SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 10/12/17 Columbus Blue Jackets 1077611 Ducks have a breakthrough with a first-period , then 1077644 Blue Jackets: Jordan Schroeder back at practice after hang on concussion 1077612 Ducks' Patrick Eaves could return Wednesday night 1077645 Blue Jackets: Milano makes mark with flurry of goals to against Islanders start season 1077613 John Gibson stifles Islanders early and late to preserve Ducks win 1077614 Ducks honor O.C. residents affected by Las Vegas 1077646 can pass Islanders' Al Arbour on the shooting all-time wins list, and that makes him sad 1077615 Ducks Notes: Team feels more whole as more players 1077647 Heika: My read on why is off to a slow start return, approach return this Stars season 1077616 Ducks to honor O.C. residents affected by Las Vegas 1077648 How the Dallas Stars are trying to make their speed and shooting youth pieces fit the team puzzle 1077617 Ducks Gameday: Patrick Eaves latest piece added to their 1077649 Why the Dallas Stars' slow start shouldn't concern you puzzle 1077650 Red Wings: Man not banned for hurling octopus in Little 1077618 Arizona Coyotes still getting acclimated to changes, seek Caesars Arena 1st win 1077651 Detroit Red Wings' fear of face-off violations hurting 1077619 ‘Yotes Notes: Perlini lands on IR, Etem recalled possession game 1077652 Detroit Red Wings vs. Arizona Coyotes: How to watch tonight's game 1077620 Bruins get buried in Colorado 1077653 Wings: Octopus-tossing fan not banned from LCA 1077621 Bruins’ forward lines still under construction 1077654 Wings look tentative in the faceoff circle 1077622 Bruins notebook: still not ready to return 1077655 Red Wings: Octopus toss hasn't resulted in lifetime ban for 1077623 Bruins can’t overcome bad start in falling to Colorado fan 1077624 Andrighetto scores twice, Avalanche beat Bruins 6-3 1077625 Bruins road trip starts with loss to Avalanche Oilers 1077626 No Patrice Bergeron as Bruins visit Avalanche tonight 1077656 discovering this NHL season is shaping 1077627 Bruins drop second straight to Avalanche, 6-3 up to be harder than the last 1077628 Heinen ready to show he still rates as a B's prospect 1077657 Coach puts slumping Edmonton Oilers through gruelling 1077629 Marchand looking to turn early-season frustration around practice 1077658 Oilers put through gruelling practice by coach McLellan 1077630 Sam Reinhart moves back to wing as Sabres shuffle lines 1077631 Sabres Notebook: San Jose first stop on West Coast trip 1077659 Mike Matheson provides the Panthers with talent and 1077632 From the other coast, Sharks' Couture impressed by Bills' brains defense 1077660 Panthers' defensive pairings show early promise; Luongo to face Blues Flames 1077661 Preview: Panthers vs. Blues, 7:30 p.m., Thursday 1077633 Coach wants better effort despite OT victory in Los Angeles 1077634 Jagr makes debut with Flames 1077662 Kings will honor former broadcaster Bob Miller with a 1077635 Jaromir Jagr makes his debut in Los Angeles tonight, on statue outside Staples Center line with Bennett, Versteeg 1077663 Kings lose lead in third period and Flames win in overtime 1077664 L.A. Kings to honor Bob Miller with statue outside Staples Center 1077636 Canes had only 7,892 fans at Columbus game. Here’s the 1077665 Flames hand L.A. Kings first loss of season in painful Canes’ attendance strategy. fashion 1077666 Practice Notes: Playing with Pace, Trusting Current Configurations 1077637 Connor Murphy's surprising scratch shows new dynamic 1077667 Miller honored at City Hall; statue to be unveiled on Bob in Blackhawks defense Miller Appreciation Day 1077638 Now with Wolves, ex-Blackhawks C Brandon Pirri fights to 1077668 Legends Nights to honor Tiger Williams, Felix Potvin, Mark return to NHL Hardy 1077639 Nick Schmaltz’s importance highlighted by his absence 1077669 Game 3: Los Angeles vs Calgary 1077640 Five reasons behind the Blackhawks' hot start 1077670 October 11 postgame quotes: John Stevens 1077641 Three Things to WATCH: Blackhawks battle Wild in 1077671 Clifford leaves game with upper-body injury, does not Central Division showdown return 1077672 October 11 postgame quotes: Kopitar, Brown 1077673 October 11 postgame quotes: Calgary 1077642 Avalanche hang on to beat Bruins in home opener at 1077674 October 12 postgame notes Pepsi Center 1077643 Nail Yakupov glad to be in Colorado with Avalanche 1077675 Minnesota Wild making some tweaks without Zach Parise 1077712 Why Dave Hakstol's challenge was risky business for and Mikael Granlund Flyers 1077676 Wild's Chris Stewart keeps scoring in style 1077713 Flyers send Samuel Morin to Phantoms 1077677 Wild-Blackhawks gameday preview 1077714 Five observations from the Flyers' loss to Nashville 1077678 Why don’t the Wild have a fourth line? That’s the $200,000 1077715 10 observations from Flyers' season-opening 4-game road question trip 1077679 Wild know archrival Chicago Blackhawks are still the team 1077717 Questionable calls, challenge lead to Flyers' 'frustrating' to beat loss to Predators 1077718 Road trip showed Flyers’ potential and tested resolve Canadiens 1077680 Canadiens' to host children in Bell suite 1077719 Patric Hornqvist's return fuels Penguins to win over 1077681 Canadiens relegate winger Alex Galchenyuk to fourth-line Capitals duties 1077720 Penguins notebook: Patric Hornqvist plays for first time 1077682 Stu Cowan: Alex DeBrincat rubs some salt in Canadiens' since scoring clincher wounds 1077721 Rob Rossi: Penguins' Sidney Crosby deserved better from 1077683 Canadiens Notebook: Alex Galchenyuk demoted to fourth 'hockey people' line at practice 1077722 Penguins' Sidney Crosby says Matt Niskanen reached out 1077684 Analyze This: Despite Canadiens’ slow start, there are after playoff cross-check reasons for optimism 1077723 Penguins seem to downplay Trump White House visit online 1077724 Penguins get downright defensive in win over Caps 1077685 Nashville Predators home opener: 5 things to remember 1077725 Penguins power play too much for -prone Caps 1077686 Predators' Scott Hartnell rejuvenated by return to 1077726 Alex Ovechkin is back and ready to torment the Penguins Nashville 1077727 Penguins amped for a potential Patric Hornqvist return 1077687 Derek Mason, Eric Decker, Mattias Ekholm on Nashville's Most Beautiful People list 1077688 Mike Fisher settling in to life after retirement, Predators 1077728 Major Bay Area sports teams donate $450,000 to North Bay fire relief 1077729 Five thoughts: are Sharks’ DeBoer, Wilson on the same 1077689 How Devils will handle test against Maple Leafs page regarding Hertl’s role? 1077690 How worried was Devils' Kyle Palmieri about knee injury? 1077730 After 19 years in San Jose, Marleau keeping some 1077691 What can help Devils' No. 1 pick Nico Hischier make NHL traditions alive in transition? Auston Matthews says ... 1077731 Bay Area pro sports teams unite to donate $450K for 1077692 New Jersey Devils vs. : LIVE score North Bay fire relief efforts updates and chat (10/11/17) 1077732 After stale start, Sharks have the need for Heed 1077693 Bizarre 3-on-5 goal helps Devils beat Leafs, remain unbeaten | Rapid reaction St Louis Blues 1077694 How Miles Wood responded to return to Devils' lineup 1077733 Preview: Blues at Florida Panthers 1077695 Devils' Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Oct. 11 1077734 Hochman: Excitement about SLU basketball dims with 1077696 Devils pass the test with 6-3 win over Maple Leafs closed doors 1077697 Game 3 Live Blog: Devils beat Maple Leafs, 6-3 1077735 Blues aren't letting injuries slow them down 1077698 Devils 6, Maple Leafs 3: Post-game observations 1077699 Devils score rarest of short-handed goals, win battle of unbeatens 1077736 The Penguins' three-peat quest comes to Tampa today 1077737 Penguins prepare for Lightning with win over Capitals 1077700 Islanders fall despite putting 41 shots on goal Toronto Maple Leafs 1077701 Islanders’ Mathew Barzal attributes growth to former 1077738 Speedy Devils hand Maple Leafs their first loss of the coach Steve Konowalchuk season 1077702 Brock Nelson scores twice, but Isles fall short in Anaheim 1077739 Devils, Schneider hand Leafs first loss of season 1077740 ’s focus is on health and Leafs’ success, not contract 1077703 Vigneault’s experiments have only led to Rangers 1077741 Matthews and Hischier go head to head in battle of No. 1s confusion as Leafs host Devils 1077704 J.T. Miller is filling one hole for the Rangers but leaving 1077742 Devils’ Nico Hischier trying not to compare himself with the another previous No. 1, Auston Matthews 1077705 nearing a return for Rangers 1077743 Devils give Maple Leafs taste of their own medicine 1077744 Lack of effort from Leafs irks Babcock Senators 1077745 Leafs tip hat to Golden Knights 1077706 Warren: Another Swede logs Karlsson-type minutes in 1077746 Babcock says Maple Leafs' goal barrage won't last 1077747 Leafs vs. Devils: No. 1s Matthews, Hischier set to go 1077707 Snapshots: Senators will only keep 'kids' if they play head-to-head 1077708 Dorion confident he'll sign Turris 1077709 Karlsson to stay in Ottawa, may return to Senators lineup next week 1077710 Senators' Formenton and Brown won’t sit in press box for long 1077711 Senators earn 400th road win with SO victory over Canucks Jets 1077764 A better Brock Boeser looks poised for regular-season 1077760 Big Buff catches big fish while nursing small injury Canucks debut 1077761 Coach has no problem with injured Jets going fishing 1077762 Hellebuyck rewarded with second start in a row 1077748 Deryk Engelland’s goal a transcendent moment for Golden 1077763 Nichols expects to wear modified glove on throwing hand Knights 1077749 Golden Knights cherish memories of victory, pregame ceremony SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1077750 The one phone call that set the Golden Knights’ emotional tribute in motion 1077751 ‘A moment we’ve been waiting for’: Golden Knights fans turn out in droves for home opener 1077752 Capitals-Penguins redux ends with another Washington loss 1077753 Caps defenseman Christian Djoos to make NHL debut against Penguins 1077754 Capitals fall, again, to Penguins in first rematch since playoff series 1077755 Sidney Crosby knocks Braden Holtby over, does not get a penalty 1077756 3 bold predictions: Expect a feisty night in Washington 1077757 moves Aaron Ness...to the right 1077758 After a hot start, Alex Ovechkin signs with CCM 1077759 Christian Djoos to make NHL debut, replaces Chorney against rival Penguins Websites 1077765 The Athletic / LeBrun: and talk sharing information, what makes a good coach and managi 1077766 The Athletic / Bourne: A look at the Wild's “loose” play so far, and why it'll likely get better 1077767 The Athletic / The Gifted: Carl Grundstrom and the art of getting pucks on net 1077768 The Athletic / Hot Take-O-Meter: Exploring and grading the finest hot takes after one week of hockey 1077769 The Athletic / Pronman: Grading the 2014 NHL draft class 1077770 The Athletic / Team USA hockey women train, bond during long Olympic centralization 1077771 ESPN / Longtime Las Vegas resident Deryk Engelland delivers goal, and hope, in Golden Knights' home opener 1077772 .ca / New-look Devils humble Maple Leafs for first loss of season 1077773 Sportsnet.ca / Mitch Marner: ‘Wildflower’ will help Leafs 1077774 Sportsnet.ca / Why Leafs’ Patrick Marleau sticks by dated two-piece stick 1077775 Sportsnet.ca / Did Sidney Crosby deserve penalty for hitting Braden Holtby? 1077776 Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Why new arena means everything for Islanders 1077777 Sportsnet.ca / How sixth-rounder Bratt ‘came out of nowhere’ to excel with Devils 1077778 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens’ Jonathan Drouin launches program for underprivileged youth 1077779 Sportsnet.ca / Down Goes Brown: 10 things we’ve learned so far in the NHL 1077780 Sportsnet.ca / Jagr’s Flames debut is reason for hockey fans everywhere to celebrate 1077782 Sportsnet.ca / Canucks fans’ love of Burrows rooted in how we choose our heroes 1077783 TSN.CA / Unbeaten Devils end Maple Leafs’ perfect start 1077784 TSN.CA / Leafs’ van Riemsdyk trying to ignore contract chatter 1077785 TSN.CA / Neal's scoring keys Knights' golden start 1077786 TSN.CA / Leafs not taking upstart Devils lightly 1077787 TSN.CA / How the Penguins avoided politics in Washington 1077788 TSN.CA / 'It's called winning, right Sidney?' 1077789 TSN.CA / Penguins: White House visit not about politics 1077790 USA TODAY / Vegas Golden Knights make history with big win in emotional home opener 1077791 USA TODAY / Longtime Las Vegas resident Deryk Engelland delivers in Golden Knights' home opener 1077611 Anaheim Ducks in Route 91 Harvest, the name of the country musical festival where the shooting took place.

LA Times: LOADED: 10.12.2017 Ducks have a breakthrough with a first-period goal, then hang on

Mike Coppinger

They needed four games, but the Ducks finally were the first ones on the board. And it only took 37 seconds this time after Andrew Cogliano collected a Josh Manson rebound and it past Jaroslav Halak. It still wasn’t the start Ducks coach Randy Carlyle was hoping for after the New York Islanders outshot the Ducks 21-6 in the opening period. But John Gibson kept his team in the game with 20 saves in the first period (39 overall), and the Ducks defeated the Islanders 3-2 Wednesday in front of 14,553 at Honda Center. The Ducks welcomed back Patrick Eaves, who made his season debut after sitting out the preseason because of a lower-body injury. The winger’s return meant the Ducks finally had their top line intact, with Ryan Getzlaf centering Eaves on the left and Corey Perry on the right. Eaves paid dividends with a third-period one-timer off a nifty behind-the- net pass from Manson, who picked up two assists, that beat Halak short side to make it 3-1. Eaves also took his rightful spot on the top power-play unit, and after 15 tries, the Ducks are still looking for their first such goal. They thought the drought was over after Derek Grant tipped in a Brandon Montour slapper, but Islanders coach Doug Weight successfully challenged that the third-period play was offside. “We scored a goal, we were just offside, inches away,” said Eaves, who produced a career-best 32 goals last season. “We’re getting guys back now. I thought we did some good things moving the puck [on the power play]. Getzy was shooting, so that’s great for us down at the net. We’ll keep working on it.” Getzlaf recorded two assists two nights after he acknowledged his game was rusty. And the team’s No. 2 center, Rickard Rakell, continued his strong play with a deflection on a Cam Fowler blast for the Ducks’ second goal. He also had a team-high five shots after he led the Ducks in that category with seven in Monday’s loss to the . “We knew we didn’t play up to our potential. Going into the locker room in a tied game, it was still a good feeling for us that we had a tied game,” said Rakell, who centers Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg. “We knew we could play so much better. “It was a good response from the whole team going forward after the first period. We managed to push them back a little bit and put some pressure on them.” One of these nights, the Ducks won’t have to regroup after a shaky first period. But until then, they can thank Gibson for keeping them in the game. The No. 1 line is back. Slowly but surely, the Ducks are returning to health, and now they head to Colorado on Friday for their first trip of the season sitting at five points in the Pacific Division. Considering the way they’ve started games, they’ll take it. Anaheim salutes Las Vegas One night after the Vegas Golden Knights played their first home game and saluted the victims and first responders of the mass shooting, the Ducks also gave a tribute. They welcomed 20 heroes and victims from the shooting, all from Orange County. Like Jonathan Smith, who was credited with saving 30 lives and took two bullets in the process, one to an arm and one to the neck. The group was recognized during the second period with a standing ovation from the crowd. Afterward, they were greeted by players, including Getzlaf, and had the opportunity to have their new Ducks sweaters signed. Each of them received a custom jersey with their last name stitched on the back and a number of their choice. The most popular option? 91, as 1077612 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks' Patrick Eaves could return Wednesday night against Islanders

Mike Coppinger

The Ducks could have another top-six forward back in the fold. Patrick Eaves, who was sidelined for the team’s first three games this season, practiced Wednesday and could make his 2017 debut Wednesday night against the New York Islanders. Eaves skated on the top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf (who returned Monday) and Corey Perry. “I guess I don’t really have any expectations,” said Eaves, who missed most of training camp and the entire preseason with a lower-body injury. “I’ll see how I feel tonight and go from there — just go out there and win. I felt great coming into camp. Mentally, it was a little frustrating, but we’re at the end of it. It’s good now.” The 33-year-old scored 11 goals (14 points) in 20 games after coming over from Dallas in a trade deadline deal in February. Following a career campaign with 32 goals and 51 points, Eaves signed a three-year, $9.45 million deal during the offseason to stay in Anaheim. The Ducks have struggled to generate offense, but with Getzlaf back and Eaves’ return imminent, perhaps those problems will be washed away. , who was sidelined the last two games with a lower-body injury, also practiced. Missing, though, was winger Ondrej Kase, who exited Monday’s loss to the Flames with a head injury. LA Times: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077613 Anaheim Ducks “We got the win,” Eaves said. “That was perfect. We found a way after not a great start for us. But Gibby played great in the first. I thought it was a good night. We played a good hockey team and we got two points. So John Gibson stifles Islanders early and late to preserve Ducks win we’ll take it.” Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.12.2017 By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register

ANAHEIM — Patrick Eaves immediately found his scoring touch, Rickard Rakell kept his and John Gibson kept the New York Islanders from doing so when the game could have gotten away from the Ducks and when it hung in the balance. The three were among those who played key roles Wednesday night in the Ducks’ 3-2 victory over the Islanders at Honda Center to wrap up their season-opening homestand with five out of a possible eight points to bank in their account. Rakell snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period and Eaves added a necessary insurance goal early in the third. Andrew Cogliano also had a goal and an assist, while Ryan Getzlaf and Josh Manson each had two assists to back Gibson’s 39-save effort. The Ducks (2-1-1) answered a ragged first period with a vastly improved second and got Rakell’s neat deflection of Cam Fowler’s shot out of it. Eaves then took a pass from Manson one-timed a shot that got through Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak, who stopped 27 shots. Eaves had missed all of training camp because of a lower-body injury and his addition to fill out the top line with Getzlaf and Corey Perry proved essential. “It was a big play,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “Manson made the rush and then went behind the net. But Eaves got himself in position and he scored a shooter’s goal. He got a release there and shot the puck and found a way to get by Halak. “Those are the kind of goals that those level of players are supposed to score and he does score.” Said Eaves: “To be honest, I just shot it as hard as I could. I wasn’t really aiming. I didn’t have a great angle. But Mans laid a flat puck out there for me so I could get a lot on it.” The first period was one to forget for the Ducks and they felt fortunate to get out of it with a 1-1 tie after Cogliano put in a rebound just 37 seconds in. New York often camped out in the offensive zone, with the Ducks either failing to get the puck out or leaving their zone early without it. At one point, the Islanders had a 14-2 shot advantage. The period ended with a 21-6 total but Gibson kept it at a tie, only allowing Brock Nelson’s first of two goals and stopping everything else in sight. Carlyle bemoaned the Ducks’ slow start even as Cogliano’s goal – the first time they’ve tallied first in their four games – gave them their first lead since the final 3:30 of the season opener. “We’re going to have to find another formula as far as trying to stimulate our group from the start of the game,” the coach said. If there’s one player who has started on time each game, it’s Gibson. “He keeps us in the game a lot of times when we’re not really ready from the start,” Rakell said. “He’s making some huge stops. It’s a good feeling, especially when I’m playing center now and I’m trying to think a little bit more about defensive responsibilities. “To have someone like him behind me, it keeps me confident playing in our own zone.” Nelson popped the Ducks’ good-feeling balloon 2½ minutes later with a shot off the right wing that Gibson would have wanted another chance to stop after it got by him on the short side. It was Gibson’s only mistake on the night and one of a few that he has made in his four starts. The Ducks nearly restored their two-goal lead. Journeyman center Derek Grant nearly had his first goal in his 90th NHL game when he deflected in Brandon Montour’s point shot. And it nearly became the Ducks’ first power-play goal after 15 prior chances with the man advantage. Except Islanders coach Doug Weight challenged the scoring play on the grounds that Grant was offside entering the offensive zone to begin the sequence. The challenge paid off as Grant’s skate was in the air as the Ducks moved the puck in and they were back to protecting a slim one- goal edge. And they did that with aplomb. They’d like more leads to protect as they open up their road slate Friday at Colorado before coming back for more home cooking. 1077614 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks honor O.C. residents affected by Las Vegas shooting

By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register

ANAHEIM — At their game against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Honda Center, the Ducks recognized 20 Orange County residents who were either injured at the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas or first responders to the tragic event. Many from Southern California were among the 58 murdered and 489 injured by a lone gunman in a Mandalay Bay hotel room who took aim at a large crowd attending the outdoor country music festival. An announced crowd of 14,553 gave a standing ovation to those sitting in a Ducks-provided suite during a timeout in the second period. Buena Park resident Jonathan Smith was one of those recognized as he attended his first Ducks home game. “I’ve been a fan since they were the Mighty Ducks,” Smith said. “Growing up it was hard for my parents. But it would never stop me. I’ve always been a Ducks fan. It doesn’t matter. Even if the Kings are right down the road. The Ducks are my team. This is my team.” Smith, 30, attended the festival with other family members when the shots rang out while country music star Jason Aldean was performing. A father of three, Smith went into the terrified crowd and did what he could to usher people to safety. Asked why he did that instead of a natural instinct to run and find a protective space, Smith said, “Honestly, I don’t know. I really don’t know. “I feel like once I got my nieces and them to safety across the way – I really don’t know what made me decide to let them go,” Smith continued. “It could have been all the screams that I heard. Other people that I saw were pinned down. I really don’t know. “I kind of feel like if I was in that same situation, I would have wanted someone to come back for me as well.” Credited with saving 30 lives, Smith was hit twice by bullets. One hit his left arm and it has him wearing a sling. The other hit near his neck and doctors have been hesitant to remove it, not wanting to risk further damage. Still, Smith felt honored that the Ducks went out of their way to recognize him and the fellow victims and initial responders to the horrific scene. “They didn’t have to do anything like this at all, at least to this level,” he said. “They could have just sent me a card or a jersey just to say ‘Hey, thank you.’ But for them to do this, on this night. It’s really a blessing.” In the aftermath, Smith has resisted being called a hero for his actions. “I’ve been hearing it for a while,” he said. “I can describe heroic in many different ways. From our men in the military to our local law enforcement, fire department. I just think that what I did – anybody would have done it in that situation.” Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077615 Anaheim Ducks Those were his only points until scoring in the second period Wednesday night. Asked to offer an early critique of Rakell’s play in the middle, Carlyle came back with mixed feelings. Ducks Notes: Team feels more whole as more players return, approach “I would say that he’s still a work in progress,” Carlyle said. “Raks shows return that in some situations how dynamic he can be and in other situations, I think there’s still a learning curve to be around the puck more and be stronger on it in certain situations.” By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.12.2017

ANAHEIM — Sami Vatanen has had a choice seat when it comes to watching the Ducks work with that they’ve got and what they don’t. Who they’re starting to get back is what he feels will make a major difference. “It’s a good sign that everybody starts to be healthy a little bit at a time so we can just do our things and go win some games,” said Vatanen, who himself is getting close to game duty after a full recovery from off-season shoulder surgery. The Ducks are starting to look like the team they anticipated having when they gathered in the middle of September. Ryan Getzlaf made his season debut Sunday after missing time due to a lower-body injury and Patrick Eaves joined in for his first Wednesday when the Ducks took on the New York Islanders. Eaves missed the entire exhibition schedule with a lower-body injury that left him disappointed in being very limited throughout training camp. Having the winger back not only gives the Ducks a complete top line with Getzlaf and Corey Perry but adds a veteran with power-play acumen down low. “I felt great coming into camp,” Eaves said. “Things happen. It doesn’t go as you planned. Mentally, it was a little frustrating but we’re at the end of it. So it’s good now.” As far as available personnel, the Ducks are still not all the way there. The forward lineup continues to lack in depth as Nick Ritchie missed a third consecutive game with a lower-body injury while Ondrej Kase sat out Wednesday as he deals with a head injury suffered Monday when checked by Calgary’s Dougie Hamilton. But the defense corps figures to be at full strength before the end of October. Vatanen said he won’t join the Ducks on their quick one-game jaunt to Colorado but that will give him added days to potentially target home games against Buffalo and Montreal next week. Lindholm is in a similar position with his recovery and if next week remains a bit soon, it is all but certain that he and Vatanen will return to the blue line for the Ducks’ first significant trip in two weeks. Barring any setbacks, the two will beat the Nov. 1 return date that Ducks general manager Bob Murray stated at the start of camp. “Of course, we have a good team here who’s taking care of us to tell us what to do and take it easy,” Vatanen said. “That’s the main thing. You can’t rush it too hard right now when it’s a long season ahead of us. We both want to be healthy when the playoff starts.” Lindholm is also being patient. “We want everyone back as soon as possible,” he said. “But obviously when guys come back, you want to be healthy and be able to play all year. Me and Sami, we just try to work to get to that point where we can get in and help the team win hockey games.” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle knew back in the early part of summer that his team would be shorthanded to open the season. He isn’t asking for sympathy. Nor is he expecting any. “We’re not any different than any other team,” Carlyle said. “Everybody has to deal with injuries through the course of the season. We know that’s going to happen. We know that’s part of the reality in the NHL. “For us, it happened right out of the gate. We’ve missed two very important defensemen and a big-time center in our lineup. But, again, other people now have an opportunity. When somebody isn’t available to you, other people get an opportunity to be elevated in the lineup or come into the lineup.” MIDDLE MAN Three games are a very small sample size and that holds true for Rickard Rakell as he adjusts back to being a full-time center. Rakell is logging lots of ice time – he’s averaging 22 minutes compared to 17-plus last season – and had a three-point game in the season opener. 1077616 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks to honor O.C. residents affected by Las Vegas shooting

By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register

ANAHEIM – At their game against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night at Honda Center, the Ducks will recognize 17 Orange County residents who were either injured at the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas or first responders to the tragic event. Many from Southern California were among the 58 murdered and 489 injured by a lone gunman in a Mandalay Bay hotel room who took aim at a large crowd attending the outdoor country music festival. The Ducks will recognize the 17 individuals in a Honda Center suite during a television timeout in the first period. The group will also meet the Ducks players after the contest. Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077617 Anaheim Ducks “They’re playing the type of game that’s a puck-moving, defenseman- involved, four-man rush – trying to play a fast game like everybody is,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “We know what type of hockey club Ducks Gameday: Patrick Eaves latest piece added to their puzzle they have. They’ve got a very mobile back end. They’ve got lots of skill and speed up front.

“We have to be at the top of our game, that’s for sure.” By ERIC STEPHENS | [email protected] | Orange County Register Here is the projected lineup for the Islanders:

Anders Lee--Jordan Eberle ANAHEIM — Slowly but surely, the Ducks are beginning to look like a complete unit. Andrew Ladd-Mathew Barzal- Two nights after Ryan Getzlaf came back from injury to make his season Nikolay Kulemin-Brock Nelson-Jason Chimera debut, Patrick Eaves is expected to suit up for the Ducks on Wednesday Anthony Beauvillier-Casey Cizikas-Joshua Ho-Sang night when they take on the New York Islanders at Honda Center to end their four-game homestand. Nick Leddy-Johnny Boychuk An unspecified lower-body injury kept Eaves from participating with the Calvin de Haan-Adam Pelech team in training camp and any of its seven exhibition games. The oft- injured winger was glad to keep his regular-season absence to the first Thomas Hickey-Scott Mayfield three contests. Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.12.2017 “You never want to miss any games,” Eaves said. “You just try to minimize the games missed and jump in with everyone else.” Eaves had 11 goals in 20 games with the Ducks (1-1-1) last season after they acquired him from Dallas days ahead of the NHL trade deadline. He’ll play left wing on the top line with Getzlaf and Corey Perry and his know-how in finding pucks in front of the net could boost a power play that’s gone 0 for 11. The winger had expressed frustration with being sidelined the entire camp but is happy to reach the endpoint of his recovery. “We had a lot of guys out,” Eaves said. “It was good for other guys to step up, which they did. Everyone’s been playing hard. Hopefully we can just kind of jump in as we get healthy and do the good things everyone’s doing.” John Gibson (1-1-1, 3.05 GAA, .906 save percentage) has started each game thus far and is coming off a 27-save effort in a 2-0 loss to Calgary. has been backing up while recovers from an upper-body injury but Miller has started practiced with the team and could soon become available. Nick Ritchie (lower body) also skated Wednesday morning and appears ready to play after missing the last two games. The Ducks won’t have Ondrej Kase, who suffered a head injury Monday after being checked by Calgary defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Kase has a goal and an assist in three games. It isn’t clear if Chris Wagner or Jared Boll will remain in the lineup with Eaves and Ritchie both coming back. Wagner and Boll have played in each of the first three contests. Here is the potential lineup for the Ducks: Patrick Eaves-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry Andrew Cogliano-Rickard Rakell-Jakob Silfverberg Nick Ritchie-Antoine Vermette-Chris Wagner/Jared Boll Dennis Rasmussen-Derek Grant-Logan Shaw Cam Fowler-Josh Manson Francois Beauchemin-Brandon Montour Korbinian Holzer-Kevin Bieksa The Islanders (1-1-1) start a four-game trip during which they’ll take on the three California teams and then fly back to New York to face the rival Rangers before returning home to Brooklyn. Jaroslav Halak (1-0-0, 2.05 GAA, .925 save percentage) gets his second start as he’s back in a time share with . Halak relieved Greiss in a season-opening loss at Columbus before stopping 26 of 29 shots in a 6-3 win over Buffalo. The veteran goalie is 8-5-0 against the Ducks with a 2.61 goals-against average. Doug Weight is in his first full season as Islanders coach. Weight, who spent part of the 2007-08 season with the Ducks, went 20-12-4 last season after taking over for the fired Jack Capuano. John Tavares and Casey Cizikas each have two goals and assist over the first three games to lead New York. Jordan Eberle has two assists in his first three games with the Islanders after they got him in a trade with Edmonton for Ryan Strome. Eberle had five 20-goal seasons in his seven with the Oilers. 1077618 Arizona Coyotes “Some guys are doing one thing; some other guys are doing other stuff out there instead of playing as a five-man unit and helping each other out there,” defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “I think we just have to get Arizona Coyotes still getting acclimated to changes, seek 1st win on the same page, and I think it’ll be easier to play if we start doing that.” Thursday's game Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports Published 5:59 p.m. MT Oct. 11, 2017 Red Wings at Coyotes When: 7 p.m. After another swing-and-miss at securing their first win of the season, the Where: Gila River Arena. Coyotes went back to the drawing board Wednesday. TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona/KTAR-AM (620). Literally. Outlook: The Red Wings had their two-game win streak to open the The team gathered on the ice in front of the white board stuck to the season snapped Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to the Stars on the road. Before boards inside Gila River Arena as coach Rick Tocchet strategized with a then, Detroit had outlasted Minnesota 4-2 and edged Ottawa 2-1 in marker in hand. overtime. Defenseman Mike Green leads the Red Wings in points with six – all assists – while wingers Anthony Mantha and Martin Frk each And despite the 0-2-1 start, Tocchet’s message on the brink of Try No. 4 have a team-high two goals. Goalie has played twice, Thursday at home against the Red Wings was the same one he’s been posting a 2-0 record with a 1.44 goals-against average and .961 save preaching since he took over behind the bench before the season. percentage. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall has yet to make his season debut. He dealt with back spasms during training camp and a sore groin “We’re not ready for new stuff yet,” Tocchet said. “We’re going to stick on more recently but could play Thursday. Fellow blue liner Danny this chapter for a while.” DeKeyser left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury. He’s questionable to play against the Coyotes. Although they had almost three weeks to adjust to a new style of play in training camp, the Coyotes still look like a group recalibrating to a Arizona Republic LOADED: 10.12.2017 different direction. The bumpy transition has been clear in the variety of their results, as the Coyotes lost after leading by multiple goals, succumbed to a late-game rally and most recently were overwhelmed 5-2 by the Golden Knights Tuesday in Vegas. Arizona gave up the first four goals on six shots. But patchy play has been a common denominator in all defeats, with snowballing mistakes the most glaring issue Tocchet feels the team has to fix to give itself a chance to finally collect two points. “First guy makes a mistake. It doesn’t mean the next guy has to make a mistake,” he said. “Hold your ground.” This ripple effect could be indicative of the learning curve the Coyotes are experiencing since it’s easier to stabilize when everyone’s well- versed in the same playbook. “It’s also … ownership and accountability,” Tocchet said. And those are factors that are independent of any style the Coyotes choose to play. “Hockey’s hockey,” center Brad Richardson said. “When it comes down to it, it’s about compete and effort, being willing to do the little things to win. You can talk about systems and all that stuff but if we’re not working hard, it doesn’t matter.” Coyotes left wing Lawson Crouse (67) and Golden Knights Through three games, the Coyotes have given up 20 more shots than they’ve taken. Tighter defending and winning more puck battles can help shift the discrepancy, and that was a focus Wednesday. Players vied to keep the puck away each other, crashed along the boards and tried to establish a rhythm in the offensive zone amid pressure. “We can’t be a one-and-done team,” Tocchet said. “When you’re one- and-done, that’s why you give 40 shots up. I call it sticky. You gotta be sticky in the corner. You gotta be sticky in your defensive end and if we make a mistake, don’t compound it by chasing mistakes.” Not everyone, however, was on the ice Wednesday to go through these reps. Winger Brendan Perlini, center Nick Cousins and defenseman Kevin Connauton were absent from practice with Perlini going on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s game. Cousins and Connauton were also banged up that game and are day-to-day with lower-body injuries. Forward Jordan Martinook did practice after he sat out Tuesday with a lower-body injury, and it’s possible he will play Thursday, Tocchet said. Arizona also welcomed winger Emerson Etem to the mix after recalling him from the . Regardless of the lineup, a win would help validate the changes the Coyotes are trying to incorporate. It also would give the team a chance to avoid another messy start, as the 1-5 debut last season proved that early holes can be tough to overcome. 1077619 Arizona Coyotes When: 7 p.m., Thursday Where: Gila River Arena ‘Yotes Notes: Perlini lands on IR, Etem recalled TV: FOX Sports Arizona Radio: ESPN 620 AM BY CRAIG MORGAN | OCTOBER 11, 2017 AT 2:03 PM Records: Coyotes — 0-2-1. Red Wings — 2-1. GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Coyotes placed forward Brendan Perlini on Injury report: Coyotes — D Jakob Chychrun (knee) and F Brendan Perlini injured reserve with an upper-body injury and recalled forward Emerson (upper body) are on injured reserve. F Jordan Martinook (lower body) Etem from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. practiced Wednesday and could play. D Kevin Connauton (lower body) and F Nick Cousins (lower body) are day-to-day. Perlini suffered the injury Tuesday in the first period of a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. He has one assist through three Red Wings — D Niklas Kronwall (groin) practiced Wednesday and could games this year. play. D Danny DeKeyser (lower body) is day-to-day. Etem had a goal and an assist with a plus-2 rating in one game for the Red Wings scouting report: — Detroit dropped its first game on Tuesday Roadrunners this season. Etem, Anaheim’s first-round pick (No. 29) in in Dallas after a pair of wins over Minnesota and Ottawa. … Defenseman 2010, has played 173 NHL games with Anaheim, Vancouver and the Mike Green leads the team with six assists in three games. Forward New York Rangers. Anthony Mantha has two goals and four points. … The Red Wings are 14-5-1-2 all-time at Gila River Arena. “We need some guys to come up here, go into the corner and win battles,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “Etem has played some NHL games. Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.12.2017 In training camp, and in some exhibition games, he made some nice speed plays and we need some speed plays. If he plays [Wednesday against Detroit], it’s a good opportunity for him to show he’s a reliable forward that can help us win.” FIRST PAIR BLAHS Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Niklas Hjalmarsson are just three games into their careers as defense partners in a new system with lots of new faces, but the early returns have not been good. They have combined for two assists, they’re a combined minus-6 and their respective Corsi For percentages of 45.10 and 41.41 reveal that they are defending more than they are generating offense. “They know they’ve struggled a little bit just to trying to understand certain things, but they’re pros, they’ll bounce back,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I talked to [Oliver] today and he said there’s a couple different things that he’s trying to understand. It’s going to take some time. I knew there was going to be some growing pains with this.” One of the things Tocchet is stressing is better gap control while defending. “I can just talk for myself and I expect more of myself,” Hjalmarsson said. “As a defenseman, if you have a good gap you’re always going to be much closer to the puck and the game is going to be much easier. That’s something we have to get much better on.” Tocchet broke up the pair for part of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at Vegas, but each of the Coyotes’ three defense pairings was on the ice for an even- strength goal against in the first period. RAANTA REDUX Goalie Antti Raanta’s two games this season could not look more different from one another. He stopped 40 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Vegas on Saturday at Gila River Arena, and then he allowed three goals on five shots before giving way to Louis Domingue with 13:45 left in the first period on Tuesday. “You need to make the saves early in the game when they are pushing hard,” Raanta said. “You kind of need to calm the team and calm their pressure. I couldn’t do it. They got three quick ones. I would say all of those; you need to make the save. The game would be totally different. “A 3-0 lead after [six-plus] minutes, it’s tough to come back when a team has that kind of momentum.” Consistency is the ingredient the Coyotes are looking for from Raanta, who has never played more than 30 games in a season. “He wishes he had a couple back, but listen, when it was 2-0, you still like to bail the guy out a little bit,” Tocchet said. “He’ll bounce back.” INJURY UPDATE Forward Jordan Martinook (lower body) returned to practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s game in Las Vegas with a lower- body injury. Forward Nick Cousins (lower body) and defenseman Kevin Connauton (lower body) missed Wednesday’s practice. Red Wings at Coyotes 1077620 Boston Bruins puck in the offensive zone and make some plays – a significant improvement over how the period had been going.

Finally, only 12 seconds after a penalty to David Krejci expired, Bruins get buried in Colorado Marchand struck for the equalizer, capping off a dash down the right wing with a snipe to the top left corner. Ryan Spooner started the play, with Krejci fresh out of the box, connecting with Marchand on a dish deep By Kevin Paul Dupont from the Boston zone. If the first period was an appetizer for the Avalanche, the second period was a smorgasbord of defensive lapses in Boston’s end of the ice. DENVER — Avalanche! Yakupov, Andrighetto and Duchene all feasted in the scoring in a period in which Colorado rolled up a 15-5 shot advantage. Less than a week into their 2017-18 season, the Bruins were completely snowed under in the second period Wednesday night in what turned into Yakupov, a former No. 1 draft pick (Edmonton), scored for a third time in an untidy, defensively-shoddy, 6-3 loss here to the Colorado Avalanche the two games vs. Boston with only 60 seconds gone in the second. at the Pepsi Center. Barreling down the right side on a 2-on-1 break with Nathan MacKinnon, Yakupov connected from the right wing circle, a prime example of the After escaping a first-period onslaught with a 1-1 tie, the Bruins (now 1-2- repeated Grade A chances Rasked faced. 0) were a shambles in the second when Nail Yakupov, Sven Andrighetto and poured in three unanswered goals to secure their Andrighetto, who also scored on Monday, stuck for the 3-1 lead at 13:37 second win over the Bruins over the course of three days. — on yet another open look. Two short passes, the last by MacKinnon, had Andrighetto connecting from the dot in the left wing circle. Duchene “It wasn’t good enough,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, predictably hammered in the 4-1 lead. somber after the pasting which came fresh on the heels of a 4-0 loss to the Avalanche Monday at the Garden. “They were better than us again, “I have no words for that,” said team Zdeno Chara, reflecting on for a second time in three days. We’ve got some work to do.” the harrowing night. “Not a very good game, obviously. We were not strong with the puck . . . not good enough all over the ice.” The Bruins were repeatedly guilty of allowing odd-man rushes in the middle period, including a pair of 2-on-1 breaks that came while the Boston Globe LOADED: 10.12.2017 Bruins were on a power play. A third breakdown, just when play was back at even strength, handed the Avalanche a 3-on-2 look at Tuukka Rask, who was constantly forced to fend off juicy Colorado shots that came off of free looks from key areas of the attack zone. Rask gave way to backup Anton Khudobin to start the third period. “We weren’t hard on the puck, obviously,” said Cassidy. “And with some of our younger guys, it’s a work in progress — that is part of the learning curve of playing in the , being hard on pucks. When you have it, you better hang on to it because someone is going to try to take it from you.” scored the 1-1 equalizer late in the first period when it looked as if the Bruins were finally getting some traction to their game. Earlier, ex-Harvard standout Alexander Kerfoot provided the Avs with a 1-0 lead, connecting for the franchise’s first goal this season on home ice. The Bruins again were without injured center Patrice Bergeron, whose many strengths include the ability to button up the defensive zone when play turns hectic. Without their defensive stalwart, and with so many rookies dotting the lineup, the Bruins simply couldn’t contend with Colorado’s speed and frenetic attack. “A very tough game,”said Rask, constantly assaulted by Grade A chances during his 40 minutes on the job (22 saves). “Sometimes it just happens that the heads are not there and those things happen. For my part, I made a lot of good saves. Then the last two [3-1 and 4-1] I got caught too deep and they beat me. That’s just one of those things that, you know, if want to be able to get two points out of the game, I have to be standing on my head — I just couldn’t make those last couple of saves.” In the third, Tim Schaller cut the lead to 4-2 with 8:30 left in the third, benefitting from Danton Heinen carrying the puck to the right post for a stuff attempt. The assist was the first career point for Heinen, called up on Tuesday from AHL Providence. With 7:03 to go, Torey Krug brought the Bruins to within a goal, carrying down the right side and maintaining position at the right post, where he finally batted in a loose puck with help from Marchand and Riley Nash. But the Avs iced away the win soon after, connecting for a pair of empty- net goals only 24 seconds apart by Andrighetto and Tyson Jost. After finishing dead last in 2016-17, the moribund Avalanche did little via trades or free agency to improve the roster over the summer. Thus far, their stand-pat ways have paid off. They are young, fast and eager. In the two wins over the Bruins, they showed the ability to feast off of opposition mistakes. Kerfoot, the ex-Crimson standout (Class of ’17), was credited with the night’s first goal, deflecting in a long-range Tyson Barrie wrister as he cut across the top of Rask’s crease. Kerfoot was in front with Anders Bjork and it looked as if Barrie’s shot would go wide, only to have it ricochet in off of Kerfoot’s upper body. The Bruins didn’t mount any meaningful pressure on goalie Semyon Verlamov (Monday’s winner) until they went on a power play at 12:09 of the first. They again failed to score, but they finally were able to keep the 1077621 Boston Bruins Where White fits in, or if that fit exists, remains to be seen. He currently has no contract and no clear path to a job.

“Work hard every day, show ’em what I’m all about,” said White, whose Bruins’ forward lines still under construction brief PTO with Vancouver last month ended when he was concussed in his first preseason game with the Canucks. “I’m trying to fit in, and hopefully show ’em enough to get a look. I’ve been around the league GLOBE STAFF By Kevin Paul Dupont long enough to know that every day is a tryout. So come in here, work hard, and see what happens.”

The Bruins offered veteran winger Teddy Purcell a PTO and the ex- DENVER — Until further notice, the Bruins’ offense reads like a Lightning scorer showed some promising flashes on a variety of lines all burgeoning website. Don’t be surprised to go there and find a sign that the way through the exhibition season. But White is a different reads, “Under Construction.” commodity. If he hitches on with the Bruins, it will be as a third- or fourth- line energy guy, asked to play an aggressive straight-line game, turn over Take, for instance, their top four wingers, including David Pastrnak, Brad pucks, bang bodies, and contribute to offense if the energy happens to Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, and Anders Bjork. Prior to Wesdnesday night’s create scoring chances. game against the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center, the start of a three- game road trip for the Bruins, those top four shooters had combined for “It’s been working for me so long in my career,” said White, 29, who split three goals and 5 points in the first two games of the season. time last season on the Arizona and Minnesota rosters, following two seasons with the Flyers. “I just try to get the puck in, use my size, try to A small sample size, for sure, but at best B-minus production. Work in get on the body . . . and when all else fails, try to get my butt to the net the fact that the Boston power play stood a lackluster 1 for 9, and a and usually good things happen.” Gentleman’s C might be an overstatement. White has 31 goals in his 313 NHL games. “Clearly, a lot of skill up there, guys who we rely on,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, focusing on the wingers on his top two lines. “Including some In his junior hockey years with the , White’s teammates kids [DeBrusk, Bjork] we’ve put up there because we believe they can do included Martin Jones, these days San Jose’s No. 1 netminder, as well the job up there. For them, it’s learning the league and being consistent. as now-Bruins backliner Paul Postma. For the other guys, it’s bringing it every night because they are our go-to guys.” “I was pretty fortunate to get this opportunity,” said White, who grew up in . “Otherwise I’d be sitting waiting to get a job, and I don’t think With the injured Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup, Marchand in that would be helping me by any means. It’s good to be seen. It’s good to particular has struggled. Prior to faceoff here, he had a mere two shots be in the mix and it’s good to be in the NHL right now.” on net, one of them for his empty-net goal (his lone point) in Thursday’s opener vs. the Predators. If signed, White is expected to wear No. 50. He spent most of the morning workout here trading passes with Austin Czarnik, who was out of Marchand scored a career-high 39 times last season, most of the time as the lineup in part to accommodate Heinen’s return. the yin to Bergeron’s yang. He also averaged nearly three shots on net per game, ranking third on the club with 226 chances, slightly more than “Friday’s a full practice and he will have been with the team three days,” 17 percent of which went in the net (a club high). said Cassidy, asked what sort of timeline, if any, existed for White. “We’ll have a better feel for how he fits in terms of the pace. Is he making plays Through two games, Pastrnak landed seven shots, followed by DeBrusk with a certain line out there? His résumé speaks for itself. We know he’s (five), Bjork (three), and then Marchand with his pair. More firepower a straight-line guy, with some grit and abrasiveness to his game. We needed. miss that with [David] Backes and we miss that with Noel [Acciari]. “We had an off night the other night,” said Cassidy, noting the 4-0 loss to Backes (diverticulitis) and Acciari (fractured finger) are both expected to Avalanche on Monday at TD Garden. “We’ve put that behind us, and be out through October. tried to identify a few areas in [Tuesday’s] practice and that was one of them: get more pucks to the net, second chances, be willing to go the Third start for Rask dirty areas to create offense.” Tuukka Rask made his third start in as many games, looking for a Bergeron still out bounce-back after surrendering two goals on the first three shots he faced in Monday’s 4-0 loss. He will cede the net to backup Anton Bergeron, as expected, remained out of the lineup and only joined his Khudobin on the weekend, but Cassidy said he wasn’t sure if Rask will sit teammates on the ice at the tail end of their late-morning workout. The out Saturday (Coyotes) or Sunday (Golden Knights) . . . Postma also has veteran pivot has been sidelined with an undisclosed lower-body injury. yet to see action. “Right now,” said Cassidy, mulling a possible start for the veteran backliner, “I am not displeased with our group of six. That According to Cassidy, whose club will not practice in Phoenix on might be more situational. There is no blueprint yet that says, ‘OK, he’s Thursday, Bergeron might work out on his own there if his light workout going to play in Phoenix or Vegas.’ That will be a day-by-day, game-by- here proves not to have dealt him a setback. game decision.” “If it’s OK tomorrow, he’ll skate again [Thursday],” added Cassidy, “and Boston Globe LOADED: 10.12.2017 continue on that path till he’s ready to go. Not a lot of news, other than he’s back out there, giving it a whirl.” Riley Nash, a third- and fourth-line support forward all last season, plugged into Bergeron’s spot between Marchand and Pastrnak to start the night. David Krejci held the pivot role with newbies DeBrusk and Bjork. “I’ll try to bring my best Bergeron,” said Nash, who has proven a valuable and versatile asset since being signed as a from the Hurricanes. Danton Heinen, recalled Tuesday from AHL Providence, began the night at right wing on a trio that included Tim Schaller (LW) and Sean Kuraly. “We’ll see how that fits for him,” said Cassidy. “I saw a growth in his game in terms of being able to play, not necessarily just with a skill line or a rush line . . . he showed us that in the last [exhibition] game in Chicago, where he was winning pucks below the goal line and making plays from there. He’ll add a little skill to that line, maybe a little finish . . . but shouldn’t get in their way either, in terms of playing a north-south game.” Is White a fit? Ex-Canadiens winger Ryan White, who joined the Bruins on Tuesday for a rare in-season professional tryout (PTO) agreement, skated here in the morning with his new Black-and-Gold buddies. 1077622 Boston Bruins “It’s a big step coming from college to the NHL,” Kerfoot said. “But I’ve felt more comfortable as the camp and the games have come along. It helps that I’m playing with two really good players.” Bruins notebook: Patrice Bergeron still not ready to return Boston Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017

Stephen Harris Thursday, October 12, 2017

DENVER — Patrice Bergeron’s participation again began and ended with riding the stationary bike and taking a brief, non-taxing skate. It’s not known when the B’s No. 1 center will play again, as he missed his third successive game last night – and watched the B’s drop an uninspiring 6- 3 decision to the Avalanche. Bergeron is working his way back, patiently, from an undisclosed injury, though many observers assume it could be related to his early-summer sports hernia surgery. “He’s out there testing it again,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said as Bergeron took his quick twirl around the Pepsi Center ice ahead of last night’s game against the Avalance. “There’s not a lot of newness to report on it. We’ll see how he reacts to being on the ice. If it goes well, he will go out again (today) and continue on that path until he’s ready to go.” Heinen goes fourth The Bruins called up Danton Heinen from Providence. He played right wing on the fourth line with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly. The team sees Heinen as a skillful player capable of grinding – which he diud when he drove hard to the net in the third period, setting up Schaller’s goal. “We’ll see how that fits for him,” Cassidy said of Heinen, who was a star at the University of Denver. “I saw a lot of growth in his game in terms of not just being able to play with a skilled, line-rush line. He showed us that in the last (preseason) game. “He was winning pucks below the goal line and making plays from there. That’s the type of line they are. He’ll add a little skill to that line, maybe a little finish, and he shouldn’t get in their way in terms of playing a north- south game.” White gets look The B’s other transaction yesterday was bringing in veteran sandpaper forward Ryan White for a professional tryout. The ex-Montreal tough guy has bounced around recently and had a PTO with Vancouver this season end when he suffered a concussion. “Obviously, there’s a body of work that we know well from Phoenix, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Montreal,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “We have a pretty good read on him as a player. We just wanted to see up close where he’s at and how he might fit. Sweeney said there’s a chance he will sign the 29-year-old, who has grit, accountability and courage. “That’s exactly what he does,” Sweeney said. “So we’re going to see how up to speed he is and how he integrates into our group in the next few days and make a decision. It’s not so much the toughness piece (that he brings). He’s just a gritty character. Maybe we can utilize that.” White is happy for the chance to try out with the Bruins. Playing parts of his first five seasons with the Canadiens, he’s a big fan of the B’s-Habs rivalry. “I’ve played for a few other teams since then,” he said. “Philly-Pitt is a pretty big one, Philly-Rangers. But you know, there’s something about the hate between Montreal and Boston. There’s (been) 100 years of it. It’s kind of cool to be on the other side of it now. It would be cool heading into the dressed in black. I hope I get the opportunity.” Khudobin’s chance B’s backup goalie Anton Khudobin will play one of the weekend games, in Phoenix on Saturday or Las Vegas on Sunday. “Yes,” Cassidy confirmed. “I don’t know which one yet. Give me a couple of days on that.” Kerfoot finds role Alexander Kerfoot was a key part of Harvard’s great team last season, a Hobey Baker Award finalist for the club that finally won the Beanpot and reached the Frozen Four. He graduated with a degree in economics. Now he’s playing a key role on the Avalanche, skating on a wing with Matt Duchene and Nail Yakupov. He scored his first goal last night. 1077623 Boston Bruins Through two one-sided periods, the B’s were outshot, 26-9, as they generated little offensively.

Of course, the Bruins are dealing with the absence of forwards Patrice Bruins can’t overcome bad start in falling to Colorado Bergeron, David Backes and Noel Acciari, all key pieces in the puzzle. But they need more from the guys still here. Stephen Harris Thursday, October 12, 2017 Boston Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017

DENVER — The Bruins clearly need to do a much better job of scoring goals, and at keeping pucks out of their own net. In the opener of a three-game Western trip and the immediate rematch of their one-sided loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Boston on Monday, the B’s generated a scant nine shots-on-goal in the first 40 minutes, with only a Brad Marchand score to show for it, in a 6-3 loss to the talented young Avs. “I have no words for that,” said Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. “(It was) not a very good game, obviously. We were not on the puck, with the puck, under the puck, just not good enough all over the ice. We have to go and play better. It’s up to use that we fix it.” The B’s did stage a third-period surge to storm back with 14 shots on goal. Tim Schaller scored at the net-front to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Torey Krug kept digging in close on a power play with 7:03 left to make it 4-3. But a pair of empty-nets goals by the Avs’ iced the win, taking back-to- back wins against the B’s. “We didn’t really get anything going,” said B’s goalie Tuukka Rask. “We woke up when it was 4-1, but that was too late. Sometimes it just happens that the heads are not there. For my part, I actually felt good. But then the last two (goals), I got caught a half-step too deep (in the net) and they beat me. “If we want to take some points out of that game, I have to be standing on my head. I just couldn’t made those last two saves.” The Avs have a slew of talented snipers, who got open looks from close range. But the B’s could have used another save or two from Rask. He stopped 22-of-26 shots before being replaced for the third period by Anton Khudobin. In five periods, Rask allowed seven Colorado goals. Highly motivated in their home opener after a successful 2-1-0 trip, the Avalanche came out playing very hard and dominated the first half of the period. After 12:25 of play, the B’s had just one forgettable shot, having been pinned in their zone most of the time. But despite their quick 8-1 edge in shots, the lone goal for the Avs was by rookie Alexander Kerfoot, the former four-year Harvard star, at 8:18. His first career goal wasn’t exactly a highlight film gem. He skated in front of the net, a wrist shot from out high by Tyson Barrie bounced off him and tumbled high over Tuukka Rask into the net. “I really don’t know how it went in,” said Kerfoot. “It just banged off me.” The Bruins played better in the second half of the period, and knotted the score at 17:06 on Marchand’s snap from the right circle high to the far side past goalie . The scoring play began with center Ryan Spooner nudging a puck out into neutral ice. Marchand worked hard to shrug off a rather half-hearted backcheck by Matt Duchene, found some skating room down the right side and put his shot precisely where he wanted it. There was a rather uneventful fight early in the first period — Matt Beleskey vs. Mark Barberio — and a much better heavyweight bout in Period 2. The Avs didn’t like it when Adam McQuaid shook up Tyson Jost with a crosscheck. And when McQuaid came out of the box, he found a waiting dance partner in 6-foot-5, 230-pound Russian . McQuaid gave him a solid whipping. That might have been the B’s second period highlight, as the Avalanche scored three times to go up 4-1. One minute in, Krug made a bad decision to step up and try to keep a puck in the Colorado end. He didn’t but did allow a 2-on-1 Avs breakout. Nathan MacKinnon set up Nail Yakupov’s one-timer in the right circle and he ripped the shot past Rask. At 12:37, with McQuaid in the box for that crosscheck, the Colorado power play clicked. MacKinnon fed Sven Andrighetto and his quick forehander from the left hash flew past Rask’s glove into the far side. Then at 15:43, a turnover deep in the B’s zone by defenseman Kevan Miller was quickly turned into a goal from the right circle by Duchene for the 4-1 lead. 1077624 Boston Bruins good every night. As long as they stay competitive and keep working like that, that's all I care about."

NOTES: C Patrice Bergeron missed a third straight game with a lower- Andrighetto scores twice, Avalanche beat Bruins 6-3 body injury. Bergeron's next one will be his 900th game with the Bruins. ... RW David Backes remains out with diverticulitis. ... Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon had two assists in the second period. Associated Press Thursday, October 12, 2017 UP NEXT

Bruins: Play the second contest on a three-game trip in Arizona on DENVER — Alexander Kerfoot scored his first NHL goal with some part Saturday. of his lower leg. Avalanche: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday before traveling to Dallas Doesn't really matter which part — a first goal is a first goal and it's a on Saturday. "great feeling," he said. Boston Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017 Kerfoot's goal and two more by Sven Andrighetto, the second an empty- netter with 1:34 remaining, helped the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in their home opener Wednesday night. It was the second meeting between the teams in three days. The Avalanche beat the Bruins 4-0 in Boston on Monday. Colorado broke things open in the second period, with Nail Yakupov, Andrighetto and Matt Duchene all beating goalie Tuukka Rask, who was replaced by Anton Khudobin for the third period. Trailing 4-1 midway through the third, the Bruins made things interesting with goals from Tim Schaller and Torey Krug in a 1:27 span. Andrighetto and Tyson Jost responded with empty-net goals to seal it. "Fun game," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "I know our players had fun playing it. The crowd was fantastic." In the second period, there was a scary scene for the Avalanche: Jost crawling toward the bench after taking a hit from Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid. Jost slid hard into the boards and McQuaid was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking. Moments later, Andrighetto scored to make it 3-1. And when McQuaid stepped out of the box, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov was there waiting to fight. They each landed several punches before being sent to the box. Jost later returned to the game with his usual burst. "It was just a dangerous play," Bednar said. "Fortunately, he's not hurt. To see him bounce back, our guys are pretty excited to see him come back out there." Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 shots to help the Avalanche start on the right foot at the Pepsi Center. The team went a dismal 13-26-2 at home a season ago when it finished with an NHL-worst 48 points. Yakupov had three goals in the two games against the Bruins. A former No. 1 overall draft pick, Yakupov is trying to resurrect his career in Colorado. Brad Marchand also scored for Boston, which has dropped two of three to start the season. "We didn't get anything going. We woke up a little too late, when it was 4- 1," Rask said. "Very tough game." Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy seconded that sentiment. "They were better than us again, the second time in three days," he said. Kerfoot scored at 8:19 of the opening period when a pass from Tyson Barrie appeared to bank off his leg and bounce over Rask. The 23-year- old Kerfoot signed a two-year deal with Colorado after becoming a college free agent in August. He was a co-captain for Harvard last season. "To get a goal is pretty special," Kerfoot said. Duchene set up Kerfoot's goal with a feed out front to Barrie. Duchene has two goals and three assists this season as he tries to keep his focus on the ice with his name being mentioned in trade talks since last season. "Same message I've preached all camp and all season so far — I'm just here to be the best I can be for this team," Duchene said after the morning skate. Bednar will gladly take more of this from Duchene. "I haven't thought about Matt's situation, his circumstances, whatever you want to call it, since we opened training camp, to be honest," Bednar said. "He's anchoring that line with Kerfoot and Yakupov, and they're 1077625 Boston Bruins

Bruins road trip starts with loss to Avalanche

Stephen Harris Thursday, October 12, 2017

DENVER – The Bruins clearly need to do a much better job of scoring goals – and at keeping pucks out of their own net. In the opener of a three-game Western trip and the immediate rematch of their one-sided loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Boston Monday, the B’s generated a scant nine shots-on-goal in the first 40 minutes — with only a Brad Marchand score (No. 2) to show for it — in a 6-3 loss to the talented young Avs Wednesday night. The B’s did stage an intense third period surge to storm back into the game. Tim Schaller (1) scored at the net-front in the third to cut the home team lead to 4-2. Torey Krug (1) kept digging in close on a power play with 7:03 left to make it 4-3. But a pair of empty-nets goals by the Avs’ iced the win – as they scored back-to-back wins against the B’s. Boston Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077626 Boston Bruins

No Patrice Bergeron as Bruins visit Avalanche tonight

Stephen Harris Wednesday, October 11, 2017

DENVER — The Bruins, having played one good game and one bad one at home, begin a three-game trip tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. Ahead are games in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Center Patrice Bergeron will miss his third successive game to start the new season, as he works slowly back from an undisclosed injury. Bergeron has yet to play since undergoing early-summer sports hernia surgery in the offseason. Minus their No. 1 center, the B’s have gotten spotty play from their top two lines. “Clearly, (there is) a lot of skill up there (in the B’s top-six), guys that we rely on,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “And then some young kids who’ve been put in the position because we believe they can do the job up there. For them, it’s about learning the league and being consistent. For the other guys, it’s bringing it every night because they are our go-to guys. We expect that tonight from them. “We had an off night the other night (in a 4-0 loss to the Avs). We’ve put that behind us and tried to identify a few areas (in practice Tuesday). One of them was getting pucks to the net, second chances, being willing to go to the dirty areas to create offense.” Boston Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077627 Boston Bruins

Bruins drop second straight to Avalanche, 6-3

By Associated Press October 12, 2017 12:08 AM

DENVER - Sven Andrighetto scored twice, the second an empty-netter with 1:34 remaining, and Alexander Kerfoot had his first NHL goal in helping the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in their home opener Wednesday night. It was the second meeting between the two teams in three nights. The Avalanche beat the Bruins 4-0 in Boston on Monday night. Colorado broke things open in the second period, with Nail Yakupov, Andrighetto and Matt Duchene all beating Tuukka Rask, who was replaced by Anton Khudobin for the third period. Trailing 4-1 midway through the third, the Bruins made things interesting with goals from Tim Schaller and Torey Krug in a 1:27 span. Andrighetto and Tyson Jost responded with empty-net goals. Semyon Varlamov stopped 20 shots to help the Avalanche start on the right foot at the Pepsi Center. The team went a dismal 13-26-2 at home a season ago when they finished with an NHL-worst 48 points. Yakupov has three goals in the two games against the Bruins. A former No. 1 overall pick, Yakupov is trying to resurrect his career in Colorado. Brad Marchand also scored for Boston in a game that featured two fights. Jost was banged up when he took a hit from Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid in the second period and slid hard into the boards. Jost crawled toward the bench before being helped by captain Gabriel Landeskog and a trainer. McQuaid was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking. Moments later, Andrighetto scored to make it 3-1. And when McQuaid stepped out of the box, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov was there waiting to fight. They each landed several punches before being sent to the box. Jost later returned to the game. Trailing 1-0 in the first, Marchand took advantage of a Colorado miscue by grabbing the puck, skating in and sending a shot over Varlamov's right shoulder. It was one of just four shots for the Bruins in the opening period. Kerfoot scored at 8:19 of the opening period when a pass from Tyson Barrie appeared to bank off his leg and bounce over Rask. The 23-year- old Kerfoot signed a two-year deal with Colorado after becoming a college free agent in August. He was a co-captain for Harvard last season. Duchene set up Kerfoot's goal with a feed out front to Barrie. Duchene now has two goals and three assists this season as he tries to keep his focus on the ice with his name being mentioned in trade talks since last season. "Same message I've preached all camp and all season so far - I'm just here to be the best I can be for this team," Duchene said after the morning skate. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077628 Boston Bruins

Heinen ready to show he still rates as a B's prospect

By Joe Haggerty October 11, 2017 6:18 PM

Bruins prospect Danton Heinen had an under-the-radar good training camp over the last few months, so it’s perhaps not a surprise the 23- year-old is back with the big club after being one of the last cuts in camp. It’s certainly got more to do with the Bruins being down a few forwards with Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Noel Acciari all currently injured, and perhaps also somewhat connected to Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk stumbling in the second game of their NHL careers. The former Denver University standout will slot into the B’s lineup on Wednesday night in Colorado along with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly to add a little more offensive pop to Boston’s bottom-6 forwards. Clearly Heinen will be hoping to make more of an impact this time around after going scoreless in eight NHL games early last season, and looking pretty much invisible through the whole stretch. It’s clear now that he wasn’t ready for prime time, and didn’t have much self-assuredness when it came to his bread and butter, creating plays in the offensive zone. Being one of the first call-ups for the B’s this season should be a nice confidence booster after he notched an assist in his one game with Providence this season. “I’m pretty excited and I want to do whatever I can help,” said Heinen. “I thought I started well and I ended pretty well [in training camp], but maybe I had a little lull in the middle there. I felt like leaving they gave me some pretty good feedback, and I had a good feeling about that. “I’m just going to be assertive and try to fill any role that they want me to fill. That’s my goal. Just try to make North/South plays and not get too cute and turn pucks over. If that’s what they want me to do then I’ll try to do it.” Bruce Cassidy said he’d have no hesitancy going to Heinen after he showed greater confidence with the puck in his second NHL camp, and truth be told the winger showed something as a point-per-game player with nine goals and 18 points in 17 games during Providence’s playoff run last spring. “Danton had a really good training camp. We liked what we saw out of the kids ahead of him in DeBrusk and Bjork, and Kuraly was a little bit of a different animal,” said Cassidy. “We’re not afraid to use him. Let’s put it that way. I thought he was really good in training camp for the most part. “We want to let guys relax and play, but by the same token this is a business, we have a standard, we didn’t play to it [on Monday] and we’re trying to get back to that [in Colorado]. If creating competition is going to be what makes it better, then we’re happy to look at that.” The ball is now in Heinen’s court to seize the chance being given by the Bruins to show that he’s much better prepared for his NHL audition this time around than he was at just about the same time last year. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077629 Boston Bruins

Marchand looking to turn early-season frustration around

By Joe Haggerty October 11, 2017 3:18 PM

The always-feisty Brad Marchand showed some unmistakable signs of frustration in the loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday afternoon. At one point in the second period, he fired a stick down the runway from the Bruins bench after hopping over the boards at the end of an unproductive shift. In that fit of puck pique, he looked much more like an Olympian javelin thrower than an NHL player. Perhaps some of it was about Marchand getting the “A” on his sweater to start this season and the Bruins left winger showing some emotion and a little fire on the bench after not nearly enough was being displayed on the ice in a weak loss. Some of it was probably about missing his partner-in-crime Patrice Bergeron for the first couple of games with no real indication when he’ll be back from his lower body injury. A good deal was also just plain, old frustration from Marchand, who has just a single shot on net in each of the first two games. He has a goal thanks to his empty-netter at the end of Boston’s opening night win, but aside from that, the Nose Face Killah really hasn’t gotten untracked offensively. “[The Colorado loss] was a tough game. It was one of those ones where I was making some bad decisions and really fighting the puck a bit,” said Marchand, who had three turnovers in the loss while not showing the usual moxie and energy that colors his game. “But it’s one you have to learn from. The good thing about this game is that you have [Wednesday in Colorado] where you can get back at it and keep working on your game. That was a learning experience. One I’d like to forget, but that’s hockey. “It’s going to happen that guys are going to be in and out of the lineup during the year, and you’ve got to adjust to skating with different players. That’s just the way it goes. Obviously, we’d love to have Bergeron back in the lineup and it will happen at some point, but we still have to build chemistry and do the job with whoever we’re playing.” It's certainly been difficult for No. 63 to skate without Bergeron and with rotating centers Ryan Spooner, David Krejci and Riley Nash as Bruce Cassidy looks to find a combo that works for his leading scorer. Marchand has traditionally been a slow starter for the Bruins, aside from last season when he was still warmed up from the , and it’s clear that the B’s need him now more than ever with Bergeron and David Backes out of the lineup. Cassidy said he has complete faith that Marchand bounce back on the upcoming three-game trip and there’s ample evidence he will do it quickly coming off a Hart Trophy-level season last year. “He’ll always get attention, so I think he’s used to that. He knows he’s going to see the best D-pair every night, especially if he’s playing with [Pastrnak],” said Cassidy of Marchand, who has averaged 38 goals and 73 points the past two seasons. “Missing his buddy helps [keep him quiet]…the guy that he plays very well with. Absolutely. So the onus falls on him to play through that, and that really matters. “[Marchand] knows that he can be better. We’ve discussed it and he will be. That guy figures stuff out and he’s going to play. He’ll play well for us, and he knows we need him now maybe more than other days because of who we’re missing from our lineup. I expect him to be really good in our next game.” There are times Marchand can be streaky, but you can also normally count on him for a strong response when he’s authored a particularly poor game. That should be the case when the Bruins take the ice in Colorado on Wednesday night looking to humble the team that did that to them on Monday. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077630 Buffalo Sabres "It was unfortunate but just glad that the worst of it is that it's some stitches," Housley said. "We let him go a little early so he could get on the plane." Sam Reinhart moves back to wing as Sabres shuffle lines Buffalo News LOADED: 10.12.2017

By Amy Moritz | Published Wed, Oct 11, 2017 | Updated Wed, Oct 11, 2017

The lines will not remain the same. Not when the Buffalo Sabres are still looking for their first win of the season, still looking for offense, still looking for a way to keep the puck from ending up in the back of their own net. So Phil Housley shuffled the lines Wednesday morning as the team had an hour-long practice in HarborCenter before catching a flight to San Jose to begin their four-game West Coast road trip. "I think you change the lines to try and get other guys going or maybe there's some chemistry that you're looking for. And that's why we made that change today," Housley said. "They could change tomorrow, but we'll try these combinations moving forward." These combinations include having Jack Eichel center and Jason Pominville. Evander Kane moves to a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo. Johann Larsson moves back to center with Sam Reinhart moving to wing along with Benoit Pouliot on the third line. The fourth line featured Seth Griffith, Jacob Josefson, and Jordan Nolan. Moving Larsson back to center and Reinhart to wing could be a function of Housley looking for more speed up the middle. But then again, the first-year Sabres coach is looking for speed from every corner of the ice. "I thought we did an excellent job of that in practice," Housley said of generating speed up the ice. "We've got to continue to work on that element in our game. Again, we just took Sam out of the middle to give him a different look, give our team a different look and the lines a different look." Reinhart is used to shifting between wing and center. He did that throughout his first two pro seasons. Wing. Center. It's pretty much all the same to the 21-year-old. "I mean, like I said, wherever I am, I'm going to try and do my best," Reinhart said after Wednesday's practice. Reinhart hasn't had much to show for his first three games this season. No points. One shot. A minus-6. It wouldn't be so pronounced if every one else on the roster, with the exception of Evander Kane, was struggling as well. Reinhart believes his way out of the funk is to find a way to relax. "Just relax, have fun. There's so many things going on," Reinhart said. "I know I'm not the only one when I say I'm fighting the puck a little bit. Just got to relax down low and find my game. ... I think I've got to make my mind up quicker. Once I'm on the puck I've got to move my feet a little quicker and open up the ice a little bit." While new lines may help spark some offensive chemistry, Housley seems most concerned with the team defense, especially in the premium odd-man rushes the team keeps allowing. "I think right now we're going to focus on keeping the puck out of our net," Housley said. "So we're really going to focus on defending well, taking care of our own zone, and then get five guys up the ice. You know the old saying -- five guys in D-zone, five guys through the neutral zone, and then five guys in the offensive zone. We focused a lot today on defending and breaking out." Speaking of defense, Josh Gorges is likely to make his season debut on the trip. Gorges, who had been a healthy scratch for the first three games, was paired with Jake McCabe in Wednesday's practice. Zach Bogosian, who has been out with a lower-body injury, will likely not make the trip. "We're trying to be really careful with it," Housley said of Bogosian's injury. "He's moving in a good direction but again we've got to be cautious with it. Just make sure we take the right amount of time for Zach. It's a day-to-day situation still." The Sabres had another brief injury scare in practice when was hit in the face with a puck during a drill. Lehner went to the bench briefly, returned to practice, then left the ice early. Phil Housley said Lehner was fine and left to receive some stitches. 1077631 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Notebook: San Jose first stop on West Coast trip

By Amy Moritz | Published Wed, Oct 11, 2017 | Updated Wed, Oct 11, 2017

When the Buffalo Sabres open their four-game West Coast road trip against San Jose on Thursday (10:30 p.m., MSG), they'll be meeting a team that's also looking to quickly right the ship. The Sharks aren't off to a great start, either. They're 0-2 and have been outscored 9-4 in those games. "Right now, if you look at San Jose, they're sort of in the same predicament that we are," Sabres coach Phil Housley said after his team practiced in HarborCenter Wednesday morning. "It's going to be a tough game. I'm sure they're not happy with their game, just like we're not happy with ours. … It's good that guys can get out on the road, hopefully bond together, but we've got to start winning." The rhetoric coming out of the San Jose dressing room sounds familiar to what's being said in Buffalo. "I think we understand mentally where we're at. It's not where we need to be," Sharks captain told the media after a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. "The hockey we're playing right now, I respect that everybody's coming to the rink ready to play, but we're missing something. Just mentally, I think, we know we've got a whole other level. We're just going to have to go back to the start, reset a few things." The Sharks may be without defenseman Paul Martin, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery. He had fewer than 11 minutes of time in San Jose's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. *** At Wednesday's practice, the Sabres didn't just shuffle their lines, but reworked their power play units. On the first unit, Jason Pominville and Evander Kane joined Ryan O'Reilly and Jack Eichel with Rasmus Risstolainen at the point. The second unit had Kyle Okposo, Seth Griffith and Benoit Pouliot along with defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Matt Tennyson. The Sabres have two goals in 13 power plays through the first three games. More concerning that the goals for have been the goals against when the Sabres have the man advantage. Buffalo has given up four shorthanded goals in three games, matching the total they allowed all of last season. *** It's the second road trip of the season and it's a doozy at that. After playing in San Jose on Thursday, the Sabres play in Los Angeles on Saturday, Anaheim on Sunday, then Las Vegas on Tuesday. The team does not return home until Oct. 20 when they host Vancouver at 7 p.m. in KeyBank Center. *** The Sabres will get their first look at the NHL's newest team when they close out their road trip Oct. 17 in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights are already making history, becoming the first club in the 100-years of the league to begin its inaugural season with three straight wins. James Neal scored two goals on Tuesday as the Golden Knights defeated Arizona, 5-2, in their first game at T-Mobile Arena. Neal has scored the game-winning goal in the first three wins for Vegas. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Neal is the second player from any NHL team in the expansion era (since 1967) to register the game-winning goal in each of his team's first three games. The other was Brian Propp with Philadelphia to start the 1982-83 season. Buffalo News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077632 Buffalo Sabres

From the other coast, Sharks' Couture impressed by Bills' defense

By Mike Harrington | Published Wed, Oct 11, 2017 | Updated Wed, Oct 11, 2017

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nearly 2,700 miles away from New Era Field, there's an NHL player who knows all about what The Drought means. San Jose Sharks center is a lifelong fan, having grown up a little less than three hours away from Buffalo in London, Ont. And if you follow him on Twitter, he's as apt to be talking about his favorite football team (or the ) as he is about hockey. "Offensively, they've struggled big-time but it's been great to see the way the defense has played," Couture said of the Bills after the Sharks' skated Thursday at their practice facility, Solar4America Ice. "Younger rookies have been great on defense and the team has exceeded my expectations. It was hard to see three wins in the first five games at all, but they've made it fun to watch so far." Couture's hockey team hosts the Sabres Thursday night in SAP Center and will be trying to avoid an 0-3 start for the first time since 1993-94, which was just its third year in the NHL. The Sharks, who are 16 months removed from their Game Six loss to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup final, have opened the season with disappointing home losses to Philadelphia (5-3) and Los Angeles (4-1). "We have to get back to playing our game, the way that we have the last couple years," he said. "We have to get there system-wise, emotion- wise. Our game is to be aggressive. We have to salvage this homestand here. We've still got three games left and we have to be better." Couture, 28, said he was thrilled by the Bills' 23-17 upset Oct. 1 in Atlanta. It's perhaps the team's biggest road win of the last 25 years, and thus its signature victory away from Orchard Park in Couture's life as a fan since childhood. "I'm such a Bills fan that I was watching the end of that game and I'm sitting there thinking, 'They're going to find a way to lose this game,' " he said. "You've gotten so used to that and it's hard to keep that out of your mind but then they pulled it out and that's when you start saying this could be different. "But I remember the 5-1 start a few years ago and then you watch them lose what, seven in a row? (It was actually seven of eight). So you never know what can happen. Hopefully they figure it out." Couture's mother is a huge Bills fan and he credits his uncle for turning him on to the team. His father is a fan and Couture is too young to remember Super Bowls XXVI or XXVII, so he said there's been no trash-talking over the course of his years. Couture is in his eighth full season with the Sharks and has played in 86 career playoff games. He was a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate in 2016, collecting 10 goals and 30 points in 24 playoff games as the Sharks broke through to make the Cup final for the first time in their history. Couture and the Sharks are postseason veterans. He wants the Bills to experience that feeling too. "It's tough. You want them to be successful," he said. "You want that organization to be successful for the fans, the way people support that team. I have a lot of buddies who are Bills fans as well. It's tough following a team that hasn't been in the playoffs going on 18 years now. It's been difficult. Maybe this can be the year." Couture last made it to Orchard Park for a last-second loss to St. Louis in 2012, where he was photographed with Stevie Johnson. He said he attended the Bills' second-half flameout last year in Oakland, a game that saw a 10-9 halftime lead turn into a 38-24 defeat at the hands of the Raiders. "That second half wasn't good," he said with a pained smile. "But that's all part of it. I don't follow the two teams out here much. I'm a Bills fan through and through." Buffalo News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077633 Calgary Flames Tkachuk put the Flames on the board 3:56 into the game on a powerplay after accepting a pass from Backlund behind the net. He came out, faked Kings blueliner Jake Muzzin and tucked it under Quick’s left pad. Coach wants better effort despite OT victory in Los Angeles Just under four minutes later, Brodie hit Frolik with a stretch pass. The ‘other’ Czech right-winger picked up steam through the neutral zone and handed off the puck to a trailing Gaudreau. Frolik went to the front of the Kristen Odland, PostmediaKRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA net while Gaudreau looked off Doughty and Muzzin and sent a backhanded delivery back to Frolik who tapped it past Quick to go up 2- 0. The Calgary Flames may have won three games in a row, snapped a 29- The other story of the first period was Smith’s ability to stop the puck on game losing streak at the Honda Center and beat the L.A. Kings in the penalty kill and was a big reasons why they went 5-for-5. enemy territory. But things went downhill in the second when they couldn’t generate But through the first four games of the season and after Wednesday’s 4- momentum on a four-minute power-play, and Anze Kopitar tore apart the 3 overtime win at Staples Center — on a dandy feed from TJ Brodie to Flames’ fourth line and third defensive pairing, scoring at the 15:44 mark — Glen Gulutzan wants to see some massive of the middle frame. improvements from his team. When the King were buzzing in the last half of the second period and first In fact, post-game Wednesday, the Flames head coach had a list ready portion of the third, The Flames were silent. to go and delivered it to the media. Early in the third period, they went 7:21 between shots and would up “For me right now, our battle level and our execution needs to get better,” getting out-shot by the opponents — again — 45-37. Gulutzan said. “Our breakouts need to get better. We’re spending too much time in our own zone. We’re giving too much off the rush with our Yet there are no pictures in the standings, and the Flames return back to puck management, so we do have to tidy that up … we’re getting out- Calgary 3-1-0 and host the on Friday. chanced on a nightly basis. “A big win,” Tkachuk said. “The start of the third wasn’t how we drew it up “That’s cause for concern.” at the end of the second. I thought the guys were sitting back at the end of the second, but at the end of the third, we were putting pucks on net It was only fitting that Will Ferrell, the star of the movie Old School was and getting bodies towards the net and chances.” among the crowd at Staples Center. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.12.2017 Because Jaromir Jagr — making his debut for the Flames on Wednesday — is about as old school as it gets. All eyes were on the 45-year-old Czech winger as he stepped onto the ice and logged 13:38. (Post-game, by the way, he reported that he “didn’t feel well” about his performance and that he is “glad it’s done.”) Then, all eyes went to Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik who both scored to put the Flames up 2-0 in the first period. Then, all eyes were on Flames netminder Mike Smith, the team’s best penalty killer of the game. Then, all eyes went to Kings forward Dustin Brown who scored back-to- back markers in the first two minutes in the third period to take a 3-2 lead over the Flames. Then, all eyes went back to Tkachuk who tied it at the halfway mark. Then, it really turned ‘Old School’ with some bad blood bubbling in the final 4:31. It started when Johnny Gaudreau drew a Drew Doughty hooking penalty at the blueline. Towards the end of the power-play, Tkachuk tried to muscle his way to the goalmouth leading to a scramble and some fisticuffs thrown. Sam Bennett, somehow, tackled Nick Shore while Tkachuk looked to have ripped off ’s mask, ending in a Tkachuk penalty. Of course, Tkachuk and Doughty exchanged insults in the penalty box (would you expect anything less). and Brown landed in the box shortly after. “It’s fine,” said Flames goalie Mike Smith of the Pacific Division rivalry which is, apparently, still alive and well. “It’s part of the game. I get fired up out there. Obviously the adrenalin gets going, the crowd gets going … Drew is a competitive guy. Chucky is a feisty kid that is trying to make his way in this league. He had a heck of a night for us. “That’s just part of hockey.” Eventually, Brodie and Monahan would team up for the game-winner 1:02 into overtime to get the thing done. It wasn’t a full 60 minutes played by the Flames, not even close. And although Gulutzan praised his netminder who faced over 40 shots for the third game this season (on this night, it was 42-of-45), he wasn’t done pointing out the team’s shortcomings on this night. Keep in mind that through four games last season, they were 1-2-1. “Our game isn’t far off of where it was this time last year,” Gulutzan said. “Our goalie, in my mind, has got us the last two, for sure. We do have some work to do. It’s going to be the same process we went through last year. I think we’re more confident compared to this time last year — we’re more comfortable. “We’ve gotta clean this up quick.” 1077634 Calgary Flames “But it’s not about me. It’s about the team and my teammates. I don’t want to be there just to be there. I want to make them better.”

That’s exactly why Flames general manager Brad Treliving brought in the Jagr makes debut with Flames oldest active player in the NHL — because he believes Jagr will make them better. Kristen Odland, PostmediaKRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA The fifth-overall selection of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft finished fourth in team scoring last year with the Panthers, netting 16 goals and 30 assists in 82 games. Those were, of course, added to his staggering career stat- line of 765 goals and 1,149 assists. While half of the Calgary Flames took shots on Eddie Lack, the other half worked on small-area drills, passing between each other on Tuesday at The only players on the Flames roster who scored more points than the L.A. Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo. Jagr’s 46 in 2016-17 were four members of the team’s top two forward lines and one — Matthew Tkachuk (48), Dougie Hamilton And fully content on doing his own thing — 24 seasons in the National (50), Mikael Backlund (53), Sean Monahan (58) and Johnny Gaudreau Hockey League will do that to you — Jaromir Jagr skated between the (61). blueline and centre line. Jagr is second on the NHL’s all-time scoring list behind Back and forth with the puck. with 1,914 points and is chasing (1,767) for all-time games played. Stops and starts. After Wednesday’s game, he’s played 1,712 and needs just 56 more to Over and over. pass Howe’s record. Then, the 45-year-old right winger had an extended chat with Glen Not bad for a guy who’ll turn 46 on Feb. 15. Gulutzan. “He hasn’t had a training camp — he hasn’t been in a game atmosphere “Lots of chats,” said the Flames head coach with a smile. “And you know in probably five or six months now or whatever it’s been,” pointed out what? You learn every time you chat with him. When you have a guy Versteeg. “Like he said, he’s going to take time getting used to everyone that’s played that long and that many games, he knows where he’s at.” and getting used to the players. I mean … practices only do so much. It’ll Where he was at, on Wednesday, was game ready. be more about game situations, and I think as the games keep going and progressing, you’re going to see it get a lot better as it goes.” At least in his own mind, and that’s exactly what Gulutzan and Jagr were discussing Tuesday. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.12.2017 “We just talked about his minutes,” Gulutzan explained, regarding the tete-a-tete. “Just from seeing him before, I said, ‘To me, you look better and better each day.’” Remember, Jagr has a high level. “His hands, his timing … all of that looked better to me. He felt that, too. Our chat was about minutes, and the next progression for him is getting some game time.” Of course, that happened Wednesday night in downtown L.A. at the Staples Center when he made his Flames debut and played first-regular season game with a Canadian-based National Hockey League team. It was an exciting night for everyone in Calgary — and in the Flames dressing room, for that matter. Since his arrival from the Czech Republic last week, Jagr has been skating diligently both on his own (sometimes well after practice has ended) and with the Flames’ third line of Kris Versteeg and Sam Bennett. He’s been a teacher, too, in the short time he’s been with the club. Each skate, he’s seen having a positional chat with his teammates. “He talks to you and lets you know,” Versteeg said. “That’s what it’s going to take. He hasn’t played in a long time, and to understand where you are positionally and strengths as quickly as possible, that’s big. “I’m excited to see him in a couple of weeks when he really becomes comfortable . . . but, for now, he still looks great.” Gulutzan was planning on managing the future Hockey Hall-of-Famer’s ice-time Wednesday night, something that he’s no stranger to having coached Jagr briefly with the Dallas Stars. Jagr, speaking quietly on Wednesday in the corner of the visitors’ dressing room at the Staples Center next to stall-mate and fellow Czech Michael Frolik, was intent on downplaying the whole ordeal. “Of course it’s been a long time since I’ve played my last game,” said Jagr. “It’s going to be different. I care a lot, so I’m going to play the best I can play. It’s not going to be very good. But hopefully, (after playing) some games, it’ll be better.” The build-up, at least to him skating in a Flames jersey for real, has been drawn-out. Each day, Gulutzan indicated there was a “plan” in place for Jagr’s debut. All along, Gulutzan said the player himself would dictate when he was ready. And despite not playing a meaningful game since April 9 in Washington while with the Florida Panthers, expectations were high. “Always the highest,” Jagr said, of his own personal standard. “It might be different, but I always want to perform at a high level … 1077635 Calgary Flames The only players on the Flames roster that scored more points than Jagr’s 46 in 2016-17 were part of the team’s top two lines and half of the top defensive pairing: Matthew Tkachuk (48), Dougie Hamilton (50), Jaromir Jagr makes his debut in Los Angeles tonight, on line with Mikael Backlund (53), Sean Monahan (58), and Johnny Gaudreau (61). Bennett, Versteeg For the last three seasons, Jagr has skated with the Florida Panthers and most recently played on the team’s top line with Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Kristen Odland, PostmediaKRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA Jagr, who’ll turn 46 on Feb. 15, is beginning his 24th (!) NHL season and is second on the NHL’s all-time scoring list behind Wayne Gretzky with 1,914 points. After a week’s worth of headlines, questions, and excitement, Jaromir Jagr will make his debut for the Calgary Flames tonight versus the L.A. “It’s not that there was a perfect day, it was just about how he felt,” Kings. Gulutzan said.” He had no training camp. As much as everyone wanted him to play and jump in, he had to skate and play and get up to speed. Slotting him in on the right side with Sam Bennett and Kris Versteeg, the He’s a great player but he needed to skate and have some practices 45-year-old Czech legend and future National Hockey League Hall of under his belt.” Famer, Glen Gulutzan indicated that although it’s newsworthy across the NHL — and especially at lunchtime conversation everywhere in the city Calgary Herald: LOADED: 10.12.2017 of Calgary — it’s business as usual in their dressing room. “We’ve had these talks before, he’s practised on that line,” the Flames head coach said. “There’s no need to make it any bigger than it is. We’ve had those chats already and now they just have to go out and play. Jags has been in on all the meetings and knows the systems. “Now, it’s just making sure he gets the right amount of minutes and we’ll see how it goes with the chemistry.” The team had an optional morning skate at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. Jagr, however, did not take “the option.” That should be no surprise considering as he’s been one of the first players on the ice — and last players to leave — each day since the Flames signed him to a one-year, $1-million contract, officially last Wednesday. In addition to skating on the team’s third line, he’s also practised on the team’s first and second power-play units and will see some time on their second unit. “Just to see how hard he’s worked in the last week is really impressed a lot of our people,” Gulutzan said. “Just the amount of time he puts into his game. “Working out with the young guys after, I know (Monday) during the game, he worked out hard and he leaves a good impression on guys.” So, in comes Jagr and out goes who has impressed the last two games. Meanwhile, the Flames are looking to extend a two-game win streak to start the 2017-18 NHL campaign and are coming off a 2-0 win at the Honda Center which ended a 29-game string of futility at the building. Netminder Mike Smith had another stellar outing and posted his first shutout, turning aside 43 shots. “If you look at that game, Smitty stands out in everybody’s mind and the penalty kill was six-for-six, and your powerplay scored a goal,” “You can’t win in this league without specialty teams and I thought they were real good and I thought Smitty was real good and that’s why we won.” All along, Gulutzan indicated there was a “plan” with Jagr and when he would play but the team certainly wasn’t going to rush the left-shooting right-winger that could add some scoring punch to the team’s third line. “Of course it’s been a long time since I’ve played my last game,” said Jagr. “It’s going to be different. “I care a lot so I’m going to play the best I can play. It’s not going to be very good. But hopefully, (after playing) some games, it’ll be better.” When asked about what he expects from himself, he responded: “Always the highest (expectations). It might be different, but I always want to perform at a high level. But it’s not about me. It’s about the team and my teammates. I don’t want to be there just to be there. I want to make them better.” And that’s the question. Even factoring in his age, Jagr has proven he can still produce and finished fourth in team scoring last year with the Panthers, netting 16 goals and 30 assists in 82 games last season and added another two assists in six playoff games. Those were, of course, added to his staggering career stat line of 765 goals and 1,149 assists in 1,711 games played. 1077636 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes had only 7,892 fans at Columbus game. Here’s the Canes’ attendance strategy.

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

The Carolina Hurricanes’ home attendance Tuesday – or lack thereof – again has created some chatter throughout the NHL. The Canes, following a sellout at PNC Arena on Saturday for their home opener, had an announced crowd of 7,892 Tuesday for their Metropolitan Division game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canes have ranked last among NHL teams in home attendance the past two seasons, drawing an average of 11,776 in 2016-17. In an interview last week, Canes president Don Waddell was asked if finishing last in the league was embarrassing. “We’re not last in the league in attendance,” Waddell said. “You guys can publish (attendance) reports, but I go by dollars. So we’re not last. “Nobody is happy where we are, no doubt. We also have to continue to keep moving all the elements forward. If we can do that, I think attendance is going to pick up with that.” Waddell said that when he was named president in July 2014, the Canes had a season-ticket base – in terms of full-season ticket holders and season-ticket equivalencies – of about 5,400. He said that base has been built to about 7,000. “We’re making some progress under the circumstances, and we’re just going to keep going,” he said. “I talk to our sales staff all the time (that) winning or losing doesn’t stop us from doing our job. If we win, it’s going to make our job a little easier to sell more tickets. But we don’t use that as an excuse.” Waddell’s strategy has been to put more emphasis on adding to the value of season tickets. One part of his strategy, after getting feedback from season-ticket holders, was to reduce the number of complimentary and discounted tickets per game. Reducing that number has resulted in smaller crowds but helped Waddell and those on the business side convince those considering buying season tickets that they were getting full value. The Canes had an announced sellout of 18,680 on Saturday for the opener against Minnesota. Tuesday’s crowd, on a weeknight, was smaller than any hockey crowd at PNC Arena last season – Carolina drew 8,086 for the Nov. 11 game against Anaheim. The Canes’ attendance of 18,680 in the 2016-17 home opener against the New York Rangers was their only sellout of the season. They had six crowds of fewer than 9,000, and four were in the month of November, when the Canes had seven home games. The Canes’ smallest home crowd in the 2015-16 season was 9,021 for an early December game against Arizona.. Chip Alexander News Observer LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077637 Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Murphy's surprising scratch shows new dynamic in Blackhawks defense

Chris Hine Chris Hine

Coach wanted to get right-handed defenseman Cody Franson into the lineup Tuesday against the Canadiens for his first game in a Blackhawks uniform. Quenneville didn't want to make any of his left-handed defensemen, such as Michal Kempny or Gustav Forsling, play their off sides, so he didn't consider taking either out. Of three right-handed defensemen who played in the Hawks' first three games, Brent Seabrook wasn't coming out of the lineup. That meant Quenneville was going to scratch either Connor Murphy or Jan Rutta. It was a tough call. Rutta had scored two goals this season and impressed Quenneville and the Hawks throughout the preseason. Murphy, meanwhile, is supposed to be the prize from the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade with the Coyotes. A young defenseman general manager Stan Bowman thinks of highly, Murphy is the future of the blue line — but Quenneville ended up scratching him in just his fourth game in a Hawks sweater. It was a curious move given all the Hawks have invested in Murphy — $3.85 million annually for the next five seasons. It's especially surprising considering the man whose skates Murphy is filling — Hjalmarsson — never was scratched. But Quenneville said he wasn't trying to send Murphy a message. "It was more so we wanted to get 'Frans' in," Quenneville said after Tuesday's 3-1 victory. "That was more so the decision." But Quenneville's move speaks to a new dynamic for the Hawks regarding defensemen — the surplus of right-handed shots limits his flexibility in terms of lineup configuration. Last season they were short on right-handed defensemen and kept Hjalmarsson, who has a natural left-handed shot, playing his off side. Brian Campbell at times played his off side and Trevor van Riemsdyk also could play both sides. But those three players are gone, leaving only Jordan Oesterle, the eighth defenseman, as perhaps the only player comfortable playing both sides. The Hawks had an organizational mandate this summer to acquire right-handed defensemen — in free agency and the draft. That's why Franson, Murphy and Rutta are here. So because of Rutta's strong play, Quenneville replaced Murphy with Franson and still wants Oesterle to get time. "It's certainly not fun when you have to make the decision, not fun for the guys who don't get to play," Quenneville said. "But (Franson) had a real good camp for us. We've got to get him in at some point. … It's not an easy call." Quenneville is going to have to find a way to keep everyone happy, especially those who play on the right where there are only three slots available for a minimum of four players. Franson said he understood why he sat the first three games. "Any time you sit, there's always that burning in your stomach where there's mixed emotions about it," Franson said. "I knew the situation. I knew why that was happening and it makes sense. "It's one of those things where certain circumstances lead to missing the first game and guys got off to a great start. If I was in the lineup at the start of the season and we were playing that well and guys were producing like they were, I wouldn't want to come out of the lineup either." Franson had an assist against the Canadiens while Rutta was "outstanding," Quenneville said. Thursday's game against the Wild looms, as does another difficult decision for Quenneville on whom to dress. But he doesn't mind if all are playing well. "We're not complaining," he said. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077638 Chicago Blackhawks

Now with Wolves, ex-Blackhawks C Brandon Pirri fights to return to NHL

Brian Sandalow

Brandon Pirri once was a candidate to be the Blackhawks’ second-line center of the future, and some factions of the fan base clamored for him to get an extended shot. Though he had strong numbers in Rockford, Pirri’s game never impressed coach Joel Quenneville, and he was traded to the Panthers and former Hawks general manager on March 2, 2014, for two draft picks. Pirri spent parts of three seasons with the Panthers before going to the Ducks and Rangers. He returned to the Panthers on a professional tryout this summer but was cut at the end of training camp. Pirri then signed with the expansion Golden Knights, who assigned him to the Wolves. Now 26, Pirri isn’t a prospect anymore and simply is fighting to return to the NHL. He’s ready for the fight. opportunity to do what I do,’’ Pirri said. ‘‘For me, this is just coming in here with a good attitude. I’m going to work my [butt] off, and hopefully someone sees that and gives me an opportunity.’’ Of course, this wasn’t what many expected Pirri’s career to look like. An offensively gifted player, Pirri won the American Hockey League scoring title with 75 points in 2012-13 and showed flashes at the NHL level, scoring 22 goals for the Panthers during the 2014-15 season. Unfortunately for Pirri, former Panthers and now Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant soured on his overall performance before trading him to the Ducks in February 2016. That continued a trend that has seen Pirri’s offensive prowess overshadowed by the holes in his all-around game. That’s why he never earned Quenneville’s trust with the Hawks, and Pirri is aware of how his game is perceived. He’s trying to change that. ‘‘I think the knock on me has been playing consistently that 200-foot game,’’ Pirri said. ‘‘It’s something I’ve worked on a lot, but it’s something I’m for sure better at.’’ So far with the Wolves, Pirri has looked like a solid fit. Playing on a line with Teemu Pulkkinen, a former top prospect for the Red Wings, Pirri has two assists and a plus-3 rating and seems to have found a decent landing spot. Pirri’s wife is from Chicago and they have a home here, and he was glad to join the Wolves and is embracing a leadership role. But Pirri doesn’t want to stay in the AHL. ‘‘I’m not here to be a lifer for the Wolves,’’ Pirri said. ‘‘That’s not my goal. My goal is to get back into the NHL. I believe I can play in the NHL.’’ The Wolves host the Reign at 7 p.m. Saturday in their home opener. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077639 Chicago Blackhawks

Nick Schmaltz’s importance highlighted by his absence

Mark Lazerus

Blackhawks center Nick Schmaltz missed the last 12 minutes of the season opener, the last 58 minutes of the second game and the entirety of the third and fourth games with an upper-body injury. He has been on the ice for 16 minutes and 10 seconds this season. Yet in his absence, it’s clear just how vital the second-year pro will be to the Hawks’ chances this season. Speed is everything in the modern-day NHL, and the Hawks don’t quite have enough of it. That was as evident Monday against the Maple Leafs as it was in April against the Predators. The Leafs, as the Predators did, ran around, through and over the Hawks to create scoring chances in transition and dominate the puck. With Schmaltz on the ice, the Hawks have a line that can do the same to most teams, providing a devastating one-two punch with the heavier, more straightforward top line of Brandon Saad, Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik. Without Schmaltz, everything beyond the Toews line sort of falls apart. Coach Joel Quenneville is hopeful Schmaltz will be back on the ice Thursday against the Wild. Good thing, too, because the guy who was basically a role player for much of his rookie season has become a key cog in the Hawks’ lineup, a linchpin with no replacement. When Schmaltz was injured, winger Patrick Kane pointed to all the success he had with Artem Anisimov the last two seasons. And, indeed, Kane won a scoring title and the Hart Trophy with Anisimov in the middle. But that success came with the speedy, creative Artemi Panarin on the left wing, not the grittier Ryan Hartman. The numbers are clear: In the first 62 minutes of the season, Hartman, Schmaltz and Kane combined for five goals and nine assists. But with Hartman and Anisimov alongside him, Kane and his line were dominated by the speedy Leafs and the slower Canadiens. Kane had just one shot on goal against the Leafs. He didn’t even have a shot attempt in the first period against the Canadiens, prompting Quenneville to swap him with Lance Bouma. Kane fared slightly better with and John Hayden as his linemates, but being paired with two physical grinders is hardly ideal for Kane, who flourishes with speed and creativity on his line. Kane can’t do it alone, and the dramatic reversal of fortune for his line speaks to just how good Schmaltz was in training camp and in the 10-1 rout of the Penguins in the opener. There’s a ripple effect, too. Suddenly, Tanner Kero — not Anisimov — is centering and Alex DeBrincat. And Wingels, a natural winger, is forced to play center on the fourth line. ‘‘Obviously, you miss a guy that was playing unbelievable for us,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘He gives us a lot of options, and up the middle, we were probably a little short-staffed in that area and trying to improvise with our lines as we’re getting deeper in periods.’’ In the long run, Schmaltz’s brief absence might prove beneficial for the Hawks, who got to see how other pieces fit — or don’t fit — in the lineup. Knowing Wingels is a viable fourth-line center is valuable information. And knowing the heavier style of Anisimov doesn’t blend as well with Kane and Hartman as it did with Kane and Panarin is important, too. Above all else, however, if these first four games have shown anything, it’s that Schmaltz — faster, stronger and far more assertive than he was last season — appears to be the key to the Hawks’ offense. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077640 Chicago Blackhawks Kane lost his mojo -- and his center in Nick Schmaltz -- the last two games, but the Hawks are hoping Schmaltz can return Thursday against the Wild. Five reasons behind the Blackhawks' hot start If he does, watch for Kane to pick up where he left off. 4. Richard Panik John Dietz Perhaps the most underappreciated player on the team, Panik quietly goes about his business while wreaking all kinds of havoc on the ice. I'll be honest: When I perused the Blackhawks' schedule and saw Panik (3G, 3A, plus-7) is showing last year was no fluke by fitting in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Toronto, Montreal, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis perfectly with Saad and Jonathan Toews on the top line. His bone- and Edmonton as the team's first eight opponents, a 3-5-0 start seemed crunching, glass-rattling hit on Columbus' Seth Jones on Saturday was a completely plausible. sight to see and led to Toews' first goal of the season. After all, those eight teams qualified for the 2016-17 playoffs while Panik's fearless play combined with sharp passing and pinpoint shooting averaging 46.3 victories and 102.4 points. Throw in the facts that the makes him one of the best overall players on the team. Hawks were breaking in eight new faces, the blue line was a huge 5. Corey Crawford question mark, and they looked dreadful in the preseason finale, and it was easy to envision an under-.500 opening stretch. Yes, the Hawks' offense is humming, having scored 21 goals, but their goaltender may turn out to be the team's MVP. Scouting report Crawford is in midseason form, having stopped 101 of 104 shots. He's Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild at United Center, 7:30 p.m. seeing plays perfectly, making the routine and spectacular saves with TV: NBCSCH Radio: WGN 720-AM ease and he's doing just enough behind the net to alleviate pressure on the Hawks' defensemen.

Ignoring the 48-game season of 2012-13, it will be interesting to see if The skinny: The Wild has gotten off to a less-than-impressive start, falling Crawford can better his career marks in save percentage (.924) and 4-2 to Detroit and 5-4 to Carolina in a shootout. Minnesota's lone point goals-against average (2.26). was made possible thanks to a Mikko Koivu goal with 0.3 seconds remaining against the Hurricanes. "We're not going to win a lot of games Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 if we play like that and allow 40 shots a game," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. "It's not the way we practice and it's too loosey- goosey." … The Hawks went 3-1-0 against Minnesota last season. … Jonathan Toews (2G, 3A) and Richard Panik (3G, 3A) will try to extend their points streaks to five games. … The Hawks hope Nick Schmaltz can return after missing two games with an upper-body injury. Next: Nashville Predators at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Saturday But a funny thing happened on the way to potential mediocrity: The Hawks have shown incredible chemistry, desire and skill in a 3-0-1 start that includes blowout victories over the Penguins and Blue Jackets. So, before Minnesota and the hated Predators invade the United Center on Thursday and Saturday, let's take a look the Hawks' biggest stars thus far. 1. Brandon Saad Artemi Panarin is a fabulous talent, but experts will probably agree that the Hawks completely fleeced the Blue Jackets over the summer when they reacquired Saad and added a capable goaltender in Anton Forsberg. "We were saying he's not a man-child anymore," Patrick Kane said of Saad last week. "He's just a man." Saad is showing why the Hawks -- and more specifically, Jonathan Toews -- missed him so much the last two years. The speed is still evident, but more importantly Saad has the bulk and willingness to crash the net night after night. All 5 of his goals came from less than 10 feet away from the goal. Said Saad: "There's a lot of skill guys, but it's all about the work and getting to the net -- and especially for my type of game. That's how I have success." Don't be surprised if Saad, aka The Man, hits 40 goals this season. 2. The defense The Hawks have allowed a whopping 36.75 shots on goal per game, but that's because opponents are playing catch up from the get-go. The Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook pairing has breathed life back into both veterans, Jan Rutta (2 goals) has been a tremendous find and Gustav Forsling (3 assists) looks like a completely different player. If the back end continues its strong play, the biggest question mark heading into the season might just turn into an exclamation point. 3. Patrick Kane Kane was unstoppable in the Hawks' first 2 wins. The 2016 MVP showed why he might be the best playmaker in the league with some of the nastiest shots and passes you'll ever see. 1077641 Chicago Blackhawks

Three Things to WATCH: Blackhawks battle Wild in Central Division showdown

By Charlie Roumeliotis October 12, 2017 12:00 AM

Here are Three Things to Watch when the Blackhawks take on the Minnesota Wild tonight on NBC Sports Chicago and streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Blackhawks Pregame Live. 1. What's the status of Nick Schmaltz? The Blackhawks picked up three out of a possible four points during their mini two-game road trip in Toronto and Montreal, but they've certainly missed Schmaltz. They were outshot by a combined 85-46 against the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, showing the imbalance their lineup has with Schmaltz not in it. Joel Quenneville will provide an update after morning skate at 10:30 a.m., but the targeted return date for Schmaltz's return has always been tonight. It'd be good timing as well with Minnesota being the first of three straight games against Central Division opponents. 2. Duncan Keith and Ryan Suter. We've watched the Blackhawks score a ton of goals through four games this season, so let's focus on the defensive matchup this time, shall we? Keith and Suter are the blue-line anchors for their respective teams, and are two of only a handful of defensemen who are capable of logging heavy minutes while getting better as the game goes on. They've both gotten off to slow starts offensively, combining for two assists in six games, but that doesn't take away from how dangerous they are at both ends of the ice. They're the engines that make their defenses go. 3. Two potential Calder Trophy candidates. Both the Blackhawks and Wild have exciting top prospects that have cracked the every-day lineup this season, and both of them have a chance to be in the mix for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Alex DeBrincat, who was taken by Chicago in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the 2016 draft, scored his first career goal in the NHL on Tuesday night and has three points in four games. Joel Eriksson Ek, a first-round selection (No. 20 overall) in 2015 by Minnesota, has solidified his spot as the Wild's third-line center, and scored a goal in the team's season opener. Expect these two rookies to at least be in the hunt of the rookie scoring race all season. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077642 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche hang on to beat Bruins in home opener at Pepsi Center

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post

Editorial: Denver Scholarship Fund’s growing success inspires As far as home openers go, the Avalanche produced straight-As for all but eight minutes Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center. Against the Bs — the Boston Bruins — Colorado excelled in every area for the first two periods in its first opportunity to re-ignite Mile High enthusiasm for the game after the last-place disaster that was 2016-17. Boxscore: Colorado 6, Boston 3 In holding on after Boston’s late two-goal rally, the Avs (3-1) received multiple-point nights from forwards Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Nail Yakupov, Gabe Landeskog and Sven Andrighetto and never trailed in a 6-3 victory — their second in three days over Boston (1-2). A sellout crowd of 18,011 witnessed rookie Alex Kerfoot, Yakupov, Andrighetto and Duchene get the goals for in taking a 4-1 lead and goalie Semyon Varlamov, who only faced nine shots through two periods, improve to 3-0 despite allowing third-period goals at 11:30 and 12:57. Andrighetto and Tyson Jost scored empty-net goals to put it away for the Avs, who are 3-1 for the second consecutive season. “Early last year — against Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay — we won (to improve to 3-1),” Duchene said. “Last year we lost that fifth game, so this year we want to win it. Hopefully we’ll learn from that.” Wednesday’s event featured pregame opening-night player introductions after a moment of silence for Las Vegas shooting victims. And then Colorado went to work. “This is a new group and we want to show our best in front of the home town,” Avs coach Bednar said after the morning skate. Mission accomplished. The Avs took a 1-0 lead before dominating the second period and taking a 4-1 advantage into the third. Yakupov, Andrighetto (power play) and Duchene scored at 1:00, 12:37 and 15:43 of the second to turn the crowd into a frenzy. Colorado outshot Boston 15-5 in the second period and 26-9 at that point. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was replaced after 40 minutes. Jost, 19, escaped serious injury from a sideways crash into the boards in the second period. He was cross-checked by Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who was penalized. Jost returned late in the period. “Scary moment in game. Probably one of scariest moments of my hockey career, just cause it was such a weird angle I went in,” Jost said. “Lucky it was nothing serious. I came back and was fine, and got that empty- netter. It’s all positive.” Denver Post: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077643 Colorado Avalanche

Nail Yakupov glad to be in Colorado with Avalanche

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post

Nail Yakupov scored his team-leading third goal for the Avalanche on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins at the Pepsi Center. It’s far too early to suggest the Russian winger is turning around what was once considered a can’t-miss career, but he’s certainly happy in Colorado. “It is fun. It starts from the locker room, with the boys, and I think I have really good chemistry with everyone,” said Yakupov, one of the Avs’ four Russians. The Avs signed Yakupov — the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft — to a modest one-year contract in July. He is playing on the Matt Duchene- centered line with rookie Alex Kerfoot. In 40 games with the St. Louis Blues last season, Yakupov had just three goals and nine points. The Edmonton Oilers gave up on Yakupov after the 2015-16 season and traded him to St. Louis. Yakupov, who turned 24 last week, has been in a career decline since his rookie season in 2012-13, when he paced the Oilers with 17 goals in the 48-game, lockout-shortened campaign. Yakupov is often seen talking Russian with his countrymen/teammates in goalie Semyon Varlamov and defesemen Nikita Zadorov and Andrei Mironov. But he said he regularly hangs out with non-Russian players too. “My English, it’s kind of getting better,” Yakupov said. “I’m not getting lost, so I can have a conversation with the boys and understand what they’re saying. We try to hang out together. So I’m really enjoying my time here, being with the boys. We’re having breakfasts and lunches together. I already have good buddies here, especially the Russian guys. It makes it easier. We try to help ‘Miro,’ a guy in his first year in the league. We support each other. I like it.” Footnotes. Avalanche defenseman Mark Barberio, a healthy scratch in the two previous games, replaced rookie Anton Lindholm in the lineup. The forward lines remained the same. … Former University of Denver forward Danton Heinen made his NHL season debut and committed the game’s first penalty. Heinen, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s on Tuesday, played in his ninth career game. … Colorado Springs product Brandon Carlo continues to play in Boston’s top defensive pairing with Zdeno Chara. … The Avs will practice Thursday and conclude their two-game homestand Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. Colorado plays its first consecutive-night game Saturday at Dallas. Denver Post: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077644 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets: Jordan Schroeder back at practice after concussion

By George Richards

The Blue Jackets may have been down a player at Wednesday’s practice, but they got another one back. While right wing Cam Atkinson was absent to deal with a personal issue, left wing Jordan Schroeder returned after being out since Sept. 20 with what is believed to be a concussion. Coach said Atkinson would return to practice on Thursday; he did not have a timetable for Schroeder’s game debut. Schroeder, 27, came to the Jackets in a deal with Minnesota in the offseason and signed a two-year deal. He played just 7:42 in an exhibition game in St. Louis on Sept. 20 and has been out since. “He had such a good camp before he got injured and he has been out longer than we thought he would be,” Tortorella said. “You never know with those things. It was good to see him skating, and I’m sure he was happy to get back on the ice.” Tortorella said center Boone Jenner, who has been out with a back injury, was scheduled to skate Wednesday and could join the team for its upcoming trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg and potentially jump in and begin practicing again. “He may travel with us so we can try and get him on the ice,” Tortorella said. “But we still don’t have a day set.” Anderson makes debut Right wing Josh Anderson played in his first game of the season after holding out and missing all of training camp and preseason. Anderson, who was assigned to AHL Cleveland for a conditioning stint upon reporting to the Jackets last week, played 17 shifts and 13:39 in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Anderson did not play in overtime. “I thought he played a good game; played with speed, was around the puck,” Tortorella said. “But I thought Josh ran out of gas about halfway through the game. But he is going to be a big part of our team.” Said Anderson: “I felt pretty good, just want to play my own game and create chemistry with my linemates. ... We’re trying to be sharp in practice and get ready for back-to-back games coming up this weekend. We’re just keeping our legs going.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077645 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets: Milano makes mark with flurry of goals to start season

By George Richards

Fall in Columbus means Ohio State football dominates the sports landscape. Yet in the span of a week, Blue Jackets rookie forward Sonny Milano pushed his way into the spotlight. “Yeah, he’s fun to watch,” coach John Tortorella said. In his first three games of a young hockey season, the 21-year-old from Long Island has scored in each game and lifted the Jackets to a 2-1 overtime win Tuesday by scoring both goals against the host Carolina Hurricanes. When the Jackets return home Friday night to face the New York Rangers, expect to see quite a few more No. 22 jerseys in the crowd than there were for last week’s season opener, when Milano snared his first NHL goal — and the first Columbus goal of the new season. “This has been a lot of fun. Obviously, my dream growing up has been to play in the NHL,” Milano said after Wednesday’s practice at Nationwide Arena. “Getting a couple of goals is a great feeling. The first one was amazing. Now I just have to treat it like a business. I just have to keep playing my game, not get too high or too low.” What a week it has been for Milano. Listen to the Cannon Fodder podcast After spending the past two seasons in Cleveland with a few brief stints with the Jackets, Milano was a player who needed a strong training camp to solidify a spot on the opening night roster. He came strong. Milano was perhaps Columbus’ best player in camp and took advantage of Josh Anderson’s holdout, which lasted up until last week. By opening night, Columbus fans were ready to see what Milano could do once the big lights came on. In the rousing 5-0 win over his hometown Islanders on Friday, Milano notched his first NHL goal just over a minute into the season. The following night, he scored Columbus’ lone goal in a lackluster 5-1 loss in Chicago. By scoring twice Tuesday, Milano has scored all of his team’s goals in their past two games. He said his mom has cried after each goal he has scored this week. “They watch on TV and they are so excited,” said Milano, a first-round pick of the Jackets in 2014 who played in seven games with the Jackets the previous two seasons. “My dad is a huge Islanders fan, so scoring against them to start the season was pretty cool.” While it appears all Milano does is score, his all-around game is what helped him make this team. Tortorella has praised Milano’s work on both ends of the ice and determined play in the corners. Milano’s focus off the ice has also been noticed. “The book on him was he is too risky, doesn’t understand coverages defensively,” Tortorella said. ”(Now) he is so engaged with questions and is understanding how he needs to play away from the puck. That’s what is going to keep him on the ice. “I’ve been so impressed with him, right from Day 1 of camp in him understanding and getting better at that.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077646 Dallas Stars Jeff Blashill, who was in AAC Tuesday. "I think Hitch's No. 1 goal is to win hockey games. I think his No. 2 goal is to pass on what he has learned." Ken Hitchcock can pass Islanders' Al Arbour on the all-time wins list, and So maybe this is a perfect time to compare Ken Hitchcock to Al Arbour. that makes him sad Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.12.2017

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

Ken Hitchcock can pass New York Islanders coaching legend Al Arbour on the all-time coaching wins list with a victory over Nashville on Thursday. And that makes him kind of sad. "I don't feel good about it. I don't really know why, but I don't feel good," Hitchcock said. "I felt he was a special human being and a special coach. He was a guy that I could relate to, so it doesn't feel great, to be honest with you." Arbour won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, and Hitchcock said he doesn't want anyone to think the coaching wins milestone means more than it does. But the reason why drips with irony. Hitchcock said Arbour was always a person who was good to the young coaches such as him. He said Arbour was a regular guy who found a way to be good. He said Arbour was "relatable." Well, pot, meet kettle. With shades of Bill Belichick and John Wooden, Ken Hitchcock is trying to build the Stars 'the right way' Hitchcock is the same guy, the same personality, the same friend to coaches. is hands down the greatest hockey coach of all-time, and his 1,244 wins will probably never be caught. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville would need to put together eight more seasons of 50 wins to take over first place, so Bowman has a nice cushion. A master at strategy and gamesmanship, Bowman was always competing, so he also had a cushion around him in terms of the coaching fraternity. "We all got our lunch handed to us by Scotty, but Al was more of a measuring stick for us," Hitchcock said. "Scotty was rarified air at the time, but Al was a guy we got to talk to and meet. Because he had so many players from the west, I knew him and he knew me." Hitchcock coached junior hockey in Kamloops, British Columbia, and he was consumed by the craft. He often visited coaching schools while trying to sell hockey equipment and coach youth teams. He spent 10 years coaching midget AAA in Sherwood Park, , and then another six years in major junior. He earned his degree, and then some, saying at one time: "Some people play the game 20 years to get ready for a career in coaching. I coached the game 20 years to get ready for a career in coaching." 10 things you might not know about Ken Hitchcock, like hilarious story about Brenden Morrow, It really is a Cinderella story. You can pick at the all-time wins list and say Arbour coached at a time when there were ties, so he didn't get the benefit of Hitchcock's shootout or overtime wins (which really does skew the list toward newer coaches). You can look up Arbour's 123 playoff wins (2nd) and four Stanley Cups and compare that to Hitchcock's 86 (9th) and one Cup. But if you're doing that, you're missing the point. This isn't a comparison, it's a celebration of what Ken Hitchcock has accomplished. It's a recognition that a guy who had to work very hard to earn the respect of players who saw him as an overweight minor league coach now gets letters of recommendation from countless Hall of Famers. Fact is, he will join them in Toronto someday. If you want to know what Ken Hitchcock has accomplished in his life, just go back and listen to the cheer he received on opening night at American Airlines Center. It was the loudest in the building. Then go find the tape of the applause that showered down the next night at Scottrade Center when he returned to face his old team, the Blues. It was the loudest in the building. Listen to the appreciation, the respect, the love for Ken Hitchcock, and you'll understand who he is and what he has done. "You saw it with Detroit and their young coach, Hitch was right there talking to him," said Stars broadcaster of Red Wings coach 1077647 Dallas Stars

Heika: My read on why Jamie Benn is off to a slow start this Stars season

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

Mike Heika, Stars beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered questions about the team during a live chat recently. Here are some highlights: Where's Jamie? Heika: He's off to a slow start. My read on it is you have three players on the same line who all want the puck, and one of them is going to need to learn to play more without it. I think Jamie Benn is that player, and I think he's in transition trying to become the player who finds out that the further he is away from the play, the closer he is to it (to quote the great Brett Hull). He might have to change the way he plays if he remains on a line with Seguin and Radulov. Penguins, Blackhawks won titles with their stars, why hasn't Dallas reached that level with Jamie Benn? What's the biggest change you've noticed from Hitch since the last time you covered him here. Is he more/less patient the media? How difficult has he been on the team's two stars. Even with the slow start, do they seem to respond to him? Heika: He is actually very much the same. He is 100 percent hockey all of the time. He is thinking about every aspect of the team. He is friendly with the media and very much happy to overexplain everything to us and the players. I think he will be great for the skill players, because he wants to put a lot of the outcome of the game in their hands. All of the top players seem to want to buy in right now, so they are in a good place in that regard. Hitch should be fine for the first year or two. He only really starts to wear on players in Year 3 and beyond. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077648 Dallas Stars injury. It's a tenuous game trying to find the right chemistry, the right players...the right team.

That's one of the reasons so much has changed since Daley departed. How the Dallas Stars are trying to make their speed and youth pieces fit the team puzzle There will likely be more changes, too. Dallas has more forward depth in the AHL, ready to push up. Jason Dickinson, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz are all candidates to play this season. Injuries can take their toll, By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Contact Mike Heikaon Twitter:@MikeHeika and the Stars are going to have to keep seeking daily answers to vexing questions.

It's like your grandma set her month-long puzzle project onto the Lazy Trevor Daley returned home after a two-year hiatus Tuesday and looked Susan just to get a look at it from every angle. There's a finished product across the ice at a group of strangers. in there somewhere, but she can't see it yet. OK, there were eight guys who he played with that remained from the 34 If the past couple of days are any indication, though, you can be sure the players on the 2014-15 Dallas Stars, but that's a pretty sobering number. Stars are going to spin their Lazy Susan pretty fast as they move It shows you just how liquid rosters are in the NHL, how tentative your forward. That speed seems to make a hazy picture seem a little more ties are to a team, and maybe most importantly, how much the Stars are clear. still seeking their identity. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.12.2017 There are contract decisions and waiver decisions and age decisions that go into it all the changes, but this organization is a work in progress, and Daley's return sort of underscores that. So, of course, did the decisions of Monday and Tuesday. Dallas placed Adam Cracknell on , lost him to the Rangers, and then called up Remi Elie. It was a calculated decision designed to get younger, faster players on the NHL roster. Because as much as Ken Hitchcock has a reputation for being a defensive coach, he knows the game these days requires speed and agility to keep up. Stars finally get results from possession-based play, beat Detroit 4-2 "The league has gone up a whole other level, and you'd better catch up," Hitchcock said. "It's a fast league, it's a tenacious league, and we're trying to build a group that can keep up with the pace that's out there." That was on display Tuesday night, as Dallas received energy from Elie, the 22-year-old winger who dazzled in camp and looks like the kind of depth player that can push the competitive pace Hitchcock is seeking. Elie doesn't require waivers while Gemel Smith, 23, does, so the Stars sent Elie to the minors after training camp because it was easier. But after a couple of games in the AHL, Hitchcock saw a presence he needed. "Everything equal, Elie made the team out of camp and deserved to play," Hitchcock said. "He's just a hard player. He's fast, he's heavy on the puck, he pulls it off the boards on people. He's made-for-order for what the NHL is right now." Elie played on a line with and Brett Ritchie on Tuesday in a 4-2 win over Detroit, and that trio had great jump in a limited role. That allowed Mattias Janmark to move to a line with Martin Hanzal and Devin Shore, and that allowed to stay on a line with Antoine Roussel and Tyler Pitlick. Janmark and Pitlick are another two of the speedy energy player the Stars are seeking. By spreading that speed throughout the lineup, Hitchcock can then put pressure on with an aggressive game plan. The good defense he hungers for comes because of puck possession and play in the offensive zone. "I thought this was the best balance we've had. This looked like something you can really build on," Hitchcock said. "Elie was a very effective player for us. He's great on the boards and has great speed. We look like we can really deal people some body blows with the way we're playing right now and that's the way we're built. I think the players are starting to understand that." Pitlick was signed as a free agent out of Edmonton, and he's proving to be a good fit. "If you want to be a championship team in this league, you have to have four lines that can play with anybody," Pitlick said. "And we definitely have that here." Hitchcock said he liked what Pitlick adds, and said the 25-year-old forward can be a real help on the penalty kill. 'Finally:' Ex-Star Trevor Daley returns to Dallas after jumping to three different teams "He's got a great stick," Hitchcock said. "He's been well coached and he puts his stick in the right lanes so you know that people can be teachable and coachable if you can do that." That said, Pitlick was available because he has battled injuries throughout his career. Janmark missed all of last season with a knee 1077649 Dallas Stars

Why the Dallas Stars' slow start shouldn't concern you

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

Mike Heika, Stars beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered questions about the team during a live chat Tuesday afternoon before the Stars' 4-2 win against Detroit. Here are some highlights: Yes, the Stars are really talented, but have seemed more discombobulated than anything. Why shouldn't we be concerned? Heika: After the past decade, you probably should be concerned. This franchise struggles to get on the good side of things. That said, Ken Hitchcock is saying the right things, and I think he has the right attitude about getting the Stars moving forward. He says the team needs to get comfortable playing in the chaos, and I can see how that would be a process. The shot differential implies the team will eventually get this worked out and start winning, so we have to trust that for right now. Seguin gets all these shots and nothing. Just banging away doesn't work against good goalies. His tip shot against Fleury was ideal, but they never tried it again. Too many rebounds back into the crease and NO ONE there to bang one home. Stars are winning analytics, now they need to start winning games Heika: They seem to be getting better at getting to the net, but it is a process. I think players like Hanzal, Shore, Pitlick and Ritchie should help in getting there and digging in. We'll see. I also think Jamie Benn needs to get to the front of the net more, because that's what will work best on that line. Seguin has actually done a good job getting to the front of the net and taking punishment, but that's really not the best use of his skillset. Other than fantastic goaltending, why haven't the Stars found success despite having such an advantage in shots on goal? Heika: They need to score goals. The irony of a lot of shots on goal is that if you fail to score, you frustrate yourself and give confidence to the opposition goalie. Then, you try even harder to score, and the goalie feels even more empowered, and that typically ends in a transition goal going the other way. If Dallas starts putting a few of these shots past the opposition goalie, the dynamic of the game will change dramatically. What do you think of the Stars penalty kill through two games? Heika: So far, so good. My guess is it will get even better once Ben Bishop starts playing on a regular basis. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.12.2017

1077650 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings: Man not banned for hurling octopus in

George Sipple, Detroit Free Press Published 5:22 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

A Detroit Red Wings spokesman said Wednesday that no lifetime bans were issued as a result of anyone tossing an octopus on the ice during the first hockey game at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 5. Multiple news outlets have reported that the Wings gave a lifetime ban to a Windsor man for tossing the first octopus at Little Caesars Arena after he was charged with a misdemeanor. "The two supervisors of security told me I'm done," Nick Horvath told CBCNews.com of being escorted out of the arena. "I think it's very stiff. If they want to fine me, I understand. If they wanted to ban me for a year ... I can deal with that, but to get banned forever? That can't happen." According to the Wings, it didn’t. Kyle Kujawa, a team spokesman, said the a fan "was not banned for throwing an octopus. He was ticketed and then released. This is the same policy we had at . It’s the NHL’s rule that nothing be thrown onto the playing surface, and anyone caught doing so may be issued a ticket by the Detroit Police Department." It is against the law in Detroit and in other NHL cities for fans to throw anything on the ice during games. Fans risk being ejected from the game and fined up to $500 under the city ordinance. Kujawa said the fan spoke with arena security on Wednesday and "now knows he has not been banned from Little Caesars Arena." Octopuses were thrown on the ice during the 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. It’s unclear whether every fan who threw an octopus on the ice was fined and removed from the arena. PETA asks Red Wings fans to throw these, not octopuses The tradition of tossing an octopus at a Red Wings game dates to 1952, when Peter Cusimano tossed one onto the ice during a playoff game. The eight legs of an octopus represented the number of playoff victories needed to win the Stanley Cup. The Wings embraced the tradition by marketing it during their 25-year playoff streak. A giant purple octopus was hoisted to the rafters during pregame celebrations before playoff games. The team also sold apparel and other trinkets bearing an octopus. Al Sobotka, the team’s well-known Zamboni driver, would often swing an octopus that had been picked up off the ice over his head to fire up the crowd at Joe Louis Arena during playoff games. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077651 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' fear of face-off violations hurting possession game

Helene St. James Oct. 11, 2017

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — sees it as lose-lose at the moment. The Detroit Red Wings head into their Thursday game against the Arizona Coyotes stung by a loss resulting partly from an inability to win draws. Forwards are hesitant if they are first in the circle, and downright skittish if they replace a teammate kicked out for a violation, because a second violation results in a two-minute penalty. The NHL’s decision to crack down on face-off violations and slashing has left Wings forwards petrified to move, much less try the subtle cheating that defines a face-off artist. This befell the Wings Tuesday in Dallas, where they were 5-for-22 (23%) on face-offs in the first period. They spent most of the period in their own end and came out trailing 2-0. They ended up losing, 4-2. “It is hard when you don’t have the puck,” Zetterberg said. “You are chasing all the time. We have to be better on face-offs. It’s still new for everyone so we either cheat, get kicked out, or you win the draw.” Zetterberg knows how to win draws: He entered the season at 51% in his career, and was at 51.8% last season. He has won 46.2% after three games, and said the tendency is to “overthink it a little bit. You don’t really have any confidence going in there — you get kicked out, and if you don’t get kicked out, sometimes you should feel like you should get kicked out, but they get kicked out. “For the second guy who comes in, you might as well give the face-off away, because you don’t want to be that guy who ends up in the box.” Asked what’s the safest play, Zetterberg said to “not move at all, but then you won’t win any face-offs, either.” Players were supposed to adapt to the crackdown during exhibition season, but it’s easier to do when results don’t matter. The Wings' face- off percentage a week into the season (43.8) ranks among the bottom five in the league. Last season, they ranked seventh with a 51.9 winning percentage. Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek reaches up to defend against a shot that hits defenseman Trevor Daley (83) in the chest as Stars center Tyler Pitlick (18) pressures the net in the third period of the Wings' 4-2 loss to the Stars on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Dallas. Tony Gutierrez, AP “The one thing I’d say is we are very worried about taking that penalty,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I guess I have to look through the league and see if they have called it yet. The preseason they did, but I want to make sure it is being called the same way for that second guy going in. “I certainly want to make sure our guys are not taking a penalty, but if they are allowing more cheating on that second guy throughout the league, we have to make sure we are looking at that.” Injury update: Defenseman Danny DeKeyser didn’t finish the game after blocking a shot, but X-rays were negative. Wednesday was an optional practice. General manager told the Free Press that DeKeyser is day-to-day. Niklas Kronwall is expected to be ready to play at Arizona, and Luke Witkowski can fill in on defense if needed. David Booth is available to play up front if Witkowski moves to the back end. Holland said everyone else who played Tuesday (besides some uncertainty about DeKeyser) is available. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077652 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings vs. Arizona Coyotes: How to watch tonight's game

Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press Published 12:01 a.m. ET Oct. 12, 2017

Detroit Red Wings (2-1-0, 4 points) at Arizona Coyotes (0-2-1, 1 point) When: 10 p.m. tonight. Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Ariz. TV: Fox Sports Detroit. Radio: 97.1 FM (List of Red Wings' radio affiliates) Game notes: This is the middle game of a three-game Western road trip for the Wings. They opened the trip with a 4-2 defeat to Dallas. ... Tobias Rieder leads Arizona with two goals. The Coyotes have lost 5-4 to Anaheim, 2-1 in OT to Vegas and 5-2 to Vegas on Tuesday. ... Danny DeKeyser is day-to-day after leaving Tuesday's contest following a blocked shot. Niklas Kronwall could make his season debut. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077653 Detroit Red Wings

Wings: Octopus-tossing fan not banned from LCA

Tony Paul, The Detroit News Published 5:01 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

Detroit — A Red Wings super fan from Windsor who chucked the first octopus onto the ice at new Little Caesars Arena is not banned for life from the stadium, despite what security guards may have told him. Nick Horvath was escorted out of the arena during the regular-season opener, last Thursday, after his octopus toss. He told CBC this week, “The two supervisors of security told me I’m done. I think it’s very stiff. If they want to fine me I understand, if they wanted to ban me for a year ... I can deal with that, but to get banned forever? That can’t happen.” Turns out, it won’t. Kyle Kujawa, a spokesman for the Red Wings, told The News on Wednesday, “It is not true that he was banned from LCA. He was ticketed and then released.” Kujawa said he was ejected, and added it's the NHL's rule that nothing be thrown onto the ice. Anyone caught is subject to a misdemeanor ticket from the Detroit Police Department. It's the same policy that was in place at Joe Louis Arena, Kujawa said. The tossing of the octopus has been a staple at Red Wings games since the 1950s, though there’s been a crackdown on it in recent years — with fans really having to work to sneak the slimy species into the arena. And if they’re caught throwing them onto the ice, tickets can be expensive, running hundreds of dollars. To many, it’s still worth it, their 15 seconds of fame. Horvath also claims to have thrown the last octopus onto the ice at Joe Louis Arena, during that building’s finale in April. PETA came out this fall with a campaign aimed at getting Red Wings fans to toss fake, toy octopus — they even gave some away at the opening game — rather than the real thing, even though the real thing is deceased. Horvath scoffed at that notion, during his interview with CBC. “The store is selling it to get eaten. But I made him famous,” he said. “He can be famous or cut up into pieces.” Detroit News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077654 Detroit Red Wings Outlook: The Coyotes (0-2-1) are winless in 3 games, including 2 losses to expansion Vegas…Arizona has allowed 12 goals in the 3 losses…C Derek Stepan has only 1 point (an assist). Wings look tentative in the faceoff circle Detroit News LOADED: 10.12.2017

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 11:03 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

Glendale, Ariz. — Most hockey people, including the players, still don’t exactly know why the NHL felt it was necessary to clean up face-offs. Not a lot of folks felt it was a serious issue. There was minor cheating, sure, by cagey veterans who knew how to exploit a younger player. But nothing that seemed extraordinary. Now, the NHL is going strict and some teams, including the Red Wings, appear overly cautious in the circle. Two consecutive faceoff violations result in a minor penalty, which is making players excessively careful. “For the second guy coming in, you might as well just give the face-off away because you don’t want to be that guy in the box,” said captain Henrik Zetterberg, who has been critical of the face-off emphasis since training camp. “Just not move at all. That’s the safest thing but then you won’t win any face-offs either.” Dallas dominated the Red Wings 58 percent to 42 percent in the face-off circle, a key reason for the Stars’ 4-2 victory. The Stars won face-offs, got control of the puck, and forced the Red Wings to chase it most of the game. Zetterberg was 15-of-34, Frans Nielsen 5-of-16, and Dylan Larkin 8-of-16 in the circle. Basically, officials want to curb the cheating, specifically to players squaring up behind the L-shaped marks surrounding the dot. But it’s that second guy coming in after his teammate gets thrown out that is making teams cautious. Coach Jeff Blashill wants the Red Wings to regain their confidence and comfort level in the circle. “We have to do a better job in the face-off circle,” Blashill said. “The one thing I’d say about that is we’re very worried about taking that penalty. I guess I have to look through the league and see if they’ve called any yet. In the preseason they did, but I want to make sure that it’s being called the same way for that second guy going in. “I certainly want to make sure our guys are not taking a penalty. But if they’re allowing more cheating on that second guy throughout the league, we have to make sure they’re looking at that.” Red Wings schedule Lineup shuffling Defenseman Danny DeKeyser (lower body) didn’t skate during an optional practice Wednesday — not many did — and his status for Thursday’s game against Arizona is “questionable,” said general manager Ken Holland. DeKeyser was limited to just over 12 minutes of ice time before leaving in the third period after apparently blocking a shot. If DeKeyser isn’t ready, defenseman Niklas Kronwall (groin) could make his regular season debut. Kronwall has steadily increased his workload in practice the last several days and could be ready to play. Luke Witkowski could also be option, moving from forward to defense. Good start Forward Justin Abdelkader scored his first goal of the season Tuesday, the type of goal he should thrive on, redirecting a pass from Henrik Zetterberg near the post on the power play. Abdelkader only had seven goals in an injury-marred last season, and is looking to quickly wipe the disappointment out of his memory. “I want to get off to a good start,” Abdelkader said. Red Wings at Coyotes Faceoff: 10 tonight, Gila River Arena, Glendale, Ariz. TV/radio: FSD/97.1 1077655 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings: Octopus toss hasn't resulted in lifetime ban for fan

By Ansar Khan

The Windsor man who tossed the first octopus onto the ice at Little Caesars Arena has not been banned for life from the building, like he had claimed, the Detroit Red Wings said. Nick Horvath of Windsor was ejected from the arena during Thursday's season opener against the Minnesota Wild for throwing an octopus onto the ice, a Detroit tradition since 1952. He claimed he was told never to return. "The crowd was going nuts," Horvath told CBC News. "As they were escorting me out people were booing them, 'Let him go!' People were high-fiving me, giving me spanks on the butt, slaps on the butt ... everyone loved it." Not everyone. Arena security escorted Horvath to police and he was charged with a misdemeanor. "The two supervisors of security told me I'm done," Horvath said. "I think it's very stiff. If they want to fine me I understand, if they wanted to ban me for a year ... I can deal with that, but to get banned forever? That can't happen." It hasn't, the Red Wings said. Team spokesman Kyle Kujawa confirmed that the fan was not banned. He was ticketed and then released. The club said the same policy was in effect at Joe Louis Arena. "It's the NHL's rule that nothing be thrown onto the playing surface, and anyone caught doing so may be issued a ticket by the Detroit Police Department," Kujawa said. The octopus tossing tradition began in 1952 at Olympia Stadium. The animal's eight legs represented the number of playoff victories needed to win the Stanley Cup. Countless octopi have hit the ice in Detroit since then. PETA, prior to last season's final game at JLA, sent a letter asking the team to prohibit the practice. "Octopuses are intelligent, sensitive animals who feel pain, and it's no more acceptable to kill one for such a disrespectful, frivolous, and stupid purpose than it is to throw dead bear cubs onto the ice during a Bruins game," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said at the time in a statement. Horvath noted the octopi are already dead. Michigan Live LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077656 Edmonton Oilers “I don’t think we remembered how hard it is to win,” said McLellan. “I’ve experienced this in the past where you have to understand how hard it is, how hard it was to check. Our guys don’t get that yet. Edmonton Oilers discovering this NHL season is shaping up to be harder “They can’t remember what it felt like in San Jose and Anaheim, when than the last you’re winning 2-1 and you don’t have to cheat to win the game. Our guys, we don’t have that yet.” Robert Tychkowski Published on: October 11, 2017 Edmonton Oilers forward Patrick Maroon, left, and defenceman Jacob Trouba battle during NHL action on Oct. 9, 2017, at in Edmonton. Ed Kaiser / Postmedia It took the Oilers all of two games to realize that no matter how good Asked if it was understandable setback in the evolution of a young team, everyone thinks Edmonton is going to be this season, they don’t give you McLellan wouldn’t give them the easy out. They have to be better. anything in the NHL. “It doesn’t have to be,” he said. “It can become an excuse, let me tell you You have to take it. that. We’re already talking about it like it’s any excuse. You know what your jobs are, do them. At least, the Oilers should have realized it after two games. They didn’t, and that’s why they’re 1-2. “And then if you’re losing and it’s not going well, we can chalk it up to that, but right now, we have to have a little adjustment.” Turns out they don’t have the right of way on a paved road to glory this season. Apparently, they won’t be able to just flick their high beams and Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.12.2017 expect teams to get out of their way. Hopefully now the lesson is learned. “This isn’t the way you want to learn it, but I think we recognize that we’re just getting outworked and out-battled in areas,” said defenceman Kris Russell, after the Oilers wilted in the face of a determined Winnipeg Jets team Monday. “We’ve shown spurts of it, we can be hard on pucks, we’ll have a lot of speed coming up the ice with five men, but for whatever reason we have breakdowns. “We’re a better club than this. I believe in the guys in this room. It’s only two games, but at the same time, there has to be some urgency.” The Oilers were rock solid and complete in shutting out Calgary in the home opener, but they strayed a long way from that formula in the next two games. The forwards started cheating, which put more stress on a blue line that couldn’t handle it. And Cam Talbot couldn’t save away their mistakes. “After that (Calgary) game, we thought that maybe it was going to be a little bit easier because we played so well,” said the Oilers goaltender. “That’s not the case.” Edmonton Oilers defenceman Matthew Benning, left, and Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little in front of Oilers net during NHL action at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Oct. 9, 2017. Ed Kaiser / Postmedia Vancouver and Winnipeg proved that. Rather than bow before the mighty Oilers, they simply played harder and won, a blueprint the rest of the NHL will be quick to adopt if Edmonton doesn’t fight back. “I don’t really think they gave us a lesson, I think we gave ourselves a lesson,” said defenceman Adam Larsson. “This group knows we can be so much better than this. It’s too early to hit the panic button. We just have to get back to work here.” Because the rest of the NHL is coming for them. Larsson says he is already noticing that other teams are playing the Oilers harder than they did last winter. “Of course. Maybe last year we caught a couple of teams by surprise, but after going that far, we are not a surprising team anymore,” he said. “They know what they’re getting when they come in here, so they’re well prepared. We have to match that even harder.” It might be a stretch to suggest the Oilers feel smug and superior — that doesn’t really fit the personalities of the lead dogs in that room — but they might have underestimated the challenge this year. Thinking what they did last season would be good enough this season might just be an honest mistake. “With all the projections (about Edmonton being a Cup favourite), we’re going to get everyone’s best game,” said Russell. “We’re going to get the best goalies, we’re going to get the best game out of everyone because the way we played last year set us up for that. Teams are worried about us, but at the same time, we have to show up and play. “Even when you do play your best and execute well, you can still lose in this league, so if you’re not doing it, you’re obviously not going to win.” Head coach Todd McLellan had a feeling this might happen to a young team that met with newfound success. More than defensive depth or right-wing concerns, the Oilers’ mental approach to start this season was his biggest concern. 1077657 Edmonton Oilers the right time. “It’s good, you need those. Especially with a few days off here, it’s good to work like that.”

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid takes a break during team Coach puts slumping Edmonton Oilers through gruelling practice practice on Oct. 11, 2017, in Edmonton. Larry Wong / Postmedia Crash and gasp Robert Tychkowski The building held its breath when McDavid slammed into the goal post at top speed during a drill with Kelfbom, but he got up before anyone had a chance to check the latest draft lottery odds. Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan talks about the grueling skate he put his team through after losses to Winnipeg and Vancouver. “It was really nothing,” said McDavid. “I was just trying to get to the post. We both stood our ground, and he’s a big strong guy.” They knew it was coming. Nobody was happier to see McDavid get up than Klefbom. After being outworked in back-to-back losses and falling to 1-2 on the season, the Edmonton Oilers knew that head coach Todd McLellan “(A McDavid injury) is the last thing we need right now,” he said with a would be attacking the problem Wednesday morning. laugh. “But we have to play hard against each other and take it on the ice with us when we play the game.” And he did, getting his message through loud and clear in an intense and gruelling 60-minute session at the Downtown Community Arena adjacent Drasaitl sits out with swollen eye to Rogers Place. Leon Draisaitl missed all the fun Wednesday as he sits out with an eye McLellan skated their legs till they were rubber, then put them through issue. battle drills until they were bent over at the waist gasping for air. Then he “He took a puck or a stick to the eye and it was quite swollen today,” said gave them a few seconds to gulp some water and did it all over again. McLellan. “It wasn’t safe to put him on the ice. If the swelling comes “We started at training camp on Day 1 trying to remind the players how down Thursday, he should be back out. If there’s any risk of any hard it is to win, and part of solving that puzzle is work ethic,” said problems around the eyeball we won’t skate him, but he should be ready McLellan, who hasn’t seen nearly enough of it in the brief downward for the weekend.” slide. “I thought we were really outworked the other night. We tried to do Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 10.12.2017 a lot of things the easy way. Today was a reminder that we have to get back to work. “I’m happy the way the guys responded, happy with the effort they put in. Now it has to carry over into Thursday, Friday and the game Saturday.” McLellan wanted to do something like this when the symptoms first creeped in during the 3-2 loss in Vancouver last Saturday, but with another game Monday it wouldn’t have been prudent. Now, with plenty of time to recover before Saturday’s game with the Ottawa Senators, it was the prefect opportunity to put his foot down. “Our players had a day off Tuesday, they were rested and they came to work today, I give them credit for that, they took their lumps in the video session,” he said. “Nobody felt sorry for themselves. That’s as strong and aggressive a practice as we’ve had this year. I was proud of every one of them the way they worked today. “I don’t look at today as being a bag day or a wasted day of conditioning. We got a lot out of practice as well. But it’s what we do with it.” Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan at team practice in Edmonton on Oct. 11, 2017. Larry Wong / Postmedia Is he surprised that there needed to be a market correction this early in the season? “Not at all. Not with the circumstances of last year and heading into this year,” said McLellan. “We have a young group that is learning how to do it day in and day out. Sometimes, the willingness to do it gets away on you a little bit, and you try to cheat your way to a win and it doesn’t work. “Teams have to be reminded, especially early in the year, that it’s tough to win. And other teams are going to be ready for you, and if you get out- worked, you’re guaranteed to lose.” The players accepted their fate, unpleasant as it was, knowing they have nobody to blame but themselves. “Today was a good day of work,” said defenceman Oscar Klefbom. “We’ve been cheating a little bit in the games. We talked right after the game and said we were going to be ready for a good day’s work. If feels pretty tough right now, the legs are tired, but this is what we need right now. “We have to get back to our roots and play good hockey. We have to stick together and play better.” We have to work harder, we have to be better, sharper, do things the right way.Connor McDavid Connor McDavid, whose line got eaten up by Winnipeg’s top unit then soundly criticized by the coach afterward, knows they need to be better. Cheating in search of offence doesn’t fly in today’s National Hockey League. “We have to work harder, we have to be better, sharper, do things the right way,” he said, adding Wednesday’s practice was the right thing at 1077658 Edmonton Oilers Crash and gasp The building held its breath when McDavid slammed into the goal post at top speed during a drill with Kelfbom, but he got up before anyone had a Oilers put through gruelling practice by coach McLellan chance to check the latest draft lottery odds. “It was really nothing,” said McDavid. “I was just trying to get to the post. By Robert Tychkowski First posted: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 We both stood our ground, and he’s a big strong guy.” Nobody was happier to see McDavid get up than Klefbom. They knew it was coming. “(A McDavid injury) is the last thing we need right now,” he said with a laugh. “But we have to play hard against each other and take it on the ice After being outworked in back-to-back losses and falling to 1-2 on the with us when we play the game.” season, the Edmonton Oilers knew that head coach Todd McLellan would be attacking the problem Wednesday morning. Drasaitl sits out with swollen eye And he did, getting his message through loud and clear in an intense and Leon Draisaitl missed all the fun Wednesday as he sits out with an eye gruelling 60-minute session at the Downtown Community Arena adjacent issue. to Rogers Place. “He took a puck or a stick to the eye and it was quite swollen today,” said McLellan skated their legs till they were rubber, then put them through McLellan. “It wasn’t safe to put him on the ice. If the swelling comes battle drills until they were bent over at the waist gasping for air. Then he down Thursday, he should be back out. If there’s any risk of any gave them a few seconds to gulp some water and did it all over again. problems around the eyeball we won’t skate him, but he should be ready for the weekend.” “We started at training camp on Day 1 trying to remind the players how hard it is to win, and part of solving that puzzle is work ethic,” said Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.12.2017 McLellan, who hasn’t seen nearly enough of it in the brief downward slide. “I thought we were really outworked the other night. We tried to do a lot of things the easy way. Today was a reminder that we have to get back to work. “I’m happy the way the guys responded, happy with the effort they put in. Now it has to carry over into Thursday, Friday and the game Saturday.” McLellan wanted to do something like this when the symptoms first creeped in during the 3-2 loss in Vancouver last Saturday, but with another game Monday it wouldn’t have been prudent. Now, with plenty of time to recover before Saturday’s game with the Ottawa Senators, it was the prefect opportunity to put his foot down. “Our players had a day off Tuesday, they were rested and they came to work today, I give them credit for that, they took their lumps in the video session,” he said. “Nobody felt sorry for themselves. That’s as strong and aggressive a practice as we’ve had this year. I was proud of every one of them the way they worked today. “I don’t look at today as being a bag day or a wasted day of conditioning. We got a lot out of practice as well. But it’s what we do with it.” Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan at team practice in Edmonton on Oct. 11, 2017. Is he surprised that there needed to be a market correction this early in the season? “Not at all. Not with the circumstances of last year and heading into this year," said McLellan. "We have a young group that is learning how to do it day in and day out. Sometimes, the willingness to do it gets away on you a little bit, and you try to cheat your way to a win and it doesn’t work. “Teams have to be reminded, especially early in the year, that it’s tough to win. And other teams are going to be ready for you, and if you get out- worked, you're guaranteed to lose.” The players accepted their fate, unpleasant as it was, knowing they have nobody to blame but themselves. “Today was a good day of work,” said defenceman Oscar Klefbom. “We’ve been cheating a little bit in the games. We talked right after the game and said we were going to be ready for a good day's work. If feels pretty tough right now, the legs are tired, but this is what we need right now. “We have to get back to our roots and play good hockey. We have to stick together and play better.” Connor McDavid, whose line got eaten up by Winnipeg’s top unit then soundly criticized by the coach afterward, knows they need to be better. Cheating in search of offence doesn’t fly in today’s National Hockey League. “We have to work harder, we have to be better, sharper, do things the right way,” he said, adding Wednesday’s practice was the right thing at the right time. “It’s good, you need those. Especially with a few days off here, it’s good to work like that.” Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid takes a break during team practice on Oct. 11, 2017, in Edmonton. 1077659 Florida Panthers For now, Matheson is focused on helping the Panthers win — and for years to come.

“He’s one of those guys you don’t mind giving a long-term deal to Mike Matheson provides the Panthers with talent and brains because you know he’s going to take care of himself,” Tallon said. “You can sleep at nights. You don’t worry about it. We’re always recommending they develop their minds as well. We don’t want a bunch By Clark Spencer of dummies running around here.” Miami Herald LOADED: 10.12.2017 They knew he could skate. “He’s a beautiful skater,” said Panthers general manager Dale Tallon. They knew he could handle a stick and control the defensive end of the ice. “He’s a shutdown player,” Tallon said. They knew he was determined. “He’s dedicated, committed,” Tallon said. “We like his energy and passion and love of the game. All of those things.” But there was one extra ingredient that attracted the Panthers to Mike Matheson when they took him in the first round of the 2012 entry draft out of Boston College — one special talent that gave them one more reason this week into signing him to an 8-year contract extension worth $39 million. His brains. Matheson didn’t skate through college, literally or figuratively. He studied hard and earned a degree in psychology. While it’s been estimated that about 30 percent of NHL players attended some college, fewer actually stuck it out to earn their degrees. “It was just the way I was brought up, that school was important,” said Matheson, who was born and raised in Pointe-Claire, , and opted to attend college in the U.S. to advance both his hockey career and his education. And so, after the Panthers drafted him, Matheson headed off to Boston College, which combines both a strong academic and hockey program. U.S News and World Report ranks B.C. as the No. 32 best national university in the country. It’s hockey program, meanwhile, has made more Frozen Four appearances (25) than any team in the country, and it has won five national titles. Matheson committed himself to the classroom and the rink. “I think it’s important,” Matheson said of school. “You never know when [hockey] is going to end. If you never end up using it, at least you can tell your kids that you went through it, you graduated and they have to, too.” While he left B.C. after three years, he didn’t leave empty-handed. “I finished it,” he said of earning his degree. “I was able to take classes during the summer while I was there. My last year I overloaded my course load. I took three classes the summer after I signed. My first year of pro I took one. I did an independent study my first semester, and then I was done.” Matheson didn’t participate in graduation ceremonies. He was playing in the World Championships at the time. But he received his diploma. So did another of his Panthers’ teammates, Ian McCoshen, who also hails from Boston College. “There’s no guarantees in hockey or any other sport,” Matheson said. “As much as the two of us were drafted really high, and there were high expectations, you never really know if you’ll be able to crack it at the pro level, let alone whether injuries could come up or anything like that. It’s nice to have a backup plan.” Matheson, 27, now has the financial security that comes with the guaranteed contract he signed earlier this week with the Panthers. But he also knows that his hockey career will end at some point, and there will be life after that. “I’m still young and, even though I was able to sign a very long contract relative to professional sports — even if I got a second contract after that and retire —I’d still only be 35, 36, 37. I don’t see myself as someone just sitting around doing nothing all day.” Matheson said he might try to apply his psychology degree to hockey once his playing days are over. But those are decisions for a later time. “When the time comes I’ll kind of see where I am in life,” he said. “But it definitely gives me the opportunity to do certain things you wouldn’t be able to do if you don’t have [a degree].” 1077660 Florida Panthers needs to establish himself as a physical presence throughout the game to make it harder on the opposing forwards, to make sure they know they’re in for a long night and they’re not going to get anything easy.” Panthers' defensive pairings show early promise; Luongo to face Blues McCoshen said the transition to the NHL in his second pro season was aided by former Boston College teammate Matheson, who followed the same path to the Panthers a year ahead of him. Craig Davis Although the former Eagles are not paired together, their lockers are side by side at the Ice Den. Being the architect of the San Jose Sharks’ sterling defense the past “He’s been an unbelievable resource for me. We’ve pretty much gone couple of years had a lot to do with Bob Boughner getting his first job as through the same sequence,” said McCoshen, who said he expects to head coach with the Florida Panthers. contribute more on the offensive end once he settles in. A blue-line corps that had a knack for contributing at the offensive end “I have a heavy shot and I can make plays in the offensive zone,” he but too often left the goaltender exposed last season was certainly in said, but recognizes, “First you’ve got to defend in this league.” need of improvement. Luongo back in net Two games into the season the defense whisperer is still testing and tinkering while rolling out some intriguing pairings. Roberto Luongo will get his first home start of the season Thursday against St. Louis, Boughner said. Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad, both offensive-minded D-men, comprise one of the top tandems. Mark Pysyk and Mike Matheson, solid defenders The veteran allowed four goals on 24 shots in the season-opening loss at who excel at puck movement are matched on the other. Tampa Bay. It will be Luongo’s first game at the BB&T Center since a Feb. 28 win against Carolina. He didn’t play last season after March 2 The third set has Alex Petrovic and rookie Ian McCochen, two hard- due to recurring hip issues. nosed, physical defenders. “He wants to get a home game in. He feels good, he’s had a great week “Right now, our top four guys are playing against the top two [opposing] of practice. I think it’s time to go back to him,” Boughner said. lines for the most part,” Boughner said. “That’s the Yandle pair and the Pysyk pair. They’re both strong defensively, so we don’t have to worry While Luongo and are both expected to see considerable about getting special two guys matched up every time. Those four guys action, Boughner said it won’t be a simple rotation. can handle the top minutes.” He also said goalie coach Robb Tallas’ input will figure heavily in who will Defensive pairings offer different virtues, and it’s a delicate marriage to get the nod from game to game. It hasn’t been determined who will start get the most out of what each can offer. Saturday at Pittsburgh. Vincent Trocheck's versatility, grit led to career high in ice time for “He knows the history of both of those guys, what buildings they’ve Panthers played well in and what buildings they’ve had success in. That keys into our situation and our decision too,” Boughner said. With the Sharks, Boughner had the advantage of working with Brent Burns, whose superlative offensive skills have been accentuated while Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.12.2017 paired with Paul Martin, who plays the stay-at-home role that allows Burns to get creative on offense. Burns scored 151 points over the past two seasons and won the Norris Trophy. Curiously, Burns had a minus-5 ice rating after two games this season and Martin was struggling with an ankle injury. So far Pysyk has the only goal by a Panthers defenseman. Points will come from the blue line, but shoring up the defense is a priority, and was a focus in practice following the back-to-back games against Tampa Bay last weekend. “We worked on tightening up in our D-zone, especially when the puck’s behind our net — a little more awareness, not so much puck watching,” Boughner said, adding that the pairings aren’t necessarily set long-term. “We tried different combinations during training camp. I’m sure they’re going to change at some point during the season. Right now, I like how they’re all complementing each other.” The trick is to find a workable fit for all of them. “In a perfect world, I’d like to have a puck mover with a defensive guy. When I used to play, I’d like to have a puck mover with me,” said Boughner, who played defense for 10 seasons in the NHL. “But we’ve got seven guys, and at some point they’re all going to play. “We might have two righties play with each other as well,” he continued, noting that four of the seven on the roster are right-handed shots. “But the combinations that we’ve come up with have played pretty well up to this point.” Preview: Panthers vs. Blues, 7:30 p.m., Thursday McCoshen has helped restore some of the toughness that was lacking last year after Erik Gudbranson was traded. His emergence made expendable, and the veteran was traded during training camp to Arizona for forward Jamie McGinn. So far, McCoshen has impressed while working with Petrovic. Fellow rookie MacKenzie Weegar has yet to get into a game. Weegar is also highly regarded and considered the more offensive-minded of the two rookies after producing 14 goals and 36 points last season in the AHL. Meanwhile, McCoshen is thriving early in Boughner’s system. “He expects us to skate well and to defend really quick, defend hard,” McCoshen said. “I see myself as more of a physical defenseman that 1077661 Florida Panthers

Preview: Panthers vs. Blues, 7:30 p.m., Thursday

Craig Davis

Panthers vs. Blues When/where: 7:30 p.m., BB&T Center, Sunrise TV: FSF; Radio: 560-AM, 640-AM (Palm Beaches) Scouting report: The Panthers will attempt to build some momentum after splitting a season-opening home-and-home set against Tampa Bay. … Roberto Luongo, who played in the season-opening loss at Tampa Bay, will get his first home start in goal. … The Panthers had 48 shots on goal Saturday, the most in a win since February 2014. … Coach Bob Boughner said the Blues’ structured style of play will make it difficult to get that many shots and it will be essential to make the most of scoring chances. … Florida will be looking for a faster start after falling behind 2- 0 in each of the first two games. That would be a difficult slope to climb against the Blues, who have already played four games and won all of them, outscoring opponents 15-9 including a 3-1 win at the New York Rangers on Tuesday. … Top goalie Jake Allen, who got the night off Tuesday, will be back in net; he’s 3-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. … If there is an advantage for Florida, it’s that the Blues will be playing their third game on the road in four nights. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077662 Los Angeles Kings

Kings will honor former broadcaster Bob Miller with a statue outside Staples Center

Curtis Zupke

Hall of Fame former Kings broadcaster Bob Miller will be the latest local icon to have a statue outside Staples Center. The statue will be unveiled before a Jan.13 game against the Ducks, the Kings announced Wednesday. Miller will be the third person from the Kings to have a statue in the plaza outside the arena, after Luc Robitaille and Wayne Gretzky. He will join former Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn as broadcasters to be honored. “There are moments in a person’s career that never enter your wildest dreams,” Miller said in a release. “A statue of me unveiled outside Staples Center is something I never thought of in my life. I wish to thank AEG and L.A. Kings management for this distinction. I am truly honored to be joining some of the great athletes of our time, as well as my good friend, the late Chick Hearn, who 44 years ago recommended me for the Kings job. Being with one professional NHL team during my career has been an extreme pleasure.” Miller retired last season after a 44-year career, all with the Kings, and he was recently named a team ambassador for special events such as Legends Nights at Staples Center. He will be given a lifetime achievement award during the L.A. Sports Awards on Feb.6. LA Times: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077663 Los Angeles Kings LA Times: LOADED: 10.12.2017

Kings lose lead in third period and Flames win in overtime

Curtis Zupke

From the current captain to the previous one, the Kings had skilled hands to steer their ship. Then it hit the turbulent waters that is the Kings’ rivalry with the Calgary Flames. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown led a comeback from a two-goal deficit, but the Kings let a point slip from their grasp in a 4-3 overtime loss Wednesday in front of an announced crowd of 18,230 at Staples Center. It got predictably chippy. Calgary took a run at Drew Doughty late in the third period, and the Norris Trophy winner got into it with Flames nemesis Matthew Tkachuk from the penalty box. But it was Tkachuk’s tying goal, his second of the game, midway through the third period that forced overtime, finished off by Sean Monahan’s winning goal. “It’s a division home game, and having a lead late in the third, you definitely don’t want to give that up,” Kopitar said. “It’s still a point that we’ll take, but we can’t let that become a habit where we’re giving up leads late in the third, especially at home. It’s definitely a sour taste in our mouth.” Kopitar began the comeback in another fine game that further affirmed he’s back. Brown, the Kings captain before Kopitar, displayed great stickwork with back-to-back goals on deflections to erase a two-goal deficit. Both have three goals in the first three games of the season. Calgary debuted 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr and brought momentum from a 43- save effort by goalie Mike Smith. Kopitar cut the deficit to 2-1 with a wrist shot from the left circle that broke the shutout in the second period. The Kings buzzed with energy following six minutes’ worth of penalty killing after Kyle Clifford got knocked out of the game with an upper-body injury, the Kings said. Tkachuk, of course, is public enemy to the Kings because of his illegal elbow to Doughty last season. Doughty took a hit from Michael Frolik against the boards in the third period, and Doughty was down for several moments. Brown said he didn’t see the play but understands why the Flames are hunting Doughty. “If I’m on any other team, I’m targeting Drew,” Brown said. “He’s a big part of team. That’s what you have to do to the other team. “I think a big part of [the rivalry] is … they were in the playoffs and we weren’t last year. We’ve got to change that.” Bettman visits Commissioner Gary Bettman took in the game and touched on several topics in an informal visit. Bettman said that the NHL’s first games in China were a success and the league intends to return there. The Kings and Vancouver Canucks played preseason games in Beijing and Shanghai last month. Bettman said he thinks the next visit will also be for preseason games but stressed that nothing is formalized. “We’ve got to make sure that everybody’s onside before we can move forward,” Bettman said. “But our goal is to do more because it was such a great experience and the Kings traveled so well.” Bettman attended the emotional home opener for the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and referenced Christiana Duarte, a Kings employee who was among the Las Vegas mass shooting victims recognized in a pregame ceremony. Bettman said there are no immediate plans for the Kings to play in another outdoor game or host any other NHL events. The Kings held the 2010 draft and last season’s All-Star game. The Ducks have never hosted either. “There will be more events on the horizon, but we do have to spread them around,” Bettman said. 1077664 Los Angeles Kings

L.A. Kings to honor Bob Miller with statue outside Staples Center

By Clay Fowler | PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 12:45 pm

Bob Miller will soon have his own statue outside Staples Center. An honor the franchise has bestowed upon only Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille will be given to the voice of the Kings for 44 years when Miller’s statue is unveiled Jan. 13 prior to the Kings-Ducks game. The announcement of Miller’s statue came Wednesday at a Los Angeles City Council meeting at City Hall. “There are moments in a person’s career that never enter your wildest dreams. A statue of me unveiled outside Staples Center is something I never thought of in my life,” Miller said. “I am truly honored to be joining some of the great athletes of our time, as well as my good friend, the late Chick Hearn, who 44 years ago recommended me for the Kings job.” Hearn, who called Lakers games for 42 years, is the only other non- athlete with his likeness outside Staples Center. Aside from Gretzky, Robitaille and Hearn, statues of Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Oscar De La Hoya adorn the building’s star plaza. The festivities on “Bob Miller Celebration Day” will include unveiling the statue during a pregame ceremony before the Kings host the Ducks and a bobblehead of Miller for all fans who attend the game. Eleven years ago, Miller received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1998, Staples Center named its press box after him. “Bob Miller will forever be the voice of the L.A. Kings and we look forward to honoring Bob and his family as part of this very special evening in January,” said Robitaille, the Kings team president. “It is a tremendous honor and one Bob certainly deserves.” Results will come for Doughty Drew Doughty may finish the season as one of the largest beneficiaries of the Kings’ newfound offensive freedom. Considering his exponentially larger number of quality scoring chances in the season’s first two games, it’s ironic the franchise defenseman didn’t register a point. “Usually it would take me three or four games to get one look like that, but I’ve had probably about four or five in two games,” Doughty said. “It’s exciting. I haven’t gotten off to a great start personally when it comes to points, but it will come.” Doughty hasn’t been pleased with his performance dating back nearly a month when training camp began, but nobody is worried about the 2016 Norris Trophy winner. “I think in training camp he didn’t start as smoothly as he would like, but that’s what training camp is for, to get the kinks out,” Kings coach John Stevens said. “In Drew’s case, he’s been really sound defensively, been moving pucks well for us and he’s creating a lot of good offensive looks from quality areas of the ice. I think the process right now is as important as the results.” Doughty, 27, who had a career-high 59 points in 2009-10, had 44 last season and 51 in his 2015-16 Norris Trophy-winning season. LA Daily News: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077665 Los Angeles Kings collected a loose puck and quickly shoveled it to the Kings captain at the top of the left circle from where Kopitar’s low-flying wrist shot found its way through traffic and ricocheted off the far post into the net with 4:16 Flames hand L.A. Kings first loss of season in painful fashion left in the second period. The Kings needed all of 14 seconds to confirm the momentum carried into the third period when Brown redirected a Doughty shot from just By Clay Fowler | PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 inside the blue line past Flames goalie Mike Smith to tie the score, 2-2. The assist by Doughty represented his first point of the season and rookie Alex Iafallo’s assist on the goal was the first point of his NHL career. LOS ANGELES — Wednesday night was a perfect cross-section of the Kings. Just a minute and 45 seconds later, Brown did it again. This time the winger redirected a slow-moving Derek Forbort shot past a flummoxed The team that has missed the playoffs two of the last three years fell into Smith to give the Kings a 3-2 lead. a two-goal hole courtesy of the younger, faster Calgary Flames. “We were connecting it all together probably toward the last five minutes Dustin Brown, an apt representative of the team’s aging demographic, of the second when we started making plays,” Brown said. “We had a gave the Kings a lead with a pair of third-period goals that incited hope couple good looks before Kopi scored and just kind of rolled it into the the Kings have plenty left in the tank. third period.” But their much-hyped Pacific Division foe eventually ran the Kings down, Winger Kyle Clifford was injured early in the second period. After taking a tying the score with nine minutes left in regulation and stealing a 4-3 hit in the corner, the veteran skated to the bench clutching his left arm, overtime win that reinforced concerns the Kings had going into the immediately disappeared into the locker room and never returned. He season. was wearing a sling after the game, but Stevens had no additional “It wasn’t the greatest start, but we picked ourselves up,” Kings captain information about his injury. Anze Kopitar said. “We just can’t give away leads.” Lost in the rivalry was the season debut of 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr, who Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk scored twice, including the game-tying goal signed a one-year deal with the Flames a week earlier. The second- with 9:01 left in regulation after beginning a two-goal flurry by Calgary in leading scorer in NHL history was relatively quiet in 13:53 of ice time, but the game’s first eight minutes that ultimately cost the Kings dearly. could add a complimentary veteran presence this season to a young Calgary lineup that could be a force in the Western Conference. Kopitar breathed life into the Kings late in the second period with his third goal of the young season to begin a 7-minute stretch the Kings began Meanwhile, the Kings are trying to prove their aging roster has retained with a two-goal deficit and ended with a one-goal lead. The first indication enough stars still in their prime to make another run at a Stanley Cup. the game was tilting came when the Kings successfully killed a four- LA Daily News: LOADED: 10.12.2017 minute roughing penalty during which the Flames could hardly set up in their offensive zone. “The four-minute kill was obviously huge,” Kopitar said. “It was pretty soon after that we started playing the game we want to play, in their zone, cycle, jump into open areas to score goals.” Brown redirected two shots into the net in the first two minutes of the third period to give the Kings a 3-2 advantage. That ignited the sellout crowd of 18,230 at Staples Center for what was a heated third period between two franchises largely perceived to be headed in opposite directions. The infamous elbow Tkachuk delivered to Drew Doughty’s face last season sparked a rivalry that has clearly carried over into this season. It was another hit on Doughty on Wednesday night that ignited a series of skirmishes and four penalties in the game’s final five minutes, this a questionable check into the boards delivered by Calgary’s Michael Frolik. At one point, Tkachuk and Doughty were involved in a heated verbal exchange from opposite penalty boxes. “Especially within our division, we want to stand our ground,” Kopitar said. “Obviously there’s some push back that needs to happen and it did.” Neither team was able to take advantage of the penalties to untie the score in the final nine regulation minutes. It was Calgary’s Sean Monahan who scored the game winner 1:02 into overtime to send the Kings home without a win for the first time in three games. “Big win. We showed a lot of persaverence,” Tkachuk said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that are passionate and all that, so it makes for a division rivalry. They’re right up there with the Edmontons and all them. Those are passionate games to play.” After Tkachuk’s power play goal in the fourth minute of the game, Calgary surged to a 2-0 lead thanks to some beautiful stick handling by Johnny Gaudreau, who drew the attention of both Doughty and Jake Muzzin to leave Frolik open for a slam dunk 7:47 into the game. The Kings started slow in two of their first three games, a trend Coach John Stevens is not pleased with. “We were a little slow in our thought process, a little slow with the puck,” Stevens said. “Not taking the ice when it was there to take, we just allowed their forecheck pressure to turn pucks over and spend too much time in our zone.” Kopitar’s third goal in the last two games pulled the Kings within 2-1 late in the second period and incited some needed momentum. Muzzin 1077666 Los Angeles Kings

Practice Notes: Playing with Pace, Trusting Current Configurations

Joey ZakrzewskiOctober 11, 2017

After a tough 2-1 loss to the in Texas last Saturday, the took to the ice at LA Kings Icetown Riverside this week for full skates Monday-Wednesday in preparation for road tilts on Friday and Saturday at Iowa and Chicago. Notes for today’s skate at Riverside: – All hands on deck for the Reign. All 24 skaters running through drills with no changes in line combinations… Sam Herr, Brett Sutter and Spencer Watson skated together in purple Matt Marcinew, Matt Schmalz and Keegan Iverson twirled around in yellow T.J. Hensick, Matt Luff and Michael Mersch wore grey Philippe Maillet, Mike Amadio and Justin Auger skedaddled in white Boko Imama, Andrew Crescenzi and Jamie Devan in maroon Defensemen Matt Roy, Zac Leslie, Kevin Gravel, Stepan Falkovsky, Sean Walker and Alex Lintuniemi ran in individual drills with the forwards. Goalies Jack Campbell, Jeff Zatkoff and Cal Peterson shared net time. – Head Coach Mike Stothers spent most of the skate working on defensive-zone puck retrieval and ran multiple drills on both wings of the ice. “We wanted to get back to playing with pace,” Stothers added. “We are not trying to hurry the play, but we need to get back hard for pucks in our end and get back handle them clean and in an efficient manner.” – From d-zone retrieval, the focus shifted to breakouts of out the defensive zone and moving up the ice. Emphasis on making quick decisions and reading the opposing pressure. Where are the opposing forwards attacking? Does it give an open passing option up the wall of up the middle of the ice? – Heads up! “Shoulder checks” (looking around over your shoulders) and communication stressed. Physically SEE where the puck, teammates and opposition positions themselves. – Legs Feed the Wolf: Goal line to goal line skate (five times). Amadio praised for efforts and leads the team in a post-practice stretch. – Finishing Touches: Assistant Coach David Bell led stick work/body positioning drills on top of the crease to assist in the battle for loose pucks and passes off the wings. Honoring Chrissy Duarte Reign honoring Chrissy Duarte on their helmets. pic.twitter.com/4nPyoW4bOD — Joey Zakrzewski (@ReignInsider) October 11, 2017 – Additional Note: As mentioned on Twitter earlier, a tip o’ the cap to the team requirement and medical staff on their donation of multiple boxes of tape, water bottles, coolers, powdered Gatorade and more to the Junior Reign Youth Hockey Program at Riverside. #sticktap to the @ontarioreign equipment and training staff for their large donation of supplies to @Jrreignhockey today. pic.twitter.com/pKTKzSLi5S — Joey Zakrzewski (@ReignInsider) October 11, 2017 LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077667 Los Angeles Kings “We really can’t believer ourselves that it’s been 44 years. We lived in Los Angeles longer than any place in our lives, and it has been a pleasure.” Miller honored at City Hall; statue to be unveiled on Bob Miller LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 Appreciation Day

Jon Rosen October 11, 2017

After Bob Miller stood in front of the Los Angeles City Council and listened to testimonials shared by AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman, LA Kings President Luc Robitaille, Radio Play-by-Play Announcer Nick Nickson, Radio Analyst Daryl Evans and TV Analyst Jim Fox, and was congratulated by the presenting council member, Mitch Englander, he spoke about what it meant to be a Kings fan in a city crowded with accomplished and popular sports teams. “I think one word: loyalty,” he said. “They have been loyal through some of those lean years, and there were a lot of lean years where we wondered, ‘will we ever win anything? Will we ever win the Stanley Cup?’ And those fans were there night after night, still cheering this team long, and then I was so happy to see them rewarded with the first Stanley Cup, and then the second Stanley Cup, to see the joy that it brought to all of them.” And that’s a prime representation of Miller’s 44 years of selfless service to the club. He made viewers and listeners feel as if they were there, right alongside him, watching the game with a friend who didn’t look down or condescend, but rather to explain – with giddy excitement, and an applicable story, of course – of precisely what was unfolding in front of him. The fans that were brought along for the ride will now be able to salute Miller, even if they aren’t actually in close proximity to the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award recipient who now serves as a club ambassador. A statue, designed by sculptors/artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, will join those of Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Chick Hearn, Oscar De La Hoya, Luc Robitaille, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal at Staples Center’s Star Plaza, will be unveiled on Saturday, January 13, reflecting a continued salutation of Los Angeles- affiliated stars that, in effigy form, add pageantry to the experience of seeing a game in the world’s entertainment capital. The statue unveil will be part of Bob Miller Celebration Day and will take place in advance of that night’s Kings-Ducks game, which also features a special “BOBblehead” giveaway presented by FOX Sports West. “Bob Miller will forever be the Voice of the LA Kings and we look forward to honoring Bob and his family as part of this very special evening in January,” Robitaille said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor and one Bob certainly deserves.” But at City Hall, Miller, a native of Chicago who attended the University of Iowa and broadcast sports both there and at the University of Wisconsin, received formal recognition from his adopted hometown. The commemoration, of course, doesn’t begin or end in downtown Los Angeles. He’ll be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Annual Los Angeles Sports Awards on February 6 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. These accolades follow a summer in which he claimed the Governors Award at the L.A. Area Emmy Awards, the Southern California Sports Broadcasters’ Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award – a presentation in concert with the announcement that the SCSB would rename its award for best television play-by-play as the Bob Miller Award – as well as the National Sports Media Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. After the ceremony at City Hall, in which he received an official plaque commemorating his decades of service in helping shape Los Angeles sports culture, I asked him when he truly began to feel like an Angeleno. Naturally, he began feeling more and more at home when the warmth he and his wife Judy exuded was reciprocated, and their social circle, centered around Kings games, began taking form. “I think it was a couple years until we had friends at the games that we knew, the way we did back in Madison, Wisconsin at college games, and Judy would sit around friends that she knew, and we’d get together after the games. Then it felt like home,” he said. “At the beginning, she was sitting alone, and we would drive home, nobody with us, no party coming up, and I said, ‘I’m not sure we did the right thing here.’ But we got more familiar with it as the years went on and more familiar with people who were always so gracious to us, and then it really did feel like home, and we just took it from there.” 1077668 Los Angeles Kings Nick Nickson, Robitaille, Evans, Vachon and Donnelly, while the “Miracle on Manchester” scorers were also recognized, as was Mattias Norstrom as part of a celebration of his tenure that predated Legends Nights. Rob Legends Nights to honor Tiger Williams, Felix Potvin, Mark Hardy Blake, Dionne, Gretzky, Vachon and Robitaille have also had their jerseys retired in separate ceremonies.

Ziggy Palffy, long overdue for recognition, was to have been honored Jon Rosen October 11, 2017 during a Legends Night a season ago. Due to a family situation, his Legends Night was postponed for a later date, with the 2000’s-era Kings star saying “I will look forward to joining the organization for a Legends Night during the 2017-18 season.” According to conversations with those The Los Angeles Kings announced their Legends Nights schedule on in the organization, the Kings and Palffy will look to reschedule his Wednesday: Legends Night at a future time conducive to both the team and the Dave “Tiger” Williams: Saturday, November 4 vs Nashville player. Felix Potvin: Thursday, December 21 vs Colorado LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 Mark Hardy: Saturday, February 24 vs Edmonton Brian Bahr/NHLI Felix Potvin made the most of his 136 games with the club. Acquired from Vancouver in February, 2001 for future considerations three stops after his immediate ascendance in Toronto – he started all 21 games as a 22-year-old during Toronto’s run to the 1993 Campbell Conference Final, yielding the key third period goals to Wayne Gretzky and Mike Donnelly in Game 7 – Potvin provided the final lifeline for a talented Kings team that since the days of Rogie Vachon had not relied on to regularly win games on their own. He followed five and a 1.96 goals-against average in 23 regular season games late in 2001-02 by helping lead Los Angeles to a first round upset of Detroit before taking eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado to seven games by posting back-to-back shutouts in Games 5 and 6. Potvin and the Kings lost in Game 7 to the Avalanche in both 2001 and 2002, the latter season of which he turned in a workmanlike performance by backstopping the team to a 31-27-8 record, a 2.31 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 71 games. His 4,071 minutes that season rank fifth out of any single season in franchise history, while his 71 games played rank third. The NHL’s career leader in penalty minutes with 3,971, Dave “Tiger” Williams arrived in Los Angeles after a trade from Detroit during the 1984-85 season. Over parts of four seasons and 162 regular season games with the Kings, Williams scored 40 goals and added 50 assists. He’s also credited for coining Robitaille’s nickname “Lucky,” partly because of the presence of Morris Lukowich – another “Luke” in the dressing room – and because he scored on his first shift in the league and lived in Marcel Dionne’s nice house, allowing him to drive to games in a car most 20-year-olds can’t afford. One of the most famous and feared enforcers of any era, Williams is one of only 15 players to score 200 goals and amass more than 2,000 penalty minutes. Selected in the second round by Los Angeles in the 1979 Entry Draft, Mark Hardy played 616 of his 915 NHL games with the Kings, linked together by two stints for a total of 11 years with the organization. Ranking 20th on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 303 points, Hardy also ranks among all-time club defensemen in assists (3rd/250), games played (4th/616), penalty minutes (5th/858) and goals (6th/53). He was reacquired, along with a fifth round draft pick, from the New York Rangers in exchange for John McIntyre in March, 1993. Appearing in 15 games during the 1993 run to the Stanley Cup Final, he totaled one goal, three points, a plus-seven rating and 30 penalty minutes. Hardy also distinguished himself in the Miracle of Manchester, scoring with 4:01 to play to bring the Kings within one goal of the Oilers; Steve Bozek scored with five seconds remaining, and Daryl Evans then netted the game- winner 2:35 into overtime to complete the greatest comeback in history. The honoring of Hardy with a Legends Night re-establishes a partnership with the player who resigned as an assistant coach after he was charged with fourth degree sexual abuse following an altercation at a Washington, D.C. hotel in May, 2010 that resulted in the charges being dropped. An assistant coach under Andy and Terry Murray, Hardy was an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign from 2011-14, the AHL’s in 2014-16 and the in 2016-17. He is currently a special assistant coach with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Hitmen. Legends Nights do not necessarily salute players who enjoyed the lengthiest careers with the Kings, but rather those who made impacts that, in concert with their own statistics and accomplishments, resonate with fans, staff and alumni long after they last wore the jersey. Now in their 51st season, the Kings have checked a number of names off the list of potential Legends Nights honorees. Those to receive nights in the past are Tomas Sandstrom, Jari Kurri, Bob Berry, Bob Pulford, Bernie Nicholls, Charlie Simmer, Kelly Hrudey, Ian Laperriere, Jay Wells, Jim Fox, Larry Murphy, , Tony Granato, Jimmy Carson, 1077669 Los Angeles Kings

Game 3: Los Angeles vs Calgary

Jon Rosen October 11, 2017

Game Threads Calgary Flames 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 Final-Overtime Radio Feed NHL.com Preview Boxscore Ice Tracker SOG: LAK – 45; CGY – 37 PP: LAK – 0/5; CGY – 1/6 First Period 1) CGY PPG – Matthew Tkachuk (1) (Mikael Backlund, Mark Giordano), 3:56 2) CGY – Michael Frolik (1) (Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan), 7:47 Second Period 3) LAK – Anze Kopitar (3) (Jake Muzzin, Dustin Brown), 15:44 Third Period 4) LAK – Dustin Brown (2) (Drew Doughty, Alex Iafallo), 0:14 5) LAK – Dustin Brown (3) (Derek Forbort, Anze Kopitar), 1:58 6) CGY – Matthew Tkachuk (2) (Dougie Hamilton, Michael Frolik), 10:59 Overtime 7) CGY – Sean Monahan (2) (TJ Brodie), 1:02 Los Angeles Kings (2-0-0) vs Calgary Flames (2-1-0) Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 7:30 p.m. PT Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Referees: #38 Francois StLaurent, #7 Garrett Rank Linesmen: #53 Bevan Mills, #93 Brian Murphy Fox Sports West, KABC 790, I Heart Radio LAK starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Derek Forbort, D Drew Doughty, LW Alex Iafallo, C Anze Kopitar, RW Dustin Brown LAK scratches: F Jonny Brodzinski, F Nic Dowd, D Paul LaDue CGY starters: G Mike Smith, D Mark Giordano, D Dougie Hamilton, LW Johnny Gaudreau, C Sean Monahan, RW Micheal Ferland CGY scratches: F Curtis Lazar, F Freddie Hamilton, D Brett Kulak LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077670 Los Angeles Kings

October 11 postgame quotes: John Stevens

Jon Rosen October 11, 2017

Postgame quotes On adjustments in the second half of the game: I just thought we were a little bit slow in our thought process, slow with the puck, not taking ice when it was there to take, and I think we just allowed their forecheck pressure to turn pucks over and spend too much time in our zone. I thought we did a good job and the real key was the penalty kill where we had four minutes killed off and didn’t give up a whole lot and really kind of got us going there late in the period and then a really good start to the third, period obviously. I just think we did a better job of getting traffic. Smith sees the puck. He’s a big goalie, and he makes saves, hangs on to pucks. Obviously in those two goals to start the period we did a better job of getting pucks to the net. But just overall pace, taking ice that was there, thought process I thought was a little slow to start the game. On Dustin Brown’s strong start to the year: I just think he’s a good player. I mean, Brownie had a really good summer. I think he’s excited getting his game back on track, I think he’s earned the right to play a lot of key situations. He and Kopi have had a long history of being good together and they’ve been great together all training camp. But he’s a net-front guy that we want on the power play who’s created a lot for us, he’s playing a power game, and I think with that comes confidence. Obviously he scored a little bit, so that’s going to fuel his confidence, but I think the bottom line is Brownie has been a real good player in the league. He’s excited about trying to prove that he can still be a good player in the league, and he’s playing like it. On whether he has an update to Kyle Clifford’s injury: I don’t Obviously he didn’t finish the hockey game. There’s always cause for concern when that happens, but I have not heard an update as of yet. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077671 Los Angeles Kings

Clifford leaves game with upper-body injury, does not return

Jon Rosen October 11, 2017

Kyle Clifford suffered an upper-body injury when he was checked by Michael Stone into the corner boards during the second period of Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Calgary at Staples Center and did not return after skating back to the bench and heading down the tunnel to the dressing room. The play that resulted in the injury (via @KingsGifs): One of the questions Kings coach John Stevens was asked after the game posited that Clifford had been spotted in a sling outside the team’s dressing room. That’s more or less in line with the above video, which appeared to show Clifford’s left arm, or the left side of his upper-body, bearing the weight of Stone’s check. An injury disrupts the strong start to the season etched out by the line of Clifford, Nick Shore and Trevor Lewis. Other injured players include Alec Martinez, who is on injured reserve as he progresses in his attempt to return from a lower-body injury suffered at practice last week, and Marian Gaborik, an injured non-roster player who is rehabilitating a “more in-depth medical procedure for a chronic issue related to his left knee” that was addressed early in the off-season. Los Angeles returns to Staples Center to face Buffalo on Saturday and the New York Islanders on Sunday. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077672 Los Angeles Kings

October 11 postgame quotes: Kopitar, Brown

Jon Rosen October 11, 2017

Postgame quotes Anze Kopitar, on the overtime loss: We had the lead late in the third. You definitely don’t want to give that up. At the end of the day, it still is a point that we’ll take. We can’t let that happen or become a habit where we’re giving up leads late in the third, especially at home. It’s a little sour taste in our mouth, but again, we got the point, and we can be somewhat satisfied with that. Kopitar, on gaining momentum from the penalty kills: The four-minute kill was obviously huge. I think it was pretty soon after that we got the first goal, and then I think we really started playing the game we wanted to play, which is in their zone – cycle and jump into open areas to score goals. We had the power play late, too, which wasn’t the greatest. We’ll have to work on it, but like I said, it wasn’t the greatest start. We picked ourselves up but just can’t give away leads. Kopitar, on the developing rivalry: It’s an emotional game, obviously. Especially within our division we want to stand our ground. Obviously there’s some push back that needs to happen, and it did. Dustin Brown, on his line’s offensive rhythm: I think it probably started when we were feeling pretty good earlier in the game. We were just connecting it all together probably towards the last five minutes of the second. We started making plays and we had a couple good looks before Kopi scored, and we just kind of rolled it into the third period. Had a lot of good looks in the third. Brown, on whether surrendering a third period goal represents a “lost opportunity”: I mean, you look at the third goal, we can’t give that guy a turnover just outside of our zone. If we put it in behind him, I like our chances with the way we play. He’s a really good player off the transition, off of turnovers. You’ve got to learn from that and move forward. Brown, on whether Calgary was targeting Drew Doughty: A lot of the stuff from last year, quite honest, I can’t even comment on what happened. It was so far behind the play I didn’t really know what happened. But if I’m on any other team, I’m targeting Drew. He’s a big part of our team, so that’s what you have to do to the other team. [Reporter: Is that what this rivalry has turned into, this kind of chippiness?] A little bit. Part of it’s that at the end of the day, they were in the playoffs and we weren’t last year. We’ve got to change that. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077673 Los Angeles Kings He was great, you can just see when he has the puck, not many peo;le are going to take it off him. Just great little plays, using his body, hes got a big lower body, so guys definitely don’t over power him. October 11 postgame quotes: Calgary Sean Monahan, on the start to the season: I think we stuck with it. I mean road trips are tough. And this was our first Jessi McDonald October 11, 2017 one of the year and like I said earlier, we got some new guys on this team and everyone’s buying in. So I think everyone accepts their role and is doing their job well right now. Postgame quotes Monahan, on Tkachuk’s performance: Coach Gulutzan, on the team’s performance: He was great. He’s building every game. I mean he’s a hell of a player and those goals he put in for us were huge. So I think he was on the We have to get better. We’re giving up way too much. Once again I score sheet and making a difference, I guess in there too, and stirring it though it was our goalie who bailed us out of here. I didn’t think we were up. So he did a great job for us tonight. bad for the first 30 minutes. After that first power play we got outworked, they really took the game over in a big way, I felt. We haven’t given up Monahan, on Jagr: this much since last year I felt and we need to clean it up. Obviously points are precious in this league and you take them, but we have a lot of Jags is great. I mean he’s got so much patience there. I mean him and work to do to get our game where it needs to be. Steeger had some shifts where it felt like they had the puck for two minutes. But yeah it was great. It was his first game and I’m looking Gulutzan, on what specifically, needs improvement: forward to having some more. For me right now, our battle level, our execution in certain areas, our Monahan, on the way the team is playing: breakouts need to get better. We’re spending too much time in our own zone. We’re giving up too much off the rush with our puck management. I mean we’re playing hard. And when you play together and you’re So we do have to tidy that up. You know last year in the last 50 games sticking up for each other it goes a lot way. But right now everyone is we might’ve gotten out-chanced 15 times, 35 times our opponent. You playing their role and buying in. And I think that what makes this team know we’re getting out chanced on a nightly basis and that cause for good and that’s what we’re doing. concern. Monahan, on goalie Mike Smith: Gulutzan, on Jaromir Jagr: He’s a great goalie. I mean he keeps us in every night and gives us a You know I think he got 13 minutes or so. It’s the next step in his way chance even if things aren’t going our way. So he’s kept us in there again back here without a training camp because you can’t simulate what he tonight and kudos again for a great game. got here tonight in those 13 minutes. We were aiming actually for 10-12, Monahan, on the comeback: he got a little more than that. But yeah, we’re going to build. His game is going to come as he gets it. But this is a big building block for some fire I think it’s just the kind of team we have. We have a tight group here in that’s going to come in awhile. this locker room and when things don’t go our way, we just find a way to bounce back. Gulutzan, on Matthew Tkachuk: Mike Smith, on special teams play: I thought he was engaged in the game. I thought he was really good. I don’t know how we got a penalty out of that scrum but I thought Matthew Yeah I mean it’s a huge part of any teams success. I think out penalty kill was engaged. Scored a big goal for us. And you know last two games has been pretty solid. You know, I think G had seven or eight blocked he’s got back to his form. shots there tonight so he’s kind of like a goalie back there for me. But all our defensemen were great. All the penalty killers were awesome. I Matthew Tkachuk, on tonight’s game: thought when we got the two goals it felt like we wanted to play an easy Big win and showed a lot of perseverance, you know the start of the third game and like I said, you can’t do that against a good team in this league obviously isn’t how we drew it up at the end of the second but I thought in their building. We’ll learn from that. But at the end of the day we came the guys, we were sitting back a little bit at the end of the second. But we out with a win and like I said that’s the most important thing. came into the third and we were down, we were putting pucks in the net Jaromir Jagr, on positives from the game: and getting bodies there, and some chances. So I like the perseverance from the group. There were some shifts where we were able to play down low the way we should play. After my legs come back, it’s going to be a little bit Tkachuk, on his two goals as a birthday present for his mom: different. Yeah I tried to get her that third one with the two-on-one at the end, but I Jagr, on having to battle back in the third: told Monny he’s good in the overtime so save it for him to finish the job. It’s understandable, they’re a very good team. Big guys, that’s tough to Tkachuk, on the momentum of the game: play against, especially at home. So, even we had the lead, we knew Like I said, I liked our perseverance when were were down. We never they’re going to come back a big push and they did it. You kind of gave up and Smitty made some huge saves. I remember that backhand survive. Tkachuk scored a big goal ad we scored in overtime. when Brown came across, he was going for his third, and that’s when I Jagr, on his observations of the team so far: went out for the faceoff, I told Smitty, you just changed the momentum of the game. Then we went out there and got one and could’ve won in Their expectation is very high, it should be. They’re a lot of great regulation, but it was a good game. It was a good third period. offensive players. Defense is fantastic. They can move the puck. You don’t have to worry about it as a forward and as a goaltender its great. Tkachuk, on the start to the season: So its up to us how far we can go. First game, we were definitely sitting back a little bit. We weren’t as good Jagr, on starting the season strong: as we could be. And Winnipeg we started off a little slow. A real good finish there. And then this little two game road trip, we feel pretty good The start is always important. I always said early in the season it’s a lot about ourselves. easier to get points than later in the season and we have to take advantage of it. Tkachuk, on any rivalry between him and Doughty: LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017 I never really look at it as a battle between players. I mean, they’ve got a lot of guys on their team that are passionate and all that. It makes for divisional rivalry I guess. I mean, they’re right up there with the Edmonton’s and all them. Those are passionate games to play in and fun games, really good games. I don’t know, you guys tell me, I thought that was a pretty good game to watch. Tkachuk, on Jagr: 1077674 Los Angeles Kings

October 12 postgame notes

Jon Rosen October 12, 2017

Postgame notes -With the overtime loss, Los Angeles fell to 95-111-30 all-time against the Calgary franchise, a record that includes a home mark of 58-46-13. The Kings fell to 10-11-12 (W-L-T) all-time against the Flames. These teams will meet next on January 4 and 24 at the Saddledome and March 26 at Staples Center. -With the overtime loss, Los Angeles fell to 1-0-1 against the Western Conference, 1-0-1 against the Pacific Division, 0-0-1 when allowing the first goal, 0-0-1 when trailing after one period, 0-0-1 when trailing after two periods and 1-0-1 when outshooting their opponent. -By winning in overtime, Calgary (19-6/.760) moved past Los Angeles (24-8/.750) for the league’s best winning percentage in games decided in overtime since the switch to the three-on-three format. Sean Monahan scored his eighth career playoff overtime goal. In addition to Monahan, overtime game-winners against the Kings were scored by Ryan O’Reilly, John Moore, Jaden Schwartz, Esa Lindell, Mikael Granlund and TJ Brodie and Shea Theodore. -Los Angeles earned points from each of their first three games of the season for the first time since 2002-03, when they won their first three games against Phoenix, Detroit and Anaheim. -With his 234th and 235th career goals, Dustin Brown moved within 11 goals of Wayne Gretzky’s 246 goals as a King, the seventh most on the club’s all-time list. -Drew Doughty played his team-leading 249th consecutive game. The club record is 330, set by Anze Kopitar between March 21, 2007 and March 26, 2011. -Jonathan Quick played his 495th career game. -Derek Forbort played his 99th career game. -In 18:12 of ice time, Dustin Brown recorded two goals, three points, a plus-three rating, eight shots on goal and five hits. -Los Angeles attempted 82 shots (45 on goal, 20 blocked, 17 missed). Calgary attempted 53 shots (37 on goal, 9 blocked, 7 missed). Dustin Brown and Matthew Tkachuk tied with a game-high eight shots on goal, while Jake Muzzin (6 on goal, 5 blocked, 4 missed) led all skaters with 15 shot attempts. -The Kings won 36-of-68 faceoffs (53%). Adrian Kempe won 1-of-2, Anze Kopitar won 17-of-27, Michael Cammalleri won 3-of-4, Nick Shore won 6- of-15 and Jeff Carter won 9-of-20. The Kings are scheduled to practice at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 12 at Toyota Sports Center. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.12.2017

1077675 Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild making some tweaks without Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund

By Megan Ryan October 11, 2017 — 1:02PM

With forwards Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund out for the foreseeable future with injuries, Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau has been grappling with a slightly shortened bench since Saturday's game. At the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the coach will make a few tweaks. “You know what, I’ll be doing things a bit differently," Boudreau said of making use of seven defensemen and 11 forwards in the most recent game. "I still try to make the 11 forwards into four lines. It wasn’t that it was confusing or anything, it was so many different combinations during the course of the game that I might do something different.” Boudreau added that didn't mean moving defensemen up, but rather "mostly three lines with the other two guys doing something specific." Despite this personnel shortage, Boudreau said the idea of sending defenseman Mike Reilly down in order to gain another forward hadn't "been brought up to him." But the coach said he isn't letting his team's injury woes or cap crunch so early in the season worry him. "In all honesty ... I come to work every morning, and whoever’s here is here," Boudreau said. "Everything is a challenge. In a perfect world, would you like 12 [forwards] and six [defensemen]? Yeah, but I think this is a great challenge, and I don’t think it will happen all year long. Time will tell, but usually things work their way out.” While Parise practiced again Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center while recovering from an undisclosed injury, Granlund again missed and will likely be out the next four games with a groin injury. #MNWild coach Bruce Boudreau on Parise and what his plan is without him and Granlund in the lineup. pic.twitter.com/1EFyDrDca1 — Megan Ryan (@theothermegryan) October 11, 2017 Star Tribune LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077676 Minnesota Wild

Wild's Chris Stewart keeps scoring in style The gritty forward has scored a goal in both of Wild's first two games.

By Megan Ryan October 11, 2017 — 11:28PM

Chris Stewart has been setting the bar high this season for the Wild, but not just on the ice where he leads the team in points. The locker room must also meet the forward’s expectations. “He’s always razzing everyone to not be cheap,” winger Marcus Foligno said. “He likes style, and he can razz guys if you don’t wear nice clothes. … So whatever you wear around him, you’ve got to make sure it’s nice.” Foligno experienced this firsthand both as a teammate of Stewart with the Buffalo Sabres from 2013-15, and again with the Wild after signing his $11.5 million deal ahead of this season. “I let him know: It’s the national league, so there’s a certain standard,” Stewart said. “When he got his new contract there, I wasn’t happy with his travel bag. I kind of think he had to switch it up.” Stewart, a 10-year NHL veteran with exactly 600 games spanned across five teams, can push his teammates to up their on- and off-ice games because he holds himself to the same lofty criteria. While he admitted that defenseman Matt Dumba is probably the best-dressed player on the team, Stewart does have the point streak to maintain Thursday night when the Wild plays in Chicago. Through the season’s first two games, Stewart has two goals and an assist. The 29-year-old had almost as many fights (10) last season as goals (13), so the hot start is quite welcome. “The first one’s always the toughest to get,” Stewart said. “I’ve gone some years probably 16, 17 games without getting that first goal. So getting that first one out of the way is kind of just, put it to rest there. But I’m not going to be a guy on this team who’s leading in the offensive department, and I know that. So I think anything I get’s a bonus. But I’m definitely glad to contribute offensively.” While he has 152 goals in the league, the third-line winger is more well- known for sticking up for his teammates in games than scoring in them. But coach Bruce Boudreau said Stewart’s “very good offensive IQ” was never in question. “He’s got great vision,” Boudreau said. “From the top of the circles in, he’s very dangerous. His defensive part of the game is getting better. It’s probably been the one thing that’s kept him back a little bit from playing more. ‘‘But he’s getting better at it, and he works at it. We’re hoping his start continues. It’s a good start for him.” Winger Tyler Ennis, who assisted on one of Stewart’s goals this season, and was also a former teammate in Buffalo, said Stewart’s early-season scoring isn’t surprising considering the Wild depth. “He’s going to get good matchups when you have players as good as Chris playing on the bottom six,” Ennis said. “He’s going to be able to outperform the other team’s bottom six.” Foligno echoed that, saying Stewart is a “great skater” for his 6-2, 239- pound size who “gets loose” and has great hands to boot. “The goal in Carolina [on Saturday] is something I’ve seen before where he’s just beat guys wide,” Foligno said. “And I think defenses don’t give him the respect that he should have out there.” But Stewart definitely has that admiration in the Wild locker room. Boudreau called him a “great leader” that “every one of the players” would say they want on the team. For example, Stewart said he’s been trying to break 20-year-old linemate Joel Eriksson Ek out of his shell, trying to ease him into being more vocal by talking to him every day. “He’s good at making sure everyone’s ready to go for the game. He’s very vocal. He’s fun. He’s energetic, and he’s a big part of this team,” Ennis said of Stewart. “He’s funny. He talks to everybody in the room, talks to everybody like they’re his closest friend. He’s just a really good teammate.” Star Tribune LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077677 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Blackhawks gameday preview

Rachel Blount

7:30 p.m. at Chicago • FSN, 100.3-FM Blackhawks come out strong Preview: As the Wild (0-1-1) seeks its first victory of the season, Chicago (3-0-1) will try to remain undefeated in regulation. The Blackhawks are the NHL’s highest-scoring team, with 21 goals in four games, and their goal differential (plus-14) is the best in the league. The Wild has earned points in nine of its past 11 games against the Blackhawks and is 4-1-0 in its past five in Chicago. Players to WATCH: Chicago F Brandon Saad is tied for second in the NHL in points (seven) and goals (five). He returned to the Blackhawks in a trade last summer after back-to-back 53-point seasons in Columbus, adding another prolific scorer to an already potent lineup. Wild G is one victory away from reaching 100 with the Wild; he is 10-7 with a goals-against average of 3.06 and save percentage of .909 against the Blackhawks. Numbers: Blackhawks F Jonathan Toews, who has two goals and three assists in four games this season, has 37 points in 36 career games against the Wild. … Wild F Mikko Koivu has won 30 of 49 faceoffs this season and leads the team with 33 points in 47 career games against the Blackhawks. Injuries: Wild F Mikael Granlund (groin) and F Zach Parise (undisclosed) are out. Blackhawks F Nick Schmaltz (upper body) is day-to-day. Star Tribune LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077678 Minnesota Wild

Why don’t the Wild have a fourth line? That’s the $200,000 question

By Dane Mizutani | PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017

No Zach Parise. No Mikael Granlund. No problem? Not exactly. With both players injured and out for Thursday’s measuring-stick game against the rival Blackhawks in Chicago, the Minnesota Wild are down to 11 healthy forwards on the roster, leaving them shorthanded up front for the second straight game. They were forced to fill the hole in the lineup with extra defensemen in the 5-4 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last weekend. The reason for that is money. Or lack thereof. The Wild are paying out $74,793,591 this season to players on their current roster, leaving the team just $206,409 of space with the NHL’s $75 million salary cap. That’s not enough to call up a forward from the minors. To do that, the Wild would need to send down a defenseman, presumably former Gopher Mike Reilly, who would not need to be put on waivers. Asked whether that was an option, coach Bruce Boudreau responded, “No. It hasn’t been brought up to me.” Boudreau called it “a great challenge” to game plan knowing he will only have 11 forwards, one short of filling four lines. After constantly shuffling his forwards across four lines against the Hurricanes, the coach hinted he might change the way he approaches the situation for the game against the Blackhawks. “Mostly three lines with the other two guys doing something specific,” Boudreau said. That would mean a first line of Eric Staal centering Marcus Foligno and Charlie Coyle, a second line of Mikko Koivu centering Jason Zucker and , and a third line of Joel Eriksson Ek centering Tyler Ennis and Chris Stewart, with Matt Cullen and filling in as needed. While it isn’t an ideal way to approach a game so early in the season, Boudreau isn’t making any excuses. “In all honesty, I come to work every morning and whoever’s here is here, whoever’s not here (is not here),” Boudreau said. “In a perfect world, would we like 12 (forwards) and 6 (defensemen)? Yeah. … I don’t think it will happen all season long. Usually things work their way out.” PARISE STILL OUT Parise will not play Thursday’s game in Chicago despite practicing with the team the past three days. It looks like he also will miss Saturday’s home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Boudreau is hopeful Parise will be able to return for the Oct. 20-21 games at Winnipeg and Calgary. “That’s the plan,” Boudreau said. “Who knows? Anything can change. He looked pretty good out there. I know he’s champing at the bit to play. It’s the protocol and whatever the doctors say and the trainer says is what’s going to happen.” JUST THE TWO OF US Boudreau has been hosting individual meetings with players this week, which he has done throughout his career. That leaves the door open for communication between player and coach, something Boudreau finds extremely beneficial in the grand scheme of things. “Anything they don’t get and they don’t want to ask in a forum of other people, they can ask me, and we can go over it in private,” he said. Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077679 Minnesota Wild

Wild know archrival Chicago Blackhawks are still the team to beat

By Dane Mizutani | PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017

As far as Wild coach Bruce Boudreau is concerned, the Chicago Blackhawks remain the gold standard of the Western Conference, despite their recent postseason struggles. That feeling resonates throughout the Wild locker room. “Oh, for sure,” Wild winger Chris Stewart said when asked whether he thought the Blackhawks were still the team to beat. “They are arguably a dynasty.” That is one of the reasons the Wild are so excited for Thursday’s game with the Blackhawks at the United Center. “It’s always fun to play the best,” Boudreau said. “No matter what time of the year we play the Chicago Blackhawks, we know we’re in for a game.” That said, these aren’t the same Blackhawks that have been prematurely knocked out of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. In fact, after being swept in the first round last season, the Blackhawks went out this offseason and essentially reconstructed the core of the team that won three Stanley Cups in six years earlier this decade. They traded for Brandon Saad and re-signed Patrick Sharp, rejoining them with a dynamic core that already features superstars like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford, among others. The master plan of getting the band back together is working so far as the Blackhawks are 3-0-1 heading into Thursday’s matchup. They have scored a league-leading 21 goals in that span and boast a league- leading plus-14 goal differential. They throttled the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins 10-1 last Thursday. “Yeah, they aren’t bad,” Boudreau said before rifling off the jersey numbers of a handful of Blackhawks players. “They still have some magical players on that team, and (coach) Joel (Quenneville) pushes the right buttons.” So what are the biggest things the Wild have to worry about against this revamped version of the Blackhawks? “Besides a bunch of players on that team that can really make some good plays?” defenseman Matt Dumba said with a smirk. “We have to make sure we’re helping each other out. … We are going to try our best to box out and eliminate all the high-risk opportunities.” That won’t be easy considering the rate at which the Blackhawks have scored this season. “You can tell they’re hungry this season,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be a good test for us.” To pass that test, the Wild will have to tighten things up after playing uncharacteristically loose in the opening two games of the season. In both losses — a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings and a 5-4 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes — the Wild were outshot throughout the game and outplayed down the stretch. “We were making some boneheaded plays either tired in the third period or leading in the third period of both games,” Boudreau said. “It’s going to be fun to see where we stand after this game.” And while the two teams will play four more times this season, the Wild no doubt would love to start the season series with a victory. “We know we have a great team,” Wild winger Nino Niederreiter said. “We haven’t played our best yet. We have a lot more to give. We have to focus on what we can do. It’s about us. Not them.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077680

Canadiens' Jonathan Drouin to host children in Bell Centre suite

Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens announced on Wednesday that Jonathan Drouin has partnered with the Canadiens Children’s Foundation to host less fortunate children at a Bell Centre suite for Habs games. Drouin is making a personal annual contribution of $165,000 for the suite, which will bear the name Jo et ses champions (Jo and his champions). “From the first day I got here, I wanted to get involved and do something for children by giving them an opportunity to enjoy memorable experiences. By giving them a chance to attend a hockey game, I am hoping that an evening in the suite will provide the kids and their families with some relief from the personal hardships they are facing,” Drouin said in a statement. “They’ll have a chance to be together and have a great time, and for me, it’s an opportunity to contribute in my own way to their well-being.” It’s the second major charitable donation for Drouin since being acquired by the Canadiens last summer. In September, he announced a $500,000 donation to the Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), and a pledge to help raise $5 million for the hospital. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077681 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens relegate winger Alex Galchenyuk to fourth-line duties

Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette

There were a few new wrinkles at the Canadiens’ practice Wednesday and one of them involved Alex Galchenyuk. The 2012 first-rounder found himself back where he finished last season — on the fourth line. Galchenyuk lined up at left wing on a line with centre Torrey Mitchell and Ales Hemsky. We’re not sure why the move was made or how long it will last because coach Claude Julien elected not to speak with the media following the practice. What we know is that the line juggling began in the second half of Tuesday’s 3-1 home loss to Chicago and Julien said he liked what he saw from the revamped lines even though they failed to produce any goals. It’s also important to remember that Julien and general manager are fond of saying that things change quickly in this game. Galchenyuk did talk to the media after practice and he said all the right things even if his body language and tone indicated that he wasn’t happy. “I have to keep moving forward and get ready for the next game,” said Galchenyuk. When asked for his reaction to the new lines, he said: “Go here and keep working on my game. What else can I say?” Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien and players Jonathan Drouin (92), Brendan Gallagher (11) and Alex Galchenyuk (27) look on from the bench during third period NHL hockey action against the Chicago Blackhawks, in Montreal on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Galchenyuk started the season on the third line with Philip Danault and Andrew Shaw. Through four games, he has eight shots on goal and no points. Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron are at least temporary winners in the shuffle. Lehkonen will play on the right side with Max Pacioretty and Jonathan Drouin. Byron moves up from the fourth line to play with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher on what could be solid two-way line. Rookie Charles Hudon, who has shown an ability to create chances, will join Danault and Shaw. Hudon hasn’t picked up a point this season, but he’s among the leaders in shots with 16. He had five shots on Friday and a game-high six hits. The 5-foot-10 Hudon has 13 hits on the season, second only to ’s 15. The defensive pairings remained the same, but there could be a change Saturday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre. took part in a full practice for the first time since he suffered a bruised hand on the opening day of training camp. “I’m close,” Schlemko said. “I’m not a trainer and I haven’t been cleared (to play), but I’m hoping for Saturday.” Schlemko was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights for a fifth-round draft choice in 2019 and was touted as a possible partner for Weber on the top pairing. That role is filled by 5-foot-9 rookie Victor Mete, but Schlemko might be better able to handle a large workload. If Schlemko does get a look on the top pairing, the precocious Mete could find himself playing with Jordie Benn. Mete was paired with Benn during a preseason game and they played well as a unit. In a bit of off-ice news, the Canadiens announced that Drouin will contribute $165,000 to fund a suite that will allow underprivileged youngsters to attend Canadiens games through the Jo et ses champions program. Last month, Drouin also pledged to raise funds for the new CHUM superhospital. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077682 Montreal Canadiens in the KHL and Ott is an assistant coach with St. Louis. On June 22, Bergevin dealt a fifth-round pick in 2019 to the Vegas Golden Knights for David Schlemko. Stu Cowan: Alex DeBrincat rubs some salt in Canadiens' wounds It will also be interesting to see what happens to the third-round pick (defenceman Scott Walford) Bergevin acquired at this year’s draft from Buffalo in exchange for former first-round pick Nathan Beaulieu. by Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette In the meantime, DeBrincat was asked what his emotions were like after scoring his first NHL goal Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Alex DeBrincat rubbed a little salt into the Canadiens’ early season “It’s hard to explain … probably a dream come true,” he said. “You think wounds Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. about that moment your whole life and finally it comes true. It’s pretty cool. He’s a great goalie, obviously, and I was lucky enough to get one Chicago’s rookie right-winger scored his first NHL goal, added an assist past him.” and was named the second star in a 3-1 Blackhawks victory. The Canadiens now have a 1-3-0 record and have scored four goals. That goalie, of course, was Price. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, who grew up in Châteauguay on the That’s probably enough salt for Canadiens fans right now. South Shore of Montreal, was named the first star after making 41 saves and outplaying , who allowed three goals on 25 shots. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 Where’s that salt shaker again? DeBrincat also has a Montreal connection. The Blackhawks selected him 39th overall at the 2016 NHL Draft with one of two second-round picks they received that year from the Canadiens in exchange for Andrew Shaw. The Blackhawks used the second pick to take Boston University defenceman Chad Krys 45th overall. DeBrincat won the OHL scoring title last season with 65-62-127 totals in 63 games and then led the Erie Otters to the league championship with 13-25-38 totals in 22 playoff games. Shaw’s first season with the Canadiens was a disappointing one as he posted 12-17-29 totals in 68 regular-season games and was pointless in five playoff games. Two concussions — one suffered during the playoffs — didn’t help. But Shaw, 26, has five more seasons to make his mark with the Canadiens after GM Marc Bergevin signed him to a six-year, US$23.4- million contract shortly after the trade was made. Shaw is pointless and minus-2 in four games this season. “I don’t think about that, but I did know that,” DeBrincat said after Tuesday’s game when asked about the Blackhawks acquiring him with a draft pick from the Canadiens. DeBrincat, 19, has made the jump from junior directly to the NHL despite being only 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds. In his first four games he has a goal and two assists, which would rank him first on the Canadiens in scoring at this point. More salt, please? It’s still early in the season for the Canadiens, but as Michael Farber put it recently on TSN Radio 690, Bergevin is entering Year 6 of his five-year plan as GM. It’s not looking very good at the moment, although Bergevin does still have almost $8.5 million in salary-cap space. The question is when — and how — will he use it? Alex Galchenyuk was supposed to become the Canadiens’ No. 1 centre after Bergevin drafted him third overall in his first year as GM. Five years later, Galchenyuk is now a left-winger on the fourth line. Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak — Bergevin’s first-round picks the next two years — have yet to develop into regular NHLers and are with the AHL’s . Victor Mete, the Canadiens’ fourth-round pick last year, has been a pleasant surprise, making it to the NHL as a 19-year-old and performing well, just like DeBrincat. Mete, who played junior with the , knows all about DeBrincat. “He’s just … he can score,” Mete said after practice Wednesday in Brossard. “Even in junior, every time he gets the puck he’s always a threat. He’s in the slot, it’s a 90-per-cent chance it’s going in the net. You just got to kind of be aware of him. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s strong on his feet and he finds soft areas to score like last night. Playing against him for three years in the OHL, I thought he was one of the better guys I played against.” It will be interesting to see if DeBrincat can become a star at the NHL level and it will also be interesting to see what other teams do with draft picks they acquired from the Canadiens since the start of this year. On Jan. 26, Bergevin sent a sixth-round pick this year (centre Cole Guttman) to Tampa Bay as part of the Nikita Nesterov trade. Nesterov is now in the KHL. On Feb. 27, Bergevin sent a fourth-round pick this year and Greg Pateryn to Dallas for Jordie Benn. Dallas dealt the pick (defenceman Markus Phillips) to Los Angeles. On March 1, Bergevin gave a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018 to Los Angeles for Dwight King and a sixth-round pick in 2018 to Detroit for Steve Ott. King is now 1077683 Montreal Canadiens Dallas, played with Paul Byron in Calgary and was Al Montoya’s teammate in the minors with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage.

It doesn’t get easier for Habs Canadiens Notebook: Alex Galchenyuk demoted to fourth line at practice The Maple Leafs are off to a 3-0 start and have outscored the opposition 19-10. That’s not good news for the Canadiens heading into Saturday’s Posted by Stu Cowan game. “When you look at them, and I watched the game (Monday) night against Chicago (the Leafs won 4-3 in overtime), they’re young and they’re Coach Claude Julien has decided to shake up his lines after a 1-3-0 start quick,” Julien said about the Leafs after Tuesday’s game at the Bell to the season during which the Canadiens have scored only four goals — Centre. “They have a lot of energy and they come out and they really two of them short-handed. wear teams down. So we got to make sure we’re fresh and ready for these guys. But at the same time, if you plan on playing on your heels The Canadiens were back on the ice Wednesday morning for practice in against that team they’ll eat you alive. So we’re going to have to be on Brossard following Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks our toes and it is going to be us pushing them back with our speed, at the Bell Centre. hopefully, and then playing with a little bit more energy — kind of like we saw at times tonight. Arturri Lehkonen, who finished Tuesday’s game at right wing on the No. 1 line — taking Brendan Gallagher’s spot — stayed there at practice with “We need to respect the skill level and the youth of that team that has a Jonathan Drouin and Max Pacioretty. lot of speed and energy,” the coach added. “But at the same time, we shouldn’t be fearing them. We should be finding ways to win hockey Gallagher dropped down to the second line with Tomas Plekanec and games. The way we’ve shown in different times in the games that we’ve Paul Byron. played that we’re capable of doing that. But we’re really going to need a Alex Galchenyuk now finds himself on the fourth line with Torrey Mitchell 60-minute effort on Saturday.” and Ales Hemsky. Habs’ power play firing blanks “I got to keep moving forward and get ready for the next one,” The Canadiens have yet to score a power-play goal this season, going 0- Galchenyuk said after practice. for-14 with the man advantage. When asked what his reaction was when he saw the new lines on the The Leafs, on the other hand, were tied with the New Jersey Devils for board after arriving for practice, Galchenyuk said: “Go here and keep the No. 1 power play in the NHL through Tuesday’s games, clicking at working on my game. What else can I say?” 37.5 per cent with six goals on 16 chances. Galchenyuk said Julien hadn’t spoken with him about the line changes. “Our power play has been good as far as moving the puck,” Julien said When asked to rate his own game so far, Galchenyuk said: “I’m not in after Tuesday’s game. “I think tonight we were forcing things a little bit. I school … I’m not here to give myself grades or anything like that. Like I didn’t think our power play was quite as good as it has been. … There’s said, I got to keep coming in here and working on my game. definitely room there for improvement. “I’m here … my job is to go out there and make myself better and try to “I think the shots that we had again, converging on the net and finishing help the team win. So that’s what I’m focused on.” is an area where we need to get better at as well,” the coach added. “And that goes back to why aren’t we scoring? Guys’ confidence is low right Galchenyuk has yet to earn a point this season while averaging 16:21 of now, I guess, in that department so we got to fight our way out of this. ice time and is minus-1. And no matter what, you can’t forget the positive and you got to keep working with the stuff that needs to get better. And that’s the only way Julien did not speak with the media on Wednesday. out.” The lines Some puck luck would help Here’s how the lines and defence pairings looked at practice: Through Tuesday’s games, the Canadiens were leading the NHL with Pacioretty – Drouin – Lehkonen 155 shots on goal (an average of 38.7 per game) but had scored only four times for a dismal 2.5 shooting percentage. Byron – Plekanec – Gallagher “Luck is something that I think on the outside can be said,” Julien said Hudon – Danault – Shaw after Tuesday’s game, in which the Canadiens outshot the Blackhawks 42-25. “I don’t think we can use that as an excuse. There’s no doubt that Galchenyuk – Mitchell – Hemsky there’s a couple of times you know you’ve seen like: Wow, we didn’t get De La Rose a break here or there. But you can’t rely on that. You got to fight through it and that’s what I want us to do. I want us to fight through it instead of Mete – Weber using excuses. We don’t want excuses, we want solutions. And that’s how you become a hard team and a mentally strong team as well. Alzner – Petry “We could use a little bit of puck luck, no doubt, but there’s more we can Benn – Davidson do I think as far as maybe getting some confidence.” Morrow – Streit Scorers aren’t scoring Schlemko Through four games, Pacioretty has one goal and Drouin’s only goal was a shootout winner in the season opener in Buffalo. Schlemko says he’s ready to go Those are the two main guys the Canadiens are counting on for offence Defenceman David Schlemko, who suffered a hand injury early in this season. training camp, is hoping to make his Canadiens debut Saturday night at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m., CBC, TVA “All teams struggle throughout a year and players struggle throughout a Sports, TSN Radio 690). year,” Pacioretty said. “Nothing’s ever been perfect, no one’s ever had 82 perfect games. We don’t make excuses in here. Things haven’t gone The Canadiens acquired Schlemko from the Vegas Golden Knights perfect. We have worked — probably not for 60 minutes at a time — but following the NHL expansion draft in exchange for a fifth-round pick at we have worked and we’ve put in a lot of work. the 2019 NHL Draft. In 62 games last season with the San Jose Sharks, the 6-foot-1, 189-pound Schlemko posted 2-16-18 totals and was plus-4 “It seems like we’re close to clicking,” the captain added. “It’s not there while averaging 16:44 of ice time. yet. But our goal is to work at it and make sure that we’re able to get this “I’m just going to bring my game … move the puck quick, jump into the turned around quickly, guys can feel good about their games and attack,” the 30-year-old Schlemko said about what he can bring to the produce the way we know we can produce.” Canadiens lineup once he gets in. “I can defend well and touch all Ugly numbers for Price aspects of the game, really.” While the Canadiens aren’t scoring goals, Carey Price is also off to a bad While Schlemko is new to the Canadiens, there are some familiar faces start in nets — thanks in part to a shaky defence. in the locker room. He played with Jordie Benn and Alex Hemsky in Following Tuesday’s loss to the Blackhawks, Price has a 1-3-0 record with a 3.30 goals-against average and .899 save percentage Drouin teams up with Children’s Foundation Drouin is teaming up with the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation to launch the Jo et ses champions program. The Canadiens announced Wednesday that Drouin will make an annual personal contribution of $165,000 to allow some less fortunate children to watch the Canadiens in action from a special Bell Centre loge. “From the first day I got here, I wanted to get involved and do something for children by giving them an opportunity to enjoy memorable experiences,” Drouin said in a statement released by the team. “By giving them a chance to attend a hockey game, I am hoping that an evening in the suite will provide the kids and their families with some relief from the personal hardships they are facing. They’ll have a chance to be together and have a great time, and for me, it’s an opportunity to contribute in my own way to their well-being.” What’s next? The Canadiens will have the day off Thursday and will practise at 11 a.m. Friday in Brossard before facing the Maple Leafs Saturday night. The Canadiens head to the U.S. West Coast next week for games in San Jose Tuesday, Los Angeles Wednesday and Anaheim Friday. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077684 Montreal Canadiens vulnerable goaltender, and this is an area where the Canadiens must immediately improve.

Quick passes and a heightened level of creativity would lead to more Analyze This: Despite Canadiens’ slow start, there are reasons for goals. Setting up for the perfect shot is no longer the best way to score optimism during the man advantage. Weber might have the hardest shot in the NHL, but Montreal’s strategy is extremely predictable. Slotting Alex Galchenyuk at the right circle could alleviate some of the predictability by Dave Peters issues because of his ability to take a one-timer shot, which forces opposing teams to do more than just defend Weber’s blast from the point. Editor’s note: This marks the first column about hockey analytics by new But again, it’s not time to panic. It’s time for Claude Julien’s team to Hockey Inside/Out contributor Marc Dumont. Analyze This will examine adjust. The Canadiens won’t keep scoring on less than two per cent of interesting trends and pertinent numbers behind the Canadiens’ stats. their shots throughout the season, and Price won’t be among the worst Marc Dumont is a contributor to the Athletic Montreal website and former goalies in the league once all 82 games are played. managing editor of Eyes on the Prize, a website devoted to Canadiens coverage. His column will appear weekly throughout the 2017-18 season. A slew of new players, especially on defence, means the team will need time to form chemistry. That’s not to say there aren’t evident issues — Dave Peters, Montreal Gazette Sports Editor within the roster, because there are. Marc Dumont An easy fix for the lack of controlled exits among defencemen could be found on the Laval Rocket. Jakub Jerabek — a first-team all-star in the Special to the Montreal Gazette KHL last season — would immediately inject much needed talent and Fans are understandably concerned about the Canadiens’ slow start. It’s puck-moving skills on defence, especially considering ’s lack not just that they’ve only managed to win one game in four attempts, but of speed has rendered his value to the club quite low. many believe general manager Marc Bergevin had a mediocre off- The start to the 2017-18 season has been far from perfect, but if the season. Despite losing Andrei Markov and Alex Radulov, Bergevin, to his results have you discouraged, take solace in the fact the Canadiens are credit, did manage to acquire Jonathan Drouin, albeit at the cost of his producing some of the best numbers in the league, although there’s no only blue-chip prospect, defenceman Mikhail Sergachev. denying they’re clearly lacking in the number that matters most: goals. Fan frustration is magnified by the fact the Canadiens are one of the That will change. richest teams in the league and have more than $8 million worth of unused cap space, placing them among lowest spenders in the NHL. It’s Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 hard to convince fans to dish out hard earned money for one of the most expensive tickets in the league, especially if the product on the ice is subpar. On the surface, it seems the Habs are destined to be a lottery team. But once you dig deeper into their numbers, it becomes clear that it’s not time to panic — yet. After Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Canadiens had put 112 even-strength shots on net, which leads the NHL. Forty-one of those 112 shots were of the high-danger variety, which also ranks No. 1 in the league. (High-danger chances are loosely defined as close- proximity shots, tips or rebounds as well as the amount of puck movement and screens preceding the shot.) The Habs also created 94 even-strength scoring chances, second only to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite starting the season 0-for-14, the Canadiens’ power play is showing signs of improvement. Last season, they created a paltry 215 scoring chances with the man advantage, which placed them firmly in last place among all NHL teams. That amounted to a little over two and a half power-play scoring chances per game, but this season the Habs are producing more than six power-play scoring chances per game. If the Canadiens had a league average shooting percentage (usually around nine per cent) through the first four games, instead of their NHL- low 1.79 per cent, they’d have an additional nine goals to their credit. The Artturi Lehkonen-Tomas Plekanec-Charles Hudon line has been dominant, accounting for over 68 per cent of both teams’ total shots while on the ice. They’ve only scored one goal, but there’s no doubt they’ve deserved more. Carey Price has a .899 save percentage, which is unfathomably low for a career .920 goaltender. I guarantee it will significantly improve. There are many reasons not to panic once you realize the Canadiens are outshooting their opponents by a wide margin. If this streak of bad luck had come in mid-January, it would not be cause for alarm. Teams go through tough stretches, and in the Canadiens’ case that tough stretch has very unfortunate timing. Of course, the numbers only give you an indication that there are encouraging signs within the team. In watching the games, one thing becomes very apparent: the Canadiens struggle to exit their own end quickly while maintaining possession of the puck. The loss of Markov and the lack of a replacement puck-moving defenceman is clearly an issue. When you exit your own zone slowly, it gives opposing defenders and goaltenders a chance to prepare for the attack, thus mitigating the value of the high quantity of shots and chances the Canadiens are generating. The same issue plagues the Canadiens during the power play. Their static setup is giving opposing goalies far too much time to get ready for the inevitable Shea Weber point shot, which leads to very few scoring chances when goaltenders are moving. A moving goaltender is a 1077685 Nashville Predators The only thing missing on Opening Night? Who forgot to bring the catfish?

Tennessean LOADED: 10.12.2017 Nashville Predators home opener: 5 things to remember

David Ammenheuser, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Five memorable moments from the Nashville Predators' home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena: The banner Sure there was a game. But that was the dessert to the main course: Many in the soldout crowd waited 20 years to see the Nashville Predators raise their first championship banner. It's one of those cherished moments in sports that fans will tell future generations that they were at Bridgestone Arena the night the 2016-17 Western Conference banner was raised. The huge gold, blue and white banner now dominates the arena's rafters. Its distinct look grabs the eye's attention (especially if you are sitting in the 300-level seats). The captains It was quite appropriate that Mike Fisher, who retired after he captained the 2016-17 team, and , the 2017-18 captain, pulled the big black drape off the banner as it was slowly raised. During the first intermission, Fisher spoke with a few members of the media about his retirement. Columnist Jessica Bliss wrote about Fisher's emotions returning to the arena. Beat writer Adam Vingan will post another story on Fisher later Wednesday on Tennessean.com. The special walk The Predators know marketing better than many businesses and certainly better than most professional sports franchises. The decision to start their season-opening Gold Walk from the stage at Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge and across Broadway to the arena was a splendid one. Granted, the Gold Walk did not attract the thousands who flocked to Broadway last spring for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it was another event that the Predators infused their sport with the Lower Broadway business community. The music tradition After a moment of silence dedicated to the victims of the Las Vegas massacre as well as victims of recent hurricanes, earthquakes and wild fires, country music star Trace Adkins sang the national anthem. And, yes, all the players and coaches stood with the sellout crowd. Adkins is the latest country music star to sing the anthem before a big Predators game. You may recall, a country music artist performed the national anthem prior to every playoff game last season. The Predators are expected to announce their regular-season anthem singer(s) on Wednesday. And ... the game It was quite memorable. The Predators scored the first three goals and the final three goals (including the game-tying and winning goals in the final 1:17) to win 6-5. Scott Hartnell tied the game with 1:17 left, then Filip Forsberg scored the game winner with 36 seconds left. Both were power-play goals and both had two goals in the game. Nashville owned a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on goals by Craig Smith, Scott Hartnell and Nick Bonino. Philly responded with three straight goals to tie the game at 3 at the second intermission. The Flyers then scored twice early in the third period to push ahead 5-3. Filip Forsberg's second goal of the season moved the Predators within 5- 4. Hartnell's goal with 1:17 left when the Predators pulled and had a 6-3 advantage. The Predators are 1-2 heading into Thursday's game against Dallas. 1077686 Nashville Predators

Predators' Scott Hartnell rejuvenated by return to Nashville

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee

Every morning during the Predators' season, "Morning Skate" will highlight the odds and ends surrounding the team. Consider this a one- stop shop for Predators-related information. Scott Hartnell occupies a somewhat different role than he did when he first played for the Predators. He's no longer the often clumsy rookie that flopped around the ice 17 years ago, but the most experienced veteran on a team of budding talent. What has remained the same, though, is Hartnell's residence near the opposing crease, as if he were drawn to it by a magnet. Watch as Hartnell whacks in the game-tying goal Tuesday during the Predators' chaotic 6-5 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. Not since trading forward Patric Hornqvist more than three years ago have the Predators had such a net-front presence. "He's one of the best guys in front of the net," said Predators forward Filip Forsberg, who also scored twice Tuesday. "You see that on the first (goal). He's just shooting for anything and it goes in. On the second one, he's right there battling and scoring that goal." Hartnell, who has three goals in as many games, is averaging 15:43 of ice time per game. That's nearly four minutes more than he did last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who bought him out two days before he rejoined the Predators. His familiarity with Predators coach Peter Laviolette, under whom he excelled during their shared time with the Flyers, has had a revitalizing effect. "You can't question his heart or what he's doing out there," Laviolette said. Hartnell's return hasn't totally been spotless. He committed a cross- checking penalty in the third period Tuesday that led to a Flyers power- play goal. Hartnell apologized when he returned to the bench, then atoned by scoring later in the period. Overall, it's been a successful start to the reunion. "So so, I guess," Hartnell said of his first three games, offering a modest critique. "I think everyone can play better. I've just been trying to get on forechecks, trying to be solid defensively, score goals in front of the net. I've gotten a couple right there, so that's exciting." Tennessean LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077687 Nashville Predators

Derek Mason, Eric Decker, Mattias Ekholm on Nashville's Most Beautiful People list

Mike Organ, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, a Predator, a Titan and Nashville’s newest professional coach are among the most beautiful people in town. Mason, Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, Titans receiver Eric Decker and Nashville Soccer Club coach Gary Smith made Nashville Lifestyles’ annual 25 Most Beautiful People List, which is featured in the magazine’s October issue. In his spare time, Mason, 47, says he enjoys doing yard work, getting his car washed and playing golf. He also likes working with Who U With? Ministries. “My belief is that a foundation of spiritual-based leadership and decision- making can help young people do the right thing,” he told the magazine. Ekholm, 27, likes horse racing and is part-owner of a horse with a childhood friend. He spends most of his free time staying in peak condition. Decker, 30, is trying to learn to play his guitar so that he can accompany his country music star wife Jessie James when she sings. James sang the national anthem before the Titans-Raiders game at Nissan Stadium earlier this season. The couple recently started the nonprofit Deckers Dogs where they rescue dogs from shelters and train them to become service dogs for military vets with disabilities. Smith, 49, is a former pro soccer player from Hertfordshire, England, who enjoys staying fit. His father also played soccer professionally. Gary Smith Also on the 25 Most Beautiful People list is Amanda Martin, 37, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, who is a consultant for Major League Soccer and a member of the MLS2Nashville committee. Nashville Lifestyles October issue in on newsstands now. Tennessean LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077688 Nashville Predators

Mike Fisher settling in to life after retirement, Predators

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 11:51 a.m. CT Oct. 11, 2017

Mike Fisher's post-retirement life hasn't been sedentary. It's actually been busier than he expected. Fisher no longer serves as Predators captain, but he's taken on many different roles — avid churchgoer, full-time father to 2-year-old son Isaiah, business partner with younger brother Bud on their "Catchin' Deers" hunting-oriented lifestyle brand. "There’s lots of things I’ve been able to be a part of that I couldn’t do playing," said Fisher, who earlier this week spent Canadian Thanksgiving with his family in Peterborough, Ontario, for the first time in roughly 20 years. "But it’s definitely an adjustment." Fisher, who announced the end of his 17-season NHL career Aug. 3, attended his former team's home-opening victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. He stood by his ex-teammates and watched the Western Conference championship banner they earned together ascend toward the Bridgestone Arena rafters. At that moment, Fisher relived what he called "the best year I've ever had." The itch to play briefly resurfaced. But when Fisher shared that he watched the Predators' shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, he referred to it as "their" game. His life is elsewhere now. "I definitely missed that, the guys and stuff, for sure," Fisher said of participating in the pregame ceremony. "I was definitely expecting that." Fisher, 37, contemplated retirement two summers ago before deciding to return for what was his final NHL season. He didn't want to drag out his decision during the offseason, but he patiently weighed his future before settling on retirement. “In my head, I knew there was probably a pretty good chance that it was my last year the whole time, but I needed time," Fisher said. "I wanted to step away because of the emotion of the playoffs and the excitement. It’s like the time of your life. "But I needed to separate myself from that for a little bit and just take some time to think about it and pray about it, see where I was at just (weeks removed) from that.” Nashville Predators had retired captain Mike Fisher an current-captain Roman Josi raise the new Western Conference champions banner at the first home game of the season. Autumn Allison/USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee Fisher eventually could return to hockey in some capacity, though he doesn't know when or exactly what he would do. “I want to take some time away to figure out what it’s like not to play, just figure out what daily life’s going to be like," Fisher said. That means fully dedicating himself to his faith and family, which in June he listed before hockey as his top priorities. "Sometimes I think about missing the game, and (then) I look at (Isaiah)," Fisher said. "That's really a big part of the reason, for sure, is being around and being in his life constantly. ... I've enjoyed it, and hopefully he has, too." Tennessean LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077689 New Jersey Devils

How Devils will handle test against Maple Leafs

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- The Devils handled their first two tests of the season against the Colorado Avalanche and the Buffalo Sabres. Now they will have a chance to gauge their game against a team off to an even better start. The Devils will play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre, when two of the NHL's final five undefeated teams face off at 7:30. While the Devils' offense has clicked for 10 goals in two games, the Leafs have been even better. With an Eastern Conference-best 19 goals through three games, Toronto poses a big challenge for New Jersey up front. "They were a playoff team, a team that's going forward if you want to call it that," Devils forward Adam Henrique said. "They were in and we were out. It's going to be a big test for us. We know it's a high-powered offense, a skilled team, but I think we just have to focus on playing our game and getting to our identity. It's what we've started since day one here." Will Palmieri, Stafford play? Through the Devils' first two games, they found ways to push the tempo and use their speed to their advantage. But Henrique added the Devils don't want to get into a run-and-gun game against a Maple Leafs team known for its speed. The Devils' defense allowed just three goals through two games. Now the Maple Leafs will present a challenge with a forward group that includes Auston Matthews, James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Marleau, William Nylander and others. "The obvious part is the skill up front," Devils forward said. "The young guys they have, they really push the pace and play well offensively. Any team that's coached by Babcock is going to be well structured and play well there. So we're going to have our hands full, and like I said it's a big test for us, and we're looking forward to it." The Devils have games against two other reigning playoff teams -- the Washington Capitals and Rangers -- looming on Friday and Saturday, so Hall said the entire stretch will be an important challenge. But the Devils remain locked on the task at hand, and against a skilled Maple Leafs lineup, coach John Hynes said the Devils need to focus on their own play, which led to two wins to open the season. "When they have the puck, they have such skill, they make good decisions, they set themselves up for success," Hynes said of the Maple Leafs. "You can see they mature into a group that plays pretty well without the puck too and defend well. For us. we want to be able to get to our game. We feel we have a game that can skate and plays with a lot of attention to detail, and we need to continue to do that." Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077690 New Jersey Devils

How worried was Devils' Kyle Palmieri about knee injury?

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- Kyle Palmieri had plenty of thoughts swirl around his head when he went knee-to-knee with Colorado Avalanche defenseman in the Devils' season opener. Palmieri was helped down the tunnel immediately in the second period of the Devils' 4-1 win on Saturday at the Prudential Center, and he left in visible pain while limping. Fortunately for Palmieri, the collision didn't result in any serious damage, and a few days of rest plus one game missed was enough to get him back to full speed. "There's a lot of emotion, but you never know," Palmieri said. "It was a weird collision. Never really had one like that in my career, so it was just something that was a little nervousness about what it could be, and I was fortunate enough to not make it out too bad." The Devils right wing will return to the lineup on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after sitting out Monday's 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Palmieri will resume his role on the top line with Taylor Hall and Pavel Zacha. Forward Drew Stafford, who also left the season opener with a lower body injury, will remain out of the lineup on Wednesday. He is considered day-to-day as he continued to skate on his own. Palmieri saw video of Johnson's hit, and the forward had no issue with it. The collision simply came down to a weird spot and bad timing. "You don't really remember much when you're going through it, but I don't think it was a dirty hit," Palmieri said. "I don't think he meant to make contact with my knee. I was trying to avoid the hit and my leg kind of got left out there, with the boards being right next to me. I don't think it was an intent to make contact with my knee and my leg. It's a fast game and he's a big guy." Even though Palmieri had no issue with the hit, he -- like the rest of the Devils -- liked how rookie Nico Hischier was the first player to step up and confront Johnson. "He's character guy and that's one of the reasons at first overall," Palmieri said. "He's got a ton of skill, a ton of upside, he's a phenomenal player, but he's a guys that puts the team in front of everything else, and that's something you want to see out of a guy who's going to play a lot of games and have a great career." Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077691 New Jersey Devils

What can help Devils' No. 1 pick Nico Hischier make NHL transition? Auston Matthews says ...

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- As Devils forward Nico Hischier goes through his first NHL season after being the No. 1 pick in June's NHL Draft, he will experience some of the same things Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews faced one year earlier. Matthews, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 Draft, won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2016-17 after he finished with 40 goals and 29 assists in 82 games. When it came to making the NHL transition, Matthews said support around him was the biggest factor. "I had good people around me, my family, obviously teammates here, a lot of young guys," Matthews said. "They have a lot of young guys too, so I'm sure they're all going through pretty similar things. That definitely eased things up a little bit for myself and everybody else." Matthews said that support element is key, and that echoed the thoughts many Devils veterans had about helping Hischier adjust to the NHL. The two top picks will face for the first time on Wednesday when the Devils visit the Maple Leafs. Devils forward Taylor Hall, the 2010 first overall pick with the Edmonton Oilers, made the same point as Matthews during training camp. "When I was coming into Edmonton as the first overall guy, the guys there did a really good job of just making me feel at home and making me feel like just a guy on the team," Hall said in September. "That's what we have to do here. First play on the ice, you just want him to improve as the season goes on and gain confidence." When Matthews broke into the NHL with the Leafs in 2016-17, he did so surrounded by a handful of other rookies going through the same thing as him. Hischier has a similar situation on the Devils this season, with Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher playing their first NHL games. Matthews said that's another helpful factor. "Just nice to have family around all the time, nice to have other guys that are coming into their first year in this league too," Matthews said. "We're all going through the same things, experiencing a bunch of firsts, so it's nice to have that support." Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077692 New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: LIVE score updates and chat (10/11/17)

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri and the New Jersey Devils will wrap up a two-game road trip when they take on Auston Matthews, Connor Brown and the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre. Palmieri will return to the lineup after missing Monday's 6-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres. Wednesday's winner will be the final undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. Join NJ.com's live chat during the game in the comments section below. You can also follow along with live score and stat updates above. Here is everything you need to know about the game: What: New Jersey Devils (2-0-0) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-0-0) When: 7:30 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017 Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada TV: MSG Live stream: MSG GO Radio: The One Jersey Network More to know: Palmieri will skate on the top line with forwards Taylor Hall and Pavel Zacha after missing one game with a knee injury. He was knocked out of Saturday's season opener after a knee-to-knee collision with Erik Johnson of the Colorado Avalanche. Forward Drew Stafford will miss his second straight game with a lower body injury. He remains day-to-day. With Palmieri jumping back in the lineup, the Devils will go back to playing 12 forwards and six defenseman. Defenseman Ben Lovejoy will be a healthy scratch after playing as the seventh defenseman on Monday. Palmieri got the chance to watch Monday's 6-2 win against the Sabres from the sidelines, and naturally, he liked what he saw. "It was fun to watch, at least from our perspective," Palmieri said. "A lot of guys are starting to develop some chemistry and some confidence, and that's fun to watch, especially with some of the young guys we had and some of the talent we have on our roster. Going forward I hope they continue that, and we're going to need it tonight." Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077693 New Jersey Devils

Bizarre 3-on-5 goal helps Devils beat Leafs, remain unbeaten | Rapid reaction

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- There is one undefeated team left in the Eastern Conference. It's the New Jersey Devils. The Devils benefited from a bizarre 3-on-5 short-handed goal from Brian Gibbons to fuel a three-goal run between the second and third periods, allowing them to take control in a 6-3 win over the Leafs on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre. Goalie stayed cool under pressure throughout the night, allowing one even strength goal while stopping 47 of the 50 shots he faced. The Devils' offensive run in the second period was enough to support him, led by two goals from Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. Trailing 3-2 in the second period, the Leafs were presented with a golden scoring opportunity with a two-minute 5-on-3 power play in the second period. The Devils (3-0-0) decided to do the scoring instead. Adam Henrique started a rush before Gibbons poked in a rebound for a 3-on-5 short-handed goal 10 seconds into the penalty kill, and the Devils kept the Leafs out of the net for the full two minutes to get back to even strength. Was Palmieri worried about knee? Per the NHL, Gibbons' goal was the first 3-on-5 (or 3-on-6) short-handed goal for the Devils since the league started tracking those stats in 1987- 88. Gibbons' goal gave the Devils a 4-2 lead, and Blake Coleman capitalized on a Leafs turnover to give the Devils a 5-2 lead at 3:35 in the third period. The Devils trailed early, when the faced their first deficit this season on a James van Riemsdyk power-play goal 8:33 into the first period. But the Devils didn't trail for long. Wood deflected a Steven Santini shot 34 seconds later to tie the game 1- 1, and Wood gave the Devils a 2-1 lead when he raced through the neutral zone to grab a loose puck on a breakaway. He beat at 10:45 in the first to give him his second career multi-goal game. The Leafs pulled even at 2-2 when redirected a shot past Schneider just after a Leafs power play expired at 13:32. Pavel Zacha scored his first goal of the season to give the Devils a 3-2 lead at 9:58 of the second period. His power-play goal was set up by passes from Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson, and it marked Zacha' first shot of the season. The Leafs did convert on a 5-on-3 advantage in the third period when Auston Matthews scored at the right post at 13:34 of the third period to cut the Devils' lead to 5-3, but Zacha tipped in a John Moore shot at 17:21 for his second goal. to seal the win. Palmieri returns Forward Kyle Palmieri returned to the lineup after missing one game with a knee injury. Palmieri was not limited playing his usual role on the top line and power play. He also logged time on the penalty kill. He finished with two shots. Next up Wednesday's game marked the start of a seven-game stretch where the Devils will play six playoff teams from 2016-17. The run continues when they return to the Prudential Center to play the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m on Friday, followed by a visit to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077694 New Jersey Devils

How Miles Wood responded to return to Devils' lineup

By Chris Ryan

TORONTO -- When Miles Wood sat out the Devils' season opener as a healthy scratch, coach John Hynes had a reason. In his two games back in the lineup, Wood has shown he took that lesson to heart. "It's our job as coaches to be able to sit down and be able to talk to him about it clearly so they understand what it is," Hynes said. "He got the message. He worked and got better at his game. When you look at him now, his size, his speed are a factor, but the biggest difference tonight with him, and even the other night, his puck poise is better. "He's playing quick, but not in a hurry. He's not over-playing situations, and that's what he's got to do to be an everyday guy for us." Wood sparked the Devils with two first-period goals in a 1:38 stretch to give the Devils a lead in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. In Wood's two games in his second NHL season, he has shown the ability to control his speed and power, which helped him earn a long NHL stint last season. Matthews' advice to Hischier After a competitive training camp, the Devils have carried that mantra over to the regular season. Playing time needs to be earned, and Wood has showed he'll do whatever it takes to get it. "It's been everything. It's been my fuel to the fire the past two games here," Wood said. "So it was certainly tough, but I'm happy we're 3-0 right now." His personal play aside, Wood was just happy to contribute what he could to the Devils first two road wins of the season. "It was a step forward for us," Wood said. "Heading into training camp a few weeks ago, we just wanted to work from day one. That's how it's been the past three weeks, and it's certainly paid off the past three games." Star Ledger LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077695 New Jersey Devils

Devils' Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Oct. 11

Andrew Gross, Staff Writer

TORONTO – The Devils face an interesting early, early-season test tonight when they face the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. It’s just Game No. 3 of the season but the Devils have been consistent through the preseason and in winning their first two regular-season games in playing sound team defense, competing hard on pucks and, perhaps most surprisingly when compared to last season, being a very potent offense by scoring 10 goals so far. The Maple Leafs (3-0-0), with Auston Matthews (two goals, three assists), Middletown’s James van Riemsdyk (two goals, two assists), (two goals, two assists), defenseman (two goals, two assists), Tyler Bozak (one goal, three assists) and veteran ex- Shark Patrick Marleau (two goals, one assist) have one of the speediest, more balanced, and youngest lineups in the NHL. Devils face early-season test against skilled Maple Leafs Devils' Palmieri will be a game-day decision Here are three storylines for today: First period Will Kyle Palmieri play? The veteran right wing practiced with the Devils on Tuesday but coach John Hynes said it would be a game-day decision based on how Palmieri’s right knee reacts to being pushed in drills as to whether the Montvale product returns to the lineup after missing Monday’s 6-2 win at Buffalo. If Palmieri is not able to play, the Devils will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game with veteran right wing Drew Stafford out with a lower-body injury. Buffalo Sabres Zemgus Girgensons (28) and New Jersey Second period Nico vs. Auston: OK, so this game certainly does not come down to a one-on-one battle between the Devils’ Nico Hischier (one assist) and Matthews, the last two No. 1 overall picks. Still, it is intriguing to have the last two top picks on the ice at the same time. “I think everybody can see he’s a great player,” Hischier said when asked about Matthews. “He makes an impact in this league. It’s hard but he did that and he’s an awesome player. He like all-around, a big center.” The Swiss-born Hischier, 18, is not considered the generational talent that Matthews is. But he’s had a positive impact on the Devils’ lineup already and tonight is a chance for him to shine in the spotlight that is hockey in Toronto. Third period The legend of Jesper Bratt: Bratt (three goals, two assists), a 19-year-old Swede selected in the sixth round of the 2016 draft by the Devils, is the first player in franchise history and, per NHL public relations, just one of five players over the past 17 seasons with five points in his first two NHL games. If Palmieri is not available, Bratt will again start on the Devils’ top line with center Pavel Zacha and Taylor Hall and, to be fair, he might slot there even if Palmieri is available. Bratt has been used on the power play and already has a goal and an assist on the penalty kill. The question is: What does Bratt do next, meaning tonight? Bergen Record LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077696 New Jersey Devils “It was a step forward for us,” Wood said. Bergen Record LOADED: 10.12.2017 Devils pass the test with 6-3 win over Maple Leafs

Andrew Gross, Staff Writer, @AGrossRecord Published 4:04 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

TORONTO – The improved Devils were supposed to be testing how they matched up against one of the NHL’s more skilled teams. Instead, it was the Maple Leafs who didn’t measure up. “Good teams have a few good players and I think great teams have depth,” fourth-line center Blake Coleman said. “I think we’re really showing our depth right now.” The Devils skated better and with more structure and thrived on special teams, turning the game on fourth-liner Brian Gibbons’ three-on-five shorthanded goal in the second period as they killed off a two-minute, two-man advantage, and are now the Eastern Conference’s last remaining undefeated team after winning, 6-3, on Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre. The Devils (3-0-0), with top-line right wing Kyle Palmieri of Montvale back in the lineup after a one-game absence because of an injured right knee, now have 15 goals as they’re off to their best start since 2014-15. Cory Schneider (47 saves) won his third straight and bottom-six forward Miles Wood scored twice within one minutes, 38 seconds in the second period. The Maple Leafs (3-1-0), who got 25 saves from Frederik Andersen, had scored 19 goals in their first three games. “It’s a good win for us,” Schneider said. “We had two solid wins before this but this was a really good test, not that the other two weren’t. But this team was getting a lot of hype and playing really well. For us to come into their building and match them was important. It’s early, it’s only the third game of the year. Hopefully, we can look back and use this game as one that propelled us further and got us to mature. But there’s still a lot to improve.” The game was the first in a stretch of six of seven against teams that qualified for the playoffs last season. The game was the first NHL meeting of the last two No. 1 overall picks, the Devils’ Nico Hischier, selected this June, and Auston Matthews, last season’s Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie after scoring 40 goals. Matthews did score a five-on-three power play goal to pull the Maple Leafs within 5-3 at 13:34 of the third period. It was the Devils’ other rookies, Jesper Bratt and defenseman Will Butcher, who contributed on the scoresheet. Bratt, with an assist, now has three goals and three assists and Butcher, with two assists, now has five. The Devils took a 4-2 lead into the third period thanks to their second- period special teams’ work. And Coleman extended that to 5-2 at 3:35 of the third period. Pavel Zacha broke a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 9:58, getting open in the low slot to complete a passing sequence from Marcus Johansson to Bratt to Zacha, who converted his first shot of the season. Zacha’s second shot, a tip of John Moore’s point shot at 17:21 of the third period, capped the scoring. But Zacha and John Moore both went to the box at 14:44, Moore for cross checking and Zacha for hooking. Not only did the Devils kill off the Maple Leafs’ two-man advantage over two minutes, they extended their lead as Gibbons knocked in the rebound of Adam Henrique’s shot at 14:54 for the first three-on-five shorthanded goal in team history. “That’s a big one,” coach John Hynes said. “That’s a point in the game where it could go either way.” “the game is made up of three or four really big plays or momentum shifts,” Coleman added. “That three on five is huge for us.” Devils left wing Miles Wood (44) steals the puck from The first period, which ended in a 2-2 tie, was a bit of a up-and-down affair, with Middletown’s James van Riemsdyk opening the scoring at 8:33 with a power-play goal at the right post for the Maple Leafs. It marked the first time this season the Devils had trailed But Wood, a healthy scratch in the first game, tied the just 34 seconds later by tipping defenseman Steven Santini’s shot from the right, then gave the Devils a 2-1 lead on a breakaway at 10:45. 1077697 New Jersey Devils 2. Can the Devils keep the Maple Leafs to the outside in the Devils’ zone? Another tall order, given the way the Maple Leafs can get to the crease but the Devils have to control the slot and not allow the Maple Game 3 Live Blog: Devils beat Maple Leafs, 6-3 Leafs to camp in Cory Schneider’s crease. 3. Rookie Jesper Bratt, who is, seriously, getting more attention than Hischier as the sixth-round pick from 2016 has burst onto the NHL scene Andrew Gross, Staff Writer and set a franchise record with five points on three goals and two assists in his first two NHL games, will get a chance to start the game on a line with fellow Swede Marcus Johansson (with Hischier in the middle). Johansson and Bratt looked very, very compatible in their time together The Devils face a tough early-season test at Toronto on Wednesday on the ice in Monday’s 6-2 win at Buffalo. night. Andrew Gross/NorthJersey.com Andrew Gross/NorthJersey.com 4. Schneider has been very technically sound in his first two starts. His The Devils have been extremely careful since selecting Nico Hischier first ability to remain in solid position will be tested tonight against the active overall this June not to encourage any comparisons to the last two No. Maple Leafs. 1s, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. 5. I said whoever controls the neutral zone is likely to win the game. Well, The mantra has been: Let Nico be Nico. that’s true. But special teams is going to be really, really important as So far so good for the Devils. well. The Devils must maintain discipline and not give the Maple Leafs more than, oh, say, four power play opportunities. Three would be better. But given tonight is the first time Hischier and Matthews will face each Two outstanding. Palmieri’s return should give the Devils’ power play a other in an NHL game as the undefeated Devils face the undefeated boost after it went 0 for 4 at Buffalo. Palmieri had two power-play assists Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre, it’s natural that the play of the two in a 4-1 win over the Avalanche in the season opener as the Devils were might be compared a bit. 3 for 4 on the man advantage. Matthews was low key after the Maple Leafs’ morning skate, saying the Devils (2-0-0) most important thing to him last season – he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie with 40 goals – was the support he received on and Taylor Hall-Pavel Zacha-Kyle Palmieri off the ice from family, friends and teammates. Marcus Johansson-Nico Hischier-Jesper Bratt Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev (22) Miles Wood-Adam Henrique-Jimmy Hayes I asked Hischier about Matthews after the Devils’ practice on Tuesday at Brian Gibbons-Blake Coleman-Stefan Noesen the Maple Leafs’ practice facility and, as he does often, Hischier broke into a wide grin. Andy Greene-Steven Santini “I think everybody can see he’s a great player,” Hischier said. “He makes John Moore-Damon Severson an impact in this league. It’s hard but he did that and he’s an awesome player. He’s like all-around, a big center.” Mirco Mueller-Will Butcher The Devils, who have veteran right wing Kyle Palmieri back in the lineup Cory Schneider (2-0-0, 1.50 goals-against average, .955 save after a one-game absence because of a right knee issue, will need more percentage) than a good performance from Hischier to beat the potent Maple Leafs, who have scored 19 goals in their first three games. Likewise, the Maple Maple Leafs (3-0-0) Leafs will need more than Matthews’ magic to top the improved Devils, Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-William Nylander who have scored 10 goals in their first two games and are curious to see how they match up as they take a step up in competition from the James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Mitchell Marner Avalanche and Sabres. Patrick Marleau-Nazem Kadri- New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) covers Matt Martin-Dominic Moore-Connor Brown Tonight’s game (Faceoff: 7:30 p.m.; Television: MSG; Radio: digital One Jersey Network) starts a stretch of three straight and six of the next -Ron Hainsey seven against teams that qualified for the playoffs last season (Maple Jake Gardiner-Nikita Zaitsev Leafs, Capitals, Rangers, Senators twice, Sharks). Andreas Borgman-Calle Rosen So, yes, the Devils will quickly find out exactly how much better they are than last season and how they compare (there’s that word) to the rest of Frederik Andersen (3-0-0, 3.28, .892) the NHL. Devils starters: Schneider, Greene-Santini, Hall-Zacha-Palmieri Specifically about the Maple Leafs, coach John Hynes said, “I think they’re a very good team, top to bottom. Their goaltending is good. Their Devils scratches: Drew Stafford (lower body), Dalton Prout, Ben Lovejoy D corps can skate with the puck and defend. And I think we all know Maple Leafs starters: Andersen, Rielly-Hainsey, Marleau-Kadri-Komarov about their forwards up front. They’re dynamic and they play at a high pace. They’re well coached. Maple Leafs scratches: , , Josh Leivo Devils pass the test with 6-3 win over Maple Leafs First period: Henrique and Johansson again wearing the As on the road. Just 17 seconds in with a faceoff in the right circle of Toronto’s zone, Swedish wings build chemistry for Devils Hynes sends out Hischier and his line. Interesting he had Hischier take Devils face early-season test against skilled Maple Leafs that draw against Matthews over Zacha. The top line had remained out initially. Fourth line creates a chance and Andersen stops Coleman at “But we like our game, too,” Hynes added. “We feel we have a group that the crease at 2:13, Devils with the only two shots so far. Hall makes it can play with pace. I like the mentality we’re playing with right now.” three of the faceoff with a wrister that Andersen smothers. Severson, behind his crease, with a bad turnover that Marner nearly turns into a The Devils are looking to start a season 3-0-0 for the first time since goal near the right post. Bozak then had a try at the opposite side but 2014-15, which turned into Pete DeBoer’s truncated final season with the Severson got back in position to get his body on the puck. Shots even at Devils. Jaromir Jagr’s, too. 3 at 6:49. Maple Leafs tilting the ice toward the Devils’ crease. Devils To match that start, the Devils will have to slow the Maple Leafs’ speed having a hard time maintaining possession. Leafs a little faster, a little through the neutral zone. Keep your eyes there. Whoever controls the bigger on the puck. To wit: Marner is carrying the puck near the blue line neutral zone this game is likely to win. in the Devils’ zone. Gibbons goes in pursuit and winds up being called for slashing at 7:24. The Maple Leafs convert the power play at 8:33 as van So, what to watch for tonight: Riemsdyk gets behind Moore to the right post and jams it past Schenider for a 1-0 lead. It marks the first time the Devils have trailed this season. 1. The Devils, as mentioned, will try to slow the Maple Leafs’ speed and But they don’t trail for long. The Devils tie it at 1 at 9:07 as Santini’s blast take away any skating and/or passing lanes exiting the Maple Leafs’ from just atop the right circle is deflected past Andersen by Wood for zone and through the neutral zone. It’ll be tough to do because the Wood’s first goal of the season. Butcher gets his fourth assist of the improved Maple Leafs’ D corps handles the puck fairly well. season. Wood then gets his second goal of the season on his next shift, converting a breakaway at 10:45, with Henrique and Butcher getting the assists. Butcher now with five assists as he had three power-play assists in Saturday’s season-opening 4-1 win over the Avalanche. Martin lays a heavy check on Gibbons and Noesen steps in and drops the gloves. But the Leafs to the power play as Noesen and Martin get five each for fighting but Noesen also gets two for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct. The Devils do kill it off, barely, but the Leafs tie it at 2 at 13:33 as Moore gets to the slot and tips Zaitzev’s shot from the right point. The Devils get their first power play at 14:03 as Komarov slashes Palmieri. First power play unit is Palmieri-Butcher, Hall-Hayes-Henrique. Severson-Hischier with Johansson-Zacha-Bratt on the second unit. Right back to the power play for the Devils as Zaitsev hooks Bratt, who had wormed his way to the crease at 16:36. Bratt is absolutely continuing his very impressive play. Devils can’t convert this power play either and then the Leafs get their third chance when Coleman is called for tripping Gardiner in the left corner of the Leafs’ zone at 18:44. And 44 seconds will spill into the second period. Leafs up on shots 13-10 through one entertaining period. Devils have won just eight of 23 faceoffs. Second period: Devils kill off the remainder of Coleman’s penalty without too much trouble. Rare bad pass by Mueller and he ices it at 1:43. Game still tied at 2 as Borgman hits the far post from the left point. Devils go back on the power play at 4:26. Hischier, trying to start a rush through the neutral zone, pushes the puck along the boards to himself but Gardiner trips Palmieri in the neutral zone and the play is whistled dead. Shots even at 15 at 7:32 and the Devils applying consistent pressure. Wood nearly had his hat trick as he skated to the crease the puck rolling loose. Mueller is carrying the puck out of his zone and into the neutral zone and van Riemsdyk gets him on the gloves with the stick. Probably wouldn’t have been called last season but that’s a 100 percent sure-fire call this season, at least now, early in the season. The Devils convert as Zacha, with his first shot of the season, makes it 3-2 at 9:59 with Johansson getting it to Bratt behind the crease and Bratt immediately finding Zacha open low in the slot. Wood off for holding Bozak in the Devils’ zone at 10:55. At 14:44, Moore cross checks Bozak at the Devils’ crease and Zacha is called simultaneously for hooking so the Maple Leafs have a two-minute five-on-three advantage So what happens? Henrique leads a rush, gets off a shot and Gibbons pounds home the rebound for a 4-2 lead at 14:54. Because of course that happened. Shots are 30-22 after two and it’s a tight race for Devils best player. Henrique, Bratt, Gibbons all in the running. And Schneider not bad, either. Third period: Schneider continues his strong play stoning Kadri in front 90 seconds in. The Maple Leafs starting strong in the period with their attack. Of course, the Leafs are having trouble converting. The Devils are not. Coleman takes a faceoff in the Leafs zone, right circle, the puck gets pushed behind the goal line, Coleman creates a turnover by stealing an outlet attempt and beats Andersen at 3:35 for a 5-2 lead. At 12:32, Butcher retaliates after a hard hit from Martin and is called for high sticking. That’s going to be another five on three as Santini bats it over the glass at 12:59. Mathews with a five on three goal makes it 5-3 at 13:34. Zacha tips in Moore’s shot from the left point at 17:21 for a 6-3 lead. Rosen called for slashing at 18:48. Maple Leafs outshoot the Devils 50-31. Bergen Record LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077698 New Jersey Devils have matched that win total from their last 24 games last season, more than a quarter of the season, in their first three games this season.

2. Wood might not be coming out of the lineup again any time soon, not if Devils 6, Maple Leafs 3: Post-game observations he plays like this. He scored twice in a minute, 38 seconds and was physical all night. But under control physical. He had four shots and two goals in his 11:15. Andrew Gross, Staff Writer And don’t think being a healthy scratch in the season opener hasn’t had a residual effect on Wood. Because it’s totally been his motivation the past two games. There certainly was a lot to take in during the Devils’ impressive 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre. “It’s been everything,” Wood said. “It’s been my fuel to the fire the past two games here. It was certainly tough but we’re 3-0 right now.” Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha each had two goals, Brian Gibbons scored the first three-on-five shorthanded goal in team history, there were “His response has been very good,” Hynes added. “It’s what you expect seemingly a million penalties and Cory Schneider seemingly made a from players. When you’re not in the lineup, normally there’s a reason million saves. you’re not in. Our job as coaches is to talk with him. He got the message. He worked at his game. If you look now, the biggest difference is his Actually, the Devils were called for 10 penalties totaling 41 minutes – puck poise is different. He’s playing quick but not in a hurry. It’s what he including a 10-minute misconduct to Stefan Noesen as part of his two- has to do to be an everyday guy for us.” minute instigator for fighting with Matt Martin after Martin had floored Gibbons – and the Maple Leafs were whistled for six penalties and 15 3. Hynes said, when asked after the game, he was going to split his penalty minutes. goalies with a back-to-back coming up against the Capitals on Friday at Prudential Center and the Rangers on Saturday at Madison Square And Schneider ONLY made 47 saves. Garden. So, in something guaranteed to go the other way once I write it, my prediction is that Hynes comes back with Schneider against the Only. Capitals and Keith Kinkaid makes his first start of the season on That’s the second time in three wins Schneider has made at least 40 Saturday. saves, including his 40-save performance in the Devils’ season-opening 4. The crowd at The Rock was pretty jacked for the season opener. It 4-1 win over the Avalanche on Saturday. might not be a sellout on Friday, but I’m expecting the Devils are going to Something does seem amiss because we – I – keep talking about the get a pretty decent reception coming off this two-game road trip. Devils’ improved team defense. And the team defense has improved. 5. Damon Severson probably had the roughest game among the Devils The gaps are better between players. There’s not as much time and six defensemen and I’m wondering how much that had to do with Hynes space for opponents to wheel and deal in the Devils’ zone. switching his defense pairs and putting Severson with John Moore “They’re going to get looks,” Schneider said of the Maple Leafs. “They’re instead of the rock-solid Andy Greene. Greene, by the way, had a game- going to find ways to get open. I thought we didn’t panic too much. We high five blocked shots and the Devils blocked 18 overall. He also played held our ground and blocked shots that we needed to block.” a whopping 7:31 on the penalty kill. Schneider said the key has been not giving up too many odd-man 6. Adam Henrique played 7:09 on the penalty kill and he’s been, without rushes. a doubt, one of the Devils best players in the first three games. He’s skating with an urgency and an aggressiveness that was too often absent Plus, a lot of the Maple Leafs’ opportunities came from the outside, last season. though they certainly had their chances at the crease. Schneider was sharp, quick with his legs, when challenged there. 7. I’m still trying to figure out how Taylor Hall didn’t score on that wraparound. Coach John Hynes, too, did not seem too perturbed by the Maple Leafs’ shot total. 8. The Devils are not practicing on Thursday and I’ve got an early flight home from Toronto (and have stayed up way too late writing this). What “Toronto fires a lot of shots on net,” Hynes said. “They had a lot of shots I’m saying is, I’m taking a maintenance morning tomorrow and skipping on net. A lot of shots from B areas. I thought our net-front defense was the Devils Daily Faceoff, mainly because the three storylines I would very strong. Cory handled the rebounds very well.” write for Thursday will almost certainly be the same three I’d write for Friday. Meanwhile, Schneider must feel like a pig in good fortune after winning the lottery (because, you know, that other cliché just ain’t going to fly 9. The Devils are the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. here) after seeing the Devils score 16 goals in front of him in the three And, in a wild early-season prediction, I’m saying if the Devils do wins. somehow make the playoffs this season, John Hynes is going to be a pretty, pretty strong contender for the . It’s the most the Devils have scored in the first three games of the season since they notched 17 in the first three games of the 1991-92 10. Slow down everybody, it’s Oct. 12. season. Bergen Record LOADED: 10.12.2017 “It’s a good feeling,” Schneider said. “I don’t think we’re going to maintain six goals a night. Coach has always said it’s a race to three in this league. Right now, we seem to be better equipped to get to three.” So, yes, eventually this is going to settle down, probably both ways. Meaning Schneider won’t get six goals a game to play with and also won’t have to face 40-plus shots per game. “I think Schneids faced 50 tonight,” Wood said “That’s impressive. He’s standing on his read right now and it’s helping us.” Some post-game observations: 1. Blake Coleman, superb in his 14:02, which included 3:27 on the penalty kill and his second career goal as he made it 5-2 at 3:35 of the third period with an unassisted tally after intercepting a poor outlet pass, gave a real glimpse into the misery that was last season for the Devils with this comment: “I think we keep building and getting better and better each game. My experience last season versus this season is completely different. Guys are playing for each other and playing hard and fast. I feel every game is up-tempo.” Remember, the Devils finished last season on a 3-17-4 skid that included just one regulation win. For Coleman, who played 25 games last season, that was pretty much his introduction to the NHL. The Devils, of course, 1077699 New Jersey Devils

Devils score rarest of short-handed goals, win battle of unbeatens

By Associated Press

TORONTO — The Maple Leafs had a big shots advantage and even two more skaters on the key play. The Devils put up the only big numbers that mattered — on the scoreboard. Brian Gibbons had a rare 3-on-5 goal, Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha each scored twice and unbeaten New Jersey beat Toronto 6-3 on Wednesday night to end the Maple Leafs’ perfect start. Blake Coleman also scored, and Cory Schneider made 47 saves to help New Jersey open 3-0-0 for the first time since 2014-15. Tied 2-2 after 20 minutes, New Jersey scored twice in the second period despite being outshot 17-12. The key moment came late in the period after the Devils took two minor penalties on one play. Rather than Toronto taking advantage, New Jersey killed off the penalties and scored short-handed to make it 4-2. Jake Gardiner was unable to keep the puck in at the New Jersey blue line and two Devils broke in. William Nylander’s backcheck swept the puck off Adam Henrique’s stick, and the puck went off goalie Frederik Andersen to Gibbons in front. “That’s a huge one,” Toronto’s James van Riemsdyk said. Auston Matthews, with his third of the season, cut it to 5-3 with 6:26 remaining and the Maple Leafs on a two-man advantage. Van Riemsdyk and Dominic Moore also scored for Toronto. The Maple Leafs dropped to 3-1-0. “We didn’t have any snap, we didn’t have any juice, we didn’t win any battles,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. “We talked quite a lot about this game coming up and how it was going to be. And that’s exactly what I expected. But I expected us to compete and that didn’t happen. Hockey’s fair. You get what you deserve. That’s what we deserved tonight. … I can’t remember the last time we played with that kind of effort.” Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring on a power play at 8:33 of the first, stuffing the puck past Schneider. New Jersey answered 34 seconds later when Wood tipped in Steven Santini’s shot from the point. Wood scored again 1:38 later, taking advantage of a handling error by Calle Rosen before ripping a shot past Andersen. Moore tied it with 6:27 to go, redirecting Nikita Zaitsev’s shot as New Jersey’s Marcus Johansson, serving Stefan Noesen’s instigating penalty, exited the penalty box. New Jersey went ahead 3-2 at 9:58 of the second on the power play, with rookie Jesper Bratt finding Zacha left alone in front of goal to complete a tic-tac-toe passing sequence. Van Riemsdyk was in the box for slashing. Toronto came into the contest having scored 19 goals through its first three games to start the season, the second-most in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 1917-18 team scored 27. The Devils have 16 goals in their three outings, one off the franchise record set in 1991-92. New York Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077700 New York Islanders

Islanders fall despite putting 41 shots on goal

By Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. — John Gibson made 38 saves and the Ducks beat the Islanders 3-2 on Wednesday night, ending a four-game losing streak to New York. Andrew Cogliano, Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves all scored for the Ducks, who won despite being outshot 41-30. Ryan Getzlaf rocketed a pass from the far boards to Josh Manson on the opposite side of the ice. The defenseman’s shot ricocheted off the pads of Jaroslav Halak to the front of the net. Corey Perry and Nick Leddy both whiffed on their attempts to corral the puck, but the on-rushing Cogliano backhand attempt beat the goaltender to give the Ducks their first lead in the opening period this season only 37 seconds into the game. Brock Nelson tied the game tipping Scott Mayfield’s blueline shot through traffic up and over the glove of John Gibson. We’re going to have to find another formula as far as trying to stimulate our group from the start of the game,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “We scored our goal, killed a penalty, and then we go flat. We relied on our goaltender to bail us out. Your goaltender can only do that so many times. That has to change with our group. We played better after the first period and got ourselves back into the hockey game.” Beyond the opening flurry, the Islanders controlled the play in the first period, outshooting Anaheim 21-6. Midway through the second, Anaheim took a 2-1 lead. Cam Fowler ripped a shot from the top of the circle towards the net. Rakell deflected the puck down the ice and it bounced through the collapsing five-hole of Halak. Shortly after Anaheim killed its fifth penalty of the game, Eaves put the Ducks up by two. Eaves returned to the lineup after missing the entire preseason and the first three games of the regular season with a lingering lower-body injury. The Islanders responded 90 seconds later. Brock Nelson scored his second goal from just a few feet in front of the Ducks goaltender. Gibson had his glove outstretched and the puck flew right over it. Anthony Beauvillier was sent off the ice for holding to give the Ducks their fourth power play of the game. Derek Grant appeared to score. Islanders head coach Doug Weight challenged the goal asserting the Ducks were offside. After review, the goal was overturned. The Islanders proceeded to kill the remaining 26 seconds left on the penalty. “It was a good catch by the guys upstairs and the guys in the room,” said Weight. “There was no doubt it was offside so it was a big call for us and it gave us a chance to get back.” Anaheim fended off a last minute flurry from the Islanders as Gibson hold up strong for the win. New York Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077701 New York Islanders

Islanders’ Mathew Barzal attributes growth to former coach Steve Konowalchuk

By Arthur Staple

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mathew Barzal and Steve Konowalchuk were together for four years in Seattle, where Konowalchuk was coach and Barzal was one of the core members of the Western League team. Their time together culminated in a WHL championship last spring, with Barzal named playoff MVP. On Wednesday, they reunited in a way. Barzal came to town with the Islanders, his first full pro season after two strong training camps and a brief stay at the start of last season. Konowalchuk, who played for 12 years in the NHL, was on the opposite bench, in his first season on Randy Carlyle’s staff with the Ducks. “It’s pretty cool to see both of us climb the ranks,” Barzal said before the Isles faced the Ducks late Wednesday here. Asked what he took away from his time with Konowalchuk, Barzal added: “Consistency and work ethic. That’s what he prided himself on in his career. He brought that down to us. Whether it was practice, morning skate, a workout, you weren’t taking a second off. He just made everybody accountable.” Konowalchuk saw some of the same traits in Barzal, especially after he returned to Seattle following his month with the Isles. Barzal only got into two games and barely played in either one; any player could have been excused for moping a bit once back in the junior leagues. “His attitude was great,” Konowalchuk said. “We didn’t know if we were going to get a few of our leaders back [from the NHL]. We had a goal to win a championship. And he didn’t go through the motions. He came and worked on his game, led the way, a top 1-2 forward in our league and a huge reason why we won.” Barzal posted 10 goals and 69 assists in just 41 games and, despite a bout with mononucleosis late in the season, garnered playoff MVP honors with seven goals and 18 assists. “He’s a game break guy,” Konowalchuk said. “When it’s tight or a series would get tight, you’d just say, ‘Matty, one more notch.’ He’s a player that wants the puck on his stick and more often than not he was able to do that.” That hasn’t changed much now that he’s become an integral part of the Islanders’ offense. He led the team with seven points in the preseason and, despite heading into Wednesday’s game still searching for his first NHL point, he’s tied for fourth on the team with eight shots on goal. “He’s played well, he’s got to get back that little more explosiveness carrying the puck, give and go’s,” Doug Weight said. “The good thing about our young guys is when they tend to struggle the kind of want the puck more than they don’t. Where a lot of guys it’s the opposite. But I don’t think Matty’s struggling. A couple bounces here and there he’d have 2-3 points and he continues to want the puck, to carry the puck and create chances for his linemates. I told him don’t worry about the numbers, I like the way he’s playing.” That may not always suffice for a 20-year-old accustomed to piling up points, but Barzal is trying to keep things in perspective. “I see the chances created every game, that stuff will come,” he said. “I thought they were a decent three games as a team, we had some glimpses. At the same time I’d love to be on the board. It’s all about winning and doing all I can to help this team.” Notes & quotes: Weight gave Jaroslav Halak the start in goal on Wednesday and kept the same skaters as Monday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Blues. (hip) is still not ready to return and missed his third straight game and defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Ryan Pulock were healthy scratches. Pulock, 22, has yet to play this season, though Weight said, “Pulie will get in. I just decided to stay with this group.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077702 New York Islanders

Brock Nelson scores twice, but Isles fall short in Anaheim

By Arthur Staple

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Islanders’ power play did everything but score. That is one of the keys to the whole thing, though, and the latest power- play failures cost them. Their 3-2 loss to the Ducks was a winnable game, the second straight in which the Islanders put more than 40 shots on an opposing goaltender. But John Gibson’s 39 saves didn’t leave the Islanders feeling snake- bitten, just frustrated that there were points available for the taking that they didn’t take. “You’ve got to score,” coach Doug Weight said of his team’s power play, which was 0-for-5 on Wednesday and is now 0-for-15 this season. “When you’re 4-for-16, 4-for-20, you can look at tonight and say you did some good things, you had some momentum. But we gotta score.” The Ducks took advantage of a bad first Isles shift to grab the lead 37 seconds in when Jaroslav Halak left a juicy rebound and Andrew Cogliano swept the puck past Halak with no Islanders in sight. But that sequence appeared to awaken the Islanders at the outset of this three- game California swing and they outshot the Ducks 21-4 over the remainder of the first. Brock Nelson tied it on a deflection of Scott Mayfield’s shot at 13:09 and the Islanders looked to have the game going the way they wanted. They got a power play 33 seconds into the second but didn’t convert, letting the game sit tied until Rickard Rakell deflected Cam Fowler’s shot between Halak’s legs at 8:39 for a 2-1 Ducks lead. Halak let a stoppable Patrick Eaves shot get through at 5:32 of the third, just 35 seconds after another Isles power play went by, but Nelson pulled the Isles back within a goal at 7:57. The Ducks appeared to make it 4-2 with 8:35 left in the third when Derek Grant redirected a shot past Halak, but Weight challenged the goal for offside when the Ducks entered the zone 19 seconds earlier. The Ducks were indeed offside and the goal was taken off the board. Weight had challenged a similar goal on Monday against the Blues and lost that challenge, putting his team two goals and a man down; that was in the second period, however. On Wednesday, so late in the game, it was well worth the close call and it went the Islanders’ way. They weren’t able to get all the way back this time. “I think parts of our game are really coming along and there’s obviously some areas we can clean up,” said John Tavares. “It’s four games in so there’s no reason to feel panic or not stick together.” The frustration is palpable, however. The Islanders have preached getting off to a good start — to the season and in each game — and that early breakdown hurt, as well as a game without getting a point in which they were superior. “Whether it’s 5-1 or 3-2, it’s still a loss,” Johnny Boychuk said. “We need points because we know how important they are at any time of the year.” Notes & quotes: Josh Ho-Sang had two assists . . . Cal Clutterbuck (hip) is still not ready to return and missed his third straight game and defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Ryan Pulock were healthy scratches. Pulock, 22, has yet to play this season, though Weight said, “Pulie will get in. I just decided to stay with this group.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077703 New York Rangers “It’s not that we’re not prepared or haven’t gotten the pre-scouting information or don’t know the system,” said Skjei, who committed a ghastly turnover that led directly to St. Louis’ quick-strike goal on Vigneault’s experiments have only led to Rangers confusion Tuesday. “We have to be focused on making the smart play and the right play on the first shift and then build from there.”

They must build themselves up one block at a time. By Larry Brooks “We’re a work in progress and there is a lot of work to do,” said Vigneault. “But I feel that everyone is willing to put in the time and effort to get better.” Lethargic Rangers undone by another slow start New York Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 One by one the Rangers pronounced that this was not the time to panic, their declarations unsolicited, at that. Truth be told, if the Blueshirts were in a panic mode following a 1-3 start that has featured generally lousy hockey, then that would be reason for panic in and of itself. “Good point,” said . “Still, we can’t keep going like this and we all know it.” That, too, is a good point. The Rangers went through a skills practice on Wednesday in which the players, split into three groups, worked on stickhandling and shooting. Coach Alain Vigneault said that with a pair of off days preceding the next game on Friday in Columbus, this “day of hockey school” had been part of the original plan. Still, it could not have come at a more fortuitous time for the Rangers, who have been out of whack and ragged coming up ice with the puck and have had difficulty making sharp passes in the offensive zone when they have had control. The Blueshirts have scored five goals in 189:58 of five-on-five play, or as many as they have scored in 25:38 on the power play. Forwards Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello and J.T. Miller and defensemen Brady Skjei and Marc Staal each have one at even strength. That’s it. “A few of us generally come out an hour or so before practice every day to work on our skills, but it’s not often when we’re all on working on them,” said Hayes, who’s had a so-so start. “It helps you because you kind of recognize certain situations in games where you’re getting the puck in stride or have a scoring chance. “You don’t have the puck that much in a game or maybe even in a regular practice. Touches are always good.” The Blueshirts haven’t yet looked like a cohesive unit. They haven’t been able to generate a sustained attack. They have not been able to establish a foundation. Teams endure stretches like this, but with this one coming right out of the gate for a team that made significant offseason modifications, this group lacks a base of positive reinforcement on which to fall back. “We’re trying to sort out our identity here,” said Vigneault. “We’re trying to sort out our chemistry whether it’s with duos or linemates. That’s where we are.” Vigneault has traditionally done a lot of early experimentation. In the 36th game of his first year on Broadway, Dec. 20, 2013, against the Islanders, the coach moved Brad Richards to left wing because he still hadn’t figured out what to do with his squadron of five-deep centers, and oh, for that problem now. Cutting and pasting has always been part of the coach’s MO. Still, the dramatic moves following that disastrous first period in Toronto on Saturday in which the Maple Leafs feasted for five goals, and since which lines have been scrambled and perfectly logical defense pairs have been busted — and Brendan Smith, unavailable for comment following practice after having been scratched in consecutive games in favor of Nick Holden and/Steven Kampfer — certainly has not created a sense of stability. It does not make sense that Vigneault won’t use Hayes on a second power-play unit that has come up empty, albeit in only about 6:40 of time, but then everything here is being analyzed under small-sample conditions. There is the coach’s preference not to use players on both the penalty kill and the power play, but Hayes was on both units last year. Similarly, it does not make sense that Skjei hasn’t gotten even so much as a second of ice at the second PP unit point, where he operated so smoothly last year. Still, the players cannot use the personnel shifts as crutches. Still, that is no excuse for the club’s slow starts. The Rangers have been behind in their three defeats at 5:29 (on the third shot); 2:30 (on the third shot); and at 0:15 (on the first shot). 1077704 New York Rangers

J.T. Miller is filling one hole for the Rangers but leaving another

By Larry Brooks

Of the series of personnel modifications through the first four games, no Ranger has been called upon to make a more significant adjustment than J.T. Miller, who has shifted from the wing to the middle following the benching/scratching/demotion of Filip Chytil. “I think for the most part it’s gone well,” said Miller, who has skated between Rick Nash and either Mats Zuccarello or . “I feel comfortable playing there, I’ve been good on faceoffs [25-16, 61 percent], and I think I’ve been OK handling the puck. “I know I’ve got to be better in picking up guys going to the net in our end. When the puck goes out to the top, I have to take a look and be aware of where everyone is, so that’s something for me to work on.” In moving Miller to the middle, the Rangers have lost their most physical winger. It is unusual for a center to be first in on the forecheck delivering big blows. “As center I’m usually the last or second-to-last player out of our own end, so I’m not typically able to make those kinds of hits,” the 24-year-old said. “But I can be at least as physical, maybe even more, in the defensive zone where I’m going to be in more battles. “And where playing the wing, chipping it in and then making the big hit would help get me into the game, as a center I can get into the game by catching the puck in the middle of the ice, handling it and making plays.” Jesper Fast, in the latter stages of rehab in the aftermath of his offseason hip surgery, is likely “a week to 10 days” away from rejoining the lineup, according to coach Alain Vigneault. “He did his on-ice tests [Wednesday] and had the fourth-best score of the whole group,” the coach said. “He’s closing in. He’ll probably need a couple of practices. I’m not sure of the timing.” Fast, who has played up and down the lineup, is eager to return. Following matches in Columbus on Friday and the following night at home against the Devils, the Rangers are home next Tuesday against the Penguins and a week from Thursday against the Islanders. “I’m still doing good,” Fast said. “I’m just waiting for the medical team to clear me. It shouldn’t be long.” Rick Nash has yet to score despite a bevy of chances in the first three games, if not necessarily against the Blues on Tuesday. “The results don’t come when you focus on statistics,” Nash said. “For me, it’s always about taking the puck to the inside, getting to the net and making the simple right plays. I need to play better defensively, I know that. My defensive game sets up my offensive game. “I’m not worried, but it’s frustrating to have a start like this when you put in the work over the summer like I did and you come in ready to rock and roll.” The Rangers last started 1-4 in 2013-14 when they were outscored 25-9 in Vigneault’s first five games behind the bench. The Blueshirts have not opened 1-5 since 1980-81. New York Post LOADED: 10.12.2017

1077705 New York Rangers

Jesper Fast nearing a return for Rangers

By Laura Albanese

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Soon can’t come soon enough for the Rangers and Jesper Fast. Despite a sputtering start to the season, the Rangers revealed some good news during Wednesday’s practice, when Fast said he feels close to fully healed from the hip surgery he underwent in June. Coach Alain Vigneault said he would not be surprised if his winger is available relatively soon. Previously, Fast had been on track to return at the end of October. Vigneault said Fast, who was cleared for contact last week, completed on-ice testing before Wednesday’s skills practice, and had the fourth- highest score. “I think he’s closing in here, probably might need a couple practices,” Vigneault said. “I’m not exactly sure on a time length . . . (but) we’re going to (talk to the medical team) at some point today or tomorrow, and probably, I would say, in a week to 10 days here, he should be ready to go.” Though last season wasn’t his best, Fast has been missed among the bottom six forwards, as the Rangers have dropped three of their first four. He could presumably replace Paul Carey or Adam Cracknell on the fourth line. The 25-year-old, who was a restricted free agent at the end of last season, signed a three year, $5.5 million deal, a vote of confidence in his full recovery. Fast feels “no pain,” he said, though he acknowledged that he’ll have to continue to work on rebuilding his stamina after he stayed away from lower-body exercises in the summer following his surgery. “It shouldn’t be that long until I can be out there again,” he said. “I’m doing everything out there practicing, so as soon as the medical team says I’m ready to go, I’ll be out there . . . I’ve done a lot of skating stuff (recently for stamina and conditioning) and it’s always hard. I’m practicing hard. It’s hard to tell how it will feel in a game.” While recovering, he’s had one of the best seats to one of the worst starts in the NHL this year. After losing 3-1 to the injury-tattered St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, the Rangers are just one of two teams who have played four games and only won one. Only the Sabres are winless, at 0- 2-1. Sitting out has been “hard when the team is not winning,” Fast said. “You want to be out there and help them, but I knew from the beginning that I’d probably miss some games, so I’m just doing what I should do out there . . . as soon as they tell me to go, I’ll go out and play.” Though Vigneault is eager to reintroduce Fast, he made clear that his forward wouldn’t be the sole answer to the Rangers’ woes. “It’s not one player,” he said. “(Fast) is an important player to our group here, but right now we’re a work in progress. We’re trying to sort out our identity here . . . I just think we can play a quicker game here than we are right now and that’s a combination of forwards and Ds being on the same page.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077706 Ottawa Senators winger Chris Neil. It’s believed that Neil, whose size could potentially give the Canadiens’ smaller forwards more room, was offered a chance to attend Montreal’s training camp on a professional tryout offer. … Warren: Another Swede logs Karlsson-type minutes in Vancouver Speaking of Montreal, was anyone else surprised to see former Senators winger Tommy Wingels playing on a line with Blackhawks star Patrick Kane in Chicago’s 3-1 win over the Canadiens on Tuesday? … Surprising early season stars include Marc André Fleury of Las Vegas (3- Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen 0-0, 1.32 goals-against average), Chicago’s Brandon Saad (five goals in four games) and New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanajad (five goals in four Published on: October 11, 2017 | Last Updated: October 11, 20175:02 games). … Early shaky starts include (3.67 GAA, .876 save PM EDT percentage), San Jose’s Brent Burns (plus/minus of minus 5) and Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang (plus/minus of minus 5). Just in case you had other things to do late Tuesday and early A FISHY STORY: Windsor’s Nick Horvath, a passionate Detroit Red Wednesday — sleeping, perhaps? — you might have missed what surely Wings fan, was banned for life after continuing the tradition of tossing an was a record-setting performance by the Ottawa Senators in their 3-2 octopus on the ice during the club’s opener at the club’s new arena. shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks. Instead of octopi, wonder what would happen if fans at the Little Caesar’s Arena threw pizza pie? In the continued absence of captain Erik Karlsson, three defencemen (Fredrik Claesson, Thomas Chabot and Christian Jaros) established A NEW PANDA PARTY? In football and basketball, the rivalry between “career highs” for ice time. cross-canal university rivals Carleton and Ottawa is well-established, the interest extending well beyond the respective campuses. The hockey Chabot, playing his second career game, checked in at 13:41. Jaros, battle, however, is taking a while to heat up. Perhaps this is the year making his NHL debut, clocked 6:22. Neither stood out too much, but for when the Ravens and Gee-Gees take it up a notch. The new season that’s certainly not a bad thing for rookie defencemen. opens Thursday at 7 p.m., with Carleton playing host to Ottawa. But Claesson’s quietly effective 26:51 — that’s approaching Karlsson territory — did stand out. It’s quite the jump for a guy who was a healthy scratch in favour of in the opening round of the playoffs Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.12.2017 against Boston last April. There’s pride at play here. When asked last week about outsiders’ suggestions that the Senators defence would crumble without Karlsson, Claesson said, “Well, it will be kind of nice to prove them wrong.” The Canucks are nowhere near the Flames or the Oilers, of course. The Senators defence faces the larger challenge of stopping Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on consecutive nights later this week, but helping the Sens get four (points) out of three (games) ain’t bad. THE BACKUP PLAN: The Senators proved they could win with their ninth and 10th defencemen on the depth chart. If Mike Condon starts Friday against Calgary, the next task is winning with the No. 2 goalie on the depth chart. Now owning a three-year contract, Condon starts the season with long-term security for the first time in his career. “It’s a different feeling,” Condon said during training camp. “You try to block out all the external pressures like being on a two-way contract in a contract year and do the best you can to put that out of your head, but inside, the hamster-wheel is still spinning in your inner subconscious. Now, it’s not spinning as much and it’s a different animal that you have to fight. Those words — security, comfort, complacency — are things that you really have to nip in the butt. I try to live the same life I lived in the past three years, and that’s going to be the hardest thing, having that ass-on-fire mentality and trying to find that every day. You’ve got to use whatever you can to find that chip on your shoulder.” Whatever happens this year, Condon is still quite the quote. IMPACT OF THE MARC METHOT RULE: Through Tuesday, there had been 116 slashing penalties called in 45 games, an average of 2.58 per game. Those calls, which are being made now after then-Senator Marc Methot had part of his finger hacked off by Sidney Crosby last season, help explain why scoring has increased. NHL teams are averaging 3.11 goals per game so far, up from 2.77 in 2016-17. Teams are also averaging 0.72 power-play goals per game, a big jump from 0.57 last season. (Of course the Senators, 0-for-16 on the power play, aren’t doing much for those numbers). Don’t get too excited about increased scoring just yet. The game always tightens up as the season progresses, defensive systems take hold and penalty calls decrease. After the first week of action in 2016-17, teams were averaging 3.25 goals per game. AVOIDING POLITICS ALTOGETHER: For all the talk about whether the Pittsburgh Penguins did the right thing by visiting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, Toronto and Edmonton – OK, we’ll throw longer shots Ottawa and Calgary in here, too — can make the potential controversy go away next year by winning the Stanley Cup this season. It has been a long, long time since Montreal won the 1993 Stanley Cup, but Canadian-based championship teams have no tradition of visiting the White House. There would be some irony if Toronto won the Cup while being led by American star Auston Matthews. EARLY PANIC IN MONTREAL: As Canadiens fans worry about the shaky start (1-3-0, five goals scored in four games), we wonder whether Montreal GM Marc Bergevin will take another look at former Senators 1077707 Ottawa Senators THE LAST WORDS: The Senators were thrilled with the debut of rookie blue-liner Christian Jaros on Tuesday. He played 6:22 and even got a chance to get on the ice in the final few minutes of a tie game. “We love Snapshots: Senators will only keep 'kids' if they play those guys. Those guys are going to be NHL players. It’s just a matter of time whether it’s (Thomas) Chabot or (Jaros). Love him. Love his game. Alex Formenton and Logan Brown played the role of spectators Tuesday I’m really thrilled to see that quality depth on defence,” said Boucher … night at Rogers Arena. That's not why they're here and that's not going to The most surprising stat from Tuesday’s win: Rugged defenceman Mark last long. Borowiecki led the club with six shots. He had more shots than hits. “I think he doubled his career-high in shots,” said Boucher … Winger Ryan Dzingel didn’t break his nose when he took a high stick from Derek Dorsett in the first period Tuesday but he did feel it the rest of the game. Bruce Garrioch “It’s a bit of a tough play but it happens, it’s hockey,” said Dzingel, who Published on: October 11, 2017 | Last Updated: October 11, 20174:24 tied the game in the third period with his first of the season at 5:09. “It PM EDT was tough breathing out there but it was fine after the first period.” … Dorion praised the Vegas Golden Knights for their touching opening ceremony Tuesday to honour the victims and the first responders of the tragic shooting in the city on Oct. 1. “They should be commended for VANCOUVER — Alex Formenton and Logan Brown played the role of what a great job they did,” Dorion said. “Sometimes we forget that life spectators Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. and people are way more important than the game. That really hit home. That’s not why they’re here and that’s not going to last long. The NHL does a lot of good things and Vegas did something pretty special.” Yes, it’s only three games into the season and, yes, the 18-year-old winger and the 19-year-old centre both made the Ottawa Senators coming out of training camp, but general manager noted Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.12.2017 they were only going to stay in the NHL if they were going to get the chance to play and develop. If that doesn’t change soon, then it’s possible Formenton could be sent back to the ’s London Knights while Brown will finish out the year with the . At this point, both will stay with the team for the Western Canada road trip, and a decision could be made next week. “It’s case-by-case, and with Alex, in his case, he’s got to play whether it’s here or in junior, he’s definitely got to play,” Dorion said Wednesday. “After this trip, we’ll make an assessment. We always need an extra forward and we said we’d carry 22 healthy bodies while we’re out here. “That’s definitely something we’ll look at after this trip. He made some mistakes in his first game but he made some good plays. He showed that he deserved to be here because he was one of the 13 best forwards in our camp. (Formenton) gave us five good minutes (Saturday) and maybe in the next game it’s a good eight minutes. He needs to play, and at a certain point in time we’ll have to re-asses the situation.” The 6-6 Brown is in a similar situation as defenceman Thomas Chabot was last year when he made this trip to Western Canada with the Senators but only suited up for one game in the first month of the season before being sent back to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs. The club’s top pick in the 2016 NHL draft has been a scratch the last two games and you have to wonder if coach Guy Boucher will want to change a winning lineup Friday against the Calgary Flames. “Once (Brown) gets into another game, we’ll have to assess that situation,” Dorion said. “(Brown) spending time here isn’t going to hurt him. He’s dominated the junior level so with him we might be a bit more patient.” If the Senators do decide to send either Formenton or Brown back, they’re going to have to bring somebody in as a replacement either through a trade, waivers or calling up players from the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville. Dorion said he has held trade talks with other GMs about a depth forward but hasn’t had much luck. “Teams right now are a bit funny and I think they’re trying to feel what players can be in their lineup,” Dorion said. “I’ve made a lot of calls. You’re always watching the waiver wires and watching what’s going on in Belleville. I think what’s going on in Bellevillle is always the most important thing.” OFF THE GLASS: According to Elias Sports, the Senators are the first team in the 13-year history of the shootout to have their first three games decided by the skills contest. After back-to-back losses in the shootout to Washington and Detroit, the Senators scored a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. Mark Stone scored the game-deciding goal. So, when the Senators saw a third straight game going to a shootout, what was the feeling on the bench? “We had a ton of (shootouts) last year, we just had a little bit more success last year than we had at the start of this year,” Stone said. “We’re confident in the goalie that’s in there and we’re confident in the shooters. We were bound to win one.” … Dorion said coach Guy Boucher has indicated that Mike Condon will either play Friday in Calgary or Saturday in Edmonton to end this road trip. The Senators have 19 back-to-back games this year and they want to manage 36-year-old Craig Anderson’s schedule properly. 1077708 Ottawa Senators

Dorion confident he'll sign Turris

Bruce Garrioch Published on: October 11, 2017 | Last Updated: October 11, 2017 2:42 PM EDT

VANCOUVER — The Senators are confident they’ll be able to keep Kyle Turris. Though there’s been plenty of talk the veteran centre will be dealt before the Feb. 26 trade deadline because he hasn’t signed a new deal, GM Pierre Dorion told reporters Wednesday’s talks with Turris’ agent Kurt Overhardt are continuing. “We’re really working hard, both parties, towards a contract,” Dorion said. “To us, there’s no panic, there’s still eight months before he becomes a unrestricted free agent and we have a lot of faith we can get it done.” Dorion said progress has been made. “It’s been headed in the right direction since we started the talks,” said Dorion. It’s believed the Senators are willing to do a contract in the five-year range but Turris’ camp wants a seven or eight year deal. The club has had calls from teams on Turris but it’s believed the Columbus Blue Jackets have shown the most interest.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077709 Ottawa Senators “For us, when he was going to be ready, he was going to be ready. If we had (lost all three) he probably would have just played next week at some point,” Dorion said. “We were hoping, but sometimes players and Karlsson to stay in Ottawa, may return to Senators lineup next week trainers know that they’re not ready. We’re hoping, hoping, hoping but sometimes you have to be realistic.

“He didn’t get a chance to do much all summer and he’s trying to shorten Bruce Garrioch his summer in a matter of four weeks with guys who did it in 12 weeks. Even though he’s special we can’t put him in a position where he’s not Published on: October 11, 2017 | Last Updated: October 11, 2017 1:56 going to help our team.” PM EDT Make no mistake, Karlsson is champing at the bit to return.

“If we gave Erik his choice he would have played opening night,” said VANCOUVER _ The Ottawa Senators will have to soldier on throughout Dorion. Western Canada without captain Erik Karlsson.

This time, there will be no speedy recovery for the club’s top defenceman. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 10.12.2017 While the Senators were hopeful their best player would be able to return to the lineup as early as Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers when the club wraps up this three-game road trip, general manager Pierre Dorion told the travelling media at the club’s downtown hotel Wednesday that won’t be the case. Yes, Karlsson is a fast healer, but he’s going to have take his time trying to come back from the tendon surgery he had on his foot in June and the club is optimistic he won’t be out much longer. “We’re hopeful that he will play at some point in time next week,” Dorion said. Dorion said Karlsson, who has been skating at the with injured teammates Johnny Oduya and Colin White while the team is on the road, has to be comfortable. “It’s all about when he feels he’ll be ready to play. It’s all about conditioning and he’s got to get used to a different sensation in his feet but there’s no setback,” Dorion said. “We were always hopeful he’d be ready (this week) but we felt the best thing for him would be to skate with Shean Donovan on a daily basis. “We’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be ready next week.” There is no question the Senators would like Karlsson back now and he’d like to play but it’s a long season and he needs to be ready when he does return. When the Senators left town there was a chance he’d join the team Thursday in Calgary and suit up Saturday in Edmonton but those plans have changed. “With Erik I know he’s putting in a lot of hard work on the ice and in the gym to come and help this team sooner than later,” Dorion said. “It’s just conditioning. We all know when Erik steps into our lineup he’s not going to play seven minutes. He’ll play his usual 25-to-30 minutes. “When you have to play that many minutes you have to be in shape. Even though Erik is special, and in great shape, the more we can get him back into great shape that’s the best it will be for everyone.” Coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday at Rogers Arena, the Senators have had to call in reinforcements because of injuries to Ben Harpur (shoulder), Oduya (undisclosed) and Karlsson. Oduya could join the team in Calgary and play Saturday night against the Oilers. With four points in their first three games, the Senators’ defence corps have done a good job without Karlsson. The club called up prospects Thomas Chabot and Christian Jaros to suit up here. They both did just fine while Dion Phaneuf, Cody Ceci, Mark Borwiecki, Chris Wideman and Fred Claesson shouldered the load. Chabot and Jaros picked up a little more time Tuesday after Wideman was benched for most of the second and third period for indifferent play. “I think we’ve been able to get the maximum out of the guys that we want to,” Dorion said. “Even thought I tell you I don’t read the newspapers or listen to the radio, I do and over the course of the summer it was a big panic because of who was going to play on our defence. We always felt we had the depth for guys to step up. “Guys have stepped up. We always felt that one of our two strengths was goaltending and our depth on defence. When you have all those guys then you bring up guys like Harpur, Jaros and Chabot and they go into the lineup and they don’t hurt you at all, there’s not many teams that can say they do that. We’ve always felt we’re dealing with a position of strength at the most difficult position to play in the league.” Dorion said the club’s record has no bearing on Karlsson’s timetable. 1077710 Ottawa Senators ice in the final few minutes of a tie game. “We love those guys,” Boucher said. “Those guys are going to be NHL players. It’s just a matter of time whether it’s Chabot or Jaros. Love him. Love his game. I’m really thrilled Senators' Formenton and Brown won’t sit in press box for long to see that quality depth on defence.” ... The most surprising stat from Tuesday’s win: Rugged defenceman led the club with six shots. He had more shots than hits. “I think he doubled his career- high in shots,” said Boucher ... Winger Ryan Dzingel didn’t break his BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN nose when he took a high stick from Derek Dorsett in the first period , but he did feel it the rest of the game. “It’s a bit of tough play but it happens, FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 10:57 PM EDT | it’s hockey,” said Dzingel, who tied up the game in the third period with UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 11:01 PM EDT his first of the season at 5:09. “It was tough breathing out there but it was fine after the first period.” ... Dorion praised the Vegas Golden Knights for their touching opening ceremony Tuesday to honour the victims and the VANCOUVER — Alex Formenton and Logan Brown played the role of first responders of the tragic shooting in the city on Oct. 1. “Sometimes spectators on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. we forget that life and people are way more important than the game. That really hit home.” That’s not why they’re here and that’s not going to last long.

Yes, it’s only three games into the season and, yes, the 18-year-old winger and the 19-year-old centre both made the Ottawa Senators Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 coming out of training camp, but general manager Pierre Dorion noted they were going to stay in the NHL if they were going to get the chance to play and develop. If that doesn’t change soon, then it’s possible they could be sent back to the Ontario Hockey League — Formenton with the London Knights, Brown with the Windsor Spitfires. At this point, both will stay with the Sens for the Western Canada road trip, before a decision is made next week. “It’s case-by-case and with Alex, whether it’s here or in junior, he’s definitely got to play,” said Dorion on Wednesday. “After this trip, we’ll make an assessment. We always need an extra forward and we said we’d carry 22 healthy bodies while we’re out here. “That’s definitely something we’ll look at after this trip. He made some mistakes in his first game but he made some good plays. He showed that he deserved to be here because he was one of the 13 best forwards in our camp. He gave us five good minutes (on Saturday) and maybe in the next game it’s a good eight minutes.” The 6-foot-6 Brown is in a similar situation as defenceman Thomas Chabot was last year when he made this trip to Western Canada with the Senators but suited up for only one game in the first month of the season before being sent back to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s St. John Sea Dogs. The club’s top pick in the 2016 NHL draft has been a scratch the past two games and you have to wonder if coach Guy Boucher will want to change a winning lineup Friday against the Calgary Flames. “Once (Brown) gets into another game we’ll have to assess that situation,” Dorion added. “Him spending time here isn’t going to hurt him. He’s dominated the junior level so with him we might be a bit more patient.” If the Senators do decide to send either Formenton or Brown back, they’re going to have to bring somebody in as a replacement either through a trade, waivers or calling up players from the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville. Dorion said he has held trade talks with other GMs about a depth forward but hasn’t had much luck. “Teams right now are a bit funny and I think they’re trying to feel what players can be in their lineup,” Dorion said. “I’ve made a lot of calls. You’re always watching the waiver wires and watching what’s going on in Belleville. I think what’s going on in Bellevillle is always the most important thing.” OFF THE GLASS According to Elias Sports, the Senators are the first team in the 13-year history of the shootout to have their first three games decided by the skills contest. After back-to-back losses in the shootout to Washington and Detroit, the Senators scored a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. Mark Stone scored the game- deciding goal. So, when the Senators saw a third straight game going to a shootout, what was the feeling on the bench? “We had a ton of (shootouts) last year, we just had a little bit more success last year than we had at the start of this year,” Stone said. “We’re confident in the goalie that’s in there and we’re confident in the shooters. We were bound to win one.” ... Dorion said Boucher has indicated that Mike Condon will play either Friday in Calgary or Saturday in Edmonton to end this road trip. The Sens have 19 back-to-back games this year and want to manage the 36-year-old Craig Anderson’s schedule properly. THE LAST WORDS The Senators were thrilled with the debut of rookie blueliner Christian Jaros on Tuesday. He played 6:22 and even got a chance to get on the 1077711 Ottawa Senators Tied 1-1 after the first, the Senators couldn't take advantage of a double- minor to Derek Dorsett for high sticking Ryan Dzingel.

Not long after the Senators took the lead, the Canucks came back to tie it Senators earn 400th road win with SO victory over Canucks up at 7:03 when Tanev's shot from the point beat a screened Anderson. You've got to give Vanek credit because he did a good job making sure Anderson didn't see the puck. BY BRUCE GARRIOCH, OTTAWA SUN Ceci's first of the season at 4:08 of the opening period wasn't exactly FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 06:53 AM EDT | pretty but he'll take it. The puck somehow squeezed through Markstrom UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 07:57 AM EDT on one he'll want back. The Senators will skate in Calgary Thursday to prepare to face the Flames. VANCOUVER — The Ottawa Senators scored their first victory of the season Tuesday night and it came in an unlikely fashion. After suffering back-to-back shootout losses to start the year, the Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 Senators scored 3-2 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks by getting a win in the skills contest at Rogers Arena for the 400th road win in Ottawa franchise history. Mark Stone scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give the Senators an important two points. Ryan Dzingel tied it up late to send it to OT by beating Jacob Markstrom while Cody Ceci also chipped in for the Senators. Thomas Vanek and Chris Tanev scored in regulation for the Canucks while Craig Anderson halted Sven Baertschi on a breakaway in the final minute of overtime. "You never want to go 0-for-3 in the shootout. Those are big points that can help you along the way," said Stone. "That's pretty important win for us. It gets us out of that loss column for the first time this year. We're pretty excited to put those two points in the bag." This night was looking pretty grim for the Senators until Dzingel scored his first of the season at 5:09 of the second. He took a pass across the slot from Bobby Ryan and fired it into an open net to tie it up 2-2. Up until then, Markstrom looked like he might not allow the Senators to get back into this. It was an emotional night for winger Alex Burrows. He faced his former Vancouver teammates for the first time since being dealt to Ottawa at last year's trade deadline. After a video tribute in the first television timeout, Burrows was given a standing ovation by the crowd and both benches. He wasn't able to score on a shootout attempt. "It was just a perfect night for me," said Burrows. "I'm just happy with the win and we'll move onto the next game." [snapgallery id="1084519"] The power play — which has yet to score in the first three games — continues to be an area of concern. The Senators went 0-for-4 against the Canucks and are now 0-for-16. It doesn't help that the club is without power-play quarterback Erik Karlsson and there is no timetable for his return. The good news is the Senators haven't allowed a power-play goal this year either and the Canucks went 0-for-4. This was the start of a three-game Western Canadian road swing that will continue Friday against the Calgary Flames and wrap up Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Coach Guy Boucher only wanted the players to concern themselves with the Canucks. The Senators opted to dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen which meant Thomas Chabot suited up for his first game of the season while Christian Jaros made his NHL debut and Boucher wanted to make sure that duo received some help from the veteran players by chipping in defensively. "You're eventually going to win one of those shootouts. It's a matter of statistics," said Anderson. "I thought we did a great job. It was another resilient effort by the guys being down a goal in the third and finding a way to get a point. We took care of business in the shootout." Jaros did a solid job. "It feels really good. I was glad to be on the ice with those guys. I was nervous but after the first shift it went away," said Jaros. While the Senators outplayed and outshot the Canucks 26-18 through 40 minutes, Ottawa trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard. The Senators dominated the shot clock 15-8 in the second period. Vanek fired a shot from high in the slot that beat a screened Anderson at 14:28 of the second to give the Canucks the lead. The Senators had plenty of opportunities but they couldn't find a way to beat Markstrom and it was costly. 1077712 Philadelphia Flyers

Why Dave Hakstol's challenge was risky business for Flyers

Updated: OCTOBER 11, 2017 — 6:31 PM EDT by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | [email protected]

Thanks to a new NHL rule, it can be risky business when deciding whether to challenge a referee’s offside call. Third-year Flyers coach Dave Hakstol, breaking from what he said would be his strategy, took that risk Tuesday night in the waning minutes of a wild game in Nashville. Ultimately, it was a decision that backfired and likely cost the Flyers at least a point in an excruciating 6-5 loss to the Predators at the reverberating Bridgestone Arena. Some background: This is the first year that teams receive a two-minute delay-of-game penalty if they challenge an offside call after a goal is scored — and the video proves them wrong. Teams used to only lose a timeout if their challenge showed the play was not offside. Prior to the season, Hakstol said that he would confer with video coach Adam Patterson before deciding whether to make a challenge and that he would be conservative in his approach. On Tuesday, however, he said the challenge was his decision and not Patterson’s. Maybe he was protecting Patterson, or maybe he saw something on the video that made him believe Filip Forsberg was offside before Scott Hartnell scored a six-on-three goal, tying the score at 5-all with 1:17 left. Hakstol would not elaborate on the specifics as to why he challenged the play. After a video review, the goal stood, and the Flyers were thus given another penalty, putting them two men short. Nashville eventually deposited a five-on-four goal, scored by Forsberg with 35.6 seconds left for a 6-5 win. The five-on-four was in place because of the “challenge” penalty. Without the penalty, regulation probably would have ended tied, the Flyers would have secured at least a point, and they could have added another one with a win in overtime or in a shootout. Earlier in the game, the Flyers had overcome a 3-0 deficit and taken a 5- 3 lead. But their stirring comeback, which featured a pair of power-play tallies by Val Filppula and Nolan Patrick’s first NHL goal, was overshadowed by the late challenge. If Hakstol was correct, Hartnell’s goal wouldn’t have counted and the Flyers would have had a 5-4 lead with 1:17 to go. Instead, the game was tied and the Flyers had to put another player in the penalty box. “Those decisions are tough,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “…You live by the sword and die by the sword, and you have to respect the guy because he’s trying to win a hockey game.” But unless a coach is almost certain an offside violation occurred, the best bet is to take a conservative approach (especially late in a game), based on past statistics. Last year was the second season in which challenges for offside and goaltender interference were allowed. There were 117 challenges for offside — 78 were upheld, and only 39 were overturned. The crushing finish stung. After the game, some Flyers slammed the locker-room door, some heaved their duffel bags across the room in anger. Obscenities filled the air. “We’ve got 78 more of these,” said defenseman , who had two assists in the game, “so we’re just going to look past it … grow from it and keep pushing forward.”

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077713 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers send Samuel Morin to Phantoms

Updated: OCTOBER 11, 2017 — 4:17 PM EDT by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER @BroadStBull | [email protected]

As expected, the Flyers sent rookie defenseman Samuel Morin to the AHL’s on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Morin was outstanding in the preseason as he played with an edge and used his long reach to break up plays, but was a healthy scratch in the Flyers’ first four regular-season games. Tuesday, Morin said that he was “pretty upset” that he wasn’t playing, but that he would work hard “like I do all the time. I just want to play in the NHL, honestly.” Morin, 22, figures to be recalled if a defenseman is injured. Selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 2013 draft, Morin was one of three rookie defensemen trying to earn a spot with the Flyers. Robert Hagg (second-round selection in 2013) and Travis Sanheim (first-round selection in 2014) won spots and are in the defensive rotation. “I just want to play hockey; it’s my passion,” Morin said in his thick French-Canadian accent. Morin had a goal, an assist, and a minus-1 rating in five preseason games. He has played two full seasons with the Phantoms, one more than Sanheim and one fewer than Hagg.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077714 Philadelphia Flyers pairings have shown incredible chemistry. The quick flip of Valtteri Filppula and Patrick between the third and second lines has worked wonderfully. Hakstol also believed Filppula would become productive on Five observations from the Flyers' loss to Nashville the power play. Filppula had two power-play goals last night, both scored in front of the net from feeds behind it. The Flyers had been on an 0-for- 15 skid on the PP until then. Updated: OCTOBER 11, 2017 — 8:47 AM EDT by Sam Donnellon, STAFF WRITER @samdonnellon | Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.12.2017 [email protected]

Observations from the Flyers’ 6-5 setback in Nashville on Tuesday night: 1. This one’s on the coach. On a night when some of the more maligned Flyers played inspired and productive hockey, the third-year coach who has received his own dose of criticisms sabotaged those efforts with a dubious offsides challenge that extended Nashville’s two-man advantage and fueled its furious and unlikely and late 6-5 comeback victory. For those who haven’t seen it: With 1:17 left and the Flyers down two men (we’ll get to that later), Nashville’s Scott Hartnell banged in the rebound of his own shot to tie a game in which both teams held multiple-goal leads. Using the offsides challenge initiated this season, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol asked for a review of the Predators’ entry into the zone. The rule is clear: An unsuccessful challenge results in a two- minute penalty. The replay was anything but clear. And so, as unappetizing as surviving the final 1:17 to gain at least a point and taking it to overtime must have been at the time, Hakstol owed it to his team not to challenge at that point. Playing in their fourth consecutive road game, and on a night when Nashville played at home for the first time since last season’s Game 6 of the , the Flyers could have been proud of any points recorded. After nearly fending off two minutes of 5-on-3 hockey, they would have played the final 77 seconds just a man down. Instead, they faced a total of the last 2 minutes and 41 seconds of an exhausting game down two men – three, really, during the tying goal, as Predators goaltender Pekke Rinne had left for an additional skater. Asked if it was worth it, knowing the consequences of an unsuccessful challenge, Hakstol said afterward that “absolutely it’s worth it. But like I said, it wasn’t overturned. So it wasn’t the right call.’’ He also justified the challenge by saying, “Our guys had fought hard to get there.’’ That would have been my justification for not challenging it, especially because, as Hakstol also said, “It could have gone one way or the other.’’ A point on the road if you survive the 5 on 4 for the last 77 seconds, maybe two if you win the overtime session. A feel-good trip back home, knowing that you rallied from a 3-0 hole with five straight goals against the Stanley Cup finalists from a season ago. 2. The double penalties on and Andrew MacDonald that led to the Flyers’ late collapse were, um, penalties. Soft and unnecessary, but we’ve seen this many times. The argument that discretion should have been used with that score that late is, to me, anachronistic. That might have been the NHL you grew up with. But it is clearly not the NHL of the last several years. The ridiculous slashing calls that have dominated the early part of this NHL season alone should remind you of that. 3. Oh yeah, the two maligned Flyers. Rather than argue that MacDonald is playing good hockey or Weise is, let’s just go to a brief sequence last night that resulted in the Flyers’ first two goals. First, MacDonald made a great neutral-zone play just to reverse the side of the offensive-zone entry, then jumped in to take Scott Laughton’s hustle pass in the high slot for a one-time blast over Pekka Rinne’s right shoulder. On the very next shift, Weise stole the puck from 19-year-old Preds defenseman Samuel Girard, took a shot, retrieved the puck behind the net and fed Nolan Patrick in front, and Patrick beat Rinne high for his first NHL goal. I don’t keep track of my emails, but I’m pretty sure these two would lead the complaints and criticism. Those folks would be quick to point out they were the two players called for penalties late in the game that fueled the comeback – when they’re not arguing that neither penalty should have been called. Bottom line is both were a result of bad luck, not bad hockey. 4. Hartnell UP! He had a classic Hartsy game. A pair of goals scored in close, a dumb penalty that resulted in extending the Flyers’ lead to 5-3 and pushing the air out of the building. At 35, coming off some forgettable seasons in Columbus, Hartnell had six shots on goal, and his third line was dominant at times. 5. Crashing the net: Brian Elliott had a bad game. … So, too, did Claude Giroux, who looked tired. … Anyone see a little Bobby Orr when Ivan Provorov took the puck behind his own net early in the second period and skated the length of the ice, firing a shot? … Giving the coach some honey with his vinegar: Despite how early it is in the season, his line 1077715 Philadelphia Flyers was on the ice for just one even-strength goal against — Hartnell’s shot from the wing that Elliott should have stopped. If I’m taking a one-goal lead into the final period, I want Provorov on the ice every other shift. 10 observations from Flyers' season-opening 4-game road trip There’s a calmness he brings to the situation, and it’s refreshing to see the Flyers finally have the all-around defenseman that’s been missing since the days of Eric Desjardins. By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 11, 2017 2:55 PM 7. When will we see Morin? After watching the Flyers play on numerous occasions in the preseason, one NHL scout undoubtedly feels the Flyers have three NHL-ready As the Flyers unwind from an eight-day road trip that stretched over three rookie defensemen, saying, “It’s a good problem to have.” Right now, the time zones, let’s unpack what transpired over their first four games. problem is the Flyers can’t squeeze Samuel Morin into the lineup and on Wednesday, he was assigned to the Phantoms (see story). 1. Flyers deserved better Speaking to Morin Tuesday morning, he was definitely down on the The end result of the four-game road trip is a .500 record, with the Flyers situation but is handling it with grace and dignity. earning four of a possible eight points. They built a two-goal lead Tuesday night with 13:12 remaining in the game. At that point, the Flyers “It’s the first time in my career that I’ve been a healthy scratch and it’s should have at least earned a point and possibly two. To the Predators' pretty hard,” Morin said. “What else can I do? I think it’s normal that I’m credit, they seized back some of that momentum just 50 seconds later pretty upset. I just need to keep working hard and see what’s going to when Filip Forsberg scored, sniping a shot over Brian Elliott’s glove happen. There’s not much I can do right now. It’s out of my control.” hand. The sting of this loss would have been slightly eased if the Flyers could have found a way to force overtime in Nashville. When you 8. Stronger in the middle evaluate the entire road trip, the Flyers never had that “dud” of a game, where they played without energy and flat-footed. I wasn’t quite sold on the idea of filling the role as the team’s No. 1 center, and while he doesn’t have the skill set of a Tyler 2. Challenging the penalty Seguin or a Mark Scheifele, Couturier plays the necessary 200-foot game necessary in today’s NHL. If Hakstol continues to keep that Claude At the time it happened, my initial feeling toward Dave Hakstol’s decision Giroux-Couturier-Jakub Voracek line intact, "Coots" should hit the 40- to challenge the offsides play was this had the makings of a Music City point mark for the first time in his career with ease. Furthermore, when meltdown. Personally, I would have just conceded the game-tying goal you see how the Flyers are stacked down the middle with Couturier- with the knowledge that had I lost the challenge I would have been Valtteri Filppula-Patrick-Scott Laughton, there’s no weak link the penalized (yet again) and looking at another monumental 5-on-3 penalty opposition can exploit defensively. wants to construct a team kill of a tied game. Last season, only one-third of every challenge plays that cuts down on those quality scoring chances in the danger areas involving an offsides call were overturned, so the odds already were between the circles and those four centers have shown to play a very working against Hakstol. The momentum swing alone is a key factor that responsible game. has be under consideration when those decisions are made. To the Flyers' credit, they killed the 5-on-3, to only give up the game-winning 9. Down with Hartnell goal moments after Dale Weise stepped out of the box. With this new rule now in play, coaches need conclusive, indisputable evidence the Predators head coach Peter Laviolette had his list of players that did not attacking team went offsides, and that’s almost impossible considering jive with his coaching style (see James van Riemsdyk). However, Lavy the turnaround time before they have to notify the referees of their desire always had an admiration for Scott Hartnell and spoke highly of the to challenge. Nashville winger following Tuesday’s 6-5 win over the Flyers. Signing Hartnell on a one-year, $1 million deal was a very low-risk, high-reward 3. Patrick's 1st goal investment on Laviolette and general manager David Poile’s part. Hartnell still possesses a high-caliber shot and has a knack for finding It was nice to see rookie Nolan Patrick score his first NHL goal in just his the soft zones in and around the net. Who knows how well he would fourth game. However, Patrick was in no mood to talk about it afterward have fit in the confines of Hakstol’s system, but for that term and price, I and understandably so. For a 19-year-old still working his way through could see Hartnell working well with Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny, the infancy stages of his career, Patrick had a relatively solid road trip, as well as providing that net-front presence on one of the team’s power- picking up two points and playing better over the final two games. play units. Containing Jeff Carter and his line in L.A. was a tough assignment, and he’ll ultimately benefit playing on a third line with Travis Konecny and 10. Who starts the home opener? Dale Weise. Patrick said he’s traditionally been a slow starter when it comes to scoring goals. The Flyers received steady goaltending until Tuesday night’s game in Nashville, which was not Elliott’s best effort. It’s obvious Hakstol has 4. More firepower been looking to establish Elliott as his early season starter, but in saying that, Michal Neuvirth was excellent in his only start in Los Angeles. It’s Four games into the season and already nine different Flyers have early but Neuvirth resembles the goaltender who came to Philadelphia in scored goals and 14 players have registered at least a point. When you 2015-16 and turned in a gem of a season with a 2.27 goals-against examine the roster, the Flyers have depth at the forward position, where average and a .924 save percentage. Hakstol won’t hesitate to play the seven and potentially eight players can realistically score at least 20 guy with a hot hand and with Saturday’s home opener against Neuvirth’s goals this season. Even the fourth line of Scott Laughton, Taylor Leier former team, the Washington Capitals, it seems like an opportune time to and generates pressure, quality scoring chances and each give the backup another shot in net. player has the skill set to do damage offensively. Overall, the Flyers have the firepower to finish top 10 in goals scored this season. 5. The Money Train Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 Wayne Simmonds was absolutely steamed following the Flyers' 6-5 loss Tuesday to the Predators. No player appeared to be more riled up than Simmonds was, which is precisely why Flyers fans love the emotion and raw passion he brings on the ice and in times of frustration as well. Simmonds is unquestionably one of the leaders and lifelines of this Flyers squad, and it’s hard to imagine this franchise without him. For years, Simmonds had set 30 goals as a benchmark, but with a red-hot start to this season, it’s not unrealistic to think he’s capable of reaching 40 goals for the first time in his career. If that happens, Simmonds will certainly cash in with a lucrative contract extension next summer. 6. Ivan the Great There’s no other way to describe it, but defenseman Ivan Provorov is simply a machine. His stick work in the corners and along the boards is a work of art. He has an underrated shot for a player that doesn’t uncork wicked Shayne Gostisbehere-like slap shots. In the second period of Tuesday’s game, Provorov took the puck from behind his net and created a rush on his own. On the four-game trip, the Flyers' shutdown defender 1077716 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers send Samuel Morin to Phantoms

By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 11, 2017 2:15 PM

The Flyers on Wednesday afternoon assigned defenseman Samuel Morin to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, officially securing Travis Sanheim's spot on the NHL roster. Morin served as a healthy scratch during the Flyers' four-game season- opening road trip. The Flyers carried eight defensemen out west because of an upper-body injury to Shayne Gostisbehere, but the third-year defenseman didn't miss a game. "It's the first time in my career that I've been a healthy scratch and it's pretty hard," Morin said Tuesday in Nashville. "What else can I do? I think it's normal that I'm pretty upset. I just need to keep working hard and see what's going to happen. "There's not much I can do right now. … I'm sure I can play in this league. If I go back to the AHL, I'm going to just work my ass off like I do all the time. I just want to play in the NHL, honestly." After their preseason finale, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said defenseman Robert Hagg and center Nolan Patrick earned their spots but didn't say who won the competition for the second opening on defense. With both Morin and Sanheim scratched for the season opener in San Jose, it remained unclear. Then, in Los Angeles, the Flyers tipped their hat. Sanheim drew into the lineup against the Kings. Sanheim has played since while Morin sat. There was some thought the Flyers could get one last look at Morin in Anaheim last Saturday following Sanheim had a costly mistake in his NHL debut, but that didn't happen. Hagg, Morin and Sanheim were competing for two spots in training camp and despite previously indications all three defensemen could make the team, Hextall opted against carried three rookies on the blue line — at least for now. Morin proved himself as an NHL player during camp, but he falls victim to a numbers game. One NHL scout said Morin is ready and the Flyers' current logjam is “a good problem to have.” With veterans Brandon Manning and alternate captain Andrew MacDonald here, there's not enough room for Morin, who's strictly a left defenseman, which the Flyers are heavy on. Whether that is the right decision is up for debate. There's no question we'll be seeing Morin with the Flyers sooner or later. If an injury hits the Flyers' blue line, he'll come up from Lehigh Valley. And in that scenario, it'll be hard to see him going back down.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077717 Philadelphia Flyers Until those two-minute minor penalties, the Flyers had played a very disciplined game. Their only penalty kill came early in the first period when Craig Smith scored Nashville's first goal. Questionable calls, challenge lead to Flyers' 'frustrating' loss to Predators There was an awareness among the Flyers that calls would likely not go their way at some point in the third period. By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia October 11, 2017 1:45 AM “Obviously, we were aware. It’s tough when you get two in one shot like that, that late in the game,” MacDonald said. “It happened and it was unfortunate. It’s something that we would have liked to kill and have gotten a big character win here, but unfortunately it was out of our NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bags tossed. Doors slammed. Players cursing. A hands.” frustration this team hasn’t experienced in a long, long time. The series of unfortunate circumstances for the Flyers and the bogus Without question, Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Nashville Predators was a new rule change, which I wrote about during the preseason, negated game the Flyers felt wasn’t lost but simply taken away from them (see what could have been a tremendous comeback. observations). After going down, 3-0, the Flyers scored five unanswered goals, including Or perhaps not. three in a second-period span of 4:46. Valtteri Filppula scored his second goal of the game with 13:12 remaining in regulation to give the Flyers a “Oh, we gave it away. I don’t think anybody took it,” goaltender Brian 5-3 lead at the time. Elliott said. “That’s why it’s frustrating.” “There’s a ton of character in that room,” Hakstol said. “We got down 3-0, Some Flyers were still searching for answers. but we were playing well. I didn’t feel like other than the first five minutes “Honestly, it feels like we won. It’s weird right now,” defenseman Shayne we weren’t back on our heels. We knew there would be a big push to Gostisbehere said. “I’m not sure if that’s ever happened to me in my life start this hockey game with the energy they had in the building.” — that type of game like that.” "It says a lot about our group, how we did come back,” Gostisbehere Considering the implementation of rule 78.7 (b), approved by the NHL’s said. "Going down 3-0 in a building like this, coming back to 5-3. It’s an Board of Governors just a week before the start of the season, a game unfortunate series of events there. There’s a lot of positives we can take like this has never happened in the history of the league, and probably away from this game.” nowhere ever in the game of hockey. All of which had the lyrical makings of a country song straight out of The rule stems from a coach’s challenge on an offside play and states, “If Nashville’s Music Row. Now it’s up to the Flyers to change their tune in the result of the challenge is that the play was ‘on-side,’ the goal shall time for Saturday’s home opener against the Washington Capitals. count and the team that issued the challenge shall be assessed a minor penalty for delaying the game.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 After former Flyer Scott Hartnell took advantage of a 5-on-3 chance and tied an already wild game at 5-5 with 1:17 remaining, Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol elected to challenge the zone entry of the play. Replays showed that Filip Forsberg was able to get one skate over the blue line before the puck cleared. However, replays were inconclusive whether Hartnell’s skates were completely over the line as the linesman appeared to be staring down at Forsberg and was paying no attention to Hartnell, who was right there next to him (see video). “That’s my call,” Hakstol said on the decision to challenge. "Absolutely it’s worth it, but it wasn’t overturned, so it wasn’t the right call. I don’t want to get into the details of it." Hakstol said he was surprised it wasn't overturned, but also knew if he lost the challenge that the Flyers would be faced with killing another 5- on-3 power play for 1:22. That is precisely what happened when Hartnell’s goal stood. The Flyers killed off the remainder of the two-man advantage only to have Filip Forsberg score the game-winner just five seconds into the coach’s challenge penalty, which was a 5-on-4 (see highlights). “It happens so quick. You’re getting the feeds on the bench when you’re getting them, and 15, 20 seconds to make a decision,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “I give him credit. He’s trying to help his team any way he can. You’re going to get caught in those situations. We all are. Everybody’s going to get caught in them. “To be honest, I didn’t get a good look at it. We actually talked about it in the coach’s office. Those decisions are tough, and a lot of people said they would go for it. You’ve got to live by the sword and die by the sword.” Prior to that, one can seriously debate the series of events that led to Nashville’s initial 5-on-3 power play as the Flyers were whistled for a pair of minor penalties with 2:41 remaining in the game leading, 5-4. First, left winger Dale Weise was whistled for holding as he attempted to chase down the puck in the offensive zone. Then, as the Flyers gained possession of the puck, defenseman Andrew MacDonald was called for tripping. “The last 10 minutes it seems they were putting the whistles away and letting the boys play,” Weise said. “I don’t know about make-up calls, but on my penalty I’m trying to swim past my guy. That happens 20 times a game and you don’t call a penalty on that. It’s just really frustrating.” “The guy coming in on me, he crossed over and I put my stick over and he stepped on it and they called me too,” MacDonald said. 1077718 Philadelphia Flyers “That’s how it is. We can’t complain,” Shayne Gostisbehere said. “We can’t go back and change things. It happened. We gotta learn. We gotta grow from it and keep pushing forward.” Road trip showed Flyers’ potential and tested resolve Courier-Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 Dave Isaac, @davegisaac Published 2:16 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017 | Updated 6:39 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

NASHVILLE — There’s a few items on an early-season checklist that shows what a team is capable of, what tests it can pass, how much adversity can be overcome. The Flyers checked nearly all of them off, from handling a hyped-up home team in San Jose to a great goaltending performance Michal Neuvirth had despite losing to the Los Angeles Kings. They are certainly deeper than they’ve been in some time — defenseman Samuel Morin was formally loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Wednesday after not playing on the trip. Another tool the Flyers have, perhaps the most important one, is the ability to come back, as they did in erasing a three-goal deficit. Of course, that last one got ruined Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators. It meant the Flyers were 2-2 on their season-opening road trip. What’s more promising is that they played better than that record. “We just said we want to stay with it,” said Andrew MacDonald, who scored the first goal to help escape a three-score deficit. “We knew they were going to come out hard after losing their first two games and this was their home opener and they came out flying. We just said we had to trust the process and stick to it we were able to chip away at it. Slowly we were able to build momentum and take over the game, really. Eventually we all know what happened.” What happened was the Predators scored to cut into what was a two- goal Flyers lead early in the third period. Then they scored again on a two-man advantage power play to tie it with 1:17 left. Coach Dave Hakstol challenged that the play was offside and lost, which results in a penalty thanks to a new rule instituted this season. It was a huge risk at that venture of the game and boy did it backfire. Filip Forsberg scored his second of the game to win it for the Predators with 36 seconds left in regulation. Instead of not challenging and trying to hold off just over a minute for a point in overtime, Hakstol went for the win and hoped the ruling would preserve a one-goal lead. “It wasn’t overturned so it wasn’t the right call,” Hakstol said. “I don’t want to get into the details of it. Like I said, I made the call and it wasn’t overturned.” It was the first time in the NHL that that penalty had resulted in a game- winning goal against the challenging team and former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette couldn’t help but feel for Hakstol. “I’ll tell you this, it happens so quick,” Laviolette said. “You get the feeds on the bench when you get them. You get 15, 20 seconds to make it. He’s trying to help his team any way he can. You’re gonna get caught in those situations. We all are. “If it means helping your team out, you’ve got to live by the sword and die by the sword. You gotta respect a guy that’s trying to win a hockey game for his team.” Easy to say when the call meant his team won its first game of the season. Despite the crushing loss, the Flyers know they have the ability to come back as a tool they can potentially rely on later in the season. “We scored a lot of goals different ways. We had contributions from everybody,” Dale Weise said. “Our power play was good. We didn’t get rattled when we got down. I think there’s a lot of good things, but right now it’s extremely frustrating.” Another plus for the Flyers about the road trip is that they got tough Western Conference opponents out of the way early on the road. They played them with a totally healthy roster and didn’t have to resort to a slew of replacements, like the Anaheim Ducks did with six injured players in the Flyers’ win Saturday. It’s a trip the Flyers felt they deserved more from considering how well they played in all four games. Tuesday night had their longest period of play that wasn’t quite up to snuff and they turned a three-goal deficit into a two-goal lead before the unlikely collapse late in the game. 1077719 Pittsburgh Penguins Tribune Review LOADED: 10.12.2017

Patric Hornqvist's return fuels Penguins to win over Capitals

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, 10:36 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Patric Hornqvist obviously liked getting a goal and an assist in the first two periods of his first game back in the lineup after offseason hand surgery. What he liked just as much was being on the ice in the final minute of the third period as the Penguins doggedly were protecting a one-goal lead. Hornqvist's return sparked the Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. “As a player, that's where you want to be in those key moments,” Hornqvist said. “You want to always feel that kind of pressure and then go out there and do your best.” The Penguins led throughout but never pulled away in a tense, tightly played game. When Evgeny Kuznetsov shot just wide after an end-to-end rush in the final minute, the Capitals looked to be inches away from forcing overtime. Hornqvist, along with center Sidney Crosby and left wing Conor Sheary, played on the line coach Mike Sullivan trusted to wring out the final seconds. “He plays with so much swagger,” Sullivan said. “He's just a great competitor. When he's on the bench, he brings so much juice to our bench. You hear him chirping all the time. He's just awesome to have around.” Including a 4-0 victory over Nashville on Saturday, the Penguins have won two in a row after a brutal 10-1 loss to Chicago in the second game of the season. “It's encouraging that we're playing the game hard,” Sullivan said. “That's what it takes to win.” All three Penguins goals came on the power play, but it wasn't the usual personnel groupings scoring them. On the game's first goal, Hornqvist and Bryan Rust whacked away in a net-front scramble before Kris Letang backhanded in a shot for his first goal since Feb. 4 after having April neck surgery. In the second period, Tom Kuhnhackl was taking swings at a loose puck at the top of the crease before Hornqvist scored to give the Penguins a 2- 0 advantage. In the third, Sheary steered in a Justin Schultz pass as he slid into the blue paint to make it 3-1. Sullivan said he was trying different combinations for a “fresh look” after the usual five-man first unit struggled early. “We obviously have a really talented group out there. When we're going well, we move the puck around and find seams,” Hornqvist said. “Today, we didn't have our best game, but we still found a way to score three power-play goals.” At the other end of the ice, the Penguins held Washington to 22 shots in a determined defensive effort. The Capitals went 0 for 4 on the power play. “I think we were good off the rush, sorting it out,” goalie Matt Murray said. “They're a big rush team. They get a lot of chances off of that. That was really important. Obviously the penalty kill was huge, too.” Murray had a challenging night facing Alex Ovechkin, who had seven goals in his first two games of the season. Ovechkin attempted 13 shots, getting seven of them on goal, including several from odd angles in the first period. His goal on a shot from the slot in traffic off a feed from rookie Christian Djoos with about seven minutes left was what made the game's final minutes so tense. “They have a guy like Ovechkin that is going to shoot every time,” Letang said. “You try to be in his face, try to deny time and space and make sure he doesn't get quality shots on net.”

1077720 Pittsburgh Penguins “I've talked to him a couple times over my career, yeah,” Reaves said. “I don't change the approach at all. I still play physical. I still try to get the puck deep and go grind down there.” Penguins notebook: Patric Hornqvist plays for first time since scoring Stanley Cup clincher Tribune Review LOADED: 10.12.2017

Jonathan Bombulie

WASHINGTON — Patric Hornqvist made his season debut for the Penguins on Wednesday night, having recovered from offseason hand surgery that kept him sidelined for the team's first three games. It was his first appearance since June 11, when he broke a scoreless tie late in the third period with the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the finals in Nashville. With a broken hand. “We all played through a lot last year with injuries and things like that,” Hornqvist said, downplaying the physical adversity he overcame. “It was obviously a big moment for me. Playing against Nashville in the finals and scoring that goal, it can't get any bigger for me and my teammates, too. “We won back-to-back championships like (the media) said was impossible to do. Now we put that behind us. It's a new season, a new opportunity, and we all want the same thing.” It was Hornqvist's first game in Washington since May 10, when he scored a third-period goal to help the Penguins to a 2-0 victory in Game 7 of a second-round playoff series. None of his bones were broken at that point, he said. “I was healthy back then,” Hornqvist said with a laugh. Hornqvist's return was received extraordinarily positively in the Penguins locker room, of course, for a couple of reasons. First, he is perhaps the team's most fiery player on and off the ice. “I think that's the way I play,” Hornqvist said. “That's what I try to do every single night, to play hard and play the game my way, and that's obviously with a lot of energy and a lot of speed. If I go out there in the game, I make sure I'm 100 percent.” Second, his net-front presence brings a different element to the team's offensive attack. Since the Penguins acquired Hornqvist from Nashville in 2014, in the regular season, the team is 129-63-24 with him in the lineup (.653 winning percentage) and 13-12-8 when he doesn't play (.515). “He's a great puck-pursuit guy,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He goes to the net hard. He's good in the battle areas. He's strong on the wall. He helps us get the puck back when we don't have it. He's good at protecting it when we do have it. “I think he has the ability to create space for players just by going to the net and drawing people when he goes there. He makes it really difficult on opponents' goaltenders because of his willingness to go to the front of the net. It takes sight lines away and limits mobility and movement. That's the player that he is.” Hornqvist's return bumped winger Scott Wilson out of the lineup. “The group that we have, I think they all understand their roles,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “All a player can do is control what he can, and that's his attitude and his work ethic and his approach.” Sullivan said he didn't have a timetable for the return of from a facial injury, but he was optimistic about the defenseman's recovery. “I think the last couple of days, he's improving more than we expected him to,” Sullivan said. Chad Ruhwedel took Cole's spot in the lineup. Defenseman Chris Summers, called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday, and Josh Archibald also were scratched. The Penguins didn't have Washington's Tom Wilson to worry about Wednesday night. The physically imposing winger was serving the last game of a four-game suspension for boarding St. Louis' Sam Blais in an exhibition game. New Penguins heavyweight Ryan Reaves said Wilson's absence didn't change his approach to the rivalry matchup. When he played in St. Louis, Reaves fought Wilson twice. 1077721 Pittsburgh Penguins Also, keep in mind that guy in this instance is a foreigner who really isn't being asked to speak for himself but rather for everyone with whom he works. Also realize it was presumed how he would respond, thus setting Rob Rossi: Penguins' Sidney Crosby deserved better from 'hockey the narrative before he could speak. people' For the past couple of weeks, the best hockey player on the planet was buried by some “hockey people.” Not for something he did. Not even for something he said. ROB ROSSI | Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, 4:30 p.m. So please allow me to again ask: Is Sidney Crosby free to play hockey Updated 13 hours ago now?

Is Sidney Crosby free to play hockey now? Tribune Review LOADED: 10.12.2017 Asking for some friends. Even as he attended a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday to celebrate the third Pittsburgh Penguins team he captained to a Stanley Cup championship, Crosby could not escape the hockey world collapsing upon him. Mostly from his fellow Canadians , though also from some Pittsburghers, Crosby continued to be criticized for what he had not done. He had not denounced Donald Trump. He had not endorsed Donald Trump. Conveniently forgetting that Crosby is not a U.S. citizen and that he neither denounced nor endorsed the other two U.S. presidents who served during his career, some “hockey people” went for the head of the Face of the NHL. Too many of those “hockey people” turned a blind eye to the obvious when it conflicted with their point of view. Wonder if those “hockey people” realize they ruined an opportunity for Crosby to apply his trademark patience and precision in formulating a public reaction to all that has been happing in America. Or with Trump. Or about American gun laws, America's immigration policies, the American political system, American culture wars, the American racial divide or possibly the American rocker who wrote “American Girl.” Crosby might well have given any or all of those topics careful consideration. I've known him for more than a dozen years . Still cannot say what he truly thinks about hockey's small world let alone America's big land. I can say, with full confidence, that Sidney Patrick Crosby has never been afforded enough freedom by “hockey people,” myself included. Instead of dragging him into the next fire, we “hockey people” should see if he might see something in the flames we have missed. He always has been blessed with gods-like vision. He always has had an answer for our questions, too. Crosby had an answer a few weeks back when pressed about the Penguins' plans to visit the White House. What Crosby did not have was the answer some “hockey people” wanted. If he had, it's probable that answer would have been something other people did not want to hear. Whatever he said would have been wrong to somebody. Crosby was failed by hard-charging “hockey people” who were sports writers playing social activists. Few, if any, NHL players as children dreamed of being asked about the concept of American democracy before parents awoke them for mite games. Try something this week. Find a 30-year-old white man who is dating a white American girl and who works in an overwhelming white industry and who cannot understand the current state of the union no matter how hard he tries. Then ask that guy if he would go to the White House if his employer had accepted an invitation from the president of the . Don't give that guy a day to think, a couple of days to breathe or a week to ask himself some hard questions. Find that 30-year-old white man and ask him: Will you go? But don't listen to his answer. Actually, assume most people will hear only what they want to hear. 1077722 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins' Sidney Crosby says Matt Niskanen reached out after playoff cross-check

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, 1:09 p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON — There appears to be no lingering animosity between Sidney Crosby and Matt Niskanen after the Washington Capitals defenseman gave the Penguins captain a concussion with a cross-check in Game 3 of a second-round playoff series last season. Crosby said Wednesday that Niskanen texted him after the series was over. “Things happen out there,” Crosby said. “I've been involved in a lot of different things. Plays happen. I appreciate the text. It wasn't needed, but I appreciate it.” Crosby and the Penguins will face the Capitals on Wednesday night after visiting the White House the day before. The run-up to the visit was surrounded by controversy about whether the team's attendance constituted an endorsement of President Donald Trump or his agenda. The visit itself, though, from Crosby's perspective, went off without incident. Winger Patric Hornqvist, who has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason hand surgery, was a full participant in morning skate. He skated on a line with left wing Conor Sheary and center Greg McKegg and practiced on the second power-play unit with Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Bryan Rust and Sheary. “It's going to be a game-time decision,” Hornqvist said. “Every time I go on the ice, I feel better. It's fun to be on the road with the boys and be out there and hopefully I can play a game really soon.”

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077723 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins seem to downplay Trump White House visit online

MATT ROSENBERG | Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, 8:27 a.m. Updated 21 hours ago

The Penguins didn't want to make it political . They accomplished that. In fact, they just about accomplished the feat of hiding their visit to the White House altogether. Without the fanfare of an emailed newsletter detailing their visit — like they did in 2016 — without a single tweet, with but one Facebook photo and one news release of four paragraphs on their website, the Penguins' visit Tuesday to the White House with President Trump came and went. No politics. Barely a mention of the visit on the day it happened. Immediately after the Penguins' 2016 visit, the team posted a photo gallery and a recap of the visit with President Obama . They also sent an emailed version of their recap to their newsletter subscribers. Within that newsletter were links to other stories, including one about how the team's American players were appreciative of the chance to visit the White House. Also during the 2016 visit, the Penguins hosted a video that streamed the visit with President Obama. Not so with the Trump visit Tuesday. On Tuesday, less than an hour after the ceremony with Trump, the Penguins sent an email newsletter highlighting their back-to-back games starting with tonight's 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Washington Capitals and Thursday's game at Tampa Bay. Among other links in that email, none contains any mention of the White House visit.

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077724 Pittsburgh Penguins probably just instincts for him to put his glove on it. When you’re that far out, they’re going to call you. That was an interesting one. I’ve seen him do that a couple times. That was an exciting play for sure.” Penguins get downright defensive in win over Caps By the numbers 19: Times in 23 tries that Sidney Crosby has recorded at least a point JASON MACKEY during a regular-season game in Washington (13-18–31). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9: Wins for the Penguins in their last 11 regular-season games in Washington when they’ve scored first. [email protected] 3: Of his past four season-opening games where Patric Hornqvist has 12:30 AM OCT 12, 2017 recorded a goal. Five takeaways WASHINGTON — It would be easy to peg this one to the Penguins • The Penguins penalty kill is much, much better than anticipated. Know power play, and that would not be wrong. who has looked especially good? Carter Rowney and Tom Kuhnhackl. The latter of those two kept his lineup spot Wednesday with the return of Score three times with the man-advantage, as the Penguins did Hornqvist. Tough not to think it’s because of how well he kills penalties. Wednesday during a 3-2 win over the Capitals at Capital One Arena, and that unit is going to garner a fair amount of attention. • Bryan Rust looks like someone who’s playing with a ton of confidence right now. Had an assist on Letang’s goal. Four shots on goal. A couple However, another important storyline to come out of this one was the of multiple-assist games already. His game’s in a good place. Penguins’ defensive effort. They held Washington to just 22 shots on goal and were especially good taking away chances off the rush. • Kris Letang looks like Kris Letang. Maybe better, really, and that’s say something. He was tremendous in the first period and only got better. “We were good sorting it out,” said Matt Murray, who stopped 20 of 22 Wound up playing 27:09, attempting five shots, delivering four hits, shots. “They’re a big rush team. They get a lot of chances off of that. blocking two shots and contributing two takeaways. The offense is no Their second goal was probably the only one where we gave them surprise. The well-rounded-ness has been really impressive. anything. That was really important. And obviously the penalty kill was huge, too.” • Give Sullivan credit for showing a willingness to mess around with his power-play pieces. Yes, Letang scored, but otherwise the top unit was Penguins Kris Letang is congratulated after scoring against the Capitals clunky early. So Sullivan changed. And while it led to some in the first period. unconventional groupings, it certainly worked. The penalty kill was 4 for 4, extending its consecutive kills streak to 17. • All four of the Penguins’ penalties were stick infractions, the sort of stuff We’ll get to more about those guys, but how about the effort limiting that drives Sullivan nuts. Expect this to be emphasized in Thursday’s pretty much except for Alex Ovechkin? video meeting. Washington’s captain finished with nine shots on goal. The Capitals’ other 11 forwards combined for nine. Post Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 Penguins coach Mike Sullivan ascribed the low number of shots on goal to how his team managed the puck, a recurring theme so far this season. And after a first period where Sullivan counted five scoring chances off the rush, a few reminders at first intermission seemed to do the trick. “We talked to them a little bit about making sure that we’re diligent at the blue lines,” Sullivan said. “When there are plays there, we want to make them. But if they’re not, we can’t shoot ourselves in the foot by being careless with the puck. “We got pucks in. We hung onto pucks in the offensive zone. We forced them to have to play goal line to goal line.” The Penguins allowed 44 shots on goal to Chicago in a 10-1 loss last Thursday. In the two games since, they’ve allowed 26 and 22. “We’re competing,” Sullivan said. “We competed again [Wednesday]. It was an emotional game. We’ve got so much respect for Washington. They’re a real good team. We just played two really good teams. They were both emotional games. They both had a physical dimension to them. It’s encouraging that we’re playing the game hard. That’s what it takes to win.” Limiting the number shots on goal they allow would be a welcome improvement for the Penguins, who allowed an average of 32.6 per game last season, fourth-worst in the NHL. But against the Capitals, who had the third-best offense in 2016-17, the Penguins fell into some good habits and stuck with them. “We know their first two lines like to make plays on the entries,” Kris Letang said. “They have a guy like Ovechkin who’s going to shoot every time. You try to be in his face, try to deny time and space and make sure he doesn’t get a quality shot on net.” What did Murray think? At 10:33 of the first period, after a Washington defensive-zone turnover, Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby ventured nearly out to the blue line to make a “save” on Carl Hagelin. Murray called the play “bold” and said he’s seen Holtby do similar stuff a handful of times before. Holtby picked up a minor penalty for delay of game. “If you can get the jump on him, I think that’s a good play,” Murray said. “He made a pretty good save almost at the blue line because ‘Hags’ actually beat him to the puck. He had to make a play on it. I guess it was 1077725 Pittsburgh Penguins The goal gave Hornqvist five goals in the 11 regular-season games he has played against the Capitals as a member of the Penguins.

After Djoos scored at 19:07 of the second period to give Washington Penguins power play too much for penalty-prone Caps some life, Sheary re-directed a Schultz feed 38 seconds into the third for a 3-1 margin. JASON MACKEY Other skaters on the ice with Sheary included Sidney Crosby, Hornqvist, Schultz and Olli Maatta, a mishmash of bodies that Sullivan juggled Pittsburgh Post-Gazette throughout the game, looking for a spark. [email protected] It certainly worked. 10:25 PM OCT 11, 2017 “It was not a pretty game,” Hornqvist said. “Over an 82-game season, it’s going to happen. We’ll take the two points. We worked hard. We got some ugly goals, but they count them, too.” WASHINGTON — When Penguins coach Mike Sullivan wants to shake Carter Rowney and Tom Kuhnhackl have seized opportunities on a up things on his power play, he can juggle defensemen between Kris surpassingly strong penalty-kill. … Alex Ovechkin was very much a force. Letang and Justin Schultz. If he wants to get a different net-front look, He attempted 13 shots, put seven on goal and beat Murray once. “He Sullivan can choose between and Patric Hornqvist. can score from anywhere,” Murray said. “He’s got a really tough shot to read as a goalie. You have to be aggressive on him, but you don’t want It’s an embarrassment of riches, and it turned out to be necessary on this to be overplaying him because other guys can hurt you just as bad.” night as the Penguins power play actually experienced a little bit of trouble. Jason Mackey: [email protected] and Twitter @JMackeyPG. In response, Sullivan re-arranged some deck furniture and did enough to CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that player Alex find three power-play goals, an infusion of offense that proved to be the Ovechkin put nine on goal. In fact, he put seven. difference in the Penguins’ 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. “There’s a fine line between letting them play through some of the Post Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 struggles or just mixing it up to see if we can get a fresh look,” Sullivan said. “We stayed with it there for a fair amount of the game. The coaches thought that it was time to give them a fresh look. Penguins defeat the Capitals, 3-2, Wednesday night. “We stayed with a lot of the similar guys; we just moved people around a little bit. It ended up working for us.” Letang, Hornqvist and Conor Sheary scored those goals, as the Penguins won for the 15th time in their past 22 regular-season games in this building. Matt Murray stopped 20 of 22 shots to wash the final taste of the 10-1 loss Thursday night at Chicago out of their mouths as the Penguins picked up their first road win of the season. It wasn’t just the power play that did the job, either, although that unit improved to 5 for 18 (27.8 percent) over the first four games. The Penguins penalty-kill — a bit of a worry over the summer — has looked exceedingly good thus far. It snuffed out all four Washington power-play chances Wednesday, extending its run to 17 in a row. Much of the talk after this one will revolve around the return of Hornqvist, who played for the first time this season after having offseason hand surgery. He looked every bit like himself, mucking it up on the first two goals and generally annoying Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. “I just try to play my game,” Hornqvist said. “It worked for me [Wednesday].” Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby talk during Wednesday's morning skate at Capital One Arena in Washington. With Matt Niskanen off for slashing, Hornqvist tapped a cross-crease pass to Letang, who backhanded a shot past Holtby at 5:22 of the opening period for his first goal since Feb. 4, the result of neck surgery. That gave Letang two goals and 12 points over 14 regular-season games dating to Feb. 3. Hornqvist was plenty aggressive on the forecheck, delivering a hard hit on Washington defenseman Aaron Ness early. Later, Hornqvist showed that his timing was perfectly fine with a goal to make it 2-0 at 8:20 of the second period. Hornqvist drew a penalty on Capitals rookie defenseman Christian Djoos to give the Penguins the man-advantage — his second drawn penalty of the game — and poked a puck under Holtby’s left arm on a scrum in front of the net. “He brings so much to this team,” Sullivan said. “He plays with so much swagger. He’s just a great competitor. When he’s on the bench, he brings juice to our bench. You hear him chirping all the time. He’s just awesome to have around. “It’s contagious with our group. He’s just a real positive guy. He brings tons of energy to our team.” 1077726 Pittsburgh Penguins Although many predicted Ovechkin wouldn’t again rank among the league’s top goal-getters, here we are, back in a familiar, intense place.

“That’s the way it’s been for a long time,” Crosby said. “You throw a Alex Ovechkin is back and ready to torment the Penguins couple playoff series back-to-back years, that’s what you’re going to get. “They’re intense games, emotional games. Those are the ones you want JASON MACKEY to play in.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] Post Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 2:17 PM OCT 11, 2017

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin has seven goals in three games so far this season, almost literally shooting holes in the theory that, at 32 and coming off one of his worst offensive seasons, his best days are behind him. The Penguins have certainly taken notice of Ovechkin’s resurgence. How could they not, honestly? “He’s been shooting the puck a lot,” Brian Dumoulin said following Wednesday’s morning skate at Capital One Arena. “It seems like he was always, but he’s been shooting it a lot more. Pucks seem to be going in for him. A little confidence with him, it’s dangerous. He’s a guy who doesn’t need a lot of time and space, so he’s definitely going to be one of the key factors for us tonight to try and shut down.” To beat the Capitals and score their first road victory of the season, the Penguins know what they have to do. Same as it usually is in this building and this city, really. They need to stop the sharpshooting Ovechkin, especially on the power play. Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby talk during Wednesday's morning skate at Capital One Arena in Washington. “The key to their team is their power play, and a lot of it runs through him with his shot,” Dumoulin said. “He doesn’t need a lot of time to get that thing off. I think special teams is going to be key tonight.” Perhaps that’s a good thing for the Penguins. Their penalty kill has been perfect on its past 13 chances dating back to the home-opener a week ago. It comes as somewhat of a surprise, too, given the offseason departures of Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen and Ron Hainsey — stalwarts on that unit. Dumoulin said the group has been pressuring well together, an important element of success against the highly skilled Capitals’ top group of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and T.J. Oshie. In three games, the Capitals are 3 for 9 on the power play, including a 2- for-4 performance Monday in a 4-3 overtime loss at Tampa Bay. It could turn out to be a strength-on-strength sort of matchup. “A lot of the guys who are on it can all skate,” Dumoulin said of the Penguins’ group of penalty killers, which includes Dumoulin, Olli Maatta, Kris Letang and Matt Hunwick on the back end, with the possible addition of Chad Ruhwedel on Wednesday. “We’ve done a good job of putting the power plays under pressure and exploiting that.” Ovechkin has scored one of his seven goals on the power play. Love him or hate him, he’s a generational talent, and he’s showing he could still be the best goal-scorer going, if this keeps up. When these teams last met, however, Ovechkin was hardly healthy and relegated to third-line duty — something coach Barry Trotz spun into a move toward addressing scoring depth. This season — although it’s way, way too early — Ovechkin has seemingly turned back the clock. He has 18 shots on goal in three games, and they’ve come with authority. Ovechkin’s playing with a fellow in Russian Kuznetsov — not Backstrom — and seemingly brimming with confidence. “He shoots the puck a lot,” Sidney Crosby said. “He has a great shot. He’s finding spots. You just try to limit those chances.” The Capitals are understandably not over that Game 7 loss; they’d surely like to extract whatever measure of revenge is left following another early playoff exit. This has long been one of the NHL’s best rivalries, with Ovechkin and his goal-scoring front and center. 1077727 Pittsburgh Penguins we had expected him to. We’re hopeful that he’ll get back in a timely manner.”

The Penguins second power-play unit at morning skate was Hornqvist, Penguins amped for a potential Patric Hornqvist return Justin Schultz, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Olli Maatta. None of those guys, you’ll note, plays center. JASON MACKEY It’s a challenge — the Capitals actually do the same thing — and it forces Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sullivan into a couple decisions. [email protected] “If you have to start with a faceoff, that’s one,” Sullivan explained. “The other concern is always when the power play expires, if there’s an icing, 12:00 AM OCT 12, 2017 then you’ve got three wings on the ice, and they need somebody to have to take a faceoff.”

White House assessment WASHINGTON — Patric Hornqvist slid a pass to Sidney Crosby, crashed the net, whacked at a rebound and finished the sequence by Not much talk about the Penguins’ visit to the White House Tuesday, but playfully rubbing his glove in Matt Murray’s face. Crosby offered one thing that will stick with him. This was only morning skate, mind you, but it illustrated an important “It was cool to have a team photo in the Oval Office,” Crosby said. “We point that will likely bubble to the surface Wednesday night as the went to similar places as last year, but that was a new one. It was cool to Penguins take on the Capitals at Capital One Arena. do that. Good to do it and move on.” Hornqvist, who’s officially considered a game-time decision, is expected Crosby said Capitals defenseman — and former teammate — Matt to return from offseason hand surgery that has kept him out of the first Niskanen apologized via text message over the summer for cross- three games. With him in the lineup, the Penguins are simply a different checking him in the head during the teams’ playoff series. team. “Things happen out there,” Crosby said. “I’ve been involved with a lot of “He brings a lot of emotion,” Crosby said of Hornqvist. “On the ice and different things. Plays happen. I appreciate the text. It wasn’t needed, but definitely in the room, he brings energy. Especially a game like this, I appreciate it.” these are the kinds of games that he likes to be in.”

Penguins Kris Letang is congratulated after scoring against the Capitals in the first period. Post Gazette LOADED: 10.12.2017 The numbers bear that out. In his past 10 regular-season games against the Capitals, Hornqvist has four goals and six points. He has four goals and seven points in 13 playoff games all-time against them, including a key insurance goal in the third period of the Penguins’ 2-0 win this past spring in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. “He’s a high-stakes player,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He plays his best when the stakes are high.” With Hornqvist during the regular season, the Penguins are 129-63-24 (.653). Without him, they’re just 13-12-8 (.515). Some of that, of course, is hockey-related. Nobody else does what Hornqvist does around the net: finishing rebounds, agitating the opposing goaltender and scoring greasy goals. Another factor — arguably the most important — is the crazy intensity. Hornqvist brings energy in an almost comical way. Take, for instance, another moment during Wednesday’s morning skate. Alex Ovechkin celebrates a goal during the third period of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals agains tthe Penguins in May. “You gotta shoot that, Olli,” Hornqvist screamed at Olli Maatta during power-play drills. After one of his own misses, Hornqvist grunted and machine-gun tapped his stick on the ice, frustrated with himself. “That’s the way I play and that’s what I try to do every single night,” Hornqvist said. “Play hard and play the game my way. That’s obviously with a lot of energy, a lot of speed. If I’m going out there for the game, I make sure I’m 100 percent, and I play the right way.” Hornqvist is understandably excited. His teammates are, too. “It’s great,” Brian Dumoulin said of the prospect of a Hornqvist return. “He brings his ‘A’ effort every game. He goes out there and works as hard as he can. It’s good to have that energy back in the locker room and on the ice.” Cole ‘making progress’ Ian Cole is on injured reserve after taking a Roman Josi slapper to the mouth last Saturday. He’ll miss his first game because of injury since joining the Penguins in March 2015, but Sullivan said Cole is tracking well. “We still don’t have a definitive time frame, but he’s making progress,” Sullivan said. “I think the last couple of days, he’s improving more than 1077728 San Jose Sharks

Major Bay Area sports teams donate $450,000 to North Bay fire relief

By DANIEL MANO | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: October 11, 2017 at 3:48 pm | UPDATED: October 11, 2017 at 4:20 PM

The seven major Bay Area professional sports teams combined forces for a collective $450,000 donation to support North Bay fire relief efforts, they announced Wednesday. The Warriors, 49ers, Raiders, Giants, A’s, Sharks and Earthquakes set up a donation site at www.youcaring.com/firerelief for their fans to donate what they can to support the victims of the fires. Alternatively, fans of those franchises can contribute by texting “REDCROSS” to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Here are the statements sent by representatives from those seven teams: Warriors president and COO Rick Welts: “The North Bay is a large part of our Warriors family and we’re devastated by what they are enduring at this time. We are joining forces with the rest of our sports community to help relief efforts and encourage any fans who are able to help by donating as well.” 49ers CEO Jed York: “The North Bay fires have devastated families, homes, businesses, and schools across the region, and as first responders work tirelessly to put out the fires and aid those in need, Bay Area sports teams are unified in supporting relief efforts. Although we can never replace what was lost, together we can help those impacted by the fires rebuild.” Raiders president Marc Badain: “The Raiders family expresses our deepest concern for everyone affected by the North Bay fires. The Raiders have held training camp in Napa for the past 22 seasons and have formed a strong bond with communities in Napa and Sonoma counties. The Silver and Black ask the entire to help spread the word on how everyone can assist the region in its recovery.” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer: “We want all the communities affected by these horrific fires to know the Giants and all of the Bay Area teams are here to support you as you recover and rebuild in the days, weeks and months ahead. You are part of our family and we are holding all of you close to our hearts.” A’s president Dave Kaval: “When a tragedy hits this close to home, we feel it’s our duty to get involved and to help our community and those who have been impacted. We are proud to team up with all of the Bay Area professional sports teams to support North Bay disaster relief efforts.” Sharks COO John Tortora: “It is devastating to witness a region dedicated to hospitality, friendliness, and community experience such loss. These are friends, family members, individuals and businesses who have a unique sense of solidarity and we generously will support relief and recovery efforts as they navigate this tragic time.” Earthquakes president Tom Fox: “The world has faced an unimaginable amount of tragedy and devastation in the past few months and the fires in the North Bay hit particularly close to home. We’re happy to do our part, along with the other pro teams in the region, to help rebuild our community stronger than ever.”

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077729 San Jose Sharks After auditioning eight different left wingers on the top line last season, why not close the revolving door by returning to the combination that drove the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final just two years ago? Five thoughts: are Sharks’ DeBoer, Wilson on the same page regarding Hertl’s switch to Couture’s line could be the first step toward a larger Hertl’s role? move. 3. The Sharks miss Marleau’s versatility. By PAUL GACKLE | [email protected] | Bay Area News Losing Marleau is proving to be a double whammy for the Sharks: they Group miss his offensive production on Couture’s line and his ability to play October 11, 2017 at 3:03 PM center on the third line. After the Sharks moved Hertl up to the top line on Jan. 9, 2016, Marleau slid into the third line center position, creating matchup problems for SAN JOSE — Just two games into the post-Patrick Marleau era, Sharks teams across the NHL. Under the center alignment of Thornton, Couture coach Pete DeBoer is already flirting with the idea of suspending the and Marleau, the Sharks finished the season with a 26-14-4 record, Tomas Hertl project at center. setting the stage for their run to the Stanley Cup Final. Hertl skated on Logan Couture’s left wing for a third-consecutive practice But with Marleau up north, Chris Tierney will need to close the third line Wednesday, occupying the very spot in the Sharks lineup that Marleau hole opened by Hertl’s move to the wing while Carpenter takes his place held down for a large chunk of the last five seasons. on the fourth line. Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, Although Tierney acquitted himself well as the team’s third line center in commentary and conversation. the Western Conference Finals two years ago, he’s yet to display the type of consistency that the Sharks will need to recreate the center depth Although DeBoer insists that he isn’t looking beyond Thursday’s bout they had with Thornton, Couture and Marleau two years ago. with the Buffalo Sabres at the SAP Center, the move suggests that he’s already dissatisfied with his top-six forward group in the wake of 4. The Sharks have options for replacing Paul Martin. Marleau’s departure to the Toronto Maple Leafs and willing to veer from general manager Doug Wilson’s longterm blueprint to add more Tim Heed won the Sharks seventh-defenseman job out of training camp, firepower into the mix. but Joakim Ryan could be a more natural fit for the blue line if Paul Martin is sidelined for an extended period of time. DeBoer just entered the final season of his three-year deal with the Sharks, and if he’s going to get another contract, the team will need to Martin missed practice with a lower-body injury Wednesday and Dylan make the playoffs and contend in the Western Conference. He can’t DeMelo took his spot on the blue line, playing to the left of Brent Burns afford to fall into an 0-3 hole, especially when the Sharks are opening the on his off side. schedule with a cozy five-game homestand. Although DeMelo, a right-shot defenseman, has proved capable of Wilson, on the other hand, is looking at the landscape through a playing on the left side of the blue line, Joakim Ryan, a lefty, could be telescope. He believes the Sharks are more than capable of absorbing recalled from the AHL Barracuda and slotted onto the third pairing if he or Marleau’s loss by giving additional opportunities and responsibilities to Heed stumbles Thursday night. up-and-comers, such as Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc and Ryan Carpenter. As I was trying to evaluate the horserace between Heed and Ryan in He’s also convinced that Hertl will develop into a bonafide-NHL center training camp, I was told on a number of occasions that the ultimate once he receives an injury-free season to grow into the position. decision could come down to whether the Sharks need a left or right-shot follow us on Flipboard. defenseman. Nevertheless, Wilson insists that he stays out of day-to-day lineup At this point, Martin’s injury is considered to be a day-to-day affair, but if decisions; DeBoer can play Hertl where he sees fit, which is what the he’s out of the lineup for a stretch of games, Ryan could get his shot in Sharks coach intends to do. the near future. “We’re all short term as coaches. Doug juggles the blueprints, I’m short 5. Golden Knights put together a ‘great night’ for Vegas, NHL. term, so we’re going to do whatever (it takes),” DeBoer said. “If they Under normal circumstances, a head coach would chafe at watching a (Wilson’s blueprints) can jibe together, and coincide, and they work, and division rival improve its record to 3-0. But DeBoer could feel the emotion they can help us win, we’ll do them at this level. But if they’re not, we’re of the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes through going to change something up. his TV screen Tuesday night. “I still think Tomas Hertl’s going to be a real, real good centerman in this The Golden Knights grabbed ahold of first place in the Pacific Division by league, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help us win a game, tomorrow winning their first-ever regular season game at T-Mobile Arena after an night, somewhere else.” emotional opening ceremony where first responders to last week’s mass With Marleau’s 27 goals in Toronto, is DeBoer confident that he has the shooting at Mandalay Bay accompanied the players onto the ice. personnel in his locker room for the Sharks to contend this year? The team fed off the emotion, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the game’s first “It’s too early to tell what the story of this team’s going to be. It could be 6:15. great,” DeBoer said. “I’ve gone into seasons with low expectations, or “It was a great night. You could feel the emotion almost through the TV slow starts, and the group gels, comes together, guys overachieve, and screen,” DeBoer said. “The way they acknowledged it, and the first you look up and you’re in a Stanley Cup Final. responders, and then the way the game started, and the result, I thought “This team’s going to write its own story. I like the group, I like the it was a great night for hockey.” potential of the group. We’ve got to get it out of them.” 2. Hertl’s best fit is still with Joe and Joe. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.12.2017 If DeBoer is willing to slide Hertl onto the wing to snag a win in game No. 3 of an 82-game schedule, it isn’t a complete stretch to imagine that the affable Czech could rejoin and Joe Pavelski’s line sooner than later. After Marleau signed with the Maple Leafs in July, I suggested that Hertl’s return to the top-scoring line could help the Sharks offset the loss of his offensive production, an option that will be more and more appetizing if the team continues to stumble. Hertl checks off all the boxes that DeBoer has identified as being essential attributes for the third piece of the Thornton line. He’s powerful, he’s strong on the cycle and he has a knack for scoring the dirty goal around the net. 1077730 San Jose Sharks

After 19 years in San Jose, Marleau keeping some traditions alive in Toronto

By Marcus White October 11, 2017 3:39 PM

When Patrick Marleau takes the ice at SAP Center as a Toronto Maple Leaf later this month, his routine on and off of the ice will be the same. Marleau was the last player to leave the Sharks’ dressing room during his 19 years in teal, and “the tradition stays alive in his new home,” according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 38-year-old, who signed a three-year deal with Toronto on July 2, has also stuck with the training methods he learned during his time in San Jose. From Friedman: Marleau changed his off-season training about five years ago.“He’s really good at having the right approach to his body,” said Mike Potenza, San Jose’s strength and conditioning coach. Potenza’s time with Marleau lasted 11 years, seeing a player who adapted to the challenges of keeping agility and flexibility as he got older. Marleau adopted Pilates and a more rigorous in-season stretching routine. Five seasons ago, Marleau opened the year with nine goals in his first five games. It's still the fastest such start in Sharks franchise history. The former Sharks forward also took the unusual step of starting his summer workouts slowly, taking it to a higher level in September, Potenza said. “The first time we did it, he came to me at the start of the year and said he didn’t feel as good,” Potenza told Friedman. “I told [Marleau], ‘Wait until February.’ He came back then and said, ‘I never felt this good.’” Marleau will play in San Jose as an opponent for the first time on October 30.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077731 San Jose Sharks

Bay Area pro sports teams unite to donate $450K for North Bay fire relief efforts

Staff Report By Media Services October 11, 2017 1:32 PM

SANTA CLARA – Bay Area professional sports teams including the Oakland Raiders, , Oakland A’s, San Jose Earthquakes, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks and the Golden State Warriors today announced a collective donation of $450,000 to support North Bay fire relief efforts. The teams urge all of their fans to contribute to the effort. The teams have established a YouCaring site www.youcaring.com/firerelief for fans to donate whatever they can to support the victims of these devastating fires. Alternatively, Bay Area fans who would like to contribute via text to relief efforts can text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Firefighters from across California and neighboring states are working feverishly to contain the fires that have resulted in multiple casualties and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. The North Bay fires, which started on Sunday, October 8th, are some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, where seventeen fires have raged across parts of four counties. “The Raiders family expresses our deepest concern for everyone affected by the North Bay fires,” said Raiders President Marc Badain. “The Raiders have held training camp in Napa for the past 22 seasons and have formed a strong bond with communities in Napa and Sonoma counties. The Silver and Black ask the entire Raider Nation to help spread the word on how everyone can assist the region in its recovery.” “The North Bay fires have devastated families, homes, businesses, and schools across the region, and as first responders work tirelessly to put out the fires and aid those in need, Bay Area sports teams are unified in supporting relief efforts,” said 49ers CEO Jed York. “Although we can never replace what was lost, together we can help those impacted by the fires rebuild.” “When a tragedy hits this close to home, we feel it’s our duty to get involved and to help our community and those who have been impacted,” said A’s President Dave Kaval. “We are proud to team up with all of the Bay Area professional sports teams to support North Bay disaster relief efforts.” “The world has faced an unimaginable amount of tragedy and devastation in the past few months and the fires in the North Bay hit particularly close to home,” said Earthquakes President Tom Fox. “We’re happy to do our part, along with the other pro teams in the region, to help rebuild our community stronger than ever.” “We want all the communities affected by these horrific fires to know the Giants and all of the Bay Area teams are here to support you as you recover and rebuild in the days, weeks and months ahead,” said Giants President and CEO Larry Baer. “You are part of our family and we are holding all of you close to our hearts.” “It is devastating to witness a region dedicated to hospitality, friendliness, and community experience such loss,” said Sharks COO John Tortora. “These are friends, family members, individuals and businesses who have a unique sense of solidarity and we generously will support relief and recovery efforts as they navigate this tragic time.” “The North Bay is a large part of our Warriors family and we’re devastated by what they are enduring at this time,” said Warriors President and COO Rick Welts. “We are joining forces with the rest of our sports community to help relief efforts and encourage any fans who are able to help by donating as well.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077732 San Jose Sharks

After stale start, Sharks have the need for Heed

By Marcus White October 11, 2017 12:05 PM

For the second straight day, defenseman Paul Martin missed practice, according to our own Brodie Brazil on Facebook Live. Absence creates opportunity, and the beneficiary over the last two days was 26-year-old Swedish defenseman Tim Heed. Heed, who led the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in scoring from the blueline last season, made the team out of camp as the seventh defenseman. His track record from the AHL and an accomplished career in Sweden are impressive, but what Heed represents is arguably more important: A fresh approach. Yes, Kevin Labanc is playing in a top-six role and fellow second-year forward Timo Meier made the team out of camp. Patrick Marleau’s gone, too, but for all intents and purposes, the roster that was bounced out in six games in the first round last spring has remained intact. Through two games this season, things have already started to look stale. The Sharks have only scored twice at even strength. The power play’s looked listless. The penalty kill’s bled chances. Martin Jones has struggled. Head coach Peter DeBoer’s juggled the lines in an effort to change things up, but Heed’s potential entry into the lineup on Thursday against Buffalo represents a much realer opportunity for change. Heed also skated on the first power play unit on Tuesday. His presence there fundamentally changes the approach of that group, which would feature two capable, puck-moving defensemen and three forwards, instead of the usual one and four. It’s a much more notable difference than plugging Mikkel Boedker in for the departed Marleau. Such a revamp is probably also overdue, given San Jose’s drop from third to 25th in power play percentage last season. The previous approach hasn’t worked lately, and a subtly different one could get the power play going again. Now, that’s not to overstate Heed’s importance. He skated with Brenden Dillon at practice on Wednesday, meaning he’ll begin the season on the third pairing. His potential may be considerably higher, but he’s currently a bottom pairing defenseman potentially set for some time on the power play. And, in all likelihood, he’ll leave the lineup once Martin’s healthy. But for the first time this season, it feels like the Sharks are taking a different approach. Playing the youth is one thing, but deploying the roster differently has proven to be another. Heed could start to change that. Alone, Heed won’t be enough to cure what’s ailed the Sharks so far. What he represents, though, just might be the start of what does.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077733 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues at Florida Panthers

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 hrs ago (…) 6:30 p.m., Fox Sports Midwest, KMOX (1120 AM)

About the Panthers • The Panthers have played only twice this season, both times against in-state rival Tampa Bay. They lost 5-3 Friday in Tampa and won 5-4 Saturday at home. The Panthers’ eight goals so far have been scored by eight players. The Panthers were one of the NHL’s biggest disappointments last season, falling from 103 points and first place in the Atlantic Division in 2015-16 to 81 points and 13th place in the Eastern Conference. Three of the top five goal scorers from last season are gone; Bob Boughner is the new coach.

Jim Thomas St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077734 St Louis Blues these days include this: “The women — two of whom are students at the university — went to a St. Louis hospital about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, less than two hours after the alleged assaults occurred.” Hochman: Excitement about SLU basketball dims with closed doors And this statement, from SLU President Fred Pestello: “Sexual assault, misconduct and harassment of any kind have no place at our University.” Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch We’ll see what happens with the Billikens. Maybe there won’t be charges. Maybe there will be minor suspensions, and by Thanksgiving we’ll just be talking about Goodwin at point guard and these amazing transfers. I want to be excited about SLU basketball. But as of now, I have this image in my head of that new Billikens mascot head, with a tear going down its cheek. I find it hard to get excited about I am. Or, was. Billikens basketball, because now it’s not just about basketball. Just a month ago, I was over at Chaifetz on a sunny day outside and inside the arena. Coach Travis Ford gushed about his guys. The team, with freshman Jordan Goodwin and a bunch of transfers, was supposed St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.12.2017 to actually be good, harkening to days of Top-25 rankings, Rick Majerus and our town’s “Larry Legend.” Of “Spoonball” and “H-Bombs” and Erwin Claggett, or back when they’d say on the PA: “Anthonyyyyyyy Bonner!” But now, the media isn’t even allowed into the building for practice. Ford won’t speak publicly. Neither will athletics director Chris May. Four St. Louis University basketball players have been accused of sexual assault. And now we wait to find out their fate. The season starts Nov. 10. Right now, like many St. Louisans, I just don’t know what to think about the Billikens. There’s the innocent-until-proven-guilty aspect, of course. And in the course of sports history, athletes have been accused of terrible things they actually didn’t do. But at SLU, there is no transparency right now. And we’re left with wondering the worst. Whether they’re charged or not, four members of this team were accused of sexual assault. And as Harvey Weinstein accusers come out in Hollywood — and the 2016 election’s “Access Hollywood” story forever looms — we’re now, perhaps more than ever, attuned to the frightening reality of famous people demanding sexual desires. It’s all rather disturbing. If the players truly are not guilty, this all sure stinks for them. Over the years covering sports, I’ve heard horror stories of athletes being accused of things. Or blackmailed. Fame is an unpredictable and precarious world. But in the short term, we’re left simply wondering what happened that night on SLU’s campus — and what’s happening inside SLU’s arena. Or, we’re left just not thinking about SLU basketball at all. SLU forever has been trying to peck its way into the local sports scene — and into the local sports news cycle — and this fall was expected to do so. Cards out of the playoffs. Mizzou football has one win. A renewed SLU hoops program could’ve actually been relevant, even in preseason preparation. Instead, you’ll read fewer stories about all the players, since our reporters can’t interview them. And you’ll see less on the evening news. And since the assault accusations broke, the team’s Twitter account has tweeted only three times. By comparison, Mizzou’s twitter account has tweeted 26 times, and ’ has tweeted 28 times. And while this might seem like a smaller issue, a team’s social media identity is important in a smartphone era, in which recruits are constantly consuming tweets. A lot of times, it’s just about keeping up and staying relevant. Right now, the only thing we know about SLU is, essentially, nothing. It’s a bad look — the poison they’ve picked. SLU won’t even reveal if anyone has yet to be suspended. The program had seized momentum, and now it has ceased momentum. It’s all too bad. I wanted to get excited about SLU basketball this season. I don’t know if casual sports fans realize how thrilling the local hoops scene will be this winter. New coaches at Mizzou and Illinois, and top local talent — which also happens to be top-100 national talent — at all three schools, including Goodwin at SLU. In the meantime, it appears that SLU basketball has only a few public appearances until the first game. On Saturday, there’s a fancy-pants soiree (literally, The Billiken Sneaker Soiree), which costs $150 and includes a cocktail hour and auction. That sort of thing. Then Atlantic 10 media day is Tuesday. And there will be the inevitably awkward first exhibition game Nov. 4. Will that be the first time we hear the interviewed voices of SLU players since the incident? The first time we learn whether the roster is intact? Maybe this can be a teaching moment for, well, any sports team. Coaches, remind your athletes to respect the people they’re intimate with. Show your athletes how one player (or, in this case, four) can cause negative ripple effects and ramifications that overwhelm an entire team. Show them how because of this, the latest articles about SLU basketball 1077735 St Louis Blues When the Blues have buckled in the first four games, netminders Jake Allen and Carter Hutton have held up under duress. They have combined to produce a .939 save percentage while thwarting one point-blank flurry Blues aren't letting injuries slow them down after another. “What’s been so valuable to us is our goaltenders,” Schenn said. “They are making timely saves.” By Jeff Gordon St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6 hrs ago (…) Regaining veteran checking winger Scottie Upshall has bolstered the supporting cast, which is a bit thin with youngsters Barbashev, Oskar Sundqvist, Tage Thompson and Vince Dunn getting on-the-job training NEW YORK • Islanders coach Doug Weight wasn’t surprised the Blues while filling in. arrived in New York ready to reaffirm their contender status, despite suffering a slew of early injuries. “I think guys are just taking advantage of their opportunities,” Allen said. “Guys never know when their chance is going to come up again. Right So what if many experts considered them a bubble team for the playoffs now there are some big opportunities for guys in our lineup that might not or worse? have had them at the start of the year if we had all of our bodies. Guys realize that and are taking advantage of that. I think in this league, if you “They’re just a good hockey team,” said Weight, one of the many former don’t advantage of an opportunity, you might not get another one.” Blues to move on to coaching or managing. “They’re well-coached. They’re real disciplined. They’ve been together ... they’ve tinkered with As well as the Blues have played, they still have much room to improve some things, but they’ve been a team on the cusp for a long time. They while continuing their road trip with two games in Florida. Their third made a couple of good runs. They have some youth coming in there. periods this season have been harrowing experiences, featuring They’re built well, they have a great core. defensive breakdowns left and right. “Unlike a lot of popular opinion over the summer, I think they got a little “We’re where we want to be,” Schwartz said. “But I still think there are better.” some things we can work on. When we get these leads, we have to find a way to stay on the gas and stay aggressive. I think that will go a long The Blues demonstrated that by edging the Islanders 3-2 in the shootout way for us.” Monday afternoon at , then dispatching the New York Rangers 3-1 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. That gave them three victories in four days and a 4-0 record, despite St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.12.2017 playing without , Jay Bouwmeester, Robby Fabbri, Patrik Berglund and Zach Sanford, all out with various injuries. “No secret, we’re missing top players on our team,” center Brayden Schenn said. “Whether it’s veteran players or goalies or whoever, guys are stepping up each night and that’s what makes a good team. We’re 4- 0. We’ll take it. Good start for the season.” Blues coach Mike Yeo noted that such success while shorthanded is nothing new. The Blues rolled down the stretch last season after summoning Ivan Barbashev and Magnus Paajarvi from the Chicago Wolves and acquiring Sanford from the Washington Capitals. “We did it last year. We lost a lot of guys to injury,” he said. “We started calling up the Barbashevs, the Paajarvis, Sanfords. Young guys, we inserted them into the lineup. “It’s the next man up, that’s the mentality that our group has. We’re not going to allow any excuses to creep in. I think that our veteran players have really raised their game and stepped up and delivered in a big way for us. And then the guys that are filling in know they have to perform and we’ve seen that this year.” The Blues have adhered to the old hockey adage that your best players have to be your best players. Jaden Schwartz (two goals, five assists, plus-6), (two goals, four assists, plus-3), Schenn (two goals, three assists, plus-5), Paul Stastny (one goal, four assists, plus-3) and Vladimir Tarasenko (three goals, one assist, plus-3) are playing at a high level. Schwartz has been the team’s best skater, performing brilliantly at both ends of the ice. “His relentlessness, his tenacity to go along with that kind of speed, skill and hockey sense, it’s rare to find those things,” Yeo said. “I said this last year, he’s going to start getting more and more attention. He’s just starting to scratch the surface. I think that the world is going start taking notice how great a hockey player he is.” Schenn has been the most pleasant surprise. He arrived with the reputation of a power-play specialist who couldn’t hold up at center, especially at even strength, particularly in his own zone. But through four games he has been a creative playmaker at one end of the ice and a sturdy defender at the other. Yeo has trusted him to kill penalties and match up against top centers at even strength. “He’s been better than advertised for me, personally,” Yeo said. “First off, he’s a great pro, a great fit inside our locker room and with our group. I’ve really liked him at center. If there was any concern or uncertainty about him or his ability to play center, it’s erased from my mind now. “When you watch him there, first of all he distributes the puck really well. He’s made a lot of key plays setting up goals. His defensive game has been real solid. He’s a big body who can really battle, be hard and separate guys (from the puck) down low.” 1077736 Tampa Bay Lightning The Islanders' run was stopped by the Oilers, who beat them in the 1984 Cup final for their first title. The Oilers won again the next year, and they came within an own goal in Game 7 in the second round against the The Penguins' three-peat quest comes to Tampa today Flames in 1986 from winning five straight. The Oilers' second attempt at a three-peat was stopped in the first round by Wayne Gretzky and his new team, the Kings, in 1989. By Roger Mooney, Times Staff Writer The Penguins won in 1991 and 1992, then were tripped up in 1993 by an underdog Islanders team in the second round on a Game 7 overtime Wednesday, October 11, 2017 4:48PM goal. Arbour searched for any edge that could keep his Islanders motivated and winning. TAMPA — Life, Denis Potvin said the other day, was not very good for the members of the Islanders in the early 1980s if they lost two straight Potvin remembered one training camp when each player was handed an games. envelope with a key to a hotel room. Potvin said he entered his and found it filled with smoke from burning incense and Maharishi Mahesh "All of a sudden practice times were different. There were weigh-ins. Yogi — famed guru to the Beatles, the Beach Boys and other celebrities Practice without pucks," Potvin said. "Whatever (coach Al Arbour) had — waiting to teach him Transcendental Meditation. control over, he would do to make sure you weren't comfortable if you lost two in a row." "It's a constant 'Don't sit down,' " Potvin said. "If you're tired, then use the edge of the seat, but don't sit down, because everybody's after you." The Islanders were in the midst of a run of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83 and five trips to the Cup final. The good After the Penguins beat the Predators in June for their second straight teams would try to measure themselves against the Islanders, and the title, coach Mike Sullivan said to reporters at the championship parade: "I bad teams viewed a win against the defending champions as a highlight wonder if we can repeat? If we can three-peat?" in a lost season. The Penguins began the year with back-to-back losses, including a 10-1 Arbour, meanwhile, tried his best to not let complacency set in. embarrassment to the Blackhawks. It worked for nearly half a decade as the Islanders successfully defended "It's a real slap in the face, but it could be a very good thing for them three titles and almost a fourth, losing in the '84 Cup final to the Oilers. early in the season," Potvin said. "You're going to have to play as well and be as committed as you were the first two years, and that's what's Those teams, captained by Hall of Fame defenseman Potvin, were the hard to comprehend. For some reason, you think you've gained a little bit last to win at least three straight Cups. Since then, the Oilers (twice), Red of stature by winning two in a row." Wings and Penguins have won two in a row.

The current group of Penguins, who face the Lightning tonight at Amalie Arena, is the latest to try for a three-peat. That hasn't been done Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 successfully in more than three decades, Potvin, now the Panthers' TV analyst, noted last week with a measure of pride. Chief among the reasons for that is the salary cap, instituted as a result of the 2004-05 lockout. It prevents teams from locking up all their top players long term. By comparison, the Islanders kept a core of 16 during their run of Cup wins. If the gauntlet of an 82-game season plus four rounds of best-of-seven playoff series doesn't eventually catch up to a team, money will. "You look at what Chicago's had to do (after Cup wins in 2010, '13 and '15), Pittsburgh's had to do based on salary caps," Lightning general manager said. "You have to change that roster. The Islanders were able to keep that group together virtually the same. I'm not sure you can do that today, so that's another added challenge." Yzerman captained the Red Wings to back-to-back titles in 1997 and '98. The 1998-99 team finished third in the Western Conference and lost to the Avalanche in the playoffs' second round. "It's hard to play at that very-extra-high level game in and game out," Yzerman said. "It's really demanding. I was fortunate to be on the team that won two in a row. The next year when you lose, it doesn't feel any better. You don't sit there and say, 'It's okay, we just won two in a row.' You feel let down. It was an opportunity missed." For teams that successfully defend a title, chances are they have lost a key player or two, especially during this age of the salary cap. Injuries play a role. Factor in the mental and physical tolls, the shorter offseasons, the summers filled with parties and parades. The rest of the league also has a say. "There's a lot of luck and timing involved in winning," Yzerman said. "It doesn't always go your way. It's hard to win one, let alone two." Lightning forward Chris Kunitz was a key player on the Penguins' recent run of Cups: a win in 2009 and the first back-to-back wins by a team during the salary cap era. After signing with the Lightning in free agency, he began this season with the same goal he has had during the past two. "Everybody starts with a blank page, for sure, but the ability you have to write your own story is something you dictate," he said. "Everybody is doing the same thing, because everybody is trying to do the same thing — win the Stanley Cup." At the start of the year, he said, every team takes a moment to reflect on the previous season. "Either you don't want to do that again or you want to repeat the process," Kunitz said. "No two years are going to be the same." 1077737 Tampa Bay Lightning

Penguins prepare for Lightning with win over Capitals

Staff Report Associated Press Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:52PM

WASHINGTON — Patric Hornqvist went right back to the net, where he feels most comfortable, and was in his element once again. Hornqvist scored a power-play goal and assisted on another in his season debut to help the Penguins beat the Capitals 3-2 on Wednesday night in the teams' first meeting since the playoffs. The forward, who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal despite a broken finger and needed surgery to repair it, was on the ice for all three Pittsburgh power- play goals, naturally crashing the crease on each occasion, as he's accustomed to doing. "That's usually where I end up being and where I get my points and like to be," Hornqvist said. "You have to play games to get better, and it was good to get the win, and it was fun to be back out there." Hornqvist assisted on a goal by Kris Letang, the defenseman's first since Feb. 4 after missing the end of last season and playoffs because of neck surgery. He was also right there for Conor Sheary's goal as Pittsburgh went 3-for-6 on the power play. The Penguins are back in action Thursday night against the Lightning. Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading eighth goal of the season in the Capitals' fourth game. His goal with 7:09 left in the third period made things interesting, but Washington's season-high six minor penalties dug too deep a hole as a third of the game was played on special teams. "It really didn't allow our top players to get going," coach Barry Trotz said. "Every time we started getting any rhythm, we'd get a penalty." Christian Djoos assisted on Ovechkin's goal and scored in his NHL debut to become the third defenseman in Capitals franchise history to score in his debut, after Steve Poapst and Hall of Famer Scott Stevens. "First game in the NHL and you get a goal and an assist," Djoos said. "That wasn't my plan, really, when I showed up at the rink. I was going to play good and play a structured game and detailed game, but happy with the goal and the assist." Pittsburgh outshot Washington 36-22 as Matt Murray made 20 saves for the victory. Braden Holtby had 33 in the Capitals' first regulation loss of the season; they lost to the Lightning in overtime Monday. The Penguins also went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. "We had a good game plan going in," Letang said of the penalty-killing success. "I think we did a good job of denying their biggest threat with 'Ovi' on the weak side." Ovechkin was in danger of going without a point for a second game in a row after scoring seven goals in the Capitals' first two. Trotz was happy that Djoos made the play to set up Ovechkin's seventh even-strength goal of the season, and Murray was happy the Penguins didn't allow him to do any more damage. "He can score from anywhere," Murray said. "He's got a really tough shot to read as a goalie, and you've got to be aggressive on him. But you don't want to be overplaying him, either, because then other guys can hurt you just as bad." The Capitals kept Sidney Crosby, and from scoring; Crosby had just a secondary assist on Hornqvist's goal. But the Penguins' depth allowed them to mix and match when the power play wasn't clicking, and getting Hornqvist back makes a big difference for the defending champions. "He brings so much to this team," coach Mike Sullivan said. "He plays with so much swagger. He's just a great competitor."

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077738 Toronto Maple Leafs "[The Devils] played well. They showed us their speed and we didn't execute enough."

The Leafs were tied 2-2 with the Devils after the first period. But, as Speedy Devils hand Maple Leafs their first loss of the season Babcock noted, "I didn't think we worked. I thought they skated us into the ground; they won all the stick battles. It was 2-2 after one but that flattered us." DAVID SHOALTS Van Riemsdyk's power-play goal at 8:33 of the first period gave the Leafs OCTOBER 11, 2017 the first lead of the game but it lasted just 34 seconds. Devils winger Miles Wood, son of long-time NHLer Randy Wood, scored twice in the next two minutes and 12 seconds to put the Devils ahead. Pavel Zacha also scored twice for the Devils. Today's quiz – if you get 50 shots on goal plus a full two-minute, five-on- three power play, what should happen? Dominic Moore and Auston Matthews scored the other Leafs goals. No, not a blowout win. To get that, you actually need to do something with the above opportunities. Globe And Mail LOADED: 10.12.2017 The Toronto Maple Leafs did something all right with that five-on-three but it wasn't pretty. Somehow they let the New Jersey Devils score the winning goal on it, handing the Leafs their first loss of the NHL season on Wednesday night by a 6-3 margin at the Air Canada Centre. "I can't remember the last time we played with that kind of effort," Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. "Their goaltender was great, I'm not taking anything away from their team, but we didn't have any snap. We weren't very good." Reputations die hard but these Devils are not the neutral-zone trap kings of old. They have not played that defensive style for a long time, almost as long as their former president and general manager, , has been running the go-go Maple Leafs. Like the Leafs last season, their second under Lamoriello and Babcock, the Devils' rebuilding plan appears to have clicked into gear this season. The Devils came into the game in second place in the Metropolitan Division and left in first place with a 3-0 record and six points. "I like them, I think they're fast," Babcock said before the game. "Last year, they were last in shots five-on-five. This year, they're in the top five right away. Now it's a short measure but it's still a different team. "They play with much more speed, they're on top of you. I think they really work." Babcock said he was telling his players for two days before the game to be mindful of the change in the Devils but nothing sunk in. Maybe it did in the last five minutes of the second period when the Leafs were handed a five-on-three power play for two minutes with the Devils holding a 3-2 lead. Only 10 seconds into the power play, the Devils forward Brian Gibbons wound up scoring an unassisted goal. The Leafs managed to cough up the puck in the Devils zone, allowing Gibbons a solo rush. He walked around Leafs forward William Nylander in the slot, although Nylander managed to knock the puck backwards at Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. The goaltender stopped it but kicked the puck back to Gibbons, who scored to give the Devils a two-goal lead. "It's over with now. Obviously the message sent wasn't received the last two days," Babcock said. "By doing the pre-scouting we knew what we were in for but we didn't do our part." The lesson was driven home again early in the third period with another unassisted goal by the Devils. Leafs rookie defenceman Calle Rosén, who had a tough night along with defence partner and fellow rookie Andreas Borgman, made a bad clearing attempt in his own zone. It was picked off by Devils centre Blake Coleman and his snap shot beat Andersen at 3:35 to make it 5-2 for the visitors. Both of the unassisted goals were scored by members of the Devils' fourth line, by the way. "They played fast, they forced us into some miscues, you saw that on a couple of goals," said Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk, who scored the Leafs' first goal. "They played to their strengths and did some good things." As for the five-on-five play Babcock alluded to, there was precious little of it thanks to the continuing emphasis on slashing and other penalties by the referees. The parade to the penalty box was once again steady, with the Devils taking eight minor penalties to the Leafs' five. That had a lot to do with the 50-31 edge in shots the Leafs enjoyed, although Devils goaltender Cory Schneider was up to the challenge. "It's tough, real tough," Leafs centre Nazem Kadri said of the penalties. "Obviously there's not a ton of five-on-five opportunities for lines to get going. It's an adjustment we've got to make and an adjustment for the officials. It's something for us to figure out. 1077739 Toronto Maple Leafs at the same time. The Leafs had the 5-on-3, but a series of miscues and a bad pinch by Jake Gardiner led to Gibbons’ goal at 14:54.

NOTES: Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey have assists in three Devils, Schneider hand Leafs first loss of season consecutive games . . . Connor Carrick, Eric Fehr and Josh Leivo were healthy scratches for the Leafs . . . Toronto’s next game is Saturday in Montreal. The Canadiens have beaten the Maple Leafs 14 straight By KEVIN MCGRANSports Reporter games . . . The Leafs failed to score in the second period. It was just the third time in 11 periods they had failed to score over the 20 minutes. Wed., Oct. 11, 2017

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.12.2017 The winning streak is over. The New Jersey Devils — and the emphasis is on the word “new” — handed the Maple Leafs their first loss of the season, taking a 6-3 decision Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. The Devils appear to be using the Maple Leafs template, loading up with young, speedy, fast players and surprising teams who might not have thought an opponent that finished last in its division one year could be a good team the next. The Leafs, taken lightly last year, are as guilty as the Devils’ previous foes of not taking New Jersey seriously enough. Auston Matthews, James van Riemsdyk and Dominic Moore scored for the Leafs, who drop to 3-1-0 for the young season. The Leafs had the better of the chances, and peppered New Jersey goalie Cory Schneider with 50 shots. Schneider is 7-1-3 all time against Toronto. The Leafs were 2-for-8 on the power play, aided by two elongated 5-on-3s. Matthews scored on one, midway through the third. The Devils, oddly enough, scored on the other. The Leafs had a number of defensive breakdowns. Calle Rosen handed the puck, quite literally, over to Miles Wood for a breakaway, one of two goals for Wood in the first period. Jake Gardiner did much the same in the second, leading to a shorthanded goal that might have broken the Leafs’ backs. The Devils’ shots off the post, including one from Blake Coleman in the third, went in. The Leafs hit posts a number of times, but the puck bounced out. And Frederik Andersen didn't work any of the magic he's become known for in net. Meanwhile Schneider committed larceny after larceny at the other end. It was an unlikely battle of unbeaten teams. The Leafs came in off three straight wins, perhaps not that surprising to folks who follow them closely. But the Devils? They were among the cellar dwellers last year, awarded with the first overall pick in the NHL lottery draft. But these are not the same old Devils. They are young, and fast, and they do not — stop the presses — play the neutral zone trap. “I like them, I think they’re fast,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said as he prepared for the game. “They play with much more speed, they’re on top of you — I think they really work.” Babcock suggested the Devils could surprise teams if they didn’t do their homework. “I say that is it’s no different than playing the Leafs last year,” Babcock said. “When you finish where you finish, you just think — I’ve been watching them, they’re not the same team. But, just because I say it, doesn’t mean they believe it. You know what I mean? They’ll know quick.” Babcock’s comments proved prescient in the first period, when the Devils kept up. The Leafs held a 13-10 shots advantage in the first, but the period ended 2-2. All four goals came in a five-minute span. Toronto opened the scoring, with van Riemsdyk jamming it through Schneider’s pads after getting a feed from Mitch Marner at 8:33. While the goal was being announced, New Jersey tied the game. Miles Wood deflected Steve Santini’s shot from the point, finding the top of the Leaf net just 34 second after van Riemsdyk’s goal. The Devils went up 2-1 when Wood converted a breakaway at 10:45, jumping on a giveaway by Rosen. Toronto got it back with Moore deflecting a Nikita Zaitsev shot at 13:33. The Devils scored two more in the second period, taking a 4-2 lead. Pavel Zacha scored unimpeded in the slot for a 3-2 lead at 9:58. Brian Gibbons scored on a 2-on-1 just 10 seconds after two Devils took minors 1077740 Toronto Maple Leafs However, he has built himself into an offensive threat with a viable 25- plus goals performance level. That places him in a comparables market with stars like 30-year-old T.J. Oshie, who signed an eight-year, $46- James van Riemsdyk’s focus is on health and Leafs’ success, not million extension with Washington in June, and Alex Radulov, who contract signed a free-agent deal at 31 with the Dallas Stars in early July that will pay him $31.25 million over the next five years.

“You go into the season, and of course you are aware of what’s going on By MARK ZWOLINSKISports reporter with other players,” van Riemsdyk said. “But every player is different, and you get a gauge of what’s going on. Like I said before, I’m focused on Wed., Oct. 11, 2017 team goals and I want to help this team achieve them. All that other stuff, my agent is there, and it tends to take care of itself.”

James van Riemsdyk is paying a lot of attention to details, and it’s not just his duties on the ice for the Leafs. Toronto Star LOADED: 10.12.2017 This season is a contract year for the popular winger; his six-year, $25.5- million deal is up and the 28-year-old has been keeping an eye on deals signed by other NHLers in his situation. He’s also been paying plenty of attention to his body. He remains dedicated to a nutrition regimen that includes various supplements to promote general health and recovery. That’s why, on Wednesday morning, when the subject of pickle juice was brought up as a naturally occurring liquid to fight dehydration, van Riemsdyk was well aware of it. “These days, most guys are trying a lot of things to help battle dehydration,” van Riemsdyk said when asked about the briny juice, which was linked to New Jersey Devils centre Blake Coleman as a method to fight dehydration. Earlier this week, Coleman told New Jersey reporters about his habit of sipping pickle juice on the bench. “I drink it because of cramp problems. It helps prevent cramps,” Coleman said. “I really tried everything to figure out my cramps, but that’s just the one thing that really works.” Though he hasn’t tried the unconventional tactic himself, van Riemsdyk doesn’t judge. “I’ve heard of pickle juice . . . and hey, if it works, why not? The game is always about getting better and stronger. You have to watch what you put into your body, and stay ahead of things like recovery and nutrition.” That general philosophy of getting better and stronger is one van Riemsdyk shares with several NHLers, including Jonathan Quick and Max Pacioretty, who have trained with Ben Prentiss. Prentiss’s gym in Stamford, Conn., is near van Riemsdyk’s former off-season home in New Jersey. Prentiss, among other things, turned van Riemsdyk towards the protein- focused diets common for high-performance athletes. Prentiss also stressed a current trend: the elimination of sugars. While Van Riemsdyk recently moved his off-season home to Minnesota, he has kept in contact with Prentiss, even coordinating with the long time trainer on building a gym in his new home. The ultimate goal is to increase not only body health and physical performance, but on-ice performance as well. Van Riemsdyk, who has played the full 82-game schedule in two of the last three seasons, set career highs in assists (33) and points (62) last season, while scoring 29 goals, one shy of his career high of 30. “Just general health overall, and feeling better in terms of recovery and strength,” said van Riemsdyk, who even uses a health-oriented shampoo. “It’s obviously important to what’s going on when you’re on the ice.” In the meantime, van Riemsdyk remains focused on the season, but knows his contract — like his nutrition — is an important part of his career. The Leafs will be at a crossroads with their roster when the season ends. In addition to deciding on van Riemsdyk’s future with the organization, they have their big three youngsters to consider. William Nylander’s entry-level contract ends after this season, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will be in their final year next season. Nylander’s contract was a topic during training camp a month ago, but the winger stressed he is not interested in talking about it during the season. Van Riemsdyk would also like to keep contract talks apart from his on-ice focus. He realizes the team is in a special place — at the front end of developing a long-term winner — and he’d like to remain a part of that. 1077741 Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews and Hischier go head to head in battle of No. 1s as Leafs host Devils

By MARK ZWOLINSKISports reporter Wed., Oct. 11, 2017

No. 1 vs No. 1. That’s what viewers of the Leafs-New Jersey Devils game will see Wednesday night, with Auston Matthews, last year’s first overall pick in the NHL draft, facing Nico Hischier, this year’s No. 1. “I know he has good speed and good skill,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said about Hischier at the morning skate Wednesday. “I saw him get to the net and pull up with good speed. What they (Devils) have on their three lines is two significant players and a worker. And their fourth line really plays fast. “Last year, they were last in shots for 5 on 5 play, but this year they’re obviously in the top five right away. It’s a short measure of time, but it’s still a different team. They’re on top of you, they’re working hard.” Hischier is a part of a rookie group with the Devils that is opening eyes, and mirroring — so far — the franchise-changing impact made by the Leafs rookie corps last season. Hischier has an assist over two games, while fellow rookies Will Butcher (three assists in the season-opening game), and Jesper Bratt (five points, including three goals) have made headlines so far. “It’s nice to have a lot of guys coming into the league and experiencing a lot of first time things,” said Hischier Wednesday morning. “I’ve had my family around me, and a lot of good people helping me, especially my teammates … and we have a lot of young guys who have done good things,” Hischier added. The Leafs, meanwhile, will be shooting for their fourth consecutive win to open the season, something they haven’t done since 2010.

Toronto Star LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077742 Toronto Maple Leafs organization that long. “You never know what is going to happen. You maybe get moved, or sign with another team. I didn’t know I’d be here this long, but I’m glad I am,” he said. Devils’ Nico Hischier trying not to compare himself with the previous No. CAPTAIN SERIOUS: Given his Blackhawks were eliminated early in the 1, Auston Matthews first round, Jonathan Toews hasn’t had quite as long as summer as the one just finished. But he said he used it to his advantage. “No doubt the rest that comes with a longer summer helps, mentally for starters. At this By KEVIN MCGRANSports Reporter point in my career, you have to realize what is working for you and what you have to change. You see how fast the game has become, with the Wed., Oct. 11, 2017 young players coming in. So I worked on my weaknesses accordingly.” THE REAL DEAL: James Neal will go down in history as a the answer to three Vegas Golden Knights trivia questions: Who scored the first goal in Nico Hischier knows he has a tough act to follow. Golden Knights history? Who scored their first game-winning goal? And As the No. 1 overall pick in the summer draft and one of the players to who scored the first Golden Knights’ power-play goal? Bonus points if keep an eye on for the Calder Trophy, the New Jersey Devils forward you knew those were three different goals, over the five he scored in the acknowledges Auston Matthews set a high standard for the draft’s top first three games. Tomas Nosek, however, got the first goal at Vegas’s T- pick. Mobile Arena. Matthews started with a four-goal debut and seemed to get better from ISLES SMILE: While the New York Islanders now have their eye on a there. In fact, the rookie class of 2016-17 is a heck of an act to follow: potential new building at Belmont Park, site of the of one of thoroughbred Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine scored one highlight-reel goal after another; racing’s Triple Crown events, GM Garth Snow has his mind set on centre goaltender Matt Murray won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh; and John Tavares. A new rink and a new deal for the captain could be tied Columbus defenceman Zach Werenski posted numbers at 19 not seen together. “I’ve said it all along, we drafted John at 18, and we think the since Bobby Orr. world of him,” Snow told reporters. “We want him to retire an Islander. He’s a first-class person and a first-class player. We all know that.” And that’s not getting into the group surrounding Matthews in Toronto that went through their “firsts” together as a unit, urging each other and competing to be better at the same time. Toronto Star LOADED: 10.12.2017 “When you see what those guys did, light it up, it’s a hard act to follow,” Hischier said. “I don’t compare myself to those guys. I just try to be myself.” If there’s a comparison to be made, it’s Hischier’s Devils this year to Matthews’ Leafs last year. The Devils have such an influx of young talent that Hischier might not be their most impressive rookie. That could be Jesper Bratt, who led all rookies with five points, including three goals, heading into Wednesday’s game against the Leafs. Bratt is just 19, and made the incredible leap from being a sixth-round pick in 2016 to a top six NHL forward the following year. “The nice thing to see is consistency,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “We know the talent level is there.” Most eyes will focus on Hischier for the year, as the spotlight tends to follow the first overall pick, for better or worse. He will show well, say his teammates. “He’s not looking to cheat the game,” Devils goalie Cory Schneider said. “He’s not looking to just put up points and play his own style. He’s really buying into what we’re trying to do here and do what’s asked of him. “He’s a responsible two-way player who does a lot of little things well. Again, an 18-year-old player who has the IQ and the sense of where to be. He’s a wiry kid, but the puck is always on his stick when he comes out of the battle.” It’s early in the year, and many of the rookies could well be somewhere else when they hit nine games. If they play a 10th game, the clock ticks on the first year of their three-year entry-level deal. If they go back to junior, that year is deferred. Still, there are rookies off to impressive starts. Sonny Milano has four goals for Columbus. Martin Frk has three points with Detroit. And Chicago has another sniper on the way in Alex DeBrincat (one goal, two assists). DeBrincat is coming off three straight 50-goal seasons in the OHL. “I don’t know if I should expect that,” DeBrincat said. “Defence is a big part of the game, and being a young guy, that’s what I’m focussing on. Offence will come. It’s kind of the easy part of the game.” ARENA LOVE: Red Wings fans seem smitten with their new Little Caesars Arena, to the point where the second and third period start with the seats half empty even though the seats are sold out. There’s a lot to do, it turns out, on the concourse. “That’s one of the challenges of a great building with so much to offer, especially with a new building where they’re checking things out,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “And we need them in the stands. It’s a loud building. So it will be a huge home ice advantage when they’re in the stands.” THRASH HASH: There aren’t many left on the Winnipeg Jets roster. Tobias Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien, and Bryan Little were part of the move to Winnipeg in the summer of 2011. Little and Enstrom, who started together in the 2006-07 season, are the deans. Little is a little surprised to have stayed with the one 1077743 Toronto Maple Leafs Schneider improved to 7-1-3 in his career against the Leafs, while coach John Hynes has to be thrilled with the results in October with seven new players on the roster. Devils give Maple Leafs taste of their own medicine After van Riemsdyk’s goal, Jersey equalized on the next shift when Steven Santini’s rising shot caught a piece of Miles Wood on its trajectory past Andersen. The son of ex-Leaf Randy Wood added another less than BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN two minutes later. FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 10:29 PM EDT | Just as Johansson exited the box for serving an instigator penalty to UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017 12:11 AM EDT Stefan Noesen in a scrap with Matt Martin, Dominic Moore got his stick on a Ron Hainsey shot for his second goal in as many games in the rotation with Eric Fehr as fourth line centre. The Maple Leafs might have thought they’d eat like kings against the New Jersey Devils. Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 What they got was worse than leftover Thanksgiving turkey, a visiting team that left them dry and goal-starved and no longer among the ranks of the NHL’s undefeated. After Monday’s huge come-from-behind win over Chicago, this was lunch bag letdown, starting with a revived Jersey team that, at times, looked like last year’s Leafs. Fifty shots meant little to coach Mike Babcock, who crumpled his copy of the final game sheet as he spoke afterwards. “I can’t remember the last time we played with that kind of effort,” he snapped. “I’m not taking anything away from their team and their goalie (Cory Schneider) played great, but we didn’t have any snap, we didn’t have any juice. “They skated us into the ground and won all the stick battles. It was 2-2 at the end of one and that flattered us big time. “We talked a lot about this game coming up and (the Devils’ speed) was exactly what I expected, but I expected us to compete. Hockey is fair and you get what you deserve. You do good things, then good things happen. You don’t, then you cheat yourself and you look like (tonight).” Trailing 3-2 but with a full-term 5-on-3 to work with, it seemed fortune would smile on the Leafs as it did Monday. What unfolded instead was stunning: A bad bounce past Jake Gardiner, then William Nylander trying to play defence on a 2-on-1. Adam Henrique of the Devils lost the puck before shooting, but Frederik Andersen swept it right to trailer Brian Gibbons. “It seemed like everything I touched tonight was bouncing,” Gardiner said. “It was one of those plays where I thought I had it in my glove and it went to the right when I thought it was going right down. You know the rest.” It was the first 5-on-3 goal against Toronto in five years. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one,” said Babcock. It was one of eight power plays Toronto had, converting on an early James van Riemsdyk chance and, on their second 5-on-3, Auston Matthews burying Nylander’s cross-crease delivery with 6:26 to play. But Pavel Zacha’s second of the game restored the three-goal lead. “You don’t see the opposing team’s power-play or penalty-kill too much (so early) and we didn’t expect them to come that hard,” Gardiner said. “But even if they do, we have to be ready.” Babcock was peeved that his special teams weren’t the only area the players tuned him out on. “Obviously, the message sent wasn’t received these last two days,” he said. “By doing the pre-scout, we knew what we were in for. So it’s disappointing.” Of course the Leafs weren’t going to run the table 82-0, despite scoring 19 goals in the first three games. Some nights, it’s still a high-wire act on the breakout and Andersen won’t be there to bail them out. Swedish defencemen Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman had a rough night, Rosen stumbling to allow an earlier Henrique breakaway and then having a soft pass picked off and buried by Zacha. Pending Connor Carrick’s upper body injury, he could come back to face the Habs on Saturday in Montreal. “We’ve been at it pretty hard, we have some good video to go over tonight,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “Things we want to work on, things we can improve on, that’s what we’ll do. “We made a lot of mental mistakes and got away from our game plan and it cost us. That’s a good team with a lot of speed and a lot of skill and they certainly showed that tonight. Schneider was great, there was a time halfway through the game where we were getting chances and he was making a lot of good saves.” 1077744 Toronto Maple Leafs Except that after four, he has two more points than he had a year ago as a rookie. He has four points thus far, one goal and three assists. He was 1-1 this time last year. Still, he just looked a touch off from this vantage Lack of effort from Leafs irks Babcock point in terms of efficiency. He can be better than this ... Miles Wood scored two goals for New Jersey. His dad, Randy Wood, scored 20 goals in two seasons with the Leafs from 1994-96 ... Just an observation: There’s way too many ticky-tack penalties being called in the early NHL BY STEVE SIMMONS, TORONTO SUN season. Everybody wants to see more scoring: Calling an array of nothing penalties is not the way to accomplish that ... Ron Hainsey, FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 10:44 PM EDT | hardly picked up for his offence, has three assists in his last three games UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017 12:10 AM EDT ... Nazem Kadri has echoed what so many NHL players have been saying of late: The number of shorthanded situations is making it very difficulty in the early season for lines to find any kind of chemistry. There Well, there goes the 82-0 season for the Maple Leafs — and with it just a are so many interruptions in the game for less than necessary power little shine comes off this team of mammoth expectations. plays that it makes for a jumpy game. Auston Matthews, who doesn’t kill penalties for the Leafs, played just 15:48 against the Devils. Fourth liner It was one thing to lose to the New Jersey Devils, as the Leafs did Connor Brown played more than that ... You have to wonder if Babcock Wednesday night. It was another thing, as coach Mike Babcock said, to will stick with Rosen and Borgman on the Toronto defence once Connor cheat themselves on their way to their first kicking of this National Carrick is ready to play. Rosen played just 11:51 Wednesday while Hockey League season. Borgman played 13:46. Morgan Rielly led all players on both teams in ice “I don’t think we worked,” said Babcock, after the 6-3 loss to the time with 22:27 played ... Van Riemsdyk led all shooters from both teams shockingly speedy new Devils. “They skated us into the ground. with seven shots on goal ... Toronto scored just one even strength goal against Jersey. The others came on the power play. The only even “I expected us to compete. That didn’t happen. When you cheat yourself, strength marker came from Dominic Moore, who tipped a shot past you look like that. Schneider just three seconds after a power play had ended. Moore has two goals in his games dressed this season. “I was disappointed. I can’t remember the last time we played with that kind of effort. We didn’t have any juice. We didn’t do our part.” THE FIRST ROUND GOALIES Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 Lou Lamoriello traded a first-round pick to get Frederik Anderson from Anaheim. Before that, Lamoriello traded a first-round draft pick in New Jersey to acquire Cory Scheider from Vancouver. Last season, Anderson outplayed Schneider. Last night, it was all Schneider, with Andersen clearly not sharp against New Jersey. Andersen was beaten six times in the 6-3 loss on 31 New Jersey shots: He wasn’t terrible in goal, but he was anything close to acceptable. Schneider was sound all night long, square to the puck, quiet, controlled, close to brilliants, turning aside 47 of the 50 shots he faced. And Schneider impressed New Jersey native James vanRiemsdyk with his play: “For me, he’s super smart back there,” said JVR. “He’s so calm and composed. He’s so smart back there. He reads the game really well. I’m impressed with him.” The Leafs hit at least posts on Schneider, but that didn’t really matter. Anything close to the Leafs posts scored. It was one of Andersen’s least impressive games since joining the Leafs a year ago. ROOKIE BLUE Tough night for the rookie pairing of Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen on the Toronto defence. It seemed they were fumbling and stumbling with the puck most of the night and kept getting caught in the neutral zone. Borgman finished the game minus-3. Rosen was minus-2. According to the gamesheet, they only gave the puck away twice. The gamesheet, in this case, lied. HEAR AND THERE The final score was 6-3. A more appropriate score probably would have been 5-3. The Leafs basically lost the game when they scored with a two-minute 5-on-3 power play. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” Babcock said ... The Leafs have an NHL leading eight power-play goals. Fourteen of the NHL’s 31 teams have one power play goal or fewer. Their opponent Saturday night, Montreal Canadiens, have yet to score with the man advantage this season .... The Leafs allowed six goals against. Sophomore Nikita Zaitsev was not on for a goal against. Which is no surprise, really. When Zaitsev signed a seven-year deal for $31.5 million, many, including Don Cherry, were highly critical of the move. Now, with Zaitsev appearing to have taken a major step forward from his rookie year, the contract is suddenly looking like a longterm bargain. He has been the Leafs best defenceman through four games ... This has always confused me: Why do people who pay hundreds of dollars for Leafs tickets go so crazy over the cheap free T-shirts ... These are not your father’s or my father’s New Jersey Devils. Or even Lamoriello’s championship teams. This team has speed and dash and all kinds of creativity. Looks like general manager Ray Shero has put together an impressive young roster in rather quick fashion ... Devils scored a power- play goal when the puck moved extraordinary quickly from 19-year-old Jesper Bratt to 20-year-old Pavel Zacha. Welcome to the new NHL. SCENE AND HEARD Mitch Marner looks like he’s fighting it, just a little bit. The multi-skilled Leafs forward would seem to be off to a slow start after four games. 1077745 Toronto Maple Leafs follows former Barack Obama highlighting the ex-Leaf’s first Cup win during Pittsburgh’s 2016 invite. “Did they call him out again?,” a delighted Bozak asked. “I guess he’s a popular guy. He gets pretty nervous in Leafs tip hat to Golden Knights those situations.” ... Wednesday was the 6,500th game in Toronto franchise history.

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 08:07 PM EDT | UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 08:12 PM EDT

TORONTO - Tuesday was a watershed evening for pro hockey in the Southwestern U.S., with the home debut of the Vegas Golden Knights. Arizona-raised Auston Matthews watched the Knights play his childhood team, the Coyotes. “The building looked like it was absolutely rocking,” Matthews said of highlights from the T-Mobile Arena. “I definitely love to see that.” It was also a night for that region to continue the process of emotional healing after America’s worst mass shooting, a lone gunman killing 58 and leaving nearly 500 wounded on The Strip. As the Knights were introduced, they were paired with a first responder or law enforcement official and both teams lined up behind the guests for the anthem. “It looked awesome,” Matthews said. “With the tragic incident, you see all the support from the teams they’ve played so far and the city and the building. It doesn’t matter where that kind of stuff happens, you hear about it and it’s pretty sad and very unfortunate. I think the players have been very strong about it and have done some very great things for the city.” Coach Mike Babcock said the thoughtful game presentation showed Vegas “will be a great partner in the NHL.” “It was spectacular,” Babcock said of the pre-game salute. “You can never give enough thanks to the first responders.” ONE DOOR CLOSES ... Though Babcock said the late-night Vegas game was “past my bed time,” he noted former Leaf Brendan Leipsic had an assist in the 5-2 win and two points in three games. “I saw him in the first game they played,” Babcock said of the high- scoring Marlie that Toronto didn’t protect in the expansion draft. “He was trusted and he was on the ice a lot. We knew Leiper was a good player here, we liked his tenacity, we just didn’t have a spot for him. In the end you have to make some decisions, but you’re always happy when guys can go elsewhere and they can play in the NHL.” Swedes Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman have fit in well on and off the ice and their coach agrees they probably had a cultural advantage on Nikita Zaitsev, another defencemen dropped right in the Toronto lineup from Europe. “Zaits came from Russia, these guys came from Sweden, much (easier) because English (in Sweden) is much more prominent,” Babcock said. “The way they’re talked to is more similar so I think the transition is easier, plus you’ve got a buddy right there who had come over with you. Willy (Nylander) has been here, so you get more support that way.” Babcock did purposely place the Swedes between NHL veteran Ron Hainsey in the dressing room at the ACC. “We try and do everything we can to help them out,” Babcock said. “Hainsey’s a good guy, but it’s no different from where Patty Marleau is sitting. We try and get the room set up the best we can and yet some guys are pretty superstitious where their stall is. There’s a fine line.” Borgman used his time during summer training to get oriented around town, visiting sites such as the and Ripley’s Aquarium. “I have an apartment now, I’ve walked around the city a few times,” Borgman said. “Sometimes I get a ride with Willy, Connor Brown and (Zach) Hyman.” Babcock on the physical changes in winger James van Riemsdyk, who has four points in three games: “He’s way bigger and stronger and spent way more time on his body. So instead of a rush player he can be a cycle player. Their line (with Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner) in the past two games has the game-winner and the game-tying goal to allow us to win in OT. The puck has gone in against them a bit this year, but other than that, they keep going.” ... Bozak laughed when told U.S. President Donald Trump singled out his good friend, American-born Phil Kessel, during Tuesday’s White House visit by the Cup champion Penguins. That 1077746 Toronto Maple Leafs

Babcock says Maple Leafs' goal barrage won't last

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 06:32 PM EDT | UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 06:42 PM EDT

TORONTO — Mike Babcock has a sobering message for those elated by the early run of high-scoring games in the National Hockey League: enjoy it while it lasts. Whether you’re a fan of a wide-open game, or a TV highlight package editor with a smorgasbord of sick goals every night, or a hockey poolie trying to keep up with the numbers, the Maple Leafs coach predicts the door is closing. “I think that’s the way it is early (in a season),” Babcock said as his team took a 6.3 goals per game average into Wednesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. “I don’t think the goalies are dialed in like they normally are. I don’t think the team defence is dialed in like it’s going to be. “Score the goals while you can because they go away fast.” TSN did some Week 1 math and reported an average of five more shots on goal a game, a lot of them coming from prime scoring areas. Shot generation and goal generation are up, though 5-on-5 goals aren’t too far above last year’s pace. One obvious factor sustaining the glut of goals are the power-plays resulting from a high number of penalties associated with the league crackdown on slashes to the hands. “I try and go stick-on-puck as much as I can and that’s what I’ve always tried to do,” Leafs centre Tyler Bozak said. “We’re getting a little more wear and tear out of the penalty-killing guys, but the power-play guys aren’t too upset. Everyone has to play by the same rules. You just have to get used to it.” In pre-season, the penalty boxes were suddenly filled with players who once got away with what they considered a love tap on the gloves. If there were memos sent around by the league to warn about stricter interpretations of the book or if teams held video sessions to be prepared for less tolerance, it seemed few paid attention. That’s changing as the month rolls on. “It’s in the back of your mind, you get any stick on the hands of the other guy, it’s going to be a penalty,” Bozak said. “It doesn’t matter how hard it is, you’ll go to the box. It doesn’t matter if you’re used to putting your stick there.” The early book on overall scoring was it was up to 6.2 combined goals a game from a traditional mark of near 5.5. Perhaps Babcock is correct and this spike will only last as long as it takes for stern coaches to re- administer the principles of defensive hockey and for goalies to stretch themselves out. But it has been an interesting change to see all the red lights flashing around the league.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077747 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs vs. Devils: No. 1s Matthews, Hischier set to go head-to-head

BY LANCE HORNBY, TORONTO SUN FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 12:54 PM EDT | UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 01:23 PM EDT

TORONTO - A win-win, one-one situation awaits at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night. Auston Matthews, last year’s first overall pick of the Maple Leafs will go head-to-head with Nico Hischier, the New Jersey Devils' No. 1 selection. Hischier did not arrive with the dramatic four-goal bang that Matthews did last season, but the Swiss centre gained instant respect for getting in the face of Erik Johnson of the Avalanche after a questionable knee-on-knee hit took out Devils teammate Kyle Palmieri. Hischier has an assist so far in the Devils' two wins. “That’s one of the reasons he’s a No. 1 in the NHL,” said Palmieri, who makes his return tonight after missing one start. “He’s a character guy, with a ton of skill.” Toronto coach Mike Babcock noticed Hischier, too, in his game prep. “I know he has good speed and good skill,” Babcock said. “I saw him get to the net and pull up with good speed. What they have on their three lines is two significant players and a worker and their fourth line really plays fast. “Last year they were last in shots for 5-on-5, this year they’re obviously in the top five right away, coming out shooting. It’s a short measure of games, but it’s still a different team, they’re right on top of you, they’re really working.” The Leafs are trying to go undefeated in their first four games since 2010. Matthews is back in the Leaf lead in points, five so far, giving him 74 in 85 regular season games. He was asked what helped his transition to the NHL, which Hischier is experiencing now. “I had good people around me, my family, my teammates and we had a lot of young guys, too, who did similar things. It eased things up for myself and everybody else. It was just nice to have a number of guys who were coming into their first year in the league, too, all experiencing a bunch of firsts.” Toronto likely comes back with the same lineup as Monday’s overtime win over Chicago, minus Eric Fehr, who will be exchanged for Dominic Moore at fourth line centre. Swedish newcomers Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman again will form the third defensive pairing, leaving Connor Carrick in the press box. Babcock says the Swedes are likely having an easier adjustment than Nikita Zaitsev who was fresh off the boat from the KHL and yet played 82 games in a prominent role as the season went on. “Zaits came from Russia, these guys came from Sweden, much more (easier) because English (in Sweden) is much more prominent,” Babcock said. “The way they’re talked to is more similar so I think the transition is easier, plus you’ve got a buddy right there who had come over with you. Willy (Nylander) has been here, so you get more support that way.” Babcock did purposely place the Swedes between NHL veteran Ron Hainsey in their dressing room at the ACC. “We try and do everything we can to help them out. Hainsey’s a good guy, but it’s no different from where Patty Marleau is sitting. We try and get the room set up the best we can, and yet some guys are pretty superstitious where their stall is. There’s a fine line.” Frederik Andersen makes his 69th Leaf appearance on Wednesday, set to tie Jiri Crha for 30th in club history, barely into his second season.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077748 Vegas Golden Knights

Deryk Engelland’s goal a transcendent moment for Golden Knights

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

The four goals scored by the Golden Knights during the first period of Tuesday night’s home opener each held their own significance, from Tomas Nosek’s goal to James Neal’s tally on the power play that capped the blitz. But it was Deryk Engelland’s goal that seemed to hit most everyone at T- Mobile Arena. Engelland, a longtime Las Vegas Valley resident, had the Knights’ second goal in the 5-2 victory over Arizona, and the moment continued to resonate around the locker room Wednesday at City National Arena. “Deryk Engelland’s not going to score 25 goals for us this year, and the timing was perfect,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “For the speech he gave, and again, I think the big guy looks down on you and says, ‘You know what? This is the way it should be,’ and Deryk Engelland was the perfect guy for that.” Engelland addressed the sellout crowd at the conclusion of the pregame ceremony that honored the victims and first responders in the mass shooting on the Strip on Oct. 1. Less than five minutes in, the defenseman known more for his physical play took a pass from Brendan Leipsic and ripped a one-timer from the right point past Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta for a 2-0 lead. Engelland was not available to the media following Wednesday’s off-ice workout, but said after the game it will go down as “a top memory in my career.” The magnitude of the goal and its place in the Knights’ fledgling history was not lost on Engelland’s teammates, either. “I don’t think there wasn’t a smile in that arena when (Engelland) scored,” fellow defenseman said. “He had a terrific speech before the game and obviously he’s local. He’s raised his family here, and I’m sure it was emotional for him and his family, but everyone at the rink was very excited to see that. “Those things happen, and they happen for a reason.” Special night Garrison also played a prominent role in the pregame ceremony and said it was an honor to participate. Garrison was at center ice with Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Coyotes for a ceremonial puck drop that included survivors from the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting. “It was an emotional ceremony for everybody involved,” Garrison said. On the farm Defenseman Shea Theodore (three goals, two assists) and forward Teemu Pulkkinen (one goal, four assists) lead Chicago of the AHL in scoring after two games. The Wolves next play Saturday at Ontario, California. Also, forward Keegan Kolesar was reassigned from Chicago to Quad City of the ECHL. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077749 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights cherish memories of victory, pregame ceremony

By Steve Carp Las Vegas Review-Journal

Ten years from now, Luca Sbisa will probably receive a phone call from a journalist asking him what still resonates about the night of Oct. 10, 2017. Sbisa, a defenseman for the original Golden Knights, will recall how he was on the ice for the team’s first game at T-Mobile Arena. He’ll talk about the moving pregame ceremony to honor the shooting victims of Oct. 1 and paying tribute to the first responders. He’ll remember accompanying Metropolitan Police K9 Officer Dave Newton to the Knights’ blue line. He’ll remember the 58 seconds of silence as the names of the victims were flashed on the ice. The Golden Knights just had 58 seconds of silence for the 58 victims #VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/Vbsc6o4mOW — Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) October 11, 2017 And he’ll remember how he and his teammates brought joy to the 18,191 fans by jumping the Arizona Coyotes 4-0 in the first 10 minutes and posting a 5-2 victory to become the first expansion team in NHL history to begin their inaugural season 3-0-0. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” Sbisa said Wednesday at City National Arena as the Knights stayed off the ice and went through some strength and conditioning. “It probably ranks at the top of special nights I’ve had as a hockey player. “It was emotional. Usually people look up to us as hockey players. We’re not heroes compared to those guys. We’re just entertainers. Those guys make a difference in saving lives.” For forward Tomas Nosek, he made history of his own by scoring the Knights’ first goal in T-Mobile. “It was great to celebrate with the fans,” said Nosek, who jumped against the glass following his first goal of the season. “I could feel their energy. I was just happy to score a goal and help the team win.” Knights coach Gerard Gallant reflected on what had happened Tuesday and said he was proud of how his players responded. “Driving home last night, thinking about what happened, everything went perfect,” Gallant said. “I thought the ceremony was outstanding. Obviously the first seven minutes of the hockey game was outstanding for us. “For me personally, going out with the first responders, meeting them and shaking their hands was the memory I’ll most remember.” While the Knights sit atop the Pacific Division standings heading into Friday’s game against Detroit, Gallant said it’s important to keep looking forward. “I’d love to see that start every night but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Gallant said of Tuesday’s opening 10 minutes. We’ve played what, nine periods and a little overtime, and I think we’ve played seven solid periods.” Still, there will be many memories from Tuesday. Nosek’s goal. Deryk Engelland’s first-period goal which further energized the crowd after he had given a stirring speech prior to the opening faceoff. The fans acknowledging Knights majority owner Bill Foley late in the game with a chant of “Thank You Foley.” And after the final buzzer sounded, the Coyotes stayed on the ice with the Knights as both teams went to center ice and raised their sticks in saluting the crowd. “It was a great night that none of us will ever forget,” defenseman Jason Garrison said. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077750 Vegas Golden Knights “Like all of you, I’m proud to call Las Vegas home,” Engelland said. “I met my wife here, my kids were born here, and I know how special this city is.” The one phone call that set the Golden Knights’ emotional tribute in Coyotes players offered stick taps on Engelland’s shin pads as they motion skated back to their bench. Less than 10 minutes later, Engelland owned one of four goals scored by the Golden Knights in a cathartic opening stretch already written into the sports lore of Las Vegas. By Adam Candee (contact) “The guys did a good job in here channeling that emotion and running with it,” Engelland said. Brian Killingsworth arrived at his Vegas Golden Knights office on Oct. 2 Head coach Gerard Gallant tasked his team with doing just that prior to to face the task of transforming a planned opening-night party into the the first contest for a Las Vegas-based major-league sports franchise. first major remembrance of the Route 91 massacre. “My message was simple: I talked about the game a little bit and we Just three months into his job and with only eight days to adjust, talked about tonight being the most important game we’ll ever play,” Killingsworth sought advice from one of the few places with even the Gallant said. “We’re playing for our city, for the tragedy that happened, opening pages of a playbook when he dialed up contacts with the Boston for all the people that were here tonight and were affected by the tragedy. Red Sox. I thought the guys did a hell of a job.” “They gave us a lot of good insight on how sports and their particular Engelland stayed in Las Vegas after joining the Wranglers of the ECHL in team really helped bridge that city together after that tragedy,” 2004, but he learned plenty about his adopted hometown in the past Killingsworth said. “I hate to say it, but they had the blueprint for how to week. deal with a disaster that bad from the team side.” “I knew it was a small community, but it’s way tighter than I could have Killingsworth and Jonny Greco, the team’s vice president of events and ever imagined,” Engelland said. entertainment, executed a pitch-perfect day from a Nevada-shaped “Vegas Strong” ice sculpture greeting fans in front of T-Mobile Arena to That unity showed throughout the afternoon and evening, in large part 58 seconds of pre-game silence honoring the lives lost last Sunday. thanks to the deft management of Killingsworth and Greco. The Golden Knights succeeded in balancing the temporary escape “You see how sports teams can galvanize people together after a tragedy sought by a weary community with the solemnity demanded by the like that,” Killingsworth said. “I think the same thing is going to happen country’s worst-ever mass shooting. here. We saw from the event itself, strangers were protecting strangers. Now, this is a chance to have people really come around and come “It obviously changes the focus and the tenor, but it also shows what a together.” major-league professional sports team can do to a community in terms of bringing people together, uniting them, helping them heal from a tragedy LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 10.12.2017 and demonstrate the power of distraction when everybody comes together,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. The team removed all advertising from its dasher boards for the night, replacing it with #VegasStrong messages wrapping the ice. Hours before the game, vendors sold black T-shirts with the Golden Knights’ custom Vegas Strong logo for $20, with all money going to charity efforts. Team executives wore custom jerseys with a Vegas Strong nameplate and the number 17 on the back as they talked to fans on Toshiba Plaza, while players took the ice for warmups in custom white shirts with Vegas Strong across the shoulders. Proceeds from the team’s 51/49 raffle — which netted $52,970 — went to Metro’s foundation. “It’s like how can you give a hug to the city the right way,” Killingsworth said. “And that’s our responsibility to do that.” At 7:25 p.m., the energetic atmosphere from warmups cooled as the arena lights dimmed. A video rolled featuring the captains of every other NHL team saying “your team is our team” and “Vegas Strong.” Following it was another video with Images of police, firefighters, doctors, nurses and Mandalay Bay employees that drew the first of many strong cheers from the sellout crowd of 18,191 people. Player introductions worked in reverse, as the public address announcer welcomed first responders, medical personnel and law enforcement officers one-by-one. “We’d like to introduce our heroes, the heroes of Las Vegas, those people whose actions on 1 October will forever remind us of the best of humankind.” Each everyday hero from the tragedy was escorted by a Golden Knight to a spot along the blue line, where the Arizona Coyotes later joined the team before the national anthem. Grief then hit its lowest, the 58 seconds of silence accompanied by the projection of the name of each person killed in the attacks projected onto the ice. At the 58th second, a fan yelled from the upper deck, “We’re Vegas Strong!” A team from the Route 91 Harvest Festival cued the capacity crowd to sing, an overwhelming unified voice taking over the arena and building back its strength. “We were really cognizant to honor the victims and then to also really celebrate first responders,” Killingsworth said. Killingsworth drew from the most emotional moment in the Red Sox ceremony honoring victims of the Boston Marathon bombing five days after the terrorist attack. He tapped defenseman Deryk Engelland, a 13- year Southern Nevada resident, to speak to fans during the pregame ceremony as David Ortiz did in 2013. 1077751 Vegas Golden Knights

‘A moment we’ve been waiting for’: Golden Knights fans turn out in droves for home opener

By Chris Kudialis

Jose Carranza walked through The Park up to the doors of T-Mobile Arena and grabbed the bottom of his Vegas Golden Knights jersey with his thumb and index finger, clutching an Adidas emblem that certified its authenticity. “It’s finally time, it’s a moment we’ve been waiting for,” Garcia said as he passed through venue security, admiring the white team jersey, with gray, gold and red-striped sleeves and a logo helmet with the letter V in the middle — it cost him $195 at the team’s fan store last week. “We’re here to show that hockey and pro sports belong here in Las Vegas.” Carranza, 38, was one of about 20,000 fans to pack the area in and around T-Mobile Area before Tuesday’s first-ever regular season home game for the Vegas Golden Knights — a 5-to-2 win against the visiting Arizona Coyotes to move to a perfect 3-0-0 on the season. Fans lined up by the hundreds at bars and restaurants outside the arena, as early as 4 p.m., preparing for the team’s first regular season home game in its history. Carranza, who attended the game with girlfriend Esther Torres, said he expects the fan support to continue throughout the season. “This is a community that supports our home team and everything Las Vegas,” Carranza said. “When we’re given the chance, we’ll be there.” Inside T-Mobile, the sold-out Las Vegas crowd — filled with mostly Golden Knights jerseys and T-shirts with #VegasStrong — brought venue roars to a new height after four first-period goals from the home team. That followed an emotional, 20-minute tribute to the city, which featured heroes and first responders walking alongside Knights players during a pre-game introduction honoring victims of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history that occurred nine days ago. Summerlin resident Ken Howard paid $1,100 for four tickets to sit just four rows behind the glass during Tuesday’s home opener. A life-long Las Vegas resident, Howard, 43, sat with wife Rebecca, 41, and children Hannah, 15, and Tristan, 12. He called the pregame tribute “touching” and “well done” and praised the Golden Knights for going advertisement- free on their boards to produce only messages reading “Vegas Strong.” “It’s seems like they really get it,” Howard said of the local hockey team. “What a way to honor our first responders.” Attendance was announced at 18,191 for the game, with the average tickets going on popular ticket selling websites, like StubHub and Vivid Seats, from $150 to sit in the upper deck to over $1,500 to sit near the glass. The Las Vegas debut of the valley’s first top-level professional sports team brought both fans and the community together in “a unique way that few events could.” “I couldn’t believe it until I saw it,” said Henderson resident Jay Schoener, who sat in the upper deck after purchasing a last-second ticket Monday night online. “I’ve honestly been waiting my whole life to see this.” Outside the arena, bars filled with both local Golden Knights fans and tourists anxious to watch the historic event. Owner Brian McMullan of McMullan’s Irish Pub reported having as many as 360 people in his sold- out bar on hand to at least catch a glimpse of the Knights’ first home game. Another 56 were transported to the game in a party bus offered by the bar. “It’s a huge deal,” McMullan said. “The mood was unbelievable, and we were suitably impressed.” “It was something else,” he added. “This is a city that loves hockey.” LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077752 Washington Capitals they get to play in the offensive zone and they’re running around and, honestly, they’re really good at that. That’s when we take penalties. So we’ve got to start with execution and play a little simpler so we don’t take Capitals-Penguins redux ends with another Washington loss these penalties.” The last time the Capitals played the Penguins in this building was five months ago, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Washington By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 11 at 10:29 PM was shut out, 2-0, and Pittsburgh went on to a second straight Stanley Cup championship. That loss and how poorly the Capitals played for stretches in it lingered on the team’s mind through the offseason and into training camp. Meanwhile, the Penguins visited the White House on As Christian Djoos’s stat line flashed across the Capital One Arena Tuesday as a celebration of their championship victory. videoboard and low cheers of his name echoed through the stands, the 23-year-old rookie looked up and gave a slight shake of his head as if still After all of that, the feelings going into this chapter of the bitter rivalry? in disbelief. Beside him, Capitals defenseman John Carlson gave him a “Just hatred,” Trotz said before the game. “You hate the guys that nudge of encouragement. bumped you out.” The Capitals lost Wednesday night, 3-2, to the Pittsburgh Penguins, This game was never going to erase last season’s result, but it served as sinking themselves by taking six penalties and then allowing three power- an early-season measuring stick for the Capitals. It revealed areas play goals. But at least one good thing may have come out of the loss: an Washington still has to improve, like cutting down on penalties, and it answer for the team’s struggling third defense pairing. In his NHL debut, also served as a coming-out party for a young defenseman. Djoos scored a goal and recorded an assist, shining brighter as the game went on and potentially carving out a role for himself in the lineup. “It’s a process,” Trotz said. “It’s one game and we’ll be patient. His first game was real good.” “First game in the NHL, and you get a goal and an assist,” Djoos said. “That wasn’t my plan really when I showed up at the rink. I was going to Washington Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 play good and play a structured game and detailed game, but happy with the goal and the assist. But couldn’t get the win, so not good enough.” After Washington’s third defense pairing underwhelmed in the first three games of the season, barely seeing the ice late in an overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Monday, Coach Barry Trotz made a change to that duo before the team’s game against Pittsburgh. Trotz scratched veteran Taylor Chorney in favor of Djoos, the organization’s seventh-round pick in 2012. Djoos had made the opening-night roster out of training camp, but he was forced to watch the first three games rather than play in them. [Caps defenseman Christian Djoos set for NHL debut against Penguins] On Wednesday night, Trotz opted to sporadically rotate the team’s top- four defensemen around Djoos and Aaron Ness rather than deploy an inexperienced third pairing against the Penguins. After Djoos played less than three minutes in the first period, his debut seemed to be going awry when he was called for tripping 6:26 into the second. With goaltender Braden Holtby down across the crease, Pittsburgh’s Patric Hornqvist swatted a puck under his outstretched arm six seconds before the Penguins’ power play expired for a 2-0 lead. Djoos then had to take the skate of shame out of the penalty box. But Djoos ultimately made up for the penalty. Just as the public address announcer declared a minute left in the period, Djoos slammed in a one- timer set up by Lars Eller to cut the deficit to 2-1. “I thought he was awesome,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said of Djoos. “Lot of confidence. He wasn’t afraid, moved the puck really good out of the zone and then scored a first goal in his first game. That’s pretty unbelievable. It’s awesome. Those never get old.” Before Washington could get to second intermission with the momentum from Djoos’s goal, forward Alex Chiasson was called for holding with 4.5 seconds left in the period. The Penguins were on the power play when the puck dropped for the third period, and for the third time in the game, Pittsburgh scored directly in front of the net on the man-advantage, Conor Sheary getting the credit this time. [Penguins visit White House; Sidney Crosby: ‘There’s absolutely no politics involved’] Once again down by two goals, Nicklas Backstrom fed Djoos at the side of the net 12:59 into the third period, and Djoos stickhandled around Justin Schultz to pass the puck across the crease to a waiting Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin tapped in his eighth goal of the season, raising his arms victoriously and then wrapping Djoos into his second goal celebration of the game. “The thing with Christian is we know that he’s a good hockey player,” Trotz said. “He’s going to have to continue to get strong and continue to play at this level. You can see the instincts are really good. He’s got a real good sense for the game. His IQ is really good.” That wasn’t enough to make up for the six minor penalties the Capitals took during the first two periods. Entering Wednesday night’s game, Washington’s penalty kill had allowed just one goal in 14 times shorthanded, and it was Tampa Bay’s overtime winner in a four-on-three on Monday night. The Penguins had the third-best power play in the league last year, and they made the Capitals pay for their penalties. “We’ve got to stay out of the box,” Backstrom said. “It comes down to execution. We’re not executing our plays in the [defensive] zone and then 1077753 Washington Capitals >>> Trotz was asked about the team’s emotions before Washington plays Pittsburgh for the first time since the Penguins beat the Capitals in Game 7 of the teams’ second-round series in May. Caps defenseman Christian Djoos to make NHL debut against Penguins “Just hatred,” he said. “You hate the guys that bumped you out, and all the credit to the Penguins. They’ve been the standard for the last two seasons and we’ve had to try to get by them and we have not. We got to By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 11 at 2:00 PM overtime in Game 6 [in 2016] and we got to Game 7 last year. So we’re inching our way closer. It doesn’t feel very good, but at the same time you have to give them credit. They got it done. It hasn’t been done in a while and I saw [Coach Mike Sullivan’s] interview at the White House [on The 195th overall pick five years ago, defenseman Christian Djoos found Tuesday], and he said now they’re focusing on three. So good on them. out Wednesday morning that his NHL debut has arrived. The stage We’re focusing on hopefully not letting them have three and so is the rest would’ve felt monumental to Djoos no matter the opponent, but Djoos will of the League, though. There’s 30 other teams that are on the same get his first taste of playing with the Capitals against their fiercest rival in focus.” the Penguins, the team that has knocked Washington out of the playoffs the past two seasons. >>> Alex Ovechkin will now “exclusively play and train” with CCM hockey equipment, the company announced Wednesday. Ovechkin had used “I just felt like every day, I kept getting better at camp,” Djoos said. “You Bauer equipment for the past six years, but with that deal having expired, just keep working hard, and the chance is going to come. … At some Ovechkin has been using CCM sticks and skates to start the season, point, the chance is going to come to play, and today is that day.” scoring two hat tricks with that equipment in the first two games. The change to play Djoos and scratch veteran Taylor Chorney comes Here’s Washington’s expected lineup against Pittsburgh on Wednesday after the team allowed 40 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss against the Tampa night: Bay Lightning. Chorney was on the ice for the game-tying goal in the third period by Tampa Bay’s , and he didn’t get another Forwards shift after that. Washington’s bottom three defensemen are three left- handed shots, and Chorney has been playing his off side on the right Andre Burakovsky-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie while Aaron Ness has been on the left. On Wednesday night, Trotz will have Ness on the right side while Djoos will be on the left. Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Jakub Vrana “It’s a little bit based on playing the right side,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “I -Lars Eller-Alex Chiasson think it’s tough. [Chorney] has played all of his games over there, but he’s Tyler Graovac-Jay Beagle-Devante Smith-Pelly had a little bit of a rough patch here. … Chor is a real good pro for us, so that’s always a tough scratch for us just because he comes to be a real Scratches: Nathan Walker, Tom Wilson (suspended) pro and he works on his craft and that. So, he’ll get reset, and we want to see where Nesser is on the right side, too.” Defensemen After Washington’s loss Monday night, Trotz mentioned some of the Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen defensemen were fatigued. While the duo of Chorney and Ness played Brooks Orpik-John Carlson 10:17 and 8:56, respectively, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov each skated more than 25 minutes, and Orlov finished with a Christian Djoos-Aaron Ness game-high 27:33 time on ice. Trotz said that’s not sustainable for much longer. Scratch: Taylor Chorney “I don’t think that’s where we want to be,” Trotz said. “It’s early in the Goaltenders season, and we can do it. [The games] are spread out a little bit, but as Braden Holtby (starter) we go along here, that’s why we have a little bit of lead time where we can do that until everybody sort of settles in.” Philipp Grubauer Djoos made the Capitals’ opening-night roster, but he’s been a healthy Washington Post LOADED: 10.12.2017 scratch for the team’s first three games. In the American Hockey League last season, he scored 13 goals and his 45 assists were tied for the most among defensemen. The reviews on how the 23-year-old Swede acquitted himself in the preseason were mixed. “He’s shown flashes of a real good skill level that we’re going to be able to use, but he also has some deficiencies that we have to work through,” General Manager Brian MacLellan said last week. Trotz thought playing Djoos in a home game would be best because the Capitals have more control over the matchups with last change. Djoos’s father, Per Djoos, played 82 career NHL games with the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings, and he’ll be at Capital One Arena for Christian’s debut. Trotz’s advice for the rookie? “Have fun,” he said. “It’s only going to come by once in your lifetime. Enjoy the moment because it is a fantastic moment. … It is a first accomplishment and hopefully one of many.” >>> Though forward Tom Wilson’s four-game suspension for boarding is over after Wednesday night’s game against the Penguins, Trotz said the Capitals still intend to carry a 23-man roster with two extra forwards “right now.” Forward Jakub Vrana is the only player on the team who doesn’t require waivers to be sent down to the AHL, so Washington doesn’t want to risk another team swiping its player. With Wilson expected back in the lineup, likely beside center Lars Eller on the third line, two of forwards Alex Chiasson, Tyler Graovac, Nathan Walker and Devante Smith-Pelly will be out of the lineup on a regular basis. “Ideally, I think, in the perfect scenario, 22 [players] is my preference,” Trotz said. “Sometimes the rules in terms of waivers and all that change the rules, but for me, I prefer to have one extra forward and one extra D, just because it’s not only easier to get guys in, but they feel they’re closer to the mark, if you will.” 1077754 Washington Capitals “First game in NHL, you get a goal and an assist, that wasn’t like my plan when I showed up to the rink,” said Djoos, who saw 13:20 in ice time.

The final six minutes echoed a similar pattern from the playoffs: the Capitals fall, again, to Penguins in first rematch since playoff series Capitals chasing and the Penguins hanging on. “I thought from our standpoint, [the penalties] didn’t allow our players to By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times get going,” Trotz said. “We started going in the third and maybe getting a little more ice time, but every time we started getting any rhythm, we’d get a penalty.” Following the Capitals’ morning skate, coach Barry Trotz described his Washington Times LOADED: 10.12.2017 team’s lack of postseason success against the Pittsburgh Penguins as “inching” closer each year. In 2016, the Capitals suffered an overtime loss in Game 6. Last season, they were eliminated in seven games. Both times, the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup. “It doesn’t feel very good, but you have to give them credit,” Trotz said. But before the Capitals can even think of beating the Penguins in the postseason, they will need to work through the new problems they’ve demonstrated this season. The Penguins beat the Capitals 3-2 Wednesday and took advantage of Washington’s carelessness in committing penalties. In the first meeting between the teams this season, Pittsburgh scored three power play goals on six chances. “The first four games, I said to the guys, ‘Let’s be real, we’ve got to get our penalties down,’ ” Trotz said. “Our 5-on-5, we’re outscoring teams. So that’s a real good process for us. We’re getting good goaltending. But today they got three power play goals.” Entering Wednesday, Washington (2-1-1) had 14 penalties in three games. The frequency was concerning, though the Capitals’ penalty kill was among the top five best in the NHL — fighting off nearly 93 percent of all chances. Facing a quality team in Pittsburgh, though, resulted in a different outcome. The Penguins routinely used the extra attacker to crowd the net, blocking goaltender Braden Holtby’s sight and deflecting in goals. The latter is how the Penguins first got on the board. In the first period, Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang scored on a rebound with a wide open net as Holtby was turned in the opposite direction, blocking multiple shot attempts. On Pittsburgh’s second goal, forward Patric Hornqvist scored 8:20 into the second period, again crowding Holtby. “The goals [were] in tight that I would like to play better, especially the first two to give myself a better chance,” Holtby said. “They do a good job of screening up top and screen passes to the net, trying to create stuff. That’s something we’ll have to work on.” Name a type of penalty, and there’s a good chance the Capitals committed it. Washington were called for two tripping penalties, slashing, holding, interference and even a rare delay of game call. In the first period, Holtby rushed far past the net, almost to the blue line, to stop a puck with his glove. In the offseason, the NHL announced they were cracking down on slashing and face-off violations. During the preseason, the whole league saw a rise in calls made, but most figured they would ease up in the regular season. For the Capitals, that hasn’t happened. “It’s probably on us to be a little more disciplined,” defenseman Brooks Orpik said. Trotz said, in general, he was pleased with the team’s penalty kill, pointing out Penguins often scored late in the power play. He said he would look at the tape closer to see if the Penguins were exploiting an area around the net. Still, Wednesday’s game was winnable for Washington. The Capitals had moments of their own success. Defenseman Christian Djoos, making his NHL debut, scored with 52.9 seconds left in the second period on a well-timed slapshot that sailed past Penguins goaltender Matt Murray to make it 2-1. After Pittsburgh added another goal on the power play to begin the third, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of season to narrow the gap to 3-2. Ovechkin’s goal gave Djoos another point after he was credited for the assist. 1077755 Washington Capitals

Sidney Crosby knocks Braden Holtby over, does not get a penalty

By J.J. Regan October 11, 2017 8:07 PM

A rivalry always brings out physical play from both teams, but rarely does that include a check to a goalie. It happened on Wednesday as Braden Holtby was knocked to the ice by...wait for it...Sidney Crosby. You can watch the play in the above video player. Holtby went behind the net to retrieve the puck and Crosby skated after to challenge. Crosby's shoulder made contact with Holtby's head, sending the goalie to the ice. There was no call on the play. To add salt to the wound, the play came during a Penguins power play in which Kris Letang would go on to score to give Pittsburgh the 1-0 lead. If you hail from Pittsburgh, chances are you saw nothing wrong with the hit. If you rock the red you probably disagree. So was it a legal play? It is a common misconception to believe goalies are "fair game" when they come out of the crease, but goalies are not untouchable either. They essentially become a regular skater, but referees are often a bit more sensitive when it comes to hits on netminders. Obviously, that was not the case here. With Holtby out of the crease, it is fine for Crosby to challenge him for the puck. The hit also is not late as it comes when Holtby still has the puck. The only issue is that Crosby's shoulder contacts Holtby in the head. Headshots are, of course, illegal, but judging from how Crosby is skating, it looks as if he is square with the boards and then is attempting to turn his body and shoulders. That is when he makes contact with Holtby. The contact with the head makes it questionable, but it certainly does not appear to be malicious or even intentional. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077756 Washington Capitals

3 bold predictions: Expect a feisty night in Washington

By J.J. Regan October 11, 2017 5:40 PM

Wednesday night won’t be about revenge for the Caps. A regular season game cannot possibly makeup for a playoff loss and an eventual Stanley Cup for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead, Washington will look to turn the page from another disappointing playoff result as they host the Penguins on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., NBCSN). Here are three bold predictions for the game. 1. There will be a fight Remember when the Penguins went out and go Ryan Reaves in the offseason to help protect Sidney Crosby? One of the teams they were thinking about was the Caps. Don’t forget, Crosby suffered yet another concussion after taking a hit from Matt Niskanen during their series last season. Tom Wilson may not be in the lineup, he is serving the last game of a four-game suspension, but the Penguins are going to agitate the Caps until someone eventually drops the gloves. 2. The Caps will be outshot Washington has been outshot in all three games they have played thus far, including the 6-1 drubbing they delivered to the Montreal Canadiens. The game will not feel as tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor given the game is at home and Barry Trotz will be able to shield the third defensive pair more easily as he will have the second change, but they will have the shot advantage. 3. Andre Burakovsky will score The Caps’ top-six has been the bright spot for them to start the season. All six players have looked tremendous…except Burakovsky who very quietly has managed just two assists and no goals. The Caps need this to be a breakout season for him and this will be a good night to start. How did Burakovsky start the 2016-17 season? With two goals…against the Penguins. And don’t forget, he also responded when being promoted to the top line against Pittsburgh in the playoffs with three goals and one assist in three games. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077757 Washington Capitals

Barry Trotz moves Aaron Ness...to the right

By J.J. Regan October 11, 2017 4:03 PM

It was clear after the Capitals’ loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday that change was needed on the blue line. Barry Trotz did indeed change the third defensive pair ahead of Wednesday’s rivalry game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it was perhaps not the change many expected. It will be Taylor Chorney, not Aaron Ness, who comes out of the lineup as Christian Djoos is set to make his NHL debut. That is a bit surprising considering Ness has taken four minor penalties in three games this season and Trotz limited his playing time Monday to less than nine minutes. But despite not coming out of the lineup, Ness will still see a change. With Djoos coming in to play on the left side, Ness, a left-handed shot, will move to the right. Chorney, who is also a left-handed shot, had previously played on the right the first three games with Ness on the left. Trotz explained the move after Wednesday’s morning skate saying Chorney had hit a “rough patch” of late and that Ness has played both sides previously. Despite a reprieve from the press box, however, both Trotz and Ness know he has to play better going forward. “There's a couple games where you'd like to see his skating stand out more and I think early in the first couple ones you didn't see that,” Trotz said. “…I really like Ness when he's come up in the middle of the season both years where he's got his game really in order and he's getting lots of minutes and he's flying around, we bring him up and it's slower. It's early in the season so he'll get there. I think if you talk to Nesser he could be a little bit better as well.” “I think there's another level for me,” Ness said. “I think I can play better and contribute more offensively and just continue to be reliable as much as possible and continue to get better and better every game. That's always the goal I think throughout the season and it's a challenge, but it's a fun one.” MORE CAPITALS: HOW TO WATCH CAPS-PENGUINS ON WEDNESDAY Step one will be taking fewer penalties, something Ness has not struggled with in the past. “I don't even know if I had five penalties all year last year so it's not something I'm worried about,” he said. “I'm just going to keep playing hard and as physical as possible and hopefully cut down on the minutes obviously.” While the Capitals may have earned five of a possible six points through their first three games, the defensive struggles have been troubling. With Madison Bowey playing in Hershey waiting for his crack at the NHL, Ness, Djoos and Chorney have to justify their spots on the Caps’ roster. Ness and Chorney got the first chance on the third pair and they struggled. Now we will see what Djoos can do and if Ness can handle playing on the right. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077758 Washington Capitals

After a hot start, Alex Ovechkin signs with CCM

By Tarik El-Bashir October 11, 2017 12:55 PM

Alex Ovechkin has officially signed an endorsement deal with CCM after spending the previous six years with Bauer. The Capitals’ captain, who became the first player in 100 years to record hat tricks in back-to-back games to start the season, has been using CCM skates, sticks and equipment since training camp. The contract the three-time league MVP signed with Bauer in 2011 expired prior to this season. Ovechkin's new deal with CCM and its Russian distributor, SPORTCONCEPT, is a long-term agreement similar in length to the one with Bauer, a source said. “I started my career with the company and I am excited to be back with CCM!” Ovechkin said in a statement. “We are going to work together to help me be the best player I can be.” Ovechkin broke into the NHL wearing CCM. TheMontreal-based equipment manufacturer now counts Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Brent Burns, Carey Price, John Tavares, among other big names players, on its endorsement roster. Although terms of the deal were not announced, endorsement deals in hockey do not approach the like multi-million dollar NBA sneaker deals. They’re good money, but not a life-changing sum for a player like Ovechkin, who’ll make $10 million in salary from the Caps this season. Top players typically make endorsement decisions based on what works best for them. And given the fact that Ovechkin has a league-leading seven goals through three games, he’s got to be feeling pretty good about his decision to switch. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077759 Washington Capitals

Christian Djoos to make NHL debut, replaces Chorney against rival Penguins

By Tarik El-Bashir October 11, 2017 11:33 AM

With the two-time champion Penguins in town Wednesday night, Caps Coach Barry Trotz has opted to make a couple of changes. On the blue line, he’s inserting rookie Christian Djoos into the lineup for veteran Taylor Chorney. Up front, Tyler Graovac is back in for Nathan Walker. Here’s how we expect Trotz to have the Caps lined up at Capital One Arena: Forwards Ovechkin – Kuznetsov - Vrana Burakovsky - Backstrom - Oshie Connolly - Eller - Chiasson Graovac- Beagle-Smith-Pelly Defense Orlov - Niskanen Orpik – Carlson Djoos – Ness Goalies Holtby Grubauer Some notes, quotes and observations from the morning skate KCI: Trotz said the decision to play Djoos, who’ll make his NHL debut, was twofold: He wanted to get the rookie for a home game since he controls the matchups and Taylor Chorney has struggled a bit on the right side, which is where Ness will line up. “He’s played all his games over there but he’s a little bit of a rough patch [with his] handles and stuff like that,” Trotz said of Chorney. “And Nesser has played both [sides]. We’ll get [Chorney] a reset. …That’s always a tough scratch for us.” Djoos said he found out this morning. “It’s huge,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun night to finally play my first game. It’s a big game for the organization and they’re a great team.” Djoos said his father, Per, who played 82 games for the Red Wings and Rangers is in Washington and will attend the game. Asked if there’s any significance to facing the team that eliminated you the year before, Trotz cracked, “No, just hatred. You hate the guys that bumped you out. All the credit to the Penguins they’ve been the standard for the last two seasons.” Trotz on playing Graovac over Walker: “I didn’t play [Graovac] a lot in the first game. He didn’t play that poorly. He actually played fairly well. He did some good things. In that game we were trailing and I wanted to get a little more offense from guys that I had a longer history with.” Graovac played 6:22 vs. Ottawa. Trotz added: “And it was important for me to get Walks in, just as it was important to get Djoos in. Now we’ve got everybody in, except Tom [Wilson] who we’ll get in next game. Then we’ll sort of be complete.” Trotz said he anticipates keeping the roster max of 23 even when Wilson returns, saying it’ll create competition within the bottom 6, while also allowing forwards on the third line to pressure on guys in the top 6. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077760 Winnipeg Jets

Big Buff catches big fish while nursing small injury

By: Jason Bell

VANCOUVER — Conspiracy theorists fishing for something on Dustin Byfuglien got no help from Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice Wednesday afternoon. Byfuglien and some of his teammates spent part of Tuesday — an off day for the NHL club — hauling in some monster sturgeon on the Fraser River. The defenceman didn't play in Edmonton on Monday because of a lower- body injury and, according to Maurice today, won't join his teammates as they take on the Canucks on Thursday. They say it's evidence Byfuglien was parked in the press box due to his performance in Winnipeg's first two defeats rather than his health. Some energy would have been exerted by big Buff — an avid outdoorsman — battling that bad boy (or girl). But Maurice said he had no problem with Byfuglien's choice of day-off activity. "No, he did what he needed to do (treatment). (It's) a soft-tissue issue," he said. "Just a little bit jealous, but no issue at all." He said Byfuglien will participate in the team's morning skate but will be sidelined for at least one more contest. "That'll be the first time he's been on the ice in a few days and we'll just be real cautious with it going forward. It's day to day," said Maurice. Jets centre Matt Hendricks, who has yet to play this season and is on the injured-reserved list, was also a member of the fishing party. Hendricks skated alone Wednesday afternoon at Father Bauer Arena on the University of British Columbia campus, prior to the team's practice. There's no timeline, yet, on his return. Winnipeg will ice the same lineup that registered an impressive 5-2 victory over the Oilers. That means Tucker Poolman will play NHL game No. 2, paired again with Toby Enstrom, while goalie Connor Hellebuyck returns to crease. Hellebuyck, sensational in Edmonton, stopping 37 shots including 20 in the opening period, said he's grateful for a second-straight start but keeping a level head. "I know how much work is ahead of me. I'm going to enjoy it but I have a lot to think about moving forward," he said. "For me, a lot of what's happening comes down to confidence. If you are confident in yourself, your high games are like, 'whatever, that's what I play like' and the bad games you know you're better. So, the confidence is going to be key." The club's top line of centre Mark Scheiflele, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers was a force, combining for 10 points — highlighted by Ehlers' natural hat-trick. Maurice said all his players earned a day away from the rink. "Just be together," he said. "We get four mandatory days off a month and I like it when they're on the road because they all get to spend some time together. It's great early in the season, outstanding," he said. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.12.2017 1077761 Winnipeg Jets He’s not expecting to branch out to journalism following his career though.

“I wouldn’t call myself a good writer,” said Scheifele. “I pride myself on Coach Paul Maurice has no problem with injured Jets going fishing always being a good student.” Scheifele has always prided himself on being a student of the game and BY KEN WIEBE, FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 that’s evident both on and off the ice. DANO LOOKS FOR MORE VANCOUVER - Dustin Byfuglien remains sidelined with a lower-body Jets forward Marko Dano had the lowest amount of ice time among all injury and his “soft-tissue issue” will force him to miss a second players in Monday’s 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, taking 13 shifts consecutive game. for 6:50. The Winnipeg Jets defenceman didn’t skate for a fourth consecutive day, Dano recorded one hit, but was the only member of the Jets who didn’t although head coach Paul Maurice expects him to be on the ice for record a shot on goal. Thursday’s pre-game skate. In that contest, the Jets had 43 shots on goal and a whopping 66 shot “(Byfuglien) will take the morning skate and that will be the first time he’s attempts, including eight shots on goal and 14 shot attempts for Nikolaj on the ice in a few days and we’ll just be real cautious with him moving Ehlers. forward,” said Maurice. “He’s day-to-day.” While it’s challenging for players on the fourth line to get into much of a When it comes to Jets injuries over the past few seasons, day-to-day can groove when you’re not getting a lot of ice time, when you’re battling to be a relative term, but given how long the soft-tissue injury for Tyler stay in the lineup, all players need to find a way to contribute — whether Myers lingered last season, it’s no surprise the Jets are going to try to it’s offensively or in another area. make sure Byfuglien (who has one assist and six shots on goal in two STUART HEADS OVERSEAS games this season while averaging 23:41 of ice time) is as close to 100% as possible before he returns to the lineup. Former Jets defenceman Mark Stuart has found a new place to play. The Jets (1-2) face the Vancouver Canucks (1-0-0-1) on Thursday to After attending training camp with the Chicago Blackhawks, Stuart was close out a three-game road trip against western Canadian teams in the released from his professional tryout offer after playing only one pre- Pacific Division. season game. Byfuglien had more than 25 minutes of ice time against the Calgary But on Wednesday, Stuart inked a deal to join in the Flames, so there had been some question as to when the injury actually DEL on a roster that includes former NHLers like , Carlo occurred, but that’s been cleared up. Colaiacovo and Marcel Goc. “It’s kind of a slow burn on that one and it just kind of got worse,” said Stuart, 33, spent the past six seasons with the Jets before the Maurice. “He had it before the Calgary game, but it didn’t get better.” organization bought out the final year of his four-year contract in late June. Speaking of injured players, veteran centre Matt Hendricks continues to progress from a foot injury he suffered in a pre-season game against the Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.12.2017 Ottawa Senators on Sept. 27. Hendricks was on the ice on Wednesday afternoon and is inching closer to returning to game action. “We’ll slowly work him back,” said Maurice. “He’s day-to-day and I don’t have him in (Thursday).” Speaking of Byfuglien and Hendricks, they spent Tuesday’s mandatory day off sturgeon fishing in British Columbia and were able to land a big one. A picture of Byfuglien, Hendricks and the sturgeon was posted on Twitter by @SturgeonSlayers and generated some buzz among fans, but Maurice said he had no issue with his players using the day off to fish. “No, he did what he needed to do,” said Maurice, referring to his off-ice treatment. “No issue at all. Just a little bit jealous. We get four mandatory days off a month and I like it when they (occur) on the road because (players) get to spend some time together. It’s great early in the season. Outstanding.” SCHEIFELE'S TRIBUNE Already an emerging talent on the ice, Jets centre Mark Scheifele had people talking on Wednesday as well as an article he contributed to The Players’ Tribune was posted online. In the piece, Scheifele (who calls himself “a hockey nerd”) shared his thoughts on his five toughest players to play against — Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. “It was really fun. They approached me and it went from there,” Scheifele said after Wednesday’s workout. “I had heard about The Players’ Tribune and always wanted to do one. I was excited when I got the chance to try it. You never know how those things are going to turn out. I got a lot of good feedback.” Narrowing the list to five players was definitely a challenge. “There’s a lot of good players in this league,” said Scheifele. “But no hard feelings.” Scheifele isn’t planning to switch careers anytime soon, but he did provide some solid insights in his analysis. 1077762 Winnipeg Jets Most pundits had the Canucks on the outside looking in for their pre- season playoff predictions, but they’ve already picked up three of a possible four points. Hellebuyck rewarded with second start in a row The Canucks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in their opener and are coming off a shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. BY KEN WIEBE, FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 “Beating a team of that stature is always big for us,” said Scheifele, referring to Monday’s victory. “It’s big for any team. We can’t rest on that though. It’s almost forgetting about it. It’s one game out of 82. We can’t be complacent at all. We still have things to work on. VANCOUVER — Paul Maurice had a good idea where the line of questioning was going. “Obviously, we’re happy about it, but it means nothing come the next day. We know this is going to be a tough test and we’ve got to be ready Shortly after announcing that Connor Hellebuyck would be getting a for that.” second consecutive start for the Winnipeg Jets, the head coach was quick to point out he wasn’t operating under a win-and-you’re-in Since Hellebuyck doesn’t know when his next start will come, you can be philosophy this early in the season. sure he’s going to be ready. Handing out consecutive starts to your backup in the first month of a new Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.12.2017 campaign isn’t laying the foundation for a goalie controversy. This is simply about rewarding Hellebuyck for his hard work after he made 37 saves in his first start of the season as the Jets toppled the Oilers in Edmonton on Monday night. It’s not about riding the hot hand until he loses — not yet anyway. “No. It’s early in the season, we got off to a rocky start as a team and we a really good performance the other night, so I’m going with the same lineup. That’s all,” said Maurice, whose club worked out at the Doug Mitchell Sports Centre at the University of British Columbia on Wednesday afternoon. “I really liked (Hellebuyck’s) game. It was good to get a win, he’s feeling confident and he deserves to go back in.” No argument here. There’s no doubt the Jets were shell-shocked in giving up 13 goals in their first two losses. Defensively, the Jets were a mess and free-agent acquisition Steve Mason was between the pipes for 11 of those goals against. It’s true there were a couple of goals that would fall under the category of soft, but Mason wasn’t the biggest reason his team lost in either outing. Mason stopped the final 16 shots he faced during the third period of the 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, which was something for him to build on. Three games don’t change how the Jets view Mason, who was brought in to be the starter after inking a two-year deal worth $8.2 million. There will come a time soon enough – perhaps as early as Saturday when the Jets host the Carolina Hurricanes – when Mason will get another chance to get into his rhythm. But with the Jets sitting 1-2 in the competitive Western Conference, the time was right to go back with Hellebuyck. After appearing in 56 games last season (including 53 starts), Hellebuyck wasn’t sure what to expect this fall. He’s not about to get ahead of himself either. “It’s just one game,” said Hellebuyck. “There was a lot of good, but a lot of things to improve on as well. I see this as a chance for me to go out and continue showing what I can do. Bringing my best in helping this team succeed.” Getting a vote of confidence from the head coach is always welcome for a goalie, no matter where you sit on the depth chart. “Absolutely,” said Hellebuyck. “A lot of a goalie’s confidence comes from the head coach. Not only that, but practice habits are huge. You have to come out here and work hard every day. The finer details you work on now are the things that are going to come naturally. “I feel like myself again. I can trust myself that I can just go out and play my game. I have the right foundation and I just have to keep working at it.” In his first start, Hellebuyck provided some stability against the high- octane Oilers, making seven saves during a power play in the opening minutes and his teammates seemed to rally around that. “(Hellebuyck) played awesome for us. He made some big saves early,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who leads the Jets with three goals and five points in three games. “We need to continue to be good in front of (the goalies) each and every night.” 1077763 Winnipeg Jets “Everyone’s out here playing nicked up and dinged up,” he said. “Everyone’s playing through stuff and I’m no different.”

DAVIS GLAD FOR CHANCE Nichols expects to wear modified glove on throwing hand Dom Davis saw it as another step in his learning process.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers backup quarterback saw the most action BY TED WYMAN, FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 he’s seen in two years last Friday night, playing the second half of a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in relief of injured starter Matt Nichols. Matt Nichols has tried throwing with a glove before and he didn’t like it. Davis completed nine of his 14 passes for 84 yards, but admitted there were some areas of the game that need work. It doesn’t sound like he’ll have much choice when he suits up at quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday afternoon at “I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “There was still some stuff I need to Investors Group Field against the B.C. Lions. correct. I got through a few (reads) too quick. It’s just one of those things where you’re just trying to get in and make things happen. But you can’t Nichols suffered a hand injury — believed to be a torn nail on his ring score a touchdown on every play.” finger — during last Friday’s 30-13 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Davis has been the No. 2 quarterback in Winnipeg since last September, He has been wearing a modified glove the past two days, with his index when Drew Willy was traded away and Nichols took over as No. 1. finger, middle finger and thumb free and his ring finger and pinkie However, before Friday, the only game action he had seen was a few covered. mop-up plays in relief in a win over Ottawa on Sept. 22. It has gone pretty well so far and Nichols expects to wear the glove on It can’t have been an easy situation for Davis, who has a grand total of Saturday as the Bombers look to nail down a playoffs spot with a win or a 42 pass attempts in his three CFL seasons. tie against the Leos. “It’s always tough, but you’ve just got to do your job,” he said. “As a “I don’t know for sure yet, but it has felt good the last couple of days so it backup, you stay ready. It might be the second play of the game or the will probably be what I roll with,” Nichols said after Wednesday’s practice second-to-last play of the game. No matter where you are or what time it session at IGF. is in the game, you’ve just got to stay ready and just try to mentally prepare yourself for anything that happens.” “It’s gone good. I feel like I’m throwing the ball well here. If I didn’t feel like I could do my job I wouldn’t be out here doing it. I wouldn’t be taking Bombers coach Mike O’Shea was pleased with his backup’s reps away from other guys.” performance. Nichols sat out the second half of the game against Hamilton, with “I’m sure there’s a few plays that Dom would like to have back but I also backup Dom Davis taking over. think that overall as a team we weren’t playing very well so I don’t know that he got the kind of support he needed either,” O’Shea said. “I just wasn’t able to completely throw the ball the way I wanted to,” Nichols said. “If you’re not going to be able to go out there and fully help Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.12.2017 your team win, we have confidence in the next guy up.” While the injury has not healed, the modified glove seems to make a difference. Nichols said he would not want to try it if he had to wear a full glove. “Wearing a full glove, which is not something I plan on doing, I feel like sometimes the index finger sticks a little bit too much and tugs it away from where I’m trying to throw it,” Nichols said. “It’s not something where I’m comfortable going into a game. If I had it stick on me and it ended up in an interception, that’s something I wouldn’t be very happy about. “I’m not a huge fan of it. That’s why the throwing glove I have on has a couple of fingers cut off of it. This is going to be my kind of version of it.” Nichols has had an exceptional season with the Bombers. He’s the driver of their offence and the team’s unquestioned leader. He is 20-7 as the Bombers starting quarterback over the last two seasons and is the top- rated quarterback in the league in 2017. While he looked good throwing deep balls in practice, there’s certainly a chance the injury and the glove are going to affect him in a big game against the desperate Lions. “You throw a certain way your entire life and to have something just a little bit different on your throwing hand, it’s something you’ve got to deal with and adjust to,” Nichols said. If there’s any concern within the Bombers organization, head coach Mike O’Shea certainly wasn’t showing it Wednesday. “He looks good,” O’Shea said. “I really didn’t notice anything. Everything looks pretty clean. It looks normal really. Barring anything going on between now and then I’m sure he’ll be ready for us.” A bigger question is: Will the Bombers be ready? They were surprised by the Tiger-Cats last week and saw their record slip to 10-4 on the season. They will look to avoid losing a second straight game for the first time this season on Saturday. “It’s been a big mantra of ours this year — good teams always respond after a poor game,” Nichols said. “That’s what we played last week, a poor game. We’re going to have to play much better than we did last week to win this one.” While even a minor finger injury can have a profound effect on a player who touches the ball on every offensive play and has to throw with precision, Nichols doesn’t see his situation as being different from any of the other hurts his teammates are dealing with. 1077764 Vancouver Canucks Even before Boeser signed last March, the Canucks’ defenceman was confident of the winger’s ability to transition well to the pro ranks because of a scoring touch and ability to rise to the occasion, no matter how big A better Brock Boeser looks poised for regular-season Canucks debut the stage. Boeser was the top-rated NCAA pro prospect last season, but was shut down in December by wrist surgery. He still managed 15 goals in 29 Ben Kuzma games after amassing 27 goals in 42 games in his freshman season. It bettered the school’s first-year marks established by Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie. Shock therapy can be a good thing. Just ask Brock Boeser. “He always seems to find his way on the scoresheet and that’s a special talent to have — especially at a young age,” said Stecher. “Even on the A certainty in his career is that he’s been a lineup lock. Whether in junior power play, he has a little backhand four-foot saucer (pass). It’s a tough or college, there was no second-guessing that the right-winger might not skill to teach, but he’s just born with that natural ability. Offensively, he be a first-line scoring threat. can find a seam that you might not think is there. However, the steep NHL learning curve sent Boeser to the sidelines to “It’s the little things. That’s what a lot of older guys told me last year — start the regular season, and it was sobering. find a way to be effective. Make sure you’re doing something to help the Despite leading the Vancouver Canucks in pre-season scoring with four team. He sat out a while and has a little fire in his belly and he wants to goals and three assists in five games, he sat out the first two of the get out there and prove people wrong. regular season because he faded in his final two exhibition tests against “He’s going to pounce on his opportunity and I expect nothing less.” veteran-laden lineups. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.12.2017 It makes his expected appearance Thursday on a reunited line with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena meaningful on several levels. Sitting out has tested his mettle, and tough practices have helped address quickness and a stronger offensive presence. “I’m feeling a lot faster,” said Boeser. “I thought camp was a grind, but I feel like my legs are back under me. My legs felt a little heavy and maybe that was an issue playing all those games at the end of pre-season. It got tougher as the pre-season went on.” And so did the scrutiny. Scoring four goals in nine games last spring after leaving the University of North Dakota and signing a three-year, entry-level deal is going to get you noticed in this market. The 23rd pick in the 2015 NHL draft made a seamless transition to the pro game. Everything he displayed at the collegiate level — an ability to slow the game down, be strong on pucks, make smart plays in tight spaces and find the seams to unleash a heavy and accurate shot — were there in spades. The buzz of what could be only got louder as this regular season neared. Then came sitting out the season-opener Saturday. “This is the first time for me, but that’s just part of learning,” reasoned the 20-year-old Burnsville, Minn., native. “Obviously, it’s something different for me to take in from a mentality standpoint. But I totally understand where he (coach Travis Green) is coming from. We’ve talked a few times and he’s really good about that and making sure we have a good relationship.” Which, of course, is crucial. It’s not a stretch to suggest that 50 to 60 regular-season games for Boeser and Jake Virtanen to build their games and trust with the coach would fast-forward their development. Virtanen, 19, already appears well on his way, and he practised on a line with Markus Granlund and Loui Eriksson on Wednesday because of his strong play through two games. Alexander Burmistrov was the odd man out. Green wouldn’t confirm his lineup, and said alignments could change, but liked what he saw in Boeser on Wednesday. “I thought he looked sharper and quicker in practice the other day and I thought he did again today,” said the Canucks’ coach. “He looked fresher.” What that means is there should be some instant chemistry with Horvat and Baertschi that was established last spring. And there should be more spring in Boeser’s stride. He’s fine when he gets up to speed, but explosiveness is his challenge. “I think I can take that next step like Bo did,” added Boeser. “It’s huge to build that separation speed and beat people wide like you see Jake do, because he’s such a good skater. I can get the explosiveness in the weight room, and the quick-feet stuff I’ve been doing on the ice after practices has been huge.” Troy Stecher believes his former North Dakota teammate will meet expectations. Nobody knows Boeser better than his former North Dakota teammate Troy Stecher. 1077765 Websites LEBRUN: You’ve got the Babcock coaching tree (Todd McLellan, Bill Peters, Paul MacLean, Jeff Blashill) and the Shero GM tree (Chuck Fletcher, Jason Botterill)… The Athletic / LeBrun: Mike Babcock and Ray Shero talk sharing BABCOCK: You always hope for people to do well. And you try to hire information, what makes a good coach and managing people good people. SHERO: I was telling Pierre that it was one of the hardest decisions I Pierre LeBrun ever had to make when I interviewed a coach like Guy Boucher (for the job Hynes would get). I really liked Guy, I spent a lot of time with him. He was great. That was difficult, but we have always kept in touch after that. I spoke to Guy this year at the draft. He said to me: ‘You picked a real It was the summer of 2014, Ray Shero, just two months after being fired good coach in John and just to let you know, you’re the only guy when I by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was relaxing on a friend’s boat when his didn’t get a job who told me why.’ I thought that was interesting. In the phone rang. end obviously it all worked out in Ottawa for him. It was Mike Babcock. BABCOCK: He’s done a real good job there. “I’m thinking, I know I’ve got a Level 4 or 5 but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t (This was left unsaid, of course, but it’s widely known that Boucher would want me to coach,’’ Shero said with a chuckle Wednesday morning. have been the coach in Toronto had Babcock decided to go to Buffalo instead. Again, the hockey world is small). As it turns out, Babcock was looking to fill an assistant coach’s job on his Red Wings staff and wanted to pick his brain about Tony Granato, whom LEBRUN: How do you guys balance the fact that around the league you Shero had as an assistant coach for five years in Pittsburgh. What seem to all pick each other’s brain about stuff, there’s sort of this Babcock got was a whole-hearted endorsement from Shero on Granato, brotherhood, but then you go out and try to beat the crap of that guy’s who did indeed eventually get hired in Detroit that summer. team. How does that work? While Shero’s Penguins and Babcock’s Red Wings played in two BABCOCK: No, I mean, I share my stuff with everybody basically, in entertaining Stanley Cup finals in 2008 and 2009, the two had never saying that, I’m not sharing it with the guy I’m coaching against that night. really got to know each other. When I’m coaching at the Olympics or World Cup, you bring them all in, you share everything because you want to win. But the way I look at it, by That conversation in the summer of 2014, however, started a new the time you’re done sharing stuff, if you’re not already on to the next relationship between Shero and Babcock, two respected hockey men thing, you’re not doing your job. who since then have occasionally picked each other’s brains on things, including the time at the world championships in Prague in the spring of LEBRUN: There’s a shelf life to some of it. 2015 when Babcock sought advice about his impending coaching free agency. BABCOCK: You just keep evolving. “He’s an intriguing guy to talk to,’’ Shero said of Babcock. “He’s a guy SHERO: There’s coaching symposiums, everybody’s sharing and that will ask you questions or will ask for your opinion on something. I like learning. It doesn’t matter what level. It’s great to see. to do the same, so I have always had some great conversations with Mike.’’ BABCOCK: A lot of times at those coaching symposiums though, that’s some entry level things. In the end, it’s how you deal with the people, it’s It’s also a story about how small the hockey world is. Shero replaced Lou how you make the people play, it’s how you get the most out of the Lamoriello as GM in New Jersey and while they only had two and a half people, it’s how you get them to pay attention all the time and do it night months together with the Devils, Shero says he enjoyed his time with after night. That’s what the good guys do. Lamoriello (who had stayed on in a senior role). And now Babcock is working with Lamoriello here in Toronto, a relationship that the Leafs SHERO: So if someone says, what makes a good coach? In terms of coach says he is thoroughly enjoying. your level, how do you impact people? On Wednesday morning, ahead of Shero’s Devils taking on Babcock’s BABCOCK: No. 1 is confidence. You have to have the confidence in Maple Leafs, the two caught up in the stands at the Air Canada Centre, yourself to talk to people. You got to be able to talk to your players and and allowed me to hang out for it. talk to them every day. And lots of times it can’t be about hockey. No. 2, you got to know the way you got to play. You don’t have to be better than They began their conversation asking other about each other’s families everyone else technically, but you can’t be worse. So you have to have a before the conversation shifted to hockey, specifically what it’s like to way to play structured. And I believe No. 3 is your ability to grind. That break into the NHL as a rookie head coach when you’re not a former doesn’t mean wearing people out, that means being fresh, being player: energized, finding a way to do things every day to give your group a chance to be successful. SHERO: I talked to (Devils head coach) John Hynes about that. I said to him, you want to earn the veterans’ respect but you don’t want to overdo SHERO: OK, so, how many assistant coaches do you have? it. I had told him the story about Mike Babcock and his first year in Anaheim as a rookie coach in the NHL and how he handled some of the BABCOCK: Well, you see, this is a way different program here now. I veterans. have two video guys, I have a goalie coach and I have two assistant coaches. But our farm team is in town so we also have our American BABCOCK (smiling): They were mad right away. But you know what, I League coach. It’s a way bigger job now managing that group. I’ve got a say to coaches all the time, when you first arrive in the NHL, the No. 1 full support sport science group. thing has to be confidence. When you walk in the room, they got to know. Now, if you’ve played in the NHL for 15 years, you’ve got a better resume SHERO: And who do they report to? than us guys. No matter how much winning, even if you’re a serial BABCOCK: Myself and Lou. So the information coming in compared to winner, you haven’t been in the league. They don’t care. If you didn’t play what it used to be… When I came into the league we had one computer in the NHL, you didn’t play hockey. and four guys using it. Every single game wasn’t available to you like it is SHERO: After we talked about Tony Granato that year, you also called now. Plus, now we have a whole analytics team that sends us me about John Hynes. I remember saying, ‘The guy in Wilkes-Barre?’ information. And you said, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘How do you know him?’ And you said, SHERO: My dad (HHOFer Fred Shero) was the first coach to hire an ‘I don’t. But everyone I speak with tells me he’s a guy I should get to assistant coach, in 1972, Mike Nykoluk. I remember near the end in know.’ (Babcock was curious about Hynes at the time but never did end Philly, his assistant coaches were Terry Crisp and and the up trying to hire him). What I found interesting right away is that you were goalie coach was Jacques Plante. a guy who was always asking questions. BABCOCK (looking impressed): There you go. BABCOCK: I just find that you have to find ideas. New ideas. Whether it’s a CEO from different companies, you got to find new ideas. The longer SHERO: But I get this all the time, people will say, what’s a general you’re in this business, the more you got to go somewhere else. That’s manager do, trades and signings? That’s 10 percent of your job, maybe why I always hope my guys (assistant coaches) become head coaches less. It’s in the job title: you’re a manager, of people. You’re managing elsewhere. You take their information, they take your information, and your trainers, your players, the media, the agents, you’re managing you hope they go on and do well with it. But you got to keep re-inventing people. It’s about people and how you impact people. yourself or else the league will go by you. I really believe that. BABCOCK: No question. I also think you need to evaluate who you are and say, ‘This is what I need.’ So that’s why my assistant coaches are there, they fill in all the holes of my personality and my ability. SHERO: I like to hire people that are different than me. BABCOCK: 100 percent, that’s what I try to do, too. SHERO: Because they challenge you, they bring different ideas. And that’s what makes you better and hopefully, it makes them better as well. BABCOCK: I think Lou’s done a real good job of that. Everybody gets an opinion. But if you don’t bring anything, pretty soon you don’t get an opinion. So if you do your job, you get a bigger and bigger job. If you don’t do your job, now I’m the micro-manager of all-time because I have to do your job. And then you’re not working. You don’t want to micro- manage anybody. You want them to do their jobs and get better and get bigger responsibility and feel self-worth, make them feel important. I think we’ve done a good job of that here. We’ve got good coaches here. LEBRUN: Thanks for your time, guys. That was great. The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077766 Websites teammates get back in the battle. Being on the offensive side is a “hope play,” in that IF your team wins it, you’re in a better offensive position. But that’s not your job. The Athletic / Bourne: A look at the Wild's “loose” play so far, and why it'll Further, watch the backcheck. The Wild have three men back to defend likely get better three men. (This one kills me, and I’ll be writing about it more in the future.) That’s your cue to go “Hey, maybe I should check to see if anyone’s behind me that I could cover since it seems we’re all good Justin Bourne here.” But Niederreiter gets sucked in by the siren song of the puck, and now the trailing Hurricanes’ player finds himself with a pretty good look at the Wild’s cage. TSN’s Bob McKenzie is fond of saying on the start of the NHL season: Next is something hard in the physical sense, but super basic if you pay don’t read much into the first two weeks, pay attention after three, and attention to the details of the defensive technique: Defending a set book it after four. If you buy into that, and I do, it helps to pour a little cold breakout. As you’ll see if you give this a watch or two, the Canes set water on the parade planners. And for teams not off to the greatest starts breakout is a double swing left (that’s the left side from the viewpoint of – I’m looking at you, Minnesota Wild – it should help assuage their the Canes’ D-man). The first forward swings low on the left side, then concerns, somewhat. cuts diagonally through the middle of the ice. The second forward swings on the same path, but stays skating up the boards. The defenseman fills But still, there are concerns, and internally, the Wild can’t afford to go “Ah the right side lane, and the third forward stretches. This gives the D-man it’s early I’m sure we’ll be fine.” pass options on the left, middle, and right, he can bomb it to the stretch After losses to the probably-not-great Detroit Red Wings and the likely- guy to tip in the zone, or he can simply skate it if given room. pretty-good Carolina Hurricanes, the Wild find themselves in the top-10 in To defend this, each Wild player has an assigned guy to stay “above.” shots attempted per game, but it’s come at a price. Only five teams in the The forward who swings with the second Canes forward on the left side league have given up more shot attempts against per game. That paints is the only one who really gets it right. The trick is, you can’t be a clear picture: The Wild are playing loose hockey, trading chances at stationary. You have to mirror the route of the opposing player, or you’ll both ends in an era where that will get you buried. get caught flat-footed. The Wild forward who is covering the Canes D- Not to excuse the Wild, but as a general rule in the early part of the man in the right lane (again, right lane from the Canes’ perspective) gets season, all teams are a little loose. In September, rosters stay too big for beat, but for our purposes, let’s focus on the middle of the ice. Dumba too long because there are too many pre-season games, so it can be doesn’t get skating with , and instead tries to defend him from tough to find time for proper practice. a stationary position. And all the sudden the Canes are coming in HOT because the Wild defenders were on the wrong side of their checks, and And that practice time is crucial. Points won in the early season are worth not skating. the same as those earned in April, so getting the team up to full speed as fast as possible is the No. 1 priority for coaching staffs. That’s why they All these things lead to speed through the neutral zone for your put together and hand out playbooks on Day 1, and they show video, and opponent, which puts a lot of strain on your team, particularly your they put their guys through drills at every opportunity. goaltender. I can’t harp on the point about “staying above” guys enough when you don’t have the puck. Here’s another example. The Wild So if you don’t have as much coach/player interaction time, your team forwards aren’t above the Canes forwards, and Jonas Brodin doesn’t could find itself behind the eight ball. recognize that and pull out. Instead, he pinches, and again, the Hurricanes are flying up-ice with speed. This could partially explain why the Wild have looked particularly disorganized. In a matter of unfortunate circumstances, during the pre- Time after time, it’s simple details. season Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau was understandably gone during a stretch of pivotal time for his hockey team. Boudreau found out In this final clip, we have Coyle again, this time at the end of a shift. He's he lost his brother, Bryan, to a heart attack on September 23rd. He left tired, but he simply can't just give the puck to the Wings D, then change. for Ontario the next day and returned to coach the night of the 28th in And if he does, SOME Wild forward has to bite the bullet and stay out to Kansas City against the St. Louis Blues. provide some resistance to the transitioning Wings. It's a bad, desperate change overall. In that time, the Wild held five practices, and suffered their only two losses of the pre-season, to Colorado and Dallas. As justified as it is, fact So the puck ends up in the Wild end, and at one point, Brodin ends up is, that’s a lot of pre-season ice time for a team to be without a head behind the Wild’s net covering his guy. I have no idea what Boudreau’s coach. D-zone plans are, but I’m pretty confident they don’t include leaving the net front to cover a guy behind the net who doesn’t have the puck. It could be a matter of coincidence that the team has looked so out of sorts in their first two games … or maybe it isn’t. Their mistakes so far In all, it’s just been really, really sloppy. just seem so basic. BUT NOW! Now, the good news: The schedule maker unintentionally Here are a few quick clips that demonstrate why the first two Wild games gave the Wild the greatest early season gift they could have – time. were so high event. A quick look at the Wild’s next two weeks shows they’re about to get the First up is a video starring Charlie Coyle. He gets a puck in a tight spot at practice time they appear to need. the blueline, and doesn’t get it deep. He gets lucky in that it meanders its Beyond these dates, they also have Sunday the 22nd and Monday the way low in the offensive zone, and he comes to find himself in perfect 23rd off. They’re in the midst of four games over 16 days. position as F3. Then, as coaches say for some reason, he just gets a little too horny. He’s thinking offense, and he abandons his position How rare is a five day break? Well, it’s the longest the Wild have all above the two Hurricanes forwards, heads to a spot on the ice his season, and it only happens one other time during their 2017-18 season. teammate has already occupied, and suddenly the Hurricanes are flying After their build up to the Hawks game, they only have four days off in a through the neutral zone and on the attack. (Matt Dumba also drifts row twice. outside the dots while defending the odd man rush. These are all basic details.) Where most teams would prefer to have time off later in the season, the Wild have a chance right now to correct some issues before too many L’s While it didn’t cost him on that particular play, not getting pucks deep pile up. when you’re under pressure eventually will. At the start of the video below, the Wild turn the puck over in the O-zone, resulting in the Red I don’t exactly know how Boudreau operates, but to me, that schedule Wings getting an attempt the other way. It wasn’t the most dangerous above looks like they’ll have three full practices prior to heading to chance against, but the carelessness that follows – a pure punt of the Chicago (I’m assuming they skated the morning of the 11th before puck into the neutral zone, followed by a half-assed neutral zone turnover travelling). They have another day on the 13th, when they’ll be back – resulted in an even more dangerous look. The Wings make nothing of it home, play again on the 14th … and then have that five full days without … this time. anything scheduled. They’ll likely get that Sunday off, and use four days to tighten the bolts on a leaky ship. So much of playing tight hockey is just attention to details. And much like Coyle in the first video, Nino Niederreiter is not so concerned with those. Generally practices the day before a game would be lighter and/or shorter, but players are fresh off summer, and rest isn’t yet the priority it There’s a puck battle along the boards in the O-zone, and he’s clearly will be. While I suspect they won’t go all out, they’ll likely put in more reps F3. His job is to be on the defensive side of the Canes forwards in case to better get a feel for where to be, who to cover, and how to rotate as his team loses the battle. That way he can squash any rush, and let his play develops. You spend all summer working on your body and skills; in the early season, it’s brain that needs retraining. Two games in, there’s never much cause for fans to panic. It’s a long season. But those improvements don’t just magically happen. With time off and Boudreau around, they’ve got the time they need to not go back to, but properly get to the drawing board. The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077767 Websites net. Grundstrom doesn't have that problem and regularly generates assists off of his shots as a result.

Grundstrom can beat goalies high too though. He may be predictable in a The Athletic / The Gifted: Carl Grundstrom and the art of getting pucks on lot of ways, but where he finishes is not one of them. net Here, with a rebound option clearly open in front, Grundstrom picks his spot under the bar and scores far-side high: Scott Wheeler On this goal, through traffic, shooting low or finding the trailer (passing? Ha!) are the high percentage plays but Grundstrom takes a risk and scores high and short-side. In hockey, as in life, there are archetypes built on hyperbole and buzz words which are designed to fit every player into a pre-defined box. And here, without any other options and all alone, Grundstrom just gets Scouts and evaluators often fall prey to lazily characterizing young to use his low-kick, stunted release to let one go: prospects in this way; the power forward, the two-way centre, the speedy Grundstrom's not limited to an in-stride wrist shot either. He is built heavy winger, the one-dimensional scorer, the elusive European, the stay-at- and powers through on his extensions to give himself a heavy one-timer home defenceman. But sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a player that — which he loves to use, rather than corral passes and make a play. is so uniquely different from everyone else in approach or in ability, that you can’t help but notice him. These players have mastered their skill He also goes to the net with with an aggressiveness that few other and used it to set themselves apart. The Gifted is a 10-part series which prospects on the planet do. If your modus operandi is to get pucks on examines through video the NHL’s most fascinating prospects and the net, you can often find those pucks in and around the crease. unique skillsets that define them. It runs every Wednesday. Here's Grundstrom scoring off of a redirect off of his pants: The Gifted: Part 1: Carl Grundstrom | Part 2: | Part 3: Vitalii Abramov | Part 4: Juuso Valimaki | Part 5: Vili Saarijarvi | Part 6: Filip And this net-driven, crease-craving nature isn't new. Chlapik | Part 7: Travis Sanheim | Part 8: Timo Meier | Part 9: Kirill Here's Grundstrom (No. 44), driving the crease to score off of his skate in Kaprizov | Part 10: Elias Pettersson 2014, full cage and all. Watch the bottom of the frame from the start, and Every team has one. Even in beer league, there's always that one player notice Grundstrom's sightline from his defensive zone blueline onward. who just does the same thing every time he touches the puck. He throws There, he knows the play is going the other way and he goes end-to-end it on net. He wants the goal so badly that he'll throw the puck on net from in four seconds to push towards the front of the net. On a play that anywhere. When he digs it out of the corner and the point's open, what developed like this one did, most third forwards (F3) would have avoided does he do? He throws it on net. When he's in on a 2-on-1, what does he the three opposing players collapsing on the front of the net and slid high do? He throws it on net. He doesn't look pass. He doesn't even pretend into the slot. to look pass. He just gets pucks on net. Not Grundstrom. Carl Grundstrom is that player, but at the highest level. In order to finish off plays in front, you have to know better than most It's not easy being successful as that player. In hockey's elite levels, where the rebounds are going to end up, too. If there's one thing he likes when you're predictable, you're easily defended. If you're going to be that more than shooting for the rebound, it's attacking the far post for them. player, and remain successful, you have to do a few things really well. Note where he ends up on a slew of his other goals: You have to be fast, a skater who can out-race most others for loose pucks. If you're going to throw everything on net, you need to be able to And then there's that physicality. win the races for your rebounds too. When Grundstrom doesn't have a lane on net to just shoot it, he's got the You have to be physical. If your primary focus is picking up shots on strength and the ability to control play off of his backhand (as seen in his goal, you need to be relentless in your pursuit of the puck and just pesky lone primary assist) to guard against checks as a carrier. As a result, a enough to win it back and piss someone off in the process. lot of his goals start to look the same. Most of all, you need to have a good shot. Shooters need to score. Notice on both of the following plays how, as soon as he touches the puck, he's dropping his lead arm and attacking the inside lane on Fourtunately for Grundstrom, the Toronto Maple Leafs second-round pick defenders: in 2016, he checks all three of the necessary boxes. And there's a mastery to making these plays, at the top of the crease, so In order to understand just how he makes it work, I cut and edited all 43 consistently. For Grundstrom, it's in his edge work. Notice here, on a third of his SHL points (24 goals and 19 assists) as well as all nine of his nearly identical goal, how Grundstrom opens up his stance after taking Champions Hockey League points (five goals, four assists). They reveal the puck to the front of the crease, enabling him to beat the goalie to the some interesting truths about players like Grundstrom, players the Leafs far post. have a penchant for pursuing. (See: and Leo Komarov, who operate in a similar fashion, though not to Grundstrom's extreme.) You put it all together and you've got a player who, in spite of a complete lack of awareness (though it might not even be that, maybe Grundstrom One of the first things you'll notice about Grundstrom's complete stat line does recognize the pass options and just chooses not to find them), is that his goals outnumber his assists 29-23. That might suggest, at succeeds off of the strength of one perfected tool. You give a physical, least on its facade, that Grundstrom is a better passer than given credit athletic, up-tempo hockey player a relentless puck-pursuing spirit and for. pair it with a turn-and-shoot or turn-and-drive attitude, and you've got But what if I told you that of his six assists in the SHL's regular season something. While Grundstrom is never the primary driver on his line, he last year (to his 14 goals), only one actually came off of an even-strength complements players who can find him in space and learn the ins and a pass? outs of his unique style. This is it, the crowning jewel: Sometimes it manifests itself in plays like this, where on three different sequences Grundstrom takes a shot, follows the play behind the net to And even still, there's something in this play that epitomizes what retrieve his own rebound, makes a pass to the point because there's Grundstrom is all about. Notice the way he adjusts his stance as he traffic in front and he doesn't have a shot option off his backhand, drives carries the puck behind the net. As soon as he hits the near post, he to the front of the net, picks off the point shot, and turns to his backhand slows down his pace, edges just for a split second towards the back of to score: the net and… looks for the wraparound attempt before No. 64 does an excellent job closing his lane, forcing him to his backhand, and taking Most of all, it endears him to coaches — coaches who trumpet the away his shot. cliched “pucks on net” catchphrase. His other five assists last year? They came on the power-play or looked Before we know it, it could take him to the NHL. something like this (Grundstrom is No. 3): The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 And this might be the fourth requisite skill: If you're going to be a shooter, shoot low. Shoot for the rebound. Grundstrom has mastered this. In today's game, top prospects are often picky about their shot selections. They want to shoot to score and that means finding open net and picking your spot. Most often, that means they tend to shoot high and miss the 1077768 Websites back to dynasty mode just yet, though they are probably a safe bet to be a contender once again.

Busy off-season was a dud for the perpetually awful Coyotes. The Athletic / Hot Take-O-Meter: Exploring and grading the finest hot takes after one week of hockey Hot Take-O-Meter: 5.2/10 It didn’t even look like the Coyotes came out to play Tuesday night in the battle for the desert as they got embarrassed by the new team on the Dom Luszczyszyn block. They’ve dropped their first three games of the season in a year where they looked like they could be a surprise team. They’re surprising no one with how uninspired they’ve looked. There have been exactly seven days of NHL hockey played, meaning it’s way too early to make any logical judgement of any team or player so far. The worst part is that their big moves that were supposed to take them to And yet, that’s what most of us end up doing anyways thanks to the the next level haven’t panned out at all. Antti Raanta was pulled quickly power of Twitter as a catalyst for by-the-second reactions to everything against the Golden Knights on Tuesday and has a not so hot .894 save around the league. percentage in his first two starts. Derek Stepan has a single point to his name while Niklas Hjalmarsson is getting shelled early with a nearly team After one game Team A is exactly who we thought they were, bad, and worst 41 percent Corsi. Jason Demers hasn’t looked great either. Team B is well on their way to a championship parade, their first in decades. That team we all thought would be awful, they might not be so Still, we can’t write off the work GM John Chayka has done so far, even if bad after all. And how about that player everyone thought was washed they haven’t impressed just yet. It’s a big reason Arizona finds up? Looks like he’s back and better than ever. themselves in a familiar position to start the season, but aside from Raanta, who has under 96 career games to his name, the three others It’s all a bit silly, really. It’s only been two or three of four games for these have a long history of performing well. They should come around soon to teams. But some of the early season hot takes obviously have some play at their usual level and get Arizona some wins. merit to it so they’re worth exploring and/or debunking as well as arbitrarily ranking them based on how hot the take is. It’s not like there’s Buffalo’s rebuild will never end. much else to write about after one week of hockey (we stats nerds prefer Hot Take-O-Meter: 5.7/10 a much bigger sample size) so might as well have some fun and go full galactic brain meme for the first week. New coach. New GM. New defence. Same ol’ Buffalo Sabres. The stink from their tank years still lingers and they’ve had an incredibly A Deep Dive of First Week Hot Takes disappointing start to the season, dropping their first three games of the Toronto’s offence is an unstoppable force that will break hockey. season, the last one in decisive fashion making a Devils team that isn’t all that good look like Cup contenders. This was supposed to be a year Hot Take-O-Meter: 1.9/10 where they turn things around, but it just hasn’t looked that way at all. They’ve been getting demolished at 5-on-5 and their early Corsi looks The Maple Leafs scored seven goals in their opener and somehow like it did when the team was trying to lose on purpose. Not good. upped their average goals in their next game by hanging eight on the Rangers. Then in Game 3 their attack was relentless as they finally broke The team has a lot invested in Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen as down the Hawks for a comeback win. They start the season 3-0 with an the foundation for this team, but neither has really proven they can be astonishing 6.33 goals per game, turning 2017 into their personal 1980s that yet and the early season results aren’t promising. Still, the key word playground. Last year they were an offensive power house, but they’ve is early, and it is very early. This is a young team learning a new system already turned it up a notch. and that takes time. There’s reason for concern that what the team has built so far ain’t good enough, but it’s not time to panic yet. Another awful What’s incredible is that their goals-per-game isn’t that much higher than season and that might change though and if they keep playing the way their expected goals-per-game which is currently at a lofty 5.2. I can’t they have that’s where they’re heading. even begin to fathom how potent an offence has to be for the team to be expected to score over five per game. That’s what really sticks out so far. The NHL is entering a new offensive era. It’s not so much the results, but the chances they’re getting – the team always looks dangerous. They lead the league in expected goals at 5-on- Hot Take-O-Meter: 6.1/10 5 (4.1) and the power play (16.9). Since 2007-08, the highest mark for Through one week the NHL is averaging 6.14 goals-per-game and that is each is 2.8 (2014-15 Islanders) and 10.3 (2010-11 Sharks). very exciting for a league that has been starving for them. It’s up from It’s unlikely they continue getting such consistently high quality chances 5.54 last season and 5.42 the year before and is now very close to where all year – their first three opponents aren’t exactly defensive stalwarts – the league was after the second lockout (6.16 goals per game). Part of it but their hot start is probably a sign of things to come this year and the is the same reason it increased then: more penalties are being called, future. They have the talent and the system to be the most prolific which is a good thing because it seemed like the league forgot they had offensive team in the salary cap era, even if it’s not to the standard of a rulebook over the last few years. Whether you agree with the their first three games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish with the crackdown, it’s hard not to agree that’s led to more goals, more speed, one of the best expected goals-for rates in this era. Last year’s Leafs more skill and more chances. It’s been one of the best weeks of regular were fourth in all situations, this year’s version looks much better. That's season hockey I can remember in a long time. a scary notion for the rest of the league. It also feels like a deja vu because I remember thinking the same thing Chicago is ready for another Cup run. last season. As it turns out last season’s opening week saw the league scoring 6.26 goals-per-game before dropping down to the usual 5.5 for Hot Take-O-Meter: 4.1/10 the rest of the season. The increase in penalties might make this year a little different, closer to 2005-06 than where we are a decade later, but There were a lot of question marks surrounding whether the Blackhawks knowing this league I wouldn’t hold my breath for this current pace to could compete again after a long and tumultuous off-season. Those were keep up. It's a shame, because a shade above six goals-per-game is silenced quickly by a decisive 10-1 victory over the defending Stanley exactly where the NHL needs to be. Cup champions. Bad teams don’t usually drop dimes and their expected win percentage in our model moved up considerably as a result. They Montreal will never score again. followed that up with another big victory on the weekend, a 5-1 drubbing of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and are now 3-0-1 on the season. Not Hot Take-O-Meter: 7.5/10 bad for a team many analysts thought were finished. Four games into the season and the Habs are averaging exactly one (1) But perhaps we should hold on just a second here. The 10-1 win was goal per game. How does a team even manage that? I get this was the huge, but they were facing a Penguins team on a back-to-back with their pre-season narrative (we have a really good piece from Arpon Basu backup and it was the same scene against the Blue Jackets. They got about this) and now it’s playing out on the ice and I understand this looks dominated their next two games, blowing a two-goal lead in the third like a continuation of Boston’s issues last season with Claude Julien, but against Toronto and beating Montreal thanks mainly to the heroics of at the same time I think we have to calm down a bit. Corey Crawford. They certainly aren’t overwhelming opponents early and The Habs have scored on 1.8 percent of their shots so far this year at 5- it sure looks like most of their success so far has just been good fortune. on-5 and are one of just five teams that haven’t scored yet on the power Their defence group still looks really shaky, too, and they’ve already play. We all know that’s horrific, but we all know that this kind of play healthy scratched Connor Murphy, the main piece from the Niklas doesn’t last either. It's a blip. These things happen to all teams from time Hjalmarsson trade. They’ve got the highest goal differential in the league to time. While it’s awfully poignant for this team now given their pre- by a large margin, but I don’t think it’s safe to say the Blackhawks are season, it’s more coincidental timing than indicative of their future. They'll likely be a below average shooting team and I'm not expecting them to unlikely. Still, we see it every year where one of the consensus bottom shoot the lights out, but they won’t be this anemic either. No team ever is five teams somehow makes it to the playoffs shocking the hockey world. and it’s just bad timing that it happened out of the gate. I remember This sport is unpredictable like that. But even if any of these teams do Anaheim, a team with more scoring talent than this, going through a make it, you’ll likely be hard-pressed to call any of them actually good similar spell to start the 2015-16 season. They won their division. when they do. Montreal will probably be fine once their percentages line up with reality. The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 They’re currently getting 57.0 percent of the shots after score-adjusting and 55.5 percent of the expected goals. Those are marks of a good team and I still believe the Habs are one. The Penguins protected the wrong goalie in the expansion draft. Hot Take-O-Meter: 8.7/10 This one isn’t unexpected. Marc-Andre Fleury was a fan favourite that held the team in for the first two rounds last playoffs and is pretty much single-handedly winning games for an expansion team. He’s been unbeatable so far while Matt Murray looked like a sieve in his first two games before blanking the Predators on Saturday. Aside from age, there was plenty of reason to believe Murray was already the better goalie at the time given his numbers. But you just know this will be a storyline all season if Fleury continues playing this way and Murray looks closer to average than his rookie season. It shouldn’t be though, no matter how beloved Fleury was in Pittsburgh. Jesper Bratt will single-handedly solve the Devils decade long offensive woes. Hot Take-O-Meter: 9.4/10 A very adorable early season story is potentially fictitious (seriously, are we sure he’s real?) hockey player, Jesper Bratt, somehow having three goals and five points in two games. Bratt was a sixth round pick in 2016 and wasn’t even playing in Sweden’s top league last year where he only managed six goals in 46 games. Having three in two NHL games is probably an anomaly, especially since he’s only taken three shots for a perfectly reasonable 100 percent shooting percentage. Isn’t it great when everything works out and all your shots go in? The Devils don’t have many nice things so maybe we should just let them have this one for now until he inevitably goes on a dry spell. Alex Ovechkin might break Gretzky’s 50 goals in 39 games record. Hot Take-O-Meter: 9.9/10 A torrid start to the year had Ovechkin scoring seven goals in his first two games off back-to-back hat tricks and naturally the first thought is an old record held by Wayne Gretzky. He only needs 43 in 36 games to do it which hilariously puts in context how absurd this record really is. It’s untouchable in this era. Give Ovechkin a time machine though… While that record is unlikely, getting back to 50 goals isn’t and it really does seem like Ovechkin isn’t as washed up as many thought. Sure, he won’t always score on 39 percent of his shots, but he’s peppering goalies with reckless abandon just like the old days and that’s a terrific sign after a dip to just 313 shots last season. (It’s mind-boggling that a drop to still over 300 shots is considered bad for him). Even more encouraging is that six of his seven have been at even strength, where he really struggled to score at last season. Just wait until he gets going on the power play. The Devils and Golden Knights and Red Wings and Avalanche and Canucks are Actually Good. Hot Take-O-Meter: 14.0/10 No, no they are not. The teams are a combined 10-2-1 through their first 13 games and I’ll be damned if any of them are any good this year. This was basically a consensus bottom five from pretty much everyone this year; it was literally these five in their own little world while the other 26 teams looked like they can actually do something. They were supposed to be cupcake match-ups so actually competitive teams can get their feet wet and instead they look collectively unstoppable through one week. It won’t continue. Probably. Vegas is somehow 3-0 and unbeatable, but they were getting rag-dolled through their first three games and there’s no reason to be sold on an expansion team, especially the way this one was constructed (though it would be an awesome story if they do make it). Vancouver is getting demolished on a nightly basis and they’re the only team here without a winning record. Colorado is still terrible at controlling the game, they just finally have some luck on their side. Same goes for Detroit who looked more like themselves Tuesday night in Dallas. The Devils have some nice numbers, but they’ve only played Colorado and Buffalo, so who cares? There’s a real chance one of these teams does make the playoffs – as outlined by our season previews, every team has a chance – it’s just very 1077769 Websites turning pro. Forwards C.J. Seuss has also been decent in the college ranks and Pavel Kraskovsky is in the KHL.

Chicago: B+ The Athletic / Pronman: Grading the 2014 NHL draft class Nick Schmaltz is lining up in the team’s top six right. He’s been one of the tougher young players for me to get a read on in the past few years but it Corey Pronman seems like he’s starting to turn a corner with his dynamic playmaking. After that it gets dicier. Forwards Matt Iacopelli, Fredrik Olofssson and defender Luc Snuggerud are ok depth options and goalie Ivan Nalimov looked like a player at one point but has fallen off lately. Winger Dylan Today I will grade and analyze each NHL team’s 2014 draft class, with Sikura, currently at Northeastern, still shows promise though and could over three years passing since the picks were made. be a Hobey Baker candidate this season. In hockey circles, the most common complaint of public draft coverage, St. Louis: B+ by far, is NHL draft grades. I hear it every draft weekend from all corners when I post my grades hours after the final pick is made. The reasoning When he was healthy, 21st overall pick Robbi Fabbri seemed like one of goes that you should wait years to evaluate a draft. I disagree with that (I the most promising young forwards in the NHL but he will miss the entire believe teams should be critiqued based on information available at the 2017-18 season. Center Ivan Barbashev at 33 overall has been a decent time) but nevertheless, this exercise is an attempt to see how things went pro but may never be an impact guy. Maxim Letunov at 52nd, now with years down the line. San Jose, has shown promise as a highly skilled winger but I’m a little more down on him. At No. 82, Jake Walman is a very good defense The grades reflect evaluations of the players drafted, and not whether prospect, and the same goes for goalie Ville Husso at No. 94. Samuel they are still in the NHL organization that drafted them. Blais, taken 176th overall, was also one of the surprises of the pre- season, showing he could be a solid two-way winger. Overall, while the There is no perfect way to do grades as it is a subjective process. I could Blues had a lot of picks, they made the most of that quantity. grade based on total talent, or how teams should have performed relative to expectations. While the latter is more ideal, it is also more speculative Anaheim: B and thus I have always gone with the former method, even if it means grades are biased by draft slot. Nick Ritchie is probably not everything Anaheim had hoped for at 10th overall, but he’s a serviceable NHL player who could be either a scorer or For transparency purposes, here were my grades at the time of the 2014 grinder long-term. Turning the No. 55 pick into Brandon Montour but NHL draft (ESPN Insider Paywall). especially No. 205 into Ondrej Kase, made the Ducks 2014 draft into a valuable one. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson had a decent NHL camp Boston: A as well and remains a guy on the radar. At the 25th pick Boston found arguably the top player in the draft in David Arizona: B Pastrnak. At 146th overall their pick, Anders Bjork, is now lining up in their top six. Danton Heinen is a decent NHL depth option up front and Brendan Perlini, the 12th overall pick, has progressed fine and seems to center Ryan Donato has had a good college career and is on the be on track, but drafting Christian Dvorak at No. 58 was a huge haul. Olympics radar. They also only had five picks so it is safe to say the Center Ryan MacInnis at 43 has been a disappointment offensively and Bruins scouts killed it at this draft. winger Anton Karlsson hasn’t taken a step forward in his development it seems since he was drafted at 87. Nashville: A Detroit: B Nobody did better on the draft floor in 2014 than the Predators. Their 112th pick, Viktor Arvidsson, potted 30 goals last season and could be an Dylan Larkin has looked like a very solid pick at 15th overall especially if emerging star. Kevin Fiala, the 11th pick, is on the team right now and he finds his 2015-16 version soon. The days of seventh round pick Axel could be a legit top six forward this season. The 42nd pick, Vladislav Holmstrom being a top prospect seem behind him but he’s still a decent Kamanev, is one of the better center prospects outside the NHL. For a player and fourth rounder has a chance too. Larkin’s defense heavy organization, this draft provided a real shot in the arm to development has a lot of uncertainty so this grade could go either way their forward depth and could deliver three forwards in their top nine or over the next few years. higher long-term. New York Islanders: B Edmonton: A- The Islanders have quite an odd draft class, bringing in a ton of talent On the bright side, Leon Draisaitl has been everything Edmonton could despite getting underwhelming return off their fifth overall pick in Michael have hoped for at third overall. On the gloomier side, the rest of their Dal Colle. Josh Ho-Sang looks like a good bet to be a long-term top six draft hasn’t gone well. Defenseman William Lagesson looked like he had forward, Ilya Sorokin is one of the best goalies outside the NHL with a chance as a teenager but his lack of offensive development makes him Linus Soderstrom not too far behind, and Devon Toews is a nice depth a long shot. I’ll also keep an eye on forward Tyler Vesel at Nebraska- option on defense. This draft class could produce multiple quality NHL Omaha as I thought he at the last showed some potential last season. players. Florida: A- Tampa Bay: B Florida had the very first pick and Aaron Ekblad has been a fine return for While the Bolts may not have loved the return on Anthony DeAngelo, that selection even if he hasn’t had a superstar level season yet. After now with the NY Rangers, at 19 overall, he is a highly skilled Ekblad though there likely won’t be anything else coming to the top defenseman who can play on an NHL power play but just can’t defend. ranks. Forward Jayce Hawryluk, their 32nd overall pick, has a shot in the They did get one of the best value picks in the draft with at next year or two to play minutes but likely not in a significant role. 79 who is one of the best young centers in the league. Their two second round defense picks in Dominik Masin and particularly Jonathan Toronto: A- MacLeod look less than stellar right now although defenseman Ben Odds are that the Maple Leafs only get William Nylander as a real NHL Thomas picked at 119 has a NHL chance. player from this draft and that is perfectly all right. Nylander has San Jose: B- developed well into a dynamic NHL forward. Defenseman has been fine as a pro but may be in tough to become an NHL regular. First round pick Nikolai Goldobin has been up and down, showing Center Dakota Joshua was one of the better centers in the Big 10 last dynamic skill at times but middling play at others. Now in Vancouver’s season and winger Pierre Engvall has been intriguing in the Swedish pro system, he still has a real chance to contribute but needs time. The real ranks although both are longshots. find for the Sharks was at 171 overall where Kevin Labanc improved immensely over the years and found his offensive game to complement Winnipeg: A- his intangibles. Forwards Noah Rod and Rourke Chartier as well as The Jets first pick, Nikolaj Ehlers, is one of the more entertaining young defenseman Julius Bergman remain NHL prospects as well but not players to watch in the NHL and could be an impact scorer for a long standout ones. time. Sixty-ninth overall pick Jack Glover’s development has gone horrid. Vancouver: B- He’s often been a scratch at Minnesota, split time between forward and defense and when he has played he’s not all that effective. Chase De The good news is that Vancouver drafted five players who are either Leo has a chance to be a versatile forward but he’s been just fine since capable of playing in the NHL today or could soon. The bad news is two of them are no longer in the organization (Jared McCann and Gustav Forsling), one preferred to go play in Siberia (Nikita Tryamkin), one is a Kappo Kahokenen is trending upwards in . It remains to be seen if sixth overall pick still trying to break into the league in a bottom role (Jake any can be useful players at the NHL level. Virtanen) and the other one is a nice goalie prospect in Thatcher Demko. We could write several columns about Vancouver’s 2014 draft class, but Montreal: C on a pure talent level, there is enough to like here, even if it could have The highlight of Montreal’s 2014 class was Hayden Hawkey, who isn’t gone a lot better. much of a player, but has a glorious name. Their first round pick, forward Buffalo: C+ Nikita Scherbak, remains intriguing but his NHL projection isn’t incredibly high. Defender Brett Lernout could be a depth option, and both forwards This draft class for Buffalo was a big contributor to the firing of former GM Daniel Audette and Jake Evans are worth knowing but are longshots. Tim Murray. A second overall pick and five picks within the top 61 and your return is one fine top six forward in Sam Reinhart and next to zilch New York Rangers: C after in real NHL prospects, although winger Brendan Lemieux, now with The Rangers got a very good goalie prospect in the fourth round in Igor Winnipeg, and goalie Jonas Johansson have mild chances. Shestyorkin who has been simply unbelievable to start this season in the Carolina: C+ KHL. However, the rest of the class isn’t much to write home about. Brandon Halverson is a decent depth option in net and Ryan Mantha, The story has not yet been written about the Canes 2014 picks as a lot of unsigned and now in Edmonton’s farm system is ok as well. them remain prospects or are just starting to show NHL promise. Still, it’s hard to argue at seventh overall they’ve gotten the return on defenseman Ottawa: D Haydn Fleury they envisioned. Forwards Lucas Wallmark and Warren Ottawa’s 2014 draft looks quite subpar. Their first pick, Andreas Englund Foegele both have an NHL shot and goalie is worth at 40th overall, looked like a quality prospect at one point but his lack of mentioning but it will be hard to envision this class being an impactful one skill has hindered him from making the most of his defensive capabilities. for Carolina. Forward Francis Perron, a former QMJHL MVP is on the radar in the Columbus: C+ AHL but he’s probably not an impact guy. Defenseman Miles Gendron has started off this season well but I’m not sold on him yet as an NHL After a few bumps in his development Sonny Milano is lining up in a prospect. scoring role for Columbus and his elite skill should make him a quality player for the team. The 47th overall pick, Ryan Collins, isn’t much for Pittsburgh: D me, as his lack of puck-moving ability likely keeps him out of the NHL in The Penguins first round pick, Kasperi Kapanen, has turned into a good any significant role. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is still on the radar and was prospect and is close to being a NHL contributor, but with the Maple dominant at the world championships last spring. Milano’s eventual Leafs. After that, defenseman Jeff Taylor is mildly intriguing as an NHL production will likely define this class. prospect due to how he moves the puck. Philadelphia: C+ Colorado: F The Flyers class is hard to confidently grade yet as they have two very The Avs had seven picks in this class, including the 23rd overall pick good prospects in Travis Sanheim and Oskar Lindblom but neither have Conner Bleackley who was so bad he wasn’t offered an ELC, and so far found a way to either break into the NHL or do so in a significant role. the returns have been a couple of NHL games by Anton Lindholm who is Forwards Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Radel Fazleev and defender Mark a fringy NHL player. Defender Kyle Wood has a chance and was good as Friedman are in their system as well albeit as lesser prospects. an AHL rookie, in Arizona’s organization. Look no further to why the Avs Los Angeles: C+ crashed lately than this brutal draft class. First rounder Adrian Kempe is currently a top nine center for them and New Jersey: F converted to center at the NHL level well. After Kempe they had nine The Devils had a bad weekend in 2014. Their first rounder, John picks, some of whom are still on the NHL radar. Defender Roland Quenneville, shows some promise now as an NHL prospect, but there is McKeown, currently with Carolina, is a decent two-way player. Center nothing coming afterwards. Josh Jacobs at 41 is a passable AHL Michael Amadio has progressed well and was quality as an AHL rookie, defender. They used their 71st pick on Connor Chatham, who is currently and I believe in winger Spencer Watson despite not having the greatest a bottom six forward in the ECHL and none of their other picks have overage season in the OHL. shown they have a chance. So maybe they get one NHL player in Washington: C+ Quenneville, but that’s not a draft to brag about. I’ve been harsh on Washington’s drafting the last few years, but this The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 class shows some promise for them. I’m happy to see Jakub Vrana finally break through as he has the skill level to be a very useful scoring line forward. Nathan Walker, one of my favorite prospects for years due to his path, is also showing he can be useful in a bottom line role. Vitek Vanecek, taken 39th, is a goalie with a fine toolkit but is a long way from being a legit NHL goalie. I’m more intrigued by 134th overall pick Shane Gersich, who was quite good for North Dakota last season. Calgary: C Calgary’s 2014 draft is painful to look at. Their fourth overall pick , Sam Bennett, has been a just fine NHL player but nothing special. He was a reasonable pick at the time but hasn’t developed as hoped. Meanwhile they used a 35th overall pick on then top goalie prospect Mason McDonald, who has been a mediocre pro on a good day, and a large forward without much offense in Hunter Smith at 54 overall. Defenseman Brandon Hickey (since traded to Arizona) has a small chance, but overall the returns here have been poor. Dallas: C We’re still waiting on Julius Honka, who I still have some belief in due to how well he skates and makes plays with the puck, and while he could be better he’s not the problem. The Stars had eight picks after Honka and none of them look like NHL players. Defenseman John Nyberg, currently in Sweden, has a remote chance but he’ll be the only one other than Honka to enter the Stars org. Minnesota: C Minnesota’s 2014 draft can best be described as “meh.” Is their first round pick Alex Tuch, currently with Vegas, worth getting excited about? Meh, he’s got some skill for a big man but don’t see a foundational guy there. Defender Louis Belpedio has been decent in college, and goalie 1077770 Websites “You really have to tackle it head on, because everyone else who’s important in your life understands why you’re doing it,” said Bozek, a defenseman. “Once the Olympics are done, I have no stuff planned. … The Athletic / Team USA hockey women train, bond during long Olympic So we’ll see where the journey takes me after.” centralization Some players may go back to their pro teams after the Olympics are over while others will take the rest of the season off. Rooney will probably end up in a shoe store. By Hannah Bevis For now, at least, the players will stay in the same routine for a few more months: practice, relax, compete, repeat. When February rolls around, the world will get to see the results. There are two kinds of people in the world. The Athletic LOADED: 10.12.2017 There are those like Gigi Marvin and Megan Bozek, who packed for Team USA’s six-month centralization period like they were moving to college – some clothes, their hockey gear and a couple other essentials, like instruments or photographs of family and friends. “Other than my hockey bag? That’s the main priority. I need my hockey bag there and I’ll just need a swimsuit, probably,” Marvin said, laughing. Then there are the Maddie Rooneys of the world. “I was probably the only one who brought a U-Haul, so I kind of way overpacked. I brought almost everything I own,” Rooney said. “I kind of have a shoe addiction, and I brought pretty much every single pair.” How many pairs? “I’d say close to 50. … I had a lot of bins,” Rooney said. “I might take some things back at Christmas because I ran out of closet space.” You can’t really blame Rooney, though. This is the goaltender's first centralization, and she will be away from home for a long time. Rooney and the other 22 members of the U.S. Women's National Team have essentially picked up their lives for half a year in preparation for the 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team USA and Team Canada both centralize leading up to the Olympics, moving to designated locations in mid-August where they can live and train together 24/7 until February. It’s an extremely effective strategy, as evidenced by both programs' multiple gold and silver medals. Normally, Team USA spends only a couple of weeks together leading up to international tournaments such as the Four Nations Cup or the IIHF World Championships. The players have just enough time for a whirlwind training camp and games before being whisked off back to their individual corners of the country, playing in college or the pros until the next USAH event. “The most we’ve been together is probably up to two weeks when we come in for camps and you’re just trying to squeeze everything in, enjoy the moments and get a chance to hang out with everyone,” said defenseman Megan Keller. “But now having the opportunity to live with one another and practice with one another and train each and every day and work toward that same goal, it’s awesome to be in the same area for longer than two weeks.” And the players will be the first to tell you how excited they are about this specific spot for centralization: a resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida, just outside of Tampa. The 2010 team lived in a suburb outside of Minneapolis and the 2014 team called Boston home. Most players are rooming with one or two other teammates in apartments with golf courses, beaches and their training rink all nearby. It’s a paradise, albeit a distant one from most of their homes. This year’s centralization “is different in the sense that not one of us live here, and not one of us can drive even remotely close to go to their home,” said Marvin, a forward who's on her third centralization. “Obviously … there’s a lot of us from Minnesota, and Boston there’s quite a few who either went to school in Boston or had family or their parents they could go visit. “And here, everyone moved here. Everyone kind of packed up and left their family and friends and came to Tampa.” Marvin, who already had a busy summer with a hockey camp that she runs, lived out of a suitcase for at least a month while she juggled moving out of her apartment in Boston, shipping half of her belongings to Tampa and the other half back home to Minnesota, flying to coach her hockey camp and then crashing on a friend’s couch for a bit before flying to Denver for a wedding and then, finally, traveling to her new home in Florida. It’s the same story for every player: put your life on pause for six months while you pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But for it’s something everyone does without hesitation. 1077771 Websites after breaking the losing streak that players hoisted a trash can in the locker room in celebration.

The Florida Panthers (née: 1993) boast the best first-season record for ESPN / Longtime Las Vegas resident Deryk Engelland delivers goal, and an expansion team in any of the four major professional sports leagues. hope, in Golden Knights' home opener And yet, even behind strong, experienced goaltending from 1986 Vezina winner John Vanbiesbrouck (like the Knights have in three-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury), the Panthers missed the playoffs -- by a Emily Kaplan point. play had his two sons here and built a house with a pool and a swing set here. 1:28 Even after he broke into the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and went on to play for Calgary Flames, Engelland continued to live in Las Vegas Golden Knights win emotional home openerOn a night honoring the during the offseason. Then, in June, the Vegas Golden Knights selected victims of the Las Vegas shooting, James Neal and the Golden Knights the defenseman in the expansion draft. defeat the Coyotes 5-2 in the franchise's season opener. On Oct. 1, Engelland's adopted city endured the worst mass shooting in Not every win will come as easy as this one. This Vegas team is still modern American history. As he struggled to come to grips with the building for the future. The Golden Knights have a logjam of defensemen. tragedy, Engelland met with victims' families. He delivered groceries to General manager George McPhee is hesitant to make moves and the local firehouse. He became part of the conscience for a community subject those players to waivers, thus stockpiling young assets and grappling with the unconscionable. prospects to win in the future. Owner Bill Foley has stated his goal is to make the playoffs ... in three years. EDITOR'S PICKS "We're 3-0," coach Gerard Gallant said Tuesday night. "And we're a work Golden Knights honor Vegas victims at opener in progress." In an emotional ceremony before the Golden Knights' home opener Still, the gravity of Tuesday's game was not lost on anyone. Gallant told against the Coyotes, the Las Vegas team honored first responders and his players in the dressing room that it would be the most important game the 58 people who were killed in the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. they'll ever play. And while the Golden Knights are fun to watch when 1. they pour in four goals in a 11-minute burst and so easy to root for when they have a guy such as Engelland speaking on their behalf, the most Golden Knights helped the real Vegas community rally but not forget remarkable thing was how even-keeled they seemed amid the highs and the lows. In the locker room, there was no champagne bubbling in the air The game itself seemed secondary to the emotional ceremony -- but no trash cans being hoisted, either. beforehand. But in a city where nothing appears to be permanent, the Golden Knights felt like a true fixture and something to celebrate even as ESPN LOADED: 10.12.2017 the city grieves. And then, before the newest NHL franchise played its first home game on Tuesday, Engelland -- who shared a bond with the city's residents more intimate than any other player on the ice -- took the microphone and addressed the 17,500 fans assembled in T-Mobile Arena. The largest group he had addressed before this? Twenty guys in the locker room. He and Melissa had written the speech together. Over the past few days Engelland had condensed it and rehearsed it. When he took the mic, Engelland recited it with grace and composure. "We will do everything we can to help you and our city heal," he said. A wildly entertaining hockey game wasn't a bad place to start. play 2:09 Engelland: Team wanted to get win for Las VegasGolden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland explains how much it means to the team that they won the home opener for the city of Las Vegas and what it meant to have the first responders on the ice before the game. The Golden Knights defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 behind a dizzying, four-goal first period. Now 3-0, Vegas is off to the best start ever for an NHL expansion franchise. Engelland, fittingly, netted the second goal: a blistering one-timer through a double screen. It was just his 23rd goal in 472 career games. "I don't plan on getting too many," Engelland said. "But to get one tonight was special for me." After the game, he stood in front of a scrum of reporters, almost in a daze. He spoke calmly, but his eyes told the story of a man still trying to process what had just transpired. The night swung on emotion. During a 15-minute pregame ceremony, the team introduced first responders -- doctors, EMTs, firefighters, nurses and police officers -- by name. A 58-second moment of silence honored the 58 people killed in the shooting. The night also featured some signature Vegas pizzazz: a Cirque du Soleil performance before the second period, a glow-in-the-dark drumline perched in the concourse, an outdoor festival where fans could (and did) get temporary tattoos reading "#VegasStrong." Professional franchises have dangled Vegas as a potential destination for decades. In a city filled with distractions, how could a hockey team survive? Perhaps it's time to reframe that question. Maybe the hockey team is the distraction. How can a transient community attach itself to a team? That bond will be tested early. Expansion teams historically have had clumsy debuts. Consider the Washington Capitals, who entered the league in 1975 and racked up 38 consecutive road losses. As the legend goes, the team was so ecstatic 1077772 Websites alarming rate, but keeping them out of Frederik Andersen’s net hasn’t been quite so easy.

On Wednesday, they controlled both the shot clock (50-31) and even- Sportsnet.ca / New-look Devils humble Maple Leafs for first loss of strength shot attempts (49-31) but ran into a crisp Cory Schneider. season Power-play goals by James van Riemsdyk and Auston Matthews were Miles Wood scored a pair of goals and the New Jersey Devils doubled up nullified by the short-handed marker they allowed to Gibbons. the Toronto Maple Leafs. “We didn’t have any snap, we didn’t have any juice, we didn’t win any battles,” said Babcock. “I didn’t think we worked. I thought the other team was good. I thought they skated us into the ground, they won all the stick Chris Johnston battles. It was 2-2 at the end of one, but that flattered us big time. We never had any time engaged.”

The outcome made him look wise for labelling this a “trap game” earlier TORONTO – Let this be a reminder that a new season is upon us. What in the week. you thought you knew may no longer be relevant. “We talked quite a bit about this game coming up and how it was going to The New Jersey Devils certainly don’t bear any resemblance to the outfit be and that’s exactly what I expected,” said Babcock. “But I expected it that finished 27th a year ago and lucked into first overall pick Nico us to compete and that didn’t happen. Hockey’s fair, you get what you Hischier. deserve. On Wednesday night, they were every bit as speedy as the much more “That’s what we deserved.” celebrated Toronto Maple Leafs – delivering an opportunistic 6-3 victory at Air Canada Centre that earned them another measure of respect. It’s important to remember that it’s early, with reputations still being formed and lessons taught. “A lot more speed, a lot more skill,” said Leafs forward Nazem Kadri in assessing what has changed for the Devils. “They’ve got top forwards When the Devils return here on Nov. 16, we’ll know a lot more about that can skate – that’s their identity, similar to us. As they showed early them. But the Leafs won’t be surprised if they’re actually good. on in the game, they can fly through the neutral zone and you’ve got to find ways to slow them up.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 What stood out most about the Devils is where the contributions came from. Jesper Bratt, a sixth-round pick playing his third NHL game, was a dynamic waterbug who killed penalties and snapped the puck around on the power play. Brian Gibbons, a 29-year-old journeyman pro, scored while killing a 3-on-5 penalty during the second period. That stood up as the game winner. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one,” said veteran Leafs coach Mike Babcock. There were also goals from Steve Santini, Blake Coleman, Miles Wood and two from Pavel Zacha. A casual fan probably needed a program to follow along. And yet, John Hynes’ crew played in an up-tempo manner conducive to success in a league where every minor infraction is now being whistled for a penalty. After injecting kids like Hischier, Bratt and Will Butcher this fall, they look legit. “I think those guys have really driven the confidence level up,” Hynes said of his rookie trio. “I think it’s natural any time you have young guys or first-time NHL players playing in the games, you’re not so sure how they’re going to react or how they’re going to fare. The thing that makes you comfortable with those guys is their hockey sense and their hockey IQ is high high end. So they understand (what they have to do) offensively, defensively. “They’re not high-risk, high-reward players; they’re high-reward players but there’s not a lot of risk in their game.” There are some loose parallels to be drawn with the Leafs of a year ago. At this point last season there weren’t too many people forecasting the playoff berth, and surprisingly competitive first-round series against the Washington Capitals, to come. Toronto simply started well and kept getting better. The Devils have missed the playoffs for five straight seasons and “need to earn respect back in the league,” according to general manager Ray Shero. It could end up being a shorter road than he once envisioned. Shero stood in front of 60 players on the first day of training camp and instructed everyone to erase any notion of what they thought the depth chart was. They were starting fresh. That explains why Bratt now finds himself in New Jersey, rather than with the London Knights, and why Gibbons is on the NHL roster after two consecutive years as an AHLer. Ditto for Hischier and Coleman and Wood. “They have a lot of speedy forwards and a lot of skill up there,” said Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner. “Some young guys they added this year seem to be making a difference and they’re a good team.” It remains to be seen just how good Toronto can be. The Leafs started this season with three straight victories and are piling up goals at an 1077773 Websites “We give [McElhinney] all the terrible starts, all the back-to-backs,” said Babcock. Then the coach added wryly: “We like those. In this organization we like to have as many of those as we can. I think it’s Sportsnet.ca / Mitch Marner: ‘Wildflower’ Calvin Pickard will help Leafs about TV or something.” McElhinney told us he’s at the “tail end of his career now” and isn’t certain how the season will play out. Luke Fox At six-foot-one and 200 pounds, Pickard meets Babcock’s criteria of a big goalie. He’s heavier but shorter than the six-foot-three Marlies tandem of and Kasimir Kaskisuo. TORONTO – Mitch Marner views Calvin Pickard as an NHL goaltender even though the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most recent trade acquisition is “Now with our [three] guys in the minors, we gotta sort that out. We want starting with Toronto’s AHL affiliate. them all to play in the American Hockey League,” Babcock said. “For sure he is,” Marner asserted Wednesday. “He’s going to help that “Maybe someone’s looking for an American Hockey League goalie, and Marlies team a lot, and if he gets up here, he’s going to help us out a lot we’ll get that done as well.” as well.” Pickard did not dress for the Marlies over the weekend. He carries a $1 Marner played with Pickard on Canada’s silver-medal-winning squad at million cap hit and will be eligible for arbitration as a restricted free agent the IIHF World Championship in May. The crafty forward isn’t sure on July 1. Canada would’ve medalled at the tournament were it not for the spectacular play of the country’s starting netminder. The second-round pick is coming off a season playing behind the abysmal defence of the last-place 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche, yet still Canada coach selected Pickard over Chad Johnson to has a career NHL save percentage of .914 over 86 appearances. backstop the team, and it’s hard to argue with the choice. (Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, too, flew over to Europe to scout some The book on Pickard is that he’s a patient goalie who sits farther back in unnamed players the worlds.) his crease than most. He relies on quick reflexes and efficient movement as opposed to cutting down shooters’ angles. In seven games’ work, Pickard went 5-1-1 with a 1.49 goals-against average and sparkling .946 save percentage—outshining the likes of “It’s confusing as a forward to see how he plays. It’s hard to figure out Tampa/Russia No. 1 Andrei Vasilevskiy and matching Sweden’s Henrik how to get around him. He’s kind of a wildflower. It’s hard to describe his Lundqvist save for save in a 2-1 gold-medal thriller that finally ended in a style of play, but he gets it done,” said Marner. shootout. “It’s great to have him in this organization. He’s a special guy.” “That game against Sweden in the finals, he was unbelievable for us. He Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 made so many big saves and he kept them off the scoresheet on all of their power plays,” Marner gushed. “He played against the world’s best, he kept us in so many games and got us to the final. Without him, I don’t know what place we would’ve finished.” Toronto Maple Leafs on Sportsnet NOW Want to livestream 56 Leafs games this season? See how you can stream this + over 300 regular season NHL games with Sportsnet NOW. LEARN MORE When the Leafs traded forward prospect and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick to secure Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday, Marner texted his friend to congratulate him and welcome him aboard. “He’s a great guy. He’s fun to be around,” Marner said. Pickard, a 25-year-old , N.B., native, was a surprise addition to the waiver wire last week after Vegas scooped up Boston goaltending prospect . Calvin Pickard says this season is no longer only about this team anymore. It's about Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/Ou6LNuomWD — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 4, 2017 Once Pickard cleared waivers, Toronto signed off on the trade. “It became a good move for us,” coach Mike Babcock said. “We’re in a better situation because of it.” Better and more intriguing. The Leafs re-signed veteran backup Curtis McElhinney to a two-year, $1.7-million contract on July 1, but the 34-year-old journeyman isn’t so naïve to believe he was the club’s first choice. “Every team does their due diligence. They look at all the options,” McElhinney told us last month. “The biggest thing was that I wanted to be back and continue what I started last year. There’s a bit of hype around the team now with the way things went. I want to be part of that. I’m grateful more than anything.” With Frederik Andersen’s status as the Number 1 chiseled in granite, McElhinney is expecting little action outside of mop-up work and starts in the club’s 14 consecutive-night games this season. Toronto’s first back-to-back doesn’t take place until Oct. 17-18. A legitimate question: With Pickard in the fold, has McElhinney’s leash shortened? (You’re forgiven if you just had a Jhonas Enroth flashback.) 1077774 Websites of his own – the oldest of which, 11-year-old Landon, joined some of the Leafs for a pre-practice skate last weekend.

Still, time hasn’t robbed him of his effective shot. He scored 27 goals last Sportsnet.ca / Why Leafs’ Patrick Marleau sticks by dated two-piece stick season and has displayed a nice touch around the net during his short Kelly Hrudey takes a look at the games played by Patrick Marleau. time in Toronto. More from Sportsnet Chris Johnston Auston Matthews delivers in big way for Leafs yet again CHRIS JOHNSTON TORONTO – In the eyes of Patrick Marleau’s younger teammates, it is It's high time we give Connor Brown his props akin to stepping on the first tee with a persimmon driver. LUKE FOX The Toronto Maple Leafs greybeard brings a sense of history to his craft “Just the mechanics of his shot is so quick,” said Kadri. “He just gets it by using a two-piece composite stick that is on the verge of extinction in off. His release is probably one of the best I’d say that I’ve seen. It’s not NHL dressing rooms. His old-school leanings have been generating necessarily about the power of the shot, it’s how quick he gets it off and discussion on Twitter – “He must love playing with the heat gun,” former how accurate he is.” NHLer Patrick O’Sullivan wrote Monday – and among Marleau’s new colleagues. The comfort level with his stick certainly helps. While many of the Leafs struggled to remember if they even had a two-piece composite during “Yeah, we were asking him the other day actually why he still uses a two their minor-hockey days, at least one of the young sharpshooters piece,” linemate Nazem Kadri said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think he’s understands why Marleau has an affinity for the dated technology. got to be probably one of a handful of guys that does that, maybe even two or three of them. “I used one until I was 14, actually – I loved it,” said Auston Matthews. “He’s got it all dialed in. He shoots it just fine.” “He just told me he couldn’t wrap his head around using the all one-piece composite.” Still, don’t be surprised if Marleau eventually bends to the newer trend. He is just beginning a three-year contract with the Leafs and hasn’t ruled It is not for lack of trying. trying to play another season beyond the end of that. Fantasy Hockey Pool He concedes that it may require him to adapt and adjust in the months Play the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool for your chance to score big and years ahead. with over $22,000 worth of prizes to be awarded! “Possibly, you never know,” said Marleau. “I always try it in the summer It's FREE and easy to play! and somehow I always find my way back to the two piece.” The 38-year-old has switched over to the lighter model favoured by Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 virtually the entire league on numerous occasions – going 30 straight games during one stretch with the San Jose Sharks – but always finds his way back to old reliable eventually. It all comes down to the ability to stickhandle in tight spaces for the speedy winger. “I can shoot better with a one piece,” said Marleau. “It’s just for me, probably because I’ve used (a two piece) for so long, it’s the handling of the puck. Getting it into a spot to shoot just feels a little off for me when I go to a one piece. “It’s all about repetitions. I could probably make the change but I just haven’t.” Marleau sits third among active NHL players at 510 goals after potting two in his Leafs debut at Winnipeg last week. So far he’s made the transition to a new organization look pretty smooth after nearly two decades in California – generating nine shots on goal in the three season-opening victories. Not only has he spent extra time after practice working with the likes of Mitch Marner and Connor Brown, but Marleau’s tried to educate a few others on the tools of his trade. Former Sharks teammate Joe Thornton is believed to be the only other NHLer currently using a two-piece stick. Toronto Maple Leafs on Sportsnet NOW Want to livestream 56 Leafs games this season? See how you can stream this + over 300 regular season NHL games with Sportsnet NOW. LEARN MORE “These guys think (it’s so different),” said Marleau. “There’s not much difference between a one-piece and two-piece (stick). The only thing is I put it together here, they have theirs put together at the factory.” His typical game-day routine includes pulling out the blow torch to attach a blade to the shaft of his Warrior-branded sticks. He’ll usually prepare one or two at a time. As a result, the No. 12 stick rack is positively empty compared to those beside it inside the team’s dressing room – many of them crammed full with 20 sticks or more. “I like making my own,” said Marleau. “It gives me something to do.” It’s been part of the routine of a life spent in hockey. Incredibly, Marleau hasn’t missed a game since the 2010 playoffs and now sits just four regular-season games shy of 1,500 for his career. He first cracked the Sharks lineup as an 18-year-old and now has four sons 1077775 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Did Sidney Crosby deserve penalty for hitting Braden Holtby? Watch as Sidney Crosby catches Braden Holtby with his shoulder behind the net and Holtby responds with a chop to the back of the leg.

Mike Johnston

Early in the opening period of Wednesday’s Pittsburgh-Washington game, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby bowled over Capitals netminder Braden Holtby. As the video at the top of the page shows, Crosby made an effort to block a Holtby clearing attempt behind the Capitals’ net during a Penguins power play. Crosby’s shoulder made contact with Holtby’s head and the 2016 Vezina winner went down. Holtby was upset and gave Crosby a whack on the legs later in the shift. NBC Sports colour commentator Pierre McGuire suggested on the broadcast that Crosby appeared annoyed at the way Holtby went down and felt there might have been some embellishment. Ultimately there was no call on the play and Kris Letang ended up scoring a power-play marker a minute later. So we ask you… Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077776 Websites “We were fragmented,” he said last week. “There’s a responsibility on all of us, most importantly me, to make sure that does not happen again. Is everyone doing enough to help each other to get through tough times Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Why new arena means everything for and make it easier? I liked our pre-season last year, we were Islanders undefeated. Then, as soon as the season started, when things went wrong, we were not a close team. There was a divide between old and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on the Vegas Golden Knights trading some young, we didn’t stick up for each other.” Bednar paused. “The word gets of their defensive depth, where the New York Islanders will be playing in used a lot, but we had to change our culture. Be more of a family. Don’t the next few years and how a loophole might see NHL players still go to point fingers. (Last year), young players weren’t as willing to put the 2018 Winter Olympics. themselves out there as much as they are now. This year, there is a big difference. We have a different dynamic, the young players more in charge. I told them, ‘Embrace being the underdog.’” Elliotte Friedman Who has stepped up? Bednar mentioned Nathan MacKinnon, then two others who stayed in Denver most of the summer. “J.T. Compher’s been

unreal. When we were calling him up last year, the reports we were has a vision. getting were an average skater, good 200-foot player, but not someone who wows you. But he’s picked up a step, a full step if not more. He’s got “We want our legacy to be, that they don’t remember us,” he said a little edge to him too. He can be a big contributor for us. The other is Tuesday, referring to himself and Islanders co-owner Scott Malkin. “But Tyson Jost. Everyone knows his story, you know his character. He’s they remember there were owners who built a new building and won added muscle, and found a way to keep his quickness.” more Cups.” After mentioning those two, Bednar credited Erik Johnson. The Speaking at a Manhattan restaurant, Ledecky met with the media for the Avalanche cratered when he went down, a thin blue line missing its first time since submitting a bid to build a new arena at Belmont Park. biggest horse. “He has a place in California. He kept coming back and The facility would be in partnership with Sterling Project Development forth. He was focused on getting back (healthy) and adding quickness. (controlled by the Wilpons, owners of the New York Mets) and the Oak And he was pushing the young players who stayed here.” View Group. Featuring the superbly connected Tim Leiweke, Oak View is working towards a $600-million renovation of Key Arena in Seattle that 3. With all of the talk about bringing the team together, Bednar has an could bring the NBA and NHL to that city. immediate challenge: Matt Duchene’s future. How do you keep things together when it’s only a matter of time before he’s traded? “We talked to It’s a powerful group. What it doesn’t control is the timeline. There is no the group about that,” he answered. “They have to help Matt get through certainty to how long the process will take. Ledecky confirmed the it. He’s an important piece and a big contributor. We describe it as, Islanders will remain at Barclays Center until the end of the 2018-19 ‘That’s business, we don’t control it.’ We do control being good season, and estimated that, if it does win the bid, building a new arena teammates and working together, and that goes for both him and them.” would take approximately 20 months. Bednar wanted to keep his conversations with Duchene private, but did So, anything after January 2018 leaves the possibility of a gap. But give some idea of his message. “We don’t know where this is going. But Ledecky wasn’t going there. it’s not between me and you, or you and your teammates. We all get what we want if everyone gives their all. I don’t want to put words into his “Our focus is solely on Belmont Park,” he said. “We want Belmont to be mouth, but the uncertainty was hard for him. He showed up with a good our permanent home.” attitude, and knows if you work hard, he will earn good opportunities. Ledecky came to deliver a message, and didn’t stray from it. His Work through the mental side, we’re all here to help you.” comments were measured, but firm. We tried the follow-ups and what-ifs, 4. At last year’s draft lottery, I had a chance to ask Joe Sakic about but he deflected them. Bednar’s future. There was a lot of uncertainty at the time, but Sakic was What would he do if a new arena wasn’t ready for the 2019-20 season? adamant the coach would get another chance. “This is not his fault,” the GM said several times, pointing out Bednar did not get the proper time to “It’s complete conjecture at this point,” he answered. “We will cross that prepare after Patrick Roy absconded. bridge when we come to it.” Bednar, who won a with AHL Cleveland in 2016, is thankful Would he move the team if it didn’t work out? for Sakic’s patience. “I know I’m a better coach than that, but I learned that there were better ways I could have handled it. We are in the “We’re planning on winning this thing, number one. Number two, we’re business of winning. Good people are let go after better years than that. I sending that message. Number three, Scott and I grew up in this area. believe, with my staff, I can help turn this team around. When we go My kids spent their whole life being part of New York.” through tough times, I put myself on the top, to make sure we are in “This is a New York metropolitan-area team.” charge of all situations that arise. Players want to prove to they belong in the league, I want to prove that too. MacKinnon is a great player, he He did squash any idea of a return to Nassau. “The commissioner said wants to go to elite level. I’m no different.” it’s not viable, and absolutely I agree with the commissioner.” 5. What a tremendous opening ceremony/memorial by Vegas. Struck all The organization already spent $60 million to upgrade its own practice the right notes. They should just sew the “C” onto Deryk Engelland’s facility. Ledecky toured every NHL arena and practice setup in jersey. What made it even more impressive is there’s no doubt the preparation for these investments. He indicated that capacity of a new organization put a ton of work into something very different, then had to building would be similar to two of the newest in the NHL, Edmonton’s do a complete 180-degree turn after the Mandalay Bay shooting. That’s Rogers Arena (18,347 for hockey) and Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena not easy. The team’s on-ice success is a positive jolt to start the season. (20,000). He laughed when we joked the new scoreboard would be one James Neal is a tremendous story, with five goals in three games. The foot wider than New Jersey’s impressive new monstrosity. Golden Knights and Predators battled behind the scenes during the summer when Neal’s playoff hand/wrist injuries turned out to be worse But for Ledecky, this is serious business. The Islanders are all-in at than realized. There was serious doubt he’d be ready for the start of the Belmont Park. season, never mind become the NHL’s hottest scorer not named 31 THOUGHTS Ovechkin. 1. The as-yet-to-be-determined timeline is not only important in 6. A few GMs/executives saw the same thing in the first week. As one determining the Islanders’ future home, it could also be critical in said, “A lot of teams are really thin on the blue line.” You could probably determining John Tavares’ future home. You might have heard the name 10 clubs with a strong defence corps, but how many of them are team’s captain and cornerstone player is a free agent at the end of the confident enough to subtract from that group in a trade? There’s a squeeze. That’s where Vegas comes in, but right now it’s an old- season. But, if he’s told the organization how a new arena affects his fashioned staring contest between George McPhee and his peers. As decision, president and GM Garth Snow wasn’t sharing it. “I will keep that one GM said, “The guys we want are the guys he wants to keep.” between (agent Pat Brisson), John and myself. I don’t want to speculate, and don’t want to speak for John.” 7. McPhee threw cold water on reports Vadim Shipachyov wanted to go back to Russia instead of being in roster limbo. Sometimes getting to the 2. Colorado plays its home opener Wednesday night after a 2-1 road trip truth of overseas stories is like trying to crack the enigma code. In this to open the season. The Avalanche won in Boston to end the trip after a case, one of two things is most likely. It’s either true, or some KHL club 4-1 loss in New Jersey. That was a good result considering how second- wants Shipachyov, thinks he’s wasting his time in North America and put year coach Jared Bednar felt about the team’s painful 2016-17 season. that out there. McPhee did say there’s no time frame to sort out his roster and “we’ll do the best we can” for Shipachyov. (This undoubtedly goes 16. I don’t think Mark Jankowski is going to be in AHL Stockton for too for Shea Theodore, too.) Honestly, it’s going to come down to how long long. this takes. This will be a test of the player’s patience. 17. One of the hardest things about coaching in Canada is being 8. I’m with Ron MacLean on team “Sign Turris.” Top centres are hard to yourself. Travis Green showed a lack of fear when he sat Brock Boeser find, and he’s made himself into one. He was outstanding in last year’s for the opener against Edmonton. As the Canuck fan base went wild on playoffs. I haven’t spoken to him one-on-one, but I know he is sensitive social media, Green stuck to his plan of dressing Derek Dorsett, giving about the whole situation because of his bitter divorce from Arizona. He him a chance to pester McDavid. Coaches are going to do things that has no desire to put his family through that again — in his mind, the two work, and they are going to do things that blow up like a Grade 10 situations are not comparable. Turris made it very clear publicly and chemistry experiment. But you have to stick to what you believe. You privately that he wants to stay in Ottawa. It’s not a secret that the issue is must appreciate your fans, but as the old saying goes, “If you worry term, word is GM Pierre Dorion and agent Kurt Overhardt agree (or pretty about what they say, you’re going to wind up sitting next to them.” much agree) on salary. Turris did not dress during the first week of exhibition play. At the time, Senators coach Guy Boucher said it was 18. What was the best text Chicago’s Ryan Hartman received after five because he “knew what Turris could do,” but I think trade talks were also points against Pittsburgh? “One of my friends texted, ‘Only five?’” he a factor. Now, it’s time to play for keeps and Dorion is stepping back to laughed. see how things go. The Senators are not a cap team, with Erik Karlsson 19. Hartman said he was challenged by Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman and Mark Stone talks looming. If a trade becomes reality, my personal in his 2016-17 exit meeting. “He told me he expected more (this season). opinion is to monitor Nashville’s interest. I changed the way I prepared in the summer.” One of Hartman’s 9. Montreal needs centres, but the Canadiens also need scoring. Would adjustments was to attend Darryl Belfry’s skills camp in Florida. “He they wade into the Andreas Athanasiou conversations? wanted me to create more deception in the way I receive passes. If you give a slight move with your stick either away from or closer to (the 10. No contract talks between Rick Nash and the New York Rangers. He passer) as you receive it, you open up some space. I like it.” is unrestricted after this season. It’s interesting, because he likes it there and the Rangers really like him personally. I thought they’d see if there 20. Blackhawks’ prospect Dylan Sikura is off to a blazing start for NCAA was common ground on an extension. But this is business, and, in free Northeastern. He had five points in two games against Sacred Heart, agency, the Rangers waited out Kevin Shattenkirk until he moved to their including two goals in the first 9:31 of the second one. “He’s ready for the position. That’s instructive to their thinking. They want cap flexibility, and I NHL now,” said one scout. also think they want to see where they are before making any A senior, Sikura was taken 178th overall in 2014. He can choose free commitment. Nash is going to be a hot commodity if he goes on the agency after the season, although Chicago smoothly signed his brother, block. He can agree to be traded to 12 teams, but the Rangers have to Tyler, now playing for AHL Rockford. The Canadian Olympic team was ask for a list. That has not occurred. watching Sikura last weekend. He is from Aurora, Ont. 11. Ondrej Pavelec was preparing to be without an NHL contract in 21. The Canadian team also watched Nolan Patrick’s first two games on August, ready to fight somewhere with no guaranteed job for 2017-18. “I Philadelphia’s season-opening California road swing. GM Sean Burke didn’t want to go to Europe,” he said last Saturday. “I got a KHL offer in and head coach Willie Desjardins were there. The NHL made it very May, but they wanted a decision in two days. I said no. I wanted one clear that AHL players on two-way contracts cannot go to South Korea, more try at the NHL. The phone rang on July 1.” Were you surprised the but is willing to allow those in junior or overseas to play. However, the Rangers called? “Yes. But it’s New York. What a great place to play.” International Olympic Committee has said no one with an NHL contract Goalie coach Benoit Allaire is moving him back on the goal line. “I’ve will be eligible, although a couple of federations indicated they are tried it before,” Pavelec said. “But I didn’t stay with it because I didn’t trust privately trying to negotiate that. I’m not sure the IOC is willing to budge, it. Now, you see Henrik (Lundqvist) doing it every day and you see how it and some NHL teams are very skeptical of that possibility. We’ll see. works.” With that technical change comes an adjustment to Pavelec’s 22. Tampa Bay beat Washington on Monday with a four-forward overtime thinking. “Before, you come out and challenge the shooter. If he passes power play — Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point and Steven to your side and someone else scores, you think, ‘Well, it’s not my fault, Stamkos. Good luck defending that. someone else was supposed to (stop the pass).’ (Allaire) doesn’t want you to think like that. He wants you to think, ‘Why can’t I be in position to NHL on Sportsnet NOW make that save, too?’” Live stream over 300 marquee regular season games, regional matchups 12. Pavelec watched Winnipeg’s season-opening 7-2 loss to Toronto. He for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and took no satisfaction in it. “I felt bad for Steve Mason.” Goalie union. Toronto Maple Leafs, and the entire 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 13. One very noticeable change with Edmonton: Connor McDavid is LEARN MORE going to face your best players. In last season’s home playoff games, he averaged 4:42 against Logan Couture and 3:23 versus Ryan Getzlaf 23. In major midget, Victor Mete’s defence partner was Jakob Chychrun. (That’s even-strength). Opening night, he was head-to-head with Sean Who on earth scored against that duo? Mete is not tall, but as one Monahan for 8:01. In Monday’s 5-2 loss to Winnipeg, it was 8:09 against executive who knows him said, “He’s always been very mature Mark Scheifele. physically.” 14. It’s very early, but another player with an early time-on-ice change is As a 16-year-old for OHL London, he matched up against Erie’s Connor Dustin Brown. The Kings forward is at 20:13 for two games. He hasn’t McDavid. Apparently, he was the only Knights defenceman who could averaged 20 minutes since 2011-12 (20:10) and hasn’t been above keep up with the Otters’ star. His contract signing with Montreal is a nice 16:30 since 2013-14. Hockey-reference.com indicates Brown hadn’t story. He was ushered into a dressing room after a game for the official played 20 minutes in a regular-season game in four years. moment. When he opened the door, about 50 family and friends were waiting for him — along with the Canadiens. 15. When Florida drafted Michael Matheson 23rd overall in 2012, they resisted some opportunities to move up and down, confident they’d get 24. London churns out players like McDonald’s churns out Big Macs. him there and not wishing to move away from where they thought he’d be Alex Formenton was an 11th-round OHL draft selection, when he was available. Ten defencemen were taken before him — Ryan Murray, five-foot-six. Two years later, he’s a six-foot-one talent who went nine Griffin Reinhart, Morgan Rielly, Hampus Lindholm, Mathew Dumba, rounds higher in the NHL draft. The Senators look like they got a good Derrick Pouliot, Jacob Trouba, Slater Koekkoek, Cody Ceci and Olli one. Maatta. The Panthers were confident that Matheson, with time, would fit 25. After Toronto’s post-season elimination last April, GM Lou Lamoriello into that group. One of the reasons they liked him? He was a serious told the team about the 1987-88 and 1988-89 New Jersey Devils. The person who knew what he wanted to achieve, understood the path to get first of those teams rebounded from a slow start and coaching change to there and rarely varied from it. The biggest gamble, they felt, was go to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time ever, all the way to the projecting how much upside there was coming out of the USHL, but they Stanley Cup semifinal. The next season, with higher expectations, the believed his work ethic would get him there. Devils malfunctioned, missing the post-season entirely. Those were There was a little bit of, “Who’s that?” as Matheson signed an eight-year Brendan Shanahan’s first two seasons, and Lamoriello told the Leafs not extension worth just under $5 million per season last week. I didn’t to take anything for granted. realize that Matheson led them in even-strength ice-time last season, Message received by the 3-0 club, which stunningly skated rings around ahead of Aaron Ekblad. That’s continued into this year. He’s 1:18 above Chicago on Monday night. The Blackhawks who saw the most time any other teammate, although it’s just two games. Second contracts are against Auston Matthews at five-on-five were Artem Anisimov, Ryan now the cap busters. Florida is making an educated bet. Hartman, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Shots on goal when Matthews was on the ice versus the first four were 10-0 Toronto in that head-to-head matchup. Seabrook did a little better. It was only 9-0 when he was out there. 26. In case you missed it from producer Jeremy McElhinney’s tremendous feature on Matthews’ incredible four-goal NHL debut, he signed Craig Anderson’s stick from that evening with “thanks FOUR making my first game memorable.” Anderson: “I giggle every time I look at it.” 27. Watch what happens with Matthews and William Nylander after penalty kills. Since Zach Hyman is deployed in that situation, Mike Babcock tinkers. In the opener against Winnipeg, Toronto scored twice after the coach placed a different winger with the other two right after a penalty expired. Patrick Marleau scored his first goal that way. Right after Mark Scheifele broke Frederik Andersen’s shutout and made it 6-1, Nazem Kadri was put on the line for the ensuing faceoff. The Maple Leafs went right down the ice and scored. 28. For 19 years, Patrick Marleau was the last San Jose Shark to come out of the dressing room. The tradition stays alive in his new home. Marleau changed his off-season training about five years ago. “He’s really good at having the right approach to his body,” said Mike Potenza, San Jose’s strength and conditioning coach. Potenza’s time with Marleau lasted 11 years, seeing a player who adapted to the challenges of keeping agility and flexibility as he got older. Marleau adopted Pilates and a more rigorous in-season stretching routine. Potenza suggested something that would seem counter-intuitive, a more relaxed summer, ramping up the intensity as the calendar flipped to September. “The first time we did it, he came to me at the start of the year and said he didn’t feel as good. I told him, ‘Wait until February.’ He came back then and said, ‘I never felt this good.’” 29. We’ve mentioned how Leo Komarov was one of the NHL’s targets for wearing the visor too high. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks added the Rangers’ Kevin Hayes to that list. Others who were noticed: Carl Hagelin (Pittsburgh), Niklas Kronwall (Detroit) and Sean Monahan (Calgary). Something to look out for. 30. The NHL and NHLPA’s next face-to-face meeting about the international calendar is Thursday in Toronto. There is some question about whether or not everyone wants to go back to China, because it didn’t make money. (The promoter takes the risk, not the league or union.) I can’t believe this is even an issue. You’re going to go once and give up, four years from the Olympics? I’d like to see them go to France and Germany, too, since the world championships were just there. 31. Someone in Pittsburgh ownership (or the president/CEO) should step into the spotlight and answer for going to the White House. Whether you agree or disagree, it is a controversial decision. Mike Sullivan and Sidney Crosby should not be shouldering all of the heat. Being the coach and/or the captain means you accept a lot of responsibility, and they’ve taken their share. But the decision to go was made higher up the food chain. Step up. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077777 Websites Bratt’s parents, Conny and Karin, made the trip over from Sweden and saw him score his first career goal against . His phone exploded with messages from friends when he followed that up with two Sportsnet.ca / How sixth-rounder Bratt ‘came out of nowhere’ to excel goals and an assist in Buffalo on Monday afternoon. with Devils Bratt continues to check in with Swärd daily and speaks to him on FaceTime before every game. Those conversations help keep him in a healthy frame of mind. Chris Johnston “We encourage that,” said Shero.

He’s eligible to be sent to either the American Hockey League or OHL’s TORONTO – There is a tendency to look at a someone like Jesper Bratt London Knights this season, but he’ll be given every opportunity to stay and wonder how he slipped through the cracks. with the Devils before any decisions are made. What did everyone miss? It is quite a story. It’s literally been decades since we’ve seen a player get selected in the Keep in mind that New Jersey drafted seven players before calling Bratt sixth round of the entry draft one year and make his NHL debut the next to the stage 16 months ago and he’s the first of that group to actually – at least until the 19-year-old winger stormed on the scene with the New play for the Devils. Heck, we’re talking about a guy who was cut from Jersey Devils these last few weeks. Sweden’s world junior team last year. “He kind of came out of nowhere in camp,” teammate Kyle Palmieri said “I thought a lot during the year that I was maybe going to make the Wednesday. “Not many guys or media really knew who he was.” team,” said Bratt. “So I think that was probably a little bit of a down period in my last year. My game started to be really pretty bad. I had a lot of ups While we might easily point to Bratt’s size (five foot 10, 175 pounds) or and downs, so that is something that I get stronger about today. his circumstances (playing in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league) as reasons for why he was previously overlooked, the teenager points at “I think it was both good and bad for me to have that little downturn.” himself. Just look at him now. He readily admits that he struggled with focus and preparation in the past. He would get anxious and overthink things. There was very little Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 consistency in his play. “Last year was a pretty tough year for me,” Bratt said in an interview. “It was tough for me to be confident on the ice and I was always nervous before games. So I never performed at my highest level. I didn’t know how to make myself ready for the next day and that’s something that I worked on a lot this year to play on my highest level every night.” The big breakthrough came before he arrived at Devils development camp this summer and really started turning heads inside the organization. Bratt credits the decision to start working with mental coach Andy Swärd as the moment where his potential was truly unlocked. Swärd’s client list includes athletes in various sports, including a handful of goalies, and his message immediately resonated with a player who had scored just 14 goals in 94 games for AIK over two seasons. “He makes me feel very comfortable,” said Bratt. “He’s a very well-known guy in Sweden. He’s a great guy and he’s one of the biggest reasons I’m standing here.” The timing couldn’t have been any better. The sessions helped propel Bratt to a big summer – Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander says he turned heads during informal skates in Stockholm – and his progress was evident to Devils general manager Ray Shero the moment he got back on North American soil. Shero attended the under-20 Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich., with high hopes for 2017 second-rounder Jesper Boqvist and ended up being blown away by Bratt instead. By the end of a rookie tournament in Buffalo a month later, he was predicting to Devils coach John Hynes that Bratt would win a job with the team. The one thing he didn’t have to overcome was any negative pre- conceived notions as the 162nd-overall draft pick because the Devils feel they need to “earn respect back in the league,” according to Shero. “I didn’t care if he was 19 or 29 or 39,” said Shero. “If you’re going to move the dial you’re going to be here. You have to be open-minded.” “We came into this year saying that the last couple years weren’t good enough,” added Hynes. “It didn’t matter who you were – older guy, younger guy, high draft, low draft, free agent, tryout player – we’re going to play the best guys. We wanted guys to come in here and help us turn this thing around.” The biggest thing that resonated about Bratt’s performance throughout training camp is how consistent he was. Even as the pace and stakes increased, he continued to make smart decisions with the puck while playing in every possible situation. When he made the opening-night roster and suited up for Saturday’s opener against Colorado, he became the lowest-drafted teenager to play in the NHL since 1995-96 – when Roman Volpat (taken 172nd in 1994) and Richard Zednik (taken 249 in 1994) both did it. 1077778 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens’ Jonathan Drouin launches program for underprivileged youth

Mike Johnston

Jonathan Drouin made a generous financial commitment to the University of Montreal Hospital Centre back in September and on Wednesday he continued to make an impact in the community and on young Montreal Canadiens fans. Drouin teamed up with the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation to launch a program called “Jo et ses champions.” As part of the partnership the 22-year-old agreed to contribute $165,000 annually in order to acquire a specially-designed suite in the Bell Centre that will afford underprivileged youth the opportunity to attend Canadiens home games. "From the first day I got here, I wanted to get involved and do something for children." @jodrouin27 #joetseschampions pic.twitter.com/whiRDYPPzZ — CHC – Fondation (@CHCFondation) October 11, 2017 “From the first day I got here, I wanted to get involved and do something for children by giving them an opportunity to enjoy memorable experiences,” Drouin said in a press release. “By giving them a chance to attend a hockey game, I am hoping that an evening in the suite will provide the kids and their families with some relief from the personal hardships they are facing. They’ll have a chance to be together and have a great time, and for me, it’s an opportunity to contribute in my own way to their well-being.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077779 Websites The two-time champs have pretty much covered the spectrum in their first three games. They lost a tight one to the Blues in overtime, got absolutely embarrassed by the Blackhawks, and then made a statement Sportsnet.ca / Down Goes Brown: 10 things we’ve learned so far in the against the Predators. That’s left them with three points in three games, NHL just in time to welcome their old pals the Capitals tonight. Will it continue? The Pens kept their core but lost a big chunk of the depth they rode to last year’s title, so it was fair to expect a step back. Sean McIndoe That’s especially true early on, as new roles get sorted out and new faces adapt to the team’s system. And a slow first few weeks aren’t anything new in Pittsburgh – last year they lost three of their first six, and the year before that they dropped three straight. Both of those seasons The NHL regular season is now one week old, and I think it’s fair to say turned out OK. that we’ve got everything figured out. Still, that Blackhawks’ game has to raise some flags – good teams just I mean, it’s been a week. That’s plenty of time. The next 80 games or so don’t lose 10–1. Everyone from Sidney Crosby to Kris Letang to both shouldn’t bring many surprises, so we can pretty much pencil in the final goaltenders looked awful on the night. They get credit for rebounding standings, ride out the last few months and start looking forward to the against the Predators, and maybe we end up looking back at the Chicago playoffs. debacle as a weird outlier. But for now at least, some extra skepticism Or maybe not. On the off chance that we don’t quite have it all sorted out seems warranted. quite yet, it might be worth a moment to take stock of where we are after What we learned: The teams that were supposed to be bad are all pretty week one. Here are 10 things we’ve learned so far, and how likely they good. are to continue to be true. Aside from the Knights, the Avalanche and Red Wings have each won What we learned: The Golden Knights don’t look like an expansion team twice, the Devils are 2-0-0, and even the Canucks beat the Oilers. Those at all. were four of the teams that were supposed to be in various stages of a Nobody expected the Knights to be all that competitive this year, rebuild. Instead, they’re more than holding their own. especially when they unveiled their expansion-draft strategy of “take all Will it continue? Some of these teams will come back to earth quickly – the defencemen and then figure it out later.” But through their first week remember, last year the Avs started 3-1-0 and the Canucks were 4-0-0, of meaningful action, they’re a perfect 3-0-0, and have even shown up and they finished with the worst two records in the league. But most near the top of some power rankings. years, we do see at least one team that’s been written off before the Sure, those three wins have included one against a beleaguered backup season even starts turn out to be pretty good. Last year there were three, goalie and two against the Coyotes, who are the beleaguered backup with the Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs and Oilers all making big strides. goalie of NHL teams. Still, wins are wins. So is there a potential playoff team in this mix? The Devils seem like the Will it continue? That depends what the “it” is here. Can they continue to best option; they have a more proven goaltender than the Canucks and exceed expectations? Sure. They’re the first expansion team of the more young talent than a team like Detroit. The Avalanche seem like they parity-infested salary-cap era, so it shouldn’t shock anyone if they’re just have too much ground to make up, although if Semyon Varlamov more competitive than we thought. can get back to Vezina-candidate form then nothing’s completely off the table. But do they make the playoffs? Sorry, Vegas. Some long shots are just too far-fetched, and this might be one of them. It still seems as if the most But yeah, all of last year’s bad teams look good right now. Well, almost likely outcome here is that the Knights will be selling by mid-season, and all of them… will be better in the long-term for having done so. What we learned: The Sabres are a mess. Again. What we learned: The Canadiens can’t score. This was supposed to be the year. Well, last year was supposed to be Through four games, they’ve scored four goals, which ties them with Alex the year, but that didn’t happen, so they fired everyone and turned their Ovechkin for most goals scored in games involving the Canadiens. Not attention to this year. And yet three games in, they’re winless and have surprisingly, it’s added up to just one win, and that one came in a already lost to two teams that missed the playoffs last year. shootout against the Sabres. Will it continue? The Sabres head out on what we usually call the Will it continue? It might. They’ll average more than a goal per game, of dreaded California road trip, which you’d normally hate to see this early course, and they’re not going to shoot 2.6 per cent forever. But we knew in the season. But maybe this is good timing. They start with the Sharks, heading into the season that scoring would be a concern for this team. another struggling team. They had just 226 goals last year, ranking ahead of only Ottawa among And maybe getting as far away from Buffalo as possible will help right Eastern playoff teams. That was before losing Alexander Radulov to now. This is a smart fan base that understands the plan and isn’t going to Dallas, not to mention Andrei Markov to the KHL. overreact to every little rough patch along the way. But if this season Marc Bergevin didn’t sit back, trading for Jonathan Drouin and signing turns into yet another write-off, things are going to get ugly. Being dead Ales Hemsky, so there was room for optimism. But so far, it’s not clicking. last in the conference after a week wasn’t part of the plan. The question here may be how long the Habs get to find their firepower There’s still plenty of time. But the clock may be ticking louder in Buffalo before Bergevin feels the need to do it for them. He took a lot of heat than anywhere else in the league right now. during the summer for not finding experienced help down the middle, and What we learned: The old Alex Ovechkin is back. at some point he might have to just go out and pay the price for Matt Duchene, or somebody who looks like him. With seven goals through three games, he’s on pace for… [runs the numbers] a lot. And if he does that, the Capitals should be good again, We’re not quite there yet, but patience isn’t exactly a virtue Montreal fans despite most of us assuming they’d respond to yet another playoff are known for. disaster by taking a step or two back this year. What we learned: Everyone else can score. Will it continue? We can dial down the hyperbole on Ovechkin’s start just After years of hovering around the 5.5-goals-per-game mark, the NHL is a little after the Lightning held him off the board on Monday. Still, he’s out of the gate at a little over 6.2. They did it! They fixed the 20-year spent most of the early season looking like the old, unstoppable scoring drought with their innovative new rules on [checks list], uh, Ovechkin of years past, instead of the veteran version who’s still scary faceoff violations. but appears to be picking his spots more often. It’s tempting to latch onto that narrative: Ovechkin’s sick of losing, he’s mad, and he’s going to pack Will it continue? No. We said the same thing last year at this point. the rest of the team onto his back and drag them to a Cup. Players are rusty early in the season, and it takes new coaches a little while to drill all the fun out of the rookies. More importantly, teams are It might even be true. But more so than any other short-term story on our getting roughly an extra power play each game as part of a crackdown list, this one just doesn’t feel like it matters much right now. The Capitals on stick fouls, and we know how long those usually last. By the end of are always good during the regular season. That’s not the problem. They the month we’ll be back to 5.5, so enjoy it while it lasts. could run the table for six straight months, and it won’t matter if they don’t make noise in the playoffs. We know it, Caps fans know it and even the What we learned: The Penguins are all over the place. players know it. Wins are better than losses, and a hungry Ovechkin is better than one minimum for this team. Maybe even winning a round once they’re there. who looks checked out. But it’s Cup or bust for this franchise, and racking And if you get that far, hey, you never know what can happen. up goals in October doesn’t mean much. Should the Leafs be some sort of Stanley Cup favourite? Not yet, no. But Live stream over 300 marquee regular season games, regional matchups are they starting to look like a team that’s good enough to ride a few nice for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and matchups and lucky breaks to a deep run? Maybe, yeah. Toronto Maple Leafs, and the entire 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But all that’s a long way away. We’re still only a week into the season, LEARN MORE remember. We’re just guessing right now, and we can’t know anything for sure. It’s too early to start handing out the trophies quite yet. What we learned: The Kings are back. (Check back in a week for that.) After winning Cups in 2012 and 2014, the Kings have stumbled to just a single playoff win in the three seasons since. That led to this summer’s Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 firing of and , with new GM and coach John Stevens vowing to break the team out of its low-scoring, defence-first ways. Most of us were skeptical, especially since the new regime didn’t really do much to alter the roster. But two games into the season, the Kings are 2-0-0 and looking a lot like their old selves. Will it continue? The part about being their old selves is the interesting thing here – despite all the talk about opening up the offence, the Kings won their first two games based largely on Jonathan Quick‘s goaltending. If anything, the defence has looked looser while the offence is generating about the same number of chances (while converting at a slightly better rate). The penalty kill has been perfect, while the power play hasn’t done anything. And their possession game has been right around 50 per cent, which isn’t bad considering they’ve been leading for most of their games. Add it all up and… well, you’ve got two games to work with. It’s fair to say that reports of the Kings’ imminent demise may have been premature, but the same could be said for any talk of the team transforming into an offensive force. So far, they’re still the Kings. What we learned: The Central is confusing. For years, it was considered the league’s best division. It ceded that title to the Metro last year, and for the first time under the new format it didn’t send the maximum five teams to the playoffs. But it was still very good, producing the Western Cup finalist, and with the Predators on the rise, and the Stars and Jets looking to get back into the playoff race, most expected it to be even better this season. Instead, the surprising Blues are dominating and the Hawks have looked good, but the rest of the division’s contenders are off to slow starts. The Wild came out of the gate with a pair of losses to non-playoff teams, the Jets have just one win in three, and the Stars and Predators finally picked up their first wins last night. Will it continue? The Central should be fine. The Stars’ first two losses get an asterisk since they came from Kari Lehtonen instead of Ben Bishop, who returned to the lineup last night. The Wild and Predators should get back on track too, and if the Hawks and Blues are going to be better than expected that adds up to solid field even if the Avalanche fade again. That leaves a tough road ahead for the Jets, who need to pass at least one (and probably two) of those five good teams to make the playoffs. Winnipeg fans are hoping we’re wrong here and the division really does crumble; that just makes their path back to the post-season all that much easier. But for now, that still seems like wishful thinking. What we learned: The Maple Leafs are going 82-0-0 during the season and then winning 16 straight playoff games to capture the Stanley Cup. Will it continue? Of course not. They’ll eventually run into injuries and cold streaks and hot goalies and everything else that good teams see over the course of a season. Let’s pencil them in for 81-0-1 instead. OK, we’re exaggerating, although it probably doesn’t feel like it if you’re a fan of one of the other 30 teams and are already sick of the Maple Leafs hype. They were getting plenty of love as a sneaky Cup contender pick in the off-season; now that they’re filling the net at will during a 3-0-0 start, it feels like the Cup engraving is already halfway done. So let’s make everyone feel better by stating the obvious: No, it won’t continue. The Leafs will get cold, and they will get hurt, and they’ll have plenty of nights when they can’t compensate for a shaky defensive effort by just scoring a bunch of rapid-fire goals. Even in winning their first three, the Leafs have looked like a flawed team for stretches. Eventually it will start costing them games, Mike Babcock will start strangling guys, Leafs fans will panic and everything will all go back to normal. The thing is, it’s starting to feel like “normal” has changed in Toronto. It used to mean last place, lots of excuses and looking ahead to the trade deadline. Now it feels more like making it back to the playoffs is the bare 1077780 Websites Tape II Tape Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the Sportsnet.ca / Jagr’s Flames debut is reason for hockey fans everywhere country’s most beloved game. to celebrate Hockey needs Jagr. Make that, hockey needs more characters like Jagr.

In a hockey culture in which beige is the new black, he seems to Eric Francis understand above all else that hockey is in the entertainment business. On and off the ice, he’s never failed to deliver on that front. Part of the added excitement in town stems from the foreign feeling of his arrival. Those who might question whether Jaromir Jagr is the biggest free agent signing in Calgary Flames history obviously don’t live in Calgary. Calgary has never been a destination for free agents with any sort of star status, which is why some believe Jagr jersey sales in Calgary will more They obviously haven’t seen any of the thousands of red No. 68 jerseys than pay for his contract (and potential $1 million in bonuses.) dotting the city already. They haven’t heard the excitement in the voices of his new teammates, or seen the bounce in the 45-year-old’s step as The biggest free agent signing before Jagr would have been inking Jay he giddily returns to the game he’s dominated for 27 years. Bouwmeester in 2009 after Darryl Sutter traded for negotiating rights to the then-25-year-old star defenceman. They haven’t reacted to today’s news Jagr will make his debut in Los Angeles tonight with a fist-pump, followed by furious texts to friends with In a small market city that has never been able to compete for significant plans to set aside everything to watch. free agents, the reality has long been that Calgary is a city where the big boys generally leave for greener pastures and more greenbacks. They haven’t shaken hands or posed for a selfie with the mullet-toting Travelling Jagrs, whose admiration of “the European Gretzky” is now The departures of Al MacInnis, Theo Fleury, Joe Nieuwendyk and Mike shared by a city that needed something to rally around. Vernon all essentially revolved around money the Flames couldn’t afford to pay. The arena situation looks dire, the mayoralty race is daunting, the economy is still sagging and the future is further clouded by news an Although Jagr is 45 and nowhere near the player he once was, the belief important pipeline has been victimized by politicians out East. Again. in Calgary is he’s still more than just a novelty item. His impact has been felt all eight days since he arrived. A lackluster 2-5 pre-season had locals worried the team would get off to yet another slow start and fans wondered aloud if a 35-year-old And Calgarians can be forgiven for treating it like it’s bigger than goaltender would be able to shoulder the load on a team that appears Stampede. poised to contend if only a Miikka Kiprusoff-like figure emerges. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 And then, after months of rumours and wishful thinking, Flames general manager Brad Treliving gives the city something almost as refreshing as a Rocky mountain sunset. He caps off months of quiet talks by inking Jagr to a one-year, $1 million deal to plug a hole on the right side of a third line none of the organization’s youngsters appeared ready for. Euphoria ensues. Will the game’s second-leading scorer of all-time have much of an impact offensively? Few expect so, although anything close to last year’s 16 goals and 46 points in Florida would be a coup for a man making only slightly more than the league minimum. Even if not, what he’s added to the organization without even stepping into the lineup has been invaluable. Young leaders like Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Sam Bennett are jacked up about learning whatever they can from the five-time NHL scoring champ. A residual benefit is that the team’s young core will spend the year shielded from the scrutiny that generally comes with being the cornerstones of a Canadian club. Although he’s expected to be little more than a role player on the third line and second power play unit, Jagr is now the face of the franchise. He will be the first player the media in every city will want to interview, which will be a welcome change for the likes of Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Gaudreau and Monahan. Worries that Jagr’s rock-star status would see him take over a dressing room that already had solid leadership under Mark Giordano have been replaced by relief the animated Czech star is here to lighten the mood. Case in point: At Saturday night’s home opener the Flames trailed Winnipeg 3-1 after playing their fourth-straight period of punchless hockey. And while hockey players have been trained to mope around when things aren’t going well, there was Jagr having a blast with the Travelling Jagrs during an in-house intermission interview he crashed. The video went viral, the fans went nuts and the team went on a five-goal run that turned a potentially horrid start around with a 6-3 win. Imagine, a player unabashedly having fun with the fans, joking, “I’m going to try to play, but if I’m no good, I’ll stay here all year and party.” Not that there’s a correlation but the Flames are now on a two-game streak, which includes winning their first game in Anaheim in 13 years Monday. The entire hockey world is excited to see Jagr’s debut, but the anticipation in Calgary is off the charts as fans check their twitter feeds every morning for news on his status. Tonight they’ll get their wish when he’ll suit up in Los Angeles alongside Bennett and Kris Versteeg on the third line. 1077781 Websites McElhinney told us he’s at the “tail end of his career now” and isn’t certain how the season will play out.

At six-foot-one and 200 pounds, Pickard meets Babcock’s criteria of a big Sportsnet.ca / Mitch Marner: ‘Wildflower’ Calvin Pickard will help Leafs goalie. He’s heavier but shorter than the six-foot-three Marlies tandem of Mike Babcock and Tyler Bozak discuss the challenges that Nico Hischier Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo. and the New Jersey Devils will bring in Wednesday night's tilt. “Now with our [three] guys in the minors, we gotta sort that out. We want them all to play in the American Hockey League,” Babcock said. Luke Fox “Maybe someone’s looking for an American Hockey League goalie, and we’ll get that done as well.”

Pickard did not dress for the Marlies over the weekend. He carries a $1 TORONTO – Mitch Marner views Calvin Pickard as an NHL goaltender million cap hit and will be eligible for arbitration as a restricted free agent even though the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most recent trade acquisition is on July 1. starting with Toronto’s AHL affiliate. The second-round pick is coming off a season playing behind the “For sure he is,” Marner asserted Wednesday. “He’s going to help that abysmal defence of the last-place 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche, yet still Marlies team a lot, and if he gets up here, he’s going to help us out a lot has a career NHL save percentage of .914 over 86 appearances. as well.” The book on Pickard is that he’s a patient goalie who sits farther back in Marner played with Pickard on Canada’s silver-medal-winning squad at his crease than most. He relies on quick reflexes and efficient movement the IIHF World Championship in May. The crafty forward isn’t sure as opposed to cutting down shooters’ angles. Canada would’ve medalled at the tournament were it not for the spectacular play of the country’s starting netminder. “It’s confusing as a forward to see how he plays. It’s hard to figure out how to get around him. He’s kind of a wildflower. It’s hard to describe his Canada coach Jon Cooper selected Pickard over Chad Johnson to style of play, but he gets it done,” said Marner. backstop the team, and it’s hard to argue with the choice. (Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, too, flew over to Europe to scout some “It’s great to have him in this organization. He’s a special guy.” unnamed players the worlds.) Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017 In seven games’ work, Pickard went 5-1-1 with a 1.49 goals-against average and sparkling .946 save percentage—outshining the likes of Tampa/Russia No. 1 Andrei Vasilevskiy and matching Sweden’s Henrik Lundqvist save for save in a 2-1 gold-medal thriller that finally ended in a shootout. “That game against Sweden in the finals, he was unbelievable for us. He made so many big saves and he kept them off the scoresheet on all of their power plays,” Marner gushed. “He played against the world’s best, he kept us in so many games and got us to the final. Without him, I don’t know what place we would’ve finished.” When the Leafs traded forward prospect Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick to secure Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday, Marner texted his friend to congratulate him and welcome him aboard. “He’s a great guy. He’s fun to be around,” Marner said. Pickard, a 25-year-old Moncton, N.B., native, was a surprise addition to the waiver wire last week after Vegas scooped up Boston goaltending prospect Malcolm Subban. Calvin Pickard says this season is no longer only about this team anymore. It's about Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/Ou6LNuomWD — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 4, 2017 Once Pickard cleared waivers, Toronto signed off on the trade. “It became a good move for us,” coach Mike Babcock said. “We’re in a better situation because of it.” Better and more intriguing. The Leafs re-signed veteran backup Curtis McElhinney to a two-year, $1.7-million contract on July 1, but the 34-year-old journeyman isn’t so naïve to believe he was the club’s first choice. “Every team does their due diligence. They look at all the options,” McElhinney told us last month. “The biggest thing was that I wanted to be back and continue what I started last year. There’s a bit of hype around the team now with the way things went. I want to be part of that. I’m grateful more than anything.” With Frederik Andersen’s status as the Number 1 chiseled in granite, McElhinney is expecting little action outside of mop-up work and starts in the club’s 14 consecutive-night games this season. Toronto’s first back-to-back doesn’t take place until Oct. 17-18. A legitimate question: With Pickard in the fold, has McElhinney’s leash shortened? (You’re forgiven if you just had a Jhonas Enroth flashback.) “We give [McElhinney] all the terrible starts, all the back-to-backs,” said Babcock. Then the coach added wryly: “We like those. In this organization we like to have as many of those as we can. I think it’s about TV or something.” 1077782 Websites On Tuesday night, they were cheering him for all of that. Soon enough they’ll cheer him again when they put his name up in the rafters.

And it doesn’t matter one bit if you don’t get it, because the people that Sportsnet.ca / Canucks fans’ love of Burrows rooted in how we choose matter do. our heroes Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.12.2017

Stephen Brunt

VANCOUVER–On Tuesday night, during a break in play, the big screen at Rogers Arena flickered to life with a tribute to Alexandre Burrows, now a member of the Ottawa Senators, returning to the place that was his hockey home for the better part of a dozen seasons. The ovation that followed was long and warm and heartfelt and real, delaying the resumption of play while Burrows acknowledged the crowd. That day, during and after the game, the number one topic in town (or perhaps 1A, along with the question of when potential wunderkind Brock Boeser would be allowed to crack the Canucks’ starting line-up) was whether Burrows merits a place on the team’s Ring of Honour. The consensus: absolutely, yes. That might come as a surprise to the Rest of Canada, who think of Burrows as an agitator, as the kind of the guy you hate when’s he’s playing for another team, who know him for being borderline (or just plain) dirty; for getting into a memorable beef with referee Stephane Auger over embellishment and retribution; for biting Patrice Bergeron’s finger during the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. A useful player on a good team, sure, and a significant member of the Canucks’ side that came within a hair of winning a championship, without question. But an all-timer? And then you look at some of the other names on the ring, like Harold Snepts, and you look at those who have received the higher honour of having their numbers retired, and you see Stan Smyl, who all these years later is right next to Trevor Linden as the most popular Canuck with Canucks’ fans, ever, and you understand that in this country made up of a whole lot of distinct societies, things change when you cross the Alberta border, cross the mountains and drop in here. Alex Burrows is every bit worthy of a place in the Canucks’ pantheon – at least he is once you start to think about how it is we choose our sports heroes. If it was just about being the best of the best – well, they wouldn’t have had that big night for Tie Domi in Toronto, would they? If it mattered what other teams and other players thought, then you wouldn’t hear Blue Jays’ fans clamouring for a statue of Jose Bautista flipping his bat. What bonds an athlete and the people who cheer for them is a sense of shared purpose, caring in the same way about the town, about the uniform, about the team, about winning. Sometimes there’s a large dollop of suspended disbelief in there, given the mercenary nature of the business, but that bond is real, and in many ways, it is what makes the sports world go ‘round. Why love Alex Burrows? Because his is an unlikely success story, a classic underdog tale. He was undrafted, beginning his professional hockey life in the East Coast Hockey League as nobody’s baby, nobody’s favoured prospect. Because once he got here he worked like crazy and he succeeded. He helped the team win by any means necessary. He thrived playing next to the Sedins when they were still The Sedins. He was a key cog in what became a great Vancouver team, and especially because he scored an overtime goal in Game 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs that shook a monkey off the franchise’s back. “For Vancouver,” said, in his memorable call, “it’s a wonderful day for an exorcism.” That moment, all by itself, would almost merit enshrinement. But also factor in how just about anyone who encountered him here – other than the opponents he aggravated on the ice – speaks highly of Burrows as a person and as a member of the community. And there is also the manner of his exit, which in the modern world of sport can often sour an otherwise beautiful relationship (that’s the reason, for instance, that you won’t hear much talk about Ryan Kesler and the Canucks’ Ring of Honour, even though by pretty much any measure he’s the better player.) When the time came last season and the team was clearly on the verge of a rebuild, when his value in a trade could help that process along, Burrows gave up his right to block a move in the interests of the greater good. 1077783 Websites “We weren’t very good [but] it’s over with now,” added Babcock. “I didn’t think we worked. You do good things, good things happen. You cheat yourself, you look like that.” TSN.CA / Unbeaten Devils end Maple Leafs’ perfect start Takeaways Rookie Mistakes By Kristen Shilton In their second game as a pairing, freshmen Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen had a rough night against New Jersey, finishing a combined minus-5. Rosen had an especially bad outing, committing two awful TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs had been enjoying a dream-like turnovers that both led to Devils goals. The first came when he couldn’t start to their new NHL season. On Wednesday, they awoke to harsh settle the puck at the blueline and Miles Wood swooped in and took it in reality. alone on Andersen to give the Devils a 2-1 lead, while the second came in the defensive zone to set up Blake Coleman’s 5-2 marker in the third Putting their 3-0 record to the test against the 2-0 New Jersey Devils at period. But Borgman looked equally lost throughout the night, and was the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs turned in their most disjointed and coughing the puck up too often; Babcock did split up the duo here and lacklustre performance of the young season in a 6-3 loss. And head there, but mostly kept them together until the end. After the game, coach Mike Babcock didn’t mince words about what, exactly, was Babcock would only say “they fit in good – we weren’t very good tonight” lacking. when asked to assess the Swedish blueliners. “I was disappointed. I can’t remember the last time we played with that Hot and Cold Creases kind of effort,” Babcock said. “I didn’t think we worked. Their goalie [Cory Schneider] was great and all those things, I’m not taking anything away While Schneider turned in a masterful performance for the Devils, turning from their team, but we didn’t have any snap, we didn’t have any juice, aside 47 of 50 shots and taking care of the errors his young teammates we didn’t win any battles.” committed with some spectacular saves, Andersen had a difficult night at the other end. He entered the game with a perfect 3-0 record all-time It had been 11 years, dating back to Oct. 12, 2006, since the Devils last against the Devils, and with the second-highest save-percentage of his beat the Leafs by six goals, and just the second time Toronto had lost in career against an opponent (.949). New Jersey did a good job getting regulation to New Jersey in their last 16 meetings. bodies in front of the net and screening Andersen on a pair of goals, but some of the others came from his own rebounds or on one-timed pucks Despite jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, and outshooting the Devils 50- he didn’t track well. Andersen finished the night with 24 saves on 31 31, nothing about the Leafs ever seemed to gel for very long. The 13 shots for an .806 save-percentage. It was the third time in four games the penalties assessed between the sides certainly didn’t help anyone get Leafs have given up 30 or more shots on goal. into a rhythm, but while the Devils played hungry, the Leafs failed to match their urgency. More of the Same “[It was a] tough one. I don’t think we played our best,” said Morgan Nothing felt as repetitive this season as the number of penalties handed Rielly. “That’s a good team with a lot of speed and a lot of skill. I think we out, but special teams were once again a big factor in Wednesday’s made a lot of mental mistakes and got away from our game plan a little outcome. Toronto and New Jersey entered the game tied for the most bit, and it cost us.” effective power plays in the league (operating at 37.5 per cent) but neither side was particularly good with the extra man. The Leafs Perhaps no play better encapsulated Toronto’s struggles than what capitalized on only two of their eight power plays – with one goal scored transpired 14 minutes into the second period. The Leafs had a two- with a two-man advantage – while the Devils scored once on five minute, two-man advantage and instead of using it to their benefit, chances. The number of infractions (13) disrupted the flow of the game at seconds into the power play, Jake Gardiner, who was guilty of several times, but the bigger issue for Toronto was that they didn’t do enough egregious errors throughout the game, fumbled the puck at the blueline. with the opportunities they had and didn’t do as good a job killing He went chasing after Adam Henrique and Brian Gibbons the other way penalties as they wanted to. “You don’t see the opposing teams' power but couldn’t prevent Henrique’s initial shot on Frederik Andersen, who play or penalty kill too much [early], there’s only a few games to look at,” returned the puck back into the slot, with Gibbons potting the rebound. said Gardiner, who played 5:42 shorthanded. “I didn’t expect them to It was the first 5-on-3 shorthanded goal Toronto had given up since come that hard but even if they do we still have to be better and be ready 2011-12 and put the Leafs in a deflating 4-2 hole. for it.” “It seemed like everything I touched tonight was bouncing,” said TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 Gardiner. “It was one of those plays where I thought I had it in my glove and it went down and, obviously, you know the rest.” A gaffe like that aside, what seemed to frustrate Babcock most was his feeling that the Leafs were prepared for the Devils attack but then failed to play like it. Toronto has scored 22 goals over its first four games, so generating offence hasn’t been of major concern. But protecting the puck and playing well without it, especially against a team built on speed like the Devils, was a point of emphasis lost in translation with the Leafs’ skaters. “We talked quite a bit about this game coming up and how it was going to be, and that’s exactly what I expected but I expected us to compete,” Babcock said. “They skated us into the ground. It was 2-2 at the end of one, but that flattered us. Obviously the message sent wasn’t received these last two days. By doing the pre-scout we knew what we were in for, we didn’t do our part. Disappointing.” The Leafs were held scoreless in the second period – the first frame this season that they have failed to notch a goal. Overall, the Devils did a great job not only moving the puck with authority but challenging the Leafs, especially in the offensive zone. Their active sticks broke up a lot of plays and didn’t allow the Leafs to get comfortable in their cycle game. Toronto didn’t show the same poise and adaptability they did over their first three victories, strengths they’ll look to recapture before their first meeting against a division rival – the Montreal Canadiens – on Saturday. “We have to show a little more urgency. The effort is there, guys are trying, but certain things in games just don’t go your way,” said Nazem Kadri. 1077784 Websites handle. He must be forgetting quite a few goals he scored against me, so that's awfully nice of him to say."

For the record, van Riemsdyk has scored three goals in nine NHL games TSN.CA / Leafs’ van Riemsdyk trying to ignore contract chatter against Schneider, with two more coming in the shootout. - Mike Babcock is pleased with van Riemsdyk's evolution since he took By Mark Masters over in Toronto. Leafs Ice Chips: Who has the edge between JvR and Schneider? TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes The Leafs have produced 19 goals in three wins, but at least one Toronto from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs and the offensive star believes it may be tough for him to score against the Devils New Jersey Devils skated at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday on Wednesday night. James van Riemsdyk says Cory Schneider always morning. has his number. The goalie, however, disagrees. When it comes to his next contract, James van Riemsdyk made it clear “Well, he’s way bigger and stronger," the Leafs coach said. "I mean, he’s on Wednesday that being on a contending team is a priority. spent way more time on his body so now instead of a rush player he can be a cycle player. Their line (with Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner), in the “At the end of the day, that’s what you remember at the end of your last two games, they got the game winner and the game tier to allow us career," the Leafs left winger said, "the good teams you were on and the to win in overtime. They’re good players and they normally play pretty teams you were able to have success on. Being in a situation like that is well for us. The puck has gone in against them a bit this year, but other important, I’m sure, to every guy.” than that they’ve been pretty good so we got to keep them going and, obviously, James is a guy who can flat-out score.” And van Riemsdyk, who is poised to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, sees a bright future for the Leafs. First win of the season? Let's celebrate with pickle juice. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/7ltQYsOkUK “Just being through some ups and downs over the course of my time here and now to see the direction that we’re taking is encouraging," he — NHL (@NHL) October 7, 2017 said. “Ever since I’ve played here, I’ve enjoyed it here, enjoyed the city, enjoyed the fans and have been treated really well. Nothing but good - In New Jersey’s season opener, Blake Coleman was serving a penalty things to say about my time here." and asked teammate Brian Gibbons to bring him some pickle juice in the box. Turns out, the Devils forward uses the sodium-rich drink to fend off ICYMI, INSIDER TRADING : #TSNHockey Insiders with latest on cramps during games. Foppa-Duchene, Athanasiou, Leafs-JVR, player protests https://t.co/GYeY9eFAa7 pic.twitter.com/EUVN4SQgHo Does Bozak recall any weird types of foods or drinks used by teammates over the years? — TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 11, 2017 “JvR does some crazy stuff with all his pills and everything," he said with Van Riemsdyk, who is in his sixth season with the Leafs, faced a barrage a smile. "He’s pretty on top of his health and taking care of his body so of questions about his contract situation on Wednesday morning: he probably does the most stuff that I’ve ever seen, but it works for him." How much did he pay attention to the off-season signings by wingers of a In the Leafs’ room, van Riemsdyk has a well-earned reputation when it comparable stature? comes to being fastidious about his health. So, what does he think of pickle juice? “Obviously, you know you’re going into this sort of year so you definitely know what’s going on on the outside, but every situation is a little bit “I’ve heard of guys using pickle juice for hydration, but never drinking it different so you try to not get too wrapped up in it. But, from afar, you see during the game," he said. "Why wouldn’t you, I guess, if it’s supposed to what’s going on and have a gauge for where things are at. But I’m trying help hydrate you or whatever ... Most guys are pretty dialled in now, but to focus on things I can control." that would probably be one of the more different ones I’ve heard. But it’s a good idea, I think. I might have to try that one.” Studying the Leafs cap situation? Pickle juice during games? At least one Leaf willing to try “There are lots of different things. You could probably drive yourself crazy if you start looking into and reading into too much.” In New Jersey’s season opener, Blake Coleman was serving a penalty and asked his teammate to bring him a drink. Gatorade? Nope. Water? Outside of media inquiries, how much is the New Jersey native thinking Nope. It was pickle juice, which has a high sodium content and helps him about his situation? avoid cramping. Would any Leafs be willing to try it? “Um, it’s hard to say,” the 28-year-old admitted with a smile. “At this - Kyle Palmieri will return to the Devils lineup after missing Monday's point, not so much. I mean, we’re just getting into the routine of the game due to a lower-body issue. The right winger sustained the injury season and stuff like that. But, you always realize that these things work courtesy a knee-on-knee hit by Colorado’s Erik Johnson in New Jersey's out the way they’re supposed to work out. You just try to play the game season opener on Saturday. and go from there." Head coach Jon Hynes said Palmieri will be reunited on the top line with How important is winning to pending UFA JvR? Taylor Hall and Pavel Zacha. For the first time in his career, James van Riemsdyk is playing in a Lines at Leafs morning skate: contract year. The big left winger wants to commit long-term to Toronto, but realizes that the team has a lot of young players who will require new, Forwards lucrative contracts soon. So, how is JvR handling the situation? Mark Masters has more. Hyman-Matthews-Nylander - Van Riemsdyk repeatedly emphasized his desire to keep his focus on Marleau-Kadri-Komarov the present and specifically the game against the Devils. And, in that van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner regard, he believes he may be in tough to put a puck past Devils starter Cory Schneider. Martin-Moore-Brown “Definitely someone who I’ve had a hard time scoring on even going back Leivo, Fehr to when I played for the U.S. program," he explained. "We played against him when he was at Boston College.” Defence Schneider laughed when informed of van Riemsdyk's assessment. Rielly-Hainsey "I just remember the shootout, he seems to score on me quite a bit," the Gardiner-Zaitsev goalie said. "I feel like every time I play these guys here we have a Borgman-Rosen shootout. I'll try to learn from that. I got to know him a little bit at the World Cup last year. In front of the net and on the power play and in and Polak, Carrick around the net he's still one of the best players in the league when it comes to deflecting pucks and making those in-tight plays. He's tough to Goalies Andersen McElhinney TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077785 Websites There was doubt in Vegas during training camp that Neal would be ready for the opener in Dallas. He scored both of the Golden Knights’ goals, including the first in franchise history, in their 2-1 win. TSN.CA / Neal's scoring keys Knights' golden start All eyes will now be fixed on what McPhee does with Neal, the team’s only true recognizable star skater, as the season progresses. Will he become trade bait for the Golden Knights on their quest to meet Foley’s By Frank Seravalli promise of playoffs within three years? Will he re-sign for the long-term to stay in Sin City? Neal is already shaping up to be the premier rental player on the trade market ahead of TradeCentre on Feb. 26. Before Tuesday night’s emotional home opener, Vegas owner Bill Foley Neal is one of only four players to score in each of an expansion team’s spoke to his new team and asked them to embody the Golden Knight first three games, including Billy Harris with the New York Islanders in creed of “never give up, never give in” and the promise to “protect the 1972, Kent Douglas with the California Golden Seals in 1967 and Larry unprotected.” Keenan with the St. Louis Blues in 1967 - with Wednesday marking the 50th anniversary of that first-ever Blues game. The Golden Knights did just that, standing behind the real heroes from last week’s tragedy – the many different first responders – during “Honestly, I’m just trying to get to the good areas,” Neal told reporters pregame introductions. Tuesday night. “I have been put in a good spot. We have some great players. I pride myself on scoring goals. I want to put the puck in the net.” After a perfect tribute that left tears rolling down the faces of at least one of the Golden Knights players, it was time to somehow shift to hockey. Good morning, beautiful. James Neal is on pace for 137 goals. Have a great day! Vegas answered with a stirring four goals before the game was 11 minutes old. VGK At the centre of it all was James Neal, who has been, well, their Knight in — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 11, 2017 shining armour. After Wednesday night, the Golden Knights will be one of at least three Neal has all three of the Golden Knights’ game-winning goals as Vegas teams still perfect in the standings. became the first NHL expansion franchise to open with three consecutive wins. “The Real Deal” Neal’s 45 per cent shooting percentage (five goals on 11 shots) isn’t sustainable, neither is his torrid pace. Hometown leader Not bad for a player who missed almost the entirety of training camp as Deryk Engelland will not score with regularity. Fleury will not be able to he continued to recover from a grisly off-season hand surgery that maintain his ridiculous .963 save percentage or 1.32 goals-against required rods and pins. average. “He’ll probably make that a habit of missing training camp, skating for a The Knights will not stay gold forever, but their golden start is easily the couple days and coming out and dominating,” Vegas coach Gerard NHL’s best storyline to kick off 2017-18. Gallant told reporters, laughing. “Just enjoying it, really,” Neal told reporters. “What happened was so Button: James Neal will get a lot of interest at the deadline close and affected so many people and it’s terrible. Like we have said before, we will do everything possible to start the healing process and TSN's joined Sports Night to look around the NHL. bring positive light, have an emotional team on the ice and we have been Neal, 30, has five of Vegas’ eight goals this season. It took him 14 games doing that since day one.” last season with Nashville to net that many – a total he eclipsed in two TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 games and one period with Vegas. The last player with five or more goals in an expansion team’s first three games was Quebec’s Real Cloutier in 1979-80 – though even that is a little bit of a different story since the Nordiques played the previous season together in the WHA. Neal said he has never had a better start to a season, not even when he scored 40 alongside Sidney Crosby in 2011-12. The bigger question is: How did Neal even end up in Vegas? Predators GM David Poile certainly didn’t want to lose Neal for nothing in June’s expansion draft, especially not after Neal was such a big part of the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. He averaged 26 goals per season over his three years in Nashville. Poile attempted to broker an expansion draft consideration trade with Neal up until a few hours prior to selection time, but was unable to find the right price to direct Vegas GM George McPhee away from Neal or toward another player. Lawless: Golden Knights scrap year-long plans to honour victims on opening night Golden Knights Insider Gary Lawless joins the Afternoon Ride ahead of opening night in Las Vegas. Lawless shares how the expansion franchise and city responded to the early October shooting on the Vegas strip. Lawless also discusses the role Marc-Andre Fleury has had in the team’s early success. Plus, Neal would soon be on the wrong side of 30, was entering the final year of his $30 million contract with no guarantee he would remain in Nashville, and no one knew the full extent of Neal’s fractured hand or how long it would keep him out of action. This was a player who kept his glove on his right hand going through the post-series congratulatory line during the Stanley Cup Final because he couldn’t shake hands. Neal broke his hand in Game 1 of the Western Conference final against Anaheim and scored the overtime winner that night. “He had to get it shot up every game just to be able to play," Poile said on June 14. 1077786 Websites good players in the summer, so they’re hungry just like we were last year. They’re going to come hard.”

- Wednesday will be Toronto’s first look at Hischier, who was Auston TSN.CA / Leafs not taking upstart Devils lightly Matthews’ successor as the draft’s first overall pick. The Leafs players and coaches don’t know much about him, but Babcock identified how he’s helped elevate the Devils already. “I know he’s got good speed, By Kristen Shilton good skill. Looks like he has ability,” Babcock said. “What they have on their three lines here is you’ve got two significant players on each line and a worker and then their fourth line really plays fast, so they’ve got skill on their top-three group that can make it hard on you.” TORONTO – Days after passing the first big test of their season, there’s a potential trap looming for the Maple Leafs. - Special teams are poised to play a major role in Wednesday’s game, with the two best power plays in the league colliding. Both the Leafs and Monday’s come-from-behind overtime victory against the Chicago Devils are operating at 37.5 per cent success overall with the man Blackhawks proved to the Leafs they can compete with any team, advantage, but New Jersey has yet to have a power play on the road this regardless of pedigree. On Wednesday, they’ll face a different challenge season while the Leafs home power play is tied for sixth best in the NHL. in the New Jersey Devils, a club that finished fourth-last in the league last New Jersey’s penalty kill has been more effective than Toronto’s, sitting season and lacks any of the Blackhawks’ recent success. tied for eighth in the league at 90 per cent success, while Toronto is 19th Yet the Devils’ 2-0 record is just as impressive as the Leafs’ 3-0 start, a at 82.3 per cent. The Leafs are tied for fourth-most penalties in the NHL fact that carries more weight now than their five-year playoff drought. so far (18), while the Devils have been called for just 10. “Obviously you never want to say it, but I think people do [underestimate TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 opponents],” said Leafs forward Mitch Marner. “I don’t know if you ever really [try to], but you can think it’s going to be an easier game than others. But [New Jersey] is off to a very hot start as well and we have to make sure we’re ready to play.” Leafs 3-in-3: What's most impressive about 3-0 start? What has been the most impressive part about the Maple Leafs' undefeated start? What does Toronto need to work on? Who is the more underrated Leaf - Zach Hyman or Connor Brown? Mark Masters and Kristen Shilton share their thoughts. The parallels between Toronto and New Jersey are easy to draw. The Leafs rebuilt their club through the draft and smart free-agent signings, and last year a mix of burgeoning young talent and experienced veterans powered Toronto to an unexpected playoff berth. Now the Devils are trying to replicate that formula. Rookies Nico Hischier, the first-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher are leading the charge for the Devils, combining for nine points in two games, while veterans Taylor Hall and Marcus Johansson are right there with three points each. “It’s a short measure, but it’s a different team,” said Mike Babcock. “They play with much more speed; they’re on top of you. I think they’re really working. It’s no different than playing the Leafs last year – when you finish where you finish, you just think [it’ll be easier]. But I’ve been watching them. They’re not the same team.” This group of Leafs appears to be even more dangerous offensively than they were last season. They’re the first Toronto team to be undefeated through the opening three games of the season since 2010-11, when the Leafs went 4-0-1 to start. The 19 goals they’ve amassed are the most in three games since 1917-18, and they’ve second in the league in even- strength scores (12). With so much scoring, the Leafs have had a tendency already to get sloppy in the defensive zone, which quickly hurts them on the scoreboard. Limiting the Blackhawks to just 21 shots on goal after ceding 37 and 35 shots respectively over their first two games was a step in the right direction. The Devils have put up 39 and 31 shots against their first two opponents, the Avalanche and Sabres, while giving up just three goals to the Leafs’ 10. “We approach this like every game – your opponent changes but your game plan is pretty close to being the same,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “We want the puck in their end creating opportunities and limiting their chances. When you look at their lineup they have a lot more speed and a lot more skill than they have in years past. They’ve had an outstanding start to the season so we’re expecting a hard-fought game.” Ice Chips - Defenceman Connor Carrick will miss his second straight game for the Leafs with an upper-body injury. Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen will make their second start as the team’s third-pairing. - Frederik Andersen will make his fourth consecutive start of the season on Wednesday. He’s a perfect 3-0 against the Devils, posting the second-highest save-percentage of his career (.949) over those starts. His stats so far (3.28 goals-against, .892 save percentage) aren’t where he’d like to them to be, but the result has been victories. Andersen doesn’t expect that keeping the Leafs’ win streak alive will be any easier based on his past success against New Jersey. “I don’t even know what my record is against New Jersey,” he said. “It’s a new game. They have a young team too. They’re building through the draft and added some 1077787 Websites There was also no public presentation of a jersey with the president’s last name written across the back, the way the Patriots had done when they visited in June or the Penguins had done a year earlier with Obama. TSN.CA / How the Penguins avoided politics in Washington And it was noted that Crosby was positioned in the back row to the far left of Trump, which would have put him out of most camera shots. By Dave Naylor All subtle manoeuvres that one could reasonably conclude were by design.

Bryant: The way Trump is acting, it's impossible not to take a side Long before he became President of the United States, Donald Trump made his name as a dealmaker. ESPN columnist Howard Bryant joins joins Landsberg in the Morning with guest host Todd Shapiro to discuss the Penguins visit to the White And judging by what went on at Tuesday’s White House visit by the House, the NFL anthem protests and more. Pittsburgh Penguins, it appears there may have been some backroom deal-making that went on in advance. Crosby may in fact be apolitical, which doesn’t make him unique in the world of professional hockey. Since he entered the presidential race, Trump has rarely, if ever, has missed an opportunity to advance his political message to both his So it was smart of the Penguins to remove him from centre stage, and a supporters and detractors, making every public moment about himself scene that could very well have translated into an endorsement of this and his positions, and openly attacking his opponents. president and his policies. That’s what made the Penguins’ decision to accept his invitation to the The Penguins will still be criticized for going to the White House by those White House so risky. With the president having recently turned pro who argue merely accepting the invitation of this President was a de sports into a battleground on race, freedom of speech and patriotism, it facto endorsement. seemed that the Stanley Cup champions were sure to be turned into But to suggest that they went into Tuesday’s visit blindly and willing to be political pawns. used in whatever way President Trump deemed necessary is incorrect. Except that didn’t happen. TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 No mention of the NFL, the anthem protests, or the Golden State Warriors not coming to the White House. No subtle suggestion that hockey players were in some way morally superior to other athletes, the kind of thing that might have obvious and uncomfortable overtones. Trump made a NAFTA joke, but a year ago then-president Barack Obama had used the Penguins visit to praise the NHL’s environmental initiatives to highlight climate change. Beyond that, calling a group of players from six different nations “great patriots” was as political as it got. Dreger: Trump did not deviate from prompter during Penguins visit TSN Hockey Insider joins Landsberg in the Morning with guest host Todd Shapiro to discuss the Penguins visit to the White House, why Sidney Crosby was sitting in the back row and more. So what happened? Why did a president who never does things the traditional way and uses every public forum to advance his own causes, shelve the politics and follow what was essentially the same script as every other president who has hosted a Stanley Cup championship team? Why was the Penguins’ visit to the White House far less political than when the visited in June, despite the fact that Trump himself had gone out of his way to politicize sports in the weeks leading up to Tuesday? The Penguins had defended their decision to visit the White House by saying it was non-political, the same way their previous visits to presidents Obama or Bush had been. But of course they didn’t control what was going to happen when they walked into the White House, standing behind the president and in front of all those cameras. Or did they? It is well known that Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle is a Democrat, as is team president David Morehouse, who worked on the campaigns of Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Al Gore. So if ever there was a team that would object to being used as political pawns, this was it. NHL sources on Tuesday confirmed that message was almost assuredly communicated to the White House well in advance of the visit. So did the NHL and the Penguins say to the White House something akin to “We won’t embarrass you by refusing to accept your invitation, but we don’t want to be embarrassed by being used for political purposes”? It sure seems so. And so while the Penguins insisted they were treating this like any other White House visit, perhaps in some subtle ways they weren’t. 1077788 Websites

TSN.CA / 'It's called winning, right Sidney?'

The Canadian Press

WASHINGTON — The Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins were in Washington on Tuesday to be honoured by President Donald Trump at the White House, a visit team captain Sidney Crosby and other players say is not about politics. “You do a lot of damage to our Rangers," Trump told the Penguins in the visit. "But it’s called winning, right Sidney?” The NHL's Penguins are the third championship team to visit Trump after the NFL's New England Patriots and Major League 's Chicago Cubs. Trump disinvited the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who also said they didn't want to go. In a statement last month, the Penguins said they "respect the institution of the Office of the President and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House." On Monday in Pittsburgh, Crosby, a Canadian, said "there's absolutely no politics involved" in the decision to go, a stance echoed by coach Mike Sullivan. The visit was organized amid Trump's attacks on NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem and criticism of Warriors star Stephen Curry. Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown, one of 18 black players in the NHL, became the first hockey player to engage in an anthem protest when he raised his fist while standing on the bench before a game Saturday night. Trump has called on NFL owners to fire players who don't stand for the anthem and urged fans to boycott games in a series of tweets. He tweeted that he instructed Vice-President Mike Pence to leave a game between the San Francisco 49ers and on Sunday if there were any anthem protests, which Pence did . Hours before the Penguins visit, Trump tweeted that tax law could be changed to punish the NFL over the anthem protests. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press recently that said he respects players' views on political and social issues and "people are going to have to decide what makes them comfortable." Bettman said social issues "are a matter of individual belief and individual choice." TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077789 Websites

TSN.CA / Penguins: White House visit not about politics

The Canadian Press

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins view their trip to the White House on Tuesday as the final moment of celebration for a championship season, not some sort of statement about where they stand on President Donald Trump. "From my side of things, there's absolutely no politics involved," Crosby said Monday. "Hopefully it stays that way. It's a visit we've done in the past. It's been a good experience. It's not about politics, that's for sure." At least, it hasn't been. Yet the Penguins have found themselves unwittingly thrust into the increasingly uncomfortable intersection of politics and sports. Trump has taken aim at NFL players who protest during the national anthem, saying they should be fired. Trump also rescinded a White House invitation to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry after the two-time MVP expressed reservations about going. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan he expects full attendance by his team for the brief ceremony, one the Penguins will make for a second straight year after becoming the first team in nearly two decades to win consecutive Stanley Cups. The Penguins are trying to focus on the reason they've been asked to stop by and nothing more. "I think to have the opportunity to go to the White House obviously means that you've won a championship and that means a lot," Sullivan said. "What our team has been able to accomplish in the last two seasons our team is extremely proud of." Still, it has put the Penguins into an uncomfortable position while representing a league that rarely, if ever, ventures into the political realm. "I can't speak for everyone else, I just grew up under the assumption that that wasn't something really bred into sports (and) different things," said Crosby, a native of Nova Scotia, Canada. "Everyone's got their own view. That's how I kind of grew up playing hockey. I wasn't surrounded by that or didn't have any examples, so I kind of understood it and stayed out of it." The 49-year-old Sullivan pointed out he's been asked more about politics in the last three weeks than he has over the course of his entire hockey life — including a 12-year career as an NHL player and another decade- plus as a coach — combined. "It's not something that gets discussed at the rink," Sullivan said. Forward Phil Kessel, an American, acknowledged the outside forces at play but like his teammates is steering clear of venturing into an area that often doesn't collide with hockey. "Obviously there's been issues but I'm not that political," he said. "Most teams go and it is what it is." TSN.CA LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077790 Websites

USA TODAY / Vegas Golden Knights make history with big win in emotional home opener

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — The expansion Vegas Golden Knights have said they want to help their city heal from last week’s mass shooting that killed 58 people. They began to deliver on that promise in their first regular-season home game. Motivated by a moving pregame ceremony honoring victims and first responders, the Golden Knights struck for four goals in the first 10:42 on their way to a 5-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes. The Golden Knights’ 3-0-0 start has provided a much-needed distraction to a city overwhelmed by the sadness of last week’s tragedy. They are first NHL expansion team to start a season 3-0. Here is how they got here: The star: Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, already the team’s most popular player, has given up four goals in his first three games in a Vegas jersey. He’s been the team’s most important player. Neal keeps scoring: Winger James Neal had two goals against the Coyotes to give him five goals on the season. Neal will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and he seemed like a candidate to be dealt before the trade deadline. It is way early to draw any lasting conclusion, but Neal, 30, is showing why the Golden Knights might try to extend his contract. By the way, @jneal_18 has five goals (so far) in the @GoldenKnights' first three games. pic.twitter.com/kVUw9zRsJz — NHL (@NHL) October 11, 2017 The chemistry: As a general rule, expansion teams historically have patchwork rosters. Too many fourth liners and No. 6 defensemen trying to play unfamiliar roles. Because the NHL made expansion draft rules more favorable for expansion teams, the Golden Knights have more talented players and have come together quickly as a team. They have outscored opponents 9-4 in the three wins. NO ADS: Golden Knights honor Las Vegas shooting victims in unique way McPhee factor: Veteran general manager George McPhee did good work to pick the right players in the expansion draft. He has the right blend of scorers and role players up front and a diverse group on defense. Everyone understands their role. The Golden Knights spent plenty of time studying the character of the players and that seems to be paying off. New mission: The Golden Knights seem to be unifying behind their pledge to do their part in helping the city find joy after last week’s tragedy. They seem to have added motivation to be better-than- expected. #VegasStrong. USA TODAY LOADED: 10.12.2017 1077791 Websites “(The players) did an unbelievable job,” Gallant said. “When we picked the team in the expansion draft we talked about getting good people and I think we did that.” USA TODAY / Longtime Las Vegas resident Deryk Engelland delivers in USA TODAY LOADED: 10.12.2017 Golden Knights' home opener

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland says before Tuesday night the largest group he ever spoke in front of “was the 20 guys in the dressing room.” He was understandably nervous to have a microphone in his hands in front of 18,191 fans before what Vegas coach Gerard Gallant called “the most important game we will ever play.” Engelland responded by making a memorable speech and then followed it up by scoring an early first-period goal to help lead Vegas to a 5-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes in the first regular-season home game for the Golden Knights. “I thought his speech was unbelievable — he made a great speech out there on the ice and then for us to come out and play the way we did for the first seven or eight minutes was incredible,” Gallant said. “It was the perfect script for us.” Engelland’s speech came at the end of an emotional pregame ceremony that honored the memories of the 58 people killed in last week’s mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The Golden Knights also saluted the first responders who helped save many that night. A 14-year resident of Las Vegas, Engelland said he met his wife in the city and his children were born there. He said he could relate to the fans because he was proud to be from Las Vegas. He then thanked all of the first responders for the work they do. “Vegas Strong,” he said in closing. Deryk Engelland had a special message for his neighbors – the people of Las Vegas – before the @GoldenKnights opener. #VegasStrongpic.twitter.com/pGGeg5gCyc — NHL (@NHL) October 11, 2017 Engelland’s speech and the 58-second moment of silence for all of the victims supplied some of the most poignant moments of the ceremony. “From Deryk, it came right from the heart,” teammate James Neal said. “He has been here a long time, and it really hits home for him. He’s a great teammate. There’s no better guy to talk in front of a crowd. I think everyone appreciated it.” It seemed more than fitting, like a Hollywood twist, when Engelland was one of two players to score to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead 4:18 into the game. Engelland has only scored 23 goals in 472 NHL games. Las Vegas resident Deryk Engelland won't ever forget this one. pic.twitter.com/JFOoBt2VMD — NHL (@NHL) October 11, 2017 “I was just trying to block everything out and try to get through it,” Engelland said about the speech. “But it was great to see the response from the fans.” He said he worked on his speech for a couple of days. “And it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” he said. Gallant had been worried about how his team would start after such a moving pregame ceremony. He thought it was possible that they would be mentally drained. But the Golden Knights, the first expansion team ever to start 3-0, seem to be feeding off their desire to help their community work through the grieving process. “There were a lot of emotions out there,” Engelland said. This was a trying situation for the Golden Knights, who drastically modified their first game plans to pay their respects to a community that was suffering. Anyone who was there would say they handled it perfectly — particularly Engelland, who did the heavy lifting.