SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/03/17 1081223 What we learned from the Ducks' 3-1 loss to the Maple 1081262 Semyon Varlamov sets an Avalanche record and Leafs Colorado reaches a mark it hasn’t seen in more than a 1081224 Brandon Montour has stepped up his game as the Ducks year battle injury bug 1081263 Avs coach Jared Bednar sees a “different team” behind 1081225 For Ducks, playoff loss to Predators hasn’t faded from closed doors; Nikita Zadorov remains scratched view 1081264 DU hockey: Young defenseman Ian Mitchell replacing Will Butcher at the Coyotes 1081265 The Avalanche youth movement found a home. And 1081226 Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet laments 'comedy of errors' in dinner is decided over a Ping-Pong game. 5-4 loss to Sabres 1081266 Varlamov stops career-high 57 shots, Avs beat Hurricanes 1081227 Coyotes’ Raanta says he reported to training camp in shape, healthy 1081228 Coyotes’ three goals in eight minutes not enough to 1081267 NHL | Blue Jackets 7, Panthers 3 as Columbus finds some complete comeback fun in the sun 1081229 Coyotes ‘working with’ Anthony Duclair, who returns to 1081268 Another Panthers coach can claim Jackets ties lineup 1081230 place on injured reserve 1081270 Central Division, Patrik Laine, end of road trip -- lots to 1081231 Coyotes activate Antti Raanta off IR to start Thursday vs. discuss for Stars vs. Jets Sabres 1081271 Observations: Life (with a little help from the Winnipeg 1081232 Coyotes place on waivers, Dakota Jets) has a way of keeping you humble Mermis to make debut 1081272 Cold facts: Hitchcock juggles lines as Stars fall to Jets 1081273 'Not what we wanted:' Stars' kill struggles return in 5-2 loss to Winnipeg 1081233 Danton Heinen could be ready to stick with Bruins 1081274 Jason Dickinson, who 'deserved' to make Stars' opening 1081234 Jordan Szwarz makes Bruins debut day roster, could be in Dallas for awhile 1081235 Bruce Cassidy shuffles deck as Bruins ready for Knights 1081236 Bruins notebook: Beleskey bounces back into lineup 1081237 Ugly truth in Bruins victory 1081275 Darren Helm a positive contributor for Red Wings thanks 1081238 Harris: Sean Kuraly’s tough reward for dirty work to grit, speed 1081239 Injury-riddled Bruins score win over Vegas 1081276 Detroit Red Wings' two-game win streak dissolves vs. 1081240 Short-handed Bruins reunite Pastrnak with Bergeron and Senators Marchand 1081277 Detroit Red Wings can't convert early chances, lose to 1081241 Morning Skate: Lose those jerseys, Team USA 1081242 Bruins' mission now is to survive November 1081278 Helm's 'competitiveness' rubs off on Wings 1081243 Beleskey draws back into lineup for injury-plagued Bruins 1081279 Wings goalie Mrazek bides time behind Howard 1081244 Riley Nash, Sean Kuraly power Bruins past Knights, 2-1 1081280 Red Wings slowed by Senators, start swing with stumble 1081281 Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators live chat 1081282 Catching up with Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski 1081245 Another lesson for Sabres, though this one comes in and other Red Wings prospects needed victory 1081283 Red Wings bottled up by Senators in loss 1081246 The Wraparound: Sabres 5, Coyotes 4 1081247 Sabres Notebook: Baptiste expects more from himself; Oilers travel changes under Housley 1081284 Clock ticking on Edmonton Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto 1081248 Sabres' Baptiste acknowledges he has more to give 1081285 Lack of secondary scoring hurting Edmonton Oilers 1081249 Five Things to Know as Sabres visit Coyotes 1081286 LeBrun Notebook: Finalizing Shipachyov's exit plan, Wild need a better Dumba, and more Flames 1081287 Dellow: NHL coaches aren't stupid — that seventh 1081250 Giordano, Smith star in OT take-down of Crosby, defenceman likely isn't a star Penguins 1081288 By the numbers: 2017-18 NHL season projections and 1081251 Flames always get positives out of playing against Sidney probabilities (updated daily) Crosby 1081252 Rich Sutter knows what Flames' Hamilton brothers are going through 1081289 Anderson, Bjorkstrand lead Blue Jackets past Panthers 7- 1081253 With on waivers, Flames could split 3 siblings 1081290 As top line impresses, Panthers look for more scoring from 1081254 Duhatschek: How Johnny Gaudreau got his groove back other three lines 1081291 Panthers enlist Chris Pronger to help young defensemen with 'little things' 1081255 Cody Franson adds some muscle to Blackhawks power 1081292 James Reimer pulled for second straight game as play Panthers lose to Blue Jackets, 7-3 1081256 Blackhawks defensemen need to go on the offensive 1081257 Getting to know new Blackhawks forwards DeBrincat, Bouma 1081258 Meet the new Chicago Blackhawks: Tommy Wingels 1081259 Crawford again showing his worth to Chicago Blackhawks 1081260 Blackhawks adjust quickly to switching sides: 'It’s just a little weird' 1081261 Ranking all 15 Western Conference coaching staffs in tiers 1081293 Win is imperfect 10 for Kings 1081329 J.T. Miller scores in to give Rangers 2-1 win over 1081294 Michael Amadio gets 1st goal as surging Kings beat Maple Lightning Leafs 1081330 Ex-Ranger Dan Girardi ‘reenergized’ with league-leading 1081295 NOVEMBER 2 MORNING SKATE QUOTES: JOHN Lightning STEVENS 1081331 Dan Girardi is starting to enjoy life after the Rangers 1081296 NOVEMBER 2 NOTES: LINEUPS, CUP ODDS, 1081332 Rangers’ benched defenseman: ‘I’ve been playing pretty PEARSON SUCCESS DERIVED FROM FORECHECK well’ 1081297 NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME NOTES 1081333 Rangers show life in hard-earned win over another top 1081298 NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME QUOTES: team 1081299 NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME QUOTES: KEMPE, AMADIO 1081334 Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith a healthy scratch vs. 1081300 NOVEMBER 2 POST GAME QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS Lightning 1081301 GAME 13: LOS ANGELES VS TORONTO 1081335 Brendan Smith appears to be a healthy scratch for the Rangers 1081336 Dan Girardi says he was 'disappointed' the Rangers let 1081302 Capitals' Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin him go 1081303 Matt Dumba stays in the lineup, and Matt Cullen 1081337 J.T. Miller’s overtime goal lifts Rangers over Lightning celebrates another year 1081304 Dumba goes from goat to "great'' Ottawa Senators 1081305 Matt Cullen enjoys milestone-filled night with Wild 1081338 Senators revert to successful style in beating Red Wings 1081306 Cullen sparks Wild in 6-3 win over Price, Canadiens 1081339 Brennan: Smith still looking to end a long goal-scoring 1081307 Sharper Wild cuts through hapless Canadiens 6-3 slump 1081308 Wild’s Matt Dumba looking to redeem himself after costly 1081340 GARRIOCH: Senators breathe sigh of relief as Turris mistake returns to lineup 1081309 On his 41st birthday, Matt Cullen helps lead Wild to 6-3 1081341 Recall of DiDomenico already better than any the win Senators made last season 1081342 Senators, including Karlsson, battling through sickness 1081343 On the anniversary, Condon recalls trade that saved his 1081310 Carey Price continues to struggle as Canadiens fall to career — and Sens' season Wild 1081344 Former 67 Campbell made the right decision and stuck 1081311 Liveblog: Canadiens at Minnesota with hockey 1081312 Canadiens Game Day: 'ready to go' 1081345 Senators aim to rebound against Detroit 1081313 In the Habs' Room: 'We didn't manage the puck well,' 1081346 Where, how and why the Ottawa Senators are better or Claude Julien says after loss worse this season 1081314 About last night ... 1081315 Another slow start dooms Canadiens' chances in Minnesota 1081347 Flyers prospect Mike Vecchione off to sizzling start with 1081316 Three things we learned in Minnesota Phantoms 1081348 Flyers-Blues preview: Philly will try to contain surging St. Louis 1081317 Predators build playground at KIPP Nashville College 1081349 Flyers-Blues recap: First Embiid, then Wentz, now we fret Prep keeping Provorov healthy 1081318 Predators still waiting to see what they have in Nick 1081350 Brandon Manning, Michal Neuvirth lift shorthanded Flyers Bonino over St. Louis Blues 1081319 Visitations for Predators fan 'Big Ben' Butzbach to be held 1081351 Flyers' defense decimated, but GM not in trade mode Friday, Saturday 1081352 VIDEO: Crawford, Blackhawks blank Flyers 3-0 1081353 Brayden Schenn opens up about being traded to Blues 1081354 Best of NHL: Semyon Varlamov stops career-high 57 1081320 Devils beat Canucks: 7 observations | Cory Schneider shots in Avalanche win shines; Best start in team history 1081355 Despite injuries, Flyers put together 'unbelievable' effort in 1081321 Devils prospects update | Nick Lappin hot; Nikita shutout Popugaev on the move 1081356 Flyers-Blues observations: Finally on the right side of a 1081322 Taylor Hall returns to Edmonton a fully-committed Devil review 1081323 Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Nov. 2 1081324 Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Nov. 3 1081357 Capitals' Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin 1081358 Penguins winger Conor Sheary's name has been 1081325 Anders Lee scores twice, but Islanders fall to Capitals, 4-3 mispronounced this whole time 1081326 Islanders’ sudden power-play strength not enough vs. 1081359 Flames hand Penguins another road loss Capitals 1081360 Jaromir Jagr is currently out of action with a lower-body 1081327 Islanders fall to Capitals on late goal injury. 2 1081328 John Tavares reaches another milestone with Islanders: 1081361 The Penguins haven't always struck gold in the NHL 600 games draft's first round 1081362 Penguins lose game but may have gained a key piece in Jarry Websites 1081363 Sharks defenseman day-to-day after apparent head injury 1081407 The Athletic / LeBrun Notebook: Finalizing Shipachyov's 1081364 Any time without Vlasic would represent a real test for the exit plan, Wild need a better Dumba, and more Sharks 1081408 The Athletic / Performance bonuses not as much of a concern for Blackhawks this season St Louis Blues 1081409 The Athletic / Boudreau's wishes: More from Tyler Ennis 1081365 Husso trying to make the most of his stint as and for Matt Dumba to respond insurance 1081410 The Athletic / Dellow: NHL coaches aren't stupid — that 1081366 Berglund working his way back from shoulder surgery seventh defenceman likely isn't a star 1081367 Gordo: Depeleted Flyers should've been a sure thing 1081411 The Athletic / Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall poised to jab a 1081368 Blues silenced by 'desperate' Flyers fatal knife in the Oilers' weakening playoff hopes 1081412 .ca / Early errors add to travel woes as Maple Leafs crowned by Kings 1081369 Lightning falls to Rangers in OT (w/ video) 1081413 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs’ Andersen shakes off October 1081370 Lightning journal: Waved-off goal costly blues in return to Anaheim 1081371 Joe Smith’s takeaways from Thursday’s 1081414 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens longing for real Carey Price as Lightning-Rangers game margin for error narrows 1081415 Sportsnet.ca / Repayment of Shipachyov’s signing bonus a delicate negotiation 1081372 Alex Ovechkin forms ‘Putin Team’ movement to back 1081416 Sportsnet.ca / Blues’ Brayden Schenn explains hard hit on Russian president ex-teammate Sean Couturier 1081373 Devils blank Canucks as Schneider makes 37 saves 1081417 Sportsnet.ca / Alex Ovechkin reminds us of the against former team inconvenient truths in sport 1081374 Marleau helps Leafs end skid with win over Ducks 1081418 Sportsnet.ca / Naked Eye vs. Nerdy Guy: Who is the real 1081375 Ovechkin announces ‘Putin Team’ movement on Derek Dorsett? Instagram 1081419 Sportsnet.ca / Stamkos compares chemistry with 1081376 Women’s hockey leagues urged to merge for good of the Kucherov to time with St. Louis game 1081420 Sportsnet.ca / Why the ’ hot start 1081377 Marleau has magic touch, but not all game-winners are may not be a complete mirage created equal: Feschuk 1081421 TSN.CA / Kapanen gets big chance against Kings 1081378 Difficult start, turnovers doom Maple Leafs at Kings 1081422 TSN.CA / Channelling Astros, Vegas gives Leafs best 1081379 Snapshots: Signing of reliable Hainsey making Maple odds to be 2019 champs Leafs look smart 1081423 TSN.CA / Blueline driving Blue Jackets’ early success 1081380 Speedy Kapanen thrilled to get back into Maple Leafs 1081424 USA TODAY / How the St. Louis Blues have gotten off to lineup such a stunning start to the NHL season 1081381 Leafs end losing streak with win over Ducks 1081382 Three weeks to fix an NHL franchise: Five turkeys that Winnipeg Jets have until U.S. Thanksgiving to fly right 1081398 Gameday: Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets 1081383 Leafs meet the enemy and it is them in error-filled loss to 1081399 Scheifele scores three in Jets' victory over big D Kings 1081400 Poolman sent down to Moose 1081384 Mirtle: The Maple Leafs would be lost without Auston 1081401 Great goaltending making up for Jets' trouble spots Matthews right now 1081402 Jets shoot down Stars, showing Central they’re for real 1081403 Patrik Laine breaks out of his slump Canucks 1081404 Jets' Laine lacking confidence, says he finds it 'super hard' 1081405 Pouliot picked up priceless pointers playing with Penguins to score 1081406 College, Olympics, NHL – could Adam Gaudette play in all three this season? SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 Vegas Golden Knights 1081385 Golden Knights resemble expansion team in loss at Boston 1081386 Golden Knights’ road woes continue with 2-1 loss to Bruins 1081387 Golden Knights’ George McPhee says status quo on Vadim Shipachyov 1081388 Golden Knights try to stop losing skid in Boston 1081389 Alex Ovechkin announces creation of social movement supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin 1081390 Nathan Walker gets another chance in the lineup, and he hopes to stick 1081391 Capitals come home, grab a lead and hold off the Islanders, 4-3 1081392 Capitals’ offense solves home woes in win over Islanders 1081393 Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin 1081394 Caps make call up, minor lineup changes ahead of Thursday's game vs. Islanders 1081395 Game 13: Capitals vs. Islanders Date, Time, How to Watch, Game Thread 1081396 4 reasons why the Caps beat the Islanders 1081397 Tarik's three stars: Lars Eller saves the day 1081223 Anaheim Ducks

What we learned from the Ducks' 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs

Mike Coppinger

The Ducks played solid hockey Wednesday with their first game at home following a successful four-game road swing, but they didn't come away with any points. The Toronto Maple Leafs, led by former Ducks starting goalie Frederik Andersen, won 3-1. Here's what we learned. Lindholm coming on: Hampus Lindholm returned last week after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, and with five games now under his belt, he's hitting his stride. His 18:03 of ice time was at least four minutes longer than that of any other Ducks player, and there's a good reason why. The 23-year-old Swede was strong on the puck, he created plenty of scoring chances on the power play and Lindholm was clearly the best player on the ice for the Ducks. With Cam Fowler sidelined for at least another two weeks, this is exactly what Randy Carlyle and Co. need right now, but it's not enough. Duo of young players impress: With so many key injuries, there's ample opportunity for young players to grab major minutes, and two players have capitalized. Ondrej Kase, the second-year winger from the Czech Republic, shares the team lead with five goals after scoring again Wednesday. His four shots were a game high, tied with those of Ducks defenseman Brandon Montour, who has stepped into a top-four role with Cam Fowler sidelined. The 23-year-old has no problem joining the rush, but he has also been steady at the blue line. Power-play woes continue: The Ducks, no matter who is quarterbacking the special-teams unit, simply can't cure what ails them. Their four goals are second-to-last in the NHL, and the Ducks have converted on just 10.8% of their power-play opportunities. Sure, they created some nice chances against Toronto, namely when Rickard Rakell's wrister from the slot found iron, but they need to find the net more often. Lindholm did a nice job on the PP, as did Montour, but with Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler sidelined, the Ducks need to find a solution and fast. LA Times: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081224 Anaheim Ducks

Brandon Montour has stepped up his game as the Ducks battle injury bug

By MIKE COPPINGER

Brandon Montour has stepped up his game as the Ducks battle injury bug When Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen were on the mend from offseason surgeries to repair torn labrums, the Ducks knew some younger defensemen would be forced into key minutes. Only general manager Bob Murray and coach Randy Carlyle couldn’t have imagined how quickly — and expertly — one of those men would capitalize on his opportunity. Brandon Montour has been a revelation for the Ducks through 12 games, and even though Lindholm and Vatanen returned last week, the 23-year- old is still logging major ice time. That’s partly because Cam Fowler went down with a knee injury last month, but also because Montour has been valuable to the team’s offense. His four goals through Wednesday were tied for the NHL lead among blueliners, and it’s double Montour’s output from a season ago, when he made his NHL debut and played in 27 games. "I'm getting confident, you're playing with some good players and you want to get them the puck," said Montour. " … A strength of mine is my , I try to use it as much as I can. Hopefully I can keep the goals coming." Montour almost tied Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs when his last-minute point blast caromed off Jakob Silfverberg’s skate and into the net. The goal was disallowed by officials, who ruled the puck was kicked in, but the play still illustrated Montour’s value. The Ducks drafted Montour with the 55th pick in 2014, and before the season Carlyle sent a message to some of the young players who were being counted upon to step up. "Ready yourself, expectations are going to be higher," said Carlyle, who singled out Montour as a player who's shown some growth. "And we're going to have to play a much tidier game and much stiffer game than what we maybe had to before because we're challenged for offense and not having the historically A-quality defense available to you." The 6-foot Ohsweken, native also is quarterbacking the power play in Fowler's absence, a role Montour relishes as a chance to "bear down on opportunities." Before Ducks Ryan Getzlaf was sidelined Sunday when the puck struck him in the face, he and Montour were paired up on the point during power plays, a great learning experience for the second-year man. "Getz says when you get the puck, shoot it, teams are going to respect it," Montour recalled. He certainly hasn't been shy about shooting or even joining the rush. His four shots were a game high Tuesday, and his 32 shots are tied for 16th among all defenseman. DUCKS VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS When: Friday, 7 p.m. PT On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Update: This is the first meeting between the clubs since the Predators topped the Ducks in the Western Conference finals in six games to advance to the Final. … John Gibson was injured in Game 5 of the series, and didn’t play in the deciding game, but he’s been excellent this season under duress (.919 save percentage). … The Predators might be the defending Western Conference champions, but the momentum hasn’t carried over. They’ve lost two straight and are point behind the Ducks with 12. LA Times: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081225 Anaheim Ducks Cogliano welcomed potential changes as they can be “a little bit refreshing” and give players different looks. But as they continue to find their way, the Ducks can look back to last spring for inspiration. For Ducks, playoff loss to Predators hasn’t faded from view “It’s a new year,” Carlyle said. “But we still have the memory. Sure we do.” By ERIC STEPHENS | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017 Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.03.2017

ANAHEIM — When there is no around to irritate the Nashville Predators and there is no James Neal to rile up the Ducks, is there any reason to expect any fireworks between the teams when they renew acquaintances? Injuries and other situations have created change on both rosters but if you’re the team on the losing end of an emotional playoff series, the hard feelings don’t fade away no matter how different those rosters look months later. Ill will could come to the surface when the Ducks host Nashville on Friday at Honda Center in the first meeting since the Predators won the Western Conference finals to deny the Ducks a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. “I think there’s honest dislike for each other,” Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano said Thursday. “I think that’s pretty clear for both teams. One thing when you play them, it brings out more of a competitive spirit out of you. They’re a team that they’re tough to play against and maybe just by playing in the playoffs, it’s created that kind of level of animosity. “I think they usually bring the best of you when you play them. And at the end of the day, they’re a team that – they’re good. You have to play well. You have to be sharp to beat them.” This first of three regular-season matchups won’t have some of the same combatants. Kesler can’t try to get into the head of Nashville center Ryan Johansen as he’s recovering from hip surgery. A facial injury has put Ryan Getzlaf back on the sidelines. Cam Fowler is out because of an injured right knee. The Predators lost Neal to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Colin Wilson, a playoff pest to the Ducks, was dealt to Colorado. Mike Fisher has retired. Hard-shooting defenseman Ryan Ellis needed knee surgery and will miss the first half of their season. Little stays exactly the same from year to year as teams make their share of offseason moves even in the most ideal of situations. And with all the injuries the Ducks are dealing with, they’ve seen their own dressing room take on a different look since Nashville won in six games. “There’s still memories there for sure,” Ducks winger Corey Perry said. “But at the same time, there’s so many new faces in here. A lot of guys injured, a lot of guys who aren’t playing. But like I always say every year, it’s a new season and you’ve got to prove yourself every year. “There’s just so many different faces on both teams.” Chris Wagner looks back on the series with lament at ill-timed injuries. Not only was Kesler playing with a bad hip and Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen had torn labrums in their shoulders, but the Ducks didn’t have Rickard Rakell, Patrick Eaves or John Gibson for the fateful Game 6. Nashville managed to win without Johansen and Kevin Fiala as their support players – highlighted by Colton Sissons’ series-clinching hat trick – proved better in the end. “I still think there’s enough guys in here that everyone has that general feeling that it kind of got away from us at the end,” Wagner said. “You can say it’s a new year. But for me, I won’t forget. To be in Game 6 and watching them win. Especially coming back from two goals in that game. That was a big emotional swing. “You want to forget it but you don’t want to forget it because it still motivates you.” The Ducks could have a different look with what they have. Forward movement was part of Thursday’s practice, with Rakell back at center and Perry and Ondrej Kase on his wings. Derek Grant was centering Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg, while Antoine Vermette had Wagner and Nick Ritchie on his wings. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle kept up the refrain that his team is “continuing to be a work in progress.” Fixing a 30th-ranked power play that went 0 for 4 in their loss to Toronto is a front burner issue. “We’re not going to accept that the five guys we put out on the power play can’t deliver,” Carlyle said. “We’re not going to accept that.” 1081226 Arizona Coyotes rushes. Whatever happens, you’re the last guy there. That’s the tough part to being a goalie.”

Perhaps the biggest breakdown came in the third when the Coyotes Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet laments 'comedy of errors' in 5-4 loss to allowed a two-man assault on Raanta that resulted in a short-handed Sabres goal for the Sabres. When Demers wiped out trying to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Jack Eichel and Evander Kane played catch while racing down the ice — with Kane eventually potting his seventh goal of Richard Morin, azcentral sports Published 9:41 p.m. MT Nov. 2, 2017 the season. “Four or five individuals have to understand what it takes to win,” Tocchet said. “It’s my job to get these guys to understand that, and obviously I The return of starting netminder Antti Raanta on Thursday was proof that haven’t done a good enough job.” goaltending was far from being the Coyotes’ only problem. Pouliot netted his second goal of the game with 8:48 remaining to give Raanta made some big saves to keep his team in the game early, but the Sabres a four-goal lead. But Zac Rinaldo, Nick Cousins, and turnovers and a lack of defensive presence ultimately doomed the responded to make it a one-goal deficit by game’s end. Coyotes in a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Gila River Arena. Here’s the play that resulted in Zac Rinaldo’s first goal with the Although the Coyotes showed some fight late in the third period, the #Coyotespic.twitter.com/WMt7x08jY0 Sabres took advantage of several odd-man rushes that spawned a four- goal unanswered stretch. — Richard Morin (@BigRickMorin) November 3, 2017 “The first period we’re in control, and then a goal with 0.9 seconds that Nick Cousins makes it a two-gal game with under 5 minutes remaining two guys didn’t track,” Tocchet said. “Then we started cheating in the pic.twitter.com/p5n6G9Rulf second, and it was a comedy of errors with 2-on-1s, 2-on-1s, 2-on-1s.” — Richard Morin (@BigRickMorin) November 3, 2017 Although the Coyotes (1-12-1) continued to struggle defensively, they were able to generate several quality offensive chances that nearly stole Here is Dvorak’s shot, which did not appear to be tipped them a win. Early on, a little shakeup in the Coyotes lineup seemed to pic.twitter.com/AD2DxFMYSP make a difference on Thursday. — Richard Morin (@BigRickMorin) November 3, 2017 With Brendan Perlini moving up to skate on the top line with Derek It was Rinaldo’s his first goal with the Coyotes and his first since Stepan and , it opened up a spot for Max Domi to play with November 2015. For Cousins, it was his third of the season. Dvorak Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer. netted his second goal of the year. The move paid early dividends for Domi, who became the quickest player Still, despite the dramatic comeback, it was not enough to erase the in Coyotes history to reach 100 career points with his first-period assist to mistakes made at the end of the first period, in the second, and to start Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 13:25 of the first period. the third. "I thought Max was really good tonight,” Tocchet said. "He played a great "It’s sensing danger,” Tocchet said of the mistakes. “If the forward is in game. Trying to split that line in a sense to spread it around. In the first front of a guy, don’t let him get by you. You can’t win when you do things period, I thought it was going great.” like that … You play the right way and you have a better chance to win. Domi provided a slick, backhand pass to Ekman-Larsson, who put it past We started in the third the last 12 minutes, but it’s hard to do for 60 Sabres goalie Robin Lehner for the game’s first goal. minutes. That’s why the good teams win.” Max Domi with the slick pass to OEL, who puts it past Lehner for the The Coyotes wrap up their brief two-game homestand on Saturday goal. #Yotespic.twitter.com/iQ2JOg1O7c against the . Until then, Tocchet will continue to scratch his head at the team’s struggles. — Richard Morin (@BigRickMorin) November 3, 2017 "There’s some things that happen out there that (are) my fault,” Tocchet Domi registered his 100th point in his 154th career game, beating the said. “You scratch your head like, ‘Why would you do that?’” franchise-best pace set by Peter Mueller (187 games). And although the new unit provided a spark, Domi was back skating with Stepan and Keller LOOK BACK: Coyotes avoid disastrous date with history by the end of the second. Den’s digest “I get to play with a lot of good hockey players,” Domi said. “So you get The score: Sabres 5, Coyotes 4 lucky once in a while.” The streak: L2 The first-period goal was the 10th game this season in which the Coyotes have scored first, the most among NHL teams. For Ekman-Larsson, it The record: 1-12-1, 8th in Pacific was his seventh point in his last 11 games — bringing him just three points shy of seventh place on the franchise’s all-time list for points by a The 82-game pace: 6-70-6 defenseman. The player: Benoit Pouliot The assist by Domi was his eighth in his last 10 games. The 22-year-old The moment: Kyle Okposo’s goal to tie the game with 0.9 seconds has one goal and nine assists in 14 games this season. remaining in the first period. But the Coyotes allowed a literal last-second goal by Kyle Okposo which The number: 100 — Domi registered his 100th point in the game, tied the game 1-1 at the first intermission and eventually opened the becoming the fastest in franchise history to reach the mark. floodgates for the Buffalo offense. View from the press box: The Coyotes continue to allow their opponents The opening minutes of the second period was evidence of that, as a quality chances in their own defensive zone, putting their in defensive zone turnover by the Coyotes turned into a two-on-one rush tough positions. Defensemen must do a better job of getting clean and the go-ahead goal for the Sabres. Ryan O’Reilly provided a touch passes up the ice to avoid costly turnovers. pass through Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers and right to the stick of Benoit Pouliot. Song of the night: “Milestones” by Lions Lions Jason Demers left all alone to defend O’Reilly’s nifty pass to Benoit Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.03.2017 Pouiot to put Sabres ahead in second pic.twitter.com/6K8lVgU2iE — Richard Morin (@BigRickMorin) November 3, 2017 The Sabres later made it a two-goal game when Seth Griffith broke away and scored his second goal at 14:36 of the second period to put Arizona in a 3-1 hole from which it could not escape after two periods of play. “I just wanted to get going straightaway and I felt pretty good,” Raanta, who made his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Oct. 12, said. “When the game is 2-1, it doesn’t matter how many odd-man 1081227 Arizona Coyotes Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017

Coyotes’ Raanta says he reported to training camp in shape, healthy

BY CRAIG MORGAN NOVEMBER 2, 2017 AT 11:36 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Antti Raanta’s lower-body injuries have been a source of frustration for the Coyotes organization and coach Rick Tocchet over the first month of the season. Tocchet hinted on a pair of occasions that Raanta may have reported to camp out of shape, but Raanta insisted Thursday that was not the case. “I felt good when I came here,” he said. “I felt healthy and everything was good. I had no problems with conditioning or shape and all that. It’s been just frustration when you come to a new team and you want to show from the first day on what you can do and then you have setbacks.” The Coyotes could have used their starting goaltender in a 1-11-1 start, but Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Gila River Arena made it clear that goaltending is not the only issue plaguing the team. After Buffalo tied the game at 1-1 with nine-tenths of a second left in the first period, the Coyotes produced a litany of defensive breakdowns and mental errors that led to odd-man rushes. The Sabres built a 5-1 lead on a pair of backdoor tap-ins by Benoit Pouliot and Evander Kane, a breakaway by Seth Griffith and a partial breakaway by Pouliot. “It’s tough when you get four 2-on-1s and a breakaway,” Tocchet said, when asked about Raanta’s performance. “It’s hard to evaluate anything but he was fine.” Teammate Max Domi underscored the belief that goaltending was not the issue in the loss. “It’s great to have Raants back, not only on the ice but in the room he’s a huge presence,” Domi said. “It doesn’t matter what goalie you have back there — if you have a brick wall back there — if you give them that many 2-on-1s, the puck is going to end up in the back of your net.” While he reiterated that he was healthy to start the camp, Raanta admitted that he would change his summer workout plan if he had to do it over again. “The biggest thing I did different this summer was I started to skate a little bit earlier and maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do,” he said. “I drove an hour away from my hometown and I was skating with all the NHL guys from there like Mikko Koivu and Patrik Laine and those guys. “We really didn’t have time to start with movement stuff. It was almost like straightaway rapid-fire shots. I think that was probably the wrong thing to do when I was talking with the trainers; that might be the reason why there was some issues, but other than that I felt good.” Raanta practiced with the team on its recent, five-game, East Coast road trip, leading to the belief internally that he might play on the trip, perhaps as soon as last Saturday in New Jersey, but he never got to the point where he felt ready. “We only really stayed to movement stuff,” he said. “We didn’t do any reaction type of stuff. Everything was pretty much moving and stopping and pretty much making the save. We just wanted to make sure when we started making the more reaction stuff and everything like that, that everything feels good and everything is under control so there’s no setbacks anymore. We just wanted to make sure we don’t hurt anything anymore.” Raanta finally reached that point on Monday in Philadelphia. “That was the first actual real practice with the team and it felt pretty good there,” he said. “We just wanted to get a couple more practice days for it. It felt good in Detroit (Tuesday). We did 50 minutes worth there and did lots of different moving stuff and everything felt good. “Then we got the flight [Wednesday] and the day off so I think the rest was good for it.” Raanta called Thursday’s morning skate the “last step on the road” to his return, but he expressed frustration that he could not do more to alter his team’s fortunes Thursday against the Sabres. “It doesn’t matter how many odd-man rushes or whatever happens,” he said. “You’re the last guy there. “I just need to make saves. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t been playing in three weeks or haven’t been playing in two days. I just have to come prepared and ready to play.” 1081228 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes’ three goals in eight minutes not enough to complete comeback

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Benoit Pouliut had two goals and an assist, and the Buffalo Sabres held off Arizona’s furious late charge to beat the Coyotes 5-4 on Thursday night. Kyle Okposo had a goal and an assist to help the Sabres build a 5-1 lead in the third period in a battle of the worst teams from each conference. But Arizona scored three goals in the final eight minutes, pulling within one on Christian Dvorak’s goal with an extra attacker and 52 seconds left. Dvorak’s goal came after Zac Rinaldo and Nick Cousins each scored in the third to give the Coyotes a chance, but they couldn’t get anything else past Robin Lehner. Seth Griffith and Evander Kane each scored for Buffalo, which has won three of five after a 0-4-1 start to the season. Lehner stopped 25 shots The Coyotes had No. 1 goalie Antti Raanta back after he missed nine games to a lower-body injury but spoiled his return by coughing up another early lead and giving up too many odd-man rushes, including a 2-on-0 short-handed goal. Raanta had 26 saves and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for the Coyotes, who have the NHL’s worst record at 1-12-1, including 0-6-1 at home. The Coyotes traded away top goalie Mike Smith and picked up Raanta from the Rangers, hoping he could fill that No. 1 spot after four seasons as a back-up. Raanta’s run was derailed out of the gate due to a pair of lower-body injuries, limiting him to one full game and parts of two others. The Coyotes got off to a good start in his return. Arizona leads the NHL in scoring first and did it again Thursday night. Ekman-Larsson got it on a nice feed from Max Domi, beating Lehner stick side after the Sabres turned over the puck at their blue line. Arizona has had trouble holding leads, though, and gave up another one when Okposo scored with less than a second left in the first period, beating Raanta glove side on a feed from Pouliot. Pouliot put the Sabres ahead early in the second period, slipping behind Arizona’s defense to one-time a pass from Ryan O’Reilly for his third of the season. Another Coyotes’ tendency: Giving up odd-man rushes. Yep, they did that, too, and Griffith took advantage, using a deke to slip the puck past Raanta late in the second period. Kane made it 4-1 early in the third period with a short-handed goal on a two-man breakaway with Jack Eichel. The Sabres appeared to be in control, but Arizona picked up the pressure and made them sweat it out. Notes: Coyotes D Niklas Hjalmarsson missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. … Domi became the fastest player to reach 100 career points in Coyotes history, doing it in his 154th game with the assist on Ekman-Larsson’s goal. … Buffalo RW Justin Bailey did not play due to a lower-body injury. Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081229 Arizona Coyotes got to be in the net. When you have your No. 1 goaltender, it gives you a chance to stabilize things and to win.”

Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017 Coyotes ‘working with’ Anthony Duclair, who returns to lineup

BY MATT LAYMAN | NOVEMBER 2, 2017 AT 12:18 PM

The Arizona Coyotes’ season hasn’t gotten off to the start the way the team would have liked. That’s undoubtedly true for everyone in the locker room. But for Anthony Duclair, it may sting even more that in the midst of 12 losses in 13 games, the fourth-year winger has been scratched the last two games. “It’s just the process with [head coach Rick Tocchet], a new coach, a new system,” general manager John Chayka said when asked what the team wanted to see from Duclair. “I think as a team we’ve struggled to put together 60 full minutes of consistent hockey and that intensity and focus that comes with it. I think Tocc’s just working with Duke.” Duclair will return to the Coyotes lineup on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Craig Morgan. Anthony Duclair will return to the Coyotes lineup tonight. — Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 2, 2017 “Like our whole team, that whole 60 minutes of complete play is something that a lot of our players can get better and Duclair himself,” Chayka added. After a loss to the Bruins earlier this season, Tocchet suggested his team may be out of shape, saying “some guys are sucking wind” when they get back to the bench. As it pertains to Duclair, this is an important season for the 22-year-old. The Coyotes traded a package that included Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers to get Duclair in 2015. The next season, the former third- round pick scored 20 goals in 81 games for Arizona. The 2016-17 season didn’t go as well. He scored just five goals with 10 assists in 58 games and received a demotion to the AHL. Before that promotion, then-head coach Dave Tippett expressed displeasure with with Duclair’s effort. “He’s got to compete harder,” Tippett said at the time. “He’s not competing at a level that’s going to let him be effective right now. We’re trying to push him and prod him and we sat him out. We’ll keep coaching away and see if we can get him up to speed but right now he’s not competing at the level we need from him.” In 11 games this season, he has scored three goals with two assists. “There’s some opportunities when you’re not playing every other day to put some work in on the different elements of your game,” Chayka said. “I think Duke understands that, is working with it. That’s not Tocc giving up on the player whatsoever, it’s him digging down and working with him, trying to make him better.” MISSING SMITTY? On Thursday, Duclair won’t be the only one returning to the lineup. Goaltender Antti Raanta, who has missed all but three games this year due to a lower-body injury, will come off IR and start in net against the Sabres. In his interview Thursday with Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station, Chayka was asked whether the team regrets trading long-time starting netminder Mike Smith to the this summer. “I don’t know. We’ll see how the season plays out,” he said. “For the previous two seasons, we’ve lost Mike Smith to start the season as well. It’s not like it’s unique to Antti. “It’s the nature of the beast — the goaltending position, it’s a very acrobatic position. These guys are in great shape and sometimes stuff happens where they have some strains or pulls and you’ve got to deal with it.” Chayka continued by adding that his stance on the matter isn’t based on hindsight. “Having said that, I’m not Monday-morning-quarterbacking anything,” he said. “We think Antti’s a good goaltender. He’s got to be healthy and he’s 1081230 Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes place Niklas Hjalmarsson on injured reserve

BY MATT LAYMAN

The Arizona Coyotes placed defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper- body) on injured reserve on Thursday, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Craig Morgan. Hjalmarsson left Tuesday night’s game against the Red Wings with the injury. Coach Rick Tocchet on Nik Hjalmarsson's injury: "He got banged up pretty good. I don't know how long he'll be out. It's a big loss for us." — Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) October 31, 2017 It represents a big loss for the Coyotes, who gave up defenseman and forward to Chicago to get Hjalmarsson in a trade this offseason. Arizona is already without defenseman Jakob Chychrun (knee) and placed defenseman Adam Clendening on waivers Thursday. In 12 games this season, Hjalmarsson was without a goal but had three assists and averaged 21:42 of ice time per game. Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081231 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes activate Antti Raanta off IR to start Thursday vs. Sabres

BY ARIZONA SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2, 2017 AT 11:38 AM

The Arizona Coyotes activated Antti Raanta before a morning skate in preparation for the goalie to make an evening start Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, coach Rick Tocchet told reporters. Raanta, who was acquired with a draft-day trade this offseason, has gone 0-1-1 and last played Oct. 12 due to a lower body injury. He has only appeared for 90 minutes of ice time through Arizona’s 1-11-1 start to the year. Since he left the team, the Coyotes have attempted to find success in goal. Recent trade acquisition Scott Wedgewood, who will back up Raanta against Buffalo, has gone 1-1 in two games played. Rookie Adin Hill (0-3) and Louis Domingue (0-6) have also earned starts. The Coyotes are last in the NHL with 4.31 goals allowed per game. Tocchet also announced that defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson will not play as he recovers from an upper-body injury. That means rookie will make his debut. Additionally, forward Anthony Duclair will return to the lineup. Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081232 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes place Adam Clendening on waivers, Dakota Mermis to make debut

BY MATT LAYMAN | NOVEMBER 2, 2017 AT 9:30 AM

The Arizona Coyotes have placed defenseman Adam Clendening on waivers, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Craig Morgan. Coyotes have placed defenseman Adam Clendening on waivers. — Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 2, 2017 Additionally, defenseman Dakota Mermis — who was called up on Wednesday — will make his NHL debut on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres. Coyotes D Nik Hjalmarsson will not play tonight vs. Buffalo. With D Adam Clendening on waivers, D Dakota Mermis will make his NHL debut. — Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 2, 2017 Mermis has one goal and two assists in seven games with the AHL’s this season. Because Clendening is on a one-way contract, he is not eligible to go to the AHL until he clears waivers. Clendening, 25, has played in five games with the Coyotes this season, notching two assists and no goals with a -1 plus-minus rating. He has averaged 15:56 TOI and played with defensive partners that have included, at times, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His contract is reportedly for one-year at $650,000. The Coyotes are already missing defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson (day- to-day, upper-body) and Jakob Chychrun (IR — knee) to injuries. In the wake of Hjalmarsson’s injury earlier this week, the Coyotes recalled defenseman Joel Hanley, and on Wednesday re-assigned Hanley and recalled Dakota Mermis. The Coyotes mark Clendening’s sixth NHL team in parts of four seasons. He’s previously played for the Blackhawks, Canucks, Penguins, Oilers and Rangers. Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081233 Boston Bruins In Thursday’s 2-1 win over Vegas, Heinen lined up as the No. 3 left wing alongside Bjork and Jordan Szwarz. Heinen had one shot and recorded three hits in 11:55 of ice time. Danton Heinen could be ready to stick with Bruins Since his second recall, Heinen has booted Beleskey and Agostino out of uniform. Even so, Heinen does not feel comfortable. GLOBE STAFF By Fluto Shinzawa “I would like to, but I don’t think you can,” Heinen said of breathing easier because of his production. “You can’t get comfortable. You’ve got to, every day, prove yourself. What’s got me up here and kept me here are the things I’m going to try and keep on doing. That’s what they told me. Danton Heinen is familiar with the commute between Boston and Don’t play out of my comfort zone. Keep it simple and keep trying to help Providence. the team win.” The second-year pro has driven I-95 South twice this season. Heinen For now, the NHL book is closed on Agostino (0-1—1 in five games). It’s made the varsity out of camp last year but was sent to Providence twice reopening for Beleskey, who was slated for action Thursday night against after two stretches of quiet activity (no points in eight games) up top. the Golden Knights after three games spent in suit and tie. Beleskey played 10:06 next to Riley Nash and Austin Czarnik. Beleskey was on Repeated AHL assignments are not easy for any player to accept. the ice for Nash’s opening goal. “It’s human nature that creeps into your mind, right?” Heinen said. “I think “I don’t think I got anything at the net tonight,” Beleskey said. “But we got you’ve got to try and block that out as much as possible. You’ve just got some good offensive time. That comes, especially when you get a little to focus on your game. If your game’s not going down there, it can be chemistry with guys. I think me, Nasher, and Czarny have played way harder for it to be going up here.” together and had some good success. Who knows, we’ll see how that Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:14 goes.” Being a regular commuter between the two cities is not ideal. A player’s Beleskey, once displaced by Heinen, put Frank Vatrano in the press box ego can take a clubbing every time he’s told his NHL services are not on Thursday. The fight for playing time continues. necessary. At 22 years old, Heinen could be a senior at the University of Boston Globe LOADED: 11.03.2017 Denver this season instead of hopping between Boston and Providence. At this age, it’s not healthy for high-end prospects to endure multiple assignments. The preferred alternative is for youngsters to stick in one location, get reps, and feel comfortable without looking over their shoulders. Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk should not have to worry about being sent to Providence every time they have a bad shift. At the same time, should stay in the AHL as long as necessary so his next NHL recall will be his last. Bruce Cassidy knows the hard side well. During his eight years in Providence, Cassidy was happy to see players such as , Adam McQuaid, Tuukka Rask, Torey Krug, Ryan Spooner, and Kevan Miller turn AHL apprenticeships into full-time NHL employment. But he also saw prospects such as Seth Griffith and Alex Khokhlachev spin their wheels up top and land back in Providence, where at times they looked too good to belong in the AHL. Griffith is in Buffalo this season after being waived by three teams (Boston, Toronto, Florida) last year. Khokhlachev is in the KHL for a second straight season.

“ ‘What do you want to see out of this player? What’s missing?’ ’’ Cassidy recalled of the conversations he’d have with general manager when a player was returned. “So then you attack it from that angle. A guy like Griff, who got sent down, they wanted a more complete player. So we talked to Seth about playing more of a 200-foot game and not just getting locked into the offensive part. The tough part of balancing that was he’d come down and we wouldn’t have a lot of offense, so we’d lean on him for it. Naturally, he’d gravitate back toward that. So as a coaching staff, we had challenges to make sure you kept your team afloat, then build this player’s complete résumé down there. Generally, that’s how it would play out and get them to buy in that, ‘Yes, if you do work on these things, there is an opportunity for you.’ ” Cassidy understands the disappointment of being sent down. Chicago drafted Cassidy 18th overall in 1983. But the 36 games he played for the Blackhawks did not compare to the 312 times he dressed for IHL action. “I lived it as a player,” Cassidy said. “You go down there and it’s, ‘Ah, it doesn’t matter. I’m not getting called up.’ You’ve got to fight off the negativity the player naturally comes with at times. Not every time. I didn’t go down pouting. But sometimes it happens. You start to wonder, ‘Is there a place for me?’ You’ve got to get them back into a healthy mind-set.” Heinen’s return may be for good. After scoring one goal and seven assists in four games for Providence, Heinen was recalled on Oct. 26 to replace Matt Beleskey, who had failed to score in six games. Heinen responded with both goals in the Bruins’ 2-1 win over San Jose. Two games later, Heinen sent another player packing. The Bruins had used Kenny Agostino as their half-wall operator on the No. 1 power-play unit. But on Monday against Columbus, Agostino wasn’t doing much of anything, either on the power play or even strength. By the second period, Cassidy replaced Agostino with Heinen on the right side. Heinen promptly set up Patrice Bergeron for a power-play goal. By night’s end, the Bruins decided to return Agostino to Providence. 1081234 Boston Bruins Cassidy said it’s possible, but not probable, that Krejci will be able to play here Saturday against the Capitals. Cassidy said he’ll have a better read on whether Krejci will be able to participate following Friday’s workout in Jordan Szwarz makes Bruins debut Brighton . . . Ex-Bruin Colin Miller is the Golden Knights’ top-scoring defenseman with a line of 2-6—8 in 12 games. Lost to the Knights in the June expansion draft, Miller collected only 29 points in 103 games as a Bruin. If he’s going to score more goals — as projected — he will have to By Kevin Paul Dupont shoot more. In 11 games prior to arriving here, Miller landed only 18 shots on net. He tested goalie Tuukka Rask with four shots on net

Thursday . . . After landing only nine shots on net in his first seven games Jordan Szwarz, hunter of pucks and pursuer of dreams, made his Bruins this season, Bruins rookie Charlie McAvoy landed nine over his past debut Thursday night when the expansion Vegas Golden Knights came three games leading up Thursday. He also played a beefy 25-plus to Causeway Street for the first time. minutes in three of his previous four games. He finished with 23:12 vs. the Knights and the one shot he took was blocked. “He might be getting a break,” noted Bruins assistant coach Kevin Dean, who was Szwarz’s coach all last season at AHL Providence. “We’re a Tuch has stuck little banged up in the middle, and he can play both center and right wing, Ex-BC Eagle Alex Tuch, summoned from the minors to make his Knights and to his credit, I think that is going to help him.” debut against the Bruins on Oct. 15, and is now 3-3—6 in eight games. A Szwarz, 26, was called up Route 95 on Wednesday when the Bruins former Wild first-round pick, he was dealt to Vegas prior to the June announced that veteran pivot David Backes was to undergo colon expansion draft. He turned pro in 2016, departing The Heights after his surgery Thursday at Massachusetts General Hospital related to his sophomore year . . . Ex-Bruins goalie , who picked up recent acute case of diverticulitis. his first NHL win against his old team Oct. 15, did not make the trip to the Hub. Subban suffered a groin injury a week after beating the Bruins and With Backes, 33, expected to be sidelined for some eight weeks, and is not expected back for at least another couple of weeks. David Krejci (suspected back injury) missing his fourth straight game, Szwarz saw 12:13 of ice time in the 2-1 win over the Golden Knights. He Fire away landed three shots on net and played on both special teams, including 24 Pastrnak has not been happy with his shot totals of late. seconds on the No. 2 PP unit. In his first seven games, the Czech right winger landed 23 shots on net. Szwarz slotted between wingers Danton Heinen (his ex-Providence In the past three games, he managed but five. On Thursday night, he linemate) and ex-Notre Dame standout Anders Bjork. Combined, that trio had three. had all of 59 games of NHL experience, including the 35 the energetic Szwarz logged across two seasons with the Coyotes, prior to his “Every other night, I feel different,” said Pastrnak, initially dismissing the demotion to the AHL in the 2014-15 season. idea that he prefers to shoot first, no matter the composition of his line. “That’s what I’m going to have to learn. I am more of a shooter, and I’m “I think it was a big wake-up call when I got sent down by Arizona,” said to have to start thinking like it.” Szwarz, the 97th pick in the 2009 draft by the Coyotes. “That’s two years in the American League, and I think I’ve developed a lot as a player. Backes surgery a success “I think especially on offense, I’ve learned some new instincts that I don’t After the game, the Bruins announced that Backes’s surgery was a think I had back then. I think I can bring those into my game.” success and that the team would have a further update Friday. On Wednesday, team internist Dr. David Finn noted that Backes would have Coach Bruce Cassidy, cobbling together an offense that is now without a section of his colon removed, the consequence of an infection related Backes, Krejci, and Ryan Spooner up front, reunited a top line of Brad to the diverticulitis. Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak for Wednesday’s practice. And they were together for the rematch with the Knights, who slapped a According to Finn, Backes will need some two months to recover, which 3-1 loss on the Bruins in Vegas Oct. 15. could keep the veteran centerman sidelined through the remainder of the calendar year. The Bruins play 27 times — one third of the season — “We’ve always gone back to it,” Cassidy said. “They [are not apart] for across November and December. very long stretches of time. We’d like to have better balance. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t” Boston Globe LOADED: 11.03.2017 Szwarz and Heinen were the top playoff producers for Providence during the Calder Cup playoffs. Szwarz produced a 6-5—11 line in 17 games, while Heinen, a fixture at his wing, went 9-9—18 in 17 games. “He never leaves anything on the table,” said Dean. “Which is why I think he had such a good year last year. Every shift, he’s accountable, reliable, intense. He could do that every shift he was out there last year and good things happened.” Prior to getting called up, Szwarz was an impressive 5-3—8 in his six games with Providence this season, again used in all situations by new coach Jay Leach. “I’m a gritty guy, a competitive guy,” said Szwarz, whose conditioning and fitness were praised by Cassidy during training camp. “I’ve always been a tenacious player. That doesn’t mean I am going to go out there and drop the gloves every night, but I am going to play hard, finish checks, do the right things, and hopefully bring some grittiness to the lineup.” Czarnik called up In somewhat of a surprise, the Bruins recalled center/wing Austin Czarnik from Providence. The move, explained Cassidy, allowed him the flexibility to shift Szwarz to wing, if necessary. Czarnik, though not prolific in his varsity opportunities the last two seasons, has been adept at playing both center and wing. Czarnik, 5-8—13 in 49 games with Boston last season, played two games with the varsity (0-0—0) prior to his demotion. He has been the top point producer in Providence this season, with a line of 4-6—10 in five games. On Thursday, Czarnik assisted on the Bruins’ first goal and saw 9:35 of ice time. Waiting on Krejci 1081235 Boston Bruins

Bruce Cassidy shuffles deck as Bruins ready for Knights

Steve Conroy Thursday, November 02, 2017

The banged-up Bruins continued shuffling bodies in an effort to put their most competitive team on the ice tonight as the Vegas Golden Knights make their inaugural appearance at the Garden. After David Backes (undergoing surgery today to have part of his colon removed due to bouts with diverticulitis) was placed on injured reserve, Austin Czarnik was recalled from Providence. The B's held an optional skate this morning, so just where Czarnik will slot in remains to be seen. But the odd man out tonight appears to be Frank Vatrano, who took extra skating with backup goalie Zane McIntyre and tryout Ryan White. Vatrano played just 3:45 in the B's overtime loss in Columbus on Monday. “We're short some right sticks at center and we haven't seen (Jordan) Szwarz a lot in the middle. Training camp, he was middle, right side, so if we do play Austin, that gives us some flexibility of he's more comfortable on the wing. That's something we've been mulling over,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. Meanwhile, Matt Beleskey will be back in the lineup after three games out as a healthy scratch. “That's what it is, an opportunity,” said Beleskey, who is without a point and minus-2 in six games. “That's what I've been looking for. I've been working hard and trying to work with the coaches on the ice after, trying to get better at things they want me to do. I'm just going to come and bring my energy and be ready to play tonight.” Neither Anton Khudobin (lower body) nor David Krejci (back) skated this morning. While the B's have been ravaged by injury and illness, it's doubtful the Golden Knights feel too bad. They are down to their fourth-string goalie after losing Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban (who recorded a win over his former team on Oct. 15) and Oskar Dansk. Their two goalies now are Maxime Lagace (0-2, 6:35 GAA and .813 save percentage) and junior call-up Dylan Ferguson, who has never played a professional game. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081236 Boston Bruins

Bruins notebook: Beleskey bounces back into lineup

Steve Conroy Friday, November 03, 2017

Matt Beleskey vowed to be better than he was last year and, in the offseason, he slimmed down a touch to adjust to the new, faster NHL. He also had a decent preseason. The effort, however, has not yet produced the desired results in the regular season. In his first six games, Beleskey was without a point and minus-2, landing him as a healthy scratch in four of the Bruins’ previous five games before last night’s 2-1 win over Vegas. But Beleskey found himself back in the lineup against the Golden Knights. Coach Bruce Cassidy outlined what he wanted to see from the veteran left winger. “Obviously, losing (David) Backes, that’s a big body. So we’d like to have a guy that can fill some of that role. Now what does that mean, a big body?” asked Cassidy. “It means applying pressure on their defense, knowing that if they’re going to come out of their zone, they’re going to have to come through bodies. It means, in the defensive zone, clogging up lanes, winning your board battles and being a little bit abrasive when you’re out there so they know someone’s breathing down their neck that will finish his checks when they present themselves.” Beleskey played 10:06 last night, recorded a couple of hits and was on the ice for Riley Nash’s goal, as he picked up his first plus rating of the season. He took a first-period tripping penalty behind the play, but the B’s killed it. “I’m just trying to play my game, be simple on the puck and be hard on the puck. That’s when I’m at my best,” said Beleskey. “I thought it was a pretty good game. I had to get my legs under me. We’ve only had four games in the last three weeks and I’ve only played one of them. It was good to get going and overall I think it was a good game.” White still in house Pugnacious center Ryan White remains in camp on a tryout basis, but Cassidy said so far the team has attempted to fill holes with in-house candidates. “Those are internal discussions. I think it’s a matter of exhausting our options that we do have with guys who have been in the organization that we feel can help us, depth guys. We talked about adding to our depth in the summer and that’s getting tested from Day 1 here. I think we’ve done a good job with that. Some guys have done better than others, that’s normal,” said Cassidy. “And without kicking the can down the road, those are (Don Sweeney’s) decisions on who he signs and who he doesn’t.” White said he has possible opportunities in the KHL, AHL and other NHL clubs, but his first choice is the B’s. “Don’t want to give up on the dream,” said the affable White, who is being paid just a per diem to stay with the team on the tryout deal. Surgery for Backes Backes had his diverticulitis-related surgery yesterday. “David Backes underwent surgery today to remove a portion of his colon. The operation went smoothly and he has started his recovery,” the B’s said in a statement. It is estimated he’ll be out eight weeks. … After seeing just 3:45 of ice time Monday at Columbus, Frank Vatrano was a healthy scratch while Austin Czarnik was plugged into the lineup and recorded an assist. … Torey Krug was finally able to shed his football-like facemask he’s been wearing since he returned to action in the second game of the year after suffering a broken jaw in the first preseason game. “It was completely different. More cold air in my face, for sure, and just being able to see pucks differently and a bit more mobile. I liked it,” said Krug, who notched two assists in the win. … Neither Anton Khudobin (lower body) nor David Krejci (back) skated in the morning. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081237 Boston Bruins

Ugly truth in Bruins victory

Steve Conroy Friday, November 03, 2017

It doesn’t matter how many pimples, scars or other blemishes a victory bears these days. With the way the Bruins lineup is currently constituted, any win is a beauty. The B’s got a pair of greasy goals from two guys who’d not yet scored this year — Riley Nash and Sean Kuraly — and rode steady goaltending from Tuukka Rask (28 saves) to nail down a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights last night at the Garden. Kuraly scored his first goal of the season at 9:53 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie. Torey Krug had picked off a Deryk Engelland pass in the neutral zone and went on the attack. Krug’s initial shot was blocked, but the puck came right back to his stick. He then dished it over to Jake DeBrusk for a redirect that goalie Maxime Lagace could not handle. As he was being cross-checked from behind, Kuraly jammed home the rebound. The Bruins then killed off a late Charlie McAvoy penalty and hung on for the win. With a severely hampered lineup without David Krejci (back) and David Backes (diverticulitis), the Bruins had a difficult time getting quality shots early in the first period on the fourth-string Vegas goalie. Lagace was playing due to a concussion to Marc-Andre Fleury plus lower-body injuries to Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk. The B’s didn’t give up much early, either. They took consecutive tripping penalties on Patrice Bergeron and Matt Beleskey, and the Golden Knights started to test Rask. He made a couple of nice saves on the first kill while the B’s did a better job of killing off Beleskey’s infraction. Rask’s best save came earlier in the period when both Krug and Paul Postma mishandled the puck and it went right to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Rask was able to turn away Bellemare’s backhander from the low slot. Vegas had a 8-5 shot advantage in the first after the B’s had the first four shots of the game. The B’s were able to get their footing a bit at the start of the second period when DeBrusk drove the net and drew a penalty on old friend Colin Miller. The ensuing power play did not result in much of an attack, but stemmed any momentum that Vegas had coming into the period. At 3:24, the Bruins took the first lead of the game off a right circle faceoff. Nash won a draw back to Krug at the right point and Lagace could not handle the rebound of Krug’s shot, causing a mad scramble. Nash pounced on the first rebound at the right side of the net, putting it behind Lagace but banging it off the far post. Austin Czarnik, called up yesterday morning, collected that loose puck in the left circle and fired it back at Lagace, who stopped it but could not control it. Nash, still on the right side, was there to finally put it home for his first goal of the season. But the B’s could not protect that slim lead. Vegas turned up the attack with the top line, led by David Perron, who applied heavy pressure and neutralized the B’s top line of Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Cody Eakin got Vegas on the board. DeBrusk tried to break the puck out of the defensive zone when he had his pocket picked by Nate Schmidt. The Vegas defenseman went right back on the attack, drifting down into the left side of the slot. He dished back to the right side for Eakin, whose one-timer got under Rask’s pads for the equalizer at 9:34. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081238 Boston Bruins It’s true. It’s amazing how often guys who pay the price to go to the dirty areas find that reward waiting for them.

Boston Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 Harris: Sean Kuraly’s goal tough reward for dirty work

Stephen Harris Friday, November 03, 2017

For sheer entertainment value … well, our condolences to those fans who laid out big money to attend the hockey game played last night at the Garden. We all know now that the Vegas Golden Knights, in their inaugural season, are going to try and play the tightest, most competitive and boring game possible — hoping they can pretty much eliminate all offense and maybe give themselves a chance to steal two points. This is in no way intended as an insult — just the opposite. Gerard Gallant’s squad again played a heck of a game last night against the Bruins, spending 60 minutes contesting every puck and every square inch of ice. It nearly worked. But in a game that was as bogged-down and ugly as they get in the NHL, the Bruins produced a game-winning goal by rookie forward Sean Kuraly — a go-to-the-dirty-area score which was a thing of hideous beauty for the home team, giving the B’s a 2-1 victory. It was the first regular-season goal for Kuraly, who celebrated with a big leap into the glass. “It was a very big goal,” said B’s goalie Tuukka Rask. “He scored that big (overtime) goal last year in the playoffs. He’s had some chances; he finally got rewarded. I think everybody was excited to see the celebration after.” Especially because it meant a very important win against a very tough opponent. “That’s a good hockey team over there,” said Matt Beleskey. “The way their team is made up, it’s a bunch of guys who work hard and play good defensively. So it’s going to take an ugly goal like that to beat them.” The two points were decided at 9:53 of the third period, when Torey Krug and rookie Jake DeBrusk combined to get a puck in on Knights goalie Maxime Lagace. The puck stayed loose in the crease and Kuraly was in the perfect spot to scoop it home — an instant before getting cross- checked from behind into the right post by defenseman Brayden McNabb. “Really all I remember was the puck behind the goalie,” said Kuraly. “I was there and I banged it in. Right place at the right time. There were a lot of good plays before that, by Torey and J.D. and Schallsie (Tim Schaller) to get that puck to the right spot. I was just the bare end of it.” Actually, there was no diminishing the sort of goal Kuraly scored. With the B’s missing key high-end forwards David Krejci, David Backes and Ryan Spooner — and the big line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak blanked last night — this team is going to have to scrape out ugly wins on goals just like this. “We’ve got to play the game the right way,” said Kuraly. “Get pucks behind their (defense), play low-risk. Keep getting pucks to the net, as many as you can. Work on the percentages. If you get 10 pucks to the net, hopefully one goes in; if you only get one or two, you’re banking on your skill to score. We want to get quantity to the net.” Both B’s goals — including the first one, by Riley Nash — were the result of getting pucks and people to the net-front, which is where a guy like Kuraly has to operate. “It was good to see Sean get rewarded,” said B’s coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s certainly more than willing to go to those areas. Those are the type of goals he’s going to score. “He’s not a guy who’s going to come down the wing, inside-out someone and blast it. (He will) track pucks down, (get) loose pucks, breakaways, second chances. So, good for him.” Kuraly sensed that he might find a puck in just the right spot last night. “I was lucky enough to find one on the doorstep,” he said. “But if you keep going to those spots, you’ll keep finding them. “I kind of felt it coming. I felt the puck around the net (and that) it kept coming to me. If you keep working, doing the right things (and) treating the game with respect, it respects you.” 1081239 Boston Bruins

Injury-riddled Bruins score win over Vegas

Steve Conroy Thursday, November 02, 2017

It doesn't matter how many pimples, scars or other blemishes a victory bears these days. With the way the Bruins lineup is currently constituted, any win is a beauty. The B's got a pair greasy goals from two guys who'd not yet scored this year — Riley Nash and Sean Kuraly — and rode steady goaltending from Tuukka Rask (28 saves) to nail down a 2-1 wni over the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday night at the Garden. Kuraly scored his first goal of the season at 9:53 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie. Torey Krug had picked off a Deryk Engelland pass in the neutral zone and went on the attack. His ifrst shot was blocked but it came right back to him. He then dished it over to Jake DeBrusk for a redirect that golaie Maxime Lagace could not handle. As he was being crosschecked from behind, Kuraly jammed home the rebound. The B's then killed off late Charlie McAvoy penalty and hung on for the win. With a severely hampered lineup thanks to the losses of David Krejci (back) and David Backes (diverticulitis), the Bruins had a difficult time getting quality shots early in the first on Lagace, who was playing due to the losses of Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), Malcolm subban (lower body) and Oskar Dansk (lower body). The B’s didn’t give up much early, either. But when they took two consecutive tripping penalties on Patrice Bergeron and Matt Beleskey (both of the phantom variety), the Golden Knights started to test Rask. He made a couple of nice saves on the first kill while the B’s did a better job of killing off Beleskey’s infraction. Rask’s best save came earlier in the period when both Torey Krug and Paul Postma mishandled the puck and it went right to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, but Rask was able to turn away his backhander from the low slot. Vegas had a 8-5 shot advantage in the first after the B’s had the first four shots of the game. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081240 Boston Bruins

Short-handed Bruins reunite Pastrnak with Bergeron and Marchand

By Joe Haggerty November 02, 2017 4:58 PM

BRIGHTON -- With a lineup that’s missing many of its depth players, the Bruins are going to load up at the very top and hope they can ride that to a few victories in the short term. Coach Bruce Cassidy has reunited Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron with 21-year-old David Pastrnak, and pieced back together a line that did a lot of offensive damage last season. There didn’t appear to be much choice given that the B's are missing a host of other centers with David Krejci, David Backes and Ryan Spooner all injured. Clearly it wasn’t Cassidy’s first choice, as it makes the Bruins a little easier to stop defensively if all their point-production eggs are stocked in one basket. But we all know what they say about desperate times. “It’s going to be a little more ‘by committee’ with all the injuries," said Cassidy. "We’ve seen a lot of shifting of lines night to night, and that won’t change. We’ll see who best fits with who and the match-ups on a night-to-night [basis], but we lose a big physical match-up advantage that we’d had recently [with Backes out]. “We have a core group of guys that can really carry this team. We just have to get the other guys pulled in quick. That’s our job and to make sure that our core is good every night . . . That’s a big ask for those guys to bring their ‘A’ games every night, but that’s what we’re looking at right now. They have to lead us, and the followers have to do a good job following.” So now the two leading goal-scorers for the Bruins -- Marchand and Pastrnak, who've combined for 14 -- will join up with Bergeron, who has averaged a point-per-game in his six games since returning from a season-opening injury. Clearly the defensive expectations of playing with Bergeron adn Marchand could also be a good thing for Pastrnak, given his minus-7 rating to start the season. Pastrnak said the trio won’t be putting any additional pressure on themselves as Boston’s top-heavy offensive line, but it does seem like the goals and points seem to follow whenever they’re put together. “Those two guys have been together for so long and they have such good chemistry, it’s easy to get in there," he said. "I’ve been around a lot of lines the last few years, so it doesn’t matter who I’m with. I’m just trying to do my best and always [trying to] get the offensive stuff going. Every time I come to that line, we don’t talk about anything except trying to get the job done. That’s all we talk about [between] the three of us. We never talk about scoring a goal, you know? We just talk about getting the job done.” In this case “getting the job done” would be winning some games and surviving until they start getting some of their injured bodies back in the lineup. That’s the task for Boston’s remaining healthy players -- like Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak -- in what could be some short-term trying times ahead. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081241 Boston Bruins

Morning Skate: Lose those jerseys, Team USA

By Joe Haggerty November 02, 2017 3:16 PM

Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading, while totally wowed by the sight of wizened, old Luke Skywalker in the Millennium Falcon. *Okay. I know we’re not sending our best hockey players to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, but did we have to send Team USA with these truly dreadful jerseys. This look like something that was tossed in the rejection bin by the cyclists and speed-skaters. Yuk. What do you guys think? 100-day countdown to PyeongChang, @usahockey unveiled 2018 #Olympic jerseys. Sleeve design "inspired by bald eagle feathers." pic.twitter.com/xB6x5Ym112 — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 1, 2017 *Nicholle Anderson tells her moving story of last year’s cancer diagnosis while her husband, Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson, was supporting the family and ultimately back-stopping the Senators into the playoffs. *Patrik Laine is struggling offensively for the Winnipeg Jets right now, and it has made things difficult for him along the way. *John Tortorella is turning Zach Werenski loose on offense as a bit of a rover on defense for a Columbus Blue Jackets team that could use more offense. *Jay and Dan might be gone from US television for the most part, but it doesn’t mean they’re forgotten when it comes to entertaining all of us hockey fans. *While I don’t think the reasons behind the success of Tampa Bay’s power play with Nikita Kucherov and Stephen Stamkos are very complicated, here is an article attempting to break it down. *For something completely different: What a great cast for the live action "Lion King" that includes James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081242 Boston Bruins of the responsibility. We have to take that upon ourselves, whoever is on the ice, to do the job.

“Whenever we do get those guys back on the ice, it’s going to be great Bruins' mission now is to survive November and it’s going to feel like we had some trades or something has happened. So we just have to hold the fort until we get some more players back, and it’s about is in this dressing room [right now].” By Joe Haggerty November 02, 2017 2:43 PM The burning question now for the Black and Gold is just how well the remaining rag-tag group can hold the fort in a grueling month that starts on tonight against the upstart expansion team out of Las Vegas. BRIGHTON, Mass – With November here, the harsh reality for the Bruins is they are out of the playoff picture right now and under siege because Eight of the 12 opponents the Bruins will be facing in November were in of injuries and inconsistency. the playoffs last season and three of the other four non-playoff teams are the biggest early-season success stories: Vegas, New Jersey and Los The latest barrage was the unwelcomed news Wednesday that David Angeles. That could spell doom for a B’s roster that looks more like a Backes is out for at least a couple of months after surgery to remove a glorified AHL team on some nights given all of the regulars stuck on portion of his colon due to his diverticulitis. The player and the team knew injured reserve. That reality was stunningly clear when the Bruins tapped surgery was a strong possibility at the time of diagnosis, but the way Kenny Agostino, of all people, as their big goal-scoring hope with a things have played out the Bruins are now down three experienced shootout point on the line in Columbus on Monday night. centers with Backes, David Krejci (back) and Ryan Spooner (groin) all out. It’s a critical time for the Bruins where teams not in the playoff picture by Thanksgiving have only a 25 percent chance of making the playoffs. It's “We knew it was a possibility, but it’s really unfortunate,” said Patrice the kind of uphill battle Boston successfully scaled after their coaching Bergeron of losing Backes. “It’s all the intangibles on the ice, as well as change last season. That’s certainly not the kind of late-season surge the off the ice. He’s a good leader and he’s got a big voice in the locker Bruins are planning on this time around. room. He’s been around for a while and he was a captain in St. Louis, so he’s a big void to fill on and off the ice. It’s just that ‘next man up’ The bottom line for the undermanned B’s: They need to find a way to mentality, I guess. I’m sure we’ll all pick up the slack. survive the next four weeks where the schedule is doing them no favors. Still, they seem to be losing another injured player from their roster with “Everybody that gets the tap on the shoulder gets more responsibility and each passing day. It’s no easy task, but then again nobody said it was more ice time as a result of it, and then you’ve got to go out there and do going to be easy as the Bruins embarked on their 82-game journey this the job. We may all be asked to do a little more for the team, and we just season. have to answer.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 Backes is out for at least two months, Spooner is out at least another month with his injury and Krejci is week-to-week while not having skated at all in roughly a week’s time. The embattled Bruins have had their good lineup intact for exactly one game, the Oct. 19 win over the , where both Bergeron and Krejci were healthy and on the ice together. They’ve never had their planned opening-night lineup healthy and together even for a single game thus far. The injuries have left the Bruins with Riley Nash, Jordan Szwarz and Sean Kuraly as the three centers behind Bergeron, who himself missed the first few weeks of the season with a lower-body injury. Those injuries to key spots and across all the positions have made it challenging for the Bruins to find early season consistency, and has contributed to the wild and unruly swings in play we’ve seen from the Black and Gold over the first month. “It’s challenging every because of [the injuries],” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “You want to develop some chemistry in the lines, and you want to some chemistry with the goaltenders and both of them have been hurt. Just to be able to play a certain style of game every night and to have that repetition, that’s what makes you better generally. “Talent and work ethic obviously [are important], but repetition makes things easier as you go along so you’re not thinking too much. That’s been difficult. But that’s the hand you’re dealt and you’ve got to play it. Our job as a [coaching] staff is to make it as seamless as possible, put our minds together to help incorporate the young guys. You’re going to have nights like Columbus where there are pockets where it doesn’t look pretty and pockets that once it comes together we can be effective. We have a core group of guys that can really carry this team, and we just need the other guys pulled into it very quickly. That’s our job.” Clearly, there is no good time of season for injuries to ravage a team but that’s exactly what’s happening right now with Backes, Krejci, Spooner, Adam McQuaid, Noel Acciari and Anton Khudobin all out. November could be a disastrous time for all of this to happen, however, with the Bruins already a couple of points out of a playoff spot one month into the proceedings. The good news is that the Bruins have games in hand on everybody else in the Eastern Conference while stuck in 10th place out of 16 teams, but they look they’re in an extremely compromised position to make up ground while missing so many bodies. The remaining healthy Bruins are accepting the situation with the knowledge Boston’s best players need to play that way every night if they’re going to survive the stretch. “It is a test. It’s been a challenge since Game One. We’ve been missing somebody since the first game, and we haven’t had our full lineup for even one game this season,” said Bergeron. “I’d be lying if I said it’s ideal obviously. But that being said it’s…and coach has been saying this as well...it’s opportunities for other guys to step up and take a bigger share 1081243 Boston Bruins

Beleskey draws back into lineup for injury-plagued Bruins

By Joe Haggerty November 02, 2017 1:17 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – The Bruins are reshuffling the deck due to injuries and a depleted lineup and that means Matt Beleskey will draw back in for the Black and Gold after being a healthy scratch the past three games. Beleskey, 29, has zero points and is a minus-2 in six games and hasn’t been able to use his grit, physicality and decent offensive skills to spark things from a bottom-six spot in the lineup. He'll get another chance on tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights with the Bruins badly in need of a veteran, hard-nosed physical presence with David Backes (diverticulitis surgery) out for next couple of months. “He’s worked hard, he’s been in and out and he’s going to get an opportunity to get back in. We’ll see where his minutes go,” coach Bruce Cassidy said of Beleskey. “Obviously, losing Backes you lose a big body, so we’d like somebody to fill that role. What does that mean? It means applying pressure on their defense, and that if they want to break out of their zone then they’re going to have to go through bodies. “In the defensive zone, it’s clogging up lanes, winning board battles and being a little abrasive so that [your opponents] know that somebody is breathing down their necks that will finish their checks. When you get opportunities get it on the net and try to get [to the net] for second chances. That’s been an issue with our hockey club in general, and not specifically with Matt Beleskey.” Cassidy confirmed Jordan Szwarz and Beleskey will be in the lineup and newly called up Austin Czarnik will be a game-time decision. It appeared at the optional morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena that Frank Vatrano was going to be the healthy scratch after staying on the ice later than his teammates. Here are the projected Bruins line combos and D-pairings vs. the Golden Knights based on the optional skate: Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak DeBrusk-Nash-Schaller Heinen-Szwarz-Bjork Beleskey-Czarnik-Kuraly Chara-McAvoy Krug-Carlo Postma-Miller Rask Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081244 Boston Bruins

Riley Nash, Sean Kuraly power Bruins past Knights, 2-1

By Joe Haggerty November 02, 2017 9:43 PM

BOSTON – The Bruins needed more players to start stepping up if they were going to still gather wins and points while enduring so many injuries, and that’s exactly what happened on Thursday night. Both Riley Nash and Sean Kuraly scored their first goals of the season and powered the Bruins offense to a 2-1 win over the stodgy, gritty Golden Knights at TD Garden. After a low-event first period where both teams were testing each other out, things really got started in earnest in the middle stanza between Boston and Vegas. The Bruins got on the board first when Riley Nash got a second effort goal in front for his first score of the season after flinging his first bid hard off the bar. Vegas tied things up on a rough turnover from Jake DeBrusk, who had his pockets picked by Nate Schmidt near the defensive blue line. Schmidt quickly fed the puck to Cody Eakin for a bang-bang shot and release that beat a sprawling Tuukka Rask. That’s the way it stayed until the third period when Tim Schaller intercepted a puck at the offensive blue line and started a shift where Boston had the Golden Knights scrambling in their own end. It ultimately turned into Sean Kuraly crashing the net for a loose puck in front after Maxime Lagace had kicked around a couple of shots. The rest was up to Tuukka Rask and the Bruins defense to hang on in the final minutes with Rask standing tall for 28 saves as the Golden Knights tried to put together a late rally to push things into overtime. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081245 Buffalo Sabres

Another lesson for Sabres, though this one comes in needed victory

By John Vogl | Published Fri, Nov 3, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The celebration was in full swing. The Sabres had a 5-1 lead, and they could finally enjoy their first easy victory of the season. The problem was nine minutes still remained on the clock. "Maybe we just thought the game was over before it was over," left wing Benoit Pouliot said. "We got a little bit lazy, and they capitalized, but we came out with the two points." The Sabres' cake walk turned into a nail-biter as Arizona scored three goals in the final 7:49, but Buffalo held on for a 5-4 victory. Although the party was more subdued than it should have been, the Sabres partied nonetheless. "We get the 5-1 lead, and I thought we just need to bear down and make the right decisions," coach Phil Housley said in Gila River Arena. "We got away from what made us successful, and we almost shot ourselves in the foot. "Obviously, we'll take the win." The Sabres will take any win any way they can. They improved to 4-7-2 heading into Saturday's game in Dallas. "It was a big win," goaltender Robin Lehner said. "We needed this win. This is nice for us. We're going to Dallas, and we need to get a win there and slowly climb back in." The frantic finish gave the Sabres a needed mental test. Housley talked earlier this week about the team's tendency to fall apart at key times. While the Sabres made big mistakes, they insist they didn't crumble under pressure. "What I liked was I didn't feel like we were panicking even if they scored a couple back-to-back there," Lehner said. "We didn't panic. I didn't panic, and it's a big win." The Wraparound: Sabres 5, Coyotes 4 The Coyotes' push nearly erased 30 minutes of solid hockey for Buffalo. After Kyle Okposo scored his first goal of the season with 0.9 seconds left in the first period to make it 1-1, the Sabres rolled. They had a 12-6 shot advantage during the second, scoring twice. They connected twice more in the opening half of the third period, including a short-handed goal by Evander Kane that came on a two-on-zero break. "The second period I thought we did a terrific job in what we talked about, playing without the puck, doing everything right," Housley said. "We moved our feet in the offensive zone," Okposo said. "We worked. We chipped pucks in, and we were able to get them back and maintain possession. We were able to dictate the play in the offensive zone more than we have in games' past." Then they stopped. "We've just got to keep playing," Okposo said. "You get a 5-1 lead, you just have to play smart, keep moving your feet, keep making plays. We just got on our heels. "You know a team is going to come, make a push. If they score a goal, you've got to still get on your toes and just keep playing the right way. We'll learn that as we go." It seems there's something to learn every night, even though many lessons have been taught already. "In the third we could have done a better job of shutting them down," right wing Seth Griffth said. "We knew they were going to have a push." Luckily, the push only made the Sabres stumble. It didn't flatten them. "A couple breakdowns and they scored a few goals," said Pouliot, who scored twice. "They hemmed us in our zone for a long time. Boys were tired. Boys were rolling around a bit, and they scored a few goals. "But in the end, it was good. We won." Buffalo News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081246 Buffalo Sabres Lehner made a save on Jordan Martinook's blast, but Nick Cousins was open in front for the rebound to make it 5-3 with 5:53 remaining.

"They got a lucky one off the skate," Lehner said. "I let a bad rebound on The Wraparound: Sabres 5, Coyotes 4 the third one, and they get some momentum." With Raanta on the bench for the extra attacker, the Coyotes struck By John Vogl | Published Fri, Nov 3, 2017 again. Christian Dvorak shot through traffic from the point with 51.7 seconds left.

Goalies hot early: Lehner and Raanta needed to be ready from puck GLENDALE, Ariz. – When the Sabres put together Robin Lehner's drop. They were. highlight video at the end of the season, clip after clip will come from Thursday's game in Arizona. The goaltender was fast, acrobatic and In the opening eight minutes, Lehner stopped two breakaways and a dynamic. point-blank blast. At the other end, Raanta stopped a partial breakaway by Jack Eichel and a driving deflection by Sam Reinhart. Raanta was He was also a winner, but barely. playing for the first time since getting hurt Oct. 12. He was sidelined for nine games. Outstanding netminding and balanced scoring carried the Sabres to a 5-4 victory over the Coyotes. Buffalo had a 5-1 lead before a late rally by the More saves: Though Lehner needed to make just five saves during the Coyotes made it a nail-biter. second, they were beauties. He robbed sizzling rookie Clayton Keller at the side of the net, sliding over after a carom off the back boards. Three of the goals allowed by Lehner came in the final 8:48 as the Sabres went on cruise control. Lehner got his left pad on a point-blank chance by Christian Fischer after the puck bounced off a body in front, leaving Fischer with a wide-open "It was a weird game," Lehner said. "I felt like it was a little bit like pond net. After Lehner made the stop, Fischer looked skyward and tapped his hockey out there for both sides. There was a lot of high-end chances stick off the glass in disbelief. both ways. There was a couple periods where it felt like every shot was Grade A. It kept coming." And more saves: Lehner kept it going in the third, getting his pad on a driving chance by Max Domi with just 20 seconds gone. Lehner stuck the Four players scored for Buffalo, which outshot the Coyotes, 31-29. pad out again with 9:20 to play, robbing Derek Stepan. Though Lehner didn't face a high quantity of shots, the quality was off the charts. He repeatedly made huge saves to move the Sabres to 11-3-1 in Back in the lineup: Defenseman Justin Falk, who missed the opening 12 their last 15 visits to Gila River Arena. games with a lower-body injury, made his season debut on the Buffalo blue line. He partnered with Victor Antipin. Buffalo ended a two-game losing streak and moved to 4-7-2 for the season. Arizona fell to 1-12-1. Matt Moulson returned to the forward group after being a healthy scratch for two straight games. He skated with center Johan Larsson and right Another lesson for Sabres, though this one comes in needed victory wing Jordan Nolan. In the nick of time: Kyle Okposo scored his first goal of the season, and Scratches: Right wing Justin Bailey made the trip but skipped the he literally didn't have a second to spare. The right winger found the net morning skate and sat with a lower-body injury. Forward Nick Baptiste with 0.9 seconds left in the opening period, sending Buffalo into and defenseman Taylor Fedun were the Sabres' healthy scratches. intermission with a 1-1 tie. Next: The Sabres will head to Texas to face the Dallas Stars on In the closing seconds, Ryan O'Reilly entered the zone and fired wide. Saturday. The following two games are at home as Buffalo hosts The carom off the back boards went to Benoit Pouliot, and the left winger Washington on Tuesday and Florida next Friday. spotted Okposo open in the right circle. Okposo's one-timer beat Antti Raanta to snap his scoring drought. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.03.2017 Coyotes strike first again: For the 10th time in their 14 games, the Coyotes opened the scoring. They took advantage of Buffalo's top defense pair to do it. Marco Scandella turned the puck over at the Buffalo blue line. Max Domi sped between Scandella and Rasmus Ristolainen and dropped a pass to defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who was open alongside Ristolainen. Ekman-Larsson's goal came with 6:35 left in the first. Two in period two: The Sabres played one of their better periods of the season in the second, scoring twice and outshooting the Coyotes, 12-6. Pouliot gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead with 4:20 gone. O'Reilly chased down a loose puck to create a two-on-one. He found Pouliot at the top of the crease for an easy tap-in. Okposo also earned an assist, giving the three linemates two points each. Seth Griffith's stylish breakaway goal made it 3-1 with 5:24 to go. Sam Reinhart carried into the neutral zone and fed Griffith, who got behind the defense and went top shelf with a backhand for his second of the season. Short-handed breakaway: Raanta had no chance of keeping it 3-1. He stood in his crease and watched Jack Eichel and Evander Kane head toward him on a two-on-zero. The result was predictable. Scandella blocked a shot in the Sabres' zone, and Arizona defenseman Jason Demers wiped out going for the puck. Kane leaped over him, and Eichel joined his winger. Kane fed Eichel in the slot, and the center gave it back to Kane for a tap-in with 13:44 to play. Kane's seventh goal was his third shortie of the season, putting him atop the NHL in the category. Pouliot pours it on: The hundreds of Sabres fans in the announced crowd of 11,477 partied again with 8:48 to play. Arizona defenseman Luke Schenn fell, giving Pouliot a free path to the net. He went top shelf for his second of the night and fourth of the year. Three late: Zac Rinaldo spun away from Ristolainen at the top of the crease and deflected a shot home with 7:49 left, making it 5-2. 1081247 Buffalo Sabres Flying back to Buffalo after games allowed players with wives and children an opportunity to wake up with the family, but sticking around lets players hang out with each other. Sabres Notebook: Baptiste expects more from himself; travel changes Niagara Falls native Adam Clendening just missed a meeting with his under Housley hometown team. Arizona waived the defenseman Thursday. Clendening played in five games for the Coyotes, recording two assists By John Vogl | Published Thu, Nov 2, 2017 and a minus-1 rating. He skated a season-high 19:11 in Tuesday's 5-3 loss in Detroit.

Drafted in the second round by Chicago in 2011, Clendening has played GLENDALE, Ariz. – When last season ended, Nick Baptiste essentially for Chicago, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Edmonton, the Rangers and said it was Buffalo or bust this year. Until this week, the right winger Coyotes during the past four seasons. wasn't with Buffalo. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.03.2017 "I have a lot more to give," Baptiste admitted Thursday. "I've got better in me, just all around in my game." The stark realization came recently in Rochester. He got sent down during training camp after failing to impress in two preseason contests. Then, in the opening five games with the Amerks, he had no points and was minus-3. "I wasn’t working hard enough in my own end," Baptiste said in Gila River Arena. "I was too worried about scoring and getting points and contributing offensively. I got away from playing hard, playing fast." It was a disappointing drop for a guy who felt he proved last year he belonged in Buffalo. "What you think you deserve and what you get are two different things," Sabres coach Phil Housley said before facing the Arizona Coyotes. "I didn't say he had a poor camp. I think the rookie camp he had some good games after a little bit of a slow start, so it's something that he can learn from." The knowledge sank in for Baptiste on Oct. 25. He had one goal, two assists and plus-4 rating against Laval. He scored twice in the rematch two nights later, with both goals coming in the final 1:35 to tie the game and send Rochester toward an overtime victory. He was kept off the score sheet Saturday, but the signs of life earned him a recall for the Sabres' road trip. "The last three games have been better than I started off, but for me it's not really points," the 22-year-old said. "I've got to worry about playing my game well, using my speed, playing hard defensively. I think that's why I got called up. I was playing kind of the right way, and that's what I've got to do." The Sabres have noticed the difference. "Just watching him on film, I think he's getting to the net harder," Housley said. "He's cleaning up some second opportunities, which is good because that's an area of focus that we've had." While the recent success led to Wednesday's recall, it didn't earn Baptiste a spot in the lineup Thursday. The Sabres dressed Matt Moulson in place of injured Justin Bailey, leaving Baptiste to watch. "It's an honor to be back up here," Baptiste said. "This team is where I want to be for my career. I want to be playing in Buffalo, and I want to be playing for the Sabres. I've got to work hard to make that a reality. "I've said this before: I'm not going to come in here and steal someone's job on the top line. I've got to earn my way up. I might start on the fourth line and just work hard and do the little things to help this team win." Housley is proving different from his predecessors in one regard. He's electing to stick around after games. In the past, the Sabres would typically pack up following a game and fly to the next city. Housley elected to stay in Las Vegas after the game Oct. 17, and the team returned to Buffalo on Oct. 18. The Sabres stayed in Arizona on Thursday and were scheduled to fly to Dallas on Friday. After Saturday's game against the Stars, the Sabres are scheduled to sleep in Dallas again. They'll fly home to Buffalo on Sunday. "It's just the sleep part of it," the coach said. "We want to stay over, get the proper sleep and leave the next day. You get into a city at 3:30, 4 a.m., they're not getting the right sleep." Dallas is a two-hour time change from Arizona. The Sabres could have boarded their charter by midnight after facing the Coyotes, but a two-hour flight combined with the time change would have put the Sabres on the ground around 4 a.m. 1081248 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres' Baptiste acknowledges he has more to give

By John Vogl | Published Thu, Nov 2, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. – When last season ended, Nick Baptiste essentially said it was Buffalo or bust this year. Until this week, the right winger wasn't with Buffalo. "I have a lot more to give," Baptiste admitted Thursday. "I've got better in me, just all around in my game." The stark realization came recently in Rochester. He got sent down during training camp after failing to impress in two preseason contests. Then, in the opening five games with the Amerks, he had no points and was minus-3. "I wasn’t working hard enough in my own end," Baptiste said in Gila River Arena. "I was too worried about scoring and getting points and contributing offensively. I got away from playing hard, playing fast." It was a disappointing drop for a guy who felt he proved last year he belonged in Buffalo. After filling the net, Baptiste's next goal is Buffalo "What you think you deserve and what you get are two different things," Sabres coach Phil Housley said before facing the Arizona Coyotes. "I didn't say he had a poor camp. I think the rookie camp he had some good games after a little bit of a slow start, so it's something that he can learn from." The knowledge sank in for Baptiste on Oct. 25. He had one goal, two assists and plus-4 rating against Laval. He scored twice in the rematch two nights later, with both goals coming in the final 1:35 to tie the game and send Rochester toward an overtime victory. He was kept off the score sheet Saturday, but the signs of life earned him a recall for the Sabres' road trip. "The last three games have been better than I started off, but for me it's not really points," the 22-year-old said. "I've got to worry about playing my game well, using my speed, playing hard defensively. I think that's why I got called up. I was playing kind of the right way, and that's what I've got to do." The Sabres have noticed the difference. "Just watching him on film, I think he's getting to the net harder," Housley said. "He's cleaning up some second opportunities, which is good because that's an area of focus that we've had." While the recent success led to Wednesday's recall, it likely won't earn Baptiste a spot in the lineup Thursday. The Sabres are expected to dress Matt Moulson in place of injured Justin Bailey, leaving Baptiste to watch. "It's an honor to be back up here," Baptiste said. "This team is where I want to be for my career. I want to be playing in Buffalo, and I want to be playing for the Sabres. I've got to work hard to make that a reality. "I've said this before: I'm not going to come in here and steal someone's job on the top line. I've got to earn my way up. I might start on the fourth line and just work hard and do the little things to help this team win." Buffalo News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081249 Buffalo Sabres Clendening has played in five games for the Coyotes, recording two assists and a minus-1 rating. He skated a season-high 19:11 in Tuesday's 5-3 loss in Detroit. Five Things to Know as Sabres visit Coyotes Drafted in the second round by Chicago in 2011, Clendening has played for Chicago, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Edmonton, the Rangers and Coyotes during the past four seasons. By John Vogl | Published Thu, Nov 2, 2017 Buffalo News LOADED: 11.03.2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Sabres will have a new look tonight because of injuries and returns to health. Here are Five Things to Know as Buffalo visits the Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m., MSG, ESPN-AM 1520). 1. Justin Bailey is out. The right winger skipped the morning skate because of a lower-body injury, and he'll watch the game from the press box. His absence left the Sabres with the following lines: Evander Kane-Jack Eichel- Benoit Pouliot-Ryan O'Reilly-Kyle Okposo Zemgus Girgensons-Sam Reinhart-Seth Griffith Matt Moulson-Johan Larsson-Jordan Nolan Forward Nick Baptiste rotated in as a member of the fourth line and did extra skating after practice, so he's expected to be the healthy scratch. Moulson is back in after being a healthy scratch for two straight. He has no points and is minus-6 in eight appearances. 2. Justin Falk is in. The defenseman will make his season debut after missing the opening 12 games with a lower-body injury. Falk's goal? "Just remember the foundation of my game and what I bring and do that on a consistent basis," he said in Gila River Arena. "I'm sure I'll use the first few shifts just to get my feet underneath me again, get a few bumps, get bumped and hopefully look to contribute." The defense pairings: Marco Scandella-Rasmus Ristolainen Jake McCabe-Matt Tennyson Falk-Victor Antipin Taylor Fedun did the extra skating with Baptiste and will be the scratch on defense. 3. Coyotes start quickly. Despite their NHL-worst record of 1-11-1, the Coyotes actually jump on teams. They have scored first in nine of their 13 games. "They're a team that plays very aggressive," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "They're going to be desperate. We understand that. Their starts have been terrific. "We're going to have to be ready at the start of the game because they want to establish their forecheck and try to turn pucks over. We've got to be aware of that." The Sabres are 2-2-2 when they score first and 1-5 when the opponent opens the scoring. Road from Cup final has been difficult for Sabres' Housley and Coyotes' Tocchet 4. Robin Lehner and Antti Raanta will be in net. The Sabres are starting Lehner for the second straight game and fourth time in five outings. He is 2-4-1 with a .911 save percentage. The Coyotes' Raanta is playing for the first time since getting hurt Oct. 12. He has missed nine straight. Acquired from the New York Rangers during the offseason, Raanta is 0-1-1 with a .911 save percentage. Mike Harrington: Lehner understands the chatter but keeps blocking it out 5. Coyotes waive Adam Clendening. The Niagara Falls native just can't stick with an NHL club. Arizona waived the defenseman today. 1081250 Calgary Flames Then, five minutes into the second period, Bryan Rust nearly scored on a chance in front, but the puck slid behind Smith along the goalmouth (!), and he was able to smother it. Giordano, Smith star in OT take-down of Crosby, Penguins Shortly after, he made one of those “pull-your-groin” type left-pad saves on a point shot from Letang (the uber-flexible Smith didn’t actually pull his groin, by the way.) KRISTEN ODLAND, POSTMEDIA The ice tilted back in the Flames favour for a portion of the second period when Calgary had three powerplays, two of which were drawn by Johnny Gaudreau and one — near the end of the frame — drawn by Matthew The other day at WinSport, Mike Smith ditched his goalie-standard CCM, Tkachuk. grabbed a player stick and practised his one-timers. Ryan Reaves had thrown Tkachuk into the boards near the Flames’ Guess the Calgary Flames netminder has heard about the team’s bench, and, on the play, the 19-year-old winger looked like he hit his ribs secondary scoring problems too. and exited the game. Reaves was delivered a roughing penalty with 47 seconds left in the second period. And if he wasn’t so busy trying to single-handedly fend off the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night in a 2-1 overtime victory largely dominated As for their penalty kill — which went one-for-one — Gulutzan pointed to by the visitors, the 35-year-old probably would have tried to chip in. Smith again. But, in the end, it was that eventually got the job done “I think as the game went on, too, the way we came back for Smitty is a when Matthew Tkachuk pick-pocketed to set up the big thing for our team. We showed him that we can play with the top Flames captain with 2:19 gone in the extra frame. team. We responded in a positive way, and it’s going to be good for our group moving forward.” The finish was impressive, especially because the Penguins had tied the score 1-1 with 1:12 ticks left in the third period when Patric Hornqvist’s tip Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.03.2017 sent Kris Letang’s shot past a furious Smith. Up until that point, it looked like ’s garbage goal with 4:07 remaining in the final frame was going to stand up as the game-winner. But Smith was the unanimous hero on this night, facing 41 shots in regulation from the defending Stanley Cup champions who, by the way, won 3-2 against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place just 24 hours before. In the end, he made 43 saves on 44 shots. “That was one of the best goalie performances I’ve seen in a long time,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan whose club improved to 7-6-0. “It gives you confidence going into any building … when you know you have a goalie like that, and you’re sitting on the bench playing, there is a sense of assurance that you’ve got a guy in there that’s battling every night. “He’s one of the leagues best goalies, and that’s a big thing.” A large chunk of his stellar play came in the third period — exactly when you’d expect a tired team would drift off. He made a blocker save on off the rush 1:10 into the final stanza, stopped Jake Guentzel on a partial breakaway at the halfway mark and stuck out his blocker again with 5:22 remaining when released a shot while fending off a back-checking Mark Giordano. Pittsburgh was the third straight team that has come into Calgary on the second half of back-to-backs. And, prior to Thursday’s game, the Penguins were 0-4 on the second night this season having been dominated by lopsided scores such as 10-1, 7-1 and 7-1. “Early in the game, ‘G’ was out there for three minutes, I think,” Smith said. “They came at us pretty hard. Obviously we want to clean that up. We want to be better at home. We want to have better starts. “That was a team that hadn’t had much success at back-to-backs. They were hungry to try and get one (Thursday).” That wasn’t the only factor working in Calgary’s favour. They were also facing former the Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Jarry who had a total of one performance before Thursday’s clash. To start the game, the Flames made it easy for him. Capped off by a terrible shift by the Flames’ fourth line, the team spent the entire first five minutes in their own zone, and it went steadily downhill from there. took a tripping penalty and, by the end of the Penguins’ power-play, the shots were 14-3 for the visitors. With very little even- strength pressure on Sidney Crosby & Co., the Flames were eventually out-shot 19-8. “You have no choice,” Smith said. “As a goalie, you’re standing back there, and you can’t really control what happens in front of you. So there’s no sense in worrying about the shot-clock. You just worry about the next save. I know it’s cliche coming from a goalie, but it’s the truth.” Smith seemed to be duelling all night with Carl Hagelin, who had a nice backhand shot on a first-period breakaway that was tossed aside by the Flames goalie. 1081251 Calgary Flames “I loved those moments. I loved playing against Gretzky,” Conroy said prior to Thursday’s puck-drop. “Some nights, it didn’t go well. But, for me, I think you have to relish playing against the best player in the world. You Flames always get positives out of playing against Sidney Crosby know he’s coming to compete. Even though (Crosby) played last night, you know you’re going to get an A game from him and you want to challenge yourself. WES GILBERTSON “You might not learn anything, but you might learn something about yourself. You know, ‘How do I rise when I play these guys?’ ”

ICE CHIPS This seemed like an ideal time to ask a friend for a favour. Flames RW Jaromir Jagr missed a fifth straight contest due to a nagging A big favour. groin injury. The 45-year-old was also a no-go for Thursday’s optional morning skate. “He’s not getting over the hump, so we’re going to shut Three hours up the road in Edmonton, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar down for a day and then see if we can get him to get over that hump,” Sidney Crosby had just hit the deck to dead-end Leon Draisaitl’s attempt Gulutzan explained. “He’s been close the whole time, but we need him to in the final moments, a diving sacrifice that sealed Wednesday’s 3-2 road get over the hump” . . . Flames C/RW Freddie Hamilton cleared waivers victory against the host Oilers. Thursday, but he’s yet to be reassigned to the American Hockey Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan was watching from his couch, League’s . pre-scouting for a clash with Crosby & Co. the next night. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.03.2017 And his extensive list of iPhone contacts just happens to include Penguins skipper Mike Sullivan, his former co-worker in Vancouver. “I was going to text (Sullivan) after the Edmonton game,” Gulutzan said with a grin prior to Thursday’s late date between the Flames and the Penguins at the Saddledome. “Because I saw Sid blocked that shot, right? And I thought it was precaution that he should stay out of the game. “But I held back on that text.” The bench bosses may be buddies, but Sullivan certainly wasn’t going to hold back Sid, no matter how polite the request. And, truth is, Gulutzan figures that facing Crosby would also be beneficial to a Flames squad with so many forwards in their early- to mid-20s — current keys such as Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk and could-be cogs such as , Curtis Lazar and recent call-up Mark Jankowski. “I know Chucky (Tkachuk) made a comment last year about how good he thought Sid was the first time he got to play against him,” Gulutzan said. “Better than he even expected. “Whenever you get young players, that’s their generational player, right? So whenever you get young guys that have their eyes glued to one of the game’s best players, it helps them. They see what they do, and they pick up on that, so I think that’s a good thing. “You learn from watching those guys.” As impressionable up-and-comers, they watched a lot of Crosby. Watched him become the youngest captain in NHL history to hoist the Stanley Cup. Watched him scored the golden goal for Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Watched him claim scoring crowns, twice accept the Hart Trophy and, most recently, bolster his resume with back-to-back championships in the past two springs. (Crosby was feted as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner both times.) And now? As opponents? “The first time, I was watching him quite a bit when I was sitting on the bench,” admitted the 21-year-old Bennett, now in his third NHL campaign. “I mean, he was my favourite player growing up, so it was definitely cool. But as soon as you line up against him, he’s just like any other player. He’s just another guy in your way of scoring or winning the game, so you treat him like anyone else.” That is, of course, easier said than done. “I remember my first game against Gretzky, I did a little too much watching and the puck was in our net,” recalled Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy, who played 1,000-plus games at hockey’s highest level. “(Adam) Graves got a goal, Gretzky got an assist, and Craig got beat. My fault. “But really, who doesn’t want to play against the best player in the world and rise your game up?” In that sense, the opportunity to face a guy like Crosby is less about watch-and-learn and more about making a statement to your own employers. Watch this. 1081252 Calgary Flames “I think it’s tough for any player who would have any teammate who you’ve played with for a year,” said coach Glen Gulutzan of the situation.

“I’ve coached brothers before — Jamie and Jordie Benn in Dallas and Rich Sutter knows what Flames' Hamilton brothers are going through Henrik and Daniel (Sedin) — there’s a closer bond there for sure. But at the end of the day these guys all know it’s a business and these things happen.” ERIC FRANCIS Still, Gulutzan had chats with both brothers when the waiver process was initiated. Rich Sutter knows a thing or two about what Dougie and Freddie “I talked to Freddie and Dougie like I talk to any player whenever we do Hamilton are going through. transactions like this — you explain why and move forward,” said Gulutzan. Well … sort of. “This happens in the league all the time — guys go on waivers and aren’t Having played several of his 14 season in the NHL alongside his twin, claimed, and he’s still here. Dougie practiced well today and was Ron, and older brother Brent, Sutter is well-versed in the perils and laughing on the ice.” heartache that come with the comfort and excitement of playing in the NHL alongside a sibling. Sutter, who is an expert on the subject by virtue of having five brothers playing in the league with him, said the status of a sibling weighs on you “In my second year in Philadelphia, Mike Keenan told Ronnie, ‘if you no matter how seasoned a veteran you are. don’t pick it up your brother is sitting out next time, not you,’” chuckled Sutter, now a Flames analyst with Sportsnet. “I cherish those times (when playing with a brother) – you never know how long it will last,” said Sutter. “Ronnie came out of the meeting and said, ‘you’re not going to believe what I just got told.’ After he told me, I said, ‘I guess you know what you “I know what he’s going through. I’m sure it’s hard for him. better be doing tomorrow.’” “I feel for him, but this is business. This is how the world turns. We’re all Pick it up, bro. big boys playing a big boys’ game.” The situation the Hamiltons find themselves in this week is different than Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.03.2017 the Sutter situation, but both illustrate the complications of suiting up alongside a brother. Freddie Hamilton, an extra Flames forward most of his time in Calgary, was put on waivers by the club Wednesday, opening up the possibility Dougie could lose his brother/best friend/roommate in one fell swoop. None of the other 30 teams claimed Freddie by Thursday’s 10 a.m. deadline, but the door is now ajar for the Flames to send him to the Stockton Heat anytime in the next 10 games or 30 days. As tough as that has been on Freddie, Dougie is the one charged with potentially soldiering on without his brother for the first time the last two seasons. “It’s obviously nice to be together,” said Dougie, 24, unsure quite how to react to it all. “It’s our dream to play in the NHL together so, I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.” It’s anticipated Freddie will be sent packing once Jaromir Jagr returns from a groin injury. That might not be as soon as previously thought as Jagr appears to have had a setback, missing Thursday’s morning skate with the team. Between now and then plenty can happen, which doesn’t make it any easier for anyone, including 25-year-old Freddie who participated Thursday night’s pre-game skate before being a healthy scratch for the 68th time in 96 outings the last two seasons. “I don’t know really what to say — I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Dougie, who played well in a shutdown role against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 overtime win over Pittsburgh Thursday. “I know as much as you guys.” Speculation has long revolved around the brothers being a package deal in an effort to ensure the talented defenceman is as much as home off the ice as on it. Fans have long clamored to have Freddie demoted to make way for emerging talents like Mark Jankowski, which only adds to the noise surrounding the situation. “It doesn’t matter what people say, it’s what you believe,” said Dougie, who has a goal and five helpers so far this season. “There’s always other people talking about different stuff and as long as you believe what you believe that’s the most important thing.” No doubt he wants to believe Freddie will be here until the end of the season when his contract expires. If not, he’ll have to endure alone as he’s counted on as a key piece to the Flames top defensive pairing moving forward. 1081253 Calgary Flames “The most important thing through all of this, outside of what everybody wants to write as the storyline, is (Freddie) needs to play. He needs to get some game action,” Gulutzan said. “When, of the last 94 games, you With Freddie Hamilton on waivers, Flames could split siblings only play 24 or whatever it is, that’s not enough hockey at 10 minutes a night. We think he’s a big part of our team. We think he was last year. We’d like him to be a bigger part, but some of that is to play. Wes Gilbertson November 2, 2017 “This is no different than if we have any other young player … If they’re sitting too long, they need to get going and playing. Is there a business side of it because of waivers? Certainly. But the reality is, in my feeling, he needs to get some game action. With our numbers, we need to get The Calgary Flames made a move to potentially clear their forward him playing.” logjam Wednesday, exposing Freddie Hamilton on the waiver-wire. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.03.2017 The 25-year-old is the Flames’ most seldom-used skater, scratched for 10 of 12 dates so far this fall. But he’s also Dougie’s older brother, his roommate and often the guy behind the wheel on their commute to the Saddledome. It’s certainly fair to wonder how any transaction might impact the first- pairing defenceman. “We’re hoping that Freddie doesn’t get claimed,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan after Wednesday’s practice at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre. “We’re going to have roster issues once everybody is healthy, but a lot can happen from now ’til then. “But they’re independent of each other. We’ve really liked the way Dougie has played the last three games, and we don’t expect it to change. And Dougie is a great pro, so I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue. We’ll see what happens after 24 hours … see where we’re at.” wasn’t available to the media Wednesday, sticking with a long-standing team policy that players don’t comment on waivers during the 24-hour flux period. The 24-year-old blueliner can expect to be quizzed by reporters after Thursday’s morning skate at the Saddledome, where the Flames welcome Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan). Unless, of course, his brother is still seated several stalls over. There is, after all, no certainty that Freddie Hamilton — with one assist and a plus-1 rating in his two taps so far this season — will be a goner Thursday. If he clears waivers, he’s eligible to be assigned to the ’s Stockton Heat. But since legendary right-winger Jaromir Jagr isn’t ready to roll just yet, the Flames don’t need to immediately free up a roster spot. “He’s still day-to-day,” Gulutzan said of Jagr, who has been stashed on injured reserve for the past four games with what is believed to be a sore groin. “He felt good (Tuesday), and he felt pretty good (Wednesday). But he’s just not quite there yet. He’s just not ready.” One thing that does seem certain is centre Mark Jankowski will stick around. At least for now. The 23-year-old Jankowski was summoned from Stockton when Jagr was injured, and although he doesn’t require waivers to be demoted, Wednesday’s news is a good indication that he isn’t going anywhere. “Every day, you get a little more comfortable when you’re coming to the rink and just around the guys in the locker-room and on the ice,” Jankowski said. “You feel a little more comfortable but, at the same time, you don’t want to get complacent and you don’t want to lose that edge. “I still have to keep that same mindset of just focus on what I can control and the rest will work itself out. If I’m playing my hardest and I’m playing well, I think the rest will work itself out.” As soon as Thursday, Jankowski’s ascent from long-term project to American Hockey League all-star to ready-for-primetime pivot could cost Freddie Hamilton his job in Calgary. Any guy who clears waivers is eligible to be assigned to the minors, without being re-exposed to the NHL’s take-it-or-leave-it bin, for a span of 10 games or 30 days. Although Freddie has been limited to just 28 appearances with the Flames dating back to the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Gulutzan didn’t give the impression Wednesday that this would be a case of Dougie saying goodbye to his brother and not seeing him again until summer. Unless, that is, he is claimed. 1081254 Calgary Flames Currently, Bennett is off to a dreadful offensive start — zero points — and has been shifted to the wing (even if the Flames see his role long-term as a centre). At some point, and it might be risky at this juncture, they may Duhatschek: How Johnny Gaudreau got his groove back need to split up Monahan and Gaudreau to see if Bennett and Gaudreau can’t figure out a way to become an effective pair. Gaudreau seems to have the ability to lift the players he plays with to new heights and adapt to whoever the coach puts him with. But he says it’s not as easy as it Eric Duhatschek looks. “It’s not just plugging people in,” Gaudreau said. “You gotta learn about the different players you play with. Getting to know them a little bit on the There is a lightness to Johnny Gaudreau’s step these days that is ice, getting to know their tendencies, practicing with them a little bit so distinctly different from the Gaudreau that muddled through a difficult first you can learn the different characteristics of each player. That helps on month last year. the ice.” Then: Gaudreau was coming off a training camp holdout that ended A year ago, the Flames had an almost identical record after 12 games – when he signed a contract extension with the Calgary Flames just days 5-6-1 – but proceeded to lose four in a row, before eventually turning it before the regular season began. But by missing camp, Gaudreau also around and qualifying for the playoffs. This year, Gaudreau believes they missed orientation with the new teacher, Glen Gulutzan, who’d stepped need to get it going sooner. With five more games to go in this in to replace Bob Hartley as the team’s coach. His regular centre, Sean homestand, there is no time like the present to get it going, even if it is Monahan, missed time with an injury and wasn’t right himself. For Pittsburgh, a team’s struggled in the second night of back-to-backs this Gaudreau, the entire experience – of negotiating a contract without really season. wanting to get too involved in the business of hockey – was unsettling. Gaudreau will freely admit that he is first, last and always just interested “We’ve done some good things,” Gaudreau said, “especially in a couple in playing hockey, and acknowledged that when the standoff ended last of the games we’ve lost, where I think we could have easily found ways year, it was on his instructions to his agent: that he didn’t want to miss to win those games. It’s not the record we want, but there’s lots of room any time in the regular season. Eventually, Gaudreau got it going and his for improvement. It’s a long season – and we just have to keep building.” scoring total – 61 points – was respectable on a team that started to win when eventually he found his groove. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 But this year, a little bit of the old Gaudreau verve and pop has been evident in his play – and in his production. The Flames are just 6-6 to start the season, but without Gaudreau’s scoring or Mike Smith’s goaltending, it could be far worse. Gaudreau entered Thursday’s game against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, with 15 points. Calgary has just 27 goals in all, meaning Gaudreau has been involved in 55.6 percent of the team’s offence this season. No NHL player has been involved in more. The only other one over 50 percent is the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid. “What I’ve really noticed over the last five-to-seven games is his commitment to playing both sides of the puck,” Gulutzan said. “He’s a real coachable player for a guy who’s top-10, fifth or fourth, in scoring. He wants to be better. He wants to be good defensively. He wants to play at the end of games, win or lose, up or down. When you have a player that coachable, I can’t compare starts last year to this year, but you know what? He’s really dialed in to what we’re doing here.” Gaudreau isn’t much given to small talk, or idle chatter. The other day, he mentioned that he’s more of a Christmas than a Halloween guy, and when the Flames gathered for a team dinner/party, he kept his costume pretty simple – pirate hat and dreadlocks and that was about it. But there’s no disguising what he’s meant to a team getting virtually no scoring from the bottom half of its roster. The gloom has lifted, the indecision has disappeared. “I wouldn’t argue with you,” Gulutzan said. “I think last year, the first couple of months … Johnny’s a very passionate guy. He’s a very personable guy. He really cares about people. To go through his first negotiation, where there was a bit of a standoff for a while, I think that did affect a player who cares so deeply about things. That’s past him now and now you’re seeing the real guy again, right?” Gaudreau had a successful World Cup last season, playing for the North American young guns team, but whatever readiness he had to start the year was lost when he went home after the tournament ended and just killed time until the contract was finalized. “It was definitely difficult coming in at the start of last season, not knowing the new system, not knowing the new coaching staff,” Gaudreau acknowledged. “But a full season with that and then coming to training camp this year obviously got me ready for the start of the season. I thought I had a good training camp and it just kept building from there and it carried over into the season. “Last year, I was having chances and didn’t find the net. This year, pucks are going in – and I guess that’s really all you can ask for.” So far this year, there’s been a revolving cast of wingers to flesh out the Monahan-Gaudreau line – mostly , but sometimes Jaromir Jagr, sometimes Troy Brouwer. In the exhibition season, when Monahan had a night off to recover from a minor injury, Gulutzan played Gaudreau with Sam Bennett and Bennett had his most effective outing of the fall. Way back in the Hartley days, the pair had a regular linemate – Jiri Hudler, where the chemistry was excellent, even if the make-up of the line, two small wingers flanking a tall centre, generally goes against how coaches like to draw up lines on paper. 1081255 Chicago Blackhawks

Cody Franson adds some muscle to Blackhawks power play

Paul Skrbina

Declining penalties in the NHL isn’t an option, though lately the Blackhawks might have wished it were. The team with “One Goal” as its mantra couldn’t muster even that many in 17 power-play chances before Artem Anisimov broke that 0-for spell with a putback for the first of two Blackhawks goals in a shutout victory Wednesday against the Flyers. “It’s simple, that play — pass, shoot, rebound,” Anisimov said with a smile after rebounding Cody Franson’s shot and easily sneaking it past Flyers goalie Brian Elliott with 11 minutes, 2 seconds left in the second period. “Easy. Simple.” How the Blackhawks, who through Wednesday led the league in power- play chances with 59 but were tied with the Red Wings for fifth-worst in converting them at 13.5 percent, arrived at that point was anything but. Coach Joel Quenneville turned to a defenseman, Franson, to try to generate some offense on the absent power play. Franson was playing in just his fourth game of the season Wednesday after spending the first 12 as a healthy scratch. With left-handed defenseman Gustav Forsling out Wednesday with an upper-body injury, Quenneville paired Franson with Duncan Keith. “I’ve been fortunate to play in top pairings with some great players, but Duncs is a special individual,” Franson said. “Playing against top-end guys like that with him slows things down. I thought it worked pretty well.” Franson, who praised the skill of the team’s power play and attributed the unproductive stretch to some back luck, has tried to make the most of his newfound time on the ice. “When you go an extended period of time without getting one, it tends to snowball on you. You start really analyzing things and questioning what you’re doing — ‘Is this why we’re not getting it? Is that why we’re not getting it?’ “Sometimes it’s just a simple shot with a rebound and one goes in and everything’s good again.” One goal doesn’t remedy the ills that accompany having just two in a team’s previous 25 power-play opportunities, though the sense of relief after Wednesday was palpable. And a lot of it has to do with Franson, a player with his fifth team in nine seasons who has yet to score but boasts three assists in his brief chance with the Hawks. “He’s got such a strong shot, but he’s (done) so well moving across, being in the right areas to alleviate the pressure as well,” said captain , who scored on a breakaway 20 seconds after Anisimov and Franson put the Hawks up 1-0. “He’s been a good puck mover. You can tell he’s confident on the power play. That shot makes him dangerous and makes everyone better out there.” From the sound of it, Franson will be out there a lot more. “His quickness is pretty amazing … he’s been good for the power play,” Quenneville said. “We like what we’re seeing.” And Franson likes what he’s feeling, especially after helping the Blackhawks break the dry spell on the power play. “Probably a little more relief,” he said. “Any time you can get that weight lifted, there’s definitely some happiness that goes with that. “The power play has been something that has been talked about a lot. We knew this needed to happen for us. Luckily we got a shot.” Luckily for the Blackhawks, Franson finally got his shot too. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081256 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks defensemen need to go on the offensive

Mark Lazerus

Back in the Czech Republic, Jan Rutta was something of a cheater. Oh, he wasn’t breaking any rules or anything, but he regularly abandoned the safety of his post at the point and pinched deep into the offensive zone to support forwards on the cycle, to get off higher-percentage shots, to create more offense. He did it because he knew he could get away with it. “In Czech, if I pinched and the forwards got the puck behind me, I usually could just skate back and catch them,” Rutta said. “But here, everyone’s faster. You’ve just got to read the plays a little bit faster and sometimes, you just have to leave your forwards and get back.” This is the dilemma that has faced the Blackhawks defensemen throughout the first 13 games of the season. As a unit, the Hawks simply don’t have the speed to keep up with opposing forwards. Other than Duncan Keith and perhaps Gustav Forsling, the Hawks defensemen are better at delivering big hits and blasting big shots than they are at winning foot races. As a result, the defensemen haven’t been jumping in the rush or diving deep into the offensive zone nearly as much as in recent seasons. Instead of activating the offense, they’ve been playing it safe — hanging back near the blue line, and often retreating to the neutral zone early to get ahead of an anticipated rush. “I still think that’s something we can add to our team game,” Joel Quenneville said. “We’re so much more dangerous off the rush, or more active in the zone [when] the ‘D’ get active. … To get offense in our game, it can’t come from just the forwards, because everyone checks five guys low. We need to [chip in] there to get a little more offense from the back end.” In the first three games, of the season, when the Hawks offense was really clicking, defensemen accounted for three goals and 10 assists. In the 10 games since, they’ve posted no goals and just 15 assists. Not coincidentally, the Hawks’ goals-per-game in that span has dropped from 6.0 to 2.3 goals per game in that span. The unfortunate hallmark of the offense in those 10 games has been one-and-done possessions. There’s been little cycling, little sustained offense, few rebounds corralled, few repeated shots on goal. A more active defense, with all five players engaging the five opposing players, could remedy that. But Jonathan Toews said it’s a two-way street. “Sometimes it’s even having forwards higher in the zone, so that [defensemen] can pinch down the wall [without] giving up too many odd- man rushes back the other way,” Toews said. “A lot of that comes from our forecheck. And if we’re getting shots on net, we’ve got to be on the puck and we’ve got to give each other outs on the weak side of the ice to try and get ourselves some time and space with the puck. We’ve been one-and-done, so it seems like it’s been too easy for teams to break out against us.” Connor Murphy — like and Cody Franson, in particular — isn’t the most fleet-of-foot defenseman. But he said speed isn’t so much the issue as timing. If the defensemen move the puck quickly up to the forwards with immediate hard passes, as Quenneville’s system demands, then the defensemen can join that second wave after the forwards fly through the neutral zone. Then it’s all about picking your spots to pinch. It’s a risk/reward decision, and if the Hawks want to be rewarded more often, they’re going to have to start taking more risks. “It’s something that puts a team on their heels,” Murphy said. “If you think that way, that there might be a guy behind you and that you’re going to get beat going the other way, it’s going to happen. But if you have an aggressive mindset that you’re going to be the one beating guys up the ice and getting chances, then that’ll happen and you’ll have more offensive-zone time. And that’s what we need.” Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081257 Chicago Blackhawks

Getting to know new Blackhawks forwards DeBrincat, Bouma

Staff

Our series on the eight new Blackhawks continues today with forwards Lance Bouma and Alex DeBrincat. The Hawks signed Bouma to a one-year deal in the off-season to give the team more grit and attitude. He has delivered plenty of that and is a big part of what Joel Quenneville calls "the energy line." Bouma, who has dished out 770 hits in 316 NHL games, is easy to talk to and much different off ice than he is on it … as you'll see. DeBrincat is the 19-year-old phenom who tore up the OHL for three seasons. He impressed so much during training camp that coaches had to keep him. While DeBrincat is quiet, he's almost always smiling and seems to be enjoying the first months of what the Hawks hope is a long and successful NHL career. The ins and outs of Lance Bouma:From: Provost, Alberta Started playing when he was: 4 years old How you got started: "Well, my brother's team didn't have enough players. So that's basically how I got started. He asked me to play and I jumped all over it." Favorite hockey memory: First game in the NHL. "It was just a really cool experience. I had a bunch of family there. A dream come true." You seem so low key in the locker room. Do you have a switch that turns on at game time? "I think a lot of guys do. For me, yeah, I'm mostly easy- going off the ice, but when I get on the ice I'm a little bit different. It doesn't take much to get me going and get me a little fired up." Favorite movie: Step Brothers. Favorite food: Steak Favorite music: "I'm pretty spread out. I listen to a little bit of everything. Country, hip hop, rap." Team you grew up rooting for: Edmonton Oilers Favorite player growing up: Steve Yzerman. Most mischievous thing you did as a kid: "I lived in the country growing up, so we'd always be out there doing stuff. We had BB guns, things like that. A lot of times we'd shoot the wrong birds maybe (laughs). My mom would just get mad at us because we'd shoot the birds that she liked around the yard. They were nice birds so she'd get mad at that." The ins and outs of Alex DeBrincat:Started playing when he was: 4 years old Who inspired you: His brother Favorite hockey memory: Winning the OHL championship last year. "It's hard to explain. We won in overtime and so there was a lot of excitement there. It's hard to put into words." Favorite food: Sushi Favorite movies: Miracle and Mighty Ducks Favorite music: Country Team you grew up rooting for: Detroit Red Wings Favorite player growing up: Steve Yzerman and Pavel Datsyuk. "(Yzerman) was the guy in Detroit. He was the leader and brought them to a few Stanley Cups. I just like watching him play." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081258 Chicago Blackhawks

Meet the new Chicago Blackhawks: Tommy Wingels

Staff

Our series on the eight new Blackhawks continues today with Tommy Wingels, who signed a one-year deal in the off-season so he could play for the team he grew up rooting for as a kid. Wingels is a no-nonsense player who knows exactly what the team has stood for since John McDonough took over 10 years ago. "If you want to join a team that has the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup, this is the place to do it," Wingels said on the first day of training camp. "The guys in this locker room believe it. The guys in this organization believe it. The coaches believe it. And anything but a championship is a failure. "As a player, that's the only reason to play this game. That's why I play this game." The 29-year-old Wingels, a Wilmette native, spent most of his career playing with San Jose and has 54 goals in 383 games. The ins and outs of Tommy Wingels Started playing when he was: 4 years old How he got started: "I started figure skating at Centennial Ice Arena in Willmette, and there was hockey in the other arena. I came home one day and said, 'I want to try that.' " Favorite hockey memory: Making the Stanley Cup Final with San Jose in 2016. "Yeah, we lost, but it was an incredible experience. It's what every player plays for. To have the whole world watching your series is pretty fun, so hopefully we can do that again." Favorite movie: Caddyshack Favorite food: Sushi Favorite music: "Whatever's on the radio works for me." Team you grew up rooting for: Blackhawks Favorite player growing up: Steve Yzerman. "He was a competitive guy, a great leader. Just a fun guy to watch." How big of a fan were you of the Hawks growing up? "You have to be. Growing up, you go through the ranks of your local organizations playing hockey, and moving on throughout the levels, but the one thing in the city of Chicago was Blackhawks hockey. "And most kids now -- now more than ever -- think they're going to play in the NHL, and everyone wants to play with the Chicago Blackhawks. … When you have the opportunity to play for the team you grew up dreaming about and all your friends and family back home watch on a daily basis, it's just an opportunity that's too good to be true." On watching the Hawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010: "I was in my apartment downtown and they won. I was with San Jose at the time, so there's different emotions going through your head because you want your team and your organization to win. But you could hear the noise in the streets and the people celebrating in the city. It wasn't just here at the UC. "It was people in their rooms watching, people in the bars spilling into the streets. That kind of set the tone. I think when you saw the Cubs win (in 2016), they followed the path of what the Blackhawks and the fans had done celebrating in the streets. It was fun to see." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081259 Chicago Blackhawks

Crawford again showing his worth to Chicago Blackhawks

John Dietz

Thank God for Corey Crawford. That's pretty much how the Chicago Blackhawks felt after watching the veteran goaltender turn away 35 shots -- some of which almost defied gravity to stay out of the net -- in a 3-0 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday. "I always knew he was a good goalie," said veteran defenseman Cody Franson, playing in just his fourth game this season. "But until you actually play in front of him, you don't realize how good he is." Hawks fans have been lucky enough to witness Crawford's brilliance through two -- and almost three -- impressive Stanley Cup runs. Now in his eighth full season as a starter, Crawford not only shows no signs of slowing down, but he's actually improving with age. "He's one of those guys that people don't necessarily talk about when they talk about (Carey) Price and (Jonathan) Quick," Franson said of the Canadiens' and Kings' goaltenders. "But I think he's up there with those guys. … "He makes big saves at big times; he handles the puck as well as any of them. He's very sound positionally, and he's a great teammate. He's a character guy." Crawford's numbers this season (.941 save percentage, 1.91 goals- against average) paint a rather gorgeous picture. But the Picasso isn't complete unless you've seen him in action. As we know, not every save is created equal, and there were plenty of doozies Wednesday. The most impressive came when Crawford somehow got his left leg in the way of a Valtteri Filppula wraparound attempt in the first period. The puck somersaulted over Crawford's body and landed in the crease. Fortunately for the Hawks, Franson was there instead of a Flyer, and he swept the puck out of harm's way. These Grade-A chances, though, continue to happen far too often. Why? Mostly it boils down to players losing track of their responsibilities or getting beat down ice. In addition to Filppula's golden opportunity, the Flyers also enjoyed a 3- on-1 break when two Hawks were slow to react, a breakaway when Michal Kempny failed to keep up with his man, and a middle-of-the-zone shot when Nick Schmaltz didn't cover a late man entering the offensive zone. And those were just the first-period meltdowns. None of this was lost on coach Joel Quenneville afterward. "We can still be better defending the rush," he said. "That was the area of concern. … "I still think we can defend better, which can enhance our offense." That certainly would be a nice change for Crawford. If almost any other goalie was in net Wednesday, the Hawks easily could have been trailing 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0 by the time Artem Anisimov snapped an 0-for-18 power- play drought midway through the second period to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. "He was good," said Flyers coach Dave Hakstol of Crawford. "There's nights where you have good opportunities and you're letting the goaltender see the puck and you make it an easy night. I didn't think that was the case tonight. … "Third period, we had seven or eight really good scoring chances. We didn't have anything to show for it, and you've got to give him credit for that." Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081260 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks adjust quickly to switching sides: 'It’s just a little weird'

By Tracey Myers

Patrick Sharp got his position-switching indoctrination when he first joined the Blackhawks. “Going back to when Savy was coaching, he played me at all three positions nightly,” Sharp said of former Blackhawks coach Denis Savard. “So I got used to bouncing around quite a bit.” The Blackhawks are like any other team: they’d love to play guys at their most comfortable spots at all times. But sometimes you need to be a little creative. Perhaps cap issues have left you with a lack of depth at a position. Maybe your overall game is off and shaking things up may have an effect. Whatever the reasons players have to be ready to switch to their off side – or their comfortable side – depending on needs. Players adjust accordingly. “The biggest thing is probably taking pucks on different sides and the breakouts. On the off wing you’re more on the backhand and on the strong side you’re getting more pucks on your forehand, so it’s a little easier coming out,” said Nick Schmaltz, who’s back at his familiar center after playing on the wing last season. “But I think it’s a different look coming into the zone as well; when you’re on your off wing you can cut to the middle and it’ll be on your forehand. But everyone on our team’s pretty high skilled player. It’s a quick adjustment, maybe just take one or two shifts to adjust a little bit.” Alex DeBrincat has played most of his Blackhawks games at right wing but was moved back to the left side for their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. DeBrincat played right wing his first season with the Erie Otters but was mainly a left wing his final two years there. He admits the left feels better. “It’s easier for me entering the zone if I’m on my left side. That’s the biggest change. But that’ll be easier for me and hopefully I can make some more plays,” said DeBrincat, who scored an empty-net goal on Wednesday. “I mean it doesn’t matter that much. But for me, this side’s going to let me get more shots and let me have a quick release. Those are two things I’ve done in the past and I need to find at this level.” Jan Rutta is on the other side of that equation. The defenseman has played the right side all but a handful of times, but coach Joel Quenneville put Rutta on the left late in the Blackhawks’ loss to Colorado last weekend. “It’s just a little weird to be on the left side. The angles are a little bit different,” Rutta said prior to Wednesday’s game. “I wasn’t skating on the left very much but after two practices I felt more comfortable there.” Different? Sure. But Rutta’s ability to adapt quickly, coupled with Gustav Forsling’s upper-body injury, left Quenneville looking for an option. Quenneville said there were a few adjustments defensemen have to make playing their off sides. “Sometimes there are some blind spots and you get more familiar coming out of your corner coverage to the net: loose pucks off shots, turning and you have to adapt to seeing the play in front of you,” said Quenneville, who’s been happy with Rutta’s work on the left. “Turning into pucks coming down the ice, you’re familiar going to your left or right. The other way, it’s a different turn. But I think his quickness can help alleviate those type of challenges.” Players would probably prefer to stay where they’re most comfortable. But if necessary, they’re able to figure it out pretty quickly. “When you’re playing hockey and making plays, it’s out of your mind,” Sharp said. “Sometimes you gotta remind yourself when you’re lining up for a faceoff, you’re just on autopilot sometimes and go to your natural spot. There are positives and advantages to playing either side. You just have to get the experience doing it.” Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081261 Chicago Blackhawks

Ranking all 15 Western Conference coaching staffs in tiers

Rob Vollman Special to ESPN.com

As projected, an experienced and accomplished new coaching staff helped the Minnesota Wild vault up the standings from 87 points in 2015- 16 to a franchise record 106 points in 2016-17. And, so far in 2017-18, the Vegas Golden Knights are demonstrating the wisdom of filling coaching vacancies with proven names. Using a methodology introduced for the 2009-10 season, and explained in more detail in our 2015-16 edition, it is possible to objectively measure the experience and past success of each team's coaching staff at a high level. How do things shape up for the 2017-18 season in the Western Conference? We'll examine those 15 teams here and place each staff into a specific tier: Tier 1: Accomplished Tier 2: Experienced Tier 3: Balanced Tier 4: Inexperienced or underachieving ESPNChicago.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081262 Colorado Avalanche “Ultimately, it comes down to us getting to our game early and sticking with it,” Bednar said. “In the games that we’ve won, especially through the first 40 minutes, we’ve been really good. And if the other team poured Semyon Varlamov sets an Avalanche record and Colorado reaches a it on a little bit, we did enough to survive when we defend a lead.” mark it hasn’t seen in more than a year Denver Post: LOADED: 11.03.2017

By NICK GROKE | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017

It took just 55 seconds for a puck to sneak past Semyon Varlamov on Thursday night, a weasel of a first shot that poked under his armpit off the stick of a Carolina shooter. It did nothing to dissuade the veteran Avalanche goaltender from reaching a record. Varlamov dominated over the next 59 minutes, stopping 57 shots in the Avs’ 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. The Russian set a career-high and an Avalanche regular season record — not since Ron Tugnutt stopped 70 shots for the Nordiques in 1991 at the Boston Garden against the Bruins has this franchise seen a three-period performance to match Varlamov’s output at the Pepsi Center. “He was phenomenal from start to finish,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. After a long, four-day layoff, the Avs also found the feel of another winning streak. Colorado (7-5-0), outworked in its own zone as Carolina put up 60 shots, won a second consecutive game and moved two games above .500 for the first time in more than a year. They are 5-1 in Denver. Boxscore: Colorado 5, Carolina 3 The last time the Avs were this far on the bright side of even was Oct. 20, 2016, when a 4-0 win at Tampa Bay moved them to a 3-1 record. Two weeks later, they fell below .500 and never again had a winning record on their way to the worst mark in the NHL. “It’s always easy to play with a lead,” Varlamov said. After the early goal against him, he never saw another deficit. Against a pesky Carolina team that keeps its form like a flock of geese, the Avs got goals from a second-line defenseman, Patrik Nemeth, and third-line forwards Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau, along with tallies from captain Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. They picked apart Carolina goalie Cam Ward with a high success rate — five goals on just 27 shots. Last week, Varlamov was on net in the Avs’ ugly 7-0 loss at Las Vegas against the expansion Golden Knights. “That was a tough game mentally,” he said. “There are no easy games in the NHL. You have to bounce back.” Varlamov’s defense did him no favors. Before Carolina’s Derek Ryan mucked in a goal from in front of the net late in the second period, four Avs skaters stood in front of him with no muscle on the shooter. They did not check Ryan because three were facing the net. Nemeth’s goal for Colorado midway through the first period gave Varlamov some breathing room. With the Avs’ fourth line on the ice, Nail Yakupov grinded the puck out from behind Carolina’s net, pushing a pass to Nemeth behind the right circle. His one-time slap shot flew right by Ward for a 2-1 lead. But Anton Lindholm poked a weak clearing attempt from Colorado’s zone with less than five minutes remaining in the first and Canes winger Elias Lindhold slammed home a goal to tie the score. The Avs could not break free. Until the second period, when Comeau, Landeskog and Rantanen scored within four minutes. The second two goals were keyed by a fight. Colorado’s A.J. Greer slammed Carolina’s Justin Faulk into the glass, head-first. No penalties came from the scrum. But the Avs were jazzed. Nathan MacKinnon drove the net and Ward blocked his shot. Landeskog swooped in a rebound on their third try for a 4-2 lead. Carolina coach protested the goal, saying the sequence started offside, but his challenge failed and the Canes were penalized with a delay of game. It set up Rantanen’s easy tip-in goal off MacKinnon’s cross-ice pass. Like butter. Through one month of what they hope is a turnaround season, the Avs have settled into a pattern in their victories: Score early and often, then bunker down behind Varlamov to weather a late barrage. It worked again, even if they skirted with danger. They might not have the feel of a juggernaut, but the Avs are poking at success. 1081263 Colorado Avalanche

Avs coach Jared Bednar sees a “different team” behind closed doors; Nikita Zadorov remains scratched

By NICK GROKE | November 2, 2017 at 8:05 PM

Jared Bednar stands convinced his Avalanche team is a starkly distinct than the squad that landed in the NHL’s dregs last season. Colorado’s coach has seen it behind closed doors. After a disgusting 7-0 loss at Las Vegas last Friday against the expansion Golden Knights, captain Gabriel Landeskog called a team meeting to hash out their issues. The Avs have no room to mail in an effort. If Colorado wants to follow up a last-place season with a return to the playoffs, it will happen by grinding out every game. The meeting, it seems, had some effect. The next night, the Avs ran past the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3. “The way you respond after losses, it’s more important,” Bednar said. “Our leadership group had a lot to do with it. In my time here, our leadership has taken some hits. ‘Are they capable of leading their team?’ And this and that. I can’t look past last year, we weren’t good enough at it last year as a coaching staff or leadership group. “But this team feels different to me,” Bednar said. The Avs entered November a game above even, but they had the same mark last year before it all fell apart and Colorado finished 22-56-4, the worst mark in the league. How they nip off a losing skid before it becomes a disease will be key to their turnaround this season. “With Landy especially, and some of the other leaders, the way they handled that loss and what they were saying, how they got the group together, says a lot about us trying to turn the page and be a different group,” Bednar said. “I have to give them credit.” Veteran center Matt Duchene, though, is not ready to claim success. This is an Avs team that scored 34 goals and allowed 34 through 11 games, a neat definition of average. “You can’t lose 7-0 and then come around the next night and win 6-3,” Duchene said. “That shows the vastness of our game right now, when we’re on and when we’re not. You don’t make the playoffs one game over .500.” Extended stay. Bednar on Thursday kept 22-year-old defenseman Nikita Zadorov in the doghouse after benching him following that blowout loss to Vegas. The coach made Zadorov a healthy scratch again against Carolina, along with fellow blue-liner Chris Bigras. Bednar instead used the same lines he showed against Chicago. The Avs, Duchene said, are looking for carry-over from win to win. “Consistency is the biggest thing for us right now,” Duchene said. “We show what we can do sometimes, then we show what we are when we’re not all in the same direction. We’re not the type of team that can have two or three guys take the night off and still win. “If everyone is going, we’re a good team. If everybody is not, then it’s not good. If we can find that consistency, we’ll be a good team.” Denver Post: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081264 Colorado Avalanche

DU hockey: Young defenseman Ian Mitchell replacing Will Butcher at the point

By MIKE CHAMBERS | November 2, 2017 at 5:54 PM

Cale Makar and Ian Mitchell were the top NHL draft-eligible defensemen in the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season. They became the first two AJHL players selected in the 2017 draft, with Makar going to the Avalanche in the first round (No. 4 overall) and Mitchell to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second (57th). The former junior-A rivals — Makar played for the Brooks Bandits outside Calgary, Mitchell with the Spruce Grove Saints near Edmonton — now have college hockey and Colorado in common. Makar, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, could play for the Avs as soon as next season. And Mitchell is a freshman at the University of Denver. Makar and Mitchell played for Canada West at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alberta. “We’ve developed a friendship, having played with each other,” Mitchell said of Makar. “Getting to know him was cool. Obviously, he’s an elite talent. The Avalanche are lucky to have him.” Makar and Mitchell are both 5-foot-11, right-shooting speedsters with dynamic offensive skills. At DU, Mitchell has quarterbacked the No. 1 power play with some of the country’s best forwards in Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell since opening night. Mitchell, 18, is still looking for his first NCAA goal but has contributed four assists for the top-ranked and defending national champions (4-0-2), who begin National Collegiate Hockey Conference play this weekend with a two- game series at Western Michigan (3-3-1). “His instincts are really, really good and what he’s done already has surpassed where we expected him to be at right now,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said of Mitchell, the team’s second-youngest player. “In the first couple games he just wanted to pass the puck to the other guys on the power play. And why wouldn’t you want to just pass the puck to Terry, Borgstrom or Gambrell? But now he’s playing with them.” Mitchellhas essentially replaced defenseman Will Butcher, the 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner now playing for the New Jersey Devils, on what could be the NCAA’s most dangerous power play. “Monty’s put me there and I’ve tried to run with it,” Mitchell said of replacing Butcher. “Not many freshman get put in a place like that. I definitely feel very fortunate.” Mitchell chose the Pioneers over North Dakota as a 16-year-old — making that decision three weeks before North Dakota defeated DU with a last-minute goal at the 2016 Frozen Four semifinals in Tampa, Fla. “All my buddies were bugging me, saying I made the wrong choice,” Mitchell said. “But I don’t think so at this point.” DU, of course, returned to the Frozen Four last April and won its eighth national championship at the United Center in Chicago. Despite losing Butcher and a handful of other graduated seniors, the Pioneers could be more talented this season. “Getting an opportunity to play on a team like this, where you’re ranked No. 1 and being given a unbelievable opportunity to do something really special — it’s not just me but all the freshmen are trying to come in and make an impact right away to warrant that ranking that we have. We lost a lot of great senior players last year, so there’s a lot of us who have to step in and fill the void. It’s exciting coming to the rink every day, knowing we have a really good team and getting better each day.” Footnotes. Senior goalie Tanner Jaillet could play consecutive games again, Montgomery said, after leading DU to a weekend sweep at Boston University and at Boston College last weekend. … Junior forward Colin Staub will continue to play with the Gambrell-centered line, with right wing Terry. Borgstrom is with Liam Finlay and Jared Lukosevicius. … Lukosevicius, who scored all three goals in Denver’s 3-2 NCAA championship game victory over Minnesota-Duluth in April, is still looking for his first goal of the season. Denver Post: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081265 Colorado Avalanche “Guys who play for the Avs are usually drafted by the Avs. They come up together. They know each other,” Kerfoot said. “I showed up at camp and didn’t know a single person here. So I’m still trying to get to know them. The Avalanche youth movement found a home. And dinner is decided It’s nice to be able to hang out with them.” over a Ping-Pong game. The pressure of performing, really surviving, on a nightly basis in the NHL can be overwhelming for some young players. Their is little time for coddling. If their future is still emerging, it will bud between couch By: Nick Groke, Associated Press November 2, 2017 conversations at a Cherry Creek rental house. “We’re in the same spot in our careers, we’re all young guys,” Bigras said. “It’s not often you have so many rookies to begin with, and then to Alex Kerfoot is lost in a Swedish instruction manual but at least he is not have the quality guys that we have, it’s nice to support each other. We astray at the Ikea store itself, which is another maze all together. He just love the game so much, it’s always something we’re thinking about. It’s wants a place to call home. never out of our minds.” The Avalanche rookie forward recently found a spot to live, although not CAROLINA AT COLORADO, 7 p.m. Thursday, Alt, 950 AM a place to call his own. Kerfoot moved in with two other Avs rookies, forwards Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher, and another barely out of his first Spotlight on: Carolina’s professional season, defenseman Chris Bigras. The Hurricanes, losers of two in a row, travel to Denver to start a two- The future of the Avalanche, the second-youngest team in the NHL, now game roadie through the West. Their chances this season center on the has a clubhouse. It’s a four-bedroom house in Cherry Creek decked out veteran center Staal, a 29-year-old who was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ in flat-packed, ready-to-assemble Scandinavian sofas. But Kerfoot is still pick at No. 2 overall in 2006. Staal is a co-captain with Carolina in large putting it all together. part for his consistency. He totaled 48 points (20 goals) two seasons ago and 45 (16 goals) last season. His three goals and three assists rank “They all got somebody to set up their furniture,” the 23-year-old former third on the team’s points list. But Staal is still living up to his name. As standout at Harvard said. “But I moved in a day later because my one of four professional Staal brothers, his bar was set high early on. girlfriend was here. So I had to set up all my stuff myself. And I’m still And from the 2006 draft class (Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson was doing it. I don’t know if that was the right decision.” the No. 1 pick), Staal is one of just two players among the first seven picks who have not qualified for an all-star game. They moved in two weeks ago and Kerfoot is still settling in. At least at home. On the ice, the Avs’ young core is plowing forward in stride. Notes Kerfoot, 23, has played in each of the team’s 11 games this season and Hurricanes: Defenseman Brett Pesce will miss Carolina’s two-game road quickly made a mark. He assisted Tyson Barrie ‘s game-winning goal in trip with a concussion, coach Bill Peters said Wednesday. … At a the season-opening victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden respectable 4-4-2, the Hurricanes are nonetheless tied for last place in a last month. And his power-play goal against the Bruins at the Pepsi stacked Metropolitan Division. … This will be the first of a two-game Center helped the Avs win their home-opener six days later. series between the Eastern Conference team and the Avs. They play again Feb. 10 in Charlotte. Bigras, 22, found a spot on the Avs blue line, playing in nine games so far and now trying to battle back into Colorado coach Jared Bednar ‘s Avalanche: Colorado took advantage of a four-day stretch between regular rotation. Compher, 22, returned to the ice Wednesday after games to get healthy. Rookie forward Tyson Jost (lower body), center suffering a broken thumb in a game against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. Colin Wilson (hip) and forward J.T. Compher (broken thumb) returned to 10. And Jost, 19, the Avs’ first-round draft pick last year at No. 10, is the ice Wednesday in side skating sessions. … Colorado coach Jared rehabbing a lower-body injury. Bednar said the Avs brought a power-skating coach into town to work with Jost in his rehab. … Bednar will check with his athletic trainers Less than a month ago, though, the quartet didn’t know if they would Thursday to determine each player’s readiness vs. Carolina. … After even be given Avs sweaters. Suddenly, and on the same day, they each Thursday, the Avs won’t play at home until Nov. 16. received a five-day notice from Colorado’s front office: Find a place to live, you’re on the team now. Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 11.03.2017 “We really didn’t know what was going to happen, who was going to make the team,” Kerfoot said. “But we had been talking together. ‘If we do make the team, let’s live together.’ We’re all here by ourselves, young kids. We can get a big place, it’ll be fun. And it’ll be cheaper, which is nice.” The living arrangement is light on luxury and tilted toward fun. A Ping- Pong table dominates the living room. That is where dinner is decided. A doubles game. Losers cook. “Biggie made some pretty good Brussels sprouts last night,” Kerfoot said of Bigras, his losing doubles partner. “I made a pasta with shrimp and crab. And a salad. But Biggie’s Brussels sprouts were good.” “They were pan-fried in garlic butter,” Bigras said. “We’ve done a collab effort. It’s decently clean in there still. It’s only been a week and a half though.” Living with teammates is an honored hockey tradition, dating to the days when players travel through juniors bunking with host families and fellow teenagers trying to break into the NHL. It is born of convenience and cost. But the benefits carry to the ice. Jost and Compher can keep each other on track in injury rehab. Kerfoot and Jost last week visited a tailor together to buy their first suits. And they all keep track of the NHL watching highlights and breaking down the hot stove of league happenings. Six Avs players are in their first or second seasons. More than half the team is 24 or younger. Their opening-night roster averaged an age of 25.0 — only the Columbus Blue Jackets at 24.7 are younger. Collectively, Colorado’s youth movement is finding its footing. They are reinforcing each other. Kerfoot, for example, was a late college free- agent signing in August, after he chose not to sign with the New Jersey Devils, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2012. He had no history here. 1081266 Colorado Avalanche

Varlamov stops career-high 57 shots, Avs beat Hurricanes

By: PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer November 2, 2017

DENVER — Semyon Varlamov stopped a career-high 57 shots, Blake Comeau scored the first of Colorado's three second-period goals over a 3:33 span and the Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Thursday night. Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen also scored in the second for Colorado. Carl Soderberg added a goal, and Patrik Nemeth got his first NHL goal as the Avalanche improved to 5-1 at home. Colorado now embarks on a four-game, 10-day road trip that includes two contests in Stockholm, Sweden. Varlamov rebounded from a forgettable game in which he allowed seven goals at Vegas last week. He preserved a 5-3 lead in the third by turning back 22 shots. Victor Rask scored 55 seconds into the game for Carolina, which outshot the Avalanche 60-27. and Derek Ryan also had goals. The Hurricanes pulled goaltender Cam Ward with around 1:45 remaining, but couldn't get anything past Varlamov. His previous high for saves was 54 on Jan. 6, 2015, at Chicago. Colorado extended its lead to 4-2 in the second when Landeskog scored off a rebound. The Hurricanes challenged the goal, contending that Rantanen's skate may have been offside as Nathan MacKinnon brought the puck into the zone. The replay confirmed the goal and Carolina was assessed a delay-of-game penalty. The Avs took advantage when Rantanen tipped in MacKinnon's pass 55 seconds later to extend the advantage to 5-2. Carolina dominated the tempo in the first period, outshooting Colorado by a 22-9 margin. Rask ignited the Hurricanes with a goal before many of the fans even had a chance to settle into their seats. He scored on a crazy-angle shot that crept in between Varlamov's arm and the post. After Soderberg and Nemeth found the net for Colorado, Lindholm tied it at 2. Absent for a third straight game was Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a healthy scratch. "It (stinks) to be in the doghouse," lamented Zadorov, who signed a two- year deal at the start of training camp. Colorado coach Jared Bednar said he's trying to find the right combination along the blue line. "The plan moving forward is keep him working and help him get better," Bednar said. NOTES: Carolina D Jaccob Slavin is from down the road in Erie, Colorado. He had six shots. ... D Roland McKeown was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. He was a scratch. ... The Avs are without forwards Gabriel Bourque (upper body), J.T. Compher (hand), Tyson Jost (lower body) and Colin Wilson (hip). ... MacKinnon finished with two assists. UP NEXT Hurricanes: At the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Avalanche: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081267 Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL | Blue Jackets 7, Panthers 3 as Columbus finds some fun in the sun

By George Richards

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Blue Jackets came south and found some fun in the sun Thursday night by kicking off a three-game trip in style. Thanks in part to a pair of goals from Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the Jackets rolled out of BB&T Center with a 7-3 win over the Florida Panthers. “It’s nice, always good to see different guys scoring goals,” Bjorkstrand said. “We found a way to win. I think we still have some things to work on, but we find a way to win and that’s the most important thing. There are some areas we would like to be better on, but winning games is a good sign.″ Said Anderson: “We knew (Florida) would come out hard after the loss to Tampa last game, so we wanted to give a full effort. We found a way. A lot of people contributed.” The Blue Jackets continue their Sunshine State swing Saturday at the Tampa Bay Lightning, with coach John Tortorella being reunited with his 2004 Stanley Cup championship squad. The trip concludes Monday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. The Jackets head to Tampa with wins in four of their past five games. Unlike Monday against Boston, they didn’t need overtime to get this victory. After falling behind 1-0 on a Mark Pysyk goal 4:57 in, Anderson scored twice in five minutes to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. The teams played a back-and-forth second period. The Panthers tied the score twice — on an Ian McCoshen goal and then on a misfired, short-handed chance from Vincent Trocheck — only to see the Jackets take the lead right back. At 2-2, Markus Hannikainen got his first goal of the season by using Pysyk as a shield before putting the puck past James Reimer. With the score 3-3, Bjorkstrand got his first on a power-play opportunity 26 seconds after Trocheck scored. Bjorkstrand’s knuckleball shot ended Reimer’s night as he was pulled for the second consecutive game in favor of — who was lifted off waivers from Pittsburgh with Roberto Luongo out because of a hand injury. Niemi wasn’t immune to the Blue Jackets offense. Midway through the second, Bjorkstrand made it 5-3 by sliding into the slot and shooting the puck over Niemi’s shoulder. The Jackets all but ended things early in the third. After killing off a penalty, Tyler Motte got his second goal in as many games since being recalled from minor-league Cleveland at 3:45. Boone Jenner got in on the fun a few minutes later. With Keith Yandle in the box, Jenner gave the Blue Jackets their first two-goal power play night of the year. “We’re looking to take care of business and move on from here,” Jenner said. “We have won games different ways, have had spurts where you see our identity.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081268 Columbus Blue Jackets

Another Panthers coach can claim Jackets ties

By George Richards

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers and Blue Jackets share plenty of history. When it comes to coaches, anyway. Bob Boughner is the latest Panthers coach with ties to the Jackets: The former Jackets assistant is in his first year behind the Florida bench. Doug MacLean, the president of the expansion Jackets, made a name for himself as coach of the Panthers, leading that franchise to the Stanley Cup finals in its third season. Gerard Gallant also coached the Panthers to the playoffs when the former Jackets coach led Florida to the 2015-16 Atlantic Division title before being fired last November. Boughner, 46, comes to south Florida after spending the past two seasons under former Panthers coach Pete DeBoer in San Jose. The former NHL defenseman has his work cut out for him — the Panthers came into their game against the Jackets with three losses in their past four games. “It has been a huge commitment. You have your hand on the pulse of everything and that’s a big difference from being an assistant coach,” Boughner said Thursday morning. “You have to deal with injuries, deal with the media, manage their fitness, practice plans. You have to be part of everything, and that’s what I wanted. It’s great having my own team. It has been good so far.” During the 2010-11 season, Boughner got his feet wet coaching at the NHL level with the Jackets under Scott Arniel. Boughner said it was his decision to leave the Jackets after one season as he returned to the junior team he owned in Windsor, . “It was a great experience, my first work in the NHL since I had retired as a player,” Boughner said. “The game changed a little bit, it was faster. I liked Columbus because it was close to home and I didn’t have to uproot my family.” While Boughner was able to make the short trip to Windsor to see his kids during the season, he said being away from them wasn’t what he wanted to do at the time. Returning to coach the Spitfires just made too much sense. “My kids were really young at that time,” Boughner said. “It was hard on them. The only reason I went back to juniors was because of my family. It was tough going into the office and tell them I couldn’t come back, but it was the right thing to do at the time.” Milano’s back Sonny Milano was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Monday against the Boston Bruins. Coach John Tortorella said he wants Milano to continue to work on his defensive play, and Milano said he will continue to work on that aspect of his game. “It’s never fun being out of the lineup,” Milano said. “Torts has helped me a lot, but there are things I need to work on. I just need to trust the process.” With Milano back, Zac Dalpe and Scott Harrington were Thursday’s healthy scratches. What about Motte? Tortorella said after the Boston game that he needed to find a better spot for Tyler Motte who scored a goal in his Blue Jackets debut. “Things happen quick, getting called up and being in the lineup the next night,” Motte said. “Anytime you have your head coach say nice things about you it’s nice, but now it’s up to me to prove him right. It cannot be a one-night thing.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081269 Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL | Blue Jackets 7, Panthers 3 as Columbus finds some fun in the sun

By George Richards

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Blue Jackets came south and found some fun in the sun Thursday night by kicking off a three-game trip in style. Thanks in part to a pair of goals from Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the Jackets rolled out of BB&T Center with a 7-3 win over the Florida Panthers. “It’s nice, always good to see different guys scoring goals,” Bjorkstrand said. “We found a way to win. I think we still have some things to work on, but we find a way to win and that’s the most important thing. There are some areas we would like to be better on, but winning games is a good sign.″ Said Anderson: “We knew (Florida) would come out hard after the loss to Tampa last game, so we wanted to give a full effort. We found a way. A lot of people contributed.” The Blue Jackets continue their Sunshine State swing Saturday at the Tampa Bay Lightning, with coach John Tortorella being reunited with his 2004 Stanley Cup championship squad. The trip concludes Monday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. The Jackets head to Tampa with wins in four of their past five games. Unlike Monday against Boston, they didn’t need overtime to get this victory. After falling behind 1-0 on a Mark Pysyk goal 4:57 in, Anderson scored twice in five minutes to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. The teams played a back-and-forth second period. The Panthers tied the score twice — on an Ian McCoshen goal and then on a misfired, short-handed chance from Vincent Trocheck — only to see the Jackets take the lead right back. At 2-2, Markus Hannikainen got his first goal of the season by using Pysyk as a shield before putting the puck past James Reimer. With the score 3-3, Bjorkstrand got his first on a power-play opportunity 26 seconds after Trocheck scored. Bjorkstrand’s knuckleball shot ended Reimer’s night as he was pulled for the second consecutive game in favor of Antti Niemi — who was lifted off waivers from Pittsburgh with Roberto Luongo out because of a hand injury. Niemi wasn’t immune to the Blue Jackets offense. Midway through the second, Bjorkstrand made it 5-3 by sliding into the slot and shooting the puck over Niemi’s shoulder. The Jackets all but ended things early in the third. After killing off a penalty, Tyler Motte got his second goal in as many games since being recalled from minor-league Cleveland at 3:45. Boone Jenner got in on the fun a few minutes later. With Keith Yandle in the box, Jenner gave the Blue Jackets their first two-goal power play night of the year. “We’re looking to take care of business and move on from here,” Jenner said. “We have won games different ways, have had spurts where you see our identity.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081270 Dallas Stars "We could have a winning record on this road trip which is incredible for the tough breaks when we started. That's got everybody excited. We could end up 3-2 on this road trip." Central Division, Patrik Laine, end of road trip -- lots to discuss for Stars -- Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on playing the last game of a five-game vs. Jets road trip that has covered 11 days. "I am pretty excited to be back. I feel like I've been playing pretty By Mike Heika , Staff Writer consistently and it's going to be a big step for me to carry it into the game tonight and keep it the way I've been playing in Austin. My role is to just keep doing what I am doing, don't try to step outside my boundaries and stay within my game." STARS at JETS -- Stars forward Jason Dickinson on his call-up from the AHL. 7 p.m. today (FSSW/1310 AM The Ticket) "We play these guys two in the next three games, so this is a big series Storyline for us.They are playing arguably the best in the Central right now, and we've got a big challenge ahead of ourselves." The Stars are finishing up a five-game road trip, so energy is important in this one, but there are also a lot of other elements at play. Dallas is 1-3-0 -- Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on the battle for the Central Division. in the division and played horribly in Winnipeg last season. They are tied with the Jets for second in the Central, and they are icing their youngest Stars' projected lineup lineup of the year. Lots to talk about here. Jamie Benn--Alexander Raduov Key matchup Mattias Janmark-Jason Dickinson-Jason Spezza Patrik Laine vs. John Klingberg: Laine has dominated the Stars like few players before him. In five games as a rookie last season, Laine had 12 Antoine Roussel-Radek Faksa-Tyler Pitlick points (8 goals, 4 assists) and was plus-7. He is off to a slower start this Remi Elie-Devin Shore-Gemel Smith season with 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) in 11 games. Klingberg will be out against Laine a lot. In 14 career games against the Jets, Klingberg Marc Methot-John Klingberg has 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) but is minus-6. Klingberg is off to a great start with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 12 games. Dan Hamhuis-Greg Pateryn Key number Esa Lindell-Stephen Johns 121.3: That's the combined success rate for the Stars' special teams, Ben Bishop which is best in the NHL. The power play ranks first at 30.8 percent and Kari Lehtonen the penalty kill ranks second at 90.5 percent. Winnipeg is a combined 94.0 percent. The penalty kill ranks 16th at 80.5 percent and the power Scratched: play ranks 28th at 13.5 percent. Injured: (upper body), Martin Hanzal (lower body) Notable Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.03.2017 -- Dallas beat Vancouver 2-1 (OT) Monday and is 7-5-0. This is the final game of a five-game road trip, and the Stars are 3-4-0 on the road. -- Winnipeg beat Minnesota in St. Paul on Tuesday and is 6-3-2. The Jets are 3-2-0 at home. -- Ben Bishop is expected to start in goal for Dallas. He is 6-2-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .920 save percentage. He is 4-1-1 in his career against Winnipeg with a 1.98 GAA and .942 save percentage. -- Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start in goal for Winnipeg. He is 6-0- 1 with a 1.91 GAA and .940 save percentage. He is 3-1-1 in his career against Dallas with a 1.98 GAA and .936 save percentage. -- Martin Hanzal is battling a lower body injury and is not expected to play Thursday. Brett Ritchie has an upper body injury and will not play. He has already traveled back to Dallas. Jason Dickinson has been recalled, and is expected to make his season debut. He has played 11 NHL games and scored three goals. Dickinson has 6 goals in 9 AHL games this year. -- Dallas was 0-3-0 in Winnipeg last season and was outscored 16-6. -- In his past eight games against Dallas, Jets center has 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists). -- In 15 career games against the Stars, Tyler Myers has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) and is plus-10. -- In 41 career games against Winnipeg, Stars forward Jason Spezza has 48 points (15 goals, 33 assists). -- In 28 career games against Winnipeg, Stars center Tyler Seguin has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) He said it "Speed, tenacity, hard on the puck, he's got an edge to him. He's a little bit like [Remi] Elie, he deserved to be on the team coming out of training camp, but there was no room at that time. Now, he's earned the right to see what he can do. He adds another level of size and skill to our group which is going to help us." -- Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on Jason Dickinson, who will make his season debut Thursday against Winnipeg. 1081271 Dallas Stars "I'm not sure why we were surprised," Hitchcock said. "After we practiced and chatted yesterday, we looked surprised and sometimes overwhelmed at the start." Observations: Life (with a little help from the Winnipeg Jets) has a way of And that brings me back to Jane. You can be 100 percent sure you're keeping you humble right, and then the world simply doesn't bend to your wishes. She learned that in the movie, when Tom did a good job on his first assignment, moved up the ladder and eventually became a national star. By Mike Heika , Staff Writer Of course, along the way, he broke a few rules and wasn't always a paragon of ethics, and he still succeeded. WINNIPEG - I pulled out a clip from the movie Broadcast News this It's a tale of the world being not so much black and white, but a lot of week, in part because I just love revisiting the incredible writing, and in grey. part because it seemed so current. Pro sports is a lot like that, too. The only real answers are the ones that It's the scene where Holly Hunter's character Jane Craig is telling her lead to more wins than losses. And the Stars are finding that out right boss that he's making a terrible mistake, and her boss is defending now. They're not alone. If you check in Chicago or Washington or himself. Montreal, they too are a bit confused, a bit...humbled. But when Jane sticks to her guns, you get some real insight. Real life has a way of doing that to you. "So you're absolutely right...and I'm absolutely wrong," the boss So you adjust and you learn and you try again, and the battle goes on. challenges. And nobody is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. And Jane gives a nod that is both sheepish and aggressive all at the same time (which is an amazing job of acting, by the way). No matter how much they want to be. Her boss then replies: "It must be nice to think that you have all the The Stars found that out Thursday. answers, that you're always the smartest person in the room." Now, they have to figure out just how wrong they might be. And Jane says with an arrogant empathy that is as powerful as he Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.03.2017 nod..."No, it's awful." I like that scene because it really does say a lot about where we are right now. We argue on Twitter and Facebook and in texts and e-mails. We argue on barstools and swiveling office chairs and on arena seats. We argue, because we believe we are absolutely right. About the President. Or the National Anthem. Or the zone deployment of the second defense paring in the third period of a one-goal game. It eats at us, because we know we are right. It eats at us, because they don't do what we tell them to do. And, you know what, it is awful. You care so much, and yet you have so little control. And so these thoughts are bouncing around my head while I tag along on this road trip to discovery, seeking symmetry and ways to tell the story of this Stars season. And I ponder a season start that featured dominating puck possession, and not that many wins. I look at a four-game winning streak (the first in a year, mind you) and try to measure the impact of special teams. I breathe in two games where each goalie saved the day, and I think that should be a good sign. And as Julius Honka is sent down, and Jason Dickinson is called up, and the depth lines are shuffled in search of scoring, I really get the sense the coaching staff and management are closing in on solutions. And then Thursday happens. The team is coming off two long practices, and should be physically prepared. The leaders have assessed all that is the Winnipeg Jets and emphasized that they want to change bad memories from last season. Yes, this group doesn't like reliving the past, but the motivation is very real. The Stars were 12-24-5 on the road last season. They were 9-15-5 against the Central Division. And no team symbolized that more than the Jets. Dallas lost all three games in Winnipeg last season and was outscored 16-6 in the process. They gave up two hat tricks to Patrick Laine. They were embarrassed, and they very much wanted to atone for it. And yet, all of that preparation evaporated in the first five minutes. The Jets attacked, and the Stars chased. They took two penalties and their vaunted penalty kill buckled. "We addressed it before the game," said defenseman Marc Methot. "We were definitely prepared prior, but doing it on the ice is a different ballgame." Stars coach Ken Hitchcock was equally baffled. 1081272 Dallas Stars

Cold facts: Hitchcock juggles lines as Stars fall to Jets

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer

Jets 3, Stars 2 'Not what we wanted:' Stars' penalty kill struggles return in 5-2 loss to Winnipeg Three Stars 1. Mark Scheifele, Jets - Three goals, in the middle of everything 2. Blake Wheeler, Jets - Three assists, plus-2 3. Jacob Trouba, Jets - Assist, strong defensive play Big play The Stars challenged for goaltender interference and won this time. Brandon Tanev fired in a one-timer that gave the Jets a 4-1 lead, but Ben Bishop quickly told the bench he was interfered with. Dallas made the challenge, and replays showed that Mark Scheifele's skate was caught on Bishop's stick inside the crease, so the goal was disallowed and the Stars came back and cut the deficit to 3-2 later in the third period. Discuss Did you like how Ken Hitchcock juggled the lines? Did you like his use of Jason Dickinson? Are you just going to have to get used to the fact the Stars' bottom three lines are going to be mix and match? What does it mean? They gave up two power play goals against, fell to 1-4-0 in the division, and slipped behind the Jets in the standings, but they did show a lot of heart in sticking up for each other, so maybe that means something later in the year. GOALS Jason Dickinson, who 'deserved' to make Stars' opening day roster, could be in Dallas for awhile Jets: Mark Scheifele scored on the power play for his fifth goal of the season at 17:59 of the first period. Jets 1, Stars 0. Jets: After an Esa Lindell giveaway, Dmitry Kulikov slipped the puck to Patrik Laine in the slot, and he spanked in his fifth goal of the season at 13:04 of the first period. Jets 2, Stars 0 Jets: With Winnipeg on the power play, Tyler Myers scored from distance at 15:16 of the first period. Jets 3, Stars 0. Stars: charged the net off a Tyler Seguin faceoff win and flipped in a backhand for his fifth goal of the season at 17:59 of the first period. Jets 3, Stars 1. Stars: Mattias Janmark snapped a shot through a crowd for his third goal of the year at 18:29 of the second period. Jets 3, Stars 2. Jets: Scheifele tipped a puck that went high over Ben Bishop, who lost it in the air, and plunked down on the ice and rolled into the net at 1:47 of the third period. Jets 4, Stars 2. Jets: Scheifele scored into an empty net in the final minute of the game. Jets 5, Stars 2. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081273 Dallas Stars

'Not what we wanted:' Stars' penalty kill struggles return in 5-2 loss to Winnipeg

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Stars' five-game team-building foray through seven cities ended in disappointment Thursday. But there was a silver lining. Dallas (7-6-0) lost 5-2 as Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele had a hat trick. The Stars finished 2-3-0 on the trip, dropped to 1-4-0 in the Central Division and fell behind the Jets (7-3-2) in the standings. But they showed a lot of heart and battle after a rough start -- and that's sort of what this road trip is all about. Winnipeg dominated early play, drawing two power plays and scoring twice against the Stars' heretofore impenetrable penalty kill. The offensively loaded Jets, who typically run the score up against Dallas at Bell MTS Centre, were doing just that as they a had a 3-0 lead just 15:16 into the game. "It's not what we wanted," defenseman Marc Methot said. "We dug ourselves a huge hole. We were definitely prepared prior, but doing it on the ice is a different ball game." Scheifele had a goal, so did Patrik Laine, and Tyler Myers scored on the power play. It was exactly what the Stars didn't want to see, as the old villains looked happy to see the Dallas green on the ice. "We weren't ready to play at the start. That's on me," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "We had too many passengers today. You could see it in our execution. Even when we got it to 3-2, we weren't executing at a high level. Kudos to them, but we were not ready to compete at the start of the game at the level that the game was at." But the Stars fought back -- quite literally. Gemel Smith had a spirited scrap with Brendan Lemieux in the first period, and then Stars captain Jamie Benn challenged big Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and sent a message to his teammates in the second period. Byfuglien made a hard hit, driving Alexander Radulov into the boards, and Benn decided he wanted to make a statement. While Benn had to sit in the penalty box for five minutes while the Stars were trying to battle back from a 3-1 deficit, linemates Tyler Seguin and Radulov dialed up the intensity and helped tilt the ice back in the Stars' direction. "Smitty and Benn did a great job there. It's not easy to fight like that," Methot said. "It did change the game for us." Dallas was the benefactor of a successful challenge for goaltender interference that wiped a Brandon Tanev goal off the board. They also were helped when Kyle Connor fumbled a penalty-shot chance. But that was all part of the drama of the game. When Mattias Janmark whistled in a shot late in the second period, the Stars had life. "There's lessons to be learned, and I'm sure we're going to hear about it when we get back," Methot said. "That's part of the process." Now, the Jets still had plenty of life, too, and Scheifele picked up his second goal on a deflection that went high in the air and bounced behind goalie Ben Bishop. He completed the hat trick with a minute to go, and Winnipeg won its third straight game as goalie Connor Hellebucyk remained undefeated in regulation time (7-0-1). But the Stars learned a lot in the process. "I'm disappointed. Win or lose, I am disappointed the way we played today," Hitchcock said. "Like I said, it's on me, and it is my job to fix it." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081274 Dallas Stars

Jason Dickinson, who 'deserved' to make Stars' opening day roster, could be in Dallas for awhile

By Mike Heika , Staff Writer

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Jason Dickinson certainly appreciated the compliment from his head coach but said he knew exactly how his job works. Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said that Dickinson deserved to make the opening roster out of camp, but that numbers and contracts forced some decisions by management. But Dickinson said he understood his situation when he got sent down. "If I'd really been good enough at camp, I could have pushed somebody out of a spot," Dickinson said upon being recalled this week and making his season debut Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. "I don't think it's really anything to look into, but I think now, I'm trying to give myself a chance, and I've got an opportunity here to try and take it." Center Martin Hanzal continues to be bothered by a lower-body injury and missed his second consecutive game Thursday. He is listed as day to day. Winger Brett Ritchie has an upper-body injury and was sent back to Dallas before the last game of this five-game road trip. The Stars sent defenseman Julius Honka back to the minors, and that means they might carry two extra forwards for the foreseeable future. All of that means Dickinson could get an extended chance to stay on the NHL roster. Hitchcock said Dickinson would play left wing and center against the Jets and be used on the second power-play unit. "Obviously, he's playing really well down there [with the ]," HItchcock said. "He had a great training camp, so let's see if he keeps up the pace he had when he went down." Dickinson, 22, was a first-round pick (29th overall) in 2013. He played one NHL game in late 2016 and was called up for 10 games last season. He has played 142 AHL games, so he seems more than ready to take the next step. "He's got great speed, he's a complete player, and he's got good instincts on both ends of the rink," said teammate Devin Shore, who played with Dickinson in the AHL. "That combination of things is good in today's game." Ritchie, Hanzal out: Stars winger Brett Ritchie has suffered an upper body injury and left the team on the road trip to get treatment. The Stars list him as day to day. Ritchie played in all 12 games before Thursday and practiced on Wednesday. The Stars expect an update Friday when they return home. Martin Hanzal continues to skate on his own. He has a lower body injury and has missed the past three games (including Thursday). Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said Hanzal's presence is missed. "It's the heavy minutes he plays," Hitchcock said. "There's a reason we've been so good on penalty killing, and he's been a major factor in that. He lines up against the other team's top players on a lot of nights, and he's negated a lot of good players. This has been unfortunate for him." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081275 Detroit Red Wings

Darren Helm a positive contributor for Red Wings thanks to grit, speed

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 3:11 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 3:34 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

OTTAWA, Ont. — When Darren Helm looks at a score sheet after a game, he looks as much at what certain opponents did as he does his own numbers. As the Detroit Red Wings have settled their line combinations, their chief countermeasure against an opposing top line has been Frans Nielsen’s line with Justin Abdelkader and Helm. The three play a similar, north- south, style of hockey, are responsible defensively, kill penalties, and capable scoring threats. “We can be dangerous if teams get frustrated playing against us,” Helm said after Thursday’s morning skate at Canadian Tire Center, where the Wings had an evening game scheduled against the Ottawa Senators. “I like to think the three of us are pretty smart players that can make plays. Definitely Frans is a really good passer and gives me and Abby a lot of opportunity to maybe break away or get 2-on-1s with each other. There are a lot of positives on paper with the three of us, we’ve just got to find a way to grow chemistry and play off each other and find success.” Keeping opposing top lines off the scoresheet is “our main responsibility and job and yeah I think we’ve done a good job if they don’t score,” Helm said. “At the same time I think the three of us can contribute and create offense.” Helm had a goal and an assist in the previous game, winning a puck battle along the boards to set up Dylan Larkin’s game-winning goal and then securing the victory over Arizona with an empty-net goal. Coach Jeff Blashill described Helm’s impact as a “huge contribution in a positive way to this hockey team so far this year and I see him continuing that. “I think Darren has played excellent. You’ve got to have a great combination of competitiveness, grit and skill on your team in order to be a real good team — Tampa is a good example of that. He’s given us tons of grit, tons of competitiveness, and he’s got enough skill. He’s a threat on the penalty kill — I think him and Frans have great chemistry together, so they have played real well together, and whoever we have put with them has been a good complement. I think Abby complements them really well.” Helm and Nielsen have been on the same penalty killing unit and each have scored shorthanded. They’ve been line mates all season and are thrilled that Blashill has decided to stick with line combinations as much as possible for the foreseeable future. “It gives guys a little more chance to grow that chemistry — it’s tough to do it in one period or one game,” Helm said. “I’ve had success playing with both guys in the past and I hope we can all three of us find a way to play jell well together, not just for personal success but team success as well.” Mrazek shows maturity: Petr Mrazek has spent the two weeks since his last start working extra hard with goalie coach Jeff Salajko, demonstrating a maturity that Mrazek lacked last season. “His work ethic has been excellent,” Blashill said. “His attention to detail has been excellent. His approach to improve his technique and his game has been excellent, and he’s just got to keep doing that.” Mrazek, who played junior hockey in Ottawa, was in high spirits; he’d spent Wednesday night having dinner with his old billet family and his old goalie coach. Mrazek spent a good 45 minutes on ice for the morning skate. “You have to be ready every day as a goalie and so I try to put extra work in every day for when I get the call," Mrazek said. That call will come either Sunday at Edmonton or Monday at Vancouver. The lag time between starts reflects how well Jimmy Howard had been playing, not on Mrazek’s .901 save percentage and 3.24 goals-against average after four games. “He was in a couple tough games,” Blashill said. “He’s played very, very good. You don’t want to let guys sit too, too long when you know you are going to need them at some point in the season.” Booth clears: David Booth cleared waivers for the second time this season; he’ll stay with the Wings but it gives them flexibility if they need to make a roster move. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081276 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings' two-game win streak dissolves vs. Ottawa Senators

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 10:23 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 12:00 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2017

OTTAWA, Ontario — Anthony Mantha scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season, but it was too late to save the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings weren’t able to score until 3:23 left in regulation Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre, and saw a two-game winning streak dissolve into a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Wings fell behind 2-0 in the second period as the Senators took control with quick puck movement and a power play conversion. Nate Thompson scored into an empty net with nine seconds left in the game. Here are the major story lines from the game: Second time's the charm The Wings finally earned a power play at 12:23 of the third period, and it was top defenseman Erik Karlsson, too, who went to penalty box. The Wings failed to get a shot on net. They got another power play with 4:55 to go in regulation. Tomas Tatar had a good one-timer denied by Craig Anderson. The Wings pulled Jimmy Howard for the extra skater, and were rewarded when Mantha deflected Mike Green’s shot. No goal Cody Ceci put the puck in Detroit’s net at 3:27 of the first period, taking advantage of a screen. It was too good of a screen in fact; the Wings challenged goaltender interference and won upon video review, as it showed Zach Smith interfered with Howard before the puck crossed the goal line. The Wings likewise came out on the successful goaltender interference challenge this past Saturday at Florida, nullifying Jonathan Huberdeau’s would-be goal. Last-minute goal The Wings fell behind 1-0 in the last minute of the first period when Mark Stone pounced on a loose puck in the paint and slipped a rebound into the net at 19:05. Costly penalty The first penalty of the game wasn’t until 9:39 of the second period, when Trevor Daley was called for holding. The Wings had 14 seconds left to kill when the Senators converted on a tic-tac-toe play, with Dion Phaneuf firing a pass from the blue line to Stone, who found Alexandre Burrows in the slot for the goal. Aggressive penalty kill The Wings’ second penalty kill went much better, coming near the end of the second period. It included Dylan Larkin taking off on a breakaway (though he lost the puck as he appeared to lose his balance) and Larkin again swarming around Ottawa’s net. The Senators did not get a shot on net during the stretch. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081277 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings can't convert early chances, lose to Ottawa Senators

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 11:59 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Detroit Red Wings’ inability to generate offense earlier cost them their tender winning streak and started their latest road trip on a down note. The Wings fell, 3-1, Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre to the Ottawa Senators, learning yet again that playing catch-up is losing hockey, as they trailed 2-0 after two periods. Anthony Mantha earned his sixth goal of the season with a deflection on a power play, but that came with 3:23 left in regulation against a team that sits back when it gets a lead. “We started getting pucks behind them a little bit again, as we did in the first period,” Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “I thought we got through the neutral zone. They are playing very tight in the neutral zone so you have to make sure to get pucks behind them. “It’s not going to be a pretty game when you play against Ottawa. We just have to be smart enough and patient enough and really work for our chances.” The Wings had good chances in the first period but again did not finish any of them, and couldn’t mount enough of a comeback in the third period. “It was all on us,” Dylan Larkin said. He looked like he might score on Ottawa’s second power play when he got a breakaway, but lost the puck. “We had the puck a ton. I didn’t find that we were getting frustrated, which was good. We really tried to stay patient. It was on us and the way we played.” Larkin’s line tried to generate offense in the last minute of the first period only to end up in their own zone, and Mark Stone scored on a rebound. The more damming stretch came during the second period, which saw Alexandre Burrows convert on a power play on a text-book setup, just as the Wings seemed poised to strike. “The stretch from about the 14-minute mark till the 5-minute mark in the second is what hurt is,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “At the 14-minute mark we were outshooting them by a bit, I thought we were starting to take the game over a little bit, then we bogged ourselves down — we didn’t move the the puck out of our zone so then we play too much D-zone coverage. They spread us out and got some good looks and that to me was the difference in the game.” Jimmy Howard was solid with 27 saves. Nate Thompson scored an empty net goal for Ottawa with nine seconds to go in the third period. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081278 Detroit Red Wings …Forward David Booth cleared waivers, but will remain with the Red Wings, said Blashill. The waiver procedure was mainly done to give the Red Wings roster flexibility, if needed, should the team need to make a Helm's 'competitiveness' rubs off on Wings personnel move. Booth skated on a line with Helm and Abdelkader, taking Nielsen’s spot, in the morning skate. Ted Kulfan, Detroit News Published 5:07 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 …The Red Wings will stay over in Ottawa after the game and travel Friday to Edmonton. Using Friday as a travel day, they’ll practice Saturday before facing the Oilers the following afternoon. Ottawa, Ontario – Darren Helm has never been a prolific goal scorer, a huge offensive force, a guy who is on highlight films for his moves to the Detroit News LOADED: 11.03.2017 net. But defensively, or in the intangible areas, few players are as noticeable as Helm. Thus far this season, Helm is doing those things again. Helm had five points (two goals, three assists) in 13 games, but it’s not necessarily offense that coach Jeff Blashill looks for from his veteran. “Darren has played excellent,” Blashill said. “You’ve got to have a great combination of competitiveness, grit and skill on your team. He's given us tons of grit, competitiveness, and he’s got enough skill. “He’s a threat on the penalty kill. He and Frans (Nielsen) have great chemistry, so whoever we put with them (currently Justin Abdelkader), has been a good complement. “Abby complements them real well.” Always a hard worker who plays with a large amount of energy, Helm also still has the speed which puts him among the most dangerous players in the league. But it’s Helm's competitiveness that Blashill pointed to after Thursday’s morning skate, noting a play during Tuesday’s victory over Arizona. Helm won a key battle along the boards and was able to get the puck to Dylan Larkin, who skated into the zone and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. “It could have gone either way (the puck battle) and it goes our way and it goes in the net, a big goal in the game,” Blashill said. “He’s made a big contribution in a positive way so far this season and I see him continuing that.” Unique player Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid are generally regarded as the best players in the NHL. But the two forwards, in actuality, share that crown with Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy (best defenseman) winner. Karlsson missed the first five games this season due to an ankle injury, but has returned to post 10 assists in seven games. Karlsson’s ability to skate the puck out of trouble and create offense is generally unmatched in the league “When Karlsson’s on the ice, they’re a better hockey team,” Blashill said. “He’s one of the best players in the world. His coach (Guy Boucher) called him the best player in the world when he was coming back. “The one thing with him is, you have to make sure you never let him beat you up the ice as a forward. So you might forecheck him, you better stay above him the whole way back up the ice, and then as he comes in the zone know he is going to make a lot of plays.” Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, a friend of Karlsson’s and teammate on Team Sweden, doesn’t put much stock in Karlsson’s minus-4 plus-minus rating, along with those assists (Karlsson was minus- 6 Tuesday against Montreal). “That’s a lot (minus-6), but he could also be a plus-8 the next game,” Zetterberg said. “When he’s on his game, he’s tough to defend. He has everything, he skates, great vision, good shot, so when we play a guy like that, you just have to minimize their space and time and have the puck instead of him.” Ice chips Blashill said forward Frans Nielsen would be a game-time decision after Nielsen didn’t take part in the morning skate. Blashill said Nielsen’s issue isn’t long term, and the Red Wings were just being precautionary not having Nielsen skate. 1081279 Detroit Red Wings Detroit News LOADED: 11.03.2017

Wings goalie Mrazek bides time behind Howard

Ted Kulfan, Detroit News Published 3:59 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

Ottawa, Ontario – It’s a routine that goaltender Petr Mrazek has become familiar with this season. Mrazek was one of the final Red Wings off the ice after Thursday’s morning skate, trudging into the cramped visitor’s locker room at Canadian Tire Center, after exhaustive work with goaltending coach Jeff Salajko and several players. It was obvious Mrazek had put a lot of work in. He had to, what with his lack of games recently. “You have to be ready as a goalie,” said Mrazek, who will watch goaltender Jimmy Howard Thursday make his sixth consecutive start. “I try to work hard every day and put in the extra work for when I get the call, to be ready.” Mrazek hadn’t played since losing 4-3 in overtime Oct. 20 to Washington. Mrazek faced 43 shots that game, a followup to Mrazek replacing Howard in Toronto two nights before when coach Jeff Blashill lifted Howard in the first period. In all, Mrazek has only played in four games, owning a 1-2-1 record with a 3.24 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. The number aren’t glowing, but in this case, they don’t reflect the way Mrazek has played. “Petr has played well, that’s for sure,” Blashill said. “I don’t even know if the stats reflect how well he’s played. He was in a couple tough games. He’s played real good.” For any hockey coach, it can be a fine line as to how long to go with a hot goalie, as Howard is right now, and get a back-up a game before rust and inactivity sets in. “You don’t want to let guys sit too long,” Blashill said. “You know you’re going to need him at some point, but Jimmy is playing at a high level. We have a back-to-back coming up (Sunday and Monday) and it’ll be easy to get Petr in.” The key for a back-up goalie is to work as hard as possible in practice to stay sharp, and that’s been Mrazek's objective lately. The work with Salajko is vital these days, working on every area a goaltender would see and use during a game. “It’s the same (stuff) we work on always, the same thing you have to work on (every day), like traffic (in a goaltender’s vision), tips, plays around the net, reverses, all the things you keep working on all season,” Mrazek said. “Practice has been good. We’re doing a lot of work. I’m excited for the next start.” Despite the lack of game action, Mrazek feels the work he put in during the summer is still relevant and he can go back to it. “I still feel great in the games,” Mrazek said. “When I played, I looked a little different from last season, and that’s from the work I put in over the summer. “And I’m trying to continue to improve.” The questions about Mrazek’s work ethic were one reason the Red Wings left Mrazek exposed in the expansion draft, though Vegas decided to not select Mrazek. That decision surprised many analysts who felt the Golden Knights would have been well served grabbing a young goalie who has had success in the NHL. But Mrazek trained hard over the summer, and has come into this season with an apparently new attitude and approach to his career. “His work ethic has been excellent,” Blashill said. “His attention to detail has been excellent, his approach to improve and his technique has been excellent, he just has to keep doing that so when he goes out and gets an opportunity to play, he has the foundation. “Confidence comes from when you put the work in to be successful and he’s done that. Obviously everyone wants to get into a game groove, and everyone wants to play every night, but that’s not the way it always goes. He just has to stay ready.” 1081280 Detroit Red Wings Detroit News LOADED: 11.03.2017

Red Wings slowed by Senators, start swing with stumble

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 10:22 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 11:50 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

Ottawa, Ontario — This wasn’t exactly the best way to a start an important four-game trip for the Red Wings. Hoping to get off to a positive start against the sturdy, impressive Ottawa Senators, the Red Wings didn’t generate enough offense Thursday in a 3-1 loss. BOX SCORE: Senators 3, Red Wings 1 This was almost a textbook way how Ottawa wins. Get a lead, slow the pace of the game down, and make it difficult offensively for the opponent. For too much of the evening, the Red Wings just didn’t get enough offense. “How well they executed,” said goaltender Jimmy Howard (27 saves), as what stood out in the loss. “Just clogging everything up in the neutral zone. We started to get through the neutral zone a little bit (in the third period). “They’re one of the teams that sits back and play a 1-3-1 and it’s tough to generate anything. They’re one of the few (teams) that play that way, so it’s tough to generate odd-man rushes. It’s an effective way for them to play.” Senators goals from Mark Stone and Alexandre Burrows (power play) put the Senators ahead, and forced the Red Wings to play catch-up hockey. “We want to be a fast team, we have a lot of guys who can skate, and they really want to slow it down and make it tough in the neutral zone,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “At times, we didn’t execute well in the neutral zone.” Anthony Mantha cut the lead to 2-1 with a power-play goal, his sixth goal of the season, at 16:37 of the third period. Mantha, in front, deflected a Mike Green shot from the top of the slot, with the Red Wings on a 6-on-4 advantage after coach Jeff Blashill pulled Howard for the extra attacker. The Red Wings put added pressure in the final minute, again with Howard pulled, but Senators forward Nate Thompson scored into an empty net with 10 seconds left to end the scoring. “We had chances early and late but you have to score, you have to find a way,” Blashill said. “That’s the league, it’s like this every single night. We have to find a way, we’re going to help ourselves by scoring more.” For Blashill, the difference in the game was about a 9-minute span midway in the second period. “We bogged ourselves down, we didn’t get the puck out of our zone and we played too much defensive zone coverage,” Blashill said. “We didn’t skate enough in the second (period).” Senators goalie Craig Anderson stopped 24 shots. The Red Wings (6-7-1, 13 points) saw their modest two-game win streak end, while now heading to western Canada to finish off the four-game, week-long road trip. “There’s no room for error,” Blashill said. “You help yourself if you score early, which we didn’t. This is the league every night. It’s going to be like this, they’re going to be tight games, and you have to find a way to come out on top.” Ottawa (6-2-5, 17 points) snapped a scoreless game late in the first period, another untimely Red Wings goal to allow with a period ending. Stone found a rebound of Mike Hoffman’s shot off the blade of Mantha’s stick and snapped a shot through traffic just outside Howard’s crease, and into the net, with 54 seconds left in the first period. The goal was Stone’s eighth of the season, and put the Red Wings into an unwanted hole. “That’s a tough goal to give up, it’s a momentum goal,” Blashill said. “We won a challenge (overturned apparent Ottawa goal), we get through the first, and it’s tough to give up any goal. They’re tough to come by.” 1081281 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators live chat

Updated November 2, 2017 at 6:32 PM; Posted November 2, 2017 at 6:30 PM By Ansar Khan

GAME INFORMATION * Who: Detroit Red Wings (6-6-1) at Ottawa Senators (5-2-5) * Where: Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa * When: 7:30 tonight * TV: Fox Sports Detroit * Radio: 97.1 WXYT-FM and Red Wings radio network * Social media: Follow MLive sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram * Twitter: Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage The Red Wings are seeking their season-high third consecutive victory and a second win this season in Ottawa, where they prevailed 2-1 in a shootout on Oct. 7. This time, the Senators have star defenseman Erik Karlsson in the lineup. He has 10 points (all assists) in seven games since returning from off-season foot surgery. Mark Stone leads Ottawa with seven goals and 12 points. Kyle Turris returns after missing three games with an illness. Jimmy Howard makes his sixth start in a row for Detroit. He'll be opposed by Craig Anderson, who is 4-2-3, with a 3.14 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081282 Detroit Red Wings Drafted: Signed as free agent Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) Catching up with Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski and other Red 2017-18 statistics: 9 Gm, 0 G, 1 A, 17 PIM, minus-1 Wings prospects Renouf played one game for the Red Wings last season

Joe Hicketts Posted November 02, 2017 at 06:06 AM | Updated November 02, 2017 at 02:20 PM Age: 21 Position: Defense By Brendan Savage Drafted: Signed as free agent Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) November is here meaning a month of the new season is in the books for 2017-18 statistics: 9 Gm, 0 G, 3 A, 2 PIM, plus-1 most teams. So we thought this might be a good time to take a look at Hicketts, who turned pro last season, turned an invitation to the Red some of the Red Wings' top prospects and how they’re performing so far Wings development camp into an entry level contract. this season. Gustav Lindstrom We didn’t include all the players who are under contract to the Red Wings because let's be honest, some of them can no longer be Age: 19 considered prospects. And we didn’t include former draft picks who didn’t receive entry level contracts and are again eligible for the NHL draft. Position: Defense But we did include draft picks who are playing in college because the Drafted: 2017 second round, 38th overall Red Wings retain their rights until they leave school. The first several Team: Almtuna IS (Sweden) players listed are among the Red Wings top prospects. After that, they're listed in no particular order. 2017-18 statistics: 9 Gm, 0 G, 2 A, 12 PIM, plus-4 Note that all statistics do not include any games played Wednesday. Gustav Lindstrom’s plus-4 rating leads his team’s defensemen and he ranks fifth in points among the blue liners. Michael Rasmussen A must read: Age: 18 Red Wings emphasis size, defense on Day 2 of NHL draft Position: Center Kasper Kotkansalo Drafted: 2017 first round, ninth overall Age: 18 Team: Tri-City Americans (WHL) Position: Defense 2017-18 statistics: 10 Gm, 6 G, 6 A, 12 PIM, plus-2 Drafted: 2017 third round, 71st overall Michael Rasmussen is tied for second on the team in goals and his 12 Team: Boston University Drafted: 2013 second round, 58th overall overall 2017-18 statistics: 8 Gm, 0 G, 1 A, 0 PIM, plus-3 Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) Only one of the Terriers’ defensemen has fewer points than Kasper 2017-18 statistics: Has not played yet Kotkansalo but none have a better plus-minus. Bertuzzi spent seven games with the Red Wings last season and he was Prospect Kasper Kotkansalo was Red Wings fan before being drafted going to be given a chance to stick in the NHL out of training camp before getting hurt. Lane Zablocki Dennis Cholowski Age: 18 Age: 19 Position: Right wing Position: Defense Drafted: 2017 third round, 79th overall Drafted: 2016 first round, 20th overall Team: Red Deer (WHL) Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL) 2017-18 statistics: 15 Gm, 6 G, 4 A, 25 PIM, minus-9 2017-18 statistics: 13 Gm, 5 G, 9 A, 2 PIM, plus-8 Lane Zablocki’s plus-minus is the worst on the team but he leads the team in penalty minutes while ranking third in goals and fifth in points Dennis Cholowski leads his team’s defensemen in goals, assists, points and plus-minus rating. Red Wings select forward Lane Zablocki at No. 79 in NHL draft Recent top pick Dennis Cholowski impressed at Red Wings' rookie, main Zach Gallant camps Age: 18 Dennis Cholowski has gotten bigger, stronger in past year Position: Center Robbie Russo Drafted: 2017 third round, 83rd overall Age: 24 Team: Peterborough (OHL) Position: Defense 2017-18 statistics: 16 Gm, 5 G, 8 A, 12 PIM, 0 plus-minus Drafted: 2011 fourth round, 95th overall by Islanders Zach Gallant is fourth in points and tied for fifth in goals among the Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) Petes. 2017-18 statistics: 9 Gm, 1 G, 1 A, 4 PIM, plus-2 Keith Petruzzelli Dan Renouf Age: 18 Age: 23 Position: Goaltender Position: Defense Drafted: 2017 third round, 88th overall Team: Quinnipiac University Position: Defense 2017-18 statistics: 2 Gm, 1-1-0, 3.38 GAA, .907 save percentage, 0 SO Drafted: 2016 fourth round, 107th overall Malte Setkov Team: HV71 J20 (Sweden) Age: 18 2017-18 statistics: 16 Gm, 0 G, 4 A, 28 PIM, plus-1 Position: Defense Jordan Sambrook Drafted: 2017 fourth round, 100th overall Age: 19 Team: Pantern IK (Sweden) Position: Defense 2017-18 statistics: 8 Gm, 0 G, 0 G, 2 PIM, 0 plus-minus Drafted: 2016 fifth round, 137th overall Only one defenseman on the team has a worse plus-minus than Malte Team: Erie (OHL) Setkov. 2017-18 statistics: 15 Gm, 4 G, 4 A, 24 PIM, plus-10 Red Wings get big defenseman with 100th pick in NHL draft Filip Larsson Cole Fraser Age: 19 Age: 18 Position: Goalie Position: Defense Drafted: 2016 sixth round, 167th overall Drafted: 2017 fifth round, 131st overall Team: Tri-City (USHL) Team: Peterborough (OHL) 2017-18 statistics: 6 Gm, 5-1-0, 1.52 GAA, .943, 1 SO 2017-18 statistics: 11 Gm, 0 G, 0 A, 16 PIM, plus-4 Larsson is second in the USHL in GAA, tied for second in wins and fourth Cole Fraser is second on the team in penalty minutes and plus-minus in save percentage rating. He has fought one time this season. Filip Larsson preparing for first season in U.S. Red Wings prospect Cole Fraser was second in OHL with five fights last season Prospect Filip Larsson wants to improve quickness Jack Adams Mattias Elfstrom Age: 20 Age: 20 Position: Center Position: Left wing Drafted: 2017 sixth round, 162nd overall Drafted: 2016 seventh round, 197th overall Team: Union College Team: Vasterviks IK (Sweden) 2017-18 statistics: 8 Gm, 1 G, 4 A, 4 PIM, plus-5 2017-18 statistics: 14 Gm, 1 G, 2 A, 4 PIM, 0 plus-minus Reilly Webb Mattias Elfstrom (pictured at right) is tied for ninth on the team in plus- minus rating Age: 18 Red Wings take Swedes Filip Larsson, Mattias Elfstrom with final two Position: Defense picks in draft Drafted: 2017 sixth round, 164th overall Chase Pearson Team: Hamilton (OHL) Age: 20 2017-18 statistics: 14 Gm, 1 G, 0 A, 4 PIM, plus-4 Position: Center Reilly Webb has already played more games this season than in either of Drafted: 2015 fifth round, 145th overall the past two, when he was limited to a total of 20 games because of shoulder injuries. His plus-minus rating is the fourth-worst on the team. Team: University of Maine Reilly Webb a physical, stay-at-home defenseman 2017-18 statistics: 6 Gm, 0 G, 3 A, 6 PIM, minus-5 Brady Gilmour Matej Machovsky Age: 18 Age: 24 Position: Center Position: Goalie Drafted: 2017 seventh round, 193rd overall Drafted: Signed as free agent Team: Saginaw (OHL) Team: Toledo (ECHL) 2017-18 statistics: 11 Gm, 3 G, 5 A, 2 PIM, minus-6 2017-18 statistics: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 7.70 GAA, .786 save percentage Brady Gilmour is tied for fourth on the team in goals and points but his Patrick Holway plus-minus rating is tied for the second-worst on the team Age: 20 Givani Smith Position: Defense Age: 19 Drafted: 2015 sixth round, 170th overall Position: Right wing Team: University of Maine Drafted: 2016 second round, 46th overall 2017-18 statistics: 3 Gm, 1 G, 2 A, 2 PIM, plus-1 Team: Guelph Storm (OHL) Patrick Holway (6-4, 201) is tied for second in points among Maine 2017-18 statistics: Has not played this season defenseman despite playing in half of the Black Bears games Alfons Malmstrom Christoffer Ehn Age: 19 Age: 21 Position: Center Position: Forward Drafted: 2014 fourth round, 106th overall Drafted: 2014 seventh round, 196th overall Team: Frolunda HC (Sweden) Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) 2017-18 statistics: 14 Gm, 1 G, 1 A, 6 PIM, minus-4 2017-18 statistics: 7 Gm, 1 G, 4 A, 0 PIM, minus-1 Chase Perry Dominic Turgeon Age: 21 Age: 21 Position: Goaltender Position: Center Drafted: 2014 fifth round, 136th overall Drafted: 2014 third round, 63rd overall Team: RPI (ECAC) Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) 2017-18 statistics: 5 Gm, 0-3-2, 2.50 GAA, .925 save percentage 2017-18 statistics: 9 Gm, 4 G, 3 A, 10 PIM, plus-4 Libor Sulak Turgeon scored 36 goals in the WHL during his final junior season of 2015-16 Age: 23 The Red Wings are 11-0 in shootouts dating back to the start of last Position: Defense season after struggling in the skills competition for years. But that doesn't Drafted: Signed as free agent mean they didn't have some nifty goals during that stretch. We put together a look at some of the Red Wings' best shootout goals going Team: Pelicans (Finland) back several years through Saturday's game-winner by Gustav Nyquist in Florida. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi are among 2017-18 statistics: 6 Gm, 1 G, 4 A, 6 PIM, minus-1 the Red Wings who produced some dandies. Enjoy. Sulak ranks fourth among defensemen in team scoring Michigan Live LOADED: 11.03.2017 Red Wings getting extended look at Czechs Matej Machovsky, Libor Sulak Red Wings sign Czech defenseman Libor Sulak David Pope Age: 23 Position: Left wing Drafted: 2013 fourth round, 109th overall Team: University of Nebraska-Omaha 2017-18 statistics: 6 Gm, 4 G, 3 A, 0 PIM, 0 plus-minus Dylan Sadowy Age: 21 Position: Left wing Drafted: 2014 third round, 81st overall by San Jose Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) 2017-18 statistics: 6 Gm, 0 G, 0 A, 5 PIM, minus-2 The Red Wings acquired Sadowy in a trade with the Sharks and he scored at least 40 goals in his final two junior seasons before struggling as a pro Vili Saarijarvi Age: 20 Position: Defense Drafted: 2015 third round, 73rd overall Team: Toledo (ECHL)-Grand Rapids (AHL) 2017-18 statistics: 4 Gm, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PIM, plus-2 Saarjarvi, who helped Finland win a World Junior Championship gold medal, started the season in the ECHL because of a logjam on defense in Grand Rapids Filip Hronek Age: 19 Position: Defense Drafted: 2016 second round, 53rd overall Team: Grand Rapids (AHL) 2017-18 statistics: 5 Gm, 0 G, 1 A, 2 PIM, 0 plus-minus Axel Holmstrom Age: 21 1081283 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings bottled up by Senators in loss

Updated November 2, 2017 at 11:04 PM; Posted November 2, 2017 at 11:03 PM By The Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Mark Stone had a goal and an assist and Craig Anderson made 24 saves in the Ottawa Senators' 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Alex Burrows and Nate Thompson also scored to help the Senators rebound from an 8-3 home loss to Montreal on Monday night. Jimmy Howard made 27 saves, and Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit. Detroit cut it to 2-1 on Mantha's power-play goal with 3:23 left, and Thompson sealed it with an empty-net goal. The Senators took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period when Burrows picked up his second of the season with a power-play goal. Stone, with his second point of the night, fed Burrows with a perfect pass through the middle to beat Howard stick-side. Ottawa thought it scored first with Cody Ceci scoring at the three-minute mark, but the goal was called back due to goaltender interference. The Senators had a number of good chances, but it wasn't until the final minute of the first period that they were able to beat Howard. Stone picked up Mike Hoffman's rebound in front in traffic and slid it through Howard's legs. Stone has eight goals and 14 points in 13 games. NOTES: Kyle Turris made his return for the Senators after missing the last three games with a viral infection. ... Ottawa D Mark Borowiecki missed his second straight game with a virus. ... Detroit LW David Booth and RW Luke Witkowski were healthy scratches. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081284 Edmonton Oilers

Clock ticking on Edmonton Oilers rookie Kailer Yamamoto

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 7:24 PM MDT

Ever the team guy, Kailer Yamamoto would rather have wins than points. But the clock is ticking on the teenager who played his eighth game with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and by his own admission, didn’t get much done outside of drawing a double-minor to Jake Guentzel to give his team a four-minute power play. Yamamoto played 11 minutes, three and a half minutes in the third period, and didn’t get a shot on Penguins goaltender Matt Murray. Yamamoto has three assists on the year and has yet to score. If he plays Friday against the New Jersey Devils and Sunday afternoon when the Detroit Red Wings are in town, he will have played 10 games and the first year of his three-year entry-level deal kicks in. If he goes back to junior to join the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL before playing his 10th game, the first year of his contract won’t kick in and he doesn’t count against the Oilers 50-man list for this season. Right now, the jury’s out on the 19 year old as to whether he’ll be on the four-game road trip next week to play the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. His ice-time’s gone from a low of 6:33 in the season opener against the Calgary Flames to 22:20 against the Ottawa Senators. “I can be a lot better in a lot of areas. I wasn’t making the plays (against Pittsburgh) I should be making,” said Yamamoto, who played with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic. “Making simple plays, chipping the puck out or chipping it to Nuge for a two-on-one at the end of the game. I have to be better. It’s a lot tighter in the regular season and when you’re not making plays, it’s tough. But you have to push through it.” Oilers coach Todd McLellan continues to be very patient with the first- round draft pick. “He made some good plays in our end to get it to our guys but not so much in the offensive zone. The evaluation will continue,” McLellan said. McLellan broke up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and put them on two different power-play units against Pittsburgh. The had 11 shots and a goal by Nugent-Hopkins on their five power plays. But, when the Penguins needed one on their PP, they got it in the third by Evgeni Malkin, on a rush. “We’re still trying to solve the special-teams issue. We’ve only won that battle once this season and we happened to win that game,” said McLellan, of his power play, which is 3-for-26 at home. “It’s never easy to shuffle groups but we created a fair number of chances and created momentum early in the game but the two we had in the third period were disappointing. You have to come out a power play with some excitement but didn’t get that done in the third.” This ’n that: Tryout forward Chris Kelly continues to skate with the Oilers but when they go on the road, he goes home to Ottawa and skates with Carleton University, coached by ex-Oiler Shaun Van Allen. Kelly is still here for a reason and an extra body if the Oilers decide to make roster moves … Draisaitl doesn’t have a single power-play point this season, all eight of his points have been even strength … Jesse Puljujarvi got his first goal in Bakersfield on Wednesday in a win over the Manitoba Moose … Bakersfield sent Russian defenceman Ziyat Paigin to Wichita in the ECHL with Ryan Stanton joining the AHL team. Greg Chase is also off to Wichita … Forward Tyler Benson has played two games with the . He had a goal in a loss to Prince George and registered seven shots in his other game against the Victoria Royals. Benson is expected to play for the WHL team against the touring Russian Selects next week in Moose Jaw and Swift Current. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081285 Edmonton Oilers But you can’t win if nine of your forwards are shooting blanks. Kassian may be the poster boy for what ails the bottom six. When he’s on his game. he’s skating, banging, getting in people’s faces, making Lack of secondary scoring hurting Edmonton Oilers players mad at him. Last year he had two goals and four points. He has one assist in 11 games this season, but maybe more importantly, his hard-charging style hasn’t been there, at least after the first week, like he Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal showed in the league-opener when he was all over the ice. Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 4:15 The Oilers, who’ve definitely lost their way, badly need his energy. PM MDT “Zack is a very important player for our team, his speed, his pace, his ability to have tenacity on the forecheck, to play rugged when needed,” said McLellan. “When he’s doing those on any given night, he can be The Edmonton Oilers big horses are doing their job through a woeful effective.On some nights those (qualities) haven’t shown up. On others, early stretch, but others haven’t left the barn. they have.” Connor McDavid, Patrick Maroon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who’s Kassian knows he’s not part of the solution right now. greatly improved his faceoff numbers from a career 43 to 56 per cent, have 14 of the team’s 24 goals through 11 games. And Leon Draisaitl “When your team is, I don’t even know what our record is, just that we’re has eight points and two goals in seven games after his concussion losing a lot of games, everyone needs to be better, including myself,” issues. said Kassian. “The only way we’ll start winning is if everyone gets better. I’m no different.”] So all’s good on that front, although McDavid, Maroon and Draisaitl play together, so it’s looking like a one-trick pony line on a lot of nights, which Kassian had a short-handed breakaway Wednesday which might have is a problem. kick-started his season but was stoned by Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray. “The guys we projected to score are scoring, so we can’t throw “We all wish we could be 50-goal scorers,” he said. “But we need more everybody into the envelope,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. “Connor secondary scoring in order to get out of the slump we’re in.” is at the exact same rate as he was last year, Leon is ahead of the game, Nuge, too. Maroon is too when you compare last year to this year.” Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.03.2017 Draisaitl has two goals and six assists in seven games and had two goals and four assists in 11 last year. Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and two assists after having one and four last season. Maroon has four goals and five assists after having three and one a year ago. “It’s the bottom six that haven’t got anything done. Some of the wingers haven’t gotten anything done offensively and that’s concerning,” said McLellan. It’s not just the seventh through the 12th forward, though. Top-six winger Milan Lucic has one goal in 23 shots. has one goal in 22 shots, and that was on the power play. But there is a paucity of secondary scoring. Way too many zeroes. . Drake Caggiula, Jussi Jokinen, Jujhar Khaira, Anton Slepyshev, Iiro Pakarinen and teenager Kailer Yamamoto have yet to score on 81 shots. Throw in Lucic and Strome’s 45 total shots and that’s nine forwards with two goals in 126 shots through the Oilers 3-7-1 start. Kassian and Slepyshev, who sprained his ankle before camp, were both terrific in the playoffs last spring and counted on for possible top-nine spots. But, they can’t get anything done, just like the other support players. “We have to look at their skill-sets. Some are very good forecheckers, others have the ability to get tip-ins, goals in tight. There’s ways of manufacturing offence,” said McLellan. “Some of the players are creating chances themselves or for others but they haven’t been able to finish. It’s a matter of pushing a bit and players relaxing a bit.” This is the public face of McLellan. Behind closed doors, his already- turned-grey hair is getting greyer by the minute because it can’t always be McDavid or Maroon or the others, with Lucic the most prominent player struggling with a 4.3 shooting percentage. When asked for an analysis of Lucic’s play, McLellan talked plural and singular. “We need more from a lot of players. To single out individuals is a tough thing but if you’re asking about him specifically, yes we need more,” he said. “He knows it. His physicality and tenacity around the net are important to our team and we see it on the power play where he gets opportunities with shots in tight and on scrambles but five-on-five, it has to happen more. “But collectively we have to get more consistent, one through 60 minutes.” For sure, there’s other reasons why the Oilers have three wins in 11 games; bad penalty-killing, bad power play, struggles from their top defence pairing of Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson – who are now broken up – and average goal-tending numbers from Cam Talbot, who saved them night after night last season. 1081286 Edmonton Oilers PANTHERS/LUONGO The Panthers remain hopeful that it’s more a short-term absence for veteran No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo and not a long-term thing. They LeBrun Notebook: Finalizing Shipachyov's exit plan, Wild need a better expect, or at least hope, to know more sometime next week. Dumba, and more Luongo suffered the hand injury Oct. 20 against Pittsburgh. He started skating just recently as he attempts to see where he’s at. Pierre LeBrun Needless to say, the Panthers’ season could take a turn either way 10 hours ago depending on how long he’ll ultimately be out. WILD/DUMBA If you are wondering why Vadim Shipachyov still hasn’t been placed on Matt Dumba was expected to be back in the Wild lineup Thursday night unconditional waivers for contract termination purposes by the Vegas as Minnesota hosted Montreal, head coach Bruce Boudreau opting not Golden Knights, let’s try to answer that question. make the 23-year-old a healthy scratch. Where to begin? Boudreau and Dumba met Thursday morning and chatted after the player’s giveaway in the previous game led to Nikolaj Ehlers’ game- The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have been going back and forth winner early in the third period. Dumba never saw the ice again the rest on it this week to find a resolution and are still in the process of trying to of the game. find resolution on it. More on that later. Overall, it’s been a struggle of a season so far for Dumba, an offensive First, the player: he simply wants to resume his career at home in Russia blueliner who hasn’t scored yet after scoring 11 goals last season and 10 and put all this negative experience in North America behind him (agent goals the season before. Petr Svoboda said his client had flown home to Russia on Thursday.) The Wild are very much committed to this player, especially after Secondly, the player has agreed to pay back the $2-million signing bonus deciding to deal Marco Scandella last off-season when there was he got from the Golden Knights from July in order to cut ties with Vegas. certainly interest from other teams in Dumba. So why hasn’t he been placed on unconditional waivers (yet?) They don’t have the same defensive depth this season and need Dumba to rediscover his form. He’s an important player for them. First, because the Golden Knights don’t want another NHL team to claim him and then Vegas gets stuck having paid the $2-million signing bonus. AGENT DAN MILSTEIN So there’s that. Real interesting read recently by colleague Craig Custance on agent Dan Also, even with the player saying he’d pay the bonus back, I believe the Milstein. Golden Knights want assurances that he won’t change his mind and try to recoup some of his signing bonus. His client list of Russian players keeps growing, including the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin and Vladislav Namestiknov. So I think there’s been talk of Shipachyov signing something to guarantee he wouldn’t seek out the money. There had been rumours that Milstein was adding a third Tampa Bay Lightning client in goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (whose agent is Rolland But it’s not as simple as the player and club having agreed to things. Hedges) but the agent vehemently denied that Thursday in an email From the NHLPA’s perspective, it’s bigger than just the player here. This when I asked if he had indeed added Vasilevskiy. is a CBA matter. The optics of a player paying back a $2-million signing bonus isn’t exactly ideal, even if these are unique circumstances. There’s “Absolutely not true,” said Milstein. the fear of setting a precedent. BOLTS’ SERGACHEV In the meantime, Vegas has most of the leverage here. The fact the Rookie blueliner Mikhail Sergachev is off to a terrific start to his NHL player wouldn’t report to AHL Chicago means he’s suspended and isn’t career and it would pretty surprising at this point if he isn’t in Tampa for getting paid. So, the Golden Knights could afford to take their time and good, although GM Steve Yzerman has not made any such declaration. make sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed before they go ahead with whatever the NHL and NHLPA come up with as an exit plan. The team is happy with his play and his development, and has told him to find an apartment and move out of his hotel. But beyond that, no In the end, I think one avenue the NHLPA and NHL have also discussed guarantees have been given. Even though he’s played more than 10 is whether it makes more sense for this to end with Shipachyov signing games, which kicks in the first year of his entry-level deal, the team will NHL retirement papers (which wouldn’t require conditional waivers) do what’s right for him and his development. similar to what Ilya Kovalchuk did. But at this point, I find it hard to believe we’re going to see regression. So will it be retirement papers or mutual termination? Sergachev looks like he belongs. Whatever it ends up being, and I’m told there still wasn’t a resolution Worth remembering are the conditions on that trade which sent Jonathan between the NHL and NHLPA as of Thursday evening at 7 p.m. ET, it’s Drouin to Montreal last June, a deal that tentatively also saw the Bolts been a long and complicated ordeal. get the Habs’ 2018 second-round pick in exchange for the Lightning’s All for a guy who played three NHL games. 2018 sixth-round pick; but only if Sergachev failed to appear in 40 games (regular season or playoffs) with Tampa in the 2017-18 season. If he SENS’ DORION plays in 40 games or more, there are no picks exchanged in the deal. Eyebrows were raised when Senators GM Pierre Dorion took in games in So it certainly appears like the Habs will be getting that second-round Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden on back-to-back nights earlier this pick back. If that’s the case, the Canadiens will have three second-round week. picks in June: their own, Washington’s from the Lars Eller trade and Chicago’s which they got along with Philippe Danault for Dale Weise and And while most of the media speculation has been centered on which Tomas Fleischmann. players he was watching on the Islanders or Rangers, it’s worth mentioning that the common denominator in both those games was Those are good assets to have in a potential trade either before Feb. 26 Vegas. No question I believe Dorion wanted to also get a live look at or in June. some Golden Knights players since he rarely will get to see them in person this year. Vegas has a long list of pending UFAs and perhaps The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 later in the season there’s a forward there that ends up interesting the Senators. In the short term, I believe Ottawa asked Vegas if it had any interest in goalie Andrew Hammond given all the injuries in goal for the Golden Knights but I think the expansion club took a pass at least for now. Hammond is healthy again and playing well so far this season in AHL Belleville. I wonder if Ottawa doesn’t call him up just to showcase him at some point… 1081287 Edmonton Oilers The comments on my Kris Letang piece indicated that people like to know who the best and worst by these sorts of numbers are, even when it's not strictly relevant to the story. I am but a conduit for information of Dellow: NHL coaches aren't stupid — that seventh defenceman likely interest to our subscribers, so I've pulled the guys with the twenty biggest isn't a star pushes and the twenty biggest drags from their coaches (as far as when they go on) and their centres (as far as winning faceoffs) and how that impacts their expected numbers. With ties, it's 21 guys but you get the idea. Tyler Dellow You can see that Honka just misses this list, which is dominated by third 12 hours ago pair defencemen or total youngsters, along with a few notable exceptions like Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.

I also understand that people like to see what their team's players look This is a story about Julius Honka but I could have written it about any like with stuff like this. Again, I'm but a conduit etc., etc. For readability one of a long list of players that the statistically inclined internet loves and purposes, I've set up a graph appendix here. hockey people don't. In other words, even if you don't care about the Dallas Stars, the thinking in here probably applies to some team or player So that's one angle that suggests that Honka was getting a pretty cushy that you do care about because it's a universal problem: Stupid coach spot from Hitchcock relative to the rest of the Stars. It leads to an obvious who has unfathomably won a few hundred games doesn't recognize that next question: is there a particular shift type on which Honka was killing some bottom end player with great numbers should be given a larger it? Happily for the flow of this column, the answer is yes. Julius Honka role. was absolutely murdering it on on-the-fly shifts. Honka got sent down to the AHL by the Stars on Tuesday. My buddy As you'll see, he has the third highest numbers in the league, tucked in Scott Cullen over at TSN summarized the case for the defence. below Eric Gryba and Nathan Beaulieu. For completeness, the bottom end of the list. To translate: the Stars put up a 59.5 percent Corsi% when Honka was on the ice. They got 65.1 percent of the scoring chances and 66.7 percent of Put more precisely: the Stars got great results when Honka was on the the high danger scoring chances. He posits that because Dallas got ice for OTF shifts. So there you have it: stupid Ken Hitchcock doesn't outscored 4-1 with Honka on the ice, the Stars don't see his real value. realize that he has this monster defenceman in Julius Honka who absolutely owns on-the-fly shifts and crushes the game when it's in flow Look, sometimes hockey people, be they coaches or GMs, do crazy stuff. mode, right? Well…not exactly. Sometimes they get things wrong. But hockey analytics — as useful and helpful as it is — is far from a finished or exact science. You're looking at When a defenceman comes on to the ice on the fly, the puck is almost stuff, understanding some historical context for that information and then always in a good spot, whether it's in a teammate's hands on the rush or trying to figure out what it means. This should include trying to figure out behind the opposition net after it was dumped in, with a lot of space and how it might mislead you. bodies between the puck and that defenceman's net. In those initial seconds after he comes on to the ice, the newly arrived defenceman is In a perfect world, you'd really try to understand what the pure hockey contributing nothing to the results, which are almost certain to be highly people are saying and then you'd try and reconcile that with what the favourable. The results are the work of the people who've been there analytics seem to be saying. I've seen instances in which I think hockey longer or those who've recently departed from the ice. We credit the guy people were right and instances where I thought the analytics people on the ice. nailed it. Nobody's got a monopoly on objective truth here (including me; I'm just a guy thinking things through and making arguments) and if you The Stars have put up incredible results in the first ten seconds after try and reconcile the two schools of thought, you can make them better. Honka's come on the ice on the fly this year. How incredible? In Honka's 85 OTF shifts, the Stars have out-attempted the opposition 65-29. In the Julius Honka is just the latest of a certain type of defenceman. A Rob first ten seconds that Honka's on the ice, they've out-attempted 20-4. A Schremp of the blueline. The flashy guy who puts up points, can't seem more realistic number there would be something like 17-9. Is the to get out of the AHL or off of the third pairing and whose numbers seem difference because of Honka's impressive play? Or is it small sample to scream that he deserves more than he's getting, if only that stupid noise, happening to get on the ice at the right time? crusty old hockey man would just get his head out of 1975. For what it's worth, I do believe that this happens. I don't think it's always the case I would bet on it being the latter. And it's the sort of thing that a coach though. breaking down video wouldn't give a player credit for while someone looking at on-ice numbers would. ALSO: the crusty old hockey man is probably a hell of a lot more desperate for his team to win games than is popularly understood. When Another fun note: 14 of the 65 OTF shot attempts for which Honka has you're talking about coaches or general managers, you're talking about been on the ice for have from just three of his shifts, as he's been on the people making seven figures whose continued earning of said seven ice for a six CF OTF shift and a pair of four CF OTF shifts. Put another figures is (in many cities) dependent on the team doing well. Oh, and way, 3.5 percent of his 85 OTF shifts have featured four or more CF. For losing is miserable. It eats at you every moment of every day. the league as a whole, that number is more like 0.9 percent. I'm inclined to think that that his big CF number on OTF shifts doesn't really have All of which is to say that the people making the decisions about people much to do with him. He just happens to be the guy who was on the ice like Honka have considerable incentive to get it right. So what might the for the winning spin on the slot machine. Stars be seeing that the numbers cited by Cullen aren't catching? Here's what one of those four CF shifts looked like, by the way. You tell One thing is the mix of shift types. Zone starts have had ups and downs me: how much did Honka drive that? How much was he the beneficiary in terms of popularity with hockey numbers people. Initially, it seemed of other players rebounding? very important. Then, someone quite sensibly pointed out that it didn't really seem like it made a huge difference and now people seem to To me, what made that shift was the work that the forwards did winning disregard it entirely. My take on this is that for most players, it doesn't the battle for the puck after the initial shot. It probably won't have make a huge difference but for players on the extremes, it does. escaped Hitchcock's eye either that Honka got caught below a couple guys and the Avalanche ended up with an easy zone entry on a I look at zone starts a little differently than most people. What I do is defending forward. create an expected Corsi% based on the player's mix of shifts. So it's number of shifts of a certain type times expected results on those shifts In big samples, this sort of thing will wash out but in small samples it and then total up the results to basically put a price on what you'd expect won't. It drives me nuts when coaches run with a guy for whom the based on how the shift started. For Dallas, that looks like this. percentages are running hot but otherwise isn't good — I always think that those coaches should know when to walk away from the table with So right off the top, Honka's mix of shifts gives him an edge over the rest their winnings. But, in a way, that's exactly what this is. In small samples, of the Stars D when it comes to being on the ice for Corsis and scoring I trust the eye more than the numbers that people commonly refer to and chances. Ken Hitchcock might not process it in these terms but he'd if the eye of a guy who's had a lot of success doing this says walk away, know that he's put him into favourable spots. What makes Honka unique I'm inclined to believe him. Particularly when the numbers kind of look in comparison to the rest of the Stars defence is that he started a ton of shaky under a closer look. shifts on the fly. This isn't particularly uncommon for defencemen who are lower down the roster and it means that you tend to start with your Really, this is the intersection of two things. One is sample size. This is a team having the puck on the rush or the opposition having the puck pretty good illustration of how sample size can throw up weird results. behind their own net a lot. It's not a bad place to be. The second is things that the numbers — which are the map, not the territory — don't capture or don't adequately deal with. There are players out there who coaches overlook or don't like because of stuff that doesn't matter as much as they think. There aren't nearly as many fringe NHL defencemen who are actually top four defencemen in that group as a lot of people think though. If you think you've found one, you'd better take an awfully close look. Odds are, you'll find a reason that the coach doesn't like him other than “The coach is stupid.” The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081288 Edmonton Oilers

By the numbers: 2017-18 NHL season projections and probabilities (updated daily)

Dom Luszczyszyn 20 hours ago

Welcome to our NHL projections and probabilities page where you will find each team's projected record, playoff chances and division chances as well as their chances of making it to the Stanley Cup Final and winning the whole thing. The projections are based on 50,000 simulations of the remainder of the season, which factors in each team's projected strength, current health, and their strength of schedule (which includes opponent strength, venue and rest). You can read more about the model here. The projected NHL standings will be updated each morning while the game probabilities will be updated each afternoon and likely once more before game time. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081289 Florida Panthers

Anderson, Bjorkstrand lead Blue Jackets past Panthers 7-3

Associated Press NOVEMBER 02, 2017 10:38 PM

Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson each scored twice to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Florida Panthers 7-3 on Thursday night. Boone Jenner, Tyler Motte and Markus Hannikainen also had goals for the Blue Jackets, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves. Seven goals are a season-high for Columbus, which won for the eighth time in 11 games. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and two assists for the Panthers. Ian McCoshen and Mark Pysyk also scored. James Reimer allowed four goals on 19 shots before being replaced by Antti Niemi at 10:46 of the second period. Niemi stopped 18 shots. The Panthers lost their third straight and have given up 15 goals in their past two games. After Trocheck's short-handed goal tied the score 3-all at 8:43 of the second, the Blue Jackets reclaimed the lead 28 seconds later on a power-play goal by Bjorkstrand when his shot went into the top of the net. Reimer was replaced by Niemi after that goal. Bjorkstrand's second goal, a shot from in front, beat Niemi and stretched the Blue Jackets' lead to 5-3. Motte made it 6-3 at 3:45 of the third. The goal was Motte's second in two games since being recalled from Cleveland of the AHL on Monday. Jenner's power-play goal, a deflection of a shot by Artemi Panarin at 6:12 of the third, made it 7-3. Columbus took a 3-2 lead on Hannikainen's goal at 5:21 of the second. Hannikainen grabbed a loose puck in the slot and slid it between Reimer's pads. The Panthers tied the score 2-all 35 seconds into the second on McCoshen's slap shot from the point. Anderson's second goal gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead on his wrist shot from the right circle that beat Reimer to the stick side with 3:33 left in the first period. The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on the goal by Pysyk when he swept in a rebound off a shot by Trocheck at 4:57. The Blue Jackets tied it on Anderson's first goal. Brandon Dubinsky passed from the goal line to Anderson in front and he pushed he puck past Reimer with 8:28 left in the first. NOTES: Blue Jackets RW Cam Atkinson missed the game with a lower- body injury. ... Bjorkstrand's power-play goal was the first on the road for Columbus this season in 15 tries. ... Panthers LW Connor Brickley missed his third game with an upper-body injury. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081290 Florida Panthers “We’re a little bit one-and-done right now and then we get stuck in our own end,” McGinn said. “I think if we simplify and just get back to working hard and putting pucks to the net, I think that’s when we’re going to be As top line impresses, Panthers look for more scoring from other three successful.” lines Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.03.2017

Matthew DeFranks

The Florida Panthers have one less unknown than they did 11 games ago. They now know that their top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov can become one of the most productive in the NHL. Now, it’s about finding out who else can score. During Monday night’s 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay, the top line trio combined for 10 points, with Barkov leading the way with a goal and three assists. It marked the first time in franchise history the Panthers had three players combine for 10 points in a loss. The rest of the team combined for two goals and two assists. “They’ve really pulled some of the weight,” Panthers forward said. “Last few games, they’ve been unbelievable. They’re going against some of the better lines. So we’re going to have to relieve them, the second, third, fourth lines. “They’re not going to be able to do it every night. Obviously, the goal is to, but if we can add depth and scoring, everyone contributing, I think that’s important to have a good team.” Huberdeau, Barkov and Dadonov each have 14 points this season to lead the Panthers. Across the NHL, 23 players entered Thursday with at least 14 points. Florida was one of just three teams (Tampa Bay and Philadelphia) with three players among that group. How unusual was the Panthers' top line's performance in Monday's 8-5 loss? “We know our No. 1 line, they’re going to put a great effort out every night,” Panthers forward Jamie McGinn said. “They’re very skilled and they’re going to score most of the goals, but if we can help out in any way, we got to contribute a little bit more. So we take a lot of pride in that, and we’ll get to work tonight.” In the season’s first few games, the bottom lines were contributing on the score sheet. The third and fourth lines combined for six goals in the first three games. Since then, they’re scored just two of Florida’s 27 goals. Panthers coach Bob Boughner attributes some of the dip in production to injuries. Third-line forwards Jared McCann (lower body) and Connor Brickley (upper body) suffered injuries that have kept them out five and three games, respectively. Fourth-line forward Colton Sceviour (upper body) has missed the past five games. None of the players will return against Columbus on Thursday night, Boughner said, but characterized them as probable for Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. “It sort of affected the chemistry on some of those lines,” Boughner said. “I thought when McCann was healthy and we had Brickley and Bjugstad playing together, it was one of our most consistent lines. We’ve missed those guys for two weeks. Now we’re just trying to find some right combinations.” Panthers enlist Chris Pronger to help young defensemen with 'little things' On Thursday, Boughner shifted Bjugstad back to center, his natural position. Bjugstad has played both right wing (eight games) and left wing (three games) this season. He has two assists in his past three games, but hasn’t scored since Oct. 12 against St. Louis. He’ll center rookies Chase Balisy and Owen Tippett against the Blue Jackets. “I think it’s good for me to see what it’s like to be on the wing,” Bjugstad said. “Obviously, I’ve played center most of my career. It’s kind of my natural position and got some speedy wingers. That’ll help.” The second line of McGinn (five points), Vincent Trocheck (11 points) and Radim Vrbata (nine points) has registered a point in 10 of the Panthers’ 11 games this season. McGinn said his line talked on Wednesday about creating more zone time to help generate scoring chances. 1081291 Florida Panthers Ian McCoshen – Mark Pysyk Mike Matheson – Alex Petrovic Panthers enlist Chris Pronger to help young defensemen with 'little James Reimer things' Antti Niemi

Scratches: Connor Brickley, MacKenzie Weegar. Matthew DeFranks Injured reserve: Roberto Luongo, Jared McCann, Colton Sceviour.

Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.03.2017 The Florida Panthers pulled a Hall of Fame defenseman out of retirement to help fix its leaky defense. Well, sort of. Chris Pronger — a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee and current Panthers senior advisor to the president of hockey operations — worked on the ice Wednesday afternoon with young defensemen Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar about 45 minutes after practice ended. ADVERTISING McCoshen and Weegar, both rookies, are the two most inexperienced defensemen on the Panthers roster. McCoshen has a goal and a minus- 2 rating in 10 games. Weegar has a goal in four games. “It’s good to have a guy like Prongs around there,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “He can share his experience and what he’s done throughout his career. I think [for] the guys, it’s nice to hear a different voice once in a while, as well. It was great to have him out there.” Pronger played for five teams during his 18-year NHL career. He won both the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP and the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman as a member of the Blues in 1999-2000. That year, he had 62 points and a plus-52 rating. Boughner said the issue with Florida’s defense has been “little things right now.” “It’s stick position and it’s angling and it’s certain things that Prongs was known for as a great defenseman in the game,” Boughner said. “We asked him to come out there and have a different voice. I think the guys appreciated that.” The Blue Jackets, one of hockey’s best teams both last season and early on this year, present a couple of problems for the Panthers on Thursday night. One is obvious: goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been hot to open the season, posting a .934 save percentage and a 1.97 goals against average in nine games started. Both would be career-bests if held up throughout an entire season. The Panthers offense has been good through the first month of the season, entering Thursday fifth in the NHL with 3.64 goals per game while averaging 34.6 shots on goal per game. “He’s one of the best goalies in the league,” Boughner said. “Like any goalie that’s having a lot of success, you got to throw everything at him. You got to have some traffic. You got to get some bodies in front of him. You got to pay the price in the blue paint to score goals.” Columbus also boasts an army of defensemen that contribute in the offensive zone, led by Seth Jones (two goals and six assists) and Zach Werenski (three goals and three assists). The Blue Jackets have five defensemen who have scored at least one goal. Asking defensemen to jump into the rush has become common around the NHL, including in Florida. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle each have at least five points for the Panthers. Boughner said defending blueliners starts with a strong forecheck, but also needs strong coverage in the defensive zone. “In the D-zone, obviously, you got to have your head on a swivel,” Boughner said. “You got to make sure that they’re not jumping by you, any time there’s motion. We talk about that a lot. There’s a lot of shared responsibilities, but No. 1 is basically not letting them beat you up the ice.” Thursday’s projected lineup against Columbus, 7:30 p.m. Jonathan Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Evgenii Dadonov Jamie McGinn – Vincent Trocheck – Radim Vrbata Chase Balisy – Nick Bjugstad – Owen Tippett Micheal Haley – Derek MacKenzie – Denis Malgin Keith Yandle – Aaron Ekblad 1081292 Florida Panthers has participated in practice with the rest of the team this week, including morning skate on Thursday, but hasn’t been cleared to play.

Luongo’s injury forced the Panthers to claim Niemi on waivers from James Reimer pulled for second straight game as Panthers lose to Blue Pittsburgh after a disastrous start with the Penguins. When Niemi arrived Jackets, 7-3 in Florida, no goalie in the NHL had a worse save percentage or goals against average. He allowed three goals against Columbus on Thursday night. Matthew DeFranks “I think the easy solution, at least what we should do, is have a great work ethic and outbeat the team every night,” Niemi said. The skate from the opposite goal to the Florida Panthers bench is not an After Monday’s loss to Tampa Bay, the Panthers held a players-only arduous one. About 115 feet bridge the journey, crossing from the north meeting in the dressing room, called by MacKenzie. Defenseman Aaron end of the BB&T Center to the lonely perch at the end of the bench Ekblad spoke to reporters about the need for more reliable defensemen reserved for goaltenders. It’s not supposed to be a joyous skate, but it’s and the requirement for more passion. become familiar for James Reimer in the past four days. On Wednesday, the Panthers held a defense-centric practice, drilling that During the Panthers’ 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Reimer was end of the ice for 50 minutes. Defensemen stayed after practice to work yanked from the game for the second straight time as Florida lost its third on the ice. Thursday offered a chance to alter the results. They looked consecutive game. With Columbus’ seven-goal output on Thursday night, similar. the Panthers have now allowed at least five goals in three of their last five games. They have allowed seven-plus goals in back-to-back games. “A loss is a loss is a loss,” MacKenzie said. “It’s tough to win. But those are excuses and we don’t want to use excuses. We have what we need Reimer barely lasted 29 minutes on Thursday night, allowing four goals in this room to win games on most nights, and right now, we’re not doing on 19 shots. During Monday night’s 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay, Reimer only it. Like I said, we’ll address it tomorrow morning.” stopped 14 of 19 shots on goal in less than half a game. Between the two games, Reimer has posted a 9.18 goals against average and .763 save Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.03.2017 percentage. “Obviously, stats don’t lie,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “He’s fighting it a little bit. We’re trying to tighten up and support him the best we can. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We’re not going to be finger-pointing at anybody.” On the season, Reimer’s numbers dipped to 4.00 and .890, respectively, in nine games played. Both would be career-worsts across an entire season for him, who has started the last six games for Florida with Roberto Luongo sidelined with a right hand injury. Antti Niemi replaced Reimer for the rest of the game. The Panthers loss spoiled a three-point night from Vincent Trocheck, who scored a goal and assisted on two others. His shot off Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s pad served up a perfect rebound for Mark Pysyk to score. He began the cycle that ended with Ian McCoshen punishing a puck from the blue line for his second career goal. He chased down a loose puck while shorthanded and dribbled a shot past Bobrovsky for his second shorthanded goal of the season. It didn’t change the end result. “When we lose like this, we come to the rink the next day, we’re not happy about it,” Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie said. “We went [Wednesday] and guys dug in for one of the tougher practices of the year. We came to the rink today planning on winning the game and doing all the right things. It just didn’t happen.” Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand each scored two goals for Columbus. The Blue Jackets (9-4-0, 18 points) scored a power-play goal for the first time in eight days when Bjorkstrand erased Trocheck’s shorthanded goal after just 28 seconds. They added another on the man- advantage in the third period. The Panthers (4-7-1, 9 points) and Boughner have leaned on Reimer to be a stalwart in net while they wait on Luongo’s return from an injury suffered Oct. 20. Reimer started off his stint as the No. 1 goaltender strongly. When the Panthers beat Washington, he posted his first game with at least 40 saves since joining Florida last season. He made at least 30 saves in the following three games as Florida went 1-1-1. But then the Lightning dented him for five and the Blue Jackets beat him for four. The Panthers lost both games. After Thursday’s loss, Boughner said the Panthers defense would try to support Reimer the best they could, pushing shot attempts to the perimeter and minimizing missed assignments. “It just seems like every time we get to that spot, the lapse ends up in the back of our net,” Boughner said. “Let’s face it. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. Can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We got to get out of it together.” Boughner later added: “There’s going to be breakdowns in a game. Both teams had them. That’s when your goalie needs to come up big. It’s not just him. We’re going to lose and win as a team.” Luongo’s return is uncertain. He’s missed six games, and Thursday morning Boughner described the 38-year-old as “week-to-week.” Luongo 1081293 Los Angeles Kings

Win is imperfect 10 for Kings

Curtis Zupke

A show of hands, please, for those who envisioned the Kings prevailing over the Toronto Maple Leafs in this fashion: Rookie Michael Amadio with his first NHL goal, in his fourth game. Nick Shore with a playmaker’s pass to Trevor Lewis for another goal. Adrian Kempe bull-rushing his way to the net like an All-Star power forward. Anything else? How about Maple Leafs star rewarded with two penalty shots? The Kings have survived wild finishes this season, and a 5-3 win Thursday was the latest version of an ongoing phenomenon. Third-line forwards Amadio, Lewis and Michael Cammalleri scored in the first period, and Tyler Toffoli struck twice in the second period in front of an announced 18,230 fans at Staples Center who sweated through a final 35 minutes with the Kings largely on their heels. The Kings still got to 10-2-1 to match the franchise record for fewest games (13) to 10 wins to start the season. It was their sixth game scoring at least four goals, a feat that often seemed unreachable last season. “I think we came out right away, and we played really hard and we played fast and we played our games,” Kempe said. “We got a couple of goals there in the beginning. I think that was huge for our team. I think we could have played better overall tonight, but I mean, it was a great effort by everybody.” Toronto was not as representative as in its win against the Kings on Oct. 23. It played the previous night and started goalie Curtis McElhinney in only his second appearance this season. Alex Iafallo has met many goals playing on Kings' first line, except scoring one But the Maple Leafs made up for a turnover-prone start. They broke the shutout on Matthews’ first penalty shot, awarded when Anze Kopitar got his stick on Matthews on a breakaway, and added another goal by Morgan Rielly with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second period. Jake Gardiner pulled Toronto to 5-3 with a power-play goal with 12 minutes to go, and the Kings held on after Matthews missed his second penalty shot in the third period. Cammalleri and Amadio helped the Kings pounce on Toronto with strikes in the opening five minutes. Amadio took a pass from Tanner Pearson and wristed a shot between McElhinney’s pads from the right side. It was a reward for Amadio, recalled Oct. 26 and placed in a fourth-line role. “It was a pretty undescribable feeling,” Amadio said of his first goal. “There was a lot of emotions going through my body and a great pass by Pearson to make that and turn the puck over and fortunately it was in the back of the net.” The Kings were given the puck on a blooper-reel fall by Toronto defenseman Gardiner, one of two such spills by Toronto players in the first five minutes. Cammalleri got his stick on the puck with just enough muster for a power-play conversion for a 2-0 lead. Dustin Brown set him up by holding on to the puck while backing away from the right side of the net. Lewis made it 3-0 with 36 seconds to go in the first period, courtesy of a zipped cross-ice pass by Shore, through Nikita Zaitsev’s legs. Shore created the possession too, when he forced Nazem Kadri off the puck in Toronto’s zone. Toffoli scored on the power play and on Kempe’s impressive center-ice drive for a 5-0 lead. LA Times: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081294 Los Angeles Kings

Michael Amadio gets 1st goal as surging Kings beat Maple Leafs

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017 at 10:55 pm | UPDATED: November 2, 2017 at 11:55 PM

LOS ANGELES — The Kings have climbed atop the Western Conference standings by adeptly combining their established stars with hungry young talent. Tyler Toffoli and Michael Amadio showed off the strengths of both categories in another impressive win for the surging Kings. Toffoli scored twice, Amadio got his first NHL goal and the Kings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Thursday night for their eighth victory in 10 games. Amadio, Michael Cammalleri and Trevor Lewis scored during a three- goal first period for the Kings, and the veteran Toffoli scored twice in the second. Jonathan Quick made 33 saves as the Kings improved to 10-2-1 and pulled even with St. Louis for first place in the conference. That mix led to a 5-0 lead late in the second period over Toronto, one of the East’s most potent teams. “We knew that we had to be good coming off the road trip,” said Amadio, who scored in his fourth NHL game. “We knew that they were a good offensive team, and we knew we had to get pucks behind their D and grind them down. I thought we did a good job at that, but we can get better going forward here.” Amadio, a 21-year-old third-round draft pick from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, scored just 2:34 into his fourth NHL game, capitalizing on a Toronto turnover. Tanner Pearson got the puck to him, and he slipped a shot underneath Curtis McElhinney. “It was a pretty indescribable feeling,” Amadio said. “There was a lot of emotions running through my body.” The Kings already had their huge lead before Auston Matthews scored on his first career penalty shot in the second period. Morgan Rielly and Connor Brown also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost four of five. “There’s no excuse for our legs not to be there, but we have to start out smarter,” said Matthews, whose Leafs beat the Ducks 3-1 on Wednesday at Honda Center. “We finally got going and created some chances, but when it’s a back-to-back, it should force us to play smarter and take care of the puck more.” Matthews got a second penalty shot in the final minutes after Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin knocked the net off its moorings, but Matthews missed the net. McElhinney stopped 23 shots in just the second appearance of the season by Frederik Andersen’s backup. “Besides the start, I didn’t mind our game, besides the penalty kill,” said Toronto coach Mike Babcock, whose club gave up two power-play goals for the first time since Oct. 7. “The start was problematic. You can’t turn the puck over.” Lewis scored with 36 seconds left in the Kings’ dominant first period, hitting the net on a tight-angled wrist shot after an exceptional cross-ice pass from Nick Shore. Toffoli got his sixth goal of the season in the second period during a power play, and added another 2:01 later after Adrian Kempe did the hard work of taking the puck to the net under pressure. Pearson had three assists for the Kings. NOTES: Toronto hadn’t scored on a penalty shot since March 14, 2015. … Matthews had his sixth multi-point game of the season. … The Maple Leafs beat the Kings 3-2 in Toronto 10 days ago, handing the Kings their first regulation defeat of the season. … Shore and defenseman Oscar Fantenberg returned from brief injury absences for the Kings. Defenseman Christian Folin and center Nic Dowd were scratched. … The Kings next host the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081295 Los Angeles Kings I think it’s a really slippery slope you go down when you start thinking that way. There are lots of examples. Probably Hyman’s a great example for Toronto. He’s a real blue-collar worker that ends up in the blue paint all NOVEMBER 2 MORNING SKATE QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS the time and he gets in on the forecheck and wins a lot of loose pucks, and then he goes and stands in the blue paint. He doesn’t get all the recognition those other two guys get, but he’s critical to the success of the line. We look at Alex a little bit of the same way. There are so many JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017 good things in terms of the process of playing the game the right way. The results, to me, will take care of themselves. The results are the

results of the line and the results of the team, and we’re not as On whether he was flipping between the World Series and Ducks-Maple concerned about what the individual stats might tell you. We’re more Leafs last night: concerned about how he fits on the line and what he brings to the line, and we think it’s been really good. I was. Actually, I’ll be honest: once they got down early, I had dinner and came back up and watched mostly the Anaheim-Leaf game. I kept LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 checking the score, but they kind of took the wind out of the sails with the early lead. I watched the first inning. Tough start. On what he’ll look to instill and reinforce following the road trip: The big thing for us is staying in road mode. It’s really hard coming home off the road. Long trip – longest trip of the year – and I thought the guys really dug in on the whole trip. The thing that happens without even thinking about it is you tend to want to relax, and you really can’t. I mean, you’ve got a really good team coming in here that’s going to be in road mode and is going to really come after us, so we’ve really tried to talk to the guys about thinking about the game and getting ready to go and making sure that we’re dialed in to play the way we need to play even though we’re home. [Reporter: The fact that you just played them a week ago, does that give you a good blueprint of what you need to do better in this next game here?] I think it always helps when you play teams in the east and you play ‘em close together because it’s a lot of preparation that goes into an opponent that you’re that familiar with. We play Anaheim, San Jose, teams in our division I think we’re all really familiar. It’s just reminders. But I think when you play a team from the east, you’ve really got to take some extra time to get a good feel for what their tendencies are, so the fact that we played them not long ago gives us a reference point, obviously. We don’t think we played great in that game. I think we gave up way too much, so we’d certainly like to have a better outing tonight. [Reporter: Their speed – is that one of the points of emphasis, defending that going forward tonight?] It’s not so much their speed as their style of play. I mean, it’s their puck speed that probably wears you more than anything else. Not so much their skating speed, because they play fast. If you look at the underlying analytics, they’re number one or two in almost every offensive category you can find, and they’re a reason for it. They do a lot of really good structural things offensively, and they’ve got a really high skill level that goes along with it, so we’re going to have to check really well against this team to counteract that. [Reporter: That speed, and talking about the structure, is it bringing more numbers on the rush – the defensemen on the rush – that you saw a week ago?] Well, one, they’ve got some terrific offensive players. They’ve always got a guy parked in the blue paint, they’re always driving the middle lane off the rush, they’ve always got a guy in the slot, either getting to the slot or in the slot. Their defense are very involved with moving around, but I just think their whole focus, how well they use the back of the net, get to the net, have somebody at the net and somebody in the middle of the ice, and they’re skilled enough to fine them, and on top of that, they’re extremely competitive players on the puck, so it’s not surprising. Even their power play, as skilled as it is, they get numbers to the net and they find loose pucks around the net, and to me, what makes that so successful is they have two units that can do things that way. They’re really dialed in to what they need to do offensively, and they compete to score. On whether he had any reservations about using Kurtis MacDermid on the power play Monday: No we talked to Mike Stothers in training camp, and they used him in the minors there a little bit. We just wanted somebody up top. He’s not going to be the guy running the top, but he’s somebody, he’s going to get the puck and look to get it to the net. Kurtis does a good job at changing angles and just wristing pucks to the net and getting pucks into traffic, so with Oscar out, we felt like he’d be a good fit there on the second unit to do just that. [Reporter: For a guy that’s put the work in and paid his dues, how has he acclimated himself through the first seven, eight games here?] He’s done a really good job. We all know he’s got an identity as a real physical player, but I think he’s shown the ability to be a really good defender and get back and have an ability to move pucks quickly out of the zone. We’ve been really happy with his progression in terms of his play, what he brings to our hockey team. He practices hard, he wants to continue to get better, and because of that, we’ve had him in the lineup quite a bit. On whether Alex Iafallo, mentally, needs to be rewarded with a goal for his efforts: 1081296 Los Angeles Kings offensively, and I thought as the trip progressed they got better and better.”

Stevens spoke with Pearson several times over the course of the trip, NOVEMBER 2 NOTES: LINEUPS, CUP ODDS, PEARSON SUCCESS and several of the conversations detailed ways in which Pearson could DERIVED FROM FORECHECK continue to forecheck effectively in an effort to recapture the responsible play that meshed well with his career-high 24 goals and 44 points. JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017 “Making plays on the wall, getting pucks in to create a forecheck and not turning it over at their blue line – just little things like that that can go a long way at the end of the picture,” Pearson said. Good morning from drizzly El Segundo, Insiders. The Kings took the Thus far, Pearson has two goals, four points and a plus four rating in 12 Toyota Sports Center ice shortly before 10:00 a.m. and aligned thusly: games that’s been backed by a team-best 57.8% Corsi-for percentage. But the raw possession rate doesn’t precisely depict the number of shots Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown and scoring chances generated by Pearson’s forecheck, which is essentially a major pillar of his game. Though there were challenges Pearson-Kempe-Toffoli early, the line’s forechecking ability grew as the trip progressed, and Cammalleri-Shore-Lewis even though the team lost the finale in St. Louis, both Pearson and Tyler Toffoli were able to generate chances after pressuring the Blues with a Andreoff-Laich-Amadio regular presence down low in the offensive zone. Forbort-Doughty “I think maybe at the beginning of the season I got away from my game with the forecheck, and I think that’s where we’re strong,” Pearson said. Muzzin-Martinez “Something John mentions is Carts with speed up the middle, and a good MacDermid-Fantenberg forecheck. When we’re on top of our forecheck game we create a lot of chances, and I was finally able to put one in on the back of the check.” -Nic Dowd and Christian Folin were extras that remained on for extra work with Darcy Kuemper, so they’re not projected to play tonight against The line was still highly effective on the trip, with the Montreal game Toronto (7:30 p.m. / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / KABC 790 / I serving as an important bridge between the two ends of the six-game Heart Radio). Jonathan Quick left the ice first and is projected to draw the jaunt. In that game, Kempe and Toffoli scored off turnovers created when start in net. It’s expected that Los Angeles will face Curtis McElhinney Los Angeles got numbers in the offensive zone and forced the after Frederik Andersen stopped 28 of 29 games while backstopping a 3- Canadiens into difficult zone exits. Pearson made an important play on 1 win in Anaheim last night. The last time the 34-year-old McElhinney Toffoli’s goal, weathering a hit along the boards to set up an odd-man faced the Kings was when he stopped 44 of 46 shots through overtime rush that Toffoli capitalized on. before denying two of three shootout attempts in Columbus’ 3-2 win over “Adrian’s been a good fit with those guys in terms of chemistry, but even Los Angeles at Nationwide Arena last December 20. The victory was the as we ended the trip in St. Louis … I thought they had really good Blue Jackets’ 10th straight win during their 16-game winning streak. energy, created a lot with their forecheck and speed and attacking the -Kurtis MacDermid should remain in the lineup to face the Maple Leafs net,” Stevens said. “I think it was almost like a momentum thing for them. for the first time in NHL career, which is expected to expand to eight It was a big ball rolling down the hill as the trip went on. They seemed to games of experience. His hometown of Sauble Beach, Ontario is a get a little more momentum, so I thought they played better and better Canadian city, so allegiances are potentially split to a wider array of NHL throughout the trip.” teams, “but for the most part, it’d probably be the Leafs,” he said of local The numbers suggest Pearson has some goals in his stick that could be preferences. released relatively soon. Apart from the garden variety raw possession “They’re a very highly skilled team and a fast team, so we’ve just got to rates, he’s also a high-percentage shooter who to date has notched only make sure we’re thinking defense first and creating our offense from one goal in a five-on-five situation this season. Last year, he had 18 five- good defense and making sure we’re playing above them. They’ve got to on-five goals. come through us to get to our zone, so that’ll be a big key tonight,” he Still, his situational work has helped continue refine him into a more continued. complete player, and should he continue to find success by inserting MacDermid was among the players to grade well on the 4-2-0 road trip in himself appropriately on the forecheck, he’ll be in position to continue to limited usage. Though he was in the nine-to-13-minute range, his play on build out his identity and reputation as a hard, 200-foot player armed with the trip aligned with his identity as a hard, competitive player capable of a hard, accurate shot. winning puck battles and equipped to play in his own zone. Overall, he “I think as you get more older you want to be more accountable. You logged one goal, five shots on net and an even rating over the four want to be out there in the six-on-five situation. You want to be on the PK games he played. and power play,” he said. “As you get older you get more responsibility, “[Speed] is one of their strongest points, so we’ve got to make sure we’re and that’s kind of happening and I’ve just got to keep playing my game hard physically on them,” he said. “Those puck battles are very important and earn it at the same time. If you’re not playing well, Johnny’s going to tonight, so we’ve got to make sure we tighten those things up.” let you know. It’s the same thing as any coach would do, so I’ve just got to be responsible and play my game.” -Bovada updated its Stanley Cup odds, and the Kings were major risers in leaping from 22/1 to 14/1. Los Angeles is now tied with the Blackhawks LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 for the fifth best odds in the NHL, courtesy of our good buddy Jimmy Shapiro. Tampa Bay and Toronto top the list with 7/1 odds, followed by Pittsburgh (10/1) and St. Louis (12/1). Adrian Kempe is now officially On The Board with 15/1 Calder Trophy odds, moving even alongside Vancouver’s . The best odds for the NHL’s rookie of the year is Arizona’s Clayton Keller (5/8), followed by Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev (4/1), New Jersey’s Will Butcher (11/2), Boston’s Charlie McAvoy (8/1) and Nico Hischier (17/2) and Jesper Bratt (12/1), also of the Devils. The money is moving in Vegas' direction! Via @BovadaLV. pic.twitter.com/4106k8TEz2 — Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) November 1, 2017 -Tanner Pearson totaled only one point on the road trip – a goal in Monday’s 4-2 loss at St. Louis – but his play appears to be trending well. “I felt mid-road trip that line really came on,” John Stevens said. “I mean, you look at the Toronto game, they started to come on and that was early. We didn’t think they were great in Columbus, but we talked to the line just about getting more involved in their puck battles and playing with a little more pace on the puck. They’ve done a good job checking for us, but we thought they could amp it up a little bit in terms of puck battles 1081297 Los Angeles Kings

NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME NOTES

JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017

POSTGAME NOTES -With the win, Los Angeles improved to 66-60-23 all-time against Toronto, a record that includes a home mark of 39-24-10. The Kings finished with a 1-1-0 record in the season series against the Maple Leafs. They won their fourth consecutive home game against the Maple Leafs, tying their franchise-best winning streak set from February 20, 1988 to December 1, 1990 (4-0-0). The last time Los Angeles lost to Toronto at STAPLES Center was a 3-2 regulation loss on March 13, 2014. -With the win, the Kings improved to 9-1-0 against the Eastern Conference, 6-1-0 against the Atlantic Division, 4-1 in two-goal games, 6- 0-0 when scoring first, 4-0-0 when leading after one period, 5-0-0 when leading after two periods and 4-1-0 when outshot by their opponent. -With the win, Los Angeles tied a franchise record for the most wins (10) through the first 13 games (third time, also 1980-81 and 2010-11). The 21 points also ties a franchise-high through 13 games (1980-81, 10-2-1). Their 5-0-1 record at home ties for the fourth best home start in franchise history (eighth time). -The Kings faced two penalty shots in the same game for the second time in franchise history (also December 23, 2006 at Nashville; Paul Kariya missed the first attempt and David Legwand scored on the second attempt, both against Dan Cloutier). This also marks just the third time in team history that two penalty shots were awarded in total in a single game (also was October 7, 2001 versus Minnesota, where Ziggy Palffy was stopped by Manny Fernandez and Sebastien Bordeleau scored on Felix Potvin). -The penalty shots were the 53rd and 54th all-time against Los Angeles (14 made, 40 missed). By stopping one of two, Jonathan Quick has now stopped three of five penalty shots all-time. It was the first penalty shot awarded against the Kings since T.J. Oshie scored on Quick at St. Louis on January 16, 2014. -Anze Kopitar (0-1=1) extended his point streak to four games (1-3=4) and his assist streak to three games (0-3=3). -Michael Amadio scored his first NHL goal in his fourth career game. -Michael Cammalleri (1-1=2) tallied his second multi-point game of the season. -Tanner Pearson (0-3=3) recorded his first multi-point game of the season and tied his career-high in assists (second time, last: Feb. 25, 2017 vs. ANA). -Tyler Toffoli (2-0=2) tallied his second multi-goal game of the season and has four goals (4-0=4) in the last four games. -Los Angeles attempted 46 shots (28 on goal, 6 blocked, 12 missed). Toronto attempted 73 shots (36 on goal, 19 blocked, 18 missed). -The Kings won 31-of-66 faceoffs (47%). Adrian Kempe won 3-of-8, Anze Kopitar won 12-of-20, Michael Cammalleri won 1-of-3, Nick Shore won 8- of-17, Trevor Lewis won 2-of-4, Dustin Brown won 1-of-2, Brooks Laich won 2-of-7, Michael Amadio won 1-of-3, Tanner Pearson won 0-of-1 and Tyler Toffoli won 1-of-1. The Kings are scheduled to practice at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 3 at Toyota Sports Center. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081298 Los Angeles Kings Curtis McElhinney, on what challenges were presented in the game: Just a tough start. You know I think LA came out ready to play and they jumped us early and capitalized on the opportunities that they got. So NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME QUOTES: TORONTO you know, it’s an unfortunate thing because we played a pretty good game last night against Anaheim, and we had a lot of good minutes tonight as well, it was just a tough start. JESSI MCDONALDNOVEMBER 2, 2017 McElhinney, on his perspective on the first period:

Well you’re just trying to make saves I mean it’s one of those things I Jake Gardiner, on the ice quality overall: think with back-to-backs and three-and-fours you’re just trying to play simple hockey as a team and you know they jumped us. They got the It seemed all right. I just don’t know what happened on the first one. goals when they needed them and unfortunately we couldn’t recover. Gardiner, on whether it’s difficult to come back after allowing five goals: McElhinney, on the Kings’ rush: It’s really tough. Their goalie is so good, it’s tough to score on him as it is. They’ve got a good hockey club obviously they have a proven track They’re a heck of a team and had a great start. Turning the puck over record of winning and playing a solid game. They’re off to a good start like that in the first and the second, just not going to get it done. right now so we knew we had our work cut out for us. It’s just one of those things, you’re trying to mitigate as much as possible and try to play Gardiner, on whether anything was said to turn the game’s momentum simple hockey especially for us on this road trip. around: Mike Babcock, on the game overall: Just limit the turnovers and get the puck in and anytime we do that we’re going to, for the most part, outplay a team in the offensive zone. We have Well we gave them the two goals. We had the turnover—well we kind of so much skill up front that if we can do that and limit the turnovers, we’ll battled our way back—we had the one right away in the game, was be fine. scored on a breakaway from when Gards (Jake Gardiner) falls, then we were pretty good. And hen Naz (Nazem Kadri) turns the puck over to the Gardiner, on why turnovers have been “a consistent issue”: center of the net so that’s two of ‘em. And in the end you lose by two and I mean, I thought we played well last night. Just a little maybe work on you cant turn pucks over. I thought the first eight minutes were as good that same area. It’s just, you see one guy do it and it’s kind of a trend I as we should’ve been and then I thought we did lots of good things. The guess. penalty kill too, we got too high on three opportunities and they scored on two of them. So those are things we can fix. I liked our energy. I liked a Morgan Rielly, on getting back in the game after allowing five goals: lot of things. We had a lot of good players, yet we weren’t able to come away with a win. Just started working the game plan. Was working when we executed. We started working down low and moving our feet. I thought we had time Babcock, on the team’s process: when we were controlling the play a litte bit more, but we didn’t do enough of it. Well you’ve just got to be ready. We got in early, we ate, we should’ve been fresh. There should’ve been no issue, and yet we made those Rielly, on the challenges presented by the loss: mistakes in the first period and in the end you spend the whole night working hard and grinding. I mean we had lots of opportunities, no I don’t know. That’s just sports. That’s how it happens. You know, there’s question about it, but in the end you feel like you left one out here. You no excuses. You know, I think they played last night too, didn’t they? So know I thought this was a good team to play against and a good no excuses. I mean they came out hard, we didn’t. And when you look opportunities for us. I thought we did have good energy after last night, back at the game, it had a big impact on the outcome. we just made those mistakes. Auston Matthews, on his second penalty shot: Babcock, on turnovers and the penalty kill: I don’t know, I guess on the first one he kind of steps back on his net. I See besides the start I didn’t mind the game, except for our penalty kill. don’t know if I nicked him or not, but I saw an opening and I tried to go for Our penalty kill is usually outstanding so I thought we did lots of good it. things in the game. But the start obviously is problematic. You can’t turn Matthews, on if it was a challenge for Toronto to dig themselves out of a the puck over, I don’t care what anyone says, you can’t outscore your five goal deficit: turnovers so we’ve got to do a better job in that area. We travel tomorrow, but it’s still an off day, and we’ll get freshened up and get It’s tough. Especially when you don’t start on time like we did tonight. I ready for St. Louis. They’re one of the best teams in the league, should think for us, especially when we’re on the tail end of a back-to-back and be fun. they’re a fresh team, there’s no excuse for our legs not to be there, but we definitely have got to play smarter and the first period we didn’t play Babcock, on Kasperi Kapanen: smart. You know, once we started keeping it simple and keeping the Good speed, way better than wehen he was here efore . You know he puck in and getting after their D, we started generating some more used to be a skinny kid and now he’s got some meat on his bones and chances. So for us it could’ve helped if we started that at the puck drop can fly. He had some quality chances. Looks like an NHL player to me. for sure, but you know we showed some resilience. We tried to battle our way back, but in the end we’ve got to start on time. Babcock, on whether he would consider the Gardiner turnover a result of bad ice: Matthews, on whether there’s any rhyme or reason to bad starts: I mean, it’s just one of those things. You can’t turn it over so I don’t know There shouldn’t be any reason for that. Just because it’s a back-to-back I what happened there. No one’s trying to turn the puck over and saying think it should force us to play a little bit smarter and take care of the that we can’t do it. So we’ve got to get that out of our game. puck much more. We didn’t take care of it in the first couple periods. Turned the puck over a few times in the neutral zone and they’re a good LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 team, got a good transition game, got defensemen that can move the puck well. They caught us on a couple turnovers headed back our way and were able to capitalize on some chances. Matthews, on his mindset going into the first penalty shot and on Jonathan Quick: I just tried to open him up. like I said on the first one he’s kind of when you’re coming down, he’s kind of throwing moves at you and stuff. But just tried to kind of open him up a little bit and was able to catch him, I think leaning one way and he went the other. But I think throughout the game and stuff, I don’t know, I think in my mind he’s got to be the frontrunner for the Vezinia right now. He’s so hard to get the puck by on the first shot. You’ve got to get rebounds. He’s so athletic, makes those saves that you see on the highlight reel. So you know I think we did a good enough job getting on top of him and creating some second chance opportunities. 1081299 Los Angeles Kings

NOVEMBER 2 POSTGAME QUOTES: KEMPE, AMADIO

JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017

Adrian Kempe, on what he liked about the win: I think we came out right away and we played really hard and played fast and played our game. We got a couple goals there in the beginning, so I thought that was huge for our team, and then I think we could’ve played better overall tonight, but it was a great effort by everybody, and Quickie was great in the back, so it was good for us. Kempe, on what could be improved: We know they’re a really skilled team and they’re a great offense. I think we gave up a little too many chances and a little too many rushes for them. We’ve got to be on our toes there and know they’re going to come out hard, too. I think that was one thing we’ve got to do better. Kempe, on working the puck to Tyler Toffoli on his assist: Well, I saw Pears had the puck in the wall, so I just tried to carry speed through the middle and call for it, and then I just tried to protect the puck, and I got close to the net and had two options, and I passed it off and they scored. That’s good. Kempe, on depth forwards contributing: I think it was great that everybody can produce. I thought all four lines were great and all the D as well. It was good – every line got a goal, and I think that’s very important for our team. [Reporter: Nice pass by Shore there on the Lewis goal.] Yeah, he’s a great playmaker. I played with him back in Manch. He gave me a couple of those as well, so it was great. Kempe, on any surprise that several recent goaltender interference reviews have gone against the Kings: It’s hard to say. There was a lot of scrums there at the end, and those penalty shots that they got, I don’t know what they called, really, but it’s hard to see from the bench. Kempe, on players contributing in Jeff Carter’s absence: Well, someone else has got to step up for him. I mean, he’s a very important player for the team, and we’ve got to have other guys step up when he’s out, and I think everybody’s done a great job so far. Mike Amadio, on scoring his first career goal: It was a pretty indescribable feeling. There was a lot of emotion running through my body. Great pass by Pears to make that and turn the puck over there, and fortunately for me, it was in the back of the net. Amadio, on getting off to a good start after the road trip: Yeah, we knew we had to be good coming off the road trip. We knew that they were a good offensive team, and we knew that we had to get pucks behind their D and grind them down low. I thought we did a good job of that, but we can get better going forward here. Amadio, on keys to holding on to the lead in the final five minutes: Just staying calm and not getting too far back on our heels. I think we did a good job there and we were making plays and we stayed calm defensively. Amadio, on whether it was special to score his first goal against the Maple Leafs: A little. Growing up watching them, being from Canada. It’s a nice feeling, getting that one out of the way. Amadio, on what he saw from all four lines tonight: I thought we were good on the forecheck. I thought we could’ve been a little bit better managing pucks, but I thought we played a good game coming off the long road trip, so that was a good win for us. Amadio, on where he’ll keep his first career goal puck: Probably in my room somewhere. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081300 Los Angeles Kings

NOVEMBER 2 POST GAME QUOTES: JOHN STEVENS

JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017

On what he liked offensively: Well, we got our power play going, for sure. I think the guys did a good job early at putting pucks to the net, and the one play with the Kempe line, I thought they did a really good job of really penetrating the middle of the ice and getting to the net. I do think we got people around the net, got pucks to the net, created some offense, so I think we did that at times, and there were times we played on our heels. On what he was told by the officials prior to the first penalty shot: I wasn’t told anything. I had to sit back and watch. We all felt that [Anze Kopitar] reached but didn’t really commit a foul. There was obviously some doubt in the officials’ mind as well, because they gathered together and then stuck with the call, which was the original call. So, I didn’t agree with that one. The other one, I think is an automatic. You knock the net off in the last two minutes intentionally, it’s a penalty shot. But I didn’t get an explanation. On whether he was surprised another goaltender interference call went against the team: I’m not sure. We’re just trying to get a little more clarification. I’ve actually asked for that from the last game just to know, because I saw a play tonight with Dallas that looked almost exactly the same for us as the one that was allowed, and this one was disallowed. It’s tough on the referees, too. I’d just like to have a little more direction on it, so moving forward you don’t waste a timeout because you kind of know what they’re looking for. But I’m still not sure what that is. Tonight, I thought it was worth a shot. They stand in the blue pain, and I thought it was iffy at best, but I thought it was worth a shot. I felt more confident the other night on the one in St. Louis. On Michael Amadio’s first NHL goal: Yeah, it’s great. He’s actually played well. That’s why he’s stayed in the lineup. He’s a kid that’s scored lots from where he played in junior. He’s very opportunistic around the net, and it was great. Obviously, it was a big goal for us in the hockey game, too, but to see him get his first goal was great. [Reporter: Do you recall your first one?] In the National Hockey League? Still waiting for it. On Nick Shore rejoining the lineup and generating chemistry with his line: Yeah, I thought the Kempe line was really good for us. Shoresy and Lewie and Cammy – Shoresy and Lewie have had chemistry regardless of who plays with them, so we’re going to ask them to play some hard minutes for us, but I thought they had a couple really good cycle shifts there. That play at the end of the period where they cycle, cycle, cycle and end up scoring a goal, those to me are big momentum builders for you. Certainly to have another right-shot faceoff guy in the lineup, a guy that can kill penalties and play hard minutes was helpful. On why the team is 9-1-0 against the Eastern Conference: I’m not sure. We’ve had our hands full, I know that. Even tonight, I thought Toronto played a very good gam e in the back-to-back. Our record’s been pretty good so far, so I don’t know if it’s been specific to the east. We know we have to play good defense, we know we can’t give up the rush game, so I think it really gets us on our guard the way we have to play, because a lot of teams have been playing the same way throughout the east with a very good rush game and offensive attack. So, if anything it really forces us to focus on being a good checking team. On the biggest turnarounds from last week’s game versus Toronto, as well as from last season: I think the loss in Toronto, I don’t think we checked well enough. I thought, quite honestly, after the first period tonight we gave up way too much. I thought we sat back. I don’t think we managed the game very well where four-on-four situations, giving up breakaways, those types of things. You have to learn. I mean, I’d rather learn when we’re winning. I think the fact that we’re getting production outside of just top guys has been helpful, and tonight getting production from our power play’s been helpful. But we’ve had different parts of our lineup that’s contributed. If I had to put a big difference on that, I think our top guys’ games have been on this year. It’s really helped lead the team. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081301 Los Angeles Kings

GAME 13: LOS ANGELES VS TORONTO

JON ROSENNOVEMBER 2, 2017

GAME THREADS Los Angeles Kings 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 3 Final Radio Feed NHL.com Preview Box Score Ice Tracker SOG: LAK – 28; TOR – 36 PP: LAK – 2/4; TOR – 1/4 First Period 1) LAK – Michael Amadio (1) (Tanner Pearson), 2:34 2) LAK PPG – Michael Cammalleri (3) (Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar), 4:58 3) LAK – Trevor Lewis (4) (Nick Shore, Michael Cammalleri), 19:24 Second Period 4) LAK PPG – Tyler Toffoli (6) (Tanner Pearson, Jake Muzzin), 14:30 5) LAK – Tyler Toffoli (7) (Adrian Kempe, Tanner Pearson), 16:32 6) TOR PS – Auston Matthews (17:50) 7) TOR – Morgan Rielly (2) (Auston Matthews), 19:58 Third Period 8) TOR PPG – Connor Brown (5) (Jake Gardiner, William Nylander), 8:00 Los Angeles Kings (9-2-1) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-0) Thursday, November 2, 2017, 7:30 p.m. PT Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Referees: #48 Chris Schlenker, #14 Trevor Hanson Linesmen: #94 Bryan Pancich, #63 Trent Knorr Fox Sports West, KABC 790, I Heart Radio LAK starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Derek Forbort, D Jonathan Quick, LW Alex Iafallo, C Anze Kopitar, RW Dustin Brown LAK scratches: D Christian Folin, F Nic Dowd TOR starters: G Curtis McElhinney, D Nikita Zaitsev, D Jake Gardiner, LW Zach Hyman, C Auston Matthews, RW William Nylander TOR scratches: D Connor Carrick, F Dominic Moore, F Josh Leivo LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081302 Minnesota Wild

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin

By STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press NOVEMBER 2, 2017 — 3:16PM

WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has voiced his support for Vladimir Putin ahead of the Russian presidential election. Ovechkin posted a message in Russian on his Instagram account Thursday announcing he's starting "a social movement called Putin Team." Ovechkin says he has never hidden his feelings about Putin and has "always supported him openly." The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18. Ovechkin is from Moscow and has often been photographed with Putin. A photograph of Ovechkin and Putin accompanied the post, in which the longtime NHL star says, "Being part of this team makes me proud and it's similar to the feeling you get when you put on a Russian national team jersey, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you." Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081303 Minnesota Wild

Matt Dumba stays in the lineup, and Matt Cullen celebrates another year

By Rachel Blount NOVEMBER 2, 2017 — 12:12PM

You always know when the Wild is playing a Canadian team, because the number of visiting media expands by about a factor of three. And when it’s Montreal, it’s particularly large. The Wild locker room was stuffed with cameras and reporters Thursday, and most of them wanted to talk to Matt Cullen. If that seems like an odd choice—Cullen is centering the Wild’s fourth line—check the date. Thursday is Cullen’s 41st birthday, and he’s still grinding away, even after thinking he would retire after winning another Stanley Cup last season with Pittsburgh. Cullen said dietary changes have helped keep him healthy and fit, and the chance to play in Minnesota was too good to pass up. “With a little bit of time and recovery, I started to feel good again and thought I might be able to play,’’ he said. “I’m treating this like it’s my last year. I don’t want a year to go by and then think, ‘Yeah, there might be another year,’ and miss out on enjoying everything. I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can.’’ Defenseman Matt Dumba will stay in the lineup, despite the glaring mistake that got him benched for the final 19 minutes, 17 seconds of Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Winnipeg. Dumba’s thoughtless drop pass to open ice was stolen by Nikolaj Ehlers, who skated in alone and scored the winning goal. will be the healthy-scratch defenseman for the second game in a row, after Gustav Olofsson played well enough Tuesday to keep his place in the lineup. Boudreau was furious with Dumba, who did not get back on the ice after his error. But he stopped short of pulling him from the lineup, believing Tuesday’s punishment was sufficient. “It crossed my mind,’’ Boudreau said, when asked if he considered scratching Dumba. “In the end, I thought 19 minutes was enough. And hopefully, he got the message. “We’ve talked a lot. I would anticipate that he’s going to be playing better.’’ Devan Dubnyk will start in goal. Other news from the morning skate: --Marcus Foligno has been allowed to remove the cage from his helmet. The forward had been wearing the protective gear since breaking a facial bone in a fight Oct. 12 at Chicago. He said the injury healed more quickly than expected and that he has no restrictions, meaning he hasn’t been told not to fight. --Forward Landon Ferraro, who has a hip flexor injury, was on the ice. Called up from Iowa to fill a roster spot when the Wild forward corps was missing three injured players, he was hurt Oct. 20 in his second game. He hasn’t played or practiced since. Boudreau said Ferraro is “getting closer’’ and could be ready to play by the weekend, when the Wild end the six-game homestand with a Saturday game against Chicago. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081304 Minnesota Wild --Boudreau was pleased with the play of his fourth line, which scored twice. Matt Cullen got the Wild’s first goal and set up linemate Tyler Ennis for the third. Dumba goes from goat to "great'' The group slowed down later in the game and was on the ice for two Montreal goals, but Boudreau still gave them high marks. “The first period, I thought they were really good,’’ he said. “We had a couple By Rachel Blount NOVEMBER 3, 2017 — 1:58AM giveaways, one in the second and one in the third, that sort of put a damper on the whole overall look of their game. But the first period, I said to myself, ‘If the fourth line can play like that, we’re going to win a lot of hockey games.’” It was only two days, but the span between Tuesday’s loss to Winnipeg and Thursday’s victory over Montreal felt like an eternity to Matt Dumba. --The Wild had not scored a power-play goal in its past four games, going The Wild defenseman wished he could have immediately made up for 0-for-16 over that span. It got one Thursday when Jared Spurgeon Tuesday’s much-discussed mistake; instead, he had to wait until the next scored on its fourth and final attempt of the game. Spurgeon now leads game. the Wild with nine points this season. Dumba got back into the good graces of coach Bruce Boudreau with a “They moved the puck around fast,’’ Boudreau said. “And the other thing fine game in Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Canadiens. He finished with they did, they shot and they played to the inside of their guys. They were two assists, including one that was originally ruled a goal, as well as two getting shots through. When you do those things, good things happen.” hits and two blocks. After several shaky performances this season, he was technically solid defensively and finished plus-two. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 Afterward, Dumba thanked his teammates for easing his heartache over his ill-considered drop pass, which was intercepted and turned into the goal that gave Winnipeg a 2-1 victory Tuesday. He was relieved to repay them, raising his level of play by improving his focus and attention to detail. “I was looking forward to (the game) ever since the last one,’’ Dumba said. “I wanted to redeem myself and be better for my teammates. I’m so thankful that I have good teammates. They all backed me up after that game and really supported me, and that’s what made me able to come out here and play with some confidence tonight. “It’s tough. Everyone at some point in their life wishes they can go back in that time machine, but you can’t. So you just put that back behind and move forward.’’ Boudreau said Thursday morning he had spoken with Dumba and was confident he would improve. Dumba said the coach reminded him to play simply, and he gave the defenseman a boost of confidence. “He said he needs me, and needs me to play the minutes I’m capable of,’’ the defenseman said. “It’s little things. You’ve got to start by making the little plays, and then it just carries on from there. I know I’m a good player, and I can make special plays when it needs to happen. But I can’t be trying to do that or force it every time.’’ Boudreau said that by keeping things simple, Dumba had his best game of the season—something that has to continue for the Wild to succeed. “When he plays a simple game, his skills come through,’’ Boudreau said. “We can’t go anywhere without him being really good. He’s one of our top four defensemen, and we need our top four defensemen to perform every night. I thought he had more to give, and he was great tonight. I’m the first one to tell him he did a great job.” The biggest surprise Thursday was the ineptitude of the Canadiens, starting with goaltender Carey Price. One of the NHL’s top goalies for years, Price has gotten off to a bad start this season and looked nothing like his usual self against the Wild. His movement was slow, his reflexes were dull and he made a lazy clearing attempt early in the game that Dumba intercepted and fired on net. Nino Niederreiter got a stick on it and was given final credit for the goal, after it was credited to him and then changed to Dumba. Price stopped 21 shots and has one of the worst save percentages in the league (.877). Unsurprisingly, he was extra-touchy after the game. The Montreal media tried to give him excuses, asking if he was injured (no) or if his equipment was faulty (no, again). Asked if he felt his technique is where it usually is this time of year, he snapped, “What do you think? It doesn’t look like it right now, does it?’’ Price settled down to say he “just has to find a way’’ to stop pucks, though forward Brendan Gallagher noted the team shares the blame because it did not play well in front of Price. Coach Claude Julien called the Wild’s first two goals—scored within 10 seconds of one another early in the game—“bad goals,’’ though he was gentle in his assessment of Price’s play. “I think at the end of the day, we all know that Carey is a much better goaltender than he’s showing right now,’’ Julien said. “The only thing he can do, and we can do, is keep working with him, and him working hard and find his groove again. Because he’s definitely the key to us getting back into the race here and being a playoff contender.” Other notes from Thursday’s game: 1081305 Minnesota Wild located on the site of the former Macy’s store in downtown St. Paul, is expected to be completed in December.

Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 Matt Cullen enjoys milestone-filled night with Wild

By Rachel Blount Star Tribune NOVEMBER 2, 2017 — 11:45PM

He understands the fascination, but Matt Cullen still finds it a little surprising. At an age when the candles on his birthday cake represent a fire hazard, the Wild forward still is plugging away in the NHL, back in his home state after abandoning his plans to retire. Cullen celebrated a pair of milestones Thursday as the Wild played Montreal. On his 41st birthday, he played his 1,500th NHL game, centering the Wild’s fourth line and scoring his first goal of the season. His advanced age — in NHL terms, at least — has generated awe and admiration, and it drew a large crowd of reporters to his locker following the morning skate. There’s no real secret to his longevity, Cullen said, just good nutrition, proper self-care and a desire to keep playing. “I consider it a blessing,” said Cullen, the NHL’s second-oldest active player behind 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr of Calgary. “I’m lucky to be playing at the age I am. “It’s just fun to be part of it. I really love playing the game. And as I get older, the challenge of competing and staying at the level I’m at, I enjoy that, too.” Cullen expected to retire after winning his third Stanley Cup last spring with Pittsburgh. He changed his mind when he realized his body felt good enough to continue, helped by dietary changes such as going dairy- and gluten-free. He gets his share of teasing from younger teammates, but their respect runs deep. “He’s ooooold,” Jason Zucker said. “But it’s crazy, the way he can still play the game at 41. It’s incredible.” Cage-free Wild forward Marcus Foligno was liberated Thursday, getting out from behind the bars of the cage that has confined him for about two weeks. Foligno broke a facial bone in an Oct. 12 fight against Chicago’s John Hayden, and when he resumed playing eight days later, he had to wear a full cage mask to protect his left cheekbone. Foligno was grateful it allowed him to get back in the lineup after missing only one game, but he was glad to be rid of it. “It feels good just to have that off,” said Foligno, who got two goals and an assist while in the cage. “Your peripheral [vision] is hindered a little bit because of it. “I was just joking with the guys, ‘Oh, this is what it looks like out here.’ I’m looking forward to getting back to normal now.” For Foligno, “normal” means being ready to fight again — or, as he put it, “play my full game.” The Wild ends its homestand Saturday against Chicago, creating a potential rematch against Hayden. Foligno will be prepared for anything, but he won’t be looking for trouble. “It might be smart not to test it right away,” he said. “But we’re good to go.” Status quo Wild coach Bruce Boudreau stayed with the same six defensemen he played in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Winnipeg. Boudreau said he considered scratching Matt Dumba, whose intercepted drop-pass led to the winning goal in that game. Dumba got a reprieve and stayed with Jonas Brodin on the second pair. Kyle Quincey was the healthy scratch for the second game in a row, after Gustav Olofsson played well enough Tuesday to stay in the lineup. Olofsson teamed with Mike Reilly on the third pair. Etc. • Forward Landon Ferraro, who has missed six games because of a hip flexor injury, participated in Thursday’s morning skate. Boudreau said he could be ready to play Saturday. • The concrete base for the rink floor at the Wild’s new practice facility was poured Thursday. The TRIA Rink and Treasure Island Center, 1081306 Minnesota Wild NOTES: Cullen has three goals and four assists in eight career games on his birthday. He played in his 1,500th game, including playoffs, which ranks 46th all-time and sixth among active players. ... Spurgeon snapped Cullen sparks Wild in 6-3 win over Price, Canadiens an 0-for-19 skid on the power play for the Wild. ... Gallagher has five goals in the last six games. ... Shaw scored for the first time this season.

UP NEXT By DAVE CAMPBELL Associated Press NOVEMBER 2, 2017 — 11:40PM Canadiens: Make the third stop on a four-game road trip Saturday night to play the Winnipeg Jets.

Wild: Host the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night to wrap up a six- ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have been beset by a bunch of game homestand. injuries during a sluggish start, including long-term absences for two top forwards. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 Matt Cullen led the wakeup call less than five minutes into Thursday night's game, taking advantage of a Montreal Canadiens team having a lot more trouble early this season. Cullen scored his first goal of the season on his 41st birthday and added an assist during a three-goal first period, giving the Wild a welcome spark on the way to a 6-3 victory over the Canadiens. "Something we talked a lot about was, we need to come out with life and energy," Cullen said, "and tonight was a lot better." Nino Niederreiter and Tyler Ennis also scored to send struggling Canadiens goalie Carey Price into the first intermission with a 3-0 deficit. Ryan Suter chipped in a second-period goal , and Jared Spurgeon scored on a power play for more insurance in the first minute of the third. "Our first two periods were as good a two periods as we've played all year," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund each had two assists and Marcus Foligno added an empty-net goal for the Wild, who have won six straight games against the Canadiens while outscoring them 25-9. Price, who stopped 21 shots by the Wild, gave up a staggering seven goals in the team's last trip to Minnesota on Jan. 12 . Once again, he was taunted by the crowd with the "Sieve! Sieve! Sieve!" chant once the score grew. "We all know that Carey is a much better goaltender than he's showing right now," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "The only thing he can do, and we can do, is keep working with him, and him working hard and finding his groove again because he's definitely the key to us getting back into the race." Brendan Gallagher scored twice and Andrew Shaw had one of two third- period goals for the Canadiens, who totaled 13 goals over their previous two games but still entered the night with the fourth-fewest goals per game (2.5) in the NHL. "We're just inconsistent, and that's the worst thing you want from a team because it gives you hope," Gallagher said. "Obviously we still believe in each other. We know what we're capable of doing. We just have too many letdowns, and that's about being mentally tough." Defense has been a problem for the Canadiens, too, with the third-most goals allowed per game (3.75) in the league coming into this game. That's despite the presence of Price, the five-time All-Star who was the Hart Trophy winner just three seasons ago as MVP of the NHL. "Just stick with it. Just try and find a way to get through it," said Price, who has allowed four goals or more in four of his last five starts. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the Wild, winning his third straight start. Cullen, the second-oldest player in the league behind Jaromir Jagr of the Calgary Flames, snagged a long rebound off Price's pads and sent it into the net as Price was falling to his right. That put the Wild on the board just 4:46 into the game. Matt Dumba, who had two assists, set up Niederreiter's tip 10 seconds after Cullen scored with a slap shot off a clearing attempt by Price went astray. Price jammed the butt of his stick into his glove several times in frustration after falling behind 2-0. Cullen then led a slick 2-on-1 to beat defenseman Jeff Petry and tee up Ennis for the tap-in. Dumba responded deftly to a rough game Tuesday night, when his careless drop pass was intercepted by Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers for an easy goal in a 2-1 win by the Jets. Dumba was benched by Boudreau after the turnover and criticized by the boss afterward, but Boudreau called this performance Dumba's best of the season. "We can't go anywhere without him being really good. He's one of our top-four defensemen, and we need our top-four defensemen to perform every night," Boudreau said. 1081307 Minnesota Wild

Sharper Wild cuts through hapless Canadiens 6-3

By Rachel Blount Star Tribune NOVEMBER 2, 2017 — 11:45PM

It wasn’t a surprise to see the blue St. Paul Police hat sitting at Matt Cullen’s locker Thursday night. The hat, given to the Wild player chosen by his teammates as “hero of the game,” put a sweet cap on Cullen’s 41st birthday after the Wild’s 6-3 triumph over Montreal. The ageless fourth-line center got the trophy, but plenty of others shared in the gifts at Xcel Energy Center as the Wild won for the third time in four games. Matt Dumba, mortified by a huge mistake and a benching in a Tuesday loss, rebounded with one of his best games this season. The Wild got goals from six players, and the team’s power play ended an 0- for-19 drought. The hapless Canadiens didn’t put up much of a fight until the third period, but the Wild had created too much distance for a rally. Following a scolding from coach Bruce Boudreau for a lack of “self-preparation” in recent games, the Wild showed what it can do when it is fully engaged. “Something we talked about a lot was, we need to come out with life and energy,” said Cullen, who scored the Wild’s first goal — his first this season — and assisted on the third. “It’s nice to get a good start. We got those two [goals] pretty quick, and that carried us. “We’re still finding our way as a group. We see what we need to do in order to be successful, and that’s something for us to continue to build on. It’s a big win at home.” Cullen misspoke during a postgame interview when asked about his birthday, saying he was 31 rather than 41. He quickly corrected himself, though his play early in Thursday’s game could have come from someone 10 years younger. The Wild victimized struggling Montreal goaltender Carey Price, striking twice in 10 seconds in the first period and building a 4-0 lead through the first 32 minutes. Price, perennially one of the NHL’s best goalies, reacted slowly throughout the game and made a blunder that set up the Wild’s second goal. Cullen scored on the rebound of a Mike Reilly shot at 4 minutes, 46 seconds of the first. Nino Niederreiter earned his first goal of the season 10 seconds later when he got his stick on Dumba’s shot from the right point, which came after Dumba seized Price’s poor clearing attempt. Boudreau considered scratching Dumba, who has struggled recently and made an ill-advised drop pass that factored into Tuesday’s loss to Winnipeg. After a talk, he believed Dumba would raise his play, and the defenseman rewarded his faith. “I wanted to redeem myself and be better for my teammates,” said Dumba, who had two assists, two hits and blocked two shots. “Everyone wishes they could go back in that time machine, but you can’t. So just move forward.” The entire team picked up on that theme. The Wild outshot Montreal 14-7 in the first 20 minutes and owned the first two periods, responding to their coach’s plea for a sharper start. A much crisper power play completed a pretty passing sequence with a Jared Spurgeon goal for a 5-1 lead. The Canadiens picked up the pace in the third, outshooting the Wild 16-5 and cutting the margin to 5-3. Even that couldn’t spoil Boudreau’s mood, or Cullen’s birthday. “I thought our first two periods were as good a two periods as we’ve played all year,” Boudreau said. “When they play the right way, they’re going to get opportunities to score.” Star Tribune LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081308 Minnesota Wild Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.03.2017

Wild’s Matt Dumba looking to redeem himself after costly mistake

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017 at 12:33 pm | UPDATED: November 2, 2017 at 12:33 PM

After making a careless pass that cost his team the game in Tuesday’s 2- 1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba is back in the lineup with a chance to redeem himself in Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Dumba said. “I wish there was a game yesterday. I just wanted to get on the ice and play the game I know I can play.” Dumba was benched for the final 19 minutes, 17 seconds of Tuesday’s game after his egregious error led to the winning goal from Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers. Dumba certainly earned the benching after lazily flicking a no-look pass behind him on his opening shift of the third period that Ehlers intercepted and turned into an easy score. Dumba took the blame in the locker room afterward, adding that he felt like he let his teammates down. “I know that was my fault tonight,” he said. “It’s like a pick-6 that the guy runs back to the house.” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau tore into Dumba after the game, his patience clearly starting to wear thin with the fourth-year blue liner. “He just hasn’t been playing that well,” Boudreau said. “He’s a good player that maybe I’ve set the bar pretty high for him, and he hasn’t reached that bar.” There is a reason for those high expectations. Dumba was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, and can be a dynamic offensive blue liner. The Wild like him so much that they traded away wingers Erik Haula and Alex Tuch to Vegas during the offseason to make sure the Golden Knight didn’t take Dumba in the NHL Expansion Draft. It remains to be seen, though, whether that was the right move, as Dumba has struggled with consistency to start the season. “We can teach and show and do this,” Boudreau said. “He’s got to do the stuff. He’s been in this league four years now. He’s just got to do what he does when he’s playing good. I don’t know what else is on his mind. … He’s got to come to the game better prepared.” Asked after Thursday’s morning skate if he considered benching Dumba for another game to emphasize his point, Boudreau said, “Well, I mean, it crossed my mind. In the end, I thought 19 minutes, (17 seconds) was enough. Hopefully he got the message.” Dumba has had a lot of time to think about it, thanks to Wednesday’s scheduled off day. While he admitted it was probably good for him to get away from the rink, he struggled to let his mistake go. “It’s hard,” Dumba said. “In this world we live in everyone’s got something to say. … I just have to look forward and take the positives out of my game lately and try to bring them all together for tonight.” Dumba said it has helped that his teammates have supported him. “Yeah, I mean, everyone has had something like that happen to them,” defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. “It was nice to have the day off yesterday, and I think today he was back positive.” “I can guarantee that he was probably thinking about it his whole day off,” winger Chris Stewart added. “It’s not like he was trying to make the team lose. He wants to do everything he can do to help the team win. … The best thing about this game is he has a chance to respond tonight. I’m sure he’s pissed off about it, and I’m sure he’ll step up tonight.” Dumba said he thinks he’s been overthinking things this season, though he struggled to put his finger on the exact reason for his struggles. “I haven’t been playing like myself, and I want to find that and start getting that confidence back and play the game I know that I can,” Dumba said. “I know how I feel when I’m playing my best, and I want to get back to that.” “You also want to make sure he doesn’t try to do too much,” Stewart said. “The only thing Matt Dumba has to do is be Matt Dumba. That’s all we need him to be. Just being himself is good enough for us.” 1081309 Minnesota Wild really enjoyed it and I still enjoy it and that’s why I’m playing. I’m sure when I sit down at home after it’s all done I’ll really enjoy that.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.03.2017 On his 41st birthday, Matt Cullen helps lead Wild to 6-3 win

By DANE MIZUTANI | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017 at 9:38 pm | UPDATED: November 2, 2017 at 11:02 PM

Before Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, a reporter asked Wild coach Bruce Boudreau what 20-year veteran Matt Cullen brings to the team. He effectively summed it up in one word. “Experience,” Boudreau said. “He’s been through it all. He’s seen it all.” Still, heading into the matchup, Cullen hadn’t done much since delaying retirement and signing a one-year deal with the hometown Wild in the offseason. While he’d been a model of consistency near the bottom of the lineup through 10 games, he hadn’t scored a goal and had only managed two assists. Apparently he was waiting for a special occasion, and on his 41st birthday, Cullen broke out with a goal and an assist as the Wild earned a 6-3 win over the Canadiens. Cullen momentarily misspoke in the locker room after the game nearly claiming to be 31 years old before quickly correctly himself. “You know, turning 41, not 31, was good,” Cullen said with a huge smile. “Obviously it’s fun to play this long and I enjoy playing and it was nice to get (a goal) tonight and nice to get the win.” Cullen got the party started less than five minutes into the game with a whirling wrist shot that beat Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. He raised his arms as the puck hit the back of the net and his teammates rushed in to hug him. He then skated to the bench where the rest of his teammates greeted him with first bumps and smiles. “It was nice,” Boudreau said. “We want everybody to score. Cully, he’s been a scorer in his career, so I was glad to see that.” That celebration for Cullen was short-lived, as Nino Niederreiter scored 10 seconds later after redirecting a shot from Matt Dumba. That said, Cullen was back at it about 10 minutes later leading a breakout and delivering a perfect saucer pass to Tyler Ennis for a tap in goal as the Wild took a three-goal lead into the first intermission. “It’s so impressive to be 41 years old and play as long as he has and to be able to play the way he does,” Ennis said. “He’s still got lots of juice.” “It’s amazing bro,” Dumba added. “That’s almost double my age. It’s crazy.” In the second period, the Wild managed to keep the momentum rolling despite a relatively sleepy 20 minute of play. Ryan Suter increased the lead midway through the frame when he slapped home a well-executed touch pass from Mikko Koivu before Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher scored a minute later to cut into the deficit heading into the final frame. “I thought it was good,” Boudreau said. “I thought our first two periods were as good as two periods we’ve played.” In the third period, the Wild seemed to take their foot off the gas, especially after Jared Spurgeon scored a power-play goal 34 seconds in to make it a four-goal game again. Things got a little interesting down the stretch as Canadiens winger Andrew Shaw scored and Gallagher got his second goal of the game. In the end, though, the Wild held on as Marcus Foligno slammed the door shut with an empty-net goal with less than two minutes to play. In the locker room after the game Cullen was made aware that he was the oldest U.S. born player to have a goal and an assist in the same game. “Oh really,” Cullen said, realizing that means he’s getting up there in age. “I don’t know what to say.” “I think when I’m all done playing I’ll probably look back and enjoy it,” Cullen added. “Obviously in the middle of the season it doesn’t mean a whole lot. I feel really blessed to have played as long as I have and I’ve 1081310 Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price continues to struggle as Canadiens fall to Wild

DAVE CAMPBELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Matt Cullen scored his first goal of the season on his 41st birthday and added an assist during Minnesota's three-goal first period, giving the sputtering Wild a welcome spark on the way to a 6-3 victory Thursday night over the Montreal Canadiens. Nino Niederreiter and Tyler Ennis also scored to send struggling Canadiens goalie Carey Price into the first intermission with a 3-0 deficit. Ryan Suter chipped in a second-period goal , and Jared Spurgeon scored on a power play for more insurance in the first minute of the third. Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund each had two assists and Marcus Foligno added an empty-net goal for the Wild, who have won six straight games against the Canadiens while outscoring them 25-9. Price, who stopped 21 shots by the Wild, gave up a staggering seven goals in the team's last trip to Minnesota on Jan. 12 . Brendan Gallagher scored twice and Andrew Shaw had one of two third- period goals for the Canadiens, who totalled 13 goals over their previous two games but still entered the night with the fourth-fewest goals per game (2.5) in the NHL. Defence has been a problem for the Canadiens, too, with the third-most goals allowed per game (3.75) in the league coming into this game. That's despite the presence of Price, the five-time All-Star who was the Hart Trophy winner just three seasons ago as the MVP of the NHL. Price has allowed four goals or more in four of his last five starts. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the Wild, winning his third straight start. Cullen, the second-oldest player in the league behind Jaromir Jagr of the Calgary Flames, snagged a long rebound off Price's pads and sent it into the net as Price was falling to his right. That put the Wild on the board just 4:46 into the game. Matt Dumba, who had two assist for the Wild, set up Niederreiter's tip 10 seconds after Cullen scored with a slap shot off a clearing attempt by Price went astray. Price jammed the butt of his stick into his glove several times in frustration after falling behind 2-0. Cullen then led a slick 2-on-1 to beat defenceman Jeff Petry and tee up Ennis for the tap-in. Dumba responded deftly to a rough game on Tuesday, when his careless drop pass was intercepted by Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers for an easy goal in a 2-1 victory by the Jets. Dumba was benched by coach Bruce Boudreau after the turnover and called out by the boss afterward. Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081311 Montreal Canadiens

Liveblog: Canadiens at Minnesota

Mike Boone Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 6:30 PM EDT

To borrow a phrase from the TV hit of the 1950s, will the real Carey Price please stand up? Riding their season-long two-game winning streak, the Canadiens visit Minnesota, where Price will make his first start since a not-entirely- convincing 5-4 win over the Rangers at the Bell Centre Saturday night. The goaltender should be rested and ready. And when the camera was on him, Price looked relaxed watching Al Montoya beat the Senators on Monday night. Price’s backup had eight goals worth of run support in Kanata. And perhaps the Canadiens can muster that much firepower at the Xcel Energy Center. The greater likelihood, however, is the Wild will present a more formidable challenge than the Senators, whose ineptitude can be gauged by Erik Karlsson’s shocking minus-6 on the game. Fearless prediction: Ryan Suter won’t be minus-6 on Thursday night. And the Canadiens may well need vintage Price against the Wild. On their most recent visit to Minnesota, last Jan. 12, Price was lit up for seven goals on 24 shots in a 7-1 loss. Tomas Plekanec scored on a power-play with nine seconds left to spare the Canadiens the ignominy of being shut out by Devan Dubnyk. Puck drops 8:10ish. Check back later for live game blogging. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081312 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Game Day: Andrew Shaw 'ready to go'

Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 2:15 PM EDT

When the Canadiens arrived at the St. Paul Hotel Wednesday, they were greeted by a fan standing on the roof of his car with a sign that read “SHAW the pit bull”. “He’s actually a fan of mine and I went over to talk to him,” Shaw said Thursday after the Canadiens held their morning skate at the Xcel Energy Center. The good news for the fan and the Canadiens is that Shaw will be in the lineup Thursday against the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). He missed practice in Montreal Wednesday because of the flu. “I just needed some rest; I’m ready to go,” said Shaw. The veteran forward said he was looking forward to the game. “This is a fun place to play,” said Shaw. “The fans know the game and they really get into it.” There will be one change from the lineup that defeated Ottawa 8-3 Monday. Carey Price returns to goal in place of Al Montoya. Alex Galchenyuk has scored in three of the past four games, but remains on the fourth line with Michael McCarron and Torrey Mitchell. Like all players, he said he would welcome the chance for more ice time “but that’s not my decision. I’m just working to get better.” Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081313 Montreal Canadiens

In the Habs' Room: 'We didn't manage the puck well,' Claude Julien says after loss

Pat Hickey, Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 11:57 PM EDT

ST. PAUL — After a strong performance Monday in Ottawa, the Canadiens came up empty Thursday as they dropped a 6-3 decision to the Minnesota Wild before a sellout crowd of 18,924 at Xcel Energy Centre. The final score flattered the Canadiens. They fell behind 3-0 in the first period and Minnesota had a comfortable 5-1 lead when the Canadiens put on a desperate push in the third period. “I’m not surprised, I’m disappointed,” coach Claude Julien said.”We didn’t manage the puck well at all. We weren’t sharp and we let them build an early lead and when we woke up, it was a little too late. That’s on us and it’s not acceptable. If we’re planning to move up in the standings, we have to be a lot more consistent, game after game. This game got out of hand in a 10-second span in the first period when Carey Price was caught out of position and gave up goals to Matt Cullen and Nino Niederreiter. “It wasn’t an ideal start,” said Price, who gave up five goals on 26 shots. “It’s tough to come back in this league and it would have been nice to get off to a better start. It’s definitely a battle, but I know how to get through it so I’m not concerned.” The lack of concern seems to be a common theme in the Canadiens’ room, but it’s surprising. Price has given up four or more goals in seven of his 11 starts. Forget about being the No. 1 goaltender in the world; this season there have been too many nights when he hasn’t looked like an NHL-calibre goalie. That was true on the first two goals. “They both were bad goals, we can’t give up those kind of goals,” Julien said. “I think we know that Carey is a much better goaltender than what he’s shown right now,” Julien said. “The only thing we can do and he can do is to keep working with him to find his groove again because he’s definitely the key to us getting back into the race here and being a playoff contender.” One bright spot for the Canadiens was a two-goal performance from Brendan Gallagher, who leads the team with six goals and 10 points. But Gallagher, who is rebounding from a disappointing campaign last season, said he couldn’t take any satisfaction from his individual success. “I’d trade the goals for a few wins,” Gallagher said. When it was pointed out that the Canadiens have given up two goals in less than a minute six times this season, Gallagher said the Canadiens have to do a better job of focusing after giving up a goal. “We have to be aware that the next shift is the most important shift of the game,” said Gallagher, who offered an opinion on giving up early goals. “If you give up a goal in the first minute, you have 59 minutes to come back,” he said. “I worry more about late goals. But we have to do a better job of controlling the puck. We’ve been putting the defence in a tough position because we’re not coming back for the puck. We have to support them.” And now for some interesting numbers: Alex Galchenyuk was on the ice for 13:07 and his only shot attempt was blocked. Jonathan Drouin is improving in the faceoff circle, winning eight of 13 draws, while Tomas Plekanec won 11 of 14. Shea Weber had six of Montreal’s 12 blocked shots. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081314 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017

About last night ...

Mike Boone Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 11:24 PM EDT

It was a night early, but you have to credit the Montreal Canadiens with the best Halloween costume of 2017: Monday in Ottawa, they were disguised as a good hockey team. To mix metaphors, however, the carriage turned back into a pumpkin Thursday night in Minnesota. Don’t let the vaguely respectable 6-3 final score fool you. As has been the case too often this season, the Canadiens were awful … from the goaltender out. Having taken the night off as his teammates gave Al Montoya eight goals of run support in Kanata, Carey Price returned to action in St. Paul and quickly surrendered two goals to the home team. The Canadiens were in an early hole, and the five minutes of spirited hockey they got around to playing late in the third period weren’t nearly enough to dig them out. Craig Button, excellent analyst on the TSN telecast of the game, compared the rout to a football game in which “the line of scrimmage was completely controlled” by Minnesota. The Vikings should only be as dominant … but I digress. Late in the telecast, Button said two words must come to Claude Julien’s mind: “Sacre bleu!” The Canadiens’ coach wasn’t cursing during his postgame remarks, telecast during L’Antichambre. Julien said his team’s puck management “wasn’t really good tonight.” As to his goaltender, Julien said “it’s not the Carey Price we know.” You could say that about most of the roster – with the exceptions of Brendan Gallagher, who scored twice, and Charles Hudon. Everyone else in a white jersey was, to varying degrees, awful … none more so than the blueliners. The Canadiens D is slow and lacking in physicality. Allegedly the player obtained to replace Andrei Markov, Karl Alzner is making us nostalgic for Alexei Emelin. As they skated off to their early lead, the Wild dominated every aspect of play in the Canadiens’ zone. They won puck battles, they skated circles around the aforementioned statue-like Dmen and they enjoyed an abundance of quality shots on Price. It wasn’t pretty, and the Commentariat was not amused. From Xman4227: Sure it was a slow start. That happens. But Price used to keep them in it for at least a period or so. He’s fighting every shot and his body language and lateral movement is horrible. Play pretty much anyone else right now, and you’ll see some wins. From burnedprof: i noticed two things on that last goal. plekanec came to double team the guy in front, leaving no weak side help. mind you that puck then has to travel past 4 guys to get to spurgeon and all the goalie has to do is slide across. frankly, the goalie’s style presupposes a rapidity which he currently is not capable of rendering. And from Maroons: The Canadiens didn’t get their first power play until almost six minutes had elapsed in the third period – by which time Minnesota had had four PPs and scored on one of them. “It’s too late,” Button said of the late power play. “It’s not good enough, and it just doesn’t matter.” We’re into November, and the Canadiens have six points and, more importantly, seven teams between them and a Wild-Card playoff spot. History strongly suggests they won’t be playing postseason hockey … a notion that may be reinforced this weekend in Winnipeg and Chicago. 1081315 Montreal Canadiens

Another slow start dooms Canadiens' chances in Minnesota

Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette Published on: November 2, 2017 | Last Updated: November 2, 2017 11:43 PM EDT

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Wild scored goals 10 seconds apart in the first period and went on to beat the Canadiens 6-3 Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Centre. It was another disappointing night for goaltender Carey Price. He gave up three goals on the first 12 shots he faced and his record dropped to 3-7-1. Happy birthday Matt: The Wild’s Matt Cullen celebrated his 41st birthday by opening the scoring at 4:46 of the first period. Price gift-wrapped the goal when he left a generous rebound off a shot by Mike Reilly and then lost his balance as he attempted to move across the crease. Cullen, who was playing in his 1,500th NHL regular season and playoff game, is the second-oldest player in the NHL behind 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr. Scoring in bunches: Price’s troubles continued when the Wild made it 2-0 at 4:56. Price went behind the net to play the puck and was a tad too casual as he fired a pass up the right boards. Minnesota defenceman Matt Dumba intercepted the puck at the blue-line and his shot was deflected by Nino Niederreiter past Price as he was re-establishing his position in the crease. It’s the sixth time this season the Canadiens have given up two goals in the same minute and the fifth time they have been scored on twice in a 30-second span. Piling on: Cullen and Dumba each picked up an assist as Tyler Ennis made it 3-0 at 15:51 of the first period. Ennis got a step on defenceman Jeff Petry and converted a saucer pass from Cullen for his third goal of the season and the 100th of his career. Trading goals: Defenceman Ryan Suter gave the Wild a 4-0 lead when he took a pass from Mikko Koivu and beat Price from the faceoff circle at 12:09. The goal marked the seventh time in 11 starts that Price has given up four or more goals. The Canadiens finally got on the scoreboard one minute later when Brendan Gallagher went hard to the net and scored on a feed from Charles Hudon. Gallagher also scored Montreal’s last goal at 14:47 of the third period. After struggling for most of last season and finishing with only 10 goals, Gallagher leads the Canadiens with six goals so far this season. Specialty items: The Wild upped their lead to 5-1 when defenceman Jared Spurgeon pinched in and scored a power-play goal at the 34- second mark of the third period. Spurgeon was parked down low to the right of Price and scored on a one-timer off Koivu’s pass from the opposite side of the crease. Minnesota went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Canadiens had one power play and came up empty with two shots on goal. No. 1 for Shaw: Andrew Shaw cut the Minnesota lead to 5-2 when he scored his first goal of the season at 9:14 of the third period. Philip Danault made a perfect pass through the crease to find Shaw cutting to the net. Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno completed the scoring into an empty net. Coming up: The Canadiens’ road trip concludes with back-to-back games this weekend. They are in Winnipeg Saturday (7 p.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio) and move on to Chicago Sunday (7 p.m., Sportsnet, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). They open a six-game homestand Tuesday, when they play the expansion Vegas Golden Knights for the first time. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081316 Montreal Canadiens

Three things we learned in Minnesota

Marc Dumont 7 hours ago

Brendan Gallagher has been a bright spot for the Canadiens this season. After putting up a paltry 10 goals in 64 games last season, he now has six goals in 13 games. According to NaturalStatTrick, while Gallagher is on the ice the Canadiens control over 54 percent of the shots and 56 percent of the scoring chances. He has 14 individual scoring chances of his own and has drawn eight penalties. Gallagher and Charles Hudon have shown great chemistry, but I can't help but think how much better they could be if they were centered by someone with a little offensive flair. Tomas Plekanec is a good soldier, and he's given a lot to the team, but it's clear at this point in his career he no longer creates offence. Regardless of the lack of talent down the middle, Gallagher has been doing a good job of controlling the neutral zone through hard work and individual efforts. He's looking a lot like the Gallagher we saw from 2013 to 2016. Carey Price is not in a good place. He's usually poised and rarely wastes any energy while he makes jaw-dropping saves. But throughout the start of the year, we've seen an erratic Price that's allowing a bevy of goals against. The main issue seems to be coming from high danger shots. Last season he saved 87.68 percent of them, whereas this year through 10 games he was showing significant downtick in performance, saving only 73.81 of the high-danger shots sent his way. Not only is he saving fewer goals than usual, he's causing a fair amount of the goals against. His stickhandling, which is usually among the best in the league, has led directly to a few goals against this year. He's not tracking pucks very well, his lateral movements are slow, and he can't seem to make any clean saves. Simply put, he needs to be better. It's not a matter of needing him to steal games, it's a matter of needing him to not sink the Canadiens before they get a chance to get going. We're used to seeing Price make big saves, then the whole team rallies behind him. Lately, the only thing getting behind him is pucks. I have no doubt Price will eventually return to form, but he needs to do it sooner than later. Goals against in succession are a major issue. It was the sixth time this year the Canadiens allowed two goals within a minute, and even worse, of those six times allowing two goals, five of them came within 30 seconds. It's beyond demoralizing for any team. A lot of the blame goes to the goalies, but the forwards and defencemen aren't holding up their end of the bargain either. Erratic defensive play and a lack of support from the forwards is magnifying the problem. Not to mention, the Canadiens continue to struggle when it comes to controlled breakouts. It's never a good sign when you allow opponents into your own zone with the greatest of ease, but struggle to move the puck out. It starts with a lack of pressure on opposing forwards, yielding uncontested zone entries. The defencemen then get bogged down in their own zone and have little to no time to retrieve the puck. When they do, there are rarely any passing options available, which leads to turnovers. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081317 Nashville Predators

Predators build playground at KIPP Nashville College Prep

THE TENNESSEAN Published 4:19 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 4:20 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017

Through the work of their foundation, the Predators built their seventh playground Thursday in conjunction with non-profit organization KaBOOM!. The team placed its newest playground at KIPP Nashville College Prep Elementary School. Tennessean LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081318 Nashville Predators

Predators still waiting to see what they have in

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 3:00 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 5:36 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017

LOS ANGELES — Nick Bonino looped around the SAP Center ice surface Wednesday, his first practice or morning skate with his Predators teammates since suffering a lower-body injury Oct. 14. The Predators’ viewings of the veteran center, who signed a four-year contract worth $16.4 million July 1, mostly have been limited to non- game situations. Recovery from a broken tibia suffered during the Stanley Cup Final prevented Bonino from playing in the preseason. Without game action to assimilate into Nashville's system, Bonino's on-the-job training began in the Predators' season opener Oct. 5, then ended nine days later. The Predators list Bonino as "day-to-day," though he's on injured reserve and hasn't played in nearly three weeks. His agent told The Tennessean on Oct. 18 that he believed Bonino was "going to be out a couple of weeks." "He’s a guy that’s an experienced player (that) certainly could help us in a top-nine situation,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “Whether it’s top three, top six or top nine, somewhere in that role to have him there, a guy with his experience and what he’s able to bring. "Even when he was in the lineup, I think he was coming back and trying to find his way off of what he was dealing with through the summer and his long run in the playoffs.” The Predators need to boost their league-worst five-on-five offense, which has 13 goals in 12 games. They also have generated 197 five-on- five scoring chances, second-fewest before Thursday's games, according to naturalstattrick.com. It's unknown how much Bonino, who declined comment Wednesday, can help in that regard. Bonino was a key complementary piece as a bottom-six forward with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won consecutive Stanley Cups, but he's not a playmaker. The 29-year-old, who has one goal in five games this season, hasn't topped 20 goals or 40 points in four years. As Nashville's offense sputters, the team is exercising patience. “I’d like to find out what we have with our top four centers in the lineup and playing four lines much like we did last year in the playoffs,” Predators general manager David Poile said. “We really haven’t gotten to that point in any game. Even in the couple games that Bonino played in, he’s still not been able to take the higher ice time that we know he’ll be eventually capable of.” “I don’t feel like we’ve really gotten a good taste of him, what he could bring to our lineup and who he is as a player inside of our group.” Laviolette said. “I think we know what he’s done in the league and in his career, but for our group, it just hasn’t transpired yet.” No hearing for Johansen Predators center Ryan Johansen won’t face supplemental discipline from the NHL for his hit on Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Wednesday. Tennessean LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081319 Nashville Predators

Visitations for Predators fan 'Big Ben' Butzbach to be held Friday, Saturday

Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee Published 1:53 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 4:06 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2017

Public visitations for Predators super fan "Big Ben" Butzbach will be held Friday and Saturday at Fellowship United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro. Butzbach died Tuesday. The cause of death is unknown. Butzbach, known for painting his stomach at Predators games, was 33. "From inside of our locker room, (I want to) offer condolences to 'Big Ben' Butzbach, who passed away," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday morning. "A true (Predators) fan, Our hearts, prayers and wishes go out to his family." Friday's service will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday's is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Those interested in attending have been asked to wear Predators jerseys to honor Butzbach. Fellowship United Methodist is located at 2511 TN-99 in Murfreesboro. Tennessean LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081320 New Jersey Devils Star Ledger LOADED: 11.03.2017

Devils beat Canucks: 7 observations | Cory Schneider shines; Best start in team history

Posted November 02, 2017 at 06:00 AM | Updated November 02, 2017 at 06:08 AM By Chris Ryan

The Devils won their third straight game for the third time this season when they held on for a 2-0 shutout over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena. Along with moving to 5-0-0 on the road this season, the Devils improved to 9-2-0 overall. Here is more on Cory Schneider's big night in goal, Brian Boyle's first game as a Devil and the team making franchise history. Will Butcher,Cory Schneider,Damon Severson,Steven Santini Cory Schneider's first shutout The Devils found a new way to win Wednesday night. The offense was relatively quiet and they struggled with possession, but you can't lose if you keep the puck out of the net. That's exactly what goalie Cory Schneider did in his 24th career shutout. He stopped all 37 shots he faced while helping the Devils kill all four penalties they committed to record his first shutout of the season. ,Blake Coleman,John Moore,Taylor Hall,Damon Severson Franchise best The Devils have won three Stanley Cups since they moved to New Jersey 35 years ago, but they have never had an 11-game start better than the 2017-18 season. Through 11 games, the Devils sit at 18 points with a 9-2-0 record. The Devils started the 1993-94 and 2002-03 seasons at 8-3-0. Wednesday also marked the Devils' third three-game winning streak of the season. They had two such streaks all of last season. Taylor Hall keeps churning Offense was limited on both ends, but Devils forward Taylor Hall still walked away with another multi-point game. He started the rush and recorded the initial shot prior to Jimmy Hayes' second-period goal. Hall then got the puck out of the Devils' defensive zone before setting up Drew Stafford for an empty netter with 14 seconds left. Hall finished with four shots, trailing only Jesper Bratt's five. Hall has points in eight of the Devils' 11 games this season, including four multi-point outings. He has at least one point in five of his last six games. Brian Boyle's season debut Brian Boyle made his season and Devils debut after his chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis during training camp. Boyle looked like himself, logging 15:19 total ice time over 22 shifts, playing all but four seconds at even strength. Despite starting the game at left wing, Boyle ended up taking nine face-offs, and he won six of them. As a team, the Devils won 57 percent of face-offs. Devils shut out Canucks, improve to 9-2-0 5-on-6 execution After giving up two 5-on-6 goals in a 5-4 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday, the Devils knew they needed to address their play when opponents pulled their goalie late in games. They held off the Arizona Coyotes in that situation on Saturday, and they did so again on Wednesday while adding an empty-net goal from Stafford. Johansson's injury Devils coach John Hynes said the Devils kept forward Marcus Johansson out of Wednesday's game for precautionary reasons after the forward went head-first into the boards in the opening minute of the first period. Johansson skated off under his own power and did not return. He will be reevaluated in Edmonton on Thursday. Devils October report card: Grading 1st month of season Beating a team at their best The Canucks were a lottery team like the Devils last season, but they too were off to a strong start to the 2017-18 season. They entered Wednesday's game at 6-3-2, and coach Travis Green called Wednesday's effort one of the best of the season. They just didn't have any goals to show for it. 1081321 New Jersey Devils Stats: 7 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P Blandisi just missed making the NHL roster out of training camp, but he is getting consistent playing time in the AHL, where he has three points Devils prospects update | Nick Lappin hot; Nikita Popugaev on the move through seven games. Jesper Boqvist, F Posted November 03, 2017 at 06:00 AM | Updated November 03, 2017 Current Team: Brynas IF Gavle (SweHL) at 06:08 AM Age: 19 By Chris Ryan Stats: 0 games played

The Devils' second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft hasn't played yet While the Devils are off to their best start ever at the NHL level, the this season after undergoing wrist surgery in September. He was organization's prospects are also underway in their seasons in the AHL, expected to miss three months at the time of the surgery. the KHL, college hockey and junior hockey. Here is a quick update on some of the Devils' prospects, including Nick Lappin, Joseph Blandisi Jocktan Chainey, D and John Quenneville in Binghamton, plus college players Reilly Walsh and Joey Anderson. Current Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) Joey Anderson, F Age: 18 Current Team: Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) Stats: 17 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 P Age: 19 The 2017 sixth-round pick has seen a slight uptick in his offensive game early in the season at Halifax. He had 4 goals and 20 assists in 55 Stats: 8 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P games last season. The Devils' 2016 third-round pick is in his sophomore season at Evan Cormier, G Minnesota-Duluth. Anderson finished with 37 points in 39 games last season. Expect him to have another stand-out campaign while also Current Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL) playing for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in January. Age: 19 Anderson also had a strong showing at Devils Development Camp over the summer. Stats: 13 GP, 4-6, 3.13 GAA, .902 save percentage Ken Appley, G Cormier may have a 4-6 record, but his GAA and save percentage have both improved from last season in the early going of the 2017-18 season. Current Team: (AHL) Andrew Mills Age: 22 Jeremy Davies, D Stats: 1 GP, 1-0, 1.00 GAA, .966 save percentage Current Team: Northeastern (NCAA) With Scott Wedgewood traded to the Coyotes, the door is wide open for Appleby and fellow goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to get playing time in Age: 20 the AHL. Blackwood should be the starter more often than not, but Appleby will get plenty of ice time. Stats: 7 GP, 0 G, 9 A, 9 P Brandon Baddock, F In his sophomore season at Northeastern, Davies has gotten off to a strong start. He had 15 assists in 38 games last season, and so far, he's Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) been better than one point per night. He had eight goals last season, but he has not found the back of the net yet. Age: 22 J.D. Dudek, F Stats: 6 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P Current Team: Boston College (NCAA) After playing in the ECHL last season, Baddock's second pro season has been with the Devils in the AHL, where his first goal served as a game- Age: 21 winner. Baddock has primarily been skating on the fourth line in Binghamton. Stats: 7 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P John Munson Coming off a 13-goal, 22-point season as a sophomore, Dudek has one goal and two assists through seven games as a junior. He was a sixth- Nathan Bastian, F round pick by the Devils in 2014. Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Yaroslav Dyblenko, D Age: 19 Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Stats: 7 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P Age: 23 Bastian turned pro this season and has had a strong showing during his Stats: 5 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P early run in the AHL. Bastian has two goals and two assists during his first seven games as a pro. Dyblenko started his North American career in the AHL after signing with the Devils in May. The physical defenseman has played in five of Mackenzie Blackwood, G Albany's seven games so far. Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Brandon Gignac, F Age: 20 Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Stats: 5 GP, 2-2, 3.80 GAA, .877 save percentage Age: 19 Like Appleby, Blackwood benefits immensely from the Wedgewood Stats: 4 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P trade. Blackwood now appears to be next in the Devils' goalie pecking order behind Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid, and Blackwood should Gignac is adjusting to the pro game in his first full season in the AHL. He get plenty of time to develop in the AHL. has one point so far after the Devils 2016 third-round pick finished with 62 points in 59 games with Shawinigan in the QMJHL last season. Joseph Blandisi, F Josh Jacobs, D Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Age: 23 Age: 21 Stats: 7 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 P Age: 18 Jacobs finished with nine points in 49 games during his first full season in Stats: 0 GP in KHL; 13 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 P in WHL the AHL in 2016-17, so the 2014 second-round pick has gotten off to a much better start in his second pro campaign. Popugaev started his season playing junior hockey with the Prince George Cougars in the WHL, where he struggled. He then signed in his Michael Kapla, D native Russia, where he will now play with CSKA Moskva in the KHL. Current Team: Binghamton (AHL) John Quenneville, F Age: 23 Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Stats: 4 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P Age: 21 After five NHL games last season, the Devils will let the UMass-Lowell Stats: 6 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 P grad get more seasoning in the AHL during his first full pro season. Like Blandisi, Quenneville nearly made the NHL roster out of camp Ryan Kujawinski, F before he was a late cut. The 2014 first-round pick has had a solid start to his AHL season, and like Blandisi and Lappin, he is on the short list of Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) players the Devils would look to as a call-up in case of injury. Age: 22 Kevin Rooney, F Stats: 0 GP Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) After going for 12 points over 36 games last season in the AHL, Age: 24 Kujawinski has not made his season debut yet. Stats: 7 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P John Munson The undrafted college free agent is in his second season in the AHL after Nick Lappin, F he posted 21 points in 71 games last season. He also appeared in four Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) NHL games. Age: 24 YouTube Stats: 6 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 7 P Yegor Rykov, D After playing 43 NHL games with the Devils last season, Lappin has Current Team: SKA St. Petersburg gotten off to a strong scoring start in the AHL with five goals in six Age: 20 games, including a hat trick. If the Devils have injury troubles at the NHL level, Lappin figures to be one of the handful of players near the top pf Stats: 28 GP, 1 G, 5A, 6 P the list for a call-up. Rykov, a 2016 fifth-round pick, had a solid showing at last winter's World Viktor Loov, D Junior Championships, where he had seven points in seven games with Russia. Rykov is a strong puck-moving defenseman, and the Devils will Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) surely keep an eye on his development in the KHL. Age: 24 Brett Seney, F Stats: 7 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P Current Team: Merrimack (NCAA) During his first full season within the Devils' organization, Loov already Age: 21 has four points after recording zero in 10 AHL games in Albany last season. Stats: 7 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P Mikhail Maltsev, F The Devils took Seney in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, and he is playing in his senior season at Merrimack. He had a career-high 31 Current Team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) points as a junior after posting 26 points during each of freshman and Age: 19 sophomore seasons. Stats: 16 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 P Andrew Mills A 2016 fourth-round pick by the Devils, Maltsev is playing his first season Gilles Senn, G in the KHL. He finished with 15 points in 34 games with SKA-Neva St. Current Team: Davos HC (Swiss-A) Petersburg in the VHL last season. Age: 21 Andrew Mills Stats: 9 GP, 2.65 GAA, .909 save percentage Michael McLeod, F Despite being 21, the Devils took Senn in the fifth round of the 2017 NHL Current Team: New Jersey Devils (NHL) Draft, adding another goalie to their system. Senn is playing his fourth Age: 19 season with Davos HC. Stats: 0 GP Colby Sissons, D McLeod is skating on his own while staying with the NHL team as he Current Team: (WHL) recovers from knee surgery. The 2016 first-round pick should resume Age: 19 practicing in November. Stats: 13 GP, 4 G, 13 A, 17 P Blake Pietila, F Sissons is playing his fourth season of junior hockey. He signed an entry- Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) level deal with the Devils in 2016 as an undrafted free agent, and he is Age: 24 coming off a season where he had 28 points in 63 games. Stats: 7 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P Blake Speers, F Pietila is one of a handful of AHL Devils that played in the NHL down the Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) stretch last season. He recorded one point in 10 NHL games in 2016-17 Age: 20 while finishing with 33 points in 49 AHL games. Stats: 7 GP, 1 G, 1 A Nikita Popugaev, F Current Team: CSKA Moskva (KHL) Speers has been quiet in the points department during his first full pro season in the AHL. The Devils still have high expectations for the development of Speers after he made the NHL team out of training camp in 2016-17. Marian Studenic, F Current Team: Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) Age: 19 Stats: 14 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 P The Devils' 2017 fifth-round pick is posting numbers at a similar rate to his first North American season. He finished with 30 points in 58 games with Hamilton during 2016-17. Aarne Talvitie, F Current Team: Blues U20 (Jr. A SM-) Age: 18 Stats: 14 GP, 10 G, 7 A, 17 A Talvitie is off to a red-hot start in Finland, where he is just three goals shy of matching his 2016-17 total. The 2017 sixth-round pick is committed to play college hockey at Penn State next season. Ben Thomson, F Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL) Age: 24 Stats: 5 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P The bruising forward has one point in five games so far, but he had only 10 in 72 AHL games last season. He does have 18 PIM, which trails only Jacobs for the Binghamton team lead. Reilly Walsh, D Current Team: Harvard (NCAA) Age: 18 Stats: 1 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P Harvard has played only one regular season game so far, so Walsh will soon see much more action when their schedule picks up in November. Colton White, D Current Team: Binghamton Devils (AHL)/Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) Age: 20 Stats: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P (AHL) / 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P (ECHL) White was briefly optioned to the ECHL after starting the season in the AHL with Binghamton, but he was recently called back up to the AHL. Yegor Zaitsev, D Current Team: Dynamo Moskva (KHL) Age: 19 Stats: 24 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P The 2017 seventh-round pick bounced between the KHL and VHL last season, but he has appeared to establish himself on the Dynamo KHL roster. His 24 games so far surpassed the 19 he played in the KHL last season. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081322 New Jersey Devils “The organization, he’s a big part of it,” Hynes added. “But being a part of it, there’s high expectations for him and that was made clear this summer by Ray [Shero] and myself, just things we need him to do.” Taylor Hall returns to Edmonton a fully-committed Devil Bergen Record LOADED: 11.03.2017

Andrew Gross, Published 6:24 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 6:37 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

EDMONTON – Taylor Hall is back in Edmonton and this time there is no stress, no lingering shock over the way things ended for him with the Oilers. He is a New Jersey Devil, one of the team’s rotating set of alternate captains and the leading scorer. “You’re seeing a guy that’s invested in what we’re trying to do here,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “He’s bought in and he’s a heck of a player and when he plays the game the right way, you see how dominant he can be.” The Devils, off to the best start in franchise history at 9-2-0, continue a three-game Western Canada swing – which Hall dubbed before the trip as one “where a team decides is it a playoff team or just a mediocre team” – against the Oilers on Friday night (Faceoff: 9 p.m.; Television: MSG Plus; Radio: WFAN-101.9FM/660-AM). Hall had two assists as the Devils opened the trip with a 2-0 win at Vancouver on Wednesday night, giving him three goals and 12 assists for the season, two goals and four assists in his last three games and two goals and nine assists over his last six games. “I think being more comfortable with my teammates and coach Hynes has helped, first and foremost,” Hall said. “I haven't changed completely. But I've tried to be a better practice player and be a leader in the dressing room, instead of just one of the guys like I was when I came in last season. People forget I'm only 25. I'm still learning a lot on and off the ice. It's nice to see some positive things happening for our team at the same time.” The Devils also improved to 5-0-0 on the road and are the only team in the NHL to have gathered every possible point so far in their road games. “You see a lot of passion in his game,” said right wing Jimmy Hayes, set up by Hall for his third goal of the season on Wednesday night. “He’s a guy that wants to take over the game, especially when the momentum shifts. He’s a guy we lean on to get the momentum back. He’s a big reason why this team is playing well.” Hall tied for the team lead in points when he compiled 20 goals and 33 assists in 72 games in his first season with the Devils after being acquired from the Oilers for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29, 2016. The trade came as a surprise Hall, selected first overall by the Oilers in 2010. He had gone through lean times with the franchise, but had helped mentor Connor McDavid as a rookie and could sense the Oilers were about to turn into a contender. Sure enough, the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and McDavid earned the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP. But Hall, in his eighth NHL season and yet to play a playoff game, watched from afar as the Devils missed the postseason for a fifth straight year. New Jersey Devils' Jimmy Hayes, from left, Blake Coleman, Hall did have an assist in his first trip back to Edmonton as an opponent, a 3-2 overtime loss on Jan. 12, the Devils second game against the Oilers in six days. Hall termed that stretch “stressful” and later admitted it wasn’t until he played in Edmonton with the Devils that he fully able to separate himself from his Oilers' past. None of that has been a topic this season for Hall, who grew up in the Toronto area and had often talked wistfully of playing in a hockey-crazed market such as Edmonton. After this season, Hall has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Oilers. “I think comfort is a big thing,” Hynes said. “Having gotten to know Taylor and spent some time with him, even this summer, before he came to this organization, he had been in the league seven years and went through six coaches. I think he now feels ownership. I think he feels like there’s a commitment level there, from the owners and general manager and the coaches with him. 1081323 New Jersey Devils

Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Nov. 2

Andrew Gross, Published 4:22 a.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 5:47 a.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

EDMONTON – The Devils arrived in chilly Edmonton in the early morning hours on Thursday – it was snowing – and will practice in the afternoon at Rogers Place. Certainly, there are things to go over after this three-game Western Canada swing opened with a 2-0 win over the Canucks on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena. The execution wasn’t what the team has come to expect as the Canucks were able to hem the Devils in for stretches. On the other hand, perhaps it bodes well that the Devils, even if they’re not playing their best, keep finding ways to win. They are now 9-2-0 – the best start in franchise history – and 5-0-0 on the record, making them the only NHL team to have garnered every single potential point in their road games. The Devils face the Oilers on Friday night (Faceoff: 9 p.m. Eastern; Television: MSG Plus; Radio: WFAN-101.9FM/660AM, digital One Jersey Network). Before then, though, here are three storylines to follow on Thursday: First period – Marcus Johansson’s evaluation: The left wing exited Wednesday’s game just 57 seconds in when, on his first shift, he crashed face first into the backboards as he chased Canucks rookie Brock Boeser. Johansson was attended to on the ice, skated off slowly under his own power but was taken directly to the Devils’ room for evaluation. Coach John Hynes said after the game Johansson was held out for precautionary reasons and would be evaluated again on Thursday. The Devils listed it as an upper-body injury but the suspicion, of course, is that Johansson was being evaluated for a concussion. Second period – Taylor Hall’s second return: The ex-Oiler is in his second season with the Devils and looks much more invested in being a Devil than he did for much of his first season in New Jersey. Hall would say later than it essentially took him until his first trip to Edmonton to really get over his swap to the Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson in the offseason. Hall had an assist in that first game back at Edmonton but the Devils lost 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 12. He described playing against his former team as “stressful.” It’s likely to be less so this time around. Hall had two assists on Wednesday, giving him two goals and four assists in his last three games and two goals and nine assists over his last six games. Third period – Brian Boyle and the Devils’ lineup: Now that the veteran forward has finally been able to return to playing status – he made his debut on Wednesday night – after being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia at the start of training camp, the narrative can switch to how he can augment the Devils’ lineup. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Boyle brings size that few teams can boast. He’s very good on faceoffs (6 of 9 against the Canucks) and noted for his penalty killing, though he saw just five seconds of shorthanded time in his first game as a Devil. But Wednesday was Boyle’s first game since April 23 and, as his timing improve, it stands to reason Hynes will increase his on-ice responsibilities. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081324 New Jersey Devils

Devils Daily Faceoff: Three storylines for Nov. 3

Andrew Gross, Published 2:32 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2017 | Updated 2:32 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2017

EDMONTON – Game day for the Devils as their three-game game Western Canada swing continues against the Oilers at Rogers Place on Friday night. The Devils will have a full morning skate before the game (Faceoff: 9 p.m.; Television: MSG Plus; Radio: WFAN 101.9-FM/660AM). The Devils opened the trip with a 2-0 win at Vancouver on Wednesday night. That earned the Devils (9-2-0) their best ever start in franchise history and they are 5-0-0 on the road, the only team remaining in the NHL to garner every potential point in their road games. The Oilers have gotten off to a surprisingly slow 3-7-1 start and are just 2-5-0 at Rogers Place. They have lost two straight and are 1-2-0 on their five-game home stand. Third-year pro Connor McDavid, coming off winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP, is leading the Oilers in points with five goals and eight assists. But goalie Cam Talbot has gotten off to a slow 3-6-1 start with a 3.10 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Here are three storylines for stop No. 2 in the Devils’ road trip: First period – The second homecoming: Taylor Hall returns to Edmonton for the second time as a Devil after getting an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss at Rogers Place on Jan. 12. But things are different for Hall and the Devils this season. First off, the Devils obviously have played a much more competitive brand of hockey. Secondly, Hall, in addition to being the team leader in points with three goals and 12 assists, has become a team leader off the ice as he grows more comfortable with playing in New Jersey after six seasons in Edmonton after being the first overall pick of the 2010 NHL draft. Second period – Marcus Johansson’s status: The top-six left wing went head first into the backboards just 57 seconds into Wednesday night’s win and did not return after skating off under his own power but being helped to the Devils’ room. It sure looked like Johansson would need to be evaluated for a concussion. The Devils listed it as an upper-body injury and had no immediate update after Wednesday’s game. The Devils did not practice on Thursday so the first update on Johansson should be provided by coach John Hynes after Friday’s morning skate. Third period: What’s next for Brian Boyle: The veteran forward returned to the Devils’ lineup on Wednesday night after being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia at the start of training camp. Not surprisingly, the 32-year-old Boyle admitted to some rust in terms of his timing in Wednesday’s win. So, Boyle should improve on a game by game basis after having not played prior to Wednesday since the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs on April 23. Bergen Record LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081325 New York Islanders New York Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017

Anders Lee scores twice, but Islanders fall to Capitals, 4-3

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, November 2, 2017, 10:56 PM

WASHINGTON — Lars Eller looked determined not to let the Washington Capitals lose another game at home, so he took things into his own hands. Eller scored two goals, including the winner late in the third period, and added an assist to help the Capitals beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Thursday night. Though Washington was largely outplayed and outshot, the Danish center was arguably the best player on the ice, drawing two penalties and committing one as part of an eventful outing. “Sometimes you have some games where most things are just going right for you,” Eller said after the Capitals improved to 2-3 at home. “And I think tonight was one of those games for our line and I think we even could’ve had a couple more.” The Islanders could’ve had more goals, too, were it not for Vezina Trophy finalist Braden Holtby, who made 15 of his 35 saves in the third period. New York outshot Washington 38-19 and then 16-2 in the third period. Holtby said the Capitals should feel “lucky” to win a game they would lose more often than not if repeated. The Islanders felt as if they deserved better. “Should’ve had it,” coach said. “It would be nice to have it. It felt like we earned it. We battled. We gave up two shots in the third. It’s disappointing.” Islanders captain John Tavares scored his 12th goal of the season, one behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead, and Anders Lee had two goals. New York’s power play went 2 for 4 and has scored on seven of its past 14 opportunities after starting the season 2 for 33. “You go through swings like this throughout the course of the year,” Islanders winger Josh Bailey said. “Early on, things weren’t going that well and we were able to tweak some things. And when you get hot you just want to ride it as long as you can.” Eller was hot Thursday night from his first shift. He raced down the ice on a backcheck and sent the puck up ice to set up Taylor Chorney’s goal, just the fourth time the Capitals scored first in 13 games. Starting strong was a point of emphasis in recent days, and Chorney’s first goal since Jan. 1 set a more positive tone. “I feel like we’ve been chasing the game lately,” said Alex Chiasson, who scored his first goal with the Capitals to make it 3-2 in the second. “It’s nice to get on the board early. I think it allows the coach to roll four lines a little more and get everyone into their game.” Eller scored his second goal of the season late in the first period and then came up huge with the game winner, beating Jaroslav Halak on a slap shot off the rush with 3:21 left to put the Capitals ahead for good. Eller went to Montreal and Halak to St. Louis when they were traded for each other in 2010. “He was flying all over the ice, both sides of the puck,” Chorney said about Eller. “When Lars is moving his feet like that, he’s such a strong guy. He’s tough to contain. You could tell he was playing with a lot of confidence tonight, and he got rewarded for it.” Eller only had the chance to put Washington ahead because Holtby withstood an Islanders onslaught in the third. He made two big saves on a late penalty kill and was up to the task when the ice was tilted in his direction. “He just didn’t look fazed at all,” defenseman John Carlson said. “Every big save he had to come up with, he did for us throughout the whole game.” NOTES: Halak finished with 15 saves. ... Islanders D Adam Pelech didn’t make the trip and is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. UP NEXT Islanders: Return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night. Capitals: Visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday night 1081326 New York Islanders

Islanders’ sudden power-play strength not enough vs. Capitals

By Associated Press November 2, 2017 | 9:56PM

WASHINGTON — Lars Eller scored two goals, including the winner late in the third period, and added an assist to help the Capitals beat the Islanders 4-3 on Thursday night. Washington was largely outplayed and outshot, but the Danish center was arguably the best player on the ice, drawing two penalties and committing one as part of an eventful outing. “Sometimes you have some games where most things are just going right for you,” Eller said. “I think we even could’ve had a couple more.” The Islanders could have scored more goals, too, were it not for Vezina Trophy finalist Braden Holtby, who made 15 of his 35 saves in the third period. The Islanders outshot Washington 38-19 and 16-2 in the third period. Holtby said the Capitals should feel “lucky” to win a game they would lose more often than not if repeated. The Islanders felt as if they deserved better. “Should’ve had it,” Isles coach Doug Weight said. “It would be nice to have it. It felt like we earned it. We battled. We gave up two shots in the third. It’s disappointing.” Islanders captain John Tavares scored his 12th goal of the season, one behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead, and Anders Lee had two goals. The Islanders’ power play went 2-for-4 and has scored on seven of its past 14 opportunities after starting the season 2-for-33. “You go through swings like this throughout the course of the year,” Islanders winger Josh Bailey said. “Early on, things weren’t going that well and we were able to tweak some things. And when you get hot you just want to ride it as long as you can.” New York Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081327 New York Islanders

Islanders fall to Capitals on late goal

By Arthur Staple Updated November 3, 2017 12:57 AM

WASHINGTON — It certainly was as clear to everyone inside the Islanders’ room as it was to anyone who watched: The Isles should have come away with at least a point and probably two Thursday night. The difference was Lars Eller’s goal off the rush with 3:21 to play in a 4-3 loss to the Capitals. But the real difference throughout a pretty dominant performance by the Islanders was goaltending. Braden Holtby made 35 saves for the Capitals, who snapped a three- game losing skid. Jaroslav Halak made only 15 stops for the Islanders, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. And for each time the Islanders rallied from a goal down, there was a breakdown or a stoppable shot that kept them from overtaking a Washington team that got basically nothing from its Islander-killing star players. “Should’ve had it,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said. “It’s game 13, it’d be nice to have. I felt like we earned it. We gave up two shots in the third.” One of them was Eller’s goal. After winning a draw in their own end, the Capitals got the puck around the wall and Thomas Hickey stepped up to close off Tom Wilson. Wilson slid the puck to Eller, who came down two- on-one. Ryan Pulock laid out to take away the pass and a low shot, but Eller beat Halak from 25 feet over the goalie’s left shoulder. It was his second goal of the game. “They just scored some weird goals. At least one of them, I’d like to have back,” said Halak, who likely was referring to Alex Chiasson’s long-range slapper from the left faceoff circle at 16:30 of the second, which came 12 seconds after Anders Lee tied it at 2-2. “Hopefully I can help the guys down the stretch and win some games.” The Islanders’ 5-1-0 run entering Thursday had been led by the offense, which had produced 29 goals in those games. The once-moribund power play continued to roll, going 2-for-4 with goals from John Tavares (10th in the last six games) and Lee (two goals, one assist). That gave the Isles seven power-play goals in the last 14 opportunities. Down a goal entering the third, the Islanders ramped up their game, even through a sleepy Capitals power play. Alex Ovechkin had perhaps his quietest game ever against the Isles with two shots on goal and no impact on the night. Ditto Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. But Eller, Wilson and Chandler Stephenson did enough damage. Lee spun and snapped a shot past Holtby at 7:00 of the third to tie it and the Isles held a 10-0 shots-on-goal advantage to that point of the period. “The only thing to be disappointed in is the result,” said Josh Bailey, who had two more assists to give him nine in the last four games. “Obviously, that’s the most important thing, but it was a good 60 minutes and there’s a lot to take away from that one.” But not any points. Halak was starting his third straight game after strong outings against Nashville and Vegas, but he’s still giving up an average of three goals per start. “We had plenty of shots, plenty of opportunities to win the game,” Weight said. “We played a good team and I felt we deserved two points.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081328 New York Islanders

John Tavares reaches another milestone with Islanders: 600 games

By Arthur Staple Updated November 2, 2017 9:03 PM

WASHINGTON — John Tavares played his 600th game on Thursday night, becoming only the 14th player in Islanders history to hit that mark with the team. “They obviously come by every so often; it’s hard to believe it’s at that point,” Tavares said. “Just try to treat it like every other one, play some good hockey and keep going with some of the good results we’ve had. I don’t know how much I’m going to reflect on 600, but pretty cool to get to that point and I don’t take it for granted.” Tavares has been climbing the ranks on many Islander all-time lists this season. He’s leapfrogged Bobby Nystrom and Bob Bourne to sit seventh in goals (246 entering Thursday), passed Bourne for ninth in assists (306) and passed Bourne and John Tonelli for seventh in points (552). The focus, of course, is on whether Tavares will decide to re-sign with the Islanders for eight years and untold millions. That would give him a chance to sit with the holy triumvirate of Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier atop the Isles’ all-time leaders. Tavares’ focus right now is a little more short term. “Not a whole lot — everyone keeps telling me, so that’s how I find out,” he said when asked about taking stock of his milestones. “This organization has some great players who have played here. They accomplished a lot and had a lot of success and helped build what the Islanders are. That’s what’s special to me. You looked up to some of those guys as a kid; you learned what they accomplished in their careers and how they helped build the Islanders. I try not to worry about it too much, be productive, play the game, and when those things come along, just try to appreciate playing in the league and not taking anything for granted.” HICKEY BACK IN Doug Weight made only one change to his Monday lineup, putting Thomas Hickey back in after two games as a healthy scratch. He replaced Adam Pelech, who did not make the trip after blocking a shot in Monday’s 6-3 win over Vegas. Weight said Pelech is day-to-day. Scott Mayfield was the lone healthy extra along for the ride on Thursday. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081329 New York Rangers

J.T. Miller scores in overtime to give Rangers 2-1 win over Lightning

JUSTIN TASCH Updated: Friday, November 3, 2017, 2:24 AM

TAMPA — Finally, the Rangers have something to hang their hats on. After weeks of falling behind early and shoddy defensive play begetting pressure and even some self-doubt, they pulled out their most impressive performance and victory. It started with perhaps their best period of the season, ended with a sterling J.T. Miller overtime goal, and with their 2-1 win Thursday night over a Lightning team that had been the best in the NHL, the Rangers (5- 7-2) won consecutive games for the first time this season. “It’s definitely something that we can look to now,” Marc Staal said. “I think it was probably one of our most full games we played from the start of the game until the end. It’s definitely something we can fall back on when things aren’t going our way.” J.T. Miller (10) celebrates his overtime goal with Kevin Shattenkirk. Miller took a Kevin Shattenkirk pass from his own blue line, raced up the right side, cut across the slot and finished, ensuring the Rangers had the end result to match their best effort. All that got through Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves) was a shorthanded goal in the middle of the second that tied the game. He stopped all of Tampa Bay’s other 15 shots in the second and only faced four in the third while Andrei Vasilevskiy (33 saves) kept the Lightning (10-3-1) in the game. Chris Kreider celebrates his goal with teammate Brady Skjei. The Rangers — against whom longtime Blueshirt Dan Girardi played for the first time after being bought out in June — didn’t give up much in the first, especially against Tampa’s top guns, and Nikita Kucherov, and they took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after Chris Kreider’s fourth goal in six games. It was in stark contrast to many of the Rangers’ first periods this season. “I did not give up a goal in the first two minutes, which was nice,” Lundqvist said with a chuckle. “When that doesn’t happen obviously it’s a lot easier to stay confident and believe in yourself and do the right thing. I also felt like the guys were very structured in front of me.” A call went the Rangers’ way when the officials waved off Alex Killorn’s goal 3:01 into the third because of goalie interference on Gabriel Dumont. The Lightning’s challenge was unsuccessful. Predictably, the Rangers felt it was the right call while Tampa disagreed. “I think the only person in the building who didn’t think that was a goal was the ref,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. After that, the Rangers hunkered down and were able to generate looks off of strong defensive play. “We showed to ourselves — stick to the game plan, be smart and go for it when there’s an opportunity,” Lundqvist said. “Don’t force it, don’t take chances, we have to take care of our own end. We’re skilled enough. We’re going to create chances. We saw how many good chances we had tonight.” If not an exact blueprint, this win provides an example of how the Rangers can improve. “We deserved to win,” Alain Vigneault said. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081330 New York Rangers

Ex-Ranger Dan Girardi ‘reenergized’ with league-leading Lightning

JUSTIN TASCH Thursday, November 2, 2017, 3:25 PM

TAMPA — Dan Girardi was on a 10-minute walk in mid-June to pick up his son from school when he got the phone call, receiving the news that the Rangers — the only team he’d played for over his 11 NHL seasons after signing as an undrafted free agent — were buying out the remaining three years of his contract. “That was a tough one there,” Girardi says. “I didn’t even tell my wife yet until I got home. It was still processing a little bit.” Just like that, his plan to play out the rest of his career in New York evaporated. Suddenly there was a cloud of uncertainty. Unlike Derek Stepan, Girardi didn’t know what was next for him. He wasn’t angry, but he felt upset and disappointed. Then came the courting period before the official July 1 start to free agency, and among the several calls Girardi received was one from Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. “When a guy like that gives you a call personally, it’s kind of a no- brainer,” Girardi said. The 33-year-old defenseman says he’s “reenergized” now with the Lightning, which at 10-2-1 sat atop the NHL standings entering Thursday’s Rangers-Lightning matchup. He felt he could still be a quality NHL defenseman, and obviously so did Tampa Bay, which gave him a two-year, $6 million contract. He had three years remaining on his Rangers deal with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million. “We are the benefactor of a cap world in that regard,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Ultimately, teams can’t keep everybody. I think it’s kind of been a perfect marriage in the sense that we’ve had some struggles on the penalty kill. We needed that. To bring somebody — kind of a stabilizing force on the back end, he brings that. I think it’s his presence in our locker room, the winning he’s been doing in New York for all these years, and to be honest, he’s a hell of a guy. So he fit what we were looking for.” Former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan — who’s been with Tampa Bay since the Rangers traded him here in 2014 after seven-plus seasons in New York — had several conversations with his close friend Girardi, talking mostly about non-hockey factors like schooling and where to live. “It’s two polar-opposite lifestyles,” Callahan said, comparing Tampa to New York. Indeed, Girardi now has a six-minute drive to Amalie Arena instead of an hour-and-15-minute train ride into Manhattan. “So I can’t complain about that,” Girardi said. He wasn’t sure exactly how he’d feel playing against former teammates on Thursday. It’ll be stranger when he returns to the Garden — he knows the date by heart, March 30. But he’s embracing his new chance to chase a Stanley Cup here, his Rangers career now just memories. “That book is closed now,” Girardi said. After a rough night in which he played just 34 seconds in the third period, Brendan Smith was set to be a healthy scratch Thursday with Nick Holden tagging in. Ryan McDonagh, who missed Wednesday’s practice, was set to play. New York Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081331 New York Rangers

Dan Girardi is starting to enjoy life after the Rangers

By Brett Cyrgalis November 2, 2017 | 2:46PM

TAMPA — It was such a strange thing Dan Girardi had to comprehend that he couldn’t even tell his wife right away. It was about 2:45 in the afternoon and the longtime Rangers defenseman was walking to school to pick up his son. On the way, he got a phone call saying that the team was buying out the three remaining years of his six- year, $33 million contract. “Obviously pretty upset,” Girardi said. “Not like mad, upset. Upset, just disappointed.” But it wasn’t quite sinking in, so he kept walking. He got his son and still couldn’t call his wife for the 10-minute walk home, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened, and what might happen in the future. When he walked in the door, that’s when he was finally able to say something. “It was still processing a little bit,” Girardi said Thursday morning, now able to look back and smile a little about it. That’s because Girardi was proudly wearing the blue sweater of the Lightning, having signed a two-year, $6 million deal to play with his old Rangers buddies Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman, set to play host to the current Rangers on Thursday night at Amalie Arena. The days between the buyout, announced on June 14, and the talking period starting a week before free agency opened on July 1, that was the toughest part. But eventually Girardi got a call directly from Tampa general manager Steve Yzerman, explaining the direction of this young and exciting team and where he might fit. “When a guy like that gives you a call, personally, it’s kind of a no- brainer,” Girardi said. “I have a couple friends on the team and that helped the transition as well. It was a no-brainer for me — it’s a great place to play, a great place to live, a great city. I’m having such a great time.” It helps that the first-place Lightning have started the year 10-2-1, scoring a league-best 4.08 goals per game with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov as Nos. 1 and 2 in the league in points. So the 33-year-old Girardi has been doing what he does best — blocking shots and playing sound defensively. “We’re the benefactor of a cap world,” coach Jon Cooper said. “To bring in somebody, kind of a stabilizing force on the back end, he brings that. I think his presence in our locker room — the winning he’s been doing in New York for all these years, and to be honest, he’s a hell of a guy — so he fit what we were looking for. He’s been good for us.” Girardi and Callahan remained close even after Callahan was traded to Tampa just before the 2014 deadline. But when it started to be known that the Lightning were interested, Callahan spoke to Girardi every other day. “It wasn’t that much about hockey. It was about his family, where they would live, the community, schooling,” Callahan said. “People forget about that, but it’s such an important thing. It’s not a hard place to sell, that’s for sure.” The fact that there is no income tax in Florida certainly didn’t hurt, either. But just getting a contract offer from a team like this was just about as good as it could have worked out for Girardi. And despite having his own struggles while with the Rangers, he sure does seems missed as the Blueshirts are 4-7-2 while struggling to find any consistency on their back end. But the Rangers are now a thing in the past for Girardi, and that fact has finally sunk in and he has moved on. “Obviously I wanted to play out my career in New York, but that wasn’t an option,” Girardi said. “It is what it is now. I couldn’t be happier to be in Tampa right now. The team is playing great and having fun. Just having a great time here.” New York Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081332 New York Rangers

Rangers’ benched defenseman: ‘I’ve been playing pretty well’

By Brett Cyrgalis November 3, 2017 | 3:21am | Updated

TAMPA, Fla. — Brendan Smith does not lack confidence. As the Rangers made the rugged defenseman a healthy scratch for the third time this season with Thursday night’s 2-1 overtime win against the Lightning at Amalie Arena, he hardly thought his game was mired in any type of funk. “I like where my game’s at,” Smith said Thursday morning, having gotten just two shifts in the third period of their previous game, a 6-4 comeback win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday at the Garden. “I think I’ve been playing pretty well. I wasn’t totally happy with my last game, but there is always room for improvement.” As Smith sat against Vegas, the Rangers scored four third-period goals to erase a 4-2 deficit. A similar situation happened when Smith sat for large parts of the team’s comeback from a 5-1 deficit against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Oct. 7, eventually ending in a 8-5 loss and him being in street clothes for the following two games. Coach Alain Vigneault said Smith “is a hard worker, he’s a real good person,” adding that he had “a couple decisions in front of our net and a couple decisions with the puck” against the Golden Knights that were “a bit more challenging.” Smith saw those moments as outliers, not indicative of the way he has been playing overall. “I felt like I’ve had a lot of really good games and a couple periods have got away from me,” Smith said. “I just have to make sure that I have a lot of consistency to make sure that I stay in the lineup.” Ryan Callahan and Rangers defenseman Steven Kampfer (47) fight.AP Captain Ryan McDonagh briefly skated with the extras — Smith, Paul Carey and backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec — after not practicing with the team Wednesday under the guise of “maintenance.” Vigneault declaratively said an injury has not been the reason for McDonagh’s substandard play, but he was hardly 100 percent healthy. “He’s got some maintenance issues,” Vigneault said. “That’s why he didn’t practice [Wednesday]. But like any hockey player, never 100 percent. But he’s fairly close.” Smith was replaced by Nick Holden, who had been scratched for Tuesday’s game and three of the past seven. Holden played most of his 20:11 alongside McDonagh, while Brady Skjei went with Kevin Shattenkirk and Marc Staal with Steven Kampfer, who got into two fights. One of Kampfer’s fights was with J.T. Brown at 3:01 of the third period, apparently stemming from Alex Killorn going after someone on the Rangers’ bench for an unclear reason. “Boys will be boys,” Vigneault said. New York Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081333 New York Rangers

Rangers show life in hard-earned win over another top team

By Brett Cyrgalis November 2, 2017 | 10:48PM

TAMPA, Fla. — At least now the Rangers have a template, something they can point to when speaking about knowing they can play the right way and compete against the best teams in the league. Because what they did Thursday night at Amalie Arena was beat arguably best team in the league, a 2-1 victory over the Lightning coming on an overtime goal from J.T. Miller. It brought the Rangers their first road win of the season and the first consecutive victories for a team now 5-7-2 and clawing its way back into standings relevance. “We knew how to play all along,” Miller said, his patient play through the goalmouth during the three-on-three extra period getting superb Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy down on the ice so he could score the winner high into the net. “I think we were doing a lot of good things even when it wasn’t going well. We put it together for a good little stretch here, and it feels good — especially the first away win of the year. We’re going to enjoy it.” More than anything, the Rangers were defensively stout, clogging the neutral zone so the dynamic Lightning (10-2-2) couldn’t come flying up the ice. And not only did they keep the top two scorers in the league in Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov off the score sheet, and limit the highest-scoring team in the league (4.08 goals per game) to just one goal, they did it with simple and effective plays and decisions. Nothing fancy, and they kept the best under wraps. “If you give them speed through the neutral zone, you’re going to get killed,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “We were paying attention to that part of the game, our play away from the puck the last couple days. It paid off.” So, coupled with the 6-4 victory over the Golden Knights on Tuesday at the Garden, the Blueshirts have a little streak going. For all their talk about the good things they were doing during the historically bad 1-5-2 start, their efforts are finally turning into results. Maybe they were focused because of the quality of their opponent, including old pals Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman in the opposing locker room. But either way, the Rangers came out focused and stayed that way. “Did not give up a goal in the first two minutes, which was nice,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who instead of going down early was staked to a 1-0 lead when Chris Kreider scored at 18:34 of the first period. “When that doesn’t happen, obviously it’s a lot easier to stay confident and believe in yourself and do the right thing. And I also felt the guys were very structured in front of me.” The Lightning came back when Yanni Gourde scored a shorthanded goal at 11:00 of the second period, finishing after a terrific pass from Hedman. And they thought they had the go-ahead goal 3:01 into the third period, when a long Alex Killorn shot got through traffic and beat Lundqvist, but was called no-goal because of goalie interference on Gabriel Dumont. It was upheld after Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper challenged. “The only person in the building that thought it wasn’t a goal was the official,” Cooper said, apparently having not heard everyone from Rangers coach Alain Vigneault to Lundqvist say it was hands-down the right call. It could have gone south from there, but the Rangers stayed the course. They couldn’t beat Vasilevskiy with numerous chances as the third period wound down, but they got to overtime and ultimately got the result they deserved. Now as the head to Sunrise, Fla., to take on the Panthers Saturday, they finally have something to hang their hats on. “It’s definitely something that we can look to,” Staal said. “It’s definitely something we can fall back to when things aren’t going our way. We have to look to continue to keep that effort all game long.” New York Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081334 New York Rangers

Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith a healthy scratch vs. Lightning

By Steve Zipay Updated November 2, 2017 6:08 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — Brendan Smith will be a healthy scratch for the third time this season tonight. Smith skated this morning with spare forward Paul Carey and backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec at Amalie Arena, which generally signals that a player will sit. At 5:30 p.m., coach Alain Vigneault confirmed that Nick Holden would step in for Smith. “Last game, Smitty had a couple moments that were challenging, “ he said. “Couple decisions in front of our net, couple decisions with the puck. He’s a hard worker, will be ready next time we need him.” “I was not totally happy with my last game,” said Smith, who agreed to a four-year, $17.4-million contract during the summer but also was benched for the third and fourth games of the season. “I felt like I’ve had a lot of really good games, and a couple periods have got away from me . . . and I think I’ve got to make sure I have a lot of consistency to make sure I stay in the lineup. I’m continuing to work on that today, and try to get ready for Florida [Saturday’s game against the Panthers].” Smith has two assists in 11 games and played just 12:06, including a sloppy first period, against Vegas on Tuesday. Ryan McDonagh, who did not practice on Wednesday, skated and will play with different partners. “We’re gonna mix and match with Mac due to Tampa’s firepower,” said Vigneault, who added the team captain is “fairly close to 100 percent.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081335 New York Rangers

Brendan Smith appears to be a healthy scratch for the Rangers

By Steve Zipay November 2, 2017 2:59 PM

TAMPA, Florida — It appears that Brendan Smith will be a healthy scratch for the third time this season Thursday night. Smith skated Thursday morning with spare forward Paul Carey and backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec at Amalie Arena, which generally signals that a player will sit. Ryan McDonagh, who did not practice on Wednesday, skated and seemed fine. He left the rink early and said he would be ready to play against the Lightning. So if McDonagh dresses, Smith seems the odd man out. Coach Alain Vigneault will have his pre-game briefing at 5:30 p.m. “I was not totally happy with my last game,” said Smith, 28, who agreed to a four-year, $17.4 million contract during the summer, but also was benched for the third and fourth games of the season. “I felt like I’ve had a lot of really good games, and a couple periods have got away from me . . . and I think I’ve got to make sure I have a lot of consistency to make sure I stay in the lineup. I’m continuing to work on that [Thursday] and try to get ready for Florida [Saturday’s game against the Panthers] if I don’t play [Thursday night].” Smith has two assists in 11 games and played just 12:06, including a sloppy first period, against Vegas on Tuesday. If he is not in the lineup, both Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer will be, because the Rangers are carrying just seven defensemen. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081336 New York Rangers

Dan Girardi says he was 'disappointed' the Rangers let him go

By Steve Zipay Updated November 2, 2017 6:34 PM

TAMPA, Florida — Dan Girardi was walking through his Westchester County neighborhood last summer to pick up his son from school when the game-changing call from general manager Jeff Gorton came informing him that his time with the Rangers was over. The defenseman, who had played 11 seasons for the Rangers, was told he was going to be bought out of the final three seasons of his contract. “I was pretty upset, not like mad upset, just disappointed,” Girardi, 33, recalled on Thursday before facing his former team for the first time at Amalie Arena. “I didn’t even call my wife right away, I was still processing it. It was tough for the first couple weeks, not knowing what was next. I know I can still play.” Several inquiries eventually came in, he said, “and it was very reassuring that there was still interest. I had options.” Girardi, who is ninth on the list of all-time games played for the Rangers, listened especially closely when Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman reached out with an offer of a two-year contract and described what he thought the veteran could bring to the table. “I said, ‘That’s kind of what I do every day,’ ” Girardi said. “It seemed like a great fit . . . I’m just really, really re-energized, just love my time here.” While the 10-3-1 Lightning are flying, the Rangers are limping, with a 4-7- 2 record. “I try to keep tabs, but I don’t really worry about what’s happening up there,” Girardi said. “I’ve just gotta go out and play a regular game [Thursday night], I’ve got to worry about myself. I had a great time in New York, but that book is closed now.” Girardi and his family are close to Ryan Callahan’s family, and the former teammates in New York had discussed a potential move south. Callahan also plays with the Lightning. “We talk all the time,” Callahan said Thursday, “and once I found out there was a chance, we talked every other day. To be honest, not much about hockey, but the community, schooling . . . two polar-opposite lifestyles.” Unlike the sudden uprooting that an in-season trade brings, Girardi described “an easy transition. We got here in August, bought a house [actually from Yzerman], got the kids in school and I practiced for a month and a half. We had a lot of time to adjust, and I’m really enjoying my six-minute drive to the rink, as opposed to an hour and 15 minutes on the train.” To be sure, Girardi also liked the look of the Lightning. “They didn’t make the playoffs, so they were going to be hungry, ” he said, “and they were getting Cally and Stammer [Steven Stamkos] back” from surgeries. It was an easy choice.” On the ice, Girardi has developed a relationship with coach Jon Cooper. “He just wants me to come in and be myself, play good defensively, block shots,” Girardi said. “If I can contribute offensively, great, but we’ve got enough talent in this room to score.” In 13 games, Girardi has just one assist but leads the club in blocks (27), is averaging 13:37 on ice per game, including 2:50 shorthanded, and is a plus-4. According to Cooper, the Lightning “are the benefactor of a cap world” in Girardi’s case. “Ultimately, teams can’t keep everybody. It’s been a perfect marriage, in the sense that we had some struggles on the penalty kill, he’s helped that. To bring a stabilizing force on the back end, he’s done that. And he’s a hell of a guy.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081337 New York Rangers

J.T. Miller’s overtime goal lifts Rangers over Lightning

By Steve Zipay Updated November 2, 2017 11:59 PM

TAMPA, Fla. — In their most complete defensive effort of the season, the Rangers went toe-to-toe with the highest-scoring team in the NHL on Thursday night and J.T. Miller scored at 1:19 of overtime to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. Miller went around Anton Stralman and beat goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had made 33 saves through regulation. “They should have had six,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We were way too loose.” The Rangers held the league’s two leading scorers, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, without a point. “We were more aggressive on the forecheck and we were working together, all five,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “They’re so dangerous, our forward group had to be sharp. You can’t give that team speed through the neutral zone or you’ll get killed. After our win against Vegas, we felt it was a step in the right direction and wanted to back it up.” It was the first of a two-game road trip in Florida and the Rangers’ first victory away from Madison Square Garden in four tries. With the back-to- back wins, they raised their record to 5-7-2. The Lightning fell to 10-2-2. “I had to be on top of my game,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves. “We didn’t give up a goal in the first two minutes, which was good. Guys were more structured in front of me. They didn’t get second opportunities.” The Lightning appeared to score at 3:01 of the third period to take a 2-1 lead, but the goal was waved off because Gabriel Dumont was in the crease after being nudged by Rangers defenseman Steven Kampfer. Cooper challenged the call, insisting after the game that it was incorrect, but a video review supported the on-ice decision. “It was the right call,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. The Rangers had a goal disallowed in the second period. Michael Grabner’s shot went in past Jesper Fast’s screen at 2:38, but the play had been whistled dead because a high stick knocked a clearing pass down. The Rangers were engaged from the start. They clogged the neutral zone, breaking up pass attempts and effectively blunting the Lightning’s forecheck. Late in the first, as Mats Zuccarello darted in front to free a puck from Vasilevskiy’s grasp, he was bear-hugged and tossed by the much bigger Victor Hedman, and started to scrap. Both went off with minor penalties. With the teams playing four-on-four, Lundqvist made two saves, on Kucherov’s tip and Braydon Coburn’s snap shot, and the Rangers broke down the ice. Brady Skjei found Mika Zibanejad cutting near the right circle and launched the puck in front. Chris Kreider crashed the net and banged the puck under Vasilevskiy’s armpit at 18:34. It was Kreider’s third goal in the last four games and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. The pushback continued. Kampfer dropped the gloves with former Ranger Ryan Callahan in the second period (he also fought J.T. Brown early in the third). But when Vladislav Namestnikov went off at 10:01 of the second period after cross-checking Zibanejad in the head, Yanni Gourde started a give-and-go with Hedman and scored shorthanded on a two-on-one at the 11-minute mark. Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.03.2017

1081338 Ottawa Senators The Red Wings, meanwhile, arrived in Ottawa on a two-game winning streak, putting behind them a winless skid of six games during which they registered a single point. Senators revert to successful style in beating Red Wings Howard, enjoying a rebirth as the Red Wings No. 1 goaltender, was looking to follow up on his previous appearance at the Canadian Tire Centre. KEN WARREN Published on: November 2, 2017 Back on Oct. 7, Howard won a brilliant goaltender’s duel with Anderson, stopping 29 of 30 shots in regulation and overtime before claiming a 2-1 shootout victory. He entered Thursday’s game with a 5-4-0 record, 2.57 The Ottawa Senators returned to tight-checking defensive form against goals against average and .927 save percentage. the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, delivering an impressive response after Monday’s mess against the Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 The Senators looked an awful lot like the team that went into deep into the playoffs last spring in the 3-1 victory over the Red Wings, in stark contrast to the disorganized, unstructured group that was embarrassed 8-3 by Montreal. Mark Stone, Alex Burrows, and Nate Thompson, into an empty net, scored for the Senators. Stone also set up Burrows’ goal, giving him eight goals and six assists in 13 games. Senators captain Erik Karlsson registered a pair of assists. “We played a solid game,” said Karlsson. “We just have to move forward. I didn’t really treat this game any differently than any other game. But we definitely had to bear down a little bit.” Anthony Mantha, on a power play, scored for the Red Wings with 3:23 left to make for another dicey finish. Until the Mantha goal, Senators goaltender Craig Anderson looked like he was well on his way to his second shutout of the season and 40th of his career. It was a night full of redemption for the Senators, both as a team and for countless players who sported ugly numbers earlier this week. Anderson says Karlsson, who was on the ice for seven goals against the Canadiens, was a standout against the Red Wings. “He’s a pro,” said Anderson. “He came to work the next day and made sure he got himself ready and he was our best player out there. “He was blocking shots, he was skating, he was doing everything we ask him to do. We all look up to him. When he’s going, we’re all going and that’s a big responsibility, but he’s the type of player we all look up to.” Burrows’ second-period power-play goal allowed the Senators to carry a 2-0 lead into the third period. As comfortable as that advantage might seem, the Senators’ early- season play at the Canadian Tire Centre has been marked by a series of blown third-period leads, helping to explain the fact they entered the game with a 2-2-4 mark on home ice. As a result, the final 20 minutes represented nail-biting time for the crowd on Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night. The Mantha goal, a nifty deflection of a shot that changed directions a few times, created a sense of deja vu, given the previous late-game collapses by the Senators. Nothing ever even comes easy. The Red Wings were pushing hard for the tying goal until Thompson finally iced the game with 9.5 seconds remaining. Following a dominating second period — during one 9:45 stretch, the Senators outshot the Red Wings 13-0 — Ottawa was fully deserving of the 2-0 lead. The Senators pressured the Red Wings defence over and over again, leading to Trevor Daley’s holding penalty. Burrows then finished off a pretty passing play that also involved Stone and Dion Phaneuf. Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard had little chance on the play. He also couldn’t be blamed for Stone’s game-opening goal with 55 seconds remaining in the first period, the 200th point of Stone’s career. It was an impressive answer for the Senators after the disaster against Montreal. “We stopped talking about the home stuff,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “That will be for (the media), not for us. Wherever we are, we have to play solid and we did that. “I talked about our trust in our goaltender, our trust in our leadership and that’s exactly what we got.” 1081339 Ottawa Senators Cup-winning game, the way Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa did to his right after clinching the World Series. “I would probably separate the two events, because you want to enjoy that one and then you calm Brennan: Smith still looking to end a long goal-scoring slump down, and then you can have another exhilarating night,” said Mike Condon. “Which is bigger, winning the World Series or the marriage proposal? I think they’re going to get blended together under the same emotion. You probably could have had two great emotions if you spread DON BRENNAN it out, but hey, that’s his prerogative. I know nothing about that. I’ve never proposed.”

BACK TO THE POINT Zack Smith readily admits he’s pressing. Burrows insists there’s no need to be concerned about the Senators “I think if anything, I’m just gripping the stick a little too tight,” the home record, which was 2-2-4 before Thursday. “We used to say back in Senators multi-purpose winger said in the hours leading up to Thursday’s Van(cover), when we were playing well, there’s not a home way to play game. “You know (the chances) are there, and it’s going to come. I just or a road way to play,there’s only a right way to play,” he said. “It doesn’t need one to go in off my ass, or my shin pad, or my elbow or something. really matter what building you’re in, you’ve got to play the right way.” “It’s usually a dirty or greasy goal to get you rolling.” Maybe so, but the Senators have been playing the right-er way when on the road … Ryan Dzingel’s face has drawn at least three penalties this Smith remained the only Senators forward without still looking for his first season. On Thursday, he offset one of them by holding onto Kronwall’s after the cleansing, 3-1 victory over the Red Wings. His drought has stick as it hit him in the chops. lasted 10 games this season, 23 dating back to 2016-17. BUTT ENDS It looked like it might have come to an end in the third minute, when Smith set up shop within breath-smelling distance of Red Wings goalie All that blueline depth the Senators have is being tested in Belleville, too. Jimmy Howard and the Cody Ceci wrister from the point appeared to go With Thomas Chabot already sidelined by a groin problem, both Christian off his “something” before entering the net. Jaros and Max Lajoie suffered “upper body” injuries in the B-Sens home opener on Wednesday. “I don’t think they’re gigantic injuries, but might But no replay shows it neither hit Smith or would be allowed to count, as be taking them out of some of those games that are coming, I guess,” he actually got too close and called for goalie interference. Boucher said. Both will miss Friday’s game, at least. Defenceman Jordan Murray was recalled from the ECHL’s Brampton Beast to help fill the In Monday’s loss to the Habs, Smith tried his best to snap the slump. He void. had a career-high eight shots on goal, along with two partial breakaways on which he didn’t pull the trigger, but did draw a penalty. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 In the third period against the Red Wings, Smith went coast-to-coast before closing in on Howard, at which point he was stopped while either trying to make a backhand pass in front. One way or another, it’s going to happen soon for him. The call right here, right now: An empty-netter, set up by Erik Karlsson, much like Nate Thompson’s goal that sealed off the Red Wings come back plans. STARTS AND STOPS Fredrick Claesson and Red Wings defenseman Nik Kronwall have been good pals for the past five or six years. “I work out with him every day back home in Sweden,” the Senators defenceman said Thursday morning. “We have a lot of fun back home. He’s a great guy. It’s fun to see him out there. Hopefully, I can lay a little hit on him.” It’s the least he could do for a friend … The Senators didn’t immediately clean up their D- zone act as Luke Glendening was given a clear path to the net on a second-minute break … Mike Hoffman never did have control of the hopping puck after being sent in on a breakaway by a nice Chris Wideman pass in the 17th minute … Mark Stone looked like he was going to tattoo Anthony Mantha with his stick after scoring in the first period. Mantha was already feeling back enough after wasting a point- blank chance with 6 1/2 minutes left in the period by firing it right into Anderson. THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM … Two years ago, he was Disney’s Ursula the Sea Witch, last year it was the ballerina from Black Swan, and for the team Halloween party held at Bobby Ryan’s place earlier this week, Erik Karlsson dressed up as Princess Leia. His wife, Melinda, was “probably the best-looking Darth Vader, ever,” Guy Boucher guessed, laughing. Karlsson said they were scrambling for costume ideas this year and didn’t put as much work into it as in the past, but added that he thought the Star Wars theme turned out okay. “For some reason, I end up being a woman every Halloween,” he said. “I don’t know why. I can just say that it’s not by my choice.” … And somewhere, Alexandre Daigle is wondering why he took so much grief after dressing up as a nurse … Guy Boucher’s eyes can speak. His stare following the disallowed goal said a lot, although not as much as his bulging peepers did during a tirade directed at the officials later in the period. Of course, he used some well-chosen words to get his point across on the latter, as well … Also disputing the goalie interference call was an e-mailer from Saint John. “It didn’t look like it from New Brunswick,” he wrote, cleaning up his original expression. BETWEEN PERIODS First penalty of the game was a holding call on Trevor Daley at the 9:39 mark of the second. The Senators had control of the puck inside the Detroit zone for most of the three or four minutes before that. Alex Burrows goal came with 14 seconds left on the infraction … Chris DiDomenico has a 3-handicap, and he only started playing golf five or six years ago. Doesn’t that kind of guy make you sick? … Don’t expect to see any of the Senators propose to their girlfriends right after a Stanley 1081340 Ottawa Senators To be precise, there were were 22 scouts representing 20 teams — an usually high number, especially when there were 11 other games on the NHL schedule. GARRIOCH: Senators breathe sigh of relief as Turris returns to lineup The Senators have made no secret of the fact they’d like to add a forward, but the Wings have also struggled out of the gate with a 6-6-1 record coming into this game. GM Ken Holland has been active working BRUCE GARRIOCH the phones. There’s no question teams are doing a lot of talking right now and GMs usually like to make changes at the 20-game mark. The Ottawa Senators got a glimpse of life without centre Kyle Turris. At this point, there haven’t been a whole lot of deals but both of these The Senators finished with a 1-1-1 record in the three games Turris teams have been active trying to make a deal. missed because of a viral infection that forced him to the sidelines until making his return Thursday night. Yet, the club wasn’t thrilled with what Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 they witnessed. As coach Guy Boucher noted before facing the Red Wings on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre, if you lose any top centre for any length of time they’re not easy to replace — and Turris plays a particularly big role. “If you take one of your top two centres out in the NHL, it’s a gigantic hole, period,” Boucher said. “Turris, specifically with him, it’s speed. We’re not a fast team, we play fast. We compensate for the fact some teams are faster than us, like Detroit, Montreal, Toronto and (New) Jersey. “We know the Rangers were faster than us in the playoffs, so we play a way where we compensate with the puck by playing very fast. We transition extremely fast, break out fast and so on. We have a team defence that tries not to let the other team pick up speed. When we don’t play that way, we let the opponent have their way and that’s what happened against Montreal.” One of Turris’ best attributes is his ability to skate and think fast and, according to Boucher, that can cause “fear” for the club’s opponents. Turris skated with speedy Ryan Dzingel and rugged Zack Smith on his wings. “When you have more speed in your lineup, like Turris, you keep the opponent on their heels rather than them keep you on their heels,” Boucher added. “You have more tools and more firepower, not necessarily to score, but to keep that momentum and that speed to put the opponent on their heels. “(Turris) is a guy who could be gone at any moment (with his speed). If you look at him and (Dzingel) as a pair they work together really well. It’s tough to play against that because you know the minute you don’t stop them they’re gone — whether it’s a breakaway, 2-on-1. That’s huge.” With Turris set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has made it clear he wants to keep the 28-year-old in the fold. The club is continuing discussions with Turris’ Denver-based agent, Kurt Overhardt, to try to get a deal in place. Nobody is sure if Overhardt has backed off on his demand for a seven- year deal, but the two sides do have some common ground because the Senators want to Turris to stay and all indications are that he wants to be here. If they can get over the hurdle on term, then that will likely lead to an agreement. Dorion is tight-lipped about these discussions, but if you look at his history he’s usually been able to get players signed. The Senators didn’t need to lose Turris for three games to confirm what he means to the them, but absence does make the heart grow fonder. It’s not easy to find a No. 1 centre. Turris’ teammates were happy to have him back. “It’s big minutes,” Smith said. “When you have a guy play that role, and take as many faceoffs as he does and the role he plays on the power play, it’s tough to fill that role. We’re definitely excited to have him back. “For me, personally, I’m excited because we had some good chemistry before I got hurt and then he got hurt. He’s a big part of our offence. There’s so many games when he makes things tick offensively.” A key for the Senators is to have balance throughout their forward lines. You can ask guys like Nate Thompson to play up the lineup but that’s not the role they’re accustomed to getting. When Bobby Ryan is back from his broken finger later this month, the Senators will have a full complement of forwards. TRADE TALK BREWING? There was no shortage of scouts at Thursday’s Senators-Wings tilt. 1081341 Ottawa Senators

Recall of DiDomenico already better than any the Senators made last season

DON BRENNAN

The 61-second shootout question on TSN1200 Thursday morning was a rather tricky one. The three current Senators on a point-per-game pace? Erik Karlsson. Of course. Mark Stone. Easy. Chris DiDomenico? Oh, yeah. A tougher task would be trying to name the last time a Senators AHL call- up made a bigger immediate impact than DiDomenico, who entered Thursday with two goals and three assists in his first five games. There might not be one. Last season, the Senators summoned seven forwards from Binghamton. They combined to play 30 games — and register zero points. That’s right, zilch. If he keeps playing the way he is, DiDomenico might not be going back to the farm team, even when the Senators have everybody back. “I’m just trying to do the little things,” the 28-year old winger said Thursday morning. “The more confidence I feel, the better I play … I guess that’s with anyone. I’ve just got to keep working hard. I can’t take a step back just because what I’ve got right now. Nothing is set in stone. I’ve just got to keep proving myself every day.” DiDomenico’s production has come in very limited ice time — he was averaging 11:27 per night, second-lowest on the team, before Thursday’s game — although it has picked up some since coach Guy Boucher has been playing with his old junior teammate, Mike Hoffman. What increases DiDomenico’s value is his ability to provide the Senators with the nasty edge he developed while playing lacrosse as a kid. The “weasel factor,” as play-by-play man Dean Brown calls it, can not be underestimated in this day and age of power-play importance. If DiDomenico proves he can keep up with the pace in the NHL, GM Pierre Dorion might not need to make trading for a forward a priority. “I think I can,” DiDomenico said when asked if he can be that guy. “I think if I just keep playing well and doing the little things right. The coach trusts me. He keeps putting me out in key situations. You’re not going to have your best day every day, but as long as you bring your heart and competitiveness, and leave everything on the ice, that’s all you can ask for.” Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081342 Ottawa Senators

Senators, including Karlsson, battling through sickness

KEN WARREN

Erik Karlsson certainly didn’t look like himself Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. On Thursday, he didn’t sound like himself, either. “Ottawa flu,” Karlsson said, when asked to explain the hoarse, gravelly tone of his voice. “This time of the year. We’ve been very fortunate, though. Usually, it comes earlier in the season, so you just have to deal with it. We’ve had a couple of guys sick, as you know, but it’s no different than any other team. You just have to deal with it.” Kyle Turris returned Thursday against Detroit after missing three games with a virus. Mark Borowiecki missed his second consecutive game Thursday with a virus that coach Guy Boucher says is unrelated to what had sidelined Turris. If there are others dealing with illness, it could perhaps explain why the Senators looked so lost against Montreal. “We didn’t want to use that excuse for the last week-and-a-half on guys that were sick, but there were a lot of guys that you know (were sick) and a lot of guys that you didn’t know about,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “Guys that were under the weather. Unless they weren’t playing, we tried to keep it that way, but you can hear the voices. Some of the guys are missing and some of the guys … they could be missing. We’ve been hit by a tough one and (will) try to battle through it.” Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081343 Ottawa Senators

On the anniversary, Condon recalls trade that saved his career — and Sens' season

DON BRENNAN

Exactly one year ago, Mike Condon was “confused” upon learning he had been traded. The news was broken to him “all cryptic” like by his GM at the time — Pittsburgh’s Jim Rutherford — mere hours before the Penguins played in Anaheim. “He was like, ‘good news, bad news’,” Condon recalled Thursday morning. “‘Good news is you’re playing tomorrow night. Bad news is it’s not for us.’ “I was like, OK …? “He said, ‘it’s against Vancouver’. “I’m like, alright. In Vancouver? “He’s like, ‘no.’ “So who am I playing for? “He said ‘Ottawa.’ “I’m like, ‘tomorrow night? It’s 1 o’clock. We better get going here.’ “That was a very confusing day. Tough 48 hours. But we got through it. The hockey Gods come through.” For both Condon and the Senators. Had Rutherford not done the deal (for a fifth-round pick), Condon would have been headed to the minors. And, as it turns out, the Senators would almost certainly have not made the playoffs. Condon wound up playing in 40 games — including a string of 27 consecutive starts — to keep the Senators afloat in the race while Craig Anderson spent large chunks of time away from the team, tending to family matters. That first start, Nov. 3 at Canadian Tire Centre, was a 27-save shutout fuelled by adrenaline. “Yeah, it was (on) three hours sleep, with a morning skate, in a different time zone,” Condon said. “It was going out there and just cracking your knuckles and doing it. Don’t think, just go out and play.” The 1-0 victory over the Canucks ranks near the top of his 100 NHL games played. “There’s a lot of pivot moments, there’s a lot of big games,” Condon said. “First game, first game with a new team … first games of the season are always big, just getting off on the right foot. “That one, it was kind of like my first game all over again, with a new different team. You earn a reputation with a team for three or four years with the Habs, then you’ve got to go and re-earn it.” It’s a reputation Condon owns proudly. “I work very hard to make sure everyone knows I’m doing my part in the weight room, going down on the ice on every shot and fighting (for the save),” he said. “I take a lot of pride in doing that. It takes a lot of energy. When you come into a new situation, it’s just like a clean slate. You feel like a new goalie again. Everything’s completely different. “That was just a new start, new chapter.” Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081344 Ottawa Senators

Former 67 Campbell made the right decision and stuck with hockey

DON CAMPBELL

Ask Brian Campbell what his new job is with the Chicago Blackhawks and he may have to ask you to wait a second while he pulls out his wallet and check his business card. “I’m doing a little work in business and hockey,” said Campbell as his voice trails off. “My title is …” Officially, it’s “hockey/business liason” in the Blackhawks’ department of marketing, fan development and community relations. It covers a lot of things, just as Campbell could in any uniform, be it with the Ottawa 67’s or any of the four NHL teams he played for. Campbell can handle most anything, but he knew it was time to call it a day on his NHL playing career. A sixth-round pick, he had amassed 504 points (87 goals) in 1,082 games when he retired in the summer. “I felt mentally I was getting checked out a little,” he said. “The grind was getting to me and it was more a mental going. “So (the job offer) was attractive. It would have been tough to move again. And it was nice knowing what I would be doing for the next 10 years. “I don’t go (to the office) every day. But I go to all the games.” Campbell has plans to get more involved in a very active Blackhawks alumni and learn all he can about being a hockey executive. His former junior coach, Brian Kilrea, is happy he’s found a new occupation. Kilrea likes to joke about how a young Campbell in his mid-20s thought about a career outside hockey. Campbell’s career hadn’t taken off yet when the 2004-05 NHL lockout occurred, and Campbell headed to Europe to play for Jokerit Helsinki. “Brian was thinking of going into business with his pals where they would buy old homes, renovate them, then re-sell them,” said Kilrea, trying to contain his laughter. “Can you imagine that? “All I can say is if he had done that, you think he would have got the big contract with Chicago?” Campbell came back from Sweden, stuck with hockey and saw his points totals steadily climb before he signed an eight-year, $57-million deal with the Hawks in 2008. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081345 Ottawa Senators

Senators aim to rebound against Detroit

KEN WARREN

Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher was adamant late Thursday morning. The disaster that was the 8-3 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday won’t be repeated when the Senators play host to the Detroit Red Wings Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. “If you stay stuck on these games, then you’re asking for more of these games and I’m not doing that,” Boucher said following the club’s morning skate. “This is a new day, a day where our guys have been great rebounding and that’s exactly what I’m expecting today. Whether it’s the goalie (Craig Anderson), the captain (Erik Karlsson), (Mark) Stone and all these guys that are leading our group, I trust them. I trust that today we’re going to show up and have a good one.” Anderson allowed six goals on 15 shots against Montreal and Karlsson registered a career worst plus/minus of minus 6, on the ice for the first seven Canadiens goals. “It was a great golf round,” Karlsson quipped. “It’s something that unfortunately happened. It was just one of those games that you have to move on from. I know what I’m capable of. I know what type of player I am. Whether it’s minus seven or plus seven, it’s not going to effect me too much.” The Senators will be bolstered by the return of centre Kyle Turris, who has missed the previous three games with a nasty virus. Defenceman Mark Borowiecki will be out for the second straight game with a virus. Judging by Karlsson’s gravelly voice Thursday morning, he’s also dealing with something. “Ottawa flu,” said Karlsson. “We’ve been very fortunate, though. Usually it comes a little earlier in the season, so you just have to deal with it now. We’ve had a couple of guys sick here, but it’s no different from any other team.” Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081346 Ottawa Senators Brassard is at 18.8 percent. Any drop would be somewhat mitigated by Hoffman scoring on more if his attempts.

Goals against: Worse Where, how and why the Ottawa Senators are better or worse this season The last game really hurt the Senators here, but even taking the eight scored against them into account, they're still a ways away from the league basement at 37 goals against (22nd). Last season at this time, James Gordon they'd given up 31, good for eighth overall. Part of the problem has been an uncharacteristically slow start for Craig Anderson, who's sporting an .895 save percentage. One would expect him to move closer to his career norms at some point, while Mike Condon has been good in the Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher has been fond of saying in the backup role so far. early going that his team is much further ahead than it was at this time last season. Power play: Better Certainly, you'd expect it to feel like that to him. At the start of last I've long said that if I were a hockey player, 90 percent of my answers in season, Boucher was a first-year Ottawa coach trying to establish himself interviews would be “variance.” That's effectively what Brassard told me and his philosophies with his players and implement the strategies that is behind the team's vastly improved power play this season. would become lovingly known as The System here. “There's nothing different,” he said with a shrug. “We're changing units — But are the Senators actually better this season than they were after the DiDominico jumped in when Bobby got hurt, Turry wasn't there. It's first dozen games a year ago? And if so, how? always different. But we have a plan, they prepare us every game, we know what to do, we know every role that we have when we go out there, With the first month of the season in the books, I thought it would be and we're just executing. I'm not sure if we're top-10 in the league, but, in useful to take a look at how this edition of the Ottawa Senators compares every category, we're always trying to be one of the top-10 teams in the with the 2016-17 version in a bunch of different facets of the game. I've league.” organized the stats in such a way that the ones I believe are affecting each other are sort of clustered together. They're not quite there, but 12th (19.6 percent) is nothing to sneeze at after sitting 25th (12.1 percent) at this point a year ago. In most categories, as you'll see, the Senators are in fact ahead of where they were a year ago. And that's something the coaching staff has Penalty Kill: Better actually already used to create some positive reinforcement for the players. Another solid improvement area. The Senators have moved from 11th in the league to fourth with an 88.2 percent kill rate. I asked Dion Phaneuf “I think it was last week, our coach showed us a bunch of different stats what he thought was behind that, and he mostly credited the goaltenders and our record and our points, power play, PK, turnovers, hits, blocks,” for coming up big when the team is down. Boucher has also given loads centre told me after practice Wednesday. “We're ahead of credit to new addition Nate Thompson, whom he refers to as maybe of last year, we're playing really well. the best penalty killer in the league. “What's frustrating about this is we've lost four or five games in shootouts Blocking shots: Same or overtime,” he added. “It's just key points. You win half of that, you're probably in the top three in the entire league.” I wrote at length about the Senators' shot-blocking strategies and successes here, and I'd urge you to check that out if you're interested in Still, even after dropping those points, the Senators are better positioned reading more about why they've been successful despite some pretty than they were after a dozen games last season, albeit slightly. They're poor possession numbers. They've been consistent about getting front of currently 5-2-5 with 15 points (1.25 points per game, +3 goal differential) a lot of shots. Last season at this time, they were third in the league at and, with Toronto leapfrogging them late Wednesday night, third in the 217. This season, they've got 216, good enough for second. Atlantic Division. Last season, they found themselves at 7-5-0 with 14 points (1.16 PPG, -1 goal differential) and in the second wildcard spot. Faceoffs: Better Before moving along to the other categories, here's a quick look at who Here's an interesting one that I'm planning to examine further. There has done what so far this season for the Senators, using their projected were some who theorized that the NHL's rule changes around faceoffs lineup for Thursday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings. would be harmful to the Senators, given their No. 1 centre, Kyle Turris, has a bit of a reputation for using his body to win draws. In fact, the Add in the Senators' early-season injury problems — at times they've Senators have moved from 20th overall (49.4 percent) to first (53.9 been missing their No. 1 defenceman, No. 1 centre and two top-six percent), and Turris is winning nearly 62 percent of his draws. wingers — and it's actually quite remarkable that they are where they are. Drawing penalties: Better “We feel like we want more, we feel like we can beat any team, so I think Last season at this point, the Senators must have been wondering what that's a good sign for our team,” Brassard said. “You want to be a good they had to do to get a dang power play. With just 33 opportunities, they team every night, and I think we're going the right way.” found themselves 29th in the league. This season, they've already had 51 advantages, putting them fifth in the NHL. Here's where the Senators are better and worse as compared to this point in the season last year. The rankings in parentheses reflect their Taking penalties: Better league position a day after playing their 12th game. Another area where the Senators have been fairly consistent under Guy Goals For: Better Boucher, but one they've nonetheless been able to make a slight improvement on. At this point last season, the Senators had been This has been by far the biggest jump for the Senators year-over-year. shorthanded 37 times (6th), versus 34 times this season (4th). They've already scored 43 goals (4th), versus just 26 (26th) at this time last season. Oddly enough, after keeping scores nice and low last Giveaways: Worse season, the Senators have been participants in a seemingly endless I wrote about this recently as well, and it's been an ongoing problem. string of high-scoring games that have ended in both wins and losses. Their 127 giveaways have them 24th in the league, which is only slightly Think 6-0, 6-1 and 6-3 wins over the Flames, Oilers and Leafs, and 5-4 better than the 117 they had after 12 games last season (19th). Jean- losses to the Capitals, Devils (twice) and Monday's 8-3 blowout loss to Gabriel Pageau is the main culprit here, with 14 official turnovers to his the Montreal Canadiens. Three players — Brassard, Mark Stone and name. Mike Hoffman — account for nearly 40 percent of Ottawa's goals for, so losing any one of them would hurt a lot. Takeaways: Better Shooting percentage: Better Much of the Senators' game involves gumming up the neutral and defensive zones in order to induce turnovers from impatient or frustrated Here's one explanation for the big bump in production. The Senators opponents, and it's another area they continue to perform well in. This have an 11.2 percent shooting percentage (6th) after putting in just 7.7 season, they've got 96 (11th), while they were 14th last season with 83. percent of their shots at this point last season (24th). Given the league average shooting percentage usually hovers around 9 percent and the Corsi%: Worse high PDO for the Brassard line, there could be a bit of a correction coming. Stone, for example, is shooting at a 22.6 percent rate, while The most heated area when it comes to debates about the Senators' actual ability. The only way they could have been worse than last season from a raw possession perspective (46.10 CF%) was if the league added another team. It did, and they are (44.51 CF%, 31st). Fenwick%: Worse Taking blocked shots into account, the Senators remain in the bottom 10 at 47.77 percent, which is worse than last season's 48.30 mark at this time but better in terms of ranking relative to their opponents (22nd vs. 24th). Fenwick% (close): Better The good news, from an unblocked shot attempts perspective, is that they've kept things much tighter in close games. They're above water when the score is close (50.20 percent, 15th), which is quite a bit better than last season's 47.31 mark after a dozen games (23rd). And more good news: The Senators steadily improved their possession numbers as last season went on, putting up their best performance in the final quarter of the schedule. If that trend holds, they just might wind up surprising a lot of people again when the playoffs roll around. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081347 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers prospect Mike Vecchione off to sizzling start with Phantoms by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In his first year as a professional, center Mike Vecchione seems in his element as he works his way toward a spot with the Flyers. “I’m just trying to do the little things and be consistent,” Vecchione said the other night after keying another AHL win for the 7-2-1 . The Massachusetts native has two goals, eight assists, and a plus-10 rating in 10 games, making a smooth transition from Union College to the AHL. He was named the league’s rookie of the month for October. “I think it started over the summer,” Vecchione, who played two late- season games with the Flyers in April after signing as a free agent, said of working out in Boston with some pro players. “I got a taste of the NHL and how fast that was, and it kind of set the standard for me going into camp. And all summer, I was training with AHL guys and a couple NHL guys, so I kind of got to catch up with their speed and watch how they train, train with them, skate with them.” During Flyers training camp this year, the 5-foot-10, 194-pound Vecchione was used at wing and played well in limited action. With the Phantoms, he was moved back to his natural position, center. “When I went to camp, I felt comfortable, and being down here with these guys, they’ve helped me a huge amount,” said Vecchione, who had 29 goals and 63 points in 38 games for Union last season and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award, given to the nation’s best collegiate player. “All the vets have taken me under their wing and have been patient with me. It’s just been an easy transition, and it started back in April.” Vecchione, 24, one of Shayne Gostisbehere’s teammates on the Union team that won the national title in 2014, says he’s “trying to be a sponge and learn as much as I can. But like I said, the guys have been great with me, keeping me focused on how to be a pro and the system part — and just giving me the confidence, and I think it’s gone a long way so far.” “Mike’s been getting better every single game,” Phantoms coach Scott Gordon said. “When he first came down, he hadn’t played for a while in training camp in Philly, and you could tell he was off.” With playing time, he has gotten into a rhythm. And if Flyers rookie center Nolan Patrick is sidelined much longer with a head injury, the Flyers might be tempted to recall Vecchione. “His comfort level on the power play has been getting better,” Gordon said. “He’s basically playing like a defenseman even though he’s on the half wall. He’s the guy we designate as the defenseman. So he’s found a comfort level with that.” Vecchione has been centering wingers Danick Martel (10 goals, 13 points) and Nic Aube-Kubel (three goals, six points) on Lehigh Valley’s most effective line. “We talk about our speed and how we can use it,” said Vecchione, whose line has combined for 15 goals and 29 points in 10 games. “The one thing that’s been great — and usually it doesn’t happen with first-year players — is his effectiveness in winning faceoffs,” Gordon said of Vecchione. “With first-year players, there’s always some concerns. You don’t want to give the opposition an easy game by losing faceoffs in your defensive zone, and I haven’t thought twice about putting him out there in the defensive zone. And not just from a defensive ability, but just his ability to win faceoffs so we’re starting with the puck. When you look at the success that Kubel and Danick have had, a part of it is the essential fact that they start with the puck a lot because he wins faceoffs.” Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081348 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers-Blues preview: Philly will try to contain surging St. Louis by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER

Blues (10-2-1) vs. Flyers (6-6-1) MORE FLYERS COVERAGE Flyers prospect Vecchione off to sizzling start with Phantoms Brian Elliott, Flyers' main goalie these days, will face Blackhawks Flyers-Blackhawks preview: Meeting of struggling teams WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday. WHERE: Scottrade Center. BROADCAST: TV, NBCSP; radio, 97.5 FM. SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Twitter, @BroadStBull; @samdonnellon. KEY PLAYERS: St. Louis has played without several key players who are injured, including Jay Bouwmeester, Patrik Berglund, and Robby Fabbri, so its start has been one of the NHL’s surprise stories of the first month. With 21 points each, the Blues and Tampa Bay top the NHL. The Blues are 5-0 at the Scotttrade Center, their best start on home ice since they won their first six in 2010-11. They will play four of their next five games at home. St. Louis, whose lineup includes former Flyers Brayden Schenn and Scottie Upshall, has gotten a league-best 14 goals from its defensemen, and it ranks second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.31). The Flyers will have their hands full trying to contain the line of Schenn (three goals, 11 points), speedy Jaden Schwartz (eight goals, 17 points) and Vladimir Tarasenko (six goals, 14 points). Michal Neuvirth, 1-3 with a 2.30 GAA and .925 save percentage, is expected to make just his fifth start for the Flyers, who are coming off Wednesday’s 3-0 loss in Chicago. St. Louis is well-rested because its last game was Monday’s 4-2 win over Los Angeles. Because of injuries, the Flyers might have four first-year defensemen in their lineup, including Will O’Neill, who will make his NHL debut if Radko Gudas can’t play after getting injured in Wednesday’s loss. O’Neill isn’t considered a rookie because of his age (29). The Flyers swarmed the net and had 35 shots but were blanked by Corey Crawford on Wednesday. It was the third time they have been shut out in 13 games. High-scoring defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and rookie center Nolan Patrick will miss the game because of apparent concussion-like symptoms. HEAD TO HEAD: This is the first meeting between the teams this season; they will also play Jan. 6 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers have a 87-42-20 record in the all-time series, but they lost both games to the Blues last season. FLYERS’ COMING GAMES: Saturday: 7 p.m. vs. Colorado. Nov. 9: 7 p.m. vs. Chicago. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081349 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers-Blues recap: First Embiid, then Wentz, now we fret keeping Provorov healthy by Sam Donnellon, STAFF WRITER

Quick observations following the Flyers’ 2-0 victory over the Blues Thursday night: He’s great, but can he possibly stay healthy? Whether it’s the Eagles, the Sixers or now, the Flyers, this question applies to what is, arguably, each team’s best player. The loss of Jason Peters and the elevated risk that implies to Carson Wentz , the careful management of minutes where Joel Embiid is concerned, and now what can only be described as risk overexposure when it comes to Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov. With a slew of injuries turning the Flyers defense into a combo platter of rookies and career minor leaguers, Provorov was forced to play ancillary goaltender against St. Louis Thursday, just one day after he was on the ice for 29:51 of the Flyers 3-0 loss in Chicago. In a first period in which the Blues at one point were outshooting the Flyers 13-5, Provorov was credited with four blocked shots. In the second period, Provorov remained on the ice for an entire Blues power play, blocking another four shots. He finished with 10 blocked shots, which has to be an all-time record for Russians playing in the NHL. He was on the ice Thursday for 27:08, making his 24-hour total one second short of 57 minutes. I’m no kinesiology major, but it seems obvious that with more blocks comes more risk. Indeed, his partner Andrew MacDonald hit the injured list after blocking a shot about his knee. Shoot the puck, Jake Jake Voracek isn’t the first player to be unselfish to a fault due to a lack of confidence in his shot. But the examples are becoming more painful to watch. Last night, with just under nine minutes remaining in the first period, Voracek took a feed down the right side of the ice, got St. Louis D-mam Colton Poroyko off his feet with a fake, then inexplicably opted not to shoot but try a pass through traffic to the other side of the ice. It was intercepted. Voracek was of course integral in the Flyers taking a 1-0 lead with a by creating a screen of Jake Allen’s vision for Brandon Manning’s second period goal. But Voracek’s reluctance to shoot is becoming an issue. He had no shots on goal in last night’s game after registering two shots (and a minus-2) in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Chicago. Jake even missed an empty net in the final minutes. Hakstol gets one! Nice to see the coach reverse a no-goal call with a challenge gain after the disaster in Nashville and the screwed-up ending in Ottawa. This one seemed obvious, but then, again, so did Couturier’s would-be tying goal in Ottawa. Schenn hit was a penalty… But c’mon, no more than that. Brayden Schenn’s side-swipe that came a moment or two after Sean Couturier lost control of the puck. It was not an intentional hit to the head or an attempt to blind-side him. In fact, had he not lost the puck, it’s likely Couturier’s head would have been a few inches higher and not looking back to the path of the puck. Yes, it would have been an awful loss if Couturier is out for awhile, especially given the epidemic of injuries that have hit this team. But it’s hockey. Neuvirth’s margin of error… or lack of one The Flyers have now played five games with Michal Neuvirth in the net and over four of them he has allowed a total of four goals. Incredibly, he is 2-2 in those games. He was excellent against Los Angeles and Nashville and Florida. He was out of his mind last night. He and Provorov are THE reason they got two points Thursday night. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081350 Philadelphia Flyers St. Louis dominated the first 11 minutes and had a 12-2 shots advantage, but Neuvirth withstood the barrage.

The Flyers, coming off a 3-0 loss Wednesday in Chicago, found their legs Brandon Manning, Michal Neuvirth lift shorthanded Flyers over St. Louis with about 6:30 left in the first and started to control play. Sparked by a Blues strong shift from a line centered by former Blue Jori Lehtera, they got six of the last eight shots in the period, which ended scoreless. by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER “They put a lot of pucks on me early and I just found my game,” Neuvirth said. “Guys really stepped up, especially on the penalty kill, and they blocked so many shots.” ST. LOUIS — Most of the defensemen the Flyers used Thursday night The Flyers had 20 blocks, 16 more than the Blues. spent last season in the AHL, but here they were, trying to contain a St. Louis Blues team that entered the game tied for the most points in the Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 NHL. Stunningly, the Blues weren’t able to take advantage of the Flyers’ baby blue line. In their grittiest effort of the young season, the Flyers overcame a patchwork, inexperienced defense and jolted the Blues, 2-0, at the Scottrade Center. Michal Neuvirth made 33 saves and collected his first shutout of the season, defenseman Brandon Manning scored the game-winner, and Ivan Provorov anchored the Flyers’ oh-so-green defense by playing 27- plus minutes and equaling a team record with 10 blocked shots. “I think everybody battled hard. The boys played for each other and played smart,” said Provorov, who also contributed five hits. The Blues (10-3-1) were handed their first home loss this season after five straight wins here. “They’re a big, heavy team out there, and to come out with that kind of effort, especially in this arena and after playing back to back, I think it’s a huge win for our confidence,” Manning said. iced the victory by scoring an empty-net goal with 5.4 seconds left. The Flyers (7-6-1), who were playing on back-to-back nights and faced a well-rested team, took a 1-0 lead on Manning’s controversial goal with 19:22 left in the second period. The goal was originally waved off because of goaltender interference on Jake Voracek. The Flyers challenged, and the call was reversed after it was reviewed. It was ruled Voracek was pushed into goalie Jake Allen by Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. “When they said it was no goal, I think they owed me for one from last week,” said Manning, referring to a goal he scored in Ottawa that was negated because of goalie interference on Jordan Weal, “so i’m happy this goal counted.” Manning’s point drive gave him two goals in the last four games — after he went without a goal in his previous 53 games. Manning had six shots on the night. “Jake made a helluva play,” Manning said. “We’ve been trying to get to the net a little more.” With 8:21 to go in the second, former Flyer Brayden Schenn leveled Sean Couturier with a blindside hit to the head in the left circle of the visitors’ offensive zone. Couturier, the Flyers’ top-line center and arguably their MVP in the first month, went down in pain and was taken to the locker room because of the league’s concussion protocol. He returned to start the third period. Schenn was only given a two-minute interference penalty, and the Flyers complained that it should have been a five-minute major. A little over four minutes earlier, Schenn was ahead of the pack and he fired a tracer that Neuvirth gloved, keeping the Flyers ahead, 1-0. Partially because of injuries, four first-year defensemen were in the Flyers’ lineup: Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, Mark Alt, and Will O’Neill, who made his NHL debut. Combined, they had played a total of 27 NHL games. Twenty-seven. It was the most inexperienced defense the Flyers had ever used in franchise history, the club said. “It’s pretty impressive for guys to step in like that,” Manning said. If you add Provorov and Manning, the Flyers’ six defensemen had played a total of 272 career games — or 280 fewer than St. Louis’ Pietrangelo (552 games), and he’s only 27. 1081351 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' defense decimated, but GM not in trade mode by Sam Carchidi, STAFF WRITER

ST. LOUIS — The Flyers’ defense is decimated by injuries, but general manager Ron Hextall is not in panic mode. Before the Flyers sent out a lineup that had four first-year defensemen in it Thursday in St. Louis, Hextall said he had no plans to make a trade for a blue liner. “One reason you have depth is for when you get in situations like this. Unfortunately, some of our depth is hurt, too,” Hextall said. “But to add a guy for a week and [then others return], you have too many players. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.” The Flyers have three regular defensemen sidelined: Andrew MacDonald, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Radko Gudas. MacDonald, sidelined with a leg injury, is at least two-plus weeks away from returning. Gostisbehere and Gudas are listed as day to day. Gostisbehere and center Nolan Patrick, each sidelined with apparent concussion-like symptoms, skated in Voorhees on Thursday and are making progress, Hextall said. There’s a chance they’ll be ready to return Saturday against Colorado, according to Hextall. “We were banged up in ’05 with the Flyers in the playoffs, but I’m not sure I’ve seen the big team and the depth [in the AHL]” hit so hard, he said. The Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley has defensemen Sam Morin and T.J. Brennan sidelined by injuries, and highly touted Phantoms defenseman Phil Myers recently returned to the lineup from a groin injury. Myers, however, is not ready to be recalled to the NHL at this point, Hextall said. “That’s life,” Hextall said of the injuries. “Go with what you’ve got.” Because of Gudas’ injury, Will O’Neill, a 29-year-old career minor- leaguer, made his NHL debut Thursday. “It’s always a tough spot playing your first NHL game, no matter how old you are,” Hextall said. “What Will has in his favor is that he’s been around a while.” Coach Dave Hakstol said he planned to rotate O’Neill into the lineup, hinting he would not get lots of ice time. “I don’t think you’ll see a steady grouping of three pairs,” he said before the game. “There will be a little bit of mixing and matching. We’ll find the rhythm that’s best for that group. We have to gauge where guys are at and how their legs are.” Ivan Provorov figured to be low on fumes. He played a career-high 29 minutes, 51 seconds in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss in Chicago, a game in which the Flyers had only five healthy defensemen after Gudas was injured in the first period. Breakaways Gostisbehere has 98 career points in 153 games. Should he reach 100 points within his next 10 games, he will get to the century mark faster than any defenseman in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. …Tim Kerr was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081352 Philadelphia Flyers Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Delaware County Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 VIDEO: Crawford, Blackhawks blank Flyers 3-0

By Jay Cohen, The Associated Press

CHICAGO >> While the Chicago Blackhawks work on their power play and coach Joel Quenneville searches for the right combinations for his lineup, at least they have Corey Crawford in goal. Crawford made 35 saves in his first shutout of the season, and the Blackhawks stopped a three-game slide with a 3-0 victory over the Flyers Wednesday night. “Crow was outstanding,” Quenneville said. “We gave them some real serious looks and he was outstanding.” Artem Anisimov and Jonathan Toews scored 20 seconds apart in the second and Crawford took over from there, helping Chicago kill off three Philadelphia power plays in the last half of the game. Rookie Alex DeBrincat added an empty-net goal with 1:49 left in Crawford’s 22nd career shutout. Brian Elliott made 32 stops for Philadelphia, which was coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to lowly Arizona on Monday. The Flyers have dropped four of five heading into Thursday night’s game at Central Division-leading St. Louis. “I thought we had really good effort from everybody in the lineup,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I can’t find one guy who was below par. Just offensively, we didn’t have anything to show for it.” Chicago had dropped five of six, prompting Quenneville to juggle his lines and defensive pairings in search of a spark. Quenneville also had his team do sprints at the end of practice on Tuesday after he grew frustrated with the effort by the players. The Blackhawks responded with a workmanlike effort while improving to 4-2-1 at home. “We just have to build off that,” Crawford said. “We’ve been playing well. Some tough losses in those games, and it’s nice to get one.” Chicago came up empty on its first four power plays before Anisimov delivered in the second. With Brandon Manning in the box for holding Ryan Hartman, the rugged center skated behind the Flyers’ penalty killers and slammed home a rebound for a 1-0 lead at 8:58. Anisimov’s fourth goal of the season was the Blackhawks’ first successful power play since Richard Panik scored at Arizona on Oct. 21. They were unsuccessful in their previous 18 chances. “I think that turned out to be a big goal for us,” Quenneville said. “Our first couple power plays had some decent looks and as far as doing the right thing on that one, I mean get it to the net, you’ve got traffic at the net, get the rebound, and get rewarded.” Philadelphia defenseman Robert Hagg then mishandled the puck near the blue line and Toews skated in alone on Elliott. The captain slipped a backhander between the goaltender’s legs for his first goal since Oct. 12 against Minnesota, stopping a seven-game drought. That was more than enough for Crawford, who came up with a couple of big plays as Philadelphia pressed for a score in the third. He made his best save of the night with 1:45 left in the first, doing the splits to get over for a pad stop on Valtteri Filppula’s wraparound. “We had quality chances, and so many times the puck was just laying there and Crawford found a way to make the save,” Flyers forward Claude Giroux said. “He’s pretty good.” NOTES: Flyers D Radko Gudas suffered an upper-body injury in the first. Hakstol had no update after the game. ... Chicago D Connor Murphy had a huge hit on Philadelphia forward Taylor Leier in the first, and then got into a fight with Flyers forward Scott Laughton. Murphy’s father, Gord, is an assistant coach for Philadelphia. ... The Blackhawks and Flyers play again on Nov. 9 in Philadelphia, finishing their two-game season series. UP NEXT Flyers: Visit St. Louis on Thursday night. Blackhawks: Visit Minnesota on Saturday night. More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey 1081353 Philadelphia Flyers tough leaving teammates and buddies, but that’s the business. I’m not the first guy ever to get traded and I won’t be the last.”

And with Luke now in Arizona, the flow of Schennergy is now amping up Brayden Schenn opens up about being traded to Blues here in St. Louis. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia November 02, 2017 2:30 PM

ST. LOUIS — Brayden Schenn could read the writing on Ron Hextall’s wall — the one with the organizational depth chart on it. “I probably talked with my agent a month before the draft, and there wasn’t even talk about me getting traded because I had no idea that this was going to happen," Schenn said after Thursday's morning skate. "I looked right around at St. Louis and saw that the Blues might need a centerman. It was one day we talked about it, and I never talked about it again until I got traded.” Not long after the Flyers fortuitously leaped all the way into the number two slot at the NHL’s Draft Lottery is when Schenn realized he needed to start dissecting the trickle-down effect of Philadelphia landing a franchise center, knowing at that time the pick would either be Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick. “The No. 2 pick, you knew it was going to be another center, right?" Schenn said. "Leading up to the draft, there was a lot of talks about Montreal and that’s what I was kinda hearing. I was just on a golf trip with a bunch of buddies and I looked at my phone, it happened to be on ringer and it happened to be Ron Hextall, and right away I knew I was gone. “I always felt I could go play center and that was a natural position for me. I think Philly knew I could play the wing, but they also knew I wanted to play center as well. It just kinda helped that St. Louis was the landing spot.” Schenn was dealt to the Blues for Jori Lehtera and a pair of first-round picks, plus a conditional third rounder. As Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic wrote Thursday morning, the Blues had even reached out to the expansion Golden Knights about taking Lehtera and his $4.7 million contract off their hands, but even they had no interest in the 29-year-old Finn. Hextall realized with Patrick there was an organizational logjam at the center position that ultimately led to, not only the Schenn trade, but the decision to transition the captain and arguably their most skilled player Claude Giroux to left wing. Watching Giroux’s almost seamless transition here in Philadelphia is similar to Schenn’s changeover in St. Louis, where he has clicked almost instantaneously with linemates Jaden Schwartz and superstar Vladimir Tarasenko. “I think it’s just maybe having the confidence that you’re going to stay at center here, I guess,” said Schenn. “I played maybe ten games at right wing (in Philly), ten games at center, 20 games at left wing. I was kinda all over the place. “I came here Day 1 and he (coach Mike Yeo) said ‘Do you want to play center? We’ll give you a shot there.’ I think here, you get in a rhythm and get in a groove of playing down the middle and being in situations where you’re counted on to be liable in your own end, playing against good players.” When asked about Schenn, Tarasenko and Schwartz both referred to him as a “smart” player, which never seemed to be the label he was attached with here in Philadelphia. It’s not that Schenn is unintelligent, but possessing a high hockey IQ wasn’t one of his known attributes. Perhaps there’s a confidence boost that has accompanied him to St. Louis, as well as being more committed to the defensive side of the game. “Playing in the middle and taking faceoffs, I find it gets you more involved in the game right away. It’s on you to win the faceoff and get the puck right away and it gets you a little bit more involved in the game,” Schenn said. The trade of Schenn also came roughly a year and a half after the Flyers dealt his older brother, Luke, to Los Angeles as part of a deal to shed Vinny Lecavalier’s hefty contract and a center that was no longer in their future plans. “I guess Schenns aren’t wanted in Philadelphia. I don’t know what it is,” Brayden said. “I think it was a little bit tougher situation with your brother being on the team with you. I just remember sitting in a car taking off for a road trip near the trade deadline, there were talks about L.A. and him going there, and I think it’s tougher when your brother’s not hopping on that flight with you. So for me, I was the only guy in Philly. It’s always 1081354 Philadelphia Flyers

Best of NHL: Semyon Varlamov stops career-high 57 shots in Avalanche win

By The Associated Press November 03, 2017 3:09 AM

DENVER -- Semyon Varlamov stopped a career-high 57 shots, Blake Comeau scored the first of Colorado's three second-period goals over a 3:33 span and the Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Thursday night. Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen also scored in the second for Colorado. Carl Soderberg added a goal, and Patrik Nemeth got his first NHL goal as the Avalanche improved to 5-1 at home. Colorado now embarks on a four-game, 10-day road trip that includes two contests in Stockholm, Sweden. Varlamov rebounded from a forgettable game in which he allowed seven goals at Vegas last week. He preserved a 5-3 lead in the third by turning back 22 shots. Victor Rask scored 55 seconds into the game for Carolina, which outshot the Avalanche 60-27. Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan also had goals. The Hurricanes pulled goaltender Cam Ward with around 1:45 remaining, but couldn't get anything past Varlamov. His previous high for saves was 54 on Jan. 6, 2015, at Chicago. Colorado extended its lead to 4-2 in the second when Landeskog scored off a rebound. The Hurricanes challenged the goal, contending that Rantanen's skate may have been offside as Nathan MacKinnon brought the puck into the zone. The replay confirmed the goal and Carolina was assessed a delay-of-game penalty (see full recap). Miller lifts Rangers over Lightning in OT TAMPA, Fla. -- J.T. Miller scored 1:19 into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night. Miller skated around defenseman Anton Stralman and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. New York also got a goal from Chris Kreider, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots. Yanni Gourde had a goal and Vasilevskiy made 33 saves for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy had won nine consecutive decisions. Kreider opened the scoring during a 3-on-1 at 18:34 of the first. Gourde tied it at 1 with a short-handed goal off a nifty pass through the slot by Victor Hedman 11 minutes into the second. Vasilevskiy stopped Kevin Shattenkirk's breakaway shot and made a stick save on Jesper Fast's in-close rebound after Michael Grabner's shot hit the post in the first. He also made several strong saves in the third following Tampa Bay turnovers (see full recap). Scheifele nets hat trick as Jets beat Stars WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Mark Scheifele had a hat trick, Patrik Laine scored his first goal in five games and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night to extend their points streak to six games. Laine's goal came after he told reporters at the morning skate that he didn't have a lot of confidence and felt he couldn't do many "positive things" on the ice. He has five goals and two assists in 12 games. The Jets have won three straight to improve to 6-3-2. They are 4-0-2 on the points streak. Tylers Myers also scored, Blake Wheeler added three assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to improve to 7-0-1. Alexander Radulov scored for Dallas, extending his goals streak to four games. Mattias Janmark also scored, and Ben Bishop stopped 22 shots. Winnipeg scored three goals in a 4:18 span in the first period, including a pair on the power play. Scheifele scored once during the first period and twice in the third, sending the hats raining down with an empty-netter with a minute left. He has seven goals this season (see full recap). Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081355 Philadelphia Flyers “Everybody’s here for a reason. Everybody can play,” Provorov said. “It sucks that Ghost (Shayne Gostisbehere), Mac (Andrew MacDonald) and Gudy (Radko Gudas) got injured, but the guys that came in did a really Despite injuries, Flyers put together 'unbelievable' effort in shutout good job. I think we played a really solid game.” Notes and tidbits By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia November 03, 2017 1:00 AM • In their 50-plus years of existence, the Flyers have never put a team on the ice with such little experience on the back end. The Flyers played four defensemen in the game that had 15 or fewer games of NHL experience prior to the game – Robert Hagg (14), Travis Sanheim (10), ST. LOUIS — The Flyers showed the St. Louis Blues what a true blue- Mark Alt (3) and Will O’Neill, who made his NHL debut. collar effort really looks like. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the next closest such game on Nov. 5, Behind Michal Neuvirth’s 33 saves and a defense with four first-year NHL 1981 when the Flyers suited up four defensemen with under 40 games of players with 272 games played combined among its unit, the Flyers kept experience — Fred Arthur (11), Reid Bailey (25), Glen Cochrane (39) the high-powered Blues out of the net with a 2-0 win on Thursday (see and Steve Smith (NHL debut). observations). It marked the first time the Blues have been shut out this season. • The last NHL team to play with four defensemen each under 15 games of experience was the Colorado Avalanche, who did so while suffering a “Unbelievable. That’s one of the hardest-working teams in the league 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Nov. 9, 2010. over there,” Neuvirth said. “They (defensemen) stepped up. They needed to step up and that’s what they did. I was impressed.” • Provorov equaled MacDonald’s record of 10 blocked shots in this game. MacDonald set the record in a game at Tampa on March 11, 2016. The If the Flyers didn’t already have enough going against them with all the NHL has only started recording blocked shots since 1997. injuries piling up, the team was also playing its fifth games in eight days. That stretch included four out of those five on the road with Thursday Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 night’s game being the second half of a back-to-back set. “The guys just worked hard. That’s just what it comes down to,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. “They worked their asses off in the [defensive] zone tonight. The number of blocked shots, starting with Provy (Ivan Provorov), but throughout the group that’s what it takes on nights like this.” Defenseman Provorov came into Thursday’s game having logged some monster minutes over the Flyers’ past three games, including a career- high 29:51 the night before in Chicago. Yet Provorov put himself on the line Thursday in St. Louis as he matched a team record with 10 blocked shots (see highlights). “The other team had a real shooting mentality, especially on the power play, so we tried to get into the shooting lanes and block some shots and help Neuvirth out,” Provorov said. “I think that’s what we did tonight.” The Blues, on the other hand, had every reason to feel confident and comfortable. St. Louis owned the NHL’s best record at 10-2-1 and were well-rested with three days off between games. “There were a couple of shifts where I thought we got a little bit slow in defending, but for the most part, whenever they did get it moving, we got it out of our down-low coverage,” Hakstol said. “We did a good job of getting in some lanes and then working and moving to find our next point of pressure.” “A lot of guys are putting their bodies on the line, sacrificing their body, blocking shots,” Sean Couturier said. “You look at a guy like (Robert) Hagg, he’s not the most flashy guy. He’s pretty solid doing all the little details that make a difference to win a game, even Sanny (Travis Sanheim), he’s getting better every game, and the young guys are just getting better and better.” The Flyers got the blocks and even a few of the breaks on Thursday night. Following a scoreless first period, the Flyers scored the game’s first goal when Brandon Manning ripped a slap shot that Blues goaltender Jake Allen never saw with Jake Voracek in his face. Initially, the referees waved off the goal on account of goalie interference. However, after Hakstol challenged and the play was reviewed, officials reversed the decision when it was determined that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo pushed Voracek into Allen’s way. “I felt something, but I was pretty confident I was out of the crease,” Voracek said. “After I saw the replay, I thought it could go either way. You never know lately how the call is going to go. I’m glad they allowed [the goal].” The Flyers’ reversal of fortunes came exactly a week after a Manning goal was taken off the board in a 5-4 loss in Ottawa, which would have been the difference in earning a point. “A little bit of good karma I think,” Manning said. “As soon as I saw it I was hoping that Hak would challenge. There wasn’t much there. It all works out in the end. Fortunately for us, it was a big one tonight.” Fourteen games into the season, the injury-riddled Flyers have already been forced to utilize nine different defensemen, which is one more than what they needed in their first 80 games last season. 1081356 Philadelphia Flyers Tarasenko had a wide-open net from the right circle, but it appeared he tried to guide the puck and missed the net entirely.

• Making his NHL debut at the age of 29, Will O’Neill appeared to be very Flyers-Blues observations: Finally on the right side of a review mindful of not getting caught out of position or overcommitting. O’Neill worked with a number of partners but played just 2:54, and actually had a shot on net. By John Boruk | NBC Sports Philadelphia November 02, 2017 10:38 PM • Allen misplayed a puck behind his net, which rolled outside the trapezoid area and allowed Couturier to gather it before the goalie could return to his net. However, Couturier was not able to take advantage as ST. LOUIS — The Flyers put together one of the most impressive none of his linemates were unable to fill the passing lane with a wide- shutouts in franchise history on Thursday with a 2-0 win over the St. open net. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. • As part of their defensive structure, the Blues’ forwards are very Despite playing with a makeshift unit that had just 272 games played committed to their backchecking duties, which was evident in the opening combined amongs the team’s six defensemen, the Flyers walked away 20 minutes. The biggest hit came when Vladimir Sobotka leveled with the win. Goalie Michal Neuvirth stopped all 33 shots he faced for his Couturier behind the net. Whether it’s accurate or not, and it usually 11th career shutout. favors the home team, the Blues outhit the Flyers 13-3 in the opening period. Brandon Manning scored the game’s first goal 38 seconds into the second period. It was initially waved off for goalie interference but • St. Louis dominated the first half of the period, but the Flyers bounced overturned after a review. back in the latter half. The Flyers did a considerably better job of maintaining puck possession and not allowing the Blues to cycle the puck Claude Giroux added an empty-netter in the final minute. quite as much. • Not only was Ivan Provorov all over the place Thursday night, but he Lines, pairings and scratches was in every shooting lane as well. Facing the NHL’s No. 1-ranked team in blocked shots, Provorov turned in a performance even the Blues could Forwards admire with 10 blocked shots of his own, which tied a team record. Claude Giroux-Sean Couturier-Jakub Voracek Provorov has been a wall tonight. Travis Konecny-Valtteri Filppula-Wayne Simmonds Just look at this guy. pic.twitter.com/7VIbJr4RLG Jordan Weal-Jori Lehtera-Dale Weise — NBC Sports Philly (@NBCSPhilly) November 3, 2017 Taylor Leier-Scott Laughton-Michael Raffl • Neuvirth went down awkwardly after he collided with Mark Alt’s stick in the third period. Neuvirth stayed down for several seconds. After officials Defensemen blew the whistle to stop play, Neuvirth recovered and remained in the game. Ivan Provorov-Robert Hagg • It appeared as if the Flyers lost another key player to injury as Brayden Brandon Manning-Travis Sanheim Schenn took a late run at Sean Couturier and caught him with a forearm Will O’Neill-Mark Alt in the head area. Couturier went down hard and stayed down in obvious pain before he was helped off. Schenn was given two minutes for Goalies interference. Michal Neuvirth Schenn with the brutal hit on his ex-teammate Sean Couturier. pic.twitter.com/PRd4Va0sqd Brian Elliott — NBC Sports Philly (@NBCSPhilly) November 3, 2017 Scratches: Forward Matt Read (healthy), and defensemen Radko Gudas (upper body) and Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body). Couturier missed the final eight-plus minutes of that second period. He returned to begin the third period and showed no ill effects from the shot Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 he took from Schenn. • I’m not sure if there are too many teams that move their defense around as much as the St. Louis Blues do. Offensively, they’re never stagnant and as long as their forwards rotate and cover defensively, it makes for a difficult matchup. • After Couturier exited, Jori Lehtera, who played his best game as a Flyer, filled in on that top line as did Scott Laughton. • Neuvirth brought his A game to the Gateway City with his biggest save on former teammate Schenn. Neuvirth flashed the glove on a perfectly executed breakout play that started behind the Blues’ own net. Neuvirth also displayed excellent rebound control as he steered shots toward the boards and in areas where St. Louis couldn’t generate a second-chance opportunity. • I’m surprised the officials overturned their own call on the ice as they awarded Manning with the goal even after they whistled Jakub Voracek for goaltender interference. Credit the officials for recognizing that Alex Pietrangelo made the contact with a nudge, but it still didn’t appear as if Voracek made contact with Blues goalie Jake Allen. • One replay gave the appearance that Manning’s point blast was redirected, but it was hard to see who got a stick on the puck. • Early in the second period, the Blues’ No. 1 power-play unit stayed out on the ice for the entire two minutes. While the Blues were able to keep it in the zone for much of that time, credit the Flyers’ penalty killers as most of the Blues’ shots came from the perimeter and not much in the high- danger areas. • The Flyers were under barrage for the first seven-plus minutes of the game as the Blues outshot them 10-1 to begin. Dale Weise committed a pointless slashing penalty away from the puck that gave St. Louis its first power play. The Blues’ best opportunity came when sniper Vladimir 1081357 Pittsburgh Penguins

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, 4:51 p.m . WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has voiced his support for Vladimir Putin ahead of the Russian presidential election. Ovechkin posted a message in Russian on his Instagram account Thursday announcing he's starting "a social movement called Putin Team." Ovechkin says he has never hidden his feelings about Putin and has "always supported him openly." Личные награды и призы – все это здорово, но в хоккее, как и в любом деле, для победы важнее команда. Только команда способна переломить ход игры, сделать невозможное. В последнее время в западной прессе я встречаю сочетание Putin's team, то есть команда Путина. И знаете, мне очень понравилось это определение. Лично я готов быть частью такой команды. Я никогда не скрывал своего отношения к нашему Президенту, всегда открыто его поддерживая. Я уверен, что нас, поддерживающих Владимира Путина, много! Так давайте объединимся и покажем всем сильную и сплоченную Россию! Сегодня я хочу объявить о том, что создаю общественное движение под названием Putin Team. Быть частью такой команды – для меня гордость, это похоже на ощущение, когда ты надеваешь майку сборной России, зная, что за тебя болеет вся страна. #putinteam A post shared by Alexander Ovechkin (@aleksandrovechkinofficial) on Nov 2, 2017 at 9:07am PDT The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18. Ovechkin is from Moscow and has often been photographed with Putin. A photograph of Ovechkin and Putin accompanied the post, in which the longtime NHL star says, "Being part of this team makes me proud and it's similar to the feeling you get when you put on a Russian national team jersey, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you." ___ Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Moscow contributed. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081358 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins winger Conor Sheary's name has been mispronounced this whole time

RENATTA SIGNORINI | Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, 8:15 a.m.

The Penguins' Conor Sheary has a correction for fans — the pronunciation of his last name. It's not 'Sheer-y' and it doesn't rhyme with 'cheery.' It is 'Share-y' and sounds like 'cherry.' Penguins public address announcer Ryan Mills got to the bottom of the mistake everyone — including him — has been making in this video posted to his Twitter account. He was willing to just let it go because it would be too hard to fix now. Man, what a tolerant human. https://t.co/R2VnW7MffO — Ryan Mill (@RyanMill) November 2, 2017 While you slept, things changed. https://t.co/xj5WTbqG2M — Ryan Mill (@RyanMill) November 2, 2017 Please make a note of it. I will. pic.twitter.com/Lxszr8bHuQ — Ryan Mill (@RyanMill) November 2, 2017 Sheary, a 25-year-old left winger from Massachusetts, has won two Stanley Cups with the team. He signed a three-year, $9 million contract in July. He entered the NHL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837- 5374, [email protected] or via Twitter @byrenatta. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081359 Pittsburgh Penguins

Flames hand Penguins another road loss

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, 12:24 a.m.

CALGARY, Alberta — Mark Giordano scored 2 minutes, 19 seconds into overtime, Mike Smith made 43 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Penguins, 2-1, on Thursday night. Giordano fired a perfect shot over Tristan Jarry's glove off a pass by Matthew Tkachuk. Sean Monahan also scored for Calgary, which is 2-1-0 during a seven- game homestand. Patric Hornqvist had a goal for the Penguins, and Jarry made 32 saves in his first start of the season. The Penguins are 1-2-1 on a five-game trip. Monahan made it 1-0 with 4:07 left in the third period, scoring on a power pay after Kris Letang went off for a high stick. He banked a shot in off a Penguins player 7 seconds into the man advantage. Letang helped get that one back. With 1:12 left, his point shot tipped off Hornqvist in front to tie it. Smith was particularly good in the first period while the Penguins carried the play, outshooting Calgary, 19-8. Highlights included a glove grab off Hornqvist from in-close, and he also jabbed out a pad to deny Carl Hagelin on a breakaway. At the other end, with Matt Murray getting a rest after backstopping the Penguins to a 3-2 win Wednesday night in Edmonton, Jarry got his second career start. Jarry was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday when Antti Niemi was placed on waivers. His biggest save came seven minutes into the third when he stared down rookie Mark Jankowski on a breakaway and jabbed out his right pad to thwart the big center's deke attempt. Jankowski, Calgary's first-round pick in 2012, was seeking his first NHL goal. Shortly after, Jake Guentzel swooped in alone off the wing only to have Smith stop him with a great pad stop. Notes: Calgary RW Jaromir Jagr (lower body) missed his fifth game. ... Flames RW Troy Brouwer played in his 700th career game. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081360 Pittsburgh Penguins Like Jagr, Bartkowski has also brought some personality and fun to the Flames’ dressing room.

“I just try to play a simple, heavy game like they want me to,” Bartkowski Jaromir Jagr is currently out of action with a lower-body injury. 2 said. “Mix it up a little bit in the room. When I came in they had a pretty Matt Bartkowski has the best seat in the Flames locker room: next to quiet room. I think it’s still a little quiet. I try say some stuff. You have to Jaromir Jagr ruffle some feathers to get everyone going.” Anything Bartkowski would be willing to share? JASON MACKEY “If it was anything good, I probably couldn’t tell you,” Bartkowski said. Gulutzan offers advice CALGARY, Alberta — Two pairs of skates sit in the back-right corner of Mike Sullivan knows Flames coach Glen Gulutzan well dating back to the Calgary Flames dressing room at Scotiabank Saddledome. In front of their time together on John Tortorella’s staff in Vancouver. them are two zippered bags, creating sort of a conga line of equipment So when Gulutzan watched Sidney Crosby block a Leon Draisaitl shot leading up to Jaromir Jagr’s stall. with 6 seconds to go in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Oilers, he thought Famous for his spacious spread in South Florida, Jagr has considerably about offering the Penguins coach some free advice. less here. One stall. Not three. In the corner. In a tremendously outdated “I was going to text him after the Edmonton game,” Gulutzan said home dressing room. following Thursday’s morning skate. “I saw Sid blocked that shot late. I Of all people, Jagr’s next-door neighbor is Matt Bartkowski, a Mt. thought he should stay out of [Thursday's] game as a precaution. I didn’t. Lebanon native and unabashed fan of Jagr’s Penguins teams. I held back on that text. I’ll talk to him after the game, but there’s added Bartkowski found himself short on space Thursday morning, even with incentive when you’re coaching against him.” Jagr not around, but the last thing he’s going to do is complain. Post Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 “I’m losing my locker by the day here,” Bartkowski, 29, said of Jagr’s mounting pile of stuff. “He keeps getting more and more equipment. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. He pretty much has every record except for two. What am I supposed to do?” If you’re Bartkowski, act like much of Pittsburgh and the NHL: Just keep fawning over the legendary Jagr and soak up every glorious moment that we have left. Sitting next to Jagr at work every day is an experience Bartkowski called “surreal,” and he sure doesn’t mind losing real estate to one of his childhood idols. In fact, it’s not uncommon for Bartkowski to talk to Jagr about Robert Dome, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka or perhaps even Penguins broadcasters Phil Bourque or . “I’ll bring up old players he played with, because I still find it cool,” Bartkowski said. “To him it was playing hockey, but those are guys I grew up watching and idolizing.” Bartkowski said he’s had conversations with Jagr about living in Pittsburgh in the 1990s and about living in Mt. Lebanon specifically. They’ve also talked about Jagr’s workout habits, which are anything but normal. “He does some different stuff that he’s been doing forever, and it works,” Bartkowski said. “He’ll juggle a medicine ball in the gym. He hooks his stick up to a machine. A lot of stuff with a stick and weights. When you play against him, he has just about the heaviest stick out there. Vancouver's crashes into his net behind Dallas' Tyler Pitlick during the second period Monday. Dave Molinari The Penguins haven't always struck gold in the NHL draft's first round “Hey, it’s hard to argue with.” The 45-year-old Jagr is currently out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. He didn’t skate Thursday and was not made available to speak with Pittsburgh reporters, the idea being that he didn’t want to take attention away from his new team. The Flames have lost four of six, although they are coming off a win over the Capitals. As Calgary tries to find its footing, Bartkowski said Jagr’s presence has been a huge part of keeping everyone loose and positive. “The experience that he has in the different situations, especially since we’ve been going through kind of a little tough patch, he’s very positive,” Bartkowski said. “He’s very upbeat about, ‘Hey guys, don’t worry, we’re a good team. We just have to learn to be a good team.’ “The experience that he’s had and what to say in situations, I think that’s a big part.” Bartkowski, of course, has been a big help, too. The Flames brought him in as a steady presence on the back end, someone who can play a heavy game and make safe, simple plays. 1081361 Pittsburgh Penguins Jamie Heward [1989, 16th] – Heward spent three seasons in the organization, all in the minor leagues, but eventually was cut loose before logging 394 games in the NHL. The Penguins haven't always struck gold in the NHL draft's first round Roger Belanger [1984, 16th] – He was the third first-rounder that year, chosen after they claimed Mario Lemieux [who won’t turn up on this list] and Doug Bodger. He was projected to be a hard-nosed, blue-collar DAVE MOLINARI forward with a bit of a scoring touch, but injuries limited him to 44 games in the NHL and ended his career in 1988.

Rich Sutter [1982, 10th] – The Sutter brothers were hockey royalty a few It appeared to be an inspired move, really. decades ago, ferociously competitive guys pretty much guaranteed to make an impact — literally and otherwise. Rich turned out to be the , unable to persuade Jordan Staal to accept a new contract exception before being reunited with his twin brother, Ron, in from the Penguins, dealt him to Staal’s destination of choice, Carolina, Philadelphia, as he failed to put up a single point in nine games with the for center Brandon Sutter, defense prospect Brian Dumoulin and the No. Penguins. 8 pick in the 2012 NHL draft. Gordie Laxton [1975, 13th] – Yeah, predicting how goalies would turn out Which just happened to be the one about to be made at Consol Energy was tough way back then, too. Laxton appeared in just 17 NHL games Center. over four seasons, going 4-9 with a 5.55 goals-against average. Shero invested that choice in a skilled defenseman from the Portland Garry Swain [1968, 4th] – He recorded one goal and one assist in nine Winterhawks, a smooth skater with impressive offensive skills and games with the Penguins. Not much production for a guy who selected instincts. so high in his draft class. Derrick Pouliot, it seemed, had a game that would allow him to develop Steve Rexe [1967, 2nd] – Rexe was the first No. 1 choice in franchise into a perfect fit for the style coach Dan Bylsma wanted the Penguins to history. And he set an extremely low bar for all who followed, since he play. never skated a shift in the NHL. Five-plus years, 67 NHL games, 14 points, a plus-minus rating of minus- Post Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 11 and untold/boundless frustration and disappointment later, it was evident he would not contribute as projected. Not with the Penguins, anyway. Pouliot, like Shero and Bylsma, is off the Penguins’ payroll, having been traded to Vancouver Oct. 3 for defenseman Andrey Pedan and a fourth- round draft choice. Perhaps he will perform to his perceived potential as a member of the Canucks. Pouliot, who had three assists in his first nine games in Vancouver, wouldn’t be the first player to jump-start his career by changing teams. Or perhaps he will join the long list of Penguins’ first-round draft choices who failed to live up to expectations. For every Mario Lemieux or Sidney Crosby or Jaromir Jagr, there has been a Robert Dome or Jamie Heward or Angelo Esposito. Or several of them. Matt Bartkowski has the best seat in the Flames locker room: next to Jaromir Jagr Here’s a look at some of the franchise’s biggest first-round failures, flops and fizzles: Joe Morrow [2011, 23rd overall] – Less than two years after picking him, the Penguins traded him to Dallas. That’s when he made his biggest contribution to the organization, since the deal netted the third-round draft choice used to draft Jake Guentzel. Morrow never played a game with the Stars, either, and was traded to Boston before joining Montreal after last season. Beau Bennett [2010, 20th] – His solid skills set convinced the Penguins to claim him, but Bennett, now with St. Louis, gets injured so often that he should travel to road games in a MedEvac helicopter. Angelo Esposito [2007, 20th] – The Penguins thought they caught a break when Esposito, once the top-rated prospect in his class, fell to them at No. 20, and they were right. They caught a break, all right. A bad one. He was traded to Atlanta in the Marian Hossa- deal less than a year later, then sustained a couple of serious knee injuries and never played in the NHL. Robert Dome [1997, 17th] – Dome was widely believed to be pretty much NHL-ready when the Penguins claimed him in the first NHL draft held in Pittsburgh, mostly because he had spent the previous season with Las Vegas of the International Hockey League. Turned out he never was NHL-ready and put up just seven goals and seven assists in 52 games with the Penguins and one with Calgary. Craig Hillier [1996, 23rd] – General manager hoped he had found the franchise’s goalie of the future, but Hillier never faced a shot in the NHL. Stefan Bergkvist [1993, 26th] – He looked to be well worth the pick the Penguins used to get him, but a medical misadventure — Bergkvist developed a benign tumor on the hearing nerve on the right side of his head while playing for the Penguins’ farm team in Cleveland — limited him to just seven NHL games. 1081362 Pittsburgh Penguins Smith was incredible in helping the Flames to a fifth consecutive win over the Penguins, one that snapped Phil Kessel’s points streak at five and marked the only road game of the season where the Penguins failed to Penguins lose game but may have gained a key piece in Jarry core a power-play goal. “We played great,” said Rust, who at one point blew past T.J. Brodie and JASON MACKEY lost the puck, only to see it skitter through Smith’s pads and eventually the crease, the definition of a bad bounce. “We had a few pucks that got behind the goalie. It didn’t go in the net.” CALGARY, Alberta — Bryan Rust sat back in his stall at Scotiabank It did when the Penguins pulled Jarry for an extra attacker, a goal Saddledome late Thursday, arms folded overhead, a look of frustration eventually credited to Patric Hornqvist at 18:48 of the third period that on his face. On the other side of the room, Phil Kessel fumed. forced overtime. “I got nothing,” Kessel said when asked for his postgame comments. Responding to Monahan’s marker meant a lot for the Penguins, but they’re still not producing five-on-five goals, even if the process has Then perhaps the most poignant moment unfolded: Minutes after a 2-1 looked markedly better. overtime loss to the Flames that may have been frustrating to some, Sidney Crosby walked across the room and gave Tristan Jarry a pat on But bet on the Penguins correcting that. Banking on Niemi or Casey the back, his way of telling the Penguins’ young goalie, “Good job.” DeSmith isn’t near as much of a lock … or a lock at all. Although the Penguins dropped to 0-4-1 this season on the second night That’s why what Jarry did here was important. He flashed what the of back-to-backs, this one felt much, much different. In part because of Penguins could, and probably do, have. Jarry. Also because the process was night-and-day different than what it has been in this situations. “Obviously it’s not the outcome I wanted, but I thought I played well,” Jarry said. “I thought I played very positionally. I thought I played tight. I Vancouver's Derrick Pouliot crashes into his net behind Dallas' Tyler thought it was a step in the right direction for me. I want to get better and Pitlick during the second period Monday. better every game. I think that’s what I’ve been doing.” The Penguins haven't always struck gold in the NHL draft's first round Some strange officiating “This is one of the better games that we’ve played, back-to-back or no After an early tripping call on Mikael Backlund, the Flames enjoyed four back-to-back,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “This is definitely the consecutive power plays while the Penguins didn’t get a second chance best game that we’ve played on this trip. Probably deserved a better fate. with the man-advantage — an odd occurrence when you consider that We liked a lot of our game [Thursday].” team play was pretty much even. Easiest to like may have been Jarry, who stopped 32 of 34 in a losing What was called was also a little suspect, such as the roughing call on effort. The shots that beat him weren’t egregious mistakes by the young Ryan Reaves late in the second. goaltender, either. Jarry looked every bit the part of someone who belongs in the NHL. But if you’re waiting for the Penguins to gripe, you’re going to be there for a while. Sean Monahan scored a power-play goal at 18:53 of the third period that clanked off Brian Dumoulin’s skate. Mark Giordano won it at 2:19 of “I’m not interested in talking about the refs,” Rust said. overtime with a wicked snipe that found a tiny, top-shelf opening. “It doesn’t matter if I agree or not,” Sullivan said. “The referees are going Jarry should keep himself up at night fretting over neither. to call it the way I see it.” “I thought he was terrific,” Sullivan said of the 22-year-old Jarry. They did, and the Flames took advantage via Monahan’s goal. They nearly did on the previous penalty, on Reaves, one that he appeared to “He looked calm, always in good position,” Kris Letang added. draw on reputation alone. “With the forwards they have, the skill level, the power play, he was “Because he has a reputation of being a tough player, I think when he tested,” Crosby said. “Did a great job for us. Gave us a chance to win.” goes and makes body checks, antennas are up.” Jason Mackey Post Gazette LOADED: 11.03.2017 The Penguins need more five-on-five offense Which says something important about this position, given the sizable struggles of Antti Niemi and, to a lesser degree, Casey DeSmith. If what Jarry did Thursday turns out to be real — it was supported in the minors by three consecutive wins before his promotion and a .923 save percentage over his final two outings — it could mean big things for the Penguins. Having a capable backup could eventually mean getting real results on the second night of back-to-backs, plus legitimate rest for starter Matt Murray. In the end, losing a point but gaining a reliable No. 2 man between the pipes is a trade general manager Jim Rutherford would gladly make. Especially if the Penguins continue to play the way they did for much of this game. Twenty-four hours after a strong start in Edmonton, the Penguins had arguably their best first period of the season against the Flames, tossing a season-high 19 shots at Flames goaltender Mike Smith. They carried the play for long stretches, were ultra-aggressive in pursuit and made smart decisions with the puck — areas that have lacked more often they’d prefer to this point in the season. “I think we came out pretty hard,” Letang said. “Our first period was really good. I thought we could have capitalized on a couple of our chances and maybe grabbed the lead and made them chase.” The only problem, of course, was that none of those chances went in. 1081363 San Jose Sharks San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.03.2017

Sharks defenseman day-to-day after apparent head injury

By CURTIS PASHELKA | PUBLISHED: November 2, 2017

SAN JOSE — There were purportedly encouraging signs Thursday regarding defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s apparent head injury, but his availability for the Sharks’ game Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks and beyond is still in question. Vlasic was at the Sharks’ practice facility Thursday, a day after he was knocked out of the game by a hit from Nashville Predators centerman Ryan Johansen. Sharks coach Pete DeBoer had not yet spoken to Vlasic as of Thursday morning but believes the injury — officially described as an upper-body issue — is not severe, according to the report he received. Vlasic, 30, is considered day-to-day. “I don’t believe it’s long-term,” DeBoer said. Vlasic, the Sharks’ top shutdown defenseman, was in his own zone early in the third period trying to control a loose puck in the corner when he was hit by Johansen in the head. Vlasic’s head then made hard contact with the glass and he stayed on the ice on all fours for several moments before he was assisted off. He had 15:55 of ice time up until the time he was injured. Johansen received a boarding penalty at the 1:02 mark of the third period for the play, but there was no indication he would face further discipline from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. “I hope he’s OK, first of all,” Johansen said after Wednesday’s game. “I totally thought it was clean. I would never, ever try to hit someone in a bad position. I felt like I was just getting body position on him, but I really hope he’s OK because you never want to see anybody go down.” DeBoer said he looked at video of the game without slowing down Johansen’s hit on Vlasic. “To be honest, I don’t know what that line is, the intent and all of that type of stuff, so I don’t spend a lot of energy on that,” DeBoer said. “We have people at the NHL level and that’s what they do specifically and we rely on them to decide. “There’s stuff that slaps you right across the face as blatantly dirty, and then there’s other things that are shades of gray. I steer away from the shades of gray area.” The Sharks are scheduled to practice Friday as they prepare for their third game of the homestand against the Ducks. If Vlasic is unable to practice or play Saturday, one option for the Sharks would be moving Dylan DeMelo alongside Justin Braun, taking Vlasic’s spot on the second defense pair, although DeMelo and Braun are right-handed shots. Paul Martin, on injured reserve since Oct. 12 because of an ankle issue, said Thursday that ideally he would participate in more than one full practice before stepping back into a game starting next week. Martin has been skating all week but has not participated in a full practice, which might happen Friday. He took part in the Sharks’ optional skate Thursday. Vlasic has missed a combined 34 games over the last three regular seasons, and the Sharks have gone 14-17-3 in those games. Vlasic missed seven games last season, including four when he was hit in the face by a shot from Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere, and the Sharks went 2-4-1 in his absence. “It’s a big hole,” DeBoer said. “He’s one of those guys you don’t realize how important he is until he’s out of the lineup, and I think our record over the last few years when he’s been out indicates that. So we’ve got to do a better job of managing that if he is out.” The Sharks’ defense looks a little different than it did last season as both Joakim Ryan and Tim Heed are making positive contributions. Ryan earned his first career NHL point Wednesday on Mikkel Boedker’s third- period goal, and set a franchise record with nine blocked shots. Heed also had one assist, and now has seven points in his last eight games. “(Vlasic) and Braun usually have their role or their matchups, but I think we have confidence in all of the guys to play the game the way that we expect,” Martin said, “so it kind of gives someone else an opportunity to get those minutes.” 1081364 San Jose Sharks

Any time without Vlasic would represent a real test for the Sharks

By Marcus White November 02, 2017 8:22 AM

The San Jose Sharks sealed their first three-game winning streak with a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night. In the process, they still experienced their biggest loss of the season. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic left the game just over a minute into the third period with an apparent head injury. Predators forward Ryan Johansen lined up Vlasic for a hit along the boards, and his elbow appeared to drive Vlasic’s head into the boards. Head coach Peter DeBoer offered no update on Vlasic’s status after the game. Given Vlasic’s own injury history, and his importance to the team, the Sharks have plenty of reasons to be concerned. Last season, Vlasic suffered multiple facial fractures after taking a puck to the face in a December 30 with over the Philadelphia Flyers. Vlasic missed the next four games, and was not the same player defensively after returning. He scored 19 points in 40 games after the injury, compared to 9 in 35 before, but his puck possession numbers cratered upon his return. Last season was the first in Vlasic’s career where the Sharks attempted less shots than their opponents with the defenseman on the ice, according to Hockey Reference. Since Vlasic appeared to suffer another injury to his head, the Sharks will need to be extra cautious working him back to health and towards a return to the lineup. His recovery is the most important priority, even as the Sharks will likely struggle in his absence. Even though Vlasic failed to drive play in the same way he’s done in the past last season, his presence opens up opportunities for his fellow defensemen. This season, no Sharks blueliner has started a lower percentage of shifts in the offensive zone than Vlasic, per Natural Stat Trick. With Vlasic and partner Justin Braun drawing the toughest assignments, Brent Burns and Tim Heed are freed up and able to create offensively while playing against more manageable competition. Vlasic’s potential absence, then, will fundamentally change how DeBoer utilizes his defense. The Sharks could soon have reinforcements, as defenseman Paul Martin is practicing with the team and DeBoer told reporters after the game he’s “getting closer” to a return from injured reserve. His return will ensure something resembling normalcy on the blueline, as San Jose will still have three defenseman playing on their proper side. Make no mistake, though: any time without Vlasic would represent a real test for the Sharks, who went just 2-4-1 without him last season. Any team is in trouble after losing a minutes-eating defenseman to injury, but the Sharks are especially dependent upon him. Vlasic’s presence makes life easier for his teammates, and his absence will make things much harder as the team is beginning to hit its stride. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081365 St Louis Blues The Flyers have an injury-depleted defensive corps, but have some firepower up front. Three Philly forwards are averaging more than a point a game: Jakub Voracek (16 points on two goals and 14 assists); Sean Husso trying to make the most of his stint as goaltender insurance Couturier (15 points on nine goals and six assists); and Claude Giroux (14 points on six goals and eight assists).

"They're an aggressive team," Yeo said. "They're obviously banged up By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the back end right now. They've got a young group back there, but even in the game last night, the quality of chances they're getting. . . they've got forwards that make plays off the rush, they make plays in the offensive zone, they capitalize very well on turnovers, their top line is More than anything, young goalies need game experience. Even so, Ville very, very dangerous. Husso is trying to make the most of his brief time in St. Louis. "You've got guys beneath them like (Wayne) Simmonds; their power play "It's nice to be up and get the first NHL call-up," Husso said. "But I still is a real handful so discipline will be a big key tonight." need to work every day and be focused on my own game. It gives me a good feeling, of course." Because of injuries, the Flyers have four rookies among their current seven defensemen. Their roster includes a pair of former Blues: goalie Net Front Presence - Breaking down the early Blues success Brian Elliott and center Jori Lehtera. Lehtera, who came to Philadelphia Husso, 22, was called up Saturday from San Antonio of the American as part of the Brayden Schenn trade in June, has one assist and is Hockey League as goaltender insurance, what with Carter Hutton and his minus-1 in seven games this season. wife expecting their first child. The expectation was that Husso would be THURSDAY'S LINES here for a couple of days. Based on the morning skate, there will be no changes against the Flyers "Now, I've been here like five days," Husso said. "It's nice to be here but in the Blues' lines or defensive pairings: of course I want to play a lot." Forwards For the second time since his arrival, Husso will dress and be the backup to starter Jake Allen on Thursday night against Philadelphia. Hutton was Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko not on the ice for Thursday's morning skate. Sobotka-Stastny-Steen Husso also was the No. 2 goalie Saturday against Columbus, but it was Hutton backing up Allen on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, Paarjarvi-Sundqvist-Bennett making Husso a healthy scratch. Upshall-Brodziak-Jaskin "We would want young players to play games, but if you're here, there's certainly things to take from it," coach Mike Yeo said. "You can't replicate Defense that, being in games, playing games, and the development that a goalie Gunnarssson-Pietrangelo will get because of it. Parayko-Edmundson "That said, the NHL level is a different level and players shoot the puck much better up here. So for a goalie like him to come up and face NHL Dunn-Bortuzzo shots, even if it's just in practice, that's not a bad thing." Goalie After an impressive training camp and preseason with the Blues, Husso was assigned to San Antonio where he played in three of the Rampage's Jake Allen first seven games before his call-up. The Rampage are a Colorado St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 affiliate this season, but have agreed to take some Blues prospects on their roster as well. "They have a good team, so we need to battle for the game time," Husso said of the Rampage. "We split (the roster) with Colorado. So it's good for us. We have to focus every practice and every game." Husso, who is from Finland, said he has enjoyed his time in Texas. "It's warm," he said. "Nice city. We have a good practice rink there. . . .The only minus is we don't have a sauna there _ there's no sauna." He hasn't dived too deep, however, into Tex-Mex cuisine. "Sometimes a couple tacos, but not too much," he said. "They have those healthy salad places so it's good for me." The Rampage don't have a goalie coach, but Colorado sends one there from time to time, and the Blues send Dave Rogalski, their roving goalie development coach, periodically as well. Husso says he has enjoyed working with Blues goaltending David Alexander during his call-up time with the big club. "It's good for me," Husso said. "I have improved a lot but I got a couple good things from (Alexander) in training camp, so I'm using it in practice and the games. So it's nice to (work) with the goalie coach. "Of course the game is a little faster here and guys are more skilled. So I need to be ready and get the body all the time towards the puck." FLYERS IN TOWN Philadelphia (6-6-1) comes to town having lost four of its last five, including a 3-0 defeat Wednesday in Chicago, but the Blues are taking noting for granted. "We've been on the road (a lot)," Blues forward Magnus Paajarvi said. "We don't want to get too sleepy now and be satisfied. "They've got some really skilled players that will take advantage if you make mistakes. So we really need to focus on our game and be on the same page." 1081366 St Louis Blues

Berglund working his way back from shoulder surgery

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Patrik Berglund’s rehabilitation and recovery from left shoulder surgery has reached the point where he’s joined the team during practice sessions on a limited basis. “Feeling better and better,” Berglund said Thursday. “It’s a long process, but it’s nice to be back on the ice with the guys. I’ve been skating for a while but not with the boys. It’s nice to be part of some real practices for sure.” For at least the third time in the past week, Berglund was on the ice with the rest of the team during Thursday’s morning skate. He takes part in some team drills, then works on individual drills when the Blues go to work that might involve contact. “I just started shooting a week ago basically,” he said. “Now during the morning skates and a few optional skates, they will let me be a part of as much as I can. No contact obviously, yet. But it’s nice. It’s coming along. ... It’s still a ways to go. But I am where I should be right now.” Berglund scored a career-high 23 goals for the Blues last season but suffered a shoulder injury during summer training that required surgery. The expectation is that Berglund will return sometime in December, but there are no guarantees. “I still have a lot of strength work to do in the gym,” he said. “Get stronger. I’ve been very inactive for a long time, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Just building up muscle and so on again so I can feel comfortable.” Being back on the ice in a practice setting has made him even more anxious to start playing games. That’s doubly true because the Blues are off to such a fast start. • BLUES TALK: Sound off about the 2017-18 season “As of right now, I might be out of a job and just staying right here,” Berglund joked as he sat in front of his locker stall. “I mean, it’s been great to watch them play. I think they’ve played unreal, and obviously when you win a lot of games it’s really good spirit in here. Hopefully they can keep going.” Kidding aside, Berglund’s return can only help the team — even as well as it’s playing. “I don’t really know what to say,” Berglund said. “I just want to get ready and be ready to play and help the team as good as I can.” HUSSO STILL AROUND More than anything, young goalies need game experience. Even so, Ville Husso is trying to make the most of his brief time in St. Louis. “It’s nice to be up and get the first NHL call-up,” Husso said. “But I still need to work every day and be focused on my own game. It gives me a good feeling, of course.” Husso, 22, was called up Saturday from San Antonio of the American Hockey League as goaltender insurance, what with Carter Hutton and his wife expecting their first child. The expectation was that Husso would be here for only a couple of days. “Now, I’ve been here like five days,” Husso said. “It’s nice to be here but of course I want to play a lot.” Husso has dressed and was the backup to starter Jake Allen twice since his call-up. “We would want young players to play games, but if you’re here, there’s certainly things to take from it,” coach Mike Yeo said. “You can’t replicate that, being in games, playing games, and the development that a goalie will get because of it. “That said, the NHL level is a different level and players shoot the puck much better up here. So for a goalie like him to come up and face NHL shots, even if it’s just in practice, that’s not a bad thing.” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081367 St Louis Blues or when he stopped Schenn from point-blank range in the final 30 seconds of the game.

“We could have played better in the second,” Pietrangelo said. “We Gordo: Depeleted Flyers should've been a sure thing played a pretty good third period. We got a lot of looks. Obviously Neuvirth played well. We didn’t score. Can’t win if you don’t score.” Jeff Gordon As for the second Flyers goal, it was a bit of a gift. Flyers winger Jakub Voracek parked in front of goaltender Jake Allen on the first shift of the second period and prevented him from seeing Brandon Manning’s not- so-supersonic shot from the right point. Jeff Gordon is an online sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Rather than eliminate Voracek’s screen, Pietrangelo joined it by further Neuvirth makes 33 saves as Flyers blank Blues 2-0 blocking Allen’s view. Pietrangelo also nudged Voracek into Allen, which is why the Flyers could successfully challenge the original on-ice call of The Blues handled their business efficiently through the first month of the “no goal” for goaltender interference. season. They racked up 21 points in 13 games and built a comfortable seven-point division lead. The second Flyers goal came with six seconds left, with Claude Giroux scoring into an empty net after his team withstood a couple of furious They emerged as one of the better stories in the National Hockey last-minute flurries. League. Despite suffering a litany of key injuries, they battled to the top of the Central Division while their rivals sputtered. It was just that kind of night for the Blues. But Thursday night they wasted a prime opportunity while falling to the They didn’t play poorly, they just missed shot after shot while preying on Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 at Scottrade Center. the depleted Flyers. So they failed to bank another victory and store more confidence to draw from during the long winter that looms. “Usually we find a way to win these kind of hockey games,” Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “We just ran out of time.” St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 The Blues carried the play in the first period and again in the third, which was to be expected. They had two days to prepare to play the game. Conversely the Flyers lost to the Blackhawks 3-0 the night before in Chicago. Not only were the Flyers fatigued coming off of a hard-fought game, they were shorthanded too. Elite shot-blocking defenseman Andrew MacDonald is sidelined for weeks with a lower-body injury. Power-play quarterback Shayne Gostisbehere and shutdown defender Radko Gudas are out for the near term with upper-body injuries. So the Flyers started four rookies on defense — Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg, Mark Alt and six-year American Hockey League veteran Will O’Neill, making his NHL debut at age 29. (The defensive injury epidemic extended to the minors, where three Flyers prospects went down and opened the door for O’Neill.) Gudas went down in the first period against the Blackhawks, so the Flyers played just five defensemen much of that game. Second-year pro Ivan Provorov had to bounce back Thursday after playing a career-high 29 minutes, 51 seconds against the Blackhawks. That took a toll on his legs, right? Flyers coach Dave Hakstol had to handle his D-men with care. “Offensively, it puts a little more emphasis on our forwards to keep the puck,” Hakstol said beforehand. “Tonight, in particular, is a night where we don’t want to give the puck up too easily. If you do that, by nature you’re going to spend more time without it, chasing it, playing defensively. Tonight we want to hold that puck as much as we can and have a little bit of possession in the offensive zone.” That wasn’t easy, since the Flyers also had to work around the absence of rookie center Nolan Patrick, the second overall pick in the 2017 draft. That injury thrust Jori Lehtera into significant duty, and Blues fans know the problems that creates. Despite all those disadvantages, the Flyers withstood heavy Blues pressure — especially during the first 10 minutes, when they were outshot 10-1 — and squeezed out the victory. How could this happen? Well, the Blues misfired on a lot of shots, like when winger Vladimir Tarasenko fired wide right in the first period when much of the net was exposed. Or when defenseman Carl Gunnarsson broke all the way to the top of the crease ... only to chunk his uncovered one-time shot. Or when Tarasenko cut to the slot early in third period and fired high. Or when winger Scottie Upshall tried to whack home a third-period rebound at the right post while getting dumped. Or when Tarasenko clanged a shot off the post while Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth fell back into the net, having been high-sticked by a teammate. And when they hit the net, Neuvirth was there — like in the second period, when he robbed former Flyer Brayden Schenn on a clean walk-in, 1081368 St Louis Blues zone alone on goalie Michal Neuvirth, but Neuvirth snagged it with his glove.

Schenn figured in the action again midway through the second when he Blues silenced by 'desperate' Flyers collided with Philadelphia’s Sean Couturier in the Flyers end, and Couturier went down hard. Schenn caught him in the head with his shoulder, and Couturier stayed down for a long time . Schenn got a By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch penalty for interference, which the Blues killed. Couturier returned in the third period, presumably after passing the concussion protocol.

“I’m not trying to go out there and hurt the guy,” Schenn said. “I know him The Blues have won games all sort of ways this season, with all sort of pretty well. I played with him for six or seven years. I didn’t even finish heroes. (my check) through him, I was gliding. I tucked my shoulder, tucked my elbow, and didn’t hit his head.” They still haven’t mastered the art of the comeback. Philadelphia blocked 20 shots, and Tarasenko took 16 shots, a season The Blues are no longer undefeated at home this season, but they high, but only five of them got to Neuvirth. remain winless when trailing after two periods and for the first time this season they couldn’t put a goal on the board. Despite having one of their “As a team we weren’t even as close to good as we needed to be,” most dominant games of the season in terms of shot attempts, taking 68 Schenn said. “We came out flat, the second period wasn’t great either. shots to just 39 for Philadelphia, the Blues didn’t get the right kind of Against a team playing on a back-to-back, we didn’t give enough effort.” attempts, namely those that have the best chance of leading to goals. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.03.2017 They came out on the losing end of a replay review in the second period, and that one goal turned out to be the only one that mattered. The Flyers, playing the second game of back-to-backs and with a defense corps decimated by injuries, then got an empty net goal late to secure a 2-0 win over the Blues at Scottrade Center on Thursday. “I think that everyone’s frustrated,” center Paul Stastny said. “No one wants to lose here. ... We should have been better knowing that they played last night. They were a desperate team. But that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to play the way we want to play. It’s going to happen. You’re going to lose games. We’ve got to find some positives and get back to it tomorrow because we have another desperate team (Toronto) on Saturday.” “I think collectively as a group,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said, “offensively we weren’t on top of it. It seemed like when we had shots, we didn’t have the net front. Or when we had the net front we didn’t get the shots that were presented to us. And again, I think that in the offensive zone there was such a want to get the puck that we were all taking the easy ice, which was to the outside as opposed to fighting to get to the inside. “They defended well, but I don’t know if we made it hard enough on them.” This, of course, is unfamiliar territory for the Blues this season, who lost in regulation for just the third time and were 5-0 at Scottrade,with wins over some of the better teams in the league. After a dominating October, they were looking to carry it over into November, but one game in they’ve got some ground to make up. “There’s definitely some stuff (to look at),” Yeo said. “There’s some stuff that still has a tendency to creep into our game offensively . ... We’re going to look at some video tomorrow and address some of the stuff and work on some of it.” And still, if not for the grace of a replay review, the Blues might have gotten at least a point. They came out strong in the first period, generating 10 shots on goal in the first five minutes, but couldn’t score, and as often happens, that gave life to the other team. The Flyers got a goal 38 seconds into the second period, though it took a lot longer for it to be registered. Brandon Manning took a shot from the blue line that hit a stick on the way in and fluttered past Jake Allen in goal, hitting Alex Pietrangelo’s elbow on the way in, but referee Ghislain Hebert immediately waved it off, saying Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek, who was right in front of Allen on the play, had interfered. The Flyers didn’t hesitate in challenging the call, because, as the replays showed, Voracek was there because Pietrangelo had him trapped and was pushing him into Allen, who had no chance to see the puck. It was ruled no goalie interference, and the Flyers took a 1-0 lead. “We didn’t really know where the puck was because there was kind of a scrum,” Pietrangelo said. “That stuff happens. … It’s one goal. We didn’t score. Whether that went in or not, the game would have been 0-0.” “ I had a pretty good feeling that the goal was going to count,” said Yeo. “If he wasn’t touched, you know, if he went in on his own, then I think that the call would’ve held up. But I saw the contact with Petro, and I think that there was enough for them to say that he was pushed in.” Brayden Schenn, in his first game against his former team — “It’s always weird playing buddies,” he said. “It would have been nice to beat them.” — had the best chance of the second for the Blues, taking a nifty redirection of the puck from Vladimir Tarasenko that sprung him into the 1081369 Tampa Bay Lightning Rangers 1 0 0 1 2 Lightning 0 1 0 0 1 Lightning falls to Rangers in OT (w/ video) First Period—1, N.Y. Rangers, Kreider 4 (Skjei, Zibanejad), 18:34. Penalties—Shattenkirk, NYR, (holding), 12:49; Zuccarello, NYR, (slashing), 17:32; Hedman, TB, (roughing), 17:32. Joe Smith Second Period—2, Tampa Bay, Gourde 3 (Hedman, Point), 11:00 (sh). Penalties—Kampfer, NYR, Major (fighting), 9:38; Callahan, TB, Major (fighting), 9:38; Namestnikov, TB, (cross checking), 10:01. TAMPA — The Lightning had no business winning Thursday’s game against the Rangers. Third Period—None. Penalties—Brown, TB, Major (fighting), 3:01; Kampfer, NYR, Major (fighting), 3:01; Killorn, TB, (slashing), 3:01; Sure, it got a potential go-ahead goal waved off early in the third period McDonagh, NYR, (roughing), 5:04. due to a questionable goalie interference call. But that Tampa Bay squeezed a point out of a 2-1 overtime loss is thanks to another Overtime—3, N.Y. Rangers, Miller 3 (Shattenkirk), 1:19. Penalties— Herculean effort by goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. None. Shots on Goal—N.Y. Rangers 13-12-9-1—35. Tampa Bay 8-16- 4—28. Power-play opportunities—N.Y. Rangers 0 of 2; Tampa Bay 0 of This one could have been ugly early had Vasilevskiy not bailed out the 2. Goalies—N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 3-4-2 (28 shots-27 saves). Tampa Lightning early with saves on several odd-man rushes. The last time Bay, Vasilevskiy 10-1-0 (35-33). A—19,092 (19,092). T—2:45. Tampa Bay gave up that many chances in a game was in a 5-4 loss to Referees—Tom Chmielewski, Brian Pochmara. Linesmen—Tim Nowak, the Panthers in Game No. 2, which it dubbed a wakeup call. Pierre Racicot. "The Rangers deserved to win that game," coach Jon Cooper said. "We Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 played loose. We let them skate by us on a lot of occasions. We just can’t think it’s going to be a track meet every night and we’re going to skill all these out. "If you take the goaltender interference out of it, that would have given us two (goals). (The Rangers) should have had six. It was like, ‘Don’t worry, ‘Vasy’ will get it.’ You can’t play like that." The Lightning, off to a tremendous 10-3-1 start, isn’t going to be perfect every night. There will be games like this. But Tampa Bay didn’t match the desperation of the struggling Rangers (5-7-2), who drug the Lightning into another tight-checking game. "They were desperate, and they played like it," Cooper said. "We didn’t play desperate. We played like it was Game 82 and we had already accomplished something. We haven’t accomplished anything." Vasilevskiy fell one short of a franchise mark of wins in 10 consecutive decisions. But he played well enough to win. He was at his best early, making 33 saves overall. Tampa Bay got lucky when Michael Grabner hit the post five minutes in. Vasilevskiy made a great stop on J.T. Miller on a 2-on-1. Then he gloved a breakaway chance by Kevin Shattenkirk, who had just come out of the box. It took a 3-on-1 for the Rangers to finally convert, Chris Kreider sneaking a shot through late in the first period. "(Vasilevskiy) was amazing," forward Yanni Gourde said. "He’s been our best player since the start of the season. He’s been our MVP." This game had a nasty feel to it. There were a few fights, Ryan Callahan and J.T. Brown each getting in a bout with Rangers defenseman Steven Kampfer. Victor Hedman got into a post-whistle scrum with Mats Zuccarello. The Lightning tied it midway through the second on a shorthanded goal by Gourde. On a delayed penalty call on the Rangers, Brayden Point sparked a 2-on-1 with a great effort in the neutral zone, drawing a penalty. Hedman and Gourde had a give-and-go, with Gourde finishing for his third goal of the season. Tampa Bay thought it took the lead early in the third when Alex Killorn’s point shot trickled through traffic. But the goal was quickly waved off due to goaltender interference against Gabriel Dumont, who appeared to be pushed into Henrik Lundqvist by Kampfer. The Lightning challenged to no avail, and the Amalie Arena sellout crowd of 19,092 let the referees hear it. LIGHTNING STRIKES: In the latest podcast, Joe Smith and columnist Tom Jones discuss whether Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov form the best duo in Lightning history. "That was a bad call," Cooper said. "The only person in the building that thought it wasn’t a goal is the ref. He missed it." On the overtime winner, Miller whipped around Gourde and then Point in front of the net, putting the puck top shelf. Gourde said there was a miscommunication. Said Point: "(Miller) beat both of us." For the Lightning, it was that kind of night. Joe Smith can be reached at [email protected] Follow @TBTimes_JSmith. 1081370 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning journal: Waved-off goal costly

Roger Mooney, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA — The score was tied at 1 early in the third period of a game that felt as if the next goal would win it, and the Lightning thought it had that goal when Alex Killorn sent a shot past Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist. But the Lightning’s Gabriel Dumont, who was in the crease, nudged Lundqvist after being pushed by Rangers D Steven Kampfer. It was enough contact for the goal to be waved off for goalie interference, a call that was confirmed by a replay review. It was a key moment in the Lightning’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Rangers on Thursday. "That was a bad call," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "The only person in the building that thought it wasn’t a goal is the ref. He missed it." Lundqvist didn’t think it was a goal, either. He said Dumont prevented him from skating out and challenging the shot. "There’s still a lot of time left," C Brayden Point said of the play that occurred at 3:01 of the third. "We’ve got to bounce back from that." Welcome back, ‘Boyler’ Coach Jon Cooper said he made it a point Wednesday to watch former Lightning F Brian Boyle make his season debut with the Devils against the Canucks. A physical at the start of training camp revealed Boyle, 32, had chronic myelogenous leukemia, a form of blood and bone marrow cancer. "He wasn’t here a long time, but he made a big impact on not only myself but our team and this community," Cooper said. The Lightning traded Boyle to the Maple Leafs last season near the trade deadline after two-plus seasons. He signed with the Devils as a free agent in the offseason. "It was definitely a shock when we heard the news of what happened to him," Cooper said. "But to be able to see him back out there … ‘Boyler’ is being Boyler back out there. He nearly scored in his first shift, which would have been total Boyle-style. It’s great to see him back." Celebrating the Cup champs Four members of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship team — Brad Richards, Fredrik Modin, Andre Roy and Brad Lukoewich — will sign autographs and pose for pictures from noon-1 today at Tampa Bay Sports at International Plaza in Tampa. Fans are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item for Metropolitan Ministries. The team will be honored before Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets, who are coached by John Tortorella, who coached the Cup team. The festivities begin with a blue carpet walk at Thunder Ally outside Amalie Arena, where players will sign autographs. Scheduled to appear are Tortorella, Lukowich, Modin, Richards, Roy, Dmitry Afanasenkov, Dave Andreychuk, Dan Boyle, Martin Cibak, Jassen Cullimore, Chris Dingman, Ruslan Fedotenko, Pavel Kubina, Vinny Lecavalier, Cory Sarich, Marty St. Louis, Tim Taylor and GM Jay Feaster. Stand up for P.K. The Lightning honored its Fox Sports Sun reporter, Paul Kennedy, as part of Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Kennedy had surgery this week for prostate cancer. Fox Sports Sun Rays reporter Rich Hollenberg is filling in until Kennedy returns. The Lightning wore lavender jerseys during warmups as part of the event, and the players used lavender tape on their sticks during the morning skate and warmups. Those sticks are being auctioned at tampabaylightning.com/hockeyfightscancer. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081371 Tampa Bay Lightning

Joe Smith’s takeaways from Thursday’s Lightning-Rangers game

Joe Smith Published: November 2, 2017

Thoughts and prayers to Fox Sports Sun Lightning reporter Paul Kennedy, who is recovering from prostate cancer surgery this week. On Hockey Fights Cancer Night, Lightning players and staff posed for a photo in the dressing room, each one holding a sign that said, "I fight for P.K." Me, too. The Lightning gave up more grade-A chances in the first period against the Rangers than it had in some entire games this season. Credit goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for making sure this one didn’t get ugly early. His best stop came on a breakaway by Kevin Shattenkirk. Yanni Gourde’s shorthanded, tying goal in the second period shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He has been tremendous in his first full NHL season, the relentless forward picking up where he left off in his late callup last year. His line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat has been the most consistent for Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081372 Toronto Maple Leafs

Alex Ovechkin forms ‘Putin Team’ movement to back Russian president

JEFF ROBERSON/AP

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is forming a public movement in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is all but certain to seek a new term in office next year. Ovechkin, a Russian national team forward, made history last month, scoring four goals to become the first player in a century to claim back-to-back hat-tricks to open a season as the Capitals routed the Montreal Canadiens 6-1. "Personal awards and prizes - all this is great, but in hockey, just as in any business, a team is more important for a victory," Ovechkin wrote on Instagram on Thursday. "I have never hidden my attitude towards our president, always openly supporting him," he added. "I am confident that there are many of us, supporting Vladimir Putin. So let's unite and show everyone a united and strong Russia!" He made no mention of Russia's next presidential election in March, in which Putin, with public approval ratings in Russia hovering at above 80 percent, is widely expected to run. Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, has not said if he will seek his fourth term as president. Ovechkin said his movement would be called "Putin Team", an idea derived from a cliche "Putin's team" used by Western media. "I liked very much this definition. I am personally ready to be part of such a team," Ovechkin said. "It's like that feeling when you put on a jersey of Russia's national team, knowing that the entire country will be rooting for you." Ice hockey is a relatively recent sporting passion for Putin, a black belt in judo whose other hobbies include mountain skiing, horse-riding and diving. Together with former Soviet and Russian hockey players, ministers and showbiz celebrities, Putin founded an "NHL" of his own - the Night Hockey League - and he often wins its annual cups. Putin is not yet aware of Ovechkin's initiative, TASS news agency cited a Kremlin spokesman as saying. Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081373 Toronto Maple Leafs With Markstrom on the bench for the extra attacker, Schneider stoned Derek Pouliot with just over a minute to play and then with 42 seconds left before Stafford scored his fourth into an empty net to seal Devils blank Canucks as Schneider makes 37 saves against former team it. "We should have won this one," said Daniel Sedin. "Give (Schneider) a lot of credit. JOSHUA CLIPPERTON "When he's on his game he's really good."

Notes: Johansson crashed into the boards awkwardly 57 seconds into The Vancouver Canucks are probably glad they traded Cory Schneider the game and did not return. Hynes said he will be re-evaluated to a team in the Eastern Conference. Thursday. ... New Jersey continues its three-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, while Vancouver is home to the Pittsburgh Schneider made 37 saves for his first shutout of the season and the 24th Penguins on Saturday. of his career Wednesday as the New Jersey Devils defeated Vancouver 2-0. Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.03.2017 Dealt to the Devils for the ninth overall pick at the 2013 draft that the Canucks used to select centre , the 31-year-old Schneider improved to 5-1-2 against his old team – including five straight wins – to go along a .940 save percentage. "I've always loved playing in this city and this building," said Schneider. "I've always felt really comfortable and at home here. It was fun." Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford, into an empty net, scored for New Jersey (9-2-0), which surpassed the 1993-94 Devils for the best start to a season in franchise history. "It's nice to see the guys get rewarded for a lot of hard work," said New Jersey head coach John Hynes. "We (talked) in training camp about the way we wanted to play and the work ethic we wanted to have." The Devils have now won three straight and remain the NHL's only team with a perfect road record (5-0-0) to sit atop the Metropolitan Division. Taylor Hall added two assists and now has three goals and six assists in his last eight games against the Canucks. "We've been scoring a lot of goals," said Schneider. "But it felt like it was time to spin a game like this and get my teammates some help." Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for Vancouver (6-4-2), which had 80 shot attempts to New Jersey's 42, and has lost two in a row following Monday's 2-1 overtime setback against the Dallas Stars. "They had 21 blocked shots," said Canucks head coach Travis Green. "We might have cut our shots a little too fine, but you are either shooting to score or shooting to get a rebound. "We had a lot of both." New Jersey snapped the scoreless tie at 10:09 of the second period after Canucks rookie Brock Boeser saw his shot blocked in the offensive zone. The Devils raced the other way, with Markstrom stopping Hall's initial effort on a 2-on-1, but the puck bounced past Vancouver's backcheckers right to Hayes, who blasted a one-timer for his third of the season. "Bit of a knuckler," said Markstrom. "I got a little eager to get out and get it, it kind of curved in. You want that back, especially in a game like this." The Canucks came close to grabbing the lead earlier in the period when Daniel Sedin's redirection off a slap pass from twin brother Henrik from the high slot though a screen hit the base of the post and stayed out. Schneider had to be really sharp on a four-save sequence with under three minutes to go in the period after the Devils went ahead, saving an Alexander Burmistrov one-timer before also stopping two off the stick of Sam Gagner and another from Alex Biega. "Cory was the difference tonight. He was fantastic," said Hynes. "The result would not have happened if Cory didn't play as well as he did." Wednesday marked the return to the New Jersey lineup of forward Brian Boyle, who announced on Sept. 19 he was battling myelogenous leukemia, a form of blood and bone marrow cancer. The 32-year-old takes medication when he wakes up and before he goes to bed, and had been practising with the Devils since last week. "The guys in here, the last six weeks, whether they know it or not ... it's just been a tremendous boost of energy for me," said Boyle, who finished with 15:19 of ice time in his first game since April 23. "I can't thank them enough." Playing just 11 forwards after Marcus Johansson was injured less than a minute into the first period, Schneider and the Devils killed off two Canucks' power plays in the third. Vancouver kept coming, but Sven Baertschi shovelled wide of an open net off a feed from Horvat. 1081374 Toronto Maple Leafs

Marleau helps Leafs end skid with win over Ducks

HE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Playing on the road against a quality opponent while trying to break out of a losing skid is just the kind of situation the Toronto Maple Leafs brought Patrick Marleau in for. Marleau came through by scoring early in the third period and the Maple Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 Wednesday night to end a three- game losing streak. It was Marleau's 100th career game-winning goal. "Been around a while I guess," Marleau said. "No, it's pretty cool to say you got a hundred of those. Hope there's a lot more where that came from." Connor Brown also scored and Frederik Andersen stopped 28 shots for the Maples Leafs, who had dropped four of their last five after starting the season 6-1-0. "I think we did a lot of things better tonight," forward James van Riemsdyk said. "I maybe don't think we did a full 60, but we found a way to win and that's the most important thing. We know we can be better still." Ondrej Kase scored for the Ducks, who had won two straight. John Gibson made 26 saves. Marleau puts the Maple Leafs back in front 1:09 into the third with a powerful backhand shot for his 513th career goal. "It was a great job by him outmuscling the guy in front there," said defenceman Ron Hainsey, who had two assists. "I can't really speak on what it's like to have 100 game-winners, really, or 100 goals, so that's pretty incredible. Obviously speaks to his career's longevity." Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock shuffled his lines in an attempt to break out of the funk, asking Marleau to play centre with Brown and van Riemsdyk on the wing among other changes. The shakeup worked as the Maples Leafs controlled the first and third periods. The Maple Leafs took the lead at 7:54 of the first period when van Riemsdyk threaded a pass to a charging Brown at the front of the crease. With Brown a step in front of two Ducks defenders, all he had to do was reach out his stick and tip the puck between Gibson's legs for his fourth goal. It was van Riemsdyk's seventh assist in 10 games against the Ducks. But the Maple Leafs almost immediately gave back the advantage. Kase lobbed the puck towards the net where it struck defenceman Andreas Borgman in the right ankle and careened into the net. After scoring five goals in 53 games as a rookie last season, Kase has the same number through nine games this season. There was no scoring in the second period, thanks largely to the iron. Auston Matthews hit the post on a breakaway after a penalty expired to start the second, while Ducks forward Rickard Rakell and defenceman Francois Beauchemin each had shots hit the crossbar during power plays. The Ducks were 0 for 4 with the man-advantage. "You make your luck," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. "We weren't sharp on the power play. We've got to be better. We've got to deliver in those situations, for sure." Jakob Silfverberg had the tying goal waived off with 1:38 remaining after the officials ruled he kicked the puck in. The play stood as called after a brief video review. Leo Komarov scored an empty-netter 8 seconds later. Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081375 Toronto Maple Leafs

Ovechkin announces ‘Putin Team’ movement on Instagram

By ISABELLE KHURSHUDYAN

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has long supported Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media, but Thursday afternoon, he took it a step further with an Instagram post, announcing the creation of a social movement in support of Putin that he’s labelling the “Putin Team.” The Washington Post translated the caption as such: “Personal achievements and medals — all of this great, but in hockey, like with everything, to win it’s important to have a team. Only a team is capable of changing the course of a game, achieve the impossible. Lately, in the Western Press, I’m noticing a comparison to Putin’s team. And you know, I really liked that comparison. Personally, I’m ready to be a member of that team. I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him. ‘Evolving’ Alex Ovechkin sends NHL a message “I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of Putin Team. Be a part of this team — to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.” Russia will hold a presidential election in March, and though Putin hasn’t formally announced he will seek re-election, he’s expected to seek a new six-year term. Putin enjoys an 80 per cent approval rating and has run Russia for longer than anyone since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Under his rule, Moscow has been slapped with sanctions from the over its annexation of Crimea and tensions between the two nations are especially high over Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Toronto Star LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081376 Toronto Maple Leafs Any merger could not occur overnight, as a litany of business, financial and legal issues would have to be sorted out. The CWHL is centrally funded, while the NWHL has individual team owners. Women’s hockey leagues urged to merge for good of the game The NWHL has four teams in the northeast United States, while the CWHL has seven franchises — four in Canada, one in Boston and two in China. Logistically, some teams might need to be contracted, while other By SETH BERKMANNew York Times markets, such as Minnesota, could be attractive options for expansion. Players understand there are obstacles, but none seem insurmountable. The U.S.-Canada game here was played before a capacity crowd and BOSTON—Members of Canada’s national women’s hockey team believe fans wearing merchandise from both leagues were almost as prevalent the answer is clear. So do their rivals on the U.S. roster. as those wearing national team colours. A stable of Olympic gold medallists and the National Hockey League That the same professional environment does not exist for the world’s top agree too: it is time to seriously explore a unification of the Canadian women’s hockey players is bittersweet to many of them. Fortino and Women’s Hockey League and National Women’s Hockey League, which Larocque both predicted there would one day be a unified women’s is based in the United States. professional league but added a familiar caveat. “We always talk about it — the best in the world have to merge,” Laura “I don’t know if it will be in my lifetime,” each said, sighing. Fortino of Canada said last week before playing the United States in an exhibition game here. “We hope the commissioners of both sides come Toronto Star LOADED: 11.03.2017 to that reality, that in order for women’s hockey to get to the peak where we want it to be, we all have to be playing with the best.” The CWHL opened its 11th season Oct. 14, with its players earning a salary from the league for the first time and with two expansion teams in China. The NWHL began its third season Saturday with the Metropolitan Riveters hosting a game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., home of the NHL’s Devils, who recently became part-owners of the Riveters. The CWHL continues to grow its network of sponsors, and select NWHL games will be streamed on Twitter beginning this season. But for many of women’s hockey’s influential voices, that these milestones are being reached along separate paths delays the sport’s reaching its potential. Cassie Campbell, a three-time Olympic medallist for Canada, is a renowned ambassador for women’s hockey and a broadcaster for Sportsnet. After the Devils’ deal with the Riveters was announced in early October, she praised it but also tweeted that two leagues were not “helping us get to where we want to go.” Her viewpoint was supported by Angela Ruggiero, a four-time Olympic medallist for the United States, and Hilary Knight, a member of the national team. “The questions should be asked to the commissioners, who both know that two leagues do not help us in our long-term goal of eventually having a WNHL,” Campbell, who is also a member of the CWHL’s board of governors, wrote in an email. “It has been clearly communicated to them at various meetings and discussions. However, the legal issues and personality conflicts that exist make it difficult for a merger, but not impossible.” Dani Rylan, the commissioner of the NWHL, said she had approached the CWHL about staging a game between the league’s champions. “We’ve had conversations with the CWHL about the potential of playing maybe one game as a start to see what working together could look like, and there wasn’t much interest on that,” Rylan said. “We’re going to keep asking. I think that would be an amazing event for women’s hockey, and I think getting that one in the books would definitely make it easier to have a bigger conversation.” Brenda Andress, the CWHL commissioner, was not made available to comment, but a league spokesperson said: “The CWHL has always believed that one league is essential for a sustainable, strategic plan for a professional women’s hockey league. It is for this reason that the CWHL Board and office worked with Ms. Rylan closely three years ago; however, she chose to start her own league,” referring to Rylan’s interest in bringing a New York-area expansion franchise to the CWHL in 2014. Olympians from the United States and Canada will not play in either league this season until at least after the Pyeongchang Games in February, but a majority of those players, the game’s top stars, have said they would like to come back to one league. “What that one single league could be is amazing hockey,” said Jocelyne Larocque, who has played in the CWHL since 2012. “It’s hockey people would come and watch, people would pay to watch. It would be a true national women’s hockey league. Right now, neither of them are.” The leagues have had an icy relationship since Rylan formed the NWHL in 2015 and several players from the CWHL’s Boston franchise, including U.S. Olympians, jumped to the new league, which was the first to offer salaries. The NWHL created its own team in Boston and, as a result, the CWHL’s Boston club has experienced a dramatic drop in attendance. 1081377 Toronto Maple Leafs (118), Selanne (110), Brett Hull (110), Shanahan (109) and Jarome Iginla (101).

When Jagr passed Howe for the record he joked that “it’s the only one Marleau has magic touch, but not all game-winners are created equal: that Wayne Gretzky doesn’t have.” And maybe it says something that Feschuk Gretzky isn’t on that list. (Gretzky, who scored 91 game-winners in the regular season, shares his record of 24 game-winning playoff goals with Brett Hull.) By DAVE FESCHUK It would be silly to suggest Marleau doesn’t own a highlight reel of big- moment goals. This is a man whose resume includes four playoff overtime winners — as many as Gretzky. Only four men have scored LOS ANGELES—On the occasion of scoring his 100th game-winning more of those. And Marleau has 16 playoff game-winners all told, tied goal back in 2006, Brendan Shanahan attempted to put the achievement with Jagr for eighth on the all-time list and most among active players. in perspective. Given that Marleau has scored 68 playoff goals, 24 per cent of them have been game-winners. Gretzky’s number is 20 per cent. Chris Drury, “It feels good,” said Shanahan, then a Detroit Red Wings forward, now who van Riemsdyk listed as the most notable outlier of big-moment the Maple Leafs president. “Because obviously they’re not just achievement in his memory bank, scored 17 playoff game-winners — 36 meaningless goals.” per cent of his career playoff haul. That’s probably true. No NHL goal can be considered truly meaningless. Still, not all game-winners are created equal. Consider that Marleau once The red light flashes for each of them. And as the old saying goes: They scored a regular-season winner on an empty net — expanding a lead to don’t ask “How?” They ask “How many?” 3-1 in the final minute in Columbus last season. It was a good thing he Still, you don’t need to be a stats guru to understand that some NHL did. The Blue Jackets scored moments later to make it 3-2 — a goal that game-winners are more worthy of the label than others. might have been considered meaningless if not for the meaning it added to Marleau’s late tally. Consider the healthy collection owned by Maple Leafs veteran Patrick Marleau, who scored his 100th career game-winner on Wednesday night “There’s definitely some timing and some luck involved, I guess,” in Anaheim, helping the Maple Leafs to a much-needed 3-1 win that Marleau said with a smile. broke a three-game losing skid. There’s no doubt Marleau’s goal was a Toronto Star LOADED: 11.03.2017 significant one — a backhanded slapper from the slot that gave the Leafs a 2-1 third-period lead and punctuated a fabulous game for the 38-year- old forward. The first of Marleau’s game-winners, scored back in 1998, was slightly less remarkable. It came a little less than three minutes after the opening faceoff. It gave Marleau’s San Jose Sharks a 1-0 lead in a game they’d win 3-0. And it marked the first of 18 times in Marleau’s career that he’s been credited with the winner for scoring the first goal in a shutout victory. It’s no wonder Brian Gionta, the NHL veteran with 52 game-winners on his career docket, once described it as “a funny stat.” “You have to look at when they happen,” Gionta said. Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk, who owned 26 career game- winners heading into Thursday’s game at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings, acknowledged the imperfection of the number in question. “There’s many ways it can get skewed. Like, when you get up 4-0 and you score the fourth goal, and then they come back to score three and you win 4-3 — that’s interesting stuff,” said van Riemsdyk, raising a skeptical eye. “Maybe the ones that are overtime goals or the ones that win one-goal games — maybe there’s a little more value in those,” said van Riemsdyk. “How much? It’s hard to say.” Breaking down the 100 Marleau had scored heading into Thursday — 98 of which came with the San Jose Sharks — illustrated the variance in the stat’s relevance. Nine of Marleau’s game-winners were actual game- stoppers — overtime markers that left no debate about their decisiveness. On the other end of the spectrum, there were those 18 opening goals, wherein the game-winning goal scorer acknowledged a debt to the game-winning goaltender. “For sure, goaltending is huge,” Marleau said. “But if you do get an early goal and your goalie gets a shutout, that’s still a big goal. It doesn’t take anything away from it. I guess it just goes to show you how important every goal really is.” “When you think about it, you’re thinking of scoring that late goal,” he said. Heading into Thursday, more of Marleau’s game-winners had been scored in the second period (34) than in the third (31). Twenty-three had come in the first. The phrase “first-period game-winner” is not an oxymoron, although there are those who wonder. When Teemu Selanne scored the 100th game- winner of his career back in 2011, it came 34 seconds after the opening faceoff. “I didn’t expect that that would be the game-winner,” Selanne admitted. Which is not to take away from Marleau’s achievement. By reaching triple digits in the column marked GWG, Marleau joined a club with seven other members: Jaromir Jagr (135), Gordie Howe (121), 1081378 Toronto Maple Leafs Earlier in the second period, the Kings’ Tyler Toffoli scored two goals two minutes apart on Curtis McElhinney, making his second start of the season in the Leafs net. Difficult start, turnovers doom Maple Leafs at Kings Forward Kasperi Kapanen and defenceman Roman Polak drew into the Leafs lineup, as Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick were healthy scratches. Terry Koshan “He used to be a skinny kid and now he has some meat on his bones and he can fly,” Babcock said of Kapanen. “He looks like an NHL player to me.” LOS ANGELES — Mike Babcock was talking to reporters on Thursday Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.03.2017 morning when he happened to hit the nail on the head. “Some of you guys have been asking me, ‘What are the other teams doing to adjust to you?’” the Maple Leafs coach said after a team meeting at the Staples Center. “Part of it is (teams making adjustments), but part of it is what you do with the puck. If you don’t take care of the puck, you can’t win. “It’s just flat-out losing hockey. Can you win the odd night doing it? Sure. Most of the time, you’re just going home disappointed and you’re frustrated. So take care of the puck.” Hours later, Babcock’s words rung true. The Leafs (8-6-0) didn’t take care of the puck with consistency Thursday night, certainly not early in the game, and lost 5-3 against the Los Angeles Kings. What was maddening for the Leafs is they didn’t lose because they were terrible, unlike Monday night in San Jose. The Kings (10-2-1) scored three goals off turnovers and two more on the power play, and that was just in the first two periods. Iron the kinks out early and the Leafs, who finished with 73 shot attempts to the Kings’ 46, likely win. “You can’t out-score your turnovers,” Babcock said. “It’s a back-to-back night, we got in early, we ate, we should have been fresh, there should have been no issue and yet we made those mistakes in the first period. “In the end, you feel like you left one out here. This was a good team to play against, a good opportunity for us, I thought we would have good energy after (winning 3-1 in Anaheim on Wednesday night) and I think we did. We just made those mistakes.” Turnovers by Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri in the defensive zone led directly to Kings goals in the first period. Those sandwiched a Kings power-play goal by Mike Cammalleri. “You can’t play that kind of hockey if you want to win,” Gardiner said. The Leafs, who have lost four of five and finish their four-game trip in St. Louis against the Blues on Saturday night, spotted the Kings a 5-0 lead, getting goals from Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly late in the second period. Connor Brown scored his first power-play goal of the season in the third. Auston Matthews’ 50th National Hockey League goal in his 96th game came on a penalty shot, awarded at 17:50 of the second period when referees Chris Schlenker and Trevor Hanson deemed that Anze Kopitar hooked, or slashed, Matthews as the Leaf had a breakaway and could not get a shot off. Matthews smoothly deked to his backhand to beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. It was the Leafs’ first goal on a penalty shot since March 14, 2015, when Phil Kessel beat the Vancouver Canucks’ Eddie Lack. The goal was Matthews’ 10th of the season. Matthews had another penalty shot late in the third, but Quick got a piece of his shot. But it was the Leafs’ bad start — the Kings had a 2-0 lead five minutes in — that ate at Matthews afterward. “There shouldn’t be any reason for that,” Matthews said. “Just because it’s a back-to-back … I think it should force us to play a little smarter and take care of the puck much more. We definitely didn’t care of it tonight. “We’re not going to be in these 7-5 games anymore. It’s going to be tight.” Rielly scored off a Matthews pass at 19:57 of the second after Zach Hyman dug the puck out behind the Los Angeles net. 1081379 Toronto Maple Leafs In their first four games of the season, the Leafs enjoyed 24 power plays. In their most recent nine before playing the Kings, they had 20.

“There’s no sense me being confused (by the lack of calls in Toronto’s Snapshots: Signing of reliable Hainsey making Maple Leafs look smart favour), but yes (he’s confused),” Babcock said, drawing laughter. “I would say until (the win in Anaheim) we didn’t deserve to (have more power plays). Terry Koshan “If you don’t play hard enough, you don’t play in the O zone, you don’t draw any penalties. (Anaheim) was a peculiar one for me (as the Leafs had just two power plays), but that’s the way it goes.” LOS ANGELES — Ron Hainsey has been a revelation on the Maple Leafs blue line, but the veteran defenceman doesn’t have the bling to go LOOSE LEAFS with it. Babcock used Kapanen in place of Josh Leivo and Roman Polak in place Not yet. of Connor Carrick, but was not sure whether Leivo and Carrick would return to the lineup when the Leafs finish their four-game trip in St. Louis Hainsey was a stalwart for the Pittsburgh Penguins during their run to a on Saturday … With his 100th game-winning goal on Wednesday, Leafs second consecutive Stanley Cup this past spring, eating up precious forward Patrick Marleau became the eighth player in NHL history to minutes as the Penguins forged ahead without star defenceman Kris reach the mark. With his next game-winner, Marleau will tie Jarome Iginla Letang, who missed the playoffs thanks to a neck injury. for seventh with 101. Jaromir Jagr holds the NHL record with 135 game winners … Prior to Thursday, the Leafs were one of nine clubs without a When the Leafs visit the Penguins on Dec. 9, Hainsey is counting on shorthanded goal. They had six last season, tied for sixth-most in the collecting his Cup ring. league. “I don’t have confirmation of this, but as far as I know, it’s sitting there Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.03.2017 waiting to be picked up,” Hainsey said on Thursday. “There was a dinner (where Penguins got their rings) when the season started, but we were travelling to Winnipeg, so I couldn’t make it.” Fact is, while there’s nothing shiny about Hainsey’s game, the 36-year- old has been a steady, reliable performer for the Leafs early in the first season of a two-year contract he signed with Toronto in the summer. His savvy helped the Leafs to an 84.1% penalty kill success rate through 13 games, good for ninth in the NHL. With nine even-strength points, Hainsey was tied for most among NHL defencemen with Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues. Remember that Hainsey, who never will be confused with Bobby Orr, had 17 points last season in 72 games with Pittsburgh and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Leafs needed experience in the defence corps and found Hainsey attractive. “During the year you can have this fantasy list — we’re going to get this guy, we’re going to get that guy,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “It doesn’t work like that. Where is the guy’s wife from? Where does he want to live? What teams are interested, how much money do they want? All those things (are potential factors in signing a player). “Hainsey is a guy we really liked because of his penalty killing, we knew he was a veteran player, we knew he knew how to talk to people, but in the end, we did not know if we were going to get him. When we did get him, it’s been great for Morgan Rielly, has been good for our team. I think him and Patty Marleau have added an absolute ton.” Hainsey, in his 15th NHL season, realizes there’s lots of hockey left. Still, he’s as upbeat about Leafs’ potential as he was when he was on the club’s radar last summer. “When this was a possibility in July, it was a group you wanted to be a part of,” Hainsey said. “I didn’t have any pre-thought on how it would go, to be perfectly honest with you. “As you know, best-laid plans … we’ll keep grinding and continue to improve.” THANKS, LEO While Kasperi Kapanen wondered aloud whether he could get a good pre-game nap on Thursday, excited as he was to get back in the Leafs lineup, the 21-year-old didn’t doubt the impact teammate Leo Komarov has had on him. “He has always been like a father figure to me since I got to Toronto (in the Phil Kessel trade with Pittsburgh in 2015),” Kapanen said. “He took me in and I stayed with him and his wife and they took care of me. I owe them a lot.” Though it’s Kapanen’s speed and smarts that make him valuable, he wouldn’t mind adding some sandpaper in the flavour of Komarov. “Leo’s good at his job,” Kapanen said. “Maybe (Finland natives) just don’t get too much sunlight during the year and we’re all little upset.” PENALTY-FREE ZONE The Leafs hadn’t been getting the calls heading into Thursday night, at least not recently. In Babcock’s view, his players had not been earning them. 1081380 Toronto Maple Leafs

Speedy Kapanen thrilled to get back into Maple Leafs lineup

Terry Koshan

LOS ANGELES — Kasperi Kapanen wasn’t overly confident he would get some shut-eye on Thursday afternoon. “We’ll see if I get a good (pre-game) nap or not,” the Maple Leafs forward said. “I’m just excited to be back in the lineup and will do whatever I can. I’ll be using my speed a lot and being a competitor out there. It’s going to be a fun night.” When the Leafs square off against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at the Staples Center, Kapanen will play in just his second game of the 2017-18 regular season, skating on a line with centre Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. The inclusion of Kapanen is of two lineup changes Leafs coach Mike Babcock indicated would come after the Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Wednesday night, ending a three-game losing streak. Kapanen will replace Josh Leivo, who had the Leafs’ worst possession mark in Anaheim. On defence, Roman Polak is back in after he was a healthy scratch against the Ducks, replacing Connor Carrick. The other change has backup goalie Curtis McElhinney making his second start of the season, allowing No. 1 Frederik Andersen to take a night off. McElhinney won his first start, making 30 saves to help the Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Oct. 18. Only the Leafs scratches skated on Thursday morning at the Staples Center, with Babcock opting for off-ice meetings to prepare for the game. Babcock is looking for the speed factor from Kapanen as well. “We’ll give him an opportunity, see what he’s got,” Babcock said. “The other guys, I’m not 100% sure if they are back in St. Louis (on Saturday, when the Leafs finish a four-game trip), but it’s not like they’re out for sure that way either.” The Kings (9-2-1) are coming off a road trip during which they went 4-2- 0, with one of those losses coming against the Leafs (8-5-0) on Oct. 23 in Toronto. At home, the Kings are 4-0-1, while the Leafs have gone 4-2-0 on the road. “It helps you with the pre-scout, you know what you’re doing,” Babcock said of facing the Kings again so soon after the first meeting. “It’s pretty easy to get a handle on what they’re doing, but they just do it better and longer than most teams. We’re playing a real good team.” What made the Leafs successful against the Kings last week at the Air Canada Centre? “We played hard, took care of the puck, played well without it and were hard on the goaltender in the offensive zone,” Babcock said. “We have to do exactly the same here today and we feel we are capable, we just have to be prepared to do it right.” Those factors listed by Babcock helped the Leafs earn six power plays against the Kings. In the four games since, the Leafs have had a total of six power plays. “There’s no sense me being confused (by the lack of calls in Toronto’s favour), but yes (he’s confused),” Babcock said, drawing laughter. “I would say until last night we didn’t deserve to (have more power plays). “If you don’t play hard enough, you don’t play in the O zone, you don’t draw any penalties. Last night was a peculiar one for me (as the Leafs had just two power plays), but that’s the way it goes.” Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081381 Toronto Maple Leafs Hainsey had two assists and all nine of the defenceman’s points this season — all assists — have come at even-strength. What’s remarkable is only Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues, with nine even-strength Leafs end losing streak with win over Ducks points, has as many among NHL defencemen this season. And Hainsey leads the NHL in total shorthanded ice time. In short, the 36-year-old has been a revelation for the Leafs. Terry Koshan “You get lucky,” Hainsey said of his production. “We have a group of forwards here where the name of the game is get it to them as quick as possible when they are fresh, or shoot it at the net.” ANAHEIM — We’re not going to suggest Mike Babcock start lobbying for his own cooking show on the Food Network, but the Maple Leafs coach Marner, meanwhile, has not scored since opening night in Winnipeg and was able to mix the ingredients at his disposal and come up with the right his goal-less streak has hit 12 games, the longest he has gone in his two recipe on Wednesday night. seasons in the NHL without scoring. The Leafs, featuring three new lines, put an end to a three-game losing Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.03.2017 streak with a 3-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks before an announced crowd of 15,628 at the Honda Center. As Ducks fans cheered whenever the World Series score was flashed on the centre-ice video board, showing the Houston Astros beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7, the Leafs got the better of their hockey team on the ice. “Any time you’re struggling, you need to find a way to win a game and get your confidence back and get rolling, so this is a big win for our team,” Babcock said. “I thought (Tyler) Bozak had a really good game. I thought him and Mitch (Marner) were really dominant in the first period in particular. We need them to be good, so that was great to see. (Patrick) Marleau, what can you say? His 100th game-winner. I thought (Ron) Hainsey was real solid.” The victory gave Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen that much more reason to smile, as it was his first game at the Honda Center since the trade that sent him to the Leafs in June 2016. The Leafs improved to 8-5-0 and avoided losing four in a row in regulation for the first time since March/April 2016. Randy Carlyle and his Ducks fell to 6-5-1. Not that it gets any easier for Toronto on Thursday night, when the Leafs meet the rested Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. As Babcock mentioned, Marleau scored the 100th game-winner of his National Hockey League career, coming at 1:09 of the third period. After Ron Hainsey’s shot from the point got through, Marleau used a backhand to slap the puck past Ducks goalie John Gibson. “Been around a while, I guess,” Marleau said. “It’s pretty cool to say you have 100 of them. Hope there is a lot more where that came from.” With 1:38 remaining, the Ducks thought they tied the game, but Jakob Silfverberg was ruled to have kicked the puck in. A review determined as much. “It looked like he turned his foot, so the referee felt he directed the puck with a kicking motion,” Carlyle said. “As far as we’re concerned, you can turn your foot, but I don’t know if that deems a kicking motion. That’s the way it goes.” Seconds later, Leo Komarov then scored into an empty net. Desperate to find some offence and an overall winning combination in his forward group, Babcock stuck with the new lines that were unveiled at practice on Tuesday. The trio of Marleau between James van Riemsdyk and Connor Brown was effective, with Brown scoring in the first period. Ditto for Bozak and Marner, who were aided well by Matt Martin. Not nearly as good was the Komarov-Nazem Kadri-Josh Leivo group, which had trouble getting organized. In a fit of frustration at the end of one shift, Kadri slammed his stick against the boards at the Leafs bench. Babcock said he will put forward Kasperi Kapanen in the lineup in Los Angeles, as well as defenceman Roman Polak. Leivo is likely to come out, though it was not as clear which defenceman will be excluded. Curtis McElhinney will start in goal for the Leafs. Overall, the Leafs were hungrier than they have been in recent games and were able to avoid the kinds of turnovers that have been plaguing them. Andersen finished with 28 saves. Only Ondrej Kase, on a shot that went off Andreas Borgman and in at 9:09 of the first period, scored for Anaheim. 1081382 Toronto Maple Leafs Sam Bennett of the Calgary Flames comes close to scoring against Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer in first period on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017. Darren Makowichuk / Postmedia Network Three weeks to fix an NHL franchise: Five turkeys that have until U.S. CALGARY FLAMES Thanksgiving to fly right 6-6-0, 11th in West

What’s wrong? We’re reluctant to put the Flames in this category, since Michael Traikos they went into Thursday night’s game with the same number of wins as the Blackhawks and Canucks. But they also went into it as a .500 team with a minus-5 goal differential, the league second-worst offence (2.25 Halloween is over. Time to get out the Christmas decorations. goals per game) and just two wins in their last six games. Talk to most NHL general managers and the holiday they’re looking How do they fix it? Jaromir Jagr, who is out with a lower-body injury, forward to next is U.S. Thanksgiving. By Nov. 23, a quarter of the season should give the third line a shot in the arm when he returns. The guy who will be in the books and you will generally have a good idea of whether a needs it the most is snakebitten youngster Sam Bennett, who is without a team is bound for the playoffs or the draft lottery. point in the first 12 games of the season and was recently moved to the wing. “I think it is a measuring stick that a lot of people do tend to look at,” Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told Postmedia News last year. What if they don’t? With a loaded upcoming schedule against tough opponents, such as the division-leading Devils and Blues, the next three We’re still three weeks away, but the clock is ticking for teams to figure weeks could go a long way in determining Calgary’s fate. out their problems. It was three days after Thanksgiving when Gerard Gallant was fired as the coach of the Florida Panthers. NASHVILLE PREDATORS From finding someone other than Connor McDavid to score goals in 5-5-2, 12th in West Edmonton to helping Montreal’s Carey Price get through a nasty slump, here is how five teams can fix their franchises: What’s wrong? The Stanley Cup hangover doesn’t just affect the winners. After coming up short against the Penguins in the final, the MONTREAL CANADIENS Predators have stumbled out of the gate, losing four of their last five games. It’s not hard to see why. The team lost winger James Neal to the 4-7-1, 15th in East expansion draft, is missing defenceman Ryan Ellis and is currently without third-line centre Nick Bonino. What’s wrong? Carey Price has lost his mojo, something Montreal fans reminded him of when they gave him mock cheers on dumped-in pucks How do they fix it? Patience. Ellis could be out for another month or so during a recent 4-0 loss to the Kings. And despite scoring 13 goals in the and Bonino’s return is uncertain. Until then, the Predators will look to Filip last two games, the Canadiens are averaging the fifth fewest goals per Forsberg (eight goals and 13 points) and goalie Pekka Rinne (.931 save game (2.50). percentage) to carry the load. How do they fix it? Price, whose .883 save percentage is amongst the What if they don’t? Compared to last season’s 2-5-1 start, the Predators worst in the league, will eventually improve. Until he does, the Canadiens are actually in decent shape. offence needs more of those 8-3 and 5-4 scores that we saw in the last two wins. National Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 What if they don’t? GM Marc Bergevin can’t fire a second coach in two years. But he might be able to pull off another blockbuster trade and move the enigmatic Alex Galchenyuk to a team (Colorado? New York Rangers?) in exchange for a top-six centre or top-four defenceman. EDMONTON OILERS 3-7-1, 14th in West What’s wrong? McDavid has five goals and 13 points, but he’s about the only one scoring for Edmonton. The team is averaging a league-worst 2.18 goals per game, with Milan Lucic and Ryan Strome having scored one goal each and rookie Kailer Yamamoto still searching for his first NHL goal. How do they fix it? In hopes of generating more offence, coach Todd McLellan moved Leon Draisaitl from centre to McDavid’s wing. It’s worked, but Edmonton is now just a one-line team. The Oilers need to spread the wealth around, which could mean more line juggling. What if they don’t? Look for the team to call up 19-year-old winger Jesse Puljujarvi (one goal and four points in eight AHL games) from the minors. Of course, based on GM Peter Chiarelli’s history of trading top prospects, don’t be surprised if Puljujarvi, the 2016 fourth-overall pick, becomes a trading chip. NEW YORK RANGERS 4-7-2, 13th in East What’s wrong? Whether it’s Henrik Lundqvist (.898 save percentage) or Ondrej Pavelec (.887), the Rangers are simply not getting good enough goaltending. They wouldn’t look so bad if Rick Nash could find the back of the net a little more frequently. How do you fix it? The Rangers went on a scouting mission to Ottawa for a game between the Senators and Canadiens earlier this week. A defenceman could solve New York’s problems, but the smarter move might be to sell some assets and move towards a rebuild. What if they don’t? Alain Vigneault was reportedly coaching for his job in a game against the Golden Knights. Whether that’s strictly true, it still looks like he’s on the heat seat. 1081383 Toronto Maple Leafs penalty two seconds after his slashing minor ended), but did have some good scoring chances as the period progressed.

Mitch Marner hit the crossbar. Nazem Kadri walked into the slot and had Leafs meet the enemy and it is them in error-filled loss to Kings time, but shot high and wide. But nothing for the Leafs. A dagger came to end the period came when TERRY KOSHAN Kadri had a few chances to clear the end, but instead turned the puck over.

The Kings’ Trevor Lewis found an open spot and one-timed a pass from LOS ANGELES — Mike Babcock was talking to reporters on Thursday Nick Shore into an open net, as neither McElhinney nor any of the Leafs morning when he happened to hit the nail on the head. on the ice knew Lewis was waiting in the faceoff circle to the goalie’s right. “Some of you guys have been asking me, ‘What are the other teams doing to adjust to you?’” the Maple Leafs coach said after a team Forward Kasperi Kapanen and defenceman Roman Polak drew into the meeting at the Staples Center. Leafs lineup, as Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick were healthy scratches. “Part of it is that, but part of it is what you do with the puck. If you don’t National Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 take care of the puck, you can’t win. “It’s just flat-out losing hockey. Can you win the odd night doing it? Sure. Most of the time you’re just going home disappointed and you’re frustrated at the same time. So take care of the puck.” We can imagine Babcock was disappointed and frustrated hours later, as his words rung true. The Leafs didn’t take care of the puck with consistency Thursday night, losing 5-3 against the Los Angeles Kings. What should be maddening for the Leafs is they didn’t lose because they were terrible, unlike Monday night in San Jose. The Kings scored three goals off turnovers and two more on the power play, and that was just in the first two periods. Iron the kinks out early and the Leafs likely win. The Leafs, who have lost four of five and finish their four-game trip in St. Louis against the Blues on Saturday night, spotted the Kings a 5-0 lead and scored two goals late in the second period before Connor Brown scored his first power-play goal of 2017-18 in the third. Auston Matthews’ 50th National Hockey League goal in his 96th game came on a penalty shot, awarded at 17:50 of the second period when referees Chris Schlenker and Trevor Hanson deemed that Anze Kopitar hooked, or slashed, Matthews as the Leafs’ star had a breakaway and could not get a shot off. Matthews smoothly deked to his backhand to beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. It was the Leafs’ first goal on a penalty shot since March 14, 2015, when Phil Kessel beat the Vancouver Canucks’ Eddie Lack. In between, the Leafs had three, but Joakim Lindstrom and Michael Grabner (on two occasions) did not score. The goal was Matthews’ 10th of the season and 50th in 96 career games. In franchise history, it was the Leafs’ 29th penalty-shot goal on 67 attempts. Matthews had another penalty shot late in the third, but Quick got a piece of his shot. In the dying seconds of the period, Zach Hyman, who missed a great chance earlier when Quick made a pad save, dug the puck out to Matthews, who then passed to Morgan Rielly. The Leafs defenceman beat Quick with 1.5 seconds on the clock for his second of the season. The Kings’ Tyler Toffoli scored two goals two minutes apart earlier in the second period. The Leafs were down 3-0 after the first period. We’d say the Leafs, who had 21 shot attempts to the Kings’ 22 in the opening 20 minutes, should have had a better fate, but when you’re giving up the puck like they did, no. Jake Gardiner lost an edge and fell in the Leafs end, handing the puck to Tanner Pearson, who then fed Mike Amadio. A second or two later, Amadio, who scored 50 goals in his final year of junior for coach Stan Butler and the North Bay Battalion in 2015-16, snapped a shot past Curtis McElhinney for his first NHL goal at 2:34. The Kings scored on a power play on 4:58, when Dustin Brown waited out McElhinney and passed to Mike Cammalleri. The Leafs couldn’t score on back-to-back minors to ex-teammate Brooks Laich (who might have set an NHL record when he took an interference 1081384 Toronto Maple Leafs The Leafs, meanwhile, have otherwise been rather mediocre. They're on pace for just 94 points — one less than a year ago — and their

possession numbers have dipped heavily the last two weeks. Their share Mirtle: The Maple Leafs would be lost without Auston Matthews right now of shots on goal at even strength, when score-adjusted, is just 48.6 per cent, which ranks 17th in the league.

What's even more alarming is what the Leafs look like with and without Staff Matthews in the picture. At even strength, when he is on the ice, the Leafs have outscored the opposition 19-5.

When he has been on the bench, they've been outscored 33-21. LOS ANGELES — In a first, I've distilled a Maple Leafs game down into a single GIF. Some of that is good fortune. The Leafs' save percentage with Matthews on the ice in these early days is sky high at .958 (compared to .860 One horrifying, derp-filled, 15 seconds of play that highlights a struggling without him). A lot of pucks are also going in for him, with his shooting hockey team. A struggling hockey team about to go down 3-0 in the first percentage up to 23 per cent. period to the L.A. Kings. That kind of massive disparity likely can't continue. But what was It's not pretty. highlighted well against L.A. was just how careless many Leafs not That's just… dumb hockey there. Maybe the stanchion is a lucky break named Matthews or Nylander can be with the puck, which will contribute for L.A., but Nazem Kadri's second turnover at the blueline and Jake to those kinds of differences. Gardiner's blown coverage are simply poor hockey sense in key Gardiner, in particular, is having a horrific start to his year, after finishing situations, with time winding down in the period. last season as the team's best defenceman. His numbers in pretty well Their coach did a nice job of composing himself enough that he didn't go every category are down, especially in terms of possession, where he as far as calling them out, when asked about the mistakes made in the typically leads the Leafs blueliners. game. Gardiner has a negative Corsi relative score for the first time in his career “They scored on the breakaway where [Gardiner] falls,” Mike Babcock so far this season at -7.0. The past three seasons, he finished at 2.0, 3.7 said of the first goal the Leafs allowed, 2:34 into the game. “Then, we and 4.8 — meaning the Leafs controlled the puck better when he was on were really playing pretty good, and [Kadri] turns the puck over, and it's in the ice versus when he was off it. our net. So, that's two of them. In the end, you lose by two. You can't turn He isn't the only offender on the roster, but given how many minutes he pucks over… plays (22:09, on average), his struggles are significant. “I liked our energy. I liked a lot of things. We had a lot of good players. The issue brewing here for the Leafs is they may not fully benefit from And yet we weren't able to come away with it.” one of the most remarkable seasons in franchise history. If Matthews can A lot of Leafs did play well. Toronto actually controlled the game after keep carrying his team to this extent, he is going to be in the discussion that tire fire of a first period, generating 52 shot attempts and only for the Hart Trophy — assuming that Toronto manages to make the allowing 24 in the second and third. That dominance allowed them to playoffs — in part because his team has leaned on him so heavily. claw back into a game they basically gave away in the first 20 minutes. His play has been so spectacular that, after a game like the one in L.A. Kasperi Kapanen stood out, in particular, and finished with five shots on — where he had two points, six shots on goal and handled a matchup goal in only 11:35 of ice time. The Leafs' depth forwards, in general, against both Anze Kopitar and to a draw — no one on his played reasonably well. So did Rielly-Hainsey, in handling 20-plus team even mentioned his heroics. minutes. They have become that routine. But it was Auston Matthews leading the way again, nearly willing the The Leafs, however, are simply counting on him to do too much right Leafs back into the game with a brilliant penalty shot goal and an assist now. During Toronto's 2-5-0 slide, Matthews has eight points. Not one late in the second period. other forward has more than four. Had Matthews scored again — on a second penalty shot attempt late in Only William Nylander, meanwhile, is close in the shot generation the third — the Leafs could have pulled to within one goal and had a department. (Both have 25 in the seven games.) chance to crawl back into a game they trailed 5-0 at one point. Early this season, when plenty of pucks were going in, much of the talk Not that they deserved that opportunity. around the Leafs was about how well balanced their offence was and As I detailed here a few nights ago after a different ugly loss in San Jose, how hard they were for teams to match up against. That simply hasn't the Leafs aren't playing well lately. Thursday against the Kings was their been the case of late. What's happened instead is Matthews has fifth regulation loss in seven games, a two-week stretch during which managed to outplay the hardest matches possible thrown at him — and they've allowed nearly four goals a game. his teammates have let him down with boneheaded plays that have ended up in their net. Babcock has gone so far as to call his club a one-line team recently — and it's not even really a point of debate what line that would be. Even as You have to give Matthews full credit for being able to succeed, in only the Leafs have fallen into this turnover-driven funk and lost game after his second NHL season, in such difficult situations. game, Matthews' star continues to rise. But you also have to wonder where the support is. And what happens His two-point night in L.A. put him up to third in NHL scoring, behind only when Matthews' shooting and save percentages return to more Tampa teammates Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Matthews is reasonable rates. now on pace for 59 goals and 105 points, a dramatic improvement over You have to wonder if this kid can keep doing it all on his own. last season's 40 goals and 69 points. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 To put that in context: A player as young as Matthews has never scored that many goals in NHL history.

To put that in context: The last 20-year-old to pile up more than 100 points was Sidney Crosby, who had 120 in his second season back in 2006-07.

So Matthews is having a very, very special year. Better than anticipated, frankly. Just how unique it is was highlighted Thursday by the fact he hit the 50-goal mark for his career in just his 96th regular-season game, something only Alex Ovechkin has managed in the last 23 years.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports 1081385 Vegas Golden Knights It really came down to this: The bounce Boston received in the crease resulted in a goal.

The one Tomas Nosek got for the Knights didn’t. Golden Knights resemble expansion team in loss at Boston That close of a game.

Much like what we assumed would be a consistent effort from the By Ed Graney Knights, only with Fleury on the ice. November 2, 2017 - 9:10 PM “I thought the guys really battled against a big, strong Boston team,” Updated November 2, 2017 - 10:35 PM coach Gerard Gallant said. “Real evenly played hockey game. Well- officiated game. We just fell a little short. We obviously didn’t have as much offense as we have had — each team could have had three or four goals — but that was because of good goaltending. (Lagace) was really BOSTON — It took 12 games, and a historic beginning, and playing strong and looked confident. more goalies in less than a month than most teams use in years, but the Golden Knights on Thursday night finally resembled that famous Dennis “We would have loved to get a point or two out of it, but it’s over. We just Green quote. have to go back and work hard and get better.” They are what we thought they were — at least for 60 minutes. When at its best, this is how most games of an expansion team usually go. Difference is, they didn’t let Boston off the hook. Tight, low scoring, the Knights struggling to score on the power play (0- They just got beat, is all. for-5 Thursday), the outcome still in doubt in the final minutes. The losing streak has reached three for the Knights, who fell to the For the first time all season, they are what we thought they were. Bruins 2-1 before 17,565 at TD Garden, and yet more than at any other time this season appeared to be the sort of side most had forecast from It won’t be the last time, either. the season’s outset. It’s more reality than 8-1. Which is to say one that, when combining strong goalkeeping and attentive defensive play, would compete in low-scoring games that could The key is to be the guys with 2 instead of 1 when that final horn sounds. fall either way in the waning minutes. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.03.2017 As needed and memorable and exhilarating and impressive as an 8-1 start was for the Knights and a mourning Las Vegas in the wake of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival, it absolutely concealed the expansion side of the ledger. It pushed reality out of the picture for a week or so. Folks began to forget that part. This six-game trip should return it front and center. The fact that three goalies are on injured reserve and Maxime Lagace as a fourth option has started two straight games — he played by far his best hockey Thursday — makes things difficult enough. But when you also play as shoddy defensively as the Knights did to open this trip with losses against the Islanders (6-3) and Rangers (6-4), success is an impossible goal to achieve. They were much better on that end Thursday. The only difference between what most thought the Knights would look like at their best this season and this game was the guy under the goalie mask. It wasn’t Marc-Andre Fleury, still out with a concussion, but in stopping 26 of 28 shots, Lagace more than held his own in the large shadow cast by the absent face of the franchise. No one knows when Fleury might return — I’m not sure the CIA has a security clearance level high enough to match an NHL team’s classified approach when it comes to updating the status of injured players — but the Knights can win games with the performance Lagace offered Thursday. Ditto when those in front of him communicate as they did and don’t fall asleep. “We were better in the defensive zone, not giving up point-blank shots like the two previous games,” said center Cody Eakin, who scored the team’s goal. “Pretty solid game. Spent more time in their zone. On the road, a few bounces can change things, and we were on the wrong side of them. “Things have been a little chaotic, but we were better tonight in front of (Lagace). We have to build off that. Take the good with the bad and not dwell on it. Just get to the next one.” Something to build on as the Knights head into Canada for the first time this season, now staring at games against Ottawa (Saturday), Toronto (Monday) and Montreal (Tuesday): They had been, before Thursday, pretty close to awful in the third period of games, having been outscored by eight goals and offering a minus-51 on shots differential. But not for a fortunate Boston bounce at 9:53 of the third period that allowed Sean Kuraly to score the winning goal, the Knights probably would have departed here with at least a point, if not two and a win. 1081386 Vegas Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.03.2017

Golden Knights’ road woes continue with 2-1 loss to Bruins

By Steve Carp November 2, 2017 - 6:46 PM Updated November 2, 2017 - 11:52 PM

BOSTON — The Golden Knights probably deserved a better fate. They did enough things right Thursday against the Boston Bruins to come away with at least one point. Maybe even two. But it’s hard to win on the road and one errant bounce either way can seal a team’s fate for better or worse. Such was the case at TD Garden as Boston took advantage of some fortuitous bounces to score both of its goals in a 2-1 victory in front of 17,565. The Knights had their own lucky bounce as Tomas Nosek was trying to get his stick on a loose puck in the Bruins’ crease late in the second period but could not finish. Had Nosek converted, the Knights would have had a 2-1 lead going into the third period instead of being tied. Ultimately, Sean Kuraly wound up having the most luck of all as he managed to jam the rebound of Jake DeBrusk’s shot past goaltender Maxime Lagace with 10:07 remaining in the third period for what would be the game-winner. And while the Knights are 0-fer on the road trip, having dropped three straight and falling to 8-4 overall heading into Saturday’s game at Ottawa against the Senators, coach Gerard Gallant wasn’t disappointed or angry as was the case following Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. “The guys really battled against a good, strong Boston team and a bounce here and a bounce there was the difference in the game,” Gallant said. “It was a real good hockey game that we didn’t get any points out of, but we could’ve.” Center Cody Eakin, who was moved off the line with James Neal and David Perron to play with Oscar Schmidt and Alex Tuch and scored the Knights’ lone goal Thursday, said even the smallest mistake can be costly on the road. “You’ve got to play a pretty solid game when you’re playing these East Coast teams in their building,” said Eakin, who beat Tuukka Rask from the right faceoff circle at 9:34 of the second period after Nate Schmidt had stolen the puck from DeBrusk and made a perfect feed. “We were a little better, a little more responsible in our end. We were communicating more. It wasn’t quite enough though.” The Knights were truly unlucky on the decisive goal. Brayden McNabb had blocked Torey Krug’s shot from inside the blue line and normally the puck might have left the Knights’ defensive zone. Instead, it stayed in. DeBrusk pounced on it, sent it toward the goal, and after Lagace made the initial stop, Kuraly jammed it home with 10:07 to play. Lagace, who was making his third NHL appearance and second start, had by far his best performance since being pressed into action in the second period Monday against the New York Islanders after Oscar Dansk suffered a lower-body injury. He stopped 26 of 28 shots, and neither goal was his fault. “I thought I was pretty calm in net,” he said. “I felt confident and I thought I was aggressive. The guys played really well, and it’s unfortunate they got two bounces their way and they went in.” Riley Nash, the beneficiary of a friendly carom that he put past Lagace for the first Boston goal 3:24 into the second period, said the Bruins expected a tough game from the Knights. “It’s not like they play wide-open hockey so I think it was indicative of both teams’ style (Thursday),” he said. The truth is, there wasn’t much room to play wide-open hockey. Both teams were forechecking hard and were tight in the neutral zone. The space to make and create plays simply wasn’t there. So it came down to ugly goals. In the end, Boston was a tad uglier, keeping the Knights winless on a road trip that still has three games left. 1081387 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ George McPhee says status quo on Vadim Shipachyov

By Steve Carp November 2, 2017 - 5:24 PM

BOSTON — Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, who was in Boston for Thursday’s game, said there has been no change in the Vadim Shipachyov situation. He also said the doctors, not he, will decide when Marc-Andre Fleury will return to action. And as far as the Knights trading for a goaltender, he indicated that’s probably not going to happen. “Nothing’s changed,” McPhee said when asked about Shipachyov, who has been suspended without pay since going AWOL from the last Saturday. McPhee said when everything gets sorted out, he will explain what transpired. But Shipachyov has not been put on unconditional waivers nor has he been terminated by the team. And McPhee has not made a trade to move Shipachyov. As for Fleury, who has been out since sustaining a concussion Oct. 13 vs. Detroit, McPhee said the team is not rushing their top goaltender back. Ditto for Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk. “Nobody knows,” McPhee said when asked when Fleury might return to the ice. “With concussions, you never know. It could be three days; it could be three weeks; it could be three months.” McPhee looked into acquiring another goalie after Dansk went down Monday in the second period of the 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders but decided against it. “There’s really nothing out there better than what we have,” he said. “We’ll ride it out with who we have.” Miller’s return Defenseman Colin Miller broke into the NHL with the Bruins after being traded by Los Angeles in the Milan Lucic deal in 2015 and he remembered to go to the right locker room at TD Garden on Thursday. “There’s a lot of great memories playing here,” said Miller, who appeared in 103 games with the Bruins from 2015-17 and scored nine goals and had 20 assists before being Boston’s pick by the Knights in last June’s NHL expansion draft. “It’s a great organization. A great city. It was an honor to play here. “You look up at the banners of all the great players and you wear the same sweater, there’s a lot of pride in that.” Lineup changes Coach Gerard Gallant promised at Thursday morning’s skate that he might make some changes. Sure enough, he moved Cody Eakin off the line with James Neal and David Perron in favor of Erik Haula at center. Eakin centered for Oscar Lindberg and Alex Tuch. On defense, Brayden McNabb and Brad Hunt were back in the lineup as Shea Theodore and Jon Merrill sat out after playing Tuesday at the New York Rangers. Forward Brendan Leipsic was a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081388 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights try to stop losing skid in Boston

By Ray Brewer Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 | 3 p.m.

The Vegas Golden Knights tonight in Boston are trying to stop the expansion franchise’s first losing skid. It was bound to happen, especially considering the injuries to the Golden Knights’ goalies. Maxime Lagace, the fourth Vegas goalie to start a game, is expected to face the Bruins tonight. After winning eight of its initial nine games, Vegas earlier this week lost consecutive games — to the Islanders and Rangers — to start a road trip. Lagace (0-2-0, with a 6.35 goals against average) was called into action midway through Monday’s game at the Islanders. He started Tuesday at the Rangers, surrendering five goals — New York scored four unanswered to rally for a win in the third period. After giving up only 19 goals in the first nine games of the season, the Golden Knights have surrendered 12 goals in the last two. This is the second meeting of the season against Boston. Vegas won 3-1 in mid-October. Check back for updates Puck drops: 4:00 p.m. Where: TD Garden, Boston Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM TV: AT&T SportsNet (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink Prism 1760, Dish Network 5414) Betting line: Golden Knights plus-180, Total 5.5 minus-115 to the over Golden Knights (8-3-0) (2-2-0 away) Coach: Gerard Gallant Goal leader: James Neal (7) Assist leader: Brad Hunt (7) Expected goalie: Maxime Lagace (0-2-0, 6.35 goals against average) Boston Bruins (4-3-3) (3-1-2 home) Coach: Bruce Cassidy Goal leader: Brad Marchand (8) Assist leader: Charlie McAvoy (7) Expected goalie: Tuukka Rask(1-3-2, 2.93 goals against average) Golden Knights game day roster Forwards (12): Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, William Carrier, Cody Eakin, Erik Haula, William Karlsson, Oscar Lindberg, Jonathan Marchessault, James Neal, Tomas Nosek, David Perron, Reilly Smith and Alex Tuch. Defensemen (6): Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill, Colin Miller, Luca Sbisa, Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore. Goalies (2): Maxime Lagace and Dylan Ferguson Prediction : Bruins 3, Golden Knights 2 in overtime Season record for predictions: 5-5 LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081389 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin announces creation of social movement supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin

By Isabelle Khurshudyan November 2 at 3:10 PM

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has long supported Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media, but Thursday afternoon, he took it a step further with an Instagram post, announcing the creation of a social movement in support of Putin that he’s labeling the Putin Team. A post shared by Alexander Ovechkin (@aleksandrovechkinofficial) on Nov 2, 2017 at 9:07am PDT “Personal achievements and medals – all of this great, but in hockey, like with everything, to win it’s important to have a team. Only a team is capable of changing the course of a game, achieve the impossible,” Ovechkin said in the post, which was translated by The Washington Post. “Lately, in the Western Press, I’m noticing a comparison to Putin’s team. And you know, I really liked that comparison. Personally, I’m ready to be a member of that team. I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him.” Ovechkin continued: “I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of Putin Team. Be a part of this team – to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.” Russia will hold a presidential election in March, and though Putin hasn’t formally announced he will seek re-election, he’s expected to seek a new six-year term. Putin enjoys an 80 percent approval rating, according to Russian surveys, and has run Russia for longer than anyone since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Under his rule, Moscow has been slapped with sanctions from the United States over its annexation of Crimea and tensions between the two countries are especially high over U.S. investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Moscow is Ovechkin’s offseason home, and he’s represented Russia in international hockey competitions throughout his career. When the NHL announced that its players wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics, Ovechkin was the most defiant of NHL players, vowing to play for Team Russia anyway. It wasn’t until the day before the Capitals’ training camp opened that Ovechkin relented and admitted his 2018 Olympic dream was dead. In a 2011 interview, Ovechkin admitted to being so close to Putin that he had a “home number” for the president, and the two were often seen together this summer. Putin gave Ovechkin and his wife a wedding present and also called the couple personally to congratulate them when they were married in July. In June, Ovechkin attended a four-hour question-and-answer session of Putin’s that was broadcast on Russian state TV. In August, the two were seen hugging at a martial arts event in Sochi. According to Russian news agency TASS, Putin was not yet aware of Ovechkin’s creation of a social movement in support of him when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was reached for comment on Thursday. In an interview with CNN World Sport shown earlier this year, Ovechkin described himself as being politically “neutral.” “I have a good relationship with Russians, and with Americans. So I’m neutral,” he said. Washington Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081390 Washington Capitals “There’s no timeline on him yet,” Trotz said. “He’s just on the ice. He’s starting to build some strength and some conditioning and whenever the trainers knock on my door and say he’s been cleared, then we’ll give you Nathan Walker gets another chance in the lineup, and he hopes to stick a timeline.” [As Capitals navigate growing pains and injuries, they have to stay mindful of the standings] By Isabelle Khurshudyan November 2 at 1:14 PM Forward Andre Burakovsky had thumb surgery last week, and he will be out for at least six more weeks. Defenseman Matt Niskanen will be eligible to come off long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, but he hasn’t With Nathan Walker out of the lineup more often than he’s been in it, joined the team in practices yet, so it’s unlikely he’ll be back in the lineup Capitals Coach Barry Trotz thought he should have a chat with the so soon. Forward Brett Connolly also remains out after he was placed in rookie. Trotz told Walker he wanted to see him be accurate on wall plays. the concussion protocol in a game against Vancouver last Thursday. “You’ve got the speed, now we’ve got to make you a real productive player,” Trotz said. He also wanted Walker to learn to kill penalties for the “They’re progressing,” Trotz said. “Day-to-day. When I know, you’ll team. know.” “He’s used to playing all of the time, and when he’s in and out of the Here’s how the Capitals’ lineup is expected to look against the Islanders lineup, sometimes as a young player, you wonder, ‘What can I do more on Thursday: because I want to play more?’” Trotz said last weekend. “Sometimes, it’s just a coach’s decision, it’s not quite your time or we don’t have a full- Forwards time role for you. I just think with him, it’s staying positive, believing in Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Devante Smith-Pelly himself, and I think that’ll be easy for him because there’s no way that he would ever be in the position he is right now without believing in his Jakub Vrana-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie abilities and his determination. So as long as he has that part of his DNA, I think he’s going to be fine.” Chandler Stephenson-Lars Eller-Tom Wilson Walker will have another opportunity to show he deserves a more regular Nathan Walker-Jay Beagle-Alex Chiasson role when he gets back into the lineup against the New York Islanders on Scratched: Liam O’Brien, Brett Connolly (“upper-body” injury) Thursday. Since the 23-year-old made his season debut in Washington’s first home game, making history as the first Australian to ever play in the Defensemen NHL and then the first Aussie to ever score an NHL goal, he’s played in just three of the team’s past 10 games. Christian Djoos-John Carlson It seemed that three forward injuries would clear an opportunity for Brooks Orpik-Madison Bowey Walker on the fourth line, but the Capitals recalled forwards Chandler Dmitry Orlov-Taylor Chorney Stephenson and then Anthony Peluso, and both have gotten opportunities over Walker. Peluso played less than five minutes in the Scratched: Aaron Ness two games he played for Washington over the weekend. Goaltenders [After rocky road trip, Capitals emphasizing the positive but keeping an eye on red flags] Braden Holtby (starter) But Walker has taken Trotz’s advice and tried to stay encouraged Philipp Grubauer through it all, working on components of his game, like wall play, before Injured reserve and after practice. Andre Burakovsky “I think you can maybe get away with a little bit more in the American [Hockey] League,” Walker said. “It’s just little details and fine-tuning my Tyler Graovac game just to make sure I can try to stay in the lineup. … It’s not too bad. You’re just trying to stay positive, keep all of the conditioning up. I’ve just Matt Niskanen got a positive mindset and just need to be ready whenever they want me in the lineup.” Washington Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 Trotz said the Capitals are set on their top two lines “for today anyways.” But while he feels that the team’s defensive game is starting to come around, he still wants to see more goal production for the team’s bottom- six forward corps. Those forwards have combined for eight goals through the first 12 games, and Walker has chipped in one. Walker killed penalties last season in the AHL, and Trotz said he’s started to get more time on the penalty kill during practice to prepare him to eventually get a bigger role there. [Capitals’ scuffling penalty kill ‘can’t kill anything’ right now] “I always like to think of myself with a smile on my face and positive attitude and high energy and everything,” Walker said. “So, I think it’s all good.” O’Brien recalled On Thursday morning, the Capitals returned Peluso to the American Hockey League, recalling forward Liam O’Brien instead. O’Brien won’t be in the lineup on Thursday night, but Trotz thought O’Brien may have been “shortchanged” because he suffered an injury during training camp. “He was a guy that early in training camp was really impressive,” Trotz said. “He really put in a lot of work physically. You could tell he put in a lot of work with some of the skill aspects, the skating and all that. He put in a tremendous amount of work, and I thought he had a really good start to training camp and then he got hurt. … He went down there and played well.” Injury updates Forward Tyler Graovac has missed the past five games with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury, but he seemed to make progress Thursday, spending time on the ice before the Capitals’ morning skate. 1081391 Washington Capitals Earlier in the week, Trotz lamented the few power play opportunities Washington was getting, which was mostly due to the Capitals struggling to play with the puck for long stretches. But while the Capitals had three Capitals come home, grab a lead and hold off the Islanders, 4-3 power plays in the first 40 minutes — two penalties were drawn by Eller — the man-advantage couldn’t convert on the opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Islanders scored two goals on their first three power By Isabelle Khurshudyan November 2 at 10:40 PM plays, with Washington’s penalty kill still a concern. The Capitals have allowed at least one power-play goal in eight games, and this was the team’s fourth game surrendering at least two power-play goals. For the eighth time this season, the Capitals also allowed more than 36 shots on Returning to Washington after a long trip through Western Canada, the their goaltender. Capitals considered a formula for improving their miserable record at home. But Washington always had an answer, getting its home turf rocking once again. “Probably score a little bit more,” Coach Barry Trotz suggested before the puck dropped Thursday against the New York Islanders at Capital One “It was nice to see those guys chip in, obviously,” Holtby said. “We Arena. needed it tonight. They played a pretty good game. That game if we play over and over we’re probably not going to win more than we lose. . . . “I wasn’t overly thrilled with how we came out — our last home game, we We’re going to have to be better.” came out flat,” forward Tom Wilson added. Washington Post LOADED: 11.03.2017 And so Thursday night against the Islanders, the Capitals scored the first goal. Trotz particularly wanted to see more secondary scoring, with goals coming from the third and fourth lines. The Capitals got that, too, scoring their most goals at home since the opener a month ago, and it all resulted in a 4-3 win. As Washington has come back to the pack in the Metropolitan Division, its record hovering around .500, this game carried particular importance, in part because it represented an opportunity for the Capitals to reestablish their home ice as an advantage after just one win in their first four games in Chinatown. “It feels strange,” Trotz said after the game. “It’s been a while.” Anders Lee’s goal seven minutes into the third period drew the Islanders even at 3, but with 3:21 remaining, third-line center Lars Eller scored his second goal of the game on an odd-man rush with Wilson. Trotz’s call for production from the bottom two lines was answered with three goals with the third line on the ice and one from the fourth line. “I think tonight was a good picture of what we’re capable of doing in the bottom six,” Eller said. “And we need that going forward. You can’t expect to score two or three every game, but production has got to be there when the top six is not always scoring because you can’t count on them every game.” Entering Thursday night’s game, Washington had gotten just six goals through 12 games from its bottom two lines and Christian Djoos’s two goals marked the only production from the defensemen. But the Capitals heard the home crowd loud and clear late in the second period, when 12 seconds after the Islanders tied the game with a power-play goal by Lee, Alex Chiasson fired a laser of a slap shot past Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak to give Washington back its one-goal lead. A deep and balanced lineup was a strength of the Capitals last year as they rolled to the league’s best regular season record. But salary-cap constraints this summer led to offseason roster turnover. That, coupled with injuries to forwards, has been a hit to Washington’s offense. Chiasson is one of the newest faces on the team, joining the squad in training camp on a professional tryout before earning a contract. The Capitals hoped his 12 goals last season were a sign of things to come as a secondary scorer this season. “It’s hard to rely on the same guys to bring offense every night,” Chiasson said. “You need other guys to chip in.” His goal against the Islanders marked his first of the season. The Capitals’ first goal of the game also came from an unexpected source. With Washington’s third line on the ice and creating traffic in front of Halak, defenseman Taylor Chorney’s shot from the point glided into the netting 5:55 into the game, just the fourth goal of Chorney’s career in his 150th NHL game. That also broke a seven-game streak of Washington allowing the first goal. “It felt strange,” Trotz joked about scoring the first goal. “I didn’t know what to do with that.” After defenseman Brooks Orpik was called for slashing 12:55 into the first period, the Islanders scored just six seconds into their power play, with captain John Tavares whacking at a puck in front until it slipped through Braden Holtby’s legs. Eller scored with a slap shot in front less than four minutes later to put Washington ahead again before first intermission. Forward Chandler Stephenson, called up last week because of injuries, had the first two assists of his NHL career, setting up both Eller and Chorney’s goals. 1081392 Washington Capitals “We need to build some traction here and get our fans engaged again at home, and make this place a real tough place to come to,” Trotz said. “It was a big win for us.” Capitals’ offense solves home woes in win over Islanders Washington Times LOADED: 11.03.2017

By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Thursday, November 2, 2017

Capitals center Lars Eller grinned when it was pointed out to him that he scored two goals — including a game-winner — against Jaroslav Halák, the goaltender traded for him in 2010. At the time, Eller was shipped from the St. Louis Blues to the Montreal Canadiens. But while Eller was amused by the fact, he was more satisfied the Capitals earned a much-needed 4-3 victory Thursday over the New York Islanders. Fresh off a three-game road trip in Western Canada, the Capitals (6-6-1) picked up their second home victory of the year. Eller put the Capitals on top with 3:21 left, sailing down the ice after a pass from Tom Wilson and scoring on a slapshot. “Sometimes you have some games where most things are just going right for you,” Eller said. “And I think tonight was one of those games for our line and I think we even could’ve had a couple more. A lot of good things to build on.” Entering Thursday’s game, the Capitals had an uncharacteristic 1-3 home record. In Washington’s three losses, they had plenty of chances, but not didn’t produce enough goals when it actually mattered. Capitals coach Barry Trotz diagnosed a simple solution: They needed to score. That changed against the Islanders — with each goal carrying a certain significance for the Capitals, too. With 14:05 remaining in the first, defenseman Taylor Chorney scored from the top of the slot, snapping a streak of seven straight games where the Capitals trailed to begin the game. On Tuesday, Trotz said chasing games was mentally taxing on his players. Chorney’s goal reversed that, and the Capitals had the lead. For once, they didn’t have to chase. After the win, Trotz joked he didn’t know what to do with himself. “We were like, ‘hey, we got one,’” Trotz said. “It’s huge, it really is. I thought it relaxed our bench. I thought our first period was really good. All our shots we dangerous. We had really good net front presence.” But Thursday was another rough outing for the Capitals penalty kill unit, which ranked 27th in the NHL entering the game. The Islanders scored their first two goals on the power play. In the first period, Islanders center John Tavares tied the game by poking the puck through goaltender Braden Holtby’s legs. Eller responded, connecting on a one-timer to help the Capitals hold a 2- 1 lead into intermission. The goal also gave the Capitals’ production on their third line, an issue that bothered them in the first month of the season. The Islanders tied the game on another power play goal in the second period, but forward Alex Chiasson answered back just 12 second later — his first goal as a Capital. “We can’t rely on the same guys to bring offense every night,” Chiasson said. “We need other guys to chip in. Lars‘ line tonight was our best line. Some nights, some guys are going to be hotter than others. That’s just the way it goes.” Trotz said he felt the Islanders outplayed his team’s top six, but the bottom six made the difference. In the third period, the Islanders tied the game with 13 minutes left. The Capitals had a break down in their defensive zone, losing the face-off which led to an an easy score. Despite being outshot 16-2 in the period, Trotz said he felt the Capitals did a good job of preventing New York getting good looks on goal. Trotz also wouldn’t harp on his penalty kill. After all, they came through with two successful kills in the third. “When it really counted, they had two power plays and didn’t score,” Trotz said. “That’s a lot on the resiliency on the guys.” And when the Capitals needed a goal, Eller answered. 1081393 Washington Capitals

Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin voices support for Vladimir Putin

By Stephen Whyno - Associated Press - Thursday, November 2, 2017

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has voiced his support for Vladimir Putin ahead of the Russian presidential election. Ovechkin posted a message in Russian on his Instagram account Thursday announcing he’s starting “a social movement called Putin Team.” Ovechkin says he has never hidden his feelings about Putin and has “always supported him openly.” The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18. Ovechkin is from Moscow and has often been photographed with Putin. A photograph of Ovechkin and Putin accompanied the post, in which the longtime NHL star says, “Being part of this team makes me proud and it’s similar to the feeling you get when you put on a Russian national team jersey, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.” Washington Times LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081394 Washington Capitals

Caps make call up, minor lineup changes ahead of Thursday's game vs. Islanders

By Tarik El-Bashir November 02, 2017 11:52 AM

The Caps made a roster move Thursday morning, promoting Liam O’Brien to the NHL roster while sending Anthony Peluso back to the . Here’s how Coach Barry Trotz had his players lined up at KCI: Forwards Vrana – Backstrom – Oshie Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Smith-Pelly Stephenson – Eller – Wilson Walker – Beagle – Chiasson Defense Djoos – Carlson Orpik – Bowey Orlov – Chorney Goalies Holtby Grubauer No major changes, but there are a few things worth pointing out. Among them: Braden Holtby returns to the nets after sitting out in Calgary. He’s 12-3-3 all-time vs. the Islanders with a .925 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average. He’ll oppose Jaroslav Halak. Defenseman Taylor Chorney returns to the lineup, as well. Aaron Ness, meanwhile, will be a scratch. Nathan Walker also gets back into the lineup, so O’Brien will sit. Walker has played in just two of the previous nine games. “For anybody that gets into the lineup you try to maintain that spot,” Trotz said. “I look at our lines, we’re set on our top two lines—for today, anyways. But we’re going to need some production from our bottom of our lineup.” Although O’Brien won’t face the Islanders, Trotz said he earned the call- up and he’s eager to see what he can do. “I thought he had a really good start to training camp and then he got hurt,” Trotz said. “In some ways he got shortchanged a little bit. He went down to Hershey and played well. He’s playing on both special teams, he’s playing that physical aspect of the game and he’s having some production.” Two trends the Caps want to put an end to vs. the Isles: They’ve allowed the first goal in seven straight games and they’re just 1-3-0 on F Street. “To me, this is sort of a big game,” Trotz said. “We’ve got to start getting some traction at home here.” The Islanders have won 5 of their last 6 games, with John Tavares leading the way. The Isles’ captain has nine goals in the last five contests, including a pair of hat tricks. New York’s power play has been hot, too, converting seven of its last 30 opportunities over the past six games. “John Tavares has elevated his game,” Trotz said. “They’re playing well. They’ve got a deep team. They’ve got a good balance of speed and skill. They’ve got a little bit of bite to their game. They’re a good hockey team.” Although Matt Niskanen and Tyler Graovac—both out with upper body injuries—have been skating on their own, it doesn’t sound like either is close to returning to the lineup. “They’re progressing day-to-day,” Trotz said. “When I know, you’ll know.” Meanwhile, Brett Connolly (upper body) is feeling better but it remains unclear when he’ll return to the ice. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081395 Washington Capitals

Game 13: Capitals vs. Islanders Date, Time, How to Watch, Game Thread

By J.J. Regan November 02, 2017 6:30 AM

What: Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. When: 7:00 p.m. ET. How to WATCH: Capitals-Islanders will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. (Channel Finder) Live Stream: You can watch the Capitals-Islanders game on NBC Sports Washington's live stream page. WHEN IS THE CAPITALS-ISLANDERS GAME? The Capitals (5-6-1) take on the Islanders (7-4-1) Thursday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. WHAT CHANNEL IS THE CAPITALS-ISLANDERS GAME ON? The Capitals-Islanders game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. Coverage kicks off with Capitals FaceOff at 6 p.m. followed by Capitals Extra at 6:30 p.m. Stay with NBC Sports Washington following the game for Caps Extra at 9:30 p.m., Caps Overtime at 10 p.m., and Caps in 30 at 11 p.m. for all your postgame coverage. (NBC Sports Washington channel Finder) 6:00 p.m. — Caps FaceOff 6:30 p.m. — Caps GameTime 7:00 p.m. — Capitals vs. islanders 9:30 p.m. — Caps Extra 10:00 p.m. — Caps Overtime WHERE CAN I STREAM THE CAPITALS-ISLANDERS GAME? The Capitals-Islanders game, as well as the postgame shows, is available to stream live here through NBC Sports Washington's live stream page and is available to authenticated NBC Sports Washington subscribers on desktops, tablets, mobile devices and connected TVs anywhere in the United States. WHAT ARE THE LINES FOR THE CAPITALS-ISLANDERS GAME? Here are the projected lines: Forwards Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Devante Smith-Pelly Jakub Vrana - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie Chandler Stephenson - Lars Eller - Tom Wilson Nathan Walker - Jay Beagle - Alex Chiasson Defense Brooks Orpik - Madison Bowey Christian Djoos - John Carlson Dmitry Orlov - Taylor Chorney Goalies Braden Holtby starts with Philipp Grubauer as backup Scratches Liam O'Brien, Aaron Ness, Andre Burakovsky (IR), Tyler Graovac (IR), Matt Niskanen (LTIR) Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081396 Washington Capitals

4 reasons why the Caps beat the Islanders

By J.J. Regan November 02, 2017 10:19 PM

The Capitals returned home in desperate need of two points and they earned them Thursday in a tense 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. The Islanders tied the game three times, but the Caps were still able to fend them off for the win. Here's how. Lars Eller With the scored tied at 3 in the third period and all the momentum on the Islanders’ side, Eller delivered the game-winner with less than four minutes remaining in the game. To those watching, it came as no surprise that Eller would be the hero because he had been feeling it all game long. He finished with two goals and an assist in what may be his best performance in his time in Washington. Washington scored first For the first time in eight games, the Capitals got the first goal of the game. In October, Washington had allowed the first goal an NHL-high nine times in 12 games. The Caps did not have to start the game chasing the other team and, in fact, never had to at all as they never trailed over the course of 60 minutes. Depth scoring For the first time this season, the Caps were able to get a win despite getting zero points from Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie or Evgeny Kuznetsov. Taylor Chorney is now just the second defenseman on the team with a goal, Alex Chiasson got his first as a Cap and, led by Eller, the third line was something special. The third line Eller wasn’t the only one who had a big night, it was the entire third line of Eller, Chandler Stephenson and Tom Wilson. The first goal was set up by a steal in the defensive zone by Eller that led to a 3-on-2 in the other direction. While they did not get a goal on the rush, Stephenson was able to find the trailing Chorney who had plenty of room to score after the Islanders skaters collapsed down low. Stephenson later found Eller with a nice pass to the slot which Eller finished off. Stephenson’s two assists were the first two assists of his NHL career. He now has three points in the four games he has played this season and is making a case for sticking around in Washington. The third line seems to have found some chemistry which is good news for a Capitals team that has been far too top-heavy offensively in the first month of the season. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081397 Washington Capitals

Tarik's three stars: Lars Eller saves the day

By Tarik El-Bashir November 02, 2017 9:39 PM

The Caps came into Thursday’s game looking to halt a pair of slumps. And they did just that. Taylor Chorney put the Caps on the board first, ending a streak of seven straight games in which they allowed the game’s first goal. And, of course, they got a big win on home ice—4-3 over the Islanders—ending a three-game slide on F Street thanks to a three-point night from Lars Eller. Tarik’s three stars of the night: 1-Eller, Capitals Eller’s second goal of the night—a snipe from the wing over Jaroslav Halak’s glove—put the Caps in front 4-3 late in the third period. The third line center also scored a go-ahead goal in the first period, a one-timer that staked the Caps’ to an early 2-1 edge. Eller also earned an assist on Chorney’s goal. Eller now has three goals and two assists over the past three games. 2- Chandler Stephenson, Capitals Stephenson sure is making the most of his latest call up to the big leagues. The 23-year-old came into game with no assists in 16 NHL games. After 20 minutes, he had a pair of primary helpers, setting up the goals by Chorney and Eller. Stephenson now has a goal and two assists in four games since being recalled from the Bears. 3-Alex Chiasson, Capitals The newcomer scored his first goal as a Capital—and boy was it a big one. Late in the second period, the hulking winger sneaked behind the Islanders’ defense and snagged a long pass from John Carlson. Chiasson let loose a huge blast from the middle of the right circle, beating Halak’s blocker. The goal sent the Caps into the third period leading, 3-2. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081398 Winnipeg Jets Assistant coaches: Rick Wilson, Stu Barnes, Curt Fraser Goalie coach: Jeff Reese Gameday: Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets WINNIPEG JETs 35 Steve Mason G Posted: 11/2/2017 4:00 AM | Last Modified: 11/2/2017 7:36 AM 37 Connor Hellebuyck G | Updates | Comments: 1 3 Tucker Poolman D DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS 5 Dmitry Kulikov D

7 Ben Chiarot D Alexander Radulov celebrates after scoring the winning goal against the Canucks during overtime in Vancouver Monday. 8 Jacob Trouba D ›› About the STARs 9 Andrew Copp C Dallas is coming off a pair of one-goal victories against Pacific Division 13 Brandon Tanev LW teams, thanks to the heroics of RW Alexander Radulov. On Monday, he 15 Matt Hendricks C made good on his second two-on-one break of overtime, firing a wrist shot past Vancouver G Jacob Markstrom to lift his squad to a 2-1 16 Shawn Matthias LW triumph. Three nights earlier, he scored the winner in the final frame as Dallas edged the Calgary Flames 2-1. 17 Adam Lowry C It’s business as usual for the Stars, who once again have been getting 18 Bryan Little C good offensive production from the combination of LW Jamie Benn (7G, 26 Blake Wheeler RW 7A) and C Tyler Seguin (7G, 5A). Talented D John Klingberg (3G, 8A) and Radulov (4G, 6A) are also having splendid starts to the season. 27 Nikolaj Ehlers LW G Ben Bishop is having an up-and-down campaign with the Stars after 29 Patrik Laine RW he was acquired from the L.A. Kings in May. The star puck-stopper is 6- 2-0, but has also been pulled in two starts. He has a goals-against 33 Dustin Byfuglien D average of 2.51 and a .920 save percentage. 39 Toby Enstrom D Special-teams play is proving to be a great source of strength. The Stars own the NHL’s best power play (30.8 per cent success rate) and the 40 Joel Armia RW second-best penalty kill (90.5 per cent efficiency). Last season, Dallas 44 Josh Morrissey D finished 20th on the PP (17.9) and had the worst PK (73.9) in the league. 48 Brendan Lemieux LW Winnipeg Jets 1.0 forward Stu Barnes is back as an assistant coach with Dallas after joining head bench boss Ken Hitchcock’s staff over the 55 Mark Scheifele C summer. Barnes, 46, serves in the same role he previously held with the team for three seasons (2008-11). Barnes spent 16 seasons as a player 56 Marko Dano LW in the NHL, including parts of three with the Jets, who drafted him in the 57 Tyler Myers D first round (fourth overall) in 1989. 81 Kyle Connor LW DALLAS STARs Head coach: Paul Maurice 30 Ben Bishop G Assistant coaches: Charlie Huddy, Jamie Kompon, Todd 32 Kari Lehtonen G WoodcroftGoalie coach: Wade Flaherty 2 Dan Hamhuis D — Jason Bell 3 John Klingberg D Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.03.2017 5 Jamie Oleksiak D 10 Martin Hanzal C 12 Radek Faksa C 13 Mattias Janmark C 14 Jamie Benn LW 17 Devin Shore C 18 Tyler Pitlick RW 21 Antoine Roussel LW 23 Esa Lindell D 25 Brett Ritchie RW 28 Stephen Johns D 29 Greg Pateryn D 33 Marc Methot D 40 Remi Elie LW 46 Gemel Smith C 47 Alexander Radulov RW 90 Jason Spezza C 91 Tyler Seguin C Head coach: Ken Hitchcock 1081399 Winnipeg Jets team going a little bit. Buff stood in there and did a great job, so good on him for taking care of that. You’re not going to see that one very often, but when it happens it’s exciting for the fans," Wheeler said of the scrap Scheifele scores three in Jets' victory over big D between two unlikely combatants. The chippiness continued moments later when Bishop threw a punch at the face of Lemieux, with both players drawing penalties. By: Mike McIntyre Brandon Tanev looked to have made it 4-1 late in the second as he set Posted: 11/2/2017 9:51 PM | Last Modified: 11/2/2017 11:10 PM up in the slot, took a pass from Shawn Matthias and scored. However, | Updates | Comments: 10 Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock challenged for goaltender interference, arguing Scheifele made contact with Bishop just as the puck went by him. The Winnipeg Jets — dubbed a "pack of wolves" earlier in the day by After a brief review, the goal was overturned, much to the chagrin of the Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock for their tenacious play of late — bared their home crowd and Jets head coach Paul Maurice. teeth and went big-game hunting Thursday night as they took down their target with aggression and precision. "I disagree with the call. I have absolutely no idea why it wasn’t a goal. Where the goalie puts his stick is not on Mark. If you’re going to put it in "I would like to think that’s how it feels when we’re on our game, when front of Mark, then it’s going to be hard to get across the crease. That’s a we’re all over the puck, playing with speed," Jets captain Blake Wheeler goal all day long," Maurice said after the game. said of the analogy following a 5-2 victory over their Central Division rivals. That proved to be a savvy move by Hitchcock, as his team would make it a one-goal game late in the middle frame. Mattias Janmark beat Winnipeg raced out to a 3-0 lead before the game was barely 15 minutes Hellebuyck with a wrist shot through a screen. old and improved to 7-3-2 on the year. They now have points in six straight games (4-0-2) and nine of their last 10 (7-1-2). But Scheifele put an end to any comeback thoughts just 1:47 into the third period, deflecting a shot from Josh Morrissey past Bishop to make it It started friendly enough, with the Jets’ Mark Scheifele and the Stars’ 4-2. Tyler Seguin engaging in a rock-paper-scissors contest at the end of warm-up to determine who would be the final player to leave the ice. He added an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal the victory. Scheifele came out on top, drawing a big cheer from the crowd at Bell MTS Place. Jets foward Kyle Connor was awarded a penalty shot midway through the third period but flubbed on his attempt, failing to direct the puck on Scheifele then led the way once the real action began and things took on net. a law-of-the-jungle feel with plenty of extra-curricular activity. He scored his second-career hat trick with his parents looking on from the stands. Hellebuyck was strong once again in his third straight start, allowing two goals on 23 shots to improve to 7-0-1. "We were ready to play. Obviously, we want to have a good start every game. It’s just a matter of ramping ourselves up before we get out there The Stars were wrapping up a five-game road trip in which they dropped and having a good warm-up and just being prepared," said Scheifele. the first two in Colorado and Edmonton, then won in Calgary and Vancouver. They fell to 7-6-0. Perhaps the best sign for Winnipeg was their dormant power play finally coming to life, striking twice in the opening period against the league’s Winnipeg hosts the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night before second-best penalty killing unit. Winnipeg began the game just 5-for-37 heading out for a three-game road trip that begins Monday in Dallas and with the extra man. Another positive is they didn’t give Dallas a single continues on to Las Vegas and Arizona. power play, keeping the league’s No. 1 unit at bay. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.03.2017 Scheifele wasted no time on the first power play, one-timing a beautiful cross-ice feed from Blake Wheeler just over halfway through the first. Just over two minutes later, Patrik Laine broke out of a four-game pointless drought by ripping home a terrible giveaway by Stars defenceman Esa Lindell. Laine feasted on Dallas last season, scoring eight times and adding four assists in five games. "It’s only one goal, but hopefully I’m not struggling in the next game," the always blunt Laine said following the game. "I think we had a really good game with our line, even though they scored two times when we were on the ice, but I think it was a really, really positive game." The Jets continued to swarm, as Dustin Byfuglien threw a big hit on Dallas forward Gemel Smith that drew a crowd. Defenceman Greg Pateryn was sent to the box for cross-checking Byfuglien in retaliation, while Smith ended up fighting Brendan Lemieux. Tyler Myers made them pay, blasting a shot from the point that beat a screened Ben Bishop. Dallas got one back late in the first period, as Alexander Radulov showed great patience in deking Connor Hellebuyck and roofing a shot. Winnipeg continued a pattern of strong first periods, and they’ve now outscored opponents 20-9 this season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice disputes a disallowed goal against the Dallas Stars during second period NHL action in Winnipeg on Thursday.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice disputes a disallowed goal against the Dallas Stars during second period NHL action in Winnipeg on Thursday. Things continued to be heated in the second period. Byfuglien and Dallas captain Jamie Benn dropped the gloves after Byfuglien ran Radulov hard into the boards. "Obviously two great players, two guys that play incredibly hard. We have a lot of respect over here for how he (Benn) plays. He’s trying to get his 1081400 Winnipeg Jets

Poolman sent down to Moose

Mike Sawatzky Posted: 11/2/2017 3:55 PM

The Winnipeg Jets have assigned rookie defenceman Tucker Poolman to the AHL's Manitoba Moose. The 24-year-old from East Grand Forks, Minn., had been a healthy scratch for Winnipeg's previous five games and had dressed for three of the club's first six regular-season games, going pointless while averaging 15:40 of ice time. Tucker Poolman will join the Moose, in the midst of a six-game road trip through California, for a game in Stockton Friday night. Poolman is scheduled to join the Moose, in the midst of a six-game road trip through California, for a game in Stockton Friday night. Manitoba opened the trip with a 5-2 loss in Bakersfield Wednesday. The University of North Dakota grad was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round (127th overall) in the 2013 draft. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.03.2017 1081401 Winnipeg Jets And with Kyle Connor emerging as a forceful winger alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, it gives the coach some decent top-nine options. Great goaltending making up for Jets' trouble spots It’s what the best teams have, so why not try it with the Jets' talent? I just hope that injuries stop for a while so that we can get a complete look at Maurice’s thinking. I think there’s room for him to grow here. Scott Campbell This brings us to Matt Hendricks, who joined the Jets for the game in Posted: 11/2/2017 3:19 PM Pittsburgh. The team has accumulated a record of 2-0-2 since then. Maurice’s trust in him was on display when he had him join Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler in the last couple of minutes against Connor Hellebuyck's 6-0-1 record after Tuesday's game included a Minnesota while protecting a 2-1 lead. sterling .940 save percentage, fifth in the National Hockey League. The Wild had pulled the goalie and a defensive-zone faceoff resulted in Winnipeg Jets fans had joy in their hearts after their team beat the Wild Maurice obviously wanting two centres on the ice. I doubt that a lost draw Tuesday night to move to 6-3-2 and 14 points on the season. will shake that trust. I felt that if the Jets could garner 12 points in October it would be a Despite his best efforts, I don’t see Hendricks being a good fit if they decent start, so six wins and 14 points is pleasing. have a healthy lineup, but I’m just a couch coach. They did, however, have some concerning statistics entering Thursday’s As to the real coach, I give Maurice credit for getting his squad to rally game against the Dallas Stars — so this club is still very much a work in around his ideas. progress. One can disagree with his player deployment or systems, but as long as The Jets got to this point for several reasons — the biggest one being the there are some consistent improvements in team play it should bode well play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. His 6-0-1 record after Tuesday's for the Jets. game included a sterling .940 save percentage, fifth in the National Hockey League. They, like many teams at this time of year, aren’t running on all cylinders but have built a base to work from and improve on, and have piled up Great goaltending makes things look better than they are by some valuable points in the bank. compensating for deficiencies in other areas. Until they shore up those concerning areas listed above, the Jets MVP so The power play has struggled in the past, but things got worse last week far — Hellebuyck — will need to hold his form. Current backup goalie when their offensive-zone entries stunk against the Columbus Blue Steve Mason will have to be at his best as well. Jackets in a 2-1 overtime loss. It’s the NHL "cheat-sheet" way to succeed — just find a great goaltender Entries have been a problem before, but that performance was or two. abhorrent, generating nothing at any point, going zero-for-six. Their discombobulation continued with the man-advantage in their 7-1 win over Chosen ninth overall by the NHL's St. Louis Blues and first overall by the the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday, although they did get an easy entry and WHA's Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by a goal on a four-on-three power play, taking advantage of the extra ice the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game. available. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.03.2017 The PP unit produced nothing in the Minnesota game. In a column last season I suggested the electrifying Nikolaj Ehlers should be moved to the No. 1 unit and be a focus on their zone entries and also to swap in Josh Morrissey for Dustin Byfuglien. I now repeat that. At the very least, move Ehlers there until Mathieu Perreault returns from injury. While I’m a Byfuglien fan, it’s not working on the power play, and another look can’t hurt. At five-on-five play, head coach Paul Maurice is focused on defence and is hoping the neutral and offensive zones can bring goals via turnovers and fast transitions by his quick-striking skaters. However, this defensive system has resulted in the Jets sitting 30th in the league in score-adjusted Corsi, suggesting they’re spending way too much time in their own zone. They are marginally better in expected goal stats but this club shouldn’t be residing in the bottom third of the league in anything. These numbers are generally good predictors of the future — thankfully the sample size is small and there’s lots of time for improvement. Another area that is still of some concern is the penalty-killing unit, even though it has improved from last in the league to a tie for 16th. With a passive approach, they’re depending on great goaltending, which is fine as long as the saves continue. I wonder if they’re playing with fire, as they bleed a lot of shots against, and they’re not all from the outside, as some would suggest. All one can ask of players is they adhere to the coach’s directions and the Jets are undoubtedly trying to do that. The more they win, the easier acceptance becomes for them. More plays become automatic, and they read and react better because of it. Maurice isn’t about to change his systems, therefore player growth within these systems is crucial if the Jets are to make the playoffs. We can’t expect Hellebuyck to stay at .940 for the season. The Jets have been getting improved contributions from various members of their much-maligned bottom-six forward group. With Adam Lowry and, eventually, Mathieu Perreault returning from injuries, there’s a slight chance that Maurice might start talking about a top-nine group, instead. 1081402 Winnipeg Jets “I think we’ve been coming out ready to go,” said Wheeler. “We zeroed in on a few things that have given us success. And we’re doing them right now. Everyone’s doing their job, makes the game a lot easier. Jets shoot down Stars, showing Central they’re for real “I think we’re going in the right direction. We’re happy with the things that we’re doing. But we’re not celebrating.” Ken Wiebe After providing critical analysis of his own recent play prior to the game, Jets’ Laine didn’t need long to snap his four-game drought. Published:November 2, 2017 Laine generated a good scoring chance on his first shift and delivered an Updated:November 2, 2017 11:02 PM CDT even-strength marker at 13:04 of the first period. The Jets also got a pair of power-play goals in the first period – the one- timer from Scheifele and another on a long point shot through a screen If you want to try and separate yourself from the crowded pack in the from Tyler Myers. Central Division, winning the head-to-head matchups is the most direct route to do so. It was the second time this season the Jets have scored twice with the man-advantage and they’re now seven-for-40 this season (17.5%) And while the Winnipeg Jets have only played three divisional games to overall. date, they ran their record to 3-0 in those contests with a 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday at Bell MTS Place. Starting for the eighth time in the past 10 games, Hellebuyck put forth another workmanlike effort, finishing with 21 saves. It’s important to remember that a strong record in the Central is no guarantee for a playoff berth – as the Jets found out last season when Hellebuyck, who improved to 7-0-1, has yet to suffer a loss in regulation they were 19-8-2 in those games – but failing to rise the occasion in the time so far this season. proverbial four-pointers is a good way to ensure you’ll be on the outside looking in come April. More importantly, has not been a victim to the soft goals that plagued him at times last season. “Our division games are always huge because we’re going to need the points for sure, and we’re going to need to take them early,” said Jets Which is another big reason the Jets have now collected 16 of 20 winger Patrik Laine, who snapped a four-game pointless drought with a available points after the 0-2 start this season. first-period goal. “It’s going to get harder and harder as the season goes Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.03.2017 on. We’re going to take every extra point we can get.” The Jets play host the to Montreal Canadiens on Saturday to close out a two-game homestand. Jets centre Mark Scheifele got things started with a power-play goal for the Jets at 10:58 of the first period, ripping home a one-timer after a cross-ice feed from captain Blake Wheeler. And by depositing an empty-netter with 59.2 seconds left in regulation, Scheifele finished off his second career hat trick (the other was March 5, 2016, against the Canadiens) and put the game on ice. Scheifele is up to seven goals and 15 points in 12 games this season, while Wheeler has four goals and 15 points – leaving the linemates tied for the team scoring lead. “I always love playing with (Wheeler). Every time I get to be on the ice with him it’s a huge honour and a lot of fun,” said Scheifele. “He’s definitely my favourite player I’ve ever played with.” For the second time in as many games, the Jets had a goal disallowed. After losing a potential goal against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday because a hand pass was called, the Jets thought they had made it a 3-1 game at 15:40 of the second period. Brandon Tanev found a quiet spot in the high slot and blasted a shot past Bishop after a nice pass from Shawn Matthias. But the Stars challenged for goalie interference after noticing Scheifele was in the crease. Although it appeared as though Stars defenceman Esa Lindell pushed Scheifele, the right skate of the Jets centre did get tangled up with the goalie stick of Bishop. And after video review, the call on the ice was overturned and it remained a two-goal game (at least for the time being). “I disagree with the call. I have absolutely no idea why it wasn’t a goal,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “Where the goalie puts his stick is not on Mark. If you’re going to put it in front of Mark then it’s going to be hard to get across the crease. That’s a goal all day long.” Before the second period had ended, Stars forward Matthias Janmark beat Connor Hellebuyck with a high shot to trim the Jets lead to a goal. But after regrouping during the intermission, Scheifele restored a two- goal cushion by deflecting a point shot from Josh Morrissey up and over Bishop 1:47 into the third period. With as much attention that has been given to the Jets’ second-period struggles, it should be noted they’ve been one of the best teams in the NHL this season at coming out of the gate. By outscoring the opposition 3-1 in the first period on Thursday, the Jets are now plus-11 in goal differential in the opening 20 minutes (20-9). 1081403 Winnipeg Jets “You don’t feel right,” he explained. “You don’t play the game you’re supposed to play. You’re thinking too much, you’re trying too much. And you’re not skating. And those are the key points.” Patrik Laine breaks out of his slump Ehlers says it’s something his entire line, Laine and Bryan Little, too, needed to get back to. Ken Wiebe The trio had just one goal and one assist in the previous four games. Published:November 2, 2017 In addition to Laine’s goal, Little and Ehlers picked up assists on the power play, Thursday. Updated:November 2, 2017 10:40 PM CDT LOVING LEMIEUX

His dad was as hated here as he was anywhere, but Brendan Lemieux It was the kind of play that can turn a game, give the trailing team life and hasn’t had to fight his way into the hearts of Jets fan – even though he suck it out of the team with the dreaded two-goal lead. did just that, Thursday. Winnipeg Jets boss Paul Maurice was livid on the bench with a late Claude’s son got into it with the Stars’ Gemel Smith in the first period, second-period call that saw his team’s fourth goal against Dallas, delivering a flurry of punches and taking a few. Thursday, waved off because of a borderline goalie interference call. The play actually started when Dustin Byfuglien ran into Smith near the Mark Scheifele’s skate was in the blue paint when it got entangled with players benches, Smith wisely choosing to take out his anger on Dallas goalie Ben Bishop’s stick, just as Brandon Tanev rifled a shot into someone other than No. 33. the Stars net. Lemieux, though, may have surprised him. After a review the goal was disallowed. The feisty rookie found himself the centre of attention again in the Maurice didn’t quite blow a gasket, but the boiler was threatening to second, when he crowded Bishop, only to be served a blocker-and- burst. graphite sandwich from the Stars goalie. Sure enough, the Stars struck minutes later on a bit of a softie by Mattias They both got two. Janmark against Connor Hellebuyck, and the Jets lead was cut to 3-2 going into the third. Stars captain Jamie Benn dropped the gloves with Byfuglien in the second. Scheifele made amends less than two minutes into the final period, getting into Bishop’s grill again to tip a point shot up high and over him to The scraps were the first two of the season for the Jets. restore the two-goal lead. POOLMAN OFF TO MINORS For good measure he added an empty-netter for the hat trick. The Jets sent rookie defenceman Tucker Poolman to the American Meltdown averted, as the Jets, 7-3-2, put one more small notch on their League’s Manitoba Moose. belts in what’s been a pretty good opening dozen games. Poolman has been a healthy scratch the last five games, after playing LAINE’S LAMENT three earlier contests. Before the game, a candid Patrik Laine lamented his lack of production of He recorded no points while averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time. late, saying he hadn’t been doing much of anything to help his team. His departure – he did not have to clear waivers – leaves Ben Chiarot as “I feel like I can’t do many positive things on the ice,” No. 29 said. “The the extra defenceman. team is winning, so that’s always good. But it would be nice to be able to THE LAST WORD help the team to win sometimes, because I haven’t done that. It was suggested to Maurice in the morning that maybe his team could “Feels like hockey is really hard right now. It doesn’t matter if it’s catch the Stars tired, since they were wrapping up a five-game road trip. offensively or defensively. Obviously I don’t have a lot of confidence.” The coach almost scoffed at the notion. The kid was being a little hard on himself, because in his first 11 games he had four goals and two assists, just two goals and two points off the “Not a lot of back-to-backs, they got two days off, went to Kelowna, had a pace he set in his first 11 last season. nice time. We were in and out of (Minnesota) after a back-to-back (Pittsburgh and Columbus). I’m not sure we’re all that much better rested “It’s hard. But it was hard last year also,” he said. “Right now, I don’t than they are.” know why, but it feels like it’s just super-hard to score. Hopefully it will get better. It’s not going to get easier, I know that. But hopefully I can find the Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.03.2017 back of the net a couple times. “I’ve had tougher situations than this. And always I’ve found a way to come out of it.” He did, Thursday, scoring his first goal and first point in five games. He had a few other dangerous chances, too. If a four-game point drought is the longest of his career, he should be OK. EHLERS HAS BEEN THERE A couple stalls over from Laine, Nik Ehlers could feel his friend’s pre- game pain. “This league is not easy,” Ehlers said. “My first year I went through it for 28 games. My second year I went through it for about eight, 10 games. You’re going to run into some hard times.” Captain Blake Wheeler predicted once Laine got one or two more, the tap would resume flowing. “What’s impressed me the most is he’s not pressing, he’s not trying to go off the reservation to try to score goals to do his own thing,” Wheeler said. “There’s nothing wrong, it’s just a matter of our group is more focused on winning than individuals trying to score goals.” There’s more to it than a lack of point production. As Ehlers said, you can still play poorly and score points. 1081404 Winnipeg Jets

Jets' Laine lacking confidence, says he finds it 'super hard' to score

Paul Friesen Published:November 2, 2017 Updated:November 2, 2017 3:06 PM CDT

It’s too early to call it the sophomore slump, but Winnipeg Jets star Patrik Laine is certainly going through a crisis of confidence. Going into tonight’s home game against Dallas, the 19-year-old Laine hasn’t registered a point in his last four games. Worse, he doesn’t think he’s doing much of anything to help his team. “I feel like I can’t do many positive things on the ice,” Laine said, Thursday. “The team is winning, so that’s always good. But it would be nice to be able to help the team to win sometimes, because I haven’t done that. “Feels like hockey is really hard right now. It doesn’t matter if it’s offensively or defensively. Obviously I don’t have a lot of confidence.” In 11 games Laine has four goals and two assists. That’s just two goals and two points off the pace he set in his first 11 last season, when he finished with a team-leading 26 goals. “It’s hard. But it was hard last year also,” he said. “Right now, I don’t know why, but it feels like it’s just super-hard to score. Hopefully it will get better. It’s not going to get easier, I know that. But hopefully I can find the back of the net a couple times.” The visiting Stars might just be the tonic he needs. In five games against Dallas last season, Laine scored eight times, including a pair of hat tricks on home ice. “That’s what we said,” linemate Nik Ehlers said. “Hopefully something good can come out of tonight. This league is not easy. You’re going to run into some hard times. And Patty’s a good enough player to get out of it. It’s just a matter of time.” Captain Blake Wheeler agrees. “What’s impressed me the most is he’s not pressing, he’s not trying to go off the reservation to try to score goals to do his own thing,” Wheeler said. “We’ve seen it — he needs one or two and he’s gonna put it in the net. There’s nothing wrong, it just a matter of our group is more focused on winning than individuals trying to score goals.” Head coach Paul Maurice says Laine is no different than the rest of the team’s young players. Some nights they’re good, others they’re not. “Confidence is a really interesting one to get your head around,” Maurice said. “Hitting posts doesn’t give a guy a whole lot of confidence. For a guy that really values the goal-scoring part of his game, (the puck) has got to get in behind him. So we would start with all of the basics that go into that. “If you’re not scoring goals, there’s a whole lot of other things that you can do, to help your linemates and help your hockey team win. And that’s what we’re looking at.” Connor Hellebuyck will get his third straight start in goal for the Jets (6-3- 2), while Ben Bishop gets the call for Dallas (7-5-0). POOLMAN OFF TO MINORS The Jets today sent rookie defenceman Tucker Poolman to the American League’s Manitoba Moose. Poolman has been a healthy scratch the last five games, after playing three earlier contests. He recorded no points while averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time. His departure — he did not have to clear waivers — leaves Ben Chiarot as the extra defenceman. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.03.2017 1081405 Vancouver Canucks “Our breakouts have got a lot better and we do a good job jumping up,” said Pouliot. “You saw that (Dallas) game. He (Biega) was all over the place Monday and driving the net and hitting guys. Pouliot picked up priceless pointers playing with Penguins “You just kind of figure it out with who’s back to the puck first to go with it and there were a couple of times where we were both up in the rush. You try not to do that too much, but you’ve got to make plays and you’ve got Ben Kuzma Published: November 2, 2017 to read the game. Updated: November 2, 2017 4:37 PM PDT “It’s just learning and getting more comfortable.” The comfort level won’t last because Pouliot is on an expiring contract that pays US$800,000 this season and is set to become a restricted free Derrick Pouliot had his day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2016. agent. His age helps his future value, but if there’s not some eventual offensive production, then he could be watching instead of playing. It was an experience he won’t soon forget in celebrating a championship with family and friends in Weyburn, Sask. However, the lasting Alex Edler is expected to return in a week from a knee injury and even impression for the Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman is what he was though Troy Stecher has yet to skate after his knee ailment, the trickle- exposed to in 69 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and how it down effect will press Pouliot to making a lasting impression. challenged him to get his game to another level. OVERTIME: Winger Anton Rodin has been reassigned to the Utica He made two playoff appearances in what would be the first of back-to- Comets. The former Swedish Elite League MVP, who had his back NHL championship runs in 2016 and ’17, and consecutive Conn troublesome left knee surgically repaired last year, has played but three Smythe trophies for captain Sidney Crosby. games with the Canucks, all coming last season. He has yet to score. And with the Penguins here Saturday to face the Canucks at Rogers Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.03.2017 Arena, it’s easy for Pouliot to dial it back and recall what it meant to practise, play and observe the game’s elite. “You learn so much,” he recalled. “The quality of players they have is just so good and they work so hard. Everybody was on board for the two Cups runs and just being around the winning environment and being able to experience that was invaluable for sure. “They never got too low.” That’s a big take-away for Pouliot. He was acquired Oct. 3 in a swap that sent Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick to the Pens, who would probably have lost Pouliot to another club on waivers in an attempt to trim a crowded blue-line. Canucks management thought it was a gamble worth taking to see if the eighth-overall pick in the 2012 draft can finally build on the potential he showed playing junior for Canucks coach Travis Green in Portland, Ore. “Derrick has quietly gone about his business and I see confidence creeping into his game,” Green said of the 23-year-old defenceman. “I like it when I see him getting up the ice because he sees the ice well. And he has an offensive mind. “But he is still finding his way.” Pouliot logged 18:05 on Wednesday in a 2-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils — his high in nine games with the Canucks was 19:18 in Boston on Oct. 19 — and the good news is how well he has meshed with Alex Biega in a third pairing. An uptempo system has given both the green light to jump up into the play and create odd-man rushes. “It’s a great style to play and a fun style, and it gives us more opportunities,” added the 6-foot, 208-pound Pouliot. “It’s a fit for me and it’s the way the game is going. Teams have defencemen who are very active in the rush and trying to create that offence from the second wave.” The Canucks could use that. As well as they played in their previous two games, they scored just once. Those 80 shot attempts against Cory Schneider on Wednesday were really about having 21 shots blocked, having 22 miss the net and not having enough of a presence to make it a tough night for the former Canucks goalie. The Canucks have but goals from Chris Tanev to show for back-end production and Pouliot has gone 55 games since scoring March 1, 2015, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has two goals in 76 career NHL games — both coming in 2014-15 — and if the enthusiasm of playing with Biega keeps rubbing off, he might finally score again. He did unleash a heavy power-play slapper Wednesday that just missed the mark, so there is that. Canucks’ Derrick Pouliot crashes into his net behind Dallas Stars’ Tyler Pitlick during an NHL game in Vancouver on Oct. 30. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS “It’s been a while since I’ve scored — but it’s coming,” added Pouliot. He had 17 goals and 53 assists in the 2013-14 WHL season, and 23 points (7-16) in the AHL last season spoke of potential that piqued the Canucks’ interest when Pouliot came up for trade discussions. But for any offence to occur, an improvement in transition is vital. 1081406 Vancouver Canucks Olympics The NHL's decision not to go to Pyeongchang has opened the door for a number of alternate candidates, including a handful at the collegiate College, Olympics, NHL – could Adam Gaudette play in all three this level. This was evident when, at an Olympic press conference in late season? September, USA Hockey trotted out Denver University's Troy Terry and Boston University's Jordan Greenway to meet with the media. Between those two and the head coach – University of Wisconsin bench boss Mike Halford Tony Granato – there seemed to be a clear message sent: NCAA hockey could have a significant presence on the national team. 13 hours ago So, what about Gaudette?

Earlier this week, a USA Hockey spokesman confirmed to The Athletic Just over six weeks ago, I spoke with Northeastern head coach Jim that Gaudette “is being evaluated in our overall play pool,” which makes Madigan about one of Vancouver's most intriguing prospects, Adam sense given his scoring exploits at Northeastern. The big question, it Gaudette. would seem, is how much of a dip USA Hockey is willing to take into the NCAA, or how much the NCAA is willing to allow. The Olympic At the time, Gaudette, a junior centre for the Huskies, was preparing for tournament will run from Feb. 14-25, right in the middle of the college what many considered to be a pivotal year in his development. The campaign, and Granato has already said he expects to miss four Big Ten Canucks' fifth-round pick in 2015, Gaudette had grown from a skinny, conference games while guiding the American squad. undersized USHL prospect to one of the better players in the NCAA. It's worth pointing out that the American entry into the upcoming This season, he's become one of the best. Deutschland Cup – a four-team international tourney featuring the U.S., Madigan had high hopes for the 21-year-old, calling him “a special kid” Germany, Russia and Slovakia – is comprised entirely of European and that was destined for the NHL. And Gaudette's certainly shown as much. AHL veterans. This would suggest USA Hockey isn't going to upset the He's racked up six goals and 13 points through the first seven games of collegiate apple cart by pulling kids out of school to audition for an the season – the third leading scorer in the country – and on Monday Olympic spot. On that note, The Athletic's Corey Pronman reported that was named Hockey East's player of the week. U.S. GM Jim Johansson spent last weekend scouting NCAA games in New England, including Northeastern's 5-4 OT win over UMass-Lowell Gaudette's stock has risen dramatically since being the 149th overall on Saturday – a game in which Gaudette scored a goal and finished with selection in his draft year, and hasn't shown any signs of plateauing. a team-high eight shots on net. That's why he could be on the precipice of a historic campaign, one in which he could see time at the collegiate, Olympic and NHL levels. NHL Let's dig in. As mentioned above, Gaudette is in his junior campaign. This has led to several conversations about when he'll turn pro because, as has been NCAA well-established in the past with various NCAA draftees, Gaudette could become a free agent in the summer of 2019 if he returns to school and Gaudette and Northeastern are already majors player on the collegiate plays out his senior year. circuit. The Huskies are currently ranked 15th in the country and have their eyes set on the Frozen Four, after advancing to the Midwest Not that anybody wants to see it get to that point. Regional two years ago (where they would lose to eventual champion North Dakota – a team that featured current Canuck Brock Boeser). On Wednesday, The Athletic reached out to Canucks GM Jim Benning about the possibility of signing Gaudette at the end of this college Gaudette and teammate Dylan Sikura have emerged as the NCAA's season. most lethal one-two scoring punch. Sikura, a Chicago Blackhawks draftee, sits one point ahead of Gaudette as the second leading scorer in “Adam has had a great offensive start to the season,” Benning replied. the country. To get a better sense of how dominant the duo's been, I “We have a great relationship with him and fully support his continued reached out to Yahoo's Ryan Lambert, who's based out of development at the collegiate level.” Massachusetts and has seen the Huskies play several times this year. Benning, understandably, wasn't going to show his cards. But it's pretty Lambert's take? clear from my earlier conversation with Madigan that the Canucks are extremely interested in getting Gaudette on board. In that same Q&A, The scoring stats alone tell the story: Gaudette and Sikura are Madigan joked about his and Vancouver's, ahem, difference of opinion dominating the competition. They've been on the ice for about half of on Gaudette's future. Northeastern's goals in all situations, and only about one-third of their goals against. What makes that so impressive, though, is that they're by MH: Do you figure he’ll play all four years? far the team's biggest shutdown line, taking about half of all Madigan: [Laughs] Hey, I’m pushing for four, and they’re pushing for Northeastern's defensive zone starts themselves. That's a role they didn't three, right? They’ll get a kick out of that one. If you tell them ‘Madigan have last year, because Hobey finalist Zach Aston-Reese (now in the thinks he’ll be ready in the fourth year,' they’ll look at you and go ‘No, he’ll Penguins system) was the shutdown guy on the first line. be ready next year.’ [Laughs] Sikura and Gaudette – they're tough to mention separately since they In the past, Vancouver's been diligent in getting NCAA draftees signed. spend pretty much all their time on the ice together – have really strong Last year, the club locked in Thatcher Demko following his junior complementary skills. Sikura likes to shoot and Gaudette likes to pass, campaign at Boston College. In March, the club famously inked and gave but neither can be said to really be “driving the bus” of their success. Boeser his NHL debut one day after his sophomore season at North They've combined to attempt about a quarter of all Northeastern's shot Dakota ended. attempts and SOG between them. It remains to be seen if the Canucks will need a dangling carrot to get Their underlying numbers aren't great, however. In the three games I've Gaudette signed. He certainly sounds enthused about how the seen, they get a little out-possessed at 5-on-5 but do better than their organization has treated him thus far. teammates despite the tougher assignments. It's a team problem, generally speaking (also I saw them play one of the best teams in the “They just want me to focus on my season here, not putting any pressure country for two of the three games, which doesn't help) but they're doing on me to sign or whatnot, because I've got a long season ahead,” all they can with the tools given to them. Gaudette told Sportsnet 650 radio this week. “They were full of support for my decision of coming back [for junior year], and that's awesome by I haven't seen a scarier power play yet this season, and any time them. It makes me feel more comfortable.” Gaudette or Sikura have the puck on their stick in any situation, there's a strong chance something special is about to happen. The Canucks have options at their disposal. They could sign Gaudette to an entry-level deal at the conclusion of his junior season – and Gaudette and Sikura will likely be in the Hobey Baker conversation, but depending where they are in the standings – give him his NHL debut, like that conversation could change depending on how deep Northeastern they did with Boeser (implicit in this is the incentive of burning a year of can advance this season. Hockey East is a tough conference. Four Gaudette's ELC, bringing him one year closer to RFA status and a larger teams – Northeastern, New Hampshire, Providence, Boston University – payday.) are currently ranked top-20 nationally, and it's important to remember there are only 16 spots available in the NCAA championship. Last year, They could also sign him to an ELC that kicks in next season, giving Hockey East earned four berths. Gaudette the option to sign an ATO with the Utica Comets … or he could return to school to finish his classes and exams. Whatever the case, one thing is for certain – Gaudette has a lot of opportunities in front of him. It'll be interesting to see how they pan out. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081407 Websites PANTHERS/LUONGO The Panthers remain hopeful that it’s more a short-term absence for veteran No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo and not a long-term thing. They The Athletic / LeBrun Notebook: Finalizing Shipachyov's exit plan, Wild expect, or at least hope, to know more sometime next week. need a better Dumba, and more Luongo suffered the hand injury Oct. 20 against Pittsburgh. He started skating just recently as he attempts to see where he’s at. Pierre LeBrun Needless to say, the Panthers’ season could take a turn either way 10 hours ago depending on how long he’ll ultimately be out. Matt Dumba was expected to be back in the Wild lineup Thursday night as Minnesota hosted Montreal, head coach Bruce Boudreau opting not If you are wondering why Vadim Shipachyov still hasn’t been placed on make the 23-year-old a healthy scratch. unconditional waivers for contract termination purposes by the Vegas Golden Knights, let’s try to answer that question. Boudreau and Dumba met Thursday morning and chatted after the player’s giveaway in the previous game led to Nikolaj Ehlers’ game- Where to begin? winner early in the third period. Dumba never saw the ice again the rest of the game. The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have been going back and forth on it this week to find a resolution and are still in the process of trying to Overall, it’s been a struggle of a season so far for Dumba, an offensive find resolution on it. More on that later. blueliner who hasn’t scored yet after scoring 11 goals last season and 10 goals the season before. First, the player: he simply wants to resume his career at home in Russia and put all this negative experience in North America behind him (agent The Wild are very much committed to this player, especially after Petr Svoboda said his client had flown home to Russia on Thursday.) deciding to deal Marco Scandella last off-season when there was certainly interest from other teams in Dumba. Secondly, the player has agreed to pay back the $2-million signing bonus he got from the Golden Knights from July in order to cut ties with Vegas. They don’t have the same defensive depth this season and need Dumba to rediscover his form. He’s an important player for them. So why hasn’t he been placed on unconditional waivers (yet?) AGENT DAN MILSTEIN First, because the Golden Knights don’t want another NHL team to claim him and then Vegas gets stuck having paid the $2-million signing bonus. Real interesting read recently by colleague Craig Custance on agent Dan So there’s that. Milstein. Also, even with the player saying he’d pay the bonus back, I believe the His client list of Russian players keeps growing, including the likes of Golden Knights want assurances that he won’t change his mind and try Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin and Vladislav Namestiknov. to recoup some of his signing bonus. There had been rumours that Milstein was adding a third Tampa Bay So I think there’s been talk of Shipachyov signing something to Lightning client in goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (whose agent is Rolland guarantee he wouldn’t seek out the money. Hedges) but the agent vehemently denied that Thursday in an email when I asked if he had indeed added Vasilevskiy. But it’s not as simple as the player and club having agreed to things. From the NHLPA’s perspective, it’s bigger than just the player here. This “Absolutely not true,” said Milstein. is a CBA matter. The optics of a player paying back a $2-million signing bonus isn’t exactly ideal, even if these are unique circumstances. There’s BOLTS’ SERGACHEV the fear of setting a precedent. Rookie blueliner Mikhail Sergachev is off to a terrific start to his NHL In the meantime, Vegas has most of the leverage here. The fact the career and it would pretty surprising at this point if he isn’t in Tampa for player wouldn’t report to AHL Chicago means he’s suspended and isn’t good, although GM Steve Yzerman has not made any such declaration. getting paid. So, the Golden Knights could afford to take their time and The team is happy with his play and his development, and has told him to make sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed before they go ahead find an apartment and move out of his hotel. But beyond that, no with whatever the NHL and NHLPA come up with as an exit plan. guarantees have been given. Even though he’s played more than 10 In the end, I think one avenue the NHLPA and NHL have also discussed games, which kicks in the first year of his entry-level deal, the team will is whether it makes more sense for this to end with Shipachyov signing do what’s right for him and his development. NHL retirement papers (which wouldn’t require conditional waivers) But at this point, I find it hard to believe we’re going to see regression. similar to what Ilya Kovalchuk did. Sergachev looks like he belongs. So will it be retirement papers or mutual termination? Worth remembering are the conditions on that trade which sent Jonathan Whatever it ends up being, and I’m told there still wasn’t a resolution Drouin to Montreal last June, a deal that tentatively also saw the Bolts between the NHL and NHLPA as of Thursday evening at 7 p.m. ET, it’s get the Habs’ 2018 second-round pick in exchange for the Lightning’s been a long and complicated ordeal. 2018 sixth-round pick; but only if Sergachev failed to appear in 40 games (regular season or playoffs) with Tampa in the 2017-18 season. If he All for a guy who played three NHL games. plays in 40 games or more, there are no picks exchanged in the deal. SENS’ DORION So it certainly appears like the Habs will be getting that second-round pick back. If that’s the case, the Canadiens will have three second-round Eyebrows were raised when Senators GM Pierre Dorion took in games in picks in June: their own, Washington’s from the Lars Eller trade and Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden on back-to-back nights earlier this Chicago’s which they got along with Philippe Danault for Dale Weise and week. Tomas Fleischmann. And while most of the media speculation has been centered on which Those are good assets to have in a potential trade either before Feb. 26 players he was watching on the Islanders or Rangers, it’s worth or in June. mentioning that the common denominator in both those games was Vegas. No question I believe Dorion wanted to also get a live look at The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 some Golden Knights players since he rarely will get to see them in person this year. Vegas has a long list of pending UFAs and perhaps later in the season there’s a forward there that ends up interesting the Senators. In the short term, I believe Ottawa asked Vegas if it had any interest in goalie Andrew Hammond given all the injuries in goal for the Golden Knights but I think the expansion club took a pass at least for now. Hammond is healthy again and playing well so far this season in AHL Belleville. I wonder if Ottawa doesn’t call him up just to showcase him at some point… 1081408 Websites Likelihood: Schmaltz has a chance to take in the maximum amount this season based on early indications. He’s played well, and getting a chance to play alongside Patrick Kane will continue to give him offensive The Athletic / Performance bonuses not as much of a concern for opportunities. Schmaltz is also getting time on the power play and Blackhawks this season penalty kill. Through nine games, he has three goals and two assists. He’s also fifth among the forwards in average ice time and tied for fifth in plus-rating. Scott Powers The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 18 hours ago

Performances bonuses were all the rage with the Blackhawks the past few seasons because of Artemi Panarin’s contract. Panarin’s contract was full of them, and he hit them all over his two seasons. He earned $5.375 million in performance bonuses during his time in Chicago. That, of course, led to some cap overages for the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks don’t have as much to worry about this season. The most they’d have to pay out in performance bonuses this year is $1,475,500. The Blackhawks will likely have a cap overage due to their performance bonuses again because they're already at the cap ceiling and aren't likely to accumulate any cap space this season. They had an overage of $3.558 million last season and $3.08 million the season before. Here are the Blackhawks’ NHL roster players who are eligible for performance bonuses this season. Alex DeBrincat Maximum amount: $182,500 Bonus details: DeBrincat’s entry-level contract includes games played bonuses for all three years. He can make $182,500 if he plays 68 games this season, $132,500 if he plays 82 games next season and $32,500 if he plays 82 games in the 2019-20 season. Likelihood: DeBrincat is on his way to the bonus this season. He’s appeared in the Blackhawks’ first 13 games. The question is whether DeBrincat can keep up his play to remain in the lineup and not be sent to the AHL for too long of a stint. Nick Schmaltz reached 61 NHL games last season after some time in Rockford. Patrick Sharp Maximum amount: $200,000 Bonus details: Sharp’s one-year deal to return to the Blackhawks came at a low cost. He was willing to sign for a base salary of $800,000. To help boost that number, his contract also included a $200,000 bonus for playing in 10 games this season. Likelihood: The bonus has already been achieved. Sharp played in the Blackhawks’ first 10 games of the season. Jan Rutta Maximum amount: $425,000 Bonus details: Rutta’s one-year contract includes 10 “A” bonuses. They’re worth $212,500 each, and he’s only allowed to be paid for a maximum of two. The bonuses can be triggered by top-4 defenseman ice time (average or cumulative, min. 42 games), 10 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, 0.49 points per game (min. 42), top-3 defenseman plus/minus rating (min. 42), top-2 defenseman blocked shots (min. 42), NHL All- Rookie Team, NHL All-Star game and NHL All-Star game MVP. Likelihood: This seemed very unlikely before the season. Rutta arrived in the NHL as a 27-year-old first-year player who played in the Czech Republic last season. He’s opened eyes with his play, though, and earned a top-4 opportunity. As of today, he’s third among the defensemen in ice time and second in plus/minus rating. Those might be the two categories he has the best chance to reach. He also has two goals and three assists in 13 games. Nick Schmaltz Maximum amount: $650,000 Bonus details: Schmaltz has nine possible “A” bonuses in his contract this season. Each is worth $212,500. He is able to earn no more than $650,000 in the bonuses this season and $850,000 next season. The bonuses include top-6 forwards ice time (cumulative or average, min. 42 games), 20 goals, 35 assists, 60 points, top-3 forward plus/minus rating (min. 42), 0.73 points per game (min. 42), NHL All-Star game and NHL All-Star MVP. 1081409 Websites

The Athletic / Boudreau's wishes: More from Tyler Ennis and for Matt Dumba to respond

Michael Russo 17 hours ago

It hasn’t been the start to his Wild career that Tyler Ennis had hoped. Even with injuries to top-nine forwards and Charlie Coyle and before their return Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, the former Buffalo Sabres winger had been relegated to third- and much of the time fourth-line duty for his first 10 games. In Winnipeg and Calgary a few weekends ago, Ennis logged nine and 10 minutes, respectively, on the fourth line and was back on the fourth line in Tuesday’s most recent home loss to the Jets. “You want to be a first-line guy. Everybody does,” Ennis said. “I came to this team with the mindset that I’d do anything to help the team be in a position to win. The goal is to win, so I just have to play as hard as I can. If I’m going to work my way up the lineup, it’s got to be from hard work.” Ennis, 27, is a three-time 20-goal scorer but missed 90 games the past two years because of a concussion and sports hernia. He has scored two goals in 10 games with the Wild, both coming on the power play in the home opener against Columbus. But he has barely sniffed the power play since other than a second-unit shift here or there. If Ennis is to produce, it probably needs to come on the man advantage. The Wild’s power play is 0 for 16 the past four games, but in Thursday’s morning skate in preparation to play Montreal later in the evening, Ennis wasn’t on the power play. The second unit was comprised of forwards Eric Staal, Jason Zucker and Chris Stewart with Niederreiter moving to the first unit with Granlund and Mikko Koivu. “I’ve been a power-play guy my whole life,” Ennis said. “I feel that’s kind of my bread and butter. Being out there is a privilege and an honor and you have to work to get on there. I’ve got to prove and work my way on there. It’s one spot where I think my skillset can help the team.” It’s clear coach Bruce Boudreau hasn’t been fond of the undersized forward’s game so far. In Boudreau’s mind, it comes down to winning one-on-one battles. “I thought he skated well last game,” Boudreau said. “But he’s got to get more involved. Be involved, win battles, and when you do that and be more determined than the other guy, good things will happen.” Dumba message sent While some wondered if Boudreau would scratch defenseman Matt Dumba against the Canadiens, it appears as if veteran defenseman Kyle Quincey will be the lone healthy scratch. Dumba is coming off a poor game against Winnipeg. It was highlighted by his giveaway that led to Nikolaj Ehlers’ game-winning breakaway goal 43 seconds into the third period. Dumba was benched the rest of the game. Boudreau said it “crossed my mind” to scratch Dumba on Thursday night, “but in the end, I thought 19 minutes was enough and hopefully he got the message.” Boudreau will be looking for Dumba, who has no goals, three assists and 11 shots in 10 games, to respond the right way. “We’ve talked a lot and I would anticipate that he’s going to be playing better,” Boudreau said. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081410 Websites The comments on my Kris Letang piece indicated that people like to know who the best and worst by these sorts of numbers are, even when it's not strictly relevant to the story. I am but a conduit for information of The Athletic / Dellow: NHL coaches aren't stupid — that seventh interest to our subscribers, so I've pulled the guys with the twenty biggest defenceman likely isn't a star pushes and the twenty biggest drags from their coaches (as far as when they go on) and their centres (as far as winning faceoffs) and how that impacts their expected numbers. With ties, it's 21 guys but you get the idea. Tyler Dellow You can see that Honka just misses this list, which is dominated by third 12 hours ago pair defencemen or total youngsters, along with a few notable exceptions like Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.

I also understand that people like to see what their team's players look This is a story about Julius Honka but I could have written it about any like with stuff like this. Again, I'm but a conduit etc., etc. For readability one of a long list of players that the statistically inclined internet loves and purposes, I've set up a graph appendix here. hockey people don't. In other words, even if you don't care about the Dallas Stars, the thinking in here probably applies to some team or player So that's one angle that suggests that Honka was getting a pretty cushy that you do care about because it's a universal problem: Stupid coach spot from Hitchcock relative to the rest of the Stars. It leads to an obvious who has unfathomably won a few hundred games doesn't recognize that next question: is there a particular shift type on which Honka was killing some bottom end player with great numbers should be given a larger it? Happily for the flow of this column, the answer is yes. Julius Honka role. was absolutely murdering it on on-the-fly shifts. Honka got sent down to the AHL by the Stars on Tuesday. My buddy As you'll see, he has the third highest numbers in the league, tucked in Scott Cullen over at TSN summarized the case for the defence. below Eric Gryba and Nathan Beaulieu. For completeness, the bottom end of the list. To translate: the Stars put up a 59.5 percent Corsi% when Honka was on the ice. They got 65.1 percent of the scoring chances and 66.7 percent of Put more precisely: the Stars got great results when Honka was on the the high danger scoring chances. He posits that because Dallas got ice for OTF shifts. So there you have it: stupid Ken Hitchcock doesn't outscored 4-1 with Honka on the ice, the Stars don't see his real value. realize that he has this monster defenceman in Julius Honka who absolutely owns on-the-fly shifts and crushes the game when it's in flow Look, sometimes hockey people, be they coaches or GMs, do crazy stuff. mode, right? Well…not exactly. Sometimes they get things wrong. But hockey analytics — as useful and helpful as it is — is far from a finished or exact science. You're looking at When a defenceman comes on to the ice on the fly, the puck is almost stuff, understanding some historical context for that information and then always in a good spot, whether it's in a teammate's hands on the rush or trying to figure out what it means. This should include trying to figure out behind the opposition net after it was dumped in, with a lot of space and how it might mislead you. bodies between the puck and that defenceman's net. In those initial seconds after he comes on to the ice, the newly arrived defenceman is In a perfect world, you'd really try to understand what the pure hockey contributing nothing to the results, which are almost certain to be highly people are saying and then you'd try and reconcile that with what the favourable. The results are the work of the people who've been there analytics seem to be saying. I've seen instances in which I think hockey longer or those who've recently departed from the ice. We credit the guy people were right and instances where I thought the analytics people on the ice. nailed it. Nobody's got a monopoly on objective truth here (including me; I'm just a guy thinking things through and making arguments) and if you The Stars have put up incredible results in the first ten seconds after try and reconcile the two schools of thought, you can make them better. Honka's come on the ice on the fly this year. How incredible? In Honka's 85 OTF shifts, the Stars have out-attempted the opposition 65-29. In the Julius Honka is just the latest of a certain type of defenceman. A Rob first ten seconds that Honka's on the ice, they've out-attempted 20-4. A Schremp of the blueline. The flashy guy who puts up points, can't seem more realistic number there would be something like 17-9. Is the to get out of the AHL or off of the third pairing and whose numbers seem difference because of Honka's impressive play? Or is it small sample to scream that he deserves more than he's getting, if only that stupid noise, happening to get on the ice at the right time? crusty old hockey man would just get his head out of 1975. For what it's worth, I do believe that this happens. I don't think it's always the case I would bet on it being the latter. And it's the sort of thing that a coach though. breaking down video wouldn't give a player credit for while someone looking at on-ice numbers would. ALSO: the crusty old hockey man is probably a hell of a lot more desperate for his team to win games than is popularly understood. When Another fun note: 14 of the 65 OTF shot attempts for which Honka has you're talking about coaches or general managers, you're talking about been on the ice for have from just three of his shifts, as he's been on the people making seven figures whose continued earning of said seven ice for a six CF OTF shift and a pair of four CF OTF shifts. Put another figures is (in many cities) dependent on the team doing well. Oh, and way, 3.5 percent of his 85 OTF shifts have featured four or more CF. For losing is miserable. It eats at you every moment of every day. the league as a whole, that number is more like 0.9 percent. I'm inclined to think that that his big CF number on OTF shifts doesn't really have All of which is to say that the people making the decisions about people much to do with him. He just happens to be the guy who was on the ice like Honka have considerable incentive to get it right. So what might the for the winning spin on the slot machine. Stars be seeing that the numbers cited by Cullen aren't catching? Here's what one of those four CF shifts looked like, by the way. You tell One thing is the mix of shift types. Zone starts have had ups and downs me: how much did Honka drive that? How much was he the beneficiary in terms of popularity with hockey numbers people. Initially, it seemed of other players rebounding? very important. Then, someone quite sensibly pointed out that it didn't really seem like it made a huge difference and now people seem to To me, what made that shift was the work that the forwards did winning disregard it entirely. My take on this is that for most players, it doesn't the battle for the puck after the initial shot. It probably won't have make a huge difference but for players on the extremes, it does. escaped Hitchcock's eye either that Honka got caught below a couple guys and the Avalanche ended up with an easy zone entry on a I look at zone starts a little differently than most people. What I do is defending forward. create an expected Corsi% based on the player's mix of shifts. So it's number of shifts of a certain type times expected results on those shifts In big samples, this sort of thing will wash out but in small samples it and then total up the results to basically put a price on what you'd expect won't. It drives me nuts when coaches run with a guy for whom the based on how the shift started. For Dallas, that looks like this. percentages are running hot but otherwise isn't good — I always think that those coaches should know when to walk away from the table with So right off the top, Honka's mix of shifts gives him an edge over the rest their winnings. But, in a way, that's exactly what this is. In small samples, of the Stars D when it comes to being on the ice for Corsis and scoring I trust the eye more than the numbers that people commonly refer to and chances. Ken Hitchcock might not process it in these terms but he'd if the eye of a guy who's had a lot of success doing this says walk away, know that he's put him into favourable spots. What makes Honka unique I'm inclined to believe him. Particularly when the numbers kind of look in comparison to the rest of the Stars defence is that he started a ton of shaky under a closer look. shifts on the fly. This isn't particularly uncommon for defencemen who are lower down the roster and it means that you tend to start with your Really, this is the intersection of two things. One is sample size. This is a team having the puck on the rush or the opposition having the puck pretty good illustration of how sample size can throw up weird results. behind their own net a lot. It's not a bad place to be. The second is things that the numbers — which are the map, not the territory — don't capture or don't adequately deal with. There are players out there who coaches overlook or don't like because of stuff that doesn't matter as much as they think. There aren't nearly as many fringe NHL defencemen who are actually top four defencemen in that group as a lot of people think though. If you think you've found one, you'd better take an awfully close look. Odds are, you'll find a reason that the coach doesn't like him other than “The coach is stupid.” The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081411 Websites They’ll host the Oilers next Tuesday, and with the Tavares line undoubtedly the top priority for coach Todd McLellan and his staff Eberle and Barzal should find opportunities against Edmonton’s depth pieces. The Athletic / Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall poised to jab a fatal knife in the That game will be the first of a four-game road-trip for the Oilers. If Oilers' weakening playoff hopes McLellan is going to split up McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to try and make his team less one-dimensional in arenas where he doesn’t control the matchups that would be the time. Jonathan Willis Somewhere along the way, Edmonton will have to make a decision on 15 hours ago Kailer Yamamoto, the 2017 22nd overall pick who has now played eight of the nine games he can dress in before the first year of his entry level deal kicks in. It was Yamamoto, of course, who hinted to Chiarelli this summer that the Oilers would come to regret it if they didn’t pick him. This summer, Peter Chiarelli expressed a fondness for players who remember being passed over and come back to exact vengeance for the “The one thing that sticks out in my mind is when we took him out to slight. As the Edmonton Oilers GM looks over his team’s record and dinner at the combine, and we’re just eating there and talking and we upcoming schedule, though, he has to be hoping that two of the skaters said, ‘Why should we draft you?’” Chiarelli recalled at the draft. “It’s a he shipped out of town fail to exhibit that trait. standard question you ask, and I’ve never really heard this answer. He said, ‘You’ve got to draft me because otherwise I’m going to come back We’re speaking, of course, of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, both of and haunt you.’ He’s a pretty confident kid; that was an impressive whom have the opportunity to kick their former team while it’s down. answer and he backs it up with his play.” The 2017-18 NHL season is still young enough that it’s not yet possible The initial indications are that Yamamoto’s confidence was entirely to write off this iteration of the Oilers, but it’s getting grim out there. warranted. While his immediate future remains in question, three assists Edmonton’s 3-7-1 record has them 30th in a 31-team league, ahead of and 21 shots over eight games is an extremely impressive performance only the hapless Arizona Coyotes. Colleague Dom Luszczyszyn’s latest for a player of his age and experience. update from his model has them more than twice as likely to miss as make the post-season. In some ways, though, he exemplifies the Oilers’ problems this season. Yamamoto is still looking for his first goal, having been repeatedly robbed There’s another way to put it: If the Oilers were to kick into 2016-17 mode on good scoring chances; it’s an experience to which many Edmonton right now, winning at an identical rate to last season over their final 71 skaters can relate. He’s going to be very good down the line, but the games, they would finish with 96 points. That probably, but not certainly, Oilers need help right now and too many of their young hopes have gets them into the playoffs. If we figure the team had some good luck last faltered out of the gate. year (health, schedule, etc.) and that to at least some degree the current slump represents a market correction, the picture only gets worse. Finally, there’s the element of retribution. Having selected Yamamoto, Edmonton has no cause for regret there. But with Hall and Eberle in The obvious solution to the problem is winning, right now. A four-game position to sink a knife deep into their remaining playoff hopes, the Oilers run would get the team within a game of true .500, and given how good just have to hope that this isn’t the moment where those two trades come Edmonton was last season at that point it would be a lot easier to bet on back to haunt them. the playoffs. Prominently standing between the Oilers and a streak like that are Hall and Eberle. The Athletic LOADED: 11.03.2017 Hall’s New Jersey Devils, off to a stunning 9-2-0 start, will play Edmonton twice in the span of a week, first visiting Northern Alberta on Friday and then hosting the club next Thursday. Not only is the team red hot, but Hall himself is leading the way with 15 points in 11 games, two more than Connor McDavid has over the same span. On some level, this is just another game for the Devils. Hall made no secret of his frustration with losing during his time in Edmonton, and that has continued in New Jersey. Winning against the Oilers, as against anyone else, increases the Devils odds of making the playoffs in the league’s toughest division. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a lot of personal motivation to dominate these contests. Many, many columns were written last season declaring the Oilers’ trade of Hall for defenceman Adam Larsson a resounding win for the club. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector providing the most memorable turn-of-phrase with his quip that a poll of 200 hockey men might produce a unanimous choice of Larsson over Hall, but that represents merely a drop in an ocean of approval for the deal. Elite athletes don’t reach the top of their profession without facing criticism and learning how to either ignore it or channel it into their own performance. It’s a big part of the reason why the comments of NHL players on their opponents tend to be so insipid, nobody wants to offer bulletin board material to the other team. Well, Hall has plenty of material to work with, and as his team’s top left winger there’s a decent chance he’ll engage head-to-head with Larsson repeatedly over the two games. If he’s been waiting for his chance to show Chiarelli that trading him was a mistake, he won’t find a better one than this. Naturally the same opportunity exists for Larsson, who could do much to bolster his club's hopes by stifling New Jersey's top offensive threat. Eberle’s early work has been less impressive than that of Hall. He failed to be an instant hit next to John Tavares, with coach Doug Weight instead bumping him to the Islanders' second line. There he's presently playing with Mathew Barzal, famously acquired with a draft pick from the Griffin Reinhart trade, because it's that kind of week. Still, Eberle's nine points would tie him for second among Edmonton players if he were still on the roster, and the Isles are off to a thoroughly respectable 7-4-1 start as a team. 1081412 Websites Time ran out. There was no surprise in this game for a Leafs team that beat the Kings a couple weeks ago at Air Canada Centre. It always loomed as a tough Sportsnet.ca / Early errors add to travel woes as Maple Leafs crowned by one on the schedule, but they didn’t do enough to make things a little Kings easier on themselves. “There shouldn’t be any reason for that,” said Matthews. “Just because Chris Johnston it’s a back-to-back, I think it should force us to play a little bit smarter and take care of the puck much more. We definitely didn’t take care of it November 3, 2017, 1:31 AM tonight in the first couple periods.” Still, the players saw plenty of positives to take from their effort. Los Angeles is now 10-2-1, but the margin between them and the 8-6 Leafs LOS ANGELES – Over the course of an 82-game season, there are doesn’t appear too vast. going to be times when the deck is stacked against you. Arriving at Staples Center on the second half of a back-to-back, and playing for the “The game plan was working when we executed it,” said Rielly. “We third time in four nights, falls under that category. started working down low and moving our feet. I thought we had time where we were controlling the play a little more, but we didn’t do it But what ate at the Toronto Maple Leafs in the wake of Thursday’s 5-3 enough obviously.” loss to the Los Angeles Kings was the unmistakeable role they played in their own demise. Babcock noted that the turnovers and a couple lost coverages on the penalty kill are “fixable.” They’ll be discussed before this tough four-game This was not one they could simply chalk up to heavy legs and a quality road trip wraps in St. Louis on Saturday night. rested opponent. Even pointing to a spotty effort from backup goalie Curtis McElhinney falls short of explaining why the Leafs repeatedly Of the Kings, Babcock noted, “It’s pretty easy to get a handle on what interrupted stretches of strong play by shooting themselves in the foot. they’re doing, but they just do it better and longer than most teams.” “Turnovers were the key tonight for us,” said Jake Gardiner, the That’s the kind of consistency Toronto is still searching for. perpetrator on the most egregious one. “Had too many of them and they cost us goals. Other than that, I thought we played well. You can’t play Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 that kind of hockey if you want to win.” Yes, that’s been a running theme throughout the last few weeks, but this effort stood alone from the poor efforts against San Jose and Carolina. The only similarities were too many goals against. As Leafs coach Mike Babcock surveyed the night, he concluded, “You feel like you left one out here.” That speaks to how strange and uneven the performance was. For the Leafs, the good play was really good. And the bad? Well, it was brief and … horrible. Gardiner is one of Toronto’s stronger skaters, but ended up on his butt before Kings forward Michael Amadio opened the scoring. He couldn’t say if it was bad ice or something else that caused him to fall as he skated backwards across his own blue line. That resulted in a panicked clearing attempt and costly turnover. “I’m not sure what happened there,” said Gardiner. After Mike Cammalleri made it 2-0, Leafs centre Nazem Kadri attempted to skate the puck out of his own end in the final minute of the first period. He instead coughed it up to Tanner Pearson, who found Trevor Lewis all alone. “You can’t outscore your turnovers,” said Babcock. “In the first period we definitely didn’t play smart,” added centre Auston Matthews. “Once we started just keeping it simple, getting the puck in and getting after their D, we started generating some more chances. “For us, it could have helped if we started that from the time the puck dropped.” The comedy of errors reappeared briefly in the second period when Tyler Toffoli got free of Nikita Zaitsev on a power play and literally shot the puck through McElhinney. He added his second goal a couple minutes later after a neutral zone turnover by the Leafs sent the Kings off in transition. That made it 5-0. Given that Toronto consistently enjoyed stretches of strong play, it wasn’t surprising that it ended up making the Kings sweat a bit. First Auston Matthews scored on a penalty shot – it’s debateable whether Anze Kopitar actually hit his hands on the breakaway that lead to it – and then he found Morgan Rielly with a spinning pass from the corner just before the second intermission. When Connor Brown tipped home a shot from the high slot to make it 5-3 with 12 minutes left in regulation, there was plenty of time for a comeback. Kasperi Kapanen soon had two good chances stopped by Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Matthews shot high after being awarded another penalty shot with 1:19 left when Kings defenceman Jake Muzzin intentionally knocked his net off its moorings. 1081413 Websites Andersen had some bounces on his side with Rickard Rackell and Beauchemin each striking iron behind him. Auston Matthews and William Nylander met the same fate behind Anaheim’s John Gibson. Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs’ Andersen shakes off October blues in return The Andersen-Gibson tandem helped the Ducks reach Game 7 of the to Anaheim 2015 Western Conference final and was only broken up because there wasn’t enough net to go around. Andersen was the older and more expensive of the two, and now describes his trade to Toronto as a “win- Chris Johnston win for both of us.” November 2, 2017, 1:02 AM He didn’t get the start here when the Leafs visited last season because it fell on the second half of a back-to-back. The Ducks are still getting used to seeing him in blue and white. ANAHEIM, Calif. – This remains his happy place. “I know him very well,” said Silfverberg, who faced Andersen in a playoff series in Sweden before playing with him here. “He’s a hell of a goalie It’s been 17 months since Freddie Andersen migrated north to join the and it’s tough to score on him.” Toronto Maple Leafs, but he still exudes a California cool. The Dane returns here for two months of R-and-R each off-season – working on his That wasn’t the case over a 10-game stretch to start the season where body with trainer Scot Prohaska and easing his mind with the activities he was beaten 36 times. His first month last year was rough as well. on offer in Orange County. Babcock didn’t mince words when asked if his goaltender’s calm exterior “You can relax, you can golf, you can live healthy,” said Andersen. “You helps him handle the more stressful aspects of his job: “Well, I haven’t can go out to eat and still get good food. It’s a good area.” seen it in Octobers.” It might just be where Freddie got his groove back. He quickly pointed out that the calendar had just turned to November. There were no signs of Andersen’s October blues during a 3-1 win over Andersen was in a positive frame of mind after meeting former teammate Anaheim in his first start at Honda Center since he played for the Ducks. Andrew Cogliano for sushi at Nobu in Newport Beach on Tuesday night They were nowhere to be found in the dispiriting loss at San Jose on and visiting with a few other pals here at Honda Center. Monday, either. “It’s always fun to see some old friends,” he said. Even with the Leafs playing much better in front of him, Andersen needed to be sharp. He tracked the puck well through traffic, absorbing a It’s even better to feel like your old self. Hampus Lindholm chance and gloving a Francois Beauchemin point blast as part of a 17-save second period. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 “It feels nice,” said Andersen. “It’s a big win for our team though, because we need to get back on track and we did.” The Leafs had lost three straight and seen head coach Mike Babcock make widespread changes to his lineup. The move to centre didn’t hurt Patrick Marleau. He scored the winner early in the third period and saw linemates James van Riemsdyk and Connor Brown connect on the opening goal. Marleau was even on the ice when Leo Komarov hit the empty net. The Leafs did a lot of winning during Andersen’s early struggles because they outscored their problems. The goals have dried up with the power plays no longer getting handed out like Halloween candy. Toronto went an incredible 131 minutes 30 seconds without a man advantage before Antoine Vermette was called for tripping in the second period. “We’ve got to find other ways to score,” said van Riemsdyk, who feathered a pass between Sami Vatanen’s legs to set up Brown’s fourth goal of the season. You’d never know that those two Leafs have seldom played together. “I was actually looking to do something else the whole way – a different way to get him the puck – and then that was pretty much the only play available,” van Riemsdyk explained. The only goal Andersen gave up came when Ondrej Kase’s shot deflected off teammate Andreas Borgman’s skate. Jakob Silfverberg briefly appeared to tie the game 2-2 with 1:38 left in regulation, but he was deemed to have kicked the puck in. Andersen stopped 64 of 67 shots overall in California and will cede the crease to backup Curtis McElhinney for Thursday’s game in Los Angeles. His save percentage has crept up to .901 and, more importantly, the results are starting to match the work he’s put in. The No. 1 has been in some need of positive reinforcement. 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 “It’s hard to believe that a NHL player wouldn’t have confidence because you think they’re that good,” said Babcock. “But it’s true. It’s fleeting. So when you’ve got ‘er going you feel good about yourself, you’ve got jump and you’re loose. And when you don’t have ‘er going you spend all your time wearing yourself out thinking about it and trying to get it going. “But the secret is if you work hard all the time when you’ve got ‘er going you keep it going.” 1081414 Websites That’s the Price we know. When he’s at his best, the majority of the shots hit him right in the middle of the CH Logo on his jersey. Heck, even when he’s a fraction off, that’s where most the shots end up. Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens longing for real Carey Price as margin for error Seeing how few of Minnesota’s 27 shots hit Price in the middle of the narrows jersey on Thursday was recognizing how far he is from his best right now. Eric Engels The timing of that is particularly troubling. November 3, 2017, 12:15 AM Brendan Gallagher and Andrew Shaw gave the Canadiens life in this one with late goals. The team pushed hard to even things up. That effort resembled what we’ve seen from them of late, as they strung together three wins in their last four games to start clawing their way back from a It was 10 seconds of action that made you wonder who the guy wearing disastrous 1-6-1 start to the season. No. 31 for the Montreal Canadiens was. They look like a team that’s starting to figure it out, but the margin for He didn’t bear even the slightest resemblance to Carey Price, the error right now is practically zero for the Canadiens. They need to collect consensus best goaltender in the world. Granted, he looked a bit like the 86 points in their remaining 69 games to get to 95 points, which is what it Price we’ve seen in the early part of this season—the guy who came into took to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season. Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild with numbers unbecoming of an average goaltender, let those of a terrible one. They need the real Carey Price to return in order to come even close to pulling it off. They better hope the guy who wore No. 31 on Thursday Before Price and the Canadiens flew to Minnesota he was asked about stays in Minnesota. his .883 save percentage and his 3.64 goals against average. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 “I don’t feel like statistics mean much going into any particular game,” he said. “It’s all about the way you feel and the way you prepare for each game.” There’s little doubt Price was prepared for Thursday’s contest. He had Sunday off, he was rested on Monday when backup Al Montoya took to the net for Montreal’s 8-3 win over the Ottawa Senators, and he had a couple of practices to get ready for the Wild. There was even less doubt about how Price was feeling before the game was barely five minutes old. It was a real head-scratcher watching him overcommit to Matt Cullen’s shot, which was heading wide before it caught Price’s pad and slipped right through his legs and into the net for Minnesota’s first goal at the 4:46 mark of the first period. It was even more baffling when Price went to routinely stop a puck behind his net and start the team’s breakout and ended up coughing the puck up to Wild defenceman Matt Dumba. Who was that guy clumsily stumbling back to his net as Dumba’s shot found the top corner to make it 2-0 for the Wild 4:56 into the game? Surely not the same Carey Price who has appeared virtually unflappable for the better part of the last five seasons. It couldn’t possibly be the guy who the Canadiens gave an eight-year, $84-million contract extension to this past summer. We have little doubt that Carey Price will re-emerge long before that new deal kicks in at the start of the 2018-19 season, but right now he’s nowhere to be found. You could say the Canadiens were ill-prepared to start the game in Minnesota. You wouldn’t be out of line to suggest it. But, at worst, they should’ve been down 1-0 after the first period due to a goal Price had no chance on, scored by Tyler Ennis in the 16th minute. Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty failed to cover teammate Brandon Davidson’s ill-timed pinch at the offensive blue line, and Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry hesitated to make a decision defending the 2-on-1 play that began with Cullen’s perfect saucer pass and ended with Ennis’ perfect shot. Unforgivable mistakes all around. But it was Price’s wobbly start that made that goal the third one of the period instead of the first one. And it could’ve been worse, as he searched for point shots that hit him and trickled through his crease and as he scrambled to find his angles on even the most innocuous of shots. A rush play, which began just before the 12:09 mark of the second period, ended with Wild defenceman Ryan Suter sliding a puck right through Price from an odd angle. And if you took a freeze frame of where Price ended up after the puck got by him, you’d have seen him sitting two feet left of his post, trapped in his butterfly stance and wondering what just happened. It’s an image that betrays what we’ve known about Price for as long as he’s been the No. 1 in Montreal (and in the world); that his positioning is his bread and butter. It was after a game last season—I can’t recall which one—that I asked Price to point to his best save of the night. He had made many of the spectacular variety, but he chose not to single out any of those. His answer revealed much about his trademark positioning. “Probably the one that hit me right in the middle of the crest,” Price said. 1081415 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Repayment of Shipachyov’s signing bonus a delicate negotiation

Elliotte Friedman November 2, 2017, 7:21 PM

Eric Engels has much of the latest information on the latest chapter of The Shipachyov Saga, but there is another wrinkle affecting the outcome. Vadim Shipachyov has agreed to repay most of the $2-million signing bonus he received (approximately $1.914 million), since he’s leaving Las Vegas after a brief stay. But, several sources indicate that he offered to repay it even if claimed by another team — a move the NHLPA is fighting. There’s no issue with Shipachyov paying back the money if his two-year, $9-million contract is terminated. But, the player and the Golden Knights are negotiating what happens if another NHL team either a) claims him on waivers or b) tries to sign him after his current agreement is voided, since that makes him eligible to go anywhere. Vegas wants assurances Shipachyov will not pursue option B. If his contract is terminated, the Golden Knights want to know he’s going back overseas, not to a North American opponent on a cheaper deal. From what I understand, that remains a hurdle. Option A is trickier. Vegas still wants that signing bonus money repaid. Word is Shipachyov agreed to do it, but if another NHL team does claim him, it inherits the current contract as is. The NHLPA doesn’t want that. Its position is: if he gets claimed, Vegas’s right to repayment is over. The union’s stance is simple: we don’t want this precedent. Players shouldn’t be returning money earned. It might not be able to stand in the way of Shipachyov paying it back if he goes overseas, but not if he stays here and continues to play. Even if he left a new team quickly, it didn’t have to pay any of the bonus cash. Some history: In 2003, Edmonton worked on a trade that would send Mike Comrie to Anaheim for Corey Perry. Comrie was in the middle of a bitter contract dispute with the Oilers. As the deal came to a close, Edmonton asked Comrie to repay $2.5 million of the rookie bonuses he’d received. The player refused, and the trade fell apart. (He would eventually get sent to Philadelphia.) In baseball — a sport NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr knows a little — the Players’ Association blocked a 2003 trade that would have sent Alex Rodriguez from Texas to Boston for Manny Ramirez. At the time, Rodriguez was still owed $179 million on the massive 10-year, $252-million groundbreaker he signed with the Rangers. Reports indicated the Red Sox worked out an agreement that allowed for salary to be reduced and/or deferred. In exchange, Rodriguez received the right to free agency before the original term of the contract ended. The union called this solution unacceptable. Rodriguez eventually would go to the Yankees. (Can you imagine how history would have changed? The Red Sox might still be chasing a World Series.) Anyway, the Shipachyov situation remains a delicate negotiation. And, it’s now more than just him and the Golden Knights at the table. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081416 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Blues’ Brayden Schenn explains hard hit on ex-teammate Sean Couturier

Mike Johnston November 3, 2017, 12:48 AM

Brayden Schenn made quite the impression in his first game against his former. The St. Louis Blues forward hammered Philadelphia Flyers centre Sean Couturier midway through the second period of a 2-0 Flyers win. As you can see in the video at the top of the page, Schenn caught Couturier high with a hit in the Blues’ end. Couturier was hurt on the play and left the game momentarily before returning. Schenn was assessed a two-minute interference call and following the game he was asked about the play. “He toe-dragged the puck into the middle,” Schenn told reporters. “I’m not trying to go out there and try to hurt a guy. I know him pretty well. I played with him for six or seven years. I didn’t even finish through him. I was gliding, I tucked my shoulder, tucked my elbow, didn’t hit his head … I’m just glad that he came back in the game obviously. He probably went through the [concussion] protocol. The last thing I’m trying to do is hurt a former teammate.” The Flyers traded Schenn to the Blues at the 2017 NHL Draft for Jori Lehtera, the 27th-overall pick in 2017 and a conditional first-round pick in 2018. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081417 Websites He’s still a helluva player, though, and on most nights very much worth the entertainment dollar. Look: I know for a fact there are popular – hugely popular – athletes in this city who voted for Donald Trump. Truth Sportsnet.ca / Alex Ovechkin reminds us of the inconvenient truths in is, there are a lot of people who make a crap-load of money who voted sport with their pocketbook, and in case you haven’t noticed, an an awful lot of NFL players haven’t hitched their wagon to Colin Kaepernick’s cause and as far as I can tell few if any Major League players took up with Bruce Maxwell or NHL players J.T. Brown. Jeff Blair I hate to tell you this, but it’s possible that your favourite athlete is a November 2, 2017, 5:18 PM misogynist or a homophobe or racist even if he doesn’t put it on a t-shirt. More to the point: I can guarantee that even if you’d cross the street to

avoid a Trump supporter, you’ve gone crazy and cried for and died with a Among many inconvenient truths to surface out of the mire of our current player who voted for Trump and that you’ll do it again next season and political discourse is the reaffirmation that your favourite athlete might not the season after and that you’d do it even if you knew he gave money to only fail to share your politics or world-view: he or she might in fact hold Trump. ideas that are diametrically opposed to it. Because you’re a fan and unless you are gullible enough to still believe Like Alexander Ovechkin: proud Russian; proud Putin lackey. there’s some sort of moral or spiritual underpinning to professional sports, some sort of life-changing intrinsic goodness to be found in it, you In the old days – like, I don’t know, five, 10 years ago? – this was no big understand the meal satisfies your need without knowing each individual deal. Oh, sure, there were third rails that could never be touched: racism ingredient. and anti-Semitism in particular and, gradually, homophobia and sexism, although the latter two seem unfortunately still stored away in the corners Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 in many clubhouses and locker-rooms – as they are in many offices and family rooms. But at any rate, I doubt if anybody looked at the action on the ice, diamond or field and thought ‘hit that bastard Democrat forward’ or ‘run over that damned Republican piece of …’ well, you get the picture. Can’t do that anymore, can we? I mean, poor Connor McDavid and his friend dress up as Donald and Melania Trump for Halloween (badly, I might add) and social media has a kitten. I guess there’s a chance that McDavid was being ironic … but a safer bet is he knew another teammate was going as Captain America or one of those tiresome Game of Thrones characters and just figured: ‘Meh. This is easy.’ Or maybe it’s an Alberta thing. At any rate, the Edmonton Oilers captain is now probably aware that in great wide swaths of the world Donald Trump’s poisoning of the public discourse means he is viewed as being nothing short of evil; that the sores Trump delights in opening and then poking and then rubbing salt into are not laughing matters. Donald Trump is real world evil. The laughing ended months ago. Which brings us to Ovechkin, who was all over the news this weekend for the remarkably magnanimous act of buying clothes for a homeless man he encountered in Edmonton, where the Capitals were playing the Oilers. Feeding and clothing the less fortunate in society ought to be the charge for all of us; along with providing shelter it is the most immediate thing we can do to change a person’s circumstance in real time and Ovechkin showed a massive heart in doing so. Thursday, Ovechkin announced via social media that he has formed something called ‘Putin Team,’ and is quoted on Instagram as announcing it by saying: “I have never hidden my attitude towards our president, always openly supporting him. I am confident that there are many of us, supporting Vladimir Putin. So let’s unite and show everyone a united and strong Russia!” A post shared by Alexander Ovechkin (@aleksandrovechkinofficial) on Nov 2, 2017 at 9:07am PDT Which is his right, of course, not to mention wholly unsurprising. Putin is, among many other things, a plutocrat who keeps track of those with fame and wealth, especially when they can be an enabler: either in lining his own pockets or furthering his attempts to create a new Russian empire which is often one and the same thing. There are coat-tails to be ridden everywhere. Ovechkin has been a buddy with Putin for a long time; he was made one of the faces of the Sochi Games and Ovechkin’s mother, Tatyana, is a former Olympic basketball gold medallist who is a highly decorated athlete from the bad old days of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – when sport really was an extension of the state. My guess is Ovechkin really believes this stuff, and that he does so even knowing that the current political climate in the United States gives an element of risk to what he’s done. Ovechkin spent much of the post- election cycle attempting to maintain a public non-stance on matters related to U.S. politics and continued assertions of Russian interference. Alas, that veneer has been dropped. I don’t know who Ovechkin is an ally or enemy of in the culture war in which we are now engaged – and that’s what it is, folks, an out and out culture war where we all need to pick sides or have them picked for us – but I have a pretty good guess. 1081418 Websites In doing so, you’re also accomplishing your desired goal of positioning me as the bad guy that now has to follow that act by coming out here and throwing cold water on everything. Analytics already get such a bad rap Sportsnet.ca / Naked Eye vs. Nerdy Guy: Who is the real Derek Dorsett? as a killjoy that’s sucking the fun out of the sport and I imagine that the following won’t do anything to stop the perpetuation of that belief.

That said, let’s just do our due diligence here by getting some facts out of Dan Murphy and Dimitri Filipovic the way and then go from there. November 2, 2017, 10:12 PM Season Dorsett’s Shooting % 2008-2009 6.8 Naked Eye (Dan Murphy): 2009-2010 7.0 It’s been a better than expected start for the Vancouver Canucks. Sure, 2010-2011 3.6 it’s early but did anyone believe the Canucks would have points in eight of their first 12 games (including six regulation wins)? To celebrate, my 2011-2012 8.8 nerdy counterpart Filipovic has suggested we keep the good times going 2012-2013 7.9 by writing about a positive development the team has provided us with thus far. 2013-2014 6.0 And not only that, but he even wanted me to pick the topic! 2014-2015 7.9 Great, right? 2015-2016 5.5 Listen, I’ve watched enough Narcos and Peaky Blinders lately to know 2016-2017 4.2 when I’m being set up. And Filipovic is smart enough to realize that Derek Dorsett is the most logical answer. I can just picture him sitting 2017-2018 31.6 there at his keyboard, cracking his knuckles and smirking, waiting to tear The early season is made for comically unsustainable production, when apart my half of the project. So you know what I’m going to do Dimitri? the sample is still small enough for us to get stat lines like this one that I’m going to dive right into your trap, head-first. are so out of left field from what we’d typically expect. Dorsett may be the easy answer, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t also the Few have taken advantage of that wave more than Dorsett early this right answer. Just the fact he is playing in the league after what he went season, using it to pot four five-on-five goals – a total he’s topped just through last December would qualify him as the biggest positive twice in his 10 seasons in the league (he had nine in 2011-12, and five in development for the Canucks this season. Cervical fusion surgery is no 2014-15). Unless you believe that a 30-year old with nearly 500 games joke – they moved his vocal chords aside to pull a disk out of his neck and 700 shots on goal to his name suddenly reworked his game at this and then used a portion of his hipbone along with a washer, plate and point of his career to suddenly become an offensive dynamo, then we four screws to fuse the vertebrae together. Eight weeks in a neckbrace should be looking at the longer term track record as an indicator of what had Dorsett wondering about the quality of his life, let alone the quality of to expect moving forward. his hockey. If he’d been converting 6.5 per cent of his shots on target into goals, like Before the season, when most Canucks fans were fantasy booking the he’d been good for on average throughout his career prior to this season, team’s lineup they either had Dorsett in the press box or the minors. But he’d currently have just a single goal to show for his efforts and we’d be new head coach Travis Green had other plans for a player who had looking at him entirely differently right now. always assumed the tough guy/energy role. Green envisioned Dorsett in a far more prominent shutdown role. And right from Game 1 against Those goals are now banked however and there’s no taking them away. Connor McDavid and the Oilers, Dorsett relished his new responsibilities The Canucks will gladly take them and run, knowing full well that and the challenge the coach has provided him. anything they get from Dorsett from this point forward is just gravy. His ice time is up. Way up. In the 14 games he played last season But what happens when those fortunes inevitably reverse, and the Dorsett averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game. This season that’s offence dries up? shot all the way up to 15:27, including 19:30 (!) against the Stars on Monday night. Nobody saw that coming. You obviously want to get into the habit of rewarding good results if you’re coach Travis Green, but at the same time you also need to take a As for the scoring? Well, that has to be considered a huge bonus. Dorsett bigger picture view of things and be prepared for what’s to come. is already up to six goals on the season. I’m not sure how many he’ll finish with, but if he can match his career best of 12 set back in 2011-12 My opinion on Dorsett’s individual production thus far neatly mirrors the while he was in Columbus, there isn’t a Canucks fan out there who one I have about the Vancouver Canucks as a whole. It’s certainly wouldn’t have taken that number from him with a big smile before the unexpected, and it makes for a fun story. It’s also wholly unsustainable. season started. There’s ultimately no harm in that, unless it deludes people – especially the ones in charge – into thinking that there’s more to it than that, and the Especially if you would’ve told them that he was going to do it while team is actually better than it is in reality. logging major minutes against the toughest competition. I should also mention that with 44 penalty minutes, second in the league as I type this, Despite the success they’ve been stumbling into, the mandate prior to Dorsett hasn’t forgotten about the roots that sometimes make him the fan the season shouldn’t change. The attention should still be firmly fixed on favourite either. the future, using this season to a.) give young players much needed reps at the NHL level, and b.) figure out who’s going to be around when the Now I haven’t taken a deep dive into the numbers, but you can bet team is once again ready to enjoy sustainable success. Filipovic has. So like Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith versus Papa Doc in 8-Mile, let me get his argument out of the way. Which is a perfect segue to my pick for the most positive development in Vancouver thus far: Brock Boeser is totally legit. It’s slightly cheating Yes, he is playing too much at even strength. because it’s not necessarily a surprise after what he did last year and all the draft hype that preceded it, but let’s go with it because it’s the one Yes, his shooting percentage of 92 per cent or whatever it’s at right now worth discussing the most. is unsustainable. Despite the fact that he was inexplicably left out of the opening night And yes, he’s probably getting buried in shot attempts. lineup, and is now nursing a foot injury, Boeser’s managed to be wildly So Filipovic, f-ck this battle, I don’t wanna win, I’m outtie. productive whenever he’s on the ice. Here, tell these people something they don’t know about Double-D… Following up on his brief cameo at the end of last season, he’s once again generating a healthy volume of shots. As a team, the Canucks are Don’t think I don’t see what you’re trying to do here, Murph. You paint controlling 52.6 per cent of unblocked shot attempts, and 60.7 per cent of this beautiful picture of resiliency, and determination, overcoming life’s the shots on goal with Boeser on the ice at five-on-five. Amongst the many trials and tribulations. It’s one that everyone reading can surely forwards, only the Sedins have a higher expected goals-for rate than either personally relate to, or aspire to. It’s one that really does warm the Boeser’s sparkling 58.2 per cent. And he already has nine points to his heart. name in just nine games played. If it weren’t for the way in which Clayton Keller is lapping the rest of the competition, Boeser’s performance would be generating some real Calder Trophy buzz. See, Dan. I’m not a total wet blanket! Sometimes numbers can be fun too! Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081419 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Stamkos compares chemistry with Kucherov to time with St. Louis

Sonny Sachdeva November 2, 2017, 8:32 PM

The 2016-17 campaign wasn’t kind to the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving up a season-ending injury to captain Steven Stamkos just 17 games into the year and bringing the team’s conference finals streak to an abrupt end. Just one month into 2017-18, the club is already erasing all memory of that subpar season, with Stamkos and linemate Nikita Kucherov lighting up the rest of the league on a nightly basis. Through 13 games, Stamkos leads all NHL skaters with 24 points to his name, while Kucherov similarly sits atop the pile with 13 goals. Lightning fans won’t have to reach too far back to bring to mind the last dominant duo to wear Tampa Bay’s colours, as it was just three years ago that Stamkos was doing damage alongside former captain Martin St. Louis. With the present captain’s new linemate emerging as a bona fide superstar in his own right, Stamkos didn’t hesitate to draw the comparison others likely had in mind. “Kuch is a guy who reminds me the most of having that natural chemistry like I did with Marty,” Stamkos said to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Wednesday. “It was funny: I was the young kid, and Marty was the veteran guy, and we pushed each other. Marty taught me so much with his experience in the league, and I was able to push him with my youthfulness, you could say. “Kuch and I aren’t too far apart in age, as Marty and I were, but I feel the same way with Kuch. How he’s always working on his game, and how I have to keep up with him. It’s been extremely fun so far.” However, while the volume of points amassed by the pair certainly calls for the comparison to Tampa Bay’s previous top-line duo, the script seems to be flipped this time around, as Stamkos has moved from sniper to setup man. “When I played with Marty, for as long as I was, he was the guy that told me to get him the puck and get open,” Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times recently. “I didn’t necessarily have to be put in an area to try to make plays. I was trying to get open and shoot the puck every time I could. But, now, I’ll try to get Kuch the shots right now because he’s the best in the league at it at this moment. So why wouldn’t you want to get him the puck?” Fair point, and one the 24-year-old Russian phenom likely isn’t arguing. After breaking out with a 40-goal performance last season, Kucherov has seen his offensive ceiling rise even further with Stamkos by his side. That may be partly by design, as the young sniper said he paid close attention to Stamkos’ tendencies during that impressive stretch alongside St. Louis. “I always looked up to them,” Kucherov said. “And (saw) how they supported each other, how they talked, how they moved the puck, where Marty was getting open.” St. Louis led the Lightning in scoring during Kucherov’s rookie season, posting 61 points through 62 games before moving on to the New York Rangers. But for all the influence Kucherov’s two veteran teammates had on him, the Russian phenom is now doing his part to drive Stamkos, the latter forward said. “I was pushing Marty, and Kuch is truly pushing me,” Stamkos told the Times. “To see him work as hard as he does at his game, I want to be right there with him.” Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081420 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Why the Vegas Golden Knights’ hot start may not be a complete mirage

Andrew Berkshire November 2, 2017, 4:03 PM

With the way the expansion draft rules were set up, the Vegas Golden Knights were in position to be much more competitive in Year 1 than the last round of NHL expansion teams were. They were expected to be the best expansion team in recent memory, but no one could have expected this 8-3-0 start. So far, they have the second-best record in their division and third-best in the tough Western Conference. What’s even more impressive than Vegas’ start is they seem to lose a goaltender to injury once every three or four games, making it increasingly difficult to get a reliable performance from the position. Considering the team was put together from leftovers of the other 30 teams in the NHL, you have to imagine this kind of run is all smoke and mirrors, and of course part of it is good fortune. They have a 103.85 PDO, boosted mainly by a 12.23 shooting percentage in all situations, something even the most talented teams in the NHL would never be able to sustain. However, even when the Golden Knights’ percentages fall back to earth, they might not be the paper tiger that most people are expecting. It’s true that Vegas hasn’t been a great possession team, — they’re slightly below average in score-adjusted Corsi at even strength — but Corsica’s expected goals model still has them above breaking even at 5- on-5 hockey, and significantly above that when you include special teams. Part of the reason for this is likely that the Golden Knights are one of the best teams in the NHL right now at controlling high danger scoring chances, and scoring chances on net. The Golden Knights are top-10 in the NHL in both creating and suppressing high danger chances at even strength, making them an extremely tough team to play against. Playing seven of their first 11 games at home might lead these numbers to look inflated so far, especially if their opponents are really enjoying Las Vegas they’re in town, but the notion that Vegas has been bad and lucky just isn’t true. How sustainable is this level of performance for the Golden Knights? They certainly won’t continue winning 73 per cent of their games, and typically in small sample sizes the most reliable data to predict future performance comes from the statistics with more events to build on, so that subpar score-adjusted Corsi might tell us more than the rest does. However, what’s happening here — whether it’s through coaching or a nice blend of talent that wasn’t evident on paper — is extremely exciting for the Vegas market. The NHL really couldn’t have drawn this up any better for their newest team, and if the Golden Knights somehow maintain this level and make the playoffs, you have to imagine Gary Bettman will be dancing in his office. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.03.2017 1081421 Websites The win over the Kings was followed by three straight losses and Babcock believes his team has realized the root cause of that slide.

“Some of you guys have been asking me, ‘What are the other teams TSN.CA / Kapanen gets big chance against Kings doing to adjust to you?’” Babcock said. "Part of it is that, but part of it is what you do with the puck. If you don’t take care of the puck, you can’t win. It’s just flat-out losing hockey. Can you win the odd night? Sure. By Mark Masters Most of the time you’re just going home disappointed and you’re frustrated at the same time. So, take care of the puck.”

Los Angeles hasn't played since returning from a six-game trip on TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes Monday night. The Leafs, meanwhile, will be playing on consecutive from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held nights, although Babcock isn't expecting fatigue to be a factor. a team meeting at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday morning. "We had four lines last night, set up perfect for today," the coach noted. "We played four lines, rolled them out the door, no one played too much. Kasperi Kapanen will play his second NHL game of the season on We should be fresh here today." Thursday, but unlike in his debut on Saturday against the Flyers when he played just 7:31 in a fourth-line spot, the Finn will play a prominent role Zach Hyman led all Leafs forwards in ice time in Anaheim at 18:03 while against the Kings slotting in beside Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. Matt Martin played the fewest minutes at 11:46. "I’m excited and we’ll see if I get a good nap or not," the 21-year-old said. NHL: Maple Leafs 3, Ducks 1 "They’re great, outstanding players not just with the puck, but without it as well. They make plays and score goals, but they hit and agitate the Patrick Marleau scored his 100th career game-winner early in the third [other] team so it will be good.” period as the Maple Leafs stopped their three-game losing streak by downing the Ducks. What's Mike Babcock looking for? A big reason why Hyman led the way in forward ice time against the "Just speed on that line and give him an opportunity, see what he’s got," Ducks is the Leafs were shorthanded four times while getting just two the Leafs head coach said. power plays. When Antoine Vermette was whistled for tripping Hyman late in the second period, it marked Toronto's first man-advantage The chance to play with his countryman Komarov, who served as a opportunity in 131 minutes and 30 seconds. Why wasn't Toronto getting mentor in his early days in Toronto, is special for Kapanen. more power plays? Komarov is among the top agitators in the Leafs lineup and always plays “I would say until last night we didn’t deserve to,” Babcock said. “If you with some sandpaper. Is there something in the water in Finland that don’t play hard enough, you don’t play in the O zone, you don’t draw any makes them more likely to fill that role? penalties. Last night was a peculiar one for me, but that’s the way it goes.” “I don’t know,” Kapanen said with a grin. “Maybe we just don’t get too much sunlight during the year and we’re all a little upset. Leo’s good at Was Babcock confused that Toronto didn't get more calls despite his job and it’ll be fun to see firsthand how he does it.” controlling the play against the Ducks in the first and third periods? Josh Leivo will come out of the lineup to make room for Kapanen while "There’s no sense me being confused," he said, "but yes." Dominic Moore will sit as a healthy scratch for a second straight game. Toronto has converted on 25 per cent of its power-play chances to rank On defence, Connor Carrick is the odd man out as Roman Polak returns sixth in NHL, but went 0/2 last night. to the lineup following a one-game stint in the press box. Projected lineup for Thursday's game: Leafs Ice Chips: Kapanen's big chance to play with mentor Komarov Forwards Kasperi Kapanen will play his second NHL game of the season on Thursday night against the Kings. And unlike on Saturday when he made Hyman-Matthews-Nylander his debut, the flying Finn is expected to get a big role alongside Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. Komarov-Kadri-Kapanen When the Leafs arrived at their downtown hotel last night there was quite van Riemsdyk-Marleau-Brown a party going on. The Houston Astros and their fans were celebrating the Martin-Bozak-Marner franchise's first championship. Did any Toronto players get swept up in the good times? Defencemen “No, not last night,” said alternate captain Morgan Rielly, “but you could Rielly-Hainsey tell lots of Houston fans were in the building and the players were staying there, I think, but, no, we didn’t get caught up in that.” Gardiner-Zaitsev Leafs didn't get caught up in Astros victory party Borgman-Polak The Astros players were staying in the same hotel as the Maple Leafs on Goaltenders Wednesday night in Los Angeles. And while the Houston players and McElhinney starts their fans partied the night away following the franchise's first ever title, Toronto's players got a good night's rest ahead of a big game against the Andersen Kings. TSN.CA LOADED: 11.03.2017 The Kings are off to their best start in franchise history at 9-2-1, but one of their regulation losses was at the Air Canada Centre last week. Toronto’s players watched some video of their win over Los Angeles this morning. “It’s important that we get back to how we were playing against them,” said Rielly, “and like we played last night with lots of speed and getting pucks in and getting on the forecheck, because that’s the best part of our game.” What does Babcock recall about the 3-2 win over the Kings? “We played hard, took care of the puck, played well without it and were hard on the goaltender in the offensive zone,” he said. “We have to do exactly the same here today and we feel we are capable, we just have to be prepared to do it right. It’s not easy to do it right every night so you have to give in and do it.” 1081422 Websites are all 28 and under and all locked up through 2018-19. The Preds’ top three scoring threats are also signed for each of the next four seasons.

5. WASHINGTON CAPITALS TSN.CA / Channelling Astros, Vegas gives Leafs best odds to be 2019 champs The bet here isn’t on Alex Ovechkin, who will turn 34 not long after that 2019 Cup is handed out, but his torrid start to this season will make you want to think twice. Instead, it’s on Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas By Frank Seravalli Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky carrying the load. Braden Holtby will be there to clean up the mess, but the big question is whether Washington can mould a few young defenders into the formidable foe that was their blueline the last handful of years. It seems like the riskiest Imagine declaring today that the Arizona Coyotes are the 2020 Stanley of the five bets – especially with a core that has infamously never made it Cup champions. past the second round. That’s what Sports Illustrated did with their bold June 30, 2014 cover bet, For the record, the teams with the next best odds to capture the Stanley in which they not only introduced the Houston Astros as 2017 World Cup two seasons from now are the Penguins, Blues and Blackhawks. Series champions three years ahead of time, but even nailed series MVP Sorry, Winnipeg. George Springer as their face of the issue. TSN.CA LOADED: 11.03.2017 At that moment, the Astros were in the midst of their sixth-straight losing season, including three 100-loss campaigns, and had the lowest payroll in baseball. That’s why the cover has been trending on social media since Wednesday night’s win. The Hockey News, the sport’s bible since 1947, piggybacked off SI’s idea in March 2015 with their “Future Watch” edition, boldly predicting the Winnipeg Jets would hoist the Stanley Cup in 2019. No pressure, Jets. Suddenly, 2019 is not so far away. And all of this fortune-teller business got us thinking: Who are the best bets to win the Stanley Cup in 2019? To find out, TSN asked online gambling giant Bodog, the leader in sports prop bets. For the record, the Jets were not among the top eight teams, according to Bodog’s oddsmakers. Winnipeg would have 33/1 odds today. But there’s still plenty of time for the Jets to make The Hockey News look psychic – which would be especially impressive since Winnipeg was more than a year away from landing Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele was just beginning to break out. You're up, #nhljets. No pressure. pic.twitter.com/tnLRBir3rI — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 2, 2017 Here are the favourites, ranked in order, according to Bodog oddsmakers, who used a formula including stars hitting their prime, contract details and salary-cap projections: 1. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Lou Lamoriello set forth a “five-year plan” when he was hired in 2015, so a Stanley Cup in 2019 would be one year ahead of schedule. Lamoriello did admit last spring that the Leafs were “a little” ahead of schedule with their first-round playoff appearance. Not even the salary cap would be an issue for the Maple Leafs in 2018-19, with Auston Matthews playing out the final year of his bargain entry-level deal. According to Bodog, the Leafs are already the co-favourite for this season. (Despite the usual “Toronto Sports Network” claims, Bodog was a completely impartial player here setting the odds for this story. The House isn’t in business to lose money.) 2. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING With the highest-scoring trio in the NHL – Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Vladislav Namestnikov – it’s easy to see why money would be rolling in on Tampa Bay. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman smoothly navigated troubled waters, managing to keep most of his core intact, including Victor Hedman and Stamkos. Jonathan Drouin was the cap casualty, but the Bolts are doing just fine with 19-year-old defenceman Mikhail Sergachev, who will be roaming Tampa’s blueline for years to come. 3. EDMONTON OILERS The Oilers opened this season as a co-favourite with Pittsburgh, but Edmonton is a long way from a playoff spot after tumbling out of the gate with a 3-7-1 mark. Any team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has to at least be considered a legitimate threat for the foreseeable future. Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse continue to blossom on the backend and Cam Talbot is signed to a reasonable contract. 4. NASHVILLE PREDATORS Coming off the franchise’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final last June, what makes “NashVegas” so attractive to gamblers is that their core four on defence - Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis – 1081423 Websites because he knows the rest of his group can get the job done. And get the job done effectively.

This is the type of benefit you can realize when you bet on a youth TSN.CA / Blueline driving Blue Jackets’ early success movement to change the direction of your franchise. It doesn’t always work out as planned, but in Columbus’ case, the transition of their defence appears to be paying substantial dividends. Not only have they By Travis Yost brought in top-tier talent, they’ve supplemented it with nearly equitable competency down the entire lineup.

And right now, it has made the Blue Jackets a very real force in the In the hierarchy of early season surprises, the Columbus Blue Jackets Eastern Conference. may top the list. TSN.CA LOADED: 11.03.2017 Columbus is fresh off of a 108-point season where they finished just behind two superpowers in Washington and Pittsburgh. Despite their first-round playoff exit, there were encouraging signs that the Blue Jackets would be a team that could repeat their success in this year. So far, so good. The Blue Jackets are 8-4-0 through their first 12 games, and their win percentage seems legitimate. They’ve owned about 55 per cent of the goals (plus seven on the year) and, perhaps most notably, are proving to be lethal at even strength. Here, the Jackets are getting about 57 per cent of the goals on 55 per cent of the shots. The Jackets are spending most of the game where good teams generally do – shift after shift in the offensive third, creating routine pressure on opposing goaltenders and overwhelming opposing skaters on a consistent basis. It’s worth noting that many of their key metrics are up year over year – as one example, they have improved their shot share by almost 5 per cent, which is an incredible jump. It’s also worth noting that the same roster, more or less, has returned from a season ago. The one lone notable move was a player-for-player swap – receiving Artemi Panarin and shipping out to Chicago. So, how do we explain the improvement? I think their defence has a lot to do with it. Three truths on the Columbus blueline: (1) The pairings are identical from a season ago, which could help establish consistency and chemistry through repetition; (2) The defence has a couple of highly drafted, highly touted names as anchors (see: Zach Werenski, Seth Jones); (3) The group is incredibly young. The third point is an important one. When a team with little roster turnover improves in a short window, you have to wonder if players taking positive steps up the developmental curve is playing a role. That’s a hard argument to make when the average age of your team is inching towards 30. It’s an easier argument to make if you’re on the other end of the spectrum. If you look at the average age of regular NHL defencemen this season, you’ll note that Columbus has the second youngest blueline in the league. They were inched out by the Carolina Hurricanes – another team that receives unanimous praise about the efficacy of their defencemen. The Blue Jackets are well below the curve – the average NHL blueline is around 27 years of age, and their blueline is nearly three years younger. This doesn’t mean that having a young defence is always a good thing (or that having an old defence is always a bad thing). But when your youthful group of players are also highly skilled – strong indicators not only being how high they went in the draft, but how quickly they transitioned into the NHL full-time – there’s much more reason to buy possible player development and improvement. I mentioned that head coach John Tortorella has basically kept his pairings together from last season. It’s a point worth reemphasizing. He has his super pairing in the aforementioned Jones and Werenski, both of whom were high first-round draft picks. He has a second pairing that handles some of the tougher, defensive-oriented minutes in David Savard and Jack Johnson. His third pairing generally features Ryan Murray with one of Markus Nutivaara or Gabriel Carlsson. It’s worth noting that, at the just 24, Murray is far and away the “seasoned veteran” of this pairing regardless of who he plays with. Whether or not you subscribe to the younger defenders getting better with time argument from above, one point isn’t in dispute – Columbus’ regular pairings have all taken big steps forward this year. Look at the below data table, which shows how each pairing has performed from one of three key performance indicators – Corsi% shows the pairing’s shot share, Goal% shows the pairing’s goal share, and Expected Goal% combines both shot volume and shot quality to measure effectiveness as a unit. Again, the jumps are massive: Huge, huge steps in the right direction. Columbus effectively has one elite pairing – and in one man’s opinion, perhaps one of the best pairings in the entire NHL. Just as importantly, they have depth behind them. Tortorella doesn’t have to wince every time his top pairing leaves the ice, 1081424 Websites the things away from the puck. His frustration level is almost non-existent now. You see that with all the great players. They battle through to be complete players and he’s there now.” USA TODAY / How the St. Louis Blues have gotten off to such a USA TODAY LOADED: 11.03.2017 stunning start to the NHL season

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Published 3:43 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017 | Updated 4:20 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2017

General manager Doug Armstrong is being interviewed about the St. Louis Blues’ impressive 10-2-1 start, and it takes more than nine minutes for superstar Vladimir Tarasenko’s name to enter the conversation. That’s the simplest explanation for the Blues’ early success. The Blues’ list of players performing at an elite level is so long now that it is impossible to say who has been most important to the start. Is it defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, playing like a Norris Trophy defenseman? How about goalie Jake Allen who has stopped 85 of the last 90 shots he has faced going into Thursday’s game at home against Philadelphia? It could still be Tarasenko who remains a monstrous force with 14 points in 13 games. Many would say it’s forward Jaden Schwartz, currently third in the NHL scoring race with 17 points in 13 games. “We are not surprised that he’s producing at this level,” Armstrong told USA TODAY Sports. “He is just starting to enter the prime of his career.” Schwartz, 25, was a 55-point scorer last season. It looks as if he’s figured out how to make all of his skills work together this season. “We are going to see this level for a while,” Armstrong said. Armstrong said Schwartz reminds him of former NHL player Jere Lehtinen “because he just does everything well.” “He’s a guy that (coach) Mike Yeo feels comfortable in any situation,” Armstrong said. “(Schwartz) is a guy you can put with any player to get them going or keep them going." The Blues’ depth is central to the team’s masterful all-around play. They rank second in goals-against average (2.31) and third in goals-scored per game (3.31). Pietrangelo (13 points in 13 games) leads one of the NHL’s best defensive corps. Even with highly respected Jay Bouwmeester on the injury list, the Blues’ defense has been exceptional. “When we had Kevin Shattenkirk, he assumed the place on the right side on the first power play unit,” Armstrong said. “Now (Pietrangelo) is on the first power play and the first penalty killing, and he’s taken huge advantage of that opportunity.” The Blues’ stellar play is a continuation of their weighty performance last season after Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock behind the bench Feb. 1. Since then, the Blues are 32-10-3. No NHL team has owned a better record since Yeo gained command of the Blues. “The time-tested (theory) that everyone is better at their second job than they were the first time around is true,” Armstrong said. “As a manager, I know I felt much more comfortable managing in my second job and I know Mike feels the same way.” Yeo’s first NHL head coaching job was with the Minnesota Wild (2011- 16), and he didn’t have the same success he has known in St. Louis. “You learn through your first job, and you learn on the job,” Armstrong said. “He’s putting the things he had positive success with into play. He’s a good communicator, and there’s a trust with his players. He is a generational coach. He knows what makes this age group tick. He’s got a good mind for the game.” Armstrong appreciates that Yeo is willing to learn even from his assistants. He supported the decision to bring in former NHL head coach Larry Robinson as an assistant. “He wanted strong people around him,” Armstrong said. While Tarasenko may be sharing the spotlight, his game is just as impactful, if not more so, according to Armstrong. “I see a different player shift-to-shift,” Armstrong said. “It seems like he has three really solid bodychecks every game.” Armstrong said Tarasenko aspires to be a complete player. “It’s not just the bodychecking,” Armstrong said. “It’s the understanding of his leadership (role). You can always talk a good game, but he’s doing all of