started with the Canadiens on a power play midway through the first period. Brendan Gallagher scored shortly after.

When Shea Weber made it 2-0 with another power-play goal at the 15:39 mark you couldn’t help but think how the building would be rocking if it was full. 1200738 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens' power play feels at home as they beat Flames 4-2 in Bell Centre opener

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021

The Canadiens had the worst power play in the NHL on home ice last season, but they scored on both of their opportunities in the first period Thursday and went on to defeat the Calgary Flames 4-2 in the home opener at the Bell Centre.

It was a dominant performance by the Canadiens, who won their third consecutive game and ran their record to 5-0-2.

Carey Price lost his shutout when Milan Lucic scored with 1:23 remaining. Claude Julien tried to save Price’s shutout bid with a challenge claiming the Flames were offside, but the video didn’t support his claim. The lost challenge resulted in a penalty to Montreal and Rasmus Andersson scored at 19:36.

It wasn’t a good first period for Calgary defenceman Juuso Valimaki.

He took a penalty for hooking Jeff Petry and the Canadiens cashed in with a power-play goal by Brendan Gallagher. Jesperi Kotkaniemi found Corey Perry in front of the net and he set up Gallagher, who got a step on defender Mark Giordano as he crashed the net. It was Gallagher’s third goal of the season and his second on the power play.

The Canadiens added another power play goal later in the period and Valimaki learned that the path to the net is paved with good intentions when he attempted to tip a Shea Weber one-timer from the left wall. The shot was going wide of the net until Valimaki redirected it past Calgary goaltender David Rittich.

The Canadiens’ speed was in evidence in the second period as Kotkaniemi and Josh Anderson combined on a 2-on-1 break to make it 3- 0. Rittich made the save when Kotkaniemi elected to shoot off the rush, but Anderson batted the rebound out of the air for his fourth goal of the season. Jonathan Drouin set the play.

The Canadiens finished the game going 2-for-3 on the power play, while the Flyers were 1-for-6. One of Montreal’s minor penalties went to rookie Alexander Romanov, who learned the hard way that the NHL doesn’t allow skaters to continue playing after losing a helmet.

Ben Chiarot took a penalty for high-sticking while battling Matthew Tkachuk in front of the Montreal net, and that touched off a brief fight in which Chiarot had the upper hand.

With no fans in attendance, the opening ceremonies weren’t as elaborate as they have been in the past but the Canadiens hit the right note for the times as they enlisted a variety of front-line workers to introduce the players.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200739 Montreal Canadiens message, whether it’s coaching you in-game or in video or during practice, it’s a calming approach. He’s never breathing down your back or screaming. Just his calming presence on the bench is something that I think a lot of us have benefitted from.” Jeff Petry's play has been a big plus for Canadiens to start season Petry also has a new defence partner this season in Joel Edmundson, who was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes during the off-season. They’re still working on chemistry together after a short training camp Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette with no pre-season games, but so far the results have been impressive. Publishing date: Jan 28, 2021 Edmundson headed into Thursday night’s game with 1-1-2 totals and was plus-8.

“I think it’s difficult, especially in a year like this where you have just a Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry has really impressed new teammate handful of practices before jumping into games, and game action is Josh Anderson. definitely a lot different than what you get in practice or the long scrimmages that we had,” Petry said. “I think just the communication is “Before I came here, I didn’t really know much about Petey,” said huge and learning how one another play. I think so far we’ve done a Anderson, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets during the good job at just talking about the system difference from where he was off-season in exchange for Max Domi. “I knew that he was a great player. last year and just continuing to communicate and talk and answer But watching him up close you can see how good he is and how much of questions on whatever situations I guess present themselves.” a special player he is. He reads plays and he makes those quick passes and he’s got great hockey sense.” The defensive pair has definitely been a big plus for the Canadiens to start the season. Petry has been impressing teammate Brendan Gallagher since the Canadiens acquired the defenceman from the Edmonton Oilers on March Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 2, 2015 in exchange for a second-round pick (defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler) and a fourth-round pick (defenceman Caleb Jones) at the 2015 NHL Draft. It was one of the best trades Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has made and he rewarded the 33-year-old Petry during the off- season with a four-year, US$25-million contract extension that will take him through 2024-25 season.

“We’ve seen him pretty good around here for a long time,” Gallagher said about Petry. “Since he’s come to our team he seems to get better and better every year. He’s just someone we rely on. When you have kind of that 1-2 punch with him and Weby (Shea Weber) on the right side it’s pretty nice breaking the puck out on the right wing, I’ll tell you that much. It makes life pretty easy for us.

“They’re just so consistent,” Gallagher added. “And talking about Jeff, specifically, since he came to our team he’s just had an immediate impact. He plays in a role, versatile in every situation, you know you can count on Petey to get the job done. Great player and he just keeps getting better.”

Heading into Thursday night’s home opener against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre, Petry had 2-5-7 totals in six games to rank fourth among NHL defencemen in scoring, two points behind the Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes (1-8-9). Petry’s plus-9 was the best plus/minus differential among all NHL defencemen, while Hughes was minus-5. Nikolaj Ehlers, a left-winger with the Winnipeg Jets, led the NHL in plus/minus with a plus-10.

Last season, Petry had 11-29-40 totals in 71 games and was minus-10. During his first six seasons with the Canadiens, Petry’s best plus/minus was plus-3 in 2016-17. It’s the only season he has finished with a plus with the Canadiens and he was minus-30 in 2017-18 when he had 12-30- 42 totals in 82 games.

Plus/minus is one of those stats that has to be taken with a grain of salt — sometimes a very large one for a defenceman playing big minutes on a bad team — but Petry’s improvement in that department this season is eye-catching.

“I don’t know what the reasoning behind it is,” Petry said after the Canadiens held an optional morning skate Thursday at the in Brossard. “I mean, I think as my career’s gone on I’ve evolved as a defenceman and gotten better in areas. The defensive side of the game was something that I’ve wanted to consistently work on to get better at. I think at the end of last year and the time in the (playoff) bubble I think I took, I guess, a bigger step in that direction. For me, it’s not changing much. Just, I guess, it’s playing with more confidence and being more assertive and on my toes.”

The hiring of Luke Richardson as an assistant coach in charge of the Canadiens defence before the start of the 2018-19 season has also helped Petry.

“Obviously, a guy that played for a long time in this league and has a lot of experience and knowledge to be shared,” Petry said about Richardson, who played 21 seasons in the NHL as a defenceman after being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft. “I think just the way he presents his 1200740 Montreal Canadiens those spots. So credit to them and credit to the players. We’re doing it well, we need to keep going, though.”

Drouin has 1-7-8 totals in the first seven games to rank third in team Canadiens Game Day: Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot stand tall for Habs scoring behind Toffoli (6-3-9) and Jeff Petry (2-6-8).

Nick Suzuki picked up an assist on Toffoli’s short-handed goal, extending his point streak to seven games and giving him 2-5-7 totals. Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette Chasing the Leafs Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021 Toronto (7-2-0) moved into first place in the North Division with a 4-3 win over the Oilers Thursday night in Edmonton. The Canadiens trail the Maple Leafs by two points, but hold two games in hand. The Canadiens’ twin towers on defence stood tall Thursday night in a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames in their home opener at the Bell Centre. “It’s a pretty good start,” Weber said. “I think we were very opportunistic tonight. I still don’t think it was our best effort, by any means. I think we Matthew Tkachuk, who is a very good hockey player and also very good got a lot of room to improve here. That’s a good sign. Obviously, we’re at being a pain in the butt, was basically a non-factor thanks to the play playing well enough to win and we’re capitalizing. I think we just need to of Canadiens defencemen Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot, who put a tighten up a few areas.” physical beating on him. After Thursday’s morning skate in Brossard, Gallagher warned that it’s Chiarot ended up dropping the gloves with Tkachuk at the 10:19 mark of too early to get excited about the hot start. the third period and slamming him to the ice after a battle in front of the Canadiens net. Tkachuk finished the game with no points, was minus-1 “There’s a few of us that were around here a few years ago,” he said. and had only one shot on goal in 18:47 of ice time. “We’ve had some pretty good starts. I think we started 9-1 one year and we were 10-0 one year. You know how easily it can switch the other way “Obviously, he’s a guy that’s very good in front of the net and we’re going as well. Lots of areas to improve. The job’s obviously a long way from to try and do our best to make life a little bit easier on Carey (Price) and being done. It’s a good start, it’s encouraging, I think everyone’s kind of Jake (Allen) and try and let them see the puck,” Weber said about the figuring out what kind of roles they’re going to have. It’s an exciting group Canadiens’ two goalies. “He’s good at his job and our job is to get him to be around right now, but there’s no need to celebrate us right now. out of there. So it’s something that we know we’ve got to do and we’ve got to do a good job. Tonight was one step, but we’ve got another one “Lots of work to do and teams around us are going to continue to get Saturday.” better and improve,” Gallagher added. “And If we’re not doing the same thing we’re going to fall back to the pack pretty quickly. So there’s some The two teams will meet again Saturday night at the Bell Centre. emphasis on that, for sure.” The game wasn’t as close as the final score looked with the Flames Some stats getting two goals in the final 1:18. The Canadiens got goals from Brendan Gallagher (power play), Weber (power play), Josh Anderson Weber led the Canadiens in ice time with 23:09, followed by Chiarot and and Tyler Toffoli (short-handed). The Flames outshot the Canadiens 25- Petry, who both had 20:15. Suzuki led the forwards with 17:55, followed 21 with Price earning the win in goal. by Phillip Danault (15:46) and Anderson (15:04).

The Canadiens improved their record to 5-0-2 and they have now Gallagher had a team-leading four shots, while Toffoli had three. outscored the opposition 33-20. Alexander Romanov and Joel Edmundson had three hits each.

Weber logged 23:09 of ice time, scored his second goal of the season Jesperi Kotkaniemi had an impressive night in the faceoff circle, going 8- and was plus-1, while Chiarot logged 20:15 of ice time and was plus-2. 4 (67 per cent), while Danault was 10-8 (56 per cent) and Jake Evans was 6-5 (55 per cent). Suzuki had a tough night on faceoffs, going 3-11 “They’ve been a solid pair since last year and I really liked them,” coach (21 per cent). Claude Julien said. “Ben came in here (last season from Winnipeg) and a lot of people were wondering what kind of defenceman he was going to Bell Centre debut be. But he turned out to have a really good year last year. He’s off to a great start again this year. Anderson was looking forward to playing his first game at the Bell Centre as a member of the Canadiens — even though there weren’t any fans in “For some reason, those two have made a really good pair,” Julien the building because of COVID-19. added. “They talk a lot, they look at video together a lot. They’re always constantly into discussions and trying to clarify things. So I think there’s a “It’s going to be nice to be on the other side this time,” Anderson said good chemistry there with those two guys. And, obviously, what I like as after practice Wednesday about making his Bell Centre debut after being a coach is they’re both big, they’re fairly mobile, good first pass. Not only acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Max Domi can you use them against top lines, but you can also use them with your during the off-season. “Obviously, with the circumstances with no fans in top lines because they move the puck well enough that they help create the building it’s going to be a little bit different. But that being said, I’m some offence as well.” just going treat it like just another game and go out there. When we skated at the Bell Centre yesterday it was pretty exciting just to see the Special teams are special whole arena and the locker room. Seeing the history in that room was pretty special. So I’m going to be pretty excited to play there tomorrow.” Toffoli’s goal was the fifth the Canadiens have scored short-handed in their first seven games. Last season, they finished the season with six Anderson scored his fourth goal of the season in the second period, short-handed goals in 71 games. batting a rebound of a Kotkaniemi shot into the net out of midair.

The Canadiens also went 2-for-3 on the power play, which is now clicking Getting adjusted at 30.8 per cent for the season. Changing teams is something new for Anderson. Last season, the Canadiens ranked 22nd in the NHL on the power play at 17.7 per cent and they had the worst power play in the league at home The 26-year-old played all three seasons of his junior hockey with the at 12.4 per cent. OHL’s Knights and was selected by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round (95th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He played 267 games “We know our power play wasn’t good last year, definitely at home, too,” over six seasons with the Blue Jackets, posting 65-50-115 totals, before said Jonathan Drouin, who assisted on Weber’s power-play goal and being traded to the Canadiens. also assisted on Anderson’s goal. “It’s nice to get two goals. Not many five-on-five goals tonight. But one shorty, two on the power play is huge “To be honest with you, I thought it would be a lot harder than what it’s for your special teams. We work on it, we Watch video a lot now. I think been,” Anderson said about adjusting to his new team in Montreal. “But it’s definitely helping the guys and the coaching staff is doing a great job it’s been such an easy transition. From Day 1 the guys here have been on positioning guys and making sure we’re in the right spots and useful in tremendous. It’s a tight group. Everyone’s really, really close and they welcomed me with open arms here. Just being on the road for those last two weeks it feels like I’ve been here for almost a year now. … It’s been great. The bond’s been awesome, the guys have been great. I’m looking coaching in the minor leagues. The Flames went 25-15-3 under Ward forward to many more years with this team.” before losing to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs and his interim tag was removed during the off-season. Surprising speed “Jeff’s a really good coach,” Julien said. “He knows the game extremely Anderson surprised his linemates, Suzuki and Drouin, with his speed well. Him being a head coach now is not surprising to me. He’s paid his early in training camp. dues. I know he got interviewed before he even got that Calgary job for “There was one play in practice where he just took off and me and Dru some head-coaching jobs before. So he was really looked upon as a were off to the side and we just looked at each other and smiled,” Suzuki future head coach in this league. So not surprised and not surprised how said at the time. “We couldn’t wait to get that down our wing. He’s big well he’s done. He had to take over a team halfway through a season last and fast and I think he’s a fit to us as a line perfectly.” year and the team never missed a beat and did well. So deservingly he was extended. I know that watching his team so far their team’s playing Anderson was asked Wednesday if he did any skating drills during the well, so he’s done a good job. So a good friend and a good coach.” off-season to get quicker.

“To be honest with you, not really,” he said. “In the off-season I was really focused on getting my shoulder back at 100 per cent and doing all the Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 exercises and things like that. When I got on the ice it just felt natural. I don’t know what it is. In the summer I was focused on my shoulder and trying to get that back and trying to work on my shot because I thought I had lost a little bit of accuracy there. But with the skating, I think it was just natural.”

London Knights coach Dale Hunter encouraged Anderson to work on his shot when he was playing junior.

“Just shooting as many pucks as you can every single day,” Anderson said. “There’s always room for improvement and you can always work on your shot before practice, after practice, away from the rink. I know growing up as a kid that was a big thing that my dad told me. Just shooting 50 to 100 pucks every single day. I’m trying to dial that down. When I got to London the Hunters were pretty big on that and they told me to watch players like Corey Perry (also a former Knight) and where he is and look out for him and see the things that he does. And just watch other players, too, that can help you.”

Solid fourth line

Julien has been able to roll his lines this season because he has a solid fourth line now with centre Evans between Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen.

“Honestly, if you just draw up the lines, we have three really, really good hockey lines right now and we just happen to be the fourth line,” Byron said. “But I think if you took our three players and put them on a lot of hockey teams right now they’re probably playing third line somewhere else. So we know that. We know how good we are as a line. We know what we can do to impact the team, impact the game, and I think it gives us a lot of confidence.

“When our team comes off a power play, we get matched up against the top line and there’s no fear from us at all,” Byron added. “We embrace that. We embrace our role, embrace our identity, go out and have a great shift for the team. We generate some momentum, play the other team’s top line hard. The fact that the three of us can penalty-kill gives us the confidence to go out there and play well five-on-five. I think the offence of our line, we’re capable of bringing a lot. I think we can play a really good game defensively. Our identity, our team, is built on four lines just kind of being able to hit you one after another and not really slowing down or giving the other team a chance to regroup, break and get the pressure back on you. So I like our line a lot right now, I like what we can do and I think we’re going to continue to get better and grow as a line the more we play together.”

Coaching connection

Julien and Flames coach Geoff Ward have a long history together, dating back to when they were behind the bench together for an Under-18 Team Canada squad.

“Jeff and I communicated during the summer and before camp started and everything else,” Julien said. “Our friendship goes back a long ways. I’m going to say ’97, ’98, when he coached with me at the Under-18 Team Canada. It started from there and then we became good friends and then, obviously, I brought him with me to Hamilton when I was with Edmonton’s American league team. It was the Bulldogs back then. And then I brought him to Boston with me. So our friendship goes a long ways.”

Ward was an assistant coach under Julien for seven seasons in Boston and they won a Stanley Cup together in 2011. Ward was promoted from associate coach to head coach of the Flames midway through last season after Bill Peters resigned amid allegations of racism when he was 1200741 Montreal Canadiens

Calgary Flames at Canadiens: Five things you should know

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date: Jan 28, 2021

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Flames game at the Bell Centre Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio):

The matchup: This is the Canadiens’ home opener and the first game this season against the Flames, who will stick around for a rematch on Saturday. Montreal is off to a strong start, going 4-0-2 on the road to start the season. The Canadiens trail first-place Toronto by two points in the Canadian division, but they also hold two games in hand. The Flames have dropped their last two games, losing twice to the Maple Leafs in Calgary. The Flames are 2-2-1 and sit sixth in the Canadian Division.

Toffoli leads deep lineup: All you need to know about the Canadiens’ depth is to look at the scoring. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is the No. 3 centre in the pecking order but, thanks to Tyler Toffoli, he’s in the middle of the team’s top scoring line. Toffoli, Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia/Corey Perry have combined for nine goals, with Toffoli leading the team with five. They have helped the Canadiens shed their image as a boring, defence- oriented club by averaging 4.83 goals a game, which makes them the most productive team in the NHL. On the minus side, the Canadiens are 17th in goals allowed at 2.83 per game and 26th in faceoffs (45.7 per cent).

Friendly rivals:The NHL coaching fraternity is a tight-knit group and Canadiens coach Claude Julien and his Calgary counterpart, Geoff Ward, have a history dating to 2000 when Julien coached the Canadian junior team and Ward was one his assistants. Julien hired Ward as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and later with the Boston Bruins. Ward was named interim coach of the Flames last November after Bill Peters resigned following allegations of racist comments and abuse of players. He led the Flames to a 24-5-3 record over the last half of the season and a qualifying-round win over Winnipeg before losing to Dallas in the first round of the playoffs.

Not-so-friendly rivals: Milan Lucic — who became Public Enemy No. 1 at the Bell Centre when he terrorized the Canadiens as a member of the Boston Bruins — returns to Montreal for the first time since rookie floored him with a hard, but legal check, last February. Lucic became infamous in these parts when he threatened and Alexei Emelin after the Canadiens eliminated Boston from the 2014 playoffs. Despite the history, the Canadiens tried to sign him as a free agent in 2016.

The other guys: When your nickname is Johnny Hockey, you better be good and Johnny Gaudreau is the engine that drives Calgary. He had two goals in a 4-3 loss to Toronto Tuesday and leads the team in goals (four) and points (seven). Think of the 5-foot-9 winger as Brendan Gallagher without the edge. The edge is supplied by 23-year-old Matthew Tkachuk, who has averaged 27 goals during the past three seasons. The Flames are solid up the middle with centres Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund, while 2019 Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano anchors the defence.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200742 Montreal Canadiens We can play any way you want to play. This was not a pristine performance from the Canadiens despite the fact

they led 4-0 before the end of the second period and was allowed to The Canadiens have proven they are what Marc Bergevin said they are essentially coast through the third.

If you don’t believe me, listen to Weber.

By Arpon Basu “We were opportunistic tonight; I still don’t think that was our best effort by any means,” Weber said. “I think we’ve got a lot of room to improve Jan 28, 2021 here. That’s a good sign, because we’re playing well enough to win and we’re capitalizing. We just need to tighten up a few areas and we

definitely need to be better on Saturday.” If there is one thing that stands out from Marc Bergevin’s preseason If you don’t believe Weber, just ask Jonathan Drouin. evaluation of this Canadiens team, it is a series of nine words. “Yeah, I agree with his opinion,” Drouin said when presented with It’s been nearly a month since Bergevin spoke those words, but we Weber’s opinion. hadn’t really seen evidence of it until Thursday night, the Canadiens’ home opener after a season-opening 4-0-2 road trip. The thing about that As if you had much of a choice, Jonathan. trip, however, is that they didn’t present opponents with wildly varying styles of play. In the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and But I’m allowed to disagree with Weber, and I don’t. Vancouver Canucks, the Canadiens were faced with strong offensive The Canadiens are not necessarily playing dominant five-on-five hockey teams who had issues on defence to varying degrees. the way they would like. They have excellent special teams that drove But they didn’t force the Canadiens to prove their general manager right. them to victory Thursday. They’ve scored on the penalty kill more often than 13 teams in the NHL have scored on the power play. Their goals per “The team we have now,” Bergevin said on the opening day of training game average went down with their four-goal performance against camp, “I think it sends a message to the league and to our own players Calgary. Neither of their goaltenders have a save percentage that is all that we mean business, we’re here to win, and we can play any way you that glorious. want to play.” And yet the Canadiens are 5-0-2, the only team in the Canadian division We can play any way you want to play. without a regulation loss, and they look like an extremely difficult playoff out right now for a number of reasons. The Calgary Flames play differently than all the Canadiens’ previous opponents. They have more balance, much like the Canadiens. They try 1) This is – and yes, it’s surely getting old by now – a true four-line team, to play a more structured game, much like the Canadiens. But most and they are exhausting to play against. Whether it was the Maple Leafs importantly, they have certain elements at forward that force a certain or Oilers or Canucks or the Flames on Thursday, each of them lamented response from an opponent. mistakes that gave the Canadiens easy opportunities. They generate breakaways every game, often on the penalty kill. But more than that, Basically, they have Matthew Tkachuk, a player that is equal parts rat they generate mistakes. Constant forechecking pressure will do that, and and sniper, a player that will drive you to fits of rage and then score a that’s what this team does. goal on you to make that rage even more intense. “It’s nice to have some depth, but if you’ve got some guys not going, that Facing Tkachuk two nights in a row requires a response. Claude Julien’s depth gets diluted a little bit. But we have everybody going pretty well response to Tkachuk was Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot. right now, and because of that we’re able to our four lines, our six Ds and The two of them were up against Tkachuk for more than eight minutes at even our goaltending, we’re able to utilize both guys. It’s definitely a five-on-five Thursday, and one glance at the numbers would make you luxury, it’s definitely something every coach likes to have. Right now, believe they got hammered by the line of Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm and we’ve got that.” Josh Leivo. The Flames had a 16-2 edge in shot share and controlled 93 2) There is toughness, and Thursday we saw evidence of what has long percent (!) of the expected goals when that line was on the ice, the vast been a cliché in the NHL. We actually saw Jake Evans feel a couple of majority of which was against Weber and Chiarot. Those are ugly inches bigger. Late in the game, Evans was engaged in a puck battle numbers, expect this was a case where numbers don’t tell the entire with Rasmus Andersson behind the Calgary net. As the whistle blew to story. call the play dead, Evans gave Andersson a little shove. Andersson is All the things Tkachuk is known for doing simply didn’t happen in this listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, Evans at 6-foot, 198 pounds. He didn’t game. Midway through the second period, the whistle blew and Tkachuk care. Andersson responded in kind. simply continued on his trajectory toward Carey Price in the Canadiens’ Within moments, Weber and Joel Edmundson had come in off the blue crease. Not menacingly, just casually. Weber grabbed him by the jersey line to take control of the situation, with Weber grabbing Andersson as and pulled him in the opposite direction. soon as he arrived. The skirmish quickly died out. Then, midway through the third period, with the game far out of reach, “It tells me what I’ve said from the start; we have a good group of players Tkachuk was skating through the slot and Chiarot was guarding the front who seem to stick together,” Julien said. “They’re dedicated to staying of the net. As he skated by, Tkachuk gave Chiarot a subtle little shot in strong as a group and we have players who stand up for each other. the lower back, as he tends to do. Chiarot took note and waited for That’s important too, it gives everybody confidence.” Tkachuk to return, because he knew he would. When he did, Chiarot engaged and wound up sticking Tkachuk in the face. He retaliated to that 3) There is cohesion, which is the unlikeliest thing of all at this early stage little shot moments earlier, and he was busted. The referee’s arm was in of the season. Every line except the one centered by Phillip Danault has the air. at least one new element on it. Same with two of the three defence pairings. But the combinations hatched up in Julien’s brain at some point But once Chiarot saw that arm in the air, he figured he would get full in the offseason have undoubtedly worked, and they are a problem for value for the penalty. He went at Tkachuk with more purpose, knowing opposing teams. he wouldn’t get a second penalty. A couple of cross-checks later, the gloves were off, and Chiarot was able to get a bit more bang for his buck. Which of these lines do you focus on defensively? Where are your easy shifts? There simply aren’t any. The Flames wound up with a power play, but you can safely assume not a single member of the Canadiens minded Chiarot getting the extra “I think all the four lines are working, like, everything’s just clicking pretty penalty in that situation. good,” Jesperi Kotkaniemi said. “I don’t know, everything’s just feeling right at the moment.” The Canadiens killed it off rather easily. 4) The Canadiens are still a work in progress defensively. This was “He’s good at his job and our job is to get him out of there,” Weber said. probably their best defensive game in terms of preventing the Flames “So it’s something that we know we’ve got to do, and we’ve got to do a from accessing the middle of the ice. good job. Tonight was one step and we’ve got another one Saturday.” But still, Julien is not satisfied with this aspect of the game. He spent the bulk of his practice Tuesday on defending because he didn’t like the degree of difficulty on many of the saves Carey Price and Jake Allen had to make in the first six games. This game was a step in the right direction, but Julien’s still not entirely happy.

“The last few games, the second wave was coming in and we didn’t have those guys covered, they were getting some pretty good chances. But even in the slot area, I thought we gave up a lot of quality chances in the past,” Julien said. “We still gave some tonight, but we were a lot better. We’ve brought some awareness to that part of our game. There’s still some work to be done, don’t get me wrong. Most of the time, we’re fortunate right now that we’re still scoring at a decent rate, but the defensive part of our game is what we’re nitpicking at right now to try to minimize some of those opportunities. I think we were a lot better tonight than we have been in the first six games.”

5) The goaltending is not fantastic, and it’s an afterthought. When’s the last time you could say that about a Canadiens team? Early in the third period, with the teams playing at five-on-five, and for no discernable reason, Price grabbed a puck near his net and cleared it down the middle of the ice. A few minutes later, he grabbed a puck near his net and saucered it over a Flames forechecker’s stick to Brett Kulak. Both were risky plays, but the only possible reason Price had for trying either of them was that he was bored. That’s how little the goaltending mattered in this game, because, if you look at that heat map again, Price didn’t have a whole lot to do.

The Canadiens are not perfect. No one is saying so. They will still have to battle to make the playoffs in the Canadian division because they have only played seven games. But it is looking more and more like this team will instead be battling to win the division, to have home ice through the second round of the playoffs, because, again, they can play any way you want to play.

You have doubts? Just ask Flames coach Geoff Ward.

“Montreal, they did what good teams do,” Ward said. “They were structured away from the puck, they did their job defensively, they waited for their chances and they were opportunistic when they got them. And then when they had the lead, they were able to shut it down. That’s the sign of a good team in this league. That’s how good teams win.”

The Canadiens can still be much better than they’ve been. But they are undoubtedly good. And that is a welcome change in Montreal, because – so far at least – they are more than living up to the words their general manager used to describe them a little less than a month ago.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200743 Montreal Canadiens winds up playing for the Canadiens one day, it will be worth it, particularly if that player happens to come from .

Sedgwick mentioned players coming out of the Canadian university ranks The Canadiens, years later, finally found the perfect ECHL fit in Trois- who want to pursue a professional career could be enticing to the ECHL Rivières team, especially with one of the best Canadian university programs in the country playing in the same city, the Université du Québec à Trois- Rivières (UQTR). Bergeron said his club will absolutely favour adding local talent from Quebec. And Bouchard looks forward to having a By Arpon Basu pipeline of local talent to perhaps tap into with the Rocket. Jan 28, 2021 “I think they have a great situation; several Quebec-born players who come out of the QMJHL want to have a shot at professional hockey,” Bouchard said. “God knows there have been several players out of the The situation, frankly, had become a bit embarrassing. ECHL who had great careers in the NHL; I have one next to me every day in . How is it that a team with such deep pockets, a team that should be looking for every possible advantage it can find, a team that is constantly “So it will be a great opportunity for a lot of Quebec players to have an criticized for failing to find players in their own backyard can have such a opportunity to play.” glaring blind spot? This, however, is not the lone benefit for the Canadiens. Take the case of The Canadiens have not had an ECHL affiliate since cutting ties with the Michael McNiven for example. Last season, the goaltender played for just prior to the 2018-19 season, leaning primarily on the three different ECHL teams because he continuously got bumped out by Maine Mariners to serve as a place for some of their prospects to play. goaltenders that came from that team’s main affiliated NHL franchise. But without a dedicated affiliate of their own, Canadiens prospects would Now, that situation should not be repeated for the Canadiens. not receive priority treatment. And for a team like the Canadiens, this was not an acceptable situation. The Canadiens are one of seven NHL teams without an ECHL affiliation, so this was something that needed to be rectified for the current The same year the Canadiens lost their ECHL affiliate in Brampton, the development model to be serious. Toronto Maple Leafs switched their affiliation from the Orlando Solar Bears to the , continuing their plan to create a But for Bergeron, while development will be important, he has a highly vertically integrated pipeline of players in the hopes the Leafs would one competitive bent and sees winning as being just as important. In fact, he day benefit from the Major League Baseball style of considers the two to go hand in hand. affiliation. The Growlers have benefited from the Maple Leafs’ financial “That’s basically a question of development versus winning. And I don’t wherewithal in both the quality of players they have on the roster and see it like that,” Bergeron said. “We’re here to develop players, yes, but some of the little perks that other ECHL teams can only dream of it’s always better to develop players in a winning environment, and I think offering. the Canadiens would agree with that. That’s my mindset.” Other ECHL owners have complained about an unfair advantage for the Now, it’s not like the Canadiens had no ECHL options previously. The Growlers, but there’s not a whole lot the league can do about it. Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate, the Maine Mariners, is run by Daniel Brière This is the backdrop for the Canadiens’ announcement of a three-year and there was an arrangement in place for the Canadiens to have affiliation agreement with an ECHL awarded to Trois- players playing there. But it wasn’t ideal. Rivières, a team owned by the same men – Dean MacDonald and Glenn “The last few years we were very lucky, we had Daniel Brière, a personal Stanford – who own the Growlers. friend and former Canadiens player, who runs the team in Portland, “It’s interesting because the group here, with Dean and Glenn, are also Maine,” Bouchard said. “Having said that, it’s still five and a half, six the group with the Newfoundland Growlers, and Toronto has probably hours by car, plus you have to clear customs at the border. When we’re been the most aggressive in that way,” Canadiens VP of hockey talking about Trois-Rivières, we’re talking about an hour and a half. operations and legal affairs John Sedgwick said in a video conference That’s very positive in terms of calling up players. last week. “Certainly, I think there’s an opportunity there. I think we’ll “We know that’s often the challenge in the AHL. When you look at how have to see how it evolves.” many players who have come through Laval the last two seasons, I think Neither Sedgwick, nor former Canadiens defenceman Marc-André it’s 90 or 92, which is unusually high. But still, it happened. So we need to Bergeron who will serve as the new team’s general manager wanted to have players available who are close.” be too upfront about it, but allow us to speculate. The Canadiens will Brière was happy with the arrangement for his part, but can see how quite clearly be using this new affiliate to create a competitive advantage, much better it will be for the Canadiens to have an affiliate in their as well they should. There is nothing forbidding them from doing it, and backyard. the proximity between Trois-Rivières, the Rocket in Laval and Montreal makes it an absolute no brainer. “There was a little bit of work regarding immigration that came into it, but we took care of that for the most part. I think the first year was a little bit Essentially, our understanding of how it works is that for any player the of a hiccup, but we rectified that pretty quick so it wasn’t that big of a new ECHL affiliate receives from the Rocket, even if that player is on an deal,” Brière said. “Otherwise, it’s mostly about travelling; obviously AHL or even an NHL contract, the Trois-Rivières team will only have to sending the players from Laval to Trois-Rivières will make it a little easier pay the ECHL minimum salary to the Canadiens organization as a on the players, it will make it a little easier on the organization when they reimbursement. That is the amount that will be counted against the Trois- need a player quickly. So I think that’s where it makes a lot of sense for Rivières salary cap for the time that player spends on the roster. them.” The minimum salary in the ECHL is $525 a week. On top of the potential to unearth a player for the Canadiens, Trois- The question of whether the Trois-Rivières affiliate will have players on Rivières should serve as a pipeline for all sorts of personnel, from AHL contracts was essentially answered by Rocket coach Joël Bouchard coaches to trainers to equipment managers. When a team like the last week, even if Sedgwick and Begereron didn’t really want to touch it. Canadiens has a stringent hiring policy of bilingualism when it comes to coaching, creating what could amount to a coaching training academy “For us to be able to call up players, or even to send young players down makes a whole lot of sense. to play a game sometimes, is very positive,” Bouchard said. “I don’t see anything negative in that.” Bergeron says it’s only natural the Canadiens would have a say in the eventual coaching decision, and Bouchard is looking forward to the Indeed, there is nothing negative for the Canadiens here. opportunity to work with whoever is hired for the job.

They will be able to have players, potentially on AHL contracts, remain in “For us it’s just how easy it becomes, the communication, the convenient the system with no impact on the Canadiens’ own situation in the NHL. location to have players play some games in Laval and also the And if this arrangement manages to produce even one ECHL player that communication with the coach who can come to Laval and watch some games,” Bouchard said. “That would also allow for me to talk to him about some players.”

Having an ECHL affiliate available to stash some promising players has long been a way for the Canadiens to flex a little financially. They don’t need to find a Burrows to make it worth their while, but they do have the added responsibility – some might call it a burden – to provide opportunities for Quebec-born personnel, whether that’s players, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, whatever.

Now they have an affiliate that has that same mindset right in their backyard in Trois-Rivières.

“Maybe we can find the next Pierre Gervais or Graham Rynbend,” Bergeron mused, referring to the Canadiens’ head equipment manager and trainer.

The Canadiens not having an ECHL affiliate for the past few years wasn’t a very good look. But perhaps it was worth waiting for the perfect fit.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200744 Nashville Predators

Lessons continue as Nashville Predators hit the road again

Paul Skrbina

Nashville Tennessean

Days off seem a little off these days.

The Nashville Predators had one Thursday, a day before heading to Florida for a four-game, eight-day trip with schedule stops in Tampa and Sunrise.

The team did not have a formal morning skate Wednesday, either, before beating the Blackhawks for the second night in a row. Such get-togethers have been rare. Practices have been scarce. Game days are much more frequent.

Players and coaches have been trying to adapt on the fly through the first two weeks of the season.

They'll continue to try to adapt after they fly to Florida, where they'll likely have more days off with basically nowhere to go after playing five of their first seven at Bridgestone, where a limited number of fans were allowed in this week for the first time.

The first test run in Dallas didn't go so well on the ice as they learned how life was going to be off the ice away from home.

"The most challenging part was the first road trip (to Dallas)," Hynes said. "It's just very different. We've played a lot of home games, but on the road it's different.

"You have to find ways to keep everybody engaged. There's a lot of downtime. You don't have opportunities to really leave the hotel. Guys can't even ... go for a walk and go in to Starbucks and grab a coffee. They have to order it from their phone. They have to wait outside the door."

The job then becomes how to keep players and staff "upbeat and not so isolated," Hynes said.

There were some lessons learned in Dallas, Hynes added.

Associate captain Ryan Ellis said getting into a new, more compact routine has proven to be the biggest obstacle so far.

"Playing four games in the last nine months or so, it's not a lot of hockey," he said.

The numerous individual and small-group skates were fine but not the same.

"Not knowing what the future really had for us and then we get a really short training camp and with a bunch of new faces, we're getting used to life as it is now in this league. Lot of games, lot of hockey and we're making the best of the situation."

And trying to move on from last season, when the Predators missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013-14.

Center Matt Duchene, for one, has been trying to do that amidst everything else going on. He mentioned feeling like he was carrying a piano on his back last year.

And while he hadn't scored a goal through the first seven games this season, he said he felt he was on his way to dumping that piano.

"It's a different vibe in that locker room," he said. "It's a different vibe on the ice. We're playing with some swagger and confidence we didn't have last year. We were very fragile last year. We felt a lot of pressure from a lot of different sources. ... I can't wait to see what it's going to look like once the floodgates open offensively."

There isn't much time for that during this compacted season.

Tennessean LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200745 Nashville Predators “There’s been a recommitment from the players that have been here in the past,” Hynes said. “They want to win. They’re proud guys. They know the behavior needed to change, culture needed to change. They’ve taken it upon themselves as returning players to do that and change Nashville Predators fans are mad, but there’s a ‘different vibe’ this themselves in their behaviors and their attitudes and habits and work season ethic.

“If the returning players didn’t change what they were doing in their mindsets and behaviors, and you added new players into the group, it By Adam Vingan still wouldn’t work. … We’ve had a strong emphasis on work ethic, Jan 28, 2021 commitment, mental toughness, staying with things. To date, we’ve done that, and we’ve kind of run the gamut here this year. We’ve had good games and won, good games and lost, bad games and lost. But it’s about how you grow as a team.” John Hynes was the wrong coaching hire!

David Poile is past his expiration date as a general manager! The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen are overpaid bums!

James Neal was the glue that held the Predators together!

I get it. You’re mad. Worse, you’re disappointed. The Predators’ supposed glory days came and went without a Stanley Cup, and now they are stuck in the uncomfortable middle with no clear way out of it.

The highly paid core players have mostly struggled to produce. Before Wednesday’s games, Duchene had the dubious distinction of leading the NHL in scoring chances among players without a goal this season — not a list you want to be on, let alone top. (To his credit, he scored the decisive goal in the Predators’ shootout win Wednesday with a slick backhand.)

“I’m someone who puts a ton of pressure on myself,” Duchene said earlier this week. “I felt at times last year I was carrying a piano around on my back. … When you sign a big contract, you expect yourself to live up to it.”

The youth movement that Poile teased during the offseason never materialized. In fact, the Predators are once again among the oldest teams in the league.

Special teams continue to be cringeworthy. No matter who is coaching or playing on the worst power play in the league since the start of the 2018- 19 season, the Predators still find inventive ways to squander their opportunities. The 31st-ranked penalty kill induces nausea.

Besides that, everything’s great!

The point is that it is important to put this season in its proper perspective. At the outset of the season, the Predators were projected to be a bubble team, which is what they look like after seven games (despite the fact that they lead a Central Division that has been impacted by several COVID-19-related postponements).

“Our (4-3-0) record is probably as bad as it could possibly be for how (well) we’ve played,” Duchene said.

A trip to the playoffs should be the goal, but more importantly, the organization should use this unique season to evaluate itself from top to bottom before plotting a course back to prominence.

It’s not all bad, though. Duchene said Wednesday that there is a “different vibe” in the Predators’ dressing room this season.

“We’re playing with some swagger and some confidence that we didn’t have last year,” Duchene said. “We were very fragile last year, and we felt a lot of pressure from a lot of different sources. I think this year, we’re turning that pressure into opportunity.”

Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis lauded the team’s renewed commitment to the grittier aspects of the game.

“I think the last couple years, we’ve had skill,” Ellis said. “We’ve had individual talent, individual performances. But overall, it’s the work ethic that this group has. That’s always been Nashville Predator hockey. We’re blocking more shots than we ever have. We’re working hard. We’re doing the right things, and we’re not always rewarded for them. There’s a lot of trust-building in that room between guys. It’s a good feeling in that room right now.”

Those are not small things.

Think of this season as a bridge year. Just in case, keep this in mind: If you lower your expectations, then you won’t be disappointed. 1200746 New Jersey Devils

Devils can’t capitalize off strong start in another loss to Flyers

Updated 9:32 PM; Today 9:29 PM

By Chris Ryan

Everything seemed to go the Devils’ way in the first two periods of Thursday night’s game against the Flyers.

The dominated shot attempts, and they held a 24-8 edge in shots after 40 minutes of play. Unfortunately for the Devils, the two teams were still tied entering the third period.

That’s when the Flyers woke up, scoring two goals in the opening 6:26 of the frame before closing out a 3-1 victory at in Newark.

Sign up for Devils Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Michael Raffl broke a 1-1 tie when he scored off a rebound 2:10 into the final period. Flyers forward Scott Laugton caught a loose puck in front of the crease and Devils goalie Scott Wedgewood before dropping it and banking a shot off the post. Raffl was there for the easy finish off the bounce.

The Flyers doubled the lead a few minutes later when Claude Giroux redirected an Erik Gustafsson shot, beating Wedgewood from the slot. The Flyers had the first six shots of the final period.

Despite accounting for 75% of the total shots in the first 40 minutes, the Devils had just one goal to show for it.

Defenseman Damon Severson took a pass on a rush from Ryan Murray during a line change for both teams, and he skated to the right circle before snapping a shot past Flyers goalie Carter Hart, beating him inside the far post for a 1-0 lead 7:11 into the game.

The Flyers had just four shots in the first period, but they found the tying goal on one of them. Just over two minutes after Severson’s goal, Flyers defenseman Nate Prosser scored off a rebound at the right post.

Wedgewood finished with 14 saves during his fourth-straight start. Hart, who did not play in the Flyers’ victory over the Devils on Tuesday, stopped 33 shots.

Jesper Bratt’s debut

Devils forward Jesper Bratt made his season debut after finishing his travel quarantine on Wednesday. Bratt’s only team activity prior to the game was Thursday’s morning skate.

Bratt wasn’t eased in, either. He started on the top line with Jack Hughes and Andreas Johnsson. He played 20:47, accounting for two shots, including the first of the game.

Star Ledger LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200747 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ Jesper Bratt to make season debut vs. Flyers | How big a role will he play?

Updated Jan 28, 2021; Posted Jan 28, 2021

By Chris Ryan

Jesper Bratt is cleared to play, and the Devils won’t keep him waiting around.

After finishing his seven-day travel quarantine and clearing the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday, Bratt will make his season debut when the Devils host the Flyers at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark.

Bratt’s only team activity prior to his debut came Thursday morning, when he participated in Devils’ skate ahead of the game. But head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t have any reservations about throwing Bratt right into action.

“We had a great discussion with him (Wednesday) after he skated, and we’ve been doing really a Zoom video conferences with him on how we need to play and you know what the assignments are,” Ruff said. “He feels comfortable where he’s at. Might be a little bit of an ease in. It just depends on how it goes. He’s such a great skater that a player like that can easily step in and play.”

When Bratt cleared COVID-19 protocols on Wednesday, he got some individual ice time with Devils skills coach Ryan Murphy after being off the ice for a full week while in quarantine. Prior to traveling to New Jersey when his work visa was approved, Bratt was skating consistently in Sweden.

During his week in quarantine, Bratt had some workout equipment delivered so he could stay in shape until he was allowed to access the Devils’ facilities. He also had some furniture to build and arrange, trying to give himself anything to stay busy and avoid sitting on the couch all day.

Bratt watched each Devils game while also reviewing film with Ruff and the rest of the coaching staff, so he feels ready to step in and learn on the fly.

“It looks like a system that can fit good for our team, and when I’ve watched the game, especially from winning pucks back early on in in the d-zone, creates a lot of space for our forwards,” Bratt said. “That’s the kind of space we want to create for our speedy wingers and centers, so it’s going to be fun to try out, and maybe at first it’s going to be a little different because it’s a new system. But it’s going to be fun and I’m excited to try it out and I think it’s going to fit the way I want to play and the team wants to play.”

Bratt will enter Thursday’s lineup for forward Nick Merkley, who was assigned back to the taxi squad to make room for Bratt on the active roster. The Devils didn’t run lines during morning skate, so there’s no sign to where Bratt will be slotted into the lineup just yet.

Ruff did confirm the team’s six defensemen will remain the same from previous games, and goalie Scott Wedgewood is expected to make his fourth-straight start in goal. Ruff said he couldn’t project when Mackenzie Blackwood will be activated from the COVID-19 list.

Bratt should also get an early opportunity on the Devils’ power play after skating with that group on Thursday morning, so there will be plenty of opportunities for him in his first game.

“It might take a few games (to learn the system), but I’m gonna try to go on my instincts as much as I can and keep my speed and try to be a threat on the ice every time I’m on there,” Bratt said. “Try to play with the speed I know I can play with and try to be a good two-way player and create a lot of offense.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200748 New Jersey Devils

What Devils’ Jesper Bratt can provide after being activated from COVID list

Updated Jan 28, 2021; Posted Jan 28, 2021

By Chris Ryan

At long last, the Devils are getting some reinforcements.

Left wing Jesper Bratt completed his seven-day travel quarantine on Wednesday after traveling from Sweden to New Jersey, allowing him to be activated off the COVID-19 list and participate in team activities. Bratt will join the Devils at morning skate on Thursday in Newark.

It’s unlikely Bratt will play when the Devils host the Flyers on Thursday night, since he hasn’t practiced with the team yet (though stranger things have happened). Either way, the Devils will soon have a top-six winger back in the lineup.

After signing a new contract just before the start of the regular season, Bratt needed to acquire his work visa and quarantine due to COVID-19 protocols before being eligible to skate with the Devils, denying the team the chance to get one of its most productive players into the lineup.

Bratt finished the 2019-20 season on a roll, posting 16 points in his final 20 games, including seven goals. The addition of Bratt will give one of the top two lines and the power play another scorer.

Once Bratt does start playing in games, he could get a chance on the top line with Jack Hughes and Kyle Palmieri. The two have been playing with rookie Yegor Sharangovich since the start of the season, and Nikita Gusev has also gotten some time with the pair.

Bratt also developed some strong chemistry with Gusev and Pavel Zacha on a line in the second half of last season, so head coach Lindy Ruff could look to reunite the trio to see if the spark is still there.

The arrival of Bratt could also add a needed boost for the Devils’ special teams. He’ll certainly get some time on the power play, but he could also give Ruff another option on the penalty kill. Bratt hasn’t been part of that unit for the past two seasons, but he was an effective member of the group as a rookie in 2017-18. With the Devils currently 30th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage, throwing him in the mix couldn’t hurt.

The Devils are still waiting for Nico Hischier to finish rehabbing his leg injury, and defenseman Sami Vatanen is still awaiting his work visa and quarantine before joining the team. So more players will be added into the fold in the coming weeks. But for now, getting Bratt into the lineup will help the Devils’ cause with the season still just six games old.

Star Ledger LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200749 New Jersey Devils Ty Smith made a quick impact for the Devils in his first five games, recording points in all of them to start his NHL career. That point streak ended Tuesday, and Smith had a rough night on the other end of the ice to boot. 4 observations from Devils’ loss to Flyers | Rough night for special teams; Ty Smith’s growing pains; Michael McLeod’s long-awaited 1st A Smith turnover on a breakout led to the Flyers’ fourth goal, pushing the goal deficit to two in the closing minutes of the third period.

And while Smith has been able to rack up some points early this season, opponents have consistently produced more scoring chances than the Updated Jan 27, 7:30 AM; Posted Jan 27, 7:30 AM Devils with Smith on the ice. That was the case again on Tuesday.

By Chris Ryan The Flyers had 14 shot attempts with Smith on the ice at 5-on-5, compared to just six for the Devils. Of the 13 high-danger scoring

chances the Flyers created at 5-on-5, Smith was on the ice for eight of The Devils lost their second game in regulation this season, falling 5-3 to them. the Flyers on Tuesday at Prudential Center in Newark. What started as a Some defensive growing pains aren’t a surprise for Smith at this point of potential comeback turned into a multi-goal loss thanks to a three-goal his career, considering his biggest attributes as a prospect centered third period from the Flyers. around his offensive skill set. And without preseason games, Smith has While the Devils showed plenty of promise in their first five games, some basically been learning on the fly to start his first season. of their issues floated to the surface while dropping to 3-2-1. “This is a hard league against some of the best players, to defend some Sign up for Devils Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes really hard situations,” Ruff said. “I thought there was some really heads observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers up plays by him. There’s some that he’s going to learn to grow from, but some opportunities that we’ll take a look at with him and we’d like him to Here are some of the biggest takeaways from their loss to the Flyers: react probably a little bit differently.

Special teams continue to be an issue “But he understands, we’ve had the conversation with him, that if you’re going to play defense in this league, you got to be able to defend, and It’s one of the oldest adages in hockey, and it’s proving true in the early he’s worked hard at trying to defend. He’s a young man with maybe a going for the Devils: Games are often won and lost on special teams. little bit less in the size department, but his skill to get pucks through, his The Devils had just one power play Tuesday night, and after failing to puck possession and some of the plays he makes, we’re not going to convert in the opening minutes, the Flyers received five power plays the hold him back from that.” rest of the way. Two goals on their first two chances put the Devils in a Andreas Johnsson finally looked like a difference maker two-goal hole. The Devils had high hopes for Andreas Johnsson when they acquired Two of the penalties called against the Devils were somewhat soft — him from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the offseason. They viewed him Kyle Palmieri went to the box for goaltender interference, despite minimal as a potential top-six forward who stuck down on the depth chart with the contact that was aided by a collision in front of the net, and P.K. Subban Leafs, and he was in line for a big role to start the season. was called for tripping on a play where he seemed to get tangled up with Flyers forward Jakub Voracek. It’s taken some time for Johnsson to show off that potential with the Devils, with his first five games ending without a point. He got on the Regardless, the Flyers took advantage, and for the fourth time in six board on Tuesday, and even without his second-period assist, he looked games, the Devils allowed two power-play goals. like a much more dangerous player. “If we continue to lose the special teams game, it’s hard to win hockey Johnsson accounted for three scoring chances at 5-on-5, and he nearly games,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. gave the Devils the lead early in the third period when he drove down the As for the Devils’ power play, it’s hard to take much issue with the group slot and flipped a backhander off the crossbar. on a night where they had just one opportunity. In those two minutes, “That is the best I’ve seen him skate,” Ruff said. “That’s a great sign for they had four shots and simply didn’t put the puck in the net. us.” When Ruff was asked what the Devils could do to draw more penalties, Michael McLeod finally gets his first goal he asked in reply, “We didn’t draw any or none were called?” So the Devils clearly weren’t happy with the lopsided nature of the calls on Tuesday’s milestone was a long time coming for Michael McLeod. The Tuesday night. 2016 first-round pick had appeared in 38 NHL games going back to 2018, and he was still looking for his first career goal. The Devils are currently ranked 22nd and 30th on the power play and penalty kill, respectively. While it’s still early in the season where a small He nearly had one last season in a road game against the Arizona run by either group could drastically alter their place in the NHL rankings, Coyotes, but on a shot that appeared to be heading into the net, Jesper special-teams struggles have been a bad trend. Boqvist got his stick on the puck to give it the final push.

Goalie Scott Wedgewood hasn’t seen anything egregious from the So when McLeod got the Devils on the board with a second-period goal penalty kill during his three starts. He said it’s just a matter of ending on Tuesday, it came as a milestone and a major sigh of relief for the some plays and getting a few bounces to get the group going in the right center. direction. McLeod’s goal and that shift from the fourth line gave the Devils some life “It’s a learning curve. It’s still early in the year,” Wedgewood said. before they tied the game later in the period. In a game that could have “(Sunday) we did a great job, then tonight first (goal) gets double tipped. gotten out of hand much early, McLeod’s group temporarily turned things We tried to block the shot and another guy gets his stick on it, it changes around. direction and the guy in front makes a nice play and tips it. Nothing you can do as a team. We’re doing what we wanted to do, and then the Through six games, there have been a few instances where the Devils’ second power-play goal, the shot’s going wide, and the guy reaches his fourth line has been the most effective trio for the team. The team doesn’t stick out and tips it on a tough angle. need to lean on them to score every shift, but McLeod and company have shown the ability to help swing things back in the Devils’ favor. “So if you think about breakdowns, it’s not really there. It’s just pucks going in the net, guys on their team putting sticks in the right area. We’ll “Going into camp, this way my goal, and I’m liking how things are going take a look at it, and we can make some adjustments, we will. But end of so far,” McLeod said. “I think we got a lot to learn still, but I think it’s a the day, that’s hockey.” pretty good start. For me, and our line I think it’s creating energy and winning our battles and getting good shots on net and creating energy for A rough defensive night for Ty Smith the next line.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200750 New Jersey Devils The Devils bench boss joined an exclusive club on Thursday when he became the seventh coach in league history to reach 1,500 games. Ruff is one of four active coaches to hit the mark along with Joel Quenneville (1,708), (1,680), and Paul Maurice (1,607). NJ Devils struggle again in the third period, drop second straight to Flyers "I don't place a lot of value in it," Ruff said. "It probably means I've been around a long time and learned a lot. I'm humbled by the opportunity to coach that many games."

Sean Farrell Ruff spent 12 years in the league as a defenseman with the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. He ranks third in career wins among NorthJersey.com active coaches and sixth on the all-time list.

For the second time in three nights, the Devils came up short against the Bergen Record LOADED: 01.29.2021 Philadelphia Flyers.

This one may have hurt even more.

The Devils looked like the better team for most of the night but weren't rewarded in a 3-1 loss at Prudential Center on Thursday.

Claude Giroux and Michael Raffl scored back-to-back goals in the third period to help the Flyers sweep the two-game series.

A couple of errors late in the game cost the Devils on a night when they doubled up the visitors in the shot count.

"That's probably as good as we could play in the first 40 minutes," coach Lindy Ruff said. "And we still had some good looks in the third period too."

It seemed like the Devils could do no wrong for long stretches of the game.

In the first period, the Flyers were held to four shots. In the second period, another four.

Yet, the only Devil goal came from Damon Severson, who scored his first of the season. He gave the Devils an early 1-0 lead on a heads-up play from his own blueline. With the Flyers attempting a line change, Severson flew up the right side and beat goalie Carter Hart with a shot off the far post. Ryan Murray picked up an assist on the play for his first point as a Devil.

"I think we were getting good play from all four lines," Ruff said. "There were situations where all four lines were getting in on the action."

The Flyers answered back with three unanswered goals, including the equalizer just a few minutes later. Nate Prosser got Philadelphia on the board on a rebound when the puck bounced to him by the right post.

The Flyers took the lead early in the third period when a Devil turnover set up an easy tap-in for Raffl.

"I think we got away a little bit from our game," Jesper Bratt said. "We tried to create a little too much in the O-zone. You start to get away a little bit from the actual positioning game in the D-zone. I think that was one of the things that changed a little bit from the first two periods."

New first line controls play

So much for easing Bratt back into the game.

The Devils forward was all over the ice in his season debut, paired on the top line with Jack Hughes and Andreas Johnsson. Bratt logged close to 21 minutes of ice time, ranking second among Devil forwards behind Hughes.

"Usually you go more on adrenaline in the beginning of the game," Bratt said. "But the more ice time I had and the more shifts I had, I felt a little more confident on the ice and in the structure."

The top line controlled the play from the first shift of the night when Hughes found Bratt for a scoring chance on the left side. In total, the Hughes line had 72% of the shot attempts at full strength, according to Natural Stat Trick, as well as 62% of the expected goals.

Johnsson also benefited from the promotion with his most impressive game of the season.

"That line dominated," Ruff said. "Jack is putting himself in a position to compete with everybody."

Lindy Ruff hits a milestone 1200751 New Jersey Devils Bergen Record LOADED: 01.29.2021

Jesper Bratt is back: Devils forward rejoins lineup for season debut

Sean Farrell

NorthJersey.com

Jesper Bratt's hockey exile is finally over. The Devils won't make him wait any longer.

After completing his seven-day quarantine, Bratt joined the Devils lineup on Thursday for his season debut. The left winger replaced Nick Merkley, who was sent down to the taxi squad.

Bratt only had two days of on-ice training to prepare for his 7 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He skated with skills coach Ryan Murphy on Wednesday and then practiced with the team the following morning.

Reuniting with his Devil teammates was a special moment after a long contract stalemate.

"It was a great feeling walking in this morning and seeing everyone." Bratt said Thursday. "It was probably the most fun I had in a practice in a very long time."

Bratt's patience was tested over the last 10 months after the Devils missed the summer restart. He admitted that his contract negotiation – his first as a restricted free agent – dragged on much longer than he intended.

Almost two weeks of training camp had passed by when he agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million deal. At that point, he still needed to acquire a work visa and quarantine due to the new COVID protocol.

"You see guys reporting to camp," Bratt said. "Players on the team are asking when everything will be done. But that's one of the sides of the business. I was trying to focus at the time on my game and my off-ice training and on-ice training to be in the best shape possible."

Bratt said he was lucky to receive a work visa in about a week, considering that it takes "up to 20 or 30 days" for some players.

Once he came overseas, Bratt tried to stay as busy as possible while cooped up inside.

After flying over from Sweden, the first item on his agenda was to move into his apartment and set up the furniture. Before long, Bratt had enough equipment shipped to his building for a good at-home workout.

During that time, he was required to have four negative COVID tests before getting back with the team.

"He feels comfortable where he's at," coach Lindy Ruff said. "It might be a little bit of an ease-in but it depends how it goes. He's such a great skater that a player like that can easily step in and play."

Bratt had a couple of Zoom calls with his new coach over the summer and a few more near the start of the season. That helped him acclimate to the new system and defensive structure put in place during camp.

The 22-year-old forward said he isn't worried about his speed or conditioning since he skated a lot over the summer in Sweden. He impressed coaches and teammates with his smooth stride during his first practice on the ice.

"He looked pretty dynamic out there," center Jack Hughes said Thursday morning. "He looked like he had a lot of pop. Obviously he was a great skater and now he looks like an even better skater."

Getting Bratt is a huge lift for the Devils offense, especially with Nico Hischier still out with an injury. Other scoring leaders like Kyle Palmieri, Andreas Johnsson and Nikita Gusev all went without a goal through the first six games.

In Bratt, the Devils add someone who scored 32 points in 60 games last year while ranking second on the team in even-strength goals.

"It might take a few games, but I'm going to go on my instincts as much as I can," Bratt said. "I'll try to use the speed that I know I can play with and be a good two-way player." 1200752 New Jersey Devils

Devils fall to Flyers again

Staff Report

By Associated Press

January 28, 2021 | 9:53pm | Updated

Carter Hart made 33 saves and fourth-line forward Michael Raffl scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night at Prudential Center in Newark.

Captain Claude Giroux scored his first of the year and defenseman Nate Prosser had his first since April 2018 to help the Flyers sweep the two- game series in New Jersey against their Turnpike rivals.

Defenseman Damon Severson scored for New Jersey, and Scott Wedgewood made 14 saves. The Devils are without top goalie Mackenzie Blackwood after a positive COVID-19 test.

“The effort, energy, and the way we skated, that’s probably as good, as good as we can play in the first 40 minutes,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “And still had some good looks in the third period, too.”

The Flyers were outplayed for much of the game, but came up with the big plays when it mattered.

“They say never critique a win,” said Flyers coach Alain Vigneault, whose team was outshot 24-8 in the first 40 minutes. “At the end of the day we played one period where we played with energy and the way you’re supposed to play on the ice.”

Michael Raffl (12) scores the game-winning goal in the Devils’ 3-1 loss to the Flyers.

Hart, who broke his stick in frustration after giving up six goals to Boston over the weekend, was the difference in the first two periods. He downplayed his performance, calling it just another game

“You have to be prepared to do all the right thing but definitely feels good to come back,” he said.

The Flyers found their game in the third period, scoring twice on nine shots. Raffl broke a 1-all tie by poking the rebound of Connor Bunnaman’s shot that hit the goalpost into an open net at 2:10.

Giroux made it 3-1 a little more than four minutes later, deflecting a point shot by Erik Gustafsson past Wedgewood, who was making his fourth straight start.

Severson gave the Devils with early lead with a great shot after a rush from his own end. Prosser, who spent last season in the AHL, scored on a rebound in close to tie the contest. The veteran was playing in his first NHL game since Jan. 17, 2019 with Minnesota.

“I mean it was unreal, words can’t really describe it,” Prosser said about his goal. “I never gave up hope over the last few years. Last year was down (in the minors) all year and the year ended in March and not playing a game until tonight was an eye-opening experience for me.”

Ruff coached in a 1,500th game in the NHL.

Devils center Travis Zajac played in his 998th regular-season game. The 15-year veteran, who has spent his entire career with the Devils, is expected to play in his 1,000th game on Sunday.

New York Post LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200753 New York Islanders bloodied Schultz on the right side of his face, and he immediately went down the tunnel for repairs.

NO COVID 4 UPDATE Capitals score 5 in 2nd to erase deficit and beat Islanders Now more than week into quarantine, it’s unclear when Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Orlov and Samsonov will be able to return. All four remained on the NHL’s unavailable list, and Laviolette said only, “Right now they’re By STEPHEN WHYNO still day to day for us.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS

JAN 28, 2021 AT 10:26 PM New York Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021

WASHINGTON — Zdeno Chara scored for the first time with his new team to cap a five-goal second period, and the Washington Capitals came back to stun the Islanders with a 6-3 victory Thursday night.

The Islanders led 3-0 before Washington scored four goals in 5:09. Conor Sheary scored his first two with the Capitals, Garnet Hathaway tied it and John Carlson gave them the lead on the power play.

Then Chara’s slapper from just inside the blue line beat Semyon Varlamov clean, making it five unanswered goals in under 10 minutes. The 43-year-old former Boston Bruins captain was mobbed by teammates at the bench while Islanders players looked shell-shocked by the turn of events.

New York was in command after first-period goals by Oliver Wahlstrom, Casey Cizikas and captain Anders Lee. It appeared as though Stanley Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz’s moves to put Wahlstrom in for tough guy Ross Johnston and shuffle the lines were working after losing to the Capitals on a last-minute goal Tuesday night.

Instead, the Islanders lost in regulation for the third game in a row, and the Capitals set a franchise record by starting the season with an eight- game point streak. They did so without five regulars: captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov missed a fourth consecutive game because of COVID-19 protocols, and center was out with an upper-body injury.

Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves in his fifth consecutive start in net, Tom Wilson scored an empty-netter with 18.7 seconds left and the Capitals remained unbeaten in regulation under first-year coach Peter Laviolette.

OSHIE THE CENTER

Washington hadn’t played without two of its top three centers (Nicklas Backstrom, Kuznetsov and Eller) since acquiring Eller in 2016. Getting Wilson back from a lower-body injury gave the Capitals the flexibility to shift winger T.J. Oshie to center, which won’t be a permanent thing.

“Our hands get tied sometimes,” Laviolette said. “We’re dealing with some stuff and what we’re able to do. This to me seemed like a good option.”

LEE’S 500TH

Lee’s 500th regular-season NHL game was his 157th with the “C” on his chest. When Trotz joined the Islanders in 2018 after coaching the Capitals to a championship, he asked every player to list his top three choices to be captain since left for Toronto in free agency.

“It was almost unanimous that the No. 1 spot was Anders Lee,” Trotz said. “They all said that he was a good pro, he does everything the right way and he cares about the whole group.”

NO SOROKIN

The Islanders were regretting a bookkeeping decision in the middle of the second period when Varlamov ordinarily would have gotten the hook for rookie Ilya Sorokin. Only the team put Sorokin on the taxi squad before the game and allowed veteran Cory Schneider to back up.

Schneider hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since March 6. Varlamov had to play out his worst start of the season, allowing five goals on 22 shots.

SCHULTZ HURT

Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz left the game 48 seconds into the third period when he took a puck to the face. Brock Nelson’s shot 1200754 New York Islanders

Islanders blow three-goal lead in stunning loss to Capitals

Staff Report

By Associated Press

January 28, 2021 | 10:07pm | Updated

WASHINGTON — The Islanders were in command and then the second period came.

Zdeno Chara scored for the first time with his new team to cap a five-goal second period, and the Washington Capitals came back to stun the New York Islanders with a 6-3 victory Thursday night.

The Islanders led 3-0 before Washington scored four goals in 5:09. Conor Sheary scored his first two with the Capitals, Garnet Hathaway tied it and John Carlson gave them the lead on the power play.

Then Chara’s slapper from just inside the blue line beat Semyon Varlamov clean, making it five unanswered goals in under 10 minutes. The 43-year-old former Boston Bruins captain was mobbed by teammates at the bench while Islanders players looked shell-shocked by the turn of events.

“Very excited to get the first goal as a member of Washington Capitals, but I returned to the bench to the guys right away because I just wanted to share that joy and excitement with them,” Chara said.

Semyon Varlamov looks on after giving up the fourth goal in the second period against the Capitals.

The Islanders were in command after first-period goals by Oliver Wahlstrom, Casey Cizikas and captain Anders Lee. It appeared as though Stanley Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz’s moves to put Wahlstrom in for tough guy Ross Johnston and shuffle the lines were working after losing to the Capitals on a last-minute goal Tuesday night.

Instead, the Islanders lost in regulation for the third game in a row.

“You lose two games (at Washington) and get zero points and now you’re looking up at a few teams,” Trotz said. “This ended up being a wasted two games here for us.”

The Capitals set a franchise record by starting the season with an eight- game point streak. They did so without five regulars: captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov missed a fourth consecutive game because of COVID-19 protocols, and center Lars Eller was out with an upper-body injury.

“We felt good about our team, we felt good about the depth and the amount of guys that could really step in and not just fill a role but excel,” Carlson said.

Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves in his fifth consecutive start in net, Tom Wilson scored an empty-netter with 18.7 seconds left and the Capitals remained unbeaten in regulation under first-year coach Peter Laviolette.

“A lot of teams don’t come back from 3-0,” Hathaway said. “It’s a big stepping stone for us, especially in the locker room and all the guys we have in our lineup right now.”

New York Post LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200755 New York Islanders Wilson scored an empty-net, power-play goal at 19:41 of the third period. "We got off to a really good start," left wing Matt Martin said. "We had a

two-minute span in the second that really hurt us. We have the utmost Islanders blow three-goal lead, lose to Capitals confidence that we’re going to figure it out and start winning games."

By Andrew Gross Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021 [email protected] @AGrossNewsday

Updated January 28, 2021 11:39 PM

The Islanders considered Tuesday night’s loss in Washington a missed opportunity. Thursday night’s loss was a blown one.

The depleted Capitals erased a three-goal first-period deficit with five goals in the second period — including four in a span of 5 minutes, 9 seconds against shaky goaltender Semyon Varlamov — and the Islanders lost their third straight to start this five-game road trip, 6-3, at .

"I would say it’s a combination of a little bit of confidence and we can get our grind a little higher," coach Barry Trotz said. "Our confidence, a little bit, has been rattled and we need to pull that together."

And because it’s never too early to start worrying about the standings in a shortened 56-game season, the Islanders (3-4-0) already are seven points behind the first-place Capitals in the East Division.

"Yeah, it’s adversity," said fourth-line center Casey Cizikas, who earned his first point of the season when he scored to make it 2-0 at 10:08 of the first period, just 18 seconds after rookie Oliver Wahlstrom scored his first NHL goal. "You need to fight through it and come out the other end. We have a veteran group here that can pull through this and we believe in each other."

Trotz delivered his promised lineup shake-up after Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to the Capitals on Justin Schultz’s goal with 26.4 seconds left in regulation. He placed Wahlstrom and fellow rookie Kieffer Bellows on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line and elevated Leo Komarov to Brock Nelson’s line with Josh Bailey while Anthony Beauvillier (lower body) is on injured reserve.

Still, there were not enough bodies in front of Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek (27 saves) and Nelson’s line still is not productive — or dangerous — enough. Though the Islanders held an 11-1 shot advantage in the third period, too much came from the outside and there was little sustained attack.

"It’s a tough time to have a bad start," said Anders Lee, who made it 3-0 with a power-play goal at 17:39 of the first period as he played in his 500th NHL game. "There’s no excuse for that and we’ve got to right the ship right away."

The ship looked righted through 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the Islanders, it’s a 60-minute game, and they reverted to the type of play that led Trotz to question whether his team had the needed "playoff mentality" on Tuesday.

The Capitals, who have not lost in regulation, still were without Alex Ovechkin, No. 1 goalie Ilya Samsonov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov as they remain in COVID-19 protocol. Center Lars Eller was hurt Tuesday, though top-line right wing Tom Wilson did return to the Capitals’ lineup.

Conor Sheary pulled the Capitals within 3-2, scoring twice in 73 seconds. He connected from the low slot at 9:07 of the second period, then deflected Zdeno Chara’s shot from the left point at 10:20.

Garnet Hathaway tied it at 3 at 11:11 on a shot from the right that Varlamov just whiffed on.

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech then whiffed on a clearing attempt, leading to John Carlson’s power-play goal as the Capitals took a 4-3 lead at 14:16.

Chara completed the second-period onslaught with a blast from the left point at 18:30.

Varlamov (17 saves), who entered the game with a 1.00 goals-against average and .966 save percentage, allowed the five goals on 14 second- period shots. 1200756 New York Islanders

Anders Lee, Josh Bailey reach milestones with Islanders

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday

Updated January 29, 2021 12:13 AM

Anders Lee played in his 500th NHL game Thursday night, a 6-3 loss to the Capitals in Washington.

That milestone gave the Islanders’ captain a brief pause to appreciate his career.

"I can’t believe it’s been 500 games already," said Lee, whose goal at 17:39 of the first period gave the Islanders a 3-0 lead.

But teammate Josh Bailey was playing in his 872nd game, tying Hall of Famer Clark Gillies for fourth place on the Islanders’ all-time list, and that truly awed Lee.

Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier is the team’s all-time leader with 1,123 games. Barring injury, Bailey also will pass Bobby Nystrom (900 games) for third place on the Islanders’ all-time list this season.

"Night in and night out, he’s such a professional the way he handles himself, the way he plays the game," Lee said. "To play that much hockey and as consistently as he has for a long time, it’s awesome to see. He deserves to climb up our franchise’s history books."

Nearly pulled

Coach Barry Trotz said he considered pulling goalie Semyon Varlamov in favor of Cory Schneider after the Capitals’ five-goal second period. Schneider dressed as the backup, with Ilya Sorokin reassigned to the taxi squad to create a roster spot for Oliver Wahlstrom.

"I just had to trust that we had a bad patch there," Trotz said. "If they would’ve gotten to make it 6-3 early [in the third period], I would’ve gone to Cory just to get Varly out of there. Not his fault."

Isles files

Center Casey Cizikas was OK after being shaken up at 18:12 of the third period . . . Defenseman Ryan Pulock appeared to hurt his right leg as he tripped Tom Wilson at 16:48 of the third period . . . Defenseman Sebastian Aho and forwards Michael Dal Colle and Ross Johnston were healthy scratches.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200757 New York Islanders Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021

Islanders' slow start ramps up the urgency of each game

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday

Updated January 28, 2021 7:12 PM

It could get late early for the Islanders.

They split their first six contests in a shortened, 56-game season heading into Thursday night’s conclusion of a two-game series against the Capitals at Washington. Already, there are concerns about falling too far behind in the East Division standings and, more important, an urgency to rediscover the consistent, hard-working nature that defined much of their first two seasons under coach Barry Trotz.

"I think we need to play our game," captain Anders Lee said. "And I don’t think we’ve done that. It’s been six games and a couple have gotten away from us. At this point of the season, we have to get to who we are, find ourselves a little bit and just right the ship. I think there’s a time to overlook things or the time to forget about things and I think this is a combination where we take this to heart and we improve on it right away."

Defenseman Justin Schultz’s goal with 26.4 seconds remaining in regulation on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena lifted the depleted Capitals to a 3-2 win and gave the Islanders their first back-to-back losses to start this season-high, five-game road trip. The Islanders also play two games at Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday nights to conclude a stretch of seven of their first nine on the road.

Tuesday’s defeat left an annoyed Trotz warning after the game that the Islanders had yet to find the "playoff mentality" necessary with all games played within the division and only four of the eight teams qualifying for the postseason.

"We need that urgency here," defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "It’s a shortened season. Things can happen quick in terms of the standings. We need to get some points to stay in the race."

The first-place Capitals held a five-point lead on the seventh-place Islanders entering Thursday’s game.

But Trotz knows that can change quickly if the Islanders can start playing like the team that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1993 before bowing in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Lightning.

Trotz did not get the four-line balance and production he wanted through the first six games as the Islanders scored just 11 goals (1.8 per game). Eight of those goals came in two of their wins and the Islanders were shut out twice in their first five games.

"It always seems very urgent early in the year," Trotz said. "Even in an 82-game schedule, because you don’t want to fall back too far. In a shorter schedule, there is some urgency. The good thing about this, you can’t lose sight that you’re playing everybody in your division. So you can control a little bit more of your standings. Now every game affects you. But you have a bigger effect as you’re playing all these teams. So you’ve just got to take care of business. Unfortunately [Tuesday], we didn’t take care of business."

The Islanders, amid a stretch of four games in six days and five in eight days, did not practice on Wednesday.

Lee said it was a good opportunity to mentally review what’s happened so far.

"I feel good today," Lee said before Thursday night’s game. "Yesterday, took the day to reflect on what’s gone on and how we played and put ourselves in position to get some points. When you come away from a game like that empty-handed, it stings. I think we’ve done a good job of regrouping here and we move on."

The Islanders must. Otherwise, it could get late early for them.

1200758 New York Islanders • There aren’t big moves coming. Trotz was angry after Tuesday’s loss, and the obvious play was to sit Komarov, who took a bad penalty in the third and compounded that with bad coverage on the winner with 26.4 seconds to go. But Trotz trusts his veterans, so Komarov stayed in and Second-period meltdown leaves Islanders pointless after two games in Ross Johnston took a seat to let Oliver Wahlstrom in for his season Washington debut.

Wahlstrom handled himself well, playing mostly with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and either Komarov or Kieffer Bellows. Wahlstrom’s first NHL By Arthur Staple goal was hardly a thing of beauty, but he did what the Islanders want him Jan 28, 2021 to do — pointed himself at the net and delivered a puck. He and Bellows had a strong shift with Pageau at the end of the first, usually a shift that Trotz reserves for his detail-oriented vets, and early in the second the kid wingers held their positions well in the D zone to keep the Caps from OK. Now what? generating a chance despite some extended zone time. The Islanders came to Washington looking to get points off a team that “I didn’t have any worries with them,” Trotz said. was missing five of its top players on each night of the two-game set. They came away empty-handed despite the score being tied Tuesday So you would think Bellows and Wahlstrom get another spin. Michael Dal inside of 30 seconds to go in regulation and despite taking a 3-0 lead Colle could come back in for Komarov, but who knows there — Uncle after one period Thursday. Leo seems to be a solution to a problem in the coach’s mind, not a problem in need of solving. With a day off and a chance to remake the “This is a punch in the mouth, an uppercut to the jaw and you’ve just got edges of the roster, Trotz and decided to bring Wahlstrom to pick yourself off the floor,” Barry Trotz said after Thursday’s 6-3 loss. up and send Ilya Sorokin to the taxi squad, since Sorokin does not need “Everybody wants to pile on right now, and we need to pull together. It waivers. ended up being a wasted two games here. All we can do is make good going forward.” That created a complication in the second as the Caps piled on goals quickly. At 4-3 or 5-3, most coaches would have gone to their backup; You can say it’s seven games in. You can also say the Thanksgiving Trotz clearly did not want to put Cory Schneider in net, so he let Rule of NHL standings — where something like fewer than a dozen Varlamov stick it out through a third period in which the Caps had one teams in the post-lockout era have rallied from out of playoff position into shot attempt (blocked) before the Isles pulled their goalie. a berth — doesn’t apply this season, since every game is in the division and the Islanders could string four or five wins together and be back in So even the roster management was faulty Thursday. At 3-3, with the top four in no time. Hathaway’s third goal being the one Varlamov was most culpable on, Trotz could have changed the momentum with a goalie switch. Except he Both of those things are true. But the factors at play in Tuesday’s loss didn’t have his No. 2 guy available. and Thursday’s second-period meltdown are so un-Islanders-like in the Trotz era that it’s going to be hard to refocus before this weekend’s back- And the prospect of a trade seems farfetched. Bellows and Wahlstrom to-back set with the Flyers. showed they’re capable, so that fills the biggest forward gap on the third line. When Beauvillier is healthy, a lineup with the same lines 1-2-4 from • There is no second line. Brock Nelson has 2-0-2 through seven games last season and Bellows-Pageau-Wahlstrom is every fan’s ideal and made a couple of crucial errors before the Caps’ second goal, icing a alignment. If the Islanders simply aren’t getting what they need from the puck just a couple of feet from the red line (the second icing of his line’s second line (and the fourth, though Cizikas scored on Thursday), then shift) and then losing a draw to T.J. Oshie, who doesn’t get into the there’s no trade that can solve their problems. faceoff circle much — he averages about 125 draws a season and was at center Thursday because Lars Eller was out. • There is hope. This team has hit rough patches before, notably the stretch between Christmas and the pandemic shutdown of last season, Nelson lost that one clean, and Conor Sheary tipped home his second in when the Isles stumbled through a 12-14-7 skid. “We had a stretch a 1:13 span to make it 3-2. Nelson has been such an important before things shut down where it felt like the world was sinking, then we contributor to the Islanders’ success the past two seasons that there’s no went on to have a pretty good playoff,” Martin said. “We believe we can way he’ll see reduced ice time or a lesser role; same for Josh Bailey, who do it.” has 0-1-1 so far this year. Anthony Beauvillier had just one assist in the first five games before going on injured reserve with a lower-body injury Trotz noted the depleted Caps have something to rally around, with Alex earlier this week. Ovechkin and several other big players out. “We have to rally around the junk that’s hitting us in the face,” he said. “Giving up five goals, that’s not That line was the main driver for the Islanders much of the regular usually us. We’re going through a tough spell. … Our poise, our season and the playoffs. “In the bubble, they were our best line,” Trotz confidence has been rattled. The group’s got to pull together.” said. He gave Leo Komarov to Nelson and Bailey for the first two periods Thursday, and that line wasn’t bad outside of that shift between the first and second Caps goals. The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 But Nelson and Bailey have to be closer to their old selves no matter who’s with them. Mathew Barzal’s line was a force again Thursday and has been the only consistent group so far, which isn’t the way the Islanders can win games.

• There isn’t enough grind. There were some mistakes in that awful 9:23 stretch when it went from 3-0 to 5-3 that looked familiar to anyone who watched the pre-Trotz Islanders. Little mistakes — icings, failed clears — that led to bigger ones. A leaky goal or two by Semyon Varlamov, who didn’t have his best couple of games after having three superb ones. A reaction too slow by Adam Pelech to close out Garnet Hathaway on the tying goal, a step behind by Matt Martin so he got just enough of Zdeno Chara’s shot to redirect it instead of block it.

These are details that were missing from the Islanders game for a lot of years. Trotz helped fix that, so well that it’s the last thing you point to when the team loses — it’s usually a lack of finish, poorer goaltending, anything but a slipped work ethic.

“We just have to keep working,” Casey Cizikas said. “When we get away from that, that’s when things get ugly.” 1200759 New York Islanders passed the puck to the wing for Wahlstrom, who flung the puck at the net and had his shot ricochet off two Washington players and into the net.

Wahlstrom was making his season debut on Thursday night in WASH’D AWAY! Islanders Blow Three Goal Lead in Ugly Loss to Washington. Capitals “It was just great to see Wahlly put one in,” Lee said. “You always remember your first. It’s a special moment. A lot of hard work. It takes a lot to get to this point. It’s an awesome thing for him and his family. We’re Published on January 28, 2021 all happy and excited for him, and obviously, we wish we were celebrating that goal a little bit more with a win.” By Christian Arnold The Islanders added to the lead 18 seconds later when a shot by

Clutterbuck was redirected by Cizikas. The shot from the point hit off of If Tuesday’s New York Islanders loss to the Washington Capitals was Cizikas’ stick at the right angle to sneak by the pad of Vitek Vanecek to heartbreaking, then Thursday’s could be described as gutwrenching. put the Islanders up 1-0.

Washington scored five goals in the second period to erase a 3-0 New York’s third goal came on the Isles’ second power play of the Islanders lead and hand the Isles their third consecutive loss, 6-3. period. Anders Lee was in the right spot to clean up a loose puck that Thursday was the second time under head coach Barry Trotz that the had been put on net by Mathew Barzal. Islanders had allowed Washington to score five goals in a single period.

The last time they did so was on Jan. 18, 2020, when Washington scored NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 five in the third period to erase a 4-1 Islanders lead.

“It’s a tough one because we didn’t play that poorly for probably 50 minutes of that game,” Trotz said. “Then the two, three-minute span we were just average. Below average, if you will. Pucks went in. The one thing that they did is they shot pucks and went to the net.”

The current loss moves the Islanders to 3-4-0 through their first seven games and they are 0-3-0 in the first three games of their five-game road trip. They sit seventh in the East Division only ahead of the New York Rangers.

“I think you go through ups and downs during a year,” Scott Mayfield said. “This one seems pretty low right now. Whether it’s just different reads that are popping in the back of the net or they’re finishing good plays. The long shifts, not getting the puck out, icing and stuff like that you just can’t do that against a good team.”

It looked as though the Trotz’s lineup changes had sparked the Islanders on Tuesday. The Islanders bench boss did some roster gymnastics to get Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows into the lineup while having to move Ilya Sorokin over to the taxi squad.

The move looked as though it had worked with the Islanders scoring three goals — two of which came in the span of 18 seconds — in the first period. The Islanders generated chances and outshot Washington 10-8 after 20 minutes.

Oliver Wahlstrom recorded his first career NHL goal, Anders Lee scored in his 500th NHL game and Casey Cizikas found the pack of the net for his first of the season. Things had looked up, until the second period began and the ice shifted dramatically.

“We had a great start. We got to our game right away and did what we wanted to do in that first period,” Anders Lee said. “The second period we had a pretty bad lapse and that’s what turned the game around completely. At the same time we’re looking at it as plenty of hockey to get ourselves into it. Not dissimilar to how they clawed themselves back. We just weren’t able to find the first one to get us going and it turns into a bad loss.”

Connor Sheary led the way for the Washington comeback with their first two goals of the game in the second period starting at the 9:07 mark. Garnet Hathaway tied the game at 11:11 after Carl Hagelin sprung him with an alley-oop pass.

Hathaway was able to beat Islanders starter Semyon Varlamov with a wrist shot from just inside the right faceoff circle.

Washington took their first lead of the game at 14:16 of the second while on the power play. Adam Pelech flubbed a clearing attempt, which allowed Washington to regroup and set up John Carlson for the go- ahead goal.

Zdeno Chara made it a 5-3 game with a shot that got by Varlamov at 18:30 of the second. Tom Wilson scored on the empty net with 16.5 left in the game.

Wahlstrom had given the Islanders the early lead 9:50 into the game. The Islanders charged into the offensive zone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau 1200760 New York Islanders while having only suited up for the Islanders. … The Islanders are 0-2-0 in the second game playing against the same team this season.

REDEMPTION ISLAND: New York Islanders Lineup, Matchups and NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 Game Notes vs. Caps

Published on January 28, 2021

By Christian Arnold

Six games in, the New York Islanders season isn’t in dire straits, but the team is very aware that they need to right the ship sooner rather than later.

The Islanders will look to curb a two-game skid tonight when they face the Washington Capitals for the second game a two-game stop in Washington D.C. The Isles dropped a heartbreaker on Tuesday, giving up a late goal and falling 3-2.

A firey Barry Trotz told reporters after the loss that his squad wasn’t in the playoff mindset that they needed to be and that changes would be coming to the Islanders lineup. Trotz wasn’t backing away from that thought today after the morning skate and indicated one or two changes were on the horizon.

“You are limited a little bit with the roster, but yeah we’ll make some changes. You’ll see,” Trotz said about the Islanders lineup.

What those changes will be is being kept close to the vest by Trotz.

“There will be a change or two.”

The Islanders offense has struggled to start the season. While they scored four goals twice through the first six games, they’ve been shut out twice and only found the back of the net twice in the first two games of their road trip.

In fact, Tuesday was the first time the Islanders managed to register at least a goal in a loss this season.

“I think we need to play our game and I don’t think we’ve done,” Anders Lee said. “It’s been six games and a couple of games have gotten away from us. At this point of the season we just have to get to who we are. Find ourselves a little bit and right the ship. I think there’s a time to overlook things, there’s a time to forget about things and I think this is a combination where we take this to heart and we improve on it right away.”

Since the Barry Trotz era began on Long Island in 2018 it’s been very rare that the Islanders string together too many efforts where they don’t play their game. Both losses to the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders had gotten away from their identity.

Tuesday’s loss to Washington was another one where mistakes ended up costing them in the end. While Trotz was critical of how things went two nights ago, he wasn’t pushing the panic button.

“It always seems very urgent early in a year, even in an 82 game schedule,” Trotz said. “You don’t want to fall back too far. In a shorter schedule, there is some urgency. The good thing about this, and you can’t lose sight of this. is that you’re playing everybody in your division. You can control a little bit more of the standings.”

Vitek Vanecek will be back in the net for Washington after making 32 saves on Tuesday. Nicklas Backstrom will be good to go for tonight’s game and Tom Wilson will be a game-time decision for Washington.

Lars Eller is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

GAME NOTES

Justin Schultz enters tonight’s game with two consecutive mulit-point games, which marks the first time he’s done so since November 2017 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. … At 4-0-3 in their first seven games of the season, it is only the second time in franchise history that they have recorded at least a point in their opening seven games. … Vitek Vanecek is one of two rookie goaltenders in franchise history to remain unbeaten in regulation in his first five career games. … The Islanders have allowed 11 goals this season which is the fewest they’ve surrendered through the first six games since the 1976-77 season. … Anders Lee will appear in his 500th career NHL game tonight and Josh Bailey will play in his 872nd NHL game. Both hit the milestone 1200761 New York Islanders

NYHN Daily: Islanders’ Poor Decisions Lead to Loss, Kieffer Bellows Game Breakdown & More

Published on January 28, 2021

By Stefen Rosner

The Islanders (3-3-0) are set to take on the Washington Capitals (4-0-3) again tonight, after falling to them on Tuesday. In that heartbreaking loss, poor decisions sunk the Islanders. Kieffer Bellows played well in Anthony Beauvillier’s spot (IR) in limited minutes. Andrew Ladd is a leader for the young players in Bridgeport. These stories and more on today’s daily links!

The Islanders saw opportunities go by the board in the 3-2 loss to the Capitals Tuesday night. Mismanagement also played a role, not something stated often with the Islanders in recent years. (NYI Hockey Now)

In the loss, Islanders’ winger Kieffer Bellows looked solid filling Anthony Beauvillier’s hole on the second line. He showed an offensive touch, despite not burying. (NYI Hockey Now)

Islanders have no place on their roster for veteran Andrew Ladd. For the second year in a row, he finds himself back in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. While he could have gone down there with a negative attitude, he has taken a leadership role. (NYI Hockey Now)

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz was not a happy camper following the loss as he stated there would be changes coming to the lineup. In his latest, Andrew Gross laid out the options he believe will be the most beneficial for the Islanders. (Newsday)

In a shocking turn of events, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford resigns. Rutherford was the architect of the team’s back-to- back Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2016 and 2017. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Boston Bruins are now without forward Jake DeBrusk, who has been ruled out for Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. Goaltender Tuukka Rask is not feeling 100-percent as he missed practice Wednesday. (Boston Hockey Now)

The Colorado Avalanche released their Reverse Retro jersey schedule. The team will wear their Nordique inspired sweaters for the first time on Feb. 20 in Lake Tahoe against the Vegas Golden Knights. (Colorado Hockey Now)

The San Jose Sharks will return to SAP Center on Feb. 13 to face the Anaheim Ducks. Fans will not be allowed to attend. (San Jose Hockey Now)

Even with Patrik Laine’s scoring ability, Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coach John Tortorella said the newest member will be treated like every other player. (NHL.com)

Former Carolina Hurricanes, NBCSN play-by-play announcer John Forslund has been hired by the Seattle Kraken. (NHL.com)

Super 16: Golden Knights take over No. 1 spot in NHL.com power rankings. (NHL.com)

The Vancouver Canucks dominated the Ottawa Senators last night, extending their losing streak. The top line of Brock Boeser, Elias Petterson, and J.T. Miller is heating up. (TSN.ca)

NHL owners are adjusting to pandemic life away from their teams. (TSN.ca)

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200762 New York Islanders

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Islanders Lose Playoff Mentality in Second Period vs. Caps | NYHN+

Published on January 29, 2021

By Andrew Battifarano

Barry Trotz spoke strongly after Tuesday night’s loss that his team needed to have a playoff mentality.

Through one period Thursday, it looked as if the New York Islanders received the message loud and clear.

By the second, the message was lost in translation.

The Washington Capitals deposited their final goal of a 6-3 win over the Islanders in the dying minutes of the final period, but the game was over in the middle third.

Things looked good after one, as the Islanders built up a three-goal lead with two of the scores coming from the bottom-six forwards.

So what went wrong in the second frame?

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200763 New York Rangers Buffalo opened with a 9-2-2 before fading to miss the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.

“I really felt everything came way too easy for us early,” he said. Alexis Lafreniere’s 1st goal seals Rangers’ OT win at Buffalo SCRATCHES

Rangers: D Jack Johnson is out with a groin injury, which Quinn termed By JOHN WAWROW short term. He was replaced by Brendan Smith, who sat out two of the past three games. ASSOCIATED PRESS Sabres: D Henri Jokiharju missed his second straight game with an JAN 28, 2021 AT 10:11 PM undisclosed injury. C Tage Thompson was a healthy scratch for a third- consecutive game.

No. 1 draft pick Alexis Lafreniere scored his first career goal 2:47 into overtime to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on New York Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021 Thursday night.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and set up Ryan Strome’s game-opening goal, and the Rangers snapped an 0-3-1 skid to win for just the second time this season.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots for his first win since taking over the starting duties following Henrik Lunqvist’s offseason departure.

Sam Reinhart had a goal and assist and Jack Eichel also scored for Buffalo which dropped to 3-3-2. Linus Ullmark finished with 22 saves in a game the Sabres were out-shot 24-9 through two periods and 39-25 overall.

Lafreniere, the rookie playmaking forward out of Quebec, had to wait four months before being selected first in the draft, which was delayed until October because of the coronavirus pandemic. And he had to wait until his seventh career game to register his first point.

The goal came after Eichel turned the puck over in his own zone. Colin Blackwell collected the loose puck and drove up the right side before flipping a pass through the middle to Lafreniere, who one-timed the puck inside the near post.

The Rangers finally won a one-goal game after going 0-3-1 in their past four outings.

Rangers coach David Quinn maintained optimism in the NHL’s youngest lineup by noting the Rangers’ past four outings were one-goal losses.

“I just like the pace that we’ve played at, how we’ve competed and a lot of times we’ve been the better team,” Quinn said before the game. “That doesn’t mean anything if you’re not winning, but certainly we’re encouraged by the progress of our young players. ... I have zero doubt we’re going to get out of this.”

The Sabres rallied to earn a point in a game they overcame two one-goal deficits.

The game turned in the Sabres’ favor in the third period, starting with Ullmark’s kickout of his right pad to stop Lafreniere, who was set up alone at the left post in the opening minute.

Buffalo then tied it on Reinhart’s power-play goal 20 seconds after Ryan Lindgren was penalized for cross-checking Kyle Okposo into the end boards of the Rangers zone. Reinhart was left alone at the left post where he redirected in Victor Olofsson’s pass from the right circle.

Okposo briefly went up the tunnel before returning to the bench after appearing to hurt his left ankle.

Ullmark was even sharper in stopping six shots during a Rangers power- play midway through the third period, with Jeff Skinner off for delay of game.

20-SPOT

Sabres coach Ralph Krueger’s objective in a shortened season is making sure Buffalo remains in the playoff hunt through 36 games and then see how the final 20 shake out.

“That’s our definite No. 1 goal is to get more than halfway into the season right in the middle of everything and then be one of the teams that rises to the top,” Krueger said Thursday morning. “We don’t expect to necessarily rise there right off the hop.”

Krueger’s more comfortable with the Sabres dealing with early season challenges, such as their 1-3 start, as opposed to last season when 1200764 New York Rangers New York Post LOADED: 01.29.2021

Colin Blackwell goes from taxi squad to making big plays for Rangers

By Larry Brooks

January 29, 2021 | 12:00am

So it’s overtime in a game the Rangers desperately need to win. Over the boards come Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. Then, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich and Tony DeAngelo.

Then, third shift, Alexis Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller and … Colin Blackwell?

Yes, Colin Blackwell, the 27-year-old free-agent signee out of Nashville on a two-year deal worth an AAV of $725,00 per. Colin Blackwell, who started the year on the taxi squad before being promoted last weekend in Pittsburgh.

Colin Blackwell, the best Blueshirts’ No. 43 since Ryan Callahan wore it in his 2006-07 rookie season, who made two outstanding defensive plays on his OT shift and took possession of the puck in the neutral zone before gaining the zone and sending Lafreniere a pitch-perfect two-on- one feed that the 19-year-old converted for the winner at 2:47 for Thursday’s 3-2 victory.

“We’d gotten four goals in the two previous games and he was a guy that created two of them,” David Quinn said of the winger who primarily played on the right with Panarin and Ryan Strome. “He had a good night tonight.

Colin Blackwell flips the puck past Eric Staal during the Rangers’ 3-2 OT win over the Sabres.

“You have to let the eye test determine who plays hockey, not where they were drafted, not their résumé. We needed a win tonight. This kid deserves to be out there. That’s why he was out there. He’s got seven points in his last seven NHL games and what happens in this game is that we get so caught up in where people are drafted and hype about people.

“But I don’t give two craps about that right now,” the coach said. “We want to win hockey games and he was the best option. How did it work out?”

Jack Johnson was out of the lineup but not as a healthy scratch. Rather, the lightning rod sixth/seventh defenseman was sidelined because of a groin issue.

“We think it’s short term,” Quinn said.

Brendan Smith took Johnson’s spot and played a solid game in 17:17 of plus-one work.

In the meantime, Julien Gauthier watched in street clothes as a healthy scratch for the fourth straight time. That encompassed the road trip that concluded after a pair in Pittsburgh and two in Buffalo.

“We’re going to stick with the same group of forwards,” Quinn said prior to the match. “We will see Julien soon.”

The Blueshirts revamped their power-play units, moving DeAngelo and Buchnevich onto a three-forward, two-defense PP1 to join Panarin, Zibanejad and Fox. Kreider and Strome were bumped to a three-forward, two-defense PP2 with Lafreniere or Kaapo Kakko, Miller and Jacob Trouba.

The Blueshirts went 0-for-3 on the man advantage despite pouring 10 shots on Linus Ullmark and swarming around the net. The first unit maintained possession for nearly the entire two-minutes at a time while amassing more than five of the six total minutes of power-play time.

Strome did not get on for the final 3:42 of regulation or in the OT after he was seemingly and inadvertently kicked in the skate or lower leg by Matt Irwin against the boards.

The 2-4-1 Blueshirts are at the Garden on Saturday against the Penguins in the first of a three-game homestand.

1200765 New York Rangers and, get this, six one-goal leads. They stood firm in this one after Buffalo tied it with Shesterkin’s work an important reason.

Indeed, the 25-year-old Russian, who’d been pretty average through his Alexis Lafreniere’s first NHL goal lifts Rangers to OT win first three starts, set the tone with a big-time save from the slot on Victor Olofsson just two minutes into the contest. That was critical for both a goaltender and a team with wobbly confidence.

By Larry Brooks “I tried my best and it was a save I had to make for the team,” Shesterkin said via a translator. “The team played very hard and as a goalie I January 28, 2021 | 10:09pm | Updated wanted to support the team and do a great job in net.”

Support flowed from nets on out through the defense to the forwards and So there was Alexis Lafreniere drilling home the overtime game-winner back again. But the night was reserved for Lafreniere’s coming out party. and there was Igor Shesterkin recording one important save after He waited seven games after waiting an additional three-plus months to another. be drafted, the pandemic denying him the opportunity to mount the stage in Montreal as the first-overall. What first six games? “If anybody is equipped to handle it …” Quinn said. “He never let any of it Man, did the Rangers need this one. Man, did the Rangers earn this one, bother him or rattle him. It just talks to his mental toughness and 3-2 over the Sabres in Buffalo on Thursday to snap their four-game perseverance as a human being. losing streak and head back to the Garden for Saturday’s first of two against the Penguins at 2-4-1. “Obviously he’s got a lot of talent, but there’s so much more that goes into it. He’s got those characteristics and if anybody can handle these That it was the combination of Lafreniere and Shesterkin at the top of the circumstances, it’s him.” charts made this perhaps a little bit sweeter, though the club also received prime-time performances from prime-time Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and a supporting cast that never let go and New York Post LOADED: 01.29.2021 never took its collective eye off the task at hand.

Of course, though, the corks were popped primarily for Lafreniere, who went through six games and another 62:47 of his seventh before recording both his first NHL goal and first NHL point by beating Linus Ullmark with a left-wing snapper off a nifty two-on-one-feed from Colin Blackwell.

Alexis Lafreniere celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in the Rangers’ 3-2 OT win over the Sabres.

That capped the night for the first-overall Ping Pong Ball Kid, who’d previously been denied by Ullmark on several glorious opportunities, including one from the left doorstep in the first minute of the third period with the Blueshirts holding a 2-1 lead. Lafreniere had four shots on five attempts in 15:00 of compelling work primarily on a remodeled 1A Line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.

“I had a lot of good chances and I was just going to keep going and it was going to go in for sure,” Lafreniere said while wearing the Broadway chapeau that appeared older than the 19-year-old himself. “I kept going, kept grinding, and a nice pass by Blackie on what was kind of an open net.

“For sure it is [a weight off my shoulders]. I saw the puck go in and all the boys jumping on the ice. It was a pretty special moment.”

Lafreniere may have been held off the board his first six games, but he was engaged and on the puck while, as one of a cast of thousands, moving from line to line. His work ethic and commitment were undeniable. So was his popularity among his teammates.

And of course, so was his skill level. It was quite obviously only a matter of time for the lad from Saint-Eustache, and the time was 2:47 of overtime on Jan. 28, 2021 in Buffalo.

“Obviously everybody talks about his world-class talent but this guy is a ballsy kid, he really is,” David Quinn said. “I don’t care if he’s the first pick or the 271st pick, he’s a ballsy kid, a kid you want to be around.

“He’s had a lot of fun with the fact that he’s been snake-bit, he probably should have had four goals tonight but for him to get his first in that moment, in that situation and under those circumstances, I couldn’t be happier for him. His game was coming, he was playing better and better each night, so it’s just great to see this.”

The Rangers played with passion and commitment in owning this game for 60 minutes everywhere but the scoreboard. They were quick on the puck, controlled play for shifts at a time below the hash marks and were attentive in their work without the puck in both the neutral and defensive zones. They held a 24-9 advantage in shots through two periods that was entirely reflective of play.

But after taking a 1-0 lead in the first, the Sabres tied it. And after bringing a 2-1 lead into the third, the Sabres tied it again on a power play at 4:47. Over their last four games, the Rangers blew one two-goal lead 1200766 New York Rangers The Rangers retook a 2-1 lead in the second period after Strome deflected the puck away from a couple of Sabres (3-3-2) and it trickled to Panarin for a quick wrist shot.

NY Rangers takeaways: Alexis Lafrenière snaps four-game losing streak It remained that way until 4:47 into the third period, when a cross with first NHL goal checking penalty on Ryan Lindgren resulted in a power-play goal for Reinhart that tied the score at 2-2.

That sent the game to overtime and put the Rangers on the verge of their Vincent Z. Mercogliano fifth straight loss, setting up Lafrenière to play the role of hero.

NHL Writer "We didn't get fazed by the moment," Quinn said. "They've got a hell of a power play, obviously, and they make a great play on the goal. You’ve

just got to keep playing. You can't let that deter you from continuing to It was a situation the New York Rangers have found themselves in move forward. I thought we did. We shook it off." frequently. 'He never let it rattle him' For the third time in the last four games, the Blueshirts took a lead into Even prior to the goal, Thursday was Lafrenière's best game as a the third period. And while they let it slip away for the third straight time, Ranger. they were able to salvage the result thanks to a player who needed a big moment as much as any. The 19-year-old was an active presence while playing on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich — "They were buzzing," Quinn Alexis Lafrenière was still searching for his first NHL point when overtime said — finishing with four shots on goal and a couple of grade-A began Thursday in Buffalo, but it only took him 2:47 to find his signature chances. moment. After a few close calls earlier in the game, the No. 1 overall pick netted the winner on a feed from Colin Blackwell to give the Rangers a 3- He had been denied by Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark, as were other 2 win over the Sabres and a desperately needed pick-me-up. Rangers, as he finished with 36 saves in a very strong effort.

The dramatic goal snapped a four-game losing streak. "I had a lot of good chances," Lafrenière said. "(I was thinking), ‘Just keep going,’ and it was going to go in, for sure. I kept going, kept "It’s pretty crazy," Lafrenière said. "Overtime, a game-winning goal — it’s grinding." pretty special. I’ll never forget this moment." One of those good chances came in the third period when Ullmark made "I don’t care if he’s the first pick or the 271st pick," Rangers coach David a lunging pad save on what looked like a sure backdoor goal for Quinn said. "He's a ballsy kid. He’s a kid you want to be around, and he's Lafrenière. had a lot of fun with the fact he's been snake-bitten. He probably should have had four goals tonight, but for him to get his first goal in that He skated back to the bench shaking his head, but rather than pout moment in that situation under those circumstances, I couldn't be happier about it, Quinn said he noticed him laughing with Chris Kreider. for him. His game is coming, he's playing better and better each night, and it's just great to see." "The thing I love about him is he never got frustrated," he said. "He knew that eventually he was going to score a goal and he was going to get Prior to the game, Quinn had expressed confidence, not just in rewarded for doing the things he's doing." Lafrenière, but in his team, saying, "I have zero doubt we're going to get out of this." That's a resiliency that traces back to well before the Rangers drafted him. That stemmed, in large part, from improved defensive play through the first seven games of the season. Quinn said he took notice while observing how Lafrenière handled missing out on his moment in the spotlight at the NHL Draft, which was The Rangers (2-4-1) averaged 34 shots allowed per game last season, originally scheduled to take place near his hometown of Saint-Eustache, but had pushed that number down to 25.8 entering play Thursday. Quebec before being shifted to a virtual event.

"The chances (against) are way down," Quinn said. "The shots against "Think about it," he said. "He’s been the projected No. 1 pick for a long are way down. All the things that we've had trouble with over the last — time. The draft is in Montreal and the whole thing blows up. The at least since I've been here, two-plus years — we've improved on." pandemic hits, he's not able to experience what most kids dream of experiencing. He shakes it off. He's not bothered by it. He comes to The biggest problems for the Rangers have been two things they figured training camp. He makes it — he’s obviously playing in the National to be strengths when the season began — goaltending and scoring. Hockey League this year. Everybody anticipated him hitting the ground They didn't need a whole lot from the former Thursday, with rookie goalie running, and he did. He got better and better as the first few games Igor Shesterkin facing 25 shots. He saved 23 of them, including a big one moved forward. He had chances and he was snake-bitten and he never in overtime on Victor Olofsson, to earn his first win of the season. But the let it rattle him. Sabres managed just four high-danger scoring chances, according to "It really (speaks) to his mental toughness and his perseverance as a Natural Stat Trick, with the Rangers allowing only nine shots on goal human being. Obviously, he’s got a lot of talent, but there's so much through the first two periods. more that goes into it than talent. He's got those characteristics. If As for the latter, while there is still work to do, there were clear positive anybody can handle these circumstances, it’s him." signs. The unsung hero They came early from Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome — a duo that Another blown lead resulting in a loss would have been demoralizing for combined for 154 points last season but had sputtered out of the gate the Rangers. Instead, this feels like the kind of win that could propel through the first six games. them. Quinn said they both played their "best game of the year." "We needed this," Quinn said. "I looked at the standings and I see our They were responsible for both Rangers' goals in regulation, starting with point total regarding the rest of the league and I'm shaking my head. I a behind-the-net feed from Panarin to Strome at the 9:44 mark in the first know what we're capable of doing. These players know what we’re period. capable of doing. And it was frustrating because we thought we played some good hockey over the last four games on this trip. To come out of That put the Rangers ahead 1-0 — a lead they nearly escaped the period this trip with three points, we felt like we played better (than that). We with. But with 22 seconds remaining, Sam Reinhart set up Jack Eichel for thought we maybe deserved a few more points, but that being said, the a gut-punch goal at the end of a dominant period in which the Rangers way we responded under these circumstances says an awful lot about outshot the Sabres, 15-5. this group." Of course, one win doesn't solve everything — but the defense continues to be rock solid and seeing players like Panarin, Strome and Lafrenière get on track is encouraging.

"We've all seen it," Quinn said. "When a guy who's a goal scorer — who’s got the talent (Lafrenière) has — has trouble scoring, when that first one goes in, they usually come in bunches. We're all hoping for that for him."

A minor concern is that Strome didn't finish the game due to a lower-body injury, but Quinn downplayed the severity, saying, "We think he'll be fine."

The Rangers could ill-afford to lose another center with Filip Chytil already out for at least a month.

The unsung hero of the night was Strome's linemate, Colin Blackwell.

Considered a cheap, depth signing this offseason, the 27-year-old has been making the most of his opportunities. Quinn has elevated him into top six and surprisingly put him on the ice during overtime.

Blackwell delivered with the primary assist on Lafrenière's winner, making it three consecutive games with a point.

"We've got four goals in the two previous games, and he was the guy that created two of them," Quinn said. "He had a good night tonight. You're going to let the eye test determine who plays hockey — not where they were drafted, not their resume. We needed a win tonight, and this kid deserves to be out there. That's why he was out there."

"What can happen in this game is we get so caught up and in where people are drafted and the hype about people," he added. "But I don't give two craps about that right now. We want to win hockey games and he was the best option."

Bergen Record LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200767 New York Rangers “That certainly is something I’d love to do,” he said following Wednesday’s practice. “It’s just been a laundry list of things that come into play when you’re putting your lineup together.”

NY Rangers projected lineup: What will David Quinn do next? Another important part of that equation is what to do with Lafrenière.

The No. 1 overall pick looked confident and poised in the early going, but he’s still searching for his first NHL point. Vincent Z. Mercogliano Is that causing him to press? NHL Writer The 19-year-old started Tuesday’s game on the third line with Kakko and Brett Howden. The results were not encouraging, with that line generating only two scoring chances while allowing 10, according to On a typical game day on the road, I'd spend the morning in an empty Natural Stat Trick. arena, watching the New York Rangers run through a few final tune-ups while jotting down lineup combinations. Of course, the loss of Filip Chytil to an upper-body injury for four-to-six weeks only makes matters worse. Howden was having a solid start to the If the Rangers opted not to have a morning skate — as is the case for season on the fourth line, but now he’s being asked to shoulder more Thursday's 7 p.m. game against the Buffalo Sabres — then I would have responsibility. gathered as much information as possible while observing practice the day prior. Figuring out how to get his top-nine forwards on track is the priority for Quinn, but that’s not all he has to sort out. Circumstances have changed, of course, and understandably so. The coronavirus pandemic has forced all professional sports teams to limit Rookie forward Julien Gauthier has been a healthy scratch for three access in the interest of keeping all parties healthy — players, coaches, straight games. At what point does he get another opportunity? team personnel, reporters and fans. And while it’s probably received more attention than it deserves, the The good news is that, while the Rangers are home, select reporters do bottom pair on defense has been a clear weakness. Jack Johnson have access to a live stream of practices and morning skates at the MSG certainly doesn’t look like the answer and Quinn doesn’t seem convinced Training Center in Tarrytown. But on a day like Thursday, with the team that Brendan Smith is, either. Will 22-year-old Libor Hájek get his first in Buffalo, my routine of posting the Rangers' projected lineup becomes opportunity Thursday? Or perhaps veteran Anthony Bitetto? (Who, by the more of a challenge. way, needs to appear in only three games to meet expansion-draft eligibility requirements.) "I'm glad you weren't able to watch practice," coach David Quinn joked with reporters prior to Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres. These are important decisions, and while everyone has an opinion on what Quinn should do, the fact remains that no obvious solutions have The response was facetious, although Quinn is likely enjoy the reprieve been revealed yet. Ultimately, for any lineup changes to prove effective, from having everyone pick apart his lineup. the Rangers will simply need their top guys to play better. Through six games, it's looked different for five of them. “I think a lot of our guys are pressing,” he said. “We've got to get better A lack of preseason games and a shortened training camp has forced play out of a bunch of people. We've got to make more timely plays. We him — and many other NHL coaches — to experiment in actual games have to be mentally tough when things don't go well.” that count.

Unfortunately for Quinn, the result has been a disappointing 1-4-1 start. Bergen Record LOADED: 01.29.2021 Furthermore, there still isn't much clarity about which combinations work best.

It's made projecting the lineup each night more than just a logistical challenge.

Tuesday featured a reuniting of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich on the top line, with Phil Di Giuseppe being the latest to try playing right wing on the second line next to Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.

But those combos didn't even make it into the third period, which makes it unlikely they would carry into Thursday's game.

"I thought maybe his straight-line approach and speed might help those guys," Quinn said of Di Giuseppe. "We ended up moving (Colin) Blackwell up there for the third period and I thought he did a pretty good job giving those guys those characteristics."

Blackwell has posted two points (a goal and an assist) while infusing the lineup with much-needed energy in two games since being recalled from the taxi squad. That should earn him another game — at least — but would Quinn really start him in the top six?

The question of who to play in Jesper Fast’s former spot has been at the center of the lineup dilemma.

Kaapo Kakko lasted only one game there, making it clear that Quinn prefers a player with more defense and hustle to their game. Rookie Alexis Lafrenière got a couple tries, but the decision was ultimately made that he should remain at his familiar left-wing position. And while the line had the most success so far with Buchnevich in that slot, losing him had a negative ripple effect on Kreider and Zibanejad.

So, now what?

Will the experimentation continue? Or has it reached the point where Quinn needs to settle on something and let it roll? 1200768 New York Rangers contracts have no bearing on their NHL service clocks, meaning it won't have any effect on when their entry-level contracts begin.

"We’re just trying to take advantage of what has been a hard year for Previewing AHL Hartford prospects to watch with NY Rangers assistant everybody," Drury said. "We're looking forward to seeing how all these GM Chris Drury kids adjust and adapt."

The Hartford training camp roster includes three players who were selected in the 2020 NHL Draft — defenseman Braden Schneider (first Vincent Z. Mercogliano round: No. 19 overall), forward Will Cuylle (second round: No. 60 overall) and goalie Dylan Garand (fourth round: No. 103 overall). NHL Writer Another notable prospect is defenseman Matthew Robertson, who was

selected No. 49 overall in the second round of the 2019 draft. While NHL teams work to navigate a season in the midst of a pandemic, Each of those four 19-or-younger players will be required to return to the American Hockey League is preparing to do same (albeit with far less their junior league teams if and when their seasons start — but for now, fanfare). they'll get a taste of life in what Drury called "a newer, bigger, tougher The were among the 28 teams that opened training league." camp this week, with their season scheduled to begin Feb. 7 at home Robertson and Schneider will be an especially interesting duo to watch. against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The New York Rangers' AHL They sparked a friendship while playing together in the affiliate will be in the unique position of only playing two opponents — program, with Drury noting that the plan is for them work as a defensive Bridgeport and Providence — in their 24-game schedule, with other pair. teams in the Atlantic Division electing not to play. One of the most watched prospects for Hartford this season will be 22- "Just like on the NHL side, it’s the unknown," Rangers assistant general year-old forward Morgan Barron. manager Chris Drury told the USA TODAY Network. Last year's Hobey Baker finalist for Cornell was considered a contender Despite the obstacles of avoiding COVID-19, playing the same two to make the NHL roster, but the Rangers decided to send him to the AHL opponents 12 times each and having no fans in the stands (ensuring after coach David Quinn said he "looked nervous" during training camp. financial losses), the Rangers view the abbreviated AHL season as an opportunity for development. That's why, on top of the players they Despite this week's news that forward Filip Chytil will miss four-to-six expected to have on the Hartford roster this season, they also invited weeks with an upper-body injury, the plan to let Barron adjust to the pro younger prospects who normally wouldn't be eligible. game and regain confidence with the Wolf Pack is set for the time being.

That adds intrigue to the season, with several players in camp harboring The Rangers used him at all three forward positions during NHL training realistic aspirations of playing at Madison Square Garden some day. camp, but Drury confirmed he will concentrate on left wing with Hartford.

"The goal is to get them some game action and see what they can "My feeling with a young player coming into pro hockey is, let’s get him handle and see how they progress," Drury said. "We’re excited to have established at one spot — and right now, for us, that’s left wing," he said. them and expect them to stick around for as long as they can." "We don’t want to have him not knowing what position or what his role is leaving the rink every day. For the second consecutive season, the Wolf Pack will be led by coach Kris Knoblauch. He was brought in prior to the 2019-20 season in an "For us, there’s a very bright future for him with upside," he added. effort to create a stronger feeder program for the NHL roster. "We’ve liked what we’ve seen since he arrived."

The results were encouraging. After four consecutive seasons of missing The Rangers missed out on a chance to see another forward prospect at the playoffs, Hartford was in position to end that drought with a 31-20-6-5 NHL camp. record at the time the season was canceled due to the coronavirus. Justin Richards was held out after testing positive for COVID-19, but "It was a really good first year for everybody," Drury said. "We had eight Drury confirmed the Minnesota-Duluth product is "off and running and or nine staff turnovers — not just coaching, but equipment, medical. I looks really good" with Hartford. was really please with how well a lot of them, not ever knowing each other (prior), got along and how they were able to build relationships and Richards is one of a trio of centers the Rangers signed out of the college succeed at their jobs. And I thought the coaches did a really good job free-agent pool last year. He's considered the most advanced of the with the players." three, in particular due to his strong defensive reputation, but Patrick Khodorenko (Michigan State) and Austin Rueschhoff (Western Michigan) The coaching staff is mostly intact, with Gord Murphy remaining as also bring intriguing skill sets. Knoblauch's associate head coach and defensive specialist. Drury noted the addition of Jeff Malcolm as goalies coach, while Brock Ballard returns Drury said their usage "will evolve," but indicated the initial plan is to play as the skills coach. Richards and Khodorenko at center, while Rueschhoff could play some wing. Drury invited 34 players to Hartford's training camp, and while only 20 will dress on game days, he expects to keep more players than usual to "We don't want to put anyone in a position that they can't handle right protect against COVID outbreaks. And with the East Coast Hockey now," Drury said. "But we do like their versatility and how they go about League season canceled, the Rangers won't have the option of sending their business every day." any of them to their Maine affiliate. Hartford's defensive corps will consist of raw prospects in Robertson and "In a normal season, we’d have three extras," Drury said. "I think we’ll Schneider, then mostly career AHLers. probably keep double that, just to be on the safe side. ... There’s There is one notable exception, though. nowhere to send these guys to keep sharp, so we’re going to have to do that on our own." Tarmo Reunanen, a talented 22-year-old who narrowly missed the cut for the Rangers' taxi squad, could be in the mix for an NHL role in the near Normally, AHL roster spots are reserved for a mix of prospects on two- future. And to prepare him for that possibility, he'll take on the role of a way contracts and veterans whose odds of reaching the NHL are slim. No. 1 defenseman with Hartford. This year, it's a bit different. Because most North American junior "He'll be getting high minutes, getting power play (time), working with, not leagues have yet to begin their seasons — and some might not play at all only Kris Knoblauch, but obviously Gord Murphy, who has a ton of — a handful of recently drafted prospects have been brought in on AHL- experience coaching D and playing D and raising a D-man in his son only contracts. (Connor Murphy of the Chicago Blackhawks)," Drury said. "So, we're It's a win-win situation, with players who would otherwise be inactive confident that Gord's going to do a good job with Tarmo. It is an getting a chance to play in real games, all while Drury and the Rangers' adjustment coming from Europe — the change in ice, the change in style, brass gets to watch closely. It's also important to note that the AHL the change an approach — but I'd say year over year... he's made really good strides in adapting to the North American game." Another defenseman prospect who could end up playing in Hartford is Libor Hájek.

Like Reunanen, he's a 22-year-old left-handed shooter who could be used by the Rangers at some point this season. Hájek is currently on the NHL taxi squad, but if he doesn't get into any games soon, Drury said it's possible he could join the Wolf Pack.

"Once the games start in Hartford, depending on what the Rangers need, my feeling is that anybody on the taxi squad that needs games or needs to remain sharp and figure things out is eligible and welcome to play in Hartford," Drury said. "That’s what the American League is for. No matter what age you are, sitting around and not playing could get anybody stale. That’ll evolve, and (Rangers GM Jeff Gorton) and I will certainly discuss it."

Juggling goalies

The Wolf Pack have four goalies at their training camp: Garand, Adam Huska, Tyler Wall and Francois Brassard.

Drury said they'll keep two on the active roster, with one remaining on their own version of an AHL taxi squad. In all likelihood, the three who make the cut will be Garand, Huska and Wall.

Huska played for Hartford last season, posting an 11-8-9 record with an .894 save percentage, while Wall was signed to an entry-level contract last spring after wrapping up a strong career at U-Mass Lowell.

Those two figure to receive most of the starts, with Garand factoring in if the Rangers want him to see some game action. But how will the ice time be divvied up? Will they split it evenly? Or will Knoblauch ride the hot hand?

"I think it’s just going to evolve," Drury said. "The goalies will let us know who deserves to play more and who can become the No. 1."

Bergen Record LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200769 New York Rangers Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021

Rookie Alexis Lafreniere scores in overtime as Rangers snap four-game losing streak

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinSNewsday

Updated January 28, 2021 11:43 PM

It had been six games, and Alexis Lafreniere, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, had no points. But he kept plugging away, kept charging hard to the net, kept generating chance after chance after chance.

Finally, when that first point did come, it came in a huge spot.

With the Rangers trying to end a four-game losing streak and having blown two more leads in this game, Lafreniere delivered a shot heard around the hockey world Thursday night. He took a pass from Colin Blackwell in overtime and beat sprawling Buffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark for his first NHL goal. That gave the Rangers a 3-2 win over the Sabres and ended their four-game road trip in just about the happiest possible way.

"I had a lot of good chances, and I was just going to keep going, and it was going to [eventually] go in, for sure,’’ Lafreniere said. "I kept going, kept going, and nice pass by [Blackwell] and kind of an open net.’’

Lafreniere said the goal lifted a weight off his shoulders, but in doing so, he also lifted a weight off his team.

The Rangers (2-4-1) had blown leads in each of the first three games of the trip, and after giving up 1-0 and 2-1 leads in this one, they couldn’t afford to blow another one.

"You know we needed this,’’ coach David Quinn said. "We needed this because, again, we had done a lot of good things.

"I know what we’re capable of doing; these players know what they are capable of doing. And it was frustrating because we thought we played some good hockey over the last four games on this trip. And to come out of this trip with three points [after going 1-2-1], we felt like we played better; we felt we maybe deserved a few more points.’’

The Rangers’ biggest problem in the first six games of the season had been the underperformance of most of the team’s top six forwards. But in this one, second-line center Ryan Strome scored his second goal in three games and linemate Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist.

No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad didn’t score, but he generated more chances and looked more dangerous than he had at any point in the season. That certainly is a positive sign for the Rangers, who will open a three-game homestand on Saturday with the first of two games against Pittsburgh.

Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves for his first win of the season.

Strome opened the scoring when he banged in a feed from Panarin for his second goal of the season at 9:44 of the first period.

The Sabres tied the score in the final minute of the period when Jack Eichel got behind rookie. defenseman K’Andre Miller and tipped in a pass from Sam Reinhart for his second goal of the season at 19:38.

The Rangers outshot Buffalo 15-5 in the opening period.

Panarin put the Rangers back in front at 16:10 of the second period with his third goal of the season. Reinhart tied it at 2-2 with a power-play goal at 4:47 of the third period to force overtime.

In the third shift of the extra period, Quinn sent out Lafreniere, Blackwell and Miller. Blackwell stole the puck in the neutral zone, Lafreniere drove to the far post and Blackwell found him for the winner.

"Everybody talks about his world-class talent, but this guy’s a [gutsy] kid,’’ Quinn said of Lafreniere. "He really is. I don’t care if he’s a first pick or the 271st pick . . . He’s a kid you want to be around, and . . . for him to get his first goal in that moment, and under that situation, under those circumstances, I couldn’t be happier for him.’’ 1200770 New York Rangers

David Quinn's call to go with Colin Blackwell in overtime pays off

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinSNewsday

Updated January 29, 2021 12:09 AM

Rangers coach David Quinn got a little testy when asked why he decided to send Colin Blackwell, who a week ago was on the Rangers’ taxi squad, out for an overtime shift with rookies Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller on Thursday night in Buffalo.

"We’ve got four goals in the two previous games, and [Blackwell] was a guy that created two of them,’’ Quinn said. "And he had a good night tonight. You know, you’ve got to let the eye test determine who plays hockey — not where they were drafted, not their resume.

"We needed a win tonight, and this kid deserves to be out there. That’s why he was out there.’’

Blackwell stole the puck in the neutral zone and set up Lafreniere for the game-winner at 2:47 of overtime. Lafreniere’s first goal gave the Rangers a 3-2 victory.

"You know, he’s got seven points his last seven NHL games,’’ Quinn said of Blackwell. "What can happen in this game is we get so caught up in where people are drafted and . . . the hype about people. But I don’t [care] about that right now. We want to win hockey games and he was the best option.

"How’d it work out?’’

Blue notes

Center Ryan Strome appeared to wince after taking a hit late in the third period and did not play in the overtime. "We think he’ll be fine,’’ Quinn said. "Just a little lower-body injury. But I thought Stromer really stepped up. He played his best game of the year.’’ . . . Defenseman Jack Johnson was scratched from the lineup because of a groin strain, the Rangers said. Brendan Smith took his spot . . . Right wing Julien Gauthier was the forward scratched, but Quinn again promised, "We will see Julien soon.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200771 New York Rangers "Maybe it's time to give Hajek a chance,’’ he said.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 01.29.2021 David Quinn could be forced to make significant change to Rangers' defense

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinSNewsday

Updated January 28, 2021 6:49 PM

In this mad sprint of a 2020-21 season, there isn’t much time to waste, letting things play themselves out while the losses are piling up.

But there wasn’t much Rangers coach David Quinn could do to address the biggest problem the Rangers had as they entered the finale of their four-game road trip Thursday in Buffalo against the Sabres – the underperformance of most of the team’s top six forwards. The coach could keep trying to shuffle people around, but mostly he just had to have faith that Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, et al, start to click. And soon.

Similarly, Quinn couldn’t do much to raise the level of play from goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who started Thursday, and Alexandar Georgiev, who took the loss on Tuesday. They, too, are just going to have to click.

So, if Quinn is going to make a significant change somewhere, it will have to be on defense. Overall, the Rangers’ 2.83 goals allowed per game entering Thursday was 15th in the 31-team league, and fourth in the eight-team East Division. The top two defense pairs -- Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, and Jacob Trouba and rookie K’Andre Miller -- have, for the most part, been solid. The third pair, not so much.

Tony DeAngelo entered Thursday with a team-worst plus/minus of minus-5. He has split time the last four games partnering with Jack Johnson and Brendan Smith on the third pair. Johnson, who played Tuesday, was scratched Thursday because of a groin strain, so Smith was in the lineup.

Smith and Johnson have both had their own struggles. Johnson, signed as a free agent last October after being bought out of the final year of his contract by Pittsburgh, was a minus-4 in five games. Smith had an assist and was plus-2 in three games before Thursday, but he’d played great in one game, and poorly in the other two.

There is depth within the organization, if Quinn is looking for options. Libor Hajek, 22, who played 28 games for the Rangers last season before being sent down to the AHL, and Island Park native Anthony Bitetto, 30, who played 51 games for Winnipeg in 2019-20, are on the taxi squad. And there are some highly regarded prospects in AHL Hartford, as well.

DeAngelo is the key, though, according to Rangers radio analyst . The 25-year-old broke out last season, putting up career highs in goals (15), assists (38) and points (53), and those numbers earned him a two-year, $9.6 million contract in the offseason. But entering Thursday, DeAngelo had yet to score.

"Tony needs to be better,’’ Maloney said. "He has not been very good.’’

DeAngelo got himself into hot water with Quinn when he took a bad penalty in the third period of the season-opening, 4-0 loss to the Islanders, and the coach scratched him in the next two games.

It was suggested to Maloney that DeAngelo played his best hockey the last two years when partnered with veteran Marc Staal, who was traded to Detroit in a salary cap-clearing move last fall. Style-wise, Johnson and Smith are different players than Staal, Maloney said.

"The one thing about Marc Staal, he was pretty smart,’’ Maloney said. "He knew who he was as a player. And he played right to who he was. (He) was a solid, smart presence in his own end, rarely out of position.’’

Maloney said the closest facsimile to the 6-4, 209-pound Staal, in terms of style, would be the 6-5, 210-pound Miller. But Miller, for now, seems to be locked in with Trouba. So, Maloney said, it may be time to try the next man up. 1200772 New York Rangers “Everybody anticipated him hitting the ground running, and he did. He got better and better as the first few games moved forward. He had chances. He was snake-bitten and never let it rattle him. It just really talks to his mental toughness and his perseverance as a human being about why he ‘This guy’s a ballsy kid’: Alexis Lafrenière scores first NHL point, game — obviously, he’s got a lot of talent, but there’s so much more that goes winner into it than talent. And he’s got those characteristics. If anybody could handle these circumstances, it’s him.”

Someday, maybe he’ll be the Rangers’ next savior, the lucky charm who By Rick Carpiniello came out of the Rangers getting booted out of the play-in round last Jan 28, 2021 summer, in the form of a ping-pong ball for Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and his rebuild.

For now, Lafrenière will just be happy to be the hat-wearing savior of a Who knew that the old lottery ball would rescue the Rangers when they game the Rangers really needed to have, and maybe — we’ll see — of needed it most? Maybe it even saved their season. their season.

Alexis Lafrenière had gone without a point through his first six NHL Adversity reveals character, right? The Rangers were at a tipping point games and through the three regulation periods of his seventh. … and who knows where this goes, what this story is about, if it’s Buffalo scoring on Shesterkin rather than the teenager pulling their tails out of a So in overtime in Buffalo on Thursday night, riding a four-game losing raging fire? streak and stuck on a 1-4-1 record punctuated by the team’s worst performance/effort of the season two nights earlier, Rangers coach David But he did, and the Rangers responded just as Quinn had said, for two Quinn put the 19-year-old on the ice. days, he knew they would. It was their best game of the season and would have been if they had lost in OT, too. But they couldn’t afford to Also on the ice were K’Andre Miller, 21, like Lafrenière a first-rounder in lose now because they were rotten two nights earlier in losing a fourth his seventh NHL game, who had scored his first NHL goal Tuesday; consecutive one-goal game. I asked Quinn why he knew this would be Colin Blackwell, 27, a kid who has jumped off the taxi squad as a spark the response. plug, in his third game as a Ranger; and goalie Igor Shesterkin, 25 and still a rookie, who made his splash last season but probably needed a “Just the feel, you know, over the last 36 hours,” he said. “There’s been a win as much as his team did. lot of discussions, not only with the coaching staff. But these guys took hold of the situation. Our captains and our leadership group did a great Yeah, that was Quinn’s dice roll. Well, Shesterkin made a gigantic save job after that loss the other night and kind of took the responsibility of in OT and 14 in the third period. Blackwell swiped a puck from Jack making sure this didn’t happen again. You certainly felt it in the locker Eichel, Quinn’s former Boston University star, in the neutral zone and room before. You felt it during the first period that we weren’t going to made a perfect pass to Lafrenière, the first-overall pick in the draft. lose this game.” Lafrenière, so close so many times on this night and the previous six Most of the top players who played like the back end of a skunk on nights, didn’t miss. He hit the bull’s-eye inside the left post, past goalie Tuesday turned it around on Thursday. Ryan Strome, Artemi Panarin, Linus Ullmark, who was otherwise brilliant, for his first NHL point and an Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider. All of them. Strome had a goal and made indescribably important 3-2 victory. the play that led to a goal by Panarin, whom Quinn said had his best “Obviously, everybody talks about his world-class talent, but this guy’s a game of the year. Zibanejad shook off his worst game in two years and ballsy kid,” Quinn said. “He really is. I don’t care if he’s the first pick or the had chance after chance. Kreider was a force on a new third line, as 271st pick. He’s a ballsy kid. He’s a kid you want to be around. He’s had Lafrenière earned and took his spot. a lot of fun with the fact that he’s been snake-bit, and he probably should The Rangers defended, gave Buffalo nothing, really, for two periods. Out- have had four goals tonight. But for him to get his first goal under that Corsi’d the Sabres, out xGF’d them. They were fast and physical, mostly situation, under those circumstances, I couldn’t be happier for him smart. They won faceoffs. Everything they didn’t do, or didn’t do enough, because, you know, his game is coming. He’s playing better and better Tuesday. each night, and it’s just great to see. It really is.” “(It feels) pretty friggin’ good, I’ll tell you that,” Quinn said. “We needed Lafrenière wore the Broadway Hat, just the second time it’s been this. We needed this because, again, we had done a lot of good things. I awarded since last March, and he smiled a lot afterward. The piano was look at the standings and I see our point total regarding the rest of the off his back, and the timing couldn’t have been better. league, and I’m shaking my head. I know what we’re capable of doing. “I had a lot of good chances, and I was, you know, ‘Keep going!’ And it These players know what we’re capable of doing, and it was frustrating was going to go in, for sure,” Lafrenière said. “I kept going, kept grinding, because we felt we played some good hockey on this trip. To come out and a nice pass by (Blackwell), a really good play.” of this trip with three points, we felt like we played better. We felt like we maybe deserved a few more points. That being said, the way we Suddenly, all the dreams of a kid came true. You don’t picture your first responded under these circumstances says an awful lot about this group. goal being in the first period, maybe in a loss. No. You picture it as the There’s a lot of things you learn about your team as your season moves gamer. forward, and we learned an awful lot about our team over the last 24 “I was ready to go,” Lafrenière said about getting the OT call. “I thought I hours.” was playing a good game, so I was ready, and I took my chance and it Thoughts went in. So it was pretty fun. … It’s pretty crazy. Overtime. Game-winning goal. It was really special, and I’ll never forget this moment, for sure. 1. Shesterkin was frustrated by his season to date (0-2-1, .886 save percentage) and no doubt did some technical, as well as Zen, work with “I saw it go in and all the boys jumping on the ice. It was a pretty special goalie guru Benoit Allaire over the past several days. Let’s face it: The moment.” Rangers hadn’t gotten the type of goaltending to which they’d been The wait for this moment was long for a kid who projected to be the No. 1 accustomed for the last, oh, 15 years, from Shesterkin or Alexandar pick for a long time, then through a pandemic. Then through the first six- Georgiev. Neither was to blame, but neither stood out, either. A lot more plus games. is expected. The Rangers didn’t let Shesterkin have a lot of work (Buffalo had nine shots in the first 40 minutes), but he was tested early in the “I’ll tell you right now: If anybody is equipped to handle (the wait) — I game and then a lot more in the third period and OT. mean, think about it,” Quinn said. “He’s the projected No. 1 pick for a long, long time, and the draft’s in (his home province of) Montreal, and “I personally have a lot of work to do, and I’m ready to do that work to the whole thing blows up. The pandemic hits, he’s not able to experience bring the team to the next level,” Shesterkin said. “This was a very what most kids dream of experiencing. He shakes it off. He’s not important win for our team.” bothered by it. He comes to training camp. He makes it, obviously, 2. Strome wasn’t available for the three-on-three OT, in which Quinn had playing in the National Hockey League this year. already used Panarin and Zibanejad, then Pavel Buchnevich and Kreider. Strome dinged up his leg late in the third; he’s expected to be OK, the coach said. Next up: Lafrenière and … Blackwell? Huh? “You’ve got to let the eye test determine who plays hockey, not where uncovered by Brendan Smith. 2-2. Imagine. And you knew the last 15 they were drafted, not their résumé,” Quinn said. “We needed a win minutes were going to tell you a ton about the Rangers. tonight, and this kid deserves to be out there, and that’s why he was out there. He’s got seven points in his last seven NHL games. What happens 16. So, was it a case of “here we go again”? “No,” Quinn said. “I’m just sometimes is we get so caught up in where people are drafted and the thinking we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a really hype about people. But I don’t give two craps about that right now. We good game. I thought we really kept coming. We didn’t get fazed by the want to win hockey games, and he was the best option.” moment. They get a goal; they’ve got a hell of a power play, obviously, and they make a great play on their goal. You’ve just got to keep playing. “And,” he added, teeing up a line he’s used (on me) before, “how’d it You can’t let that deter you from continuing to move forward. I thought we work out?” shook it off, and we had some great chances on our power play after that.” 3. The Rangers opened the game with an icing at 00:09. I don’t know why — well, except that teams tend to go for the home run quickly, 17. Laf-Track: Miller set up Lafrenière for a close-range shot moments perhaps — but it had become a league-wide habit the past few years. I after Panarin’s goal. To start the third, Lafrenière was stopped by hadn’t seen one in a Rangers game that quickly this season, though. Ullmark, from Zibanejad and Buchnevich. After the Sabres tied it, he had two more in-close chances. You can just see that he does the right thing 4. Shesterkin made a big save on Victor Olofsson two minutes in, with with the puck almost every time. the Rangers’ third line and third D-pair on the ice. 18. Ullmark single-handedly killed a Buffalo delay-of-game penalty, with 5. Brendan Lemieux, going to the bench for an early change, for no the Rangers’ power play doing everything right — Zibanejad was stoned reason cross-checked Skinner in the back. Skinner may have on the best chance. I still think Kreider needs to be net front, but the embellished it, but still … penalty. The Rangers killed it. The thing is, the power play looked good all night. Rangers need Lemieux to be the good Lemieux so desperately — the one who hits, plays tough, draws penalties and plays with more passion than so many forwards. They need him to play on the line. I think they have to accept that he will cross it sometimes. The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021

6. Mid-first, with the line juggling already starting and the Rangers looking much better than they had two nights earlier, Buchnevich carried in and found Panarin down below the left circle. Panarin threatened a pass through the slot, and Strome buried a quick snap past Ullmark. 1-0. And it looked like Buchnevich was playing on every line. And why not?

7. Strome drew a penalty to Eichel. Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo manned the points, with Strome removed, and Buchnevich was on the left of the first unit. It didn’t score but looked much improved. Zibanejad had two pucks deflected just off his stick in the slot.

8. The Rangers killed off another Buffalo power play — or I should say Shesterkin killed it? And Miller was out there for much of it. But with 22 seconds left in the first, Eichel beat Miller to the net on the rush and tapped in a perfect pass from Sam Reinhart. 1-1. It looked like Shesterkin was caught between the pokecheck and the split. So the Rangers, who dominated the period — and their advanced stats have been mostly decent during this awful start — were nevertheless tied after one.

9. I know they all do, but man, Ullmark wears some gigantic equipment under his jersey. It’s gotten so absurd. He looks like he’s got a Hyundai parked under there. Hope my friends at MSG Network appreciate that I used a sponsor’s name there.

10. Panarin drew a penalty to Matt Irwin, then helped Zibanajed win the draw. On the power play, Zibanejad, for the third time in the game, was stick-checked attempting a one-timer in the slot. That’s where he sets up, and the Sabres sure seemed ready for that, and the Rangers seem to try to force the puck there. Meanwhile, Zibanejad had a nice, strong response to a very difficult game on Tuesday.

11. Adam Fox = monster.

12. Daily Bread: Past the midpoint of the second, Strome stole the puck out of midair and quickly turned it to Panarin for a deflection that Ullmark swallowed up. But during a four-on-four, Strome forced a bouncing puck toward the net and Panarin whipped it past Ullmark for his third of the season. (His previous two came in the only win to date.) 2-1. Panarin has points in 36 of the Rangers’ 39 wins since he signed.

13. By that point, Buffalo had just seven shots on goal for the game. Just before the Panarin goal, Ullmark came across the crease to rob DeAngelo on a setup by Jacob Trouba during a four-on-four.

14. Strome was assessed one of those new-age, ultra-softie slashing penalties, and the Rangers killed that to get to the third up a goal, having held Buffalo to nine shots on goal through 40 minutes. But being ahead by one in the third has happened before — this season — and not a lot of good has come of it.

15. The Sabres had the expected push early in the third (eight shots on goal in the first five minutes). Ryan Lindgren shoved Kyle Okposo into the end boards, a legit penalty, and he was jumped by Eakin. But our fine officials awarded Buffalo a power play. Of course, Eichel won the draw cleanly, and Taylor Hall found Reinhart backdoor at the left post, 1200773 Ottawa Senators should have been any expectation that the Senators and their makeshift defence could legitimately battle for a playoff spot.

It should have been about playing today to achieve a better tomorrow. Yet another change for the Senators in the hopes of finding new energy For what it’s worth, Smith and the Senators were in this position 15 following slow start months ago.

It’s difficult to remember because COVID-19 arrived and long-standing Ken Warren veterans Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mark Borowiecki, Craig Anderson and Bobby Ryan were either traded, allowed to leave for free agency or bought out, but Smith began his NHL coaching career by going 1-6-1.

Filip Chlapik looks to make a pass in the second period as the Ottawa On the road, the Senators were dominated at the outset of the 2019-20 Senators take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights in NHL action at the season. The only person that kept them close on their first extended road in Ottawa. trip was goaltender Anders Nilsson. He made 52 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and 41 stops in a 2-1 defeat to the When game eight of the season arrived for the Ottawa Senators late Dallas Stars. Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks, coach D.J. Smith delivered his eighth different line-up. Of course, it’s a different team now, and we’re in a different phase of the rebuild, but there are some striking similarities. That, in itself, is a sign of where the Senators are at, entering the contest on a six-game losing streak, including being spanked 7-1 and 5-1 by the If there is one significant difference from then to now, it’s that Nilsson’s Canucks in the two meetings earlier this week. goaltending kept them close in games where they were badly outplayed. His strong play also helped the Senators climb back to the .500 mark. Winning teams are reluctant to make changes and clearly Smith is After that, though, he suffered a concussion and the Senators slipped looking for something, anything, that can produce a spark. down the standings again. After the opening night victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Nilsson has been inactive ever since and he was ultimately traded to the Senators had lost six in a row. Including the road opening 6-3 defeat to Tampa Bay Lightning in the package that brought Braydon Coburn and the Winnipeg Jets, they had been outscored 18-5 on the current road trip. Paquette to Ottawa. In all seven previous games, the Senators had yielded at least three goals. Which brings us back to Murray and his shaky start to the season, including allowing all seven goals in Monday’s loss. The quickest and simplest way to turn the tide is for goaltender Matt Murray to raise his game, whether than means stealing a game or simply Before the puck dropped Thursday, the heat was on. The Senators not allowing ill-timed bad goals. desperately needed Murray to put some duct tape on the breakdowns in front of him. More on the importance of Murray in a bit, but there was some intrigue involved in the decision to insert 23-year-old Filip Chlapik into the lineup. “We need him to make the saves that he is supposed to make, but we’ve got to help him,” said Smith, doing his best to deflect away pressure from Derek Stepan, the 30-year-old centre who was acquired before the the goaltender who was signed to a four-year, $25 million deal before the season to provide insulation for the team’s younger players, has season started. “All he has got to do is his job. He’s a good goalie and he struggled through the first two weeks and was out for the first time knows what he’s doing. We’ve got to play better in front of him.” Thursday. Smith says “it’s a day to day thing, we expect (Stepan) back, hopefully next game.” Ottawa Sun LOADED: 01.29.2021 The arrival of Chlapik, on the heels of the return of 23-year-old centre Colin White in the previous game, is more along the lines of the rebuilding, youth movement that the organization has been selling for months upon months.

Before Wednesday’s 5-1 loss got away from the Senators in the second period, White had some early jump. So, too, did of 21-year- old Brady Tkachuk, 22-year-old Josh Norris and 22-year-old Drake Batherson. When you include 19-year-old Tim Stuetzle, six of the 12 forwards on the ice Thursday were 23 or under.

Without question, the addition of Chlapik gives the Senators more speed.

“Last year I thought he played some real good games for us,” Smith said of Chlapik, who started the game on a line with Cedric Paquette and Austin Watson. “He can get in on the forecheck, play the way we want to play and can track the puck.

He found a way to score goals during scrimmages and he has more offensive knack than people give him credit for. He can get to the net.”

And then this from Smith, which shows that he’s deeply frustrated by too many veterans not leading the way and that he’s becoming more inclined to give the prospects an opportunity.

“This situation is not the start we wanted, so to have a young guy that has some energy and a little pop to him and a fresh body in the locker room, I think it’s going to help us.”

There is only so much a fourth line winger can do, but why not see if Chlapik can develop into an NHL regular? It wasn’t long ago that Nick Paul was battling just to get his skate in the door and he has since become one of the few bright spots early on.

Judging by the outpouring on social media — as rough as the start has been, the organization should take some solace from the fact there is still a deep passion — fans would much rather see the kids get more on the job training, even if that means losing more than they win. There never 1200774 Ottawa Senators WHAT’S NEXT? There’s no rest for the battered and bruised Senators.

The clubs are right back at it yet again Thursday, with the Canucks in SENATORS AFTERTHOUGHTS: Strong start, but defensive zone position to sweep the Senators out of Vancouver by winning all three struggles continue games.

After Hogberg received the start in goal Wednesday, Murray will be back Ken Warren in goal Thursday. Murray has had a shaky start to his season, having allowed all seven goals in Monday’s 7-1 loss to Vancouver. He also sports an .862 save percentage.

Canucks 5, Senators 1 Braden Holtby will be in the Canucks net. He owns a 9-3-1 career record against the Senators, with a .931 save percentage and 2.06 goals WHY THEY LOST against average – all of that coming while playing with the Washington Same old, same old. Capitals.

There were more positives than there were in Monday’s 7-1 laugher to Ottawa Sun LOADED: 01.29.2021 Vancouver — Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko kept his sleepy team in the game early — but in the big picture, it was a similar storyline for the Senators.

Too many ill-timed errors and too much sloppy, scrambly play in the defensive zone. It’s on the defence, but it’s on the forwards, too.

During the decisive second period, the Canucks big guns were whipping the puck around with ease, both at even strength and on the power play, leaving goaltender Marcus Hogberg all alone.

Hogberg did have a rough start. Similar to Monday with Matt Murray, he coughed up a big rebound, leading directly to the game-opening goal.

After Josh Norris tied the game on a Senators power play, Demko was the key figure, stopping 22 first period shots.

When the team in front of him woke up in the second, the Senators didn’t have answers, repeatedly caught in poor positions as the Canucks took control.

There’s reason to question some of the officiating — a non-call on Mike Reilly that led to a 3-on-1 Canucks break and Vancouver’s second goal and a mild tap from Thomas Chabot that was ruled a slashing penalty — but the simple fact is the Senators are chasing and chasing in their own end far too often.

The silver linings? Some of the prospects, including Norris, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and Colin White — playing only his third game of the season after being a healthy scratch in the other four — delivered some energy.

Maybe that gives some hope for tomorrow.

As for today, it’s consecutive loss number six. In the past three defeats, they’ve been outscored 18-5.

THEY SAID IT

Senators centre Colin White: “We got a little loose in front of (our) net and the guys…I think we just have to pack five inside (our blueline) and have better sticks in the defensive zone. Defence leads to offence, always.”

Canucks coach Travis Green: “You’re not just going to play a great 60 minutes all the time, but we held in there and bent but didn’t break and we definitely responded in the last 60 minutes and I’m proud of our group for that.”

THE NUMBERS GAME

23: Senators shot count in the first period. Josh Norris, who scored on an early power play, had six shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. The Canucks had only seven first period shots.

20: Canucks shot count in the second period. The Senators had only seven second period shots.

7:35: Christian Wolanin’s ice time. The low total wasn’t about his performance. He suffered a lower \-body injury in the second period.

12-2: The aggregate score from the first two Canucks-Senators meetings.

17: Total shots from Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. Senators coach D.J. Smith shuffled his lines late in the game, but that trio was once again buzzing early. 1200775 Philadelphia Flyers a physical defenseman making his Flyers debut, hustled into the play and poked in a rebound after a Gustafsson shot.

“We won the draw back to Gus pretty clean, and I saw that he had a lot Flyers sweep Devils with 3-1 win, led by Carter Hart’s 33 saves, Michael of time and Jakub [Voracek] came out high,” said Prosser, 34, who Raffl’s key goal played his first NHL game in two seasons. “I kind of felt like I had some free rein to go down and see if there was any rebound that could possibly pop out, and it so happened that the puck did.” by Sam Carchidi, Prosser also played well on the penalty kill; it was his first game in 10 months, when he was a member of the AHL’s Phantoms.

“I just needed to get the first two shifts out of the way, then I found my There was no temper tantrum from goaltender Carter Hart. No broken way,” Prosser said. stick being heaved. No bad goals allowed. New Jersey, which had a 14-4 shots domination in the first, struck first Hart, rebounding from a forgettable game, stopped 33 of 34 shots when Damon Severson fired a right-circle shot off the left post and past Thursday night and Michael Raffl scored the go-ahead third-period goal Hart with 12:49 to go in the opening period. Gustafsson, who was as the Flyers outlasted New Jersey, 3-1, to complete a two-game sweep defending Severson, appeared to slightly deflect the shot, making it rise at the Prudential Center. as it whizzed past Hart. Raffl, a fourth-line winger, knocked in a rebound after Connor The game marked the second time New Jersey hosted the Flyers in Bunnaman’s shot kissed the left post to give the Flyers (5-2-1) a 2-1 lead consecutive regular-season games in the franchises’ history. The other with 17 minutes, 50 seconds left in regulation. Captain Claude Giroux’s time: April 13-16, 2006, when Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were Flyers first goal of the season, a redirect from Erik Gustafsson (two assists), rookies, Eric Desjardins and Joni Pitkanen were eating up minutes on the made it 3-1 with 13:34 remaining back end, and Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki were the goaltenders. “The first two periods were probably our worst, and he kept us in the Yeah, it had been a while. game,” Giroux said about Hart. “In the third, I think we played better, but he saved our game in the first and second.” Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021 The Flyers, who were outshot, 34-17, have 15 third-period goals, tops in the NHL.

Two nights earlier, with Brian Elliott in the nets, the Flyers defeated the Devils, 5-3.

During his young career, Hart has looked like Ken Dryden in his prime — at least in home games.

On the road, he has resembled Ken Wregget.

At home, Hart was especially brilliant last season (1.61 GAA, .943 save percentage), and his career numbers are impressive (2.31, .926) in 49 games at the Wells Fargo Center.

Heading into Thursday, his career road numbers (3.44, .885) were head- scratching, but not as bad as last year (3.81, .857).

With that as a background, Hart, who was coming off Saturday’s 6-1 loss in Boston, tried to restore some order to his road game before it started to spiral out of control.

He did just that.

The Flyers rarely tested New Jersey goalie Scott Wedgewood in the first two periods. They had little offensive-zone time and just eight shots in the first 40 minutes. They had only three shots from forwards in that span.

But Hart‘s solid goaltending and a goal from stay-at-home defenseman Nate Prosser, of all people, kept them in a 1-1 tie heading into the third period.

The third period was the Flyers’ strongest, and it was keyed by the fourth line — Bunnaman, who won nine of 10 faceoffs, centering Raffl and Nic Aube-Kubel.

“At the end of the day, I thought we played one period where we played with energy and the way you’re supposed to play,” said coach Alain Vigneault, who wasn’t happy with his top two lines in the first 40 minutes. “The guys that set the tone was Bunnaman’s line. They played hard, they played the right way, and they were in position. They made things happen out there.”

Hart was coming off Saturday’s five-goal loss in Boston, a game in which he whacked his stick against his net several times, splintered it, and heaved it across the ice when the final horn sounded.

He bounced back Thursday.

“When you face the puck early, it definitely helps you get into the game,” said Hart, who made 13 first-period stops, including a wraparound by the elusive Jack Hughes, the shifty forward who seemed to be in the middle of several early scoring chances.

Prosser’s first goal since 2018 — and just the 11th of his 10-year career — knotted the score at 1-1 with 10:37 left in the opening period. Prosser, 1200776 Philadelphia Flyers three, the teams will meet Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. They will also play there on Sunday night.

The Flyers’ offense was shut down in last year’s playoff series, managing Veteran defenseman Nate Prosser makes impressive Flyers debut in 3-1 just 16 goals in seven games against New York – and only three goals, win over Devils total, in the four losses.

Breakaways by Sam Carchidi, Entering the night, James van Riemsdyk and Travis Konecny were tied for third in the NHL with five goals apiece. Van Riemsdyk was tied with Toronto’s John Tavares for the most power-play goals in the league. … New Jersey’s Lindy Ruff became the seventh coach in NHL history to For the first time in two seasons, veteran Nate Prosser was in an NHL coach his 1,500th game Thursday. Vigneault (1,292) is 15th on the list. lineup Thursday in New Jersey – and in his Flyers debut, he made a good first impression by scoring just the 11th goal of his 10-year career Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021 and contributing solid defensive work.

The stay-at-home defenseman was paired with Erik Gustafsson (two assists), who was a healthy scratch the previous game. Prosser, signed as a free agent on July 1, 2019, seemed to have a calming effect on the defense.

In addition to his goal in Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Devils, Prosser blocked three shots in 13 minutes, 12 seconds of ice time and excelled during his four minutes on the penalty kill.

“The minutes he played were hard minutes and he played physical,” coach Alain Vigneault said.

A beaming Nate Prosser shows off the puck that was used for his first goal with the #Flyers. Photo: Zack Hill. pic.twitter.com/MFPon9KJEb

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) January 29, 2021

Prosser said he felt comfortable because he played for Mike Yeo when he was Minnesota’s head coach. Yeo is now a Flyers assistant who coaches the defense and penalty kill.

Michael Raffl, who scored the game-winner Thursday, said the amiable Prosser is “an absolute legend in the locker room.” Claude Giroux called him The Processor and a “team guy,” and said he’s a “very smart hockey player and always in good position.”

As for playing for the first time in 10 months, when he was with the Phantoms, Prosser said, “it was “unreal” to be back on the ice. Words can’t begin to describe it. I never gave up hope.”

Before the game, Vigneault said he liked the experience the 6-foot-2, 201-pound Prosser brought to the lineup and that he “deserves an opportunity to play.”

Robert Hagg and rookie Mark Friedman came out of the lineup.

Vigneault said Hagg was “average” and hadn’t won enough one-on-one puck battles in the last couple games, and that he needed Friedman to show “more bite and urgency” in his game.

Prosser, 34, entered the night having played 354 NHL games – 353 with Minnesota, one with St. Louis – and collecting 47 points and an “even” rating. Prosser spent last season with the AHL’s Phantoms and had 10 points and a minus-4 rating in 59 games.

Brent Flahr, a Flyers assistant general manager, was also in Minnesota’s front office when Prosser was with the Wild.

“He’s a solid defender, kind of a scrappy guy and the details of his game are good,” Flahr said. “He’s a real character guy who comes to play and comes to battle.”

In Minnesota, Prosser was usually the sixth or seventh defenseman. “A lot of times, he was the seventh guy and he’d sit in the press box 10 games in a row and then would come into a big game and play well – and that’s not easy to do,” Flahr said.

Injury updates

Defenseman Phil Myers (rib) skated Thursday without any ill effects, and Vigneault wasn’t sure if he would be ready to play Saturday against the Islanders. The coach estimated that center Sean Couturier (rib) was “a couple weeks away” from playing.

Up next: Isles

For the first time since the Flyers were defeated by the New York Islanders in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals, four games to 1200777 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers, James van Riemsdyk look to exploit Devils’ penalty kill again

by Sam Carchidi,

The Flyers and New Jersey Devils are tied for 29th in the NHL on the penalty kill with an awful 65.2% success rate.

Unlike the Devils, however, the Flyers have counteracted their weak penalty kill by putting together an outstanding power play over the first seven games. They exploited the Devils’ penalty kill Tuesday and will try to do it again in a rematch Thursday in Newark.

Flyers goalie Carter Hart: From smashing sticks to Smashing Pumpkins

The Flyers went 2 for 5 on the power play Tuesday, with both goals scored by James van Riemsdyk in a 5-3 win.

Van Riemsdyk is tied with Toronto’s John Tavares for the most power- play goals in the NHL (four).

Both of van Riemsdyk’s power-play tallies Tuesday were scored on deft tip-ins of drives by Ivan Provorov.

“Anybody who wants to go to the front of the net knows that he’s going to take some abuse,” coach Alain Vigneault said after that victory. “But in those situations where he did go in there, positioning in front of the net, screening the goaltender, his stick available the way it was, and him having that eye-hand coordination to get those tips, those are big plays.”

The Flyers are ninth in the NHL on the power play, clicking at 29.2%. New Jersey is 24th (14.3%).

Goalie matchup

Carter Hart (2-2-1, 4.18 GAA, .880 save percentage), who has just four wins in his last 17 road contests over the last two seasons, will again face Scott Wedgewood (1-2, 2.70, .914).

Hart, 22, is trying to bounce back from a shelling Saturday in Boston.

Prosser in lineup

Nate Prosser, a stay-at-home defenseman, is expected to replace Mark Friedman in the Flyers’ lineup Thursday. Vigneault has been critical of Friedman’s play.

Signed as a free agent in 2019, Prosser, 34, has played in 354 career NHL games and has 47 points and an “even” rating. He has played most of his career with the Minnesota Wild.

In 59 games with the AHL’s Phantoms last season, Prosser had 10 points and a minus-4 rating.

Ruff’s milestone

New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff will become the seventh head coach in NHL history to coach 1,500 games Thursday, joining active coaches Joel Quenneville (1,708), Barry Trotz (1,680), and Paul Maurice (1,607) and former coaches Scotty Bowman (2,141), (1,607), and Ken Hitchcock (1,598).

Vigneault (1,292) is 15th on the list.

Breakaways

Travis Konecny and van Riemsdyk are tied for third in the league with five goals apiece. … Konecny is tied with Jake Voracek (seven assists, fifth in NHL) and Kevin Hayes for the team scoring lead with eight points each. Hayes is tied for fifth in the NHL with seven even-strength points. ... The Devils will get left winger Jesper Bratt (16 goals in 60 games last season) back in the lineup Thursday. He is off the COVID-19 protocol list. ... Konecny has scored on 38.5% of his shots. ... Ivan Provorov, getting more ice time with Phil Myers injured, is eighth in the NHL, averaging 25:37 per game. Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang is No. 1 at 27:34.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200778 Philadelphia Flyers the same time, you’re getting ready for games. That’s not much of a difference.

“We’re pretty lucky in our division that we’re not on the road for extended Why are the Flyers commuting to New Jersey and what do the players periods of time,” he continued. “We come into a city and leave right think? | On the Fly away.”

Normally, professional teams arrive in opposing cities the night before a Hopefully, with two more points. game. The Flyers have opted to go up to Newark, N.J. on the mornings Carter Hart went 0-1-1 in the Flyers' first two road games this season. of their two games this week, a move the players adore. He'll look to get his first win away from the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night in New Jersey.

Ed Barkowitz Around the division

Top four qualify for playoffs.

So here’s the Flyers’ approximate itinerary for Thursday. 1. Washington (4-0-3, 11 points): Already without captain Ovechkin and three other key players because of a COVID-19 protocol violation, 10:30 a.m.: Bus departs from Voorhees, N.J. to Newark for the second Nicklas Backstrom and Lars Eller were injured Tuesday and Tom Wilson game this week at the New Jersey Devils. sat out. Next: vs. Islanders, Thursday, 7 p.m.

11:15 a.m.: Guy with New York tags cuts the bus off somewhere around 2. Boston (4-1-1, 9 points): Brad Marchand lit up the Capitals for their Exit 10 on the turnpike. Everybody extends a finger, and it’s not a COVID-19 carelessness. The teams will play on Saturday. Ovechkin and thumbs-up. the others could be back. That’s juicy. Next: vs. Penguins, Thursday, 7 p.m. 12 p.m.: Arrive at the team hotel in Newark. Disperse for some meetings, figure a way to get better 5-on-5, grab some grub, sneak in a nap. 3. Flyers (4-2-1, 9 points): It’s early, but Ivan Provorov’s average of 25 minutes, 37 seconds is a career high and a clear indication of how thin 7 p.m.: Drop the puck against the Devils. the Flyers are on defense. Next: at Devils, Thursday, 7 p.m. 9:30 p.m.: Hope Carter Hart hasn’t disintegrated another stick. 4. Pittsburgh (4-2-1, 9 points): Two-time Cup-winning GM Jim Rutherford 11:45 p.m.: Arrive back in Voorhees. stunned the Penguins with his abrupt retirement Wednesday. Next: at Bruins, Thursday, 7 p.m. You’re signed up to get this newsletter Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Flyers season. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s 5. New Jersey (3-2-1, 7 points): Coach Lindy Ruff was griping after his free to sign up here. We want to know what you think, what we should team had zero power plays in the game’s final 57 minutes Tuesday add, and what you want to read, so send feedback by email or on Twitter against the Flyers. He had a point. Next: vs. Flyers, Thursday, 7 p.m. (@EdBarkowitz or @BroadStBull). Thanks for reading. 6. Buffalo (3-3-1, 7 points): Goaltender hasn’t played since — Ed Barkowitz ([email protected]) suffering what appeared to be a head injury in a loss to the Flyers on Jan. 19. He initially stayed in the game after Provorov crashed into Flyers find home sweet home even during this week’s road trips Hutton after a heavy (and dangerous) push by Buffalo defenseman Brandon Montour. Next: vs. Rangers, Thursday, 7 p.m. One of the benefits to the Flyers schedule this season is the travel isn’t nearly as grinding. Sure, they don’t stay in the same hotels as you and I 7. N.Y. Islanders (3-3-0, 6 points): The Isles have 11 goals in six games or sit in the row in front of a rambunctious toddler on a cramped airplane. and might not have second-line left winger Anthony Beauvillier (lower- But being on the road can be a drag. body injury) for this weekend’s doubleheader in Philly. Next: at Capitals, Thursday, 7 p.m. For their two-game trip to New Jersey this week, they are busing up the morning of the game, coming home right after it. They did this a few 8. N.Y. Rangers (1-4-1, 3 points): In six games, 2020 No. 1 overall pick times last season, but not to this extent. Usually, pro teams arrive in Alexis Lafreniere has zero points and is minus-3. He’s been dropped to opposing cities the night before a game. Jake Voracek said the schedule the third line. Next: at Sabres, Thursday, 7 p.m. reminds him of his days in juniors. Coming schedule The primary benefit is the most obvious. It allows players to sleep in their own beds. Thursday: Flyers at New Jersey, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

“I think that’s huge,” said goaltender Carter Hart, who will start for the first Saturday: N.Y. Islanders at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP) time since losing, 6-1, to the Bruins on Saturday. “The first couple of Sunday: N.Y. Islanders at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP) nights on the road in Boston, it was tough getting a good sleep in the hotel bed when [you’ve been sleeping only in your own bed for a long Wednesday: Boston at Flyers, 8 p.m. (NBCSN) time.] The more time we can be at home, and in our own facility, I think will definitely help us.” Friday, Feb. 5: Boston at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

The NHL’s return-to-play rules specifically state that players can be in From the mailbag only their hotel rooms while on the road, and that they are not allowed to “If [Shayne Gostisbehere] finds success on the right side (either have guests in those rooms, including (and especially) teammates. The w/Provorov or Sanheim) it’ll be interesting. There wasn’t really an Washington Capitals violated this rule and lost three players for four opportunity for him to play that side last year w/Niskanen, Myers and games (including Alex Ovechkin) when a fourth player (Ilya Samsonov) Braun here. Niskanen leaving opened a door for him. Hope he runs tested positive for the coronavirus. through it.” — Jared (@JBPhi) via Twitter “Instead of staying there [overnight in Newark] and basically not being Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 01.29.2021 able to do anything, guys are able to sleep in their own beds, practice in their facility,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “It’s the best way to do things, especially in these COVID times right now.”

If there’s one drawback, it’s that team unity will take a hit. So will the local restaurants and bars.

“It’s definitely a change,” Scott Laughton said. “Some of my favorite times are being on the road and going out to dinner with the guys. I think the guys have managed to stay busy. The hotels do a great job for us. We have team lounges to play cards and all that. You try to stay busy, but at 1200779 Philadelphia Flyers But we were also part of those first two periods and ‘Hartsy’ bailed us out.’’

Defenseman Nate Prosser, playing in his first game as Flyer, scored on Another strong third period propels Flyers to two-game sweep of Devils his first shot in a Philadelphia uniform in the first period.

On the play, Hayes won a faceoff and drew back to Gustafsson, who shot on net. Prosser raced in and pushed in the rebound of Scott Wayne Fishflyingfishhockey.com Wedegwood’s stop at 9:23 to tie the score at 1-1.

Prosser was asked if it was difficult getting back into action after not having played a game since last March. It’s not how you start in many NHL games – it’s how you finish. “You know, it’s hockey at the end of the day,’’ the Minnesota native said. The Flyers gave a clinic on this contention in their two-game series with “I’ve been playing it for 32 years of my life. I just needed to get in the flow the New Jersey Devils. of it, get the first few shifts out of the way and I kind of found my way.’’ After scoring three times in the third period to win Tuesday night’s game Hart was impressed how well Prosser fit into the game plan after sitting at the Prudential Center, the Flyers came up with two more in the last 20 out for so long. minutes on Thursday night for a 3-1 victory to complete a sweep of the two-game set. “For him not playing a game that long ... to be out there and to not look out of rhythm at all, he was solid, calm, poised with the puck,’’ Hart said. The Flyers' Shayne Gostisbehere, left. controls the puck as the Devils' “A lot of big blocks (such as) that one in the third period and then to score Pavel Zacha closes in Thursday. a goal – we’re all so happy.’’ The Flyers lead the league with 15 third-period goals. New Jersey took an early lead on a goal by Damon Severson at 7:11. That late rally was needed by the Flyers because they weren’t very good During a rare double line change, Severson found himself open in the in the first two periods, getting outshot, 24-8, and badly outchanced. right circle. His shot from the faceoff dot beat Hart far side just inside the post. Michael Raffl and Claude Giroux scored goals in the final frame as the Flyers (5-2-1) completed their four-game stretch away from home with a Short shots 2-1-1 mark. The Flyers return home to face the New York Islanders in a two-game Goaltender Carter Hart, who entered the game with an unbecoming 4.18 back-to-back set beginning Saturday. ... Thursday’s win was the Flyers’ goals-against average, bounced back with perhaps his best game of the fourth straight at the Devils’ home rink. The only other time they won four season. in a row in N.J. was Dec. 10, 1983, to Oct. 27, 1984.

Hart, who was frustrated in a 6-1 loss at Boston on Saturday night, Burlington County Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 returned to form to stop 33 of 34 New Jersey shots.

Coach Alain Vigneault said it was a good thing Hart was on his game because the rest of his team certainly wasn’t in the first two periods.

“They say never critique a win,’’ Vigneault said during a post-game media Zoom call. “I think a couple guys’ performances in the first two periods were very disappointing.’’

Vigneault was referring to the top two lines centered by Kevin Hayes and Nolan Patrick.

“Carter Hart and our ‘D’ battled hard tonight,’’ Vigneault said. “I liked Scott Laughton’s and (Connor) Bunnaman’s lines tonight.

“(Hart) played extremely well tonight. For a couple periods there we had a couple lines that weren’t effective. When we had some breakdowns in the first two periods, Carter was a big part of us getting this win tonight.’’

Hart downplayed the notion he had something to prove after the debacle in Boston, which ended with him trashing his stick over the crossbar of his net.

“It’s just another game – you prepare the same,’’ Hart said. “But definitely it feels good to come back. Tonight we had a great third period to put us ahead there.’’

The Flyers took a 3-1 lead at 6:26 when Giroux scored his first goal of the season by tipping in an Erik Gustafsson shot.

Giroux acknowledged Hart’s stellar performance.

“Our first two periods weren’t our best – probably our worst,’’ Giroux said. “(Hart) kept us in the game. In the third I think we played better. He saved us in the first and second."

Raffl’s goal at 2:10 broke a 1-1 tie. Raffl was situated right in front of the net when Bunnaman’s shot clicked off the left post and slid along the goal line. Raffl tapped the puck the final foot for his second goal of the season.

Like Hart, the Bunnaman-Raffl-Aube-Kubel line played a prominent role in the win. Vigneault had the unit out for the puck drop in the third period and the line took three shifts by the fourth minute.

That’s showing a lot of trust.

“It gives you a boost, for sure,’’ Raffl said. “You try to go in and take the game over. At least be stronger on the forecheck, be harder on pucks. 1200780 Philadelphia Flyers the playoffs, managed to play 22 rather competent minutes on the top defensive pair with Provorov.

"Ghost is a smart player, he reads the game well, moves the puck well," Flyers' Carter Hart ready to rock in Jersey Provorov said. "I think yesterday was kind of easy to play. I felt like it was the same way we played (together) two years ago."

That's before Gostisbehere's performances dropped off, and he dropped By Rob Parent from the first pair and first power play. After that, two knee procedures knocked him for a loop and he did fill-in work last season.

But before the COVID bout he had looked healthy and strong at the start Despite all his rage after a 6-1 defeat in Boston last Saturday, grunge of the team's brief training camp. That was huge for the Flyers as they goaltender Carter Hart will be back in the cage Thursday night in grungy were trying to find a viable replacement for Provorov's ex, the retired Matt as the Flyers try to make it two wins in a row over the Niskanen. Devils. "I thought there was a chance we might play together," Provorov said of Hart, who thus far has been a little off key in the crease, is hoping his Gostisbehere. "We did well (together) in those scrimmages and head is in the right place for a worthy encore to a forgettable night in TD practices. I think if Ghost didn't get sick we would have played together Garden. Dubiously allowed to stay in net for the entire game, he allowed from the first game. all six Bruins goals, the most he's given up in a game since Dec. 28, 2019 in San Jose, when head coach Alain Vigneault also kept him in for "He's always ready. He's hungry. He wants to help the team." the distance. • • • Safe to say Hart rebounded pretty well from that, but perhaps it's a little more worrisome now since he'd allowed four goals in only 28 minutes NOTES >> Jake Voracek on old partner Claude Giroux surpassing Bob against Buffalo just five nights previous to the Boston tee-it-up party. Clarke's mark for most games as a captain (now 611 and counting): "That means he's really old. I told him that yesterday before the game." ... Getting into the spirit of that night, Hart ended the Garden concert in the Phil Myers (fractured rib) practiced yesterday and might be getting close style of retro guitar hero Pete Townshend, smashing his goalie stick to returning. several times against the post and crossbar behind him after the final Boston buzzer. Delaware County Times LOADED: 01.29.2021

Don't think he hasn't talked - or had to listen to yuks and talk - about that scene all week.

"I had to re-tape a couple of new sticks for the game yesterday (a 5-3 Flyers win over the Devils behind backup goalie Brian Elliott), because my game stick obviously was in six pieces," Hart said. "The boys were giving it to me. All in good fun. That's what's so fun about our group, we can always poke fun at each other and share a couple of laughs."

For more serious settling, Hart, a believer in sports psychology, went retro earlier this week in seeking consolation and consultation amid a season start that has him at a 4.18 goals-against average and unsightly .880 saves percentage after five games.

"I lean on my parents the most," said Hart, who in addition to phoning home also phoned his old goalie coach in his native Alberta, Dustin Schwartz. "After the game in Boston, I called my folks and had a good chat with them. ... I'm lucky I have a good support system of people, mainly my family. They've been there for everything for me. They're the people I trust the most."

But it wasn't just a home cookin' conversation that helped prepare Hart to get back in the crease. He had to search within, too.

"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage..."

"The last couple of days in practice I've been having fun with the boys, just competing and working hard, and too, it's important to get away from the game (mentally)," Hart said. "So I've started picking up the guitar a little bit more again, and playing that. That's the most important thing, to find ways to get away from the game so that you can be more present in where you're at. I feel like the last couple of days have been really good."

Hart hasn't spent them just strumming along, either. He's tossed out old chords and is working aggressively on something new...

"I was trying to learn the other night, 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings' by the Smashing Pumpkins," '90s Guitar Hero Carter Hart said. Maybe the song's best lyric above was merely coincidental.

"He'll do great," Ivan Provorov said of Hart. "He's a great goalie, and every once in a while it happens, a few goals go in that you think you could have stopped. But overall we played the last game better than we did in Boston and tomorrow we're going to try to have an even better game than we did the last game."

• • •

The Flyers were much better defensively against the Devils Tuesday and maybe it wasn't a coincidence that it was the season debut for Shayne Gostisbehere, who came off the COVID list and with rust dating back to 1200781 Philadelphia Flyers On the injury front, Flyers defenseman Phillippe Myers (fractured rib) hasn’t been ruled out of playing this weekend.

“I do know that he skated today, and skated well,” Vigneault said. “Felt Prosser processes career rebirth in Flyers' uniform good on the ice. … We’ll have a better idea in the next 24 hours.”

Centerman Sean Couturier (rib cartilage tear) also is skating and doing his rehab per Vigneault but might still be a couple of weeks away from By Bob Grotz returning.

Delaware County Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 Nate Prosser hadn’t played an NHL game in two years, hadn't scored a big-league goal in four years and had his fingers crossed that those streaks would end this year.

Activated Thursday from the taxi squad, the 34-year-old Prosser made the most of his pent-up frustration, netting the Flyers’ first goal and blocking three shots in 13 minutes to spark the club to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils and a sweep of the two-game series.

Dubbed “The Processor” by teammate Claude Giroux, who scored his first goal of the season. Prosser became the oldest Flyer to net a goal since 38-year-old in a March 28, 2016 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

“It was unreal,” Prosser said. “Words can’t really describe it. I never gave up hope over the last few years. Not playing a game until tonight was kind of an eye-opening experience for me, almost. My game is keeping it simple and smart, and I think I did a good job of it.”

After the Flyers' offense was almost dormant for the first two periods, Michael Raffl tallied the game-winning goal early in the third. Goalie Carter Hart shrugged off a rocky start to get the win. Though Hart stopped 33 shots, his teammates helped immensely by taking care of the rebounds.

Hart wasn’t crazy about giving up a goal to Damon Severson seven minutes into the first period, blaming himself for not tracking it. But like his teammates, Harts was inspired by Prosser, “a legend in the locker room” according to teammates.

“He was unbelievable for us tonight,” Hart said. “For him not playing a game in that long and to be out there and not look out of rhythm at all, like he was solid, calm, a lot of big blocks in that third period. And then to score a goal, we’re all so happy for him.”

Prosser smacked a far-post rebound into the net for his 11th career goal in his 354th game, the latter of which appealed to coach Alain Vigneault, who paired him with Erik Gustafsson and scratched defensemen Robert Hagg and Mark Friedman. Gustafsson contributed two assists.

Vigneault said he wasn’t happy with the play of his first two lines but appreciated the work of the third line with Connor Bunnaman, who also was activated from the taxi squad.

Raffl shoveled in the go-ahead goal 2:10 into the final frame, the Flyers having been outshot, 24-13, at that point.

“It was two awful periods,” Raffl said. “But another win here in Jersey, which is big.”

Vigneault said he was disappointed in Hagg, who wasn’t giving the Flyers enough of a spark. Hagg, 25, is a minus-1 in seven games this season. He has no points, has taken five shots and averaged 16.25 minutes.

“I think Haggs has been average the last couple of games,” Vigneault said. “And I talked with Haggs yesterday about his game. I believe he can be a much more effective defenseman in killing plays and winning more one-on-one battles and making the right decision with the puck. I’ve talked to him about making the higher percentage plays. He’s a good player, he’s a good defenseman for us.”

Vigneault had a gut feeling it was time to roll with Prosser.

“I liked Prosser since the beginning of training camp,” Vigneault said. “He’s an experienced player, a veteran player who’s played quite a few NHL games and 25 playoff games. So, he brings experience.

“He played well. the minutes that he played were hard minutes. He played physical. Got us a goal off an offensive zone faceoff. He was there at the right time, and it paid off.”

• • • 1200782 Philadelphia Flyers DOUBLE THAT LEAD. Giroux gets on board and the Flyers are up a pair in the third!

pic.twitter.com/83tCricU29— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) Bring the kid's bed everywhere — Hart bounces back in big way for January 29, 2021 Flyers • The fourth line of Raffl, Connor Bunnaman and Nicolas Aube-Kubel was huge by setting the tone in the final frame. That group produced the game-winner 2:10 into the third period. BY JORDAN HALL RAFFL GETTIN' GREASY. FLYERS UP 2-1. pic.twitter.com/pfHkGcjyVp— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2021 The Flyers might want to find a way to ship Carter Hart's bed wherever and whenever they stay on the road this season. • The Flyers have been outshot in seven of their eight games, with five of them by double-digit margins. The 22-year-old goalie wasn't the biggest fan of his slumber in the team's Boston hotel last week when the Flyers had a two-game trip to forget In no disrespect to Prosser, if the Flyers were told that through two against the Bruins. Hart must've enjoyed sleeping in his own bed before periods Thursday Prosser would be their only goal scorer and they'd taking on the Devils at the Prudential Center as he was dialed in to lift the have eight shots, they wouldn't have loved their chances. Flyers to a 3-1 win Thursday night. The Flyers haven't come close to playing a complete game yet. The Flyers were far from perfect and often outplayed by New Jersey, but they'll worry about that later. Hart returned to form and the team earned a • Vigneault said pregame that Philippe Myers (fractured rib) skated again sweep of its two-game road set against the Devils. Thursday and "felt good." Vigneault will meet with Myers and Flyers director of sports medicine Jim McCrossin on Friday to further evaluate Despite the Flyers coming off a 5-3 victory from Tuesday, head coach the 24-year-old defenseman's status for this weekend's back-to-back set Alain Vigneault made a pair of changes on the back end. He ended up (more on Myers here). pressing the right buttons by inserting Erik Gustafsson and Nate Prosser into the lineup. Vigneault estimated that Sean Couturier, who is recovering from a costochondral separation suffered on Jan. 15, is "still a couple of weeks The Flyers (5-2-1) got a pair of third-period goals from Michael Raffl and away" from returning (more on Couturier here). Claude Giroux after the Devils (3-3-1) had outshot them 24-8 over the first two stanzas. • The Flyers this weekend meet the Islanders for the first time since their second-round Game 7 loss to New York in the 2020 Stanley Cup • Hart hadn't played since last Saturday. He was coming off a stretch in Playoffs. which he had allowed four or more goals in three consecutive starts for the first time in his career. He allowed seven third-period goals over two The Islanders visit the Wells Fargo Center for games on Saturday (7 p.m. games in Boston. ET/NBCSP) and Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). New York beat the Flyers nine out of 12 times in 2019-20, including the preseason, regular season He was happy the Flyers traveled to Newark, New Jersey, the day of for and postseason. In all 12 games, the Islanders scored three or more both games against the Devils. goals.

"It's nice that we're only a short bus ride away to Jersey, we get to sleep Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 in our own beds — I think that's huge," Hart said Wednesday. "I know the first couple of nights on the road there in Boston, it's tough getting a good sleep in the hotel bed when you haven't slept in a bed that hasn't been your own for a long time."

Entering Thursday, Hart's shots against per 60 minutes (34.8) was second highest in the NHL among goaltenders with five or more games played. He converted 33 saves on 34 shots against the Devils.

������ ���� ������������ ����� pic.twitter.com/tOCN2nMa0E— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2021

New Jersey's No. 1 goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was out again because of COVID protocol. Scott Wedgewood, who has only 25 career starts, had to make only 14 stops.

• To no surprise, Prosser drew into the lineup for his first NHL game in over two years and scored the Flyers' first goal.

OK, just kidding. Both of those storylines weren't expected.

The 34-year-old defenseman scored his first NHL goal since April 5, 2018, to draw the Flyers even at 1-1 during the opening frame. Give a ton of credit to Prosser, who had a real solid game, was steady and played four minutes on the penalty kill.

Nate Prosser is BACK.

Tied up! pic.twitter.com/NIhJ6qvqgD— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2021

"It was unreal. Words can't really describe it. I never gave up hope."

- Nate Prosser, a 34-year-old veteran, on playing his first NHL game in over two years and scoring a goal

( by Flyers PR guru Zack Hill) pic.twitter.com/S0es1utzGk— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) January 29, 2021

Gustafsson has times in which he will struggle defensively but he can really impact games with his legs and passing ability. He delivered two assists in his return to the lineup following Tuesday's healthy scratch. His second helper was an excellent primary feed on Giroux's 3-1 goal. 1200783 Philadelphia Flyers

Simmonds does something he hasn't done since 2017 with Flyers

BY JORDAN HALL

Wayne Simmonds is off to a nice start with the Maple Leafs.

The beloved former Flyer has scored a goal in three straight games for Toronto, which is 7-2-0 with an NHL-best 14 points entering Saturday.

The last time Simmonds had scored a goal in three consecutive games was with the Flyers in December 2017.

Simmonds scored his third marker of the 2020-21 season in the third period of the Maple Leafs' 4-3 win Thursday night over the Oilers.

Textbook tip #LeafsForever | #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/pRatPbpZSH— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 29, 2021

Signing with the Maple Leafs this offseason has made for a homecoming for the 32-year-old Simmonds, who is a native of Scarborough, Ontario.

Simmonds scored 203 goals in parts of eight seasons with the Flyers and became a fan favorite for personifying the city's blue-collar work ethic.

"He’s a hell of a guy," Sean Couturier said in October 2019. "He’s a great teammate, great hockey player, but even better person. For me, coming in as a young guy in the league, kind of looking up to him and some other guys — he was the perfect example to look up to.

"He was a straight shooter, straightforward guy. He’d let you know what he thought. There was no bulls--t around him, he was kind of one of those old-school guys that would let you know when you screw up, but he’d be the first one to tap you on your back afterward. He’s really good for young players. I think he’s one of those old-school guys that you can look up to and take a lot from.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200784 Pittsburgh Penguins An unlikely source scored the Penguins’ first goal at 15:03 of the first. Settling a loose puck at the right point, defenseman Cody Ceci dragged it to the high slot, used Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller as a screen and snapped a wrister past the blocker of goaltender Jaroslav Halak. It was Empty Thoughts: Bruins 4, Penguins 1 Ceci’s first score of the season and first as a member of the Penguins. Forwards Bryan Rust and Teddy Blueger had assists.

Boston reclaimed a 2-1 lead late in the first at the 18:53 mark. Settling a SETH RORABAUGH | Friday, January 29, 2021 3:27 a.m. clearing attempt at the Penguins’ left point, Bruins forward Anders Bjork deked past stickless Penguins forward Brandon Tanev, moved into the left circle and saucered a pass attempt off the backside of a kneeling Observations from the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Bruins: Blueger and towards the cage. Above the crease, Bruins forward Sean Kuraly shoved Czuczman to the ice to establish position, only to have the Evgeni Malkin doesn’t enjoy speaking to the media in any language, puck glance off his left ankle and bounce past Jarry’s right skate. Kuraly particularly a second one. was credited with his first goal while Bjork had the lone assist. He’s a relatively introverted person and having to explain why the power It became a 3-1 game at 8:13 of the second period. Chasing down a play stinks in words that don’t always come naturally to him is low on his loose puck in the Penguins’ left corner, Grzelcyk whipped a pass to the list of favorite activities. slot. Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron fumbled the puck for a moment As a result, he limits how often he shares his thoughts, at least publicly. while battling Penguins defenseman Kris Letang but regained it and tucked a backhander beyond Jarry’s right skate for his fourth goal. (To be clear, his English is remarkably better than the average Pittsburgh Assists went to Grzelcyk and forward Charlie Coyle. sports writer’s Russian.) A power-play goal at 1:40 into the third put the Bruins up by three goals. But on the occasions he does, they are often remarkably introspective, After a defensive zone turnover by Ceci on his own end boards, profound and frank. Bergeron banked a pass from behind the cage off the right wing boards His comments after Thursday’s game were one of those occasions. to forward Brad Marchand at the right point. Marchand then fed the puck to the center point for defenseman Charlie McAvoy who, in turn, dealt it Having been limited to three points (one goal, two assists) in eight to forward David Krejci on the left half wall. Krejci backhanded the puck games, Malkin called himself out for not doing enough to help his back to McAvoy at center point. The puck was then slid to the right circle sputtering team. for Marchand who one-touched a pass towards the inside of the circle for Bergeron. With his stick cocked, Bergeron whipped a one-timer over “I understand I (am) not playing great right now,” Malkin said via video Jarry’s glove hand on the near side. Marchand and McAvoy collected conference. “It’s a different season. A short training camp, no preseason assists. games. It’s a little bit different for sure. But I need to look at myself (in) the mirror. I need to find my body, I need to find myself. I have to help the Statistically speaking team for sure. I understand that. I’m not happy with my game for sure right now. It’s just come to the rink every day and work and fight light • The Bruins led in shots, 20-17. every shift. It’s hard to play maybe right now. No fans, it’s a little bit • Bruins forward Craig Smith led the game with four shots. different. • Forward Sidney Crosby led the Penguins with three shots. ”But we’re all in the same situation right now, including myself. It’s tough to say about my game right now. I need many good things. But I hope it’s • Ceci (?!?) led the game in ice time with 23:45 of ice time on 27 shifts. coming and I believe in myself.” • McAvoy led the Bruins with 23:31 of ice time on 29 shifts. During the 2019 offseason, Malkin beefed up this training regimen to • The Bruins controlled faceoffs, 27-16 (63 %) combat the realities of being in his mid-30s and he came through with 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists) in 55 games, good enough for a point-per- • Bergeron was 13 for 18 (72 %). game percentage of 1.35, one of the highest figures in his career. • Malkin was 5 for 8 (63 %). This past offseason, due to the pandemic, Malkin, like so many other NHLers, was restricted in how he trained in Russia. • Blueger, Ceci and McAvoy each led the game with two blocked shots.

While he explained that impediment, he was careful to avoid citing it as Randomly speaking an excuse. • This was the Bruins’ game in just about every way, shape or form. “We know the situation (with covid-19),” Malkin said. “Everything is There were only 37 shots total! The Bruins just made this a tight closed in Russia too. We have ice but we don’t have many gyms. defensive game, forced the Penguins into mistakes and cashed in on Everything is closed. It’s not easy to find. I don’t want to say it’s just that I them more often than not. can’t find a gym. … I’m doing my best. I skate every day. I try to do a little Even if it was a little on the boring side, this was a thoroughly dominant bit of workouts with my body, like squats, push-ups. I feel okay. My legs, game by the Bruins. my body feels fine. • Letang had a wreck of a game. He handled the puck like one of his Regardless of those external factors, Malkin realizes he has to be a arms fell asleep for most of the game. Considering how beat up the better player than what he’s offered to this point of the 2020-21 defensive group is, he almost looked like he was trying to do way too campaign. much instead of just trying to keep things buttoned down. Either way, he “Need to be a little bit hungry,” Malkin said. “Win every battle in the needed to be much better than what he offered in this game. corner, win faceoffs, just help the team. I understand I’m not playing • The Penguins’ defense is quite an assortment of misfits right now. Sure, great right now. But the season just started. It’s a long season.” there are some incumbents such as Letang and Marino. But between a What happened rookie playing his first NHL games (P.O Joseph), a veteran trying to fix his career (Ceci), a perpetual No. 7 defender (Chad Ruhwedel) and a The Bruins claimed a 1-0 lead 6:10 into regulation. Off a one-timer from career minor leaguer (Czuczman), this was a real patchwork crew of the right point by Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, Penguins defensemen. goaltender Tristan Jarry punched away a rebound to the far boards. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk beat Penguins forward Jake Guentzel • Ceci has been really up and down so far. There have been some to the loose puck, took it low to the left corner and fed a pass to the slot. reasons for optimism, such as with the goal he scored in this game. Then Penguins defenseman Kevin Czuczman, appearing in his first NHL game there has been plenty of reasons to be frustrated, such as with the since 2014, intercepted the puck and hurriedly flicked a weak clearing turnover leading to Marchand’s second goal. attempt to the slot where Bruins forward Chris Wagner gladly accepted He hasn’t been a complete disaster as some forecast when the Penguins the charity and whacked a forehand shot past Jarry’s blocker for his first signed him. He’s actually been pretty good in some instances. But Ceci goal of the season. There were no assists. needs to find a greater level of consistency. • Czuczman had a rough game being directly involved on Boston’s first deflection and things of that nature. We’ve got to low to high and look to two goals. Maybe it’s not fair to pin this on him given the circumstances. shoot the puck. Then we’ve got to get inside and we didn’t do that nearly But he did not impress. enough.”

• The Penguins have now dressed 10 defensemen through eight games • Sullivan critiqued the power play’s malfunctions: this season. They dressed 10 defensemen in 69 games last season. “It’s a number of things. We didn’t execute. It’s decision making. It’s • The Penguins power play was 0 for 3 and only generated three shots. It working together. It’s a number of different things when our power play was 0 for 6 on Tuesday. Suffice it to say, this unit has gone south after a isn’t firing on all cylinders. You give Boston credit. They defend hard. solid start to the season. They’ve got a good penalty kill unit. We just didn’t execute. We can make better decisions. I also think there can be some simplicity with our power • Jarry wasn’t awful. He didn’t steal any goals but he played well enough play. We’ve got to get more pucks at the net to give our guys an to win if he had a better defensive corps. in front of him. opportunity to create off of that shot. … My experience of coaching our • Grzelcyk left the game early in the third period at the 19:12 mark due to guys is they are at their best when their play turns into instinctive play. an undisclosed injury. That’s what happens off of shots on goal. The rebound goes somewhere and everybody is forced to go somewhere. That’s usually when penalty Historically speaking kills get out of their structure and we can take advantage. We’re just not putting enough pucks there.” • The Penguins lost their 10th consecutive game in Boston dating back to 2015. Their last win at TD Garden was a 3-2 overtime victory on Nov. 24, • Malkin on former general manager Jim Rutherford’s departure on 2014. Wednesday:

• Ceci became the 537th player to score a regular season goal for the “First off, I think it’s a surprise for everyone. We (were) not ready for that. Penguins. I want to say thank you to Jim for sure. He’s won with this team two (Stanley Cup championships). It’s amazing. He did a great job every • Czuczman became the 21st player to wear No. 27 for the Penguins. His year. He (did not) sit and wait. He was always trying to (make trades), predecessors: find better players. I remember people (were) not happy maybe when Jim Morrison, Joe Noris, Jim Shires, Hank Nowak, Yves Bergeron, Pete Phil Kessel came to the team. But it was amazing trade. I want to just say LaFramboise, Mike Corrigan, Jacques Cossette, Rod Schutt, Todd thank you. He’s a great person, a great (general manager). It’s a little bit Charlesworth, Gilles Meloche, Scott Bjugstad, Gilbert Delorme, Jamie of a surprise at first. But … it’s not the first time. Sometimes coaches, Leach, Glen Murray, Eddie Olczyk, , Georges Laraque, (general managers), players change. We need to focus on just playing Craig Adams, Nick Bjugstad games.”

• Czuczman went nearly seven years between NHL games. His last Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 contest at this level came with the New York Islanders in a 4-3 road win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Publicly speaking

• Malkin on his team’s woes:

“We all know we have a great team, we have great players. It’s games right now that we need (to) fight every shift. We play against a good team tonight. We see Boston, they faster, they (are) hungry and they win every battle in the corner. We need to look in the mirror. Fight every shift. It’s not a pretty game right now. … We need to play simple and we need to just work, work, work.”

• Coach Mike Sullivan on his team’s poor play:

“We’ve got to play the game the right way. That’s what I think. We’ve got to defend when it’s called upon and not just try to outscore teams. You’ve got to be harder to play against if we’re going to find success consistently. And we weren’t hard to play against tonight.”

• Blueger on his team offering a poor cohesive effort:

“(The Bruins) work together with five guys on the ice really well, in sync. The biggest thing I felt was they just outworked us today. Won most of the puck battles, one-on-one battles, got to pucks along the wall. That ended up being the difference. That’s something we need more of, is to just be a harder team to play against. (Be) a little more physical and work together instead of trying to play too much individually.”

• Blueger spoke about the Penguins surrendering the first lead once again:

“Very difficult. When you’re chasing the game, it kind of ruins the flow of the game a little bit. You’re not rolling four lines as much. Guys aren’t in as much of a rhythm. Obviously, it’s tougher mentally too. It’s frustrating. It’s something that we’ve got to figure out here pretty quick. The longer this goes on, the hard and harder it is going to be to win games. And obviously, with a shorter season, we can’t afford to fall behind.”

• Ceci on the Penguins being limited offensively:

“From a defensive perspective, they’re pretty good at blocking shots. It’s tough to get pucks through. We just need to do a better job of delivering it there and giving our forwards second chances at the net.”

• Sullivan on the lack of offense from his team:

“We need an element of simplicity with our offensive game. I don’t think we’re putting nearly enough pucks in play that give our guys opportunities for next-play chances whether it be off a rebound or a 1200785 Pittsburgh Penguins that. I’m not happy with my game for sure right now. It’s just come to the rink every day and work and fight every shift.”

Sullivan offered a similar assessment for his entire team and the job it is Penguins flat during another loss in Boston doing.

“We’ve got to play the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “That’s what I think. We’ve got to defend when it’s called upon and not just try to SETH RORABAUGH | Thursday, January 28, 2021 9:31 p.m. outscore teams. You’ve got to be harder to play against if we’re going to find success consistently. And we weren’t hard to play against tonight.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 The Penguins had a job to do.

Even if their general manager quit his job.

On Thursday morning, they were still trying to shake off the stupor from Jim Rutherford abruptly stepping away from a thoroughly successful tenure with the organization.

There was still a little bit of shock lingering, not even 24 hours removed from Rutherford’s resignation. But they realized they couldn’t let that distract them from the task at hand, a road contest against the Boston Bruins in TD Garden.

“I think he’s the best general manager in hockey,” coach Mike Sullivan said of Rutherford, a man he considers a close friend. “But obviously, he made a decision he thinks is best for him and his family. Our positions here don’t change. We’re going to do our very best to put this team in the very best possible position to win.”

Limited to 17 shots, the Penguins were nowhere close to that position as the Bruins defeated them 4-1. It was the Penguins’ 10th consecutive loss in Boston, a streak dating to 2015.

“We all know we have a great team. We have great players,” Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said. “We see Boston, they (are) faster, they (are) hungry, and they win every battle in the corner. We need to look in the mirror. Fight every shift. It’s not a pretty game right now.

”We need to play simple and we need to just work, work, work.”

The Bruins followed that ethos as they claimed a 1-0 lead 6:10 into regulation. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk beat Penguins forward Jake Guentzel to a loose puck on the Penguins’ left wall and fired it on net. Penguins defenseman Kevin Czucman blocked the shot but allowed a turnover to the slot where Bruins forward Chris Wagner whacked a forehand shot past goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker for his first goal of the season.

An unlikely source scored the Penguins’ first goal at 15:03 of the first when defenseman Cody Ceci snapped a wrister past goaltender Jaroslav Halak’s blocker. It was Ceci’s first score of the season and first as a member of the Penguins.

After that, the Penguins rarely looked like a threat to score as they offered a mostly disjointed effort for most of the contest.

“(The Bruins) won most of the puck battles, one-on-one battles, got to pucks along the wall,” forward Teddy Blueger said. “That ended up being the difference. That’s something we need more of, is to just be harder to play against. (Be) a little more physical and work together instead of trying to play too much individually.”

The Bruins continued to look like the far more cohesive unit as they regained the lead at 18:53 of the first. A pass attempt by Bruins forward Ander Bjork from the left circle glanced off of the left ankle of Bruins forward Sean Kuraly, positioned above the crease, and deflected behind Jarry for Kuraly’s first goal.

Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron scored at 8:13 of the second and on a power-play chance at 1:40 of the third to cap the scoring, his fourth and fifth scores of the season, respectively.

Jarry made 16 saves in the defeat while the 17 shots the Penguins recorded were a season-low.

Malkin had two shots but was held without a point. With only three points (one goal, two assists) in eight games, his struggles have been an allegory of sorts for the Penguins.

He was frank about his malfunctions after the game.

”I need to look at myself (in) the mirror,” Malkin said. “I need to find my body, I need to find myself. I have to help the team for sure. I understand 1200786 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins recall Kevin Czuczman, Sam Lafferty from taxi squad

SETH RORABAUGH | Thursday, January 28, 2021 5:20 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a series of roster maneuvers prior to their road game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Defenseman Kevin Czuczman and forward Sam Lafferty were recalled from the taxi squad. Czuczman’s recall is under emergency conditions, but Lafferty is a regular recall.

With a number of incumbent defensemen injured, Czuczman appears to be in line to play his first NHL game since he appeared in 13 contests with the New York Islanders in 2013-14. A member of the Penguins organization for parts of four seasons, Czuczman has served as an alternate captain with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 38 AHL games in 2019-20, Czuczman had 10 points (two goals, eight assists).

Lafferty has appeared in three games this season and has no points.

Forward Zach Aston-Reese (retroactive to Jan. 13), defenseman Juuso Riikola (retro to Jan. 19) and forward Evan Rodrigues (retro to Jan. 24) were placed on long-term injured reserve.

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was placed on injured reserve.

Aston-Reese is still recuperating from offseason shoulder surgery in August. Riikola and Pettersson were injured during a 5-4 overtime home win against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 19. Rodrigues suffered an injury during a 3-2 home win against the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Forwards Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau as well as defensemen Will Reilly and Yannick Weber have been assigned to the taxi squad. All four of them have yet to play in any games this season.

Angello appeared in 10 NHL games last season and scored one goal. Gaudreau played in 42 games with the last season and scored 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists).

Reilly is entering his first professional season. In 34 NCAA games last season with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute last season, Reilly had 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).

Weber, a 12-year veteran, was signed Wednesday given the team’s injury woes on the blue line. In 41 games with the Nashville Predators last season, Weber had three points (one goal, two assists).

Forward Drew O’Connor’s recall status went from emergency to regular.

A first-year professional, O’Connor made his NHL debut during Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime road loss to the Bruins. Logging 10 minutes, 51 seconds of ice time on 13 shifts, O’Connor recorded an assist.

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200787 Pittsburgh Penguins “He works his tail off. You can’t substitute that. He sacrificed a lot of time at home traveling the world. When he took over the director of amateur scouting, he did it for a year being in Europe. So he had about 15 or 20 trips overseas. He’s put in a lot of time and a lot of miles. It’s pretty Penguins interim general manager Patrik Allvin has put in the work with incredible. You can’t substitute the hard work and the sacrifice that he’s organization had.”

For the time being, Allvin will work under the tutelage of owner Mario Lemieux. SETH RORABAUGH | Thursday, January 28, 2021 4:17 p.m. “He’s going to have full authority,” Morehouse said. “He’s also going to

have Mario Lemieux as a backup. So I think we’re OK in that area … has seen the world. Mario’s had some experience around this stuff so I think we’ll be OK.”

When you’re one of the best hockey players the U.S. has ever produced, In the immediate sense, the Penguins aren’t exactly OK, especially on that affords you the chance to play in Olympic or international the blue line where injuries have dug into the depth Rutherford accrued tournaments staged in exotic locales such as Italy or Japan. this past offseason.

But after his playing days concluded and he took the first steps of his Allvin has been dealing with coach Mike Sullivan on the day-to-day management career with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the last decade, concerns of the roster. Guerin needed a guide, particularly when it came to making his way “I have a good relationship with Patrik,” Sullivan said Thursday. “He’s a through the mish-mashed realm of hockey leagues in Europe. really smart guy. He has a wealth of experience in different aspects of He had a pretty good navigator in Patrik Allvin, then the Penguins’ the game. He’s a great personnel guy as far as his evaluation and director of European scouting. assessment of players and how they might fit into our team to help us win. My relationship with Patrik is really good. I look forward to the “Patrik was the guy that I dealt with,” said Guerin, now the general opportunity to get to know him even better. … We’ll communicate a manager of the Minnesota Wild. “Anything in Europe, he was the head whole lot more. We’ve had a number of conversations already to this guy. Anytime I’d go over there, it would be with him. point and we’ll continue to develop a relationship.”

“There are not too many guys in this game that I think more highly of than Allvin appears to have already made enough of an impact to merit him.” serious consideration for a permanent promotion.

Today, Allvin is one of Guerin’s peers, professionally speaking. “One of his strengths, honestly, is that he’s extremely open-minded,” Guerin said. “He’s got the ability to work with anybody. That makes him a Upon the sudden resignation of Penguins general manager Jim great evaluator of talent, as well. And he’s a team guy. Being open- Rutherford on Wednesday, Allvin was installed as the team’s interim minded, it’s not something that just everybody possesses. But it sure general manager. helps you manage a staff and see the other side of things. That helps His promotion from the assistant general manager role was something of you get things done. He’s a great communicator. a shock for Allvin. “To a man on that staff, everybody adores the guy. Everybody loves “There was definitely a lot of calls and text (messages) yesterday from him.” around the world, a lot of hockey people,” Allvin said via video Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 conference. “When you think about that, it’s hard with such a short time here to let it sink in. It’s important for myself and my staff here to be ready, to work hard and be prepared and support the team here.”

Allvin, 46, has been a pillar of support for the team over the past decade and a half. Hired as a European scout by former Penguins general manager Ray Shero in 2006, Allvin, a native of Sweden, has made a steady climb up the organization’s hierarchy.

In 2012, he was promoted to director of European scouting, then to the director of amateur scouting in 2017.

In November, following the dismissal of former assistant general manager Jason Karmanos, Allvin was installed into that position by Rutherford.

The man Allvin is replacing gave him a hearty endorsement.

“I think he’ll handle it fine,” Rutherford said by phone Wednesday. “He’s a very good hockey guy. He’s very smart. He obviously doesn’t have a lot of experience. But he has enough experience and understands this team pretty well. I don’t think there’s going to be any problems for Patrik going forward.”

Penguins CEO and president David Morehouse indicated Allvin is a candidate for the full-time position while a search goes on to fill the role.

Allvin’s resume certainly impresses those who worked with them.

“He’s more than capable,” Guerin said by phone Wednesday. “I think the world of Patrik. He’s capable. He’s smart. He knows people. He works hard. He knows that organization better than anybody, and he’d be great at it.”

Given his scouting background, much of Allvin’s time was in talent evaluation. While much of his focus was in Europe, he had input on drafts that produced players such as Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, Matt Murray, Jake Guenzel and others who contributed to the Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17.

“He was part of the group that pretty much drafted those teams,” Guerin said. “He’s had a big impact on the Penguins in that respect. 1200788 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021

Penguins move on without Jim Rutherford

SETH RORABAUGH | Thursday, January 28, 2021 3:19 p.m.

Wednesday began in a fairly mundane fashion for the Penguins.

Several hours after they had lost to the Boston Bruins, 3-2, in overtime at TD Garden, they gathered at that same venue to practice and iron out the wrinkles of their play.

It was just another unremarkable day at practice on the road.

Then, practice was over.

That’s when they found out general manager Jim Rutherford had resigned for circumstances that remain unclear, at least publicly.

“We just found out after we got off the ice yesterday,” forward Sidney Crosby said via video conference on Thursday. “It wasn’t anything formal, per se. Everyone just got the news pretty much at the same time. I think everyone was surprised.”

Rutherford’s decision, which was made Tuesday evening then acted upon Wednesday, caught most of the hockey world by surprise, including those he worked the most closely with.

Even coach Mike Sullivan.

“Jim and I developed a great relationship in the time that we worked together,” said Sullivan, who initially joined the Penguins in June of 2015. “We’ve been through a lot together. So we were were very much in sync on how the day-to-day operations of the team ran.

“Jim, he’s a great communicator. He’s a great listener. He’s a great mentor. His resume speaks for itself. I think he’s the best general manager in hockey. But obviously, he made a decision he thinks is best for him and his family. Our positions here don’t change. We’re going to do our very best to put this team in the very best possible position to win.”

Just based on what Crosby and Sullivan said, it seems like the players and coaches are still working through the stupor of such an abrupt change in leadership. At the same time, they realize there is a task at hand, starting with a rematch in Boston with the Bruins.

“We addressed it,” Crosby said. “You just have to continue to move on. These things do happen whether it’s trades, signings, movement. There’s a lot of that within a season, not typically a general manager. But things like this, they come up. That’s part of hockey that you learn to understand. Sometimes these changes, they happen and you’ve got to continue to move forward.”

Still, considering all the success the team has had during Rutherford’s tenure, his hurried departure may take some time to fully process for those who worked for him.

“It’s hard,” Sullivan said. “We’re all human. We build relationships over time. Jim and I have developed a great friendship through our working experiences with the Penguins. We’ve been through a lot together. I can’t say enough for how much respect I have for him as a professional. He’s a good friend. It’s hard. Obviously, we all have so much respect for Jim and I’m happy for him that he’s going to make the decisions that are best for him and his family.”

“I remember the first time I met him, and kind of him talking about how he saw the team and his view and how we could have success, looking back to that first time meeting him, he delivered on all of that,” Crosby said. “I’ve got a great relationship with him. He loved the game. He loved talking hockey. I didn’t talk to him a ton during the season. It would always kind of be an evaluation after the year. He’d ask me whether I thought there were things that I could have done better or just an evaluation of everything in general.

“I just always appreciated his honesty, his passion for the game, those kind of things. The fact that we were able to win two (Stanley Cup titles) back to back with him as the general manager, his commitment to winning every year … yeah, I have a great relationship with him.” 1200789 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin sidelined

SETH RORABAUGH | Thursday, January 28, 2021 1:10 p.m.

Another day. Another Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman injured.

Brian Dumoulin, one of the Penguins’ top players, will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis because of an undisclosed injury, according to coach Mike Sullivan.

During Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime road loss to the Boston Bruins, Dumoulin fell to the ice awkwardly while defending a Bruins power-play opportunity in the late stages of the second period. He did not return to the game by the start of the third period.

Typically teamed with Kris Letang on the team’s top defensive pairing, Dumoulin has averaged 22 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time this season. In seven games, he has one assist.

In addition to Dumoulin, the Penguins are missing defensemen Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola and Zach Trotman because of various injuries. Matheson, Riikola and Trotman are on injured reserve.

Barring anything unforeseen, reserve defenseman Kevin Czuczman could be recalled from the taxi squad and inserted into the lineup. A veteran journeyman, Czuczman has not played any NHL games since 2013-14, when he appeared in 13 games for the New York Islanders.

An alternate captain with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, Czuczman, 30, appeared in 38 American Hockey League Games in 2019-20 and scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists). He has been a member of the Penguins for parts of four seasons.

Defenseman Yannick Weber, whom the team signed Wednesday, cleared waivers and was allowed to the join the Penguins on Thursday. He will not be available for Thursday’s road game against the Bruins, however.

According to Sullivan, Weber’s travel to Boston was disrupted by a snowstorm. He will be able to join the team when it travels to New York for a two-game series starting Saturday.

Despite so many injuries and absences, Sullivan is imploring his team to stay the course.

“The message to the players is just like any other experience that we’ve gone through from an injury standpoint,” Sullivan said via video conference. “When somebody goes down, we need to make sure that we pick each other up and play a diligent game. It’s going to provide an opportunity for others to step up and play a significant role. It’s a great opportunity for guys to take advantage of it.

“We’ll have a next-man up approach like we always have. Obviously, our depth is being tested, specifically on the blue line right now, but we know we’ve got capable people. And our expectation is that we’re going to win.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200790 Pittsburgh Penguins least, just old age for a person in a position that demands such long hours and stress.

But everyone in the organization is falling all over themselves to say Tim Benz: Jim Rutherford’s ‘personal reasons’ for leaving Penguins Rutherford isn’t ill. Rutherford underscored that stance and dismissed resulting in public speculation any ties to the coronavirus pandemic as a theory behind his sudden decision.

“Actually, in some ways, as long as I keep avoiding getting (covid-19), TIM BENZ | Thursday, January 28, 2021 6:06 a.m. the pandemic has been good for my health,” Rutherford told Rorabaugh. “I’ve exercised more. I’ve eaten better, and I’ve lost some weight. As long

as something doesn’t happen here now. My health is pretty good.” The sudden departure of general manager Jim Rutherford from the OK, then. It’s not health. It’s not age. It’s not covid-19. It’s not burnout. Pittsburgh Penguins organization raises an always delicate question for the sports media. Where do we go next? Concerns about the health or welfare of the family? Desire to spend more time with the wife and kids? Just a flat-out And for fans on social media, too, for that matter. desire to leave the job? Those factors essentially added up to why Bill Hey, I’ve got a column. You’ve got a Twitter account. A lot of us have Cowher resigned from the Steelers after the 2006 season. podcasts and YouTube channels. But he never came back to the Steelers. Even after leaving at only 49 We all have our platforms these days. No one needs to scream toward years of age. Again, Rutherford is 71 and already telling The Hockey the clouds in hopes that a passing bird happens to hear your hot takes. News he may come back to hockey after his contract with the Penguins We all can reach an audience of some level or another in 2021. expires in June.

Whenever situations such as Rutherford’s resignation crop up and Just got off the phone with Jim Rutherford. He said "It's time to take it “personal reasons” are used as a blanket explanation for why someone easy." His contract is up in June and he may retire then, or look to get leaves an organization, are we still allowed to wonder what those back in the game with another team. "In the next 4 or 5 months, I'll reasons are? decide whether I want to keep doing something or just retire."

‘Cause … I’m gonna. And I bet most of you are, too. — Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) January 27, 2021

Look, I get it. We all saw it on Twitter when the news about Rutherford At least Cowher knew he’d have to take off the entire 2007 season after broke. A race to see who could gush the most flowery prose imaginable he resigned. Rutherford just sounded like a guy who is going to chill out for the job he did here as general manager. and take a sabbatical for a few months before perhaps diving back in feet first. All of it warranted. The two Stanley Cups speak to that on their own. So when you start adding up the pieces, it’s beginning to feel like I’d love to be content with an explanation of, “He’s walking away for Rutherford’s “personal reasons” are that he “personally” just doesn’t want personal reasons, and that’s good enough for me. His personal reasons to work for the Penguins anymore. So it’s hard to take that simple can stay personal.” explanation at face value. In other words, perhaps Rutherford and others within the Penguins organization were starting to disagree on some Can they, though? If you have that public of a job, can the reasons for matters. But at least they agreed to end things before they really went your resignation remain entirely personal? I mean, in a literal sense, south. sure. No one can force an honest quote from Rutherford. He’s entitled to become a hermit if he wants. And it’s not a surprise that many are already speculating that there is more to this story. But that’s part of the issue here. He may go down as one of the most transparent, quotable and honest general managers in professional Some news on Rutherford's departure next. All was not well b/w him &the sports history. So to abruptly leave his post only seven games into a Pens. Tune in. @1059thex season with nothing more than a cryptic explanation of “personal reasons” is going to leave the public understandably curious. — Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) January 27, 2021

Especially with his contract expiring in June. .@937theFan Penguins beat man @jhathhorn raised interesting Jim Rutherford scenario: Especially when assistant general manager Jason Karmanos was fired in October. Did Rutherford want to trade a player, like Malkin and Letang? And people above him said no. At which point, Rutherford resigned. Especially with just one day of notice, according to team CEO David Morehouse. Food for thought.

Especially with that tawdry Wilkes-Barre Scranton lawsuit hanging over — Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) January 27, 2021 the team’s head. Jim Rutherford says decision is not health-related. But won't elaborate on Especially on the same day the team went out and acquired defenseman why he stepped down. Yannick Weber. “I don’t think it serves anybody well. I’ve been treated first-class here and Especially at a time when an early big trade may be necessary to keep I really appreciate and respect what they’ve done for me. That’s the way I that injury-ravaged group of defensemen afloat. want to leave the Penguins.’’

Especially after an offseason when Rutherford and head coach Mike — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 27, 2021 Sullivan insisted the team’s core was worth keeping and that the He was, of course, “retired” in Carolina but came out of retirement for a championship window is still open. chance to win the Cup in PIT. Well, he won two of them and what he And with that team earning points in five of its first seven games, you thought might be a short three-season tenure with the Pens extended to wouldn’t think Rutherford already would be having second thoughts seven. Now, that’s over. What comes next? Check back in the summer. about their chances. — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 27, 2021 “There’s reasons why I did it now that I don’t want to get into,” Rutherford As Rutherford himself acknowledged in the team’s press release, “I know told TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh. it’s a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this Understood. But those reasons are kinda at the heart of the matter here. was the right time to step away.”

At 71 years old — amid a global pandemic — if Rutherford had just said A little unusual? Gee, ya think? Especially if we are ruling out all of those “personal reasons” and left it at that, most of us would’ve been other potential circumstances. comfortable in assuming his departure was about health. Or, at the very At his age and with his level of accomplishment, Rutherford can go out however he wants. And whatever details emerge in the weeks to follow, they are unlikely to taint his legacy in Pittsburgh.

But that’s not going to stop us from wondering what they actually are. Nor should we feel guilty about doing so.

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200791 Pittsburgh Penguins

Shakeup on 2nd line helps snap Evgeni Malkin, Jason Zucker out of scoring funk

KEVIN GORMAN | Thursday, January 28, 2021 6:01 a.m.

The Pittsburgh Penguins looked to spark their second line by simplifying the game, with a directive from coach Mike Sullivan to put pucks on the net, crash the crease and make good things happen.

Sullivan shook up the second line by putting Kasperi Kapanen on Evgeni Malkin’s right wing, opposite Jason Zucker, to provide a spark to the slumping scorers. The Penguins were rewarded when Zucker and Kapanen tallied their first goals of the season, the latter on a Malkin assist, Tuesday night in the 3-2 overtime loss at the Boston Bruins.

“That was the conversation that we’ve had with those guys the last few days,” Sullivan said. “I thought they made a concerted effort to shoot the puck and go to the net, and ‘Zuck’ got rewarded. I thought Geno’s line had a strong game.”

Zucker had one assist in his first six games, going scoreless in three consecutive, and Malkin had only one goal and one assist going into the Bruins game. The second line sparked a third-period comeback from a 2- 0 deficit, changing the course of the game to send it into overtime, as the trio combined for nine shots on goal. Zucker registered four shots, Kapanen three and Malkin two on six chances.

“I thought Kappy was great. I thought Geno was great,” Zucker said. “Our emphasis going into the game was shooting pucks, trying to get to the net. I think we, myself especially, I was a little bit too fancy at times, trying to make the perfect play. Arguably, there were a couple terrible shots. The emphasis was on trying to get some shots on net, getting some zone time. We were able to get a few offensive zone shifts that were good for us to try to get a little bit of momentum.”

It started with Zucker, after three consecutive scoreless games, getting his first goal of the season by firing a shot from the right circle past a prone Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask at 9 minutes, 47 seconds of the third.

“It’s always nice to score,” Zucker said. “For me, I think it was a lot more than getting chances. In the past games, I don’t think I was playing the right way. I wasn’t playing a good game. I wasn’t skating and playing the way I can. I was happy to be out there and skating, trying to make some plays, holding onto pucks. And, obviously, the goal is always great. But we didn’t get the win, and that’s always a disappointment there.”

Kapanen added the equalizer when Zucker tapped a Boston turnover from the left boards to Malkin, who fed a speeding Kapanen to the right at the blue line. Kapanen beat a Boston defender despite getting hooked, then slipped a backhand under Rask’s pad to tie it 2-2 with 3:16 left.

“For the most part, we were staying in their zone,” Kapanen said, “and once we threw the puck on net a couple of times, eventually it’s going to go in.”

It might have a turning point for Malkin, who has struggled to a minus-3 plus-minus rating after seven games. Sullivan believes Malkin benefited from Kapanen’s speed on the second line, which allowed Malkin to use his playmaking ability to set up a score.

“I thought Geno got better as the game went on,” Sullivan said. “He just seemed to get more and more confident. … I just felt like Geno got more and more confident as the game went on. He had the puck a lot. That’s usually a good indication that Geno’s game is coming.”

Malkin, however, malfunctioned in overtime. He hit the post on a breakaway at 3:37, then botched a three-on-none rush by passing the puck to defenseman Kris Letang, whose return pass was broken up by Rask to prevent the Penguins from managing a shot. Sullivan was at a loss for words on that play.

“I don’t tell them anything,” Sullivan said. “I’m not sure what I can say can help them moving forward. They understand the circumstance. These guys are world-class players.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200792 Pittsburgh Penguins “It’s frustrating,” Blueger said. “It’s something we have to figure out pretty quick. The longer this goes on, the harder and harder it’s going to be to win games. Obviously, with the shortened season, we can’t really afford to fall far behind.” With Brian Dumoulin out, shorthanded Penguins’ point streak ends in Boston The Bruins entered the game with the third-stingiest defense (2.0 goals- against per game), and netminder Jaroslav Halak entered the night fourth in the league with a 1.44 goals-against average. Sullivan said the Penguins need to add more simplicity to their game against a team like MIKE DEFABO Boston.

“I don’t think we’re putting nearly enough pucks in play that give our guys BOSTON — Amid Jim Rutherford’s unexpected resignation as general opportunities for next-play chances, whether it be off a rebound or a manager and all the questions that surrounded the front office, a lingering deflection and things of that nature,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to go low- question on the ice went unanswered and overlooked. to-high and look to shoot the puck and then we’ve got to get inside. We didn’t do that nearly enough.” What ever happened to Brian Dumoulin? The Penguins defensive corps, indirectly, had a hand in the Bruins Before Thursday night’s game, coach Mike Sullivan said the Penguins’ extending their lead to 4-1 less than two minutes into the third period. top left-handed defenseman will be out week-to-week with a lower-body Marino, who largely played a strong game on his off side, committed an injury. And if there was any question what that might mean, the impact of interference penalty. The Bruins capitalized on the power play when that injury was immediately felt. Bergeron buried his second goal of the game.

During a 4-1 loss to the Bruins, a depleted Penguins defensive corps The Penguins are now midway through a four-game road trip with one made its miscues. Collectively, as a group of five, the Penguins didn’t point in hand from Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Bruins. They begin a defend well enough to beat last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners. And two-game series against the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. in Madison the Bruins proved why they’re statistically one of the NHL’s stingiest Square Garden. defensive teams, ending the Penguins’ come-from-behind point streak at five games while holding them to just three total goals in the two-game “We see Boston, they’re faster, they’re hungrier,” Evgeni Malkin said. series. “They win every battle in [the] corner. We need to look [in] the mirror and fight every shift. It’s not a pretty game right now.” 12 names to watch during Penguins’ general manager search Post Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 “We’ve got to play the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to defend when it’s called upon and not just try to outscore teams. You’ve got to be harder to play against if we’re going to find success consistently. We weren’t hard to play against tonight.”

With all four of the lefties from the Game 1 roster injured, the left side of the blue line featured a rookie skating in just his third NHL game (Pierre- Olivier Joseph), a 30-year-old career minor leaguer who hadn’t made an NHL start in seven years (Kevin Czuczman) and John Marino, a sophomore righty whom the Penguins are putting in the unenviable position of playing on his off side.

The Penguins (4-3-1) anticipated Joseph would be in the NHL at some point this year. Maybe just not on the top pairing next to Kris Letang eight games into the season.

Defensive depth took center stage early on both sides of the ice. Just over six minutes into the first period, Czuczman tried to break up Boston’s centering pass in front of the blue paint. Instead, he batted it directly to Chris Wagner in the high slot. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry had no chance.

The Penguins defensive corps showed up again in the first period, but this time on the other end of the ice. Cody Ceci, a player whom Rutherford was highly criticized for signing this offseason due to his historically poor analytics, ripped a wrister from the high slot to tie the score at 1. Ceci was scratched for three-consecutive games earlier this season, but earned a more regular role, in part, due to the injuries on the opposite side.

“It’s tough having that many injuries on the back end,” Ceci said. “A lot of core is out. It gives some opportunities to some other guys.”

The Bruins (5-1-1) reclaimed the lead with just over a minute left in the first period thanks to some nifty stickhandling and about four fortunate bounces. Anders Bjork’s shot pinballed off Teddy Blueger’s backside, changed direction again in front when Czuczman was shoved down and then finally banked off Sean Kuraly and past Jarry.

Once again, the Penguins went into the dressing room facing a deficit.

In the second period, the Penguins were building momentum and racking up offensive zone time. In the defensive zone, however, they lost track of their assignments, leaving two Bruins alone in front and only Letang to defend. Boston captain Patrice Bergeron, who isn’t a good guy to forget about, buried his point-blank attempt to extend the Bruins lead to two goals.

The Penguins have found comfort in playing from behind this season. They rallied to earn points in each of their previous five games despite facing deficits in all of them in the second period or later. Not this time. 1200793 Pittsburgh Penguins “His resume speaks for itself. I think he’s the best general manager in hockey. Obviously, he made the decision he thinks is best for him and his family.”

'It caught us all by surprise:' Sidney Crosby, Mike Sullivan didn't see Jim For the Penguins organization as a whole, this is just the latest change in Rutherford's resignation coming a five-month stretch that’s seen numerous Stanley Cup champions eliminated from the roster, coaching staff and front office.

Following the four-game disappointment in the qualifying round of the MIKE DEFABO playoffs, the club fired all three of Sullivan’s assistants — Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin. All three were good friends more

than just assistants to Sullivan. BOSTON — Sidney Crosby can still remember the first time he met Jim Jason Karmanos, whose connections to Rutherford go all the way back Rutherford in the summer of 2014. to when Karmanos was a kid, was surprisingly let go this summer soon The Penguins were coming off a disappointing exit in the Eastern after he was promoted into the role of GM in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Conference semifinals against the New York Rangers. Since winning the Integral parts of the back-to-back Stanley Cup run like goalie Matt Murray Stanley Cup in 2009, Crosby & Co. had won just four total playoff series and Patric Hornqvist were traded in salary cap-related moves. in the four years that followed, an under-achieving trend for a team flush with star power. Relationships have been reshaped. Trajectories of career veered off course. Rutherford, at the time a 65-year-old former general manager who had contemplated retirement after being pushed out the door by the Carolina “It’s hard,” Sullivan said. “We’re all human. We build relationships over Hurricanes, outlined his plan for how he could put Crosby, Evgeni Malkin time.” and Kris Letang back on top with a series of bold, franchise-changing moves. “I can’t say enough about how much respect I have for [Jim] as a professional…I’m happy he’s going to make the decision that he thinks is “Looking back to that first time meeting him, he delivered on all that,” best for him and his family.” Crosby said on Thursday. Meanwhile, the NHL season keeps churning on in the midst of a While Crosby watched Rutherford’s early vision become reality, it pandemic. With an injury-ravaged defensive corps and an empty seat in appears almost no one saw the end coming. the front office, the Penguins will have to block it out and keep playing hockey in the competitive East Division. When Penguins players and coaches filed off the ice at TD Garden on Wednesday, they were told the startling news that Rutherford had “These things do happen, whether it’s trades or signings or movement, abruptly resigned. At least publicly, everyone says they were shocked, there’s a lot of that within a season,” Crosby said. “Not typically a general from the players to the coaching staff to members of the front office. manager, per se. But these things, they come up. That’s part of hockey. ... You’ve got to continue to move forward.” “I think everyone got the news at the same time,” Crosby said. “I think everyone was surprised.” Sullivan likes to tell his players to control what they can control. It’s an old, tired cliché, sure. But at the same time ... “It caught us all by surprise,” coach Mike Sullivan echoed. “It applies now more than ever,” Sullivan said. “My experience has been Patrik Allvin, who has been tabbed as the interim general manager, sometimes when adversity hits or these types of things occur in pro likewise felt the jolt on Wednesday morning. He said that he and sports, we have an opportunity to rally around one another and make Rutherford talked early that day about signing 32-year-old defenseman sure we utilize the game as a means to stay focused and to accomplish Yannick Weber to fill a gaping hole on the blue line. what we set out to accomplish.” Their next conversation was at 11:30 a.m. Rutherford told him he was Roster moves done. The Penguins placed several players on long-term injured reserve prior “I didn’t see this coming,” said Allvin, who only a few months back was to Thursday night’s game. elevated to assistant general manager after about a decade-and-a-half on the scouting side. “Jim is someone I have so much respect for. The Forward Zach Aston-Reese, who is recovering from offseason shoulder reason I’m here is Jim Rutherford, the trust and belief he had in me over surgery, has been placed on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 13. Defenseman seven years.” Juuso Riikola went on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 19. Forward Evan Rodrigues is on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 24. The Penguins also placed Rutherford, who will turn 72 in a few weeks, cited personal reasons for defenseman Marcus Pettersson on injured reserve. his resignation and has declined to elaborate much further. He did make it clear that this is not a retirement. He remains open to the possibility of LTIR can be used as a way for clubs to exceed the salary cap or accrue working in some capacity when his contract with the Penguins expires in additional cap space while injured players are sidelined. Players on LTIR June. have to miss a minimum of 10 NHL games and 24 days. So in the case of Aston-Reese, for example, he’ll be out until at least the Feb. 6 game at For the players, the move is unexpected but won’t necessarily hit them the New York Islanders. personally right now. As Crosby noted, even though he had great respect for Rutherford and a good relationship, the captain wasn’t actively In other roster news, defenseman Kevin Czuczman was recalled on an involved in day-to-day personnel discussion. emergency basis. Forward Sam Lafferty was elevated from the taxi squad. Forwards Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau and “I didn’t talk to him a ton during the season,” Crosby said. “It would kind defensemen Will Reilly and Yannick Weber have been assigned to the of be evaluation after the year. He would ask if there were things I taxi squad. Forward Drew O’Connor’s status has been changed from an thought I could do better or evaluation of everything in general. I think I emergency recall to regular recall. always appreciated his honesty, his passion for the game.” Post Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 The more direct impact is to Sullivan, who conferred with the general manager on many personnel decisions, including the move on Wednesday to add a depth defenseman. He and Rutherford have spoken on numerous occasions about their strong personal and professional relationship. Sullivan reiterated those sentiments on Thursday.

“We’ve been through a lot together,” Sullivan said. “We were very much in sync on how the day-to-day operations of the team ran. Jim is a great communicator. He’s a great listener. He’s a great mentor. 1200794 Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM with expansion Seattle. But, in theory, that wouldn’t preclude him from taking the job here.

Pat Brisson: The super-agent was linked to the Penguins opening in 12 names to watch during Penguins’ general manager search 2014 before the team hired Rutherford. He represents Crosby and is close with Lemieux. So, yeah, that’s pretty notable. Back in 2014, Brisson wasn’t interested in leaving the agent business. If that’s changed, you’d have to think Mario and he will chat. By Matt Vensel / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Chiarelli: With Boston, Chiarelli built the team that won the Cup in

2011, signing Zdeno Chara and drafting players such as Tyler Seguin, The Penguins must undertake a search for a new general manager to Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and some dude named Phil Kessel lead them into the final years of Sidney Crosby’s career after Jim during his nine years there. But in Edmonton, he was unable to build a Rutherford’s resignation due to undisclosed personal reasons blindsided contender around Connor McDavid. the organization Wednesday. Mathieu Darche: If the Penguins want to nab somebody from the front President and CEO David Morehouse said Wednesday on a conference office of the most recent Stanley Cup champs, they could look at the ex- call with reporters that the Penguins have not yet put a timetable on NHL forward Darche. He is in his second year as director of hockey making a hire. Assistant general manager Patrik Allvin will step in to be operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the tough task of managing the interim GM. their tricky salary cap situation.

Morehouse said he will work alongside owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Chris Drury: Pittsburgh’s ties to USA Hockey run deep, with coach Mike Burkle in the coming weeks to try to identify the right person for the Sullivan and several Americans on their squad. Drury, like Sullivan, was position. once a standout at Boston University. He won the Stanley Cup and two Olympic silver medals as a player. Now he is assistant GM for the up- “We’re going to do a careful analysis of people who are interested,” and-coming New York Rangers. Morehouse said. “We’re going to look at people who we think fit into the Penguins mold and into our model. And we’re going to make the hire : Another guy with Team USA ties, Lombardi led the Los when we find that.” Angeles Kings to two Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014. He was fired in 2017 when the championship window abruptly slammed shut on the The Penguins are starting to compile a list of prospective candidates. Kings. Perhaps Lombardi learned lessons there that could be applied to The job figures to be more desirable for executives interested in putting the situation in Pittsburgh. together the last pieces of a championship puzzle around the current veteran core than those who would prefer to start from scratch and build Pierre McGuire: The polarizing NBC hockey analyst was in the running gradually through the draft. for the GM job in 2014. He has said publicly that he thought it was his after his second interview. Will McGuire, a scout and an assistant coach Morehouse said he had already received calls inquiring about the when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, be a vacancy before getting on the phone Wednesday afternoon for the candidate again this time around? conference call. : After assembling the Chicago core that won the Cup three Morehouse didn’t go into great detail about what the Penguins will be times, Tallon spent a decade with the Florida Panthers. Last year he was looking for in their next general manager. But he did make a couple of investigated by the league for using racially insensitive language but has things clear. been cleared. He was reportedly already on the Penguins’ radar prior to Rutherford’s resignation. One, the Penguins are “not in a rebuilding mode.” They remain committed to trying to win at least one more Stanley Cup title before the Kevin Weekes: The former NHL goalie and current NHL Network Crosby era ends. personality was in the running this past offseason for the GM job in Florida, which ultimately went to Pittsburgh native . If Weekes “We’re in a win-now mode and we’ll continue to be in that mode,” he said. were to be hired by the Penguins, he would become the only active Black Two, while experience is a plus, Morehouse said the Penguins will covet general manager in the league. two other key qualities that Rutherford brought to Pittsburgh when he Post Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 was hired in 2014 — an aggressive approach and a willingness to think outside the box.

“We’re looking for something similar,” he said. “We’re looking for someone that can take this great group of players and hang another banner in the rafters.”

Here are 12 names, listed alphabetically, that could be on the team’s radar:

Patrik Allvin: The interim GM has been with the organization since 2006, winning three Cup titles. The last four years, with other execs leaving, the Swede shot up the front-office ranks. The Penguins appreciate his eye for talent. But can the former amateur scout handle everything else that goes with this high-profile gig?

Marc Bergevin: Bergevin is a close friend of Lemieux and was an alternate captain for the Penguins during Bergevin’s final season as a player. Bergevin is currently under contract as executive vice president and GM for the Montreal Canadiens, who are off to a strong start. But he will certainly be a name to monitor.

Craig Billington: The former NHL goalie, selected 22 picks after Lemieux in 1984, has been with the Colorado Avalanche since 2003, filling roles in the front office, player development and on the business side. Given that Colorado is on the rise, Billington and coworker Chris MacFarland could both be up for GM gigs.

Jason Botterill: The former Penguins exec was once viewed as a potential heir apparent to Rutherford. When GMJR decided to stick around, Botterill left for Buffalo. That did not go well. He was just named 1200795 Pittsburgh Penguins There was also the phone call with Rutherford the morning after the Rob Rossi ice cream debacle. Rutherford laughed because he legitimately had no idea that Rossi’s family does in fact own a Dairy Queen, which made the “Go sell ice cream” line even more hilarious. Jason Mackey: What it was really like to cover Jim Rutherford Rutherford also cared about you as a person.

After my dad passed away in March 2018, one of the first messages I By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette received was from Rutherford, the same for after I switched beats. “You know anybody with the Pirates?” Rutherford said immediately after I

answered his call. “I’m looking for a job.” The strangest piece of advice I ever received from Jim Rutherford had My dad was a huge Rutherford fan, as they seemingly had the same nothing to do with journalism or the Stanley Cup-winning Penguins teams brain and sense of humor. He’d often ask for the latest story or anecdote. he built. It actually involved the former general manager suggesting that I My dad always liked one from 2015, when I was young and naive and fire a hockey ball at my older son’s head. wrote something about a Brandon Sutter trade being “imminent.” Yes, you read that right. I was talking to Rutherford about another topic, and he complained that A former goalie, Rutherford saw this as a weeding-out process — if Rider his phone had been blowing up because some idiot apparently wrote that wanted to play hockey, that’s how I’d know he belonged between the a Sutter trade was imminent. pipes. My son is 7 now and really doesn’t have much interest in hockey. I learned from that one, the same for all of my interactions with the Hall of Maybe the ball to the head scarred him, I don’t know. Or maybe he’s just Fame GM. not that into sports. From him pushing back on Jack Johnson to refusing to say much of Either way, the exchange was one of the more memorable ones I had anything around the trade deadline, fearful of giving anything away, and with Rutherford during four-plus seasons on the beat. It’s a period of time also how he wanted you to learn about the game, I’d like to think that for which I’ll be forever grateful, not only getting to cover a Stanley Cup Rutherford appreciated the fact that I paid attention and really cared run in 2017 but more so my day-to-day dealings with Rutherford, who about doing the job well. remains the rarest of breeds when it comes to pro sports executives. Rutherford is a terrific GM and played a huge part in Penguins history. Quick-witted, sarcastic humor was Rutherford’s hallmark, and he almost He’s also someone who made me better as a reporter because he wasn’t always had a good line. He used to call me Columbo for my habit of a brick wall. His way of doing things made the Penguins more interesting, asking “just one more thing” at the end of every interview. with fans expecting him to act at the trade deadline and anticipating what (Google Columbo and those four words. It’s so Rutherford.) he would say next.

My relationship with Rutherford centered around a few things, but the It was all a boatload of fun. It was a terrific tenure that even my son will regulars were baseball, parenting and politics, though I’ll leave the third never forget. one alone here. Baseball because of our shared love for the sport, and Post Gazette LOADED: 01.29.2021 don’t worry, when he told me to hit my son in the head, he made sure to suggest a softer ball and not an Al Iafrate-style slap shot.

There was also Chinese food. In Carolina, Rutherford conducted much of his business at P.F. Chang’s. It’s where he met his wife, Leslie; signed Ron Francis to his final contract; and later gave the former Penguins center his first front-office job. My wife and I actually once ate at P.F. Chang’s, and I texted Rutherford a picture just to be funny.

Rutherford and I would occasionally meet for Chinese food around PPG Paints Arena, though only a few people know the exact location. We’d chat about baseball, family and whatever, usually conducting an interview and chat off-the-record about his team. The intel was invaluable when framing/chasing stories, guesting on radio shows, that sort of thing.

It’s old school, too. Rutherford trusted me, and I kept my mouth shut, knowing our coverage would be better and more-informed for it. A general manager sharing what Rutherford did rarely happens these days; far too often those in his position treat the game like war or the machinations of a team like Fort Knox. His openness was, and still is, refreshing.

Rutherford stood up for his players and coaches and could bristle at times, but he leveraged the media to his advantage, fully aware of how to generate interest in his team and the moves it made. He was also funny. Really funny.

One of Rutherford’s rules was that nobody talked to him on game days. Not me. Not his wife. Nobody. In fact, when I’d see Jim in the hallway, I’d purposefully just look the other way, not wanting to reflexively say hello.

But every other day, Rutherford was easily the most accessible GM I’ll ever encounter. Before the Penguins began practicing at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, I used to enjoy watching practices with Rutherford, chatting about whatever.

An especially memorable conversation occurred in 2014, a couple weeks after Olli Maatta was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. If you remember, the Penguins called a press conference that day and it included the team physician, Dr. Dharmesh Vyas.

Rutherford couldn’t help but notice, and sort of laughed, that everyone thought he was experiencing some sort of health issue because he was older than most every other GM in the NHL. 1200796 Pittsburgh Penguins front presence. The Bruins did a very nice job of keeping Crosby to the perimeter. Crosby and Bergeron have waged many battles over the years, and Bergeron got the best of him in these past two games.

Yohe’s 10 observations: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang • Then, there is Kris Letang. Yikes. struggle again The Penguins deploy Letang as their No. 1 defenseman. That’s the kind of ice time he receives, and that’s the kind of responsibility he handles. But there’s a problem with this: He’s just not a No. 1 defenseman right By Josh Yohe now. Sorry. He’s not.

No. 1 defensemen don’t make the mistakes that he’s making right now. Sure, Letang has the physical gifts to be a No. 1 defenseman, and he’s The injury-depleted Penguins are a perfectly respectable 4-3-1 after a been a legitimately good one for most of his career. Not right now, one-sided, 4-1 loss to the Bruins in Boston on Thursday. though. They don’t look like the Penguins right now, however, and the reality that Letang was credited with three giveaways on the evening, a number that they are considerably banged-up on the blue line isn’t a reasonable seems especially kind. He has only one point in his past four games. He excuse. The Penguins have been the NHL’s glamour team for the better doesn’t yet have a goal this season. He continually makes poor decisions part of two , oozing star power of which other franchises could on the power play, notably his inability or refusal to put shots on net in a only dream. timely fashion. Also, he’s directly responsible for goals against in almost Through eight games, those stars don’t look themselves in any fashion, every game. On this night, he was out of position when Bergeron scored and it’s on the verge of becoming a problem. Without that star power, the a backbreaker in the second period, giving Boston a 3-1 lead after the Penguins aren’t the Penguins. Penguins played probably their best 10 minutes of the game. On Tuesday, Letang was schooled by Brad Marchand on a short-handed Here are 10 observations from a thoroughly forgettable performance in goal. Boston. He is making mistakes that rookies typically make, and he’s doing it • Evgeni Malkin, one game removed from what appeared to be an every game. Physically, he looks fine. He’s skating beautifully, as always. awakening, found himself in another funk. He looked like he was skating His hands look fine. But his decision-making is simply atrocious right in quicksand throughout portions of the evening. now.

Malkin hasn’t scored a goal in his past four games and has registered • If Crosby, Malkin and Letang are the Penguins’ three best players, we’d only five shots in those games. This version of Malkin isn’t going to work probably rank Jake Guentzel No. 4 on the list, right? He’s not lighting the for the Penguins. world on fire, either. Guentzel has had a couple of moments this season, but they’ve all come in three-on-three overtime, or in shootouts, or when After the game, Malkin offered some highly interesting comments. the Penguins have had a five-on-three power play. His five-on-five work “Last game, I felt a little bit better,” Malkin said. “I understand that I’m not has been quite subpar. playing great right now. It’s a different season, short camp, no preseason Guentzel didn’t register a shot on goal against the Bruins on Thursday games. But I need to look at myself in the mirror and fight to help this and managed only one Tuesday. He was virtually invisible all game. I just team win. I’m not happy with my game. I come to the rink every day and don’t like his game right now and I think Guentzel needs to get his nose a fight every shift. It’s hard to play. No fans. It’s a little bit different. But little dirty. He’s not a big guy, but Guentzel is at his best when he’s we’re all in the same situation right now, including myself.” playing within a few feet of the net. Much like Crosby, Guentzel isn’t at Malkin also made some very interesting comments about his his best when he’s on the perimeter, but he’s spending a lot of time there. conditioning. It’s very clear that his skating isn’t at its customary level. It needs to stop. Malkin looks a step slow. • The Penguins managed only 17 shots on goal, this despite having three I asked him if his skating was a concern and if he was able to work out as power plays. They recorded only 13 shots on net. I’m not a believer that he normally would during the past offseason. He spent 10 weeks in shots on net are the only way to gauge a hockey game, but this is a weak Russia, from October through December. number. I realize the Penguins are very short-handed on the blue line, but they still employ a number of world-class players who were perfectly “No, it wasn’t (a normal off-season training regiment),” Malkin said. “We healthy in this game. know the situation. Everything is closed in Russia. We have ice, but we don’t have gyms because everything is closed. It’s not easy to find. I Seven players — Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Jared McCann, Teddy Blueger, don’t want to say it’s just like, uh, that I can’t find a gym. Probably I can. I Jason Zucker, Chad Ruhwedel and John Marino — were held without a want to say it’s my fault. It’s not the same without training camp. But I’m shot on goal. It’s not a good look when seven of your players don’t doing my best. I’m trying to do little workouts with my body. Squats. manage a shot. It’s even worse when five of those players are forwards. Push-ups. I feel OK. My legs, my body, I feel fine. It’s tough to say about And it’s even worse when three of your top four wingers are unable to do my game right now, any good things. I just hope it’s coming. And I so. The Penguins have rarely looked so unthreatening in the Mike believe it.” Sullivan era.

Malkin, who speaks notably better English now than when he arrived in Give Boston credit. That’s a very good team, perhaps a Stanley Cup North America in 2006, seemed to struggle with his words during that team. But the Penguins were disturbingly lifeless most of this game and, answer. I sensed he didn’t want to come across as being unaccountable frankly, I don’t think we’ve seen much energy from them all season, that but that training for the season while in Russia was a significant 4-3-1 record notwithstanding. detriment to him. If you’ve seen him play for any stretch of time during his • Tristan Jarry needs to be better, too. He stopped only 16 of 20 shots. I’ll NHL career, you know that Malkin’s skating isn’t close to what we’ve go easy on him because he’s been pretty good after that horrid start to seen in the past. Sure, he’s 34 now and maybe he’s lost a step. But he the season in Philadelphia. He played well in his three appearances just doesn’t look himself at all. leading up to this game, but this was a stinker. • Sidney Crosby isn’t lighting it up these days, either. Crosby, who has In particular, he really needed to stop the second Bruins’ goal. Sean finished with better than a point per game in every one of his first 15 NHL Kuraly was credited with the goal. Jarry anticipated a pass and started to seasons, is off to a slow start in his 16th campaign. He has been held off his left, showing a general lack of alertness as the puck bounced past the scoresheet in three of his past four games. Jarry to his right. I felt like Jarry was over-committing on a lot of shots Playing in Boston is never easy for Crosby, who never particularly enjoys throughout the night, something we don’t see him do very often. This playing against the great Patrice Bergeron, whom Crosby considers the game wasn’t on him, but like the rest of his teammates, he didn’t look best defensive forward he has ever played against. Crosby didn’t sharp. manage a point in Boston during the past two games. • Remember when the Penguins were so excited about that third line in Crosby worked hard Thursday, as he always does. However, the Philadelphia? You know, when Mark Jankowski scored the season’s first Penguins’ top line is really having difficulty generating any kind of a net- goal? Well, Brandon Tanev, one-third of that line, has been terrific all season and continues to be a positive presence for the Penguins.

Jankowski has really cooled off, however. And then there is McCann, who looks utterly lost. He’s scored twice this season, but let’s be honest, both of the goals were of the fluke variety. He looks like a hockey player who has lost his way, who doesn’t know which style he should be playing. Is he a center? A left wing? A top-six guy? A bottom-six guy? I hate singling him out on a night when the Penguins looked relatively uninterested in being at a hockey rink, but McCann’s play has clearly declined. There’s no way in getting around this. He received a new contract in September and, so far, hasn’t lived up to it. McCann has talent and works his tail off. Those attributes, however, aren’t helping him play effective hockey right now.

• Zucker is a very good hockey player, and it’s evident how much he cares and how hard he is trying. But one game after seemingly finding himself, he struggled against the Bruins.

It’s an annoying coaching adage to keep everything simple, but in Zucker’s case, keeping things simple should be mandatory. He tried another ill-advised drop pass in this game, something that he’s doing on a nightly basis. It’s easy to fall into that game when playing with Malkin and Crosby because, frankly, they encourage it. But it’s doing Zucker no favors. He needs to skate up and down the left wing and shoot the puck. I realize it’s not that simple, but it’s not as complicated as he’s making it right now, either.

I think he’ll be fine. He’s smart. He’s dedicated. He’s good. But Zucker is not helping himself when he fancies up the game.

• Let’s look for a positive. There is one notable one, in fact. Once again, P.O Joseph played a fine game for the Penguins. This time, he played most of the evening on the top pairing alongside Letang. That’s a tall order for a young player. Joseph was one of the Penguins’ best players. What poise. What skating. What decision-making.

It’s so early in Joseph’s career that I hate making pronouncements. But I’m going to make one anyway: It’s pretty clear that one of the left- handed defensemen for the Penguins — assuming they ever get healthy, and viewing this with a skeptical eye is fair — is going to be expendable at some point. Joseph has the goods. It’s obvious. And he’ll play cheap for a few years. Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson and Marcus Pettersson are costing the Penguins around $13 million per year on the left side.

Dumoulin has started the season slowly, but he’s a terrific player. Ask yourself this: Is Matheson or Pettersson $3 million or $4 million per year better than Joseph? Sure, we need to see more. But that question is going to be asked sooner rather than later, and I think I know the answer.

• The Penguins have been through a lot. They’re the most banged-up team in hockey right now. Their blue line is decimated. Their general manager, Jim Rutherford, shockingly resigned Wednesday afternoon. They’re playing in what is probably the NHL’s best division.

Given all they’ve accomplished in the past 15 years, the Penguins deserve the opportunity to work themselves out of their rut. Perhaps they will. However, I sensed that, for the first time this season, Sullivan was completely irritated with his team after this game. He said the Penguins made life too easy on the Bruins and that they didn’t “play the right way.”

Sullivan doesn’t use the word soft. I’ve never heard him say it about his team. But, let’s be honest, the Penguins played a soft game against the Bruins. And their stars were no-shows.

The Penguins are only 4-3-1. It’s early. And in the standings, they’re fine. The eye test is saying something different.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200797 Pittsburgh Penguins A person with the Penguins in Boston described Wednesday as “weird.” “But not as weird as you’d think considering our GM quit on us.”

The downtime of the pandemic has given Rutherford plenty of time to ‘Mario is stunned’: Behind the scenes of Jim Rutherford’s shocking consider his future. Penguins exit “I’ve been home almost exclusively for almost a year now,” Rutherford

said. “So, all of that time at home gives you extra time to talk with your Josh Yohe and Rob Rossi Jan 28, 2021 wife and to talk with your children. Lots of family time. Through that time, Leslie (his wife) and I had long conversations about how much longer I was going to do this. What our next steps as a family would be. Stuff like that. But it was just kind of a general conversation, and I never expected Jim Rutherford, Hockey Hall of Famer and GM of three Stanley Cup- it to be as sudden as this.” winning teams, hadn’t been planning his resignation from the Penguins for months or weeks or even days. His decision was so sudden, he didn’t even discuss it with Leslie.

He never even considered stepping down as Penguins GM until Rutherford, 71, acknowledged the past 11 months have been brutal for Tuesday. him.

“I never expected it to be as sudden as this,” Rutherford told The Athletic “But that’s not why I’m done,” he said. “I realize there have been a lot of Wednesday. people, thousands and thousands of people in this country, who have had to deal with far worse than what I’ve dealt with.” But before the Penguins took the ice in Boston on Tuesday night, Rutherford told team president and CEO David Morehouse that he was Rutherford offered particularly kind words for Lemieux and co-owner Ron done. There was no talking him out of a decision that became public Burkle. Wednesday afternoon. “These guys are the best owners in all of sports,” Rutherford said. “I “It was just time,” Rutherford said. mean that. They’ve treated me so great. I’ve had a great relationship with them both. And just to be in the same organization as Mario and Sidney The decision caught employees at every level of the Penguins by Crosby has been so great. Sid is amazing, both as a player and in terms surprise and created a chaotic day in Pittsburgh and Boston as team of the way he treats people. He’s really some kind of a leader, some kind officials, from co-owner Mario Lemieux on down, tried to come to terms of a person. Mario and Sid. Those are two hockey legends and I got to with what happened and plot the organization’s next steps. get to know them, got to win with them. I’ll never forget it.” “All I can tell you is we’re scrambling,” said one senior member of the Rutherford was asked about his relationship with Morehouse. organization. “Good,” he said. “Good. We worked hard together.” “Mario is stunned,” said another. Morehouse told The Athletic that Rutherford did not resign because of Nothing about this decision, especially the timing, makes sense on the any disagreement with him and/or ownership over proposed personnel surface. decisions — either involving players or members of hockey operations. “Well, listen,” Rutherford said. “I agree with you if you think the timing is But tensions have mounted there, especially this offseason. odd. I completely agree with you. And you know what? I agree with you if Rutherford had not wanted to fire assistant GM Jason Karmanos, you think the timing is weird because it is. multiple league sources said, adding that the move caused what one “But I’ll just say this: It’s important to me to leave the Penguins on a described as “a big blow up.” Rutherford had long considered Karmanos, positive note, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to get into the who initially started working with Rutherford when he was GM of the details of the past couple of days.” Carolina Hurricanes, a second son. He said the firing of Karmanos was one of many difficult dismissals he made after the Penguins’ loss to the The past couple of days have forever changed the future of the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup qualifying round last August. Penguins. Up until then, Rutherford was firmly fixed on trying to get a team led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang back to Other firings included all but one of Sullivan’s assistants. Those moves, Stanley Cup contention. As recently as last week, he spoke to The too, were not made solely by Rutherford, league sources said. Also, Athletic about his thoughts on the Penguins through four games and how Rutherford balked at an internal push to bring on Dale Tallon in some some trades might be necessary because of the 56-game schedule. He capacity, team and league sources said. didn’t sound like a general manager who was taking his last dance. “I don’t know a lot of people around the league that saw what happened “Because I didn’t think I was,” Rutherford said. in Pittsburgh after the season and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s all Jim’s doing,’” a source said. “But, look, expectations are high there and losing early in Initially, Morehouse believed Rutherford could change his mind by the playoffs isn’t going to go over well.” Wednesday morning, team and league sources said. The Penguins are defendants in a lawsuit filed by former AHL assistant When it became clear Rutherford hadn’t changed his mind, Morehouse coach Jarrod Skalde, who says he was fired in retaliation for reporting organized a call with select members of the Penguins executive team former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Clark Donatelli for sexually Wednesday morning when he told them of Rutherford’s resignation and assaulting Skalde’s wife in 2018. Patrik Allvin’s interim appointment. A search for a full-time replacement would begin immediately, Morehouse said. Rutherford said his resignation has no relation to the lawsuit and spoke to The Athletic for the first time about the case. Eventually, the news made it to the Penguins’ traveling party in Boston on Wednesday, an off day between games against the Bruins. Coach “To my knowledge, we handled it as well as we could have,” he said. Mike Sullivan had ended his Tuesday night expecting to speak with “When it came to my attention, I immediately took it to our HR Rutherford on Wednesday morning, a conversation he expected would department. That’s really all I had to do with the situation. I think it’s in be focused on options to replace defensemen Brian Dumoulin and, litigation now. It’s a very unfortunate thing. I feel absolutely horrible about possibly, John Marino, each injured in the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime loss on it. That’s about as much as I can say about it.” Tuesday night. There also were no signs that Rutherford’s contract situation — Sullivan and Rutherford did talk Wednesday morning, team sources said, Morehouse had not approached Rutherford about a contract extension — and the Penguins’ defensive depth did come up. But everything was an influenced his resignation. Despite disappointing opening-round playoff afterthought to Rutherford’s resignation. defeats in 2019 and 2020, Penguins ownership anticipated Rutherford would remain as GM for at least this and another season, one source Most players were not aware of the news until after the Penguins’ noon said. practice in Boston. Crosby and Letang, among the first to learn, took it upon themselves to speak with other teammates at the Penguins’ hotel, “Why would he leave?” one league source said. “He had this job for life.” multiple team sources said. Now the Penguins and the hockey community try to figure out what comes next.

“This is fucking gigantic,” one league source said. “If you’re asking me a scale of 1 to 10, I’m telling you 75. … I mean, there isn’t a playbook for a GM like Jim up and leaving in the first month of a season.”

Though the franchise employs a couple of former GMs in and Eddie Johnston, the Penguins are thin when it comes to management experience atop hockey operations. It’s a noticeable difference from Rutherford’s first season when Jason Botterill was associate GM and Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Guerin served as assistants.

Fitzgerald left to join the Devils after the 2014-15 season; Botterill was hired as GM of the Sabres during the 2017 playoffs, and Guerin took over the Wild before the 2019-20 season. Karmanos had worked under Rutherford with the Hurricanes and originally oversaw the building of an analytics operation in Pittsburgh. He eventually became an assistant GM and had been assigned stewardship of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate before his surprise firing this past October.

Allvin, who has spent 15 seasons with the Penguins, was promoted to assistant GM in November. He had spent the previous three seasons as director of amateur scouting.

Allvin’s promotion was one of several moves facilitated by Rutherford after his offseason review of hockey operations. Other moves included Sam Ventura becoming director of hockey operations/research and Erik Heasley adding manager of hockey operations to his role as assistant GM of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Allvin will be a candidate for the GM role, Morehouse said Wednesday, though there likely will be a long list of people the Penguins consider.

Morehouse said the next GM should be expected to “add banners” to those hanging at PPG Paints Arena. He called Rutherford’s hiring “the move I staked my career here on.”

And it almost failed miserably.

Rutherford considered resigning in April 2015, toward the end of a challenging first season in Pittsburgh. Mike Johnston, his second choice to replace former coach Dan Bylsma after declined an offer, had not clicked with Crosby or Malkin, and Rutherford’s moves at the trade deadline left the Penguins unable to dress a full complement of defensemen without breaching the cap. The Penguins bowed to the Rangers in the opening round, winning only one game.

Rutherford ultimately decided to honor his three-year contract and orchestrated a second-season turnaround that featured the arrivals of winger Phil Kessel, goalie Matt Murray and Sullivan. Those three men, along with a core led by Crosby and Malkin, helped the Penguins to Cup victories in 2016 and 2017.

Rutherford, a goaltender with the Penguins in the 1970s, said it was a dream come true to help deliver championships to Pittsburgh.

“The main reason I came back was to win a Stanley Cup,” he said. “And we did it twice. But I also wanted to come back just because of how much I like the city. There is a warmth to the people here that is so special. I love the people here. I was so, so happy to come back and I’m glad I did. It was a special seven years.”

Rutherford said that he and his family will remain in Pittsburgh for now.

“We love it here and we have a home here,” he said. “(His son) James has friends here. It’s a special place, you know? Ideally I’d probably like to see a little bit more sunshine in the winter, but that’s part of living in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Rutherford isn’t closing the door on working again in the NHL, and many around the league expect he will work again once his contract with the Penguins expires in June. This isn’t a retirement. It is most definitely a resignation.

It all happened faster than anyone could have imagined, shocking so many people in 24 of the most surreal hours in Penguins history.

“It was a good run,” Rutherford said. “But it was time.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200798 Pittsburgh Penguins

What’s Wrong With Evgeni Malkin? Postgame Gives Answers

By Dan Kingerski

Fans can be fickle. Of course, that isn’t a newsflash, but Pittsburgh Penguins generational talent Evgeni Malkin is struggling in the 2020-21 NHL season. Not even the big Russian center would deny his season- opening foibles. Still, comment sections, Facebook posts, and other social media voices are offering to escort Malkin out of Pittsburgh and laying the tracks for that train.

After former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned on Wednesday, conspiracy theories caught fire that Rutherford wanted to trade Malkin, but ownership stopped him.

Sheathe that sword, as all involved have discarded the notion and asserted the contrary. But the willingness by many to wonder does connect to the depth of Malkin’s struggles.

Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Boston Bruins, 4-1 at TD Garden. Despite plenty of puck possession, the Penguins got just 17 shots on goal. That number was only 14 with a few minutes to go. Boston coasted to the finish, apparently.

“Boston, they were faster, and they were hungry. They won every battle in the corner,” Malkin said. “We need to look to the mirror and fight in every shift. It’s not a pretty game…We need to play simple. Just work, work work.”

But Malkin was also brutally honest about his play, and in that introspection, he offered the most insight as to why his season has been a goose egg at even strength. And, you know, his admissions make sense.

Pittsburgh Hockey NowLOADED: 01.29.2021 1200799 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Turning Point: Boston Scrambles Crosby Line in Bruins 4-1 Win

By Dan Kingerski

Credit the Pittsburgh Penguins for tilting the ice against the Boston Bruins in the second period on Thursday night. Boston found a fluky goal near the end of the first period, but the Penguins responded with scoring chances and energy in the second period.

However, Boston broke the Penguins in one play during their 4-1 win at TD Garden in Boston.

It looked like the Penguins game until all five Penguins crashed below the hash marks on a Boston rush. As captain Sidney Crosby jumped back into position, Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk jumped into the play, which meant Kris Letang was outnumbered in front of the net.

Bergeron slipped Letang and buried a backhand near the crease for a 3- 1 lead.

Now, let’s diagram the play, and you can see how slick Boston was and how disorganized the Penguins became, quickly. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan often says speed and movement in the offensive zone create pressure and coverage mistakes.

Boston applied that principle here. Watch.

Five Penguins collapsed to cover TWO Boston forecheckers and dump- in. That’s the first oops.

Step 2: Boston gets the loose puck. Patrice Bergeron ferreted out the treat and got the puck to the high slot. Look at the space Crosby tried to make up. One question, where in the world was Jake Guentzel? He didn’t appear on the screen throughout the process.

On the bottom of the screen, you’ll notice Matt Grzelcyk pinched, and Bryan Rust responded to keep up.

Lastly, it’s two-on-two at the net, but that’s about to change.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Step 3: P-O Joseph has a no-win choice: abandon the crease or leave Grzelcyk uncovered. He made the proper choice, but Rust didn’t take Bergeron, nor did Rust close the passing lane. He has to do one. Closing the passing lane would have been the easiest.

Step 4, the dagger: Patrice Bergeron is alone. In front of the Penguins net. Just hand over your wallet. It’s over. Bergeron will nail that chance every time. He did.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ great period was toast, and so too was the game.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200800 Pittsburgh Penguins

Stuffed Penguins: Bergeron, Bruins Suffocate Powerless Pens, 4-1

By Dan Kingerski

Patrice Bergeron had two goals including a crushing tally midway through the second period as the Boston Bruins (5-1-1) made sure the cardiac kids of Pittsburgh would not mount a comeback for the sixth straight game. Boston absorbed the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-3-1) offensive pressure and comfortably won 4-1 at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night.

The Penguins had the puck and attempted shots but Boston had the front of the net well defended. Few shots got through and the Penguins scoring chances were often met by Boston defenders.

The Penguins had only 17 shots on goal and nine attempted shots. Boston goalie Jaroslav Halak only had to make 14 saves. According to NaturaStatTrick.com, the Penguins had only two high-danger scoring chances and none in the third period.

“We’ve got to play the game the right way. We’ve got to defend when it’s called upon and not just try to outscore teams,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We weren’t hard to play against tonight.”

The Penguins’ aggressive defensemen strategy was as surprising as it was effective in the first period but it didn’t last. Defensive defenseman Cody Ceci showed surprising hops later in the first period. Trailing 1-0, Ceci held the puck at the blue line and charged into the slot. In a tight space, Ceci flipped from his backhand to forehand and snapped it past Boston goalie Jaroslav Halak.

Boston grinders carried the first period. Six minutes into the game, Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk pinched ahead of Jake Guentzel to take the puck. Grzelcyk’s centering pass was misplayed by Penguins defenseman Kevin Czuczman and Chris Wagner (1) pounded it past Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.

Boston took a 2-1 lead in the final 90 seconds of the first period with some dumb luck. Anders Bjork’s shot bounced through the slot, deflected off Sean Kuraly’s leg, then past Jarry.

The Penguins forwards were responsible on Thursday night, but Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust crossed wires in the middle of the second period. Boston scrambled the Penguins top line and Patrice Bergeron (4) sniped a backhand near the crease for a two-goal lead.

The Penguins have trailed in every game this season and trailed by two goals in six of eight.

“We need to look in the mirror and fight every shift,” Evgeni Malkin said after he criticized himself. “We need to play simple and we need to just work, work, work.”

Bergeron added unneeded insurance with a power-play goal early in the third period. The Boston captain dropped into the slot and powered a one-timer past

One silver lining, Penguins rookie P-O Joseph played over 17 minutes and was otherwise well received with several hits and stellar defensive plays.

Tristan Jarry stopped 16 of 20 in his fourth straight start. The Penguins visit the New York Rangers for two games, Saturday and Monday respectively.

More after the Pittsburgh Penguins locker room availability.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200801 Pittsburgh Penguins P-O Joseph Kris Letang John Marino Cody Ceci

Kevin Czuczman Chad Ruhwedel Patchwork Blue #8: Penguins Lines, Notes Betting Odds vs. Bruins Boston Bruins Lines

Brad Marchand Patrice Bergeron Craig Smith By Dan Kingerski Nick Ritchie David Krejci Charlie Coyle

Trent Frederick Par Lindholm Jack Studnicka What will a coach do when the top three LHD are injured, a generation talent center is scuffling, and it has been two weeks since the bottom six Anders Bjork Sean Kuraly Chris Wagener forwards chipped in on offense? Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2-1) head coach Mike Sullivan will have his hands full, yet the Penguins have points in five Jeremy Lauzon Charlie McAvoy straight games as they’ll visit the Boston Bruins (4-1-1) Thursday night at Matt Grzelczyk Brandon Carlo the TD Garden. Jakub Zboril Kevan Miller The Penguins have trailed during the third period in every game this season. Penguins Betting Odds

The patchwork #8 reference has a few levels. It will be the Penguins’ We should have doubled on Tuesday. We took the Penguins on the eighth game this season, and the lineup will be without top-pair Moneyline, but six squandered power plays and wasted OT opportunities defenseman, No. 8 Brian Dumoulin, who is out week-to-week, per soured our pick. Sullivan. Get up to a $500 match when you register a new account (BetMGM) Dumoulin is the fourth LHD out of the lineup, and the Penguins have only one left-handed defenseman, P-O Joseph. Dumoulin, Marcus The Penguins’ makeshift defense is a huge problem. They could go one Pettersson, Mike Matheson, and Juuso Riikola are out. period without Brian Dumoulin, but replacing him has been one of the most difficult things the Penguins have faced over the last two seasons. The Penguins lineup situation is unconfirmed without an official and full morning skate. Tristan Jarry has started three games in a row and If you’re averse to betting against the Penguins, take the over. At least earned points in all three (2-2-1. 3.90 GAA, .868 Sv%). Boston coach one backup goalie will be in net, and we should see six goals or more. Bruce Cassidey will start Jaroslav Halak in the net. Take the OVER, and $10 pays $19.52.

Cassidy gave starter Tuukka Rask the day off. Dan Vladar will be the Our record this year is 3-3 backup. Penguins Game Notes:

Injuries also hurt the Boston lineup (see what I did there?). David *Sidney Crosby has 56 points (14G-42A) in 43 career games against the Pastrnak is still recovering from offseason surgery, and power forward Bruins, which includes 16 points (3g, 13a) in his last 13 games Jake DeBrusk is also out. Craig Smith, who scored the game-winner on Tuesday, will be on the top line with Patric Bergeron and Brad Marchand. *With a goal and an assist on Tuesday, Jason Zucker notched his first multi-point game of the season and his fourth in 22 games since the The Penguins’ furious two-goal rally fell short on Tuesday, and Evgeni Penguins acquired him on Feb. 10, 2020. Malkin and Kris Letang failed to get a shot on goal during a two-on-none in overtime. Boston beat the Penguins 3-2 in OT. But here’s the turning *On Wednesday, the Penguins signed defenseman Yannick Weber to a point that sparked the Penguins comeback (PHN) one-year, two-way contract. Weber will not be available on Thursday night because he was caught in a snowstorm, per head coach Mike Pittsburgh Penguins Catchup Sullivan.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned on Wednesday. It caught *Without Brian Dumoulin in the lineup, it is likely that Kevin Czuczman interim GM Patrik Allvin and head coach Mike Sullivan by surprise will make his first NHL appearance since 2013. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now) *Bryan Rust has points in five of seven games this season (2g, 3a). He Analyzing five early GM candidates and favorites (PHN+) failed to score in the first game and the last game.

Penguins Injuries: How to Watch

F Zach Aston-Reese (7 consecutive, 7 total) TV: AT&T SportsNet

D Zach Trotman (7 consecutive, 7 total) Radio: 105.9 The X

F Sam Miletic (7 consecutive, 7 total) Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 D Mike Matheson (5 consecutive, 5 total)

D Marcus Pettersson (3 consecutive, 3 total)

D Juuso Riikola (3 consecutive, 3 total)

F Evan Rodrigues (1 consecutive, 1 total)

*Brian Dumoulin is out week-to-week.

2020-21 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 33

Pittsburgh Penguins Lines

LW C RW

Jake Guentzel Sidney Crosby Bryan Rust

Jason Zucker Evgeni Malkin Kasperi Kapanen

Jared McCann Teddy Blueger Brandon Tanev

Drew O'Connor Mark Jankowski Colton Sceviour

LD RD 1200802 Pittsburgh Penguins Perhaps the only person who had an inkling Rutherford could step aside was Morehouse, who only learned of Rutherford’s intention on Tuesday night. The Penguins signed defenseman Yannick Weber on Wednesday morning, and Rutherford was figuratively out the door. Allvin Shocked by Rutherford; Sullivan Affected, ‘It’s Hard…” In a sign of the Penguins’ current luck with defensemen, Weber was caught in a snowstorm en route to Boston and will not be available on Thursday. Top-pair defenseman Brian Dumoulin will be out week-to- By Dan Kingerski week.

It’s been that kind of helter-skelter season for the Penguins, already. The Pittsburgh Penguins learned of their GM’s self-imposed and abrupt They lost two, then won four in a row, including three in overtime. exit as they left the ice after practice on Wednesday. Captain Sidney The Penguins wild ride is never short on drama, but no one saw this Crosby customarily said all of the right things about Jim Rutherford’s bend coming. PHN analyzed the early favorites for the Penguins GM job resignation and admitted the team addressed it fully on Thursday. here (PHN+) As well as examined the situation and big problems However, the fallout continues. Rutherford left behind (Pittsburgh Hockey Now) Notably, now-interim GM Patrik Allvin was also blindsided by the Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 resignation. And Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was a touch sentimental about Rutherford and seemed to be personally affected by Rutherford’s departure.

It should be noted the upheaval within the Penguins organization over the past 12 months. Gone were long-time contributors Mark Recchi and Jacques Martin. Long-time Rutherford AGM Jason Karmanos and the organization split in the offseason. The myriad of assistant GMs, which was once a dream team with Tom Fitzgerald, Karmanos, Bill Guerin, and Jason Botterill, was whittled to none until Allvin was promoted following Karmanos’s departure.

Allvin will rely on owner Mario Lemieux “as a backup,” but there is no longer the robust staff that helped build the 2016 and 2017 championship teams.

Allvin confirmed he didn’t see the resignation coming, either.

“We talked (Wednesday) morning regarding a couple of our teams, potential transactions, and around 11:30 a.m., he called me…” Allvin said. “He told me he was resigning. I was surprised. Later, I got a call from (Penguins president) David Morehouse.”

Lest you thought this was a bubbling possibility, or there was a flashpoint, not even Allvin knew it was coming. The interim GM has only been on the job for months, but the Penguins head coach has worked closely with Rutherford since 2015.

It was Rutherford who gave Sullivan his first head-coaching job in a decade. Rutherford initially hired Sullivan to coach the WBS Penguins as Mike Johnston was the Pittsburgh Penguins coach. However, by November, the situation in Pittsburgh was deteriorating quickly.

Sullivan got the tap, and the rest is history.

“Jim and I developed a great relationship in the time we worked together. We’ve been through a lot together. We were very much in sync about how the day-to-day operations of the team ran,” Sullivan said. “Jim is a great communicator. He’s a great listener, a great mentor. His resume speaks for itself.”

But Sullivan wasn’t done with the superlatives.

“I think he’s the best general manager in hockey,” Sullivan smiled.

Now, Sullivan will work with Allvin in the immediate and find himself with a new boss soon. PHN will be the first to tentatively ask the question–Will a new GM want “his own man” behind the bench, or will the Penguins make Mike Sullivan a condition of the hire?

Both things are common in hockey.

The grimaces and the smiles from Sullivan punctuated the coach speak he typically uses. Allvin is also a candidate to become the Penguins permanent GM, though the process is barely 24 hours old.

But the surprise or shock of the decision clearly left a mark.

“It’s hard. We’re all human. We build relationships over time. When you’re speaking with respect to Jim, Jim and I have developed a great friendship through our working relationship with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Sullivan said. “…I can’t say enough about how much respect I have for him as a professional, but he’s a good friend.”

“It’s…it’s…hard,” Sullivan shrugged. 1200803 Pittsburgh Penguins

PENGUINSAnalyzing Five Potential Pittsburgh Penguins GM Candidates

By Dan Kingerski

And just like that, the Jim Rutherford era for the Pittsburgh Penguins was over. No warning. No protracted goodbyes or fulfilling the remaining months of his contract. In his absence, the Penguins have a sharp hockey scout who has less than six months experience as an assistant GM at the helm and likely a flood of resumes.

Fortunately for the Penguins, there are more than a handful of available, experienced GMs who have been successful elsewhere but, for various reasons, are no longer employed.

For example, Dale Tallon built the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty before losing a 2010 power struggle and taking the Florida Panthers GM position. Tallon amassed an impressive array of talent in Florida, but Sunrise has become the black hole of hockey talent.

Tallon, 70, was exonerated of accusations that used a racial slur inside the Toronto bubble last August. He could be a short-term hire and “overseer” if the Penguins feel interim GM Patrik Allvin is their long-term choice.

Fortunately, there are several more serious candidates.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021

1200804 San Jose Sharks Chmelevski, 21, was going to center the Sharks’ fourth line with Patrick Marleau and Stefan Noesen as his wingers.

Instead, with Chmelevski out, Marcus Sorensen, who was supposed to Devan Dubnyk solid, but Sharks’ offense sputters in loss to Avalanche be a healthy scratch, drew back into Thursday’s lineup and played on the line with Marleau and Noesen. John Leonard, without a point in his last six games, was a healthy scratch.

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay Boughner said after the game the issue with Chmelevski was simply that Area News Group the transaction “wasn’t completed in time.”

PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 8:34 p.m. | UPDATED: January 28, Marleau, 41, reached his own milestone Thursday as he dressed in his 2021 at 11:40 p.m. 1,731st career game, tying him with Ron Francis for fourth on the NHL’s all-time games played list. Francis played for four teams over 23

seasons, was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Devan Dubnyk gave his team every chance to beat the Colorado Penguins and is a member of the . Avalanche on Thursday night but didn’t get anything in terms of offensive Chmelevski was set to become the fourth Sharks player to make his NHL support. debut this season, joining Leonard and Fredrik Handemark and Dubnyk made 28 straight saves before the Avalanche scored twice in defenseman Nicolas Meloche. under two minutes in the third period to hand the Sharks 3-0 loss and sweep the two game series at Ball Arena in Denver. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.29.2021 Nazem Kadri scored at the 9:55 mark of the third period and Andre Burakovsky added an insurance goal just 1:58 later as the Sharks lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Dubnyk finished with 35 saves as the Avalanche outshot the Sharks 38- 21.

“The last couple of games we haven’t shot enough,” Tomas Hertl said. “We have a couple of big guys and we have to get more to the net. We barely have 20 shots every game now and we can do way more than that.”

San Jose, which went 0-for-4 with the power play, was shut out for the first time this season. The Sharks are now off for three days before they are scheduled to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday in Glendale, Arizona.

Dubnyk helped keep the score 0-0 after two periods, making 18 saves through 40 minutes, including six on three Avalanche power plays.

“We put ourselves in a good spot, 0-0 game going into the third,” Dubnyk said. “This is a tough team to play against. We’ve been grinding for a long time here, we put ourselves in a spot to win and we’re looking forward to moving on.”

Dubnyk was making his third start of the season as he entered Thursday’s game with an 0-2-0 record and an .894 save percentage. Tuesday, Dubnyk came in relief of Martin Jones, who allowed five goals in the first 25 minutes and 47 seconds before he was pulled. Dubnyk made 21 saves in relief in a 7-3 Sharks loss.

Sharks coach Bob Boughner is starting to look for one of his goalies to take charge of the net, saying Tuesday that Dubnyk “is a guy that deserves some more time. We’ve had some good goalie performances throughout the first few games here, but I think we need the one guy to step up and make it so hard that you can’t take him out for the next game.

“It’s consistency — nothing different than the rest of our game. We’re still searching for consistency throughout our lineup.”

Thursday’s game was tied 0-0 after the first period as the Sharks missed an opportunity to take an early lead, going 0-for-3 on the power play with two shots on goal. The Sharks entered Thursday on an 1-for-19 skid with the man advantage, which started with their Jan. 20 game with the St. Louis Blues.

Avalanche center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare injured his lower body in the first period during a collision with Ryan Donato and did not return. Avalanche coach Bednar did not have an update on Bellemare after the game.

Roughly 30 minutes before the start of their game with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Sharks, through a team spokesman, announced that Sasha Chmelevski would not be playing because of a “roster issue with the taxi squad.”

Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Thursday morning that Chmelevski, who had been on the taxi squad since the start of the season, would be in the lineup against the Avalanche and make his NHL debut. 1200805 San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ home opener vs. Golden Knights in jeopardy after Vegas COVID issues

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 11:26 a.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 3:14 p.m.

The San Jose Sharks’ games with the Vegas Golden Knights next week might not be played as scheduled.

The NHL has postponed tonight’s Golden Knights’ game with the St. Louis Blues after a player and another member of Vegas’ coaching staff entered the league’s COVID-19 protocols. That could mean a positive coronavirus test, potential exposure or something different.

The league also announced that the Vegas training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain shuttered until further notice.

One Golden Knights coach tested positive before the team played the Blues on Tuesday night. As a result, Vegas played the game without its entire coaching staff, which includes head coach Pete DeBoer and assistant , who were both with the Sharks from 2015 to 2019.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon acted as head coach and was assisted by the team’s minor league coaching staff, which includes former Sharks forward Joel Ward. The Blues won the game 5-4 in a shootout.

The Sharks, as of now, are still scheduled to play the Golden Knights on Monday and Wednesday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The NHL, in its statement, said it is reviewing and revising the Golden Knights’ regular season schedule, and that a decision on next week’s Sharks- Golden Knights games will be made by Friday or Saturday.

The Golden Knights are the third NHL team to have its schedule affected by COVID issues. The Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes had multiple games postponed earlier this season.

Wednesday, the Sharks announced that while they will play the Golden Knights in Arizona, they would return to San Jose in mid-February to face the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.

The Sharks are playing the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Thursday night and are scheduled to fly to Arizona after the game.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200806 San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks forward, set to make NHL debut, is forced to sit

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: January 28, 2021 at 10:31 a.m. | UPDATED: January 28, 2021 at 10:17 p.m.

Sasha Chmelevski’s NHL debut will have to wait until another day.

Roughly 30 minutes before the start of their game with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Sharks, through a team spokesman, announced that Chmelevski would not be playing because of a “roster issue with the taxi squad.”

Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Thursday morning that Chmelevski, who had been on the taxi squad since the start of the season, would be in the lineup against the Avalanche and make his NHL debut. Chmelevski, 21, was going to center the Sharks’ fourth line with Patrick Marleau and Stefan Noesen as his wingers.

After the Sharks’ 3-0 loss to the Avalanche, Boughner said the issue with Chmelevski was simply that the transaction “wasn’t completed in time.”

Instead, with Chmelevski out, Marcus Sorensen, who was supposed to be a healthy scratch, drew back into Thursday’s lineup and played on the line with Marleau and Noesen. John Leonard, without a point in his last six games, was a healthy scratch.

Marleau, 41, reached his own milestone Thursday as he dressed in his 1,731st career game, tying him with Ron Francis for fourth on the NHL’s all-time games played list. Francis played for four teams over 23 seasons, was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Chmelevski was set to become the fourth Sharks player to make his NHL debut this season, joining Leonard and Fredrik Handemark and defenseman Nicolas Meloche.

Chmelevski impressed the Sharks and Boughner during training camp as he earned a spot on the taxi squad instead of going back down to the AHL with the Barracuda.

“I thought that he had a great camp,” Boughner said of Chmelevski on Thursday morning. “He’s a guy that’s another right-handed shot center. We knew this year there was going to be a lot of opportunity for young guys to come in and challenge for jobs.”

Boughner and the Sharks (3-4-0) would like to see someone take the reins of that fourth line center role, which has been a carousel through the first seven games of the season. Joel Kellman started the season there Jan. 14 against the Arizona Coyotes but has not played since. Handemark has also played in just one game, as Marleau has mainly filled that role, including on Thursday.

Chmelevski, in his second full season as a professional, was hampered by an ankle injury at the start of last season with the Barracuda as he finished with 27 points in 42 games. Healthier toward the end of the season, Chmelevski had three goals and eight assists in his last 12 games before the AHL suspended its season in March.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200807 San Jose Sharks

Sharks run out of gas, fall to Avalanche

Michael Kelly

Jan. 28, 2021

Updated: Jan. 28, 2021 9:54 p.m.

DENVER — Nazem Kadri had two goals, one midway through the third period to snap a scoreless tie, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Sharks 3-0 on Thursday.

Kadri also had an assist, Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves and Andre Burakovsky scored for the Avalanche.

Colorado scored 15 goals over its previous two home games, including seven in Tuesday’s win against San Jose, but offense was hard to come by Thursday. The Avalanche had just 18 shots on goal through two periods and also hit the post a few times.

Devan Dubnyk had 35 saves for San Jose, which finished 3-5 on its eight-game trip to open the season.

Colorado played most of the game with only 11 forwards after fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare suffered a left leg injury when Ryan Donato skidded into him late in the first period. Bellemare went to the locker room and didn’t return.

The Avalanche then lost defenseman Devon Toews early in the third period when he took a puck to the skate and limped off the ice. He returned later in the period and took a penalty.

Soon after Toews went to the locker room, Colorado broke the tie. Kadri put an initial shot on net, and after a couple of saves by Dubnyk and a scrum in front of the net, Kadri knocked in a loose puck at 9:55.

Less than two minutes later, Kadri fed Burakovsky as he came down the slot, and Burakovsky redirected it at 11:53. Kadri added a power-play goal, his third of the season, at 18:54.

Sharks forward Timo Meier brings the puck off the boards while trying to stay ahead of Colorado's Cale Makar in the first period,

Sharks forward Timo Meier brings the puck off the boards while trying to stay ahead of Colorado’s Cale Makar in the first period,

San Jose forward Sasha Chmelevski was slated to make his NHL debut but was ruled out before the opening faceoff due to roster issues with the taxi squad. Marcus Sorensen took his place on the fourth line.

Briefly: Defenseman Christian Jaros, acquired Wednesday in a three- team deal involving the Senators and Ducks, did not dress for the Sharks. San Jose acquired Jaros by first sending defenseman Trevor Carrick to Anaheim for forward Jack Kopacka, then dealing Kopacka and a 2022 seventh-round draft pick to Ottawa. Jaros had a goal and 12 assists in 76 career games for Ottawa.

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200808 San Jose Sharks

Dubnyk at his best, Sharks' offense at its worst in loss to Avs

by Marcus White

Devan Dubnyk held out as long as he could in the Sharks' 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Thursday night.

The goaltender stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced, keeping San Jose (3-5-0) within striking distance of Colorado (5-3-0) through two periods and change. Dubnyk denied each of the 12 shots he faced in the second, finally relenting just shy of 10 minutes into the third, when Nazem Kadri opened the scoring for the Avalanche.

Kadri assisted on Andre Burakovsky's goal that doubled the Avalanche's lead not even two minutes later, and the Sharks had no answer in what coach Bob Boughner said was their "worst" offensive performance of the season.

"He gave us a chance to win," Boughner said of Dubnyk. "For all intents and purposes, it was a 2-0 game until the end [when Colorado scored on the power play], we just couldn't produce offense for him."

The Sharks made changes to their power play ahead of Thursday's loss, but the man advantage was far from the only aspect of San Jose's offense that dried up in Denver. San Jose scored three 5-on-5 goals in each of the last two games prior to the shutout loss.

Although the Sharks attempted 44 5-on-5 shots, only 16 made it on net, matching a season low. According to Natural Stat Trick, only four of those shots were considered high-danger.

A middle-of-the-pack team in 5-on-5 shot quantity, the Sharks -- as of this writing -- are in the bottom half of the NHL in shot-quality metrics. The latter represents a step back from last season, as San Jose currently is generating nearly three fewer high-danger chances per hour than last season.

"I think the last couple of games we have for sure not really shot enough," center Tomas Hertl said. "I think we have to get more -- especially with our big guys -- get more to the net. And when [defensemen shoot], we have nobody really in front and make it very easy on the goalies. ... We barely have 20 shots every game now, and I think we can do way more than that and just be better in [the offensive zone]."

The Sharks aren't scheduled to play another game until next Monday, as their condensed 56-game schedule offers an early respite. It could be even longer for San Jose, as its next opponent -- the Vegas Golden Knights -- had Thursday's game postponed after the NHL announced a player and a coach were placed on the league's COVID-19 protocol list.

With the time off, the Sharks should have ample time to determine what ailed their offense Thursday. It simply could've been fatigue, as Boughner noted the team has been away from home for over a month after Santa Clara County's ban on contact sports, implemented to help limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, forced the Sharks to relocate to Scottsdale, Ariz. for training camp.

"I think this is our 34th or 35th day on the road," Boughner said. "It looks like a team that's been on the road for 35 days."

No matter the solution, the Sharks can ill-afford to waste a strong goaltending performance like Dubnyk's Thursday moving forward. San Jose's woes were legion last season, but poor play in net proved as costly as any aspect of the Sharks' game over the course of the season.

Dubnyk told reporters in his press conference he has gained confidence in each of his three starts this season, and he hopes to string a few consecutive starts together by using Thursday as a springboard. If he's going to reach that goal, he's going to need more goal support from the skaters in front of him.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200809 San Jose Sharks

Hedican found purpose through Kung Fu after long NHL career

by Alex Didion

Bret Hedican played over 1,000 games in his 17-year NHL career, including being part of a Stanley Cup-winning team with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06.

But once his time in professional hockey wound down, Hedican knew he needed something to motivate himself to get up every morning. That's when he found Kung Fu.

"That's what you miss about pro sports," Hedican said. "Those moments of being in complete control of both mind and body at the same time and performing at a high level."

Hedican believes the connection between mind and body aligns perfectly with the art of Kung Fu.

"I was so lucky to find East West Kung Fu here in my hometown, and then to be as great as it is, I've been really excited about the progress I've made," Hedican said.

Learn more about Hedican and his journey with Kung Fu in HEADSTRONG 2.0, as NBC Sports Bay Area spotlights mental health throughout the month of January.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200810 San Jose Sharks “He’s been a great veteran for us. He’s bigger and stronger than when he left. And he’s just a low-maintenance guy. He’s going to practice hard, you know he’s going to play hard, and he’s a detailed player. Those are the kinds of players that players love to coach.” Game Preview/Lines #8: Boughner Has Pointed Words for Hertl & Kane And finally, Sasha Chmelevski, San Jose’s 2017 sixth-round pick, will make his NHL debut tonight, centering Patrick Marleau and Stefan Noesen. Published January 28, 2021 21-year-old Sasha Chmelevski, on his linemate, 41-year-old Patrick By Sheng Peng Marleau: "You feel confident being around him."

Boughner and Kane talked about not spending enough time in the In tonight’s preview, Bob Boughner has pointed words for Tomas Hertl offensive zone. and Evander Kane in advance of tonight’s re-match with the Colorado According to SPORTLOGiQ, the San Jose Sharks are 29th in the NHL at Avalanche. Kane shared his thoughts about his recent performance too. 4:36 Even Strength Offensive Zone Possession Time — Colorado, by the Boughner also touched on how Matt Nieto has grown as a player since way, tops the league at 6:54. Boughner was a San Jose Sharks assistant coach and Nieto was a third- Related specifically to Hertl and Kane, per Natural Stat Trick: Kane is year player in 2015-16. ninth among Sharks forwards (of 13 qualified, 25+ 5-on-5 minutes) at - Sasha Chmelevski makes his NHL debut. 5.17 Corsi For % Relative and Hertl is dead-last at -10.97.

Finally, just how bad have the Sharks been with Offensive Zone Here’s another SPORTLOGiQ measure, this time in All Situations: On Possession Time? opening night against Arizona, Hertl was second on the team at 00:40 OZ Possession Time. The following contest, Kane was second at 00:35. SAN JOSE SHARKS (3-4-0) That’s about to be expected.

UPDATE: Per the San Jose Sharks, “Due to a roster issue with the taxi But in the last five games, only Kane has a registered a top-three team squad, Marcus Sorensen will play in tonight’s game in place of Sasha finish in this category: He was third on the Sharks with 00:37 on Jan. 22 Chmelevski.” at Minnesota.

WHERE TO WATCH Hertl and Kane will need to put the Sharks on their back if they mean to overpower the smaller Avs’ defense. Puck drop is 6 PM PT at the Ball Center. Watch it on NBC Sports Bay Area, Altitude Sports, or NHL.tv.

MORNING SKATE San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 01.29.2021 Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane have been tied to the hip this season. But besides a spectacular season opener — Hertl and Kane each notched three points — the duo have been mostly quiet.

Bob Boughner has noticed: “I demand better hockey from them. It’s in all aspects. They gotta play a lot heavier in the offensive zone. Spend time in the offensive zone. Be hard to play against. I didn’t think they were hard to play against at all last game. When I say that, I mean protecting pucks. Bringing pucks to the net.”

We’ll get to how little time that Hertl and Kane are spending in the offensive zone shortly. In terms of bringing pucks to the net, Hertl and Kane are also off to statistically slow shooting starts.

Kane is usually one of his team’s most prolific shooters. From 2017-20, Kane was second only to Timo Meier (18.41) among San Jose Sharks forwards with 18.24 Shot Attempts Per 60 at 5-on-5. That figure, admittedly in a small sample size this season, has dropped to 11.91, eighth among San Jose forwards.

Meanwhile, Hertl is more of a playmaker, but he’s trying an alarmingly low number of attempts too: The centerman’s 12.81 Shot Attempts Per 60 at 5-on-5 from 2017-20 has shrunk to 6.64.

“It’s tough when we’re spending a lot of time in your own end. You don’t get a lot of o-zone time. Probably not going to get a lot of opportunities to shoot,” Kane explained. “But definitely want to shoot the puck more, if you don’t shoot, you can’t score.”

Hertl and Kane will get another chance together tonight, this time with Timo Meier riding shotgun.

Boughner also added that Kane did leave the last game with a minor injury — the winger missed the last seven minutes of the opening frame: “Kaner left the game for a bit, came back, got fixed up in the trainer’s room. He wasn’t 100 percent last game. But there’s no excuse. That line has to be better.”

On the other hand, Boughner has liked, albeit with lesser expectations, Matt Nieto’s reliability. Boughner last saw the off-season UFA signing in San Jose in 2015-16 when he was a Sharks assistant coach.

“You know what you’re getting from him every night, which is great for a coach. You know he’s going to go over and play high-tempo. He’s going to dictate the speed. He’s going to make his linemates better. I love how he owns the penalty kill, that’s his baby. I think his offensive game is better now than it was when he left,” Boughner indicated. 1200811 St Louis Blues Blues in the 2019 draft (Round 2, 62 overall), Alexandrov has two assists in four games and is averaging 13:59 of ice time per game.

• The Blues have an off day Friday in Anaheim, and then play the Ducks Where's the defense? Blues allowing goals at an uncharacteristic pace on Saturday and Sunday before returning home.

Jim Thomas St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021

LAS VEGAS — The Blues are allowing 3.71 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the NHL. Granted, it’s only seven games but it’s a far cry from the team’s usual stinginess.

The Blues have finished each of the prior three seasons no lower than sixth in terms of goals allowed per game. And no higher than 2.71 goal per game — or a full goal lower than their current yield.

“Right now, we’re a little bit loose,” Brayden Schenn said. “Not tight enough defensively in all three zones and it’s allowing them to get a lot of chances. We’re relying on our goalies, and in the games that Binner (Jordan Binnington)’s played, definitely too, he’s making save after save. Big saves and timely saves — and we just gotta be able to help him out a little more.”

When Schenn said the Blues are allowing a lot of chances for the opposition, he wasn’t kidding. The Blues are allowing an uncharacteristically high number of shots on goal: 33.3 per game, which ranks 26th.in the league, or sixth-worst.

“I think it starts in the offensive zone, personally,” coach said. “Forechecking, reloading, breaking plays up. That’s where it all starts. And we’ve played some games like that this year, where we’ve given up in the 20s in shots.

“And that’s where we want to be. That’s where we’ve been the last two years and we gotta get there. But we’ve got new players and it’s just a new year. So we gotta keep hammering away at it and get it right.”

The Blues had the fourth-lowest average of shots allowed on goal in each of the past two years: 28.6 per game during the Stanley Cup season and 29.6 per game last season.

With the exception of Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout victory over Vegas, when Binnington faced 46 shots — the second-highest total of his career — the high volume has come in Game 2 of the two-game series that are being played this year.

The Blues allowed an average of 36.7 shots on goal in the second games of the Colorado, San Jose and Los Angeles series. The Blues were 0-2-1 in those contests. In the first games of those series, the Blues allowed just 25.3 shots on goal per game, and went 3-0-0

Granted, there are a few new players on the roster this year, and some veteran mainstays from years gone by are no longer around. But no excuses.

“There’s obviously an adjustment period,” Schenn said. “It’s still early on in the year. We gotta keep on harping on it and coming together as a team and creating that chemistry. Getting guys on the same page. It’s gonna come. It will come.”

Penalty disparity

Through seven games, Blues’ opponents have been on the power play for 19 minutes 2 seconds more than St. Louis. In essence, the Blues have given opponents nearly a full period of extra power play time this season. It breaks down to 2:43 of extra power play time per game for the opposition, or nearly 1 ½ power plays.

That’s a lot of extra time on the ice for the St. Luis penalty kill unit. And although the Blues have done better lately on the PK, they still rank only 27th in PK efficiency at 69.4%.

Blue notesThe Blues are cranking up the physical game. They had 30 hits in Tuesday’s game, marking the second consecutive game with 30 or more hits.

• With 16 blocked shots Tuesday, the Blues have been in double figures in blocks for four straight games.

• Forward Nikita Alexandrov is starting to get some game experience playing for KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga. The first player chosen by the 1200812 St Louis Blues

Wingo gets back into the sportscasting mix

Dan Caesar

Trey Wingo has resurfaced, six months after his long and high-profile run on ESPN concluded.

The “Golic and Wingo” show, which he did with Mike Golic, was canceled in July to essentially end a 23-year stint at the network, though Wingo’s final official day with the company did not come until late November.

But now Wingo, who joined ESPN in 1997 following a six-year stint as a sportscaster in St. Louis KSDK (Channel 5), has begun a podcast and is a broadcaster this week on PGA Tour Live, the Professional Golfers Association’s streaming channel that concentrates on groups of players as they traverse the course. He was on the call Thursday for the Farmers Insurance Open and is to do so Friday.

Although he primarily was known for his NFL and talk-show work at ESPN, he covered some major golf events for the network.

“I’m excited. I love the game and loved covering the U.S. Open and the (British) Open Championship for years,” Wingo recently told the Golfweek media outlet. “I’m thrilled to be covering golf again.”

He also is covering football again — at least via a podcast called Half- Forgotten History (https://tinyurl.com/y2ewxtj4), which delves into stories that he and others might have heard but haven’t become public.

“Half the best stories that you hear never make air,” he recently said on Rich Eisen’s show on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. “They’re all the stuff you talk about when you’re in the green room before the camera and the lights go on, or the mike is on. Or when you’re out to dinner at the Super Bowl and someone drops a bomb story on you over a cocktail or two.

“We’re just sitting down talking ball about some of the greatest things and the greatest moments in the game that . . . not everybody else knows.”

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200813 St Louis Blues On Tuesday, Vegas played the Blues without any of its coaches behind the bench after a member of the coaching staff tested positive for COVID. General manager Kelly McCrimmon served as emergency coach, with help from coaches from the team’s American Hockey League Knights' Pietrangelo on COVID list as game with Blues is postponed affiliate, the Henderson (Nev.) Silver Knights.

Now, there’s at least another coach as well as Pietrangelo on the COVID list. Jim Thomas With no game tonight, the Blues changed their travel schedule, and left

Las Vegas for Anaheim late Thursday afternoon. Media availability for LAS VEGAS — Up till now during the 2020-21 NHL season, the Blues the team Thursday was canceled by the Blues have tiptoed around the COVID-19 minefield with nary an issue. Not “We moved our flight up to 3 (Pacific time),” Armstrong said, shortly anymore. before the team left for Anaheim. “We’ll just get settle in there and get After Thursday’s contest with Vegas was postponed due to COVID ready for our games Saturday-Sunday. I haven’t talked directly with the issues among the Golden Knights, the Blues are keeping their fingers league since the announcement to find out when we’ll reschedule it or crossed they have not been exposed to the virus. what the process is.

The game was postponed after a Vegas player and a second member of “So you just sort of take everything as it comes and not try to push it. We the Knights’ coaching staff entered COVID-19 protocols. were told we weren’t gonna play, so we had our practice, we’re back at the hotel. Guys just had what would normally be their pregame meal and Turns out that Vegas player is none other than Alex Pietrangelo, the we’ll back up and move on.” former Blues captain who signed with the Golden Knights in free agency in October. The team is still scheduled to be off Friday in Anaheim, as was originally planned pre-postponement. Pietrangelo told the Post-Dispatch via text Thursday night that he had mild symptoms. “All good,” he said. “Just trying to keep the family safe.” But the Blues got a full practice in at T-Mobile, something they normally wouldn’t do on a game day. They ran lines and defensive pairings, with He was on the NHL’s daily COVID list Thursday; there were no Blues Jacob de la Rose holding O’Reilly’s spot on the first line with Zach listed. Sanford and David Perron.

During non-pandemic times, several Blues — perhaps most of the team Once again, Sammy Blais skated with Robert Thomas and Mike Hoffman — might have met with Pietrangelo for dinner on Monday night after the on the third line in place of Bozak, who suffered an upper-body injury on team arrived in Vegas. Pietrangelo may have even played host at his a hit from Vegas’ Mark Stone in Tuesday’s game — a hit that the Blues spacious mansion in the Vegas area. But not this year. thought was a dirty play.

“Zero contact with any of those guys,” Pietrangelo said via text. Bozak already had been ruled out of Thursday’s game by Berube and is not expected to play Saturday in Anaheim. Since the Blues have been practicing at T-Mobile Arena all week, and the Golden Knights have worked at their City National Arena practice facility As was the case in Wednesday’s practice, Vince Dunn skated with Niko 20 minutes away all week, it’s not like Pietrangelo could’ve even bumped Mikkola on the third pairing Thursday, another indication that he will into a member of the Blues in the hallway or on the ice. return to the lineup in Anaheim after being benched Tuesday.

But Pietrangelo was on the ice for a whopping 28 minutes 57 seconds in It looks like the Blues are switching the top two D-pairings as well, with the Blues’ 5-4 shootout victory over the Golden Knights on Tuesday. So Torey Krug skating with Justin Faulk, and Marco Scandella paired with he obviously was in close contact with some Blues during that game _ Colton Parayko for the second day in a row in practice. Krug and like that key Jordan Kyrou goal with Pietrangelo draped all over him in Parayko had been paired together in all seven previous games; the second period. Scandella and Faulk in six of seven. (Scandella missed the Jan. 20 San Jose game with an upper-body injury.) Blues general manager told the Post-Dispatch he’s not worried about any Blues testing positive because of contact with Petro or But Berube did mix his D-pairings during Tuesday’s Vegas game, any other Golden Knight. foreshadowing the current switch.

“I don’t get consumed by it, so it is what it is,” Armstrong said. “We get After a full 45-minute practice, the main group trickled off the ice. But the tested every day and we go to work. Blues weren’t done yet. Out came the full six-man taxi squad for a practice session, joined by goalie Ville Husso and defenseman Robert “I’m not worried about it, because I can’t control it. I don’t want to speak Bortuzzo. for everybody else. You can worry about anything you want. I try and only worry about things you can control.” Although still on the injured reserve list, it marked the second day in a row that Bortuzzo has skated. He has missed five consecutive games As the news was announced, the Blues were on the ice taking part in after suffering an apparent concussion in Game 2 of the season Jan. 15 their usual morning skate at T-Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, at their practice at Colorado. His head was slammed into the boards by Valeri Nichushkin facility, the Golden Knights did not hold their scheduled practice. of the Avalanche. There was no penalty called on the play. The postponement decision was made by NHL, NHL Players’ The Blues-Vegas game was the ninth contest to be postponed in the Association and club medical groups after recent tests “warranted more NHL so far this season. Four Dallas Stars games have been postponed caution while the league continues to analyze more tests results” and four Carolina Hurricanes games have been postponed due to according to the NHL. COVID-19 issues. There is no word yet on when the game might be rescheduled, except The Blues have been lucky and diligent so far. Be it in training camp or that it could come in the next 24 to 48 hours. through seven games of the regular season, they have yet to have a According to Armstrong the Blues learned of the possible postponement player miss any time due to COVID. about 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, or about an hour before their scheduled “Again, we had people (test positive) prior to it different times,” Armstrong morning skate. said. “But we’ve been fortunate, when we went back to work both times “We were having a meeting at the rink and an optional skate,” Armstrong we never had a case. That’s a real positive.” said. “Everybody was there, so we just decided to practice. It came down (No pun intended there.) pretty quick.” Armstrong continued: “Guys are doing everything they can to stay All members of the main roster except for O’Reilly (and the injured Tyler healthy.” Bozak) practiced Thursday at T-Mobile. O’Reilly rarely misses a practice, optional or otherwise, so his absence was conspicuous.

But Armstrong said: “It was just a maintenance day. He’s fine.” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200814 St Louis Blues the bullpen. Would he use it extensively in a contest on which he had wagered, perhaps hurting it for the next couple nights when he was not calling his bookie?

Media Views: Growing acceptance of sports betting emphasizes Rose Remember how Cardinals manager Tony La Russa occasionally would must remain banned from baseball play a “Memphis lineup,” giving many of his regulars a day off in order to rest them for the longer haul? Think Rose would have done that for a Reds game he was betting?

Dan Caesar If fans start thinking the integrity of the game could be compromised if players or team officials are allowed to gamble on their own sport, days

darker that the of more than a century ago could The fast-tracking of legal sports betting in America is being fueled by a loom. frenzy among media outlets, teams and leagues as they embrace a new, After all, there have been notices posted in clubhouse areas for decades potentially huge, revenue stream. And this has created many business — including Rose’s playing days — that wagering on baseball has and ethical questions. severe consequences. A grandiose plan now in the works is for , which Baseball’s Rule 21 says, in part: “Any player, umpire, or Club or League owns Cardinals, Blues and St. Louis University telecaster Fox official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any Sports Midwest, to incorporate sports wagering into its telecasts at a date baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, to be determined. shall be declared permanently ineligible.” The latest step came Wednesday, when Sinclair announced it will be It’s simple and to the point. Rose could see that every day he was at renaming all the regional sports networks it owns nationwide under the work and chose to defy the rule. His choice. But it’s hard to argue that he Bally brand — the casino company with which it recently partnered to run should be reinstated when the punishment for what he did is to be the gambling end of its business. Thus FSM will become Bally Sports permanently ineligible. Midwest, probably by the start of the baseball regular season. It’s akin to insider trading in the business world. Investors can’t profit from The Rose factor buying or selling stock based on information they have that isn’t available Since Sinclair unveiled its plans a couple months ago to incorporate publicly without face severe penalties — including prison time. gambling into its telecasts, where legal, there has been much discussion As sports wagering becomes increasingly widespread, and accepted, it about ’s situation. will be integral for the leagues and teams to keep their personnel on the “How can Rose continue to be excluded from the Hall of Fame if Major sidelines when it comes to betting on their own events. Baseball folks League Baseball is going to allow betting on telecasts of its contests?” is want to put a few bucks on football where it is legal? Fine. Hockey a familiar refrain. personnel on basketball? No problem.

Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, has been barred from the game But no matter that thousands of fans in the stands might be using their since he accepted a settlement in 1989 that includes a lifetime ban for their phones to bet on the action in front of them, or many more people wagering on Reds contests when he was managing the team. watching on TV doing the same, the motive of the participants can not be While he has been allowed to attend a small number of functions, he in question. The most basic aspect of competition must not be in doubt remains persona non grata in general and specifically at the Hall — in — that the games are played legitimately. which he surely would have been inducted long ago if not for his Money talksThese networks, leagues and teams are not getting into the transgressions. betting business to lose cash. Sports books make money, and what is The climate is much different in America now than it was when the the customer base? The fans who follow the teams on which they are penalty was enforced more than three decades ago. Sports betting has gambling. sprouted nationally in the less than three years since the U.S. Supreme There is an old saying about horse-racing bettors: “You can beat a race, Court lifted a longtime ban in states that had not been grandfathered in you can’t beat the races.” That is true of the vast majority of sports (primarily Nevada) when it was outlawed. bettors. That ruling in May 2018 permits states to decide individually if they will Teams and leagues hope you will wager on their contests, just like they allow sports wagering, and about half have legalized it ( has done hope you buy their hats and jerseys, drink overpriced beer while in the so, has not). stands and pay a programming provider to watch their games. They This has become big business, as in Illinois nearly $451 million was know you almost certainly will lose in the long term. legally wagered on sports in November — the most recent month for Nothing wrong with that approach, it is business and the market sets the which statistics are available. Sports betting programs have blossomed price. Telecasters are finding that out now as viewers are leaving on television, radio and online, as well as ads for bookmakers. Many longstanding cable and satellite companies at a large rate, and some leagues and individual teams, for which gambling talk was taboo just a streaming services are dropping sports networks because they refuse to few years ago, now embrace the business. pay the price being charged. Just say ‘no’So isn’t it about time to bring Rose, and others such as Time will tell how high this betting tide rise. But there now is no end in Shoeless Joe Jackson, back into baseball’s good graces after running sight, just as there should be no end on the horizon to Rose’s ban. afoul for an activity that now is not only widely accepted, but even embraced?

The answer is a resounding NO. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021 Allowing betting on baseball — or any sport — by those in the game puts the integrity of play in question. The quickest way to ruin a sport is to have fans question whether it’s on the up and up.

Media Views: Growing acceptance of sports betting emphasizes Rose must remain banned from baseball

The argument has been made that Rose only wagered on the Reds to win. That might be true, but think of it this way. If he had action on a game, would he manage it differently than if he didn’t?

Would he start a star player, who really could use a night off, to try to gain an edge at the expense of him not being at the top of his game for the next day or two — when Rose might not have a bet? Same way with 1200815 St Louis Blues COVID. General manager Kelly McCrimmon served as emergency coach, with help from coaches from the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson (Nev.) Silver Knights.

Blues-Vegas game postponed; Petro on Vegas COVID list, says he had Now, there's at least another coach as well as Pietrangelo on the COVID "zero contact" with any Blues list.

With no game tonight, the Blues changed their travel schedule, and left Las Vegas for Anaheim late Thursday afternoon. Media availability for Jim Thomas the team Thursday was canceled by the Blues

"We moved our flight up to 3 (Pacific time)," Armstrong said, shortly before the team left for Anaheim. "We’ll just get settled in there and get LAS VEGAS — Thursday night’s NHL game between the Blues and the ready for our games Saturday-Sunday. I haven’t talked directly with the Vegas Golden Knights has been postponed after a Vegas player and a league since the announcement to find out when we’ll reschedule it or second member of the Knights’ coaching staff entered COVID-19 what the process is. protocols. "So you just sort of take everything as it comes and not try to push it. We Turns out that Vegas player is none other than Alex Pietrangelo, the were told we weren’t gonna play, so we had our practice, we’re back at former Blues captain who signed with the Golden Knight in free agency in the hotel. Guys just had what would normally be their pregame meal and October. we’ll back up and move on." Pietrangelo told the Post-Dispatch via text Thursday night that he had The team is still scheduled to be off Friday in Anaheim, as was originally mild symptoms. "All good," he said. "Just trying to keep the family safe." planned pre-postponement. He was on the NHL's daily COVID list Thursday; there were no Blues But the Blues got a full practice in at T-Mobile, something they normally listed. wouldn't do on a game day. They ran lines and defensive pairings, with During non-pandemic times, several Blues _ perhaps most of the team _ Jacob de la Rose holding O’Reilly’s spot on the first line with Zach might have met with Pietrangelo for dinner on Monday night after the Sanford and David Perron. team arrived in Vegas. Pietrangelo may have even played host at his Once again, Sammy Blais skated with Robert Thomas and Mike Hoffman spacious mansion in the Vegas area. But not this year. on the third line in place of Bozak, who suffered an upper-body injury on "Zero contact with any of those guys," Pietrangelo said via text. a hit from Vegas’ Mark Stone in Tuesday’s game — a hit that the Blues thought was a dirty play. Since the Blues have been practicing at T-Mobile Arena all week, and the Golden Knights have worked at their City National Arena practice facility Bozak already had been ruled out of Thursday’s game by Berube and is 20 minutes away all week, it's not like Pietrangelo could've even bumped not expected to play Saturday in Anaheim. into a member of the Blues in the hallway or on the ice. As was the case in Wednesday’s practice, Vince Dunn skated with Niko But Pietrangelo was on the ice for a whopping 28 minutes 57 seconds in Mikkola on the third pairing Thursday, another indication that he will the Blues' 5-4 shootout victory over the Golden Knights on Tuesday. So return to the lineup in Anaheim after being benched Tuesday. he obviously was in close contact with some Blues during that game _ It looks like the Blues are switching the top two D-pairings as well, with like that key Jordan Kyrou goal with Pietrangelo draped all over him in Torey Krug skating with Justin Faulk, and Marco Scandella paired with the second period. Colton Parayko for the second day in a row in practice. Krug and Blues general manager Doug Armstrong told the Post-Dispatch he's not Parayko had been paired together in all seven previous games; worried about any Blues testing positive because of contact with Petro or Scandella and Faulk in six of seven. (Scandella missed the Jan. 20 San any other Golden Knight. Jose game with an upper-body injury.)

"I don’t get consumed by it, so it is what it is," Armstrong said. "We get But Berube did mix his D-pairings during Tuesday’s Vegas game, tested every day and we go to work. foreshadowing the current switch.

"I’m not worried about it, because I can’t control it. I don’t want to speak After a full 45-minute practice, the main group trickled off the ice. But the for everybody else. You can worry about anything you want. I try and Blues weren’t done yet. Out came the full six-man taxi squad for a only worry about things you can control." practice session, joined by goalie Ville Husso and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. As the news was announced, the Blues were on the ice taking part in their usual morning skate at T-Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, at their practice Although still on the injured reserve list, it marked the second day in a facility 20 minutes away, the Golden Knights did not hold their scheduled row that Bortuzzo has skated. He has missed five consecutive games practice. after suffering an apparent concussion in Game 2 of the season Jan. 15 at Colorado. His head was slammed into the boards by Valeri Nichushkin The postponement decision was made by NHL, NHL Players’ of the Avalanche. There was no penalty called on the play. Association and club medical groups after recent tests “warranted more caution while the league continues to analyze more tests results” The Blues-Vegas game was the ninth contest to be postponed in the according to the NHL. NHL so far this season. Four Dallas Stars games have been postpoined and four Carolina Hurricanes games have been postponed due to There is no word yet on when the game might be rescheduled, except COVID-19 issues. that it could come in the next 24 to 48 hours. The Blues have been lucky and diligent so far. Be it in training camp or According to Armstrong the Blues learned of the possibile postponement through seven games of the regular season, they have yet to have a about 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, or about an hour before their scheduled player miss any time due to COVID. morning skate. "Again, we had people (test positive) prior to it different times," Armstrong "We were having a meeting at the rink and an optional skate," Armstrong said. "But we’ve been fortunate, when we went back to work both times said. "Everybody was there, so we just decided to practice. It came down we never had a case. That’s a real positive." pretty quick." (No pun intended there.) All members of the main roster except for Ryan O’Reilly (and the injured Tyler Bozak) practiced Thursday at T-Mobile. O'Reilly rarely misses a Armstrong continued: "Guys are doing everything they can to stay practice, optional or otherwise, so his absence was conspicuous. healthy."

But Armstrong said: "It was just a maintenance day. He’s fine." WHERE’S THE DEFENSE?

On Tuesday, Vegas played the Blues without any of its coaches behind The Blues are allowing 3.71 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the the bench after a member of the coaching staff tested positive for NHL. One of the reasons for that is the equally uncharacteristic number of shots on goal the Blues are allowing: 33.3 per game which ranks 26th. PENALTY DISPARITY

Through seven games, Blues’ opponents have been on the power play for 19 minutes 2 seconds more than St. Louis. In essence, the Blues have given opponents nearly a full period of extra power play time this season. It breaks down to 2:43 of extra power play time per game for the opposition, or nearly 1 ½ power plays.

That’s a lot of extra time on the ice for the St. Luis penalty kill unit. And although the Blues have done better lately on the PK, they still rank only 27th in PK efficiency at 69.4 percent.

BLUE NOTES

The Blues are cranking up the physical game. They had 30 hits in Tuesday’s game, marking the second consecutive game with 30 or more hits.

With 16 blocked shots Tuesday, the Blues have been in double figures in blocks for four straight games.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200816 Tampa Bay Lightning Columbus, like they had only (25) shots. So it’s tough to get going when you don’t have that many shots. To be honest, I felt really good tonight. Just unfortunate goal (in) overtime, but I thought we played well.”

Lightning fall quickly to Hurricanes in overtime

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 01.29.2021

Eduardo A. Encina

The Lightning had plenty of chances to break through offensively Thursday night against the Hurricanes, but when Tampa Bay took a scoreless game into overtime at PNC Arena, it didn’t take long for 3-on-3 hockey to decide their fate.

On their way to the Stanley Cup last season, the Lightning were kings of overtime, going 12-2 in one-goal games in the playoff bubble. But Thursday, they never touched the puck in the extra period.

Carolina ran a give-and-go off a line change, which ended in Martin Necas scoring past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy 72 seconds into overtime as Tampa Bay lost its second straight on the road.

The Lightning (3-1-1) have earned points in four of their first five games. But against the Hurricanes, they couldn’t win a frenetic-paced goaltenders duel. It resembled more of a midseason matchup than one between teams that hadn’t played much hockey in the season’s first two weeks.

“We had our chances, they had their chances,” Lightning coach said. “Two good goaltenders made their saves, but that was a really fast game. I don’t know how it looked on TV, but live it was (fast). I bet you both teams are pretty tired.”

Tampa Bay entered having played just four games over the season’s first 15 days. Three games have been rescheduled due to opponents’ bouts with the coronavirus. That included Tuesday’s game in Carolina, which prompted the Lightning to return home after their two-game series in Columbus rather than fly to Raleigh, N.C.

The Hurricanes, who were playing their home opener in an empty arena, were without five key players who remained on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. Carolina didn’t practice for a week before returning to the ice Monday.

Carolina (3-1-0) dictated the pace early. Throughout the first period, the Hurricanes were clearly the fresher team, dictating the pace with a 15-7 shot advantage. But Vasilevskiy withstood that early charge.

“We didn’t play with pace in the first period,” Cooper said. “I think we were just holding on to pucks a little too long. We weren’t playing direct, and maybe that was from not playing. And so we made a little adjustments in the second period of things we had to do, and then I thought it was pretty even game after that.”

Meanwhile, frustration built against Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek (32 saves), who halted the Lightning’s streak of 88 straight regular- season games without being shut out. The last time they were shut out was March 7, 2019, 3-0 against Minnesota.

“Tonight we had a bit of a slow start,” center Brayden Point said. “But there has been some things to like, too. It’s a little different. We’re not getting into that rhythm of playing games, but that’s no excuse. Carolina hasn’t been able to get that either, so I think hopefully as the season goes on, we play more consistent games and kind of dial in the systems, and go from there.”

The Lightning’s fourth line, which has suddenly gone from blue collar to blue Lightning, helped pick up the pace in the second period. Mathieu Joseph, playing his first game at center, used his speed to create scoring opportunities in the second period, setting up Pat Maroon for a pair of scoring chances.

In overtime, the Lightning lost the opening faceoff and never possessed the puck. Tampa Bay fell asleep on a Carolina line change, and Jordan Staal — just off the protocol list — jumped onto the ice. He got behind Tyler Johnson and took a pass from Necas, creating a 2-on-1. Staal passed to Necas across the front of the crease, past Victor Hedman, to the far post. Necas flicked the puck just over Vasilevskiy’s extended glove for the winner.

“They’re a good team,” said Vasilevskiy, who had 34 saves. “They had lots of shots tonight, which I like, given that two games ago against 1200817 Tampa Bay Lightning talking to the d’s a little bit and faceoff-wise, but I’m excited for the challenge.”

Joseph said his experience in the bubble was invaluable, even without Lightning’s Mathieu Joseph stepping in, stepping up the playing time. As he entered training camp, he felt stronger but lighter on his skates. He’s been better at winning puck-possession battles and can maintain more ice time. Offensively, he has two goals in four games.

Eduardo A. Encina The Lightning will need that from Joseph moving forward, but teammates have noticed the strides the young player has made when most aren’t

looking. BRANDON — Mathieu Joseph practiced with the Lightning throughout “Being in the bubble and not playing a single game, he just worked and their stay in the NHL’s playoff bubble but didn’t see any game action worked and worked,” Maroon said. “He worked on his game, he worked during Tampa Bay’s run to the Stanley Cup. on his fitness and got bigger, stronger, so I’m very, very happy for Suddenly, the 23-year-old forward has become an important piece to the Mathieu. He’s come a long way. He deserved this opportunity. He’s Lightning’s championship defense. He’s found his way onto three playing really good hockey right now, and he’s getting rewarded.” different forward lines through the season’s first four games

And now, Lightning coach Jon Cooper is trusting Joseph to anchor the Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 01.29.2021 team’s blue-collar fourth line by replacing center Mitchell Stephens, who is out indefinitely following a right leg injury suffered during the Lightning’s loss Saturday in Columbus.

This time last season, Joseph was toiling at the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse, where he spent most of the season following a strong rookie campaign in 2018-19. The Lightning wanted to see better consistency, to know they could trust Joseph over the course of an entire regular season. Joseph’s play in Syracuse earned an invitation to the bubble, but the fact that he didn’t play served as motivation.

“You don’t want to be the odd man out,” Joseph said. “And we all want to play, we all want to be in the lineup every night. I think you’ve got to work and you’ve got to earn it. That’s definitely what I’m trying to do. I want to be in the lineup every night, and I really want to help the team win and have success. That’s my priority.”

Now, he’s one of the last players off the ice, working with assistant coach Jeff Halpern after practice on subtleties of the game that will take Joseph to the next level: stick carrying, puck possession, receiving passes, positioning — skills that aren’t a part of usual NHL practices.

“He’s found his way back here, and he deserves to be back here,” Cooper said. “... He’s a pretty committed kid. He’s out there early, and he’s staying late and he wants to play. So he’s not taking this — if you want to call it (his) second opportunity — for granted.”

Joseph’s biggest strength is his speed, but for now he’s going to make a name for himself by being physical and doing all the little things expected of the Lightning’s fourth-line grunts.

“I’m a guy that plays a pretty simple game,” Joseph said. “I don’t try to complicate it that much. I want to be good on the forecheck, try to be good in my zone and good in transition and try to use my speed. I’m not the most creative guy all the time, but I’m trying to work as hard as possible every shift. I think that’s what’s helped me try to fit in with some of the different lines that ‘Coop’ has changed so far in games.”

The Lightning traded center Cedric Paquette, who previously anchored that line, to secure salary-cap flexibility. Then Stephens went down to an unsightly injury that will keep him sidelined a while, his right ankle twisting awkwardly as he was tangled with a Columbus player.

So now, Joseph will likely be the team’s fourth-line center when the Lightning resume play Thursday in Carolina alongside wings Pat Maroon and Alex Volkov.

“We definitely believe the line is sped up a little bit, which is an asset to the line,” Cooper said. “I still think they can play that puck-possession game down low, with the added speed. It may not be as rumbly and tough as it was before. But I think Joe adds an element that they haven’t had. I think, especially with him in the middle of the ice, it might be able to open up some time and space for the guys.”

Joseph grew up playing center but shifted to wing in juniors and has been there ever since, so there will be a trial-by-fire element to the move. But the strides he made since his time in the bubble, through offseason training and in the first weeks of a new season, should help him.

“It’s going to be an adjustment, obviously,” Joseph said. “I haven’t played center in a bit, but I think I can use my speed and be good down low in my d-zone and try to outsmart the other team as well and be good support to the defensemen. It’s just gonna be just a little bit of adjustment 1200818 Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 01.29.2021

Lightning counting on veteran Luke Schenn for valuable minutes

Eduardo A. Encina

Lightning coach Jon Cooper has talked a lot about depth, and he’s quick to point out that defenseman Luke Schenn played valuable minutes during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup last season.

And as a 13-year veteran who has played with seven teams, Schenn has plenty of value as a right-handed defenseman, and with Erik Cernak out with an upper-body injury, he has inherited a larger role.

This season he has shuffled between the active roster and the taxi squad along with rookie defenseman Cal Foote, but with Cernak sidelined, Schenn and Foote skated on the right side in Thursday night’s 1-0 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C.

Schenn entered the game averaging 8:02 of ice time in two games. In the playoffs last year, he played in 11 games, averaged 10:52 of ice time and was plus-2.

He played a season-high 15:30 Thursday and had a team-high seven hits.

Cooper said before the game he hoped Cernak could return for Saturday’s home game against the Predators. Cernak has been out since going hard into the boards in the first period of Saturday’s loss to the Blue Jackets.

But Schenn has Cooper’s trust.

“He’s been as advertised,” Cooper said. “He’s a big, strong body. I think it took us a little bit of time to put Luke in the spots he needed to be to succeed. But he’s a veteran back there. He knows the league. He knows the players. I think he holds other teams accountable in case there is a situation where guys start to run around.”

This has already been an interesting season for Schenn, 31, who passed through waivers before the season opener so he could be placed on the taxi squad, not because of anything he did, but because carrying Foote on the opening-night roster created salary cap and roster flexibility.

His physicality is valuable, and he showed he’s willing to scrap when he engaged Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno in a fight in the teams’ Jan. 21 game.

Schenn said he has had to evolve over the course of his career and attention to detail has helped him maintain his game.

“I would love to go out there and be Victor Hedman and change my game that way, but obviously that’s not the case,” Schenn said. “I think that I continue to find ways to evolve and work on different things. You know you’re not going to reinvent the wheel.

“Maybe it’s your skating stride, certain things like that but I think, there’s different ways to put yourself maybe in better positions on the ice, and where you’re not in a foot race every single shift just because you’re in better position or different ways to think of the game.”

Cooper: Extra practice a benefit

The Lightning went into the game with a lot of time to think about their disappointing performance in their last game, Saturday’s ugly 5-2 loss in Columbus that Cooper called their worst game since before the league shut down last season for the coronavirus.

The postponement of Tuesday’s game against the Hurricanes because of Carolina’s virus issues allowed the Lightning extra practice time at home, which Cooper said they benefitted from. He has lauded their effort since Saturday’s loss, which was marred by poor puck possession and costly turnovers.

“I thought we had a couple of good practices which we needed,” Cooper said. “We needed a little readjustment with our team, and it probably wouldn’t have happened if we were playing right away. For me, we needed that. We clearly were not our best last game. But we adjusted some things and probably the most part, our mental makeup.” 1200819 Toronto Maple Leafs

William Nylander gives the Leafs a two-goal lead in the first period, beating Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen from the side of the net. It was Nylander’s first goal since opening night.

By Kevin McGran Staff Reporter

Fri., Jan. 29, 2021

Auston Matthews’ bullet of a wrist shot stood up as the winner after a third period that was more like a shooting gallery Thursday night in Edmonton, where the Maple Leafs skated off with a 4-3 win over the Oilers.

The Leafs got early goals from William Nylander and Jason Spezza, and it looked like they would be enough. But a series of penalties to both teams led to five goals, four on the power play, over the final 22 minutes of a game that was far more entertaining than the first two times these star-studded teams played last week in Toronto.

Nylander and Spezza needed goals, both for their confidence and to assert their presence in the lineup. Nylander had scored twice in the opener, but had gone dry since. Spezza had been scratched for Tuesday’s game in Calgary.

Wayne Simmonds scored his third goal in three games and rallied the Leafs after Edmonton had tied the game on a pair of power-play goals from Leon Draisaitl, and Zack Kassian tied it again a little more than three minutes later. The Leafs had themselves to blame for letting the Oilers back in the game, taking seven minor penalties. The Oilers took three.

It was Toronto’s fourth win in a row, and the Leafs became the first team in NHL history to win three games in a row on the same road trip in Alberta. They won Sunday and Tuesday in Calgary. The Leafs and Oilers play again Saturday at Edmonton’s .

Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen is 7-0 in Edmonton, with five of those wins as a Leaf.

Getting his shot: Through his drought, Nylander hadn’t been taking as many shots as he usually does and was playing more on the perimeter.

“I’ve been looking to pass in certain situations where I should have taken a shot on goal,” he said. “I’ve got to do better, getting pucks to the net.”

Early in the period, he passed on a 2-on-1 when a shot might have been more effective. But later, on the power play, he left his position along the boards, went to the crease and scored on a feed from John Tavares. It didn’t go down as a power-play goal because the penalty expired just before the puck crossed the goal-line.

Vintage Spezza: Leafs coach was almost apologetic in explaining that Spezza had been scratched for Tuesday’s game in Calgary. He hadn’t done anything wrong, the coach said. It’s just Keefe had to work other guys into the lineup. Travis Boyd came in, and scored. Spezza got back in on Thursday, and scored.

Spezza also assisted on Nylander’s goal, his 231st multi-point game. It was a veteran assist. He was leaving the ice on the power play, but turned around when it looked like the puck was coming his way and might leave the offensive zone. He kept it in, shot it at the net, and was back at the Leafs bench by the time Nylander scored.

Penalty trouble: The Leafs were up 2-0 and the Oilers didn’t look like they had anything going until they got a two-man power play late in the second. Draisaitl scored, and the Oilers had legs. Alex Kerfoot took three minors and Edmonton scored twice while he was in the box.

Bottom six: The Leafs have five goals over three games on this road trip from their bottom six players: three from Simmonds, and one each from Travis Boyd and Spezza.

Toronto Star LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200820 Toronto Maple Leafs Nylander went off for tripping, but couldn’t find the mark with Koskinen on the bench as Draisaitl hit the post from a sharp angle.

“There’s definitely a belief that’s growing within our group,” Spezza said. Matthews bags winner, Leafs beat Oilers in another one-goal game to “We still feel like we can do better when we have leads. extend win streak “Winning breeds confidence, and we’re starting to believe we can win every night.”

Staff Report Having swept a two-game set in Calgary against the Flames to kick off this swing through Alberta, the Leafs opened the scoring at 9:31 of the By The Canadian Press first when Spezza snapped a 27-game goal drought dating back to Feb. 7, 2020. The 37-year-old, who had an assist in each of his two previous Fri., Jan. 29, 2021 games before getting a rest Tuesday, shovelled a shot past Koskinen after the Edmonton netminder coughed up the puck behind his net.

EDMONTON - The Maple Leafs didn’t have much success in tight games The Oilers, who were coming off Tuesday’s 6-4 loss in Winnipeg to the last season. Jets, had a couple of good chances to get even later in the period, but Andersen denied Dominik Kahun on a 2-on-1 before Draisaitl missed a The script has been flipped — at least early — in this abbreviated, still- wide-open cage. young campaign. Toronto doubled its advantage with 1:38 left in the first just as a power Auston Matthews scored the winner on a third-period power play play expired when John Tavares took a pass from Spezza and found Thursday as Toronto defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a back-and- Nylander at the lip of the crease to score his third of the campaign, and forth encounter that featured 11 power plays and big momentum swings. first since opening night.

The Leafs led 2-0 and 3-2 before finally sealing the victory with 6:23 left The Leafs took four straight minor penalties in the second, but the Oilers in regulation when Matthews walked into one of his trademark snapshots couldn’t do much with those chances until Alexander Kerfoot went off for and beat Mikko Koskinen with his fifth goal of the season. a slash that had Keefe seeking an explanation from the officials. Zach Hyman was then whistled for tripping to set up a 5-on-3 power play for “We got the win, which is all that matters,” said Matthews, who has 1:30. scored in four straight appearances. “There was a lot of disrupted flow. We’re taking way too many penalties right now, but special teams came Draisaitl, who came in with goals in four straight games, rattled a shot off up big. the post early in the two-man advantage, but got another opportunity from the same spot and wired his fifth past Andersen at 18:11. “We squeaked out with this one.” “We’re not even close to being the team we can be — the team that we Jason Spezza, with a goal and an assist, William Nylander and Wayne would need to be,” Keefe said. “But a lot of positive things have gotten us Simmonds also scored for Toronto (7-2-0), which has won four straight to be (7-2-0). and six of its last seven. “The greatest news of all is that none of the games have been perfect “We’ve defended hard,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “The and there’s lots of room for growth.” guys are working and have significantly cut down on the high-danger chances and odd-man rushes. Notes: Koskinen has played every minute for Edmonton this season with fellow netminder Mike Smith out injured. ... After wrapping their series “It’s been far from perfect. We’ve got a lot of areas to grow.” with Toronto on Saturday, the Oilers will welcome the Ottawa Senators Toronto improved to an NHL-best 5-0-0 in one-goal games in 2020-21 for two contests Sunday and Tuesday. ... The Leafs’ next action after after tying for last with just 10 victories under the same parameters in departing Alberta is next Thursday for the first of three straight at home 2019-20, while Frederik Andersen, who made 26 saves, is now 14-1-1 in against the Vancouver Canucks. his career against the Oilers.

“Just finding a way is big,” Andersen after moving to 6-0-0 all-time in Toronto Star LOADED: 01.29.2021 Edmonton. “Sticking with the process, even though it’s a game that goes back and forth ... our resiliency has been good.”

Leon Draisaitl, with his fifth and sixth goals in the last five games, and Zack Kassian replied for Edmonton (3-6-0), while Connor McDavid added two assists. Koskinen stopped 23 shots as the Oilers lost their second straight contest.

“It’s definitely not easy to chase games,” McDavid said. “I liked how we were able to find ways to get back to even, but when we get it to even we’ve got to hold it there and keep building on that.”

The Leafs and Oilers — who split a pair of games in Toronto last week that failed to produce the expected fireworks with the likes of McDavid, Matthews, Draisaitl and Mitch Marner sharing the same ice surface — will go right back at it Saturday in Edmonton for the fourth of nine meetings between the teams in this season’s all-Canadian North Division.

The Oilers tied things 2-2 seven minutes into the final period when Draisaitl poked home his second of the night and sixth of the campaign on an Edmonton man advantage.

The Leafs responded just 53 seconds later when Simmonds scored his third of the season, and third in as many games, when he tipped Marner’s shot on a Toronto power play.

But the Oilers battled back once again at 11:11 when Kassian picked up his own rebound off a deflection to deposit his first.

After the Leafs went ahead 4-3 thanks on Matthews’ goal, Edmonton got its seventh man advantage with under three minutes to go when 1200821 Toronto Maple Leafs

Are the Maple Leafs an elite team? It depends on what numbers you look at

By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter

Thu., Jan. 28, 2021

The Maple Leafs resembled an elite team when they entered their game in Edmonton Thursday night, leading the NHL with a 6-2-0 record.

Their puck possession and power play were among the league’s best. Auston Matthews was the leader in scoring chances per game (5.1). Mitch Marner was tied for the points lead (12). And the team was showing an improved maturity level on defence.

The biggest step they have taken is one-goal games: 4-0 through Wednesday after going 10-15 last season.

Still, the Leafs have not performed consistently enough defensively at even strength yet. Here’s a look at the club from both sides of the coin, with statistical help from Sportlogiq:

The elite Leafs

A large portion of Toronto’s success has come in front of the net. The Leafs’ 26 shot attempts per game from the slot, entering Thursday, were seventh in the NHL, and their 12 attempts per game from the inner slot were sixth. Wayne Simmonds’ goals in each of Toronto’s wins in Calgary were dirty goals, scored by being around the crease. They were averaging 3.5 rebound chances per game, first in the league. And the power play, with 10 goals, was third with a 41.7 per cent success rate.

They have been relatively quick starters. The Leafs had six first-period goals in their first eight games, 23 per cent of their overall total, and three of those goals came inside the first 10 minutes.

Toronto, despite its reputation, was generating only 6.5 scoring chances per game off the rush, 15th in the NHL, but was eighth on chances off the cycle (12.3 per game) and eighth off the forecheck (3.6). That is more of a playoff-style offence than the team has featured in recent seasons.

On defence, Toronto is showing a more structured game. The team had given up 10.5 cycle chances per game this season, 21st overall but an improvement from 2019-20, when it was last in the league. The Leafs were 13th in the league with 2.75 goals allowed per game, after giving up nine goals in their first two games. And they were limiting opponents’ possession in the Toronto zone to 6:02, 11th in the league.

The not-yet-elite Leafs

Toronto, for all its offensive firepower, has fallen off the league-leading possession rates it enjoyed in the first week or so of the season. A large part of that has been a greater focus on defence and puck tracking and backchecking by the forwards. The Leafs entered Thursday eighth in offensive-zone puck possession, at 7:14 per game.

The Leafs, it appears, will never be a classic dump-and-chase team; they were 24th in total scoring chances coming off dump-ins. A little over 60 per cent of the team’s chances were created off controlled zone entries, ninth in the league.

This team is top-heavy. No surprise there. Nineteen of the Leafs’ 26 goals in the first eight games came from top-six forwards or defencemen, even after the contributions of Simmonds and Travis Boyd in Calgary. Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has rotated several players — Boyd, Jason Spezza, Adam Brooks, Joey Anderson, and Pierre Engvall — in and out of the fourth line. The third line has also changed, due in large part to the long-term injury losses of Joe Thornton and Nick Robertson. Ilya Mikheyev has proven valuable on the penalty kill and in controlled zone entries and forechecking, but he has yet to score.

The Leafs can be mistake-prone: They lead the league with 52 take- aways, but rank 30th out of 31 teams with 77 giveaways. There’s room for improvement.

Toronto Star LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200822 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs hang on for a wild win in Edmonton, improve to 7-2

Lance Hornby

Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021

The 2021 Maple Leafs did not come advertised as grinders.

Yet, they lead the North Division, winning seven of their first nine, all of them close games, many of them down to disciplined 5-on-5 play, capped by timely special teams.

On Thursday night, they came close to blowing two leads, but eventually edged the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 at Rogers Place and are off to their best start since 2017. All nine games have been by two goals or less. But the two referees nearly eclipsed the stars on both teams with a series of puzzling penalties that kept Edmonton in the match and resulted in four man-advantage goals in all.

The first three Edmonton power plays resulted in only one shot on Frederik Andersen. Tyson Barrie, the former Leaf who found himself benched in Edmonton’s last game, was replaced for a bit on the power- play point by the over-worked Darnell Nurse.

But a couple of chintzy calls, a mild-looking slashing penalty on Alex Kerfoot and Connor McDavid stumbling over Zach Hyman’s poke check, put the Oilers in business for a 5-on-3 goal late in the middle period. Leon Draisaitl then converted on that and again with Kerfoot off with his third minor of the game early in the final period to pull the Oilers even at 2-2.

Toronto added its second power-play goal of the game when Wayne Simmonds, with his third goal overall in the past three games, tipped a Mitch Marner shot. But that was answered shortly after by Zack Kassian, one of many under-performing Oilers, to tie it 3-3.

Auston Matthews’ fourth goal in as many games, again on the power play, put the Leafs ahead to stay less than 2 1/2 minutes later.

The Leafs then had to survive a late William Nylander tripping penalty — one of four infractions the visitors committed in the offensive zone — and with Koskinen pulled for a two-man advantage, Andersen had to come up with a couple of huge saves, including a one-timer from Draisaitl to deny him his hat trick.

While Matthews-McDavid head-to-head dominated headlines before last week’s series in Toronto — and ended up lost in a defensive battle between the clubs — McDavid-Mitch Marner is getting some attention now. They came into the contest tied for the league lead in points with 12. But Hyman claimed that the scoring race isn’t a hot topic in the dressing room with the laid-back Marner.

“He’s Mitchy, he hasn’t changed a bit,” Hyman said of his linemate. “I don’t think he has mentioned it. I don’t think anybody really looks at it so early in the year. Any time, you’re scoring and the team’s winning, you’re going to have fun.”

After holding Calgary to one first-period shot on goal Tuesday, the Leafs didn’t allow any on Andersen in the opening five minutes against what was supposed to be a fired-up home team that’s been cold so far this month.

Then came the second goal generated by Toronto’s fourth line in as many games. Following an elongated press by the first unit, the Oilers couldn’t stop Travis Boyd and Jason Spezza down low. That was augmented at the end of a power play, by Nylander’s first goal since opening night. Saying he was committing to shooting more, he conked Mikko Koskinen hard on the mask with one attempt before getting the next puck through. Spezza also picked up an assist, giving him 231 multi- point games in the 37-year-old’s career.

The teams play again in Edmonton on Saturday.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200823 Toronto Maple Leafs “We clicked before and that speed will help,” Nylander said. “We just need to get the second pucks back.”

GOOD NEWS FOR MARLIES Despite solid fourth-line effort, Keefe continues with Leafs' 'Stay Ready The announcement Thursday that the American Hockey League will let Squad' rotation the Flames operate their farm team in Calgary instead of its regular base in Stockton, Calif., should pave the way for the Toronto Marlies and the rest of the AHL’s Canadian Division to get started sometime next month. Lance Hornby The cross border call-up issue with COVID-19 and quarantine would Publishing date: Jan 29, 2021 have affected any call-ups the Flames wanted to make, though Vancouver, with its team in Utica, N.Y., and Edmonton (Bakersfield,

Calif.,) are still in a tough spot. Telepathic message for Sheldon Keefe via Obi-Wan Kenobi — “Use the Laval (Montreal), Belleville (Ottawa) and Manitoba (Winnipeg) join the Fourth!”. Marlies and the Heat. While U.S. clubs had drawn up a schedule, the The second year coach of the Maple Leafs, seems guided by some inner Canadian Division was waiting on the Calgary decision before voice to change Toronto’s fourth line game-to-game; part instinct, part proceeding and now the AHL must also revise its Pacific Division plans necessity, with NHL teams carrying extra players this season who need with Stockton gone north. ice time. Toronto and Belleville still need to prove they have COVID protocols in On Thursday in Edmonton, Keefe kept his taxi squad — he prefers ‘The place and final permission from the Ontario government. It’s unlikely fans Stay Ready Squad’ — on high alert with centre Jason Spezza and winger will beallowed into either team’s rink for the first while. Alexander Barabanov coming back in to replace Joey Anderson and LOOSE LEAFS Pierre Engvall. He did keep newcomer Travis Boyd on the right side after a goal in his Leafs debut. On defence, also returned on While Eastern viewers had to stay up late on Thursday night to watch the the third pairing with Zach Bogosian, bumping Mikko Lehtonen. Leafs in Edmonton, the team will be back in its traditional 7 p.m. slot on Saturday in the second road game against the The changes come despite a pretty good outing by the bottom six Oilers … Toronto led the North Division with a positive faceoff forwards on Tuesday in Calgary, including a second goal in as many percentage of 55.7% before taking on the Oilers … Leafs defenceman games by promoted third-liner Wayne Simmonds. Morgan Rielly noted that card games have been forbidden on long flights “With Engvall, Anderson and Boyd, that was the best I felt about our for NHL teams these days due to COVID, but added it was nice to see fourth line to date from a structure standpoint,” Keefe observed on some teammates picking up a book. Thursday morning. “The way they skated and defended, that’s a really good standard to set for that line. Toronto Sun LOADED: 01.29.2021 “We have been moving people in and out and are providing opportunities for others to get in and get some looks. We want to keep everybody sharp and not have too much time expire. We never really know when we’ll need all these guys.

“We’re also still unsure who the right guys are on that line, so we’ll keep moving things around until we find the right fit. To those coming in, it’s a chance to follow suit and keep up with that competition.”

FREE AS A BOYD

Until Tuesday, Boyd had not scored in almost a calendar year, against Montreal while with the Washington Capitals.

“Travis hasn’t had very many practice reps with us, so for him to step in and play the way he did was great,” Keefe said. “Not only because he scored a big goal for us, but production from that line is a nice bonus.

“He has the ability to do that. He’s scored a lot at different levels and has found a way to produce at the NHL in his limited time.”

Boyd reached double-digit points in both of his first two partial seasons with the Caps and has been up as high as 63 points in the AHL with Hershey following three years in the U.S. National Development program and four playing on his home state .

FAST TRACK

There’s plenty of speed on the line of Ilya Mikheyev, with a lighter John Tavares at centre and William Nylander. Now, how about a couple of goals from the two wingers?

Mikheyev went into Thursday’s game looking for his first of the season, Nylander his third after netting two in the season opener. They’ve totalled six assists overall in various duties. Nylander acknowledged his shots are down a bit.

“We haven’t been getting the solid offensive zone time we’re used to,” Nylander said. “We’re working on that. Myself, I’ve been looking to pass in certain situations where I should definitely get a shot on goal. It’s something I have to do better to get some pucks on net. After the first shot, we have to get the puck back. We’re stuck on the retrievals and we have to start over again.”

Nylander feels the trio had potential as a unit up to last year’s mid- season, when newcomer Mikheyev suffered a gruesome cut to his wrist that shelved him until the summer playoff series. 1200824 Toronto Maple Leafs continue to like the calmness and vision he brings to the Leafs’ fourth line and the playmaking he brings to the power play. His excellent pass to Nylander, who was already super keen on firing the puck, on a first- period power play was evidence of that. Winning five of eight faceoffs Maple Leafs Report Cards: Staying hot with another win in penalty-filled also warrants a mention. affair B

Frederik Andersen (G, No. 31): Andersen faced six quick shots in the first By Joshua Kloke nine minutes of the first period and looked sharp in stopping all of them. His workload might have had its ups and downs, but he made the stops Jan 28, 2021 he had to.

Auston Matthews (C, No. 34): I didn’t even open the thesaurus until I’m getting old and certainly don’t stay up late on school nights as much midway through the third period, and I wondered if I’d even have to, as anymore. And with the Leafs’ first 10 p.m. ET start of the season, I’m Matthews hadn’t made a tremendous impact on the game leading up to here to attest: Things can get weird late at night. that point. And then Matthews reminded me that he has one of the best shots on the planet and, with his game-winning goal, his fourth goal in Everything seemed to be rolling along as planned for the Leafs after the four games, why he’s just so important to the Leafs. first period, during which they scored two goals and continued their recent trend of hitting teams early, having now scored four first-period So tonight I’m going with “preponderant.” goals over their past seven games. Travis Dermott (LD, No. 23): After spending the last game as a healthy But from that point on, things took a strange turn, with four penalties scratch, Dermott returned and connected well with teammates through called against the Leafs in the second period alone. Some of those calls crisp passes early on. He wasn’t lacking for confidence, either, with a were head-scratchers at best, and the Leafs and Oilers began trading good bit of physicality along the walls. He also enjoyed the best five-on- goals back and forth. Seven penalties were called against the Leafs. And five expected goals among Leafs defencemen with 59.86 percent. while they ended up allowing two goals to the Oilers’ power play, things Zach Bogosian (RD, No. 22): My bet is this a Justin Holl special: could’ve gotten much worse. This one wasn’t always pretty, but the Leafs’ 4-3 win was yet another example of how they’re figuring out how I like what Bogosian has brought as of late, and it was on display tonight: to win in different ways and, especially with a late penalty call against physicality, good defensive positioning and the ability to chew big them, showing a resilience that wasn’t always present last season. The minutes (5:04 tonight) on the penalty kill. Leafs improved to 7-2 this season. Mitch Marner (RW, No. 16): I nearly coughed on my handful of Lucky “I like the way that we’ve found ways to come out on the positive side of it Charms when watching Marner turn the puck over to Connor McDavid in when it counts the most,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the the defensive zone on one of his first few shifts in the first period. After win. “Whether it’s how many games now we’ve had a really big penalty that, Marner consistently tried to create chances and ended up leading kill very late in the game with the game on the line, we find our way the Leafs in five-on-five expected goals with 68.42 percent. through those.” Justin Holl (RD, No. 3): It’s the little things that make Holl so effective, On to the observations! like the confidence to make a small head-fake behind the net to leave an opponent in the dust and then make a smart, short pass that created a Player reports clean Leafs breakout. Then there’s his ability to effectively encroach on 1st star: William Nylander (RW, No. 88): Nylander before the game: opposition forwards and shut down Oilers offensive attempts quickly — “Myself, I’ve been looking to pass in certain situations where I should and almost quietly. definitely get a shot on goal. So that’s something that I definitely keep in TJ Brodie (RD, No. 78): There was a sense of patience and composure mind and something that I’ve got to do better.” deep in his own zone to hold opposition forwards off the puck from Nylander after the game: One goal, a team-high five shots on goal, the Brodie tonight. most of his season, and a clear sense of purpose in the offensive zone. B- He looked hellbent on scoring in the first period, moving away from the perimeter and attacking the goal in a way that has to make the Leafs’ Travis Boyd (C, No. 72): Boyd doesn’t look interested in relinquishing his coaching staff very happy. Maybe a divisive grade, but he gets points in spot on the fourth line anytime soon. I was slightly surprised by Boyd’s my book for the follow-through. outright insistence that after 85 games over three seasons with the Washington Capitals, he believed he was an everyday NHL player. But 2nd star: Wayne Simmonds (RW, No. 24): his combination of energy, puck protection and smart, quick puck That’s three goals in three games for Simmonds in his first three-game movement in two games, as well as his two points, speaks to that belief. goal streak since Dec. 2017. John Tavares (C, No. 91): Tavares made some smart plays with the puck The veteran forward maybe didn’t bring as much energy as he has in on the power play, as he has all season, chipped in with an assist and previous games, but he protected the puck well, and his ability to turn won 57 percent of his faceoffs. loose pucks into possessions remained an important part of his game. C+ Certainly one of his better performances as a Leaf. Zach Hyman (LW, No. 11): I’ve said before that there are times when a 3rd star: Morgan Rielly (LD, No. 44): Great movement in the offensive player’s performance, to my eyes, and the numbers afterward don’t zone, good anticipation defensively and an eagerness to block shots. match up and that player’s performance requires another viewing. Rielly was in that flow state tonight, and to my eyes, he had one of his Tonight, that player was Hyman. His 4:51 of short-handed time was best games of the season. important, but I didn’t think he was all that noticeable otherwise. But he B+ had sound possession numbers, and his five-on-five expected goals of 68.17 percent was second on the team. Jake Muzzin (LD, No. 8): The Leafs’ penalty-kill units were on the ice a lot tonight, and the Oilers managed just one shot through their first three C power plays. Muzzin’s smart positioning off the puck and his two blocked Ilya Mikheyev (RW, No. 65): It was a strangely quiet start to the game for shots were a big reason for that. Mikheyev until, on the penalty kill, he sped deep into the Oilers’ zone and Jason Spezza (C, No. 19): You know a goal is anticlimactic when the managed to drag all five Oilers with him. It looked like he was trying to kill goal scorer is one of the last players on the ice not just to celebrate but to that penalty seemingly on his own. even really notice. C- That was the case when Spezza shoveled the puck past Mikko Koskinen Alex Kerfoot (C, No. 15): Did Kerfoot harm referees Graham Skilliter and early in the first period. The veteran had already scored 341 goals in his Chris Schlenker in a past life? I sensed some serious energy from career, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by his lack of enthusiasm. I Kerfoot to start the game, but somehow that energy translated into three unnecessary but definitely questionable penalties. The Oilers converted twice with Kerfoot in the box.

Even after those penalties, you’d want Kerfoot to get his stick on the ice or even get in front of the Kyle Turris shot that led to the Oilers’ third goal. Like a lot of us who watched that game, Kerfoot is probably going to be shaking his head for a while.

I’m sure there are going to be some people who think he deserves a harsher grade here, but I’m going to side with his bewilderment tonight.

Nothing to see here: Jimmy Vesey (LW, No. 26): A quiet game for Vesey, and his five-on-five expected goals of 22.45 percent reflected that.

Alexander Barabanov (LW, No. 94): Barabanov is at the point where, given how well Pierre Engvall has played, he really needs to start producing results and proving he’s an everyday NHL player.

I liked his energy along the boards, but when he takes runs at players and the Leafs don’t come out with the puck, it feels like something is missing. There’s a logjam at forward, and I don’t think Barabanov has given Keefe the answers he needs to that problem yet.

Natural Stat Trick helps us out with a snapshot of where the shots were coming from tonight:

Final grade: B

I know I keep harping on this, but if it was the Leafs’ goal to become more consistent in the regular season by winning games in a variety of fashions, including the ugly ones, then they are succeeding. They’re not all going to be works of art, and as with the last few games, there are things the Leafs have to clean up in their own zone. This is a team that clearly has high expectations for itself.

But on their sixth game in 11 days, and with little time to practice as of late, they deserve credit for rolling with the punches and dealing with adversity in different ways. Tonight, that adversity was just served up by people not on the opposition team.

What to watch for Saturday vs. Edmonton: Can their power play keep clicking?

This team is buoyed by its high-end skill, and the Oilers’ penalty kill remains a work in progress. If on Saturday there’s a fraction of the penalties called tonight, the Leafs will undoubtedly look to pounce once again.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200825 Toronto Maple Leafs Marner wanted to be ready for his own opportunities as well. He worked on keeping his backswing short. Desveaux reminded him he would never fire it as hard as Matthews, so quickness was the key.

Inside Mitch Marner’s drive to become a more dangerous shooter Sometimes that meant shooting off the wrong foot with hopes of a rapid release. Desveaux, who’s coached Marner from the time he was four years old (as well as other NHLers like and Christian Dvorak), calls it the “Phil Kessel effect.” Shoot off the right foot. Shoot off By Jonas Siegel the left foot. Shoot off both feet. Jan 28, 2021 Another priority: Get the backhand back in the arsenal.

Desveaux remembers Marner going from forehand to backhand with Due to pandemic-related restrictions, Mitch Marner was only able to get great success when he played for the . It hasn’t really on the ice with Rob Desveaux, his long-time skills coach, three or four taken in the NHL though: Marner has attempted only one backhand shot times this past offseason. in eight games this season, and got off only 13 in 59 games last year.

“What do you want to work on?” Desveaux asked before they began. He’s attempted 53 in his Leafs career. “Shooting. That’s the first thing he would say.” Marner has relied mostly on wrist shots. It was the same story in the previous offseason. Much of Marner’s shooting work in recent years has been about Marner has been working diligently to fine-tune, as well as diversify, his repetition, about forging habits that way. shot for a while now. It’s been as much about tweaking his approach to “Just non-stop shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, getting the hands in the shooting, and adjusting his equipment, as it has been to altering (slightly) right position, transferring the weight, getting the head up — just a pass-first, second and third mentality. repetition over repetition,” Desveaux said of their sessions in 2019. “And “I mean, I think just the last two years I’ve been trying to work on it,” said we were supposed to do hour sessions, and the next thing you know we Marner, not long after ripping a game-winning shot, his fifth goal this were out there for an hour and 45 minutes. He doesn’t want to get off the season, past Jacob Markstrom in Calgary on Tuesday night. “I feel like ice. He loves to learn. And the beauty of a kid like that now, with the kind it’s a mentality thing. I feel like I really want to try and make an extra play of money he’s making, he still asks questions. ‘Why am I doing this? Why most of the times, but this year around, (I’m) trying to just be more of a doesn’t this work? Why doesn’t that work?’ It’s a treat to work with kids threat.” like that.”

It may go even deeper than that. Shoot it!

As Desveaux explained in the fall of 2019: “I think most people were Marner has talked a lot about developing more of a shooter’s mentality. telling Mitch when he was younger that, ‘You’re not that good of a But the truth is he’s been shooting it less and less with every season that shooter.’ Well, that gets embedded into your brain that you’re not a good goes by, including 5-on-5. shooter. But he can shoot the puck, like, he can rip it. But if you don’t do During the 2018-19 season, when he scored a career-best 27 goals it, how do you know he can do it?” (including 16 5-on-5) playing almost entirely with John Tavares, Marner Fine-tuning was getting up almost five more 5-on-5 attempts per 60 minutes than he has been early this season. The dip took effect last season and doesn’t Though he didn’t have as much time on the ice with Marner as he feel at all coincidental: It’s last year when Marner first teamed up in normally would during the unusual 2020 offseason, Desveaux still got earnest with Matthews. And it’s become clear that when he’s on the ice him focused on a few things. Marner was also able to work on some of it with maybe the greatest shooter alive (Alex Ovechkin notwithstanding) at his trainer Dan Noble’s facility in the Toronto neighbourhood of Marner usually looks to set him up rather than attacking the net himself. Leaside. Which seems like a smart plan of attack. First, he was using a stiffer stick. That would allow Marner to release the puck faster than before. Desveaux believes flexible sticks, the kind The driving force behind uniting Marner and Matthews in the first place is Marner has used in the past, have drag time which causes a delay in the pairing an A-plus passer with an A-plus shooter. The Leafs have seen release. plenty of positive results with it. But it wouldn’t hurt if Marner looked for his shot a little more often. Not only because of all the work he’s put into “It’s not about how hard you shoot. It’s about how quick you can shoot,” improving it, but more importantly, to keep defences honest. Matthews Desveaux said. “Whether it’s 70 miles an hour or 90 miles an hour, it’s might get an extra sliver of space if defenders had to respect Marner’s still gonna hit the target and go in. That really doesn’t matter to a goalie.” shot a tad more.

Just rip it, Desveaux urged. Surprise the goalie. Catch him off guard. The same trend exists on the power play, where Marner has gone from multi-dimensional threat to strict passer (usually to Matthews): Like this, from earlier in the season against Ottawa: Marner scored a career-best eight power-play goals during that 2017-18 Desveaux wants Marner to stop aiming high all the time, too. Fire it low! season. That year, he was one cog, operating on the right flank, in a But stop, please stop, shooting for the five-hole so much. That won’t highly effective unit that featured James van Riemsdyk camped beside work. the net and Nazem Kadri in the middle of the ice. Matthews was off on a Meanwhile, too many shooters, in Desveaux’s estimation, try to fire the separate unit. puck off the toe of their blade. Few can do it effectively, he said. Auston Again, given the Leafs’ success on the power play generally in the last Matthews is among them. That’s because he’s 6-foot-3 and well over 200 couple of years, it’s hard to argue that this is a negative trend. Since the pounds. He can control the puck down there. But for lighter guys, like start of the 2018-19 season, Matthews has buried 26 power-play goals. Marner, the puck just “rolls off the toe of the stick.” Marner has set up 18 of them, including another one on Tuesday night. Shooting off the heel of the blade, toward the middle, is the smarter and But maybe by firing a few more himself, Marner can keep penalty killers potentially, more accurate approach. guessing more often. It gets harder to consistently make the seam pass Marner’s one-timer against the Flames on Tuesday night can actually be Marner snuck through to Matthews in Calgary if foes know it’s always traced back to the 2019 offseason. Marner got word that summer that coming because Marner won’t shoot it. Paul McFarland, then a new Leafs assistant coach (and now former That’s what seems to have motivated Marner’s attempt at becoming a assistant coach), was going to alter the power play. more threatening shooter: “trying to just be more of a threat, more of a Marner and Matthews would trade places — Matthews would move to guy that can be more a consistent shooter on net and kind of change the right half-wall, Marner to the left. The goal: prime the Matthews one- things up on goalies…” timer. It might also be about proving he can do it. Desveaux believes Marner, who has two 20-goal seasons under his belt in the NHL, can get to 30, maybe even 35 goals, in a normal year.

“But two things have to happen with him is he has to stop thinking pass first,” Desveaux said. “He’s gotta get more attempts at the net. Just shoot Mitch! Just shoot! Just get it on the net.

“He feels pretty confident now,” said Desveaux of his star pupil. “He knows he can put the puck in the net. He knows he’s got a good, hard shot.”

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021

1200826 Vegas Golden Knights It was Monday when Knights forward Alex Tuch was asked about how the team has handled COVID-19 realities.

“We’re pretty locked down,” he said. “We follow all of the NHL protocols Should Golden Knights and Blues have played Tuesday? to a T … We’ve stayed pretty diligent with what we have seen with teams that don’t. You know what — I’ve said it before — it’s a sacrifice that’s much needed.”

By Ed Graney Las Vegas Review-Journal January 28, 2021 - 6:05 PM A few days later, that gold shield was penetrated. We should know how deeply over the next 48 hours.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.29.2021 That dang part about hindsight gets you every time.

It has reared its frustrating head yet again, the Golden Knights having had their game against St. Louis postponed Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena after Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and another member of the coaching staff entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

The news came two days after the Blues defeated the Knights 5-4 in a shootout, a game in which Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon served as head coach.

He was behind the bench — with an assist from coaches of the American Hockey League’s Silver Knights — because a member of the NHL staff tested positive, meaning coach Pete DeBoer and his assistants were kept away.

Mistake to play?

Which, given Thursday’s postponement, begs the question: Should they have played Tuesday?

Was it an irresponsible or acceptable decision based on testing and tracing data?

Did the league put the Blues at risk by playing a team whose staff registered a positive test? How upset should St. Louis be right now?

And there’s the rub. As with most things NHL, far more information is needed to assume an immovable stance.

Now, if there was even a chance of less than 1 percent that officials believed others could be infected based on the coaching exposure, neither team had any business near the ice.

But who was the first staff member to test positive and how much was he around players such as Pietrangelo? Did the results of any contact tracing make it intelligent or shortsighted to move forward, even when it was announced after Tuesday’s game that no players had tested positive?

Lots of stuff that hasn’t been made public.

Remember. This is the weird noncommunicative world of upper and lower body injuries.

“At this point, I would sure think not that (Thursday’s) game would be postponed, depending on what might change between now and then,” McCrimmon said after Tuesday’s loss. “It was never a consideration not (to play Tuesday), once we were able to assemble a coaching staff for the game. Unless there is more information, unless there is more bad news in terms of positive tests, I don’t think (Thursday would be postponed). But, again, it’s hard to speculate.”

Not 48 hours later, the bad news arrived. You can speculate now.

Result of no bubble

It was never going to be a perfect season regarding protocols. The Knights aren’t the first team to have a game postponed — Dallas and Carolina know the feeling all too well — and in all likelihood won’t be the last. Washington was recently fined $100,000 for players violating NHL protocols. Other teams have had players assigned to the league’s COVID list.

Like other major professional sports leagues, the NHL seems intent on pushing forward to finish a condensed regular season and commence its playoffs. It’s a gamble the league took playing outside a bubble. Guys pop positive. Teams are affected. Games are postponed.

You just hope all the talk about health and safety is genuine, that had there been an inkling of doubt about playing Tuesday, the game would have been called off.

Yeah. Hindsight. 1200827 Vegas Golden Knights

Deryk Engelland fills in for Silver Knights coaches at practice

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal January 28, 2021 - 5:01 PM Updated January 28, 2021 - 5:03 PM

Unless dropping the puck for the ceremonial faceoff ahead of a charity hockey game counts, Deryk Engelland had not been on the ice at Orleans Arena since his final season with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers in 2005.

But there he was Thursday, running practice for the .

“To come back here and be around the locker room where it all started was pretty special,” Engelland said. “Not much has changed in there, so it brings back a lot of good memories.”

Engelland stepped in while Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros and his staff are unavailable as they adhere to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

A member of the Golden Knights’ coaching staff tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, and the staff began self-isolating “out of an abundance of caution.”

Viveiros, along with assistants Jamie Heward and Joel Ward, joined Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon behind the bench for Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis at T-Mobile Arena.

The NHL announced that Thursday’s game between the Golden Knights and Blues was postponed as a result of a player and a second member of the coaching staff entering the NHL’s COVID protocols. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was included on the NHL’s daily list of players unable to practice or play because of the protocols.

Viveiros and his assistants did not take the ice Wednesday at practice and watched from their perch at Lifeguard Arena as veteran forward Patrick Brown ran drills.

Engelland, who announced his retirement in December after 11 NHL seasons and now works as the special assistant to owner Bill Foley, said he spoke to the Silver Knights’ staff Wednesday and volunteered to help Thursday.

He was unsure whether he would be needed when the Silver Knights make their American Hockey League debut in an exhibition game against San Jose at 7 p.m. Friday at Orleans Arena.

Engelland admitted to having nerves before leading a practice for the first time.

“I know what it’s like as a player to have to run your own practices,” he said. “It’s a little nicer when someone’s out there doing the Xs and Os and explaining things. I was happy to be out there and help them, and to see those guys go to battle definitely gets the competitive juices going.”

Silver Knights forward Ben Jones, who battled against Engelland during training camp in previous seasons, enjoyed seeing the former defenseman on the ice.

“Without the gear, he looks a little bit different,” Jones said. “But it was awesome having him out there.”

AHL preseason starts

Jones said Friday’s exhibition will be an opportunity to get back into game shape after not playing since the AHL season was paused in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams play again at 5 p.m. Saturday at Orleans Arena, and the Silver Knights are scheduled to open the regular season Feb. 6 against Ontario.

“Really just trying to get familiar with each other, get familiar with the systems and just go out there and have fun and finally play hockey and get back to what we love to do,” Jones said.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200828 Vegas Golden Knights The Knights are scheduled to play St. Louis six more times. They finish the regular season with back-to-back home games against the Blues on May 7 and 8.

Golden Knights’ game postponed; Alex Pietrangelo on COVID list LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.29.2021

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Golden Knights’ COVID-19 issues escalated Thursday, resulting in the postponement of their game against the St. Louis Blues.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was included Thursday afternoon on the NHL’s daily list of players unable to practice or play because of the league’s COVID-19 protocols, hours after the decision was announced. The NHL said Thursday morning the postponement came after a Knights player and another coach entered the protocols. A coach tested positive Tuesday before a 5-4 shootout loss to the Blues at T-Mobile Arena.

Game 122 between the @GoldenKnights and @StLouisBlues has been postponed. https://t.co/K1RyMoFwW7 pic.twitter.com/G1DDcXTR5M

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 28, 2021

Pietrangelo’s appearance on the list does not necessarily mean he tested positive. Absences can be the result of a positive test, an unconfirmed positive test, mandatory isolation for symptomatic individuals, a required quarantine because of being deemed a high-risk close contact through contact tracing or a mandatory quarantine because of travel or something else.

The NHL’s policy is to not give the exact reason a player is unavailable or how long he might be out. The factors that led to Pietrangelo’s appearance on the list will determine the length of his absence.

The Knights’ facilities at City National Arena will be closed until further notice, and Friday’s practice was canceled. The team is next scheduled to play the San Jose Sharks on Monday and Wednesday in Glendale, Arizona, and the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 5 and 7 at T-Mobile Arena. The league said a decision on next week’s games will be made within 48 hours.

The Knights have been dealing with COVID-19 for months. Four players tested positive in November, and all recovered.

The team then had issues again Tuesday when the staff member tested positive, soon after two games at Arizona on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, the first road trip of the season. Arizona has the highest case and death rate in the nation. The positive test forced the Knights’ coaches to self-isolate, but the game was played with general manager Kelly McCrimmon and Silver Knights coaches Manny Viveiros, Joel Ward and Jamie Heward behind the bench.

The Tuesday game was Pietrangelo’s first against St. Louis since signing a seven-year, $61.6 million contract with the Knights in October. The 31- year-old spent the first 12 years of his career with the Blues and was the team’s captain for four seasons. He led the franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

After the game, McCrimmon said the Golden Knights would close their facilities Wednesday. The team did not have a player appear on the league’s COVID-19-related absences list until Pietrangelo.

The Knights were scheduled to have a 10 a.m. skate Thursday at City National Arena, but it was canceled shortly before the league postponed the game. The Blues were practicing at T-Mobile when the NHL made the announcement. No St. Louis players appeared on the league’s COVID-19-related absences list.

The Knights are not the first NHL team to have COVID-19 issues this season. The start of the Dallas Stars’ season was delayed after 17 players tested positive. The Carolina Hurricanes had four games postponed.

Knights left wing Max Pacioretty said after Tuesday’s game that he was surprised the team had a positive test for a coach.

“We take this very seriously and almost take pride in the fact that we’re trying to do whatever we can to limit exposure,” Pacioretty said. “It was a bit of a shock to hear that because of how hard we’re working to do so, but it’s just something you cannot control.” 1200829 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights game vs. Blues postponed due to COVID-19

By Justin Emerson

Tonight's game between the Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, the league announced today. A make-up date has not been announced.

The NHL said the postponement is due to a player, revealed later in the day to be defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and a member of the coaching staff "entering the NHL’s COVID protocols." It is unknown if Pietrangelo and the coach tested positive for the virus. City National Arena, the team's practice facility, will be closed until further notice.

"The decision was made by the league’s, NHLPA’s and club’s medical groups after recent tests warranted more caution while the league continues to analyze test results in the coming days," the NHL said in a statement. "The Golden Knights organization has and will continue to follow all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies."

Vegas played Tuesday’s game without its normal coaching staff after a coach tested positive for the virus earlier in the day. General manager Kelly McCrimmon filled in as head coach, and the Silver Knights coaching staff was called on to assist.

It is not known when the coach’s test that came back positive was administered or when he was last around players. The coach’s name was not revealed.

Vegas played Tuesday’s game, a 5-4 shootout loss to the Blues, and closed its facility on Wednesday. News reports of a possible positive test trickled in before the 10 a.m. practice on Thursday. The team announced morning skate had been canceled, and the league's announcement came shortly after.

This is the first Golden Knights game this season postponed because of the pandemic, but not the first NHL game. The Dallas Stars had to delay the start of their season because of an outbreak within the team, affecting games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Carolina Hurricanes also had a game postponed after positive tests among players.

The Blues return to Las Vegas for the final two games of the regular season on May 7 and May 8, and an additional game could be tacked on to the end of the season, if necessary.

The Golden Knights' next games are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday against the Sharks in Glendale, Arizona. The Sharks were unable to play those games at their home arena due to local virus protocols.

Vegas is 5-1-1 this season and in first place in the West Division.

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200830 Vegas Golden Knights would listen to an argument that ranks him as low as No. 5 here (there are outcomes for each of the three players that follow becoming better players) on the basis of the question marks raised by those concerns. But a combination of his age, his clear power-play value, and the way Wheeler’s 2021 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 14 Vegas Golden he’ll make the players who have the tools he lacks better by getting them Knights the puck, I think he has clear second-line playmaking upside if the factors out of his control (the right coach and roster spot opening) eventually

present themselves. By Scott Wheeler Jan 28, 2021 3. Jack Dugan, RW, 22 (Henderson Silver Knights)

All it takes is one conversation with any of Providence’s coaches (Nate Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2021 rankings of every NHL organization’s Leaman, Joel Beal, Ron Rolston) to be convinced of Dugan’s legitimacy prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on as a prospect and future top-nine NHL player. And all it took last season the criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 31 to No. 1. The to convince scouts and evaluators of those merits on their own were a series, which includes my own evaluations and commentary from few viewings of the Friars, where Dugan established himself as one of coaches and staff on more than 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. the best passers in college hockey in the last few years. Former 9. teammates like Devils prospects Tyce Thompson and Patrick Moynihan will tell you how much they miss getting passes from him this year, too. The Golden Knights’ prospect pool remains strong, with quality Dugan is powerful with puck protection, plays with a physical edge and throughout and decent depth at every position. has an uncanny ability to create through layers and play off the wall to the middle of the ice. He’s a safer bet for the NHL level than prospects I liked what they did with their first three picks of the 2020 draft, even if I like Elvenes and Cormier, who don’t have the physical tools he didn’t love the value they tapped into with their last three. And while their possesses. If his stride were a little cleaner (it has a bit of shuffle) and additions (notably Brendan Brisson and Lukas Cormier) were greater quicker from a standstill, he’d be the clear No. 2 here. I don’t think it’s than their subtractions (B-level prospect Nicolas Roy and C/D-level going to hold him back, per se, because of his ability to handle the puck prospects Slava Demin and Xavier Bouchard), the Golden Knights still in motion and play through contact. slid down the overall ranking a few spots versus where they slotted last year. The big reason for that is that the teams that leapfrogged them 4. Lukas Cormier, LHD, 18 (Charlottetown Islanders) either had more picks in the 2020 draft (the Golden Knights were without a second-round pick), acquired talent via trade, or picked higher in the Cormier has been outstanding this season. He’s the best player on, as I draft — or some combination of all three. write this, a 12-2 team. He’s the power-play quarterback on the best power play in the league by a ridiculous margin, clicking at 34.5 percent. So while the Golden Knights’ pool is actually in a better spot than it was He’s a go-to penalty killer. He’s sixth in the league in scoring with 21 when it ranked a few spots higher a year ago, other pools made more points in 13 games (after he registered seven points in three preseason significant leaps. Plus the late start to the season allowed for a wider games!). Before the Q season paused, Cormier had registered two points range of prospects to be included on the whole, raising the overall in five consecutive games. He regularly plays 30 minutes in tight games, strength of the league’s pools. averaging 26 minutes on the season. Though he didn’t make Team Canada for the world juniors, he registered 20 individual shot attempts in The Golden Knights still have a strong group backed by excellent drafting four red-white scrimmages and is eligible to play on next year’s team. and a few of my personal favorites. Ranked 28th on my draft board, Cormier’s play has reaffirmed that he 2020 prospect pool rank: No. 10 (change: -4) was a value pick where the Golden Knights selected him (68th-overall). Though he’s a little on the smaller end for a defenceman at 5-foot-9, 1. Peyton Krebs, C/LW, 20 (Vegas Golden Knights/Henderson Silver Cormier looks a step quicker this season, which was maybe the one area Knights) he needed to improve upon to round out an already-mature defensive Krebs is a kid who I’m confident could step into the Golden Knights’ game for his size. The beauty of Cormier’s game is its consistency, lineup tomorrow and fit right in. The Golden Knights have obviously come something that can waver among young defencemen with his skill level. to the determination that he’s either not quite there yet, the forwards they He can occasionally chase a little too much in his own zone, losing do have are even better fits than he is right now, or he is ready but he’s players behind him in coverage, but that’s really my only nitpick with his better served with his development in practices or at a different level for game. He’s got NHL hands in transition, under pressure, and across the the time being. Tools-wise, it’s virtually all there. Krebs doesn’t have a offensive zone blue line, rotating and pivoting in and out of lanes to get great shot and that may be the difference between him becoming an open or make space for himself. He doesn’t back down from physical impact player or a star player, but I’d argue the rest of his tools are engagements despite his size. And while his approach is aggressive and enough to safely project for the former tier of player. Krebs is a brilliant he has the skill to execute when he tries to make something happen skater, both through his north-south acceleration and his changes of offensively, he rarely makes poor decisions or attacks without support. I direction on spins, cutbacks and stop-ups. That speed helps him think he’s got a real chance to become the kind of player who can play a forecheck effectively, play at a high tempo, involve himself in the game, regular role at five-on-five, run a power play, and dictate play with his and make plays in transition or in quick bursts from a standstill within the skill. offensive zone. He also has the finesse skills needed and the processing He has been a human highlight reel this season, playing with more skills needed to play with dexterity and touch at that speed. He quickly swagger. That was evident at Team Canada’s camp, when he didn’t shy reads and reacts to the play, knifing through lanes and hitting seams as a away from sliding off the point a number of times (this shot rang off The plus-level passer. He’s got excellent hands in tight which help him play in Post): traffic and adjust to defenders. He’s going to be able to win back possession and then create space for himself at the NHL level. I’m not But it has been there in spades in the QMJHL. Watch the way he attacks convinced that will happen at his natural centre position (though I’m not in transition, beats the defender one-on-one, and scores here: ruling it out either!), but he’s versatile enough to play both wings And watch the way he finishes under the bar from a tough angle and with regardless. a stick at his waist here… in the same game: 2. Lucas Elvenes, LW/RW, 21 (Henderson Silver Knights) Those are NHL plays. Considering his age, Elvenes has an advanced track record at the pro 5. Brendan Brisson, C/W, 19 (University of Michigan) level (three different pro levels!) for a player who was a late-round pick. He’s an elusive, puck-dominant player who can transport the puck Brisson has had a good year, meeting expectations without shattering through neutral ice with control and make things happen upon entry as a them. On a loaded Michigan team, he has been an important player as a passer and handler. Elvenes sees plays develop that few other players freshman, spending time at both right and left wing on a couple of recognize and his weight playing the puck into those spaces is always different lines (he has been paired with Michael Pastujov and Thomas just light enough, or just hard enough. There are things about his game Bordeleau lately) rather than his natural centre position. That makes that leave you wanting more. He doesn’t engage himself physically all sense, and frees up his biggest weapon (his shot, particularly his one- that well. His skating is smooth and light without being explosive. And he timer) off the puck a little more. Even though he didn’t work his way up looks off too many shots in favour of the cute play or that extra delay. I the lineup, Brisson also looked good in a depth role with Team USA at the world juniors. Brisson has great hands and poise, both of which he he took a bigger step forward in that area last season than I expected he uses to maneuver and manipulate inside the offensive zone. He’s also an would. His body positioning on box outs is very strong and he’s a good excellent in-tight finisher, getting pucks up around goalies’ ears from the skater at 6-foot-4, which helps him kill a lot of plays. He’s got the makings top of the crease. Brisson is also a consistent game-to-game, shift-to- of a good third-pairing defender but he’s never going to run a power play shift player, so when he’s not flashing he’s still around the puck. I like the or contribute all that much inside the offensive zone. way he reads and reacts to the play in front of him, finding pressure points to expose and using space effectively. Average skating is his one 10. Isaiah Saville, G, 20 (University of -Omaha) limiting NHL factor. The 6-foot-1 Saville is an extremely active goalie, relying on his feet to Here’s some of that full-shift involvement I talked about. Focus on No. 19 fight to stay in plays and get to difficult pucks as a small(ish) goalie. His in white. He gets open into the slot early and fans on a one-timer (rare), movement can be both a blessing and a curse, though. His athleticism tracks the play back, takes a bump pass to control the entry, tries to and agility lend themselves to a busy style and complement a good glove make a play against the grain after drawing defenders to him in the slot, hand but they can also pull him out of position and force him into and then gets back open to finish off the play at the backdoor: scrambles. He has been excellent for the Mavericks this season but they play sound team defence, making his job relatively easy. Saville can 6. Ivan Morozov, C, 20 (SKA St. Petersburg) stretch out to make difficult saves or explode post-to-post to get to rebounds on his slides. From that standpoint, he’s got some exciting NHL Morozov has taken another step forward this year, establishing himself tools. If he can learn to stay centre a little more consistently, he might as a top-nine forward on one of the best teams outside the NHL. He and have a shot at the league. I’ve seen him let in a bad goal on one shot and Blue Jackets prospect Kirill Marchenko have spent most of the year on then make a highlight-reel save on the next. the same line and they play off of each other extremely well. Morozov is an excellent two-way forward with good skill, pro size, and a dominant 11. Dylan Coghlan, RHD, 22 (Henderson Silver Knights/Vegas Golden cycle game. His puck protection skill is his greatest asset, helping him Knights) make a ton of plays off the wall, cut through seams, and spend entire shifts in the offensive zone. You don’t have to look far to find things to like about Coghlan. He’s got NHL size (6-foot-2, close to 200 pounds) and strength, he’s got a Watch the way No. 17 in white operates on this sequence. After starting booming point shot, he’s a righty, and he engages physically. But while the play with a low-to-high pass which leads to a point shot, he pokes the he’s actually pretty mobile going in any direction, his stride can break rebound loose to himself and fights below the goal line to keep the cycle down when he has to adjust or change directions, catching him flatfooted alive: on pivots or a step slow from a standstill. When he keeps his feet moving, he looks like an NHLer. When he doesn’t, he doesn’t. His He’s also net-driven, so when there’s an opportunity to take the puck off handedness will probably help him get an opportunity in the not-too- the wall for a chance, he’ll take it: distant future to prove it, though.

7. Peter Diliberatore, LHD, 20 () 12. Connor Corcoran, RHD, 20 (Henderson Silver Knights)

Diliberatore reminds me of the Leafs’ Justin Holl in that he’s a long, fluid Corcoran took major steps forward at both ends of the rink last season in skater who plays an impressive transition game, defending the rush at a Windsor. There are some throwback qualities to his game He’s physical, high level and joining it with his feet. Neither player ever seems to get preferring to play the body even when there are often better defensive tired, neither player has quite enough skill to provide major value within plays to be made with his stick along the wall. He’s got a hard point shot the offensive zone, but they drive results, manage their assignments which is the focal point of his game offensively (a ton of his assists come effectively, and help the puck get from point A to point B. Both always from rebounds). He plays an aggressive style with and without the puck. have their sticks on the puck defensively. Both outlet the puck well when He’s got pro size. All of those things are there. But his decision-making there isn’t time or room to use their skating. Both play within themselves can be suspect, his skating still needs some work, and he’s reliant on (though it took Holl a little longer to find his game than it has outlets because his feet and stickhandling aren’t major assets. I’m Diliberatore). They just look smooth, and effortless. I would say looking forward to tracking his progression at the pro level because he Diliberatore has slightly better skill with the puck on little curls and drags plays a pro style and the physical challenge won’t be a problem, but to open up seams than Holl did at the same age (Holl used to drop his there’s some refinement that’ll need to happen if he’s to progress beyond head and just carry the puck deep into the offensive zone) but neither are the AHL. one-on-one players. I think Diliberatore has a chance to become a really valuable even-strength defender in the NHL, even if the raw counting 13. Brandon Kruse, LW, 20 (Bowling Green State University) stats never pop. Kruse is a speedy 5-foot-9 playmaker who does most of his damage from 8. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, 20 (Chelmet Chelyabinsk/Henderson Silver the outside-in with leading passes under sticks and through feet. Watch Knights) the way he (No. 28 in black) finds the backdoor here:

I was too high on Dorofeyev in his draft year. Things haven’t gone Or the way he burns past a flatfooted defender and finds the backdoor in smoothly for him in the two years since. He continued to dominate his transition here: peers at the MHL level, he showed real flashes at the second-tier VHL level, but he didn’t produce in a full season in the KHL with Magnitogorsk But despite his agile stride and NHL talent, Kruse spends a little too last year and didn’t make Traktor Chelyabinsk this season. The talent much time on the perimeter, making less of an impact in the middle of the level is mostly there. He’s creative with the puck on his stick, he’s a fun ice than you might hope for out of a point-per-game college senior one-on-one player, he likes to try things and has enough skill to make (though he’s getting to the middle more this year). He’s got soft hands difficult plays regularly. He’s got an NHL shot with a low kick and a that help him on lateral cuts, power-play upside as a facilitator, good deceptive release point. But a wiry frame and mediocre skating limit his transition value and processing power at top speed, and a craftiness to ability to play that style of game and get to good spots at higher levels, his game when the play slows down and he has to make things happen resulting in a bit of a perimeter game. I think his game will be better to drive his line. If I’m the Golden Knights, I would want to sign him out of suited on smaller North American ice, and he’s still really young (which college and work with him. But his NHL odds are admittedly long and his we can forget about when things don’t immediately trend in the right adjustment to the pro game may not be seamless. direction), so we’ll see. If he makes it, it’ll likely be as an entertaining 14. Jackson Hallum, C/LW, 18 (Green Bay Gamblers/St. Thomas middle-six player and power-play threat. But there’s a bust element to his Academy) skill set too. Hallum is a driven, middle-lane player with the speed and finishing touch 9. Kaedan Korczak, RHD, 20 (Henderson Silver Knights) needed to play that style of game effectively. He’s a fun player to watch, Korczak was excellent for Kelowna last season, finishing second on the should have been on my radar last season more than he was, and a late Rockets in scoring and playing a dominant defensive game that birthday who has dominated lower levels and should eventually become swallowed up opposing rushes in the neutral zone. I was very much a well-rounded college player. But his skill level isn’t dynamic (at least not looking forward to watching him take on some challenging matchups with yet) and it’s going to be a few years before anyone knows what he really the underdog Rockets in their Memorial Cup host before it was cancelled. is. He was fine in his role as a depth player with Team Canada at the world 15. Jiri Patera, G, 20 (Henderson Silver Knights/Motor Ceske juniors, too. His game with the puck can still be a little sloppy at times but Budejovice) Don’t read too much into Patera’s .887 save percentage in 15 games in Extraliga too much. In the games I watched, he was a bright spot on a terrible team. Despite being only 6-foot-2, Patera’s a goalie who fills a lot of the net. After not thinking much of his game early on in his WHL career, Patera turned me with each viewing last season. His technical ability still needs some refinement and he’s not particularly agile in the net but he’s got some power to his post-to-post and low-to-high game which complements an aggressive style to get out and challenge shooters to beat him. He’s the youngest of the three goalies who appear consecutively at the end of this list but he’s the most intriguing, with a real ability to make the first save so that he doesn’t have to recover to make the second (attributes which are typically inverted for goalies his size, making him extra weird and interesting).

16. Logan Thompson, G, 23 (Henderson Silver Knights)

I haven’t seen enough of Thompson in the last couple of years to give you a real update on his progression since his WHL days (sorry, I don’t follow USports closely!). But I’ve heard good things and his numbers are impressive so consider this me covering my bases and promising to track him closely in the Golden Knights’ system during the next two years of his entry-level deal.

17. Dylan Ferguson, G, 22 (Henderson Silver Knights)

I know Ferguson is the name Golden Knights fans are probably the most familiar with among their plethora of longshot goalies but his game has always been kind of meh to me and I’m not sure he’s technically sound enough or athletic enough at his size to become more than a third- stringer.

The Tiers

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 the next (a gap which is sometimes minute and in other cases quite pronounced).

There are no real surprises in the Golden Knights tiers I don’t think. You could order those players in the 2-5 group any way you’d like and I’d be OK with it. Saville and Coghlan are really close to that third tier on talent, too (the latter is obviously already in the conversation for the NHL club even if I’m not super enamoured with his upside).

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200831 Vegas Golden Knights

COVID-19 Prompts Postponement of Thursday’s Golden Knights-Blues Game At T-Mobile Arena; VGK Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo On NHL Protocol List

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

COVID-19 problems have prompted the Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas today to be postponed.

Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and another VGK coaching staff member have entered “the NHL COVID Protocols.” The novel coronavirus has led to the deaths of 425,000 Americans.

General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, who served as coach for Tuesday’s VGK 5-4 shootout loss to the Blues, said after the game that a member of the Golden Knights coaching staff had tested positive for COVID-19. That coaching staff member was not identified.

Here was the official statement from the Golden Knights emailed to LVSportsBiz.com this morning: “The National Hockey League announced today that as a result of a player and another member of the Vegas Golden Knights coaching staff entering the NHL’s COVID Protocols, the team’s game tonight against the St. Louis Blues will be postponed. The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups after recent tests warranted more caution while the League continues to analyze test results in the coming days.”

City National Arena is closed due to COVID-19

The team’s training facility at City National Arena in Downtown Summerlin is closed until further notice.

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 Golden Knights’ regular season schedule and it is expected that a decision on next week’s games will be made in the next 24-48 hours. The Golden Knights organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies. — Vegas Golden Knights statement

Las Vegas sports have been hit by the novel coronavirus. The NHL fined the Raiders for protocol violations by coach Jon Gruden and Raiders players, while UNLV basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger also was infected with COVID-19 in December.

Other NHL players have also not played because also have been on the protocol list. Washington Capitals players Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov were placed on the NHL list of players unavailable to play or practice in accordance with League COVID-19 protocols last week.

The Knights said no players tested positive when they played the postseason in the Edmonton bubble last year.

Just-retired Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland came off the bench to serve as an honorary coach of the Henderson Silver Knights practice Thursday. Here are his comments on that:

LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200832 Washington Capitals dominate the rest of the way was a special way to win and I think a confidence booster.”

It’s early in NHL’s pandemic season, but Caps already see it’s not easy Capitals start slow, but a five-goal second period paves way past In the absence of the four Russians, the Capitals got a star turn from Islanders Conor Sheary, a bottom-six offseason acquisition who scored twice within 73 seconds in the middle of the period to trim Washington’s deficit to 3-2. His first strike came on a putback at 9:07. Barely a minute later, Samantha Pell he tipped in Chara’s shot from the point.

“We have guys stepping in there, myself included. You get to move up and down the lineup and get bigger roles,” Sheary said of his two-goal As Washington defenseman Zdeno Chara’s shot from the point blew past night. “Obviously a couple younger guys playing well for us, I think. But New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov on Thursday night, the yeah, we have a good system in place. We’ve got a good group of 43-year-old lifted his arms in celebration and immediately turned to the players and a lot of depth.” Capitals’ bench. Less than a minute after Sheary’s second tally, the game was tied when A group hug formed around Chara, packed with giddy smiles and winger Garnet Hathaway scored off the rush, his second goal of the childlike glee. Chara’s goal was not only his first in a Capitals sweater, it season. also was the fifth Washington goal of a dominant second period that powered the Capitals to a 6-3 win at Capital One Arena. The tie lasted a little more than three minutes. With the Capitals on the power play, Carlson gave them the lead with a one-time blast from the “I returned to the bench to the guys right away because I just wanted to left circle. Chara completed the run with 90 seconds left in the frame, share that joy and excitement with them,” Chara said. “They really did an finishing a period that started with the hosts down three goals and ended amazing job of welcoming me and making that transition as easy, as with them up two and in control. simple as possible for me. So I owe it to them and can’t thank them enough.” “Quickly, when we scored the first one, you just felt that momentum,” Chara said of the team’s second period. “It was kind of building up, and The Capitals fell into a 3-0 deficit after 20 minutes before finding their after that we just kind of went on a roll.” form in the middle period to extend their strong start to open the season to 5-0-3. With 13 points through eight games, the Capitals have the Oliver Wahlstrom contributed to the slow start by the Capitals by opening longest season-opening points streak in franchise history. the scoring with his first NHL goal at the 9:50 mark of the first period. His shot deflected off Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and trickled Next up is a date Saturday against Chara’s former team, the Boston in after an odd bounce. Casey Cizikas’s redirect in front only 18 seconds Bruins (5-1-1), who trail the Capitals by just two points in the East later put the Capitals into a 2-0 hole. Anders Lee scored the Islanders’ Division. final goal, putting in a rebound with the visitors on a power play with 3:11 A ‘happy kid’ at heart, Jakub Vrana is growing up with the Capitals left in the first period.

“It’s all about the team,” Chara said about facing his former squad. “I’m “We just talked about winning the second period and getting back to our not here to improve my stats. I just want to help the team. Obviously we game, and I thought we really played well in the second period, played know we’re facing a really, really good team. We’re going to prepare hard and turned up the heat. . . . I think the guys are playing hard right ourselves, and we know we’ve got to be playing our best to have a now. They are having fun, and it is showing,” Laviolette said. chance.” Washington Post LOADED: 01.29.2021 Rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek got his fifth straight start Thursday and made 27 saves, including 11 in the final period. Tom Wilson, who had missed the previous two games because of a lower-body injury, scored an empty-netter with 18.7 seconds left to cap the scoring.

The win against former coach Barry Trotz did not come without more injuries. Defenseman Justin Schultz, who had two assists Thursday and scored the game-winner Tuesday against the Islanders, took a puck directly to the face only 48 seconds into the third period. He headed straight down the tunnel for treatment and did not return.

Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette did not give any indication whether Schultz would miss any time, saying after the game that “from a safety standpoint” Schultz was “okay, but there was some damage done obviously with the puck.”

Capitals unveil blue third jerseys, will wear them seven times this season

Center Lars Eller was also unavailable Thursday after suffering an upper- body injury in Tuesday’s game. T.J. Oshie played second-line center in his place. Eller was crunched along the boards by Leo Komarov, who was assessed a major for boarding, and is listed as day-to-day. Eller has missed just four regular season games since he joined the Capitals in 2016.

The Capitals were also still playing without captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and top goalie Ilya Samsonov, who were put on the NHL’s covid-19 protocol list last week following Samsonov’s positive coronavirus test.

All four players have missed four games because of covid protocols and as of Thursday had not been cleared to play. Their status for Saturday’s game remains uncertain. The Capitals are 3-0-1 without the four Russians in the lineup.

“Obviously a good win, great win,” defenseman John Carlson said. “We talked a lot about last game and certainly same holds true for this game, and just the way it happened was a good way to battle out of a hole that’s not easy with how we were set up in the game. To really take over and 1200833 Washington Capitals

Inside the crazy celebration of Zdeno Chara's goal

by J.J. Regan

Thursday's game was full of fun moments for Capitals fans as Washington stormed back from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Islanders to win 6-3. Perhaps the best moment of all, however, came after Zdeno Chara's goal.

Chara scored his first goal as a Capital on Thursday as he fired a blistering slap shot from the point that found the back of the net. Being on the point, Chara was near the bench and turned to celebrate with the team. There, he was mobbed by his teammates in a wild celebration normally reserved for overtime winners or huge milestones, not a two- goal lead in the second period.

"I returned to the bench to the guys right away because I just wanted to share that joy and excitement with them," Chara said.

He added, "I obviously didn't see it from the views that you guys had but I can't [wait to] watch it."

"When a guy like that comes to give you a bear hug, you give it back to him," Coner Sheary said. "So I think when he came to the bench, we were all super excited for him."

The moment was a reflection of how Chara has been embraced by his new teammates already despite signing with Washington less than a month ago.

"I think he obviously brings such a presence and leadership in the room and I think for him to get that first one was pretty exciting," Sheary said.

Chara stunned the hockey world when he signed with Washington in the offseason. Not content with a reserve role, Chara elected to leave Boston where he had played and served as captain for 14 seasons.

Chara's transition to the Caps has been relatively seamless. Despite being 43 years old, he is averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time per game and has been a steadying influence on the blue line and the penalty kill.

A lot of that has to do not just with the player, but also with how the team has embraced him.

"They really did an amazing job too, welcoming me and making that transition as easy, as simple as possible for me," Chara said. "So I owe it to them and can't thank them enough to accept me in the group and welcome me like they did."

Head coach Peter Laviolette got a close-up view of the celebration. He called it "awesome" and said it reflected how close the team is already despite being early into the season.

"Those things I think are really good for a team," Laviolette said. "I think they can help galvanize a team. Not everybody is new but there's a lot of new pieces and so our team is new. Comebacks and adversity and a moment like that, everybody is pulling for Z to be the great player that he is. And tonight I thought he had an awesome game, both defensively and offensively. So when that moment [arrived] his teammates, they let him know. It was pretty awesome. I said after the game that it was one the coolest things I've seen in a while with regard to a teammate."

The way in which the Capitals have been able to come together has been reflected in the record. Washington is 5-0-3 and has yet to lose in regulation. In a four-game stretch without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov all out on the NHL's COVID- 19 protocol-related absence list, the Caps have earned seven out of a possible eight points including two wins against the Islanders, the team that eliminated Washington so easily in the 2020 postseason.

"It's a great group of guys," Chara said. "We're having fun, we're working hard and we're pushing each other to be better. That's what it's all about."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200834 Washington Capitals Oliver Wahlstrom put Washington to the man advantage when he was called for hooking. At that point, the score was already 3-3. The Islanders really struggled on the penalty kill as the Caps were buzzing all over the ice. Washington explodes in the 2nd, and 3 other reasons the Caps won Varlamov got in front of an Oshie shot from the slot and Pelech had an easy clear, but he just completely missed the puck allowing Nicklas Backstrom to grab it and fire another shot. At that point, New York's by J.J. Regan penalty killers were basically standing and watching and the Caps were able to do whatever they wanted. Backstrom corralled the loose puck, gave it to Justin Schultz at the point and he fed it to Carlson for the one- Down 3-0 in the first period, it looked like all the Capitals' absences had timer and the goal. That goal would prove to be the game-winner. finally caught up with the team. Instead, Washington erupted for five goals in the second period leading to the shocking 6-3 win over the New It was more of the same later in the period as the Caps distributed the York Islanders on Thursday. puck around the perimeter, the Islanders sat watching them until Zdeno Chara eventually called his own number and fired a blistering shot into In four games without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov the back of the net for his first goal as a Capital and the knockout punch and Ilya Samsonov, the Caps have now earned seven out of a possible of the game. eight points. Washington was also missing Lars Eller on Thursday, but Washington would not be denied. Tom Wilson would add an empty-netter in the third period.

Here is how the Caps won. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021

The second period

Barry Trotz had strong words for his team after Tuesday's loss and the Islanders came out swinging on Thursday, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period. Well, considering all the players they were missing, Washington was due for a clunker, right?

The Caps had other ideas.

Washington exploded for five goals in the second period to completely turn the game on its head. The Caps scored three goals in a span of 2:04 midway through the second and added two more later in the period to take complete control.

The fact that the Caps were able to turn this one around in the middle frame was a surprise considering how much the team struggled in second periods this season. It was a troubling trend of the early season, but one the Caps certainly turned on its head on Thursday.

Conor Sheary

Sheary picked a good time to breakthrough. After earning one point in his first five games for the Caps, Sheary scored his first two goals in red in a span of just 1:13 in the second period to put Washington right back in the game.

A shot from John Carlson did not break through the traffic in front of the net and Sheary got to it in the high-slot and fired a shot as he turned on net to beat Semyon Varlamov. Less than two minutes later, Sheary redirected a shot from Zdeno Chara into the net for his second goal to make it 3-2.

No other options

After Sheary's second goal, Varlamov seemed rattled. Less than a minute after Sheary's second goal, Garnet Hathaway fired a shot from the faceoff circle that snuck between the blocker and the body of Varlamov and in. Adam Pelech may have gotten a piece of the puck, but from that distance Varlamov should have been able to stop that one. His team really needed a save in that moment and he could not deliver. He knew it too as he subtly shook his fist after giving up the goal.

New York's normal second goalie, Ilya Sorokin, was sent to the taxi squad leaving Cory Schneider as the backup for the game.

After the third goal, I would have replaced Varlamov, but I could understand giving him the benefit of the doubt that Pelech tipped the puck which fooled him on Hathaway's goal. But after the fourth and fifth goals, had Sorokin been on the bench I have to think he would have been in at some point. It became clear Trotz was not going to make the goalie switch.

To me, only one of those five goals was "soft," but when you get dented five times in one period, it's time for the backup to start warming up. But Trotz evidently did not seem to consider that to be an option.

Carlson's power-play goal

It wasn't just Varlamov who was shell-shocked. The Islanders were all sorts of befuddled after those three quick goals and that was evident when the Caps went to the power play. 1200835 Washington Capitals

Caps have yet another injury to worry about

by J.J. Regan

The Capitals just keep on winning, but in terms of the injuries, they just can't catch a break.

Justin Schultz left Thursday's win over the New York Islanders in the third period after getting struck in the face with a puck. The hit left him bleeding as he left the ice.

"From a safety standpoint, just so you know, he's OK," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "But there was some damage done obviously with the puck. And I think there we're evaluating that right now and we'll see where he is tomorrow and what's going on."

During the Capitals' recent hot streak, Schultz has really broken through. Not only did he score the game-winner in the final minute of the game on Tuesday, but he had two assists on Thursday to make it six points in his last three games.

"That's really unfortunate because he was one of our top players," Laviolette said. "He was playing just fantastic at both ends of the ice. So that's a tough one. Hopefully it's a short turnaround but we might have some more information for you tomorrow."

Nick Jensen, who is a right defenseman, has been out of the lineup the last three games as a healthy scratch. He would likely get back in should Schultz have to miss any time.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200836 Washington Capitals

Caps Featured Fans: Taylor family have been diehards since birth

by Ryan Wormeli

For some fans, the Caps are a fun, entertaining distraction. For others, they are a way of life.

For the Taylor family, it's the latter. And there isn't much choice in the matter - when you're born a Taylor, you're a Caps diehard from birth.

Father, Steve, and mother, Carey have been going to games since 1974, and their children joined them later on. Another son, Zachary, walked in Garnet Hathaway along the Caps Red Carpet in 2019, an unforgettable experience for the family.

They've been to countless games, including Winter Classics, so they've "picked up memorabilia" along the way.

For the Taylors, nothing quite compares to the in-person experience at Capital One Arena. The family has proudly converted many of their friends and family over the years to Caps fans, just by letting them take in a live game.

Of course, the biggest moment for any Caps fan has been the Stanley Cup run in 2018, which Steve calls "one of the biggest moments in [his] life."

His family remembers that moment not only for the victory, but for the endless tears coming from their dad's face on the emotional night. It's those types of moments that make the decades of fandom worth it.

Stay tuned all season long for more stories from featured Caps fans.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200837 Washington Capitals HADDAWAY’S “WHAT IS LOVE” MUST BE PLAYING… HTTPS://T.CO/DTYUH2EOLC

— TARIK EL-BASHIR (@TARIK_ELBASHIR) JANUARY 29, 2021 Alex who? Depleted Capitals keep rolling without their full lineup “A lot of teams don’t come back from 3-0, if you look at all the records,” Hathaway said. “It’s a big stepping stone for us, especially in the locker room and all the guys we have in our lineup right now. It’s a huge win By Tarik El-Bashir Jan 28, 2021 and it’s one that took everyone in the room to do it. I wish we didn’t go down 3-0. There were a couple bounces there that didn’t help us; we

obviously didn’t play our best in the first. But we were able to come back Teams can often overcome a depleted lineup for a game. Sometimes in the room, settle down, change a couple things and get back out and even two. play our game.”

The Capitals, though, have done it repeatedly over the past week. • Want to know how popular Zdeno Chara has become in Washington’s dressing room in such a short amount of time? Watch the celebration Missing Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya after he scored his first goal as a Capital to cap the second-period Samsonov for a fourth consecutive contest due to COVID-19 protocols — outburst and put the home team ahead 5-3. and Lars Eller, too, on Thursday — the Caps scored six unanswered to stun Barry Trotz and the Islanders for the second game in a row, this YOU JUST ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SEE IT #BIGZEE time by the score of 6-3. PIC.TWITTER.COM/XNOJ3LVYKK

It’s a cliche, but it really was a team effort for the Caps, who got points — WASHINGTON CAPITALS (@CAPITALS) JANUARY 29, 2021 from 13 of their 18 skaters to improve to 5-0-3 and stay atop the East “Everybody is pulling for Z to be the great player that he is,” Laviolette Division. It’s the first time in franchise history Washington has recorded at said. “And tonight he had an awesome game, both defensively and least a point in its opening eight games. offensively. So when that moment (arrived) his teammates, they let him “The guys are just playing hard right now,” coach Peter Laviolette said. know. It was pretty awesome. I said after the game that it was one the “They’re having fun and it’s showing,” coolest things I’ve seen in a while with regard to a teammate.”

Capitals-Islanders statistics Chara is feeling the love, too.

Goals “I turned to the bench, to the guys right away, because I just wanted to share that joy and excitement with them,” he said. “They really did an 3 amazing job to welcoming me and making that transition as easy, as simple as possible for me. So I owe it to them and can’t thank them 6 enough to accept me in the group and welcome me like they did. It’s a Shots great group of guys. We’re having fun, we’re working hard and we’re pushing each other to be better. That’s what it’s all about.” 30 Added Sheary: “When a guy like that comes to give you a bear hug, you 23 give it back to him.”

Slot shots on net With a goal and an assist, Chara became just the fifth defenseman in 10 history to register a multi-point game at age 43 or older, joining Doug Harvey (five times), Tim Horton (twice), Chris Chelios and Allan Stanley, 12 per NHL Stats.

Scoring chances off the rush Chara played a season-high 22:55 on Thursday.

7 • Now for some not-so-good-news: defenseman Justin Schultz left the game early in the third period and did not return after taking a puck to the 3 face. Schultz was bleeding badly but it was not clear how much damage Controlled entries was incurred.

41 “From a safety standpoint, just so you know, he’s okay,” Laviolette said. “But there was some damage done obviously with the puck. And I think 34 there we’re evaluating that right now and we’ll see where he is (Friday) and what’s going on. That’s really unfortunate because he was one of our Controlled exits top players. He was playing just fantastic at both ends of the ice. So 87 that’s a tough one. Hopefully it’s a short turnaround but we might have some more information for you (Friday).” 68 The Caps are slated to practice on Friday at noon before hosting the Completed stretch passes for Bruins on Saturday.

17 • With Schultz’s status unclear, let’s reset where things stand with everyone who’s out: 12 Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Orlov and Samsonov remained on the COVID-19 As you can see the numbers skewed toward the Islanders over the entire protocol list as of 5 p.m. Thursday, thus, are still unavailable to practice 60 minutes. But for one period — the second — it was all Caps. Here’s and play. When the quartet was initially put on the list, Laviolette said he more on the wild comeback, plus additional possession metrics from expected them to miss four games before the situation was reevaluated. Sportlogiq: Well, it’s been four games. But that doesn’t necessarily mean all, or any, • Down 3-0 following a flat first period, the Caps emerged from the of them will be back Saturday. It’s not that cut and dried. First, they’ve got dressing room with more , determination and energy. to be cleared. Second, it’s possible they’ll need at least one practice to be game ready. Remember, none of them have been on the ice since Conor Sheary spun and fired the puck past a screened Semyon being put on the list on Jan. 22. “Right now they’re still day-to-day for us, Varlamov from the slot. Then Sheary redirected a point shot down and in. so we’re moving day-to-day,” Laviolette said after the morning skate. Then Garnet Hathaway snagged a flip pass from Carl Hagelin to beat Varlamov from distance. Then John Carlson scored on the power play. Lars Eller missed his first game with a suspected head injury that he suffered in the third period of Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Islanders. That all unfolded in the span of 5:09, and the Caps suddenly had a 4-3 Laviolette said he’s day to day. lead. Brian Pinho also remained out, missing a second straight game with an undisclosed injury. He’s also considered day-to-day, though he has been participating in off-ice workouts.

• With Kuznetsov, Eller and Pinho out, Laviolette moved T.J. Oshie from wing to center — a position he hadn’t played since his time in St. Louis. Oshie skated in the middle of the second line with Richard Panik and Sheary, who notched goals Nos. 1 and 2 as a Capital while skating a team-low 9:07.

Slot shots on net

10

12

1. Anders Lee 3

1. Carl Hagelin 2

2. 1

2. Conor Sheary 2

3. Josh Bailey 1

3. T.J. Oshie 1

• Why did Laviolette move Oshie over and not call up Connor McMichael, a natural center, from the taxi squad? Here’s how the coach explained his decision-making process:

“I’m looking at the lines and the impact of the lines,” Laviolette said. “(This lineup) kind of keeps the veteran skill players in those top two (line) roles where they’ve been. It just had the least amount of juggling to do. I know that Connor can play both positions. I thought that he had a good first game. …I know he’s a natural center. He plays both positions. I view that as an asset for our team.”

• After allowing three first period goals, Vitek Vanecek stopped all 20 shots he faced in the second and third to lock down the victory and improve to 4-0-2. The 25-year-old Czech is one of two rookie goalies in franchise history to remain unbeaten in his first six games, joining Jim Carey (6-0-0-1 in 1995). Vanecek also became the 11th netminder in the expansion era to record a point streak of at least six games to start his career.

• The Caps’ blue line chipped in with two goals and five assists on Thursday. Over the past five games, it’s five goals and 14 assists from the backend. Carlson has a five-game point streak going (two goals, five assists) and is second on the team in points with nine.

• Washington came into the game having been outscored 11-9 in the second period. It now holds a 14-11 edge in that category. The Caps’ 14 second-period goals are now tied for second with Los Angeles and rank one behind Montreal.

Asked what was different after the first period, Chara said the whole team’s mindset changed.

“I thought we all realized that our first 20 (minutes), that was not the hockey that we want to be playing, and we wanted to kind of put those first 20 behind us and come out in the second with a lot more urgency, a lot more jump, playing with a lot of speed and attitude and energy,” Chara said. “We start putting pucks deep. We were forcing them to turn pucks over. We played on our toes and put pucks at the net, and we were capitalizing on the chances. Quickly, when we scored the first one, you just felt that momentum, it was kind of building up and after that we just kind of went on a roll.”

• The last time the Caps scored five goals in a period? Yep, that ridiculous third-period comeback on Long Island on Jan. 18, 2020. Ovechkin finished with a hat trick in that game. Time before that? It was also against Islanders, in 2013.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200838 Winnipeg Jets “I’ve been at the same place the last two or three years, to be honest,” he said. “Just a role player, kind of the Swiss Army Knife guy. If you need help anywhere down the lineup I’m always willing to jump in and do the job. This is where I’m at in my career.” Jets' Perreault ignores critics, shoots for next contract Which brings us back to the future.

Another contract isn’t guaranteed, of course. Paul Friesen Whether or not the Jets or anyone else wants him will depend, in large part, on those scoresheet numbers.

If he listened to the analysis from the talking heads, he’d realize he’s “But I try not to pay too much attention to that stuff,” Perreault said. supposed to be washed up, is of little use to the Winnipeg Jets and carrying a contract nobody wants. “I just try to play as hard as I can, and throughout my career that ended up showing on the scoresheet. So this is what I’m going to keep doing, Instead, Mathieu Perreault at 33 years of age just keeps doing what he and hopefully I can do enough this year to get myself to another job next does: try to carve out a role and not worry about the critics or the future. year.”

“I try not to,” Perreault told the Winnipeg Sun on Thursday. “I’ve been [email protected] here now for seven years. I know how this business works. Eventually teams move on. There’s young players coming in in every organization. I Twitter: @friesensunmedia love it here, I would love to stick around. COVID strikes again “We’ll see how this season goes, where this team goes and go from The Vegas Golden Knights are the latest example of what can go wrong there.” during an NHL season played during a pandemic. In the final year of his deal, Perreault will earn $4 million again this The Golden Knights played earlier this week without their coaches and season. had Thursday’s game postponed due to COVID alerts. A few games into the year, one could have rightfully wondered what the “The first time we dealt with it here, you realized that you’ve got to do Jets were going to get for that salary. everything that you possibly can,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. The last few games he began to provide an answer. “We’re heavy on the masks and we’re heavy on the hand sanitizer and After rolling his ankle and missing several days of training camp, he’s we don’t like to sit around each other more than 15 minutes at a time.” back to his old self. Players with families and kids in school are particularly aware of how “The first few games I felt a little out of place,” he said. “But once I got my careful they have to be, not only at the rink, but when they leave it. legs going, the last three or four games I’ve been able to play the way I “Because we know how much of a problem that can cause if I would ever like to play. And it’s shown in results. get it,” Mathieu Perreault said. “Before I was thinking if I ever get it, my “I like where my game is going right now.” bad, I have it. But now I understand that if I get it, then there’s maybe three, four, five more guys that might not be playing… just because they Bumped up from the fourth line to the third alongside Adam Lowry, were near me in the locker-room or on the ice or something. Perreault chipped in his first points, a goal and assist, in the last two games against Edmonton. “Now it’s affecting the whole team.”

Winning and contributing: every hockey player’s sweet spot. Perreault has three kids in pre-school in Winnipeg, including twins born at St. Boniface Hospital in 2017. “He’s turned a switch here in the last three or four games,” is how head coach Paul Maurice put it. “He’s always had a great set of hands on him. Missing Laine When he’s on the puck and he’s hunting down and he’s creating chaos Perreault will be among those personally feeling the loss of Patrik Laine with his forecheck, and then he gets that half-second and he hits the guy in last weekend’s trade. in the slot and it’s in the back of the net. He’s got his level right right now.” “It was sad. I hang out with him a lot on the plane,” he said. “We play cards together every single road trip. I was golfing with him all the time. I Perreault’s pace is right, a grinning Maurice said, when he’s teetering on like Paddy a lot. But I guess this is part of the business.” the edge of out-of-control. The other part is having Pierre-Luc Debois join the team from Columbus That’s a fine line when you’re playing against a line like Connor once he’s done his quarantine. McDavid’s of the Oilers. “Haven’t had too many other French guys playing with me here in “You never ever thought that Matty Perreault would be on a checking Winnipeg,” Perreault said. “I’m excited to see what he can bring.” line, in some ways, and play against McDavid, and that line be really effective for you,” Maurice said. “But he’s matured and learned, gotten Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.29.2021 better each year. And he’s in his contract year.

“There’s a little extra boost there because I’m sure Matty Perreault wants to play a long time.”

Perreault acknowledges he didn’t know what to expect coming into the season.

He was placed on waivers to start, but was assured the move was only for salary cap reasons, and the Jets planned to play him.

“And now you’ve got a couple of injuries, you’ve got some trades and all of a sudden I’m playing a bit of a bigger role, and I’m for sure enjoying that,” he said. “Showing that I can still do it.”

When he plays at least 60 games, Perreault has averaged 15 goals a season over a career going on 12 years, a number that’s remained consistent in Washington, Anaheim and Winnipeg.

He won’t scare anyone with his shot, his speed or his size, but usually gets the most out of all three, wherever he slots in. 1200839 Winnipeg Jets “It was pretty cool,” Perfetti said. “When I got off the phone, I immediately called my parents back and told them the news. They were just so happy and ecstatic. It’s just one step closer to the dream… it’s pretty surreal. I can’t really – it’s awesome.” Jets Dubois will go where he's needed... Maurice explains why red-hot Ehlers doesn't get Scheifele's minutes... Teenager Perfetti wide-eyed at The Jets’ first-round draft pick last year, Perfetti had been with the AHL’s first NHL practice .

The call-up to the Jets taxi squad for at least a day led to his first time on the ice at the downtown arena, and first time meeting some teammates Paul Friesen since quarantining after the World Junior Championship.

“I was just trying to take it all in as soon as I stepped on the ice,” the 19- year-old said. “You’re playing with guys in the National Hockey League. Whenever Pierre-Luc Dubois joins his new Winnipeg Jets teammates, his Some of the best players in the world. I just wanted to come in and work head coach says he’ll have no problem finding a place for the 22-year- hard and kind of soak it all in. That was my first skate in the NHL and I’ll old. never forget that.” “I’ve got a spot for him when everybody is healthy, if all of the lines are The Jets tapped Perfetti for Thursday because three players – Scheifele, playing well,” Paul Maurice said, Thursday. “I’ve got an idea of where he Stastny and Blake Wheeler – were taking maintenance days, leaving goes, if one of the lines is struggling… whoever is going will stay together some extra room. and whoever needs some help, that’s probably where he’ll go.” He hasn’t been told when or even if he’ll see any game action. Dubois remains in self-isolation in a house provided by the Jets, serving a quarantine mandated by the federal government. “If I can gather some knowledge, some information, every day, that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said. “That will be a successful day. I learned a Acquired for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic in a trade with Columbus last lot already and it was a great day. I feel already comfortable with the weekend, Dubois must remain alone for 14 days to ensure he doesn’t guys and they welcomed me pretty well. spread COVID-19. “If I get a game, if I don’t get a game… I’m just thrilled to be here.” While the provincial government has given its blessing to reduce the quarantine period to seven days, as was the case for training camp, the Maurice says it’s obvious why his boss drafted the Ontario product. feds have not responded to the request, which reportedly came from all seven Canadian teams. “This is a really smart, very competitive young man with a great set of hands,” the coach said. “But he’s carrying around a big hockey brain.” Dubois arrived Saturday night, so this weekend will see the seven-day mark pass. Maurice says what Perfetti figured out quickly is the best way to learn is to watch. The Jets host Vancouver on Saturday, Calgary on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of next week. “It also shows just an incredible lack of arrogance, which is so important. He’s here to learn, get better and then be great and I think he’s going to If Dubois gets out of quarantine the following weekend, he’d be eligible to accomplish all three things.” play in Calgary on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Winnipeg returns to host Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 11. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.29.2021

Ehlers a real plus

The traditional plus-minus rating may not hold the weight it used to, but Maurice says it’s the most impressive part of Nik Ehlers’ stats line through seven games.

Ehlers leads the team with 11 points and a whopping plus-10. Only Paul Stastny, a plus-8, is in the same area code.

“I understand the value of the stat, that it doesn’t tell you as much as you think it does,” Maurice said. “But at the same time, it tells you something. He’s playing with two really good players and he can maximize what he’s good at, that dynamic skating. Those other two guys (Stastny and Andrew Copp) are so smart they get to the right holes, they defend very, very well, so he’s not hemmed in his own end.”

On the question of why Ehlers’ ice time isn’t anywhere near that of Mark Scheifele – he gets 16 to 17 minutes a night, compared to Scheifele going as high as 26 minutes – the coach said it’s all about matchups and finding that “sweet spot.”

Maurice likes to play Scheifele’s top line and Adam Lowry’s checking line against opponents’ top two lines, leaving a nice matchup for Ehlers’ unit.

“Some of this isn’t about, ‘Hey, the guy that’s playing the best plays the most,’” the coach said. “Maybe take the guy who’s playing the best and find a weakness on the other team, and that’s where the real advantage comes.”

Maurice says Patrik Laine’s 44-goal season came in a similar fashion..

“There’s a place there that you can find an advantage,” he said. “And Nikky’s really good at it.”

Dream a step closer

Cole Perfetti was watching TV and FaceTiming his parents on Wednesday when he received a call from Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

He cut off the parental visit to get a once-in-a-lifetime news flash: he’d get his first NHL practice the next day. 1200840 Winnipeg Jets forwards, and no one allowing fewer chances. Makar’s 1.05 expected goals against per 60 leads the team and is an absurdly low rate. Only Jaccob Slavin, who has only played three games, is lower at 1.04. Slavin is also the only other defenseman above 68 percent. 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, Winnipeg’s center depth Add eight points in seven games to the equation, which is second among all defensemen, and Makar’s average Game Score is 2.03 which leads everyone in the league, not just defensemen. He’s been special and it’s why his projected GSVA has gone up by half a win since the season By Dom Luszczyszyn Jan 28, 2021 started, the fifth-highest of any player. He’s now the top rated defenseman.

Before the season began, the Colorado Avalanche were a very popular 2. When we unveiled our Player Tiers project before the start of the Stanley Cup pick with many believing they were one of, if not the best season we expected a fair bit of push back on some of our choices. It’s team in hockey. A 4-3-0 start is not what many expected, especially not the nature of the beast anytime you put out rankings, even if they weren’t with losses to the lowly Ducks and Kings over the last week. The actually rankings. Naturally, there were many that took exception to Avalanche were supposed to cruise through the league’s easiest division, Quinn Hughes being placed one tier below his rookie rival Makar. Fair but have instead looked uneven. enough, but after seven-to-nine games it’s looking prescient as Makar has really taken off while Hughes’ has been a bit more uneven. Early season records can be very deceiving though. On the strength of two absolute routs, the Avalanche have a plus-seven goal differential That may seem like a strange take considering Hughes leads all that’s tied for third in the league. That, and their strong 54 percent defensemen in scoring, but there’s more to a defenseman’s value than expected goals percentage is probably much more indicative of the points. Hughes has given a lot back the other way, struggling especially team’s ability. It’s why the team is still projected to be the league’s at five-on-five. strongest team, finish with the most points and likely to hoist the Stanley Through the team’s first nine games he has a 41 percent expected goals Cup when it’s all said and done. According to GSVA, Colorado actually rate and has been outscored nearly as much. Yes, he’s got nine points in looks stronger than anticipated. nine games, one more than Makar, but the actual five-on-five play has That’s mostly because the team’s best players have gone nuclear, been troubling. For context, Jordie Benn was at 43 percent expected looking even better than anticipated. That’s especially true when they’re goals last season and was nearly run out of town. together. Circumstance is important here as it’s much easier to succeed playing in The Avalanche’s top quartet of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Colorado with Toews compared to a revolving door of partners in Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar have played 51 minutes together this Vancouver. Travis Hamonic wasn’t a good fit and Tyler Myers isn’t either. season at five-on-five. In that time frame, they have an 83 percent I doubt Benn is a long-term answer either. expected goals rate together, averaging 5.1 expected goals for per 60 It’ll be interesting to see what happens here in Vancouver who are no and allowing just 1.1 per 60. It’s so absurd that the foursome have doubt surprised that the team’s best players have gotten off to a rocky actually been unlucky to only get 81 percent of the goals when they’re on start at even strength. the ice together, scoring just 4.8 goals-per-60. The top group was strong together last season, just not this strong. 3. That’s especially true of Elias Pettersson, the team’s top forward. Look around the league at the best defensemen and you’ll often find a center On the power play they’ve been extremely dangerous too, scoring 10.9 just as good. There’s a reason those two positions are so pivotal in team goals-per-60 off 9.7 expected goals per 60 in 33 minutes together. That building and when one of those pillars starts to crumble, the whole may not seem like a big sample, but due to all the injuries the team foundation collapses. Makar has had an elite MacKinnon to start; Hughes incurred last season it’s almost already halfway to last season’s 80- hasn’t had the same luck with Pettersson, the forward he spends the minute sample where they scored nine goals per 60 on 7.9 expected most time with. The Canucks have mostly suffered as a result. goals per 60. That’s a sizeable improvement to start the season. Relatively speaking, Hughes’ numbers aren’t as bad without Pettersson, Colorado’s top guys have been flat-out dominant to start the year and are but together they’ve been toxic. It hasn’t worked. unsurprisingly driving the team’s success, but they can’t be on the ice together all the time and that’s been the primary issue to the team’s I’m not sure what’s up with Pettersson, but he just hasn’t looked right at uneven start. The rest of the team isn’t holding up their end of the all. The entire top line can’t get into a rhythm, they struggle getting the bargain. puck up the ice, and have looked just plain ineffective in the offensive zone. Pettersson has struggled to get good looks, earning just 0.59 Together the quartet has been amazing, and even as long as at least one individual expected goals per 60, down from his 0.75 last season. That’s is on the ice the team has earned an above average scoring chance part of the reason the Canucks somehow have a 38 percent expected share, but when none of the four are on the ice? It’s a problem. goals rate with him on the ice, a number that hasn’t really gone up since Colorado has only played seven games so there’s a lot of small sample J.T. Miller has come back either. Miller has a team low 36 percent. noise in this. The depth won’t always control play at a 40 percent rate, The other issue is Pettersson hasn’t been producing either with just two and the top talent won’t always dominate the puck over 80 percent of the goals and two assists in nine games, with just one point on the power time either. It’s just the story so far. Either way, with a top group playing play. He’s mostly been a no-show with the man advantage which the that well, the Avalanche deserves a better record than the one they team likely expected to be in the top 10, not the bottom 10. currently have. Vancouver has a lot of problems right now and they start at the top with 16 Stats Pettersson whose value has dropped by 0.65 wins to start the season, 1. While the spotlight in Colorado usually shines brightest on MacKinnon the largest decline in the league. Many expected him to take the next – for good reason – the team’s most important player in the early goings step towards being a true MVP-calibre player, but it’s been the exact might just be Makar. He was obviously tremendous in his rookie season, opposite. I imagine he’ll recoup that projected value going forward once but has been playing on a completely different level to start his he turns it around – Pettersson is too good not to – but the start has sophomore year. obviously been troubling.

The team’s top line has been rolling this season, but it’s been at its 4. I’m always wary of writing about a player or team on a game day, absolute best with the smooth-skating Makar on the back-end and he’s especially early in the season. One strong game can immediately reverse done well in minutes without the star forwards too. course on the narrative. That wasn’t looking likely after one period. Hughes and the top line had an expected goals percentage of just one That explains why his expected goals percentage for the season is still percent after the first period. Not a typo. an astronomically high 76 percent, nine percentage points clear of MacKinnon, the team’s next highest player, and nearly 14 percentage After that, we started seeing what the team’s top end could really do. points higher than Devon Toews, the team’s next highest defender. First, there was this pretty passing play between Pettersson and Hughes That’s built off incredible dominance at both ends of the ice where the to set up Miller for a freebie to open up the second period. only players generating more offense than Makar are the top-line PETEY WITH THE DROP PASS TO HUGHES, WHO SLIDES IT OVER Goals-per-game by division TO MILLER FOR THE ONE-TIMER! PIC.TWITTER.COM/3PJ3MOQXDN North: 6.76

— VANCOUVER #CANUCKS (@CANUCKS) JANUARY 28, 2021 West: 5.68

Miller added another goal six minutes later and then assisted on a East: 5.62 Pettersson power play goal to close the second period and give Central: 5.49 Vancouver a 4-1 lead. It was his best game of the season and close to it for Pettersson too. The most impressive part: both ended up above 50 8. Like many during the first few isolated months of the pandemic, I was percent in expected goals for the night, a true feat given the horrendous completely enamoured by The Last Dance, an epic documentary start to the game. chronicling Michael Jordan’s reign as the best player in the world. It showcased the competitiveness that fuels the best of the best, the driven We know Pettersson and Hughes are great players. Miller too after last determination that puts players into a tier of their own. Untouchable. It’s season. While a rough patch is alarming and a strong game against all I could think about with regards to Connor McDavid this offseason. Canada’s worst team doesn’t completely absolve it, it does help put things into perspective. We’re still dealing with small sample sizes here, He watched his teammate with the Hart and Art Ross trophy and his title exacerbated by it being the start of the season. It’s a rough patch most for best player in the world come into question during the playoffs after wouldn’t even notice if it happened 20 games from now instead of to start MacKinnon put on a show, a debate that lingered throughout the the season. offseason. Even if everyone still agreed McDavid was the best, there was competition now and I do believe he was in tune with that changing In fact, Petterson had a similar stretch of bad five-on-five play last year – perception. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to take that almost to the date. In a nine-game stretch from January 16 to February personally and put on a show of his own. 10 he earned just a 40 percent expected goals rate. Maybe late January is just a bad time for him? We’re watching peak McDavid right now and it’s nothing short of spectacular. All the questions about his five-on-five numbers, specifically 5. In other Canucks news, it’s very difficult to ignore the former Canucks his defense? They were there for good reason given his prior two that have gone a revenge tour this season, specifically against them. seasons, but after eight games it looks like McDavid has silenced them Against Calgary, Jacob Markstrom saved 57 of 59 shots in back-to-back completely. He’s hit another gear, playing some of the best hockey of his wins, his best two games of the season saving 2.65 goals above career. That’s a scary thought considering how dominant he already was expected in total. Chris Tanev was especially steady in those games with despite the defensive concerns. a 59 percent expected goals rate and zero goals allowed. McDavid leads the league in points right now scoring at his usual 120- Tyler Toffoli has been the most impressive of the bunch and I still can’t point pace, but with how good he’s been playing there’s an argument to believe the Canucks let him go given the contract he ended up receiving. be made that he’s been unlucky to only have 12 points. He leads all He absolutely torched the Canucks in three straight games scoring five Oilers with a 64.5 percent expected goals rate on the back of very strong goals and two assists, outscoring the team 6-1 (at five-on-five), and defensive numbers (just 2.2 expected goals against per 60) and an earning a ridiculous 88 percent expected goals rate. His average Game absolutely ridiculous four expected goals for per 60. It’s the fourth-best Score during the three game set was 3.95. He had an average of 0.54 in mark in the league and the terrifying part is the Oilers have only scored his first three games and over the prior two seasons he’s only had three 3.3 goals-per-60 with McDavid on the ice. games total with a Game Score higher than four. 9. Given the chances he creates and his finishing ability, there’s plenty of Never doubt the power of spite. room for correction. That’s plain to see from watching the Oilers as McDavid has been a dominant force on every shift. 6. Montreal has looked incredible to start the season, going 4-0-2 with a 62 percent expected goals rate, second to only Carolina who have Any night where he doesn’t pick up two points or more feels wrong. A lot played three games. Before the season started I said Toronto was the of it is on shots he’s created for himself. His 1.5 individual expected best team in Canada and it wasn’t even close. It took just six games for goals-per-60 at five-on-five is seventh in the league and a sizeable the Canadiens to turn it into a worthy conversation as Montreal has no improvement from where he’s been the past two seasons. That’s from doubt been the better team so far. This is what the team can look like taking three more shots-per-60, but also increasing his expected when it makes due on its massive scoring chance share, one that’s shooting percentage. Improving volume and quality at the same time grown even larger this season. feels like it should be impossible, but this is McDavid we’re talking about.

That’s on depth which was the team’s primary focus this offseason and Usually, he finishes above expectations, but this season he’s only scored it’s dependent on the continued emergence of its two young centers, Nick 0.96 goals-per-60 so far. That’s an elite season for most. For McDavid Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Both have an expected goals rate above and the way he’s playing this year, he should have a lot more and that’s 65 percent with Suzuki also adding six points in six games on top of that. a scary thought for the rest of Canada. The emergence of rookie Alex Romanov on the backend has also helped 10. Winnipeg shook the hockey world with its blockbuster trade last as he indeed looks like the real deal. week, sending Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to Columbus in exchange The most promising development though might just be Jonathan Drouin. for disgruntled center Pierre-Luc Dubois. It gives the team extremely The former third overall pick hasn’t quite been able to put it all together in enviable center depth, with a strong one-two punch of Mark Scheifele his first six seasons, but if he keeps up his current pace this could be the and Dubois, followed by Paul Stastny and Adam Lowry. I think some may year he finally breaks out. The talent has always been there and the first have gotten ahead of themselves in crowing it arguably the league’s six games have been the best he’s looked in a while. He has six points in best, but it’s certainly up there. By GSVA, the Jets’ center depth now six games, but most importantly has surprisingly been the play-driving ranks fifth in the league, a huge step-up from where they were before force on the second line. He’s currently third on the team in expected acquiring Stastny and then Dubois. There’s a chance it goes even higher goals percentage behind Toffoli and Kotkaniemi at 71 percent. once Dubois gets the requisite ice-time he deserves.

Having five of six games against Vancouver and Edmonton will skew Top Center Depth things in the possession department, so take some of this with a grain of Edmonton: 8.1 wins salt, but it’s still been a very encouraging start for Montreal. Now imagine if the Canadiens had a starting goalie with a save percentage higher than Toronto: 8.1 wins .892. (Sorry Habs fans, couldn’t resist). Tampa Bay: 7.1 wins 7. Before the season started, I noted that the North division would be a Pittsburgh: 7.0 wins goal-scoring hotbed for fantasy purposes. That has indeed been the case so far and there’s little doubt it won’t continue as defense has often been Winnipeg: 6.7 wins optional in many of those contests. It hasn’t even been close with every other division between 5.5-to-5.7 goals-per-game and the North one Colorado: 6.6 wins entire goal above the next highest division. Boston: 6.5 wins St. Louis: 6.0 wins with the puck on his stick. It’s why he was so skilled in transition last year, though his game at either end still needed work. Calgary: 5.9 wins On offense, he’s obviously been much better this season with seven Philadelphia: 5.5 wins points in six games including three goals. That’s especially important 11. As for the Blue Jackets, it’ll take a lot more than Laine’s offense to because he was by far one of the league’s worst finishers last season. In get the team in a comfortable position. It’s been a rocky start for 61 games last season he had just two goals at five-on-five. He’s matched Columbus and a lot of that falls squarely on the team’s supposed that in six games this season and with five points is almost halfway to the superstar top pair. 11 points total he had last year.

In the team’s first seven games, the Seth Jones and Zach Werenski duo What’s interesting with Hughes’ start is how he’s been much more has not looked strong, boasting an ugly 36 percent expected goals rate selective with his shots. He’s taking 3.1 fewer shots-per-60 while not and an actual goal rate in the low 40s. Both are worst among losing much of anything in terms of individual expected goals, dropping defensemen on the team with the issues coming on both sides of the from 0.77 last year to 0.69 this season. The reason is his expected puck. The duo rank dead last in both chances generated and allowed, shooting percentage rising from 10.9 percent to an absurdly high 17.6 the latter by a very large margin. With just one point each, it’s not like percent. That helps explain why he’s finishing more, but he still needs to either is influencing much offense either. find a balance where he takes more than one shot per game at five-on- five. That’ll make him even more dangerous, but it’s baby steps for now. Both are better players than they’ve shown to be so far, but for Jones in He has all the tools to be a star. particular it’s getting more and more difficult to see him as the top 10 defensemen that hockey people believe he is. He’s averaging over 25 The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 minutes per night, but we need to start asking ourselves how effective those minutes really are.

12. Vince Dunn is apparently on the trade block and I won’t be the first or last nerd to tell you that’s a bad idea. He’s had a very rough start to the year, but has a strong track record as a puck-moving defenseman who can drive play. The Blues are asking for a first-round pick which isn’t an unreasonable ask, but some firsts are obviously more valuable than others.

According to the trade machine Prashanth Iyer built using projected GSVA, Dunn’s contract value is seven wins. That’s 5.7 wins for his on-ice play in the four years the Blues have team control and an extra 1.3 wins of surplus value on his current deal. The average first-round pick is worth 4.7 wins and it isn’t until picks seven (7.1 wins) or eight (6.7 wins) where the math starts favouring the draft choice. For a team expected to be outside the league’s bottom 10 this year, Dunn is probably a worthy gamble.

Though there’s obvious concern regarding whether he can handle a bigger role (ignoring that he did in fact handle it fine last season when playing with Alex Pietrangelo), Dunn has top-four upside.

13. The Anaheim Ducks are the only team without a power-play goal which is honestly not surprising when you consider who plays for the Anaheim Ducks. Their 4.67 expected goals per 60 on the power play is 29th in the league so don’t expect much better going forward.

14. Really, the Ducks don’t need anyone else when they have John Gibson in net as he’s single-handedly saving the team’s bacon on a nightly basis. Gibson currently leads all goalies with a nice 6.9 goals saved above expected and 8.3 above average. That’s on the strength of a .948 save percentage with an expected save percentage closer to .911.

In his six starts, the Ducks have won half the games and earned two overtime points despite scoring just 10 goals. Two different 1-0 shutouts wins certainly helps with that. With Gibson playing this way, Anaheim has a real postseason shot and if there’s any goalie that can continue playing at an extraordinarily high level, it’s Gibson. Last season was a down year for him, and his bounce-back should be mighty.

15. The Ducks rank 29th in power play expected goals for and the Coyotes rank 31st. Both things that make absolute sense. In between that anemic sandwich are… the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I feel like every Penguins season starts in the most chaotic way possible before the team settles down into their usual 100-point rhythm. With that being said, it’s been difficult to watch Evgeni Malkin’s start. Just three points in seven games, out-scored at five-on-five and badly outplayed to the tune of a 38 percent expected goals rate. That’s ahead of only Cody Ceci and Mark Jankowski which is bad company. It’s why Malkin has an average Game Score of just 0.01 to start the season which is highly unusual for him. He looked MVP-calibre last season. Hopefully, this isn’t a sign of a decline.

16. When one star begins to fall another begins to ascend and it feels like we’re beginning to see that rise to power for 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes. Being a degenerate gambler means watching a lot of weirdly random hockey games which has meant taking in several Devils games. Hughes has been noticeably impressive so far, looking every bit the future superstar he was billed as. He’s quick, deceptive and excellent 1200841 Winnipeg Jets But again: This is not a hit piece on Scheifele. It’s an appreciation of Ehlers, who now has goals in five straight and looks like he could be ascending to stardom in his age-24 season.

Limited minutes, big-time production: Nik Ehlers has emerged as the “Nikolaj, a big part of what’s going on with him is he skates like a shooter Jets’ top skater despite a secondary role now,” Maurice said. “He’s not looking to defer to the centre-iceman or to defer to his scoring winger, he’s looking to be the shooter, so he’ll move to holes to shoot the puck.”

By Murat Ates Jan 28, 2021 Part of that is the group Ehlers is now with. Maurice has credited the line’s success to strong defence and good puck support.

“Both Paul and Andrew came into this league with a really strong We are watching a changing of the guard in the conversation about who defensive concept,” Maurice said. “They’re in the right spots in the the Jets’ most impactful skater is, and we are watching it in real-time. defensive zone. They don’t stretch the game out until they need to.” Before you say it: This is not a hit piece on Mark Scheifele or Blake Added Copp: “Stas is so consistent, and he’s so smart, and he goes to Wheeler or Kyle Connor, nor is it a reaction to Patrik Laine leaving town the right areas every time. And Nikky is doing that and then he’s using or a prediction for Pierre-Luc Dubois’ future role with the team. his speed and being dynamic, too, which especially on the breakout, it’s It’s simply an appreciation of how good Nik Ehlers has been so far this huge for us. Especially when he supports the puck. And you saw on season. Nikky’s goal what happens when he uses his speed. The D all went with him.” Ehlers has been the single most positive story on a Jets team that is 5-2- 0 and tied for second in the North Division. Ehlers’ defensive impact has also been exceptional — not because he’s a gifted shutdown presence in a physical sense but because he He currently is third in NHL scoring with 11 points in seven games. The transitions the puck up ice so well. He spends less time needing to Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner are the only defend than Winnipeg’s other forwards do. ones ahead of him, with 12 points each, and it’s worth mentioning that Marner has two empty-net points, McDavid has one and Ehlers doesn’t This brings us back to the ice time and just how much more Ehlers could have any. So putting the stats another way: Ehlers is tied with McDavid, be doing with more of it — especially on the power play. Draisaitl and the Golden Knights’ Mark Stone for the most points scored Yes, I believe that Ehlers should play more. And yes, Winnipeg’s with a goaltender in the net. “second” line has been its best line through seven games. But Maurice’s And the fact that Ehlers is doing it in a limited role, without top power-play use of the line as a game-saving weapon Tuesday was part of what got time, is what’s truly exceptional. the win, with the game-tying and go-ahead goals coming against Edmonton’s bottom six. Ehlers is seventh in ice time among forwards on the Jets, at 16:26 per game, and 11th if you include defencemen. On Tuesday, when he scored There’s irony here: Playing Ehlers a little bit less on Tuesday was part of four points in a 6-4 win over the Oilers, he played 16:19, as compared to Maurice’s recognition of him as a dangerous weapon. Scheifele’s 26:12, Connor’s 23:30, or Wheeler’s 22:31. But ice time is the ultimate currency. As long as Connor, Scheifele and He’s scoring more points per minute than any Jets player — even the Wheeler play more than Ehlers does every single night, Winnipeg will be ones who have played twice as much on the power play — and he’s icing a roster less efficient than it has available to it. doing it for the second straight season. More power-play time would be a good place to start. The minutes Tuesday came largely against Edmonton’s bottom-six It’s not even Ehlers’ obvious offensive gifts that make the best case for forwards, a deliberate move by coach Paul Maurice. But that’s not to say him to get top power-play time; it’s his transition game. his minutes have been easy all season — that the production is a result of sheltering. On Sunday, also against the Oilers, Ehlers along with Consider Winnipeg’s power play with 1:54 left in the second period linemates Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp were matched mostly against Tuesday. Ehlers had yet to tie the game, so Edmonton was still leading Leon Draisaitl’s line. They kept the 2020 Hart Trophy winner hemmed in 3-2. his own zone throughout, enjoying a 60 percent expected-goals rate and leading the matchup 12-6 in shots. The Jets sent out its top unit of Stastny, Scheifele, Wheeler, Connor and Josh . “I feel very good right now,” Ehlers said. “My legs are working. My linemates are playing great. I think we all feel pretty good about the start Turris won the opening faceoff and sent the Jets back into their zone. to the season. Now it’s a matter of putting a full 60 together and giving The ensuing clear and interruptions to Winnipeg’s Scheifele-led zone ourselves a chance to win.” entry regime meant that 83 seconds went by before the Jets’ first shot on goal. Some of that has to fall to Scheifele, Connor and Wheeler, who in that same game were outshot 11-4, out-attempted 21-8 and had an expected Power plays essentially have three modes: set up and in possession, in goals rate of 8 percent in 14 minutes and seven seconds against possession but not quite set up, and working on a zone entry. Whatever McDavid’s line. And then there was Scheifele — after Ehlers had scored the Jets are capable of once they are set up in possession, no power to tie it 2-2 and Wheeler had scored on a fortunate bounce — stuck play is good enough to overcome a lack of successful zone entries. between McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto on Yamamoto’s goal to tie the That’s where the team can smartly add to Ehlers’ workload. His 336 zone game 3-3 with 3:05 remaining in the third. entries with possession in 1,013 minutes of 5-on-5 play (or 19.9 WHAT A SEQUENCE TO SET UP YAMO'S TYING GOAL. OH controlled entries per 60 minutes) made him the NHL’s sixth most- MY.@KAILER_YAMAMOTO | #LETSGOOILERS effective player in transition last season, according to Sportlogiq. This PIC.TWITTER.COM/CSOTXYRKS6 rate was well clear of other Jets forwards and put Ehlers right behind Matthew Barzal, Nathan MacKinnon, Taylor Hall, Connor McDavid and — EDMONTON OILERS (@EDMONTONOILERS) JANUARY 25, 2021 Brayden Point.

The Oilers went on to win that game 4-3 and then took a 3-2 lead into the This becomes particularly important as Maurice decides how to integrate first intermission Tuesday. That’s when Maurice gave the McDavid newcomer Pierre-Luc Dubois into the lineup. matchup to Adam Lowry’s third line, playing Scheifele’s line against Draisaitl, and freeing up Ehlers’ line to play against Edmonton’s bottom Maurice’s history suggests the easiest play is to bump Copp down to six. He did, surprisingly, give Scheifele 26 minutes of playing time, Lowry’s line and put Dubois with Stastny and Ehlers. including double-shifting him at the end of the game — immediately after Call it a good problem to have, but Copp has looked every bit as integral McDavid had spun off of Scheifele to score a highlight-reel goal — when to the second line’s success as Stastny and Ehlers have. He’s up to nine the Oilers pulled the goalie. Scheifele cashed in on the opportunity with points in seven games, seamlessly adapting his game to his linemates. an empty-net assist. He’s even second in the NHL in individual expected goals — perhaps not a shock, given how much xG favours rebounds and shots from in close. Copp’s four goals have all come from within arm’s length of opposing goaltenders.

“I feel like I’ve expanded my game,” Copp said. “I haven’t really tried to change it too much but I’ve tried to increase my offensive output — you know, make a few more plays, be a little more crisp, execute, and it kind of came to fruition tonight. The puck’s been going in.”

With Winnipeg’s top line so familiar to us and its second line clicking so well, one begins to wonder if Dubois starts with Lowry on the third.

It might not be how things end up — Dubois is too good offensively for the kind of minutes Lowry tends to get — but it would offer him a smooth transition into his time as a Jet. Lowry is a leader who already spends plenty of time working with younger players. It stands to reason that he’d be a good landing spot for a player looking to fit in with his new team.

If Maurice had previously shown the inclination to spread out his offensive players throughout a “top nine” (instead of a top six plus a checking line), it would be easy to imagine Scheifele, Dubois, Stastny and Lowry as giving the Jets one of the league’s best depth charts at centre.

This proposed lineup would be temporary and feels unfair to David Gustafsson. Still, it’s a guess that depends on Maurice wanting to leave his top two lines untouched:

Connor

Scheifele

Wheeler

Copp

Stastny

Ehlers

Dubois

Lowry

Appleton

Perreault

Harkins

Lewis

Just as with Ehlers’ torrid play, sorting through what to do is a good problem for Maurice to have.

How he handles it will determine just how much mileage the Jets get out of their big-ticket acquisition in Dubois.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200842 Vancouver Canucks The rest of the list is in the hall of fame. He’s now up to 11 points on the season. If he was dealing with an injury

early in the season, he doesn’t seem to be now. The Skate: Goals goals goals! I asked him post game how he was feeling about his play right now and A rundown after the Canucks destroyed the Senators for a third game in he said he never thought he’d been playing poorly. a row at . As a team, though, he acknowledged the 2-5 start had been poor and so sweeping the Sens in three games was very important to their psyche and to their position in the playoff race. Patrick Johnston “Our team has a high standard … to pick each other up and win this series is a step in the right direction,” he said.

As bad as things may have seemed on the weekend, at least you were Virtanen scratch still a Canucks fan and you weren’t facing the future a Senators’ fan is, right? Here’s one way to look at how things have gone for Virtanen through nine games: The Canucks may have been in the dumps and things might have seemed like they couldn’t get any worse. But you also knew the (i is for individual, CF is shot attempts, FF is unblocked shot attempts, Senators, a team everyone except probably the players on the Sens SCF is scoring chances for, HDCF is high-danger chances for, basically themselves know is terrible, were coming to town. shots from on top of the crease.)

And it was the right tonic. He’s been shooting more — and oddly from somewhat better spots — but not getting it on net like last year and not getting to the net like he did Now they head out on a tough road trip. Six games, starting with a late either. game in Winnipeg, then a back to back in Montreal and finally three games in Toronto. Compared to his teammates he’s always shot *a lot*. But in fewer shots, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat generate roughly the same total shot The race for the four playoff spots in the North Division is going to be an quality as Virtanen does. endless sprint, especially for the fourth spot. Not every shot is made the same as this year, more than ever, Virtanen’s The Canucks have themselves back in a good spot. But they can’t afford shots have been mostly from the outside and mostly not all that useful. to let too many points drop. Again, the choice to keep him in the office instead of pursuing a future Boeser’s flying with Tyler Toffoli was a poor one. Toffoli as we know is ripping it up; you shouldn’t be gambling on a player like Virtanen to fill in his stead. He was Brock Boeser is having a really good start to the year. a disappointment in the playoffs and he’s already looking no better this Even as J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson struggled to find their game, season. Boeser has kept his own account ticking over. Add it in with other RFA contracts in recent memory that almost immediately were regrets for the team — Sven Baertschi, , Ben Hutton — you really find yourself wondering about And when he’s been healthy, he’s been a consistent scorer since coming process. into the league full time in 2017-18. This kid is so fun Burying 2 of his team's 4 goals in a win vs the Senators on Thursday, Brock Boeser topped the 80 career goal mark in the process. From the Judd Brackett gushed to reporters after the Canucks drafted the pint- start of an NHL player's career, his path to the mark is the 4th fastest on sized scorer. this @Canucks franchise list of scoring standouts #BellLetsTalk “A motor that doesn’t quit,” or thereabouts. pic.twitter.com/l1BvRtRMWW LMAO 5 ft. 9 Höglander is literally getting held by Gudbranson and Norris — StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) January 29, 2021 at the front of the net.... these dudes have zero answer for the big That’s an average of 32 goals per 82 games. That’s nothing to sniff at. Hog#Canucks #Hogwatch

Holtby threw ’em once 7/ pic.twitter.com/BzjEZfMdEo

We were looking up Braden Holtby’s assists records in the press box — Cody Taxivertsquad (@CodySevertson) January 29, 2021 tonight and noticed Holtby had seven minutes in penalties in 2013-14. DiPietro watch Here’s why: he fought Ray Emery during a line brawl against the Flyers. Word has it that Mike DiPietro was so into his practice work on Thursday How bad are the Sens? morning that the coaches had to yell at him to get off the ice: he’d been on the ice for 2:15 by the time he was done. The Sens came into the game with a .860 save percentage. The kid just wants to work. It didn’t get any better. This is not a good hockey team. Hawryluk skates So the Senators lost by a collective score of 16 to 3 against the second worst team in the division... Jayce Hawryluk also skated in a team setting for the first time since training camp on Thursday. — JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 29, 2021 He’s on the long-term injured reserve list, which means he can’t be It’s going to be a long year. activated until Feb. 6. And when that happens, unless there’s another injury between then and now, the Canucks will have to make a roster I think this kid may be good move. This is from after Wednesday’s game: Could that be the end of Loui Eriksson? Recording a pair of helpers in a 5-1 @Canucks victory vs the Senators That pitch tonight, Quinn Hughes has now played the equivalent of a full modern NHL season schedule in his career (82 games). As this shows, his assist Whether Mike Gillis is in the Penguins’ frame of reference for replacing output in that time is bettered by only 2 on this list #BellLetsTalk Jim Rutherford isn’t clear. It is inevitable that his name will get floated, pic.twitter.com/QefizvVzIp especially around as high-profile a team as this. — StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) January 28, 2021 If you caught a glimpse of the pitch document that circulated on social As someone who is smart and knows the local scene told me a while media on Wednesday, you’d have seen a structure that suggested him back: you could build an arena somewhere else in Metro Vancouver. as a president of hockey operations, leading a group of managers, including a separate GM, as well as a much more stream lined scouting “There are spots,” they insisted. department. And so I checked with other people I know who are in the development (Yes, I hear you, Gillis’ amateur scouting department was a real achilles game. The general sense is that the current location remains the place to heel: we have the stats on their performance, led by Ron Delorme. It’s be: it’s on the doorstep of a lot of well-heeled people who are willing to not good.) walk. It’s well-connected to transit.

But the truth is, hockey’s thinking is mostly very homogenous. It’s an easy place to get to and that’s the 25-year-old brilliance of it. (Remember when I wrote about this last fall?) The thing which regularly amazes me about hockey is how many of the people in charge seem to think they have to invent the wheel and seem But if you were to contemplate it, a few spots pop up that have good ignorant of the fact that there are millennia of experience in wheel transit connections among other things: construction, plus modern research on advancements beyond the wheel • the area around Scott Road station in Whalley

— Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) January 23, 2019 • there are spaces around Burnaby Lake, just off the Millennium Line

A lot of this is because they keep going back to the same wells. • Coal Harbour/the waterfront east of there. Former Canucks owner Just look at the list that’s been bandied about in relation to the Pittsburgh Arthur Griffiths originally considered building over the CP yards, where job. This a crucial job, for a team that has high expectations every year. Greg Kerfoot also once contemplated a soccer stadium, but it was too complicated. You’d think a big time job like this would be lined up with some more successful faces, but this is hockey and if someone already has a job, • the city-owned lands around the CN yards on the south side of False you can’t poach them. Creek flats, behind Emily Carr University and near where the Millennium Line extension will pass through. John Chayka reminded everyone of that the hard way this week. All this said, the Canucks, of course, are involved in the redevelopment Instead you end up with a list of retreads. Dale Tallon? Maybe he once of the Plaza of Nations and have plans to build a practice facility there, had a good thing going in Chicago, but as everyone knows he screwed across from Rogers, that will serve mostly as a community centre. with the fax machine and then in his decade in Florida, the only good stretch was when he actually *wasn’t* in charge. And there’s little reason to think they’d contemplate tearing down their own arena as long as it’s in as good shape as it is. Peter Chiarelli had success in Boston, but given the best player in the world in Edmonton, his true colours shone through. He’s had a couple The bizarre American approach to Covid kicks at the can; to think he’s better than the alternatives out there who 114 people died in Missouri of COVID-19 on Tuesday. aren’t on the list feels foolish. On Wednesday, the Blues were approved to have up to 1,400 people in And don’t get started on John Ferguson Jr. the stands for an upcoming home stand.

Hockey loves the familiar, even if the familiar is mediocre. The way Americans have just told themselves “hey this is a risk I’m This is why a clear line of thinking like what’s in the Gillis pitch document willing to accept” is just bizarre. You see it in a show like This is Us, stands out. It’s aligned with the principles author David Epstein lays out where the upper middle class characters are acknowledged to live in a in his great book Range, which finds the the best organizations are run world with Covid, but just go around as if nothing is different. by generalists, not specialists, and they come to their decisions by Covid is a problem for others, not for them. They’re good people, who are looking for how others have handled comparable situations. behaving well and harming no one.

In real life, it’s not that revolutionary, but in hockey it is. I even heard that mentality when I tweeted about the Missouri deaths and Who knows if Gillis puts his hand up on this one. Hockey needs him the Blues having fans at the arena. more than he needs hockey; but then again he’s as competitive as they “Hard to get Covid.” “Don’t let old people into games.” And other get and maybe one more chance at winning would pull him back in. nonsense.

A team with Crosby and Malkin at the top may be the thing. To repeat: the problem is that many people are asymptomatic and can A new arena? spread the virus without knowing they are, passing it along to others who could then infect people who are vulnerable. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people have called from time to time, wondering if the Canucks are for sale. That’s the danger, whether you like it or not: it’s to the community, in unexpected ways. What the actual response has been isn’t certain, but the impression you get from talking to people who would know is that it’s never been a flat Stay home. Wear a mask. Avoid crowds. “no” — there might be a willingness to sell the team, but not the arena. There’s a good case for everything to just get locked down here in B.C. In non-COVID times, the arena prints money. The team has printed for two weeks, but at least the vaccine will be rolled out soon and as long money in the past, but hasn’t lately. So you can appreciate why they’d be as we keep ourselves under control until we’ve reached herd immunity, willing to at least contemplate moving on from the one item in their stable which will stave the virus of new hosts, we’ll be able to live a life close to that’s been a financial drain at times. what we had before soon enough.

But as it’s understood, no one is interested in buying just the team. Who Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.29.2021 wants to be a tenant? Ask the Whitecaps about the challenges such an arrangement presents for revenue growth.

Still, it’s an intriguing what if: like what if the Aquilinis became interested in the pure land value of where the arena sits? There’s long been an understanding that there are plans to build one, maybe two more powers around the existing arena.

One day, the viaducts are coming down and that will also boost the value of the land.

If there’s no hockey team playing at the arena, does it have less appeal?

No hockey team? What do you mean? 1200843 Vancouver Canucks Pettersson later hit the cross bar — the fifth time this season he’s hit iron, the most in the league.

Quinn Hughes picked up an assist on the goal, his 11th point of the Canucks 4, Senators 1: Lotto Line good to be lucky season. That’s the most points by a Canucks defenceman in the team’s first 10 games of the season since Paul Reinhart tallied 16 points in Sweeping a three-game set against the Senators is the kind of 1989-90. confidence boost the Canucks needed after a 2-5 start That definitely wasn’t luck

Boeser’s second goal was started by an impressive heads-up play by Patrick Johnston Holtby, who caught the Senators on a long change — they’d just cleared the puck down the ice — by firing the puck back down the ice to

Pettersson, who was at the far blue line, along with Boeser. There’s just something about Matt Murray that brings out the best in The centre passed the puck to Boeser, who came down the right wing Brock Boeser. and wired a shot just past Murray’s blocker and inside the far post. He tallied a hat trick in his rookie season against the former Pittsburgh #passittoBoeser __ pic.twitter.com/IrU78w1kbK Penguins goaltender and while he didn’t get a hat trick Thursday night, he did lead the way for the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-1 win over Murray — Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 29, 2021 and the Ottawa Senators. That was all skill, no luck there. Boeser scored twice and was involved in another goal. Holtby came to the Canucks with a reputation for his puck skills. Murray claimed Boeser was “lucky” in putting together his 2017 hat trick. There was nothing lucky about him scoring there. Here in 2021, there “it’s something that I’ve always tried to do, help out your team in any was a touch of luck, but the overall picture was one of a Canucks team way,” he said of his passing. He also made a nifty play up the middle — and winger — playing a lot better than the opposition. after Boeser had made a soccer-style back-pass to him.

“Yeah I’m not sure what it is, definitely have had some success against “Most of the time it’s just little plays trying to help your D avoiding him,” Boeser said with a grin after the game. contact.”

“Can’t tell you what it is, just shooting the puck.” “We’re always looking for that,” Boeser said of the pass.

Sweeping this three-game set against the Senators is the kind of “I think Petey read it well just seeing me getting some speed.” confidence boost the Canucks needed after a difficult opening stretch Getting to the net against the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens. On offence, the best sign of the night was the bright red circle on the The Canucks still have question marks defending — they’d given up 37 shot-chart. shots per game coming into Thursday and gave up 37 more in their final home game until Feb. 11. The Canucks were able to get to the Senators’ crease often and in the long run, that’s the kind of play they’re going to need at even-strength. Boeser got an assist on Elias Pettersson’s first period goal. Tanner Pearson scored the Canucks’ fourth in the third period. Most goals are scored in a triangle area from in between the faceoff dots, angling down to the goal crease. Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa late in the second period, picking up a loose puck at centre ice and blowing past Quinn Hughes before tucking The Canucks have scored the most even-strength goals in the NHL. the puck in past Canucks goalie Braden Holtby. Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jordie Benn (8) looks on as Ottawa Here’s what we learned … Senators left wing Nick Paul (13) fails to get a shot past goaltender Braden Holtby (49) during first period NHL action in Vancouver, 7th⃣ career goal for @BBoeser16 on Matt Murray Thursday, January 28, 2021. ORG XMIT: JOHV107 pic.twitter.com/NGmLTqd3YH Back to back solid nights in goal — Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 29, 2021 Coming off a strong night in net for Thatcher Demko on Wednesday, Was it luck? Holtby put on an equally strong performance Thursday, looking poised on Boeser made a very quick move off the goal-line to create space before every save. firing the puck past an over-committed Murray on a first-period power The Canucks are going to need more stellar nights like they’ve received play to open the scoring. from their two netminders these last two games going forward. They The Canucks’ first power play unit seems to be finding its groove: they have another tough stretch ahead, starting Saturday in Winnipeg, as they scored seven times on the man advantage during the six-game play six games in nine days on the road. homestand vs. Montreal and Ottawa. VANCOUVER, BC - January 28, 2021 - Vancouver Canucks Antoine Before Boeser’s fine finish, they’d carried the puck well into the zone and Roussel (centre) has some words for Ottawa Senators Tim Stützle in were quick in moving it from stick to stick, putting the Senators’ penalty NHL hockey at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, January 28, 2021. killers on the back foot. Virtanen scratched

There was no luck here, just good hockey from all Canucks concerned. After nine mostly-quiet games, winger Jake Virtanen was a healthy You want in-person footage of the Boeser goal? scratch, with Adam Gaudette drawing back in and skating in Virtanen’s spot on a line with Brandon Sutter and Zack MacEwen. Here you go! #Canucks #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/1BENWCVJ4F Gaudette had a couple of shots on goal in about 11 minutes of ice time. — Clay Imoo (@CanuckClay) January 29, 2021 NEXT GAME OK that was a bit of luck Saturday Pettersson’s goal was most definitely about luck. Murray bit on a shot off a rush by Boeser but Nikita Zaitsev blocked the initial shot. The puck Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets bounced into the path of Pettersson, who was able to bat the puck over a 7 p.m., Bell MTS Place. TV: CBC, Sportsnet Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet prone Murray for goal No. 2 on the night. 650 AM

The goal celebration afterwards was as calm as could be. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200844 Vancouver Canucks Thatcher Demko was on fire this week and stopped nearly five goals above expected over two lights-out starts against Ottawa.

That put the pressure on Braden Holtby to deliver on Thursday. The The Armies: Canucks sweep Senators, and the Brock Boeser luck thing Canucks play a one-off against Winnipeg on Saturday, then a back-to- back set against the Montreal Canadiens next week. After that, though, we’re looking at 11 consecutive games that aren’t back-to-backs. They’re all possible elective starts for Travis Green and Ian Clark, should one of By Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal Jan 29, 2021 Vancouver’s goaltenders get hot.

And deliver Holtby did. He was excellent Thursday night, however, Well, at least the Vancouver Canucks have broken their early-season stopping nearly two goals above what’s expected and providing a really fever. sweet assist on Boeser’s second of the night.

The Ottawa Senators arrived in Vancouver like chicken noodle soup. “Once you start worrying if you’re going to play or not, you add a whole They provided a panicky market and a reeling hockey club with the other bag of things on your back,” said Holtby, channeling John warm, hearty comfort food they needed. They were good for the soul, Steinbeck. “Myself, my mindset, and I’m pretty sure Thatch is the same good for what was ailing the Canucks. way, if we’re called upon, we have to give our team a chance to win.

While the Senators played down to their worst-team-in-Canada “Both of us want to play, obviously,” Holtby later added. “But both of us reputation, and did they ever, that shouldn’t take away from a convincing want to win more.” series of wins for Vancouver. The Lotto line found its groove, It’s still early, of course. So far the Canucks have gone with a 50-50 split, Vancouver’s special teams and goaltending were stellar, and the things a product of playing a ton of back-to-backs in the first two weeks of the that were working before the series — the Bo Horvat line and the bottom season. six, in particular — kept working. The result was a 16-3 aggregate score line over three games, and a team that will go into a big East Coast trip We’re about to learn an awful lot about how the Canucks plan to rotate feeling good about itself. At last. their tandem, and Holtby certainly gave the coaching staff something meaningful to think about before Saturday’s game. There were still some visible seams, of course. Too many turnovers and too many shots against, in particular. Wröng answers önly

Still, this was a sweep the team needed. Desperately. A week to level Vancouver is excited about Nils Hoglander, that much is clear. The out. And to slurp up the healthful noodle soup the Senators offered up. market isn’t exactly sure what to make of the young Swedish winger just 10 games into his NHL career, however. Best improvisation To help us answer that question, The Stanchion Wyatt arrived out of the A common question related to power-play theory is as follows: Why is blue to help out The Armies with some Henrik Sedin-quality assistance. Alex Ovechkin able to get so many one-timer goals on Washington’s power play when it’s the most dangerous weapon in the league? Why And so the call went out to the VIPs: doesn’t one penalty killer just completely shadow him? LET'S HAVE SOME FUN, @THOMASDRANCE IS ON ARMIES DUTY The reason Washington continues to successfully tee up Ovechkin is TONIGHT, LET'S GET THE VIPS INVOLVED. FILL IN THE BLANK: this: If you overcommit to him, you’re giving Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and T.J. Oshie too much time and space. A NILS HÖGLANDER IS A ______penalty kill can only prioritize shutting down one or two specific set plays. — WYATT ARNDT (@THESTANCHION) JANUARY 29, 2021 When you have a variety of looks you can go to on the power play, you become exceptionally tough to defend. Everyone got the answer wrong, unfortunately. Except one guy who got pretty close, but more on that shortly. Vancouver’s power-play has gone 6-for-23, a 26 percent conversion rate, in its past six contests. The production is much-needed, but more There were rueful responses, from folks who just want to shotgun and encouraging than that are all the ways they’re finding the back of the net. don’t seem to realize that you can shotgun a beer anytime you’d like:

The Canucks are always one move ahead of the penalty kill. The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 When teams cheated to take away Elias Pettersson’s one-timer, PP1 burned them in the early going with Horvat in the bumper.

(Courtesy of Sportsnet)

After three Horvat power-play goals and with Pettersson struggling before the Ottawa series, penalty killers gave the latter’s shot less respect and keyed in on the bumper threat. And so on Wednesday, the first power-play unit responded with a Pettersson snipe from the right circle.

(Courtesy of Sportsnet)

On Thursday, watch how the Senators gave absolutely no space to Horvat in the bumper.

As a consequence, Brock Boeser had all the time and real estate to score with a jam move that we hadn’t seen before.

(Courtesy of Sportsnet)

Vancouver’s various weapons gave the club an early lead Thursday. More than that, though, it was a message to the rest of the league that one of the Canucks’ best young players is figuring out how to be dangerous from his new spot on the power play.

Good luck trying to stop a group that’s improvising and adapting on the fly this quickly.

The start Holtby needed 1200845 Vancouver Canucks forwards, and no one allowing fewer chances. Makar’s 1.05 expected goals against per 60 leads the team and is an absurdly low rate. Only Jaccob Slavin, who has only played three games, is lower at 1.04. Slavin is also the only other defenseman above 68 percent. 16 Stats: Colorado’s star power, McDavid’s dominance, Winnipeg’s center depth Add eight points in seven games to the equation, which is second among all defensemen, and Makar’s average Game Score is 2.03 which leads everyone in the league, not just defensemen. He’s been special and it’s why his projected GSVA has gone up by half a win since the season By Dom Luszczyszyn Jan 28, 2021 started, the fifth-highest of any player. He’s now the top rated defenseman.

Before the season began, the Colorado Avalanche were a very popular 2. When we unveiled our Player Tiers project before the start of the Stanley Cup pick with many believing they were one of, if not the best season we expected a fair bit of push back on some of our choices. It’s team in hockey. A 4-3-0 start is not what many expected, especially not the nature of the beast anytime you put out rankings, even if they weren’t with losses to the lowly Ducks and Kings over the last week. The actually rankings. Naturally, there were many that took exception to Avalanche were supposed to cruise through the league’s easiest division, Quinn Hughes being placed one tier below his rookie rival Makar. Fair but have instead looked uneven. enough, but after seven-to-nine games it’s looking prescient as Makar has really taken off while Hughes’ has been a bit more uneven. Early season records can be very deceiving though. On the strength of two absolute routs, the Avalanche have a plus-seven goal differential That may seem like a strange take considering Hughes leads all that’s tied for third in the league. That, and their strong 54 percent defensemen in scoring, but there’s more to a defenseman’s value than expected goals percentage is probably much more indicative of the points. Hughes has given a lot back the other way, struggling especially team’s ability. It’s why the team is still projected to be the league’s at five-on-five. strongest team, finish with the most points and likely to hoist the Stanley Through the team’s first nine games he has a 41 percent expected goals Cup when it’s all said and done. According to GSVA, Colorado actually rate and has been outscored nearly as much. Yes, he’s got nine points in looks stronger than anticipated. nine games, one more than Makar, but the actual five-on-five play has That’s mostly because the team’s best players have gone nuclear, been troubling. For context, Jordie Benn was at 43 percent expected looking even better than anticipated. That’s especially true when they’re goals last season and was nearly run out of town. together. Circumstance is important here as it’s much easier to succeed playing in The Avalanche’s top quartet of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Colorado with Toews compared to a revolving door of partners in Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar have played 51 minutes together this Vancouver. Travis Hamonic wasn’t a good fit and Tyler Myers isn’t either. season at five-on-five. In that time frame, they have an 83 percent I doubt Benn is a long-term answer either. expected goals rate together, averaging 5.1 expected goals for per 60 It’ll be interesting to see what happens here in Vancouver who are no and allowing just 1.1 per 60. It’s so absurd that the foursome have doubt surprised that the team’s best players have gotten off to a rocky actually been unlucky to only get 81 percent of the goals when they’re on start at even strength. the ice together, scoring just 4.8 goals-per-60. The top group was strong together last season, just not this strong. 3. That’s especially true of Elias Pettersson, the team’s top forward. Look around the league at the best defensemen and you’ll often find a center On the power play they’ve been extremely dangerous too, scoring 10.9 just as good. There’s a reason those two positions are so pivotal in team goals-per-60 off 9.7 expected goals per 60 in 33 minutes together. That building and when one of those pillars starts to crumble, the whole may not seem like a big sample, but due to all the injuries the team foundation collapses. Makar has had an elite MacKinnon to start; Hughes incurred last season it’s almost already halfway to last season’s 80- hasn’t had the same luck with Pettersson, the forward he spends the minute sample where they scored nine goals per 60 on 7.9 expected most time with. The Canucks have mostly suffered as a result. goals per 60. That’s a sizeable improvement to start the season. Relatively speaking, Hughes’ numbers aren’t as bad without Pettersson, Colorado’s top guys have been flat-out dominant to start the year and are but together they’ve been toxic. It hasn’t worked. unsurprisingly driving the team’s success, but they can’t be on the ice together all the time and that’s been the primary issue to the team’s I’m not sure what’s up with Pettersson, but he just hasn’t looked right at uneven start. The rest of the team isn’t holding up their end of the all. The entire top line can’t get into a rhythm, they struggle getting the bargain. puck up the ice, and have looked just plain ineffective in the offensive zone. Pettersson has struggled to get good looks, earning just 0.59 Together the quartet has been amazing, and even as long as at least one individual expected goals per 60, down from his 0.75 last season. That’s is on the ice the team has earned an above average scoring chance part of the reason the Canucks somehow have a 38 percent expected share, but when none of the four are on the ice? It’s a problem. goals rate with him on the ice, a number that hasn’t really gone up since Colorado has only played seven games so there’s a lot of small sample J.T. Miller has come back either. Miller has a team low 36 percent. noise in this. The depth won’t always control play at a 40 percent rate, The other issue is Pettersson hasn’t been producing either with just two and the top talent won’t always dominate the puck over 80 percent of the goals and two assists in nine games, with just one point on the power time either. It’s just the story so far. Either way, with a top group playing play. He’s mostly been a no-show with the man advantage which the that well, the Avalanche deserves a better record than the one they team likely expected to be in the top 10, not the bottom 10. currently have. Vancouver has a lot of problems right now and they start at the top with 16 Stats Pettersson whose value has dropped by 0.65 wins to start the season, 1. While the spotlight in Colorado usually shines brightest on MacKinnon the largest decline in the league. Many expected him to take the next – for good reason – the team’s most important player in the early goings step towards being a true MVP-calibre player, but it’s been the exact might just be Makar. He was obviously tremendous in his rookie season, opposite. I imagine he’ll recoup that projected value going forward once but has been playing on a completely different level to start his he turns it around – Pettersson is too good not to – but the start has sophomore year. obviously been troubling.

The team’s top line has been rolling this season, but it’s been at its 4. I’m always wary of writing about a player or team on a game day, absolute best with the smooth-skating Makar on the back-end and he’s especially early in the season. One strong game can immediately reverse done well in minutes without the star forwards too. course on the narrative. That wasn’t looking likely after one period. Hughes and the top line had an expected goals percentage of just one That explains why his expected goals percentage for the season is still percent after the first period. Not a typo. an astronomically high 76 percent, nine percentage points clear of MacKinnon, the team’s next highest player, and nearly 14 percentage After that, we started seeing what the team’s top end could really do. points higher than Devon Toews, the team’s next highest defender. First, there was this pretty passing play between Pettersson and Hughes That’s built off incredible dominance at both ends of the ice where the to set up Miller for a freebie to open up the second period. only players generating more offense than Makar are the top-line PETEY WITH THE DROP PASS TO HUGHES, WHO SLIDES IT OVER Goals-per-game by division TO MILLER FOR THE ONE-TIMER! PIC.TWITTER.COM/3PJ3MOQXDN North: 6.76

— VANCOUVER #CANUCKS (@CANUCKS) JANUARY 28, 2021 West: 5.68

Miller added another goal six minutes later and then assisted on a East: 5.62 Pettersson power play goal to close the second period and give Central: 5.49 Vancouver a 4-1 lead. It was his best game of the season and close to it for Pettersson too. The most impressive part: both ended up above 50 8. Like many during the first few isolated months of the pandemic, I was percent in expected goals for the night, a true feat given the horrendous completely enamoured by The Last Dance, an epic documentary start to the game. chronicling Michael Jordan’s reign as the best player in the world. It showcased the competitiveness that fuels the best of the best, the driven We know Pettersson and Hughes are great players. Miller too after last determination that puts players into a tier of their own. Untouchable. It’s season. While a rough patch is alarming and a strong game against all I could think about with regards to Connor McDavid this offseason. Canada’s worst team doesn’t completely absolve it, it does help put things into perspective. We’re still dealing with small sample sizes here, He watched his teammate with the Hart and Art Ross trophy and his title exacerbated by it being the start of the season. It’s a rough patch most for best player in the world come into question during the playoffs after wouldn’t even notice if it happened 20 games from now instead of to start MacKinnon put on a show, a debate that lingered throughout the the season. offseason. Even if everyone still agreed McDavid was the best, there was competition now and I do believe he was in tune with that changing In fact, Petterson had a similar stretch of bad five-on-five play last year – perception. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to take that almost to the date. In a nine-game stretch from January 16 to February personally and put on a show of his own. 10 he earned just a 40 percent expected goals rate. Maybe late January is just a bad time for him? We’re watching peak McDavid right now and it’s nothing short of spectacular. All the questions about his five-on-five numbers, specifically 5. In other Canucks news, it’s very difficult to ignore the former Canucks his defense? They were there for good reason given his prior two that have gone a revenge tour this season, specifically against them. seasons, but after eight games it looks like McDavid has silenced them Against Calgary, Jacob Markstrom saved 57 of 59 shots in back-to-back completely. He’s hit another gear, playing some of the best hockey of his wins, his best two games of the season saving 2.65 goals above career. That’s a scary thought considering how dominant he already was expected in total. Chris Tanev was especially steady in those games with despite the defensive concerns. a 59 percent expected goals rate and zero goals allowed. McDavid leads the league in points right now scoring at his usual 120- Tyler Toffoli has been the most impressive of the bunch and I still can’t point pace, but with how good he’s been playing there’s an argument to believe the Canucks let him go given the contract he ended up receiving. be made that he’s been unlucky to only have 12 points. He leads all He absolutely torched the Canucks in three straight games scoring five Oilers with a 64.5 percent expected goals rate on the back of very strong goals and two assists, outscoring the team 6-1 (at five-on-five), and defensive numbers (just 2.2 expected goals against per 60) and an earning a ridiculous 88 percent expected goals rate. His average Game absolutely ridiculous four expected goals for per 60. It’s the fourth-best Score during the three game set was 3.95. He had an average of 0.54 in mark in the league and the terrifying part is the Oilers have only scored his first three games and over the prior two seasons he’s only had three 3.3 goals-per-60 with McDavid on the ice. games total with a Game Score higher than four. 9. Given the chances he creates and his finishing ability, there’s plenty of Never doubt the power of spite. room for correction. That’s plain to see from watching the Oilers as McDavid has been a dominant force on every shift. 6. Montreal has looked incredible to start the season, going 4-0-2 with a 62 percent expected goals rate, second to only Carolina who have Any night where he doesn’t pick up two points or more feels wrong. A lot played three games. Before the season started I said Toronto was the of it is on shots he’s created for himself. His 1.5 individual expected best team in Canada and it wasn’t even close. It took just six games for goals-per-60 at five-on-five is seventh in the league and a sizeable the Canadiens to turn it into a worthy conversation as Montreal has no improvement from where he’s been the past two seasons. That’s from doubt been the better team so far. This is what the team can look like taking three more shots-per-60, but also increasing his expected when it makes due on its massive scoring chance share, one that’s shooting percentage. Improving volume and quality at the same time grown even larger this season. feels like it should be impossible, but this is McDavid we’re talking about.

That’s on depth which was the team’s primary focus this offseason and Usually, he finishes above expectations, but this season he’s only scored it’s dependent on the continued emergence of its two young centers, Nick 0.96 goals-per-60 so far. That’s an elite season for most. For McDavid Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Both have an expected goals rate above and the way he’s playing this year, he should have a lot more and that’s 65 percent with Suzuki also adding six points in six games on top of that. a scary thought for the rest of Canada. The emergence of rookie Alex Romanov on the backend has also helped 10. Winnipeg shook the hockey world with its blockbuster trade last as he indeed looks like the real deal. week, sending Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to Columbus in exchange The most promising development though might just be Jonathan Drouin. for disgruntled center Pierre-Luc Dubois. It gives the team extremely The former third overall pick hasn’t quite been able to put it all together in enviable center depth, with a strong one-two punch of Mark Scheifele his first six seasons, but if he keeps up his current pace this could be the and Dubois, followed by Paul Stastny and Adam Lowry. I think some may year he finally breaks out. The talent has always been there and the first have gotten ahead of themselves in crowing it arguably the league’s six games have been the best he’s looked in a while. He has six points in best, but it’s certainly up there. By GSVA, the Jets’ center depth now six games, but most importantly has surprisingly been the play-driving ranks fifth in the league, a huge step-up from where they were before force on the second line. He’s currently third on the team in expected acquiring Stastny and then Dubois. There’s a chance it goes even higher goals percentage behind Toffoli and Kotkaniemi at 71 percent. once Dubois gets the requisite ice-time he deserves.

Having five of six games against Vancouver and Edmonton will skew Top Center Depth things in the possession department, so take some of this with a grain of Edmonton: 8.1 wins salt, but it’s still been a very encouraging start for Montreal. Now imagine if the Canadiens had a starting goalie with a save percentage higher than Toronto: 8.1 wins .892. (Sorry Habs fans, couldn’t resist). Tampa Bay: 7.1 wins 7. Before the season started, I noted that the North division would be a Pittsburgh: 7.0 wins goal-scoring hotbed for fantasy purposes. That has indeed been the case so far and there’s little doubt it won’t continue as defense has often been Winnipeg: 6.7 wins optional in many of those contests. It hasn’t even been close with every other division between 5.5-to-5.7 goals-per-game and the North one Colorado: 6.6 wins entire goal above the next highest division. Boston: 6.5 wins St. Louis: 6.0 wins with the puck on his stick. It’s why he was so skilled in transition last year, though his game at either end still needed work. Calgary: 5.9 wins On offense, he’s obviously been much better this season with seven Philadelphia: 5.5 wins points in six games including three goals. That’s especially important 11. As for the Blue Jackets, it’ll take a lot more than Laine’s offense to because he was by far one of the league’s worst finishers last season. In get the team in a comfortable position. It’s been a rocky start for 61 games last season he had just two goals at five-on-five. He’s matched Columbus and a lot of that falls squarely on the team’s supposed that in six games this season and with five points is almost halfway to the superstar top pair. 11 points total he had last year.

In the team’s first seven games, the Seth Jones and Zach Werenski duo What’s interesting with Hughes’ start is how he’s been much more has not looked strong, boasting an ugly 36 percent expected goals rate selective with his shots. He’s taking 3.1 fewer shots-per-60 while not and an actual goal rate in the low 40s. Both are worst among losing much of anything in terms of individual expected goals, dropping defensemen on the team with the issues coming on both sides of the from 0.77 last year to 0.69 this season. The reason is his expected puck. The duo rank dead last in both chances generated and allowed, shooting percentage rising from 10.9 percent to an absurdly high 17.6 the latter by a very large margin. With just one point each, it’s not like percent. That helps explain why he’s finishing more, but he still needs to either is influencing much offense either. find a balance where he takes more than one shot per game at five-on- five. That’ll make him even more dangerous, but it’s baby steps for now. Both are better players than they’ve shown to be so far, but for Jones in He has all the tools to be a star. particular it’s getting more and more difficult to see him as the top 10 defensemen that hockey people believe he is. He’s averaging over 25 The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 minutes per night, but we need to start asking ourselves how effective those minutes really are.

12. Vince Dunn is apparently on the trade block and I won’t be the first or last nerd to tell you that’s a bad idea. He’s had a very rough start to the year, but has a strong track record as a puck-moving defenseman who can drive play. The Blues are asking for a first-round pick which isn’t an unreasonable ask, but some firsts are obviously more valuable than others.

According to the trade machine Prashanth Iyer built using projected GSVA, Dunn’s contract value is seven wins. That’s 5.7 wins for his on-ice play in the four years the Blues have team control and an extra 1.3 wins of surplus value on his current deal. The average first-round pick is worth 4.7 wins and it isn’t until picks seven (7.1 wins) or eight (6.7 wins) where the math starts favouring the draft choice. For a team expected to be outside the league’s bottom 10 this year, Dunn is probably a worthy gamble.

Though there’s obvious concern regarding whether he can handle a bigger role (ignoring that he did in fact handle it fine last season when playing with Alex Pietrangelo), Dunn has top-four upside.

13. The Anaheim Ducks are the only team without a power-play goal which is honestly not surprising when you consider who plays for the Anaheim Ducks. Their 4.67 expected goals per 60 on the power play is 29th in the league so don’t expect much better going forward.

14. Really, the Ducks don’t need anyone else when they have John Gibson in net as he’s single-handedly saving the team’s bacon on a nightly basis. Gibson currently leads all goalies with a nice 6.9 goals saved above expected and 8.3 above average. That’s on the strength of a .948 save percentage with an expected save percentage closer to .911.

In his six starts, the Ducks have won half the games and earned two overtime points despite scoring just 10 goals. Two different 1-0 shutouts wins certainly helps with that. With Gibson playing this way, Anaheim has a real postseason shot and if there’s any goalie that can continue playing at an extraordinarily high level, it’s Gibson. Last season was a down year for him, and his bounce-back should be mighty.

15. The Ducks rank 29th in power play expected goals for and the Coyotes rank 31st. Both things that make absolute sense. In between that anemic sandwich are… the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I feel like every Penguins season starts in the most chaotic way possible before the team settles down into their usual 100-point rhythm. With that being said, it’s been difficult to watch Evgeni Malkin’s start. Just three points in seven games, out-scored at five-on-five and badly outplayed to the tune of a 38 percent expected goals rate. That’s ahead of only Cody Ceci and Mark Jankowski which is bad company. It’s why Malkin has an average Game Score of just 0.01 to start the season which is highly unusual for him. He looked MVP-calibre last season. Hopefully, this isn’t a sign of a decline.

16. When one star begins to fall another begins to ascend and it feels like we’re beginning to see that rise to power for 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes. Being a degenerate gambler means watching a lot of weirdly random hockey games which has meant taking in several Devils games. Hughes has been noticeably impressive so far, looking every bit the future superstar he was billed as. He’s quick, deceptive and excellent 1200846 Vancouver Canucks Of course, it was more than just goaltending that helped the Canucks on Wednesday night. For the first time in 2021, the Canucks emulated the bigger picture script that helped them overachieve in 2019-20.

Elite goaltending and the Lotto line rolling: Are the Canucks finally back? Elite goaltending to keep the team in the game? Check.

A decisive power play? Check.

By Harman Dayal Jan 28, 2021 A top line that’s creating zone time and producing? Check.

The last point is critical. Vancouver’s gotten an unexpected early season lift from its bottom-six to compensate for the top end’s slow start. Tyler Before Vancouver came off the ice at Rogers Arena to celebrate a Motte and Brandon Sutter have combined for nine goals, while the second consecutive victory, before Elias Pettersson flashed glimpses of bottom-six as a whole has controlled play. They haven’t been caved, his old self and before the Lotto line started clicking, the Canucks were haven’t been outscored (aside from Adam Gaudette’s line when he was drowning. in the lineup) or dragged the team down in any way aside from perhaps the penalty kill. Travis Green’s club was under siege in the opening period. The Canucks tied a franchise record by conceding 24 shots and played their most If historical results are any indication though, that level of contribution is permissive period of hockey this season in surrendering a whopping 2.79 unlikely to last. And if it does fade, the Canucks need their top line to expected goals against the Ottawa Senators. stomp on opponents like they did last year.

They were breaking down because of fractured breakouts, poor puck On Wednesday, the Lotto line finally showed some signs of life. The line management and undisciplined penalties. It felt like the same movie we’d wasn’t quite at its peak but they put the game to bed by chipping in with watched all season was being . two crucial goals at even-strength and a power-play snipe by Pettersson. Obviously, one strong outing against the lowly Senators isn’t enough to But this time around there was a plot . make the “they’re back!” exclamation with the first line. They themselves After receiving mostly average goaltending from their new tandem, know this — J.T. Miller who had his line’s two 5-on-5 goals was the first Thatcher Demko bailed the Canucks out with a herculean effort. He to admit their standard is much higher. made dozens of top-notch saves to keep the game tied at one heading “To be frank with you, I think we need to be way better as a line still, I into the second period, allowing the Canucks’ top guns enough time to think we need to push ourselves,” said Miller. “I know it looks pretty for find their legs and take over. you guys because I got some points today but at the same time there’s Demko did an excellent job of tracking the puck through traffic and was not much difference in the game… we need to be better and start the early to read and anticipate plays. The play in front of Demko was often game better… our standards are higher than a couple of open nets.” scrambly but it’s as if nothing seemed to surprise him — he was always Miller’s yearning for more stems back to the first period where the top line quick enough to use his long legs and flexibility to take away the bottom was outshot 8-1 at 5-on-5. For the first 20 minutes, they were ineffective half of the net. and shelled in their own zone. After that, they flipped the switch and took “He sure was sharp,” Travis Green said of Demko’s first-period territorial control, finishing the night with a shot attempt and scoring performance on Wednesday. “We just weren’t quick enough to pucks, we chance share just north of 60 percent as a trio. weren’t strong enough on pucks. You can talk to your team about the That constitutes a step in the right direction even if they didn’t show the level of urgency they have to play with and we just didn’t. And give their type of consistency we’ve become accustomed to. team credit they did, they came out very urgent, they played quick, they played hard on the puck. They shot a lot of pucks to the net and Demmer The key for this line to continue spending more time in the attacking end held the fort down.” is to polish up their breakouts and transition play. This has been a team- wide issue to begin the year but the problems have seemed especially Vancouver’s won their last two games by a combined 12-2 margin concentrated at the top of the lineup. against Ottawa, but the scoreline exaggerates how well they’ve controlled play in the process. The Canucks have had a solid share of Facilitating clean transition play is like a supply chain. You need a mobile possession and scoring chances, especially after taking into account defenceman who can retrieve the puck deep and evade forechecking score effects, but they haven’t throttled the Senators the way you’d think pressure. This retrieving defenceman then distributes the puck to either a after looking at the boxscore. In reality, goaltending’s been a monumental centre coming low in the defensive zone for support or the winger along difference-maker — Ottawa’s been sunk by it, whereas the Canucks the defensive boards. If it’s the winger receiving the puck along the have gotten prodigious surplus value from Demko. boards, he’ll usually make an east-west pass to his centre who’ll carry the puck through the middle. How much added value? The Canucks would have allowed 7.1 expected goals against with league-average goaltending during the last two Provide adequate puck support and successfully move possession games, but Demko let just two pucks past him (five goals saved above through the supply chain and you’re on a one-way ticket to a shift in the expected) over 79 shots. offensive zone. For the top line, however, there have been too many disruptions in that supply chain in the early going and that’s why they’ve At a time when the Canucks are still sorting themselves out defensively, spent so much time in their own end. it’s a significant boost to have high calibre goaltending to mask some of those flaws. That it’s Demko specifically stepping up is much needed Take the first shift of Wednesday’s game, for example. Jalen Chatfield because it may take Braden Holtby time to make adjustments to his gets the puck behind the net and makes a clean pass to Brock Boeser on game with Ian Clark. the defensive half-wall. From there, however, Boeser forces a play through the middle so the Canucks are stuck in the defensive end and Markstrom, for instance, struggled with an .897 save percentage in his have to restart all over again. Broken supply chain. first 21 games apprenticing under Clark in 2018-19 — it took him a full two months for everything to click. Holtby may go through a similar On the second breakout attempt later in the same shift, Alex Edler tries to transition period, especially with the limited practice time that the spring Boeser in the neutral zone. If he connects on the pass it’s a 3-on- condensed schedule presents. If he needs time to dial in his game, then 2, but the pass instead hits Boeser in the skates and the momentum is the Canucks may need Demko to shoulder a heavier workload in the killed again. Hitting that transition pass successfully is the difference early going. between the line getting a rush chance and spending more time in its own end on that sequence. That option to potentially stray away from the 50-50 split is coming up soon. The Canucks play a back-to-back against Montreal for the first two As the game progressed, they became more in sync with their transition days of February but after that, they don’t play on consecutive days for game which was instrumental to creating more attacking time. the rest of the month. If Demko can offer the club anywhere close to this level of stability between the pipes, he’ll have the chance to become the In the clip below, Miller does an excellent job of corraling the puck along undisputed starter before February’s done. the wall, holding onto it for a split second longer to draw the defender to create space for Boeser and then saucing a backhand pass to him. Boeser follows that up with a beautiful one-touch backhand pass himself to set Pettersson up for a dangerous 1-on-1 rush where he draws a penalty.

On the ensuing advantage, Pettersson scored to pad Vancouver’s lead.

Better transition execution as a five-player unit (which includes Pettersson dropping low and getting more involved in transition play) is the top line’s ticket to playing more often with the puck. After all, good breakouts lead to good entries with possession while bad breakouts lead to low percentage dump-ins where you have to chase the puck back.

Ultimately, the Pettersson line is the engine that makes the Canucks run hot. The fact the club also got excellent goaltending and a clicking power play meant they had many of the ingredients that made them so successful in 2019-20 going in their favour on Wednesday. It’s too early to know whether this is a short-term mirage because Ottawa can make a lot of teams look good but it’s hopefully the type of jumpstart that can give the team much-needed confidence and momentum.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200847 Websites would certainly want to populate its streaming service with more hockey content.

What content will be on Peacock? The Athletic / What is NBC’s Peacock and why it suddenly matters for More than 175 matches that are not otherwise aired live on NBC, USA sports fans Network, and NBCSN until it shutters. As The Athletic soccer writer Felipe Cardenas noted this week, it may not be a popular move among U.S. fans of the British top-flight league: “Moving the majority of the By Bill Shea Jan 28, 2021 Premier League’s matches to Peacock will further rankle the league’s American audience. The Premier League and NBC, via NBCSN, have

found incredible success by providing TV audiences across the U.S. with It has been a busy new year for Peacock, NBC’s streaming service easy access to one of world football’s most entertaining competitions. launched last summer. American soccer audiences, even the most engaged, do not immediately embrace having to pay for an additional streaming service. However, What it means for sports fans is still unfolding in a rapidly changing NBC knows that the Premier League’s draw is enough to convert most entertainment media landscape. skeptics.”

NBC announced last week it would shutter the NBC Sports Network What NASCAR content will be on Peacock? cable channel by the end of the year and shift that content – live NHL hockey games and Premier League soccer matches are the jewels – to Live races will remain on NBC because of the network’s 10-year, $4.4 NBC-owned USA Network and Peacock. billion deal with NASCAR that was signed in 2013. And any races or content that move to the NBC parent network will be a bonus for NBCSN’s NBC Sports Gold Premier League Pass also is winding down motorsports fans. Expect some ancillary motorsports content on Peacock and its content (non-televised Premier League matches, figure skating, as the network moves to fill out the steaming service – particularly when rugby, sailing, speedskating, cycling) onto the Peacock Premium paid the rights deal is up. tier. What PGA Tour content will be on Peacock? The premium streaming shift is not much of a pocketbook hit for fans of those sports. The tour this month said it has partnered with PointsBet to create a second-screen sports gambling show called NBC Sports Edge BetCast. “Most of the content that has moved over to Peacock was sitting behind It premieres Feb. 4 on Peacock for the start of the Waste Management an NBC Sports Gold paywall anyway,” said media industry consultant Phoenix Open that airs live on NBC and the . and former Fox executive Patrick Crakes. Peacock also has a free tier with sports content. Will Summer Olympics content air on Peacock?

Additionally, it was announced last week that Peacock landed coverage Yes but only if they occur. The 2020 Tokyo Games were expected to of IndyCar Series qualifying, practice and other coverage (but not live help launch Peacock with gobs of content until the pandemic mothballed races), and a PGA Tour second-screen sports betting program. The everything. It was thought that the games could occur this year, but that streaming service also soon becomes the home of the WWE Network in remains TBD. If they do, look for coverage across all of NBC’s platforms. what’s reported as a $1 billion deal. The network’s 2011 and 2014 broadcast rights deals with the International Olympic Committee total $12.1 billion. In Thursday’s What is Peacock? earnings call, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said the company is “really pleased with how fast Peacock has exceeded this In media industry jargon, it’s NBC’s over-the-top (OTT) video streaming year, even without the Olympics that we had hoped for and that was service for your home or device, and is delivered by the internet rather going to be the big launch moment.” And if the Summer Games don’t than broadcast, cable or satellite systems. Peacock has a free basic happen, the Winter Olympics in are seven months later, in 2022, service, a $4.99 monthly Peacock Premium, and the ad-free Peacock Roberts noted. Premium Plus for $9.99 a month. It’s available through , Roku, Vizio, Android TV and Apple TV, mobile devices, PlayStation and Xbox. What is Peacock’s pro wrestling deal?

How many people subscribe to Peacock? Beginning March 18, the subscription WWE Network and its 1 million- plus subscribers shift to the paid Peacock Premium tiers with new and On Thursday, NBC said 33 million people have signed up so far. archived library programming. All WWE pay-per-view shows including How many people watched NBC Sports Network? WrestleMania will be on Peacock. The deal reportedly cost NBC $1 billion for five years. It’s in 80.6 million U.S. homes. USA Network is in 86.2 million households. Unlike Peacock, those channels are typically bundled in What else is on Peacock? cable packages that you pay for whether you want them or not. NBC simul-streamed its broadcast coverage of the Browns-Steelers Is the decision to end NBCSN an effort to bolster Peacock? playoff game on Jan. 10 in a tease of what fans could see more of in the future. NBC wants to keep its “Sunday Night Football” package that it The streaming field is increasingly crowded and will continue to be so for now pays about $950 million to air, but Disney is expected to compete for some time. People are dropping cable and signing up for digital those rights. “When the additional wild-card games became available, we streaming. But NBC’s decision appears to be as much as strengthening negotiated for one of them. Peacock is obviously a major part of our USA Network as much as filling out Peacock’s lineup. USA Network future,” NBC Sports Group chairman Pete Bevacqua said on a generates good money but doesn’t get strong ratings. Adding the NHL conference call before the game. Expect the network to keep and Premier League and other content from NBCSN is intended to grow experimenting. Non-sports content is still the majority of Peacock USA Network’s profile and value. The same will happen with Peacock, offerings. NBC removed the enormously popular long-running sitcoms which is not yet a big revenue source for NBC. Broadcast TV is still the “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” from rival streaming services to money-maker, so networks all seek to find the right content balance provide Peacock with an initial rerun-based content foundation. It also between free and paid services. “What NBC is trying to do is taking has movie and TV content from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, advantage of the opportunity in the digital space while at the same time DreamWorks Animation, and Illumination, plus original programming maintain the economics it received from the established space,” Crakes such as reboots of “Saved By the Bell” and “Punky Brewster.” said. Who are Peacock’s streaming competitors? What role will Peacock play with NHL games? ESPN+, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and CBS All That’s one of the biggest unanswered financial questions. NBC’s 10- Access that is rebranding to Paramount+ in March. year, $2 billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL ends after this season. Most games airs on NBCSN rather than the broadcast network, and with How many people watch the other major streaming services? NBCSN going dark, those games will shift to USA Network – which is in 6 Netflix has 73 million U.S. subscribers and more than 200 million with million more homes than NBCSN. How much ends up on Peacock isn’t international customers included. Disney+ has nearly 97 million while yet known. The next media rights deal will determine that, and NBC ESPN+ has more than 11.5 million. Disney-owned Hulu has almost 40 million subscribers. AT&T-owned HBO Max has more than 17 million. Some of those are obviously sports-heavy. Others are not. Oh, and Amazon Prime and its 150 million-plus subscribers, is interested in live sports. The pandemic absolutely roiled now only how people consume media, but how it’s distributed because the entertainment industry pipeline was largely shut down for months, from studios to theaters. How it sorts out post-pandemic is anyone’s guess.

Will Peacock survive in a growing streaming field?

Too soon to make any definitive pronouncements. “Given that NBCUniversal owns all this content, it’s not vital that in six months it be sorted out. As long as you own the content, somebody will figure it out. The important thing is they’ve created a complementary distribution offering,” Crakes said. “They can acquire content and say which piece goes well on broadcast, which goes on pay TV, which goes on Peacock.”

Who owns Peacock?

NBCUniversal, which is headquartered in ’s famed 30 Rockefeller Plaza in . The ultimate corporate owner is Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp., which also owns cable giant Xfinity.

Does Peacock turn a profit?

Not yet, which is normal for what’s still a startup industry. Comcast said Thursday that Peacock generated $100 million-plus in revenue last year but EBITDA losses through 2021 are expected to reach $2 billion.

Why is it called Peacock?

NBC’s logo since 1956 has been the colorful peacock bird. It was introduced to help market the network’s color TV programming at the time.

When did Peacock launch?

July 2020 after plans for it were announced in 2019.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200848 Websites Not sure how most feel about the current shootout system. I for one think it’s a ridiculous way to decide a hockey game and potential playoff seeds. Has there been any discussion of making changes? I think having an opposing player chase the shooter would make it an actual hockey play. The Athletic / NHL destinations, draft reflections, cross-check crackdown: Big Whiskey Duhatschek mailbag The NHL’s most recent overtime tweak – switching from four-on-four to three-on-three action – was made largely for the reason you cite here: Too many NHL general managers didn’t love how many times the five- By Eric Duhatschek Jan 28, 2021 minute overtime period failed to produce a result and thus had to go to a shootout. The suggestion you make – of having a defensive player in a “chase” position – is interesting. Some teams, when they run training- Welcome to Part 2 of my mailbag, in which we’ll deal with some of the camp scrimmages, use that tactic and an infraction takes place. Rather questions and answers that I couldn’t squeeze into last week’s edition. than send the penalized player to the penalty box, which would interrupt Thanks again for all your interest. Here we go. the flow of the scrimmage, the player that was fouled is awarded a penalty shot, with this tweak. The player that committed the foul stays on Questions were edited for style and clarity. the ice, but goes down on one knee, a few feet back of centre ice. When Hi Eric, what is the one scheduling quirk of this season that the NHL is the referee’s whistle blows, both players take off. Similar to what you’ve most likely to keep in future seasons? Jason L. described, the trailing player gets a chance to chase down the player getting the penalty shot, thus requiring him to make a play at top speed, A lot of teams really like the baseball-style scheduling and would like to rather than the slow-motion, lolly-gagging approach you frequently see in see some modified version of it continue. One of the most difficult parts the actual shootouts. It’s fun to watch. of the NHL travel experience is the postgame trip. By the time the players get to the airport, get fed, travel, get to their new hotels and check in, it’s So, I’m with you. I actively dislike the shootout. So do many GMs. But as often the middle of the night. There’s a residual effect on the body’s always, the final decision rests with Gary Bettman and he thinks the natural biorhythms the next day. But if you’re headquartered in a city for shootout is just fine and adds to the entertainment value of a game. As a couple of days, it’s a simple matter of going back to your hotel, getting long as it’s a once-in-a-while thing, I would agree. If you made me a late meal and then falling into bed at a far more reasonable hour. commissioner for a day, however, the tweak I’d introduce is to go two Ultimately it results in two things: Less wear-and-tear on the body and a extra minutes of three-on-three overtime. If the game hasn’t been settled much better chance of coming out with an energized effort next game. yet, then off to the shootout you’d go.

The only pushback that I can detect is the worry that some fans might not Is there a player that is untouchable? If it’s Connor McDavid who is being want to see the same visiting teams playing consecutive games and that offered for him? Shaun R. they prefer more variety. I do not subscribe to that theory at all. Playoffs Interesting notion. If you’d framed the question differently – is there a are the best time of the NHL season, largely because you potentially get single untouchable player in the game, I might have answered just one: to see up to seven games in a row against the same opponent, giving a McDavid. But in the hypothetical situation you raise, there are probably a rivalry a chance to build. And we’re seeing that in the early stages of this handful of teams that might say no because they didn’t want to tamper season – lots of genuine competitive animosity building up in all these with team chemistry. So, for example, if Edmonton approached Colorado back-to-back situations. and said, “McDavid for MacKinnon, what do you think?” the Avalanche Have players ever commented privately on socio-political factors as a might actually decline because both players are such dynamic skaters, component of their free-agent decisions? That is: Would a Canadian- incredibly skilled, franchise cornerstones – add any gushing phrase or born player want to return to Canada due to COVID-19 or Trump or a adjective that you’d like. Contract-wise, MacKinnon delivers far more U.S. player opt to play in the United States for tax or health care system value than McDavid. So, Colorado could theoretically say no, if McDavid resources? James B. were offered for MacKinnon.

With a few rare exceptions, NHL players are notably apolitical, especially But you also got me thinking: Is there a category of players that we can on their social media feeds. There are some exceptions – Jets captain deem to be “close-to-untouchable?” Because ever since Wayne Gretzky Blake Wheeler tends to be on one side of the political spectrum while was traded to Los Angeles at the height of his career, a general rule of someone such as Rangers defenceman Tony DeAngelo is on the other thumb in the NHL has been: If Wayne Gretzky can get traded, anyone side. I have only ever had the occasional discussion about politics with can. By the way, it isn’t just fans and hockey writers who say that. GMs players over the years, and I can’t ever recall anyone saying they made a do as well. And yet, I would argue that there is a category of player that I decision about where to play for socio-political reasons. would list as 99 percent “untouchable” – players who earn a reasonable salary and are otherwise at the stage of their careers that they either are Usually, their decision-making is based on three primary factors: 1. cornerstone players, or they are evolving into cornerstone players, and Money. 2. Opportunity to win a championship. 3. The geographic fit for so, it might take the offer of a Connor McDavid to get a team even family (which can be of particular importance to players with children). thinking about moving them.

When they get to the point in their careers where they get to choose Who are those players and how would you rank them? Here’s mine: 1. where they play, those are usually the three most important determining Cale Makar. 2. Miro Heiskanen. 3. Nathan MacKinnon. 4. Quinn Hughes. factors. Everything else fits in lower down on their list of pros and cons. 5. Mark Scheifele. Three are still on entry-level contracts while How will playing the same divisional teams throughout the season affect MacKinnon and Scheifele both have multiple years left at salaries of $6.3 player preparation and eventually playoff competition? I feel like it’ll force million and $6.125 million, respectively. Those types of value contracts, teams to make drastic changes if they’re getting repeatedly pounded by in the primes of their respective careers, producing the way they produce the same teams, and I’m worried the playoffs won’t have the same – the teams that employ those players would have a hard time parting intensity in the early rounds due to familiarity. Trevor S. with them, even if presented with the most enticing of offers.

Playing the same divisional opponents over and over throughout the Hi Eric. Do the Oilers need a new owner if they are going to win season primarily reduces the amount of pre-scouting that teams will have anything? Since Katz got a hold of the team they have been to do. Instead of developing 30 separate game plans, one for each embarrassing. Ross G. opponent, you really only need to prepare seven (six in Canada). The I’m going to say no, with a caveat. In the early days of Daryl Katz’s familiarity which will develop over a 115-day regular season will then only ownership, there was a sense around the NHL that he might be trying too be heightened in the first two playoff rounds which, based on a historical hard to influence the hockey department’s decision-making. I don’t hear precedent, I promise you will be a good thing. that kind of talk anymore. When Katz turned the keys over to Ken In the Smythe/Patrick/Norris/Adams division days, a rivalry could develop Holland, I think he put his faith in Holland’s vision – and that of the rest of between, say, the Flames and Oilers, which would be based on eight the Oilers’ current hockey operations’ department. Now, having said that, regular-season meetings, and then the possibility that they could face when something monumental comes up – a blockbuster trade proposal each other up to seven more times in the postseason. Those could be or an expensive free-agent comes on the market – those decisions are incredibly intense and hard-fought battles. Not only did familiarity breed almost always vetted by ownership because there’s so much money at contempt, it led to some unbelievably entertaining hockey. stake. But that’s how every team operates, not just Edmonton. So yes, I do think the Oilers can win with Daryl Katz as owner. The good news is then I say yes, Kuemper moves. If not, any possible deal for him would they’re still early enough in the McDavid/Draisaitl era that, if they can fill spill into the offseason. in the lineup around them, they have a shot. The heavy lifting has been done. Getting one franchise player in place is usually the hardest part of Can you help me understand the waiver situation with Spezza, and in the rebuilding equation. The Oilers have two. general? I read that the Leafs are making short-term moves between the taxi squad and roster due to cap restrictions, but that once a few circular The 2000 NHL Draft Class just had its last five members drop out all at moves have been made this/next week, they will have more flexibility (roughly) the same time (, Marian Gaborik, Justin going forward to avoid waiver situations. I understand that some Williams, Ron Hainsey, Deryk Engelland). King Henrik was the clear contracts are waiver exempt in any case, whereas Spezza and Dell were winner of the class with Dany Heatley and Gaborik at No. 2 and 3. Any not. However, when Spezza is brought back up, would he not need to thoughts looking back on it? John-Phillipe W. clear waivers to go back down again at some point in the future if the Leafs end up in another bind? The article I read this morning alluded to The 2000 draft was near and dear to my heart for a couple of reasons. 1. the idea that waivers may not be needed again, leaving me confused. It was conducted in Calgary, where I’ve been based since 1978. 2. I Thank you in advance! Andrew N. covered it, on a freelance basis, for – I was on strike at my newspaper, the Calgary Herald, at the time. For about six months in I doublechecked with an NHL GM just because of the number of the middle of 2000, the editor at SI, Paul Fichtenbaum, who I currently procedural tweaks and adjustments we’ve seen in this peculiar 2020-21 work with here at The Athletic, asked me to write the hockey column for season. The answer was that waivers hasn’t changed. So, to your SI, during Kostya Kennedy’s book leave. I vividly remember that my take specific question, here’s the answer I got: “Once you clear waivers, you on that draft – defending the Islanders’ decision to go with Rick DiPietro are waiver exempt for 10 games or 30 days, whatever comes first. So at No. 1 – turned out to be so wrong, it’s embarrassing to reflect back on once Spezza clears, he can play 10 games and go up and down, but for that. Who knows? Maybe, with good health, DiPietro’s career could have Game 11, he can’t go down again unless he clears waivers again. The gone in a different direction. But it didn’t. Shows you how often a sure other thing is part of why all teams waived their guys like Spezza was thing turns out to be anything but a sure thing in the long run. they wanted to be able to take them off the cap on non-game days and save cap space.” Reflecting back on that era, what strikes me the most is not only how bad the draft class of 2000 was, but also how bad the two classes book- If you were in charge of the Wild’s depth chart at centre, what order ending 2000 were. 1999 was a disaster – the Sedins and nobody other would you put them? Follow up: If you took that chart and inverted it, do than Martin Havlat in the first round were much good. Beyond that, only you think it would make much difference? Steve S. Ryan Miller (at 138) and Henrik Zetterberg (210) had any kind of enduring impact on the game. 2001 had Ilya Kovalchuk and Jason If you ask the question, you already know the answer. I use the website Spezza at the top, going 1-2, and then it fell off hard: (Alexander Svitov, dailyfaceoff.com to get up-to-date line combinations and this morning, Stephen Weiss and Stanislav Chistov at 3-4-5). But 2000 might have they had the Wild’s centre contingent listed as follows: Nick Bjugstad, been the worst of the three. Just because of his playoff impact, I would Nick Bonino, Joel Eriksson Ek and Victor Rask. So, to your point, yes, bump Justin Williams into the No. 2 slot behind Lundqvist, and ahead of there is no clear distinction among any of the four and frankly – because both Heatley and Gaborik, and I would have Niklas Kronwall (29th overall I’ve actually watched the Wild play a number of games this season – I to Detroit) as my No. 5. would put Eriksson Ek at the top of the list, just in terms of his overall effectiveness. That line, with Foligno and Greenway, has been a pesky, Any thoughts on why Dean Lombardi hasn’t resurfaced as a GM? He effective unit, making up with grit for what it lacks in terms of star scoring built two Cup winners for a then downtrodden franchise and it seems a power. bit strange that so many first time GMs are getting the call over him. Out here in L.A., we know that he’s a bit of a strange bird but you can’t argue What oversight does the NHL have on designating players for LTIR? with his credentials. Thank you! Anonymous U What if Kucherov is healthy with three weeks to go in the season but is held out for cap reasons and it was rather convenient for the Islanders So, a short disclaimer to start: I always liked dealing with Dean Lombardi who tried to trade Boychuk all summer then placed him on LTIR when when he was general manager of the Kings. You could drop by his office there were no takers? Jeffrey M. and sometimes talk for hours – not just about hockey, but about books, movies, wine, everything. Sometimes, he had his dog in there with him. Good question. I asked a league source about this and was told that Often, once you finished, he would sneak out for a smoke. In short, he contrary to what many of us suspect, there is more oversight than you was an interesting cat. And what I would say is at this stage of his life – might think. Here’s what I was told: Once a team puts a guy on LTIR, age 62 – Lombardi is likely content working for the Philadelphia Flyers in they dig into it, especially if their radar is up. They know everybody’s cap an advisory capacity, which is the opposite of the full-on, 24/7 situation on a daily basis and they monitor it. No. 1, when a guy goes on commitment you need to devote to being an NHL general manager. So, LTIR, you’re going to lose him for 10 games or 24 days, so there is a part of it is likely personal and the other is professional. It’s getting close penalty. In Tampa’s case, you might be suspicious, but taking out your to four years now since the Kings parted ways with Lombardi. Generally, best player for a season, there were probably alternate solutions. the longer the absence, the harder it is to get back in. GM jobs don’t Boychuk’s case was a little fishier, but the league would have spoken to open up very often, and nowadays, usually when they do, teams are the Islanders’ doctors. Is there sometimes an eyebrow raised? Sure. But looking at assistant GMs as candidates – young, up-and-comers who the league doesn’t just accept the paperwork, especially if it’s a team have their fingers on the daily pulse of NHL life. that’s tight to the cap. They dig in a little. In Kucherov’s case specifically, provided the Lightning have the cap room by then, he could come off Do you see Darcy Kuemper potentially being moved if the Coyotes are LTIR at any time once 10 games or 24 days have passed. If they out of a playoff spot later in the year? Billy A. manage it correctly, and he is ready early, he could potentially be on the roster for the last couple of weeks. They’d just have to find a different Not sure. The Coyotes tested the trade waters to gauge interest in way of getting cap compliant if they were to activate him. Kuemper during the offseason and while some teams kicked the tires on him, ultimately, they determined Arizona’s asking price was too high. When do you think the Rangers’ Cup contention window will begin? Kuemper is 30 and has this year and next year left at $4.5 million – a Where will Dubois and Eichel be playing next season? What odds do you good price tag for a top-15 NHL goalie. The Coyotes’ backup, Antti give the Rangers of making the playoffs this season? Thanks! Ed P. Raanta, is 31 and earns $4.25 million on an expiring contract. On the one hand, Kuemper is an attractive player at that price and term – and if a We got the answer to one part of your question Saturday, when Pierre- team suddenly found itself with a goalie injury at or near the deadline, Luc Dubois landed in Winnipeg in the trade for Patrik Laine and Jack and thought it was a Stanley Cup contender, Kuemper could easily be at Roslovic. I do believe the Rangers made a hard push on Jack Eichel last the top of their shopping list. summer, but ultimately, couldn’t get anything done. Eichel’s future will likely depend upon how much progress the Sabres show this year and if The wrinkle is with the Seattle expansion draft coming up, teams can they can get Taylor Hall to sign a contract extension as a possible UFA. only protect one goalie. If you’re trading for Kuemper (and especially if So … matters beyond the Rangers’ control. I think the Rangers miss the you’re giving up meaningful assets to acquire him), you also have to playoffs this year and are two years away from genuinely moving into the project that he’ll be the goalie you protect in the expansion draft and also, window to contend for a Stanley Cup. Why? Much will depend upon how likely have a sense of what a contract extension might cost. So tricky quickly Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere and Igor Shesterkin grow and waters to navigate – and really dependent on the situation. If, for develop. We got spoiled seeing players chosen No. 1 or 2 overall make whatever reason, a team develops a goaltending black hole this season, an instant contribution in the NHL (Laine, Eichel, McDavid, Matthews). Sadly, that’s the exception, not the rule. Usually, the transition takes time, If the cross-checking/slashing etc. starts to go overboard, that’s probably and doesn’t always follow a straight-up-the-ladder trajectory. Accordingly, what will happen here. there is a need for everyone – fans and management – to show patience, take a deep breath and try not to force someone into a role they’re not The Athletic LOADED: 01.29.2021 ready for. I’m completely convinced Kakko, Lafreniere, Jack Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, all these young guys chosen high in the draft will eventually become superior NHL players. It just takes time. In the Rangers’ case, until it does, they’re just not deep enough elsewhere to make a giant move up the charts. Not for a couple of years yet.

Hi Eric, I was wondering how you foresee the league changing over the next 10 years? Jeremy T.

For a longer, more in-depth answer, I’ll alert to you to this story that ran about 15 months ago, which reflected back on the previous decade in the NHL and tried to anticipate what the next 10 years would look like. Here’s the link. But the short answer is I don’t see many radical changes in the on-ice product. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bettman was pleased with the overall direction in which the league was heading. The league was competitive. Even the sorriest of franchises had achieved some level of stability. Vegas was a smashing success and Seattle looks as if it will be as well. Any significant changes will probably deal with the way hockey is consumed. Sports betting will be on the uptick. Player data tracking will probably enhance that. I do believe there’ll eventually be a WNHL – a woman’s professional league, operating under the NHL umbrella. As long as Bettman is commissioner, I believe it’ll be mostly business as usual. But I don’t see him working for 10 additional years, so when he does finally retire, that will be a tipping point for the league. Do they continue with his steady-as-she-goes approach? Or turn to someone else with a more provocative vision to lead the league into the 2030s?

Hi Eric. So, we know all about the protocols and procedures that players and team staff have to do to get through this season, but what about the refs? Am I correct in saying that most officials are from Canada and the Northeast U.S.? If so, what is the league doing with respect to ref ‘divisions’ or bubbles? Are the guys spending extended periods away from their families? I’ve been curious about this. Thanks. Chris M.

Yes, that’s my understanding. That because of border-crossing issues, the officials that work in Canada will do so exclusively this season and the same will apply in the U.S. It’s a safety issue – though riskier obviously, for the referees and linesmen because they will be flying commercially (as opposed to the teams, which charter). Officials tend to travel in packs – that’ll also change. In the same way players cannot gather in hotel rooms postgame for a drink, the same rules will apply to the officials. They will occasionally get to go home for a much-needed break, but will be asked to keep a low profile when they do so. They will be tested daily. If necessary, if an official were to test positive for COVID- 19 and you couldn’t get a second official there in time, it’s possible that a game might go forward with just a single referee calling the shots. It’s all part of the NHL’s overall operating principle this year: To be as flexible as possible and evaluate every scenario that comes up on its own merit.

In the past week, both Auston Matthews and Tim Stützle were victims of cross-checks in front of the net while the puck was nowhere near them. There were no penalty calls. Matthews looked uncomfortable skating away and Stützle is going to miss a game due to injury. Do you think that the NHL will ever crack down on these types of hits, like they did with headshots and slashing? Matthew T.

If you ever happen to speak to Chris Pronger, the Hall of Fame defenceman, on this subject, he would tell you: The front of the net is far safer today than it ever was during the meat of his playing career, when a defenceman could get away with far more slashing and cross-checking than he can in today’s game. For that matter, talk to any of the forwards who used to take punishment in front of the net – , Joe Nieuwendyk, – during the same era and they would tell you the same. It’s a kinder, gentler NHL today than when they played. You ask, will the NHL ever crack down on these types of hits? The NHL’s answer would be, we already have. Now … having said that, your observation is spot on. There does appear to be more officiating latitude when it comes to enforcing cross-checks and slashes in the crease area as opposed to anywhere else on the ice. Is that going to change? Skeptical me says no. If multiple elite players suffer significant injuries, possibly. But the league’s position would likely be, they want to see the front of the net be a battle area and they are careful not to change things any more than they already have. Generally speaking, what happens in real life is if the league does see an officiating standard slipping, they send out a directive to the staff, reinforcing it as a new point of emphasis. 1200849 Websites “I’m not judging my play on goals and assists anymore,” he said. “I’m in a different role and I have to make sure I play that role well and be fine with it.”

Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' offence remains lethal, but play away from Knock knock, it's @wmnylander on the doorstep.#NHLonSN puck is improving pic.twitter.com/GOn8bpC77b

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 29, 2021

Chris Johnston NYLANDER SHOOTS

You almost had to laugh.

The sizzling start the Toronto Maple Leafs so badly desired has been Just hours after acknowledging that he needed to shoot the puck more built on a lethal power play and the ability to find one more goal every often, William Nylander found himself on 2-on-1 with Ilya Mikheyev time they need it. during the opening shift of the game and … passed.

But their commitment at the less enjoyable end of the ice merits some His attempt was broken up by Oilers defenceman Tyson Barrie. mention as well. But Nylander ended up rebounding to make good on his intentions, firing In beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night, the Maple Leafs a season-high five shots on net with seven attempts. He also scored for kept another opponent below 30 shots. They are averaging just 27 the first time since bagging two on opening night against Montreal. against per night during the 7-2-0 climb to the top of the North Division, One of the key ingredients to his breakout 31-goal campaign a year ago which is a marked improvement from where they were a year ago. was more volume, with an average of 2.9 shots on goal per game. He Protecting the net-front was a priority spelled out on the first day of had just 13 over the opening eight games this season. training camp by Sheldon Keefe earlier this month and the head coach is “Yeah I think we haven’t been getting the solid [offensive] zone time that seeing progress. Call it a long-range goal for a roster that can seemingly we have been used to getting and we’re working on that,” said Nylander. summon offence at will. “But I know myself I’ve been looking to pass in certain situations where I The Leafs were disappointed by squandering 2-0 and 3-2 lead at Rogers should definitely get a shot on goal. That's something that I keep in mind Place. Keefe was livid at seeing his players take seven minor penalties in and something that I’ve got to do better and get pucks to the net.” the game, saying “Obviously we have to stay out of the penalty box. The Among the biggest areas of emphasis for him, Mikheyev and John penalties have been crazy. It’s just not good enough.” Tavares are generating better puck retrievals in the offensive zone. That But the sting was softened by an Auston Matthews power-play strike with remains a work in progress after Thursday’s game where they spent less than seven minutes to play since it delivered another regulation most of their 5-on-5 time defending while seeing a healthy dose of both victory and allowed everyone to step back and look at all the good Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. happening for the team at 5-on-5 over the first couple weeks. Nylander’s shooting mentality was mostly on display during his power “We’ve defended hard,” said Keefe. “The guys are working and we’ve play minutes. really significantly cut down on the high-danger chances and odd-man Remaining Time -1:00 rushes and the players have been really committed to that. It’s been far from perfect, we’ve got a lot of areas to grow. We’re not even close to Simmonds praises teammates for hard fought win against Oilers being the team that I think we can be, the team that we would need to be. WAYNE TRAIN “I think the greatest news of all is that none of the games have been perfect and there’s lots of room for growth.” Wayne Simmonds won’t want to see this Alberta road trip come to an end. With that mind, here are some observations from Toronto’s fourth straight victory. He’s scored in all three games the Leafs have played out there, getting a stick on Mitch Marner’s shot in the third period Thursday while stationed Remaining Time -0:57 in his usual spot at the edge of the crease.

Matthews beats Koskinen glove side for power-play goal “It feels really nice, obviously,” said Simmonds, who signed with his hometown team in October. “But without everyone else on the ice that VINTAGE PERFORMANCE doesn’t happen. The team did a great job tonight. Most importantly we Jason Spezza has already passed through the waiver wire this season got the two points.” and was coming off a healthy scratch Tuesday in Calgary. The Leafs wrap up the trip Saturday night with another game against the As deeply respected as he is within the organization, the 37-year-old is Oilers. battling to carve out his niche on an extremely fluid fourth line that Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.29.2021 featured Travis Boyd and Alexander Barabanov on Thursday, but has also included Pierre Engvall, Adam Brooks and Joey Anderson in prior games.

This should help.

Spezza had a goal and an assist among his five first-period shifts in Edmonton. After taking a Boyd pass and beating Mikko Koskinen for his first goal since Feb. 7, 2020, he wisely kept the puck in at the line before William Nylander made it 2-0.

Keefe had felt the extra rest would help Spezza in sitting him out in Calgary.

“Obviously he was right,” said the veteran centre. “I felt good tonight and had a little bit of an extra jump. It’s nice when those things work out.”

He also went 5-3 in the faceoff dot and continues to be one of the NHL’s most reliable faceoff men. Despite seeing limited playing time, Spezza has five points to show for his eight games this season but indicated that he hadn’t been feeling any added pressure by a goal drought that stretched back 27 games. 1200850 Websites inadvertently tucked his stick inside the post impeding his ability to seal off the far post. A puck snuck in and it was 1-0 Toronto.

"First goal I gave up, that’s on me," the big Finn said. "We need to be Sportsnet.ca / Oilers shoot themselves in foot in costly loss to Maple better and it starts with me." Leafs It’s not crippling — there were still 50 minutes of hockey to be played. But for a struggling team, allowing the opponent an easy one every second night isn’t going to cut it for long. Mark Spector You lose by one goal, chase a game all night, and at the end of the game, the Oilers had the second-best goalie on the ice. Again.

EDMONTON — If the Edmonton Oilers are going to win enough games PK isn’t OK to be a playoff team, they’ll have to figure out how to win a game that Leon Draisaitl and/or Connor McDavid don’t win for them. In Edmonton it’s called a "penalty kill" because it’s killing the Oilers. A unit that was second best in the NHL last season sits 20th this season. Right now, if No. 29 or No. 97 doesn’t do it, it doesn’t get done. Yikes!

"There are a lot of ways to win games, and there are a lot of times your The Leafs scored twice on the power play, and scored another at the top players have to do it for you," head coach Dave Tippett said after yet exact second a Turris penalty expired. another loss on Thursday. "But it would be nice to win a game another way." It was basically three power-play goals and a Koskinen freebie, and the Leafs walk away with a 4-3 win. Draisaitl scored twice on McDavid feeds, and the Oilers got one more goal from the third line, Zack Kassian’s first of the season. But they didn’t "Yeah, we shoot ourselves in the foot," spat Tippett. "That one was a get enough saves from goalie Mikko Koskinen, watched Ethan Bear and misplay by (Koskinen). The winning goal and the third goal are poor Josh Archibald take predictable penalties in the third period, and the penalties. We get a bunch of power plays — you know they’re looking to penalty kill allowed two goals and a third as the gate opened for Kyle give us a penalty. And we still want to slash and hook people. You’re Turris to step out. tempting fate."

The result was a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a 3-6 start for What’s not happening this season that happened last year, on a PK that a sputtering, stumbling Oilers team. literally won games for Edmonton last season?

Are they really a .333 club to this point? "Penalty killing is (about) sacrificing, getting in lanes and getting saves," Tippett said. "On the last two goals our players didn’t want to get in a "I feel like at times we’ve played better than that," Tippett said, "but we’ve lane, and we didn’t get a save. We end up on the back end of it. got that record because we’ve brought a lot of that trouble on ourselves." "I liked our try, but ultimately we’re shooting ourselves in the foot and Here are some takeaways from an entertaining game that was over- costing us goals." called by the officials, with a host of ticky-tack calls to both teams that ensured we wouldn’t have this one settled at five-on-five. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.29.2021

In the end this one was settled by an extra power-play goal for Toronto, and extra save by Fredrik Andersen, and an extra free goal from Mikko Koskinen.

It’s the story of Edmonton’s young season.

Mc-Disappointed

What did the Oilers captain think of his team’s effort on Thursday?

"I didn’t like our first two periods at all, especially our first," he said. "I thought our second period did an all right job of just settling the game down. We found a way to hang around and I thought the third period was pretty good minus a couple of penalties and some PK goals against.

"Lots of power plays both ways and kind of a weird game but I thought our game wasn’t where it needed to be at all."

Nine games into the season, and have there been any sightings of this hard-to-spot game?

"Well, we’re nine games in," McDavid said. "I think we’re done figuring it out here. We need to start putting together games."

Edmonton has six points — eight behind Toronto.

"I think there is definitely a belief that is growing within our group," said Toronto’s Jason Spezza. "We’re just finding a way," added Andersen, who is an incredible 14-1-1 career versus Edmonton.

Confidence in one dressing room, and a paucity of same in the other. They’ll play again on Saturday night.

Three Metres of Misery

We’re not sure what to say about Koskinen, who has hung in there playing every minute this season, but will always be a 1-B starter

Surely, he isn’t the reason for Edmonton’s record. He’s given the Oilers a chance to win most nights.

But then there are the freebies. One every second night — at least.

On Thursday, the Leafs got one of those free goals they didn’t have to work very hard for when Koskinen got caught behind his net, then 1200851 Websites The Flyers don’t have any new impact players and outside of two blowout losses they’ve been chugging along admirably without Sean Couturier.

13. New Jersey Devils Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: The New Additions Edition Head coach Lindy Ruff appears to have made a positive impact on his Remaining Time -1:30 new team even though goals have been hard to come by.

14. Colorado Avalanche

Mike Johnston The Avs haven't found consistency quite yet but Devon Toews and Brandon Saad have been early contributors.

15. Minnesota Wild We’re more than two weeks into yet another unique NHL season and there has been plenty to digest. New rivalries are forming thanks to the Kirill Kaprizov’s star potential is apparent even though he has slowed new division alignments, new stars and playoff contenders are emerging, down slightly following his memorable three-point NHL debut. and there’s even a new way post-game media availabilities are handled. 16. Calgary Flames Since there’s so much new about the 2021 NHL season, we’ve decided Jacob Markstrom has a .911 save percentage, a 2.62 goals-against to highlight some new faces in new places and look at how they’ve fared average and one shutout but he and the Flames are looking to regroup in our first regular-season Power Rankings. after back-to-back one-goal regulation losses to the Maple Leafs at 1. Montreal Canadiens home.

Tyler Toffoli scored five goals in a three-game span against his former 17. Vancouver Canucks team, Josh Anderson has added size up front and Jake Allen is off to a Does everyone have their Nils Hoglander jerseys yet?! The rookie winger perfect start backing up Carey Price. No surprise the Canadiens haven’t has been a bright spot on a line with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson lost in regulation. despite his team’s overall defensive lapses. 2. Vegas Golden Knights 18. Los Angeles Kings Alex Pietrangelo has eaten up nearly 26 minutes a night after signing his The Kings already have a couple nice wins and manage to keep games big off-season deal and the Golden Knights are once again rolling. close when they’re clearly outmatched on paper. Andreas Athanasiou’s 3. Toronto Maple Leafs speed has made a difference and he has chipped in with three goals already. The team will enjoy seeing Joe Thornton eventually return from his rib injury, but in the meantime it’s tough to complain when your record is 6-2- 19. Nashville Predators 0 and your top stars are living up to their cap hits. Nick Cousins scored his first goal with the Preds on Wednesday in 4. Washington Capitals Nashville’s second extra-time win in as many nights against Chicago.

Rookie netminder Vitek Vanecek has been a pleasant surprise with a 20. Carolina Hurricanes .918 save percentage through his first five starts and the Caps remain It’s too early to tell what type of impact Jesper Fast can have on his new unbeaten in regulation. team. The Hurricanes have only played three games and just went 5. Boston Bruins through a 10-day hiatus.

Craig Smith has a three-game point streak going including two straight 21. Buffalo Sabres game-winners. The former longtime Predators forward is an ideal fit on Buffalo has won two straight after dropping four of five to start the year, Boston’s third line. but now Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Dylan Cozens and others need to build 6. Tampa Bay Lightning on that momentum.

No new additions for the Lightning as the team adjusts to life without 22. Anaheim Ducks Nikita Kucherov. Kevin Shattenkirk, like most Ducks, hasn’t been able to provide much 7. Dallas Stars offence and that’s why Anaheim is averaging a league-worst 1.71 goals per game. Why fix what isn’t really broken? The Stars basically have an identical lineup to the one that came two wins shy of a Stanley Cup and they’re off 23. Columbus Blue Jackets to a blazing 3-0-0 start after being forced to delay their season opener. Max Domi and Mikhail Grigorenko have been quiet offensively, while 8. Winnipeg Jets Michael Del Zotto has chipped in with four even-strength assists. The big question in Columbus is will the additions of Patrik Laine and Jack Pierre-Luc Dubois entering the equation makes life in Winnipeg quite Roslovic help get the Blue Jackets back to the playoffs? intriguing going forward. A one-two punch of Scheifele and Dubois down the middle gives the Jets envious centre depth in the North Division. 24. New York Islanders

9. Pittsburgh Penguins The Isles have allowed 11 goals against through six games and rookie Ilya Sorokin let in seven of them during his two starts. The team is also Kasperi Kapanen has points in three of his first four games with averaging fewer than two goals per game. Pittsburgh. Kapanen was acquired in the off-season by Jim Rutherford, who resigned as Pens GM on Wednesday. 25. Edmonton Oilers

10. St. Louis Blues Tyson Barrie, Kyle Turris, Jesse Puljujarvi and Dominik Kahun have combined for a mere one goal and five assists in 32 combined man The Blues power play hasn’t had much success thus far but that should games played. Not good. change the more comfortable Torey Krug becomes with his new teammates. 26. Chicago Blackhawks

11. Florida Panthers Nikita Zadorov has predictably thrown his body around, Mattias Janmark has a team-high three goals and Kevin Lankinen has posted solid First-year Panthers Patric Hornqvist and Carter Verhaeghe both have numbers between the pipes in four starts yet the only team Chicago has five points through three games and the Panthers are 3-0-0. been able to beat was Detroit.

12. Philadelphia Flyers 27. San Jose Sharks Ryan Donato seems to have some decent chemistry going with Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc as the Sharks continue their extended road trip to start the year.

28. Arizona Coyotes

Derick Brassard, Drake Caggiula and Johan Larsson haven’t done much on offence, which falls in line with the rest of the Yotes, who have been blanked in two straight games. Playing the Golden Knights four times in one week is not conducive to success either.

29. Detroit Red Wings

Bobby Ryan is already just one goal shy to tying his total from last season. Unfortunately for Red Wings fans it’s not making much of a difference in the standings.

30. New York Rangers

The Blue Shirts have struggled out the gates this season and No. 1 draft pick Alexis Lafrenière having zero points to start the year doesn’t help.

31. Ottawa Senators

Third-overall pick Tim Stützle has only one point, Matt Murray has only one win and the Sens once again find themselves at the very bottom of the league standings with head coach D.J. Smith feeling the pressure.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.29.2021 1200852 Websites Despite firing just 21 shots at Rittich, the 5-0-2 Canadiens finished with a 4-2 win that included two late, meaningless cheapies on Carey Price by the visitors.

Sportsnet.ca / Flames' miscues, lack of emotion throw Rittich to the “I thought the first we came out with the right attitude and right mindset wolves vs. Canadiens but you can’t let a game slip away and let the mistakes pile on after you get down a couple,” said captain Mark Giordano. “We didn’t keep playing the same way.”

Eric Francis Remaining Time -0:48

Monahan says Flames lacked emotion against Canadiens

When last we saw David Rittich, the Calgary Flames netminder was Is that mindset concerning for the coach of a team that has now lost thrust into the middle of one of the biggest playoff meltdowns in club three in a row? history. “It could be,” said Ward, whose club faces Montreal again Saturday, no Following a five-month pandemic pause, he was put into a 3-3 tie and doubt with Markstrom in net. “We’ll have to wait and see how we respond promptly allowed three goals in the middle frame of a 7-3 elimination to it. You have to find moments in the game where you can garner game against the Dallas Stars in which his team had essentially given emotion, especially since there’s no crowd. up. "With the lack of crowd you’ve got to try to generate that emotion, On Thursday he was thrown to the wolves once again. especially when you’re behind. We have to be emotionally attached every game.” Another five months after that humbling summer evening, the 28-year-old was given his first start of the season against the league’s hottest and The lone goal Rittich should have stopped was Tyler Toffoli’s second-highest scoring team, in their home-opener no less. shorthanded breakaway shot that somehow slid through the goalie’s pads. Such is life for a backup goalie, which is exactly what Rittich was reduced to in the off-season after the Flames signed Jacob Markstrom to a pricey, It was the sixth of the season for the free-agent signing, and it was the six-year deal. Habs’ fifth shorthanded strike of the year, tying an NHL record as the most scored by a team seven games in. Suffice it to say the nightmarish run he’s been on since playing in last season’s all-star game continues. Remaining Time -0:51

Not that this one was on him. Suzuki’s long flip pass sets up Toffoli for shorthanded goal

With the help of several miscues in front of him, an opportunistic Habs “We were very opportunistic tonight,” said Weber, whose team opened team victimized Rittich by way of three special teams goals in a game the the season with six impressive road games. “I don’t think that was our Flames opened rather well. best effort by any means. We’ve got a lot of room to improve here.”

Despite exhibiting a noticeable jump in their start the Flames found Price made 23 stops, losing the shutout in the final 78 seconds when themselves down 2-0 in the first period, thanks to two power-play goals. Milan Lucic and Rasmus Andersson scored for a Flames club now sitting at 2-3-1 and reeling over the type of stretch teams can ill-afford to go As players and the coach admitted afterwards, the early deficit sent a through in a 56-game season. team already reeling from two-straight losses into a tailspin. “Teams go through it,” said Ward. “It probably would have been easier for “I just think we lacked some emotion,” said Sean Monahan, offering up a us if we hadn’t lost the previous two games. significant indictment on a team that has the experience to be stronger than that. "I think the emotion comes from how hard you compete and that certainly is a factor in it as well. This may be a real good lesson for us early.” “You’ve got to be invested emotionally in games, and when that’s lacking it’s tough to get momentum. We’ve got to play for each other. We’ve got Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.29.2021 a tight team, so we’ve got to regroup here real quick. We’ve got to be invested a lot harder and play harder, and when you do that that’s when you get results.”

The effort wasn’t questionable in the first, when a Juuso Valimaki penalty midway through led to Brendan Gallagher’s crease tap-in Rittich had no chance on.

Five minutes later, Shea Weber fired one of his legendary point blasts wide, only to have Valimaki deflect it in off of his stick.

Remaining Time -0:47

Canadiens’ Anderson bats rebound out of the air to score against Flames

The Valimaki/Nikita Nesterov duo was victimized a third time when a bad pinch midway through the game by the Russian led to a two-on-one in which Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s shot deflected off Rittich’s glove before being promptly batted in out of the air by Josh Anderson.

“It wasn’t on him,” said Ward of his goalie, who has lost five straight starts dating back to last season.

“I don’t think he had a chance on any of the first three goals. For playing his first game I thought he gave a good accounting of himself. The goals were happening out of things that were weird circumstances in the hockey game.”

Nothing is weirder for a team as highly touted as the Flames than to abandon the fighting spirit they’d previously exhibited several times already this season. 1200853 Websites Ottawa’s other young star, defenceman Thomas Chabot, was largely invisible in the series until he caught Hughes on a poor angle one-and- one and scored Ottawa’s only goal on Thursday.

Sportsnet.ca / Canucks temporarily rediscover identity in sweep of lowly Holtby didn’t face nearly the shot quality Demko saw earlier in the week, Senators but made timely saves, including a breakaway stop on Connor Brown seconds before the end of the middle period and Ottawa trailing 3-1.

Demko said he felt “enough was enough” after his own poor start to the Iain MacIntyre season, and Holtby looked Thursday like he had the same resolve, playing easily his best game of the year and nudging his save

percentage north of 90. VANCOUVER – Funeral music at the start of the week, show tunes at “I think we all want to be better, top to bottom,” Holtby said. “But as a the end. Welcome to the Vancouver Canucks’ world. goaltender, you pride yourself on trying to be the difference-maker when With radio and social media conjecture last weekend that general it's needed. That last Montreal game (5-2 loss on Saturday when Holtby manager Jim Benning’s job could be in jeopardy -- seven games into the allowed two late goals)... maybe you're nitpicking, but you've got to find a National Hockey League season, in the middle of a pandemic that way to do it in order to lead your team when things aren't going well. precludes any substantive roster changes, when revenue is as Obviously, Thatch with the last two games and how unbelievable he suppressed as attendance -- the Canucks rolled over the Ottawa played, I think we both know that this season it's going to take both of us Senators, completing Thursday a three-game series sweep against the to be consistent and try and be the difference makers. This three-game worst team in hockey by winning 4-1 at Rogers Arena. set is a good step in the right direction.”

Despite getting outshot each game, the Canucks impeached the The Canucks lead the NHL in both goals scored (35) and allowed (36). Senators by a total score of 16-3 because goalies Braden Holtby and Who knows where their next step will take them? Thatcher Demko suddenly surged into form just as Vancouver’s struggling top line of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser found Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.29.2021 theirs.

The forward trio generated three more goals on Thursday, two of them by Boeser, and Holtby nearly matched Demko’s outstanding performances Monday and Wednesday with a 36-save effort as the Canucks moved back to 5-5 and into a playoff spot.

The North Division, however, isn’t Canada’s proudest achievement at the moment, and it’s as difficult to draw strong conclusions from Vancouver dusting Ottawa as it was last week when the team was getting overrun by the Montreal Canadiens amid a myriad of halting Canucks mistakes.

But last week, the goaltending needed to be better and the 6-40-9 Lotto Line needed to be found. Which is why the West Coast mood has brightened considerably over the last four days.

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Boeser walks in from goal line and roofs puck past Murray

It looks like Twitter will have to wait to fire Benning. But stand by: the Canucks open a difficult six-game road trip against the three other Canadian teams in playoff position, starting Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

“We knew it was an important series, especially before a road trip and after our start,” Boeser said after lifting his goal total to six in 10 games. “To get back to .500 and play well and play how we've been playing, before the road trip, I think it's huge. It gives our group confidence.”

“We're still trying to figure out some of the kinks in our game... and we're still doing that,” defenceman Quinn Hughes said after setting up a pair of early goals that launched the Canucks’ wire-to-wire win. “Like I said last year, we're going to be better two months from now than we are now. That's just the group we have; the more you play... the more we'll figure each other out. The three games here were really big just to kind of get back on track before things really slide.”

The Canucks did look like a hockey team again, playing with far more positional discipline and better puck management.

The Senators played well in spurts during the three games but couldn’t score, couldn’t get enough saves from Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg, and got little from their emerging stars.

It was so bad for Ottawa, another Tkachuk left angry. Brady Tkachuk pounded the glass in frustration after a last-minute fight Thursday with Zack MacEwen, although he didn’t go full-on toddler tantrum like his brother Matthew did Tuesday in Calgary.

Brady had just one assist in three games in Vancouver and after opening the season with three points in the Senators’ only win, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, has amassed two points over seven straight Ottawa losses since then.

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Holtby sends great pass up ice before Boeser snipes puck past Murray 1200854 Websites Much has been made of the volume of shots the Canucks have surrendered in the early going this season. And there is no question, it is not a flattering number. But unlike other nights this week and this season, the Senators 35-25 edge did not define this hockey game. Ottawa had a TSN.CA / Five Takeaways: Canucks vs Senators sizeable 19-9 advantage in the second period when it scored its only goal. But despite the Sens outshooting the Canucks 28-22 at even It was easy as 1-2-3 for the Vancouver Canucks as they completed a strength on the night, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks three-game sweep of the struggling Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. actually held the edge in scoring chances (21-19), high danger chances (11-7) and Vancouver enjoyed a 3.01 to 1.49 expected goal advantage on the night. The Canucks still lead the league in shots allowed this By Jeff Paterson season (334) and shots allowed per game (37.1). They gave up 36-43 and 35 against the lowly Sens this week, so it’s certainly something to

consider as they now face a run of teams that have considerably better TAKEAWAYS finishers than Ottawa. But on this night, the Canucks did a decent job of limiting the Senators sustained pressure. Sure, the Sens won the battle It was easy as 1-2-3 for the Vancouver Canucks as they completed a on the shot clock, but they were never a threat to win the hockey game. three-game sweep of the struggling Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. The Canucks were as good as they needed to be in their 4-1 victory. TSN.CA LOADED: 01.29.2021 There were flashes of offense, but overall, there wasn’t a whole lot to the game. The Canucks got out to a quick start and were never really threatened on the night. As was the case 24-hours earlier, the Canucks top end talent came through and did the bulk of the heavy lifting on offense and provided the scoring against a Sens team that offered very little resistance during its West Coast stay. Over the three-game series, the Canucks outscored Ottawa 16-3 winning 7-1, 5-1 and 4-1. Not only do the three victories get the Canucks back to .500 after 10 games (5-5), they head out on the road for a tough six game trip with their best players rounding into scoring form. Given the gloom and doom that hung over the hockey club at the start of the week, the Canucks did what they had to do against an overmatched opponent and can now exhale as they head for Winnipeg and a game against the Jets on Saturday night.

Brock Boeser scores in bunches. For the third time in 10 games this season, Boeser notched a pair of goals. He did it on opening night in Edmonton and then again last week at home against Montreal. After being held off the scoresheet on Wednesday when his linemates feasted on the Sens, Boeser got into the fun on Thursday with a pair of pretty goals. On his first, he did a nice job of reading the Senators penalty kill. As Ottawa defenseman Josh Brown anticipated a pass to Bo Horvat in the slot, Boeser took advantage of a path to the front of the net and walked out from the side of the goal to beat Matt Murray. As Boeser continues to learn the down-low position on the power play, that’s a great move if he has the opportunity. The more success he has in that spot, the more confident he’ll be. There was a lot to like in Boeser’s read and reaction -- not to mention his finish – on the play in question that opened the scoring just 5:30 into the hockey game.

Speaking of reading the play, Braden Holtby came to Vancouver with a solid reputation as one of the league’s best puck-handling goalies. And early in the second period, he put those skills on full display. With the Sens trying to sneak in a long change after dumping the puck into Canuck territory, Holtby had the presence of mind to recognize he had two teammates wide open near the Ottawa blue line. Without hesitation, the veteran netminder steered the puck sharply to Elias Pettersson who settled it down for an on-rushing Brock Boeser. Boeser picked up the puck just inside the Sens line, took a couple of strides to elude the Senators defenders who were scrambling into position and made no mistake as he snapped a quick shot past Matt Murray, off the post and in. Boeser’s finish was clinical, but that play doesn’t happen if Holtby isn’t sharp with both his decision making and his execution of the outlet pass from deep in his own zone.

With Thatcher Demko raising the bar in the Canuck crease with two strong showings earlier in the week, Holtby was up to the challenge himself on Thursday. He stopped 34 of 35 shots for his third win of the season. He was beaten only on a second period individual effort by Sens defenseman Thomas Chabot. But Holtby’s signature moment on the night came in the dying seconds of the second period with his team up 3- 1 and working on the power play. As Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes misfired on a connection inside the Sens line, Connor Brown picked off the pass and went in all alone with a chance to pull his team within a goal. Instead, Holtby was patient and looked poised in the net easily turning aside Brown’s shot from the slot. Instead of it being a 3-2 game and Ottawa believing it had some life heading to the third, Holtby snuffed out that opportunity and shut the door the rest of the way. Despite the lopsided wins this week, make no mistake that Canucks goaltending was one of the positive developments to come out of the three game set against the Sens. 1200855 Websites Nylander needs to steal a page from Marner's playbook. The winger has adopted more of a shooting mentality this season and delivered the game-winning goal on Tuesday night.

TSN.CA / Leafs’ Nylander to zero in on ending scoring drought "A great shot and it was from far out, too, so definitely he's improved on his shot," said linemate Zach Hyman. William Nylander, who hasn't scored since potting two on opening night, will try to snap his seven-game goal drought when the Maple Leafs visit Marner received a pass from Matthews in the high slot and one-timed it the Oilers tonight in Edmonton. Mark Masters has more. past Jacob Markstrom.

"I've really been working on that shot with Mats," Marner revealed. "If I can try and find that spot more I know Mats can find me there. For me, it By Mark Masters was just trying to get it off my stick quickly and on net for a chance for a rebound or something for Hymie or to go in which it did. I'm trying to get

more of a shot mentality, try to be more of a threat." TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs. The Magic Man! Leafs and Oilers skated in Edmonton on Thursday morning. Marner fires home the one-timer! #LeafsForever The two games between the Leafs and Oilers last week didn't produce pic.twitter.com/pNZLz7yJAc the offensive fireworks many expected, but Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still all found — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 27, 2021 a way to put the puck in the net. Marner, who had six shots on net in the last two games against the Now, William Nylander wants in on the fun. Flames, put on some muscle in the off-season while also changing the flex of his stick to try and transform his shot from muffin to missile. "I've been looking to pass in certain situations where I should definitely get a shot on goal so that's something to keep in mind and something I "It's underrated," said goalie Frederik Andersen. "He's good at picking got to do better," said Nylander, who hasn't scored since potting two on spots and being pretty elusive and tricky a little bit with where he's going opening night. to go and that's something he's really good at. He wants to be more than an incredible passer and playmaker. I know he wants to add to his game This seven-game drought already matches Nylander's longest dry spell and he's done that." from last season (Dec. 3-17, 2019). He does have five assists, including a highlight-reel helper against the Oilers last Friday. Leafs' Marner uses 'underrated' shot to climb scoring list

"I was thinking shoot the entire time and then I saw [Jimmy Vesey] Mitch Marner potted his fifth goal of the season on Tuesday night beating coming down and I saw the goalie came out pretty hard, too, so that's Jacob Markstrom with a one-timer from distance. The Leafs winger why I passed," Nylander explained. "Was lucky the D [Slater Koekkoek] revealed that changing the flex of his stick has helped turn his shot into didn't get a piece of the puck there. I like making plays, but I want to start more of a weapon this season. "He's good at picking spots and being scoring some goals too." pretty elusive and tricky," observed goalie Frederik Andersen. "I think it's underrated." A+ pinch from Dermott. Usually it's Matthews who's the finisher on Toronto's top line. Since the A+ pass from Nylander. start of last season Marner has assisted on 26 of Matthews’ goals. But Vesey finishes it off. pic.twitter.com/nEyYT3ht6r now the Marner shot is something the opposition needs to be wary of.

— Kevin Papetti (@KPapetti) January 23, 2021 "It adds an aspect to his game," said Koekkoek. "If a guy is pass-first, then you're looking around before you get to him and when he starts Nylander exploded for a career-best 31 goals in 68 games last season. shooting the puck more it's obviously dangerous and something we have And he showed off his powerful shot by blasting a pair of pucks past to take note of here." Carey Price on Jan. 13. And that makes handling Matthews, already a daunting task, even "The way the season started for Will in terms of how he shot the puck harder. and just took that initiative whether it's the one timer off the faceoff against Montreal or stepping in on the power play and putting it under the "One thing he does specifically well is pull and drag where he really bar, those were really good signs in terms of what he's capable of," said changes the angle of his shot," said Koekkoek. "Like, when I go down to coach Sheldon Keefe. "We haven't seen as much of that. It's not all on block a shot I'm kind of reading his blade or reading where the guy is Will. In some cases the line hasn't provided those opportunities, but with trying to shoot it so when he pulls it back like that and you're already his abilities we expect him to get on the inside more and attack the net committed to a block it's really tough to defend." more and generate more looks himself. We're also trying to find a little How will Oilers handle Marner’s new shot mentality? more consistency in the way the line attacks and the way he and John play off each other." With five goals in the first eight games of the season, Mitch Marner has developed a shoot-first mentality, which has been paying off. The Oilers Nylander pointed out that his line hasn't generated enough offensive- discuss the challenges of adjusting defensively to contain Marner's new zone time of late. goal-scoring prowess. "After the first shot, get the puck back," Nylander said of the necessary --- mindset. "We're second on the retrievals where they're able to get the puck out of the zone and we got to start over again." The Leafs, meanwhile, will have their hands full trying to contain McDavid, who is tied with Marner for the NHL's scoring lead with 12 Keefe moved Ilya Mikheyev onto the line with Tavares and Nylander on points. You can't take a second off against the Oilers captain. Tuesday. "I would say his ability to maintain his pace later on in the shift," said "We played a little bit together up until when Micky got injured last year Hyman when asked if there was an underrated part of McDavid's game. and were able to click very good together so I think that's going to be "You can be hemming the other team in the offensive zone and have a good for us," Nylander said. "We have to get the second pucks back and great shift against his line and then 45 seconds into the shift he still has adding speed on the line will help us get those pucks back." the ability to get to his top speed and to maintain it so he's always Nylander wants to score more, trying to find passing vs. shooting balance dangerous."

With his shots on goal numbers down so far this season, William There's also nowhere on the ice where McDavid isn't dangerous. He Nylander explains that he's been looking to pass lately, but knows he pulled off a buzzer-beating assist against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday needs to do a better job of shooting more in hopes of finding the back of from behind the net. the net more often.

--- "His playmaking ability is unbelievable," noted Nylander. "The way he Vesey - Kerfoot - Simmonds makes plays in the O-zone and behind the goal line catching guys is unbelievable." Barabanov - Spezza - Boyd

Folks it doesn't get anymore buzzer beater-y than this. Defence #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/jrJGJL83ft Rielly - Brodie

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 25, 2021 Muzzin - Holl

And while much is made of Marner wanting to shoot more, it's McDavid Dermott - Bogosian who leads all NHLers in shots on net this season with 35. That is his highest total ever through his first eight games of a season. Goalies

"He gets into situations where he [can] shoot the puck probably more Andersen starts than any player in the league," noted Draisaitl. "He's got a great shot and Hutchinson he's using it and obviously it shows." TSN.CA LOADED: 01.29.2021 McDavid finished 23rd in shots last season.

Leafs offer insight on McDavid’s underrated attributes

Although defending against Connor McDavid's elite speed is typically the focal point for the Leafs, the team offers insight to other underrated attributes the Oilers captain possesses that make him so tough to slow down.

---

Toronto won only 10 of its 25 one-goal games during the 2019-20 season, matching Detroit (10) for the fewest such wins. But the Leafs are 4-0-0 in one-goal games so far this season. The other two wins in their column this season came by two goals with an empty netter tacked on.

"Being in those tight games and being able to close out those games has definitely been an improvement," Hyman said.

The Leafs weren't at their best despite sweeping two games in Calgary earlier this week. The first win on Sunday was described by multiple players as "ugly" with credit given to Jack Campbell for stealing the two points. After an incredible first period, Toronto held on during the final 40 minutes on Tuesday. So, there are plenty of things to clean up, but the fact they walked away with the wins is a sign of progress.

"We talked about it after the game," said defenceman Justin Holl. "These are character wins and they're positive for a team finding its way, but I don’t think we’ve really touched how good we can be. We're not rolling yet."

'Character wins' help Leafs get off to hot start

All six of Toronto's wins have come by one goal or by two goals with an empty netter. "These are character wins and they're positive for a team finding its way," said defenceman Justin Holl. The Leafs are looking to tighten up defensively this season and the group is still getting used to Sheldon Keefe's system. "I don’t think we've really touched how good we can be," added Holl. "We're not rolling yet."

---

With Mike Smith still sidelined, Mikko Koskinen makes his ninth straight start for the Oilers.

"He says he's feeling strong physically, mentally," said coach Dave Tippett. "We're trying to make sure he gets enough rest in between games but so far so good."

With Campbell sidelined weeks with a leg injury, the Leafs are likely to ride Andersen for the foreseeable future. These next two games were likely earmarked for Andersen anyway. The Dane is a perfect 6-0-0 with a .928 save percentage in Edmonton during his NHL career.

Nylander looking to find his offence; Is Koskinen's workload a concern?

Mark Masters and Ryan Rishaug join SportsCentre to discuss what has to change for William Nylander to find the back of the net more, what the keys will be for the Oilers to defend the Leafs' offensive firepower tonight, and if Mikko Koskinen's workload is becoming a concern.

---

Projected Leafs lines for Thursday’s game in Edmonton:

Forwards

Hyman - Matthews - Marner

Mikheyev - Tavares - Nylander 1200856 Websites “Claude said many times that the health of your family is more important than hockey,” Ward said.

“I agree with him 100 per cent.” TSN.CA / Ward anticipates reunion with ‘really good mentor’ Julien SPARKS OFF THE FIRE The coaching history between Geoff Ward and Claude Julien goes back -Ward said that there’s sometimes misconceptions about Julien’s style of a long way. The head coaches have stayed in touch after working coaching. “People have him pegged as a defensive coach, but he wasn’t together over the years and meet tonight when the Flames and really a defensive coach. We always had a really good goal differential in Canadiens square off in Montreal, Salim Valji writes. those years.” Indeed, in their seven seasons together in Boston, the Bruins averaged a plus-42 goal differential.

By Salim Valji -After back-to-back wins against Vancouver, the Flames then lost two straight to the Toronto Maple Leafs, putting them out of the (early) playoff picture in the all-Canadian North Division. A big part of that is a lack of secondary scoring, and a shortage of even-strength scoring. Of the On the August 2020 night when Claude Julien had a frightening health Flames’ 16 goals so far in 2020-21, 11 have come from Johnny incident that forced him to leave the NHL bubble in Toronto, he received Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. The many texts and calls from friends and family asking about his well-being. team’s seven five-on-five goals is tied for the fourth-fewest in the league. One of those messages came from Calgary Flames head coach Geoff The Flames’ bottom-six forwards (Sam Bennett, Mikael Backlund, Josh Ward, whom Julien had coached with for more than 10 years. Leivo, Milan Lucic, Derek Ryan and Joakim Nordstrom) in the lineup “In typical Claude fashion, like it was no big deal,” Ward said in an against the Leafs on Tuesday night have combined for just two goals so interview with TSN, recalling the incident. far this season.

The Montreal Canadiens head coach was admitted to a Toronto hospital -While the even-strength scoring is a worrying stat, the team has to be with chest pains after the Aug. 12 Eastern Conference first-round series happy that Gaudreau, Monahan, Lindholm, Tkachuk, and Andrew game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The following day, the 60-year-old Mangiapane have each been on the ice for just one five-on-five goal had a stent placed in one of his coronary arteries. against. What’s better? Newcomer Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin have yet to surrender a five-on-five goal. Derek Ryan has also not been on the “‘I’m great, everything’s all right, I had a stem put in, I feel great.’ That’s ice for a five-on-five goal against. All of the numbers above are from Claude.” Natural Stat Trick.

The history between the two men is well documented. -I’ll admit, I predicted Mangiapane would lead the team in scoring this year. The Toronto native was third on the team last season with 17 even- They first met more than two decades ago, in 1997, when Hockey strength goals, despite starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone. Canada brought Julien on as the head coach of its under-18 team. His So far he has yet to find the back of the net after filling in for the injured assistant? A former high school teacher named Geoff Ward. While Dillon Dubé on a line with Tkachuk and Lindholm. coaching future NHL stars Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier, the two hit it off. Four years later, Julien brought Ward with him to Hamilton to be -Dubé’s absence from the lineup seems to have had an effect on the his assistant with the AHL’s Bulldogs. The trend would continue when forward unit. The 22-year-old 2018 World Junior gold medal winner had a Julien was hired as the Bruins head coach in 2007, with Ward following fine start to the season, with two points in three games while playing suit as an assistant coach in Boston. alongside Tkachuk and Lindholm and on the second power-play unit. He played just 3:55 against Vancouver, missed the team’s bye week They won hundreds of games together, culminating in the 2011 Stanley practices, and is still listed day-to-day. Cup. - While fans may think players are rather bored on road trips, apparently “I owe him an awful lot,” the 58-year-old Ward said. there is some entertainment. At least in Montreal, the Flames have a ping “He was a really, really good mentor to me. We had a real good time pong table, pool table, and video games. One of the common threads together.” about this Calgary group is that the players are very close. As Ward said, those activities are important in terms of players socializing with one As quick as Ward is to acknowledge Julien’s role in his career, another. Canadiens bench boss is just as effusive in his praise of Ward. -Three weeks ago, I wrote an article that named a few under-the-radar “Geoff’s a really good coach,” the 60-year-old Julien said in a media Calgary players who could have a big impact this season…thinking session this week. beyond the Gaudreaus and Giordanos of the world. Someone in the “He knows the game extremely well. Him being a head coach now is not Flames organization reached out to say that I should have included surprising to me. He’s paid his dues. I’m not surprised how well he’s blueliner Nikita Nesterov on that list. The Russian is paired with young done. He had to take over a team halfway through the season last year Finn Juuso Valimaki and played fairly well so far. Captain Mark Giordano and the team never missed a beat and did well. Deservingly, he was went out of his way to praise the duo as well. extended. Watching his team so far this season, they’ve done well.” TSN.CA LOADED: 01.29.2021 Beyond Julien, Ward forged his own path, winning Coach of the Year honours in both the American Hockey League (2003) and DEL in Germany (2015). The two men have stayed in touch over the years and during the season, Ward glances at how Julien’s teams are doing (and listens to his media Zoom sessions).

“Now that he’s gone to Montreal, you’re keeping tabs with what’s going on with him there and how the team’s doing,” Ward said.

“Obviously with the way the divisions are now, you’re paying attention to it a bit more, but I’m always watching to see how he’s doing and his press conferences, just to stay up to date.”

The two met twice last season when Ward was the Flames’ interim head coach, with Julien getting the better of him on both occasions. Now the full-time head coach, Ward, a father of four, isn’t taking anything for granted – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and just months after his longtime friend had a health scare. 1200857 Websites TSN.CA LOADED: 01.29.2021

TSN.CA / Tkachuk showing signs of reaching full potential

Fiery Flames forward is generating a hefty volume of offence from the wing early this season, Travis Yost writes,

By Travis Yost

Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher – one of the league’s most dangerous weapons out of the low slot – has made a career out of terrorizing goaltenders around the net, using his strength and agility to get position on weaker defenders and generate heaps of scoring chances.

It appears Gallagher’s success is inspiring an analogous player in Calgary.

Matthew Tkachuk, a fiery forward who plays a similar style of interior attacking game as Gallagher, has established himself as a top-six forward in this league. Entering his fifth season, the expectation for Tkachuk was to again carry a heavy piece of the scoring burden for the Flames, hopefully getting back to his wondrous 34-goal campaign from two years ago.

Tkachuk, like Gallagher, tends to create his offence through havoc and chaos. And he is quite effective at it!

If there has been one complaint (well, perhaps one “other” complaint) with Tkachuk’s offence, it’s been about untapped potential. When Tkachuk is at his best he is a pest of the highest order, forcing opposing defences into frenzies and generating scoring chances off rush and rebound opportunities at will.

Through the first four seasons, in particular at even strength, Tkachuk has been a pretty predicable player. He’ll generate about 13 shot attempts and 0.8 goals per 60 minutes of play, a fairly hefty volume of offence from the wing:

This is precisely what you want to see from a top-six forward – a player who generates heavy volumes of offence and scores at reliable and predictable rates.

For frame of reference, Tkachuk’s production before the 2020-21 season puts him in the 75th percentile in goal scoring amongst regular forwards and 85th percentile in shot generation.

One thing you will notice – with the full caveat that we are only two weeks into the 2020-21 regular season – is a massive jump in shot rates for Tkachuk this season.

It looks like an outlier, and perhaps it is for a player of Tkachuk’s skill set. But forwards generating north of 20 shots per 60 minutes of play does happen a handful of times in a given season. These forwards tend to already be productive players who see their team dominate territorially when they are on the ice, opening up added shooting opportunities for teammates.

If we look at the past four seasons as an example, you see a common trend of hyper-aggressive and talented forwards who play on good teams capable of hitting this mark, including the aforementioned Gallagher:

What would a Calgary offence look like if Tkachuk was able to sustain this shot profile, maintaining his prolific scoring touch and adding a significant volume of shots to the ledger? It would look something like this (Tkachuk’s shot profiles year-over-year provided courtesy of HockeyViz):

The biggest question for Tkachuk will be sustainability. One of the interesting early season moves made by head coach Geoff Ward was to split Tkachuk from Mikael Backlund, a duo that’s had success for a few years in Calgary. The Flames have paired up Backlund on a separate line with Sam Bennett, leaving Tkachuk to anchor his line with Elias Lindholm and a rotation of Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube. It’s certainly a different look, and it’s one that’s been a boon for the Calgary second line so far.

It’s still early times in Calgary, but the Flames have to be quite encouraged by the leap taken by Tkachuk so far this season. 1200858 Websites POSSIBLE CANUCKS LINE-UP Miller-Pettersson-Boeser

Pearson-Horvat-Hoglander TSN.CA / Canucks vs Senators Gameday Preview MacEwen-Sutter-Virtanen The Vancouver Canucks look for a three game sweep of the Ottawa Senators when the two teams meet for the third time in four nights at Motte-Beagle-Roussel Rogers Arena. The Canucks are coming off a 5-1 win last night and have outscored the Sens 12-2 in the first two games of this series. Hughes-Benn

Schmidt-Myers

By Jeff Paterson Edler-Chatfield

Holtby

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks (4-5) look for a three game POSSIBLE SENATORS LINE-UP sweep of the Ottawa Senators (1-5-1) when the two teams meet for the Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson third time in four nights at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are coming off a 5-1 win last night and have outscored the Sens 12-2 in the first two Paul-White-Dadonov games of this series. The back to back victories marks the first time this season the Canucks have recorded consecutive wins. Stutzle-Tierney-C. Brown

After a sluggish start in which they surrendered 23 first period shots, the Paquette-Stepan-Watson Canucks turned the game around in the second. JT Miller scored twice Chabot-Zaitsev and added an assist on Elias Pettersson’s power play goal as the Canucks outscored the Sens 3-0 in the middle frame. Miller’s goals were Reilly-Gudbranson his first two of the season. The Lotto Line with Brock Boeser combined J. Brown-Coburn for five points, 12 shots and 19 attempts on the night. Murray Thatcher Demko stopped a season-high 42 shots on the night and turned aside 77 of 79 Ottawa shots over two games. Demko is expected to give TSN.CA LOADED: 01.29.2021 way to Braden Holtby tonight. Holtby has not played since a 5-2 loss to Montreal last Saturday night.

Tyler Motte opened and closed the scoring last night. He has three goals in the past two games and now shares the Canucks team lead in goals with captain Bo Horvat. Both players have five goals through nine games. A career 9.5% shooter, Motte is enjoying a hot run of good luck scoring his five goals on 21 shots (23.8%). With Motte’s contributions, the Canucks now have 11 goals from ‘bottom six’ forwards through the team’s first nine games of the season.

The Canucks got four points from defensemen last night and with 4+20=24 they lead the NHL in scoring from defensemen. Quinn Hughes had a pair of assists and leads the league in individual defensemen scoring with 1+8=9.

While the Canucks offense has come alive against the Sens, there are still issues at the other end of the ice. Last night was the third time in nine games that the team has allowed 40+ shots in a game. Despite holding Ottawa to one goal in each of the last two games, the Canucks are still 29th in the NHL in goals against per game (3.89) and 31st in shots allowed (37.1).

The Sens are looking to snap a six-game winless skid (0-5-1) during which they’ve been outscored 29-11. Since squandering a 3-2 third period lead in Winnipeg on Saturday, the team has been outscored 16-2. Josh Norris had Ottawa’s lone goal last night on a first period power play. Brady Tkachuk picked up an assist and he and Norris now share the team lead in scoring with Nikita Zaitsev. All three players have five points.

It’s been a tough go for defenseman Mike Reilly and rookie forward Tim Stutzle in Vancouver. The Canucks have scored 10 even-strength goals and one short-handed marker over the past two games. Reilly and Stutzle have been on the ice for six of those 11 while veteran forward Derek Stepan has been on for five.

Matt Murray is expected to return to the Ottawa net after backing up Marcus Hogberg last night. Murray made 28 saves and allowed all seven goals in Monday’s 7-1 loss. He is 1-3-1 on the season with a 4.47 GAA and 86.2% save percentage.

Defenseman Christian Wolanin left last night’s game midway through the second period and did not return. That will likely prompt at least one line- up change for coach DJ Smith tonight. Josh Brown was a healthy scratch last night after playing on Monday. He could draw back in for the Senators.

After tonight, the Canucks embark on a six-game road trip starting in Winnipeg on Saturday while the Sens move on to Edmonton for a pair of games before finishing their seven-game road run in Montreal. 1200859 Websites

USA TODAY / Los Angeles Kings defensemen Matt Roy, Sean Walker leave game after scary injuries vs. Minnesota Wild

Mike Brehm

Thursday night's Kings-Wild game got off to a physical start as Minnesota's Marcus Foligno and Los Angeles' Kurtis MacDermid dropped the gloves off the opening faceoff.

It ended badly for the Kings as they lost two defensemen to scary-looking injuries during the 5-3 loss.

"Emotionally, it takes a lot out of a team to see two teammates leave like that," Kings coach Todd McLellan said after the game.

Matt Roy had to be helped off the ice in the second period when he was checked from behind by Minnesota forward Kevin Fiala.

Fiala shoved the defenseman as they chased a loose puck and Roy fell head first into the boards. Fiala received a five-game boarding major and a game misconduct, and could face supplemental discipline.

During the third period, the Kings' Sean Walker left the game after he was hit in the face by a slap shot from Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba. He was bleeding as he skated bent over toward the bench, was examined and then helped to the dressing room. Dumba checked on him before he left.

"I feel so bad about that," a shaken Dumba said after the game. "It's got to be one of the worst shots I've taken in my career. ... I've got to go apologize after this."

Neither defenseman returned and McLellan said they were being looked at by doctors.

"I hope they'll be able to travel home with us, but obviously two very unfortunate incidents in the game, and not something you want to see in the game at all," he said. "But I think they're going to be OK eventually."

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USA TODAY / Capitals teammates mob Zdeno Chara, 43, after he scores his first Washington goal

Mike Brehm

One of the NHL's biggest offseason surprises was when 14-year captain Zdeno Chara left the Boston Bruins and signed a one-year, $795,000 deal with the Washington Capitals.

His new teammates are truly appreciative.

Just look at the reaction after he scored his first goal with the Capitals on Thursday night against the New York Islanders.

Chara, 43, received a pass from defenseman Justin Schultz and the 6-9 defenseman and five-time winner of the hardest shot competition ripped a shot past Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 1:30 left in the second period.

Rather than getting the usual fist bump at the Capitals bench, Chara was mobbed by his teammates.

The goal gave the Capitals a 5-3 lead in a game they once trailed 3-0. They won 6-3.

They roared back despite missing forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov, who were in COVID-19 protocol for a fourth game. The Capitals are 3-0-1 in their absence.

"We came out in the second with a lot more urgency in our game," Chara told NBC Sports Washington after the game. "We started to play a lot more physical, a lot more kind of on-our-toes hockey and we started to put pucks in the net."

Chara won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins, but the team told him it wanted to work in more time for their younger defensemen. So he signed with the Capitals.

Boston will come to Washington on Saturday.

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USA TODAY / NHL debate: Which team's hot start to 2021 season isn't a fluke?

Jace Evans Mike Brehm Jimmy Hascup

The start of every NHL season is sure to bring surprises. Some teams get off to unexpected hot starts. Teams that were pegged to contend can sometimes stumble out of the gate.

Less than 10 games in, we're very much still in the "small sample size" portion of the season. Some hot starters will inevitably come crashing back to Earth. Some slow-starting squads will shake off the rust and soon kick it into high gear.

But some of what we're seeing is real, too.

With that in mind, our question this week is: Which team's hot start to the 2021 NHL season isn't a fluke?

Vegas Golden Knights: The Golden Knights entered the year as a Stanley Cup contender and the early returns on their season (5-1-1, first in the West Division) have not disappointed. (Of note, four of seven games were against the Arizona Coyotes.) They rank in the top half of the league in scoring and goals against. Mark Stone is looking like a very, very early MVP candidate (two goals, 11 points), Max Pacioretty is tied for the league lead in goals (six) and Shea Theodore has seven points in seven games, good for third in the league among defensemen. Vegas was set to play its second game in a row Thursday with general manager Kelly McCrimmon behind the bench because the coaching staff is self-isolating “out of an abundance of caution” after someone on the staff tested positive for COVID-19. However, the game was postponed. -- Jimmy Hascup

Montreal Canadiens: The Habs and Washington Capitals are the only teams that have played more than three games and have yet to lose in regulation. The early key for Montreal? The highest-scoring offense in the NHL (4.89 goals per game), paced by shrewd free agent acquisition Tyler Toffoli (five goals, three assists in six games). Now the Canadiens probably won't score nearly five goals a game the whole season ... but it certainly doesn't seem like their scoring is going to dry up completely. Montreal has the benefit of playing this season exclusively against its fellow Canadian teams, the worst of which – Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver – generally look like a mess on defense and the best of which – Toronto and Winnipeg – are hardly known as shutdown units. Factor in that Carey Price probably isn't going to post a sub-.900 save percentage all season ... it seems likely we'll be seeing Montreal in the postseason. -- Jace Evans

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Winnipeg Jets: It’s rare to see three unhappy players as part of one trade, but the Jets’ deal with the Blue Jackets could help Winnipeg build on its 5-2 start. Newcomer Pierre-Luc Dubois, whose father is on the Manitoba Moose’s coaching staff, will give the Jets solid depth at center with Mark Scheifele and Paul Stastny once he clears quarantine. Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic are gone in the trade, but Laine was hurt and Roslovic was unsigned. Resurgent Nikolaj Ehlers and breakout Andrew Copp join Blake Wheeler and Scheifele in leading the NHL's second- ranked (goals per game) offense. With reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in net, the Jets could make some noise in the North Division.

-- Mike Brehm

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